@Fionraella Misha summoned all the strength she could muster, praying she would be able to help the poor, innocent kitty baby trapped in the mud. She bent her knees. "Get ready, Destin!" she shouted as wrapped the jacket's arm around her wrist. She squared herself into the mud and yanked the jacket towards her.

Destin almost. *ALMOST* lets go of the sleeve at the sudden yank. he manages to hold on, but hears a small ripping sound near the shoulder of the jacket. "Careful!" He says around the fabric in his mouth. He wondered if she had a plan B if this didn't work... He could feel himself moving slightly, but not enough to actually be out of danger.

@Fionraella Mishes lunges forward and struggles to grip the jacket where it's beginning to tear. She grits her teeth with concentration. "I'm not going to let you drown! Come on!" I'll jump in and throw you if it comes down to it, she thought with a pang of horror as she steeled herself against the opposing forces.

@Fionraella Mishes lunges forward and struggles to grip the jacket where it's beginning to tear. She grits her teeth with concentration. "I'm not going to let you drown! Come on!" I'll jump in and throw you if it comes down to it, she thought with a pang of horror as she steeled herself against the opposing forces.

Destin whimpers and keeps kicking, growing tired. "Get a stick?!" He suggests, still too far away to pull himself out of the muck. He could feel his legs growing weaker. If he let go, he would surely drift away. And probably drown. Which would be really bad. His heart raced, skipping a beat at the thought of his own demise.

@Fionraella

["Which would be really bad." IM LAUGHING]

Misha nodded sharply and let go of her jacket, silently regretting the action as the cold nipped into her bare arms. She kicked at the mud and managed to pull herself up with the help of the branch she was hanging on. She hopped to dry land with a huff. Safe! she thought for a split second - then the realization hit her that Destin was still caught in the mud and she would be faced with the same predicament as earlier: there was little wood on the ground around her. She kicked through the bushes in a rush to find anything strong enough to support Destin's weight. Areas of the wood here were fallen and dead. Glancing back to Destin, her eyes caught the glint of the axe, abandoned and half sunk in the mud. She grasped it firmly in her hand. With a tight grip, she swung her body around and brought the head down hard on a limp branch. It budged just a bit. "Hang in there, kid!" she yelled over a flurry of hard strikes down onto the base of the branch. Her heart jumped as wood exposed itself and the branch begin to come free of the log.

@Fionraella

["Which would be really bad." IM LAUGHING]

Misha nodded sharply and let go of her jacket, silently regretting the action as the cold nipped into her bare arms. She kicked at the mud and managed to pull herself up with the help of the branch she was hanging on. She hopped to dry land with a huff. Safe! she thought for a split second - then the realization hit her that Destin was still caught in the mud and she would be faced with the same predicament as earlier: there was little wood on the ground around her. She kicked through the bushes in a rush to find anything strong enough to support Destin's weight. Areas of the wood here were fallen and dead. Glancing back to Destin, her eyes caught the glint of the axe, abandoned and half sunk in the mud. She grasped it firmly in her hand. With a tight grip, she swung her body around and brought the head down hard on a limp branch. It budged just a bit. "Hang in there, kid!" she yelled over a flurry of hard strikes down onto the base of the branch. Her heart jumped as wood exposed itself and the branch begin to come free of the log.

"Waiting for something to hang onto!" Destin says snarkily, before falling a bit under the mud. He coughs, getting weaker. He didn't know how much longer he could stay afloat. He whimpers, wondering if today would be the end of him. He takes a shakily breath. "I'M SEEING A RABIN! PLEASE TELL AYA I'M SORRY!" He then gasps, forgetting to stay afloat and sinking slightly. He pushes upward, trembling with fear at his outburst. What. Had. He. Done?

@Fionraella With the branch an inch from separating from the rough bark it clung to, Misha froze. "What?" She turned slowly to stare at him. "What the--" She caught herself. "What the hell did you just say?" she hissed. Narrowing her eyes, she turned back to her work and finished the cut with a powerful stroke with the chipped axe. She whipped the branch out towards Destin till it hung within his reach, but her eyes remained daggers as she glared at the healer.

