Shadewood My City To Ruins

Moved to present

Runion had headed west, he had taken quite the beating. He had headed as far away as he could, no longer heading east and instead went west. Towards the direction he had come in from. His injuries hadn't been given much time to heal, so he got to this point where he would rest. 

He rested up against a tree, huffing slowly.

@Daggerjaw

Hope you don't mind the one swear-word.  @Runion  

There was a forest to the west of the little “island” that Dagger had found and she’d decided to explore it. If she was going to “set up camp” on the island, then she needed to check out the surrounding areas to make sure there were no — ugh — wolf packs residing nearby. And speaking of wolves… she could smell one somewhere ahead. She kept her body low to the ground in this shadowy place, though the shadows themselves did not frighten her. Nothing really frightened her — not really. Still, if there was more than one wolf around, she didn’t want to be caught unawares.

As she came up on the wolf she’d smelled, she realized that they were alone — and injured. Feeling a little more on even ground, she cleared her throat and then asked, “Who fucked you up?”

Runion leaned up a bit and hissed in pain. The male wolf tried to get up again, but the journey he had taken after being injured took a little bit of a toll. Soon he caught the scent of something nearby and lifted his head slightly to see what it was. Caught site of a wolf coming his way as they spoke. 

"Does it matter to you?" he asked back, hissing again in pain. That wolf had really done a number on him.

The coywolf chuckled a bit at his question. “Heh. No,” she said. “Not really.” She didn’t really care about wolves and their squabbles. Most full-bloods only wanted to chase her off — didn’t think she was worthy of joining a real pack — or whatever excuse they used to inflict pain onto an innocent creature. Now she held a grudge. She mistrusted all full-bloods on principle. Still, though, this one was in no position to hurt her so she thought she’d stick around for a while.

“Still, though,” she piped up. “Maybe it’s an interesting story. So what happened? Did you steal someone’s food or something? Trespass? Get another wolf’s girl pregnant? Or maybe it wasn’t another wolf who hurt you. Did you… tussle with a bear, or something?”

  @Runion

Runion huffed as she chuckled. Chuckling while he was in pain? He tried to lean up, and he was slowly getting used to the pain. He just wasn't there just yet... "Ain't your business, missy...and if it were a bear I would not be here right now" he said, as if it was common fact going against a bear would be complete death. 

He kept his staring eyes to the other, and noticed something about them. They didn't seem like a normal wolf..."What are you doing around here, anyway miss?"

“Aww, you don’t feel like sharing?” Dagger asked, in mock sadness. In truth, she didn’t really care about what had happened to this male. But still. He might have robbed her of a good story, so she huffed a bit. Feeling just a little put out, she replied, “If you don’t want to tell me how you got hurt, why should I tell you why I’m here, hmm? That seems hardly fair.” She tried to put a sort of pouting tone into her voice, and her yellow eyes became imploring. Then, after a moment, she broke the act and said, “I’m here ‘cos I wanna be, wolf. Not like you can do anything about it.” Her eyes flashed, almost in a challenge, like, Come and chase me off if you don’t want me here.

His eyes darkened in a glare at her mock sadness. This female had quite a bit of nerve to even think of getting on his nerves. Then she broke the act and he could see the challenge in her gaze. He would normally accept such a challenge, but the pain and exhaustion he was feeling...

He shrugged his shoulders against the tree, slumping against it again. "I couldn't care less...just curious as to why someone would bother another who is plainly in pain" and he glared again.

Daggerjaw smirked, and then flashed her teeth at him. “Maybe I like seeing wolves in pain ‘cos wolves ain’t exactly been nice to me growin’ up. Seems there’s some kinda prejudice against coywovles cos they ain’t purebred like you. So if wolves are gonna be prejudice against me, I’ma be prejudice against them, yeah?”

This was a sentiment she didn’t often share, mostly because she didn’t often spend time around the purebred. There was no point to go asking for trouble, especially now that she’d been separated from her siblings, but… Dagger was in a fighting mood at the moment, and she had gained courage because this wolf was injured. She wouldn’t hurt him unless he struck first, but she figured rubbing his nose into his own injuries would feel nice — and it did. It felt very nice.

