Wheeling Gull Isle into the water, let it pull him under

my lad @Orochi

the warlord drags herself from the sea, tongue lolling as her sides heave. she would not underestimate the sea again. 

something had drawn her back here after finding her mother's bones, and without any real attachments or responsibilities, she'd made quick work of the journey here. at the coast, she'd simply kept moving, stepping into the shallows, heading ever deeper. she wanted to see how far she'd go; wanted to see if something on the horizon would take shape. 

it didn't, and the sea proved a volatile thing. a riptide had caught the woman in its grasp and dragged her up the coast; it had taken a half-hour of struggle to realize that this island was her best option to reach land again. and here she stood, head hanging below her shoulders as she coughed, forcing air out of her lungs in an attempt to clear the brine from her airway. her nose burned, her throat made sandpaper. gaze sought the treeline; oblivious, she began to make her way inland, entire body sore and nearly spent.

Orochi was back to his usual routine; using trees and driftwood as punching bags. He couldn't go around asking everyone here to fight (even though he really wanted to), so this was the next best thing.

He was lunging at a tree when he saw the woman wash to shore. At first he thought it was just another pile of rubbish that had found its way to the island. It was hard to make out details from the edge of the forest. But then it began to move.

Orochi's training session was cut short. He hid himself behind the tree and squinted at the figure. She couldn't be one of theirs could she? Only one way to find out.

Hey! He emerged from his cover and stomped towards her with his head held high. Who are you?

muzzle swings to catch the approach of another, gaze shifting to catch that of the man marching across the beach. her hackles flair, auds pressed forward against her crown as she turns to face him, molten gaze latching onto his own. despite her desire to avoid whoever this is and whatever he wants, turning away and ignoring him does not seem to be an option. and so she strides forward, panting still, until the glint of his gaze becomes obvious, and familiar. "you," she breaths, memories coming together. 

the once-warlord pauses in her approach, hackles still rigid. her gaze drops from his, moving to his leg; or rather, the lack of it.

She didn't stop or even turn away. She continued to walk towards him, faster now. It made him wonder if she really was a member of Yuèlóng, because what kind of trespasser would head straight towards the enemy? (him. that would be him) It was hard to confirm with all this damn salt in the air. He'd been away long enough to have trouble distinguishing his packmate's scents from the ocean.

But Orochi didn't need to figure out anything. As soon as she opened her mouth he knew exactly who he was.

You. he parroted, barring his teeth. He followed her gaze to his leg. That got his blood boiling.

You fucker. I'll kill you for what you did! Orochi lundged towards her face, ready to grab onto her snout.

and so it began once more. the warlord roared, a low, terrible sound as he lunged. fangs ripped across her muzzle; first blood. the warlord was heedless of this, seeking to ram into the boy like a train, though already out of breath as she tore her muzzle free, her own fangs seeking his shoulder. her exhaustion is a concern she elects to ignore; the boy is missing a leg, and she expects this to be quick and easy. 

she remains entirely oblivious to the fact, however, that she is very much trespassing on this island.

He did manage to draw blood, but didn't get the girp he wanted. His teeth slipped across her snout, and he stumbled forward.

If he was going to have any chance of winning, he'd need to think about his attacks before he did anything. That was gonna be really fucking hard, because he was really fucking pissed.

It's not like he had much time to think anyways. She bit him on the shoulder, inciting a roar of his own. In that moment the only thing he thought of doing was shoving towards her, maybe knock her off balance.

a headache is building inside her skull, pounding against the confines of it with every step. her gaze is slitted as she loses her grip, and the three-legged boy slams into her. she grunts as she loses her paws a moment, stumbling. she withdraws, distinctly out of character. she ought to be launching another attack, moving to finish this quickly, but hela can only face him with curled lips and jaw agape as she moves to find her balance again, forced into the defensive by exhaustion and the suddenness of this reunion.

Orochi forced her off his shoulder, and he was granted the chance to think. Both of them were at a sort of standstill; she was defending herself, and he was plotting the next move.

He quickly glanced over her, looking for signs of weakness and, well, everything about her seemed off. She wasn't as quick as she was the last time they fought. His eyes locked into her back leg for a brief moment. Would she be quick enough to dodge if he went for it? One way to find out.

Orochi dipped down low and shot towards that leg. And if he got a hold, he'd do everything in his power to hold on.

the warlord pants, sides heaving. her chest feel light, empty, her head somewhat removed from the rest of her, high-up and spinning. she blinks, nausea rolling in her gut, and suddenly pain erupts around her right hind. the girl grunts, spinning toward him as the edges of her vision tinge with red; or is it black? 

a messy lunge for his head; but his grip does not falter and she's stumbling, twisting. her weight works against her, something gives. the crack resonates, the pain comes a moment later, a sonic boom that arches through her. "bitch," she spits, the word ragged, as she lunges for his face. except, she's not moved, and the only thing she's managed to do is spit up bile into the sand.

All of his pent up rage was released into the power of his bite. Her retaliation did little to break his concentration. Orochi vowed to get his revenge on the nightwalkers somehow, and this would be the beginning.

He didn't let go until he heard that all too familiar crack. He stepped away from her, and laughed at her pitiful attempt to lundge at him.

Common, you can do better than that, he mocked. Orochi lifted his chin and grinned. Here. I'll stand still for you.

hate, vile and viscous, pumps steadily through her veins. it is perhaps the only thing tethering her to consciousness, her headache blinding and over-shadowed only by the burning that is her limb. guttural snarl rips from her throat, swaying as she fixes her gaze on his melting, morphing features. she steps toward him, falls; her hind limb faltering beneath her weight. this is, by quite a large margin, the shittiest day of her life thus far. 

"fucker," she spits, lungs heaving and yet still managing to draw almost no oxygen into them. "I'll—you—" it is the extent of whatever threat she wished to utter. another snarl, seething with hate. she will tear her fangs into his stupid, grinning face, and she will tear out his tongue. 

but that is not what happens. bleeding, defeated, the once-warlord looks only to put distance between herself and the boy her pack had once kept in a pit, retreating further down the beach before she darkness threatening the edges of her vision decides to darken it entirely.

Try as she might, she couldn't get a proper footing thanks to the injury. Seeing her struggle just like he did all those months ago brought him joy. This is what she deserved after all. An eye for an eye.

Orochi narrowed his eyes and chucked. Man, it felt good not getting the shit end of the stick for once. You'll what? he snickered.

She wasn't gonna fight him that's for sure. She opted to retreat to, well, somewhere. Orochi followed behind with a smug grin on his face. There was nowhere to run unless she wanted to go for a swim. It was only a matter of time before she tuckered herself out. It wasn't a long wait.

Orochi trotted up next to her unconscious form. Now what should he do with her? Throw her in the ocean? No, that was the easy way out.

Let's see how you like being someone's captive, he hissed. Orochi grabbed her by the nape and dragged her away from the shore.