Legend & Hartheil
Exhaustion ended the fawns' flight. By now, the two were far out of their territory to the east, and they had no clue as to where they were. Legend, the little red deer, leaned shakily against a slanting silver oak tree, gasping for breath. Hartheil stood near him, head low and panting heavily. Though both were very fleet-footed, running long distances was not something their kind were cut out for.
Catching his breath at last, Legend turned to be sure that Prisoner had followed. Vaguely, he began to realize that nothing here looked familiar. The scent of his herd was no where to be found.
Prisoner
the filly came bounding in behind the two fawns. She didn't end up slowing down, she fell into the mud and looked up. She painted and looked around then almost yelled as a shot of pain rung through her legs. Her whole face and side fell into the muddy water, however this water seemed a little less thick as what they had been runing in. " I.. can't move... my legs... they hurt." she whimpered, and flicked her tail. She was scared but the pain was more that her fear.
After moment, her head came up and she looked around. Wincing and whining in pain. "Where are we?" She whimpered, then looked to the deer as if they could answer her.
Legend & Hartheil
Hartheil's tail was still flagged as he looked wide-eyed at Prisoner. He, as the rest of the fawns, had been taught the consiquence of wounded legs. For a moment, he was overcome with almost irrational fear.
Legend, perhaps because of his lineage, didn't fall victim to quite such paralyzing fear, although it was very natural for his kind. "Hartheil, look for danger! Brother!" He called out in a sharp bark, though his voice wavered. Then he kneeled down on spindly limbs and pressed against the filly's side, trying his best to help her up, "Don't worry, we'll get you up!"
Lyric .+. Tyrant .+. Prisoner
A lark flew into the area, zooming past the fallen filly and the frightened fawns. She cackled gently to herself and lowered on a branch. "My name starts with F, and ends with a D, It's what you'll become when you meddle with me." The bird riddled, and laughed eerily.
Prisoner looked up as she was lifted on her front limbs. Hearing the birds riddle she though of a lot of words, but she couldn't guess. " I give up, what?" She suddenly grew quiet and heaved herself painfully to her legs. "Move back.." She spoke to the two fawns. Before the others could answer a voice came from some bushes in a distance. " The word is food, and the answer is me."
A large black savage wolf appeared with hungry fangs and bleeding pools of hell. Thorns fastened to his head as he slowly made his way to the trio. "Better start selecting, because one of you will be lunch." His voice boomed with snarls and growls, waiting for the youngsters to take off so he could go after them. Food was no fun when there was no chase.
Legend & Hartheil
Hartheil gave a muffled squeak, pressing up against Prison as the wolf appeared. "N-nosh! Father!" He called out loudly, but his dad was too far away to hear him.
Legend shivered and backed up a step, also standing against Prison. "No we wont! Y-you'll regret it..." The fawn threatened; or, at least he tried to sound threatening. His only defense was his quick legs, but he couldn't just run and leave Prisoner behind. If he ran... either she or his slower half-brother would be lunch.
Lyric .+. Prisoner .+. Tyrant
Tyrant cackled as all the young ones suddenly became terrified. He walked forward, closing the gap between himself and his victums. "How will I regret it? It's a part of life." His fangs grew brighter as they came fully from their lips. He saw Harteil become more frantic then the rest. Making him disfunctional in thinking straight, however the filly was hurt and larger than the fawn. He turned to Legend, "You seem to be the one in charge, How about you get to choose who lives and dies, because it's going to be one of you." He snarled.
Lyric sat happily in a tree as she watched the hunt. She wasn't one for blood and meat, but it was entertaining to her to see fear in other's eyes.
Prisoner looked to Legened and Hartheil. Fearing for both of the safety. She moved with the fawns as the back in fear. Soon she began to move, trying to walk with a horrid limp. "M-maybe if we just walk away, he'll find something else." This was more of a dream than anything. Tyrant would walk right behind them until he felt they were going to far. "I promise it wont hurt... much." He grinned and let his mouth hang open a bit.
Legend & Hartheil
Legend felt like someone had just kicked him in the gut. He couldn't fathom choosing one of his friends to die, "M-my father will kill you, wolf!" As he said this, he began to back away slowly, hoping that Prisoner's advice would work. Or course, he didn't have much experience in dealing with predators. "None of us are g-going to die! Go find something else to eat!" Then, a flicker of an idea came to the deer. It was a long shot, but he didn't want his friends to be killed, "W-what if we found you some food?"
