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"AGH! s**t! ******** knife was dropped the moment Zeke was hit. Pain erupted in his eyes, on his skin, and in his mouth, filling his senses to the brim with overbearing spiciness. All he could do - and hell, WANTED to do - in that moment was fall to his hands and knees and try to rub the source of the pain away on the grass. A strangled shout had left his habanero-filled mouth when he had been hit and another started up as soon as he was bent over the grass, but it was almost immediately replaced with a retching sound as Zeke started to violently throw up everything he had eaten right then and there.

Between each retch and subsequent splatter, the veterinarian cursed and moaned. It wasn't just the overpowering taste that had any effect: the smell of it was making his sinuses release all the valves in his head, the heat was paling his skin and making it sweat, and what had gotten into his eyes was making them water and burn as though he were baking his head inside an oven. To Zeke it felt as if he were going blind and that assumption wasn't far from the truth. Because of this, as he knelt there wiping his face (a body's automated reactions to things before the brain commanded it were so damning sometimes), the vet did not see the figure - nor the arrow as it was notched and let loose. Hell, the sound of the arrow whizzing overhead was drowned out by his vomiting, and it wasn't until he felt a gust of heat at his back end that he knew something had happened. He looked over his shoulder between heaves, but only earned himself another dose of pain as he cracked his eyes open and let in another dose of habanero hell.

The Stag's shirt saved him Anya's pain, but even from here, Anastacia could tell her idiot Guardian had not been so lucky. She watched his blurry figure fall like a rag doll to the earth beneath his feet, her heart leaping from her chest to her throat as his scream broke the air and slipped between curses and the sound of vomiting. Zeke was down, Iorek was strung up, she had been injured, and Cesc was tending to the effects of his own assault. Out of all of them, she and the Stag were the most fit to take on what was lurking beyond the trees, but they both knew better than to charge in there, and more importantly she was not violent! She was never violent! Those...urges...or whatever they were that caused others to tear into each other like a bunch of animals were below her, and she above them! The spider queen would not lower herself to the standards of a prehistoric Neanderthal no matter what, and especially not when an unknown assailant was armed with staining, burning volleys!

But even then, what could she do? If any of them were fit to fight it would be herself and Cesc...and the Stag was the sort of man who looked and acted as if he would be better off serving drinks in a cafe than throwing punches in a bar. She knew deep down that like her the pink haired male was above that sort of rabble, but with the meat shield tethered and the knife-wielding stooge puking up his guts a few yards before herself and her companion...

Anya's mind whirled and started to ache from her temples back. She raised the unstained hand of her right arm up to rub at the spot where the head pain started, gritting her teeth all the tighter even though she felt they would crack if she pressed them any longer. Suddenly a flash of light arched across her vision and the tent caught fire. The Virus gaped, almost seeming to not register what had happened, before her brain caught up with her and gave her a slap of reality. Everything was in there and everything was going to go up in smoke unless someone did something about it. With the options being a rock or a hard place, she picked the one she could handle.

"Give me this!" The urgency raised her voice a few octaves as Anastacia flew at Cesc and ripped the Stag's canteen from his hand. Without waiting for so much as a startled cry from her companion, Anya was off and shaking the remaining water onto the kindling flames. The smaller ones hissed out into steam and smoke, but those that caught quicker continued to feed on the waterproof material.

"s**t!" She recoiled as the top of the tent caught and beat her wings forward to wheel herself back. Smoke stung Anastacia's eyes and made them burn as much as her arm did after the douse of water Cesc had given it. Her lavender pair could blink the pain back, but her four dark blue arachnid ones had no such protection. They stung badly, and it took all she was not to raise her equally stinging left hand to rub at them.

Turning around she caught sight of the river that flowed toward the cliff and became the waterfall thereafter, nothing more than a darkened blur with white glittering upon its surface. In situations such as this, life was not kind to her - the river's bend before it became the falls was between their campsite and the treeline, where it curved out of sight into that dark green and black gloom. Nearer to the trees than to herself and Cesc, she had to curse the Stag inwardly for wasting so much water. Still, Anya knew that in the time it would take her to float down to the pool thirty feet below and back again, the tent and all its contents would be gone. Thus, that was not anywhere close to being an option.

