Cerulean Cape i won't go down by myself, but i'll go down with my friends

@Aphrodite!

days of searching had been fruitless. it was as if aphrodite and whatever trouble she had found herself in stayed one step ahead of him at all times. the trail meandered down the coast, leading him eventually to this expanse of beach. the sea stretched out before him, beginning to lighten from its dark expanse as the sun rose to his back.

surya shouted her name into the howling wind, hoping that someone, anyone, would hear. surely, she must be close! was he merely chasing the ghost of a scent; had he finally gone mad?

he had to bring her back. what on earth would he tell artyom otherwise?!

aphrodite! he called out, padding swiftly across the cape, kicking up sand in his wake. he panted, eyes darting, all but foaming at the mouth in his desperation. with first the predicament with the young mother and now this fruitless search, the mission had taken on the mantle of a hopeless errand.

he couldn't give up. he'd come too far.

Moorhen was newly-returned to these lands, but already quite at home. Today, she was a silent gargoyle upon the rocks a little further ashore, watching the yearling as he ranted and raved in the surf.

He was disturbing her peace, and the beach she'd chosen to be prickly about for the day. Ordinarily, she might've tried to chase the intruder away, but something about this boy's desperation plucked at the chords of kindness that'd been so carefully tuned by her beloved Coelacanth.

The ragged erne slunk down from the equally dark rocks, and she stalked toward the stranger for several paces before she remembered to soften her demeanor.

"You search?" she called to him, her voice flat and unfriendly, but edged with a tiny dose of concern.

even as focused as he was on aphrodite's scent, the wafting smell of another caught his nose. he turned, coming to a halt as the mottled brown woman made her approach. you search? she asked, with an accented tongue—he felt immediately like a kindred spirit, and nodded fervently.

i'm looking for my friend aphrodite, surya explained. she has a pelt like mine, and blue eyes, and she went missing. . .i think she is in trouble. his eyes were desperate as he blinked at the stranger. have you seen anything? heard anything?

her scent was not the one intertwined with aphrodite's at each step; he knew this. but maybe—just maybe—she had seen the healer.

Aiolos need not go far in order to accomplish the mission which he had been given by @Aphrodite. Her name was called throughout the cape, it echoed with the salty winds and towards Aiolos who would rush into the direction of the call in search for its source. He'd find a man, agouti patterned as Aphrodite was, and a woman, molted in brown and cream marking.

Firstly, as only which came natural to Aiolos, he would dip his head respectfully to the strikingly intense woman, who's stare could entrapped those with less of will. The fiery man had a duty however and tore his gaze from her bloodied stare and onto the man. I have seen her. She is on the coast, at least last I saw a few days ago. She has been kidnapped by a rather war-bound fellow, not fully wolf. A much taller, larger man then even Aiolos self, who was more lean and well-balanced then the powerhouse of Donovan. It was a fight which Aiolos had not taken. After all, should Aiolos had fought and lost he would not have likely the opportunity to inform her pack as he had now.

Moorhen was already shaking her head in the negative; she did not know any wolf named Aphrodite, nor had she seen anyone fitting her description. But then another wolf was approaching them — quickly enough to cause the shewolf to prickle, but with enough deference that this was all she did.

The other male's news evoked an uncomfortable squirming in Moorhen's belly. Kidnapped did not sound like an enviable position to be in. It had nothing to do with her, but she knew at once that she would have to involve herself, lest some harm come to the poor girl due to her own inaction.

"Show," she insisted, looking between the two men. "We will rescue."

he was waiting for a verbal response from the woman (although it did not seem promising) when a man appeared, and he began to bristle without volition. soon, though, it became clear that this was not the scent he'd found with aphrodite's, and surya relaxed—though only by a hair. his face, already fraught with worry, became even more drawn as the newcomer explained the situation.

haaye bhagwaan, he whispered, words nearly caught in his throat. then the woman spoke again, and he turned to her, staring for what seemed like an eternity (though really only was a few moments) before giving a brusque nod. yes. we will rescue.

a war-bound fellow. slight-bodied surya was no fighter. but he had volunteered himself for this mission; aphrodite was his friend. he would do whatever it took to bring her back to whitebark stream—and if he had help, all the better.

