The Obscura Railroad (Open)

[Cecilia Peromi]

"Is that true? I didn't think the monsoons would hurt us this bad. I'm sure there are some fathers still out there. I'd offer to go search for them, but I'm obviously busy right now."

[Keinai]

Arcanum shook her head. "Many of our fathers have become frail over the years. A strong current could easily carry an older member straight into a rock or a tree trunk. The dens were all completely flooded so all of the Obscura seeking refuge there were found dead," she stated simply, before leaning down to face the pups. She looked back up at Cecil before taking two in her arms. "Guide them to my den--it is on the highest ground in our camp. Also, check on Maylien and see what she may need, I'm sure Warden would be happy to assist you with anything regarding her well being." She walked back to camp with the children still in her care--two sibling mutts.


Huffing quietly to himself, the thief at last ventured towards his den, which was humble in comparison to most others - a simple shelter to provide warmth and protection from the vehement weather that assailed the pack all too often, also tucked away from the main center of the territory. With the vines and vegetation growing atop and around his small earthen dome glistening with dew drops which sparkled under the luminous moon, Ko found the exterior of his den to be intact.  The inside, however, proved to be quite disheveled.  Claw marks raked across the walls showed a struggle which must have occurred during the flood, and many branches had found their way through the opening and settled upon the still wet floor. Dragging out each of the limbs until his sleeping area was clear once more, the wolf decided against clearing the marks from the walls - too much work for such a meaningless task.

Satisfied that his space was back in order, the sodden ebony form exited his den and surveyed his surroundings once more, eyes landed upon the forms of Arcanum and a father, though failed to locate Jacob.  Taking a few paw steps forward, Ko sank the lower half of his body to a sitting position, black tail sliding across the muddy ground behind him to curl around his haunches.  Remaining alert, the brute began to clean himself of the spatterings of mud that had dried and now clung to the fleecy fur of his chest and sides.

[Tina]

"Warden, I don't feel so good." Maylien starting to feel ill. Warden felt her forehead and it was hot to the touch.
"My god your burning up. You must have caught a cold being out in that weather." Warden grabbed a piece of wet cloth and placed it on her forehead.

[Keinai]

After letting the pups rest in her den, Arcanum walked over to Maylien and her theta. "Cecil should be with her in a few moments, once he's dealt with the children. All of the deltas have been found dead, so have the mothers and fathers apart from Cecil. Until we recruit more rouges, we will have to adapt and train a few thieves to fill in the delta's positions," she reported to them both, as they have been left in the camp.

[Cecilia Peromi]

"Alright then. Children, follow me, we're going to the archess' den." Cecil rose up and took the lead, the children eagerly followed him. Cecil was worried. Could all of the other fathers really be gone? That would mean he would be all by himself. Cecil liked that there were other fathers to take the pressure off of him. It wasn't that Cecil was lazy, he just couldn't handle too much responsibility,  and now he may be the only one who can take care of these children.

[Keinai]

Arcanum busied herself by looking for herbs to use for Maylien's cough. Normally she wouldn't be concerned and let the cold pass through her system, but the blood of the pack was getting weaker each year the monsoon hit. She couldn't afford to lose a mother or her child, and it would still take years at the least for Obscura's born children to mature and take on ranks. As she searched, most of the plants the thieves tend to have been drowned or washed away by the roots. At last, she found two drooping but alive Echinacea, and took them back to the couple.


She chewed the leaves to release the juices before distilling it by taking a mouthful of warm rainwater, then spat the mixture onto a clump of moss growing on the rock the mother was propped up against. "Open wide. This is the best we can do for right now," she grunted. Using her teeth, she grabbed the moss and squeezed the water out of with her jaws, into Maylien's dry mouth.

[Tina]

Maylien swallowed, almost gagging a little at the bitter taste but getting  every last drop.
"Thank you." She says.
"How many theta are left?" Warden asks. He hadn't seen a single theta on his way here.

