Another Hand to Help

After "Unity", before "Razed".
== Full Text ==
=== Part 1 ===
Blunt Donz: Shovel landed firmly on the ground, trotting a few steps to keep balanced. Blunt jolted slightly as they made touch down, and bounced off of the dragon’s back. He exhaled, took a deep breath, and then ran towards to edge of the massive crater. Peering down into it’s depths, it was no natural hole that was for sure. “Yep,” he sighed, turning to tree-the-cat‘s old companions, “This is it. No way mother nature made this.” Licking his lips and then placing his hands beside his mouth. “Helloooooo!?” he paused, and then shook his head. “Well friend,” he said, looking at Shovel. “Good thing you can’t see anyway, I’m gonna need you to get me down there safely,”
Hoping up on Shovel again, Blunt called over his shoulder to the half breeds. “Be right back lovlies,” before they could respond he urged Shovel into the hole. He slowly circled down, calling. “Hello? Hello? This is Blunt speaking! You’re favorite hero come to save the day again!”
Akkey Black: Akkey took a deep breath. Almost there. She opened her eyes and worked out a plan in her head. She was still unsure it would work, she didn’t know exactly where they were since the Warden opened a portal directly into the pit. Have to try something. Anywhere else is better than here.
Her ears picked up faint shouts. It’s coming from above. She stood and peered up, trying to make out the figure circling down. A few more seconds and she finally understood the words that echoed.
“Sir Blunt,” she called up and put a hand on her hip, grinning thankfully, “Saving the day, eh… I was about to break us out of here.”
Blunt Donz: “Lady Akkey!” Blunt called, landing next to her and scooping her up into a huge hug and spinning her around. He plopped her back onto her feet, heaving a sigh. “I am so happy to see you are alive and well, and know that I would kiss you full on the mouth if I was not pursuing the affections of another!” he clapped his hands. “Now then…who’s all here?” 
Akkey Black: “Ugh! Thanks… I guess,” she managed to choke out from underneath his huge arms, visibly turning red. Idiot. 
She nodded towards the crowd, “You know Svied and Tree. There’s plenty more… Vox, Grey, Kira, Bree…” she counted off the ones present, wincing slightly as everyone frowned. She forgot about his reputation in camp.
“And Greg… with the Warden.”
Blunt Donz: “Ooohewww…” Blunt said. “Well that’s not gonna work, Shovel can’t possibly carry all of you.” he clicked his tongue. “But I do have some people parked up above, any ideas as to how to get out of here? We can always come back with more dragons and pull you out…all…eighty of you…or so…”
Akkey Black: She looked up, the gears in her mind turning. Portals within shorter distances are easier to open.
“Get me up there.” she said, “As soon as I know where exactly on the map we are, this’ll be a piece of cake.”
Blunt Donz: Blunt jumped up onto Shovel and then grabbed Akkey’s wrist, swinging her up in front of him. “We ride!” he declared, unnecessarily dramatic, and flew her to the edge of the hole.
Akkey Black: She rolled her eyes and hopped off. “How did you find us, anyway?” She stopped in her tracks, seeing the company he brought, but she shook her head and scanned their surroundings. There were more pressing matters at hand. Alright, I know where we are.
A flick of the wrist, a bend of the elbow and a drop of water on the ground, and it stretched clear into a portal. She waited a few seconds for the other side to appear below. She then poked her head through, surprising the few unlucky rebels beside it, and said, “Time to get you guys out. Come on.”
Treepelt Halfpaw: Tree lurched forward from Vox’s side with a start, eyes widening at the sight of Akkey poking her head through the wall. “It worked!” She turned to the rest of the rebels. “Come on, everyone, we’re getting out of here!”
Greg Ericson: "You heard the lady people move, move!" He shouted to everyone in the pit. After that he began helping some people to the portal, not once going in himself though. He wanted to get everyone through before he went.
Grey Bergman: "Let’s go! Let’s go!" she said as she helped Greg get everyone through. As much as she wanted to run through herself, Greg had the right idea. As a leader, she had to put the people first. "The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can get home in one piece!"
Svied Jora Maer: Svied stood opposite Greg and Grey now, helping the numerous others into the portal. 
Kira glanced at her, a smile on her face. 
“Well, what are you waiting for, go!” Svied joked. “I’ll meet you on the other side.” 
“Kira,” Cairbre called her, as the two crossed through the portal. 
Akkey Black: She moved to the side to let them pass, one by one. When the last one stepped through, she beckoned towards Grey, “Come on, you’re next.”
Grey Bergman: Grey nodded and ran through the portal as fast as she could. It was a weird feeling stepping into the portal. It was like she was jumping into a pool of water and suddenly resurfacing. The next thing she knew, she suddenly found herself thrown out of the portal. The sunlight greeted her forcing her to shield her eyes for a brief moment as she had been stuck in a dark pit for a few days. She looked up and saw that everyone but Akkey and Greg were out. Then there was Blunt, and then…a few more strangers… Perhaps, this was why Akkey wanted her to come out next.
