Fantasy Code FERAL

[Flutterby]

Beth moved to Strong's side, listening attentively to her request. "Of course." She agreed readily, but there was a twinge of nervousness in her gut. What if she failed? A wild boar shouldn't be too difficult, especially in the snow, but if it was easy, couldn't other Watch agents have done it? If it were as simple as following some tracks in the snow, they wouldn't need her.


"It shouldn't be too hard, especially with the snow. Quite frankly, Im not sure why you would need my skills at all. What makes the targets so difficult to track?" She had to shout a little over the sound of the engines, but she felt like she might be missing some piece of information.


@SilverFlight

 

[andujarprime]

Rin silently sat down on a snowmobile, securing his sword to his back, and Haku beneath his jacket he took off. Riding near the rear of the group. He enjoyed the solidarity of the night. And the moonlight glistening off the snow was beautiful. On the back of the vehicle there wasn't much he could do. Hell, in the snow there wasn'tUchida he could do tracking wise. But he rode, his eyes and ears on alert. He smiled noticing that some of the others were enjoying themselves.


@everyone

 

[DawnAntalios]

Zoe was very surprised to hear Alec's reaction. He was not as hesitant and not as afraid as she had previously thought he would be... in fact he was quite eager to go on this mission despite how he disliked the boars. She said nothing to him and just watched as he disappeared through the door and she remained alone for a brief moment.


The situation she was now in was vastly different from the one she was in before. Back with her previous them everyone was consumed by their own emotions, their unbridled feelings jeopardizing many missions. Their untrained, hot-headed newbies causing troubles left and right, it was chaos, an unorganized madness - partially the reason why they paid the price in the end. Yet here and now these people proved her wrong on almost every account. She expected to be shunned and yelled at by Beth but instead she taught her a lesson. She expected Rin to hold grudge against her and to forever be in an antagonistic position yet he forgave her... and even offered friendship. And now she expected Alec to be afraid, to hesitate - yet instead he had shown his bravery and his true spirit with delving into the thick of the action.


" They are outside of the cycle... " she whispered to herself and she finally exited the building in order to join the others.


Eos was already waiting at a snow mobile. He found it really fortunate that even he could fit into one thanks to the special design and he already imagined this being an exciting quest. When he spotted Zoe approaching he smiled and beckoned her.


" So you have finally arrived, my child. " he smiled warmly " Shall we depart? "


" Yes. " she replied bluntly, climbing into the vehicle with Eos, igniting its engines.


They soared through the snowy plains, Zoe looking at the road not saying a single word. Eos was a bit anxious, it was quite unnatural for her to be this silent even if she had her own reasons. He leaned closer to her as they rode with the others.


" Is there something amiss? "


" Deja vu. " she replied " But this time it is somehow different. They are different. "


Eos did not fully understand what she was talking about but he pretended to be satisfied with her answer. Looking at the snowy plains he quickly started to meditate - and prepare herself for the confrontation. Meanwhile despite the clear and storm weather on the outside a raging storm was roaring within Zoe herself. The present and the past clashed with unmatched ferocity and she was now torn between her thoughts... her ever firm thoughts about the outcome of he mission was gone - and was replaced with an unnerving uncertainty even she could not explain. She just had to watch and learn - just like few years ago.

 

[Sleipnir]

Bael didn't really care to fall into any one place. He wove about the others, slipping into gaps between snowmobiles before falling back. He was enjoying his game, and pulled up to many of his companions several times before either going ahead or falling behind. He did start worrying after awhile, though, that Strong might get fed up with his antics and, anxious not to be reprimanded for showing off a bit too much, he fell to the back and stayed there. It would be good enough to just watch the scenery. It really was magnificent, he thought, and much like the view from the copter it felt like it wasn't quite real.


Bael was honestly having a hard time paying attention to where he was going, swerving roughly to avoid running into trees or boulders. His eyes were drawn to the cliffs and mountains. It was almost ghostly, all pale and washed in white light. Silly as it seemed he wondered if this would all even really be there in the morning or if these ethereal white cliffs would vanish completely, burned away by the sun.

 

[zCrookedz]

Jimbo followed direction and pulled out behind the rest of the team with a sudden jolt from the engine. Simon's arms flew into the air and flapped like a bird a few times before he grabbed hold of the snow mobile and righted himself. Jimbo could feel the daggers boring into the back of his skull, but the ape was having to much fun on the snow mobile that he couldn't help himself.


That's when Jimbo saw it. Several over turned trees had fallen in just the right way that they landed on top of one another, creating a nice and steady ramp that dropped of at the top of a hill. Jimbo gave the engine a quick rev, causing Simon to looked over Jimbo's shoulder out of curiosity. When he saw what they were aiming for, Simon didn't try to stop Jimbo, but began waving his arms around motioning for him to go faster.


The snow mobile shot up the ramp and in a split second was airborne to the side of the caravan. Jimbo leaned back, causing Simon to lean back as well, Placed his hands behind his head, and grabbed the steering bar with his feet. The duo hit the ground running right next to Alec and Duik shooting snow and tigs up in ever direction. Jimbo let off the throttle and looked over to the hyena, giving him a toothy grin as he continued to steer with his feet.


Simon raised his arms into the air after the touchdown and yelled in excitement as they continued on their way. If you didn't know any better, someone might think the pair were actually enjoying themselves.

