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 Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 1:19 pm
 Hakan was in an uproar.
It hadn't been much of a noteworthy day when she had disappeared- two days ago, now, and they were still no closer to finding her. Cetra had been tracking the progress of the (presumably) female catwalker that had been stalking their borders, following a long-abandoned trail along the eastern side of their territory. None of them had yet caught a glimpse of the purewalker itself, but the evidence it left behind of its presence was chilling at best. Dead animals, sometimes familiars, flayed and tortured before being left for predators and scavengers to find. It was a menace- one that Cetra was determined to deal with sooner rather than later, but Rubedo knew that she hadn't planned on finding anything of importance on her own, or at least before she had the opportunity to seek help in taking the creature down.
He had been the one to stumble upon the disturbing scene of her disappearance, when she failed to report back to Grandfather. The evidence left behind still chilled him to the bone.
There were signs of a fight, there. Somewhat brief, from the lack of lasting damage- she had likely been taken by surprise, from the looks of things. Blood, a tuft of rosette fur and a few loose feathers... and a trail of pawprints, looking like something was dragged beside it before the tracks disappeared altogether into the softer, leaf-covered ground. The crimson stallion's own tracking skills were somewhat lacking, he could admit- when he was unable to follow any further, he raced back to the heartlands to alert the rest of Hakan, immediately joining the search team that returned to the site of his sister's disappearance, but they were only able to follow as far as he had.
She was simply gone.
Now, he paced restlessly some distance away from the new gathering that Nanaki was preparing to send back to the search, agitated and fearful, but unable to speak up against his orders. He had been on his feet and without sleep for two straight days, and he had been expressly forbidden from rejoining the search until he obtained a full night's rest. As if he could possibly sleep when his older sister was out there, in the unknown, possibly suffering in the clutches of a deranged purewalker. She was strong and smart, but stubbornness and ingenuity could only do so much against a beast like that- he wanted to be out there, still, wanted to do something other than sit here in utter uselessness.
A flash of black out of the corner of his eye made him halt abruptly, freezing into complete stillness as his heart rose in what could have been hope. If there was one soul he believed could be trusted to find his sister...
"Gen?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 2:21 pm
 She was late. She was never late. Normally, the black stallion known formally as Shishio Gen was not prone to brooding - or a sense of foreboding - but this was different. The uneasiness gripping him had nothing to do with what his mother commonly called 'self preservation kicking in.' No, if he were to put a name to it, it would be fear. Fear that something had already happened; fear that the situation was already beyond his control. Cetra had made troubling mention of tracks and trails that had the look and feel of a skinwalker; and now? Now she was late. Gen seldom believed in coincidence - such a lackadaisical approach got soquili killed every day when dealing with Oyohusa's demons. He knew she knew better than to try anything against the one testing her herd's boundaries alone. She'd been ready to skin him alive when he'd gone after Seethe alone. So why was she late? Sending word back to his home herd, he requested a replacement and set out after a day and a half of restless pacing. Crossing the border into Hakan proved easy. Too easy. Finding the herd itself had been moderately harder, but still easy enough. This too, troubled him. Approaching the heartlands, he kept to the shadows and waited just long enough to ensure that he wasn't overreacting, that even here she was missing... Missing. Her wit. Her subtle grace. Her flashing eyes. Her charm. Green eyes narrowing, he growled at himself for losing focus and left the shadows when he caught sight of Rubedo. Approaching the younger stallion, he attempted to school his expression into his normal calm stoicism. "Cetra?" The name was phrased as a question; the actual look on his face anything but calm.
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 2:40 pm
Relief seemed to come all at once, and though it wasn't complete, it made him uncommonly weak for a moment. He fought not to stumble at the involuntary slump to his shoulders, the warring tension and exhaustion fraying at his already raw nerves. If there was anyone determined and strong enough to fight the unhinged purewalker, Rubedo trusted his sister's judgement enough to acknowledge that it was Gen. Though she had never said it directly, he could infer that Cetra trusted him implicitly, and if any of the ferocity and protectiveness that he saw in her when Gen was in trouble was returned to any degree, there was no doubt that the unikalona stallion could be trusted to fight for her.
His question was succinct, without preamble, and while he might have once thought it callous, the fire-winged stallion acknowledged it with gratitude this time, and responded in kind.
