The Island

[WonderBubbles]

The tigress followed the pale woman, glancing back to the embers being splashed with water and hissing into oblivion. Then her gaze was focused in front of her, eyes frequently flicking down to the uneven ground to check the way ahead, then refocusing on the shifter just ahead of them. They stopped at the base of a large tree and the Boa told them to wait while she retrieved the baskets that were supposedly in the upper part of the tree. Seeing the large python squeeze her muscles up the trunk was odd and strange, but mesmerising. The power the snake had was obvious; it could probably break bones, if used a certain way. Stripe realised Mel's body was designed to crush its prey, instead of using venom.

 

It took a while, but the woven baskets tumbled to the ground, hitting the leaves and soil in front of Hale and Stripe. She bent and picked up one, holding it up and twisting it around to examine it. The clan could use things like this; it would make food-collection much more efficient. The tiger shifter wondered what was taking the serpent so long to get down, so she glanced up again. There was only part of the Boa visible, the rest was hidden by the leaves. She sat down to wait for the girl to return, twirling the basket around in her hands. Herb collection wasn't as exciting as it should have been.

 

Stripe heaved a sigh when Mel reached the base of the tree and began to shift. She was incredibly bored and had already had enough with her obligation. As the shifter reached the end of her change, the tiger stood and bounced on the balls of her feet, excited to get moving again.

"H-hey..!" an unfamiliar voice stammered behind them.

Dropping the basket, Stripe whirled around, lips twisting into a snarl. If she had a tail at that moment, it would have been lashing viciously. Her hands curved into claws, then relaxed as she realised the female watching them probably didn't mean any harm.

"Good evening," Stripe greeted, her expression mistrustful.

[xLunar]

Oddly enough, the first thought that popped into Elle's head was that the strange 'fruit' she had seen was actually what appeared to be some sort of basket. But any questions she may have had as to how baskets could sprout from trees were instantly put on hold as her focus quickly became all about an angry mouth full of sharp, pointy teeth.

 

Thankfully, the mouth closed and the teeth disappeared. "Good evening," came the wary female voice. Taking a moment to restart her heart, Elle stared at the woman. She was shorter than herself by a good several inches, though had enough presence to make up for her small stature. Maybe it was the way she held herself, or the way the unusual colours of her hair and skin seemed to suit each other. Or maybe it was just the teeth. probably, Elle thought.

 

Elle's eyes flicked to the man just behind her. She took in the scar, questions bubbling up inside her. Even more curious was the girl who had come down from the tree. Her long, strangely coloured hair and pale skin, along with her two companions and the sheer oddity of the situation was almost too much to take in. Elle decided she would simply put her best foot forward and try to act friendly.

 

"Uhhh...." Mentally, she cringed. Okay, brain, that wasn't what we agreed on. They're people, right? Just.. people. Like me. No one's going to bite you-- Eh, well, I guess we cant make that argument, but-- Elle took a quick breath and awkwardly extended her hand. "Elle. I mean, it's Elle. My name."

She looked down at her hand, avoiding the woman's gaze. "My.. mother told me that if I was ever to meet another human, this is... a greeting."

[crypticsoul]

Had that boa shifter made these? Hale could only wondered to himself, since he'd never seen anyone make baskets that looked quite so...nice. The ones he'd seen before were crude and couldn't air let along food or herbs. Hm, she seemed more and more interesting the longer he was around. He'd started along behind her when Stripe spun around, teeth barred. Slower, and less interested, Hale turned too. He cocked an eyebrow at the woman in front of them, curious as to what she seemed so nervous about. She looked a frightened thing to him. Was this her first time meeting anyone else?

 

Not that Hale could judge her or anything, he hardly socialized with people but...there was just something about her that made him think she'd never been around someone other than her family before. He trailed his gaze down her body and back up again, looking for a shifter mark, but she must have had it hidden, for he didn't see one.

 

"My...mother told me that if I ever meet another human, this is...a greeting." he heard the woman say, awkwardly extending her hand and obviously expecting one of them to take it. Suspicions confirmed, he thought, she hasn't ever met anyone else. Since no one else moved, he walked over and took her hand, giving it an easy shake.

