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Author Topic: Absolute Territory [Lion!]  (Read 3238 times)

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Re: Absolute Territory [Lion!]
« Reply #20 on: April 14, 2018, 05:19:09 pm »
No weapons. No clothes. No nothing.

All that Morrigan had was her own two fists, and sweet Darlin' standing between her and this other nasty wolf who'd decided to come out of nowhere, likely of his own decision rather than the Alpha's, to try his hand at being a piece of shit today.

A soft growl bubbled up in her throat at his words; she immediately doubted every syllable, and as the hairs raised on the back of her neck, she noticed Darlin's muscles tensing in a similar reaction. This guy wanted a fight, and it looked like he was about to get it.

A chill went up her spine as he lunged at Darlin' in the water; instinctively she took a step back to get out of the way, yelping as the two of them collided, precious droplets flying in the air and making her flinch. In that moment, Daiv's hand swiped out and caught her by the neck. In the flurry of panic she followed the motion to lessen impact, moving forward and out of the way as she shifted to a true werewolf; the texture of her fur made his hand slip, and she was allowed her escape.

Though running was the last thing she did.

A twist of white hot anger burned through her core and she retaliated against his attack by stepping around Darlin' to punch Daiv in the face before she threw the entirety of her weight into him with a snarling roar to get him off of Darlin'. Her sharp canines found their way into his shoulder and sank in, the salty iron taste of blood hitting her hard as the other wolf snarled back and punched her in the stomach.

With a shake of her head she twisted away, ripping out chunks of flesh and backing off a few steps, lips pulled back in a snarl with bright red staining her teal and brown muzzle as she bared her teeth threateningly, tail lashing behind her as her fur stood right up on end.

She was not his. She was not the Alpha's. She didn't belong to anybody, and she sure as hell wasn't afraid of a fight if it meant proving her damn point. Could she last against the whole pack? No, but thinking of the future was something she was incapable of right now.

This motherfucker decided he could just waltz in here and try his hand at stickin' his dick in her like he thought it'd be a waltz in the fucking park, and decided to pick a fight with poor Darlin' while he was at it. That, that made her blood fucking boil. There was a valid reason why she was still alive here in the Wastes after years spent traveling alone. It was what she'd been trained for since she was small, and fighting was something she knew well enough. She preferred long range, but hand to hand could have its merits, and she wasted no time in charging the wolf to slam into him again, snagging her claws on his hands as she held onto them tightly, pushing his arms to the sides from where he'd raised them to his chest in defense, and lunged for his throat with her teeth.

Offline Lion

Re: Absolute Territory [Lion!]
« Reply #21 on: May 09, 2018, 12:34:54 pm »
Daiv was battle scarred and the holes in his hide and flesh would heal with time. They always did just like the one over his left eye where it'd been clawed out by another wolf. Daiv was lean and long limbed, not quite the stocky firm build Darlin' had. And despite Morrigan's fervent bites, claw strikes, and the sheer force by which she wouldn't be tamed, he was wily and when she lunged for his throat, he shifted fully, his strength coming full force.

Daiv reversed the grip she had on his hands and moving with the force she played against him, instead turning his body so that when she lunged forward she was slammed back and to the side against the edge of the pool with enough force to crack the stone. And for all her ferocity, for all she was trained for, it only made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end even more as he snagged her by the neck and started to squeeze down in a death grip.

Darlin' mean while was still dizzy from being chucked aside and recovered to the image of Daiv's back to him. He didn't waste any more time, shifting fully and throwing himself onto the larger werewolf, sinking his teeth into the spot between his shoulder and neck and tearing out a thick chunk of flesh. He dug in again and again and Daiv screamed at the feel, forgetting Morrigan momentarily as Darlin' continued to rip out his throat.

Those horrific sounds, the kind his brother made when he tried to stop his father flashed into the back of Darlin's mind, the cries of a life leaving a body. But to protect someone that did nothing to warrant aggression, that instinct burned hotter in the smaller maroon furred wolf.  He didn't hear the commotion of Daiv's screams or Jaspar and 5 others wading into the pool to pull Darlin' off Daiv's limp corpse or a shock collar placed around Morrigan's neck.

He only vaguely saw them both dragged out of the water and the adrenaline gradually left him. "ENOUGH!" the bellow behind him made stone quake. The cavern trembled and Darlin' felt the reverberation deep into his skeleton.  His eyes twitched, cutting over to Morrigan in the collar and amped up current sent through her to subdue her aggression.

"Stop!" he griped out, choking back a whimper when Jaspar's fist came flying into his face.

"Cage the both of them. And pull Daiv from the water.  What a fucking mess."  Jaspar didn't ask what happened. Although it seemed pretty clear to him, and both Darlin' and Morrigan were transported to thick silver plated steel cages, just big enough for a grown man to sit upright in.  They weren't placed together, just side by side.  And with a whimper Darlin' watched her carefully, already feeling the dread that she might never wake up.

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Re: Absolute Territory [Lion!]
« Reply #22 on: May 21, 2018, 06:28:54 pm »
Mori was usually pretty good about bargaining and finagling her way out of fights when it came to it. Not that she was afraid of them, or bad at them, but it was smart to be frugal about one's energy and save it when possible, and getting into it with someone wasted a lot. She'd almost forgotten the burn of another wolf's claws, the tang of iron in her mouth and the ringing in her head, the stars in her vision, when she was thrown back against the cavern wall.

