Favor to a Friend (Rattinger/Republic Members)

[|-Sandralina-|]

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[atrb=background,http://i1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb390/Bluewillowtree/Sandramid.jpg] Sandralina flapped her wings once to remain in the air, but hovered only feet from the ground to keep up with the scents of Keely's pack. She had promised the small Lyxxus that she would go out and find her pack for her, but that she needed Rhiannon's permission first. She had received it under one condition, that she ask Rattinger to accompany her on the journey. She didn't look around to see if he was still there, she just trusted he was. As her amber gaze swept about the land, she felt saddened inside. It was burnt and destroyed from a fire. She remembered Keely mentioning something about a dragon, so she assumed that was how it started. Sandralina frowned, "They didn't deserve this..." Her voice came out as a sad whisper, but she pushed it aside and leaned to turn with the scents. It was becoming very strong at that point, and there seemed to be rabbit burrows in the ground. They didn't smell of rabbit, though, they smelled of the pack Keely had come from. She had smelled the pack scent on her, though it was dim from having been with the Cadre for so long. Sandralina began to extend her hind legs forward and flashed out her tail feathers to their full extent. She slowed herself and her feet touched the ground. Landing on all fours, she relaxed her tail and folded her wings close to her sides. She gazed around, searching for any sign of a wolf that could be there so she could tell them about Keely. It was her promise to her newly found friend, and she had promised herself she would check on Mimzy, Keely's daughter. She flattened her ears, disappointed when she saw nothing, but she had a feeling and voiced it, "I think we're here. I think...this is it."

[rattinger]

"Rhinanon said to ask if you'd help me find a pack." Well, those weren't the exact words, but it was close enough. Rattinger had been roped into helping some pack mate he barely knew search for the remains of a pack he could have cared less about. And it was all because it was at the alpha's request. If it hadn't been, he probably would have said no. His idea of passing the time was to observe his so called "family" and pass judgements out of earshot. He wasn't all that keen on associating with anyone, only having a passing conversation when someone caught him in the dens or during a meal. And more often than not, those conversation were more like insult fests that occasionally resulted in a battle of the wits.

At least he was with a fellow bird Myou. That meant he could at least muster a smidgen of respect for the girl. And the task he'd been set on was one that required a number of his special... talents. They were looking for a pack possibly ravaged by death; he was a Vulture. His sense of smell was specifically tuned to the stench of decay. If the pack had been completely destroyed, he would be the first to know.

Sandralina slowly made her way towards ground, pulling the male out of his thoughts. Keen eyes followed her every move, a dark intensity burning within them. He chose to stay above the clouds a little longer, wings stretched to full span as he easily glided on the currents. His wings were built especially for gliding, the long distance practically nothing for him as he let the wind do all the work. He was better off searching from up high as well. The closer to the ground he got, the stronger the scent of burnt grasses would get. It would be harder to pick out much of anything with the scent of fire so strong. And with his eyesight as sharp as it was, he wasn't at much disadvantage.

But the Swallow eventually fully landed, pausing to stare down at something. Tilting his body, Rattinger rode the currents downward. He flapped once or twice to control the landing, hopping once or twice as his paws finally hit the ground. Then that same, awkward, hopping gait carried him closer to his companion, wings folding themselves against his sides. His head cocked curiously to one side as he too gazed down at the odd hole in the ground. More accustomed to life in the sky, he did not know where to go from here. At least his raspy voice was able to off some form of reassurance along with a twisted joke. "I don't smell death. Not of wolves, anyways. There's some nicely charred elk not to far from here though."

[|-Sandralina-|]

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[atrb=background,http://i1203.photobucket.com/albums/bb390/Bluewillowtree/Sandramid.jpg] Sandralina wasn't facing her companion when he landed, making a remark about no dead wolves. It lightened her heart, which meant she could tell Keely that Mimzy was more than likely alive. She would be ecstatic to hear that her entire pack had a great chance of surviving. Not being one to just assume things, she had decided it would be best to make sure the pack was all right by confronting them. Then there was the remark about the dead elk and she gave a light sigh, rolling her eyes. It wasn't like her to be so irritable, but the stress of the upcoming gamma challenge was weighing on her shoulders like heavy boulders. She pushed it aside and lowered her head to sniff at one of the holes. It was rather large for a rabbit hole, and it stunk of the wolves that lived there. It was a slight spark of hope, as the scents were fresh, and Sandra prayed to the Great Spirit that the pack had not been killed by the devastating fire. Estoni squawked in the back of her mind, Are they here? Are they? 'Hush, Estoni. I don't know yet.' She quieted the cheery second soul and lifted her head to look at her vulture companion. He was an interesting lot, certainly not a type of myou she had seen before, and she barely knew him. She wondered why Rhiannon had asked her to bring him along. Perhaps it was an ability he had that would be useful here, but she shook it away for the moment. "What now? Do we just...yell down the hole and hope someone answers?" Her suggestion was the only one she could muster at the moment. Because it was dark in the tunnels, it was hard to tell whether or not to two of them would be able to fit inside and crawl their way down to find something. However, even Sandralina didn't want to risk the chance of being attacked on stranger lands, for neither of the myou knew what the pack was like.