Taking place 4 days after the attack. She is in optime form, has a thick bandage wrapped around her ribs, her wrists, poultice on her inner thigh and neck, and the other cuts are healing just fine without bandages. Jiva will be teaching her how to read and write, but anyone is welcome to join if they’d like to learn as well/can walk through anytime to check on their pack sister.

Word Count → 900+

The last few days had been hellish for the young woman. She’d slipped in and out of consciousness a day after the attack, but once her fever from slight infection had broken on the second day, she was able to give her ever watchful pack mates her full attention. They had made sure she had gotten plenty of fluids and rest, almost to the point of her feeling like a prisoner in her own home, but she knew they were taking extra careful precautions in case her attacker had followed her blood trail back to New Dawn. Titania had increased security to all time maximum on the borders, and for good reason, the fae looked like she had had a run in with a bear. That “bear’s” name was Aram, and his face and the memory of his weight upon her and his touch caused her to cry out at night. Physically she was healing, but mentally she’d be scarred for some time.

On day three, Drin had begged and pleaded with Jiva who rarely left her side since the attack, save for bringing her smalls meals or more water, to allow her out in the sunlight again. She’d been holed up in the cozy yet dark communal den for days and needed to breathe in fresh air and hear the sounds of the woods again. She was simply going stir crazy inside. With heavy hesitation he agreed and had carried her outside, even though she insisted she could walk, but his mind was made and she acquiesced. Though she did manage to negotiate that she did not need someone watching her at all times outside and she made sure he went about his business and didn’t fuss over her 24/7 as she was only a few feet away from the den.

This was where the late morning found her on the fourth day, sitting underneath the same tree she had first met Jiva. The swelling in her face had significantly gone down over the past few days, but her right eye was still an inky purple and the skin throughout was turning a bluish green in bruising. Deuce had seen to putting large pieces of cloth and fabric soaked in the cool river water on her black eye and swollen face to help ease the pain. It wasn’t until the third day that her right eye had finally opened with a little coaxing and Drin had tearfully realized her once perfect vision was blurred. The blood in her left eye had dissipated and it had returned to its warm gold touched by a fleck of sea green, her right eye was another story. Since this had taken the brunt of Aram’s closed fist, bright red blood spots now marred the once fully colored ocean eye and hugged the outside of her pupil. Deuce had assured her that in time the eye would heal itself, but the golden femme feared for the worst. Still...perhaps the medic was right as things seemed a little clearer today.

Palaydrian still couldn’t bring herself to look at the carving on her thigh everytime Deuce or Jiva changed her poultices, for it was going to scar just as Aram had wanted it to. She didn’t want to believe the ugly truth, that this was his mark and he would use it to identify her when he came looking for her again. The idea made her shiver and feel sick, so ignoring it was her defense mechanism of trying to forget. Her pack family had been amazing the past few days. No peppering of questions or grilling her mind for details. They were giving her the space she needed until she was ready to revisit what had happened that day. “Coyote” and “Aram” were the only clues she had managed to rasp out when her family had come to her aid. Her voice had regained strength the night before, though the bite marks and the pressure her attacker had put on her vocal chords, meant she wouldn’t be singing anytime soon until her throat properly healed.

The young woman was slowly fishtail braiding her lilac kissed hair down her left shoulder. Her wrists were still swollen and sore, but the bandages wrapped tightly around them helped her coordination. She wanted to keep her hands busy, but knew to take it slow. Braiding was gentle work and didn’t demand a lot of movement from her wrists, only her fingers weaved in and out. Her back was resting against the tree and her legs were crossed in front of her in the grass. Breathing felt easier today, though her ribs would need to be wrapped daily for another month or so if they were to heal properly. It felt odd being in optime form in a feral dominated pack, but everyone understood she couldn’t possibly shift without breaking something. Drin would have to remain in this form until Deuce pronounced her right as rain.

