[Witch.]

For context
If you want to participate in the aftermath of this thread, either as a slaver or as a rescuer, please post in this thread so I can keep track

Anyone can join. This takes place in the lowlands, just over the border.

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Dawn spilled over the grasslands and shone gold in puddles of blood left behind a staggering behemoth. The black and white coat must have been striking at a different time, but here on the last dawn it was matted shag, dripping grime from terrible, fly bitten wounds. The great, bearish head swung to and fro with each painful roll of his proud shoulders. The massive paws struck the grass and in their determined, forceful stride flowed a wake of red.

On his back lay  someone else, a smaller body who was not moving and never would again of its own accord. She felt heavier, somehow, though the beloved soul had gone with the last breath in the only way Gwen would have it.

"TO YOU," she had cried while they mobbed her, and he could not get there fast enough, damn him. She rose onto her hind paws and bellowed, for him, for her, for all they had seen in their lives cut too short, beneath a starry sky that struck the brilliant green eyes aglow. "TO YOU."

They dragged her beneath their fangs because she would not go down otherwise. His heart and marrow shuddered from the fire of those green eyes, and when he barreled into their murder he cut them down, throat by throat, spine by crunching spine. Alastair roared her name as they broke before him, his fury, and the legacy of love in war. With his wife's wreck upon his back, he chased the vanishing voice of their daughter over the hills.

He had trailed them, through their twists and turns, until the rain and the blood in his nose cut them clean. How he had cursed the wicked wild and ran blindly into the wastes, challenging death and those would try to bring it. It was chance he found the scent marker, and he took that chance and with it plowed into the territory of strangers.

Come. What. May.

In the distance he could just make out the form of some sort of structure—mountains, perhaps? Though he had never seen a range in such a neat, uniformed way, he would take it, and he would take THEM if necessary.

"BE YOU COWARDS," he slammed his forepaws into the dust and rose the bloodied maw. "VILLIANS, HEROES? TO ME, WHATEVER YOU ARE, WITH AIDE OR DEATH, I WELCOME EITHER."

On the stiff ear of Gwen, a single blue butterfly took roost.

[Ashe]

"You’re wishin’ too much, baby. You gotta stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone oughtta be." - Eat, Pray, Love

The ruins located in her new home were not only held a plethora of small snacks, but endless interest besides.  Ashe had taken quite keenly to the old buildings, not only to hunt mice (still a personal favorite) but simply to explore.  Left to her own devices, she enjoyed hunting through for interesting artifacts.  Bits and pieces were already starting to collect in the den she and Echo had picked out.  Today was going to be another day of discovery.  Winter was turning into spring, and she had decided she would not be moving on to find another home elsewhere.  Despite some rather terrifying experiences, (including but not limited to one very embarrassing instance of fainting) Ashe felt that Gemini suited her.  While she was nowhere close to understanding pack dynamic, she at least wasn't making any waves. "BE YOU COWARDS, VILLIANS, HEROES? TO ME, WHATEVER YOU ARE, WITH AIDE OR DEATH, I WELCOME EITHER." On the other hand, that didn't mean she wasn't about to be swept away.  After her last encounter, she was tempted to hide within the shadows of the ruins and pretend she wasn't there.  But the beast outside was yelling at her, so obviously he knew she was there.  Anxiety told her it was time to run.  Considering what had happened the last time she encountered strangers, she was keen to listen.  But he spoke of aide, and for that, Ashe was reluctant to simply flee.  If she were in need of help, she would hope someone would run to her, not from her.  Not that anyone would run from her, I mean really... Crap, she also had to make sure he didn't just follow her.  If she ran to go hide within the territory, who was to say she wouldn't just lead him right to the pack? But reason told her she had to alert the pack, had to warn them of the danger.  Howl, then run.  She could do that, right?  If he chased her, the others would come... right?  A shift of the wind had her scenting blood, and... death.  She was about to step out of the shadow, but Anxiety had her shrinking back into it.  She didn't want to go near the smell of blood and death.  She wasn't cut out for this stuff.  But blood meant he needed help... "If you truly seek aid, stay where you are."  She said, trying to put as much authority in her voice as she could.  She stepped out from under the shadow of stone, and then she threw back her head and howled.  Hopefully Echo would show up this time, and not someone just as scary.  Ashe did not notice the butterfly, did not understand what it meant. In fact, she really knew very little about Gemini altogether.  Someone was going to have to explain it all, or she was going to have to get off her butt and actually make something of her life. At the very minimum, she was going to start asking Razi to come on all her near-border adventures.  This whole running into scary strangers thing had to stop.  It wasn't good for poor Ashe's heart.

