இ۵Ŗace Ågainst ₦atureஇ۵

[BlackJaguar]

Attican

73 - Brute - Keeper

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It was a weird feeling for Attican. As he poked his head into the dugout he heard Resin growl threateningly but it didn't balk him back for a second. She popped herself out the space and too felt the intense heat that had been burning into his backside since he had entered the inferno, the only reason that he had not been burnt himself was by the literal leadership from the beyond. The Alphess raised her concerns that Ahote could not move, really only one other option popping into his head.

"We'll have to carry him somehow, I'm not leaving either one of you here." His voice was almost flat, emotionless, even though the actual meaning of the words said otherwise. He wasn't quite sure how they were going to do it - him being tired enough as it was, Resin surely around the same even with the rest that she had managed to get. Plus her own wound still brandished across her front brazenly, for sure not allowing her her normal capacity. But they had things to get done to ensure their survival and now was not the time to get caught up in emotion. Whatever they had to do they simply somehow had to do. The sooty brute was just reaching around Ahote's nape to bite onto his scruff when the patchy one stirred. He paced backwards, allowing Resin in.

As he waited for Ahote to wake he turned around back to the light. The trees it engulfed were black and brittle, the pine needles orange as they were ablaze. At any moment they threatened to crumble, sending a host of live embers surging towards the trio. His eyes squinted towards it, the light nearly blinding him. He saw no wispy head or tail of Pipa, not sure if he couldn't see her because of the earthened sun, or because she had left.

Suddenly growling startled his thoughts and he turned quickly around to see Ahote growling at the flames. Resin did a good job of calming him however, his mind obviously frazzled from the ordeal that he had been through. Attican sidled lightly on the other side of the brute as all three moved, placing himself in just the right space in case the patchwork wolf collapsed as he looked like he threatened to.

"The.. Pack.. is fine." He finally answered, breathing nearly between every word. He headed towards the last and final escape of the clearing with the two. "I left them as Xani.. led the group to-" His sentence was cut off however as a tree crumbled right behind them. An inadvertent yelp escaped his mouth as the firey bits embedding themselves into his rump and tail. It sent him sprawling into the ground, the melting snow and mud serving as an extinguisher. Apparently it had reached Resin as well, for she too suddenly reacted to it. Unfortunately without both of their support it sent Ahote sprawling to the ground.

A thick black smog soon trailed after the embers, the more trees that fell the more smoke radiated itself once again into the already dirty air. As Resin spoke of running Attican coughed, his lungs just about having enough of it. It was getting harder for him to breathe and speaking was getting near impossible. He ended up just nodding to her words, his throat tight and raspy. He looked up to the sky, sending a mental prayer to Pipa or whoever may have been listening to keep their safety.

'We've gotten this far, please do not give up on us just yet.'

Ahote's nose bump made the brute turn to him, a weak smile written on his face. He only hoped that there was a way to leave this inferno with the both of them, all Attican wanted was their safety.

Pilot

32 - Fae - No Rank

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The fae listened as Lani talked, her ears pinning back to her head quite a few times. Previously the female had seemed rather kind, but now many of her words and tones were harsh and uninviting. Pilot bit her lip, casting her head downward. She wasn't really sure what to say. "I'll talk to anyone," she said softly, her lack of confidence evident.

Being around wolves for the most part now put Pilot out of her element. She was usually so confident and able in most everything, when she had been on her own she really had to be in order to survive everyday. Her goals were simple, follow the herds and live to the next day. Now in this group those directives were slightly skewed. Now a social game came into play, something that she really never had to deal with at all. Before she had set off on her own she still only had her family around her, not a mass group like this. Each one had a personality, a backstory, and she just was not sure where to start.

They hasted their pace until they came to a river, the orders to cross coming from Hrafn. It made sense and many wolves began to cross, the numbers on the opposing side growing rapidly. Her tail flicked, dipping her front paws in the water. The dirty water was not fast, but was cold, fire particulate floating downstream.

While crossing was not a mighty task for many, for Pilot it was a little different. The water went to most wolves chest, but for the short-legged fae touching the muddy bottom meant that her head hardly stayed above. She stretched her neck out as much as she could, tipping her head so that her muzzle was at the highest point away from the flow. Water splashed in her eyes constantly, waves created by other swimming and wading wolves overcoming her. She spluttered, trying to simply swim. However doing so made her victim to the small current, towing her away from the shoreline everyone was meeting up at. She watched out of one squinted eye as Hrafn dove himself back across the river, obviously on a mission about something. While she hoped everything was okay right now she couldn't turn her attention away from her own goal. Even turning her head like that had threatened to pull her under, all of her focus needed to keep her legs paddling correctly.

