[Sekirei]

In a hollowed out tree lay a dark wolf. Akutan was fitfully sleeping, his injured leg twitching here and there. It hadn't been very long since he had left his own homeland. More like he chased himself out. Things had gotten out of paw where he was concerned and he felt he had no one to blame but himself. He didn't really know how much of it was his fault or how much it lay with others. The whole debacle left him depressed, despondent, and somewhat afraid. He knew he did wrong by leaving Nardir the way he did but at the same time, he knew he made the right call. Nardir was still home but with everything that had gone on, from returning to the old territory to the death of his uncle, things just got to be too much. He had to leave to save his own sanity.

That wasn't to say Akutan wasn't without regrets. He was practically drowning in them. For one, Kyra let it slip (while she was verbally reaming him over the fact he went straight to Byakko's side when the old man was dying and not telling her) that she was expecting his pups. So he wasn't even going to be there when his pups were brought into the world. That opened a lot of potential considering where those pups were going to stand with the Clan. Given how deteriorated things had gotten, Akutan was fully expecting Kyra to keep them away from the family he left behind. Other regrets included events concerning Sara and Mercury.

It was on those thoughts that the dark wolf slowly woke up and sighed. He raised his head to look out over the unfamiliar forest. He looked over at his bear wounds, grimacing a little. They were looking rough. His just reward for leaving his home before he was fully healed. Without Sara keeping them clean and covered, his flank was starting to backslide. Even with the best care, he was already doomed to live with a limp. The bear attack was hazy in his mind. He just remembered going at the bear, pain, then nothing. Bringing his head down to rest on his paws, Akutan had no real idea what he was going to do from there. Even if he healed physically and mentally, would he even be allowed to go home? Mercury didn't strike him as a spiteful soul but he couldn't be sure of anything. Was he doomed to live in exile and die out here? He didn't know so he decided to take things one step at a time. Things would sort themselves out, for better or worse.

He needed help with his leg first and foremost. 

"So...where do I go from here? Who can I find to help? Am I even worthy of getting help?"

[Charley]

What doesn't kill you...

Reese // Rivian

Nearby two unlikely old friends were walking. The small human woman, Rivian, had a gentle hand on the back of a the dire wolf, Reese. The woman had nursed the boy back to health before and he occasionally went back to visit her and check in on her status. He had found her alone again, her lover departed sometime ago. He had decided to help her out a little before heading on his own again. The woman could communicate as easily as if she had always understood the creatures, though it had not always been the case.

He was helping her hunt when he caught scent of something incredibly familiar that hearkened back to his early childhood. Rivian paused as she noticed him standing still and scenting the air, worried he was about to warn her of some danger.

Reese flicked his ear at her, telling her to stay while he went to investigate and he slowly approached a hollowed out tree, the scent getting stronger and mixed with the sour note of infection. Cautiously he rounded the other side and found a childhood friend of his laying as if he was about to die. Before alerting anything he wanted to make sure Akutan wasn't infected with some contagious disease, thinking he had been cast out of the pack. But that didn't make sense if Reese's own father was still a part of Nardir. He saw and smelled the black canines leg, yup, infected, a bad bear slash.

"Akutan?" He asked, trying to get his attention, "What are you doing out here?" He got Rivian's attention and nodded her over, "Hey, this is my friend, Rivian, she'll help take care of you..." He said to the Nardiri before she made her appearance.

"Oof... That's a really bad slash." Said the girl as she rounded the corner and started to have a look. She rummaged in her bag for a second and poured something sharp smelling on her hands before poking at his leg.

"If I don't get this cleaned out and stitched up properly he could get seriously sick." Said Rivian looking at the size of him and up to Reese. The wolves were nearly the same size, the black one slightly larger. "I need to get some boiled water on it and my sewing kit is at home. Can I get you to pull the litter?" She asked sweetly cradling half of Reese's face. He nodded.

As Rivian walked off to find supplies to build a makeshift litter to put Akutan on, Reese stayed with him.
"We'll take you to her den. She calls it a cottage. She saved my life, she's a better healer than dad even. It could be a few hours though, we're quite a ways off. You can tell me all about how you ended up here though." Reese said, hoping to nudge some story out of him.

