#toane

    She arrived out of breath, almost collapsing on the ground. Her leader stepped out, staring at her as she shifted into her human form and bowed.

    "What is it?" Her leader asked, looking her over.

    "Something strange... there was a wrecked ship and a party of men, they took shelter in a clearing. One of them is hurt badly, alive but not awake." She said, looking up from the ground.

    "Thank you for telling me. Anything else about them I should know?"

    "Strange accent, clothes, and appearances. Not like any shifter I've ever seen."

    "Thank you for that warning, but I am not worried.” He said dismissively. “Go on, I have business to attend to." Without waiting he walked into the forest.

    She shifted into her fox form and thought desperately about what to do. Making a decision, she trotted off again as the shadows gathered.

    When she reached a stream she paused for a drink, listening closely. Nothing sounded out of the ordinary.

    She ran on, running into the territory of the horses. The grass was over her head and she was forced to slow down. 'Will they listen to me? They don't even know me...'

    The moon rose as she bounded through the tall grasses and flowers, eventually reaching a ridge. Far in the distance she could see the glow of several fires. She made her way in that direction, moving as quickly as she could in the grass.

    Soon she was panting for breath, struggling to move faster, to reach the fires that didn't seem to move any closer.

    She stared at the wreckage of the ship, crushed to splinters on the rocks. The design was unfamiliar, full of sharp angles. Leading away from the ship were several pairs of footprints, heading into the brush.

    She followed them, her paws soundless on the ground. The prints joined a path and an unfamiliar voice with a strange accent was heard up ahead, barely audible compared to the small sounds of the animals around her.

    "Where do you think we are?"

    "I don't know. We need to find shelter, it looks like it's getting dark." A different voice answered.

    "Aye, sir." The first voice answered, almost a grunt.

    Her ears perked up and she stalked closer, listening closely. It sounded like these men were dragging something or someone across the ground.

    "There's a clearing up ahead, sir!" A new voice shouted, startling her. This voice was much younger, almost a boy's.

    "Good work, lead the way." The second voice responded.

    She bounded after them, stopping when she could see the men.

    There was a total of five, all but one marching along. A youth with hair nearly as red as hers led the way, followed closely by a tall man with dark hair. Behind him two men half carried another who appeared to be unconscious.

    She followed them until they reached the clearing, which was rather small and mostly covered by the overhanging trees.

    "This will do for now. Set him on this." The dark haired man shrugged off his cloak and laid it out on the ground.

    The two men who were dragging the other man set him down carefully, one of them putting a rolled up bit of clothing under his head before straightening up. From her position she could see blood streaking the unconscious man's hair and face. The scent was strong, strong enough she took several steps back after she took in the scene.