It had been a few weeks since Joseph had forcefully changed things, and hopefully for the better. With the old chief and his retinue dead, and with Joseph having left not only supplies, but a promise he would find them once more to help out... Well, hopefully things would've been a bit better for the troupe.
And of course, keeping to his promise, Joseph did find them again. But he was a bit different.... Not overly much. He was still the same bipedal Umbreon. But he now had eight more tails on him. The tails of a Ninetails (or as a Kitsune rather,) swished behind him as he looked at the camp he had found, he looked like he was weighing things down.
Seeing if he had truly left the people better than they had been before.
The caravan had been rolling down a dirt road for days now. The sound of creaking wheels, groaning carts, and the bleats of Wooloo echoed across the Wild Area as it rolled past.
With the beginning stretches of winter already underway the ground was already starting to freeze. It made traveling easier as they didn't have to worry about mud, but the stubborn ruts were hard on the wagon's wheels. However, the trade off was that they could travel more places quicker and they had made good time across the Wild Areas towards Motostoke and were not necessarily locked to the hardened roads.
Durril sat in the driver seat of the first wagon with the beautiful Lalya seated right next to him. She was heavily bundled up under a warm blanket, but Durril just had his traveling cloak and cap wrapped about him. The twins, Jardani and Tamas drove wagons behind him, followed by two more wagons, and finally Chevali's brought up the rear.
The Troupe seemed like it was half the size it used to be before the former chief was dispensed. The lack of man-power, the cold, and the on-coming winter had done a number on the moral, but the troupe was looking forward to finding a place to buckle down and wait out the chill.
It had been Jack's call for them to stop for the night and Durril had wanted to fight it and get to Motostoke as soon as possible, but in the end, the exhausted troupe had sided with Jack's call and it had left him rather annoyed and frustrated. He knew it was the right call... but he also wanted to get to Motostoke as soon as possible. He had wanted everyone to take turns driving and continue driving through the night...
It was the Twins who noticed Joseph first as they finished tying up the Mudsdale for the night. The two had been goofing off as they worked and were taking there time when Jardani caught a figure approaching in the darkness. He was quick to draw his sword and gave a sharp whistle in warning to the rest of the troupe before Tamas even has the chance to turn around and see what Jardani was giving the alarm for.
Tamas however, reacted less aggressively than his brother, and to Jardani's surprise, Tamas took a large step back and raised his hands in the air as the commotion in the camp started.
Durril was the first to reach them - short sword in hand, with Jack close behind him, and Jack's partner, Theivul, alongside, but Tamas quickly waved them down.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Tamas shouted. Durril didn't need even need Tamas' warning though as he saw Joseph approach, and literally dropped his weapon.
Jack let out a laugh and sheathed his sword, "Gave us a fright there, friend..." He paused and looked over Joseph... wait, was that Joseph? Did Joseph always have so many tails? "Joseph?" He questioned.
Ba'ul came padding up behind them. The noise had attracted his attention, but the Absol paused when he saw Joseph and tilted his head. He recognized the scent and it intrigued him. He trotted right up beside Jack and sat down with a loud yawn as if purposely trying to bring attention to himself.
