No rest for the tired|Clan Fira-Forian, Naurorod

[Northen Light36]

Ann tended to sleep lightly since Alyssa had been born, but even if she'd been the deep sleeper she was as a child, she couldn't have slept though the racket outside. Or Alyssa's panicked cries as she woke up and was alarmed by the sound.

Something's the matter with the horses? Ann wondered, dressing as quickly as she could and cursing the restriction of movement the scarring from her fight with the meltma had left in her. Thanks to the care she'd been given, it was an annoyance rather then a problem, but she was still aware of how it slowed her down.

"Aly, it's all right," Ann reasured her daughter, hurrying into the girl's room to hug the child. "Shh, shh, calm down. I'll go see what's happening."

"I come too," Aly replied firmly, sliding out of bed. She was still sniffling and her face was wet with tears, but the sounds were more frightening alone then they were with her mother. She followed at Ann's heels as Ann left the hut to see what the hell was going on.

[Skittlebug]

The scene was wild, the outer side of the horse coral was broken, and many of the horses could be seen stampeding away, both of Ann's horses among them. The ones that remained were panicked and wild, not responding easily to the people trying to calm them.

Upon closer inspection of the coral, one would notice that some of the broken boards bear claw marks. There is also blood spattered nearby and marks on the ground as if a horse had been dragged off.

[Northen Light36]

"Oh damn it," Ann muttered. "What were the scouts doing? Taking a nap?" She looked at Alyssa and added, "Go back to bed, sweetie. I'm going to help catch the horses." Char didn't trade primaraily in horses the way Fira did, but this was still a major problem.

Alyssa shook her head and put her hands on her hips (a gesture that made Ann have to hide a smile), replying, "I go too." The little girl had no intention of being left alone, thank you.

"All right, go get dressed," Ann ordered her daughter. "Hurry now, Aly." As Alyssa ran back inside to get dressed, Ann worked on calming one of the remaining horses. By the time Alyssa was ready, the horse was at least ridable and Ann wasted no time in lifting the little girl onto it's back and mounting up behind her. Then they were off, along with some of the other clan members who'd calmed horses, chasing the run aways.

Given that Ann had been planning to head to Linnod, then home to Fira tomorrow, the loss of the horses would be a serious problem.

[Skittlebug]

It wasn't long before they caught up with the stragglers of the group, a couple of which were injured. One seemed to have twisted one of it's legs in it's panic, but the other was limping badly from a large bite on it's hindquarters. The rest of the small herd wasn't far off, and losing momentum by now.

[Northen Light36]

The herd of horses was quickly rounded up and inspected. Oh DAMN, thought Ann, reconising that while her battle-trained mare was here, her riding gelding wasn't. Recalling the blood and examining the bitten horse both confirmed they'd been attacked and what the attacker was. "Dune dragon," she annouced grimly. "Get the herd back to the clan and treat the bites fast.

Some of the horses would be fed Taed's Kiss tonight, but that went without saying. What was more concerning was that dune dragons were raiding the clan. That was unusual, and dangerous. The creatures had been known to kill and eat small children on rare occassions.

Ann glanced at her daughter, then transfered Aly to the battlemare. The safest place for her daughter right now would be right by her side. Three signs were useful when protecting one's family, at least. "I'll investigate, see if there's any more of them around," she told the fires and, after returning to Char for supplies, rode off to try and track the dune dragons. She needed to at least find how many of them were around.

[Skittlebug]

A few minutes ride beyond where the herd had been rounded up Ann finds more hints of a horse being dragged, along with a few tracks.

A few more minutes brings her to a small rise in the landscape, and on the other side the remains of the missing horse. Most of it has been eaten, but it's head hasn't been touched, easily marking it as Ann's gelding.

The monitors surrounding the carcass are nearly the size of horses themselves, heavyset and covered in tough scales. Two of the lizards fight over some of the larger bones while three more bask nearby. One of these three lifts its head, his tongue flicking out to taste the air.

[Northen Light36]

Trouble, Ann thought, glancing back over her shoulder at her daughter. Aly, thankfully, hadn't seen the horse head, her vision blocked as it was by her mother's body. "Close your eyes and hold tight," Ann whispered before looking back at the dune dragons.

She hadn't expected there to be more then three at the most. That she knew she could handle alone. Five though... Well... I might be able to handle it, but... No, too risky. This needed to be dealt with fast, but, three signer or not, the sheer number meant she'd need at least a few people to watch her back.

Ann turned her horse and headed back towards the clan.

[Skittlebug]

Even after picking at what remained of the carcass, one horse wasn't much of a meal for the dune dragons. After the first raid had been so easy, they all knew where to find their next meal. Rousing themselves, they lazily begin to retrace their steps, tasting the air for hints of prey.

[Kender Bard]

This time the scouts were more prepared. The attack had caught the few on duty before unawares--one had died and the other had been seriously injured and now lay under Allura's hands, fighting for life.

This time there was a heavy knot of both scouts and guards and when the dune dragons appeared, they were swift to respond, hurling fire and spears and shooting arrows in hopes to frighten the things off with a massive display of power in a quick burst.

[Skittlebug]

The lizards are taken by surprise by the sudden show of force, and one of the smaller ones is struck in the face by some of the fire. Hissing loudly it slams it's face against the sand, writhing it's neck and shoulders to quench the fire. Furious, it slinks back with the others once the worst of the pain has passed, one eye nearly sealed shut.

The group backs off, but not very far. They can still be seen stalking about a mile or so away from the clan.

[Kender Bard]

"That won't hold them forever," Alexi growls. "We're going to need something a little more solid."

One of the warriors wipes the back of his hand against his forehead. "We could get some heavier arrows and send some men to try and kill them that way."

"Where's the Honored Leader?" another, younger warrior pipes up, looking around.

[Northen Light36]

"Here," Ann replies. As soon as she'd seen the scouts attacking, she'd paused in her ride to add to the attack. Now she brought her battle mare up to the group at a slow, tired walk. The horse clearly wasn't fit for much more tonight. "Anyone hurt?" she asked the group.

[Kender Bard]

"No," came a chorus. This time they'd been prepared.

"Honored Leader, do you think we should attack with flame or spear and arrow?"

"Or with swords and axes?" another asked. That brought slightly uneasy looks. Those weapons were less common and so there were less to go around and not as many warriors who were familiar with them. But they certainly did bite harder than their conventional weapons.

[Skittlebug]

For their part the group of lizards was frustrated, but not about to give up, not with so much food in one place. They stalked about, almost out of view, picking at each other and and working themselves up.

The one with the injured eye lags a little behind, taking a lot of time to rub at the irritating wound.

[Northen Light36]

"Flame, spear and arrow," Ann replied firmly. "I don't want anyone getting closer to the dune dragons then they have to. You all know full well what even a minor bite can do to a person."