Goldsand Beach~Harvest Festival

Kai turned and paused in her walk towards Goldsand beach, her long braid whipping around her as she moved to smile at Tidemist. "I would be glad of the company." She said the smile evident in her voice. "I appreciate the thanks for their safety my dear, "Kai teased Tidemist." But I had little to do with their rescue." Her voice mischievous. She often teased her friend when she like so many other praised the High Ones. It was just something to poke at, and it usually got a blush, a stuttered few words and the elf rushing off, which left Kai giggling to herself. But today she really hadn't done much in their rescue. That honor belong to Ridge. "We should be thanking Ridge. " Kai said, making a note to make sure to thank the cub minder when she saw him next.

Snaketwist swam so fast it felt almost as if his heart was bursting. He reached Serpent Fang, and the daggertooth was close by also. As he swam closer he saw they were already battling each other. **If I left you here alone, I would blame myself for the consequences for the rest of my life. And I'd rather die here than suffer that, so don't waste your time arguing and allow me to help you!** He sent to Serpent Fang.

Snaketwist gripped his knife and approached the marine predator cautiously, looking for a place to aim his surprise attack. It had been a long time since he'd fought daggerteeth, but his body remembered it still.

--

Stormcloud began to skin the tusk pig, and was soon able to hand Brooksong her spear back. **Yes, I have the knives now.** She answered, and gestured at the pig's front legs. **Hold those while I cut here** she instructed Brooksong, grateful for the assistance.

Straystar arrived but Stormcloud just continued with the skinning work. Better leave the explaining to others, she was embarrassed about the mistakes she knew she'd made, and would rather not discuss them right now. To her relief Brooksong gave what seemed to be a sensible enough explanation.

Serpent Fang saw Snaketwist shooting through the water. There was no time to think or feel, but there was time to act. He wasn't going to try placing the emotion that surged through him at the sight of the younger elf. He knew he needed help and he couldn't refuse it at this point.

**The gills! Go for the gills!** Serpent Fang sent. He wouldn't have his orders disobeyed again.

He swerved again to try and avoid the daggertooth, his legs and lungs aching.

The moment he wanted to go, Straystar arrived at the scene. Silence watched as he took in the scene, he touched his upperarm in reaction to Straystar's comment.

He climbed down and scratched Shadow behind his ears. He sensed how uneasy Brooksong felt and watched how Stormcloud continued to skin the pig. He knew it was his job to inform his leader.
So he went to Straystar and, unsure what emotions could be read in his sending, he chose to use his voice.
"We were searching for the cubs, when Sunsong found a nest of little tusk pigs. I warned them but the sow surprised us all. She charged towards Stormcloud, I shot two arrows to slow it down, Stormcloud blinded it with her daggers but it was the brave action of your daughter who gave us the winning hand. " 

Unconsciously he cuddled his arm and continued:" The sow impaled herself on to the tree"
Silence was not going to tell on the others, he was just relieved that everybody was alright.
" I honored her sacrifice and we gave the heart to the wolves to honor our bond. 
Then we heard that the cubs were found. I wanted us to leave just when you arrived, "

Silence glanced to the place were they found the baby pigs,"I still think it's not safe, there could be more tusk pigs, I think this was the baby sit,  we should go before the mum returns with reinforcements."

Straystar listened quietly to Silence’s explanation, noting as his lead hunter unconsciously held his arm where the wound had been. “I see,” he said standing up.

“Shawl and I will flush the piglets out and away from here if they are even still in the area. That should solve any immediate worry of the mother and the rest of the herd wandering in. Plus with the scent of five wolves and the smell of death here they won’t be apt to come near.” He called Shawl over from where she was hovering near the kill waiting for Stormcloud to give the go ahead to eat. She begrudgingly walked over to him, upset to maybe miss out. **You’ll get your fill, first we need to make sure the area is clear** She snorted in disgust but understood.

“Highthings make big messy mess here!  HMMMF, Silly Ponderhead Highthing tell Gemshine to come, then run off to fast for poor Gemshine to keep up!! But Gemshine here now to help Highthings with mooore food stuffs” It hovered there arms crossed looking vexed.

