Realistic or Modern A Night Bleeds (Closed)

[Out Of Words]

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​

Rhevens Coldwater

Tags Silver- | Location: On the Lam With Florida Man, FL ​

Rhevens hadn't been sure what to do next, had even started to have an internal debate with himself, whom he never got along with. Well color him silly, but Rhevens was pretty sure the wolf wanted them, or at least him, to leave when the wolf took his hand gently in her muzzle and started to tug, walk away,.

Shrugging on the backpack, Rhevens nodded. "Okay, let's go." Good thing he wasn't unaccustomed to walking barefoot in the woods, or wherever. It did mean he had to go a little slower. And sometimes an occasional 'Shit! OW..." would slip out when he lucked out and found that pesky acorn, or briar under his foot. Yay, him!

It wasn't until the residential area seemed forever ago, and they were deep into the woods, that he had to stop. "Okay, so eh-heh. Did you have anywhere in particular we're going, cause.. I'm not from around here. Like so far not around here, it's amusing. Eh-heh." See how amusing it was?

Hell, he wasn't even sure what day it was, or... night as the case may currently be. Midnight had covered some serious ground, but even Rhevens doubted it was still Monday, that was just too much ground to cover. "Uh.. what day is it, by the way? Like.. can you make some type of letter in the dirt with a claw maybe?:

Rhevens may or may not babble randomly, while trying to make it seem not so random. "Though if it's Thursday, you'd have to do like two letters, or I might confuse it with Tuesday, you know. Oh. and same with Saturday or Sunday. Damn days of the week. Am I right? Eh-heh."

coded by natasha.

 

[KodakWolf]

Maddox Ward (Leif Hjalkarssen)
Location: BBQ
Tags: Out Of Words Vinegar Bees ​

Watching drunk people attempt anything that requires skill is always entertaining, but Leif wasn't really expecting Chase to partake in jousting, partially his fault. Those few drinks seemed to be doing their job alright, maybe too alright. Leif raised an eyebrow with a small smirk at the request for more screwdrivers, but got up to fulfill it nevertheless, and also return the empty food plates and the now empty beer bottle, since Chase would be too busy with the screwdrivers to hold it.

"Try to tune into that nice buzz." he spoke with another smirk as he returned with two more drinks and set them on the center table. He wasn't looking for a blackout, and hoped neither was Chase, so it should be safe to assume the shifter could be left to drink unsupervised.

He outright laughed as Bug raised Evelyn's hand, then planted a kiss on the side of her temple. Bug joining was half expected, but a so easily coerced Evelyn? And Bug hadn't immediately volunteered? Maybe he'd been misjudging everyone. It occurred to him then that Evelyn might also be on the 'ancient side of the spectrum', and enjoy archaic sports. You never know, elves did have a remarkably long life span.

"Alright, you take care." He waved at Chase before heading to the barn after Maylee and Shia. Flying too close to the moon was still better than too close to the sun, so why not give it a try.

As he entered the barn, he walked in on Maylee talking about squeezing someone unconscious with her thighs. What the fuck. He waited until Shia had managed to switch topics before speaking up about his intention to give Maylee a small riding lesson before she went on to gallop towards a medieval lance, foam covered or not.

She'd said she had basically no riding experience, and was therefore pretty brave to step up for jousting like it was a volleyball match.

Wrapping the lances in foam was the last of the safety measures to be taken, actually. Before worrying about any danger posed by the lances, it was important to at least know how to not fall off a horse at the first jolt. Horseback falls rarely caused any serious harm, but they certainly could. With horses being the go to means of transportation throughout most of his life, Leif thought it was only fair he gave Maylee one or two tips. Going 'I don't like horses' had never really been an option, though either way he'd never really say that and rather enjoyed riding.

My rate is you not dying or getting too hurt. He wouldn't say that so as not to patronize her too much, and he wasn't that worried, though it was still something to keep in mind.

"I'll give you a free trial." All she had time for, anyway. He shot her a small smile then moved to assist them as needed with tacking up the 4 horses.

Once they were done, he thanked Shia for offering Ella up and told Mayle to put a halter on her and lead her outside. On the way out, he picked up a saddle blanket and a bridle.

"How's your day been?" He spoke casually as they made their way out.

 

[Vinegar Bees]

Maylee was definitely a little nervous as she clipped a halter onto Ella, a beautiful pale-colored horse and the oldest of the bunch, according to Shia. When she had been tacking up Maya, Shia had showed her how to clip a little rope called a lead to either side of her halter, keeping her rooted firmly in place. Actually leading a horse was a much more daunting matter altogether. It wasn't that she feared Ella might bolt or kick or anything of the sort—the mare seemed about as docile as one could hope for, and even then, Maylee had healed from injuries from far more infernal creatures than a giant herbivore. Still, she worried that, in her inexperience, she might tug too tightly on the mare's lead and hurt her, or get in her way and trip her, or—

Her nervous ruminations were interrupted when Leif casually asked about her day, and she took a breath in, allowing herself to ease into a rhythm with Ella as the mare sleepily plodded along. It was far easier to tackle, she realized, when she wasn't overthinking it.

"Very full of food," she said with a laugh. "Good food, too. Though I'm sure you're well aware of that."

She prepared to fire back an equally-casual question about his own day, but something faltered within her, a previously-forgotten seed of worry that had been planted in her mind. She chewed her lip, wondering whether to ask Leif about it or not. Now couldn't be the right time, right...?

"Actually, um... I have a question." She frowned, a little ashamed for bringing this up now, for not being able to wait. "About Papa. Sorry to bring it up, but..."

She forbore a grimace as a sudden chill shot up her spine. "When the two of you would have your visits, did he ever... I don't know. Mention anything about me having magic...?" It was a strange question, even to her own ears. Surely, if Papa had known about something that important, he would have told her, right? "It's just... Shia thought he felt something in me before. Something wild? And I just... I don't know. I've always been terrible with magic, so..."

Beside her, Ella loosed a gentle snort from her long, broad nose, and the noise stirred Maylee back to the present time of revelry and jousting. Now wasn't the time to be reminding Leif of the precious friend he had lost because she had been too weak to protect him.

"I'm sure it's nothing," she said in an attempt at nonchalance, "just more weird side effects of all this stuff with the moon. I was just... curious." Hastily, she cleared her throat. "Anyway. I'm sure I won't become much of an expert equestrian in a single evening, but I'll give it my all. I can't make a fool of myself in front of my esteemed teacher, after all."

