Deepwood Weald Fruit punch

Larkspur hated to lie, to break what felt like a promise to @Deirdre. But if staying with her in Donnelaith meant being near @Skellige and subjected to his whims, she simply couldn't bear it. She stayed put the better part of two more days after waking, her friend constantly by her side. But even the young witch couldn't keep an eye on her forever; even the sylph must sleep. And so under the cover of darkness, Spur crept from the hollow tree—should @Starbuck, the guard, be stationed at the door, she simply whispered something about a call of nature—and slipped into the dark trees. She walked the first quarter of a mile, stilled, listened and then started running.

Spur knew she'd reached the borders and passed them when the trees thinned and the scent markers began to fade. Heart beating wildly in her chest, the child ran in the exact opposite direction of the bay, plunging due south into a woodland even larger than The Sentinels. She did not stop nor even slow, gliding swiftly through the forest dark and deep.

Tags for visibility. Moderate powerplay (like catching up to her, trying to capture her, etc.) is welcome. Bonus points if you incorporate rolls. :)

rolled an off-site dice to see if she catches up based on evens/odds and got even for success.

Starbuck had become more lenient in her care of Larkspur. Deirdre, too, had come under Starbuck's care, and splitting her attentions between the two of them meant cutting the time she spent with each. Her dealings with Larkspur had been impersonal, as Starbuck did not know how to interact. But she had brought food and water when Deirdre could not, and kept watch at night when she was able in case Larkspur needed anything.

That evening Starbuck dozed, her mind wandering into the deep of the sky and picking through its hidden meanings. She had perked up when Larkspur appeared, apparently in need of relief, and paid no mind as the girl wandered off. She was not a jailor, merely a guardian. 

After several minutes, though, Starbuck became worried. At a brisk trot, she followed the fresh scent trail left by Larkspur. It wound out of the Sentinels and into the next wood, and Starbuck sped up, her long legs eating up the distance between her and the golden youth. Larkspur! she called, worry plain in the strain of her voice. She knew that she was near and drawing nearer, she could see the shape of another wolf moving through the trees not far from her. Larkspur, I wish only to speak with you. I will not make you do what you do not wish to.

When someone screamed her name, Larkspur momentarily thought it was Deirdre calling her. Part of her wanted to speed up and make her escape and another part wanted to turn back and apologize for her cowardice and treachery. The young witch had helped her so much and she had just run out on her. Spur would feel awful about it for a long time to come, even though it was a necessary evil. The two impulses warred within her for a moment and then she heaved a great breath and dug in her heels to slow down, turn around and face her friend.

But it wasn't Deirdre. Spur's lips parted when she saw it was Starbuck who came after her. Immediately, the towheaded child backed away. She couldn't guess why the woman had followed her here, except to tattle on her to the young witch. But of course Deirdre would notice her absence as soon as she awoke. She swallowed thickly, glancing shiftily around the dark woods, ears pinning backward dubiously as she decided to see what Starbuck might want. She insisted she wasn't here to force her hand and Larkspur wanted to believe her, if only because she was a trusted comrade of Deirdre's.

"I need to go home," she said quietly, still a little out of breath. "Please tell Deirde I'm sorry." Her eyes moistened even as they dropped to her paws.

written without my glasses, so sorry if there's double letters lmao

As Larkspur slowed to a stop so too did Starbuck. In the dim forest Starbuck could barely make out Larkspur's expressions, but she saw recognition turn to anxiety in her scrutiny of the woods around them. Larkspur backed away, and Starbuck made no move to close the distance between them.

Even as Larkspur struggled with her desires, Starbuck did as well. Twin desired battled twin fears, and finally the victor settled her mind. You do, she agreed. Being so near the Bay, so near Skellige, was not only dangerous for the girl but for the peace between the packs. Starbuck had seen first hand the strife between Deirdre and Skellige (of whom she still knew so little!)

Ah, me, she sighed, distraught. You must be brought home, but to travel alone is so dangerous. If you will have me, I will see you safe to your family and your home. It pained her to betray Deirdre so. Starbuck had seen how happy the witch had seemed at the reunion and despised that it had to be her to separate them once again. It was for the best, Deirdre would have to see that.

