Every breath was full of pain. He regretted speaking to Bass. He regretted everything. He regretted what he said to the pale man. He had ruined a friendship and now, because of him, his family was out in the cold. There was no hope for them anymore. They were sick... and he... he felt as though he was going to be sicker by the moment. Several times the contents of his stomach had met the surface already. Allen just kept going. His heart hurt heavily. He just wanted to crawl up in a hole somewhere and die. Allen wasn't even paying close attention to where he was going anymore. He felt his paws getting heavier. His mind a haze. He wasn't sure how long ago he had left Nona and the children. He just knew that he was getting ready to collapse. The man would choke back a sob, stumbling into the earth. What the? Allen's eyes would widen as he looked down at the earth. It seemed to be shifting beneath him, pulling him in deeper. He would start to struggle, but the sucking motion wouldn't let him go. A whine escaped him as he looked around desperately for something to grab onto and pull himself out. But there was nothing in reach. Well, what a beautiful mess he'd gotten himself into this time. "Hear Me Talk," 'Read My Thoughts.'

Table by:: Tealah

Lillie had to admit, she completely and utterly followed Allen upon his leaving of Abaven. There was no guilt, no shame as she tracked him down. He was her mentor... well, before he left, anyways. She did not know him personally, but he had been pack - and therefore she was concerned. And with where he was now... she wsa doubly concerned. She had gotten through this area once; but carefully. Even now, she would pause for each step, testing the ground with a singular paw and stepping, sometimes pausing with two paws in the air to avoid getting sucked down.

Luckily, she could also see where Allen stepped; she could see her own paw steps in the sand. She would jerk though, from her concentration, when a choked cry would reach her, and she'd jerk her head up. She could see a flailing form, and she'd dart forward, paws only hitting where Allen's had until he fell in. "Do. Not. Move!" she hissed at him. Eyes would dart around for a tree; there was one behind her, and the girl would shoot off, paws hitting where they had before. The girl was quick, and lucky; she managed to get to that tree she spotted, and managed to break off a branch that was already pretty gone. She wasn't quite sure how it would hold up, but it would do.

A call for help would leave her lips, a howl, right before she grasped the thick, decaying branch in her jaws; she made her way back to the man who was sinking deeper and deeper. She grasped the end tightly in her jaws, cringing at the splintering sound it made; her toes dug in to the sand, her knees bending for balance. She stuck it towards the quicksand, within Allen's reach. Oh, she hoped someone else would arrive; she did not know if she had the strength to pull him out.

"Speech" "Language"

The male was on his way to visit an old friend, though whether the whereabouts of the creature still remained this way was beyond him, but it would seem his journey would take another twist. A howl reached the alabaster man's ears, the voice unknown to him but little did he know it would be from the spy sent from the eastern pack. She hadn't gone unnoticed lurking around his lands, but for now he would leave it be. It gave him an idea what the eastern pack was planning, but he'd play stupid for now.

Picking up his pace, he easily trekked through an area very familiar to him, he knew this lands ways and the dangers it posed, and those were the kinds of stuff places that Sin adored. It was a challenge, but he would bound from foot step to foot step left by their previous owners, and low and behold the scent of one familiar touched him while the other was locked in his mind for the future. He didn't quite like spies, but right now there were other matters at hand. Amber gaze locked on the struggling pair, and with a quick motion he lunged forth to grasp the girls scruff in his jaws and bit down as he yanked back, using his strength to aid her in pulling the the old man out from the Sands. Whatever was this fool thinking? "Don't you dare let go." He would mutter through flesh and fur. And why he was helping a pack that despised him was beyond him, but not even Sin would allow a good man to die...and Allen whom he'd met before, was one such man.

The woman was no exception when it came to being notified what happened to family and friends. After what had happened with Threar, she had realized she had caused such a commotion because it was she and Amachi who suggested Sin attack Threar just to protect her own pack. Though her lips were sealed on that fact, and with a bad feeling in her gut she had sought out Allen. Allen was her family, maybe not a member she knew too well, but she had known Hajime. She had known him well, and if anything a part of her soul would not be allowing Allen to sink lower if he was in a moment of despair. Just as she was. Even though she was crippled, she was quick to react when she saw Lillie. Her body would run to her fullest speed, stopping next to her and clamping her jaw on Allen's shoulder trying to get his scruff. She acknowledge Lillie and started to use her three good paws to pull backwards.

