Arrival

[Tsukikage]

[ooc] Gotcha. I think I'm getting the hang of this. [/ooc]

Shimo pulled his wings back and spread them wide, surprising himself with their size. He tried moving them around, resulting in very awkward contortions, until he managed to fold them against his sides. He quickly began smearing Mar's body with what Hitoban had brought back. "What about Wahya?" Shimo asked, "He's still... he..." His face contracted to fight back tears. Regaining his composure, he looked Hitoban in the eyes, "He's still a threat."

Back at camp, Tsuki had recovered, but was still too weak to move, so Kage carried him. It was a strange sight: Kage was the force behind Tsuki's body, and it seemed to move very deliberately, but Tsuki's head was still unconscious; Kage's own face waas superimposed over his brother's, allowing him to direct their movements. He did not bother speaking, and just followed as best he could under his load.

[Wahya Ayawisgi]

Giga continues to kick and roll trying to get out of Hina's grip, "LET ME GO DAMN IT!" Giga tries to grab ahold of some limb of hers, but he can not reach. He stops then justs lays with a wicked smile on his face.

[ooc] ahhh I see[/ooc]

[hitobannofokkusu]

*Dawn led the others swiftly to the waterfall and didn't stop to marvel at the gigantic tumbling beauty before she took over as Beta. She pulled Maname over and gave her rapid instructions.*

Maname, take everyone except Tsuki and Kage down to the bottom of this pond. There will be an opening. Climb in through that opening and keep an eye on things. If anything gets out of hand, swim out and come and fetch me. I'll be behind the waterfall. Got it?

I...think so...

Good, now go right now.

*She gave her a little shove and she moved to the edge of the pond. She looked back at everyone and tilted her head toward the water. Then she dove in and swam to the bottom, Daisuke right on her tail, then emerged in a dry cave. It was spacious, with two other rooms attached. She shook herself off and waited for the others to follow.*

*Hina rose an eyebrow at the smiling Giga.*

You look insane. Wipe that stupid grin off your face. She spoke through clenched teeth. She wouldn't let go if she lost a tooth. She dragged him to the edge of the pond and jumped in, hoping to every god she knew of that he wouldn't make her drown.*

*Dawn turned to Tsuki and Kage and smiled. She moved to the cliff edge and jumped up on it.*

This is our home. Can you manage to get him back here, or do you need my help?

*She looked behind the tumbling water and could just barely make out the edge of a bed. So they'd left it as-is when they ran away with their tails between their legs. Good. That would save her some energy. She looked back at the boys and waited for them.*

*Meanwhile, Hitoban had finished putting the goop onto Mar. She turned to Shimo and smiled.*

"I think Dawn and Hina can handle him until we get there. Dawn and I used to fight bears when we were pups, and Hina specializes in fighting. The siblings each have a different specialty, even though they can all do each other's specialty, they aren't...well special at it. Hina's the fighter, Daisuke's the tracker, and Maname's the healer. Now...how are we going to get Mar back?"

[Tsukikage]

Kage smiled up at Dawn with a strained look on his face. The body was damp with perspiration, and shaky with an unseen burden. "I... don't think so... hehe." Kage replied. He turned his head, in doing so, Tsuki's rolled off to Kage's shoulder, as if he'd been carried by a more traditional method. "Hey, bro," Kage whispered, "this is it. We're home. At long last."
"Ngh..." Tsuki mumbled as he came to, his voice sounding still very weary. "Home?" He looked around from under heavy eyelids with his swore neck and head. "Put... put me down, Kage."
Kage acquiesced in the most peculiar manner imaginable. He rolled Tsuki off of him ont the floor, as if he were shedding a coat. Tsuki fell lightly, and began to breath easier as the only inhabitant of his body. Kage, on the other hand, was quivering from tail to snout, his muscles aching from complete exhaustion. Both brothers were coated with a layer of sweat, glistening in the sunlight. Kage tried to move forward, but ended up on his face, breathing sporadically at best. "I... can't move... Dawn..." he grunted pathetically into the dirt, "Body... won't..." He sentence ended there, and he focused on recovering. I don't get it... my body doesn't really exist, right? Then why am I so beat?

