Homeward Bound (Closed)

[Aiken]

Aiken was startled by the whine of wolf cubs. Attacking a den was one thing. Sneaking into one when the mother was away was a way to get yourself killed brutally. It was now that Aiken wanted to run away blindly. He had watched bigger wolves than himself whimper away from mothers watching their young.

He would have to meet her, show her that her children were left unharmed, and make her understand that they meant no harm. If she didn't, then there would be violence. Aiken sat patiently, half shaking from nerves now. He hadn't seen a wolf in months, and he hadn't ever had to deal with a female or her cubs. His ears flattened to show he was submissive, with the dual purpose of deafening the wind.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Everything was going to shit. The only thing keeping a mantra of self-hatred going in his head was the primal need to survive and the more altruistic need to see to his companions. In the flashes of lightning, he cased the joint: Aren, Aiken, Horse. There was no sign of Kegan, Wystern, and the other animals. There were, however, pups. He couldn't find the mother, nor feel her teeth in his flesh, so it stood to reason that she had been caught in the storm like so many of the native fauna. Sam himself was native fauna, and he did manage to squeeze a curse on himself for not reading the signs. He was Drykas, he should know. Ten years of exile should not have blunted his sense for the Sea of Grass. So this was what leadership entailed. Horse was nervous at the scent of wolves. He knew Aiken now, but could differentiate between him and the cubs as well as the telltale traces of their mother. Since the thunder and the wind were deafening, he placed his hand on Horse's shoulder, giving him the subtler, silent assurances that he could be calm, or as calm as possible with the storm attempting to shuck them like oysters from their impromptu den and devour them. When he caught Aren's gaze, he pointed at his eyes, then pointed at the entrance, hopefully to keep an eye out for Wystern and Kegan. Then he knelt down, wrapped his arms around Aiken because the poor wolf seemed spooked. Between the storm and the gaggle of his young cousins huddled in the back, he didn't look as stoic as most wolves did. "Can you smell the mother?" he shouted over the storm, hoping the kelvic's keen ears would catch his voice, and his kelvic mind catch his meaning. They wouldn't be able to communicate with words, but Aiken was going to have to be their ambassador if the mother returned. He had the best chance of communicating with a wolf, hopefully preventing them from having to kill her in self-defense. If she was even alive. And then, of course, as leader of the group, Sam would be responsible for the wolf cubs. He almost laughed, remembering his talks with Aiken about herds and packs and how they could include all manner of species.

[Aiken]

Aiken looked up to Sam. In fact, he could smell the mother, her scent was everywhere, overwhelmingly so even in the terrible winds and plethora of other scents. The anxiety in Aiken was making him twitchy.

He shook his head no in response to Sam. He couldn't tell if she was here or not, and he certainly couldn't hear her approaching if she was. He whined as his gaze returned to the cave opening. His muscles felt like rocks in an earthquake, shaking, but impossible tensed. The fur all over his body stood on end. It felt like he would explode soon.

Lightning cracked overhead, casting a haunting light over everyone. The Sea of Grass was a culture shock to this woodland wolf, a brutal reminder of how far out of his element he really was. He pushed into Sam's embrace, the only thing that was keeping him calm right now.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sam was careful to keep his scimitar accessible without accidentally stabbing Aiken or Aren. Or himself. Or drawing lightning from those terrible clouds. He liked to think that they were far enough out of the storm that it wouldn't draw down the lightning, but he wasn't touching it at the moment for fear that he might be wrong. His hunting knife too was laid out in the dirt beside him, grounded. He hoped that meant he was safe. In the meantime, he hunkered down and waited for the next crisis. It seemed sure to hide behind the clouds, just waiting to pounce upon them. He took out a handkerchief and tied it around his face to keep the grit out of his mouth and nose. Occasionally, he glanced back at the wolf pups. The orphan in him wanted to give them comfort, but first, the storm. Then he would deal with the survivors. Hopefully he would be one of them.

