Cloudbreaker & Others

Stepping back into the open light of the Marsh, with several miles of forest between her and the humans, put Cloudbreaker's mind at ease. There had been no rumble of vehicles following them, no baying dogs, and no further blasts from those horrible guns. It seems as though Ethan and his hunters had no intentions of pursuing the group, which may or may not having something to do with the sheer amount of big, dangerous felines that made up their ranks, and the two dead hounds left back at the clearing. Not to mention, a stallion wounded to the point that he would be out of commission for a few weeks.

Breathing a refreshing breath of cool, crisp air, Cloudbreaker stepped several paces away from the predators, moving more towards Axis and Darkia. Her first act was to give the mare a nudge, finally taking the time to acknowledge their success in freeing the captured horse. "Are you okay?"

Blackmist was quick to approach the chilly waters and quench her thirst after a long battle, while Duality tended to Aizen and checked him for wounds. "That was one hell of a fight, Aiz. We would have had that hound ripped to shreds if it wasn't for the humans."

A battle weary Nahimana took a few laps of water before sinking down in the dormant grasses of the marsh to nurse her wounds and rest.

After getting a well earned drink himself, Tersek padded towards Senka, "How are you holding up? Saw you nearly dragged the humans out his shell." The grizzled brute sat back on his haunches and lifted a paw, to lick at a wound on his lower foreleg. Bloodied as he was, the elder wolfdog had no serious injuries himself, though he would certainly feel them all tenfold tomorrow.

Darkia & Others

Darkia had used the last of her energy to run and was taking in the water greedily. Ill be good once this thing is removedshe said.

Senka adrenalin was fading adn the pain in her side from the graze as well as the actual bullet wound in her back leg the pain was starting to show on the tigress as she lapped up the water. Blood coated her pelt both from the bullets and the fights. I would love to go back there and tear his arm offShe said. She laid down and attempted to clean her bullet wounds only able to get to the one on her back leg.

Aizen grunted.Stupid humansHe said making to groom his sister.

Axis

After a long drink from the muddy waters, Axis collapsed in the shade of a willow, his sides heaving rapidly. Exhausted and far from danger---he could barely register the predators roaming around him at this point---the chital could finally bask in the wind and let the pain of his wounds seep into his nerves.

The blood seeping from his ripped ear had clotted, but there was still the large horse-bite above his shoulder. The flap of flesh hung by a tether, ready to tear away if anything dared pull on it; Axis had carefully positioned his body with this wound to the tree, fearing the carnivores around him might get some idea to take such precarious skin away from him.

His left foreleg was stained scarlet, and the bite itself was covered in leaves and twigs. As soon as he'd caught his breath, the deer turned his head around to pick the debris from this gash. He paused momentarily as the zorse approached, listening to the freed horse's reply. Thing removed? Silent, his eyes flicked over the dark horse to see what was being referred to.

Cloudbreaker & Others

The strong, coppery scent of blood pervaded Cloudbreaker's nostrils, making her grimace once or twice at the foulness of it. Somehow, though, neither she nor Darkia had sustained any injury during the brief but intense scuffle, if one could discount the exhaustion and distress the mare had to endure during her capture and confinement. She leaned her muzzle forward to get a closer look at the halter that still clung stubbornly to her friend's face, then drew back and shook her head, "...I don't know about this. " Recalling the gate, Cloud looked for any levers or latches that she might be able to wiggle loose, but alas, she could see no such things on this strange contraption. Frustrated but not defeated, the zorse called back to the group, "Senka, could you or one of the cats take a look at this? It looks soft, maybe one of you could break it with your teeth?"

As her head was turning that way, her eyes crossed over Axis. She knew his side was wounded, despite him cleverly turning it away from view, and she grimaced again as the bloodied ear was noticed. "How about you, how are you holding up?" Genuine concern ushered her words, followed by a twinge of embarrassment, "After all of this, I've never asked for your name? I'm Cloudbreaker."