It felt like somewhere off in the distance she heard the crack of rock, but more loud than that was the snapping of bones. It cut off her shriek and when she slid down to the ground to lay there in the water she couldn't move to lift her head out of it. The cold water rushed over her nose, mouth and eyes as she started to sink, and she was in such a cloudy daze she couldn't register what was happening--where she was, that she was sinking under the water and would probably drown if she didn't drag herself out of it. She didn't register that it wasn't that she wasn't trying to move her limbs--it was that she couldn't.

Something warm and painful rushed over her throat and she was lifted from the cold wet, gasping for air with water clogging her nostrils and that warm wet iron bubbling up her throat and backing up into her mouth. Everything was rushing by so fast in her head, and then red spots clouded her vision, made her eyes squeeze shut. Her hearing went in and out from the thundering of water to the growls and snarls of wolves, and back down into the cold wet.

Submerged again once released, the world went quiet and when she opened her eyes all she saw was a dark blur and splotches of red clouding the water. She couldn't smell if it was her blood, or Darlin's, or the other wolf's. The world was quickly growing fuzzy again, and when she was lifted from the water she was completely limp as she felt something brush against her fur and then it all went dark.



When Morrigan was tossed into the cage beside Darlin's, the other wolf was completely still where she lay. A soggy lump, wet fur sticking together in clumps, it was hard to judge the true nature of the damage. Spots of blue and golden fur were darkened burgundy with blood, sticky around her neck and oozing, dripping into the puddles of water that were starting to gather under her on the floor of the cage. Her breaths were shallow, so much so they were barely noticeable unless if you stared long enough, but her heartbeat was still strong.

It was a few hours before she came to again, slowly opening her eyes until they were barely half-lidded, her skull aching and throbbing in pain, vision blurry. An ear twitched and the movement sent jolts of pain coursing through her, though the wave ended abruptly around her mid back. After a few moments of lying there, whimpering hardly loudly enough to be heard, she attempted moving again, this time twitching a clawed finger. Index, then middle, then ring, then pinky and thumb. Her hand twitched, and with slow ginger movements she reached out from where her arms had been haphazardly tucked under her chest and belly. Her muscles were stiff, aching and sore, and slowly she stretched her arms forward until her fingertips brushed against the bars of the cage. It hurt, hot to the touch.

She tried to draw one of her legs under herself to sit up as she pushed herself up on her arms, and noticed at that point that she felt no pain from the waist down at all.

She glanced back and saw that her hind legs hadn't moved at all. Even an inch. She tried to flex her toes, and nothing happened. Tried to make her tail twitch, nothing.

"F-Fuck," She whimpered, the words sounding strange with her muzzle as she tried to roll herself over based entirely on upper body strength.

Flopping onto her back she stared at the ceiling of the cage and realized as panic started to swell up inside her, threatening to engulf her at any moment, that her back was currently very, very broken. Her breaths came in short pants as the anxiety and horror set in, despite her desperately trying to fight it.

Sure, she'd broken arms, legs, even her tail once. That happened. That was normal. Those healed relatively quick, but her back? Never.

Would it heal?

Maybe.

But if it did, who knew how long it would take--and if it didn't? What if it didn't at all? She was going to die. She was going to be forced into slavery to be this Alpha's mate whether she liked it or not, confined and chained and forced to bear children till the day she died and suddenly even the shock collar around her neck couldn't reel her terrified whines in, couldn't stop her from clawing weekly at the bars despite how it burned her pads and singed her claws. She needed to get out. This couldn't stop her. She needed to get out. Out. Right now. Out.

Get out. Get out get out get out get out get out get out--

Offline Lion

Re: Absolute Territory [Lion!]
« Reply #23 on: May 21, 2018, 07:01:39 pm »
The thought that she’d never move, that she was a broken mess and it was all his fault brought nothing short of cold dread in the pit of his stomach. Darlin’ frowned and felt a soft whine erupt from his throat as he observed her from his cage. Already his heart was throbbing. Here she was dying, and somewhere in a dark pit, Daiv was being thrown, a carcass left to rot. If by some miracle she was still alive - even after all that - he promised she would be safe and he would fight tooth and nail to making sure that happened.

“C’mon,” he whispered, the whining slithering out of his throat again, his face leaning almost leaning against the bars, but not quite touching the silver. His arm shifted between them, trying to reach out toward her. The distance between them was just so that if she managed to reach out, their hands might touch. That was, if she would just fucking move. “You can do it. Wake up.”  The whispers were little more than soft tendrils he wanted to sliver over to her, to brush against the tufts of fur that had been matted with blood.

A small leaning too much to the left caused his arm to singe against the silver. With a yelp he retreated and stayed curled up at the center of the cage, panting heavily and the sensation of the cage suddenly becoming too small for him increased the agitation and desire to rage against it. For all his wounds, the scrapes and cuts and scuffs and bruises that were starting to take hold on him, he had little energy to break. Another day of rest and maybe that steel wouldn’t stand a chance, but that sting of silver kept him at bay.

And made his desperation all that much more unbearable.

Until she started to move.

He gasped and pressed forward against the bars.

“Morrigan,” he whispered, coughing as he cleared his throat, trying to find his voice to reach her. “Morrigan!”  His time his tone was harsher.  “Morrigan, can you hear me?”  Seeing her struggle as she was, he touched at the bars again, withstanding the pain to try and reach an arm out to her again.

