Re: VODOPADNAYA'S PLACE OF MIRRORS

**Loup** Thu Jul 09, 2015 11:58 pm

[Gosh you guys I can barely keep up!]
"Go around the branch, one by one then follow the others. I'll come after you."
The branch had fallen into the edge of the river. It had been mostly put out by the water, but it was still sizzling menacingly. With Chance pushed ahead of Lupa, that left him, Seyes and Braxton on the safe side. Loup had been walking between Star and Lupa, trapping her alongside them. Okay, I've had enough of this! Loup thought furiously. She was tired of shying from this forest fire as if it were an angry leader wolf. Without even bothering to speak Loup grabbed the black she-wolf ahead of her and shoved Lupa into the water. Lupa was much bigger than Loup, but the brown female made up for it with determination.
"Go!" she snarled "Right now!"
Loup forced Star forward as well, then launched herself in beside them. If either of them so much as thought about "staying behind to watch out for everyone" Loup was going to chew their ears off. She was finished with posturing about who was braver, stronger, or more capable. The single file nonsense was only going to delay them. As it was, with two wounded wolves, they would be lucky to outrun the restarted fire. Any time lost in "you go first" talk could get them all killed. There was plenty of room for three wolves to swim around the branch. Loup was bent on making sure they did. Later, if the others wanted to accuse her of being bossy or disrespectful, they could. She probably deserved it. But Loup had committed herself to this rag-tag pack and even if it made her look bad, no one was going to be left behind.

**Star** Fri Jul 10, 2015 12:18 am

So Braxton was in the front with Seyes. The rest were in the middle and Star was at the back. She tried making sure the others were going at a fine pace. Not too fast so that the wounded wouldn't catch up and not too slow so that we were taking forever.

"RUN! The fire has started again!" Lupa yells as a huge branch fell into the water. "Go around the branch, one by one then follow the others. I'll come after you." She looked at Lupa.

"Go! Right now!" Lupa snarled, pushing Star and Lupa forward. Star knew Loup didn't want to leave anyone behind. She started swimming around the trunk. Then once she got to the other side she helped pull the others up.
"Let's go, no use waiting for the next branch." She nudged them forward. She didn't want another branch to fall, especially not on someone.

**Koa** Fri Jul 10, 2015 12:23 am

Lupa wrote:Star's bravery made Lupa happy.

Lupa grabs its neck, sinking her fangs into its neck, blood seeps out and the bear looses energy. It begins to toppel over, "Help me gets its windpipe. I didn't want to do this but its the only safe way, I got its vein but I don't want it to go in pain, get the windpipe and help me snap it." she says sternly before returning her grip, twisting the windpipe trying her best. The thrill before now was amazing and Lupa wanted to continue but she couldn't go on forever. Not even her strenght was a match for a bear, it'd last a while but eventually she'd lose, with Star's help though the tables turned. CRACK! Lupa had done it. She snapped the windpipe. "It was for the best." she says sadly before walking off slowly, head drooped down. She loved the thrill but the bear nearly harmed a pack mate and this she was not pleased about, You could've got there faster she thought to herself, she then speaks to Star as they walk back, "If only we had more warning about there near, eh?" she said with a slight chuckle, "You're brave when you try, aren't you?" she says with a smile, now starting to perk up. Lupa couldn't of got there quicker, there not any point in getting sad now. Lupa then returns to the river where they all were and sits infront of the rest of the pack, blood dripping down her black fur, she had a wound on her chest...

[I'm going to say there fire starts while we all sleep and I'm on night watch, okay?]

[Two wolves against a bear still isn't enough; killing a bear with one blow like this would not happen, and not happen so easily. It would take much, much more than that. Consider also that bears have relatively thick fur, and wolves are much smaller. As much as it would take, the wolf would probably die by the bear's claws before any real damage would be done. Also consider that a wolf's legs are not like that of a lion's... they do not jump all the way onto the backs of their prey, much less jump onto the back of a bear (with reference to your previous post). This is borderline powerplaying... please don't do this. ]

**Lupa** Fri Jul 10, 2015 5:26 am

[Sorry Koa. It won't happen again.]

