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Post by HollyHawk on Aug 21, 2015 19:53:07 GMT
Finally, the tom flopped out of the hole. Winds kicked up and blew loose weeds at the decomposing stonework at the house. Purple shadows gathered the sky, moving quickly towards them. Bryce hurriedly nosed Brin and nipped his flanks. "Wake up!" he said urgently. "Fire, come on up!" The leader's eyes twitched beneath their lids.
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Post by Starkat on Aug 21, 2015 19:55:13 GMT
Fire beat her wings and flew out of the hole and landed next to brice. She pawed him and was tempted to step on him. But he shifted and opened his eyes. An angry scowl returning to his face before he sat up. "Fire, Bryce, care to explain what's going on?" He asked, confused.
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Post by HollyHawk on Aug 21, 2015 20:06:29 GMT
Bryce sighed in relief. "You fell through the floor. We suspect it was trap," he informed him. "What were you doing in this stink hole?" Rats skittered around their claws and ivy invaded through the smashed windows. The velvet carpet running down the stairs was crooked and the whole place made your spine tingle. Something secret was going on here. "We'll fill you in on the rest later. A storm's brewing and it's almost sunset." The flaming sky shone brilliantly on the mansion, and it spattered off the iron rail, in one place where it wasn't dusty... it almost looked like a... a handprint. Fear struck the Dragon even deeper. "Yes. We certainly should leave now. It seems your entrapper may be coming back."
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Post by Starkat on Aug 21, 2015 21:13:55 GMT
Fire examined the toms expression but couldn't understand what made him so uneasy. She knew that it was more than just the trappers around. Fire nodded. "Bryce, go tell the others we found him, and then lets get going. Brin, are you okay?" Brin nodded. "I've got a bad headache and I'm a bit stiff. But I'm fine. I can just talk to Benevolence when I get back." He said spreading out his wings. "Alright then, Bryce we'll meet you back at the camp." She sad and waiting for Brin to take off. Which he did quickly and she followed. The wind was crisp with the incoming rain. She looked towards the west to see lightning strike the ground in the distance.
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Post by HollyHawk on Aug 21, 2015 21:26:28 GMT
The human had been there recently. He probably still was there, because Bryce hadn't spotted any footprints through the dust coming back DOWN the stairs. Bryce flew on nervous wings back into camp. He brushed past the sleepy fighter guarding the cave. "We found him," he roared, his voice bouncing off the moss-sticky walls. "There's a mansion in shambles from where I just came. It's dangerous. Stay away. Fire will be back with Brin soon, and he's safe." The Fleet shouted in happiness, their scratchy roars of relief creating a wild din. Even if we don't go back there, I still bet the man's going to find us, he thought miserably as disgruntled birds took off in alarm from the nearby tree tops.
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Post by Starkat on Aug 21, 2015 21:32:29 GMT
Fire's wings pounded behind Brin. "Are we going to move camp?" She asked Brin. "Probably. I need to see how everyone is doing." He said. Fire looked at him, his face wasn't as angry and mean looking as it usually was. Fire took a guess saying that he was still injured and didn't bother questioning him about what happened. Brin landed and so she. The fleet looked happy so Bryce had delivered the news. She wandered over to the deer pile, suddenly very hungry and grabbed a small one that wasn't as charred as the rest. Brin wandered into the den, to find Benevolence.
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Post by HollyHawk on Aug 21, 2015 21:40:48 GMT
((Time skip to the next day?))
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Post by Starkat on Aug 21, 2015 21:41:56 GMT
Sure! You piece of crap!)
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Post by HollyHawk on Aug 21, 2015 21:48:32 GMT
Bryce raised his head blearily from his bed of long grasses. The cave was being flooded with light. They were in the thick of summer and already the heat felt exhaustive. He raised himself and stretched, brushing up sharply against the wall to get an itch on his side. He blinked, flexed his claws, and padded to the sheltered prey pile, which was beginning to stink. Luckily dragons were descendants of scavengers, and can eat most anything. To him, it still tasted delicious, the soak of rot and sweat making the blood saltier. He was the first one up, and it should have been peaceful. But thoughts of the mansion dweller continued to churn in his brain. He wished it would just disappeared, but knew that they would have to scout it out further.
Benevolence rolled over and stepped delicately over to the leader, whom she'd treated for pain last night and then wrapped some leaves around his inflamed ankle. She sniffed his half open mouth for sourness of breath and examined his belly for uncharacteristic pale spots.
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Post by Starkat on Aug 21, 2015 21:54:41 GMT
Fire Starter yawned as she got up. She stumbled tiredly over her sleeping fleet mates, lucky she didn't hit anyone. When she had more to room to stretch she did so. She decided that she was going for a short flight back to the mansion after she ate. She wandered over to the deer, and once again picked a less-charred husk of meat to devour. She took her time eating, contemplating the many possibilities of a trapper being there.
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Post by HollyHawk on Aug 21, 2015 22:06:25 GMT
Bryce nodded to the flame colored belle, tearing into the deer's wet pink muscles. "What are we to do about the mansion?" he asked.
Benevolence passed the two Dragons and smiled a little. Daisies and daffodils rimmed the cave with their lovely colors, and she was careful not to trod on them in her search for fresh water to treat Brin's wounds. She dipped her head into the fresh stream that ran a few feet off to the side of the clearing and drank.
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Post by Starkat on Aug 21, 2015 22:08:47 GMT
Fire replied "I was going to check it out after my meal. Care to come?" She asked before taking a rather large bite out of the deer.
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Post by HollyHawk on Aug 21, 2015 22:23:12 GMT
Bryce snorted. "Not in the slightest. But I suppose I have to or my guilt is going to kill me," he said dryly.
Benevolence returned, cheeks fit to burst with cold water. She prodded the leader awake and spat some down his throat, then removed his bandages and wet the red lump on his leg while he spluttered, which she was pleased to see had shrunk. The las bit she dribbled onto his neck to keep him cool. "You drink that up now," she told him, as close to stern as some one as puny and fluffy as her could get.
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Post by Starkat on Aug 21, 2015 22:25:53 GMT
Brin did as he was told, not in the mood to argue.
Fire gave a not-quite-real laugh and finished her deer. She stood and waited for Bryce to finish his.
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Post by HollyHawk on Aug 21, 2015 22:29:51 GMT
The brawny dragons stretched his jaws an clicked his fangs. He nodded for Fire to lead the the way, a tad apprehensive.
Benevolence nodded happily. "You stay inside today. If it hurts, I'll try and help. Stay out of the sun. Eat light. You mostly need to sleep and rest," she instructed him. "I'll bring you a deer shank in a while, but your stomach needs to settle. When you're ready you can tell me what happened," she added with a concerned and disapproving glance.
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Post by Starkat on Aug 21, 2015 22:33:21 GMT
Brin nodded quietly and tried his best to fall back asleep.
Fire pounded her wings once or twice before running forward and leaping into the air. Her light body easy to lift into the sky. She aimed west, towards the now cloudy area around the desolate mansion. She sped forward
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Post by HollyHawk on Aug 21, 2015 22:37:16 GMT
Bryce followed her across the forest, nearly missing it for the gray boulder-like roof but ultimately touching down at the door. The upper half of the oaken thing had been blasted off in some way or another, and the pair leapt quietly over. Bryce was aware of every creak of the floorboards, every hum of the insects. He gestured with his tail to the dust prints. According to them, the guy was still up there...
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Post by Starkat on Aug 21, 2015 22:39:07 GMT
She stared at the handprints for a moment before sneaking onto the ground floor of the building. She looked around, so see if there were any other clues, but could find nothing.
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Post by HollyHawk on Aug 21, 2015 22:47:52 GMT
Bryce nervously padded up the stairs. The building moaned under his weight. He paused with baited breath at the top of the stairs, peeking from one end of the hallway to another... there! A faint, golden light glowed through the dim in a room at the very end. All was silence. He waited for Fire.
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Post by Starkat on Aug 21, 2015 22:50:04 GMT
Fire, after thoroughly investigating the ground floor, padded up the steps. She watched where she stepped, hoping to avoid making noise.
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