[S'mores]

B l i t z,

These are the things, the things we lost, the things we lost in the fire, fire, fire.

actions - “speech” - thoughts

The second she started running was the second she almost forgot how to stop.  The only thing on her mind was to keep going, further and further until the forest swallowed her whole and trapped her in its overbearing maze of twists and turns.  Familiarity was nowhere to be found.  She still ran regardless.

When she finally found the ability to stop, it was from the heaviness of her limbs.  Blitzkrieg took in a long breath of air, only to cough it back out when the feeling of sandpaper lined her throat.  She plopped down onto the grass, harsh spikes crawling forward through her chest and leaving her in more pain than she started with.  After what must've been an eternity, the sharpness taking hold of her throat dulled down.  And then, Blitzkrieg finally looked behind her.

The early streaks of daylight peeked out from underneath the heavy leaves in the trees, providing some amount of light to the darkness surrounding her.  Thankfully the shadows were not suffocating.  But they were lonely.  There wasn't much noise, and there was even less to look at besides trees, grass, and the occasional burrow.  For something meant to be filled with life, it was so empty; emotionless, even.  The Divide was always full of noise; good and bad.  There were creatures doing every task imaginable and taking up space and making the camp feel like it was more than just a place to sleep at night.

Now she didn't even have that; it was just open space for her.

Some part of her was lit up with the excitement of being able to go anywhere at anytime.  But the rest was waiting, hoping for something to come even when it wasn't.  There was too much fire, too many screams.

Was anyone coming?

Blitz looked to the ground, rising to her paws before she began to walk forward, mind searching for any thought that wasn't honed in on her group.  Yet, of course, it came forth anyway.  Just when she was about to accept the idea of thinking about her losses, a noise whispered into her ears.  She paused, flicking an ear in response.  It was low, but it was somewhere.  She kept padding on, closer and closer to the growing sound of a river.  When she finally reached the riverbank, she straightened up slightly.  One resource down.  Then when she got the others she could settle down for just long enough to gather her strength and get back.  Yes.  That's the plan.  Not flawless, but good enough for now.

She lied down onto the bank, taking a long drink and flinging her tail about.  It was cold, but that just made all the better.  After another moment the weight of sleep slammed back in.  Blitzkrieg pushed back from the water, trying not to shut her eyes before she began to stagger back into the thick of the forest.  When she made it to a large oak tree, she lied beside it.  'All I need to do is wait.  I can wait.'  Blitz's tail slowly wrapped around her body, and she finally shut her eyes, family pushing through her mind despite all the resistance.

ooc My writing skill is likely going to go downhill from this point so I'm sorry in advance.  Also don't feel pressured to make long posts, short is absolutely fine with me.

forest graphic © m-adking / coding © vixxie's codes

[Hudson.]

Life was strange when you were a vagabond.

It was a series of meeting new friends, and passing memories. Nothing was ever certain and nothing was ever set in stone. Every passing glance was like a ripple in an endless lake, pushing and pulling and never staying. It wasn't that it was a bad thing, so much as it was just passively annoying to continually be on the front of meeting someone new only having to leave them a few days later.

It wasn't even necessarily a bad thing! It came with its ups and downs, and sometimes it was nicer to be able to exchange passing words and then move on. At least for Hudson, that was the case.

The large timber lumbered through this particular part of the world with a skip in his step as he found the new environment to be nothing less than fascinating. That was a plus to being a vagabond; there were no rules to hold you back. There were no laws you had to follow- you were your own free bird. And he enjoyed that, honestly. He enjoyed being able to come and go as he pleased, to be able to bask in the summer sun in a field of golden grasses, or to change it up and scale the sides of mountains, watching the world below him go about their day.

Yet this morning he found himself traipsing through some denser forests full of burrows and small hiding holes. He couldn't help but breathe in the musk from the dead leaves and find himself smiling as he exhaled. The scarred and battered boy decided today would be a day to take his time- to enjoy what the world had to offer...even if he could only see half of it.

If one were to behold Hudson, there would be some key features they would notice first: He was covered in thick, scaly scarred over skin. It was not one giant patch but rather several; most of the damage being done to his right side. Even his right eye bore a scar over it with the eye itself being completely blinded. To any who had not known him, he would have looked positively terrifying as he lumbered about, swinging his head from side to side to get a better picture of the world that he inhabited. But he did not carry himself in a way that spoke of aggression; no he was a calmer soul than that, typically quiet but also willing to go toe to toe with any who dared.

Honestly, his day would have been much of this wandering had he not seen the flash come from the left side of his face. A figure running parallel to him, dashing and darting off to the distance. His ears perked as he watched, silent for a moment before plodding after her with an intent curiosity. Who were they? What were they doing? Why were they running?

