Pinkgothic played:

Azur

Azur's numb stare anchored on the battered and broken form of Firfrey's, his left hand easing fingertips under it to scoop it up gently and carefully as there were a remedy for her state.

Dead.

The little violet-furred creature was dead, several of its delicate bones visibly crushed, fresh blood still dripping from the major wound that had been torn into her neck but spread across her shoulder and chest, revealing white bone and cartilage in specks of misplaced colour.

Compass and Treasures were gone, whisked away by an unknown perpetrator, the same culprit who had raked into Firfrey like this, rather than remaining content purely with corporeal theft. He'd said it before, but it seemed truer than ever now: Firfrey had never been a 'Guardian of the Compass'. She had nothing but conviction and magic to back her up on that claim.

Of course, the perpetrator was not that unknown.

Out here in the middle of nowhere, beyond inhabited or formerly inhabited islands, the only ones who would murder and steal were those with wings and the strength to carry their loot for a longer distance. While former attribute pertained to them, latter disqualified Corinthian, Israel, Rapture and Liska, even ignoring for a moment that Liska was still out of action due to her torn wing.

That left Sawdust, Hakumele and Rhea. The howl of anguish from the Pandawan and his stalking off to find whoever was responsible and Hakumele's utter lack of proper grasp of Mer and their quest really left only one option.

'This is my fault,' spiked as the first clear thought in a while through his numb haze and stabbed as nausea into his gut. Fingertips ran helplessly across Firfrey's fur and wings, a soothing caress as if she still felt pain that he could help her overcome. 'This is my fault, I trusted her over the strangers. I did this to her.'

Arduously both hands worked themselves under what was left of Firfrey and scooped her off the blood-spattered ground, cautiously lifting her to height of his chest. Tentatively, fingers stroked across her as he held her close, and his eyes closed as if to stubbornly will away the burn of the deep sorrow trying to coax tears from him.

'I'm so sorry.'