It won't take long to fill. Just dunk it and go! She would fly as fast as she could and still be faster than their assailant and anymore of his arrows or liquids. With the bullet bit, she took off; wings spread wide and stinging eyes darting between her prize and the place where everything had gone to hell and back. The Widow knew she could do this, but she also knew she would be as stupid as Zeke to go in without keeping her eyes peeled too.

"Just one canteen that's all I need."

Iorek was afraid for Zeke as he rushed forward but the man's heroism was definitely something to admire. Without an ounce of fear the human was running into an unknown danger just to save him. Wasn't that supposed to be the gargoyle's job?

Before Zeke could complete the rescue the dreaded noise was back. Reks had been up in the tree long enough to recognize the soft sound of something slicing through the air. It didn't mean anything good.

"Watch out!" He shouted but the warning was much too late. In a few moments his white knight was falling to the ground like a heavy sack of potatoes. Horrified Iorek watched as Zeke withered and cried out in pain on the grass. In the dark the raevan couldn't tell if it was the burning liquid or blood smeared across his face. Cold shivers of panic raced across his skin as he witnessed this trapped in the trees.

Fueled by fear Iorek quickened his fight for freedom. He only slowed his mighty claws from tearing at the thick material to look at the burning light growing in the darkness. For one hopeful second he believed it was another team coming to their rescue. Instead it was a harbinger of further chaos turning their humble tent into a bonfire.

Reks could only stare in disbelief as he looked at his distressed crew. "Y-You gotta be kidding me..." If he wasn't so upset he'd laugh at how unbelievable this had become.

The gargoyle had been so focused on the turmoil he didn't even see Cesc until the stag was pushing the knife into his freed hand. He said a quick 'thanks' to the stag as he hurried off to deal with their enflamed tent and hurriedly started to cut at the net.

The urgency to escape and protect was his fuel. Iorek sawed at the netting with the knife, clawed at it with his talons, and continued to push and pull against the bushes he was stuck with. But as hard as he tried luck was just not on his side right now.

As he fought to reach freedom the tree had other plans. A sickening crack sounded the alarm and as hard as Reks' flapped his wings there was no way to prevent the heavy tree limb from snapping. It didn't take long at all for Iorek to plummet and land with a hard thud underneath bushes, netting, and heavy branches. And if that wasn't bad enough he was still trapped in the thick and elaborate webbing!

Iorek groaned and tried to push himself up. Through the criss-cross rope he could see the flames rise and consume the tent. Anya had disappeared, Zeke was down, and Cesc was doing his best to save their gear. And what had become of Reks? He wasn't doing anything for his friends. Instead he was stuck under a big log with bushels of leaves in his mouth. What a hero...

The gargoyle grunted and did his best to free his hands out from under the weight. He felt like a flower being pressed in a book. Awful. Just awful.

It was proving difficult to fight against the weight resting heavily on top of him. But when the raevan caught sight of their villain the cold fear that had consumed him burst into flames of rage. A mighty and angry roar erupted from Iorek. He pushed as hard as he could off the ground somehow managing to throw off the weight.

The net and bushes still clung to his form and kept him from moving smoothly but at least he could get back to cutting at the net with the knife. The whole time he'd kept a death grip on the tool. As he sliced at the material Reks devised a plan: First he was going to escape, then save his friends, and finally throttle this crazy troublemaker. Maybe, if he could keep his cool, somewhere in the middle of giving this creep a bloody nose he'd ask some questions. Maybe.

Anastacia hovered well above the river, dangling the canteen down by its strap in order to fill it. The current almost yanked it from her hands - and quite nearly pulled her along with it, making her gasp with shock at the force beneath the froth below her - but with a flap of her elongated pinions the spider queen regained her grip and her own posture at the same time. Within a few moments the container was topped off and Anastacia swiveled around on one wing tip to fly back towards the tent.

Even from afar she could see the burning light cast by the flames had vanished. This puzzled her, but she did not stop for even a moment to consider anything but the fact that their supplies were in danger. Zeke had put such an emphasis on them as they were packing for this little field trip that the very thought of losing even one bag made the Frei a little nervous inside. Supplies were important and they wouldn't last long at all without them; even those among them who didn't need the same things humans did.