 

"Yeah, it's called a handshake." he explained, looking down at her. She was taller than most females he encountered but he still had a good head on her. "I'm Hale." he added, releasing her hand.

[Darkshadow]

"Hmmmm.........?" said Mel lazily, turning one pinkish-red eye onto the new female. From the sound of it, she had basically never made much human contact, since she didn't even know what a handshake was. Picking up one of her baskets, Mel did not offer the new girl her hand, but instead said, "And my name isssssss Mel. Pleasssed to meet you" in a calm and cool voice. Sure, there were surprises, but reacting with anger was not always the best thing to do. One must assess the situation and then react accordingly. "Let ussssss continue." Mel said, and started ahead. She didn't care if the other shifters were left behind. What did it matter that they came along with her?

[WonderBubbles]

((Stripe doesn't exactly have sharp teeth in her human form. x3))

 

The woman introduced herself nervously as Elle and stuck out her hand, looking down at it. She intoned something about her mother and Stripe's brow arched curiously. Hale, after an awkward moment, stepped forward and shook her outstretched hand. The tiger assumed that the stranger hadn't had much contact with her kin, other than her mother; her golden eyes examined the grey-streaked locks of dark hair. The girl had a young face, probably more than five years younger than herself, but her hair was like Carnarl's. There was a length of rope wrapped around her wrist, possibly an odd keep-sake or a decoration.

 

"Stripe," she offered in reply, before turning to follow Mel through the jungle.

The shifter dipped to pick up the basket before striding after the Boa. This young woman, not even an adult yet, didn't seem the type to wait for stragglers.

[xLunar]

((ah! I guess I was thinking of her tiger form for some reason xP Sorry about that))

Thankfully, her greeting was accepted. It was the man who took her hand in his, then said, "Yeah, it's called a handshake." He released her hand and Elle cocked an eyebrow, then frowned slightly. "Er, yes."

The pale girl calmly acknowledged her before bending to pick up a basket, then turned and started off, followed by her companions. Elle, a little dazed by the encounter, followed behind them. "Wow.." she murmured, then raised her voice. "So, where are you going?"

[crypticsoul]

Hale glanced back at Elle, his basket tucked securely under his arm. "Herb collecting." he answered, turning his head back as to not lose site of Mel. "For the injured, I assume." he added off-handedly, casting her a glance. Why was she following them? Where had she come from, anyway? Had she just been wandering around?

 

"Mel, how far are these herbs?" he asked her, just a tad curious as to how much walking they were going to have to do. Not that he was opposed to the physical exertion but he had just traveled quite a ways to get here. He was kind of hungry, too but he'd learned to deal well with that.

[Darkshadow]

"Mel, how far are these herbs?" Mel heard Hale's voice behind her, and she hissed a reply. "If you are disssssspleasssssed or bored with doing thissssss, you can alwaysssss turn back. I, however, will keep my promissssse to your leader, yessssss." She said, turning to look at him, and then starting to walk to the next area of herbs. Those herbs would help with any burns and would soothe wounds from the fire. She didn't really care if their group had picked up a straggler, as long as she didn't cause trouble.

[hazeh]

Grey's eyes squeezed shut- she didn't want to listen to Talio, she just wanted to be back in her den, alone! The pain, however, had started to increase as the bruise swelled and expanded across her skin and under the flesh; the rib had been cracked, but thankfully it wasn't completely alarming. As Jace and Talio started to bicker (or, what it sounded like to her), Grey slowly inched onto her back, her young face pinched with pain with the movement. But she would follow Talio's orders; he was an adult, and therefore smarter, right? He would know what to do.

As the boy took up her hand, she grasped it in both of hers and held it to her chest, ignoring that she was completely naked. A soft whimper rose in her throat, but as she looked back to Talio, she recognized the softness and kindness in his features. It soothed her to some extent, and so, without protesting, she leaned (as much as she could) toward his hand and licked the seeds out of his palm. They crunched between her strong teeth, but before long turned into mush that she could easily swallow.