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Photo © Wes Hicks / modified coding © vixxie's codes

[Sekirei]

Akutan had closed his eyes again when he heard someone approaching. "Akutan?" came a vaguely familiar voice. His ears pricked up as he raised his head to see who it was. His pale greens settled on a dire wolf. "Reese?" he wondered. That had to be who it was. His early childhood memories were marred by Asylum and the death of his mother. He didn't remember Reese that well but he still knew him. "What are you doing out here?" Reese then asked. Akutan spoke not a word. "Hey, this is my friend, Rivian, she'll help take care of you..." he said before nodding to someone. Akutan watched as a human came into view. Something deep down recoiled from seeing her but everything on the surface was still. He cocked his head at Rivian. While he was wary of humans, something about her reminded him of his mom. 

He listened to her speak, not quite understanding the language but Reese seemed to get the message she was conveying. "We'll take you to her den. She calls it a cottage. She saved my life, she's a better healer than dad even. It could be a few hours though, we're quite a ways off. You can tell me all about how you ended up here though.[b]" [/b]Reese said, staying with him while the human female went off to find something. Akutan just sighed. He never expected to run into anyone he used to know out here. Keeping his lips sealed would've been much easier. His tongue had been the source of his downfall. He was pretty curious about the human, truth be told, and his wariness hadn't lessened much. Still, she and Reese were together and there was the fact his grandfather had been saved by humans himself long ago when his grandmother died. Not all humans were bad, just based on his observations and X's stories. 

Getting back to the matter at hand, Akutan was in a conundrum about how to tell his story to Reese without verbalizing. He was afraid that if he did, he'd start ranting or painting everyone involved in a bad light. Because of his uncertainty about who held what portion of the blame for his current status, he didn't want to risk coloring his companion's perception. That is if Reese ever planned on going home. Akutan knew what his role had been but the others? He wasn't so sure. Was it all on him?

He started dragging a claw through the dirt before pausing. "Maybe..." he thought. He started drawing shapes in the dirt. It was going to be tricky getting his story correct because of the various events so he started with two figures, one with his lightning bolt and the other with a moon above their heads. Both were in slightly aggressive poses. He also drew his family's burial mounds and the willow tree they were under. Understandably, it would be difficult to convey the fact he drew Mercury and not Alana since the difference between them was the full and new moon. He didn't really have a symbol for royalty. Shifting slightly, he drew another two figures, himself and Kyra, represented by fire above her head. The poses were relaxed, indicating peace between them. After that, Akutan drew his uncle and Raka dying with himself and Sara near him (along with vaguer shapes to represent the others who had come). The next set had the bear attack. The following set was when Kyra confronted him over Byakko's death with Akutan's figure snapping at Sara. The last set showed him leaving the packlands, tail tucked. 

Pausing for a moment to look up at Reese, Akutan drew Kyra again, adding a couple smaller faces above her to represent the fact she was expecting. "I can't convey through words what my story is but perhaps you might understand these figures and what they mean. I know I'm at fault...I don't need anyone to tell me that. I'm...unwell." he thought. He felt just a tad bit stupid about his method of communication but he knew he needed to get over that since locking his voice down worked a little too well. Perhaps if Reese didn't get what he was conveying, his human friend might. Akutan had seen various examples of human art during the Exile so he based his drawings on what he had remembered. The human paintings often showed hunting scenes but there was a subtle story to be found in them if one looked close enough.

[Charley]

What doesn't kill you...

Reese // Rivian

Why wasn't he talking? Reese asked himself as he watched Akutan draw in the dirt.

Reese silently watched him. He got the gist that he was telling him what was happening. Maybe he had gotten his tongue cut out by who ever banished him? That didn't sound like the Nardir he knew! Akutan had Reese's sister's scent still on him. He knew Kyra must be involved somehow.

He watched as he drew, picking out Akutan's lightening mark. Maybe arguing to the Queen Alana, or perhaps Starfleet or one of her kids? He couldn't tell with the moon mark, too many moons in this moon brained pack. He had no idea what the weird lumps and tree was about. He had never known about their sacred burial mounds. He hadn't even known they had made it to their ancestral homeland.

Then he drew himself again next to another wolf but this time they were all nice, and a fire? Oh man, that had to be Kyra. She was always all fire all the time. Were they friends?

Reese's brows furrowed as he watched Akutan go on sketching. He was now drawing a group but he couldn't figure out what was happening in it. It was a couple wolves in the middle, okay, Akutan was obviously there but he couldn't make out anyone else. Byakko? General HalfFace was there? Ok, but what was happening?