( Tags: KodakWolf | Out Of Words )​

maylee song.

hunter | werewolf

 

[Silver-]

SILVER BLACKWOOD
Tags: Out Of Words | Location: Acorn Does The Big Stabby, FL​

The forest now entrenched them both, thick canopies of leaves only allowing feeble streaks of light to pass when cool zephyrs had their leaves shuddering in the wind. Silver honestly had no idea which direction they were going, allowing her instincts to guide her deeper into the forest. Normally in Florida such thick woods wouldn’t exist, she thought, but considering she didn’t live as close to the more populated suburban areas, there was bound to be ones with less human traffic. Something told her they were in a familiar place, that it would be safe as long as they traversed through it at night because once daybreak struck, that was when people may start appearing. A park? Her eyes narrowed in contemplation, her ears swiveling alertly as her senses were mapping out their surroundings for her. She felt almost too at ease in this form, as if she had always been connected to it but never able to access it until now.

Silver paused when Rhevens did, taking a moment to sit and lap at her disheveled coat. She curled her lip at the sharp tang of iron that hit her palette, huffing distractedly to answer the confused male. So he really hadn’t been from around here after all? She offered him a questioning look as she tilted her head, ceasing the tending to her hidden wounds. Silver blinked slowly before pawing the earth testily, soon clawing up some dirt in order to carve out a fairly legible ‘T-H-U-R-S’ into the rich soil. Hopefully that would be good enough for him, if not, Silver could only shake her head hopelessly. If it did work out, she’d back up a bit to dig up a set of words along with it.

‘W-H-E-R-E F-R-O-M’; it was an inquiry lacking a question mark since it was starting to get tiring just writing these things out. The moon was still sapping at her energy and it didn’t help that transforming had probably taken a toll on her all on its own.

 

[Out Of Words]

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​

Rhevens Coldwater

Tags Silver- | Location: On the Lam With Florida Man, FL ​

Rhevens sank into a couch, fingertips touching the ground to help him maintain balance as he had to peer closely to see what the wolf wrote. "So, Thursday. Huh. Okay." His expression turned into one of deep thought, or maybe he was just tired. Could go either way, honestly.

When the wolf pawed out some more letters, he focused on the dirt gouges. "Where.. from.. Oh.. eh-heh." One hand came up to scratch at the side of his head, "Wa.. Ack!" And again, it got caught. Took a moment to untangle the knot and free his hand. "Sorry, been a while since I've combed my hair apparently. Uh.. Washington. State. Above Oregon."

He sighed and looked around, nothing really but trees to see now. There was a bit of night fog, and patches of the moons' red light laughed at them every couple of yards. "None of this makes sense. I mean.. yeah, I lose days sometimes, but.. why Florida? I.. I don't know anyone here."

Rhevens was sort of talking to himself, but technically he wasn't, and he knew this. It still gave him a strange sense of comfort, to voice his thoughts out loud. "Maybe we should head back.." Rhevens turned to look the way they came, only it looked like the way they were headed.

There wasn't a sign of any residential area, or any road, or street, or sign of civilization as a whole. The third tree in the front, looked like the third tree in the back, and to the left, the right.. "What the fuck?" Rhevens stood up then, and turned in a small circle. "I.. it looks the same, no matter which way.. I look. Eh-heh."

Okay, comfort just took a nose dive out the car window. "Eh-heh."

coded by natasha.

 

[Silver-]

SILVER BLACKWOOD
Tags: Out Of Words | Location: The Matrix, FL​

Silver couldn’t help but be surprised whenever Rhevens lowered himself to the earth, allowing himself to be so close to falling yet able to heft his own weight. Being surrounded by humans had made it a normality for her to see people’s faces twist into disdainful or disapproving looks when acts such as his were done, even when the times called for it. People cared more about the act than the steps taken to get to there, whether they were good or bad. She stayed about a foot from him at all times in case he decided to attempt something irrational with his frequent crouching being one of those times that she suspected such occurrences could begin at.

Her suspicions were constantly dampened by the sole fact that Rhevens didn’t seem to be the cunning type. She blinked slowly, meant to reflect a sort of ‘are you serious’ expression as best as a canine could. Should he be the mastermind behind their inability to find a proper area or direction to settle on heading towards, she would definitely have to give him props for being able to retain such an oblivious disposition throughout his act. His constant struggle with his matted head of dark hair seemed to be the only thing snapping him into focus. The wolf stood a bit taller at the words that followed his battle. Washington, the state. Not D.C. The trek between several different time zones by plane would take up to two days but on foot it would take a month or more. At what speed exactly would he had to have travelled at in order to get here? How long ago had he left his home state? The unanswered question of why he was here in the first place still thudded in the back of her mind like a headache that just wouldn’t dissipate. If he didn’t know why he was here, then who or what did? Her amber gaze brightened as her fur began standing on end as she stared at the man as if she hadn’t seen him before, a feral aura emitting off her. If Rhevens had Midnight, that meant he wasn’t alone. There was never only one set of eyes with him. If he didn’t see something, the wolf would’ve and in turn, relayed it back to him. Werewolves didn’t turn for no reason nor did they expose their human form to just anyone. Unless they meant to keep them alive. Them being her. If he wanted her dead, he would’ve killed her by now and kept his little secret to himself. She thought she had forced his hand earlier but maybe he knew he would have to tell her at some point anyway and she had merely accelerated the process.

The idea of there being a much grander plan of a scale she couldn’t proportion in her mind was setting her on edge more than her father could’ve. The moment Rhevens stated that there didn’t seem to be a way out of the patchily lit circle they stood in, she lowered her head and snarled at him, fury scorching in her gaze as she fixated her merciless stare at him. If the threat wasn’t Rhevens himself then the actual one that would take initiative would strike soon. He was right that the scenery before them was never-ending; like a photoshopped image that had been duplicated one too many times. Her ears swiveled constantly as she scanned for the tiniest hint of movement within the forest that seemed to have gone eerily still, not keeping her back to it completely as she began to slowly stalk around him, aiming to not be a stagnant target suppressed by the fear that wanted so badly to wedge into her human heart.

 

[Maeteris]

Evelyn Harper

Evelyn finished the rest of her salad with as much propriety as she could muster for one who’s about to gobble greens down like a horse. A task made nauseating by the melange of mayonnaise and unwanted barbecue sauce, but her discipline and determination won in the end.

She fished for the handkerchief in her pocket, dabbing it across her lips. “What if I told you I couldn’t ride a horse. Would you’ve offered me up then?” She perked a brow questioningly.

Bug was a wildcard that needed to be acknowledged. She needed him to understand there were unspoken barriers between them, but the amount of patience and understanding that was required for the task would be monumental.

Patience? She had the time. Understanding? No. She could not begin to comprehend the mind of Bug, much less break down words to match his rhythm of thought.

In any case, she was ready to admit she undoubtedly could ride a horse, but it was food for thought--an example for further situations. Father had limited her time around horses, except for times she needed to ride in carriages, but he had soon found out Lillian would not have it. Thank Caerys for the Librarian. In her words, “Varya needs to know about everything and anything, my lord. She’d be less of an Aelf if she couldn’t recite the names of each bone in a horse’s body.”