[Krimson]

✦

Today was one of those off days. Where she was left feeling restless rather than her usual listless. So she paced, and when she grew tired of that she looked around. Its been a bit since she first arrived, and she never really meant to stay this long. Why tie herself down? Why dedicate herself to another pack? She didn't know them, she didn't owe them anyth...ing... Yet Livid's face flashed through Krimson's mind, and she really did owe her something -- but she didn't really know what. Krimson was apparently so beaten down that she felt gratitude to the first kind words spoken to her upon arrival. The slate furred lady believed Krimson was worth something, and that baffled her, it plucked something from the recesses of her mind and she found herself clinging to the feeling in some of her many quiet moments.

Before she'd reject it.
Only to rinse and repeat.

 Krimson's tattered ear flickered towards a loud booming voice, only to flatten when there was a howl issued not long after. That was none of her fucking business, but her pawsteps took her closer, or at least close enough to smell old blood and... death. Oh those were familiar scents. Maybe Gemini was no different... and yet this seemed to be some stranger at the border. Was she allowed that way? Close enough to... walk out if the mood took her? Maybe she could help.

Although, as she grew closer, close enough to make out features of whoever was there, her chest tightened and a frown formed on her face. What the fuck was she doing? She was a wandering newbie here. She had no purpose, no goal, no... nothing. She was nothing, the fuck was she going to do? 

She stood not far from the brown furred girl, she smelled like the rest of this place... and so pegged her as "pack". For all that was worth. Her crimson eyes scanned the badger marked male, and the... 

Krimson's brows furrowed, and her jaw clenched but she released a breath in a sort of huff through her nostrils, "Are you injured?" she asked, and despite coming in and presenting herself as a sort of healing type... she stood defensively. His appearance, the dead body, the scent of blood... it put her in a bad place. A place she was desperately trying to push from her mind, just like the light grey figure who always stood in her peripheral. If anything she was also here to distract him, until someone more worthwhile came to take over. She'd be a buffer if she had to.

She was sure she looked like a warrior with all these fucking scars. Good enough.

[Iaera]

|✬| gemini |✬|
the nymph; whisper & ranger

ooc| I don't have much muse but I want Iaera here for a couple of reasons so bear with my bullet points.

◦Sunlight bled into the rolling fields of Gemini's lowlands, a cool breeze had the grass dancing a somber waltz with one another; not unlike two lovers. As if their blood had compelled the land to move for them, to stir the reinforcements for them. Gemini was something else, and for all it's faults it was a genuinely magical land.

◦Purple eyes stretched opened seriously in an attempt to wake herself harder as she ambled along the wall. The skulls of the Kingslayers clattered against their posts in the breeze and Iaera glared at them with a look of condescension. The Ranger pondered them for a moment before nodding to herself, affirming that she was happy to see them hang. Then she slipped past the choke point, her ears lifting to the sound of a commotion.

◦The wolfdog was a quick creature, and she arrived shortly after two others; Iaera figured they must have had a headstart as today's vanity would not allow her to believe she had been outpaced. The tang of blood and death assaulted her nose and her fur stood on end. Behind those violet eyes visions of her mother and the dog pack flickered like fire, the Ranger pushed them away and moved forward to Ashe.

◦Had the situation been different she may had offered a bit of consideration to the slight woman but blood and death had put her rightfully in the mood of getting the job done. Ashe appeared frightened and despite being smaller than the full brown girl, Iaera pushed against her to move her back away from the events as they transpired. Only a curt nod was offered in reply to the call out to Gemini. Krimsom was already asking the proper questions and Iaera only offered the mangled woman a half glance.

◦ A butterfly. A flower then was this woman? Her dominant posture relaxed for a moment before looking back at the behemoth of a man.

◦"Are the people who did this still nearby? Are our people in danger? Are others outside our home in danger? I will call for a healer, please... allow us to help you. " The wolfdog would tip her skull back and summon an Acolyte and the Vanguards. The call was simple, 'One dead, one wounded. Come and protect.'

[Corrosion]

He had left Zehava with the children, something he had learned he could only do for so long.  While she was their mother, it seemed the need to nurture and love did not come with this brood.  Her eyes were dim, the light he saw once, the joy and passion which once filled them were gone, perhaps not to return, ran away with Zeke to a far away land.  She was numb, and Corrosion sought to try to bring feeling back to her life, and to the life of her children.  They did not see him as a father, but as a stranger- kind or not he was not sure- but a stranger for certain.  

