Post by braxton on Oct 1, 2008 22:29:10 GMT -5
Braxton finds the fox responsible for raping Flicker, and nearly kills him if not for a certain vixen...
Braxton - Enraged father.
Sanguine - Unlucky tod.
Nova - The certain vixen
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Sanguine's on one of his strolls. Not really going anywhere- not really... doing anything. The male's tail sways behind him as he walks, examining this scent and that scent. Making a slow pace through the grass, not making any attempt to be stealthy or subtle in any way. After all, it's safe here, right?
Maybe... not as safe. Enter Braxton, protective, caring father of a certain someone. Though he's currently just looking for food. It may be early winter, but Braxton's hatred of this season typically compels him to prepare for the worst, as winters are just that harsh. The male walks carefully along, looking for any unaware tasty morsels.
Sanguine, of course, has no way of knowing that- to him there is no danger. The male fox crouches, then hops up onto a rotten log- wincing to himself as it groans, creaks, then settles. Opps. Carefully the tod turns around and hops off. Well, that was close! With a sigh he sits, licking at his paws.
Braxton suddenly stops when he hears the log and looks in the general direction and then sees Sanguine. And then recognizes him... at least... from Flicker's description. Deep red. Black tailtip. Braxton's hackles rise and all he sees is red, in a matter of speaking. Now the male turns and heads straight towards Sanguine.
Paying attention to his surrounding is hardly one of Sanguine's strong points- and he hates being dirty. His attention remains focused on his paws, cleaning himself, frowning slightly as he does his work. Sanguine means hopeful, a nod to his continual optimism and carefree nature, but it also means bloody- an interesting side note certain to be explored this day. The fox, physically at least, is not very intimidating, being rather scrawny and below average sized. Still, the first seconds of a fight can often be the most telling, and Sanguine is not paying any attention at all...
When Braxton is within range, he shouts at the other male. "You!" Braxton is angry, downright incensed. He told Terri that if he were to find the one who hurt Flicker he would tear him to pieces, and here's the fox now! He bares his teeth. "So you're the fool!"
"Huh?" Sanguine blinks stupidly and turns his head towards the oncoming threat. Braxton- he recognises the male he met ages ago, but doesn't quite remember the name. "Me?" He doesn't make the connection straight away- how could he? But his instincts kick in- just that little bit. He scrambles defensively to find a decent footing, attempting to brace against the oncoming attack.
Fire in his eyes and a bit of a darkness in his heart Braxton growls at the other male. "Any last words before I kill you for what you have done to my daughter?" Braxton is what one would call a *very* dedicated father.
Not the brightest tool in the shed, Sanguine gives a very poor answer- it's a legitimate question, since he still hasn't made the connection yet, but taken out of context it could certainly prove... unhelpful. "Uhh- which daughter?" he asks, tail flicking around, getting settled into a fighting stance. Still, he looks rather confused, but ready to defend himself- he examines the other fox, heart sinking slightly. He looks tough.
For Braxton, that was just the worst possible answer, 'which daughter?' "What?!" Braxton yells. He means he raped *another* of his daughters? Braxton walks toward Sanguine now, looking more furious than before. "Which daughter? *Which* daughter?!"
"WHICH daughter!" Sanguine shouts back, becoming annoyed at his lack of understanding. "Daughter- I'm gathering you mean a vixen, right? Right? Hey? I don't know who- or what- you're talking about! Words! Use your words!" Sanguine backs up as Braxton walks towards him, trying to keep the distance steady.
Braxton keeps walking toward the other male. "So, not only did you rape my oldest daughter, but you have the gall to suggest that it was *nothing* to you?!" Braxton hollers. "Well, then I suppose I may as well humor you before I strip you of your worthless hide, *dog!*"
Click. The pieces all begin to fall into place. "Her- oooh. Wait, wait, wait... right. Right. I see." Sanguine keeps backing up- although, naturally, he can't move back faster than Braxton moves forward if Braxton so chooses. "Uhm- there's no others. See, there's a bit of a story behind that one," he begins, still backing away. "Not justifying it all- it was a bad thing. Very bad, and I suppose I deserve this- but there IS a story."
"Then *talk* you miserable dog!" Braxton says, starting to walk faster. "What can you *possibly* say that she has not told me?" Braxton fantasizes about all the things he'll do to this male, not the least of which will involve some form of castration if he can.
Sanguine rolls his shoulders at that, but keeps his defensive posture as much as he can. "As I said- I'm not justifying myself. Because, well, I can't. But... well, the fact is- it was a bad day for me. I don't know why I did it- I haven't before, nor since. Upon reflection, I can't really explain my actions, nor would I try to. Sure- I had a fox once do to me what I did to her- but what does that have to do with anything?" He pauses, looking for the right words, but can't seem to find them. "I'm sure you've done things you're not proud of. If I had my time over again... I wouldn't do it. However, that doesn't change the fact that it happened. Nothing can undo that."
"You sound pathetic! Like a pup trying to get out of his punishment!" Braxton says. "Don't bother, because I *am* going to kill you! And I am going to make sure it is the most painful thing you will ever experience!" Braxton dashes forward and swipes a paw to hit Sanguine squarely across the head.
Sanguine yipes at the blow, jumping back- he doesn't return the attack, simply moving into a purely defensive stance. The wound injures him- three slashes across his forehead, the blood quickly trickling down his muzzle. He hops about on his paws, trying to avoid blows, growling in pain. "Rrr- as I said- I can't blame you."
Braxton runs and leaps at Sanguine, snarling angrily, and attempting to bite him. He has never experienced anger in such a level of ferocity. His growls and snarls are real, he wants and is indeed trying to kill Sanguione.
Sanguine manages to avoid the majority of a bite, although it catches the side of his cheek- the teeth ripping thin lines down the side of his muzzle, tearing out sizable chunks of fur. He continues his defensive stance- keeping his head low, bobbing and weaving around. He's obviously in pain and threatened, but not angry.
Braxton circles around Sanguine again, then runs at his flanks and slams into him with his paws and bites at his flanks. He wants this to hurt! He wants to make sure sanguine is in little pieces and even then the tod is unsure what he'll do to the pieces.
Sanguine accepts the possibility that he might be killed in this fight- he cannot outrun the other fox, nor outfight him, or talk him down. He's just a tad too slow on the attack to his flanks- clumps of russet red fur mixed with drops of blood fly as his sides are mauled. The fox cries out in pain, thrashing around, trying to minimize the damage.
Braxton tries to roll Sanguine onto his back and stand over him. He wants Sanguine completely at his mercy. Braxton wants to see Sanguine's neck! "You don't even deserve to be called a fox! You raped my daughter! She's only a pup!"
Sanguine's not easy to move with all the wriggling he's doing, but he's just not as strong as Braxton. Rolled onto his back, he keeps his paws locked in against his form, head kept down to protect his neck- an instinctual thing. Pup? She seemed... old enough, by his recollection- young, yes, but certainly of age. Still, such things are by and by now. "So what's your dark secret?" he growls, "And everyone's got one..."
