Orlain

"Heya, wanna go for a ride. I need to get away from all the angst, " Rane asked with a smile. She was saddened by Joey's leave but she always tried to stay positive. At least he wasn't dead.

Taiju glanced back into his room as though something in there would help him confirm his answer; his swords lay on his bed. He supposed he wouldn't be sparring tonight.

"That sounds good," he replied. "I could probably stand to be out of here for awhile myself. I'll just get my cloak and blades and we can go."

Rane smiled happily, "alright." She turned around to move away from the door a little bit, patting River on the head.
Even though River was talking he usually kept quiet. Years of not being able to talk made his used to the idea of not talking.
She waited for Taiju and then headed down the hall and out of the inn when he was ready.

Taiju fastened his cloak around his shoulders as he headed out of his room, grateful that his recently-healed wrist allowed him the luxury of doing so himself. He glanced toward the doors of the other rooms as they passed, knowing nobody had returned throughout the day in a cheerful mood.

"Sometimes I wish they were all a little easier to deal with," he remarked blandly.

"I can agree with you," Rane nodded, "sometimes it is really hard to sympathetic with them. But I usually stop thinking about it if it starts to bother me too much.." She headed toward the stables, glancing over at Taiju.
"They handle things so differently from you and I that I think it's hard for us to understand them all the time.."

"I don't think they're used to the idea that things can happen at a moment's notice. Then again, I don't know how well I would take it if someone close to me did something like that, either. For everyone's sake, I wish he'd just get his ass back here." Taiju shook his head as they reached the stables and busied himself with his horse, not wanting to think much about their situation.

Rane fell silent as well, brushing her horse down quickly and saddled it up. She lead her dark horse outside of the stable and mounted before turning her horse to face Taiju.
"We are getting out to NOT think about the drama for a little while," she reminded with a teasing smile.
Her horse pranced a little in the spot it stood. It hadn't been ridden since they came to this city. Anywhere Rane needed to go around town she could walk.

"No, you're right. Sorry." Taiju smiled lightly in apology as he hefted himself into the stallion's saddle. After getting his bearings, he looked back to Rane. "So was there somewhere in particular you wanted to go?" he asked, remembering rather little about the area outside of the city other than the fact that it was grassy.

Rane shrugged lightly, "not really, I just want to go out and have fun." He turned her horse toward the main entrance of the city and started walking.
She thought to herself for a moment before asking, "do you remember the pond that we went by on the way here?" She was referring to a large pond they passed about 3 miles away from the city.

Taiju thought for a moment, leading his horse to follow shortly behind Rane's, then eventually nodded. "It's not too far from here," he said thoughtfully. "That wouldn't be a bad place to stop."

"That's what I was thinking," Rane nodded, "I was also thinking..." She paused for a moment as the exited the city and they were no longer around people to run over. "That we could race there!" She laughed as she kicked her horse in the sides and it took off as fast as it could. River was short to fallow after her.
"Come on slow poke!" Rane called back to Taiju, still laughing.

Taiju looked after Rane in surprise, then laughed and urged his horse into a gallop to catch up to Rane. Before starting to travel with the group, he had been less than fond of horseback riding and would have balked at the idea of racing--now he had to admit a certain thrill to it. As the wind threw back his hair and cloak, he felt strangely carefree, something he hadn't felt in ages--nor without the alcohol to help it.

Rane kept her horse at a slower gallop until Taiju caught up. Then she pushed her mare to go faster and faster. She knew the horses were strong enough to not die from their little race. In fact, the horses seemed to like it. It was a good moment to stretch their legs without having to walk for days.
Rane laughed as her horse ran, her heavy hooves pounding onto the ground as they went. With every stride she could hear the horse inhale and exhale. Her own cloak had blown back over her shoulders and her poor excuse for a braid was coming undone. She glanced at the ground, almost amazed at how fast it was moving under them. She could forget sometimes how fast a horse could go. She wasn't one for speed or a whole lot of adventure. That usually got her into trouble. But she couldn't help but enjoy the feelings that having a little bit of fun gave her. Or being around Taiju gave her.
As she looked back up a small log came into view. Before she could think about reacting her horse had already smoothly jumped it. She laughed again, a little from fear. She had never had to jump a horse before, not at this speed anyway. Thank goodness her horse knew what to do.
For a moment while they ran, everything was perfect again. She glanced to her side to see if Taiju was having as much fun as she was. And then at River. They both seemed to be having a good time.

