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Post by Iris on Apr 9, 2016 3:05:28 GMT
She was off kilter as she approached him faster and faster with her powerful legs, the biggest problem in her gait was her vastly uneven left side. The spear wound from earlier had stopped breathing, but the damage internally was still there and now her left shoulder was also writhing in agony; the only thing keeping Aria forward was her fury. With her breath burning in her heated lungs, Aria had more at stake than Nmeosh's life, her pride. As a hunter whose biggest pride after her tribe was her own skill, Aria couldn't afford to lose face in the presence of her territory and land, she had to make repentance for the chaos they struck on the land with a victory at the aggressor.
His punch was powerful, but Aria's hurtling body only bushed forward harder with her berserking rage until all she could hear was the rapidly pumping blood and the sound of his absent breath. It suited Aria just fine for her full desires were to rip out his throat and continue the silence. The whistling wind gave her clue as to the direction of his punch and her ears laid flat against her head as she crouched lower in her run, forcing herself to push faster and harder with the screaming of her aching muscles; Aria would feel this day for certain tomorrow. With her braids pressed down into her mane from her speed, her eyes narrowing as the wind stung the moist flesh, she skid in a slight drift and pushed off to her right, trying to keep as much strain off her left limbs as possible and changing her course, but her paws struck into the earth as soon as she hit the ground again and she kicked off just as quickly, her left leg almost caved in at the effort and drastically reduced her speed, but she lunged for the giant's nearest leg with fangs bared, the yellowed enamel glinting with her heated saliva.
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Post by HungryHunter on Apr 9, 2016 3:53:16 GMT
Wilson's fist passed through empty space, giving him a moment to let his scrambled mind a moment to focus on it remaining out in the open, useless, before his mind could only think of the pain in his left thigh. It was even worse than before. Her body lacked sweat to release heat, making her mouth a natural heat sink. It felt like fire piercing him, slicing the very artery he had aimed for in her. Her hot saliva felt like venom being injected into his limb, corrupting his pure, chilled form. He groaned, a windless noise. His mind was nearly gone. The tiniest thread connected him to sanity. It it snapped, he would devour everything in his path. He felt his true nature clawing at his mind. He was the devouring storm! He would sweep the world like a blizzard and pick its bones clean! Wasn't that what he really wanted anyway? He watched the thread fray with cold eyes. But just as the last strand stretched thin, those eyes narrowed. He looked down at Aria's head and opened his jaws.
"Frost..." Every branch for 10 square feet around froze solid, a burst of air like his former shout blasting down at her. "GIANT!" The blast before looked like a warm summer breeze in comparison to this new shout. Wilson was once more repelled, deflating so fast he shrank right out of Aria's jaws to be hurtled straight up into the sky. He looked down upon what he had wrought from his increasingly lofty vantage point. It looked like a frozen fist had slammed into the clearing. A crater had been left by his voice's impact, ice spreading out from the epicenter. He hoped Aria had been crushed or frozen by the attack. He certainly wouldn't be in any shape to deal with her when he came back down. His expression didn't change when his trajectory did, and he began to fall back to earth, limply unable to resist the pull of gravity.
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Post by Iris on Apr 9, 2016 14:55:05 GMT
It was satisfying to feel the spill of freezing water that was his blood dripping down her massive jaws, and such only coerced her to bare her maw down harder, if he wanted to escape her by struggling then he'd have to sacrifice this leg!
However, Aria felt the wind quelled in pure silence as all life in the area held its breath collectively and small droplets of both blood and miscellaneous liquids began to frost over on her thick coat and she felt her ears ring at the sudden shout, both in part to the loudness and hypersensitivity of the large receptors. Her heated mouth that burned through the cold his water left on her tongue snarled out in anger as he escaped her grasp and she looked up just long enough to see him ascend before she felt the ground at her feet stick cleanly against her coat, only for her entire body to be embraced by the forceful frost in a similar manner.
For just a few precious seconds, Aria might have felt something similar to fear, but alas her wrathful form wouldn't allow anything but anger to persevere her mind. Aria's body was burning hot with her anger and exhaustion, her sweat burned almost as much as her saliva did at this point and her hot breath exhaling through her snout was enough to cause a slight thaw around her muzzle, giving her just enough room to breathe in while the rest of her body was immobile for the time being. Heavy plumes of heat exhaled from her nose in a white mist, interrupting in stutters as she felt her growls tearing through her body along with the pervasive freeze that was chilling to her bones. Even with her thick and unkempt coat, she could still feel the pain of this cold...but wolves were built to endure everything and winters were their true expertise.
