Post by Mythri on Jul 24, 2009 23:03:46 GMT -5
Cast:
Mythri, adolescent female cougar
Cael, adolescent male cougar
Warning:
The following scene has been rated PG-13 for an intense situation involving violence and sensuality. Viewer discretion is advised.
Scene:
[Failure as a daughter. Failure as a warrior. Failure as a /cougar/. Her father's words cut deep into Mythri's heart and soul as she stood, frozen. And then, her father's claws cut deep into the girl's flank as she stood, trembling. How could she possibly betray him? Revan's question was asked over and over as his forepaw struck again and again. She did her best to withstand the pain and the force of each blow, trying to keep from flinching or cowering. How could she possibly /betray/ him? Him! Her own father? Mythri refused to answer, as she knew he was right. She /had/ betrayed him. After all that he had done for her, she had betrayed him. Tears stream down her cheekfur even as she bites back a cry at another excrutiatingly painful blow. It's not hard to figure out that her father isn't trying to kill her, or maim her, or incapacitate her at all. It's nothing more than the most painful punishment she's ever received. Plenty of blood, but minimal damage.]
In her sprawled out position along the ground, Mythri is covered in several things. Mostly, her own blood. Some dirt as well, and pine needles. And... a strong scent. It's a sadistic joke of Fate, to be sure, that this particular time in the girl's life would happen right here and right now. She scarcely had time to figure out what was going on before encountering her father, and now with the sheer amount of pain that she's in, it's not exactly the foremost thing on her mind. Regardless, it adds quite a dimension of complexity to this situation. Is she going to survive this? She's lost a lot of blood, but other than feeling weak and in a lot of pain, Mythri isn't in terrible condition. She needs rest, for sure, and nourishment, but primarily just a lot of time. Preferably alone, with no males around to bother her.
The forest was quiet. Yet something set Cael's teeth on edge. Kein and Nayeli were far to the east of here, and his brothers and sisters elsewhere occupied. What was it, then, the commanded Cael's paws to move in /this/ direction, a place that his mind told him it would be better if he was somewhere else? It's been several weeks since his last encounter with Mythri, and so it is her that begins to come to mind; maybe this feeling is all some sort of sick joke she's managed to play on him? As his paws move him through the dense forest, his eyes slowly scan all that surrounds him; trees, sky, ferns, fallen leaves, rocks-- anything that would betray this feeling to him. There is a dark scowl on the young cougar's features, one that widens in surprise when the sharp, acrid smell of blood hits him full in the face. His maw parts as he scents the air, and he grimaces; that is not the blood of a kill. And then his heart has jumped into his throat, questions beginning to race; who is injured, and why? Is the attacker still nearby, and is this ill-at-ease feeling because he's being watched? Slowly, Cael sinks to the ground and stalks around a nearby tree, quickly concealing himself from whatever might be watching him. Blood. Heavy with blood, the air is making him sick. He moves quietly, fearful of betraying his position, and then catches the sight of a prone cougar. Clawed paws urge him to run to her; it could be Nayeli! But he doesn't move yet, instead trying to overcome his irrational fears and think clearly. From his position, he watches.
[Would she agree to abandon this foolish idea of thinking that her father was somehow wrong and that she, his daughter, his protege, was right? Mythri could barely continue standing, trembling from the pain that seemed to sap all the strength from her body. Not once did she resist the punishing blows or even think of running away or striking back. She deserved it all. And yet, no.. she would not--/could/ not--agree to return to her father. Failure she might be, she simply could not become what Revan wanted her to become. Like him. With a determined headshake, she braced herself for the final blow she knew would come, and after a.. sorrowful?.. look from her father, the final blow did indeed come. No claws this time, but rather the sledgehammer impact from a velveted paw, slamming into her head and knocking her unconscious.]
Maybe it's the faintest vibrations of approaching pawsteps that awakens her. Maybe it's something else. With a gasp as pain rushes through her now-conscious mind, Mythri tries to keep from trembling. Tries to keep from moving at all, save for her shallow breathing. It /hurts/... owwww.
