Defenders of the Glass

Despite Annabel refusing the offer to ride on his back, Drakken took no offense to it. He merely shrugged his massive shoulders. "None taken." He did though, lower himself to allow the now wounded soldier Siven onto his back. Once the male was secure, Drakken continued to follow the rest of the group. As he did, Magnus thanked Drakken for being kind about letting Siven sit on his back. "It's not a problem. I felt like being courtious."

Baruka snickered at the response. For as long as they have been stuck in the cell together, he had come to the conclusion that Drakken seemed like a rough and tough guy but was actually pretty decent. Once you get past the prideful exterior. His actions were admirable, perfect for a warrior. Hard to break his spirits but wasn't obnoxious to deal with.

"Hiding in the only tree out in the open?" Drakken looked to the young male. He thought this guy was out of his mind! "It would be the first place I would look at, if I were hunting criminals." He snorted to the side, letting out another puff of cold smoke from his nose.

Before they knew it, someone else had found them. She introduced herself as Kuro. "At least she has some sort of formality." He mumbled to himself. Drakken then turned to Cobalt who insisted that they trust her. "You know... You are awfully naive and trusting of others. But if you insist..." He had nothing better to do. Leaving them behind was a bit out of the option considering he wouldn't be able to fly far with the current burn wounds he has. Besides, he has a passenger on his back. That was the last thing he wanted to bring with him when returning to his home land.

Baruka on the other hand really didn't mind the fact Kuro was trying to help them out. Even if her ways were a bit questionable. The thought did cross his mind that if she wanted them all dead, she would have done it already when they were all wounded and knocked out. Especially Drakken. Being a dragon and all, he would probably be one of the first ones to be killed off. Dragons were considered dangerous. so why would a villain want to keep one alive and near by?

Once they made it into the cavern, and it was considered safe, Drakken placed Siven on the ground. "Your ride ends here." He said with a huff before he transformed back into a human-like form. It was easier to fit inside the small cave. He then moved over to the side and leaned against it. "Baruka is fairly decent about medical techniques. He helped the burn wounds heal." He pointed to his side. In fact, they were pretty healed. Though, they still brought on some pain.

Baruka silently stood there. But when Nadya got snagged by a rope, she hanged there in front of them. It was kind of funny. But he refused to let the laughter seep through his mouth. It would have been awfully rude! He did think about helping her out though.

Drakken glanced up at her hanging there. She then asked for help from Magnus. And since she was being specific as to who should help her, Drakken didn't move. Not even a muscle. In fact, he just looked over to Siven. "I could numb your foot for a bit while someone yanks the arrow out." Without waiting for permission, he walked over and held out his hand. One could hear the sound of ice forming over his palm, giving it a shiny layer. He then knelt down and placed his hand on the guys foot. "Hit me, and I'll knock you out." He threatened Siven. "Baruka, yank it out."

Baruka waited a couple of moments, making sure that his foot was numb from the cold. He didn't want to pull too early and have the guy flail. Plus he didn't want to see Drakken knock out Siven because he got smacked in the jaw. Once it was time, Baruka then grabbed a hold of the arrow. He looked to Siven with an "are you ready?" look on his face.

If Siven accepts this, Baruka will yank on the arrow. Pulling it out of his foot. Being that his foot was numb, he shouldn't feel so much pain from it.

There was an abrupt explosion from the outside. Drakken quickly drew out his weapon. A spear made out of ice. He held it, ready to strike whatever it was that was coming their way. Baruka stood next to him but Drakken hissed at him. "You go back over to Siven and Annabel."

Baruka only sighed and went over to their side. Though, he was positive that Annabel would refuse his protection. She seemed to be a rather tough young lady. He drew out his weapons and readied himself for the source of the explosion. "....."

Another explosion came from somewhere near the cave. The vibration could be felt in the ground which caused some rubble to fall from the ceiling of the cave. Drakken continued to stand his ground and keep a keen eye out. Just then, someone appeared in sight. But she seemed to be fleeing from someone. Drakken continued to remain standing there, not attacking at first sight. After all, this lady might be fleeing from the same people that they were. But how possible was that?

The newcomer ran into the cave, past Drakken and hid behind a rock. They didn't even realize that he was standing there. Drakken turned to face her. "What are you doing in our cave?"

"Don't let them kill me!" The so-called woman's voice was rather masculine. It was a dude. He coward behind the rock, shivering.

Drakken just blinked at him and looked back outside. He couldn't see anyone but heard shouting. So he backed into the cavern, using the darkness as cover. The soliders chasing after the guy, looked around the area and took off. They didn't even bother with looking at the cave.

Once things simmered down, Drakken grabbed at the guy's cloak. Yanking the male to his feet and pinning him against the wall. He held a claw under his throat. Any wrong movements, the guy's throat would be slit open. "Who are you and what are you doing?" He growled at the now frightened male.

"Please don't kill me! People like trying to do that!" he stammered before he felt the claw poke at his throat. The cold claws were frightening. And so was the fact that he was surrounded by a bunch of people now. "N-name is J-Jakkin. I-I am a Warlock i-in training. A-And I-I assure you... I-I mean no harm! I-I swear!"

"Why are they chasing you?" Drakken pushed for answers.

Jakkin tried to shrink back, further away from Drakken. But he was pretty much pinned. "I-I uh... well... Kinda blew something up. And the king didn't like it... So y-yeah. Can you let me go now? I-I dont want to die."

 

Torik climbed up into her tree; the one she made a little house in. It wasn't really a "house", but more of a little place high up in the tree, covered by leaves. Plus, it had branches that were close enough to each other, that she was able to make a bed with them. Finally at the top of the large tree, she went out on a branch, and looked down at the view. She was surprised to see other people in the forest. She knew that there was another person in the forest. Wasn't Kuro her name? She shook her head. There was a good distance between her, and the group, but she could still tell there was about eleven, or twelve people in the group. She decided to check it out.

They looked nice, and besides, Torik had heard Kuro was a good person. Judging by the distance, she would have to jump from the branch she was on, to another. she would have to do this a couple of times. She jumped to the other branch, grabbing it with her hands. She did this until she was on the tree closest to the group. Finally on the tree closest, she stood on the wrong branch by mistake. It snapped in half, and she fell a good ten to fifteen feet, before two branches caught her. She had legs over one branch, and the other branch caught her arms. She looked at the group, her face growing red.

"Well, that's one way to do things. Hello everyone."

 

Talus pointed his sword directly at Kuro. "You," he hissed, "will die." Before he could lunge at her, the neko tried to explain herself and what her next action was. "As if we could trust you!" The half-wolf shouted. "You sold us out, traitor!" He was absolutely furious at Kuro's previous... business with Tobias, so why should he trust her? Cobalt claimed they should place faith in her. To Talus, Cobalt was a dumbass. How could she be trusted at all? She led the group to a large, open cave for hiding purposes. His eyes never left track of Kuro once, always looking for any hint of another betrayal. He leaned against a wall and sighed, sliding downwards. "I guess we should thank you for providing shelter. But if you try to give us hell, you'll pay." His glare met with Kuro's eyes for a brief moment; hopefully the message was clear.