Then it was something about a bear attack, oh no! Did a bear attack the group? Was Byakko ok? Then he sketched himself again next to Kyra and they were arguing. Man this was confusing! Why would Kyra be mad at Akutan if the Bear attacked the group? Did Akutan make the bear--? What? Reese couldn't separate that the bear and the gathering were two separate events. Though it explained the slash on Akutans flank. But he couldn't figure out the sketch where Akutan was attacking someone, did he attack Kyra? And then he was banished?

And then Reese watched Akutan sketch out Kyra again by herself with little faces above her. Reese cocked his head, this way, and that way. Like a puppy trying to understand. He looked away and scratched his ear for a second before coming back and looking at it all again.

Two green eyes, matching Hakans one green eye, looked over the figures trying to decipher it and follow it along.
He would point to each in turn and look for Akutans response,
"You?" yes, "Kyra?" yes, "Bear?" yeah ok... "So... You had an argument with someone, Alana? Starfleet? Don't know what the lumps are, sorry." He said looking it over while Akutan shook his head or nodded.
"You and Kyra, yeah, ok. You're friends... Then what is this gathering? Your uncle is there?" He waited for a moment.

"I don't know man, this looks like a bear attacked the group, and Kyra's mad at you for some reason, which makes me think you chased the bear in there because your mad at who ever you were arguing with earlier, and then you what? Attacked her? You attacked my sis? So you were banished for being a vengeful asshole? Did they bite your tongue out or something? Were you spreading lies too? Like I don't know that doesn't sound like the pack I know, or the Akutan I used to know..." Reese said looking earnestly at him. Like he knew him as a moody edgy kid with the worlds biggest chip on his shoulder, but maybe he finally snapped. He had no idea what the little heads over Kyra meant, maybe kids? Maybe the rest of the pack?  

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Photo © Wes Hicks / modified coding © vixxie's codes

[Sekirei]

"I don't know man, this looks like a bear attacked the group, and Kyra's mad at you for some reason, which makes me think you chased the bear in there because your mad at who ever you were arguing with earlier, and then you what? Attacked her? You attacked my sis? So you were banished for being a vengeful asshole? Did they bite your tongue out or something? Were you spreading lies too? Like I don't know that doesn't sound like the pack I know, or the Akutan I used to know..." Reese said. Akutan just shrugged, noncommittally. He knew perfectly well this wasn't going to be easy. Reese did get the gist that he had attacked someone (his cousin), had an argument with a wolf associated with the moon (Mercury), there was a bear attack, and that he had an argument with Kyra. Those were the important points. If he was still around Reese when he decided to start talking again, he could straighten the story out further. That just depended on if he ever would.

He stuck out his tongue to show Reese it was still whole. So he wasn't talking because he couldn't. He just chose not to. He pointed at the small heads above Kyra before pointing at himself. "She's having mine." he thought. His face drooped, wondering about the unborn pups. Would they wonder who he was? Would Kyra paint him in a bad light and disregard the fact that Akutan had completely lost it because of compounding problems? That he wasn't really a bad guy? 

Now that he was away from the stresses of pack life, Akutan had been furnished with a thought. All his life, he had never felt like he was allowed to express any negative emotion out loud. It had been obvious from looking at him that something bothered him but he felt restricted in conveying those things. It was like this ridiculous idea that Nardir was a place where no one had problems had cemented itself in his head and he went along with it to the detriment of himself. He knew his fellow packmates had their own problems but no one really openly discussed them.

His confrontation with Mercury was his frustrations at keeping quiet finally boiling over. Frustrations over not feeling safe enough to openly talk about what was bothering him without judgment. That was on Mercury, too. He knew that much. Byakko even agreed that she had been reactionary. A mature ruler would've talked Akutan down gently. He didn't fault Mercury completely, however. She wasn't Alana and she was juggling getting the pack ready to reclaim their homeland and mantling the role of Queen. There was no way to know that if Akutan's breakdown had come when Nardir was completely settled that she would've reacted any differently than she had. She also didn't know him. At all. So she reacted out of instinct to a belligerent wolf whose frustrations got the best of him.

Akutan flinched as his leg decided to remind him that it was in a bad way. Looking at his flank, the dark wolf wondered if Reese's human would see fit to put him down. To his defeated mind, that didn't seem so bad. At least in the Afterworld, he'd see his family again and actually know what real peace felt like. If that was where the road was leading, perhaps he'd be given a more peaceful death than the traumatic one his grandma had to have suffered. Grandpa had made it pretty clear he and Grandma had been attacked by humans and that she didn't make it. He said that he had come across their camp sometime after recovering from his injuries and saw her unmistakable pelt hanging in...what were they called? Tents? Since then, Grandpa had lived with survivor's guilt and loneliness for the she-wolf he loved above all others.