The goal for his short departure had been simple: food.  Zehava barely ate, she had no drive for much of anything, but still, Corrosion would not let her disappear as well.  He would not let these children become orphans as he once was.  Though he had grown up in a loving family (mostly), the need to know who he truly was ebbed at him, like waves upon a shoreline.  Thankfully he was able to gain a rank, and find himself in that, the need to protect his home, and his new family overcame him, and became his new drive.  He hadn't been on the trail of a small fallow deer for long, before a cry for the Vanguard drifted into his ears, scaring the deer.  Firey eyes narrowed as Corrosion ran in the direction of the summons, his newfound purpose and title egging him to run faster, to get there sooner.  

He was able to get there quickly, his muscles pushing him to the max, his eyes scanned the scene fast, taking in whatever he could before making assumptions.  He recognized one other, Iaera, from the rank gathering.  However, the others he did not know, the smell of death, and injury overtaking his senses.  He slowed to a quick jog coming up to the group, taking up Krimson's left side, wanting to place himself between the stranger and Iaera and Ashe.  He stayed silent however, he was not a ranger, he was a Vanguard, he was there to protect and end conflict if necessary, not ask questions.  He whispered low to Ashe, the small brown one, "Keep behind me. If I say run, you run, do not look back, do not stop. Understand?"

Last time strangers came to the borders the pack lost a king, and the Queen, a son- this would not end the same way.  No one from Gemini would die today, no one from Gemini would be harmed.  Fiery eyes stared hard at the stranger and the... baggage on his back, watching for any signs of aggression.  When he saw htem, IF he saw them, he'd be first to react.

[Zin]

It seemed he always stuck near to the wall, or weaved his way through the lowlands with considerable frequency. It was hard to let go of the incident with stranger and the child, a misunderstanding that may have been, it wouldn't always be. Zin's first introduction was one that told him stories without the words, the skulls that adorned the archway on the wall simply painted a clearer picture. Gemini was meant to be safe, yet it wasn't always. It needed protecting.

Restlessly he wandered, doing all he could to avoid chasing ghosts that relentlessly danced in the corner of his eye. Vigilant in spite of the distractions, his unappointed rounds kept him busy. It didn't take much to hear the call to arms, quite easily summoning Zin from aimless patrol, he was quick to bound toward the shouts. A small crowd had already begun to gather, and he was content to take up a stance just behind a few of the others. They spoke to the trespasser? Beggar? Zin had nothing more to say, and no right to say it regardless. He was ready to help should it be needed. Little did he know this stranger's cause would be one quite close to his heart. He should have recognized the agony in that voice.

Profile

[Avery!]

Sometimes it occurred to her that she had traded one tumultuous and horrifying place for another.

The world was violent and voracious; here was the poisonous line of thought that years ago had kept her bound to Saboro as tightly as any chain. It's like this everywhere, you see, and what difference does it make where on the blood-splattered map I am, on what stain far too old to scrub out I tread upon? If you laid out all the atrocities I've witnessed side by side, placed them in some random order -- Tauro's murder, Kariya's suicide, Absinthe's reprisal, Nicholle running open-eyed to her death, Sappara with chunks of her children in her mouth, the visceral nightmare of the old bonfires, this poor fellow and his poorer wife here now, more, more, moremoremoRE -- would anyone be able to differentiate which nation, seeing them, had licked its finger impartially and turned the page of history?

... But that wasn't fair. It wasn't fair, and she'd be remiss not to acknowledge that. She was no slave here. She was not beaten, starved, humiliated, forced to bear children she did not want. She was not given command of a crop of thugs who'd gladly kill her for a chance at her authority. She had friends here, she had godchildren, it was her own bone-deep stain that made her see it all the same, just that and nothing more. Someone was trespassing because they needed help. There, in Saboro, her hand would have been forced; she'd have given Alastair the death he welcomed, sent him hurtling toward whatever afterlife Gwen had already met. No other choice. Just doing job. Such tired justifications.

Here, in Gemini, her hand was her own. She used it to aide. They called for the vanguard and now arrived its leader, all slow-burning fire and tiger's eyes.

"Doesn't look good," murmured Avery to nobody in particular, squinting long and hard at the fresh rakes coating the stranger's big body in red, studying all the mortal wounds beyond the remedy of any medic. She'd seen wounds like this before, many times, and they tended to emerge dominant over the sufferer's will to live...

Should they risk wasting finite medical supplies on this doomed wolf...?

