[P] [M] From Dawn til' Dusk

[Runa Andersdotter]

WARNING: This thread contains material exceeding the general board rating of PG-13. It may contain very strong language, drug usage, graphic violence, or graphic sexual content. Reader discretion is advised.

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It was early morning. Runa was standing cautiously at a woodland edge, the morning sun rays were breaking through the sparse clouds, beating down on her fur; the warmth was comforting. It had been almost a week since she smelt the aromas of dawn, and watched birds flying overhead and nesting in the trees. The smell of the crisp morning seemed far richer than she remembered.

The past three weeks, since that day, she had spent every waking moment precariously making her way Eastward from Alaska, searching for somewhere safe. She knew these were dangerous territories, but what choice did she have? She had to find safety.

In constant fear that her father or another member of Veidifor would track her down, she had hid from sight and hopefully scent in an abandoned den. The scent of the previous pack which clearly lived here for a long time still masked the air. It was a dense, musty aroma, with hints of underbrush and faeces. Clearly, whoever lived here before wasn't fond of their hygiene like Veidifor.

As Runa observed her surroundings from the woodland, the place felt familiar. She knew she hadn’t been here before, Veidifor had never travelled this far east, but she'd heard legends of its beauty. As if she were there, Runa could hear the stories her mother shared about this beautiful place, how the trees stood tall, yet remained nestled between mountainous ridges, how the underbrush was laden with moss.

"That explains the smell" She had muttered to herself.

She had heard stories about humans that once lived here, and how they farmed the lands so lovingly, making them look like uniform artistry. Beautiful rivers flow shallowly through the valley in which she stands. She digs deep into her mind to remember the name of this place. Nothing.

Runa could easily get lost in her thoughts of this place, well...not exactly this place, but her mother's tales of it.

She did, to her detriment.

Without warning, she was struck from her right side with such force and was propelled to the left, tearing through the nearby bushes, her head slammed hard against a partially exposed boulder in the ground. She tried to get to her feet in quick response, she was dazed, and the blow to her head left her in shock, she'd never hurt like this before. Her ears rang, and her eyes were out of focus. It sounded like she was underwater. She could hear the bellows of some creatures around her, more than one. Her paws felt heavy, her head tilted, and she slumped back to the floor.

"I'm near Berwick" she mumbled as she remembered.

Her final words before she blacked out...

[Lucian Marino]

The Lionheart didn’t usually stray far from home, he had enough to keep him busy between the youth of the pack, mentors and horses, but when he was checking on his family and the horses that resided in Wolfville, he caught scent of something that didn’t sit right with him.  The marbled man didn’t know exactly why, Wolfville was open to everyone, just his gut told him to check it out. Opting to leave his bow and dual axes at his brother’s house for safe keeping, he shifted down to his lupus form, large paws carried him over the Cavaliers scent border to the land of loners. Fresh snow blanketed the world, mostly untouched except for a few trails of tracks, lowering his head down he examined the tracks which made his hackles bristle, he could smell blood and alcohol, never a good combination. 

Lucian moved with haste, following the scent that made him uneasy in the pit of his stomach, unsure if someone was dead or injured, but the need to help outweighed it all.  Melded hues of azure and marigold fell upon an abandoned den, well once abandoned anyway, creeping slowly doing his best to remain unseen, which for a wolfdog his size was difficult to do.  Rounding the corner, the Marino caught glimpse of a drunk, bloodied loner that looked like he lost a battle with a tree or the ground, clock of petite wolf sending her flying across the den and landing with a thud hard against the ground and  boulder. 

Letting out a growl, the mammoth hybrid let his presence be known, with a snarl, thundering paws carried him quickly to the attacker knocking him to the ground.  Practically foaming at the mouth, saliva dripped from his jowls, deep growls rumbled from his chest he stalked his opponent walking towards that man that had caused another harm. 

“Get out and never come back and you will live to see another day.”

Being drunk and scared the loner pissed himself, before tucking his tail and running, glaring Lucian watched as he left before removing the snarl from his muzzle and replaced it with a worried look and whimper as he walked up to the young wolf and nuzzled her trying to get her to wake with no avail.  Licking the blood from her temple, it was clear that she needed a healer, and it just so happened, Cavaliers had some of the best around.  But getting her out of the den would be a challenge with his size, he wouldn’t fit in his bipedal form. 

Gently as possible, he took her scruff in his teeth and began to drag her out, trying not to cause the young girl any more pain.  The wolfdog’s ears came to attention and he whimpered again when he heard her moan slightly.  Finally out in the open, he had room to shift, and he pushed his body to do so as quick as possible, he worried for the small wolf, head injuries could lead to permanent danger if not treated immediately.  After a few moments Lucian had returned to two feet and cautiously scooped up the loners small frame, careful to support her head.  He wanted to run as fast as he could but jostling her further could lead to more unseen damage.  Instead, he walked quickly towards his home, the Lionheart would let out a howl as soon as he was close enough for a healer to meet him in Wolfville. The sooner that could happen the better chances the unconscious wolf would have.   

WORD COUNT - 600. OOC - PP Approved.  NPC - Random loner