 

[deer]

Before taking off, Xiao Hui looked at the foreign machine, only recognizing the seatbelts, however the buttons and the "prindle"? Was it? Confused her greatly, what was she suppose to do with it? Tilting her head, she wondered if pressing any random button would work. Or should she get help? Looking around, she watched as her teammates got into their separate vehicle and she couldn't help but not want to burden them by making them come out once again just to help her, so instead of calling out, she stayed silent. Looking behind, she saw Leandra and was about to ask her, until, well, she stopped herself since it was too late. Sighing slightly, Xiao Hui looked at the keys and wondered where it went. "Hui, don't press just any button and break it now." He teased as he looked outside the window, liking the cold moreso than being inside the mobile. Frowning, Xiao Hui took the key and placed it inside any slot that seemed to fit as she turned the keys until she heard the mobile roar to life. Xiao Hui's eyes lit up as she squealed quite excitedly, "I did it!" She exclaimed, feeling quite proud of herself after what seemed like ages until she figured out how to turn on the thing. Laohu rolled his eyes and Xiao Hui looked ahead at the buttons, steering wheel, and the stick prindle-looking object. "I think . . when Hao drove me somewhere, he used this wheel to turn left or right and the stick for something. . " She mused to herself as Laohu nodded, "It's to park, drive, or reverse the mobile, Hui." Raising a slight brow, Xiao Hui turned towards Laohu, "Lao . . you knew how to work it and you didn't bother helping me?" Feigning innocence, Laohu gave her a toothy grin, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Hui. You didn't ask and assume I didn't know." Muttering under her breathe, Xiao Hui huffed, not wanting to talk to her feline companion, considering he could've saved her a lot of time if he spoke up sooner. Then again. . it was Laohu she was talking about, always ready to tease someone and make their lives harder, innocently, of course. Sighing, Xiao Hui poked his head hard, as she heard a slight whimper out of her white tiger companion. "That wasn't nice. . Laohu. . but next time, I'll make sure to ask you. . since you're so wise and know everything." She said, her tone and voice laced of sarcasm and light-hearted teasings.


Soon enough, she was able to get the snowmobile to start as she kept the wheel straight and put the gear into "drive". As they started heading towards the direction of their target, Xiao Hui found her thoughts drifting off to the conversation she was having with Leandra. She remembered the sadness in her tone when she mentioned about someone that hadn't talked to him for six years. Xiao Hui couldn't help but feel that all too familiar ache and pain as those words flowed through her head. She couldn't help but feel a connection and understanding towards Leandra. Especially since. . it seemed that the person she was talking about was someone dear and close to her, perhaps her brother? Now that she thought about it, she hadn't even seen him talking to her, only Falarion was the voice between the two of them. Frowning slightly, Xiao Hui made sure to keep at a slow pace and look straight at the scene in front of her so she wouldn't hit into anything. But. . what had happened to cause such a rift between them? Then again . .that rift can take forever to mend, unless forgiveness is involved, especially since. . her father is the same way. It's been more than six years since her father returned a cold shoulder and a blind eye towards love and care. At the same time, Xiao Hui's attention turned towards Laohu, when she felt Laohu's thoughts connect with hers. Laohu was remembering the words Luness had told him, also feeling an emotional bond to what the Pheonix may be feeling. A cold and desolate place? That didn't sound very hospitable and welcoming, especially since. . she seemed to be the last of her kind as he was too. However, his family. . were taken away from him. . but he'd rather not divulge into that memory again. All Laohu knew was that both he and Luness was glad to get out of the place that beared too much memories and pain to want to remember. Xiao Hui , on the other hand, could only hope for the best for the siblings, hoping that one day. . things could turn around and they would be able to talk again. As they drove in silence, Laohu placed his head on Xiao Hui's lap as they shared each other's comfort and company, not needing to say a word.


A few minutes had passed by and nothing was out of the ordinary, the rams: Bill and Bam had stopped their chatter but nonetheless, continued to guide them on the right path. However, Laohu's ears perked up when he heard Duirk's voice, hearing the excitement in his voice. The silence and comfort was nice while it lasted, but he welcomed the change of pace as he poked his head out the window once more and chuckled, nodding in agreement. Xiao Hui looked over at the hyena and managed a small smile, giving a slight wave. Laohu spoke, calling back to Duirk "It's quite impressive." At least . . Duirk's still talking to her, right? Soon, Xiao Hui had managed to hit a slight rock, causing her to get out of her lane for a few seconds, but because of that mistake, she ended up giving Duirk a wide view of Leandra's snow mobile as he hit her with another snowball. She giggled slightly, sort of glad that it wasn't her who was hit, however, she started feeling bad for Duirk, knowing Leandra will have her revenge and it'll be ten times worse. However, soon, another commotion caught Xiao Hui's attention as another big snow mobile ended up jumping over, landing right next to Alec and Duirk. Recognizing those voices, she realized it was Simon and Jimbo, causing snow and twigs to come up right next to Alec and Duirk. Xiao Hui couldn't help but shake her head as Laohu laughed at them, seeing how they managed to have some sort of fun even on a serious mission. "At least everyone is mostly comfortable with each other, right Hui?" He said, looking directly at her as he managed to lay back down in his seat. "Yeah . . most of us."


Mentions: @SilverFlight @Lioness075 @zCrookedz


With: Everyone
​

 

[SilverFlight]

The hyena shot Leandra a completely innocent look and placed a paw on the chest padding of his jacket as if to ask: 'Who? Me?'


@Lioness075


Strong understood Beth's concerns. "If were as simple as following tracks we'd pull the blood hound agent we had in Victoria, but this place is prone to snow runs and avalanches, it's very possible we'll lose the trail before we even get close. That's where you come in. We need someone who doesn't just rely on scent or obvious tracks in the snow, but someone who can identify brush damage and give us a time window as to when the targets passed by. I've read your file Beth, I know you're up to this."


@Flutterby


Just then a shadow passed them both and Strong looked up to see Jimbo and Simon airborne beside them. The two landed with a thump next to Duik's sled, spraying him with snow.


"Peh!" Duik spat, trying to get twigs out of his mouth. "Agh, karmic justice strikes again."


Alec laughed, giving the thumbs up to the pair.


@zCrookedz


He caught sight of Xiao out of the corner of his eye. The hurt look she had on her face pressed on his conscience, he tried to think of something to say. He wanted to explain, but...maybe it would be better this way? Settling back into his conflicted silence Duik gave a huff and shook his head, smiling back at Xiao and Laohu.