The firebird decided, a little conveniently, that this harsh judgment call was not hers to make, for she was no doctor and never would be. Stepping forward, past the crowd -- and past Krimson, an old jackdaw under her command incidentally, though given the huge bleeding distraction, Avery did not recognize her right away -- she looked Alastair in the face and spoke.

"Help is coming," she told him, firm but not unkind, "but you need to lie down. Moving will cost you more blood."

Whether or not he complied, Avery indicated the small, still body lain across his back. Poor wretch.

"Let her down now. It's okay."

[Eve]

//

[Excalibur]

Hunting was never something Excalibur had excelled at, she had always had 'people' for that. Now though she was having to fend for herself. Unfortunately for her that meant she was getting the kinds of prey that could be described as small, unappetising and boney: frogs, mice, moles, anything that scurried or scuttled was a potential entreé. Anything but beetles. She licked her teeth in disgust thinking of the time she'd been forced to eat those nasty little things; the acrid taste wasn't even the worst bit, it had and the hours spent afterwards licking sharps bits of shell out of her teeth and gums and finding a leg wedged between her molars two days later. Eugh.

Today was looking altogether much brighter though, she had her eyes set on a much tastier prize; a young fawn, early for the time of year, was nestle in a patch of low shrub not twenty feet away and its mother was another twenty feet further browsing distractedly on some reeds. It was just too perfect. Excalibur crept closer and closer, inching with in striking range. Oh this was going to be delicious! She was already salivating at the thought it. Mmmm bambi steak!

"One dead, one wounded. Come and protect."

The mother looked round, saw her, let out a bleet of warning and dinner bolted. "Ffffs. Oooh you. Aaeeeeguh!" Excalibur screamed. "Why?! Eeeeugh! Fucking why?!" She demanded of the sky, but obviously got no answer. After a moment of heavy breathing that was supposed to be calming, in through the nose out through the mouth, in through the- "I'll break them like a fucking twig!" She shouted, threating the anonymous caller. Hangry was an emotion she felt keenly.  

Protect. The caller was summoning the Vanguards so that meant her too. Why had she been so keen to get an rank again? With an exagerated sigh out through her nose she turned her steps towards the call and took her sweet time about it, like a kid that had been told to go to the Principals office. "They better not have died of natural causes." She muttered to herself.

By the time she arrived, several others were already on the scene, mostly standing or milling about, but some of them seemed to be taking some kind of charge of the situation. Excalibur eyed the mess that had stumbled onto their doorstep. One wounded and one dead. It didn't look like natural causes, but then again from the smell of them they seemed to be outsiders anyway, so to her it also didn't look their problem... Unless they had brought what ever did that with them. She looked about, turning her head, eyes scanning the distance in every direction for any sign of moment. They would look like a right bunch of idiots if they all got snuck up on while being too busy gawking.

"Are they even Gemini?" She asked whoever happened to be nearest, then remembered she had joined a bunch of do-gooders who seemed to think everything was theirs to fix. Arthur would have been proud of them she thought grugingly, but Arthur was dead so she knew where this sort of thinking got you. Still for the sake of appearances she added, "Poor things." A bit flatly.

[Harriette]

It seemed as though Gemini couldn’t go too long before receiving a visitor of some sort, or being put in direct sights of some type of threat. She always thought of this place as a sanctuary, as a safe haven for any and all. Everyone was welcome so long as they were going to be warm and kind and help each other out.

And maybe it still was.

As Harriette came upon the scene, the source of the howl, she saw many things. She saw familiar faces: Iaera, Avery. She saw unfamiliar faces, those who she’d yet to meet, however they smelled of Gemini and seemed to be on her side. She saw a broken and bleeding man, wounds gaping with angry open jaws, drooling a deep maroon. She saw a dead body.

A dead body.

Inhaling sharply, Harriette’s feet ceased to move. She blinked a few times, unsure of the mess she stumbled upon, her eyes struggling to take in the scene before her. It was clear they needed her help - they called for an acolyte, after all. But what could she do? She was dead. Harriette was already too late. This poor woman was being carried on the back of a badly beaten man, his bulky body trembling beneath the weight of his lover. He lost her.

His heart had to have been bleeding more than the fresh wounds which decorated his flesh - and how could Harriette heal a broken heart? Did he know?

Orders were being tossed around, words flowing from mouths, some voices familiar and others not. No answers were yet given, and Harriette wasn’t sure they’d ever get any. How could he answer these questions when he was carrying the empty vessel of the woman he loved?

