Primal Instinct: Dawn of the New World

The barrel hits Catia square in the head, her movements and struggling finally ceasing as Monica is dragged away. It doesn't take long before Scar is out there, having bound an unconscious Catia and barking orders to the others to keep watch of her until she woke up. Lissa is by Monica and Rina's side immediately, turning to the direction if the camp.

"Medic! Get a medic right now!"

She called, one of the other Scarclaw's in the group nodding quickly and running off. Monica held her wound carefully as she gave Rina a brave smile and a short laugh.

"Hey....You came for me....hehe....I knew you would save me....thank you."

She rasped, the blood from her wings dripping onto Rina's dress as she started to have her side wound wrapped up. Lisa also gave her a shot of something her leg as she worked on her as quickly as she could.

With Scar and the others capturing Catia, Rina could finally take her eyes off the attacker and focus on getting away.  Thankfully, Lissa appeared to help finish carrying Monica away, taking even more pressure off the ferret Scarclaw.

Rina nodded to Monica's words, panting to exhale the excess hyper rush.  She was glad she could help, backing off as Lissa applied the treatments.  She then saw the needle, presumably a pain killer or some other type of medicinal drug, but she was still curious about its use.

"What's that?  ...What does it do?" she asked in between breaths.

Lissa continued working on Monica's injuries as she responded, not taking her eyes off of her for a second.

"Anesthetic. Helps with her pain."

She answered her, Lissa now taking out a kind of white, creamy liquid and spreading onto Monica's wing, making wince heavily. It looked quite painful.

"Yeah hehe....helps...."

Monica laughed, now starting to close her eyes from exhaustion. Lissa quickly touched her cheek and moved her head so that she was looking her in the eyes.

"No no! You stay awake now Monica. No sleeping yet."

She scolds her gently, Monica now finding it difficult to do so. As the medics arrive and carefully move Monica onto a stretcher to be taken back to camp, Lissa turns to Rina.

"Do you not know first aid ferret girl? I could teach you if you like. Lots of things to remember but worth it in the end."

She offered, Scar coming over as Catia was carried away back to camp.

Rina watched as Monica squirmed and winced in pain, grinding her own teeth inside her mouth as if she shared the pain.  It looked nasty, but it was a plasma weapon that did such damage - of course it would be incredibly painful.

"I don't know too much.  CPR is all I know, but that's all I've ever needed to know," Rina confessed, watching the medics carry off Monica to a safer location.  "It might not be bad to know a little more, maybe how to treat cuts and bruises or something, but I still want to be strong and ready on the battlefield."

She finally broke her gaze and turned to Lissa, not noticing Scar heading over.  "Would that be alright?"

Lissa gives a loud purr and smiles at Rina in response.

"Of course dear~ I'm always happy to teach young medics their basics and such~"

She purrs, touching Rina's shoulder gently as she walked back to camp to help watch over Monica. Scar walks over to Rina, a smirk on his face as he hits her in the back roughly and let's out a booming laugh.

"Good job Rina! Finally we got Catia in our claws and you even saved Monica's life in the process! You must be quite proud of yourself eh?"

He asks her, a grin on his face now as he finished.

Rina lurches forward as Scar hits her back, but keeps her balance.  This action surprised her a little bit, but after hearing the levity in his voice, she tried to smile.

"Sort of... Do you really think that Catia will finally be subdued, now that you have her in captivity?  I'm anxious to know what will happen to her, but I am more than glad Monica is safe," she asked, her voice calming down a bit from earlier.  She paused before asking her next question, after looking at the grinning, tall Scarclaw.

"Will this be enough for me to be a part of your team?"

Scar laughs as Rina asks about Catia.

"Catia isn't dumb. She'll realize that she's not going to get anywhere quickly with us guarding her twenty four seven. She's also going to be bound to a post and under mine and Monica's supervision once she's well enough to watch her. I wouldn't worry too much about her injuries either. We have some wonderful medics here."