The vomiting didn't stop even as Zeke felt himself being dragged. Blinded and in pain, the vet tried to struggle in the grip that pulled him backward, but was stopped each time another wave of nausea sent him lurching forward. Soon enough, he was being let down and mercifully his stomach was empty of everything but a little bile that came up with a hiccup each time he dry heaved. Still, he turned onto his side as though his stomach would suddenly remember it had a little more to vacate. He tried so hard not to touch his face with his hands, but it was hard when his eyes were like faucets, his nose like a hose, and everything from forehead to chin was burning like a hot knife.

"I know, I know..." Zeke choked out hoarsely as Cesc told him not to do the obvious things, both of which he had already done. When no reply was given, Zeke could only lay there and try to see through the fire that enveloped his eyes. It didn't work well for him, and he soon had his eyes pinched tightly closed again as he grit his teeth to keep the bile back and another howl of pain down. The latter didn't happen however, at least, not truly. When Iorek's roar ripped through the air, Zeke released a cry of fright - one that came with a long bout of hacking, spicy coughs - and dug his heels into the soft earth beneath him to push himself away from where the sound had originated in his mind.

"What the ******** was that? Cesc? CESC?!"

The roar that came from the woods behind her knocked Anastacia through a loop. Her heart leaped into her throat and she reacted as she would have been if startled whilst stationary, which caused her to slop a fair bit of the water she had risked herself over onto the grass. An angry sound left her, but it passed her lips half swallowed as she sped up to avoid whatever it was that was more than likely eying her for another round of target practice. Her back was turned after all and the hourglass birthmark she bore was made a perfect bullseye.

When she finally returned to the campsite Anastacia found Zeke laying on the grass in a heap, Cesc floating facing the source of the roar behind her, and their tent a smouldering, half-blackened shell of its former self. She couldn't keep herself from gaping even if she tried.

Her Guardian was a mess. The color had drained from most of his face and what hadn't was instead ugly red rings and blotches around his mouth, eyes, and nose. He lay on his side on the ground, gasping for air while trying to prevent himself from continuing to be sick. The scent of it hung about him now, mingling with sweat and a fresh shot of fear.

The Stag Raevan, the staunch protector that he was given Zeke hadn't been anywhere near the tent when she had taken off, was looking intensely at the jungle as though he was on some sort of precipice. He only glanced at her when she passed by; a brief look that she returned with a sideways flick of her lavender eyes.

Finally, the tent. Judging by the state of the two males and the branch that lay forgotten next to the remains, this had been Cesc's handiwork. Something streaked through her as she surveyed the damage; a waspish jolt that internally griped that he could have just waited for her to get the water before pummeling their tent into a heap. On the other hand, it was plain to see that the Stag's quick thinking had done the job and she couldn't entirely fault him for his rashness. Blackened, foul-smelling, and slightly wet that it was, the tent hadn't been reduced to nothing but ashes. And she had acted rashly herself in that moment, hadn't she? She wouldn't verbally state it ever, but she had. Only a fire and the threat it bore could send her mind onto one track and lead her to dangle herself over water that could surely, would surely if given the chance...

She shuddered. There was no time for such thoughts and the unpleasant creeping sensation they brought with them at the corners of her mind. Shaking her head as though to clear any starts to such ideas, Anastacia tipped the canteen over a hot spot and alerted her Guardian to her presence.

"Is that water? Oh god Cesc, give it here!"

"It's Anastacia. Why did you run ahead, you idiot?" Goddammit Zeke...

"I know, I know! Just...Just please give me the water! My face feels like it's gonna burn off!"

Iorek had been far too busy plotting out his revenge that he forgot a very important hero rule: always be on your guard.

The last thing he saw before a sharp pain shot across his skull was his team fighting against fire and nausea with all their might. Any second now, he had reassured himself, he’d be free. But that amazing escape never came. There was no tearing of the net and swooping in for a brilliant rescue. He didn’t even get to rip apart the bad guy. Heated rage made him blind. The beastly desire to shred and bite had possessed him to the point he didn’t even realize he had become the next target.

This anger only ceased when a terrible burning pain sparked from the back of his head and proceeded to spread across his entire body. Suddenly an unfamiliar and frightening dark shroud was upon him. There was no time to struggle and fight against it. In seconds the shadows shut out his vision, his thoughts, his precious strength, and swallowed him whole.

