Closed [Lakeshore] Escaping The Noise (Part II)

[Kaie]

Fall, Day 48, 513

Continued from here.

All sense of calm tranquility dissipated the moment that unmistakable growl came from the shadows. It was a rolling, threatening sound that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. And then there was silence. Nothing else but the crackling of the flames and the gentle rustle of leaves disturbed by a fall breeze. The savage did not react at first. Instead she sat there quietly before the fire, feeling its radiant heat burning her bronzed skin. Yet when the sound was registered in her ears, amber eyes flickered up to peer through the fire toward the forest. Kaie did not utter a single word of warning to Ria nor Vanari, rather all was spoken in slow gesture. She lifted her hand toward the two as if asking them not to make a sound. After all, she hadn't a clue if they were the screaming type. Drawing more attention certainly wouldn't help their case.

The Myrian's eyes continued to follow the tree line warily. Slowly her other hand crept down to her hip to the handle of her gladius. Fingers wrapped around her weapon but she waited to draw it. She knew the growl. Kaie had heard the howls and snarls of wolves in the Cobalt Mountains, but this one was different. It was more...Vicious. Bloodthirsty. And she knew wolves rarely hunted without company. Yet several ticks had passed and there was nothing more. Not a rustle, a shadow, or another verbalization. Kaie turned to Ria and Vanari questioningly, shrugging her shoulders as if believing they may have been passed unnoticed. That's when something sprung from the brush at a reckless speed that caught even the savage off guard.

Kaie lunged forward from her crouch toward the flames. The hand once bidding the others to stay quiet, shot out for the end of one of the burning branches. The shadow made a go at the group with tenacity comparable to the Akila Hounds in Falyndar. The Myrian halted its advance only by stepping toward Ria and Vanari, swinging the flaming torch in its path. The charcoal colored wolf skid to a stop and swayed its run to the left. It snarled, jaws agape to expose yellowed fangs. The beast padded to the side a few paces before it raced back in, only to meet the swinging incinerating branch with its muzzle. Kaie growled at it, jutting the fire at its chest to ensure it backed off.

I can hold this one off for a little while, but one torch isn't going to stop anymore that make an appearance...

"Grab something. Anything!" She suggested to Vanari and Ria in a restrained voice, doing her best to maintain her composure. Her fiery gaze was locked on the pugnacious canine ahead of her, whose lupine expression was equally belligerent. "Watch your backs. If there's any others, they're bound to take notice," Kaie added, waving the flaming weapon ahead of her again warningly. Adrenaline began to flood her veins, her muscles beginning to tense with apprehension.

A pack would never let them escape so easily. There were three of them after all. Though maybe if she waited just long enough, there would be a moment the fiends were be distracted with the other two. Maybe then she'd be able to capitalize on the perfect chance to escape...But that would mean leaving Ria and Vanari behind to fend for themselves. Potentially, that could be condemning them. She'd done quite a few things unbecoming to who she thought she was, her ethics becoming something twisted and sadistic. Indifferent even. But this...Could she live with herself if that was the path she chose for the sake of self preservation?

[Vanari]