“Sorry bug, next time you can ride with me okay” He replied from Shawls back. Listen to Stormcloud and wrap up what she wants you too please. I will have Windgrace’s group head up this way to help with moving the kill.”

**Everyone is safe and at the moment that is all that matters, I will be back shortly after I make sure the area is clear. Have the Highone look at your arm after this is finished. Thank you for keeping them safe,** he locksent to Silence raising an eyebrow at him to make the subtle point it was not an option to ignore the request. His sending was not angry but the Chief was in a very serious mood. He Untied his bolos from their spot at his waist  in case he needed them quickly and rode off into the brush the hilt of his sword catching a pot of sunlight as he went.

Brooksong carefully stood up to better position herself to hold the hide for Stormcloud as she continued skinning the sow as her father spoke.  After he rode off she bit her lip and made eye contact with Stormcloud, Well that could have gone worse, I guess it is good for us he never got my grandmothers temper, She probably would have skinned us along with the tuskpig." They had both heard plenty of stories about Chieftess Firesparks temper and sometimes reckless hunts at the tribes howls.

Snaketwist obeyed Serpent Fang's command. He swam towards the daggertooth from behind, hoping to go unnoticed by his foe. He stabbed the giant fish into the gills, digging his knife in deep, trying to do as much damage as possible. The daggertooth was in pain, and furious of course. It lunged at him but he evaded at the last moment - or so he thought, until the pain reached him. It was a minor wound - only the soft, thin fin at the end of his tail was torn. Kaimeta would heal that easily enough once he got back on land, but he had to get done here fast, before his blood and that of the daggertooth would summon more of its kind.

--

Stormcloud smiled back at Brooksong in agreement. She continued working on the kill, and soon the skin was off - a good quality piece of leather, only a bit damaged by the weapons of the hunters. "Hello, Gemshine", she greeted the Preserver. "I will have something for you to wrap in just a moment." She promised it. She started cutting the meat to sections, making shapes that would be easy to carry. Some of the entrails she set aside for the wolves, others she offered to Gemshine to wrap, as she knew a few tribemates fancied those choice morsels.

Silence nodded that he understood and locksent back **I'm just glad I was there on time** 
A mixture of images and emotions accompanied his words. The moment of grabbing Brooksong mixed with the tusk hurting his arm resulted in a vague blurring picture and ended in a clear picture of the healing by Brooksong. Emotions of worry, focus, pain, worry, relieve and grateful were braided  in his sending.
Silence was embarrassed that he had let slip away all that information and he broke the eye contact with Straystar. He only dared to look up again when he heard him leave.
He went over to Brooksong and Stormcloud and watched as they continued to skin and divide the kill. He didn't say anything for a while, he just stood near them. Shadow by his side and demanding attention. 
Finally he walked over to the bent over saplin with Shadow at his heels. He positioned himself so that he had a perfect view to keep watch. Shadow sat next to him with his head on Silence's lap, Silence caressed him affectionately and sent ** you did well, thanks,  you were very fast**

As Tern approached from behind, he realized what they were up against. It was a daggertooth. The elf who normally carried a cup spilling with bravery, even if it was sometimes foolish, stopped short. Both Snaketwist and Serpent Fang were preoccupied and hadn't seen him yet; he could easily turn around without anyone ever knowing.

But he would know. Could he really do that? Leave both his tribemates to the mercy of the beast just because he had carried a hidden anxiety over them ever since his father's death? The answer was obvious, and Tern knew it. Still, however, he found himself frozen.

He watched Snaketwist strike the daggertooth with his knife. His cousin had to be afraid (who wouldn't be?), but he did it anyway. And Serpent Fang, he had been prepared to fight off the foe single-handed in order to spare the others.

Suddenly, Tern felt a warmth wash over him, quelling his anxiety. His once frozen state began to thaw at the sudden spark of courage and a desire to protect burning inside of him. He spurred forward, readying his spear. As he came up along the other side of the daggertooth, he sunk the weapon into its gills.

