Swept Away [PRP] -- Pele and Maion [Fin]

[LydaLynn]

The sun was just beginning to peek out from behind the clouds, though the sky was still overcast and gray. For the last two days the sky had opened up with torrential rains. The air was so heavy with moisture it was like breathing through a wet cloth. The ground was dark and soft and squelched under-hoof. Though the squelching was hard to hear over the roar of the nearby river.

The river had overwhelmed its bed, eating dirt and detritus from its banks as it raged across the land. Dirt and limbs, whole trees and even boulders were being rushed along with the water as it tore its way down river. Loud crashes could be heard as boulder ground tree into so much kindling as the waters roiled in churning eddies.

Almost inaudible over the sounds of the river, the panicked cry of a bear could be heard from upriver.  

[LydaLynn]

A bear tries to run along the dry banks of the river with the moving waters. He bellows towards something in the water. The ground crumbles under his feet as he passes and he tumbles into the water.

Though from the look of him, this wasn't the first time he's made the trip into the raging river. His fur matted with wet and mud he is swept along for several yards, often pulled under before again surfacing. Finally he manages to scramble up a side and again onto the banks of the river.

Pausing just long enough to shake water out of his eyes, he bellows again in frustration and panic before tearing down the banks again. He seems to be intent upon a tree rushing along with the current.

It takes a moment of looking to notice the basket tangled in the tree's roots. Roots which looked to have been ripped whole from the ground with the tree following it into the river. The tree spins and bobs, above water, under water, roots upstream, roots downstream.

Raging and dirty the water looks dark and cold and the basket may already have emptied its delicate cargo, or perhaps the occupant has drown, the basket flooded. But the magic of the basket still seems intact, the colors still brilliant despite the mud splattered and caked on it's surface.

The bear seems to think there's still something to be saved as he manages to run fast enough to be parallel with the basket. He leaps into the river and quickly sinks. His churning legs stir up the water as he tries to swim to the tree and its entangled occupant.

But the bear is too heavy, what earlier may have been mistaken as caked dirt, is actually a thick coating of rock along the bear's torso and front legs. Why he would have such a thing is anyone's guess, but he does and he can not swim fast enough to catch the much lighter tree. Again he struggles onto the banks, panting for air for a desperate moment before another anguished bellow and a tired lope to race after the tree once more.  

[Syaoran-Puu]

Maion had a lot on his mind, he had recently saved a mare who had fled from him into the Ocean, welcomed Aether into the family and as one of the Miakoda herd protectors and hired Jarlaxle to watch over his daughter. So much had happened in such a small period of time, and with only one pregnant mare now Maion had decided to take an hour to himself. It was rare that the old stallion did anything other than duty, but he hoped that taking a small break would refresh him -plus it was an excuse to find some berries or treat for his mate and herdmates. He smiled at the thought, he could still remember the hunt for the first ever gift he had given Sengdroma -the perfect white rose. He chuckled, remembering how his search companion had turned out to be his mates father -if he had known her true name on his hunt perhaps things would have been so different, but the truth was Sengdroma would always be his Moon. His to love and protect.

With a skip in his step and the wind below his wings he flew towards the Ocean, he loved the Ocean could feel its pull reaching out to him and drawing him closer.... he happily followed.

The weather changed, soft simple changes to begin with but soon the wind picked up, ruffling his feathers and dragging his heavy mane to dance around him in a billowing turrent of hair. He had to land... quickly he did so, finding himself on the bank of a swelling river. So close to the Ocean.... all rivers lead to it. He was tempted to walk, despite the wind that would soon bring rain lashing down upon him.... but then something caught his eye. Movement.

Automatically he turned his head, his gaze zooming in on the spot he had soon... and sure enough he could see a creature, a bear to be exact... and something else? The wind was carrying dirt and leaves into his line of sight but he was almost positive that he could see something else.... a basket!