All of the trees that surround him are still. The wind isn't moving, their branches aren't creaking, and nowhere can he hear the sound of another creature. It's as if everything in the forest fled from the scene, and even the trees in their silence cry out wishing they never had to bear witness to it. Cael, too, is still, but his breath catches in his chest at the sudden, stifled gasp coming from the cougar... No, /cougaress/. His eyes narrow as he slowly moves through the undergrowth, velvet paws inching forward until, with a look of shock on his face, he recognizes her. /Mythri/! His muscles start, as if he were to burst through his cover to see what was the matter, but something holds him back. Fear, or that sense of awareness? Maybe both, but he has no idea if whoever, whatever attacked her is still nearby. He tries again to find another scent, but the only thing that assails his nostrils is the sharp tang of her blood. Frantic blue eyes search through the trees for a sign of someone nearby; nothing. Ever so gently, the young cougar chuffs, lowly and without a trace of malice behind it, before he retreats from his hiding spot and circles around to another lest someone else is here and hehe has betrayed his position. Another chuff, this time accompanied with the softest tone his can muster, "Mythri," and he moves again. This still could be a joke, but... the pit of his stomach tells him that it most definately is not.
It's definitely not a joke. Not even close. Perhaps, should she survive this and be able to look back on the incident several years from now, she might--/might/--find something humorous in the overwhelming amount of details dumped onto Cael at this point. The sights, the smells.. but at the moment, there's nothing remotely funny about what's happened. What's happen/ing/. Her dark eyes flicker open, squinting in Cael's direction as she tries to focus through the watery haze. Cael? Why him? Why now? She can't even try to cover her injuries, or retreat from the other adolescent. It's hard enough just to breathe without crying out. It's embarrassing, having him find her like this, but she has to admit to herself that there's absolutely nothing she can do about it.
What /is/ happening? Cael's head is spinning, and as he steps from the thicker cover of the forest, wary eyes trailing across the tree line and around all sides of not only himself but Mythri as well, there is a look of pure anger forming on his face. He shakes his head; there is no one there. His maw parts just slightly as he tries to breathe normally, though as he exhales he cannot help as a growl works its way through his teeth. There are many questions that spring to his mind; what happened, are you okay, can you move? All of them are dismissed easily. He can guess the answers well enough. What worries him most are Mythri's condition, exhausted from bloodloss, most likely, and not knowing if the creature who has done this is friend, foe, or family. His brow knits and he takes another small step closer, though he still stays well clear of her reach. It's unlikely that she can, or will, try to come after him but he doesn't want to provoke her. "Who was it?" he calls, trying to ease the anger in his voice, trying to hide the pain in his voice.
"No..nobo..dy.. h-here.." is about all that Mythri can manage to gasp out. It wasn't Cael's father, if that's what he's concerned about. "N-not.." She groans, face clenching up in a pained grimace. "Not your.." Mythri groans again, and makes an effort to finish-- "..f-father." Her eyes close, squeezing tears out, and her teeth grate against each other as she cries out. It's not all physical pain, though that's the most immediate and demanding of her attention. She's going to have to deal with her failure for a long time now, and at the moment it's threatening to overwhelm her.
No one of Amaranth? Part of that is comforting, but only for a moment as Cael realizes that, yet again, some threat is wandering around his homeland. Reason tells him to go and find his father, to warn him of this, and yet he cannot just leave Mythri like this. What if this stranger were to come back and finish what they started, or what is someone else came across the scene and assumed the worst of those in Amaranth for harming one inside their boundaries? Another growl rumbles his chest, louder than before, and his eyes squint in pain as he watches Mythri struggle to answer his question. It wasn't Kein, but it was certainly Kein's /fault/. /He/ told her to harm no one while within his borders, in Amaranth (or, was that /of/ Amaranth). Regardless, bound by that rule she could not have defended herself as she might have. Assumptions can often lead creatures ary, and Cael's is no exception. His anger surges, but he tries to subdue it. Again, that heavy scent hits his nose and he takes a step back, caught off guard. It's not just blood, but it is so thick he cannot place it. He lets go of a shakey breath and approaches the cougaress cautiously, merepaw steps away, and bends his head. "Do you want my help?" he manages to whisper, though hoarsely. There's no way she could clean her wounds, as shallow as they are, and he's not going to let her lay here.
