FSE

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He was running. He knew that in reality he was not, but felt he feet churn faster beneath him despite it. His breath came in ragged painful gasps as he rocketed across the terrain. Was he running from someone? No. He was running to someone. Off in the distance he caught sight of the tiny red fox he'd grown to care so much about. Panic caught him hard in the chest, though he didn't know why. It made him stumble and crash to the ground. Droplets of blood pooled onto his palms as the skidded on the dirt. Ignoring the pain he stood in time to see Empire soldiers closing in behind her. He called out her name, but no sound escaped.

She turned nonetheless and shock took over her features. She fell down on all fours and began the mad dash to him. He took off again, lungs burning and eyes stinging against the cool air. She seemed to be moving in slow motion, as if she was running through gelatin, and he called her name as the soldiers closed in on her.

---

His eyes snapped open and he tried to calm his frantic breathing as cold sweat beaded his brow. Panic still seized his heart as he looked around. He calmed as he felt her warmth, heavy and sure, in his arms. She was still there. He was still there. But he couldn't shake the feel they weren't alone. His eyes were bloodshot, his body sore, but he readied his mind to fight. He needed to protect her or no one would. He hugged the woman tighter, slowly nudging her off of him. He edged slowly to his sword rolled fluidly to remove it from sheath. He let his eyes roam over the surrounding area for unnatural movement. A shift in the trees where there was no wind. A trail. Anything. His heart pounded and he grit his teeth in annoyance. He as nervous that was for sure. He tried to rationalize his paranoia but the theories seemed to clog his exhausted mind and made his body stiffen in frustration.

He caught movement at the corner of his eye and spun on his heel, pointing his sword at the neck of the intruder. Micha dodged around the blade easily, face caught in a snarl. She slid close to him and clamped her teeth down on his neck in reprimand. She then slunk down and sniffed the air, much like a tentative hunting hound. "Do you smell anything?" he intoned quietly. She shot him a look and tipped her head to the side. Knees bent and ready for action she sniffed the air, her paws poised before herself before she stiffened. "Run. Grab everything. No words. Follow me as long as you can." she said.

She slid into her pack at lightning speed, strapping it to herself almost painfully. She glanced around and destroyed the camp after a moment. She then got down on all fours and began a loping run, breaking out into a sprint only after she breached the trees. She didn't wait for him. She expected him to keep up. She kept a steady but quick pace and looked back for him occasionally. She kept on all fours and ran like a shadow, silent and quick. She had smelled seven of the Empire nearby. They were all together, probably doing a routine scan of the area and didn't plan on finding anything. They were in no hurry. But once they found the destroyed camp, they would be. She could smell them and they smelled of death and a recent defiling. She pushed them towards a set of distant cliffs. She could maneuver cliffs. She could hide for weeks in cliffs. The Empire wouldn't find them there. In the cooler weather the war had slowed. The earth was hard and it's minerals increasingly difficult to get to. Come winter, all the Empire's guards would have to do for entertainment was breaking the spirits of cities.

He would have stood to kill them all if not for the woman's direct command. A small, strangely primal part of him told him she was Alpha and that he should follow her. He wasn't much for running but the rational part of his mind told him to follow her. He defied the Empire programming and took off after her at a steady clip. She was much faster than hje had ever imagined and watching her run ahead he felt stupid and clumsy on two legs. He carried less than she did in a technical sense. Just his clothing and the sword he ran with in his hand. He hadn't taken the time to sheath the bulky thing before taking off after her. He had never had to run quite so far or so fast or for quite so long in his whole short life. He looked at her tail and followed it until it began to blur and his stomach began heaving. He didn't have much to retch up. Water splashed onto the dirt and sand of the ground below him as he emptied his protesting stomach, leaning hard against his sword.

His heart hammered hard in his chest as he looked at her fleeing form. Even the long hard marches were nothing compared to the little vixens flee from certain death. And yet she did it so easily. He told himself to get up; to follow after her, but his chest felt like fire and barbs seemed to bury themselves somewhere near his heart. He remained there for a moment before looking towards her again. He could see the cliffs and she was making a straight determined run towards them. They weren't far. A mile or so, maybe more. He took a deep breath and stood again, sheathing his sword. He needed to catch up to her. She was nearly halfway there and he had only broken the treeline just outside of the forest they camped in. He had a lot of catching up to do. Micha ran patiently and stared at her destination.

