((Open by request. Looking for a male character to interact with Indigo. PM to join.))
In the jungle among the many tall grasses, shrubbery, fruit trees and everything else that comprised the setting, a large wolf with fur of the blackest night could be seen stalking her terrain as she hunted for her next meal. Little did the wolf know, another was hunting as well. One that would mean her harm.
Indigo looked around carefully, sniffing the air as she went. Keeping ears and eyes open for both threats and potential food. The jungle was alive with many creatures, some small and harmless, while others were quite the opposite. Indigo liked to view herself as one of the latter, but there were things even she had to be wary of.
After catching and eating a wild boar, Indigo's stomach gave a contented growl of appreciation as she licked her mouth of the tasty flavor of it. Letting her guard down for only a few seconds. But it was enough for an arrow to come flying through, hitting her painfully in the side. The wolf shifter howled in agony, for the arrow had gone deep. How she had managed not to detect whoever had shot her, Indigo at the moment was only concerned with the pain the arrow had brought. Howling again, blood poured out of her side as the foe came ever nearer to claim their prize.
Kilarhas almost never shot at wolves. The elf respected all animals, but he usually shot deer and rabbits to eat, but Kilarhas had been going for over a week on only crusts of moldy bread. He had been captured a week ago by bandits, and they were bringing him to a nearby city to sell him as a slave. He had escaped, and now he was starving.
So when he saw the wolf he took not a moment to think. He pulled his bow from his back, strung it, and shot, all in one motion. The arrow pierced the black wolf's side, and it fell to the ground, howling in pain.
Kilarhas felt sadness, but he knew that death was the beginning of life. The wolf was not yet dead, he saw. His first shot should have killed it, but in his extreme hast he had not aimed correctly and had hit the wolf in the side. The elf stepped out of the shadows and knocked another arrow, to finish off the wolf. He did not want it to suffer, he respected and pitied it.
He drew back on the bowstring. . .
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(OOC: Sorry, I had to have a dramatic ending! :)))
Howling in pain again, Indigo lost control of her wolf form then and promptly shifted back to her human one. She screamed out again in agony, lying on her back, blood pouring from a large nasty wound in her side, an arrow sticking out of it. And she was naked, her clothes for some reason never shifted with her, but that was never a problem for the wolf shifter. After she finished her hunts and simple explorations of the jungle, she would always return back to her stick and grass hut, morph, then redress. It was no biggie to her. When she was ready to shift back, her clothes stayed behind and off she would go.
Now, this time though, she was in serious shit... Indigo saw the blurry shape of an elven figure with flowing silver hair holding a bow then, as her vision started to blur before she blacked out from the pain. Lying there still, bleeding out on the ground as her life started to slip away from her.
When the wolf, or rather, shifter, changed back into her human form, Kilarhas dropped his bow in horror and surprise.
He rushed up to her, dropping to his knees and simultaneously swinging his pack off of his back. he dropped it next to him and started rummaging desperately inside. He pulled out a long length of bandages, a few bottles, and his water skin. The woman had fallen into unconsciousness, and Kilarhas started to dress her wound as quickly as he could, he barely noticed the fact that she wasn't wearing any clothes. He very, very, carefully removed the arrow from her side, applied the salve in the bottles to her wound after cleaning it, and then binding the wound.
He laid her onto his bedroll, which he had rolled out onto the ground, and covered her with the blanket. He had done the best he could for now, so he collected wood and started a fire. The air was cool, so he positioned the fire near the woman to keep her warm. He sat down on the ground a few feet from the flames and waited, hoping that the woman would be alright.
Seeing as Indigo had lost a lot of blood, she would be out of it for a little while. Her face was paler than usual, but not deathly pale though. Keeping her warm was a good idea as the fire helped to stabilize her temperature. The flames flickered on her face, illuminating her features in a bright yellow-orange glow.
It would be a couple hours at least before she would awaken. And no doubt she would be pissed.
And that was Kilarhas was afraid of. He knew that the woman would be mad at him, but it hadn't really been his fault. He had been starving, and had thought she was a full wolf. He glanced over at her, the wound was bad, but hopefully not fatal. If it was, the elf would have it on his conscious for a very long time, if not for the rest of his life.
While the wound was bad, it was not fatal. Indigo would live. Soon, a couple hours had passed and with it, the wolf shifter began to stir, her eyes beginning to flicker open...
Kilarhas looked up as she started to stir. The whole time he had not left the campsite, he was worried that she would get a fever, or some wild animal would come along, and in the woman's current state, she would have been killed.