She still couldn’t find anyone eager to be regaled with horse anatomy, but it allowed her time on a horse if limited.

location: Houston • tags • mood • Outfit • interactions

 

[Out Of Words]

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​

BUG

Tags: Maeteris ⬇
Location: Wright Wranch​

Bug chittered now and then, watching others getting setup for the jousting when Evelyn suggested she might not know how to ride a horse. "Oh, it's easy peasy! If you need help though I can get behind you and help ride the horse. I've ridden a couple here, it's not bad when you get thrown off. Well, as long as you aren't riding over some rocky path, then it's kind of owie, but otherwise, the ground here isn't too hard. Makes for a decent enough landing on one's ass."

And Bug may or may not be stealing little pieces of food from the plate he shoved over toward Evelyn. He totally was. Just little bites here and there. Still had his own fork and everything. "Devlin's got some real nice horses. One of them.. Maya? She'd always come back around and come make sure I was okay after I fell off. She gives good kisses!"

Bug gestured with the hand holding the fork, which wound up sending some of the food in the air, barely missing Evelyn, but it missed her. "Whoopsie! Good thing that wasn't the barbecue pulled pork, that'd be messy. So you really can't ride a horse? I think they have some helmets we can use! Want me to go ask?" He moved to stand up, looking around already to do just that.

"TILLY!! DO WE HAVE HELMETS FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW HOW TO RIDE A HORSE?" And of course he was gesturing toward Evelyn at the same time. "I MIGHT WANT ONE TOO!" You know, using that loud voice to let out one's inner tension and worry. Did wonders really.

Tilly did the same, because that's just what one did with Bug. "I KIN GO LOOK, DOVE!"

coded by natasha.

 

[Maeteris]

Evelyn Harper

Bug let out a sound, one of his incessant chitterings, what body language the sound was accompanied with couldn’t be associated with anything she knew. She took it as a good sign that he was trying to understand the message that was being conveyed here.

Until he pulled the rug under her.

She cemented her barely irritated disposition from devolving into overt annoyance, but didn’t manage to hold back a sigh. “Bug, I know how to ride--Bug, listen.” He didn’t seem to listen, as each word he raised a decibel and he wasn’t even shouting, it’s practically Bug’s brand of conversation voice.

He was talking about falling off horses and landing squarely on his rear, she could understand the sensation, her first and few trials had ended the same way. Perhaps she should try and relate. “Maya you say? Yes, I think I heard t--” He cut her off with a call towards Ms.Tilly.

Vehlkasa, this is a worthless endeavour. She brought her fingers to her face and massaged the bridge of her nose.

The woman hollered back with matching gusto, Evelyn pursed her lips, defeated. She discovered then that Bug had a one-track mind, and whatever that was on that mind was going to be executed come hell or highwater. She pushed the plate towards Bug, who’d in his mad ravings managed to eat through his words. She thought of thanking him for being thoughtful even though the sentiment was lost. But that'd lead him to feel more obliged to butt into her business. There was no way to deal Bug at the moment, at least not in the capacity she's used to.

location: Houston • tags • mood • Outfit • interactions

 

[Out Of Words]

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​

Out Of Words

Maintaining the Status Quo | Current Timeline: May 15th​

Tags: Vinegar Bees Rhyme Britt-21
Location: ✈

Key noted when Roje went to use the facilities, figuring she would shower. He signaled for the flight attendant. "Please change those sheets and bring fresh linens." There was a nod before they proceeded to do just that, leaving Key to make his notes about the collar and cuffs Morgan managed to escape from.

His head turned in the direction of Winnie, the kitten, and Banks. Key watched as Banks whispered to Winnie, but it didn't appear to raise any alarms with Key. He just focused again on the cuffs, and jotted more notes down.

Well, for ten minutes, by then Foster had been moving around a bit under the sheet in the row in front. Either the sound was annoying, or Key had caught on to what the young man was doing, or planning. "Foster. Come here."

The moving under the sheet stopped, and slowly the curly haired Foster peeked out. Key crooked a finger in the 'come here' gesture, and Foster slowly crawled out of bed and stood up. Another gesture by Key indicated it was not close enough. "Here." And he pointed to a spot by his seat.

Foster's hands were shaking a bit, but he did move to stand next to the make heads explode mage. Key reached up and Foster couldn't help the flinch, still caught in some nightmare in his head. But Key just took a hold of the collar and tugged on it. "Lower. Get on your knees or sit on the floor a moment. I don't want to stand up."

Yeah, the whole get on your knees part really had Foster nearly freaking out. He couldn't quite get to his knees, so he just sat on the floor. It felt less doomsday than on his knees. Key was oblivious or didn't care for Foster's distress, he just started to examine the neck collar closer.

After another minute, he moved to examine Foster's cuffs. Twisted them around, tugged on them, and checked the locking mechanism. When he was satisfied, Key nodded his head and waved dismissively at Foster.

Before the young man could sit down though, Key gave him some advice. "If you try to change forms with those on, I'll kill you myself. Just so we're clear." Foster stood, eyes blinking rapidly before he gave a tense nod of his head and quickly scrambled back under the covers, curling up in a fetal position for now.

coded by natasha.

 

[Out Of Words]

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​

Sage

Tags Hayley Britt-21 | Location: Coven HQ ​

Sage gave a nod of his head. "Not as bad if stay inside. Sage likes to stay here, in the garden when moon is bad and being mean." He looked up, but there were no skylights here, no peek at the moon, which was for the best, and probably why Sage liked to stay there.

Sage's grin grew to near epic size at the mere mention of chocolate. "It's good, sweet and tasty. Sage likes chocolate." Then he made a quick amendment, "Only if not trouble for Hayley... you." He was back to grinning when she said she was going to get some. The boop to the nose had him going cross eyed briefly as he followed her finger touch to his nose. He snorted a bit, then grinned again.

"Yes, please." Sage nodded and was still just sort of smiling for a while after she left. Then he remembered some tasks he had to do in the garden, and braced a hand against the rock bench to stand up. And there, he paused, growing still and silent. Head tilted to the side, eyes closed, as if he was listening to the stone.

Sage let his hand fall away, and he moved to make a note to himself. It wasn't something he could do then and there, and if he didn't jot it down, Sage knew he'd forget about it. With a red crayon, so he would remember better, he wrote down just enough to make him recall the task later. It was folded up and placed in his favorite plant's pot, the one he always checked every day, without fail. He'd surely find it there. Then he puttered around the garden, watering, weeding, and even humming to the plants.

Sage did glance every now and then to the door, waiting to see if Hayley meant she was getting the chocolate today, or if she meant another day.

coded by natasha.

 

[Vinegar Bees]

(CONTENT WARNING: ANIMAL CRUELTY)

A kitten, huh?