Dust-colored and black fur suddenly started sprouting from her skin as the shift attempted to take over. Grey clenched her jaw and closed her eyes, a low growl rising from her chest. Her grip on Jace's hand contracted severely, and had it not been for the seeds in her mouth that tingled against the back of her tongue, she might not have realized that her powerful grasp could be hurting her friend. A short whine and she let go, but just as quickly the shift ended, and she remained human.

[Marcus Pheonix]

(I'm not perfectly sure on some on the minor details like time of day so if there are some problems tell me and I'll edit it)

 

Jay stuck his head out of the dirt gazing around at the shapes, his large ears twitching at the sound of footsteps. He heard one person walking off to his right and he heard the sound of a birds wings flapping fast against the wind. Jack quietly edged out of his 'hidy -hole. He moved towards the pile of ash that once was a large village. Quickly ducking into the ash as some people walked passed, he stared at them his black eyes reflecting the suns light. As the person walked passed Jay hopped up and ducked into the shadows. He then burrowed inside one of the few remaining buildings, sticking his head up through a loose floorboard. He saw a pile of old slightly charred objects and quickly made his way to them. As he grew closer he breathed in the smell of smoked meat, fires are useful for some things. He opened his mouth, considerably wider than other meat eating mammals, and froze.

 

Jay was so excited at the prospect of food that he hadn't heard the footsteps until the owners were merely 2 meters away from him.

[hazeh]

(( Dammit Maple Dx BUMP ))

[hazeh]

( YOU KNOW WHAT.... )

 

 

The mare's hind hooves had struck outwards with great power, more than she should have been able to expel. Unfortunately, just as her legs came back to the earth, a violent tremble seized the equine's body and her legs shook in fatigue. Seconds later, and Roko's legs buckled beneath her, the tired and burned muscles no longer able to sustain the amount of energy she was attempting to exert. The whole day and night she seemed to be fueled by her passionate nature alone, but that now would fail her, as the physical toll became to great to overcome with pure emotion.

The mare coughed hoarsely into the earth, her legs skewed awkwardly beneath her great body. Her head sank closer to the earth, her muzzle softly brushing the soil, abnormally heavy and uneven breaths pushing from her flared nostrils. As she lay in the dirt, however, her breathing started to even, but her exhaustion rendered her motionless.

 

Her tired dark eyes swiveled from the two other women and to the hurt child and the other hovering protectively over her- then she recognized the man offering her something from his palm. She was faintly aware that she recognized them from earlier, when they appeared to be cuddling on the beach. With a strangled sigh, the horse rested her head on the ground, unable to find the strength to push herself upright again (although she tried, but weakly collapsed back on the ground).

[WonderBubbles]

((I'll allow that, 'cause of the trouble it'd cause if I didn't. x3 'nd cause Haze is cool.

(Horsie bucks, owww.) ))

 

They were walking through the trees, getting close to the plains. Stripe's mind wandered to the wild woman that made them her home and she wondered how she was faring. All those burns and smoke exhalation - which still burned at the tigress's lungs - would have caused any lesser creature to curl up and die, but the equine shifter struggled angrily on, fighting against her body and outward forces. Even a large-scale fire could not defeat her, even with the injuries she obtained. The small woman glanced through a particularly thin patch and glimpsed a small group by where the lake met the grasslands. There were several humanoids, some huddled in a group, and a familiar ebony horse.

 

Stripe stopped, frowning and craning her head for a better look. Her basket hit the ground with a light thud and she jogged to the tree-line. The mare looked dead, with her head resting on the ground and her legs positioned awkwardly. The tigress, without a word to the others, loped across the plains. When she reached the horse's side, she was relieved to find she was still breathing. After a glance toward the others, she strode over to the lake and dropped to her brown, dirty knees. Stripe pulled several strips of cloth from a small pocket on her shorts and wet them swiftly, before leaping up and going back to Roko's side. She lay the wet fabrics over the visible burns, stroking an unburned patch on the equine's side gently. The tiger shifter had left the others of the group to do what they wished, whether it be continue foraging for healing herbs - the more likely option - or follow her onto the plains. They were at the back of her mind for the moment.