It was nothing that Kein said or did that would incriminate him as being at fault here. Mythri would never have fought back against her father's punishment, whether she had ever met Kein or not. Revan is her /father/. Her trainer, mentor, provider, teacher... and so much more. If he decided that she deserves punishment, then she's been trained to accept it. The fact that she disagrees so strongly with his philosophy in certain areas doesn't change the basic premise that he, as an instructor and trainer, cannot be wrong with his punishment. She really /has/ failed as a daughter, and seemingly as a warrior as well. Cael's suggestion of helping her is almost humorous, as there really isn't anything that he /can/ do. It's obviously too late to defend her, and unless he can miraculously cure wounds, there's nothing he can do to care for her now. And as he's now closer, she's suddenly aware once more of the.. seasonal.. state that her body is in. Mythri struggles to keep from groaning again. "Can.. 't.. hel.. p.. me.."
Cael shakes his head gently, almost managing a light noise that in any other circumstance might be a laugh. Now is not the time for laughing, though, but Mythri misunderstood his intentions. "I can't help what already happened," he murmurs, "but you can't stay like this by yourself. If someone else came and found you..." he leaves it there, feeling to speak further would only surmount to an attack on her pride. Cael wants nothing of the sort. He closes those few final paces between them, taking a moment to examine the cuts along her shoulders and the length of her body; her face, pained as it is, is unmarred by claws. This causes him a moment's pause before he speaks again, "We need to wash the blood. It will help the healing." It's said matter-of-factly, though he's aware that the slightest touch to her muscles is likely going to hurt her a great deal. He bends his head, whiskers just hovering of the skin on her shoulder. Cael's breath quivers and he pulls back just slightly, then approaches again and tentatively, and as gently as he can, begins to clean one of her many shallow scrapes. With each touch of his tongue he backs off slightly, wary, nervous, feeling of a knot of tension tightening his stomach. Another uneasy breath rolls across her skin as he pauses; is it the taste of cougar blood that has him so ill-at-ease, or is it /Mythri/?
The male is right, and although Mythri doesn't like to admit it, she has to agree with him. If an enemy did come and find her in her current condition, there is no way she'd be able to defend herself. Would she even /want/ to defend herself? Mythri has never before entertained suicidal thoughts, but the guilt at being a failure to her father is starting to change that. It's the sudden jolt of pain that spears through her that arrests her attention back to the immediate present. Cael somehow closed the remaining distance between them without her even realizing that, and is now... /grooming/ her?! Mythri bites back a growl at the pain. The male's raspy tongue against her raw wounds... it's not a pleasant feeling. The fact that he /is/ grooming her is still impossible to wrap her mind around. How dare he! Yet she doesn't refuse or protest.
Mythri's thoughts have no bearing on Cael's actions, but at one point when her body tenses and she lets slip a displeased, painful grunt, he stops. The adolescent keeps his head bent close to her skin, but instead of turning to look at her he closes his eyes and tilts his head away from her face. He pauses just that one moment before with a sigh he begins to clean her wounds again. Cael tries to keep much of the pressure away from the cuts themselves, focusing on removing the clotted blood soaked into her fur. His progress is slowy, most likely painfully so, but he moves from her shoulders to her sides, but he suddenly stops at the few claw swipes to her back legs and haunches. He tries to contiue what he started, but when he noses at her skin it's like running full force into a stationary tree. Dizzying, to say the least. Cael's ears snap up and then fall away, tongue flashing from his maw to wipe away traces of blood from his whiskers. He tries to remember; didn't... didn't Kein say something once? Cael shakes his head, losing a bit of composure, grunting in his attempt to keep focused and wash the blood from Mythri's... hind end ._.; With the blood diminishing, that /other/ scent, whatever it is, is much more noticable. Maybe Kein should have insisted explaining a little more... his son would be a bit more... aware.
