Avacyn made paths back and forth around her studio and work shop, moving things into various piles and baskets that were spaced out across the middle of the floor. When she and Saracyn had decided it was time for them to move into their own space on the island, she hadn't anticipated that the move would be such a task, but apparently her collecting and crafting had produced far more things and materials than she had anticipated. When they were all organized into their various shelves and work benches it didn't seem like that much, but now that she was gathering it up to carry over to their new cave it had turned into a project in of itself. It had taken her most of the day to clear all of the surfaces in the room and now she was working on getting everything sorted into similar items so when she went to unpack it all it wouldn't be so difficult.

She gave a satisfied sigh as she stepped back a bit and looked at her progress. There were a few finished pieces of armor and decorative items that she wanted to see about giving away or finding a new home for in some capacity that were laid off to the side, but otherwise the other materials and half-finished projects were in baskets or bundles of some sort and ready to be carried. She stepped out of her workshop so that she could see out the main entrance of the den, looking out over the landscape of the mountainous island and saw that the sun was past its highest point in the sky and was quickly beginning to work its way toward the horizon. A little frown crossed her lips as she realized just how long she had been working and how long Saracyn had been gone. He had mentioned to her that he was going to take a trip to one of the strange alters that had popped up like the one that they had visited in the weeks prior, but she didn't think it was that far away from Elysium's lands. She hummed to herself and gave a small shrug before she turned and went back to her work, moving toward her den to begin rolling up some of the furs that made up her large bed.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

Walking with one less toe was a strange sensation. While it didn't inhibit him directly, the feeling of the phantom digit not making contact with the earth had the adolescent wolf hobbling with each step he took. Saracyn still felt the searing sting at the end of the nub where his digit had once been, severed clean through and cauterized to prevent infection and bleeding all the way home. Still, Saracyn was returning home somewhat less whole than he had been when he'd left this morning to go visit the altar out in the Veteran's Plateau. He still didn't know how he was going to go about telling his parents what had happened or why he was missing a toe all of a sudden, but given that they seemed busy with their own bullshit in their marriage, he didn't suspect they'd notice any time soon—if they ever did. The only one who'd probably notice right away was Avacyn, and somehow he felt if he told his smart, logical sister that he'd cut his toe off as an offering to the gods, she'd be skeptical at best and think him an idiot at the worst. Even now, he really couldn't justify in his own mind why he'd thought this would be a good idea.

Stumbling up the mountain path toward their family den, Saracyn hoped that he'd get lucky and nobody would be home presently. It was late in the afternoon, there was still a good chance that his parents would be out doing their alpha duties. Maybe if he was lucky he could sneak in and get to his room before anyone saw him. As it would happen, fate did not favor Saracyn that much today, and hobbling into the den the first thing he saw was the violet form of his twin sister scurrying out of her workshop and down toward her den, no doubt busy amidst the move the two planned to make with the changing of the seasons. Sara didn't say anything, the only sounds he made a few pained grunts with each step. He just watched Ava silently, not trying to draw attention to himself or his injured paw. He tried to follow quietly behind her, gritting his teeth to try and keep his sounds muted while he moved with singleminded focus toward his bedchambers.

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Warning: Saracyn is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
Saracyn's designated wolf to protect as a Bodyguard is Avacyn. She may enter his threads not marked as Private.
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It was quiet in the caves with the exception of the slight sound of the furs being rolled and pulled across the floor as she made a pile of the fur bundles, figuring she could sleep in Saracyn's den tonight in order to finish packing up her own room today. The relative silence in the den was probably the only reason why she noticed the soft grunts and shuffle of paws on the stone in the passage way outside of her room. It was enough to make her white-edged ears perk and her head lifted from her work. "Sara?" she called, assuming it had to have been him that was finally getting home since their parents would likely still be out finishing up their duties for today. The grunts she heard worried her slightly so she abandoned her task, stepping out of her bedchambers and through the short hallway of sorts that brought her back out into the main chamber, spotting Saracyn right before he was about to escape into his own room.

