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Nov 21, 2024 16:15:18 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2022 17:11:43 GMT
The sun was up, and so like every day, so was Cinders. Had it always been like this? It felt like a lifetime ago, and not merely a week or two, since everything she'd known was torn apart.....literally! Her childhood had ended there and then, not that she was particularly young anyways, by the time it had all gone down she was already being taught the basics of hunting and independence by her parents so surely there wasn't all that much they'd intended to cover. Just slowly weaning her off their help as adults, learning to do it all on her own, at a slower pace than the one she'd been forced to go at in order to stay alive.
But thinking about what happened wouldn't help, especially as right now she was sizing up a rabbit, and so she shook the thoughts from her mind.
There was only the now, hunting bigger and bigger prey every day, first it was squirrels and now entire rabbits all for herself. It wasn't perfect, she was almost constantly on the move, but she was living and getting stronger. Muscles firming beneath skin that didn't hang too loose or cling too tightly, she was spitting in the face of those who had wanted to see her dead, and some days it took all that spite alone just to keep going. Because she had nothing else, there was no reason to keep living considering her family was dead and she had no plans, but because those who hurt the ones she loved wanted her dead she took great pleasure in defying them with every day she lived.
Finally Cinders took the leap, getting her fangs about the rabbits neck and biting down hard, and just like that she'd scored another meal. She didn't give it time to get cold, immediately digging in and to hell with the fur getting in her mouth, perhaps when she would be hunting bigger prey she'd learn to be fussy with that but for now the pup was just happy to eat for the first time this morning. Another meal, a belly full, and another day alive stretching out before her like the dawn.
If only she knew what to do with it all!
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Post by Bri on Jan 23, 2022 20:21:59 GMT
I was made to rise above it @euphie
As always Timber was on the move, not a day went by where she didn't have some kind of task set in her mind. She was still trying to refill the Guild food stores and at this rate it felt like it was never going to get done, but never the less the brawny girl continued on, she had to provide for those who called her Guild theirs.
Thanks to the drought prey was becoming more scarce, but today luck had seemed to be on her side. While prowling the bushes the scent of a rabbit tickled her nose, she kept her head low and followed it, eager for something to fill her belly this morning so she could truly focus on her duty as the Lord. She had been putting off caring for herself to ensure her Guild would continue to thrive and it was starting to effect her. She was starting to feel light headed and as if her sense weren't as sharp as they once were and she didn't like that. She had to have full control a all times.
Finally she spotted the rabbit and she crouched in the brush, ready to pounce when all of a sudden a little brown...thing leapt out, tackling the rabbit and making it its meal. She raised an eyebrow, a bit miffed that she had missed out on a meal but then her eyes widened. Was that a pup? A very young one at that! She frowned, if there was a pup then where was its parents? She scanned the surroundings and waited to see if anyone else would appear but alas...no one did. This made no sense, surely the little thing wasn't alone...was it? She felt a tug at her heart and she slowly walked from the brush, regarding the little pup.
"Well," she spoke, "that was certainly an impressive and unexpected sight." |
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Nov 21, 2024 16:15:18 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 23, 2022 20:43:32 GMT
Cinders was, in reality, still just a child for all her progress into rapidly becoming independent. For every skill that was well honed for her age, there was another that severely lacked, and for all she lived in fear that those who killed her family would return for her she was remarkably unaware of her surroundings. Because everything required so much focus, and she was only a very little thing, for all her attempts she couldn't seem to notice the scent of an adult wolf practically right next to her as those fangs sank down into the rabbits neck and the first bite was secured.
That obliviousness did not last, unfortunately, beyond the first bite. Whether it was the scent of the female finally hitting her or the words she spoke, Cinders bolted upright and looked rather like that rabbit had moments before, because for all her talks of becoming powerful and living to spite her enemies she was yet a pup in the presence of an adult! Entire heartbeats passed and pounded in her ears before she decided that one rabbit was hardly worth her life as she moved to toss it towards the female and bolt.