Hartheil was at a lack for words, and back up blindly with the others, his eyes fixed with horror on the wolf. If only he knew that Avalanche with a great ally to Nhosh, he could call him for help. But none of the fawns knew of this alliance yet.
Prisoner - Tyrant- Lyric
Prisoner was glad to see the others were doing as they were told. She continued to back up. But to where, she didn't know. "Y-yeah, what if we found you some food...." She thought it might work.
Tyrant growled, "I already found my food. I just haven't killed it yet." He laughed, then tried to file one out by snapping at them. Prisoner whinced and and tossed her head high. Whites showed in her eyes as she stared down at the brute. Hopeing the others wouldn't flee because she could see his plan.
Legend & Hartheil
Legend struggled greatly to hold ranks to Prisoner and Hartheil, but it was so hard to go against his true nature. Flight. As a buck, he too had a bit of fight in him, more so than the does, but not as a fawn. Fighting wouldn't do him any good anyway, not against such a predator. "But we are just s-small and not m-much of a meal... we c-can get you something much bigger!" Legend pleaded.
Hartheil was beginning to lose his struggle. As Legend flinched at Tyrant's snaps, Hartheil did something else. He couldn't help it anymore, his instincts were screaming at him, blinding his thoughts. RUN! They said, and he obeyed. With a sharp bleat, he jumped up and wheeled around, racing away from the wolf, his tail flagged in the air.
"Hartheil! No!" Legend cried out, but didn't run after him. It would mean abandoning Prisoner, who was injured. At least Hartheil wasn't injured.... but he was so young...
Tyrant .+. Prisoner .+. Lyric
The wolf saw his plan in action and he gave a grin to the two remaining. "Count your blessings over your loss." He said then took after Hartheil. Strong limbs taking him quickly to the tiny fawn. He knew it wouldn't be long to catch up to the youngster. When he caught up to the baby, he snapped at his hind legs, hoping to trip him.
Prisoner wheeled around. "Hartheil!" It was to late to call him back. The only further advice she could give was "RUN, RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN! AND DON'T RUN IN A STRAIGHT LINE!" She limped slightly looking after the fleeting pair.
" Feel sorry for your friend, but know he will always be alive in some way. And take this as a lesson." The lark lept up and took after the preditor and his singled out prey.
Legend & Hartheil
"HARTHEIL!" Legend cried out as his half-brother disappeared from site, lost amongst the dense vegetation of the bog. "HARTHEIL!" But no amount of calling could get him to listen. The fawn shivered, his wide eyes staring bleakly at the retreating form of the wolf.
Hartheil continued to run, vaguely hearing what Prisoner told him. Zig-zagging; he remembered now what his mother, Catal, had taught him about it. As Tyrant came closer, the fawn veered sharply to the side, missing the first set of snaps. Then he veered to the other side, continuing to run with all his might. But he could not keep it up, and the spongy ground absorbed much of his momentum. Bleating in pain and fear, he felt teeth sting into his hind limb. He continued to cry out as he lost his footing and crashed into the ground, long limbs flailing...
Tyrant .+. Prisoner
The wolf kept up with the fawn, though older he could keep his weight going longer than the deer. Finally he felt the baby slip and with all his force brough his teeth onto the childs neck. At least the deer wouldn't die slowly and suffer.
The filly was in a daze herself, but a thought kicked her up and she began to move again, in the exact opposite way the wolf had gone. "Come on Ledgend, He may decide to come back after us. We are given a chance to live, let's go." She began to move, though she was being taken farther and farther away from the lands. Soon she found dry land and made for an unknown area... The Ruins.
Legend & Hartheil
He was silent for a moment, staring in shock in the last place he had seen his brother disappear. In the distance, he heard bleats and his stomach tightened painfully. Prisoner's words, however, snapped him out of the trance. Nodding slowly, he followed closely with the filly, his mind reeling.
Hartheil tried to jump up and out of Tyrant's way, but the wolf was far too quick. Jaws closed about his slender throat, and before he could cry out another time, his neck was broken.
Tyrant
The wolf picked up the deer and began to head toward his brothers home. He had his meal for the day. But he had to make a pit stop on the way home.
His little bird followed behind as he made his way.