She was extremely perceptive, perhaps to her brother's detriment at times, so the uneven gait in his steps immediately caught her attention. "Sara, are you alright?" she asked with concern, her brows pulling together as she hurried across the short distance between them and immediately started looking him over for wounds or signs that he had been in some kind of struggle, her large paw on is shoulder making him turn toward her so she could get a better look. At first she didn't immediately notice anything that obviously showed that he had been in a fight or had fallen off another cliff or anything of that sort... until her dark gaze drifted down to his paws and spotted the obvious missing digit and the bloodied, slightly blackened nub that was left behind. "Saracyn!" she exclaimed in a gasp, taking his paw in hers as she sat back on her haunches, lifting it so she could get a better look. "What happened?"

"Avacyn Mendacium"

Despite his best attempts to get by undetected, the moment that Saracyn heard his twin sister's voice call out his name, he knew he'd been spotted. Fuck... He tried to continue to slink away into his bedroom and hope that maybe she'd think she had seen things, but nope, his perceptive sister was right behind him. Avacyn asked in he was all right and Sara grunted out, "I'm fine." Clearly not convinced by his lackluster response, Ava closed the gap between them with a few quick, graceful strides, placing a dainty paw on his shoulder to keep him from retreating. Dammit all! Sara just stood still, letting Ava look him over for injuries, all the while silently praying she didn't look down at his paw. She looked down at his paw. Fuck! The panicked cry of his name felt like a knife being driven through his heart. He flinched when she lifted his paw, less out of pain and more from shame for having her see him in such a weak state. Gods, he'd been such an idiot...

Of course, Avacyn immediately asked what had happened while she inspected the cauterized wound where his toe had once been. "It's nothing serious," he tried to reassure her, his expression impassive and measured so he didn't give away just how much pain he was in and how upset at himself he was. "I gave it to the gods. The statue out on the Veteran's Plateau. I saw someone had left part of their ear, and I... didn't want to be outdone." Saying it all out loud now, the prince realized just how stupid his decision really had been. In the moment it had sounded all well and good, but in the clarity of the aftermath, now he was wishing he'd offered something else. Sara tried to gently extricate his paw from Ava's grasp, not wanting her to keep looking at it out of shame. "I'm fine, Ava. I cauterized it so it wouldn't bleed or get infected. I just need to sleep off the residual pain."

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Warning: Saracyn is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
Saracyn's designated wolf to protect as a Bodyguard is Avacyn. She may enter his threads not marked as Private.
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"Nothing serious?" she questioned as she glanced up from his injured paw to look at him incredulously while he tried to brush off her concern. "You're missing a toe! How is that not serious?" Sure, there were larger and far more important things to lose than a toe, but this wasn't a small scratch either. She listened with disbelief as he explained how he had cut off his toe to give it to the "gods" at one of the alters so that he wouldn't be outdone by someone who had given up part of an ear. She wanted to scold him and tell him how idiotic that was, but if there was anyone that could read Saracyn like a book it was her. With how tight his expression was and how dismissive he was being she could tell that he was already regretting the decision—whether because he didn't get out what he had put in or because of how much pain he was in because of it she didn't know. Perhaps both. She didn't feel like berating him on something he already knew so she just sighed as he pulled his paw away, her ears flicking back with concern and frustration. Well, his mention of sleeping off the pain at least solidified that one portion of her assumptions was true. "Come on, at least let me get you something for the pain," she told him as she ushered him back over to the furs that were laid out in the main common area of their family's den, clearly giving him no say in the matter.

