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Rose, Regaining Mobility and the Moving Den

It was after one of the few times that Rose had actually drifted off to sleep when she noticed it. Her nose itched, before she even opened her eyes, and so she scratched it.

"Huh. Hey, Trella, I think she's gotten over it, now." Sahm's somewhat upbeat voice called out.

The wind stopped blowing by as fast, and Rose opened her eyes. More correctly, the kitsunes had stopped running, and were soon standing still. Rose opened her eyes, and looked around. Trella was looking down at her in Sahm's arms.

"Welcome back." Trella said. Her tone suggested she might not quite be as welcome as Rose would like, but for now, she'd take it.

"Can-" Rose rasped. Her throat was absolutely parched, and as Kyrre came forward with a canteen, she hoped she wasn't misunderstood already. But she took the drink happily, as it allowed her throat a minute to recoup. She helped hold up the canteen, but she felt ridiculously weak.

"Can I get up now?" Rose asked. As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she winced. She had sounded like a little kid asking to be let up from a nap they hadn't wanted to take. She meant to ask if Sahm would put her down now, if she could run on her own.

Sahm looked at Trella, who pursed her lips.

"We can try it. But if you can't keep up-" Trella said. But she was cut off.

"Trella." Kyrre said forcefully. "Really? Her taking fifty steps before we're seen isn't going to slow us down any more than this stop already has, even if she moves at a snail's pace."

Rose smiled. It seemed as if she had an ally against the Shaman who seemed bent on mothering her.

Sahm set Rose down delicately, as if he was afraid she would crumple to the ground. Rose wanted to laugh- but didn't, as he knees buckled and she almost did crumple down to the ground. But with an extreme effort, she managed to hold her weight. She looked at Kyrre askance without even saying anything.

"Ah, well. Said you'd feel a little weak, didn't we?" Kyrre explained. "You've been relying on all your other talents for your strengths for a long time. You should be able to walk in a minute."

As if on cue, Kyrre and Trella sat down easily, taking a break. Sahm offered Rose a hand, which she refused, before he, too, sat down.

Sighing, Rose stretched. Her arms ached almost with the lack of movement from the last few days. She stood up on her tip-toes, tightening her calf muscles, before she even realized what she was wearing.

"Hey! These aren't my things!" Rose asked, abashed. She had been being carried in a miniskirt? A miniskirt? "Where're my clothes?!" she asked, almost panicked. She tried to summon into a change of clothes, and suddenly the world tilted to the side, and the trees were falling at her.

Sahm caught her before she hit the ground, and then eased her down to it.

Trella tsked.

"You shouldn't try any of those tricks you used to use. That will only make you sick, you know." Trella scolded.

Rose hadn't known, and she rolled her eyes. That would have been good to know a few moments ago.

Kyrre laughed, and Rose scowled at him. He stopped.

"Look, if she's fine, we can go soon. But... Cous? Didn't you bring her anything else for her to wear? Something... more our style?" Sahm asked.

Trella nodded once, and then threw a loose bundle of clothes at Rose, and motioned behind some bushes just east of them.

Rose got back up, holding onto the bundle, and slowly, carefully walked around to the other side of the bushes. She changed quickly, and smirked. She didn't know how she'd gotten into the clothes Trella had picked out for her for before, but the whole thing seemed almost... laughable. Almost. Except when she considered that wearing those things suddenly meant she had had to have been changed out of her other things. In front of two males. She grimaced, and made a mental mark. That was two against Trella. Rose would get her back eventually.

Making her way out from behind the bushes, Rose realized how good she was feeling.

"Are you guys ready?" she asked eagerly. "My muscles are aching to run!"

Sahm and Kyrre exchanged a grin and were off before Trella could even drop her mouth open to say anything. Rose was after them in a flash, her only other movement throwing the other clothes at Trella before she took off.

Perterbed but never daunted, Trella packed the clothes back in her pack. In a mere few seconds, the scouts would spot them, anyways. Trella didn't have to run anymore, and she preferred to make a more subtle entrance. It allowed her to judge reactions better.

Rose had almost caught up to Kyrre- having already passed Sahm, when he stopped suddenly. Rose watched him, and tried to skid to a stop herself, but she didn't stop before she hit something large, warm, and kinda fuzzy.

"Uh, wel-come back, Den Leader?" a deep bass voice said from above Rose. She looked up into the face of a large kitsune male. She blushed, and wondered what kind of impression she'd just made.

Another voice laughed up in a tree. A younger man, more lithe than the muscled kitsune in front of her, dropped down suddenly, five feet to the side of Rose.

"Nice catch Lei-ard." said the wiry kitsune. "Kyrre, good to see you! Did you find what you needed?" his look was questioning, but did not, thankfully, Rose thought, land on her.

"We shall see, Rikaw," Kyrre replied with a smile.

Kyrre took Rose's hand, and pulled her back away from Lei-ard, the big kitsune, and walked her around him, past the scouts. "I guess you'll have to wait and see!" Kyrre teased. Their shift was not over yet.

Kyrre looked down at Rose. "We're here. The Fifth Leaf Warrior Den." Kyrre announced.

Rose didn't notice anything different, and she was certain she was looking. But Kyrre was still pulling her forward, and as they emerged into a small clearing, Rose understood. He had, after all, mentioned that his Den was nicknamed the Moving Den, as they did not hold any permanent position. In the trees were large green hammocks, and small, leaf and pine needle covered tents speckled the ground. And out of at least half of them, curious fox-ears and bright eyes looked out at Kyrre's approach.

"Fifth Leaf!" Kyrre announced- almost shouted. Then he added, in a normal voice, "Did you miss me?"

There was almost a mad rush of movement as over half the kitsunes that had just been visible rushed toward Kyrre, and most of the rest at least stood, watching. Trella walked in behind Rose and Kyrre then, with Sahm at her side.

The look on her face must have answered whatever question that the Den was waiting for, because cheers suddenly erupted, and kitsunes were jumping around.

Rose quirked an eyebrow and looked back at Trella.

"What?" she responded. "I just told them that we found their next leader. I just hope we're right." she said, looking pointedly at Kyrre. "And that they don't get angry when I tell them its you." she said, looking at Rose for the last.

Rose sighed, and was almost surprised as someone quickly put a wooden cup in her hand. Rose noticed that most of the kitsunes had one by now, too, including Kyrre, Sahm and Trella.

That night, there was a feast. Rose still had no idea if they knew it was supposed to be her, or what they would do when they heard. The looks in their eyes were quite wild and fierce. She'd always imagines foxes- the base for kitsunes- as witty and agile. She's never really considered that they were predators, and might sometimes act like wild beasts. It was a strange night.