Much slower than everyone else, and towed rather downstream from the rest, finally Pilot's waterlogged paw scrabbled its way to the bank. She dug her claws into the land, pulling herself out of the river. She shook her pelt out, water spraying in a radial fashion. The wolfess panted for a minute, her tongue lolling out as she looked at the distant Pack. Pulling her tongue back in she slogged forwards, going to reunite with them.

[Resin]

~|Resin|~Alpha Female|~ 40 Summers|~

Ahote's tone made her smirk. At least he was getting feisty rather than giving up. "No, not without you. We go together or not at all." Though the situation was dire, she took a moment to lick his muddied cheek. "You going to fight me if I stay?" With her on one side of him and Attican on the other, they moved on, slowly, but steadily. Because she was now worrying about both Attican and Ahote, the pain in her chest was pushed to the back of her mind. It may have still hurt, but she didn't allow it to register. The two brutes with her took every ounce of her attention.

Attican assured Ahote that the pack was fine and Resin breathed a sigh of relief. So he had come back for her. He had risked his life to save her. The thought made her feel even worse about herself. This wasn't a situation that an Alpha should be in. Alpha's take care of their pack; not the other way around. She went quiet for a time, her attention focused on leading the pair away from the dangers that followed.

The wind had died down considerably. The Alpha could barely feel it brush her soiled coat. The beast behind them slowed as the wind did and the three wolves were able to pull away, putting more and more distance between them and the wall of light. The air, though still thick and black, became cleaner as well. Soon she was able to breathe without too much of a struggle. Scents other than smoke met her nose and she stopped in her tracks.

"There is water to our left. I can't be sure, but I think I smell the pack as well." The constant onslaught of smoke had made her nose-blind. Normally her sense of smell was incredibly sharp, but she could barely make out anything other than smoke and the tiniest hint of water. "This way." Using her shoulder, she directed Ahote to the left, knowing that Attican would follow.

In time the sound of water overpowered the sound of the crackling behind them and then the river came into view. "We're going to have to cross." Gently she pulled away from Ahote, making sure that Attican could keep him standing before the left completely. Slowly she stepped into the icy waters, testing the depth with ginger splayings of her toes. A few steps more and she was in the middle of the river, the biting waters up to her chin. A moment later and she was swimming, her feet no longer touching the muddy bottom. This lasted for only a moment, however, then her paws found purchase and she found herself on the opposite bank.

"It's only deep for a moment in the middle. There's barely any current. Do you think you can make it?" Shivering, she shook out her thick, black and grey coat, ridding her of as much of the liquid as she could manage. Still she shivered, but not as profusely. "Do you need me to come back and help?" She was willing to freeze again for the sake of her brutes. They only needed to say the word.

[Apocalyptic_Punk]

((oops sorry, This probably isn't nearly as long as I think it is))

Mirage
{{Brute||Omega||10|| awakening.|}}
The Darkness he'd entered when he'd hit the tree had been almost complete, but soon he was floating in safe warm whiteness. He slowly floated downwards his feet touching on what felt like solid rock. He blinked slowly looking around til his eyes landed upon the form of a black wolf, he recognized the wolf. Mother?" He asked gently tilting his head starring into her warm loving yellow eyes.

My son, you have come so far, and done so well. She said softly her voice echoing around him, he blinked looking around himself. And I know how tired you are, I know how very tired you are my son, I can see it in your face, but you can't give up yet. She smiled softly. [/i]"You must wake up, now you are very much needed my son, I will always love you.[/i] She nuzzled him one last time before stepping back, he watched her go, then the white began to fade away and the coldness of snow seeped into his fur, the smell of the beast filled his nostrils, and with a great gasping cough he came to his feet shaking as he coughed, gagging as he struggled to pull air into his lungs. His body ached, his head ached, all he could smell was the burning beast and it made his stomach roll.

He shook his head trying to clear it, his head low between his front paws as he gagged and cough, finally sucking a breath of air into his lungs. He coughed one more time, then slowly lifted his head looking around, he was in a cave, smaller then the large one Resin and the others had found. But it was large enough to accommodate a small pack, one much smaller then the one he'd been born into. He didn't take notice of the elder wolf at the moment, as she was curled up in a darker corner of the cave. He moved about slowly studying the cave, yes it had definitely at one point been the home of a small pack, here were bones that had been chewed on by puppies.