Braxton growls angrily at Sanguine. "My only dark secret, is that no matter how painful your death will be, dog, I will not be satisfied." Braxotn says, "You raped my daughter, I don't care what dark secrets I may have, you do not deserve to live!" Braxton dips his head down and bites into Sanguine's underside, or would if Sanguine's paws weren't in the way, so Braxton locks his laws on Sanguine's arm.
Sanguine yelps in pain as his paw is bitten, jerking it instinctively to try and free it. Snarling in pain he lashes out with a paw- not trying to claw at Braxton, merely trying to push him off. "ARRRG! Nfff- well, I hope you remember them when it's your time to be punished!" he hisses, ears flattening against his head.
Braxton is knocked off balance by the blow, though Sanguine isn't as strong as he is, he is still subject to the laws of physica, as he falls off of Sanguine onto the ground.
Sanguine takes the opportunity to scramble for his paws- bloodied and brused, obviously injured on his right flank, he keeps his wounded side away from Braxton as much as he can. Still not attacking, but resisting the attacks...
Braxton rolls onto his paws and growls again, and starts circling Sanguine again. "I won't be punished for expelling a monster from this world! You raped my daughter! This is my right!"
Sanguine countercircles defensively, keeping his injured flank turned away as much as possible. "Hmmph- what I did was, nnf, wrong, but... a monster? You exaggerate..."
"*Do* I?!" Braxton says. "If you're not a monster, then why must I explain *every night* to her that she is safe and that *you* and your kind of *dog* will not harm her again!" Braxton steps forward a few steps, sizing up his next attack. "You are the *worst* monster there is! Taking her hapiness away from her and not even caring! The gods would strike me down for *not* removing you from this world!" Braxton charges.
Sanguine, with a wounded leg and side, can't do much but brace for the attack- not that much he says at this point will truely matter, he figures. Still, he's not one to just lay down and die. "Bad things happen," he admits pithily, bracing for the attack- footpaws lodged firmly in the ground, his posture defensive.
Braxton feels he isn't knocking Sanguine over this time. "And those that do bad are *punished!*" Braxton says. He, again sinks his teeth into the closest available part of Sanguine.
Sanguine's shoulder is bitten- the teeth sinking into his flesh. He jerks, jumping on his uninjured legs, his wounded paw kept close to him- so much for being scar-free! The fox howls in pain, wounded again. "Were you?!" he snarls back.
Braxton pushes back at Sanguine. "I did nothing wrong!" Braxton says after letting go of his shoulder. "I never raped anybody! You claim there's dark secrets in everybody, but I have none!"
Sanguine staggers back, blood on his face, shoulder, cheek and flanks- pretty badly torn up now. "Perhaps, unnnf, not as bad as mine- but you do. Or, you will. Urgh... nobody goes through life unscarred, they say." He limps backwards, head down. "Kill me if you want- but it won't change that simple, inalienable truth."
Braxton moves in again. He doesn't seem phased. Perhaps this is because he's a raging fox. He jumps at Sanguin and hopes to knock him over for a big bite.
Sanguine's wounded and ill prepared- he falls with a thud, curling defensively in a manner similar to before. His paws tuck in against his chest, his head lowered, growling in pain.
"Any last words?!" Braxton says agrily, staring down at this other male. How could this weak coward actually think he'd get away with raping Flicker?
Sanguine spits out a mouthful of blood, still defiant, but hardly capable of really defending himself. "I'm sorry," he says with a ring of honesty. "Not much else I can say." Nnnf... pain.
"You're not sorry!" Braxton says, enraged. "You're not sorry one bit! You've probably been spending all this time congratulating yourself for what you did to my little girl!" Braxton snarls, end thrusts his muzzle toward Sanguine's general neck area, trying to get it exposed.
Sanguine's muzzle is drooped, protecting his vunerable neck- but what's protecting his head and chest area? Nothing. The blows land on his muzzle- slashing his jaw, bruising his face, knocking out a tooth. He grunts loudly with each impact. "Hardly," he gasps, blowing out a bubble of blood through his nose. "Wouldn't I be fighting you if... nnnf... that was the case?"
Braxton can't resist his anger, which propels him to bite down hard on Sanguine's face. The enraged father is beyond reason at this moment.
Sanguine's face is mangled, tearing a series of serrations down the side of his muzzle, leaving broad gashes. Blood flows easily from his nose, his muzzle drenched in the stuff. He spits the tooth out onto the ground, then hows as a bite rakes across his eyes, blinding his right eye.
Braxton releases Sanguine's face and starts batting at him with one paw after another. "I am going to *kill* you!" Braxton rages, not taking into account that this could be the scar in Braxton's own life.
Sanguine can barely keep his head pressed against his chest anymore. Thin, jagged red lines appear in the white cream of his fur as the paws slash across his chest, creating mostly-horizontal wounds that line his upper body. His mouth swells up, mostly closing, leaving him almost unable to speak. "If... nff... it'll make you... nnf... feel better."
Braxton starts biting at Sanguines muzzle and chest again. "The only thing that'll make me feel better is to hear my daughter say she's happy again!" Braxton says. "This is revenge! You don't deserve to live! You raped my daughter!"
Sanguine flops back, the number of his wounds too severe. The pain is excruciating- he's never been injured before, not anywhere near as serious as any single one of those injuries. But together- they're almost overwhelming. He doesn't have much to say at this point, nor would he be able to if he could.
Nova was not far away, nosing at the entrance to a seemingly abandoned burrow, when she began to hear some commotion... and it has not abated in the time it has taken her to find the source of the noise. The vixen's dark muzzle emerges from a nearby tuft of grass, followed by the rest of face and a pair of bright amber eyes, which blink at the sight of the tussling tods. "Hey!" Nova exclaims, springing forth. "Settle down! Quit acting like kits, the pair of you!" She's broken up enough kit-fights in her life to act without hesitation. Quickly sizing up the situation, she bulls into Braxton, attempting to knock him away from the other male fox.
Braxton is about to sieze Sanguine's throat and rip it out in a final and hopefully satisfying death and revenge for his daughter when Nova knocks him clean off of the heavily wounded Sanguine. He rolls a few times before stopping, then winces. Ouch. the relatively unscatched tod stands up and shakes himself and looks at whoever bowled him over and sees Nova there. "Kits?!"
Sanguine is a fox in need of more than a proverbial coat of paint. Groggy and barely conscious, his left forepaw, shoulder and flank bear significant bites, while his chest is criscrossed by nearly a dozen deep clawmarks. His face and muzzle are a mangled mess, his face completely in blood. His right eye socket is a blood filled vacancy, with a line of jagged teeth marks raking down across it at a forty-five degree angle. Two teeth are gone, laying in the grass nearby. It's entirely likely that, even if he sustains no more injury, his wounds will prove mortal. His head rolls about groggily, mouth opening and closing, occasionally coughing up mouthfuls of blood.
Nova tosses her head, a light shake settling her disarranged fur back into place. She looks over each of the tods in turn, taking in their condition as well as making sure neither is one of her own brood. She does not recognize Sanguine right away... unsurprising, given his current state. The vixen /does/, however, believe she knows Braxton, though she can't remember his name. "You're the tod I travelled with, to find a cure for the sickness." She glances back at Sanguine, her brow creasing with concern, and she places herself between the males before looking back toward Braxton again with a frown. "What's this all about?"
