Citra stood towards the back, weary of the strangers, but still watching the forest behind them. She was as tense as a raging storm, waiting for the unleashing she could feel in her blood was coming. Both of her hands were shrouded in blackflame. "I would make a decision quickly." She said softly, she didn't want to come between everyone, but knew she should say something about the forest's warnings.
"Let us prepare to fight if we must." said Zol resignedly.
Citra moved to Zol's side, eyes fierce and full of fire, but she still smiled at him. "Do not fret Zol, I will protect you." She teased, rolling her injured shoulder so it loosened up.
He looked at her. And a smile twitched on his weary expression.
"He already told you!" a man with white hair came up, "there is no peace with hunters!"
(this guy is half Blizzaron wolf, Ice elemental.)
"Then we will fight!" said Zol. "But I do not kill unless absolute need requires it."
"I was hoping it would not resort to violence." Citra murmured, looking at the people that had surrounded them. She took a step closer to Zol, unconsciously putting herself before him as something shifted within the forest.
"This pack was founded on peace mate" said the Nightshade. "We don't want to destroy that.. but we will when we have no other options."
"Do you know where the hunters are now?" asked Frost.
Piper walked over to the nearby stream, not really interested in the conversation. She would just do whatever they wanted her to do. Crouching down to wash her hands in the water, she noticed that it already ran red. Brow furrowed, Piper put a single hand in the water to sense how fresh it was. She was hoping that it was a couple hours old, and from down the riverbend.
Fresh.
Piper stumbled back, and ran back to the group. “Guys, there’s blood in the water. It’s fresh.”
"Can you follow the trail?" Zol asked.
“I mean, I could, but it would just take me to the place the blood was originally put in the water,” Piper shrugged. The hunter’s could possibly be where the original blood was spilled, or the could’ve moved closer already. “It’s your call.”
"Can you tell what kind of blood it is?"
Piper shrugged. “It’s hard to tell. I can sense that it was a mix of wolf and human blood.” The water only told her so much.
"Then we should follow. Perhaps Citra should accompany you?" he glanced at her quizzically.
Piper too glanced at Citra. “That’s good with me, if it’s good with her.”
"A halfblood?!" the nightshade ran over, "Mikah was upstream on lookout!" he paled,
"Mikah?" Asked Frost concerned,
"Yeah, he was a good friend of mine, a Solaris…." Said the nightshade turning back to the his comrades, "Alright guys! Time to stop messing around! We need to beat these Hunters before they take any more of us!!" Several shouts of agreement came up as various wolves got to their feet. most were limping some were barely conscious, and others, though very few, were in good shape.
"I hope you have a plan to help mate." said the Nightshade.
Citra was still looking out into the trees, not truly paying attention to any conversation behind her, but nodded at Zol's suggestion. "I will accompany Piper."
The trees suddenly went silent, all the shadows quieting like scared animals in the face of a great predator. She looked to Piper, Zol, and Frost. "They are close." She whispered. "Too close."
Frost whipped around staring into the trees in fear.
"You have issues with hunters?" asked the nightshade
"Yeah.."
Piper walked over to the stream, and waded in. Hands in the water, she glanced at Citra. “What is it? Are they close?” she asked, warily looking around. If her darkness was in touch, then she would’ve noticed the shadows quieting.
Citra tilted her head, listening. She frowned ever so slightly as she kept one eye on Piper and the other on the forest. "Hunters, I would assume. But with the shadows now silent, I cannot hope to count their number. All I know is that they will be upon us soon. Before nightfall. Sooner." She looked to her friend with wide eyes. "I think perhaps it was not a smart idea to leave the cave this morning." Citra smiled at the poor joke.
Piper let out a weak laugh. "At least we're able to help." she said, shooting a comforting smile at the other girl. She then began to wade down the stream, the water whispering strange things to her that she couldn't hope to decipher. The place where the blood was originally spilled was a few hundred feet forwards.
The nightshade went up to Citra, "You can sense shadows?" he asked
Citra jumped, so focused on Piper and the forest around them that she had not heard him step up to her side. "Uh–yes. I am a hybrid of darkness and fire. The shadows speak and I hear them. It is a part of my darkness…" She trailed off, looking curious. "Why do you ask?"
"Can you do this?" he summoned a shadowflame, whipping it around him before letting it rest in his hand.
Citra cautiously raised a hand, releasing a whip of blackflame that coiled around her body before sinking back into her skin. "Indeed." She said a little smugly, but still curious as so why he was asking her these questions. Obviously, he was much like her, which made her feel an odd kinship, but Citra was still weary of these people she did not know.
Suddenly the nightshade whipped around, watching as several men came into the clearing.
"Why does it matter?" asked Zol.
The nightshade and several others in the pack quickly drew various Weapons and summoned various forms of Aura. Even the Everglade from before summoned some powerful magic. Frost immediately summoned fireballs around her, "Guys we need to protect the pack!" she yelled as the Hunters attacked.
Zol raised his staff aloft in a position of power and sent a dividing wall between the hunters and wolves.
"Stop!" he roared.
Piper raised columns of water, ready to throw them at any moment. These Hunters made her uneasy; what kind of person hunted others for sport?