the angel opens her eyes

Artemis Marino · 02-14-2011, 12:36 AM

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For Savina. ♥ 407 words.

It had been nearly a month since the young silver Marino had fallen from the roof of the manor and her world had gone black as her head hit the rock on the ground. There had been nearly a month of strain on her family, stress and hurt and worry coursing through each of those that Artemis loved and she loved in return. It had been nearly a month since Denali had gone missing from the pack of Dreamers, adding more worry to the family of Marinos and Sadiras. A month of her body being unused had left her small, frail and very weak, her petite frame shrinking under the blanket beneath which the small silver girl lay motionless for the entire duration of her endless sleep. Artemis did not know any of these things, though, for she had yet to wake up after slipping on the ice that adorned the roof of the manor. She was unaware, even, that she was unable to wake. The time that passed only affected her physically.

The things that she would learn upon waking were numerous, such sad things that had touched the pack of Dreamers. The girl would have to learn that her adopted brother, her favorite sibling and her best friend, had left the pack after she had fallen. She would be told of how he had not been found and how the boy had not been seen since, that the prospects of finding him were slim to none now that a snowstorm had ravaged the pack lands. Artemis would learn of her mother's devotion to her, but also of the weakened state the Marino matron had fallen into as she sat by the sleeping girl's bedside, just as she did now. She would learn of the fervor with which her two medically-trained sisters had worked to bring her back, but to no avail. There would be so much for her to hear and learn of in the pack of Dreamers, if only she would wake from her slumber.

Soft blue eyes stirred behind lids that had remained closed to the world for a month. For a moment, they fluttered open, but the bright morning light reflecting off the snow outside and pouring in through the windows. The silver girl was disoriented. "M-mom?" she questioned softly, her voice quiet and strained. Artemis was waking without prompt, though she had not known she was sleeping, especially for so long.

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Savina Marino · 02-21-2011, 11:34 PM

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<3! 300+

Nearly all hope had been lost now. It had almost been an entire month since her daughter had fallen and there was still no signs of her waking, or any change at all aside from her slow decay into nothingness. Her daughter that had been so full of life was now a mere skeleton lying on a bed. Nothing but a shell. The snowstorm had only made things worse for everyone. Her other young daughter, Parker, had been caught outside with the hunting party and had given the Marino matron yet another child to worry over. The storm had seemed to be the death sentence to her. Surely Artemis could not survive much longer, not with how thin and weak her body had become. Denali, if he hadn't left Nova Scotia entirely, would have been out in that raging weather all by himself. How could he have survived it? Was it even possible for him to? Savina didn't know, and she had become so emotionally numb over the past few days. More so than she had been before, which was quite a statement. Already she had felt so lost and detached. Those feelings fully consumed the mother now.

Savina was staring out at the bright, blinding light of the world beyond as she sat in Artemis' room. For so long her eyes had been trained on her silver painted girl, but lately that had become far too painful. The body on the bed hardly even looked like her daughter anymore. To see her baby so depleted...it was too much to bear. So emerald eyes roved elsewhere, still unwilling to leave the room for long even if it did push needles into her battered heart. When a voice broke the silence, she thought it surely must be Amata or Cambria checking in, but when her face turned there was no one there. No one, but... "A-Artemis...?" The slim ebony fey looked at the girl with her mouth agape, eyes wide. Could it be real? Had her baby just spoken?

Artemis Marino · 02-22-2011, 02:08 AM

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♥ 300+ words.

Though the month of endless sleep had been long and emotionally draining for her family, Artemis did not know anything of that, for the time that had passed was unknown to her. She knew nothing of the way that her physical state had degraded while her family was frought with worry, nor of the trials that would come for her upon waking. It did not feel as if any time had passed, but the young silver girl knew that she felt differently than she normally did, and there was confusion in her soft blue eyes as she peeked around the room. Though she had been lying there for nearly a full month, she had last been with Denali outside the manor, or so she thought. She had been playing with him and then she had been climbing on the roof, but that was all she remembered of the time before she fell that day. She did not know what had happened to her.

