Animals Within

Tears stung the leopard's eyes as the mounts headed after Theodemar, and she bent herself nearer the horse's neck to hide herself from the world around her as her walls crashed, yet still holding her expression firm and focused. The smoke billowing out of the Estate, the horses' distressed calls, the guards rushing to save the staff and the wind blowing it all together in one chaotic mess. She didn't want it to be like this. They didn't have to have the dramatic leave, they could sneak away, haven got the legal papers and ripped them and tossed them in a furnace and never have the evidence. But now everything was instead becoming a blur. Even Atticus' calm mutter wasn't enough to ease her from it all, yet his voice diverting from his worried commands earlier were a welcomed change. Breathing in the biting air, she glanced over to him, valiantly escaping and keeping his cool. He was determined to leave, and nothing would block him. His courage overwhelmed her, and she lifted her head just a tad, peering between the ears of the steed as they rushed away from the Estate, away from the life she was sure she was going to live out.

"Miss glider, I'd suggest keeping your arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times," Theodemar murmured down to the rodent, narrowly missing his nose from being shredded. His grip stayed the same, pressing her gently against his armor so she wouldn't fly away, intentionally or not. "We're getting out of here." The hooves hitting the ground pounded in his ears, focusing more on the path ahead than the scampering of the sugar glider. As long as he escaped with the two others,
the plan would be complete, whether they had executed it correctly or not.

Theodemar was surprised by the glider's screaming, his eyes widening slightly as he listened. She sure was a contrast to her species, but at least the wind carried away the piercing of her cries. The insults were nothing to him, as he was used to them, especially coming from her. "We are escaping, rodent," he told down to her, maneuvering through the running guards with his mount. "You want to be skinned alive by Lythedh when a witness tells him you lit the kitchen on fire?" Still holding her, he chuckled at her little shaking fury. He wouldn't expect such a loud voice from tiny lungs. "I'll let you go when we get far enough away. For now, stop squirming, or you'll hurt yourself." Everything was so loud around him that he could hardly hear himself think. Hopefully Atticus and Aaliyah knew what they were doing, or they would all be screwed by the seeming hundreds of guards that swarmed the Estate.

Her heart built in growing fear, every thud against her ribcage shaking her entire body, even against the racing mare she rode. The steps closer to escaping were going as quickly through her head as the mount beneath her. This was not the situation she would ever imagine herself in. Atticus ahead of her was a blur, and all of a sudden, he lifted and flew over the Estate fence. No. There was no way she was going to leap over and follow him. But as the fence grew closer, and her horse began to falter, she held the reigns close to her chest, squeezing her legs into the sides of the mount and felt herself lifting, but in the heat of the moment, it went by too quickly, and they both slammed into the ground. Even with the mare's cry of distress, she began to bolt, and Aaliyah suddenly began to lose control as her mount pounded the ground and avoided the trees as she fled past, calling for Atticus as she clung to the horse for dear life.

Theodemar felt his fingers begin to ache and bleed as the sugar glider continued to rip and shred at them, blood seeping into his armor and dripping onto the saddle. But he could not let her go, not when everything was going so well. His face was scewed into frustration as he saw his companions successfully clear the fence, and he bent down near the horse's neck, the rodent pushing against his armor as he sped up and followed the two. The slam of the hooves on the other side rattled his head, his vision shaken for a moment before he caught up to Atticus. Pulling up beside him, he finally decided to address the animal in his hand. "I'm not letting you go, calm down. We have to leave, and you're coming with. Or, I could throw you at a tree and kill you in a swing, but I doubt you'd take that kindly. So sit tight and shut your piehole." The screeching of the other horse caught his attention, and the flash of color ahead disappearing in the trees worried him. Pulling his horse around, he kicked at his own mount again, rushing after the escaping member.

Aaliyah felt the branches reach out and attempt to snatch her from the saddle, whipping at her dress and her hair as she pressed close to her mare's mane. Everything felt like a hazy dream, like nothing was really real, and she'd wake up having tossed and turned the whole evening. But the pain reminded her that she was on earth, that her surroundings were against her at every turn. Her throat ached from her calls in the cold temperatures, but it threw out one final cry as a low-hanging branch slammed into her, and with the last ounce of energy she had within her, she shifted, tumbling to the ground and onto the soft grass below as blood ran from the cuts she received, pooling around her as her breathing heaved. The horse's whinnies faded as ringing replaced the sound, engulfing her in a dark abyss as she recovered from the blunt hit.

The silence from his hand surprised the elk, quite a lot. The stop of her chewing made the pain apparent back from his soaked hand, but he fought against it as he glanced down at the small creature, her fur now being stained with the crimson liquid. She looked terrified, and he could almost feel her racing heartbeat in his palm. Poor thing was jolted from the jump, just as he was. Frowning to himself, he kept her close and bowed closer to his mount, seeing a figure of grey fall up ahead. He urged his horse to pick up speed, his focus now only on whatever happened ahead of him and Atticus.

The ringing blared violently to her now, almost drowning out the footsteps that approached her in the ever so slowly dying grass. Her head pounded along with her limbs and her fur caught in the wind, chilling her skin and making her feel less as though she were in her natural habitat and more like she was an outsider, thrown into a situation she couldn't control. The sound of Atticus' voice drifted with the winds and she hardly caught the notes as they were carried, and she turned her head to listen to him better. He was the one thing she could focus on at least, the one thing to keep her from spiraling ever downwards. But she could not shift. Her energy had been struck from her and absorbed into the tree, forever lost until she regenerated it in time. Even attempts at becoming human again were futile. Her jaw opened slightly and puffed out a breath as his hands ran through her thick pelt, ignoring the sharp pains as he grazed over open wounds. "The branch, it...it hung too low," she gaped, still grabbing for air as her paws tried to adjust under her, looking for any hold of firmness in the soil beneath her. Her eyes gazed at nothing, for she could not make out details, but she kept them open for consciousness sake. She needed to get up and keep moving.

