A thousand silhouettes

@Dante maybe?
Through the hurt she had wandered, aimlessly, with no destination in mind. Her paw was still bent at it's strange angle, clutched close to her chest as she stumbled on three legs. She wondered if she was to die like this, the result of a little fun from the dark fae, the one that carried the ominous stench of the dark woods in her fur, wore it like a prize. She remembered how that two had fought to be the one to 'play' with her, how she had only just gotten away with her life.

Behind her, she left a trail of blotched red, lesser so since when she had started her journey. The small silver fae's head was hung, tail lowered. She wanted to simply lay down and sleep. But something drove her on, the stubborn part of her that refused to be defeated. Easier, if she had just lay down and let them kill her. But no, she would not die until she felt she could.

The borders of another pack soon loomed before her, but she stumbled on, oblivious. It was only until she was more than 20 feet past the border when she stopped, swaying unsteadily. She crumpled to the ground, the strain to much for the tiny thing. Only the soft rise and fall of her prone figure indicated that the bloodied wolf was alive.

She had waken up this morning to do a border patrol. Same o' same o', she thought to herself. She wanted to do something, some kind of adventure. Maybe she could take a swim, or walk a little ways off the territory. What she really wanted to do was have a fight. The girl had spent most of her life doing friendly spar. It was in her blood. It ran through her veins. She loved throwing herself into a quarrel. She loved to have scars on her body, it showed everyone that she wasn't someone to be pushed around. She was taught that scars are a token that must be cherished. To smell another unfamiliar wolf in thee territory made her muscles ripple with joy and adrenaline. She followed a sent that smelled of old blood. Ripe for the taking, she thought. The sent had lead her to a white wolf, crippled and lame, laying on the floor. She didn't seem much of a threat, but she was still a trespasser.

"Hey! Don't you know your on our side of the forest? What are you doing here!"

Slowly, she blinked into consciousness, hearing only "-at are you doing here?"She struggled to lift her head and fix the other with hazy eyes. She struggled into a standing position, swaying, and looked around for a brief moment. She lurched sideways, and landed in the snow with a sharp cry of pain. She swiveled her head to the pale one again.

Her eyes were for a moment clear, and she fixed them on the eyes of the pale one. She felt the swirling blackness rear up to swallow her again, so whispered. "Beware. Beware Blackfeather Woods

With that final, cheery thought, she crumpled down again.

She stared at the wolf in shock and confusion, "What?! What's the Blackfeather Woods?" Must be that side of the forest that was unusually dark... she thought wearily. The way she said 'Beware' sent a shiver up her spine. She wanted to ask more, but the mysterious wolf fell again, and the sent of death filled the air. She dived down and nudged her, "Wait, don't die! Tell me who did this!" She franticly looked around, then looked back down. It was to late. She growled in anger and told herself, "Whoever did this to you shall pay. I will avenge you." She looked out through the trees in terror. She didn't know this wolf, but no one should die the way she did. They should die in honor. She needed to tell someone about this. Tell someone where she was going. It hit her. Pura! He was perfect for the job. He was young, yes, but looked like he showed no mercy. She looked down at the wolf, "Don't worry," she whispered, "I will avenge you..."

Oops! Didn't mean for it to sound like she was quite dead...she must look it though.

Through slitted eyes, she watched the fae mutter and say indistinct words. Her breaths were quite shallow, and she wished that she wouldn't die here. No, she couldn't. Not after all she had survived! Her mind was in turmoil, and she flat out refused to die. Silver had to let this fae know that somewhere, somehow there was still a breath of life in her.

She struggled, flailing to the top of the dark pool that was her mind. She put all her strength into it, all her willpower. She moaned softly, before slipping into stillness again. However her breaths were a little stronger, though not be much.

The world was distorted, wave and pale. Voices came to her, and wearily she followed them. Two black wolves with pelts of midnight stared out at her, their eyes twin pools of harsh yellow. She tried to cry out, to run, but there was nowhere to go. She couldn't move.

And then the were on her, the first inflicting wounds, the other with only a gentle touch causing unimaginable pain. Both voices taunted her, playing with her, only when she felt the most pain did they slip back into the hell they came from...

[size=xx-small]Whoops! My bad! XD[/size]






She wagged her tail, seeing the shallow breathing of the wolf. "Oh! Your alive! She picked up her nose and said, "I need to do something about that wound." She picked up the wolf by her scruff and dragged her towards the river. A burning sensation fumed into her, the feeling of anger. How dare they? How dare the Blackfeather Wood's Alpha allow its wolves to attack her like this. Now she carried the poor fractured wolf in her jaws, desperate to keep her living. When she reached the river, she walked down the edge, claws dug into the weak snow. She found a shallow spot and rested the she-wolf in the cold water, head set on the mud. Lupa winced at the sight of her ankle. It was twisted in the most awkward position she had ever seen. It wasn't supposed to bend that way. " Don't worry. Just hang in there your gonna be ok." But her mind denied her words. She was no healer. She had no idea what to do.