But she wasn't deaf, and wasn't so unsocialized that she couldn't see the attempt to start a conversation, so hesitently she poked her head about the tree and engaged.
"It's.....just a rabbit, there's nothing impressive about it, even at a month old mama and papa were teaching me how to hunt that. You can have it if you want," Cinders was doing her best to sound aloof, nonchalant, distant from it all as if she didn't care. But behind the tree she was shaking, because whenever she saw an adult wolf these days her mind only went back to that fateful day, when she had learned the hard way that strangers rarely ever had good intentions. Prey had been a bit scarce lately, not that she understood why, but perhaps the offer of the food would distract the wolf long enough for the pup to flee more properly.
Or at least ensure she didn't hurt Cinders.
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Post by Bri on Jan 24, 2022 4:25:40 GMT
I was made to rise above it @euphie Timbers eyes went wide when the pup threw the tiny carcass at her feet and bolted into the brush, her heart panged with sadness. A child-no-a baby shouldn't have to experience this sort of fear. For a moment she thought of her own babies and her ears lowered. The fear they must have experienced as their own father ended their lives. Whatever hunger she had faded away.
"Oh little one," she said softly, lowering herself down to try to seem less threatening, "that is very impressive for a someone like you but come, I mean you no harm, you can finish your meal. You caught it fair and square." She pushed the rabbit away from her with her nose. "Besides, I think I can catch something later." She spoke gently, trying to coax out the tiny pup.
"I won't hurt you and I'm sorry that I startled you, I kind of have a bad habit of sneaking up on others and scaring them. I'm trying to work on that." She added with a small smile. |
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Nov 21, 2024 16:15:18 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 24, 2022 13:29:18 GMT
if the situation weren't so terrifying, Cinders might have to laugh at it all, the sight of a lone wolf having approached her only to have a rabbit carcass tossed at her and the pup themselves flee. How could it be anything but hilarious? And not a few weeks ago she probably would have laughed to see one of her siblings in a similar exchange! But this was now, and Cinders well knew the outside world contained dangers, and so as she remained behind the nearest tree her shaking was not with suppressed laughter but instead barely contained fear. Because she would not go down without a fight, but she was only a small thing and her would-be opponent looked big and strong, if this situation turned hostile she really had no hope of coming out victorious.....or alive.
But as she spied from behind her tree, she didn't sense aggression from the female, and while she well knew not to trust just anyone it seemed odd for the other wolf to be anything less than aggressive and victorious should that be her intent. Granted, it may not be obvious that Cinders was completely alone, but even still it would seem odd to be anything less than relaxed. That's how wolves had been whenever she would encounter them before, they weren't aggressive but they certainly made no attempts to be anything less than in charge, and so in spite of her greater instincts Cinders eased out of her hiding spot more to peek further around the tree and take the sight of the female in.
"I've learned the hard way to run first and ask questions later," she managed after a long moment, but the females words seemed to have the intended effect, and out Cinders came from her hiding spot to retrieve the rabbit she very much desired to keep anyways as big round eyes kept sizing up the situation. She was not unsocialized, but neither did she have much experience outside of her own family, and so for all her cautiousness she was still a child who tended to take others at their word.
After all it's not as though that pack had said anything before eradicating her family.
"It's just a rabbit, like I said my parents were teaching me how to hunt them before, it doesn't seem all that impressive....but thank you. And it's not your fault I ran, my family was attacked recently because I guess we trespassed on a rival packs land, so I've just gotten into the habit of getting skittish whenever someone approaches now," Cinders was hesitent to share the full truth, that she was alone and nothing was stopping the female from doing as she pleased without fear of retaliation, and yet she had gone so long without really speaking to anyone that it was a concentrated effort not to just spill all the secrets and burdens she carried on her tiny shoulders.
