Aethes

Artemisha poked her head out from inside one of the buildings after hearing a small brief conversation to see that it was Darvo and Kai who were speaking.She had woken up a little earlier than usual,and decided to take Leila along with her to explore the surrounding area,and she was currently in this building,with Leila by her side.She gently tapped Leila's petite shoulder to get her attention."Let's go over there." she pointed.Placing a hand on the young girl's fluffy brown hair covered head,she gently steered her out of the building and towards the two Changers.They stopped in front of them,Leila in front,and Artemisha behind her.
Artemisha smiled widely at Kai as she was a fellow Raposa as well,before noting a certain scent that she knew she had came across recently.Her smile widened as she realized what it was.
"Kai!You took the cone flowers,didn't you?I was planning to come back for them,but I guess the plans were changed." she mentioned in a cheery voice,but making it clear that Kai was free to keep the flowers.
She turned towards Darvo,smiling uncertainly.She had a bit of trouble being around Darvo,despite having no qualms being around Lupus Changers.First,he was the Pack Leader,so she wasn't sure how to address him,should she do so casually?Or should she be doing so formally?Second,he seemed hard to approach and looked a little scary.
"Um..." Artemisha didn't bother saying anything to Darvo,as she had always done.She was afraid of making a false move or sounding disrespectful and getting him angry.She often gave a low bow towards him when they met.She was now wondering it that was really a smart move to be doing...She kept her head low and glanced towards the side timidly,while keeping both her hands on Leila's shoulders.

Sevrin Massengale - The Fortress

Sevrin had just gotten out of a quick shower and finished pulling on his shirt, pants, and shoes. With that done with, he ran his hands through his black hair. It was still noticeably wet, but that would come in handy with the heat threatening to fry anyone who stood out in it too long. Sev especially hated warm weather - dry air like this was just pushing the matter. But he kept his composure. It'd cool off eventually. And, usually, nothing bothered Sevrin for that long. Definitely not something as unimportant as the heat and the sun. No, what mattered today was Tenko's speech. It wasn't hard to figure out public speaking wasn't their leader's favorite activity. Most people probably couldn't handle the action. Sevrin didn't blame them, even if his job required talking so well you got your enemy to spill whatever secrete they thought they could hide. The thought gave him a proud smile as a drop of water rolled down his face. He rubbed it off with the back of his hand and walked out into the sun, letting it warm his already uncomfortable body.

He wasn't suffering alone, though. Soldiers were either fighting, trying to earn some extra food, or lazing about. He could already see Farren getting onto some soldiers. Sevrin watched for a moment before watching the Lieutenant leave. Probably heading to Tenko. That would make sense, considering the whole speech thing today. The Fortress was filled with changers, all awaiting the same moment. All standing around unless told otherwise. Sevrin let his disgust at the notion of doing nothing show for a split second before he continued walking again. Laziness was something he just couldn't - wouldn't - understand.

Sevrin started walking again, just going through the Fortress and looking over things. He wasn't going anywhere in particular. There wasn't much for him to do at the moment besides wait for orders or the day's planned event. How many Pack members were also waiting for today's speech, he wondered. It seemed like it would be easier for the pack if they stayed in their usual hideout. Why take the risk of getting stuck with the Army? No doubt they'd be killed on sight. The heat was making everyone a little edgier today. But Sevrin never doubted the nerve of other people. A Pack member could be standing behind him, or in a tree somewhere - whatever - waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Cause a commotion. A distraction. Kill somebody. Get some information.

His mind was making up scenario's a little too fast now.

Sevrin ran another hand through his hair, which was now dry. He'd cross the bridge of Pack members when it came up. Although, he wouldn't mind having someone to crack under pressure.

It'd give him something to do.

Sevrin continued walking through the fortress and, with a smile, greeting everyone he passed who bothered to listen, only stopping for a moment to spare a few extra words with children. He liked talking to them... finding out who'd turn into a future fighter and who'd end up too soft to harm anything. It was always interesting watching them grow up and seeing your predictions come true.