@crucialstar


They rode on for a while and Alec marveled at how the thick, winter coats kept them warm despite the wind. Just then the rams stopped and Strong held up a hand to the team, signaling for them to do that same.


"What is it?" Strong asked the sheep and they turned their heads sideways to glance the path in front of them suspiciously.


"Someone's disturbed the snow here." Bill begun.


"But the weird thing is its disturbed all over, like someone was messing it up on purpose."


Strong look a careful look. They were right. Though it had been hastily brushed over the snow was visibly churned all around them.


"Maybe they were trying to cover their trail?" She got off her snow mobile and sank up to her knees in the fresh powder. Wading over to where the rams stood she took a few more paces beyond them and heard a soft click.


The explosion happened before she could even register what she had done. Snow erupted in a cloud about her, the force of the blast throwing her back against her vehicle. Bill and Bam were cast back too and landed on their rumps with their shocked faces full of snow.


Strong rubbed the back of her head gingerly. The event had left her winded but apart from her sore head she was unharmed.


"Ugh, anti-avalanche mines!"


The explosion had startled Alec to the point where he nearly fell off his snow mobile. Duik jumped so high he tripped over the gear and wound up in a heap on the ground.


"Cheese and crackers! I nearly had a heart attack!"


"What the heck are anti-avalanche mines?" Alec asked.


"They're not damaging, the worst you're ever going to get from them is the wind knocked outta ya." Bill explained. "They're designed to give controlled blasts and take snow offa mountains in a safe way so we don't get avalanches over the towns."


"Our target musta broken into a ranger outpost and got 'em."


Strong suddenly realized why the snow had been disturbed. "And now we're surrounded by them...perfect." She looked back at her team. "Any ideas?"


@everyone

 

[Lioness075]

Rolling her eyes at Duik's reaction, Leandra stuck her tongue out at him before regretting that decision when her tongue nearly froze over. Ow.


She was definitely going to have to think of something to do to get back at that hyena.


@SilverFlight


As a shadow zipped past her, Leandra looked skyward briefly in time to see Simon and Jimbo's airborne snowmobile come crashing down near Duik, spraying him with snow.


Laughing at this, Leandra shouted at Jimbo and Simon, "Thanks, guys!"


@zCrookedz


When the team came sliding to a halt on their snowmobiles, Leandra immediately stood up on hers while thinking to Luness, 'I can't see what's going on up there, can you?'


Luness began circling the area, high enough to avoid any potential blast areas, but low enough to get a good view as well.


Looking around at the seemingly disturbed snow, Luness frowned before thinking back, 'I don't understand what's been tampered with other than the snow.'


Soon enough though, their questions were answered when a concussive sound echoed in their area, snow erupted in a cloud, and Strong went flying backwards with the rams before all three landed in a slight daze.


Gasping, Leandra almost jumped off of her snowmobile to rush to Strong's side since the rams didn't seem too harmed by the event.


Luness stopped her though, as she thought, 'Don't. She's fine, Lea.'


Sighing at this, Leandra relaxed and listened to what everyone was saying for now.


Relaxing just in time to witness Alec nearly fall off his snowmobile while Duik seemingly tripped himself before stumbling off of it on his own.


Laughing at the sight, Leandra called out teasingly, "A bit jumpy are we?"


@SilverFlight


Hearing the dilemma they faced, Leandra glanced up at Luness circling the area before suddenly getting excited and jumping off of her snowmobile.


Sinking into the snow briefly, Leandra made her way to Strong's side before asking her, "Hey, what if Luness dropped some snowballs from the sky? Wouldn't that set off the mines without causing any damage to us? I mean, we could always use Calista's bombs or whatever she has instead, but snowballs are in unlimited supply here and we won't exhaust any of our own supplies that way."


@SilverFlight


When the group came to a halt, Manjano slowly stood from his seat and then stepped up onto his seat to get a better view of everything going on.


Falarion jumped to his paws in excitement, as he suddenly thought to Manjano, 'Are we there yet?'


Right after he thought this though, a concussive sound reached his ears and he ducked down in the sled in fear of some bomb having gone off.


Yet, nobody seemed too fazed by the event and Falarion stood back up to see a dazed, but otherwise okay Strong nearby with the rams.


Upon hearing the mention of an anti-avalanche mine, Manjano cocked his head slightly. He'd never heard of such mines before, but it was a brilliant way to slow someone down.


When Strong asked for any ideas, Manjano was at a loss for words, more so than usual. He hadn't the faintest idea how to set off mines that surrounded them, especially ones buried in several layers of snow.


When Leandra mentioned her idea to Strong, Manjano thought instead that perhaps rocks would do a better job than a snowball.


Nodding at Falarion, Manjano then watched as his furry companion dove into the snow before bounding forward to join Leandra's side.


Grinning up at her and Strong, Falarion then said excitedly, "What about some rocks instead of snowballs? Those would be heavier and more likely to set off the mines buried underneath the snow."


@SilverFlight


Leandra glanced sideways when Falarion joined her side and added to her idea.


Raising an eyebrow at the canine, Leandra then said with a slight smile, "That was Manjano's idea, wasn't it?"


Falarion barked excitedly at Leandra before wagging his tail and making a small cloud of snow behind himself.


Rolling her eyes at this, Leandra glanced back at Strong and then asked her, "So, what do you think?"


@SilverFlight

 

[DawnAntalios]

Soaring through the inky night they almost flew so fast their vehicles were. Zoe enjoyed the biting wind rushing past her, it allowed to clear her mind and to start think once again about their quest. It was very difficult for her to accept this sudden change but nonetheless she tried to cope with the situation, preparing for the worst to come.