[Keinai]

Arcanum cocked her head in confusion. "There's only one theta--you." She chuffed with amusement. "You may need to get some rest, Warden, it seems this situation is taking a greater toll on you than I had thought. As to you, Maylien."

[Tina]

"Yeah I guess the rain made me a little stressed..." Warden said and played down next to Maylien.
"It's ok honey, you should relax." Maylien said.
"...alright." the two laid next to each other and slowly began to drift off into sleep.

[Cecilia Peromi]

Cecil was drawing close to the archess' den. The children started to break off in a sprint past him as it finally became within sight. Cecil could only make out a few faces inside. His spirits sank, "so it really is true, nearly everyone is dead," he whispered. It was a tragedy, so many innocent lives lost. But not everyone was dead, the Obscura would make it past this disaster, he was sure of that.

[Jacob Hail]

Jacob tilted his head slightly as Arcanum left hurredly, wondering a bit about what she was going to say but quickly dismissed it from his mind. He was half tempted to follow her, but dismissed that too, knowing it was safer in the area around the den and she could take care of herself. There was something important he needed to do anyways. Letting out a heavy sigh, he walked out from the den, going in the opposite direction of the alphess and making his way up a hill. The slick and muddy ground made the climb difficult, causing him to loose his footing and stumble a few times, but eventually he made it to the top, walking over to a ridge that dropped down into a river below. The water level was higher the normal due to the heavy amount of rain causing the rivers current to be swift a violent, threatening to drag away any poor soul that managed to fall into it, and Jacob had no doubt that it already had.

The fox dropped down onto his knees and began to draw symbols into the dirt, three of them to start a ritual, then added a scripture below them. He did not share the same religion as the rest of the tribe, so he did his rituals and worship in secret, keeping it away from the eyes and ears of the rest of Obscura and confiding it within himself. And even though he had angered the gods, he continued to pray, hoping one of them would take pity on him. Situating himself in the grass, he closed his eyes and began his prayer, taking about twenty minutes to pray to each of the three gods before swiping away the symbols on the ground and standing up. His head turned up to the sky as he stood there, taking a moment to let the drizzling rain splash across his muzzle before letting out three loud deep barks, calling out to the thetass. He hoped she had survived, for they could use her hunting and tracking skills to find any lost Mothers and Fathers, but a feeling deep in his stomach had told him she parished with the rest.

[Keinai]

Arcanum nodded solemnly. "Our thetess is dead too, presumably. There have been no traces of her." She sighed, looking down to her paws. "Even though you're the last father, Maylien will still be able to help you with the pups. I may have to train some thieves for delta positions." She looked up, then put her snout to the air and inhaled, trying to pick out Jacob's scent out from the stale notes of blood, rain, and death. "Maylien is sleeping now so you can keep the children company until she wakes up, if you don't mind. I'm going off to find Jacob." With one last flick of her tail, she followed the fox's scent, trudging away from camp and up the hills, putting her paws into Jacob's remaining footprints as footholds up the slippery slope. Her hips rolled smoothly in their place with each silent step,  her appearance that of a phantom's.


Once he was satisfied with the cleanliness of his fur, Ko trudged up the hill to the base, and stopped once he saw Cecil. He dipped his head and averted his gaze in respect. "Do you need any help, Father? The alphess hasn't given me further instruction--I'd be happy to assist you with the children, as they are quite energetic."

[Cecilia Peromi]

"That would be appreciated, thank you. Is there any food or drinking water in the den? I'm hoping that once the children have had a meal they would go to sleep. I'm a little hungry myself."

[Keinai]

Ko shrugged. It wasn't his place to hunt but Arcanum hadn't made any hunting parties since she had went to find Jacob. "Cleaner water can be found in the moss, I wouldn't suggest drinking from a stream or the river, since there are all sorts of things washed away in it," he replied. "I may be able to find a rabbit or a vole for the children to eat."

[Tina]

After a little while Maylien started to stir which awoke Warden.
"How are you feeling?" Warden asked.
"Better..." Maylien said as a Warden checked her temperature.
"...your still slightly feverish but it feels like it's gone down. You should rest a little more."