He thought for a moment. Was that weird? Eh, coarse not. He glanced at the sky, then around him, and before he knew it, he was making his way down the walkway. Sevrin wasn't necessarily needed or commanded to be there when Tenko decided to make his speech, but it was a hell of a lot better than standing around in the crowd, wasting his time. With unintentionally quiet steps, he was soon standing near the others. He gave them all a respectful nod, a courteous smile, and looked around him again. Gathering his surroundings for a moment. So this was what it felt like... to have a little more power than Sevrin actually did. He raised an eyebrow and took in the sight of Tenko.

"The vast majority of them are rooting for you, sir," Sevrin told him, popping one of his knuckles, "but you being nervous won't keep them on your side."

Darvo looked at Atimisha and smiled. ''No worries. I'm in a good mood today.'' He looked at Leila and then at Artimisha before looking back at Kai. They were good pack members for sure though he was waiting for the others to return. He was guessing they were at the Army but he wasn't sure. He hoped they were, listening to plans of the Army. If he could find out the plans, his chances to get to the resevoir would be much better. And the resevoir would be his, forever. He had promised himself that it would be his, and he would almost do anything for it. It had been his main goal for quite a long time now and he was sure that one day, the resevoir would be his. And the pack wouldn't have to worry anymore about getting enough water. Then, there would always be water and that was a good thing to know. They needed fresh water and the resevoir would be the outcome.

''Alright, I'm going to see where the other pack members are.'' He looked at the three girls, smiled and walked away. Humming something to himself, thinking about where they possibly could be. He wanted to know if they were alright and so was going to check. He wasn't scared to go to Aethes, but he wasn't always sure of it either. He didn't want to get caught ofcourse, but he did have that risk. But he needed to be sure if the pack members were alright and if they already had discovered something of the Army. He wanted to know about their new plans and he would get to know soon, he was sure of that. Aslong as the pack members were safe though. He needed them and he couldn't lose them. They were already with so little members and if he would lose members he wouldn't stand a chance. He needed his pack to get to the resevoir, so no one could die. He didn't want them to die, at all.

"The plants do have a slim chance of surviving. So, if we don't see them sprouting again within at least a week we can come back and dig up the roots before they die." Kai replied as Artemisha mention the lack of water.

''Alright, I'm going to see where the other pack members are.''

She heard Darvo say just before he turned and made his way through the ruble. He'd always seemed so concerned for each of his pack members. Though, he did have this cold side to him that Kai knew could be dangerous, she also knew that he did care for them, one way or another. She turned her attention away from Darvo as Artemisha answered her question about what they were out doing. "I see. I woke up late and decided to find out where everyone might have gone. Then Darvo suddenly came up and then you two. It is rather warm out today isn't it?" She said, peering around the broken, tattered building. What was this place used for in the past before all of this destruction? Kai often wondered this about all of the buildings. Why did this building, all of the buildings, turn into such a mess? When and how did they become so empty? Her eyes glazed over with a sad thought. How many people have died in this very building?

Kora Neverwinter - The Fortress

Potatoes were ghastly. They were for Murin and the rest of the small, inferior creatures that could exist on dull, beige carbohydrate without any complaint. If that worked for them, fine...but the canine inside Kora had been crying out for more...visceral sort of foodstuff.

A lizard was basking on a rock outside the compound, attempting trying to will some warmth into its skin, when it was suddenly set upon by an enormous, rust-coloured blur. Large, toothy jaws clamped down on the unfortunate creature and tore it clear in half, pinning the forlorn remains under one wide paw.

The predator in question, who had cut the ill-fated reptile's life short, dropped beck into a sitting position, chewing on the top half of the animal experimentally. The beast resembled a very large, thick-furred dog. Breedless, though its build hinted towards old dog breeds like the akita. It had a long snout and a tall, broad sort of build, made to seem large by the thick fur that it was wrapped in.

Most people passing the area would recognize the dog to some degree. It was often swanning about the place, keeping a check on things...though the big catch was that it didn't always look like a dog. The residents of the reservoir would be been a bit bemusing to human-kind, considering that each individual knew one another not as one face, but as two.