Siven was let down by Drakken and nodded a curt thanks. He sat against the wall while the dragon froze his foot. Baruka offered to pull out the arrow, but the half-wolf shook his head. "I'll get it," he said. Grasping the arrow in his hand, he counted down from three and yanked it out. It didn't hurt, but it did sting like a bee. He sharply inhaled and gave a silent scream for a few seconds before relaxing. The arrow was completely out of his foot and on the cavern floor - better than leaving part of it in at least. "Thanks... for the help." Siven attempted to stand up, only to shout in pain and fall back down. "Fuck," he murmured. "Any of you guys got a bandage or something?"

Talus felt the ground at his feet rumble at the sound of an explosion. He sat upright, gazing around for the source. Another one occurred, but this time someone was fleeing from it. It turned out to be a warlock-in-training. Talus stood up and approached the young creature. "We won't harm you unless we have good reason," he assured. His eyes glanced at Kuro, but quickly bounced back to Jakkin. "You say there are others chasing after you? And that the 'king' didn't appreciate your acts?" Talus shook his head. "If you mean Tobias, he is no king of ours. Pay him no... well, pay him less mind than you think you should." After the warlock's response, Talus nodded in confirmation and headed back to his "seat". He stopped in his tracks before reaching the wall and thought, Perhaps I should confer with Kuro about her... sudden concerns. His mind both rejected and accepted the idea, but he finally won out over talking to her. "Kuro," he muttered on approach. "I still don't trust you, but there are a few things I would like to clear up. First of all, why the change of heart? You sold us out to Tobias, why are you helping us?" He paused. "Secondly, how do you know about that the guards won't follow us in here? It seems to be a rather obvious place to hide."

 

Lilac shifted on her bed, and looked to the bushes at the end of her den. She could hear voices, and they were getting louder. There were two men, leading them, who were laughing. Further back there was the rest of the group, and... could those be the other girls from the forest? One was called Torick, she lived nearer to Lilac, but whenever she passed, Lilac shrunk into the shadows. She wasn't sure of the others name, but it started with an O? or maybe a U? Either way, she didn't see much of her. She decided to meet them.

Her den was smaller than her old bedroom, that was easy to tell, after being shut in there for a year, she knew the whole thing back to front. Her den was surrounded by blackberry bushes, that tangled in her hair and scratched her, but it was good protection. The only way to get out was to climb the tree in the center and climb onto branches and jump. So that was what she did.

She leapt from branch to branch, gliding in between falls, the voices growing louder as she neared. Suddenly, her heart started racing, after being solitary for so long, she wondered how she would do this. She tried to speak, practicing and gaining her voice as she descended. "-H-h-hi" No "He-y" No, one more time "Hey" Perfect, now, say a sentence when you get down there, make your presence heard. She fell to the ground in a crouched ball, got up, dagger raised and spoke to someone for the first time in years "Who are you? What do you want?"

 

Torik heard someone shout in pain, and turned her head to see Siven asking for a bandage. She felt around her pockets for some. Sadly she did not have any.

"Sorry, all out." Torik said to Siven. "The name's Torik by the way." She said loud enough for everyone to catch. She smiled when she heard Kuro, Cobalt, and Magus's hello. She walked up to Kuro.

"It seems like you have a group now." Torik rubbed her hands together, hoping to get some of the dirt that was on it, off. She looked back at hands again. Still dirty. Dammit. A sound alerted her, and she turned around fast, pulling on her own weapon. It was the third person living in the forest. Wasn't Lilac her name?

".... L-Lilac?" Torik asked, spinning her sword in her hand.

 

Even though Jakkin was perfectly capable of blowing the entire cavern down, he was still trying to back away from Drakken. The grip on his shirt grew tighter and the dastardly sharp claw pressed against his pale skin. Jakkin knew that if he tried anything funny, Drakken would see to it that he would be the one killing the scared and spineless warlock. He held his breath and looked at the rather deep colored eyes of the dragon. It was mesmerizing but he knew better than to keep staring death in the eye. So he looked back over to the others.

Jakkin flinched when Kuro got defensive over the idea that he had just called Tobias a King. How was he supposed to know that they were against the man too? He just bit his lip and listened to her rant about how horrible the guy was. Jakkin couldn't agree more to everything that was said. But the pressure against his neck prevented him from saying anything in return.

Baruka placed a hand on Drakken's wrist, tugging it slightly. He was hoping that the dragon would release some of the strangling pressure on the weary warlock. At least to where the man could breathe without difficulty. After all, he didn't seem to be much of a problem. If he did anything bad, there were more than him.

Drakken let go of the warlock, letting the frail being fumble to the ground. "Pitiful." Drakken mumbled as he turned away from him and walked over to a different wall. The man wasn't worth killing. He was spineless and weak. Nothing of interest for Drakken.

"I-I didn't know that you guys are rebels against T-Tobias." He managed to say once he got his breath back. Jakkin still sat against the wall, cowering away from them as much as he could. "S-So that's why I addressed him as one. J-Just in case you were...aligned o-or something." He then flailed. "But now that I know that you aren't I-I understand! Just don't have the dragon grab me again, please."

Drakken snorted. "Answer their questions, warlock."

Jakkin gulped. "W-Well, yes. I was wandering--being on a mission that my Master appointed me. I got stuck in this one spot where Tobias' minions surrounded me. I-I didn't want to be captured. So... I kiiiiiinda blew up the building." The warlock fidgeted with his shirt, showing signs that he was extremely nervous about being in the cave with them.

Magnus was trying to be friendly and introduced himself. Jakkin nodded, greeting him. But when Kuro decided to go catwoman on him, he flinched back against the wall again. "I-I can tell. S-So does the dragon."

"The name is Drakken." He frowned at the panicked elf. "And you will address me as so."

"Y-Yes sir." Jakkin said. He glanced up as Baruka offered a hand to him. Jakkin took his hand and the anubis pulled him to his feet. "Thanks. Uh?"

"His name is Baruka. He talks but chooses not to. Only when things are deemed important. I suppose." Drakken informed. "That or he doesn't know how to speak English."

Baruka frowned at the remark. But he knew Drakken was kind of trying to get him to make some sort of objecting sound. It didn't work because he only nodded to Jakkin. He then turned when more people showed themselves. It seemed that the rebellion was much greater in size than he had thought. It was actually quite pleasing. Baruka waved to the others.

Drakken glanced over at Lilac. She seemed scared that people managed to intrude in on her territory. But he didn't seem to really move from his spot. Arms folded and eyes locked on her, he made sure she wasn't going to aim anything at him. "Hello." His voice was flat. "We're just hiding here. We don't want anything from you." At least, he didn't want anything from her.

Jakkin gave her a shy and nervous wave. "H-Hello. We're just a bunch of r-rebels, trying to uh...do something. I don't know w-what." The warlock tried explaining to Lilac, what they were doing. But not even he knew--mainly because he just joined the group as well. "O-Oh! I-I am Jakkin."