As Kage pondered this, Shimo had his own dilemma to solve. "I don't think we can get him back --not by ourselves, anyway..." He plodded off and held what was left of Tsubasa between his paws. "If I could transmute, I could carry him back by moving the ground, but I don't have the strength..." or maybe that outburst stripped me of what energy I had left for such things... He placed Tsubasa in one of the many crevices left over from the earthquake he'd caused, then covered it with dirt, leaves, and stones. He then marked the spot, but not in usual canine fashion. He bit down on his left paw enough to draw blood, and dragged it to draw a circle around the grave-site. After this was done, he curled up against Mar, shifting and wriggling with the discomfort of his new and awkward wings. "His body is starting to lose some heat," Shimo noted. "Not fatally, though. It may in fact be helpful, but we'll see." He lay in silence for a while longer before asking, "Hitoban? What are you supposed to do when you lose someone? I... I don't know... I've cried, gotten mad, and even slid in to a sort of melancholia, but nothing helps. And... I don't think I can forgive Wahya. What do I do about that?"

[hitobannofokkusu]

*Dawn jumped down and padded forward, sitting down between the two. She put a paw on Kage's soaked fur and sighed.*

I could carry one of you if it's needed. I've got the energy that you two clearly don't.

*Maname gave a small smile when the others entered, then moved to look around the place. So this is her new home. She noticed one of the rooms had several small beds and three regular sized beds. She assumed that was the nursery. When she looked in the other room, she saw that it was divided into two rooms. The larger room had three beds in it and a table-like rock in the middle. The back room was full of what looked like rows of shelves that had endless healing items on them. There was stolen gauze, antibiotics, herbs, vines, and many other things. This had to be the healer's wing. She went back into the main room where she noticed a large throne-like collection of rocks near the right side. There was one large flat pillar big enough to fit two wolves, then there were two smaller flat pillars on either side. Alphas' and Betas' perches. She looked to the left side and saw a collection of twenty or so beds large enough for two wolves each. The previous pack must have been huge. She now turned to the others and smiled.

Okay, so that room back there is the nursery, that one's my room-the healer's wing-and those are the beds for the rest of the pack. Daisuke and Hina are healers as well, so I guess they will reside with me in the healers' wing. If Wahya can behave himself long enough, that is. For now though, we can all just hang out here.

*Meanwhile, Hitoban was trying to figure out what to do with Mar when Shimo had spoken to her. She had flashbacks to the death of her mother and her fur went black for a flash before she shook it off.*

"The death of...a loved one can...it can kill you if you're not careful. It can give birth to insanity and bloodlust...vendetta and...other sides. When my mother was killed, I soon discovered that Katashi and Kazumi were born in me. They very nearly drove me crazy but I found friends. I found Akio *her fur flashed black again, this time a little longer with the memory of her mangled mate before Tsuki* and Dawn and her brother Twilight and they saved me from them. I know it sounds cliche, but you should find someone you can count on and make friends with them. They won't let you down, and they'll take some of your pain away."

*Hitoban smiled and turned back to Mar. She thought about rousing him and having him walk to the grotto, but he might be too weak to do that. If they were going to carry him, they would need more wolves, but there was one thing she hadn't thought of yet. They could pull him. She quickly ran to the nearest tree and headbutted it. A few twigs fell out, but not nearly enough. She sighed and jumped into the trees where she began tearing great limbs off of the trunk, ripping at the tougher ones with her teeth and claws before jumping on them, making them fall through the other branches to the ground. When she had enough, she jumped down and started stripping the branches with her teeth, pulling off the fibers. The tied them together into four thick rope-like things and used them to tie all of the branches together. Then she took the fourth one and tied one end to the left front side, on end to the right front side. She stepped back and admired her work.

"Ta-da! We have a sleigh. Now all we have to do is get him on it and we can pull him there."

