The roar started out soft and faint, but grew, rocking the room, piercing the air like some sort of hellish creature. Adeyemi's feathers puffed out to their fullest, and he glared at the unseen foe, gaze darting about the room, wings rising as he moved in front of Willow, as if to shield her with his body. "Show yourself, foul beast!" The words were strong and proud, but the prince's posture was low and ready to scrimmage. This little display was rather ruined when Delphine startled - though the turaco couldn't much blame her, considering she'd only hatched hours ago.

He spread out his wings to lessen the fall from her back, eyes clenched shut to brace for impact, rolling with the hit of the ground and ending up on two wobbly legs, darting a glance as Delphine fled before turning back to the noise, ready to keep it away from both his owlet hatch mate and the black horse. "Engarde!" Adeyemi raised his gem-capped talon into the air, ready for a brawl - but quickly paled and dropped the foot as the "beast" did, indeed, appear.

Instead of one enemy, there seemed to be hundreds, all built of stone, all advancing quite rapidly. With a startled squawk, the royal turned tail, pushing Willow along as he fled towards Delphine's exit path, letting out a yelp to the other parties of this little event. "I do apologize but we must leave now, very sorry," was called over a colorful shoulder, before the turaco began to waddle-run-hop-glide over the terrain, disappearing into a tunnel.

[ Exit Adeyemi ]

Booker watched in a sort of bittersweet pride as Delphine accepted the two birds. They would look after her, it seemed, and really, that was the most important thing - even if he wanted to fill that role, deep down in his constantly affection-needy soul. Still, the thought didn't have much time to percolate before the entire room seemed to tremble, filling with a terrible roar and the heavy thump-clack of stone hitting stone. The numbat froze, unconsciously sinking into his prey-animal mentality, making himself as small as possible. Ears pitched forward to try and locate, his gaze darted this way and that, until finally, the cause became obvious.

Almost hazily unknowing of both Delphine's and the bird's exits, Booker stared in horror at the quickly advancing wave of... well, whatever they were, they looked mindless, and as if they had one goal: to keep going, no matter if he and Khloros were in the way. Shaking himself out of his stupor, the numbat turned to peer up at the dark horse, patting at the nearest ankle to get his attention. "Khlor, we gotta go, we gotta go now!" The shout was slightly dulled by the ongoing roar, but Booker quickly took off, obviously hoping that Khloros would follow, showing the same trust the foal had since the numbat had found him, freshly hatched and eyes breaking through the darkness with their ghostly light.

[ Exit Booker ]

@Khloros

Khloros widened large glowing eyes, staring in shock at the bumbling rock things pouring past him to leave Polaris. He wondered if they could get to the safety of Booker's little cave. He hoped they could. With a quick glance behind him he saw that most of the others were already fleeing. He wasn't sure if these golems were dangerous--but it wouldn't be wise, he thought instinctively, to take chances.

"Run!" he shrilled, a shrieking foal's neigh, turning with a clatter of soft hooves toward Booker. The implication was that yes, he would follow--and when Booker ran, so did he, lurching unsteadily along at a stumbling gallop.

He wasn't sure what was going on. He just hoped that Magdalena and Delphine and the rest had gotten to safety--and that these rock-things, whatever they were, were harmless.

________________

BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

(( ooc -- exit Khloros ))

The pale owl was silent for a moment before she bristled, feathers flattening against her scrawny body, a sharp, ear-splitting shriek leaving her beak as she leaned forward, wholly focused and ready for war. She could do it. She had duty to do! Surely this little foal and her hatch mate would be in danger if she did not. She'd charge forward and..!

And then Adeyemi was in front of her.

The owl wanted to stand next to him, and prepare to partake in battle. Even after realising there was more than one, she still began to move to the side to step out next to the turaco, eyes narrow and focused.

And then Adeyemi began pushing her.

To say the owl was furious was an understatement. She flailed and she screeched, noises wholly unlike her voice, as if she were a completely different bird. Eventually, though, she settled down and took to flight, in an abrupt and complete silence, beginning to fly forward after the newborn foal.

For a moment she stopped, hovering in the air as she carefully watched the sickly horse and his little rat companion. She waited until they ran out the caves, before she turned and flew off in silence after Delphine and Adeyemi.

(exit willow)