The brute felt bad about the past day, he had not been up to doing much at all. His body had been ready to fail on him, at least it felt like it. Legs had been wobbly after the brute had finally awoke, they had forgotten how to walk after the half day of sleep the brute had taken. Certainly he need it; yet, he was sure that the rest of the pack was sleeping as well. Several of them had worried him with their numerous injuries, 'hopefully Scout and Vixen can care for them.' The gatherer seemed to be rather unharmed as she had been far from the volcanic eruption; however, Rasalas did not know about Scout. He leaned his weight forward and back upon tender paws, attempting to stretch his tightened muscles. Even after that, they still felt tense as he made his way from the cavern he had been sleeping in. His destination was obvious, Turxos creek.
The walk there seemed to take an eternity, but the brute was not going to give up. Dehydration was settling thickly over his body; only the graceful, tasteless liquid would cure him now. 'At least we are near water,' the only thing worse than the eruption would be if they had rushed into an area of complete barren landscape. Rasalas would have lead them all to their death, certainly there would be no escape for them then. It would have been his fault that they died - but all worked out. For once, everything was working out somewhat. Many were wounded, but they were all together and hopefully the others would get along. The red brute leaned his head down to the creek, he had hardly noticed his own arrival. His tongue lapped intensely at the fresh sensation swirling beneath him, then a cool feeling swirled inside of the brute. All was better, until a vicious cough broke loose. It would seem that the water had knocked all of the ash around and now it was eager to escape. Turning from the liquid, the brute vomited. Already weakened legs nearly gave out, the alpha was surprised that they hadn't. Grumbling slightly his head found itself back near the water, once more his tongue was greedily accepting the liquid into his maw.
It seemed that his body was finally accepting of the refreshment and had rid itself of as much ash as possible. With a quiet sigh Rasalas stepped into the creek. Although it certainly was not deep enough for him to become completely surrounded by water, with some splashing and other awkward movement the brute was able to relieve his body of the ash, mud and blood build-up upon his pelt. The red brute seemed distant, his movements and mind separated at the time. All he could think about was what to do with the pack, he would need a second in command. Someone who could help him, Scout seemed the best option. The brute had been with him since the start and been the only one to truly remain loyal. Rasalas could not promote him just yet, they needed a medic and Vixen was not fully trained. 'Best to wait,' the brute shifted his stance to become more dominant as he wandered back towards the caverns.
The scent of his pack flooded his nostrils, they were certainly still around. The brute had essentially declared this land as theirs until the Occasus was safe - he had not quite had time to ensure that there were no violent wolves within Xisyn, but he would just have to keep alert in case he heard a fight break out. 'Who else,' his head clumsily tumbled through the other members, there needed to be someone to help him or at least a few hunters. With a small hunting group he could at least manage to clear his mind enough to focus on one task at a time. Instead, his life had been an absolute whirlwind. Chaos had been swirling everywhere, it was about time that all settled down.
The dimly lit cavern grinned with it's gaping mouth as the brute snuggled himself into it once more. It was in a fairly obvious place where the brute could still see the vast area surrounding him, of course he was resting very near the entrance. Truly, the cavern had just been a place out of direct sunlight where he could sleep without abandoning the pack. Rasalas had needed a few hours to calm and collect himself, the past few days had been absolute hell. He figured that the pack would agree with him on that one, none of them seemed very pleased to be within Xisyn. 'Except for the fact that they are alive,' he chuckled lightly as his body lay down once again upon the cool ground. This time the brute was not going back to sleep, he wanted to be certain that if any member of the pack needed him that he was awake. A slight yawn parted ways with his muzzle as his golden gaze swept across the terrain outside the crevice.
Endless sleep had encompassed the small body of the Iranian, swallowing her up into the darkness. She had been out cold for the last couple days, almost comatose as her body slowly healed and repaired itself. The good news was that outwardly she showed many signs of life. Her chest rose and fell with the steady rhythm of shallow breathing and her paws or ears would twitch with dreams. Her stomach too would rumble from time to time, complaining about hunger that could not be sated until she finally awoke. It was enough to show her pack mates they wouldn't have to worry though. The last thing she wanted was to be causing needless worry (which is probably what her beloved Anubis was feeling right now).
In truth, the extent of her injuries wasn't all that bad. The shock of almost drowning had gotten to her more than the wrath of the volcano. A lot of the ash she'd swallowed in her plight had been dislodged the first time she'd come too. Much water and disgusting black stuff had been expelled from her throat and lungs, burning her insides raw as she'd struggled to breathe. Beyond that she had a few cracked ribs that made her side ache terribly but they were healing and soon enough she would be good as new. The ache that had been plaguing her muscles was slowly receding as well, exhaustion creeping out of her body with every passing hour. The worst of it was probably the migraine that had built up, trying pounding her skull into a thousand tiny pieces. Even that was dulling though, and the recession of pain was gently pulling her back to the realm of consciousness.