As the huge canid enjoyed its meal, its long ears twitched, hearing a cheer go up from the inside of the compound. Damn, she was running late. She found that timekeeping was a bit hard to do as a dog. Dogs lived in the present. They didn't consider the regrets of the past, or the consequences of the future, what was important to them was the here and now...a philosophy that Kora Neverwinter could definitely subscribe to. Up until that point the 'now' had been acquiring some food that wasn't damn blasted potato...though quickly the 'now' was becoming 'head over to the speech and at least show your face'. Gulping down the second piece of lizard, the dog rose to its feet and set off at a gallop.

Not long afterwards, perhaps a few minutes later, the figure of a red-haired young woman stepped out, approaching the rest of Tenko's 'inner-circle' as it were. She was tall and fairly athletic, skin rather on the pale side for the harsh sun...it certainly wasn't ideal. She was dressed in a heavy red coat and gloves, along with a few other items that she had pulled on after taking her human form....though Kora had forgotten one thing. The area around her mouth was still smeared with dark red lizard blood.

In truth the speech hadn't really concerned her. Kora wasn't exactly one for the propaganda side of things. She didn't doubt that it was important to some degree, but it just wasn't her thing. Kora raison d'etre was combat. It was what she was good at and it was what she loved. The adrenaline rush of getting out and sinking your teeth into an opponent was something that couldn't be rivalled by making a nice speech or finding some interesting information. It was just indescribable.

"Everything go well?" the lupus asked, leaning back and folding her arms, giving the impression that she wasn't over-concerned either way.



Caddie Hallow - The Fortress

As the cheers went up, the small, rather precarious piece of cable being used as a perch, shook in a rather alarming manner. The scruffy little pigeon, balanced precariously upon it, splayed its wings out in an attempt to steady itself. Most things that ended up near the compound risked being eaten...though this creature had the advantage in that its outward appearance was so unappealing that many of the predatory skinwalkers would not even dignify such a thing by eating it. The bird was a scrawny, greyish thing, its feathers smeared in dirt and grime, feathers askew and unpreened. It seemed free of mutation...but was possibly diseased. Pigeons often carried diseases...plus the covering of dirt was certainly not hygienic.

...though it was deliberate...to some degree. Underneath it lay the distinctive red 'heart' mark that set this particular pigeon out from the scraggly feral creatures that inhabited the city in small numbers. This pigeon had a purpose.

....it was a pity that her purpose was something she was frequently distracted from.

Caddie tilted her head, leaning forwards on the perch and attempting to hear any of the conversation issuing from around the leader of the fortress. She supposed she could get closer, though that thought made her a bit nervous..she didn't want to be caught. She quite liked it up on the wire thought...wasn't that a song? Like a bird, on the wire....nope..she couldn't remember it. She was getting side-tracked. She was supposed to be finding things out...and hopefully remembering them so she could tell the others. So far little of what had been said was much worth noting. Caddie hadn't really intended to be there, but her bird side had a tendency to 'home' when she changed, and she sometimes used it to attempt to get hold of anything useful.

Thankfully for her, most of the ordinary grunts in the army were under the impression that she'd been dead for months, so had not really been on the look out for a dove. Pretending to be dead was certainly a pretty good disguise, as far as she was concerned...though she really didn't want to think too closely as to how she'd ended up in the situation that she had.

The Aveis shuffled along the cable in an attempt to listen...though her mind was more focused on remembering that song.

Atra scanned the perimeter as Tenko began his riveting speech. He could see an Aveis overhead, but couldn't tell if it was Liron or one of his minions on patrol. No doubt the spymaster would have agents littered about the crowd today, keeping close monitor of anything suspicious. Kriana, the army's physician, had wiggled through the crowd and found a place up front just minutes before Tenko began. Atra grinned as he recalled their bickering in the past; His stubborn nature to continue over training when heavily fatigued, and her strict medical advice against it. He returned her nod with a casual wink.

Tenko's words continued to rain down like a crackling thunder storm, echoing into the open area of Changers as they listened in silence. Astra scoffed as he took note of the crowd's reaction - their barely contained excitement dancing behind cheerfully glazed eyes and hopeful smiles. It made the Ariad uneasy. Naive fools...