[Aren]

Aren caught Sam's glance, and he acquiesced simply out of a sense of responsibility. Though moving to the cave entrance, and making all effort to spot their missing companions in the maelstrom outside, he knew it was likely a pointless endeavor. Even if something hadn't happened to them, even if they had simply lost track of the group, the chances of finding them in the middle of this storm were next to nothing, especially considering the fact that they would have to be lucky enough to walk right by the mouth of the cave if there was any chance of seeing them at all. The conversation between Sam and his kelvic put the Akalak on further alert, however. He had noticed the pups when they had entered the cave, but he hadn't really considered what their presence meant. Now he realized he should also be on the lookout for the mother of these animals coming back to look after them. Unstrapping the large scythe on his back, Aren took it firmly in hand and plunged the staff into the ground. He had to be ready in case mom came back to tend to her children. Beyond that, other animals might also be inclined to take shelter in this particular cave, despite the fact it was already occupied.

[Tundris]

With the wind roaring just outside of the cave, and no further sight of the other travelers, the three that were left felt a heavy weight settle in. They were unsure of how any of this would turn out, one anxiety to the next plaguing their hearts and putting fear into their bones. Now with the mother wolf mysteriously gone there seemed to be little anyone could do but wait. And so they did. Two bells passed as they sat, wringing their hands and scratching holes into their clothes. Their ears rung from the roaring around them, almost putting them into a daze; until a dark shape formed just outside the cave. Too vague of a shape to identify, the group looked out in wonder - was it the wolf mother? Kegan? Wystern? Just as their stomachs turned in anticipation the wind died down very suddenly and the sky opened up at the top. The twister had barrelled over them and they were inside the eye of the storm. Debris littered the landscape but when they peaked their heads out of the cave, they were met with a spectacular yet frightening view of the turbulent wind whipping around them miles away. They were safe, for the time being, but something eerie fell over them as they looked in disbelieve at the perfect calm in a ring of pure chaos. Suddenly through a haze of settling dust came the galloping form of a bright youthful strider. Coat smooth and shiny, muscles lean and healthy; this horse looked divine, like a gift from the gods, from Zulrav himself! It didn’t approach them at first, merely trotted back and forth before them to display its grace and lustre. But the storm still hadn’t calmed yet, they were encased in it like insects trapped in a glass jar. Sam, who had felt a great amount of emotion and sensation over seeing the magnificent creature, began leaving the cave in a hypnotic state, almost wishing he could mount the great horse and ride off to safety. But the sky darkened again, and the wind picked up slightly as the other side of the storm neared their safe little nook. An approaching noise caught their attention, a snarling and growling that could still be heard above the whistling of the wind around them. The mother wolf was back, and behind her she trailed two frightened glassbeak. They had gotten stuck in the eye and went crazy with fear, unable to escape the confines of their windy prison. The glassbeaks sought refuge from the storm, running in a panic into the cave and right into the group of travelers. The mother wolf became frantic at the presence of other animals around her pups. She bit and snarled at the invaders, focusing on the two glassbeak that took offense to being urged out of the cave. They attacked back, slashing their claws across her face and back and eventually bringing her down heaving and panting. She was gone in minutes as she bled out on the cave floor, and outside the storm had picked up to its full speed again as it worked itself across the land. The good news was that they no longer had to deal with a protective mother wolf. The bad news was that now they had to both protect the wolf pups and themselves from being slaughtered by the two glassbeak.

[Aiken]

Aiken was frozen from both terror and confusion. On one hand, two enormous predators now threatened their shelter - Aiken was large, even by wolf standards, but an attempt to take on both of these massive creatures was pure suicide, just from looking at them. On the other hand, Sam, his friend, was walking like he was entranced towards a horse. Why the horse was running around in this weather hardly mattered right now, Sam was walking into the lion's den of storms to chase after the dream-beast.

It seemed the wolf had no choice. He snarled to show his fangs. A low growl started from deep in his chest and rose exponentially into a fearsome bark. His eyes twitched between the predators, looking for an attack to evade, or an opening to pursue. He barked twice more, letting anger and ferocity overtake his fear. He wasn't trying to dissuade violence now; he wanted it. Lust for blood made his tongue wet, coating his lips and teeth with a thin line of clear foam. He could taste the gore in his throat - it had been a long time since he had a good scuff. He just hoped Sam, Curved-Sword Bear-Stabber, would come around in time to help him.