 

Nadya seethed when Magnus only snickered and didn't help her. How rude! But then again, she wasn't exactly nice to him, which was probably why he didn't help. "Little shit." She grunted at him. Kuro was the one who came to her rescue.

As she was set on the ground, she muttered a "thanks" to the young woman. Her face was still red as she readjusted her outfit so that it fit her more..decently.

"Nadya, are you alright?" Annabel called worriedly, rushing to her friend. She rubbed Nadya's wrists, noting the red marks from the ropes. Nadya merely watched her before letting the blonde know she was alright.


"I'm alright." She watched as Drakken set down Siven. "I'll patch you up." Nadya said flatly, walking over to the man, "I have some pulp to-" there was an explosion nearby, and Gunari, the crocodile skull, immediately began to hiss and ooze a poisonous gas.

"W-What was that?" Annabel stammered, quite worried. Under Drakken's orders, Baruka took a place next to her. She crossed her arms and pouted. She didn't need protecting! But it was nice to know the seemingly grumpy Drakken cared.

A loud, echoing caw was heard in the dark cavern. Ezra had apparently brought in a friend. "Aw." Ezra looked behind him quickly, scarred parts of his face becoming revealed do to the quick turn of his head. "That scared away my friend." He was referring to the explosion.

Drakken began to talk to an unknown person. Ezra never saw anyone enter. "Who are you talking to-oh." He said, in a rather interested-sounding voice. A new lady joined their group! However, he found out he was wrong about the lady part when they spoke. The voice was masculine.

As Drakken pinned the terrified and beautiful man to the wall, Annabel immediately took action. "Mr. Drakken!" She pleaded with the dragon. "Please don't hurt him! Look how scared he is- I don't think he means us any harm." She turned her eyes to the frightened elf, offering him a warm smile. "Are you hurt anywhere? We have a doctor with us!I'm Annaebel." She said referring to Nadya, who merely grunted in annoyance.

So much commotion! Next, there was a noise from outside. Nadya tensed as she patched up Siven's heel. She growled to the group. "Are you sure this is a good place to hide? Others are finding this place with ease." A young woman named Torik entered.

As she spoke those words, another person entered the cave! This time, a woman named Lilac, who questioned them on why they were there. Nadya hissed. "I believe we were here first. Do not question someones motives when you are easily outnumbered, girl."

"Damn, Kuro." Ezra put an arm around the woman's shoulders. He knew she'd probably shake him off or something. "You didn't tell me you had roommates." He winked at her, referring to Lilac and Torik, the two women who had just entered.

"Ah, the more the merrier!" Annabel said to the newcomers. "I'm Annabel! And this is Nadya." She said, pointing to NAdya, who had finished bandaging Siven's heel. She didn't say a word to the two women. She was now more worried than ever about being discovered by the wrong people.

A thunk sound was heard as Drakken dropped Jakkin. The warlock in training was still squished up against the wall in fear. Annabel tried to reach out to him again. "Don'tbe afraid." she cooed, trying to comfort him the best she could. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't think Drakken will hurt you now that you've joined our side!" She said with a nervous laugh.

"You blow up stuff, huh?" Ezra commented to the cowardly elf. "Shame you hadn't come by our prison and blown it up." He chuckled to himself. "We were stuck there forever."

Nadya hadn't paid the young elf much attention. She'd been eyeing the two new young women instead. "Are you two joining us?" She asked them.

"And how long as we staying here?" She added.

 

Siven sat silently as Nadya patched up his foot with an odd substance. It oozed over his foot like jelly, but also soothed his pain rapidly as well. With his heel finally bandaged and healed, Siven once more attempted to stand up. He managed to, but his balance was unsteady for a few moments. He limped over to Talus and looked around at the newcomers. "Who are these guys?" he asked. Talus pointed to each one. "That over there with Drakken is called Jakkin. But isn't there only..." The half-wolf turned around to face the other two new faces to the group. The one named Torik seemed to know the other girl- apparently called Lilac- and approached her, sword in hand. Not wanting a fight to break out, Talus quickly walked over Lilac. She sounded like she hadn't spoken to anyone in years. "Do not fear us, miss," he said reassuringly. "We are only here to hide for a while. You are Lilac, correct?" Talus bowed his head slightly. "I am Talus. This is my brother, Siven." Siven had hobbled over and gave a slight wave to the girl.

Talus turned to Torik. "And when did you get here? Were you waiting for someone? Kuro, perhaps?" A yes wouldn't make him exactly keen on befriending her. Siven sighed and looked over Lilac. "I'm Siven, if you didn't hear Talus. And don't worry, we're just laying low for while. We've got some, uh... bounty on us, I guess you could say. Nice to meet you, despite the circumstances." The half-wolf moved over to Kuro. "Thanks for your help," he muttered. "I still don't like you for turning us in, but thanks anyway. We may not have gotten away if it weren't for you." He glanced at his foot. "Me especially."

 

Torik looked around while putting her sword away, only to see Jakken, and Drakken. She sighed, then walked up beside Drakken, her hands in her pockets, and watched. She saw Baruka place a hand on Drakken's wrist, telling him to release some of his pressure on the warlock. Drakken let go of him, and he fell to the ground. She sat down next to him.

"How are you doing?" Torik asked, her voice calm. She listened to the conversion that was going on. She saw Jakken was extremely nervous. She put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Everyone was introducing themselves to him, so she did too.

"The name's Torik. Nice to meet ya." She smiled. She waved back to Baruka, seeing as he had waved to them. She heard Ezra say something about roommates, and she looked at him, annoyed.

"We're not her roommates. We just all live in the forest." Torik sighed. She was open-ears as she heard Annabel talk. She got up, and walked over to her. She stuck out her hand for her to shake. "Nice to meet you, Annabel. I'm Torik." She noticed Nadya eyeing her, and Lilac.

"Sure, I'll join. Over-throwing Tobias would be fun!" She laughed, actually it would be a fun time. She looked to Talus who had asked her some questions.

"I got here around five minutes ago." She answered him. "No, I wasn't waiting for someone. I spotted you guys with Kuro. Besides, I live in this forest. I know when someone enters."

 

Once his fear subsided, things became clear for him to see. The first thing that stood out to him was a lovely young lass that seemed concerned for his well-being. Looking up at the most beautiful angel he has ever seen, he went speechless. You can be the doctor to my heart~ He thought the cheesy line in his head. Jakkin knew that it was stupid to say that out loud and what if she was already with someone?! The last thing he needed was an angry boyfriend-and a dragon at his throat.

When she placed her calm and gentle angelic hand unto his shoulder, he flinched. Not from fear but from surprise. A pretty woman was trying to talk to him and not behead him! This was definitely the first and she was not anything like the other girls he had met before! He blushed as he just looked up at her.

Then, just as things were going swell; another kind young lady walked over to him, asking a similar question and placing her hand on his shoulder. She too was rather pretty! Her hair was placed in such a way that made her look adorable to him. Two girls placing their hands on his shoulders, it was a dream!

"It is rude to ignore people when they speak to you." Drakken frowned at him.

