Shadow Star & Others

Hours had gone by since Cynical had stepped into the trap. Shadow and Caritha had dug and bit at the metal until their gums bled, but their efforts had been in vain, and Cynical was no closer to being free.

"I'm going to go look for some food. I'll be back soon." Unsure what else he could do, Shadow figured he could at least bring back some food for his friend to eat while they tried to help her. Plus, it would give his aching jaws and paws a break from their fruitless efforts in destroying the trap. He gave her a soft nuzzle on the top of the head before sprinting away to hunt.

That left Caritha with her sister, unwilling to leave her side. She too was exhausted by the effort of trying to free Cynical, and sat panting beside her sibling as she stared at the exposed chain that tethered the trap to the log. A noise in the distance interrupted her thoughts and she tilted an ear, jaws snapping shut as she focus on it. "Hear that?" Caritha stood up, cocking her head this way and that as the noise grew louder and nearer. It was a strange hum, high-pitched and droning, almost like the wings of a hummingbird. And it was moving quickly in their direction.

Cynical

She just laid there then heard it the other pack members were off hunting out of territory** I don't like it**

Caritha & *Thing*

"Don't worry." Caritha rumbled defiantly and stepped in closer to her sister, so that her grizzled fur blended with the ebony of Cynicals'. "Whatever it is, we'll chase it away." The hum grew louder, coming from somewhere high in the sky, concealed by the thick canopy of leaves. Caritha shifted uncertainly, picking up and setting down her paws against the well-trampled leaves and dirt below her.

After several anxious minutes, she finally spotted the curious object, and frowned intensely at the bizarre... thing that descended from the treetops. It was small, maybe the size of a hawk, with a flattened shape and four little... legs? There were no wings that she could see, but it hovered and buzzed like some sort of giant hummingbird. Caritha bristled as it floated down closer to the them, then paused and hung in midair, a few feet above the two sisters. "Who are you?" She tried cautiously, seeing no dangerous beak or sharp claws. Though it hummed loudly, the creature didn't otherwise look dangerous. "My sister got her paw stuck in this trap. Can you help us?"

The creature didn't respond though. It moved straight upwards, and paused again, hanging perfectly still in the air.

Cynical

She whined and struggled a bit as the thing came closer. wheres dad I want dadShe whimpered. Her ears were back as she yelped hurting her toes again.

Caritha, Shadow Star, & Others

The strange, humming creature still did not answer. Caritha eyed it warily but decided it was of little threat, and returned her attention to Cynical. "I'm sure he'll be back soon. Shadow too." She leaned into her sister and gave her a few licks on the muzzle, trying to offer her hope and support. She didn't know that Shadow was miles away in his hunt for food, and Aizen likely just as far, if not further.

Several more long minutes passed. The creature still hung in the air, unmoving in its hover just below the branches of a towering sycamore tree. A new sound came then, a soft crunch of leaves that had Caritha perking up and giving a soft bark. "Shadow? Momo?"

It was neither.

A tall, bi-pedal creature strode into view. This was the first time that Caritha had truly seen a human, and that upright posture reminded her of a bear, if a rather gangly looking one. "Stay back!" She snarled, and then howled as it ignored her warning and came closer. The two-legger made some sort of sharp noise that Caritha couldn't understand, and before she knew it, three massive dogs were running up from behind the man.

Carbon, Carrie, and Maisy, three sizable King Hounds, swarmed in front of Ethan and rushed at Caritha, snarling and flashing their fangs. Caritha snarled back and tried to hold her ground, but these hounds were larger and stronger than herself, and with a few glancing nips they herded her back and allowed Ethan to approach the helpless Cynical.

Ethan wasted no time swining a large backback down from his shoulders and taking out a braided rope. With practiced ease, he formed a loop at one end and stepped as close to Cynical as he could, while staying just out of her bite range. He then tossed the rope like a lasso, trying to snag it around her muzzle...

In the distance, Shadow's howl rang out. He was on his way, but being several miles out, it would take him some time to reach their location.

