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Feel free to get to this whenever. -Just wanted to get it out of the way.- :]
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 She had probably been one of the first in the south west to notice the smell of smoke off in the distance, and the growing plume of ash and debris that was lofted high into the sky. The girl frowned--her family was off in that area. Immediately she began to gather her things--her knife, some lighter tools, her pipe, her stash, her seeds. Although the fire hadn't spread here quite yet, a sixth sense of sorts alerted her to the severity of the situation. It wasn't right to have big fires like this during the spring. The ground was wet and fire shouldn't spread or burn so mightily.
Without a second thought, she dashed off in the direction she had last seen her family, contact and alarm howls sounding the whole time. As she got closer to the fire, she saw just how dire the situation was. Entire forests seemed to be engulfed in flame. Not good, not good. Half a day of dedicated searching brought her to her family, who had still been lingering about after the competition with Skoll.
They had parted ways after the competition, with the knowledge that they'd probably not see each other again for some time. Their unexpected reunion was solemn and undermined by a feeling of urgency. Apache did not trust the fires as well. Helping to keep the anxious and alarmed children together, they noticed off in the distance the trail of wolves that were already beginning to flee the lands. For now, they decided that following them was best--let them scout ahead and find the most efficient pathways.
And so, the Massaquas and the Thirteens began their own personal exodus, trailing along behind the main group but keeping some distance. Eventually they decided to split off in search of lands less chaotic--earlier in the evening, they would begin their own personal search. For now, betwixt two towering pines, they rested, listened, and watched as others passed them by without a word. |
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Skoll had fallen behind the group...been behind them all along, really. Phoenix had woken up sporadically along the way, calling out to his kids as best he could, passing out from all the jostling, waking up and doing it all over again. The big brown wolf was passed out at the time when Skoll encountered Matrix and her family. Nodding to all of them, he turned back around to look down the hill into the valley. All of it burned...even the Concrete Jungle, the towers of steel and glass that the humans made, was suffering damage. A blaze raged high into the sky as Storm and all other tree-filled lands were engulfed in the hungry fires. A superstitious part of him wanted to ask Fenrir what they'd done to deserve this, what or if it wasn't fate, what creature had brought this doom upon them. Instead, he turned back to the Massaquas and the Thirteens, grim-faced.
"I'm glad to see you got out, my friends. I don't know how or why this hell was unleashed on us, but it gladdens my heart to see that you all escaped." He wasn't sure why they had stopped, if not just waiting for him, knowing that he would be one of the very last people to leave, if he left at all. Maybe they had just regrouped to discuss the destruction amongst themselves?
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The children were beginning to grow restless and concerned. As they were under Twilight and Apache's discipline, they were behaving themselves and not all out panicking, but Matrix could tell that the chaos and stress was beginning to take its toll on the youngsters. None of them were able to sleep, even though they might need quite a bit of energy for the journey ahead. Then again, her parents had gotten the nomadic lifestyle down to an art form, so she assumed it wouldn't be too big of a deal to hop about, pausing where they could eat and drink, and moving on again later.
She thought about trying to find them something--even a small hare or at least some water, but she became distracted when Skoll arrived. The adults all rose to greet him, just as relieved to see that he had made it out, too. Matrix peered curiously at the half-dead looking wolf Skoll had in tow, but she assumed it was... someone that needed help. He certainly didn't seem to be in good condition, after all. "Same here," she said. "I'm glad I ran into you, Skoll. I think I'm going to stay with mom and dad and everyone else, at this point... we'll probably branch off from the main trail in a bit after we rest up a bit and decide which way to go. I take it you're still going along after the others?"
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Skoll nodded at the pleasantries and the return of the "glad you're not dead"'s. He shifted Phoenix's weight on his shoulders. He wasn't conscious, or at least if he was, his breathing was regular and wasn't moving around. He looked down at Matrix...he had gotten to know her a lot better during their week of towing her 'furnace' across the city...he would miss her. His amber eyes traveled up to Twilight and Apache, who seemed ready to move. As always, he thought wryly, wishing sometimes that he could accompany them, but knowing that he had a place here, at least until he knew the fate of Storm. There time was short, and the fire was coming, though the family had been well ahead of it for a good while now.
"I've lived here for over three years. You think a little valley-wide all-consuming inferno will keep me away?" He said it with a sad smile, seeing Apache and Twilight near all the kids and being reminded of his youth with Skirnir and SnowOwl. "You take care of yourselves." With that he readjusted Phoenix once again and set off past them in the direction of the fleeing Souls, hoping to find someone with whom he could deposit Phoenix for a while.
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Ok, that's good for this thread. :] Thanks. <3
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She shook her head somewhat--both her and her family secretly wished that he might join them, too. In some ways, the inhabitants of the now (literally) hellish place didn't seem to appreciate the warrior and guardian, and she found this to be sad. Then again, she remembered discussing with Skoll his reasons for remaining in Bleeding Souls to begin with. She understood that he had a strong sense of duty about him, and it made sense that he'd be concerned about his pack. She also knew that he would be fine, so she sighed and dipped her head in farewell as everyone else said their goodbyes.
"Good luck," she called after him, and then turned back to her family. It was time to get moving once more. They needed to get somewhere truly secure before they could really relax and get some rest, and this was apparent to the young hybrid. As they all got up and ready to go, she stared after Skoll for a moment longer. Twilight, in an odd bout of maternal concern, came over to her daughter and placed her hand on her shoulder as a physical manifestation of her mental support. They were a family, and they always had each other.
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