She kept fighting away from the darkness, but gained no leeway. Until she shock of cold water met her muzzle, and she was propelled back towards awareness. Her tongue slowly leaned out and lapped the water, then lapped fast and fast until her whole muzzle was in the clear liquid and her eyes were clear again. "Thank you" she whispered to the wolf, who could have as easily killed her for trespassing.

She eased herself onto her stomach, letting her broken paw drag in the water, numbing the throbbing pain. In a soft voice, she told her tale. "I was exploring, on no ones territory, when I heard voices. They were two, and one stank of the dark woods. The attacked me, but at first didn't spill blood. With a single claw, they could cause unimaginable pain with no bloodshed. They though it was fun, a game, keeping me alive as long as possible. I got away, and came here. Sorry I trespassed on your lands" She tore her gaze from the cool waters, and looked at the pretty fae. "I'll make it up to you, somehow."

She gazed sadly at the paw, and tried to recount which herbs she would have used. Her mind was whirling, and no answer came immediately. Luckily, her other wounds bled back were not to serious.

She listened to her intently. Who would torture their own kind? For fun? What honor was that? Even she, a women who was born into a ruthless pack, would never, ever stoop that low. The girl said they smelled of the 'dark woods'. She knew what she was talking about. It was that Pack neighboring the Plateau. It wasn't to far of a walk. Her anger burned brighter and her fur stood on end. The fighting spirit told her to give them hell, but that would probably tick off their Alpha and the next thing you knew, you would be at war. She was also pretty sure that there was pup scents lingering around. But there must have be some way to show those wolves furry. But she couldn't think of any. She looked at the white wolf when she said 'I'll make it up to you somehow.' "No need. I was just trying to do the right thing." She looked away, lost in thought. Hopefully Pura would accept her request, and come with her to the so called Blackfeather Woods.

Silver looked back into the water of the creek, silent. The pain that the touch inflicted was excruciating, but only temporary. The wounds would heal to scars, but her paw. She looked down at it, bent at it's sickening angle. Hopefully she looked up at the pale wolf. "Does your pack have a healer? I don't know what to do about my paw." her voice was a little stronger, but still small.

Carefully she sat, her strength slowly returning after short rest and drink. As she looked into the stream, her eyes sparked with an unusual emotion for the fae. Anger. Maybe even now they were tormenting another. She had to let others know, somehow.

"If there was, I wouldn't know. I only joined days ago. I'm sorry." The pit of her stomach clenched as she imaged the girl off walking around on her own. She was bound to have something bad happen to her. "Maybe Dante could let you shelter here for awhile? I mean, I don't think he would let anyone go out with a twisted ankle like that." She pointed to her paw with her nose. "But if he doesn't, I could always come walk you back to your Pack. I'm sure he wouldn't mind. Besides I have nothing better to do." She shrugged and looked back at the wolf, "My name is Lupa by the way. What's yours?"

"Silver" she replied, mind on what Lupa had just said. Her heart fell when she learned that there wasn't a healer, or at least not one Lupa knew. "I doubt I'd be able to walk back to the caldera, even with help" she admitted sadly. They would probably think she had deserted, gotten bored and simply left. The thought made her stomach clench, and she forced herself to think of something else.

"Do you think your alpha will let me stay?" she asked wonderingly. She glanced at Lupa hopefully, and yawned. After the day's events, she wanted to curl up in a warm den and sleep.

Lupa thought about that question for a bit. Tried to see things for Dante's eyes. Half of her would say to suck it up, deal with it, and leave, while the other was more consoling and willing to let Silver stay for as long as her ankle would heal. But of coarse, that was only her idea. It was Dante's decision. "I will speak with Dante as soon as I can. I'm sure that he'll let you take shelter. And I'll find a healer for you as soon as I can. But until then, you can rest in my den, but let me warn you, its just a hole in the ground." She was willing to care for the snowy white wolf for as long as needed. But first she needed to see Pura. She wanted to give the Blackfeather Wood wolves a piece of her mind, but she didn't want to go alone. Pura was the most menacing, ruthless wolf she had met here. She knew that he was a cannibal, and other people would say he was a monster. But Lupa was used to being by wolves with no heart. She was born into a world full of them. "Common, lets go." With that, she lifted her rump out of the stinging cold water, and offered Silver her shoulder for balance.