The tears brimmed, then flowed. Due to the downward angle of her snout, they slipped down the bridge of her muzzle and dripped directly onto the forest floor at her feet. She sniffled, suddenly awash in guilt and regret. This was all her fault, really. She had been the one to run into Skellige's territory, catalyzing the whole series of unfortunate events since then. The tears came faster and thicker. She felt embarrassed to weep in front of a stranger but, like with most things, Larkspur simply couldn't help herself. She was weakness personified.

Starbuck offered to escort her and Spur peered upward for a split second, blinking her watery eyes, then looked back at her feet as she murmured, voice shaking, "You don't—don't have to do that." She hiccuped. "I betrayed Deirdre. She helped me and I tol—told her I'd stay, but..." Her voice failed her. Spur looked up again but couldn't bring herself to look directly at Starbuck, so instead she gazed off into the forest. Her lower lip quivered. "I couldn't stand being near him."

Rather abruptly, Spur recollected Starbuck's words during the confrontation with the overbearing Leviathan. "If you must have your piece, have it, but not now." Her quiet sobbing faded into a sudden silence and she blinked again, suddenly worried that she shouldn't trust Starbuck despite her kindship with Deirdre. "I'm not—I don't belong to him. I don't belong to anybody. I just belong with my family," the youth said quietly, sniffling.

the way in which she loved all was pure–

but perhaps, selfishly, she allowed herself that love! it was true and earnest and passionate, and when she awoke alone she felt a great fright. even when she left the den, she was that way–alone–but she followed the phosphorous things.

this time, she could not follow them entirely. there was a scream–her own–and a darkness that was dizzying.

The wraith was not so foolish that he would merely allow the child to remain under the care of the Donnelaith wolves without his added eye. While he was not within the forest realm, he was careful to have guards for the borders. If someone should try to pull the child out, he wanted to be there to prevent them from stealing the blessed thing away. Sharkbait had found a way to resent him for what he had done, but she did not understand. She was not an infant, no, but she was still young and Skellige was certain that his words were lost on her. The golden pup was so overcome by her own emotions, that she could not allow for words of ration to reach her. It was a shame – he so rarely spoke out of ration. While his explanation had been lost on the young girl, something within Deirdre had trusted him. At the very least, she did not reprimand him for how he had treated a child trespassing on his land.
 
When he had picked up the scent of Sharkbait first, he had intended to gather a party to search for her. It was not until the aroma of Deirdre had struck him – not until he could taste the nymph in the crisp air – that he recklessly abandoned his bay and followed swiftly after. The Mayfair girl was so dedicated to her healing ways, and so bothered with the wellbeing of others that she did not often think of herself. She had run into the earth in her attempts to tend to those around her, and Skellige had noted the ailments. He could not fully comprehend why she would trek after Sharkbait in her state. He was not a creature comprised of love, as she was.
 
But she ventured far from the forest of Donnelaith and Skellige found himself being pulled further and further away from the sea he was so devoted to. He trekked with his crown lifted just above the surface of the earth so that her scent was not lost to him. While his limbs carried him across an array of landscape, he paid little mind to any of it. When he could sense that he was drawing closer to her, the musky smell of two others had met his searching nose. The wolf Starbuck and Sharkbait, he noted with a strange and sudden taste of bile in the back of his throat. He wondered if Deirdre had happened across the girl or if she was still hunting. Surely, if she had found the child she called Larkspur, he would have heard –
 
A scream.
 
It was Deirdre’s voice. The savage drew his head upward swiftly and cast his dark gaze in the direction of her cry. He did not need to continue his track. Diving forward, the titan’s limbs carried him with reckless speed. He was beyond his element; thrown about in the tangle of thinly-built trees. Still, the shadow continued forward. He did not care that his massive paws had torn through the wood and sent echoes of his arrival. Skellige no longer cared that the child had wandered that far – he did not wish to find her again. The sound of the Mayfair’s scream had curdled his skin. He pushed himself to move faster. The thick tufts of fur along his neck and back bristled wildly – he was a specter. Still, he moved further away from his ocean. As the broad-shouldered beast rampaged through the weald, he sought only Deirdre.

