Chapter 21: A medical situation (part 1)

"The diplomatic mission to the hidden runner lands continues with little to report in terms of unforeseen occurrences. Flyer support has allowed us to avoid detection from predators despite the relatively open terrain.

"Of some concern to the Commander and I is the delay in the upcoming discussions and observations. Through communications by flyer could be commenced in mere hours, no flyer could make the observations and deductions that will be needed here. Not without violating our directives as Consortium officers.

"Little is known concerning how the hidden runner culture handles internal conflict and enemy combatants. If their development is of the typical path for sapient omnivorous terrestrial species then, to borrow a physiological metaphor, Wrok might be a symptom rather than the illness itself.

But as with any medical situation, gathering accurate information is the most important step."

~Officer Chronos, Supplemental Entry on the Hidden Runner Civil Conflict

Consciousness always had a way of coming back slowly to the fastbiter on warm, humid days such as this. With his mate appearing to be one with the water and with the peacefulness of the territory welcoming prolonged slumber he was quite comfortable to lay with her until the inevitable insult from their purple overlord sent them back into consciousness.

That was when he realized something: his mate was not present.

With extreme reluctance Leap forced himself awake. That was right, his mate had gone with several of the others to help their allies in the barrens. The peacefulness of their territory might have been coming to an end. And, with it, the luxury of prolonged slumber.

It was time to greet the day. Though perhaps it could wait a few more moments...

"Does he usually sleep in this late?" a small male voice echoed from somewhere in the black haze occluded by his closed eyes.

"Quiet," another, female, voice hissed in warning, "We don't want to wake him up. That wouldn't be nice."

"We could wake him up!" a much more familiar voice called. Fisher… of course. Sometimes, son, I think you hang around with Taunt's kids too much.

"I call dibs on hopping on his head!" Pounce's voice called as if on cue.

See what I mean?

"You're going to get us in trouble," the female voice said again, this time sounding somewhat afraid.

"Oh, Fisher is used to that," Leap's daughter noted, "Don't worry, brother; I will be watching from a safe distance when Daddy tosses you again!"

"Maybe you can dodge me this time, Dodger!" Fisher's voice mocked his sister. The namesake of a certain fastbiter the first two young biters were quite familiar with.

"Oh, here we go…" Verok's voice noted with exasperation. Leap tried to hide a tail smile at his other son's sarcastic words. So the usual suspects for obeying the rules were still trying to prevent the inevitable.

"And your friends' parents thought we were bad..."

Leap shifted a bit as he listened to the young ones, not wanting to interrupt their banter. He now recognized the voice as Ungu's. Ah… now that is an interesting accent. But being with hidden runners it makes sense for you two to know it.

"What did you call my parents?" Biter suddenly demanded, an embarrassed tone in his voice.

"That was hidden runner, not leaf-eater, Tail-biter," Swipe's mocking tone echoed from somewhere near Leap's tail, "She didn't call our mommy and daddy tiny biters."

The laughter from Taunt and Cera's kids was almost deafening before both Verant, Ungu, and some of the flyer children shushed them loudly. Great, it sounds like all of the little ones are here.

"Well…" Biter sounded embarrassed, "What did she call our parents?"

"She didn't call them anything," Gyors said, "She basically said things were never this crazy back home."

"No disrespect, Gyors, but your home sounds boring," Ambush's voice noted as Leap opened his eyes to observe the little congress of fuzzballs directly. They were so preoccupied with their discussion that they did not notice.

"It kinda was," Gyors replied, "Then all my friends died."

Silence descended over the little ones as Leap held back a gasp at the little biter's matter-of-fact retort. It was a horrible reminder of what he and his siblings had gone through. A pain all too raw and unknowable for the pack's children. Leap knew he had to speak before…

That was when Biter and Swipe both bowed in apology as the others followed as if in unison. It was a display that left the two siblings in shock. Leap allowed himself a sad smile. At least the little ones knew when they crossed the line.

"Forgive them, Gyors and Ungu. They spoke without thinking."

Nearly all of the children jumped in surprise, running to various bushes as several near-collisions occurred. Ambush, Gyors, Ungu, and Biter did not move, however.

Gyors responded with a look that suggested he was pretty sure they did quite a few things without thinking, such as speaking loudly around sleeping adults. Ungu, meanwhile, looked at embarrassed at having woken Leap up despite her best efforts keep everyone quiet.

Looking back at Ambush and Biter, Gyors was surprised to see Ambush nearly touch the ground with her snout as she gave an apologetic sag with her tail. It took him far longer than he wanted to admit to recognize it and remember its meaning, but once he did he hurriedly indicated for her to stand back up.

Leap watched the scene play out in silence. He did not intervene until Taunt's daughter was again standing and Gyors was at ease.

"Sometimes it can be hard to understand those who go through different journeys than ourselves. Even though your father and I both had overcome challenges, Gyors, we did not exactly see eye to eye at first."

Gyors gave Leap a questioning look. It was obvious he was rather confused.

"Oh, are you going to tell the story of when you were lost and found tiny biters?" Leap's daughter Tranquil asked before Dodger and Aqua quickly covered her mouth.

"Spoilers, sis!" his son Verok added for good measure.

"What's this?" Gyors whispered to his sister.

"You don't want to know," Ungu whispered back. In one of the few times she'd gotten into trouble without any of her siblings involved, Ungu had listened in on her parents talking to each other about some of the things they'd been through. It was not something she ever intended to do again.

Leap hesitated. "Well, um… I can only tell tales from my times with your father, but there is one that was really important not only for me and him, but also for your aunt Mender to become the healer we all know today."

"Oh, yes! It is the tiny biter song!"

Leap closed his eyes, resisting the urge to slap his face as the sensation of numerous little biters congregating against his flesh could be felt. "Yes, children, it is indeed time for the song. The song of the great search."

"Is this why Mom likes hunting tiny biters so much?" Gyors asked.

Ungu started to respond, but her thoughts were overwhelmed by the sudden sound of excited roars from all of the children upon Leap's affirmation. Shaking her head with some bemusement at the antics of the other children she gave Gyors a questioning look.

Gyros snorted as he shrugged in response. Both of the guest soon sat with the other children, awaiting a song from both this pack's history and their own.

Before Leap began his song he could have sworn he heard Ungu mutter something about "When with the hidden runners do as they do."

The past:

Leap sniffed the air for any sign of the pack, but like so many times on the seemingly endless night the air gave up none of its secrets.

"Nothing."

"How likely is it that Thud would go on without us?" Dodger asked after confirming the lack of scents.

"Unless it was necessary to save the rest of the pack, never. He would never leave a packmate behind." Leap's voice was resolute.

"We nearly died, Leap, and there's no telling where this nightmare of a place ends," Dodger replied, "The pack can't afford to stay and keep looking for a pair of corpses." I'd go after anyone that fell, but there's no reason to risk the rest of the pack. And splitting the current pack would be dangerous for everyone involved. I hope Thud get's them out alright.

Leap didn't look back as he lightly tapped the ground. He then paused and listened into the air. "The sound carries pretty well. So if we cannot hear them, then they are at least a good walk away."

"So is the only way across this river that we know of," Dodger said, wondering how far he and Leap had been swept, "Even if the pack did move on, we still have a lot of ground to cover."

