Noctisardor Bypass the last few drops from the holy grail

Glaukos dragged the boy some of the way and then hoisted him across his shoulders, taking him towards where @Druid and @Heda rested; but before he got that far, he shifted direction. This young man was a healer and as such, he would be most effective within the area of Rivenwood with the most supplies to spare - the pharmacy.

It did not take long at all for Glaukos to reach that part of the forest. Once he found a suitable place to drop @Etienne, he unceremoniously did so and then moved off, giving the man space to breathe or come-to, whichever was needed.

He did not disperse back to his patrols yet, not while harboring this asset; Glaukos wanted to make sure the man knew he would be watched, and that there was no way out except through service. It was a lesson he felt everyone should eventually be taught.

Etienne awoke with a pained gasp. He didn't move at first. He lay breathing, but he whimpered at each breath. So he tried to take shallower breaths. He began to take stock of his multitude of injuries. A man the size of Galukos even trying not to would leave a mark. A painful one.

His ribs were definitely bruised. He licked along the seam of his mouth tasting bitter and salt.

His one eye was puffy and hurt to try and open. And his shoulder had definitely been wrenched.

Painstakingly slow he shifted, rolling his weight onto his paws, knees and slowly rising. Each movement leaving him aching and gasping. It would be even worse tomorrow. He groaned.

Golden eyes looking around. Nearby his sight fell upon Glaukos and he snarled, but didn't move. He couldn't.

When Etienne first left the hollow Anselm planned to follow shortly after. He wanted to visit the deep spring one last time — to look on it pensively, in finality, before turning his back forever. 

His steps were unhurried as he turned for the bypass, for he dreaded seeing Heda again. As he came to the border he found scent of Etienne here; more than that, a score of claw marks and the wisps of several cinnamon tufts of fur. 

Anselm froze, inspecting this finding with a ridge of bladed fur rising along his back . His blood pounded in his ears, alarm snaking its adrenaline high through his suddenly shaky limbs. The longer he looked, the more context he saw — displaced fur, a scuffle marked on the earth, and the clear drag marks of trailing paws in the half thawed snow. 

For the first time in his life Anselm disobeyed the clear boundaries of a pack. He slipped past the markings at a thunderous clip, following his nose with newfound fury. 

The woods grew denser. The scent of stale herbs and Etienne flooded his senses as Anselm closed in.

The boy's desire to leave might have been strong, but his body was not. Glaukos saw how they did not rise again; he witnessed the pitiful display as he came-to, trying to rise up. He was confident that he had done enough damage to limit his mobility but not his usefulness. Nothing had been broken - not even the skin - as Glaukos had shown immense restraint for the sake of the women and the children they carried. He needed this man to be of use. He needed help to keep Druid from wasting away, and he would get that help immediately.

When the other wolf gave a snarl, Glaukos flashed his teeth but it was a lazy display, one built of confidence. He contemplated saying something or perhaps throwing the young man down again to prove his point, and moved as if he might do just that — taking a slow step toward Etienne so that his body eclipsed him in shadow.

You have a job to do. You can leave after. And whether Etienne liked it or not, Glaukos was ready and willing to enforce this with further battery. He doubted it would be necessary, given the state of the man now.

Etienne would be alright. He knew this. Yes his body hurt. But it would heal. Despite that the man was no healer, he had hurt Etienne methodically. He knew how much pressure to put where. So etienne guessed he probably had been trained, well, in some sort of combat. Combat training was a little like healing except backwards. You knew what the body could take, just not how to fix it.

The man came near and though Etienne truly wanted to cower. He did not. He lifted masked face and head boldly. Golden eyes burning in gentle face.

ale nan lanfe

He shifted again. And though it hurt so bad. He forced himself to move. To take stock of the area. Any escape route. He could have called for one of the women. They would probably not agree with this aggressive display, but despite it all. He didn't wish to cause them unrest. Particularly Druid.

He glared at the man, but chose silence. Despite the want to tell him what to do with himself colorfully. And that he would have come back, but why argue.

As Etienne’s scent grew thicker, Anselm heard distant voices. He froze with ears thrust forward, nose twitching as he worked from the various visual, auditory, and scent cues the direction they’d sourced from.

