Draxon Hunting

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Diana couldn't smell what Mobu did, but she trusted his senses. She put her hands on his shoulders and lifted herself up onto his back. She could feel the power in the muscles beneath her, but that changed when he took off. She held on tighter than she thought she could, but she heard the men. There wasn't just one; there were multiples. It seemed like they were not giving Mobu up easily.

She wished she could have fired her crossbow while on Mobu's back, but they seemed to have the same idea and started firing at him with poison-tipped arrows. Diana couldn't see why they couldn't find another draxon, because she legally owned Mobu according to their processes. She should have known they weren't going to follow those processes. She wanted to hit herself for trying such an endeavor. However, Mobu would have eventually died had she not gotten him, even though there were plenty of other draxon in the Pit that she hadn't saved.
 
It had been a while since Mobu had flown. Truthfully he was worried he might have trouble taking off just by him self, let alone flying with someone on his back. But he had to. To survive. He forced those awful memories into his mind to give him that edge. The men's yelling and smells now drove him forward, dropping to all fours to give him the boost in speed he needed. He quickly kicked off the ground with everything had, giving a roar as he did so. His wings beat heavily as he struggled to get into the air.

Finally he gained the momentum he needed and quickly the two of them climbed in the air. A sharp pain stung the webbing in his wing, causing a bark like roar to jump from him. But he didn't look at the wing nor did he look back. Mobu kept climbing till they touched the clouds, the wing under his wings giving him a new sense or freedom. But the pain in his wing was apparent that he'd been hit with an arrow. He didn't worry much about it till the pain managed to spread. Never did he think the arrow was poison tipped.

But when his wing started to go numb he knew he needed to land before he could no longer fly. "Something wrong... I have to land." He said as he angled himself towards the land again. Thankfully he'd made enough distance between them and the men following them that he had a good head start. He came to a rough land as by this time he could no longer feel his wing. He walked on all fours as he looked over at his limp wing. The poison was meant to paralyze, not kill. "I was hit with arrow. Urgh maybe had poison?" He said as he looked at Diana.
 
Diana made sure to duck her head to avoid the arrows arcing too high to hit Mobu. However, they hadn't been flying long before a jolt passed through Mobu and he roared. She turned her head and saw a hole in his wing where the arrow had gone straight through. Mobu was doing his best to fly, but they were already falling from the clouds slowly. She only nodded when he spoke, but his voice came out slightly sluggish. When he started to land, Diana jumped while he was still moving, skidding to a halt on her feet.

The arrow was indeed poisoned, but there was no way to tell what kind it was. Any contact she had with it would only paralyze her as well. "Yes, but you won't die from it. It was meant to slow us down or stop us. Can you still walk?" If he could even move just a little bit, they could find a place to bunker down and either confront Jaksin and his men or wait them out. She moved her crossbow from her shoulder, snapping the string back and sliding a fletched bolt onto the string. She looked down the sight and made sure it was straight before she let it down and turned back to Mobu. "We have to keep moving. If you're weak when they find us, you'll have to go back there. I won't own you anymore." She made it sound like they were definitely going for him in an attempt to help him move along.
 
Mobu growled in annoyance as he lifted his head and looked back from where they came. Though they had put quite a bit of distance between their attackers, it simply wasn't enough for the draxon. He tried to move his wing but only felt numbness. As Diana spoke he was already standing upright, grabbing the limb wing to try and jerk feeling back into it. "I can walk fine. Can't fly though." He said gruffly. But he didn't walk forward just yet. He stood a moment rubbing the muscles of his wing, trying to get feeling back in it as she readied her crossbow.

His attitude changed when she warned him that if he didn't move he'd go back. Going back wasn't an option. Not in his head. Mobu stopped and looked at her a long moment before he nodded. He'd have to wait the poison out but in the mean time he could walk just fine. "Then we walk till I fly again." He said gruffly as he grabbed his wing and held it off the ground to make sure it didn't drag. He took only a moment to look around at his surroundings before he picked a direction. To be honest it wasn't particularly towards his home. To get a real sense of direction he'd need to fly. This was more of a need to find somewhere safe.

After a moment of walking he turned to Diana. "Why do they want me so bad? Because I fight good? You human. You know why." She must know why her kind want him, at least that's what he thought.
 
Once he was moving, Diana walked after him. She was silent and his rough voice almost made her jump. He wanted to know why Jaksin and his men wanted him. He assumed that since she was human, she would know the answer. She didn't tell him that the supply of male draxon in many areas was dwindling, or that they were being mercilessly hunted for their parts, or that some of the draxon cubs were dying from something unknown. She told him none of those things.