He collapsed.

Being knocked out, Iorek realized, was like a bad radio station…or maybe a TV channel? Whatever it was he hated it. Here and there he’d have good reception, like when he was dragged past a boulder and thought it looked nice, but then the rest of the time his vision and hearing buzzed with static. A thick haze had taken residence in his cranium and it’s weight felt too heavy to escape.

Where had his beastly energy gone?

He was so tired. If the kids or Shep saw him now they definitely holler in protest. He had become the stereotypical damsel in distress. HIM! The idolizer of heroes. Even in his weakened state he could process through the thick fog that this was absolutely ridiculous.

What was Cesc’s power again? He could find lost things.

When he managed to open his eyes Iorek glanced about in hopes of getting an idea as to where they were going. Shrubs, trees, and bushes awaited his returned vision. What a big help. This sight was just like everything else he’d seen in the last few hours.

But then the ringing in his ears halted, as if in fear, when the sound of water reached them. Not good. A defensive reflex quickly kicked in when Iorek realized where they were headed. Quickly he pressed himself into the ground in an effort to make himself as heavy as a chunk of rock. When that didn’t cease the figure’s movement, Iorek sunk his claws into the earth in another attempt to halt their trek forward. But all that did was make an uncomfortable amount of dirt lodge under his nails.

The louder the sound of water became the harder Iorek fought to escape. But once again he wasn’t thinking. He was panicking. His throat immediately constricted and his heart began to beat so fast it felt like it would rocket of his chest.

No no no no no!

Iorek recognized that sound from earlier. The waterfall. They weren’t going to a villain’s secret lair. Oh no, by the looks of it whoever this man was he wanted Iorek gone and somehow knew the perfect way to do it. Whether above or beside the body of water he didn’t care. He was afraid and wanted to be far from it.

By the time they got to the edge of the cliff Iorek had left behind a large trail of wrecked bushes and ground dirt. The plan to grab anything and everything to halt their forward movement had proven to be a bad idea. This foe had shown great strength and speed that at this moment Iorek just couldn’t match. He had to get the netting off.

The closer he got to the edge, the more frantic became. Desperate times called for desperate measures! Anything that was sharp on his body Reks put to use in tugging and pulling at the web. His claws, his teeth, the tips of his wings, and even his horns became the knife he’d lost. The closer they got to the edge the more this deathtrap unraveled. He was almost there.

But then the ground gave way and he was plummeting over the cliff.
They say when you face death your life flashes before your eyes. But Iorek saw no visions of his family, his friends, or his dreams. As he tumbled through the air all he could think about was surviving. Live to tell the tale of this horror. Live to fight and thrive. Just live.

And then the net slipped off. It wasn’t anything dramatic just like taking off a coat. Somehow, someway, he was free.
Iorek couldn’t believe it. He was triumphant! The raevan actually felt a laugh coming on but it was immediately silenced when he realized just how close to the water he had come.

Ah fudge.

Bubbles blew past Iorek has he sunk into the black abyss. The water was so cold. It felt like death as it rippled across his thick skin.

He thought he’d made it. But celebration had come too soon. The thrill of liberation blinded him to the point he’d forgotten to hold his breath when his body smacked into the water’s surface. Now not only was he IN the water his lungs were burning and begging for air. It hurt so much.

This was much worse than passing out. This was the end. There was no reset or choosing another path in the adventure book of life. Freedom had been in his grasp when he least expected it and now it was squandered. Iorek could already see his tombstone, ‘Here lies the idiot’.

But as Iorek came face to face with his deepest fear he never stopped trying to swim. He was never very good at it. His arms and wings cut into the water as they recalled the several swimming lessons dear Lillian had given him.

One stroke, two stroke, cup the water and pull.

Back then his fear of drowning had always kept him from really trying to grasp this life-saving ability. He never allowed himself to try and put any effort into conquering the waters. Iorek had just come to the conclusion that he just couldn’t swim. He had seen hundreds of rocks sink while out playing by the ocean and simply assumed he would do the same.

But now as he was engulfed by the murky pond, at deaths door, the desire to draw breath and thrive pumped into his muscles. He wasn’t just a rock. He was a creature born to do great things. This could not, no, WAS not the end of old Iorek.