Leap looked at the river with contempt. "Not unless we want to try to swim across it. It is a death trap until you get about a day's walk from here. That is where the rock path is."

"Then we best get moving," Dodger said before starting to head upriver again.

Leap paused for a moment, looking at Dodger a bit oddly before responding as if nothing had happened. "Yes, let's get moving."

Whoops. Forgot about rank, Dodger chided himself, Well, the point was obvious. Where else are we supposed to go?

The two fastbiter walked in silence for the better part of an hour, periodically checking the scents and sounds for any sign of threats. The only threats that they could detect, however, was the inhospitable scenery itself. A land that seemed so devoid of life as if to mock its two guests.

Let's see. We're stuck in the middle of the most empty stretch of land I have ever traveled. There is no food to be found in reliable amounts or locations. There aren't even any places to hide or rest that I can see. And yet Leap still thinks Thud will come after us? If he does, he's risking the pack. If he sends one of the flyers as soon as they speak again, that's perfectly understandable. But setting out into unknown territory that is already unpromising in terms of food and having not found another place to retreat to later... If Thud does that I'm going to be rethinking Staza and I staying with him.

"Don't worry. We will leave no place unsearched until we find them."

Thud's words echoed in her mind, but their meaning did not register. The numbness of the situation matched the stinging chill of the night air. A reminder of what they had lost.

Swift continued to put one foot in front of the other as she forced her breathing into a steady rhythm. For the sake of her brother she could not let out the shrieks that threatened to escape her. Shouting her grief into the air would only confirm to herself that all was lost.

She had to believe there was hope. She had lost one brother; she could not lose Leap as well.

Reluctantly she looked around for any sign of life in the dark void that surrounded them. Not a single scent radiated from the darkness but their own. Not a single sound echoed but their footsteps. Only the moist air gave them company, like a suffocating blanket.

That was when her eyes briefly focused on Tracker. The green fastbiter was trying to avoid showing what she was thinking, but her scent was making the endeavor pointless.

Swift grew uneasy as the tell-tale scent of frustration was tinged with the acrid smell of anger. They could not let their emotions get the best of them now!

She opened her mouth before quickly closing it. Despite Leap's conversations about what happened in Calin's pack, and the obvious drama in Seeker's pack, she knew rather little about Tracker as a person. Was she prone to anger when the situation was dire? Did she disagree with Thud's strategy? Being on the verge of collapsing herself she had no idea how to proceed.

But she had to try.

"D-do you have any idea where Verant would go?" Swift began uneasily speaking to the other fastbiter in a hushed voice, "If- When he got out of the river… I mean?"

"If he follows the advice he gave me if I ever got lost, he'll follow the river back towards us," Tracker responded, her tone tinged with barely concealed frustration.

Swift froze. If that was true and they were going in the other direction…

"My… my family always said to shelter in place," Swift blurted out, suddenly unsure.

"Dodger's never been one to assume a rescue is coming," Tracker replied.

Swift resumed her pace despite her uncertainty. Quickly looking in Thud's direction only to see him focused on the terrain ahead, two towering hills that looked like voids in the star-filled sky.

She could only hope that they were going the right way.

Swift took a deep breath. I can cry later. I must focus now.

"Has your brother been through something like this before?" She hesitated when Tracker suddenly stared at her, not realizing that her own concern for her brother was bleeding through into her speech. "W-we need to know what he has been through if we are going to guess what he will do. I know my brother, but… I don't know your brother well."

"He's not my brother," Tracker gently reminded Swift, "He survived getting swept down a river when he was nine, and he jumped after me when I fell into another river not that long before I met you guys the first time." She moved a bit closer to Swift. "They're going to be fine."

Swift took a deep breath as she looked down. Was she that transparent?

"I… my siblings only had two escapes. One when our parents… and the other from that pack. I wish that I had your confidence."

"Verant's survived stuff I thought was impossible. Sometimes it took him a few days to make it back, but he always came back," Tracker said, "This time won't be any different."

Swift could hear the reassurance in the other female's voice, but also the hint of uncertainty. It was the hesitation of one who always knew that the next struggle could always be their last.

She looked back towards Thud who was again sniffing the air. Had he found something?

"We both came out of a bad place before," Swift reluctantly referred to Calin's pack once more, "But we came out separately. If our loved ones are going to get out of this then we have to do it together."

Swift tilted her head. "I think you should tell Thud your objections. The more that he knows about you both, the better he can decide what to do."

"What objections?" Tracker asked, sounding rather startled.

Swift gave the slightest hint of a smile with her tail despite the desperation of the situation. "I have made that same scent before. I know what it means."

"We need to be going faster. At this rate we're going to be stranded out here with them," Tracker explained, wanting Swift to understand why she was frustrated, "Going this slowly, we should've just waited for help."

"But how far should we run? We have no idea where they could have gotten out of the river. It could have been down there, or someplace in the barrens, or…" Swift trailed off.

"Until we find them or run out of river," Tracker replied, "There's not that many places to look."

Swift nodded. "Let's tell Thud."

"Tell me what?"

Both Swift and Tracker nearly stumbled over themselves as the green fastbiter stood in front of them with a concerned glint to his eyes.

"Staza had an idea, sir," Swift spoke quickly.

"Um..." Tracker was suddenly at a loss for words. There just wasn't a good way to tell your pack leader that you disagreed with how he was doing something. "Why don't we just follow the river, sir, rather than keep looking around?" she finally blurted out, "I doubt they would be far from it."

Swift watched Thud's expression turn from annoyance to something unreadable. "If they have gotten out in the barrens and we miss them…" The warning was obvious. If they ran past some sign of them then they may not find them in time.

"If they went out into the barrens, they're already dead," Tracker replied, struggling to keep her tone respectful, "There is nothing out there." She gestured at their surroundings.

Swift cringed as the two fastbiters maintained eye contact. She didn't realize she was holding her breath until she gasped.

"I think she has a point, sir," Swift blurted out without thinking. It was only after she had spoken that she realized that Thud's attention had turned towards her. Despite her trepidation she held her gaze as piercing, yellow eyes appeared to stare into her soul.

Finally he nodded. "Alright. We all know what is at stake here. If that is the pack consensus… then I will follow it. But we need to hurry."

Thud took a deep breath as he listened to the stream some distance away. No sound but its gentle waves called to his ears. An affirmation of the choice they had made.

"We move until the Bright Circle comes up. We stop and listen only for breaks. We sniff while we run. Got it?"

The response was immediate. "Yes, sir!"

In an instant the gentle sound of the rushing stream was joined by the sounds of trampling feet, shifting rocks, and loud breaths. For several moments the sounds joined in a kind of crescendo, a song of muscle and bone, water and rock, hope and despair. It was only with the passage of the three dinosaurs and the trailing away for the accompanying sounds that the stream's gentle waves again rose to prominence among the sounds of the night. It was as if the dinosaurs had never been there at all.

Seeker's Territory:

Violet had no idea why she had agreed with Spike and Taunt to challenge Cera and Petrie to a bet. Though, now that she was paying the price in fish, she could only assume that some kind of momentary stupidity had come over her. Perhaps I caught it from Taunt?