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Post by Bri on Jan 25, 2022 3:51:28 GMT
I was made to rise above it @euphie Timbers heart softened from her admission. Her heart went out for the little girl that was creeping out to face her. She was so small...so young, sometimes it was hard for the older woman to remember that at one point long ago she had been that young, that small. Except, her parents had spoiled her and her siblings and took their time to teach them and even then they had recognized their children's individual talents and nurtured them, but Timber had been lucky. She had been the eldest and thus the one meant to be alpha. Back in those days she had been so care free as she been allowed to do whatever she pleased as long as she continued her duties to the pack...that's how she had met the so called love of her life who staged a coupe that resulted in the deaths of every member of her pack. She had been so filled with rage...but it was the event that had brought her here...now in a odd turn of events she had somewhat fulfilled her parents desires: she had a pack of sorts and now spent her days providing for the members, the only difference was that she was alone a majority of time.
"Just a rabbit? My dear, that's still something to be proud of." She said kindly but closed her maw when the pup continued her story, though it almost fell open in surprise.
"Oh...my dear, I'm sorry to hear that," She said softly, "please eat up, get your strength up." They were life times apart and yet what they had gone through were so similar, having lost everything and having to fend for themselves and struggle, the only difference was that Timber didn't have anyone to help her...and she had been considerably older when her tragedy had struck.
"What is your name little one?" She asked, "my name is Timber." |
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Nov 21, 2024 16:15:18 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2022 12:00:27 GMT
The ones she had lost and the ones she Found
And the ones who had loved her the most
It was a terrifying leap of faith for Cinders to leave her hiding place, and yet everything within her begged her to do so, both out of practicality to retrieve her hard won rabbit and because the female seemed to be the first friendly face Cinders had seen since....well since the attack. At least, she seemed friendly, and now that the pup thought about it she was sure the smell of her parents had long faded - especially after her recent bath - and so while Cinders hadn't said it outright it's possible the other wolf knew there would be no repercussions to simply....stealing her rabbit and pushing Cinders around to her will.
But she didn't, she spoke softly and tried to appear less threatening, and it worked.
It hadn't always been like this, creeping towards an adult like they would lash out, but it took so many heartbeats now to close the distance between her and the other wolf as if fearing at any moment she might change her mind and attack. After all that was how it went last time, there was no warning, no discussion, just one day wolves had fallen upon their den and spilled enough blood to choke her and her family out from existence.....and they had nearly succeeded.
"I do my best! I have to, after all, if I don't catch enough food then I don't eat," Cinders demurred in that way of a flattered youth who didn't know how to take compliments, her parents had always been free with their praise but now that they were gone she'd never expected to hear those sort of warm words ever again! But it certainly helped ease the tension, because unless the female simply enjoyed getting Cinders guard down before striking, there was no need for....for being so nice like this.
"Cinders, it's nice to meet you, you're not like the others," she allowed hesitantly, easing down onto her haunches as she dug into the rabbit as bid, she was hungry after all and it was only politeness and fear that had kept her from digging into her rabbit before. But even as she tore into it, something occurred to her, and she glanced back up to the other wolf.
"If you really aren't here to hurt me.....why are you here? I don't often see many wolves out in these woods. It's why I've kind of made them my home," |
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Post by Bri on Jan 25, 2022 18:28:17 GMT
I was made to rise above it @euphie Timber watched as Cinders crept from her safe place in the brush, it meant that Timber's words were working and that gave her some pride. The fae knew she came off as intimidating, what with her brawny and scar covered frame and of course the long gashes on her muzzle that she enhanced with the red mark of the Mercurior-but looking intimidating came with being the Lord, the one before her had a pelt covered in more scars than fur and had pieces of his ears missing from many battles and he wasn't afraid to show them off-and his red brands ran under his eyes like smears of blood. She remembered when she first saw him-made her stop in tracks and made her think that she wanted to be just as strong as he...and eventually beat him.
