holding on for the morning dawn

Parker Sadira · 01-31-2011, 06:22 PM

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300+

The night had long fallen over Nova Scotia when Parker was roused from her bed by the sound of shuffling feet.

Her ears caught the sound before her mind registered the noise as something familiar. She blinked open tired eyes, and rolled over in her bed to peer drowsily at the door. The wooden floors were creaking, and the footsteps retreated down the stairs until the sound became nothing more than a muted echo. It wasn't unusual for someone to be up so late in the Mansion, and with Artemis still in a coma, the halls were much more active at all hours of the night with the changing of shifts. Shifts, what a generalized word for something so raw; so real.

Whatever it was, she was awake now and would not fall back asleep easily with thoughts of her ailing sister fresh in her mind. So she shrugged out of the covers and sat at the edge, eyes cast out the dusky window to the clear skies beyond. It was here she sat for a long time, wondering and praying for the morning to bring Artemis back to their worried family. Nerves were frayed, and smiles were rare. Darkness was creeping into the corners of the Mansion, heralding a slow death for those that were once so alive.

Parker pushed herself off the creaky bed, and swept out of her room and into the hallway. She was greeted with a rush of warm air, and the warm golden hue of firelight painted on the walls. Below, the hearth was burning strong. Someone had put a log on to keep it alive. Her mother, perhaps. Or maybe Silvano. The purpose wasn't clear, but she wondered if maybe whoever had done it intended it to be something of a symbol of hope. She followed the balustrade down to the marble floor and padded over to the fireplace. Parker sat down in front of it, hands trailing over the chipped workmanship of the old stone.

Amata Sadira · 01-31-2011, 07:24 PM

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WC: 337 +3 OOC: Big Grin

Amata could not sleep. She was still baffled at how Artemis could be so still, so quiet… Only a few days ago. She couldn’t bare to sleep when her sister was so unwell, and though she did not know her adopted brother well, she worried about him as well. She would sometimes go out to look for him and call his name, but she never left the packlands as she had to come back. Tonight was another sleepless night for the creamy girl. She found that the only thing that could calm her mind was to start reading up on her medical dictionary, and another medical book she’d procured from somewhere else. She’d flipped through the same pages over and over again, knowing she wasn’t going to find the answers she was looking for. That didn’t matter though. She was trying.

She found herself moving down the hall quietly, and headed to the common room where she refreshed the fire. Taking in its warmth for a second, she finally settled in the large chair that sat in front of it, her legs curled and her books now propped in her lap. Her eyes scanned the books. She lost herself in the words, the medical language always seemed to soothe her, but today she seemed more than restless. She heard something, but didn’t bother looking up. It was probably Cambria on her way to get something for Artemis. Then a figure came into view and sat next to the fireplace blocking the view. Amata looked up from her book, her herterochromia eyes stared before realizing it was her younger sister who had joined her in taking after their father’s coloring.

Parker! Is there something troubling you?

She asked. It was quite obvious most of the household had been troubled by poor Artemis and the disappearance of Denali, She knew that but she asked just in case something else was possibly wrong. She knew quite well that more than a few things could be on the minds of individuals.

Parker Sadira · 01-31-2011, 08:47 PM

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Big Grin 300+

Parker was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even register Amata's presence in the chair behind her. So when the soft question drifted to her over the crackle of the flames, the young girl started and pivoted her torso to peer at the face silhouetted by the light of the fire. There was no mistrust in her gaze as she knew the only ones to take residence in the Manor were close family and friends, but there was a healthy dose of surprised curiosity. Her brows lifted as she drank in the sight of her elder sister. They were mirrors of one another, and as a result Kansas, at least to a certain degree. But where Amata was a soft creme, Parker was more of a striking blond; where her eyes were mismatched, Parker's were a steady gold. But their personalities were both amiable, and open. At least from what the young girl had observed of her elder sister since her return to Crimson Dreams.

