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 Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 9:35 am
  The sun was beginning to dip down towards the sand by the time Shaak and the rest of the patrol she was a member of had reached their designated post.
With so much ground to cover and potential danger still lurking all around them, it was no longer unusual to see a mix of ranks out on patrol duty. The time of sweeping the borders being the sole responsibility of the guards had long since passed and now, amongst them, walked soldiers and hunters and water-seekers, bulking their numbers to ensure they were never taken at a disadvantage if caught up in another attack.
Still, with the rains returned and a lull in Nergui sightings, it hadn't taken long for some of the more impulsive members to start kicking up a fuss about being on patrol now that the immediate danger had passed. One of those members was with them now; a fiery and often foul-mouthed soldier by the name of Kalimoto. Her name meant 'wildfire' and she most certainly lived up to it. Hardly surprising, Shaak supposed, given her family background.
"Well that walk was certainly exciting." The young female's voice dripped with sarcasm as she mounted a slab of rock to get a better look at the lands that lay to the south of their home. Rugged and bland and oh-so-very-boring. She yawned, turning her listless gaze back to her 'comrades'.
"We cannot let down our guard, not for one single moment," Shaak corrected with the smooth, calm tone that was her custom. "You should not be so dismissive, soldier."
"Hey," Kalimoto burst, "I'm not the only one who thinks this is a waste of time, right?" she cast her eyes around, looking for someone to side with her. Anyone would do. "Right?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 10:16 am
Hraga's shoulders ached and his eyes stung. It had been a long day out in the wastes, watching the borders for any sign of strangers lurking out in the shadows. Although he'd been posted with two other guards, it was still something of a lonely vigil. When eyes picked up nothing for miles, it was so easy to let the sands lull you down.
Which was why he was quite relieved to hear the faint approach of two other guards in the distance. He didn't recognize one of them- but the other he'd seen at guard meetings. A smile stretched across his large face as he stood to greet them.
"Well, you both are a sight for sore eyes," he said. Quite literally, he thought as his eyes blinked away a sandy sting. "You two are the replacements for the evening?"
Hraga craned his head, looking back into the distance. The light was still bleeding into dark. "Tarsa is still out making a pass, but I'm sure he'll be glad to know we can head back home."
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 10:34 am
The two females turned as one, spying the weary Hraga as he approached. "We are indeed, Hraga." Shaak replied, interrupting any aggravated response from her intrepid companion. "Us and two others. They swung wide to make sure we hadn't missed anything. Still, it took us longer to get here than planned. I apologise for that."
"Are you trying to put the blame on me?" Kalimoto huffed, stamping a paw against the rock.
"Of course not. The sands like to play their games, that is all."
Then, in an attempt to put an end to the young one's temper tantrum, she turned her gaze back to Hraga. "Anything out of the ordinary to report?"
From up on her rock, Kalimoto gave an exasperated huff.
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 11:40 am
Hraga didn't seem too perturbed- but then again, he usually was in good spirits, even when he was tired. "That's a good call," he said thoughtfully. "Its been a bit of a long day, but I don't think you'll get many complaints now that you're here."
He stepped off the bleak piece of stone that vaguely attempted to mark the guard post. Out here, it was almost the only clear landmark for several miles. As he approached, he seemed to consider what there was to include in his report.
"Nothing too major," he said. "There were some sounds that Tarsa and one of the others investigated, but it didn't turn up much. They are due back in just a little bit. Other than that its been quiet. I can't say I've seen anything living since yesterday morning. Couple of desert foxes."
He looked out into the distance, searching for signs of Tarsa. "Anything on your side of things?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 11:55 am
Shaak had expected Hraga's response though it still left an uneasy taste in her mouth. She didn't like this peace that had fallen. Others might have relished in it but it made her nervous. Made her wonder when the next strike would come. And where...
"We're getting similar reports from all across the borders," she added. "At this point I think I'd feel happier spying one of the Nergui troops passing by. At least then we'd know they were still around. Right now..." she trailed. An unseen enemy was dangerous. Or maybe she was just being paranoid. "Well, let's just say I don't feel the danger has passed quite yet."
Shaak offered Hraga a wry smile.
"Well if they are going to show their faces again, they better do it soon. If I have to do this for much longer, I'm going to go [i[mad." Kalimoto spat, practically sliding off her rock to join Shaak on the sand, her tail flicking back and forth.
Shaak's smile grew apologetic, "Kalimoto is a soldier through and through. But no, we saw nothing at all."
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 10:04 pm
Hraga's face mirrored Shaak's for a moment. Although the black lion had his share of brash qualities, he also knew he didn't want a war. He'd never been in a real fight per say, but...from his experiences in the war games, he knew just how chaotic conflict could be. If a simple game had gotten his blood racing, just how brutal would the real clash between the two sides be?
He forced a wan smile across his snout and dipped his head. "I'm glad. Then, so long as Tarsa returns with no news, we'll leave you and your troop for the night. If he hurries back, we might even get home before sunrise."
