this was it. he knew that as soon as he stepped foot into the woods. this was the place he stumbled upon just months ago. things were different then. he was confused, inexperienced. this time would be different. he would make this place a home.
after telling the group where he was heading, he had left a trail of markings for them to follow in case one fell behind or decided to come at a later date. the travel was easier than it had been before, now that he was healing. issun looked over his shoulder, hoping to see one of his companions on the horizon.
#1
Gods be damned, the girl snuck off. He was wounded, so was she, but man, fuck did he hurt. He had a limp, was half blind, ass was cold and stinging, face burned, and his lip was on bloody fire. The sheila bailed, and you know what? She could get stuffed. Wasn't worth his time, anyways. After all he had been through though, he didn't have anything to show for it.
He, more than likely, was gonna get booted from The Company.
And he wouldn't care. If they wanted to have a go at him too, they'd better kill his damned arse.
Stumbling through the woods, he had caught the trail of a few others. Or well, one was atleast fresher than the others. Maybe they'd help his forsaken ass out. Throwing his voice forward, the Aussie shark called to the one who just turned back to see him limping along, a dark smokey bloke.
"Aye, g'day - you mind takin' a peek at these? They ain't feelin too great."
at first he thought it was minori through those trees and his fur stood on end when he saw new scars littering her body. who did this to her? “minori!” he called as he rushed forward, “what happened to-”
he realized his mistake once the two were face to face. this wolf was too bulky to be his friend (lover? he didn’t know at this point). he wasn’t even a woman. “oh, sorry, i thought you were someone else.”
he took a moment to examine his wounds. they looked bad, they could get infected. “i wish i could help, but i don’t know anything when it comes to healing. maybe someone else from my group can help.” maybe takara knew a thing or two, she had always been more skilled in different fields. “i’m issun.”
Storm barked out a hearty laugh, the action not only painful but visually terrible as his fangs were bore unintentionally from the missing lip. "You had me convinced ya knew me- was gonna say ain't nothin 'mini' goin on here, mate." Storm began to lick his jowls, stopping in the start just to evade the pain. Man, this shit sucked.
"Good on ya; name's Storm. 'Stormy', should we eva' be parners in crime. Ain't mad at ya, I'm the one out in the middle 'a woop woop, man. Who ya taggin'?" He was interested in whatever band. Might offer a shack for him till he got back on his fours, cuz he was straight rooted, at the moment.
Revui did not know why he lingered by the dark tail-free boy, but he followed at a distance, unable to put aside his natural tendency to guard. Sometimes when he caught sight of Issun in his periphery he would think, Arcturus. Had he replaced his brother? That was a line of thought he didn't follow. So there he was, creeping along in the hulking manner that his goliath body required, until he smelled blood.
He burst upon the scene moments later, hearing the notes of stress in Issuns voice. Revui closed the distance and felt himself bristling, path arcing around Issuns until he intercepted him and was looking around for danger - at which point he saw the large wolf with fresh wounds. There were a mess of scents on him but none stronger than the blood; the boy didn't trust this, so he watched in silence, ready to defend Issun if this stranger meant him harm.
I facking love Stormy.
She had been wandering a ways away from the small travelling band of wolves, taking a break from her self designated place at Issun's side. She hadn't thought about their conversation, how she had confessed her love. She hadn't thought about what that meant for them. It was unfortunate that her brain brought the subject up as soon as she was a ways off from him. So she had started back, intending on having that discussion when she heard him shout her name, sounding panicked. Immediately she bolted for him, her heart thumping wildly all her nerves tingling with adrenaline. As she grew closer she could smell the faint trace of blood, like someone had been injured and ran onto the scene
"Issun! Issun what's wro-" she shouted just as she spotted him standing calmly with their newest follower and a stranger who looked a mess. She immediately closed her mouth and eyeballed the injured man, who was...smiling? Whatever the expression was it was absolutely horrible. She sauntered closer, eyeing the brute as she brushed her side against Issun before pulling away.
"What the hell happened to you? A run in with a bear?" she asked.