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+--- Thread: Big Salmon Lake cover the face, blanket the body (/showthread.php?tid=39382)
cover the face, blanket the body - Ying - February 04, 2020
@Hydra, dating this for 2/5.
The order to leave the glen had not been taken lightly. The duration of the afternoon was spent adjusting to the pain sourced at the site of her wounds. Once evening came, she rose and took her leave.
By morning, Ying had made it to her next settlement. It was a wide, half-frozen lake with the bodies of salmon swimming slowly beneath the surface. She sat at the edge of the water and used the ice to cool her shoulder, the sparse rays of sunlight warming her while she lounged.
RE: cover the face, blanket the body - Hydra - February 04, 2020
Hydra came across Ying's trail, again, quite by accident. She sniffed after it, idle at first; she deduced Ying traveled alone and had not settled at the Glen with any other than herself. Hydra was not thrilled to think Ying was still within the Wilderness as she came to the Lake, observing the she-wolf resting where the water could access the wounds the matriarch herself had given her. If Ying had any grudge with the wolves of Moonspear, she would find out now and put an end to it—by whatever means necessary.
Moving around the lake so as to not be out of Ying's line of sight, Hydra was sure to give the other woman plenty of space. For the time being, Hydra was not here for a fight.
Why did you seek to harm my subordinate?Hydra inquired, voice low and ears pricked; was Ying simply violent by nature? That would not do—not without a leash and collar, in any case. As Hydra had seen it, Ying had been itching for a fight before she noted Hydra there and Isilme retaliated.
RE: cover the face, blanket the body - Ying - February 04, 2020
Anger, she replied,
and...stress.The huntress drew in a deep breath and lifted herself with a wince. Through one eye, she examined the non-threatening form of the wolf before her. They didn't know one another beyond the previous encounter; she regretted it having been their first impression.
Ying stood and shook the water from her pelt. She sucked in a sharp breath through her teeth and turned to lick her wound as she stepped from ice to land.
I think, then, she is a loner. I am sorry, to her, too.She looked at Hydra with a sincere gaze, knowing that forgiveness would not come so easily.
RE: cover the face, blanket the body - Hydra - February 04, 2020
The others rejoinder caused Hydra to grimace. The wolf before her was no cub, nor did she carry the lankiness of a yearling. There was no verbal reprimand, but her expression revealed her thoughts for but a moment: you are old enough to know better. Ying was simply fortunate that Hydra did not let anger dictate her own actions, for if it had Hydra would have cut Ying down for feeling the flare of it at her explanation. Had she brought Isilme to true harm, Hydra's anger would be without end; as it was, Ying had been a positive lesson for the Wodakru youth.
And if Ying continued on her path, her anger and stress would surely kill her. Hydra imagined her own intervention, painful as it had been, might have saved her from herself if Ying learned anything from it.
So, it is loners you are after,she drawled. As to that, Hydra cared not. They were not Moonspear after all.
What have they done to deserve your wrath?She inquired, willing to humor the other for a time. So long as Ying kept her distance from the Glen, and harmed no wolves of the Spear, Hydra had no further issue with her and revealed as much this way. Hydra could only trust Ying was a woman of her word.
RE: cover the face, blanket the body - Ying - February 04, 2020
The admission had been misunderstood, though not fatally so. Ying did not have a vendetta against loners; how could she, as one herself? The girl had simply been on her path at the wrong time, wandering through what had momentarily been considered claimed territory.
She wanted to explain that her true anger had a source that lay elsewhere. She was angry with Rusalka, with her sisters; Moonspear and its members had nothing to do with it.
It's not loners, Ying said,
I am hurt by someone, but cannot hurt them.Her only option was to find other ways to dispose of the additional energy, lest it eat away at her being.
I, uh..., she searched for the correct words to get her point across but couldn't find them. She shook the stray thought from her mind and awaited Hydra's response.
RE: cover the face, blanket the body - Hydra - February 04, 2020
Hydra was perplexed by this.
