Dax Ravenson's Story

"... the last mission was almost alarmingly successfu—ah, he's awake."

He found himself unable to rub the sleep from his eyes because he was chained in some sort of enclosure with the door open; even his talons were strapped together, and he could barely move the wings on his back. Did he sleep through all of this? A pain in his shoulder implied he was sedated after returning from his most recent murder. Two workers in lab coats were in the room with him, and one was leaving.

"Hey, Dax. Welcome to the Econ Prison."

"'The Econ Prison'? / Why did you tranquilize me? / Am I obsolete?"

"The problem isn't that you're obsolete at all. If anything, your last assignment was accomplished flawlessly. You even made the target paranoid of you to boot; I don't know how you did it, but it added a nice touch. Can't wait to see the reports about holes in the roof of his friend's car."

"What's the problem then? / Is my breath too repulsive? / My feathers molting?"

"I gotta say," he chuckled, "I'm gonna miss your sense of humor, Dax." The bird-boy looked around the pod he was in again, finding little of interest before he turned back to the scrappy-looking man, tapping away on a tablet.

"Where will you send me?"

"I can't tell you — however, I can say that the big wigs in their comfy chairs think you're getting too dangerous for them; they don't think they'll be able to control you anymore if you get any better."

"Do they plan to kill me, sir?"

"I guess I don't have a reason to dodge the question when you already hit the nail on the head. They want you — and some more hybrids with a similar 'danger factor' — dead." The coated man sent away a file on his tablet and turned it off before closing the pod door. After he left, Dax was moved to another room, where he managed to see a few other hybrids given different treatments for the same issue. Some of them were even injured; were they rebellious people? His door stayed shut, probably to keep him from trying to break out like them, but his shackles at least let him move his limbs and wings a foot or so, so he's not going to go numb any time soon.

How many are here? he wondered.

10:37 p.m.
“Micah, go!” Lovi yelled. Micah was pulling a sleeping Jeremy onto his back. The tranquilizer had started working instantly, seeing it was raised to the potency to knock out a lion.

“I won’t leave you Lovi,” Micah said to him, gritting his teeth and digging his foot into the ground as if to prove his point. “Just like you wouldn’t abandon Jer, I won’t abandon you. Kellan and Xander and come get Jer. They’ll all be fine. If you—“

“No! I said no. I’m the one who lead you guys into this. I should have listened to Xander. He doubted the legitimacy of..” Lovi trailed off and closed his eyes, trying to fight off the regret. He didn’t have time to think about this right now.

Micah shook his head and put his hand on Lovi’s shoulder, only to be shaken off. Micah sighed. “Listen, no one believed Xander. You know him, always paranoid. You can’t blame yourself for this. It was a mistake,” Micah said. He pulled Jeremy’s arm down further, so her lay more comfortably on his back.

“Mistake. That’s the problem. They put me in my position because I don’t make mistakes. You need to go. If you don’t, all three of us will die,” Lovi said, his eyes still shut. A pained expression crossed his face. A faint beeping noise made his ears twitch in Micah’s direction. “Leave!” He roared. Micah’s face went pale. “That’s an order.” With that, Micah turned and ran off with Jeremy on his back.

9:15 a.m.
Lovi clenched his jaw and bared his teeth at the memory. His eyes were still shut tight, but he could see the light shining through his lids. He heard the shuffle of people walking by and he could hear many other noises. Still keeping his tired eyes shut, he stretched out his arms and legs, only to be able to straighten them half way. Cool glass met the pads of his feet and palms of his hands. Glass? Lovi’s eyes flew open and he was up on his feet in an instant. What the hell is this? He thought as his mouth fell open slightly. His yellow eyes were wide open as he took in his surroundings. He was in a clear glass tube. There were humans in lab coats milling around. There were other glass tubes with people inside. Wait… It can’t be… He recognized everyone there. Despite his 13 years being away from them, his memory served him well. Granted, he couldn’t remember but one name, he still knew these people. They were his family, his friends. They were like him.

He remembered Nikki very well. Even as a kid, he as fascinated by how different she looked. Of course, they all looked weird, but Lovi couldn’t help but stare at her back then. She was sitting with her tail curled around her. He shook his head. Remembering shouldn’t be his prime objective now. He took a deep breath and tried to find any clue as to wear he was. Then he saw it, a clipboard sitting on a table about 15 feet away from him had Econ prison written on it. Before he could process why he was here, a scientist came up to his capsule. She had her hair back in a tight bun, and glasses covering dull blue eyes. She told him the fate of his unit and he became infuriated. He pounded at the glass wall and growled at the woman. She simply just walked away. Lovi continued scratching and hitting the wall, eventually he was able to put a crack in it. He stopped, wondering how far they would let him go before they put more sedatives into him.

His capsule was so small, he could hardly move. His tail was flicking back and forth as he ran his hands through his mane. This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening. Econ Prison was for criminals. He wasn’t a criminal. Okay, he killed those three agents, but how was he supposed to know they were SAPH? They were attacking him and his team! Was he here because he killed those agents? Then what did all the other hybrids do? That couldn’t be the reason. They were coming after him anyway. They were all her for a reason.

They were going to be killed. He had been told in his training the Econ Prison was the only place that even remotely had the means to destroy the hybrids, and even that was questionable. Even if he hadn’t seen the others in 13 years, he felt like he had to save them. I have to save them for Micah. For Jeremy, and Kellan and Xander. He shook the thought away. Saving these people wouldn’t make up for signing his friend’s death sentences by killing the agents. But he still had to do it. Any more guilt and he might want to die. After all, they were his friends; at least they used to be. They had all grown up so much, he even wondered if they remembered each other, let alone that they were family. Once again, he shook his thoughts away and began devising a plan to leave.

He would need a distraction, and then he could break free and help some of the others out. He would get the tiger first; he thought she might be strong. Between the two of them, they might be able to get the others out in a timely fashion. As he glanced in her way, he noticed that she was being cuffed and put into a new capsule. She had broken her. Well he was right about her being strong, but that wouldn’t help him considering she was asleep. Sedatives. Next was finding out if any of them knew the lay out, and how to get out of this prison. Before he could plan anymore, loud sirens came bursting through the silence. Lovi’s first instinct was to crouch down and cover his ears. He looked around and could see a few of the other big cat-hybrids were doing the same thing. One of the mice hybrids was looking around, confused, with a hint of fear in her eyes, while Nikki was crouched down even lower with her hands over her sensitive ears. She looked like she was in a lot of pain. The hawk hybrid was looking around and rustling with the chains on him, trying to break free. The monkey hybrid looked quite frightened and she was jumping around in her capsule, trying to break free. Despite his nonchalant appearance, Lovi could tell there was just a slight hint of curiosity in the snake hybrids eyes. He was just sitting there sipping his wine, but the increased breathing and sipping revealed his sense of heightened urgency to get out of here.

