The Ghosts of Beverly Drive
It was worse now, everything was worse now. He was completely alone now, no Shiloh, no Echo, and now he was back in the land that he had tried so hard to leave behind. He couldn’t recall how he had lost his friends, only that they were gone, and now he was alone, and at the mercy of his own thoughts. He laid on his side, baking in the sun as the ghosts of his past whispered cruelly in his mind, his eyes shut tightly in a failed attempt to keep them out. A sorrowful whine lifted his lungs and escaped him softly. His fur had grown thin and patchy I the places where he had scratched obsessively and his claws had been chewed down to rough nubs that stung whenever he moved. He felt like he was dying, but maybe that was just wishful thinking. He opened one speckled eye to look up at the gorge as he laid in the dry river basin then slowly focused on the cracked ground in front of him. As long as he laid there, sooner or later he would die, most likely from thirst. He wondered what that would be like. Would he go into shock and slip away peacefully? Or would he writhe in death throws and dig desperately with his useless paws for water? Yosep only knew.
Spider speaking You Toad's voice |
It had taken several days to make the trek across the land to get to the gorge she was traveling through. As tired as she was of traveling, she couldn’t help but venture around this new place before picking a spot to settle into. There were surely many more natives that lived within the lands, and packs. She needed to know what she was dealing with, more so than just the information she had gathered from the young girl by the lake. If that meant that she had to travel all over this land, then that was what she would do.
The ground beneath her paws seemed almost too dry, and it seemed like the type of place she where it would be unlikely for her to run into anyone else, but as she traveled, she heard the sound of a whine reach her ears. She pushed herself forward, her pace quickening slightly as she moved to investigate, halting when her eyes landed on the pitiful grey form of a man lying upon the ground. One ear flicked slightly as she stared at him for a moment, her tail raised slightly. “You look as though you wait for the earth to consume your body.” There was a questioning tone to her voice, as even the stoic woman could not hide her curiosity as to how someone could allow themselves to slip into such a condition.
“That's what you deserve" Toad supplied to the woman's inquiry as he wearily lifted his head to look at her. "S-s-sorry.” He muttered although he had no idea what he was apologizing for. Maybe for being in the way? “You’re always in the way" Toad jeered, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut against the intrusion. Slowly and with great effort he stood, keeping his head low and his ears pinned flat against his skull.
Through several cautious glances Spider examined the stranger, she wasn't particularly attractive to him, but then women never had been, but she at least appeared to be healthy and carried an air of confidence with her in stark contrast to himself. Maybe she would let him follow her? He felt a chill run through him as he remembered how often he had tried that particular tactic, and how often it had gone awry.
He sat in silence, small quivers running along his spine as he waited for her to introduce herself to him, or attack him. He flinched visibly at the thought, his eyes going wide and worried. Why would she attack him? He asked himself in an attempt to ease his nerves. “Why wouldn't she?” Toad supplied
Spider speaking You Toad's voice |
The man's head lifted before a stammered apology left his lips, causing her eyes to narrow slightly. She watched the way his eyes shut before he stood. The way he couldn’t seem to hold her gaze and instead threw a series of glances her way. The way he trembled and then suddenly flinched. She took a few moments to look him over without speaking before finally breaking the silence. “What are you apologizing for? Have you done something to me that I am not yet aware of?” His behaviour was similar to what she had seen in captured servant from her homeland, those who had been trained that their place was below her, but she had never seen this man. She wondered what it had taken to break him.
“You look half a step away from death. Are you ill?” She was cautious, if he possessed any sort of illness that she could catch, she would have no one to help her recover and she had yet to learn the best spots to gather herbs. And if he wasn’t ill, then she would be curious to learn more about him. She was not a solitary creature and while she wasn’t generally the type to sit and participate in mindless chatter, she would take what she could get.