Her mother's voice sounded sad, disbelieving, and Artemis opened her eyes once more. "I... I feel weird, Mamma," she said softly. Her own voice sounded meek as she spoke, something that bothered her greatly. Artemis was an adventurous, rambunctious puppy, and she was not one to be quiet or calm. Her body felt misplaced and out of sorts, though she did not know why. It felt tired and weak. She felt as if she could not move as freely as she wanted to and like her body would not obey her if she tried. "Come ho fatto ad arrivare qui?" she asked quietly, eyes roving the room once more for a mere moment before the light from the snow's reflection outside became too much again. She truly could not remember coming to sleep in here or why she had, but she must have had a reason... right?

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Savina Marino · 02-22-2011, 03:05 AM

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The Marino matron's heart stalled in her chest as she stared at her daughter. Was she hallucinating? Had it finally come to that? Honestly she would not have put such a thing past her grief-riddled mind, but then Artemis' eyes stirred beneath their lids and Savina saw that flash of blue that belonged to her girl's eyes. They were like the color of her father's eyes. She spoke again, and her voice sounded so weak and soft, but that didn't even bother the mother. Artemis' eyes were open, she was talking. She was awake. The words the malnourished adolescent on the bed spoke didn't even register as tears of relief began to flood the woman's eyes. Artemis was awake. She wasn't sleeping anymore, she hadn't died. She was right here.

Savina fell to her knees by the bed and wrapped her arms around her daughter's tiny torso, holding her close as the tears spilled onto her sooty cheeks. "Il mio bambino, la mia ragazza cara dolce..." The mother planted kisses on her child's cheeks. In that moment, all the horrible things that had happened seemed to melt away. In this moment, she felt that everything was going to be alright. The Italian fey hugged her daughter close, holding her so tight for fear the world would try to snatch her away again. "I thought we had lost you..." The words hitched in her throat, but came out nonetheless. It had seemed so dangerously close to that point for so long, but Artemis had come back to them.

Artemis Marino · 02-23-2011, 01:22 PM

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She was startled by the sudden movement of her mother falling to her knees beside the bed and Artemis felt herself being gathered close to her mother's bosom, somewhere she had not been held so close to for such a long time. Artemis had always loved her mother, of course, but she had not wanted to be held close, figuratively and literally, during her childhood. She had been loud and rambunctious and it had been rare for her to stay still for long enough to be held, but she had been immobile for nearly a month now and she allowed herself to be held closely, not feeling the strength to respond in any way. The young Marino would not have fought the embrace, anyway, and with her weakened state, she could do nothing but allow her mother to lavish her with kisses and to hold her tightly.

As her mother held her, Artemis' question went unanswered, but more questions formed in her mind at the words her mother spoke and the way they caught in her throat. She did not realize she had been asleep for so long, did not realize at all how close to death she had come, though she knew that something was certainly wrong. She had been playing with Denali... Right? It did not make sense, how she got here, and she did not understand what her mother meant. "Perso me? Che è successo?" she asked weakly, her voice quieted by her body's state of weakness, as well as the confusion and the closeness with which her mother held her.

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Savina Marino · 02-23-2011, 07:57 PM

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300+

The mother knew this particular daughter of hers had never been much of a cuddler. Especially not in comparison with her littermate sister. Right now Savina could not care less about those facts though. She had been on the precipice of losing Artemis forever for nearly a month and all she wanted to do now was to hold the girl tight and never let her go again. Even if she had had any desire to hold back it would not have been possible with the wave of emotion that had surged forth when she had seen Artemis' eyes open and to hear her voice, soft and weak as it was. Maternal instincts had taken control of every cell and now she was only intent on keeping her daughter safe from further misfortune. It seemed to her her daughter had just been reborn, and she once again had every protective instinct a new mother has. In some ways, the Marino child was a newborn, her body weak from lack of food and movement and her thoughts confused and disoriented.