“Morrigan don’t struggle.  The bars won’t give. I can’t even break them. I promise I’ll get you out of there. I’ll make good on that promise,” he murmured enough for her to hear. Her posture and the clear cut way her legs didn’t move made it evident being thrown around had did more damage than he would have thought. She was in no condition to be mated with. No condition to even be handled by anyone.

He moved back from the at the approach of another packmate, one that smacked the bars with a whip.  “No touching the goods, Darlin’. You’re lucky you weren’t ordered to be ravaged then and there. Not even in the fun way,” he cackled. “The fuck is wrong with you. You sick in the head or something? Tch! Nevermind, I don’t wanna know nor do I care. You carrying on this way over a fucking shewolf, and that cunt is going to get you in trouble.”

“Look at her you fool, she’s hurt! She can’t fucking move! Because your boys can’t keep their fucking hands to themselves,” Darlin’ growled from where he sat at the center of the cage. “There’s something wrong with her back. And if you think Ignatius is going to want her like that, you’ve got another thing coming. I won’t just be punished, but so will the rest of the pack for letting her get broken. Can’t even do one simple job, Angus.”

Angus knelt down in front of her cage and cracked his whip in order to get her to stop clawing at the bars.  “Settle down!”

“She won’t listen to you,” Darlin’ hissed again. “She’s much too scared! Fuck you’re so stupid! Shoulda died with the rest of your littermates, Angus, fucking moron.”

“And just what do you think you’re going to do?”

Darlin’ didn’t actually have an answer, not even as he shifted closer to the bars and reached out once again to try and take her hand. “Morrigan, do you trust me?”

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Re: Absolute Territory [Lion!]
« Reply #24 on: May 21, 2018, 08:42:06 pm »
In the midst of her panic, she didn't hear him at first. Didn't recognize his scent immediately, even though he was familiar he was still a stranger--thus it took him the second or third try of saying her name before she suddenly stopped, wheezing and panting as her heart hammered its way up into her throat, blood rushing and throbbing in her veins as she looked over with wide eyes and saw a human face staring back at her.

A soft whine escaped her as the trembles wracked the upper half of her body; it took her a moment before her ears perked and swiveled forward as in all her fear she remembered his face, his body, his scent. She wiggled closer to the bars, knowing if she shifted right now she'd be in far worse pain then than she was now, and far more vulnerable. As it was, her claws were drawn and scraping at the floor of her cage as she got as close as she could to him, realizing he was all she had right now, and if he was caged up... What did that mean?

The sound of the approaching wolves made her jolt violently with fear as her head whipped toward them with her lips drawn back in a wild snarl, the fear bringing out the true coyote in her as she showed them the whites of her eyes and teeth with a sharp bark of warning. The fur on the back of her neck stood up, and while she vaguely registered the sound of Darlin's voice telling the main antagonist that he was an idiot, the sound of the whip against the bars of her cage had her jump again, knocking her prison back a few inches as she shook in fear and anger.

She wasn't going to let this be the end of her, she absolutely fucking refused. She'd find her way out of here, she had to. She always did! She'd gotten out of things like this before, so what if this was the worst!? There'd always be a time after this one that was even less better off--

Her ears swiveled toward Darlin' and she stilled for a moment, the snarl softening with a whine as she reacted as quickly as she could, shoving her furry arm through the bars of the cage to rest her padded hand in his, holding it tight despite the burning of the bars against her chest and shoulder as she shoved herself against them.

She trusted him more than anyone else here right now, and he was all she had. She couldn't afford not to, and even though she was too wound up to fully vocalize, the signal of her hand in his should have said more than enough.

She just hoped he had a plan, because she was on empty.

Offline Lion

Re: Absolute Territory [Lion!]
« Reply #25 on: May 21, 2018, 09:08:28 pm »
The second Angus saw her pawed hand slip into Darlin's, he growled and cracked his whip at the pair of them, the small shockwave of it ripping against his wrist and slashing his skin open along his forearm. Darlin’ retracted his hand and stared Angus dead in the eye. “If you want her to get better, than she needs to be kept away from the others. Ignatius won’t like the condition she’s in. Let me take care of her. She’ll be right as rain. I ain’t going anywhere,” he muttered and nursed his forearm.

The gash was a small one, but the throbbing was secondary to the racing of his heart beat, in getting some kind of care for Morrigan’s wounded back. Angus huffed and stood, stalking away toward a wall where there were a set of shock collars and he snatched one in hand and threw it into the cage, the collar flying deftly between the bars. “Put it on. You try anything and you’re fried,” he hissed.

Angus waited until the collar was secured around Darlin’s neck, and once that was in place the cage door opened. Darlin’ crawled out and the door was opened to Morrigan’s.  He reached inside and gently plucked her out, holding her bridal style while he kept her close to him, cradling her to his chest.  “To the med ward, the two of you. Run and you’re toast,” he warned again.

Darlin’ said nothing, only obeyed like a good beta did and just kept Morrigan firmly planted against him, keeping her gaze averted as they moved to a wider area. A locked cell door with the same silver bars that Angus closed behind them and locked firmly.  “Look at her back and see what needs fixing. Otherwise I’ll just tell Ignatius that you broke her,” he cackled and stalked off.

Darlin’ took the collar off his neck and hers as well, tossing them to the side, forgetting his own wounds as he gently set her down on the small cot in the corner of the dimly lit cell. “Morrigan,” he whined and knelt down beside her. “Morri, your legs are fucked.” As if that wasn’t obvious enough.  “Stupid, stupid. Me. I’m stupid. I’m sorry. This is all my fucking fault.”  He wasn’t the petulant sort but when someone couldn’t walk after getting into a scuffle you started, it was a little hard not to feel guilty. Darlin’ rolled her gently onto her side and examined her back, where the line that normally was there, was not as it should be.