She glanced left and right as they progressed forward and found the others being quite cheerful and happy. This would have normally filled her with annoyance and a hint of jealousy but now neither of these emotions showed up. Instead she found it quite... adequate given the fact that these rookies were just having their first mission in their life as a team.


It was then when Agent Strong signaled them to halt and she dismounted, Eos following her closely. Shortly after they got on their feet she saw the explosion, its voice echoing through the night sky. Great... now they did not only walk into a sticky situation but whoever placed this traps here was probably crafty enough to be in earshot so they could sound the alarms should intruders arrived.


As they were brainstorming she listened to both Leandra's and Manjano's idea. They were actually not bad - but maybe they were too slow in nature, it could take a long time even for Luness to deactivate all of them.


" I might have a proposal which could supplement the efforts of Luness - and one in which she would play an integral part in. " Zoe spoke up as she started to search in her quiver, pulling out a specific arrow from it. A strange, turquoise energy hummed around it gently as she held it in her hands.


" This " she pointed at it " Is an arrow which contains electrostatic charges. Normally it is harmless, it can do little to harm anyone - but it is great to diffuse and deactivate items which use electricity as mechanism or have any magnetic parts in them. " she then looked at the others " In itself it would not be enough to solve our issues. However... "


She turned towards Jimbo and Simon.


" I have overheard and saw when you were bringing specific tools with you: engineers like you would probably be able to reverse the polarity of the charges within the arrow, allowing its radius to grow exponentially, effectively using it as bombs which could possibly destroying every mine around us. That, however, would not be enough either since we would need the proper velocity of a conduit to strike the earth witch a sufficient force to trigger an explosion. "


She turned to Leandra now.


" Your companion is an ace flyer, she had proven it during the training with the snowballs. " she commented " If she could toss this makeshift bomb from the sky with the proper force we could destroy all of the surrounding mines at once! "


She realized that during this time her eyes were lit up in excitement and she even started to smile a little - she then quickly regained her composure, her face turned serious and she coughed respectfully, looking at the others.


" This, of course, is but a suggestion. It is very possible that such drastic actions might not be necessary. "


@SilverFlight @zCrookedz @Lioness075

 

[zCrookedz]

Simon began to laugh as he watched those around get sprayed with the mixture of winter powder and whatever else was mixed in. It was especially funny to see the little Hyena spitting it out of his mouth. Simon returned Alec'c thumbs up and Jimbo did as well, though his was more of a foot thumbs up than his hands. Jimbo returned to his normal position with his hands on the steering bar and continued on with the rest of the group.


When the rams stopped causing the caravan to stop, Jimbo pulled the snowmobile up on the other side of them so they could see what they could see. Simon stood up on the bike and looked around, he noticed what the rams could see and saw how the snow was disturbed quite noticeably in the area. He scratched at his beard a bit trying to think of a reason, only to see snow flying into the air the next minute along with Strong.


"Amber!


Simon was just about to jump from the snow mobile when Jimbo reached out and grabbed him by the seat of his britches.


"Stop Simon, its mines!"


Sure enough, the rams pointed them out as anit-avalanche mines, and after the snow cleared, Simon was glad to see Amber and the Rams were ok.


Simon sighed and sat back down on the machine. Then the group began to speak about how they were going to get through this. The snowball idea seemed to be a really popular idea, and it would posiibly work to find out where they were. But Simon couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy about that plan. It was then he looked up and say Calista's flying contraption and he perked up.


"While the snowball idea will work, we have to wonder if maybe whoever put these mines here are going to use them as a signal that we are following them. What if we found them without disturbing them? Calista's flying cage up there could blow the snow away from the mines and then we could see them. Granted that they arn't buried to deep I suppose."


@SilverFlight @Lioness075 @crucialstar @DawnAntalios

 

[Lioness075]

Leandra initially bristled upon hearing Zoe's voice, though she patiently let her finish her idea before saying anything back.


Pausing, Leandra thought over Zoe's idea, but then thought of the danger of doing so.


Shaking her head, Leandra looked over at Zoe before saying, "No, setting them all off at the exact same time would probably end up causing an avalanche despite their name. The collective damage could hurt one of us or damage our equipment, as well. I don't think it's worth the risk."


Hearing Simon speaking up with his own idea, Leandra again listened to what he had to say before her eyes lit up and she said excitedly, "Wait, Luness can use her fire from within and just fly over the snow and melt it all!"


Luness flew down to land on Leandra's shoulder before saying lightly, "What if the heat I radiate somehow triggers the mines though?"


Hearing Luness' remark, Leandra sighed and said, "Yeah, that's a good point. Maybe it's not such a good idea."


@DawnAntalios @SilverFlight @zCrookedz


Whipping his head in between people as they mentioned their own ideas, Falarion let his tongue hang out of the side of his mouth while panting and wagging his tail.


While he had nothing to add to the conversation, Falarion was just happy to be around so many people.


Suddenly distracted by a snowflake, Falarion paused and watched it intently before it landed on his nose, causing him to sneeze almost immediately.


Surprised by his own sneeze, Falarion stumbled backwards only to trigger another mine nearby and send himself flying forward with a yelp.


Leandra turned around in surprise to see Falarion flying at her and could only put out her arms before he crashed into her and the pair landed in a heap while Luness flew away and landed on the front of Xiao's snowmobile.


Shaking her head in slight amusement, Luness then said to the girl, "He always was the clumsy one of our little group."


Leandra soon groaned, saying, "Falarion...get off of me."


Scrambling back, Falarion dazedly sat down on his rump before blinking.


"S-sorry, I got distracted by a snowflake. I had no idea the mine was there, honestly."


Sitting up, Leandra rubbed the back of her neck before saying, "Maybe we should hurry up on this plan and do something before someone mistakenly triggers another mine."


@SilverFlight


Despite Falarion triggering the mine and becoming temporarily airborne, Manjano had remained where he was, as the pair shared such a deep bond, he could feel Falarion's physical pain and knew the wolf was more dazed than anything else.