Aria felt the cold seeping into her open wound and her massive jaw pushed against the ice casing as she snarled out, pushing forward and viciously wiggling with her remaining limbs, causing the ice to slowly groan and creak, all she'd have to do was get out, and then she could kill him! But this cold was eating away at her strength, the constant strain on her already aching muscles and the constant reminder of her wounded left limbs was making her too tired to maintain her form for much longer...but at least she could breathe for the time being, just a few more seconds of writhing with her strength and she could get out.
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Post by HungryHunter on Apr 9, 2016 17:38:52 GMT
Wilson was too tired to think as he plummeted. He knew he would need a drink after this to recover, but that wasn't too helpful given he had no idea how intact he would be to search for it. Branches slashed at his back as he crashed through the treetops just a second before he slammed finally into the ground. He felt something crack deep inside himself. His heart, his most vulnerable point, was cracked through but not quite in pieces. He lay still on his back as the leaves he had knocked from the trees came spiraling down and icy water soaked the earth below him. He could only hope Aria was dead as he slowly rolled himself over and started to slowly crawl back towards the clearing.
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Post by Iris on Apr 9, 2016 18:03:55 GMT
She was tired and above all else, extremely hot. Her skin felt like it was melting with the mixture of the ice and her scalding body temperature combined into one claustrophobic setting. Her squirming was growing weaker, but as she grew weaker her body heated faster and slowly she felt her skin beginning to peel back along with the painful popping of her bones. It looked like it was the end for this form today...
When Aria's form reverted back to its nude and naked, the sudden release of heat caused the ice to give and her body hit the center of her previous wolf sculpture, breaking the thin stomach side and tumbling out onto her left side. Immediate pain sprung to life, her attention to it now extremely piqued as she was no longer capable of berserking. Her teeth clenched, her gum throbbing where her tooth was missing, and Aria had to do everything in her power not to scream at all the pain hitting her at once. Her arm was still in tact, but its response wasn't perfect and moving it made her shoulder ache, her leg was also still in tact, but the internal injury was becoming tremendous; the expanse and withdrawal of muscle tore the wound open again and without her clothing the bleeding wasn't staunched. Not to mention her entire being was sore to the very bone, but with the sounds of Wilson's falling form reminding her that they weren't quite done, Aria struggled to repress her body's begging for her halt and she pressed her weight over to roll onto her right side, rising at an achingly slow pace.
Standing was next to impossible, but through stubborn perseverance she managed to wobble up. Her ears were still faintly ringing so finding him through breath was hard, especially with her own labored breaths coming out too loud for her to hear, but her smell was still pristine. Panting loudly, each breath leaving a billowing hot cloud, Aria's feet left faintly thawing footprints in the frost's path as she made her way to him, her left arm limp at her side and her left leg visibly oozing strands of crimson blood at every shift, but from start to finish Aria's eyes still glowed with the burning desire for victory.
Crouching down, she grasped a frost bitten branch, wincing at the effort even that took. Bringing the end to her mouth, she bit into the cold branch and tore a piece off, leaving uneven but more pointed tips as she walked closer to Wilson's position with a snail's crawl pace.
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Post by HungryHunter on Apr 9, 2016 19:54:33 GMT
Wilson was close enough to see Aria crawl from her wolfen shell, naked and wet like a newborn. He had no response to her form, just crawling faster. His left arm still felt stiff from the tooth that had been embedded in it, but he worked it to its current meager limit. Grasping at anything he could, he pulled himself to where he had left his coat. He dug in a pocket and pulled a water bottle free. Twisting off the cap, he guzzled the entire bottle. The plastic fell to the ground, emptied, and he rolled over. It wasn't enough to let him stand, just enough to let him feel better.
He looked up at Aria limping closer, pondering her. She was truly his match. A deadly warrior like him, human in her own way, not that of society. He regretted that likely, they would both die. He processed that feeling. Only one other human drew that reaction from him. And he would save her life given the chance. "Werewolf..." He groaned, bringing the usual chill to the air. "I can help." He raised an arm to point at the wound on her thigh, hoping his aim was not mistaken for the regions adjacent to it.
