Welcome to Gaia! ::

((Ookay, Panpear you are more than welcome to have Thela be the second, Raiden is planning to take control however and if it works, all positions will be erased pretty much, but the second needs to be decisive and...present. How patrols work...is there are always guards around the main pridelands, scouts go out in every direction every day to the edges and come back again, this is organized by the second in this case. I hope that helps, but if it is more beneficial we can have shifts for the scouts when things are uncertain. I'll leave that to the second.

Oh yeah, smacking other cats of the pride like Raiden did...is bad. It's like smacking one of your friends at school, whoever does it is labeled officially "douche". No one was supposed to see, but I left it in the open so someone would, giving a few the heads up that Raiden is bad news.))

Secondly, *points finger at Grey Moonfang* Zephre is NOT an old coot. He'd be very offended if he heard you say that *nods* he's only 5 which isn't even over middle age yet. He's young (25 in our terms), he just ACTS like an old coot...mostly because he's a pacifist...and completely blind.

Kakash, thank you for telling me. Take the time you need.))

Zephre pointed her toward the cubs, "Just make sure they are all unhurt before you treat the scrapes of the older cats, I'll deal with Bianca," he said kindly.
He was about to pick up the herbs needed when his ears picked something out of the dying comotion.

Brindle watched her second go, unable to stop the worry that gnawed at her stomach. Calyn wasn't just her second in command...The tigress thought of the panther as a little sister.
"Be safe." She mumbled under her breath.
Just them the healer appeared at her side, a few pieces of bark stringy clamped delicately between his teeth. His lips were parted so as not to wet the bark.
"Brindle, take me to Calyn before she leaves."
Brindle, confused, obeyed quickly, catching up to the panther and looking about nervously to make sure no one was watching.
"This," Zephre said as he put the bark down, "Is something that might help you...be warned though, it is very powerful. You may choose to leave it." he looked very serious. "The effects will last a few hours, but what it does is speed up the natural healing process of your body...the side effects are as it works it speeds up other things as well. The ideal is you lying still for at least one full day or night right after you take it, because if you strain yourself physically while under the influence of this plant...it could stop your heart."

Brindle started, staring wide-eyed that the healer.
"It is her choice. But it will heal your wound completely within the day you take it. I leave it to you."
With that he turned, knowing that it was all he could do. The other cats still needed tending...

He returned to Tami's side a little later and dove right into his work, giving his young apprentice any direction she asked for (and even some she didn't).

Raiden stalked back to the caves, Gen had gone to rally those who were loyal to him...soon...so very soon.

((Just thought I'd say it, but I'm perfectly aware of Zephre's age. Seph was just stating his opinion. In short, it was a joke. Also, as for Zephre hearing Seph call him an old coot, that's why said it so far out of his range of hearing there's only about a .1% chance he'd ever hear it ^_~))

((Teehee, okay Grey. I'm still waiting for Kiki to post but Etana and Seph can come back any time and Zephre'll act.))

Brindle returned the nuzzle hesitantly, still at odds about whether this was even a good idea.
"Don't worry about me." Brindle seemed to read her thoughts, and if not then her expression. "I'll come get you myself when this...whatever it is is all over. You have my word."
With that she stood back, brow furrowed with emotion she was too proud to show in any other way. "Now go, before something else happens."

Zephre had finished slowly, taking much care in the wounds he healed. When his work was done he flopped down next to his apprentice and breathed a heavy sigh.
"I'm getting too old for this." He joked, shooting the young leopardess a grin.
"Very good work this time though." He nodded his approval. "But I think we'll be looking for herbs for weeks to come to replenish what we had only a few days before."
He rolled over, letting the back of his paw fall on Tami's face.
"Whoops! Was that your nose?"
It was not that the healer disredarded the gravity of situations like this, but once the danger had passed he felt the best thing to do was take minds off it.

(( Ooc: I was giving other people a little more time. ^.^ ))

Bianca adrenalene began to die down as silence seemed to roll from the surrounding area. With this, the pain fo her injuries began to become apparent to her mind. She limp towards the toung cub mewed at the sight of the den leader. The blood covering her was beginning to cake from the dry air, but at the moment, Bianca laid down and licked the little one.

