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 Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 6:37 pm
 Rorret's tongue lolled from his maw, his chest heaving, as he broke through into the center of the territory. He was panting more than he should be, and it annoyed him. He didn't want anyone knowing just how far he had traveled.
He hoped it would look like urgency, instead.
He also hoped he would run into Arkadios quickly, before something happened to Firdaws. Not that he particularly cared if the wolf died, but it would all be so much better if he didn't.
"Warmaster!" He panted, howling for the great blue wolf. "Warmaster! It's an emergency!"
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Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 8:29 pm
 In general, life in the pack had been rather slow. It would have been almost relaxing, if not for the fact that Xihuitl had yet to return, and the God-Alpha was still missing. So, the Warmaster had been keeping himself busy guiding the pack as best as he could...and, of course, trying to surreptitiously prepare them for Danel's return. It was slow work, frustrating at times, and even his vast patience was beginning to wear thin. How he longed for Danel to return...
Arkadios was just finishing his rounds when he heard the cry. Rorret? What did the omega want? Hearing the urgency in the younger wolf's tone, he did not take the time to ponder the possibilities. Instead, he doubled back on his trail, heading toward Rorret.
"What is it?" he demanded when he stepped out of the shadows before the omega.
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Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 9:17 pm
Rorret halted before the other wolf, taking a huge, shuddering breath. His left side was soaked in blood from carrying Firdaws, and his sides heaved with the effort from his long run. He shook his head. "No time," he panted. "Firdaws."
He tilted his head, gesturing for him to follow, and started off again for where he'd left the other wolf. He hoped no one got to him first. He wanted credit for what he'd found, even if the circumstances had to be obscured a bit.
More importantly, he'd heard the delirious wolf muttering something that had piqued his interests, and he wanted to see how it all played out.
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Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 9:36 pm
The scent of blood was strong, but also diluted enough that Dios was certain that it did not belong to Rorret. However, the omega was considerably more winded than he ought to be, if he had come from anywhere near where he was supposed to be - specifically, within the packlands. But there was no time to sort it all out right now.
At the mention of the Huntmaster, Dios put such contemplation aside and focused on the task in front of him. First, he had to make certain that there was no immediate danger. Then, he had to see to Firdaws, whose blood, he suspected, coated Rorret's fur. After that, he could pursue the facts.
It crossed his mind, of course, that this could easily be a trap. Rorret could be rushing him all alone to his death. However, it seemed unlikely. The omega had nothing to gain by killing him, and if Rorret had any desire to do away with him, Dio had a feeling that the younger wolf would take a much more refined approach. This would be terribly sloppy. Besides, if worst came to worst, he could take care of himself. He did not make the rank of Warmaster by chance.
When at last he caught sight of the Huntmaster, Dios slowed his pace and surveyed the area. They were on the border of the territory, by the swamp. There was no sign of struggle in the immediate vicinity, and certainly no sign of any other wolves or lesser beasts. In fact, save for the three of them, he could sense nothing out of the ordinary at all.
Satisfied that there was no external threat, he allowed himself to focus on Firdaws, who looked a terrible mess.
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Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 10:13 pm
Rorret's mismatched eyes followed the other wolf's gaze; he took a few deep, steadying breaths before he managed to calm his pounding heart. What a day this had been!
"I found him a little way from the border," Rorret said, by way of explanation. "I'm not sure what happened to him. I'd caught the scent of a pup two nights hence up to the northeast, and thought I would pursue it this morning before the dawn...but the smell of blood reached me first. He's in a bad way."
Well, that much was obvious, wasn't it? Firdaws looked like a red-brown-green mess of mud and blood and fur, more swamp monster than wolf. Swamp monster. Hah. Rorret hid that image back in his mind to relish later. Belatedly, he wished he'd sought out his fox companion first. Jasper would have proven useful, here...
"I led him partway home before he collapsed."
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Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 10:53 pm
There was no reason to doubt Rorret's story, though the delivery, coupled with the convenient explanation for his own actions made Dios wonder. Still, he doubted he would get the full truth out of the omega, if, indeed, he was lying. As it stood, he had other things to worry about first. Like the dazed Huntmaster before him.
Arkadios approached Firdaws, the better to inspect his wounds, and grimaced at what he saw. As a warrior, he had seen his share of gore. It was nothing new to him. However, this particular wound had him giving his sympathy to his brother. Well, at least the bleeding had stopped. Unfortunately, it was a tacky mess, now. Unless the wound was properly tended soon, Firdaws might suffer for it...worse than he already was, at any rate. However, there was nothing here but muck and swamp water, and they would have to take him through the swamp to get him to the dens at any rate, so there was no point in tending him just yet.
"You did well to bring him here," he said, though he kept his eyes on the wounded male. "We'd best get him to the dens. Help me get him up." Large as he was, Dios would have no problem carrying his brother. However, if he were to lift him onto his back himself, he might end up hurting the Huntmaster further. Best be gentle. Rorret could help.
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Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 1:17 pm
Firdaws stirred, slightly, in his sleep, and muttered something incomprehensible. He was lucky, in a way, that the she-wolf's target had been so precise. If she had torn open his belly, he would have been dead within moments. Instead, though his risks from bleeding and infection were great, if he survived this long he would likely recover well enough.
It was fortunate, though, to be a member of the Shadowclan, as he would not be passing his genes to another generation now.
Rorret nodded, slipping forward. As before, he gripped the hunter's filthy cloak the way he would the scruff of a puppy, and heaved his shoulder into him to help bear the load. "I've never had occasion to ask," he said, as he waited for Arkadios to begin moving forward. "Does the Shadowclan have a healer?"