Coda glanced sideways at the rather bizarre scene as the little runt (what was her name again? Winnie, right?) cradled a newly-transformed Morgan in a scene so sweet it sickened. He feigned disinterest, complete and utter detachment from the situation at hand—what was there to concern him, anyway? Why should he feel anything at the sight of a cat, let alone a churning in his stomach?

It had been a long time ago. He was over it.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯​

The slippery creature weaved between and around his legs, its tail furling and unfurling like a loosened ribbon. The boy had seen glimpses of cats scurrying around the neighborhood—neighbors' cats? Strays? He couldn't tell—but this was the first time he had seen one up close.

"You don't have to stand so still," Maria said with a laugh. "Here, baby, why don't you sit down? Maybe he'll crawl into your lap."

The boy wasn't quite sure he even wanted the cat that close, but then it occurred to him that he was scared of a skinny, furry thing no taller than his knee, and with a determined huff, he plopped himself down on the sun-heated curb.

For a moment, the cat continued its whimsical dance between his legs, and then, slowly, slowly, it inched its way up and closer until it was perched precariously and curiously on his knee. His heart was pounding, but the boy grinned.

"I think he likes you." Maria slowly crouched beside him and offered a jovial wink.

"You think so?" The boy stared into the creature's streetlight-yellow eyes hopefully. When the cat began to push its paws into his knees, he frowned, confused.

"What's he doing—?"

"He's kneading," Maria explained. "It means he's relaxed. Just be careful of his—"

It happened so quickly, then. A sharp pinch of pain as the boy watched the cat's needlepoint claw press into his skin, a surprised yelp as he instinctively picked up the cat to remove it from his lap, a startled hiss as the cat found itself unexpectedly handled.

Another flash of pain—worse. Red, screaming pain as the claws slashed across his palm, a litany of howling whispers filling his ears as the seep of his own blood filled his vision.

Hurts hurts hurts hurts hurts.
You're bleeding!
How does it feel, boy? Do you like it? Are you scared?
Scaredy-cat, scared of a cat.
You're bleeding! You're bleeding! You're bleeding!
Hurts hurts hurts hurts hurts—

—you know you want to hurt it back.​

His brain was not conscious of sending the impulse to his hands, but in the next moment he jerked them hard at the ground, and a horrid crunch vibrated through the bones in his fingers, and his blurry vision settled to see a limp, open-mouthed creature in his hands, its skin split along the neck as the splintered ends of bone pierced through.

Nausea swam in his throat, and tears filled his eyes. What happened? What happened? He had just been holding a warm, wriggling animal, and now it was broken and dead and oh God why, why had that happened—?

The tears spilled over as he looked desperately at his mother. "I—I—I didn't mean to," he stammered.

What responded in Maria's eyes was not comfort but fear.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯​

That had been the first time she had looked at him like that, Coda remembered, but it certainly hadn't been the last. It became something they simply didn't talk about; whenever a neighbor's cat scurried out of their yard, they only looked dumbly the other way. Willfully ignorant. Maria had buried the cat in a hole in the yard, but over time, flesh would fade. If they simply refused to remember it, could they rewrite history, a life where it had never happened?

Coda lifted his right hand to his face, splayed his fingers out as he examined the three thin pink lines that stood out faintly on his palm. Scars still kept alive a mangled, yellow-eyed cat that refused to let him forget.

coda.

half-demon

 

[Out Of Words]

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​

Rhevens Coldwater

Tags Silver- | Location: On the Lam With Florida Man, FL ​

Rhevens stood up when the wolf started snarling at him. "Hey!" One hand gestured to the scenery. "I didn't do this. So.. just.. just.. tuck those pearly whites away." He was a little relieved when the wolf started stalking around instead of lashing out at him. It let him take a figurative step back and look around.

"Look. Let's uh.. saw this in a movie." He moved to one tree and with the edge of a rock, carved out a small circle. "We'll mark it, like this. And then we'll keep going and make sure it isn't the same tree?" He gave a bit of a shrug and a 'what else can we do' kind of expression. "Eh-heh."

"Oh, oh.." He moved to gestured to the dirt where she had dug out the whole 'where from' question. "And we'll have this. So.. uh.. we'll keep going forward.." He took a moment to discern the direction they were facing when the wolf wrote in the dirt, then pointed. "That way.. and well.."

Rhevens nearly tried to run fingers through his hair, but stopped himself this time, opting to rub at the side of his neck instead. "If.. we do come back to this, then.. then we can panic cause I'll have no fucking clue what's going on."

He waited to see if the wolf was game for his proposed idea, and if she was, he'd start moving in the direction they were heading in the first place. If not, he was open to ideas and suggestions.

coded by natasha.

 

[Silver-]

SILVER BLACKWOOD
Tags: Out Of Words | Location: The Matrix, FL
​

The animalistic fear that had clenched her heart began to wane at Rhevens reasoning, the scalding look of distrust lessening upon him finishing with the idea that if his initial plan bore no fruit, only then could they really panic. Being stuck in a loop for the rest of their lives didn’t sound like the most appealing way to go anyway. The wolf scoured their surroundings for any sign of a certain veil or wavering point of exit/entry, using what little senses she had tapped into in order to try and help both their causes. Something obviously was wrong about this all but the source had to be close for it to be so strong. The wind had stopped but soft fog rolled in, masking the moon’s true location aside from the ghostly aura it cast throughout the forest. Rhevens was right about marking things but could more be done?

Silver seemed to sigh despite her four-legged form, brushing up against Rhevens almost as if to reassure that their efforts wouldn’t be in vain. Another bet might be to find a source of water somewhere but she couldn’t hear anything in particular, grumbling to herself as she nudged the male forward to signal her acceptance of his plan. She purposely allowed her limp to return as they stepped in the direction they were supposed to be following, her footfalls thumping a bit more loudly as she placed more of her weight down on the earth to leave deeper tracks. She did silently wonder why he didn’t just shift but there was sure to be a reason behind it. Regardless, Silver allowed her awkward gait to keep her a few steps behind Rhevens’s left flank, keeping her ears pricked forward while also branching out her other senses.

 

[KodakWolf]

Maddox Ward (Leif Hjalkarssen)
Location: BBQ
Tags: Out Of Words Vinegar Bees ​

At this point, he was well aware of how wonderful Tilly's cooking was, having even tried it himself. He thought for a moment she could ask him the same question, or worse, ask him how he planned to acquire blood, something he'd rather (and probably should) spare her of, which would force him to lie to her. That meant he was glad when instead she asked something else, not as casual but something else nevertheless.

He didn't answer right away, and instead offered her a few tips on how to lead a horse, like the best way to walk beside it so it doesn't accidentally step on you, telling her she would never hurt Ella by tugging too harshly on the lead and that a firm grip was necessary in case she ever led a friskier animal, and showing her how to fold the rope in her hands so she had a backup grip in case the horse managed to pull the lead off her grips. All that was obviously unnecessary for a one time jousting game, but it felt wrong to not mention it, as if assuming that was going to be the last time she'd get to spend around horses.