"Taken, we think. She was tracking the purewalker along the eastern border, and then... nothing. Evidence of a scuffle, blood, but no sign of where they went." There was a brief pause here as he considered that Gen might not yet be aware of the dangerous catwalker that had been stalking their lands, but the lack of surprise on his face told Rubedo that there was no cause to worry there, and he dismissed it. He knew that Cetra and he were close... it was plain as day that the two cared for each other, even if, right now, Gen faced it with impeccable stoicism.
He, however, wasn't so good at hiding the anxiety and terror that bubbled just below the surface, twisting his mouth into a deep frown. The worry that plagued him was relentless as he considered what might have happened in the time that she was gone. That she might already be beyond their reach.
"She's been gone two days." The words were quiet, as if he was reluctant to acknowledge the fact- unwilling to risk that it might diminish his hope, make him think her dead. Somehow, he doubted that Gen was any more willing to lose a fight than Cetra was, or any more willing to give up in the face of hopelessness. The streak of idealism that warred with her logic made her the great future leader that he respected, and while he and Gen had had their differences in the past, Rubedo couldn't help but pray that it may have rubbed off on him, just a bit.
"Can you help?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 3:06 pm
There were few who ever saw the side of Gen that his enemies, now deep beneath the ground, had seen. Fewer still knew what the black stallion was capable of when his kalona blood rose to prominence and kindled his killer instincts.
Rubedo, by simple virtue of being the bearer of bad news, was now privy to both as the expression on the usually stalwart stallion shifted and grew viciously intent. Whatever Gen might have said regarding the foolishness of anyone pursuing a purewalker alone was lost to the knowledge that Cetra ... had disappeared in the company of such a beast.
Speaking through bared teeth and murderous eyes, Gen only had a single request.
"Show me."
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 3:18 pm
While the darkening of his expression was to be expected, Rubedo found himself growing simultaneously reassured and unsettled at the rage that dominated Gen's features... was it rage? Perhaps determination... but either way, he found himself wanting to set the larger stallion on the path of Cetra's attacker instead of leaving himself in the line of fire. It was a stark change from the usually unemotional state he had witnessed in the few times that they had met- which was usually at his sister's insistence.
Responding only with a jerky nod, without needing any further prodding, Rubedo took off at a brisk canter towards where the latest search party was returning from, not stopping to check if Gen was following- he knew he was. The dark fury that unsettled him was almost tangible in the air around them, and it made the fur on his back stand on end. He fought to keep his feathers from puffing at the threat that hung in the air, even though he knew it wasn't directed at him- and wondered absently if this was how Cetra felt when the two of them were initially forced to work together. He wondered if, now, she felt comforted by that feeling at her back, knowing her hulking dark shadow was watching over it.
It took longer than he would have liked to reach the spot where the scuffle occurred, and the crimson stallion was winded by the time they reached it. It was just as disturbing now as it had been when he first found it, and made a sick feeling settle in his gut yet again, even as he fought to catch his breath. He hoped that Gen really was as skilled as Cetra had always- not directly admitted to, but implied when she inevitably ended up speaking of him. His predator's senses, at the very least, would assist greatly if it really was her blood that stained the ground and permeated the air around them.
He gestured with a wing towards the very deliberately untouched scene, unable to speak for a moment.
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 3:36 pm
Gen was no blood hound - under normal circumstances, his sense of smell was only moderately better than a soquili who survived solely on plant fiber to live.
This, however, was not normal circumstance.
Usually tempered and refined to serve his home herd, the unikalona's killer instinct was certainly a thing of nightmares. Lesser crossbreeds succumbed to the temptress of the bloodrage, or simply allowed themselves to wallow in insanity. Gen was different. He had to be. Iron control had been instilled in him as a foal by his mother, and later reinforced by his mentor Sirin - the angeni of Chivalry. He was fully aware that he walked along the thin blade of a knife. All it would take was one misstep, and he would be the hunted instead of the hunter. His own family would see to it.
Now, however, was not the time for niceties or taking the deliberate path. His blood was pounding in his ears, adding heat to his stride and a heaviness to his step that he would not normally allow. The canter to Cetra's last known location blew by, with Gen arriving just behind his guide with hardly a fleck of sweat dotting his ebony coat. The seriousness of the situation littered the ground at the scene of the disappearance -- the very sight of Cetra's fur and feathers set his markings blazing with barely controlled rage. Beyond the fur and feathers, the scene was awash with the scent of an unfamiliar catwalker female. Crinkling his nose, Gen spared Rubedo only a single glance - noting his breathing - and went to work.
There, Cetra's unique scent overlaid by her blood. Faint, but the lack of rain had left lingering traces of her. Perhaps a sign? Had she known to leave traces? Had she been dragged?
Glancing around, he decided there wasn't enough blood for death. Given that, he spiraled outward until he caught wind of a trail leading away. Without waiting for (or even sparing a word for) Rubedo, he set off. Choice words needed to be delivered personally, and he would make sure to give Cetra an earful for this one. She'd done the same, after all. Thinking of that moment in the cave served to buoy him against the storm of his own rage.
Yes, choice words would be said. Because the alternative was unthinkable.
Once she was safe.
Once she was next to him again.
After he'd ... scratch the thought.
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 4:09 pm
Though the younger stallion was watching him carefully, Gen's expression was nigh unreadable as he surveyed the scene, but the speed and efficacy in which he moved spoke enough of his urgency that he didn't need to speak. For the first time, he relented that his sister may have chosen well... even if she had never spoken to him of a choice, even if it wasn't his place to condemn it if she had... but he could see clearly that the care she bestowed went both ways. There was enough emotion in the air that it answered his unspoken questions of care and concern.
Rubedo may not have been privy to most interactions between them, but Cetra's warmth when speaking of him and stiff silence when she was questioned about anything specific left little room for doubt about where her feelings lay, and he had expressed... concern, in the past, upon meeting Gen, that her emotions were not to be trifled with. Seeing him now, however... it made him regret speaking of it. Of course his sister's happiness was important to him, but seeing the restrained frenzy and stalwart determination in him now, it was impossible to believe that those feelings were one-sided.
His musings were interrupted as the halfbreed stallion lifted his nose to the air, and Rubedo glimpsed a distinct sharpening to his gaze as he turned to face south. Something had given him pause, made a flicker of an emotion he couldn't quite identify race across his features, and his own muscles tensed in preparation for something. Not one to disappoint, the black stallion abruptly took off where the trail ended, not pausing to check if his tagalong was behind, although he hardly blamed him. Despite his exhaustion, he followed as closely as he was able, scrambling to catch up to the brisk pace he set.
There were no words. There didn't need to be.
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 4:14 pm
It did not take long for Gen to find another, stronger scent. Pausing in his rush, he circled. Inhaling deeply, Gen released the scent back to the winds in an explosive snort. Cool, moist earth overlaid the skinwalker scent. A cave or gorge, perhaps. Something near water. A den, then. Looking around, he took in the terrain and mentally confirmed the quiet fear he had been trying to ignore.
She had been taken. Just like Tai had been taken.
Grinding his teeth, the black unikalona snarled and picked up a canter. Keeping his pace controlled only to keep track of the scent-trail, Gen left it up to Rubedo to keep up or not. The trees and bushes were dodged with a neat precision granted only to those with long hours afoot in woods very similar to these.
After what seemed like forever, the scent intensified enough to warrant a full stop. Flicking his tail, Gen once again sought the shadows and cautiously surveyed the area leading up to what looked like a rocky overlook. Beneath it, a dark opening that could be a cave mouth ...
In it, the place was drenched in Cetra's unique scent and the putrid odor of skinwalker pelt. Expression hardening, Gen waited for Rubedo ... and curtly ordered him to stand guard, hidden in the trees, while he checked out the interior.
"If I yell. You run." The black stallion ordered, his tone leaving no room for argument. Cetra would not thank him if her family member died here.
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 4:27 pm
Although he struggled to keep up with the pace the other stallion set, Rubedo followed Gen faithfully through the dense forest, snorting at the occasional branch or bramble that swatted his face, and the annoying trip here and there that hindered his speed. The exhaustion of the last two days had started to catch up with him, and he stumbled briefly in his run, but didn't dare fall too far behind- common goal or not, he wasn't about to assume that Gen would have let anything slow him down, now that he was on Cetra's trail.
It seemed like hours before they finally came to a halt outside a well-concealed rocky overcropping behind dense foliage, and Rubedo's heart leapt in terror and hope as he realized that his sister might have been found- but his face abruptly fell into a scowl at the order to wait outside.
Wait here? When his sister could be in the throes of death at this very moment? How certain was Gen that he could actually take on the threat of a purewalker alone, if Cetra was in no shape to help him? He bristled and tensed in anticipation and annoyance to offer an argument to the curt demand, but abruptly began to deflate as he realized that his sister would have given the exact same order were she in his place, and he was unable to counter the logic of it. Neither of them knew what awaited them in there, and the skinwalker could well be lying in wait for them to stumble upon her den before she pounced- this could all be a ruse. Even if it was not, were she simply absent and to return in a few moments, Rubedo could at least make sure Gen was forewarned of a threat.