Unfortunately, as fate would have it, arriving home early that evening wasn't meant to be. As the trio waited for signs of the other group, the night continued to grow darker.
It was almost black by the time Hraga conceded. "I think we might have a problem."
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Posted: Thu Jan 16, 2014 1:21 pm
As the sun continued to sink in the sky and the shadows lengthened and deepened all around them, Shaak could only agree with Hraga.
Close by, her companion had fallen into a doze; the loud sound of Kalimoto's breathing rhythmic and deep and far better to listen to than her brash announcements of huffy complaints.
"Perhaps those sounds meant something after all, whatever they were," the guard replied. "Tarsa is a reliable sort, but perhaps we should try and find him? Either something has happened that has led to trouble or there's something worth investigating that has held him up." She shot a look at Kalimoto and wondered whether perhaps it might be best to leave the sleeping lioness lie. But no, she was here to do a job and Shaak was not about to let her get out of it.
"Wake now, Kalimoto."
The female groaned in response, twisting her body so she was lying on her back, fore paws curled against her chest.
Sometimes it felt like Shaak was cub-sitting overgrown children...
"Which direction did they go, Hraga? Able to lead the way?"
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Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2014 1:02 pm
Hraga seemed uncertain for a long moment. Not that he was unsure that something needed to be done- of that, he was quite certain. But what brought him pause was whether or not the alarm should be sounded, and exactly what degree of furious Tarsa would be if it all turned out to be nothing. His friend was not always an agreeable person, but Hraga also knew that he did have a strong sense of pride. His family-line in particular did not handle embarrassment very well.
Against his better judgement, he decided not to advise calling it out. Something which he suspected Azar would have cuffed him over the head over, had he still be a cub. "I agree," he said. "They went north of here."
North of here, which was essentially nothing but flat sand until you reached the mountains. There would be another guard patrol there, but Hraga doubted he would have gotten that far.
Hraga started north across the sands, after waiting to make sure the two were following close behind. As they moved he started to describe the incident that had separated Tarsa from him earlier. "We heard some noises around midday, but pretty far off. I thought it was just the sand whistling."
"Tarsa had run off a group of rogues maybe about a week ago on this route. I think he thought it might have had something to do with them, so he went to take a look," he continued. "But otherwise it was nothing out of the ordinary."
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Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 10:04 am
North it was then. The 'wastes'. The land of nothingness. Shaak gave a short nod and stepped aside to give Kalimoto room as the soldier pulled herself up onto her paws.
Her grumble of complaint went unheard as the rogue-born guard moved to join Hraga, following in his paw prints until she could draw up alongside him. "Curious," she noted. As new as she was, Shaak was all too familiar with the sounds of the desert. For such a barren landscape it was a surprisingly musical land, filled with the deep thrums of shifting sand and the lonely rush of wind. It was a frightening thing, at first, until one got used to it.
"If he ran them off before, I suppose there's no reason to think he couldn't do it again--unless they brought back-up." Still, they would have heard some alarm call raised, surely? Hm, something wasn't right about this.
"So we're going to get to fight after all?" Kalimoto burst, hurrying so that she was no longer being left behind. "It's about time."
"It may not come to that." Shaak replied. Some might have started to lose their patience with the young soldier by now, but her tone was as calm as ever. "The desert can play tricks on even the most experienced lion. Perhaps he got himself turned around."
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Posted: Mon Jan 20, 2014 2:38 pm
Hraga wasn't sure of that. He'd never heard of rogues 'bringing back' up - either they attacked, or they quickly realized their mistake and withdrew. Tarsa wasn't typically taken to getting lost either. He could be something of an aloof brute at times, but he knew the desert well. He was also a veteran at the mountain guard-post; the closest point to where nergui lands were suspected to be. Tarsa was at the very least well trained.
"I can't think it is something deliberate," he mused aloud. "This would be a terrible point for an advance. Even if they killed all of us, they still would have several days worth of travel to go before they reached the main pride."
But then again, maybe nergui weren't that smart either. They were supposed to be savages, weren't they?
As they continued on through the sands, the earth steadily rising and falling like a drifting ocean, a few signs of Tarsa's plight began to crop up. At first, several deep tracks in the sand. Hraga viewed them a bit skeptically. "Tarsa is a bit of a heavy lion," that was putting it lightly! "But I've never seen him make tracks like this."
Following the deepset tracks finally gave way to a few other, equally strange findings: a dead warthog of some sort, and several round, brightly colored stones that looked like beads. All of which were scattered about the sand carelessly, as though someone had just dropped them there.
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Posted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 11:32 am
"True enough," Shaak mused, searching her mind for any other valid reasoning she could think of. The desert was an unpredictable beast and she had still yet to appreciate that very fact, even after the few months she had been an official member of the pride.
"Let's just hope--" but the sentence died in her mouth. The deep tracks that Hraga had spotted drew her attention and held it. Whatever she had 'hoped' had been momentarily cast aside to absorb the matter before them. "I have never seen tracks like that." Could it be some subterfuge? Could Tarsa have been setting a trap? Leaving trails to unnerve the skittish?
