[Krimson]

✦

Not far enough.

Not yet.

Not yet.

It was never far enough.

How long has she been running?
Krimson never stopped moving, only to rest and find something meager to eat, which only served the purpose of providing her with enough energy to keep going. Even then, she never really had a direction. Were those marshes still there?

No. Not there. Too many memories.

It was there she was cast off like nothing, abandoned... and where she met him. So further, she had further to go before she found some sort of salvation.

While she was out, she couldn't appreciate it until she knew they couldn't find her. Until she knew that there wasn't a chance she could be dragged back there. If she did, she would die. One way or another she could not stay there. Too painful, too dark... she needed to find herself again. Find what it meant to be alive, to appreciate being alive. For him. Krimson couldn't do it there. Saboro smothered the life out of her, strangled her until she couldn't breathe. Still she could feel its dark tendrils from the darkness, reaching out to drag her back in. It was all she dreamed about, before Saboro's gaping maw slammed down on her.

Before her was a lot of open land, and the red wolf crouched in some brush... not that it helped camouflage her anyway, not even at twilight. She saw something in the distance, smelled... water? Or it was at least something salty. She couldn't tell. She would make a run for that... structure... hill? Wall? It was a landmark. Another rest stop. She would run until she found the ends of the earth if she had to. If she found nothing there, she would slink back into the mountains. Either way, the further north she went, the more the temperature dropped. She hadn't felt cold air for a long time.

Her tongue lolled from her mouth as she panted, not really in exhaustion... but stress. Her red eyes were wild as the glanced behind her. No one. She hoped her eyes didn't betray her. Even if she still thought she saw his light grey coat (always at the corner of her vision, these days). Her muscles coiled before she took off in a dead run, her eyes on the length of stone in the far distance. She didn't know what it was, and she didn't care. All she needed was some shelter, a place to lay low so she could think. Was anywhere safe?

It was definitely stone, she remembered thinking as she gained ground.

That was until the stench of many wolves hit her, she passed it.

Krimson dug her heels in and skidded to a halt sending cold earth flying around her. "Shitshitshit" she hissed softly as she back peddled and then her shaky legs gave 'way and buckled beneath her, truly panting now. Was she within the border? Or safely outside it?

She tried to stand, and her legs shook, before her belly hit the ground. Krimson's heart pounded against her ribcage, she was stuck... she over did it -- and now she was in the open. Vulnerable.

"You fucking fool."

[RJ.]

Taking dis with Livid asap

[Livid (RP)]

The bird picked its way lazily through the grass, just metres away from where the Ranger lay hidden. Livid licked her lips. How bountiful were these lands outside the frigid North. Not only was it filled with more prey, but the prey was fat and slow. Thus, when Livid leapt forward and sank her teeth into the bird's feathers, it had barely managed to take flight before it knew what hit it. The dire hybrid gave her catch a good shake, knowing that prey that hadn't been killed properly had a good chance of turning the tables on you. She still remembered how her brother had received a well-deserved kick to the face by a snowshoe hare for wrongfully assuming he had killed it with a mistimed bite to the rear. 

Growing up, her hunting had not been any better. It was only as she grew older that Livid became more competitive. She had never related much to her mother or any of the other females in the pack. She had always been 'one of the boys', always trying to hang out with her brother and the other guys in the pack. Upon noticing that these older males were significantly better at hunting than her, Livid had found a drive to be better. It was a slow process but, like all wolves, she mastered the art in the end. Tail wagging with smugness, the Ranger trotted towards the shore and towards the spot where she had made a den, near the caves where she and Anky had explored. 

She heard the gasp before she picked up the scent. Just past the border. Her prey still locked in her maw, Livid took a quick detour and followed the sounds and scent to where a scarred, red female lay. She was in a bad way, her limbs collapsed beneath her and her breathing heavy. Livid looked around, ice blue eyes darting about suspiciously. After all, if the wolf had been attacked or chased by something, that something could be very close by. After a few agonising minutes, the Ranger decided they were very much alone and approached Krimson. Her tail erect, the Ranger dropped the bird in front of the panting female. 

"Eat this and try and catch your breath," the Ranger commanded, making it clear that this wasn't a request but an order. "You're on the borders of Gemini. When you're able, I'd like you to state your name and... how you got to be in this state."

Call it intuition but Livid was sure there was to be an interesting story to be had with this one.

[Krimson]

✦

It wasn't hard to tell if anyone was nearby. These plains were open enough, which made this all ten times more embarrassing. Look everyone, take a look at the Jungle hardened bitch, looking all weak and pathetic. It shouldn't bother her, there was only a small window of her life when someone looked at her with respect (and love). That was fleeting. But it still stung, as little as the feeling was, it was still there as plain as the "plains wolf" walking her way.

