τφ When Two Worlds Collide φτ

[Kifo]

Again Kubikuro whimpered, this time a little louder, thanks to the tone in Dakota's voice.
" He disrespects everyone, including Raimundo at times. Only Zyanya, Ritara and their cubs are safe from the torment. The Rebels cannot control Conrad." He whimpered, trying to prevent a disaster without knowing if it was working or not. " I'm sorry that Choby didn't come out. It would have been better if he had. But no one can control what alter emerges at what time, not even the older twin himself. No matter how much he hurts us, whether emotionally or physically, we have to be patient with him and watch him to make sure he doesn't do anything bad."
Kubikuro then turned to Tasuki and tried to give the kitsune a warm smile. " If it helps any, the rest of the Rebels want to be your friend. Even Ebony... once she warms up to you. She's always been cold towards new people and it takes her a while to warm up to them. It took her nearly a year to warm up to me. And Clemens took a liking to you straight away. I've never seen him take a liking to anyone that fast before. Clemens will get Choby and Caldwell to like you, I'm sure of it. I'm just sorry that Conrad is such a sour puss."
Finally the brown dog heaved a sigh and looked around the camp. He wasn't ignoring Akira (he had heard her words as clear as day), he was just trying to plan the best way to complete the duties he had been ordered to do himself. It didn't help that he wasn't one to make the plans. He usually just followed them. But it wasn't long before his police mentality came into play and he turned back to face the annoyed coyote.
" We have two options. With Conrad walking in circles around camp, our first option would be to take a third of the campsite each and just watch for trouble. The second option would be taking turns keeping watch alongside Conrad. I have a feeling that he will be making himself dizzy all night so if one of us stays up by the fire while the other two get some rest, then that could work. If we go with option two, we would swap after every two hours. Either way, Conrad would more than likely attack me if something goes wrong. But the choice is yours." He finally said.
He didn't notice when Raimundo - his meal finished - made his way over to the small group. Taking in Kubikuro's plans, the grumpy stomping of his brother around the camp borders and the angry look on Dakota's face, he determined quickly that his brother was in trouble and had ditched his nightwatchmen (and woman).
" Is everything okay, Dakota?" He asked the grey wolf.

Anjiti tried to smile around the leg of zebra in her mouth, but it was a clear fail, so she chose to wag her tail instead to the blue wolf's words. Once the two had reached the barn, she lowered her head in greeting to the lighter brown wolf before making her way inside and over to where Uphere lay. There she placed the leg in front of where the red dragon rested.
" Uphere." she gently called, placing a paw on her nephew's tail. " Uphere, mera ladaka, wake up. Gemma, Mana and I have brought you some food."
With a yawn, Uphere opened his eyes and looked over the three wolves beside him, one hovering in the air. His eyes then laid themselves on the zebra parts that were with them. At the sight, his stomach tightened and he knew exactly why they had come, but there was only one question that popped into his mind at the sight.
" Why does everyone suddenly want to feed me?" He asked, a slight smile of thanks on his face despite his words.

Anjou noticed when Riki and Evie both moved behind him and heaved a heavy sigh. He didn't mean to scare them away. He didn't mean to feel threatened by them either. But it wasn't long ago that he was surrounded by the adult Rebels and flanked by a brown, solid built lion as well as his father. And the look in Shanara's eyes was starting to make him feel even more guilty than he already was.
" I'm sorry, Shanara." He sighed, avoiding her gaze. " I know I'm a pain."

Faraji looked at the cheetard with a shocked expression on his face. He didn't expect to be called out nor did he think they'd notice. But, even as Skype, Krystal and Mazari slowed their pace and forced everyone else to do the same, he couldn't help the slight blush that washed itself over his muzzle.
" I... uh... I'm just... I was wondering why you don't want to go to the main camp first?" He choked. " I mean, I understand wanting to look for family, but wouldn't you want to see if they've already been found before you head off on your own search?"