"Look at them eat it up," Atra snapped quietly over to Sevrin and the first lieutenant, "As if they march our marches and fight our battles. So long as we have a reservoir, they could care less about a proper civilization."

A sudden clamor of cheers and applause ignited the air. Atra glanced over to see Tenko raising his arms as if he had just won a war. The deafening sound of support continued to shower the leader as he turned and walked over to Lorelai and his subordinates.

"Well that went better than expected."

"Naturally." Atra nodded, walking past his leader while surveying the many faces in attendance. He delicately placed his fingers along the handle of one of his knives as he watched Changers in human and animal form exit the gathering site.

Tenko's strong, powerful voice rang across the city, andthe young woman was practically glowing with pride. The expressions on the civililian's faces.. their cheering voices... Lorelai couldn't help but smile. This is what she lived for. These people deserved a better chance at life, and she was going to do all she could to help them. But Atra's voice snapped her out of it, her sensitive picking up on the low tone.

"Look at them eat it up," Atra snapped quietly over to Sevrin and the first lieutenant, "As if they march our marches and fight our battles. So long as we have a reservoir, they could care less about a proper civilization."

Lorelai glanced sharply at him, her golden eyes narrowing a little. "They're still people. And don't forget... Without them, we aren't a city, now are we?" She looked at them. That kind of atitude would not do... She would have ot talk to them later. The advisor turned to Tenko as he walked over to them.

"The speech was great," Lorelai smiled at him, her voice quiet. "They loved you." They really had. With the joy and excitement, there was also adoration. He was their beloved leader after all. The one who had saved them from a life of solitude and starvation. The people were exiting and she gazed around a little. There was a dove flying around, she noticed. There weren't that many of them. Maybe it was a new changer?

Darvo looked at Artemisha and then looked away, not even daring to look back. She had seen his moves and now knew something was wrong. He tried to hard not to show but it showed through, now he had to tell what had happend. How stupid could he be to stop and say a friendly 'Hello' to them when he knew they would see his signs when something was wrong. He could beat himself up now for acting so stupid. Couldn't he think this would happen? He had just needed to go straight to his cabin and act like nothing had happend. But no, he had to be stubborn and say 'Hello'.

He raised his head and looked back at Artemisha, his smile now gone and showing, for the first time, pain. Slowly, got his hands from behind his back to Artemisha so she could see. He didn't want to remove the piece of fabric and hesitated at that point, thinking wether to remove it or not. He dediced to remove it after a while. Slowly, he removed it before looking away again, not wanting to see the big gash on his palm. And the blood still dripping from the wound, now on the ground. He didn't want to look. He wasn't scared of blood or for the wound, but for the respond of the others.

Kai watched Darvo suspiciously as he came back. The good mood he was in had changed and it seemed he was rather upset about something. Before he fully approached them she realized he put his hands behind his back. Something really wasn't right about him. For a moment Kai believed he was going to walk right pass them without speaking but he stopped hesitantly and managed a "Hello". Kai's golden eyes met with his for a split second, which seemed to look quite angry despite his "some-what smile" before she looked back at the ground. After Artemisha asked whether anything happened, Darvo revealed a large wound on his palm. She sighed and pulled the backpack off of her shoulder and set it on the ground. Kneeling in front of it, she unzipped the front pocket of the back pack and pulled out one of the flower tops she had picked earlier. After zipping the pocket back up she stood and held out her open hand to Darvo, the flower sitting in her palm. "All you have to do is crush up the flower petals." She said firmly. "If you don't do something about it, it'll get infected."

"Kai...hand me the bandages,if you don't have them,my bag's down back in the sleeping quarters.And...do we still have enough clean water to wash his wound clean?"

Artemisha asked and Kai shook her head. "All I have is some clean cloth. I didn't bring any water with me either." she replied blankly. "But we could wrap it up and then when we get back to the base do something more for it." She suggested. It would be a ten minute walk to and from the base if she ended up going back for some bandages. Kai looked at Darvo, who seemed to be in deep thought. How can you just stand their silently while Artemisha is helping you? Why would you try to hide something like this from us? Your own pack members? How stupid and arrogant can you get!? Kai wanted to yell at him, but she kept a calm, doll-like appearance as she looked at him, her eyes moving down to where the wound on his palm was. You're such an idiot sometimes.., she thought to herself, then pulled out a brown piece of cloth and handed it out to Artemisha. "I could go back for the bandages, but this will keep it from bleeding too much." She said, glancing back at Darvo before walking past him, making her way back through the ruble towards the base.

