ORIGIN

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Five-Four-Six kept running until he noticed his brother was out of his sight. He paused, twisting up onto safety, and went looking for Desert Rose Thirty-Five in the flood. He spotted him on a rock-- no, breaking a rock-- which went crashing into--

Oh, that was hilarious.

He sat back to take the weight off his aching, wounded shoulder. His eyes followed the rock as it crashed into Reseda and she was trapped under it, then he followed the shape of Thirty-Five as he went weaving through the ravine.

He thought to speak; though thought better of it. Best not to distract him after he risked his life trying to murder someone-- which, incidentally, seemed to be in vain. She'd somehow managed to pull herself out from under and was channelling magic again to fix the injuries.

Five-Four-Six licked his jowls briefly. He didn't want to risk his own survival either, not right now. There was no doubt in his mind that she'd be stunted in some way, especially in his own experience with his wound, but if she managed to catch up with him, her scales would likely still be wet.

The creature picked himself back up and continued on, following the path Garnet Five-Seven-Nine had gone.

The dog didn't move to stand, or sit, instead choosing to remain slumped over the log. His toes were still in the water, his tail dragging, but he had a good grip on his trophy and he was definitely not moving, so he remained.

His eyes were squinted shut, ears flat--Yoosung's stomach was churning, drooling oozing around the wing tip as he fought the urge to vomit, his log being thrown around.

This was fine.

I've been on a lonely tripdragging along a lonely shadow

The Fossa flinched as he caught movement out of the corner of his eye, half expecting another of those vultures. But instead it was the chicken, the one with the scorpion-tail. He dug in his claws to keep his balance, turning to meet them as he did.

Mayngo shook himself, trying to get the wet out of his fur, but it only jostled the clotting wounds on his back and he winced, yelling to be heard "I'll live, you?" and then, rather surprised that they asked, "Name's Mayngo!"

@Agate Two-Three-Six

Carefully, Styx shifting to stand atop the log. His head swam, and he squinted--there was blood dripping down his face, and he shook his head.

But there were two who had yet to get clear of the waters, the little lizard and the fish-champion. He stuck his paw into the waters, intending on angling his log over to help them, but in short order the had both gotten themselves to safety as well. So he brought his paw back up, sitting pretty on top of the log, waiting to see what would happen next.

Speech. Thought.

It was pure luck --- not being dead already, that is. Garnet Five-Seven-Nine was rather unaware of its surroundings, its placement other than a few key senses being overwhelmed: water roared in its ears, deafening; its eyes stung with the muck and sediment floating around in the water; it could smell nothing but the muskiness of petrichor; little but water consumed it.

After a few minutes of this, the creature felt as its lungs were about to explode. Kicking out once with powerful hind legs, feeling stifling-hot and humid air atop its head, it sucked in a deep breath and hunkered back down. Eventually, Garnet Five-Seven-Nine knew, it would make it to the Dead Marsh or to death's door.

Garnet Five-Seven-Nine is staying in place, out of necessity.

The Fossa yelled back to their delight. I'll live. Damn straight, the over-sized chicken thought, giving a largely exaggerated nod of agreement-- now this was a Gembound they could get along with. Maybe it was just because of the shouting, which made Agate felt a weird sense of kinship despite the fact no one could be heard without screeching. Ah, but the confidence!

Mayngo, the soaking wet fuzzball declared to the wind. "Mayngo!" The Agate echoed, talons digging into the wood they rode for balance.

It was strange, hearing these gems with unique names, unshackled from the numbers they were born with. They hadn't had much time to think about it, but... mango, agato, hm? "Call me Gatto!" They declared as a spur of the moment decision, head held high and feathers ruffling in the wind. "We have quite the journey ahead of us, ey?!"

They turned their head to peer down the current that rushed them along-- the others were only mere specks in the distance-- and checked briefly that the feather they had tucked away was still nestled safely among their plumage. It wouldn't do any good to have lost their trophy now.

