Lost

[lorki]

(We time-warped a wee-bit. This is Before the large slave escape at the fort. She is wandering aimlessly around near camp moss. have at it.)


A break in the gray clouds found sunlight beaming down in spontaneous patches in the sky. It hit the gleaming frosted ground and bounced back in a glimmering shine. Despite the cold, the wet, the hunger pain she felt a smile creep across her features. True, the past few days had not been easy and she knew -no matter what effort she put into being ignorant- that her supply of food was next to nothing and her lack of survival skills would soon lead her to more trouble.

But for now she shrugged off the feeling of loneliness and pushed aside the knowledge of being lost to blink away the gleam from the sunlight. The sable was not at all ill equipped for such weather. Her fur went about its seasonal change and faithfully bulked out in the winter, however the oversize clothing she found herself wrapped in was not at all unwanted in the chill.

Sun faded and with it her momentary obliviousness. She found herself back to uneasy feeling of wandering, worrying. Lost, physically, with no intense desire to go to any certain place. She knew, in the back of her head, that she should find the place Tampa had told her of... but motivation was lacking. Lost, mentally pacing through her thoughts uneasily recalling the faces of her fellow slaves, of her ferret friend they would gladly see killed. Such sentiment he probably shared with them as well.

A sigh escaped her. Soko had pondered over this problem since Vsevolod had walked away from days ago. Still she had figured no way around the conflict and had only successfully tossed herself deeper into turmoil over it. She gritted her fangs together as she slipped and quickly hopped sideways to find her footing again. Let it go, she demanded of herself silently. She forced herself to retreat back to her childish optimism. Her place would find her, it would slowly seek her out and it would make things right.

At least that was what she was set to think for now. Her dark eyes lifted to glance about the endless forest before her, then dropped back down to watch her own march steps forward.

[Tirael]

Soko wasn't the only one walking the woods at the time. Tirael had felt the need to be alone for a short time; it wasn't altogether uncommon, so Skipper hadn't questioned him much as he departed. This wasn't without precedence, either; Tirael had heard the plan to free the slaves was going to be set in motion a few days later. The resulting conflict in his feelings, hope, fear, worry, impatience, had necessitated this little time to himself, something he couldn't get in the relatively close confines of Camp Moss.

He came out of his thoughts sharply as he heard another beast nearby. He hurried behind a thick tree trunk and peered around it to see Soko ambling by. He was unsure of what to do; he didn't know her, so he didn't know whether he could trust her, but it was cold, and he couldn't in clear conscience leave her out in the freeze. Stepping out from behind the tree, he called a little nervously, "Uh, excuse me...are you lost?" He was ready to duck back behind his tree if she tried anything, and he had taken his sling...hadn't he? Feeling it looped about his waist, he tried to hide a sigh of relief. Among his higher fears was being unprepared for something like this.

[lorki]

Soko, being quite unfamiliar with the woods, could not catch the sounds of steps nearing her. Rather she was oblivious until Tirael spoke to her.

"Uh, excuse me...are you lost?"

Before she could even register his words her head tipped quickly to face him, her dark eyes wide with horror. Her first thought was that she had yet to even touch a single knife that Vsevolod ad left her. She avoided the things strictly- unaware of how to use one properly yet alone fight with it.

Finally his words made since in her panicked mind and she quickly calmed down and her horrified expression was masked by a wary expression of surprise. She had yet to encounter another beast, and she had expected it to be a bit more hostile.

She stumbled around her mind to find words and without fully forming her sentence she replied, "Um... well." Was she? Well, yes, clearly she was. But did she particularly want to be found yet...

"I... yes. I am lost. I'm sorry you surprised me..." She trailed off,, he probably saw her as a threat.

Quickly she held out both paws for him to see and stepped forward, one out held in greeting. "I'm Soko." In the midst of her obvious brain fart she had even neglected to introduce herself using her full name.

[Tirael]

"I'm Soko."

Tirael hesitated at first, but took the paw she offered him. Shaking it, he said, "I'm Tirael." He was starting to like this Soko; she seemed nice, from the less than a minute he had known her for. Not much to make a judgment from, but he was quick to like some people. Letting go of her paw, he stood a little awkwardly, unsure of what to say, as he always was. For the millionth time, he made a mental note to work on that.

"So...were you, umm, actually looking for someplace in particular, or are you just trying to stay out until you freeze?" She looked cold, despite her thick coat and clothes. He was cold, only made sense she would be too.

[[Sorry, short...whatever, Tir's hardly a conversationalist. ]]

[lorki]

Soko let out a small chuckle at his comment. but the question was a serious one and it made her hesitate. She couldn't not simply blurt out 'Oh I'm from the Fort, looking for the random camp in the middle of the woods somewhere.' Especially if he was from there... a sable from the fort would be seen as a dangerous thing. Not someone to gladly show into a hidden camp.

