It was a lot of ground covered. Hopefully, she could cover that ground again quickly enough to not risk any worry from her treasure. Of course, she did let her know she was going to be looking for something important. Hopefully Jasmine would understand, as well as such an innocent and gullible thing could. It was amusing to know that, at only a single cycle old, she was able to do so well at wrapping that girl around her little finger. Gadanai fondled her own tusks, admiring how long they were purely by feel. Red eyes glared around, body unaffected by the wind as it blew around between the walls. Something about the scents and smells that came in the wind drew her in further, and she rumbled deeply. Nobody was in sight (yet), but she was certain she wasn't alone. Slowly, her trunk raised up high. Her mouth opened and she bellowed out quite the roar, attempting to make it even louder than the airy howls. Dust rolled off her back, giving her a feel of slight disappointment. Blood would surely not fall so freely so easily. The smell and feel of it was lacking. The drive to kill was definitely there, but she had matters to attend to, first. She leaned into her front feet, a sphincter-type of muscle closing her ears so she could get a hang of the seismic vibrations from the ground. There was a lot of rumble from the wind, but she knew... "I smell you. I feel you under my feet. If you continue to hide, I will find you," she warned the one she didn't see. Tail swished, ears slowly flared out about half-mast. She leaned off of her feet and opened her ears and listened, waited. "I promise not to kill you... yet." --------- "Speech" Thoughts OOC: words @The Merry Men :D

Pretty. Somebody thought she was pretty. Fleur had been floating around on a cloud of affectionate wonder for a good day, now, high on the compliments Farrah had given, blushing every time the memories of their encounter returned. The skunk had secluded herself away in what had slowly become her makeshift "den" - she'd never had one as a child, always pressured to sleep just outside of Diamondfang's burrow on the cold floor. Now, she nestled at the end of one of the paths carved into the walls, a big ball of plush white fur, peering out at the world from behind her tail.

And a good thing, too - something big was coming, and it sounded a lot less friendly than the dog. Ruby eyes narrowing, the guard chattered her teeth, wary, slowly unfurling and stalking along the wall. She stopped just out of reach of the stranger, tail pointed high, only two ways to go: back up the wall or down. Down meant... dealing with a giant baby, actually, because that definitely wasn't the voice of an adult. Fleur blinked, stocky build relaxing a bit, peering at the child curiously, if not a bit reserved.

"Kill. Me? How. Quaint. Do. You. Often. Hunt. Strangers, little. One?" And then she cackled, a strange, guttural sound, the crown on her head shimmering. Trailing off into a coughing fit, her tail twitched, one paw raising to pick at pearly-pink fangs, raised to be brash and intimidating. "Who. Are. You?"

©sanctuare-2k15

@Gadanai

Something hid well. Something was... there. She rumbled again, just before white caught the corner of her eye and she looked over and down, finding a tiny... adult. The way it spoke immediately grated her nervous, causing her large red eyes to roll dramatically. She often forgot she was a mere child to most, but cared not. The calling of "little one" made her narrow her eyes at the white thing that stood so close to the ground. "Yes, actually, I do. You sound and look like an idiot. You're the right size to step on, too," she sneered. "You don't know me? I am, of course, Gadana Ama. Who the fuck are you?" Gadanai turned to face the skunk and squinted more, wondering why something so small didn't see her as a terror simply by her sheer size. Not a coward, but definitely some kind of fool. She tossed her head, unimpressed. If she were to kill today, she would want bathe and roll in it. This skunk wouldn't even make a good hat. With another scoff and eye roll, she trekked forward, traversing further into Merry Men territory. Time to stir up some shit. --------- "Speech" Thoughts OOC: words @Fleur

Fleur peered down at the strange, wrinkly child, a truly amused laugh skittering from her throat, turning into a snorting chortle on the way down. "Idiots. Wander. Into. Merry. Man. Territory," the skunk called, voice as gravelly and strange as always. "Welcome. To. Hell. Gadana. I. Am. Fleur."

