Roleplay- 16th of December

Mischka is now pacing around the burrow nervously. Every minute that goes by of the Jumaa not appearing on the horizon increases the uneasy tension amongst the babysitters. Mischka can feel his stomach churning uncomfortably. There's nothing they can do but pray the Jumaa return soon, all accounted for and not seriously injured. Unfortunately, not all of the Jumaa will be returning unscathed.

Shallow knows that the babysitters are getting worried so he starts to get worried so he runs into the burrow thinking someone is gonna come attack them.

*Velmarie churred to Shallow, telling him that she lives here but went away for a little while. But she let out a sigh as she looked into the Midnight's direction. Yes, it was taking a long time for shure.*

Mischka watched Shallow dart into the burrow as if something had spooked him. He glances around, but sees nothing out of the ordinary. He heads into the burrow to check on him.

Petal continued to watch the horzion, awaiting for any signs of the group returning. She whines softly, continuously growing worried. Was Root okay? What about the group? Did anyone die...? The more she thought, the more anxious and worried she got. She was oblivious to Shallow fleeing into the burrow.

Tyson had followed his mother until the point where he could see the blinding brightness peering into the burrow, and turned around curiously. The only world he knows is the dark and constricting tunnel complexes of the burrow, which he's already explored head to tail more than once. Whta is that blindly-bright world outside of the burrow like? More tunnels, only brighter? He sits in thought and lets his imagination run wild.

Ninji tagged along with her brother in following their mother to the burrow entrance. As the blinding light hit her eyes, she squeaked in distress, rubbing them with her paws to make the burning sensation go away. Once her eyes became adjusted to the stinging brightness, she trains her eyes on the sky, intrigued. For the first 2 weeks of her life, she's been confined to the dark tunnels of the burrow. What's it like beyond the burrow? Is there a vast, prestine land full of many things to explore? She inches towards the entrance, tempted to explore the new world above.

Aliya passes over the border between the Midnights and the Jumaa. She sighs of relief and looks around, deciding to get the group home. Ninja needed to get back to the burrow. She continues walking at a slow pace, making sure not to let Root, John or Ninja fall behind.

Emzio follows eagerly, hoping that all was well back at the burrow.

Suri continues following. She was relieved to see Aliya heading in the direction of the burrow. She wanted to rest, hoping it would clear all her nausea.

All of Conker's tension disappears when he passes over the border between Midnight and Jumaa territory. As his adrenaline rush fades, he feels extreme exhaustion and the pain in his spine and head intensify. It slows him down slightly but he continues on with determination. Just several more minutes until they reach the burrow. Can he make it?

Ninja is relieved when they pass over into Jumaa territory. The aroma of the Jumaa never smelt soooo good! Now in the safe zone, he no longer feels on edge. He's far away from Bravo and out of his murderous reach....for now at least. But he has a bad feeling that the Midnight's lair won't be the last place he'll ever see his enemy. He knows Bravo has the knowledge to get here, having been here once before already. Ninja will most likely be layed up in the burrow for weeks recovering. Bravo, if he discovers his foe escaped alive, may embark on a murderous mission here to finish off what he started, so he'll have to keep his gaurd up for the next several weeks. But at the same time he's doubtful about the possibility of encountering him again. Bravo thinks he's dead, so maybe they'll never see each other from the rest of this day on...he hopes. Unfortunately, Fate plans to have them destined to be arch rivals for a very long time. On the flip side of that, Fate plans to spare Ninja's life in this grim situation. With John, Root and Saffron helping him, he continues on with strong determination. They're several minutes from the burrow. He can hang in there! He knows he can. His heart starts to ache, knowing Linda will be baring intense emotional pain once she lays eyes on his badly torn up body, and to find out it was her own brother who did this will cause her more anguish.

Saffron sighs in relief as they pass over the border. She watches with admiration and respect as Ninja STILL seems to be going strong. He certainly is one stubborn but determined male! She grins, extremely impressed and envious of his adamancy and bravery. If she were in his paws right now, she wouldn't be able to tolerate the ordeal he's going through. She'd just keel over and allow Death to take control of her mangled form.