It's agonizingly slow progress for Mythri. Yes, each swipe of Cael's tongue removes dirt, blood, and other foreign materials from her fur, but it still /hurts/! She could try focusing on something else to try and distract her from the pain, but she really /doesn't/ want to think about Cael right now. What he's doing to her. Or even think about herself, in her current condition. Unfortunately, it's hard to miss Cael's increasing awareness and reaction to her strong scent. With a sudden mental savageness, Mythri suppresses any thoughts of /wanting/ him to like how she smells. The muscles toward her hind end twitch a little at the cleaning, and sudden Mythri has to look away. The look on his face... and she can feel her own face flushing. Just.. hurry up. And then leave her alone. One thing that the girl is definitely undecided on is whether or not it's better that Cael found her before Kein did.
Luckily for both of them, whoever attacked Mythri did not do so from behind, ergo, he does not have to circle around her for any reason. Not that his mind doesn't find itself wandering, wondering if he had to, or did... Again, Mythri's displeasure at the pain, at her circumstance, grabs him by the throat and drags him back to reality under the pretense that if he didn't come willingly he'd likely never see the light of day again. So, back to reality it is. He tries to hurry, but it's difficult when you're also trying to be gentle about it all. A few more minutes, agonizing minutes likely for the two of them, before Cael lifts his head to look over Mythri's whole body with a... a sad look on his face. Other cougars might be inclined to take further advantage of the situation, but even though his interest is certainly piqued, Cael doesn't act on what his body tells him, but listens to his mind, instead. Another shakey breath is released before he eases along side her prone figure, gently settling on his haunches and again dropping his head a bit so as not to shout. "Can you... can you get up?"
Can she get up? Is he kidding? She can barely /breathe/! "I don't.. think.. so," Mythri grunts, wincing as he finishes. Granted, there's still the wounds on her other side, but no way is she going to roll over so he can continue /grooming/ her. /Heck/ no. And with any luck, he won't think of it. "I'll be.. fine." And please, do NOT tell your father about this. The last thing she needs is the Amaranth chieftain on the warpath, interrogating her when the thing she needs most right now is peace and quiet. Rest. Hopefully after a good several hours of sleeping, the pain will die down to where she can at least breathe and regain minimal movement without it feeling like her wounds are on fire.
No... she probably can't. It was a stupid question, anyway. Cael's ears flatten briefly before he gives the cougaress a light nod. "Rest, then," he offers, eyes trailing across her body from nose tip to tail tip and quickly do they revert back to her face. If she does have any more injuries hat she's laying on, they'll likely be twice as worse to try to clean. Still, it's something that should be done when she's in a better position than she is now. Regardless of what Mythri does, or doesn't want him to do, Cael will have to tell his father what has happened, but he doesn't have to do so right now. "I'll wait until you're... more rested. I won't be far, but you can at least try to sleep." He'll leave her immediate surroundings; after all, he doesn't think he could sleep with her staring at him, so whhy should it be any different in her mind? Perhaps he'll hunt something small for her to regain a bit of what she lost, or perhaps try to find out a little more about what happened. Surely whoever did this left traces behind. He tries not to, but Cael can't help it as a tremulous inward breath is released in a sigh. He's said what he needed, given his offer, and he won't injure her pride anymore by talking anymore. He's given his help, and intends to continue until she's well enough for him not to worry. Worry?! The idea bemuses him, and before he can think on anything further, Cael stands and moves off into the forest away from those thoughts and away from that judgement clouding scent.
[How dare she call herself a cougaress, defying him like this! Revan's look of shock and disgust really does hurt, as it's impossible to miss the deep disappointment in his expression. She has to fight a tremble in her voice as she explains why she ran away. Why she can't go back with her father. And to hear him say that she's no better than the other pitiful excuse of a cougaress that he nearly killed a while back... That she should be dead as well. But no, he won't kill his own daughter. But he /will/ give her one final punishment for her utter failure.]
Should Mythri really be dead? Should she /want/ to be dead? She'll have plenty of time to think about it as she rests, and the fact that Cael is now leaving her to finally sleep in peace is much appreciated. She doesn't want to be grateful for his grooming, as it was both humiliating and embarrassing to the utmost. Why did he do it? The last time they encountered each other, he threatened to teach her a lesson. And now he feels it is his responsibility to take care of her like this? Something just doesn't add up. Maybe it's her scent. Hopefully it'll be gone by the time he returns, or by the time that Kein finds her. Shouldn't last more than a few hours, right? Or maybe just a day? Nothing would please her more than to wake up from an uninterrupted sleep to find herself not in pain and not smelling so... strong.
