[ Love Challenge ] Alkira

Both the wolf and bat jumped looking up. Naturu growled at the intruder.
"Go back to your clan, you have no business here" the bat said his spear in his hand once more. He was ready to strike. But something in his mind was conflicting with him. 'Why is she here, all alone in the wilderness.' He thought as his eyes and her a made contact.

Seeing him grab his weapon, she did not falter in her position, standing her ground as she narrowed her eyes down at the male.

"I still have questions about what you said." She told him, her glance switching between the bat and the wolf. It was clear the feral creature's presence made her uneasy.

She had no intention of telling him she was without her colony. The female had no way of knowing how his demeanor towards her would change after that, knowing she had no protection.

The bat stood their looking at her for a moment. "Naturu stop she's friendly" he set down his weapon as the wolf quieted down. "Come sit and ask away. I am votaru by the way" he sat by the fire as naturu lay down behind his bat companion. Votaru watched the other bat. Still cautious of her

"Sit?" She echoed, raising a brow. "On the ground?" The bat shifted uncomfortably in the trees, before instead taking a seat on the branch she was standing on. "I think I'll stay up here, thank you."

"So, Votaru. Do you know what the bat's name was? Or if they're still at your old colony?" Alkira asked, exchanging her cautious glances with his own.

"The bat never mentioned his name. And he was still there when I was banished. Despite custom he told me where to find the best fruit trees." Votaru said. "But lately I've had to fight back the nearby ghost bat colony. And naturu and I can bearly survive with food bein scarce"

"Is there any way you could, perhaps, show me where your old colony is?" She asked, knowing such a question would probably be a bit risky to inquire on.

Her ears flattened a little when he mentioned the ghost bats. "I'm going to guess it's one bat in particular that's been giving you trouble..?" She murmured, rolling her eyes a little at the thought.

"I'm guessing you ran into pach" Votaru said he groaned at the mention of the blasted son of the chief. "He's been after me since I got out here. But he's afraid of naturu" he said pettin the wolf. "As for showing you to the colony I can do but I must stay hidden going into the territory. The hunters were commanded to kill me on sight"

"Pach and I have, unfortunately, know each other since we were very young." She grumbled, pausing to peer over at the wolf as he mentioned him again. "I can see why. But.. Why aren't you afraid of it?" 

Her ears perked a little as he offered to take her to his previous colony's territory. "When can we leave?" She almost blurted, her voice jumping in volume.

"In the morning. Naturu and I need food before we make that journey." He said looking to her. Then he looked to naturu. "Because I've had him since he and I were both pups." Votaru said smiled as he petted the large wolf. Standing up the dire wolf was larger than Votaru. Naturu barked. "He says that we were born on the same day. My father thought it a sign and brought him back to me"

Alkira flinched a little as the wolf barked, and her fur bristled out nervously. "Your colony must be a strange one." She said bluntly, shifting on the branch she was seated on so that she could roost from it comfortably, now watching the two from up-side down.

"I have some fruit I could spare.." She told him hesitantly. "As thanks for helping me."

Votaru looked to her. "No they're sticklers for tradition. They wanted me to kill him but me and my dad refused. Until they finally let me keep him." He said. He looked to the fruit then to naturu. He thought for a  moment. "Naturu go hunt. I want to talk to this one alone." The wolf gave a look in protest. "Naturu I don't think you can go another night without  meat." The wolf's stomach grumbled as he quickly took off. Votaru looked to alkira. "I never caught your name stranger"

She watched the wolf leave, and her body language seemed to physically ease a little once it was gone. "Hm?" She turned her attention back to Votaru as he spoke to her once more. "Oh. I'm Alkira, of the Keurong colony."

The female shifted the bag of fruits from her back and took a couple of them out, tossing them down toward the other fruit bat. "How long have you been.. Well, banished for?"

"I've been out here for a year and three months." Votaru said as he caught the fruit. "My father was executed before that and my mother taken in a ghost bat raid before that." He said "I have an older brother and two sisters back in their. But I don't know how long till the clan goes after them for what I'm planing to do"  he looked down. "If I go back to the clans territory they will sooner banish my sisters before killing my brother. But not if he can get them out of their.... Sorry I'm ranting....."

Alkira's ears pulled back a little as she listened to him explain the situation of not only himself, but also his family. She seemed to flinch especially at the mention of ghost bat raids, and for a brief second a look of guilt flashed across her face. 

"To be honest.. Your colony sounds awful.. I'm sorry about your father.. And your mother.." She murmured, "But if your brother and sisters were to escape, where would they go? Most colonies aren't willing to accept other kinds of bats in.."

"And when you say, what it is you're planning to do, do you mean how you're going to take me to your old colony's territory? Or something else?"

Votaru shook his head. "I plan to kill the one person who forces the old ways on the colony. The high shaman himself" he said. "He forces the colony to obey him through a strange Magic artifact he found. It's quiet similar to your pendant. He made the chief banish me because I had the whole village to back me up. But he used the magic through the bat from your clan"

Her brows furrowed in confusion at his last statement. "What do you mean?" She asked, her ears perking up again.

The female reached for the totem around her neck, softly gripping it in both of her hands. It have a soft ebb as she touched it, like a gentle heart beat.

"He pulled the strange totem from a cave many years ago. Said if the colony didn't submit to his rules that he would kill us with it" he said. "I found out he couldn't use it. And he hand me banished. Now with one of your clan being able to use it. He now holds everyone under his iron will "

"I see.." She murmured, her expression seeming to grow vacant, as if she was in thought. "And how do you plan to go on about killing him?"

"I know someone out here willing to help me out. A panther. Kinda funny looking." He said smiling. "Naturu trusts him but something about him seems a littl off"

"Panther?" She echoed, seeming to straighten up a bit. "You couldn't mean... Luxuis, could you?" 

(( sorry that my replies are a bit short atm cx> ))

(It's fine)

"Ya you know him?" Zotaru said looking to her. He was confused. "Funny I thought I was the only one to meet him"

"Your not" the cyborg panther was right above them.

Startled, Alkira nearly lost her grip on the branch she was hanging from. "Lux?" She gasped, quickly looking up at him. "How long have you been here?!"

"Your nephew was worried plus pach is hunting around the camp again" lux said "I see you met the banished son of the chief"

Zotaru sighed. "Ya before that shaman made himself the chief."

The female glanced back over at Votaru, "You were a chief's son?" She asked, perking her ears in surprise a bit. Alkira crawled back up onto the branch she was hanging from, now taking a seat once more. "Why didn't you tell me you had met another bat, Lux?" She called back up to the feline.

Najara, who was clinging tightly to Lux's back, peered over the cyborg cat's shoulder to watch the others, particularly curious of the white and red furred bat.

Lux sat on the branch next to her. "Cause I figured you wouldn't trust him. Plus his wolf would make you uneasy"

Votaru nodded. "Like I said he was trying to protect naturu and me. He was able to change tradition. But the shaman killed him assuming himself as new chief. He's holding my brother and sisters. And pach wants me so I can take the totem from the shaman. But as everyone knows no one can trust the ghost bats"