Kilarhas was still starving, but there were no edible plants to be found in this party of the forest, even if he had left the campsite he would have found none for miles. So the elf had sat in silence, sharpening and cleaning his daggers, rearranging his supplies, and just sitting by the fire.
He stayed sitting and did not move as the woman started to wake. If he stood and went over to her, she might be alarmed when she woke.
Fully opening her eyes then, her awareness of her surroundings returning, Indigo sat up then, the blanket falling off her as she sat up and looked around. She soon spotted the elf and her eyes narrowed, immediately jumping up and starting to head over to him, visibly shaking in anger. "You BASTARD!" Indigo shrieked, her rage building as she tried to step closer to him. "You shot me and nearly KILLED me!"
Her wound however was still giving her problems and she soon collapsed from all the exertion she was putting on herself, hand going to her wound which had started bleeding again. Indigo gasped in pain as she struggled with trying to catch her breath as well as dealing with her anger at her attacker. The fact that he had light blue skin didn't resonate with her at that moment, as there were far more important things to worry about here!
Kilarhas had expected her to be mad, but not this mad! He leaped up and out of her way, but he held up his hands to show he meant her no harm.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he said. "I thought you were a full wolf, and I'm starving! Please! Lay back down, you'll hurt yourself even more!"
As he said this, she collapsed, her wound starting to bleed again. He approached her cautiously, but stayed a few feet away. He lowered his voice. "Please, don't move, if you don't move you'll be fine. You just reopened your wound, you have to stop moving, try to slow your breathing, calm down. So just stay still and, please, let me help you."
"Don't....touch....me." she gasped, holding her side while on her knees. Taking her hand away it came back bloodied and she winced. Indigo supposed his explanation made sense but that still didn't make her any less angry! However, mad she may be, she quickly realized that she would need to accept his help whether she wanted it or not if she wished to continue to draw breath.
"Fine!" she snapped at him, eyes still very much alight with fury. "You did this, now you can help to undo it!'' Further bitching at him letting him fully know her wrath.
Squeezing her eyes shut against the searing hole in her side, Indigo tried to calm her breathing and let the elf help her, slumping fully on her rear end to the ground.
Kilarhas took her anger in silence, it would do no good now to try to stop her talking. He would take care of her wound before he tried to explain himself again. He was relieved when she agreed, though angrily, to his help, because, whether she had liked it or not, he would have helped her.
The elf managed to get her back onto the bedroll and then he quickly but carefully unwrapped the bandages. He cleaned her wound again and reapplied the salve before binding her side with clean bandages. He did it all quickly but very thoroughly, he knew what he was doing, that was obvious.
When he was finished he covered her again with the blanket and sat back. "I believe you will be fine," he said to her. "In a week or so you should be back to heath."
He knew that the woman probably didn't want to have to wait that long, but it was necessary. "My name is Kilarhas, Kilarhas Gindien."
He didn't ask for her name, she could give it if she wanted, but she may be to mad to tell him.
"A week!" Indigo exclaimed, incredulous. "You want me to wait an entire bloody week?! I can't go that long without hunting!" she yelled at him, and made to get up again but quickly decided against it as that wouldn't do her any good.
Huffing in frustration, she made to attempt to relax lying down again, but it was fairly obvious patience wasn't her strong suit. "A whole friggin' week without hunting." she muttered. Indigo supposed she should be grateful for his help but she was still getting over the blatant fact that it was him that had shot her in the first place! Perhaps after she calmed down a bit, but that remained to be seen. She did not tell him her name, content to stew in silence for now.
"Yes, a week," Kilarhas said firmly. "And I'll hunt." He motioned to the wild boar that still lay at the edge of the clearing. "And it seems that you can have that, since you caught it. Do you want to eat it now? And do you want it raw in your human form, or cooked? I would not advise changing into your wolf form now, as it would mess up the placement of the bandages."
He would cook the meat for her, if she wanted, but he would eat none of it unless she offered. He was starving, but she had caught the food and then he had shot her, so he felt he had no right to it. He would be able to make a trap and put in in the woods later. It would take him a short while to make, but when he went to set it in the woods, he would not have to leave the woman for long.
Indigo didn't protest any further but it was clear that she was unhappy about this. At his question, the answer was simple. "Cooked." she stated. "I am only able to eat it uncooked in my wolf form." she added in. Kilarhas can cook what was left of it but Indigo did not feel obligated to share as it was her catch. Plus she was still seething a little, for she had almost died by his hand. "And try not to burn it either." she added in nastily.