"Try lifting him up as you pull him out." She instructed, this was not the first time she had dealt with Quicksand. Even if she was at a disadvantage, a deep growl grew in her throat. No fucking way. "Allen I am not letting you die on me." Arian screamed out. "You're my family!" At the moment, she was sure nothing else in the world mattered. Her tail leveling out with her spine, they would know. They would know how Arian could fight, she would survive and she sure as hell would make sure Allen and his family survived. Her crystal eyes looking at Lillie for a moment, help me help him they would say.

Skitter scuttle, hop. With an impressive amount of tunnel-vision, the gremlin chased after a beetle. He was going to eat it, eventually. He knew he could catch it, but there was no fun in just eating it like that. He had to smack it first, and watch it rush about in a panicked daze. A giggle emitted from his mouth as he flicked it again and watched its shiny black form trundle about the dusty earth, totally disoriented again. He wondered where it wanted to go, anyways. To a bug party? With food and bug friends? What a fun little event that would be. He’d have to try it sometime.

The fiend was giggling to himself again when he heard something – a distressed howl. Joy and excitement sprang through every vein and every nerve like lightning; there was always something interesting going on where there was distress. He flocked towards such signals like a vulture to a withered soul in the desert. His muzzle pointed alert towards the sky for a moment as he picked out which direction it had come from, and then he snapped it back down towards where he’d left his beetle. ”Didn’t forget,” his high voice hummed in a sing-song tone. With that, he plummeted his open jaws down upon the insect – an inevitable doom – and then raced off to find his carrion.

Four figures in the distance gradually grew closer as he barreled towards them. When he approached a speaking distance, he slowed to a trot. Wide, ghostly eyes observed with excitement, ticking quickly back and forth in their sockets. He trotted closer, his jaws falling apart in a faint, hollow and confused grin. The brown and cream wolf was sinking into the ground… Kind of like that deer at the tar pits, except here there was no tar. It was exciting. Was he going to die? Everyone seemed very concerned with getting him out – trying hard to save him. A blue eyed female seemed especially upset. The imp began to feel the urgency of the situation. It electrified his blood. He crept up some yards behind the group. ”The ground demands a sacrifice!” his shrill tones screamed. Why must they try and prevent it? His nails tensed, digging into the ground as he considered barreling into the line of wolves trying to help. What if… they all went in the ground’s maw?

Panic had filled him. Panic of the deepest sort, worry rushing to his very head. Though he had been depressed, yes, and had thought that things might be better off if he were gone, he certainly hadn’t wanted to die! He would struggle against the sand further, feeling it pull him down deeper as he did so. Why, why was this happening? At least until he heard a voice. A voice of one familiar. Allen would lift his head, gaze darting to the scarred girl. Lillie! What was she doing here? Had she... Had she followed him as he left Abaven? He would freeze, waiting for Lillie as she grabbed a branch. The moment it was thrust near him Allen would grip it with his fangs, ears pinned against his head as he looked up at the girl. ‘I don’t want to die...’ A second figure would appear, coming to help Lillie drag him out. It was familiar, and Allen knew him immediately. Sin. The very man Bass wished to siege. He felt his heart clench. If Bass knew the good deed that the man was trying to do now, would he think differently of him? Would he hesitate to go against him then? No... Probably not. But then yet another figure would appear. Arian. Allen wasn’t sure what he had done to deserve so much help, and from different sources, but he was glad, so glad that they were there. He would give another whine, a pitiful sounding thing as Arian neared the edge of the quicksand and grabbed hold of his shoulder. “Please be careful... Arian...” Was his gentle response. He had this sense of impending doom, that all of their efforts could be in vain. But he would feel the ground give as they all pulled, holding on yet, at the same time, he rose out of it slightly. Allen would try to pull upward as well, to get out of the gunk that held him. At least until a fourth voice joined. It startled the old man so badly that he would jerk back, away from Arian, feeling her teeth leave a shallow wound upon his shoulder. For a moment he’d even release the branch as well, startled eyes looking for the owner of the voice. Who was this? His heart was pounding at a rapid rate, ears pinned again his skull as he looked at the other man. Trying to shove him out of his mind he’d glance back towards his potential saviors as the ground continued to try and suck him in. "Hear Me Talk," 'Read My Thoughts.'