The flashing red lights weren’t as bad as they would have been had they been white, but Lovi was still a bit disoriented. He closed his eyes and fought off that feeling. When he opened them, he was trying his best not to focus on the pulsating red. His pupils dilated all the way, making his golden eyes a fierce black color. He mind was racing on what to do next. This of course was the perfect distraction, but he wouldn’t have time to figure out the rest of his plan. He was just going to have to wing it. As his black eyes darted around the room full of bustling scientists, he saw a dark figure. With his incredible vision, he should have been able to make out a face right away, but he couldn’t because of the crimson lights flashing in his eyes. He rammed his shoulder up against the wall where the first crack was. As he was trying to get out, his capsule began to tremble. He noticed a scientist had pulled a big silver lever with the word “EJECT” written over it in large bold letters. His tail dropped and his ears perked up. The capsules all dropped at the same time, and the last thing Lovi saw was the dark figure pull the lever up again then run to the hole and watch as the capsules fell.

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Lovi woke up with a pounding in his head. He couldn’t see because of the bright sunlight blinding him. He blinked a few times before he became accustomed to the sun. He stood up and realized that his capsule had been shattered. He lazily stepped through the glass, ignoring any cuts he might be getting. Blood was running down the side of his face and into his mouth. There were scrapes all over his arms from the glass cutting him. He looked around and he saw that every other capsule was there. He counted to make sure. Yep, there were eight of them. He could see that most were cracked open, and the hybrid inside was able to get out. They were all moving in some sort of way, and he was greatly relieved by that. He saw the hawk hybrid’s capsule was open, but his chains weren’t broken.

“Hey, guys, is everyone alright?” Lovi called out. As he looked around, he noticed they were in a large grassy field. On one side of them was a mass of trees. Tropical birds were flying from limb to limb; singing their songs to one another. On the other end was more trees, but beyond there were mountains. Finally there was a shore, but Lovi couldn’t tell if it was an ocean or a lake. It could possibly even be a wide river, the glare on the water made it impossible to tell.

Lovi stretched his arms and looked around for Nikki’s capsule. Since she was the only name he remembered, he decided to ask her if she remembered anyone else. He walked over and noticed her capsule wasn’t completely broken. With a few hits, he figured she might be able to get herself out, but he could do it much quicker. He told her to guard her face, and he punched it, causing the glass to shatter. He held out a hand to help her out of the tiny space. “Hi Nikki,” he said, hoping that she would remember.

Kira couldn't in believe what was happening, in one moment she was being observed by the mans in white coats and another the sirens rang and then...then all the capsules dropped at the same time!

Kira closed her eyes during that time, she was still recovering from the loud noises from the sirens. When she opened her eyes she was in a grassy field, with all the other hybrids in there too. The capsules were almost open so they could escape. She remembered all of them, at least their faces, they were her family once and her closest friends, and now after so long they are all together again. She remembered all the moments they had together, the good ones and the bad ones, and how painful their separation was.

She looked at her capsule, it was almost broken so she could easily get out. Her clothes were all messy because of the pieces of glass, she started to get up when she felt a painful throbbing in her leg, her right leg, the one that had an injury from when she was caught. When she looked at her, it was all bloody, Kira wanted to complain but she knew it wasn't the time to do something like that. Now was the time to be strong and help the others that were in the same miserable situation.

She got out from the capsule with her leg drenched in blood. Kira looked around and saw that the lion was helping one of the hybrids. "Hey lion! I'm gonna help the hawk!" she yelled at him and approached the capsule of the hawk. He was still with cuffs, so she had to take them of, she started to breaking them but it was damn hard! "Crap! This is hard, what are they made of?!" she said angrily, Kira finally was able to take them off.

She got up and looked around, the other one that was cuffed was the tiger girl and she was also injured. "Damn, we are all miserable!" she said.

Farai scorned the hybrids who tried to escape. Their feeble attempts were useless! If anything, they were putting those who were doing nothing at risk of getting tortured. Farai watched the tigress do her damage on the glass only to get caught by the scientists. He scolded in her direction, "Hmph! Pathetic..." He growls. Once everything seemed to calm down, Farai takes this time to save up on his wine by taking out a thin silver vial and pouring the red liquid inside. When the glass was empty, he clicks the serpent entwined top closed and drops the pristine glass onto the metallic floor. Flinching slightly as the transparent glass shatters upon impact.

Farai's thin black tongue licks at that air as he takes a few more sips from the vial. It was in this instant that the entire room flashed a bright crimson red, staining the metallic structures inside the lab red with it's carnelian rays. Farai stayed completely still, unsure of what was happening. It was as if time froze...The brilliant display the alarm was pulling off unnerved the snake and his eyes darted frantically among his surroundings. Soon after the blazing lights, an ear piercing siren screamed through the halls, and with no fabric to absorb the noise, the sound seemed to amplify once it reached inside his capsule.

Farai lets out what sounded like a cross between a human scream and a hiss from a snake, as he doubles over and covers his ears. The flesh of his hands did little to block the noise which left the hybrid defenseless against the merciless roar. In his agony, his eyes pinch open and he could have sworn on his life, that behind all the frantic scientists was the silhouette of someone completely unknown to him.

Everything was gone suddenly...The noise...The alarm...Farai slowly opened his eyes only to see the bright blue sky. His breath faltered a bit as his stomach began to churn. Then, it hit him...His pupils dilated to very thin reptilian slits in fear as he turned around. His eyes come in contact with the approaching earth. And as he was approaching his last seconds in the air, he muttered one statement, "Well, braccce for impact..."

~

He couldn't quite grasp what happened in the thirty or so seconds he came in contact with the rocky earth. All that he could reminisce was the huge rock his capsule collided with, sending the tubular structure a few good meters into the air before landing in the thick foliage of an oak tree.

~

Farai's eyes flickered open. Lifting a hand to his head, he groaned as he forces his spine upward and straightening it. It wasn't til after a few more seconds that an extremely agonizing pain rippled across his body making him almost want to puke. His breathing became hysterical as he searched for the source. That was when his eyes rested on a most gruesome sight. The perch that he used earlier, had penetrated deep into his tail. He tries his all to hiss or do some sort of calm noise but all was futile. All he could make out was a groan of distress.

Over time, the pain only seemed to get worse and Farai had had enough of it. With a loud cry, he pulled the heavy post out of his flesh, breaking the perch off of the capsule before angrily throwing it to the side. Farai gasps as a wave of relief flows through his body. The snake immediately gets the hint to leave this godforsaken death machine. With a sigh, the hybrid calmly makes his way out of the open capsule.

Even though there was an aching pain emanating from his tail, his movements were still slow, liquid like. He moved his body in a way a serpent would, as he snaked his way down the tree, head first. Once he was within a foot or two of the earth, he places his hands on the soft clay and the rest of his human body follows until his feet hit the ground. He fixes his long black trench coat, during the time that all of his tail was planted firmly on the earth.