In the distance she could see in the pond, nestled by some trees, coming into view.

As they drew close to the pond, Taiju drew his horse to a slower pace until they could walk the last few feet. He felt strangely winded after the ride despite having done none of the running, but it was a good feeling, and he enjoyed it. When they were finally at the waterside, he slid from the saddle and tied his horse to one of the lower branches of a tree, then ran a hand through his mussed hair--he never cared to actually keep it in any sort of style, but the wind certainly felt like it had done a number on it.

Rane did the same as Taiju, slowing her horse and then getting off once to the pond. She tired her horse up as well so it could eat and drink. She laughed at River who just kept running and jumped into the pond, cooling himself off and lapping up the water.
She pulled her fingures through her hair for a moment, fixing it the best she could, but not caring too much.
"Lost my tie for my hair.." She thought out loud before moving to sit over in the soft grass. Before she sat she unhooked her cloak and let it fall into the grass.

Taiju laughed lightly as he went to sit by Rane, making himself comfortable in the long grass. "You should lose it more often," he remarked, leaning back on his hands as he looked to her. He cast a glance at River from the corner of his eye and found himself wishing the wolf hadn't followed, but was silent on the matter.

Rane smirked at Taiju, "you are always saying something like that." She leaned back onto the plush grass, rolling onto her side to face him. She propped her head up on her hand, still smiling.
"So I think I won the race..." She remarked.

River dipped in and out of the water for a bit before getting out of the pond on the opposite side. He shook all the extra water off and then trotted off into the bushes, sniffing around before he was on the trail of a squirrel.

"Well, you're always not listening to me," Taiju countered. "If I have to repeat myself until you do, then so be it." He then waved his hand dismissively at the race. "And as for that, you took off before even telling me what was going on, so I'd hardly call it fair."

"It was so far!" Rane argued playfully, giving Taiju a shove. "You are just a sore looser!" She glanced over to were River had run off and noticed that she couldn't see him. But she thought little of it. There wasn't anything dangerous around here.
She decided to scoot even closer to Taiju, taking advantage of their alone-ness.

"Maybe you're just bad at setting up a fair game," Taiju replied with a smirk. Likewise noticing River had gone for one thing or another, he sat up and subtly slid his arm around Rane. "I don't really know if you won anything."

Rane took a moment to reply to that, glancing over Taiju for just a moment. "I think I won you over, so I did win something," She grinned, blushing lightly. It was amazing that he could still make her blush. Most couples were out of that stage by now. She wondered if he ever so slight shyness with him would ever go away. In some ways, she didn't want it to.

Taiju laughed softly. "I'll admit, you don't have to try very hard to do that," he said. He smiled a bit when he noticed her blush--how long had it been and they still were embarrassed in each other's company? He supposed it didn't matter as long as he wasn't the only one. Without waiting for a response, he leaned in to kiss her.

It was a good thing Taiju had kissed her cause Rane couldn't think of a good response. She closed her eyes when their lips met and kissed him back warmly. One hand moved to his jaw and then slowly back into his hair. She felt her heart flutter softly and she wasn't completely sure why it did. Yeah, his kisses did that to her from time to time, but this flutter what different? She couldn't really explain it to herself and so ignored it.

Taiju shifted slightly to better face Rane, his hold tightening slightly as they continued. He couldn't remember the last time they had actually had time together--between planning with Kerian, training, and the various disasters the group seemed to attract, there was barely any time to speak during the day, let alone enjoy anything more private. He intended to make the most of this.

Rane pulled away from the kiss and looked up into his eyes. She thought about saying something, but all words seemed pointless at this point. She was sure he could tell how happy she was. After a second she dove back into the kiss, pulling her body closer to his until she was pressed against him.

Taiju pulled Rane as close as he could, never wanting to let her go. His other hand slid lovingly up her side and across her shoulder before tangling into her hair, guided less by thought and more by instinct. All his other worries seemed a million miles away at that point--he couldn't have remembered if he'd tried. There were only the two of them and nothing else would have mattered.

