"Well, no. But couldn't we somehow try to avoid it?" she pleaded.

"Is the Labyrinth in that direction? I believe so. And if it is in that direction, then we have to go that direction. Once we are it we can keep it in our sight, but go the long way around it." Zach says.

"Yes, exactly." She nodded and started walking back to the city.

Zach picks Azrail up and walks next to you, though it was obvious he was wanting to fly again. "Let's play a game to pass the time."
"NO!" Azrail says and jumps to you.
"I was just going to suggest I spy." Zach says.
"No." Azrail says venomously, all tense.

She caught Azrail in midair. "He doesn't want to play, it's fine. We can survive without doing I spy anyway. What would we say, 'I spy something dead'?"

"Uh... I don't know... 'I spy something that looks like a snare or someone like that'?" Zach says with a shrug. Azrail leans towards Zach.
"Are you sure the Nimmts didn't take anything else?" Azrail half-hearedly teases, dropping to the floor and walking beside you, his paws working twice as fast to keep up.
"Yes, I'm sure they didn't take anything else." Zach says. "And if you don't believe me, I can point it out to you." Before he could, Azrail triggers it, and he gets tossed into the air, hanging by a rope. His hind legs were stuck.
"OK, I don't doubt you now." Azrail says, trying to find a way to get down. Someone, or something, climbs up the tree quick as a blink, perching on the branch of which Azrail now hang by. "Hullo. Can you get me down?"
"Pretty fur. Could sell for something. Sorry little fella." The being hangs off the branch, legs wrapped tightly around it to keep from falling off. He takes out a familiar knife and, holding onto Azrail, cuts the trap. He puts the knife in his mouth and rights himself, keeping a firm grip on Azrail. He puts the knife to the red panda's throat.
"Hey! Don't touch him." Zach growls, flying up to meet the person.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Is this one yours? He's not anymore. I caught him. And his fur is quite lovely. I think I can get lots of money from it." The person says with a laugh, not moving the blade an inch away from Azrail.

"Get away from... my son!" She tried to jump up but found she couldn't. "Dang it I'm too short."

"Your son, now is he? Oh well. Should have kept him in a safer environment. For example, you shouldn't be heading towards a city infested by Nimmts and manticores." The person says cheerfully, adjusting the blade and beginning to cut Azrail. "And anyways, I would be putting him out of his misery. He's obviously going to lose the battle with the venom in the snake bite." Zach grabbed the person by the collar of their shirt and takes the surprised person to the skies.
"I'll... go take care of this one." Zach says, pausing a moment when the person stabs him before continuing to climb into the sky.
Azrail places his paws to his stomach, where red of blood was mixing with the orange of his fur.

She tried to catch Azrail (I'm just assuming he's falling out of the sky because I have no evidence to prove he isn't). "Azrail! Can you heal yourself?"

Azrail lands in your arms. He was shaking and his breath was erratic and coming in short gasps. "I don't want to die." He mutters through clenched teeth. Zach comes back around this point, landing next to you.
"I dropped the person from high up. Like where the clouds are. Do you think that got rid of him?" Zach asks.