Starbuck watched the tears slip down the golden child's fair face and sighed again. It was not a sigh of contempt, nor of frustration. It was of sympathy, and perhaps some self-pity. On tenterhooks, Starbuck stepped forward, moving to nuzzle Larkspur in an attempt to comfort. Perhaps it was crossing a line, touching her, but it hurt Starbuck so to watch the girl in such misery. It was her own weakness, to care so greatly and so freely, but Starbuck accepted her weaknesses with her strengths.

For a moment she only listened to the girl's hiccuping sobs, wishing for her Sight to grant her some sign of how to move forward. I want to, she said, firmly but not unkindly. Deirdre loves so strongly and so blindly that it blinds her sometimes, I think. She wishes to keep you near because she loves you so. But I distrust that man. His scent carried the same, thick brine that the foul beast she met upon the shore did. She would not accuse, but if Skellige hardbored wolves so base and savage, she could never trust him.

You belong to no one but yourself, dear Larkspur, she affirmed. Again I ask, let me take you to your family. It would be a great comfort to myself and Deirdre to know you arrived safe.

And as though the mere mention of her called her, a scream rent the air. The voice was Deirdre's. Had the witch seen fit to follow them? In her condition it was unwise. It was dangerous. At once Starbuck moved to follow the sound, but indecision held her back. To help Deirdre, or Larkspur? At once her heart was torn asunder, her singular loyalty to Deirdre fueling her quandry. Deirdre was not well. She needed attention from a healer. But they were near enough to Donnelaith that her scream might have been heard.

Larkspur was young, and though she could make the journey to wherever her home lay, there was no way to ensure her safety unless she was escorted. If something happened to Larkspur, Deirdre would never forgive Starbuck. It was that that helped her make her decision, though in her heart she still held doubts. Please, Larkspur, she pleaded, casting one final glace in the direction from which the scream had come. Let me see you safetly home.

When Starbuck moved to touch her, Spur's mind flashed back to that night on the beach, during the blood ritual, and beyond that, to the day when the locusts had crept and crawled over her. She flinched out of reach. She had never liked being touched and now she abhorred it. Well, she didn't mind when Deirdre or her other loved ones touched her. In those cases, the youth was actually quite tactile. Otherwise, however, she wanted nothing and no one to come into contact with her, especially without her consent.

She accepted Starbuck's reassurances a little more readily than she did her nuzzle. It seemed that, despite what she'd said the day previous, the woman did not trust Skellige, nor think he could just take what he wanted (in this case, Larkspur). Spur's wet eyes flashed to her face, holding steadily there for a moment before dropping again. Starbuck appeared to be telling the truth, in which case they were allies. Next, she concurred with the youth's assessment that she belonged to no one but herself, with no one but her family. That included Deirdre, though there was no way Larkspur could be with her now.

The muffled scream made every muscle in her body freeze in alarm, every nerve to fray where already rubbed raw. "Was that Deirdre?" she gasped, making an abortive move in the direction from which it had come before stilling. Her huge blue eyes fixed on Starbuck's face once more when she insisted they keep heading toward the Keep. "But..." Spur began to protest, though the words died on her lips. Perhaps Starbuck knew something she didn't. Maybe this was even meant as some sort of trap.

No, the fair witch wouldn't do that, wouldn't bait her for Skellige's purposes. Would she? She clearly favored the Leviathan, despite his sins against Larkspur herself, and in that moment, the juvenile's heart grew brittle and broke. With fresh tears streaming from her eyes, she nodded mutely and moved swiftly past Starbuck. The she-wolf was welcome to come along as she dug her toes into the soil and propelled even further south, her best friend's cry echoing in her ears the entire way.

the birds had warned her, but she had not listened! why, even the crickets in their panicked chirping had told her to be aware, to watch, but deirdre was deaf to all. the scream was a prelude to the mighty roar of a mother bear new to the wood, in which swung its mighty arm with every bit of its power toward the face of deirdre. one the mothers cubs, the most frightened of the bunch, did not remain with the other two, but fled and whined in the very same direction starbuck and larkspur were in.

for deirdre's part, she did not remain still for very long! but the unexpectedness of this encounter played its part for the witch, and twas not a pretty one. the claws stung at her cheek, blood blooming ruby red against her stark white cheek. a sharp whine, but there was little time to recover! her ears peeled backward and her ears flattened atop her head. her father had warned her of the ferocity of a mother bear! and she could call neither starbuck nor larkspur to her, though perhaps it was their aid that would be her saving grace...

she moved to flee, but another paw--acting as a club--came toward her face as she turned wildly. her movement parried its momentum, but to no avail; it knocked her to the earth, and she lost her faculties. she breathed, still, and the mother bear was not sated and feared that the danger might return from the young cub, so it moved clumsily forward as though preparing to finish its job.