It took him a few minutes to find her though; the male spotting her across the way of a nearby riverbank. The boy gave a huff as he walked along its banks until he came perfectly parallel to her. He'd watch for a moment before wagging his tail slowly.

"Hello!" he'd call out, watching to see what she'd do next.

[S'mores]

B l i t z,

These are the things, the things we've lost, the things we've lost in the fire, fire, fire.

actions - “speech” - thoughts

The greeting echoed in her ears, the voice not even close to familiar.  There was a second she believed she had managed to fall asleep, but it fled when she noticed the steady flow of water continuing on.  She wasn't dreaming, and that was not a groupmate.  'This could be dangerous, if anything.'  Blitzkrieg needed some kind of plan of action, and quickly.  If they were dangerous she'd have to find some kind of escape route, and then. . .and then what?  Run until she finally collapsed from exhaustion?  Anything could outrun her in this state.  Attacking them was just as far out of the question.  So, there were three options; some risks more than others.

Blitzkrieg only hoped she was right in her choice.

Slowly, she lifted her tail just enough to take a peek at the wolf.  Something cold ran through her body at the sight of the redden skin that patched along his right.  A few of her groupmates had injuries that scarred them forever, but most were never as severe.  Some of them were blinded, or scarred along their bodies, and a good number were both; yet they were usually battle hardened.  The wolf looked like he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and payed the price; it didn't look a thing like any battle-earned scar she had seen before.

Blitzkrieg's chest tightened. If she had been slower, or had actually tried to help, she could've been in his position; a fox staring down at some fearful wolf.  Maybe bitter, maybe not.  The only thing that would be certain is the loneliness.  At least that was some kind of common ground.

Not enough to trust, but enough to give her the courage to pick her head up.  Her tail twitched and an ear flicked in response.  Her heartbeat felt like it was soaring to her throat, yet she didn't plan on running; not when she would still have the advantage in a fight if she moved just right.  In some ways, he looked like he should've died the day he was given those marks, like he was a ghost that refused to accept death.  His tail wagging even gave him a sense of life that look pain in the eye and walked past it.  He seemed like a fighter, from that one green eye to those furless spots.  It was a strength to be envied, if his story were anything like hers.

But if she were the only survivor, she'd leave her strength behind somewhere, anywhere that was not far after that night.  That one bit of similarity was not enough to build trust on.  First it would be familiarity, then reliance, and finally betrayal.  Without the capability to fight his battles the same way other wolves could, he would be left with his words.  And a deep companionship meant nothing if she was only ever meant to be used.  Acquaintances, fine.  Friendship was right out of the question.

Taking in a slow breath of air, she rose to her paws, shaking despite how many times she tried to mentally reassure herself.  Her tail wrapped around her leg, the gray tones engulfing white in a snake's grip.  Sleep pulled at her eyelids, enticing them to close longer with each blink.

"Hello," she managed, digging her paws into the unrelenting ground.  At least there was good grip in case her plan failed.  And with her luck, perhaps she'd make it to a burrow in time if she needed to.  She blinked her gray-blue eyes at him and then began willing her lithe body to look at least somewhat bigger compared to him.  He seemed like a giant, and it'd push away any chance at intimidating him.  That wasn't pushing for her favor, to say the least.  Blitzkrieg added an edge to her voice as she continued with a firm, "I'm not looking for any trouble.  But if you make me, I will take action."  Her ears flattened against her head, tail flicking yet again, just ready for something to happen.

ooc

forest graphic © m-adking / coding © vixxie's codes

[Hudson.]

"Hello,I'm not looking for any trouble. But if you make me, I will take action."

The wolf's head tilted as she spoke from across the way, and the confusion that fell upon his face was evident. Did he come off as threatening? Hudson gave a soft huff as his own ears lowered atop his head. He wasn't one to judge, but it was clear that this one was. The boy hummed before shaking his fur and laying down. Fine. If she wanted to have her personal space then she would have it. He wouldn't move, he'd only watch her from his spot. If she wanted to come to him she was more than welcome, but he was not about to approach her with the way she'd presented herself. And even in her defense- he was a stranger to her, and he did not hold any ill will towards her natural need to feel defensive. He'd only hope that his minor display of submission would be enough for her to lower her guard even for just a little bit.

"Neither am I." he finally called from across the water, his body stretching so his toes rested in the shallows of the waters edge.  Slowly, he lowered his head atop his front limbs and simply watched her. He wasn't entirely sure why he found himself fixated on the creature, but he couldn't help but find himself oddly fixated on wanting to talk. Perhaps it was just loneliness coming after him in his days of being a wanderer.

"Just wanted to say hi."