“Uh…did someone make new friends when I wasn’t looking?” she said raising an eyebrow to the strangers and Blunt.
=== Part 2 ===
Greg Ericson: Greg looked around and saw that it was only him and Akkey left in the pit. “You go on through chief, I’m gonna make sure we aren’t leaving anyone behind.” He said with a smile on his face.
Akkey Black: Akkey stared at him wordlessly, sizing him up and contemplating. “You know what I want, right.” she said in a flat tone, her face unreadable.
Greg Ericson: Greg looked at the chief and said, “Probably, but I’m sure you want many things.”
Akkey Black: "I want her away from us. I could leave her here. It’ll solve our problems," she looked around, and sighed, "But you don’t deserve that."
"I will open another portal. Go through that."
Greg Ericson: Greg nodded. “Thank you Ch- Akkey.” He felt he should thank the person rather than the title. “I understand why you want her gone, but hopefully one day you’ll see that’s she’s changed.”
Akkey Black: She nodded, refusing to meet his eyes. She waved her hand, and another portal stretched open beside the previous one, “This will take you to the North… perhaps. I opened a random one. Godspeed.”
“And… thank you.”
Greg Ericson: "Thank you Akkey." Greg said. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and said, "Take care of my family while I’m gone." He then quickly let go and walked over to the portal and looked at it for a moment. He turned back to the chief and gave her a two finger salute before he stepped fully into the portal.
=== Part 3 ===
Grey Bergman: Grey nodded and ran through the portal as fast as she could. It was a weird feeling stepping into the portal. It was like she was jumping into a pool of water and suddenly resurfacing. The next thing she knew, she suddenly found herself thrown out of the portal. The sunlight greeted her forcing her to shield her eyes for a brief moment as she had been stuck in a dark pit for a few days. She looked up and saw that everyone but Akkey and Greg were out. Then there was Blunt, and then…a few more strangers… Perhaps, this was why Akkey wanted her to come out next.
"Uh…did someone make new friends when I wasn’t looking?" she said raising an eyebrow to the strangers and Blunt.
Blunt Donz: “Oh well…you know,” Blunt said, waving a hand. “I just such a charmer,” he cleared his throat. “These are Tree’s old friends,” he explained, glancing over at them, and then over towards tree-the-cat. He faced Grey again. “And you General Grey are looking fabulous,” he bowed once. “Now come on, we need to get back post haste. Stonegit and Haddock are loosing their minds from all the panicked audiences.”
Grey Bergman: Grey raised an eyebrow at the man. Was he….flirting with her….? She decided to ignore it for the time being and quickly went back into leadership mode. “Well, thank you for the compliment, Blunt,” she said as politely as she could, “but we can’t leave yet without Akkey and Greg. I can fill Haddock and Stonegit in when we return.”
Akkey Black: Akkey stepped out of the portal on time to hear Grey to finish speaking. Greg hugging her took her completely by surprise, and her emotions jumbled up inside of her as she closed both portals.
“Greg won’t be… coming with us,” she said in a low voice, feeling like she could throw up. You’re so selfish, Chief.
Grey Bergman: Grey turned to Akkey with a confused look. Did she hear that right? “What do you mean he’s not coming?” she asked. “Where is he?”
Akkey Black: “I opened another portal. He’s somewhere in the North now… probably. He took the Warden with him.”
Grey Bergman: Grey widened her brown eyes. “Why?! Why would you do that?!” she shouted. She didn’t care that she was second-in-command and had to keep up a professional appearance or whatever. Her adoptive baby brother was now out there alone separated from the group. “You heard what I said to them! I made them promise to separate as soon as we got back to camp! What? You couldn’t wait till then?! How could you do that?!”
Akkey Black: “I heard what you said!” she clenched her fists, eyes flashing, “I also heard what she said! She could control him any time! She could break the promise! She could kill another one of us… through him!”
“It’ll be like Tree and Vox all over again. Do you want that?!” 
Grey Bergman: Grey’s glare fell as Akkey finished speaking. She remembered what the Warden said…that Grey wouldn’t have been able to stop her if she tried anything. Nala could’ve very easily waited until they got back to camp to do something horrible to any one of them…through Greg… The thought of seeing her adoptive baby brother used for horrible deeds sent shivers down her spine, but…the fact that he was alone… Well, okay, Nala was obviously with him but still…would he be able to find his way back? She sighed. 
“You’re right,” she finally said. “I’m sorry,” She was about to turn back to the other rebels when she turned back to Akkey, “but just so you know, the Warden may be possessing him now but he’s still my best friend. So, if anything happens to him, don’t think I will hesitate to hold you partially responsible for it.” 
Akkey Black: A shadow flicked across her eyes, too fast that it was like it was never there. She spoke in a hollow voice, “He agreed to leave by himself. I did nothing to force him.” Lies.
“You may have been promoted, but your feelings are compromising your decisions. This is to protect everyone.” You’re still lying. That’s not why.