[Bakura]

Tasuki lowered his head slightly at Kubikuro's words and nodded his thanks to the kindness shown. Tasuki looked to Akira, about to ask what she wanted to do but he stopped when he noticed the Coyote was sitting down, eyes closed and tail wrapped around her paws patiently awaiting orders, her earlier annoyance seeming to have vanished after Kubikuro responded. Dakota twitched slightly still highly annoyed by the encounter with Conrad, but at Raimundo's words she shook herself. Dakota took in a deep breath and calmed her body and mind knowing her anger was doing no good and that she was upsetting the brown dog further than Conrad already had.
"Everything is alright, we are just sorting out Nightwatch" she said to Raimundo before she turned her eyes to Kubikuro. "I do apologize for my actions, I did not mean to upset you." She said softly, feeling sorry for scaring the dog before she gave him a smile. "However, with your plan. I believe taking up a third each would be the best option. I do not trust Conrad to be left alone with Tasuki, besides he may have a completely different idea on how he wants to do this anyway." She offered and Tasuki hunched slightly at her words, but gave a slight nod anyway.
"Whilst I would like to think I would defend myself should he turn on me, I know I wouldn't for fear of injuring him and in turn injuring Alpha. She is right, it is best I not be left alone with him." He added with a sad tinge to his voice.

Gemma chuckled at the wolf's attempt at a smile and happily trotted along beside her. Mana returned Anjiti's greeting as the two wolves passed her and adjusted her grip on the Zebra carcass before following them inside. Gemma and Mana watched as Anjiti gently awoke the red dragon and once he was awake Mana placed their offering down beside the leg before dropping to the ground and beginning to clean the blood from her paws and face. Gemma's ear twitched as her sister started bathing without a care of who was around, she ignored the blood in her own fur and sighed before looking to Uphere at his question.
"You have kept Magnar warm tirelessly since he fell unconscious and you haven't moved to eat or drink since. You must be starving, it's quite unfair that everyone else gets to eat but you." She said, trailing off her words as she realized what she had said.
She stepped back slightly and closed her eyes, a large black tub filled to the brim with water appeared beside Uphere. "So eat and drink your fill. If you find your still hungry after we can fetch you some more food. Also if you need to duck out for a stretch, Mana is able to generate heat from her body and can keep him warm long enough for you to return." She offered and at the mention of her name, Mana stopped licking her chest to look up with a smile.

Shanara was startled slightly when Anjou suddenly spoke, she looked to him with confusion and at the guilty look on his face she frowned. "What are you apologizing for?" She asked confused. "I'm actually grateful that you don't seem to mind me walking with you. I... I don't do so well with others, Evie was concerned I wouldn't be able to walk on my own, but I don't feel scared around you, It's like I'm walking with one of my family." She admitted softly, giving the wolfdog a slight smile.

Rakshaw nodded at the King Cheetah's words. "A reasonable question. It's not really something I would expect you to understand... The moment I saw Krystal I knew dad and my cousins were not back at camp." He said before looking away from Faraji, slightly concerned about sharing his next words. "You see, my father has a distinct... metallic scent, which Krystal is not carrying. I'd bet my life that dad is with the young ones, so if he isn't there then neither are they." He finished, frowning to himself about the situation. He sighed before steeling his face and looking forward again. "But Evie has ordered us to watch the pups, and we shall do so till they are all safely back with their parents." He said eyes trained on the sleeping tiger cub once more.

[Kifo]

" It's my fault that Evie and that lion moved behind us." Anjou sighed. " If I hadn't done what I did, I wouldn't have been punished. If I hadn't been punished, I wouldn't be so on edge. And if I wasn't so on edge, then no one would be moving because of me."

" I understand." Faraji smiled slightly.
He knew exactly what Rakshaw meant with the different scents because he could also identify certain members of the Rebels in a similar way. Lynk also had a metallic scent to him and his father gave off a scent similar to that of a storm. Even the Rebels older leader had a different scent to him depending on who was in control. But, as Rakshaw fell silent, so did the king cheetah. They had a job to do and places to get to after all.

Uphere's smile widened at the sight of the water. He had to be honest, the surprise show of water made him realise just how dry his throat was. But still, he closed his eyes and dipped his head to the three females before him.
" Thank you." He said. " I'm sure that this will suffice until Magnar wakes up. My only hope is that either he wakes up soon or his brother shows up to wake him."
He then lowered his head to the tub and drank his fill before going on to eat the meat that was before him.
Anjiti smiled and turned to the two wolves beside her, choosing to ignore Mana as she went back to cleaning herself.
" Let's let him eat in peace." She suggested.