Farai twitches at the voices of others and he turns his head toward the lion guy; Lovi, he thinks. He hisses to himself in aggravation. He would have thought that the arrogant lion would've died during training but apparently, some wishes don't come true. Farai growls and keeps his calm composure in no time. Amber iris's then fixate themselves on the capsules that littered the clearing. He gives a disinterested huff before walking off toward the forest line. He wasn't about to get his scales dirty just yet. Especially for them. His eyes traced every feature of the forest and sky until he came upon an unsettling sight.

The snake droops his shoulders a bit. Should he...help them? As much as he despised every single one of them, he had to keep them alive. As much as it would kill him inside... They were his protection, and he was theirs too. So really, it was a lose-lose situation. "Ugh...I guessss I'll have too..." He states simply before he trudges over to the group.

As he nears them, he opens his arms invitingly. "...Greetingsss former friendsss and alliess...!" He says loud enough for everyone to hear. "Now...! Asss much asss I would love to sstay here and heal from our exhilarating ride...it sseemss that we are running out of time to fasst to bargain with...!" He calls with a chuckle before pointing toward the sky. What he pointed at were long cloud like streaks that pointed straight toward them. Ah, the scientists thought of everything didn't they? Inserting an exhaust machine to lead them toward the group if this ever happened... ingenious!

"Now...If I had to essstimate...! We have about 30 minutesss before the military catchess up to usss and we are done for...!" His voice was like molasses dripping off his tongue and down a gentle slope. He began to chuckle, "...I am not trying to rush you all...But we have preciousss time sslipping out of our grasspss...If we can sstart our trek now...then by the time the jetss and tanksss get here...we will already be some good clicksss away...!"

His eyes flicker among the group. Realizing he forgot to address Lovi, he speaks, "I don't mean to be demanding, in fact, I'm not forcccing you all into doing anything...! I'm just giving out a warning...! We need to be well alert in thisss new land...! And remember, preciousss time...! Preciouss time...!" With that said , he folds his hands into his pockets and turns toward the forest line.

He felt free in this new land, but an unfaltering anxiety was all it took to make the snake tremble. Now that they were free, they will be hunted. Especially since they were all alive...Heh, they were all lucky that they were sent to Econ Prison rather than being shot to death by their own colleagues. Farai was extremely grateful that his boss made his betrayal quick and painless...But now...He would rather take a gunshot to the head...

As each mutant began to wake, Spot watched them quietly as she sat back down onto the cold, glass floor. The most interesting mutant that had awoken was the Tiger; whose name she had long forgotten. Spot wasn’t very interactive with them when she was younger; the most she’d ever do with them would be having little competitions with them- of course, all of them where to prove that she was the best. They were young then, but now everything was different; thirteen years where a lot, and a lot has changed.

Spot closed her eyes, laying her head back as she tried to relax, putting her hands behind her; it wasn’t long though, that her attempts to relax was interrupted. Bright lights could be seen beneath her eyelids, causing her to open them. The flashing red lights sent horrifying pains up to her head as she looked around, all she could see was chaos. Spot stood up, to only be knocked back onto her ass by an ear piercing siren.

Her hands went to her ears, and she bore her teeth in pain; Spot’s nose wrinkled as she looked up, her bright blue eyes widening as she saw a figure- that was it. Everything was gone. She was ejected.

Spot’s body flew against the glass walls as the noise and disorder had gotten further away until it disappeared fully. It was within those seconds of being airborne that really got to Spot; as if she was in a fantasy that she could escape and fly away- but reality hit her, hard. Her body went from twirling in air to slamming into the end of the capsule as she began to plummet.

“Damn it!” She snarled, trying to break free quickly from the containment- too late. Like the others, her capsule shot towards earth like a bullet through a body; it shattered instantly, sending shards around her as her body knocked against the ground. Grass and dirt flew in all directions, following the shards of glass, nothing protecting her head except for her hands.

---

Was ten minutes? Perhaps it was even twenty. Spot didn’t know how long she lied on the ground, trying to calm the pain that was violently jerking her body upwards. Her hands closed tightly into fists, becoming white as an equally violent cough escaped her lips, spewing blood across the dirt ground. Her eyes opened slightly as her vision gradually became blurry, before clearing up; the grass flowed peacefully as she heard muffled sounds of the other mutants helping each other.

It took her a while, but after about five minutes, Spot pushed herself off of the ground; the pain still coursing through every inch of her small body. She stood up, falling forwards before she caught herself as she stumbled towards the right- looking as if she was highly intoxicated. Spot reached for her head and gripped it hard, a scowl planted on her face as she slowly raised her blue eyes towards the others to find Farai babbling about something and the bossy ass lion already barfing out orders; or so she assumed.

She stopped about a few feet from where she crashed, taking in her surroundings as her hearing slowly came to. “And remember, preciousss time...! Preciouss time...!"

“What?” She whispered, looking up and behind her, to see a streak of white smoke that would lead the scientist to where they were. “Ah.” She simply said, the scowl now slowly fading as the pain began to ease. Spot began to walk forward, the pain now returning as she tried to make her way forward.

Just ignore it… She thought, making her way forward and ignoring everyone whom had needed help; in fact, she looked similar to a drunk zombie. Spot made her way towards the tree line; in a similar direction as Farai, but she wasn’t following him. Her eyes glazed over the forest, examining every tree as she suddenly came to stop, looking behind her.

Should Spot help them? Nah, in the end, they’d be more of a burden than a plus; half of them where injured- like herself. In fact, it was then that Spot looked down at herself; her tights that she wore underneath her shorts where ripped completely apart, exposing her scratched, bruised and bleeding skin.

The white, collared button up shirt was also ripped, and the colour wasn’t even white anymore; more a dirty egg colour from the dirt and her predicament that had just occurred. The shirt was ripped upwards, exposing her shoulders and leopard-spotted stomach; her sweater suffering the least amount of damaged of her wardrobe.

Spot could feel bruises pulsating on her forehead, and the now open gash she had gotten before was bleeding. Could she really make it out alone without them? Once again, Spot looked back and quickly made a decision. She will follow them; but if they aren’t leaving within ten minutes, she will leave them behind.

Despite her plan, she still continued forward, now mastering the art of ignoring her pain. Her eyes gazed from the group over towards Farai, whom was injured, yet facing towards the forest line; even though she wanted to comment one something, no, more like everything, she stayed quiet and quickened her pace a little, allowing some distance form between her and him as she began to impatiently wait for the others, walking slower as the distance between her and the group increase.

Soon, Spot stopped once again and waited.

