[EVENT] Coming Storms

[Whimsical Blue]

Dark as the night, Morag skirted the group and followed the wall, letting the others ask the questions while she investigated the debris. It wasn't a good sign that the wards were in such a state... Ea would not have let them get this way if she could have helped it.

Keeping an ear out for the others and the darkness before her, the spymaster moved farther back, keeping close to the wall as she strained to see inwards, trying to hear anything above the voices and the rain outside.  

[Mogami]

Nkera looked up with a closed expression as the sky broke and the first few drops of rain caressed his muzzle. The fluffy lion had slowly grown accustomed to the scorching heat of the desert and the unstable sandy ground – a feat in itself when one considered he’d been born and raised in a mountain pride – but having rationed water had been close to torture for the Guard. His eyes closed slowly as he let out one long relieved sigh but the lion remained in place, grateful for the dark cloud that hung above but unwilling to give in to emotion. Sometimes he felt a little guilty for his timing in joining the pride for while the Firekin could use able fighters to defend the pride against the Nergui threat, they had also seemed to be stretching their water supplies as much as they possibly could. Nkera did not wish to be a burden and he was working hard to prove his worth, keeping the borders safe during his shifts and training with other like-minded companions on his free time. Sometimes, the thirst was almost unbearable.

As he drew closer to the heart of the pride, the rain becoming so strong that he was soon soaked to the bones, Nkera found the area bustling with activity. And yet, too many seemed to be missing. His eyes dropped to a miserable-looking little lioness who appeared to be sulking under a dead tree.
“Where is everyone else? Do you know?”

------------------------

Baise had woken up to sound of cheering and joyful celebration. She had expected to see something amazing as she hopped out of the den but instead she was met with a water attack from above. It took the juvenile a few moments to realize that this was the famous rain that everyone talked about and even less for Baise to decide that she. Did. Not. Like. It.

This was rain? She’d become soaked before she could count to three and the ground was suddenly squishy, slippery and just plain gross. The lightning was cool, she would admit that much but other than that, this rain business was no good.

Baise sat at the base of a dead tree that offered little protection, looking like the most upset little lion in history as she watched the adults work until she was approached by one.

“Everyone was digging but a group left to look for intruders.” She offered, not pleased that the green-eyed lion hadn’t even tried to comfort her.  

[oo Ded]

'Left hours ago.' That was worrisome.

The bloodied lioness drew concern onto Alya's face, but there were plenty others stepping forth to aide her and figure out exactly what was going on. She was more concerned with what lay further on, so as she caught the faint silhouette of Morag making it's way deeper, she turned her way to follow silently, close enough so the other lioness was aware of her presence, but distant enough to not get in her way.

It felt as though there was something very wrong, here.  

[Annchen]

Eld was covered in mud up to his elbows after their trek to the oasis and back. He had managed without an accidental bath. Zjarr's white pelt had actually helped him too since it made a good target to follow. And since she was sure footed, he'd managed to get through without more than becoming very muddy.

The wards were pretty much a second home to him, and he knew his way around them even in the dark. He wouldn't have thought they could ever look scary, but with the rain and dark and general sense of impending doom... A low growl escaped him as he saw the state of the wards. No one messed with Ea's wards, and no one messed with his sister! He resisted the urge to run up to her since several lions were already on the way to help. Instead he tried to see if anything hostile could still be lurking in the corners. The dark made it hard to see, and the mess in the wards didn't help at all.

"Zjarr," he said to his white sister, "Mom should be able to take care of herself, right?"

Talencia

 

[Kimaria]

"Oh come off it." Azar's rumbling annoyance interrupted. "This is Ea we are talking about. She can take care of herself." That wild cat was not someone you could take lightly. Besides, if Vlam wasn't here, it was likely he was with her, too. The pair were never too long separated, or so it seemed to him. "We're looking for cubs, Kiowaa. They should have been here."

But with the state of the wards, perhaps there was a little more to worry about now.

And, almost as an after thought. "What happened to your face? The den collapse on your head?"

--

"That's right." Vesta chirped, moving alongside the cub to help her widen it. If you kick up the sand I'll try and pull it away so it doesn't fall back in. We'll have this done in no time!"

With a soft grunt, Fia looked back over her shoulder into the gloom. She was still worried and the rain with its ability to muffle sounds was making her nervous. She almost felt as if someone could be creeping up on them without them knowing it.

