A cake like mix of ash and water lined the tunnel. Thorns were wrapped in the tar like substance that was Banshee's existence. The babe had been working on her father's new pack lands when the eruption took place and she didn't know to stay or leave. Thus, the yearling stood her ground. Little did she know the volcanic eruption would cause massive waves to overcome the region she was in and moisten the gambit as ash came from the sky. As this slowly happened the female foraged for berries and lapped at any sort of water she could but for days on end her life had been taken a hold of by the briar. Her fur clung to her skin as she laid beneath the mess of thorns. There were glimpses of sky light through the woven fortress over head but she had no way of climbing out. Banshee was within the deeper portion of the briar where she had been working on a clearing for the pack. Thankfully she had some food but it was going to run out within a day or two. Belly rumbles rang through her ears and the pains were getting to be a lot to handle. Solemnly the Klein babe raised her head to let forth a raspy howl. Perhaps someone was close or her father was looking for her. He's probably with his other children. The angsty thoughts battered at her swollen heart as a single salty tear slid from her beaming blue eye. The girl had been through a lot and things were finally looking bright. Banshee never thought she'd end up dead beneath a pile of ashen thorns. ""

It was Bast who heard the howl, the young Snow Leopard and Marshal had been ferrying supplies for the titan between Redwater Rocks and Tall Grass Plains. She had taken a shortcut, cutting through the stream between Algoma and Fern Gully. The tide had been lower than usual, and the water didn’t go past her knees. Just as she got to the other side she would hear the hoarse cry of the young wolf.

Marsal turned back at her insistence, and hurried to the Warlord. Sirius came at the behest of the Vulture, and by that point Bast had already entered the brier. It was nasty going to navigate the land but with Marshal in the air, finding them the safest path, it wasn’t long before they found their way.

He looked into the pit, and saw no sign of whatever made the noise. He looked to Bast with a raised brow, and the leopard gave a bark, wagging her tail with determination. Sirius sighed, looked in again. “Hello?” he called out, leaning further into the pit.

Banshee's eyes had been shut and her breathing unsteady. She had been suffering from panic attacks within the last few days. One had happened as she had figured out she'd been trapped and then each time she tried to escape. Tiny razor thin cuts lashed her body from the prickly thorns. The babe wasn't in good shape but the truly concerning notion was her lack of hydration. At first she thought it had been another day dream but sounds of noisy rummaging came to her ears. Beaming blue eyes shot open as she searched the dusty thorns for answers. Soon she saw the muddled visage of Sirius and the Leopard. Banshee blinked as she heard his call and the thin girl let forth a gruff response. "H-here." The tears came in an instant as she stood and padded closer with a lowered head. If she stood up straight the thorns would lash at her scalp. "P.. Please help. It's me B-banshee." Would he help her? She wasn't sure of his relationship with her father. Would this man leave her for dead due to his years of servitude? ""

His voice would garner an answer, and the sickly babe would raise her head, and he would finally be able to distinguish her from the ashy, thorny mess she had gotten herself into. He made a soft ‘harrumph’ as he surveyed the mess, the vines, and her bad state. Right then. Had it been a stranger, he may well have turned and walked away, but she was a wolf of the Ashen Empire, and Sirius respected her dad, even if he did believe him to be dead. “Marshal, see those vines there and there? You should be able to snip them and lift them free” he rocked back on his legs as he waited for the Vulture to dive forward, folding in his wings as he got close to the thorns, snipping with his beak, unfurling them again and shoving off on air. He earned a nick on his right wing, but ignored it, as he came back in, and repeated the stunt on the other side. Once that was done, he lifted off with the long thorn in his talons and released it away from the group. It gave Sirius a little more room as he began to lean into the pit. Bast gripped him by his rump in her teeth, leaning herself backwards to offer a counterweight - even if she was much smaller than the Titan. Leaning into the pit as far as he dared, he used a fang to snip another thorn on one side, and then another, Marshal landed in the pit in the space cleared out by his earlier work, and began to snip at veins as well, tossing them aside with her beak as they worked. “This is going to hurt” he warned. Together, the Titan and the Vulture cleared a space big enough for Sirius to reach forward, and grab the girl by her scruff. She was a big 38” but she was light, and malnourished. He was able to pluck her free of the mess, and lift her to safety. He deposited her on the ground beside his feet, bleeding a little himself from thorns, and the gash on his rump left by Bast’s support. Still, could have been worse. “Marshal, fetch Io” he said, as he began the tedious work of cleaning the woman. By the time the healer got here, he wanted her cuts to be clean and visible. "Speech"