Silverfeather gave her a smile of gratefulness and stood, whimpering in pain as her paw sent a bolt of pain up her leg. She leaned heavily on Lupa, and began to stumble along as the other supported her. She was truly lucky to have stumbled onto a pack such as this one, where she hadn't been run out-yet. her stomach twisted as she imagined going all the way back, by herself, in her present state.

Hope it's cool if I party crash in here! i couldn't resist. ^_^

The smell of blood drew him inward from the borders. He had picked up on it by being downwind, and found the scents that tangled with it to be a most curious sort. Swiftly he had come, but not swift enough to have been the one to intercept the source. Voices rose up ahead of him in the woodland as he closed in; eventually figures did as well. With Dante and Saena having mentioned to him of their recent run of trespassers, he found himself responding with just more than concern or curiosity.

With his gaze locking onto Lupa's supporting form, he spoke after them. "What's going on? Who is this?"

[size=xx-small]X3 No problem![/size]





She was startled at the sight of Mordecai's arrival. She had never met him before which made her even more on edge. She couldn't help but think about Pura's crime and how she had framed herself in order to keep the youngster out of trouble. Was he following Silver's sent, or the stale sent of the dead intertwined with hers? Though frightened, she replied with no hint of fear in her voice, "I found her by the edge of our border. I thought she was dying, so I dragged her here. I was hoping that Dante would let her shelter here, just until she is well enough to carry her weight on her leg." She had hoped that no one would come at this time, just so Silver can have some peace and quiet. But she had assumed that someone would come. Lupa added with a stern voice and fury glinting in her eyes, "She said the Blackfeather Woods did this. I assume that's the Pack a little ways from here?" She was thinking of asking the wolf to come along with her, but kept her mouth shut. She needed someone that she could trust wouldn't tell anyone.

Silver's stomach fell when the male arrived, but soared when Lupa stood up for her. "I'm sorry for trespassing" she whispered, voice thick with fatigue. With a small sigh she told the male the short version. "I was exploring the land here, outrider is a trade I hope to achieve. I heard voices, and followed them out of curiosity. One smelled of the dark woods, the other of travel. They attacked me, until they got bored of their 'fun' and I got away." Her vision swam again, the short burst of strength she had felt was quickly fading. She sat heavily, her fractured paw held close to her chest.

Tagging @Dante and/or @Blue Willow — if you guys have time. I know Lasher is on absence. :X

Blackfeather Woods. The name struck him as familar, but only just. Why he remembered it he couldn't have said why, but the growing suspicion that it was the pack Meldresi had founded began to settle with him. Yet this feeling was stowed away for another time, replaced by the frown that split his stoic expression. She hoped Dante would take someone in? He didn't care for the passiveness at all, as it was becoming clear that the packs and wolves along the fringes of the mountains and flatlands were not to be trusted. His thoughts were no doubt byproduct of leading Ouroboros.

Without a inital response, he tossed his head back and called for aid. Any number could have responded, but he wanted someone with authority. His actions were enough to speak for him; he wasn't comfortable housing someone without approval. As the call faded into the crisp air, he returned his attention to the pair. "It will be better for both of you if you let Dante decide. We may not have enough to feed another mouth, let alone the capacity to heal them." Though he wanted to be firm, he found kindness latching hold. It was not his place to fully pass judgment.

She nodded her head in understanding. There where lots of wolf scents lingering around, along with puppies. There was to many drama already. "With all do respect sir, don't you think it's a bit dangerous to send her out alone? What if those wolves come back?" Whoever these people where, they sounded ruthless and dangerous. Who would say they wouldn't come back to finish her off. "No one would need to worry about tending to her. I could do it. It wouldn't be a problem." She made sure her voice was at a respectful tempo. One wrong retort would be asking for trouble. This wolf looked older, wiser, and more intimidating. She was in the lowest rank to begin with so to disrespect the others would be japanizing her chance in being in a higher rank and earning the trust and respect from her Packmates. But she wondered if going to the Blackfeather Woods to stir up trouble would ruin it all.

Sorry in advance for replying out of order; Mordecai would be apt to respond to this! :X

If there were one positive thing he could find about the situation, it was that it seemed his packmate was compassionate. It was a good trait to have for all intensive purposes and one that he himself carried to a degree. Admittedly, Mordecai's compassion only stretched so far, but like much of his traits, how far they would stretch varied unpredictably. Unspoken, he appreciated that she kept her tone level, basing her argument and backing it with the very compassion she was displaying. If she hadn't, things would have certainly gone a different direction.