As the initial waves of her relief and joy ebbed away to a more manageable level, she heard Artemis' question and slowly pulled herself back a little to look her daughter in the eyes. Her emeralds glistened with tears as she looked into the dazed baby blue pools. So she knew nothing of the ordeal? Perhaps that was no surprise. She had certainly looked dead to the world this whole time. "Lei...lei è caduto. Via da del tetto. Artemis...lei è stato addormentato per quasi un mese..." A small part of her wandered if it was a good idea to tell her the truth so quickly after she had woken, but what else was she supposed to say? The mother couldn't lie to her.

Artemis Marino · 02-24-2011, 01:01 PM

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300+

The small body of the young Marino had grown fragile and weak, and in some deep part of her, Artemis knew that something within her had grown weak, as well. That was the only possible explanation for what her mother told her had happened, for the girl was normally strong and energetic, too adventurous and rambunctious for her own good. It was what her family loved and worried about her for so much. She had been asleep for nearly a month? Soft blue eyes widened at the words ad she tried so desperately to think of what had happened to her. Artemis tried to remember everything about the day she had been playing with Denali, for she remembered that she had been doing that, but she could not imagine what else had happened. She could not imagine she had been asleep for so long, and she absolutely did not want to believe it.

She looked up to the wise emerald eyes of her mother, feeling young and small and scared for the first time in as long as she could remember. There were so many questions going through her mind, but she did not know what to ask first or even how to ask some of the questions. Her mother would not be able to explain to her why she had been on the roof or why she had fallen. Savina could not explain to her why her daughter had done something so obviously risky without considering what could have happened. Artemis had always viewed her mother as omniscient, but she was able to recognize that these were questions her mother simply would not be able to answer for her, for how could she, if Artemis did not even know these things about herself? Instead, she asked the first question that had come to mind, the one she knew her mother could answer for her, though she could hardly know that the answer would hurt her more than realizing she had been asleep for so long had. "Where's Denali?"

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Savina Marino · 02-26-2011, 07:28 PM

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Savina had to keep herself from wincing when Artemis' baby blues widened in shock and fear at the reality that she had just been presented with. Perhaps she really should not have told her. But then, would have deflecting these questions only gotten her worked up in another way? She didn't know. The Consul knew that she was by no means all-knowing, but she was also a confident woman, but in this moment she had no idea what was right and what was wrong to do. The best thing was to follow her heart, and she was too happy that her daughter was awake to throw lies in her face right from the start. That was no way to handle her awakening, even if the truth was frightening. Clearly Artemis knew something was amiss, it would do no good to try and deny that these things had happened.

Though the next question her girl asked sent an icy jab through her chest and her ears folded back, emerald eyes averting off to the side. She wished Artemis had not asked about her brother right away, but clearly that had been too much to hope for. There had still been no sign or word of Denali. It was almost like the world had swallowed him up once he had set foot outside of Crimson Dreams. "I don't know," she said, squeezing her eyes shut for a moment. "The night after you fell, he ran away while everyone was asleep. We've tried to find him, but we haven't." The tears of joy in her eyes were replaced with fresh tears of grief and guilt. Her daughter was back now, but her son was still lost.

Artemis Marino · 02-28-2011, 03:08 PM

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300+

It was all so much to handle, this sudden realization that nearly a month of her life was lost, spent sleeping endlessly in a room in the manor while the rest of the pack continued to live the lives they did each day, though of course her fall and subsequent sleeping had greatly affected her family. Artemis Marino had never expected something like this to happen to her. In fact, she had nearly thought she was indestructable, as nothing bad had ever happened to her before on any of her romps or adventures. She had always thought she could never be harmed and would always stay safe. She had a family that loved her, a strong and stable pack, and she was a brave and strong puppy. How could something so awful happen to her?

