Fight or Flight

[amithethird]

(Alright, see you then. )

Cassius nodded. Seemed like a solid plan. He watched at Maeko turned into a bird and flew off.
"How long do you think she'll be?" he asked.

[Puppy_Paws]

"Not too long I assume. Maybe a few minutes." Xiah says.
-----
Maeko flew faster than she ever had before. The others were counting on her report so she wanted to get to the ridge as fast as possible. Her heart began to sink as she drew closer to the ridge but did not see any figures. She shrieked to see if anyone was hiding but no one responded. They were gone, and they had brought the boy with them.
Maeko was about to return to the others when she spotted something on the ground. She landed and used her beak to move the leaf litter. Hidden beneath the leaves was a partial footprint. And there was another, and another, and another. A whole trail of footprints had been covered up. Maeko quickly turned and flew back. She shifted into a human when she had landed. "The Embers are gone, but they left a trail of footprints that are easy to follow." She said.

[amithethird]

"Then let's hurry before they go any further," Cassius said, "We don't want to loose them."

[Puppy_Paws]

"Can't argue with that. D*mmit." Axel muttered, following next to Xiah.
The path up the ridge wasn't very far, but it was steep. Xiah stared up at the narrow path with wide eyes.
"This won't be easy." She said as she started up the path.
A little ways up the slope she looked down to see Maeko still at the bottom.
"You coming Maeko?"
"Yeah, I'll be up in a moment." She said closing her eyes.
Her hands and feet became hooves and horns grew from her skull. Corse hair covered her skin as her ears grew longer. Her face stretched out into that of a goat as she shrank and stood on four feet. She bleated before climbing up the slope swiftly and easily.
"Cheater..." Axel mumbled.

This is her eagle form:


This her form now(Ibex):

[amithethird]

Cassius couldn't help but be a little impressed by Maeko's abilities. As the other started to climb the slope he opened his wings and flew up to the top of the ridge. He landed easily on the edge and waited at the top to give the others a hand. He started generating a breeze that might give them a boost and make the climb a bit easier.

[Puppy_Paws]

Not long after Cassius had landed at the top of the ridge, Maeko reached the top. She shifted into a human to wait for the others.
"Ugh, why are we doing this again?" Axel asked when they were near the top.
"Stop complaining, we're almost there." Xiah said.
Xiah reached the top just before Axel.
"Well, that was refreshing." She said sarcastically. "Maeko, where are the footprints?"
"They're over here. They are a bit hard to see with human eyes, but they go in that direction." Maeko said, pointing into the forest. "They look like they're still fresh so they didn't leave too long ago." Axel said.

[amithethird]

"That's good," Cassius said, "Hopefully they haven't gone far."
He hadn't been using his vibration sensing abilities much since he got his sight back, but now was as good a time as any to start paying attention again. It wouldn't do to run into the Embers unexpectedly.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Come on," Cassius said. He started to follow the faint footprints.

[Puppy_Paws]

Xiah took a breath and let it out. She wasn't exactly excited about the whole situation, but she couldn't back down now. She reluctantly followed behind Cassius, being careful not to make any sound.
After a few minutes Xiah whispered, "Hey, Cassius? Do you think you could find them with your vibrations? If they're close you should be able to sense them right?"

[amithethird]

"That's what I'm counting on. I don't have anything yet, but the minute I do I'll let you know," Cassius said.
As they got closer and closer to the end of the forest, Cassius began to get more and more apprehensive. Then, out of nowhere, he picked up something. There were people somewhere among the rocks. Quite a few people actually. It seemed like they were camping in the rocks for the night.
"Up ahead," he whispered, "I think they're in that hollow. The one surrounded by those huge rocks."
It was a very interesting feeling to sense things through vibrations and then be able to see them for real. It was two totally different feelings and it excited him. He brought his mind back to the present. There would be a time to marvel about that later.

[Puppy_Paws]

"We need a way to see if Sterling is with them for sure. If we attack and it turns out he isn't, that would not end well for us." Xiah whispered. "Wait, Maeko? Do you still have enough power for another shift?"
"I do, but not for long. It would be dangerous to try anything now. If I was unable to keep the transformation..." Maeko trailed off.
"Alright." Xiah sighed. "Guess we wait until Maeko's powers are strong enough before we make a move."