Serious Moonlight (M)

Lion · February 24, 2016, 11:31:55 PM

The night was not yet dead. Even in the gloom of coming dawn, animals stirred in their burrows and the soft paths along the forest floor. One hunter had risen early, barely sleeping that night, waiting for the stirring around him to quiet.

Rook opened his eyes with a start, hearing the soft padding of paws nearby. He slung an arrow into his bow, staying in the brush where he'd made his bed and he waited, listening as the padding became louder.

DragonSong · February 25, 2016, 03:01:19 AM

Ghost was so intent on her hunt that she was oblivious to any danger. The scent of rabbits had caught her attention and she slowed her lope to sniff the air, swinging around and heading toward the smell at a steady trot. Unfortunately for the shifter, the wind did not seem to be in her favor, a small breeze blowing the rabbit's scent toward her and the other hunter's away.

Lion · February 28, 2016, 09:08:41 AM

There it was, the wolf that had sprung the other from his trap. It had to be. He didn't know how many other wolves loping around this area that looked like that one. Rook pulled that arrow back and when the wolf came in close, roaming about fifty yards away, he let the arrow fly.

DragonSong · February 28, 2016, 12:15:24 PM

The bolt struck her shoulder and Ghost gave a yelping cry, paws skidding as she frantically tried to veer away from the direction the arrow had come. Pain flashed through her with every movement and she looked around wildly, scenting the air.

The hunter. The hunter from before, when she'd helped Veles. Oh no.

Lion · February 28, 2016, 11:39:26 PM

Rook was on his feet in seconds as he saw the wolf cry out and scramble for ground. The brush was torn up from where nails dug in in an attempt to vault away. Rook slung another arrow, pausing only long enough to shoot it again, only for the arrowhead to bury itself into the wood of a tree.

He didn't waste time grabbing it, for any moment he would take to aim, the further away the wolf would get. So he pulled the hunting knife from his thigh, from the thickened sheathe where the blade had been slung, and darted after it, moving expertly over the terrain.

DragonSong · February 29, 2016, 04:50:08 AM

Pain overrode common sense and Ghost found herself racing back toward her nest, yelping and panting with every step. The arrow was buried deep enough that the constant jolting of her paws hitting the ground didn't knock it loose.

Desperate and not thinking very clearly, she shifted, paws changing to cloven hooves as the shape of the wolf was replaced with a white doe. The change was enough to drop the arrow from her shoulder, but now she was bleeding heavily from the wound.

Realizing much too late that she was leading the hunter right to Veles, Ghost suddenly veered sharply tot he side just before she reached her little glen, bounding away into the trees.

Lion · February 29, 2016, 08:02:24 AM

Rook didn't stop this time, not when his prey was so close and even as she changed, dropping his arrow, he ducked low enough to snatch it up, sliding it into the quiver quickly.

He was no match for the speed of the white doe, but his sheer doggedness kept the animal in his vision. As they neared closer to her nest, Veles perked up to the sound and he immediately stood up, limping as it were, when he saw the white doe dashing between trees.

There was a shadow behind her and Veles did not think as he shifted through the thickets and he slammed hard into Rook, sending the hunter to the ground.

Rook reeled, breath hitched and pressed out of him from the fall.

DragonSong · February 29, 2016, 08:08:52 AM

Hearing the scuffle behind her, Ghost whirled around, chest heaving with pants. Her eyes widened and she leaped forward, shifting from doe to girl. She threw herself toward Veles, grabbing at him and urging, "Run, we have to run now!"

She wouldn't let him get hurt for protecting her.

Lion · February 29, 2016, 10:04:01 AM

Rook stared up at the eyes of the man that pinned him down. "You! You're the wolf!"

"And you're the hunter that's trying to hurt my friend!" Veles spat, keeping his weight on him. He saw the glint of metal of the hunting knife and his hand grabbed Rook's wrist firmly. "You will not!"

"What? I..." Rook had no room to explain himself. "You're....people?! Both of you?" His hand released the hunting knife. "I...I've never seen the likes of anything like that in my life."

DragonSong · February 29, 2016, 10:09:40 AM

Ghost froze, still gripping Veles shoulders, and stared at the hunter. "Yes. We are," she spat out, eyes narrowing at him.

Her gaze flicked to the knife he'd dropped and she reached out to shove it away- then gave a sharp cry as the wound to her shoulder protested painfully. Whimpering, she curled in on herself, unconsciously leaning against Veles.

"Why can't you just leave us alone?" she whispered, panting lightly.

Lion · February 29, 2016, 08:25:37 PM

"I'm...I'm sorry!" Rook said, still staring at the pair, wide-eyed. Veles released his grip when he felt the man would not give them any harm and instead turned his attention to Ghost.

"You made her skin open," he said softly.

"I...I thought she was...I didn't know!" Rook said, stammering.

Veles felt something twist inside him, a small inferno that started to grow and grow as he observed Ghost's wound and pressed his hand to her shoulder. "You hurt my friend..."

Rook said nothing this time. And Veles only turned to him to repeat the statement. And before he knew it, he lunged at Rook and felt the rage take over, squeezing his fingers into fists and crushing them against the hunter's face.

