Tiberius's Story

Blue slept for the entire duration it took Mydnyte to carry her back to the hideout. She even slept through the hot water being splashed on her by Tiberius, but after several minutes or so of being on the cot and having a higher than normal temp... she woke up.

At first, she was wondering why her nose was dry and cracked, and not to mention her throat. It hurt to swallow! She grimaced and blinked her droopy eyes for a few seconds before raising her head. She licked her lips and panted, "Why am I soaked in warm water?" It was an out of the blue question, but it seems no one had heard her speak.

They were all busy talking about Summanus and of course, this was the moment Vesta and Amarok rushed out from underneath a cot! It spooked her somewhat, but being so exhausted and dehydrated, Blue could only blink. Did anyone even bother to notice them bolting out and away? Guess not. Well, maybe the wolf that had been laying in the cot above where they had been.... "Nova!"

Blue coughed, trying to wet the insides of her mouth, "What happened to you? And your eyes..." She had stood up and stepped off her cot to get closer to Nova.... and Khan apparently. "How did you even make it here?" She nudged Nova's neck with her nose as if trying to make sure he was real and alive. Her amazement at Nova and Khan being so brutally wounded kept her from mourning over her lost pendant.

"I can't beli-" Her voice cut off once she saw Tiberius... She wanted to growl at him but instead, an inkling of a memory flitted across her mind. It was brief but... It kept her from becoming aggressive toward him for no reason. "Do I know you, fishscales?" Her brows knitted together at the familiarity of this strange wolf as she tried hard to place him. Fishscales. Blue water. Green fea-

Blue shook her head and winced, "Ah, nevermind this place is far too hot. It's making me dizzy." She sat beside Durandel, "Why couldn't you have been a flower wolf, Khan? That way we'd be fighting in a field of flowers instead of this hot mess." Her voice was raspy and her eyes were red hinting, at tears she had shed moments earlier. She looked defeated in every aspect. This talk of hers was just automatic behavior that she couldn't help.

Inside, Blue's soul had seemed to shrivel up and disappear the moment she had realized the hard truth.

Finding her pendant was... unlikely.

Finding her way out of this mess... was unlikely.

There was a hollowness in her chest, as she closed her eyes. "It is likely that after all of this is over, not all of us will be able to group together like this. That being said," Blue looked up towards Fang and Mydnyte, "What are we going to do now?"

She wanted the most dangerous mission there was, knowing the more dangerous it was, the likelihood that she would not come out of it alive.

When Vesta and Amarok burst from beneath his caught, Nova had been flirting with unconsciousness. Though the water wolf had left just moments before, and he hadn't felt any particularly tiredness distinct from his general discomfort, something about laying in a world of darkness made drifting to sleep seem natural. Not so after two shewolves shot out from under his bed. Vesta's disturbance had been fairly benign compared to Amarok's, who jostled him hard enough that his head knocked into the wall with a thud. From the speed of their flight, he doubted that his subsequent swearing even caught up with their ears.

Trying to return his new status quo, Nova settled back in a degree grumpier. Although he had tuned the general bickering about Summanus out, one word pierced his mental block. His own name. "Nova!" It was Blue's voice. It was a pleasant shock to hear her awake, from the general mutterings of the others the Ausi had supposed that she had been rather hurt. Perhaps it was worse than he had thought, he had never heard her sound concerned for him. What he would give to see that.

"Don't worry, dearest Dey," Nova responded, unable to resist the old callback, "it ain't as bad for me as you think. I'll never have to stay up to take watch again." He wondered how she looked, her voice sounded rather weak. At least in comparison to Durandel, anyway, but perhaps he wasn't the best standard for comparison. After feeling her nudging, thankfully more gentle than that nurse wolf had been, he heard her grunting at the water wolf. Good. If it made him feel uncomfortable enough, maybe he would go and get more water.

"It is likely that after all of this is over, not all of us will be able to group together like this. That being said, what are we going to do now?" Sleep, drink, and be weary. That was his vote. Hadn't they done enough damage to the enemy and themselves for one day? Besides, how many knew where they were? They had to be relatively safe here.