She quickly grabbed one of the tasty morsels in her mouth before adding it to her pile. Though she would have rather be lost with her thoughts the boastful nonsense of the males made such wishes a forlorn dream.

"So… the next question is: do we wake up early for the hunt or try to hunt after our mates are asleep?"

Spike's question was muttered as if it were the most regular occurrence, and not a conspiracy.

"That depends on if you would get up if someone shoved you," Taunt replied jocularly, "You seem to be well acquainted with the Land of Sleep Stories."

"And you are well acquainted with running your mouth!" Spike rolled his eyes as he tossed a fish at Taunt's head.

"One of my better qualities!" Taunt retorted with a smile.

They're being way too carefree about this, Violet thought as she listened to her companions insult each other, They do realize there's a chance of getting killed, right? As in, one mistake means getting killed, not a freak accident. What have I gotten myself into?

Violet sighed. Why did I let them talk me into this? Going after a longneck, even if it isn't an adult yet, with just the three of us? To Violet, trying to regain the respect of the pack as well as herself after the bet she and her companions lost seemed foolish. It was impossible to regain what she never had. The only respect we're going to get from the pack is respect for the dead.

"Having fun being nervous over there?" Taunt asked playfully as the death scream of another ground fuzzy could be heard, "I can smell you over the blood. What's wrong?" he asked more seriously as he stopped his ground fuzzy hunting for a moment.

"Nothing," Violet replied. She tried to distract herself by looking for more fish. Well, this is lucky, she thought as she snapped at and caught a fish that swam by. "Well, that's my last one." And there goes my excuse. Darn.

"Doesn't smell like nothing," Taunt prodded.

"Oh, leave her alone, Taunt. She is probably concerned about the hunt," Spike muttered as he got another fish in his pile.

Taunt shrugged. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"Well, we all could die," Spike replied with a laugh.

"Such is hunting, oh rotund one!" Taunt had the foresight to duck before Spike tossed the fish in his general direction, "If we are smart, however, we have nothing to worry about. Longnecks do not do well in pitch black. If the worst comes then we can simply scatter into the dark," Taunt spoke more seriously. It was not lost on Spike that Taunt was directed those words to Violet.

"That didn't work so well for me last time I tried that," Violet said. Then again, there is a difference between spiketails and longnecks.

"What exactly did you do?" Spike asked with some curiosity.

"I ended up on the wrong end of a spiketail's swing."

Spike noticeably winced. "In a hunt for a single prey?"

"The one we were going after wasn't that close to the rest of the herd. Turns out spiketails are faster than they look. Almost got my leg broken for that." And my brother nearly got his neck broken saving me.

Spike nodded. "We will need to make sure that our prey is alone. And make a distraction at the other end of the family…"

"Going over the lower-ranked pair, eh?" Taunt inquired.

Spike shrugged. "Seems better than getting killed. Why the fuck do longnecks focus so much on status anyway? Seeker was never that way."

Taunt shrugged. "Then again, Seeker was never normal. He befriended a two-footer while he was still the food."

"So did I," Spike noted.

"Yeah, but you did it because you were acting stupid. Seeker did it because…"

"Heads up!" Violet yelled in warning.

Smack!

Taunt suddenly fell silent as the fish flopped under his body, Violet's last fish in order to pay off her bet to Spotter. In the hush that followed Violet looked mortified while Spike grinned with his tail.

"Ha! Perfect timing, Mender!" Spike laughed to himself, "And I am done as well… wait, you have one more than you need," Spike noticed upon looking at Violet's pile.

"I was still kinda hungry," Violet admitted, embarrassed. I should've just left it in the water.

Taunt smiled at the new scent. She didn't even mean to do that… oh, Mender. Sometimes it is better to feign guilt than to admit error. "Well I have one more fuzzy to go, so perhaps you two can let Stern Claw know that I am almost done." Taunt knew that it was an opening for Violet to walk away and relax a bit.

Violet hesitated, not quite sure what to do. She wanted out of the awkward situation she was in, but she was still more than a bit intimidated by Cera, which could lead to another awkward situation. I really can't do anything right. I make myself confused just thinking. I'm sure Haven would find this funny, though.

Thump!

"Hey, what was that for?" Violet asked indignantly. She didn't like surprises at all, including flying ground fuzzies.

"Revenge!" Taunt replied playfully as he gave a 'smiling' gesture with his tail, "But, anyway, I think everyone has their catches so let's hurry up and get this over with. My mate is not gracious in victory."

"And you are?" Spike retorted.

"I am just as gracious as you are," Taunt responded.

"That bad, huh?" Spike grabbed two of his fish before preparing to head off.

"When is Spotter supposed to be back?" Violet thought aloud. I really don't want to have to move my catch if don't have to.

Taunt stopped for a moment. "That… is actually a good question. It should not have taken him this long to send the message." He reckoned the relative time based upon the location of the Bright Circle. "Maybe he got to chatting with them. They would use him if they had a message for us, you know?"

"Still unusual," Spike noted as he looked at the location of the Bright Circle as well.

"Should we be worried?" Violet asked, immediately thinking of less than pleasant reasons for a delay, a bad habit of hers that she wasn't making any progress in breaking.

Littlefoot sighed as the others gave him odd looks as he left them to their own devices. He was taken a bit aback when Petrie arrived and, rather than openly welcome the kind greetings, he merely nodded respectfully and requested a private audience with him.

A private chat with a flyer seldom means good news. What could have possibly happened in four days?

"Alright, Spotter; I think the stream is far enough. What was it that you wanted to talk to me about? Is Verant alright?"

Littlefoot watched with some curiosity as the flyer opened his mouth, before quickly closing it. It was obvious that Petrie was considering his words carefully. He remained silent for several moments before finally speaking.

"Me not send your message. Something much more important happen."

Littlefoot took a deep breath. For Petrie to abandon or delay his mission meant that something was indeed amiss. It also meant that Dodger having a nervous breakdown was not the problem in question.

"Are they alright?" Littlefoot asked quickly. He hoped that his instincts were wrong.

Petrie hesitated for a moment before shaking his head slightly. The sudden slump of his shoulders communicated all that Littlefoot needed to know.

"Which one?" Littlefoot spoke softly as his tail twitched in agitation. His mind was in overdrive. He quickly processed how long it would take for the pack's healers to sprint that far and began to think about the possible strategies. As leader such a mind was both his blessing and his curse.

"Leap and Verant. They fell," Petrie said sternly, which made Littlefoot freeze in shock. The flyer continued as if he read his friend's mind, "No one see body, but they go into river."

Littlefoot took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing heart as he mentally cursed fate. Both of them had come through so much only to possibly have been sent to their ancestors at far too young of an age.

Petrie clicked his beak uncertainly. "They ask me to call in favor with dead-eater flyers. Me do that before coming back."

Littlefoot sputtered, "Are they trying to finish the river's job?" The reputation of the carrion eaters was well known.

"Me call in favor," Petrie replied carefully, "Their own search not go well."

Littlefoot took a deep breath as he turned and looked at the setting Bright Circle, "How are Swift and Staza taking this?"

Petrie grimaced. "As well as can be expected."

"Oh, look! There is Spotter!" Taunt noted happily as he looked towards the river. Or rather, he tried to speak, but with the four ground fuzzies in his mouth it came across as a muffled growl. He had fallen behind the others as it was most difficult to carry all of the ground fuzzies in one attempt. In fact, none of the others had bothered to attempt the feat.