"Yes. You fight well, and you're strong. You resisted their poison twice now. It makes you... special." Well, it wasn't a complete lie. Diana knew Jaksin didn't give up any property easily. She also knew Jaksin had never even let anyone buy a draxon from the Pit, but he must have known her family. The Vanscars were worth money due to their exceptional ability to hunt almost anything. Her father had said as much. Jaksin would try, and hopefully fail, to capture the both of them. Besides, Mobu was a strange draxon, and she didn't mind being around him. Even if her plan was to capture more of his kind for the massive rewards on their heads, he certainly wasn't the worst creature to be around. Still, she had to stick to her plan, even if she got... slightly attached to Mobu.
 
Even though her words were not the full truth, they were trusted. Fully and completely. Why would the human female who saved his life and gave him freedom have anything else in mind other than seeing him home? He was naive and only time would tell how deadly a mistake this was. He nodded to her, thinking back to the fight. He had won, even though poisoned. He supposed she was right and perhaps he was special. Then again he felt nothing but curse since he left his mother's den.

But her words also brought a smile to his face. "My father would be honored to know, I fight well and strong..." The smile faded slightly as he looked to the ground, lifting his wing to avoid a branch on the ground. "When he killed, was only me to protect my family." His thoughts went to his brother, whom was younger than him but also now on his own. His eyes wondered a moment as he worried if he'd met a similar fate as he. Would he try to find him? It was uncommon for brother draxons with such an age difference between one another to stay together but not unheard of. And even though Mobu struck out on his own, his younger brother still tried to follow him.
 
Well, that was a sad thought. Her father was still alive, and she knew that old man wouldn't go out unless he was fighting the most fearsome creature to walk the ground. She had a mother and sister too, and they would live much longer, as neither of them liked putting their life on the line for the sake of killing and money. Diana certainly knew, however, that Mobu's father would not be honored that his human traveling companion was seeking to find more draxon for the money.

"I'm sure you did your best." Having only one capable draxon to defend a family had to be difficult. Oh, what was she thinking now? Diana mentally slapped herself out of her revere. Thinking about Mobu's home life would do her no good.

She realized they were moving slower than she might have hoped, because a few shouts sounded behind them, and they were close. They had no dogs to follow the scent, but if Jaksin had a hold on magical artifacts to bind Mobu and the other draxon, then a mage was probably in the arsenal following them.

"Come on. We have to hurry." She picked up her step, knowing Mobu would have to fight the numbness of the poison in order to keep moving. There was no way she could carry him, so if he fell, she would have to fight.
 
Diana was correct in thinking that if Mobu's father still lived, that he would be proud of his son helping a sly draxon hunter. Mobu knew his father no longer lived but if he knew the honest truth behind his death, he'd not be helping a human at all. But they say ignorance is bliss and right now that naive ignorance was leading Mobu to follow Diana. Her words seemed kind and genuine. Enough so that he began to think more of her. She certainly was unlike any other human he's ever met. It made him smile slightly.

His ears picked up the sounds of Jaksin and his men as Diana said they needed to hurry. A growl rumbled in his throat as he nodded and picked up the pace. How were they tracking him? He smelled no hounds yet they still followed as if the had them. "I do not understand. How they still following us?" He said jerking his head back a moment before he continued forward.

The ground they walked became rockier and soon they came to a cliff. Mobu skidded to a halt and started to look back like a frightened animal. If both his wings were working this would not be a problem. He held onto a tree as he looked over the edge. The smell of the hunters pursuing them was strong in the air. "We have to climb down." He said looking at Diana.
 
"I don't know, but I don't want to find out." Diana skidded to a halt as they reached the cliff. When Mobu told her they'd have to climb, she looked at him, an incredulous look in her eye. "That's impossible. We can't climb down that." She whipped around as the faint shouts reached her ear. Groaning, she slid her crossbow back onto her shoulder. She snatched the chain from her opposite shoulder and threw it down, knowing it would add weight.

"How are we going to do this?" she asked, peering down the side of the cliff. It was tall, but there were plenty of hand and foot holds. Mobu was strong, but was he strong enough to carry them both? She didn't know. It didn't sound like they had time. "Let's go." She had no choice but to go on her own. She flipped herself over and grabbed the sharp rocks, letting them dig into her gloves as she started to go down.
 
The shouting became louder, causing Mobu to crouch down and look back. The wind blew in his face, tossing his black mane around in his face. The smell of freedom was so close, and he was sure of his ability to scale the wall but what of Diana? "Just climb down." He replied. But she had no claws to help her cling to the wall. Perhaps he could carry her down? But as soon as he thought that she began to climb down. "Move quickly." He said as he darted to the cliff.