Vanari froze, dropping her stick. A growl rumbled through the air, the sound puncturing her heart with shards of ice-cold fear. For a tick, no one moved. Then, slowly, Kaie signaled for them to keep quiet and scanned the tree line, no doubt sweeping her practiced gaze for any signs of threat. The Vantha watched in pained silence, and just when it felt almost too much to bear, Kaie turned around and shrugged. Shoulders sagging in relief, Vanari was just about to collapse backwards from all the tension when something big, black, and furry lunged forth from the foliage. There was no hesitance this time; she scrambled to her feet and unsheathed her Tamos, her eyes glued to the vicious creature. She managed to spare one glance in Ria's direction to make sure her friend hadn't been ambushed and dragged off somewhere, but another bone-chilling growl forced her to focus on the intruder. It was a fierce looking wolf, its fangs long and yellow, its feral eyes glinting hungrily beside the dancing flames of Kaie's torch. If it hadn't been for the Myrian's quick acting, she or Ria would probably be missing a throat or face by now. Thankfully, a wolf was still a wolf, and it feared the burning touch of fire along with the rest of sentient, flesh bound life. A long, long time ago, Vanari had chased off a pack of wild dogs in the Sea of Grass with nothing but hastily built flames--perhaps it could work again, perhaps not. It wasn't as though they had much of a choice though, and who knew how many more had followed what appeared might be the alpha of the pack? Carefully, she impaled one of her Tamos into the soft earth and used her free hand to extract a burning branch, her stance now mirroring Kaie's. The Vantha trusted her Myrian companion to handle the lone wolf, turning slowly in a half circle to scan the rest of the tree line. If there were more, they would need to be prepared. No sooner had such thoughts crossed her mind than a second, heaving mass of shaggy fur and lean muscle leaped from the shadows. This one was slimmer and brown coated, but equally as vicious and ravenous. Vanari had less than half a tick to react before it snapped its massive jaw at her arm. She caught the wolf's teeth on her remaining Tamo and cried out, struggling to hold out against its impossible strength. It would have broken though in a matter of breaths, had she not buried her foot in its mangy shoulder, briefly stopping its momentum. And then, without thinking, she shoved the torch into the wolf's left eye. There was a sickening sizzle and the scent of burnt fur invaded her nostrils. The she-wolf yelped a horrid, shrieking sound and backed away in agony, releasing her Tamo in the process. The sudden absence of its bulk left Vanari surprised and unbalanced, but she managed to land her foot on solid earth, narrowly missing a sizable log that would have surely sent her sprawling. Vanari's muscles trembled in terror and fatigue, but she stubbornly kept both make-shift torch and dagger held up before her, glaring with ruby eyes as adrenaline and fear burned through her blood. Before she could make another move against the she-wolf, a rustle of leaves and snap of twigs sounded behind her. She spun around just as a third set of glowing, yellow eyes flashed somewhere amidst the shadowed tree line. "Ria, look out! There's another!"

[Kit Rowan]

The growl sent a sudden tension through tense shoulders. She looked up, eyes wide to see Kaie's hands raised in cautious warning. She breathed in, breathed out, was glad she knelt rather than simply sat. Kit grabbed a stick off the ground, reached to her belt and pulled a straight, silvery knife from where its hilt was strapped to her back and pretended at carving. She scanned the forest with deliberate casualness . . . What sort of animal growled before it attacked? A stupid one. A stupid one whose stupidity had given the trio a moment of blessed warning.

Kit let the stick drop and shoved herself to her feet as the first beast closed on Kaie. The warrior woman put man's oldest weapon between her and the animal. Kit whipped the knife across her body, letting it release as it lined up perfect with with the wolf. It flung from her hand, glinting in the light as it spun through the air and hit the wolf square in the head . . . With the blunt end.

She cursed as the creature shook off the impact and snarled at her through the fire. Kit reached for her belt and pulled out her knife; the one meant for combat close up, curved and terribly wicked. Her attention was so focused on Kaie's assailant that she did not so much as think to look away. Kit caught a blur of motion in her periphral vision in time to see Ari struggling to push a wolf off her. Heedless of secrecy, Kit flexed her fingers and willed res push from her hand.

But her mind was unsteady, panicked and beyond control. Nothing happened at all. The world around her spirled into movement and violence, fast and lethal. Kit felt something foul try to rise up her throat, her mouth dry, grip on her knife tight.

Spinning at Ari's behest, she caught the glint of yellow teeth and blur of black rushing toward her. Instinct urged her back, back, and her back was to a fire.

Kit pulled her body back in a motion near instinctual, adrenaline silencing her unstretched muscle's complaints before they could so much as whimper. She planted both hands on the ground behind her and shoved, flipping her body backward over the fire, landing on her feet. The lunging wolf missed its target, running headfirst into the fire and yelping as it scattered coal and burning timber. Kit made a quick downward swipe at creature as she retreated, her blade cutting uselessly through the air inches from her intended target. "Keep me keen," she hissed through her teeth. "Keep me keen . . ."

[Kaie]

Heavily preoccupied with her only beastly assailant, Kaie could not spare either of her companions a glance. The monstrous beast was waiting for its quarry to be distracted. All it took was one aversion of her eyes and it would be upon her with tooth and fang. She could sense the animal studying her, watching her. Its eyes followed every gap created with the movement of the flaming branch before the savage closed it again. The Myrian could do nothing but focus on her own task and hope the others followed her suggestion to arm themselves. At least she knew Ria had thought quickly enough to do so. It was a shame her aid was harmless toward the wild creature, but an appreciated one anyhow. The cry, however, was far harder to ignore.

