She let him go off looking for his breakfast, and put a potful of water from the stream to boil on the fire. They were about halfway to their destination now, and with every step they took her resolve for harder.
Axel was going to die.
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Rick woke up slowly from a peaceful sleep and opened his eyes to see the slowly brightening sky. He didn't get up right away, instead watching the wispy clouds and methodically perusing his memories of the last couple days.
After a while, he found a memory that made him blink and glance over at Charlotte. "Hey," he said. "I just remembered….yesterday we were makin' a plan and we said we'd go after those guys we heard a rumor about that were transportin' some kid. Or at least, I think we said that. What do we think of that idea now?"
(Aright so guess who got themselves a job finally mild confetti I'm just letting you know because I actually start today, and it's a full day, so I probably won't be online again until tomorrow. Wish me luck! TvT)
(ah sorry I only saw this now!! CONGRATS! HOW DID IT GO????)
(Oh shoot I completely forgot about that)
"Do you think it's worth the detour?" Charlotte asked, pouring put two cups of clean water.
(It went well! I mean I'm now a kennel assistant at a vet clinic, so it was still kind of exhausting and overwhelming and I feel like I got hosed with information during training but only absorbed a small amount. But overall it was okay ^^)
Rick sat up and accepted the drink, trying to fix his tousled hair with his free hand. "Well it depends on how we plan to actually find 'em. The girl who told me about it didn't give any details on where they might be right now…." His eyes lit on the spot where Slash had been sleeping. "….Hmm….y'know, Deorns are legendary for their sense of smell. If we can give him somethin' to look for, maybe he could track 'em down for us while we keep on movin'."
(Okay! Well, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it! Besides, it's a very noble profession so props to you XD)
Charlotte downed half her own glass before looking over at him. "That would work, except that we have nothing for him to smell."
(Thank-you! XD)
Rick looked like he hadn't quite given up on the idea. "Well, when he get's back, let's ask him what he's capable of. If he doesn't think there's a way, maybe we're better off just headin' forward."
Slash returned to camp about fifteen minutes later in human form, looking a bit more alert and twirling a grouse feather between his fingers. "Hi."
(Yeah! Let me know how everything goes!)
Charlotte drank the last of her water. "Slash. Rick wants to talk to you about something. I'll start packing up." She headed straight to her blanket and started rolling it to put it away in her bag.
(I will!)
Rick was busy polishing off a portion of last night's cooked venison. He pointed his fork at Slash. "You any good at tracking, son?"
Slash tilted his head with a frown. "Yeah, tracking's easy."
"How about if you don't have a scent to lock on to right away?"
"Like…..what do you mean?"
Rick began packing up the rest of the meat. "I'll get to the point. There's a chance we might want you to track down a group of people, but we don't know where they're at and we don't have a scent trail to show you. I heard a rumor once that you Deorns don't need those things, though. Is there any other way you could find 'em?"
Slash sat down, thinking. "Well….if you can tell me everything about them, I might be able to. Like, what they look like and how they act and how old or healthy they are, stuff like that."
Rick looked dubious, then brightened. "You know what? I have a better idea. Charlotte, how about you describe the kid you think might be with 'em, and then Slash can track them?"
She stiffened— those were very raw memories. But… if there was a chance they could rescue her it'd be worth it. "She—" Shit. My voice is already shaky. She cleared her throat. "She'd be 14 now. Unhealthy, very thin and overworked. She's got curly strawberry blonde hair down just past her shoulders." She paused. "And grey eyes that look blue in certain lights. She's not very tall. She moves with a lot grace, she's agile and always light on her feet. Her right front tooth is missing." The details were flooding back as she went. "She used to laugh all the time and never stop smiling. She's more loyal than anyone I've ever known, and stubborn. She's got scars all over her back, mostly done by sabres. She's also got a scar on her left shin, that's the deepest one. I would say she's hopeful, if they haven't broken her yet. She'll smell of rain, lilies and cotton fabric. She's very musically inclined, so listen out for humming. You'll feel her joy from a mile away, too. And her fierceness. The second she sees me coming she'll be up for a fight." She inhaled sharply, cutting off the flow of thoughts. "Anything else?"
Slash listened very intently. "She's human, right? Nothing weird about her?"
Charlotte bit her lip. "I think she might have had some injections. Hormones, most probably Deorn hormones. But she won't look any different."
Slash nodded. "Kay." Turning, he trotted up the nearest hill shifting back into animal form as he did so. He settled himself at the hill's highest point and lifted his nose to the wind, squinting in concentration.
Rick watched him for a second. "I guess we'll see if the rumors are true. I've heard a lot of crazy stories about what Deorns are capable of." He glanced at Charlotte. "Do we wanna wait until he gives a report before we head out?"
(I brb real quick)
('kay)
"I do." She clipped her bag closed. "Let's take down the fire." With a thick stick the broke the stick formation, kicking dirt over the remaining embers.
Rick followed suit, glancing at the rising sun. "So….if we do find your kid…what's the plan from there?"
"She'll be useful. Might need some time to get back on her feet, but she can fight. She'll come with us."
(btw I guess it's up to you–can Slash find her? And if so, where is she roughly?)
"Alright. I gotta say, I'm curious to meet her. She sounds like quite the character."
Charlotte nodded hesitantly, before letting herself smile. "She's an incredible kid."
(Yeah he finds her, as for where you can pick)
(aright ^^)
Slash had been sitting completely still for several minutes, but now suddenly he shook himself and trotted back down the hill. "Found her. Are you guys coming with, or do you want me to go get her by myself?"
"No way am I leaving anyone else to do this for me. You ready, Rick?" She slung her bag over her shoulder, looking over her shoulder to Rick and the remnants of their campsite.
"Ready," Rick replied, straightening.
"Kay." Slash tested the air one more time, then set off at a lope going straight west. "C'mon."
She followed at a fast pace, easily keeping up with the Deorn boy. She wasn't sure where he was going but he was their only lead. So she followed.
Slash cut away from the road they'd been following and ran over the hills in a roughly straight line, never slowing down or pausing even for a moment. His nose was constantly twitching, and his ears were pricked forward in total concentration.
Rick jogged next to Charlotte, glancing around at their surroundings once in a while. "How far is it?" he called to Slash.
"Not far," Slash replied, still running.
"That could mean anything for a Deorn," Rick muttered. "We could be five minutes away or we could be moving all day…..if we're still goin' by noon, I vote we stop for lunch."
Charlotte set her jaw. "Can we slow to a walk but not stop moving?"