Shadewood Knackin’ for a Cracker, Smacking like a Snacker

@Koro Toro

It had been a hard season. Winter was closing in, and real estate apparently was growing more favorable around where he had chosen his home for his Family. The same Family who seemed to be disappearing with every moon that passed them by. Was he not trying hard enough? Did he have to resort to kidnapping others? 

Of course not. Gwen wouldn’t support such rogueish behavior - and her succulent face, to watch it expand unnaturally into horror if he had admitted he kidnapped other wolves to enforce their pack. He was not of Stavanger, anymore. Those weren’t his customs. Cry values respect and honesty. And secrecy. 
He couldn’t slip back into that mentality, again.

Continuing his trek around the chipper woods, he tried his hardest to ignore the sour musk of others here that he had crossed before. One day, this place would be theirs. He and Gwen would be at peace, enjoying the family that they both had been so far from. And maybe, ... maybe they could make their own legacy, one day.

Immediately he stopped as a grim thought slammed into his dark chest. He couldn’t touch his queen like that - he didn’t even know what she wanted. He knew she loved him, and that he loved her. He knew that he would readily die for her... 

but as he looked over over the border of the woods and the Isle, he wondered whether she would be willing to do anything for him. 

Asking a question like that...to physically ask someone if they’d be willing to agonizingly carry your children...to go through the torture of birthing them-

flashes of Illecebra’s face, the warning growls she had thrown at her own mate Mawk...what had this done to the woman, mentally? What caused such a flare? Would Gwen be that pained where she too would lash out at him? Of course he’d take anything she threw at him, shouldering her pain until she felt better, but how much could she handle? What if she didn’t want kids? 

The Phantom was completely perplexed by this paradox of pregnancy as he drifted soundlessly down the banks of Shadewood’s borders. There was much he had to keep to himself, to stay silent upon even against the keeper of his Heart.

while cry was wrestling with the natural unfairness of motherhood (and the bounty of pain that came with it), koro toro was stumbling. struggling, really -- he had thought if he placed one foot in front of the other, his body would naturally follow through -- but instead, he found his hind end listing away from him, and was forced to settle down into the snow.

he was used to little control -- and whatever power he excised over his body was often stolen from him by angry fits of exhaustion. he was used to the helpless way his body crumpled, and with a long-drawn out sigh, accepted his defeat and tiredly spread out in the snow.

he did not hear cry soundlessly approaching, and so, remained oblivious to little save his own silent suffering.

The crunch of a swallow of snow that had not been made under his careful feet- While the echoes of such were inhaled by the white world around him, Cry caught the source, and he froze. First, his body remained rigid, ears swiveling to redirect his audible sight to this noise, judging the extremity of this situation. It would gauge whether this was a threat, how heavy it was, and where it was headed. However, the shuffling...it sounded unsure. The crunches were made disproportionately, seconds of difference passing between each of the last. That meant he hadn't been spotted yet, and that whomever or whatever was near was not heading for him. Taking this as a safe side, the Assassin immediately directed a iceberg gaze to a mound of snow that was peaked by a mountain of slight browns and meek clayful orchers.

It was something living, obviously. But it seemed to be struggling, to have weakness entombing it's movements. It simply lied there...helplessly.

Without much left in this circumstance, the Phantom changed his direction, ending the circuit and begining a vector direct gor this curious anomaly. Happening upon it, however, the ex-Nightmare discovered a male, slightly smaller than he, and nearly Coyish in appearances. Stuck between being kind and minding his business, Cry instead chose to follow Gwen and Phex's advice...

to take a chance at being friendly.

To make himself feel better about such a foriegn concept, he backed it up with the  logic that should anything outlandish or hostile happen with this man, Cry could exploit whatever weakness held this wolf down, and destroy him.

"Do you need assistance?" the words broke free from the void-hued timber in a chorus of baritones. Idly, Cry looked about him to ensure that this was no ruse from the nearby settling packs. He was out here sticking his neck out...
This was a terrible idea, indeed.

long ago koro toro had accepted his lot in life; while he was no less bitter for it, he embraced his body's futility with a sense of what he believed was noble purpose. no amount of gnashing teeth or raging hatred would change it -- in other words..

it is what it is.

he looked up as a dark shadow stole over the ground -- a hale man was peering back at him, his expression inscrutable. koro toro shifted up to his elbows, regarding the male carefully. many wolves had seen him during one of his ambulatory episodes, and many wolves had chosen to walk him by -- after all, in the wild, you could never be too careful, and many had likely assumed him rabid or worse.

but this man offered help -- koro toro's ears pulled back, his eyes searching for guile in the icewater blue of cry's gaze. "no. i'm just tired." he half-lied, figuring his incompetent hind end would surely expose that being 'just tired' was a slight under-exaggeration. "it's worse when i haven't eaten in a while."