Rane felt a strange shiver crawl up her spine. It was different, but nice. Without thinking she let her other hand move to his back, pushing up his tunic just enough to touch his skin with her finger tips.
A second later she felt a sharp pain in her side and was forced to pull away from Taiju. She gasped from the pain and quickly put her hand over her side. She winced when that only made it hurt worse and her side felt warm. When she moved her hand to look blood was quickly soaking her dress.

Taiju couldn't suppress a not-unpleasant shudder when Rane's fingers grazed his skin. He let his hand trail back toward Rane's collar and along her neck, catching the edge of the lacy top. He was wondering just where this might lead when Rane suddenly gasped in pain, quickly snapping him out of the pleasant haze.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting up immediately. He quickly caught sight of the blood and his eyes widened. "What happened?"

Rane tried to sit up, wincing. "I don't k-know..." She stuttered, then she realized something. "Where's River!?" She quickly looked around for the wolf and tried to stand up, nearly falling over from the pain.
River was no where to be seen. The only explanation was that River was getting hurt, and in turn hurting Rane.

Taiju swore and let Rane go as gently as he could, getting to his feet. "I'll go look for him," he said. "He couldn't have gone too far from here." He felt sick as he remembered the last time that River had been kidnapped; he hoped that it wouldn't end so badly again.

Just before Taiju left Rane gasped out in pain again as huge claw marks appeared on her shoulder. Blood instantly dripped from the gashes. "Hurry Taiju..." She whimpered, grinding her teeth from the pain. Off in the direction that River left there was a faint yelp at the same moment Rane had gasped. And the horses were scarred by something, prancing in their spot and pulling at their ties.

Taiju hesitated only a brief second; could he leave Rane behind? What if he didn't find River and Rane grew worse while he searched? What if he was too late for either of them?

He shook the thoughts from his mind and took off at a mad sprint toward the pained yelp he'd heard. His mind raced as he thought of what he might find there.

As Taiju grew closer to the sound it was soon accompanied by a loud roar. Not like a cat roar. Something bigger.
River met Taiju, running back toward the pond limping from the wound on his shoulder and his side. He whined when he saw Taiju, tripping and falling over just before they met.

"Go run.." River stuttered, forgetting he could talk for a moment. He didn't want Taiju to get hurt.

In the direction River came from something huge was fallowing him. And that something was very angry. When it came into view it was at a full run, it was a giant grizzly bear.

Taiju breathed a swear and almost forgot to draw his weapons. Of all the dangers he would have expected to find out here--bandits, stupid kids, other wolves--this was the last of them. He took a step back, but even though his instincts told him to run, he didn't think River could make it back alone, and he feared River might lead the beast straight back to Rane.

Against his better judgement, he drew his blades.

River closed his eyes tightly as the bear drew closer. The bear stopped about 10 feet away from Taiju and River, standing on it's hind legs, making it almost 15 feet tall, and roaring loudly. The bear wasn't afraid of Taiju, it was in a blind rage for some reason. It stepped forward a few times and swung it's claws wildly at Taiju.

Taiju swore again and ducked under the bear's claws. He had no idea how to go about this, and killing an animal was less than appealing, but he doubted he had much of an option. He swung back at the bear, aiming to end it quickly for both their sakes.

The bear was relentless, but when Taiju's blades cut into it, it stumbled back and fell to all fours again.
River was slowly limping away, trying to get out of the danger, not for his sake, but Rane's. He knew if he got hurt Rane did as well.
The bear attention turn to the wolf though, seeing it as the easier target it stormed after him, slamming its paw into the side of River's body. It's claws dug in as River was tossed into a tree. He slammed into the tree, letting out a yelp. When the wolf fell limp the bear turned back toward Taiju and ran at him, limping and bleeding heavily from it's own wounds.

Taiju forced himself not to drop what he was doing and check on River, knowing that doing so meant the bear would have more of a chance to attack him. He hoped that both he and Rane were okay and went as quickly as he could, aiming for the bear's vital points to take it down more quickly.

Just as Taiju came close enough to hit the bear it swiped one last time, clawing at his chest. But his swords still entered it's massive body. The bear fell loudly to the ground and tried to get up a few times before its body gave out and it died.