"Er-uh. . . Um. . ." He flailed a bit, trying to get his thoughts straight. The day dream was over and people around him seemed to be at edge. "Uh-y-yeah! I am!" He stuttered. "Th-thank you! I am okay! J-Just uh, make sure Blue Eyes White Dragon, doesn't kill me! O-Oh!" he did a sloppy bow to Torik. "N-Nice to meet you too!"

Drakken snorted at the name. It was far too long and choppy to be a nickname. He turned his attention back to the rest of the crew. The dragon noticed the young girl, whom seemed to be disturbed by the groups sudden appearance. He frowned as Siven introduced everyone to Lilac. Then Magnus came over and told Drakken to put some faith into the newer allies. It was something out of his comfort zone as he really could care less about species that weren't dragon based. His only response was; "As long as he doesn't betray us, he won't have to worry about me snapping his neck."

"Grump ass." Jakkin mumbled as he looked at his dirtied mage robe. He couldn't believe how intimidating this guy was. He knew dragons were often serious and ill-humored at times and can actually be quite terrifying when angered. But despite Drakken being a bit smaller than the other dragons he had met; he had a rather intimidating aura to him.

Just as he thought his mumbling was safe from ears, he glanced up and noticed the death glare from Drakken. He quickly gulped and scooted away from Drakken once more. Crowding himself against the wall and somewhat using Anabell and Torik as a pair of meat-shields between him and the angry dragon. It seemed that Drakken had respect for women and he felt that the dragon wouldn't strike him if he were behind them! Great idea!!

Drakken scowled at Magnus and Cobalt as they were lecturing him about his actions. It was pitiful. "You have no right to lecture me." With that, he turned away from the two druid and half druid. Their reaction to his bitter comment was of no interest to him. He walked over to the mouth of the cave, with his arms folded against his chest and his gaze elsewhere.

The Warlock finally stood away from the wall and turned to Ezra. "Erm, yeah. . . I tend to have bad timing skills. I usually show up when things are going wrong and I make them worse. But I guess I came a little too late this time. Heh. . ." he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I-I am sure I can be useful in some other point of time! M-maybe. As long as you guys allow me to tag along. O-Or something."

"W-Well..." Jakkin figetted a little bit as he felt like he was being singled out by Kuro. "I'm okay at battling--though I tend to blow things up. But if I am told specifically as to what I should and shouldn't do, I'll do alright. But uh, if I have the right materials, I can make good potions! Both healing and uh--poisonous potions. I-I like alchemy..."

Baruka was skilled in fighting but he figured to let his actions speak for him. He just walked over to the side of the cave and got himself comfortable. The conversation going on was important and he was interested in it. But he too was exhausted from the running and fear that they all had been suffering through for the past couple of months.

"W-well I don't know anyone that could really help. Other than my Master but he probably would frown upon me for requesting something like that. If you ask me, he's in support of Tobias--WHICH!" He flailed a bit. "I AM NOT! I HATE HIM!" He wanted to make it clear that Tobias was definitely not on the "cool people" list. "What about the Anubis and Dragon?"

"Drakken. Address me as that." He hissed at the Warlock. "And yes. I suppose I could obtain some sort of assistance to our little conflict. Though, let it be known that we dragons would much rather avoid silly problems that involve other species; such as this current predicament."

"Then why are you helping them?" Jakkin asked. "Go back home, if that's the case!" He felt like an idiot, now that he just got defensive with a dragon. Jakkin prayed that Drakken wouldn't try and snap his neck. He even placed his hands around his neck, protecting it. Though, Jakkin knew that this would provide little to no actual protection against his wrath.

Drakken frowned at him once again. "Think of it as a form of "Thank you," for Cobalt getting us out of that dungeon." He turned to the half-druid. Drakken really didn't care what Cobalt's opinion was about the conversation. Nor did he bother to ask. "I will do what I can to help you out, within reason. If anything, you will most likely have my family behind us; helping us put Tobias' deviant ways, to an end."

"You have a family?" Jakkin asked but Drakken just ignored him and sat down against a wall. He frowned. How the hell could a grumpy guy like him, have a family? Jakkin hated to think of what his family consisted of. All terrifying ice dragons with a bad temper and drowning in their own pride. Plus not to mention all the sharp teeth, cold breath, and death glares. These thoughts made Jakkin shiver and return back to his spot where he had originally cowered in. "I-I am sure we can think of more stuff t-tomorrow." Jakkin said as he sank into his spot. His eyes were growing heavy as he nodded to sleep.

And this whole time, despite the questions being given; Baruka still never spoke and had actually fell asleep first. How nice of him!

 

((Collab post with Coblat))

Everyone seemed all happy and giddy at the thought of killing Tobias. Nadya grumbled, annoyed by it. This wouldn't be some willy-nilly good time- they were out to kill a powerful man, and it wouldn't be easy or exactly fun. She eyed the forest girls, wondering if any of them were really capable of defending themselves outside of the forest. She kept quiet, though.

The group had apparently decided to stay and rest in the cave for a day or two. Nadya gritted her teeth. "Are you sure we'll stay hidden from Tobias's men that long?" She had to admit that none of them were really completely fit for fighting. "If we're staying here, someone needs to stay on guard at night. We'll take-"

"I'll keep watch," Ezra's smooth voice echoed through the cave. "I don't sleep." Nadya gave him a look. "No, I'm serious! I don't." He smirked under his deep hood.

"How will we become combat ready? Where will we train? Will we train?" Nadya pressed further. She needed answers! "I don't think some of us are fit for fighting." She really had no idea if the forest girls could fight.

Annabel giggled at Jakkin's jumpy behavior. It was kind of cute, and she understood why he would be jumpy- Drakken was kind of scary! When she was first placed in the prison, she was very terrified to talk to the dragon man. But she didn't think he was so bad now. Annabel bet he was a real sweetheart underneath it all!

"Drakken has a right to be weary about this Jakkin man!" Nadya snapped at Magnus. "He almost blew up the damn cave, and his master words for Tobias! I don't give a shit if the others trust him, he's still sketchy to me."

"I think the more the merrier!" Annabel said, clasping her hands together as she stood by Drakken. "I mean, Tobias is going to be a tough opponent- and he has a lot of minions. We'll need as much help as we can get. So thank you, everyone!" She smiled to the group, seemingly the only one to be in a good mood.

As expected, Drakken wasn't happy with how Magnus and Cobalt spoke to him, like he was a young child who needed to be scolded for being mean. The dragon man went and pouted by the entrance of the cave. Annabel hoped he'd be okay.

"Of course you can tag along!" The angel cheered to Jakkin. "I think your bombs will come in handy if we're ever in a tight fix. Do you think you could make fireworks out of those bombs? They'd be so pretty to see!" The girl trailed off, imaging how beautiful fireworks would be to see. "I've never seen fireworks before."

Ezra snickered when Kuro lunged at Lilac. "Cat fight, heheh." He wondered if Kuro was passing on Lilac's territory, or if it was the other way around. He was too scared to ask though.

