help I'm alive

Alma · 03-20-2012, 02:24 PM

((Uh... backdated March 5th? Sometime after being mauled >.>))

Her mother's spirit had began to fade when she was half-way home. It reverted to the light she'd so often seen in the corner of her eye, only now it was getting smaller and smaller. By the time Inferni's skull-lined borders had appeared, the spirit was about the size of a firefly. The light winked out when she crossed the borders, leaving Alma depressed and confused. "Mother? Even though their relationship had become distant and even quarrelsome as Alma had aged, she hoped it wasn't the last time she would see her.

After a moment of waiting, the coyote continued onward through the Forest of Nod. Although she had traveled farther distances before, her legs felt heavy and her head felt light. The blood on her wounded arm had congealed and she was no longer losing blood, but she still felt the effects from the fight earlier. Her shoulder had been dislocated, and she could no longer move her right arm. Her unwounded arm cradled the other, and she did her best not to move it very much as doing so produced a sharp jolt of pain. She hoped this could be healed; Alma was afraid of what would happen if she couldn't shoot a bow anymore, or even do something as simple as whittling.

The coyote paused. Everything was suddenly unfamiliar, despite the fact that she'd walked past these same trees many times before. She had met the healer Enkiel before, but did not know where he was at the moment. It might be unwise to go about trying to find him alone, in her state. She threw her head back and howled, a high-pitched coyote sound with a very faint hint of wolf.

Vesper · 03-21-2012, 08:07 AM

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Hi hi!

The yowl of a coyote-hybrid drew Vesper’s ears up, and she launched herself from the cluster of snow she’d been rolling in to clean her pelt. Lightning seemed to pulse through her wiry body as she sprinted on all fours through trees, but she wasn’t sure where the fear had come from. This was a coyote, not a wolf, and the voice was a familiar one. Perhaps she was still afraid of what had transpired at the borders, afraid of what she might find—someone in need of help or dying rather than a simple call.

The scent of blood, fresh or no, only increased the Optio’s worry. She did not pretend to love most of her comrades, but she was fiercely protective of her clan and definitely fond of quite a few members. If any of them were in danger, she’d fight tooth and claw with the threat until it was eliminated or she was dead. Her days of running selfishly away from it all were over.

She skidded to a halt when she saw the gingery frame of one of the Discens—Alma, the woman she’d whittled with what seemed like ages ago. She was cradling an arm, and there was a familiar reek on her fur, her wounds. Vesper flattened her ears and growled.

“Who did this to you?” the scarred coywolf demanded, as if she really needed to ask.

Alma · 03-21-2012, 09:48 PM

Alma fidgeted as she waited. Her ears swiveled this way and that, as if she thought someone might sneak up behind her. Her eyes scanned her surrounding for threats likewise, although she was much more intent on finding that familiar ball of light that came to represent her mother's ghost.

At the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps, she tensed and held her breath. She wasn't afraid that it was her assailant come to attack her again, but rather that it was a clan member come to berate her for her stupidity. Guilt, too, lingered in her mind. She still was still quite confused, even after all the distance she'd put between the dog, the pups, and the coyote-victim.

The coyote exhaled when a familiar face came into; Vesper, the Optio and the woman she'd taught to whittle last fall. Relief flooded into her as the scarred woman growled and asked who had caused her wounds. She was grateful that her first instinct was more protective than interrogative. The edge of her lips quirked into a half-smile. "I didn't catch a name." The smile faded when she began to wonder how she going to explain the situation she'd gotten herself into. "It was a yellow... dog thing." Alma stuttered out. She had been confused on the canine's species when she had first seen her, but now she quite sure that it was a dog. The almost mono-colored pelt and strange ears had aided her identification, but the coyote didn't know enough about dogs to pick out any particular breed or lineage.

"I..." The coywolf paused, trying to figure out how and what she should tell. Should she mention that she had run away and left those puppies behind, and be called a coward? Would her mother's appearance help explain her actions, or would it just make her seem crazy? "It - I mean, she, was attacking a coyote. I tried to stop her. It didn't work." Alma answered, deciding that explanation was simple enough for now. She could add details later.

"I need to find Enkiel. I cannot move my arm." The rust-colored coyote gestured with her snout to the arm she was cradling. She was almost tempted to try to move it to prove her point, but she didn't want to experience the pain the it caused, nor make the damage any worse.

Vesper · 03-27-2012, 09:43 AM

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Sorry for the wait.

It was Vesper’s duty to defend the clan. It was also her duty to destroy threats to more than just the coyotes within the borders. A sharp throbbing had set into her head where the dog bitch had struck her with the flat of her sword, while other scars began to burn as she focused her memory on them. Amy, Salsola, all the monsters in the world would answer to her fangs eventually. She couldn’t stand to think of a world where she couldn’t enact justice. She could state that she could care less about the innocent fools in the world, but that was a sorry lie.

Alma’s description confirmed her fear, and she let out another growl. It was all she could to not leap out and try to find the bitch, but she resigned herself to pacing before the Discens, probably looking like a madman. Her eyes were blue frost and her body pale fire, and she froze only when the redhead woman explained the reason behind the altercation.

“Her name is Amy,” the scarred coywolf stated at last, her tail lashing behind her. “She tortured a friend of mine. You did... You did your best. I’m glad you aren’t dead.” The damage done was yet to be seen, however, and she nodded quickly when the other gestured to her arm. “Right,” she fumbled, and looked over her shoulder toward the mansion. She was about to ask if the other needed help walking, but shifting took too long for the Optio to consider. Shaking her head, she trotted in the direction of the guest house where Enkiel stayed, looking over her shoulder every so often to make sure Alma was following.