"Something wild was how he described it?" As she seemed to be feeling more comfortable at leading the mare, even before he'd given her the tips, he then addressed her question. The question that she was quick to show indifference towards, but that her tone and body language kind of told him otherwise.

Body language telling otherwise or not, anything that had to do with magic shouldn't be overlooked in the context they were in, especially if it was something that Shia had mentioned as odd, meaning he didn't know about it from previous time loops (or whatever that was). He frowned, trying to fish up the memory that'd been overshadowed by more pressing matters.

"Now that you mention it, he did talk once about having sensed some blockage. As if magic couldn't flow." Which was weird, given how the darkness (of course, magic) constantly emanated from her blood. That was recent though, wasn't it? She wasn't a werewolf back when Adrien mentioned this blocked flow, which meant whatever Shia had sensed could be an aftermath of her transformation, and not just another ill effect of the bleeding moon. "There's magic in you now, but I can't tell if it's flowing. Maybe you should give it another shot. Whether it's related to the moon or your transformation, I think it could be either." He and Adrien never had the time to investigate it any further, though he knew he didn't need to word that.

"Anyway, yes, don't make a fool of yourself in front of your esteemed teacher." he said jokingly.

Leif then instructed her to bridle Ella and place the saddle blanket over her back, showing her how to stand beside the animal and use her hand on a spot where horses didn't have teeth to make bridling easier. He gave her a leg up so she could mount the mare without the assistance of a saddle and stirrups and basic instructions. Since she only had one evening, she needed to get the balance right as quick as possible, and switching the saddle for a blanket would make the saddle feel a lot easier later. Devlin's horses seemed docile enough, but she couldn't assume so, and needed to show dominance (not aggressiveness, assertiveness). Upper body shouldn't be tense, but legs should be tight around the animal, that's where the balance came from. She should try walking, trotting, cantering and galloping as far as she managed to, and try to get used to the movement as much as possible, while he'd correct any mistakes she made.


Later, as they headed back to where the others were, he complimented her for the good job. No matter how she actually fared, anyone riding basically bareback on their second time on a horse deserved a compliment.

"Are we sword fighting once on the ground?" he asked the group.

 

[Vinegar Bees]

Blockage? Maylee frowned, turning the word this way and that in her mind. She had always sort of had the sense that her body resisted magic, given how pitiful her attempts at casting had been, but that hadn't been a worry, of course, until after Papa was already gone. If only she could have asked him...

Blockage. Was that, in some cases, normal—? She had never come across information of the sort during her studies—even the most ordinary of humans had a sliver of magic in them, even if it was too small for all except the most perceptive magicians to detect. An outright blockage seemed counter to the way magic and life interacted. What was wrong with her? So weak she was, somehow, exceptional? It wasn't exactly a bragging point.

Maylee forced her mind to turn to other things as Leif started her lesson, offering instructions on everything from bridling Ella—with his guidance, it went much smoother than her first attempt at bridling Maya—to maintaining her balance. Without stirrups to secure her feet, she found herself feeling quite a bit slippery on Ella's undulating back, and it took a few minutes for Leif to properly drill into her brain that her legs were to be used for balance. Luckily, she was already in shape, so the muscles she had to squeeze weren't unaccustomed to activity, but her thighs were definitely burning by the end of it.

Gradually, her nervousness—both about somehow harming Ella and humiliating herself in front of Leif—began to melt into something like exhilaration as she felt the breeze cut through her hair, whistling in her ears. Trotting was brisk and fun, but cantering was thrilling, though the first time she brought Ella to a canter, Leif instructed her that she was on the wrong lead. After a quick explanation, she slowed Ella to a trot and tried again until she landed on the correct lead. Apparently there was something called a flying lead change, which sounded like a blast in name alone, but it was a bit beyond the scope of a beginner like her.

Her heart was beating vigorously and her cheeks flushed with adrenaline by the time they wrapped up the lesson and returned to the rest of the group. Maylee offered Ella a gentle clap on the neck and a whispered: "Thanks for covering for me." The lesson had gone rather well, but Maylee was willing to bet a lot of that had to do with the mare's docile and agreeable nature; had she been on the back of a more defiant horse, she would likely have been a mess.

When they regrouped with Levi, Bug, and Evelyn, Leif asked whether they would be sparring on the ground, and Maylee forced herself to speak up. "Why stall? I'm ready for the real thing."

She was aiming for a relaxed sort of bravado to mask her nervousness—not at the threat of pain (pain had become a somewhat frequent colleague in her line of work) but at the renewed risk of wiping out in front of the group. To deflect her anxious thoughts, she turned to Leif and fixed him with an earnest, determined stare.

"Come on, let's go," she said. "You and me, Leif. Let me show you how well you've taught me."

( Tags: KodakWolf | Out Of Words | Maeteris )​

maylee song.

hunter | werewolf

 

[Out Of Words]

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​

Out Of Words

Time Skip: Landing in Ecuador | Current Timeline: May 15th (approx 11pm) ​

Tags: Vinegar Bees Rhyme Britt-21
Location: ✈

The rest of the flight was remarkably uneventful when compared to how it started. Key allowed Winnie to keep Morgan the kitten for most of the flight. When they were about two hours out from their destination, he did demand the kitten be handed over. He took the kitten and Roje into the private cabin, along with the adjusted cuffs and collar the Fae had shed with his human form. When they emerged an hour later, Morgan was human again, and wearing the suppression units just fine. Morgan was instructed to sit next to Roje for the rest of the flight.

Banks continued to try and keep up a friendly banter with Winnie. Every now and then, he'd try to find out if she really thought the cuffs were suppressing her abilities completely or not. Otherwise, he did nap for a while, enjoyed the dinner provided, and looked forward to getting off the flight. Talked about how he hoped he was actually going to move 'up' in the world. Like he was just now realizing how much he had wasted his life, and picked the wrong path, but there was always time to change.

Key didn't bother Coda or Indigo, giving Coda the authority to deal with things as needed, as long as it didn't become too disruptive on the plane. The additional guards were quiet as well. Sometimes they struck up a quiet conversation among themselves, or checked in to see if Key needed anything. However, only twice, they didn't think it wise to interrupt him more than that. Not when he scowled at them last time.

Foster eventually gave up on trying to sleep for the whole flight, and sat up while the bed was still made. However, shortly after Key returned to his seat from dealing with Morgan, he ordered the boy about. "Put the bed away. You'll need seat belts on for the landing and you can't do that in the bed." Obediently, the young man folded the bed back up and settled in his seat. He had been pretty subdued since the whole head explosion, but there was a brightness returning to those green eyes little by little.