@Fionraella With the branch an inch from separating from the rough bark it clung to, Misha froze. "What?" She turned slowly to stare at him. "What the--" She caught herself. "What the hell did you just say?" she hissed. Narrowing her eyes, she turned back to her work and finished the cut with a powerful stroke with the chipped axe. She whipped the branch out towards Destin till it hung within his reach, but her eyes remained daggers as she glared at the healer.

Destin's ears flatten against his skull at her gaze. He whimpers slightly. "Not really seeing..we've only met like..twice now.." He begins shaking at her glare, before reaching out and grabbing the tree branch in his teeth. He wish he hadn't said anything. He didn't really know why he did...but if he died, he would have wanted Aya to know. At least that was his excuse.

@Fionraella Misha closed her eyes and yanked the branch towards her. The bark was rough on her hands but she relished in the distraction from Destin's sudden admission. A part of her admonished her own hypocrisy, but, as she steeled her ankles into the ground, she set herself in her own defense: she would never do that now. Destin, on the other hand, had some explaining to do. She considered this as she backed up, dragging the branch to more solid land.

[misha: i've never talked to a rabin in my life idk what you're talking about]

@Fionraella Misha closed her eyes and yanked the branch towards her. The bark was rough on her hands but she relished in the distraction from Destin's sudden admission. A part of her admonished her own hypocrisy, but, as she steeled her ankles into the ground, she set herself in her own defense: she would never do that now. Destin, on the other hand, had some explaining to do. She considered this as she backed up, dragging the branch to more solid land.

[misha: i've never talked to a rabin in my life idk what you're talking about]

Destin keeps kicking, before feeling his paws touch actual ground. He digs his claws into the ground and pulls himself fully out of the mud. He breathes heavily, collapsing to one side, feeling his paws and legs ache from the struggle in the mud. He can't meet Misha's eyes and instead begins pulling out clumps of mud with his teeth. He pauses. "Thanks for saving me..."

@Fionraella Misha plops on the ground with a huff. She sets her elbows on her knees. "You owe me a new jacket," she grumbles, staring blankly at the mud, now sinking into itself to fill the holes from their struggle.

@Fionraella Misha plops on the ground with a huff. She sets her elbows on her knees. "You owe me a new jacket," she grumbles, staring blankly at the mud, now sinking into itself to fill the holes from their struggle.

Destin sighs as he tosses the clumps of mud into the larger mud...thing. He steals a glances a Misha guiltily. "Are...are you going to tell Fabine what I told you?" He asks, feeling his heart sink at the prospect. If Destin was lucky, he would get reprimanded and be forced to not leave camp. But knowing Fabine, he knew he might get kicked out...or even killed. Neither of which appealed to the young shifter.

Amelia huffs at him. "You're pretty scrawny you know? Maybe I should be worried about you eating my deer!" She gives him a harsh glare. "You better not. I don't want this thing to go to waste on someone like you!" She then grins, seeing the camp up ahead. "Sweet, we're almost there!"

"You are very... honest about your feelings huh?" Grant looked down at her with a tried smirk. This girl was too much for him. He thanked his lucky stars that they were now close to camp and got his second wind of energy. He pulled harder, "But keep making comments like that and I will eat your deer. Don't think I won't."

<Snipped quote by Fionraella>

"You are very... honest about your feelings huh?" Grant looked down at her with a tried smirk. This girl was too much for him. He thanked his lucky stars that they were now close to camp and got his second wind of energy. He pulled harder, "But keep making comments like that and I will eat your deer. Don't think I won't."

Amelia gasps. "You wouldn't!" She then rolls her eyes. "Nahhh. You're a loyal Rabin. I can tell. You don't seem like the type to eat the group's food all for yourself." She then laughs a bit. "I kind of want to make more comments and see what you'll actually do!" She grins cheekily at him.

<Snipped quote by xiaomiau>

Destin sighs as he tosses the clumps of mud into the larger mud...thing. He steals a glances a Misha guiltily. "Are...are you going to tell Fabine what I told you?" He asks, feeling his heart sink at the prospect. If Destin was lucky, he would get reprimanded and be forced to not leave camp. But knowing Fabine, he knew he might get kicked out...or even killed. Neither of which appealed to the young shifter.