John soon smells the familiar scents of the Jumaa territory. Ahhh... Finally, home sweet home. For now, he was focused on getting Ninja to the burrow so he could be safe from predators and would be able to heal with no problems. Everyone would need to work together to ensure Ninja would survive. His wounds would need constant care and supervision, and some may even need to get food for him. But John was confident. The Jumaa would work hard to keep Ninja alive. He was sure of it. Little does he know, he has someone awaiting for his return. His love interest Velmarie.

Root continued to help escort Ninja. As the familiar scents fills his nostrils, he feels relieved to be back in the Jumaa territory. They had won against the merciless Midnights, as they intended. No one messes with the Jumaa! He also couldn't wait to get to the burrow and see Petal. She must of been worried sick the whole time he was gone.

Petal continued to watch the horizon, awaiting eagerly for the mob's return. She shifts her paws, showing she was worried. But little does she know, the mob had just passed the border. Sooner or later, they would be in sight. But the babysitters were soon going to get an unpleasant surprise, especially Linda.

Duke crosses over, still at the lead next to Aliya. By now he's aware of Ninja's condition, and wishes to get him home ASAP. He's also concerned for his mate and their unborn pups. Have they been harmed?

Linda continues to stare, unaware she's soon to bear a heart-shattering sight. The returning group has their own surprises in store for them too, as they've had a tragedy of their own.

Ninja continues on, fueled by determination, maintaining his tolerance of his agonizing ordeal. He desperately hopes the burrow comes into view soon. His concerns aren't on himself at the moment, he's worried about Linda and his children. Are they safe? little does he know, the Jumaa are destined to be informed of tragic news by the babysitters once they reach the burrow.

Saffron marches on in determination, focused on helping Root and John escort Ninja to the burrow, where his small family is anxiously awaiting his return. Though she's greatly worried about Ninja's condition and is stressed out, she's also in a good mood. The Jumaa have succeeded in serving the Midnights justice. For once, they're the ones who will be suffering for a long time.

Conker pants heavily from exhaustion but keeps going. His determination to make it to the burrow is strong. He hasn't yet noticed Ninja's grave condition, having been focusing on getting through his painful ordeal.

At the burrow, Mischka is comforting Shallow below ground while keeping his ears open for the sound of the Jumaa returning. He grooms the terrified pup comfortingly, reassuring him the burrow isn't about to be under attack. The babysitters are on edge because the Jumaa are taking longer than expected in accomplishing their revenge mission at the lair of the Midnights. He stifles a worried sigh so as to not upset Shallow further. He's unaware that the Jumaa have just crossed over and are rapidly advancing towards the burrow. Not only will the babysitters have tragic news to give, but the Jumaa have potentially tragic news of their own concerning his best friend Ninja.

*Velmarie barked to alert the group of the war party's return. It was one of both joy and worry. She ran up to John, anxiously looking him over to see how he was doing. He seemed fine, but Ninja didn't...she whinned. She nuzzled John, just happy to know he was safe and seemingly all right.*

ooc: The burrow isn't in the returning Jumaas' sights yet.

Ajia sleeps in the shade of a nearby shrub, trying to forget the day's events.

00C: Ok, then Velmarie is in the area to greet them.

ooc: Ok. We could say they see the burrow now. I'm used to waiting for the dominants to spot the burrowXD

ooc- Okay.

ic- The burrow comes in sight and Duke picks up the pace to get there, but his battle with Wilson left some deep wounds and he's limping, so not too fast.

Linda sees the group come within view and anxienty builds up. She hasn't seen Ninja yet, and is unaware of his fate.

((OOC: Fine with me.))