He crashed through the wood, disregarding anything that crossed his path that wasn’t coated in a pristine white. When his gaze finally fell upon her, he could not have properly described the emotion that was coursing through him. It felt like lava that was melting through his veins and oozing onto his muscles. For only a moment, he paused to see if the healer Starbuck would turn to help, but she did not. Disgust then filled him for he believed it to be the child’s fault. She was better off left to the wild wood – she could find her own way home if she wished it so greatly. There was an awful rage that was consuming him.
 
The bear lumbered forward with every intention of finishing the task it had started. Without a second thought, the inky titan darted forward and leapt onto the back of the beast, attempting to grip with a desperate digging of his claws. The bear roared in anger and swung her head around, but she could not quite reach him. Skellige was slipping fast, though, and he knew he would lose his position if he didn’t do something. With a lunge, the swarthy creature wrapped his jaws around the back of the mother bear’s neck and sunk his fangs into her flesh. She reacted by pulling back her crown and rising so that she stood on hind legs. The massive figure swung him from side to side, and it was not long before his claws could no longer hold his position on her back. Skellige’s body dangled while his teeth held tightly to the back of her neck. When the mother bear made another move toward Deirdre, he shook his head with all his might and growled a savage growl.
 
She slammed into the earth with her front paws once more and rattled his teeth. The leviathan let go of his grip and was slung to the earth. He landed with a dull thud against the harsh ground, but he knew he could not waste his time in recovering. The bear turned to him and with a mighty swing, he felt her paw strike against his shoulder and score deep into his flesh. A guttural snarl escaped his lips as he rose – filled by adrenaline and white hot anger. The bear took a clumsy step toward him and he jumped back a few paces. She roared her detest and moved to swing again. The claws barely missed his face, but as her posture shifted into the swing, he dove forward and quickly latched his teeth to her paw, ripping away with all the strength he had left.

-barges in- I'm assuming Larkspur and Starbuck aren't near them yet/still a ways off? I can correct my post if I'm wrong!

Something had been stirring in the heart of Donnelaith, and while Constantine did not claim to hold the magicks his sister held (and nor was he necessarily a believer in them), he had felt the rising tension. There was a strange scent among them – but he did not question it, for Deirdre was constantly aiding others who needed her. He had become disgruntled at Skellige’s scent upon their lands – if only because it would seem Blackrock Depths seen it fit to use their grounds with but a simple call – and yet he held no doubt that should a wolf of Donnelaith attempt the same within the bay, they would not be met with such welcoming faces.
 
And so when he came upon the scent of his sister leaving the tall redwoods, the ebony Beta was quick to lope after her – and when her scream echoed in front of him, his own heart practically erupted in his chest with worry.
 
He dashed forward, his paws thrumming against the earth, his pumpkin eyes scouring the shadows of the weald with desperation. The scent of fear and blood ensnared him, and when he came upon his sister, she had been downed – her pale form a small heap. A bear lumbered before her – and the dark beast, Skellige fought it with a ferocity that even in his desperation and adrenaline, he could see the man aimed to save his sister’s life.
 
And so the Mayfair shot forward, his own ears sliding to his skull and a snarl echoing from his chest to his jaws as they snapped toward the bear.  Skellige had the mother bear distracted with a hold to her paw, and it was then the ebony Donnelaith wolf leapt to the opposite side of her, his jaws trying to find purchase to the tender flesh of her nape, though the thick fur and skin would prove the most difficult task.

just another post to keep things movin' here! if skellige kept gripping her paw lmk and i'll adjust!