He stopped smiling when Rina asked if she had done enough to be part of the guild. He narrowed his eyes at her and looked straight into her pink eyes.

"Well that depends young lady. Did you do all of this to join us or did you do it because it was the right thing to do?"

He asks her, waiting for the answer he was hoping for.

Rina nodded along to his words, understanding that they were going to take great precaution, but she had only seen this group act twice (now, after this event).  She didn't know how things worked around this team of people, so it seemed like a fair question.

However, when he questioned her inquiries about joining, Rina stopped and frowned.

"I did what any being with morals would do," she began, furrowing her brows as she looked up at him.  "I heard her call and I came to help.  I only asked because I don't think much more is needed to say I can qualify to help people.  You're the only group I know that actually goes out of their way to take care of defenseless creatures, and I know nothing of starting my own group.  I care about helping people and protecting them from anything I consider harmful.  That's what I meant by that question; not that I value any useless hierarchy of a team that one constructs, but being a part of something that can make a difference."

By the end of her statement, she had bent her knees low, her toes tensed up, fists balled tightly, hunched her back over and annunciated her words clearly.  She didn't even know this cluster of Scarclaws, but what she said was true: she just wanted to help people get away from vicious beings like Catia.

Scar smirked at Rina after her little speech, patting her on the head as soon as she'd finished.

"You had the right answer when you said you did it by your own morals. I would be more than happy to accept someone who values another's safety over her own any day. Monica is a courier and flyby guard right now. How would you like to help her out with her guard duties over Catia until her injuries heal up? We don't have much to do for you right now mind you now that we've got Catia in custody, but some help is better than none!"

He asked Rina with a hearty laugh at the end of his suggestion.

Rina wiggled out of her defensive stance as Scar offered her the position to help stand guard of Catia, nodding approvingly.

"I agree, something is always better than nothing," she affirmed with confidence.  "I'll accompany Monica tonight, but is Catia known to manipulate people through her words?  I want to prepare as much as possible in case she tries to trick us in letting her out."

Scar gestured for Rina to follow him as he started to walk back to the campsite.

"I'm not entirely sure. However, I have a very different plan for Catia then you might expect. I want her to join us if at all possible. A sharp shot like hers would be great to have and it would just go to waste if we simply turn her into the authorities like we're supposed to. She won't be able to hurt you since she's tied up to that post by now so as long as you're guarding her I want you to try talking to her. If she can be reasoned with then maybe we can give her a better future than death."

He admits to her as they walk back to camp, arriving a few moments later. The camp was very active despite it being so late, the recent capture of Catia having woken everyone up. Scar stops in front of a larger tent with two guards in front of it. He salutes them both and they do the same back.

"Has she woken up yet?"

Scar asks the guard on the right. He nods back in answer.

"She has. However, she's been rather quiet and her attitude hasn't been aggressive at all. She seems....what's the word for it....depressed?"

The guard shrugs before the other speaks up.

"She isn't accepting food, water or treatment either. She's being quite stubborn in our efforts to keep her healthy."

Scar gives an exasperated sigh after hearing the reports, scratching the back of his head a bit as he tries to think.

"That's not good. Well at any rate, you two are dismissed. Rina and I will take over negotiations from here."

He tells them, the two guards giving a quick salute before walking off to their tents on the other side of the camp. Scar then turns back to Rina.

"Seems this could be a bit easier than I thought. I half expected Catia to be quite angry that we caught her and bound her to a pole but from what we've heard so far, it seems that her attitude's quite the opposite. How about I let you handle this one? We'll see how you do trying to convince her into joining us rather than fighting us."

He suggests to Rina, a small sparkle of mischief in his eyes as he moves the tent flaps away to reveal a mostly empty room inside. In the middle of the room however, bound by her wrists to a rather tall pole, is Catia. The guards reports seemed to have been accurate too as she has a defeated look on her face, her ears down and hiding in her hair and her bushy fox-like tail unmoving as she stares into space. Her ankles and legs weren't bound it seemed but with the height of the pole being taller than she was Rina wouldn't have to worry about her getting up and escaping anytime soon.

