Wolf RPG

It was the early evening when he had set off from his den, this time on a mission of sorts. It was half from Harlyn with the simple pretense of taking some herbs and spared meat, but also to sate whatever concerns he had of his own. The cougar had torn through their ranks repeatedly now, and the bitter taste that was in his mouth was not from the herbs he carried gingerly along. It soured his stomach, and that feeling did not ebb away until he was met with the acrid scent of wherever it was that @Shikoba had been housed.

His steps were slow and careful as he drew near, a questioning whine proceeding him. He had no particular idea of just how she would receive him, though any passing interaction they had before such a tumultuous event had been good. The pups had liked her and in turn, Mordecai felt a certain kinship as well to the wolf who had risen steadily in their ranks. But now? He only had a stark reminder of how changed they had all been by that cougar.

And so he lingered, waiting through thick seconds for a reply.

Fingertips of rose painted the sky with grace as the sun emerged from the endless night. Stars faded as light poked through the entrance of Shikoba's den. How she arrived to the den was unknown to her, but all she knew was that she was home and safe. Her injuries were a bit more swollen today, but the bleeding had at least stopped. However, the scent of blood and flesh was still evident in the air, her nose crinkling.

Her eyes struggled to crack themselves open, dried tears had crusted them shut along with dried blood. They broke the barrier softly, letting the much desired sunlight warm her irises. Her nose, despite smelling blood, welcomed the scent of the hollow. 

Her ears swiveled forward as she heard a noise nearby. It was a voice she knew, Mordecai. Her alpha was near, and he would see her in the state she was in. She looked down in shame at herself, she promised to be a warrior but instead she came home as a broken animal.

His paws were hard to hear, but they were at least welcomed. She had to salivate her mouth to make it moist enough to speak, or at least make any kind of noise. Mustering up her strength, she let out a quiet chuff, then a whine. They were sounds that welcomed him in, though Shikoba felt guilty for him seeing her in the state she was in.

It did not take long to get a reply but it was what he had hoped for; it gave him reason to bridge the gap between them then. Seeing her in the state that she was in was however, not entirely what he had expected. Where his own wounds were grizzled and healed by the dragging winter, hers were far and obviously fresher. Perhaps even more pressing to him was the way her body bowed, though he did not differentiate whether this was out guilt or shame, or even a mixture of both. His gaze did not linger on her long however, if only caught up in the actions of presenting the mess of meat and herbs at her feet. He nudged them closer.

"Eat," was all he said at first. It seemed utterly pointless to ask how she was doing when it was obvious. She was in pain, defeated much in the same way they had all been. But the food and the herbs that had long been stuck to them—no doubt attributed to the fact that he had carried it there in his mouth—would do her good. Or at least that was all he could hope for right now.

His entrance was quiet, though the herbs and meat within his jaws brought   Shikoba's attention up. He was looking at her, but it didn't last. He set down both near her paws, nudging them closer with the word 'eat' falling from his lips.

She felt her stomach do flips, warning her that it would let everything come up if she ate. It was not only her stomach telling her not to eat, but her own mind. She felt as if she didn't deserve any kind of treatment or food. She failed her one job, she didn't deserve anything.

She reluctantly lowered her head to take the herbs, but she avoided the meat. Swallowing dryly, she wished to keep the herbs down. Her stomach protested more, close to filling her checks with acid. But she swallowed more, keeping it down. The taste didn't bother her, she couldn't taste anything for the moment.

She sucked back to her original position, though she bowed her head in thanks to Mordecai for bringing her the herbs.

He pulled away as she reached out for the offering, slinking back from whence he came in part to let her have her peace. Not that he wanted any particular thing doing with the herbs that went with it to begin with, but the action was all systematic by default. He did however take study of how she opted to be choosy, pulling the dried out greenery from the chewy chunk; Mordecai remained oblivious of the fact that perhaps she did not want the meat to go with it at all.