Their night of group talk came to a close with Magnus and Kuro "pep" talking everyone into getting battle ready and honing their skills. It made Annabel a little worried. Would she be ready in a couple of days to go out and fight? She hadn't used her light powers in so long...

"What if we're not good at anything helpful?" Ezra challenged as the two men settled down to sleep. "All I can do is steal. I'm not bad with my sickle, though- and I'm probably won't die, unfortunately for you all." He snickered, knowing a few people in the group weren't too fond of him. "Sleep well, guys." With that, the hooded man moved towards the mouth of the cave.

Magnus's words irritated Nadya, of course. For some reason, everything that came out of that man's mouth irritated her. She thought she was battle ready! Tomorrow she'd prove it, when they trained-or whatever they planned on doing. She noticed the worry etched on Annabel's face. Her gaze instantly softened. "Annabel," she called to her. "Don't worry, we'll work on your abilities tomorrow. Be sure to soak up lots of sunlight." Nadya's rare soft tone reassured Annabel as she settled down to sleep next to Drakken.

As Nadya passed by Siven, she stopped to look at him. "Try not to move your foot so much in the night, so it doesn't bleed." She dipped her pretty head at Talus before moving on, unfortunately finding a place on the floor near Magnus, but close by Annabel.

As Annabel got comfortable, she overheard Jakkin ask Drakken about his family. She didn't know he had a family! "Oh, you have a family?" Annabel also pressed the grumpy dragon. "Do you have a wife?" She couldn't imagine Drakken with a wife, but she gave a sweet giggle at the thought of him being very sweet to a woman that he cared for. She didn't know whether or not he'd answer her- he didn't answer Jakkin, that's for sure.

Annabel rested her head against the cave wall, mumbling to no one in particular as she closed her tired eyes. "I hope we get food tomorrow, I'm so hungry." She turned sleepily to look at Jakkin. "Can you make tiny explosions and cook eggs or something? Maybe boom and make toast in an instant?" The angel knew she probably sounded silly, but she didn't care. She placed her golden head against the wall once more, closing her eyes.

To her side, Nadya was tryign to get comfortable as far away from Magnus as she could. "Don't you dare fucking touch me in my sleep!" She seethed at the man. "It'll be the last thing you do!" She then put her eyes on Annabel, as if she was going to stay up and watch over the angel all night.

Magnus chuckled, Nadya always seemed like the kind that'd blame you for her troubles. "What complusive instinct would bring me to touch you? I'm not a rapist, you know." Magnus shook his head. "Besides, I'm sure Kuro or someone else would do something before I even made a move." he laughed even more. "Annabel, especially."

Nadya's cheeks burned. "I didn't mean rape, you shithead! I meant don't try to hold me!" She huffed.

Magnus burst out laughing at that point. "Nadya...holding would imply that I LIKE you...why would I try to hold you? You'd be too hot with all that blushing." Magnus gave a devilish smirk.

The Voodoo priestess felt her face heat up even more. "Fuck you!" She slammed the end of Gunari's staff behind her head, letting him hiss at Magnus as she rolled over to face Annabel. She'd never forgive herself if she woke up closer to Magnus.

Ezra took a deep breath, enjoying the moon's beams on his hidden scarred face. He enjoyed the cool night air that wafted in through the cave entrance. It was calming. He felt something shift on the wall beside him, and he turned to see the lovely Kuro. "Aren't you gonna sleep? I said I'd watch all night. But I get it if you don't trust me." He gave her a small smirk. "I'm not exactly a trust worthy person with these sticky fingers of mine."

Kuro turned to him, her eyes shifted from her amber to a purple, this time without control. This usually occured when moonlight hit her irises. "What can I say, it's a curse. Never was one for sleep. Trust is another reason. I'm not keeping my home in the hands of a theif." She chuckled.

Ezra smirked at her mentioning of curses. "Curses. I've got a few of my own." The man was being serious, whether she was about curses or not. He watched as a few crows pecked the ground by the entrance of the cave. "I won't touch your stuff, though. It's like the one thing I have control- the urge to steal from those I'm loyal to. I don't feel the urge to steal from them."

Kuro grinned, realizing she'd gotten someone else on her side. "Glad to know I have your trust, Ezra." Trust could be scarce sometimes, it was very valuable. "Why aren't you asleep? Nervous?"

Ezra smiled at Kuro. Well, at least someone didn't find him to be a nuisance. "You're welcome, I guess. Same to you, if I have yours." She asked if he was nervous, and he gave a low chuckle, his voice sounding like velvet. "Nervous? It wouldn't matter if I was or not. I can't sleep, period." He continued before she gave him an annoyed or confused look. "Honest! I can't. My body doesn't need sleep." He didn't know how to put it into words. "I'm not exactly..human, anymore."

Kuro raised an eyebrow at Ezra's remark, confused. Wasn't human? He looked pretty human to her. She had to ask. "What do you mean...not anymore? What are you, then? Half-human and something else? Shapeshifter?" Kuro tried to guess, but nothing seemed to beI uu coming across as correct. What was he?

Ezra didn't know if she'd believe him. No one ever really did. I mean, scarecrows couldn't just up and walk and look like people. He could certainly prove it to her if she asked. "I'm a scarecrow." He murmured. He avoided eye contact with her, and decided to look out at the crows in front of him. "Wasn't always one, though."

Kuro rolled her eyes and raised his head with her hand. She didn't see any reason to feel so ashamed. He was a scarecrow, so what? Curse laid on him. "No reason to hang your head. You have a curse on you. Hell, that's more reason to bring down the mad king. Maybe it'll get you a good representation, get the curse lifted. Nice crows, by the way."

Kuro's hands felt warm, and Ezra wondered if his cheeks were red from the contact. He offered her a smile, wondering if he facial stitches could be seen. "I've been wanting to get this curse lifted for many years. The old witch said I'd have to prove myself to be a good person. Hopefully bringing down Tobias is good enough." He turned his topaz eyes back to the two crows before them. "Thanks. They follow me around. One is Leonard and the other Gabriel."

Kuro smiled, looking up at them. "Nice names, I feel like I've heard them somewhere before..." Kuro quickly shook the feeling off. "So, how'd you even end up in jail? I can understand all of them, they're Guardians. But you....you're not. How'd you end up there?"

Ezra smirked again, thinking that the reason was obvious. "I stole from Tobias. I took one of his best swords -which I never ended up using. Why'd you work for Tobias anyway?"

Kuro looked down, feeling rage building yet a tear forming. She couldn't even remember the exact reason, but it was something along the lines of, "He...he claimed what he would use the Glass for...what his reign would bring...would be so beautiful. Peace...harmony." A tear fell down her cheek. "I now realize that was a lie. I was foolish, young. An easy target. A girl alone on the streets, with nothing to lose. It was despicable. Not just how he got me into it, but what he did while I worked for him." Kuro looked down and wiped the tear, attempting to stable her resolve. "But it gives me a reason to rebel, to fight. His life is payment for what he stole."