“He understands that we can’t trust her.” Filthy liar. You’re being selfish.
“But do what you want, Grey.” she turned away; she could feel the bile rising. She had to get out of there. Another portal stretched beneath her and she pointed towards the opposite direction, “I left my dragon back at the village that way. I’ll catch up with you. Head back.”
Treepelt Halfpaw: Treepelt was silent as she watched the exchange between Grey and Akkey. She walked up to her friend and took her hand, looking her in the eye.
“I’m glad you did that, Akkey,” she whispered. “Thank you.”
Akkey Black: She returned the gaze, wondering if she truly did the right thing. Did she cast a comrade away to really protect everyone? Or was she justifying her own need to end the suffering? She stared at Treepelt’s clear eyes, grateful, relieved… she decided, at that point in time, that it was the best choice. It wasn’t only for herself, it was for the person who treated her like a sister, too.
She squeezed her paw in return, then nodded towards the rest of the rebels, “One more trip through.”
Grey Bergman: Grey watched as Akkey created another portal for her and the other rebels. “And this will take us directly to the camp?” she asked.
…or are you going to cast us away, too? she thought to herself.
Akkey Black: "Yes, all of you, including our… visitors," she said, refusing to look at her and addressing the half breeds instead, "Although your dragon won’t be able to, they hate it. Mine doesn’t even like being near when I open one. You’ll have fly him." she told Blunt.
Blunt Donz: “Righto!” Blunt declared, hopping up on Shovel’s back and then glancing backwards. “General Grey…” he said, jerking his head slightly. “Ride with me?” he asked casually, and with a surprising lack of suggestiveness.
Grey Bergman: She looked at the other rebels and then up at Blunt. She had missed the open fresh air. It wouldn’t be the same as flying with Shadow, but at least she would be on a dragon. Plus, it didn’t sound like Blunt was flirting with her, so perhaps, she could give him the benefit of a doubt. She smiled up at Stonegit’s friend. “That actually sounds like a good idea,” she said holding her hand up to Blunt to help her on the Deadly Nadder. “Thank you, Blunt.”
Akkey Black: The portal diminished with a soft pop as the last rebel went through, and the dragon took off, leaving her alone beside the pit. Very small, very fragile.
She doubled over and fell to her knees, retching the contents of her stomach that she tried to keep in. She kept justifying it, reasoning that it was for the best, it was the right thing to do, it will protect everyone, see, even Tree and Vox are grateful, they feel the same way as you do, you’re not being selfish—
She punched the ground, breaking the skin on her knuckles. “Shut up, shut up, shut up. You did the right thing.” She shakily got on her feet, still unconvinced, still crying, feeling absolutely wretched, as she opened another portal and headed for the village.
=== Part 4 ===
Blunt Donz: The breeze of the air around them pushed the two riders hair back as they soared through the sky. Blunt inhaled deeply, and then glanced back at Grey. “So?” he asked. “You guys raided a Central outpost once for weapons and supplies? Back when this whole rebellion began? I don’t suppose you go any dragon nip?”
Grey Bergman: “Well, I’m…sure we have some back at camp still,” she said confused at the question, “and yes, it was me, Greg, Warren, and Asha. We were originally searching for Tree when she was possessed by the Warden after she escaped, but we came across some weapons in the middle of nowhere and found the outpost. So, we decided to pursue that mission instead.”
Blunt Donz: “That stuff is pretty awesome,” Blunt said with a grin. “Didn’t get to use it much though, it only grows on a few rare islands, so it doesn’t surprise me Central had some, they love keeping prized goods for themselves.” 
He glanced back at Grey with a grin, and then his face became a little serious and he lowered his head. “You distrust the wrong people you know?” he said, giving a sad smile. “I saw that look in your eyes…what would you look at Akkey as if she was likely to betray all of you?” 
Grey Bergman: Grey widened her eyes and sighed. Now, she saw why Blunt wanted her to join him. “I know,” she said. “I probably could’ve handled that a lot better, but Greg is my best friend. He’s like a little brother to me, and I trust him. The fact that he’s wandering around out there somewhere alone because Akkey didn’t want him and the Warden to come with us…it…scares me…a little. Will he even find his way back?”
Blunt Donz: “Not a clue…but if he doesn’t, then I will personally look for him on your behalf.” He licked his lips. “Akkey poses not threat to anybody Grey, none of her friends at least.” He glanced up, seeing the silhouette of the fortress against the dark blue sky. “You’re home,” he said. 
Grey Bergman: She angled herself to get a better view of the fortress on the horizon and smiled beaming from ear to ear. “That fortress has never looked so beautiful. Thank you, Blunt,” she said. “I really appreciate it. And…I’ll apologize to Akkey when she returns.”
Category:Events
Category:Season 4
Category:Blunt Donz
Category:Cairbre
Category:Greg Ericson
Category:Grey Bergman
Category:Kira Mær
Category:Svie∂ Jóra Mær
Category:Akkey Black
Category:Treepelt Halfpaw
Category:BOTGD