He whined softly, wondering what could of happened to this small pack, he sighed softly and turned looking for the exit, his yellow eyes landing finally on the older wolf. He blinked slowly. "you, who are you? Where are we? How did I get here? He asked only to receive silence from the older wolf. He let out a snort of air and turned his back on the elder looking for an exit from the cave, finally spying the dim light of day, he moved slowly upwards until he broke out into the burnt out forest, panting softly he stared in horror, west, east, north, south all burned. He whined softly wondering for his own pack mates. He stood on the edge of the small hill of rocks, which were scorched black. He threw his head back howling loudly his body shaking with the effort he collapsed into a coughing fit.

[BlackJaguar]

Attican

73 - Brute - Keeper

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Attican made his way with the two, offering his side when it was needed for the brute in between. As they moved the air got better, his tongue flopping out lollingly as he panted. The cool oxygen was welcomed thoroughly, taking in as much of it as he could with each intake. Resin would turn their direction from time to time to where she thought would be best and he followed compliantly each time as she did so. At this rate his nose was essentially useless and his energy tanks were nearly depleted. Although he didn't know it, and despite the fact that he had literally charged into this danger to try to save the two, it ended up that Resin and Pipa, unknown family and now from two different worlds, had actually led and saved him.

More land was traveled, and the Alphess turned them one last time. Her instincts had been correct and her direction had landed them towards the river. It was both a sight for sore eyes and a drawback, both pros and cons coming along with the body of water. Taking not hardly a moment for hesitation the female began to cross it, pulling her way until she made to the other side.

So here sat this river that separated him and the two (well, now him and Ahote) from their freedom of the danger. Attican was exhausted, winded, dirty to the point of hard recognition, singed, and not to mention nearly 30 years older than the both of them, and though Resin offered her services to help him or Ahote cross, his pride got the better of him. The Elder did not want to ask for help. Biting his lower lip, he shook his head no instead of speaking. Though the air was cleaner his voice was still very much raw from his long prolonged exposure to the acrid air, his lungs thoroughly coated with the black soot. Even though his own mind was made up, he couldn't decide for the brute that leaned on him.

The Keeper cleared his throat the best he could, turning to look at Ahote. His voice was hardly above a whisper, offering himself as well to the obviously injured male. "I can... help you cross. We could try to go together." He figured if he could get the brute to at least the halfway point and over the deep section then perhaps Resin could be poised on the other side in case Ahote still needed assistance. He blinked a few times, not moving until the brute had made his own decision.

[Soriams]

Ahote
Male | 46 | Fighter
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Ahote snorted laugh at Resin's reply to his challenge, only to wind up coughing again. At the very least though, it brought a hint of a smile to his face. "I doubt I'd be much of a challenge... All you'd have to do is sneeze and I'd be in the mud again," he replied, then followed as she led them forward. Though he managed to keep his feet under him, he still leaned heavily on one or the other from time to time, finding that sudden weakness would overtake him if he tried to move too far or too fast. Had he not been so far beyond the point of caring, the whole situation would have been humiliating. He hated to be a burden, and both his helpful nature and pride would have rebelled, had it not meant falling flat on his face again. It was as if the air that he gulped in could not stay in him, and what goodness it brought went right back out with each exhale. It left him with tiny white flecks swimming across his vision, and a strange distant feeling in the back of his head, as though the part of him that was Ahote was trying to escape out of the back of he skull. At the very least, the movement loosened up the burns on his side, affording him a bit more movement. However, this also brought out their sting, and it felt as if the heat from the monster tried to burn him from the inside out. Never before had he felt so much heat, and he longed for the bitingly cold wind of the North. As the air about them stilled and the smoke cleared, he almost wished it would come back, at least enough to cool him a bit.

Head down as he used every bit of his available concentration to keep his balance, Ahote had no idea where they were going or how Resin led them to their destination. Before them, stood a lazy looking river, its black waters running with soot and little chunks of debris. Finally, the smell of water pushed past his blocked nose and he sucked in the smell eagerly. The black liquid even smelled cold, and that, at least in his mind, sounded like heaven. Still not quite all together, Ahote just stood and stared at it, saying nothing while Resin swam across and called back to them on the other side. Attican's words of concern too went unnoticed, and after a moment, Ahote pushed away from his side. Moving forward on his wobbly legs, he set his paws into the river and immediately the coldness sunk into him.