Table by:: Tealah

As Allen grabbed it, she would feel teeth sink into her scruff and she'd growl, biting even harder on the stick as she resisted the urge to bite the thing that was behnd her. IT was then his scent hit her; it was Sin, and he was threatening her to not let go. That was perfectly fine by Lillie; she had no intentions to. She felt fur and flesh rip as Sin and her tugged back, and her eyes would flash gratitude at the woman who then would appear, eyes widening as she also recognized the scent of Sonticus. She blinked, but said nothing as the woman leaned precariously over the quicksand and grasped Allen's shoulder. She would blink to her words and readjust her weight to her hind paws, lifting off the ground slightly as she did a massive tug, grunting in satisfaction as Allen lifted out of the ground a bit.

That grunt would turn to a growl as a rotten stench hit her nostrils and she would hear a high pitched voice squeaking as she flattened her ears. "Shut up," she snarled between the branch, that growling increasing as Allen let go. He would regrasp it, though, and green eyes would flash with determination, even as pain twinged her jaw. She reared up again, tugging massively on the man; she snarled at Arian. "Take care of him! Sin and I will take care of Allen." It was hard speaking through the branch, when her voice was still all snarly; she'd hope the alpha would understand her words, though, and preoccupy the rancid thing.

It surprised him that Arian had shown up. Had she followed him? Their territories were so close together, there was a possibility that she saw him walk past as he ventured from his territory. He was glad that his young hadn't followed him this time, he wouldn't have to worry about them meeting the same fate as the old male they were now trying to pull from the Sands. He could taste blood on his tongue, obviously he'd gripped the girls scruff too hard and broke the skin, but that wasn't the major thing on his mind.

Amber gaze narrowed as he strained to pull the girl with Allens dead weight, Arians efforts thwarted as she lost her grip on the man's shoulder. A rough growl released from his jaws then, as an unfamiliar voice taunted somewhere behind them. He would deal with the thing after this, right now they needed to get Allen out. With an increasing amount of frustration, Sin released the girl and whirled around to place his feet dangerously close to the sucking sand, lunging forward as he sought to grab Allen's scruff in his jaws. Leaning his weight towards his haunches, he would strain and pull as his ears flattened against his head. "Come on old man, it's not your time yet!" He hissed through fur and flesh. If Sin went down saving another, at least maybe then he wouldn't be seen as the bastard he was. He couldn't fathom why he was even bothering with this, but the only thing he could think of was perhaps that Allen was a man worthy of respect, and indeed, Sin would do all he could for the senior. Perhaps too, his children had put that effect on him...as well as his mate. If this was Arietta, Sin would do everything in his power to keep her alive, or die trying.

With a Capital T Her grip was thrown off, as she stepped back to make sure she didn't step into the quick sand herself. Looking at Sin and Lillianna, she nodded her head. They'd be able to handle it, her crystal eyes looked at Allen one more time before her good three paws made her swerve around. Her hackles raised easily, rage apparent in her face. "How do you know if the ground doesn't want you as a sacrifice instead of him?" she said standing in front of him. Yes she was angry, but if she could distract him long enough for them to pull Allen out. She knew she wouldn't be alone. She was tired of thinking she couldn't do anything because of her damn leg. She could fight, and she'd find a way to win. However, she wouldn't attack him unless he attacked her. "Maybe the ground made a mistake?" she questioned as she tried to let her hackles down. If she looked too angry, he could always just try and attack her now. His excitement wasn't too surprising, he was.... an odd one. Aggressive or not, albeit it she hoped he wasn't and was just one of those odd male's. A child sickly obsessed in an adult body, all of this was a possibility. "Talk"

Someone yelled something rude at him. The fiend folded his ears and hissed – a wretched and wicked noise that twisted his scarred lips. He did not like being spoken to rudely. Someone else turned around, glaring at him with a scarred face filled with anger. He quickly noted her limp foot, his mind and thoughts undulating with corruption. His haunting, unblinking stare quickly flickered between the wolf facing him, and the others. One, two. Four counting the one in front of him and the one getting eaten. As tempting as it was to spaz and launch himself at this vulnerable looking wolf, his odds weren’t great. The imp could judge that well enough. ”It took that one, not Cesar. It doesn’t want Cesar,” he yapped, flicking his tongue between bared fangs. Oh but it was so tempting. He wanted to fly, and sink his teeth right into that leg. Saliva began to well up in his mouth.