Serpent Fang dove again, turning sharply. Then he saw Snaketwist and Tern, both attacking the daggertooth. Snaketwist with nothing but a knife and Tern with the memory of what had happened to his father. Fierce pride burned in Serpent Fang's chest. He'd hunted with these two ever since they'd started hunting. This was why he fought to protect his tribe!

Serpent Fang shot up, kicking hard. He passed in front of the daggertooth's face. It thrashed violently and then there was pain. It took Serpent Fang a few seconds to realize what had happened. Blood was welling from his leg, clouding in the water. There were shallow lacerations torn from grazing the daggertooth's massive teeth, but it was bleeping freely.

Serpent Fang stared dumbfounded until the pain really hit him. He snarled, drawing back his lips to expose his sharp teeth and stabbed blindly with his spear at the daggertooth's face. The blood setting of the daggertooth even more.

**Kill it! Kill it!** Serpent Fang sent to the other, his sending lashing with pain. **The gills, the eyes!**

Straystar and Shawl made their way around the area of the kill. He thought about the images he had seen from Silence. They were blurred and confusing in the heat of the moment. But the image of Brooksong healing was what he thought on. ‘So she did really heal Moonhowl a season ago but had shown no signs of being able to do so since. Only Sunsong had shown somewhat consistent healing abilities and that was only to heal herself.  I will have to take to the Highone and see what she thinks.’

They flushed out a few birds and a family of startled ravvits but no strong fresh scent of tuskpig was anywhere to be smelt. He came across the wallow unbeknown to him Brooksong had seen earlier.

**Windgrace…Come with your group north near the Highones hut. There was a Tuskpig killed, everyone is safe and the area clear of any other of the herd. We will take it back to the Everhome Tree. Still keep a lookout for them though** he lock sent to his lifemate.  

**Understood** came her simple reply but he felt her confusion as if he left out something.

Satisfied he circled back around to the others. He had been gone long enough most of the kill should be done and Shawl could have to reward for her patience.  He reentered the clearing where the other were Gemshine was cocooning what looked to be the last of the kill the tribe would use. He hopped off of Shawl, She immediately were over to the carcass to take her place next to Bigpaws as the packs alpha female. Straystar place his Bolos back on his belt,

“I did not find any sign of more tuskpigs and Windgrace’s group should be here soon to take the food back to the Holt. Pick one for the Seafolk if you would Stormcloud since you know what is in which cocoon. We should be able to go back to the beach and leave the wolves here to finish their part. They can guard the cocoons unitl the others get here.” He walked over to the pile and waited for Stormcloud to pick a cocoon before grabbing it and throwing it over his shoulder to carry.

Tern let his spear dig deeper into the daggertooth's gills. He rotated it slightly as he pushed, increasing the size of the wound. A sudden jerk caused him to lose his grip. He tried to avoid its thrashing tail, but wasn't fast enough. It hit him with a muffled 'thump' and Tern grunted at the impact. With the wind knocked out of him-if that was even possible under water-he was forced to pause for a moment, hoping that a momentary loss of breath was the worst thing any of them would have to swim away with.

As he fought to take hold of his spear, which was still lodged in the daggertooth's flesh, Serpent Fang's sending reached him. He turned abruptly at the pain of it. Tern tried to make out the hunt leader's wounds, but could only see the cloud of blood beginning to form around him.

**Are you alright?** he sent, situation too grave for him to muster up some quip for his usual rival.

Another thrash from the beast brought Tern's attention back to it. Luckily, this one left the daggertooth turned slightly towards him, spear open for Tern to quickly grip hold of. Pulling up on it, he found that he had done a much better job digging it in than he had thought. He beat his tail violently, wishing that he still had his legs again so that he could use them to push away from the daggertooth. Legs or no, the spear was eventually free and Tern was able to bring it down onto the creature once more, this time in it's other eye. But, the energy it had taken to remove the object had left him considerably drained.

**I'm fine,** Serpent Fang sent back bitingly. He didn't care about Tern being concerned about him, he refused to care.

Leg bleeding freely and rendering him partially immobilized, Serpent Fang found himself unable to kick it. It ached and burned. He knew that moving it would increase blood flowing from it and make everything worse. He sank considerably lower, having to kick just one leg.