Her eyes fluttered shut when a shaft of sunlight broke through the top of the tree and shined down on her body. She murmured a soft sigh allowing the rays to warm up her limbs and simply enjoying her surroundings. This was her home and she didn’t want to leave the safety of its borders again, at least not for awhile...her days of adventuring had come to an abrupt end, but somehow the woman was okay with this. The angel was healing, but not yet ready to fly.

Could they get even more cute? Anyone is welcome to join at anytime, just feel free to hop in or pass by.

Word Count → 300+

The sunlight felt so good against her fur, and for a moment Drin forgot about all the bruises, lacerations, and her swollen face. The golden fae was at peace with the world, and the concoction Deuce had her drinking everyday kept the aches and pains away. A smile crept up on her blood clotted lips when a light breeze brought the scent of the man she knew she loved into her nares. The young woman kept her eyes closed until she could feel his presence beside her and then his light touch was upon her shoulder, sending delicious tingles down her skin.

She opened her marred gaze to look at the man with a smile as he spoke to her and as soon as he finished, her right hand reached out to caress his cheek before it was followed by a light kiss by her bruised lips on his cheek. I’ve been wanting to do that for awhile, she said in gruff voice as she slowly pulled away to lean back against the tree. Though parts of their night out in the human town were a little foggy, she remembered all the best ones...especially their first kiss and the way he had looked at her then. She had been too hungover from the days following their night out that she hadn’t even been able to talk to him about what had occurred or more importantly, repeat the acts of affection towards one another.

A deep blush filled her swollen face as her hands came up to touch her cheeks with a rough laugh. I hope I’m not too bold...but I’m up for anything, as long as it's with you, she said in a raspy whisper as she brought her hands to her lap and offered the red male another battered smile. What do you have for me? She asked, curiosity now peaked with Jiva’s proposition.

Yay! ^_^

Word Count → 400+

Bloodied lips spread in a broader smile when the man moved closer to nuzzle her cheek. The butterflies she hadn’t noticed were in her stomach, fluttered about and made her feel giddy. He feels for me as I do him! Her mind soared with the possibilities, she couldn’t believe how ecstatic she felt despite everything that had happened. Yet the two hadn’t discussed their night of inebriation and she had been so unsure of where she stood with the man, except that she knew her feelings for him were beyond a simple crush. No, the young woman knew she was falling deeply in love and if she were to belong to anyone, she hoped it would be Jiva.

She pressed into his snout to continue his affections and lolled her tongue out to the side in happiness before he continued, but as the red male began to talk, a peculiar smell assaulted her nose. Drin’s whiskers twitched in tandem with Jiva’s. The musky sweet scent was a familiar one. She had smelled it on Titania a few days ago. Uh oh... she thought glancing over at her handsome companion when his hand came to rest on her shoulder. It was heat, and though Drin was days away from her third cycle and was still unfamiliar with it, she knew what it did to the loins of men. A low rumbling growl tried to build in her throat, but it caught on her tired vocal chords and diminished before it could surface, and that was when her pack sister appeared.

Relief washed over the battered lady when her eyes fell upon the silver fae. Drin raised a hand in “hello” and gently nodded in reply after she dipped her head in respect to the outranking wolf. Jiva then addressed her and the young woman was surprised to hear that Fayne had also needed medical attention. Drin hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting the wolf properly as she had spent her first few weeks within the ‘Souls lands exploring the territories and staying away while her own heat cycle plagued her body and made the males uncomfortable. It was sad their first acquaintance was made with Drin lying in her own blood while being nursed over by many hands. Had she been attacked by Aram as well?

Drin’s heart fluttered in sudden fear, but she brought a hand up to grasp Jiva’s on her shoulder for her own comfort and support. She wouldn’t question the silver Lady now, but perhaps at another time, when she felt comfortable talking about what had happened to herself, Drin would seek her out to see what had happened to her pack sister. Thank you for your help the other day Fayne, I am forever grateful for such a loving sister, she spoke scratchily, her voice barely above a whisper.

