Post by Ashen on May 4, 2009 0:28:43 GMT -5
Characters
Ashen
Skelaghe
Location
Rolling Foothills
Time
Late Winter -- A few hours after "Intruder"
Cold, pain, disorientation. All are perpetual companions to the wayward cub who makes his way along the hills, with not a single idea where he's going. There's a pronounced limp in his left hind leg. A slight, inward bend of his femur evidences it's broken state. His round, golden eyes stare straight ahead, seeing nothing. The knock to his head has robbed Ashen of more than his equilibrium, it's claimed his sight. So, literally unable to know where he's going, Ashen simply walks, guided only by the snow beneath his paws, and the direction of the wind.
What has brought Skelaghe here, when she has spent that last couple weeks just resting? It could be the warmer, though still freezing, temperatures. Or it could just be that she feels she has to get back into the habit of moving regularly, if she and her mate and companions will be moving north before she gives birth. Regardless, she is here, enjoying a slow walk. She knows Sketch died nearby, but she is not searching for it. Hopefully, if she even passes it, she will never know.
The cub stops, shaking so harshly, that he falls over and has to push himself back to his feet. Ashen tilts his head back, sniffing at the air. There's a scent, and it's entirely unfamiliar. He crouches down, not really hidden, but not knowing what else to do. He can't see what it is, where it is, or whether it even knows of his presence or not. The motion grinds at his wounded leg, and he whimpers in pain and fright.
While the wind may be in Ashen's favor, Skelaghe has full use of her eyes, ears, and limbs. She hears the whimper, a sound that pulls at her, and after following it for a few steps she spots the boy. Oh Lord! He is a mess! It's a wonder he's still alive, out here all alone, and with one of his hindlegs abviously broken. Lowering herself to the ground slightly, not yet aware that the boy can't see her, she creeps forward a couple steps and calls out, "Hello there. Are you lost?" He is a cougar. She is near cougar territory. That he got lost after a run-in with some particularly aggressive prey or even another predator seems likely.
Unsure where to go, Ashen merely curls into a ball. He curls his paws around his face to keep the snow from getting to it. His nose stings, although it's the least of his worries. "... lost." He repeats the word. It's almost as good a word as any to describe his current circumstance. At least this strange -- whatever it... she... is -- has not attacked him, yet. The cub stares at the direction he thinks the voice came from. "Yes. I am... lost. Who are you?"
And Skelaghe will not attack this young cougar, not for any reason. At most, she would run, but... That doesn't seem likely. She doesn't think this cougar could be a theat to her, to her unborn pups. "My name is Skelaghe. Are you from Amaranth?" Amaranth is a far way from here. And as Skelaghe continues to creep toward the young cougar, the fact that his eyes do not focus on her... Well, now she knows how he has managed to get so far from his home. Kein must be worried sick, or so she thinks.
Just the mention of Amaranth sends a tremble through the cub. He turns away, a frown setting on his maw. "Not any more." His lower jaw trembles, causing teeth to click against one another. "Don't wanna go back." He blinks, still trying to rid his vision of the haze that's settled over it. "You're not... from there? Are you a cougar?" Ashen can't even tell that much. He's never met a wolf in his life.
Not any more? Whatever her species, she is first sympathetic, and even if he /wanted/ to go back... Skelaghe isn't sure it woud be a good idea. His leg is broken. He's blind. Would Amaranth even accept him back, give him the opportunity to heal, or would they kill him, out of a misplaced sense of mercy and so they wouldn't waste resources that could go to cubs that had a higher chance of survival? Well, Skelaghe is unburdened by other cubs, or pups, at least until spring, and though she could stand to put on a few pounds, she is not starving, so... "I am a wolf... But more importantly, I am a friend." To anyone who needs it, regardless of the species.
A wolf? Ashen flinches, and if his leg didn't protest as much as it is, he'd probably replace some of the distance between himself and Skel. He knows only the bad things he's heard of her kin. But she sounds kind, even friendly enough. Ambivalent, but definitely not going any where, the cub speaks with a small tone. "Then you're not going to take me back." He sounds relieved, with just a hint of regret. Ashen's still a child, after all. A child in a lot of pain, and not only physically so. "I am Ashen." He can muster his courtesy, at least.
"I would not try to force you to do anything against your will, Ashen." For all Skelaghe knows, he sustained these injuries in Amaranth, and they've already made it clear that they cannot sacrifice food for a cub that may very well die anyway. It's cruel, but... Skelaghe understands. "It's not safe here, though. Not everyone you might meet out here may be friendly." And she can't stay to help him. It would bring her mate, eventually, and he would not be pleased. If she is going to leave him here, though, it will not be without first finding him some food... But whether she is going to leave him here at all is still undetermined.