As they got closer Violet thought she could hear voices. What am I... not good. "Guys, hold up," she hissed, keeping her voice down almost as if she were on a hunt. Her own stop was abrupt enough to have Taunt run into her. "Sorry."

Taunt was not upset but merely looked at her with a tilted head. Spike made a similar gesture, but remained silent.

Not wanting to risk making any more noise, Violet tapped one of her ears and held up two claws. I hope they get what I'm saying; it's not like something you and your brother made up for being silent is instinctual. Is it?

Taunt looked at Violet as if she had grown a second head. I will have to talk to her about pack signals at some point… Nonetheless he did get the general idea that they needed to be silent.

"Yeah, there are two people there," Spike whispered, barely audibly. He too understood that Violet wanted them to be silent, but he did not understand the specific significance of the two claws, except as a signal that two dinosaurs had been seen.

"I think I heard Spotter and Seeker," Violet whispered, "Should we head back?"

Spike tilted his head. "Well… they are not at Seeker's sleeping spot... do you think they are discussing something we aren't meant to hear?"

"Do you want to find out the hard way?" Violet asked, "If it's important we'll find out soon either way."

Taunt nodded as he grabbed a ground fuzzy that fell from his hands. Wordlessly, he gestured for the others to follow him. They could take the long way to the others if need be.

Violet started to follow but stopped when she thought she heard something. What are they...

Leap and Verant…..

She struggled to hear as their voices faded into the background.

They have dead-eaters look for them.

Oh no. She tried to calm herself before she gave away what she heard. I really wish I hadn't heard that.

"What is it?" A soft hiss came from Spike as he went to her side. Taunt, not seeing the incident, continued to go into the wooded area to get to where the rest of the pack was believed to be.

"It's nothing," Violet said, denying that anything was amiss. Well, Leap is probably dead, and the rest of Thud's pack is not doing well because of it. Dod-Verant should get back, okay. Leap better hope he was serious about not hurting him.

Spike did not believe her, smelling the subterfuge in her scent, but he kept quiet. He could also smell the hint of concern and fear.

"Ah, there are the defeated braggarts!" Cera's booming voice called from the clearing.

"Looks like your mate's mouth is full!" Breeze noted, "How do you enjoy the silence?"

As if on cue the ground fuzzies were dropped on the ground. "Silence is over!" Taunt replied playfully, "I would not want to deprive you of my wonderful voice, my dear!"

Cera groaned. "One day, Taunt, you will learn some humility."

Taunt gave her a playful nip on the tail before darting off into the clearing. "You keep telling yourself that, dear!"

"Here are some of the fish." Spike dropped his catch as well. "I have a few more to gather."

"Just take what you need out of my pile," Violet said, "It won't take me long to catch a few more." Hopefully I'll get to be alone for a while, and I'll get myself under control. Ugh, I hate my ears sometimes. I hope they're all okay. How exactly did they get separated? If Finder had shut up maybe I wouldn't be wondering what was going on. Augh. It's not like I can go ask Seeker about this. I wasn't supposed to hear.

As her attempt at discreetly leaving fared as well as her usual attempts, it did not take her more than ten seconds before Ruby and Ducky were on either side of her.

"Are you feeling alright, Mender?" Ducky's voice whispered.

"I'm fine. I just want to be alone for awhile," Violet said. Maybe if I don't entirely lie she'll believe me. There's a reason I don't lie in the first place; everyone knows when I'm doing it.

"You want to be alone for awhile, but I think you want more than to be alone," Ruby acknowledged as she placed a hand on Violet's shoulder, "Just remember that we are here if you want to talk."

"Thanks," Violet said before heading away from the two fastbiters as quickly as politeness would allow. If I stay near Haven for too long she'll know everything; she always manages to make me talk.

Violet started to fish, like she had said she'd be doing, but even she could admit she was distracted. Staza would be embarrassed if she could see me now, she thought after her fifth miss in row, I hope everyone is alright. Maybe I should've listened longer... I still don't know exactly what happened. At least it sounded like they just got lost. There's no point in thinking about what to do. That's not my decision, and I'd be useless anyway. I can't smell that much and would probably just get in the way.

Violet finally forced herself to calm down and walked to another part of the stream. "Maybe I'll actually catch something now."

Thump! Thump!

Violet instinctively cringed before actually spotting Chomper. Oh, it's only you. I guess I'm more shook up than I thought.

"Good evening!" Chomper growled, as Violet nearly jumped in a scene that would have been comical if it had happened to a leaf-eater, "Nothing on the border except an old threehorn. It is beak-face's turn to scout if he is back." Chomper laughed, creating a growling sound.

"I'll look for him as soon as I've gotten the last of his fish," Violet said, "I only need to catch one more."

Chomper looked down at her with some amusement. "Based upon your smell it isn't the last fish. Either you are lying and you already caught them all, or you are lying and you need to catch more than one more. Which is it?"

"I let Finder take a few so I could have some peace and quiet," Violet said, unintentionally allowing her frustration at not being left alone, her inability to help her family, and her current failures in catching fish to make her sound far angrier than she actually was, "Now I've got to catch some more to replace those. I had an extra, so I only need one more now." And you, Mr. Thunderfeet just scared them away.

"Suit yourself," Chomper replied nonchalantly as he suddenly looked up. "Look, there is Spotter!"

"Well, darn," Violet muttered, focusing on her frustration at not catching that last fish. She really didn't want to think of why Spotter was back now.

"Seeker looks upset," Chomper noted aloud as he began to walk towards the clearing.

"He wha..." In her surprise, Violet tripped and fell into the water with a, to her ears, rather loud splash.

Chomper ignored the splash, being transfixed by the uncommon emotional reaction of his friend. It did not take long for the command to be issued.

Roar!

Roughly translated in sharptooth the roar meant: Everyone gather around. The leader has an important message.

"That can't be good," Violet said. She shook herself dry and headed in Littlefoot's direction. I really wish I hadn't heard anything.

Violet wasn't sure why she hurried, but to her surprise she beat several of her packmates to the meeting place. She found an empty spot as far away as permissible from everyone, unsure of her own reaction and worried that she might not react correctly since she was pretty sure she knew what the message was about.

It was then that she felt someone nudge her.

"What is this about?" Taunt hissed in her ear, "Seeker looks awful."

"How should I know? Do I look like Ponder to you?" Violet nearly snapped. Okay, I am way too irritable. And overreacting. Gotta calm down. "Sorry. My fishing kinda didn't go so well," she apologized. Well, at least I'm not lying.

Taunt sighed, "What did you hear, Mender? You knew it was Seeker talking."

"What makes you think I understood what was said?" Violet asked. Other than that I could repeat some of it back to you word for word, something I normally can't do; it's that disturbing.

"Alright ,everyone. I just got the update from Spotter," Littlefoot paused for a moment before sitting down, a nonverbal gesture for the others to follow.

Never being good at faking anything, Violet couldn't stop herself from cringing in anticipation of what Littlefoot was going to say. I already feel sick about this, so why am I still worried? It's not like the whole pack knows I already overheard this.

"Spotter was unable to deliver his message… because of the situation in Thud's pack."