"This... *dog* is not worthy of living!" Braxton yells, the only think keeping him from leaping back at the Sanguine and finishing the job is the presence of a female. "I am taking his life for what he has done!"
Sanguine remains groggy and nearly motionless, his tail flopping limply on the ground, his head rolling about. He seems out of it- instinctively swallowing the blood that pools in his muzzle, paws twitching slightly. He doesn't seem to comprehend the conversation around him, or anything else for that matter.
Nova may appear calm, but that's one thing she learned while raising two litters of kits: staying collected under incredible amounts of stress. "Sit down," she snaps at Braxton. "And calm yourself. You may have already gotten your wish." Though she only glanced at Sanguine, the image of his battered body is already seared in her mind's eye, wrenching at her heart. The sight forces her to remember the last time she saw her mate, before he finally succumbed to his own wounds. "What could he possibly have done to deserve this?"
Braxton sits down on the ground, glaring at the wounded fox, not yet feeling any remorse. "He... violated my daughter!" Braxton says. "For what he has done to her, he deserves to die."
Sanguine seems to recover somewhat. His eye flickers, creaking open. Pain. Pain is his existence- his entire body, minus three extremities, is on fire. Surprisingly, it is his most obvious wound- his right eye- that causes him the least pain. This is just a dull ache, his body's way of reminding him that something's gone wrong. His head flops over, observing the conversation through one open eye.
Nova snorts at Braxton's answer, eyes narrowing. "Violated your daughter?" she echoes, her tone dripping doubt. No male she ever met mated with her unless she /permitted/ him to. "That would imply a lack of willingness on her part... which I hope you made certain of, before trying to rip this tod's face off?" At that, at least, Braxton seemed to have some measure of success. She considers asking Sanguine his side of the story, but she does not think him capable, at the moment, of a response... the tod is in pretty bad shape, and not growing any better while she and Braxton argue. "If she truly /was/ unwilling, and he was powerful enough to overcome her resistance, I have one piece of advice for you." She looks Braxton in the eye, and there is no trace of warmth in her expression. "Hope for kits. They might inherit a measure of their father's strength, and find themselves more capable of protecting their own than you can."
Braxton bristles at that. How dare she suggest Braxton can't protect his beloved kits? "Excuse me? After losing one litter to winter, I am sure I can protect my own kits! And it *was* a rape! She told me what happened! My dearest Flicker! My oldest daughter... violated and destroyed by *that!*" Braxton says, turning his head to the injured tod. "He must die! He hurt my daughter!"
Sanguine doesn't contribute much to the conversation aside from casually spitting out a tooth. His face is hard to read- currently emotionless, perhaps, or the thick layer of blood covering it. There's no denial there, however- nor anger towards Braxton. It's a strange look... acceptence of his fate tinged with regret.
Nova's lips peel back in an open threat, revealing a full set of teeth yellowed with age, but still quite sharp. She does not intend to let Braxton finish Sanguine off. "What fool vixen would deny a suitor strong enough to assert his claim?" she counters. "Would you prefer she find one meek and supplicant to protect her and their kits?" Obviously she has a very different view of such matters than Braxton -- her concern is not romance, but survival. With a low growl, she shakes her head dismissively and turns her back on Braxton, looking down at the wounded tod as she pads a few steps closer to him. "You will not touch this tod again... you've had your revenge. He did not kill your daughter." With her back to Braxton, she may seem an easy target, but the tension in her body proves that she is still ready to fight if necessary.
Braxton stands there... how could she suggest that his daughter... DESERVED to be raped? Braxton almost finds himself fantasizing again about killing Sanguine, almost tempted to kill them both, when those words Sanguine spoke hit home. Dark scars. If Braxton were to attack Nova as well, would he really be better than the perpetrator of the crime against his daughter. "My daughter... did not deserve to be raped." Braxton says, measuring his words carefully. "I don't care if she wasn't as strong as that dog over there."
The strange vixen did make an interesting point, however. Sanguine considers it silently, musing to himself, listening to her words and to those of Braxton. He looks up as Nova approaches, regarding her with a curious, but obviously pained, expression. He doesn't say anything immediately- but perhaps he can't. Still... an interesting point, none the less.
Nova grits her teeth, still looking down at Sanguine. As she answers Braxton, she studies the injured tod's wounds, trying to gauge how likely it is he will even survive. It would serve no purpose, fighting over the life of a fox when it is already too late to save him. "I did not say she /deserved/ it." The vixen's ears flatten down slightly, her brush twitching in slight aggravation. "Consider this. If a tod is clever enough to outwit your daughter, and strong enough to overcome her, don't you think he might be capable of defending his family from others like himself? Your daughter should not have been so discerning." She still has her back to Braxton, and when she finishes speaking she leans in close to Sanguine, examining his face... where the worst of the wounds seem to be.
Braxton again, just stares at this vixen. He can't believe this... defending the rape of his daughter! Braxton curls his lip, baring his teeth. "Because I didn't know everything, it's my fault my daughter was raped? I protect my family, but even I can't keep a watchful eye on all of them at all times!" Braxton says. "What sort of mother were you?! What if this was your daughter?!"
Sanguine's seriously, but not greviously, wounded. His chances of survival alone are not absolute, but with rest and a little help a full recovery, minus eyesight, is entirely probable. Even alone he stands a chance- three of his limbs look in good order, and one has but a single bite which will probably heal in a week or so. The injury to his flank is long but not deep and, while it will make a nice scar, is not lethal. Eating will be a challenge until the swelling in his muzzle goes down (and won't be as pretty as he was before), but with a little luck he'll survive. His face is brused, slashed and puffy- and the eye looks in terrible shape, if not gone- but there are no deep gouges that could cause death by blood loss there.
It seems that Nova and Braxton just can't see eye-to-eye -- their perspectives are too different, and all they are doing is misunderstanding each other. A surge of anger courses through the vixen when he calls her own mothering into question, but she suppresses it, stifling another growl almost before it begins. "I'm through arguing with you. As I've already said, you will not touch this tod again... and that is the end of it." Still leaning down, she begins to clean away some of the blood from his muzzle and around his eye, giving her a clearer look at the injuries beneath. He might live, but he could certainly use a little help... and if what Braxton has said is true, she doubts that he has a mate to care for him, and he looks too young to have grown offspring. Good thing Nova has such a strong maternal instinct.
Braxton looks incensed. But he finally just turns and walks away, angry at the world. This is what happened to his daughter boils down to, survival of the fittest? Braxton feels a strong urge to go see his family, and tell Flicker that, to a limited degree, she has justice.
Sanguine inclines his head as Nova cleans his wounds, seeming relieved- the treatment does much to ease the burning pain they cause. His eyelid flutters as she cleans around it, clearly sensitive- but he does not shy away from her help. Just a slight nod, he gives her- thanking her without so many words, but without a sappy moment. Just an acknowledgement of help. His tail taps lightly on the ground, reflecting a slight boying of his mood. Well... he survived that, at least for the moment. Survival is important to him- and he is thankful to be alive.