When they were in the process of landing, Key spoke, making his expectations loud and clear. "We will be landing at a private airport controlled by the Coven. There will be a bus, like the one we rode to the airport. You will not cause trouble or a scene because there will be no one there willing to help you. The sooner we get to headquarters, the sooner you will be able to have those cuffs removed. Roje, Coda, Banks, make sure you control your charges. You two..." He gestured to the two guards who came along to help with security of the group. "Will be in charge of Foster. Now.. any questions?"

coded by natasha.

 

[Britt-21]

Interactions: Out Of Words Vinegar Bees Rhyme | Location: Plane - Coven HQ

The plane had been quiet, uneventful and Roje being Roje, she didn't nap. Only occasionally got up to stretch her legs and keep them from acting stiff. Though, her usual routine ended when Key put her in the same room as Morgan, telling her to change him back. Of course, the vampire threw her usual snarky comments and sass toward Key “How the fuck do you expect me to fix that? I’m a vampire, not a pussy cat.” was what she told him, only to be told to do whatever till he changed back to a human. Of course, she didn't want to beat the kid. So at first she explained to the black cat that she wasn't a Zombie and she was a Vampire. No she wouldn't eat him and she just needed him to shift back. Begging wasn't an option on the table, so after that, it didn't take her long to order him and then Order him again with her angry personality starting to show. One hour wasn't enough if he was going to start being a stubborn asshole. Eventually he shifted back, Key had those cuffs and collar back on him, and brought them back out to the main part of the plane where she sat by Morgan. Arms crossed as she sat angrily in her seat. Now the kitten was going to have to deal with a Moody Vampire next to him for the next hour or whatever.

Time went by, luckily, and Key was off rambling again. The only good news she heard was that the others were going to have the cuffs removed. Sime of them are finally getting their privileges back. They'll be happy knowing they wont need those damn things anymore. she thought, only to hear Foster's name leave her boss's lips. Her head whipped right over to Key and her eyes widen "The fuck you just say?" she asked, even though she just straight up just slapped him with that question as soon as he finished speaking. Hazel eyes instantly looked around and landed on the boy who had been quiet this whole time. The more she looked at him, the more she noticed he was becoming familiar "Is that Foster fucking Croft?" her attention was purely locked on the guy for a while before she looked at Key "I swear if you say it's top secret, Key. I'm really gonna flip my shit. I know this kid." granted, it was recently remembered but she knew the kid. Saving him, getting him out with the Exterminators and Dusk... Dammit...Dusk... It took her whole being not to snap at him for getting himself caught again like this. How many years has it been? Two? Three?

This trip was going to get more intense and she felt it.​

 

[AsherMasher]

Clementine Holt​

A burst of pride swelled in Clementine's chest at the compliment. For a brief moment she stood tall and basked in her work. As Lew moved away, the confidence within her began to diminish. She toyed with the frayed ends of her sweatshirt sleeves and took a nervous breath.

"Yeah, yeah okay," she muttered."I can do it. I did it once right." Clementine looked up to the sky and nodded once to herself. If she practiced has Lew had told, maybe she did have a shot at helping herself. And if not herself, than her grandparents that were soon to be at danger from an evil she did not know. Clementine dropped her gaze to the target across from her and huffed. "I got this. For Grandma and Grandpa.”

Raw emotions coursed through her magical veins as she theatrically stretched. “I got it Lew,” she yelled to the girl while jumping up and down. “Prepare to be impressed!” Clementine suddenly aimed her open palm at the target with the intention of shooting another magically burst. An unimpressive spark light up her hand for a brief moment, but then falls to the ground like a dying sparkler.

Clementine watch the spark fall slowly to the ground and turned away from Lew. Cheeks reddening in embarrassment, she quickly turned away from Lew. “That was just a warm up! You’ll see.” She closed her eyes and focused her rushing thoughts of shame and frustration to a calming murmur. Her hand raises towards the general area of the target and begins channeling power out of the center of her palm. Taking a deep breath, Clementine releases the energy in a snap. Even with her eyes closed, she could feel the crackle of power within the magic shot towards the target.

Clementine nervously opens her eyes and breathes a sigh of relief when she sees she hit the target. Still not a bullseye, but much closer than her first try. This instilled another sense of confidence within Clementine as she saves this memory in her mental folder of “inspirational badass moments.”

She continues practicing her magical, trying different moves and channeling techniques. The sun’s decline in the sky notified her that it was time to leave as her body began to tire. Clementine rubbed her tired eyes and felt the fatigue of magic use spread out within her limbs.

She looked to Lew and smiled. “I guess it’s time for me to go. I’ll come back soon. I definitely need to practice more.” She took Lew’s hand and squeezed. “Thank you for believing in me.” She looked away and murmured quietly,” I don’t have a lot of friends, but I hope we can be close.” Clementine smiles happily at her. “I might be weak now, but I’ll try and get stronger. I promise! I’ll see you later.” She patted Lew’s hand and closed her own eyes. Even with the lingering adrenaline of practice, sleep overtook Clementine in a quick wave that crashed over her and dragged her into a deep sleep.

 

[Out Of Words]

A NIGHT BLEEDS
A story by Out Of Words​

Rhevens Coldwater

Tags Silver- | Location: Are We Even In FL, FL ​

Rhevens started out fairly confident, one hand reached out to pet the wolf, but only if Silver allowed the contact. It started out as a subconscious action, something furry nearby, the hand seems to gravitate toward it to pet. Perhaps why a lot of humans had pets in their life, it was just a natural thing to want to do.

It was a source of comfort in times of stress, kind of like now. However, Rhevens didn't try to pet Silver more than once, his luck was already proving to be something swirling around the drain. Had been ever since.. well. For a while. Rhevens shook himself out of self ruminations and continued moving forward, into the trees where he hoped he wouldn't see the signs again.

And they didn't. Not the same ones. Walking for another five minutes or so, the pair wound up in another small opening like the one they left. Trees looked the same, rocks and everything placed in the exact same position, however.. the marks on the tree, the writing on the ground, they were different. Where the circle had been carved, a square now stood in its place. Where the words 'where from' had been pawed out, now said 'somewhere else'.

Rhevens just stopped moving when this all registered. Eyes a bit on the wide side, as this was not expected. Maybe he would have handled seeing the circle and where from scratched into the dirt, but to have this, this was blowing his mind, and it showed. "Uhhhhhhhhhhhh."

Time to panic? Survey says very possible.

coded by natasha.

 

[Vinegar Bees]

The rest of the flight seemed like it might, happily enough, transpire in peace, but of course it couldn't last—Winnie felt her heart sink as she handed the peacefully-sleeping kitten over to Key—she was struck by the feeling that she was consigning the poor thing to the hangman's noose—but she did so without outward complaint. For the rest of the trip, she remained silently in her seat, shuddering inwardly a bit at Banks's continued pressing of the question of whether her cuffs were really suppressing her abilities or not. Why was he so invested—?

