Rumble Jungle. LAD. Open

[ashbaer]

Hopefully this will suffice.

They were behind schedule, a day’s time behind, the tension was burning through the four males hiking through the jungle brush. The heat and humidity was helping to the situation, Valerius held the lead with Lestat hot on his heels, Teival was third with Hannibal taking up the rear. The plan was to cover as much distance as possible, their elder leader was in a rush to get back to his young family and made it very clear he would leave them behind if they started to slow him down.

“We need to break Valerius,” Teival called from behind, nostrils flaring through the thick air. “We’ll pass out before we break through.”

“You break then!” The raspy snap of the Bhelarion silenced the chirping birds overhead and his steely green eyes glared over his shoulder at the two. “I will not wait another moment, either shut the hell up and keep moving or stay behind so I don’t have to listen to your complaining!”

Teival fell silent, he glared back, not challenging but showing he wouldn’t back down, Lestat only snorted, shook his head and kept moving, these pure Bhelarion were immune to the heavy heat of the jungle apparently. From behind Hannibal brushed against his brother, pushing him a little forward, Hannibal looked the worse out of them all. With new wounds in the middle of healing, he too was eager to return home but the wear of travelling at this pace was showing on him.

“Come on Tei, you drank half the creek back there, you’re practically a camel,” he breathed through pants as he stepped past Teival and kept moving along the thin trail that led out of the jungle.
“Oh now you have jokes,” he mumbled back, lashing his tail irritably. The whole lot of them were stubborn and would most likely collapse before sunset.

As Teival stood still for a moment, watching the backs of his companions, he noticed that the birds hadn’t returned to chirping, lifting his head he looked up at the greenery above, ears swivelling, there didn’t seem to be any noise. It was odd, but Teival turned to continue after the group, a few steps forward and something rocked beneath him, paw hooked on a root he launched forward into the dirt. Shaking his head he looked up to see Hannibal looking back confused.
“Did you feel that?”

Hannibal didn’t have time to speak as the ground shook again, this time more violently forcing them all to brace themselves. Somewhere in the distance the ground was splitting open as the earth rumbled and shook around them. Trees were shaking, and whatever wildlife remained began running to the exit. As the tremors worsened a thick tree cracked and came crashing down sending up a cloud of dirt and debris.
“Move it! Now!”

As Valerius shouted he and Lestat lunged forward, while Hannibal took the last steps back to Teival forcing him forward. The younger one out of the group look mortified but Hannibal was at his side shouting in his ear as the world came crashing down around them. Just up ahead they could see the others crashing through the foliage, they weren't that far from the border of the jungle, maybe closer, if they could out run the tremors…

Up ahead the ground was moving before Valerius’ eyes, he could see it swell and crack away into gaping holes. The air was getting thinner, easier to breath in, it was the first thing Valerius noticed in his blitz for freedom; they were close. In the rear Hannibal and Teival were struggling to stay close, the earth was breaking apart closer together, causing them to leap over the gaps as they ran. Another great tremor rocked the ground, dirt was breaking apart before Teival's eyes and Hannibal could see this from just behind.

“Jump Teival!" Making the gap onto solid ground would give them grip they needed to keep running.

Just as he made the leap brute force rammed into the back him, thrusting through the air and over the gaping hole in the earth leading into a dark craves. As he landed he swung his head back to catch Hannibal in mid jump, he landed hard and it only took a second for Teival to see he hadn't made it completely. Gripping onto the dirt with claws extend Hannibal struggled to hoist himself up, even as Teival moved to grab him it was to late. The soil crumbled around him he could only stare back at wide eyes before he slipped into darkness.

"Hannibal!" There wasn't time to grieve, everything was still crumbling around him, reluctantly he turned and continued to run after Valerius and Lestat. There was just no way this was happening, how was this even possible.

[LAD]

Saveve, Vance, Piper


The trip was long, tiring. Saveve was exhausted - and they'd only just made it half a mile out of jungle. The heat wasn't what bothered her - she'd grown far used to the humidity and had slowly gotten used to how it became hotter. Being next to a water source had helped - and hurt her however. The snakes were agitated, and more than once she'd had to fight a gorilla or two - barely making it out alive when they tried to stake claim to her water source and force her to move. After a few more days - she'd gotten tired of it, and with her cubs growing up - still small, but just shy of being teenagers - she'd realized maybe it was best to follow Verdammt's advice - with or without him here.

So she'd told her children to say good bye to their old home - they were going somewhere new. She'd taught them what she could about defending themselves but on this day, it didn't seem as if it were necessary... They'd barely passed any other creature in the Jungle. Piper and Vance trotted side by side eagerly enough and Saveve looked back near constantly to make sure the others were near by, following closely. But she halted once they'd exited the Jungle for a moment. Her motherly instincts had kicked in and she couldn't help but look around, confused for a moment. This entire time the Jungle had been quiet yes... But perhaps it'd been too quiet? "Keep going children." She murmured when Vance turned to look at her and he shrugged and nudged Piper to keep walking too. And it was only because she'd not been walking and was so focused on the lands around her that she felt it. Her eyes widened and her gaze flicked to her kids. She'd never felt such a thing before - and just as the thought crossed her mind the world around her and her kids erupted violently. "Run!" Adrenaline pulsed brightly through her as she moved to get her kids running, shoving each of them in the behind to make them go faster. There was no time to feel fear - she had to protect her kids. Should any lag behind, she would shove them - but she had to make sure they were running.

