[html] | http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/ ... kka2-2.png); background-position:top; background-repeat:no-repeat;"> For Kae. Dated back to beginning/mid January, after the attack. 300+
Most of the time she sat alone, silent in her cave. Gabriel had told to her do as little as possible, which suited her fine for she didn't want to do anything at all. Even the thought that her home was in the middle of a war didn't seem to bother her like she thought it would. Right now, Rikka was too damaged to get on her soap box about what was right and what was wrong. Even if she didn't believe in war, how could fighting that monster be wrong? If he continued to live he would just hurt more people. Rape more. Maim more. Kill more. She had been lucky, all things considered. She hadn't died and the lasting physical effects of the assault would only be shown by the scars that would be left behind. She wouldn't be crippled. At least he hadn't...violated her in the same way he had her mother. Still these thoughts brought little comfort to her. She felt numb. Nothing mattered. She had been ignorant of the dangers and now she was useless because of it. She may have been saved, but it felt as if some part of her had in fact died there in the woods. She wasn't herself any longer and death almost seemed preferable to this static state.
The woman sat at the back of her cave, propped slightly up against the wall. Her arm was a dead weight and the stitches on her back itched incessantly. She knew better than to try and scratch them though, that would only make matters worse. Dulled golden eyes gazed out at the gray world beyond. There was no sunshine to be seen. The world was monochromatic, no colors to be seen or appreciated. Rikka took a breath that hitched in her throat and she felt a tear streak down her face. She often cried without any prompting. It seemed to be the only emotional response she could manage now outside of fear. There hadn't been a single night since the attack without a nightmare. Rikka woke up with her heart beating as fast as it had when he had been tearing into her. She often thought she heard him or smelled him, even though she knew that was impossible. The blue eyes were always there, watching her from the shadows. Her head leaned back against the hard wall of her cave and she wondered if she'd ever get over this. If she'd ever be happy again.
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[html] Wow, I suck. :|
The silver-furred coyote had heard of Rikka's attack, but she had been spared the details, for the moment she had heard it muttered she had set out for the golden-furred woman's cave, her Optime form slinking through the caves quickly. She was of no use in patching the woman up; the hybrid female was far from a medic, and anything beyond a bruise or scratch that could be cured in puppyhood by a loving lick or nuzzle was far beyond her. Still, the hybrid woman felt it necessary to see Rikka. After their last meeting the silver-furred canid had felt there was something to prove; her daughter required proof of her mother's fealty to all that was Inferni, especially family.
An argument was nothing between them, and the coyote woman repeated this as she hesitated outside of the woman's cave. “Rikka?” the coyote called softly. She did not want to wake the other canine lest she was sleeping. Such a thing would be wise after an encounter like whatever Rikka had encountered—the coyote woman had not waited to hear the details of this occurrence before leaping off to see her daughter. The hybrid's sable-tipped tail flickered back and forth in anxiousness, her coal ears folded almost flat against her skull.
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[html] | http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/ ... kka2-2.png); background-position:top; background-repeat:no-repeat;"> but I still love you <3
What had happened to her mother made her sick to her stomach. No matter what hard feeling may have existed between them, Kaena was still her mother and she still loved her and never wanted anything so awful to happen to her. How the grizzled Lykoi matron had managed to deal with what had happened to her at all amazed Rikka. The golden woman could be frivolous when it came to sexual relations, but nothing could ever excuse forcing them upon someone. She couldn't even begin to imagine the trauma Kaena had gone through. It made her feel guilty for their argument. Rikka still felt the issue was important and didn't think she was wrong, but she shouldn't have been quarreling with her mother when she had been going through so much. If only she had known.
The soft voice made her jump, the rock scraping against her back and she whined. Still, she knew that voice and she knew that smell. Her own ears folded back against her head, eyes searching for the form of her dam. "Mom?" Her voice was timid but held a mixture of emotions. She was unsure of many things now, but one thing she knew she wanted in that moment was she wanted her mother. Tears welled in the corners of her golden Lykoi eyes, a pleading evident in them.
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<3
 Still hesitant, the one-eyed canine remained outside of the den, shifting her weight anxiously from one paw to another. She looked a sight better than she had a two months or even a month ago—the hollow look was gone from the Lykoi matron's eyes. Instead, it had been replaced by a burning fire. This was too much—she doubted her daughter would have goddamn done anything to hurt a Dahlian anyway. When the voice rang out from the insides of the cave the hybrid moved without hesitation, slinking into the cave feeling rather guilty she had not thought to bring... something. Food, water... something. Anything. Even if she wasn't medically useful she could have stopped for a second to get something. But what did she have that would be of use in these situations? Pitifully little, it seemed—she'd already had to give the spare blanket to Vieira, and she was not about to run into the little coyote's alcove and steal her second layer of warmth. There were two too many Infernians holed up in their caves, injured to shit, and Kaena was angry, to say the least.