Those days had been long and filled with blood. She had joined as a nobody but continuously worked until the day she was able to challenge her predecessor and win. Up until the moment she had become Lord she had been an assassin, treating every mark coldly and is if they were part of the group that had destroyed her pack, her family, made her truly alone in this world. She had seen everything through red and rage, it was what powered her as she paced in front of the larger male and she remembered how she saw him as Myax. The battle between them felt like it lasted hours but those around recounted it was only minutes, the crowd in awe as this no name assassin beat their lord into the ground as if he was a butterfly knocked out of the air by a pup. By the time he surrendered there was hardly any life left in him and he had left with a tail tucked between his legs while Timber stood, pelt more red than brown, and with a heaving chest as she came to realize this was the closest she would get to revenge and as she had met the eyes of every wolf she realized she had new souls to care for. Perhaps the Mercurior weren't the regular pack structure but she was their Lord and this her responsibility...which lead her here and to this pup.
"That is very true Cinders, no food means no eating." She agreed though it pained her that someone so little had to worry about something that was meant for adults. A frowned crossed her face at the pups remark of her not being like the others, assuming she meant the ones who had murdered her family. She held back the grumble wanting to free itself from her chest. She wished that she knew who these murderers were so she could take care of them herself.
She tilted her head towards the little girl, bringing herself back to the present once again. "You don't see many wolves here because this is Neutral Land," she said gently, "but I am out here trying to refill the food and stores for my Guild and trying to hunt something down for myself, though you're having better luck than I am." She teased. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 25, 2022 19:56:17 GMT
The ones she had lost and the ones she Found
And the ones who had loved her the most
A huge leap of faith didn't even begin to describe what Cinders was doing, this act of trusting in some foreign wolf who looked at least as roughed up and tossed about by life as herself, but perhaps that was exactly what drew her out from the tree like a moth to the flame.
Here was just hoping she didn't get burned.
But the females smile did not turn vicious, her body remained relaxed and unthreatening, until at last Cinders approached and lowered herself as well to begin tearing the meat from her prize. A rabbit was a rare treat after all! Usually it was squirrels, or insects, anything to keep the hunger pangs at bay. But the rabbit alone could keep her for hours, certainly enough to hunt more food, and the prospect of having free time in the day was as daunting as it was exciting. Then again, for the first time since the attack, she found herself wanting to use that time to actually talk and learn about the female that had found her.
"I'm going to look like you when I grow up!" she declared, quite out of the blue, as she had gotten quite distracted eating and taking in the appearance of her visitor. Scarred yet strong, scary but safe, everything she had vowed to herself since that fateful day. The female was everything she aspired to be, and for the first time her tail began to wag, because her fear was forgotten and in it's place a far more dangerous emotion took route.
Admiration.
And so she listened silently as the female spoke, taking note that she was indeed safe here, neutral territory meant no one would likely come after her like they had her family. Of course, that still left her rather directionless, but it was impossible to miss the tenseness flee her overworked body once Cinders realized it was truly all over. Not that she was done with them but even as young as she was Cinders knew revenge would take time for her to get strong enough to enact it.
"What's a guild?" it was an abrupt change of topic, but how could Cinders not change directions, because as a pup she was curious about everything. She knew the standard social structures, how packs worked and how sometimes they made alliances, but guild was a word she'd never heard anymore.
and like any ambitious pup she thirsted to learn more. |
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Post by Bri on Jan 25, 2022 20:39:10 GMT
I was made to rise above it @euphie Timber watched as the girl tore into her prey. How long had it been since her last proper meal? If Timber had the strength she would go fall a deer right now and share it between them, but in her state, even if the drought weekend the deer, she knew she would be no match, especially by herself. She sighed and rested her head on her paws, choosing to ignore her huger so that she could watch over this little being. Though moments later her head shot up at the pups declartion.