Settling down, she attempted to make herself as comfortable as she could on the bedroll, but did not shut her eyes, simply staring up at the sky and tall towering trees all around the jungle. Being the hunted instead of the hunter, even if it had only been for a short amount of time, was not something easily swallowable for the wolf shifter. She knew such things happened sometimes, but had always hoped nothing of the sort would ever befall her.
Kilarhas nodded and went over to the boar. He started to skin the animal and he cut away the meat that was left. The boar was large, and there was still quite a lot of meat left, even after the woman, in her wolf form, had started to eat. When he was finished he discarded the inedible parts of the animal into the forest and brought the meat to the fire, where he put it on a spit he constructed and started to cook it.
The elf sat next to the fire and started to fashion a trap while the meat cooked. He tried to ignore the sharp jabs of pain in his chest and stomach as the hunger gnawed at him. After a while the meat was done cooking. Kilarhas set aside the trap he was making and took the meat from teh fire. He let it cool and then brought it over to the woman.
"Thanks." Indigo muttered gratefully. While she was still mad at the elf, she figured he at least deserved that, a thank you.
Taking the meat from him, she bit into it still hungry for more. Grease dribbled down her chin and she licked that off too. Indigo had almost forgotten what cooked meat tasted like as opposed to raw meat, being that more than half the time she ate her kills in wolf form. Although she did like the taste of it better when it was thoroughly cooked. Most of the time she was just too impatient to haul it back to her dwelling, shift into human form, make a campfire, cook it, then eat it. Far quicker to eat it then and there and be done with it, but Indigo enjoyed the taste immensely whether it be cooked or uncooked. She was a wolf shifter after all.
The blue-black haired woman continued munching on her food, oblivious to the hunger pangs of the elf nearby, so absorbed she was on eating her fill.
Kilarhas watched as she started to eat, and the smell of the cooked meat was nearly to much for the elf. He sat back down and let out a sharp breath as his stomach once again clenched in hunger. He started to work again on the trap, and soon it was finished.
He stood, and looked to the woman. "I'm going to go set this trap," he said. "I'll be right back. Call out if you need help."
Busy stuffing her face, Indigo only nodded as the blue and silver elf announced he was going to go set a trap and that he would be back soon. She was about to tell him straight up that she was a wolf shifter and therefore didn't need help, before quickly remembering her injury. Biting her tongue to swallow down the retort that wanted to surface, she merely nodded her head and continued to eat.
The jungle as usual had its normal sounds of insects, frogs croaking and bird calls, the faint sounds of water in the distance from various waterfalls scattered about here and there, the wind blowing in a gentle breeze, ruffling her hair.
Indigo finished her last bite of food when she heard something rustle in the bushes about five feet away from where she was sitting. Tensing in anticipation, she nearly shifted back to her wolf form but once again remembering her plight, she did not. Instead, she sat as still as possible, keeping both ears open for whatever it may be. The bushes rustled again a few seconds later, before a large black jaguar poked its head out, vivid green eyes staring straight at her then. It got ready to pounce then, and Indigo jumped to her feet then, discarding a small bit of bone from her meal she had and faced it head-on, staring it down trying to intimidate it into leaving.
"I've eaten it all." she hissed at it, "There's nothing left."
The jaguar continued to stare at her, as though it understood what she was saying, but somehow Indigo doubted that. Although she did wonder if it was a shifter like herself, just of the jaguar variety. However it showed no signs of shifting to human form and soon, it turned its head in another direction as it sniffed something else. Indigo noted it was the same direction that the elf had headed in, and so with a leap of its great legs the jaguar dashed off that way. To its doom, no doubt.
Indigo shook her head and sat back down on the bedroll. Keeping alert for anything else that may decide to head this way. Even though she couldn't shift right now, she was still herself, a wolf and a hunter of her own. No fear she would show. Living in the jungle for five years had taught her that much as well. Touching the pendant at her neck, she sighed but kept ever vigilant for danger.
Kilarhas didn't go far, but he was far enough not to hear the woman talking, though if she had shouted his elven ears would have picked up the sound.
He had just finished setting the trap when a jaguar stepped out of the bushes next to him. In an instant Kilarhas had his bow off of his back and drawn. But the second the jaguar had stepped from the bushes it had sensed that Kilarhas was a threat, especially in his injured state. The animal turned tail and ran, and though Kilarhas fired his bow, the arrow hit the branches of the bush where the jaguar had been standing moments before.
