Finding Home (Ebony, Kayalee, River)

[Meesh]

Ebony nodded his thanks. "I don't even know how I teleported the first two times" he admitted "I can't control it at all, and so I doubt I'd be able to do anything much in the way of moving Kayalee more than, well, how I'm doing it now" Kayalee now steadied on his back, Ebony, with River's help, took a few shakey steps before he finally got his paws under him and was able to walk normally, despite the weight of the feline on his back. "I'll get to the forest and back more quickly on my own, but I think Kayalee should be fine. If she feels any more pain, simply have her eat more prickle plants until she falls asleep. And if the blood flow start again, do what I did, just place your paws on the wounds and then use cobwebs to stop the blood flow. It should work pretty well"

That said, Ebony finally deposited Kayalee in his own nest- it would be lcosest to the herb storage, if things went wrong,and turned. "I'll be back" bounding out of camp and towards the forest

[Hazelstar]

Kayalee began feeling slightly drowsy, then she felt herself lifted into the air. She was draped across someone's back. She assumed it was Ebony since her paws were lightly brushing against the ground. She tried her best to keep her eyes open, but she couldn't. She drifted into a light sleep.

She woke with a start when she felt as though she had twisted upside down. She then felt the comfort and smelt the smell of her nest. "Thank... You..." She mumbled, then her eyes blinked closed once again. She dreamed of a buck, he had torn skin, smelled like rotting flesh and had eyes of the brightest red. He chased her through the plains, gaining on her quickly. She tripped and found herself sprawled across the ground. The buck was about to skewer her with his antlers when she woke with a start, almost yowlin with terror. She sighed with relief when she saw the safety of her camp around her.

[Deleted]

River nodded. “Means I get to keep up this time.” She wasn’t bitter about the teleportation of just a few moments ago, though. That had been an emergency. She could appreciate someone having an ability she herself didn’t possess when it meant the difference between life or death for someone else.

Besides, her time would come…someday.

They arrived back at camp and she helped Ebony settle Kayalee into the nest. She then sat beside it, keeping watch over Kayalee while Ebony went off to collect herbs. Not the most exciting duty around, but she wouldn’t have been able to focus on anything else right now, anyway. She was worried, and wanted to be here in case something happened.

Things went well at first, but then Kayalee jerked awake, looking panicky before it seemed to dawn on her where she was. River purred, trying to reassure her. “You couldn’t be safer. Ebony will be back shortly. He’s gone to the forest for supplies.”

[Meesh]

Gray Haven and Penny Trees. I need to get herbs from both The thought crossed itself into Ebony's mind, along with an image of where he could find both herbs. Almost the moment his paws touched the ground of the Maple Forest, they disappeared, only to reappear at the top of a large leafy tree. Well, at least teleporting is easier than climbing thought Ebony with some panic as he realized that he was at the top of the extremely dangerous penny tree. Carefully, he plucked some of the thin leaves off the branches, then looked around expectantly for his teleportation to work again. It didn't
So much for that. Ebony carefully inched his way down the long spindly trunk, heaving a sigh of relief when his paws were on safe ground again. That done, it took almost no time to sniff out the nearby gray haven tree and pick up some of the dropped and slowly drying flowers. That done, Ebony turned and sprinted back towards camp.
Almost unexpectedly, in kicked his teleportation again. Ebony found himself falling from midair- at a course that would land him straight on the injured Kayalee. Ebony twisted his tail and spun in midair, trying successfully to adjust his flight path- changing him to a course that sent him sprawling into River. "Sorry, sorry" he yelped, quickly running over to the dropped herbs and checking to make sure none were bruised

[Hazelstar]

Kayalee nodded. "Sorry, I had a nightmare." Kayalee meowed in a sort of croaky tone. Kayalee laid her head on her paws and attempt to turn herself into a more comfortable position without ruining her cobweb bandage. She winced as the cobwebs stuck to the bottom of her nest, as she moved her stomach it felt like a giant band-aid being ripped off as the cobweb tugged painfully at her fur. She finally was able to lay on her side without the cobweb shifting enough for her large gashes to be visible. A shadow suddenly appeared out of no where right to the side of her, she shriek in surprise when she saw Ebony twist in midair and almost slam into River. She stared wide eyed at him, her mouth dry in surprise. She composed herself as fast as she could manage. "Did you teleport while falling or something?" She asked in a high pitched, still surprised, tone.