"You...want to look...like...me?" She repeated slowly, quirking a brow, "I would reconsider that child, I wouldn't wish this look on anyone." She laughed, though her thoughts drifted back to her younger years. She had far less scars then, her face had been flawless and many had told her she was beautiful. Though in hindsight she felt most of them said that because she was destined to be their alpha, but the praise had still made her chest feel with pride. During those innocent years she had a few proposals, take on a mate from another pack in order to strengthen alliances, but that hadn't been what she wanted. She had dreamed for 'true love' and ventured out into the unknown to find it and she had. But we all know that backfired horribly. She was coated in scars now and her shoulders were still weighed down by guilt. If she had just followed the rules perhaps everyone would still be alive...
As she stared down at this pup, with such hope and dedication in her eyes, and though Timber couldn't guarantee it, she wanted her to be safe. A strong urge to care for this pup over took her and the dame leaned her head closer to Cinders, playfully snorting some air in her face. "Be yourself child, there's no use in looking like someone else." She cooed.
"Now as for a Guild, it's like a pack. I lead a Guild called the Mercurior, we are new to the land and trying to survive here. We are similar to a pack in a way that we all share ties, a kinship, but unlike a pack we all split apart, we take care of ourselves and only meet twice a year in person to live like an actual pack, other than that everyone is free to do as they wish in this area and take on jobs that fall under their rank. We all hunt and care for ourselves unless someone runs low on food or medicine, in that case we have stores of food and medicine that anyone in our group can access at any time. Think of this as a pack, but with much more freedom." She explained. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 26, 2022 17:20:56 GMT
The ones she had lost and the ones she Found
And the ones who had loved her the most
Cinders, as a side effect of her lifestyle, had become very selfish as a survival mechanism. She prioritized herself first, as obviously there was no one else around her to do so, but for all that acquired selfishness she still had hardly lost her empathy. Food was hard to come by in general, but even harder as of late, and while her life was barely that long she could still hardly recall the last time it had rained.
Not that she grasped the greater implications but she could put two and two together!
Of course, before she had decided to go hunt her new friend food, she had spoken of envying her looks! There was, after all, a very good reason that Cinders was afraid of her at first! But the response she got was less than encouraging, and Cinders had to struggle not to roll her eyes, because really how could looking like the female be anything bad? She was the epitome of the wolf you kept your distance from, and Cinders was lucky she was friendly, so as a pup alone in the world how could Cinders not envy those sort of looks!?
"But no one would mess with me if I looked like you! Not that evil pack from before, or other wolves, or anybody!" she protested, quite seriously even if not aggressively, because her young mind just couldn't understand that most of the markings on the females bodies were indeed not markings at all but scars. She could only see safety, and even had she known, it likely wouldn't have made a difference, some temporary pain was easy enough if it promised safety.
"I just think, if I look scary, then nobody will ever hurt me again," she offered quietly in explanation for her previous stubbornness, the female had been so kind after all and she didn't want to ruin this, even though this very thing - emotional connections - was what she had sworn to never indulge in since that fateful night. And yet her following words were the same irreguardless.
"Don't move, i'll get you something to eat, be right back," Cinders offered, and giving the female no time to protest, bolting off into the brush and working to track down another rabbit. It wasn't entirely out of the goodness of her heart, that womans talk of a guild had spoken to her, all the benefits of a pack with none of the emotional ties to risk losing all over again. Even if a small voice inside told her she wasn't as much of a loner as she gave herself credit, the loss was still fresh in her mind, and it was the main reason she simply hadn't sniffed out the nearest pack to ask for protection.
She may be naive but she did still know some things regarding pack society.
