She wanted to snap, to scream, but the other had said something along the lines of 'it'll work, just lay there, shut up, and lay there'. Her shoulder and neck still ached, the wound not entirely fresh as it was days ago, but still the pain ebbed in like a tide lapping to shore. Shuck had barked about being hungry and bored, snarled about how impatient she was becoming. Her friend, gave little care, wrapped in the skin of someone with fur of white. I'll show you real fun.

The rumbling in her stomach was hard to ignore, how long would it be before it started sapping the girl of her energy? Out here were she practically had to fend for herself, or 'perish'. She had taken the luxury of being dependent upon her older sister for granted. Whatever, she could learn, right?

The overcast sky gave an ethereal shine to the world below, the forest buzzing with quiet birdsong and a cool breeze that rustled through the trees. Shuck would lay quietly in the center of a path, her friend hidden out of view. The instructions she had been given were stupid, weak shit, but she was promised a reward. Something good. That stomach beasty gnashed its teeth and the stormy youth growled quietly under her breath. For fuck's sake.

Though it wasn't long before an unfamiliar scent was caught on the wind, and a figure was moving towards her in the distance. "It huuurt's, it FUCKING HUUURTS, AAAAH!!" She screamed, rolling in pain at the first sight of the stranger. "h--h-h-hhhhh-ughhh-eeeelp." She nearly vomited trying to say the word, gross. "I got, SOMEONE ATTACKED MEEEE!!" Hoping that this would bring the closer, and once they did finally approach, would they see that glint in the girl's eyes?

After all that had happened, and all that he had been through, he was finally going home.  

His heart ached that he wouldn't be able to bring Kayria home, to reunite son and mother- but something else, something deep inside told him it was going to be okay.  So, the boy allowed himself to smile, to be happy, to feel good about this one thing that he was doing.  Instead of bringing home Kayira, he was going to bring home a few lost souls to the only home he ever knew.  He was a lost soul once, and he had found Gemini, or rather, Gemini had found him, and he wouldn't have it any other way.  So, why not introduce a few more lost souls to the place that had taken him in, they would take these others in as well, right?  That's what any kind, caring and loving person would do, that's what Serrate would do, and so Ori would do that too.  

The ghostly boy was on his way to meet with the lost souls, whom he had named himself when a scream from nearby startled him.  He nearly jumped out of his skin when the cries and screams echoed off the trees, sending the birds from the treetops scattering and cawing their swears.  Ori swiveled his ears in the direction of the screams, they sounded young, and in pain, and Ori's heart twanged with worry and sadness.  Immediately the soft-hearted young man leaped into action, running quickly towards the screaming (which was somewhat out of character for the ever frightened ghost boy).  With every scream, Ori charged faster, and quicker until a young lady appeared on a path, bleeding and in obvious pain.  With worry dancing around in his pale, blue eyes, Ori skidded to a halt next to the young girl, noticing the bloody wound on her neck, and the- fear? He assumed in her eyes.  

"I got, SOMEONE ATTACKED MEEEE!!!"

"I- I am so s-sorry you are hurt, I p-promise I'm not g-going to hurt you, I w-want to help! P-please don't be s-scared.  M-my name is Ori."  He said, trying to calm the girl down, looking her over to see if she was hurt anywhere else, putting no regards to his own safety- after all, she was only a young girl, she couldn't possibly hurt him, not when she was hurt herself. "A-are you hurt a-anywhere else?"  He asked, trying to get ahold of how injured she was. "H-how did this h-happen?" Maybe, he could take her to the group. and someone there could help.  

Someone would always help, right?

That's what decent people did.  

It had taken a bit of convincing for Shuck to play the role of 'helpless little girl'. Shuck was impatient and desperate to inflict harm, desperate to cause ruin and chaos and god, did it remind her of herself. But Satis had learnt much out here in the wilds, especially that charging head first into a fight was clumsy and in most cases, suicidal. Shuck would learn, just as she had, that the most fun you could have was when you had a plan. When you played a role so convincingly that you give the target such a surprise when you reveal yourself.

(When you see the hope drain from their eyes)

Satis would have played this game for months, but she couldn't have her new little friend flying off the rails and ruining it. Still, Shuck was willing to lure one victim close enough, and baby steps were still progress.

(Are you excited, Satis? Is that what this feeling was? To have a...'friend'?)

The she-wolf had lurked downwind of the stage, watching and waiting. She quietly released a breath she had been holding when the stranger burst through the foliage, heading straight toward Shuck without realising she was there. Sometimes, it was enough to muddle someones senses when there was blood and cries in the air. It was enough for a fool to not pay attention to what was happening around them.

"I- I am so s-sorry you are hurt, I p-promise I'm not g-going to hurt you, I w-want to help! P-please don't be s-scared.  M-my name is Ori."

She prowled out of her spot and stalked towards the pair, coming up behind poor Ori.

"A-are you hurt a-anywhere else?"

Poor, sweet Ori. He reminded her somewhat of the Nardirians - the princess who could never stop talking, who was so excited to meet the family of her betrothed. To meet the sister of the man she loved so dearly. How they would be treated well in Nardir, how they would be family!