[Deleted]

((Do we wanna timeskip soon so Kaya can get better or keep going?))

River nodded when Kayalee responded and watched sympathetically as she tried to get comfortable. It must be hard – she couldn’t be injured in a more inconvenient place. When she realized the nest was sticking to the cobweb, she moved to help. Before she could, though, there was a sudden appearance of a dark pelt as Ebony fell, first toward Kayalee and then toward her. River braced herself, but still ended up collapsing as the twice-as-large feline collided into her.

She stood and shook her pelt, withholding a snarl. It had been an accident, after all. “Is everyone okay? Well, all things considered…”

[Meesh]

Ebony shot River another, apologetic look, carefully gathering up the flowers. "Chew on these leaves, they take away pain and you'll be able to sleep" he advised Kayalee, moving them towards her mouth. "And no, I didn't fall before I teleported-I didn't even mean to teleport, I was just running and appeared in midair- this can get annoying" he carefully chewed the flowers of the other plant- they gray haven- and carefully peeled off the cobwebs, placing the flower paste directly onto the wounds - "These fight infection" - before laying the cobwebs on again.

That done, he paused and turned to River "She should sleep for a while, so I think she'll be fine now"

(timeskip sounds good)

[Hazelstar]

(sure, go ahead with the timeskip)

Kayalee tensed as River stared irritated a Ebony. She didn't want a fight between tribe mates, especially when he couldn't do anything to stop the fight. Kayalee sighed wih relief as the tension eased quickly. Kayalee reached out with her toungue and began to chew up the leaves. They didn't taste great, but she had to. She immediately began to feel drowsy. "Well, I'm not sure that I like this teleportation thing very much." Kayalee grumbled, then yawned. She winced as Ebony rubbed some kind of paste on her wound. It stung for a few seconds, then the pain began to ooze out of her, then her eyes blinked shut and she drifted into a painless sleep.

[Deleted]

River nodded once she saw the other two were okay, and again at Ebony’s instruction. “Sleep’s a good idea for all of us. In fact…” She went down into the den, retrieving her nest in a couple trips and arranging it near the base of the tree, using the antler she had claimed for partial cover. Maybe she wasn’t an absconding yet, but she was tired of being down there alone at night.

“I’ll move it properly under the roots tomorrow. This works for tonight.” She stretched and then curled into her nest, falling asleep with her tail over her nose.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

River had been gone for a good part of the day, though there were still several hours of daylight left when she returned. She was limping, holding a section of something dusty-colored – a hide piece from a savanna snake that had attacked her during the day’s exploration. Despite the limp, it was easy to tell she was in a good mood – her head, ears and noticeably longer tail were all held erect and – as he neared the camp – purrs could be heard coming from her throat. She seemed taller than normal, partly because of the way she carried herself and partly because, well, she was.

She paused at the camp and looked around, seeing if anyone was home or if they were out and about, enjoying the day as she had been.

[Meesh]

Ebony nodded, skootching his makeshift nest over from the roots to make room for River. "Welcome to the aboveground- night" with a yawn, the feline was promptly asleep.
-------------------------

It had been several weeks since the elk incident. Since then, Ebony had managed to construct a decent enough herb storage, with shelves for most every herb he knew of- he had herbs from the Forest, Plains, and River Garden now, though not much else. His next alone was closest to the herb storage, but there were a few unused moss beds even closer to the storage for injured tribe mates.
Walnut's training had gone well. The rat had grown up well, and now the rat was pretty well trained, able to come and fetch herbs on command. Ebony was with her now, gently licking her fur clean of mud- how she'd managed that, he had no idea. She sat lightly, squeaking in protest at his ministrations, but otherwise not struggling.
A new scent filled the area, River's, along with a loud purr. Ebony turned to greet his tribemate, a welcoming purr rising in his throat. "Had a good day, I take it?" he asked,standing up to pad over to River- only to notice she was precisely his height. He blinked, taking in the larger ears and size, the elongated tail. "River! You evolved!" called Ebony, purring in delight.