Mythri, adolescent female cougar
Cael, adolescent male cougar
Warning:
The following scene has been rated PG-13 for an intense situation involving violence and sensuality. Viewer discretion is advised.
Scene:
[Failure as a daughter. Failure as a warrior. Failure as a /cougar/. Her father's words cut deep into Mythri's heart and soul as she stood, frozen. And then, her father's claws cut deep into the girl's flank as she stood, trembling. How could she possibly betray him? Revan's question was asked over and over as his forepaw struck again and again. She did her best to withstand the pain and the force of each blow, trying to keep from flinching or cowering. How could she possibly /betray/ him? Him! Her own father? Mythri refused to answer, as she knew he was right. She /had/ betrayed him. After all that he had done for her, she had betrayed him. Tears stream down her cheekfur even as she bites back a cry at another excrutiatingly painful blow. It's not hard to figure out that her father isn't trying to kill her, or maim her, or incapacitate her at all. It's nothing more than the most painful punishment she's ever received. Plenty of blood, but minimal damage.]
In her sprawled out position along the ground, Mythri is covered in several things. Mostly, her own blood. Some dirt as well, and pine needles. And... a strong scent. It's a sadistic joke of Fate, to be sure, that this particular time in the girl's life would happen right here and right now. She scarcely had time to figure out what was going on before encountering her father, and now with the sheer amount of pain that she's in, it's not exactly the foremost thing on her mind. Regardless, it adds quite a dimension of complexity to this situation. Is she going to survive this? She's lost a lot of blood, but other than feeling weak and in a lot of pain, Mythri isn't in terrible condition. She needs rest, for sure, and nourishment, but primarily just a lot of time. Preferably alone, with no males around to bother her.
The forest was quiet. Yet something set Cael's teeth on edge. Kein and Nayeli were far to the east of here, and his brothers and sisters elsewhere occupied. What was it, then, the commanded Cael's paws to move in /this/ direction, a place that his mind told him it would be better if he was somewhere else? It's been several weeks since his last encounter with Mythri, and so it is her that begins to come to mind; maybe this feeling is all some sort of sick joke she's managed to play on him? As his paws move him through the dense forest, his eyes slowly scan all that surrounds him; trees, sky, ferns, fallen leaves, rocks-- anything that would betray this feeling to him. There is a dark scowl on the young cougar's features, one that widens in surprise when the sharp, acrid smell of blood hits him full in the face. His maw parts as he scents the air, and he grimaces; that is not the blood of a kill. And then his heart has jumped into his throat, questions beginning to race; who is injured, and why? Is the attacker still nearby, and is this ill-at-ease feeling because he's being watched? Slowly, Cael sinks to the ground and stalks around a nearby tree, quickly concealing himself from whatever might be watching him. Blood. Heavy with blood, the air is making him sick. He moves quietly, fearful of betraying his position, and then catches the sight of a prone cougar. Clawed paws urge him to run to her; it could be Nayeli! But he doesn't move yet, instead trying to overcome his irrational fears and think clearly. From his position, he watches.
[Would she agree to abandon this foolish idea of thinking that her father was somehow wrong and that she, his daughter, his protege, was right? Mythri could barely continue standing, trembling from the pain that seemed to sap all the strength from her body. Not once did she resist the punishing blows or even think of running away or striking back. She deserved it all. And yet, no.. she would not--/could/ not--agree to return to her father. Failure she might be, she simply could not become what Revan wanted her to become. Like him. With a determined headshake, she braced herself for the final blow she knew would come, and after a.. sorrowful?.. look from her father, the final blow did indeed come. No claws this time, but rather the sledgehammer impact from a velveted paw, slamming into her head and knocking her unconscious.]
Maybe it's the faintest vibrations of approaching pawsteps that awakens her. Maybe it's something else. With a gasp as pain rushes through her now-conscious mind, Mythri tries to keep from trembling. Tries to keep from moving at all, save for her shallow breathing. It /hurts/... owwww.
