The Obscura Railroad (Open)

[Jacob Hail]

Jacob stopped and listened, perking and straining his ears to pick up any sound over the raging river below, but dropping them slightly as he heard no call back. He shook his head, knowing it was useless, not exactly sad about the situation, but still a bit stressed about it. "We have lost so much this season, and without our thetess things will be even harder." He said as Arcanum came up behind him, not turning to face her, but bowing his head anyways. He could sense her coming up the hill, his sixth sense nagging at him and making his fur come on end, warning him of someones approach. But once the fox got a hint of her smell he knew who she was. "It will be more difficult to rebuild this year."

[mosskid]

   Aster crouched quietly in the dense underbrush, clumps of her fur becoming clotted up in the leaves. She had previously been on the search for anything to eat, but as soon and she spotted the odd, mismatched group of animals, she went to hide. Aster didn't even want to entertain the thought of what they would do to her is they found her. Clumsy and frail as she is, she would stand no chance against what appeared to be the Alphess and Alpha. However, she did take the opportunity to study the group from her haven. She noted what appeared to be a Father and Mother, the Father oddly that of a mouse while the latter being a fennec fox. Her previous clan was only composed of other deer, and she found it odd that so many different creatures were able to work together for the good of everyone. She'd even say it gave her hope.

[Keinai]

The dame sighed. "True. But we've been through worse, we will gather rogues... and continue to survive here." She kept her eerily calm stature all through the night, but even as the moon began to dip into the distant mountains, she had only mildly grieved for her fathers and thetess, felt only twinges of annoyance from losing so many. "Our obscurities are what keep our legacy so strong... we are quickly losing the last of true Obscura blood and instead may become nothing but a pack of rogues searching for an afternoon star."

Ko had only managed to find a plump rabbit--all of the prey had fled or had drowned. He suddenly stopped, and bent on one knee to the forest floor. He ran one clawed finger over the sodden earth, feeling two long indents that came together and the bottom. Deer tracks, he thought, before he tasted the air for any more signs of prey. However, the tracks were too large to be that of a feral animal's. It was against all morals of a creature such as himself to eat another who walks on two legs. However, the children were hungry. Maylien needed food too. Blinking, he set off and followed the tracks, keeping low and hidden behind the dense undergrowth.

[Naval]

     Andrew watched the rest of his peers and tried to keep calm, but it seemed that everything was happing too fast. He gave a glance at the few who were shaken in fear. "Stay calm Andrew...you can do this...this isn't the first time things look grim...But I can push through." He stood up, even through the floor was far more pleaseing to be at.


     He looked at the sky and made a fake smile.."Yea...ummm it goes and comes like the bright sun...Yea.." He folds his arms and takes a seat infront of his peers to act like a guard, but of course he knows that his is quite frighted himself.

[Cecilia Peromi]

Cecil and the children had finally settled in Arcanum's den. He had hoped that they would be tired from the long trek. Instead they were restless.

"I'm hungry!"
"I'm thirsty!"
"When will you feed us father?"
"My footpaws hurt!"

"Now now, don't fuss. That fellow Obscura we saw earlier will come back with food. It can't be long now."

[Tina]

Maylien looked over at the father and seeing the children slowly began to get up.
"No Maylien you should rest." Warden says putting his hand on her shoulder, but Maylien gently brushes it off.
"The children are more important." Maylien says and,though she had a some slight difficulty, heads over to the Cecil.
"I'll handle this." She says to Cecil.
"I know you all are exausted and want to eat, but food is on its way. However I tell you all story while we wait, to help take your minds off food."

[Cecilia Peromi]

Cecil was relieved. A story, why didn't he think of that? "Do you hear that kids? This nice person is going to tell us a story." He then leaned closer to Maylien, "thank you, what's your name?"

[Tina]

"Maylien, I'm a mother and have a way with children." Maylien finds a place to sit and starts telling the tale of a brave Obscura alphess, who had hunted a massive feral tiger that was terrorizing our clan so long ago. Warden sat back and watched knowing Maylien had this handled.

[Cecilia Peromi]

Cecil enjoyed the story as much as the children did. For a moment it was as if nothing had happened at all. Then it all came back, the rains had taken more than a dozen lives. The fate of the Obscura was hanging by a thread. Cecil looked around, the children looked so peaceful, they didn't know what had happened. They didn't know that they were the last of their kind. Cecil then made a vow: that he would protect these children at any cost.

[mosskid]

Aster's ears twitched nervously as she felt an eerie feeling crawl up her back. It was hard for her to parse if this feeling was just her overthinking as usual, or a sign of a actual threat. Grinding her hooves into the mud anxiously, she took a shaky breath and resigned to sitting in the dirt. Aster thought that she's rather die here in the underbrush, safe and unharmed, than try to leave and potentially get torn to shreds by other creatures. Suddenly, she heard a light snapping of a twig.

[Jacob Hail]

Jacob simply shook his head, still peering out over the ridge. "I may not be of Obscura blood, but I know it should run through this pact. It is vital that it does. And as long as I remain alpha I will see to it that we never lose what we have left." As he spoke his last words the fox turned to face Arcanum, baring the same emotionless expression he always did. "More Mothers and Fathers are sure to come back, we couldnt of lost them all." Until he saw their bodies, the alpha was going to remain optimistic, better then adding negativity on an already devistating situation.

[Keinai]

"They may have just been washed away by the current, not necessarily killed," Arcanum mused, but shook her head. "But there are too many gone I don't have enough Obscura to send out a search party downriver."

Ko looked up from the tracks at the sound of snapping wood, but he quickly returned to the hunt, the smell of his prey steadily getting stronger.

[Tina]

Maylien finished her story and took a deep breath. It was a long story but hopefully it raised the children's spirits. This monsoon had been devastating and it was important to Maylien that every keep their hopes up.
"Alright now let's..." Maylien winced as she felt her baby start kicking.
"Oh..." Maylien grown and Warden came over and helped her up.
"Come on, you need to rest some more." Warden helped her over to her resting spot.

[Cecilia Peromi]

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Cecil asked

[Jacob Hail]

"I know, it is only my hope that some will find their way back." Jacob replied. He placed a foot over the smeared ritual symbols and dug them even further into the mud, making sure they were completely gone, before stepping away from the ridge. "Perhaps we should return to the den, there is still much to do."