Looking down at the sprawl of the man through his peripherals, he felt more and more that his pessimistic ideal was misplaced here. Gwen would have wanted him to help. Phex would have offered this fellow smiles, laughter, comfort.

The Phantom could feel how this would go. And with a calm and collected mentality, he put his own priorities to the side for now.

”If food helps helps, then you will have some.” The determination to execute this problem as swiftly and efficiently as possible had always been the ex-Nightmare’s method of handling things. And with such judgement, he wouldn’t leave room for the stranger to free himself of it. The man needed help- as nearly apathetic as the Assassin had always been, he had Family to teach him what certain emotions meant and when they were most true. This wolf clearly didn’t like being seen like this, and Cry couldn’t blame him.

“My home is nearby. If you can make it, I will lead you,” Lifting his chin, Cry said with the utmost promise. Nothing hostile. “If not, then I will drag you.” 

But it in the end, this man would have a place to rest that was safe, and food to strengthen himself with. That was simply the bottom line. “I am Cry,” he offered to the man after almost passively threatening him that he would be coming home with him.

the very prospect of being dragged anywhere elicited a rather dramatic response from the whip-thin male. he protested by quickly pushing himself upright, the rather sudden upswing of momentum catching his weakened hind off-balance. almost immediately after rising, he fell -- crashing to the earth with a deep scowl riddling his blackened countenance.

"you will do no such thing," he growled through gritted teeth, feeling the snow as his hips sunk into it. "i'll -- i'll get up myself." he tried again, and after a few attempts slipped exasperatedly into the snow. he had gotten several feet, but was tired by his efforts. not tired enough yet to forego his pride, though. "i'm koro toro by the way. what's for dinner?"

Cry watched the male struggle and held his tongue. This ordeal reminded him of Horosk who knew well enough Kelina was trying to male swipes at the pack and acknowledging there was nothing he could do about it. Cry even offered to kill his sister for him, which somehow affected Horosk with some pathetic excuse of aggression. Cry and the brunette had fought that day rather than simply exterminating the wench. And in the end, the sister had won, as the pack had dispersed rather violently.
Could he maintain himself enough to not kill this loner for fear of him starving himself over his pride? Sooner or later, he would perish. Would be better for it to be within borders rather than just outside of them, as wolves weren’t the only predators. 

“There’s no need to be against the help - as it looks to me you might need it.” Cry wasn’t trying to be a embarrass at this point. The Phantom merely pointed out the obvious. “No one judges you for your ailment.” Cry didn’t know what else to support this claim with. He would only hope the male saw logic behind such an emotional rebuttal. “My wife and I just brought home a fresh elk kill...” he trailed off trying to entice the man with a hearty food item. 

there was no reasoning with koro toro. like so many members in his arrogant family line, koro toro was a proud creature -- he would not accept being dragged like an invalid to wherever destination cry had.

but he was an invalid, wasn't he?

his expression set in a grimace of determination, and he shook his head -- talking was just as exhausting as walking to him, but he would not accept being pulled through the woods like dead weight or a kill. he rose again, thinking of warm elk between his teeth.

he made it another several feet -- and then another -- and while his haunches listed horribly to the side, koro toro found he was ambulatory again; he hoped cry had the good sense to lead him to wherever he was going quick, as he had no idea when the next episode of ataxic tremors would overtake him.

Cry saw a bit more motivation unfurl inside of his company’s body, determination bleeding vibrantly into that tawny stare. The Assassin made note how to use passive instigation to stir the man from now on, as it was clear his mind was wracked by overstepped pride. Some piece of him appreciated how the older man hadn’t stooped to ask for help. But logical aspects pointed to the flipped side of the coin. 

Seeing how much effort it took for him to not only rise, but take steps, Cry remained close to the elder should he need support. But never the less, he led him towards the sanctuary, the only evidence of their trail the shambles snow behind them.

had koro toro known the male believed him to be elder -- OLD? KORO? ugh! he would have turned round heatedly, showing him a flash of teeth --

but thankfully, KT did not possess mind-reading capabilities, and he was only focused on his task at hand: walk, so he wasn't dragged like an imbecile.

eventually they came to what appeared to be an encampment, and koro toro collapsed in the snow thoroughly fatigued by his efforts. sulkily, he licked at his paws and then at the snow -- feeling both hunger and thirst growl discontentedly within him.