Without a second though, Ahote plopped down in the water, dowsing his burning side. Letting out a happy groan, he rolled in the shallow water, covering his whole body in the cold liquid until he finally came to rest on his side, only his nose sticking out of the water. After a moment though, instinct kicked in and he had to pull his head up, and he lay on his stomach so that his head was above water. Facing Attican back on shore, he grinned, at least for the moment the pain had subsided and his head cleared a little because of it. Noting his horrified look though, he glanced back over to Resin, who held a similar look of disbelief, and he blinked. "Uh... I'm sorry, did you say something?" he asked, looking more than a little sheepish.

[Resin]

((Happy New Year, you lot. I expect that I won't be coherent enough to tell you later.))

~|Hrafn|~Hunter|~ 46 Summers|~

Leaping and bounding over fallen, blackened trees, Hrafn retraced the path that the pack had taken. Though he couldn't smell Mirage if he tried thanks to all of the smoke and char, he could at least look for some sign as to where he may have gone. The ground was hot as he walked, scorching the black pads and making travel generally uncomfortable. He was used to freezing temperatures. This was something new and it was unsettling.

As he trod along, head lowered to enable better breathing, he watched for signs of the beast. It seemed to have died with the winds. The path that he walked was blackened and the trees were nothing but charred, crumbling stumps. The sun had been here. Smoke still rose and every now and again he'd see a tiny tendril of light eating up the last bits of trees and shrubs. Why had it retreated? Had the river made it give up? Hrafn wasn't complaining one bit, he was simply puzzled.

He was just losing himself in thought when the howl rang out. His head shot up and he howled in return. Though he had only been with the pack for a few days, he recognized the voice of the pup. Energy renewed, Hrafn took off in the direction that the call had come from. More than once he had to skitter to a stop to avoid falling trees, but eventually he made it to an area where slabs of rock rose out of the earth.

After a bit of snuffling about, trying his hardest to catch the scent of anything, he saw the black pup sprawled on the ground in a fit of coughing. Dashing to his side, the giant black brute prodded Mirage with his nose. "Are you alright, pup? Can you walk?" It wouldn't be comfortable for either of them, but Hrafn could definitely carry the younger male if it was necessary.

~|Resin|~Alpha Female|~ 40 Summers|~

She watched as Ahote rolled about in the water like a pup. She sat and couldn't help but smile. It wasn't often that he allowed himself to be so carefree. She quite enjoyed seeing him like this, she only wished that the circumstances had been better. She understood exactly why he seemed so happy. When she had begun to swim across, the cool water soothing the burn on her hip was an utterly magical feeling. With his extensive burns, she didn't doubt that the water felt like heaven.

His happy questioning brought a genuine laugh from the shady female and she shook her head. "Do you need help getting across, is what I asked." This part of the river wasn't that wide at all. The middle simply dipped down far enough that one had to physically swim for a few paces. Normally it wouldn't be an issue for any of them, but Ahote was injured and Attican was exhausted.

While waiting for Ahote's reply, she let her eyes rest upon the slumping form of Attican. That made up her mind. Without thinking twice, she moved back into the water, swimming easily across. The icy water felt lovely upon her burn once more, but made the wound in her chest sting like the dickens. Passing the partially submerged Ahote, she padded to Attican and met his gaze. "I'm helping you both across. We'll let the pup play in the water a while longer." She smirked rolling her eyes in Ahote's direction. "I'll get you across first." There was no room for him to argue.

Canting her head over her shoulder, she motioned for the Keeper to follow her into the water. She would stay on his left side and would hold him steady against the light current. Once he was able to gain his footing after the dip, she would turn back for Ahote and do the same for him. Standing chest deep in the flowing river, she waited for the Keeper to follow.

[BlackJaguar]

{{Happy New Year for you all for whenever it comes! Hope you all have a good night tonight!}}

Attican

73 - Brute - Keeper

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As Ahote peeled away from his side Attican was rather confused to as what to brute was trying to accomplish. Surely he was not intending to cross by himself right?? Visions of the patchwork brute immediately sinking below the surface entered his mind, in an instant gone from view for either him or Resin to try to rescue him. He mumbled something unintelligible, taking a few paces forwards but was already too late. His face held an expression of both shock and horror. The brute looked like he was doing exactly what the Keeper had feared, slipping below the surface. Frozen in a deadlocked position he watched as the wolf twisted around, finally resurfacing himself enough to reply back to him.

