[Tori]

Tori closed her eyes, tears still dampening her fur. She could hear Blaidd's ragged breathing. "...Blaidd," she whispered, her voice cracking slightly. She tried to lift herself to her feet, sliding her left front leg under her body and heaving her front half off the ground. Her front legs shook violently, her eyes squeezed shut. She was still in pain, but she was alive nonetheless. Dre scooped her up, holding her 'til she could get her footing. She limped over to her son first, nuzzling her head under his hand. He smiled, ruffling up the fuzz on top of her head.

She glanced behind her at Blaidd, then staggered to his side. Her hind legs gave way, forcing her into a sitting position, but she pulled herself up again until she was sitting at his side. "Blaidd...are you okay?"

[17,17]

[MythicDusk]

Blaidd smiled slightly, but the coughed harshly. Shy's brow furrowed. "He broke a rib." She looked up at Redemption, whom nodded, fetched Shy's First Ait kit, dropped it beside them and watched as Shy began work on mending Blaidd's rib, even though his screams of pain split the air as she winced slightly at a hefty crack. She had managed to put it back into place and she sighed slightly. "Just don't touch that rib until we get home." Blaidd nodded slightly, his eyes watering.

[Tori]

Tori stayed by his side through the whole "surgery", gently petting his paw with her own and saying "It's gonna be alright, just a little longer." She hadn't bothered to change back into her human form; it was too sluggish and heavy, and she much preferred being a Kuhna. She ran her paw over the side of his face, soothing him gently with her voice. Every time he screamed in pain, she held his paw a bit tighter, but not enough to hurt him.

Dre watched from where he sat, being too weak to move. He didn't worry about what might happen to him, he was too busy worrying about the others. He watched silently, his strength slowly seeping back into his body.

[18,18]

[MythicDusk]

Blaidd looked up at Tori, then smiled weakly. Morphing into his human form, it would be easyer for Shy to patch him up that way. He felt something split his flesh and he pit down on his tounge, his back arching as tears tracked there way down his face. Her cold hands entering his flesh, re-aligning the bone and doing something, to hold it together. Shy then drew out her now bloody hands, grabbing a spool of thread and a needle, stitching him back up and sighing once she was done, looking up at Redemption whom moved over to Dre, moving her open maw towards the young boy, her jaw closing around him, carrying him as carefully as a mother paragon would carry her hatchling, moving slowly and carefully towards shy and laying Dre besides Blaidd, seating herself gently on her haunches and gazing down at the injured ones, her tail moving closer slightly to them, as if to keep them warm.

[19, 20]

[Tori]

Tori cringed when she saw Shy's hands enter his body. She felt his hand squeeze her paw gently, and she returned the gsture, letting him know it was going to be okay. It hurt her to see him in so much pain. She knew what he was going through; she had had the same thing happen to her several times. There was still some blood on her maw, and she reached up to wipe it off, eyeing the crimson streak on her paw. She cloed her eyes and sighed, returning her paw to the ground.

Dre felt Redemption's maw close in around him. His heart started beating a slight bit faster, not from fear, but from the pain of his shattered ribs. He wasn't afraid of her. He...trusted her; a strange thing for a person such as himself. He closed his eyes, trying to blink back the tears that welled at the back of his eyes.

[19,19]

[MythicDusk]

Blaidd sighed lightly when he felt a needle enter his arm, shy was injecting something into him, she pushed the plunger slightly so only a small amount entred him and he sighed, relaxing fully. Shy pulled the needle from his arm and placed it back into the first aid kit. "Tranqs." She said simply, zipping up the red bag and turning to Dre. "Tell me where it hurts." She said gently, stroking his forehead gently. Looking up to Redemption, who's red, tainted gaze were watching over them protectivley. Shy was beginning to swat due to the heat of the paragon's flametail. Then gazing down at Dre again. Blaidd smiling at Tori, slowly sitting up and moaning with pain, falling back down onto his back again, sighing gently.

[Tori]

The blood still pulsed rapidly from the two deep wounds on his left side. His eyes remained closed, his expression exhausted and weak. He tried to lift his hand, but it fell back to the ground. "My ribs," he whispered hoarsely, his voice drenched in pain.

Tori quickly morphed into her human form, laying a slender white hand on Blaidd's chest. "Stay down, you'll put your rib back out of place." She glanced worriedly at her son. He could feel her gaze upon his face. "I'm okay, mom." She hesitated, then returned her attention to Blaidd. She sighed quietly, her hands still trembling.

[20,20] Level Up!

[MythicDusk]

Blaidd nodded slightly and felt his eyes fall shut, snoring lightly as he slept. Still holding onto Tori's hand gently.

