.:Saving Grace (Attempt 16):.

Jacqueline thought these mountains would never end now that she was traveling down them. Her precious cargo packed safely inside her pack and Saurenai becoming more used to her presence, the mercenary’s impatience to reach the bottom of the trail and back to the village she had originally landed in grew. There was only one way to refill her gold coffers and that required returning the artifact whole and to the party in question. The first part was easily covered with a magic infused box she had brought with her on the journey but the other required that she didn’t lose the item on the long trek back down the mountainside. So far, she had been lucky to avoid most of the other predators that she could conceivably encounter, but nobody’s luck runs that well forever. And though the wild tokotas she had met before had been more on the domesticated side, the amber-hued anthro knew that bears were a completely different story when it came to their behavior. And though her tawny marked tokota was becoming more accustomed to being ridden and being out in the wilderness, she certainly wasn’t ready to face another predator looking to maim her or drive her away.

So Jackie patted her tawny tokota as she padded forward with her black-socked paws, her white-tipped tail twitching nervously. They had come upon a thick forested area that had not been along the trail Jacqueline had taken, as she had decided to change her route back down in case the two ran into marauding bandits. But the forest was eerily quiet, as if the very knowledge of predators nearby made the birds and wildlife nervously silent. I hope it happens to be those wild tokotas, Jackie thought as she shifted her weight on Saura’s back. I don’t want to find out what Saurenai’s capable of if it happens to be some other predator.

But what was present in the forest was not under Jacqueline’s control. And as they came around an exceptionally dense section of forest Saura froze, her black-tipped ears flattening against her skull as her pale green eyes went wide with fear. A dark shadow turned toward them, the large beast was only half as tall as the tokota but that knowledge didn’t matter to the tawny marked female. A whine emitted from her throat as she flattened herself as the bear turned and gave a roar in their direction, clearly furious at the intrusion. And as he reared up and roared again to intimidate the tokota, Saura began to balk, trying to rear back and bolt away from the bear. Jackie couldn’t allow a pursuit to happen, so she dismounted with a firm hold on the tokota’s reins. “Calm down Saura, I’ll handle this,” she told the panicking tawny female. But it didn’t seem to calm her as Jackie let go of the reins, forced to make a display toward the bear.

Holding her staff as high as she could and spinning it to create the illusion that she was much larger than she was before letting out loud whoops and hollers to intimidate the bear back. But the grizzly didn’t back down, teeth bared as he shuffled on his hind paws and attempted to appear even larger than the anthro and suddenly Jacqueline had a bad feeling about this encounter.

Then her luck shifted almost instantaneously. Just as the bear came back down onto all fours and started charging a furious snarl came from out of nowhere and a slate-grey and platinum blur streaked in front of the anthro; a blue circle and crescent mark along the shoulder of the blur allowing Jackie to properly identify her rescuer. Mr. Sexy! A second blur of black, brown and white streaked in as well; the short-furred form was also just as easily distinguishable to the anthro as the other tokota. Balan! They had come to the rescue!

The large, long maned dire towered over the bear as he reared up on his hind legs with a fearsome bark and snarl. The odd-eyed short-furred tokota reared up as well, barking loudly as well, his tail swishing as he attempted to balance in order to face the grizzly bear. The bear backed-up; suddenly unsure with the odds clearly against him when it came to an encounter against two tokotas and the mercenary. A final roar in their direction emitted from the bear before it turned tail and loped away. Clearly, it didn’t want to endanger its life regardless if it felt that the area was his territory and not theirs. Balan gave a snort, his black-socked paws with their white toes returning to the ground and he shook his head, the long-tufted cheeks swishing with the movement. Mr. Sexy continued to snarl after the retreating bear until he was sure it was gone, his icy blue eyes glaring. Jackie wanted to laugh out loud her relief – she certainly didn’t want to go around killing a bear when it wasn’t necessary. The two wild tokotas showed up just in the nick of time.

“Thank the Gods you two showed up,” she said finally as Mr. Sexy turned around to check on the anthro, sure that the bear was gone. “I was afraid I would have to use my guan dao against that bear. I’m not really someone into bear meat.” Jacqueline made a face before smiling up at the two tokotas that padded up for pats on the nose. Both seemed keen on seeing her again and that was all well and good for the mercenary. At least they saved Saurenai and me.

Suddenly, the silence of the forest brought an underlying tension to the amber-hued anthro as she realized she didn’t hear her tawny marked female tokota whining or breathing or anything. Sensing something was wrong, Jackie turned around looking for her tokota – but the tawny female was nowhere to be seen. The mercenary’s heart leapt into her throat as she realized the tokota was missing. “Saurenai? Saura?” she called, trying to scent for her missing tokota but the overwhelming stench of fear and bear marred her tracking abilities. Mr. Sexy and the odd-eyed Balan began to pick up on her tension and began swiveling their ears as well as swing their heads in order to catch sight or sound of the tokota. But the black-socked tawny marked female was nowhere to be seen. Panic began to set in for mercenary as she realized that her tokota had bolted. “Saura?! SAURA!!”