They had not even the gall to attack one of the Hydras or even one of the three Legatus ranks themselves; the Dahlians had instead sought the women and non-combatants of the clan, for surely Vieira's rank and Rikka's pacifism excused them from combat. Kaena would not force her daughter to fight; Gabriel would not force his sister to fight. Whatever relation they held, Anselm certainly would not make Rikka fight; by Kaena's book he was the most moral of the current Legatus tier (which wasn't saying much among Inferni, but still). Yet here she was, laid across the floor of her cave, her arm wrapped up and appearing to be in more than a minor amount of pain. The hybrid crept forward; her Lupus form already shifting and twisting to form her two-legged form. She needed hands now, not paws. As soon as she had them, the hybrid reached forward to stroke the woman's hair, rage burning in her eyes and barely contained in her face, instead simmering behind something like a grimace. “What did they do to you?” she muttered, her lips lifting and writhing for a moment. The hybrid woman knew only rage in these moments when her family was injured. Maybe Rikka would regret every coming back to Inferni because of this; if that was so, all of Dahlia would be skeletons in the ground before long, and she would stand in a burned wasteland with Gabriel, dancing over the graves.
Word Count: 435
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[html] | http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v515/ ... kka2-2.png); background-position:top; background-repeat:no-repeat;"> :3 300+
She didn't care if her mother had brought her anything. All she wanted was her presence and her warmth. As soon as the title left her lips she heard Kaena enter and come to her and her heart beat in anticipation. Rikka wanted to move past everything they had argued about before, it meant nothing now. So much meant so little in the face of everything that had happened and was still happening. Inferni was at war now and she knew that she wouldn't be the last casualty of this conflict. The woman only hoped that those she cared about the most stayed clear of harm's way, but was that too foolish a hope? Her brother was the leader of Inferni, always on the front lines, and Kaena her mother was not far behind. Rikka wasn't meant for these situations. She wasn't strong enough. Especially not now, when she had been so thoroughly broken and bruised.
Her mother came to her, her hand reaching out to touch her hair and Rikka leaned her face into that small embrace. She closed her eyes, the tears still streaming from them at a steady pace. Honestly she was surprised she still had enough left in her to still generate tears. You'd think that her eyes would be empty by now. Still, the amount of crying she had done lately was evidenced by her swollen and bloodshot eyes. Everything about her appearance screamed the struggle she was enduring. At the question Rikka shook her head from side to side. No, it hadn't been they. Taking a shaky breath she reopened her eyes to look at her mother, her head still shaking. "Not they. Him." Kaena would know whom she meant. There was no one else she could possibly be speaking about. Saying his name aloud was too painful and it felt like poison on her tongue.
The tears in her eyes welled higher as she looked at her mother, feeling only a fraction of the pain that she must have felt since her own brutal attack. "I'm so sorry," she choked out, barely a whisper. She was sorry for what had happened to her, and she was sorry she hadn't known. It may not have been her fault, but she was still sorry. Sorry for being so hard on her when she was dealing with something so indescribably awful. Sorry for so many things.
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The smoke-furred hybrid kept her hand on the other coyote, her hand stroking her daughter's head and shoulders and arms, a soft whine beginning in the back of her throat. She should have recognized that smell; she should have known. Haku. The hybrid's fingers went to wipe the tears from Rikka's face, trying to dry the wetness from the golden-furred cheeks of her daughter. Rage burned in the hybrid's chest, but she quelled it. She could do nothing to avenge Rikka at this moment; she was needed here. No matter how much the anger wished to burst through the silver-furred hybrid's relatively calm exterior, Rikka needed her mother now.
Her ears pinned against her head, the silvery hybrid bent forward to give the tawny woman a half-hug, gentle and avoiding her broken arm. “He won't hurt you again,” the coyote promised. Violence would not make Rikka feel any better, but the silvery coyote wanted for her to know that nothing would come here to harm her. Not with Kaena and grown-up Mason as her nearest neighbor. Kaena had watched the youngster grow from a thin, scrawny youth into a lovely young man, and even at ten months old he was already quite capable of inflicting some damage if he wanted to.
The younger woman's next words caused the elder of the pair to jerk visibly, though it was only a slight motion. Her face changed, and for a long moment she had no idea what to say. “He didn't do that to you... did he?” she said, hesitant, almost not wishing to know the answer.
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No matter what wrongs Kaena had done, no matter what they disagreed upon, Rikka could never claim that the Lykoi matron did not love her. Did not love all her children. Perhaps some more than others, but she knew that she loved her and she needed that now more than anything. More than promises of vengeance or angry words at her attacker. Rikka needed her mother's love. Love would heal her more than other things, she had to believe that. If she lost that belief then she would lose everything she had become and she had already lost so much. The assault had cracked something deep inside her and she wasn't sure if it could even be fully repaired.