While Duality shared in her brother's disdain for humans and began to groom him in return, Tersek put his paw back down and looked long and hard at their gathered pack. "Menace, why don't you help Darkia? I've got words with Senka." He looked across at the big cat again, "Tattered like we are, we need a solid foundation to return to. A stronghold, or a territory at the least. This nomad existence isn't going to cut it anymore, not when our numbers have gotten so low." The thought of the Ruins crossed his mind, but he had no idea how many Nuova might still live there, and was leery of staging any sort of assault when their troops were wounded.

The branches of a young maple tree near Darkia shook as a weight alighted upon them. Dally folded his wings in and swiveled his dark head about. He might not have gotten his claws dirty in the fight, but the falcon had kept tabs on the group throughout, and readily rejoined them now that they were away from the humans.

Darkia

Menace was grooming herself having only sustained very minor scrapes. She got up and headed over to Darkia who held her head down enough. She sniffed the contraption and then made to chew at the leather. It took a while but eventually th piece snapped and Menace dragged it off the horse and tossed it. your welcomeShe said. thank youShe said darkia.

Senka groomed herself the best she could as she laid down. the wounds wouldnt kill her but the bullet may causeh er pain in teh future. Perhaps we should find a territory that is unclaimed? I think Sonnet Forest is unoccupied we could go thereShe said.

Aizen just groomed his sister.

Axis

"I'll be fine," Axis answered, and felt a little silly after the zorse mentioned names. He went to all this trouble knowing so little about them; now that the fight was over, he started to wonder if he was really a deer at all. "Axis. I'm Axis."

The chital watched curiously as one of the predators came over and tore off the...thing over the dark horse's face, and twitched uncomfortably when the maple tree rustled. A familiar form had alighted there, though whether it was actually the falcon from before, he didn't know for sure.

After a moment trying to catch what the carnivores were talking about, he turned back to Cloudbreaker. "Where are the other deer?"

Cloudbreaker & Others

"Axis." Cloudbreaker smiled lightly as she committed the name to memory, "I can't thank you enough for your help. And for your bravery." The zorse stepped further away from Darkia now, to give Menace the room she needed to come in and inspect the halter that had baffled Cloudbreaker so. And as Darkia had earlier suggested, it didn't take much for the big cat to sever the leather straps and free the horse from the irritating contraption. With her freedom truly won now, Cloud turned her smile to the mare before switching it back to the chital.

"The other deer don't roam with us Haunters, for the most part." She shifted through her memories, trying to recall the last few places she'd encountered one of the two major deer herds that roamed the Valley, where the spotted deer were most likely to be found. "We should be able to find them in a place a little further north of here, nearer to the Ochotona Mountains. I can lead you there, once you feel rested enough."

Tersek had an ear for the conversation between Axis and Cloudbreaker, but did not interject. He merely kept a notation of the location the zorse was referring to as he responded to the tigeress before him. "We should. I'm not as familiar with Sonnet Forest, but if you think it's good land, we can move that way." At this point the old wolfdog turned to nurse an injury on his side, cleaning away some of the blood that had dried into his thick coat. "We need to recover, then focus on regrowing our numbers and our strength."

Senka

Senka hoped that otherss could be located but for now this would do. She tried to not show the pain she was in as she spoke with Tersek. She hoped the one bullet that was in her leg would not harm her more. im not either but i've passed by it. A Forest I think will suit us best. More protectionShe said calmly.

Darkia was so very happy to be free of the contraption. She glanced at Terkerk and Senka.Thank youShe said.i also suggest we move soon im sure those monsters may come looking, a forest sounds perfectShe said.

Axis

"Thank you," Axis breathed simply, and laid back to rest. It would hardly be a good first impression if he came to one of the herds as injured as he was. Why, they'd leave him in a flash!

