Zeto and Freja - "Heirs of forgotten leaders"

He scoffed, shooting her a look. "Oh please, I could totally get further than you." he retorted back, acting offended despite the smirk that was on his face. He rolled his eyes at her use of peasant, the irony present in her sentence was laughable, the wee little scout calling the drill sargent a peasant, even better that drill sargent was once the same rank in Voltaire's old pack as Freja was in Cinna's. Though her soft sigh kept his shiteating grin and snide comment at bay. Why was the sight of Ly enough to down the every competitive female? She seemed to brush it off quickly though, nodding to his explanations and taking the lead past him onto the rope bridge. He looked at her in amusement, but shrugged and followed along.

"We'll want to move quickly, even the bridges can be dangerous once they get slippery." He commented, following her across the first bridge. He snorted at her cheeky comment, "Ay, how awful it would be to have to be tree'd with the a peasant such as yourself." He tilted his nose up as she had when they'd first run into each other, playing holier than thou.  

While teasing back and forth as they continued the upward march across the narrow boards secured to ropes and held in place by a taunt rope line to give atleast a little bit of a barrier to prevent falls, he had thought little of his steps. However, with his head thrown up like a king, acting too good to make eye contant with Freja, he mistepped, his paw slipping on the edge and sending it falling between the cracks, his body lurched forward as he tripped, thankfully being caught by the platforms around before he fell. Eyes wide and heart racing at the fall, he pulled himself up carefully, not even thinking of Freja's reaction as he did it until he looked up at her. Only then did his ears begin to burn in embarressment. "Guess the catwalk wouldnt be my best category." He muttered, shaking his head with a shakey laugh.

As the he shook his shock of a near fall off, it began to sprinkle, water droplets splattering across his pelt. "Lets keep moving though. We'll reach that platform, circle halfway around the trunk, and there should be a bridge leading down, we should be able to follow that most of the way." "

The whole acting was starting to wear her out at this point. Not that she wasn't still full of energy, she just felt a little tired. It had been quite some time since she had been this sarcastic and teasing. In fact, she couldn't remember the last she had been. Usually she was just a rude kind of sarcastic, a kind that made others furious or at least annoyed with her, until they eventually left.

She picked up his warning fairly easily and walked down the bridge in a soft place, gently placing each paw onto the bridge and inching her way down it. Despite the fact that it felt safer, she still could imagine herself slipping and falling off these too. His teasing made her roll her eyes yet again, especially by the way he attempted to imitate her. It annoyed her slightly, but if she had to be completely honest with herself she had to admit it was more amusing than not. Frustrating humour, kind of. "Indeed, would it not be awful, prince," she purred silkily, finding it amusing that she had just swapped the name-calling for the two.

When he slipped, she was not all that humorous any longer though. She let out a gasp of horror, about to rush forth to attempt grabbing him in case he fell off. To her relief, he was quite safe though. "Who's the big boy talking about safety, huh?" she jokingly said, and sighed. "Yeah, you really need to work on that if you're ever going to get to the professional stage," she added and grinned at him. By the time they'd managed to set off again the rain was rushing down in heavier waves though, dazzling the rope bridges with water and making them slick and slippery. She found herself losing her footing every now and then, but thanks to her cautious way of making her path down she managed to catch herself before toppling over like a sack of potatoes. Finally she made it to the platform, and from there picked the route he'd mentioned, travelling halfway around the tree trunk before picking her way down the last bridge.

Despite the careful approach to the bridge, it was now incredibly difficult to proceed going down it, dangerous even. However, she was already fairly far out onto the bridge and turning on this narrow thing would be more dangerous than continuing down. Thus she continued her way down, one paw at the time and always keeping her ears perked for signs of a tumbling Zeto.

As the visibility lowered from the torrents of rain, Zeto found himself moving quicker, his paw steps careful, but not as searching as he had been the very first time he'd be caught in a storm in the trees. He remembered the terror he'd experienced, his mentor had already saved him once from a slip that would have killed him. The night had descended upon the pair quicker than they thought, followed closely by a horrendous storm that forced them from their camp high in the trees. The lightening was their only light, and the rain had made the tree's slippery. To save them from slips, the pair had tied a strong vine to both of their halters on their gear, hoping that if one slid, the other would immediantly know and be able to pull the other up. Stars knew the old scout was right about that prediction as Zeto had slid numerous times, only once had been deadly though, the small cadet hanging by his feet and the vine, his back paws struggling to find something to step on. Zeto shook the thought from his mind at the sound of her teasing, his far away look returning to the present. "Oh har har." He muttered, rolling his eyes in response.