River lay next to the tree on his side, unmoving still, blood matting his thick grey fur.

Taiju couldn't dodge the last blow in time; the bear's claws tore through his shirt and gouged into his chest, creating gashes that immediately began bleeding. He dropped his swords and put one hand over the new wound; though pained, it didn't seem to be life-threatening yet, so he carefully picked his way over to River.

River whined very softly but didn't move. He was tired and weak from blood loss. He moved just his pale white eyes to look at Taiju.
"I... I can't move... My back legs..." He said very softly. He was pretty scarred, he could feel his life draining from him. He wasn't afraid of death, his time was coming soon anyway. He was worried for Rane. Nobody had any idea how it would effect her.

Taiju knelt for a moment beside River, silently digesting the news. How was Rane now? He tried not to imagine the pain she might be in while he wasn't even there--or wonder whether she had fallen into the same state of paralysis that River seemed to.

He inhaled a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You had to pick a fight with a bear," he lamented as he moved to very carefully lift the wolf. He couldn't leave River behind to check on Rane. He just hoped he wouldn't lose too much blood on the way back, either.

River snorted weakly, as if to laugh. "I couldn't help myself... I was only trying to ask her on a date..." He teased quietly. He was lying, he didn't even see the bear before it attacked him. But it was a funny thought. His blood matted fur started to slow the flow from his wounds but it didn't help much since he started dripping blood from his mouth.
He watched the ground as Taiju walked, not being able to do much more.
"I'm s-sorry..."

"Sorry?" Taiju repeated. "I was joking. I didn't think you intentionally tried to get yourself killed by a bear."

He was quiet for a moment, thinking and wishing that he could move faster (which was impossible while wounded and carrying a rather large wolf). After a moment, he spoke again: "You said you couldn't feel your legs. Could that have . . . Would the same have happened to Rane? Everything else does, after all . . ."

"Probably..." River answered weakly. "That's why I am sorry... I d-don't think I'm going to m-make it... And I don't kn-know what will happen to Rane... So I am sorry. If she d...dies... I'm sorry..." His white eyes closed as the very last of his energy left him. He wasn't dead yet, but he couldn't stay awake any longer.

Back in the spot Taiju had left Rane, she was lying there, arms curled loosely around her stomach. She seemed to be unconscious. Blood stained her dress in all the same spots at River and her cheeks were wet from tears.

Taiju was silent for the rest of the walk, fighting a wave of nausea. He didn't know what to do or what he would do if Rane were permanently injured or killed.

Upon reaching the pond again, he gently set River in the grass, then half-stumbled to his knees next to Rane. His breath caught in his throat as he pushed some hair from Rane's face and looked over the wounds she had. "Rane, c'mon," he said weakly. "I need you to wake up . . ."

At first Rane didn't move. But after a moment of silence her eyes barely opened. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her foggy mind. She didn't notice Taiju, letting her eyes close again, welcoming the slippery slope of unconsciousness to relieve her of the pain.

"No--no! Rane, please . . ." Taiju didn't hear the desperation starting to creep into his voice. The panic twisted his stomach and threatened to make him sick. He shook her by the shoulder, trying to rouse her again, and cast a pleading glance around the area. The sun was setting and the fields were empty aside from the three of them and the horses. He didn't have time to go back to the city for help and doing so would mean leaving Rane and River behind. He couldn't heal and barely knew anything about medicine, and he knew that whatever he could do would probably be pointless.

Taiju felt utterly helpless.

((aw now I feel bad.... OH WELL))

Rane was just about to slip off when Taiju shook her. She weakly looked up at him and a smile tugged at her lips. "Did... You f-find River?" She asked weakly, wincing at how dry her throat felt. She tried to weakly look around Taiju for her wolfy brother.

Taiju couldn't help a small amount of relief at seeing Rane wake again, which was quickly washed away by the reality of the situation. "I did," he replied quietly. "He'd been attacked by a bear. I managed to kill it, but . . ." He gestured halfheartedly to to the gashes across his chest, then looked at River. "He . . . he doesn't look good. He said he doesn't think he'll make it, and I don't--I don't know."