Krimson tried again to get up, but only managed her front half before she laid back down. The red wolf forced her mouth closed, which only resulted in heavy huffs of breath through her nostrils. The remaining half of her lips twitched, but she never fully bared her teeth. Instead her tattered ears lay flat and she lowered her head defensively.

The flat 'fuck off' expression on her face flickered to surprise when the bird was dropped in front of her. Brows pulled together and she glanced back up at Livid as the command was issued, ears still flat. While, what remained of her pride, wished to turn away the offer of food, her stomach complained and her mouth watered. A paw lifted and pulled the bird closer to her and she began to tear feathers from it hastily, to get to the meat underneath.  The bird was probably poisoned, knowing her luck, but she was too hungry to care. 

As the minutes ticked by, the shakiness in her legs subsided some and she was able to breathe without it burning. It was only after she took a few bites, she chose to speak, preferring not to at all... but since she was given something to eat instead of the other attacking her on the spot-- she supposed it earned a few words. "Krimson," she stated, before glancing at the old bite wound on her shoulder, "my state of being is a long story. One i'm sure you'd like to be spared of. Lets sum it up into 'too long spent in some deep dark hellhole'," she nearly spat, but resisted the urge. Instead, her voice fell flat... as it tended to do these days, with a rasp from lack of use. Though her eyes fell to the grey wolf's paws, pensive. "Its something i'd rather not talk about. Like I said.. its a long story." Painful, and pathetic.

"What... is beyond your borders? Gemini, you said?" Great, good... so she did run into a pack. If there was more land on the otherside, maybe she'd be allowed safe passage through. Chances were most likely slim.

---

Notes: Sorry for the wait! @RJ.

[Livid (RP)]

The red woman did not seem happy with her presence and Livid would have considered her an idiot if she had. Such a scarred, beaten female was hardly going to trust easily and the Ranger felt the feeling was very mutual. The bird was far from a peace offering. She just wanted the other female to have a clear mind and answer her questions promptly. Hunger could serve as a spanner in the works with both of those things.

"Krimson."

"Seriously?" Livid asked, chuckling coldly as she observed the light red coat. "Gotta love these colour-based names, huh? They call me Livid." 

With that, she indicated the grey-blues that mostly made up her coat. It was unusual for the Ranger to just offer up her name but she was feeling oddly social, having found someone who shared a similar name to her. Even if she looked and smelled like she'd been dragged through a desert backwards. Livid neither felt pity or amusement for Krimson. Scars were scars, at the end of the day. There had been many in her old pack who had their fair share of them. They had never paid any real attention to them so why should she? This was just another recruit, nothing more or nothing less.

"My state of being is a long story. One i'm sure you'd like to be spared of. Lets sum it up into 'too long spent in some deep dark hellhole'," 

"Would that 'hellhole' be Saboro, by any chance?" Livid asked, almost in challenge. "Oh, yes. I know all about that place. Not that I've ever visited. It's not really on my top list of vacation spots in the Straits." 

The dire hybrid also did not slip that there were many, many Saboro refugees that had settled in Gemini. Krimson had not earned the privilege to be aware of that information. However, to speed things along, Livid decided to make Krimson aware she already knew half the story that she was referring to. "Unfortunately, you're going to have to talk about it to some extent," the Ranger said in a curt tone. "I'd just like to know what sort of rank you once held in Saboro, and how you would describe your role. Just so I can get a very good idea of what you're good at." 

"What... is beyond your borders? Gemini, you said?"

"Yes, I did," Livid confirmed, glad that the other woman could hear and process information at least. "If you're interested in joining, you can go ahead and answer my question. I'm not asking for a life story, I'm just simply asking what your calling once was and whether or not Gemini might be able to make use of it... and revive it."

[Krimson]

✦

Oh good, her name was still picked at. She didn't choose the god damned name--

Krimson blinked at Livid when miss sentry offered her own name, and then *click* the red furred wolf snorted, her lips just twitching before her expression fell back to its flat state of apathy. "Our families share the creativity trait, I see." She used to be bitter about her name, about the (at the time) unknown bitch who gave it to her. Lady Krimson. What a fucking joke. But after meeting Goth... it slowly disappeared, and now she was left with just the name.

Now, she didn't give a damn about Saboro, or its precious borders but... as soon as that name left the slate furred woman's mouth a guarded look of shock crossed her face. The joke Livid provided after was barely registered, not that Krimson recognized a regular sense of humor anyway, as time spent with violent wolves has left hers a bit dark and tainted. No one left Saboro and lived, which was why she was so afraid of getting caught and dragged back. Yet this wolf in this place she's never heard of at the (what it felt like) the end of the fucking world. Knew about it. Well enough to never want to go there.