Rina found it incredible that Scar wanted to spare Catia, even after all she had done to thwart and kill others.  Sure, this group might be able to use a marksman like her, but she was still skeptic on what it would actually do for the collective.  This was only the second day she had really been with them though - maybe she would see something more...

After being handed the reigns of control, the ferret Scarclaw stepped forward once, getting a better view of the defeated girl.  For a solid minute, Rina stood there, thinking and studying her, slowly tilting her head and body about.  She had to be as diplomatic as possible with this, but she wasn't well versed in big speeches or reforming anyone...  Still, she had to try - how would she ever know the outcome if she didn't give an effort?

"Catia... can you hear me?  I'm the girl from the mountains, Rina, the ferret Scarclaw.  It is because of you that I am here, wanting nothing less than justice for what you've done yesterday and any murderous instance before that, but instead..." she paused, looking up to see if anything had changed. "I want to offer you a proposition."

Catia's ears perk up a bit as she hears the part about the proposition but she doesn't look at Rina as she responds.

"....Why would you offer me anything Scarclaw? With the amount of blood on my hands....you'd be justified in taking my life. Why should I trust your words anyway? I want nothing of what any of you have. I have only one goal in life. As long as I live long enough to see it achieved, I don't care what happens to me."

She admits to Rina, her ears going back down as her eyes cloud with memories. They don't appear to be happy memories either as far as Rina can see. They seem....sad actually.

Rina held steadfast to her position, even though Scar told her she was not one to play mind tricks.  As sad as Catia looked and sounded, she had more to ask her if she was not ready to agree to the proposition.

"I don't know what your goal is," she replied, her voice unshaken and eyes locked onto Catia's face.  "...but if you told me, it might make things go a little bit smoother.  Yes, I'd be happy if you were taken out so the group you've taken away from me didn't have to die in vein, but I'd want closure still.  Answers that only you can give me."

She hesitated a little before adding, "I don't really think you'd care too much about joining this group anyway.  That was something they wanted you to do, and you don't seem like you're in it to help anyone but yourself."

It was blunt what she said, but she meant it.  "Unless you want to redeem your actions..."

Catia is silent for a moment before she glances at Rina calmly, her eyes watching her carefully.

"I am looking for my little sister Kiria. She....was taken from me when I was little. It's why I hate your kind so much."

She appears to tense up and her tail bristles a bit as the memories come back to her.

"Without remorse and without hesitation they slaughtered my parents and took her from me, cutting this jagged scar into my back and leaving me to die in a pool of my own blood. Those despicable bastards must pay for what they did. I....I was supposed to protect her...."

Tears start to fall from her face as she grits her teeth at the painful memory. Soon her fur lies flat and she resumes her defeated look once again.

"Look....for what it's worth, your comrades died honorably fighting back against me. The last thing they told me was that they were worried about you. They hoped you'd be safe away from me so that you could live on with them in your memories. I'm sorry....I only wanted information from them. Anything they would know about the Scarclaws who ruined my life. But they knew what I was and....they attacked me."

She glanced over to Rina after she'd finished telling her about what had happened.

"You can believe that they died by my hands, thinking that I slaughtered them in cold-blood. I....I don't kill if I don't have to. If I did, I would've just shot you when we first met and left things at that. So....believe what you want. What I'm telling you is the truth."

She told her, relaxing a bit as she returned to staring back at the ground in the tent. Scar was nearby the entrance and he had a sympathetic sparkle in his eyes as he listened to Catia's words, looking over to Rina after she'd finished saying what she'd needed to.

"It's your call Rina. You're the one who was hurt the most by her. You can either forgive her and move on, or...."

He takes a dagger off of his hip and tosses it to her.

