Moonspear monday? no thanks.

set sometime after this thread. call would have been for @Sialuk @Elentari and @Argent. have @Bronte tagging along. let me know if any of you would like anything changed <3

after the initial chaos settled and @Alaric applied what first aid he could, the adult was quick to usher the moonspear babes back towards the safety of their home.

acrux kept himself pressed close to @Maggak, her presence and touch a comfort he desperately needed. he fixated on the sound of her heartbeat and steps, which helped ward off the creeping effects of blood loss.

the pretty blonde girl he'd met before had tug along, though he'd not had the energy to spare her any attention. his focus was on reaching the towering figure of the mountain, and the soothing comfort of his parent's arms.

by the time they managed to reach the spear, what tears the boy had shed on their trip were now crusted in the corner of his eyes. he'd somewhere along the line reached the point of no longer having any energy to spare, and the tears had simply stopped. his neck was a mess of quick medicine and half dried blood, his body succumbing to the dizziness and fatigue.

the group crossed over the invisible boundary of safety just as one of them sent up a call. he couldn't tell who it was, the edge of his vision clouded in a swirling darkness. and then he collapsed to the ground with strained breaths and weak limbs.

he was home. he was safe.

Alaric had done the best he could. He had used what herbs and poultices and the like he had always wrapped around his throat. And he had ushered them back towards the mountain quickly.

He had kept a close eye on Acrux as they had walked. Knowing the youth was flagging. The she wolf that had been with the other had tagged along. He watched her with slight distrust.

As @Sialuk would arrive he'd explain.

I didn't see what happened at first. I'm so sorry I didn't get to them sooner.

And he was, that was a regret he would hold close to his heart. He had failed as a caretaker.

This she wolf knows the other girl who attacked,  says she's from Brecheliant. I would ask permission to rrturn home with this girl and find out about the she beast that attacked Acrux?

Bronte trailed the group, keeping a few paces behind. She was silent. Carrying with her an air of uncertainty and guilt. She held her head low, ears splayed. As if to convey that she might be guilty of what had befallen Acrux.

She didn't know Anathema had such a mean streak in her. That she would do such a thing. The girl was definitely odd, but Bronte had never assumed she was dangerous. Her blood simmered. All she could think of was getting back to Brecheliant as soon as possible, to let the leadership know what had happened. To warn Ponyboy and hold Anathema accountable.

Unsure of the reception she would receive, she held back, sitting down pensively as Alaric, the adult who hastily tended to Acrux, called out to the Moonspear leaders.

i am so behind! thanks for waiting on me. <3

A worried note on the wind. Her son's name in that same tone. Sialuk fled down the mountain from the ulaq, meeting the small party on the edge of their home. Acrux battered and weary. Maggak pressed close to his side. Alaric standing guard, giving his short account and a request to go to Brecheliant. Another girl who wore the scent of Bridget's home. Sialuk processed it all as quickly as her mind would allow, rushing to her son's side and checking his wounds.

Yes, go, she said to Alaric. I will see to Acrux.

Innik. Innik can you hear me? she asked softly, glancing to @Maggak for any answers she could give.

Elentari was right at the heels of Sialuk. Alaric's voice, in that tone. Of urgency, anger and panic. It sent dread shooting through her.

It was nothing compared to the smell of blood. The blood of her son.

With hurried strides, star dappled hackles bristling slightly, she swept in. The sight was a fragmented puzzle. Her son! Her own flesh and blood, his neck in bloody tatters, patched with medicine paste. Relief that he was alive. Horror that someone could have shredded her precious boy with such cruelty. 

She barely registered the others as she pulled him into the embrace of her dark arms. Gently kissing away the hurt with a mothers caress upon his beautiful brow. "My boy...my sweet boy..." She crooned, wiping away dried tears as her eyes began to sting. "It is alright...you are safe now. Home."

The ancient blood of Archer ancestors burned with the anger of the hottest star. She would not show this. Not now. She was stronger than that. She looked up. Found Maggak, who, blessedly, was unharmed. A thin whine, she pressed a dark cheek to pale fur. "My girl. Always there looking out for your brother." Her heart swelled, her voice warm.

And then Alaric. Always there. From the beginning and even now. A wonderful companion, tutor and guardian to the children. Elentari couldn't help herself in the wave of emotion that gripped her. She embraced him with her arms fiercely, choking back a sob of relief. "Thank you. Thank you for bringing him back to us."

Her eye at last found the golden-blonde girl, softening on her. The role she played was lost to the Archer, but if she must return to Brecheliant with Alaric, then it must have been important. Reluctantly, she pried herself away from Alaric. Echoing Sialuk. "Please. Go and find out what you can. I...we need answers."

OOPS shadowposted

maggak was steadfast. she held her brother the whole way home, burning and bloodstained, muddied up to her elbows with dirt brown and scarlet. she did not falter, not once; she did not allow herself to. not until she saw her mothers.
birthmother is scorned; milkmother is shattered. the fire of spirits long past came alive in the knifecut of her tone. anaa, ele, sunshine, now burning with spitfire and flare; there is a tupilak in the woodlands. we have to warn the other villages.
to the brecheliant wolf maggak turns toward now, hesitantly stepping away so that anaa may assess the extent of acrux's wounds. the pale ears twitch and bend sidelong. she is not one of them, and it is made clear in the sharp cut of the jadestone gaze. why are you here?

Skipping Acrux & Alaric with permission.

Faced with the penetrating green of the mist pelted Maggak, Bronte took a single, careful step back. Yielding respectfully, but holding her gaze. Moonspear was not her turf. Acrux was not her brother. She was certain if the tables were turned, and were it Ponyboy that was injured, she would be feeling a little defensive, too.