Why not?She drawled, more curious than anything. Ying seemed willing to share, and Hydra for the timebeing was willing to listen. Those that hurt her Hydra hurt back—or, she let their own life come for them, as it seemed to when she could not reach them.
Hurting others that have nothing to do with it is an easy way to meet your quick end,she hummed,
while those that hurt you live on.Pain free, Hydra imagined, given Ying could not hurt them.
She wondered what Ying might make of that; would it alter her path, any, or how she sought to alleviate her own hurts and stress? Hydra could only guess, though perhaps Ying would enlighten her.
RE: cover the face, blanket the body - Ying - February 04, 2020
She huffed, a cloud of white exhaled into the frigid air. Eyes were turned away from Hydra while she considered her response.
Too many of them, Ying explained,
and I am only one.There was no one there to defend her, but had there even been? She'd gone from protecting herself to protecting her sisters, to protecting a pack that had abandoned her.
Did she stand alone?
Ying sat on this thought for only a moment before allowing it to fade.
I am not this way.She didn't think that Hydra would be interested in a full backstory, even if she was willing to tell it.
RE: cover the face, blanket the body - Hydra - February 04, 2020
Hydra listened; she found her interest grew, though little else was shared. Perhaps this was why.
What have the many done, to deserve your ire?She inquired, the question asked in a way that told of her genuine interest as opposed to disdain or amusement. Too many had not stopped Ying but a day ago after all. Had her stress and anger had anything to do with it? Hydra could only cast the blame on Ying in knowing what she knew, and yet still lingered to hear her. Vague though Ying was, it was evident she wanted to share else she would have said nothing else on the matter.
Not this way. What the other meant by that, Hydra was not certain. The Queen reclined onto her haunches, tail wrapping neatly around one as she granted Ying what appeared to be the whole of her attention. She was ever cognizant of her surroundings despite the way she looked, but she did deign to listen to all that Ying may say... if she were to elaborate, and to share if she so wished.
RE: cover the face, blanket the body - Ying - February 04, 2020
The slyph shifted uncomfortably against the snow. She hadn't talked about what'd happened with anyone. Her own sisters hadn't even been given her account, and they'd been there beside her while it was happening. Ying survived by forgetting, and Hydra was asking her to remember.
She looked up at the raven with a pleading gaze. It was a silent ask for both confidence and understanding, though the former was her primary concern.
A man, Ying began, shifting once more where she sat,
Me and my sisters, he sells us to other men. For months, he does this.Some nights, when the patrons were particularly gentle, she could pretend that he loved her, and that his violation was justified by that love. It made the trauma easier to live with.
And so one day, we run, but it is me protecting my sisters.
A foul snarl began to grow on her face as she fought against the onslaught of memories.
Three of us: me, Ying, and Hua and Mei. I protect everyone.Who else would have been willing?
We join a pack here, and it change them. Them, the pack, they all betray me. Everyone hurt me, so now I am angry.
RE: cover the face, blanket the body - Hydra - February 04, 2020
Hydra listened, though her understanding was limited in that she could never know in full what Ying had gone through. She understood the gist of it; Ying's life was unpleasant and unfortunate both, as her expressions and tone both revealed openly. Were she an empath she might be inclined to feel something such as sadness, but as it was Hydra could only feel a strange sort of anger simmering beneath the surface.
This man. Hydra hoped Ying killed him, at least, before running.
Taking it all in, Hydra looked away from Ying for but a moment, surveying the woods that surrounded them. Hydra could not fathom being betrayed in such a way by her family, but she also was not one to run away either. Perhaps Ying's sister knew this about her, or perhaps it was all some sort of misunderstanding. Whatever it was, Hydra need not get to the root of it; it took no wisdom to understand Ying did not want to get deeper than she had.
Hydra had no clue of the language barrier between them. The truth of it was that Hydra thought Ying's strange dialect something like her sister-in-arms, @Towhee, and for it Ying earned some modicum of self-restraint for all the rage that stewed within. Now, it had nothing to do with Ying. Hydra swallowed the fire, ice again as she looked to the stranger that had opened herself to her.