"You can have what revenge you want from her. Regardless of what happens right now, if we turn her in she's a dead girl. The authorities will do blood tests and find out that she's a Half-Breed. Once that happens, they'll execute her on the spot without so much as a proper trial. Cruel as it sounds, that's just how it is."

He explains to her, going back to just watching things carefully from where he was at the entrance to the tent.

As Rina held the knife in her hands, she looked at it in thought, reflecting over Catia's story.  As mad as she was for her killing anyone, especially her group, ending one life like this wasn't going to stop this apparent corruption towards Half-Breeds or anyone else.  With the more cruel Scarclaws out of the way, maybe the world would be a peace at last and there would be less war... less loss of life and more emphasis on harmony.

Rina kept this ulterior motive to herself and clutched the knife by the handle.  Without words, she moved up to Catia, giving her one more pokerface before scooting around back, jumping up and cutting her loose from the tall pole.  When Rina landed, she tossed the weapon at Scar's feet.

"I'll give her one more chance.  At least she'll have another shot at finding her sister, if she's still alive.  I didn't get that chance when I was younger," she said to Scar, then turned to Catia.  "If you stay with us, we can probably find her as a team.  There's more eyes to look around."

Catia's feet hit the ground steadily and she wheeled around and looked at Rina in sheer surprise. Scar only laughed as he picked up the dagger and put it back on his hips.

"Excellently done Rina!"

He praised her, Catia rubbing her wrists in breathless shock from what had just happened. She turned to Rina and narrowed her eyes.

"....Why....why set me free? Any other Scarclaw would've killed me on the spot. So why....?"

She seemed more interested in why Rina had set her free than the fact that she could just as easily run now and get away.

Rina paused for a moment to think of her answer.  She could easily say that she was hoping to accomplish world peace, one step at a time, counting on Catia to take them to the more dastardly Scarclaws and their accomplices so they could get rid of them.  However, she could see conflict with that response, so instead, she exposited something different.

"I'm no more of a monster than any other innocent Scarclaw, human or anything in between.  Its wrong for you to think we're all the same, but besides setting a good example for our kind, I want you to apologize to my new allies for causing them so much pain," she told her sternly, her tail flicking in agitation.  "Specifically to Monica.  If you don't, forget about me even caring about you or your sister's life.  From what it sounded like, nobody else knows or cares about your mission to rescue her, so you might not get this chance from a group of this size again."

Catia looked slightly remorseful at the thought of Rina's words.  The sheer fact that she was being allowed to move and walk around without being threatened in the midst of two Scarclaws gave her pause for thought.  Perhaps not all Scarclaws were as horrible as she'd once thought?  If this was any indication, she might be able to co-exist with them happily.  She takes a deep breath and nods slowly to Rina's suggestion.

"Perhaps you are right.  Don't get the wrong idea though, I'm still going to be cautious around all of you for the time being.  I've been betrayed by Scarclaw words more times than I can count.  But I'll trust you....for now."

She says with a smile, turning to Scar and bowing quickly.

"My apologies to you and your team for all the trouble I've caused.  It is as I say that I am only looking for what information I can get my hands on about my little sister Kiria.  If you would help me find her then I would be forever grateful to you and your team.  Allow me to lend my guns for the duration of our partnership together.  If you need me to do something then all you need to do is ask.  I tend to blend in well with Scarclaws thanks to my fox-like features so you don't need to worry about me going out in public very much."

She explains to him, Scar giving a prideful smile at Rina before stepping aside to let Catia out.

"We'll hang onto your guns for the time being to make sure you don't try anything.  It's no offense to you, I'm only protecting the interests of everyone else.  Quite frankly I think that I can trust your word but the others here will most likely not feel the same way for a while."

He explains, Catia giving a sigh and nodding in agreement.

"That's fine and I completely understand your caution.  Just take good care of them is all I ask.  They've saved my life more times than I can think about."

She tells him, walking out of the tent to go elsewhere.  Scar smiles back over at Rina and gives her a rather hard pat on the back again.