A loud thrumming inside his head dulled the cries of distress and death. It was deep and warm, coaxing Iorek to keep cutting through the aquatic hell as time raced past.

Although Iorek wasn’t moving up to the surface, his body was propelling him forward. He couldn’t see anything but with a bit of luck his outstretched hands touched something cold, hard, and slimy. A rock! His brethren! No longer thinking of anything but life Iorek blindly hauled himself up, up, and away from his doom. He grasped as hard as he could at the sturdy earth and used the pond bedrock as a ladder to the surface.

When he pushed through the water Iorek gasped for sweet, sweet air. His lungs worked into overdrive as they greedily pumped to swallow as much oxygen as they could. It was delicious.

He was trembling from head to ribbon but as much as he wanted to puke and collapse the piece of him so desperate to survive wouldn’t allow it. He almost died. Someone on that cliff deserved a painful payback. As Iorek looked up, drenched and shivering, his jaw ached to clench around muscle and bone. He’d snap them in two, then threes, and continue to do so until only dust remained.

Iorek wasn’t the violent type, or at least he never thought himself to be, but this was a fitting time to allow that part of himself control.

With renewed vigor, Iorek pulled himself together and shook away as much water as he could from his wings. Then, like a mighty lion, he lunged off the rock and latched onto the jagged cliff side. He didn’t want to risk flying right now. From there he climbed and hopped along the surface, using his wings to maintain balance and thrust ahead.

A low angry growl sounded his arrival when he reached the top. The gargoyle's strong hands grasped at the cliff's edge. Swiftly he pulled himself up and over. He had beaten death.

“Anya...Thank you for getting the water."

The spider queen's head turned, her mouth set to its natural position even as she chided Zeke and continued to feel the sting of her own discoloration. Slowly she nodded her head. Her rash actions hadn't been for naught. Although the fire was out, hot spots still smoked and she could use what she had to douse them before any decided to get bold and actually catch once more. With Cesc now tending to the raver, Anastacia silently left the Stag to his role as nursemaid while she took on that of firefighter.

For the first time since he had been hit, Zeke managed a smile.

"Thanks buddy." His words were hoarse and Zeke was surprised the triad of habanero, throwing up, and coughing hadn't rendered him entirely mute yet. When Cesc said to open his eyes, however, Zeke had to pause to collect and ready himself. This was going to hurt big time. Gritting his teeth and keeping his tongue as far away from them as possible, Zeke leaned his head back, gripped the grass beneath his fingers, and waved his free hand at the Stag. He was as ready as he was ever going to be.

When the first touches of water hit him, Zeke opened his eyes and audibly sucked in a breath. Pain shot through his eyeballs back into his brain as warm water filled his vision. It wasn't long before he was leaning forward again, sputtering and wiping them on the cleaner of his two sleeves.

"s**t," he managed a to chuckle out as he sniffled to try and stem the flow of snot from his nose. It did nothing for him in truth, but it was the thought that counted, and in the end he ended up wiping his nose on the spot he had wiped his eyes. It burned like a b***h, but at least he didn't look as unkempt, right? The very thought made him chuckle again - he was the filthiest of the lot of them right now, hands down.

When Cesc called for their missing party member, Zeke looked up from his wiping and blearily stared out over the grass. His eyes continued to sting and there was a glaze over his vision, but he too could see that there was no big grey blotch that would be pegged for the Gargoyle. Puzzlement crossed his features and Zeke looked up at his pink haired friend. Squinting, he could just make out the Dawn Frei's expression but the real shock came from Cesc's sudden declaration, the equally sudden appearance of his barked command, and the way he took off across the glade toward the treeline.

Zeke opened his mouth to call out and question but instead he looked back at his own Frei, who turned her eyes from Cesc's retreating back to her man with her slender brows raised.

"What's going on? Where's he going?"

"I don't know." Her answer was automatic and buzzed in the air as the words died. She wasn't about to take off after him to find out, but she followed him with her eyes until he and his pink glow vanished into the darkness. Anastacia gripped her now empty canteen tight between her fingers, suddenly feeling more exposed than ever. She stretched her wings wide as she hovered in her spot, flicking her lavender eyes around the immediate scene. If they were attacked now...

