things that go meow in the night
10-07-2019, 06:49 PM
Since their relocation it felt like everyone was hanging on by a thread, herself included. She busied herself by training relentlessly and opening her mind to new practices. Herbs had been on her mind for a while now. It was her reasoning that she could better serve the pack if she had some healing knowledge, and beside that, she found that "Rose" character to be peculiar and unsettling.
Theory was out on yet another patrol. It was dark tonight, but it was dark now all the time: ashes still hung heavy in the sky. Stars and moon were all obscured. She hummed quietly to herself to break the tension but she couldn't shake off a lingering sense of unease. From the shadows she heard a rustle and a crack of branches. She turned on a dime and peered into the bushes, her hackles raised in alarm.
"Hello...?" she called out, groping for some sense of authority. Her voice sounded weak and unsure. Growling to add some mettle to her presence, Theory approached the bush. A sick mewling sound came from within and a sad, wretched creature dragged itself into the dim light provided by the strongest stars that shone through the ashes in the sky. It was a wild cat... or maybe had been a cat. The thing was burned beyond recognition, its skin sloughing off in places and oozing in others. She felt bilge rise in her throat. Could it even be saved? "Help!" She called into the darkness. The decision was too much to be made by her alone. Counseling another might absolve her of any guilt if it came down to a difficult decision.
Theory was out on yet another patrol. It was dark tonight, but it was dark now all the time: ashes still hung heavy in the sky. Stars and moon were all obscured. She hummed quietly to herself to break the tension but she couldn't shake off a lingering sense of unease. From the shadows she heard a rustle and a crack of branches. She turned on a dime and peered into the bushes, her hackles raised in alarm.
"Hello...?" she called out, groping for some sense of authority. Her voice sounded weak and unsure. Growling to add some mettle to her presence, Theory approached the bush. A sick mewling sound came from within and a sad, wretched creature dragged itself into the dim light provided by the strongest stars that shone through the ashes in the sky. It was a wild cat... or maybe had been a cat. The thing was burned beyond recognition, its skin sloughing off in places and oozing in others. She felt bilge rise in her throat. Could it even be saved? "Help!" She called into the darkness. The decision was too much to be made by her alone. Counseling another might absolve her of any guilt if it came down to a difficult decision.
10-07-2019, 07:33 PM
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10-10-2019, 09:51 AM
Her own gut was clenched when Corvus arrive. The stench of death and decay was thick in the air; this cat was a heinous, doomed creature. She felt an intense sympathy for it as it scrambled around in the darkness. The light was so dim, but she could just barely make out the milky whites of its eyes. It had been burned so badly that its eyes had been stolen from it by the fire. That was all fire was good for: taking, taking, destroying, taking. "Nothing, I was just... patrolling, and this poor thing found its way on to my path," she said, a bit of a whine sneaking into her voice.
"I think we need to kill it," she added softly. "Right?" It was horrific to watch. "Put it out of its misery." The cat was misery incarnate if she'd ever seen it. Was it right to cast this kind of judgment on the life of another creature? If they let it live, could it even survive on its own? "I mean, otherwise it will just, well," she stammered, "can it even survive on its own?" Ash still hung in the sky. With the moon and stars obscured, everything felt a touch more sinister.
"I think we need to kill it," she added softly. "Right?" It was horrific to watch. "Put it out of its misery." The cat was misery incarnate if she'd ever seen it. Was it right to cast this kind of judgment on the life of another creature? If they let it live, could it even survive on its own? "I mean, otherwise it will just, well," she stammered, "can it even survive on its own?" Ash still hung in the sky. With the moon and stars obscured, everything felt a touch more sinister.
10-13-2019, 05:52 PM
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10-19-2019, 10:29 AM
Even if she was younger and in some ways less experienced, she knew that she had to lead by example. An alpha couldn't sit back and just let her pack members do their dirty work. Plus, who knew if this creature was carrying some kind of communicable disease? Theo didn't want it bringing any harm to the wolves of Abaven, even if it seemed, well, mostly harmless. "No, no. I'll do it," she said, her voice wavering only a little bit. Corvus felt more like a friend than a mentor and she didn't wish him the burden of this creature's untimely death. She knew she would be thinking about it for a long time.
The stench of burnt flesh was now unmistakable. Theory stepped closer to the creature and quickly broke its neck with a well-placed bite, trying to end its suffering as quickly as possible. Even if her touch was brief, the moment her tongue made contact with the charred flesh she felt her stomach lurch. It was an unforgettable taste. Once the deed was done, she quickly backed up. Theo made no effort to hide her dry heaving but managed to keep down her lunch.
"We should bury it," she added. They buried their own dead to protect the corpses from other scavengers and she felt like this small creature deserved the same respect. It had suffered so much. Shaking off the horror they'd witnessed, she refocused her attention on digging a small but serviceable grave. She found herself unspeakably grateful that this little hole was the only grave they had to dig but was too afraid to speak the words aloud. Theory didn't consider herself a superstitious wolf but the volcano was enough to make anyone leery of curses and unforeseen consequences.
The stench of burnt flesh was now unmistakable. Theory stepped closer to the creature and quickly broke its neck with a well-placed bite, trying to end its suffering as quickly as possible. Even if her touch was brief, the moment her tongue made contact with the charred flesh she felt her stomach lurch. It was an unforgettable taste. Once the deed was done, she quickly backed up. Theo made no effort to hide her dry heaving but managed to keep down her lunch.
"We should bury it," she added. They buried their own dead to protect the corpses from other scavengers and she felt like this small creature deserved the same respect. It had suffered so much. Shaking off the horror they'd witnessed, she refocused her attention on digging a small but serviceable grave. She found herself unspeakably grateful that this little hole was the only grave they had to dig but was too afraid to speak the words aloud. Theory didn't consider herself a superstitious wolf but the volcano was enough to make anyone leery of curses and unforeseen consequences.
10-27-2019, 11:19 AM
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