The daggertooth's blood clouded the water now too, making it harder to see, but Serpent Fang bared his teeth again. The beast thrashed and tried to throw off both Snaketwist and Tern, It's many toothed mouth gaping.

Pulling his spear back, Serpent Fang drove the serrated spearhead into the back of the daggertooth's throat, his arm plunging into it's mouth with the spear shaft. Huge teeth cut into his arm, tearing apart the flesh and muscle beneath. Serpent Fang wanted to scream, but he closed his eyes, twisting the spear in the back of the daggertooth's throat. Blackness was closing in around the edges of his vision.

**Finish it!** He sent openly to Tern and Snaketwist.

Kai couldn't stop smiling. She was in the best of moods. The younglings had been found and there was still time to enjoy the festival after all. But where were the elves who had gone to sea looking for the children? Shouldn't they be back by now? Had they gone out of sending range?

Kai stood in the ankle deep water by the festival grounds waiting for them. Some elf had brought a simple chair for the high one to sit in while she waiting. With a smile she thanked the elf and sat in the water waiting.

She wondered if she should ask someone to go find them, maybe they hadn't heard that they younglings had been found. "Tide." Kai called to her friend. "Do you think they;ve gone out to far and haven't heard the young ones where found? They should have been back by now." Kai's voice was filled with worry. These elves where like her children. Each one special and important to her. It would break her heart if lives where lost this day.

Stormcloud continued working on the kill, with Brooksong and Gemshine's help. Soon it was all cut, divided, and mostly wrapped up, with only the pieces for the wolves left without wrapstuff.

Ay Straystar's request, Stormcloud picked up a piece that contained an entire hind leg of the boar, including its fat buttock. It was a tasty piece of meat, and she was sure the SeaFolk would appreciate it. He handed it to her chief, and then cleaned her blood-covered hands by rubbing them on some leaves. She'd need a proper wash later, but for now it was enough to get off most of the blood so she wouldn't leave bloody handprints on everything she touched.

Learning that the wolves were to stay behind, she wrapped her hands around Bigpaws' large body to show her gratitude, and wolf-sent to him *you know what to do here.* Then she followed Straystar, heading back to the beach.

--

Snaketwist kept on fighting. If only he had a bigger blade... useless to dwell on that now. He rammed his knife in again, trying to cut any part of the trashing beast that he could reach. **It is up to you and your spear, cousin**, he sent, leaving it open, **my blade is not big enough for the killing blow.** Instead of trying to kill, he sought to maim his foe, to make it distracted enough to give Tern a better chance of making the kill. There was blood in the water, way too much blood. Despair welled in him, though it did not show in his actions. Quite aside from their current plight, he was sure this daggertooth had eaten the pips also.

Tidemist laughed and took the elder elf's teasing in stride. She came back to the beach, feeling much better than when she had left it. She left Lancestrike in the care of the elves of his tribe, and looking around and blinked. Some of the search parties hadn't returned yet. Ah well. She saw Kaimeta sitting at the waters edge, and calling her over. She walked to her and smiled, tilting her head a little. “Hm...probably they worried themselves sick and went out too far, out of sending range. I'll go get them! No reason to exhaust themselves searching for found pips.”

She laughed a little and used her magic to levitate above the sand and waves, her feet skinning the water. Then she rose higher and straightened herself into a comfortable horizontal position and flew out towards the deeper waters, sending out to the group who had volunteered to search there and hoping she would eventually come into their range. *Everyone! You can come back to the beach. We found the children, and they're safe!* She repeated the message every few heartbeats, determined to reach her tribemates.

Great, Tern thought bitterly as he pulled his spear from the daggertooth's eye. He was grateful that it had not been lodged as deep as before. All of our lives depend on the one who is most afraid. Something out there had a disagreeable sense of humour, and he silently cursed that something as he brought his spear up, readying to strike once more.