 

[andujarprime]

Rin sat atop his silent vehicle. Watching, listening to the others. He waited till Zoe and Leandra were done before speaking up. "Leandra,right?" He remembered her introduction, but he wanted to be sure he didn't mess up her name. " I think your right about these bombs. If we set them off, not only can we possibly endanger ourselves by the simultaneous blasts, but we could very well be alerting our prey of our presence. However, your idea isn't totally off Zoe." He then turned to agent strong. "Agent Strong, by any chance do we have any gear capable of emitting an emp? Considering these bombs can be triggered remotely, an emp should be able to disable them. Of course there is no clear way of seeing where they are, or how far they are spread so getting ourselves outside of a blast radius would be ideal." He spoke aloud so that everyone can hear. When he was done he awaited for any feedback.

 

[SilverFlight]

Amber was immensely impressed with all of the ideas being thrown at her.


"I should tell you more about how mines work." She said, the approval apparent in her voice. "They're analogue charges, so no electrical current. A small trigger button sits on top and is activated by the pressure of someone stepping down. Snowball might be too light and may not get all of them, an electrical surge though brilliant won't deactivate them or set them off, and might be hampered in spreading by the solid from of the snow. Uncovering them with the drone however, that could work! Calista!"


Amber called down the drone and sure enough as it neared the surface of the powder it began to brush it away. The first of the mines appeared and Amber reached for it, disarming the trigger and stashing it in the pouch of her small bag. "It'll take us a long time to clear them like this, meanwhile our targets are getting away. If they set them they'd probably be on the run by now, hoping we'll spend a lot of time getting rid of these things...if only we could clear them faster...I'm not too fussed about setting them off...wait, Leandra, what did you say about melting the snow?" Amber thought about this. "They can take a little heat...Luness, do it. Work with calista's drone and clear the snow away as fast as you can, then we can just skirt them."


@Lioness075 @everyone

 

[Sleipnir]

Bael watched Simon and Jimbo's antics and found them to be very entertaining to watch. He grinned, eager to get in on that fun again, and took his own chance with a snowbank, running up the side of it and slipping up into the air like a skateboard, landing solidly in the snow before continuing. He banked to a stop when the others did with the snowmobile broadside to the group. He listened carefully, and when the bomb was triggered, he dropped down behind the mobile. He jumped over and stood still and listened as the others spoke, looking between them. "Could we crawl over them; like thin ice? To distribute the weight evenly...?" he asked quietly, but he let the others give their suggestions, all of which he felt were more effective than his own thoughts. But that's what happens when you're a kid out of high school and not well-learned in tech. He stood back and listened to the others.


@Anyone

 

[Lioness075]

Nodding at Rin when he asked her name, Leandra then listened to his idea as well.


Appreciating Rin agreeing with her mentioning of how dangerous it would be to set off all the mines at once, Leandra couldn't help but smile faintly.


At the mention of an EMP, Leandra raised an eyebrow and made an impressed face. She hadn't even considered that and had no idea that anyone here would've been capable of producing such a thing. It would be the best way for them to get through the minefield in a timely manner if it could work.


Problem was, they'd have no way of knowing if the mines were off unless someone tested one. Based on Strong's and Falarion's experiences thus far, it probably wasn't going to be the best idea.


@andujarprime


As everyone came up with ideas for getting through this minefield, Manjano let out a bored sigh and mentally called Falarion back to him.


Whatever they ended up doing to get rid of the mines, it probably would be best if Falarion didn't get hit by one again. That could become damaging.


Bounding back to Manjano, Falarion leapt up onto the backseat of the snowmobile before letting out a small whimper and nudging Manjano's back.


'That wasn't fun. That mine hurt me.'


'It didn't do any permanent damage, it only dazed you.'


'It still hurt!'


Rolling his eyes in slight amusement and slight irritation, Manjano then pet Falarion on the head before letting him lay his head on Manjano's lap so he could relax after his little incident.


Hearing the details of how the mines worked, Leandra began to get excited, as her idea with Luness was definitely beginning to sound like it could work. Plus, it'd be far more efficient that using the drone.


At first though, Strong focused on using the drone instead of having Luness just melt the snow in the area.


Pouting slightly at this and crossing her arms over her chest, Leandra opened her mouth to bring up the idea with Luness, but was cut off when Strong began speaking again, seemingly pleased with her own idea.


Yet, Strong suddenly paused and seemed to recall the Luness idea.


Grinning now, Leandra dropped her arms to her sides and then said, "Okay."


Nodding at Luness, Leandra then walked back to her snowmobile and mounted it while Luness took flight.


Circling the area in front of the group, Luness then began to shine brightly, instead of the presumed orange glow that one would expect from a phoenix though, Luness was glowing an increasingly blinding white color.


Taking notice of this, Leandra then shouted out, "Don't look at Luness if you want to keep your eyesight!"


Leandra then glanced away just as Luness dove down to the snow and became nearly as blinding as the sun itself, as she quickly and agilely flew back and forth, melting the snow almost instantaneously and revealing the mines in the area before them.


After the area was cleared, Luness then began circling further and further out until she could no longer find any mines.


As the lighting from her body calmed down and it was no longer dangerous for anyone to look at her, Luness landed on the front of Leandra's snowmobile before announcing, "It's all clear now. You may all look around and at me once more without there being a danger to your sight."


Leandra admired the minefield in front of them and then said, "Well, I suppose the only danger now is how wet the area is wherever snow has been melted."


Smiling at Luness, Leandra then rubbed her on the head before adding, "Good job, Lune."


Luness hummed in delight at the compliment and head rubbing while the pair waited for everyone's reactions and the signal to go around the now exposed minefield.


@everyone

 

[Flutterby]

Beth looked around as they stopped, puzzled by the disturbed snow. It could be to cover their tracks, but they had to know that they would eventually pick up the trail. It was explained by Amber Strong flying through the air in a cloud of snow.