All of the trees that surround him are still. The wind isn't moving, their branches aren't creaking, and nowhere can he hear the sound of another creature. It's as if everything in the forest fled from the scene, and even the trees in their silence cry out wishing they never had to bear witness to it. Cael, too, is still, but his breath catches in his chest at the sudden, stifled gasp coming from the cougar... No, /cougaress/. His eyes narrow as he slowly moves through the undergrowth, velvet paws inching forward until, with a look of shock on his face, he recognizes her. /Mythri/! His muscles start, as if he were to burst through his cover to see what was the matter, but something holds him back. Fear, or that sense of awareness? Maybe both, but he has no idea if whoever, whatever attacked her is still nearby. He tries again to find another scent, but the only thing that assails his nostrils is the sharp tang of her blood. Frantic blue eyes search through the trees for a sign of someone nearby; nothing. Ever so gently, the young cougar chuffs, lowly and without a trace of malice behind it, before he retreats from his hiding spot and circles around to another lest someone else is here and hehe has betrayed his position. Another chuff, this time accompanied with the softest tone his can muster, "Mythri," and he moves again. This still could be a joke, but... the pit of his stomach tells him that it most definately is not.
It's definitely not a joke. Not even close. Perhaps, should she survive this and be able to look back on the incident several years from now, she might--/might/--find something humorous in the overwhelming amount of details dumped onto Cael at this point. The sights, the smells.. but at the moment, there's nothing remotely funny about what's happened. What's happen/ing/. Her dark eyes flicker open, squinting in Cael's direction as she tries to focus through the watery haze. Cael? Why him? Why now? She can't even try to cover her injuries, or retreat from the other adolescent. It's hard enough just to breathe without crying out. It's embarrassing, having him find her like this, but she has to admit to herself that there's absolutely nothing she can do about it.
What /is/ happening? Cael's head is spinning, and as he steps from the thicker cover of the forest, wary eyes trailing across the tree line and around all sides of not only himself but Mythri as well, there is a look of pure anger forming on his face. He shakes his head; there is no one there. His maw parts just slightly as he tries to breathe normally, though as he exhales he cannot help as a growl works its way through his teeth. There are many questions that spring to his mind; what happened, are you okay, can you move? All of them are dismissed easily. He can guess the answers well enough. What worries him most are Mythri's condition, exhausted from bloodloss, most likely, and not knowing if the creature who has done this is friend, foe, or family. His brow knits and he takes another small step closer, though he still stays well clear of her reach. It's unlikely that she can, or will, try to come after him but he doesn't want to provoke her. "Who was it?" he calls, trying to ease the anger in his voice, trying to hide the pain in his voice.
"No..nobo..dy.. h-here.." is about all that Mythri can manage to gasp out. It wasn't Cael's father, if that's what he's concerned about. "N-not.." She groans, face clenching up in a pained grimace. "Not your.." Mythri groans again, and makes an effort to finish-- "..f-father." Her eyes close, squeezing tears out, and her teeth grate against each other as she cries out. It's not all physical pain, though that's the most immediate and demanding of her attention. She's going to have to deal with her failure for a long time now, and at the moment it's threatening to overwhelm her.
No one of Amaranth? Part of that is comforting, but only for a moment as Cael realizes that, yet again, some threat is wandering around his homeland. Reason tells him to go and find his father, to warn him of this, and yet he cannot just leave Mythri like this. What if this stranger were to come back and finish what they started, or what is someone else came across the scene and assumed the worst of those in Amaranth for harming one inside their boundaries? Another growl rumbles his chest, louder than before, and his eyes squint in pain as he watches Mythri struggle to answer his question. It wasn't Kein, but it was certainly Kein's /fault/. /He/ told her to harm no one while within his borders, in Amaranth (or, was that /of/ Amaranth). Regardless, bound by that rule she could not have defended herself as she might have. Assumptions can often lead creatures ary, and Cael's is no exception. His anger surges, but he tries to subdue it. Again, that heavy scent hits his nose and he takes a step back, caught off guard. It's not just blood, but it is so thick he cannot place it. He lets go of a shakey breath and approaches the cougaress cautiously, merepaw steps away, and bends his head. "Do you want my help?" he manages to whisper, though hoarsely. There's no way she could clean her wounds, as shallow as they are, and he's not going to let her lay here.
