[Official NPC]

The sun was bright over Alexshire and the sound of birdsong pierced the clear air with tranquil melody. Until a great crash and a dashiri's angry roar disrupted the serene bustle of traffic joining the main road south.

Shouts and screams joined the cacophony as one of the enormous beasts rumbled around an overturned chain of carts. It would seem the harnesses had somehow snapped, releasing her from her burden, and in the ensuing chaos the five wagons tied behind her had been tossed and thrown aside.

Boxes were strewn about, their contents smashed and spilling out. Bolts of fabric had rolled off the road and knocked over a man who was screaming blue murder about his broken leg. A child wailed, having come too close to being flattened by the dashiri on its rampage, and his mother was screaming at the merchant who had been driving.

New Alexandria's South Gate, and the road leading through it, were completely blocked.

[Nicolay]

Nicolay had just finished his business with the city hall when the volume of the crowd reached him from within its walls and clutching personal papers securely as he walked out of the dim shelter, he turned instinctively towards his left which he noted was barricaded beyond entrance. His brows furrowed, and he frowned a little as he started towards the thin crowd that surrounded it and called their attention. “Excuse me? Excuse me!” But no one minded him. “Excuse me!” he tried again for the third time but when no one responded had just thrown his hands up to the air and turned to walk back. Anyway, he had no time for this, he had to get back to work.

But just as he'd turned to walk to the other direction did it occur to him that that space was empty and also hopeless. There were irregular structures that blocked the way and he remembered that the only way he knew to take was through the South Road that was blocked right now.

“Oh great,” he muttered to himself, braced up, and started towards the blocking crowd once more. “Excuse me, coming through!” he called over the shoulders as he moved. “'scuse me, just--”

“Boy, what are you doing?!” a man demanded. Before the Therian could move further, two large hands had held him back by his shoulders and forced him back. “Get back, it's too dangerous!”

“What?” Nicolay spat, confused.

“Dashiri have gone wild. Stay back, we don't want more injuries here!”

The image of humongous brown, furry tanks seeking wrath among startled citizens flashed in Nicolay's mind and he paled at the thought of it and stumbled back. Crap, crazy cow-bison-buffalo things were going wild and he was stuck here with only three sheets of paper to cover his head with. What was he going to do?!

Before he knew it, his COM was pressed against his ear. First things first, he had to let his boss know...