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Finally, teeth slowly loosed leaving the soaked noulicorn a little relieved the stinging wasn't that dynamic anymore. They still hurt like a rabid bee's sting but it was more tolerable without moving jaws. Breathing with more strength he turned his head to Ayala who was still tugging on his mane, "I think the madness is over, are you alright?" His back did feel oddly lighter so someone must have slipped off his back in the fray.

Ayala was thankful this buck had simmered down immensely. Slowly, she let his mane slide from her mouth enough to respond, "Are you alright?" she asked concerned "You sounded like madness on hooves with all that screaming and bucking you were doing".

Tsarine breathed even easier though he gritted his teeth feeling the water dripping off his coat down his legs, "I'm fine for now..." His words were truthful though gaining those bites worried him. "While everyone is seeking shelter I'm curious why they were so defensive about those pups.".

Then he paused...

"Where did the other Scuttle Scoot go?" he asked Ayala with confusion.

"Hopefully under the rock where he came from" she hissed flicking her tail in irritation.

He decided it wasn't his place to even ask, "Right, okay... I'm headed over to see what I can find since the does took their pups and ran". Right now he would have loved using his power if it meant healing wounds. No, he'd save that for when he really needed it.


Tsarine, Ayala WC: 248

...for some reason, being bitten by so many rats all at once hurt less than Ralir expected.

He frowned, looking down to get a better view of them - only to realize they were all turning on their tails and running away. He certainly hadn't expected this, and yet it made sense. While the surprise, sheer numbers, and their familiarity with the terrain had given them an advantage early on in the fight, a beatdown was clearly not sustainable. Any intelligent creature would run.

Only he'd never really thought of dire rats as intelligent, before.

Ralir shook his head. It might be best to tend to the group first. He'd seen a lot of people hurt - only, now that he'd used his ability, he was beginning to feel more than a little fatigued, and was suddenly certain he wouldn't be able to help anyone for the time being. He had spent most of the day avoiding strenuous activity, knowing they'd set out eventually - so it had to be the Gift. Good to know, Ralir thought, thinking about the sets of muscles that were aching for him now.

He turned back to the group anyway, just to hear what they were saying. He'd caught hints of theories - something about dire rats having an infrared gift? - but most other nouls seemed to be regrouping. Viltalta seemed to agree, proposing that the group as a whole buckle down for a shelter they could tend to their wounds in.

Ralir had no objection to that, but they hadn't traveled far yet, and there was still something strange about that large group of dire rats. He'd seen, at last, the does running off with their pups, and the age of most of the bucks, which didn't seem to match the population of the does here. They likely would've passed by these nests without notice - or at least without immediate action - if the rats hadn't attacked. Was there something else motivating them, besides fear for their pups? He examined their tracks carefully, drifting closer to those nests in case they'd left evidence there. There was something afoot here, and Ralir couldn't quite understand what it was right now. He'd look for shelter, too, in a bit, but right now he just wanted to know what was going on. Blame it on the habits Father had instilled in him, perhaps.

[investingating; +1 to a future roll banked (not used this turn)]

The rest of the dire rats fled. Aldwyn watched with a tired frown as the rest of the pack darted off through the sand and disappeared from view. With darkness consuming them, the creatures were completely out of sight in a matter of heartbeats. He exhaled a shaky breath. Though the rats hadn't harmed him, Aldwyn was scarcely accustomed to such a strenuous encounter with anything.

The threat seemed to have passed, but his body still quivered with adrenaline and uncertainty.

He argued very recently that they had hardly traveled very far, certainly not far enough to warrant a rest... But the rain came down in heavy droplets, and though the wind had faded, it still blustered hazardously, picking up wet clumps of his mane and tossing them about. Another shiver rippled through him, this time more from the cold, dampness of his flank than any struggle. A rest sounded just fine to him, but his eyes were not suited to this darkness, and there was little he could make out that wasn't a handfl of paces in front of him.

His dreary gaze wandered to the rats' nest. All visible creatures had fled. It seemed like the does had even acted quickly enough to take their pups. Maybe it was unlikely there were many, if any left in the tunnels... Dire rats were smaller than a grown noulicorn, but there had been so many of them! And surely they needed some kind of space while raising pups. Aldwyn wondered if there was any possibility that a noulicorn could fit in and find shelter among the burrows the dire rats had made...

But before he'd even begun to fully investigate, he decided probably not. Maybe their dens would be sizable enough, but the tunnels reaching those dens would probably be much too narrow. He gave an opening a wary sniff, anyway, trying to see if he could tell how much stagnant, trapped air was inside.

“Everyone!” Viltalta shouted, flapping her wings once to catch their attention. “Draven has found shelter for us, come along and we’ll rest for the night.”

She stood beside the rocky outcrop. She’d take her place last, once all the others had made a bed.

“We’ll continue our search tomorrow, for now… rest and tend to your wounds.”

Tempest appears from the fringes as if by magic. She traveled by herself considerably behind the rest of the group, she moved to her own drum beat. Late, early, rarely on time, Tempest came and went as she pleased. Despite being young and having no particular abilities, she decided to join the actual journey in the end. Maybe it would help her understand what her place in this world was. She didn't fully comprehend the reason for the journey but heck, she'd just tag along.