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Post by Iris on Apr 9, 2016 20:08:11 GMT
When he raised his hand, Aria held out her pathetic weapon, wishing it was her spear instead, but she would make due. It was taken as a sogn of aggression when he pointed towards her and she snarled, but the sound was a tired shadow of its former glory. The next step Aria took felt like her last and her leg gave, finally denying her prideful pushing of body's limit.
Using the stick as a surface to lean on, she grumbled to herself, cursing her current weakness. Looking to him, her eyes still angry but weary, Aria acknowledged the standstill they were at. His human words held nothing to her, but the further inspection of his body language showed that his intent was not harm at this point. Perhaps he knew too that they were at a match currently.
Whatever he said she didnt understand, as shown by her lack of response as she grunted slightly. "No...hold." God how she hated the way their words were, she would never willingly learn. What Aria had meant to say was she didn't understand.
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Post by HungryHunter on Apr 9, 2016 21:04:47 GMT
Wilson moved slowly, not wanting to draw more aggression. He reached into his pocket and touched the tooth she had left in his shoulder, gathering some of her blood. He held the bloody finger up, pointed at it, and then at her injured leg. He tore a scrap of his ragged top off and wrapped it around his fingertip. He hoped the message that he could bandage her wounds got through. Certainly even an isolated tribe would understand that.
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Post by Iris on Apr 10, 2016 0:12:37 GMT
Aria brushed her face across her right shoulder as perspiration from a cold sweat broke out. She may be strong, but any beast can succumb to the icy chill in their bones and the pain of their body as they gradually bleed out. Her red paints smudged against her dark skin, making it seem as though there were more wounds from the dripping red pigment. She had no time to stand here, she had to get back to the tribe and get patched up, she didn't have time to socialize with whatever this thing was, especially after they'd brutally battled too.
When he demonstrated on his finger, she gathered his intention, but her upper lip curled in a look of loathing as her pride felt almost wounded at the offer. Your aggressor doesn't just offer to help you, this was a show of pity, but pity or not Aria didn't have time to really decide as she began to feel woozy and light headed; blood loss changes a person's perspective really quickly. Her weakening body and the sudden realization that if she died here, there would be no one to lead her tribe, Aria gruffly grunted and shook her head in begrudging acceptance, she could drop her pride for the sake of her tribe in this form easier than she could in the other.
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Post by HungryHunter on Apr 10, 2016 0:48:02 GMT
Wilson managed to sit up and lay the flannel jacket on the ground in front of himself. He motioned for her to sit on the relatively dry and warm spot while he prepared. He could normally do this with her standing, but right now, he couldn't stand himself. He pulled his tank top off, showing that his lean musculature was supplemented with a lack of body fat that would be hideously unhealthy for a regular human. He tore most of it in a long strip, shredding the rest into roughly squarish chunks he pressed together. It wasn't exactly sterile, but for now it would do. He just needed her to sit and he'd put the impromptu dressing and bandages to use.
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Post by Iris on Apr 10, 2016 0:54:47 GMT
With her ears lying flat back against the top of her head, Aria kept her forceful gaze on him at all times while still clutching her makeshift weapon. If he tried anything, she would punish him quickly, no matter the bluntness of this stick, she'd kill him if she could and had to. Pushing her weight onto the branch, Aria gritted her teeth and began to stand again, wobbly and uneven before falling back to her knees. Walking towards the area he wanted her at wouldn't happen. Huffing out her breaths, her stomach churning slightly, Aria half scooted and half crawled to the strange human clothing and sat down criss-crossed with her injured leg propped up, growling lowly at just being within his vicinity; despite how much more 'human' she was in this form, she still couldn't help her instincts from seeing him as a pure threat. "Go." She jerked her head in order while the thoughts of her tribe began to filter more pervasively into her head; she'd been out for a while, Nmeosh should have made it back and her tribe should be noting her longer than normal absence by now, would Nmeosh explain what happened? Aria's lip rose in a snarl at the idea of the stupid pup being back among his brethren in comfort, he shouldn't get too cozy, he still had her to deal with when she got back.
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Post by HungryHunter on Apr 10, 2016 1:27:08 GMT
Movements still deliberate, Wilson placed half the dressing on her thigh wound and wound the bandage tight around it, tying it in a sturdy knot over the hole. He considered it a success when it didn't bleed through and looked her body over. That was the most severe injury she had taken for sure, so he was taking his time to spot others before treating the others he knew about. He noticed the sludgy paint on her body wasn't blood as he first suspected and unconsciously touched the three stripes tattooed on his chest. Another common thread that he could not understand. Marks of family that he did not know, a life he could not remember.
