Dahozhoni Meadow At least we loved hard, now didn’t we, baby?

Tierra could not piece together exactly what was going on, but from what she could, she knew they needed numbers. She wanted to make herself useful and build herself a place here beside Octavio. Maybe, eventually, a place at the head of something. That couldn’t happen if whatever fucked Soto up caught up to them and fucked them up too.

Octavio had clearly saved him. Why was he so afraid of them? He was clearly way more badass than the brothers and knew how shit needed to run. Fuck, he’d managed to catch her, and she hadn’t made it easy on him. Well… okay. She’d been tired. In a fair fight she totally would have gotten away. Was it weird that she was grateful?

Yep. Totally weird, Tierra.

Speaking of tired… she needed to take a break. When Tierra had left today the drugs had been strong in her system, but as she reached the neighboring plains they began to wear off, the disappearance of the high sapping the energy it gave her. Shit. I knew I shoulda had more.. She’d brought some, and immediately she felt the impulse overtake her. No one would know. No one would care.

Why was she even here, anyway? Like… no one had ordered her. And they didn’t even deserve her help if they couldn’t build a gang to protect them. But she and Octavio could. That’s why she was here. For him.

The high would be better later anyway if she waited. Tierra, Sangre, shook her fur out restlessly before continuing on. She hoped to run into someone she could take advantage of. That meant avoiding packs and targeting loners, hoping to find someone as lonely and as desperate as she’d been.

A cry curdled out the imp's mouth. Stumbling over on that front right leg, hitting the ground hard and scraping a cheek. A woman of deep reds on the cape that faded down into a dark black. A smoky belly and hawk gold eyes.

Limping again once back on her feet, low bellied and huffing breaths of air that sharply took over her throat. The desert heat had grown nauseating. Dirt and sand blended into one another. Eyes desperately shot up to the figure, and whines riddled the imps throat as she turned to show her side with a tucked tail. Flattened ears, upturned brows. Exhausted. Bloodied on that leg.

Okay, so, when she said she wanted desperate this was totally not what she’d meant.

Woah. What messed you up!? Her tired had nothing on this chick. She might have been cute under all of that, which was… totally not a problem, since Tierra had her place on lock. But it was pretty hard to tell considering how messed she was in general.

I’m not going to, like, attack you or anything. She added, noticing her defensive stance. Clearly she wouldn't have to. The gang needed numbers, but did they need numbers as fucked up as Soto was?

Actually, Tierra wasn’t sure. Maybe they were that desperate.

The voice that came was then kind. It would only be another woman that did not sink their teeth into her flesh. That instead should a man have shown, the yaret would show the pale pink of her belly and cross that coiling tail in a numbing wait. Maybe not so numbing at all. Maybe very.

"I messed it up real bad," her lip trembled and pouted flat on the ground at a horrid memory, "during travel." Stupid! Stupid memory! Stupid! Lying down then, to display in the many troves that was now the demon spawns lack of threat. All broken into bad pieces. "Can move." That leg moved out again. All scabbed and battered. "Only-- hurt. Don't know what to- do." To do. To do. English could be so hard. Leg hurt..

I know the other thread went off the rails, but I think she and Soto will be sticking around if she wanted to also! (We can see how this goes ofc, just wanted to mention since that timeline is a little uncertain)

So, like, what now? It wasn’t like she was a healer, and there was no way anyone else in the gang was either. Soto was just kind of chilling until his shit healed, so maybe she could do the same? They could at least, like, feed her and stuff.

We’ve got a group, kind of. No one can heal I’m pretty sure but there’s, y’know, food and all that. And stuff to make it feel better, at least. Which was the most important bit, probably.

They’re fine after you get to know them. I don’t think they care who joins, so long as they’re in charge. Tierra smirked a little at that. Sure, as in charge as she let them think. It wasn’t like they gave orders or anything all that often.

Sounds good!!<3 She'll be around I'm just waiting a tad to see what happens in the other thread since that's right after this one. The odds omg

“Oh, oh! Yes—yes, I come. Won't cause no trouble- none.” Her words tumbled out, quick and uneven, like water slipping through cracks. She shifted on both front paws, head tilting just a little too far with round, doey eyes. Insisting with dry lips, "Much thank you. Grateful! Very grateful."