She drew in a measured breath and let it out slowly. Keeping her calm. Treading lightly. "Because." Her eye shifted towards Acrux only for a second, then back to Maggak. "I feel like I should feel responsible. That...girl...she was sort of a friend. We are not related."  She added for clarity. Sharply she turned her head to look away momentarily. "If only I had been there, maybe I could have stopped this from happening."

Straightening, she looked back at Maggak again. "I wanted to make sure he will be alright. We met, briefly, not that long ago. I am here because I care. She is my pack mate. I will make sure she answers for what she did."

She worried over him, Elentari at her side in a time when Sialuk was glad to have her presence here. They were healers, both of them, and she knew Acrux would mend, but it did not hurt her heart less to see him in pain. The starwoman studied his wounds, the bleeding. He would be okay, she told herself over and over again, willing it to be true.

We will, she said to Maggak, a soft note in her voice. Then, bitter words from her daughter's mouth. In a rare display, Sialuk's lip curled at Maggak. Do not speak to her this way; Brecheliant is sister village to us, she demanded. Her voice was stern for only those two phrases, and she softened, knowing her daughter could only be worried for Acrux.
Sialuk turned her attention to the two young girls now, leaving Elentari to do what was best for Acrux's health.

What does this tupilak—monster—look like? she asked of both of them. What is her name?

eyes squeezed shut as he lay against the cool earth, the distant sound of footsteps falling near as the voice of alaric echoed in his head. 

eyelids fluttered open to see anaa, and a sense of reassurance washed over him. what words were spoken were muffled by a sea of unsteadiness. a blink and he could see the figure of his mother running towards him, another and she was by his side. 

crusted tears were refreshed anew, and he buried himself into the support of his mother. 

he could hear the ire of his sister's tone, but not her words. he could hear the blonde girl's voice, but couldn't make out what she said. the buzzing remained. 

he tried to shift his weight, but it felt as if his legs were twice as heavy as before. he could feel his grip on consciousness fading, a chain thrown to the ocean of fatigue. 

in the heat of exchanged words, the boy managed to croak out a shaky, "i'm tired."

Alaric was surprised as Elentari draped her weight upon him. But he gathered her to himself. Looking down at her for a moment. Seeing if she was alright. It must have been a shock. 

You Alright sweet thing? He held her until she let him go. His chin resting atop her head while he spoke to Sialuk.

I didn't catch her name. Unusual coloring. Purple and black and red. Built more like coyote than wolf. Sea eyes.

Once Elentari had let him go. He pressed his nosecto Acrux. Yea. He's probably exhausted. He fought hard and then to havecto come up the mountain.

He tsked in his throat and wanted to help. I can carry him the rest of the way you want?

Her dark ears continued to quiver with the flood of her emotions, even long after she had parted from Alaric. Her throat felt thick and tight, so all she could manage was a silent nod. Profound gratitude deep in her eyes. 

Maggak was defensive, naturally so over her wounded brother. But she credited Sialuk for stepping in, and for Bronte's great sense of what was right. The girls heart must match the radiant, soft gold of her pelt. She listened, absorbing the details of the description of the perpetrator provided. Distinct, without a doubt. At least if any of them found her, she would be easy to identify.

Elentari did not worry over the smaller details now. Acrux, kept close, teetered on the edge of consciousness. Mumbling how tired he was. "Alaric, I will help you carry him. Or if you can manage, I will go ahead and prepare the ulaq and the necessary herbs." She looked fretfully down at her son's torn body. "He'll need round the clock care, for the first couple of days." Maybe she was exaggerating, with her maternal instincts in overdrive. But she wouldn't be leaving his side while he recovered. A traumatic first for mother and child.

anaa raises her voice as the brecheliant girl attempts to explain herself. maggak sobers reluctantly, forcing a deep breath from her nostrils.
you know the tupilak, then? a gravelly tone arches from deep in her throat. make sure it gets what it deserves. just as a word of advice, that's not your friend.
she turns back to face her brother, one paw reaching out for his; a desperate clutch. she wished there wasn't such a crowd, so many bodies and voices. all she wanted now was to be alone with him. she presses her face into the damp, soiled fur of his neck. his pulse pounds against her ear, and outside of the drumming noise, everything fades to static.

Last post from Bronte!

The adults seemed to have everything handled. Details of Anathema were exchanged, as was the immediate necessity to begin the lengthy process of mending Acrux. As he was prepared to be ushered away, Bronte's eyes lingered. Apologetic. Regretful. 

Harder, as Maggak responded to her defense. That glare was not directed at her. It was towards Anathema and what she had done. "I do." She replied in a stiff voice of barely contained, growing resentment of her. "I thought I knew her, but I was so wrong." Now she tried to soften her façade, tried to welcome Maggak close. "She has lost that privilege of my friendship. Of my trust, and that of Brecheliant's. Trust me when I say, when I find her, she will face justice." 

"I have a brother too. I would be crushed if anything were ever to happen to him. Your family...they did not deserve this." She took a step back, away from the group. "When Brecheliant finds her, we will send word." Her eyes lingered on them all in a silent promise. Turning, she began to head a little ways back down the mountain, where she would wait for Alaric.

last from me as well. <3

A plan was set in motion, and Sialuk knew her part would be here, caring for Acrux. She smoothed the fur on his head over with her tongue. One way or another, they would make sure he was safe and secure. He would need much time to heal. Not only for his physical wounds, but the mental and emotional ones as well. They did not have a name for this monster, but they had a description that Sialuk would burn into her memory. Any wolf that should match it would be an enemy to the village.