Asmodai trod noisily over the rocky shore, enjoying one of the three beaches that he had so far discovered. Iskata hadn't been lying...there were many of them for him to enjoy, and each was pleasantly unique, with its own quirks setting it apart from the rest. The forests were enjoyable also, as well as well as the human ruin...and day by day he was experiencing a dawning realization that he was probably a loner by nature, and that his life up to this point had simply denied him that preference. If he returned back to where he'd come from, he would need to make a point to take some time for himself between his duties.
His fingers ran idly over the scars along his belly, and his thoughts latched onto those upraised marks, remembering just how he'd earned them. Those had been very different times, taxing times just like these, but in a much different way. Growing up was hard for everyone, though he doubted that the harshness of those early trials could be seen as clearly on others as they were on him. He was proud that he had moved beyond what he had been before, and glad to have been accepted into the fold. He had excelled in the family practice, as had been his father's hope, and had grown stronger than the one who had inflicted the wounds on his belly, which had been his own aspiration. Finally, he had returned the favor, but checked his own claws when the time came for revenge. In doing this, he placed himself above the one who had scarred him, and became prominent among the wolves of his generation. He had never felt it to be the wrong choice.
She had no damn clue how in the hell she'd managed to reach the shoreline, she wasn't even sure why she'd come to the shoreline instead of search out her own cottage, but she was tired and annoyed. She'd left a few marks on the bastard that had attacked her but he'd done just the same to her in turn. She was limping heavily, having a hard time putting any pressure on the foreleg that the male had sunk his fangs into. She knew that it wasn't broken, but she doubted that mattered as deep as his fangs had ran into her muscle. The silver and gold lady snarled angerly at herself and dropped down in the sands, too tired to go any farther.
She sat there in a jumble in the sand staring at the waves before her as the soft lulling sound washed over her, relaxing the aches and pains of the battle and the tired feeling in her soul. She knew this would have to end one day, some day but she wasn't for certain how or when. She shook her head silently and closed her eyes, knowing it would be a stupid idea to sleep, but there was nothing else that sounded good at the moment.
A familiar scent intermingled with the brine and sand in his nose, and Asmodai cast out his gaze to spy the white lady he had met in the forest. Seeing her lay down along the shoreline, he began to walk sedately over to her. As he neared, he noticed injuries, and sped himself up to a trot, and then a run just before he actually reached her. She had been bitten badly on the foreleg, and was bleeding from a few other locations. Taking his bag from his shoulders, he placed it beside him and began to take out an assortment of tools that he would need to fix her up.
"Greetings, white lady. It would appear that perhaps the residents here aren't that friendly after all, or perhaps you had a run in with the coyotes? You'll have to tell me as I close you up." Taking out a waterskin from the side of his pack, he poured a yellowish fluid into her wound. The smell of alcohol permeated through the air. It would sting, but he wanted the wound to disinfect before he moved on. Mashing up an herb within a mortar and pestle, he was moving hastily along, with a speed and familiarity that only extensive experience could bring.
"I do hope you don't mind if I go ahead and tend your wounds, Iskata," he said as more of a statement than a question, not slowing down. If he kept along at this rate, the entire process would be done very quickly. The compositae in the bowl would soon serve to anesthetize the area where he intended to stitch, provided she didn't resist his ministrations.
When the approaching footfall caught her ears all she could manage was a weak growl, but when the scent caught her attention and she heard the voice her heckles fell and she sighed softly. She opened one eye and gazed at the male while she grumbled a reply. "I let my temper get the best of me.. and a coyote to boot." She tried to smile but gave up as the pain seemed to overrid even attempting to even have a remote bit of humor. She shook her head sadly and admitted, "I attacked their leader.. he tried to kill my nephew, and as much as I know he's done wrong I couldn't see it done at the hands of the clan.." She closed her eyes as a yelp escaped her lips as the fiery liquid burned, shooting pains up her foreleg as she gritted her teeth.
A shudder ran down her spine as she shook her head, finally realizing the words the male spoke as her mind cleared from the pain and she raised her eyes up to look at the male. "Thank you Asmodai, you didn't have to you know." She was use to the help of those she knew, but an almost stranger just dropping all to help her was something she'd rarely witnessed. She shouldn't be surprised, she'd done the same in the past, who was to say that all strangers were dangerous.. though she also knew she was a hypocrite there. She turned the thoughts aside and let the male do his duties while she tried to keep the pain at bay.
Nodding at her words, he began to apply the herbal mush to her wound using the clay utensil he had crushed it with, knowing the substance wound numb the area for only a few minutes...still enough time for him to do what was required. Producing a bone needle which he had already threaded with gut thread, he immediately set to piercing her flesh with deft and deliberate motions. The speed with which this process was completed suggested great experience, and perhaps experience with rougher types, as it was not the gentlest of methods, though it did mean the process was over quickly, well within the time permitted by the numbing substance.