He had nearly finished giving the fire wolf his share of water when the black wolf startled him. "Do I know you, fishscales?" No, of course she didn't. No one here knew him, and he didn't know any of them. He thought this awkward situation had already been established. "N-no. I'm jus' here ta help, though I ain't the best..." Tiberius said, his voice trailing off as he saw her visibly lose interest. Quickly finishing his work, he grabbed the pail between his teeth and shuffled back towards Blossom.

"We shouldn't be here, Feathers..." the water wolf said, more wearily than uneasily. He couldn't shake the black wolf's question. Fishscales. It was a unique enough nickname, and not really that accurate. It's not like he had any fish skin...at least that he could see. Just a fin. Maybe that's why no wolf ever called him that since had they had been with Drais.

Fang just scratched at his ear and gave a sigh. "It's too dangerous to get up and move around, we've already had two of our group just bolt off for no good reason. Right now, we need to regroup with the rest of the Resistance if we're going to do anything else. Except it's going to be difficult to move when quite a bit of you are injured. I can't carry all of you by myself." Fang answered.

Blue was itching to move, and give her stress a physical outlet but everything was working against her. By the time anything actually happens, I'll be dead from all this stress. Why won't things ever go my way for once!? Her ears twitched, the only outward sign of her irritation.

With a quick sniff. "I know your in there Resistance, this is one of the rendezvous points. I'm coming in and I'm not looking for a fight. Don't worry no one else is around." As Augue finishes talking, he walks up to the front door and looks in before entering.

Blue got to her paws instantly, save for a small moment where she swayed, she thought she looked intimidating. She was growling and baring her teeth like an honest warrior however... it really didn't suit her. Especially since her teeth were only half bared and the growl she had hoped to sound aggressive ended up... Well, sounding like a young cub trying to snarl. It all ended in a cough. Yeah, Blue pretending to be half heartedly aggressive at any other time would make even the most serious wolf laugh, yet in this situation it showed her dedication to her part as a spy.

Had she actually taken this seriously, she would have proven her mother's bloodline in ferocity alone. That aside, even though she was a spy and a soldier, deep inside she just wished for all the fighting to stop. She was not bloodthirsty or war hungry like the rest of her siblings were. Though the instincts of a predatory wolf did live in her, she wasn't so quick to act on it... What a poor excuse of an Alvan she would be.

"Fang, what do we do?" Blue barked the question at the young rookie of a leader. With Mydnyte gone, she had assumed he held the power of a leader. "Shouldnt we kill him? What if he's a spy?"

Blue wanted them to fight amongst themselves.

Blossom really hoped Fang knew this Blue wolf and that he would tell her quickly when Tiberius appeared beside her. With an empty pail. "We shouldn't be here, Feathers..." The pail is empty...

Blossom looked back at the blind wolf known as Mister Nova and looked back at Tiberius. She did this several times before a feeling of frustration made her want to pluck her feathers out. Of course she didn't do this, nor did she take her anger out on Tiberius but... she couldn't help but grind her teeth. "Just think of it as an adventure, 'Berius. And please can you get some more water? But this time take it to Mister Nova so he can wash out his eyes?" Without waiting for an answer, she tried to grab Mister Fang's attention but he was awfully busy situating everyone and just talking about things that couldn't hold her attention at all.

Blossom was irked with not being able to get anyone to talk to her... since they were all talking! Sometimes at once and apparently two strange she wolves had decided to leave against their leader's commands... And mister Nova fell unconscious! And Mister Mydnyte left, too! Blossom felt like the world was moving in a giant swirl around her and her breathing was... getting to heavy... not enough air...

With a quick sniff. "I know your in there Resistance, this is one of the rendezvous points. I'm coming in and I'm not looking for a fight. Don't worry no one else is around." As Augue finishes talking, he walks up to the front door and looks in before entering.

He looked scarier than the big fire wolf besides Mister Nova, but that was.... Everything was... moving! And the ground was spinning away!

"Fang, what do we do?" Blue barked the question at Mister Fang. "Shouldnt we kill him? What if he's a spy?"

Blossom had had enough of this nonsense, her fur and feathers revealing her annoyance with the way they puffed up.

She snapped, "EVERYONE SHUT YOUR YAPS! WE HAVE HURT WOLVES HERE WHO NEED IT TO BE QUIET! AND NO ONE IS KILLING OR FIGHTING ANYONE!" She raged at the black she wolf who had suggested killing the new scary wolf before turning to face Chaz, "CHAZ YOU'RE NOT USELESS SO PLEASE STOP CRYING! NOW! NO ONE ELSE IS LEAVING THIS PLACE UNTIL I CHECK EVERYONE FOR SERIOUS OWIES." The little she wolf stood strong and confident for once. Maybe it's cause she was emulating a mad Drais? If she really was trying be like Drais, then even the biggest wolf here would be afraid of her and do as she said, regardless of her size and age. "Now, I'm sorry for shouting but Mister Fang," she cleared her throat, "I'm sure this stranger isn't so scary but please, can you answer my earlier question?"

The salve given to him by the young nurse seemed to be working, as some of the swelling had begun to recede. Having applied a bit of the excess goop to the pad of his paw, Nova picked at some of the glass that he had stepped on with his teeth. He managed to pull a couple shards out while he listened to Durandel pine.

"I'm glad to see your still with us. Seeing all of his on death's door was starting to bring me down. I wish we didn't have to fight anymore...I wish we could all just come together and talk through our problems rather than commit to bloodshed."

Nova spat out particularly nasty shard before pressing his paw into his fur to stem the bleeding. "Might be sadder, but sure is a lot easier to fight, mate. Have you ever heard two wolves argue without getting angry? The strong don't need to reason. Wolves like to prove they're strong rather than preach it," Nova responded with a grimace. His pad felt like it was on fire, but perhaps he would be able walk on it without causing further damage.

"In fact you know what happened when I tried to talk to my pack about Rashid? It was right after our prison break. It was almost like they didn't want to believe all this was because of him, because that would mean that we would have to stop our-" Nova continued, before he was decisively interrupted by all sorts of snarling and shrieking. It was the little healer wolf that ultimately won the noise war, but Nova was more focused on wishing she would snap her yap than wondering why she raged. Something about owies.

After she quieted down, Nova returned to his first thought. "Case in point mate. It'd be much easier to deal with a screamin' pup like that with a quick swipe of the claws than talking it out."


Tiberius had just begun to reluctantly follow his friend's wishes to go back out to the street for more water when he was stopped by the sight of the new fire wolf approaching. As he still counted new wolves as hostiles until proven otherwise, the Arlyne quickly ducked back inside the hospital to wait for the stranger to pass. However, the Tenneth followed him in, and so Tiberius slunk back towards Blossom. A mistake apparently.

After dropping the bucket in visible shock of his friend's outburst, it took Tiberius a moment before he sprang to action. Scared for her safety, especially since she probably just ticked off every wolf present, the Arlyne tried to get between her and Fang, the nearest wolf to her. "S-sorry sah!" Tiberius said quickly, backing his rump into Blossom to try and open some distance between her and the Kamarian. "S-she's just crazy, okay? Feathers hasn't had water in a good long while, an' you've all been so kind ta' us, I-I'll jus' take her an' me out the back an' we'll get out of your furs, yeah?"

He turned to try and body-block his friend from getting back into the fray, trying to encourage her through gritted teeth. "C'mon, Feathers. We don't belong here..."

Fang Hunter and Durandel

He didn't like to hear it and would like to tell Nova, "Now that's just the pessimism talking", but he's right. As far as he wants that for himself or anyone else he knows, he understands why. After all of the things they've seen and experienced...he could feel himself starting to think the same way. All of their struggles have been answered by one thing, fighting. And if it wasn't fighting one thing, then it's fighting with each other like right now. He was getting tired of it too and being injured didn't help much with that either. That was when Nova went into this reminiscence about a prison break when the wolf with the one wing decided to just yell at everyone. Nice one.

Durandel then half-expected to hear Mydnyte yell back at the outburster until he remembered Fang was in charge for the moment. Of course, they hardly listened to Mydnyte it seemed for half the time, so will anyone even listen to Fang? That was when Nova leaned in with his last words.

"Case in point mate. It'd be much easier to deal with a screamin' pup like that with a quick swipe of the claws than talking it out."