"I'm fine," Bianca said loud enough for most than just the cub to hear. "I have some work torn into me flank and my neck, but 90 percent of this blood isn't mine."

Bianca simply liad with the cub for a bit more, not quite wanting to get up yet.

Thela almost growled at the older cat, lips curled in irritation, but instead of charging onward she turned away, to the side. Any retort she could think of would sound childish ("But I'm not tired!"), even if it was true. While her run out to the scouting location was long, there was little activity to do there.

"We are still close..." she offered, before falling silent for a moment. Her anger made her think to what Raiden had done. Hitting the outrider... sure she had made a mistake, but still...

"Sorry. I guess we're all on edge," she offered as an apology. The tone of her voice indicated there was more behind that statement than just snapping at Gado. Thela then began to absentmindedly clean her paws, as if that was what she intended to do all along.

((Whew. Two more sketches done.))

Brindle walked back to the den slowly, a slight breeze playing through her coat.
Calyn's words rang clear in her head; "Trouble's coming."
She passed the den to see Zephre rolling to his feet. He dipped his head in respect as she walked by.
Without a word she continued on, back to fetch the meat she had dropped.
It wasn't long before Seph's sent floated to her nose, along with another's.
She growled more out of instinctive reaction than out of anger as they appeared, her hunter leading a strange cat straight through the pridelands.
She stopped, turning sideways to as a gesture for them to do the same.
She looked the stranger up and down, only then noticing the cub in her mouth. It looked sick, and they both looked like they hadn't eaten in a while.
"Brindle." She said in a formal tone. "The leader of the hunter's faction of the Midnight Pride...To what do we owe the pleasure?"

Zephre dipped his head respectfully to Brindle, only to repeat the formality when he took some herbs into the den for Bianca.
"May I see those wounds my lady?" He smelled the blood and wrinkled his nose.
"I don't like the nature of that attack." He added conversationally as he set the herbs down. "Hyena's are cowards for the most part. Why would they put themselves at risk like that?"

Etana dipped her head in respect to the tiger, Brindle, following the snow leopard's lead. In doing so, she plopped her bundle of squirming fur to the ground at her paws, and turned sideways as well.

"Etana," she introduced herself, her voice soft, respectful, but firm and determined. "This is my little sister, Dene," she explained, licking the cub on the head.

"To make a long story shorter," the black leopard began to explain, "I am in sole custody of my sister, as a result of... an unfortunate turn of events. This caused her handicap," Etana threw a glance to the cub's useless leg, "and also her sickness." Dene wheezed, then gave a forceful cough, as if on cue.

"We hadn't had a meal for days, and had just wandered near Pride territory when Dene picked up on the scent of the Oryx. In short, we found it, saw that no one else was around, and figured we had had a lucky break.

"I understand that trust has been put on edge around here, only because these lands positively reek of suspicion and treason." Etana wrinkled her nose. "But I can assure you, Brindle," she dipped her head again in respect, "that I have no involvement in whatever treachery has caused this insecurity. If needed, I will allow - no, I will encourage - you to test me in whatever way you and your Pride deem neccessary."

After she had finished her explanatory speech, Etana lowered her head again and kept it there, waiting patiently for a reply from the tigress.

Dene yawned as her sister spoke for what seemed like an eternity. She looked up through her still-blue cub eyes at the recipient of the speech, a strange striped female that Dene had never seen the likes of before. Her eyes ran over the patterns in the awe-inspiring coat, the black stripes twisting in and out of each other in an almost hypnotic dance. Her gaze rose to that of the tigress, which was a firm, strong expression - just like Etana's.

The little cub picked herself up off the ground - which was no small feat considering her newfound handicap, and limped a few feet in front of the two leopards. She glanced back over her shoulder to her sister, whose stare told her that she should go no further. Dene obeyed, staying right where she was, but gave a tiny, inquisitive mewl of greeting to Brindle.

((Omg it's so long!! Sorry! sweatdrop ))

Instead of giving a verbal reply, Seph simple nodded his head and looked to Etana "This way" Carried in a polite tone, they were the only words to leave his mouth before he leaned down, and picked up his hunk of meat once more. After that he began a brisk walk towards the healers den, making sure he was easy to follow. He'd go search for Zephre after he showed them the way, assuming that is the blind lion hadn't already returned to his den.