It was the question she focused on now. Parker dropped her gaze as she mulled it over in her head, eyes closing for the barest of moments as she recalled the raw pain she felt when her mother had embraced her earlier that day. Her eyes were still sore from crying, and the wound itself was still bleeding. The entire pack was in a state of mourning, and it was reverberating deep in her bones like an ancient song. Just above her, Artemis was wasting away, and there was absolutely nothing any of them could do about it. Turning her gaze back on her sister's own, Parker shook her head. "Couldn't sleep." She murmured softly, choosing words over expression for the first time in a week. There was a weight to them, and the reason was obvious.

She fought to keep her gaze from moving just a fraction ceiling-ward, to the room her sister was in. But Amata was a welcome distraction. Lifting her hand, she motioned to the book that was resting in her elder's lap, eyes betraying the curiosity she had over the content of it.

Amata Sadira · 02-03-2011, 05:50 AM

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WC: 246 OOC: sorry took me a while ; ;

She watched as the young girl start and turn. She seemed fine after she saw Amata, who smiled sadly at the young girl. From the impression she got and her other family had told her, Parker was a quiet little thing. And here she was staring at her sister in shock for a second, but it seemed to ebb away quickly. She spoke only a few words but Amata could tell why the girl couldn’t sleep, it was written all over her face but the same thing could be said for Amata as well.

Artemis is a strong girl, and we’ll see to her that she wakes up. Me and Cambria are doing all we can I promise.

She said. Her own words were hopeful, the sleeping girl had always been strong spirited and she hoped the girl would wake up soon. Parker pointed at the books in her lap. She lifted the book Parker intidacted showing her the spine that read “Medical Dictionary” on it.

I’m just looking for anything that could possibly help her that I have not thought about already.

She said, laying the heavy book back down. She couldn’t look at it now that Parker was here, but maybe the girl would give her an inadvertent idea or something. She just knew that right now she was plain useless to Artemis… the only thing Amata was able to do was to keep the girl as comfortable as she could in her state.

Parker Sadira · 03-04-2011, 01:18 PM

I apologize for the horrendous wait. Had a lot come up last month! *beats life with a boom*
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300+

It was to be expected that Amata would try and be strong for all of them. She was no different than the rest of their family; maybe it was genetics, or maybe it was really love that kept them all from breaking down on each other. Regardless, Parker appreciated and did her best to emulate the hope that they all felt. Her elder sister was right, of course. It didn't help the growing tension in her stomach as each day passed with little to no change. Her ears slicked back briefly as Amata directly addressed the issues keeping her from falling asleep, but she didn't direct any of the fleeting sadness towards her.

Still, her attention was once again drawn to the previously noted book as Amata lifted it from her lap. Though she was no bookworm, Parker could read at least to a certain extent. "Medical Dictionary", it said. "Medical" is what drew her eyes from the worn spine, to her sister's mismatched eyes again as she explained her reasoning for picking it up over all the others. The quiet girl nodded thoughtfully and offered a ghost of a smile. If anyone could help Artemis, it was Amata and Cambria.

Making a small sound in her throat, she pushed herself off the ground and padded over to the chair to lean against the armrest, eyes still on the open book. There were far more words than pictures, but the illustrations really caught her stare. All sorts of diagrams, and pictures of human anatomy that sent something of a thrill down her spine. The young wolf motioned to the page, indicating an image of a brain with a curious stare.

Amata Sadira · 03-06-2011, 10:53 AM

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WC: 338 OOC: Amata makes up for the quiet girl, I think she likes hearing herself talk Tongue

Amata could see that Parker took in what she said, but being as quiet a child as she was, Amata did not expect an answer from the girl. She smiled as the young girl came and sat near her to look into the dictionary, where it had been opened to the page she had been looking at. It had an explanation of the state of a coma, and the few things that could help the coma patient. There was not anything about a cure though. It seemed the humans didn’t know how to cure it before they decided to kill themselves off.

A coma tends to happen when there’s trauma to the brain, mostly when it happens to these few parts..

Amata pointed to the sections of the brain that had been diagramed in her book.