After a few moments, Harriette remembered to breathe. She could hear her mother’s voice in her head: ‘Breathe, Harriette. In and out. Take a breath. Long breaths.’ In through her nose. Out through a gaping maw. Her eyes fluttered from person to person, grasping at sense and reason, but coming up short.

He’s hurt. He’s hurt. He’s hurt and you need to help him – he can still be saved. Save him.

Clamping her jaw shut, she stepped forward and wiggled her way between bodies to get closer. She didn’t care who stood in her way, she had a job to do. Again, she ignored any and all warnings of danger and simply put herself there to do what she did best. This time, she ignored her mother’s voice in her head.

“Yes, you need to lay down, and let her lay next to you.” She echoed the words of Avery - someone she knew, but had yet to really cease the opportunity to get to know her - and stepped closer yet. “I can help you,” she told the man, her voice low and calm. “I want to help you.” She attempted to meet his gaze, her icy hot eyes sad and sincere, searching for those of sorrow and loss. She was small compared to him, but she had the chance to save him from his death bed.

Even if he’d want to join his mate in the afterlife.

A E S T H E T I C

[Ivaylo]

"And I will show you something different from either
Your shadow at morning striding behind you
Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you
I will show you fear in a handful of dust."

It had been a day just like the last. Wake up in a random spot every morning all across Gemini's territory, hunt for breakfast, walk aimlessly in any direction, watch the moon fall, pass out anywhere. Rinse, repeat. Again and again, why couldn't Ivaylo stop? She didn't bother asking herself. Since becoming a part of this kingdom, she made a habit of not questioning her own actions any longer. There was no method or intention to her repetitive madness. It was a pattern she didn't understand, yet followed it every single day like a moth fluttering towards a beacon of hope. But the more she walked, the more she began to realize that she was not getting any closer to the light.

Still, she complied to its call. But today, it wouldn't be a day looking for false promises. She stopped in her tracks and looked up with both ears stiff in the air as she paused to listen to the sudden howl that resonated through the trees. She could detect the sense of urgency within a second, and immediately bolted in the direction she believed it came from. She had stuck to her routine and kept mostly to herself while she slowly adjusted to her new life, but never had she felt a sudden compulsion to see what was going wrong, and how she could possibly manage to make it better.

As she drew closer to the cluster of onlookers that had already began to gather, the smell of blood washed over her senses and the world became silent. She padded past the other civilians, many that she couldn't remember if she had met or not in passing, and stood behind others as she tried to peer over their heads and see what was the matter. From her position, she caught a glimpse of a battered and bleeding man, and...

Ivaylo's jaw dropped when her gaze fell upon the dead female, which she guessed was his lover, and her belly felt heavy with anguish. Only a moment or so passed before she started to push past the other civilians, her aggression growing ever so slightly the more she barged through, but she did not look back or hesitate. "Move... move it. Out of my way!" she barked, padding as close to the woman as she could get without feeling sick to her stomach. For some reason, she could not look away from her. Her frail, limp body lying across the back of her loyal mate, the blood that clung thick to her fur, the blank look in her eyes. Ivaylo's vision blurred as tears began to well up and trickle down her cheek, and images of her own mother flickered in her mind.

Her head swung around to face the crowd behind her and she gritted her teeth, attempting to swallow the emotional pain that this grim sight had just caused her. "Why are you all just... just standing there? Fucking do something!!" She turned back to the lifeless body of the woman, the urge to resist sobbing becoming even more difficult as she then finally turned to face the male who carried her so bravely. "I'm sorry," was all she could manage to say. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."

[Necros]

The ranger had found himself drawn away from his resting spot; an area of greenry with trees shielding the dark colored wolf from the suns brutal heat. He had gotten back from a late night patrol which was uneventful but the muffeled shouting echoing further within the lowlands garnered his attention and brought him back into his role as a ranger. With a speed that seemed unnatural for a fringe dire of his build the wolf came upon a gathering of his fellow packmates. Somewhat winded he calmly made his way to the group before allowing his eyes to take in the sight that stood before them. Over the whispers and yelling he took in the appereance of the two strangers. The male was battleworn and struggled to stand while the smaller female that hung off of him limply was obviously deceased. Never before had the fringe dire seen so much blood covering a single individual. A pale female with a brownstripe running down her body was becoming hysterical and repeating herself mindlessly all the while sounding looking like she was about to start bawling.