“You’re going to be ok. I’ll get you out of here. I said I would. I don’t make promises lightly,” he hissed, trying to see what he could even do.  Support it?  Have her lay against him?  Wouldn’t that just make it worse if she was already twisted like a pretzel?

He felt tears pricking at the corner of his eyelids, and one slide down his cheek, making clean the dirt that lightly battered his face, and he leaned over Morrigan’s face, rubbing his cheek against hers. “I’ll get you out.”

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Re: Absolute Territory [Lion!]
« Reply #26 on: May 21, 2018, 09:36:17 pm »
The crack of the whip made her bark, and the sent of fresh flesh hitting her nose made her bark and snarl again as she snapped her teeth in the direction of Angus; the bastard, he'd get what was coming for him. She'd make damn sure of that. The fire that flared up inside of her, the anger that boiled in her gut at him for hurting Darlin', there was no mistaking. She'd remember him. She made sure of it.

She whined softly as she watched Darlin' put on the collar, silently willing him not to for fear that the other wolf would blatantly lie and shock him to death regardless. But when he was let out of his cage, a bit of relief let her muscles relax just a tad, until her cage was unlocked too and then Darlin's warm, strong arms were wrapping around her and pulling her close.

Instantly she clung to him as best as she could, her legs and tail as limp as a ragdoll while he carried her, swaying with the motion of his walk. She refused to look at Angus, instead keeping her head against Darlin's chest, trying to focus on the sound of his rapidly beating heart, taking refuge in knowing that hers wasn't the only one.

Once they were locked into the cell she finally felt as though she could breathe again. While they were still trapped, at least they were trapped together, and the moment the collars came off she was immediately grateful. Even as she was set gingerly down on the cot, a soft warble trembled in her throat before she was rolled onto her side so he could look at the damage.

"You're not stupid, Darlin', no--" She whimpered, her voice hoarse as he leaned over her and her heart throbbed, warmth spreading over her and feeling... Oddly reassuring as she soaked up the heat he gave off, and closed her eyes and nuzzled back against his cheek with her own as she tenderly reached up, muscles still screaming in protest, to run her padded fingers through his dirty hair.

"You saved my life." She whispered, thinking back to what little she could remember.

She didn't like being different from him; didn't like that she was furry when he wasn't. The brief thought of earlier occurred to her again, that shifting right now would be more painful, potentially do more harm than good--but she couldn't speak easily like this, and she wanted to be close to him. To feel the connection of not being alone, of having someone just like her in the exact same predicament.

Rolling herself onto her stomach she shuddered as she forced herself to change; in some cases it helped speed up the process of healing, and in others it didn't, but it wasn't without the cost of a lot of energy. As the fur disappeared she was left a violently trembling mess, her skin coated in sweat and dirt and smears of blood, her neck pockmarked with bite marks and tears, crusted in dried blood yet still healing over all the same. She was panting and wheezing, the muscles finishing in their spasms as her bones settled back into place, but her spine still wasn't quite right, and she still couldn't feel anything in her legs or the tail that stayed along with her ears.

"Give... Give it a few days," She gasped, her ears nearly flat against her head, her hair in a mess about her face. She was even paler than she'd been when he'd first seen her, shivering and suffering a cold sweat. "My family heals... Fast... Broken bones take a... A few days." She shifted more onto her side and back, reaching over to cup his face as she gave him a weak smile and brushed any stray hairs from his forehead or range of vision.

"You did good, Darlin', it'll be okay." She smoothed her thumbs over his cheekbones, drawing him closer in the hope he could maybe somehow fit onto the cot with her and snuggle her, not even just for his warmth, but for the comfort it'd bring. Because she was still terrified, even though she was trying to reassure him. They both were.

With a soft whimper of pain she leaned forward enough to rest their foreheads together, caressing him in the hopes that she might be able to soothe him enough to get him to stop beating himself up over this.

"Thank you."

Offline Lion

Re: Absolute Territory [Lion!]
« Reply #27 on: May 21, 2018, 10:18:23 pm »
Watching her change back and seeing the marks left upon her only made his stomach drop further as to the horror set in. Darlin’ had made a promise and within the last day or so, however long it’d been, she’d already gotten captured, hurt, and broken almost beyond repair. He didn’t know if he could fix her back, but he’d rather he was touching her than anyone else. And the thought of anyone else laying a hand on her drove him crazy.

He sat on his knees in front of her, eyes red and sore from the tears that drifted down his face. She said he saved her life, but he could only feel the dread of putting her further into danger than he ever meant to. If only he hadn’t found her at all, none of this would have happened. Maybe she would have just drowned in toxic sludge. Even that would be a better fate than this.

But she shifted back anyway and he leaned back on his haunches, taking in the exact amount of damage and what healed and what would take a while. The gash on his arm already was starting to scab over, but it would take another day to fully close over. She was different though, made of sturdier stuff than he initially thought. It was good, a vaguely relieving notion, and even knowing that she was healing just enough by changing back despite the effort involved, made him breathe out a sigh of relief.