D’aww haha! Heat is so silly.

Word Count → 500+

The yearling felt such an overwhelming love for her new family. When she had been chased out of her own homelands, a part of her had believed she’d never experience a real home again. Palaydrian was taking off on the fantasy of finding out where her name had came from, who exactly belonged to the Soul family, and why they had given Fawn away as a pup to Syliat when they had lived in the lands named Bleeding Souls. Didn’t Fawn’s true birth mother want her? These were the types of questions that wracked the golden girl’s brain. Yet the young woman was pleasantly surprised to happen upon a pack that valued the more natural and feral forms of their ancestors, a pack whose hierarchy and customs she could understand. It was this wildness that had instantly called to her, a familiarity in which she felt the most comfortable.

She mentally cursed herself from venturing out and exploring other places when she should have been staying within her new home, learning the names, scents, and faces of her brothers and sisters and becoming even more comfortable in New Dawn before setting off on a wild goose chase. She’d track down her roots in time, and she knew she was only blaming herself and curiosity for what had happened. So perhaps she wasn’t so sorry for her adventures, but now she’d willingly accept staying within the borders and getting to know everyone who had watched over her and cared for their new sister even though she was still such a stranger to them. She owed them that much...and the subord wanted to repay the kindness they had shown her.

The battered girl listened to Fayne speak, her seal point tail gently beating the ground beside her in happiness and agreement with her statements. It was thanks to New Dawn that she was even sitting her in the presence of a pack brother and sister. Thanks to her new family from keeping her away from Death’s door. Her eyes slowly scanned the wolf’s body when she spoke about her leg. Drin hadn’t noticed her limp before, but now her eyes couldn’t tear away from the pink scar on the Delta’s shoulder. She tried to hide her sharp intake of breath, but a part of her imagined Fayne being pinned down like she had and the bastard Aram dragging his knife slowly and sadistically through her flesh.

A wave of sickness made the girl turn her face away to stare at the ground, her tail no longer wagging. She barely nodded her head in reply to Fayne’s offer as she slowly looked up and mustered the courage to reply. Y-yes Fayne, I would like to do that with you...just not yet. Her voice had wavered, but it was getting stronger. Another few days of rest and hopefully she’d be able to produce some vibrating sound. She took a deep breath and allowed herself to smile again, the young lady wasn’t ready to dwell on such heavy subjects.

Drin’s attention immediately snapped to Jiva when he mentioned the objects he was originally hiding from her. Her face broke into pure glee amongst the bumps and bruises and she gave a low chuckle that her vocal chords allowed. Jiva! This is such a wonderful surprise... she vehemently whispered, trailing off to squeeze his hand in affection one last time before she allowed herself to touch the paper.

Thanks for joining us! I’d like a Fayne and Drin thread soon! AW for more.

Word Count → 576

The Siamese wolf’s glance caused a ripple effect through Fayne and Palaydrian immediately wished she could take it back. She wasn’t trying to be rude or even cause her silver sister any discomfort, but apparently the superficial scar ran deeper. Drin knew she had to confide in the woman to find out the truth behind the angry pink eye and to also apologize if she had caused her to feel self conscious. That hadn’t been her aim at all, but soon enough once her own blaspheme of a scar would heal, she too would carry around a badge of shame. A scar she would at first learn to hate, but eventually learn to ignore as it would become a symbol of survival and what could’ve happened hadn’t. The girl nodded, she would definitely seek out Fayne as she desperately wanted to get to the bottom of this. Perhaps Aram’s attack hadn’t been random...perhaps he waiting for unsuspecting New Dawn females. He made it clear he hated wolves, and the dominance he had over females seemed to arouse him in a twisted way. Drin shuddered at the thought and fixed her eyes on the paper again.