Confused about just how to tip toe about this subject she glanced around her- searching for some form of inspiration. There was no other way around it...

Rather then answering she looked back to Tir, surely there was no particularly easy way about explaining herself. She plucked what shreds of courage she had force herself to develop over the past few weeks and spoke, "are you from Camp Moss?" She paused then quickly added, "I was a slave, at the Fort. An otter named Tampa told me to find it."

She braced for the worst, hoping that the time it took Tirael to get over his surprise and act she could devise a plan for whatever action he took afterward.

[Tirael]

"Are you from Camp Moss?" She paused then quickly added, "I was a slave, at the Fort. An otter named Tampa told me to find it."

Tirael's somewhat awkward smile quickly was replaced by a look of stunned shock; his insides turned icy at the mention of his sister. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. The end result was widened eyes and a stupid blank expression as he tried to assimilate what Soko had just said. After a good few seconds, he blinked and found his voice. "Tam..." he murmured. Looking down briefly, he struggled to not begin interrogating Soko about her. Managing to fight down the impulse, he looked up and said, "Y-yeah, I'm from Camp Moss...Tampa's my sister." Once again, he had to look down as he suppressed another surge of emotion. Looking away, he said quietly, "It's this way." He looked briefly at Soko before looking back down and leading the way toward his home.

[lorki]

"Y-yeah, I'm from Camp Moss...Tampa's my sister."

"Oh!" Soko jerked up suddenly, surprised by how lucky she was to have mentioned the name. She thought of Tampa and the others back at the Fort, true she had abandoned them without explanation and the guilt of it remained but... surely now that she had found the camp she could right things.

"I'm sorry you must be so worried." Of course she could not know, unfortunately for her she knew the exact whereabouts of her family. "She's doing well though, last I saw her. I'm sure she is still alright." She did her best to be reassuring, while still reminding herself of Tampa's temper and her attitude with the guards... luck would keep her alive more then anything else. Soko could simply hope that Tampa never met with her other close friend- the ferret Captain. That thought was almost humorous... almost.

She trailed behind the otter, surprised still at how quickly she had managed to talk her way out of being a threat and into being a friend... but considering she had spoken of his sister she imagined the otter may be acting more rash then he would have otherwise.

[Tirael]

"I'm sorry you must be so worried."

Tirael said nothing to this, but it hurt to hear it. He could be plenty worried without somebeast he had just met reminding him he was.

"She's doing well though, last I saw her. I'm sure she is still alright."

Tirael stopped and looked at Soko. Sighing, he said, "She has to be." Looking forward again, he added, "I need her to be." Something about Soko's attitude made him feel more open than usual, though of course he still held back a great deal. Complete and total confidance had only ever been a burden he placed on Tampa. Trying to lose the thought, he changed the subject. "So...how did you escape? Did anybeast else?" The second part hung in the air; it was obvious whom he meant by that, but of course he didn't say it. For one thing, he didn't dare believe it.

He could only take so much shattered hope.

[lorki]

"So...how did you escape? Did anybeast else?"

That question threw her off. She knew how bad it sounded to have abandon the other slaves -particularly his sister- to be kindly escorted out of the Fort by one of N'tashi's Captains who may have harmed any other beast in her position. They couldn't possibly understand his situation... let alone want to hear of it.

Soko could not bring herself to lie to the otter, especially considering he was so generously leading her to the camp- to food and warmth. She shamelessly dodged the question. "No... Just me. I wish I could have brought the rest with me but I couldn't."

She searched for a question for him to divert the attention away from the one she had ignored. "So... Tirael, could you tell me about the Camp?" She did not need to tell him she was nervous, her long tail swished uneasily behind her and her dark tipped ears laid flat against her skull . She feared reactions like the one she had gotten from River back at the Fort. Tiraels acceptance was comforting but she was well aware of how dangerous she could look to some of them.

[Tirael]

"No... Just me. I wish I could have brought the rest with me but I couldn't."

Tirael looked at Soko, who was now coming up alongside him. She looked guilty, and he assumed it was because she couldn't bring him good news about Tampa. He hadn't expected news like that anyways; a short time after Tam's enslavement, he had been told the truth about why she was now a slave, why she was no longer there to laugh with him, to comfort him, to be his best friend and big sister at the same time. For a while he had been angry, felt as though the one he had been closest to had abandoned him, that she didn't really care. Of course, however, guilt and the memories of all she had done for him eventually overturned these beliefs, and bitterness turned into painful longing. Before long it was all he could do to wish for her to come back. But days ran into weeks ran into months, and he eventually gave up his vigil, feeling as though she had died or left forever.

