Badges of honour
#1
+300[html]

Artie!


There was still pain in the deep lines across his shoulder as the skin pulled taunt with each step. With gritted teeth the deep brown wolf tolerated the pain. The first weeks had been unbearable for the young male. Unable to hunt he was without purpose and had become nothing but a burden on the pack. Now at least he was able to move about on his own, so long as he was careful not to pull open the deep the wounds. Deep, cruel lines that would forever mark his body, but he still had his mother and that made it all worth the sacrifice.

The few steps leading down from the porch of Haven Manor forced the stubborn wolf to carry his injured left leg as he took the steps one at time. Even still the jarring motion of descending each step caused him to cringe as pain radiated from deep lines across his shoulder and chest. The lines across his face had not been quite so deep and had healed a little faster though they were still scab covered lines. Two leading down over his left eye, and a third cut under his eye and across his cheek. There was still some swelling around his eye, but his vision had cleared, though slightly obscured with the swollen upper eyelid.

The cold, fresh air felt good in his lungs and Cypress eagerly left the manor behind him. Making his way towards the lake shore with a slow limping gate. The waters were had frozen solid in winters hold, but even without its rippling surface the view of the lake brought him some peace of mind. Cypress found a nice spot to lay in the sun and made himself comfortable as he looked out over the lake. He knew he was not the only one to frequent the shores of Rabbit lake and he wondered if she would be out today as well.

<style type="text/css">
.cypl2 b {font-weight:bold; color:#858b4d; letter-spacing:1px;}
.cypl2 .ooc { font-style:italic; padding:0px; font-family:verdana, sans-serif; font-size:11px;}
.cypl2 p {text-indent:25px; padding:5px 10px; margin:0px;}
.cypl2 {margin:0px auto; width:480px; background-color:#e7e1d2; background-image:url(http://i55.tinypic.com/28u07zo.jpg); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; border:1px solid #000000; padding: 180px 0px 5px 0px; font-family: georgia, sans-serif; font-size:12px; color:#86806d; line-height:16px; letter-spacing:.5px; text-align:justify;}
</style>[/html]
#2
[html]

Sorry for the wait :c 300+


It was not that she was intentionally avoiding Cypress or the rest of the pack, but she had been wrapped up in learning everything she could about medicine from books that she was unfortunately unaware of anything that was happening in the pack lately. That was nothing abnormal for her, though; the young Italian female often kept to herself for periods of time that others might find uncomfortable, and with something to focus her energy on, it was even easier to lose track of the days. There were times when she forgot to eat, even, and found herself hunting late into the night when the smallest noises startled her and the prey she might have found otherwise.

Her body craved the sunshine and it drove Artemis out of the manor for the first time all day, the bright rays blinding her momentarily as she stepped outside, her scarf wrapped loosely around her neck and the cold wind ruffling the waves of her thick mane. Her feet needed no prompting; they began travelling in the direction of the lake before she even realized it, so accustomed to the walk was her body and mind that it was second-nature. The shore was not unoccupied, though. A smile played at her lips; perhaps she had secretly been hoping he would be there, as well.

"Hey," she called out as she approach, accented tones light and airy. As she stepped closer, though, she noticed the wounds. She quickly lowered herself, kneeling beside him. "Are you okay? What happened?" How could she not have known that something had happened to him? These injuries were not brand new, some healing already completed. Worried blue gaze did not look out at the water as it might have done normally, instead focused solely on her friend for his answer.

<style type="text/css">
.missatrans001 b {font-weight:bold; color:#000000; letter-spacing:1px; }
.missatrans001 .ooc { font-style:italic; padding:0px; font-family:verdana, sans-serif; font-size:11px;}
.missatrans001 p {text-indent:25px; padding:5px 10px; margin:0px;}
.missatrans001 {margin:0px auto; width:450px; background-color:none; background-image:url(http://i692.photobucket.com/albums/vv28 ... cstars.png); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; border:none; padding: 15px 0px 15px 0px; font-family: georgia, sans-serif; font-size:12px; line-height:12px; letter-spacing:.5px; text-align:justify;}
</style>
[/html]
#3
500+[html]

no idea where the length came from :x wtf


This winter had been much different that the first that Cypress had ever known. Around this time last year they had been nearly buried alive in late winter snows. The temperatures too, had seemed far harsher than what they had experienced previously. He had been told that it had been a rather severe winter, something outside of the norm. This year had proven that to be true enough with rather mild temperatures and only a few light snows. Few of the winter storms had left more than a covering of a few inches and light dusting that last for but one day had been the most frequent. Little did Cypress know that he had likely experienced the harshest, and then the mildest winters he would know back to back. He had no concept of what a ‘normal’ winter should be like.

While it was milder that it could have been, the cold winter air still had a habit of making the healing muscle of his shoulder stiff and tense, but as he laid out in the sun it didn't take long for it's rays to warm the dark hues of his pelt. The warmth spread over him as it penetrated through the thick winter pelt and warmed the flesh and bone that lay beneath it. The dull ache brought on by the cold weather soon subsided and Cypress heaved a content sigh. He wondered if his body would always be plagued by such pains. Perhaps if he had been an older wolf, such would be the case, but as it were in time the pain would more than likely fade to nothing more than a memory.

It was the quite padding of foot steps that Cypress heard first, though he paid them little mind. His dark tail thumped heavily against the ground as the feminine tones reached his ears, instantly recognizing the voice of his closest friend, aside from his own brother. ”Hey, yourself.” He called back, a large grin on his face. He hadn’t seen much of the silvery Marino lately and had been about to ask her how she was doing when her face suddenly twisted into a look of worry. Cypress brow furrowed in mild confusion. Surely he had seen her since the hunt that had lead to his injuries. Hadn’t he? The first few days, weeks even, had been hard to recall clearly. Considering he had done little but sleep and heal. Admittedly he had been denned up in his room the majority of the time since so perhaps it had truly been that long since he had last seen her. He made a mental note to make a little more effort to see her a little more often.

”I’m fine. Thanks to your sisters, at least.” He said with that same silly grin on his face. It was true though. If it wasn’t for Cambria, and likely Amata as well, his shoulder may have never healed. No properly, anyways. ”A cougar came after mom and I while we were hunting. Luckily it didn’t like the way I tasted.” His injuries were well enough now that he could start to find some humor in it all. If he could laugh about it, then perhaps it would distract him for the fact that it had left him scared for life.

<style type="text/css">
.cypl2 b {font-weight:bold; color:#858b4d; letter-spacing:1px;}
.cypl2 .ooc { font-style:italic; padding:0px; font-family:verdana, sans-serif; font-size:11px;}
.cypl2 p {text-indent:25px; padding:5px 10px; margin:0px;}
.cypl2 {margin:0px auto; width:480px; background-color:#e7e1d2; background-image:url(http://i55.tinypic.com/28u07zo.jpg); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; border:1px solid #000000; padding: 180px 0px 5px 0px; font-family: georgia, sans-serif; font-size:12px; color:#86806d; line-height:16px; letter-spacing:.5px; text-align:justify;}
</style>[/html]


Forum Jump: