"Down for now" Felix said putting the raccoon down. "I'm gonna show you survival stuff and keep an eye on you." He then turned to the others, "we have some soup... Mainly for our ill wolf, but, there should be enough to go around."
Pavelle kept her smile when her feet hit the ground. But she slid a step sideways when Felix turned to the others, getting out of easy grabbing range in case he decided he had to carry her again.
She was glad for the distraction that the others presented. That way, Felix would focus on them, instead of her. He'd said he was going to keep an eye on her. And she couldn't have that. Luckily for her, it was hard to ignore the two bickering rabbits, and Conker was as rambunctious as earlier, so that was good too. Felix would be plenty distracted. And then, of course, they started talking about the soup...
Her stomach growled. Despite that food bar that she'd eaten earlier. She sighed, putting a hand to her tummy, hoping nobody had heard. The noise hadn't been loud. And she couldn't stay to eat with them, anyways. She had come back to make sure the wolf was alright. But she needed to get back to the dirt circle. It was getting to be evening. The sunlight was slanting through the trees in a different direction from before (she figured it must be from the west), and had a different, yellower quality of light. It would be sunset in a little while. She needed to get back to that rock she'd been sitting on earlier to wait for her own Felix. She knew that lynx Felix had offered her a place in his den for the night. But if she stayed there, her brother might not be able to find her, which would be problematic. And she didn't want to impose on lynx Felix any more. And, despite his anger at her concept of debt repayment, she couldn't give that up. Not now that she'd retreated back again, back to where her head was clear (if also prone to zone-outs). It was just so much
easier to do things that way, to count debts and weigh them and measure them. It was better. Fairer. Cleaner. It didn't involve emotions that could tear her up inside, and didn't involve anyone else getting hurt, either.
She figured she would wait until the wolf said he was okay, then try to slip off and retrace her way back to the dirt circle somehow. Though the thought of getting lost in the woods --and she had hated and feared the woods since she was very young-- sent a shiver rolling up her spine, making her fur stand on end. She would just... have to make sure she didn't get lost... and didn't get eaten. She had to remember that it was very possible for her to get eaten out here. Despite how friendly this group seemed, it had to be dangerous here. Otherwise why would her own Felix be the way he was?
"How about we get this picnic started?" she asked, in a normal, flat voice. She looked around at the others.
"Is the wolf feeling any better?"
Meanwhile...
Rachav sat in the chair. Her arms were crossed, her fingers gripping tight around her elbows, making herself look smaller, more vulnerable. She wanted to close her eyes and put her paws to her ears and go 'lalalalalala' until she forgot where she was. But that wasn't practical. She needed her sense. She needed to find a way out of here at the earliest opportunity. She would not let them take her back.
Her only consolation was that she was allowing herself to breathe from her mouth in fast pants, instead of her nose. That way, at least she wouldn't have to smell this place as well.
Bev turn to Rachev.
Don't worry hon, you wont feel anything at all. All it will do is tell us where to find your owner at.
Sadie comes dashing back in, her claws clicking on the floor as she brings the tools to Bev.
Hi! I'm Sadie!! Who are you??The young doberman excitedly ask Rachev!!
Rachav stared at Bev, blinking like someone had just slapped her unexpectedly. Her head spun and she was forced to unfold her arms to reach a hand out and steady herself. Microchipped. Oh, Dog. They were going to scan for a microchip. She had forgotten. Forgotten about the microchip. Under the thicker ruff of fur and skin between her shoulder blades. She couldn't let them scan it. If they did--
No. That wouldn't happen. In response to 'Sadie', Rachav said,
"M-mah name's Ra--" Wrong name! She choked the word off, dazedly stumbling back into character, her mouth gone abruptly dry.
"D-danny. My name's Danny." She stuttered the words uncertainly, distractedly to the doberman, a younger pup of her own breed. If the humans had been trying to console her by bringing in a dog of the same breed, then they must truly believe her to be an idiot. As it was, she could barely spare attention for the younger dog. Her eyes stayed on the woman, Bev, and try as she might Rachav could not stop herself from trembling.
A flash of heat skittered through the Doberman for a moment. For that instant, Rachav was very, very ashamed of her behavior. She hated it. It was disgusting, sickening. Her mind knew she was useless like this. She was being hardly better than a pup. What would the camp think, what would Griffon think, if they could see her now? So afraid she was shaking. So pathetic. So weak.
And then the woman reached towards her, and the self-contempt died a quick death, leaving her chilled to the bone.
The scanner, she couldn't let it get near her. She couldn't let them scan that chip. She
would not go back. She had left that all behind. Years ago. Years. She would not lose this Rachav. She could not lose herself.
Before she knew what she was doing, she flung her arm out and smacked the scanner from the woman's hand. She sprang to her feet, bouncing around in place, eyes wild, reserve gone. She was not snarling, as she might have been in the woods. Her eyes were big and round and utterly terrified, instead, her tongue panting out. She
would not go home-- No. Not home.
Back. She wouldn't go
back. Her home was in the woods. She needed to go there. Now. She needed to get out of here.
"I-I-I need to go outside," she gasped, quivering, bouncing from foot to foot.
"C-c-can you just take me out-outside?" In any other situation she would have taken her chances on trying to run out herself. But in here... the quarters were too close, the floor was more slippery than she was used to, and there were many more of her enemies than herself, all too close, within grabbing range. If someone tried to grab her, she'd slither away and run for it, and see how far she could get. But maybe if they thought she really needed to go outside --that she was going to be ill, or that she had to use the bathroom-- they'd take her, and then, outside, she'd certainly be able to get away. Certainly. She'd have to.
Meanwhile...
Grif watched, paws folded into tight fists at his sides, until the skunk and the coyote were out of sight. Then he sunk down to one knee, placing his back to Kikyo, bowed over with one paw flat to the ground, eyes closed (well, one eye closed). He took a deep breath. Two. Three. Inhaling through his nose, smelling the fear and the acrid skunk odor (he'd been close to being sprayed but he had counted on the skunk's ultimate sense of servitude and submission), smelling the muddy ground and the pines and Kikyo's familiar, cool scent, and the scent of the camp. He knew that some --or all-- of the others were probably watching him, waiting. He did not care. They could wait for a moment until he found his center once more.
He took another two deep breaths, feeling that rage and loathing --yes, loathing-- settle down into his stomach once more, where they always stayed, simmering, controllable unless someone pushed him too far. Then he slowly stood straight again, stretching his aching fingers (from clenching them into fists so hard), and finally reopened his eyes.
"Everyone, listen up. I will only say this once. Stop what you're doing, you have a new order." By this time, nearly all of the camp (save for the scouts out in the woods and a few stragglers) were here.
"We're going into lockdown. Everybody hide as many supplies as you can. Bury them. Stash them in trees. Stack them under bushes. Do whatever it takes. Then lay low. If necessary, put your bellies to the ground. There will be no talking, minimal movement, and be ready to get up at a moment's notice. If you hear the unfamiliar whirring of the bikes, the 'metal horses' with their human riders, don't move unless you hear me give the order, or have been directly sighted. Got it?" He didn't wait for an answer, looking coldly around.
"Good. Then get going." The camp, already strung out and exhausted, bustled to please their Lord. The thought gave him no satisfaction, as it normally might.
He just kept his eyes, careful, half-lidded, on the 'ordered' chaos as the camp members all struggled to do their part, and sunk down again, going back into the same kneeling position as before. The corners of his mouth twitched as he looked on, his teeth sometimes showing for a moment before disappearing once more.