K'piru persisted in her search, wandering the dunes around the tribe's camp, despite all of K'thalen's pleas for them to return to the trap. In her mind, K'aijeen was one second away from becoming drake food, and the thought of it sent her into a high panic. She continued for almost an entire bell before finally stumbling to a halt, exhausted. For once uncertain what to say to comfort her, K'thalen just kept a steadying hand on her back and his senses primed for any potential threats.
"She's dead!" K'piru sobbed. "Or left, or--Thalen, my baby girl is gone!"
The nunh grimaced, none too happy over K'aijeen's disappearance himself, and just said, "Maybe K'ile and K'airos found her and they're back at camp. Think you can head back there?" His attempt wasn't received very positively, if K'piru was even listening to him. Groaning, K'thalen shifted his weight in the sand and strained to catch any familiar scents on the air.
With very little effort, K'ile Tia was able to pick out that familial scent that belong to Thalen and his daughters, and even belonged to K'piru at this point. The unmistakable trail found him through the hundreds of desert smells on the breeze, and he followed it back in towards camp, but not to it. Like K'airos had done initial, it curved off at a tangent. The trail meandered senselessly through the dunes, and K'ile could almost see K'piru's small, frantic footsteps in the sand.
When he found them, he was unsurprised. They were nowhere near anything he could detect. This family just couldn't stay still, could they? "Thalen!" K'ile called, from a distance, and waved over his head. "Come back! K'aijeen's been at the trap!"
K'thalen felt a very distinct relief when the wind blew his brother's scent his way, and his voice followed not long after. Rubbing K'piru's back with one hand, he waved in the direction of the voice with the other and said to the distraught woman, "Hear that? Now can ya stop working yourself up over nothing? Aijeen's just fine. In mighty big trouble, but just fine." He chuckled lowly and tried to urge K'piru to her feet.
K'piru's ears pricked up, catching K'ile's voice on her own, and then pressed flat against her skull. "The trap! If I'd just stayed, I could've stopped--"
"Stop that, and come on," K'thalen said, much firmer this time, dragging her up and turning to move them both back across the sand. He could make out his brother and daughter's forms not far away.
***
On his way to hunt down K'piru and K'thalen, K'ile had gone by the camp and recruited a pair of huntresses to go out and help K'airos butcher the Sand Drake that had... apparently been killed. By the time he got back to the site of the trap, they had arrived and were making decent progress with the meat. K'ile approached the dead Drake and waited for K'thalen and K'piru to catch up, giving K'airos a look as he did so.
She raised her sight from the dead animal and looked at him. Her ears dropped down. "Did you find them?" she asked.
Arms crossed over his chest, K'ile didn't answer.
He had indeed. K'thalen and K'piru followed shortly after, the latter having had time to somewhat pull herself together while they returned to the trap - though only somewhat. K'thalen wasn't smiling, heavy brow pulled down, and the first thing out of his mouth was, "Where is she?"
"Aijeen's somewhere, with the spine." K'airos answered. "But look! It worked!"" she added, hopping once and pointing excitedly at the butchered drake.
"With the spine?!" K'piru's disbelieving voice cut off whatever K'thalen would have responded with. She eyed the drake corpse a moment and then turned her face away from it, looking ill.
"That's not what we're worried about now, Airos," K'thalen shook his head.
"Yeah," K'ile said, empathizing with K'piru. He pulled on one ear and said, "That aside, I can track her from here, I think. The girl smells like carrion right now, and that leaves a strong trail."
"I'm sure she's closer than we think." K'aiross said. Her spear was a short distance away, it's blade deeply buried in the sands. She picked it up. "Let's go find her!"
K'thalen nodded, swiveling his ears about and then said to K'piru, "You heard him. Alive and well. Just stinky. Ready to go after her?" The woman just nodded, looking everywhere but the drake.
"Yeah. Stinky." K'ile's face scrunched up and disgust as he smelt the air. And then he sighed. "Further south. Further out of camp. Your girl doesn't know what dangerous means." He took off in the indicated direction.
Features taught and tail shivering, K'piru broke away from Thalen at that and rushed after the tia. A bit stunned by the sudden burst of energy, K'thalen followed a moment later.
"Don't worry! She's fine! She's always fine." K'airos said out loud before following them.