Nikki had been sitting there, watching the others and realizing she knew them. All of them. Form when she was little. They were her best friends, her family. That word seemed so…odd at these circumstances. She studied the others. They were all grown up and different then when they were younger. It's been so long…

"*BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!*" Nikki's train of thought was cut off by loud sirens and flashing lights. The sirens were loud and piercing. They shot the eardrums of Nikki's sensitive ears like a bullet would shoot a thin glass making it burst into a million tiny little pieces. Nikki's hands went up over her ears and she fell to the ground of her glass capsule, hands fisted over her ears, eyes forced shut in pain, teeth clamped together. Her tail was wrapped up around her to her head lightly touching her forehead as she curled up as much as she could. She could see the red flashing lights through her eyelids and could her everyone. It all bled together in the chaos of the sirens. People screaming and yelling at each other about what to take and what to leave. In the mix of it all, she heard the horrible laughter of someone evil. As she forced her eyes to crack open to search for who ever the force was coming from, her capsule was shoot up and out of the prison.

She didn't move, she just kept her eyes opened and watched as the capsule flue through the sky. Nikki thought it was amazing and would love to just stay like this for ever in the peaceful air. Sadly, what goes up must come down. Nikki closed her eyes and braced for impact as she noticed the capsule starting to head downward. As she braced herself, she could feel the capsule starting to spin and spiral out of control. It felt like a downward spin drop on a very crazy roller-coaster. Just as the capsule was getting ready to impact on the earth, Nikki opened one of her eyes. It was the scariest thing ever. Her life flashed before her eyes and the capsule hit the ground with a loud bang and small cracking noise.

Once the capsule was safely on the ground, Nikki started crawling around her small capsule as she looked at the others. Theirs were mostly broken, unlike hers that only had a crack in it at the moment. Just then she looked around and saw a familiar sight coming her way. "Lovi!" Nikki said happily. She hadn't even notice the bruises and scratches she had gotten from the fall. She smiled happily at the lion but jumped a little when Lovi hit the glass and shattered it. Nikki climbed out of the capsule and gave Lovi a hug. "Hey Lovi!" She said happily with a smile and looked around at the others.

Trying to break out of his chains for a moment, he came to the realization that his left arm was broken from the impact. The glass in his door shattered over him, too, leaving his legs cut up — especially the right. At least everything was still intact, though he stopped struggling.

"Hey lion! I'm gonna help the hawk!" When the girl tried to break Dax's chains, she was met with plenty of resistance, too. She even exclaimed about the difficulty before they finally got weak enough for Dax to help break them off. Right arm; left; the legs, then the wings. He was able to get his feet out after that. When he stood up, getting the support he could from Kira, he found that everyone was in various degrees of health, but at least no one was killed in the impact, it seemed.

"Our deaths were postponed," he muttered, looking at Farai making remarks about their state through his lisp.

"We have about 30 minutesss before the military catchess up to usss..." He suggested they get moving soon, too.

"The army is not slow, snake." They would have to confirm the deaths — they had to send someone to follow the pods, probably a helicopter. It's the only thing that would be able to follow the exhaust trails Farai pointed out, without speeding ahead like a jet would. "I will watch for them." Getting himself in the air and shaking broken glass from his wings, he tried to make sure everyone knew they needed to get moving. When he got high enough, the wind felt nice, and he was able to clearly see the trail the pods left behind.

Dax looked down at everyone, noticing that his pant legs were soaked with burgundy — the crimson of an open wound. He wouldn't be able to bandage the injuries when they were spread about the way they were, so he hoped the increasing pressure as he rose higher would help stop the flow of blood. For now, he didn't worry as long as he could curl his toes; instead, he took care of his arm, ripping off a part of his pant leg that wasn't dyed red and tying the fractured wrist in place. It'll need real medical attention soon, but this'll have to do at the moment.

Lovi smiled when he heard Nikki say his name. She remembered! AS he helped her out, he was surprised at the hug she gave him. He tensed up at first, but then he returned the hug with a slight squeeze. She smiled at him and his smile only widened. She looked around at the others, and Lovi followed suit.

"Now...If I had to essstimate...! We have about 30 minutesss before the military catchess up to usss and we are done for...!" His voice was like molasses dripping off his tongue and down a gentle slope. He began to chuckle, "...I am not trying to rush you all...But we have preciousss time sslipping out of our grasspss...If we can sstart our trek now...then by the time the jetss and tanksss get here...we will already be some good clicksss away...!" Lovi glanced over at Farai. Hearing his voice helped him to remember his name. They were never the best of friends as children, well no one really was close with Farai that he could remember, be he had to agree.

Just as he was about he agree, Farai continued. "I don't mean to be demanding, in fact, I'm not forcccing you all into doing anything...! I'm just giving out a warning...! We need to be well alert in thisss new land...! And remember, preciousss time...! Preciouss time...!" Despite his seemingly good intentions, and decline of telling people what to do, Lovi still felt uncomfortable with him.

"Farai's right. We need to get moving now. We're all a bit banged up, some worse than others," He glanced over at Bleu and Marne. He was going to help her but the mouse girl seemed to be taking good enough care of her for now. He saw the hawk boy stretch his wings and take off. As everyone was standing up and moving around, the smell of blood was filling the air ever so pleasantly. Lovi hadn't realized how hungry he was. He closed his eyes and let out a low growl, fighting it off. He would have to hunt later. Just as he was opening his eyes, blood from the hawk fell onto his nose. He could have almost laughed at the irony. He angrily wiped it off as his eyes went black. He growled again, then looked around the group. He saw Spot out further than Farai was and he sighed. He knew that most of the other cats were solitary, but they would just have to let that go. They all needed each other, at least right now they did. He glanced over at Kira and then to Nikki. He took a deep breath to gather his thoughts and control the hunger.

“We need to split up for now. Staying within a click of one another, but we can't stay as a big group. We'll meet up again at night fall. " He let out a small roar, demanding attention from everyone. He hoped the boy up in the sky could hear him. "You, cheetah, Kiara or Kira.. Sorry. Come over here. You’re with the hawk and Monkey.” He pointed to the sky, then turned to face Bleu. “Bleu and mouse, not you Nikki, you’re with me. Nikki and Farai, you two are with jaguar.” He pointed out to Spot, “Everyone understand? We’ll enter the forest in a straight line. Myself, Bleu and Mouse in the center, Farai, Nikki and Jaguar on the east and Hawk and Kira on the west. While you’re moving, be careful to count your steps. Try to stay at the same pace. Make sure you’re going straight or else we’ll lose each other. After every 200 steps, stop and wait 30 seconds. Listen and see if you can here the others moving, if you can, you know we’re off pace. Listen to whether they are ahead or behind you. This should help us stay together somewhat. At dusk, head inward. From there we’ll figure out what to do.”

He looked around the group one more time. Right now, they were covered in blood, limping, grimacing and distrustful. But he knew that they could all do this.

He roared once more, signaling for the groups to leave. He gave Nikki another smile before he jogged over to Bleu. “I saw your leg. It looks pretty bad. Mouse fixed it okay. Can you run? If not I’m sure I could carry you,” Lovi offered. At this point he wasn’t sure if he would wait for an answer. She looked like she was in loads of pain. There was blood all over her. Another wave of hunger coursed through him. He growled slightly, baring his canines. “Nevermind, come on.” He said and put his hands on her waist. He lifted her up, then turned so she was leaning on his back. He pulled her up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Mouse, let’s go. Hold on Bleu, this is going to hurt, but it’s better than you running.” He kicked off at a light jog and progressed into a run towards the forest.