She wished so much that she could rmemeber more of her accident, but she just could not and her mind felt foggy as it was, having just awakened after such a long time of laying motionless. Her body felt weak and Artemis felt as if she did not even have the strength to answer her mother. The words were horribly upsetting and the young silver girl wished she had not asked. "Così ha lasciato a causa di me?" she whispered, but then she shook her head as violently as she could, given her weak condition. She had not meant to ask that and she did not want to think about it as a possibility, but it seemed to be the only explanation.

Instead, she tried to think of other things. Thinking of her now-missing brother was far too upsetting and she did not need that now. "What else happened while... while I was asleep?" It felt strange to say something like that, but her mother had told her she had been asleep for a very long time. Savina would never lie to her, especially about something like this, Artemis knew.

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Savina Marino · 03-04-2011, 07:48 PM

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300+

Children often thought themselves invincible, and this had been nowhere more evident than with Artemis. It had made the mother worry a lot, of course, and she had always warned the girl to be careful. There had been no containing the Marino child though, and as she grew and went about more the most she could do was just hope that she would never put herself into too dangerous of a situation. Just when Savina had thought they would get to her adulthood without any serious mishaps, she had fallen and her world had fallen apart with her. Now though she couldn't thank that gods enough that her little girl was awake again and no permanent physical damage appeared to have been done.

It did not surprise her that the news about Denali's disappearance upset Artemis so. She had been very close to her adopted brother and to hear two such devastating pieces of information one right after the other would be a lot for anyone to take. Her head shook dramatically after she asked her question and Savina put a strong hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Io...non so il tesoro..." Denali's note that he had left to her had implied as much, but she was not going to say that to Artemis. Not now, perhaps not ever. She did not need that confirmation on her conscience.

The subject was quickly changed and there was relief in that for the both of them. Savina had not done much since the accident, having spent most of her time here by Artemis' side. Still, some notable things had indeed happened. "Anu was ill for a while, she's still recovering, but Cambria has taken good care of her when she hadn't been looking after you. There was a snowstorm just recently as well. Most of us were stuck here in the manor, but Mati, Parker, Tony, and Cypress became stuck outside. They are all back and fine now though." It had been awful, having the four of them missing in the storm on top of everything else. The Consul was about as exhausted as any canine could be and it showed in her face.

Artemis Marino · 03-21-2011, 02:09 PM

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300+

The young silver girl was a mere shell of her former self now, feeling frail and weak and frightened and upset from the news she had been given. It seemed so impossible that she had been asleep for so long, but she found it difficult to move and she felt smaller. This was the worst she had ever felt in her life, both physically and in terms of her mental and emotional state. She knew nothing of what had happened in the past month. What had her siblings thought? Was her mother going to be okay? She looked so fretfully tired and nearly and frail as Artemis saw herself when she looked down to her own body, covered and smothered by the blanket that felt so heavy on her small and weakened frame.

She did not want to hear whether or not Denali had left because of her or not, and she was glad her mother didn’t tell her that. It would have been comforting to hear that she was definitely not the cause for his departure, but she would not have accepted that answer, as she did not believe it. Her brother had run away right after she had fallen from the roof when they had been playing together and he had thrown the ball so that it got stuck on the roof. Even if her mother had tried to tell her that it was not actually her fault, the young Marino would not have believed it. It simply had to be her fault that Denali had left; what else could it have been?

Though it was not good news, the snow storm brought the diversion that she needed so desperately right now. “Was anyone hurt?” she asked, voice sounding so small and so unlike the young vibrant girl it used to belong to. Artemis was tried, more tired than she had ever felt before in her life. Was she always going to feel like this now, so tired despite a month’s worth of sleep?