[Hazelstar]

Kayalee awoke to two red eyes staring at her. She started in surprise then laughed. "Carren, nest." The black bird cawed and settled into his nest, which he had built on a branch which was on a branch at about eye level to an absconding while standing on its back legs. She looked up at her bird and then towards Ebony, who was doing something in his den. Then her gaze fell upon River, who was limping towards camp, carrying a snake in her jaws. She gasped suddenly, what a minute, River had evolved! Kayalee bounded over to the pair and stuck her tail straight up. "Congrats, River!" Kayalee meowed at her friend, her aqua eyes bright. Carren flew towards Kayalee and stared at Walnut, his eyes hungry. "Carren, no!" Kayalee growled at the bird, causing him to fly back sullenly to his nest.

[Deleted]

River dropped the hide so she could speak. “Part of it, anyway.” Her purring grew louder when he noticed her evolution, and then Kayalee did as well. “Not a moment too soon. There was this gigantic snake where I went. Almost caught me off-guard. You’d be surprised how well something so big could blend in.” She prodded the hide with her pad. “That’s part of it. I figured we could use that for the medicine structure, though if it’s not needed there it could be useful on the prey canopy...” She glanced back the way she’d come. “Wish I could have brought back the kill for the tribe, but it was much too big. I wouldn’t have even gone after it except it attacked me, first.”

She shook her head. “That’s all three of us, now, at any rate. How’ve you tw—four been?” Best to include the companions in that query, she supposed. They were part of the tribe, too, and both her tribe mates were very fond of their pets. It almost made her want one of her own.

[Meesh]

Ebony grinned, gesturing with his tail for Walnut, who came scampering up to his shoulder. "Walnut's doing well as usual. He turned to touch noses briefly with his rat before grinning at River "You really outta think of getting a pet for yourself. They really are nifty little guys" that said, he bent his head to sniff at the hide. "And this should be useful for keeping out rain, thank you River" Ebony glanced back up at the black and white feline, surprised by the sudden rush of affection he had for her- Ebony had always felt a friendly affection for both his tribe mates, of course, but today...he shook his head to clear himself of his thoughts. it just must be him imagining things.

[Hazelstar]

"Carren is doing well, and I've gotten him a little bit of training, but he's a bit stubborn." Kayalee glanced over we shoulder and made a clicking sound with her toungue at Carren. He lifted from his nest and settled onto Kayalee's shoulder. "I wish he would stop eyeing Walnut like she's a meal though." She sighed. "You should try to find a pet, they make great companions." Kayalee meowed, nudging her nose into Carren's feathers. "I believe I myself am doing well, my wounds are mostly healed but I keep thinking the scabs are going to tear off whenever I lay down" She sighed. Kayalee glanced at Ebony, she saw some emotion she didn't recognize flash through his eyes. Her whiskers twitched in interest, but she didn't say anything.

[Deleted]

She snorted as both tribe mates insisted she find a pet of her own. “Perhaps… I’m picky, though. It has to be just the right one. Something that sets itself apart from the rest of its species. Otherwise, it’s just prey I need to feed the tribe.” She’d be lying if she said she hadn’t considered it, but the thought of a bird or rat specifically didn’t appeal to her, and no other species jumped out at her as good companion material. Perhaps she would find her perfect companion someday, but that wasn’t yet. At Kayalee’s comment on her raven eyeing the rat as a meal, she added. “Well, if he hasn’t eaten her yet, he probably won’t. Especially if you keep up with the training. There’s plenty of easier food for him, anyway.” Especially at this moment. She always made sure her tribe could do without a hunter for a while before heading off into other territories. She was currently their only hunter – by title, anyway – so it was only fair that she keep them stocked if she planned a trip.

“I’m glad you’re doing better.” Kayalee did seem to be healing well, all things considered. With such a deep wound, it would take some time to heal, especially since it was hard not to move and stretch the damaged area.

She blinked as Ebony thanked her and nuzzled his cheek. “Glad I can help. You’ve done an impressive job gathering so many different herbs. We might actually have to expand their store someday.” And he’d done an impressive job keeping them alive. She wouldn’t have known him as a healer on their first day of life, and it amazed her how well he’d taken to it.