The "race" had really only just begun, after all. And what a challenge, being at the very end of the contestants! They held their faith in themself close, self-confidence brimming despite the fact they had slipped farther and farther behind. In the end, the real challenge was avoiding fatality, and it was a lot harder to avoid being stabbed in the back if you were at the very front, wasn't it?

agate is staying with @mayngo !

Ru kept his side pressed against the canyon wall. The churning water splashed onto their makeshift shelter without respite, and Ru's nervousness grew with every wave. They were unsure how long they could keep their balance before the wet rock caused them to slip and tumble into the water. They turned their attention elsewhere, lest the fear of a mistake cause one in the first place. Ru glanced around its surroundings, the rain nearly blinding them in its intensity. The high waters, thick rainfall on their hide, and the sheer roar of the flood masked all other sound.

It didn't know where the Opal had gone, but it seemed adapted to water. Perhaphs it was alright. It wasn't sure whether it preffered for the Opal to be alright or not. Above it Ru spotted something flapping. At first it thought that it was another eyehook vulture. But then it saw the gleam of silver scales, and felt relief. That was one teammate it knew the location of, atleast. It hadn't seen the Agate in a while, and by pure habit, resolved itself to thinking it was dead. It was likely that the flood had gotten to it. The Agate was small, smaller even than Ru. It was a shame, it could have used an ally like that.

"Is everyone alright?" It calls out as well as loud as it can, though unlikely to be heard above the flood.

Shango rode the storm.

His split-second twitching and swaying along the currents of air kept him safe--for now; he just hoped that the canyon continued its downhill incline. But the longer he glided, the more he felt at ease. Yes, it was hard to see--the mist and rain-spray filled his vision. And yes, it was near-impossible to catch glimpses of, or hear sound from, those struggling closer to him. He saw only ghosts in the storm, brief flashes of white or brown, as he fought to stay even with the flow of the flood below.

But the longer he did it, the more confident he became. He was the storm; it was part of him. The roar of the floodwaters, the billowing fog, the rattling hiss of the rain all around him--he was one with it all. Soon enough he was at his ease, so sharply-focused on his flight that he forgot all else. There was nothing but the now, nothing but this flight through the wind and the rain.

There was just one thing it was missing.

Shango struggled, for a moment, to call upon his magicka. He felt the thrum of thunder in him: he wanted lightning to fill the canyon, to crash through the storm and pierce the water, to light the heavens in its pale glory.

Perhaps luckily for everyone else, he found it impossible to both stay in flight, and create a storm--and after a moment's struggle he let it go, the electricity slipping away in favor of survival.

Asimona continued floating above the group, her wings occasionally flapping to keep herself aloft. Water splashed onto her belly every so often and the wind made it hard for her to do much else, but she put all of her energy into staying by Ru. Her eyes had been trained on the opal, ready to swoop in and pick them out of the water, but they seemed to be fording the floods fine on their own. She breathed out a sigh of relief.

She glanced back and saw the agate with Mayngo, safe from the floodwater as well. For now, at least. "Our group is fine," she roared down to Ru over the crashing of the waves. She couldn't say for anyone else - she couldn't see them through the mist. The water had done its purpose - spread them out. Asimona felt a streak of pride at the group she'd joined. They, stubbornly, had held tight together.

"Can you hear their voice?"
"Find the one who'll guide you."
To the limits of your choice.

tags:
notes:

Quartz Eight-Six-Zero had looked around immediately for Amazon. Due to this, he saw exactly when she fell into the flood. "Amazon!" His voice held a panicked tone to it. He looked desperately in the water, tensing as he prepared to save her. He'd just made a friend - he couldn't lose her already!

His eyes scanned the water and he breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the lizard scramble up onto a rock. He looked around him and carefully made his way over to her. When he was near, he quickly looked over her. "Are you okay?" he asked, voice tight with worry and concern.

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Labradorite Five-Four-Six

Yoosung

Mayngo

Styx

Hemlocke

Agate Two-Three-Six

Quartz Five-Two-Four

Shango

Asimona

Magnus