Necros took in the males injurues but his wounds seemed beyond the skill of a healer and he was obviously struggling from bloodloss. His passing was imminant but bless the gentle healer for wanting to try. The large dire wondered if the male could even understand what she was saying. The ranger felt torn between helping to ease the strangers passing and getting information as to the incident that had led him to carrying the females corpse as far as he had. Amber eyes landed on the dark trail that was without a doubt blood and  ended where the male stood; he circled around the group to get a better look at the size and length of the blood trail. It was small, constant and noticeable to the naked eye for at least a few hundred yards. The black male would have bet that the trail would get thicker the further back they would go.

Looking back to the group, "Bloodtrail," he grunted emotionlessly, "do we follow it or tend to him," he asked with a jerk of his head towards the dying male. Decisions needed to be made. There was a risk that whoever attacked the pair could be heading towards the pack and who knew how many there were; and there maybe more casualties than just this pair. "I'd like to join whoever wants to headout," he stated plainly. Maybe he sounded like he did't care but he didn't see the use in getting emotional over someone who was beyond help. Let them all try to save the male for their own conciousness but others were needed to be pratical.

Ooc: My character is a rescuer

[000]

Ahote lay with his back against the rain-soaked stone, legs dangling over the parapet, dusty eyes staring listlessly up at the gloomy dawn sky.
It had started off as a quiet morn, a light, almost bouncing breeze sweeping through the prairies that unfurled off the crumbling wall, the occasional drizzle of drops from the nimbus clouds slowly splitting apart.

He was drenched from the rain through the night before, having got some wild hair up his ass earlier to climb the wall and refuse to come down, even through the storm, pulling his newly crafted poncho tight around his body against the howling wind, unable to sleep restfully so exposed to the elements.
He still wasn't sure why he did it, and in the end he felt neither better nor worse for it.
It was something to do, he supposed, something to make him feel alive.

How long had he been here?
Winter was over; spring had long since made its mark, even if it continued to struggle in the fight against the brutal north.
Did he have reason to linger here any longer?
The snow on the ground had been wiped away, clinging still only on the fringes of mountains.
The season was warming and soon summer would be here.
It was a perfect time to forage, and a perfect time to wander.

But where to?

Long before he could come up with an answer, someone had started shouting up at the heavens, voice clashing off the wall.
The human shot up with a start, peering across the landscape to find the beaten and bloodied figure of a wolf with the markings of a badger...and upon his back another, smaller form, stiff and unmoving.

The man blinked as, one after the other, wolves from all corners of the territory appeared to surge towards what he soon figured to be a stranger to the pack, from what he could gather.
As willing to lend aid as many of the wolves seemed to be, Ahote remained wary of jumping down into the fray, and instead stood to pace across the wall until he was closer to the gathering, toes curling around the lip of the stone while he observed with marked curiosity, but little idea as to what he should do.

[quartz.]

The rosy fingers of morning stretched their way through the sky and illuminated Gemini in an orange haze. They weren't nearly as illustrious as winter sunrises, though. The sparkling albedo of snow only intensified the beauty of the rising sun.

Today, though, dawn brought more than just spring and light.

A darkness followed.

It was in the form of a bloodied and broken man and a dead accomplice. There were already numerous others surrounding the two, so Quartz decided to remain on the outskirts. She would offer her knowledge of herbs as needed, but Hariette was certainly the more qualified healer. She hadn't even earned a rank yet and was almost an adult, but now wasn't the time to complain.

Those rusty orange eyes made their way to the woman in hysterics, a stranger to her but a friend nonetheless, and she quietly moved from the edge of the crowd to the woman. Her eyes strode slowly to the strange bloodied man and she almost whimpered. She'd never seen such violence. She'd heard stories, of course, of her courageous father who died defending his kingdom. This man would die defending his love. 

She smiled weakly to the yellow woman, " We're doing everything we can, ma'am. But please, he needs space... " Her voice was soft and airy and filled with compassion. Stars know this man needed it. 

[Akira.]

They wasted no time, these strangers who lived behind walls, and for that he blessed even the most wicked, nameless mongrel in their ranks. His shadow grew long across the grass while sand ebbed away through a shattered hour glass. Hurry, hurry, curious, helpful creatures—who crowd a wounded body not out of hunger, but because it needs you.

Their first delegate was such a small thing. Alistar gave her a grunt while she called her companions, admiring how she grappled her fear in the face of duty. They all came quickly after that—battled scarred warriors with stories he would have liked to hear, and if he had been the type to lament borrowed time running short, the sorrow would have toppled him long ago. But he was not. He was Alistar, and he had the weight of his family on his back.

Are you injured? asked one, and he chortled a bloody breath.

"Aye, you may say that."

Are the people who did this still nearby? Are our people in danger? Are others outside our home in danger? I will call for a healer, please... allow us to help you.