She followed along the walls, watching the aggressive baby's trek, eyes crinkling at the corners.

"You. Are. Undisciplined. But. That. Can. Be. Fixed." Rounded ears flicked back in thought, and the tank-like assassin clacked gemstone teeth together. "You. Could. Guard. Too. Obvious. For. Sneaky. Work," she judged, eyeing the stranger. She'd either already been recruited or simply had a death wish - either way, Fleur was staying well out of the way. It wasn't time to challenge Diamondfang's rule, yet.

More importantly, she really wanted to see Magdalena's reactions. No doubt the beautiful dog would have some choice words for such a brash intruder. Fleur didn't enjoy watching children suffer, what with her general overprotective mothering instinct, but she certainly loved watching them learn.

©sanctuare-2k15

@Gadanai

Nemesis did not have a lot of tolerance for outsiders. She especially did not have tolerance since her beautiful baby girl had returned to the world, and her blood was boiling the moment she heard the strange voice in her home. Heavy footsteps echoed around her, a constant thudding that shook the earth like a minor quake. She was a proprieter of the title Knight around here and with the love of her Princess at her back there was nothing she would let slip by her.

She was a mother. A guardian. A protector. She would never fail again. Her body was crackling flames by the time she saw the trespasser, her feet crackling with flames and the tips of her ears, her crown, burning with a pain she no longer noticed. The flames were a warning. Anyone could smell the singed flesh and hair carried on the wind, and no matter the price she would pay it. Her three horns raised to the sky as she realized it was practically one of her own kin-- not a rhino, no, but some other large, horned beast.

And not the kind that played pretend rhino, either. It had tusks but not a single horn, and she relaxed slightly as she approached, blue eyes noting the small, albino mothering figure of Fleur. A fellow Merrymen, clearly here to see that the stranger was dealt with accordingly. She hardly said a word as she approached, but her flames cackled loudly as she joined them, towering over the calf and of course the skunk.

She felt she did not have to speak. Instead, she fell to a stop, blocking the infants path with her sizable girth and vicious, roaring flames. She snorted, instead assessing the situation with the quiet, brooding form of an angry mother or perhaps a large, hulking body guard. She was, in essence, both.

@Gadanai @Fleur

A rumble that sounded more like a growl as she threw a side-look at Fleur. "Idiots. Who. Assume. I. Am. Wandering. And. Talk. Like. You. Should. Die." She felt her blood get a littler hotter in every mocking word she spat, more and more venom seeping from them as she continued forward, just before realizing she was about to come face-first to a flaming horn. The elephant halted, but didn't back up, even as she took note of what exactly was behind it. Honestly, she found a bit of admiration over the horn. Regardless, she had to address this issue of her being in the way. She started by rearing up, standing on her hind legs while gazing around Nemesis. Nobody was behind her, so all she had was this giant horned mammal. However, another thought crossed her mind. "Hmm... well, I considered trying to push passed you, but... do you fight? Do you know of an allegiance that is involved in... unheroic things?" If not, then a fight would simply have to ensue! It would make Nemesis a liar and there would be triumph for Gadanai either way. --------- "Speech" Thoughts OOC: words @Louie | @Nemesis | @Fleur

Ooh, she was getting angry. Fleur grinned, locked jaw curled inward at an awkward angle, one that sent the telltale tingle of sore muscles down her neck. The skunk really hadn't gotten the chance to properly aggravate a hot-headed buffoon, before. "You. Speak. Much! But say. Nothing. Sad, really." And then she winked, trotting farther up the wall as Nemesis came into view, beautiful and intimidating, a welcome sight. "Nem," the little tank chirruped, stopping parallel and up from the rhino, peering down with a wave. "We. Have. Company. She is. Quite rude!"