"Let's get this done." And she dropped down to join Mate'moto, scooping up great clods of sand and sending them flying.

"Be careful!" Vesta wailed, ducking a particularly large clod of sand only to get hit in the face with the next. "Do it like Mate'moto, is!"  

[Mimsey]

Voices seemed to muddle together. It took Kiowaa a second to separate them all, and then sink back to the cavern floor. She smiled meekly at those who had offered a shoulder to lean on, and answered the healer's questions. It was almost automatic. Having Ea as a mother, you got used to reporting your vital signs. "Just a bit winded, and my face. I guess its bloody..." she mumbled.

Passing a paw across her temple, she seemed to gather a little bit of strength and turned to Azar. Her head shook. "No...although, there was a bit of a collapse. The rain must have caused some of the rocks to fall, and a few of them broke through over there," she motioned to the small cave in, where small waterfalls of water were pooling in from the outside.

"But the rest of this is those mongrels," she said bitterly. "They came in with the rain. I don't know what they wanted, but there was a whole group of them. They made a mess of the place..."

Her eyes surveyed the destruction of the wards. "I think they made off with some of our rarer stock," she winced, pulling herself back to her feet. "I got one though...well, mom did."

She started to limp towards the far corner. She listened to the others talk. Cubs? She struggled to remember as she stopped over the body of one of the hyenas. It had been thoroughly beaten. She smirked. "This one wasn't so fast. But he got my face pretty good. I don't think they were after anything but the supplies..."

Her voice trailed off. That said, she didn't know what had happened to Ea after the storm had really started going, and she had said she was going back to get dad and the others. "If there were any cubs, I'm sure mom found them. But she said she was going to alert the guard..."

Suddenly, the body of the hyena begins to move. Kiowaa stumbles back, her eyes going wide in surprise. It was still alive! And it was about to try and escape!

arrow Stop that thief!

Roll a dice 1-10. Only the first 5 rolls count.

If anyone rolls a 7 or above, the hyena will be caught. If all rolls are below, the hyena escapes and begins running out through the storm.

 

[Mogami]

Intruders? Nkera hesitated for only a second before he moved to follow the tracks of the scouting band. It was his job to keep intruders out, after all, it was literally his job description.

“Thank you.” He added belatedly to the young lioness, almost forgetting she was there. The Guard was usually awkward around females but this one was apparently too young to count.

He ran after the familiar scents of his pride members, following the tracks as quickly as the rain permitted. He reached the wards panting lightly, his green eyes squinting in the unfamiliar location as he tried to find the lion group whose voices he could now hear quite clearly. He ran to them at the start of a commotion and froze when he saw a strange shape trying to escape. He moved to block the creature’s path on instinct but looked momentarily confused, not knowing the situation and somewhat unsure of how differently the Firekin would regard non-lions, compared to what he’d been raised to believe.

------

Baise narrowed her eyes as the adult started to leave without saying a word and she almost pretended not to hear when the green-eyed male voice his gratitude. When it became clear the lion wasn’t going to acknowledge her presence for much longer, the juvenile snorted quietly and looked pointedly in the exact opposite direction Nkera was heading.

“Goodbye.” She replied in a definite tone, sitting straighter as she tried to look as dignified as a little soaked lioness could. Not very much. Rain… it was supposed to be a good thing. A much desired, much anticipated occurrence. All she could see were dangerous pools, muddy paws – oh, her coat! – and freezing showers that left her shivering in the dark. Baise decided there and then. She did not like this rain thing.
 

[Annchen]

Oh, hell no! The hyena was surprisingly quick, but it had a long way to run to get out through the crowd of firekin. Eld was ready and tackled the nasty beast with more force than might have been necessary. It felt very satisfying when his broad shoulder connected with the beast and sent it flying. He moved over quickly, placing a large paw on the hyenas chest.

"You're not going anywhere," he growled.  

[Mimsey]

The creature before them is a shockingly bright brute, who seems anything but pleased at this turn of events. His left eye is bloody and almost dislodged, while his right ear is all but tattered. Through foamy blood, he snarls out a warning at the large lion pinning him down. Occasionally he flails, snapping his jaws out at anyone who comes close.

But despite his efforts, Eld has him thoroughly under control.