"I'm not suggesting that we send her out alone, I'm suggesting that you respect that it isn't your decision to make," he responded coolly. It was clear that he wasn't willing to budge, not until someone with the say so had turned up. And on the off chance that her pursuers did turn up at the plateau's climb after her, they would certainly all be facing a dangerous situation. The veiled threats that Mordecai had received by passing their borders had been enough to affirm that they were not among the friendliest sort.

before I forget again!! This is gonna be short, apologies for the wait -.-

Luckily the call came when Dante was nearby, so it wasn't a huge issue for the alpha to show up. It did take him a bit to get there, though, for he'd been tracking a particularly promising catch and was loath to leave it. Duty called.

He could sense some tension when he came up, and he looked questioningly at Mordecai, then Lupa. "Is there a problem?" Then his attention caught Silverfeather, unmistakably one of Peregrine's by scent, and he grew more curious. What was going on, and why was an RHC member in their midst?

Silverfeather gulped as another wolf arrived, the one she presumed was Dante, the Alpha. She looked at the ground nervously, swaying slightly, before looking up at him. Her ears lowered in submission, and she bent a little, but stopped when her injuries prevented her from bending further. "I'm sorry for taking up your time, sir." she said in a small, weak voice. "I'm Silver, and was exploring when two wolves attacked me. One smelled of the dark woods, the other, I don't know. I escaped before they killed me, and made my way here." 
    @Dante    @Mordecai   @Lusa
This thread started a few weeks ago, and still nowhere near a conclusion. As this is affecting my ability to do anything else with my charrie, I'd really like to finish this. I don't mind making this a no-post order thread, as it has been a while since Luse replied.

I haven't seen @Lupa for a while so I don't know where they are (didn't see them on the absence/scarcity lists either?), so I'll go ahead and reply again myself.

Dante arrived on the scene and this time, it was the wolf from the Caldera who spoke first. Mordecai watched her, noting with the difficulty that she tried to adhere to the social laws of their kind. She was pretty banged up, for all intensive purposes and in turn, tossing her back into the wilderness was not high on his list of things to do. But higher than that was the respect that he held for his friend, and his attention swiveled around to him.

"She wanted to escort them further in when I came across them. I told her it was better that we bring you in on this," Mordecai went to explain, gesturing to Lupa. He had made the call to rein Dante in and would answer for it. "Plus, there's safety in numbers if those wolves are lingering nearby." He wanted to believe that the wolves from the Woods would have given up their pursuit, but it was also hard to say. Mordecai didn't know enough about them to make that sort of call, though in matter of days he would.

Perhaps overstepping himself a bit, he prompted Dante: "We have a healer here, don't we?"

"Thank you."  He frowned.  On the one hand, it was a bad time to be taking in strays, but on the other, he didn't want to just turn her away.  Doing so would make him feel awful, true, but that wasn't the entire reason.  After Finley's abrupt dismissal from their care, he felt he owed it to RHC.  Taking Silverfeather in would in some ways make up for the breaking of their word in that situation.

"We have none injured right now, and though our healer has her paws full, I'm sure she would be glad to give you what aid she can."  He felt confident guessing that Blue Willow would hate the thought of kicking Silverfeather out injured and without help, so also felt confident offering her services.  She would turn his words down if they proved to be false, but for now, they would stand.  "You are welcome to stay until you are fit to travel home again."  Hopefully it would not be long, for though her injuries were bad, they did not seem life threatening or grave.

Silverfeather dipped her head in gratitude to the alpha. "Thank you, sir. It is very kind of you to take me in" Right now, she was exhausted, and looking forward to dropping of to sleep, no matter where. As long as it was safe, and with no dark wolves lurking around. Her stomach clenched as she thought of what Peregrine must be thinking of her, a deserter probably. Oh well. He would understand....wouldn't he?

Shall we fade this?

Dante made his decision swiftly and promptly so, the wolf from the Caldera was apt to thank him.  Mordecai found himself also thankful, but also felt the pressing urge to turn to the patrol of the lands just beyond the plateau.  He knew very little of the camaraderie between the plateau and the caldera, but also did not doubt Dante's decision to allow the female to stay until she had healed.  He was confident that they had more than enough food to spare for her as well as themselves, and if not, then hunts could have easily been arranged.

Shifting his gaze to Lupa, Mordecai let it linger in a moment of debate before letting it slide to the injuries of their soon-to-be healing ward.  "I can help take you to our healer, if you think you'd be able to walk with assistance."  If not for his playful jaunt with Eilidh, Mordecai wouldn't have known where Blue Willow's den was.  But chances were, she was there, and it would have been significantly easier to take her there than pry the mother from her babes.  Even if she was more than willing to come, it only seemed like the thing to do, and would take them further into the territory from the borders.

But after that, Mordecai knew he would leave for the borders.

Once a decision had been made between the quartet, they set off to do their respective tasks.