Darlin’ shuffled over to the bed and crawled in beside her, shifting so that she could half lay on his chest from where she was already positioned on her belly. His arm immediately hooked around her, settling in the crook of her neck and wrapping around her side and partly on the middle of her spine.  He could feel the twisted bones underneath his hands, and in fairness they already felt better than when he set her down.

He was damp with a thin sheen of sweat. And his heart kept racing. “Thank you for bringing you into this fucking pit of despair?” he tried to laugh, turning his head and nuzzling her gently with his cheek against her cheek. He brought his head back enough to look into her eyes, pressing his forehead gently against hers. She felt so small against him, and the sheer tenacity that existed in such a compact form might have gotten his heart racing for other reasons were she not completely torn to shreds.

“I’m sorry,” he muttered again and kicked himself mentally for saying it. “You’ll be ok?”  The sheer doubt in his voice was something he wanted to kick himself for. “I never meant for any of this to happen.” And gently brushed his lips against her cheek. The beard and goatee scratching against her cheek.

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Re: Absolute Territory [Lion!]
« Reply #28 on: May 21, 2018, 10:33:55 pm »
For the first time since she woke up, her heart beat less with fear of the future and instead beat with joy, warmth spreading throughout her as Darlin' crawled onto the cot with her and snuggled right up to her, letting her lay on him and wrapping his arms around her.

In a brief moment of gratitude and concern for him, she softly kissed the freshest wound on his forearm, before finding some of the other scratches and bruises to press more gentle kisses to his torn skin, the thought in mind that kissing it might somehow make it better.

She nuzzled him back, feeling more and more safe in his arms with every passing moment. He was completely unlike anybody else she'd ever met in the wastes; sure, he was a stranger, and she should always take precautions, but she had always considered herself a fairly decent judge of character. And the worry, the guilt shining in his eyes with those tears, that said to her far more than words ever could about the kind of person Darlin' truly was. He was a good person. And those were a rare find out here.

"Thank you for rescuing me from that pit, and saving me from that other wolf. I'm sorry I've caused so much trouble for you." She whispered quietly, looking into his eyes, her own blues shining with worry and guilt. Perhaps neither of them felt as though they'd made the best decisions, but this was the hand they'd been dealt and now they could only make the best of what they had been given.

"It's okay, I know, Darlin'. I know. I think I'll be okay, one way or another." She nuzzled him again, resting a hand on his chest, continuing the soft, slow strokes and caresses to try and instill that sense of reassurance and calm. She snuggled just a little bit closer to him, closing her eyes and breathing in his scent, feeling oddly warm and satisfied--as much as she could, given the situation.

The panic was slowly ebbing away and being replaced instead by more exhaustion, and the longer she lay there, listening to Darlin's heartbeat, feeling the warmth radiating off of him and soaking it up so her trembles turned to minor shivers instead, she felt her eyelids growing heavy until she closed them entirely. The movement of her hand petting him slowed and eventually stopped as she fell asleep curled up on him, oddly enough feeling the safest that she had in a long, long time.

Offline Lion

Re: Absolute Territory [Lion!]
« Reply #29 on: May 22, 2018, 10:31:54 pm »
He closed his eyes, the odd tingles of her kissing along his face sent gooseflesh along his arms and neck and back. Everywhere where cool air touched him, where the tingle of her kisses lingered, he shivered and the comfort they brought was so foreign to him, he didn't know what to say. The only kind of affection like that he'd ever received was from his mother. And she was dead. Gone somewhere.

That void had been filled with pain, and the lack of it let him know when he'd done right. Yet, to know that he'd been able to bring her even a modicum of reassurance left him emotionally stumped. He believed her. She would be better she said.

That gentle note in her voice, the way she touched him. Darlin' found himself easing into that comfort, laying down onto the cot, as thin as it was and letting her lay fully on him. His arms swooped around her, holding her close and stroking her hair, brushing fingers through it, kissing along her temples.  One way or another.

She'd be okay. And for once Darlin was able to close his eyes and go to sleep. No fits, no nightmares, no restless tossing and turning.


When the day passed and morning came, not that any of that permeated that thick livid darkness that was the Midhaven. Darlin' didn't hear the cell door opening, didn't quite notice someone yanking him out by his neck and dragging him outside until his face was already getting bruised and bloodied. The cell door was locked and he was strewn across the floor as Jaspar continued to kick his face in.

"I guess that's what your sodden plan was all along? Keep the prize to yourself?" he growled, and the three others behind him walked around in order to grab Darlin up by his shoulders. His shoulder clearly protested  against the movement where his arm had been kicked in, and he howled in pain when they grasped him harshly.

"What are you talking about! She's fucking hurt," he managed to spit out, the blood dripping down his nose and mouth and coating his goatee from there. "You're an idiot!"

"Fucking shit, Darlin' you can't do one thing right! And now she's fucking broken," he hissed and threw down a set of clothes for him. "Get dressed. We'll see to it she gets what she needs."

"No," he hissed. "I ain't leaving her."

"That was an order beta. Fucking do it or we'll smash your spine too."  Darlin could hardly move, and the ache in his shoulder meant he could only keep it close as he trembled his hands around a set of jeans and a t-shirt he loosely draped over his frame.  He could barely stand, spitting down a droplet of blood from the corner of his mouth.

Even so, they dragged him off and Jaspar stood in front of the cell, glowering down at Morrigan. The little morsel all this trouble was for. They should just kill her and be done with it in his book. Why waste time and make her a mate. Nothing about her was remotely special and now she was broken.