We are protectors. There is but one wolf capable of protecting wolves like you and I, I suppose: ourselves. Steel your heart, stranger, and yourself. Let this betrayal make you wiser,she advised. For that is what her own history had done for her. Hydra had been shaped by many things, betrayal one of them.
Do not forget this anger, but do not act on it so thoughtlessly. I would have killed you had you hurt my ward,she informed plainly—not as a threat, but so that Ying could understand there was more for her than death by the fangs of any at this point. Hydra felt she understood the other better now, though still would warn her away from harming her own.
And then:
Who was it, this pack?Hydra drawled with interest. Whose own pack would betray them? Hydra did not think of The Nightwalkers in not knowing of any dissent or turmoil within their own ranks. So, who could it be?
I am Queen of this Wilderness; I do not take kindly to betrayers,she comforted with a lash of her plume. And should one cross her, Hydra would know them for what—who—they were.
Ying was exactly who she appeared to be; it did not seem that she carried the trait of a liar. Time would tell, though—it always did.
RE: cover the face, blanket the body - Ying - February 04, 2020
The answer seemed to stir something within her companion. Hydra's shift in emotion had not gone unnoticed, nor had her statements gone unacknowledged. Ying sat at attention and responded to each sentence with an affirming nod. She knew that fighting meaningless battles was an innappropriate way to dispose of the extra energy, but she'd been so caught up in the moment...
It had never been like Ying to act out in such a manner. What had come over her? She did not acknowledge Hydra's admission of past intentions; she'd already known what could have happened. Had she fought against someone with less self-restraint, she might have lost her life.
She supposed that the urge had come from the need to protect something. Without Hua and Mei to watch over, what was her purpose? Ying doubted that she would be able to get an answer for this from Hydra, who seemed much more physical than philosophical. It was something to ask Ruo, if the pair ever reunited.
Ru-sal-ka, she explained, testing each syllable as she spoke,
by the coast.A look was tossed in the direction of her abandoned home. As Queen of the Wilderness, she assumed that Hydra would already have some knowledge of this pack. Who was to say that she wouldn't side with them, as everyone else had? Ying quietly braced herself for the potential backlash.
RE: cover the face, blanket the body - Hydra - February 12, 2020
Rusalka. Indeed, Hydra had heard of them. Hydra had not figured them to be on the coast any longer, which Ying confirmed. Now... What was it Vengeance had said about the pack? She brought such knowledge to the fore as her gaze upon Ying became more curious.
I have heard tell of them. Not many good things,she supplied, helpful as it benefited her.
What can you tell me of them?she inquired, wondering if Ying would make mention of the name Blackhead or Caiaphas. The seawitch had not been with them the last time, but she wondered if she was now. Other than them being betrayers, she wondered what more could be provided for Hydra to learn.
That first bit would certainly be helpful to know. She could rendezvous with @Merrit and advise him of her newly acquired information. Sooner or later they would find the woman, Hydra figured, and those that might travel with her... perhaps Ying was a key piece to her search. Perhaps not.
RE: cover the face, blanket the body - Ying - February 12, 2020
Rusalka had a reputation, it seemed. Ying was somewhat surprised by this, but remembering how they had received the sisters, she realized that it made some sense. She'd been stupid to lead her family there, persuading them to work for someone willing to toss them out in a moment's thought.
What was Ying willing to give up? Later, she would scorn herself for not being as conservative with the information as a friend should have been.
The Alpha is Aningan, but Rosalyn and Erzulie are Beta.Names of leadership seemed valuable, since it would give Hydra a starting point.
It's not big. Mostly kids, I think.Without the sisters and Kun in their ranks, she could probably count eight wolves at maximum.
What you wanna know?She was sure that there was more information to be shared, but Ying didn't want Hydra to lose interest in what was being said. If the Queen wanted to know something in specific, she would simply have to ask.