Kaena stroked her hair and dried her tears and Rikka felt herself transported back to childhood. She wished she were small again so her mother could hold her so completely again. She hadn't felt this kind of security since leaving Gabriel's cave and she clung to it now that it was offered again. As her mother carefully hugged her she leaned against her, nuzzling against her, doing everything that had used to make her feel warm and content. What she felt was a mere shadow of before, but it was better than nothing. "I know," she said. She did believe that. While Inferni still stood, he wouldn't get to her here. "He haunts me though." Her words were punctuated with a whine, feeling that cold, blue gaze on the back of her neck even now.
The change in her mother was instant, she could feel it seep into her where their bodies touched and she almost regretted bringing it up at all. The last thing she wanted was to bring up all the ghosts Kaena had been fighting. At least she could assure her mother that she hadn't suffered a similar fate. "No." He had not violated her body in that way, and for that at least she could be thankful. Still, Rikka knew that she had faced a horrible, long, drawn-out death at the talons of that man and it made her heart quiver.
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There were many ways in which Kaena had failed. Being a mother was partially one of those—she had not provided adequately for her first litter, her last litter. She had failed those children, but at least Arkham, Rachias, and Andrezej had the rest of the family to depend on—the same could not be said for Kerberos and Maeryn. It was mind-blowing to think that the former of that pair was seven years old now, quite nearly an old man himself. Though they had fought once before, the hybrid woman could not help but feel that they would have mended their differences over time; for the sake of his half-siblings, Kerberos had seemed at least partially willing to forget his vengeance on his mother.
The silver-furred coyote frowned, her fingers still stroking at the straw-colored hair, straight and cropped short, styled much nicer than Kaena's hair had ever been. The braids which had once adorned her mane had long come undone, and the hybrid woman had no idea how to twist them so tightly and the Malai canines who had done it for her last were thousands of miles and many months behind her. “He won't be anything more than an upturned patch of dirt, soon enough. If anyone bothers to bury him, that is,” the silver-furred coyote said darkly. Inferni would have its vengeance—Kaena would have hers, Rikka would have hers. The coyote clan would not stand to see the blue-eyed monster breathing for much longer.
Table thanks to Ms. Poppins!
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Perhaps Kaena could have been a better mother, but she was all Rikka had known, and she really didn't have too many complaints. She didn't agree with some of the things that her dam believed and did, but she could never say that Kaena hadn't loved her. Despite heated arguments, Rikka had never stopped loving her mother either. The bond between mother and child was something very difficult to break once it was formed no matter the myriad of differences might lay between the two. Even though she had been missing for years the Lykoi matron had welcomed her wayward daughter back with open arms and with love in her heart. She hadn't scoffed at her child's pronouncement that she would not fight for the clan, she had taken it in stride and with understanding. Rikka had barely hoped for as much, and when she had been met with that, her love for her mother had been cemented, even after their argument over Vieira.
Usually such a statement would have unsettled her more than comforted her, but in this case, it was wholly appropriate in her mind. Never before had she encountered such an awful creature. He was a blotch on the perfect face of Mother Earth and everyone would be safer and happier without that demon around. Rikka couldn't think of a time she had ever wished anyone else dead, but she did want the Dahlian wolf dead. If he didn't die he would only continue to haunt and harm her family and she did not want that at all. "Good." That was all she said, and it was clear she meant it with no hesitance. "How are you, though?" Rikka knew she wasn't the only one battling against what had happened to her here.
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Failpost is fail. :[
It was almost troubling to Kaena that Rikka would advocate hurting Haku. She could certainly understand why, but her pale gold and gray daughter had never been one to lean toward violence before, and such a thing made the silver-furred coyote a twinge sad inside. She had always imagined better things for Rikka, perhaps a life outside and away from the violence surrounding her family. The pallid woman's natural muliebrity made Kaena believe she was a gentler personality than the rest of her family in general.
The silver-shaded woman grimaced at the other canine's question, rolling her coal-dusted shoulders in a shrug. “Still healing, I think,” the coyote ventured. She hadn't really talked about her attack, not to anyone—no one knew the details of what he had done to her. She would not place that burden on Rikka, however—the gold-gray woman had suffered plenty. “No different from any other wound I've had,” she added, though that was an out-and-out lie—no matter how strong she wanted to appear, it was different, and far worse, than any other wound she had received.
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OOC Ending: Kae and Rikka talk for a while longer, and Kae makes sure she is alright. She tells Rikka if she needs anything to call, as of course, Kae lives next door.
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