"I-I'm..." she stammered before shaking her head. Red eyes glanced away, neck twisting just slightly to look elsewhere. Did she truly wish to gain entrance? Did she want to join another pack? After all the shit she was dragged through in the last one? What good would she be? What was the point? There must be a place for her to go. Anywhere. Where she could hide for the rest of her days.

But...

She was so tired, she was tired of running, of feeling this way, of... Krimson sighed softly. Her eyes lifted to meet Livid's, she just wanted everything to stop, for just a moment. Gemini... could be a new start, if those even existed. She had quite literally, nothing to lose.

"I held many ranks in my time there," her voice was soft as she studied Livid's paws. "Jackdaw... or I suppose soldier, Sentry, Saborako who led the sentries... I even dabbled in healing. If you need bodies anywhere, I suppose I can fill any roll you need." She was really committing to this, wasn't she? Whether or not she was able to do anything anymore was... still up in the air. It was a chance.

Krimson pushed herself up, slowly, into a seated position. She was rested enough to stand at least. So if Livid turned her away or... allowed her in she was at least able to carry her own meager weight. Crimson eyes looked Livid over once, she seemed strong and healthy... cold but not unreasonable, not out for blood. Krimson was suspicious, but like she said... she didn't have much to lose.

"If I am no good in you or your pack's eyes, all I ask is safe passage through... if there is land beyond. I'm not here to cause trouble." I've had enough to last a lifetime.

[Livid (RP)]

"Our families share the creativity trait, I see." 

Livid nodded in agreement, taking note of the bitter note in Krimson's voice. Did she not like her name? Now that Livid came to think of it, she had never been fond of her name either. Many would hear it and would automatically assume she had been named for her temper. Not that she helped disprove such a theory. It was why she often preferred to be named Liv as opposed to Livid, but she had not yet developed a close enough bond with anybody for her to offer such a diminutive. Not since Anky. Sighing to keep a handle on her emotions, the Ranger managed to muster a response. "To be honest, if I had to named for my red coat, Krimson would suit me just fine," she told the other female. "At least you weren't named Blood. I think that would be a bit cruel, since it looks like a lot of it has been spilled where you're concerned. Did your so-called pack do that to you?"

In Livid's eyes, pack members turning on each other and tearing each other apart was a most heinous crime. In Gemini - and in the North - they all looked out for one another and protected each other. This place - Saboro - sounded like hell. And this woman had done well to escape it. "Don't be alarmed," the hybrid told Krimson. "I've never been part of Saboro. I'm a Ranger of Gemini, and we don't have none of that sadistic bullshit here. I've just been made aware of it, that's all. C'mon, Krimson. You surely don't expect a pack with a reputation like Saboro to stay a secret forever?"

"I held many ranks in my time there. Jackdaw... or I suppose soldier, Sentry, Saborako who led the sentries... I even dabbled in healing. If you need bodies anywhere, I suppose I can fill any roll you need." 

A former sentry, huh? That was interesting. She also had the look of an ex-soldier, scars and all. Livid grunted, pacing in front of Krimson as she nodded. "Head sentry, were we? You'd certainly fit into the Rangers," she informed her, ice blue eyes somewhat hopeful. "Or perhaps the Vanguard, if you wanted to earn some scars from an actual enemy and not from Gemini. Or you can simply try healing and live out a more peaceful existence. It sounds like you've spent every waking moment fighting and that's no life to live."

Thus, Livid would not challenge Krimson to a fight. The scars told her that she was capable and that what she was saying was the honest truth. The Ranger began to contemplate how she would test this one. It was part of Livid's Initiation Programme for Gemini: nobody got in without showing her something. Something interesting. 

"If I am no good in you or your pack's eyes, all I ask is safe passage through... if there is land beyond. I'm not here to cause trouble." 

"There's no land beyond here, not unless you wish to go out of the Straits entirely. It's uncharted land and, with all due respect, you don't look like you're in any shape to go there," the Ranger explained, scratching behind her ear idly. "Also, I say it's a great loss if you just wander on through and you're never heard from again. If you can prove something to me, show me a skill that'll impress me, you can call this place home. For as long as you want."

With that, Livid sat and waited. She was curious to see if Krimson would simply turn and vanish from her memory. In a way, she hoped not. This woman had something to offer. Those eyes betrayed a yearning for a purpose, for a fresh start.

[Krimson]

✦

At Livid's question in regards to her scarring and her old pack, her eyes closed, sort of gathering herself. When they opened she looked passed the slate colored female. Krimson nodded once, just a bob of her head, "in a way... I deserved them." For speaking her mind against a higher rank, for rank fights, and for treason. "One way or another, they were earned."