Alma · 03-31-2012, 09:11 PM

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Alma took the Optio's pacing with quiet confusion. Evidently, that description was familiar, although she wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. Her mind went back to the image of the dog comforting the puppies, and placing them beside the injured coyote. She'd wondered, not for the first time this night, if those puppies had been hers and not the coyote's - although if it was so, she couldn't figure out why her attacker would want to place the pups near someone who had stolen them.

A growl from her scarred clanmate shook her out of her thoughts. Alma's ears flicked backward in submission for a second, until she realized that it wasn't directed at her. The news that the yellow dog - Amy - had tortured someone else before, and someone another clan member knew, no less, dissipated all the doubts in her mind that she had been wrong to intervene. That scene comforting the puppies must have been a ruse, intended to confuse her. Now those poor things could be suffering the same thing as Vesper's friend had. Guilt clawed at her once more. She hadn't been able to save even one of them. Alma's face took on a grim expression. "I wish I had..." She began, then amended her sentence, still not sure if she wanted to reveal her failure. "-at least injured her."

The rust coywolf followed her clanmate to the guest house. She managed to remain quiet for a time, but that only gave her more time to repeat the events in her mind, making her simultaneously guilty and angry. The two emotions pulled her in different directions, one that told her she should hurt herself for her failure, and another that told her she should hurt Amy for it. Her lips twitched into a snarl, though no sound came out. The hand holding her injured arm gripped it tightly, digging her claws into her own flesh.

"I-I- I hate her." She said, with far more venom than she intended to show. Her anger had simmered to a boil; she couldn't stay silent anymore. "That thing deserves to die. If only I had my bow with me when I saw her." Or at least, some ability to fight in close combat, so she wouldn't be defeated so quickly. "There were puppies and... I-I wasn't able to save any of them." She pinned her ears back in shame. She hadn't meant to confess this, but she didn't think she could bear to keep it a secret forever - it would have to come out sometime, and she may as well face to consequences for it now.
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Vesper · 04-08-2012, 05:18 PM

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Maybe finish up with your post or my next one? +353

The words “I wish” came out of the redhead’s mouth, and Vesper cast the woman a look. She grunted in sympathy, not trusting herself to speak out loud. It would have been hypocritical of her to assure Alma that it wasn’t her fault, that she shouldn’t have regrets, that wishes to the past were pointless. There were too many regrets for Ves to name in her mind, as much as she tried to bury the past where it belonged. Should’ve, would’ve, could’ve; all paraded through her mind in her darkest dreams. She wished she had killed Amy when she’d first gotten her teeth in her, so that this present situation would never have happened.

Both females were left to their troubles, thoughts simmering in their skulls until Alma was the one to vehemently break the silence. The Optio glanced over her shoulder and listened, making no remark and revealing no emotion at what had already passed.

The news of puppies, however, caused her hackles to go rigid. Her ears snapped forward, and her stomach twisted. As much as she was uncomfortable around children, with no maternal instincts of her own, causing puppies to suffer was one of the lowest of sins.

“I’ll send out patrols for her,” Vesper breathed. “Perhaps we’ll find them, Alma, but…” She shuddered then focused her icy gaze on the path ahead. “I’ll do what I can to look for them, if they’re still alive. I might have to take on searching myself, since Halo was attacked…” There were few scouts to spare after the wolves had beaten the Triarii with a club, had nearly taken her child’s life. And what was the threat of a lone dog in the clan’s mind when there were wolves to look for?

She hid her misgivings, her ears pricked at a meow from the guesthouse porch. The silver dappled kitten of Enkiel’s stared at them with moon-huge eyes, and the coywolf snorted at it. She let out a yip at the front door, hoping that the medic was in, and looked back at Alma sadly. There was so little she could do.

Alma · 04-10-2012, 07:38 PM

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((You can reply after this if you feel like it, although I think it can easily just be ended here. Also, hope I'm doing this part with Enkiel right.))

The female could only nod at the Optio's proposal to send out scouts, knowing that such may not do any good. The puppies and the coyote were probably dead now, and if Amy had any sense, she would be hiding. Her ears were slowly starting to right themselves, but not to their full height; sadness and shame still weighed her down. "Even if you don't, or can't find them... I will fix this. I will learn to better. Stronger. More able to protect other coyotes - and Inferni. And I'll have my bow next time." The promise, though she said it outloud, was made more to herself than her scarred companion.

The news that someone had attacked a high-ranking member of Inferni shocked her, and suddenly she understood that revenge might be a long way from now. "Don't go on your own; I made that mistake." She didn't want to feel responsible for the Optio's death too, although she knew that Vesper was able to take care of herself. "Just warn them of her, if Inferni has more urgent matters to attend to." Maybe if she makes the mistake of getting on our land... Well, she could dream, couldn't she?

The rust-covered coyote stopped before the guesthouse porch. Fear was evident in her eyes, because Alma hated buildings and man-made structures. She gave it a good up-and-down glance, wondering if she could force herself to cross the threshold. She spotted the wide-eyed cat as well, but that she paid little attention to. She understood it was a pet, but she didn't understand what use it served and neither did she care at that moment.

The appearance of the gray-and-black jackal served to calm her fears somewhat, or at the very least, it made her realize she didn't have a choice in the matter if she wanted to heal her arm and exact revenge upon the yellow dog. Carefully, she placed her feet on to the porch, and greeted Enkiel. With a slight stutter, she explained her situation.
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