His eyes fixated on the way they dripped, lamenting their transience. He lamented further that he had to erase them to make sure she was unharmed underneath. It was easy to loose a source of blood in a mess of red. Something told him that they may be important to her in some way, like his markings certainly were at some point. And so his hand moved to the jacket again, pulling another water bottle out. He gently touched her face, rubbing some of her paint off on his fingers. Showing her, he poured some water over them to wash it away, indicating he intended to do the same to the rest on her body.
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Post by Iris on Apr 10, 2016 2:10:01 GMT
Aria remained unmoving, a statue of vigilance, she wouldn't so hastily trust him after what they'd just done to the land before them. Briefly, she felt a stab of guilt at having caused so much needless destruction, she would have to make repentance for her anger filled destruction later...Being deep in her thoughts, the firs touch of Wilson's freezing hands on her thigh made her ears immediately spike and she snapped her head towards him with bared fangs, before subsiding and looking back away with a low, rumbling growl permeating her throat. Having her wounds dressed by this stranger made her feel vulnerable and irritated, and not in a good way, but she certainly wouldn't make it back to the tribe alive if she just decided to bleed out over selfish pride.
With the nearly painful tightness of the tourniquet on her leg, Aria grunted slightly in recognition of his wound-dressing and had begun to make her way up before snapping her clawed fingers around his lanky wrist when he aimed to remove the rest of her markings. "No." She spat out the words as she dismissed his attempt at rinsing away her remaining markings. These were now a show of battle for her, to erase them would mean that her job was finished for this day and it just simply wasn't yet. Her people wore markings like these when they left for either a Hunt or a battle, to erase them meant that their time in doing so was over and to do so early was a show of cowardice and forfeit, which Aria simply just didn't do.
Unwrapping her unnecessarily hostile grasp, Aria found herself growling again at the position she was now in. It was common courtesy among her kind to return favors where kindness was exchanged; in a culture where appreciation was traded, this meant she now had to begrudgingly give her aid in return. Aria just simply did not have the tools here...with a darkening realization that in order to stick to her ethics, she'd have to bring him to her home, made her stomach heavy with worry for her tribe. Growling slightly, she propped her weight onto her branch and took a small whiff of the air as she began looking for something. "Come."
It seemed more like an aggressive order than anything and Aria walked around the frost-bitten land, ignoring the chill on her calloused feet as she finally located the source she was looking for. Bending back down with a wince, Aria pushed aside frost and a faint over-coating of snow to reveal her spear from earlier, tossing aside her stick and holding the massive weapon with a small sense of comfort. Turning the spear head to the ground, she began walking at a slow, limping pace, saying nothing and hoping he was just smart enough to follow her in this situation; even with her back turned to him, Aria was still being acutely aware of any movements he made behind her. She would take him near her tribe, but there was no way she'd allow him in.
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Post by HungryHunter on Apr 10, 2016 2:40:27 GMT
When Aria's fingers clamped down on his wrist, he briefly worried that he had irreparably angered her. He prepared to draw breath, but she released him before he could make a move. He just nodded and set the bottle down. He was surprised again when she stood. He still hadn't done anything for her other wounds, but it looked like she didn't find those important.
He guzzled the second bottle and found the strength to stagger to his own feet. He picked up the coat and put the empty bottle back in. Carefully following her, he noticed the ice he had blasted across every surface. While he couldn't feel the cold himself, he suddenly realized what it must feel like to her. He picked up the boots he had kicked off along the way and picked up his speed. Catching up, he extended to coat and boots out to her in offering.
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Post by Iris on Apr 10, 2016 3:05:04 GMT
Aria's wolf ears atop her head pricked back slightly at the rustling sound of clothing and she briefly remembered how hers had gotten torn to shreds in her hectic rush to tear them off in a vain effort to keep them from being entirely destroyed. she grunted slightly again, her main way of communicating with Wilson at this time and she looked with her nose wrinkling in disgust. It reeked of human. It was true that the cold was definitely more biting for her than him, but cold wasn't something she was uncommon to and thanks to the hair on her body, it wasn't as abbrasive as it could be, but did she really want to wear this human covering? Pride told her no and the idea of showing up to her tribe like that also said no. Aria shook her head, declining his offer and moved on still slowly as their path made its way from frost to greenery once again.