There was no dispute on who the sound had come from. It was Vanari, and it meant only one thing: the others had approached. It was in that moment she wondered whether she needed to re-position herself. Was the cry one of pain through injury? If it was, it might've meant a wolf had taken her spot, leaving Kaie's back open for attack. For all she knew it could already be rushing her. With that thread on her mind she couldn't help but check. Just as the first hoped she would.

Kaie glanced back for but a moment to see Vanari rid herself of one of the mongrels, Kit making an admirable acrobatic feat over the fire to escape fatal jaws. The cry of the incinerating animal sending a wave of relief through her body. The calm left her quickly, though, for then came snapping jaws and outstretched paws. It hit her like a wagon, sending the Myrian who so stupidly divided her attention to the earth. Her only saving grace came in the form of the flaming weapon. She braced in between herself and the wolf, pressing the wooden shaft against its throat. The maddened animal snarled and growled, jaws snapping together harshly as it strained against its constraints for her. Its yellowing fangs hovering over her face. She could practically feel drops of its saliva with every bark. Kaie was struggling, her arms taught and tense in physical battle. Her face contorted with both rage and defiance.

Petch this!

With the burning of the Goddess Queen's blessing came the rush of adrenaline and resolution in battle. Her lip curled into a feral snarl wild enough to rival the animal's. Then she managed to bring her knee to her chest, trying to time her counter. Just as the wolf again rebounded off her branch, she shot her arms forward to create more space. That's when a planted foot against its chest sent the animal tumbling back the direction it came. Kaie wasted no time scampering back to her feet, only to find claw marks upon her left shoulder.

Well, you win some and you lose some.

"Don't stray! That's what they want!" Kaie called as she swung the torch far more ambitiously at the creature, unaware of her companions' exact locations. Had she night been burned before, she might've looked for them. Given the circumstances, she could only pray to the Goddess Queen she could hear no cries one was cut off and ambushed. Technically, she could've very well been the one drifting off and been completely unaware of it.

[Vanari]

Another blur of motion flickered in her peripheral. Vanari twitched her head back, just in time to see Ria flip like the madwoman she was clear over the fire. Before the stunned Vantha could utter a sound, a third wolf plunged into the flames, plowing through where the acrobat had been only moments before. A morbid sort of triumph filled her heart as shaggy fur met ruthless flame and the contact sent the creature flailing with pain. Ria moved to swipe her blade at the yelping beast, missing by mere inches. The scent of burnt fur rose through the air once more and Vanari watched in growing alarm, the moment of victory transforming into one of concern as the creature thrashed about, sending bits of burning timber flying every which way. Sparks caught onto neighboring pieces of wood and forest debris, igniting a few here and there with miniature fires. Oh, no, no, no... she mentally cringed as the chaos spread. At this rate... Just then, a series of mad barks diverted her attention from the situation. Kaie had fallen under the weight of the first wolf, and was now struggling violently to keep its claws and teeth from tearing her to shreds. Vanari's heart near burst from horror, but she need not have feared, for the Myrian once again proved she was made of tougher stuff. With a shove of her foot, Kaie sent the beast hurtling backwards, scrambling back onto her feet as soon as its weight was off her. There were vicious looking claw marks on the Myrian's shoulder, but she seemed more or less untroubled by them. Instead, Kaie cried out another warning, urging them not to stray. Obeying without thought, the Vantha scrambled backwards towards her companions, torch and dagger still raised in both hands. Her own, feral opponent was now pacing back and forth in the shadows, shaking its muzzle in pain but unwilling to abandon such pesky prey. Only a few ticks later, the she-wolf was joined by another--the same one who had fallen for Ria's clever tactic--and the two lurked ominously a half dozen paces away, waiting for one of them to falter. Both beasts were growling loudly now, circling back and forth with singed hair and significantly deteriorated moods as they presumably plotted how best to exact their blood-soaked revenge. A small flame suddenly burst to life beside Vanari's foot. She gasped, stamping it down with gusto, putting it out just in time before it licked against her boots. It was only then that she got a proper look at their fire, which had nearly doubled in size. "Um, guys," she called out, voice filled with dismay, "looks like these wolves are going to be served human steaks soon...medium rare to well done."

[Kit Rowan]

Kit kicked a piece of timber back toward the center of the fire pit, where it continued to burn, bright and high. "There shouldn't be enough timber around for it to spread," she said. "I'd rather have a fire at my back than wolves." She held out a dagger toward the pacing creatures, though she did allow herself a few steps backward. "It shouldn't spread too far; the timber's been cleared out around. I can take a little of Ivak's kiss, if it keeps their teeth out of my hind." Still, she took a few half-steps forward to give her distance from the blaze.