Runion caught all her words. And he snorted. Purebred? He knew for a fact he was no 'purebred'. "Missy, I ain't pure myself. You're barking at the wrong wolf here, I got nothing against coywolves." Yet still, she had gotten rather on his nerves. And he was beginning to assume the reason why she was like that was cause of all this she just spoke about.

Daggerjaw was startled at what she heard next, and gave the wolf a good, long stare. “What d’you mean?” she asked slowly, leaning forward and sniffing the air around him. “I don’t smell no coyote in ya. And you’re pretty big to be mixed blood.” She pulled her head back and studied him for a moment, her yellow eyes fierce. “You pullin’ my leg, cousin?” If he was trying to trick her so he could harm her later, he’d have another thing coming to him, that was for sure. Dagger would not put up with any bullshit from any cousin wolf.

Runion shrugged. He knew that somewhere down the past there had been a few with a little coyote in them. So in him he had the smallest amount. But he still did not see why it even mattered. "You tell me, am I?" He tried to stand up straight, only to stumble away from the tree, hissing through his teeth.

For the first time, real concern flashed in Daggerjaw’s eyes. “Hey, cousin,” she said in a soothing tone, stepping forward a bit. It was a term she’d picked up from her father. All full-blooded wolves were cousins and all coywolves and coyotes were sisters or brothers. “You alright? I mean, I know you’re not, but… I mean, you’re not gonna die, are you?” She smiled, but mostly out of awkwardness. When push came to shove, this wolf hadn’t done anything against her, and she was just now noticing how badly he seemed to be injured. “Maybe you should… lie down? Sorry, I’m—I’m no healer.” She wished she had one of her siblings nearby, who would maybe know more about what to do in this situation than she did. Her specialties were hunting and scouting, not making poultices or telling others what herb to eat to keep them healthy.

Runion grunted, glancing his eyes over the other's face. "Does it look like I'm all right?" he hissed. The wounds he had gained from that pale wolf, they had not been tended to...he had rushed ahead, thinking little of them. And he knew that was a most stupid move. And yet the concern she held for him suddenly, it was most surprising. 

"Yes...yes" he said, calming himself a little. She was only trying to help, despite previous annoyance. He slowly slid down till he was laying against the base of the tree. "I may be here for a bit...you never did give a name, you know" he muttered.

Dagger looked on in concern as the wolf slid down the tree, in too much pain, it seemed, to just flop to the ground. Her ears pushed forward and she gave him a tentative sniff. “What happened?” she asked. Then, “Name’s Daggerjaw. You?” Names didn’t seem so important right now considering that this male seemed to be in a lot of pain, which was not good. “Seriously, though, what happened, exactly?” Dagger wasn’t sure what the hell this knowledge would be good for. She didn’t have any kind of knowledge of healing besides basic things. She knew poppy seeds could numb pain, but they also made the wolf who confused them a little loopy and they could be addictive. If he was bleeding she guessed pressing a clump of grasses into the wound was the best she could do.

Runion held his jaws tightly shut, through the pain and tensing. "Ru...Runion" he said, at first hesitant to give a name. What had happened exactly? He got beaten by someone. Why? That he could not say exactly. "Got beaten by someone. A fight..." He huffed there against the ground. This was a most shameful position for him.

Daggerjaw frowned. This Runion wasn’t giving her much information to go on, but she guessed it didn’t really matter. As previously established, it wasn’t like she knew anything about healing. But maybe there was something… “Are ya hungry?” she asked quietly. “I could… I dunno, catch ya a rabbit maybe. Something. Maybe the food would give ya enough energy to keep going. I dunno how bad your wounds are so I dunno if you should be movin’.” She glanced around, suddenly feeling watched even though she couldn’t smell anyone nearby. It was just the trees and the thick canopy blocking the light that made her feel that way. “Do ya want anythin’?”

Did he want anything? To be left alone, something for the pain...to have the one he had come for before him so he could finally be satisfied...

"I would not mind a rabbit...but could you be quick?" Some food didn't sound so bad at all. And manners was something he wasn't so great at, especially when he lacked patience as well and was in pain. He sighed lightly, just laying there.

