Bramblepoint The view from halfway down

Attn: @Njord

In a haze of pale mist, something materialized. Formless, shapeless, but golden. Transfixed on the luminescent being, he drifted weightlessly, hovering, as the shape began to evolve. Two amber eyes, almond-shaped and slightly slanted peered at him with what he thought was scrutiny, until the rest of its features appeared. And within the mauzy gold mist appeared two tall ears, a halo of glistening, gilded fur and a muzzle that smiled at him.

Amid his fascination, he first felt a light sense of relief. Whatever this deity was, it was glowing with fondness as it stared at him. It was only when the canine's lips parted to reveal three shining canines that recognition struck him. 

And at first, he was filled with dread. 

"Easy, son. You're not dead." A rippling laugh came from the disembodied, hovering head. It was unsettling to hear her voice again, and to hear that she was once again laughing at him. Gently, though- tenderly, almost. As tender as she'd ever managed to be. Nevertheless, his anxiety continued to rise and he struggled with the vision. He couldn't turn away, couldn't run. And it wasn't that he wanted to flee death- he wanted to escape from his mother's boastful gaze. Her voice swelled. "I'm proud of you, kid," As much as her voice was intended to be a purr, to him, it was a growl. 

No. 

He didn't want to make her proud. He didn't want to be like her- he didn't want to fight, and watch all of the wolves he loved die around him because of his stupid decisions. He didn't want to drive himself to madness and the fact that he was here and seeing her right now made him scream. This was where he was going. This was where he was headed. To live out eternity in a purgatory where his mother gleamed and glowed- a place where those who inflicted pain and suffering on others could exist and smile and mock and-

He screamed as loudly as he could, roaring into the everlasting abyss. It shuddered- and then the image of his mother vanished.

And from the stillness, the shivering mist swirled. He watched with dread, certain the gold tones would emerge and they did but- tinged with amber, brown, and two warm, bourbon eyes. Rose-gold, with gemstone eyes glinting with a faint peach glimmer. He saw a host of wolves- just the bare essence of their appearance, but with all the warmth of love he'd ever felt for them. Colt, Primrose, Wraen, Osiris, Hydra, and a line of others familial and friendly who had watched him grow, proudly. 

He felt sadness creep in, and he realized, then, that he was not ready to join them yet. Nor were they ready to take him in yet. The silvery mist turned to a shade of gold and while he braced for mockery, it was a faint, motherly touch to the top of his head that he felt- a kiss, that pushed him away from the beyond, and back into the world. For once, he didn't recoil from her touch. Perhaps he might forgive her, someday.

The world was hazy, blurry- greens and blues so vivid and bright he had to blink numerous times to clear his vision. He lifted his head only to find the swelling above his eyes caused an ache that resonated through his entire skull. He emitted a soft moan and lay his head back onto the ground, focusing first on his breath as he gazed across the forest floor where it was spattered with blood that had begun to soak into the moss and turn black. 

Moving his eye hurt, but he scanned as far as he could see slowly, realizing then that he could see nothing from the eye that faced the sky. He tilted his head slightly, gently, and licked his lips, feeling his tongue scrape against thick, drying blood and the tatters of tissue on one side. From his temple to his jaw ran four parallel clawmarks, that skipped his neck and continued down over the curve of his shoulder. The side of his face was swollen, filling in the socket where his eye had once been. Along his sides and flanks were more deep clawmarks, but it was the wound to his face that had knocked him out. There was a pinching feeling in the muscles of his neck, torn from the sheer force of the tiger's paw. 

He emitted a soft moan, hoping someone might hear, hoping that the tiger would not come back to finish him off.