“N-no- I- m-m-mean I d-d-d-don't th-th-think so- I don't-" his voice had started as a horse whisper and then tailed off into nothingness, his body swaying from paw to paw as he rocked himself restlessly. He felt so much smaller compared to her although he was considerably taller and his build slightly heavier. “m-m-my n-n-name's S-S-S-Spider.” He squeaked as if admitting to a crime and as soon as he had became acutely aware that she hadn't asked. He dipped his head lower, his thin fur flowing off the column of his neck like fine threads, if she wanted to she could have easily snap forward and bite into the soft exposed flesh. He glanced at her again, waiting to see if she would, then submissively returned his attention to the ground. His tongue peeked out to wet his nose but the sensation of his dry tongue against the spongy flesh was uncomfortable. For a moment he wanted to ask her if she knew where to get water, then firmly shut his mouth against the idea. If she wasn't annoyed with him yet surely imposing questions like that would lead to her lashing out. It was better that she thought he was simple minded than for him to speak and further remove any doubt she had.
Spider speaking You Toad's voice |
His stammering response came out and she struggled to not roll her eyes as she let out a sigh. She wanted to snap at him to just spit it out, but with how nervous he already appeared to be, she didn’t imagine it would help much. He next spoke his name and she nodded. “I’m Antigone Dellis.” She replied, her voice held a hint of sharpness to it, but she made no move to close in on him. While she enjoyed a fight, she was not necessarily one to attack without reason, and thus far, he had given her no reason to wish him harm. “Now, if you aren’t ill, then why were you laying there on the ground as though you’ve given up?” She was one who loved to be in charge, to tell others what to do, and if that meant giving harshly worded pep talks to strangers, then she would do it. It was an unconscious decision, but one that she was ready to get into. She couldn’t stand the sight of others laying around and just giving in, but it did not come from a place of compassion. It was simply a pet peeve of hers.
What answer could he give to that? He glanced at her again weighing whether it was safe to admit to the unnatural desires he felt, Yosep knew his own family would have torn him to bits if he told them. “I- m-m-m-my m-m-mate is g-g-gone.” He said softly, and just hearing the words stung him. He wished Shiloh was there with him now, someone who could protect him. He could almost feel his lovers jaws biting into his neck as he dragged him closer and held him in a tight embrace.
He forced his thoughts away from the memory and firmly placed himself in the present. “I-I h-haven’t b-b-been a-alone f-f-or a l-long t-t-t-time.” He explained, in the hopes that it would grant him some mercy from the stranger. He hadn’t missed the impatience in her tone or the subtle narrowing of her bicolored eyes with annoyance. “I d-d-don’t k-k-know h-how t-t-to h-hunt.” He admitted woefully. “O-or f-f-fight.” He added. “I’m j-j-just a h-h-healer.” "You're useless." His brother's growling voice supplied.
Spider speaking You Speaking Toad's voice |
His stuttering words reached her ears and she struggled to pick out the words amongst the excessive noise the pooled from his mouth, but she bit her tongue. His mate was gone, and while she wanted to snap at him for allowing such things to interfere with his life, she could, on some level, understand. Losing her family had destroyed her, but she was far too strong willed to let anything bring her as low as he seemed to be. She supposed that not everyone could be so strong. “Dead or missing?” She questioned, wanting to know what the circumstances were behind the disappearance of his lover.
He went on to talk about having not been alone for a long time, and that, at least, was something she could relate to. She had never been alone before, and in the time since she had been chased from her home she had felt a crushing weight pressing down on her at every waking moment of the day. A small sigh, but this time, it was one of resignation rather than annoyance. He continued to speak, and she took in his words. “Fighters and hunters would be nothing if it were not for the healers that stand at the ready to piece them back together.”
He cautioned a glance at her, his spirits lifted briefly by her declaration. He looked down again to address her initial question, but let his ears lift slightly as he grew more comfortable. “I d-d-don’t k-know w-w-what h-happened t-t-to…h-h-her.” The hesitant pause as he weighed the ramifications of telling her he was a sodomite was thankfully hidden by his stuttering. He wondered briefly if it would be safe to share his lovers name. Shiloh was fairly feminine as far as names went, or at least he thought so, but with a sister who had been named Cricket he determined he was unfit to say so.