With him following her, she became more aware of the situation that would now present itself. The smell of Aria and the smell of whatever Wilson was nearing the camp would begin to alert her tribe of her arrival, so it was only a matter of time before her tribe's defensive group would appear to assess the situation. With true ironic timing, Aria heard the rustling of foliage and shifted her gaze slightly to the left where a pair of golden eyes similar to hers watched quietly. It was one of the smaller wolves of her tribe, Asha, who they sent to investigate then return with her knowledge to the remaining pack. Aria stood up straighter despite the ache it brought her body and held her chin up just higher, Asha's golden gaze assessed the stranger behind Aria before disappearing like a shadow with just the faintest rustling to be heard. They were definitely nearer to her home for she could smell the camp's fire from here.
Stopping on just the outskirts, the small landing was visible from here with its faint plumes of smoke and the distant, but friendly chatter of her people. Briefly, Aria visibly relaxed at the sight of her tribe before hardening up once more and turning on her one good leg to look at Wilson once more. For the first time since she met, she sized him up. Tall, lanky, his chest bore strange markings that held both a sense of slight familiarity, but otherwise no meaning to her. He didn't seem like he was at full strength and he was just as beat up as she, clearly he wasn't human, but he also wasn't welcome in her home after trying to attack Nmeosh. "Here. Stay." She pointed at the spot she stood at and rolled her shoulders lightly as she prepared for her appearance back into the camp, wincing and gritting her teeth as it reminded her of her injured arm.
Upon entering the camp, the sounds of chatter silenced as they lowered their heads in respect as they had when she left before whispering quietly among themselves in the foreign tongue they all shared. Aria had clearly gotten hurt, but she was alive and Nmeosh had returned, but was currently hiding in the safety of his hut. So then, who had she fought? No bear had ever injured her like that before, no matter the size!! The chattering brought attention to the elders who oversaw Aria's work while she was away and they hastily rushed as much as their hunched forms could, speaking lowly as they touched along her body here and there, gingerly easing where they saw her wince. "Aria, what happened? Are you well?" Wabdan spoke with motherly concern and Aria gave a stiff nod, Numek gave a pointed look at Wabdan as she responded instead, "Does she look well? Look at that leg and this bruising." As the two elderly began to bicker, Aria raised her good hand with her bicep wrapped around her spear for support, the two then immediately silenced. "There is a stranger who did me a kindness. I desire for there to be aid given in return."
While Wabdan took charge of ushering Aria back into her tent, the clearing suddenly broke out in chatter again. A stranger? Here?! Nmeosh had been watching the whole time behind the slit curtain towards his hut, trembling slightly. Aria clearly fought that strange man who had come for his life, and if he had survived then that meant he was the stranger she'd brought, there was no one else for miles in that area...would he come for his life again?? Worse yet, Aria hadn't even mentioned Nmeosh upon her arrival, what did that mean for him now?
Numek had been given charge of the aid and she requested the assistance of two other female tribe members. Unlike Aria, these two wore only slight deer pelts; the smaller girl wore a skirt over her hips but no top which exposed the intricate red tattoos lining her chest and upper arms, while the taller one wore a fur cloak with nothing beneath, her body covered in extremely similar marks. Both carried baskets and the taller female carried two waterskins across her shoulders. The small group headed out towards where Aria had mentioned and they met the strange being.
Immediately the two girls spoke in quieted tones to one another, commenting on the amazement that he looked completely human aside from his scarily malnourished appearance. This was the stranger who'd helped Aria? Why did he look so beat up? Numek silenced their chattering and cleared her throat to grab Wilson's attention, speaking in English with only the occasional broken word. "Our Chief sent us to aid. Hurt, yes? I have...many aid to give. Food, water, too. We assist you?" The weathered old woman gave a friendly smile, but that alone betrayed the fangs similar to Aria's. The younger girls, mirroring the elder, exposed their fangs in the friendly smiles as their ears perked naturally.
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Post by HungryHunter on Apr 10, 2016 3:47:57 GMT
At Aria's refusal, Wilson dropped the boots and put the flannel coat over his own shoulders. He disliked the warmth, but it was soft. He could use it to pad his floor. Or give it to Jun. She liked soft things. His distracted mind didn't notice the little werewolf until she was turning tail. He shook his head and tried to concentrate on his surroundings. It was futile with the increased hunger that still gnawed from his giant form's use and constant pain through his chest. He stopped when commanded, glad to rest. He realized he had a while to wait, so he removed his pants to expose the wound Aria had made in his thigh.