It was nothing that Kein said or did that would incriminate him as being at fault here. Mythri would never have fought back against her father's punishment, whether she had ever met Kein or not. Revan is her /father/. Her trainer, mentor, provider, teacher... and so much more. If he decided that she deserves punishment, then she's been trained to accept it. The fact that she disagrees so strongly with his philosophy in certain areas doesn't change the basic premise that he, as an instructor and trainer, cannot be wrong with his punishment. She really /has/ failed as a daughter, and seemingly as a warrior as well. Cael's suggestion of helping her is almost humorous, as there really isn't anything that he /can/ do. It's obviously too late to defend her, and unless he can miraculously cure wounds, there's nothing he can do to care for her now. And as he's now closer, she's suddenly aware once more of the.. seasonal.. state that her body is in. Mythri struggles to keep from groaning again. "Can.. 't.. hel.. p.. me.."
Cael shakes his head gently, almost managing a light noise that in any other circumstance might be a laugh. Now is not the time for laughing, though, but Mythri misunderstood his intentions. "I can't help what already happened," he murmurs, "but you can't stay like this by yourself. If someone else came and found you..." he leaves it there, feeling to speak further would only surmount to an attack on her pride. Cael wants nothing of the sort. He closes those few final paces between them, taking a moment to examine the cuts along her shoulders and the length of her body; her face, pained as it is, is unmarred by claws. This causes him a moment's pause before he speaks again, "We need to wash the blood. It will help the healing." It's said matter-of-factly, though he's aware that the slightest touch to her muscles is likely going to hurt her a great deal. He bends his head, whiskers just hovering of the skin on her shoulder. Cael's breath quivers and he pulls back just slightly, then approaches again and tentatively, and as gently as he can, begins to clean one of her many shallow scrapes. With each touch of his tongue he backs off slightly, wary, nervous, feeling of a knot of tension tightening his stomach. Another uneasy breath rolls across her skin as he pauses; is it the taste of cougar blood that has him so ill-at-ease, or is it /Mythri/?
The male is right, and although Mythri doesn't like to admit it, she has to agree with him. If an enemy did come and find her in her current condition, there is no way she'd be able to defend herself. Would she even /want/ to defend herself? Mythri has never before entertained suicidal thoughts, but the guilt at being a failure to her father is starting to change that. It's the sudden jolt of pain that spears through her that arrests her attention back to the immediate present. Cael somehow closed the remaining distance between them without her even realizing that, and is now... /grooming/ her?! Mythri bites back a growl at the pain. The male's raspy tongue against her raw wounds... it's not a pleasant feeling. The fact that he /is/ grooming her is still impossible to wrap her mind around. How dare he! Yet she doesn't refuse or protest.
Mythri's thoughts have no bearing on Cael's actions, but at one point when her body tenses and she lets slip a displeased, painful grunt, he stops. The adolescent keeps his head bent close to her skin, but instead of turning to look at her he closes his eyes and tilts his head away from her face. He pauses just that one moment before with a sigh he begins to clean her wounds again. Cael tries to keep much of the pressure away from the cuts themselves, focusing on removing the clotted blood soaked into her fur. His progress is slowy, most likely painfully so, but he moves from her shoulders to her sides, but he suddenly stops at the few claw swipes to her back legs and haunches. He tries to contiue what he started, but when he noses at her skin it's like running full force into a stationary tree. Dizzying, to say the least. Cael's ears snap up and then fall away, tongue flashing from his maw to wipe away traces of blood from his whiskers. He tries to remember; didn't... didn't Kein say something once? Cael shakes his head, losing a bit of composure, grunting in his attempt to keep focused and wash the blood from Mythri's... hind end ._.; With the blood diminishing, that /other/ scent, whatever it is, is much more noticable. Maybe Kein should have insisted explaining a little more... his son would be a bit more... aware.
It's agonizingly slow progress for Mythri. Yes, each swipe of Cael's tongue removes dirt, blood, and other foreign materials from her fur, but it still /hurts/! She could try focusing on something else to try and distract her from the pain, but she really /doesn't/ want to think about Cael right now. What he's doing to her. Or even think about herself, in her current condition. Unfortunately, it's hard to miss Cael's increasing awareness and reaction to her strong scent. With a sudden mental savageness, Mythri suppresses any thoughts of /wanting/ him to like how she smells. The muscles toward her hind end twitch a little at the cleaning, and sudden Mythri has to look away. The look on his face... and she can feel her own face flushing. Just.. hurry up. And then leave her alone. One thing that the girl is definitely undecided on is whether or not it's better that Cael found her before Kein did.