Beth frowned deeply as she listened. Why would someone take the time to rig a mine field when they were on the run? In this environment, even with the snow, it would probably be easier to keep moving and depend on nature to do away with the evidence. She listened silently as everyone brain stormed, motioning Totus to her shoulder as she dismounted her snowmobile. They dutifully closed their eyes as Luness melted away the snow to expose the mines, and opened them a moment after being told it was safe.


Then, they chose to speak.


"Im concerned about why they took the time to do this." Beth voiced, motioning to the mines.


"They could have covered miles in the time it took, and it hardly slowed us down. It was a really big risk to do this instead of moving." Totus added in explanation.


Beth chewed her lip thoughtfully as she dug a compass out of her bag and checked it for a second.


"What are the points of interest around here? Towns, outposts, established trails, water, caves, stuff like that. Was this the last place sighted, or how far are we from the last sighting?" Beth asked briskly, motioning to the sky for Totus to go up. The owl started to circle, high above their heads. What he was looking for, she didnt say.


@SilverFlight

 

[DawnAntalios]

Zoe listened carefully as other, more humane solutions were brought up to deal with the mines. The drones and Luness were making a good progress with finding all those mines but the words of Beth did make her wonder. The girl made a fairly good point: those who put these traps down meticulously probably had a plan with them. They were relatively harmless, barely the way of stopping someone from following you...


" Beth does indeed pose a strange question. " she hummed " Planting all these bombs take a lot of time... that is unless they use aircraft to carpet bomb the entire road. But that does cause commotion and is a risky maneuver, one that would definitely not cause them to achieve the subtlety they require. "


Eos stepped forward.


" Perhaps it is a trial. "


Zoe turned towards him questioningly.


" A trial? You think that all this is for some kind of test? A joke? "


" There must be a very good reason why Boris retained his control over himself. " the stag mused " It might has to do something with this minefield as well - perhaps somebody is toying with us, spying on us... "


" That is paranoid at best. We have no sound proof about any of that. " she proclaimed and sighed " Although it is true that it will take us some time to bypass this annoying field... If only we have brought some kind of flying craft with us, but that would probably defeat the point of the stealth mission then. "


She crossed her arms and stood back a bit, allowing the others to have their discussion until they moved on. She glanced back at Agent Strong, her respect for the woman growing with each second they spent together. She was an honorable leader - she still wondered why did she end up being a recruiter for rookies.


@SilverFlight @everyone

 

[zCrookedz]

Hearing the ideas were excepted, Jimbo lifted the glasses off his head and signaled to Strong.


"I can help with disarming Agent Strong."


Jimbo looked back to Simon as he pulled the gloves off his hands. While Simon handed him a small pouch that sounded like small tools clinking together.


"Lets see if I still know my shit huh?"


Simon and Jimbo began to look around their snowmobile as the drone and Luness began to uncover the mines. If one was besides the mobile, Jimbo would scoop it up and disarm it with a few twists from a tool in his hands. He'd hand it back to Simon who would stuff it into the bag slung over his shoulder and move onto the next one. Eventually they would get the ones around their mobiles and Jimbo could step down into the snow without to much fear of exploding. He helped where he was needed, scooping up mines and disarming them along with Strong, then tossing them to Simon.


While Jimbo worked, Simon looked over to strong and glanced towards the back of the line a bit as he spoke.


"Maybe the ones who were at the back of the line can back out and go around, keep perusing the others while we finish up and then catch up with them?"


@SilverFlight

 

[deer]

Xiao Hui decided not to think too much about Alec and his treatment towards her and instead looked ahead. But, smiled back at Duirk, liking his amicableness. The group and their snowmobiles soon can to a stop, as everyone either got out of their mobile, sat on top of the mobile, or stayed inside. She decided to go outside as check out what the commotion was about until suddenly an explosion went off. Alarm bells rang in her head as she covered her eyes while Loahu stood in front of Xiao Hui in a protective stance, eyeing the surroundings. She could hear screams of "Amber" and "Agent Strong". The noise caused Xiao Hui's ears to ring as her heart quickened wondering what's the status of their recruiter. But, low and behold, she was okay though suffered a big whiplash from the sudden explosion. Before she knew it, the group chatted among themselves, bringing in ideas as Agent Strong asked what they should do with the mines. The first person who spoke up was Zoe. Xiao Hui observed the fiesty woman as she remembered Leandra's words of keeping an open-mind rather than being narrowed minded as some. She chuckled lightly as Laohu raised a slight glance at his partner, not removing himself from his stance. "The girl we met in the beginning. . she's working hard to try and get along with the others. Perhaps a change of heart?" Laohu mused as Xiao Hui continued on observing her teammates. She watched as the girl's eyes came to life as her expressions showed emotions that Xiao Hui believed that it had been a while since Zoe showed such enthusiasm. Xiao Hui couldn't help but hope to see more of that smile, "Observe, listen, and change, Laohu. People can still change , as long as they let it." She said before her attention drifted off to Falarion. Laohu backed away slightly, seeing the wolf dog landing in front of the vehicle as Xiao Hui gasped softly, "Falarion, are you okay?" Worry escaping her voice until she heard Leandra's voice nodding. He definitely sure is the clumsy and energetic one of the group, always looking for trouble, it seems. "Only him, right?" She laughed slightly, before listening to her ideas. Xiao Hui thought that would be good. . having Luness fly above and breathe fire at the snow, revealing where the mines are to uncover where they shouldn't step and hit. Rin soon joined the conversation suggesting an emp as Agent Strong began to explain the idea of the mines further. To say the least, Xiao Hui was glad, she didn't know much about mines than she does with driving the mobile. However the plan was soon coming together with the help of Luness, Calista's bomb of being able to trigger the explosions, and even Simon thought of an idea of being able to help with the equipments he brought with him. Soon, Luness was in the air as Laohu and Xiao Hui covered their eyes as Luness breathed her flames against the snow. As she finished, Xiao Hui smiled, "It was warm, for a while."