Lowering his head down to his paws, Akutan took a deep breath and slowly let it out. If he did die, what would his judgment by the Black Wolf be like? He didn't think his actions fit the definition of a crime. Attacking Sara, perhaps, but nothing else in his tale. Mercy wasn't something the Reaper was known for but there were more obscure tales that talked about Repentants, spirits who committed crimes in life but regretted their actions. The Reaper saw all and marked such wolves with a sigil, letting them pass him unharmed and unhindered in the Great Hunt. If those stories were true, then the Black Wolf would know that Akutan regretted everything he ever did that landed him where he was now.

"I need to stop thinking so much. Overthinking is how you landed yourself here, idiot." he thought. He wondered if the human was coming back anytime soon.

[Charley]

I hope you know what you're getting into...

Reese // Rivian

Reese furrowed his eyebrows trying to understand. Seemed like his own version wasn't quite what went down but the guy just wasn't interested in defending himself or talking about it. Which didn't make sense at all. Weren't Nardirians all about talking and sorting things out? With the way Reese was raised by his dad and Malekai, the family had been very vocal and welcoming of feelings and sorting out issues. And from what he remembered of Akutans family they were all about talking your ears off for long stretches of time!

Reese was satisfied that he hadn't got his tongue cut out. Then raised his eye brow quizzically when Akutan gestured at the tiny heads over Kyra and at himself. Did that mean what he thought it meant?

"What a way to find out I'm an uncle. Straight from the guy who knocked up my sister and then left her deal with the mess." He shook his head, his usual bright demeanor gone sour. What a big brother he was too. Leaving his crazy emotional roller-coaster sister to be abandoned by one of Nardir's greatest emos. He got up and looked around for Rivian. For all he knew Akutan had committed the greatest atrocity to his family and friends, attacking them. No wonder he had been chased out.

He found Rivian dragging a hefty litter, to which he grabbed and helped her bring it up to Akutan.
"I don't know Riv. As soon as I drop him off at your place and get him settled, I have to come back. I have to go home." She looked at him funny and just nodded while she lashed the ropes to him like a rough sled dog style.

"Will I be safe with him by myself?" She asked him warily, wondering what she was getting herself into.
Reese glanced back at the silver socked man with the lightening mark.
"You should be. Because if I find out he harms you..." He started loudly, but he wasn't inclined to make threats like his sister, but he didn't like what he wanted to elude to. He was a pacifist in his own way, but it took a lot of work not to threaten Akutan outright harm if he found out he hurt Rivian, "- There will be a lot more than just hell to pay. But he doesn't seem himself, and he might have left my sister in a bad way." he said a lot more gentler and quieter. She looked over at Akutan's feet poking out from behind the stump then back to Reeses green eyes.

He then shifted and pulled the litter closer to Akutan and nodded for him to get up. "C'mon buddy. Can you get your self in this thing?" Reese asked as Rivian tried to help Akutan up and half carry him, shuffle him onto the makeshift litter. Once he was on the thing she applied a paste she had been working on on his wound and wrapped it up. She placed a hide she had rolled up over him to keep him warm as they traveled.

---
As they traveled, Reese would glance at Akutan but not press. Something his father told him was sometimes a patient needed space before they wanted help. If Akutan wanted to talk, Reese made himself available.

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Photo © Wes Hicks / modified coding © vixxie's codes

[Sekirei]

To Reese's words, Akutan could only pull off the signature Storm scowl. A pretty good indicator that wasn't how it went down but still, with his tongue on lockdown, there was little Akutan could do to convey the real reason he was all the way out there. He may have knocked up Kyra and lost himself to a brief moment of madness but the only one who chased him away from his home was his own damn self. In a sense, he had done Mercury a favor by doing it himself instead of waiting for her to do it to him. She wouldn't have to live with any sense of guilt for tossing a packmate out, even if it was only temporary. Aylie had been his position, only with Alana doing the deed. The dark wolf just huffed and laid his head down on his paws. 

It was around that time that his human returned with a familiar piece of equipment. A sled or something like it. Memories of Puffin, the dog who somehow bonded with his mother for a short time, made the scowl melt away into melancholy. Akutan had disappointed so many wolves. Puffin had parted ways with the pack after the quake and had set off to form his own. He hadn't been seen or heard from since. He lifted his head to study the sled and could understand the meaning behind it. Rivian meant to help him and he decided it wasn't time for him to meet the Reaper yet. He allowed Rivian to help him to his paws, trying not to grimace in pain and show his teeth accidentally.