Anastacia lowered herself. When Cesc had called for Iorek, she had finally noticed the big lug wasn't in the tree anymore. Iorek was gone, Cesc was obviously off to find him, and here she was with Pukemonster McBlindy sitting in an open patch surrounded on three sides by trees and the fourth by a sheer drop and sudden stop. With the tent now taken care of and her situation laid bare Anastacia now considered the idea that perhaps she should have gone with Cesc.

Too late now.

"What happened to Iorek?"

Anastacia frowned and her crown flared with her displeasure at his stupid question. It was obvious; he had gone missing, perhaps taken by that thing that had been trying to pick them off. The thought that he could have been taken by the hunter or whatever it was worried her most of all. Iorek looked heavier than most Raevans and stronger too. If that whatever-it-was had managed to drag him off before anyone had noticed the Gargoyle was gone...

"Clean yourself up already; you're starting to stink." Anastacia snapped her wings closed and pressed them hard to her back. She didn't personally mind the stench, but in the dark his sour smell was a potential beacon to whatever lurked just out of sight.

Iorek's glowing eyes locked onto the shadowy form hovering on the cliff peak. His almost murderer had stayed to watch the show. Big mistake.

The gargoyle may have been soaked to the bone in cold water but he felt as hot as the sun.

When Cesc approached, Iorek's mighty stone wings flared as the age old animal instinct to be larger than the enemy kicked in. The distressed man abruptly hunched his back and bared sharp fangs at the buck. Any creature of prey knew that stance and it was never in their favor. Iorek was going to pounce. The once friendly and caring raevan had turned into a snarling mess.

If the stag hadn't spoken up that instant he'd have been the victim of vicious misplaced hatred.

Cesc's voice vanquished the monster. The eerie glow that had trailed from Reks' eyes like steam dulled to a controlled glimmer. His animal grunts and growls ceased to be heard. The creature that had been ready to lay waste to everything before it was gone. In it's wake was a tired and lost Iorek. His tense form sagged and if he hadn't taken the hand when offered the gargoyle surely would of fallen back into the pond.

"Cesc..." Reks' struggled to utter against a terribly raw throat. He had found him. What an amazing and wonderful power the other held. Back on steady ground he tumbled to the dirt and grass. All he needed was a brief second to collect himself.

But resting on solid earth again did nothing to halt the dizzying nausea Iorek was feeling. He shut his eyes and sucked in a deep breath in hopes of quelling the vertigo but there wasn't enough time to heal.

Ever so slowly the gargoyle lifted himself up and offered Cesc a small smile, "Thanks for coming for me. Lets go find the others." He couldn't let anyone else fall into the hunter's clutches. They had to hurry back.

As the duo journeyed back to their charred camp Iorek drifted closer and closer to the equally exhausted buck. His soaked self grumbled a few quiet 'Sorry's concerning the growing wet spot along Cesc's side but he every time he moved away a few moments later he'd be back. His strength had yet to return and he needed a helpful shoulder to lean on. He remained close, but as light weight as he could, until they reached Anya and Zeke.

Zeke did as Anya so plainly stated. Looking down at himself, he was more than just a mess and the smell...

"Yeah."

With Cesc and Iorek gone and danger still lurking out there somewhere, cleaning up would keep some of the neurosis at bay as he worried over the two of them. Zeke made to stand, but a hiss from Anastacia caused him to pause, and a shake of the spider queen's crown-topped head was enough explanation. If he stood up, he would be a big target, and that would be the stupidest thing for him to do. Smiling faintly at his ward, the vet knelt, stripped off that beloved button up of his - Sorry, babe - and used the remaining warm water to wash his hands first. The habanero extract came off easily enough, but the sting lingered and Zeke had to bite his tongue each time he flexed his fingers.

While Zeke cleaned himself, Anastacia kept her eyes on the dark, foggy area before them. The smell of burnt tent made her nose wrinkle and she dearly wanted to move away from it, but knew better. Staying put - at least until Cesc and Iorek made their way back - was the best option for herself and Zeke. Wandering around the clearing or blundering into the dark after them would be plain stupid.

Where are they? The thought crossed her mind as what felt like an hour passed by with nothing. The stillness and quiet of the jungle made the spider queen feel on edge, as though something was going to happen. Something big. She frowned but hunkered down further and gripped the grass beneath her between her fingers. It kept her steady and still although her crown twitched with unease.