As any healer did when they had a spare minute, Iolaire was gathering what useful flora she could find. She was digging in the dirt when the presence of the bird was felt. A croak had been given and the tiny woman turned her attention to the vulture. "Marshal?" One silver brow arched at the birds presence. He wouldn't be here without reason and so she could only imagine that Sirius hurt himself again. All of her stores would be used on him, she swore. "Lead the way." Iolaire followed the vulture, picking her way across the side swiftly and quietly. In time, they reached their destination and the vulture settled himself. Coming into the clearing where Sirius stood, Iolaire had been prepared to give him some sort of lecture on self preservation. Instead, her eyes fell upon the bloodied, prone form of a young wolf. Brows furrowed, for Iolaire was ever a furrower of brows. Lecture forgotten, she stepped forward, the role of caretaker sliding over. "Tell me what happened." Green and gold gaze settled over the girl, taking in each wound as well as her condition. She was emaciated and definitely dehydrated. Chucking her pack to the ground, she nosed inside, extracting the dish that she used for grinding herbs. "I need you to fill this with water." She pushed the dish towards Sirius and began sorting out the herbs she would need to tend the wounds. Pulling out a piece of dried venison, Iolaire placed it before the girl. "I'm Iolaire. Healer of the Ashen Armada. Eat this, but slowly." The meat had been slow soaked in a tincture of herbs before being dried. The properties within would boost energy and contained much needed nutrients. "Speech"

Everything seemed to happen all at once. As the yearling stood she could see Sirius moving towards her but her eyes were fuzzy with tears and exhaustion. They were bloodshot due to the salt and the ash that had infiltrated through the brier. She had easily inhaled quite a bit while being trapped which was evident with an audible wheezing. The male barked words at her and Banshee could do nothing but gruffly nod in his direction. Soon a sharp snag at her scruff could be felt as she was dragged through the small entry way and to saftey. Her beaming blue eyes poured into the titans own as she moved to lay on the ground. The babe's form trembled as she seemed to be in shock. Someone actually came.. But, after a few moments and a new arrival she seemed to calm down a bit with easing her breathing. She was not prone to such outbursts but Banshee figured she was going to be left for dead. Sirius marched off to do the woman's bidding and Banshee blinked away tears. Her Klein gaze took in the black and white femme now hovering over her. After sucking in a breath she let forth her raspy tones, "I was.. working in the brier when I heard rumbling. I th-think a tree fell and the vines were forced into a mess. My way was blocked.." A wheezy pause. "I faced thousands of thorns or starvation." 'And I was too coward to face the thorns.' Banshee looked to the meat laid before her and began to rip at it. Her dry mouth salivated for the first time in a while and the meat slid down her throat with ease. She didn't even mind the herbal taste the babe was just appreciating food in general. Her eyes shot to the healer as she lulled over the title that had been presented. 'Ashen Armada? Had her father carried forth with his ideals of a pack while she had been trapped or did someone else rise up?' The babe's face skewed in confusion as she paused her feasting for a moment. "I am Banshee." A dry tongue came forth to curl against her now slightly bloodied fangs before picking at the meat again. Only in this moment did she seem to remember her stinging wounds that were catching fresh air. Sirius had licked the dust and dirt from her wounds which opened them to the world. ""

It wasn’t long before his companion guided Io back to them. He knew the woman would come prepared, she always had her bag across her shoulders, and the scent of herbs about her person. Sirius stood back, her wounds cleaner now and let the healer take over. She passed him something to full with water, and Sirius accepted it delicately, before turning and looping off only a short distance. He helped Marshal ease the dish into her talons, and sent him off to find the freshwater stream that bleed into the ocean. He knew Marshal could do it faster than he. He came back to hear Banshee as she explained what had happened to her. Well, he was hoping she might know what happened to her father - but that didn’t seem to be the case. He was disappointed he could not tell the grieving Empress where her brother was, but he had found her niece, and that had to account for something. Sirius waited for Marshal to return, gently grabbed the dish from the bird, and brought it over to Io. “So you’ve had no news since the eruption?” he asked carefully. "Speech"

The girls dazed yet panicked expression brought Iolaire's muzzle sliding against the top of Banshee's head, just between her ears. "You're safe now. No more need to worry, okay?" Pulling back, she began to address the wounds while the youngling ate the offered meat. Sliding herbs into her maw, the healer chewed, masticating the greenery and turning it into a thick paste. She began applying the paste to the worst of the wounds. The concoction would cool and soothe. As she aided the girl, she inspected the briars and thought of coming back later to transplant them. They might be rather useful to guard her garden.

Sirius and Marshal returned with the dish of water and she thanked them both. Placing the dish before the child, she gave instruction. "Slowly. Just a sip at a time or you'll get sick and we'll be taking a step back instead of forward. Once we get your stomach acclimated, we can go for more water and food."

As Sirius stepped in and began taking to the girl, Io continued to work over her wounds. The tentative tone that the giant took gave Iolaire pause. She arched a brow, wondering why he was being so hesitant.