Channeling all of his frustration and fear, he brought the spear down onto the eye for the second time. The eye was softer than the daggertooth's tough skin, and it would provide a route to the brain. It was the best chance they had, and Tern knew it.

Silence was lost in his thoughts, his attention to Shadow was rather automatic and out of habit. He watched how Stormcloud continued with the pig, the work was almost finished. She handled it well, Shadow admired her skill.
He looked at his arm, he was still impressed with the way how Brooksong had healed his left upper arm. The wound had closed but was still angry pink and tender, it would take some time before his full strength returned in that arm. Straystar wanted him to ask the Highone, maybe he could muster enough courage to ask her. 
It had been quite a shock when he had seen her for the first time. In his old tribe the Highones were a myth, they were part of the story's by the fireplace. To be confronted with one, who was also very beautiful, it was really a miracle to him and he would do everything to keep her safe from the humans.
 Now it was 100 years later and he finally started to believe that maybe the humans would never find this place. He had a lot of respect for the Highone, the way how she acted around the children and her playfulness made her more elf then myth, he admired her even more for it.
Straystar's return brought him back to reality, he gave a final hug to Shadow and sent closed **We are going back to the beach, someone will come to take the webbed food, we leave the rest for you, find me when you had your fill** 
Shadow pushed his muzzle in Silence's hand ** after, I come **
Silence straightened and out of habit he reached for his bow with his left hand, he hissed when a sharp sting went through his arm and shoulder. 
Frustrated he grabbed the bow with his right hand and put him over his right shoulder, together with his quiver. Then he followed the others to the beach.

Serpent Fang felt the daggertooth trash, try to twist its head away from Tern's spear. Serpent Fang's arm was still deep in its maw and its razor sharp teeth sliced deeper through his arm like it was kept. It was now, eyes squeezed shut and pain too much to bare that he screamed. Though muted by the water, its corresponding sending was blistering.

The daggertooth thrashed again as Tern's spear found its mark for a second time. The daggertooth's thrashes grew weaker and would soon cease, but Serpent Fang was unaware of this. His sending at ceased and his hand loosed from his spear.

Serpent Fang sank like a rock, his arm tearing across the daggertooth's teeth as he sank, from nearly shoulder to right hand. Blood clouded the water and he could see little beyond shadows swimming at the edges of his mind. Pain and darkness was all he knew.

Tern closed his eyes tight, pushing down on his spear as hard as he could. However, it didn't seem to be working. Although he kept trying, he began to wonder if they were going to escape with their lives.

The daggertooth began to thrash more violently and Tern grumbled, his emotions already running too high. He was scared out of his mind, worried for the lives of his tribemates-especially Serpent Fang, who he was beginning to wonder would even live regardless-, and he was angry.

"Why. Won't. You. Die?" He growled, pushing harder on his spear.

A few moments later, the daggertooth's movements began to slow and weaken, eventually ceasing completely.

Serpent Fang fought to remain conscious. Th pain was beyond description, but death was an even more frightening prospect. Then he felt it. Sending. Pain addled and grasping at whatever strands he could to remain awake, he sent back. It was the most pathetic sending he had ever done and he would gruffly deny later.

**Help...!** Weak, feeble, and everything that Serpent Fang refused to be, he sent a single lonely word with the emotional and physical pain tied in with it. Also, there was fear. Overwhelming fear.

Serpent Fang had sworn to go out without a backwards glance, but now he found himself clinging to the last remnants of life.

Tidemist had continued floating above the waters surface, occassionally letting her feet splash through the waves as she continued sending the same message, broadcasting it out for her missing tribemates. Most of the elves who had elected to search the sea had already returned to the festival, and she was getting mildly worried. Certainly Snaketwist had never gone very far...Tidemist had seen him often. As she began to wonder about this, she got a sending from the elf in question.

At first she was relieved and elated, but that only lasted a heartbeat when she got the rest of his message. She quickly pushed her powers, floating as fast as she could towards Snaketwist's sending. *Oh High Ones! How bad is he? What happened?!* She sent. One disaster after another. Why were the fates so determined to not let the two tribes just have an enjoyable festival day, like the previous years?