He marveled at human hands, capable of things even dexterous paws weren't. Rivian applied a strange paste to his wounds and kept his features schooled into a neutral expression, again to prevent himself from looking aggressive or vicious. She then placed a pelt over him and Reese started to pull. He allowed himself to think for a bit. If a human thought him worth saving, perhaps he could find a way to come back from the brink. He was down but only time would tell if he was truly out. He didn't know if he could ever go home again but he resolved to put things back together in his mind and try. If Mercury saw fit to keep him out, he could learn to live with that. He would make a home nearby and keep watch from afar.

"Nardir has been reclaimed...but not for me. Not yet."

For now, he would focus on healing his physical injuries with Rivian's help. She seemed able to communicate with Reese just fine. Perhaps he could learn to communicate with her and tell her somehow that his more serious injuries were invisible. While the idea he was projecting his mother onto this strange human was present, Akutan frankly needed a mother-figure to soothe his frazzled nerves and calm the chaos that threatened to overwhelm him again. His body language would be enough to convey the fact he was hurting, scared, and alone. He didn't think there was a way to cure the illness in his mind but perhaps just being a companion to Rivian while he healed from the bear attack would provide him with a way to balance things out. Reese intended to return home to check on things. He'd probably get the full story from his packmates. He decided to repay their kindness by keeping Reese's human safe if possible.

[Charley]

I hope you know what you're getting into...

Reese // Rivian

Reese pulled for much of the day, With breaks by Rivian taking up the mantle while Reese rested or went hunting. She would check his wound and apply new paste as they went. Hopefully by the time they made it to cottage most of the infection would have been pulled out and it would be easy for her to keep it clean and stitch it up properly.

In a few long days they finally made it to the sparse hills where her cottage could clearly be seen standing lonely and stark against a backdrop of trees. As Reese pulled the litter up to the doorstep Rivian made her way to the garden. Pulling the last few sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary. Then walking to the edge of the forest and gathering fresh pine needles.

"Cmon on there..." She mumbled, urging Akutan back to standing to get him inside the hut. There was a pile of furs on the floor that smelled distinctly like Reese by the door just inside the cottage. This was where she placed him.

The stone hut was crumbling on the edges with a thatched roof. Inside was a one room central firepit style home. Clusters of dried herbs hung from the ceiling. A mishmash of poorly made jars and jugs lined one wall and a raised bed with furs lined the other.

Without rest she set to work, pounding the herbs into a new resinous paste. Reese gave Akutan a nod saying he'd be back with a meal.

It was just Rivian and Akutan for the moment and she had her back to him while she worked at her table or stoked the fire to get a nice hot blaze going and setting a pot of water to boil. She was busy getting her instruments ready.

She pulled back the paste and with a clean cloth she cleared the wound of any old paste and any debris. Like she had hoped a lot of the infection should been drawn out. She grabbed one of her jars and presented it to Akutan.

"This is going to sting worse than a burning snake bite. I can give you a fur to chomp to keep you from biting me." She said in wolfspeak. Reese had taught her how to communicate and she could hear the animals talk better than she ever had before. She presented him a rabbit fur to place in his mouth. She hoped he'd grab it so he was less inclined to bite her due to the homemade pine alcohol about to be scrubbed into his wounds.

She proceeded with the procedure knowing he was going to be in a lot more pain before he was going to get any better. If he thought he had suffered a grievous wound before here she was reminding him that there are worse things than death. When she was done scrubbing all the scrabs and crust and the last of the infection out of his wounds, if he hadn't bitten her by then, she grabbed a quill and horse hair thread, dipped it in the boiling water and went to work suchering the worst of the gashes with small deft hands. Each stab was probably more agonizing than the last.

She leaned back and washed her hands in the hot water. Then brought out a small bowl to ladle tea into and placed it in front of him to lap up after taking the fur from his mouth, giving him a few scritches behind the ear. She had mixed some of the cooler water in it and should be more on the cool side for him. Then she gently applied the new paste over his throbbing wounds, placed dock leaves over the paste and wrapped the wounds to keep them clean. That process would have been much more soothing for poor Akutan.

Reese returned with a fresh kill. A few actually. He took a whiff of the cottage and raised his eyes to Rivian with surprise. He placed the rabbits at her feet and nodded at Akutan.
"Ooof. The pine stuff huh? She used that on me the first time too. A few times actually. Does its work. Hurts like blazes." He said trying to offer some camaraderie and empathy for what Akutan just went through.