Misha cocks her head to the side and shrugs. She focuses on the mud on her pants, now drying into the fabric in hard, uneven blotches. "Depends." She glared at it from the corner of her eye. "Why shouldn't I?" Half of her pulled in the direction of the camp, ready to bolt and find Fabine and confess the secret before she had to hide it. But the other half - maybe the half closest to Destin's exhausted and terrified form - stayed firmly where she was, considering the options and considering her own morals. She wasn't ready to let that side win out, but still she remained there with him.

<Snipped quote by Fionraella>

Misha cocks her head to the side and shrugs. She focuses on the mud on her pants, now drying into the fabric in hard, uneven blotches. "Depends." She glared at it from the corner of her eye. "Why shouldn't I?" Half of her pulled in the direction of the camp, ready to bolt and find Fabine and confess the secret before she had to hide it. But the other half - maybe the half closest to Destin's exhausted and terrified form - stayed firmly where she was, considering the options and considering her own morals. She wasn't ready to let that side win out, but still she remained there with him.

Destin blinks. "I..." He gulps and shifts to human form, picking the patches that he couldn't reach before. "I like her a lot..." He sighs softly. "I don't know. There's just....so little to be happy for these days, and looking forward to the next time I can see her, makes me happy..." He looks at her painfully. "I'm not hurting the Broms. I'm not telling her any secrets. She's a healer too! So my loyalty wouldn't come into question during a battle!"

Grant raised an eyebrow at her, "Go ahead. I may be loyal to the group but I'm also a teenage boy. I eat A LOT. I could defiantly put this whole deer down." That was not true but it got his point across. He shook his head once again as they come upon the camp entrance, "Now, let's get this to the prey pile, yeah?"

@Fionraella She whips her head around to face him fully. "You think that? You think it's not going to come to that?" She shakes her head. "Listen - I get it! I get you think this is going to work, and it's best for both of you, and nothing bad will ever happen because you love each other a lot and that means nothing can go wrong." She leaned in and narrowed her eyes. "But that's not how it works here. Ever."

@Fionraella She whips her head around to face him fully. "You think that? You think it's not going to come to that?" She shakes her head. "Listen - I get it! I get you think this is going to work, and it's best for both of you, and nothing bad will ever happen because you love each other a lot and that means nothing can go wrong." She leaned in and narrowed her eyes. "But that's not how it works here. Ever."

Grant raised an eyebrow at her, "Go ahead. I may be loyal to the group but I'm also a teenage boy. I eat A LOT. I could defiantly put this whole deer down." That was not true but it got his point across. He shook his head once again as they come upon the camp entrance, "Now, let's get this to the prey pile, yeah?"

Destin looks away, listening to her words. He then flinches and looks back at her sadly. "Is that what happened to you? did you get hurt? Or have to hurt someone for the good of the group?" He flicks a piece of mud off his arm. "Aya is my friend. We don't 'love' each other as you put it." He shakes his head. "We'll make it work. Friends between groups are possible..."

Amelia huffs at his comment. "So you'd be rude and eat the whole deer? Rude!" She then nods as the walk into the camp. "Should we skin it and begin smoking or wait for Sacha to see what she wants to do with it?" Amelia was excited so see how much meat they could get off the deer.

@Fionraella Misha leaned back and hissed. "You don't know anything!" she snarled. "Why the hell do you think we all fight so much? Why do you think we're here dying and freezing and starving instead of -" She paused. "I don't know." With a sigh, she looked away.

@Fionraella Misha leaned back and hissed. "You don't know anything!" she snarled. "Why the hell do you think we all fight so much? Why do you think we're here dying and freezing and starving instead of -" She paused. "I don't know." With a sigh, she looked away.

Tears form in Destin's eyes. He slowly gets to his feet as the tears begin to fall. "I know things..." He whimpers. He looks away, lips trembling. "I'll go tell Fabine myself. Even if it's for nothing more than not giving you the satisfaction of being the reason he kills me..." He shifts and breaks into a run, heading back to camp.