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Savina Marino · 04-02-2011, 07:17 PM

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300+

It was easy to see the turmoil behind her daughter's sky blue gaze. Artemis had finally awoken, but it was not to the world she had left, and seemingly she was not exactly the girl she had been before either. Well, it was likely too soon to tell that, but it was inevitable that this all would change Missa in some way or another. Savina hoped that she would learn from this all in a positive way even if the road to those realizations would be a difficult, perhaps painful, one. The Marino would never have wished for this all to happen, not ever, but she did hope that her rambunctious girl would now be more cautious than she had been before. Artemis had been so close to the edge of oblivion, and Savina had been right there with her. The mother didn't know if either of them could survive if something like this happened again. It was not a thought she wished to entertain.

She could only imagine what sorts of thoughts were running through the silver painted girl's head. It would not come as a surprise to know that already she was blaming herself for Denali's disappearance. Self blame was an unfortunate trait that Savina had likely passed down to many of her offspring, and they undoubtedly got a dose of that from their father as well. The woman wished to dismiss such thoughts and worries from her daughter, but knew that she did not have the power to do so. The change of topic was the best remedy for the moment. Savina shook her head. "No, no one was injured thankfully. Overall I think the pack got through it as well as could be expected." There had been some mishaps, but everyone had made it through with their health. That was the important thing.

Artemis Marino · 04-04-2011, 01:33 PM

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wotd: Dapple.

This was all so much for the silver-dappled girl to learn and she wanted nothing more than to pretend that none of it was real and to go back to the day she had been playing with Denali and she had fallen from the roof of the manor. A month of her life had been stolen from her because of one accident, one single decision that she had not thought twice about. The ball had sailed to the roof and she had not even questioned what she was doing when climbing up there. She had simply done it with no regard for the potential consequences. Did she deserve it to happen? Absolutely not. But it had happened because the young girl had not even given a second thought to climbing up on top of the roof.

It was good news that no one had been hurt, and she was glad for that. Her fall and Denali's absence were more than enough. Though she wished to know more about the time she had lost, she had no strength left to talk and no true desire to do so. "Sono stancato, Mamma," she said, her voice soft and her words strained. She did not want to sleep—she had done enough of that for a lifetime, it seemed to her—but she was mentally and emotionally exhausted. This was too much for her.

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Savina Marino · 04-15-2011, 03:35 PM

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close with your reply ^^

While the mother was glad that she had been here the moment that Artemis had woken and had been the one to tell her what had happened, Savina was beginning to think that it would be best if Amata or Cambria were here to check on their sister now that she was awake. The woman had half expected one of her elder daughters to come into the room at some point, but neither had yet. Perhaps even both of them should be here to check up on Artemis, since this kind of malady was so foreign even to them. The mother was trying to think of a good segue into calling for Missa's elder sisters when the girl stated that she was tired. Savina's ears folded back in worry and she stood up. "Let me call your sisters, they should check you over to make sure that you're okay. Maybe they'll have something to make you feel a little better too." She had no idea what kind of medicine might help, if any existed, but if anyone knew Cambria and Amata would.

The Consul walked over and opened the door, calling out for the pack's two medically minded wolves. She quickly returned to her daughter's side though and sat lightly on the edge of the bed and wrapped her arms around Artemis' slim shoulders. A soft kiss was planted on the top of the silver girl's head as she prayed that Missa would make a full recovery, in both body and mind.

Artemis Marino · 04-18-2011, 01:54 PM

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The young silver-painted Marino knew nothing of the corybantic anger she would feel weeks from now, emotions that would make her lash out at everyone, pack mates and others alike. For now, she knew only that her world was different and everything about what had happened confused her greatly. The weeks and months to come would be difficult and she might even find them impossible to handle at times, but all that mattered now was that she was awake and her sisters would help their mother to care for her still. She had a long recovery ahead of her.

Artemis closed her eyes at the regained touch of her mother's warm body holding her. The girl did not want to show pain in the form of grief now, not while her mother was there and her sisters would be coming. It was all she wanted to do to go back to the day she had been playing with Denali, but nothing could be changed now. The girl steadied her breathing and wished for minimal questions and then for sleep and for some time to cope with all that she had just learned alone.

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