As he settled in, he kept an ear pinned to the conversations around him, and tried hard not to be so twitchy at any worrying remarks like "those monsters may come looking." It was surprisingly easy to do with just how exhausted he was. He assured himself that they were far enough away that he could be afforded some time to relax.

Cloudbreaker & Others

"That's not a bad suggestion." Tersek agreed, nodding his scarred muzzle towards the black mare at the same time, acknowledging her appreciation for the rescue. "Lets give ourselves a few more minutes to catch our breath, then we'll head out in that direction." He looked over the battered members of his clan once more, seeing that almost all of them were currently either laying down, or nursing wounds sustained in the fight. Senka herself, despite her strong will and attempt to mask her pain, couldn't completely hide her discomfort from the brute's experienced gaze. "We should try to find Quilikham too. She might be able to help with your leg there, Senka." He wasn't sure if the tiny little muntjac was even alive still, but if she were, her help could be invaluable in treating the Haunters.

Though Cloudbreaker would have preferred one of the more open lands, she wasn't going to argue with the new change of locale. The Ruins might have been amazingly fortified, but the rough, uneven terrain wasn't entirely horse friendly, and almost any terra was an improvement over that. "I'll follow your lead, whenever you're ready to go." The zorse officially announced her inclusion back to the Haunters with that, passing her gaze between Senka and Tersek. To Axis, she added, "The woodlands of the Sonnet Forest are only two or three miles north of here, not far. I'll travel with my group there, then lead you east to where the spotted folk should be."

Senka

Senka nodded and sighed as she glanced back at her leg and the small hole in it. I can't hide anything from you old friendShe said calmly.

Darkia may not care much for a forest but itf they could become familiar with the terrian then they could easilly hide from the humans.

Aizen had laid down and was now sleeping.

Menace and radar were grooming each other and tyrant was sleeping.

Axis

Axis nodded.

It sounded like they weren't going to be given much longer to rest. Where they were heading, it was north, too, same direction as the deer were stated to be. While this worried him a little, he also thought it might be worthwhile to know where all these carnivores were setting up their territory.

Glancing over the group of tigers and wolves accompanied by a falcon and a pair of horses, Axis rolled the worry through his head and tried to formulate a question out of it.

"Your...group," Axis spoke at last, keeping his voice low in the hopes that only the horses would hear him. "What does it eat"?

Cloudbreaker & Others

Tersek offered what almost looked like the ghost of a faint smile to his co-lead, "If we don't look out for each other, no one else will." A heavy breath was exhaled as he let his muscles relax and took advantage of those few minutes of rest, letting his battered body cool down. Blackmist eventually settled between him and Radar, while Nahimana rested silently nearby, and Duality turned to grooming some of her own matted fur.

An ear swiveled back to Axis before Cloudbreaker turned her head towards the chital. "Eat?" It took her brain a moment to connect with the question, as it had wandered off into other thoughts. The zorse paused in an attempt to handle the answer as delicately as she could, "..well, it depends on which of us you ask." The attempted joke fell a little flat on her tongue, and she quickly continued, "The predators do their own hunting, but don't worry yourself about that. You helped us, you're safe around them, as am I and Darkia." Cloudbreaker purposefully left out the part where the descendants of these spotted folk Axis was to soon meet were routinely farmed and managed by the Haunters, though it had been a few years now since the last harvest. It was nothing that Cloudbreaker had been a part of anyway, and the Haunter numbers were so desperately low that they no longer depended on that food source.

Menace

Menace was dozing but part of her was actually listening to the Chital and she smirked.Well you smell tastyShe said a slight smirk on her lips and one eye slightly open and staring. She was of course joking.

Radar slept.

Tyrant slept

Senka smiled and laid down.

Darkia snorted at Menace.Ignore her, she a teaseShe said.As cloudbreaker said your safe, they'll remember your smell and so long as your not attacking them you will be left aloneShe said.

Axis

The deer's ears folded back at the predatory joke. He was not amused. The fact that it was spoken by a tiger, creatures that routinely hunted chital, while unsurprising, only made it worse in his opinion.