A soft, delicate, low laugh tittered through the air. "Intriguing. Yes?" She could see this... thing being of use, at least. Perhaps that had been how the Merry Men started up their little child-brainwashing ways - to corral indelicate brats. She almost felt bad - she always felt horrible when she found more evidence of just how terrible Fang's reign had become - but her sympathy only ran so deep, and the bloodlust that came instinctively ran much deeper.

©sanctuare-2k15

@Nemesis

The baby calf snarked at Fleur in a manner that made Nemesis' flames grow, crackling with a glow that nearly blinded the trinoceros... But looking into the sun of her own fire was a pain she was used to, and so she did not flinch even as the child nearly bumped into her. Her ears flicked dismissively at the child's words, a snort escaping her nostrils and blowing smoke at the greedy, brattish baby.

"You really ought to respect your elders, kid. A woman like me could stomp you to death for being so rude to my friend," Nemesis threatened, soft like a mother scolding a child who had hurt themselves-- delicately, while cleaning their scrapes, because although they went running into danger, the wound should have been enough to deter them from doing it again. Of course, the elephant calf had yet to be injured, but judging by her rearing, posturing, and snapping words, Nemesis knew what was coming.

"It is, Fleur," she murmured the reply, her cold midnight gaze locked on the child's red, wild eyes. "Look, kid, if you want to prove yourself, test your might against me, I welcome the challenge. Y'see, maybe if you kick hard enough you might get a lucky break here-- my friends and I are the kind of sort that like brawn like you. You're much too young to be picking a fight, but I've been wrecking shit since I was your age and I've lived this far."

Another snort escaped her nostrils, more smoke in the air. The corners of her lips twitched up in a snarling smirk. "You don't seem like the chit-chatty sort anyway. Go on then, show me what you've got."

@Gadanai

The words that were spoken around her did a job on her gears, grinding them hard. Neither were any nicer than she was. Then there was that whole "respect your elder" crap and she scoffed loudly. Nothing would butter her up quite like strangling that skunk, but the offer of giving her best shot against the other? Well, it would certainly do, now. She narrowed her eyes at the somewhat larger female and snorted back at her. "Respect isn't given, it's taken," she muttered, focusing her powers on her ever-favorite spell - Scale. Choking someone else was always her pleasure. So far, though, nothing topped that look on Troy's face just before he poofed like a phantom into the trees. "...and youthfulness didn't give me a conscious." Tighter. The air would become tighter. Thinner. Gone. Nothing for the fire, nothing for the lungs. Gadanai even felt her own air thin, but didn't budge her expression from it's resting "serial killer" position. Her ears flared out, body bracing as if the other were about to impact against her. Another snort as she pawed the earth below her, then released her hold on Scale. --------- "Speech" Thoughts OOC: words Round: 1 of 3 Attack: Expand / Thin Air Defense: Stand ground Injuries: None currently @Fleur | @Nemesis | @Louie

---

What the actual... Louie could hear the bellow and by the time he had descended the platforms hell had already broken loose. Nemesis was taking on a much smaller elephant calf and the albino skunk woman was merely watching on. Not wishing to descend any lower, he came to stop and sit beside Fleur. They hadn't spoken much, but she appeared to be cheering on the mess beneath them. Completely overwhelmed by what he needed to be doing here to mitigate the situation, he just sat beside Fleur, mentally banging his head on the wall behind them. "Care to fill me in?" It was directed towards the entire group rather than a specific individual. Really he just wanted to know who this elephant was, why she and Nemesis were about to throw down and what Fleur had done if anything to start it.

Gazing down at the pair, he trusted the rhinoceros to not do anything stupid. She was a rational creature, someone he could say he trusted. That temper of hers had certainly changed with age, but they all did. "Nemesis, I'll leave you in charge of dealing with this as I have no idea what the fuck to do other than sit here and cheer for my team." It wasn't said in a particularly friendly way but he knew Nemesis would get it. Hopefully anyway. Louie just sat back and waited.