'God don't scare me like that,' he thought, the very same words nearly written across his face in expression. On the other side of the bank, Resin slipped herself back into the water, treading and walking until she was back on their side. She repeated her offer kindly to him, before walking up to the Keeper. His face flushed partially as she told him that she was going to help them both.

"I-" he went to protest, eyes slightly dejected. Even though he himself knew that it was probably for the best to at least have potential assistance, it did take a small jab to his pride. He wasn't supposed to be needy, he was supposed to be helping them right? Seeing that the Alpha had no intention to budge however he closed his maw with a clop, giving up on it. There was no use. He nodded his head and scuffed his way to the bank, the edges slippery and squishy. With a decent push off the brute was in the water, his claws and toes raking into the mud below. It did feel good.

Due to Pipaluk's guidance, Attican had been decently lucky enough to be spared from many of the burns that both Ahote and the Alpha suffered from. There were a few spots on his tail and rump that had been slightly singed from the trio's escape, but for the most part the rest of his body had gone scot-free in that regard. However, his pawpads bore a different tale. He had traveled long and far in the inferno in his search, his pads going over a lot of half-dead coals. They burned their way out on the ground, littered everywhere so that there really had been no other choice then for the brute to trod on them. At the time he really hadn't even noticed, his ulterior motive only to follow his spector of a leader and get to the two. But now with the wonderful sensation of the cool water he realized how bad they had actually been hurting and realized how much better they could actually feel. His shoulders visibly slumped, ears swiveled back and forth for a moment while just standing and reveling in the nice feeling.

But time was still of the essence and they still had to get past this last hurdle before they could call safety. With a last breath of encouragement and a sideways glance to the female beside him he shoved off the side, little hopping prances bounding him forward in what looked like the movement of a trot. The current was lighter and easy towards the top, but the deeper the water got the more of a slight pull it in fact possessed. Even though Attican had been aware of the small dropoff that Resin had spoke of, it came earlier than he had expected and with his bouncing movement of carrying forwards he felt himself suddenly without flooring, pulled completely under.

Wait no! Trailing bubbles skewed the brute's vision as he thrashed around for something to grip onto. Finding none, his toes splayed as much as he could get them, trying to use them as paddles to instead push himself back up. He saw Resin's floating body next to him, her legs kicking the water in tread. Oh come on please, just let him get back up. The undulating surface was only a few inches away, tantalizingly close to thrashing brute's nose. Kicking his legs with just about the last reserves he had, the Elder was able to surface, nostrils flaring for sweet air. The whole ordeal maybe took place for about three or four seconds in total, but to him it felt like a lifetime. A few more pushes and he was able to touch the muddy floor again, quickly hauling himself until he was on the shallow edge of the other side. His body shook, the cold water now letting the wind pelt him like ice.

Attican dragged himself out of the river, shaking his pelt out like the Alpha had when she had reached that side. He tucked himself into a ball, the dirt from his pelt now mixed with the wetness and the soot of the water making the strangest of blackened patterns on his body. His face was smudged nearly completely charcoal, only the whitened hairs around his maw from age poking through. He laid there and watched, hoping the two would get over alright. His tucked legs shook slightly, both exhaustion and chill setting in.

Pilot

32 - Fae - No Rank

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Having gotten herself across the river the female walked her way to reunite with the group. It seemed that no one had noticed her offset struggle to get to get to the other side of the bank, something she was both thankful for and a little bit worried. For one she was glad because there really had been no real danger to her and it would have been embarrassing to have many heads come and follow her and try to help when she didn't need it. But at the same time if she had needed some help she would have simply been washed downstream completely, no one even to have noticed her struggles. But Pilot was fine and all was okay so she went on her merry way, slowing herself down when she got to the midst of them.

Many wolves had instantly bedded down, only Xani now that it looked like to be watching over the group. For the first time Pilot realized that they were in fact many wolves shy, the scuffle of the move having blinded her from this fact. But now here as it sat she did not see the Alpha of the group named Resin, nor that wolf that usually appeared around her side. Hrafn's large silhouette was nowhere to be seen, and also... where was that black pup that seemed to act as ringleader for the even littler ones?