Fear gripped him, no basket should be alone and especially not caught in the roots of a tree during the start of a storm. "Elijah," he called, unsure if even his booming voice would carry on the wind. Thankfully the little fox wiggled in his mane, moving slowly from the back of his neck to his ear, her little paws gripping his hair as tightly as she could. "Yes.... it sure is windy, do we have to stay here?" He rolled his eyes, he knew his little familar had a good strong heart -she was just oblivious to the world around her most of the time, prefering the safety of his mane instead. "'Fraid so Elijah, I need your help.... can you run this side of the river for me? We need to find a way to reach that basket. I will fly to the other side since it's closer to it, see if I can find a way to reach it." He watched Elijah as she looked for the basket and bear he had mentioned, watched still as her look turned determinded to do as requested. Maion knew he could not just abandon the innocent to the terrors of the river -and soon Ocean, already the water was starting to widen. "Sure, I can do that!" She said, before jumping from his shoulder to the ground and into the windswept land, she walked over tree roots and rocky earth with great dextarity known to her species as she chased after the little basket.

Maion kept his word, flying to the other bank and getting as to the river as the soft surface would allow, it protested slightly under his large weight by he refused to give up. He called out to the bear, "Do you know this basket?"

He kept pace easily with the basket, but could tell the bear was struggling... were they rocks on his legs? He had two choices -help the bear keep up or leave him. Yet as he risked a moments look he knew he couldn't simply leave the creature behind, especially not after the effort he had seen the bear go through so far. He stopped before him, giving a quick order as he lowered his front legs to the ground so the bear could climb on. "Get on!" He roared, hoping his voice would carry over the raging wind.  

[LydaLynn]

The sudden appearance of an enormous Soquili with multiple huge wings caught Spike by surprise. He had been so focused on the basket that the rest of the world could have disappeared for all he would have noticed.

It took him a long moment to process the question, but when he did, he nodded wordlessly. Yes, he knew the basket. His eyes followed it as the tree whipped around again in the widening river. Spike trembled, needing to save the basket but at the edge of his endurance.

The Angeicorn bellowed something out, and again, Spike took moments processing, his thoughts sluggish. But once he understood, he moved as quickly as he was able onto the other's back. He nearly fell off the other side as he wearily tried to sit on the broad surface, but was able to find his balance soon.

Meanwhile, the basket moved further away from those on the river banks and closer to the ocean.  

[Syaoran-Puu]

Maion felt the sudden weight of the bear.... yup definatly stone. But still he had no time to worry about it, he, no they had a task to do.... save the basket!

He pushed through, despite the added weight, shouted something like "Hold on!" Before he set off again, powerful hooves digging deep in to the ground as he persuded the basket. He would get to it... he HAD to get to it. Although the bear had said nothing to him he had interpretted the nod as a yes and that the basket was under his protection. Maion wondered if the reason the basket was caught in the roots was because the bear had hidden him there before the wind had stolen the tree from his home? That would explain things.....

....the how didn't matter though, all that mattered was Maion reaching the basket. He called to Elijah, using his strongest voice -hoping it would reach her. "Can you jump to the tree Elijah?" Many wondered why Elijah had a boys name.... the truth was when Maion had saved Elijah as a cub she hadn't had a name, Maion had been so distances from the world that he hadn't truely understood the differences between girls and boys -sure he had a mother but he never met any other girl, not that he could remember at least. So he had assumed Elijah was a boy, gave her a male name and in her relief she had not argued with him just simply accepted it as her own. The name stuck.... and it strangely suited his little fox.

Elijah didn't bother trying to speak over the wind, simply nodded and looked ahead. There was a tree knocked over, its roots only just keeping it attached to the earth. She picked up speed, jumping to the trunk before walking across. The surface was slippy and twice she nearly feel -her little heart thundered in her chest, she wasn't a strong swimmer.... if Maion's domain hadn't been the Ocean it wouldn't bother Elijah to never be near water that moved ever again. Still she had to try.... Maion and the basket depended on her. A jump and a jog and she made it to the end just as the tree sped past. She didn't have time to think or look for alternatives she just had acted. Jumping, paws wide so she could hopefully grasp onto something she landed on the trunk with a THUMP!

Maion watched as Elijah took a risk, he hoped she wouldn't slip, knew how much his familar didn't like water. He would have to give her a treat and lots of praise later... first they had a task. "Good girl!" he bellowed, picking up his own pace. The river was widening, the Ocean was close... he could feel the call of it, could feel it talking to him. Maion hated even considering using his power over it, it went against nature to summon the Ocean against its will but he was already considering it.... yet he would not let this basket get lost! An innocent didn't deserve that!