"Few people want to see a family member killed. It just sounds like you were doing what came naturally." He sat back and studied his work briefly, making certain it was adequate before putting his remaining thread back into his pack. "There. The stitches will hurt here in a minute or two, let me know once the gunk wears off if you need a pain killer." He had enough of the anesthetic herb concoction to use on a few more wounds, but not enough to keep one wound constantly pain-free. He could provide her with something else if she needed it.
"Well, after you were so polite to me, how could I do anything else?" More pleasant talk. He didn't say the misleading words with disdain in his heart, he liked the sound of them, but he knew deep down that what he said now was not congruent with his thoughts or his past behaviors. He liked this act, but it made him wonder about many things.
She lay there still, like a limp ragdoll that a child had thrown aside after a long day of play, except she wasn't a dolly and she had not enjoyed the games they'd been playing this day. When the blessed numbness began to take over as she felt Asmodai spread the herbs over her wounds she opened her eyes and gazed at the male quietly. She hadn't expected to see the needle and thread that he'd pulled out next and her eyes narrowed as she watched him begin to get ready to sew her up.
She growled softly as he began to stitch her up, her nails scrapping weakly against the soft sands as she gritted her teeth against what she knew had to be painful though she couldn't feel it at all. The words the male registered in her mind though she had to concentrate hard to actually listen to them. When the work was done and he began to put up her things she smiled slightly, "I never should have intervened.. I knew better, but I've always been told I cared too deeply for my family, even when they didn't." She rolled over slowly to where she was sitting up slightly and turned her eyes back to the large shifter. For a moment she didn't know what to say or do anymore, there wasn't really anyway to explain why she did the things she did, sometimes she didn't even know.
The pulp had begun to lose it's magic as she sat there silently for a few moments, she winced slightly but tried to ignore the pain, it wasn't anything more than what it had been before he'd actually begun to sew up the wounds. She tilted her head back and grinned sheepishly at Asmodai as she spoke. "There's many who would have done otherwise, no matter how kind they believed me to be." She began to lick at the dried blood on her leg as she watched him, stopping for a moment as she stated again. "Thank you, really." she owed him more than she could say, words alone weren't enough.
"It really isn't a problem. You showed kindness to me, and I showed kindness to you. Reciprocation is common, I haven't gone terribly out of my way or anything." It was true. The supplies he had used up he had the knowledge to replace, and the whole process hadn't taken more than a few minutes. She wasn't imposing on him, certainly he would have been more put out if he'd seen her in need and then been bothered later for not helping.
Or is that true? he caught himself thinking. There had been others that he'd turned his back on, and didn't lose sleep at night. Varn and Muaru had been beyond help, he knew that, and so felt no guilt at the fact that he had taken Soro and fled the scene. They had run into weary travelers in need of aid, and done nothing to assist them. They had chosen to remain uninvolved in situations that they could have easily resolved, chose to leave the strong in power even when they were cruel and could have easily been overthrown. They had met with many people...he had made the personal decision in many cases to leave people and places as they were. If the legends were true...was it possible that the man he hunted was his complete opposite of himself? Or were his own mind and past actions asynchronous...?
"Let me walk you home...where do you live, Iskata? You don't have a pack smell on you, so I won't be able to find it without your help." His body was big and strong, and her leg was weakened and stitched. He would carry her, provided she would allow it, though he suspected she might have too much pride for that.
She smiled weakly at the words of the stranger. They seemed almost normal, that others actually could and did care for strangers and friends alike. It seemed that somehow the two of them had crossed the line between the two and were somewhere in the middle. Friends and strangers. She sortof liked that idea, or maybe it was the lack of blood that was muddling her mind. Whatever it was the idea made her smile. "Would you have, gone out of your way.." she asked as she let her eyes close again. It was a stupid question and sometimes even the truth spoke at one time could change in the future, but the words he said seemed so close to home.
In the moments of silence she sighed and rubbed her check against her good foreleg as she caught the words that dropped from above. She gazed up at Asmodai as she pieced the words together. She hadn't really realized it but she'd seemed to have fallen into some sort of delayed shock from the deeds she'd done in the day's span. She shook her head to clear the thoughts as she smiled wearily. "This is my home Asmodai.." she said softly with a trickle of laughter as she stared off down the beach as she attempted to gather her feet under her to stand. Stumbling to her feet she gritted her teeth against the pain and stood on her three good legss as her mucles twitched and trembled.
Sighing softly she shook her head and gazed up the beach. Near the old dock.. there's a path.. it leads to an old dirt road.." She hadn't really ever shown anyone her home except Deuce and here she was being walked home by another to her secret retreat, yet even in her dreams she knew it wouldn't remain a secret for long, when the stars fell place the home would be her haven and where the pack could find her. "It's right at the start of the road.." She suddenly shook her head and laughed. "I don't even know what in the hell I was thinking.. seriously." She figured she had in someway deserved the wounds she'd been granted but she wouldn't really admit that to anyone, atleast not at this moment.
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