He would not, on the other hand, simply turn tail and run as Gen requested, but being forewarned of the danger merited standing guard, at least.
With a scowl that was beginning to seem like it was permanently affixed to his face, Rubedo turned to do as he was asked and keep a vigilant golden stare on the surrounding forest, but his attention- and his ears- stayed permanently locked on the cave's mouth behind him, praying that whatever the unikalona found in there wouldn't be cause for grief.
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 4:38 pm
The cave itself was unremarkable. It was neither particularly big, nor particularly small. It's one claim to fame being the soft mosses that littered the entrance. What was remarkable, however, was the stale smell of the place. The lingering odor of skinwalker mixed with what smelled like corpses. The rich scent of Cetra - a smell unlike anything else in the world - felt out of place here. Here, neither sunlight nor a gentle spring rain could reach ... yet here it was. Cetra's scent.
Picking his way through the darkness, he steadied his raging heart enough to cool the fiery light of his markings. She was near. She had to be. But what of the 'walker? Pausing, he scented the air again, then continued. So far the air behaved as if it had not been disturbed for quite some time. Hopefully that did not mean...
Please let her still be alive
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 4:54 pm
 She tried to keep her ragged breaths as quiet as possible.
For the moment, the purewalker was gone and she was alone, although that didn't mean it wouldn't change without a moment's notice. Illari had a habit of surprising her, both in her actions and her thought process- if there even was one; she had serious doubts after some of the things she had seen. Though she'd clearly borne the brunt of her deranged games over the last two days, for some reason, the unhinged catwalker thought it was unsporting to begin a torture session while her victim was asleep. Cetra didn't pretend to know what sort of logic necessitated that decision, but she wasn't about to complain- remaining unnoticed gave her a bit more time to recover and plot her escape.
She was in rough shape, to say the least. Claw and bite marks littered her hide, though they weren't deep enough to cause lasting damage- not yet, anyway- just enough to cause a significant amount of pain and draw enough blood to keep her weak. One of her legs, however, was broken- along with several ribs and probably her right shoulder. Even if she did manage to gather enough strength to hobble out of this cave, she'd move slow enough and leave a wide enough trail in this condition that Illari would be on her again before she even made it a mile.
It might also enrage her enough to do something a bit more... permanent.
The anger came at random, but the episodes were dangerous, dark, and unpredictably intense. The beatings came then- not the light-hearted but sinister clawing and biting that she took great pleasure in, but hard blows out of pure fury at something she couldn't understand. The creature was insane, and no amount of logic could help Cetra predict her actions.
Huffing quietly to herself, she turned gingerly onto her side when a sound at the mouth of her prison abruptly made her freeze.
It took her a moment of frozen wariness to register that the footfalls that alerted her to another presence were too heavy, too unyielding to be from paws- they were hooves. The echoing sound of them set her teeth on edge, only just now realizing that her head was pounding. The cadence of the cautious steps, however, struck something deep within her, and her breath caught in her throat as a familiar, woodsy scent that she knew and adored permeated the stale air of the cave. Her throat began to involuntarily close at the emotional familiarity, at the sheer relief that he was here, that he was all right, that he hadn't gone and gotten himself killed while she was gone- but she fought to stow that vulnerability away. She couldn't begin to deny how happy she was that he was here, even as she worried and raged at the same time that he had knowingly placed himself in harm's way for her. Again.
"...Gen?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 5:03 pm
Wary of discovery, the black stallion did not hurry forward. Not even when he heard his name, and relief poured through his veins. No, even then he did not immediately answer her - despite how much he yearned to.
No, he was too cautious for that, and if the heavy smell of her blood was any indication, she was injured. Still, if she had spoken, daring to say his name, no less, perhaps the beast was gone? Dare he hope?
Sniffing the air, he waited for a long, painful minute before he finally stepped out of the deep shadows and into the filtered light of the cavern. At the sight of her - and of her many injuries - he nearly lost it all over again. The blood was running to his head, making him feel light headed and dangerous as something wild and uncharted sank claws into his heart and shook him.