"You like Darlin'?' he asked levelly, cutting to the chase, eyeing the shock collars in the corner that had been removed. "Or do you just like giving stupid males like him a lot of trouble?"

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Re: Absolute Territory [Lion!]
« Reply #30 on: May 22, 2018, 11:04:43 pm »
She wished the two of them didn't have to wake up. She wished she could have stayed there, laying against Darlin' with his heartbeat thump thump thumping so steady and strong beneath her ears. Wished she could have soaked up that warmth for eternity, peaceful and undisturbed.

The moment the cell door crashed open she awoke; saw the figures in the door and started yelling and screeching profanities of all kinds as if it would keep the hostile wolves away; she fought and clawed as they tore Darlin' away and she was shoved back, scrabbling desperately for something to defend herself, to save Darlin', to do fuckin something while her legs didn't work.

"STOP IT, FUCK OFF LEAVE HIM ALONE--" She screamed, throwing whatever tiny bits of rubble or rock she could get her hands on whenever she got a clear shot, but she was fucking useless without her legs. Without her weapons. Without anything.

She winced as they hoisted him up and he screamed, eyes wide in fear and anger as he was dragged away from her and she was left alone with Jaspar, sitting naked on the floor with her tail coiled  protectively around herself, held in her arms.

Defiantly she lifted her chin, staring him right back in the eyes, ears up. She wasn't afraid of him, wasn't going to back down or submit to him. Hell hath no fury than a woman's scorn, her dad had told her once, and if looks could kill then Jaspar would have been bleeding out, a twitching, ravaged mess on the floor by now.

"I'll kill you, too." She snarled, remembering his face next to Angus's.

She'd fucking rip them all to pieces, she swore it. Darlin's bloodied face burned in her mind and made it difficult to keep her breaths steady; her heart was racing with adrenaline and fury, and it was barely held back like a drawn bowstring.

"I am ten times the wolf you shits will ever be. Give me a week and this'll be nothing--but I can't exactly function without help until then. Help that ain't gonna break me further. And so far it looks like the only one'a'you lot that can do that just got his face beaten in."

Offline Lion

Re: Absolute Territory [Lion!]
« Reply #31 on: May 23, 2018, 05:37:13 pm »
She’d been pretty fervent in defending Darlin’ as he was beaten and dragged off. And honestly that wasn’t even the worst thing they could do to him in front of her. It was interesting to say the least. He was a strange wolf to her and already she seemed more than passionate in trying to bargain for his safety, for his life. He was still a part of the pack, despite tearing into Daiv’s throat. It wasn’t that much of a loss on the pack’s part.

Daiv was strong but stupid, a liability, and would have ruined the Alpha’s prize. Jaspar would have torn his throat out too. That said, Darlin’ had to be punished for his insolence. Taking Daiv’s life wasn’t his call, and the fact that the prize had gotten hurt definitely was too. The punishment would be quick, but he wouldn’t be killed. He had to know his place, that was all.

“I look forward to it, honey,” Jaspar growled back to her, baring his teeth in an animalistic grin. He’d keep her on that promise and just when she was least expecting it, he’d crush her skull in his bare hands. The only reason Darlin’ had been spared a similar fate was because he was pack and tended to stay within the lines. But if Jaspar had his way, he’d be scrapped and made cannibal fodder.

“So you think Darlin’s helping you? And ain’t setting you up for failure. Alpha just wants to have a chat with him. See what’s going on. In the meantime you just lay there and lick your wounds, you little shit. As it is we all have to do things we don’t want to do,” he grumbled and shook his head, standing and spitting in her direction through the bars, stalking off.

Meanwhile Darlin’ knelt in front of Igantius and wiped his mouth off from the blood that dribbled there, keeping his arm close and pushing himself to stand, legs a little shaky after he’d been bent over and held down. He hadn’t made a peep, much to Ignatius’ dismay, but he didn’t break his gaze from his Alpha either.

“I know what she’s been dragged here for,” Darlin’ said levelly, holding the pain in his lower back with winding tension in his face. “But she ain’t gonna get better if you don’t let me look after her. She ain’t trusting of anyone else. All the other wolves wanna piece of her. First female they scent and they wanna pounce.”

“And you don’t?” Ignatius growled back at him, fixing his trousers. 

“I can fucking control myself! I ain’t a mindless bloodhound. I’ll keep her from getting agitated. I ain’t goin’ no where. I know my place, Ignatius. This is my pack. You won’t have to correct me again.”

“Good. Because if there’s anymore trouble and I won’t be so fucking lenient next time.”

“There ain’t gonna be a next time,” Darlin’ replied. “Just keep the others off her, and she’ll be righter than daylight.” He shivered and fixed his shirt back over his form, letting part it hook around his neck and cradle his sore arm like a makeshift sling. Being punished wasn’t the worst thing in the world, being cast out could be. Where else would he go? This was the only pack he knew.

“Done. You break your word and you’re dead meat. Get the fuck out of here.”

Darlin’ staggered out of the main hall and back out to where Morrigan was held, Angus following him with the key to her cell in his possession. Every step made his lower back ache even more, and he avoided meeting the eyes of others. He’d shamed himself, been corrected, and that was that. There wasn’t any need to carry on about it. He just wanted to hurry, to make sure Jaspar hadn’t hurt Morrigan, and pushed everything else out of mind.

When he was back in front of her cell, Angus opened it for him again, letting him inside and sealing them both within. She couldn’t move, not unless Darlin’ carried her. For now, he could barely carry himself.