Kilarhas sighed and started back towards the camp. When he got there his face was twisted with pain from walking and he looked to the woman. "I saw a jaguar, did it come here?"
Indigo looked up when Kilarhas returned. At his question, she frowned. "You mean you didn't kill it?" She shook her head. "Some hunter you are then. And yes, I saw a jaguar here, but it ran off. In your direction, no less."
Noticing his pained walk, she rose an eyebrow in question. "Whatever happened to you?"
Kilarhas snorted at her comment about his hunting. And then raised his eyebrows at her when she asked what had happened to him. "Seriously?" He spat. The elf was usually very calm and collected, but he was starving and, frankly, angry at this woman.
"What's wrong with me is that I'm starving, I've lived on nothing but the crusts of moldy bread for over a week, and the bandits that captured me beat me nearly every day, so need I say I'm very weak? I didn't manage to shoot the jaguar as my reflexes are slow, due to hunger and physical weakness." Kilarhas looked up at the woman, still irritated. "I would think you would be a little more observant that you are, or are you only like a wolf at all in your wolf form?"
"No need to bite my head off!" Indigo snapped back at him. "You already tried to kill me once as it is. So excuse me for not being more observant because I have a huge gaping wound in my side! No thanks to you." she muttered that last part.
Calming down some, she glanced back up and told him honestly, "I do know there are fruit trees around here, to the southeast of here, about a quarter of a mile that way." she pointed in said direction. "As a wolf, I don't normally eat fruit but sometimes I will if hungry enough. There are some peach trees, papayas and passion fruit if that's what you want."
She shrugged and pulled the blanket tighter around herself for comfort. "So, don't let me stop you." Indigo waited for him to leave, as right now she had little desire to be around him. Picking at some grass by her feet, she paid no further attention to the silver-haired elf.
Despite his anger a few moments before, Kilarhas's face wore a look of concern as the woman told him of the fruit trees. The thought was very tempting, but. . .
"That jaguar, what if it returns, or another animal, will you be able to defend yourself?" Even as he spoke, Kilarhas cursed himself. Why did he care so damn much for other people? He was starving for gods sakes, couldn't he do something for himself? But he didn't say anything more, waiting for the woman to respond.
"I'll be fine. I'm a wolf, remember?" Never mind that she couldn't shift right now, but if push came to shove, she would.
"Don't worry about me. Go. Take care of yourself now." Indigo said, waving him off.
Kilarhas was torn. But then he finally drew the dagger on his belt and set it down next to the woman. "I'll be right back," he said, and then he turned and walked into the trees in the direction the woman had said.
He found the trees fairly quickly, and ate many fruits as he was gathering even more to keep for later. When he returned to the camp about twenty minutes later, his bag was laden with fruits and he was no longer starving. He hadn't eaten a lot, because he knew if he did he would just vomit it up later. After not eating for so long, eating a lot would make him sick. He needed to go slow.
After Kilarhas had left, Indigo looked at the dagger he left for her and picked it up, examining it. It was fairly sharp, and would no doubt be lethal to anything that would try to attack her. However Indigo was not used to such, having never wielded a a dagger, or any weapon for that matter before. But it was something at least, even if Indigo would rather shift into her wolf form if any danger did come this way.
She waited impatiently for him to get back and was just about to get up and look for him herself, when the blue-skinned elf reappeared again, carrying a much fuller bag. He also looked better, more energy and bounce in his step.
"I see you found the fruit." she said, eyeing him and his bag.
"I did," he said, setting his bag down. "I presume nothing came your way?"
If anything had, it had not caused any trouble, the camp was just as it had been when he had left. Kilarhas looked over to the woman. "Would you care for some clothing?" He asked. "I have extra in my bag."
"Why, does my nudity bother you?" Indigo shook her head but then said, "Sure, what do you have?"
To his other question she said, "No, not a peep from anything. Oh and, here's your knife back. Thanks, by the way."
Stretching her arms over her head, Indigo's shoulders gave several loud pops! as she worked out the kinks. "I tell you, shifting between a human and a wolf doesn't do much for the joints that's for sure."
Looking at the fire, she threw a bit of wood back in that had fallen out and the fire briefly flared in response. "So, what are we doing now?"
Kilarhas took the knife and put it back into its sheath. He rummaged around in his bag and after a moment pulled out a simple shirt, a pair of pants, and a belt.