Lupa's chest was really throbbing, she wanted so stay behind for that so she waited before a sudden shove jolted her forward, "Go! Right now!" Loup said, as she pushed her. Her chest began to sting even more, the dirt and blood was washed off but now she had an open wound. The water didn't exactly help.
Star then helped pull her out of the deeper water, she nodded to her and said,
"Thank you." in a kind tone. As Loup came through she turned and helped Star pull Loup up as well. Then she turned around ready to go again. Lupa wanted out of this fire, into the lake area where she'd get Star to check on her wounds.
"Let's go, now use waiting for another branch." Star said, Lupa agreed with the statement and added, "I think we've all had enough of this fire, let's just get to the lake and then see where to go from there."
Lupa was getting slightly uncomfortable walking, so just wanted to get there. She took to her place alongside Chance and then began to walk forwards, waiting for them to arrive.

Stripe Fri Jul 10, 2015 6:19 am

[Oops I missed so much, I'll just carry on from now I'll say I was walking with Lupa and swam around the log straight away]

As the log falls infront of Lupa Stripe jolts back. The log still burning slightly, "Go around the branch!" Lupa says, the faded black male wants this to all be over and swims round quickly. As Loup pushes Star round, Stripe helps him up. And then helps with Lupa before checking over her wound. It was quite deep, "Star, Lupa's wound is deep. Not healing either." he says, he was more cut out for medicine stuff than fighting but he wanted his chance. "I think we've all had enough of this fire, let's just get to the lake and see where to go from there." Lupa says, Stripe agrees and asks, "May I lead us from the lake to the next destination? I'd like to try." he asks slightly shy, he didn't want to seem patronising but he was just trying to get more into the pack. Hoping this would make the others recognise him more, the smaller black male says it with passion along with shyness. "I don't have too, I just though maybe if I could have a go?" he added, trying to sound less 'weird'. He wasn't to good with social situations, the only ones he was used to were with the large black female, his foster sister, Lupa. She was so understanding and kind and hoped she'd try and make it happen.

[Hope that's like a little bit of a join in?]

**Lupa** Fri Jul 10, 2015 6:31 am

[It's okay, Stripe. It fits in nicely!]

As Stripe says, "Star, Lupa's wound is deep. Not healing either," Lupa looks down at her scars, "Its fine, honest. Just stings a little." she says with a slight smile, trying to seem optimistic. As Stripe took his place alongside Lupa again he asked, "May I lead us from the lake to our next destination? I'd like to try,"
Lupa was surprised at this Stripe had always been shy to ask. She was going to recommend him anyway but the fact he asked was great! He speaks with shyness and passion and it makes Lupa feel great, the fact he had begun to try and make an impact on the pack was great. He then began to add, "I don't have too, I just though maybe if I could have a go?"
This statement surprised Lupa even more! She felt great for his courage and quickly replied, "Of course, you are not injured and deserve your chance. Star, would you like to assist Stripe in leading? After all two is better than one." she wanted them all to at least try and lead. She turned to Loup and said quietly, "Would you like to lead us anywhere?" before giving the brown female a smile. Lupa liked Loup's determination and how much passion she had in the pack, they were actually quite a lot alike. Lupa refused to mention this in fear she would deny it. Although Lupa was a less skilled hunter than her and a more skilled fighter. It's just the way they are, Loup was as she said a Hunter not a Sentry. Lupa longed to reach the bay and thought maybe they could take a rest upon arrival.
The fire had begun to rage again and they were in the middle of it, if they didn't die from the flames they'd die from smoke inhalation, "We better move to the lake and get a drink to stop the smoke. So let's get moving." she said, hoping this would move the party along.

**Loup** Fri Jul 10, 2015 11:00 am

Loup looked at the others with worry. Even infallible Lupa was starting to show her pain and exhaustion. That wound looked deep. She hadn't spared it much thought before because, unlike Chance's, it didn't inhibit Lupa's ability to walk. Now, however, it was taking its toll in other ways. Maybe Loup shouldn't have been quite so rough, but she was scared and wanted this to be over with.

It seemed Stripe was now taking the lead. The male had been so quiet Loup had forgotten about him. Well, she didn't mind. She trusted Star, so as long as he was working with her bad things were unlikely to happen. Just please make up your minds and lets go. she whined to herself. The brown female impatiently shifted her weight from one paw to another.

"Would you like to lead us anywhere?" Lupa asked. Loup blinked in surprise, then grinned.

