Bucky should've known better. He should've known from his own experience of living in a desert territory, that the night can be quite lively. His mistake cost them leaving Wendell behind, leaving a feeling of regret in his chest. He wished they could've returned with Wendell, but by the time Bucky pulled Fairylights out of her cell, they were nearly surrounded. If they tried to stay for any longer, they would've became prisoners themselves. Just like Gordon was nervous about, they had to run out of there the moment Fairy was pried away from their destructive claws.

The sun rose before the horizon, the Helion tiredly making his way into the village, with his patrol and Fairylights following behind him. Bucky stayed alert for any Pittians that might've wanted to follow them, and thankfully none of them made the decision to do so. Fairylights is finally safe, and free, from the Pitt. Wendell, on the other hand, isn't, and is probably at a bigger risk of getting harmed. We'll go back for him, He told himself, before he looked over at his niece. His gaze locked on her, as if his eyes were pleading forgiveness for what the Pitt had done to her.

[ feel free to post before [member=2973]FAIRYLIGHTS[/member] ]

―――― Safe and Free did not come without any additional repercussions. Her time in the Pitt... How did she even describe it? Her chest was a knot of emotions, walking along, or having to be carried by, her Uncle at a more of a stumbling pace, her gaze downwards. She had always been quiet, this much everyone had told her, and she very well knew, but the little girl now was utterly silent. Her Uncle's pleading gaze went unheeded, her lips dry and almost cracked, matched by the cracks in her paws and the dehydration that dried her throat up just like that desert. She felt weak, thinner, more worn down, yet she said nothing. Only a few scratches littered her body- they didn't get the chance to fully enact all of their threats, yet Fairylights knew that was only a minor mercy. Some of them... Very few of them... seemed to regard her as a child and in some ways were less severe to her, but there were many others that did not care, that only saw her as Buckingham's Niece, a tool to hurt the only family left in her life. After a time, her gaze finally lifted to meet her Uncle's eyes as they drew closer to Sunhaven, her spirit still heavy, but her heart lifted ever so slightly. Her cheek tilted against his shoulder, leaning against him slightly as she looked out over the familiar expanse of the territory, feeling the cool breeze against her skin. Home.

He hurt, he ached. The rescue patrol to the Pitt had not left August unscathed, but in the end, he was grateful that he had gotten out alive. He was also grateful that those horrible Pittians hadn't done extreme bodily harm to Fairylights, that his friend had come back alive.

The young wolf walked along with Bucky's patrol, shoulders slightly [sub]sulking[/sub] with each stride as he tried to ignore the bruising feeling in his legs and side. Those guys had sure been powerful; they had managed to [sub]sink[/sub] the ground from under him and trap him before throwing him aside and winding the poor fellow.

When they made it closer to camp, the boy sped up his pace until he met Bucky and Fairylights. He cast a glance in the female's direction and asked softly, [glow=black,1,400]"Do you need anything? Food? Water? A blanket?"[/glow] He knew that Fairy likely had to receive medical attention, but maybe she'd appreciate something to eat or comforting warmth in the meantime.