Haunted Wood shiny leather in the dark

vague, vague, vague. have no idea where he'd be. you can decide for me! set for July 5

he'd been here a week, but surya didn't know that. the days and nights blended together, considering how dark his new environment was. there was no semblance of time or space, and besides, he was too out of his mind with pain and sorrow to even try to grasp it. all he knew is that he was here—and he would be here for a long, long while.

the moss the woman had given him had helped to mop up the most profusely bleeding wounds, and now everything was starting to scar. surya felt it in every movement, the way the cuts yearned to break open again. he must remain still. he must heal.

his leg, broken. he had tried to walk maybe two, three days ago, but to no avail. his ribs, fractured, and every breath was agony. his tongue, still swollen. every morsel of food hurt to chew, and swallowing was a herculean task.

but the worst was the loneliness. he missed whitebark stream. he missed his brother; he missed aphrodite. he missed having a purpose, an identity, instead of being the injured wretch that had wound up here. he regretted his foolish bravery, misguided, and he hated the girl that had led him into chaos. . .the cat that had torn him to shreds.

he lamented. loathed. languished. there were no rays of sunshine—physical or metaphorical—to be found here. there were only his thoughts and feelings, and the coming and going of medics, and the agouti shadow crumpled on the forest floor.

and so time passed with no way to mark it, and surya healed. . .though slowly. much too slowly.

There was a new wolf around. He was hurt, Clarence knew that much. Perhaps shredded like he and some of the other Nightwalkers had been after the lynxes. Clarence had given the stranger space to heal, but it had been a week now, and... well, he wanted to show a bit of hospitality.

The wolfdog approached the den he knew the stranger was staying in, half-flopped ears perked and a rabbit in his jaws. He didn't know if the other boy was hungry or not, but he'd been brushing up on his hunting and he didn't know when the last time the injured wolf had eaten was.

Quiet pawsteps carried him into the den and Clarence crouched, setting the rabbit down onto the floor. The brown boy looked miserable, and Clarence felt a tug in his chest at the sight.

"Hey," he greeted quietly, having been in a similar position not long ago. He'd healed since, but he had hated not being able to move. "Are you hungry?" It was probably a stupid question, but... Clarence was full of those, so.

Hope you don't mind me!

It had been days now, and still no sign of Miss Lainie. He hadn’t meant to lose her, really; wolves just ranged so far, he could never keep track of them. They were far better hunters and trackers than he’d ever be, after all. Even after circling the territories surrounding the meadow for days, there had been no sign of her. Dart had even asked some of the lone wolves he had come across in the valley, but either they had not seen any by her description, or they simply snapped at him. The tempers on some of these fickle beasts.

Dart had all but given up hope on finding his young saviour. However, he had kept the description of the friend she had sought in mind, just in case. White fur, red eyes, black spots. Perhaps he would have an idea where the girl had run off to.

Resting upon a branch high in the treetops, D'Artagnan preened his feathers mindlessly, oblivious to the battered and bruised timber just below. That was until another spoke up, causing the raven to pause and shift his attention to the forest’s dark floor. His blue eyes widened in surprise. While the lighting was dim, and he was not certain yet of the pale man’s eye colour, he couldn’t help but feel excitement rise in his breast. Why, was this the very wolf he had been looking for?

With an intrigued chirp, Dart hopped from his perch and fluttered gently onto the branches below, closer now to the two strangers, watching on curiously.

he lifted his head just barely to stare at the pale figure that approached, massive and muscled and bearing prey. he gave a shrug to the question but smiled; eating was a laborious, uncomfortable process. surya appreciated the gesture, though. 

yes, he answered, and that was the truth. his stomach felt like an empty pit. he stretched his nose out to briefly touch the rabbit, savoring the scent, at least, and then returned his eyes to the strapping young man. thank you.

for such a dark forest, the wolves here were kind. a fluttering of wings brought his gaze upward: a bird, perched nearby. he held its stare before looking back at the nightwalker.

i'm surya, he said briefly. you are?