A rustle from beside her was enough to make her jump and swivel around, her wings snapping open and flipping over her shoulders as her body prepared to strike. Zeke stared wide-eyed at her, shrinking back from those piercing pinions with the tent's deflated opening in his hands.

"What are you doing?!" Anya's teeth were grit together again as she spoke and she stared daggers at her man. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" The organ within her breast was going a mile a minute.

"I'm just checking our stuff!" Zeke let go of the tent and held his hands up to show he meant no harm. "I mean...We'll need to see what we can salvage and if the flashlights are okay, I'm gonna go in there and find the guys. They've been gone too long and--"

"Are you stupid?! That thing is still out there!"

"I know it's a risk, Anya, but I can't just leave them!" If Cesc's sudden burst of anger hadn't knocked him through a loop, Zeke would have grabbed a hold of the Stag and not let him go for anything. Inwardly and thanks to the moment of respite from attack, the vet was now feeling the sickly tingling in his gut that signaled that he had screwed up. He had been blindsided and let Cesc run off into danger. Before that, he had run blindly into that situation himself and ended up with everything tasting and feeling like fiery pain in between moments of sour bile. The only thing keeping him here right now was the lack of a search light but he was attempting to rectify that. What was stopping him, other than Anastacia's outburst, was the Virus herself. Conflict filled his gut then and he winced as he felt his stomach flip. If he left, Anya would be alone. Cesc and Iorek had a good chance of meeting and teaming up, especially with the twenty or so minutes that had passed but without him Anya would be alone. Hell, without Anya, he would be alone. No matter which way it was sliced they would both be vulnerable.

"Y-You could come with me! We could look together!" It was worth a shot at least.

The spider queen crossed her arms and that 'are you stupid' look came across her face again.

"Absolutely not." She would be at the mercy of the jungle and that hunter if she left and Zeke - if he left - would be walking into an obvious trap. Cesc had recently done the same and for a moment the Widow had to wonder how her voice had failed her when the Stag barked his order and taken off like he had. She and Cesc got along well and she knew he was a good listener. Had she only have said 'stop' the Stag would have, she was certain. But no, her voice had become stuck and now he was as gone as Iorek. Looking toward the place Cesc had vanished, Anastacia felt an odd sensation in her chest. It was a small spherical feeling; one that pinched and tightened sharply beneath the place where her arms crossed the longer she looked and didn't entirely die when she made herself look at her Guardian again.

Zeke sighed. He couldn't leave her, she didn't want to leave with him. Quietly he thought that this was the very definition of 'a rock and a hard place' and after a moment's time, he made his decision.

"You're not going." The vet had turned back to what he was doing, pulling the tent flap open and ripping it back where the fire had weakened the nylon. Zeke smiled thinly and with knowing.

"I'm not; but we still need to salvage our supplies." He cast a glance at her. "You want your bag, don't you?"

Anastacia nodded and started to turn herself to receive said bag when the shirtless raver grabbed it, but rustling from afar made her stop and go on the defensive once more. Her heart leaped in her chest and she tried to make her eyes see what was coming toward them through the shadows of night, but failed on that account. Haze and darkness was her nighttime and always would be.

But then a glimmering glow of pink burst forth and a pink-highlighted mass of grey came with it. Iorek and Cesc broke through the treeline; the fanfare came from Zeke who released a happy shout and was on his feet right after.

"Cesc! Iorek!" The vet dashed toward the two with a fresh smile on his face, threat of being picked off with an arrow or hit with another volley of liquid be temporarily damned. Shirtless and free of most of the vomit he wrapped an arm around each of them and squeezed. Cesc was sweaty and Iorek soaked but they were back and - remarkably - in one piece. "You guys okay? Jeez, Iorek, what happened?!"

Floating well behind, Anya did not race forward to meet the others with the glee her man had. She suddenly felt tired all over again. Her shoulders slumped and her wings and crown followed suit while that funny feeling in her chest suddenly unclenched and left an odd watery sensation in its wake. Her fellow Frei had returned and with nothing in tow.

This is a good thing.

Yet it was odd...She didn't feel as if she could write this off and relax just yet.