Cynical

Cynical watched and stood up the best she could and struggled again as the large hounds went for her sister. **Run** she whimpered at her sister as the two legged approach her with some thing in his hand she struggled trying to get away to no degree. She howeled till the rope was over her muzzle

Aizen heard his daughter he howeled back as he began racing their way

Momo was the one to reach them she froze at the site of Ethan. She then leaped to get between caritha and the hounds

Ethan & Others

Ethan kept an eye on his hounds as they harried Caritha. He was confident he could take on a yearling wolf, but he'd be in trouble if the entire pack showed up, so he left his hounds to keep the other sister at bay while he worked to secure Cynical. And once her muzzle was tied, it was simple work to use his weight to force her down and wrap up her legs, tying the knot tightly so she wouldn't be able to wiggle free.

Once the adolescent was well and truly immobilized, Ethan knelt beside the trap and squeezed the sides, prompting those horrible metal jaws to open. He pulled her mangled paw from the trap and hoisted her up across his shoulders with a grunt of effort. He reset the trap and began to stride away, moving quickly and with purpose towards the vehicle he'd parked half a mile away in a field.

Caritha snarled and snapped at the hounds, showing a ferocity she never had before. She whirled and bit, recoiled and dodged, trying to take on the three hounds the assaulted her, and her efforts did manage to score a few bloody marks on the trio. When her aunt showed up, Caritha redoubled her efforts, hoping to force the three dogs back so they could get to her sister, but even with Momo's help, the King Hounds were too large and too well trained for either of them to gain the upper hand on. Before long, Momo and Caritha both would bear wounds from the hounds' fierce jaws.

"You're lucky our master didn't order us to kill you outright." Carbon taunted, after lashing at Momo's face.

Momo

Momo wanted to safe her niece from Ethan her hate for the man had grown more since her freedom she snorted snapping at Carbon **and you will be dead when we come for her** she snarled back.

Cynical whined unable to get free.

Aizen arrived lunging at Carbon himself now anger and even more hatred showing. His aim was to maim severely or kill.

Ethan & Others

Ethan spared only a moment to stare back at Aizen and Momo. A dark look had settled in his brooding eyes, while the rest of his face sat neutral and impossible to read. A quick calculation ran through his mind before he turned back on his heels and continued his swift stride through the woods, heading for the gator that was parked and waiting for him. Aizen was a confident fighter he knew, but the wolfdog was advancing in age and missing an entire limb, while his hounds were larger and fresher. Momo too was old and disfigured, while Caritha was young and inexperienced. He wasn't terribly worried for his hunters at the moment. His mind settled, Ethan turned on his heels and continued his swift stride away from the pack.

He shifted Cynical a little across his broad shoulders then, using one hand to brace against her haunch, fingers curled into her coat for purchase. No amount of wiggling would free her from the man now. While the hounds kept the pack off his back, Ethan was free to reach the gator. He opened the door and stuffed Cynical in, wedging her in on her back. The vehicle groaned as Ethan slid in next, and leaned his head from the open door, "Carbon! Home!"

"We know your tricks by now." Carrie growled back. She lunged at Momo, snapping at her hindquarters before jumping back, trying to keep the old wolfdog on the defensive. Maisy was likewise contending with Caritha, snapping at her face and sides, while Carbon was dealing with a furious Aizen. The alpha had gotten a good bite in on Carbon's foreleg, but the hound was too quick and flighty for Aizen to get another solid hold on. In fact, none of the hounds seemed to be going in for the kill or even to cause serious damage; their command had been to 'bay' the wolves, and keep them occupied while their master got away.

Once the 'home' command had been given, Carbon snickered, his fangs smeared pink by the blood of the Sedge Creek pack. "Ahh well, it looks like our fun here is over. We'll be seeing each other again soon though, I'm sure." He directed a final snap at Aizen before bounding down the trail. Carrie and Maisy broke away as well and raced after their leader.

Aizen

He chased after them. ** Your right you will you never learn. This is war you and that filthy two legged signed your death warrant** he stopped at the border and howeled load for all packs to hear he was calling for assistance