Ace in the Valley

[Pax]

(are we moving the posts to another area or staying here?)

Pax simply averted his eyes, not able to think of anything to say. When they landed, he ran over to Lala and Kikko to see if they were all right. When he saw that they were safe, he looked for Ace. "...Ace? Is Ace here?" he asked around.

[wynnyelle]

{For now, staying here, since the jungle's in the valley}

" Ace is here, we brought him with us," said Lyra. The other tropius were landing now and they all went to each other and nuzzled each other, glad that they were all alive and well.

[fya]

A small tropious calf and her mother watched the herd touch down. The calf was a pale green opposed to the darker green of her mother and most other tropious. A curious look on her face, she trotted towards the new tropious. "Hello," she said cheerfully.

Her mother glanced up from her grazing. She and her daughter were alone right now. "Why hello there. What brings you here?" She followed her daughter, making sure the other herd wouldn't hurt her young calf.

[wynnyelle]

" Us? We come here now and then, maybe you've seen us around? I'm Lyra," said the eldest and therefore leader tropius. " Who are you?"

Kikko stared at the stranger calf. "Hi."

[Pax]

Aha, now was a good time to observe Tropius customs, Pax thought. He kept at a safe distance to appear harmless, but peered around the towering herd to the two others. He wondered who they were and why they were alone, especially if such dangers existed everywhere.

[wynnyelle]

A giant tropius came lumbering towards the group. A herd without a Herdfather...excellent. He wouldn't even need to put up a fight with anyone to take this herd for his own. About twice the size of the adult females, he towered over everyone whose midst he came into right then.

" 'Ello."

Lyra looked up at him and knew that here was their new Herdfather. " Hello."

[fya]

The female nodded. "I'm Shyis. Caloura and my herd were killed in a mass attack by giant dogs. Not from the pack. We two are the sole survivors."

Caloura nodded vigerously. "It was scaaaaary. But Mommy flew me away. They were big and red. Mommy says they come from the volcano."

[wynnyelle]

" They would be the demon firedogs, the big ones," said Lyra. " I know just the ones of which you speak."

[Pax]

Demon firedogs?? Pax's eyes widened at the thought, wondering what kind of canine would seem so hostile as to go that far. He gawked at the sheer size of the male, and noticed the strange sort of submissive air that suddenly crept over the herd. He got the drift, remembering odd stories and tales of this sort of thing, and decided to do as the rest did and stay put.

[wynnyelle]

The tropius male looked at Pax but didn't say anything, a ponyta was not an issue either way. He nodded to all in the herd, " I'm Rixun, and you are?"

" Lyra," said the Herdmother.

" I'm Sarrala..."

" Nakeela." The two females said their names when he looked at them.

" Anara," said the third one, a little bit younger than the previous two.

" And I'm Morganya." The last adult spoke.

Rixun's gaze fell on Nadillia. "Who would you be, tropiess?"

" Nadillia," said the young femme, surprised and uncomfortable that Rixun would ask her, and look at her that way.

[Penguin]

(Hope you don't mind I came)

Mim looked at the group from affar. There is someone behind you. He had said telepathically to Pax. He then used Telpeort and was behind him. He gave him a poke on the shoulder and teleported away still able to see them but hard for them to see him.

[Pax]

The Ponyta gasped at the sudden voices and pokings. What? Who's there? he demanded mentally, in fear of interrupting the Tropius' tense conversations. He darted his head here and there, looking for the source, but couldn't find anything. He only hoped it wasn't a threat, whatever it was! But there was no smell... minus the weird scent of... baby?

[wynnyelle]

Lala turned around, bored since Rixun wasn't paying her any real attention. " Who's there?" said the young tropius calf, looking towards where she had seen Mim. She squealed and jumped up an down when she saw him reappear. " There he is!"

[Penguin]

Find me He said in all of their minds as he dissapeared once again. He went near them and jumped out and used Tickle on Pax. He laughed seeing he had tricked them.

[wynnyelle]

Kikko had turned away from the big male as well and was looking for the mime in the woods. When he saw him again he burst out in a shriek and giggle.

" Kikko, not now," Kikko's mother quickly picked him up, placed him on her back. " Hang on, we're flying away." And without another word Morganya flapped off into the sky, alone, with Kikko. The rest of the herd did nothing.

[fya]

Caloura watched with confusion. "Mommy?" she looked helplessly up at her mother. Her mother just shrugged. This was sort of odd.

[Little John]

"Kikko?" asked Ace. He saw his friend flying off. "Kikko where are you going?"

[wynnyelle]

" Morganya's taking Kikko away so he'll be safe," said Lyra.

" I'll be there when they return," said Rixun. Right now Lyra hated this new male, but they had no say in the matter. Males were dominant in their society, even if some things they did were terribly unfair.

[Little John]

"Why Kikko? Why anyone? Why must we run from fear?"Ace questioned everything he had thought up in a few seconds.

[fya]

Shyis knew the way the young male's mother felt. Once she'd had a male child when the herd had been herdfather-less. It had been hard and she'd left the herd until her son was old enough to challenge the leader. Her son had been killed when he'd tried and it had broken her heart. She was pleased she had a daughter now.

[wynnyelle]

" Because this Rixun might -kill- him if she stays here with him," said Natalya, who was old enough to understand stuff like that. She'd been there when their last Herdfather had driven away her own father. He had not ruled long before dying to defend them from the pack.

[Little John]

"I have an idea," Ace said. Suddenly he realized something. "Wheres Crest?"

[wynnyelle]

" Crest died," said Nadillia, talking partly to distract herself from Rixun, whom she decided she didn't like. ~Damn the traditions,~ she thought, they weren't on her side right now. " He died when the pack attacked him and ripped him apart. I saw it just before I took off."

[Little John]

ace got down on his knees. "Died?" His voice was wavy and broken. He laid down his head and wondered who was left. Pax? Lala? anyone?

[wynnyelle]

" Yes," said Lala. " He died."

" We're so sorry we couldn't save him," said Nakeela.

[Little John]

"Are Pax and Lala ok?" Ace asked. he was in a slump now.

[wynnyelle]

" I'm okay," said Lala.

" Yeah Pax is okay, he's right there," said Natalya. " But I dunno when we'll see Kikko again."

[Penguin]

The Mime jr had gotten bored. He decided to walk by the group tlaking for no apparent reason.

[wynnyelle]

" There he is!" said Lala as the male tropius began to herd his harem of females towards a better eating spot.

" Lala, come back here, don't go too far," said Nakeela. She knew that now that they were a herd with a Herdfather again, he wouldn't let any of them go too far away from the herd. Not only for their safety, but so that another male wouldn't steal them.

[Little John]

Ace quickly followed Lala. "What did you see?"