*She moved over to him and began to push, trying to roll him onto the sleigh. She alone was not enough to roll him, so she needed Shimo's help.*

[Tsukikage]

Shimo stared off into space, though his fur bristled every time Hitoban's fur flashed like that. "I see..." Tsubasa was my friend... and I let him down, didn't I? If only I'd been faster! Then Tsubasa's parting words came to him, "You are a wolf now. Be with your own kind."... "I'll miss you." Shimo said... "I know," Tsubasa replied as Shimo hugged him, "But it's better that I leave. You and I, we're not the same kind, and I can't be true to myself while playing mother hen to a four-leg, now can I? Don't be sad, pup. Though this is the end, I am certain that our hearts will stay together."[/b] He'd told the others only a fraction of that... trying to make himself seem less pathetic in their eyes. The truth was, Tsubasa really loved him like his own son...
A sudden breeze picked up, and Shimo's wings caught it and spread wide, though he did not leave the ground. "Let go of the past," Tsubasa said, trying to cheer Shimo up after his strange transformation, "you and your new friends... you'll forge a new destiny together; one that will be happy and full of hope and life, so let it go."[/b]
Tears welled up in Shimo's eyes, and a soft glow made his feathers and fur shine like a newborn star. Thank you, Tsubasa. You were the closest thing to a father that I can remember, and I'll never forget you. I will take these wings and fly to the new destiny you promised.

While Shimo had been paying homage to his friend, Hitoban had apparently been hard at work with a brilliant idea. "A sled?" Shimo said in surprise as he turned 'round, "That's genius! Why didn't I think of that? Here, let me help!" He trotted over, and together, the two moved Mar onto the sled. The glow was gone from Shimo's fur, but you could see it in his eyes. "We can do this," Shimo said, grabbing the front end of the sled with his teeth.

Mar stirred. Something... moving his body... his eyes opened slowly. Everything was blurry, and far too bright. He blinked, trying to adjust, but the light was too much; he'd have to give it some time. His entire body felt as though it were on fire, burning and stinging from the wounds he'd received. He cried out in pain, but his breaths were shallow and difficult, so not a peep was heard out of him, anyway. He just lay there, eyes closed, praying for the pain to subside. He noticed there was some goo all over him, and at first, he'd feared the worst possible answer, but upon olfactory assessment of the goo, he concluded that it was medicinal, and he'd probably die of shock were it not for the stuff.

While Mar was contemplating his new situation, Tsuki and Kage were similarly immobilized near the grotto. They lay on the ground, unable to do anything but breathe in quick, shallow bursts. Tsuki had more strength left in him than Kage, and managed to lift his head up to talk to Dawn. "Take... Kage... first... I'll manage."
"You crazy?!?" Kage blurted, "Your... heart..."
"I'll be fine, Kage..." Tsuki interrupted, "You're on the brink of death, here. I can... feel it."
What are you talking about? Kage snapped.
The seal that binds us together is getting weaker, because we're both physically exhausted. As much as you've done for me would've killed an ordinary wolf through fatigue alone. My body can't handle you right now, and you need medical attention more than I do. "Now GO!" He barked.
Kage whimpered, and stared into Tsuki's eyes, finding nothing but determination. Don't make me make it an order. There was no way around it... "Dawn..." He finally acquiesced, "help me up... we'll... come back... for Tsuki."

[hitobannofokkusu]

Dawn nodded and padded over to Kage. She ducked her head underneath him and shoved him gently onto her back. I'll do more than help you up. It would make me feel bad to make you do all the work when I'm sitting here full of energy. And besides, you're not that heavy.

She took a few slow steps, not wanting to hurt anyone, until they got to the ledge. She nibbled her tongue while she contemplated. Finally, she let out a breath of air and jumped up onto the ledge, losing her balance momentarily but quickly regaining it. She walked slowly along the narrow ledge, then sighed in relief as she crossed the threshold into the cave. She padded over to the slightly smaller bed and shrugged Kage off gently. She smiled and nuzzled him, then said I'll be right back.

She trotted out of the cave, leaving Kage to look at the surroundings. Not much to look at, just two beds, another room for older pups, and another room for food storage. Then there was the glistening, sparkling curtain of water tumbling at the entrance, but still not much.

She jumped down from the ledge and moved over to Tsuki. She did the same thing for him and jumped a little cleaner onto the ledge, then deposited him on the other bed that wasn't occupied. She padded over to the bed Kage was in and lay down beside him with a sigh.

Welcome home, boys.

Meanwhile, Hitoban had padded to the front of the sled and grabbed another part of the rope. She spoke to Shimo through clenched teeth. "Okay, on the count of three, we pull. One...two...three, pull!" She threw all of her weight into the rope and waited for Shimo to do the same.