This is for human brain though, dogs and wolves, especially luperci are a bit different, but they have the same functions. She hit right here, so she’s had a bit of trauma. The brain is basically resetting…

She said, but the last few words were not entirely right, resetting would mean she would not remember anything from her childhood, some coma patients woke with amnesia, others woke after so long with severe brain damage, and some made a full recovery. She thought of how to rephrase her words.

Not so much as resetting, but maybe … turning off for a little while to heal itself. We don’t know how to fix it though, it’s so complex, and hard to understand still… even the humans with their own long lives were not able to find a cure, but if she wakes up soon… she should recover.

She didn’t want to mention what would happen if the girl lay in state for longer than a month or two… she would either die or her brain would shut down entirely and she would just be a vegetable until she eventually died… but this was not something the cream colored woman wanted to ever think about.

Parker Sadira · 03-09-2011, 06:32 PM

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I really love your characterization of Amata. She's a pleasure to read! And I have no idea where I'm going with this, but... XD

The topic was a difficult one for both of them, and it was clear that as Amata continued on with her explanation that she wasn't entirely sure what would happen when, or if, Artemis woke up from it. But it made sense to Parker, and even made her feel a bit better. If their brains had a higher function of being able to turn itself off as a result of severe injury, then she was sure Artemis wasn't suffering as a result of her inability to wake. But with that thought in mind, she wondered if Artemis was even in there anymore, or if she would be after this... "reset", or "emergency off" mode. Would she still be the boisterous sibling she loved, or some stranger in her sister's skin. The idea made her skin crawl, and her nape bristled briefly as she rubbed her arms to rid herself of the peculiar feeling. She definitely didn't need anymore fuel for her nightmares tonight.

However, Amata's choice of words were cause for concern. "If", "soon", "should". There were no defined factors, nothing that they could place their fingers on and can claim will happen. Nothing about this situation had any semblance of definition or finiteness to it. Instead it was always referred to in delicate wording, as if walking on eggshells around a sleeping dragon in the corner. No one in the Manor knew what was going to happen when the "soon" became "now", and the "should" became "will". But the waiting game was agonizing. On her, her mother, her siblings, her father, and the pack itself. It was driving the sunny girl mad with anxiety.

Parker nodded thoughtfully after a prolonged moment of silence, and turned her bright eyes on her elder sister. Her ears lifted off her mane as she spoke, "Maybe bring her something she likes? Something she can sense in her sleep? A scent? Crushed herbs, things she enjoyed from the garden or kitchen." Her accent was heavy thanks to the late hour, and her usual lack of verbal communication, but she was clear in getting her point across. They couldn't just shake their sister awake, but maybe gentle nudges to the other sense would do the trick.

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Amata Sadira · 03-16-2011, 05:33 AM

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WC: 312 OOC: We could give this an end pretty soon <3

Amata thought she could see the cogs working in Parkers brain, and tried to think about what she was thinking about, like a wolf who didn’t know these terms and their entire impact… Just thinking about it didn’t make her feel any better and she felt she may have made her sister feel even worse, which was not Amata’s intentions. She took solace in knowing what exactly was wrong with someone, but not everyone did. That’s what made her different from many of the others. Even though she couldn’t heal her sister, she knew what has been done to her and she tried all she could, now she only had to sustain the young life until she woke up. Parker spoke more words in that second than Amata thought she ever heard from the young girl. She blinked her surprise but smiled. Yes they thought of that. Savina was always there and Amata talked to her while Silvano read to her every night. They brought in her favorite toys though the herbs were a new thing to Amata she had not known that Artemis liked the garden, maybe this could be the thing that woke the young girl up.

“We should try that. Perhaps you could find some of her favorite smells?”

She hated to admit it but she didn’t know her younger sister like she wanted to, but she did not come into her life entirely till the winter so she was not able to explore all of her siblings likes and dislikes as she had with her littermates, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when Parker suggested something that Amata didn’t think about. Maybe this particular thing would work? This is why she loved the opinions of the whole pack when it came to ideas, though she never thought she’d ever need ideas for something like this.

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