Return of the Wounded
#1
Early morning of the 21st


All throughout the night he had carried on, through the darkness and the danger, without thought for his weary body or his aching wounds. What kept him plodding slowly onwards with only Artan to guide him his way was the bottle of clear amber liquid from which he occasionally took a swallow. It clouded his mind and made him feel fuzzy but it also motivated him to move, to keep going where he might have stopped and made a camp for the night. The stallion beside him was tired too, his head held low as he took step after step, wanting to get his master home safely, knowing he was unable to do so himself.

Only when he crossed the home borders did he put away his drink although the stench of it and many other nights spent consuming it clung to him like a scented glue. Once vibrant eyes were dull and lifeless as the drink stole away his rose tinted glasses and he saw his world for what it was with total clarity. His own mother had rejected him and worse she had physically attacked him, that kind of shock had left a scar on his heart much deeper than any could on his body.

His slow plodding gate soon brought him to the stables where he drunkenly unpacked Artan's saddle bags, removing his tack too and managed to put away his makeshift saddle and reigns. He stumbled though as he carried fresh water to the stallion's stable and ended up spilling some on himself although he did not care at all. He took the three saddle packs full of dried meat and deposited them in the storage room where they kept the rest of their food put aside for lean times. Then with his tasks complete he fell asleep against the wall of the stable, the stitches pulling uncomfortable against his skin.
#2
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505
Out of Character text


Even after a week of living here it still felt weird living by herself. It wasn’t that Keldava disliked her house - the attic room she spent most her time in was actually quite cosy with a fire going and the amount of soft furs piled in there and the other rooms were slowly getting less eerie as Keldava started to fill them up – but Keldava had grown up with her entire family around her. The quiet of her house, usually silent save for her own breathing and the crackling of the attic fireplace, was calming, yes, but also something that required getting used to.


As such Keldava was rising early at the moment, forsaking her soft bed or furs to get out and about into the outside world where it was a little noisier. This particular morning she was just padding quietly around Thornbury as though on patrol, though with her right hand still unusable she would do little against any threat. Various thoughts occupied her mind as she walked, her still burning anger at Jace, and relief at her reunion with ‘Gina chief among them.


After an hour of walking and reflecting Keldava was just about ready to head home and eat some of the deer she had been hoarding when the sound of hooves met her ears. Cautiously Keldava started to move towards the sound, left hand reaching down to draw the knife at hr thigh; Keldava wasn’t as steady with her left hand as she once had been with her right but she wasn’t bad. Slowy she crept over to the stables, hackles raised until she saw who it was and finally relaxed.


It had been a while, too long, since Keldava had last seen ‘Rin and for a few moments she was silent as she watched his sleeping figure, sheathing her knife so she didn’t give him a shock if he suddenly woke up.


The cut on Keldava’s face had scarred, but to her detriment, but compared to ‘Rin’s marks the thin pink like going down over her eye was nothing. ‘Rin’s face had been practically torn apart and Keldava couldn’t help but wince in sympathy as she looked at the marks, though with the disability to her hand Keldava hadn’t exactly come away light.


A sudden thought made her chuckle quietly. She and ‘Rin were almost like war veterans now with their own scars and aches and pains to complain about and compare, though it was no war that had given them to them. The thought was unusually light-hearted considering the content and Keldava’s recent mood but seeing her brother again had raised Keldava’s mood; even before ‘Rin had left the pack for a while he and ‘Dora were living too close to Jace for her to tolerate visiting for idle purposes, even the smell of her old home made her angry now.


Gently she knelt down in front of ‘Rin, reaching out and lightly shaking his shoulder with her good arm, ”Hey, ‘Rin. You alright?” she whispered quietly.



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#3
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OOC here!


Dalgina's adjustment wasn't as harsh. She slept curled up with Ovi, the warmth mimicking that of the heap of siblings she had grown up with. Taru and her pups lived just a short distance across, the comforting sounds of a family surrounding her. It wasn't her family, but Dalgina had suffered from a tremendous shock, and the chances of her ever growing close to her family again was slim. At least Keldava lived nearby. She slipped out of the house to go over and see her, but Keldava wasn't in the home.