"No, thank you. The others are doing just fine." Loup wagged her tail faintly, pleased to be recognized. With another few words the group got moving. It was an agonizingly slow pace. Embers floated through the air and illuminated the eyes of the wolves. Loup's throat felt like she'd been eating sand. The river hissed at the touch of hot ashes. Above them, more branches were being slowly devoured by the blood-red flames. When she tried to smell the lake all she got was scorching hot smoke. This is bad. she thought Really, really bad. she wondered where the pack-mates they had left behind were, and if they would be able to find her band of wolves in such an expanse of devastation. A fire had obviously been long overdue for this area. There was more fuel than normal, which created heat, which in turn would destroy even the largest of trees. Loup tried to picture what this lush place would look like after all the smoke had left. It would be a bleached place, she imagined. Perhaps all the better to remind visitors of the grim tasks they were about to undertake.

**Lupa** Fri Jul 10, 2015 11:57 am

Lupa began to tense her front left leg, the same side to which her injury was. The water had got inside it and began to make it sting.
"No, thank you. The others are doing just fine." Loup said in reply to her question, just before they set off.
Lupa took it into consideration but knew that Loup needed a chance. Lupa personally wanted Loup to take charge for a bit, it'd build her confidence.
As they set off the embers kept drifting infront of their faces, carried by the wind. Small bits of leaves that are burning drop down into the river. HISSSSS, was the noise they seemed to make. The sound of flames now engulfed them, Lupa now wondered whether they were ever going to make it to the Bay. A small burning twig falls right infront of her, narrowly missing her face. The flames were getting much bigger now, "Hurry up the pace as best you can." she said, her voice only just getting over that of the flames.
They were nearly at the lake now, it was so close. The fire began to rage, she desperately needed a drink. Her leg becoming stiff now she tried to loosen it as she walked faster, this only made the pain worse. She just carried on pushing against the pain the whole time. Lupa won't let her stop getting the pack to safety so walks up to Stripe and says quietly, "If something happens to me, I collapse or anything then leave me. Get to safety," she says not wanting to be a burden to them all.
As they reached the lake where the fire couldn't reach she lapped up the cool water. Clearing her throat from the smoke. She then lay down dangling her front paws into it before rolling over onto her right side. Every time she breathed the wound showed more, her chest expanded the slashes she had.
Lupa stays awake but rests her legs...

**Loup** Fri Jul 10, 2015 1:09 pm

Slowly, too slowly, the smoke dissipated. Loup had tried every possible way to avoid it. She breathed through her nose, her mouth, and tried not to breathe at all. Now it didn't just feel like sand she'd eaten; razor blades was a better comparison. If she moved her head to suddenly she would lose her vision. The fire was devouring everything the wolves needed: their trees, their prey, and their oxygen. Finally Loup started to see through the gray haze. At first it was just one shrub further, then it was all the way to the front of the pack. Then, as if she had just walked through a screen, the smoke vanished and she could see the lake up ahead.

True, things weren't perfect. The light was orangish from the fumes and clouds of it floated over the water. But it was the clearest air she'd tasted in hours. Under the sting of flames Loup could smell hare and a trace of deer. Hopefully some of the inhabitants were still around. The brown female looked at the group of wolves around her. Lupa was already on the ground, her wound ugly and raw. Others were gathering their wits about them and examining this temporary sanctuary. Loup took a long drink from the clean water. She was tempted to lie down and rest, but she knew that if she did she wouldn't get up again until her fur caught fire. Come on Loup, just a little longer. she sighed, her chest sore from the spill she'd taken while luring the bear. Extending her forepaws, she stretched. With a vigorous shake to knock the ashes from her fur, Loup turned and headed back toward the flames.

It had always her tendency to disappear without comment. In the past she'd been abandoned so often it didn't even occur to her that others would notice her absence. At the moment, her mind was focused entirely on her task.

Loup, in her own way, loved fire. She admired and, for the most part, understood it. Most importantly, she knew how to use it to her advantage. The smoke pooled in certain places. The flames burned in others. But between these deathtraps were tiny pockets of safety. It was these she inspected, senses alert for any sign of movement. Then she caught it. A deep red mark on the soil. An out-of-place rustle. The smell of fear. The female froze and scanned the bushes ahead of her. Curled up between a rock and the vegetation lay an injured fawn, dutifully waiting for its mother. Burn marks scarred its flanks and one foreleg looked broken. Loup hesitated for a moment, wondering if its family was even alive, then bounded forward. Her jaws closed over its neck and opened the jugular. One good hoof struck her muzzle painfully, but after that the fawn fell still. It would take her a while to drag her kill back to the others, but it would be burnt if she left it here. Tightening her grip, Loup started the trip home.

**Lupa** Fri Jul 10, 2015 1:22 pm

As Loup bagan to drink Lupa got up and stretched herself out. Feeling a little stronger now. As Loup strays off the large black female doesn't hesitate to follow her. Lupa had been in all to many fires and knew the way they worked.

As they walked through they safsafe pockets something was ahead of them. Loup looked down and hesitated before getting a kick to the jaw and grabbing some things neck. Lupa approached the two and saw it was a young fawn, "Shall I help you drag it back, it will be quicker and safer. The flames are beginning to move." The black she-wolf said with a slight wag of the tail. Before waiting for an answer she grabbed one of the good legs and pulled it on the way out.
Lupa looked around the corner, seeing if the flames had moved. To her relief they had not yet. They still had time to get out, she then waited for Loup's reply before helping her any further. After all, Lupa didn't want to upset the brown female, or claim the kill as her own. Once they return to the lake she'd most definitely give all credit to Loup even if she did help drag it back.

**Loup** Fri Jul 10, 2015 2:18 pm

Loup huffed with amusement. She hadn't realized she was being followed, but it hardly surprised her. This wolf was nonstop. If she wasn't eaten by a tiger first Lupa would almost certainly drive herself into the ground.

"Shall I help you drag it back, it will be quicker and safer. The flames are beginning to move."
Refusing would hardly be any good, and besides Loup did need the help.
"Sure, thank you. But once we get back would you please eat something and rest? You're no good to the rest of us if you're too exhausted to walk." Loup shifted her hold to the shoulders of the fawn, giving her the leverage to lift it if need be. The last thing she needed was Lupa damaging more muscle in her chest trying to carry the fawn all-out. For now dragging would work just fine.

The brown female grunted a warning–unable to speak around her catch–and started pulling again. The flames licked at the air, but even at their awkward pace the two wolves could easily escape. A feeling of satisfaction fill Loup. They'd dealt with two major setbacks and the pack was still intact and mostly unhurt. With a little rest they should still be more than ready to face the tiger.

**Lupa** Fri Jul 10, 2015 5:07 pm

Lupa just wanted to make friends and the huff made her feel slightly unwelcome. She didn't want to cause any arguments. She never did.

""Sure thank you. But once we get back could you please eat something and rest? You're no good to the rest of us if you're too exhausted to walk." Lupa nodded in agreeance. She was hardly any use being half asleep. She needed to rest her chest anyway. "Sure." the black female said with a smile. Before pulling the young fawn.

As they emerged from the area into the clearing she began pulling towards the pack. And let go right infront of Stripe. "Now as I promised I'll eat and sleep." she said to Loup.

Lupa began pulling at its chest, spilling some of its insides. She began to eat, Lupa wasn't really that hungry so just ate a little before padding off and lying on her right side. She then dozed off, not making a sound.

**Loup** Fri Jul 10, 2015 5:42 pm

The two of them dragged the carcass back to the others. Lupa set it in front of her brother. Loup, with a brief glance of greeting, proceeded to divid up the food. Her stomach snarled at the taste of blood. Trying not to focus on the warm, soft meat, Loup grabbed a hind leg and tore. The hip-joint creaked and popped. Tendons stretched and snapped. Arching her back, Loup yanked with all her might. It came free. Walking lopsidedly with her prize, the brown she wolf carried it over to Chance.
"Here," she said, dropping it in front of him so he wouldn't have to walk.

She then went back and tore two chunks of meat from the ribcage. Hesitantly she laid them in front of Braxton and Seyes. Loup barely knew the wolves, but they had been decent allies in the fire. She considered taking off the other hind leg for Star, then remembered how hard it had been. Instead, she dragged the whole fawn just a little further away from Stripe and a little closer to Star.
"Sorry, you guys can share, right?" she asked, realizing what she had done was rather rude. Hoping the answer would be yes, she finally gave in to her hunger and wolfed several mouth-fulls of the shoulder-meat. Glancing around to make sure everyone was settled, Loup trotted over to Lupa and settled down nearby. The other wolf had seemed put-off by Loup's amusement and the brown female didn't want her to be offended. Loup shifted uncomfortably on the rocks. What a day, she thought.