The edge of the dagger . . . shook. The dagger shook. Her hand shook. Kit grimaced, slapped her wrist to clear some of the trembling away. It didn't work. She drew another throwing dagger and gave it a good, solid toss with her off-hand. But if her aim with her main hand was bad, her left was worse. It soared well over their lupine body and vanished somewhere into the trees. She hissed between her teeth, gripped the hilt of her dagger tighter, grit her teeth and wished she'd practiced her throwing more.

A feral intelligence glittered in the scorched wolf's eyes, it growled, taking slow, limping steps around the fire, always keeping Kit in its sight. "Come on, wolf, you've been burned already . . . Leave!"

It didn't take the command well. The wolf bolted toward Kit with a sudden, terrible determination in a lope. Kit glanced behind her and saw a fire risen too high to leap over. Panic came into her eyes as she turned to face the wolf, her breath coming sudden and fast. Oh Trickster, keep her keen, help her . . .

But the wolf was there already. It took off in a leap, jaws open to reveal a blackened, chaos-tainted mouth. Unthinking, Kit grabbed the hilt of her dagger with both hands and just . . . Held it there as she shivered. The wolf slammed into her body, sent her falling backwards under its considerable weight as it yelped. She tried to scream but the wolf had hit hard, and she was breathless. They hit the ground together, it on top of her, and Kit knew that this was how she would die.

She felt the slow drip of blood that wasn't hers, finally processed what the rest of her body was doing. Her dagger was lodged in the bottom of the wolf's throat, pushing up through into bottom of the head. She couldn't see its eyes, but its body was limp. Dead? Dead? Dead? Oh trickster above, she'd been saved!

And just out of Kit's line of sight, Vanari's wolf was making a rush for the girl while she was still pinned under the body of her fellow, intent on the girl's throat.

[Vanari]

Ria said something about the fire not spreading too far, and somewhere in the back of Vanari's mind such words offered a small amount of relief. But in the most immediate present, she was watching the wolves slink back and forth before one of them slowly began backing away, as though intent on sinking into the obscurity of leaves and darkness. They were up to something, she could feel it. A gleam of metal flew past her peripheral. Her head swiveled just in time to see a dagger fly towards the wolves, soaring right over the bodies into who knew where. Though the dagger had missed entirely, it did achieve something. Whatever it was the wolves had been planning on doing, they'd forgotten it now, their anger devoted entirely to the slim illusionist. The one that had been scorched earlier was now circling the fire, its glittering eyes glued to Ria with feral intensity. When Ria commanded the wolf to leave, Vanari would have burst out in surprised laughter, had it not somehow goaded the beast into a second, sudden attempt to rip out her friend's throat. She was too far away. It was too fast. There was nothing she could do. The wolf landed on Ria jaws first, its shaggy body almost entirely enveloping hers. For one heart stopping moment, Vanari was sure it had succeeded, that there would be nothing left of her friend but bloody, torn remains. And then she saw the glint of Ria's remaining dagger, the wolf's blood dripping through lifeless jaws and down the cold blade. The Vantha nearly collapsed onto her backside in relief, but fate it seemed was offering no rest for the weary today. The second wolf, enraged that her companion had been stopped short of finishing the deed, rushed forward while Ria was still pinned under the lupine corpse. Without thinking, Vanari let loose a feral snarl of her own and ran forward, dropping the torch in one hand so she could grip her remaining Tamo with both. She barreled straight into the side of she wolf moments before it had reached Ria's still struggling form. Vanari's timing had been a little off so she ended up piercing the wolf's rump instead of its head, but at least it distracted the beast from its primary target. The she wolf yelped in pain first, then growled in anger as she reared to face Vanari, who was now trembling with exertion and fear. With her torch abandoned and her Tamo still buried in the wolf's rump, she was all but done for. Both her companions were incapacitated. It was up to her now, bare handed as she was, to deal with the beast. Vanari crouched low and circled around the fire, away from Ria. The she wolf continued snarling as she followed slowly, staying far enough away from the flames to suggest she wouldn't be falling for the same trick twice. Not to worry. The Vantha had no such intentions of tricking it so overtly. Instead, she made as though she was going to dash towards her right, then faked it and lunged instead to her left. It only caused a moment's worth of distraction for the she wolf, who had jumped at the sudden movement to intercept its prey, only to halt abruptly when it changed directions, but it was enough. Vanari managed, in her reckless dive, to pluck her second Tamo from the soft earth where she had dropped it a few chimes before. The she wolf was still bleeding. Good. Maybe it would make her more...tired, or something. Vanari had little time to dwell on such a possibility as she began circling the fire again, this time slightly more armed than she was before. An edge of her sleeve had caught fire when she had retrieved the dagger, but she put it out quickly, returning her focus to the beast. Without warning, it leaped. Right over the petching fire. Vanari looked up in terror as its shaggy fur met the very tips of the flame, singing ever so slightly, before she realized her helpless body was to be the destination of the airborne wolf. She tore to the left moments before it hit the ground, but one of its claws caught onto the fabric of her cloak, pinning her violently down onto the ground. Her head hit the earth and stars erupted in her vision. But, even through them, she could see the she wolf's canine face stretched into a victorious snarl, right before the jaws opened to reveal a set of large, yellowed fangs. Without a second thought, Vanari screamed and sank her dagger into her own cloak, tearing it from end to end. As soon as she was free, she scrambled up and threw her entire body at the she wolf. She didn't so much knock the heavily muscled beast down as she did fling herself on top of it, wrapping one arm around its neck as her free hand stabbed it again and again. Hot, metallic blood splurted from its fur as it howled in pain. Vanari howled with it, crying out as she sank her dagger a dozen more times into its neck before it collapsed onto the ground and she with it. "Die, die..." Vanari heard herself whispering hoarsely, her blood-soaked arm too weak to bury the blade into flesh but still caught in the motion of trying.