Kai climbed over the large piece of cement she had to climb over earlier before she found the flowers. She looked back. Artemisha, Leila, Darvo were barely visible now. She came out of the building and continued walking down the cracked, broken street, taking in the warm sunlight. She let all of her extra senses rest, deciding she didn't have to be too worried about running into any army members this far away from the center of Aethes. During the day there weren't really any stray creatures around either. She sighed, closing her eyes as a gentle breeze swept through the city, picking up some dust. After the dust settled she continued making her way to the base. She smiled faintly. Artemisha is always so worried, she thought to herself, kicking a rock out of her path. She looked up into the sky, it was pretty clear and the sun shone down from the middle of it. "Very warm." She said aloud, wiping some sweat from her forehead before continuing on. "But still nice outside." She made it to the massive pile of ruble that seemed to surround the outer edges of the city and climbed into a small opening and slid down a piece of broken street before softly landing on a dusty ground. Once inside of the base she searched above Artemisha's seat and found her bag. After throwing the bag over Kai's other shoulder, she made her way back to the surface and out onto the open street, swallowing dryly, and started making her way back down the street, still letting her senses rest.

Darvo pulled his hand back at once and looked at Artemisha. ''Thank you for your help. I need to go now.'' He turned around and hurried back to where he came from, Aethes. Something was on his mind making him leave them so quikly. He looked at the Fortress and slowly entered, making sure he stayed out of sight. If the Army would discover him, he would be doomed. Along the way he had made something that could explode, atleast that's what he hoped. He didn't even care about his hand anymore. He looked at Tenko and narrowed his eyes. He was listening and looking around, trying to break through and go to the front line. He was sure this would work but he had his hesitation. Who not dared wouldn't win. He could always try and just hope he wouldn't get caught. That wouldn't be good at all, getting caught. Then he would be in big troubles.

''Thank you for your help. I need to go now.'' He had started hurrying back to...Aethes.
"But!Darvo!We haven't bandaged up your wound!Wait!" Artemisha yelled out,following him quickly.He was quick...and he had a headstart.
'Stupid!What do you think you'll accomplish if you can't even let that hand of yours heal?Every little thing matters!' she thought angrily as she chased after the white haired leader.

Kai finally made it back to where Artemisha and Leila were just in time to watch Darvo rush off. "Hey wait a minute!" she called after him, but was too late. She walked up to Artemisha and handed her the back pack she had retrieved. "I see he must be doing something urgent." She said, feeling rather irritated at his carelessness for his wound. She sighed again. "He'll probably lecture me later, but I should probably go follow him." She looked over to Artemisha. "He's headed towards the center of Aethes. Whether he likes it or not, infiltration is my role on this pack." She smiled faintly at Leila, then looked back up at Artemisha. "I'll be back with him." she said, once again smiling at Leila before turning and running in the direction Darvo went before Artemisha could say anything. When she was out of eye shot from them, she stopped and began to walk, carefully listening as she neared the center of the city. She could hear the sound of applauding in the distance and she still hadn't caught up with Darvo. If he plans on doing something alone, he's a fool, she thought to herself, letting her senses seep out in all directions as she neared the area the applauding was strongest. She peered into the crowd, quickly letting her senses die down because the sound was making her sensitive ears ache. She scanned the crowd. I look to obvious standing still like this, she thought to herself, resentfully raising her hands and clapping loudly with a smile, unusually large for her, on her face as she pushed her way through the crowd. Damn him where is he? She thought to herself, her eyes scanning through all of the changers. Her eyes moved upward to the sky and locked onto what looked like a Kestrel soaring over the overly-sized crowd. She watched the bird for a moment before her eyes began to search the crowd again as she pushed forward. He doesn't even know where the other members of the pack are right now! She stopped smiling and clenched her teeth, though keeping her hands clapping together. Why is it that Lupus's have to act on there own all the time? As she thought this, she was coming closer to the front of the crowd, trying to blend in the best she could as another cheerful smile spread across her face.

