Rose followed Lily, wondering where she was about to take her.

Ashleigh

Ashleigh took her ease as Basil collapsed in exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep after a few heavy heaves from his lungs. She wrapped he and herself in her comforter in the midst of their nest. She pressed her head against his chest in a loving embrace and breathed him in. "Rest easy my beloved." She whispered. "In the morning, you will have a story to tell, and I hope you will share it with all of us."

By us, she meant Apollo and Riker also. It would be no use to deny their union, Rider's nose will smell their musk long before they enter the mess hall in the morning. And Apollo will undoubtedly notice the changes in their spirit aura from the binding of mates; unless Basil was playing her false. Apollo would know; and he certainly wouldn't hide it from her.
Without their parents around, Apollo and Riker had come alongside her to be sort of a family among themselves. Her two older brothers who were as protective of her as she was of them. Of his draeyl friends, Basil was the only one the zolnixi and ryori approved of to Ashleigh. Likewise Ash, had been an open resource for them about females. So far neither of them had shown her a female that was worthy of them. Only Riker had tried to challenge her opinion of a young female he suited, with disastrous results for the poor tom. Ash and Apollo were still there to pick-up the pieces. Not to say that Apollo hadn't met any females, he readily understood that Ashleigh loved them both enough to be honest about what she thought about ryori girls after talking with the draeyl female.

Regardless, if her mate liked it or not, there were few secrets she would hide from her friends. Besides that if he was in their presence, they both had ways of detecting false or insecure meaning in what somebody said (through the same skills mentioned earlier).

--------------------------------------------------------------


Ainsleigh & Tatsu

Tatsu was surprised that she had gotten the better of him with just one foot paw. A paralytic touch was effective but clumsy. His 1800 lbs. mass crashed with an earth shaking thud that probably ruffled and shook Willow worse than it would him. He was helpless to prevent the brush of fur and feathers slip from his grasp. She must've taken satisfaction in besting him, because she made no comment or complaints about the unceremonious way she needed to extricate herself from under his arm. The way she unruffled herself only gave a glimpse to the trained eye at her slight embarrassment at how she had been deposited upon the ground.

Ainsleigh was more impressed with Willow's agility and skill with magical trickery; though she didn't show it outwardly. She merely held herself at bay, while Willow presented her naive little monologue. Unable to speak, Tatsu just sat there and listened to Willow explain the nuances of zolnixi or guild manners that had no place or bearing to draeyl and warrior alike. But he couldn't do anything else until the paralytic magic was dispelled.

Ainsleigh allowed Willow to walk past for a little while. Once she judged the range was safe she cast her own sorcery, encasing Willow within a shell of ice. She let the zolnixi kit enough time to realize that she was completely immobilized. She could neither speak, move, touch or breath properly,while the draeyl warrior casually walked over to deliver her own comments to the little upstart.

"You should know better than to use magic on your betters. It's not a plaything, nor a tool for supporting your insolence." She spoke through cupped hands on the ice closest to her left ear. "But since you see fit to use it so nonchalantly in your unwillingness to assist us, then you can indulge me using it to exact retribution for attacking my mate." Willow could do nothing but mumble, even if Ainsleigh bothered to listen.

She brought her head down,slamming the hardened horned forehead against the base of Willow's skull as the ice dispelled instantaneously upon her contacting it. Even if Willow had remained conscious from the hit, her lower jaws' double contact would certainly render her senseless and dispell the paralytic touch spell. Ainsleigh did her best to pull the impact so to insure she didn't slay Blue Jay's rebellious daughter.

She examined the crumpled mass of fur and feather and spun about on her heel,passing Tatsu. "Get up numbskull, we need to go track out where our friends got too?"

Rose waited patiently.

Tatsu & Ainsleigh

Ainsleigh left the situation lie. Let Willow think she did well, with her magic. It would boost her confidence, and likely make her continue to underestimate A and Tats in the future. Besides, there wasn't any real harm done to Tatsu. Even now Tatsu's body was slowly becoming responsive again.

The brute took his time to work the numbness out of his limbs and joints. Paralysis spells weren't painful like stunning magics, but they needed more time to metabolize from ones spirit. He first restored fingers, toes and jaw. Later his outer limbs and joints freed up a few minutes later. When he was able to stand, he was still working the numbness out of his rotator joints, but he'd be able to function at least 80 percent.

"I'm well enough to continue." He said, defiant to his condition.

Anxious to move forward as well, Ainsleigh simply nodded, allowing Tatsu to lead them inside the dungeon once more.

Despite the ravages of time, the draeyls were very familiar with the first room still. Neither had forgotten the shock their enemies had at facing Ainsleigh's formidible water fighter skills. Only one waterfall remained now, the one that hid the door they had followed when they came in. The stone walls and floor supplied little sign of where the zolnixi had gotten to except for some still wet pools that had escaped further than the mist of the small cascade could produce.

Tatsu noticed that a number of branches were broken off of a tree beside the waterfall. Likely the grown version of the sprout that was peering from the wall the first time they had come here. He noticed the claw markings were likely from a vulnyx or lighira cub, hiding in the brush, but apparently discovered by Blue Jay and Tomen, judging by the damage.

"I think our friends had a little encounter, A." He told his mate, pointing out the claw markings on the tree.

"If they keep collecting cubs like this, they'll have the oddest pack family in the guild." Ainsleigh replied just loud enough for Tatsu to hear. "I'm pretty sure they went through the falls again."

Nodding agreement, Tatsu stepped forward and through the freezing water, with Ainsleigh on his tail.

--------------------------------------------------------------


Ashleigh

Ashleigh sighed as she aroused from her nap. Basil had placed an arm and leg protectively over her body sometime during their slumber. She couldn't help but smile as her nostrils filled with his musky scent. Lifting her head away from his chest she could see that he was still very tired and sleeping peacefully. At the moment, everything was right in the world. Her mate instinctively wrapping himself about her, and she could feel a hard mass forming in her belly already. The last thing she wanted to do was get up, but she couldn't sleep anymore and didn't want to be a nuisance to Basil.

She gently moved his arm and leg aside and tucked him comfortably in the quilt that they would now share. Climbing carefully out of the nest so as not to disturb him, she found and collected his ratty and tattered sheet and bundled it under her arm and quietly exited the room heading for the center chamber. Now that Basil's bachelorhood had been arrested, she fully intended to burn this old sheet as her private way of making sure he never returned to that life again.

As she was exiting the corridor, she saw Riker and Willow. Noticing the bump on Willow's head, Ashleigh asked. "What happened to you?" The change in her scent was sure to get their attention, but it was the furthest thing on her mind, considering how important Willow was to Riker.

Nina then decided to go check near the dungeon. She walked as fast as she could not feeling up to running. She was wondering where everyone was. Where were they? Are they at the Guild Hall? Or in the Dungeon?