Ainsleigh

Ainsleigh leaned back upon her tail when Blue Jay expressed her concerns for the cubs and risking her own kits for the sake of somebody else's cubs. She was ready to mention how the cubs' mother was comfortable enough leaving them here by themselves; and obviously with regular success. However the cubs made up their own minds about staying here where they knew the terrain. "You cubs really know yourselves around this place. Find a good place to find shelter and wait for us or your parents to return." She said to the two with a smile. She was about to follow through with departing when another zolnixi galloped into the dungeon covered in ash and soot. She turned to face him to receive his information. "...We need help... Shadow creatures attacked... a fire started.."

Ainsleigh took a moment to take in the information. She had another uneasy curiosity at how quickly this adult Riker was able to to so easily enter the dungeon. She was certain the reason would be logical, but she'd have to confront any or all of the youths about this. "Has everyone gotten safely out of the guild tree?" She asked Riker. "Fill us in on the way. Come on!" She ordered and began to trot out at a pace the nixis would be able to keep. As they began, Blue Jay noticed that Ainsleigh's astral fumes quickly transformed from maroon to charcoal gray. "Tatsu's over the guildhall now, so far there is only smoke coming out of the tree."


Tatsu

Tatsu allowed Damion to get just ahead of him, then he flapped his wings and began running to catch him. He wrapped his claws around Damion's barrel and took the the sky almost immediately. Damion's squeaks were a little nerve wracking. "Just relax and be brave like Tomen here. I'm a professional flyersosimply enjoy the view!" Tatsu reassured Damion. He turned and smiled to Tomen. "Stay on my left wing and ride my draft, lt'll give you a huge aerial boost, so watch your altitude or you may lose it."

Once they were above the treeline, he was able to manipulate the air and virtually thrust off too quickly for Damion's noises to reach his ears. His astral armor left charcoal gray trails of fumes as he quickly flew over the land. They gave Tomen an excellent view of where the backwash from his wings sourced out so he could take lift. But as Tatsu promised, it provided a massive blast of uplift that Tomen needed to wing-down into so not to lose the lift.

The guild tree was standing slightly taller than the other trees so he could easily navigate towards it. Not long after he turned he began seeing smoke billowing from under the branches. Not long after his astral fumes transformed to maroon and his complexion changed slightly.

"Ainsleigh has invoked our astral link." He informed Tomen and Damion. "We can sense each other. The females are on the run, Riker found them and is updating them on the situation. More shadow beasts have breached the hall."

So far from their vantage they could only seethe smoke as they started their descent. Thus far they saw a few of the guilders but neither Ashleigh, Basil or Willow was visible.

"Tomen, can you see out daughters?." He yelled across space to his wing-tom.


Ashleigh

Ashleigh didn't run too fast, lest she carry them right into the danger. Apollo alarmed them about. Basil's claw slipped from her's but it didn't seem unusual. At any moment she expected him to bolt forward and take the lead. Instead, she saw Riker flash by her heading upstairs to the library. The smell of smoke and soot drifted through her nostrils as he passed. "Riker,where is Apollo? Is he alright?" She called, though he never responded. She was worried since she hadn't seen her other friend in quite sometime, and the threat of danger on his heals was quickly becoming a regular habit of that ryori. She could see the glow of a flickering fire spewing from the tavern, shortly before a huge waft of wood smoke clouded the view completely. She could here Fir and Inferno's voices along with the thrashing growls of another male zolnixi! But nothing of Apollo or Lily. The amount of smoke worried her that the flames may have cut them off from the main entrance. She turned to look back at Basil, as she did she noticed that her belly was hardening and she instinctively placed her claws around her belly. She caught a glimpse of concern on Basil's face as he turned back toward her. "What's the matter beloved?" She inquired of her lover, not wanting to add to his worry with the egg.

Tomen began searching the ground " N-no.." he said answering Tats question "there are two shadow beings below looks like Apollo and the Kitties made it out... I'll try to Subside the fire " he said as they got in range and he was able to get into the guild

Damion Looked up at Tats " I think It best that I not fuel the flames" he suggested

Blue noticed the change, something she was not too concerned with at the moment, she was only keeping up her feet buzzing with electricity " lets hope Tomen Can Snuff it out a bit" she said swerving around a tree