Axis nodded at Cloudbreaker. He took that to mean the other deer weren't really safe, and made a mental note to inform them of the carnivores' location, should he get the chance. Not that he ever really planned to head back in that direction anyways. As the saying goes: never trust a tiger farther than you can leap.

Cloudbreaker & Others

Cloudbreaker now turned back to look at Menace and went so far as to stomp a hoof to the ground, declaring her displeasure at the joke. She let Darkia handle the retort though, and after giving the big cat a very unamused glare, she directed her attention to Axis. "She is joking, though. They will honor the help you afforded us today." The zorse tried a smile, letting it show through her tempered eyes. She had no doubts that Axis would be safe amongst the carnivores, but... when it came to the rest of the deer, Axis had every right to be concerned for their safety, or that of any offspring he may have in the future.

Senka

Senka was asleep

Menace just rolled her eyes before dozing.

Darkia sighed

Tersek & Others

A plaintive whine roused Tersek and Duality out of their brief but needed slumber, and had both looking for the source of the mournful note. Both found it in Blackmist, standing over the body of Nahimana, where the smaller canine had never stirred since first laying down, and never again would. Seeing that she had an audience, Mist announced the news with folded ears, "Nahi is gone. I didn't realize how wounded... she never said anything."

Tersek pulled himself up with a grunt of effort, forcing stiff and uncooperative limbs into action. He padded slowly towards the cooling form of the little hybrid and delicately sniffed at the body. "This was the humans' doing, no doubt." A silent snarl played at the edge of his lips, exposing his aged fangs, "The other injuries don't look severe enough." He couldn't be sure that small well of blood on her side came from a bullet, but it sure didn't look like it came from fangs. "We need to go now. We've wasted enough time here - shelter and a defensible outpost is what will keep us safe until our strength can be restored. Haunters!" Tersek uttered a guttural bark to call everyone's attention to him, "We're leaving now."

Blackmist, with her ears still back and her head slung low, gave her friend one last look before falling in line behind Tersek. Duality took a few moments herself to pay respects to her comrade, by licking clean what grime and dried blood remained around her face and muzzle. Holding back a whimper of grief, Duality whispered a quiet goodbye to Nahimana before waiting beside her brother, ready to follow him to the Sonnet Forest.

Cloudbreaker had remained awake during the thirty-minute nap, joining Dally in keeping an eye on their surroundings. At the news of Nahi's passing, a twinge of sadness did strike the zorse, for the little wolfdog had laid her life down to bring Darkia back to safety. And though she didn't approach the corpse, Cloud did watch the canines pay their respects before she too kicked her hooves into gear and began moving north.

Senka

Senka woke up and stretched wincing at the pain in her back leg but she too moved to the young hybrid and nuded her gently in farewell before moving to walk beside Terserk. To an unobservant animal she looked fine but to one paying any fully attention and detail would notice a slight limp in her hind leg.

Darkia stared at the dead canine. Her ears back. She was last to begin to move as she stood by the fallen canine and placed hre muzzle to her fur.thank youShe murmured feeling a little guilty. She moved to follow the others.

Aizen moved to her and touched her whining wanting her to gt up but soon joined his sister who was rarely away from his side and began to follow the others.

Menace, Radar & Tyrant were silent as they followed. Loss it was the way of life especially if you went near humans. But they all knew the risk. No one was left behind if one was captured the others would risk their lives to free them and thats what they did.

Axis

Axis remained half-alert as the minutes ticked by. He felt the temperature drop as one of the rescuers was pronounced dead, and swung his eyes around curiously to note the body of the canine, and the actions of the others as they paid their respects.

The chital rose to his hooves, following after Cloudbreaker. He cast one final glance towards the wolf's body, ears folded back. Though a carnivore, it had gave its life to save what could have instead been prey. That commanded some level of respect from the deer.