The drums of war

Regner Vilhelmsen · 01-29-2012, 02:32 PM

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Regner Vilhelmsen

Check my vitals signs and know i'm still alive

Word Count :: 569 All dialogue is Danish. I would say Adelle is two months or a few days older in this.

Regner ran on through the forest, ignoring the pain that shot through his mangled leg with each step as he focused on getting himself and his precious cargo, wrapped tightly in a blanket and shoved under one arm, clutched to his chest and concealed by his cloak as much as was possible when running.

Ahead of Regner lay a treacherous path, a dark forest filled to the brim with Coyote scouts and archers. Behind him lay the burning, death filled ruins of the Broderskab camp, along with the baying and snarling of the coyote as they swept through the forest, finishing off small pockets of resistance and mercilessly hunting down fleeing survivors such as Regner.

Coyote, even in his mind Regner snarled the word. The cowards had not fought a fair war in the old warriors eyes, utilising treachery and poison where force and fighting skill failed them. The Broderskab had been vastly depleted when they attacked, barely a tenth of its warriors fit to fight. Even so they had made the coyote pay for ever step, every canine that could hold a weapon had been pressed into the defence, a fierce battle for survival so unlike the normal fare of his warriors. Regner himself had killed several coyote and wounded many others before one had latched onto his leg, nearly crippling him and forcing him out of the fight; the elderly dog's fur was stained a sticky crimson with their blood.

Still, despite their bravery and skill the Broderskab had fallen. However ill gained a victory the coyote had claimed, it was a victory nonetheless. Any who had survived the battle were scattering as Regner now did, taking with them whatever they could carry of the young and ill. Regner could hear their pained screams as even now they were hunted by the graceless victors

Ahead of him a coyote loomed out of the darkness, stepping clear of a thick bush as it clutched at its belt, presumably for a sword. While old and injured Regner was still heavy with muscle and, at the moment, running down a slope. He reached the coyote before it could draw its weapon, separating its head from its body with a swift axe strike and crashing through the foliage it had hid in like a freight train.

It seemed like an unwinnable situation, but Regner had an ace in his sleeve. Earlier that day his scouts had come to him with news of a system of caves, leading away from the site of the camp for many miles, the entrance protected by a river.

Regenr stifled himself from letting loose a cry of triumph as the river came into view and launched himself into the water. Instantly the water turned pink with blood from his wound and fur but he pressed on, wading through the water and slipping inside the barely visible outcropping in the rocks on the far side, letting the river wash away any trace of his passing.

Once inside Regner collapsed onto the sandy ground. The tunnel was tiny, just big enough for Regner to squeeze through in Lupus form and the large dog reacted accordingly, shifting to his smallest form. Between the change in his body chemistry from the shift and his adrenaline wearing off Regner was really beginning to feel the pain in his leg and collapsed to the floor whining, injured leg splayed out awkwardly.

"Adelle, are you okay?" He called out wearily into the darkness.

Image courtesy of UmbraDeNoapte-Stock

Adelle Vilhelmsen · 01-29-2012, 03:50 PM

The rough rhythm of her grandpa's breath filled Adelle's ears. Scared, she crouched deep into the blanket. Everything was wrong. She didn't hear anyone else around them, just some distant yelps of pain. They echoed in her ears. Normally that wouldn't frighten her, used to battle, but the cries were always followed by a horrible crying noise, thin and wavering. Something was there, and it would hurt her. When Grandpa came barging in she hadn't thought much of it, relieved to see him standing there, strong and proud. Wrapped in the blanket they had rushed out, the destruction of the camp far behind.

Splashing of water reached her ears, and she squirmed to see what was happening. Her tiny nose stuck outside, sniffing the cold air. Water raged all around them, turning pink as it passed them by. On the far side Grandpa dropped to the ground. Adelle whined softly, worried for him. He shifted though, and managed to push them further into the cave before collapsing. Crawling out of the blanket Adelle curled up next to Grandpa, giving his body a soft lick. Yes. When Ma and Da coming? She looked up expectantly, waiting for the man who always seemed to have the fix for everything to speak.

Regner Vilhelmsen · 02-02-2012, 06:06 PM

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Regner Vilhelmsen

Check my vitals signs and know i'm still alive

Word Count :: 385 Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.

Coppery eyes stared blindly out into the darkness, searching vainly for the face of his granddaughter. When Adelle came forward to lick him he responded in kind, tounge racing over her body frantically before he simply buried his nose in the puppy's soft fur. As long as Adelle was here his family wasn't dead, he still had her, Regner repeated the though to himself like a mantra as he breathed in the water dulled scent of what might well be his last surviving family member.