Durandel wasn't quite sure what to say to that. All he could think of was, "We just got to find another way." He spoke as he shook his head and sigh. Fang was quite surprised to hear all of that come from the young Wolf that had just entered their presence. He could see why Mydnyte could be so grouchy all the time. This is some tough work. Fang scratched behind the ear again. He was worried about the new sudden voice of a stranger, where any wolf in his position, would not trust. Yet, he didn't believe killing everyone outright isn't right. He just looked over to Blossom as Tiberius was trying to shove her away. "You want to know who Blue is? She's the Wolf you just yelled at." Fang answered as he pointed his nose towards Blue. That was then Fang walked past her to go and meet this mysterious Wolf.

"Alright, but if you want to talk, you'll stay right there." Fang said to the stranger. He looked back to the others. "Blue, I'm going to go talk to him. If you hear anything strange, then I want you to get everyone out and keep them safe alright?" He told Blue, a tone of seriousness that you wouldn't expect to hear from out of Fang. Fang then turned to the door and said, "Alright stranger, you have my attention but you better not try anything suspicious. I may not look it, but I'm fast and I can stop you dead before you could do anything else. And I would really hate for it to have to come to that." Fang warned. "So, then, what do you want?" Fang asked.


_________________________




Mydnyte was quite relieved to see Amarok alright. She was pretty good with her shadow play so it wasn't as bad as he thought to lose those guards. Still they could have her scent, once they get back they will have to leave right away. He then watched as the young Kamarian walked up to him to say her thanks.

"Well that was fun. Good job finding me. Still no sign of Vesta. Hope she is ok. So you wouldn't happen to know were to go from here would you? I got kinda turned around. And when are we going to meet up with the rest of the resistance?

"What in the hell where you thinking!? Huh!? Running off like that!? Did you know you could have gotten yourself captured or worse, killed!?" Mydnyte barked at Amarok while keeping his voice low and quiet. Mydnyte then quickly calmed himself as he let out a breath. "Look, just don't run off like that again, unless we tell you. Alright?" He said finishing his reprimand. "Come on let's go, I know how to get back to the others." He said as he walked on expecting Amarok to follow. As Mydnyte moved on, he made his way back towards the hideout without any notable problem. That was until he returned to see a strange wolf standing before the shop.

Backtracking, Mydnyte stooped low and hid behind a corner wall. He looked on, sizing up the newcomer and seeing what kind of threat he imposed. That was when Mydnyte could smell the scent of fresh blood in the air. He followed his nose only to lead his gaze towards a pair of dead Tenneth. Those corpses certainly weren't there when he left but there was something off about it. He didn't see any signs of battle. Not only is there no scorch marks around but judging by the looks on their faces, they were taken by surprise. Now the question is who did them in? Was it one of there's or was it this stranger? If he did turn on his comrades does that make him a friend or foe? He could be an ally or a spy. In Mydnyte's eyes, to turn on one's packmates like that, the reason had better be a good one.

Then Mydnyte stretched out his right front paw signaling for Amarok to stay back. He wanted to observe this newcomer for a bit. See if he could spot out his intentions before attacking. That was when Fang had stopped him by the door to speak with the strange wolf. "What are you doing Fang!?" Mydnyte thought to himself. He had thought he taught him better than to be within striking distance of another Wolf, especially if you suspect he could be a hostile! Now he can only hope, that if he turns out to be a foe, Mydnyte could quickly close the gap between them before serious harm comes to Fang. Mydnyte eyed him carefully looking for any signs of attack, the situation was tense indeed.

"S-sorry sah!" Tiberius said quickly, backing his rump into Blossom to try and open some distance between her and the Kamarian. "S-she's just crazy, okay? Feathers hasn't had water in a good long while, an' you've all been so kind ta' us, I-I'll jus' take her an' me out the back an' we'll get out of your furs, yeah?"
"C'mon, Feathers. We don't belong here..."

Blossom's face was strangely distorted in what one could assume was anger and indignation, an unusual look for a wolf such as the happy go lucky Blossom. "What? No, Tiberius we can't leave now..."

"You want to know who Blue is? She's the Wolf you just yelled at."