((I included Mia, but if she doesn't show up, just ignore that part. ))

Kira heard what the snake dude said and agreed, but the way he said it made her feel uneasy. She whispered "I guess he hasn't change, even after so long he still continues to be like that" she sighed and let a out a small smile.

She saw the hawk take off, he was bleeding and that made a lot of hybrids hungry, because of that weird events they were without eating for a while. And then she heard Lovi talking with them. Immediately she looked at him and got annoyed when he called her Kiara, she growled and said "It' Kira! I hope you don't call me the wrong way again".

The the lion gave his orders, she didn't like it very much and she liked to be left alone, after all that was her nature, but right now wasn't the time to complain so she just quickly said "I don't like being bossed around, but right now, I really don't have a chance do I?" Kira glanced at the hawk that was up in the sky and yelled at him "Hey, I'm gonna try to keep up with you, I mean, I don't think I can run the way I normally do, so that will be easy, I guess" and glanced at her injured leg. Kira ripped a piece of her shirt and put it on her leg, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Well now, should we go?" she finished saying that and started to run towards the forest in the direction Lovi said. She did her best in keeping up with the hawk, she was counting the steps and at the same time looking at were the hawk was.

While he headed away and his blood clotted up, Dax started thinking. What would they send to finish the job? If they knew the hybrids were injured, they could probably do with infantries for the mice, but leaving them all together like this would make it difficult. The hybrids had multiple felines and a bird, so it'd be hard for ground troops not to get picked off like the prey they were. Even a tank would have trouble holding its own. They wouldn't drop a bomb — too high-powered. No doubt the news would get involved, and the government wouldn't be able to cover it up as a test. Helicopters? All they had to do was disable Dax's wings and they wouldn't have a way to fight back. That was going to be their option; they needed a place to hide.

He started flying backwards — gliding against the wind and being pushed back a few inches per second — a short ways out, making sure he could still see everyone. They were all still in Dax's field of view, but were he and Kira in theirs? He lowered down to the latter, hoping her sense of sight was more comparable to the groups'.

"Can you still see them?" he asked. "My sight is stronger than theirs; / a hawk's is acute."

Kira kept on running, then she heard the hawk asking her if she saw the others. He's called Dax, right? she asked herself. She started to look and saw the snake group a good distance further, and the lion group a bit behind them.

"Yeah; the snake group is further out, and the lion is closer," she answered, "probably because the lion is carrying someone."

Her leg really hurt, so she tried to just think about running, the thing she loved the most. She thought, I can't be selfish here, all the others are like me or even worse; even Dax is badly injured and he just keeps on flying without any complaint! She sighed and kept on running, hoping the pain would get... less painful.

All the hybrids were grown up, and all of them had become beautiful, in a unique way that humans can't be. The lion guy really got on her nerves, she just hoped he wouldn't made the same stupid mistake twice. If I weren't in this situation I would have slapped him!

Then she looked to Dax and asked him, "Do you want me to run faster?"

"It's fine; we should slow," he answered. "They'll think we're going too fast. / At least at this speed." He and Kira were the farthest out, even leaving behind monkey-girl.

"Then let's wait here," she answered while trying to recount her steps — paying attention to Dax made her lose track. "Maybe Lovi will have new orders to bark for us."

"So why do you always talk like that?"

"Hm?"

"I swear you talk in haiku. I remember a kid a long time ago that did that." It took Kira a moment before she realized the kid and Dax were the same person. She's a dense person, so sometimes she needs a little bit of time to think before speaking. Of course, if it's about important matters she'll be on the ball like a kitten on string.

"That's how I grew up. / Everything I read was / Haiku or the like."

"Can you remember any of the other hybrids?" She asked a bit curious, because her memories were vague, so she couldn't remember much about the others.

"Lovi's attitude leadership. / The others are blurrier. / I can't remember."

"See? You did it again!" Kira said it in a lively voice, almost shouting. "Anyways, how're your legs?"

Dax looked at his legs, and noticed that the blood had completely stopped. "They're better, thank you. / I could do without the scars. / How is yours, Kira?"

"They're okay, I guess. It's just one of my legs that are injured, so I'm alright." Kira answered and gave a quick smile. During the conversation, Kira lost sight of even Lovi, who was trailing behind Farai and his group. "We should probably follow them," she continued, getting back on her feet and wincing from the sharp pain that hit her leg. "Guess I was sitting too long."

"I can carry—"

"No, no! No, thanks!" Kira interrupted. She was really scared of heights; just the thought about being up in the sky gave her the chills. Dax's talons didn't look all too welcoming either. "Let me just stretch out and we'll get going."

When they started moving again (after losing some ground for Kira's recovery), Kira watched Dax from a hundred feet below and thought, Maybe I should let him carry me next time. Dax managed to stop her train of thought before it got out of hand.

"I cannot see them. / The trees and leaves are too packed. / Can you check inside?"

"Huh? Sure!" Kira started to look around, and for her surprise she couldn't see them; neither the lion group or even the snake group.

Huh? she thought while scrambling through the trees. They were right in front of us, how could this happen?!

"Hey! I can't see them! I think that we're lost!" Lowering into the forest, Dax tried to reassure her they weren't lost.

"They entered this way. / They cannot have gotten far. / Let's just keep looking." Trying to head the way they thought was right, Dax and Kira ventured further — straight in, hoping at least the lagging Lovi wasn't too far off in direction.

Dax tried to find the other hybrids, but to no success. Kira did the same, but the result was the same, too. She was hoping she could at least pick up on Lovi or Farai, but no dice.

"We're definitely lost! Anyway, it's too dark to stay out like this now, so it's better to just find a place to spend the night. When it's morning again, we'll keep searching for them." Kira sighed and found a tree that was good enough to spend the night. It had enough sturdy branches to hold up both of them, too.

Just when Kira was getting comfortable laying over one branch, her stomach growled. "We should probably find something to eat first, huh?" No response. "Dax?"

There was a squeal nearby; then another, followed by the disgusting crunch of bones being separated and crushed.

"Overachiever," she remarked as Dax brought back a bloody pair of rabbits. "Guess I should get something to cook those with, right?" She jumped down from her perch, looking for some wood to burn before setting up a fire in a fairly clear spot. Dax skinned the hares so they didn't end up eating too much fur.

"Time to test out my chef skills," Kira happily exclaimed, shoving the rodents on strong sticks to hold them over the fire. It went swimmingly at first, with blood falling into the fire and meat getting cooked pretty well... then one of them caught on fire! And the other one caught the first one's blaze! The

"Crap crap crap crap crap!" Trying to wave and beat the fires out, their dinner had a light coating of grass on it, and they were nice and charred. "Hope you like salad and burnt rodent!" Kira laughed and apologized, but Dax took one and bit into it nonetheless. It actually wasn't too bad, given their situation. The cheetah girl joined him with her own a moment later. It wasn't some kind of luxury feast, but it'd definitely hold them overnight.