Pilot made her way to Xani's side, dipping her head down for a second in greeting. She did not ask about the missing wolves, but by the look on her face it was obvious that she saw that the leaders were few. "Can I help at all?" She asked, once again her words straightforward and clear. What she could help with she wasn't sure, but Xani sure looked like she currently had a lot to do at paw.

[-Starchild.Keith-]

(Bah. Writing at 2:30 AM after being crazy all night... Happy New Year, y'all!)

Xani
- Female - 21 - Beta -

As Xani rejoined with her pack, she gazed around at the group to see that the others hadn't yet returned. She hung her head slightly, but decided against it. She would remain strong for the pack, at least until another high-rank joined up again. As she wandered, she felt the presence of the other wolf on her tail and suddenly remembered that he was a stranger to the group. She took a seat suddenly, turning back to look at him.

She tried her best to appear friendly as she spoke. "Now that we are safe, we can actually talk. My name is Xani, and I am the beta of this pack. You will meet the Alpha, Resin, later. May I know your name and where you're from, if you don't mind my asking?" Her eyes once more travelled over him. All she could think was that he needed to eat. As she waited for him to answer, she heard another wolf approach. Turning, she saw Pilot.

"Pilot. Actually, yes. If you could perhaps take any other awake and able wolves to hunt? Stay very close. If you find nothing, don't worry. If you do, however, we need to feed the pups, elders, and this newcomer here." It was nice to have someone offer to help. She couldn't leave regardless of what happened, but some of the pups seemed restless. They could be scared or bored, but a full stomach would ease them to sleep.

[Apocalyptic_Punk]

((So amazingly tired, I've been sick sense like noon yesterday, so I apoligize now if this post makes no sense whats so ever lol))

Mirage
{{Brute||Omega||10|| resting|}}

Mirage lifted his head as he heard Hfran call back to him, blinking he coughed pushing himself to his feet. He shook his fur out and let another cough leave his lungs as Hfran asked him a question. He blinked letting the question sink in, before he spoke. He didn't feel as if he was truly connected to the earth under his feet right at the moment. His mind wandered breifly away from the black Brute before him. And instead of the massive black wolf, he could see several wolves, and a few pups laying and playing in the small clearing before him. He blinked and felt a cool breeze wafting over his fur, he lifted his head turning into the breeze watching lush green trees move with the wind. And then Hfran spoke again and the image shattered and the black dead tree's replaced the peaceful scene. He let his gaze roam over the ground, spotting bones here and there among the ash and char. He blinked trying to focus, he turned his gaze finally upon Hfran.

"I am okay, I..I can walk, He said with a nod slowly before remembering the white wolf with in the cave behind him. "I am not alone Hfran, there is another wolf in the cave behind me, I think she brought me here while I was... Was what? he wondered Unconscious? Dead? With the ancestors, he blinked. She brought me here when I was unable to bring myself." Something flashed by on the pariphrial of his vision, and he turned his head and he swore he saw a large tan wolf standing at the top of the rock hill they stood upon now, but almost as soon as he focused on the wolf it was gone.

He turned his gaze upon Hfran and froze, a small all white female, with bright green eyes was standing next to Hfran sniffing at him. He blinked trying to clear the white shape away but it didn't vanish as the other's did. I do not think this place is at rest, He mumbled more to himself, the white female turned and wagged her tail at him before bounding off past him, and into the cave behind him. He panted softly feeling stressed out now. "Yes...yes I can walk, I am okay

[Soriams]

((Happy 2014, ScarPaw!))

Ahote
Male | 46 | Fighter
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Laying happily in the water, Ahote smiled back to Resin when she grinned at him. After all they had been through, it was good to see her smile again, and for his part, anything was better than the grim fear that had gripped them all. Though he didn't reply as she waded back across the river, Ahote thought he would be just fine to cross on his own. Sure he was tired and sore, but already he felt a million times better just having the cold clear his head.

It seemed as though Resin intended to take Attican across first, so Ahote stayed put, letting the cold water rush past him. As the two stepped into the water, he couldn't help but wag his tail a bit, the sodden appendage spraying water everywhere behind him. He was curious to see how the trip went though, so he turned himself around to watch. Resin had already been across twice, and he didn't really expect anything to happen, so when Attian suddenly disappeared beneath the surface, Ahote gasped in surprise. Wide eyed, he only had a second to debate what he was going to do before the Keeper reappeared just as quickly as he had vanished, and he let out a sigh of relief.