It wouldn't take long for a shout or two in the distance from behind to enter her mind and she pushed her children even harder. "Move it, or so help me you won't have your favorite food for weeks!" She hissed at them. But they weren't running fast enough as the ground seemed to fall apart before them. She lunged in front of her children to bring them to an abrupt skidding halt - using her body as a barrier to stop them. Heart in her throat she looked around, panic filling her and saw the three others that had perhaps been the source of the shouting. "HELP! Please, help my children!" She yelled for them, even as she ducked down to grasp Piper and put the child on her back, and grasped Vance to make the first leap. Putting them down she nudged them to run instantly and made the jump back for her others - she could only pray that they would indeed help as fear began to pulse within her.

[ashbaer]

Valerius still remained at the head of the group, Lestat still close behind, they kept moving forward making quick jumps over cracks and skidding when the earth opened before their toes. Lestat wasn't sure if his father was aware but they were down two others, a quick look over his shoulder showed him that no one was there. Snapping eyes back up front he bore deeper into the ground, he dare not yell up to his father about the missing brothers, there was nothing they could for them now.

Up ahead Valerius could spot another, a female... with cubs, it reminded him of his own cubs, and his legs slowed just a bit, Lestat was beside him ignoring the family. "We don't have time for this!"

While the two seemed to be figuring out their odds, Teival came crashing through a bush, he was focusing everything on survival, everything else seemed to be blocked out of his mind. When he had spotted his two 'companions' he had wanted nothing more then to throw them into the center of the earth. Instead his eyes had snapped to the mother and her cubs, there wouldn't be anyone left behind.

"Get out of the way or help," he shouted at the two as he ran over to Saveve, there wouldn't be time for introductions but he was there to help her.

Grabbing at which ever cub was closest he looked at the female, he would follow after her as he no idea where he was heading in the first place. From behind Lestat and Valerius had made up their decision and as well gathered a cub each, ready to follow after Saveve.

[LAD]

Saveve, Piper, Vance


It wasn't much longer before her pleas seemed to have been heard and the relief was staggering when one of the males came heading over, the other two following shortly after. She'd jumped back over the crest where she'd left Vance, placed Impression down along with Piper, and watched as Teival picked Vance up when he reached her. No there would be time for introductions but they were helping - the two males arriving shortly after picking up Rooney and Nymus - and that was all that mattered. Changing pace, she picked Impression up and placed the cub on her back, murmuring for him to hold on tightly, and grasped Piper. Only a heartbeat had passed when she realized they were waiting for her and she took off instantly. She knew these lands as they'd become her home - and she thought perhaps going to Forest would help her as the weather turned for worse.

But she could see off in the distance that this was not so. Thus, she'd taken a different turn, she'd begun running off towards north-east. Unknowingly, it would lead them close to Asylum, where the three behind her would hopefully reunite with their pride, but her goal wasn't there. Heading in the general direction was the only way she could hope that perhaps those in Forest - for surely this could not be the only affected place - would end up running into them. But she wasn't stupid enough to head towards the Volcano either - thus, heading eastward. Yet, even with help, luck would not be on her side. The ground erupted in front of her - a cliff side shooting straight up as it broke from where she stood. Saveve gasped sharply around Piper's scruff and she attempted to stop, but the speed at which she was running continued to pull her forward. The edge came closer and closer and without a second thought, Saveve jerked her head to the side, flinging Piper from her as she continued to slide. Piper squealed, her body slamming and rolling to a stop - thankfully not falling into any other cracks. But she pulled herself to her paws in horror as she watched her mother nearly fall over the edge.

Saveve had skidded to a harsh halt with her back end hanging off of the edge - but something else pulled her attention away as she crawled back up - the sudden loss of weight from her back and the child-like scream. As Saveve regained ground, she turned to look back into the open area, a strangled cry escaping her maw, "Impression!" She screamed for him, but it was too late - he disappeared soon after. Still, Piper's sudden cry caught her attention and Saveve stumbled away. She had to keep going. Dipping her head down once more, she grasped Piper and with one more hopeless look towards the cliff-side, she turned and began running a different direction, more careful now than before.

[ashbaer]

The three males were quick on their paws, as if jumping over cracks in the earth was an every day thing, they all had another purpose now. The three cleared the jump as Saveve had thrown a cub to safety, there was no stopping, but the cries could be heard as Teival and the others continued forward. A brief look over his shoulder showed that Saveve was still with them, Piper back in her maw. How many more would they lose on this day?

[Blair]

Nymus Ferment & Rooney Ferment


The two cubs were beyond freaked out; the ground breaking all around them and suddenly strangers had them! It was all quite terrifying and frustrating..but mostly terrifying. Nym started to believe that this was all just another nightmare of his- Rooney on the other hand thought it was very real. Regardless, the cubs whimpered and could simply dangle uselessly in the mouths of strangers.

The squeal from their sister, Piper, had both cubs looking back. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunate for them, they did not have a clear view of the events. However, they heard the scream and not long after was their Mother's cry- filled with agony and loss. That one word, that one name: Impression. It sent chills up and down their spine and they knew, they were one sibling short.

Nymus started sniffling, but it didn't take long for it to really sink in: this is a nightmare, except in real life. A real nightmare. The tears flowed from his eyes and he whimpered occasionally. Rooney gave her brother a bitter look- she had been trying to hold her composure- even as her eyes had welled up with tears. However, when her brother let the rivers flow, she couldn't contain it anymore. They had lost a brother- there was nothing that would be able to fill this hole.