[ Love Challenge ] Alkira

Alkira shook her head. "No.. If Pach got his hands on that kind of power.. Who knows what he could do.." She murmured. "Not to mention.. From the sounds of it, the totem you talked about--the one that your colony's shaman has-- has different abilities than the one I have.. So then I wonder.. Do all the totems have different powers?"

Najara shifted carefully from Lux's back to his aunt's, burying himself under her shawl comfortably as the adults spoke. His little ears occasionally twitched and lifted the back of Alkira's shawl a little, making it clear he was still uneasy about Pach's possible presence.

Lux chimed in. "It's possible. But we need more information"

Naturu re-entered the camp with a deer in his mouth. He dropped it next to Votaru. "Good boy naturu" he said peting him. "By what it looked like the shaman could channel it's power to create creatures out of the plants and control the minds of some creatures that live up in the canopy"

Alkira nodded a little, "Yeah.. That sounds nothing like what mine can do.." She murmured, glancing down at her totem momentarily before she noticed the deer that the dire wolf had dragged into the camp below. "Oh gods!" The female yelped in horror, quickly averting her eyes.

At some not-too-distant distance, the fresh smell of blood was enough to attract some unwanted attention. The scent of a kill caught Pach's senses easily, and the white bat began to make his way toward the camp, unaware of who might be there.

Naturu's ears flicked. As he growled. Votaru tenced. "Pach is coming and coming fast."

Lux grab alkira and Najara and hid in the trees as he could.

Votaru sat by the fire. "I know your a carnavore but really a helpless deer! A bear maybe but a deer" he groaned

The trees above Votaru rustled softly, "I should've known it would have been you and your little pet." Pach's voice came in a sigh just before he jumped to a lower branch, grinning down at the pair in his usual, toothy smile. 

"Still homeless and banished, I see?"

Alkira held her breath as she watched the white bat from the safety of the shadows with Lux and Najara, her eyes flicking back and forth between the two male bats.

Votaru glared at pach. "So what do I owe the pleasure of your filth entering my camp pach"

(Just had an interesting idea that will twist this)

Naturu growled. 

Lux held his breath. As he watch pach and Votaru talk. Keeping at least Najara quiet.

(( ah, do tell, do tell. :> ))

"I think you're already well aware," The ghost bat motioned to the deer's carcass next to the two. "I think you should be thanking your mutt for summoning me."

(Maybe pach and Votaru should be half brothers.)

"And why's that mother stealer? You miss your meal again? To bad" Votaru snarled
Naturu barked at the ghost bat baring his fangs .

(( Ooh. But which parent would they share? And would that make one of them a hybrid bat while the other was a pure bred? ))

"I've been distracted by a particular meal lately.. This one is a bit more challenging to aquire, apparently.." He muttered to himself, stifling a laugh at the barking Naturu.

Alkira felt her stomach drop a little, wondering if the ghost bat was talking about Najara.. She shifted uneasily, and that was all it took for Pach. He was still in his hunting 'mode', after all.

His ears flicked in the direction of the hidden trio, and his grin widened. "Ah.. Do you have guests?"

(The mother of course)

Votaru smirked. "No your just hearing things pach" he chuckled "maybe it's the weird creatures that have been around recently. Or maybe naturu is just hungry ghost bat so happenes to be his favorite"

(( And I'm guessing they would be unaware of this fact? XD ))

Pach's ears folded back as he looked down at the wolf, "You don't say?" He huffed, "Does shit happen to be yours? Because you sure seem to be full of it."

He glanced back toward the darkness, seeming to concentrate for a moment. "Oh, how rich!" He erupted with laughter suddenly. "Why, maybe you should ask your guest about the reason your mother was taken? Why all of those raids afflicted your colony? Alkira,"

The fruit bat shied backwards at her name, pressing back against Lux.

"I'm sure you could answer quite a few questions for him."

Lux snarled. "Better leave pach. Or like I promised I will take your wings off!"

Votaru stood shocked. "Naturu get this ghost bat out of my sight. Eat him if you must"

The direwolf roared as it went for pach.