He let the silence mount between them, his head still lowered but allowed himself another cursory glance. “C-c-could we- I mean- i-if y-y-you d-d-don’t m-mind…” He fumbled helplessly for words as he attempted to offer his services to her. “I-I-I’m p-p-pretty g-g-g-g-g-good a-as a h-healer I m-mean…I g-guess s-s-so any-anyway. I c-c-could h-help... I-i-if y-y-you n-n-need m-me t-to” A good few wolves had agreed he had a deft hand for healing, but if the girl was a healer himself he supposed she would have no need of him, the thought that he would be left alone again gripped at his heart icily. “You would just fuck it up anyway.” His brother’s voice rang in his mind. “Maybe you’ll even kill her too!” He flinched bodily, his nose practically touching the ground as a faint whimper broke through him. Why did this always need to happen to him at the worst times?
Spider speaking You Speaking Toad's voice |
The man’s stuttering made the pause undetectable, his meek demeanor and unfamiliar personality making it impossible for her to detect his deception, though she wouldn’t have cared if she had discovered the true identity of his mates gender. In her homeland, sexuality was of no significance. As long as one did their job, it didn’t matter who they loved or who they fucked. What bothered her was that he had given up without knowing what happened to his mate, and she wanted to snap at him, but she kept her mouth shut, silently assessing him until he spoke again.
His next words stirred a bit of surprise in her. He claimed he wanted to help her, but she had no injuries. Based on his earlier comment about having not been alone for some time, she could only assume he was asking to travel with her. He wasn’t an ideal candidate for company, but he could be of use to her. “I’m not currently in need of any healing, though being on my own and in such unfamiliar lands, the chances of encountering injury are high. If you would like to travel with me, I will ensure you stay fed. I only ask that you make sure to have herbs ready if I am in need, and that you pull yourself together.”
His head rose suddenly, his speckled eyes full of hope. “I can do that!” He said with perfect clarity. Slowly he rose to his paws, his shaggy and unkempt fur hanging off him like vines “T-thank you Anti- Anti-.” He paused, trying to remember the suffix to her name. He glanced at her wide eyed, afraid that he had offended her and almost stooped back into a submissive crouch “Idiot, you’re too stupid to remember her name!” Toad jeered gleefully. “Stupid.” He repeated to himself out loud, unable to help himself. He shut his eyes tightly and pinned his ears back. “An-Ti-Go-Nee.” He worded out each syllable carefully as if trying to remember something ha had been told years ago rather than just a few moments. He opened his eyes slowly, his expression unsure as he waited for her to react.
Spider speaking You Speaking Toad's voice |
She saw the immediate change in his demeanor once she made her offer. He spoke a full sentence without stuttering once, and for a moment, she was almost impressed. There was a hint of life in his eyes, but as he rose to stand, and she was able to further assess his current health, she wondered if he would even be capable of keeping up with her. She still had much traveling she wanted to do before she picked a place to settle, and in his current state, he didn’t look like he’d be able to walk more than a mile without falling over dead. It would be nice to have a healer on hand, but she wouldn’t alter her plans to accommodate his poor health if it began to slow him down.
His next words only proved to back track on any progress he’d seemed to make only moments before. Irritation rose in her chest and she bit back the urge to snap at him as she waited for him to figure out whatever it was he was struggling with. Surely her name wasn’t that difficult to comprehend. He spat out the word stupid, and for a moment she thought he might had been saying it to her, but before she had time to react, his ears dropped against his head and his eyes shut. He was speaking to himself. Her ear twitched with impatience as he began to sound out her name and she waited for him to finish before she spoke again. “You’ll need to work on your speech. I don’t have time to sit around all day waiting for you to figure out what it is you’re trying to say.”
She turned and began to move out of the gorge, expecting him to follow. “I’d like to find fresh water. There’ll be more prey around there to hunt and you don’t look like you last much longer without a drink and a meal.” Perhaps it was the need to lead that drove her to take him under her wing. She was not suited to being a leader, and people didn’t tend to like her so much as a follower. She was born to take charge, and Spider’s meak personality would serve to give her some sense of having control, even if it wasn’t as satisfying as ruling a kingdom, it would do. For now.