Still, he closed the distance. Even with the scent of her blood driving him mad, he bent down to nuzzle her cheek tenderly. "We're leaving." He whispered, his breath close to her ear. "Can you stand?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 5:20 pm
For a moment, he didn't move, and she wasn't sure if her mind was simply playing tricks on her. If she was imagining his scent out of a need to see him before she succumbed to her injuries- she didn't want to consider it, but Cetra was aware that Illari wouldn't keep her alive indefinitely. She would grow bored, sooner or later, and end her to seek out a new toy to play with.
After another moment of deliberation, though, she decided that yes, he most definitely was there, he simply wasn't coming nearer. It took a moment to comprehend Gen's caution, but her frazzled and sleep-deprived mind finally made the connection that he wasn't sure where the catwalker was, and was likely attempting to refrain from drawing attention to himself if she were still present. She slowly began the struggle to lift herself upright to reassure him, but he was beside her before she could even make the attempt.
At the gentle touch to her cheek, she nearly made a noise of sheer relief, but chose instead to brush his neck softly with her uninjured wing, resisting the sudden urge to draw him nearer. "I knew you would find me." The words were low, as if afraid that someone would overhear them, but warm, grateful despite her mixed feelings on the matter. She didn't necessarily approve or thrill at the fact that he was here, in danger once again, but she had never had any doubts that he would make it his personal mission to locate her if her family failed. In truth, she fought between rejoicing that it was him and fretting that he would be forced to fight her captor- he certainly stood a better chance at defeating her than any other member of her family, but that didn't make her feel better about his odds.
At his whispered question, her eyes snapped open and everything came into stark relief as her awareness slowly returned. "Can't walk. Broken leg, broken shoulder. I'll be too slow." She wasn't entirely sure what the alternative was, at the moment, but getting him caught by the purewalker was unacceptable. Perhaps if he left and returned with help, they could rally enough strength to get her on her feet and away from Illari's clutches in time, but she refused to slow him down enough to get him killed.
"You need to leave." The fuzziness around the outsides of her vision was beginning to press in again, and her wariness of the catwalker's return made her begin to stiffen in fear for him. "She'll be back soon. Don't let her..." she made a noise of frustration when she was unable to articulate her thoughts adequately, logic gradually losing the battle against exhaustion and affecting her overworked mind. She only knew that he needed to be protected.
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 5:46 pm
"We're leaving." He repeated firmly, looking away from her eyes to take stock of her condition. She could argue all she liked, it was quite obvious she had very little energy left. Leaving her meant condemning her to death, and Gen would never do that.
Gently nosing her shoulder and broken leg, he noted that they were clean breaks at least. The rest would require the finesse of a pure blooded unicorn healer, but he ... he could at least start stitching things together. Enough for her to put weight on them. Perhaps enough to allow him to carry her out of here to Rubedo.
But...
"Cetra. You remember. I can heal." The earlier rage was fading, replaced by concern and a little bit of fear. Would he be able to..?
"Have seen process. Cause pain, cure pain. Something like this ..." He looked down at her leg, his brow furrowing. "Will cause much pain. But ... enough to stand. I carry you out of here. Rubedo outside, we both carry you home."
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Posted: Sat Mar 26, 2016 6:01 pm
She could hear the refusal in his voice even before she registered the words he spoke, and the combined frustration and fear made her huff out a loud sigh, even as she winced at the increased ache it caused in her broken ribs. It wasn't as if she expected any differently from him, but his life was more important than he realized.
She felt his gentle prodding at her broken bones then, and while she kept silent, a sharp inhale through her teeth and the crease of her eyes betrayed the amount of pain even that small movement caused. The haze that settled over her mind was dulling her senses, but it still wasn't enough to make the idea of walking- or even standing- bearable. Her anxiety began to resurface with a vengeance as Cetra realized that she wasn't going anywhere, so by extension neither was Gen, and the insane catwalker was bound to return soon and likely wouldn't take kindly to an intruder in her den. She was in no shape to help him fight, and she doubted he was prepared for Illari's strength.
At the soft reminder that he spoke, though, golden eyes snapped open in sudden recognition, in hope, and her vision began to clear in renewed awareness. She'd seen his healing process, but only ever on himself- it was invasive, painful, but it could get her walking again. It could save her life- his life, by extension. There was no hesitation in her eyes, in her voice, as she turned to meet his gaze seriously, hoping that she was somewhat reassuring as she spotted the hesitance with which he offered this solution.
"Do it."
It clearly wasn't his first choice, she could see that, but they were both in a catch twenty-two situation. He would do anything to protect her, she would do anything to protect him, and they were at a stalemate. She trusted him implicitly at her back, and this was no different.
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