She'd been sleeping in lupine form, so with her nose to the ground Dalgina followed the scent. Entering the stable Dalgina continued, pausing when Honrin's scent joined the mix. More cautiously now she followed, peeking around the corner. There was Honrin, his face ruined. The scars were so malicious it was hard to believe. She moved over slowly, nuzzling against Keldava before sitting down quietly, happy that her brother was there, fearful that he might attack. A silly fear, but lingering all the same.


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#4
His dreams would have been a scary thing to other normal people but Honrin was used to what his subconscious and the Shadows and Lights threw at him in a battle between evil and good. He always prevailed but sometimes the Shadows pulled him further into the darkness that he was comfortable with, it was always a struggle to free himself and this time he had fallen farther than he had ever before. They tormented his mind, using it as their own personal toy. In his sleep Honrin would appear fitful and twitch occasionally, his eyes rolling wildly underneath the shut lids, asleep he may be but at peace he was not.

As soon as Keldava touched his shoulder his eyes snapped open and the scars quickly setting in distorted in a gruesome flexing of the taut skin. His eyes burned in a way they would have never seen before, neither of the two Denahlii princesses. Affected by the alcohol as he was his pupils were of a tiny size creating the impression that they were lost in the incandescent golden glow. For a second would she, close as she was, be able to see the reflection of the shadowy orbs and spheres of light that were for his eyes only. A blink and they were gone. The white teenager shook his head, no he wasn't alright. Would this be the first time admitting to them that he was not fine, that something was wrong with him. He wouldn't normally worry them with concerns of his own but the booze fizzled his usually sharp mind.

The world spun around him, and he felt nausea rise within his stomach. This is what he got for drinking and traveling together. He swallowed heavily, holding back the contents of his stomach that threatened to make a reappearance. His large defeated eyes turned from one concerned face to the next,

"'Ava.. 'Gina." His voice was so much deeper than the last time they had seen him, the seemingly only good thing to come of his mutilation, the screaming had finally cracked his voice box and his tones had dropped several octaves creating an entirely new but not completely unfamiliar sound.
#5
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323
Out of Character text


Keldava smiled as the sweet scent of her black furred sister slipped into the stable a second before the wolf herself made her appearance. Keldava dropped her hand down, rubbing a knuckle against Gina’s ear as she nuzzled her.


Keldava’s smile soon turned to a grimace as Rin awoke and the thick stench of alcohol escaped from his mouth. Keldava’s sense of smell was strong and as much of an advantage that gave her most of the time, it also forced her to confront unpleasant smells all the more. Truth be told alcohol didn’t smell that bad the few times that Keldava had found some old human stuff while wandering - some tasted alright as well though the odd clear one had had hr gasping and spluttering – but encountering it like this, attached to the sprawling mess that was her brother, she couldn’t imagine any fouler smell.


Keldava whined unhappily when Rin shook his head indicating that he wasn’t okay. His distorted voice brought forth further worry and Keldava crept forwards, shoving her muzzle into his neck comfortingly even as she slipped an arm around to his back to support him as she hauled him to his feet. ”Cmon Rin, let’s get ya some fresh air.” she muttered as she tried to move him over to the entrance to the stables, hindered by his weight.


Keldava focused on the weight pushing against her back, on the pain blossoming in her right hand where it was trying to grip Rin’s side. She didn’t want to think about what she had been in his eyes when he had awoke. There was something wrong with Rin, deeper than simply getting drunk, but his physical safety mattered the most.


Keldava’s hand groped at her backside for the leather waterskin she often carried but came back empty; she had left it at home. Cursing she swung her eyes around to Gina. ”Gina, can ya find ‘im some water?”




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#6
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OOC here!


Keldava's soft contact was comforting, giving her the courage to remain where she was, looking at her worn brother. He didn't look very well. Was there something wrong? Dalgina leaned in closer for a sniff before jerking back. He woke up quickly, eyes snapping wide open. His eyes looked strange, glittering with many lights. It changed partly back to normal, no longer reflecting as much light as it had been, but still too wide, capturing too much. Why were his eyes like that? He smelled bad as well, and not a scent that she recognized. Dalgina hadn't been exposed to alcohol like her siblings had been.

His admittance to not being alright deepened her concern even more. Dalgina wasn't by any stretch a strong wolf. She was emotional, and flighty, and tended towards flights of fancy. Her family was strong though. It allowed her to be sheltered. Now she had to actually face the world, and grow up. She had to be strong for them now. Nodding her head she trotted out of the barn, happy that there was something she could do. There's a stream outback that the horses drink from.


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