His muscles burnt as he leapt over a trunk but still he carried on. He called to the bear on his back. "You ok?"  

[LydaLynn]

The bear watched as the nimble fox made its way out onto a tree and jumped from that relative safety onto the tree that held the basket. Spike breathed again when the fox seemed to be safe on the tree spinning down the river.

As the stallion pursued along the river banks, muscles bunching and moving beneath him, Spike held on to the whipping mane. At the bellowing question, Spike nodded again, then, understanding the Soquili couldn't see him, "Yes, Spike Okay." His answer was almost as much bellow as words and came across slowly, as if the mind behind the voice didn't function particularly well.

He craned to see what was happening to the tree and the basket, and now the fox, just as worried for the black and white rescuer as he was for the basket. The river had fed well today and Spiked hoped it wouldn't eat anyone else.  

[Syaoran-Puu]

Elijah clung on, her little paws desperatly trying to keep a grip on the wet sleek surface, but she wouldn't give up... Maion was counting on her, the basket was counting on her. She moved and wiggled forward, placing her paw on the basket. It tingled and felt warm... a good sign, especially with the river being so cold. The water splashed and covered her with its cold liquid.

Maion heard the bears words as a whisper, the combination of the wind and his forward movement making it nearly impossible for him to hear. His breath was coming harsher and it was becoming clearer that he couldn't keep this up on food. "Hold on." He repeated, but this time his intent was different. He spread his wings and prepared for flight. In a flash he was in the air. Being of Angeni blood he had always found flying easy, and this was no different.... as long as he ignored the wind. He pushed through, gaining every second on Elijah, the basket and the tree. Soon.... closer... closer... he was near.

"Is it stuck?" He called to Elijah, trying to determine what action he should take. They were close to the Ocean but he didn't want to risk knocking the basket free now and then losing it below the current, plus there was the chance it was too tightly embedded into the roots. Elijah poked and prodded ever so softly, and then nodded. It was stuck.

Maion made a decision... if he could get the tree out then the basket would follow, and if he could do it before they reached the ocean then he would never have to use his power over it. Win win... he hoped.

Determind he allowed himself to slow until he was paralell to mane body of the tree, the weight on his back from the bear was getting harder to ignore but he tried.... focus focus, he chanted in his head. He lowered himself, used his mouse to grab a thick branch as she thrust his legs between several others..... then he pulled up.

For a moment it looked like it would work.

The tree rose up, basket attached but as soon as Maion flapped his wings and attempted to turn the branches around his legs started to move, his mouth was forced to let go as the branches moved and ripped open his legs. The tree splashed into the water, joined by a steady flow of blood from his freshly open wounds. Yet the wince was only out of concern for the basket.

Pain and a need for a new plan forced him to back the bank as he ran once again.

The Ocean was near, already he could see where the river ended and the Ocean started. His heart pounded.  

[LydaLynn]

Spike clung to the stallion's back. He'd never flown before. Perhaps he would have enjoyed it in different circumstances. But right now he was too worried and too tired.

Soon they were out over the river and the Soquili tried to grab the tree, to pull it. Branches reached up to slap at Spike's legs, but he barely noticed, the Angenicorn wasn't able to hold onto the tree. The smell of blood was evident even over the thick smell of wet and mud.

As the large rescuer landed, again running along the ground, trying to keep pace with the basket, Spike looked towards the river. It seemed the fox still held on to the tree, but the basket, where was the basket?

His eyes filled with dread and worry, Spike searched for some sign of the basket all their effort was directed towards saving. He spotted it as the tree bobbed again. It had moved further down the roots. Loosely held in white and skeletal tree roots that bobbed up and down under the water, the basket seemed to move freely within the tangle.

Maybe, just maybe. . .

Spike didn't stop to think. He wasn't any good at thinking anyway. His weight was slowing the Soquili and even if it wasn't, the basket didn't have much time if it kept being dunked under the icy water like that.

Careful not to clip any of the Angenicorn's wings, Spiked jumped down from the stallion's back and started racing towards the water's edge.

With the banks widening as the river came closer to the ocean, the water was actually slowing, almost unnoticeable, but slowing all the same. And while the tree hadn't seemed to move while they were in the air, it seemed some momentum carried through and the tree was closer to the river banks than it had ever been before.

Spike jumped into the water. His legs sunk into the muddy depths for a moment before he hit the shale underneath the mud. Tired as he was, desperation lent him strength as he jumped again. His head barely broke the surface, but the tree was right there. A quick bite before the river pulled him back down and Spike had a branch in his mouth. His front paws scrambled to grab hold as his weight caused the tree to begin to swing along his fulcrum.

Spike held on as he bounced along, hitting the river bed again before being pulled up by the buoyancy of the tree. He hoped the little fox could hold on. Catching the trunk with one front paw, he sunk claws deep into the bark and used that leverage to grab hold with the rest of his paws.

As he held on, the tree slowly swung around and now the tips of the roots were brushing the river bank. Around the branch in his mouth, Spike bellowed. He hoped the rescuers would understand, would save the basket while it was close to land and that the little fox could jump off to safety. Of course, being a pivot point meant that Spike was now in the middle of the river.

His weight kept pulling the top of the tree down, which kept the roots out of the water, but gave Spike little time to breath. Soon it would be over. The basket would be rescued and he would be able to rest. It didn't matter if the river took him, as long as the basket was saved. Already the cold water was numbing Spike's body. He wanted to let go, but he couldn't tell if the others had saved the basket yet, he would hold on until he knew.  

[Syaoran-Puu]

Maion ignored his injures, and found himself instead worried about little Elijah and the basket. His eyes spied it lower down.... had his efforts caused more harm than good? He cursed under his breath, took in a deep breath of salty sea air and pushed forward.

The change was noticable when the little bear leaped from his back, he didn't even have much time to react though Maion did try to lower his shoulder slightly to aid the bear. Still he continued, eyes on the tree, the basket and his little friend. A plan was starting to form, he would have to pray they made it to the Ocean, when there he could help them all with ease.... just a little futher....

GASP! Maion watched as the bear dived into action, a plan completely different to his own but a plan nonetheless. He pulled his wings closer to his body in an effort to make it more streamline as he doubled his efforts. Now there were three innocents in danger, and although the little bear was doing a good job of keeping the tree still with basket closer to the bank... so close Maion was sure he could almost grab it... he knew the bear couldn't hold on long. Knew that he was already feeling the effects of the cold water, and being dunked repeatidly was not aiding his cause. Elijah was whimping, even from here he knew the found. Her eyes screwed close as she tried to cling desperatly to the wet log... a single paw placed on the basket and her intent was clear to Maion. She would not leave the basket.

The pain at considering summon the Ocean was lost over his need to protect not one but three innocents. The courage of the bear and his little fox astonded him.... it wasn't often you came across creatures that would sacrifice themselves for another. Maion knew he would have to thank the Ocean after later, repay it for the damage against nature he was about to do by summoning the might waves to his own gain.

Maion knew what he had to do, he needed to summon the Ocean.

Closing his eyes he focussed, his words spoken in French -the language of the Ocean's power.

"Mer, océan viens à mon aide.
Mer, océan j'ai besoin de toi ce jour.
Prêtez-moi votre force et votre puissance aussi,
je le jure sur la Lune pour vous payer de retour bientôt."

In English his words meant: Ocean, Ocean come to my aid. Ocean, Ocean I need you this day. Lend me your strength and your power too, I swear on the Moon to pay you back soon. Yes, he would make an offering to the Ocean and clean up the beaches to contribute towards his payment.

On queue his eyes blanked out, the Ocean waves crashed in the river, slowly at first..... he needed to focus, remember that all rivers lead to the Ocean so that he could summon his powers. A turrent started to form and his blank eyes could see nothing of the three innocents other than a shining light that gave away their life signatures. One.... he forced more of the Ocean into the river -the class of the currents stilling and leaving the bear holding the tree in place with both of his precious cargo still on board. Two.... he forced the water to rise up beneithe the little creature creating a platform of water. Three.... he summoned the wave to him. It carried the tree, the basket, the bear and his little familar elijah to him. He lowered them to the ground before dismissing the Ocean with a single nod.

