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Rose: the Fifth Leaf Den

Rose opened her eyes slowly. The light felt... too bright. She closed her eyes again, and remembered the festivities of the prior night.

She'd shared drinks with many of the other kitsunes of the Fifth Leaf Den through the evening and into the night. After Kyrre's little speech, there had been no questions. Rose had expected to be answering questions for days. Apparently, they either didn't care at the moment, or... or just needed an excuse to get drunk.

Opening her eyes fully, taking in all the greenery around her, Rose sighed. She'd drank a bit, and was thankful that direct sunlight didn't seem to filter in through enough to be painfully bright. She sat up, and was relieved that she only had a slight headache. Stretching, she smiled.

Rose was sitting on her cot, near only one other cot, which held the sleeping Trella. She wondered if that particular kitsune had had too much to drink last night. The thought kind of cheered her for a moment.

Rose got up and walked around. Most of the camp was up already, and... doing what she assumed soldiers did when they weren't going anywhere or fighting anyone. There were kitsunes sharpening swords, knifes and the occasional axe. Some were mending shorts- though Rose had noticed that with kitsunes, at least males, a bottom covering was the only thing they seemed inclined to wear.

There was no bustle around the camp. There were people cooking over pots, and fletching arrows. But it was all... casual.

Annoyed, Rose went looking for Sahm or Kyrre.

She found Sahm first, but he was passed out on a cot.

"Sahm?" Rose asked, shaking him slightly. "Sahm? When do we leave?" Rose asked.

Sahm opened his eyes and sat up. He scratched at an ear haphazardly, and looked at her curiously.

"We leave... we... oh yes!" Sahm said, as something occured to him. "We leave as soon as we've gotten a guard together. We'll need to talk to Kyrre about who he wants to stay with him, and who he trusts to send with you."

"Wait," Rose interjected. "he's staying with... with the Fifth Leaf Den?"

"Of course." Sahm said, nodding vigorously. "He's been away too long, and the runs have not been kept as well. No, he can't leave now. It'll be you and I... and about two or three soldiers."

Frowning, Rose nodded. She didn't like it. Wasn't Kyrre her biggest supporter in all this? From what she'd gathered, he was. And for him to leave her to find her way... it didn't escape her that Trella wasn't coming, even with all that talk of becoming the Royal Shaman or whatever.

Sahm seemed unperterbed, and, apparently, wide awake now. He led Rose by the arm through the maze of kitsunes, cots, and campfires, until they finally got to the one tent in the whole place.

It wasn't so much a tent as it was a shade, made of cloth and poles. It had no sides, and the green-tinted light seemed lesser under it. Kyrre stood with two other kitsunes, looking down at a cloth map that was laid out on a tree stump.

Glancing up, Kyrre's eyes tightened when they landed on Rose and Sahm. He bent his head back over the map before he spoke.

"Lial, Regg, and Grewin. They have everything." Kyrre said, apparently to Sahm, though Rose was confused. "Send word."

And with that, before Rose could even get a word in edgewise, one of the kitsunes next to Kyrre stepped forward, and two others practically materialized in front of Sahm.

"Thank you. We will." Sahm said, and pulled at Rose's arm as he turned to go.

"Wait wait wait wait wait." Rose said, trying not to allow Sahm to pull her away- which was surprisingly difficult since she was not used to being restricted from her demon, fairy and angelic traits. She only managed to not spin around as quickly as Sahm had, and to drag her feet enough to get another look at Kyrre, who had turned away from the stump now.

Realizing that she had little choice left- and not happy about it in the least- Rose turned to Sahm.

"What- that's it? We're taking these three guys, and leaving without Kyrre? Now?"

"Yes. Now." Sahm said, and as they cleared the last of the mulling kitsunes, he broke into a run, still holding her arm for a few paces.

Rose tried not to keep up, but, again, was dragged a bit. But when Sahm let her go, she stopped.

Until one of the other kitsunes grabbed her by the arm, running. And Rose was stuck running, too.

He flashed his free hand to one of the other kitsunes, who ran ahead to Sahm, flashed some more, and came back to the kitsune with Rose.

She expected some kind of answer. Instead, all she got from the two hand-talking kitsunes was a long, exasperated look. Then the one not holding her arm came around to Rose's other side.

"Run!" he said simply, but there was power behind his voice. Rose ran. Infuriated. Confused. And definately not settling for no answers. But for now... Rose ran. And left the Fifth Leaf Den behind unsettlingly soon.