Angus glared at the pair before leaving, and leaving Darlin’ to kneel in front of the cot, leaning forward on his good arm, cradling his chin in his elbow. “Hey, he didn’t hurt you, did he?” he asked, noticing Jaspar was nowhere to be seen.

Cheesigator

  • Guest
Re: Absolute Territory [Lion!]
« Reply #32 on: May 30, 2018, 05:57:54 am »
Morrigan didn't speak a word more to Jaspar, having said what she already wanted to say. She very much understood that actions spoke louder than words, and she guaranteed herself her actions here soon would ring louder than a fucking bell one day.

Once she was left alone in her cell again she situated herself on the cot, struggling as it was with the dead weight of her legs--if she hadn't had any core upper body strength it'd have been impossible.

But as she lie there, staring up at the decrepid ceiling where pieces of the concrete or rock or whatever it was were crumbling and falling down over time, she thought of her older sister. Wondered if she'd ever gotten into predicaments like this, or if this was just Morrigan's fuck up.

If it had been Hound, she probably wouldn't be here in the first place. Curiosity wasn't her thing like it was Mori's, and she'd never have let herself end up in a situation where she had to rely on someone else's help to escape. That made Morrigan's gut twist, and she wasn't sure what it meant.

She liked Darlin', he seemed like a sweet soul and this pack wasn't right for him, wasn't right for anybody. If this was how they treated all their pack members, then... She shuddered, biting down on her lower lio and worrying it between her teeth.

What did that mean for her? What did that mean for Darlin'?

Was she wrong to worry and care about him, a stranger who had been so nice to her, fun? She felt as though she owed him, and at the same time knew she didn't. It'd been his choice to help her; Hound would have taken that and run for the hills eons ago. But was that the right thing to do, or was that the right thing to do for her, not Mori?

Suddenly the sound of the cell door opening snapped her out of those convoluted thoughts and her ears shot up as she sat up better to see Darlin' back--her first instinct was to yip and wag her tail, but she was incapable of that. So instead she just let her face light up--at least until she saw the blood, saw him limping.

The door was closed behind him and she instantly set to trying to sit up better to clean his face, wiping the blood away, brushing his hair back from his face with worry.

"No--no! I'm fine--what did they do to you?!" Her tone was an odd mix of afraid, worried, and angry.

She felt a bit protective of him, and they'd gone and done this to him; it made her blood burn again.

She sat up and scooted to the side of the cot a little, trying to make room for him and help him up onto it, wrapping an arm around his midsection and hugging him gently before she helped him out of his shirt.

"Here, let me see your arm."

Offline Lion

Re: Absolute Territory [Lion!]
« Reply #33 on: May 15, 2020, 10:00:58 pm »
Darlin tried to block out stuff he didn’t want to remember. It was just easier that way. When you got stuck in your head, it became a bad habit to stir and stew on it until it took over every good thought you were capable of. Darlin was tired of stewing. Keeping on overlooking the bad wolves of the pack.

They got far enough away now that he could finally breathe, or so he thought. Clover was huddled in a firm sling around his torso. The bunny was making noises of displeasure but for now had settled for letting Darlin do the moving and the walking. He gave the bunny bits of carrot he had stashed away to eat.

They found the surface at last. A hovel that had been abandoned for years was usually one of Darlin’s access points up to the lower levels from the Midhaven into Haviah. There were several scattered all around, but these ones were less obvious that straight up holes in the ground. It was easier than becoming target practice for any security watching those points.
Darlin crawled out of the hole and held his hand out for Morrigan to climb up out with him. So far the coast was clear.

“Easy does it, pup,” he murmured and when they were both on solid ground, he opened the door of the abandoned building they were in, and onto the streets of Haviah.

“We’ll find some place safe to crash, then we’ll be able to relax,” he murmured to her.

Offline Cheesigator

Re: Absolute Territory [Lion!]
« Reply #34 on: May 15, 2020, 10:02:14 pm »
Aedolis was one place her parents had despised with such hatred that for many years Morrigan had been afraid of even hearing about it, worrying that should she slip up and say something at home she'd be scolded; she still remembered so clearly how upset her family had been when Hound left for Aedolis, left to go make a name for herself in the world of mercs up there. In their eyes, nobody could really live in Aedolis. It was just a glorified prison fun house, and for a long time Mori believed it--still kind of did.
It had been Darlin's idea to go there, and she was still hesitant, for a number of reasons. She still felt guilty about what happened; because of her, Darlin had nowhere to go. His pack was hunting him now, and it was all her fault. If she had just done what Hound would've, and run after he first helped her, none of this would've happened. Her heart ached. Even if his pack had been so horrible, they were still pack--like family. She couldn't imagine how hard this might be for Darlin, and even knowing that she still couldn't speak up about it past the apologizing she'd already done.
Because she felt like no matter how many times she said sorry, it would never, ever be enough.
She almost didn't hear him when he offered his hand, blinking out of her thoughts after a moment, and gingerly taking it to help herself up the cold, damp rocks. She still wasn't in perfect shape, finding it hard to move her legs and tail as her nerves regenerated and healed again. But she could at least move at all and that's what mattered, what allowed them to escape. Even if her muscles and bones were screaming at her in pain with how far they had traveled, she didn't dare utter a word of it to Darlin--he already had enough to worry about. And they didn't have the time for it anyways.
Every now and then she caught glimpses of the fluff tucked away in the sling around his torso, and it gave her the tiniest spark of warmth, knowing he was such a caring wolf. Such a gentle wolf. She'd never have thought someone like this existed, and yet she'd gone and brought all of these horrible things upon him.
But she didn't like the silence, didn't like the tension as they made their escape. "Do… Do you come here often?" She asked innocently, her breath tight in her chest as she held back her pain and forced herself to keep moving. Maybe conversation would be enough to help distract her a little while longer from it.
But as they stepped through an abandoned building she realized she heard noises and sounds, and once the door opened she saw a busy street full of people and shops, and her eyes widened as she stood there taking it all in. It really wasn't so different from Teinar, and yet her curiosity was already making her wonder what made it different after all, and what it would hold for the two of them, if anything at all.