Nova does not look up, though she hears Braxton's pawsteps fading into the distance... she relaxes only once she is sure the tod has gone. The flicker of Sanguine's eyelid, and the slight nod of his head, do considerably more to ease her worry. His wounds do not look as frightening and serious once the blood is wiped away. The male is also conscious and aware, definitely good signs. "He's gone." Her gaze shifts down over the rest of Sanguine's body, looking over his legs in particular. "Do you think you can walk?" He looks capable enough, but she knows he may be feeling too weak to move anywhere just yet.
Sanguine nods at Nova's first statement, giving a slow glance around just to make sure. Well, things are a bit blurry (happens when you take so many knocks to the head!), but he can't see him anywhere. The tod swallows, the flow of blood in his muzzle abating somewhat. "Try," he forces with a croak, swallowing again afterwards. The fox shuffles around, slowly climbing up to his paws, his injured foreleg tucked close to his body. His limbs are weak, his posture unsteady, but he looks stable for now. A step, two. He winces, nearly falling- but keeps upright. "Kinda." he concludes, coughing a couple of times.
Nova stands up when Sanguine does, drawing back a step while he gets to his feet. She lets him take the first few steps unassisted, carefully appraising his movement -- then she moves up beside him, lending her shoulder for support. "You're doing fine," she says. The vixen glances over her shoulder, looking thoughtful for a moment before returning her attention to the tod. "My den's not far from here... or is there somewhere else you would prefer to go instead?"
Sanguine leans against Nova, seemingly thankful for the support, using her to prop himself up as he walks. Beaten, bloodied and severely wounded, Sanguine just can't repress the desire to be a flirt. Especially now most he's not bleeding so much. "Your den is *just* fine," he coughs, managing a grin at the female, "Because, you know... nnf! ... best thing for a wounded leg is some *fine* female company." He coughs again. "True fact..."
Nova looks, if anything, amused by Sanguine's answer. It's not hard to see how this one could have made a pretty vixen's daughter furious enough to kill him. "It might be easiest if we follow the stream," she says, nodding vaguely southeast, which is the direction from which she came. "Just take it slow and easy..." Her teeth flash again, this time in a brief grin. "After all, we're not in any hurry."
Sanguine's tail begins to sway just a little as he walks. Well, every cloud has a silver lining, they say... "Right, the stream," he answers, walking alongside Nova, leaning against her just-slightly-a-little-too-much. Not putting a lot of weight on her... well, more than he needs to- but certainly getting... snug. He snickers at the grin, licking his lips to try and remove some more of the blood there. "No hurry," he echos, grinning once more. "Longer we take, longer I get to... *cough* lean on 'ya like this. Can't say I mind!"
Nova simply shakes her head. At this rate, the tod's going to end up being more of a handful than all of her kits combined. "Come along," she says, beginning to walk slowly through the grasses, winding carefully around any plants too large step over easily... and of course, pausing whenever she thinks Sanguine could use a brief rest. Fortunately, nothing but open fields separate the pair of foxes from the stream, and her den is just a short journey south along the bank.
Sanguine walks along with Nova, stopping occasionally for breath (and to rest the aches), tail bumping occasionally against hers. Totally by accident, of course. "Thanks," he says with a nod of his head. "Appreciate it." He gives a coy wink with his open eye, tilting his head for a little emphasis, unable to resist. "I'll make sure to... *cough* pay you back."
Nova is not elderly by any means -- her fur has, thankfully, not yet begun to gray -- but she is not a young vixen, and it would take more than a few flirtatious remarks to throw her off her stride. If she notices the way Sanguine's tail happens to brush against hers, she gives no indication. "You're quite welcome." She glances sideways when he mentions paying her back, her ears flicking at the slight playfulness of his tone. "Spare me that," she says, trying to sound serious despite the ghost of a grin. "I'll settle for hearing your side of the story."
Sanguine's reasonably young, but he doesn't find Nova unattractive- after all, perhaps an older vixen is just what he needs right now. Or, you know, perhaps that's just how he is... easy going. But for whatever reason, the interest is there. "Right, right. I won't mention it again!" he promises without very much sincerity at all. His tail continues to not-quite-so-subtly brush against hers... either he thinks he's getting away with it, or takes the lack of response as a positive. "There... really isn't one," he admits, coughing again. He pauses to talk, resting against Nova's flank. "Not so much... she was wounded... but not too badly... flirty, playful, but probably... not too much." He shrugs slightly, rolling his shoulders. "She didn't exactly try to stop me, and it wasn't that hard at all..." A pause. "You made an interesting point, before... she didn't exactly... fight..."
Since the death of Bracken, the vixen has not taken another mate, nor felt any particular desire to. Of course, she has spent the last year rearing her kits... and without her mate to assist her, the five of them kept her thoroughly occupied. Now, however, they are old enough to care for themselves, and Nova spends much of her time alone. Whether she will be susceptible to Sanguine's charm remains to be seen... for the moment she seems tolerant, perhaps slightly amused, and still concerned about his state of health. Nothing more than that. "Without the vixen present, there's no way to tell... and even if she was, I don't know that she could be trusted. She could have had any motive, even trying to dispose of her father by getting him killed in a fight."
Sanguine nods along with Nova's assessment, musing over this idea. "Any one of those are entirely possible," he replies, moving along towards Nova's den. The walk seems to have done him some good- at least, he seems fit enough to travel medium-ish distances with a little help, and short distances unaided. There's more flirtatious play with his tail- swinging it up, letting it brush down over hers, bumping against her legs. It's working so far, so why stop now? Sanguine's mate ran off a while ago, not seen or heard from for some time. Nobody's going to come looking for him- not yet, anyway. He continues to lean against Nova, seeming pleased with himself dispite his injuries and pain.
Nova allows a small grin to curve the corners of her muzzle. "Well, if that /was/ her intention, she certainly picked the wrong tod." Perhaps this is her way of retaliating against the teasing of his tail. Suddenly remembering the other tod's name, she continues, "I don't think Braxton had a scratch on him. Did you even /try/ to defend yourself?" They round a bend as she speaks, and she guides Sanguine toward the entrance of her den, obscured in the shadow of an old oak about a dozen feet from the stream's edge.
Sanguine returns the grin, even giving another wink. Hey- it's pretty obvious he's flirting with her by now, might as well ham it up. "Not exactly," is his answer. "I didn't want to strike him- but I didn't want to die, either." He shrugs slightly, grinning some more at Nova. "Can't quite explain it myself. Let's just say... he had his free shot. If he attacks me again, well- I doubt I'll hold back." His tail flirtatiously flicks up and gives Nova's rump a playful swat- grinning as he hobbles his way into her den, tail swishing behind him. Ooooh yeah... talk about land on your feet.
Nova stops at the den's entrance, letting Sanguine go in ahead of her. It's more than spacious enough to accomodate two foxes, even two adults, but Nova does not follow him inside. Instead, she just sticks her head in, watching to make sure the tod doesn't stumble on his way down... not that a minor tumble would do him much damage. "You may rest here as long as you like." And then she is gone, withdrawing her head from the den and disappearing.