He had a gnawing suspicion that it was the sort of job the omegas should do. Elapse, perhaps. But Elapse was long gone now, on some mission or another, or maybe dead...and Rorret certainly wasn't up to the task.
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Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 2:06 pm
Dios nodded his appreciation as they started the slow task of bearing their wounded brother back to the dens. Ah. Now, there was a question.
"The duty normally falls to the omegas," he said, confirming Rorret's thoughts. "However, I do not believe that any of those remaining are trained in the healer's arts."
Certainly, the upheaval and chaos surrounding the position of God-Alpha had affected more than the pack's hierarchy. The repercussions echoed all the way down the social ladder, reaching even to the pups.
Needless to say, more than one important position had been compromised. As Dios recalled, the healers were among the first to disappear. It was not be difficult to lose them. There were so few to begin with, that the odds were against them in the first place. In a pack as keyed toward the violent arts as The Shadowclan, healers were a sad minority. It was something that had been sorely overlooked, in his opinion. Perhaps, when things settled down again, he would bring it to the God-Alpha's attention. Surely fewer of their brothers would die needlessly if they had at least one properly trained healer within their ranks.
"As a necessity, most warriors also learn the a few rudimentary skills," he added. "The most we can do for him will be to properly clean the wound and bandage it with leaves. Unless you know of anyone more qualified." He doubted it, of course. Surely if there were a healer left in the pack, he would know about it.
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Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 11:28 pm
"I've heard tales of wolves blessed with the gifts of nature," Rorret said, "But, sadly, none among our ranks."
He made a mental note to remedy this problem in the future, before he might require the needs of it. He wondered, vaguely, if any of the pups in his tutelage might be suited to such an art. Probably not. Ah well. Perhaps he would kidnap one from another pack....his brow furrowed as he considered this possibility. Surely there was a pack nearby with a healer he could borrow.
"If the shadows will it, he'll survive," he said, finally, with a shrug. "Little more we can do, I suppose. I wonder what manner of beast hast bested him, though...and whether it may prove a threat to us."
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Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 12:12 pm
They still had some time before they reached any of their brothers, let alone the dens. And of course, he still had to question Rorret about the situation. Right now, they were alone and there was nowhere the other wolf could go. Who knew when he would have another chance as good as this. To Arkadios, Rorret's last comment sounded like as good an opening as any.
"Yes. Unless Firdaws was being careless, this beast could prove troublesome. Tell me. Exactly how far out did you find him?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 7:27 pm
"Some way past the swamp," Rorret responded, smoothly, without hesitation. "You know where the trees begin to look less sickly, and the soil is rocky, not damp? Just a ways past that."
As it so happened, the direction he described was on the path toward the pack's distant neighbor, Tomkin, where the river gave way to a series of caves. Rorret himself had come from those lands, though it was so long ago now he hardly remembered it.
"I can send the fox, if you'd like. To take a look around."
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Posted: Fri Dec 09, 2011 9:05 pm
Arkadios eyed the younger male steadily. He did not seem to by lying, and certainly the pack in that direction could prove troublesome if it got the notion of attacking them into its head, but...
"You are quite certain? If there is any danger to the brotherhood, we would all do better to be forewarned, and looking in the right direction."
Besides, it was dangerous to create trouble where there was none, only to have the true danger attack from behind. Even beyond that, Dios was a warrior of the pack. When one of their own was attacked, and potentially fatally wounded as Firdaws had been, it was his duty to find the problem and deal with it. Despite all the inner turmoil that the pack faced, Dios had not forgotten that duty.
Still, with all he had on his paws, what with him minding the pack and the storyteller out hunting for Danel, he was hardly in a position where he could go hunting for enemies as he ought to do. Nor, with their depleted numbers, should he send out another of his warriors to do so. For now, the most he could do in good conscience would be to redouble their defenses and warn his brothers against venturing too far beyond the borders.
If Firdaws recovered from his injuries, perhaps he could shed more light on the situation. Perhaps enough for Dios to do more about it. Until then, it seemed there was little else he could do.
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Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 1:03 pm
Rorret shrugged, a gesture made difficult by the weight of the wolf on his shoulders. "I can't say for certain who the attacker was. Only where I found him."
Lying had become such an integral, reflexive part of Rorret's life that he started to believe them. The wheels and cogs in his mind were already spinning.
Firdaws had been attacked by a female. Of that much, he was quite certain. Who else would have aimed their attack at precisely that place, leaving all others unharmed? Who else would Firdaws have hunted? Rorret knew of his unholy appetites as well as any wolf.
...A female, from their assassin neighbors.
Mother, dear mother? Could it have been you?
Despite knowing that he was spinning a lie, Rorret felt a shiver of delight course through him.
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Posted: Mon Dec 12, 2011 9:41 pm
He was displeased, but there was little he could do about it, yet. For now, Dios would simply have to raise the defenses and caution the brothers. There was no positive proof of identity. If it was the neighboring pack, he would deal with it when the time came. If not, he would have avoided trouble with a potentially dangerous enemy.
"Very well. Send out your fox. If you are to keep him, he should at least be useful."
With that, he turned to the issue of Firdaws. He was not looking very well.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 8:03 pm
They drew near to the den area, and Rorret made for the nearest empty place. No point in dragging the big oaf halfway across the territory looking for something special; here was as good a place as any.
"I'll fetch him straight away," he said, pleased to be finding a use for his little friend. He knew that the others had little patience or care for the fox, but that was only because they had yet to see just how valuable of an asset he could become.
"My god," Firdaws murmured, then, stirring slightly from his slumber. His head lolled. "My alpha, my god! Don't go!"
His toes twitched. It seemed that, wherever he was in his mind, he was running.
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