Zanarah, Sunburst, & *Noise*

The ligeress made her way down the spiraling steps to the Basement, entering a room that she'd rarely visited in the past. About halfway down the steps, the big cat paused and perked her rounded ears when a shuffling sound caught her ears. "Whoever's down here, let yourself be heard now."

At her side, squished between the big cat and the wall of the stairwell, Sunburst had heard the noise as well. While he was mostly concerned with making sure Ursa didn't fall, he too perked his ears and listened, while giving a quiet whisper to his ailing comrade, "Just hang in there, Ursa. We're almost there."

Ursa

Ursa had no choice but to lay there. Her body too weak to do much else. Her ears slightly catch the sound and she weakly opens hereyes.

Zanarah & Others

Hearing no response to her command, Zanarah figured a squirrel or some other creature must have been the source of the noise, and so she continued forward until reaching the bottom of the spiral stairs. It was there that something small and fluffy came barreling at her shoulder, needle-sharp claws digging into her skin. A low hiss erupted from the big cat, but before she could whip around and crush her assailant between powerful jaws, she thankfully recognized the pale blue fur of Oracle. Zanarah let out a deep sign and scowled at Tyrant's little daughter, "Oracle, what are you doing down here by yourself?"

The youngster had dropped onto her side, and was currently battering Zan's forelimb with her hind claws. "Practicing my stalking!" Her muffled response came from a mouth currently full of Zanarah's fur as she bit at the leg.

Showing great patience, Zanarah lifted her leg and shook it free of the cub, "You did well, though you need to work on being a little more quiet. Right now, I need you to make sure there are no mice or rats down here, okay? Can you hunt them for me?" She could see her ploy worked when Oracle stopped in mid-crouch and looked up with excitement, "Our friend Ursa here is very ill, and we don't want the rodents to bother her. Show me how well you can hunt."

The cub took the bait with an excited trill, "Okay!" She scurried back into the darkness, with Zanarah using her keen hearing to keep track of where the daughter of Velvet and Tyrant was. With her distracted, Zan carried Ursa into a smaller room and carefully crouched down, where Sunburst could help nudge her to the ground. "Stay here with her Sun, and I'll find some better bedding for her."

Ursa

Ursa eyed the little cub but nothing more. She slid off the cat and laid there. Atleast if she did die she wouldn't die alone. Has anyone found momo?She asked.

Sunburst & Oracle

With autumn encroaching on the Valley, even the sheltered basement was beginning to feel the bite of cold weather. Sunburst curled up against Ursa's side and flicked his brushy tail over her haunches like some fuzzy blanket to help keep her warm. He then took to grooming her again, picking out debris and carefully chewing away matted fur. "Not that I know of, no." The hybrid responded between attempts to clean, "But that's half the reason we were sent out today, to look for any lost Haunters." He smiled a little, his orange eyes glinting with hope in the dim light of the chamber. "Senka, Tersek, Cavan, even Koray - they're all back together now. But let us focus on finding Momo and the others - you need to rest and conserve your strength, okay?"

In the distance, the pair could hear the rather rambunctious skittering and pouncing of Oracle, who was doing her best to catch any mouse or rat that she came across. Thankfully for any rodent, she was still too young to have any real hunting skills.

Ursa

Ursa listened to sun and just nodded before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

Sunburst & Others

As Ursa's eyes closed, Sunburst went quiet himself, letting his weary friend have the sleep she so desperately needed. He continued to groom her for a while before draping his muzzle over her neck. His eyes remained open however, and his ears alert, waiting and listening for the hopefully return of Quilikham.

Ursa

her breathing was shallow but it stayed as she slept.