Braxton - Enraged father.
Sanguine - Unlucky tod.
Nova - The certain vixen
---
Sanguine's on one of his strolls. Not really going anywhere- not really... doing anything. The male's tail sways behind him as he walks, examining this scent and that scent. Making a slow pace through the grass, not making any attempt to be stealthy or subtle in any way. After all, it's safe here, right?
Maybe... not as safe. Enter Braxton, protective, caring father of a certain someone. Though he's currently just looking for food. It may be early winter, but Braxton's hatred of this season typically compels him to prepare for the worst, as winters are just that harsh. The male walks carefully along, looking for any unaware tasty morsels.
Sanguine, of course, has no way of knowing that- to him there is no danger. The male fox crouches, then hops up onto a rotten log- wincing to himself as it groans, creaks, then settles. Opps. Carefully the tod turns around and hops off. Well, that was close! With a sigh he sits, licking at his paws.
Braxton suddenly stops when he hears the log and looks in the general direction and then sees Sanguine. And then recognizes him... at least... from Flicker's description. Deep red. Black tailtip. Braxton's hackles rise and all he sees is red, in a matter of speaking. Now the male turns and heads straight towards Sanguine.
Paying attention to his surrounding is hardly one of Sanguine's strong points- and he hates being dirty. His attention remains focused on his paws, cleaning himself, frowning slightly as he does his work. Sanguine means hopeful, a nod to his continual optimism and carefree nature, but it also means bloody- an interesting side note certain to be explored this day. The fox, physically at least, is not very intimidating, being rather scrawny and below average sized. Still, the first seconds of a fight can often be the most telling, and Sanguine is not paying any attention at all...
When Braxton is within range, he shouts at the other male. "You!" Braxton is angry, downright incensed. He told Terri that if he were to find the one who hurt Flicker he would tear him to pieces, and here's the fox now! He bares his teeth. "So you're the fool!"
"Huh?" Sanguine blinks stupidly and turns his head towards the oncoming threat. Braxton- he recognises the male he met ages ago, but doesn't quite remember the name. "Me?" He doesn't make the connection straight away- how could he? But his instincts kick in- just that little bit. He scrambles defensively to find a decent footing, attempting to brace against the oncoming attack.
Fire in his eyes and a bit of a darkness in his heart Braxton growls at the other male. "Any last words before I kill you for what you have done to my daughter?" Braxton is what one would call a *very* dedicated father.
Not the brightest tool in the shed, Sanguine gives a very poor answer- it's a legitimate question, since he still hasn't made the connection yet, but taken out of context it could certainly prove... unhelpful. "Uhh- which daughter?" he asks, tail flicking around, getting settled into a fighting stance. Still, he looks rather confused, but ready to defend himself- he examines the other fox, heart sinking slightly. He looks tough.
For Braxton, that was just the worst possible answer, 'which daughter?' "What?!" Braxton yells. He means he raped *another* of his daughters? Braxton walks toward Sanguine now, looking more furious than before. "Which daughter? *Which* daughter?!"
"WHICH daughter!" Sanguine shouts back, becoming annoyed at his lack of understanding. "Daughter- I'm gathering you mean a vixen, right? Right? Hey? I don't know who- or what- you're talking about! Words! Use your words!" Sanguine backs up as Braxton walks towards him, trying to keep the distance steady.
Braxton keeps walking toward the other male. "So, not only did you rape my oldest daughter, but you have the gall to suggest that it was *nothing* to you?!" Braxton hollers. "Well, then I suppose I may as well humor you before I strip you of your worthless hide, *dog!*"
Click. The pieces all begin to fall into place. "Her- oooh. Wait, wait, wait... right. Right. I see." Sanguine keeps backing up- although, naturally, he can't move back faster than Braxton moves forward if Braxton so chooses. "Uhm- there's no others. See, there's a bit of a story behind that one," he begins, still backing away. "Not justifying it all- it was a bad thing. Very bad, and I suppose I deserve this- but there IS a story."
"Then *talk* you miserable dog!" Braxton says, starting to walk faster. "What can you *possibly* say that she has not told me?" Braxton fantasizes about all the things he'll do to this male, not the least of which will involve some form of castration if he can.
Sanguine rolls his shoulders at that, but keeps his defensive posture as much as he can. "As I said- I'm not justifying myself. Because, well, I can't. But... well, the fact is- it was a bad day for me. I don't know why I did it- I haven't before, nor since. Upon reflection, I can't really explain my actions, nor would I try to. Sure- I had a fox once do to me what I did to her- but what does that have to do with anything?" He pauses, looking for the right words, but can't seem to find them. "I'm sure you've done things you're not proud of. If I had my time over again... I wouldn't do it. However, that doesn't change the fact that it happened. Nothing can undo that."
"You sound pathetic! Like a pup trying to get out of his punishment!" Braxton says. "Don't bother, because I *am* going to kill you! And I am going to make sure it is the most painful thing you will ever experience!" Braxton dashes forward and swipes a paw to hit Sanguine squarely across the head.
Sanguine yipes at the blow, jumping back- he doesn't return the attack, simply moving into a purely defensive stance. The wound injures him- three slashes across his forehead, the blood quickly trickling down his muzzle. He hops about on his paws, trying to avoid blows, growling in pain. "Rrr- as I said- I can't blame you."
Braxton runs and leaps at Sanguine, snarling angrily, and attempting to bite him. He has never experienced anger in such a level of ferocity. His growls and snarls are real, he wants and is indeed trying to kill Sanguione.
Sanguine manages to avoid the majority of a bite, although it catches the side of his cheek- the teeth ripping thin lines down the side of his muzzle, tearing out sizable chunks of fur. He continues his defensive stance- keeping his head low, bobbing and weaving around. He's obviously in pain and threatened, but not angry.
Braxton circles around Sanguine again, then runs at his flanks and slams into him with his paws and bites at his flanks. He wants this to hurt! He wants to make sure sanguine is in little pieces and even then the tod is unsure what he'll do to the pieces.
Sanguine accepts the possibility that he might be killed in this fight- he cannot outrun the other fox, nor outfight him, or talk him down. He's just a tad too slow on the attack to his flanks- clumps of russet red fur mixed with drops of blood fly as his sides are mauled. The fox cries out in pain, thrashing around, trying to minimize the damage.
Braxton tries to roll Sanguine onto his back and stand over him. He wants Sanguine completely at his mercy. Braxton wants to see Sanguine's neck! "You don't even deserve to be called a fox! You raped my daughter! She's only a pup!"
Sanguine's not easy to move with all the wriggling he's doing, but he's just not as strong as Braxton. Rolled onto his back, he keeps his paws locked in against his form, head kept down to protect his neck- an instinctual thing. Pup? She seemed... old enough, by his recollection- young, yes, but certainly of age. Still, such things are by and by now. "So what's your dark secret?" he growls, "And everyone's got one..."