[crypticsoul]

Sauda's head snapped around at the moment the equine collapsed, that brief shimmer of concern flickering across her eyes again. She turned back to the woman once more and her eyes narrowed dangerously. "You come near my Jace again and I'll kill you." she growled, a threat she was more than capable of backing up, before she turned back to the horse. Normally, she would never turn her back on an enemy but the equine's, Roko's, well-being was demanding her mind's attention. She walked over and squatted at the equine's side, her rum-colored eyes flashing up to the woman opposite her briefly. She was a predator, she recognized, like her. Ah, but, thoughts for another time. She reached out and lay her palm on the equine's strong neck, the dark hair soft underneath her skin. She could feel her pulse but it was thready and irregular. She looked again up at the woman across from her.

 

"You are her friend?" she asked, not unkindly, but just curiously. If this woman was here to care for her, then Sauda did not want to intrude or step on any toes. Roko needed rest, and lots of it, but she didn't want to suggest something the woman probably already knew. Best not insult people she didn't know a lot about. So she waited quietly, to see how she would answer.

 

Meanwhile, Jace was still hovering near Grey, having grabbed her hand again in order to comfort her. He brushed her hair back from her face and smiled, ignoring the dull ache in his hand from her squeezing. "It'll be okay now, Grey. The medicine will start working soon and you'll feel loads better." he told her, sitting down and adjusting himself into a more comfortable position. "I'll stay with you as long as you want."

[hazeh]

(Eh? Did I...do something wrong? >>; )

 

So disorientated was she at the moment, Roko didn't realize that another person had joined their little group before something cold and wet was suddenly lain across her ankles. A snort of surprised heaved from the mare's nostrils and she struggled to lift her head. Both mocha-colored eyes swung with effort to the side, and barely she caught the image of Stripe at her side, and a second later felt something gently touching her ribs.

 

The black mare grunted softly, her ears swinging towards the tiger-shifter to listen. However, something else touched her neck, and so she turned her muzzle again to find Sauda on her other side. She exhaled noisily; so much attention, it made her slightly uncomfortable. If she had been in any better condition, she might've brushed them away and made for the trees, but she was just so tired.... The equine snorted faintly again and craned her head around to reach out and touch the women's knees in turn. A sign of gratefulness that she usually only extended to the other mares in her herd- she was even surprised at herself, since it was her nature to reject all the other humans in the island.

 

The mare let out a long breath, but the skin at her side flinched with pain. The burn along her belly had cracked open and was shooting needles through her abdomen. With a grunt, Roko shifted her weight to her side and flopped over, her red and slightly bleeding underside facing the lioness-shifter. She rested her cheek against the soil again and blinked wearily through the curtain of black forelock that drifted across her vision.

[crypticsoul]

"Gods..." Sauda breathed, staring at the angry red skin of the equine's belly. It was her entire underside! How had she even managed to move? Sauda looked up and met the other woman's eyes, trying to see what was going through her mind, but, like everyone else, she was unreadable. It seemed everyone in this world had developed that trait. It would get infected, if it remained like that, Sauda knew this for certain. She'd seen too many open wounds in her life to not be aware of the natural process. She looked back at Roko, frowned, as if thinking something over, a harsh look of concentration over taking her features. Then, taking it upon herself, she stood and looked over at the her cub. "Jace!"

 

"Yes?" he answered promptly and looked over at her. He was behaving quite nicely, with his new friend to care for, so Sauda didn't worry about leaving him here. He shouldn't get into anymore trouble, not after what happened to his friend.