(Pach may know but I'll leave that up to you)

Pach quickly took flight, narrowly missing the wolf's dive. "Fine, fine." He laughed, grinning down at Votaru, "I suppose I've wasted enough time here for tonight. Have fun with your guests." Without another word, the ghost bat took off, leaving the group to deal with the mess he'd stirred.

Votaru growled. Before plopping down on the ground. Lux jumped out of their hidin place holding Najara. Votaru looked up. "Alkira was he lying? Do you know why my mother was taken?"

Alkira shifted nervously on the branch, keeping her eyes from the other bat's. "I don't know what he's taking about." She lied, and it was a bad one at that.

Najara glanced about the treetops, still nervous about Pach. "I'm scared.." He whimpered to Lux softly.

Lux held Najara close. "It's ok buddy pach won't go near you with me around. Promise"

Votaru looked to her. "Funny how I can tell your lying alkira. Tell me the truth. Why was my mother taken!" He suddenly raised his voice that even naturu  whimpered in fear

Alkira flinched a little, narrowing her eyes forward as she sat in silence for a moment. Finally, hesitantly, she spoke up. "Ten years ago, maybe more or less, my colony was being hunted ruthlessly by the ghost bats. Even when we were in numbers, at times, we were not safe from them. So finally, our chief-- my uncle-- made a deal with Pach's father. We would enter a treaty with them. In exchange for them to no longer hunt us, we would give them information. The whereabouts of other colonies. The places they searched for food. Places to ambush them." 

She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, "I could only assume, your colony is one of the ones that we sold out.. To protect ourselves from them."

Votaru glared at alkira "So you sold out your own kind. No wonder you don't like being around others for matter that don't concern you or your colony" he growled. "Go find my old colony on your own and get out of my camp you traitor!"

Lux growl. "Votaru! Shut up! She didn't make the decision her uncle did. Don't blame her  ."

"I said get out of my camp!" He snarled holding his spear.

Najara whimpered loudly at Votaru's yelling, and the pup buried his face forward into the feline's shoulder fearfully.

Alkira frowned down at him, pulling her ears back nervously. "I'm sorry about what happened to your mother. But, this other bat that you mentioned.. We need to find our colony, and this could be a huge clue for us. I'm sorry, but.."

She dropped down in front of him, looking at the tip of his spear. "I'm not leaving. Not until we get the information we need."

Votaru growled. "I'm not giving you anything alkira. Not information not anything." He snapped. "Now take your nephew and your panther and get out of my camp"

Lux walked put to alkira. He touched her shoulder. "Best to leave him alone alkira. He's not going to tell is anything."

Alkira stared hard at the other bat as she listened to Lux's words, her good eye narrowing a little with determination. "Fine then." She hissed under her breath. "We'll go. For tonight.."

She turned to the feline, carefully taking the small bat pup from his hands before she flew up to the treetops, waiting for Lux so they could leave.

Her face burned with embarrassment and shame and frustration. She'd been so close to getting them a step closer to home..

Lux looked to Votaru. "You know they're I. The same boat you are right now." He said "their colony was scattered. They need help finding that bat."

Votaru ignored lux preparing to cook the deer from earlier. Lux just sighed climbing up. Votaru's ears flattened, he regretted this but how was he suppose to react. "Pach I'm going to murder you" he mutter continuing

Back at their now-relocated camp, Alkira was setting Najara down to sleep, laying several large leaves over him like a blanket before she turned to Lux, pulling the bag of fruits from her back.

"Are you hungry?" She asked him with a soft sigh. "It's going to be harder and harder to find food from here on out.. I just hope this winter isn't too bad.."

Lux shook his head. "No I'm fine... But something bugs me about how pach knew about votaru's mother.... And it looked like he knew more than he was telling him." He sat down. "And Votaru.... He's looks like he could overpower the shaman without the village behind him... What's holding him back."

"Because if I set foot in my colony he will execute all three of them" came the bats voice from almost out of no where.

Alkira jumped slightly, her ears jerking up and pivoting to try and pin-point the location of his voice. "Why did you follow us?" She asked quietly, trying to not wake the sleeping pup next to her.