It was lucky that the stag was able to pick up speed and get to the scene before he did. His horse snorted out breath after breath, losing the strength to keep going with his massive armor weight bearing down on its back. He pulled back on the reigns and directed himself to the side, stopping a few feet away from where the two laid in the now bloodied grass. But he did not know what he could do. Sighing, he looked down to the sugar glider, focusing on her next. She was probably scarred now, petrified of all that had happened. But now they had a moment to reflect. Dismounting the horse, he quickly roped him to a tree with his free hand before slumping against one, the hand that held the rodent relaxing just a tad. "I did not mean to startle you," he said quietly. "But the Lord's Estate is no place for a shift like you. You deserve better than a prey-infested egotistical manor of slaves." He folded his hands in his lap, staring up at the horse who now grazed. "If you feel you must return, even with all that has happened, you can. Though I would recommend you sit and recuperate at least for a few minutes beforehand."

The first thing noticed she noticed was the overwhelming scent of Atticus surrounding her. Everything was plunged in darkness, and her skin crawled with either pain or chills, but his invisible appearance was enough to keep her level-headed and figure out what happened. It seemed just seconds ago, she was rocking with the gallop of a horse, but now, she was laying down, and feeling sore everywhere. Her head was aching, as well as her abdomen, but she at least wasn't dead. Finding the strength to flicker her eyes open, she found herself propped up more than she thought she was, laying in a closed room. So she was in a building, good to note. But she did not notice Atticus there, nor the guard he was with. The only person in the room was a woman she did not recognize. Were they back at the Estate? Had they been captured? No, that wouldn't be possible. Her thumb ran across the fabric. It must be Atticus' room then, with how much the entire place overwhelmed her, as though he was sitting behind her like the couple days prior. Breathing out softly and pushing aside those particular thoughts for later when she was with him, she focused instead on figuring out the situation. "H-Hello?" she murmured to the woman, blinking her eyes a few times as they blurred involuntarily. She shifted slightly to make herself more comfortable, now feeling in a few places where her wounds were treated.

Theodemar had been enthralled by the village when he and Atticus rode in. The sights of other beings of his species was a shock, and sent him into a practical heart attack as everything rushed back to him, but he held his head high and tried not to pass out from everything that hit him. His eyes had followed every fawn and every stag, every doe and human that strolled along and conversed with one another. Life was normal here, it was casual and like it should be, peaceful. He hadn't felt that in a long time. He stuck close to Atticus as he got his own girl situated, and he let his thoughts sort while he did so. He leaned against the wall, still holding the glider in his hand. But the armor on his back began to ache, and he wondered if he would be able to find some changes of clothes here. Lifting his head as he was addressed, he forced himself to relax. "I thank you as well. I will need a little showing around, in terms of finding myself a place to stay, and some new clothes, but I'm sure I will fit in, somehow...it may take a while to feel like this is my home though. I haven't been among my kind for quite some time." His eyes peered down at the small creature he held, and the words the other man spoke ran through his memory. Could he trust this girl? She had helped him escape, sure, but otherwise she had been absolutely pissed at the outcome. Perhaps she would reveal this village to Lythedh, and all would be over. He would have caused the downfall of many species and families, something he could not do again. "I trust her enough for now, but I will keep her close until I know a better plan. I won't want to interfere with you and the lady anyways."

Aaliyah trained her eyes to the figure that approached her, and the cloth she placed on her head soothed the throbbing that raged at her temples. Even her voice relaxed her in a way, just knowing that she knew what she was doing. Listening intently, the leopard managed a small smile, appreciative of the help. She felt a little embarrassed, having their first meeting being as her a little useless at the moment, but she tried not to let her get swept away in that river of doubt. They would hopefully have more time to converse and get to know one another, and anyone else around, now that they were apart from Lythedh. Her hands held the herbal mixture firmly, and she took a sip of it as the woman finished. It was a little odd tasting, compared to the rich foods she had been used to eating, but she wouldn't complain. As long as it helped, she'd drink as much of it as she needed to. "I will of course thank every and any person that helped. They had no need to assist someone like myself, yet they did. But, first," she reached over her own hand and placed it on the woman's, "I thank you, for treating my wounds."

Theodemar bowed his head a moment at Atticus at the offer for clothes. He was sure they differed slightly in size, but it would be better to have a more tailored fit and a wardrobe. Yet, walking around in his armor would not exactly make him feel like one of the folk here. He had seen some of the shops at a glance when they passed, though he would like to see them later and wander through all the options. "Thank you, I think I may take just a pair of yours for walking around and all of that, and return it after I can get it washed and all. I would feel more comfortable around the townspeople when I look like one of them, rather than an intimidating or judgmental staff of the predators." Looking over the living room, he smiled over at Atticus and walked over to sit on the couch gestured to. "This is a nice home, very fitting I would say. And different than the bunkers for guards for sure." He chuckled and leaned back, though his ears heard the comment from the glider and he huffed with a playful tone to it. "Isn't that inferred?" he replied lightly. "I took you from the Estate."