Kubikuro nodded his head in recognition to what had been said. " Guess we'll take thirds." He confirmed.
He then took a look around the camp, trying to figure out the markers. The camp was fairly round, so that made things easier. And they were right near the campfire, too. It was just divvying up the camp that proved a little harder than he thought. Even though the camp was round, the barn, the newly built watering hole and the construction site were almost parallel to each other. That meant that it was going to be hard for the camp to be divided. If they each had one building in their section, then it wouldn't be even. Kubikuro didn't know what to do, so he made a small diagram in the ground before him to try and help him sort it out.
" How are we going to do this?" He said aloud. " We have a circular camp with three buildings parallel to each other. Unless we can figure something out, one of us is going to get half of the camp while the other two only get a quarter."
Raimundo turned away from Dakota - still convinced that she was hiding something - to look at the rough diagram that his friend had made. He had to be honest, though. He couldn't see any other way to divide the camp either. But if it came to that, he would have the fastest member watching the half of camp that the construction was in. And that would be Akira only because of her vampiric speed.
" Why don't you do that, then?" he asked his fellow Rebel. " Have the fastest in the section with the construction site, and the other two in the other sections. It could work."
" I just... I don't know if it would work." Kubikuro replied.

[Bakura]

Shanara frowned at the younger wolfdogs self-loathing, none of this was his fault. She was about to respond when Tsume's scent entered the air and she could hear the male's voice up ahead talking to Skype. The group stopped for a moment as the two spoke softly to each other and then the two started moving again, it was then that she could faintly see the path zigzagging up the side of the valley. Tsume lept onto the incline, Skype right behind him and looked back over the group.
"It's a little steep, so be careful when climbing." He offered before starting up the path.
When the group started moving again Shanara looked to Anjou with a soft smile. "For starters my friend, Evie and Riki didn't move because of you. Evie trusts you and so do I. We've already put the past behind us, so maybe you should too." She said softly hoping to cheer him up a little.

Rakshaw heard the Cheetahs words and gave a relieved sigh. It wasn't till he was already on the path out of the valley that he whispered a soft "Thank you for understanding, not a lot of others do."

Gemma nodded to the dragon as he began eating. At Anjiti's words she smiled. "I agree." She then turned to Mana and nudged her. "Come, lets leave him in peace." She said before starting out of the barn. Mana gave her paw that she had been grooming one more lick before silently following her sister. They stopped out the front to wait for Anjiti.

The three watched as the dog and jaguar went over the plan that Kubikuro had drawn in the dirt and at his last statement Akira got to her feet in offence. "You believe me to weak to be able to defend my run?" She growled and Dakota placed her paw against her chest.
"He doesn't mean offence." She said sternly and Akira sat back down with a huff. Dakota then turned back to the others. "Akira is more then capable of taking half of the camp, she was a personal guard to her king before I met her. She has guarded areas larger the this alone before with success. However," Dakota said voicing what she was suspecting. "If it is because she is a Coyote, then I can have a third member of my pack join nightwatch." She offered, concerned that he was shunning Akira because of her breed. She may not like the coyote but she was still family.

[Kifo]

Raimundo looked at the coyote with a confused look on his face.
" What are you on about?" He asked.
" I think it would be me." Kubikuro sighed. " I just wanted to make things fair."
" Mate, I think the fairest thing would be to give the vampire half the camp. Besides I told you it would work."
" Then we'll do it that way. Akira can take the construction area. Which area do you want to take Tasuki, the watering hole or the barn area?"

Anjiti gave a last smile to her nephew, who was more into his food than anything else, before turning away and following Mana and Gemma out of the barn.
" Thank you for the help." She said once she was outside.

Faraji merely smiled before leaping up onto the path that Mazari was lighting for the group. But he couldn't help but notice the sad look on Anjou's face when he looked back at the rest of the group behind him. Anjou thought over Shanara's words for a few minutes before finally breaking a smile.
" Maybe I am just acting like a pain." He said, his voice light despite still being soft.

