OOC: no family or Ademre, please!

Amaretto paused to hack and spit the smoke from her lungs. She might have thought she knew the meaning of pain and fatigue yesterday, but today proved her wrong. Now she was done. She had nothing left to give. If the fire caught up with her there was no way she could have outrun it. If she forced herself to think about it, and she did because it was a scenario she had to account for, she wouldn't have been able to fight off her attacker if he or she turned up again.

She was tempted to just lay down right there in the dirt. The adrenaline that had fueled her escape was long gone and now she felt every bruise, bite, burn and break that littered her body. Wryly she decided she now had enough injuries to last her a lifetime. That meant she was golden for the rest of her days, right? She could kick back, take it easy and live worry free.

It sounded good anyway.

Okay, yes, she was just going to lay here in the dirt. At least until she got her breath. Without need of further encouragement her legs folded beneath her and she sank to the ground. If it had been an option she would have just melted into the dirt; a sorry puddle of fur, ash and jello legs. Sadly, that wasn't an option so she settled for laying on the surface. It would have to do.

Alkali circled above her but Pyralis knew the hawk's eyes were training on the fire. She watched from afar, keeping careful track of the wind and the humidity for if the wind were to sudden shift she'd need to beat a hasty retreat. As it ambled and rolled along her gaze shifted to the clouds building on the horizon. So far Boreas seemed to be far more dry this summer than the winter season of Auster where they'd been drenched from dawn to dusk and even into the night. She'd opted to travel north to do a bit of scouting and to, perhaps, savor some dryer weather. However, if it came with wildfires… Curiosity piqued she headed deeper into the battlefield. As far as she could tell the fire was moving southeast at a leisurely pace. The lack of wind keeping it some what in check though the dry foliage was akin to a powder keg. Alkali chose to stick close to Pyralis. She didn't want to circle through the smoke. Pyralis sought for signs of a cause. Was the fire caused by a strike of lightning or something else? She paused when she caught the smell of singed fur. Wrinkling her nose she stepped toward a girl laying in the dirt. Her eyes lingered on the girls chest. Yup, she was alive. Not that there was much Pyralis could do for her. She was no healer. The girl was pretty but small and probably wouldn't make a good option for any of Malleus' sons. "Oh, what a shame. I prefer my wolf meat well done. Think we should toss her back in the fire til she's done?" She grinned and winked at Alkali who looked at her with disgust. "Talk" "You" Think

Amaretto was on the verge of sleep when a voice jolted her back to the present. She tore one gritty eye open to look at the stranger. Had she been in good shape she'd have rolled to her paws and dealt with the newcomer face to face, but she wasn't. Aside from a jump after being startled, her body, conditioned as it was to instinctual action, hadn't so much as tried to rise. Every muscle knew the truth of her situation: she wasn't going anywhere quickly. She wasn't sure what to make of the woman or her statement or the faces she made. Something about the whole display struck her as gaudy but she couldn't put her paw on why. It felt wrong. "Confusion," she signed out of habit. "I...would prefer it if you didn't?" Even to her own ears her voice sounded rough. It cracked and bubbled; somehow both too dry and too phlegmy. She cleared her throat and squinted up at Pyralis, unsure if she was serious or trying to tease. "Speech"|"Ademre"

Pyralis watched with mild amusement as the girl weakly looked at her, her face marking her confusion as her voice cracked out from her throat. Pyr's head tilted to the side. "You don't sound so sure about that." She turned to Alkali but the bird said nothing so she glanced back down at the girl, her face growing more serious. "Can you stand? Are you out here alone?" She didn't know what she wanted to do with the girl. She was almost half tempted to seize her scruff and haul her to some packs borders and purposely place her over the edge of the border, just to see what would happen. But she'd have to drag the girl an awful long way. That sounded like more work than she cared to put into a prank. "Talk" "You" Think