However, Beth brought up an interesting question, why would they waste any time to set these mines up? Surely there are other ways to locate their enemies and covering their tracks. Soon, Zoe joined in wondering if it was a test for them, the same way it was for Boris who somehow kept is conscious. Xiao Hui continued observing her teammate, quite impressed and proud of the group she was with. Through team work and contributions, they're sure to get through challenges since all of them had such unique set of ideas. However, time is a-ticking and they needed to go quickly. "Would we be able to follow another lead and work ourselves around the mines instead of waiting? We followed the trial since it was easiest to track with Bill and Bam. Can we find another lead to the target?" She didn't like the idea of separation, but she knew if they all stayed , they'll lose even more time and advantage. "They may be testing us, watching us from afar. Yet at the same time, we may be walking into a trap. So, is it worth the risk?" She asked, voicing out her concerns and opinions. They definitely took a lot of time in setting up the mines for them, especially since it wasn't there to harm but to cause an obstacle. Just exactly what are they doing? Are they trying to lead them on a different path? Or is there more? Perhaps they may be thinking too hard about it. In either case, Laohu spoke up, "We should hurry."





Mentions: Everyone
​

 

[SilverFlight]

"If the bombs were set into the ground, I agree, it would take far too long, but because you don't have to dig into snow." She demonstrated by taking out the disabled mine and pushing it gently into the soft powder. "Conceivably it would only have taken them 20 minutes, whereas if we didn't have Luness it would have taken us hours to clear the whole field." She pocketed the mine again.


"Or another hour to get the snowmobiles to a safer path." Added Bill


"I bet they were countin' on us taking hours." Bam added.


"Simon, just help me disarm enough to get the snow mobiles through safely." Strong set to work, deactivating the mines exposed by Luness' flash fire. Once enough had been cleared she waved the sleds through one by one. As soon as they reached the other side


"According to my GPS the waypoint our scout team left us is about 300 meters beyond this field. Be ready Beth. The clock's already started."


As they moved to the waypoint a lone wolf howled in the distance, crying to the full moon that lit their way.


The clearing had evident tracks but as good as Strong's word, as soon as the trail began to slope on a steeper side of the mountain loose snow had already fallen to erase it.


Calista's voice sounded at them through the speaker on her drone. "I can take the birds up, see if we can spot anything useful." With that the drone rose steadily into the air.


Amber looked at their tracker. "Which way?"


@Lioness075 @DawnAntalios @zCrookedz @crucialstar @everyone

 

[Lioness075]

Hearing Strong's compliment, Luness hummed again before bobbing her head a few times to express her pleasure and gratitude.


Grinning at this, Leandra then said to Luness, "Hey, don't let all of this praise get to your head, Lune."


Rolling her eyes, Luness quickly responded, "Well, I'm going to bask in the glory while it lasts, my dear."


Hearing the rams go back and forth, Leandra nodded in agreement. They definitely needed to finish this up as fast as possible.


Once the area was cleared, Leandra eased her snowmobile through with Luness still calmly perched on the front of it.


Manjano remained silent while the team worked out how to safeguard the area and then get everyone through. This wasn't his field of expertise and he was already beginning to feel like a deadweight to everyone there.


If they needed to sneak in somewhere or interrogate someone then that'd be Manjano's field of expertise. Or even a combat scenario that was more hands-on. If Manjano was able to get close enough to someone with his staff then he could easily disarm them, trip them up, or even knock them out. Manjano loved using the environment to his advantage in a fight, too.


While his thoughts had wandered, Manjano had almost missed his cue to move his snowmobile through the cleared area.


Falarion quickly moved to the sled before Manjano turned his snowmobile back on and eased it forward until he was clear and halted once more.


Hearing Strong mention how close they were now, Leandra felt her heart begin to race while her excitement built up. As per usual, her excitement from earlier caused her to forget who or what they were even expecting to find here. Whoops.


Luness heard Calista's voice from above and took flight without second thought, joining the drone in the air.


The only problem was that Luness had no idea what she was looking for. If she recalled correctly, it had been some kind of pig because Alec had freaked out at the sight of the picture in the files.


@SilverFlight


While the others slowed down again to survey the area, Manjano could only sigh in slight irritation at how long it felt like this was taking.


Yet, he overheard Strong mentioning Beth's name and he straightened up slightly at the realization that Beth was their tracker. With an owl as a companion, surely the pair were exceptional, right?


Glancing around the group, Manjano soon sighted Beth and wondered if she'd be able to find the lost trail.


Meanwhile, Falarion was completely distracted by the sound of the wolf howling in the distance and he instantly felt compelled to respond.


Hearing Falarion's thoughts, Manjano's eyes widened and he twisted around quickly before practically tackling Falarion down in the sled.


Letting out a startled yelp, Falarion soon crumpled to the bottom of the sled with Manjano on top of him.


Falarion's wide eyes looked up at Manjano, who quickly thought, 'If you howled then you would've given away our position to anyone nearby. No howling.'


Letting go of Falarion's muzzle and climbing off of him, Manjano then quickly repositioned himself in the seat of his snowmobile, keeping his gaze down in case anyone had seen his not-so-subtle way of silencing Falarion.


Falarion sulked in the sled after being treated in such a manner, acting like a child who had just been chastised.


@Flutterby (mentioned) @everyone

 

[Flutterby]

Beth nodded quietly, lost in thought. She seemed to have settled into an entirely different frame of mind, one were words were bothersome and her mind worked without heeding others. She had an old-fashioned compass in her hand. The girl wished she had an elevation map in her other hand, but she could make due. She moved her snowmobile through, but on the other side she got off.


Totus landed on her shoulder, and she studied the track that were still present, crouched in the snow.