Luckily for the pair, the rain may be coming down harder, but the lower they descended, the thicker the trees became, their tall branches covering holes in the sky, blocking some of the rain. Despite this, it still seemed to be a heavy pour. Zeto pinned his ears back as a slight breeze chilled him to his bones. The cold was bad enough, he thought with a grimace. "How are you holding up?" He barked once a ring of thunder had finally quieted down. It was only a few more minutes of descending, he was sure they could get through it, especially as the rope bridge broke away to another platform.

He remained standing on this one for a moment, looking down towards the ground. "Only about a 7 foot fall." He assessed, his orange eyes shinning through the fading light to look at her. "The last bridge takes us about 4 feet down, from the platform, theres two jumps on limbs, or just a 3 foot jump down." With danger all but gone, Zeto could feel himself lightening up a little, "So how do you like the scouts life, rookie?"

She was completely soaked. One could not describe the fae any other way, her pelt was wet to the bone and the chilly wind that sometimes blew past her didn't really help the matter any more. While they walked down the bridge lightning flashed right by them, followed by heavy thundering that made Freja flinch lightly. She had never been very fond of extreme weather, and of all times to have such weather they had to get it while in the top of a tree. Awesome. She was shaking lightly with cold at this point, quivering as she set one numb paw in front of the other, determined to reach the platform ahead.

And they did, thankfully. He paused there, and she was rather grateful for that. She had a little time to recover, and attempt to reheat her frozen paws before they'd move on. "I'm fine," she snapped back at him the moment she stepped onto the platform, shaking her pelt to send small droplets flying everywhere. The leaves were indeed nice shelter, especially for two soturies fairly desperate for cover. The darkness that had arrived didn't really help their cause much either, and she shuddered at the thought of having to move down in half-darkness. She had surprisingly good night-vision, but doubted it would be of much help when the wind blinded her and a thick fog was starting to make it's way across the undergrowth below them.

Zeto assessed the distance down, and Freja felt slightly relieved as she realized it wasn't that much further down. She couldn't wait to tuck into a den and sleep for the remainder of the night, away from the soppy wet climate they were experiencing right there and then. "Well what are we waiting for?" she snapped, her patience running low. She headed straight to the final bridge, and quickly began making her way down. Eager with the idea of solid ground under her paws again, she went down this bridge a little quicker than she'd done earlier. This would prove to be a mistake.

It was a mistake to even walk onto the bridge, seeing as it was already swinging heavily in the strong wind currents. When she walked onto it a heavy gust caught her off guard, and the wet rope bridge didn't help her much either. Instinctively she closed her eyes, trying to ride off the wind only to be flipped off it when the bridge cringed, sending her off the edge before she even had time to react. Soon she found herself falling towards the ground, through the fog. She managed to flip herself around so she'd have the possibility to land on her feet, which she found better than landing on her blade or otherwise. With a thump she landed in the undergrowth, excruciating pain shooting up her right foreleg as she landed, making her groan in agony.

Quivering lightly and with her heart thumping heavily she tried to get up, only to find her foreleg crumbling helplessly under her. Panicking she began trashing around, stressed out over the fact that she had fallen off the bridge and that she now was in unknown territory, fog and darkness surrounding her to completely blind her for everything going on around her. Her thoughts immediately flashed to Felidae, whom she knew were particularly active at night. Finding an injured soturie as herself would be easy pickings. Slowly she managed to rise to her paws, leaning onto a tree. A soft cackle nearby lead her to unsheat her blade, growling softly as she tried to make out where the source may be.

Her snaps reminded him of the times he was a pup, Voltaire snapping about this and that. His ears moved back in annoyance, his mind creeping into hostile grounds. It wasnt like he liked this weather either, nor was he comfortable standing sopping wet in the tree where they could very well be zapped with lightning at any point. He wasnt one to deal with other's anger well without retorting with his own, however in this circumstance, if they didnt both shut up and move instead of arguing, they may very well get stranded here to fight out the night. He grumbled in annoyance, but said nothing, allowing her to lead the way across the bridge.

Perhaps allowing her to play leader on a trip where she was certainly the rookie was a poor idea. He realized that a second too late, her quick steps and tall posture had thrown her off balance with the ropes swinging. He swore loudly as she disappeared from his sight. Damned be that fae! "Freja! Can you hear me?!" He yelled down, trying to get his voice to be heard over the storm. When he received no reply, he had no other choice. He skittered across the rope bridge as fast as he could afford to go, his paws carefully settling on each swinging platform and his body pulled down low to the bridge as he made his way across. If the wind gave a strong push to the bridge, he clung to it, holding out until it steadied enough to feel safe proceeding. The rain had soaked the bridge, leaving the mini platforms slick, it seemed Zeto was slipping every few seconds, his body falling hard against the wood, jaw tightening as pain shocked its way up his shoulders. He would be sore in the morning, battered by the storm and bruised by the wood. It seemed like time had flown too quickly by the time he reached the final platform.

