Deluge had picked up the scent at the party. She kept her cool and mingled, tried to hide her concern from her 'prince'. If he saw her constantly eyeing the caves, well, she would write it off as general curiosity. She was an explorer at heart, after all, and it wasn't often she got to come check out another packs territory without a fight. If anyone mentioned his name, she made a point of ignoring it. She was still 'the Pirate', and he was still 'the Prince'. The longer they could keep up this ruse, surely the better it would be for them. The Armada didn't like Pirates, and... well... She wouldn't say the pirates didn't like the Armada, just enjoyed antagonising them a bit too much, maybe?

As darkness fell and the crowds began to disperse, Deluge had slipped away. Her nose hadn't been lying to her. Of course her dad was here. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she awkwardly dipped down to get her father onto her back. He was so damn heavy! but his bulk covered the glow of her fur as she made her way away from Armada and out into the open of the battlefield, and over to veterans plateau. She would have to send her apologies to her prince another time. Maybe it was better if she didn't say goodbye after all?

Unfortunately for her, her escape hadn't entirely gone unnoticed. The black bird was concealed against the starry night sky until it swooped down with a terrifying screech, claws extended to... Deluge didn't even know, she didn't fight fucking birds, they were up in the sky and she was down on the ground, what reason did she have to fight them?

Unceremoniously, she dumped her father on the ground between crumpled bits of metal machinery and stood over him, golden eyes turned skyward, teeth bared. It was only as it was coming in for a second attack that she recognised it as the warlords bird.

"Ah fuck, here we go."

-340/1500-

 

   

She'd gone without saying goodbye. Dread didn't blame her-- she'd been dragged into something that was probably way out of her depths. The Pirates did things differently. A stuffy birthday party with his family... hell, he barely wanted to be there. Maybe his feelings were a little hurt, but he'd also likely put her in a bad situation. His rather pretty friend had showed up in the Armada, surrounded by (effectively) enemies. Though the Warlord had tolerated her presence, Dread wasn't sure how long that would last.

But also, he wasn't going to linger. He wasn't going to linger at the party, he wasn't going to wait around. The gifts from the Warlord were heartfelt, strips of Zee's cheetah coat woven into leather cuffs. Dread's heart was heavy in his chest as he thought about his mother, as he thought about the things that could have been. He excused himself early from the party, peeling off to find Deluge. Where had she gone, what had she gotten up to? Maybe she'd gone home already, fuck. It wasn't like he could just walk down to the pirates and talk to them... was it?

Tracking her scent, Dread was confused to find that she wasn't... alone. She'd left with someone else? Dread finds himself a bit irritated about the idea. It was a scent that Dread didn't recognize. Carefully, he began to track the scent off toward the south. His nose to the ground, wandering until he hit the Veteran's Plateau. The boy couldn't say he'd spent much time here. His head lifted, scenting the air instead, trying to pick up Deluge's scent where he'd lost it. This time, it wasn't scent that drew his attention. At the distance he can see Deluge, some strange crumpled man, and-- "Marshal?"

Shit. Dread bounded forward, unsure of exactly what he was getting into. "Marshal, fuck, down boy," the yearling called to the bird. "You don't need to attack her, she's allowed to be here," he's shouting the entire time, running over to the strange scene unfolding before him. Crossing the distance with long, ground-eating strides. "Don't hurt him, please," Dread pleads to his friend, all the while trying to call off his father's companion.
     
   

 

715/1500

The mottled girl pulled her shoulders forward and jutted her antlers upward, hoping the black bird would get its talons caught up in bone instead of the thin flesh of her forehead. Head wounds bled like a bitch, and she didn't need her mother reaming her out for messing up the shipwreck rugs again.

The faster the adrenalin pulsed through her veins the brighter her coat glowed, and she knew by now she must stand out like a fucking beacon on the ancient battlefield. Her worries were only reinforced when the Prince's call came across the plateau, telling the bird down like it was some sort of land companion, and asking her not to hurt him. Under other circumstances, she probably would have laughed, but it wasn't like she was the one doing the attacking here! She was trying to shield her dad, whether passed out from having his ass beat or from drinking too much in the aftermath of a win, she figured the Armada probably wasn't where he wanted to be waking up when the sun rose.

The noise that left her wasn't really a snarl, but it wasn't a laugh either. The high-pitched kekekekekekekek of her yellow-masked bird wasn't necessarily out of place at this hour of night, but it provided her a distraction as she swooped in, yellow wing spurs aimed at the much larger bird. What Deluge's bird lacked in size she more than made up for with her attitude and volume.

Making the most of the cover provided she dragged her father beneath one of the hulking pieces of machinery before scrambling out and scaling the large metal boulder to gain some height, hoping her glowing fur would keep the bird's attention on her and away from the shadowy crevice she had tucked her father into. Her seagull had joined them now as well and the Fallen girl could finally turn her attention back to Dread. "I don' think it's me 'e's really after, but I couldn't leave the old man behind enemy lines, ya know?" Her plover had gained some distance now and was still shrieking up a racket. Anyone around these parts that was trying to sleep was going to be having a very bad time. "So what am I supposed t'do if 'e doesn't down?"

The vulture already seemed intent on going for her antlers again.

"speech"

-1118/1500-

As he gets closer, the boy realizes just what Deluge had been up to. The pirate that they'd captured was her old man, and it... it makes sense. Dread can't hold it against her, as much as he probably should. Something about loyalties, but this is different. He'd do the same for Sirius, and he could only hope that Deluge would do... well, the same thing he was doing now. Dread's brow furrowed for a moment, processing. There was so much to process. There was so much that he was probably screwing up right now, in the eyes of his family. Still, they didn't have to know. They wouldn't have to know, in the end. Dread wouldn't tell, and he'd do what he could to cover up Deluge's tracks later on that evening,

But now, there was the question of Marshal. Who might also tell on him. Well, he'd deal with the consequences of those actions later, too. At least he was mostly getting tangled in Deluge's antlers instead of actually trying to hurt her. "I'm going to be in such deep shit if anyone finds out about this," the words were quiet, more to himself than anyone else. A heavy sigh, as Dread makes the first in a series of probably bad choices on his part. Loping to Deluge's side, he reaches up to swat (gently) at the large bird. "Go home. I have it under control, Marshal. I'll handle it." The yearling shot a searing look at the bird, lip lifting on one side. He meant business. Dread couldn't, and wouldn't, hurt him. But he wasn't going to let Deluge get beaten up on either.

"Let me help, he looks heavy." Marshal had turned back to the Armada, likely for reinforcements. They probably didn't have all that long, if Dread thought about it. He was probably off to grab anyone ranging from Mortis to Basilisk, to Hazel, or even the Warlord himself. "We have to get out of here fast if you want to get him home in one piece." Dread wasn't so sure what exactly they'd done to him when they caught him the first time, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know. Hell, he didn't want to know what would happen if they got caught. Maybe it was an act of teenage rebellion. Maybe it was something else. Dread wasn't going to think too far into that. If he thought about it too hard, for too long, it would make him anxious.

"speech"

1554/1500