When we find the others, I'm sure they will make fun of us! I'm gonna beat the tar out of them if they do! Kira thought while devouring the burned rabbit. She happily imagined clawing Spot's eyes out, and maybe eating one of the mice. Dax, in the meantime, wondered if the others had any ability to hunt — they might not find and catch enough food for all of them to tide over their hunger.

Bleu lifted her head as she heard the sound of movement. Her head flicked to the east, the direction the sound had come from. Her ears were sensitive, like those of the tiger. At a maximum, she could hear three miles away. Though all of those noises used to bother her, so she taught herself how to tune out all of the little things, and listen to only what she desired to hear.

Minutes later, another group walked into the camp. Farai, the snake, mumbled something quietly and slinked off again. Nikki wandered in, and Spot immediatly offered to search for the wood Bleu had asked for. Watching the hybrid walk off, Bleu wondered what was actually on her mind.

Bleu's own mind was wandering. She wondered about the future, if there would be a future. The government was after them all now. A group of animal/human hybrids all on the run, and apparently a danger to society. Bleu was the most human. All of the other hybrids had tails, manes, wings. The only thing that was physically unusual about her was her eyes. Her bright cobalt blue eyes. That was her favorite feature. The only tiger trait that physically showed. The strong tiger with in her. The loner.

Sitting up straight, she caught Marne speaking to her about her leg. She argued that they wouldn't let her walk on her own, and that she would only slow them down. Bleu would've argued, but her relationship with Marne so far was fine, and on the brink of friendship. She didn't want to mess that up. She still hoped for the wood, though. Her leg would heal better with it being set, though she wasn't looking forward to setting the bones.

She shook off the thought when Lovi set down her leg to begin searching for wood. She listened as Lovi told her the condition of her leg, barely paying attention. She was gazing at him, the lion. He was handsome, she had to admit. She felt something in her chest, and couldn't place the feeling. She did know, that she only felt this one other time. Dr.Mae, from her childhood days was like a mother to her, and she had loved her dearly. This feeling was similar. She gazed at the red hair that fell over his eyes. Tiger's never usually had life mates, but Bleu was mostly human. She wanted one person, and not several.

Spot arrived back with food, and Lovi went into the woods himself to get some, too. When the lion returned. Bleu turned down the meal. Her stomach was churning, and the though of eating made it worse. Spot then placed wood next to the tiger. Bleu undid her bandages, and placed them onto the wood. Hesitating, Bleu said, "I need someone to set the bones in my leg. The whole thing- ankle, thigh, knee." She would do it herself, but couldn't imagine shifting the bones with her own hands. She sighed, and braced herself for an answer.

The void of darkness that was sleep, engulfed the hybrid into its depths. He had to be dreaming somewhere. His mind just couldn't pick up the images. A moment later, his soul dug a bit deeper, replying every image from yesterday. It was then that the hybrid realized he was awake. Tired eyelids slid open halfway revealing somnolent iris'. Farai tiredly lifted his body and uncurled his tail around his legs and waist, instantly getting hit with a wave of frigid air. The snake immediately regretted ever moving, but it was too late to fall back asleep now. His senses were already alerted from the low temperature and it would take a good bit of time to go back to sleep being that it was morning. Yes, the color of the sky had shifted from its black nothingness, to a shade of navy blue which increasingly became lighter the closer one looked toward the horizon.

The snakes eyes drifted onto the fire. All that was left were a few embers and a pile of ash. Someone had added more wood from what it seemed. Well, it was cold last night. Farai stretched his arms toward the sky and yawned before checking over the group. Marne and Nikki looked fine. His eyes drifted over toward Lovi and Bleu. A smirk playing on his lips. The lion was cuddled up against the tigress in a way that made the snake almost want to puke. "Pfft...Adorable." He mutters whilst rolling his eyes. Eyes wandering over the group once more, he became aware of the fact that Spot was nowhere to be seen. Well, not on the ground that is. He cocked his head toward the trees and, just as expected, saw a figure in one of the trees. So his theory was correct.

The abrupt growling of his stomach caught the hybrids attention. It was around this time that the snake got fed. Well, there were no scientists that gave them bucket loads of food three times a day so, he would just have to hunt. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he ventured into the woods. Studying the sky before doing so. For if he ever got lost, he would follow the sun since he was venturing the opposite way in which it rose. Choosing each step wisely, he trekked through the woods without a sound. Ten minutes in and his eyes darted toward a small blue jay pecking off bugs and worms. Its tail facing toward the snake. Birds weren't his favorite prey. He found them a bit to crunchy and lightweight with barely any meat in them whatsoever. However, food was food.

Slowly crouching in the grass, his muscles around his spine sent a wave of painful jolts down his body causing the snake to hold his breath and rest his human body on the soft earth. To say he was sore was to say the least. Knowing that his tail muscles would also be sore when he struck, he inched just a little closer to the bird. Scrunching up his tail and readying his fangs, the snake didn't even bother to rattle knowing that birds will just about fly from anything instead of standing still. A couple of seconds pass and the snake lunges forward. However, the quick lash out sent agonizing shocks up and down his body throwing his aim off the bird and to the earth beside it.

Farai growls as his back collides with the nearest tree. His eyes watch as the startled bird chirps irritatingly and flies off only to land on a tree branch in front of him. Clearly taunting the snake. It's chirps mimicking the sound of human laughing. To bad its relentless taunt couldn't go on, for in a few seconds, the snake got up, pulled out his knife, and threw it straight at the bird. It was a direct hit. The blade penetrated the birds chest and stuck inside the trees thick bark causing the corpse that hung off the blade to dangle aimlessly in the wind.

Farai hisses in agitation as he walks over and grabs the bird and his knife. Stuffing the blade in his coat pocket and swallowing the bird whole, his eyes look toward the dark sky which has now turned a lighter hue of blue. He wondered where that cheetah or hawk guy was by now. Were they out searching for the group or were they sound asleep? He may never know. He might not ever see his comrades again for all he knows!...Must be quite painful to become lost. The fear of getting hurt and never seeing your beloved again? Yes...quite painful. His eyes shifted toward the brightest horizon. Figuring that his acquaintances might be awake by this time, Farai ventured back.

Bleu giggled slightly at the look on Lovi's face as Farai took the largest rabbit. "Alright, if it wasn't clear before, we are missing Kira and Dax. I looked for them, but I couldn't find them. I'm sure they'll be fine for the night. We will find them in the morning. For now, we need to eat, tend to our wounds and others," Bleu glanced at Lovi as he spoke, and returned the smile he sent her way. Her heart began pounding as he knelt at her side. Her anxious blue eyes met his calm ones, and he began working.