"Here, you said one rabbit was impressive, here's a second one! So am I good enough to join?" Cinders declared proudly as she pranced back in with a freshly killed rabbit, determination making up for what she lacked in size and skill, before she all too casually lay back down to continue eating her own rabbit. Hunting tended to build up quite an apatite after all! |
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Post by Bri on Jan 27, 2022 4:48:32 GMT
I was made to rise above it @euphie Timber was stunned into silence as the little pup explained that no one would mess with her if she looked like her. She took a moment to say anything, she had a point. The wolves she encountered that weren't part of her guilt tended to steer clear, she could see them from a distance and would tense for a fight-only for them to bow their heads and keep going. back when she was unmarked it was almost the opposite. Males would approach her to try to woo her and when that failed would try to fight her, though realized fairly quick that it was a mistake and as for females? They would try to get in her good graces or try to knock her down a peg, thinking she was too confident. Timber had shown them pretty quick that was a mistake too. Her gaze softened as Cinders continued.
"Oh Cinders," she sighed, "sometimes, when you look like this others avoid you, or they come up to you and demand a fight, as if they want to prove something." She said, thinking of the few times strangers would try to attack as if it was their purpose to destroy her in order to feel better about themselves. Often they left with their tails between their legs and with less confidence than what little they had before.
She was about to continue about how looks didn't always mean particularly good or bad things but then the little pup declared her mission and was gone, leaving the older dame staring after her, stunned. Timber wanted to jump up and run after her but she was gone so fast she wasn't sure if she would be helpful or not. She laid there at a loss, since when was the last time she relied on someone else to take care of her? Especially someone so young? She wasn't sure how to feel about this whole thing. Her throat felt dry but before she could speak again the pup was back. It seemed that she was a lot more skilled than the Lord had already given her credit for.
"I...wow," she said, looking down at the rabbit then her head snapped up, fully comprehending what Cinders had said. "You want to join?" |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2022 17:45:09 GMT
The ones she had lost and the ones she Found
And the ones who had loved her the most
For the first time since that fateful night, Cinders realized she was being seen, not just as the vulnerable young pup left tragically without a family but also the survivor of a trial by fire that had forged her into something far more than her looks would imply. It was terrifying and relieving all at once, allowing her to breathe finally and yet also causing her to feel strangely vulnerable, even Cinders herself didn't quite understand the changes she had endured and yet here she was showing them off to someone else who could judge her.
But, then again, wasn't the whole point that this one was different?
"But that's still a fifty percent chance in my favor! And in the process of looking like that I'll surely become strong too! So if anyone does try to fight me I can handle them," Cinders declared as, in the end, it was not judgment but advice that came her way. It was good advice she supposed, there wasn't any actual fault she could think of with it, and yet between the fact she already tended to avoid others and the knowledge that growing to look like her new friend would surely make her strong enough to take those that would find her and dare approach.
Cinders probably would have continued to argue, against any and all oppositions to her view even as they were perfectly logical, but thankfully for both canines sanity she got distracted. Talks of a guild, of the safety of a pack and it's resources without the need to risk forming and losing those bonds all over again, and even though she was rapidly growing attached to it's apparent leader that was still only one risk as opposed to.....many of them.
So Cinders set off to prove herself, one rabbit scored for herself had been impressive apparently, and so surely capturing another to feed her hungry companion would be even more so. Not that it was easy, which was why it was both a good challenge and demonstration of her skills, but in the end sheer stubborn determination filled the gap age and experience left as she trotted back with her second rabbit today.
"Like I said, my pack was attacked and killed and I'm the only real survivor, and so I'm alone in the world. But I'm afraid, afraid of joining a new pack and making connections and just losing it all over again, but I was thinking....maybe yours is distant enough that won't be as great a risk....maybe I could join and not have to worry about being hurt?" Cinders insides squirmed at being so openly vulnerable, but this was part of joining a pack again, there would have to be some vulnerability and affection even if she had sworn to never fall into that trap again. But it was still safer this way, she wouldn't be forced to view everyone as her family, and so if they died she wouldn't have to mourn them like those she had just lost.
Well except for the one who had brought her into the fold perhaps.