The morning sun was approaching the peak of its daily journey, bathing Aethes with its light and warmth. Even though most of the city was gathered near the fortress to hear the Tenko's speech, some eccentric citizens took the opportunity to search the ruins with hopes of finding a hidden treasure amid the ruin. One unfortunate soul had picked today to search in the wrong place at the wrong time. One man was searching through a small pile of debris when he heard faint clicking noises from a tunnel made from the walls of a building that had long since collapsed. The scavenger, a Miao, gazed into the passage, straining his ears to hear what was approaching. The light of the day prevented his gaze from piercing the darkness as well as it normally would have. It would turn out to be his demise. The incredibly faint sounds of breathing could be heard as the thing drew closer. The clicking sound grew louder and louder along with the sound of heavy footsteps. Had he been able to see into the passage, he would have noticed two white eyes that glinted in the darkness. "H-h-hello?", the man stammered. No reply came from within the darkness. His hair stood on end. Every instinct told him to run, and yet he stayed. Silence. The footsteps had stopped. A roar exploded from the tunnel. The man had no time to flee before a massive mutant charged him and knocked him to the ground. A short scream was all that he could manage to get out before the massive mutant ripped out his throat with its massive claws. The mutant began to dig into its most recent victim before it stopped to smell the passing wind. Food... That one thought crossed its mind before it stood upright to find the source of the scent.

The shambling mutant closely resembled a grizzly bear, but that was a stretch. It easily stood at nine feet tall on its hind legs. Its short dust-colored coat was stained red with the aftermath of its recent victim. It's long paws (more similar to hands than paws) were covered in blood and its three inch long claws were eager to draw more blood. The massive canines that protruded from beneath its lips had a faint sheen from the creatures saliva. The creature was born to end lives.

The beast had managed to follow the scent trail all the way to the open ground where the majority of citizens had gathered for the speech. As it entered the area, only one woman noticed its entrance. Her eyes widened in terror as they met with the white eyes of the mutant. It was a moment that seemed to last for an eternity. The moment was shattered as the beast roared and the woman screamed at the same time, sending the crowd into a panic. The crowd ran in every direction possible, trying to flee as fast as they could from the monstrosity while at the same time trying to not get trampled. As they scattered, the mutant dropped to all fours and charged into the crowd to claim its meal. Those unfortunate enough to be caught in its path were knocked over and maimed. Darvo was one of the unfortunate ones. As the crowd scattered, he had just enough time to turn around to see the mutant charging towards him. Before he could flee, the massive mutant slammed into him, launching him a short distance before falling flat on his back on the ground. There was no time to properly recover before the mutant returned. One swipe of its paw left four ragged gashes in Darvo's midsection. Shock set in immediately as Darvo saw his blood spray across the dirt in an arc. Two more swipes to the stomach and chest sent more blood splashing in the dirt. An oppressive weight seemed to settle over Darvo's limbs. He knew death had come to claim him. The mutant's roar sounded muffled and far away, as if it was at a great distance. The last thing he could feel was the creature sinking its massive jaws into his neck and twisting sharply. Then blackness...

The mutant roared in triumph at its successful kills. It eagerly ripped chunks of flesh from its most recent victims and began to feast. Blood smeared its front and dyed its light brown fur a dark crimson. Another triumphant roar was sounded as it moved onto the next victim. The only sounds that could be heard were the wet squelches as chunks of flesh were eaten by the mutant.