The cliffs rose before her and she slowed to a halt at the base of them, nodding in satisfaction. She could still see him, and so as long as he got moving soon, she wouldn't have to throttle him. If she had to go back and get him, so help her she'd bite him. She waited at the base of the cliffs and looked up at it. They were little more than miniature mountains. It was a bit steep but she knew they could both climb to where she wanted to go if they were careful. She only hoped it looked the way she needed it to inside. She spotted a cavern, a fair ways up that looked like a bunch of boulders. If she hadn't grown up around such caves she'd have never guessed that it was. She judged it to be a deep tunnel that opened up into a wider more spacious carven at its base. The tunnel probably angled downward and that's why it was hard to see from her current position. If it weren't for her superior sight and knowledge she might have missed it. She might have bet money - if she'd had it - that it ran at least three hundred meters into the cliff face at an angle impossible to gauge. Plants grew on the cliffs in dense patches, denser around the entrance than in certain other areas. The yellowing grasses were thick enough to hide in and tall enough to slow them down. Stealth on the cliff was more important than speed though. Climbing the rock face clumsily would be a dead giveaway to not only the Empire soldiers, but to wild animals looking to pack on fat for the winter.

She looked behind herself in irritation. He needed to hurry. She couldn't just leave him behind after all. He was pack and pack stuck together no matter what.

The run was a hard one but he hated being a burden to anyone. As he neared her, his stomach took another quick, hard tumble and he could see the annoyance written across her face. Her efficiency was killing him. "Damn, slave driving woman..." he muttered under his breath. For a moment his vision began to darken and he growled at himself before shaking the dizzy spell off. He looked up and continued his loping, hard jog to catch up to her. He finally collapsed next to her and she looked down at him dispassionately. Survival was what would save them, not compassion. "I don't think I can run anymore..." he admitted, breathing labored and harsh as he looked up at her. His mouth was so dry, he realized. It felt like blood trickled down tha back of his throat and he winced as he tried to swallow. "How much further?" he asked standing suddenly and shakily. He couldn't lie down if she needed someone to protect her.

At the mere concept of anyone harming her, fury boiled through him and by adrenaline alone was he able to focus on her and his surroundings properly again. His mouth didn't feel dry any longer, and he looked up at the cliff face at her direction. He wanted nothing more than to turn and eliminate the problem itself, but her orders were clear and she was Alpha. His instincts began to jumble themselves together until he wanted to hack at anything that presented itself. Though his body was weak, he could go on for now and she tsked at him harshly. Her irritation was almost palpable. He could practically taste it on his paper dry tongue as she looked him over with a critical eye. "Lay down." she demanded. Bloodlust or not she needed to get both of them to that cavern within the hour if they were going to avoid detection. She knew the look of someone crazed for blood and he wore that look now. But looking at his battered, exhausted body, she knew he wouldn't make it to the cavern. She could see the cotton mouth on his tongue, but he probably wasn't aware of the blood that had come along with it. Bloody foam dotted the corners of his lips and she frowned as he simply stared at her blankly.

First and foremost he needed rest, but that wasn't something she could afford to give him now. She could heal whatever had ruptured inside of him and browbeat him up the cliff, but until he was fully rested and healed, he would be running on fumes and bleeding. "There will be no fighting today. Not for you and certainly not for me. Lay down or we do this the hard way. And trust me...the hard way is no fun." she said darkly, pointing to the ground. She pushed her goggles farther back onto her unruly - and now very dirty - hair. This was going to be quick and painful but it was all she could do for now and manage to keep both of them alive.

He itched for a battle but his body did not. It sagged to the ground at the thought of taking abuse from the diminutive fox. He groaned but stretched out before her. Lying on the ground with her deft and unforgiving fingers probing around his chest and stomach he found he no longer wanted to move. He wanted to drift off into sleep, and he felt he righteously deserved such rest. His mind didn't comprehend the soft "I'm sorry," his companion mumbled before pain tore through him. He jerked and twisted on the ground as her powers went to work. In the months that they had traveled he had forgotten that she had the uncanny ability to heal. He didn't know how but he was beginning to imagine she used hells fires to seal wounds shut. The pain subsided and left him gasping and his body throbbing with the memories of agony.

She nodded and pursed her lips. It would have to do for now. Without internal bleeding she would be able to push him further than before. They could rest as much as they liked once they reached the cavern. He looked to her for direction and she winced internally at the dull look in his eyes. She began to the slow, but sure and confident way up the rock face. She was glad to find he was a more than proficient climber at least. Running had turned out to not be a strong suit of his.

He followed behind her mechanically. His mind was shutting down and he fought it the best he could before he began to get dizzy. Then he merely pushed through it. It was like he couldn't get enough air in. He looked up at her and almost wept from joy when she finally slid onto the ledge just before the cavern. He looked at her as he hauled himself up and took a deep cleansing breath.

The air was fresh here, and smelled strongly of autumn. He looked over at her and sighed. Maybe she could help him out with her healing abilities, because he hadn't quite felt like himself since he deserted. He'd never been quite so sickly or weak and he felt it return full force despite the new air and the short rest he was being allowed. His gaze darkened as he looked over at her. Her ears were falling in shock as he noticed the ground coming up at him.

How odd.

Generally the ground didn't greet him in such a way. Her small hands were strangely solid against him as he toppled her over. He mumbled an apology as he slipped from consciousness. And left with his large, unwilling body, she muttered the only thing she knew was apros for the situation.

"Shit."