Violet nearly bit her tongue to stop herself asking Taunt if he was okay. Of course he's not okay, with a jolt like that. And it's going to get worse. She tried to distract herself by looking at the rest of the pack's reactions. Unsurprisingly, she could see quite a few displays of worry, some better hidden than others.

"The pack was looking from a cliff face, and some of them nearly fell. Leap helped Verant up the cliff, but they both fell. They fell into the river."

Violet stared at Littlefoot in undisguised horror. If they fell and Spotter said they're using carrion flyers to find them... that would mean Verant's d-dea...

Taunt opened and closed his mouth as he tried to process the horrible news that had just reached the pack. It had been only four days… four days. And now two of their comrades might have very well have met a horrible end. He could only imagine what Swift and Tracker were feeling. To say nothing of...

He blinked. Mender.

He barely had time to move into position as Violet swooned in his general direction. Collapsing against him as if catatonic as she looked upon the proceedings blankly. It was only when he reluctantly gave his pack leader a nod that he continued. There was no reason to prolong the inevitable. Best to get the harsh news out as soon as possible.

"They… they haven't found any bodies. And they haven't smelled them. So that means that they might be alive. The river goes into the barrens…" Littlefoot sighed as Ruby and Ducky went to Violet's side in a show of support. "Thud says that they need some healers if… for when they are found."

"I will go," Taunt spoke without really thinking.

"You're not a healer, Taunt!" came the immediate response from his mate. It came out as a frustrated growl but for once he was not trying to antagonize her.

"No, but the healer will do better with some muscle if things get rough," Taunt noted, "Someone who can focus on other things while you focus on healing our friends."

While Taunt made his proposal to the pack Ducky briefly checked Violet's breathing. A quick examination of her chest expansions indicated that it was not of concern. Since when was Violet calm?

"I can go as a healer," Ducky noted with a sigh as she turned her focus back to Littlefoot, "That would leave us one for the pack and…"

"Haven, I'd like to go," Violet interjected, giving the other fastbiter a pleading look.

Taunt blinked, for a moment not believing what his ears were telling him. But as he turned around and saw the gazes of everyone else on Violet he could determine that his ears had not deceived him.

Ruby looked at Ducky with concern before turning towards Violet again. "Mender? Maybe you should lay down for awhile so that you can think for awhile."

Taunt, meanwhile, was looking straight into Violet's eyes. There was fire there. A drive that he understood all too well.

Violet had made up her mind.

"Are you prepared, Mender?" Littlefoot asked suddenly, nearly making Taunt jump in surprise at the brown fastbiter who has seemingly appeared at his side. A quick glance in Taunt's direction told him that his leader had seen the same thing that he had.

There was no turning away when family was involved.

"I'll have to get my stuff, but it shouldn't take long," Violet told Littlefoot, her face contorted in determination as all shakiness departed her features. Ducky and Ruby could only look at one another in confusion at the sudden change.

Littlefoot merely nodded as Violet sprinted off to get the "must have" plants that the pack's healers had instructed her always to carry. Leaving many confused packmates in her wake.

"Why aren't we sending more people?" Chomper growled, "I can watch the territory while we send out more."

"And invite a challenge?" Littlefoot noted. "Two fastbiters are better in a night run. A pack can attract more attention."

"Will she be okay?" Ducky asked softly, "She nearly fainted a moment ago. She did, she did."

"And now she is marching around like a threehorn on a mission. What happened?" her brother echoed her unspoken second question.

Taunt could only sigh as he turned towards Cera, earning him an affectionate nudge. In such times of crisis the importance of loved ones was heightened in everyone's mind, even those of the pack's most vitriolic pair. As soon as he saw the glint of understanding in her eyes he knew that she had read the same signs on Violet as he had.

Taunt finally answered Spike's question. "Family happened. If you knew that you could save your loved ones would you ever consider staying behind?"

Only silence greeted his rhetorical question. Everyone knew the answer.

Well outside of Seeker's territory, The Green Expanse:

The fastrunner's legs burned with exertion as he struggled to keep up with the predators in front of him. The vast savannah offered little in the way of shelter from the scorching Bright Circle, but it did provide a multitude of places for a predator to hide. Though in his struggle to keep up he did not contemplate the irony of him keeping up with predators to protect him from predators.

"Not looking so good back there, Orchid! You've got to pace yourself!"

Orchid groaned at Spike's attempt at advice. It wasn't like he was built like his fastbiter companions. He was made for sprinting, not long-distance trotting. He tried to shut up the portion of his mind which sounded suspiciously like his father. You should have thought of that before you volunteered for this, Orchid.

Orchid gritted his beak as he attempted to replicate Spike's trot with his ill-suited legs. Perhaps I am as foolish as Nahoda after all. What was I thinking?

"I'm not sure you were," Mender said, moving so that she was alongside him.

The fastrunner could only close his eyes for a moment as his body began to fall into a steady, if awkward, trot. "I said that out loud?"

Spike grunted from the front. "Yep."

"I heard you loud and clear," Soar's amused voice called from just above his head, making the purple Oviraptor flinch.

Orchid could only roll his eyes once his shock dissipated. "Lovely."

His one-word epilogue to his faux pas resulted in the first real laughter of the entire journey, as roars and amused growls emanated from the predators in front of him. He allowed himself a laugh at his own expense as well before realizing that he was not as far behind as previously.

His eyes suddenly found themselves focused on Mender's intense yellow orbs as she looked back in the direction of the oddly trotting fastrunner. She must have thought that he looked ridiculous.

Mender stared at the fastrunner as he jogged oddly through the verdant waves of grass. Each movement of his legs appeared to be a separate jump, as if he were hopping from foot to foot, but his forward momentum was holding.

"Orchid, what exactly are you doing?" Mender asked.

The fastrunner appeared to deflate somewhat, but he maintained his odd gait. "I don't know, but it seems to be working."

"You okay? We're not going too fast, are we?" Mender asked. It's okay to say if you're having trouble, Orchid.

The fastrunner's eyes appeared to widen in panic as he quickened his pace despite a grimace of pain. "No! I'm fine. It's just..."

Mender glanced forward quickly to make sure she wasn't about to run into anyone or anything before turning back to Orchid. "What's wrong?"

The fastrunner sighed deeply before speaking in a barely audible voice. "I don't want to slow us down."

"Orchid..." Mender sighed. You're going to hurt yourself like this. "Guys, hold up," she called out. Looking back at Orchid she saw him stop and seem to have a bit of trouble catching his breath. Orchid... why didn't you say something?

The purple fastrunner did not answer for a few moments as he held on to his hips with his arms and stay focused on the ground, his breathing slowly becoming less labored and more regular. When he did speak it was as soft as before, but not nearly as desperate.

"I… I think how I was walking before was working. It's just… I can't go that fast for that long." He shook his head. "I didn't know you could, either. I thought fastbiters were sprinters."

"We can also go at a fast walk for a while," Mender replied.

Orchid gave her an amused look. "You have an odd definition of 'a while'. But they need our help, so I can suffer through it. I just… maybe a little slower?"

"We actually needed to stop soon anyway," Ducky offered diplomatically as she shook her right leg, "The leg burns were beginning to slow me down, yep, yep, yep."