By the time Resin turned back to get him, Ahote had been sitting in the water long enough that it now ceased to feel good. Now it only felt cold. However, he had now reached every swimmers conundrum, in that the air above the water felt even colder than the icy water below did, and he shivered where he lay. Getting back onto his feet proved to be much more difficult than he had expected as well, and his numb feet simply refused to support him at first. Eventually though, and with a quite a bit of help from Resin, he manages to get them under him and wade out into the middle of the river. Luckily, his slow pace ensured that he didn't get dunked like Attican did, though it also means that it takes him that much longer to cross. The gentle current picks him up and slowly pushed him into Resin's side as they cross, and they end up a few yards downstream from where the others had emerged.

Crawling out of the river, Ahote felt his weight slowly settle in on his bones and his legs shook with the added stress. He managed it well enough though, and climbed ashore under his own power. Without thinking, he shook the water from his drenched pelt, and immediately let out a yelp when it tore at his burns. It literally felt as though he were trying to shake his skin clean off, and he cursed himself for his stupidity. Whimpering, he clamped his eyes shut to work through the pain before making a move to walk back up to where Attican lay.

Lani
Female | 57 | Hunter
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Still sulking, Lani lay in next to her fellow hunter on the blackened earth, wondering just what she would do if Attican never came back. It really wasn't the direction she wanted her mind to go in, but she really couldn't help it. Already she had lost one mate, and she didn't want to loose another before they even had the chance to be mates. It was sad and wrong, and she didn't like it one bit. Quite simply, the self-centered wolf took no notice of Hrafn's leaving nor Xani's return until her ears caught mention of a hunt.

Perking up a bit at the thought, Lani figured it would be a good way to get he mind off of things, and got up, shaking some of the black off her fur. If nothing else, she might be able look around for any sign of Attican, assuming she could smell anything at all over the black reeking mass of charred wood the surrounded them. Not seeing anyone else of importance around, she made her way over to Xani. Noticing Pilot next to her, she offered the little fea a bit of a smile. Really, she shouldn't have been so harsh to her earlier, even if she herself was hurting, and she felt a little bad for it.

"Did I hear something about a hunt? I have no idea what we'll find that the monster didn't already eat, but I'd be glad to go," she said, looking up at the Beta. It seemed as though her new roll suited her, and she had done well in leading them to this place. Now if only she could get her Keeper back where he belonged. Glancing back to Pilot, Lani made a gesture with her nose, "Shall we? At least we can do some scouting and then come get the others if we find something we can't handle," she finished, glancing between the two younger feas.

Wolf
Male | 20 | Straggler
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Pretty much glued to Xani's side, Wolf stared wide eyed at all the other wolves around him. They were all tired and dirty, and seemed to be just as confused and fearful of this bright monster as he was. Looking about as he was though, he very nearly missed when Xani turned and sat in front of him, and almost stepped on her in the process. Skipping back a bit sheepishly, he too took a seat, his ears flicking forward when she began to speak. He listened carefully to everything she said, taking a long time to let it sink in before he ventured to answer. "Xani..." he repeated her name, rolling the unfamiliar word around his tongue as though trying it out. It is a rather novel experience to have a new word to try, and he had never really considered making up new ones before, and Wolf wondered if it had a meaning beyond the sounds of it. Most words seemed to, at least the ones he remembered did anyway, and he figured that names must too. That brought him around to what she had actually said, and he had to think hard about his answer before speaking, "Oh, uh... My name is Wolf! I think..." he said, suddenly unsure if that was who he was or what he was. It hadn't seemed important until now. Tilting his head a bit to the side while he thought, he continued, "And I guess you could say I'm from here. Or a little ways that direction I suppose," he said, gesturing back the way they had come.

Before much more could happen though, another small wolf approached, and Wolf looked at the little golden fea curiously. She was much smaller than Xani, and her pelt shone against the blackened forest like the dawn. This one spoke to Xani, and offered to help. Help. Wolf liked the sound of that word. He'd never had the chance to help before, and wondered just what that would entail. Xani's answer though is only confusing, as is the reply of another chubby white fea that seems to pop up out of nowhere. Both of them seem to take no notice of him, which he doesn't mind so much as it gives him a minute to consider what they are saying. Finally though, he pipes up, looking between the females around him, "Hey there, sorry to interrupt, but what are we hunting for? I mean, I might not know what's lost, but I'd be happy to help you look," he said, simply assuming that they must be searching for something.