the mother bears vision was tunneled toward the young thing on the earth, sleeping beauty, and moved with the malignance of a wrathful malificent who had never learned to love the briar rose. and so she did not note the other that had come upon her person until she felt the sting of their bite, and a disgruntled roar left her throat as she rose to her hinds. the pain was true and it was real, and the bear feared even moreso for the life of her children! the beastly thing gripped a paw, and with her free one she moved to cuff it before--why, she heard the scream of another in the distance, one of her boys! her swing paused as her round ears twitched. in a tongue untranslatable by any who did not know bear, she spoke her sons name: ulrich! before another wolf came upon her! her back! it was unreachable. and she stared at the white thing on the ground, slumped and little and weak, but knew that to kill it, now, would be to kill her own children, certainly, as these things would certainly kill her for it. that much, to some degree, she comprehended. the bear landed on all fours and began to move, roaring loud for her sons to hear, climb the trees, little ones, and wait for mother, though to the wolves, it was likely they heard roars, perhaps roars laced with hatred and wrath when truly there was only panic and fear there!

and deirdre lay there, deaf and dumb to it all, eyes closed. her sleep could be likened to death, as she felt no pain at all. shock was what had done this, and deirdre could not remember even that she lived at all. everything within her worked to repair as her two protectors rallied together for the cause of her life.

The sea king battled with the beast as long as his limbs would allow him. The pain that scored along his shoulder was blinding, but so was the wicked sensation of rage that had latched to his soul. The wraith thought of his homeland and the crashing of the waters. He was the shark; he cast fear into the depths. Skellige would not allow for the beast to claim victory. As she thrashed about in her attempt to free herself, another arrived on the scene with the same mindset as the swarthy wolf of the water. He cast his gaze to the dark brother of Deirdre. The wolf of the wood lunged at the bear in an attempt to latch to her nape. Skellige sought to hold her, but in her fear she had tossed him away. Her strength was difficult to battle. The leviathan felt his body ragdoll against the earth with a few sickening crunches. His skull struck against a stone and he felt his flesh tear away from his crown. Warm blood trickled down his head. 

The wraith was dazed, and he struggled with his limbs in an attempt to rise upward once more. His dark gaze settled on the mother bear and he swayed. He wished, for a moment, that the tides were washing him away. He longed for the embrace of the swell. As the beast roared once again, he was jarred from his thoughts and cast back into reality. Pain sliced through his skull, but he gathered his strength and rushed forward. He aimed his fangs for the underside of her throat. 

lmao i don't know if it's my turn to post or not. starbuck out ft. a weird short post.

The moment Larkspur shied away, Starbuck did so as well. She did not want to push the girl, nor did she want to make her uncomfortable. Trauma such as Larkspur's could lead to such an aversion to touch, this Starbuck understood. The roars, the screams, the growls all sank as dread heavy as lead into Starbuck's stomach. She could not help, she told herself. Delivering Larkspur to her family was her task now, and Larkspur would go with or without her. Deirdre should not have left the Sentinels, not as sickly as she was, but there was nothing Starbuck could do now. Nothing but follow as Larkspur took off, and hope for the best.[/ooc]

The bear shuddered the ground as it landed once more—the roars deafening but the blood that pumped through Constantine’s veins and the thrum within his ears seemed to distance it. He did not miss the sickening crunch – his heart hammering as he could only hope it was not Deirdre in which made such a noise.
 
As the bear fell to all fours once more, his grip loosened from the impact alone in her size – he would try to maintain his grasp but it was not to be, and with a swing, he was down upon the ground, rolling in the dirt before sliding. The pain that flared within his chest seemed to take the wind from him, but when Skellige once more aimed for the lumbering beasts throat, Constantine was at the side of the ocean wolf, his own jaws seeking purchase to the tender undersides of the bear’s chest.

the bear could not move at risk of endangering her cubs, their locations; but she heard them climb to escape. perhaps the wolves would think it the witches magic that caused a branch to fall upon the motherbears head just as the beastly wolf with the skeleton markings came for her throat. dazed! she could not avoid it! and then the other was there, her chest burned from the pain of his bite. in a last ditch effort, the bear sought to move with them upon her toward a tree, as though she herself would climb it--but their weight, combined, was too much, and her energy had depleted. the seawolfs mark had been true, and his brother in arms made mobility near impossible. she could not reach them with a swipe, and her vision was fogging...

she slumped forward, the fullness of her weight falling upon both her assailants. she could not breathe, and the motherbear wished that they, if even for a moment, could not breathe. more likely than not they would know to avoid it, but her thoughts were not with her. my children are safe. my children are safe.