**Braxton** Fri Jul 10, 2015 8:44 pm

Braxton followed the hastily leaving pack, not at all ruffled by the change in leadership and direction. He hadn't even had an excellent idea on where they were headed, anyway, in between the drama of the fire restarting. He felt the ruffled, grey fur of his coat heat up, sparks of fire and ash landing on the wiry hair. He shook them off when he felt the burn, twitching his ears and hoping he'd still have enough fur to work with after this whole ordeal. His breath had become ragged and burnt as he battled through the smoke, each breath whistling painfully in and through his throat. He squinted his eyes, making them water to dissuade the ash that was hell bent on injuring the amber orbs.

He gradually inched closer to the pack, two females ( Loup and Lupa ) and a male ( Stripe ) now ripping apart a carcass. His own stomach grumbled, but he thought it wrong to intrude on a catch that was not his own. He settled a while away, trying to savour the tantalizing smell of blood instead of, well, the actual food. He began to preen his fur, stretching out into a relaxed pose, his legs kicked out behind him and his front paws splayed into the dirt. He carefully licked between his bruised paws, wincing at the fire damage that had burnt some of the fur away on them. There was relatively little skin damage, as his fur was coarse and well built up to defend his lithe body against the elements.

**Chance** Fri Jul 10, 2015 10:01 pm

Chance's muscles were cramped, his chest felt congested, his left leg was ever burning... but salvation was in sight. He trekked on beside Lupa, grateful the female decided to adhere his advice. His eyes burned, and his nostrils were filled with the stench of singed fur and burning wood. Just keep going, there's a dry area ahead. He opened his maw to speak, but nothing but a croaked sound escaped. His breathing was growing shorter and shorter, and his legs meekly swatted at the water. A voice rang through, his ears were ringing and the words didn't quite form. Before he knew it, the smoke cleared, and his body instinctively sucked in the fresher air. Chance's tag wailed slightly, finally!

Before he knew it, his paws scraped land. "Now I can fully appreciate what it feels like to walk on land." He said with relief, letting himself collapse. His ears perked as Loup and Lupa spoke among themselves, but he couldn't quite make out what they were saying; soon the two vanished. Chance plopped his head on the ground, letting his eyes shut for the first time since they started their journey.

"Here." Chance opened an eye, and Loup stood before him. He lifted his head, wearing a look of slight confusion. Soon the female dropped a fawn's leg before him. His eyes widened in slight surprise, this journey really turned Loup into a more social wolf- this thought brought a smile to his muzzle, before he vigorously tore into the meat offered to him.

**Star** Sat Jul 11, 2015 5:06 am

"Of course, you are not injured and deserve your chance. Star, would you like to assist Stripe in leading? After all two is better than one." I looked at Lupa.
"Sure I'll do it." Star replied.

They walked on, Star looking back over her shoulder every once in a while. She wanted to make sure everyone was still there. She could tell everyone was exhausted and scorched by the fire.

That's when they came to a sort of pocket thing. Star drank some of the water. It was the cleanest, freshest water she had ever drank. Or at least it felt like it. The water soothed her throat.

She lay down savoring this brake, not wanting it to end. How long was this brake going to last. She then realised that Lupa and Loup had left. Where had they gone? She looked around frantically. But decided to wait.

After a while they had returned dragging a fawn carcass with them. She was relieved, it didn't look like they were hurt, apart from Lupa's wound.

Loup started sharing out food. Then dragged the remaining carcass closer to me.
"Sorry, you guys can share, right?" Loup apologised. Which I didn't see why, he and Lupa had caught the fawn.
"I wouldn't mind sharing." She started ripping off meat and ate, making sure she left some for Stripe.

**Lupa** Sat Jul 11, 2015 5:14 am

As Lupa awakens she sees Loup near her, feeling more accepted now she says, "Lie here, its softer," she says as she gets up, "How many fires have you been in? I've been in countless, some wolves have never been in one."
Lupa smiled at Loup and once she got an answer, and only then did she nod and trot off towards Chance. "Hi," the black female said, "How's your injury?" Lupa was still worried for Chance, his wound looked deep and was impairing his walking ability.
Lupa looked towards Braxton and barked, "The kill was for us all, tuck in." she said before returning her gaze to the large male.
As the fire raged in the forest she looks at the dancing flames that seemed to be behind Chance's head. Lupa had always thought all flames told a story to you if you knew how they worked. She looked into them and saw a familiar face........
Her mother turned and ran into the forest, deep howls of pain before her parents howling as the flames engulfed them. That day was terrible, Stripe was in there but her parents sent him running. Her father trapped in a trap, even Lupa knew there was no saving him.
She shook her head and looked down slightly, now feeling quite sad.

