Colors throbbed brightly with the beating of Isa's heart. Vibrant, electric magenta, cerulean, citrine. Within her head, the world swam and it felt as though the woman was being rocked back and forth repeatedly. Snatches of conversation, the whispering of voices, a dark chuckle, the laughter of children, they drifted through the fae's mind as though they were being washed away on the sea, the tones fading as the waters took the voices far away. Away from her, leaving her alone. Wait. Come back!

Isa woke with a start, pulling in a ragged, shocked breath as the soft, colorful world of her mind faded into the stark, harsh reality that was her current state. Breathing hurt. Everything hurt. Again that feeling of rocking struck her, but this time she was awake. The confused woman blinked bright blue orbs a few times, eyes widening as she took in her surroundings. She was swinging back and forth in empty air. Fear struck her in the gut like a sword of ice and she fought to keep herself from flailing about. Through the pain, Isa tried to remember what had happened. How did she end up like this?

There was a bear.

Another soft, shuddering gasp pulled from the cyanic fae as everything came rushing back to her. She had been exploring the waterfall, carefully picking her way down an old stone pathway when she heard the roar. A mother bear, child in tow, rushed her, using one massive paw to send the blue woman flying as though she weighed nothing more than a feather. Over the side of the mountain Isa went, crashing into the various stone shelves to collect cuts and abrasions galore. After one particularly long fall, she had tried to catch herself but had failed, the attempt snapping her foreleg cleanly. As she continued to tumble downwards, Isa was in and out of consciousness. And then everything stopped as darkness took her.

Still trying to breath calmly, Isa looked at her broken, dangling foreleg, the right limb swaying in the breeze. It wouldn't be easy to fix. If she even made it out of this mess. Isa's gaze continued up her body, trying to figure out how she was stuck. She could feel nothing but pins and needles in her hind leg and soon realized why. The mountainside had been striped with thick vines, dried and leafless in the winter cold. Somehow during her fall, the fae's leg had become ensnared in these vines. They had saved her life, but at what cost? Would she now starve to death? Freeze to death? Blinking through the pain in her skull as the blood continued to rush to her head, Isa looked below her and that blood ran cold. Empty air. There was nothing but death below her. Death and the smallest of stone shelves. If someone could hear her, maybe she would have a chance. Then again, she could fall to her death during her rescue as well. But... she had to try.

Careful not to move too much, Isa released a pained, pleading howl, calling for the aid of anyone close enough to hear her. All she could do now was wait and see if today would be the day that she dies, or if she would conquer death. Death, whom had taken so much from her already.

"Isa"

The howl came, not from his border but within the mountain peak beside the Armada. The pleading call spoke of danger, and it was his duty as leader to see if the threat was one that would endanger his people. He sent Marshal ahead and started the trek up the mountain. It was a roundabout journey, and therefore not a quick one. Marshal arrived much earlier then he did. The companion circled her once, before landing on a small stone ledge. Tilting his head as he watched her carefully. Looking for all intents and purposes like a buzzard eyeing an easy fare. He fluffed up his feathers, and settled in to wait.

Some time later, the Warlord called from further up the mountain. "Marshal! Where am I going?" The bird shook out his feathers and dropped off the ledge. Snapping wings catching the wind, before he beat them heavily, bringing himself upwards and out of sight again. As Marshal arrived in view of the Warlord, he brought with him a muffled plea from below. That, more then the winged bird, allowed him to find her. He peeked down off the cliff and found her swaying there. "Well. What a mess you've gotten yourself into" he said, before pulling his head back out of view again. Muffled voices indicated he was speaking to someone, before he reappeared. "Alright, whats your name, Miss?" He asked, pausing a moment before speaking again. "My leopard friend is going to make her way down to a ledge that Marshal saw, and together the two of them are going to secure you in more vines. You with me so far?" He clarified

How long had she hung there? Isa drifted in and out of consciousness, her head thumping hard from hanging upside down for so long. Had it been hours? Days? Thirst burned at the woman's throat but what could she do about it? Even if she hoped for some sort of precipitation, it would only be snow, seeing as how it was winter. She was doomed to suffer.