Help is coming, but you need to lie down. Moving will cost you more blood. Let her down now. It's okay.

Are they even Gemini?

Yes, you need to lay down, and let her lay next to you. I can help you. I want to help you.

Why are you all just... just standing there? Fucking do something!! I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry.

I'd like to join whoever wants to headout.

We're doing everything we can, ma'am. But please, he needs space...

He straightened his dipping spine and tossed his brutish head above their chatter. Gwen, stiff and clotted to his fur, stayed as she willed while he bore wild red eyes into Avery, Harriette, and Ivalyo. In a voice like gravel, he said, not unkindly, "No, I shan't drop my Heart here. She would never forgive me."

Then he turned to the others.

"Listen all you lot, whoever you are and whomever you serve, and Alistar will tell you of the vermin who cut down his Gwen and made off with his little daughter. There was just one, a black she-beast, who wanted shelter from the night. A trick! A trap! Her comrades swarmed like flies on meat—SLAVERS! Child thieves, foul and wormy mutts, no shred of dignity in their bones. We fought them, but they bested us, and took my Angel. I trailed them for several days before it was lost in the rain, and here I am, at your door instead. They are south, I'm sure of that, and close. They seek the Fringe, and I fear something wicked beyond it."

He swayed once and planted his front paws with a thud. Someone else had joined, taking up her space beside Avery, her head high and her tail tip raised like a blade.

"I have fought many battles, but I am no one to you," he admitted, and at this his gaze settled to Excalibur for just a moment. One beat, in a series counting down. "Waste not your efforts on this old fool, but these are horrors none so young should endure. They left us for dead but took her alive."

"I am Akira, King of Gemini," said the girl-king, stepping forward. "And we will retrieve your daughter."

The shaggy shoulders heaved, and with it came two words, then nothing more. There was another mountain to climb, far away, and he had better get moving. Gwen had a head start on him, and he would never hear the end of it if she reached its peak first.

"Thank you."

The body stood, even after its death, and the butterfly took to the sky. It teetered eventually, as bodies will do, but for a long moment it was a mountain all its own, and then when it crumbled, it shook the heaven inside the soul. Akira didn't know what to say. Something within her was snarling while she watched a little girl's father perish on their borders. Always, it was always here, beneath the sun's eye, in the fields of blood.

"Who will come?" She found her voice, wheeling on the group. "Who will take back a stolen child with me?"

She waited for them to answer, and then,

"We leave immediately. I want at least one shepherd, an acolyte, and as many fighters who offer. Those who want to stay, call for assistance. Bring these two inside.

They are Gemini."

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You guys can respond to this and then head into the neutrals to beat up kotake soon! I'm going to make a "base" thread that characters can come in and out of, and you can make your individual threads after you check in. I'll link it once it's up!

[Ashe]

"You’re wishin’ too much, baby. You gotta stop wearing your wishbone where your backbone oughtta be." - Eat, Pray, Love

 

They arrived much swifter than her previous call, and Ashe was swept away in the roar of commotion that followed.  A swirl of colors, sizes and scars.  She recognized no one, and luckily for her, they paid her little heed.  A common scheme suggested that a few of them were probably related.  Little did she know that these were some of "Serrate's little ones" as Gaven had called them.  Maybe not the most recent ones, but certainly ones. Ashe watched from the background, relieved that more capable paws would now take over. The male was giving his all just to remain standing. His tale was horrifying, and she could see the agony of each moment he recalled, dripping red on the border. Ashe was unprepared for the proclamation from the latest arrival.  The King!  She had called The King. But... wasn't king a male title?  Ashe flicked a glance at the self-proclaimed monarch.  Nope.  Definitely female. Not that it really mattered, the little doe supposed.  It really wasn't any of her business what she was called.  She was the Alpha, wasn't she?  So it was Ashe's duty to listen.  Simple as that.  Right?   "Who will come? Who will take back a stolen child with me?" Voices raised around her, but Ashe found herself unable to add hers to them.  The sound caught in her throat as anxiety choked her.  She was no fighter, and for a warrior as brave as this to have fallen to them?  What help could she be?  She would merely be a hindrance to the rescue. "We leave immediately. I want at least one shepherd, an acolyte, and as many fighters who offer. Those who want to stay, call for assistance. Bring these two inside. They are Gemini." This time, Ashe stepped forward with no hesitation, bringing herself forward into the girl-king's gaze. "I will tend to the Fallen and his Beloved." She volunteered. This, she could do.  She had assisted the elders in the funeral rights of her home pack, and she knew the practices to help guide a spirit through the veil.  She may not be very good at communicating with the living, but Ashe was forever respectful of the dead.