"Wild boar?" Totus asked softly, and she nodded.


"Big one. Male. Human with him. Not a small guy, either." She said, pointing rather vaguely.


"I need you guys to stay behind us, to avoid disturbing anything. This might be a minute." Totus said, turning his head all the way around to look at the others. Beth didnt seem to hear him.


Beth stayed still, not moving except to tilt her head this way and that.


"This is going to be extremely difficult." She said, her frown beginning to deepen. She could feel the eyes of the group on her, making it difficult to focus. Beth felt self-conscious, usually she worked with only one person watching, and they were so desperate that they hardly paid attention to her. The girl backed up a few steps, preserving the last few sets of tracks, and put herself in a pushup position perpendicular to the direction the tracks pointed. Her eyes scanned the surface of the snow closely. There was no perceptible difference anywhere ahead.


Beth grunted unhappily, moving back to a crouch and frowning at the snow. "Mountains. You go up, you go down, you go along. Down is civilization, chance of being recognized, but more resources. Couldnt have doubled back over the mines anyway. Don't need resources, head up or along. Higher, more difficult to track, better chance at hiding. Too isolated to be heading for a made trail, out of season anyway. " Beth spoke in short phrases to Totus, who listened quietly. "I would head up, but I cant see it Totus. Can't afford a mistake."


The owl nodded, and flew to Luness and the drone. "Calista, take the drone and head a half mile to the left. Luness, the right. Stay as close a possible to the same elevation. I will fly ahead upward. Theres no way they doubled back, and uphill makes sense to Beth, but she wants to cover all the bases before guessing." Totus turned back to the uphill of the mountain. "Look for anything disturbed, snow, brush, even if there is gravel or rocks that look out of place. Tracks would be stellar. Low and but as quickly as you can without missing something. Make sure to look both sides of you." He instructed, and then he began to fly forward.


Beth turned and looked at the group, wondering which member had the best sense of smell. "It would be nice to have a scent dog, even here." She said softly, but not to be mean. She considered deeply for a moment, and then stood. "I can't find a trail here, the snow is too unpredictable. The weight of the loose falling snow destroys tracks because it ruins the pack. If it were just falling from the sky, maybe. But if it comes down from higher on the mountain, it equalizes everything. We either wait for the birds to pick it up, or take a risk on my instincts." It pained her to admit it, but she had to be honest.


@SilverFlight @Lioness075

 

[SilverFlight]

Amber cursed under her breath. She knew it would be difficult.


"We'll go with your instincts Beth, lead the way. Cali, you take orders from the owl."


There was a grumpy silence before: "Yes ma'am. I'll switch on the heat sensors, won't work at too far a distance, but if we get within about 400 feet I think I can pick them up."


Another wolf howled in response to the first and yipped twice at the end of the song.


Duik had been uncharacteristically quiet up until now. At Beth's mention of a tracker he was sure his nose would be useless in the snow, but he lifted his muzzle anyway and sniffed. What he scented made him lay his ears back.


"Guys, do you smell that?" He asked the other animals. "It smells like...blood."


Alec felt a chill creeping down his spine. "Could be those wolves killed a deer...or something." Alec said, trying to convince himself more than anyone.


"No...its human blood."


Amber seemed to snap to a higher focus. "Everyone! Weapons are in the sleds, choose one and keep hold of it before we go on. We need to hurry. Your instincts Beth, we go up." With that she moved her vehicle just behind Beth's.


"Let's move!"

 

[andujarprime]

Rin followed along. As they paused and waited for Beth to track Haku stuck her head out from Rin's coat. Several flicks of her tongue and she came to the same conclusion as Duik. Not as fast as he did, but she hissed right about the same time he shouted. At the news Rin removed his sword from his back. He kept it sheathed but held it across his lap as he hopped back onto the snowmobile.

 

[Lioness075]

While Beth did her job, Leandra sat back in her snowmobile, taking the moment to try and slow her heart rate before she wasted any adrenaline.


Luness nodded at Totus when he gave her orders, knowing that Beth and Totus were temporarily in charge.


Flying higher up, Luness didn't get far before she heard more howling and some yipping. Feeling a chill run through her feathers, Luness landed in a nearby tree before quickly looking around. She couldn't see any wolves within her line of sight, but those sounds hinted at something sinister happening nearby.


When Leandra heard the howling and then the yipping, she felt herself shiver involuntarily, as Duik soon voiced what most everyone was probably thinking.


At the mention of weapons, Leandra furrowed her brows uncertainly. She wasn't too keen on hurting anyone and she came from two different medical fields for that reason.


Deciding against taking any weapons, Leandra assumed instead that Luness could protect her if it came down to self-defense or even protecting one of her teammates.


Manjano stiffened when he heard the howling continue with some yipping.


Falarion shot to his paws and exchanged a look with Manjano, as the two were very familiar with wolf sounds and now understood that those were the sounds of a pack hunting something...or someone.


Hearing Duik mentioning it, Falarion responded in a shaky voice, "The yipping means their hunt was a success or that they've at least downed or even cornered their prey..."


Manjano instantly turned his snowmobile on, his staff still on his back and his primary weapon of choice. He didn't need to retrieve any other weapons from the cache, especially since he had at least three daggers stowed away on himself within easy reach on top of the staff secured on his back.


@SilverFlight


While Beth sounded like she'd figured out where they needed to go, Strong quickly shouted at everyone to get ready and move uphill, as it seemed the hunters were soon to become the hunted.


Leandra quickly turned on her snowmobile while mentally saying to Luness, 'Stay high and out of reach. Keep flying up the mountain and try to see if you can't scout ahead or even find a nice trail for us to follow.'


'Will do, my dear,' was the response Leandra got in return before Luness took flight once more and began flying higher up and scanning the treeline and mountainside for any signs of the wolves or even the boar they sought.


@SilverFlight