"It's not that I don't like you! I do! I just.....I don't want to grow to love too many people only to lose them all over again..." |
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Post by Bri on Jan 28, 2022 22:18:00 GMT
I was made to rise above it @euphie Timber couldn't help but admire the tenacity that burned inside the pup and a smile pulled at her lips. "I have no doubt that you can handle them then." She nodded, though she hoped this little one wouldn't have to face further challenges in her life. She deserved to spend these years enjoying them and being able to act as a child before she was really forced to grow into an adult and be focused on survival. The world was so cruel to those that didn't deserve it. A little pup shouldn't have had to be forced to confront an adult like her and confess her bloody history in hopes of not having her own life ended.
Her head bowed, eyes focused on the grass as she waited, though it did cross her mind, what if this had been a tactic for her to run off under the guise of hunting prey? She was about to push herself to her feet to follow the little one's scent, panicked that she had let a vulnerable little thing out of her sight and now would never find her again, but as she was about to rise the pup came bounding back into sight, pulling the rabbit with her as if it was nothing. She was about to speak when the little one spoke again.
Every word and how easy it came out was like a hot coal digging into her heart. She lowered her head, coming to eye level with Cinders. "It's hard to allow yourself to bond with others after losing so much," she said softly, "I've been through the same my darling and it is hard, but making connections with others is part of living...of of course you can join my Guild, but under one condition: you don't leave my sight until after you get stronger. What kind of Lord would I be if I just let my Guildmates wander around without the proper training and rank?" She tilted her head and smiled, though in the back of her mind she wondered...how was she going to travel with a pup? She still had to meet with that pack in the mountains...maybe she would find a Guild mate to watch over the girl until business was done...that would be delt with when it came to it, she decided, as of right now she had to ensure that the girl before her would stay with her, |
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Nov 21, 2024 16:15:18 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 29, 2022 1:24:20 GMT
The ones she had lost and the ones she Found
And the ones who had loved her the most
It was a little bit embarrassing, that after all the growing up she had done, Cinders could be so childishly stubborn. And yet her heart would not admit defeat, she could make herself look strong enough to ward off most and eventually truly become strong enough to fight those who still dared approach her, because it was the only option she had. Get strong or die, build walls about her heart to defend it from more pain, these all weren't thing she chose to do but necessities so she could live to spite the world which had tried to destroy her.
That being said all the reasons in the world couldn't stop the embarrassment.
So when the other wolf reassured her it only brought back that swelling in her chest, a desire she'd sworn to forever stamp down and never recognize again. But then, oh no, Timber gave her an excuse to indulge in those feelings and Cinders could practically feel that hard shell she'd surrounded herself in for protection start to crack. Because the guild was just loose enough she could bare it, attachment but not quite like before, and surely given the circumstances the wolves within such a group must be stronger than average and able to protect themselves. It was the closest she'd had to safety, the first hope in a dark and spiteful world, and Cinders latched upon it.
It's why she was quick to volunteer to get food after that, even if in hindsight she'd left her would be packmate unsure of if they had been abandoned, she'd needed to escape before she had a breakdown of tears and instead channel those pesky and useless emotions into something productive....like hunting! And so she caught another rabbit, and even though it was a great victory for someone so small, she was far too focused on proving herself as she returned it last and presented it to the other wolf who was (thankfully) still there.
"It's all the more reason we should stick together then!" she declared once they got back to speaking, for if there was a greater power in this universe it would seem their meeting was no accident, they had both known what it was like to live through losing everything and perhaps together they could find some amount of peace to those horrors. Timber was strong, she could teach Cinders to be strong as well, and together the pair of them could ensure this eclectic new pack of theirs never met the same awful fate.
Even as her heart desperately tried to regain it's cold and distant space.
"Of course, imma stay with you and together we're going to become strong enough this never happens again, it's a promise!" Cinders declared, innocent to the fact she had only made the promise to herself as children so often were, but in this case that was a good thing. For a moment, however brief it lasted, Cinders was a happy child who could think naïve thoughts once more. |
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