Overgrown Memory {Open}

[Treble Tiderunner]

Skipper stepped onto the bank of the river, looking up and around him. The landscape was overgrown, willows and other water-loving plants. The footing was slightly marshy underpaw, the light looked dark green and the air was muggy and thick, but it was unmistakable.

The short older otter grinned and turned to the younger otters behind him. He definitely got a sense of homecoming, however dilapidated. This was just a patrol, out to check on the status of Camp Willow and to determine what needed to be done. Much of his patrol was comprised of young beasts, who had never set paw in the ancient otter home before.

"Welcome t'Camp Willow, lads'n'lasses!"

[Fleech-Hunter]

Shadows danced on every peripheral of the eagle's vision. He could swear he smelt Skyking on the wind, their blood thick and strong and leading him ever southward.

But it was naught but a fever dream. Halvor could smell nothing as his ruffled feathers took him further towards lush territory. A wound to his head was matted over with blood, obscuring the vision of his left eyes. Bedraggled, exhausted and covered in old wounds the eagle pressed on with an undying sense of persistence. He needed to assure his victory, attain revenge for his family.

Little did he know it was already achieved. The last of the Skykings succumbed to their wounds some two days prior, but Halvor had lost sight of them and assumed they'd continued their flight south like the cowards they were, seeking to escape the wrath of the Highguard.

Hazy and exhausted, Halvor found himself drifting closer and closer towards land. Broken feathers and torn flesh littered his battered body as he shrieked out his anger to the skies. He must find them! He must succeed!

But the flesh could no longer abide the commands of the spirit. Feverish and aching, Halvor drifted further down. In one last moment of consciousness he was able to offer a fearsome shriek before his world went black.

He crashed like a brown and white meteorite, tumbling through the tree branches, fumbling through the foliage in a daze until he finally struck water. In some unfortunate turn of luck he landed headlong into the swift currents of the River Moss. Tumbling, spluttering and only half conscious he attempted to keep his fearsome head above water, shrieking angrily as he flapped his wings in a useless manner.

Without aid, the raptor would surely drown.

[Treble Tiderunner]

“Eh, Skipp, wot’s that?” Emile asked, her face turned upwards as the group tried to find the source of the fierce screech that had torn the air. Skipper turned towards the sound of tearing leaves and cracking branches, finally spotting the bird as it crashed through the last branch and hurtled towards the river. “Its an eagle.” He ran a few steps and dove into the water, feeling the ache as the cold water hit his scars, but they were soon numbed, and it felt good to be in water once more.

He was downstream of the raptor as it was carried along by the careless current, speeding towards the older otter. Skipper attempted to get close, but the flapping and shrieking proved difficult to pass by. “Calm down!” He shouted, dashing water at the bird’s face. “Stop! I’m tryin’ t’ ‘elp!”

[Fleech-Hunter]

The cold water quickly numbed the bird to the very core, the ache in his wounds forgotten as he floundered helplessly in the frigid current. Struggling to keep his fierce head above water, the eagle was quickly becoming exhausted.

A frightening eye blinked in the otter's direction as the raptor heard faintly the creature's voice. But the roar of the water and the beating of his own heart kept him from hearing the creature's words, he could only barely see his face as he struggled against the current.

Not knowing the otter's intent, the eagle attempted to bat the creature away with his powerful wings. But it was impossible in the swift flowing water, all the creature was doing was tiring himself out further, causing his motions to slow and his breathing to nearly stop as water threatened to enter his lungs.

[Treble Tiderunner]

Skipper eyed the flailing bird again, treading water as the Moss swept them along. The bird was quite large, easily the size of at least a small badger. It was hard to tell, what with all the flailing and shrieking. But it was tiring rapidly, and was even currently swallowing a lot of water. Skipper took a deep breath and sank down until he touched river mud. Setting his rudder against it, he tensed his powerful limbs and pushed off strongly. He arrowed to the surface, breaking water behind the eagle.

His momentum carried him out of the water, and he dove at the bird, somehow catching the wings at just the right moment, pinning them to the feathery body. This had barely taken seconds, and now he saw his crew surrounded him. Together they got the bird to shore, hauling out onto a low grassy bank some distance from Camp willow. Emile leaned over the bird. “Is it alive?”

[Fleech-Hunter]

Halvor blacked out as something came down upon him. His eyes glazed over as he swallowed several mouthfuls of water. No longer able to struggle, he might have sank into the undercurrents, but luckily the otter had managed to grasp him, and with the help of his crew pulled him to the bank.

Unconscious, Halvor was met with nothing but a suffocating blackness. Something roiled in his stomach, and his lungs burned as though on fire. It seemed like hours that he tossed and turned in that horrible blackness, the pain in his lungs so severe he felt nauseous. He could take it no longer, suddenly coming awake, the eagle retched several mouthful of waters onto the bank as he somehow struggled to his side, talons seeking purchase in the soft bank mud that was quickly caking his glorious plumage.

Rasping his breath, the injured eagle breathed heavily and murmured several things that were incomprehensible. His eyes fluttered, but eventually closed as his breathing slowed and returned to normal, but he once more slipped into unconsciousness, finally succumbing to his own wounds and inescapable exhaustion.

(( OOC: Feel free to move him and time warp, he won't awake for several days. ;3 ))

[Treble Tiderunner]

Skipper pushed twice on the bird’s chest, sitting back quickly when it started retching water. He looked around at the solemn faces, then back at the eagle, who seemed to have drifted off again. “He is now.” He said simply.

---

Fire crackled, sending sparks and lovely smells floating upward on smoke. The otter patrol was crouched around it, stealing glances at their surprise guest occasionally, but most of their attention was on a skinny darker-furred otter. He stood near the fire, supervising the cooking of their dinner. Only Skipper was sitting back from the warmth, welcome in the cool night, only the slightest highlights of fire picking out his fur and gleaming in his eyes.

A rustle of feathers and the grainy sound of mud cracking brought his attention to the bird at his side. He said nothing, merely watching the bird.