ArchivedLogs:Mama Bears

Mama Bears
Dramatis Personae Dani, Ororo	2016-01-25 The X-Ladies are involved in a search and rescue.
Location <NY> Mount Skylight - The Adirondack Mountains
The Adirondack Mountains in Upstate New York form a vague circle, about 160 miles in diameter. In the wake of Winter Storm Jonas, this difficult terrain has become nearly impossible to navigate. As the earlier portion of this year's winter was unseasonably warm, nature-lovers continued to pour in from all walks of life well into the new year. While almost all of the hikers, campers, and woodsmen were evacuated before the blizzard, the Hendrickson family was not so lucky. A massive search and rescue effort by local authorities has been going on for several days after the disappearance of the Hendrickson's two children in the wilderness. Daniel and Anita Hendrickson were separated from their two children during the storm. The family had forgone social media contact during their retreat and word had not reached them soon enough at their lodgings about the impending danger. At the late date, hope is beginning to diminish. "Storm," Mirage brings up a gloves hand to her ear as she speaks over the com, "Come in, Storm. I think I have something." In wide, thatched snow-walkers, the Cheyenne woman steps carefully forward to pluck a sliver of garment from a nearby thorny bush. "What color was the girl wearing? Over." Her dark eyes settle on the shiny, emerald fabric as the wind picks up. Despite the frigid cold, her resolve remains steadfast. Ororo has taken to the air, controlling the air around her to give her lift and allow her to see more distance in every direction. She wears her X-Men uniform, perhaps a bit thin against the cold but for some reason it doesn't seem to bother her. She also her arms held out to her side, allowing the fabric to spread and catch the air, allowing her to use her flight powers more efficiently though it also creates an impressive silhouette against the sun. At Mirage's question, Ororo drops to the ground, boots sinking into the snow. "Girl had a green coat, boy had red," she responds, speaking into the comm as she takes a moment to look at her own surroundings. She can see Mirage in the distance but just barely. In the opposite direction, she spies a large black spot. It almost looks like... "Mirage, I think I've got a cave." "They were definitely here," upwind from the other woman, Dani continues to eye the bramble. Her gloved fingers fiddle with the strip of green fabric as she tucks it away into her belt. She slowly kneels, puckering her lips and gently blowing away the recent covering of powdery snow until it reveals the print too big to be any man. "Storm. I think you've got a little more than a cave." Dani stands and squares off her shoulders as she looks up the white expanse towards Ororo and moves forward to join the other X-Woman. When she finally clears the distance between them, she tightens her jaw, "American Black Bears are native to this region." Ororo watches and waits for Dani to approach, frowning slightly and glancing towards the cave again. "So it might be a black bear, or it might be the children," she responds. "What do we do?" The closer Dani approaches, she might notice the closer she stands to Ororo, the warmer it is. Not much, but enough to kill some of the bite of the chill. In response to the question, Dani sucks in a breath and while maintaining eye contact, she draws an arrow. "The recent warm spell has likely interfered with hibernation. That could be why there are fresh tracks." She looks up towards the cave, nodding, "But if they are smart, and I hope they are. Then, they're in there. ...It- it could be asleep." For someone who is usually pretty sure, she doesn't sound so sure, but she starts trekking up towards the cave, anyway. Ororo follows beside Dani, eyes focused on the cave as they approach it. "And if it's...not?" she asks hesitantly, glancing towards the arrows. Perhaps a bit unsure of their effectiveness against a bear? Still, she does keep pressing forward, nearer the cave. "They're not on the endangered species list," Dani pouts, "Yet." She kicks off the flat snow-shoes that connect to her boots. The mouth of the cave isn't some grand, menacing entryway. Rather, it's barely larger than a normal doorway. That is, it's a normal doorway that leads into a dark, cramped, rocky tomb. Taking point, she enters and gently moves a stray root out of the way with the tip of her ready arrow. "Well, let's try to avoid risking that then," Ororo says, carefully maneuvering herself inside the cave. With the most useful weaponry and closest thing to a plan, Ororo lets Dani lead, though she remains very close behind. It's now that her breathing begins to quicken, her heart pounding as she glances around at the rocky walls surrounding them, the light dimming as the walk in further. The narrow cave gets worse before it gets better as Dani is forced to curve past a massive stalagmite. Somewhere deeper in the the chasm, the sound of a steady drip of water chimes repetitively in the air as clearly as if it were coming from their kitchen