[RAID] [Winter in Polaris] FROM YOUR COLD GRASP

James took a moment to breathe, calming his heart and focusing deeper. His magic reached out and grasped the fungus, purging it from the chicken's body.

"You're free now, take shelter while you can," he said, looking up to see a Gembound disappear into the tunnel.

He cursed and looked to Astraea with worry, "Master Astraea! One of them has escaped! What do we do?"

Aristotle sat dumbfounded as he watched everything happening after the fight. A strange stag appeared and rushed to James. Then they were helping others. They were doing something. He had no idea what was going on, but he spotted the giant mantis he had met in Orion lumber off in a direction. He seemed to be in some sort of trance as he moved. Sitting there in the snow, the lion felt completely useless. He had no abilities to help in this situation. So instead of staying and being in the way, the lion stood and began to make his way out of the area and back to Orion.

She had been burned, but Azigh, she could see, had it worse.

Collapsed over on himself. Golden blood leaking from him--and wasn't that odd-? Could she help him? Mother was calling to her--encouraging her, promising her, a warmth she'd felt only with family before. And she should have known better, truly. She'd heard of Mother in the past, but... it felt so right.

Bone struggled up, a great surge of movement bringing her back to her feet with a huff. She winced, and then swivelled her massive head to look toward Azigh once again.

She had been burned, but he was worse...

She held back Mother's influence for just a moment: no real struggle, simply a kind, acknowledging "just a moment" sort of thought.

She would... share his wounds.

And if she could still move, afterward... she would drag herself to Ursa.

To the Mother that beckoned her on.

Astraea and James cleansed as much as their own bodies would allow them, their magic becoming more and more drained with each cast, failure or success. Finally, when the bulk of them had been seen to, his eyes glanced the others, those stragglers that had not been strong enough to either accept the influence or resist it. He noticed the struggle between Madhukar and Tahi-shei, but dare not intervene when he may be needed still—still, chrysalizing was not a bad option, and he could appreciate that Madhukar had the strength to do that for their friend.

Those with sound minds approached himself and James, and those accepting of the infection fled opposite—one of them succeeded in breaking through, but even as James called out to him, he shook his head. They'd have to accept a few losses to save the majority. It was not worth chasing the Hive into its node, not after the battle that had just concluded, and not when so many of them were so exhausted.

He turned to James with a nod, saying quietly, "Thank you."

As Bone approached Azigh, Astraea felt himself stiffen briefly, but when her intentions turned out to be well-meant he breathed a sigh of relief—except the magic that exchanged between the two felt like shearing glass, the breakage of his finest crystal tucked away in a curio cabinet falling free from its doors. Sharp, painful, the normalcy of what was known being shattered into a million tiny pieces. Engulfed in fingers of purple-pink cloud that rushed through them like windy claws, the pair were stilled in time for a moment as Azigh's wounds became Bone's wounds, Bone's wounds becoming Azigh's. After the exchange, singed fur glimmered against gold blood on Azigh and broken scales revealed severe bruises on Bone.

They had basically split the extent of their injuries in half, though Bone turned out worse than before, her entire body sore and aching. Azigh slowly came to, his face turned toward her, but he had no energy left to thank her. He reached one hand out to feel her, to know her, but her body was already moving away—toward Ursa.

No. NO! SHE WASN'T GOING TO TAKE HER FAMILY AWAY!!

"BONE!", she snarled, taking off in a flurry of wings and glowing eyes. She slung herself forward, despite her burns, her wounds- she didn't care.

There was snow. She'd use it to her advantage.

She felt the magic, felt it get expelled, felt it reach, but she fell too short. Tears filled her eyes as she realized she failed, unable to stop Bone, unable to use her magic properly.

"Bone!!", she cried out, too small by far to physically yank her back, but she landed anyway, to confront the bigger dragon, to try and stop her from leaving.

Bone had told her she didn't like the cold, she wasn't meant for it like Asimona or Svartis. That she was scared they'd leave for the snow and ice. But now it was the opposite, and Carja couldn't let such a thing happen.

"You can't- you're not going to Ursa!", she shouted, flaring her blue wings, taking up a stance, ready to grab Bone's tail and pull her back to Polaris if she had to.

Carja knew that Svartis was still back there with Dread. Dread had to help him. She had Bone, he had Svartis- they could tag-team and try and keep Mother from taking them away. If only she could tell Dread, she was already too far away to yell and looking away now would leave her vulnerable. She only hoped she got a second chance to try and freeze Bone in place, at least long enough for the horse or deer to help.

James offered Astraea a nod back, and looked out at the others, "There are still people here, some who haven't run yet. If I can fly to the entrance, maybe I can intercept some of them and purge them before they get too far."

He spread his wings and steeled himself. He was tired but he wasn't done yet. There was still magicka in his system. It ought to be used.

He brought his wings down in a single stroke, launching himself into the air and quickly soaring for the exit, hoping to outfly at least some of them. If he could get to them instead, that would be ideal.

"Come to me!", he shouted, "I can help you! Come to me!!"

Oh please let this work...

He landed and kept his wings spread, just in case he needed to fly. He saw the dragons and some others, like Svartis, who hadn't made it yet. He could try to save them.

She was taking wing as Carja was, laboriously moving into the sky. It hurt, caves it hurt, every wound that spread across her body, every battering bruise, kicking the breath out of her lungs. Her vision was blurry with pain, but something new was pushing past it all.

An imperative.

A promise.

Come to me, that thought whispered through her mind, and all will be well.

Claws dragged through snow for a moment, the other Gembound around her a blur, their sounds and words muffled to her ears. The pain, even, felt distant--a throb that would become all-encompassing but for now, secondary to that command.

Come home.

Wings thudded as she flew for Ursa, her body slamming right down again as she realized the depths of the tunnel were too narrow for her there.

On she trudged, leaving the chaos now behind her--dragging herself toward the safety of Ursa ahead.