John did a double take. Velmarie?! He hadn't seen her in over a week and had missed her terribly. It was the fact the battle was today, he had completely forgotten about her. He nuzzles her back, happy to see her. His wounds, compared to Ninja's, were very minor. Just cuts and gashes for this male. It was Ninja who was the biggest concern. He continues to aid Ninja, wanting to get him inside the burrow ASAP for his own safety and also catch up with Velmarie when Ninja was safely inside the burrow.

Root smiles as John and Velmarie exchange nuzzles. It seemed John had a lover of his own who had been awaiting his return. He looks around and spots Petal. She looked okay. That was a relief to him. But for now, he was more focused on helping Ninja get to the burrow and out of further harm's way.

Petal looks happy as she saw the group. She instantly became worried as she saw most of them were hurt. Once her deep chocolate orbs saw Ninja, she almost screamed. What in the world happened to him?! He looked as if he had suffered the most. Seeing that Linda had not noticed, Petal feels deeply worried when she does see her mate in such condition.

When the burrow comes into view, Conker darts for it, wincing as his quick body movements amplify his agony. He tolerates the excruciating pain for now and continues running for the burrow. He's never been so happy to be home.

Saffron is relieved when she sees the burrow. She looks from the burrow to Ninja, seeing he's still hanging in there. Her eyes gleam with admiration and astonishment. He definitely beat one of the odds, but it's far too early to celebrate. There's no garauntee he'll survive the night. If he does though, he's going to need LOTS of tending to through out the up coming days, certainly weeks. His grisly wounds will need to be cleaned constanlty to prevent infection and he'll need to be served food to keep him replenished during his recovery process. She sighs uneasily, worried about what the future will hold for the gravely injured male. Will he survive or will he eventually succumb to his injuries?

Ninja watches Velmarie and John exchange loving nuzzles with adoration. It made his heart melt seeing John become reunited with his beloved lady. He looks from them to the burrow. Is his sweetheart okay? His eyes trail over to a familiar looking female sitting near the burrow entrance. Linda! He quickens his pace, dragging John, Root and Saffron along with him. His extreme desire to see her blocks out his agony for now as he eagerly bolts towards her.

In the burrow, Mischka is oblivious to the Jumaa returning. He's still comforting Shallow.

Shallow can hear a lot of new meerkats in the area, feeling a little better from mischka comforting him he still doesn't feel completely safe.

Linda was searching for Ninja in the crowd, and when she finally does see him, she screams in terror and rushes over to Ninja to see if he's okay.

John and Root were nearly knocked off their paws as Ninja had a sudden rush of energy. They could see why... Linda. They kept up with the eager male and helped him get over to his loving mate. This was what Ninja had been waiting for... He deserved it more than ever now, especially what he had been through to make it this far just to be with her. It was a heartwarming feeling. Ninja endured possibly the worse physical pain most would ever feel. Most would of given up and died, but not Ninja. He overcame all of it all because his willpower and determination to be with Linda was so strong... It was more than heartwarming, it was also highly respectable. For someone to endure so much to be with the one they loved. Ninja was the perfect example of a completely devoted mate and father.

Petal also ran over, eager to see if Ninja was okay, and see her brother.

Saffron squeaks in surprise when Ninja catapults himself forward, toppling the startled pup face first into the sand. She looks up, her face caked with sand. She's astonished at how fast he's moving towards the burrow. Despite his critical condition, he's managed to muster the strength and energy to make it to his beloved mate's side. She smiles happily as she witnesses them exchanging loving nuzzles.

Ninja nuzzles Linda lovingly. He thought he'd never see her again. It seems fate is smiling down on him for the time being. His wounds are burning intensely and he feels extremely lightheaded, but for now, he's more focused on snuggling with his lady. It was because of his willpower and determination to survive that he made it to her side. In the up coming weeks, that adamancy will be put to the test to see if he has what it takes to pull through the worst of his ordeal.

Mischka flicks his ears in response to the noises. Are the Jumaa back? Eager to find out, he navigates his way through the tunnels, heading towards the entrance.

Linda nuzzles Ninja and looks at him with worry, horried at how injured he is.

Duke looks at Ninja. They should get him inside.