sink back at the mansion. Dani turns to look to Ororo over her shoulder. "Are you alright?" She frowns with concern. The further in they wander, the colder it seems to get, Ororo apparently no longer giving off heat. "Claustrophobia. I'll be fine. Let's get this over with," she says, rather quickly with a stiff nod. She also seems to have gone pale. As they near the corner with the stalagmite, Ororo actually stops, hand reaching out to grip the wall beside her, closing her eyes tightly. "Give me a moment," she quickly says, taking a few seconds to collect her thoughts and just collect her thoughts and try to calm her ever quickening breaths. Eventually, she opens her eyes again and inches forward, slowly catching up to Dani. Dani waits for the other woman to come closer before she presses her psychic influence outward. She doesn't look at the gradually panicking Ororo out of respect, rather keeps the X-Woman in her peripheral. The cave walls, which had once been tight and threatening give an illusory little quiver. With a second flutter, they appear to begin to expand. Suddenly, their surroundings don't seem quite so restrictive. Dani chin-nods to Ororo. Ororo continues on, forcing herself on further, at least until she catches up with the other woman. As the walls appear to part and stretch out, Ororo's breathing begins to relax, her movement not quite as stiff. "Thank you," she murmurs, though she does continue to glance at the walls nervously as if expecting them to crumble at any second. But at least she can keep up now. The cave dips down, forcing both women to climb, before it truly expands. In what little light is still available, the bear’s winter den is leafy and moist. The musky odor that permeates the poorly ventilated area verges on unbearable. Pun intended. Against the far cave-wall, the hulking form of a slumber black bear remains perfectly still. Under one of its massive arms in tattered winter clothes is the girl and other the bear's other paw is her younger brother. Like the bear, they both lie perfectly still. Dani holds up a hand flatly in the air, signaling Ororo to stop. As she takes in the scene, she all but stops breathing. Barely even stirring, the she-bear swivels her head up on her massive neck. She stares over at the two women, and then into Dani's eyes specifically. Ororo stops on command, her eyes widening at the sight of the bear and children. She opens her mouth as if to speak but quickly decides again it, merely looking to Dani again in confusion. She does hold out her hands to her side, ready to command her power if need be but she very little experience rescuing children from black bears and is mostly relying on Dani for guidance in this situation. Dani slowly raises her bow and arrow, lining up a shot as she stares into the she-bear's eyes even as she communicates with it. "Her cubs have died," she tells Ororo quietly, "So, she kept them warm." As the children begin to stir, the older sister lets out a small whimper. "Children," Dani speaks calmly, "My name is Mirage. This is my friend, Storm. We are mutants and we're here to bring you home." She gulps, still staring at the bear, "I'm going to keep the bear distracted. What I need you to do, is to walk very slowly over to Storm. Very calmly, now." Dani gradually inches away from Storm, so as not to be a single target in case the bear charges. Slinking her arms off of her adopted cubs, the bear begins to rise as tall as the cave allows. "It's alright, your family is waiting for you. We can take you back to your parents," Ororo says, her voice calm and reassuring, very intentionally avoiding looking at the bear as she rises up. Slowly, the girl wraps her arms around her little brother. Trembling, the two make their way across the cave with more than a few little stumbles. By the time they make it over to Ororo, both are crying. They wrap their arms around her waist tightly. The bear huffs, stomping sloppily against its leafy bed. As soon as the children are across, Dani eases her way between them and the bear. Arrow raised, she doesn't dare look to Ororo, "Get them out of here. Don't worry about me. This isn't my first bear." Ororo's eyes immediately flash white once the children approach, a sudden aura of heat surrounding her and the children. "Shhh, it's alright," she whispers to the children, glancing to Dani as the other woman orders them out. "Use your comm if you need help," she says, before wrapping her arms around the children and slowly guiding them towards the entrance. Once just out of sight of the bear, she orders the children to run. “I don’t want to hurt you, sister bear,” Dani whispers across to the bear as she tries her best to navigate the complex emotional ties the great creature has already created with the frightened children. By the time Storm orders the children to run, Dani lowers her physical arrow. The expanded cave walls flex and return to their previous state as her power is redirected to an psychic-illusory arrow which suddenly glows alight in the Cheyenne woman’s bow, “But I will.” Outside the cave, the snow is unsettled slightly as the bear roars.