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Photo © Wes Hicks / modified coding © vixxie's codes

[Sekirei]

It took several days to reach their destination. Akutan mostly slept on the ride to wherever they were going, being useless at carrying his own weight or contributing to his own care. Whenever they took breaks, he was awake to watch the human-wolf dynamic and comparing it to the stories Grandpa had told him. When they reached the...cottage, Reese called it, Akutan's curiosity was apparent. Reese pulled him up to the door as Rivian gathered some more herbs. "Cmon on there..." the human said. Akutan got to his paws and followed her in, pausing for a moment in the door to sniff out the place. He was then placed on a pile of furs that smelled of Reese and he gratefully rested on them.

Rivian presented a jar to him after Reese left to find food. "This is going to sting worse than a burning snake bite. I can give you a fur to chomp to keep you from biting me." she said...in his own tongue. Akutan's shock was apparent in his pale greens before logic told him that Reese somehow managed to teach her their language. He looked at the rabbit fur and slowly took it, biting down hard as he lowered his head to his paws. And boy was she right about the pain. "Winds damn it!" he snarled in his own head. He whined in favor of growling (what he really wanted to do) but kept himself as still as he could. Given the size of the wound area, no wonder he was seeing some stars. The torture wasn't over as he took notice of a sharp thing and some horse hair. "Round two." he thought.

Rivian started sewing the worst of the gashes up and each stab of the needle caused his entire leg to go numb, such was the pain. His mind had completely passed a point of reference for the kind of pain he was in. After what seemed like an eternity (was probably only a few minutes in real time), the human was done stitching him up and washed her hands. He spat the fur out when she took it and set a bowl with some strange smelling water in it. He was mentally cursing up quite a storm that was likely making his ancestors roll in their graves. His own mother would've had no qualms about kicking his ass to teach him a lesson in manners. The thought made him smile inwardly. He dipped his tongue into the water to test it and while it tasted pretty strange, it was a good strange. It was pleasantly warm. He started lapping it up while Rivian rubbed some paste on and wrapped his leg to protect the sutures. 

It was around that time that Reese came back with a few kills. "Ooof. The pine stuff huh? She used that on me the first time too. A few times actually. Does its work. Hurts like blazes." he said. Akutan just exhaled loudly in agreement. Even with the paste, his leg still felt like the Deadlands set on fire. Ironic considering the stories said the go-between realm that separated the living and Afterworld was barren with skeletal trees, slightly arid, and overcast. He started eying the rabbits Reese had presented to Rivian. He was patient, though, curious to see if it was true that humans used fire to make their prey safe to eat, as his grandpa had said. He shifted a little to get a bit more comfortable while his mind still struggled to compartmentalize the pain (which was starting to dull a tiny bit).

[Charley]

I hope you know what you're getting into...

Reese // Rivian

Reese shook his head as Akutan gave an affirmative huff. The human grabbed the rabbits and gave Reese a thankful scritch under his chin.

"He was a good about it, like you were." She said approvingly before setting down to work on skinning the rabbit. With the first one skinned she tossed it to Reese. As the second one was skinned she got up and placed it before Akutan.  
"After this, you rest. You can get up and relieve yourself outside, I'll have none of my furs stinking of pee, thank you. Try not to bend your leg or put your weight on it. It'll be a few weeks like this." She said kneeling down and giving him the skinned rabbit to eat and worry on. She was petting the top of his massive head next to her and using her fingernails to scritch gently behind his ear and around his jaw before returning to her task.

Reese watched Akutan eat for a moment, thinking. Then turned to Rivian and buried his face into her tiny chest, nigh engulfing her with his head a third of her total mass. She responded by laughing and grabbed his silly head and rubbed his neck back and forth. He pulled his out out and let her scritch under his jaw and he leaned into it as she scratched up to his chin. His tail wagging.

He sighed as she pulled away, "I'm going to miss that the most." He said turning and thwapping her head with his tail as he started for the door.

"You can always come back ya big lug! Take care of yourself!" she said, stoking the central fire pit to cook her own share of the meat, raising her hand and ducking her head to get away from his tail.

Reese turned to Akutan as he left the door and nodded in her direction, "She's good. You be good to her. She gets lonely out here all by herself, and it might do you some good to open up a little. Or she'll just start talking at you, come up a with weird nickname for you or something." She stuck her tongue out him as she turned the spit, threatening to throw a fur at him.