"I do good things. Help in turn."

Her body swayed slightly, as if pulled along by her own excitement to no longer be dragging out in the desert any longer on a beaten leg. She dipped her head low and drew near. "Much appreciate. Much," she repeated. "Just want out of heat with," There was a pause, a flick of that leg, "this." 

Before the vultures stopped circling and dove.

"What's name?" 

Oh yeah, sure. It’s no biggie. The brothers, and the rest of them, none of them were really hers like Octavio was. She didn’t care much about them and they had no real reason to care about her, she was sure, outside of mutual survival. Maybe this could be an actual friend for her.

Kinda weird. Definitely too enthusiastic. But it was whatever.

I know where there’s water. C’mon. She gave the other woman a shoulder to lean on while they walked. If it didn’t look like that was working out there was always carrying her, but that felt like a last-resort sorta thing.

I’m Sangre. At least, that’s what I’m called here. You can go with your actual name, but if you wanted to pick a different one, this is the place to do it. They’d never know the difference.

Firstly stiff. Unsure, even, how to respond to an offered shoulder, and feeling an uncomfortable weight shift when it was allowed to lean. There was distrust for it, and uncertainty, until the first steps were taken and they did not feel as bad as the last ones. 

There was a more certain vulnerability in trusting a stranger.

"San-gre? San-gre."

And in trusting another woman, as well.

One of those big batty ears flicked. "Oh. Would have- To think. What about you? Is Sangre always been Sangre's name? Before coming here?"

 A sly smile slithered on her mouth. A coupled jest, "English not first language. Can tell?"

Tierra laughed. Duh. It’s kind of obvious. But her previous bad mood was evaporating, easily shaken with the promise of a shared conversation with someone interesting. This girl had to have secrets. She was the weirdest person Tierra had ever met. In, seriously, the best way possible.

It wasn’t mine either. Ptero was, but that one was a family secret. Or at least, Tierra liked to think it was. It wasn’t like just anyone learned it.

My name before was different too. That’s less of a secret, I just didn’t feel like telling any of them. She tipped her head in the direction of the pack. It was Tierra. Is Tierra, I guess. Just, not right now. Not here, at least.

Anyway, what happened? Besides messing up. How’d you mess up? She really wanted to know where the weirdo came from, at the same time not realizing that she hadn’t actually gotten a name. All the while she led them on a steady progress towards the nearby water.

A squeaky laugh bubbled from the imp's throat! 

Sangre was funny!

Yes, it was obvious! Too obvious! Yes, for all the language flipping and all of the time spend around english, arabic, and whatever else had flown the devilspawn's way, there came a point she got lazy with perfecting words. Too tedious! 

"Tierra to Sangre. Spicy evolution." Legend learned that fancy word somehwere. The demon clapped a good foot on the ground momentarily. It was more of a stupid hop with the one flimsy leg, but there was an attempt. "Must feel good shedding name." Being-- new.

A guilty head drop, and broken eye contact from the poor unknowing Sangre. Bitterness threw a tantrum in the shell of that crumpled heart. "Well." Mumbling, just for a moment. A rock got flung forward as they slowly hobbled to water. "Chose people to trust. People that shouldn't have trusted. Because then- turns out, you make one mistake, and people don't want you no more. Make you disposable- like trash."

"So ended up out here, and hurt this stupid leg." Looking up to Sangre then, "You ever been through that?"

Spicy. Hells yeah! She liked that! It was a pretty sick name, and while she had nothing against her old one, this one was interesting. Someone could ignore Tierra but no one was passing Sangre by without a second look.

Nope! Cuz I know the trick. Never trust anyone who isn’t cool enough to deserve it. Had she been left out in the cold? Sure, tons of times. But she rolled with it because at the end of the day, she knew she was too cool for them. There’s always someone better, right? Because if they let you down, they aren’t worth you time. Or your attention. Tierra flicked her tail matter-of-factory, as if illustrating how easy you could dismiss them.

Sucks about the leg though. It’s easier to stick it to em when you can walk away like a bad ass.

And there it was! The river, which was actually more of a stream than anything. Still, the water was cool where it came up from underground, and it should do until she sorted out where to go next. Great that they’d reached it because Tierra could use a drink too.