"Well done Rina!  That was nicely executed.  I think I can assign you interrogations in the future as well if you don't mind.  You seem to be pretty talented in that area."

He tells her, leading her out of the now empty tent.

After the final say was in order of Catia's new fate, there seemed to be a huge weight lifted off of the ferret girl's shoulders.  Feeling like there was nothing left to prove to this group, and also like she did what the others would have wanted her to do, her guts told her this was the right thing.

She may have not had her revenge, but she still had plans to make the world right for the future of all Scarclaws, humans, and half-breeds like Catia.  That mattered more to her right now, than anything else.

When they were leaving, Rina felt mentally exhausted, like she could think of nothing but what she felt right now.  She tried not to do this too often, but if Scar really wanted to position her as the interrogator, she would have to be more careful than to just let her feelings take complete control.

"Frankly, you're more kind than you appear," Rina confessed with a chuckle, shaking her head lightly.  Was she getting used to these people so soon?  Latching onto them as she did her old groups?  "But I am willing to take you up on that offer, if you think I have potential as a negotiator.  I can at least defend myself if things get out of hand, too.  Are you sure that's okay?"

Scar gave a chuckle at Rina's words.

"You'd be surprised young lady. Judging on appearances alone could get you in a lot of trouble pretty quickly. Judge by actions, not looks. Although, Catia may not be a good example of that, she has good intentions. Her methods are just mislead. That's all."

He explained to her, giving another chuckle when Rina asked her next question.

"If I wasn't sure I wouldn't suggest it in the first place. Why don't you go on and see Monica? I'm sure she'd love to talk to a good friend right about now. She must be in a fair bit of pain too I imagine. Bird Scarclaw's are great when it comes to scouting but they kind of lack in the 'taking one for the team' department if you catch my drift."

He suggested to her, a small smile on his face.

Rina nodded with the suggestion to visit Monica. If anything, she could see how she was healing up and ask her if she could do anything she wanted. She could also inform her of the news - she was extremely curious to know what Monica's reaction would be if she told her that they were on the same team for now!

"Okay, I think I will go talk to her. Where can I find the medical outlet?" she asked Scar, still not totally knowing her way around this place. "Or wherever she might be?"

Scar pointed to a large white tent with an iconic red cross symbol on the front of the tent flaps.

"She's probably being treated in there still. If not then she's likely reading or something. I've never really been much for books but seeing as she is we usually hand over whatever books we get during our travels to her. Helps everyone learn about the world before the war you know?"

He tells her, going to leave with a small wave goodbye to Rina.

Rina nodded along with Scar's words and began to walk in the direction of the hospital tent.  On her way there, she thought about what he said about the books.

Because she was living on the road for so long, she had barely found the energy or time to stop and read for herself.  Sure, she was a little bit literate, but didn't delve into the world of the written too often.  She only knew as much vocabulary as she did from listening to others, specifically previous teachers and elders who gave speeches, and asking them what they really were saying under all their jargon.  In other words, she was an oral learner (at least with language and comprehension).

To know that Monica was an avid reader was interesting; not that she was immediately interested in learning how to read, but she wondered what her books told her about the old world.

What Rina did know was that there was an old world and it was more peaceful than it was today (especially depending on where you were from).  She didn't want to go back to it, but restore this new world to a similarly peaceful state.

Finally, she was at the tent, and began looking around for people.

There weren't very many people inside of the tent but a few nurses. Monica was in one of the beds nearby the entrance, sitting up and reading a small, hardcover book while a nurse checked on her heartbeat and such. She had bandages on her chest but otherwise she had no top on. She was smiling as she read her book and let the nurse do what she needed to do with checking on her health. The nurse finished with a smile and offered Monica a glass of water to which Monica smiled up at her and nodded to the offer. She notices Rina out of the corner of her eyes and waves calmly to her with a smile on her face.

"Hey Rina! I'm over here!"

She called over to the small ferret girl.