Isis let out a groan of complaint, nose twitching at the assault of unfamiliar scents. Though she had been breathing in the scent of the Virak Caverns for days, her brain was only just starting to make sense of it all. Despite the potent cling of Ryala's pack scent, there were no traces of sulfer or sand. These dens were earthier, damp with cave water as opposed to warm from the bubbling network of magma. It was different, not home, and she could only imagine Anubis and some of the others must have helped to transport her body.
The cavern sounded different as well and before she dared to open her eyes, the Iranian took a moment to listen. Others were nearby, the slight scuffles of paws and the sounds of sleeping breaths reaching her on delay. Her head still ached, as did her body, but she was functioning now and a lot better off than she had been. Slowly but surly her eyes cracked open, pupiles dilating against the sudden flood of light no matter how dim it was. She whined as slowly her body adjusted, straining to focus and turn fuzzy images back into their crisper states.
After a few minutes she managed to settle in and began the tedious process of forcing herself to her paws. If she could see then surly she could stand. In truth, her body actually surprised her. Isis was able to collect her paws beneath her and even gave a tentative stretch, testing out her body's durability. As soon as she got some food and water in her system, she would be almost good as new. The aches and pains needed a few more days before they'd completely go away but she was functioning now and she was alive. That was much better than the alternative. It also meant she could start being productive.
Isis sighed and gave herself one last once over before pressing forward. Water was her top priority right now. As soon as she could quench her thirst she would see about finding a meal. Approaching the mouth of the cave brought her another surprise though. It seemed Rasalas was not deeper in like some of the others seemed to be. He was laying just inside the mouth, out of the way of the sun but awake and alert, watching over his pack. Perhaps it was her weariness but she actually managed to dip her head in a more submissive show of respect than usual. Right now she owed a lot to the alpha, the male who'd taken both herself and her "brother" in. Unfortunately, though raspy she could not quite keep the demanding tone from her voice as she asked for information. "Rasalas. How are the others? Anubis?
His mind was distancing itself from the heavy breathing and soft snores. The last thing he needed was to doze off, as soon as sleep caught his brain that would be when someone needed him. 'The warmth and their tired lullabies are singing me away,' his thoughts were amusing him with the way they musically rolled through his skull. The Alpha was aware that his body was still recovering, but he knew that eventually he would need to begin patrol. None of them knew what creatures resided within Xisyn or if any of them were dangerous. That was where he came in, it was his place to protect those beneath him. When he ran into Vixen next, Rasalas intended on asking her if she knew of any dangerous wolves in these lands. It would happen this way, he secured The Occasus and now had to take through a new land. The irony would have made him chuckle if his body wasn't so tender.
Crania tilted itself to the side, someone was stirring. The rhythmic breathing was broken, one of his pack mates was awake. The brute merely quivered his ears as he did not wish to disturb them if they wished to fall back asleep. He was not hidden from his family, merely distanced for their own safety and to sort out his thoughts. Golden eyes narrowed themselves upon his paws, the Alpha was hoping that another was awake. A bit of conversation may lay his mind at ease a bit. At least he would see that one of them was doing better. Well, he hoped that would be how the conversation went. With the volcanic eruption having happened only a few days ago, the brute believed it safe to assume that all of them were still quite shaken up. He would be more surprised if they were not.
The Alpha got his wish, moments later slightly demanding words snared his mind. 'Isis would be the one who awoke first,' a smile crossed his features. The Alpha had not known her for an extended period of time, but already he had grown used to her authoritative nature. Naturally the Iranian female held a sense of power about her, even over him. It had a tendency to be irritating, but not enough to where any problems would be caused. Today, the brute was merely relieved that the femme had stirred from her unconscious state. At last he turned himself back to face her, "Hello Isis." The red one had not realized how raspy his voice was going to be from the ingested debris. A look of embarrassment passed over his features for a second before the brute slid it away.
Satisfaction swept over him when she inquired not only about her brother but the others as well. Even if she truly only cared to know if Anubis was alright, it still brought approval to the female from the Alpha. "Everyone is shaken up and has some sort of minor injury, but all should recover quite well. That includes Anubis, I am certain that he is going to be fine." His gaze was soft upon the female and the gentle grin still remained upon his lips. The Iranian seemed to be doing significantly better now that she had managed to rest for several days. "How are you doing? Feeling better I hope, we were all very worried about you." Rasalas had been highly concerned about this creature, after all she had collapsed upon reaching the others. The fact that she had managed to make it to them was impressive. The red brute did not want to think about what may have happened if she had fallen before reaching them. Anubis and himself would have set out looking for her once the fire storm was over, but what they found might not have been good.
A slight wiggle of his tail, which proved to be a bit of a struggle, was given towards the femme. He wasn't sure if she yet felt important or wanted within the pack, or if that even mattered to her. On multiple occasions, Rasalas had wondered if Anubis and Isis were merely within Tassos in order to better keep themselves together. Regardless, they were here and seemed to be willing to stay. That was the important part, both are alive and doing well. As well as they could be anyway, with their home recently being destroyed.
Last Edit: Jan 31, 2013 13:59:18 GMT -5 by Deleted