As he moved towards them, a snarl threaded through the pines. Anselm’s heart dropped, fur on end.

He was close.

His ears strained as he came closer, every sense on high alert. In between a grove of pine and oak he saw a huge shape, Etienne staring resolutely back up at his captor as the beast’s shadow eclipsed his cinnamon form.

Anselm crept forward - eyes trained on the man’s back. When he was close enough — whether by detection or distance — Anselm lunged for the man’s spine where neck met shoulder. There was no shred of mercy, no hesitation — Anselm stormed in at full send, careless of his own potential harm.

There was only one imperative — and it was kill or be killed.

Whew so, I rolled 1D20 on the Discord for Glaukos' defending and got an [8] so Anselm is gonna git 'em, and then [18] for counter. Hope that makes sense!

The young man was hurting but he wasn't going anywhere. Glaukos was certain he had made the right call, because Druid needed a healer above all, and Heda would too once those children were born. He could not be that person, and they so rarely had visitors with such capabilities — it was unfortunate for Etienne, but he was alive and he would mend; there were worse things that could've happened.

One of those things came rocketing out from cover pretty quickly; Glaukos was only aware of the gray shape streaking towards him from behind, and when they bent themselves towards his neck and shoulder, the latching of teeth came abruptly, before Glaukos could do much of anything to avoid it. The shooting pain of teeth cutting in to his flesh made him snarl in a guttural way, and he spun to try and tear himself free, or to reach for the stranger who now assailed him.

There was a size difference, but the stranger held the advantage of surprise. This was matched by Glaukos' fury. The soldier pulled and wrenched and tried to get his own teeth set upon the attacker, and whether that worked or not he would throw his weight around, fueled by the pain and eager to be free of it.

Glaukos had been willing to maim a man to keep the women here healthy — he'd just as readily kill an interloper, just as soon as he'd gotten hold of him.

i did post in game hq but just in case. Etienne can be skipped from here on in for the fight. Have a little post

Etienne was thrown from his thoughts by the snarl. It was right near his head. So without thinking. He jumped to the side whimpering as he did so. Pulling on the bruised ribs. Thinking Glaukos was coming after him again.

But imagine his surprise when golden eyes fell on mountain snow fur and his heart thudded hard in his chest. He wanted to help but had no idea how to or if he should. He was pretty immobile. So he scrambled to the side.

Fear stampeding to the forefront of his mind for Anselm. He didn't know what he would do if something bad happened. This was all his fault.

Actually, it was sort of Druid’s fault.

She didn’t have the strength to investigate the commotion she could hear in the distance, but the den mother could not just ignore it, either. Her weariness hid her frantic thoughts well as she contemplated dragging herself to the scene of what sounded like a terrible fight. What was happening? Who was involved?

The pups stirred with sudden violence in her belly, perhaps protesting this absurd notion. That left Druid with only one option. Sagging against the doorway to the den in Dawnleaf, she didn’t so much howl for help as scream for it.

Also skippable, especially since she is not on the scene!

"stop!" heda screamed hoarsely. where druid went, so was she. the sounds drew her from dawnleaf, and out, druid's scream in her ears. and the scene before her was so riotous with violent energy that she sickened.
"stop!" she shrieked again, racing with rounded belly to strike glaukos, to shove him from anselm. her eyes moved to etienne helplessly; what was happening? what had happened?
but then she had returned to herself, throat raw as she shouted and cried until her voice was gone. "go to druid! go!"

Anselm’s stealth was perhaps the only reason he temporarily blindsided the mountain; at Glaukos’ snapping teeth he sprung back, a new welt of merlot beads searing his flesh.

 Etienne backed away. Anselm wanted to scream for him to run, but he could afford no distractions. He was terrifyingly aware that the kidnapper might well be his own maker. There was a titanic gravitas to him, and he flung Anselm aside with an ease that would have awed the tracker were it not for the hatred that now coursed in his blood. 

Two seconds slower, and Glaukos may have seized his throat between his teeth. 

Anselm did not register Druid’s screams, or even Heda’s command as she fell upon them. Anselm mistakenly assumed she was here to kill Glaukos too. He did not understand the true reason for the man’s motives, and so simply assumed the worst.