"She's dead!" K'piru sobbed. "Or left, or--Thalen, my baby girl is gone!"
The nunh grimaced, none too happy over K'aijeen's disappearance himself, and just said, "Maybe K'ile and K'airos found her and they're back at camp. Think you can head back there?" His attempt wasn't received very positively, if K'piru was even listening to him. Groaning, K'thalen shifted his weight in the sand and strained to catch any familiar scents on the air.
With very little effort, K'ile Tia was able to pick out that familial scent that belong to Thalen and his daughters, and even belonged to K'piru at this point. The unmistakable trail found him through the hundreds of desert smells on the breeze, and he followed it back in towards camp, but not to it. Like K'airos had done initial, it curved off at a tangent. The trail meandered senselessly through the dunes, and K'ile could almost see K'piru's small, frantic footsteps in the sand.
When he found them, he was unsurprised. They were nowhere near anything he could detect. This family just couldn't stay still, could they? "Thalen!" K'ile called, from a distance, and waved over his head. "Come back! K'aijeen's been at the trap!"
K'thalen felt a very distinct relief when the wind blew his brother's scent his way, and his voice followed not long after. Rubbing K'piru's back with one hand, he waved in the direction of the voice with the other and said to the distraught woman, "Hear that? Now can ya stop working yourself up over nothing? Aijeen's just fine. In mighty big trouble, but just fine." He chuckled lowly and tried to urge K'piru to her feet.
K'piru's ears pricked up, catching K'ile's voice on her own, and then pressed flat against her skull. "The trap! If I'd just stayed, I could've stopped--"
"Stop that, and come on," K'thalen said, much firmer this time, dragging her up and turning to move them both back across the sand. He could make out his brother and daughter's forms not far away.
***
On his way to hunt down K'piru and K'thalen, K'ile had gone by the camp and recruited a pair of huntresses to go out and help K'airos butcher the Sand Drake that had... apparently been killed. By the time he got back to the site of the trap, they had arrived and were making decent progress with the meat. K'ile approached the dead Drake and waited for K'thalen and K'piru to catch up, giving K'airos a look as he did so.
She raised her sight from the dead animal and looked at him. Her ears dropped down. "Did you find them?" she asked.
Arms crossed over his chest, K'ile didn't answer.
He had indeed. K'thalen and K'piru followed shortly after, the latter having had time to somewhat pull herself together while they returned to the trap - though only somewhat. K'thalen wasn't smiling, heavy brow pulled down, and the first thing out of his mouth was, "Where is she?"
"Aijeen's somewhere, with the spine." K'airos answered. "But look! It worked!"" she added, hopping once and pointing excitedly at the butchered drake.
"With the spine?!" K'piru's disbelieving voice cut off whatever K'thalen would have responded with. She eyed the drake corpse a moment and then turned her face away from it, looking ill.
"That's not what we're worried about now, Airos," K'thalen shook his head.
"Yeah," K'ile said, empathizing with K'piru. He pulled on one ear and said, "That aside, I can track her from here, I think. The girl smells like carrion right now, and that leaves a strong trail."
"I'm sure she's closer than we think." K'aiross said. Her spear was a short distance away, it's blade deeply buried in the sands. She picked it up. "Let's go find her!"
K'thalen nodded, swiveling his ears about and then said to K'piru, "You heard him. Alive and well. Just stinky. Ready to go after her?" The woman just nodded, looking everywhere but the drake.
"Yeah. Stinky." K'ile's face scrunched up and disgust as he smelt the air. And then he sighed. "Further south. Further out of camp. Your girl doesn't know what dangerous means." He took off in the indicated direction.
Features taught and tail shivering, K'piru broke away from Thalen at that and rushed after the tia. A bit stunned by the sudden burst of energy, K'thalen followed a moment later.
"Don't worry! She's fine! She's always fine." K'airos said out loud before following them.
![[Image: AntiThalSig.png]](https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/179079766/AntiThalSig.png)
"Song dogs barking at the break of dawn, lightning pushes the edges of a thunderstorm; and these streets, quiet as a sleeping army, send their battered dreams to heaven."
Hipparion Tribe (Sagolii)Â - Â Antimony Jhanhi's Wiki