@Donovan Azura and @Aphrodite can pop up whenever I guess?

 

They would both prickle at his approach, something he noticed in the both of them but took no offense to, given the situation at paw and given the fact that he was a stranger, coming rushing up on them rather quickly. He did not known if the brown and carmel colored woman was friends of this Whitebark man or not, but she was quick to state her place here to help. There was not an ounce of hesitation in her, despite the possibility of danger, which caused a smile to form over Aiolos lips. Had he known she was a complete stranger in this, willing to help to quickly, he would have been more admiring of the woman. 

After a spattering of words the redhead did not understand from Surya, they both agreed to rescue. Aiolos would nod firmly to them and say not another word. No more was needed now, ir was action which was required.

So Aiolos turned and did what he did best - scout, guard, protect. As a leading man of Yuelong, he had been required even more so to practice his skills and put them to the test. Aiolos hunted out for the scents along the coast (harder on the coast with the shifting tides and strong salty air) for Aphrodite and her capture. Surely they could not have gone far...

Rescuing the unknown woman seemed more important than learning the names of the two strangers. Moorhen had the sneaking suspicion that the younger male would be just as dramatic out of a crisis as he'd been acting when she came upon him. The other male seemed a little less offensive, but as he'd seen fit to show deference to her, she saw fit to dismiss him with her usual arrogance.

Perhaps there would later be time for exchanging pleasantries. Moorhen practiced her common tongue greetings in her head as the travelled along. "Yes, hello. It is nice to meet you. I am Moorhen. How do you do?"

The thought of Someone coming for her filled her with a hope she hadn't felt in weeks. The realization that this nightmare would soon be over. 
As she lingered on the beach, staying in protective reach of Aiolos' pack, making excuses about needing a particular seaweed for some ailment or another. But she could tell he was getting tired of her, her antics, her very presence. 
A thousand times she played out her reunion with Surya in her mind. Confessing how she felt about him, Letting herself fall in love with him. 
She could imagine him, whispering her name, muzzle buried in her scruff. 
And then the voice echoed Again. "Surya!" She gasped, realizing the wind along the coast carried his voice, scent, and name. She was blinded by pain, relief, fear, hope. In her haste she forgot @Donovan and his looming presence, pitching her head back and releasing a howl. "I am here. Come find me. Please." The melody rang out.

the message came loud and clear on the wind. that's her! surya exclaimed, turning to his companions with an exhilarated wag of his tail. APH— he began in a holler, his voice dying away as he realized she probably couldn't get away from her captor just yet. they would have to go to the healer.

chalo, he gasped, breaking into a lope with just the turning of his ears to check if his companions were behind him. the sea breeze whistled violently past, his eyes beginning to water as he picked up speed.

how difficult would this be? he assumed that the man wouldn't let aphrodite go without a fight; they would surely bleed today. but what did he want, anyway? did he have some goal or reward in mind, or had he just captured the healer on a whim?

surya's stomach churned as he ran, mentally steeling himself for combat he'd never experienced.

The massive male is skirting along the beach and managed to snatch himself a fish. The creature flops about aimlessly in his rugged, powerful jaws. Shaking his head, muscles ripple beneath his coat. The sun reflecting off of the brindled pattern all along his body. Golden eyes seem to sparkle as the rays of light reflect through them. The orbs lie on the female near the tree line as his massive paws sink through the granulates of sand  as he starts to carry himself towards her. His pace is unrushed, until he sees her move abruptly. Eyes squint in suspicion, then widen when she releases a throaty howl. 

His lip snarls slightly and he releases himself into a gallop. When he reaches her he drops the dead fish and glares to her. Sauntering he tilts his head, face obviously not impressed. “Why’re you making so much noise?” He asks, deep voice monotone but moderately quiet.