She glanced down, then, at her hands folded in her lap, and a little jolt ran through her. The little wound on her palm—she had erroneously assumed it wasn't healing well because she hadn't been feeding herself properly, but the obvious answer struck her mind now. Roje hadn't been wearing any suppression cuffs; of course she would be able to heal unimpeded from injuries. There, then, was all the proof Winnie needed that the suppression cuffs were effective after all. A wave of relief flooded her as she turned her palms face-up—

—and then her stomach capsized when she realized the wound had healed.

Winnie's heart was pounding as she tried desperately to rationalize the vanishing wound. Maybe she hadn't really wounded herself as she had thought—perhaps a drop of Roje's blood had somehow ricocheted onto her hand, and her frazzled mind had merely assumed...? That's ridiculous, a harsh part of her chided herself, but what else could explain it...?

Trembling, Winnie glanced at the door to the back cabin. Key had been in there for a while...

Perhaps it was a fit of madness that struck her to tug lightly on Banks's sleeve and hold her palm up at his eye level. "I had a little wound here before," she said, speaking with the feverish speed of a mouse fleeing a descending cleaver. "Just a little one. Normally, it would've healed in a couple of minutes, but... it wasn't. Because of the cuffs. I still had it when we got on the flight."

She turned her palm away from Banks to examine it again herself. "But... it's gone now. Which means... the cuffs can't have suppressed my abilities completely. They've slowed them down, definitely, but..."

The sound of a door swinging open shot like lightning through her nerves, and Winnie's spine pulled quickly upright, and she frantically segued into a feigned response to Banks's earlier banter about wanting to do something with his life.

"...well, it's never too late to turn your life around," she said, without really believing it. "Your story isn't over yet; why not start a new chapter...?"

And so she passed the remainder of the flight making saccharine small talk with Banks, and when they landed, she straightened her shoulders and lifted up her chin in preparation to receive any orders with dignity and grace. They had reached the end of the line, as her old handler had dubbed it—so if her time really was up, she had to try to at least hold it together on the precipice of death, try to end it on a better note than the pitiful symphony that had preceded it.

"Banks," she murmured softly, clenching her hands together in her lap, "I think we're probably going to have to say goodbye soon. But, um... I hope you're able to find what you want to do with your life. I really do."

She did her best to smile.

( Tags: Out Of Words )​

winnie sawyer.

psychic vampire

 

[Vinegar Bees]

He knew before they landed that something wasn't right. The hissing choir between his ears was never really silent; he had simply, over the years, learned to tune it out, to varying degrees of success under varying circumstances. But even in its chaos, it was his chaos, one he was intimately acquainted with even if not fondly so.

Just before they landed, a haunting refrain filled his skull: The devil you know, eh, schoolboy?

And then, as the plane was touching down, he realized he didn't recognize a single one of the voices in his head.

There were the vague, shapeless ones; the voices distinguishable only by their taunting refrains. There were the repetitions of old ghosts, memories played again and again on taunting loop.

All of them, now, were silent.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.

He hadn't heard those words before. Had he? They sounded vaguely familiar, but only in the most amorphous sense.

I will fear no evil,
I will fear no evil,

For haughty men have risen up against me,
and fierce men seek my life;

And I will fear no evil

Turn back the evil upon my foes;
In your faithfulness destroy them

And I will
destroy them

And my eyes look down upon my enemies

And I will fear no evil
And I will fear no evil
And I will fear no evil

for they all fear me.

A sudden keening screech stabbed through his ear and pierced his brain; with a painful wince, Coda smacked a hand over his ear, the noise echoing around and around with the unfamiliar voices swirling in his skull. Teeth gritted in seething fury, he turned to see Roje, again, screaming her head off about something.

Always. Always, always a fly buzzing incessantly, a squeaky wheel lapping up everyone else's grease. Taunting him with a stupid nickname. Refusing to sit on a stool like some kind of wannabe-badass schoolkid. Of all the bare-ass newbies here, she was the barest; she hadn't put in the grueling, dignity-eroding grunt-work he had been chipping away at to earn his way up, and yet she still mouthed off at every opportunity, arrogantly thinking herself above them all. Oh, he was sick of it, sick to death of all of the noise, sick to death of her—

His voice shot out like a clap of thunder.

"Will you shut the fuck up already?"

It was stupid, he knew, to give her the reaction, show her how much she got under his skin, but something about the air pressure and the close quarters and the arcane, unfamiliar voices swirling in his head coalesced in an echo chamber of unalloyed, unexpressed rage.

"You want to get off the plane. You know this kid. You're going to flip your shit." He was stomping briskly towards her, now, stopping only inches from her face as venom frothed in his words. "When are you gonna realize the world doesn't revolve around you, Princess?" Leaning in closer still, his furious breath hissed against her cheek as hungry, violent intent hummed in a deep, throaty growl: "Need me to show you?"

( Tags: Out Of Words | Britt-21 | Rhyme )​

coda.

half-demon

 

[KodakWolf]

Maddox Ward (Leif Hjalkarssen)
Location: BBQ
Tags: Vinegar Bees ​

"Pick your horse and a sword." Maylee's challenge came as a bit of a surprise to him, a good one. So she was confident enough she could pull this off.

Devlin wouldn't let them fight with real swords, understandable. Not everyone could survive being impaled. So they were offered good enough replicas that made Leif wonder what else Devlin could possibly have in that equipment shed.

Once they were properly outfitted and mounted (he'd taken the chestnut brown), it struck Leif that beyond riding lessons, they (yes they for that second part, not only Maylee) should have had one or two practice rounds with the jousting poles. He'd jousted two or three times before, just casual games like the one they were about to play, so he knew a thing or two about the proper way to carry the lances. Too late now, might be fun to see how that turned out.

Just like everything else about the Wranch, the horses were flawless, impeccably trained, standing still in position until the start. As Levi fired the starting shot, the horses sprinted forward towards each other, as if they knew by heart what their job was. The movement was so natural to Leif, he didn't need to think about it, and instead in his head he was still surprised that they were actually doing that. In how many time loops had they switched football for jousting?

It was about halfway through the track and to the point were they would clash that Leif occupied his mind with adjusting the lance's position. Now jousting wasn't as natural to him as riding a horse was, so it required more concentration. By the time he assessed where Maylee's lance was, there wasn't much time left for anything.

The impression he got was that it was dangerously low, so low it would actually hit Calix instead of him. He was down for dangerous sports, but he didn't plan om hurting the horses.

He tugged on the reins at the last minute, and hit the ground before his brain could process the lance's impact. Whether it would actually have hit the horse in the first place or not, he was too stunned to be sure.