Blue, who had been glaring the Tenneth stranger, was startled by the sudden mention of her name to one of the new wolves she hadn't been introduced to. It however didn't bother her enough to look away from Augue. Her emotions needed to be expressed and if it meant attacking this wolf then so be it... though her ulterior motives kept her from outright attacking him in front of the group of rebels. But maybe he could be provoked? Or if he decided on his own to attack, she could attack? No, he looks too smart for that.

Blossom looked toward Blue, and her ears went up while her tail wagged tiredly. Her annoyance and frustration disappeared in an instance as she realized she had kept her promise to Riko.

She wanted to bounce right up to Blue and deliver the message right then and there, but the rising tension in the room got the better of her. "Berius, we found her we can't leave now!" The whisper was directed at Tiberius and hopefully, her friend would stop trying to leave. Couldn't he see how amazing this was? Wolves of fire, ice and shadows were grouped together. And they were fighting together instead of trying to kill each other! Wouldn't Drais, their previous caretaker, think this was amazing as well? "I bet Drais would join them if he met them."

"Blue, I'm going to go talk to him. If you hear anything strange, then I want you to get everyone out and keep them safe alright?" He told Blue, a tone of seriousness that you wouldn't expect to hear from out of Fang. Fang then turned to the door and said, "Alright stranger, you have my attention but you better not try anything suspicious. I may not look it, but I'm fast and I can stop you dead before you could do anything else. And I would really hate for it to have to come to that." Fang warned. "So, then, what do you want?" Fang asked.

Blue flowered, well, she was already glowering and if anything, the area around her just darkened some more. She really wore her moods well.

"Fang, we should just kill him or torture him. I bet he would know what happened to Summanus. We could torture it as well as other secrets out of him," she growled menacingly, ignoring Blossom's earlier outburst about not killing anyone. Blue was not one to be easily swayed. Not this time.

It seemed nothing Tiberius did was getting through to his friend. It was past point of being unsettling. Never before had the two of them been so at odds with what they wanted to do, what their goals were. They had always been a fire-forged team on just about everything. Where to camp, what to play, how to survive, they always did the smart thing. Together. Now, it felt like he was trying to hold her back by the tail from jumping into a fire. Even as she fought him every step of the way.

But it seemed for a moment that finally this dangerously silly sideshow was at an end, and they could finally get off this hellacious mountain. They found Blue. Blossom could finally give her mystery message she had been so fanatical about. The job was done. But her next words killed that hope.

"I bet Drais would join them if he met them."

The words hit like a claw swipe to the face. She couldn't seriously consider joining this rotten pack of wounded mercenaries a good idea! There was no way Drais would have, either. This lot honestly didn't look much different than the group of brutes that kept them locked up in the mines -- and if that Blue one was anything to show for it, spoke like them too. Tiberius didn't care that a few wolves from different packs were getting along in magic racial harmony. That just meant more types of weapons. All he saw was a bunch of wolves who could kill him and Blossom in any conceivable way if they so much as came in the door at the wrong time. He wasn't looking for a new pack. He already had one of those, with Feathers and someday his parents. He just wanted to go home.

A hollow look sat on his features as he looked after Blossom. He couldn't bear to argue with her anymore, he knew he'd say something hurtful if he did. The normally talkative wolf just managed a meek whisper, "P-please jus' say your thing to her, F-featha"

The intensity in the room was growing, and like an inferno waiting to erupt, Blossom was finding it difficult to control herself. Waiting was never her forte.

"P-please jus' say your thing to her, F-featha" Tiberius whispered pitifully.

She hadn't noticed it untill then.

Her best friend looked.... Upset? No, 'Berius couldn't be upset.

She blinked and tilted her head, whispering, "What's wrong 'Berius? You look sick to your stomach."

She cast out the idea of Tiberius being upset and immediately thought maybe that he was sick from the journey or something. He couldn't possibly be upset about the wolves around them, right? Didn't they both need friends? And these wolves here could be their friends, right? Her mind wasn't picking up on his unsettled behavior. Scratch that. It was, but she was denying it. As she was so desperate to keep this newfound feeling of being... Needed. Like she had a purpose and that there was more to this suffering of life then hiding and surviving. These wolves were filling her with hope.