[Tsukikage]

Shimo pulled at the rope with everything he had, and before he knew what had happened, he was hovering above the ground, wings beating the air, trying to propel the sled forward. He freaked out for a second, and his grip on the rope failed, the force of his wings sending him into a nearby tree, a few branches up. "Woah..." A dazed Shimo said as he climbed down, "Er... okay, Shimo, keep your feet on the ground this time, yeah? Hehe." He trotted over and began to pull again, this time taking careful inventory of his own motor functions. The sled started to move again, and they were slowly on there way. Well, that hurt... wings, huh? Yeah, I can do this!

Mar managed to open his eyes all the way now, but only saw a blurred image of the world. "Sh... Shi..." He tried to call out, "Hee...tuh..." but he just couldn't get the word out. Guess that wind screwed me up more than I thought... ow... Jira's gonna have a cow...

Back at the cave, the boys were recovering just fine, but Kage had... other things on his mind. "Dawn..." He panted, "you didn't have to... to carry me... like that..." Though I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it, hehe. "don't want to be... burden..." He was nearly unconscious, staying awake through sheer force of will.
Tsuki was already sound asleep and breathing more normally, which was already speeding Kage's own recovery. They were out of danger... At least until the next time. "Dawn, what are we going to do? I mean... Wahya can't stay here --not when Tsuki is so vulnerable. Wahya's a friend, and the closer you are to him, the more damage you can do. And for some reason, Giga's effect on Tsuki has what seems like a near-unlimited range. I wish I could find a way to end Giga for good, so Wahya can come stay with us, but he's got his own pack and his own problems, so..." He paused, remembering that his life wasn't all about him anymore. "Besides that, I... I wouldn't want to leave you, and I know that Tsuki feels the same for Hitoban. This place may just be a cave, but I... it's beautiful because you're here. We're home. I mean, we're finally home! We can have our future together, you and me. Aw, you have no idea how long I've waited for this moment... though I imagined it a bit differently." He adjusted his position to look into Dawn's eyes. Oh, Dawn, I want to be everything for you. I can't imagine being without you anymore, and when we aren't together, it's just awful. I hope you feel the same way... why am I not saying all this to her right now? Er... He hadn't realized how shy he was around her before. He blushed deeply, then finally determined to at least give it a try. "I..." He swallowed hard, knit his eyebrows together, shut his eyes, and said it. "I want to be with you forever!" He quickly rolled over, away from her, and some strange sort of euphoria came over him. It was like a weight had been lifted, and he suddenly felt refreshed, like a cool wind had washed over him. Then the worry set in. Oh God, please don't say no... don't say no...

[hitobannofokkusu]

Hitoban chuckled at Shimo and threw all of her weight into the rope, causing it to jerk in her frustration. They were moving very slowly. She suddenly got another idea and stopped pulling, causing the sled to stop as well.

"Hey Shimo, can you try and control where you fly with those and then you can fly and pull the rope and I can push the back and maybe we'll get there faster." So I can make sure Tsuki is alright... she thought.

Meanwhile, Dawn was blushing purple. Oh my God he really said it...he doesn't already know the answer? I thought I made it perfectly clear! Oh jeez... She chuckled when he rolled over and she quickly followed him, inching over and laying her neck across his so she could look at his face. she had her right paw on his other side, pinning him down.

Kage I've not been a very trusting person in my lifetime. The only people I've ever trusted were Hitoban and Twilight and even Twilight eluded that honor at times. But now I feel I can trust more people. I trust Hito and Tsuki, and Twilight mostly, but the one I trust most is you. I love you and I couldn't be without you if someone ripped me away.

She nuzzled him and knew it sounded sappy, but that's what she really thought and that's just how it sounded. That's what love is anyway. It's a sappy emotion and she was just going to have to deal with it.

[Wahya Ayawisgi]

Giga does not move as Hina pulls him underwater, This wolf will not let go..... what a pest![/b] Giga holds his breath as they were underwater he looks around then sees a opening for a attempt, he latches out for one of Hina's legs.

Giga
Thrown Attack:1/4
Taken Attack:Bite in the throat
Block:0/4

[hitobannofokkusu]

Wahya re-post that in the new thread we made in the grotto.