Tender-footed, she stepped around the odd tracks, testing the wind with a few delicate sniffs. Unfortunately, with the wind not in their favour, she did not smell the carcass before she saw it. The sight gave her pause...
...But it did not stop Kalimoto.
The fur along the young female's shoulders and neck had bristled upright at the strange spectacle and she burst forward with an angry puff, kicking up sand as she settled into a battle stance. "Nergui," she spat - though it was likely she would have blamed them no matter what they had come across. "It's them. They're here. I hope guards can fight. As good as I am I won't be able to take more than three on my own."
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Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 5:34 pm
Hraga winced at the word 'nergui'. It was hard not to these days. But even though he was skeptical, he couldn't exactly dismiss her fears either. Truthfully, Hraga wasn't sure what he was looking at. While Kalimoto boasted her battle poweress, the black lion moved to the large carcass and gave it a slight bump with his paw. There was a slight odor as the carcass adjusted itself.
Dead a few hours, but not much more, he thought. "Nergui are pretty big on sending messages," Hraga said. "I don't know if this is one of them. Could be one of the rogue's kills. Maybe he interrupted them?"
But he had a similar thought as Shaak did. It could have been a trap too. Maybe not from the nergui, but someone could have lured Tarsa over with a kill. "Hogs do make a lot of noise when they die. Someone could have deliberately baited one out here in order to attract some attention..."
His eyes narrowed. As much of a pain as Tarsa could be, he didn't like the idea of his friend being tricked somewhere. He looked up the sloping dune, towards where the tracks lead off into the distance. "Only thing to do then is to keep following. If it really was a trap, I doubt they could have gotten far. Tarsa is a big lion."
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Posted: Tue Jan 28, 2014 1:13 pm
Kalimoto was nodding through Hraga's words. Yes, yes, yes. She was right. Of course she was right. Who else would it be if not the nergui? Some dumb rogue playing some weird little game? It was an attack and she would be here to fend it off. Some action at long last! Her peers would be frothing with jealousy once she relaid this story back to them.
"Let's stop wasting time with chit-chat, then," the youngster responded, sweeping ahead with an excited bounce to her step.
Shaak sighed. "She'll get herself killed if she doesn't mind her surroundings. Let us hope these are not Nergui, else I fear I will be dragging back and injured soldier." With that said, she strode after the younger female, doing her job for her by switching her eyes back and forth across the landscape - and being careful not to disturb the odd arrangement laid out on the sand.
"If we don't find Tarsa soon, I suggest we risk giving away our position and call to him." A roar could travel some distance after all...just a shame they couldn't be sure that it would only be heard by friendly ears.
"Soldier, I suggest you don't get too far ahead," Shaak added, raising her voice a little.
The young female ignored her.
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Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 12:00 pm
Hraga watched Kalimoto trot off, seemingly intent on taking the entire nergui horde on by herself. At least he couldn't fault her for being eager. If they were to be up against the nergui, they'd have to do with her enthusiasm alongside her claws.
Giving a passing nod to Shaak, he followed behind. "Hopefully it won't come to that," he said. Although guards were trained to keep visual or auditory contact, he also knew they couldn't risk their element of surprise until they were absolutely certain there was no other option. With tracks still underfoot, he was hoping the situation would become clear as soon as they found their creator.
It took a good few minutes of travel for those tracks to begin to fade. The sands had started to crawl once more, filling up even these deep set footprints in gradual cycles. The young guard was about to admit to defeat, when a shout echoed across the dunes.
"-you b***h!" Tarsa's voice bellowed.
Hraga tensed, and looked towards the others. Wherever Tarsa was, he wasn't far. Judging by the terrain, he was most likely on the other side of one of the larger dune peeks.
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Posted: Wed Jan 29, 2014 12:22 pm
For a horrible moment it seemed as if their trailing was getting them nowhere. Already the wind was smoothing out some of the more shallow markings and, though time could play tricks, it felt as if they had been following for an eternity.
And, wheras Shaak was happy to follow them for as long as it took, Kalimoto was not. Already her excitement of facing a nergui group was fading, leaving her grumpy and scowling as she stalked across the sands. After a time, even her pace slowed, so that Shaak and Hraga could catch up to her. It felt, suddenly, as if her glory had been snatched away yet again. Glory and honour and all the other wonderful titles that came with being a soldier in battle.
Still, she refused to look towards the guards, knowing there would be that 'I-told-you-so' look in Shaak's eye that always managed to make her feel like some naughty cub. It wasn't fair! She wasn't her mother!
And then it happened. The shouted curse. It sent electricity across her back, prickling the fur along neck and shoulders and sending her jolting forwards.
"Kalimoto! Come back!" Shaak hissed, but it was too late. The young female was determined to barrel ahead.
"That was Tarsa, wasn't it?" Shaak asked, pressing forwards as well.
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