[Bakura]

Akira huffed at the Jaguar but at Dakota's glare she sat back down and glared off to the side. Dakota then addressed Raimundo and Kubikuro, understanding now where the dog's words had come from.
"I understand you feel you must take the larger area as there is one from your family and two from mine, but I agree with Raimundo, having Akira hold the largest area makes sense as she can patrol both sections in the time I would take either you or Tasuki to do your own sections." Dakota said softly, feeling upset that she had misjudged the canine. Dakota turned to Tasuki who was sitting quietly beside her. "The choice is yours, where ever you are most comfortable." She offered and Tasuki smiled slightly.
"If you do not mind, I would like to take the Barn area. Kurama draws comfort from my foxfire, if he awakens and I am not close enough for his own foxfire to reach out, he might panic as he doesn't know I have gone anywhere." He said standing up, his tails swaying in the barn's direction.

Gemma nodded to Anjiti with a smile, "It is no problem. While we are here, together, the caring for those unable to help themselves should be shared by everyone. We are always happy to help, if any of you need us." Gemma offered, nudging Anjiti in the shoulder before she looked back over the camp. Scenting only two out of her three sons, she eyed the forest. "I do apologize but I must attend to my son." She offered in way of goodbye before she ran out of the camp, in the direction she had last seen him.
Mana watched her sister go with a bored expression.
"I know that boy is defenseless, but she coddles him way to much." She said out loud to herself, completely forgetting about the brown wolf sitting beside her.

Shanara smiled at the change in his tone of voice. "Your not a pain at all, just a dog who needs a friend." She offered, bumping shoulders with him as the walked. "And now you've got at least six." She grinned knowing that five of her present cousins would happily offer the teen friendship if he wants it.

[Kifo]

" You have it all wrong, Dakota." Kubikuro smiled gently. " I never wanted to take the larger section for myself. I was just trying to figure out the best way to divide the camp equally. If Conrad wasn't going off and doing his own thing like he often does, divvying camp would be so much easier."
" Not to mention Kubi here is like a snail compared to a vampire." Raimundo teased earning a glare from the brown dog. " Out of the three of them, the fastest was always going to be Akira... no offense Tasuki."
" Anyway!" Kubikuro growled at his leader. " If you wish to take the barn, dear kitsune, then the barn is yours. I do not mind. But if you ever need me, just send me a call and I'll be there as fast as I can."

Anjiti watched Gemma take off in the direction that both her brother in law and his new friend had gone, understanding the need to care for her child. But her ears flicked in Mana's direction upon her words.
" Don't be too hard on her. Some mothers are like that; they worry a lot." Anjiti smiled. " You wouldn't know it, but Ritara's the same. Taka may be fifteen years old, but she babies him to no end thanks to the fact he's only got three legs."

" Thank you." the black and white wolfdog smiled before leaping up onto the pathway.
He waited until Shanara was beside him before continuing along the path after the others. But it wasn't until a few minutes later that he started to grow curious.
" Forgive me asking, but why would you think I wouldn't want to walk with you?" He asked the brown wolf.

[Bakura]

Dakota nodded. "Things would be a lot easier if he would work with us." she commented off-handedly before both her and Tasuki chuckled at Raimundo's teasing comment, even Akira cracked a smile at the dog's annoyed reaction.
"None taken," Tasuki said to Raimundo before looking to Kubikuro. "I do appreciate it, Kurama has Mana and the pack now... But something feels off and I just want to be near him." Tasuki said before bowing slightly in thanks. "And thank you for the offered assistance, If anything happens I'll call for help."

Mana jumped slightly remembering Anjiti was there when the wolf spoke, she took in the wolf's words and she nodded in understanding. "I can understand being worried for your pup if they are missing a leg. It would be difficult for him to learn to work around the missing limb and live a normal life." She said before looking back out to the trees. "I worry about Link too, but when it comes down to it, there is really nothing wrong with him. Yes, he can't defend himself but when you think about other pups, like Ritara's Taka, then his issue really isn't all that important. You know?" Mana voiced her thoughts, seeking Anjiti's opinion on the matter.

"Your welcome." Shanara joined the younger on the pathway and looked behind her to make sure the others were close behind. Her ear twitched and she turned back to Anjou at the wolfdogs question. "I guess I wasn't sure if you wanted me around. Our earlier conversation upset you quite a bit and I didn't want to make it any worse..." She trailed off softly looking down at her paws.