This man hurt Etienne — that blinded Anselm with so much chattering rage that he was sick from it. He saw nothing but the red tide of revenge — and he would stop at nothing to see this man pay tribute to the blood-tithe that was Anselm’s vengeance.  

While he hoped Glaukos was momentarily distracted by Heda, Anselm lunged again. This time, they were face to face — and without surprise on his side Anselm was painfully aware of just how monstrously large this man was. He would risk it all if it meant Etienne would escape.  No matter the cost to his own life in the process.

Rolled a [9 - almost decent] defense, [18 - good] attack.

The hysteria of women.

Glaukos was reminded why Germanicus had forbade any attachments to them; Heda came and with her shrieking she was like a vulture, pecking at him and trying to separate the warring bodies. Now was not the time. Glaukos would not strike her but he snarled as he rounded again upon the attacker, leveling a dangerous look upon the woman as he tried to defend against Anselm's continued attacks.

He did not manage to deflect much. His body took the brunt of the attacks, the bites, the tears, and Glaukos had to endure while keeping himself mindful of Heda, as she was now a possible target for this stranger and Glaukos had to protect her.

That was what this entire mess had been about. Protect the women, protect the unborn.

He roared and slammed in to the silver stranger, ignoring the pain, using his own heft to push a weight advantage. Glaukos was powerful and he had spent many days learning to restrain himself; now, seeing the stranger wasn't going to relent, he would use every bit of power and malice to make this fight - and this man - stop.

A scream resounded around the pack lands. It set Etienne's teeth on his edge. And made his stomach drop. That was Druid. He wanted to help her, but Anselm. A soft whimper. And then Heda was there. Rounded belly stepping between the two fighting men.

And Etienne was scared then for her, for Anselm, for Druid. And he couldn't breathe. His chest felt tight and each breath grew harder and harder to draw. Add in the pain of trying to breathe anyway with his bruised ribs. A knifes blade the thin edge of his panic, sharp and deep. Each squeeze drawing his pain higher and higher. His chest, his ribs, grew tighter and tighter. Blinding, engulfing pain. The edges of his vision growing dim and blurred.

A gasping strangled yell ASE

Then the pain grew too much and his eyes rolled back in his head and he fainted.

I was going to skip him, but nows there so much going on. I'll add another. Knowing how a panic attack feels and add in extremely bruised ribs. I think its safe to say the pain and a mix of panic would make him pass out. If this doesn't seem realistic i can edit. I did look it up on google and consensus says it would make the pain way worse. And given Glaukos size heh

PPing anselm w permission! skipping druid per ooc

warring men. never once had heda dealt with such. it frightened her, angered her. druid had screamed for them all! and now she was alone — alone, and every instinct in her sister's body shrieked to return to that straining, sickened side.
etienne's presence blurred away; with worry she found she could not spare a moment even to glance in his direction. glaukos ignored her — does the tree notice the sparrow? — and she cried out as anselm's body was knocked several paces back, the ground tearing at his gunmetal fur. he was slammed fully from glaukos, and heda thrust herself forward almost on top of him, almost under the great paws of the bearish man appointed as protector of rivenwood, sire of the children to come;
"stop! stop, now!" heda shouted again, meeting anselm's frenzied golden eyes and trying to push against glaukos, though if he lunged forward she would be shoved along by his heavy bicep and caught directly between their clash; "glaukos, stop!"

Flung free from Glaukos with terrific force, Anselm skidded backwards, leaving long scores of freshly upturned soil in the earth. 

His breath had been cleared right out of him; struggling to breathe, he rallied for a third assault, only to hear Etienne’s voice ring sharp through the din before he collapsed to the earth.

In his momentary pause Heda had slid between him and the freshly cleared distance from Glaukos. Anselm’s body heaved with sharp gasps, the full total of pain now burning along the edges of his senses. His throat rattled as he tried to see around the surprisingly rounded sides of Heda (so soon? he briefly wondered before that thought was torn away by the crumpled body of Etienne). Druid’s scream might as well happened in another galaxy at this point. Etienne! Vhat IS THIS? He spun, briefly meeting Heda’s gaze in bewilderment.  His hackles raised and head lowered as he prepared to turn tooth to Glaukos again. Heda! This man — look vhat he has done to Etienne! 