Offline Lion

Re: Absolute Territory [Lion!]
« Reply #35 on: May 15, 2020, 10:03:35 pm »
The truth was he did come here often. Not for pleasure at least. There were few pleasures he’d allowed himself to enjoy. Darlin had done everything he could for the pack. They’d been his family up until now. His real family was nowhere to be found. And he hadn’t thought of them in years.

As the door was pulled ajar, he nodded affirmatively and gestured her to follow him. In the lower levels of Haviah, you had to look out for yourself. People would sooner cut you as look at you, and he held her hand and felt the tension she was enduring through her whole body.

“I used to make trade here,” he mentioned. “The pack made stuff to sell, or found some scrap, put it to good use, and I brought back food, different stuff to get high with, or credits. It was always good to have a little bit of all three lying around. I’m a runner.  Well was a runner.”

He straightened his back and kept onward, as if he belonged here, although both of them were dirty and could use a bath and change of clothes. “Have you ever been here before?” He could tell she was hurting by the way she moved, so he kept the pace steady but slow.

Offline Cheesigator

Re: Absolute Territory [Lion!]
« Reply #36 on: May 15, 2020, 10:04:39 pm »
Her ear flicked, her tail holding still as she stepped through the doorway with him out onto the busy street. The two of them looked like, and were, vagabonds, but they weren't the worst looking people here. It was an even mixture of all types, though she noticed quite a few more clean cut folks here than in Teinar. In Teinar everyone had to scrounge and scrabble together the best of what they could, but here she saw quite a few more people wearing clean, decent clothes--and there were many that had nice, full cheeks, rather than the shallow, sunken in hollows that adorned so many of the faces back home.

"Ah, uh, r-right…" Was.

That was her fault. She gave his hand a slight squeeze, situating her crossbow so it was hidden on her back by her half-cloak. She had a feeling people here wouldn't like seeing open carry.
"No, I haven't… My sis told me about it, when she came back to visit, once." She looked up, and upon doing so realized just how incredibly massive Aedolis actually was.

The buildings and the lights never ended, reaching up high into the sky, a quite literal caste system displayed so openly and proudly before hee, she felt less than an ant in comparison. How could Hound stand a place like this? It felt almost claustrophobic; she wondered how the buildings didn't fall.

This would probably be the closest she would get to Hound now for quite some time.

She glanced over at Darlin, realizing quickly that they still stood out a bit in the crowds, and she bit her lip. She knew there was talk of traders here, ones that were willing to work with people like them, from Teinar and the Wastes, who didn't have the chips of Aedolian citizens. But even so, she imagined it wouldn't be easy to get by around here without one, how did Darlin think they were any more likely to make it here than down below?

"I have money, from Teinar, if you know anyone here who takes it. We can probably get some food, and at least a place to stay for the night." They would probably have to smuggle in the rabbit, though.

As they started walking, her ears found themselves flicking this way and that as she listened to all the strange conversations, the accents and the slurs. She'd heard that most Aedolian citizens were often drunk, high, or both, and from all the smells she was realizing it was an accurate stereotype. This was a country that controlled its people through pleasure, making them content enough to sedate any real chance of uprising. It felt strange and it made her hair stand on end.
 
"I'm sorry, Darlin." She mumbled, even though she kept her head held high to keep from looking like a meek pickpocket target. "This is all my fault."

Offline Lion

Re: Absolute Territory [Lion!]
« Reply #37 on: May 15, 2020, 10:05:49 pm »
“It’s ok,” he murmured. “I’m not worried about it. I’m more than willing to welcome a life without my pack. I’m not terribly missed either.” He was sure of it and squeezed her hand back, trying to offer a smile of reassurance.

Darlin kept focus, wanting only to get to a safe place where they could refresh, eat, and blend in with the rest of the crowd. “I don’t know if there’s much use in Teinar money. Only credits are good here, or trading in other ways.” He kept walking off to the side where a group of people were talking and when they saw the pair approach, they walked away, keeping their conversation private.

“I have some credits we can probably use.” But it probably wasn’t going to be enough. “Up here, on ‘ground level’, the people use credits. Bartering goods isn’t something that’s useful unless you can sell something. What is it that you have that’s possibly sellable? People here like shiny bits, and drugs. Do you have any drugs?”

Darlin didn’t have any. The last batch he ran up here was out a week before he’d met Morrigan, and this whole alpha shenanigan business had kept him pretty occupied. The chip cards he had were stolen and would only amount to probably one day of occupancy.

He waited instead when they had a private moment, keeping his nerves in check. He looked around, in case anyone was following them from out of the hovel they climbed from. It didn’t seem like it. They ducked off the main stretch of sidewalk and into an alley that was littered with trash and an overflowing dumpster.

“How much business have you done with Teinar?” he asked, curious.

 

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