It didn't take Gemma very long at all to find her son's trail and when she located him she smiled softly. She could tell by the scent surrounding the burrow that Lynk had helped him dig it out and she was thankful to the older wolf for showing him kindness. She shifted into her jaguar form and quietly squeezed in beside him, she lay down with her head on his neck. 'I'm in the woods with Link, i'll be back soon. Please look after Aden for me.' She called through her mind before she joined him in sleep.

[Kifo]

" I admit, Taka is one of the luckier ones; easily grasping the notion of walking with only three legs. Plus it helped that he was born a three legged jaguar where the loss of one leg wouldn't truly affect his movement. But I also understand where you are coming from." Anjiti said. " Young Link is it? It seems to me like all that needs doing is Gemma needing to let go slightly." Anjiti fell silent, thinking more on what Mana had said. " This may be a shot in the dark, but has anyone thought of sending him off to self defence classes?"

Kubikuro bowed his head at the thanks but still he could sense the worry coming from the blue kitsune.
" Everything's going to be fine." He said with a warm smile on his face.
He then picked up the nearest pointy thing (which just so happened to be a bone that had been snapped in half) and went over to the campfire. Once there, he planted the pointed end of the bone into the ground and drew a line in the dirt to mark a section of the campsite between the construction site and the barn. He did that another two times, marking between the construction site and the watering hole and again between the watering hole and the barn. They were only rough markings, though, and didn't go all the way through to the edge of the campsite, but it was enough. Once the deed was done, he discarded the tool.
" We need to figure out how to keep this campsite clean, too." He muttered to himself as he returned.
" You alright there, Kubi?" Raimundo asked once he had returned.
" Yeah. I'm ready to start night watch if Tasuki and Akira are."

" It's not that. I just get in that headspace from time to time." Anjou replied. " It's only been seven months since it happened, so it's still quite fresh. Someone's always there with me, though. Usually one of my parents or aunts or uncles, but never a friend. So thank you."

[Bakura]

Mana's ear twitched at her sisters request, she knew Aden was alright for now and she would go check on him in a moment. She glanced to the barn where he was sleeping, before returning her gaze to Anjiti and their conversation. "That would definitely make life easier on the young one, he knows no different. Being born with the defect means there is no adjusting to it because it's all you know." She said in response before flicking her ear. "But the same goes for Link, you see my grandfather is a Mugai." She started but paused briefly when she realized that Anjiti may not know what his breed was, so she decided to explain before continuing. "His breed are born with wings, no claws or fangs and with an inherent disgust for killing. Link is the only one of our children to inherit this gene. He doesn't have the wings, but he was born without his claws or fangs to protect himself." She looked down at her own claws which she dug into the dirt below her. "And we are all worried that one day he won't be able to do so and it will end his life. He can fight, he knows how, but what good is a dog in a fight with no weapons?"

Tasuki smiled at the reassurance and watched as Kubikuro divided up the camp with the broken bone. When he returned and discarded the bone both Akira and Tasuki nodded to show they were ready. Akira took off to her half right away, she stopped looking out into the forest before she began pacing along the back of camp. Tasuki watched her for a moment, before bowing his head slightly. "I'll be off too then." He said, butting his head into Dakota's before he trotted over to his section behind the barn and pen. Dakota watched them go before turning back to Raimundo and Kubikuro. "Thank you for accepting both of them into the nightwatch. I know most of you don't mind his presence, but allowing Tasuki to prove his worth as a guard helps him feel more accepted. The same goes for Akira, her breed is often looked down upon so we try to give her more meaningful tasks to do, to show she is appreciated. It's why I picked them both." Dakota offered with a soft smile of thanks.

"I'm glad I can help," Shanara responded. "At a time like this you need all the friends you can get, and I'm sure when we get back my other cousins will happily offer their friendship as well." She said with a grin and a slight wag to her tail.

Evie trudged beside Riki with a frown on her face, the lion just laughed at her gloomy expression and she growled. A moment before Shenzi had lost her footing in the dark and almost fallen but Evie had caught her and she received a tail slap to the face for her efforts. She sighed knowing that Riki was just trying to lighten the mood and looked upwards as they reached the top of the valley. The sky in front of them was illuminated by the moon and behind them was glowing with firelight. She looked around to account everyone was present before sitting down. She bumped shoulders with the Cheetapard brothers who took up seats beside her. Bane stood up from her other side and looked over the group.
"Before we continue on, is anyone hungry or thirsty. Once we move there will be no more stopping."