"Do you want boots, or no?" he asked her, tossing her the clothing.
Frowning when he didn't answer her question, Indigo set about to putting on the offered clothes. "Boots too, please. And I had asked you a question."
Throwing on the pants, she then proceeded to put the cloth shirt on over her head. It was a little baggy but other than that they seemed to fit comfortably enough. Now for the belt. Fastening that too around her waist, she looked expectantly at Kilarhas.
"Oh, sorry," Kilarhas apologised. "I don't really know," he said, taking an extra pair of boots from his bag and giving them to the woman. "I suppose we'll have to stay here a while, with you being injured and all."
Indigo sighed irritably, although she had expected as much. After putting on the boots and poking at the pile of bones from her meal, she figured she may as well tell him her name. After all if they were both going to be here awhile, why not? "My name's Indigo." she said. "Just so you know what to call me."
Kilarhas nodded when she introduced herself. Well, it seemed they were stuck here for the week, may as well try to make conversation.
"So, have you lived in the forest your whole life?" he asked.
"No. The jungle has only been my home for the past five years or so." Indigo told him, putting emphasis on the word 'jungle' as that's what it was. It may be forest-y but it was more accurately a wet and tropical one.
She sighed sadly, fingering the wolf pendant at her neck. "I was driven out here from an island chain far away after my clan had been attacked and killed by panther shifters. I pray every day they won't find me here."
Lifting her shirt, she looked at her wound again and touched it gingerly. It was still very sore and hurt. But at least she was no longer bleeding out. That was a definite plus.
"Sorry, jungle," Kilarhas said when he heard her emphasis on the word. He frowned when she spoke of her past.
"I'm very sorry to hear that," he said truthfully. "Are, are the panther shifters still after you? Why?" He shook his head in apology. "Oh, never mind, I shouldn't have asked."
"I don't know." Indigo answered truthfully. "If they are, they haven't found me yet. And it better stay that way."
She sighed. "As for why my clan was attacked, there had been some....territorial issues and disagreements between our clans. Not to mention the panther leader was more on the ruthless side than his father had been. I guess he took the death of his father a bit too hard. But I don't know any more than that, nor do I care. They killed my family and my entire clan, leaving me with only the clothes on my back and my wolf necklace." Shaking her head some at the memories of smoke and dead bodies.
"So I've been here ever since. For the past five years."
Kilarhas nodded. "I've been traveling around Le'raana for six years now. I'm a ranger, an adventurer, sometimes I do mercenary work."
He stood and put more wood on the fire. "So, have you ever played cards?"
If they were going to be here for a week, they may as well have something to do.
"Can't say that I have." Indigo admitted. "I've heard of it though. Seen some people playing it but never participated myself."
To further explain, she added in, "I occasionally go to the nearby villages and towns, but most of my time is spent here."
Kilarhas again nodded. "Would you like to learn?" he asked. "Cards, I mean. It's quite entertaining, I think. Many people do it for money, but I do it just for fun most of the time."
"Sure, let's. It definitely beats sitting here with nothing to do."
While Indigo still wasn't happy about not being able to shift into her wolf form and go roam around like usual, she complied with the cards idea. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, the wolf shifter looked at Kilarhas, waiting for him to get the cards out and explain the rules.
"So, what's the object of the game we're playing?"
"The object is to get rid of all of your cards," Kilarhas said, reaching into his pack and pulling out a deck of playing cards. He sat on the ground across from Indigo and started to deal the cards.
"It's a fairly simple game, it's called Crazy Eights. . ." The elf proceeded to explain the rules of the game.
Indigo took her cards and looked at them. She wasn't that familiar with the different suits and numbers, so examined them all with interest. One of the cards showed an upright three-leafed clover symbol with the letter 'A' in the top left corner and the bottom right corner, while another showed the letter 'J' with a heart symbol on it. Looking at the rest, she furrowed her brow trying to remember everything that Kilarhas had told her on how to play.
Fanning the cards out in her hands, she nodded at him and said, "Ready when you are."
He nodded and flipped over the top card on the stack sitting between them. It was an ace of hearts. Kilarhas set a three of hearts on top of the ace.
"Your turn," he said, sitting back while he waited for Indigo to make her move.
Looking at her cards again, Indigo chose the Jack of Hearts and placed that down over the three of hearts in the discard pile.
Glancing back up at him, she stated, "Took my turn."