His eyes cleared, his heart raced and he looked over his fox, the bear and then moved to the basket. "Everyone ok?" He asked, concern covering his brow as he broke away the roots with his hooves to release the basket. He could still feel the tingle of life.... had it really survived through the cold for so long? Elijah wiggled closer, her cold and wet little body clinging to his for warmth as she spoke, "Yep.... though I thought I was a goner there for a moment! You took your time to come to the rescue!" He chuckled, knowing that his little fox was simply venting her fear into anger -and after what she had just done he would allow it. He watched as she turned to the bear before speaking again, "Thanks. You were really brave!"  

[LydaLynn]

Spike held on, his body so numb he couldn't feel the change in the water around him, he only knew that he had to hold on. The buoying movement of the water as the tree was washed onto the riverbank didn't feel any different than the movement of the river currents trying to wash them further towards the ocean. It wasn't until the water receded that Spike noticed something was different.

His head was in the air, and though he was still wet, Spike wasn't in the water. Something was wrong, he was suppose to be in the water, he was holding the tree in place. If he was out of the water, the roots were in the water and the basket, and the little one in the basket, would be eaten by the river. Spike struggled, trying to use his weight to pull himself and the tree back down.

Ripping the bark off the tree around his paws, Spike hit the ground. Startled, he blinks and looks around. There is too much water in his ears, he can't hear anything beyond a dull rushing sound. But he could see the large stallion. And he was on land. The tree seemed to be on land.

There were too many branches still attached to the tree to see down it's length. Was the basket okay, did the fox make it out too? Spike slowly started to get up, shredded bark making his paws even more awkward. Slowly he managed to work is way to his feet. Upright, a coughing fit seized him and rather more water than he though came bubbling up out of his lungs.

For a moment, black spots danced in front of Spike's eyes, he drooped, wearily. Then he remembered the basket. Was it safe? He hoped it was and summoned his strength to check. Stumbling out from between branches, he though maybe the rescuers were speaking, but he couldn't hear anything.

There, there was the basket. It was all that mattered, the Stallion had it free of the roots that had carried it down stream. Spike shuffled forward until he could reach his paw out to touch it. It was still warm. He hadn't failed, he basket was okay. He could . . .

Spike's exhaustion became suddenly overwhelming. The ground was soft and he couldn't tell how wet it was given how wet he was. It didn't matter, the world was going dark and he was sinking into it. Almost comically slowly, Spike drooped to the ground and into unconsciousness. Though, to be honest, he was unconscious before he made it to the ground. For a long moment there was silence. Then his waterlogged sinuses erupted in a colossal snore.  

[Syaoran-Puu]

Satisified the basket was safe and sound he turned his attention first to Elijah and then to the bear.... there was something wrong. He winced as the brave little creature spewed up a combination of sea and river water.... Maion felt guilty, he knew that seawater would have a negative effect on the body, the salt absorbing the moisture even when it became more than the body could handle. It didn't surprise the old stallion that the small creature collasped into a pile as soon as he was sure the basket was safe. "Shhhhh brave warrior," Maion cooed as he turned his attention to Elijah, "Ok... here's the plan Elijah, we need to get both of them back to the herd lands so we can protect them. If I lower myself to the ground can you place them both on my back and then hold them in place as I get us home as fast as I can?" The wind was still stong but this time he would be flying with the wind which would make it easier, at least for a little while. The herd wasn't too far from here... the end of the rive lead to the lake that he and the Miakoda herd called home. It was beautiful, even on the stormest of days it had a magical sparkle to it, though that may simply have been because it meant so much to Maion.

He had met his mate there, concieved his first set of children there and of course returned to call the place home. Everything monumental seemed to revolve around that lake.... he saw no reason to change a habit of a life time. A smile inched on to his features as he lowered himself to the ground and spread two of his might wings down to form a ramp.

"Sure... least I can do for the bear saving me!" His little fox called as she made her way to the basket. He watches as she pushed and pulled it until she got some momentum and managed to haul it up onto his back. It set nicely on his shoulders making Maion thankful for his great size, he had always been a very large stallion -no point in changing that now either. Next he watched Elijah scurry over to the bear, she tried to duplicate the movements she had used for the basket and failed. Maion knew from experience that the bear was heavy. With a soft sigh he moved held his wings up to enclose the basket in his warmth as he moved towards the bear. He nosed the creature softly and as a snore erupted he felt relieve that he was ok.