The tiger closed her eyes. Her hands gripped the blankets she received earlier in the day, her sharp claws out and tearing at the fabric. Lovi worked the bones in her ankle first, then made his way up her leg. The pain was immense, and the lion worked quickly. Once the bone in her knee cracked, and the pressure lessened, Bleu took a deep breath. She opened her cobalt eyes when Lovi squeezed her hand lightly.

After wrapping her leg in the wood and bandages, Lovi curled up around her. Bleu layed down next to his, wrapped in his arms. His breath was warm on her cold face, and being encased in his large body was much better than sleeping alone in the cold. She, too, soon fell asleep, and curled up closer to Lovi.

__________________________________________________________________________________


Sunlight poured into her, and slowly, Bleu opened her eyes. The fire had gone out, but a few embers glowed slightly in the midst of all of the ashes. Birds chirped loudly, and one song was cut off abruptly, for reasons Bleu didn't understand. The sun shined brightly overhead, and she wondered how long the nice weather would last.

Her eyes scanned over the group. Farai was missing, but Bleu wasn't concerned. The snake did what he wanted, and she had a sneaking suspision that he wasn't too fond of her. The others were still asleep, except for spot. The hybird sat staring into the fire, freshly washed. Jealously quickly flashed into Bleu's mind. She probably didn't look too great at the moment.

Then, she felt slight shifting behind her. Turning around, she remembered Lovi. The lion layed quietly on the ground, one arm slung over his chest. Bleu sighed. and laid her head down on his arm, her blonde hair draped onto the ground. She turned into him, appreciating his warmth, and smiled.

Dax and Kira were able to fall asleep, but it was light since they stayed on alert. After all they were lost in the middle of nowhere, and being hunted by the organization that created them. Kira was particularly uncomfortable. It was colder than a witch's tit in the open like this, and Kira couldn't find a position she could sleep comfortably in — sleeping in a tree wasn't that pleasant, though Dax looked pretty content perching on the branch and leaning against the trunk.

---

Kira started to slowly open her eyes, but it was painful; the sun's rays hurt. When she got up Dax was still sitting in the tree, crunching on more rodents.

"Good morning," she said, yawning and rubbing her eyes. "Breakfast?" Dax nodded toward the fire pit they made the night before. The fire was out, but there were a few squirrels on sticks all cooked up.

Paying attention to the fact the squirrels weren't nearly as burnt as dinner more than that it was food, Kira couldn't help but think, The bird's a better cook than me. Trying to ignore that thought, she picked up what Dax left for her and scarfed it down.

When they were both finished, they decided on continuing their search. (That isn't to say they didn't seriously look at the idea of abandoning the other hybrids to try and stay safer as a pair, but being in that large group was logically the better option.)

Kira started to run, with Dax flying over the trees. It was good to have a hawk in her group; after all he was up in the sky and had much better sight, so he could effectively see everything she couldn't.

"They can't be that far away from us, don't you think?" He just agreed with another nod. "You're a really talkative person, you know that?" she asked him in a playful voice.

After a short time searching, Dax lowered down to Kira and pointed her leftward, having her follow a long, swerving trail.

"What, you think the snake did this?" Another nod. Dax is a great conversationalist, obviously. "Let's follow it then, Chatty. We might find him."

They kept going and after a long, boring time they finally found the snake, possibly heading back to the rest of the group. What was his name again? Fa...Farai! That's it! He was always teasing the lion and got teased back.

"Hey Farai!" Kira called him in a loud voice, but with a face that said "Don't mess with me".

Farai winced with each footstep. So far, he has caught two birds, one rabbit, and one corn snake(With his knife might I add, but it didn't stop him from trying to strike his prey). He had no idea if the group would accept the corn snake. He loved its meat and decided they would as well, but still. He had his doubts.

"Hey Farai!" A voice yelled in the distance. Clearly not expecting anyone to follow him, the snake paused and, on instinct, wrapped his fingers around his knife. The voice sounded so familiar...Yet so different... Spots? Nah, why would she be out following him? Nikki? Last time he saw her, she was sound asleep. There could be no way that girl knows where the snake was. That ruled out Marne and Bleu....Wait a minute! Its that cheetah girl! Kyra! Wait...No...Kira! Before another second passed, a blonde girl ran out from the bushes. His eyes darted toward the sky, and flying just above them, was hawk boy.

As overjoyed as he might seem, he was absolutely annoyed that they disturb his only moment of peace away from the 'Love Couple', 'Breakfast' and 'Supper', and 'Miss. I-Scold-You-Whenever-You-Speak'. Farai sighs and takes his hand off the handle of his blade. "Ah, My dearessst friendsss..." He speaks with a smile. "It'sss sssuch a relief to sssee you two sssafe..." His voice rolls off his sleek tongue like oil.

"Now, you two mussst be looking for the group, am I correct?" He didn't give them time to speak before he erupts into a fit of laughter. "Of Courssse your looking for the group! Haha! Oh...How could I have been ssso foolish..." He wipes a tear out of his eye before continuing. "Ahem. Well, I know exactly where they are..." He turns his back on them before pointing his finger at the rising sun. "Jusssst follow the sssun and you should sssstumble upon a vassst clearing. In the cccenter liesss our camp." He knew Kira might be eager to catch up with the group and keeping Dax on the ground might not suite the hawk. "Now, you two may run, or fly, ahead. I'm not a bit of a runner..." He chuckles before persisting his walk.

In ten minutes, or less, the snake emerges from the forest and up to the fire. "I've got breakfast..." He states rather loudly whilst throwing the two birds, rabbit, and corn snake in a small pile to the right of the fire. "Em...Might I add that Lovi should get the firssst pick. Not only isss he the leader but I do owe him one rabbit..." He chuckles. Always resolve even the smallest of conflicts. No matter their importance. Conflicts tend to...Add up over time.... "Tisss better to ssstay clean rather than dirty." He mutters. "Speaking of which," his voice heightened in tone to the point where it became audible among the group. "How did you become ssso clean all of a sssudden?" He asks Spots. He wasn't much to enjoy baths but he had multiple wounds. And, because of past mistakes, he has learned that baths were a guys best friend. Especially if one possesses open wounds and are of higher risk for disease and infection.

Lovi yawned and stretched out his arms. He could see the sun has risen through his eyelids, but he didn't want to wake up, not yet. He someone lay down on his arm, and warm breathing on his chest. He felt the person getting closer to him, not thinking about his personal bubble Oh God Xander, I do not want to cuddle with you. He thought. Being in the sun, he was warming up, and there was no need to be near someone else. He peeked one eye open and saw two cobalt blue ones staring back at him. The blonde girl smiled and Lovi's other eye flew open. He sat up quickly and stared at the girl. Taking in her full appearance, he slowly began to remember the night before. "Bleu.." he said, "Bad dream, you caught me at a bad time," He mumbled and rubbed his face. Sadness flooded over him, and despite how much he had taken a liking to Bleu, he wished it had been Xander messing with him. "Did you sleep okay? Were you warm?" Lovi asked her. In the morning he was always awkward, mostly because he was fighting off a bad attitude. He never seemed like himself. His stomach growled and he did the same with his mouth. He looked around. A clean Spot was sitting by the fire and Farai was coming back with breakfast. Nikki was still asleep, and so was Marne. He glanced back at Bleu and gave her a small smile. He brushed past her, letting out a small purr, because he didn't want her to think he was upset with her, then making his way to Farai. "I appreciate that, Farai." He picked the rabbit, but he was curious about the snake.