He pressed the dressing to her fang marks and wrapped it in bandages like he did her leg wound, making the binding especially tight in the hopes of numbing some of the burning he still felt. Hopefully his bleeding would end. He didn't have any more water to drink. He pulled his pants back up, expecting Aria to come back. While she didn't, he could quickly tell the two who did come were sent by her. He studied their tattoos for an uncomfortably long time before responding. "Water, please. And help with some injuries, if you're capable. No food." He whispered, bringing a cold wind. He made no facial response to their smiles, merely noticing them and moving on.
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Post by Iris on Apr 10, 2016 3:53:15 GMT
Numek nodded, lightly directing the taller female with the waterskins to approach. She seemed far too enthusiastic, exclaiming in her foreign tongue to her similarly tattooed friend. "Have you ever seen markings like this? Which tribe do you think marked him? Look at how thin he is!" Her friend giggled softly and Numek gave a sharp click of her tongue, making the two's ears droop down for a moment before resuming their duties. The tribe member pulled the waterskins off her shoulders and presented them to him from a distance while Numek also came forward at her slow pace.
Her thick brows furrowed slightly as she looked about the man's wounded body, noting the lack of actual blood. "Not human? What are?" From her basket that she set at her feet, the old woman hunched down and sat comfortably among the leaves, tucking her feet under her deerskin dress while motioning with her withered fingers for him to follow suit. From her basket, she pulled out bandages, clearly not professionally made, but bandages nonetheless. "You fight with our Chief? No blood, no smell." She looked at him questioningly, much less abrasive than Aria had ever been.
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Post by HungryHunter on Apr 10, 2016 4:20:04 GMT
Wilson gratefully took the waterskins, drinking one of them right away. He'd use the other to top off when he got his wounds closed up. When his species was questioned, he gave the careful answer Jun had taught him. "Wendigo. But harmless in a human body." Anybody who knew Wendigos knew to fear them and their impossible appetites. He didn't even hesitate when asked if he had fought Aria. "Yes, we battled. She's very strong." He admitted readily. He gave the bandages a look and realized they must not stitch wounds. Anything he did here would have to do as a temporary measure. Maybe he should start carrying a full first aid kit. "I have bleeding wounds here and here." He gestured to his injured shoulder and the stab wounds on his back. "The one on my thigh I have managed." He gestured to the wet spot on his camo pants where he had been bitten.
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Post by Iris on Apr 10, 2016 4:51:47 GMT
"Wen...digo?" Despite their close affiliation with the Native Americans in the past, much of their heritage and beliefs had gotten lost throughout the many years they'd been acquainted and now that Aria's leadership led them as far away as possible from humanity, their stories were long, long lost. Numek simply shrugged her shoulders lightly, encounters with the inhuman weren't uncommon and the fact that he seemed to not actually bleed was the only thing that put her really off towards him. Working quickly, Numek began to dress Wilson's wounds with gentle intent. "Aria rarely let live. Strong then, she give respect." When the roll she'd used to dress the wounds along his back ran out, Numek motioned for the smaller female to hand her a new roll, finishing her final turn around his torso and only slowing to look at the strange markings along his chest before continuing. "Very rare. Speak like human, but not? Not many of us speak in human tongue." She gestured towards the girls who just looked happy to be present, clearly not gathering anything from their conversations. When Numek finished patching up his shoulder and back, she sighed while standing, hand on her back reminding her of her older age everyday. "Any more aid I can give?"
Meanwhile in the camp, Wabdan was treating Aria's wounds. The dislocated shoulder was sloppily managed by Aria and Wabdan sighed as she informed her that she'd have to reset it, Aria's muffled cries were heard only by Wabdan as the sickening popping of removing and reshifting joints were heard. "Do NOT use this arm for the next few days, Aria." Being scolded and chided as she was taken care of wasn't something new, but she still sighed at Wabdan's good intentions. It was a while before she was redressed thanks to Wabdan's constant preservation of Aria's hunted game's trophies. She presented her with another cloak, this one formed from the pelts of multiple bobcats, and Aria tossed it over her form with her good arm; it was nice to not fill the bitter chill anymore. Re-dressed and aided, Aria grunted as she began to stand again despite Wabdan's complaints. "I still have more to do." And she gently pushed the worrying elderly woman from her as she left the tent. Pulling in a breath, Aria turned back her head and let out a sharp, ear-ringing howl causing all the commotion in the area to halt.