He couldnt hear anything from her, the storm reaching a cresendos, great swells of wind carried the rope bridges, flipping them hazardly. He wouldnt be able to take the last bridge down, which left his only option to jump. He would hate himself in the morning for not checking the skys before ascending the great tree with the female. He had been correct when he allowed her to talk him into the excursion to call himself stupid. What had he even been doing out here with the stuck up outlander?!

As much as he wanted to hate himself for the days mistakes, he couldnt bring himself to focus on how he should have just scoffed at the the rumor of her tantrum and left well enough alone, it was the least of his worries. He had still not seen nor heard from Freja. Damn the fog, damn the rain!  Again he called out her name, unsure if she could hear him. A seven foot fall.. That would hurt any thing, even the demon beasts would cry out in pain from that. Why had she not said anything back?! He leapt from the final platform, landing on his paws awkwardly and crumpled to the ground with a hiss of pain. "Freja!" He barked once more, slowly pulling himself up to a standing position, ignoring the dull ache from his body and the chill of the cold.

These Feliadae were acting like hyenas, cackling and chittering among themselves at the sight of a lonely soturie in the forest. She gritted her teeth, lifting her injured forepaw off the ground with the realization it would not mend by magic she did not have. Growling she hopped around, keeping her back pressed against the tree behind her as to avoid being attacked from behind. She felt strangely vulnerable, even though she was armed with an incredibly sharp blade. She stood there shaking with cold, all paws except her injured paw numb with cold yet again. Her only comfort was that her injured paw issued a certain amount of heat, even though she knew very well it was hardly a positive sign.

Much to her relief she could hear Zeto prowling the undergrowth nearby, and for a moment thought that everything would be alright. That was, until she realized that she couldn't yell with her blade in her mouth. At most she could make a muffled cry, which wouldn't be of much help. Cursing herself she decided it'd be way too risky to let go of her blade and call for him, it could be the little movement that caused a ravage of Felidae attacking her. Even the hostile beasts had the brains to understand that an unarmed soturie was easier to pick, right? Thus she kept her mouth clamped around the handle of her blade, refusing to let go of it while she scanned the undergrowth for signs of movement.

It was rather nerve-wrecking, hearing the bushes move and at least one or two Felidae chuckling as they paced back and forth. At least she had a fairly good idea of where they were, but then again she wasn't sure if it was Zeto or the beasts. Growling as a warning she positioned herself as to have the best ability to lash out with her blade, should they come at her. Then a sound that made every bone within her body tremble was heard, and a great black beast hurtled itself from the fog, dashing towards her. It sounded like the screech of a thousand lost souls, and was more than enough to terrify anyone facing the source. The yellow-eyed cat came towards her at an unbelievable speed, leaving Freja with barely enough time to lash after it with her blade, forcing it to dodge aside. The two opponents faced each other in silence, the Felidae cackling contently while she hopped around. Shoot, who knew it was this hard to move around with one less leg? the fae thought, trying to consider her chances. It was too close to her to even dream of dropping her weapon and yell now, and if she actually did so it'd take Zeto too long to find her anyway. Felidae were amazingly fast and slippery creatures.

Attack is your best defense... C'mon, she figured, and lunged forwards, twisting her head to point the blade's sharp point towards the Felidae whom hissed and leaped aside, leaving the two in a circling motion, each of them moving around to keep the other from it's back. The Felidae still hidden in the bushes went quiet, and Freja became perfectly aware that they did not consider her a threat. Still, she knew of their dirty tricks and kept an eye out from where the first Felidae had appeared from, anticipating at least one other.