Then the meeting, a few days ago. The plan that now seemed feasible, a real way to get the slaves out. It was like hearing the dead had come back to life; at first, it had brought amazing joy and hope to him. He might see Tampa again! Then, doubt and worry set in. What if the plan didn't work, and his sister remained trapped at that cursed fort? Or worse, what if it did, but she wasn't among the escaped? What if she never came back? This was why he had been walking this morning, why he needed to be alone. Now here had come a complete stranger, a slave who knew his sister.

He couldn't say much for Soko's timing.

"So... Tirael, could you tell me about the Camp?"

Tirael's emotions settled somewhat as he summarized his home to Soko. "Well...it's all underground, tunnels and such. There's families there, and warriors; all the goodbeasts in Mossflower, almost. A lot of 'em can cook, too," he said with a small smile, imagining that must be what Soko was thinking about. To be honest, he was getting hungry too. He hadn't had breakfast before he left, and it was probably over by now, but the kitchens were always available for use...

[lorki]

Soko padded along beside the otter, watching him carefully. She had a habit of observation- it helped her figure others out, and she prided herself on knowing all she could about somebeast by what was offered. Tirael was clearly concerned for his sister, she didn't need to see that to know it. His worry was well placed, Soko knew.

"Well...it's all underground, tunnels and such. There's families there, and warriors; all the goodbeasts in Mossflower, almost. A lot of 'em can cook, too,"

She smirked at his comment, it was not quite the information she'd been looking for, but it was well received anyhow. "Sounds just about perfect then." She paused and glanced about expecting so find some sort of cave-like entrance. She would not ask, certainly she would know soon enough. "What do you do at the Camp?"

[Tirael]

"Sounds just about perfect then."

Tirael nodded. "It is, in a way." It wasn't only sadness he had felt at Camp Moss; in fact, from just before his adoption until this point the majority of his time there had been a happy life. With any luck, it would be like that again soon.

"What do you do at the Camp?"

The otter hid a grin as he saw Soko look for an entrance. It reminded him of the previous year, when he had escorted Fern to the Camp for the first time. He wondered how this second new arrival would react once she saw where the Camp was. "Me? Oh, I'm just a healer." He hadn't divulged this particular information for the reason that he didn't want to seem helpless to somebeast that might have found a reason to hurt him. Healers were easy targets for those who lacked honor in battle, something he fortunately had learned the easy way.

[lorki]

"A healer." She smiled widely, "I havn't met one before. A few of the slaves back at the fort know some things... but mostly its all common sense stuff. Nothing impressive." Sadly Soko herself couldn't do much. She knew nothing of healing, nor combat, she could cook but her knowledge was limited to meals she made day after day for the horde. These facts did not bother her much, she was continually painfully optimistic about her new situation and the possibility for taking advantage of her freedom.

He surprised her by the way he said 'just a healer' to her the job seemed quite important. More impressive by far then the dish washing, snow shoveling, laundry skills she possessed. Soko wondered quietly if all the beasts of the camp were so open and friendly.

[Brooke]

Brookesong had been sent to go find Tirael as no one had seen him all morning. She went out the wider exit and walked around to the other side only to come out behind Tirael. She immediately put her paw on her sling when she saw him talking to a Sable, but he wasn't tense so she guessed that she was good. Brooke heard him start to talk about the healing he does at Camp. Putting a paw to her lips motioning for the Sable to keep quiet, she inched closer and when she was in a close enough distance she ran and tackled him.

"TIR!!!!!" she yelled down his ear.

[[Hehehe!! Sorry... shortness!]]

[Tirael]

"I havn't met one before. A few of the slaves back at the fort know some things... but mostly its all common sense stuff. Nothing impressive."

Tirael nodded. "I suppose they wouldn't have much to work with, anyways." Unlike the slaves, he had access to both his own stores and the resources that Mossflower so willingly grew for him. He had also had the opportunity to learn the job; he was not forced to farm or serve captors all day. He saw Soko's eyes flash briefly to something else. Suddenly cautious, he murmured, "What's goin-"

"TIR!!!!!"

The healer in question managed to turn about halfway around before being smashed into by a very enthusiastic Brookesong. Yelping in surprise, he was knocked to the ground by a running otter for the second time that winter. Still, this didn't leave him any more prepared; he felt the breath burst from his body the moment he made impact with the ground. Now dazed, he fought to regain his wits. "Unh, good morning t' you too, Brooke. Now d'ya mind gettin' offa me, this snow is kinda cold.." He was actually grateful for the fact that she had tackled him near a snowdrift; it was far less painful than landing on hard ground. Remembering his other companion, he said, "Uhh, Soko, this is Brookesong, my half-crazy friend."