Kilarhas looked at his hand, and realizing he didn't have any he could lay, picked a card. It was a Jack of Spades, and he placed it on top of Indigo's card.
"Do you have a home in the jungle here?" Kilarhas asked. "Or do you just wander around?"
"I have a small dwelling. Well, it's a tiny hut made out of wooden sticks and grass." Indigo explained, also taking her turn again.
Taking from the stack as she had neither any more Jacks nor Spades. Looking at the card, it was a Two of Diamonds. Not helpful. So she picked another card, this one a Queen of Spades and put that down on top of the Jack of Spades Kilarhas had discarded earlier.
"Done and done." she beamed.
Kilarhas looked at his cards and lay picked a card. It was a King of Spades. He set it down before looking back up at Indigo.
"Forgive me if this is an intrusion, or ignorant, but why don't you find another pack? I know they will be different, and you will not have the same connection you probably had with your original pack, but wouldn't it help you to find another pack to live with?"
"Don't you think I've tried that already?!" Indigo snapped. Taking a deep breath, she calmed down somewhat. "Sorry, I... I just haven't had much luck on that front. Looking for others like me that is. Regular wolves are great to be with as well, but it isn't the same. Until I do find another pack, I will have to continue on as I have been doing. I hope to someday." Sighing irritably, as she really did miss the companionship and belonging of being part of a wolf pack.
The game was momentarily forgotten for the time being as Indigo brooded silently.
Kilarhas frowned sympathetically. "I'm sure you'll find another pack some day, maybe you just have to travel farther into the jungle, or even out of the jungle. Perhaps if you traveled across the desert you could find a pack in Niahi Woods, or Draconi forest, I know there are at least a few packs there. But that is very far away."
"There are wolf shifter packs in the Niahi Woods and Draconi Forest?" Indigo looked excited now. "I haven't been to either before, but now I will definitely need to make a trip to both places and see if I can find them." Frowning, she remembered her injury as it was stinging at her side again. "After my wound heals, that is."
She was about to say something more when a low growl sounded nearby. Indigo immediately went into hunter mode, but since she couldn't shift, it wouldn't do her any good now. Still she remained alert, and looked around for the source of the growl.
Kilarhas jumped up, his daggers flying to his hands at the sound of the growl.
"Do you know what it could be?" Kilarhas whispered, looking in the direction of the growl. He wondered if it was the panthers that Indigo had told him about had finally come to try and kill the wolf-shifter. Kilarhas hoped not, for if there was a pack of the panthers, more than six, Kilarhas may not be able to defend them both.
Still listening and searching, Indigo was about to jump up and shift into wolf form as her instincts were on overdrive now to do so, her hands twitching by her sides as she felt the call of the wild within her start to surface. Finally she made her decision and shifted, the wound opening up once again as a dark stain appeared on the now moved and out of place bandages.
She let out a predatory howl, just as three panthers emerged onto the scene, circling them on all sides in a triangular formation. One of them whom appeared to be the 'leader' of the small group, shifted into human form and snarled at Indigo. "Well, lookie here boys. We've found our meat. Wasn't expecting you to be hiding out within this jungle, wolf shifter. Far from home, are we?"
Not giving her a chance to answer, the lead one attacked, soon followed by the other two, the leader having shifted back into panther form again. Indigo leapt out of the way of the lead one's jaws, and dodged a swipe from a paw of the one sneaking up behind her, while simultaneously lunging for the throat of the third. Indigo didn't know how they found her, and she had hoped they wouldn't. It seemed she had hoped in vain. Now it was fight and kill, or be killed. There was no other alternative here.
Kilarhas leapet into action the second the panthers attacked. He lunged forward, slashing his dagger along the flank of one of the panthers attacking Indigo. The elf could tell that the wolf-shifter was probably in no shape to fight, and with her wound reopened, things were not looking well.
Kilarhas pulled out his wand with his free hand, and he whispered a word. The tip of his wand started on fire, but it didn't burn. The elf mage sheathed his dagger and his wand grew to be the size of a staff, but the tip was still on fire. He slashed it at a panther, aiming to hit it on teh head, and hopefully start it on fire as well.
The slash along the second panther's flank made him turn his attention to Kilarhas instead and made to attack him now, but the elf was quicker. The fiery staff hit the same panther on the head and he yelped in pain and agony as his fur began to catch fire. The panther now was put on the defensive as he tried to dodge further attacks from both Kilarhas and Indigo.