DragonSong · March 01, 2016, 04:15:29 AM

Giving a yelp of surprise, Ghost was motionless for a moment, wide eyed and staring. Then she lunged forward, wrapping an arm around Veles and trying to pull him back.

"Stop, stop," she pleaded. "It's not worth it, Veles!"

It wasn't that she'd forgiven the hunter, exactly, or that she wasn't angry herself. But she knew, logically, that he was only doing his best to survive. Like them.

Lion · March 01, 2016, 11:55:36 PM

Rook yelped, feeling a fist explode against his eye. He reached up and tried to hold his fist at bay, and his own struck Veles hard against the cheek.

Rook could already feel the swelling on his face take hold when the beating relented and the blows had felt much harder against his skin than that of an ordinary man's. Veles rolled off of Rook, panting and looking down at his bloodied hands, still feeling the dregs of rage flow away from him now.

"I..." He had no words for that long stretch of silence.

"I'm sorry!" Rook said, sitting up and blowing out red from his nose, knuckles bloodied.

Veles looked between him and Ghost and the blood at his own hands, his cheek throbbing. "I'm sorry too," he said. "But you will not hurt my friend. Not you or anybody."

Rook cleaned his hands on a rag, looking between the pair. "What are you?"

DragonSong · March 02, 2016, 04:25:01 AM

Hissing as she looked at Veles' cheek- that was going to bruise, at least- Ghost reached out with her good arm to stroke his hair in an effort to soothe, then pressed closer against his side and took one of his hands with a frown.

"I'm a shapeshifter," she replied briskly. "I can take any form I want, long as it's animal. Veles is..." She trailed off, glancing up at him and wondering if maybe he wouldn't want her to tell the hunter what he was.

Fortunately- or rather unfortunately- her sudden silence was covered when she twisted slightly and jarred the wound to her shoulder. She hissed in a pained breath as black spot danced in front of her eyes and swayed, suddenly leaning heavily on Veles for support rather than comfort.

Damn. She was losing a lot of blood.

Lion · March 02, 2016, 11:28:54 PM

He didn't bother answering the question. And the hunter didn't bother asking any more when he saw the blood gushing out from Ghost's wound. Veles turned to her swiftly and wrapped arms around her good shoulder so that his hands could hold back the flow the blood.

Rook scrambled for his belt, pulling out a bolt of cloth he kept as bandages and gestured for Veles to let him look at the wound. Where the arrow had been embedded, there was a cross-shaped hole within her, and he expertly took the bandages and wrapped them around her shoulder to staunch the flow of blood.

But Veles didn't let go of her, not yet. Not until he was sure this hunter wouldn't inflict yet another wound on his friend.

DragonSong · March 03, 2016, 03:43:56 AM

Ghost's breathing was shaky and ragged, and she leaned heavily against Veles as her wound was bandaged. "Th-thanks," she murmured, eyes fluttering, though why she was thanking the man who'd shot her to begin with she wasn't quite sure.

A tiny whimper escaped her at the pressure to the wound and the spots dancing in front of her eyes grew larger and decided to bring some friends. Almost automatically, her good hand reached up to clutch at Veles' hand and she turned her head toward him slightly as she fought the urge to faint.

Lion · March 08, 2016, 10:32:42 PM

Veles didn't know what else to do, feeling her body grow heavier against him.

"Lie her down," Rook instructed and the fae listened, although he was reluctant to do so.

He set her down easily, although kept her head propped up against him. "Do you have any water?"

"Yes." Rook pulled the flask from his belt and handed it to him.

"Here, Ghost, try to drink this, please."

DragonSong · March 09, 2016, 04:16:54 AM

Mumbling a thoroughly unconvincing, "I'm fine," as the two men fussed over her, Ghost suddenly found herself on her back without quite knowing how she got there.

"Thanks," she murmured, accepting the water and trying to tilt her head at an easier angle to drink it. thankfully, the black patches of her vision started to fade slightly.

Trying to push herself up and winding up just collapsing back against Veles with a soft groan, the shifter eyed Rook warily. "What are you going to do now?" she demanded, voice soft but steely.

Lion · April 07, 2016, 11:04:33 PM

"I-I don't know," Rook muttered, sitting back and putting some distance between he and the pair of odd shifters. Never had he encountered the likes of these two, and somewhere deep inside a part of knew there had to be more like them scattered all over the wild.

"Leave," Veles said adamantly. "Leave us alone, and go back to your human world. Don't you think you've done enough already?"

Rook stared at him wide-eyed. "I told you I was sorry! I didn't know. I'm a hunter. If any other animal you would say I was following my instincts. I didn't mean to hurt you but..."

Veles blinked at him, jaw hardened with irritation as he held onto Ghost. "But what?"

"But....I might not be the only one coming to look for the pair of you," he breathed now in realization. "Others hearing of your kind will come looking. It's inevitable. Look...I maybe have said more than I should have, but not all hunters are like me. They will come. And they won't stop until they have you."

DragonSong · April 08, 2016, 12:00:31 AM

Ghost's eyes widened. She tried to push herself up again and was marginally more successful, managing to at least sit up with relying totally on Veles.

"We have to leave," she said quickly, glancing at the fae creature. "It's not safe here anymore. "We need to get somewhere far enough away that they won't have heard of us."