Regner physically flinched when Adelle asked about her parents, despite his relief at the confirmation of her good health. Both of them were dead; Regner had seen Alicia felled by an arrow as she had tried to drag one of the wounded to safety and while Regner hadn’t seen his eldest son's demise the entire camp had heard the howl of pain and defiance that had been his son's final words. Emotions warred within Regner as he fought with himself over what to say; this was far from an appropriate time to tell Adelle of her parent's deaths, he needed the puppy to be cooperative and focused, not stricken by grief.

But on the other hand blatantly lying to a puppy went against Regner's grain, no matter how much the truth would upset her. Unable to quell the internal conflict Regner answered weakly, "I don’t know."

There was silence for a while from the elderly hybrid before he withdrew his nose from Adelle's fur, giving her one last lick, "C'mon, we need to get moving." Pain blazed in Regner's injured leg as he forced himself up from the floor but he ignored it, focused on his task and survival. His clothing stretched and pinched uncomfortably as he moved but didn’t impede his movement that much; Broderskab clothing was designed as such and the worst that would happen was that his cloak might need washing.

"Will you be okay walking?" Regner asked, managing to regain some of the decorum in his voice. Adelle wouldn’t be expected to walk all the time, the puppy was far from suited for long journeys, but for now Regner was tired and injured; the puppy would have to pull her own weight for a short while.

Shadow-veiled face set grimly Regner limped into the shadows.

Image courtesy of UmbraDeNoapte-Stock

Adelle Vilhelmsen · 02-03-2012, 12:54 PM

Adelle stood still as frantic licks washed over her body. A descendant of warriors, Adelle already had stopped complaining about such things, though she didn't hold still for it, fidgeting around as the giant tongue washed over her, soaking her face with slobber. Despite her effort a small whine escaped her, though she quickly cut it off. She was tough, just like her grandpa. His nose buried into her fur, and Adelle happily nuzzled in, enjoying having him to herself. He was always busy running pack stuff, though he still took time to see the family. It did mean that time with Grandpa was a treat for the small pup though.

His answer wasn't one she'd expected. Adelle's eyes widened with surprise as she was told her grandpa didn't actually know the answer to something. He always knew everything though. Another lick was given before Grandpa stood up shakily. She could smell blood on him, and it worried the little pup. He seemed fine standing up though. Her tail gave a small wag as he addressed her. I can. This was a chance to be a warrior like Grandpa. If it was asked of her, Adelle would do her best. She followed him further into the cave the best she could, soft puppy paws bracing against the hardness. They had only been walking for an hour or so before her paws began to complain, aching. Adelle didn't slow down though, determined to swallow her pain and be tough like it was asked. Another few feet was all she could take though before she sat down, whimpering a little.

Regner Vilhelmsen · 02-06-2012, 06:59 PM

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Regner Vilhelmsen

Check my vitals signs and know i'm still alive

Word Count :: 227 Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.

The dark tunnel stretched out before Regner endlessly, not a single speck of light penetrating the darkness. In his mind Regner knew this was because of a complex series of twists just before the end but he couldn’t stop his subconscious from conjuring up old fears and superstitions. To counter this he had given up on trying to see and closed his eyes, manoeuvring solely by smell and the brushing of his fur on the rocky falls.

The darkness wasn't the only thing impeding Regner's progress. While the soft, sandy floor of the tunnel was pleasant on his foot-pads it was deep and loosely packed enough to slip and slide under his feet, making it difficult and painful to keep balance with his injured leg. Still Regner kept moving forwards.

A soft impact and a whimper indicated that Adelle had stopped moving. While he was old and his body decayed Regner's ears were as sharp as ever and he homed in on the noise, his nose lightly bumping somewhere on Adelle's body before he drew back a bit, giving the puppy a comforting lick. "What's wrong Adelle, are you injured?" Regner fretted over the puppy best he could in the darkness, a worried whine escaping his throat. He didn’t think that Adelle was injured but he hadn't had a chance to actually check her over when leaving.

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Adelle Vilhelmsen · 02-06-2012, 07:27 PM

Grandpa quickly spun around, returning to where the puppy sat. Adelle let out another small whimper as she was licked comfortingly. Paws hurt. She was nuzzled, checked over. Adelle stood still, not wanting to move as it would hurt her feet even more. In the air she could smell blood. Adelle knew it wasn't hers, having stopped before her feet began to bleed. A worried whine escaped Grandpa, and Adelle realized she wasn't being very good. Grandpa couldn't worry now. They had to travel.

Carefully Adelle stood back up, flinching slightly as her paws began to bear her full weight once more. Bravely she wagged her tail before stepping forward, licking her grandpa's cheek. You fixed it! Adelle's tail wagged happily as she took some steps forward, the aches shooting up her feet. She wouldn't give up though. She was going to be a warrior, and that meant being tough. Adelle reached into the reserve of power her breed was known for holding, and took a deep breath. She would be powerful. Adelle took another step forward, bumping into his leg.

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