"I told you staying in the same place gets you out of practice," Mender said with a laugh, "We're probably going too fast anyway. We haven't gotten reports that anyone else is seriously hurt, and we're no good to anyone if we're dead on our feet when we get there."

She watched as the fastrunner went from disbelief to concern to outright confusion.

"Huh? I mean, we're healers so we need to get there soon, right? How can I expect to do that right if I can't even be fast enough to keep up with all of you?"

"Orchid, no one expects you to get everything right the first time. And, as much as I'd like to see my family as soon as possible, we're just going to make sure everyone is alright. Last we heard, no one needs us there immediately."

The fastrunner merely stared at her for a moment before rubbing one of his legs. "So you're telling me that I overreacted and made a fool of myself?"

A loud thump registered in Mender's ears as Soar landed for a moment. "As my mate would say to the kids, 'It's part of growing up. Our mistakes teach us'."

"Even if we needed to get there as quickly as possible, Orchid, tiring yourself out before you even get there makes hard to help once you're there," Mender said, "Trust me. You get odd looks when the healer needs a healer."

Orchid merely blinked as Spike spoke as if he had read his mind. "I'm sure that's one heck of a song."

Mender gave Spike a very irritated glare but didn't reply with anything more than a growl.

"Remember healer, do no harm," Ducky teased as she attempted to change the subject. "So we have two healers and a healer-in-training. What have you been taught so far, Orchid?"

"Um… well, Mender showed me how to use a vine as a blood stopper. Cynnil told me about the calm leaf that dulls pain. That… um…"

"That's better than when I started," Mender said, "I used to not be able to tell who anyone was unless I was talking to them."

Orchid opened his beak to speak for a moment before closing it. He well remembered the song of his new pack even if he forgot some of the details.

He sighed before shaking his legs one more time. "If you learned to deal with your sniffer then I can learn to deal with my little fast runner legs. Will this pace work?"

As if on cue Orchid sprung forward in the same odd gait as before, though with an almost serene expression as he tore through the grass with ease.

The others were running beside him in an instant.

"That should work. We will just need to not stop until a little later," Ducky noted.

No words were shared between the dinosaurs for several moments as they trotted into the grass, parting it like a Fire Rock slicing through the night sky. In their new steady pace no one appeared to struggle or slow.

That was until Spike suddenly smacked his tail against his sister's flank.

"Beakface!"

"Urgh… you may have started it, Finder, but I will end it!"

Orchid, meanwhile, did the only thing that he could think of to make sense of the situation and merely glanced back at Mender. His face clearly communicated his thoughts. What in the heck was that?

"Oh, not this stupid game again!" Soar's laughter could barely be heard against the winds. "It is easily the dumbest thing our leader ever came up with!"

Ducky pointed at Soar before smacking Spike across the head. "Beakface!"

"Oh, come on, sis! She is pack; she doesn't count!"

"We never made an exception before."

"Hmph! You won't stay tied for long!"

Oh no. I can't believe this. They play this game, too! Mender thought in frustration.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Mender said with a groan, "I thought this was something Buse made up."

Orchid looked at his packmate as if she had called herself a leaf-eater. "What is it?"

"Beakface!" both fastbiters at the front called out at the same time as their tails collided with one another.

"Darn it, a draw!" Spike muttered.

Mender shook her head as she turned to answer the fastrunner, "It's called 'Beakface'. If you see a flyer, you shout 'beakface' and hit someone that is playing with you. I've only played it once."

A smack rang out in the distance, which was followed by laughter. It was quickly interrupted, however, when the dark green fastbiter returned the favor after the now familiar call.

"You stopped playing it because it was stupid?" Orchid asked as he slowed slightly to make sure to stay out of the way of the siblings.

"Um, not exactly." Mender suddenly looked very embarrassed.

A few more calls of 'beakface' and the booming sound of slaps could be heard as Orchid continued to look at Mender expectantly.

"I, uh, kinda knocked Buse out," Mender admitted.

Orchid's expression went through a number of changes in the span of a few seconds. Starting with bemusement, and then surprise, and then finally…

Mender could only react to the fastrunner's laughter in the way that her absent packmate's honor demanded.

"Beakface!" Mender cried as she slapped Orchid with her tail, careful to not hit him too hard. She still almost knocked him over.

Orchid struggled to regain his footing as he glared at the larger fastbiter. "What was that for?" His pride suddenly getting the better of his reason, he peered towards the horizon.

"Beakface!"

Mender felt the slightest hint of pressure against her side as the fastrunner practically launched himself at his adversary. Though he landed gracefully without losing much velocity, the same could not be said for his ego.

The resulting innocent smile on his beak was almost cute.

"It's not every day that the food comes to me," Mender said jokingly, smiling back.

The smacking continued in front of them as they kept pace with one another.

"So…" Orchid began awkwardly as he mentally put what happened on his rapidly growing 'things never to attempt again' list, "what other ways do we have to pass the time? I know on the way to Seeker's we shared songs, and you taught me things. And I am out of bad jokes since Buse isn't here."

"Well, I do have a few stories you might like," Mender said.

Orchid's eyes lit up in such a way that Mender could almost imagine that Orchid was a fastbiter youngling. Despite this, Mender couldn't help but get one final little dig in about Orchid's little miscalculation earlier.

"While we're talking about things we shouldn't do, why don't I tell you a story about Staza, hard sky water, and tiny biters."

Orchid smirked though his eyes still communicated interest. "Let me guess: people die."

Mender snorted. "You see, Orchid? You're getting the hang of things already. I'm not entirely sure if it's normal, but most stories I know either end in someone dying or nearly dying."

Several miles away:

Verant crouched low, eyes fixed on the fastrunner in front of him. Normally, he wouldn't even try to hunt something that could escape so quickly, but this one had made the mistake of picking up Ovie's scent. While it was unlikely the fastrunner could even get close to Ovie, Verant wasn't taking any chances. Just a bit closer. Walk a bit closer, stupid.

The fastrunner stopped suddenly as if he had heard the fastbiter's thoughts. He quickly sniffed the air before placing his beak near the roots of a tree, inhaling deeply.

Suddenly the night was filled with the sound of running water. It took Verant a few moments to realize what the fastrunner was doing.

You've got to be joking. Verant suppressed the urge to growl in frustration. This just isn't my day.

The fastrunner stopped as he sniffed the spot again before letting out a satisfied grunt. Everyone who passed this spot would know this was his territory. Verant could only stare in annoyance as the fastrunner began to walk away.

You're not getting away from me. Forcing himself not to immediately rush the fastrunner, Verant started to slowly creep after his unaware target.

Yellow eyes peered out at the oblivious fastbiter. Their luminous glow cast a cold aura in the night air as the Night Circle bestowed its radiance upon the world.

The predator had no idea that this night would be his last.

Greenshade gripped her spear as she stepped through the foliage. Her sights firmly set upon her target. He would never know what hit him.

Almost... almost... Now! Verant leapt at the fastrunner the moment it looked entirely away from him. The sensation of falling was soon replaced with that of a body collapsing underneath his bulk. Not wasting any time to subdue his now sprawled out prey, he bore down upon his delicate neck.

An aborted chirp of surprise rose from the Oviraptor's beak until it was silenced by a resounding snap as Verant twisted his head back and forth with the ferocity of storm.