The felidae's silence may have meant a small amount of relief for her, but for Zeto, it was a cause of panic as the beasts stalked around where he stood. His fur stood on end as he scanned the underbrush, the cats' soft hisses and clicks leaving him rigid in annoyance, his body prepared for the beasts to launch themselves. He'd yet to draw his weapon, less the cats try to team up to take him down instead of playing with him. All he wanted now was the find Freja, and go home to dry out and sleep. The day was long past welcomed anymore.
With a finally click, two beasts revealed their location, golden eyes gleaming at him as they crept towards him, he could almost see the malicious smile the cats held on their face. "Damn you both" He snarled, taking a step back in order to pull the weapon from its carrier and swing it towards them in warning. Despite the blades sharpened edges and the swings that could surely chop their heads from their torsos, the cats didnt look impressed. An exasperated sign passed through his jaws as he watched the cats slowly seperate. Jooy...
The next movements happened in a flash, each attack happening in a sudden quickness that Zeto was lucky he'd been well trained to handle. Both cats leapt towards him, his blade swinging through the air as he narrowly missed their attacks, coming out of the attack with only a few cuts, the beasts weren't ones to stop there however, lunging back in the cats took turns in their attacks, double teaming and tiring Zeto has he dodged and hosted his own attacks. In a sudden stumble, his luck seemed to pertrude as he was granted the ability to thrust his blade through a cat's throat. With a loud yowl of pain, the cat went down. Its comrade seemed to grow angry, but get a hint from the male. Zeto snarled once more around his weapon, an odd not very alarming sound, but none the less the cat shot a glance behind it in the brush and slunk off.
Normally, that would be a good sign, an allowance of relaxation and a time to check ones self over for wounds..but. Freja. Zeto's eyes followed the cats withdrawl anxiously. It could either be leading him towards a hoard, truely backing off, or going to find the probably hurt female. Clipping his weapon back he hesitated just outside the brush, paws picking up and settingly down in thought. He was working on borrowed time, the felidae may have already found Freja and double teamed her, or the scent may be washing away if theyve tried setting up a hoard ambush and are now trying to disperse to surround the seperated pair. With an angry growl, Zeto stomped out his hesitance and stalked forward through the underbrush at a brisk pace, only speeding up as he heard the hisses and grunts of a fight. "Freja!"

It was close... Too close for comfort. Freja lashed out again, and was rewarded with a hiss of anger and pain from the other end. She'd somehow managed to leave a cut in the feline's flank, leaving a thin, clean cut oozing with blood. It would not be enough to drive the creature away though, and she found herself fairly lost in the situation. She could not back away or she'd surely have the enemy launch itself at her behind. She couldn't drive it away unless it got too reckless, and she knew from experience that these animals were far from stupid.

However, the fact that this one was playing with her left her with the belief that it was a younger member of the enemy clan. She frowned and glared at it, about to lunge again when she heard a familiar voice nearby. She praised whatever old souls sat in the clouds watching them, Zeto could be the saving angel she needed so badly. Frowning she found herself unable to call out, but instead lunged at the feline again, making it hiss loudly at her and smack her cheek with it's paw. Hopping a few steps back she steadied herself, her eyes following every sign of motion in the surrounding undergrowth.

((Haven't been feeling too well, got a slight writer's block. Please forgive me for the short post, I'll try to do better for the next one. ^^ ))

(Its no problem ^^ im so sorry ive been so slow with replies)

The hiss of pain from a felidae gave Zeto the pull he needed, his pace speeding into a run towards the sound until he broke through the bramble and bushes to spot Freja fighting the felidae. There was no hesitance in his step this time as he barreled into the felidae, slamming into the cat with his side, sending them both sprawling to the ground. It took a moment for him to recover, his shoulder aching and a searing pain coming from the leg, but he knew better than to dwell on it. Gritting his teeth and ignoring the pain, he hauled himself to his feet again, the deadly cat doing the same a few feet away.
"Freja! Are you okay?" He asked, closing the space between them as quick as he could with a ginger walk. He wasnt exactly expecting a reply from her though, how could he as she had her weapon in her mouth, but that didnt stop the worried looks.
Given the time, he would have examined her for signs of injuries, but time was a luxury they didnt have in the moment. Zeto tore his gaze from the fae just in time to see the felidae back on its feet and circling them. The big cat lurking to the right of the pair watching them angrily. Zet could only be glad the two cats he'd tango'd with earlier hadn't shown back up, otherwise the odds would dramatically turn to the felidae's favor.

((No stress!))

The relief of having a familiar scent and face was overwhelming, even though she felt lightly ashamed for being so reliant on a mere peasant. He had not needed to fling himself directly into the cat, but alas she didn't really care at the moment. His question hung loosely in the air for a moment, as she needed a moment to collect herself. She sheated her blade for a split second to allow herself communication. "I'm fine," she replied, and shrugged. "My foot is hurt though," she added and shrugged. Suddenly she realized the feline hadn't run off from the surprising attack after all, and frowned at the felidae. She brought out her blade yet again and grunted at Zeto.

They didn't really have much of a choice. Escaping would not be a possibility, the felidae she'd come across were never willing to let their "toy" go without a proper fight. The only difference was that the "toy" would have to fight for itself. Shrugging she glanced at Zeto, wondering if he had any brilliant plans besides fighting the great cat-like beast. So far he had seemed to have a solution for everything, she was curious if he was of the kind that'd avoid battle at any cost as well. She'd met Rukh earlier, a very passive soturie with no intention of involving himself in any fight of any kind. It had creeped her slightly out, seeing how strangely calm he was and how he always said he preferred to not fight. From her old pack, they'd been taught to fight since they could walk on their own stubby legs; their first opponents being their own siblings. Albeit the fights had been a bit more cautious back then, it had begun a solid fascination for fighting within the small pups.