His large claws scraped the roots and rocks and he clamored down the side of the wall. His wing hanging uselessly as he moved down the rock face. not by much but Mobu could feel a weakness in his shoulder. The side that held the numb wing. It wouldn't continue to spread but merely left him weakened. He scaled the side of the cliff quicker than his human counterpart, looking up every so often at Diana. "Keep moving!" He urged her on as he kept climbing down.
 
Diana was much slower than Mobu, and he overtook her quickly. She'd never scaled any cliff and it showed. She had to take her time and that made it so by the time Mobu was near the bottom, she was halfway down. She lost her footholds a few times, and her hands were beginning to bleed, but she kept going. Finally, she tore the chain from her shoulder and threw it, releasing some of the weight dragging her down.

It made her go a little faster, but Jaksin's men had reached the edge. They did in fact have a robed mage with them. They were more focused on Mobu, and it was evident as they released a shiny rope that moved on its own. It seemed like they were trying to get it around him so they could drag him back up the side. The thought of being taken, or her properly owned draxon going back to the Pit, made Diana speed up. However, the extra movement made her slip, sliding down before she caught herself, her fingers becoming even more scraped. She got to the bottom, even though Mobu was already there. "Let's go," she said, panting. A few of the men were climbing down the shiny rope, meaning to catch them. Diana wasted no time in moving again, though her hands were bleeding and in pain.
 
Mobu reached the bottom of the cliff and paced as he waited for Diana to make it down. He stayed waiting for her even as he saw the man that had caught him standing over the edge. "Hurry!" He yelled as he saw that vile shiny leash slithering down the cliff side seemingly on it's own. He grabbed the chain that she'd tossed down. A brilliant idea came to him and as she climbed down he quickly looped the chain around his limp wing, using the chain to wrap it at his side and give him his mobility back. He finished as she hit the ground. He nodded to her and moved with her.

Instinctively he dropped to all fours, running beside her. His head looked over as the smell of blood touched his senses. Diana was bleeding but like a draxon she refused to allow her pain or wounds to show. In that moment he found a bit of admiration for her. He had expected humans to be weak and prone to allow their injuries to hinder their abilities. But Diana was quite a different human. "We need a way to slow them down!" He said to Diana, his mind racing, trying to figure out a way to do so. Part of him said to turn and face them. That of course would be the end of it since facing the threat was what landed him in their custody in the first place.
 
Diana didn't know of any way to slow them down. There wasn't much she could do without stopping to fight them. She had to pay attention to her feet so she didn't trip or make sure she didn't run into Mobu. She also had to find a way to slow or stop them, which was hard to do in an empty forest. Suddenly, fire shot from the sky and rained down on them, smoldering leaves and grass. Diana jumped to the side to avoid the heated assault, nearly taking out Mobu in the process.

Finally, Diana couldn't take it anymore. She slid to a stop, hauling her crossbow over her shoulder and snapping the string back as fast as she could. Fitting a bolt, she braced her shoulder and fired. The bolt flew through the air and embedded itself into the shoulder of one of Jaksin's men. He fell with a cry while Diana pulled the string back. They were coming closer with each stride, but now that she was in the fight, she couldn't leave. Mobu was her property and she was going to defend that. Jaksin's men brandished swords, giving her the advantage of range, but that would only last for so long.

Her bloody fingers burned with pain as she fired another bolt, missing a man by just a few inches. Pulling the string on her crossbow another time was cutting into her already cut hands.
 
There was some small amount of shame within the draxon as the choice was made to run, not fight. He'd always stood his ground, in fact it was the nature of the beast. But survival was everything right now. And he trumped his instincts knowing they could lead him to his death right now. Fire rained down upon them and he growled in surprise as he moved out of it's path. He stumbled but did not fall as Diana pushed him out of the way. As he ran suddenly Diana was no longer beside him. He jerked his head back to see her stand and fight.

The thought was quick, his heart swelled with the thought that she stood her ground to protect him. He didn't know she was merely protecting her property, but thought she was being honorable. He wanted to keep running but in an instant realized they'd not stop till he was caught again. And he'd rather die fighting than be caught again.

A loud bellowing battle roar left him as he too turned to face the threat. It was Jaksin whom held the chain that would enslave him once again. So it became vital that he stay away from him. His attention turned to the men coming closer to them. Unable to fly he instead circled the men like a wolf, moving to their side. He waited till Diana's bolt hit one man. Waited till they came closer before he barreled towards them.

He moved low, slamming his powerful jaws around the mans leg. His swords coming down across the scales on the draxons nose only fuel the rage needed to battle on. His one good wing shot out to knock another to the ground as he dragged the man in his jaws away. With a swift jerk and another bite to the face the man was dead. Like a vicious animal he shook his victim, with the aim to frighten the other men in the group.
 
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