It's all coming together now. All the pain, fear, hate, exhaustion. It was all coming to an end. Surya had found her. She turned to her monster, a defiance in her eyes, triumphant smile on her features. She didn't care about the fish. She wouldn't eat it anyway. She never ate anything he brought her. She would rather starve- and indeed she had, her lithe frame even more drawn and ribby. 
"It's over." She smirked. "You lose. They've found me. Aiolos, and Surya, and whoever else they have with them." It was funny. She had spent the last week terrified of him, and somewhere currently bottled away that trauma still lay, but now...now Artemis was with her. 
"I prayed, and She answered. Just like She always has. And She always will." 

Malia, ofc, feel free to say Donovan dodged or whatever as you see fit.

As Aiolos and the two at his hocks drew closer, Aphrodite's fresh scent took to the air and soon her call followed. It beckoned her packmate to push harder and so did he, long legs closing the distance between he and Aphrodite (and the one who had kidnapped her) as she stood along the coast. 

If a rescue was needed, a rescue would be had and with his head lowered to level with his spine, tail high in the air, Aiolos charged into the direction of the (quite larger) man. With open jaws in a snarl, he aimed to snap off at the man's face, whether to strike it or send him jumping back and away from Aphrodite's side.

Moorhen's ears pricked at the sound of the distressed woman's voice. The group picked up the pace, Moorhen keeping up with the fur on her spine standing like a quiver of arrows.

Arriving on the scene, Aiolos was quick to throw himself into a fight. It was not what Moorhen thought was best, but she was no diplomat, anyway. Silent and streamlined, she threw herself into the fight as well, likewise aiming to defend Aphrodite, support Aiolos, and drive Donovon away — in no particular order. If he was keen on retreating, she had no cause to give chase; Aphrodite had been recused and the dragon 'defeated'.

If there was a fight, however, she was intent on drawing blood. Particularly from the male's hind legs, while Aiolos had him guarding his front.

it was no lie—the man was huge. as the pair came into sight, surya felt the fear rise up in him, a nauseous wave. he kept his eyes trained on aphrodite, wondering if it would be better if he simply shepherded her away and left the fighting to the obvious trained warriors.

that seemed the wisest plan of action, and so he placed himself in front of the healer, shielding her from the melee and her captor. he was puffed up and snarling, though the words he spoke to aphrodite over his shoulder were calm and quiet, barely audible over combat: it's okay. we're here. i'm going to take you home.

surya set his gaze like steel upon the brute of a man, warning him not to come any closer. if need be, he'd leap into the fray. for now, he thought it best to be a bodyguard.

Sorry guys didn’t mean to post it yet lol. Meant to save it as a draft. I rolled here for moorhen’s attack to be dodged and it was unsuccessful. ;>

Roll here

He stands tall before the three that come to the young wolf’s rescue. Confidently he watches them approach, eyeing them all down like an old western movie. Instantly the agouti male he’d met earlier on comes for him. He is able to dodge only because he expected to be attacked on site by the trio. The next wolf, a female, flanks him. Donovan predicts the move and briefly shakes his head. Real original to attack on site. He thinks with a scowl on his face.

Hopping away from Aiolos’ jaws is all he’s able to do. While the female behind him is a different story. Instantly he feels her teeth take ahold of his hind leg and his face snarled up at the pain that shoots through his leg.

Though, he decides to not even worry about the male that goes to protect female, he has to worry about the two before him. For now. 

He squares himself off with broad shoulders. “Have her.” He growls, as if he couldn’t give a rats ass of they were to take her. “She’s a handful anyway.” He chuckles, the sounds smooth and deep, and sadistic as the pain in his leg intensifies–the pain he decides he should do something about by now. “I didn’t wanna fight but if you insist.” He hums eerily.

He curls his body to the left, ears flat to his skull and teeth bared with savage intent. The move is fast and he seeks to remedy the pain that shoots through his leg with his teeth. Once within reach of the she-wolf behind him, he snaps his teeth onto her left ear and tears with a vicious shake of his head. It wouldn’t rip her ear off, but it would leave identical tears where his canines met and tore flesh.