"Maybe you should drink some water?" She half-heartedly smiled. "I know I'm a lil thirsty. Don't worry, I'll tell Blue the message but after all this funny business is over." She poked Tiberius with her nose before turning her attention back to the Conversation about whether or not to kill the fiery stranger.

Tiberius tried to smile and nod, but knowing how hard it would be to do as simple as going to get a drink was too made the false emotion too hard. He just settled with the nod, it wasn't like she was looking anyway. She probably didn't realize how hard it was for him to get the first bucket of water. Or how bad it tasted. It was fine, she had other things on her mind. She always seemed to.

The young water wolf looked around, trying to be disinterested at what was going to happen with the stranger. It didn't help. Even though he wasn't looking directly, the tense energy in the air remained. Besides, everywhere he looked he saw a wolf that looked like he was ready to kill. Savage apprehension kept with him. It felt like his insides were starting seize up, like his heart was being clench to his stomach. It was a rotten feeling, he hated confrontation.

Maybe he would go get water. At least out of this place he could hide. He was at least good at that. Feathers seemed like she could handle herself. He'd go get water for her and him, she'd finish her thing, and then they could get back to real life.

Blue's earlier words fell on deaf ears and no one else appeared to care much about her opinion of this wolf. Had she not got their trust anymore? Or had she simply never had it since the beginning? Wait, no. All signs point to their trusting me, but maybe they're too exhausted? Blue shook out her coat, forcing her bruised into a sitting position.

While her mind pondered on what action to take next, her body was aching. She must have a bump on the back of her skull from hitting her head so hard earlier. Or maybe a scratch? She wouldn't know. All that she did know was that later on, she could sit and look over the big welt she's going have on her shoulders since seeing a bruise is out of the question when she has a dark black coat. At least my dark coat is quite useful in situations like these. With that thought, she moved her hurting body, "Well then, while you decide if this wolf is worthy making friends with, I'll go get more water for Khan and Nova." She bit into the pail Tiberius had been using and walked out of the hide out. Although she did glare harshly at the Augue fellow on her way pass him.

Once outside, she quickly into a nearby alley where dropped the pail and let out a sniff.

Smoke.
Ashes.
Cinders.
Blood.

It would be impossible for her to find her pendant. The woes of being her right now were enough to make even the purest wolf give up all hope. And that is exactly what she had decided on moments earlier. Wouldn't it be better if she accidentally got herself killed? Death, right now, was looking like the better option out of this mess. But the chances of that happening were actually slim to none. In fact, out of this whole battle, she was probably the only with such a guarantee. Her superiors wouldn't allow her to die, not when she was so useful.

Blue coughed, and made herself move into a limping trot toward the place the Rebels had spoken of before. Maybe she could find Summanus? Accidentally shove him into the line of fire and then heroically save him but not in time to get him to a medic? Ah, what a plan. She probably could have done that with Nova... Too bad he had no eyes now. He can get himself killed without her help now.

*****

Blue was higher up on the side of the volcano in which she thought was the better part of the neighborhood. Sneaking around was quite easy for her over here than it was closer to the factory, er, or where the factory used to be.

"Where are you going?" A tendril of darkness slithered around Blue's paws.

She froze, "I'm going to wait for the Rebels to show up at Prometheus's holdings. It's only a matter of time before they show up there."

"A bold move. Go ahead, and do as you will until we come back for you..."

Blue relaxed visibly as the darkness near her paws disappeared. She looked up toward the rock dens the Tenneth's had carved into the side of the volcano and panted. All she had to do was wait...

Luckily for her, some passing Tenneth guards and what she thought was a Borak, were talking... loudly. She focused on their words.

"... The two tailed mercenary turned out to be such a let down." The Borak groaned, ears down as he walked. "Thought he would have put up more of a fight."

"Well, he's down in Prometheus's personal prison now. At the torture of the Promethean high guard. Pretty soon he'll be dead and then maybe ya can shut your mouth bout two tailed wolves." A Tenneth growled.

"Yeah, what is with you Boraks and having more than one tail? It's unnatural..." The three guards continued walking out of earshot, unaware of the wolf that had been eavesdropping on them.

Her ears were standing at alert while her tail was so very still. So that's what happened to Stormy. She raised her head out of the barrel she was hiding in... Wouldn't it be fun to go and gloat?