Indigo was quickly tiring and her wound stung more than ever now as more and more blood seeped out, which only made the remaining two panthers much more feral in their movements and actions, as they clearly wanted to see the wolf shifter fall dead. As a result of her injury, her movements were sluggish, despite the fact she had managed to bite the neck of the third panther, but it had quickly shaken her off and bit her in turn on the snout. Indigo yelped at the fresh wound which was on her face now, but didn't give up. To give up would mean death. So she continued to fight, getting slower and slower as the seconds passed, a reaction that did not go unnoticed by the lead panther or the other one. The one on fire was still reeling about, trying to put out the flames which were quickly consuming it, the acrid smell of burning fur and skin filled the jungle air.
While the third one went after Indigo again, seeing an opening, the leader decided to go after Kilarhas while he was occupied, hoping to bring him down so he and his group could finish what they came here for. The scent of Indigo's blood spurred him on in full frenzied motion.
Kilarhas could see that Indigo was quickly losing what strength she had. He wound had of course reopened, and her blood was seeping through the bandages. If they didn't get rid of these panthers soon, Indigo would die, an possibly Kilarhas as well.
Kilarhas looked over to see the lead pather barrelling towards him. At the last possible second, the elf sprang up, twisting in the air, he came down on top of the panther. He brought his dagger down towards the panther's back. If the big cat did not act soon, the blade would sink deep between it's shoulder blades, injuring it badly and possibly killing it.
The lead shifter dodged Kilarhas' downward strike by jumping to the side and attempted to dislodge the dagger from the elf's grip with a powerful swipe of his paw. Snarling fiercely at the blue-skinned ranger, all his attention was on the elf at the moment.
The one on fire continued to flail about and yelp pitifully before slowing, and then finally stilling as the orange flames readily consumed his flesh and fur. One down.
Indigo was doing her best to evade the other panther shifter who was able to bite her side right where the wound was, and the wolf girl let out a loud howl of pain at this. She then snarled at her foe and once more jumped into the fray but it was clear to all that she was quickly weakening. Any longer and she would be utterly helpless and at their enemies' mercy. If not outright dead. Raking her claws across the panther's face, she managed to temporarily blind him as the other yelped at the assault, before rounding on her again as Indigo had been too slow to react when the chance was given. She was losing a lot of blood and fast, it pooling all over the ground around them. The situation wasn't looking good for her.
Despite losing his dagger, Kilarhas turned back to the panther, his staff still in his hand. Then he saw Indigo and the other panther, who had bitten her wound. Kilarhas pointed his hand at the panther attacking Indigo and a bright ball of light flashed right in the panther's eyes, blinding it again, and hopefully giving Indigo time to get away, or at least get her bearings.
Kilarhas swung his staff around, hoping to hit the panther who was attacking him on the head.
The attack hit the panther and as a result the lead one stepped back as he was temporarily stunned by the blow. Not to mention the flames which were quickly starting to spread over him. In pain, the leader of the once trio still tried to lunge at the elf but was slowed due to his injuries.
Meanwhile, Indigo was given a brief respite, but did not back down. Such was not the way of a wolf. The two leapt at one another simultaneously, in a clash of claws and teeth, each one trying to get the upper hand here. But Indigo was on the losing end, the panther quickly gaining the advantage. He made to bite her again, just under the neck and Indigo barely dodged it, his teeth grazing her side but not actually managing to truly harm her like he'd hoped to.
They circled one another, the enemy shifter's eyes gleaming in a feral light. Then he lunged at her again. Indigo was put solely on the defensive now as she tried to evade his relentless attacks. Slowing more and more with each passing second. She growled, the sound coming out more like a whimper. Her opponent leaned back and was about to jump at her again, Indigo would probably not be able to move out of the way this time. It was up to Kilarhas to intervene again.
The panther that he had been attacking now temporarily stunned, Kilarhas ran for Indigo. The wolf-shifter was very weak, and would not be able to dodge the next blow from her opponent, if Kilarhas didn't get there soon enough. . .
The elf man pulled out a small dagger hidden in his sleeve and threw it at the panther, hoping to distract it from Indigo until he got closer. When he was close enough, he dove towards the large cat, hoping to at least knock it down.
It was not a ideal way to attack, but the panther had been so close to Indigo, Kilarhas had had no choice.
The dagger flew through the air and struck the shifter in his side. Yelping in both pain and surprise, it was easy enough for the elf to tackle the beast. Shaking furiously, the panther fought to get the ranger off of him, making to bite his arm in his attempts.