"It was good to see you again." Reese said extending his nose to touch Akutan's ear, much in the same way his father would have, it would have been a very familiar feeling. And with that, Reese swept the leather doorway aside and started on his way back to where he had found Akutan.

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Photo © Wes Hicks / modified coding © vixxie's codes

[Sekirei]

"After this, you rest. You can get up and relieve yourself outside, I'll have none of my furs stinking of pee, thank you. Try not to bend your leg or put your weight on it. It'll be a few weeks like this." Rivian said to Akutan after praising him to Reese. The dark wolf just nodded to show he understood. The thought of that never crossed his mind and he'd be able to adopt a more tripod stance while his leg healed. Rivian set the other rabbit down and he gently took it with his jaws and started eating. Hunting had been rough going since he left home, forcing him into scavenging since his bummed leg was all but useless. He let the human rub his head, scratching behind the ear and under the chin. In spite of his current status, his tail did wag slowly. That felt nice, actually. Human hands, while capable of great and terrible things, were equally capable of kind and gentle things.

He watched Reese and Rivian bid each other farewell and his old...friend, he supposed...turned to him. "She's good. You be good to her. She gets lonely out here all by herself, and it might do you some good to open up a little. Or she'll just start talking at you, come up with a weird nickname for you or something. It was good to see you again." he said. Akutan nodded his understanding, his pale green eyes conveying that he would do his best with what he had. Reese's nose to his ear had the desired effect but he didn't let it show until Reese was gone. Hakan had been something of a third father to him, even though their time hadn't been as extensive as Storm or Byakko's had been. It made sense still. Hakan was the only reason Akutan was even alive to begin with. His face dropped into moroseness and he went back to his rabbit. He was pretty convinced that he could never go home, not because he didn't want to, but because he wouldn't be allowed to. He was still prepared for the eventuality of trying when he was healed in both body and mind but he was equally prepared to be barred from the land of his birth.

He wondered how Reese was going to handle learning what had happened. He had a feeling Kyra was going to run his already wrecked reputation into the ground even further. Sara was likely to be indifferent because her patience did have limits and that had been the second time he had snapped at her. Ticon, well, was Ticon. He was always trying to see the good in others and there was no denying he viewed Akutan as a close friend. Though, before he left, Akutan had spied Stella back in the packlands by his side. That was good. Ticon wore his heart on his sleeve, even when he was trying to hide it. The dark wolf had known since taking him on that Ticon had a crush on Alana and that it had transferred to Stella when she first arrived. That was something they had in common at least.

Giving a huge yawn, Akutan shifted until he was lying flat on his good side. He was feeling sleepy despite the still throbbing pain in his leg and he gave out a low whine as he closed his eyes. One thing he had noticed since leaving was that the wind didn't blow as strongly as before. He didn't doubt for a second that his mother's spirit wasn't watching over him but he still felt as cut off from his ancestors as he did from his own pack. The demons in his head were quieter now but their voices still haunted his thoughts, only stopping when he slept. He just had to focus on the plan he was formulating. Heal up, get stronger, get better, and go from there. Before drifting off, he opened his eyes to look at his new companion.

He slowly pulled himself back upright onto his chest and gave her arm a lick, the only way he could say thanks at the current time. He then went back to his previous position and let sleep take him, his body finally relaxing as the various aromas in the cottage stilled his mind. For the first time since he left, he felt safe and peaceful. He could get used to this for the time being and perhaps, when he was well enough, he'd find some way to give Rivian and Reese a proper thank-you for giving him aid.

[Charley]

R I V I A N
Human // Young Adult

actions - “speech” - thoughts

Rivian never pushed Akutan more than he was ready. Over the next few weeks though she did try to coax him to use his leg more and more each day. She eventually came to call him "Socks," much in the same way she had called Reese, "Freckles." She would change his dressings everyday, and give him two cups of warm tea a day. She would ramble on about whatever was on her mind that day. She would show him a new plant she found that tasted sweet one day, and how she felt that the creeks where low this last summer. She lamented how the soil in her garden was growing latent and how she should dig a new garden in the spring every time she came in with a meager harvest. She would complain about the lack of game this year when she came back from a hunt, her number of catches getting smaller and smaller.

She would message his leg and give him neck and face scritches whenever she could. Until one day she came into the cottage from her last attempt at pottery making and looked askance at the black wolf with silver socks as she cleaned her hands.

"I think today's the day, Socks." She said coming to his side and unwrapping his leg. She looked over the bright pink lines inspecting it to make sure it was healing well, and could go without any bandages.