[Kaie]

The Myrian could do nothing more than grit her teeth at the realization Vanari incited about the fire. From her peripheral vision, it was easy to see what the Vantha meant. One spark after another, tiny flames flickered to life and spread with a maliciousness equal to that of the ravenous canines at hand. Yet there was little to be done. She was still rather preoccupied with the nasty killer before her.

With its lips curled and black eyes narrowed in a savage hate Kaie could almost emphasize with, it had made itself a worthy opponent. Its gutsy valor was met only by the powerful stroke of flame. They were in a dance to the death. A stalemate of sorts. Each watched the other with eyes as cold as their hearts, waiting for someone to make a fatal error. At least Ria seemed to reassure her the situation with the fire wasn't as bad as she imagined.

"Agreed!" She called back blindly, trusting Ria's judgement for the moment. A wall of fire was always more favorable than one of fangs. Well, most of the time.

Shyke!

The snarling beast tested her again. It lunged to her left, and just as she swung, it faded back and to her right flank. Crafty little bastard that it was, it knew damn well what it was doing. Before the monster could capitalize on what it thought was an opening, Kaie answered with a back swing. This time she managed to burn at the side of its muzzle. Never had the painful yelp of such an animal brought her joy like it did then. At least it backed off a bit. Enough of a hesitation for Kaie to tune into what was going on behind her.

For the love of Myri...Please don't tell me she's trying to reason with a petching animal!

With a deliberate jut sent at the wolf before her, Kaie manged to score just enough room to whip her head around behind her. A defensive gesture to search for danger approaching her back....And to check on her allies of course. What she managed to glimpse sent her stomach into a free fall.

"Shyke!" She growled low under her breath, mentally praying to the Goddess Queen to grant an infidel mercy and just a smidgen of battlefield luck. The snarl of her own competitor tore her away from Ria's fate to face her own demon. That suspense alone might've been more painful than the possible outcomes Kaie could foresee. A panic incited in her very soul not even she could then describe.

With a vicious war whoop, Kaie sent herself after the growling creature. Its hackles raised in alarm with the Myrian's sudden advance. The animals were becoming one and the same. Striving for victory, for survival. For the pack.

No more hanging back!

Fire littered the open air to invade the space between mongrel and Myrian. The flaming stick had become a club, not a deterrent. A primitive weapon. Its ambitious lunge was knocked down brutally, sending the wolf onto its side in the leaves. Wasting no time with her advantage, Kaie cried out and swung her gladius down at its neck. In its hasty escape, she only managed to pierce through its belly. Regardless of her shoddy aim, it was enough. The reckless and brutal puncture extinguished majority of its strength. Only the madness to ensure victory and punish the wolf for its trespasses kept up the punishment. She beat upon it in raw anger. Clubbed its body with fire, twisting it into its ribs to incite a yowl deaf to her ears. Overkill in all definitions.