 

"Behave." she said and Jace nodded, understanding Sauda's unspoken words. She was going to look for something and would be back soon. Jace was to behave while she was gone. Sauda nodded back at him and turned, strong legs carrying her into the woods. Sauda and the other lionesses received their share of injury while hunting, not to mention Jace hurting himself all the time, so Sauda had forced herself to learn about plants. Not that they were her favorite thing but, used correctly, they were a valuable medical source. However, that was on her part of the island. Here, Sauda was lost. She knew not where to look or what plants might grow here. Still, if a wound that size became infected, the equine stood little chance. However, her luck was not all bad. She came across a tree with broad, thick leaves that she could use to cover Roko's abdomen. Perfect, she thought, pulling herself up into the tree and picking about seven of them. With the leaves in hand, she returned to her search for something to ease the equine's pain.

[WonderBubbles]

((No, not really. c: But maple may not be too happy, if she comes back.))

 

Her yellow eyes flicked up to focus on the woman across from her; a half smile curved her lips slightly. "As much as I can be, I suppose, with our differences," Stripe replied quietly, her gaze moving to the mare's head. She seemed uncomfortable, probably at their presence, but it was a good thing that the equine was unable to move to a certain extent. After a few huffs and grunts, the horse stretched her head around and brushed her muzzle against the tigress's knee in a surprisingly affectionate gesture. Her eyes widened and she stared at the black beast as she repeated the action to the other woman.

 

The mare flinched and the expression of shock was wiped from Stripe's face, replaced with a worried frown. A grunt and a slight struggle later, the mare was lying on her side, with her broad back facing Stripe. The woman across from her breathed something that the shifter didn't catch; as she looked up, their gazes locked momentarily. It was as though the other woman was trying to find something in her expression; Stripe raised an eyebrow and looked back down at the prone mare. She lifted herself slightly, looking over at the horse's stomach. She let out a soft hiss, then was distracted by the stranger standing and calling out to the boy by the small girl.

 

Dismissing them, Stripe quickly wet more lengths of fabric and lay them over the angry red sores over her side of the horse. She soon ran out of cloth and couldn't do much else, other than carry small amounts of water with her hands. But that idea was useless, for the water would drain through her fingers too quickly, before she could put it to good use. The shifter settled by the mare's head and brushed the long, thick forelock from her eyes; she had spotted her blinking and assumed it was annoying her. Without fingers to brush it away, it would be very difficult to remove the hair from her eyes. Stripe's yellow-eyed gaze flicked to where the other woman was hurrying into the forest; an auburn eyebrow arched curiously.

[hazeh]

( Oh, well... I don't really like to be frozen, so... >>; )

 

Her body ached and the dried, burnt grass beneath her side was poking her unpleasantly. Through her forelock, she saw Sauda get up and leave- she'd heard her speaking, but was too tired to really figure out what words she had used. Stripe had also spoken, but Roko ignored that. She tried to focus on her family and how they were doing; were they safe? Did they all survive the fire? Where were they now? Were they in danger? Slightly alarmed by these thoughts, the horse jerked upwards and snorted with effort. Her skin twitched and her muscles quivered as she strained to righten herself. She had barely managed to get herself back onto her stomach before the burn screamed in protest and she let out a low, pained nicker. That was soon replaced with annoyance; Roko didn't back down, no matter how much it hurt!

The horse gnashed her teeth together and neighed hoarsely. Her legs shook as she planted her hooves in the soil and unsteadily pushed herself upwards. She was almost void of feeling at this point, now- she felt numb, weightless, as if one step would take her into the clouds. And yet, at the same time, her body also felt ridiculously heavy. She pushed and strained as hard as she could to get herself to stand. It was almost working, she was almost there- and then, the moment she felt something cool and soothing touch her sore skin, her legs crumbled beneath her again and she fell once more in an agitated heap in front of Stripe.

The mare grunted with annoyance and her long tail whipped the earth to show it. She was grateful for the tiger-shifter's help, though; she stilled as the woman brushed her forelock from her eyes and nickered quietly in response. Now that she could see a little better, the horse turned her muzzle and looked around. The boy and the injured girl were still laying there, as was the grown man. Sauda, however, was no where to be found.

Feeling exhaustion stealing over her again, the mare bent her maw towards her chest and closed her eyes, letting her ragged breathing return to its natural pace once more.