The brown, black and white short-furred tokota with the two different colored eyes padded up to the mercenary, pressing his marked muzzle against her shoulder in reassurance and Jackie numbly patted his head where the white diamond mark was. She had never had a problem with her horse bolting when she had had Noaq, but Saura was still too timid to be encountering dangerous wild creatures. And now she could be anywhere. Jackie was sure the tokota couldn’t survive by herself for very long having been raised in domestication all her life. Saurenai had no experience hunting, very little of camping out and almost no survival skills. The mercenary had to find the tokota and she had to do so as fast as she could.

There was only one tokota she would ask for help with this now, though she knew both would help. She turned to the slate grey, long maned dire and stared into his pale blue eyes. “Please Handsome,” she asked him, using her own nickname for the large dire, “help me find my tokota, Saurenai. She’s not knowledgeable about the wild and I’m sure she wouldn’t survive long without me. Please help me find her.” Jackie wanted to get on her knees and beg the dire for his help but knew that would do her no good. So she stood, her heart pounding in her chest as she waited for his response, terrified that with every second that passed her tokota was in more and more danger.

Mr. Sexy regarded her for a long moment before the Balan padded up to him, his odd-eyed stare grave. They seemed to have a silent conversation with flicks and twitches of their ears as well as their tails before he turned his icy blue eyes back to the mercenary. He gave a chuff and then lowered himself to the ground, allowing the mercenary the chance to mount his back to ride the dire tokota barebacked. She was surprised but thankful as she realized he was willing to help her find Saurenai. Giving the large male a grateful stroke of his mane she dipped her head. “Thank you, Handsome,” she said with a great deal of gratitude. “I’ll definitely try to make it up to you the next time I see you.”

A snort was her reply as she climbed aboard his back and settled herself as best she could on his back, looping his long mane in her hands. She had already adjusted her guan dao’s strap for riding on a tokota so she settled easily. The odd-eyed short-furred tokota came over to their side to see that the anthro had a good seat before snorting his approval, starting off in a direction through the trees, his tail flagged high for Mr. Sexy to follow. In no time at all the three of them were rushing through the trees, Balan weaving in and out of the underbrush and tree trunks as he followed Saurenai’s erratic path of flight. Jacqueline’s jaw was set with determination as her bronze colored eyes scanned the landscape for any hint of the tawny marked female. We must be too far behind her! Jackie thought with mounting panic. What if she falls off the mountainside? What am I going to do if she’s hurt or dead? Jacqueline daren’t think that thought any further forward than that; she didn’t want to think about the what-ifs anymore.

The thundering sound of heavy paws slamming into the earth was like a drumbeat that beat in time with her racing heart as Balan led the way. His head suddenly jerked up, ears pricking forward and the amber-hued feline anthro leaned forward on Mr. Sexy, her ears cupping forward as she strained to hear whatever it was that had caught the short-furred brown, black and white tokota’s attention. Is it Saura? But her ears weren’t quite as attuned as that of the tokotas – but both put on a burst of speed, rushing through the forest as the trees began to blur past.

Then Jackie heard it: a thin wail of an animal in dire need, interspersed by whining that the mercenary knew by heart by now. Saura! She’s in trouble! Her grip on the long maned, slate grey dire’s fur tightened with tension as he sped up, feeling the stress and tension build in the anthro’s body. The trees ahead began to thin as the sounds of Saurenai’s desperate calls increased in volume. We’re getting close! Jacqueline wanted to cry out to her tokota, but refrained – she didn’t want to make whatever the situation was worse by exciting the tokota with the eminent rescue attempt. So she was silent, willing the slate grey and platinum tokota to hurry as she hoped they wouldn’t be too late.

The sight they arrived to was not what Jacqueline had expected or dreaded. Instead they arrived to the sight of the tawny marked female with her lighter mane wedged between two close-growing trees with her blanket strap as well as her bridle tangled in the branches. She heard the thundering of paws behind her and her whining intensified, her black-socked paws churning against the earth as she tried to outrun the unseen interlopers. Jackie couldn’t help but let out a very relieved laugh at the situation her tokota had gotten herself into. Thank the Gods!

Mr. Sexy stopped short of where the tawny marked female was wedged and gave a snort of derision and disapproval. The brown, black and white short-furred tokota padded up to the female tawny marked tokota and sniffed her hindquarter curiously. Saurenai began yelping in panic as she sensed the tokota beside her, lifting her head and attempting to spot the tokota with a pale green eye. Jackie finally decided it was time to calm down her tokota as the long maned dire lowered himself to the ground for her to dismount. “Saura! It’s alright – it’s me and the two tokotas you met previously. You remember them right? We’re here to help you get out. So don’t worry – you can calm down dear.”