Anselm himself was near hysteric now.  Pain threatened to blur his cognizance, but his adrenaline and his alarm for his packmate’s wounded state left a thin line of desperation in him, just enough to steel his shaking limbs and sharpen his instincts.

The interloper was thrown, and Glaukos was lunging after him when Heda stepped in between them, shouting; behind her the man said her name, and for a moment Glaukos was delayed enough to watch and to think, and turn an accusatory look upon Heda.

Move. He doesn't belong here, and he attacked me. Why did he have to explain this? But he realized that the stranger had spoken another name, and spoke directly to Heda as if known. What was going on?

He didn't attack but he stood ready, with only the pregnant Heda as the wall between. Why do you defend him? He is not of Rivenwood; he does not care for our claim, and should be removed.

It felt like talking to a child.

portentously did the energies move between glaukos and heda and anselm. as first the accented anger and then the angry roughness rose, she considered only how each of these men were unfeeling and feral beasts in their own right, and how she had lain with each of them, allowed them to sully her in the basest of ways.
"anselm isn't here on a whim, glaukos," heda declared, finally passing from her place betwixt them to approach etienne's side, to see that he breathed.
" breathe. he's alive." her voice was hardly more than a snap toward anselm; she was certain his reactivity would be enforced after today, when it was so clear that etienne had needed his protection. his nearness caused her skin to crawl in remembrance of his hatred, to ignore the subtle response of her own to that remembered rough embrace.
now her baleful eyes blazed golden toward the great man of rivenwood. "what did you do?" etienne had stayed with she and druid, and they had shared a time of education. he had been hale and healthy then; now he was out of his senses and heavily bruised. what had he done to invite that level of response from glaukos?

Mercifully, the immense gladiator stayed his hand. A good thing for Anselm — who was more tracker than fighter.

Anselm could not help the charged energy that shook his body. He watched as the man glanced from Heda to him, and back again — just his flat stare alone was enough to send Anselm’s fur rippling.

He and Heda were hardly on good terms — but in that moment, Anselm felt a strange kinship towards her as she bent to Etienne to check his breathing - any port in a crisis.

At this point, Anselm’s quivering breath was all he could summon in answer. He too was bewildered — for different reasons — and felt a sense of injustice stiffen his spine as he looked from friend to foe, waiting for the gladiator to answer for why his friend was now face first into the dirt and battered.

What did you do?
What must be done. While she sounded incensed, Glaukos held a cool, level voice despite the tension. The look on his face was one of determination, conviction.

He glanced hastily to the crumpled body of Etienne and back to the pair - eyeing Heda, and carrying an ongoing warning for the man she defended. Stay down.

Druid needs a healer. This one was leaving when we needed him. Now, he stays. The man scoffs after a second. He will be fine. Nothing is broken. Did she not trust him? His judgement was sound. Anyone would do the same - he was certain of that much.

Glaukos bristled and loomed around Heda with his eye on the other man, the one cowering behind her and trying to catch his breath. This fool should be dead for trespassing.

disbelief poured over heda in an icy baptismal. for a moment, the shock was so great that she could only focus on etienne, not wanting to even glance toward anselm in the moment.
"druid didn't ask you to do that," heda finally said, voice pinched with cold. "i didn't ask you to do that." her hackles prickled beneath the bloodstain of her blackthorn stripe. "etienne was asked to stay. he declined. he wanted to go home. but he stayed with us long enough to teach me some things, glaukos, and to steady druid. we can't force anyone to stay. now you've gone and hurt him."
furious, she stalked toward glaukos now. "you've cost us a healer! and an alliance!" tears were forming in her eyes, tears of rage and fear, that druid and her babies would simply die. that she was dying right this moment.
"anselm. take etienne home," heda ordered in defiance of glaukos, knowing full well that the great man could overturn her order by sheer physical will. to the mountain himself, she added: "she needs you near. and i am going to find a healer, one who will come without being dragged back."
golden eyes blazed up at glaukos. how could he think this was the way to handle anything? and poor druid, all alone through every part of this. 
heda wanted to scream at anselm to get out faster, to leave before she snapped, but she knew he was determined enough to drag-carry etienne back to the hollow.