And then a scream to remind her she cannot be so lost. Vanari's scream. And for a moment fear really did find the Myrian. Was she alone to face the pack? Ria taken out by the beast who lunged and now Vanari? They'd be after her from her backside now. Leaping, lunging for her throat to shred her flesh and run her body dry. Conflicted emotions of despair and rage flooded Kaie as she turned, waiting for the onslaught. Instead she watched the Vantha make a stand of her own. Certainly one the Myrian did not expect at that, too.

Did she just...Tackle a petching wolf?

Kaie was caught in awe only for a moment to see her two allies managed to remain alive. No mortal wounds from what could be seen. A stupid grin captured her expression before it was back to business, sending the woman sprinting around the flames toward Vanari. She seemed to handle herself rather well. Stabbing the thing like a butcher, yelling as the animal did. The corpse of the wolf looked more like a pin holder than anything else.

"Petch. And you barbarians call me a savage."

It was all she could do not to double over in a surprised laughter. Up until that point, Kaie would've never guessed the gentle woman had it in her to do such a horrific thing. Horrifically awesome, but certainly brutal by most city standards.

"Hope that's the last of 'em," Kaie said warily, eyes scanning for the next threat. Searching for the next glow of eyes in the darkness and the growl to remind them they were not alone. If none else were on the way, they certainly were the luckiest lot in Ravok. Thus far, that is.

OOCSorry for the wait! Holidays, you know?

[Kit Rowan]

There was a flurry of motion and a storm of sound, growls and grunts and screams. Kit pushed at her wolf, found its weight heavy across her body. She shoved, harder, and it rolled over her body, leaving a smear of blood across her shirt. Kit saw Ari stabbing something into the neck of a wolf, screaming, Kaie standing over a scorched pulp of the wolf. Kit turned her attention about, dumbly looking for more conflict, more wolves, but there were none. She had missed the entire end of the fight.

Adrenaline high came with adrenaline lows. Kit felt her hands shake, her body feeling clammy, jittery. Stomach lurch. Kit ran her hands over her face just in time to realize there was still blood on the hand that had stabbed the wolf. She gave her head a sudden, furious shake; it wasn't the first time she'd been in a fight, and it wouldn't be the last. But her body still shivered in the aftermath.

"It's dead, Ari." Kit said. Her voice was tired. She raised up her hand to grab at her friend's shoulder, realized it was still bloody and put it down again. "It's already dead." She took a long, deep breath. "Still alive," she said, almost like a prayer itself. "Still alive . . ."

[Vanari]

Rise and fall...rise and fall...and then, nothing. The Vantha's limp curls mingled with shaggy, bloodied fur, her breaths still fast and shallow even when those beneath her at long since stopped. As she laid there, panting, numbed fingers wrapped around the hilt of her dagger, the realization of what she had done crept along her consciousness, nearing with dreaded inevitability. Vanari had seen the life go out of the she wolf's feral, canine eyes. Except, in that moment, they didn't look quite so feral, or even canine, for that matter. They just look...defeated. Sad. Tired. For a moment, it felt as though they had come to an understanding of some kind, she and the wolf. Neither had any energy or will left to fight, but the girl was the one who came out on top this round of life's infinite games, and the wolf...not so lucky. The Vantha tried to say she was sorry. She wheezed something, not knowing if the beast would ever understand. And then it was gone. The light left, replaced by dull, insentient vacancy. A horrifying sense of revulsion filled every corner, every niche of the girl's being. She opened her mouth in a silent sob and shuddered violently. Wrong, wrong, wrong, was all her mind could register. Too still, too still. In an attempt to calm herself, she took a deep breath, only to find her lungs expanding with the metallic tang of blood and musky scent of fur. It made her want to gag, but she resisted. She looked up and around. The sight of her exhausted, bloodied companions jolted some more pragmatic, survivalist portion of her mind and she mentally slapped herself a few times. It was ludicrous, she scolded herself, feeling this much regret and weak will for an animal who had just tried to tear her throat out not two chimes ago. In agonizing slowness, Vanari managed to push herself up and away from the lifeless corpse, staring numbly at the blood on her hands and clothes, then at the gruesome display of what she had just done. No, she would not feel sorry for what she had just done. This was the world, the reality she lived in, and she would have to accept it. There were more important things--more important lives--at stake, and her feelings would just have to wait. Her hands shook and her stomach wanted nothing to do with her body anymore, but Vanari managed to push out a single, pressing question. "I-is everyone okay?"