It's a tearful reunion, Surya charging to defend her. Her Friends, here to protect her. She's overwhelmed, dizzy, shellshocked, and when he dismissed her without even a look back- shes a handful- she collapses against Surya, muzzle buried in his neck, crying. 
"Thank you...I knew you would find me, Thank you.. " 
She wasn't sure if it was the emotion of being saved, or something else, but the next words burbled out before she could think to stop them. "I love you. Please don't ever leave me." 

It is easily enough said that the large wolf was ready and prepared for his dodge when Aiolos and Moorhen came in for their attack. Donovan is able to dodge one wolf, but not two, as the stripped woman's jaws make their mark. In retaliation, Donovan swings around to face his attacker at his backside. Aiolos, still at his front, does not spare the man of the coming onsaught. If he were a smarter wolf (more brains and less bulk) he would have run the moment he saw the three wolves charging at him. 

Now in defense of the strange woman (who jumped at the opportunity to do right by Aphrodite) Aiolos lunges forth again, reaching for the side of the man's neck which was now turned and exposed. Unless dodged again, Aiolos would jerk and yang, both tearing into the large wolfdog and tearing him away from Moorhen. Justice and punishment would be handed out this day to remind Donovan to choose carefully whom he makes enemies of.

Moorhen tore only briefly at the male's hind leg before pulling back, confused by the way he seemed to want to talk instead of fight. And, as he was apparently content to let the shewolf go, Moorhen believed her job here was nearly at an end. She backed off a bit, still snarling in warning, only to have the wolf turn and lunge for her face. Her snarling picked up in volume and tempo as her ear was torn, but the superficial injury didn't worry her as much as the present threat of the aggressive male.

"Go away!" she barked, very aware of the pounds that the strange male had over her. She was afraid, but not cowed, and intent on seeing Aiolos to safety before turning tail and running — which was what she would have done if she was fighting this wolf alone. She wouldn't have fought this wolf if she was alone.

"And you," she called over her shoulder to Surya and Aphrodite as she danced around the larger wolf, not trying to land any hit in particular, but to keep him on his toes so that he could not turn his full attention on Aiolos. "Run now. Go home!"

omg i am so so so sorry i didn't even realize i had skipped over a bunch of people -- pls forgive me!! copy and paste post from before plus additional info

his lips curled back, teeth bared in a snarl as the man spoke so flippantly, giving up the fight before it had even really begun. chutiya, he spat, utterly disgusted. but there was no time to dwell on a depraved man, for aphrodite was now collapsed against him, sobbing and blubbering.

of course, surya started, but his ears swiveled as she continued. i love you. please don't ever leave me. truthful words, or ones spilled out in the heat of the moment? he figured it was the former, and nodded gently, quietly, trying to placate her. we'll go home right away. i promise.

his eyes then wandered across the erstwhile battlefield, watching the captor's next move, as well as his companions'. for now, it looked as if things were dying down. the tension was sharp as a knife's edge, though; one wrong gesture or glance could set everything ablaze.

and then the brown woman told them to run, and he was nudging aphrodite, urging her forward. let's go—come on! he told her quickly, breaking into a gallop himself.

Roll

Even as Donovan is able to deal with the female biting at his ankles. He pulls back from her torn ear. The amount of blood that is produced from ear wounds is unreal. As the crimson liquid pooled in his mouth, it coats his tongue, teeth, and drips from his chin savagely. He doesn’t have time to reacted before he realizes that he left the agouti stranger unattended in front of him and he just turned his back on him. Stupid. He scolds himself, but it’s too late. He won’t be able to dodge Aiolos’ attack.

Run. 
Run. 
Run
Run. 
Soon you'll be safe. 
Soon you'll be safe. 
The cadence of her paws hitting the sand put to words, bolting after her savior, racing towards home. Towards safety. 
She gave one last look back over her shoulder to see the fight, to wonder if they would kill him, before slipping away.

As Donovan finds himself distracted by the chocolate and caramel woman biting at his legs, Aiolos is able to make a successful strike and so did as he sought to do - tear and shake the scruff at the side of the man's neck and do his best (though Donovan was larger being bitten on the side of the neck was no joke) to pull him away from Moorhen. 