Indigo had to pause then, blood still flowing freely from both wounds, one on her snout and the initial one on her side. The world began to spin around her crazily, and she felt she would soon pass out.
The lead one was still on fire, making the most loudest roars of pain as he attempted to extinguish the flames. But it was a lost cause, the fire greedily licked at the shifter, his movements also getting slower. Both rage and agony evident in his eyes.
Kilarhas struggled against the panther, and cried out when its teeth sunk deep into his arm. The bite was strong, his bone would break if he didn't get the panther off him. He hit the panther across the face with his staff and pulled his arm free. He rolled away from the shifter and sprang to his feet.
His arm was bleeding freely, but Kilarhas ignored the pain and readied his staff to attack the panther again. He rushed at it, attempting to again hit it with his staff.
The staff hit the panther shifter head on, right across the side of his skull and his fur also quickly caught fire. Growling with menace, he still struggled to keep upright and attack, leaping once more at the elf ranger.
The lead shifter lost his battle with the raging flames and soon fell over dead, the burning pyre still eating away at his dead corpse. Two down.
Indigo also lost her battle with remaining conscious and fell over onto her side, blood pooling out heavily around her. She was losing a lot of blood and if not treated soon, she would soon perish and succumb to her injuries. She did not shift back, and was still in wolf form.
Kilarhas dodged aside, nimbly rushing around the panther and slashing at its side. If he could keep it away from Indigo, who was now extremely vulnerable, there was a chance both of them would get out of this alive, however, if the panther went for the shifter, Kilarhas would have a hard time keeping it off of her.
Kilarhas saw the lead panther shifter fall dead, and while the elf did not like killing, he was glad that one more opponent was out of the way. One to go.
Being on fire tended to dull one's perception and reflexes, so the panther shifter did not go for Indigo, not seeing his opportunity for such. Still trying to fight off both elf and flames, the shifter howled in pain when the knife slashed his side, a huge gush of blood oozing out onto the ground.
After seeing his comrades dead, lying lifeless on the jungle floor, he decided to forget the fight and make a run for it. And hopefully be able to put out the flames which continued eating his fur and flesh, consuming it greedily. It was either that or end up like his companions. And so the last panther dashed off at frenzied speed, leaving behind Kilarhas and Indigo, the latter who was still very much unconscious and bleeding out quickly. If the ranger wished to save the wolf shifter, now was the time to do so and let the enemy flee. It was very likely the enemy would die anyway, as it howled through the bushes and underbrush, movements slowing more and more as it tried to escape.
Time was of the essence here.
Kilarhas had no mind to go after the panther, even if Indigo hadn't been wounded he would have let the shifter go, even try to help it, but now there was no time.
He grabbed his pack and rushed to the wolf-shifter's side, taking his dagger and cutting away the bandages. He pulled a clean roll of bandages from his pack and a few bottle and set about binding and cleaning the wound. When the wound was properly bound, Kilarhas gently put his hands onto the shifter's side and whispered a few words. Though Kilarhas was skilled in healing without magic, with, he was far from an expert, but he still knew a few tricks.
Blue sparks flitted from his fingers and sank into Indigo's wound.
The elf sat back, and after carefully moving Indigo closer to the fire, checked and stoked the flames.
Then Kilarhas sat down, all he could do was wait.
A few hours would pass before Indigo stirred. Awakening from her blood-loss induced sleep, the shifter, still in wolf form, looked down at the new bandages which were wrapped securely around her. The bite on her snout had also been treated as well. Indigo was still alive and she had Kilarhas to thank for that.
Going over to him, she nudged his arm with her nose in gratitude before looking up at him, ice blue eyes shining in the light from the midday sun. With the bandages on, she was unable to shift back to her human form, so she simply sat down next to him and laid her head in his lap. There was still the matter of the panther shifter corpses lying about, but they would deal with that later. What exactly happened to the other one was unknown at this point since Indigo only saw two of them. However she could smell the other one not too far away, and it was either dead or dying which was just fine with her.
When the wolf shifter walked over to him and laid her head on his lap Kilarhas smiled. He didn't know if she'd like it, but he scratched her gently on the top of her head once.
"You'll probably have to stay in your wolf form for a while," he said. "Shifting might open your would again."
Kilarhas had earlier debated whether or not to go find the other panther shifter to help it, but he had decided against it. With Indigo asleep, she had been defenseless, and Kilarhas had stayed near in case any other predators came by looking for an easy meal.