"Harlyn said the herbs will help with the pain," he went on to say. It seemed to him that Shiboka had at least been lucky to get out. Banged up and weary no doubt, but at least she seemed to have all her toes and limbs. "She'll be by to check you over for herself again too." And probably ensure that nothing had managed to fester and tear along the way, something that he couldn't entirely tell on his own, and if he could spot it too easily then it was probably safe to suggest things were far worse than the beginning.

His words were reassuring to Shikoba's ears, the greenery that she consumed was to deal with the pain. She nodded slowly, happy to hear the news. Mordecai continued on, explaining how Harlyn would come over again to check Shikoba over herself. Again she nodded, hoping the news about her condition would be good.

Her eyes looked down to the meat near her paws, her stomach wanting to consume it. The acid had crawled down from her throat and settled down into her stomach. She quietly picked the meat up, then set it back to Mordecai's paws.

She could not eat. She did not deserve to be treated like a patient by the alphas. She sucked back into her original position, though the claw marks were more evident to her onlooker's point of view.

Mordecai eat. Shikoba does not deserve meat.

His ears splayed to their respective sides when she chose to return the meat, and a quizzical expression cut through the stoicism that had long become his mask. It did not last, for when she spoke his brow furrowed—at least as best as a wolf could manage, perhaps—and a darkness of a sort bloomed in his solitary gaze. It may as well have been a painful reminder of how Luke had come to him when he had been the one lying battered and he could not help but spare a passing wonder of how strange it felt to be once again on the receiving end of such an emotion.

But it too passed and quickly, nary a second wasted as he shook his head. "No, you need your strength." Mordecai could also not help but consider the possibility that maybe the aboriginal she-wolf did not understand, but it was too quickly discarded; her body language, her tone, even the palpable emotion was crystal clear.

"The meat will help, like the herbs," he went on, as though it needed trying again.

His expression showed one of befuddlement, confusion of her actions. The native waited to see her superior eat, but he was quick to reassure her that she needed it more. Food meant strength, strength meant survival. She wanted to live, yes. But live with shame? 

Mordecai continued to tell her to eat, he even told her that the meat would help as if it was greenery. Shikoba wasn't really buying it, but her stomach gave a loud whale call of protest. She placed her paw close to her belly, almost trying to erase the noise it made. However, she gave in, but not before giving him another bow of the head in thanks.

She was able to bring the meat closer to herself, slowly picking up bits and pieces to consume. She couldn't eat quick, her jaw was sore. She swallowed them down though, surprised that her stomach was at least content with it. Main pieces were still left untouched, she felt as if Mordecai deserved them.

Share with Shikoba then, Shikoba can't eat lot she replied to him, her voice quiet raspy and dry. Sharing was caring at least, Shikoba felt the need to at least show more thanks than just her words.

And it would have seemed that it did not take much to get her to cave in and partake. He found himself thankful for that minor note, though there was a long road ahead of her yet. Of her wounds he found her shoulder the most worrying; it was purely from a standpoint of necessity. A bum shoulder meant a lot of things for a wolf and if it was one thing their numbers would need as the weather continued to warm it was able hunters. They needed their guardians, though as it were Mordecai knew that their numbers were poor shape to hold such a sweeping sprawl. His own patrols had been cut effectively, though they had diminished with winter's end to begin with.

He let her take some of her own fill before stepping in to tear it apart better. He tried to distribute it evenly but that was a task left better for a better and more precise mouth. He was not a picky eater in the slightest, and what he took was consumed readily. Mordecai was no nursemaid either; his bedside manners could have probably done with some lightening up with the way he once again nudged forth what he didn't take.

"Save it for later if you don't want it now," he suggested.

After taking small bits and pieces, her jaw still throbbed a bit, but Mordecai seemed to be getting the picture. He stepped forward, at first Shikoba thought he was going to eat, but instead he tore the meat into somewhat even pieces. They weren't perfect, though Shikoba didn't mind.

His suggestion made the native nod her head. She could eat later, probably when he left. She let out a breath before looking towards the entrance, hoping to see the virgin white hair of the little Ishi. He needed to come home, one way or another.

She returned her gaze to Mordecai, her eyes avoiding his but showing direction towards him. Shikoba must find Ishi. Ishi with cat, not safe.