A loud roar erupted throughout the crown which sent the citizens running in panic. Kai, barely standing her ground as people pushed by her to get away from the beast, stared in shock at the sight of Darvo lying beneath the monsters feet. Her eyes widened. Dead? Darvo..dead? She clenched her teeth, anger surging through her. She leaped forward, changing into the form of a black fox and running towards the bear-like creature. She let out a loud, intimidating bark and she leaped onto the mutants haunches and sunk her teeth into the back of its neck and dug her claws into the monsters back. After getting the bears attention, she leaped backwards of of it. The beast turned on her, it eyes glaring down at his next target. It swept a large paw towards her and she jumped backward, just barely getting out of the way on time. Her heart was pounding now and she felt so small compared to this creature. She began to back up very quickly, but kept her eyes glued on the mutants large forearms. She glared at the beast. You will pay! she growled in her mind and lunged herself forward, dodging under another swiping paw and raked her claws through the beasts right hind leg before turning to add space between her and the mutant again. Not being quite fast enough, the beast swept its other paw towards her, slamming it into her left side and sending her flying a good six feet. She let out a yelp and landed on her left side, rolling a few times, and then skidding to a halt. Kai slowly stood, barely holding herself up with her left hind leg and she limped a few steps backward, her gold eyes still glaring at the beast and her lips parted in a snarl while the hairs on her shoulders bristled. She knew full well that a few areas in her left leg had been fractured and she already felt her left side bruising from the impact, but she kept her focus on the fight, ignoring the fact that she didn't have a chance taking this thing on on her own.

Out of breath by the time he stumbled onto the scene, it probably wasn’t Clive’s brightest idea to stop breathing when he saw what happened. Or maybe it was that monstrous roar that set his ears ringing that did the trick, but it was most likely the sight of Darvo being so easily mauled to death. His potato-stuffed shoulder bag slipped from his arm as he tried to utter an intelligible sentence. Only one colorful word made it out properly. It was followed by another – his body wasn’t able to catch up to what his mind was starting to grasp. Their leader was dead?

Even from his distant position, he could see the crimson liquid dye the mutant’s teeth, stain the dark fur of its front… some of it was Darvo’s. Clive grimaced, and subconsciously took a step away from the sight, but he couldn’t pull his gaze away. He vaguely recalled something he’d once heard about the morbid fascination humans have with death. It seemed that it remained true with changers as well. However, be it fascination or shock, he was grateful to it for one thing – his rapid pulse was drowning out the painful screams of the other citizens. He vaguely registered some idiot dashing towards the beast. It wasn’t until she morphed into a black fox he realized who it was and regained his senses. Kai was charging straight towards that monstrous mutant.

“Kai, don’t be stupid!” he shouted, but clearly he wasn’t heard over the noise of everyone else. All the screaming and the roaring grated at his ears and it was difficult to form a coherent thought. “Kai!” he tried again when the mutant slammed a giant paw into her form and sent her flying. That idiot raposa! She was determined to get herself killed! He watched as she tumbled and slowly rose back to her paws. She was going to keep fighting. Conflicted, Clive tried to think… should he run forward to help? ‘And do what? Give the mutant a better meal?’ He could try to drag her away from the beast, ‘but it doesn’t look like she’s gonna listen…’

When had she entered the city, anyway? She’d been at the base when he left… did she come after the mutant had arrived? Before? The monster had come from the rubble…

… Were the others okay?

“Fine! Get yourself killed on your own,” Clive shouted, grabbing his bag before clamoring down from the concrete block he’d scaled earlier. From the rubble, he leapt onto the main path. Following suit with several other civilian changers, he dashed away from the mayhem. Fortunately from past experience, he knew how to navigate a crowd. He could easily slip through the breaks in the flow of people. He didn’t have to worry about Kai too much. She knew her limits well enough… ‘Let’s hope for her sake.’

He didn’t worry too much about some soldier or something tailing him back to the rebel base – all forces were probably focused on that blasted mutant. All the civilian changers were too preoccupied in getting away that Clive was able to break away from the main path with relative ease. From there, it was simple to find the easiest route back to the base. His frantic pace slowed, until he was just ambling across the terrain. Then all of a sudden, the city scenery turned to one of dust and pebbles – it wasn’t a gradual change. The Ruins to the Rubble. As he rounded the corner of one particularly weathered building, suddenly all he saw were mounds of concrete dust and metal fragments. To anyone else, this terrain would be impossible to navigate… but Clive wasn’t just anyone. He was a part of the Pack.

“Leila! Artemisha? The mutant didn’t get’ya, did it?” he called, climbing over one of many piles of debris. He was slowly making his way towards where the base was buried.“Hey! Answer if you’re alright!”