**Chance** Sat Jul 11, 2015 10:16 am

{ mobile post, bear with me. }

The meat was like a gift from all Wolves before him. He tore into the meat without hesitation, first quickly and then at a slower pace; he scolded himself for not savoring it sooner. His eyes lifted from his meal at the sound of another voice. It was Lupa who greeted him, and he offered her a blood-stained grin before raising to his paws. Devouring kill was the only reason he ever wanted blood to be on his fur, but unfortunately this was not always the case. "Hey." He greeted back. His ears swiveled to the front of his head in immediate interest as Lupa continued to speak. "How's your injury?" She asked, and he gave her a look much like a concerned but irritated mother might give her pup for doing something without asking.

"Lupa I'm fine, not going to lie the Bear won on this one, but I'll be okay." He answered with a shake of his head. "What about that chest of yours?" He inclined, but the female was obviously done focusing on him. Chance followed her gaze, having to turn to look over his shoulder to understand the female's sudden spacing out. Lupa's facial features told him that there was more to her story than she had mentioned. He recalled her telling the group that she had been involved with fires a time or two; perhaps this was the reason she was so ambitious to lead everyone to safety. His face softened. "Eh no matter, you and I are tough! We'll be at the bay in no time."

**Loup** Sat Jul 11, 2015 1:48 pm

The frantic emotions of earlier were beginning to die down. Wolves were eating or resting or both. For the first time in a while, Loup felt the tension in her body abate. She was tempted to take Lupa's offer of the softer spot, but her responsibilities called. Trying to wake herself up from a cat nap, she drowsily answered the other female's question.
"I've been in..." she yawned "Three fires, plus two trees that caught but never spread. I come from a dry place, so almost everyone there has experienced them."
Lupa smiled and nodded, then headed off to check on the other wolves. Loup got up and followed, pausing to take a few more famished bites out of the carcass. Everyone had eaten except Braxton, who appeared to be starving himself out of politeness. Loup could relate–she had done the exact same thing for the past two meals in this pack. She flicked her ears at him in a friendly come here and eat gesture. As she did so, voices from behind her caught the female's attention.
"Eh no matter, you and I are tough! We'll be at the bay in no time." Chance was saying. Loup exhaled with dread. The fact was, not only would they be at the bay in no time, they had to be there. The Last Ancient had warned them that the tiger might move on and the longer they delayed the more likely that was to happen. What good would this crazy mission be if they arrived to find no subject? Loup hesitated, wondering if she had enough authority to ask another long walk of these wolves. And even if she did, how could she justify forcing the wounded ones to move? They had barely rested at all. Feeling like a pup about to be scolded, she spoke up.
"Everyone, I think we need to talk. The way I see it, we can't stay here for much longer. The fire might surround us, and even if it doesn't there is very little prey here and we are still inhaling some smoke. I know you're all tired–so am I–but we came here for a reason and if we delay much longer we might never be able to reach the bay or find the tiger. It's not that much further–we came a long way when we fled the fire. Once we're there it'll be easier going. All we have to do is find the tiger, figure out if it will live or die, and go home. We stay here, we'll have nothing to report except how many trees burned down. If we leave now we can be at the bay by nightfall. That way, tomorrow, we'll have fresh start. Please, any other way might lead us to fail in the first task we've been given." she swallowed, hoping the others would sense her urgency.

[The tiger event ends on the 15th, so we do actually have to get moving...]

**Pavor** Sat Jul 11, 2015 2:11 pm

[Coming from MALA SPOKA DEN]

It had taken Pavor forever to catch up, there was the scent of bear on the trail and smoke. A lot of smoke. Shaking her head, all she could do was follow, and hope no one had been hurt. Her stomach was dropping and it wasn't a good feeling. Practically running now, she followed the trail that was growing stronger. She didn't even have time to really think about the beautiful place she was at. Crossing rivers was hard on her own, but she managed it.