[crypticsoul]

Frustrated by her lack of knowledge, Sauda had stopped and leaned against a tree, absently swinging the heavy leaves. Their steady, soft thumb against the tree trunk provided her with a rhythm to think to. Okay, she thought, the plants she wanted had to grow around here somewhere. The shifters that lived in this area surely used them, so, they had to be nearby. Whether they were abundant, she wasn't sure, but they must be here. And she would find them, she had too, for she didn't like the thought of Roko laying hurt and helpless on the ground. A woman, a strong creature like that, laying on the ground unable to move. And pain...Sauda didn't like pain, or suffering, for that matter, which may seem hypocritical in a predator like her, but Sauda always made her kills clean and swift. No pain. No suffering.

 

Resolved, Sauda pushed from the tree and started scouring the ground again, determined to find what she was looking for. An aloe plant. Aloe soothed burns and promoted healing. That's what Sauda was looking for. That and some other herbs she knew would urge the burnt skin to heal. About ten minutes later, Sauda was again growing frustrated with herself until the emerald green plant she'd been searching for caught her eye. There! A small patch of it, growing in the shelter of a fallen log. She raced over and picked all that was there, rolling it up in one of the leaves. She'd take this back to Roko and then look for the others. Sauda ran back, bare feet pounding against the ground, leaping over anything that lay in her way. When she reached the clearing, her gaze was instantly drawn to Jace. Finding him well and out of trouble, she went to Roko's side once again. Kneeling, she unrolled the aloe.

 

"Here, come around and help me." she said to the other woman, looking up at her. She was already snapping the aloe vera leaves, rubbing them onto the thick tree leaves. "Rub them on here and then we will lay them across her stomach. It should soothe her pain and even start healing it." she told Stripe, well aware that she may already know that, but feeling she should explain anyway. She lay the first leaf over Roko's abdomen, gently pressing it down so it would stick. She handed one to Stripe before getting to work on another one.

[WonderBubbles]

((Mmmm~.))

 

Stripe had frowned, worried, at the mare's attempts to get back onto her hooves; she was persistent, that was for sure. Not particularly healthy for her in her present state, she needed to preserve her energy. She received a quiet call for her somewhat hesitant gesture and smiled wryly at the mare. Soon after, she rested her muzzle against the charred ground and her breathing slowed from its harsh rhythm to a more natural, steady pace. The tigress huffed lightly, moving some of the cloth about to cover more of the burns.

 

A short while later, the stranger-shifter came running back and dropped to her knees by the horse's other side, beside her wide belly. Stripe was told to help, so she padded over to the woman's side and watched her actions with the leaves curiously as she explained it to the tiger. Now that the short woman was closer to the stranger, she could smell her; with a discreet sniff, she realised that the other was a fellow large cat. One of the savannah, not the jungle, where Stripe belonged. She was handed a large leaf and proceeded to copy what the lioness had shown her. The smaller leaves smelt odd, but felt nice against her fingers; she guessed they had healing properties. Why else would they be doing this?

[Darkshadow]

It was indeed a pity Mel did not like the sun. The glowing orb of light hurt her skin like fire whenever she stepped out underneath it. If such was not the case, she too would have followed Stripe to the mare's side and offered her assistance. Instead, Mel leaned against a tree, carefully away from the sun's glare under the shade of the jungle, and watched the proceedings. The mare seemed to have suffered from the fire that had occured earlier. It seemed the mare was a woman who shifted, even in her current state. Why then, had the woman shifted? It was curious to see, and so the boa shifter kept watching with her beautiful pink-red eyes.

[hazeh]

(Wait, is it day time or night time? Wasn't it night not too long ago? >>

 

Edit: And where's Talio? x3)

Edited February 24, 2011 by Shiny Hazard Sign

[hazeh]

(Ah... ah...okay. ^^; )

 

 

The mare let out some soft, low nickers as the plants were gently pressed onto her side. She had shifted herself again and rolled onto her side once more to allow the women to work at her abdomen, even though the gesture felt oddly submissive to Roko and she didn't particularly like it. The leaves, however, felt so nice, that the horse settled her head on the burnt ground and closed her eyes with a content snort. However, as she listened to the surroundings, she noticed the drop in temperature as the light from the sky started to fade. Nighttime already? The equine's earth-colored eyes opened and she stared out at the empty plains. Well, somewhat empty- she saw the girl and the boy still huddled in the dirt, and immediately the horse sat up again.

