Anthrax

Fighter; Hunter; Scavenger

Anthrax has received Kalura's summons, and has recruited Noctilucent to join him in aiding the rescuers. They are making preparations so as not to go in cold. During this time, the party has picked up two more members, each with excellent reason to come. Tulefog, Noctilucent's twin brother, and Tanbo, who wishes to render what aid she can to her former clanmates. Anthrax is making sure all of them prepare.

Kachirr the Kamaitachi will not be accompanying them, but will be attempting to answer if they should need aid. Neither he nor Anthrax is sure how much distance will attenuate their bond--it seems to be different for every pair, and this will be the furthest apart they have been since its establishment--and therefore how much information they will be able to pass, but it seems some means of contact back is better than none.

*

Having made sure he is ready and so is everyone else, Anthrax has called it time to go. He, Noctilucent, Tulefog, and Tanbo fly in a group for the Winds to bring them to the south shore of Lightning to bring aid to Kalura and those with her.

Anthrax carries the majority of the supplies due to his size, but a portion is doled out to everyone in case they are separated. He also wears armor and the charms that Kalura gave him from her cousin, and the Plague sash he has long borne.

*

Anthrax and his party have encountered a problem. Over the middle of the Outer Ocean, the Winds have suddenly cut off, dumping them into unceremonious stalls, scattered wherever the lower air-currents might have buffeted them.
Anthrax has lost sight of all the others, and lost the wind entirely, dropping into the sea. While his bags are waterproof, he makes slower progress swimming. He has gotten his bearings and continued to make for Lightning, but he has been unable to rouse the Strangler sprout he carries enough to give Kalura a picture of the situation. He at least is not in enough trouble yet that he needs to send Kachirr to bring aid, and not knowing where the others are he would do poorly in directing aid for them if they need it.

He stops to rest on a sandbar, which unfortunately turns out to be a Beastclan sea-outpost, and gets into an altercation with several Serthis. He leaves the sandbar behind and swims on, hoping to avoid further such delays.

*

Anthrax continues to swim. He has not hauled out again, for fear of getting entangled again. There have been some altercations in the water, but so far they have been short and minor. Should any of the more dangerous denizens of the Outer Ocean take an interest in him, he knows he will have to take to the air, but he hope he will be able to avoid that. Guardians are not well built for marathon flight.
He has not managed to rouse the Strangler-sprout; it appears to have gone into dormancy in the cold water. He has described his status to Kachirr, and is considering asking him to give the report to Cryptosporidia, who should have a wakeful sprout.

*

Anthrax sees a light in the distance, and is swimming toward it. If he is lucky, it will represent something friendly where perhaps he can pause and rouse the sprout when no longer in cold water. If not, he will ask Kachirr to go to his foster-sister, and get the message to Kalura that way.

The currents are unfriendly to his pursuit of the light, and have tried to drag him off course. Anthrax is considering taking to the air for the distance remaining, but has not yet done so.

*

Anthrax has made landfall on a small island, and discovered to his surprise Tulefog about to leave. The latter is staying a bit longer, as Anthrax attempts to wake up his sprout. It should hopefully not be much longer from here to the Shifting Expanse, and they will make the final crossing together.

*

After speaking briefly to Tulefog and setting the skeleton of plans, Anthrax set the Strangler-sprout near enough the fire to warm, but far enough not to singe, and waited. The Skydancer would see and feel what they were doing, but that as far less important than making contact.

It did not take long for the vegetable snake to stir, and as he remade contact with his foster-mother, Anthrax felt more tension than he realized he had carried loose. He described his situation, and that he expected to reach the Expanse in the near future. The sprout listened, allowing Kalura to hear, and then began to dance her response in the sign-code they had made seasons ago. This was followed by a location, which Anthrax noted in the sand to copy to something portable when the message was finished.

Once that was completed, Anthrax brought out a still-dry bag of nuts from his satchels, and he and Tulefog shared them as he described what he had learned. They would cross directly to the shore, and the location given was not a long walk from there. None of the others of their party had yet arrived, so once they met up with Kalura, someone would have to go find them.

The two dragons finished their meal, packed what had been taken out, including the Strangler-sprout, and set off on the last leg of their flight.