Ashleigh

Ashleigh's words didn't seem to register when Basil looked directly at her. He appeared stunned and bleeding from the nose and mouth as if his lungs and throat were hemorrhaging internally. He was stunned, so she reached out to him with one claw on his shoulder and another about the back of his head and gathered him to her chest and wrapped her wings about him. She'd worry about the blood later, right now the first priority was to get them to safety. Smoke in the hallway was already dimming the dancing flames that provided light from the tavern. Dust and something like wood ash was starting to float about in the smokey air. Inferno could still be heard scuffling with some creature, though it's growls had lessened in the past few moments. The crackling of fire was dampening any softer sounds Ashleigh may have been able to pick up. She stood brooding over her beloved straining to see even the wall, even as the air was beginning to become warm, dry and choking. She reached her claw out to the outboard wall and eventually found wood. With a point of orientation she used a few moments to watch the air currents, knowing for certain there was one opening the enemy would overlook, and the fire would be sucking air in through it. With luck she could see the flow of the smoke and began feeling her way along the outside wall to her old room. She felt around for the handle feeling hopeful for their escape...


Tatsu

Tatsu had acknowledged Tomen with a nod and opened his wings out to grab lift and free him from the lift his flaps were giving him. Then, though it took a few seconds to sink in, Tatsu couldn't believe what he was hearing from Damion.

"Your a fire mage and you don't know how to control or extinguish flames?!" He virtually yelled incredulously at the tom. His lesser instincts, for the moment, gave Tats an appealing argument to drop this zolnixi over the edge of the plateau and remove him from both the zolnixi and elemental gene pools for the betterment of all life in Sylestia. Thankfully for Damion, Tatsu didn't go for instigating attacks against an ally, even one such as this tom who's fate was in his claws. Surveying the situation, Tatsu and Damion had an exceptional view of the clearing outside the branches of the guild tree. Despite his outburst the Shadow griffi and ny'vene seemed to be focused on penning in Apollo,Fir and Lily while the tree burned. "We need to get those bird brains attention." He suggested at Damion. "Think you can detonate your fireballs before impacting the ground, maybe even at the Ny'vene's head height?" He didn't want to fill in Damion on everything but if that Ny'vene's electric field was genuine and not just a static show. Tatsu would be able to protect Damion from harm so long as they remained airborne. his astral armor continued billowing the maroon smoke as he formulated his plan with Damion.


Ainsleigh

Ainsleigh listened to Riker's report, with any luck Ashleigh and Basil would make their way out the illusion masked window from Ashleigh's room and find some safety, perched on the branch outside of that camouflaged window. As for Willow, Ainsleigh was a little disturbed. Surely the young mage wouldn't attempt to put out a fire two floors below her using a water spell! If it was a magic fire, say like Ny'vene flames, her water would virtually vaporize before passing through the flames and fail to smother the flames from the fuel source. Water magic was a tricky matter because the water has to come from somewhere and be drawn to the mage. In a fire,the air would be too dry to pull water vapor, leaving just her own body and that of the water in the tree itself that was being warmed by the fire. Not only would her magic fail to put out a magic fire, but she would be dehydrating herself to the point of desiccation or death to no effect! Ainsleigh silently feared for Willow, but did not put on a burst of speed, because Riker and Blue would need to help run interference in order for Ainsleigh to get close enough to bring her water abilities in order to aid Blue's daughter. Blue's hope in Tomen's abilities was of little assurance to the draeyl female. She acknowledged Tomen's abilities were formidable, but light and flame greatly weaken dark spells and physical manifestation magics like what she saw Tomen do earlier. Darkness can cover the flame but permits air to permeate through it. Her hope for both ofher nixi friends was that the dark tom kept a healthy distance from the flame with whatever he was trying. Sensing Tatsu through their astral unity, she noticed that something was off about her mate's feelings toward Damion. Something that he had just discovered planting a seed of doubt. Oh, two large grounded flyers penning the other guild members! To Tatsu's information, Ainsleigh hoped that Nina and Rosepetal would also be able to aid in overcoming the griffi and the ny'vene.

Nina slipped into the shadow realm. There was many creatures. They all were black and mysterious looking. She was worried as she saw a portal open to a place near the guild hall. She didn't know if she could help fight off these creatures. There were so many. Suddenly one of them spotted her. "Shouldn't be here! You shouldn't be here!" It shouted and they noticed me. I fled through the portal but only one followed after me. I landed on the ground having jumped through the portal.



Nina turned around. She growled. "You're that one we banished! Nina!" The ryori growled at her. " You're supposed to be dead! " Nina didn't know that she was supposed to be dead. He approached her with a creepy grin. "I guess I'll just have to kill you myself." He said. " You will remember me. My name is Braeden! I am from the dark valley. You will remember me I am sure. I want you to beg for me to stop. " He attacked her and she instinctively clawed at him. He growled as her claws caught him. She was trying her best but honestly she wasn't prepared for this.

(forgot to ping)