"Yep, Some of the fur might grow back and cover it some. But if you keep from aggravating it it should be fine now. You'll probably be ok walking around just fine, it might flare up a bit if you walk too much, but a limp shouldn't be too noticeable!" She said cheerfully, cradling his large muzzle in her tiny dark hands.

"You're free to go on your way and hunt to your hearts content!" She said as she got up to go about another chore. She would be sad to see him go, but there wasn't enough game in these woods to support both of them for much longer. She was going to have to go vegetarian for a while until she could find another option.

ooc:

[Sekirei]

Over the course of a few weeks, Akutan felt more and more like himself. Physically at least. Jury was still out on his brain. He found he enjoyed Rivian's company and she did excellent care on his leg. He liked the physical affection, too. He didn't even mind the Socks nickname. It was true, given his legs had silver on them. He loved the tea she made, kind of wishing his kind had a way to make it themselves but it wasn't like he could ask how it was done. He still didn't feel entirely safe communicating and he knew by this point that when he did, his voice was going to be harsh as hell from disuse. It made him think of his father's ash-scarred lungs and how the ash did a number on his voice.

"I think today's the day, Socks." Rivian said, unwrapping his leg to inspect the wounds. Akutan took a look at the scars. He wondered what his uncle would say if he could see him now. The scars weren't as horrendous as they would've been if they hadn't been stitched up. "Yep, Some of the fur might grow back and cover it some. But if you keep from aggravating it, it should be fine now. You'll probably be ok walking around just fine, it might flare up a bit if you walk too much, but a limp shouldn't be too noticeable!" his companion said, taking his muzzle in hand. He responded by wagging his tail and grinning. "You're free to go on your way and hunt to your heart's content!" she said before standing again.

It was an end he knew was coming. Rivian had done wonders keeping him hale and healthy while he healed. In the end, it was time for him to move on. Pulling himself to his paws, he tested his full weight on his leg. It twinged just a little from his babying it but it would grow stronger as he went on his way. As a farewell, Akutan brushed his head against Rivian's arm. "Thanks for everything." he thought before turning around and heading out the door.

Once outside, he paused and stretched his healed leg out to get a kink out. It hurt a little but not terribly. "Now...where to go. I don't think I can go home yet." he thought to himself. He missed Nardir. He missed his family. But fact remained he still had to fix his mind first. The past few weeks had done wonders for his overall health but he still needed to figure things out before he could attempt a homecoming. Had Kyra given birth yet? How had the Clan managed without him there? Had things settled down in Nardir where the pack was able to spread out away from the Castle? That was the start of the whole thing. Even now, Akutan was dead set on seeing his family returning to their circle of trees and family boulder near the willow where others had been buried. He didn't want to stay shut up at the Castle forever whenever he returned. He wanted to be back in that area on a more permanent basis. Thinking about it now, it seemed the pack sticking to the Castle was always supposed to be a temporary thing. Akutan just wasn't sure if that was truly Mercury's intent, however.

Sighing and cracking his shoulders, Akutan looked at the ground under his paws. He scratched a picture for Rivian to see if she came out after he left. It was the two of them with Akutan leaning against the human figure as a way of saying thanks and that he considered her a friend. He then loped off to try his paw at hunting. His physical health was checked off the list. He supposed the plan, for now, was to keep going on his journey while the mental healing continued. The past few weeks had given him a lot of time to think. He knew and accepted where things had gone so wrong and what he could've done better if things hadn't piled on so quickly. Now it was just a matter of building up his courage to go home and thinking over every possible question that would be asked of him, as well as what the general attitudes the most likely wolves to come across him at the border would be. 

He could only hope the rest of the involved parties were also doing some soul searching of their own while he was away because he wasn't going to shoulder all of the responsibility. He would apologize for his role but he was owed apologies in turn. His meltdown didn't happen without any reason. It had outside influences that drove him there. 

It was all in the future. Akutan was confident he could predict the actions of the others involved. Mercury was smart enough to know loyalty was earned. She wasn't going to get his loyalty if she threw him under the bus and dance around her own actions. Kyra was going to be bit trickier because she hated being wrong and he wasn't about to let her hide behind their pups as an excuse for her own behavior. Hormones had a hand in it (no denying that) but that wasn't going to absolve her of anything. All he had to do right now was plan his own strategy in broaching the subject in a calm manner. He wasn't going to demand apologies but he was going to make it clear that if they valued him at all, they would do their part in mending the rift that opened.