Dagger nodded at Runion’s words. She’d try to be quick. I mean, if she were laying there hurt she’d definitely want some food as quickly as possible.

Really, she had no idea why the hell she was being so nice to this wolf when she had originally come over to be mean to him. Maybe she had more of a conscience than she thought she did… Wouldn’t her siblings be disappointed if they ever found out she’d made buddies with a pure-breed. Of course… he’d said he wasn’t a pure-breed, but — right, rabbit.

Turning awkwardly, she loped away on long legs, searching through the underbrush, sniffing for prey. Find a rabbit’s trail in springtime had never been difficult for her and she soon was chasing one through the thick forest. This part she wasn’t used to. Her life had been mainly spent in chaparral, a particular kind of biome known for its tangled brush and thorny bushes. She wasn’t used to dodging trees so much as shoving her way through rattle-snake-infested shrubs. But she was lucky, and caught the rabbit in no time. She was, after all, an expert at catching rabbits.

Soon, she returned and dropped the rabbit at Runion’s paws. With a grin, she sat back on her haunches and said, “There ya go, cousin.”

Runion huffed when soon as she was gone. Just before she had been a bit annoying, but now with no one about he felt alone...he didn't like the feeling of being alone. Without someone there by his side...his mother and mate had left him. His father had left him. And it was all his fault. His fault, the one he would go to hell and back to find. 

Daggerjaw arrived back, and for once Runion smiled. More out of relief for having a decent meal. He grabbed at the rabbit, tearing into it right away. He was soon done, or at least half done before he pulled his head up. And said something he never usually did. "Thank you...."

Crap post is crap, sorry. Didn't know what else to say.

Daggerjaw flashed a toothy grin at Runion’s thanks and asked, “Feel better?” Her tail wagged. She was feeling pretty good herself, having so recently realized that maybe not all wolves were assholes and she didn’t have to avoid or fight all of them on sight. “So, where’s this wolf who beat you in a fight, cousin? He as banged up as you?”

Runion nodded slowly, feeling a bit more soothed having had a good meal. Then he shrugged to the other question. "Didn't look back...bet he's bad himself" he said with a light laugh to himself. "As for where he is, somewhere on the coast...not that I care." He wouldn't be going back there.

Daggerjaw chuckled. “Didn’t go down without a fight, then, yeah?” she said, ears perked. “Betcha laid down the hurt!” Why was she being so friendly with this damned wolf? She paused, wondering if continuing down this road of semi-friendship was a good idea. What if he hurt her later on? What if he wasn’t really as nice as she thought he was? What if—

“Whatcha gonna do now, cousin?” she asked, cutting off the flow of her thoughts. None of that mattered. She was actually really happy that she had discovered a relatively kind wolf. Maybe she could hang around him for protection against other wolves… Then again… he had just lost a fight. Maybe he wasn’t the best bodyguard… “You ain’t part of a pack, are you?” she asked, and couldn’t keep the disdain out of her voice as she said it.

He chuckled more. Now he was seeing that she very much had some humor. "Yes indeed I did. I laid down the hur-" he flinched as he had stood up, or at least tried to at saying that, perhaps being a little dramatic in how he acted. 

He paused. What was he to do now? "Keep looking...I'm looking for someone." He shook his head to her question. He was indeed not part of a pack. "Haven't really thought on that..." Though perhaps a pack would know things. Perhaps would have seen the one he was after.

Daggerjaw leaned forward a bit in concern when Runion tried to stand up again. Her ears pushed forward and she was about to tell him it would be better if he just stayed down for a while, but then he started talking again. He was looking for someone?

“Who ya lookin’ for, cousin?” she asked. “I haven’t been here long so I probably haven’t seen ‘em, but… you never know.” Speaking of canids she hadn’t seen, she wondered once again where the hell her siblings had gone. It was as if the Teekon Wilds were a barrier, and she was the only one who’d come through it, and the others were stuck behind… Hmm…

Runion huffed. While the hunger helped gain his strength back slowly, he still had great pain from having done nothing but run. His breath shuddered a little. 

Daggerjaw soon asked a question towards him, and he sighed. "A murderer...and my...we're related." He could not even call him brother again. And it was distasteful saying he was related to him.