It was apparent not all of her new family members so openly embraced Luperci or things that echoed of the human past. She didn’t blame them, for years she had lived under the same shadow of fear. Becoming accustomed and preferring her lupine form or even secui over the bipedal figure. Anything remotely human felt odd even taboo, but Drin couldn’t deny her fascination for such things. After being told no for so long, she was finally hearing yes, and starting to truly enjoy this vulnerable form. She was finding things to be much easier with thumbs and the more she used her Optime, the stronger her legs and arms became. It was no longer an awkward thing for her, and now that she was being forced to stay in said form while she healed, the young would be making the best of it and hopefully learning a few things. She gave a soft whine when Fayne admitted she chose not to shift. There was something else in those words, but Drin supposed she’d have to wait until they got to talk to one another.

Drin dipped her head in goodbye as well, Thanks again Fayne, and I’ll seek you out...when I’m ready, she replied, waving the silver girl off before she bounded into the woods. Her eyes shifted back to Jiva as her bruised lips formed a playful smile. Oh, is that so? What other things do you know how to do, she asked with a scratchy giggle, leaning over to lick his cheek. She was sorry to see her pack sister go, but she couldn’t deny how good it felt to be alone with Jiva. She hoped they’d have more private moments like this in their futures. Drin was quickly falling head over tail for the young man and prayed he felt the same about her. The battered angel wanted to spend the rest of her lifetime with him, he symbolized home, safety, love, and everything the yearling could ask for in a friend or lover. Hopefully he found the same qualities in her, even though she couldn’t currently pull her own weight in the pack, Drin wanted him to see how far she was willing to go for him.

Anyone can jump in at anytime.

Word Count → 340

The healing angel listened to Jiva list off his qualities as if he were reading a resume with a pleasant smile on her lips, well pleasant enough for the bruises on her face. A gloved hand moved to his arm and gently squeezed as she looked into his eyes. Your set of skills would make any fae proud to call you their mate, she said, a slight twinkle in her eyes betraying the fact that she so fiercely wished to be that lucky girl some day. In reality, Palay had yet to meet another wolf as capable as the red male. Most wolves knew how to hunt and track, some with more skill than others, but not many wolves possessed talents that spoke of the long gone humans from the past. That was truly something to be cherished and to be proud of, though their pack specifically chose to remain more attuned to their feral ways.

Jiva was the first canine she had met that could read and write. A task she would’ve never dreamed of back in her old homelands, but within that same day he had also taught her another humanized skill. The red man was a wealth of knowledge and a never ending pool of mystery that the young woman wanted to explore. Learning a skill such as writing only brought them closer, and she thankful he was so responsive to her eagerness at learning these new things. Her eyes grew wide when he produced the pen and she shook her head “no.” Of course not, such a thing was taboo in her old lands, but she couldn’t wait to put her own hand on it. Drin couldn’t wait to begin their lesson, especially if she could surprise Jiva with some of the things she had learned in her travels over the past few weeks. Zeitgeist had shown her a map and taught her a bit though he swore he wasn’t a teacher. Hopefully their little lesson would prove helpful with this one.

Anyone can jump in at anytime.

Word Count → 451

Drin was glad Jiva hadn’t been there, though at the time she wished anyone of help would’ve walked by or heard her screams to save her from the madman with the knives, but today...she could honestly say she was happy her beloved was spared the sight. It was one thing to feel helpless for not being there, but it was an entirely different animal to be in the place where it had happened and to be unable to stop the violence Aram breathed. Drin wasn’t a fighter herself, but she had the body of a hunter and used this strength to fall many prey in her time, but nothing...no amount of pouncing and successful kills could’ve prepared her for the strength of the mottle coyote.

He pinned her multiple times and each time it was as if her defiance fueled his power. She couldn’t imagine the smiling brute wielding a knife in the face of the one she loved, nor could she bare to have him see her so disrespected and maimed. In the end, she was happy to have her life, despite the nightmares that kept her awake at night and the slow healing wounds he had inflicted upon her. She would never wish the sight of that day on anyone...and still wasn’t ready to share the knowledge of what happened that still haunted her. That alone was enough to make one’s stomach crawl or cause a pack member’s blood to boil, but Drin wasn’t ready to send her family off on a wild goose chase. Aram could be dust in the wind by this point....and she had no intentions of finding him anytime soon, despite his threats.