Ezra felt bad for the sad girl crying in front of him. He felt a sudden wave of concern when she mentioned what Tobias did while she worked for him. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Did he hurt you? Did he touch you?" Tobias was a sick man if he did what Ezra was thinking.

Kuro felt extremely sensitive at the moment, like she was about to break down. She'd wake everyone up, so she began walking, taking Ezra with her. "He always felt it neccesary to blame me, hit me, beat me because his plans weren't working...it was like I became more of his toy than his soldier or his servant...he'd even gone so far as to test a few torture methods on me to see if they'd work. He ridiculed me for my race, he's sick. Disgusting." More tears rolled from her eyes and a sob escaped from her lips. The whole thing was extremely traumatizing...she cracked. They were far enough away from the cave at this point, and Kuro sobbed into his chest. "I...I can't-....I can't f-forgive him for w-what he's done to m-me...." she tried to get out, interrupted by sobs.

Ezra was taken aback when the young woman clung him as she sobbed. He didn't expect her to, she was so tough in front of the others. He placed an arm loosely around her waist, and the other he put on her head. His voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm sorry for what he did to you. I knew he was a dick, but I didnt know he was sadistic. My reason for wanting to defeat him looks so pathetic compared to yours." He joked, trying to cheer her up somehow. With her leaning against him, he felt suddenly self conscious about his body. Did he feel like a normal human?

Kuro felt comfort in Ezra's arms, no different than a normal human. She appreciated the scarecrow's tenderness, she'd needed a bit of it. Kuro looked up at Ezra, into his eyes, and hugged him again. "Everyone has their different reason to fight, none should be taken more seriously than the other. Some fight to prove themselves. Some fight because they want an easier life. Some fight because they just don't care anymore..." Kuro trailed off. "What matters is how far they're willing to go to get what they want."

The scarecrow slung an arm over Kuro's shoulders, leading her back over to the cave as he pondered over her words. "That was kinda deep, Kuro." He commented. When they made it back to the cave, he placed his hands on her shoulders again. I'll see that our wishes come true, and we defeat Tobias." He gave her a dazzling smile, before noting her tired-from-crying-eyes. "You should get some rest now, you look tired."

Kuro walked back to the cave with Ezra, trying to keep awake. She'd feel bad, just leaving Ezra alone to stay awake. She felt relieved when he told her to get some rest. "You're right, I really need to sleep." she shook her head, and hugged Ezra once more. "Goodnight." she said, and walked over to a corner of the cave, and slipped into sleep.

"Good night," he whispered back to her, watching the young woman take her spot to sleep in the cave. He slid down to the floor of the entrance of the cave, feeling the warmth from the hugs leaving him. Her words still lingered in his mind: "..what matters is how far someone is willing to go to get what they want."

Just how far was he willing to go to break his curse? He'd given up so many times before. Would he stay on the right path now that he had friends there to support him- who also wanted to defeat Tobias?

 

Torik raked a hand through her short hair. Too much was happening for her. She felt Nadya eyeing her. But when she noticed Jakkin, she smiled at how nervous he was being. She help but smile more at his sloppy bow to her. "I like you already Jakkin." The blonde laughed. She could tell she was going to be great friends with this guy, he was even a little cute-looking. Suddenly, Jakkin hid behind her, and Annabel, so the elf looked at him, a bit confused. But she then sighed, and looked to Magnus as he called out to everyone in the cave. She took a few step towards him. Listening to him, she smiled.

"I'm skilled in swords, anything to do with 'em. I can fight." The elf told him with a small smirk. "But I don't know crap about magic, sadly." She nodded at Kuro, knowing what she was meaning. Seeing it was time to sleep, she went back over to the wall she was at before. Sitting down next to Jakkin, and leaning on it, she put her hands behind her head as she closed her eyes. She knew she would not fall asleep soon. She thought about anything right now. She was leaving her forest; she hadn't left in years. It would be fun time. She opened her eyes, and listened to everyone else. She enjoyed being a by-stander for now. She surprisingly fell asleep soon, her head lolled forward. She normally didn't fall asleep like that. The elf normally stayed watch, but she was really tired. She actually didn't sleep too much, so this was peace to her. Her head moved in her sleep, moving to lean on Jakkin's shoulder. It wasn't a shift she was aware of doing, even though she was most likely awake at the time. The elf smiled slightly during her sleep.

 

Run. Acalia thought to herself. Faster, faster! Her paws drummed on the forest floor, kicking up everything in her wake. She knew she was tired, her breath coming in short gasps. Just a bit further. She ran and ran till she couldn't anymore.

She skidded to a halt causing dust and rocks to fly up in the air. Her tongue lolled out of her mouth as she gulped large amounts of air back into her lungs. Her thumping heart slowed, the adrenaline rush slowly faded away. She put her tongue back in her mouth, licking her chops in the process. Blood. Yes, she remembered that she was not safe here, not after what she did. The wolf swiveled her ears backwards facing away from her. No pounding footsteps could be heard. I need to keep moving.

She started with a brisk walk, her soft, black fur swayed with her movements as she traveled through the forest. She scented the air as she traveled. Hybrids, but why? She followed their trail to a cave that was being guarded by a young man. He looked like a man but he smelled different , he smelled like hay. She slowed her pace and bent down a bit to make herself as non-threatening as possible. "Hey, you over there! Do you have room for one more in the cave?" She whispered to him, desperation could be heard in her voice. She fixed her eyes upon the strange man, hoping that he would let her slip into the cave.

 

About time someone was on similar ground with Drakken. He huffed when Nadya was snapping at Magnus for Drakken's behavior. Maybe there is still some hope for this lot, after all. Can't go around and trust every damn person you meet. He thought to himself before he turned to the highly optimistic angel. Annabel didn't bother Drakken for some reason but seeing her stick up for the strange elf had made him cringe. He didn't bother to say anything. There was no need to keep the argument going. Instead he just turned away from them, once again.

Jakkin heaved a sigh. "I-I promise I have no alliance to Tobias. I could go on a rant about how much I dislike him. But I am sure all of you feel the same, or similar towards what I would have said." He ran his nervous fingers through his lovely locks of hair. Man, he really needed to find some place and relax for a few days. His anxiety is kicking up. The last time that happened, things didn't end pretty. Annabel continued to talk and Jakkin looked to her. "Uh... Yeah! I can make fire works! I used to do them when we had celebrations!" He smirked. "I can control them pretty well. It's just when I get nervous is when things begin to...not go according to plan."

Nadya decided to sit down next to Drakken. He turned to her for a moment and gave her a curt nod. It looks like there might be a chance that this woman wouldn't become an annoyance to him. But he will have to see about that. For now, he's just going to play along and try not to kill anyone on the team. Baruka ended up sitting down next to him as well. The silent anubis didn't bother to say anything, again. "You know, you're going to have to talk someday."

Baruka shrugged. If he had to, he would talk.

