Emberwood Catching my breath, letting it go

-2C°, currently it is Moderate Snow and set during the afternoon. Located in Rising Sun Valley, Emberwood borders | ooc notes: set directly right after this thread!

The familiar scent of Uaine's borders was a welcomed thing indeed. Only once she felt safely nestled within the borders did the fatigue of the run truly catch up to her. Heaving, her breath struggled to catch in her lungs as they burned with the push they were given in order to save her own skin. She still could feel the man's nose on her spine, making her skin crawl with the thought of what may have been going on in his head at the time. She didn't even dare to look back to see if he stayed there - she didn't even know that she actually kicked him in the face during the escape. 

Relieved, she collapsed to the ground, simply glad to finally be back while gasping for breath. The sting on her paws forced the medic to take a look, shifting her chin on the soil while bringing one of her front paws to her face to investigate. Her soft black pads were painted pink, raw and sore from the running with no thought given to the terrain until now. With heavy eyelids, she debated on resting right here before tending to her pads... it felt like a good idea.

Sarah did not socialize much with the other pack-mates, unless it was a chance meeting and a simple exchange of greetings, she did not seek them out on purpose. She found her fulfilment and peace patrolling borders and scouting the nearby territories either for food or possible enemies. The life had returned to the same old tracks and yet it was different. A little better. She had had hard time to connect to Terance, to find her place, where there were already two strong characters.

But with Ibis being a complete opposite of her, she found that they completed each other nicely. The aunt had the experience and the niece the youthgul optimism and hope that softened Sarah's cynical and nichilistic world-view and even at times inspired happiness in that cold and shrivelled heart. Little Archdruid gave her loyal subject a human face and - let's be honest - it was nice to be liked by someone, who did not know much of your past and therefore did not judge you for it either.

So - Sarah was on the borders, when the white she-wolf, whose name she did not know, flew over the borders in panic and collapsed in a heap. The Guardian's first instinct was to leave her be there, but then she thought that for Ibis's sake she should at least try to extend her cordiality to those, who she considered her friends. Therefore she approached at a brisk pace, stopped within a polite distance and asked: "What happened to you?"

As the adrenalin slowly faded from her veins, Reiko could feel the tremblings in her limbs begin. She had run for so long, so fast, that her muscles were not capable of handling such a strain. Even after all her training from Kaistleoki, after all that time alone in the neutral lands looking for home again - she still had pushed herself too far this time. 

Even as a new approached, fear struck her for a moment as the unfamiliar woman came near. Only for Reiko to calm when the scent of Uaine Gorsedd flooded her nose. It wasn't like she could defend herself anyway right now. Even as she tried to push herself up to a sit to meet the woman eye to eye, her legs simply would not hold her weight, immediately refusing any kind of strain no matter how mild. 

Instead, they shuddered and shivered uncontrollably. 

There was a man, a dark man- Her words came slowly while her breath continued to try and catch up. I don't... I don't even want to imagine what would have happened if I didn't free my leg. He had cruelty in his eye. Was the best way she would explain it, for the time being, still, she was trying to make sense of it all. What he might have wanted, what may have happened... She hated every outcome that came to mind.

For a moment there Sarah wondered, whether this was yet another seizuring wolf within Ibis's ranks. The sight she had witnessed the other day had not been very pleasant and the woman's insistence of not letting anyone know about this, was even more suspicious. Why hide your weakness, when it would come out in the light sooner or later?

Yet this one was not frozen, just terrified senseless, and while the guardian had no resources of sympathy inside her, she did kept herself calm and listened carefully. It turned out that the woman had had a not that cordial randezvous with a tall, dark and evil stranger. Sarah sniffed the air, caught a faint whiff of foreign masculine scent, but since it was not draped all over the white trembling mess here and neither were other "fluids", she had got through with just a scare. Lucky for her.

"Where did you meet him?" Sarah asked next, because this was important. If that creep was stalking near Emberwood, they needed to keep their eyes and ears open. If he came too close, do a good job and thin his fur and put some holes through it as well.

Where did she meet him? Where... It was nowhere in particular, nothing, in particular, that jumped out to her. The only way she could think of is how far she ran, and from which direction. Not far enough was something that repeated in her mind.

Uh - E-East of here, an hour or so run away. So I suppose past the marshlands... But not far enough! She could almost feel his presence behind her now, looming in the distance, watching... patiently waiting for her to leave the safety of the pack's borders again. He's not far enough. Fear grasped her by the throat, painting those beautiful cerulean eyes in shrinking despair. With a shivering gaze, she looked up at the sturdier female, hoping for something, what? She wasn't certain, she couldn't dare speak of what she desired from someone she had just met. 

But she skooched closer, wanting to be further from the borders as possible. Curling her tail in as though she was afraid of the shadowed man to grab her by the tail and drag her out - out to where the fiery woman had attacked, and his threat. Out to where Moonspear wolves would take advantage of her sorrows. It's not safe out there. She added softly, defeated.

Sarah knew from experience with scared individuals that you had to take their stories with a grain of salt. Fear or any other heightened emotional state tended to distort the facts. While she trusted the general direction pointed out to her, she was a little skeptical about the time-frame or the "not far enough". 

"If he comes here, we will rip his head off," she told her in a calm confidence, which told that she was not joking around. Sarah would. "Okay, get up. Do you have anyone to spend the night with?" she asked first, then remembered she had no idea, what the white girl was called. "We will tell all to be wary and I will get out there and ask around, if anyone has seen the man you describe. Maybe collect more information about him."

If he comes here, we will rip his head off, the words sounded cruel and though she did not pity the man should he come by, it still stung her ears to think of such a thing. It caused a shiver to run down her spine and ears to flatten as though they tried to block out the vicious thoughts that came with the woman's promise. The greyscale woman was intense, but she came off as strong and independent, she somewhat reminded Reiko of Ira in a strange way.

Get up? Okay... Placing one foot flat on the ground, she winced at the sting of her raw pads hitting the ground again and slid herself up to a stand. Though her legs were still a little wobbly, they were able to hold her lightweight once more. I do not, I sleep alone. The crushing reminder of her loneliness didn't help the rock that sat in her belly. Soon everyone would be paired off and she would be tending to her herbs for the first heat of her short life. Honestly, as a pup, she thought she would have much more than this.

You're going to go alone? The thought shocked the pale woman, ears perking as she showed a clear sense of concern for the safety of this woman.

Sarah gave Reiko a look full of disbelief, but said nothing. The girl looked just the kind of person, who could be best chums with Ibis. Or anyone for that matter. She was pretty and she was likeable, and she was definitely not not tough enough to be on her own. A complete opposite of her.

"Very well," she said after a lenghty pause, during which she had to make a choice between the very desirable man-hunting (the prints were still fresh) or taking care of her near-nervous-breakdown packmate. As much as she wished not to care about the latter and go with ardour after the first, the Witch chose, what was good for the pack. 

"You can get your sleep and I can stay and guard you through the night," she offered in a tone that would not take a "no" for an answer. "Things will seem less scary by broad daylight and then - you will find a sleep-in buddy."

She escorted the girl away and then went off to search for the moron, who had scared her.