A quick twitch of his head to Aren provided the unspoken confirmation that there would be a fight whether he wanted it or not. He turned back to the birds, still growling and snarling. He would let them have the first move to determine how they would fight, and respond viciously, and without a limit to how hard he would bite and claw and wrestle for victory.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sam had a moment with the Strider, a mare. The world fell away and there was no storm, only a horse and a boy. A Strider and a Drykas, for she was choosing him, which would make him a full-fledged member of the horseclan again in the eyes of his people. It was a step toward becoming a man again in his own eyes. He lost track of time, staring into this strange horse's eye in the flicker of lightning. Strangely, it was Aiken's barking that cut through to reclaim his attention to the larger world. Was this another bond? Time would tell. Horse was screaming a battle challenge to the glassbeaks, iron-shod hooves flashing out in warning, but Sam could hear the note of fear alongside that of anger. It took all his willpower to tear himself away from the Strider, but he knew she would follow. The wind buffeted him about, making his return to the cave a jerky matter, and slower going than their first arrival. As soon as he returned, he dove for his scimitar and hunting knife. The latter went into its sheath while he brought the former up into a defensive line. It would be difficult enough to wield a scimitar in the confines of a crowded cave, let alone Aren's scythe. And so he adopted a strategy similar to Aiken's, waiting for an opening to help the glassbeaks bleed out the way they mother wolf had. When he saw one, he charged. While the glassbeak was distracted by a nip from Aiken's teeth, Sam attempted to decapitate the thing or, if it retracted its head too slowly, brain the sucker. They didn't have time for a pitched battle. Dominance of the cave needed to be established so they could hide there peaceably with whomever survived and await Zulrav's eventual leniency.

[Aren]

Things just kept going from bad to really shitty. Now, in addition to all the other things they had to worry about, they also had to contend with two glassbeaks looking for safety. What's more, just to round out the menu, their fearless leader was spacing out over a damn horse. Fortunately, Aiken, maybe because of his creepy man-bond with Sam (not actually made any less creepy by him being a kelvic), was able to snap him out of his idiocy. Unfortunately, however, the first thing he did upon regaining his senses was charge at a couple of wary glassbeaks. "What the hell are you doing?! Don't!" The Akalak could do nothing but watch. If he threw himself after Sam, his head might get bitten off right along with his. All he could hope for was that either the young Drykas heeded his words, or he somehow managed not to get his skull crushed between a pair of massive beaks. Maybe Sam thought he saw an opening because the wolf was barking at one of them, but to Aren, the worst thing one could do in a situation like this was act impulsively. Glassbeaks were big, fast, and damn strong, but throwing that weight around that quickly left them vulnerable to counter-attack. Of course, if you're the one that's attacking, counter-attacking is made rather difficult. It was certainly going to be difficult to maneuver in such a confined space, but at least it was better than attacking head-on. Beyond that, these animals were scared, not hungry. As long as they weren't threatened, there was a chance they might be willing to cohabitate, if only a very small one.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

What Sam was doing, for the logic-impaired, was coming to the aid of his horse and his kelvic. While they were defending themselves from the glassbeaks, Sam was attempting to strategically use those distractions to injure or kill the predators. That they were frightened of the storm only made them more dangerous, and perhaps Sam should have fled the cave and chanced the wrath of Zulrav, but the whole reason he even had traveling companions was the idea that there was strength in numbers. Otherwise he would have simply outridden danger on his windrunner with a wolf kelvic keeping pace with his ground devouring lope. So while Aren stood around watching his companions fight for their lives and their haven from the killer storm and the Strider stood in wind, eldritch and apparently unmoved by the weather, Sam attempted to at the very least, drive the glassbeaks to a less inhabited shelter, though it wouldn't hurt his status in Endrykas if he had glassbeak talons and feathers to trade when he arrived.