Shy stroked his hair gently. "Its alright, your going to have to keep calm for me, this is going to hurt a lot, alright? Just be brave." She slowly slit open his flesh, gently and carefully, a clean cut and she gently put her hands within him, re-aligning bone and carefully holding it in place as she did the same with him as she did with blaidd, eventually removing her hands and stitching him up, pushing up his shirt gently and wrapping gauze around his wounds, then moving back to Blaidd and wrapping gause around his wounds. Sighing, sitting back on her feet , wiping her hands clean on the grass and looking up to Redemption, whom wrapped herself around them, carefully and gently, spreading her wings so they formed somesort of a shield against the elements. Her large, black head beside her tail, watching them.

[20, 21]

[Tori]

Dre screamed in pain as Shy realigned the bone. Tears streamed down his face. He had tried to be strong, but this was just too much. He lay flat on the ground, his fists clenched, as she stitched him up. He had never felt so much pain in his entire life.

Tori's head snapped up when she heard Dre scream. She gently pulled her hand away from Blaidd's, petting him briefly on the hand before staggering over to her son. She wiped the tears off Dre's face, cooing to him softly, saying, "It's okay, honey. Just hang in there, okay? It's alright."

[21,21]

[MythicDusk]

Shy sat on the grass, leaning her head against Redemptions warm scales as he had coiled herself around the group, eventually squeezing them slightly tighter together, so they were all packetd together, to keep them warm. The red light still glimmering through Redemption's wings. The paragon felt herself go limp as she fell asleep. Blaidd huddled up to shy, mumbling something as her head lolled forward and she fell asleep, Blaidd turning into his bestial form, rolling onto his stomach and resting his head on Shy's lap. Shy had done all what she could do. Now all what they needed was a Akail. Blaidd was determined not to leave without one. Shy just wanted to make sure her 'babies' were safe, and Redemption just wanted to make sure her adoptive neice was safe.

[Tori]

Tori leaned against the sleeping Paragon. Dre lifted himself slowly off the ground, staggering over to where she sat and plopping down next to her. She smiled, putting her arm around him and stroking the side of his face softly until they both fell asleep.

--The next morning--

Tori awoke to the sound of birds chirping. Her eyes fluttered open, surveying her surroundings until her vision cleared. Dre was still sleeping like a baby, his head on her shoulder. She sighed, petting his hair again. He whined quietly, turning into a Ferrikoon. She scooped him up, holding his broken little body in her arms and pulling herself to her feet. "Come on, guys, we're not going to find an Akail like this." She rubbed her eyes as she dug through her pack, Dre still half-asleep in her arms. "What do you guys want for breakfast? I've got chips and...ah....more chips."

[22,22]

[MythicDusk]

Blaidd whined in his sleep, Kicking out and jolting awake as Shy sighed and nudged him. Blaidd slowly rose, yawned and stretched, feeling his joints clixk and his rib acke slightly, but that didn't phase him now. It felt better now. Shy slowly risen, grunting as she nudged Redemption slightly. The black and grey walls that protected them slowly unravled, the red light retreating to a clear light as redemption risen. Shy wiping sweat from her forehead. The crystal wings intensified the heat from the sun, as did Redemption's flametail. Shy dug through her own pack, pulling out a tinned beef and brown sauce sandwich for herself, handing Blaidd a small pack of buiscuits and looking over to Redemption whom was silently watching the grass. And then, as fast as can be, her head shot forward, pluching a small rodent from the swaying grass and eating it quickly as Shy munched on her sandwich and Blaidd on his buiscuits. Talking to eachother joyfully, Shy asking him about his rib, Blaidd telling her he was feeling fine.

[Tori]

Tori sat cross-legged on the ground, munching on a pack of potato chips. Dre was now fully awake, but he remained in her arms, laying on his back. Tori pulled a chip out of the bag, half of it falling off onto Dre's stomach. He snapped it up quickly, munching on it with his little sharp teeth.

She rubbed the side of his head with her finger, and he rubbed the top of his head against her hand like a kitten. "So, where should we start? I think there was at least two passages that smelled of Akail in there," she said, swallowing, "and maybe we could split up." She reached for another chip, offering some to Shy.

[23,23]

[MythicDusk]

Shy nodded slightly, but refused the chips. "I could go with Redemption and Dre, as we probably need the most protection, Blaidd, you could go with Tori." She said, looking over to blaidd whom gave a short nod and slowly risen. Shy pulled out a smaller bag from within her backpack, shoving some food and first-aid items into it, and then hooking it over one of Blaidd's wingblades. Blaidd looked over to Tori as shy stood, swinging the backpack over her shoulders and motioning to Redemotion, whoim lay on her stomach, awating the fericoon to be placed between her shoulderblades, where he would be safest.

[Tori]

She stood, placing Dre gently onto Redemption's back. She petted him once more on his head, then slung her pack over her shoulder. "Come on, Blaidd."

Dre didn't bother moving the whole morning; his ribs needed to heal, and he knew his mother would probably baby him all morning.

[24,24]