Palaydrian noticed Jiva’s blush and momentary fluster with pleasure. She was sure he felt the same way about her now, but her attention turned to his demonstration and with awe she watch how he held his pen and tried to mimic the same with the one he handed to her. She tried her left hand first but that felt rather odd as she realized her right was the more dominant hand. Holding the pen still felt awkward, but once she found a placement that felt “right” she went with that.

She felt a little nervous to put the pen to paper and it showed on her face, but she gently placed the lead tip to the edge and began to draw a curved arc across the page. Her smile broadened as she realized the mark followed her movements. That’s...this is amazing! She exclaimed, holding up the pen to look at it with wonder before re examining her work on the paper.

Word Count → 315

The Siamese coated woman returned Jiva’s grin with one of her own, fascination still burning brightly in her eyes as they turned back to the paper she had drawn a faint arc on. She imagined herself writing words in a few more lessons, or perhaps drawing the things around her if she really practiced. The idea thrilled and excited her as she had nothing but time on her hands now as she made her recovery.

A knowing smile replaced her grin as Jiva demonstrated how she should draw circles. She nodded her head and fully trusted the male sitting so closely beside her. Over the past few days, he had been doing things with her to cause Drin to move about and not stay so sedentary. Movement and exercise would help ease the pain in the long run. She nodded and lightly bit down on her lip as she tried at first to draw circles in the air like he had before putting the pen to paper. Her wrist throbbed with usage, but it wasn’t enough to make her stop, only slightly grimace once she made a full go around.

Satisfied with her aerial “O”, she put the pen tip to the paper again and this time applied a little more pressure than last to draw a shaky circle. It wasn’t perfect, but she was able to line up the beginning and end as she moved her head a little closer to the parchment. Drin lifted the pen and attempted a few more circles next to the big one and within it. On her fourth go about she paused with a sharp intake of breath and put down the pen on the paper. I’ll give it a rest for a few seconds, she said as she took her bandaged wrist in her left to gently push on the wrapped appendage.

Eventually she'll realize she can draw things from memory (photographic memory), though she can't read as she doesn't know what the letters mean and thus has no idea what the alphabet is haha...cute.

Word Count → 348

Palaydrian didn’t fully believe Jiva and was sure the red man was just trying to butter her up, but she allowed her smile to grow in width anyway. The Siamese woman was just happy that she could actually draw something called a circle and was still pretty captured in the magic such a small tool contained. Writing was something she had only dreamed of as a pup, dragging her claws through mud and able to “draw” a series of parallel lines. The girl had little doubt in her mind that Jiva would have her drawing and writing in no time, especially once the rope cuts and bruises on her wrists were healed.

She felt butterflies when he grabbed her hand and led it to picking up the pen again. Drin knew she’d do anything for him and if it meant a little uncomfortableness in her wrist at the moment, so be it. She allowed his hand to guide hers through the air as he demonstrated what he wanted. A line! She thought with excitement, but now with one object instead of all her claws. She nodded with understanding and once his hand fell away, she put the pen back to the paper and began mimicking the same motion.

Surprise and awe didn’t leave her face as the pen tip was followed by a gray line. She drew a few lines beside one another, each one straighter than the last. Maybe this whole writing business wasn’t as hard as she thought. His next words caused her tail to wag more happily. I have heard of this alphabet, and I know it contains letters...but the only one I know looks like this, she explained, attempting to draw the series of letters she had seen on the map. She made a small circle next to one of her larger ones from before, and another one after it with a line running off the right side and then filled in the rest she could see in her mind. Drin had drawn the word “Ocean”.