"You'd have gone places if you'd been born 1000 years ago!" He exclaimed as he pushed himself up to a stand, drawing the sword and tapping it's tip on the ground a few times. He smiled a genuine smile, eyes seeking Maylee to see whether she was also down or had managed to stay on the horse.

 

[Vinegar Bees]

When it came time to pick her horse, Maylee ended up going with Maya, wondering if perhaps their brief interaction earlier had established any sort of bond. A silly thought, no doubt, but there was little that wasn't silly about everything they were doing. And, silly as it was, it didn't quite hit her until she horses were already galloping towards each other, as if they partook in friendly jousts every Tuesday. The wind whipped her hair into her eyes, and her heart was in her throat, and oh, shit, Leif was fast approaching, and she blindly thrust out her lance, ducking her own head as she went—

When she heard the hoofbeats clatter to a stop—she hadn't exactly given Maya the signal to slow down, but the mare seemed to sense that her pilot was otherwise occupied—Maylee cautiously raised her head and glanced over her shoulder, a stunned jolt running through her when she saw Leif picking himself up from the ground.

What? She had won? A dumb, heady thrill ran through her, her lips widening into a smile that touched her cheeks. Beginner's luck, no doubt, but... she couldn't deny it felt nice to win something, even as silly a competition as this.

"If I'd been born a thousand years ago, I would've been married off to some old man by the time I was fourteen," she joked, dismounting the patient Maya and drawing her own sword—well, fake sword—as Leif invited her to duel. With relish, she responded, striking and parrying to the rhythm of his own strikes and parries. Hunting was fast and brutal and ugly, but when the end goal was not fatality, weapons and their movements always had a certain cadence to them that she admired. Leif must have devoted a few of his many years to studying proper technique and form, too.

But then—

A cold breeze seemed to ripple through her, inside, not out; it caressed her lungs, fixing everything within her in a petrified stillness.

Something wicked this way comes.

She couldn't explain the feeling that filled her then, a sort of dread and sickness that seeped deep into her bones. Blood swam in her eyes, and all around her she could hear the clamor of metal clashing against metal, and the sword in her trembling hands was stained with blood.

No, no, she knew the feeling; it was the same one that had greeted her when she arrived home after track practice to an eerie, silent house—

Dad? Papa?

Leif...?

And then, where Leif had been standing, she instead beheld a creature, tall and angular with flesh peeled back over sharp teeth; its ears jutting out from the skin closely wrapping its skull were just as sharp, and in its eyes she saw disease and death and the loss of everything she loved.

It thrust its sword—Leif's sword, the sword Leif had been holding a moment ago—at her, and in her fear, she dropped her own.

Panic raced through her system, and as her brain tried and failed to urge her to move, instinct filled the gap. Her forearms burst with fur, her fingers with sharpened claws, and with a feral, fear-stricken cry, she lashed out at the beast, her claws leaving deep red streaks across its snarling expression—

She heard something, then, muffled, as if it were filtered through a deep pool of water, and then something brushed her shoulder, and when she blinked, the creature was gone.

Instead, Leif was gripping her shoulder in a firm manner that, she dimly realized, was the only thing keeping her from buckling to her knees, and he was peering at her with confusion and concern through eyes streaked with the same tracks of blood she had sliced into the creature's face.

"Leif...?"

Horror welled up within her; horror, first, and then bile, and she stepped clumsily back, shaking her head tremulously.

"I—I'm sorry—I didn't—I don't know why I—"

All at once, all of the bile lurched up her throat, and she bent at the waist, grotesquely expelling the partially-digested remains of Tilly's world class barbeque.

Dizzily, Maylee swiped a hand over her mouth, every cell in her body careening from the sickening vertigo that pulsed through her. What had she seen? Why had she done that? They were all looking at her now, accusing her; surely, they must be thinking, she was just like every other hunter, gnashing inside with an insatiable hunger for blood—

Why Leif? Why had she hurt Leif? She loved him. Everyone else was gone—he was the closest thing to family she had left.

"I'm sorry," she repeated dazedly. "I ruined it. I ruined it for everyone."

The impulse to flee, then, was so overpowering that she shamefully obliged: whirling on her heels, she rushed for the nearest door as if taking cover from a stream of bullets; then, up the stairs, into her room, the door snapping shut behind her as she collapsed to the floor and buried her face in knees pulled close to her chest. Rocking like a child, she would stay there for the rest of the night.

( Tags: KodakWolf )​

maylee song.

hunter | werewolf

 

[Silver-]

SILVER BLACKWOOD
Tags: Out Of Words | Location: Alternate Matrix, FL​

The wolf felt her muscles instinctively shudder with tension as a hand passed over her head but the single touch was nearly soothing as she could feel Rhevens suppressed anxiety about the whole situation. Being stuck in some oddity in the middle of a forest in a state you’ve never been to with no pointers from the one that brought him here in the first place. Midnight didn’t seem to be giving him any sort of assistance throughout this whole thing. Did the wolf know something that neither of them did? The idea of this all being some sort of test still turned over uneasily in her thoughts. Rhevens was just as upset about being stuck in all this as much as she was and they would get nowhere if they didn’t at least try to work together.

Not a single animal or telling wind dared to disturb the silence that enveloped the forest. Silver took a glance behind them as they pressed on, nothing but the same forest they’d trekked through along with their markers. Her own footfalls still sat gouged in their wake along with Rhevens own footsteps. She would’ve believed there had been some form of progress if they hadn’t stepped into another clearing devoid of trees similar to the one they had been in before. The words she had pawed into the ground and his mark had been replaced with opposites. A square, a response. Did this mean they needed to go back? She turned her focus to the frozen Rhevens whom was appalled at the occurrences. They were getting nowhere with this. Things were definitely changing but not to the point that they could grasp at straws that would tell them their efforts weren’t in vain. Someone or something else was definitely toying with them. Stepping in and out of these circles reminded her of something she’d heard about not long ago, something to do with witchcraft. A faerie circle? It wouldn’t make sense for there to be anything here in Florida though, supernaturals and cryptids tended to be reported in areas with more notable histories. Her town had only been established a little over a decade ago. Silver took a whiff at the changed elements but caught no scent and her ears offered no relief either as the forest still bore down on them, adamant to reveal whatever sort of force was keeping them contained here. Panic brewed swiftly in the heart of the male that stood beside her, her mouth grasping his wrist gently once more as she tugged him downwards as if to signal that she wanted him to sit for a moment to gather his bearings. There was no use in panicking now. The fae slowly shifted into a sitting position of her own, scanning the area as she processed a last resort. When wolves wanted to locate others of their kind or offer a warning to rivaling packs, they would howl. Perhaps… it would stir something? Silver didn’t have to think twice about it as an overwhelming pressure in her chest built, the wolf lifting it’s head skyward as a long, brooding song left it’s crimson stained muzzle.