Hearing her handler’s voice made Saurenai calm down and she stopped struggling, though she attempted to spy her handler over her shoulder stretching her neck as best she could to find the amber-hued anthro. Jackie padded up and patted her tokota’s shoulder before rubbing her muzzle. Balan’s tail began wagging as he realized that the other tokota had finally calmed down. The mercenary started looking at her tack and decided removing her bridle first would be best. Walking around the tree to her face Saura gave a wuff of happiness and began wagging her tail. “Calm down dear,” Jackie told the happy tokota, rubbing her muzzle affectionately. “I need to remove your tack and then figure out how to de-wedge you from the trees. So try not to move too much.”

Understanding her handler’s instructions Saurenai went limp, waiting as Jacqueline removed the bridle from her face and untangling it from the branches. Then she unfastened her blanket strap, removing the tack from the tawny female’s back. Even without the tack, it was clear that Saura had wedged herself firmly in between the trees. She looked over at Mr. Sexy and Balan wondering if the two could aid in freeing the smaller female. Then she looked at the blanket strap in her hands as an idea came to mind. I hope they’ll help me…

Working fast Jackie hurried back to Saurenai’s hindquarters as the tokota tried to follow her with her pale green eyes. Jacqueline looked over at the two wild tokotas as she began recounting her idea to all three tokotas. “Alright, here’s the plan: I’m going to fasten the buckle around Saura’s waist and tie two ropes to it. I need you both to take one end and pull when I tell you to go. Saura, when I say go, you need to let out your breath so you don’t make it worse. I hope all three of you understand what’s going on.” She threw the buckle over Saura’s back and began winching it in place around her waist. Saura began whining again, worried about the plan while the two wild tokotas watched curiously.

Then Jacqueline took out two ropes she had in her pack for rock climbing, made out of strong steel-reinforced cable. Clipping the ropes to the points on the buckle for extra tack, she made sure the holds were firm before taking the ends and walking toward both tokotas. Balan took one end in his jaws, curiosity sparking in his odd-eyes as he shuffled his black-socked legs until he was braced in a good position. Mr. Sexy however growled at the sight of the rope. Jackie remembered he’d been tied up with rope prior and sighed. “I’m not going to tie you up,” she said with exasperation as she presented the rope for him to take hold of. “I thought you would have enough trust in me by now to understand that. I need you to do what he’s doing.” She pointed to where the black, brown and white tokota stood with rope in his maw, crouched and ready to pull back on the rope. He stared at the long maned, slate grey dire out of the corner of his amber eye. There was a snort from Mr. Sexy, but he finally took the rope in his maw, shuffling his feathered legs until he was also braced to pull on the ropes.

Satisfied that the plot was ready, she padded back to Saurenai. “Okay dear, remember to let out your breath when I give the signal. Ready?” Saura took in a huge breath, facing forward and waiting. “GO!” Jackie shouted, hoping everything went according to plan.

Her tokota’s breath puffed out of her chest in a whoosh as she let out as much air as possible while Mr. Sexy and Balan pulled back, their muscles bunching with effort as the clips clanked on the buckle and pulled on Saura’s haunches. A whine emitted from Saura as she was pulled a little back before suddenly slipping free, thumping heavily onto the forest floor as the two wild tokotas fell onto their haunches from the sudden loss of tension. Jacqueline rushed to her tokota’s side, quickly unbuckling the blanket buckle and checking her over as the two wild tokota’s dropped the rope and came over to inspect the female tokota as well. Saura began whining happily, licking her handler’s face and hair as she realized she’d been rescued. Jacqueline laughed as Saurenai messed up her fur and hair but the amber-hued anthro could care less. She’s going to be alright! “Okay, okay! You’re welcome dear!” she patted her tokota before turning to the two wild tokotas.

Mr. Sexy looked down at her with icy blue eyes before snorting and settling down next to Jackie and Saura. Balan settled down as well, shaking out his long cheek fur before curling his paws under himself. Jackie knew this was as good a time as any to share the treats she had in her pack. I can go hunting later. “Thanks for your help,” she said with true appreciation as she took out her food satchel and pulled out some livers for all three tokotas. “This is all I have now, but if you find me again another day I’ll give you a real meal fit for heroes.”

It seemed as though the livers were quite enough to make the tokotas happy. Saura took her piece happily while Mr. Sexy daintily ate his piece along with Balan. Jackie couldn’t help but be thankful for the tokotas’ presence this time around. Poor Saura would have been stick for hours if they hadn’t helped me find and rescue her. The mercenary resolved to make sure she would properly thank them after she had a chance to hunt again.

It wasn’t long until the two wild tokotas finished their treats and Jackie had wiped their muzzles clean. Mr. Sexy shook out his lovely mane before bending down for a last pat on the nose. Jackie was definitely going to miss him until their next encounter. “Thanks again,” she told him earnestly before he and the short-furred brown, black and white tokota started away. He turned back and let out a howl; Saura happily joined in, her tail wagging hard in happiness as Balan also joined in. Jackie waved to them before they finished and turned away, heading back to the wilderness.

Thank you, my friend. I hope to see you again soon.