RE: cover the face, blanket the body - Hydra - February 12, 2020
Ying was a wealth of knowledge, willing to share with her all that she knew; Hydra was grateful for it. As for what else she wanted to know? Hydra considered a moment before revealing,
a child-killer was once among their ranks. Caiaphas was her name; she was also called seawitch, or Blackhead. The rest of her body was white. Did she run with Rusalka when you had?she inquired, one ear twitching before both leaned forward. Mostly kids, but not all, Ying had said; perhaps Caiaphas was one of the few who were not.
Hydra knew of at least one child of the woman. Raleska. She supposed she could ask about her nature; was she docile, or was she like her mother? Hydra could only imagine for now. Perhaps Ying would bring up the witches daughter herself, though she had only made mention of wolves she deemed as important... which, Ying was not wrong about there. Leadership was important, particulalry for her to know. The matriarch had a mind to seek out the Rusalkan's and find out some things for herself, though now hardly seemed like the right time for it given the season... Hm.
RE: cover the face, blanket the body - Ying - February 12, 2020
Aningan had mentioned something about Caiaphas during their altercation, but Ying had been too distracted to care. She thought back to what he'd said — ...why no one would let Caiaphas come back? because of her fighting?... — and shook her head.
Aningan say, she leave and no one let her back.
That was all that she could offer on such a topic, as was told by the final dip of her head. Ying was prepared to answer more questions, should they come, but thought that she ought to ask some of her own.
You are Queen. How?It was a genuine question, and not one meant to offend. She stared up at Hydra while awaiting an answer.
RE: cover the face, blanket the body - Hydra - February 18, 2020
Aningan sounded of sound mind that he would not permit the witch back into their fold. One ear twitched as she thought on this for a moment, nodding to Ying as she arrived to the thought that Rusalka knew of her actions and had punished her in that way. She wondered if Raleska had gone with her, or if she had stood alongside Rusalka to watch her leave. They had left Caiaphas for dead... unless she remained with Merrick and his dark companion, which Hydra imagined would be her next move if she had any survival instinct.
The next question asked caused Hydra to look just beyond Ying for a moment before her gaze returned back to her.
It was something I worked toward for all of my life, even when I did not know it. Now I seek to carve out this Wilderness as a place where my family can roam freely without fear of being attacked by those whose intentions are simply to harm others. To keep them fed throughout the famine before any stranger, as well as my allies,she drawled, thinking of the Nightwalkers. She ought to visit them, though keeping all in line at Moonspear was her priority at present as the she-wolves came into their season. She imagined Vengeance had his hands full with all of the women that had come into age, in any case.
RE: cover the face, blanket the body - Ying - February 19, 2020
Hydra's explanation resonated heavily with Ying's own aspirations. She wasn't uninterested in claiming an entire region — or ruling it, for that matter — but ultimately hoped to have a haven, wherein her own family might roam free. She wondered how long this grudge might last, and if it might still persist upon her return to the island.
Did Ying even want to go back? She sighed and stood, ready to take her leave. There was more conversation to be had, but she didn't want to pester Hydra unnecessarily.
You need more?the huntress asked, wondering if their business here was finished.
RE: cover the face, blanket the body - Hydra - February 21, 2020
The inquiry was met with the simple shake of her head before she drawled,
no. I thank you for all you have shared with me today, Ying,and the matriarch meant it.
I hope the wrongs in your life are righted,she drawled in earnest,
do not be so reckless so you can see such things come to pass.Though they had met in less than ideal circumstances, Ying had simply not used her head. Hydra could not understand what possessed any to behave in a way that risked their self-preservation, but Hydra hoped that she in her own way had helped Ying in turn by putting her head on the proper way.
With that, Hydra gave the other woman one last look before turning to depart the scene herself. She had in her mind to visit Isilme and speak with her on all of this, and the things that were gained. It had been a good day, and Hydra was pleased with the unexpected turn of events.