After what seemed like ages, she looked up, But what her eyes and throat was not pleasant. She saw the obvious path the others had taken, and she wanted to cry out for help, but she kept her mouth closed. She knew if she inhaled a lot of this smoke, she would be slowed down greatly and probably would get stuck. The dancing flames whirled around her and she had no choice but to keep moving, her fur was singed and her lungs were filling up for smoke. She made her way through, and saw the others a little ways ahead. she let out a bark of joy, but was soon choking on more smoke. Pavor finally stepped out into the clear air and made her way to others, her lungs were sore, and she didn't feel like talking.

"Everyone, I think we need to talk. The way I see it, we can't stay here for much longer. The fire might surround us, and even if it doesn't there is very little prey here and we are still inhaling some smoke. I know you're all tired–so am I–but we came here for a reason and if we delay much longer we might never be able to reach the bay or find the tiger. It's not that much further–we came a long way when we fled the fire. Once we're there it'll be easier going. All we have to do is find the tiger, figure out if it will live or die, and go home. We stay here, we'll have nothing to report except how many trees burned down. If we leave now we can be at the bay by nightfall. That way, tomorrow, we'll have fresh start. Please, any other way might lead us to fail in the first task we've been given."

"Then lets get going." She rasped. Her throat was raw from the amount of smoke in the general area. She knew water would help, but it would be okay for now. Like Loup had said, they needed to get going.

[I'm here! sorry for the lame catch up post.]

**Lupa** Sat Jul 11, 2015 2:35 pm

Lupa sees that Chance is fine with his wound but he questions hers, "Well.... It's stinging but I'm alright." she says before adding, "I think it's infected. It could just be the fire made it worse."
Chance looks at her differently as her gaze goes to the flames, he seems to be thinking hard about what to do. Then he says, "Eh, no matter, you and I are tough! We'll make it to the bay in no time." Lupa nodded, "I'm sure we've both had a tough past." she seems to refer more to herself there, "We can manage, after all we are both fighters. We're used to it."
She looks to him, his gaze seems to soften so does Lupa's. She was beginning to like this wolf. "We better get going soon. Beleive it or not we're still breathing in smoke. We only came here for a short rest. Mind if I walk with you again?" she says before Loup begins to speak, she whispers "Let's go listen." before slowly getting up, her left side feeling like it was being stabbed. She flinched slightly but then walked over.
Once Loup finished her speech Lupa stepped forward slightly a stern voice and face came across her and she said, "Loup is correct. The bay is where we need to go. We should leave now, Stripe and Star are leading us. The further from the fire the better, so let's go. This was only for a quick rest."
She turns to Loup and gives her a smile, the black female was trying to back her up. She then nods to Stripe and Star, and another wolf, one of the first members when she was there. "Then let's get going." this wolf says, she remembers its name as Pavor.
Lupa looks at Chance and backs up to his side. This large brown wolf was just as tall as her and she looked down at his wound.
She was raring to go...

[Yeah we better get going XD]

**Loup** Sat Jul 11, 2015 8:15 pm

Loup felt like someone had just relieved her of lifting a bear. The automatic, willing support of the others warmed her very soul.
"The further from the fire the better, so let's go. This was only for a quick rest." Lupa said.
"Then lets get going." Pavor, who had just materialized out of the smoke, confirmed.

Loup gave a satisfied yip. Without waiting for the others she raced fifty yards down the shore, turned around, and loped back. Her tail was wagging. At long last the group had come to a decision without any arguing. True, some of the others hadn't spoken, but the agreement from two completely different wolves boosted her confidence. Loup glanced at the fawn carcass, but it was hardly worth taking. It was almost entirely devoured.
"Grab a snack if you want it, then let's get out of here!" she called, turning away from the food. Trotting up and down the group of wolves, Loup gently prodded them with her nose. She dearly hoped they were prepared for the journey. Her energy had returned, but had their's? The brown she-wolf paid special attention to the two wounded parties and Pavor, who was still out of breath from her arrival. Just hold on a little longer Loup thought, giving them encouraging smiles.
"Unless someone has a major objection, let's move out." Loup said. She turned down the path and proceeded at a gentle trot. Far away, through the smoke, she thought she could glimpse the glitter of the sea.

[Not lame at all Pavor, welcome back.