The fluttering of heavy wings brought Isa's eyes to opening. Tired lids lifted from bloodshot blue eyes and her brow furrowed. A vulture up here in the snow? It was then that dark ears picked up the muffled sound of voice. Isa tried to speak, but her throat was so dry. She gathered all of the moisture that she could manage and cleared her throat. "Here," she coughed, the action making it feel as though blades were being driven through her skull. "Here!" the woman called louder, keeping still as possible despite the adrenaline now pumping within her.

From up above, Isa could hear the voice of a man but was unable to see him due to her position. He asked her name in deep tones and the hanged woman answered with as much clarity as she could muster, "Isa Almiraj." She then listened as he gave instruction and she accepted it, though she didn't do so verbally, being quite exhausted. Instead, she flicked the snow white tip of her tail in a comical, half-hearted wag. She hoped he would hurry.

"Isa"

The Warlord assembled what vines he could as Bast made her way down the precarious mountain towards the stranger. She seemed exhausted, and he could not tell what injuries she had sustained. If she made it off this cliff alive, he intended to claim her for the Armada. She would owe him her life, and her health - assuming she was as injured as he assumed. The Armada needed fresh recruits, and he wasn’t going to turn down one that lay swaying at his paws.

When Bast arrived, he dropped down the vines, and Bast and Marshal worked together to lope them around her chest. It was slow, dangerous work. Moving over an open drop to secure her. When it was done, the Warlord tied the vines first around himself, and then around Bear. “Pull” he ordered his companion, and together, they began to slowly pull her up the mountain. Marshal landed on back, keeping a close eye on the vines as they were pulled taut. Bast, slowly climbed back up the mountain near them. There to attempt to fix anything that might go wrong.


"Speech"

Isa locked eyes with the spotted feline as she came to assist in wrapping secure vines around her broken and battered frame. The vines pressed on her broken ribs and Isa refused to scream, though her body tried to. The fae's nostrils flared and her breathing grew rapid. Consciousness threatened to abandon her again but she held on fiercely, intent on meeting her savior in a state of whatever dignity she could scrape together.

The group worked together and soon Isa felt herself being pulled upwards as whoever was up above heaved and hoed. Isa didn't weigh very much, but pulling a body upwards through the air took strength and tenacity. Every pull sent pain lancing through her ribs, her hip, her broken leg, her head. By the time she reached the stone ledge and safety, the blue fae's body was involuntarily shaking. There was blood on her coat from wounds across her ribcage where the bear had struck her. Its claws had scraped along her skin but the blood made the wounds look worse than they actually were. Her lower lip was split and there were scratches and bruises easily seen through her shorter fur. Despite all of this, Isa struggled to sit tall. Her eyes moved to spy her rescuer.

Well, Isa hadn't been expecting this sort of rescue party. There was a bear, a leopard, the vulture and a giant dire standing there inspecting her. Still breathing somewhat heavily, the injured woman settled on the hip that she could feel. A nod was given to the saber toothed man. "Thank you," she panted, spots of dark appearing before her eyes. "Whatever your name is." And then she slumped to the ground as oblivion consumed her.

"Isa"

Sirius and Bear pulled until Marshal sounded the all clear. Then, releasing himself and his companion, he backtracked to where she lay. She was moving to a seated position, even before he arrived or had a chance to free her from her bonds. As he stopped before her, giving her body a critical eye, she thanked him and promptly fell over. “Wooh there” The Warlord said, stepping in and catching her before her head could touch the ground. He lowered her gently to the dirt and then release her.

Looking at her, and shaking his head. “Any volunteers for pulling her off the mountain? No? Didn’t think so” He muttered to his companions. “Help me get her on my back” He instructed Bear. He assumed there was no way to do this without hurting her further. He hoped she didn’t waken again until they arrived. With the vines that still tangled about her wrapping him to secure her, he started down the mountain. Stepping with care so he didn’t jostle his precious cargo any more than he had to.


"Speech"