After straightening himself out, enough to at least semi-comfortably sit up, Ashen nods his head gratefully. He has no idea what the real world is like, and hasn't grasped just how fragile his condition really is. Perhaps if he knew, he would try to go back. Or perhaps not. It doesn't matter either way, because he's here now, and not there. "Where can I go that's safe?" He wonders, subconsciously latching onto Skel for the guidance he really needs right now.
"How far do you think you can walk?" Skel really doesn't like the thought of him walking with her back to her territory, but... It's slightly closer than Amaranth, and smoother terrain, besides. Hopefully, it won't damage his leg too much more, and once he is there, he can rest in relative safety, and she can try to find something for him to eat.
"How... far?" Ashen lacks the experience to judge, but he doesn't want to admit as much. "As far as I need to." He answers, standing up with a wince and a whine. On some primitive level, he knows he should be trying harder to veil his pain. But it's not so easy. Especially for a cub like him, who's lived a relatively sheltered life, and isn't used to being hurt this badly.
"Try to walk on your injured leg as little as possible, okay?" Once Skelaghe gets him lying down, in her territory, she'll try to study his leg a little closer, but there's likely little, if anything, she can do to help him, other than to make sure he doesn't do any more damage to it that absolutely necessary to get to safety. "We'll take it as slow as we need to, and if you need to take a rest, you just let me know, all right?"
"Okay." He experiments a few times, to take steps that put as little weight as possible on the injured limb. It's challenging, but Ashen is persistent, and does his best anyway. The cub gravitates toward Skel, using her voice, smells, and the feeling of her body heat, to locate her exactly. "Okay. Don't go too fast." Although he doesn't really have to point that out, he's cautious all the same.
If anything, Skelaghe errs on the side of too slow. It will be a long and laborious trip, but she hopes that it will mean that, one day, he will walk again with little limp at all, one day be able to catch his own food again, with or without the aid of his sight, and one day, prove that every chance should be given to injured cubs to survive. As they walk, she talks, whether about poingent and meaningful observations about the land and the animals in it, or silly stories just meant to fill up time, to help him follow her as surely as the sound of her pawsteps and the warmth of her body do.
Ashen
Skelaghe
Location
Rolling Foothills
Time
Late Winter -- A few hours after "Intruder"
Cold, pain, disorientation. All are perpetual companions to the wayward cub who makes his way along the hills, with not a single idea where he's going. There's a pronounced limp in his left hind leg. A slight, inward bend of his femur evidences it's broken state. His round, golden eyes stare straight ahead, seeing nothing. The knock to his head has robbed Ashen of more than his equilibrium, it's claimed his sight. So, literally unable to know where he's going, Ashen simply walks, guided only by the snow beneath his paws, and the direction of the wind.
What has brought Skelaghe here, when she has spent that last couple weeks just resting? It could be the warmer, though still freezing, temperatures. Or it could just be that she feels she has to get back into the habit of moving regularly, if she and her mate and companions will be moving north before she gives birth. Regardless, she is here, enjoying a slow walk. She knows Sketch died nearby, but she is not searching for it. Hopefully, if she even passes it, she will never know.
The cub stops, shaking so harshly, that he falls over and has to push himself back to his feet. Ashen tilts his head back, sniffing at the air. There's a scent, and it's entirely unfamiliar. He crouches down, not really hidden, but not knowing what else to do. He can't see what it is, where it is, or whether it even knows of his presence or not. The motion grinds at his wounded leg, and he whimpers in pain and fright.
While the wind may be in Ashen's favor, Skelaghe has full use of her eyes, ears, and limbs. She hears the whimper, a sound that pulls at her, and after following it for a few steps she spots the boy. Oh Lord! He is a mess! It's a wonder he's still alive, out here all alone, and with one of his hindlegs abviously broken. Lowering herself to the ground slightly, not yet aware that the boy can't see her, she creeps forward a couple steps and calls out, "Hello there. Are you lost?" He is a cougar. She is near cougar territory. That he got lost after a run-in with some particularly aggressive prey or even another predator seems likely.
Unsure where to go, Ashen merely curls into a ball. He curls his paws around his face to keep the snow from getting to it. His nose stings, although it's the least of his worries. "... lost." He repeats the word. It's almost as good a word as any to describe his current circumstance. At least this strange -- whatever it... she... is -- has not attacked him, yet. The cub stares at the direction he thinks the voice came from. "Yes. I am... lost. Who are you?"