Just as he was going to ask Farai about the snake, he heard a rustling behind him. He perked his ears up and saw that it was Kira and Dax. "Glad you could make it," he said. He meant it, but it came out rather sarcastic. Waking up and being hungry was not a good mix for Lovi. He scarfed down his rabbit and stalked off into the woods, not exactly sure where he was going. His thoughts returned to his lost friends and he wondered how he would lead this group if he couldn't get over the past. It's only been a couple days, I need time to mourn. But, I am supposed to be superior.... I have to give them the funerals they deserve... I don't have the bodies... That doesn't mean I can't appreciate the lives they lived, and the loyalty they showed me. As he argued with himself, his anger increased. He closed his eyes and roared, long and sorrowful. The others wouldn't be able to interpret it most likely, because they don't know the different sounds of a lion. Maybe one of the cats could understand, but he doubted it. He turned to walk back to camp, but before he did, he began to think of what to do next. Food, treat wounds... Assess abilities and strengths, Appoint partners, and group guidelines. Then we can start moving. Hopefully before lunch.

Spot was indeed glad; she was glad that she had taken off most of the dirt from her body from the impact of the crash. Though, nothing could beat a real bath; unfortunately though, if she wanted to take a real bath, she’d either have to wait until warmer weather arrives, or at least until they arrive unto some civilization- though it was still nice. She pressed her knees up towards her chest, trying to warm herself up as she watched the ashes of their used to be fire.

In the midst of her thoughts, Farai spoke. "How did you become ssso clean all of a sssudden?" Spot’s attention turned to him, though before she could even part her full lips, Lovi began to awake; her blue eyes watched him as he took the rabbit from Farai. Not wanting to deal with whomever else woke up, Spot instantly stood up, walking towards Farai with an obvious fake, friendly smile.

“Allow me to show you.” She said, her voice filled with the horrible acting she called enthusiasm. Her eyes once again scanned over him, before she had concluded her thoughts; it’d due everyone some good to bathe, though, at the moment, Spot was fine with just escorting Farai to clean his wounds. Without even looking back to see if he was following or not, Spot lead the way; her eyes scanning the terrain to see if she could see the pretty doe once again. Though, it was hardly any luck; not even a squirrel was down on the ground. Spot retraced her steps until she arrived at the small yet clean pond that branched off into a ditch like stream.

((Sorry for the short post; I am on my phone~))

The moment Farai had knocked the wind out of himself, Spot jumped; once again, suddenly startling her. Why was it Farai who did things that always seemed to suddenly cause her to jump or become startled? It was the most annoying feeling she’d ever had; a snake scaring a leopard- who’s ever heard of that. A scowl was planted onto her face, her blue eyes not leaving Farai as he turned away from her; probably embarrassed that he had lost his composure- or, at least, that’s what she had suggested in her mind.

It was only a few seconds before the snake’s dark and elegant composure came back; almost reassuring the both of them that Farai hadn’t lost his mind- yet. "Madam...I mussst sssay the sssame about you..." Spot kept her eyebrows from slightly raising, and instead, kept her blunt and emotionless facial features. There was a lingering feeling that had made her happy that he felt the same; almost happy that they had a mutual understanding with each other. The way Spot took it, it was more of a ‘if the group had gotten caught, and I only had enough time to save one other person, it’d be you’ type of understanding.

Though, despite Spot repeating that over in her mind to reassure herself that it was nothing but that, the tiny yet lingering feeling that floated around inside her made her a bit aggravated. Spot released a slight growl from the pits of her throat, the thoughts that had polluted her head following the growl out as well. Her eyes examined the sky above her, before she closed them; allowing the wind to blow at her back. After a few seconds of taking in the cold wind that danced around her body and went up inside her nose, Spot’s eyes opened as she could now see the opening; her thoughts taking full control of her head now.

Despite the fact that her head had now overflowed with thoughts; the same question still floated to the top and ended up drowning every other thought- what is their destination? What where they going to do once they obtained this freedom? Spot despised the feeling of becoming lost and not knowing where they were going; it bothered the absolute crap out of her. It felt like she was a blind man heading into traffic; her stone faced became an irritated scowl as her nose wrinkled up and her brows furred together. If only she had her arms crossed, she’d look similar to a pouting child. Sure, Spot might be alright if she went out in society, perhaps others too, like maybe Bleu; but that was it. Those like Dax, Farai, even Lovi would have a hard time fitting in- what humans has ears and tails and wings?

Her thoughts where obscured by the sight of the clearing; their quiet and peaceful walk now coming to end. Great; now she’d be stuck with the group once more. For the first time, Spot actually wanted to stay with someone; or rather, preferred to stay with one person than a huge group. Maybe if she was lucky, she’d be stuck with just Farai and Nikki like the day previous of today; that was a nice walk. It was quiet and spaced out from each other- a walk that made Spot a bit more comfortable. As they entered the clearing, she walked past Farai and Bleu and towards the others, stopping at the fire pit they made previously.

While she listened to Farai make his announcement about they water source, Spot picked up the now cold and ashy wood, throwing them far off to the side. It was something she learned when she was younger; a simple trick that had saved her hide various times.
Rule 1 of becoming an assassin- never allow the enemy to pick up on your trail; become invisible and erase all evidence that you even existed. Spot’s eyes skimmed the fire spot; the grass was all burnt and ashes where everywhere- it was obvious that someone had been here.

She bent down, scrapping the cold dirt and grass over the spot that had once been inflamed; Spot’s hands gently grazing over it as the ashes became buried underneath the dirt. She flicked her hands up, flinging the dirt around her, yet now enough to get onto others. Her eyes trailed onto the ground, before going up to the feet of those who where still sleeping. Spot saw the footprints that had followed them around the area that lead up to them; despite her slight worry that the group will get them killed; Spot said nothing and went back to hiding the now almost invisible fire pit.

Once she was done, Spot stood, shaking her hands together to get rid of the loose dirt that had accumulated onto her hands. She had made sure to lighten her weight that she had put on each foot from leaving too noticeable footprints; it was as if her body went into total stealth mode. The group was indeed lucky that they had her, otherwise, she’d already found them. Her eyes looked around her, her scowl returning as her displeasement became completely noticeable.

Before she could think another thought, a slight rumble that formed words came from her throat. “Might as well hold up an arrow that says, ‘here we are’.” She whispered, her voice filled with unsatisfaction and sarcasm; her hands fisting into her hips as she examined the area.