"What do you want, lions?" He says in a strange, guttural accent. "To interrogate me?"

He spat out some blood. Hopefully, hitting the person nearest. One of his fangs is broken. "You don't got nothing if all you got is me."

arrow You may interrogate!

Your prisoner is in no shape to be beaten. If you choose to hit him, roll a dice 1-5. Anything a 4 or more will result in losing consciousness and all information lost.

However, anything under 1-3 will result in more information. CHOOSE WISELY.  

[fuKurohane]

Well, the lioness was clearly strong, and she would make it just fine, but she had already begun to wander away from Roihu as she was telling her story before he could actually apply any of his ointment. Why bring a medic if you won't let them heal you? But at least she knew what was wrong with her, and she didn't seem to mind too much. Besides, she had some closer family giving her a hand.

But there were more pressing matters to attend to. Roihu watched somewhat warily as Kiowaa stumbled over to the hyena, his medic's eyes checking if the beast was actually dead - a difficult task, considering he'd never even seen a healthy hyena before. But his question answered itself as the bright red beast rose and attempted escape - though fortunately Eld was there to stop it.

With a mixture of fear, untrusting and knowing nothing of this hyena, and anger, at seeing the damage it had caused to his kin, Roihu raced over, unthinking, to join the black lion in pinning him down. It was just so ugly, and a snarl ripped through his jaws. "What brings you here, beast?" he addressed the strange, accent-wielding hyena. So far as he could tell, it's only real wounds were on its face - eerily similar to Kiowaa's. But they provided enough blood for it to spit out at Roihu, and he groaned in disgust as the putrid slime hit him. There was no telling how many diseases the foul thing carried, and Roihu felt his rage building even stronger at the insult. "Are you Nergui?" he roared, aiming a heavy blow directly into the pinned hyena's chest, likely knocking the wind out of it and preventing any real answers as his claws ripped deep into it's flesh. His short temper was damaging, and he was no tactitian who held value in prisoners.

He barely even realized that he should have left the task to someone else, as he watched the hyena's eyes roll... This was no job for a medic.  

[Eos Galvus]

Agni moved near the hyena, leaning in and baring his fangs in a show of authority. Violence wouldn't be necissary, but he wasn't pleased.

"What are you doing here, hairball."

Claws flexed warningly, the male attempting to look bigger than he was, despite his soaked pelt.

Then someone knocked him out.

Agni face-pawed.

Lovely.  

[SilverLutz]

Mat grinned widely as Fia and Vesta joined her in her digging. She moved down to the bottom of the hole, dodging Fia's paws while sending more of the sand and dirt up to the top of the hole for Vesta to move aside. She giggled softly as the much larger lioness sent sand flying up into Vesta's face.

"Hey," she said, peeking up over the side of the hole, little claws digging into the sand for purchase. "You can just call me Mat okay? What's your name?" she added, tilting her head slightly. "I've seen you before but I'm not so good with names."

The sand under her shifted a little bit and she slid back down into the hole. She put her paw against Fia, a little frown on her face. "And what's yours? I know you and mom are sisters but I dunno your name and I know it's not Aunt, because that would be a silly name."  

[Talencia]

Zjarr was attempting to stay professional. She was a guard right now, not a sister or daughter. It wasn't so hard while they were slogging through the mud. She didn't worry much about her brother who accompanied them, since she knew full well he could take care of himself. It became harder, though, when they discovered her sister in the wards. And the wards themselves! What a wreck! She shuddered her hide, sending mud globs and drops of water scattering.

She turned to her brother, seeing the worry on his face, and gave him a firm nod. "Father wouldn't let her be unable to defend herself," she asserted confidently. "She'll be okay, just like Kio." Granted, their sister looked rather ragged, but she was alright, of this Zjarr was certain. "Let's see if there's anyo...," The hyena chose that moment to move, and was almost immediately caught. Rather than wait to see what happened to him, Zjarr turned to plunge deeper into the wards. If there was one, there might be more!

Annchen

 

[Annchen]

Eld focused on keeping his prisoner from escaping until they could get some answers out of him. He figured it was best to leave the interrogation to one of his seniors, and he was both surprised and disgusted when his idiot half-brother decided to jump on the hyena and knock it out. So much for interrogation.

"Really Roihu?" he said with a sigh, "Remind me not to go to you if I'm ever injured..."