Where he thought their conversation was coming to an end, he instead got to feel the sucker punch experience again of how Shikoba had come to gain her injures. He only had the bits and pieces to it, no doubt passed to him by his mate. But the fact that it had taken one of their own, perhaps even multiple for all he knew as their numbers thinned, only served to rub salt in their wounds. He tensed for a moment, mouth open as though his intent to reply was coming and yet nothing came. If that particular little ball of fluff was with the cat, Mordecai did not think his odds were good.

His head bowed for a moment, before a noisy exhale pushed him into relaxing.

"We'll find him, soon," he said. "But you need your strength, first. You need to rest," and those words he doubted would placate her. For Ayishik's sake, he could only hope that if he was still alive that he would be smart enough to stay that way. The cougar's presence was never something that Mordecai had taken lightly; the gravity of the situation was not lost on him, even if he was amiss as to what more they could do.

She stayed quiet as she listened to Mordecai. His words didn't ease her mind very much, but it was enough to make her silent. Ishi would return, hopefully soon and unscathed. The alpha was right though, The native woman would need her rest to rescue the white one.

Nodding her head, she turned to her shoulder to examine it, leaving her scarred forehead exposed. It didn't look like there was any infection festering in it, but she feared how she would heal. Could she still use her shoulder right? Could she still see perfectly through both eyes? It was still unknown to her, she was afraid to ask how she looked.

Do... Shikoba's eyes look okay? She asked, fear almost tangling into her raspy voice. She feared the worst about losing eye sight. If she could not see, what warrior or hunter was she?

She did not contest his instructions, much to his surprise. Perhaps she was simply too weary to dredge up the energy needed to get her point across, or perhaps his words had been enough to settle her. For whatever necessity she felt to go and rescue Ayishik, Mordecai was inclined to believe there was none. Their pack had faltered severely with the change of the season, the cougar no doubt in his mind a catalyst that had served to exacerbate things. As she examined her own wounds in the silent moments that passed between them, Mordecai could not avoid zoning out himself, wondering whether or not they still had a chance to thrive.

Her question drew him quickly out of that place however, and he drew focus to her features. "I'd say you look a lot better than I do," he assessed, the notched side of lip twitching into a brief, faint smile. Maybe one side of her head seemed better than another, but he was not versed in whether or not that was a good thing. With him, there had been no contest how bad his damage was and even all that time later, he was still paying for it. But the compensation of lost sight did not slow him as greatly now, or so he thought.

"How are you feeling, though? Is there anything I should tell Harlyn?"

Her question was answered with humor, the faint and ghostly smile that graced Mordecai's lips made Shikoba try to mirror it. It was small, but proudly shown.

Her own thoughts began to run around her brain. The numbers were dwindling of Lost Creek Hollow, and Shikoba was not about to give up her home to some damned hell cat. The cat would die in her jaws, she was sure of that.

Her mirderois thoughts began to shut down as Mordecai spoke again. His questions made her pay attention, she thought before speaking. Pain everywhere, Shikoba survive though. 

She paused to catch a breath.

Tell Harlyn Shikoba's thanks.

He anticipated that she would still be in pain. That was the unavoidable part. He hoped the pain she was in was minor compared to what had been his own, and would not linger as his was prone to do. His bobbed in agreement when she said she would survive — that she would if Harlyn had any say in it. After all, she had kept Mordecai from death's door, among others.

"You're welcome," was all he could offer then, sensing the inevitable close to their meeting. Shikoba needed her rest, just as much as he needed to lay an eye on her and see how she was fairing. Rising to his feet, he bumped his nose against her muzzle in farewell before opting to return to his mate and children.

Seeing that their conversation was growing dim and closing, Shikoba was relieved that Mordecai was going to excuse himself rather than her asking him to leave. He gave her his dismissal, a bump of his nose to her muzzle before departing. She bowed her head to him, soon watching him leave.

The native, filled with silence and peace, turned to lay down and shut her eyes. She drifted off into a slumber, one that would bring great pain and peace.