Headed to KIYEVKA BAY]

**Braxton** Sat Jul 11, 2015 8:41 pm

Braxton allowed a small smile to cross his face, acknowledging the two females that had invited him to eat with a grateful nod. As the others were leaving, he ripped a small piece of the haunch off, savouring the taste, before he swallowed it and set off. Loup seemed rather energetic and joyful, so he rolled his shoulders to relax them and started to follow her. His breath still seemed to burn his chest, even in the absence of smoke in the area. He began to wonder just how much he had damaged, scraping too close to the original fire in the voyage to the other wolves in the first place. He let out a hacking cough, further confirming his fears of smoke inhalation damage. There was a great chance that every other wolf had it, too, if not even worse due to the length of time that they were exposed to the toxic, unforgiving fumes of the fire. His ears flattened against his head; this pack, so far, seemed kind- but troublesome. He sighed, picking up his pace to a gentle trot, intent on following the female to wherever she was headed.

{ HEADED TO KIYEVKA BAY }

**Ghost** Sat Jul 11, 2015 10:25 pm

VODOPADNAYA'S PLACE OF MIRRORS - Page 4 2vaebu0

- From Partizanskaya Sentry

Ghost's snowy-white fur flashed amid the green of the vegetation that surrounded her as she continued to follow the scents. She continued at her quick pace and began to wonder about these wolves she was trying to catch up with. She knew nothing about them ... perhaps she should have ask Koa for some details about them instead of just blundering after them. It was a bit late to think of that now, though. Her thoughts were interrupted by the scent of blood. Stopping, she blinked, took a closer look around and found the scents of several wolves that she had been following as well as the scent of a bear. Her head jerked up at the scent and she glanced around, her heart racing. She didn't see or hear anything in the vicinity so she quickly took account of all the scents. The scent of the wolves and the bear were mixed together as well as blood from both species. Once she has that information she headed off along the river, keen to put as much distance between the herself and the scent of the bear. She hadn't stumbled on any bodies so she didn't know if any of the wolves had been killed or just wounded and there wasn't any way she was going to know until she found them.

She hadn't gotten too far from the bear scent when the air began to fill with an acrid stench and red hot flames consumed the vegetation that lined the riverbank. Ghost didn't hesitate. She turned and quickly crossed the river to avoid the flames. A worried thought about the other wolves briefly passed through her mind as she climbed onto the far bank and continued in the direction she had been heading before.

The farther she went the thicker the smoke became and she had lost all trace of the scents she had been following. This fire was making keeping to the river difficult, despite the fire being on the other side of the bank the smoke was just as deadly and wasn't confined to the other side and was forcing her farther from the river. Ghost kept her nose down and close to the ground, trying to stick closer to the freshest air. Instead of trying to follow the scents through all the smoke she just pushed through, moving quickly and not dawdling. Once she was past the smoke she'd take a look around and try and pick them up again once the air was clear. Just as the bitter smell of the smoke began to make her cough and her eyes sting the haze started to clear and soon she was breathing fresh air again. She took a moment to catch her breath and clear her lungs before she turned and worked her way back to the river. Without hesitating Ghost slipped into the water and returned to the other bank. From there she didn't have to search for the scents; she could hear voices from not far away. Ghost walked slowly toward them but hesitated before moving any closer.

(( Later than I planned but ... here's Ghost(sorta)! xD ))

**Lupa** Sun Jul 12, 2015 4:26 am

Lupa began to walk on with the others but a new scent wafted over her nose.
She whipped her head round and lifted her tail before walking up to this new Albino wolf. She then spoke, "Hi, I'm Lupa. And you are? We're about to go off to the bay. You better come quick. I can smell you've been with Koa, she sent you." in a calm tone. She then gestured her head towards the others that trotted off and turned to walk through the wood to the bay. Her footsteps careful and steady. Every time she put down her left foot it jolted her chest so she was careful to be gentle. She didn't talk much on the way. She was thinking about the story the flames told her, She wanted to tell someone but then she feared being ignored. If any wolf looked at her expression they'd probably know something was wrong, She never looked as down as now. She looked up a bit and took a deep breath in before opening her mouth to speak to Chance but nothing came out. She couldn't tell him just like that, if he wanted to know then he'd of asked she thought to herself. As they came nearer the bay she sniffed the air, a strange scent came into her nose. One she knew and hated. Tiger.

[Headed to Kivika Bay]

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