The red haired elf was finding his spot comfortable. Nothing could harm him now! Not even the mean ol' dragon that seemed to have an extreme dislike towards him. Whether or not they would actually get along in the future was beyond Jakkin. As for now, he was sure that if the white dragon had the chance, he'd chomp his limbs off in a second. The warlock shivered at the thought. His mind played a mental trick on him, hearing bones snap. He's heard of it before and it definitely was not a pretty sound to remember. Jakkin quickly shook his head and tried to get himself to fall asleep. Maybe tomorrow, things will get a lot better? One could only hope, right?

He felt someone sit down next to him and Jakkin turned his gaze to the being. It was Torik, the lovely elf that didn't seem to be too hostile towards him. He wanted to say something to her but figured that she was trying to get to sleep. So Jakkin decided to keep his comments to himself. No need to keep a long conversation going when sleep was needed. There was also no definite answer as to how well the group will be able to sleep in the future, either. As he thought about the possibilities of what could be in store for the whole crew in the future, he felt his eyes begin to grow heavy. Once he closed them, he was about to fall to sleep. Until he felt a head hit his shoulder, that's when his eyes shot back open and his head turned to face Torik. She had fallen asleep on his shoulder! A girl was sleeping on his shoulder! He smirked and just placed his head against the spot it once was on. And he too fell right asleep.

----

Even if Cobalt nearly tripped over Drakken, the movement caused the dragon to awaken. He stared right at the young man as he made his way over to the mouthy cat woman. All he did was roll his eyes and shake his head. He noticed how Magnus was snickering at how Nadya was sleeping on his chest. I am getting the hell out of here. He just knew what was going to happen when she woke up. An argument. A fight. Maybe some yelling. With those thoughts in mind, Drakken quickly got himself up. He didn't even bother to dust off his clothing because the last thing he wanted to do was continue to stand there like an idiot fretting over his looks, while an explosive woman began to try and kill Magnus.

Though the thought of that was rather humorous.

He just didn't want to hear it, the first thing in the morning. So Drakken turned away and started out the cavern door. He didn't bother to say anything to those who were awake. He just wanted out before the fire started. Once he was outside, he felt the cool morning breeze brush up against him. It was rather refreshing. Without saying much of anything, he thought about transforming into his ordinary form, a dragon. However, Drakken snorted at a bitter thought. Even though he was free from the chambers, free from the castle, no longer trapped; he still was in an unsafe area and flying would be too dangerous. Not so much for him, as long as there weren't any fire dragons about, but he would bring harm to the group. The enemies would find him and come.

What a crappy predicament. He couldn't even transform back into his normal self.

So he just leaned against the cavern walls, folding his arms tightly against his chest. He was annoyed but he would get over it. As there were more important things to worry about. Kuro went off to go get some food. He wasn't feeling hungry at the moment, so he wasn't going to bother with helping. How nice of him~

Baruka on the other hand, rushed out after Kuro. He was starving and wanted to help get some food for the group. He caught up to her, wielding his beloved weapons. He gave her a friendly nod, a hello in his way. No speaking yet.

He was sleeping so peacefully. A dream of him prancing through an open field with nothing to fear. Nothing to regret. A place where he hoped that he could end up in. This place had no danger. And most importantly! It had no Drakken! It was a wonderful dream. But it was interrupted with the commotion going on in the cave. Not to mention the fact that someone had nudged into him and caused Jakkin to fall into someone.

When his eyes shot open. He had realized that his head had ended up against Torik's head. Her soft hair was against his face. At first he thought he was still dreaming. Until he heard the familiar voices of his group. Then he realized, if he didn't get away from Torik's face, she might jab a blade to his gut. And Jakkin didn't like sharp pointy objects stabbing him. So he quickly pulled himself away from her. "Sorry!" He quickly and automatically apologized to her. He glanced up at Cobalt and tilted his head. "Me? I'm Jakkin." Whether or not the question was to him, he figured it'd be best to answer anyways.

When he turned his head, he noticed a new person was in the group. Acalia. But being that Jakkin didn't know who she was, how she found them, when she got there. He didn't say much to her. Yet.

 

Acalia didn't expect anyone else to come out of the cave, much less two armed strangers. She took a couple of steps back, flattening her ears against her head. What a feisty group we have here. Se was bombarded with questions from the wary group. She narrowed her eyes when the female cat hybrid asked her how she found them. Gah, stupid cats, I can't stand them. "I came here to seek refuge." she answered curtly, not giving them too much detail. "As for you," the wolf turned her slightly angered gaze onto the female. "I have a better nose than most species that exist." Oh, if only you knew what I truly am, kitty.

She heard another pair of footsteps coming from the cave. Great, another idiot. She took a deep breath, inhaling through her nose and slowly exhaled. Male, armed... oh, part wolf, huh? Interesting. As soon as he came to the entrance, she saw him draw his weapon, no questions asked. She bared her teeth at him, her eyes blazing with anger. You would think he'd show a fellow wolf hybrid a break!

Now she was pissed. Her muscles were tense, ready for any of them to attack her. She kept her eyes on all of them in turn, watching for any slight movements. She saw the first male walk back in to the cave. Getting reinforcements are you? She bent down in an attack ready position, seeing as everyone else had weapons in hand. She pricked her ears forward, trying to calculate how many would come out. A bunch of them were stirring in the cave but none followed the archer out. His weapon was still pointed at her when he asked what her name was. I can get through to this one. She relaxed her features, letting her lips slip back over her teeth getting back to an upright position. She only had eyes for him when she answered. "My name is Acalia and I've come here to seek refuge." She heard someone else respond to his question but that didn't matter. She knew that they all heard her. Hopefully we can get this settled before the rest of them wake up.

 

*skipping to next morning*
Siven stirred as the sound of others awakening reached his ears. He opened his eyes and saw that Talus had sat down next to him. He shook his head; Talus never was one to be separated from family. He started to stand but was reminded that his foot had been shot, so he used the wall to help himself up. Looking towards the entrance of the cave, it seemed a small crowd had formed, surrounding something. Careful not to nudge Talus, Siven slowly moved closer until he was able to get a glance at the target: a wolf, baring its fangs and growling at everyone. Cobalt pointed his bow at it, making it clear that an attack would result in retribution. Siven sighed; did everyone want to kill everything? Walking up behind Kuro, Siven gently moved her aside and kneeled down in front of the wolf. "Sorry," he apologized, "we've just recently gotten out of a bind, so we're all wary of newcomers." He offered his hand out to her. "I'm Siven. You're... Acalia, you said?"

Talus, now mostly awake, overheard the short statement Siven made towards Acalia. Unsure of what could happen, he quietly moved up behind his brother, arms crossed and regarding the fae with curiosity and suspicion. "Who's this?" he asked. Siven jumped slightly and turned around. "Geez, Talus. Seems like you're awake now. This is Acalia." He motioned to the wolf. "Apparently she needs shelter as badly as we do." He reached out to scratch the fae behind the ear, but Talus' arm shot and pulled him back. "Don't. For all we know she could spring an attack-"

"Will you stop with the suspicion?" Siven glared up at his brother, now annoyed. Rising to his feet slowly, he said, "Seriously, not everyone we meet has bad intentions toward us. Acalia just happened to come upon our hiding spot." Talus only blinked once, showing he didn't approve. "Just live with it, Talus. We swore to help all in need, correct?" Talus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes. We did." His tail twitched; he was starting to regret making that vow. Siven nodded and continued, "Therefore we shall do so." He turned back to Acalia. "Why don't you come inside? We've still got some time before we get a move on." He gestured to the cave and walked inside. Talus called after him, "You put too much trust in everything!" Siven merely waved and replied, "And you don't put enough trust into anything."