She asked a stupid question. Why would such a monstrously powerful thing as this moving ground make a mistake? He was sure it knew what it wanted. He hissed again, a spitting noise like that of an angered cat. ”Nooooo. The ground isn’t stupid,” he spat scornfully. In a purposeful snubbing (having decided that he was rather annoyed with this wolf), he glanced back towards the others, his eyes wide and his stare detached. He smelled the air. There was the stale scent of blood… His gaze snapped to the white wolf, his fur painted reddish brown here and there. ”Oohhhh,” he crooned lowly, having lost interest in his confrontation. That was interesting. That was someone he wanted to know. Distractedly, he would attempt to walk around the blue-eyed female and closer the white wolf to wait a few feet from his side. He had acquired a sudden, strange patience. He wanted this wolf's attention, but could respect the fact that he was occupied for now. His desire to see a sacrifice was only dulled though – its neglect tolerated in exchange for focusing on this curious individual. Maybe he'd feed someone to the ground here later.

Allen felt blessed. Thank goodness for the wolves here trying to help him. He would reach for the branch again, gripping it again as he met Lillie’s eyes. “I’m sorry.” They seemed to say. It was through her combined efforts with Sin, the blood stained man seen as a devil, that Allen was starting to be pulled free once more. Sin’s jaws were locked around his scruff, and he would pull Allen with all he had, just as Lillie was doing with the branch in her jaws. With Arian taking care of the other wolf the calico gentleman was pulled free. First one leg would come out, gaining purchase upon the ledge, then another, and finally his whole body would come free. Allen would gasp as he let go of the branch again, laying down at the edge. He’d look up to his saviors, giving a small smile. “Sin... Lillie... Thank you.” He’d offer to them both. He felt shaken up still, but at least he was no longer in the pit. He'd glance to Arian, and the wolf whom he did not know. "Arian..." He'd call softly. He wanted to speak with her. "Hear Me Talk," 'Read My Thoughts.'

Table by:: Tealah

Lillie would meet the man's eyes, and would blink: as his eyes seemed to apologize, hers seemed to pass the message of acceptance. She'd heave again, and again, in sync with Sin until Allen was hauled out of the put to rest on the edge. Eyes would sweep back to watch Cesar, who was waiting... patiently? for Sin. Turning her back on the disgusting creature, she'd focus on Allen, sniffing around him. She didn't smell blood, but she was no healer; maybe there was something inside? She really ought to learn more about healing - this sort of... lack of knowledge bothered her a great deal.

Green eyes steady, they would search to meet the olive gaze of the man in front of her. "You are welcome, Allen," she would murmur. "I need to speak with you as well," she added after a moment, following his call back to Arian. She desired to know why, why he left Abaven.

Goddammit Arian! She was going to make the guy probably get hostile and make their job harder! Her grip would be lost and her attention on the male who chanted odd things. He was really starting to get pissed off, but he would deal with it after this. With final efforts, he and the Abaven girl has finally managed to pull Allen from the Sands, Sin scrambling back to give foot room as Allen was freed. He released the old man's scruff, jaws aching from the effort as he licked clean the blood from Lillie and Allen.

Allen had thanked them, and Sin would say nothing but dip his head in acknowledgement. He would not speak about it in front of Arian or Allens pack mate...and he figured perhaps it was time to go before Lillie turned on him. Not that he was afraid of her, but he had seen her at the pack challenge and did not want to linger around Abaven territory any longer. He knew they were pissed with him, so he would not put it past her to signal her pack to ambush him here and now.

However, as he would turn away, he was mildly surprised to find the stranger of the deranged voice waiting nearby, almost with an eerie sort of patience. Sizing him up, Sin's stance took on a dominant posture as his amber gaze showed nothing, a single brow raised. "What are you looking at?" His voice was neither kind nor unkind, but a stony tone in between.