Now, it made sense... when she stopped and thought about it. Saboro, over time, wasn't exactly quiet. They made enemies, enemies from packs that Krimson wasn't entirely sure was deserving. "I..'m sorry. I wasn't thinking." The fear of getting caught overrode common sense. But she was calming down... perhaps due to Livid. But, everything about Gemini that she has made mention to so far, could be one big lie. Made up to ease Krimson into thinking she was safe... but in reality this Gemini could be no better than Saboro. If it was, then it would be something she was used to. The violence was exhausting, but she could stomach it. She would have to wait and see.

Figured there was no land beyond.

So there was no were to go but in... or back. But the thought of going back just made her want to lie down again. She didn't know the lands anymore, knowing her luck she'd run into packlands that were much less kind than Livid.

Krimson stood as Livid finished speaking, "a great loss? I think that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me," she meant to put some note of mirth in there but instead, it came out flat. Emotionless. "I'll be honest, Ranger of Gemini," she began, her voice tired but not disrespectful. "I don't know this land. Plains and...mountains are foreign to me. The jungle was where I called home for the majority of my life. I would not know where to begin," her paw lifted to gesture around, "here." The red furred wolf stood straighter, trying to dig some sort of dignity out from the darkest part of her mind. "My skills revolve around fighting and hurting but above all else... surviving."

There was a look in her eyes that spoke of that yearning Livid saw, yet.. dull pain and just exhaustion. "I've survived ridicule, shame," her voice was even until it started to strain. "The culling of my pups, the death of my mate, my friends and my only family. And getting stripped of everything I worked for in one moment." One move that she wasn't supposed to survive, but one individual pushed her to. Through blackmailed words, but it was enough. Enough to get her up and out of the fourth ring where Ragnarok left her, and back on her feet. In a way.

She lowered her head and strengthened her stance, "fighting for my life is all I know. If that is what I need to do to get passed you, than so be it." Her remaining lip curled completing the snarl on her muzzle, but she didn't growl. She just waited for Livid to accept this choice, or move along.

[Livid (RP)]

"In a way... I deserved them. One way or another, they were earned."

Livid shook her head in disappointment at Krimson's almost robotic mantra. "Is that what you truly think? Or did they hammer it into your head? Nobody deserves such treatment," she told the other woman, visibly disgusted. Shaking her head as if to say 'never mind', Livid all of a sudden felt thankful that she had grown up in a non-violent pack. The only time her parents had laid a paw on her was when they had given her a cuff around the head as a pup... and that was for tricking  Glaucous into walking on some thin ice. He wasn't hurt but Livid now knew he would've been killed if he had fallen through, so yeah, she'd deserved it.

"A great loss? I think that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me,"

The Ranger laughed - heartedly - at having being called 'nice'. She supposed she could be nice... when she put her mind to it. "If you think that, Krimson, then I'm afraid you haven't kept very good company, every wolf, every creature has value," Livid replied, clearing her throat and puffing her chest out with pride. "I've been brought up to hold a sense of duty, and duty is what I carry in this job. I wouldn't be doing a very good job if I decided to let a perfectly adequate recruit walk away from me. Especially to uncharted lands." This was also a 'nice' way of saying that somebody in Krimson's condition would not last very long in uncharted territory.

"I'll be honest, Ranger of Gemini, I don't know this land. Plains and...mountains are foreign to me. The jungle was where I called home for the majority of my life. I would not know where to begin... here. My skills revolve around fighting and hurting but above all else... surviving."

There was no passion in the eyes of the female as she spoke, no zest for life... no nothing. But, perhaps, that was what Livid needed to see. She needed to see that Krimson was sick of her old life, was sick of the fighting, the pain, the surviving. She could live out the last of her days peacefully here, even if she offered no skills. Even if she did not earn her place in Gemini, she had certainly earned... sanctuary, if anything.

"I've survived ridicule, shame. The culling of my pups, the death of my mate, my friends and my only family. And getting stripped of everything I worked for in one moment." 

Livid tried to imagine how she could cope if her Ranger position was taken away from her. Her job was everything to her and she could not understand why any pack would stripe so much pride and potential from such a woman.

"Fighting for my life is all I know. If that is what I need to do to get passed you, than so be it."

The Ranger shook her head. "No, I'm not going to fight you," she announced. "You've done too much of that, you've done too much fighting your own packmates off. It would be an insult to both you and Gemini to have you fight the first packmate that you encounter."

"And yes, I did just call myself your 'packmate'. You're in, Krimson. I could do with a break so why don't you follow me and I'll show you to a place where you can rest uninterrupted. Maybe get some food on the way, if you feel like it?"

After all, we colour girls have to stick together. 

(aaaand she's in! So, so sorry I took a while with this reply. Hope these two can meet and talk shop again. <3)