Talus, now frustrated to hell, trotted outside. "I'll be back in a few," he murmured out loud. The half-wolf quickened his pace, dead leaves and vegetation crunching under his feet. The trees surrounded him like a shield, blocking out the sun. He stopped to sit under a tree and put his head in his hands. Siven, you have a lot to learn about this world. I pray you learn them without pain. The half-wolf sat under the canopy of leaves in silence for a while longer. How could his brother be so naive and open to strangers? It was going to get him killed eventually, and Talus wouldn't stand for that.

Siven came to rest next to Annabel, who was still sleeping soundly. He slowly slid down the cavern wall and sat next to her, closing his eyes and trying to gain a bit more sleep before they began packing up. He overheard Magnus saying something about Nadya sleeping on him, which was humorous in its own right, but would more than likely spawn an argument. He sighed; it seemed the group couldn't go a day without some sort of fight. He hoped that no one actually killed each other for whatever reason.

 

Ezra watched the sunrise. It was still beautiful, even though he'd seen it a million times- or so it seemed. From nearby he could hear the gentle breathing of his new friends. It felt good to not be alone.

He began to look off into the forest in a daze, not really paying attention to anything. A voice from below almost made him jump. He turned his topaz gaze to a wolf nearby. His eyes widened a bit. Did that wolf just talk to him, ask if there was space in the cave for one more.

"Uh.." he rubbed the back of his neck. She didn't look suspicious to him. "I guess?" He side stepped to make room for her. "I'm Ezra."

He looked around anxiously, hoping someone else was awake. Thankfully, Cobalt and Kuro had woken up. Kuro walked over, and jokingly asked if Ezra slept well. "Like a baby. He snickered. "Er.." her turned back to the wolf. "We've got a new comer. I think this one is Siven's sister."

The two left for food, leaving Ezra as the only one seemingly awake- with the wolf lady. What was he to talk about?

Nadya grumbled in her sleep, snuggling up against the warmth of what her head was laying on. She assumed it was Annabel. She wrapped her arms around the person, getting more comfortable. But of course, it moved away, and her head smacked against the hard cave floor. She groaned and opened her eyes, a scowl set in her facial features.

"Annabel, did you have to move away so quickly?" Nadya grumbled, rubbing her head. The Voodoo woman looked around and spotted the angel on the other side of her. Then who did she fall off of..?

"Magnus." She seethed as she saw the young man waltz our of the cave. She stood immediately, marching loudly over to him.

Annabel woke from the loudness of her best friend. Her large blue eyes fluttered open. She noted she had been leaning heavily against Siven. She didn't realize he'd moved next to her! "Sorry" she whispered apologetically, unsure if he was awake. She petted his soft ears gently. She'd always wanted to do so. She stood, careful not to wake the wolf boy. She saw Baruka in the corner, and gave him a happy "Good morning!" She didn't expect a reply, but that was okay!

"I slept well!" She said to whoever was listening to her in the cave. "Good morning everyone!" She said cheerily. Her stomach growled loudly and she clutched it. "Oh man, am I hungry.."

Annabel headed for the mouth of the cave, passing by Drakken. "Good morning, Drakken!" She said with a big smile. "How did you sleep? I'm going to look for food, if you want anything. Not sure if I can catch any animals for meat, though.." She figured Drakken only ate meat because he's a dragon!

Nadya marched up to Magnus, about to grab his shoulder and turn him to her when she noticed he had his swords out. "Jesus Christ," She seethed at him. "You have them out this early-"

She then noticed what he had them pointed at. A wolf was at the entrance of the cave, growling and saying she seeked refuge. Interesting, Nadya thought. A talking wolf.

"Hey fellas, let's calm down." Ezra said in his usual lazy tone. "She just wants a place to stay. And she's a wolf! It's obviously Siven and Talus's sister or something."

"You are ignorant." Nadya grunted, pushing past the group and grabbing Gunari. "I'm going to search for food."

Ezra sighed. "Nadya clearly isn't a morning person. But then again, she doesn't seem to be nicer at any time of the day.." he trailed off.

Everyone seemed on edge with Acalia, except for Siven and Ezra. Siven seemed to have a general interest and concern for the other halfwolf. Ezra was generally just too lazy to fight. "We've already got a dragon, what's the big deal about letting a wolf in?"

-----

Nadya watched the large buck as it waltz gracefully through the forest, nibbling on clovers and wild berry bushes. The sunlight seeped through the treetops from above, dappling the deer's beautiful brown coat.

It held it's head up proudly as it nibbled on some berries, looking through the forest it ruled over, looking for anything that didn't belong. Thankfully, it hadn't spotted Nadya.

She shuffled quietly from behind her bush, muttering to herself. "Bye bye, Bambi." With that, Gunari shot out of the bush, ripping out the throat of the unsuspecting buck. It landed, dead, on the forest floor. Nadya smirked at her nice kill, and began to drag it back to the cave.

----

"Go, find food my bird friends!" Ezra called out from the entrance of the cave. A few caws responded, and about 20 crows flew from their trees in different directions. There was no telling what they'd bring back.

Annabel began to head out of the cave herself, to look for food. She was going to try to find some meat for Drakken! But she didn't think she was quiet enough to find any animals.

As she made it to the entrance of the cave, she saw Nadya dragging a large deer! "Oh wow, good job Nadya!" She praised her friend, though she felt slightly bad for the poor dead animal. But they needed to eat- and now she wouldn't have to look for meat for her dragon friend!

The angel gathered a few sticks, creating a fire pit in front of the cave. She asked her friends, mainly Magnus and Cobalt- and Drakken if he was listening. "Do you think it'd be okay to create a fire to cook the meat? Do you think it would draw anyone to us?" She was unsure. Though she was sure Siven or Jakkin could cook the meat with their power. "I guess we could ask Siven or Jakkin to cook it."

"Jakkin would explode it, and we'd be covered in deer chunks." Nadya barked angrily. Poor Jakkin! "Magnus," she continued. "Clean the meat."

"Well, if they can't, we could always have frozen deer pops from Drakken!" The angel made a lame joke, laughing nervously at it. Nadya could've facepalmed.

Ezra returned to the cave, carrying berries and a hot pie wrapped in a blanket. "I found a pie!" Annabel gave him a questionable look. "One of my larger crow friends brought it- I dunno where he got it. It smells like apple." He looked around. "Has Kuro came back yet?"

The blonde angel walked back into the cave gracefully, stopping to introduce herself to Acalia. She continued to walk forward until she found Siven sleeping.

She dropped down to his level, getting into his face a little too close for comfort. "Siven!" she called cheerily. "Can you cook some meat for us?"