She tried not to pin the womens' hands beneath her round belly as she did so, but she wanted to make it clear that their efforts should have been used on the girl, not herself. Roko was a grown woman, and she endured injuries worse than a few silly burns. She appreciated their help and everything, she really did... only, she was so unaccustomed to the treatment, she wasn't exactly sure how to respond. She did know, though, that the child in the grass was still whimpering with pain. Which brought another thought to mine.

The horses would be in grave danger if they were caught out of their element in the dark. Normally, the herd gathered in the center of the vast meadow, the stronger adults (meaning, the stallions and herself) stationed on the outside of the ring, the foals and susceptible mares protected in the center. Without her, and without familiar territory, the horses could have fallen prey to just about anything. What if they panicked and bolted and got lost? They could all be killed!

The black mare's eyes widened and she attempted to jump to her feet. This time, her efforts were far more energetic. She pushed herself and whinnied coarsely, trembling legs just barely able to prop her weakened body in the air. Not only was she injured, she realized, but also dreadfully hungry. Both the pain of the burn and her hunger quivered at her stomach, and without thinking she reached around and snatched one of the large leaves out of Sauda's hands. The sticky aloe goo made the greens taste awfully bitter- despite being a horse, Roko was still somehow able to pull a repulsed expression- but she continued to grind the vegetation between her powerful enamels. After all, food was energy, was it not? And she would need a lot if she was to find her herd before night fell altogether.

With determined grunts, the mare hauled herself completely into a standing position and gritted her jaw against the shaking in her unstable legs. She turned her head to glance at the women at her side before bobbing her muzzle towards the young children a few yards away- a signal, no doubt, to help them instead. They were more important anyways, since one more dead horse on the island didn't really make a difference. Not that Roko planned on dying, of course. She was too stubborn for that.

The fronds were sticking oddly to her underside and it felt queer to move, but after a moment the mare took an unsteady step forwards, her gaze locked fiercely on the line of trees that possibly separated her from her horse family.

 

 

(Ahahaha, Roko's really just a stubborn ass )

[dracoon]

Michael spat at the tapir, leaving his stand from atop the creature. He padded away, senses still alert for any intruders or stalkers who took an interest in him. As he walked, he saw a girl lying on the ground, with Stripe tending to her injuries. She was...Roko, right? The feisty and anti-social mare. He recalled. The other girl was under a tree, her pale skin a stark contrast to the others' tan skin. He had not seen her before, but seemed to recall that the girl was also the one Carnarl had been introduced to earlier. He went up to the girl, slitted eyes gazing at the wounds.

[crypticsoul]

Sauda had backed up when Roko had started to stand, letting her do as she pleased, since she knew all too well that there would be no keeping her down if she didn't wish to be. It stubbornness that Sauda could identify with, after all, it was what kept her going some times. She looked over at Jace and his friend, realizing that perhaps they should have been the first on her mind. Jace turned his head and caught her eye, blinking those large, baby blues at her. She smiled slightly and nodded.

 

"Good luck to you then, Roko." she said, looking over at Stripe to see what she would do. Of course, it was not Sauda's business what the big cat shifter did. She gathered up some of the remaining aloe and leaves but left a good bit for Stripe. "She is small, so, she won't need it all. Help yourself, it should soothe any injuries." she said and offered her a nod before making her way over to Jace and the young girl.

 

"Sauda!" Jace called and shifted his body slightly. "Are you gonna help her?" he asked, looking around Sauda to blink at Stripe. He gave her a large grin and a wave before looking back down at Grey. "She's hurt real bad."

 

"I know, Jace, I'll do what I can." Sauda said, kneeling beside him. "She is already getting some help." she noticed, looking over the girl at the man who was also there.