Once he heard Moorhen screaming at the man to go away, he was sure she was released and well off enough. Aiolos only then would let go. Out the corner of his eye he would watch as the two Whitestream wolves turned tail and ran. Though his attention remained on the large half-breed. You too. Go now. Else he felt the need to fish him off to bleed out on the sands.

Once the more vulnerable wolves departed, Moorhen found herself more and more reluctant to fight. The gentle morals that Coelacanth had managed to instill in her kept her from abandoning her impromptu comrade to her fate, but it would likely be clear to both males that she was ready to R U N N O F T as soon as Aiolos was.

Still, she remained steadfast and bristling by his side, even as her ear continued to bleed. She was beginning to feel that injury now that the shock of it had passed, and she was keen to get away and find someone who could help clean her up. Perhaps Aiolos would be good for that, or perhaps the sea would be her nursemaid once more.

Roll here. Attack is successful. :’) I’m sorry, Donovan is emotionally not okay haha. Which leads to bad decisions on his part. Lol
Also feel free to post any rolls in the link I’ve been referencing. :)

Donovan is left open for attacks, to which the agouti wolf takes full advantage of. He feels teeth grab a hold of his neck and shake viciously, he’s definitely got puncture wounds at the least. Especially since lightening bolts of white hot pain electrify his nervous system and he can already sense the crimson staining his pelt. His thick coat only gives him so much protection. Perhaps if it was longer it’d be more suitable to protect against thrashing teeth. The sensation isn’t there long though, to his surprise the male lets go once he confirms the she-wolf’s safety behind him.

Now, the baited silence as the other two run away is thick enough to cut with a knife. He braces himself before the two wolves, the stinging in his neck isn’t forgotten and his lip snarls up as a result. His hackles are up and now he contemplates. To attack or to let it go. At first he was content not to fight, but once they took the first bite his whole outlook changed. The mercy bestowed upon Donovan by the agouti male is something he wouldn’t have done. Rather if he had a hold of the others neck, he would run with it as far as he could get. He believes he could take two wolves, yet if his first attack fails, he could easily get over powered by the two. 

So for the moment, he deems it best to stay his ground and allow the others to leave. Yet something inside him breaks. He wouldn’t usually be this reckless in a fight — leaving himself open for frontal attacks and running stupidly into a fight with two skilled wolves, especially after they both give him an opportunity to leave. He’s still not mentally sound with what happened to his pack. 

The crippling sadness crushes him for a second and all he feels is rage. In an instant he’s on the agouti male to his front once more. He rears up, his height even more monstrous than usual, and bears down his weight onto the others face with his claws. If he’s lucky blood will draw from any scratches he leaves on his face. With the distraction successful enough, he shoots forward with the intent to sink his own teeth into the others neck. His muscles bunch up and the pure power behind the thrust forward should knock the other a couple steps to the side if it doesn’t knock him over when he makes contact with his neck. Even though the decision isn’t the smartest, when he shoots forward he aims to go further underneath his body, closer to his trachea than the side of the neck.
Once contact is made he squeezes his jaw down viciously, with savage intent to kill, even though he knows he probably won’t end up killing him. More precisely, he doesn’t want to kill him. He just wants to give the other a lesion as to why he shouldn’t jump into battle so readily. So he locks down onto his neck and crunches, surely his fangs would be piercing through fur and skin at this point. He wants the other to try and pull away. For the more they pull the worse their wounds will be. So Donovan attempts a hardy shake of his head. Throwing his whole body into it, his  muscles flex beneath his impressive coat and he doesn’t stop there. He breathes heavily through his nose and he continues his savage assault. Surely he would be thrashing the other wolf about, even if it’s only a bit. Though unlike most who grab and hold onto the same spot for dear life, he continuously lets go enough to clamp down and make more puncture wounds. A tactic his horrid father taught him long ago.

While preoccupied with the male he keeps his canary colored eyes on the female behind him all the while, hopefully able to avoid her attack when she decides to come for him. Even though he’s sure it will be unlikely in such a compromising position.