He did what must be done. Anselm’s gaze flickered with absolute disbelief, resting on the man with dripping contempt. Vhat must be done?! You fucking idiot — now he needs a healer. Anselm strode stiff legged to stand over Etienne, hackles on full display as Heda stalked towards the man and ordered him down.

He wished in that moment she’d attack him, too — but given her gravid state, it would be terminally unwise.

His attention jolted back to Heda as she told him to bring Etienne home. He started, looking from her to the limp form of his friend. He could physically drag Etienne home — but he remembered the discourse between Etienne and Fiona when the girl had first been brought to his keep. I can not. He stiffened, then melted as he tried to explain. It vill hurt him more. He must be awake to move. He found Heda’s gaze for one imploring moment before he turned and lifted his chin to the brute.

His cuts stung, but they would heal — his hatred of the man however, would fester forever.

He did not care for her rage. Regardless of how he had kindled it with his actions, Glaukos would not take it to heart because she was being hysterical. If she had been a warrior, if she had been a man, if she had not been this hormonal creature, then perhaps she would have seen this event properly. Instead Heda gave clipped orders and tried to take control of a situation Glaukos had been in the middle of handling.

You think I only move at her decree? You're as idiotic as your friend here. He was offended by the notion; he watched Anselm stand and move, and grimaced a warning at him. To attack him and drive him wholly out of Rivenwood was Glaukos' right, however he only watched for now.

He moved instead for Heda, his energy a rippling threat, his body a wall looming over her and himself focused, knowing how his presence could affect others. I had this handled. Go back to your sister.

Druid needed someone with her, and who better to be there than Heda? Except she had made her choice; Glaukos wanted to point that out again and wield that choice like a weapon, but chose silence instead, glowering. To the soldier, a choice had been made and Heda had come to protect these fools rather than her own blood - she had even put her unborn at risk, which made Glaukos' decisions here pointless.

He had half a mind to chase her out with them.

No one came.

The sounds of a skirmish fell into a silence that felt ominous… especially when no one called back. That could mean only one thing: something terrible was happening to prevent both Glaukos and Heda from even responding, much less coming to her aid.

Steeling herself, Druid climbed to all fours and took several steps. She stopped and grunted when the pups’ kicks were nearly strong enough to knock the wind out of her. She took steadying breaths while she waited for the sensation to pass, her heartbeat drumming a berserk beat against her stretched ribs.

When she could, she took a few more steps. It might take ages and many starts and stops, but Druid was determined to find and help her family.

She’s still nowhere near the scene, so skip away!

she quailed a little as glaukos came toward her; ironically it was anselm's handling of her which made the red-nape now nervous of the larger man. but he had never sought to dominate her before, and it forced her to take three instinctive steps back — toward etienne. 
"i'm not leaving. not if you're going to just —" break the peace of rivenwood even more. despite her growing trepidation, she backed down no further. exhausted as she was by conflict, she was willing even more to fight for whatever calm she had managed to find here.
the idea of leaving caused her gorge to rise. she was going to be sick, and sat down shakily near the young healer. "you need etienne to help druid," heda whispered. "now you've hurt him. so what are you going to do, glaukos?"
she willed anselm to stay where he was, willed his tensions not to rise. heda could not defend again.

Anselm expected some level of civility — he watched wide-eyed and furious as the man then turned to Heda, a visible threat rippling under his enormous hide. 

Hey! Anselm bristled, taking the same three steps towards Heda that she had taken back. He didn’t know this man from a bone in the dirt — but he knew Heda, and he would not have her threatened or handled the way Etienne had been, despite their pained and conflicted relationship. 

Anselm’s gums curled in a toothsome display. Don’t you fucking touch her. You have done enough. 

Etienne would have to wait. His loss of consciousness was a merciful mishap, for it spared him from further attention. But Heda was very much alive and upright — something about the way the man signaled to Heda caused a burn of spite to choke out Anselm’s resentment of her.