(God, she had hated it)

"H-how did this h-happen?"

Her voice was soft, gentle, almost a whisper:

"Like this."

And the woman would take advantage of the unsuspecting boy and try to latch onto his back leg, digging fangs into flesh and once she had gotten a grip, she would pull.

Lets see what damage her new friend could do.

It was rather unfortunate circumstances that this poor healer would come upon a storm, looking the way he did, what a shame. She heard the soft stuttering stumbles and she thought of that little fucker Ant, but when her eyes came to meet him more clearly she only saw the flash of white on blue and she thought of HIM. She could only think of HIM. And how much she wanted to chew and bite and EAT. Her hunger more apparent to her now than before.

Nothing else mattered, his words becoming white noise as she watched him morph and distort right before her eyes. He was far too engrossed with Shuck or else maybe he would have seen the cloaked figure walking up from behind. Sneaking creeping, moving just barely enough, and then she whispered, and Shuck almost didn'y move when Satis attacked. Head rolling back to smirk, but the beast, that thing that lived inside her stomach with its scraping claws and loud howling told her to EAT.

Wild eyes flashed to where Satis was, you promised me a meal! But then again she never said what type it'd be. Blues turned to blueish grays and splotchy spots, ripe for the taking. The storm sprang to action within that moment, Familiar shapes and colors, things she hated more and more began to appear as her body swerved and her teeth met the soft side of Ori's belly. Biting in, digging in. I WANNA EAT, I WANNA CHEW.  A paw flying up to both steady him and knock him down  so that she had a better angle to rip and tear into him.

Eat up kid! Her mind cooed, and when the first droplets of blood touched her tongue and the familiar taste of iron washed over her mouth in a wave, her biting and gnashing became frenzied much like a piranha. Eat him alive, EAT THAT PALE FUCKER ALIVE. Pop him open and dig out his guts!!!  They're the best bits after all, kiddo!

Trust and compassion.

Those were the two things that Ori revolved around, not consciously of course, he couldn't help himself.  He enjoyed the presence of people, and enjoyed being helpful.  He had a soft heart, and a soft soul.  Some would label him as naive, and that would be too kind of a description.  So when he had stumbled upon this girl, crying, bleeding and in pain, that naivety turned into compassion, and drove him to try to help.  His heart swelled as he took a few more steps towards her, his neck extending to offer maybe a nuzzle of comfort, just a small offer of a friendly face to an aching heart.  

He froze though when another voice whispered behind him.  The words sending chills through his body, telling him to run! Get out! MOVE!  But he couldn't.  He was frozen in fear by the whisper, and was only jolted out of it when he felt knives pierce his skin, and pressure and tearing as his leg was jerked backwards.  He could feel the skin tearing, and the warm blood beginning to ooze out of those needle point wounds.  He cried out, turning his head to try to appeal to the woman behind him, the one so keen on tearing him apart. "P-please!  S-s-stop!! STOP!"  He cried out, before turning back to the small girl, wanting to tell her to run, to get out, save herself!  

But- that scared little girl was no longer there.  Icy blue eyes saw that look in her molten orange, that bloodlust, that absolute rage.

She smirked.

He sobbed out a plea, no audible words, just one shattered heart sob.  The rest occurred in slow motion.  Ori watched as Shuck slithered beside him, smacking him with a force no child should have, causing Ori to loose his footing on the now moistened earth, twisting his leg in an awkward way in the others mouth.  The pain of more ripping flesh coursed through him, and was soon replaced with a searing and simultaneously throbbing pain as a loud popping noise resonated in the small clearing.  Pain rushed up and down his spine, and down his legs.  Ori had never felt such a pain before, at least not until more stabbing pain came from his stomach.  Shuck had begun to rip and tear into his soft exposed belly.  More searing pain, blinding him, rendering his voice useless, only cries and sobs erupted form between his drooling mouth.  

Compassion and trust was quickly replaced with fear, and the instinct to survive, so his legs began to thrash violently, trying to get under him so he could stand back up.  Back leg, still tight in the others mouth behind him, began to pull, ripping his own skin, not caring, just wanting to get out.  But every time he tried to pull, it was blinding pain, his leg was not moving, and was at an odd angle.  Dislocated.  The popping sound was his hip dislocating and breaking.  Another sob escaped him.  But his legs still flailed, hoping to land in one of Shucks eyes, or across her nose.  Enough to make her let go.  LET GO! LET GO! LET GO!  He flopped around on the ground like a fish out of water, blood beginning to pool onto the ground, and stain his ghostly white pelt.    

All he wanted to do was go home.  All he wanted to do was see his family again.  

Hug them.  

Love them.  

Tell them they were all loved.

Akira. Deimos. Harriette.   Hyperion.  Ant.  Hawthorne.  Hope.  Sloan. Markus. Sterling.  Serrate...  

It was useless.  He was useless.

Serrate..

"Serrate... Mom.. p-pleas-se..."