As Sirius and his companion came back with the water Banshee felt a pang of excitement. Fresh water was something she never thought she'd miss so strongly. The babe followed the healer's instructions and slowly lapped at it. The sensation of the cool liquid moving through her form and breathing life into her thinning bodice was unlike anything else. Another rush of strong emotion swept over her but the yearling sucked in a long breath to temporarily cool her nerves. It felt as though she was dreaming and would wake up at any moment in her thorny cage. After taking a few more sips Banshee turned her attention back onto the fanged brute. As he inquired the girl shrugged gently which irritated some of the cuts on the peaks of her shoulders. "I noticed my F-father had been gone a long while but I assumed he had gone s-searching for Circe or some of his many other spawn." The girl lulled over the image of her phantom like father and nearly broke down again. 'Is Sirius about to deliver the news of Hannibal's rise or his demise?' "I was f-focusing on establishing my den in w-what was meant to be our new home. I-I had managed to.." Banshee took a sip of water to ease her vocals. "Get a lot done before the t-tree fell and I was trapped." The yearling took in a rough breath which seemed to wheeze a bit. 'I am rambling.. they do not care.' ""

He frowned at the girls words, did she really think her father had abandoned her? If anything, Sirius considered her predicament further proof that the man was dead. He wouldn’t have left his daughter here if he had strength in his body to save her.

He leaned closer to her, showing her his reserved side he saved for some few as he knelt and gave her cheek a lick. “Your father is gone Banshee. As are others of the pack. Archon got taken by the volcano. Deathbelle moved the pack to Redwater Rocks, which is why we didn’t find you sooner. This territory has been mostly uninhabitable because of the volcano” he continued to eye her, holding himself at her level, as he wondered how she would take the news. As he spoke, Io continued to work on the young girl, ensuring she could have a speedy recovery.

Iolaire continued to look the girl over. Overall, her wounds were mostly superficial. They would heal quickly. She didn't have any broken bones and her organs seemed to be in tact. She was just hungry and thirsty which was quite understandable. Anyone who had been trapped for as long would be starving. If the girl wished, they could stop at a stream that she'd discovered on her way in. Having decided that her work was finished, the small woman stepped back. She seated herself, curling her tail about one hip. The other two could talk all they wished. She would stay to make sure that the girl was able to move properly. If not, she would continue to feed her and prompt her to the water nearby. It was just a waiting game now. It seemed as though it would be a sad waiting game though. Sirius was about to be the bearer of bad news. Eyes cast from the man to to girl and she waited. This wasn't her place to speak. She knew nothing of the events that transpired leading up to the volcano. She would be learning things for the first time as well. "Speech"

Banshee continued to nibble at the food. Previously eager but she had to calm herself down. Her system was in overdrive and the onslaught of tons of meat may have sent her belly into a complete tumble. As she finished speaking the yearling focused on her breathing. Everything happened so fast and she may have been in shock if she didn't know better. It all still felt so much like a dream that if she didn't soothe herself she may spiral. Though, as she began to calm Sirius began to speak. Wide baby blue eyes took in his massive frame as she listened to his words. 'Your father is gone Banshee.' Her belly was truly in a tumble now. The young femme looked away and down at her front paws blankly for a few moments. How was she suppose to react? Her parents had been in and out of her life so much that she was almost numb to it. But, what truly stuck with her was his wording. 'Gone.' Previously he had been missing, enslaved, captured, what have you. But, Sirius said he was gone. Was Hannibal Klein dead?' Banshee felt tears well up in her eyes but she quickly blinked them away, only a few managed to fall. Banshee looked up to the brute again, "Please.. take me away from this place." ""

“As you wish” Normally, with her towering height, the Warlord would not have been able to pick her up and carry her with ease, but anemic as she was, she weighed almost as much as a babe. He gently grabbed her by the scruff, lowering his body to the earth as he pulled her over his broad shoulders. Marshal, having perhaps anticipated this, glided won with vines cleaned of thorns, and helped to secure the babe upon the Titan’s back. He cast a significant glance back to Io, one that said she would need to stick by and make sure banshee wasn’t jostled, or slipped too easily. With that, he would begin to make his slow careful pace away from this place, completing his rescue of what would be his newest pupil and charge. -exit? "Speech"

It seemed that the girl's father had passed in the volcano. Ears tucked back against Iolaire's skull at the news. It was a sad thing to hear. Sadder still was the look of instant grief upon the child's face. As she asked Sirius to get her out of here, he moved to lift her. Iolaire moved to one side, using her nose to push the girl up and into place. She would watch as they returned to make sure that the child didn't fall. With a nod to Sirius that the girl was in position, the trio began their tentative walk home. Periodically Iolaire would stand up on hind legs and push the girl back up so she wouldn't fall, but for the most part the trek was uneventful. As they neared their temporary land claim, Iolaire would rush ahead and prepare a sleeping space for the girl. All they could do then was care for her and hope that she broke from her state of melancholy eventually. -Exit- "Speech"

Banshee's world was spinning as she was gripped and gently slung over the back of the warlord. Normally the stubborn girl would have protested and at least tried to walk on her own but with the mix horrible mix of physical and emotional trauma she wasn't in any place to do so. Her angst had been replaced with sheer a feeling of emptiness. The thought of her father truly being gone had struck her harder then she had thought. Banshee never thought he'd ever actually die or be gone for good. He was illustrious and mysterious. Always coming and going with some sort of mission. But, she knew Sirius wouldn't have said what he said in the way he did if it weren't serious. It was all too surreal and in those long minutes she couldn't even produce tears. Her eyes remained shut and she quietly listened tot he world around her. The babe had no idea whether to feel the pain for the loss of her father or the relief of being saved from her impending doom. exit banshee ""