And Skelaghe will not attack this young cougar, not for any reason. At most, she would run, but... That doesn't seem likely. She doesn't think this cougar could be a theat to her, to her unborn pups. "My name is Skelaghe. Are you from Amaranth?" Amaranth is a far way from here. And as Skelaghe continues to creep toward the young cougar, the fact that his eyes do not focus on her... Well, now she knows how he has managed to get so far from his home. Kein must be worried sick, or so she thinks.
Just the mention of Amaranth sends a tremble through the cub. He turns away, a frown setting on his maw. "Not any more." His lower jaw trembles, causing teeth to click against one another. "Don't wanna go back." He blinks, still trying to rid his vision of the haze that's settled over it. "You're not... from there? Are you a cougar?" Ashen can't even tell that much. He's never met a wolf in his life.
Not any more? Whatever her species, she is first sympathetic, and even if he /wanted/ to go back... Skelaghe isn't sure it woud be a good idea. His leg is broken. He's blind. Would Amaranth even accept him back, give him the opportunity to heal, or would they kill him, out of a misplaced sense of mercy and so they wouldn't waste resources that could go to cubs that had a higher chance of survival? Well, Skelaghe is unburdened by other cubs, or pups, at least until spring, and though she could stand to put on a few pounds, she is not starving, so... "I am a wolf... But more importantly, I am a friend." To anyone who needs it, regardless of the species.
A wolf? Ashen flinches, and if his leg didn't protest as much as it is, he'd probably replace some of the distance between himself and Skel. He knows only the bad things he's heard of her kin. But she sounds kind, even friendly enough. Ambivalent, but definitely not going any where, the cub speaks with a small tone. "Then you're not going to take me back." He sounds relieved, with just a hint of regret. Ashen's still a child, after all. A child in a lot of pain, and not only physically so. "I am Ashen." He can muster his courtesy, at least.
"I would not try to force you to do anything against your will, Ashen." For all Skelaghe knows, he sustained these injuries in Amaranth, and they've already made it clear that they cannot sacrifice food for a cub that may very well die anyway. It's cruel, but... Skelaghe understands. "It's not safe here, though. Not everyone you might meet out here may be friendly." And she can't stay to help him. It would bring her mate, eventually, and he would not be pleased. If she is going to leave him here, though, it will not be without first finding him some food... But whether she is going to leave him here at all is still undetermined.
After straightening himself out, enough to at least semi-comfortably sit up, Ashen nods his head gratefully. He has no idea what the real world is like, and hasn't grasped just how fragile his condition really is. Perhaps if he knew, he would try to go back. Or perhaps not. It doesn't matter either way, because he's here now, and not there. "Where can I go that's safe?" He wonders, subconsciously latching onto Skel for the guidance he really needs right now.
"How far do you think you can walk?" Skel really doesn't like the thought of him walking with her back to her territory, but... It's slightly closer than Amaranth, and smoother terrain, besides. Hopefully, it won't damage his leg too much more, and once he is there, he can rest in relative safety, and she can try to find something for him to eat.
"How... far?" Ashen lacks the experience to judge, but he doesn't want to admit as much. "As far as I need to." He answers, standing up with a wince and a whine. On some primitive level, he knows he should be trying harder to veil his pain. But it's not so easy. Especially for a cub like him, who's lived a relatively sheltered life, and isn't used to being hurt this badly.
"Try to walk on your injured leg as little as possible, okay?" Once Skelaghe gets him lying down, in her territory, she'll try to study his leg a little closer, but there's likely little, if anything, she can do to help him, other than to make sure he doesn't do any more damage to it that absolutely necessary to get to safety. "We'll take it as slow as we need to, and if you need to take a rest, you just let me know, all right?"
"Okay." He experiments a few times, to take steps that put as little weight as possible on the injured limb. It's challenging, but Ashen is persistent, and does his best anyway. The cub gravitates toward Skel, using her voice, smells, and the feeling of her body heat, to locate her exactly. "Okay. Don't go too fast." Although he doesn't really have to point that out, he's cautious all the same.
If anything, Skelaghe errs on the side of too slow. It will be a long and laborious trip, but she hopes that it will mean that, one day, he will walk again with little limp at all, one day be able to catch his own food again, with or without the aid of his sight, and one day, prove that every chance should be given to injured cubs to survive. As they walk, she talks, whether about poingent and meaningful observations about the land and the animals in it, or silly stories just meant to fill up time, to help him follow her as surely as the sound of her pawsteps and the warmth of her body do.