Luckily for both of them, whoever attacked Mythri did not do so from behind, ergo, he does not have to circle around her for any reason. Not that his mind doesn't find itself wandering, wondering if he had to, or did... Again, Mythri's displeasure at the pain, at her circumstance, grabs him by the throat and drags him back to reality under the pretense that if he didn't come willingly he'd likely never see the light of day again. So, back to reality it is. He tries to hurry, but it's difficult when you're also trying to be gentle about it all. A few more minutes, agonizing minutes likely for the two of them, before Cael lifts his head to look over Mythri's whole body with a... a sad look on his face. Other cougars might be inclined to take further advantage of the situation, but even though his interest is certainly piqued, Cael doesn't act on what his body tells him, but listens to his mind, instead. Another shakey breath is released before he eases along side her prone figure, gently settling on his haunches and again dropping his head a bit so as not to shout. "Can you... can you get up?"
Can she get up? Is he kidding? She can barely /breathe/! "I don't.. think.. so," Mythri grunts, wincing as he finishes. Granted, there's still the wounds on her other side, but no way is she going to roll over so he can continue /grooming/ her. /Heck/ no. And with any luck, he won't think of it. "I'll be.. fine." And please, do NOT tell your father about this. The last thing she needs is the Amaranth chieftain on the warpath, interrogating her when the thing she needs most right now is peace and quiet. Rest. Hopefully after a good several hours of sleeping, the pain will die down to where she can at least breathe and regain minimal movement without it feeling like her wounds are on fire.
No... she probably can't. It was a stupid question, anyway. Cael's ears flatten briefly before he gives the cougaress a light nod. "Rest, then," he offers, eyes trailing across her body from nose tip to tail tip and quickly do they revert back to her face. If she does have any more injuries hat she's laying on, they'll likely be twice as worse to try to clean. Still, it's something that should be done when she's in a better position than she is now. Regardless of what Mythri does, or doesn't want him to do, Cael will have to tell his father what has happened, but he doesn't have to do so right now. "I'll wait until you're... more rested. I won't be far, but you can at least try to sleep." He'll leave her immediate surroundings; after all, he doesn't think he could sleep with her staring at him, so whhy should it be any different in her mind? Perhaps he'll hunt something small for her to regain a bit of what she lost, or perhaps try to find out a little more about what happened. Surely whoever did this left traces behind. He tries not to, but Cael can't help it as a tremulous inward breath is released in a sigh. He's said what he needed, given his offer, and he won't injure her pride anymore by talking anymore. He's given his help, and intends to continue until she's well enough for him not to worry. Worry?! The idea bemuses him, and before he can think on anything further, Cael stands and moves off into the forest away from those thoughts and away from that judgement clouding scent.
[How dare she call herself a cougaress, defying him like this! Revan's look of shock and disgust really does hurt, as it's impossible to miss the deep disappointment in his expression. She has to fight a tremble in her voice as she explains why she ran away. Why she can't go back with her father. And to hear him say that she's no better than the other pitiful excuse of a cougaress that he nearly killed a while back... That she should be dead as well. But no, he won't kill his own daughter. But he /will/ give her one final punishment for her utter failure.]
Should Mythri really be dead? Should she /want/ to be dead? She'll have plenty of time to think about it as she rests, and the fact that Cael is now leaving her to finally sleep in peace is much appreciated. She doesn't want to be grateful for his grooming, as it was both humiliating and embarrassing to the utmost. Why did he do it? The last time they encountered each other, he threatened to teach her a lesson. And now he feels it is his responsibility to take care of her like this? Something just doesn't add up. Maybe it's her scent. Hopefully it'll be gone by the time he returns, or by the time that Kein finds her. Shouldn't last more than a few hours, right? Or maybe just a day? Nothing would please her more than to wake up from an uninterrupted sleep to find herself not in pain and not smelling so... strong.