Braxton growls angrily at Sanguine. "My only dark secret, is that no matter how painful your death will be, dog, I will not be satisfied." Braxotn says, "You raped my daughter, I don't care what dark secrets I may have, you do not deserve to live!" Braxton dips his head down and bites into Sanguine's underside, or would if Sanguine's paws weren't in the way, so Braxton locks his laws on Sanguine's arm.
Sanguine yelps in pain as his paw is bitten, jerking it instinctively to try and free it. Snarling in pain he lashes out with a paw- not trying to claw at Braxton, merely trying to push him off. "ARRRG! Nfff- well, I hope you remember them when it's your time to be punished!" he hisses, ears flattening against his head.
Braxton is knocked off balance by the blow, though Sanguine isn't as strong as he is, he is still subject to the laws of physica, as he falls off of Sanguine onto the ground.
Sanguine takes the opportunity to scramble for his paws- bloodied and brused, obviously injured on his right flank, he keeps his wounded side away from Braxton as much as he can. Still not attacking, but resisting the attacks...
Braxton rolls onto his paws and growls again, and starts circling Sanguine again. "I won't be punished for expelling a monster from this world! You raped my daughter! This is my right!"
Sanguine countercircles defensively, keeping his injured flank turned away as much as possible. "Hmmph- what I did was, nnf, wrong, but... a monster? You exaggerate..."
"*Do* I?!" Braxton says. "If you're not a monster, then why must I explain *every night* to her that she is safe and that *you* and your kind of *dog* will not harm her again!" Braxton steps forward a few steps, sizing up his next attack. "You are the *worst* monster there is! Taking her hapiness away from her and not even caring! The gods would strike me down for *not* removing you from this world!" Braxton charges.
Sanguine, with a wounded leg and side, can't do much but brace for the attack- not that much he says at this point will truely matter, he figures. Still, he's not one to just lay down and die. "Bad things happen," he admits pithily, bracing for the attack- footpaws lodged firmly in the ground, his posture defensive.
Braxton feels he isn't knocking Sanguine over this time. "And those that do bad are *punished!*" Braxton says. He, again sinks his teeth into the closest available part of Sanguine.
Sanguine's shoulder is bitten- the teeth sinking into his flesh. He jerks, jumping on his uninjured legs, his wounded paw kept close to him- so much for being scar-free! The fox howls in pain, wounded again. "Were you?!" he snarls back.
Braxton pushes back at Sanguine. "I did nothing wrong!" Braxton says after letting go of his shoulder. "I never raped anybody! You claim there's dark secrets in everybody, but I have none!"
Sanguine staggers back, blood on his face, shoulder, cheek and flanks- pretty badly torn up now. "Perhaps, unnnf, not as bad as mine- but you do. Or, you will. Urgh... nobody goes through life unscarred, they say." He limps backwards, head down. "Kill me if you want- but it won't change that simple, inalienable truth."
Braxton moves in again. He doesn't seem phased. Perhaps this is because he's a raging fox. He jumps at Sanguin and hopes to knock him over for a big bite.
Sanguine's wounded and ill prepared- he falls with a thud, curling defensively in a manner similar to before. His paws tuck in against his chest, his head lowered, growling in pain.
"Any last words?!" Braxton says agrily, staring down at this other male. How could this weak coward actually think he'd get away with raping Flicker?
Sanguine spits out a mouthful of blood, still defiant, but hardly capable of really defending himself. "I'm sorry," he says with a ring of honesty. "Not much else I can say." Nnnf... pain.
"You're not sorry!" Braxton says, enraged. "You're not sorry one bit! You've probably been spending all this time congratulating yourself for what you did to my little girl!" Braxton snarls, end thrusts his muzzle toward Sanguine's general neck area, trying to get it exposed.
Sanguine's muzzle is drooped, protecting his vunerable neck- but what's protecting his head and chest area? Nothing. The blows land on his muzzle- slashing his jaw, bruising his face, knocking out a tooth. He grunts loudly with each impact. "Hardly," he gasps, blowing out a bubble of blood through his nose. "Wouldn't I be fighting you if... nnnf... that was the case?"
Braxton can't resist his anger, which propels him to bite down hard on Sanguine's face. The enraged father is beyond reason at this moment.
Sanguine's face is mangled, tearing a series of serrations down the side of his muzzle, leaving broad gashes. Blood flows easily from his nose, his muzzle drenched in the stuff. He spits the tooth out onto the ground, then hows as a bite rakes across his eyes, blinding his right eye.
Braxton releases Sanguine's face and starts batting at him with one paw after another. "I am going to *kill* you!" Braxton rages, not taking into account that this could be the scar in Braxton's own life.
Sanguine can barely keep his head pressed against his chest anymore. Thin, jagged red lines appear in the white cream of his fur as the paws slash across his chest, creating mostly-horizontal wounds that line his upper body. His mouth swells up, mostly closing, leaving him almost unable to speak. "If... nff... it'll make you... nnf... feel better."
Braxton starts biting at Sanguines muzzle and chest again. "The only thing that'll make me feel better is to hear my daughter say she's happy again!" Braxton says. "This is revenge! You don't deserve to live! You raped my daughter!"
Sanguine flops back, the number of his wounds too severe. The pain is excruciating- he's never been injured before, not anywhere near as serious as any single one of those injuries. But together- they're almost overwhelming. He doesn't have much to say at this point, nor would he be able to if he could.
Nova was not far away, nosing at the entrance to a seemingly abandoned burrow, when she began to hear some commotion... and it has not abated in the time it has taken her to find the source of the noise. The vixen's dark muzzle emerges from a nearby tuft of grass, followed by the rest of face and a pair of bright amber eyes, which blink at the sight of the tussling tods. "Hey!" Nova exclaims, springing forth. "Settle down! Quit acting like kits, the pair of you!" She's broken up enough kit-fights in her life to act without hesitation. Quickly sizing up the situation, she bulls into Braxton, attempting to knock him away from the other male fox.
Braxton is about to sieze Sanguine's throat and rip it out in a final and hopefully satisfying death and revenge for his daughter when Nova knocks him clean off of the heavily wounded Sanguine. He rolls a few times before stopping, then winces. Ouch. the relatively unscatched tod stands up and shakes himself and looks at whoever bowled him over and sees Nova there. "Kits?!"
Sanguine is a fox in need of more than a proverbial coat of paint. Groggy and barely conscious, his left forepaw, shoulder and flank bear significant bites, while his chest is criscrossed by nearly a dozen deep clawmarks. His face and muzzle are a mangled mess, his face completely in blood. His right eye socket is a blood filled vacancy, with a line of jagged teeth marks raking down across it at a forty-five degree angle. Two teeth are gone, laying in the grass nearby. It's entirely likely that, even if he sustains no more injury, his wounds will prove mortal. His head rolls about groggily, mouth opening and closing, occasionally coughing up mouthfuls of blood.
Nova tosses her head, a light shake settling her disarranged fur back into place. She looks over each of the tods in turn, taking in their condition as well as making sure neither is one of her own brood. She does not recognize Sanguine right away... unsurprising, given his current state. The vixen /does/, however, believe she knows Braxton, though she can't remember his name. "You're the tod I travelled with, to find a cure for the sickness." She glances back at Sanguine, her brow creasing with concern, and she places herself between the males before looking back toward Braxton again with a frown. "What's this all about?"