In a bid to clear the fog the clouded her mind Amaretto shook her head. She wasn't sure what to make of this woman. Something told her the woman couldn't be trusted but she couldn't put a paw on why. Because she was different? An outsider? It was just a feeling but it was as strong to Amaretto as the 'feeling' that helped her follow her brother's trail. "No, no," she said quickly. "I'm quite sure." She still wasn't sure if the woman was serious. Would she really throw her back into the fire? Surely not. No one was that terrible. "I..." Honestly she wasn't sure if she could. There was no better way to find out than to try so after a beat Amaretto rolled until her legs were underneath her. That act alone was enough to tire her again, but she was afraid if she stopped she'd lose what little momentum she had. Amaretto forced herself to rise and then stood with her legs splayed and her head down like a newborn foal. She was shaking and her paws stung fiercely, but she was up. "Proud," she signed to the woman. "For now. I'm looking for my brother. I don't know what happened to him, but I know he was here." "Speech"|"Ademre"

Pyralis stepped back to give the girl some room as she shakily got to her paws. She was clearly exhausted but Pyralis had her own tasks to tend to. It wasn't in her nature to go helping random strangers who were down on their luck unless she thought she could get something from them. She was getting on in years. It might not be a bad idea to have a nursemaid but the girl was a little older than she liked if she were going to twist her into a servant. Besides, the timing was terribly inconvenient. She was on her way to the north. She had no time to babysit. Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't have a little fun with the situation. "For now. I'm looking for my brother. I don't know what happened to him, but I know he was here." Pyralis let her face fall, her eyes closing sorrowfully as she shook her head. "Ahh… I was afraid that boy was your brother. He was captured by Legion's forces. They're a pack directly south of here. They're a formidable pack of warriors, not wolves to be tangled with lightly. What do you plan to do?" "Talk" "You" Think

Alarm spread through Amaretto upon learning of her brother's fate. So that's what had happened. They'd been attacked. Somehow she'd managed to escape but her brother hadn't been so fortunate. The thought of him possibly suffering at the hands of the Legion wolves caused her stomach to twist into painful knots. The woman was so open, so unabashed, about her sorrow that Amaretto had to assume the worst. What else could evoke such a display? She was so tired, but what choice did she have but to go after him? "I don't know," she admitted tiredly. "I'll get him out somehow...what will they do to him? Do you know?" She would do her best to get him back as quickly as possible, but Amaretto was wounded. Her paws were a mess, her tail was broken and the bites along her back still needed to be dealt with. She was in no shape for a rescue mission but if he was in danger she would have no choice. "Speech"|"Ademre"

Pyralis hid her delight as she saw the alarm spreading through the girl's body language. Oh this was fun. She wished she could be there to see Chaos' face when this girl showed up at his borders to demand her brother back. She knew there could be consequences. The girl knew what she looked like and could point her out but Pyralis had rather enjoyed the man's company. She'd just love to get him alone again. Pyralis let her gaze turn skyward, a look of contemplation spreading across her features. "He'll be enslaved for certain. If his… oh how should I put this delicately. If his physique deems him to be good breeding he'll be bred. Though likely he'll be enlisted as a practice dummy or soldier. The wolves of Legion prize battle skills above all else and they do have a certain… interest in fortifying the royal bloodline and ensuring the quality of wolves that carry it. That is my best guess." She stood and nodded to Alkali who took to the sky. "I am no healer, girl. I am far from my home and I must reach my destination by night fall. I'm sorry I can't be of more help to you but were I to intervene I could potentially start a war against my own pack.  I can't risk aiding you, but I do wish you good luck." With a nod she turned to leave. -exit-? "Talk" "You" Think

Dismay caused her crooked tail to droop. It seemed that no matter how the wolves would use him her brother was in for a terrible time. She couldn't bear the thought of him spending even one night in their clutches. Upon hearing what could befall her brother Amaretto's gaze had dropped to the ground, but it shot up again when Pyralis made her intention to leave clear. So soon? But she needed help! Amaretto opened her mouth to protest as Pyralis turned, but then closed it again without making a sound. If she didn't want to help, Amaretto couldn't make her. She swallowed, her stance growing defiant, then said in a tone that bordered on pithy, "I understand. Thanks for all your help." "Speech"|"Ademre"