Numek and the two girls went silent at Wilson's side and with worried glances towards Numek, she gave them a solitary nod as they bowed in appreciation, quickly dashing away to return to the center village. "Aria calls. There is meeting." She slid her lidded gaze to Wilson, the faintest hint of gold seen beneath the drooping lids. "You pursue Nmeosh? That why Aria battle you. Nmeosh young, bold, good Hunter, but he take Aria's belief too far. Still member of tribe, still Aria's, surprise you live after pursue him." Numek began her slow walk back to the camp, still talking to Wilson as she went. "But now he be punish for his crime."
The call to meeting was met with a mixture of confused looks, a few knowing, and Numek finally appeared with a nod of confirmation on her task to Aria. In return, she lightly nodded her head before facing her tribe again with her firm, wide-shouldered stance. "As you all know, humans have forgotten their roots to their heritage. They willingly destroy what once housed them with love, they willingly kill despite not needing, they take from our earth and forget what we gave them long ago. Does this make them foolish? Yes. Does that mean that we must kill them for this? No." Her last words were pointed daggers aimed towards the shivering pup who still hid in his tent. When she walked forward towards it, her people parted in respect, a few heads turned down as the air grew heavy. Aria reached past the thin fabric door, grabbing at Nmeosh's neck who yelped out in fear, still shivering as she dragged him out with a grip like iron in her right hand. "Nmeosh has committed a crime. Many times, it seems." Turning her heated gaze onto Nmeosh, there was a look of disappointment, disdain, and a faint shadow of guilt. "Do you understand the position you could have put us in, Nmeosh? The humans have weapons that could kill any of us easily and you decided to instigate them. You put the tribe at risk." Turning her head towards Wabdan who reappeared with thick chains in hand, Aria dragged Nmeosh with his whimpering and skidding form towards the single tree they kept in the center of their clearing. Aria looked disgusted as she forced him to his knees, pinning his back to the tree while she was handed the chains. "Today, Nmeosh, you pay your repentence for putting your brothers and sisters in harms way out of selfish desire." Despising the human metal in her one good hand, the tribe members gathered around and all took a length of the chain. Nmeosh, now crying, begged in a cracked voice as the cold chain touched his torso again and again, all of them winding and binding him to the trunk in a slow, ominous manner despite the looks of sadness and regret they gave. When all was finished, Nmeosh sat with his head down, begging Aria to forgive him. "From this day forward, you are no longer our brother. Let the earth decide what happens to you."
The tribe members were silent as they backed away, all eyes on the sobbing creature that was Nmeosh and slowly the looked away, heading to their respective tents. Nmeosh wouldn't be able to leave that tree on his own, the human metal known as "silver" prevented their transformations. It wasn't entirely understandable to the group, but this had been a tradition for a very long time. The alienating of a member who'd cause unrepairable damage, left to return to the earth itself, doomed to forever walk apart from their home and family.
"Gather your things, we move by tomorrow." They obeyed her unconditionally, even though their hearts were heavy. They lost a brother and a home this day, but Aria had good will for this move. It was too dangerous to stay here now that humans were aware of them in the area, knowing so much as to send specific hunters for them...they'd have to relocate and reform, laying low until this time passed. Aria sighed briefly, her weary expression seeming vulnerable for just a moment as Nmeosh's cries were met with silence from people he'd shared his life with for years. "This is how it must be..." she whispered faintly to herself. This entire process was so focused and deliberate, it'd be easy for Wilson to watch closer than from his previous position at this point.
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Post by HungryHunter on Apr 10, 2016 5:19:33 GMT
"I was taught to speak English by a very special human." Wilson thought of Jun. He was glad he'd be able to see her again, not having died here. "I don't need anything else. Thank you." He stretched, feeling out his body. He still hurt, but all things considered he felt good. He was no longer bleeding, and in fact was loaded up on enough water that he felt his bladder quiver. He decided against relieving it here. From what he'd seen from her so far, Aria wouldn't like him doing something that could be construed as marking his territory in her woods. He didn't respond to Numek as she left, thinking this over. He still planned to capture Nmeosh of course. That had never left his mind. But Aria had told him to stay here, and he respected her. He sat, leaning against a nearby tree. Stay he would, until her return.
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