As she arrived at the camp, she noticed that they had just overcome an ordeal of sorts. She was kinda bummed missing all the excitement but maybe she got lucky too. Tempest noticed some had sustained injuries but helping there was out of her realm. She had no skills there. The group seemed to be all the same nouls from the trees but also meant she didn't know anyone as well. She shrugged to herself, she didn't come because she had friends going. She came for the excitement and experience that she hoped to gain.

In the end, she settled down in the outer edges of camp. She did wear herself out from traveling quickly to catch up and was rather tired. As she laid there, she did observe the others.

WC: 216

In the growing dark, in the downpouring rain, in the chaos and confusion of the conflict with the dire rats, Dousan had gotten turned around and separated from the party. He didn't panic. He wasn't totally unaccustomed to traversing the barrens and a large a group as the search party would be pretty noticeable either from noise or the number of tracks left. By the time he had tracked down the party, they were beginning to settle in for the night amidst the tunnels and crevices used originally by the dire rats. And the rain still poured. His mane clung heavily to his face and neck. Moving to join everyone, Dousan took time to drink in the scene. A good few of their number had been injured. Not too badly, but injured nonetheless. He frowned. He hadn't been there to help. He could have potentially helped prevent some of those wounds had he been there. Then, a more curious sight caused him to pause. In their apparent hurry to leave their nest mound, some dire rat pups were left behind in the confusion. How likely would it be that their parents would return for them, after having been driven off by the party so? Perhaps the pups were truly left on their own and that without help they would be left to die. Dousan felt mixed on the matter, but decided that taking care of the left behind pups was the kinder option. They were so small, so helpless.

He didn't have much pondering left in him. The day's journey, the beating rain, just everything all together made him feel exhausted. He sighed as he nodded to Viltalta as he moved into the place where everyone was settling in. A night's rest would probably do him wonders.

[WC: 297]

Adahy woke up hot and sore. It had been a tough nights sleep. standing to stretch out the over worked muscles form the fight with dire rats proved to more painful then he had original though. Though the nights sleep seemed to have healed some of his wounds he was still pretty beat up. Looking down he could see the Furry Tail and the small rat pup had cozied right up to each other which was cute. "That darn pup is a fitful sleeper." Adhay thought to himself about the night. The pup had needed to be feed water through out the night it seemed that this pup would have to learn that it was not a nocturnal creature anymore.

Viltalta called to the group to start the already to hot day. Adahy gently nosed Furry Tail. "Come on buddy we need to get a move on." The poor jack hop grumbled and groaned but got up still holding the pup like a like teddy bear. It would have been cute if Adahy had not just staid up caring for the pup all night, that and his body really was hurting. Furry set the pup down and rubbed his face a couple of time and then pick the pup up again. "Let clean out one of the saddle bags and we can nest the pup in there will we continue our search." Adahy told Furry Tail. It was the best idea he had give the circumstances and the pup would be safe in there too.

Once all was packed away and settled in. Furry Tail hopped up on to Adahy's back. Furry Tail would check on the pup through out the day that way they would not have to stop. "Ok let start looking for these bones." He said as he began to scan the land.




wc total:2192

The creatures they'd pulled from the den would've died in a matter of minutes. Pups of this age had little ability to regulate their own body temperature, and with the rain seeping in and night extending its chilly reach, the dire rat offspring would've succumbed to a cold sleep from which they never would've awoken.

Aldwyn's anxiety had spiked at the mere sight of them. They were ravenous pests that ruined everything they touched in Homewood at even the slightest chance. Wouldn't it simply be best to allow them to perish?

If any other noulicorn shared his concerns, none voiced them, and as the creatures were dispersed to those who could care for them for the night, a squeaking bundle was passed to Aldwyn. He shuddered in disgust as it was set at his hooves. He should say something to them. They were on a perilous journey where resources were already tight. They couldn't afford to take on more mouths who hardly stood a chance at surviving until they made it home. But others had already started to care for and calm the squeaking burdens.

As others found and prepared the shelter, Aldwyn dragged himself to it, still entirely too dumbstruck by the situation to formulate anything to say. Their party settled in to rest, and Aldwyn's frazzled mind agreed only begrudgingly.

The night felt long.

He jolted at every sound, and each time his grey eyes fluttered open in a panic, he saw only their group around him, some twitching in their sleep, and some appearing to rest with the intensity of the dead. When morning broke the horizon, Aldwyn was ready. The sun was fully risen before Viltalta woke them with her call, and the appaloosa was too eager to rise and press onward.

He bundled his surprisingly still breathing burden into his travel sack, wrapped in the only dry cloth he had on him around the pup, and pulled himself from the hole.

The dry air caked itself to the back of his throat upon his first breath, and Aldwyn coughed in the unexpected heat of a Barrens morning. His eyes squinted in the bright light, searching out beyond their shelter and out to the horizon beyond. They'd faced many pitfalls the previous day, so hopefully there would be something to help get them back on track for the journey ahead.