Beta came limping out of the tunnel to Monoceros, looking much worse for the wear. Though most of the ice was melting by now, there were still clumps of fur frozen together and blood still dripped from its shoulder where the dragon had gripped it. For once, itwas dragging its feet and truly looking like it had given up. The failure had been far harsher then it had been expecting. It really thought that it'd be able to swing in and grab victory so easily, even after being in a chrysalis for so long.

It really thought it could be like Master Vargas. Like one day of pitiful effort was enough to get his attention.

Beta sighed and eventually slumped down on the ground against a rock, turning around to begin cleaning out its pelt. The ice was easy to crunk and actually provided a nice little drink of water, but it really wasn't too sure how it was supposed to clean and heal its injury. That's something it had never been taught.

Man, it had really screwed up.

@Garnet-Delta

Garnet-Delta was patrolling as it usually did, but it had not been expecting to spot Beta out here, out in Orion-- It didn't know that Beta even knew its way out of Canis. It had never seemed to have the ambition to go that far from the warren. Ears flicked forward as it glided down from the low sweep over rooftops to land a few safe paces away from the purple beastie (as lazy as it thought Beta was, and even if Alpha had kicked its ass plenty of times, it was still big enough to easily snatch Delta up in its jaws before it so much as blinked) and made a prrpt! that, in cat, basically translated to 'hey! pay attention!'

The feline settled its haunches down, sweeping a tail around its paws. "What even happened to you?" It asked, blinking large ruby eyes at its Ruby half-sibling. "Should I report back to Overseer Vargas?" It was not a threat though it could have easily been taken for it with how coolly the Garnet asked it; rather, it was an inquiry that suggested that Ruby-Beta had encountered something worth reporting. Judging from the scrapes and slumped posture, anyway, Delta wasn't sure that Beta would make it back through Canis at a good pace.

Meanwhile, Delta could get there and back within a few hours, if it wanted to. So the offer was genuine, and given that it didn't know that Beta had fought a dragon, it couldn't have known that it was saying "should I rat you out" when it was just trying to be helpful.

Its nose twitched at the smell of coppery blood. It considered suggesting that it try to use Bloodhold to help keep it from bleeding out, but that offer of aid seemed like a step too far. It didn't want to suggest weakness, even if it had a low bar set for its opinion of Ruby-Beta in the first place. The Sentinels could handle themselves, and that included Beta.

... But it still thought about trying it.

Maybe after it got a good report. Throat tightening, it focused on Ruby-Beta, and reached to get a full report. It wanted to know the full story, as it gave its hatchmate a chance to own up to what had happened on its own. If something had attacked Beta, then...

@Ruby-Beta

Beta was busy cleaning off its dirty, wet pelt when a small trilling cat-like noise got its attention. A noise that was so similar to ones that Palefur used to make that it jerked violently, turning its head, convinced that its stone-giver had come back to haunt it or something. But...no, thank the Creator, it was just Garnet-Delta. Although, "just" Garnet-Delta wasn't saying much. Yet another sibling had found the long-lost Ruby wandering around Orion.

It wasn't immediately sure if Delta was talking about its wounds or its three cycle absence. Might as well say it all. It didn't really have anything to hide, anyways - why lie when it would do nothing but create punishment and more trouble then it was worth? "Fell asleep and accidently woke up three cycles later. Thought I'd do some training before reporting in but, uh...it didn't go too well." It shrugged its wounded shoulder. "It's not too bad, though." And, honestly, it wasn't. Only a puncture wound where the dragon had grabbed at its flesh to pin its body to the floor. If Delta still probed at its mind, it would see it happening, the failed sneak up on the dragon and Beta's tragic loss and subsequent retreat.

It turned its body back around so that it was properly facing the winged cat. "No need. I'll make a full report when I go back. And, uh, isn't it Master Vargas now? At least that's Orthoclase-Alpha told me." Perhaps Delta just forgot or something - it was still trying to switch the titles around in its head after all.

@Garnet-Delta

Garnet-Delta's ear flicked as its hatch-mate admitted to sleeping for three cycles. Had Beta really been gone that long? It had grown used to seeing the purple cat laying around so much that the details had faded back into the background.

I shouldn't have missed that, Garnet-Delta thought to itself. It didn't have a lot of time to berate itself though, as Ruby-Beta's mind recollected the fight with a massive white dragon. Seeing one of the dragons, even though a hasty memory of a failed sneak attack, was enough to make Delta's claws slide out of their sheathes, but it perfectly hid its perfectly rational fear of the dragons of monoceros. It pulled on its magic, immediately picking up the heartbeat of its sibling, and of a nearby den of rats. No dragons, yet.

The smaller of the half-cat's opened its mouth to make a comment, but Beta's chartreuse eyes turned to face it, and beat it to the punch with a side note about Master Vargas.

"What--?" Garnet-Delta squeaked, tail bushing out. "Var--" No. "He would have told me," it muttered, ears laying back. In the next instant, the cat rose to its feet. Quick, explain yourself. Don't look like an idiot. "I've been away, tasked with scouting here in Orion. Commander Vander-- Desert Rose-- has been tasked with infiltrating the dragons in Monoceros, and I've been acting as his messenger. Orthoclase-Alpha was swarmed by them, nearly killed for sparring with one of their young."

With a flick of its tail, it glanced toward the far tunnel that lead to Monoceros. "They might come after you, too. Come on, we should get moving." Better than giving it the chance to think about it. Garnet-Delta padded off to a side alley among the city's rubble. "Follow me, I know shortcuts." Sheltered from the sky, in case one of the dragons flew over head.

@Ruby-Beta