by Hopeflower » Mon Feb 18, 2013 10:16 pm
Xanthe paused and cocked his head as a scent, faint but unmistakable and very welcome, reached him. He inhaled deeply to be sure it wasn't his mind playing tricks. Water - fresh and flowing, not stagnant. Probably just a small stream, but that was alright; where there was flowing water, there were healthy plants...which, hopefully, meant a somewhat decent meal. They'd covered quite a bit of distance already, and with what little there had been to eat last night, he was sure the youngsters were getting hungry. Xanthe hesitated, looked at the others, and growled, "Fancy trying our luck that way?" He gestured with his muzzle in the direction the barely-there breeze had carried the faint scent from.
Astus was nervous as he carefully guided Viridis between trees and around fallen, half-rotted logs. Siri could easily bring the rest of the split pack charging after them to take her daughter back, and he was sure she wouldn't think twice about killing him. The knowledge was like a kick in the gut, and not for the first time, he swallowed his bitter regrets. It was time to stop thinking of how she had been before Vertigo abandoned them, how the two of them had been before she met Inculta. The sound of Viridis's shallow, almost painful-sounding breaths and the sight of her thin flanks heaving as she struggled to keep going solidified his disgust for what Siri had become.
"I know I haven't always been good to you," Astus whispered to the starving young female, not knowing why he said it now, only knowing that he had to get it off his chest. "But I promise I'll take care of you."
"Astus," she rasped, surprising him, "where are we going?"
Having no better answer, he simply growled, "To find someone who can help you."
She was silent for a little while before she stopped, weakened body trembling. "I need to rest," she mumbled, sinking slowly to the ground. Astus nosed her, concerned, only to find his worst fears confirmed. He'd taken her away too late - she smelled of sickness. It would do her no good to keep walking like this. The pale male looked around anxiously, knowing he'd have to leave her to find someone who could help him, yet fearing he'd return to find she'd been taken by a bigger predator. He growled under his breath, torn but knowing he really had no choice. He'd just have to hope Viridis's mottled green coloring would conceal her well enough until he got back.
"Don't move. Don't make a sound," Astus growled to his niece, resting his muzzle on her head for just a moment, trying to hide the faint terror he felt at having to leave her. She seemed much warmer than could be normal - she needed water, that much he knew. "Wait here until I get back." He stood up, glanced around, sniffed a few times, and took off toward the faint smell of other, unfamiliar raptors.
He'd just have to hope they were in a helpful mood.
"Gotta have a little sadness once in a while so you know when the good times come."
"Talent is a pursued interest. In other words, anything that you're willing to practice, you can do." ~ Bob Ross
"The future is always uncertain and painful but it must be lived." ~ Unknown