"This... *dog* is not worthy of living!" Braxton yells, the only think keeping him from leaping back at the Sanguine and finishing the job is the presence of a female. "I am taking his life for what he has done!"
Sanguine remains groggy and nearly motionless, his tail flopping limply on the ground, his head rolling about. He seems out of it- instinctively swallowing the blood that pools in his muzzle, paws twitching slightly. He doesn't seem to comprehend the conversation around him, or anything else for that matter.
Nova may appear calm, but that's one thing she learned while raising two litters of kits: staying collected under incredible amounts of stress. "Sit down," she snaps at Braxton. "And calm yourself. You may have already gotten your wish." Though she only glanced at Sanguine, the image of his battered body is already seared in her mind's eye, wrenching at her heart. The sight forces her to remember the last time she saw her mate, before he finally succumbed to his own wounds. "What could he possibly have done to deserve this?"
Braxton sits down on the ground, glaring at the wounded fox, not yet feeling any remorse. "He... violated my daughter!" Braxton says. "For what he has done to her, he deserves to die."
Sanguine seems to recover somewhat. His eye flickers, creaking open. Pain. Pain is his existence- his entire body, minus three extremities, is on fire. Surprisingly, it is his most obvious wound- his right eye- that causes him the least pain. This is just a dull ache, his body's way of reminding him that something's gone wrong. His head flops over, observing the conversation through one open eye.
Nova snorts at Braxton's answer, eyes narrowing. "Violated your daughter?" she echoes, her tone dripping doubt. No male she ever met mated with her unless she /permitted/ him to. "That would imply a lack of willingness on her part... which I hope you made certain of, before trying to rip this tod's face off?" At that, at least, Braxton seemed to have some measure of success. She considers asking Sanguine his side of the story, but she does not think him capable, at the moment, of a response... the tod is in pretty bad shape, and not growing any better while she and Braxton argue. "If she truly /was/ unwilling, and he was powerful enough to overcome her resistance, I have one piece of advice for you." She looks Braxton in the eye, and there is no trace of warmth in her expression. "Hope for kits. They might inherit a measure of their father's strength, and find themselves more capable of protecting their own than you can."
Braxton bristles at that. How dare she suggest Braxton can't protect his beloved kits? "Excuse me? After losing one litter to winter, I am sure I can protect my own kits! And it *was* a rape! She told me what happened! My dearest Flicker! My oldest daughter... violated and destroyed by *that!*" Braxton says, turning his head to the injured tod. "He must die! He hurt my daughter!"
Sanguine doesn't contribute much to the conversation aside from casually spitting out a tooth. His face is hard to read- currently emotionless, perhaps, or the thick layer of blood covering it. There's no denial there, however- nor anger towards Braxton. It's a strange look... acceptence of his fate tinged with regret.
Nova's lips peel back in an open threat, revealing a full set of teeth yellowed with age, but still quite sharp. She does not intend to let Braxton finish Sanguine off. "What fool vixen would deny a suitor strong enough to assert his claim?" she counters. "Would you prefer she find one meek and supplicant to protect her and their kits?" Obviously she has a very different view of such matters than Braxton -- her concern is not romance, but survival. With a low growl, she shakes her head dismissively and turns her back on Braxton, looking down at the wounded tod as she pads a few steps closer to him. "You will not touch this tod again... you've had your revenge. He did not kill your daughter." With her back to Braxton, she may seem an easy target, but the tension in her body proves that she is still ready to fight if necessary.
Braxton stands there... how could she suggest that his daughter... DESERVED to be raped? Braxton almost finds himself fantasizing again about killing Sanguine, almost tempted to kill them both, when those words Sanguine spoke hit home. Dark scars. If Braxton were to attack Nova as well, would he really be better than the perpetrator of the crime against his daughter. "My daughter... did not deserve to be raped." Braxton says, measuring his words carefully. "I don't care if she wasn't as strong as that dog over there."
The strange vixen did make an interesting point, however. Sanguine considers it silently, musing to himself, listening to her words and to those of Braxton. He looks up as Nova approaches, regarding her with a curious, but obviously pained, expression. He doesn't say anything immediately- but perhaps he can't. Still... an interesting point, none the less.
Nova grits her teeth, still looking down at Sanguine. As she answers Braxton, she studies the injured tod's wounds, trying to gauge how likely it is he will even survive. It would serve no purpose, fighting over the life of a fox when it is already too late to save him. "I did not say she /deserved/ it." The vixen's ears flatten down slightly, her brush twitching in slight aggravation. "Consider this. If a tod is clever enough to outwit your daughter, and strong enough to overcome her, don't you think he might be capable of defending his family from others like himself? Your daughter should not have been so discerning." She still has her back to Braxton, and when she finishes speaking she leans in close to Sanguine, examining his face... where the worst of the wounds seem to be.
Braxton again, just stares at this vixen. He can't believe this... defending the rape of his daughter! Braxton curls his lip, baring his teeth. "Because I didn't know everything, it's my fault my daughter was raped? I protect my family, but even I can't keep a watchful eye on all of them at all times!" Braxton says. "What sort of mother were you?! What if this was your daughter?!"
Sanguine's seriously, but not greviously, wounded. His chances of survival alone are not absolute, but with rest and a little help a full recovery, minus eyesight, is entirely probable. Even alone he stands a chance- three of his limbs look in good order, and one has but a single bite which will probably heal in a week or so. The injury to his flank is long but not deep and, while it will make a nice scar, is not lethal. Eating will be a challenge until the swelling in his muzzle goes down (and won't be as pretty as he was before), but with a little luck he'll survive. His face is brused, slashed and puffy- and the eye looks in terrible shape, if not gone- but there are no deep gouges that could cause death by blood loss there.
It seems that Nova and Braxton just can't see eye-to-eye -- their perspectives are too different, and all they are doing is misunderstanding each other. A surge of anger courses through the vixen when he calls her own mothering into question, but she suppresses it, stifling another growl almost before it begins. "I'm through arguing with you. As I've already said, you will not touch this tod again... and that is the end of it." Still leaning down, she begins to clean away some of the blood from his muzzle and around his eye, giving her a clearer look at the injuries beneath. He might live, but he could certainly use a little help... and if what Braxton has said is true, she doubts that he has a mate to care for him, and he looks too young to have grown offspring. Good thing Nova has such a strong maternal instinct.
Braxton looks incensed. But he finally just turns and walks away, angry at the world. This is what happened to his daughter boils down to, survival of the fittest? Braxton feels a strong urge to go see his family, and tell Flicker that, to a limited degree, she has justice.
Sanguine inclines his head as Nova cleans his wounds, seeming relieved- the treatment does much to ease the burning pain they cause. His eyelid flutters as she cleans around it, clearly sensitive- but he does not shy away from her help. Just a slight nod, he gives her- thanking her without so many words, but without a sappy moment. Just an acknowledgement of help. His tail taps lightly on the ground, reflecting a slight boying of his mood. Well... he survived that, at least for the moment. Survival is important to him- and he is thankful to be alive.