Lorelai almost twitched as she heard the mocking voice of the little spy. Tenko would kill him. The young woman shook her head slightly. She had talked to Hibel a few times and he was quite amusing. She would have to try to calm Tenko down. It was very insulting and she didn't blame him for getting angry... but Hiibel was still a good spy that did his job fairly well. She glanced sharply at the Liron at the sky. No doubt he would be almost as angry as Tenko.

She was about to head back inside when the most gruesome noise stopped her in her tracks. The noise made her cringe in pain as the loud sounds invaded her skull. She looked up and clenched her fists as she saw a large beast devouring the remains of its last kill. Who had it been? Was it one of them? She wasn't sure and that made her nervous.

There were children down there. The thought put her in action and she climbed down the ladder. The soldiers would surely be able to take the beast on. They had done so numerous times. But the young ones were defenseless. They weren't trained and were weak from malnourishment. It would be cowardly to watch safely from above when she could be down there helping. As she went down, she glanced at a couple of the younger soldiers around her.

"Get the young and the elderly away." She ordered, her usual gentle voice ringing with authority. The crowd was starting to panic and they would end up trampling themselves to death if they continued. As soon as she touched the dusty ground, she scooped up a small boy and handed him to a healthy looking woman. Children had to be protected. They were the future.

Growling with anger, Kai got back on her feet, and almost shakily continued to threaten the mutant. It was a dirty beast, which had killed her leader. It was growing difficult to think clearly, through the anger that she felt and the small amount of blood that had been lost. As she gathered her muscles beneath her to leap at the mutant, another Changer, this one a Lupus, made the first move and leapt, with its jaws clamping around the throat of the mutant.

With a grunt of exertion, the mutant reared up onto its hind legs and shook off the Lupus. Taking the chance, Kai leapt upwards, and grabbed on to the scuff on his neck. The dirty fur of the mutant, covered in muck and blood, pressed uncomfortably against her body, and she scrambled with her blunt nails, trying to stay there.

“Get it on all fours…” came an authoritative voice of some man, but she could only hope that they would do something before she fell. The mutant looked at her with its beady eyes, and she felt it shooting her a baleful glare. Then, with a mighty heave, she felt her weakening body start to slide back to the ground. Then, the large paws of the mutant came down closer to her back, intending to break it with a single strike, before she managed to gather the energy to slide away. The blow just managed to miss her, and Kai felt the ground shaking. Giving a high whine, she saw that the mutant was starting to try the same action.

She gave a yelp of fear as she knew that she no longer had the energy to dodge. The fall had caused her cracked bone to fall awkwardly, and it was a dull ache in her side. There was also blood flowing down freely from her flank, and pooling on the ground. Through bleary eyes, she watched as the blow came closer and closer, although, by some strange twist of fate, inches away from her face, the mutant turned its attention towards something else.

A Lupus, in front of it. She couldn’t quite see the features or the details, but knowing that there was almost no hope left for her, she used her final dredges of strength and snapped at his leg - he had to be some Army soldier. Maybe she’d go down, but she tried to avenge Tenko, and tried to take down someone from the Army too. Her eyesight became fuzzy at the edges, and Kai suddenly felt a growing rage. Rage at the mutant, yes, but mostly anger at herself for failing at this. She’d just get up and try again, she decided. Her paws twitched, but her body felt so heavy at the moment. It was so comfortable to just lay here, and Kai’d just rest her eyes.

No! Her eyes snapped open again, and with a grunt, managed to lift her head up slightly to see the mutant’s back facing her. Perfect! He was going to be defenseless. Kai’d just try to do the same move and sweep his legs out from behind him, and then, she’d managed to kill him.

It was just then that the mutant’s back paw crushed down on her back. Crack. Then Kai’s body gave a last shudder, as though trying to fulfill its master’s last wishes, before it became motionless. Blood continued to flow, but without the beat of the heart, started to slow down. The fur of the black fox was almost glistening, and her eyes remained open, frozen in a semblance of anger. Her tail stretched out behind her, as though she was running, and a determined frown marked her last expression. Kai rested close to her beloved leader, and guarded him, like any faithful subordinate, to the very last breath.