[Sybella]

• Sybella arrived at the call for a healer, worried it may be a child.
  
• The chaotic scene was heartbreaking, and the story that the fallen shared was even worse. It shattered her soul to imagine the children that these thieves have corrupted. The families they destroyed.
  
• She listened as Akira bravely took a stand and demanded that Gemini would be responsible for saving the young, and requested the aide of a shepherd.
  
• Passionately she spoke up, "Oye, I'll go as Shepherd, if you'll have me, King Akira."
  

▌note: i super skimmed. bullet points because i'm busy until work is finished next weeeeek!! AH

[Akira.]

https://dires.net/thread-4242.html !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAA

[Avery!]

He would not abandon his love's body. He'd once vowed that he could lift her to the heavens. He was right.

Slowly, the firebird withdrew, watching the dying wolf with glassy, troubled eyes. She understood.

A lot happened after that, voices all around her, outbursts, questions, commands. Avery heard them, in some manner of speaking, but it was as though she'd separated from her body a little, come askew of it, to watch this grisly scene to its conclusion as though it were a shutterclick from some film reel. She backed up one pace, then another, and licked her muzzle with a tongue that had suddenly gone bone-dry.

Slavers.

It was Eve who brought her back, tethered her rope again, albeit unintentionally. The wolfdog's approach was familiar and friendly; the smell of her was grounding. Avery looked at the smaller female and seemed perplexed, as though for a nanosecond she was not completely sure who this was... but then reality seemed to blink all at once and she recognized her friend. Her second in-command, her confidante...

It wouldn't be the first time either woman watched someone die. When Alistar did, it took him a long moment before he slipped to the ground and moved no more. Avery focused, oddly enough, on the butterfly as it departed from the corpses. Its wings, blue and delicate, were a striking contrast against all the carnage.

Slavers.

Akira was here. When had she arrived? Avery pretended as though she couldn't be bothered to let her own lack of an answer get to her. The girl-king was half her age, and that was being generous really, but if she was going to suggest what the firebird had a feeling she would...

"Who will come? Who will take back a stolen child with me?"

"Me."

She answered the call with a quietness about her that was uncharacteristic.

[Excalibur]

OOC: Rubbish quick post but I have so many RPS to catch up!

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"I have fought many battles, but I am no one to you. Waste not your efforts on this old fool, but these are horrors none so young should endure. They left us for dead but took her alive."

His gaze lingered on her, but Excalibur did not hold it, she flicked her eyes away nonchalantly. He was not Gemini, living, dead or dying, that was just fact. Inside she felt a twist of something that could have been pity for him, or was it shame for herself? Love and loss, slaves and slavers, it was all very poetic and unfortunate, but also very not her problem.

"I am Akira, King of Gemini, And we will retrieve your daughter."

And then the King was there and she promised the unpromisable with utter confidence. Excalibur felt like a cloud had blotted the sun, throwing her into shade. She admired and hated Akira in equal measure for what she was, how she was, who she was. The mirror was still black and broken, the pieces still sharp and jagged.

"Thank you."

Even death seemed reluctant to face his resolve; his body seemed to take an age to crumple even after the life had gone from his eyes. Excalibur stared at the fallen bodies with utter incomprehension. He had wasted what precious little energy and life he had left to drag a corpse with him. Why? Why couldn’t he just have left her? Then he might have stood a chance. The answer was apparently love… But she knew love, or she had thought she did. She had thought she loved her brother most of all, but she had left him behind… His body, his kingdom, more than anything his ideals… She dropped those like they were hot coals once she had been forced out into world to make her own way.

"Who will come? Who will take back a stolen child with me?"

Akira wheeled on the group, fire and steel, rage and retribution. In another place and another life Arthur would have stood where Akira stood now and Excalibur would have stood beside him. It was like seeing her own ghost. Unbidden, the thought that Arthur would have loved Akira came into her mind and the jealousy curdled in her stomach. The pieces of mirror trembled.

”I will.” Excalibur said quietly. It was not a sudden willingness to help that urged her on, she just couldn’t stand the thought that, if he had known her, Arthur might have loved Akira more. She could not have that, she would not be out done.

"We leave immediately. I want at least one shepherd, an acolyte, and as many fighters who offer. Those who want to stay, call for assistance. Bring these two inside."

“They are Gemini."

Excalibur couldn’t help but think ...Am I?