In a similar way to how lions pick up their young Maion inclinded his head to Elijah indicating she should move before gripping the flap of skin at the back of the bears neck. In one mighty movement he pulled the heavy creature up and turned his head to possition him over his back. Elijah was there in a flash, guiding the bear safely onto his back and to safety. Once there she arranged him so he wouldn't fall, using some of Maion's long mane to tie him down. She repeated this with the basket before sitting on top of it and gripping his hair. "Ready when you are," she chirped before going still once more. Maion had always been fascinated in the way Elijah could make herself statue still.

With a smile and a nod he scanned over his precious cargo before lifting them all of the ground with a mighty whoosh of his wings. They were off, flying high enough to avoid the tree line but low enough to avoid the swirling masses of wind above. Over and over again he repeated 'nearly there' in his head, fighting through the pain and the weight. He wouldn't let these innocents suffer more... not while he was around.  

[LydaLynn]

Once the basket was on the warm, broad back of the stallion, it started to warm. Miraculously, no water had actually gotten in past the magic of the basket to the little one inside.

As the bear was physically hauled up next to the basket and the fox sat on top of it, the small bundle was surrounded with warmth and life. The basket's contents seemed to know it was safe. And it started . . . humming? The sound was whipped away with the wind of their passage, and even for Elijah who was closest, it was hard to make out. But yes, it was humming. Tuneless sound, not so much music as noise.

Spike, hearing the humming in his sleep, snuggled closer to it, as much as he could with the wrappings of hair securing him to the Angenicorn. His sleep settled, became more peaceful. If the basket was humming, everything was okay.  

[Syaoran-Puu]

It didn't take Maion long to reach the herd lands, with the wind surrounding him he couldn't even hear his passengers humming or breathing. His mind was so focused on his goal... take them to safety. Protect them. They had all been through a lot, and he hoped that the warmth of his body took away the worst of the bite of the river, he didn't mind the cold and the wet -after all he was the Angeni of the Ocean, had once lived in a cave above a cliff... cold and wet was all he had known for many years, that had changed now but he was still about to take it.

With a delicate 'thump' he landed, doing his best not to jolt his precious cargo despite it being literally tied into his hair. The wind was much less here, far enough away from the Ocean that its call wasn't quiet as strong. He looked around for his mate Sengdroma and felt a sadness to his heart when he couldn't immediatly find her... but it didn't matter, he had a job to do. He walked towards the place he bedded down each night with mate and family before lowering his giant body to the ground once more. He made a ramp out of his wings once more as he turned to look at Elijah, the bear and the little golden basket. "Everything ok back there?" He asked with a smile, he was glad everyone was safe.

Elijah's sleepy nod said it all, but their task wasn't over yet. "One last push old friend. Lets make sure these two are safe then you can take your well earned rest." His smile was soft and genuine and over the soft sound of breathing he could have sworn he heard... humming? Strange.

Elijah nodded again, untying his hair with an expert touch from years of tending to his long mane -he was sure it would be mattered and a mess by now without his friend. Then carefully she picked up the paws of the bear so she wiggle and move the basket free and to the ground. Maion already moved to aid the sleeping bear, carefully picking him up and placing him next to the precious basket he had thought so hard to protect. Maion watched as his familar joined the pair, snuggling close to the baskets side in an effort to protect it. His brave duo, they deserve their rest and he would give it to them.... yet as he watched them all he came to a conclusion. He would look for the baskets birth parents -but if he couldn't find them he would adopt the basket as his own, care for it and bring it up in the safety of the herd... it would want for nothing, be taught everything and hopefully grow up to be a find mare or stallion. He smiled, wondering what secrets lay inside.

Watching the basket reminded him that he had never got to see his own children pop, having not even known she was pregnant -if he was to adopt this little one he swore to the moon itself that he would ensure he missed nothing.

A smile curved his lips as he scanned for his mate, she would guard the basket and bear while he hunted for its parents....

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THE END..... or is it?