Nova does not look up, though she hears Braxton's pawsteps fading into the distance... she relaxes only once she is sure the tod has gone. The flicker of Sanguine's eyelid, and the slight nod of his head, do considerably more to ease her worry. His wounds do not look as frightening and serious once the blood is wiped away. The male is also conscious and aware, definitely good signs. "He's gone." Her gaze shifts down over the rest of Sanguine's body, looking over his legs in particular. "Do you think you can walk?" He looks capable enough, but she knows he may be feeling too weak to move anywhere just yet.
Sanguine nods at Nova's first statement, giving a slow glance around just to make sure. Well, things are a bit blurry (happens when you take so many knocks to the head!), but he can't see him anywhere. The tod swallows, the flow of blood in his muzzle abating somewhat. "Try," he forces with a croak, swallowing again afterwards. The fox shuffles around, slowly climbing up to his paws, his injured foreleg tucked close to his body. His limbs are weak, his posture unsteady, but he looks stable for now. A step, two. He winces, nearly falling- but keeps upright. "Kinda." he concludes, coughing a couple of times.
Nova stands up when Sanguine does, drawing back a step while he gets to his feet. She lets him take the first few steps unassisted, carefully appraising his movement -- then she moves up beside him, lending her shoulder for support. "You're doing fine," she says. The vixen glances over her shoulder, looking thoughtful for a moment before returning her attention to the tod. "My den's not far from here... or is there somewhere else you would prefer to go instead?"
Sanguine leans against Nova, seemingly thankful for the support, using her to prop himself up as he walks. Beaten, bloodied and severely wounded, Sanguine just can't repress the desire to be a flirt. Especially now most he's not bleeding so much. "Your den is *just* fine," he coughs, managing a grin at the female, "Because, you know... nnf! ... best thing for a wounded leg is some *fine* female company." He coughs again. "True fact..."
Nova looks, if anything, amused by Sanguine's answer. It's not hard to see how this one could have made a pretty vixen's daughter furious enough to kill him. "It might be easiest if we follow the stream," she says, nodding vaguely southeast, which is the direction from which she came. "Just take it slow and easy..." Her teeth flash again, this time in a brief grin. "After all, we're not in any hurry."
Sanguine's tail begins to sway just a little as he walks. Well, every cloud has a silver lining, they say... "Right, the stream," he answers, walking alongside Nova, leaning against her just-slightly-a-little-too-much. Not putting a lot of weight on her... well, more than he needs to- but certainly getting... snug. He snickers at the grin, licking his lips to try and remove some more of the blood there. "No hurry," he echos, grinning once more. "Longer we take, longer I get to... *cough* lean on 'ya like this. Can't say I mind!"
Nova simply shakes her head. At this rate, the tod's going to end up being more of a handful than all of her kits combined. "Come along," she says, beginning to walk slowly through the grasses, winding carefully around any plants too large step over easily... and of course, pausing whenever she thinks Sanguine could use a brief rest. Fortunately, nothing but open fields separate the pair of foxes from the stream, and her den is just a short journey south along the bank.
Sanguine walks along with Nova, stopping occasionally for breath (and to rest the aches), tail bumping occasionally against hers. Totally by accident, of course. "Thanks," he says with a nod of his head. "Appreciate it." He gives a coy wink with his open eye, tilting his head for a little emphasis, unable to resist. "I'll make sure to... *cough* pay you back."
Nova is not elderly by any means -- her fur has, thankfully, not yet begun to gray -- but she is not a young vixen, and it would take more than a few flirtatious remarks to throw her off her stride. If she notices the way Sanguine's tail happens to brush against hers, she gives no indication. "You're quite welcome." She glances sideways when he mentions paying her back, her ears flicking at the slight playfulness of his tone. "Spare me that," she says, trying to sound serious despite the ghost of a grin. "I'll settle for hearing your side of the story."
Sanguine's reasonably young, but he doesn't find Nova unattractive- after all, perhaps an older vixen is just what he needs right now. Or, you know, perhaps that's just how he is... easy going. But for whatever reason, the interest is there. "Right, right. I won't mention it again!" he promises without very much sincerity at all. His tail continues to not-quite-so-subtly brush against hers... either he thinks he's getting away with it, or takes the lack of response as a positive. "There... really isn't one," he admits, coughing again. He pauses to talk, resting against Nova's flank. "Not so much... she was wounded... but not too badly... flirty, playful, but probably... not too much." He shrugs slightly, rolling his shoulders. "She didn't exactly try to stop me, and it wasn't that hard at all..." A pause. "You made an interesting point, before... she didn't exactly... fight..."
Since the death of Bracken, the vixen has not taken another mate, nor felt any particular desire to. Of course, she has spent the last year rearing her kits... and without her mate to assist her, the five of them kept her thoroughly occupied. Now, however, they are old enough to care for themselves, and Nova spends much of her time alone. Whether she will be susceptible to Sanguine's charm remains to be seen... for the moment she seems tolerant, perhaps slightly amused, and still concerned about his state of health. Nothing more than that. "Without the vixen present, there's no way to tell... and even if she was, I don't know that she could be trusted. She could have had any motive, even trying to dispose of her father by getting him killed in a fight."
Sanguine nods along with Nova's assessment, musing over this idea. "Any one of those are entirely possible," he replies, moving along towards Nova's den. The walk seems to have done him some good- at least, he seems fit enough to travel medium-ish distances with a little help, and short distances unaided. There's more flirtatious play with his tail- swinging it up, letting it brush down over hers, bumping against her legs. It's working so far, so why stop now? Sanguine's mate ran off a while ago, not seen or heard from for some time. Nobody's going to come looking for him- not yet, anyway. He continues to lean against Nova, seeming pleased with himself dispite his injuries and pain.
Nova allows a small grin to curve the corners of her muzzle. "Well, if that /was/ her intention, she certainly picked the wrong tod." Perhaps this is her way of retaliating against the teasing of his tail. Suddenly remembering the other tod's name, she continues, "I don't think Braxton had a scratch on him. Did you even /try/ to defend yourself?" They round a bend as she speaks, and she guides Sanguine toward the entrance of her den, obscured in the shadow of an old oak about a dozen feet from the stream's edge.
Sanguine returns the grin, even giving another wink. Hey- it's pretty obvious he's flirting with her by now, might as well ham it up. "Not exactly," is his answer. "I didn't want to strike him- but I didn't want to die, either." He shrugs slightly, grinning some more at Nova. "Can't quite explain it myself. Let's just say... he had his free shot. If he attacks me again, well- I doubt I'll hold back." His tail flirtatiously flicks up and gives Nova's rump a playful swat- grinning as he hobbles his way into her den, tail swishing behind him. Ooooh yeah... talk about land on your feet.
Nova stops at the den's entrance, letting Sanguine go in ahead of her. It's more than spacious enough to accomodate two foxes, even two adults, but Nova does not follow him inside. Instead, she just sticks her head in, watching to make sure the tod doesn't stumble on his way down... not that a minor tumble would do him much damage. "You may rest here as long as you like." And then she is gone, withdrawing her head from the den and disappearing.