Verant leapt off the fastrunner and, out of habit, made a quick check of the area while the prey stopped shaking. Well, that's one problem dealt with. Now how do I get this back to the kids? He gave the dead fastrunner a considering look. Maybe a better question is how do I get this to the kids without Ovie seeing? It might seem a bit disturbing to her. Maybe Staza and I could find something else for her... He continued to consider the problem as he started to drag the prey back to the pack. Why couldn't I have found something easy like a swimmer? Never mind. That would be a very lost swimmer. Hopefully there's a river up ahead. Then we'll have another obstacle between us and Wrok's scouts. And there might be some swimmers then...

Shluck!

Greenshade slammed her spear into the predator with as much force as she could muster, sending both the spear and her body into the unsuspecting target. With a panicked yelp she struggled to break free of the scaled body as she dodged claws that appeared to come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time. It was only when she had run a short distance that she noticed something important.

Everything was silent.

Hesitantly she turned back to look upon her handiwork. What greeted her eyes was something that made her blood run cold. The fastbiter still lay where she had struck him down, with her spear sticking through the left side of his chest and out the other side. A pool of blood, shining crimson in moonlit night, confirmed his death for the assembled ancestors in the sky. The trail of blood leading in her direction, however, confirmed his murderer for all to see.

She looked at her hands.

The blood which stained the offending appendages felt cold upon her flesh. She had killed in hunts before and had held the new weapons of their kind on numerous occasions. But this was the first time she had killed in anger.

She took a deep breath. It shouldn't have mattered, but somehow it did.

Now that this is out of the way we can finish off the two-footer younglings and add Orange Death to the bodies. We shouldn't have to engage the packs directly.

She looked at her hands again.

"Duty before self. Fate shows us our proper place." You always told me that, Father, but could you have had anything like this in mind?

She hesitantly sniffed the fallen body. The acrid scent of the Orange Death hung in the air.

This plan will work, Wrok, but what is your ultimate plan? Death can only hang in the air so long before it comes to visit you. Will the other packs see this as a show of strength or a sign of desperation?

She heard the others arrive before she saw them.

Duty before self.

"The scout is dead. You all know what to do."

The other hidden runners scattered like flying buzzers in all directions, leaving the Deputy to her thoughts. She mutely studied the body.

I have become a chooser of the dead, fastbiter, just like you. Soon your brothers and sisters will die and join you in the hereafter. But you only killed for food and territory. I… I guess I am doing the same… killing for my leader's territory. But where will that territory end?

She quickly sprinted after the others, leaving the dead fastbiter where he lay. She didn't need to wait for a response that would never come. She already knew the answer.

Ovie heard the rustling in the grass before she saw anything. But her alarm quickly turned to relief once she recognized the tell-tale cadence of the unseen dinosaur.

She could recognize Verant's walking pattern anywhere.

"Was the hunt a success?"

Verant, in an effort to keep the prey he was dragging hidden, dropped the dead fastrunner in a particularly thick clump of grass and put himself between it and Ovie. "Yeah. I got something," Verant replied, his tone suggesting his efforts and the end result were hardly equal.

Ovie gently replaced the grass over her eggs before rising and peeking through the tall grass. Hunger had gotten the better of her. "I'm sure the children will be thrilled." Her eyes communicated that she was also quite thrilled with the idea of food.

Verant's sudden desire to keep his body in front of something caught her attention as she tilted her head with more than a little confusion. The unspoken question was obvious.

"Ovie..." Verant said with a sigh.

The fastrunner's mind quickly jumped to the wrong conclusion. "Another hidden runner? They're still after us?" She quickly crouched over her eggs as if threats were all around them.

"Not this time," Verant said, "We're safe for the moment."

Ovie forced herself to calm down as she walked toward the fastbiter. "Then don't scare me like that! What could be so much of a problem that…"

That was when she saw it. Behind Verant's leg was a bloodied purple crest. She knew exactly what that meant.

Time seemed to freeze as Ovie and Verant locked eyes on the same thing. Despite her knowledge that this was some unknown fastrunner, her mind quickly went into another place

Brakas…

Bloodied feathers lay on the ground as if a fastrunner had lost all of his feathers in a single moment. But there was no body.

The predators had seen to that…

"Ovie. Ovie!" Verant tried to get his friend's attention but wasn't having much success. "Ovie!" He considered resorting to shaking her but decided that might startle her a bit too much.

"You have nothing to fear from me. You understand?"

Ovie could only stare at the fastbiter in shock. Why would a predator spare her?

"A friend of the pack is a friend of ours."

The fastrunner swallowed hard as her eyes stayed focused on the corpse. "H...He was heading in our direction?"

"He was tracking your scent," Verant said, "I couldn't let him get closer."

Ovie reluctantly nodded before slowly walking back to her eggs, not looking in Verant's direction as she spoke in a tired voice. "Don't keep the kids waiting. They need their meat."

"I could find something else for you," Verant offered.

The fastrunner looked up at the fastbiter with a sad smile.

"You need your strength, Verant. You don't need to hunt twice on my account."

As she heard the fastbiter slowly walk away, dragging the body behind him, she knew that her rejection of a second hunt would soon be ignored. Verant never left a packmate hungry.

Stay safe...

Ignis's cave:

Penol really wished Ignis didn't have so many visitors. It made trying to clean the entrance rather difficult.

That was when the sensation of wetness under her feet elicited an audible groan from her. She had stepped in fresh mud from the overly trampled ground. Its lack of vegetation was a testament to how many visitors came to the cavern each day.

"Not again..." Penol sighed.

"Trufar said that there is some fresh tough grass by the base of the Green Hills," a guard at the cavern's entrance offered helpfully as he continued to stare straight ahead as if he were talking into nothingness.

"Thank you," Penol said, grateful for the suggestion, before heading out to where the guard suggested. Once I get done with this, I still have to clean the dining area. Then there's Talus's etiquette lesson. Ugh, I'm never going to get all of this done.

Penol kept up a slightly hurried pace, wanting to get back as soon as possible. The Green Hills were not too far away from the caverns, but to get enough to do a satisfactory job at making the entrance presentable would be an undertaking in itself.

"Look, mom! It's one of the…"

"Bow, dear! Like momma showed you."

I'm still not entirely used to that, Penol thought as she continued on, noticing a number of other hidden runners giving her slight bows as she passed. It was quite the departure from the days of her youth.

"So the entrance turned into a mud pit again?" a disturbingly polished voice called from somewhere behind her. She couldn't help but cringe upon hearing the Left Claw's voice.

"It happens," Penol replied, trying to sound normal, but being alone with Dravos always bothered her. Just grab what I need and get out of here.

"Oh, indeed it does. But sometimes regular duties can be put on hold for more pressing matters." He walked in front of the younger hidden runner, stopping her forward progress, as he made a few hand gestures back towards the cavern. After a few moments he nodded before directing his attention on Penol. "There are a few trouble makers who can atone for their wrongs by dealing with the mud. No reason to waste your talents on that."

"Its part of my job, sir," Penol objected, continuing to gather grass. Is he trying to get me in trouble?

"It was part of your job, but jobs can change," Dravos replied silkily as he began to grab some of the grass as well, giving her a smile in the process, "Though I see that you have already made up your mind. Runs in the family blood."

