13 January 2022, 11:27 AM
Try as she might to wrap her mind around the woman's intention, Coriander visibly struggled. There was no profit in this that she could see, nothing to be gained from assisting a fledgling Luperci floundering with her newly acquired transformational abilities and struggling simply to survive even beyond that already mountainous task. In fact, had she been in her place, it would have made all the sense in the world to simply move along, to let the world claim that which didn't possess the fortitude to continue on its own–or even claiming a bit of it for herself if there was something to be taken first. The world was harsh and unforgiving, and in her experience one either learned to rise above the challenge or become squashed by its weight.
And, boy, was it a bruising bite to learn this woman thought she currently belonged in the latter category. The whole of her face seemed to pucker with her wounded pride, an expression akin to a pout accompanying a guilty droop of her over-large ears. Maybe Donnes had made the right call after all then, sending her away when he did. This only further proved how much of a liability she had been to the family, a weight tied to their tails that they were forced to drag around and carry–a weight that had already claimed two of them. They're better off without me.
Ria was vaguely aware of the woman shuffling things around beside her four-legged prey-friend in the background, but only acknowledged her again when she approached and extended a new offering her way. Her rust and lavender eyes alighted first on the blanket and then up at the woman, piecing together what she said while debating whether to accept. Donnes would never have taken the handout, and he surely would have beaten her for even considering it. But he wasn't here…and, as the woman plainly put it, Ria wasn't going to survive without help…and she didn't want to die.
With a visibly guilty expression, the dark wolf took the offered blanket and for a moment simply held it in her hands, staring at the fabric and running it between her fingers. It was heavy and thick, and warm where it draped over one folded knee. Was that why this woman wore other fabrics on her like a second fur-coat? Coriander gave another studying look at the stranger before pulling the blanket over her head to let it fold over her body like a makeshift cloak, holding the ends closed at her chest with her face still exposed. Hm. A little awkward and scratchy in places--and it smelled very strongly of Rusty--but it was already doing its job warming her up.
She shrank a little further within the blanket as her comfort level with it grew, even going so far as to elicit a soft hum of contentment. Such a small thing, a mere sheet of fabric, and already her situation felt less dire. Which was why, when the next offer of medicine came, Coriander didn't immediately react with outright suspicion. "Medicine?" The concept wasn't entirely new to her as she was aware of what naturally growing plants could be eaten to help certain minor ailments, but given how everything about this woman was strange and different she felt certain even this would come in a very different packaging than she was familiar with. "What medicine?" she asked as her nose already began to twitch expectantly, anticipating yet another new smell, another new concept, to go along with this new Luperci lifestyle.
And, boy, was it a bruising bite to learn this woman thought she currently belonged in the latter category. The whole of her face seemed to pucker with her wounded pride, an expression akin to a pout accompanying a guilty droop of her over-large ears. Maybe Donnes had made the right call after all then, sending her away when he did. This only further proved how much of a liability she had been to the family, a weight tied to their tails that they were forced to drag around and carry–a weight that had already claimed two of them. They're better off without me.
Ria was vaguely aware of the woman shuffling things around beside her four-legged prey-friend in the background, but only acknowledged her again when she approached and extended a new offering her way. Her rust and lavender eyes alighted first on the blanket and then up at the woman, piecing together what she said while debating whether to accept. Donnes would never have taken the handout, and he surely would have beaten her for even considering it. But he wasn't here…and, as the woman plainly put it, Ria wasn't going to survive without help…and she didn't want to die.
With a visibly guilty expression, the dark wolf took the offered blanket and for a moment simply held it in her hands, staring at the fabric and running it between her fingers. It was heavy and thick, and warm where it draped over one folded knee. Was that why this woman wore other fabrics on her like a second fur-coat? Coriander gave another studying look at the stranger before pulling the blanket over her head to let it fold over her body like a makeshift cloak, holding the ends closed at her chest with her face still exposed. Hm. A little awkward and scratchy in places--and it smelled very strongly of Rusty--but it was already doing its job warming her up.
She shrank a little further within the blanket as her comfort level with it grew, even going so far as to elicit a soft hum of contentment. Such a small thing, a mere sheet of fabric, and already her situation felt less dire. Which was why, when the next offer of medicine came, Coriander didn't immediately react with outright suspicion. "Medicine?" The concept wasn't entirely new to her as she was aware of what naturally growing plants could be eaten to help certain minor ailments, but given how everything about this woman was strange and different she felt certain even this would come in a very different packaging than she was familiar with. "What medicine?" she asked as her nose already began to twitch expectantly, anticipating yet another new smell, another new concept, to go along with this new Luperci lifestyle.