"Sir?" Penol asked despite herself. What does he mean by that?

Dravos refused to elaborate on the final point as he looked back towards the caverns. He then gestured for Penol to look as well. "What do you see, Penol?"

"Huh?" Penol was rather surprised to see three other females taking care of the mud at the entrance with a guard supervising. What... why would they do that? I was supposed to take care of that!

Dravos did not say anything as he watched with a satisfied smirk.

"Did... did you plan this?" Penol asked cautiously. It seems like he knew I'd be here.

Dravos smiled. "Very good. What gave it away?"

"You were already here, and you're too important to be here," Penol said, "And the three girls you have doing my job for me couldn't have gotten there this fast."

"Correct. I had this planned for most of the day. Ever since these three decided to try to steal fish from Deputy Narqual." Dravos leaned back against a tree with a satisfied smirk. "The young ones come up with the most interesting dares for one another. Though they demonstrated more 'running' and less 'hiding' when he found them."

"So, you planned all this out for... what?" Penol asked.

Dravos shrugged. "For a little chat that has been delayed for far too long. What do you know of my purpose, First Assistant Penol?"

"As far as I can tell, you suggest things the Great Leader does not like or want to do but still sometimes agrees with you," Penol replied. And you scare me to death on a regular basis.

"The Left Claw does what the Right Claw dares not. Or at least that is what the old adage says. It is more accurate to say that the Left Claw appears dirty so that the Right Claw can appear to be clean."

"Appear different?" Penol said in surprise, "With respect, sir, you and Ignis do not think anything alike." Just look at how you acted with Prizo. Ignis wanted to help her. You just referred to how others would react to it. Ugh. What is wrong with you?

"Appearances can be deceiving. But sometimes they are not," Dravos replied cryptically, "Your cousin is kind, but have no illusions that her job allows her to always act kindly. There is a reason why I have not had my head bashed in and a replacement sought, and sadly it is not my charm."

"If Ignis isn't always nice, what's your job?" Penol asked, confused.

"Suggesting things that she could think of herself, but that she would hate herself for considering." He glanced at the three hidden runners tending to the mud in the distance. "And sometimes the Left Claw acts on its own accord when it is necessary to protect her."

"Sir?" Penol asked with some alarm, taking a few steps away from Dravos.

"Those females for example." He gestured at them. "She would be overwhelmed if she had to deal with every disciplinary detail. And if the Left Claw handles the dirty work then she remains untainted. Do you think any of those three will blame the Leader for this? No, but they will blame and hate me. That is my job."

"So... how does that involve me?" Penol asked, not really wanting to ask the question but realizing she was never getting out of there without asking.

Dravos stared at her with unblinking eyes. "That is entirely up to you. It depends on how much you want to risk to help your cousin and our pack."

"What would I need to do?" Penol asked. If it helps Ignis I'll do anything.

"The current problem with the outer packs has been a long time coming. The farther away a pack the less assistance the Great Leader can offer and the less... persuasion can be brought to bear. In each Leader's reign there is trouble of some kind that must be put down. But of course you remember the saying..."

"Both feasts and leaders rise from the blood of the fallen," Penol finished.

Dravos nodded. "Harthron went through something similar with the southern packs. But putting down an upstart and showing that Fate is on one's side is usually enough to ensure that no one else dares to try. But in order to defeat Wrok we have to play at his weaknesses."

"And those would be..." Penol prompted.

"He lacks a connection by blood to your cousin's bloodline. So his only option is to show that Fate has chosen his bloodline by destroying all of you… or by breeding himself into the bloodline and merely killing Ignis. If he found a way into the bloodline then he would focus on little else."

"How is he supposed to do that?" Penol asked. Ignis has quite a few relatives. It would be very hard to kill them all. And Wrok's done all the wrong things to make any of us like him, so getting any of us on his side isn't going to work.

Dravos shrugged. "All it would take is one family member who is as ambitious as he is. Someone who would not mind being the first mate of a new leader. Someone who might have a reason to despise Ignis. All it would take is one person to play that part."

"But what if we provided such a person, but who was always on our side? Imagine the damage that could be done by having someone close to the enemy himself."

"Why are you telling me this?" Penol asked, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. He wants me to do that? Ugh... that's disgusting.

Dravos was silent for several moments as he watched the three females work furiously on the mud. They applied grass and trampled it into the damp soil to create something that would actually support weight without making people sink into its depths. It was slow, difficult work.

"What do you think will happen to them if Wrok wins?"

"Who? Them?" Penol gestured at the girls.

Dravos nodded. "What will happen to them if Wrok manages to kill your cousin and make a move for the scrape? What kind of life will exist for the vanquished after he purges families of questionable loyalty?"

"If you planned to live at all, the best option would be to run. Wrok probably won't let anyone disappear. He'll have supporters to reward, after all."

"To reward with territory and mates," Dravos noted darkly, "The sacrifice of one might spare the lives of hundreds. But this is not something that Ignis would ever demand."

"Dravos, I... can't." Penol looked back at the girls at the entrance with a sigh. I'm sorry. I'm not strong enough. I'd make a mistake or I'd break before I can do something to help. "I'm not a killer, I'm not a leader, and I'm definitely not you. I'm just an assistant that gets a lot more respect than I deserve. I wish I could do more, but I know what I am and what I'll never be."

"Duty before self. Fate shows us our proper place," Dravos spoke solemnly as he watched the three females work in the distance, complaining between themselves, "Perhaps you are correct, but think about my suggestion. Sometimes Fate is showing us much that we are too blind to see. Keep your eyes open."

I can see just fine, Dravos. If I could help this way, I'd gladly do it, Penol thought, I just know my limitations. And I don't want to die without hope of success.

Dravos gave the slightest of bows as he turned to head back to the caverns. "Good evening, First Assistant Penol."

Now you're just mocking me, Penol thought irritatedly. "Good evening, Left Claw," she replied formally, bowing as Dravos's position demanded.

She couldn't see the smirk on his face as he walked away.

Thanks for the reviews and continued interest, everyone!

Keijo6: Yeah, most of the major players are now in place. One of my concerns going forward was having too many characters for the readers to keep track of, but I think Historian and I have found a good balance. That is always a problem in complex political situations.

That is a very good observation about Wrok. He is quite open with his ambition with his inner circle as he knows they are duty-bound to follow his lead. However the ossification of the old ways is conflicting with the realities of the new times. Soon the hidden runners' cultural and political system will have to experience changes simply due to the inertia of the situation. In a way Wrok is a symptom both of the final cry of the old ways, and as a harbinger of the new ways. This leaves open the question: does he really believe in the old ways? Or is he simply using them for his benefit?

Thank you for the kind words and the review. (:

gordhanx: Thank you for the detailed review as always. I hope that the current chapter lives up to the expectations that were set by the previous one. Though this story seems to be going at a slower rate than the previous ones, we are proceeding at a steady pace. About a chapter every 1 1/2 months. This is mainly due to the fact this is based upon a roleplay that is added upon on a weekend-by-weekend basis.

bryan mccloud: Oh yes... I can only imagine them initially trying to take care of their younglings in a scientific manner before finding out that children are not exactly test subjects. XD