She was no healer, but she had spent enough time around Irilyth that she at least knew a few basic techniques and herbs and where she tended to keep most of their supplies. After she got him to sit down on the furs she went over to find some meadowsweet from Irilyth's herbs and a trillium solution off of their shelves of supplies. She trusted that it would be fine since it was cauterized, but she wasn't going to take any chances either. Walking back over to where Saracyn was waiting, she brought the meadowsweet up to his lips, giving him an insistent, stern look until he took the herbs from her and started to chew. Then she got a small bowl and poured out some of the trillium solution into it and took his paw, placing it in the infused water so start gently washing off the wound and making sure it was disinfected after his long walk home. After all that was done she sighed again and sat back a bit, at least a bit less concerned now that she could at least say that it had been treated. "Hopefully that will feel better once those herbs take effect," she said as she took the bowl and dumped out the now slightly dirtied and bloodied contents. Coming back to where he was sitting again, she lifted his paw, letting it rest in hers as she examined it for a moment. "Are you alright other than the pain? Did you have any issues walking back?"

"Avacyn Mendacium"

Avacyn's cry of disbelief at how nonchalant he was taking his own self-mutilation felt like a well deserved slap across the face. Saracyn cringed inwardly, his jaw clenching as if she had actually physically struck him. Yes, he knew what he had done was stupid and brash, but come on, it wasn't like he'd been mortally wounded or losing any actual important part of himself. He could think of a couple other parts he'd much rather keep intact. After a moment of taking her sharp remark, he relented and followed Ava back to the common space of the family's den, having given up on his attempts to slip away and just go to bed. "Now you sound just like mom," he muttered with an edge of dry humor in his voice, but didn't resist and followed her instructions when she seated him over on the fur cushions they used for comfort around the den.

In all actuality, Saracyn was glad it was his sister that had found him and not his mother, father, or Irilyth. He didn't want any of them fussing over him and he especially didn't want the healer's help, so he supposed his twin was the best outcome he could have hoped for. While Avacyn went about the den gathering up what she needed, the injured prince just sat there in uncharacteristic silence, watching her hurry around. When she returned with a bowl and some clear liquid along with some herb she just shoved at his mouth. Sara pursed his lips and leered at his sister, but she pushed the plant insistently into the end of his snout. The prideful prince scowled, but reluctantly opened his mouth until he tasted the earthy plant and began to chew on it. He quivered as he suppressed a gag. Ugh, herbs were wretched things... While he tried to turn the plant pulp in his maw into something more palatable, Ava lifted his paw and set it down in the liquid. It smelled like more herbs and medicines, but where he expected a sting of antiseptic, instead he felt nothing while she cleaned the stub where his toe had once been, the nerve endings singed and burned away when he cauterized his wound.

Saracyn swallowed the herb mush and cringed feeling it slide down his gullet. Ava delicately cleaned his wound, tending to it with the care he would expect from a trained healer like Irilyth. Was there anything that she wasn't capable of? Once satisfied with her cleaning, Avacyn declared he would feel better once the herbs kicked in and already appeared much calmer. Sara just grunted in response. He had nothing more to say on the matter, not after he'd already thoroughly chastised himself for his idiocy. Once again, Ava began to look over his maimed paw, studying him like he was some sort of fascinating subject to her. Her question brought a hard, barking laugh from the young brute, a smile of clenched teeth doing a poor job of masking the upset he was feeling. "Of course I had issues walking back. Do you know what it's like trying to climb rock or grip anything with one less digit? It feels like there's just empty space where I know touch should be." Sara glanced down at his paw, still feeling the phantom toe there from time to time. He flexed his paw, watching the other three digits curl, but the space where his missing toe should have been just felt... wrong.

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Warning: Saracyn is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
Saracyn's designated wolf to protect as a Bodyguard is Avacyn. She may enter his threads not marked as Private.
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Avacyn glanced up from his paw to Saracyn's face as he gave a short laugh at her question, her ears flicking and a frown pulling at her lips at his biting sarcasm over being asked if he had any difficulty walking. "No, I don't know how that feels, which is exactly why I asked. I'm just trying to help you with this problem you created for yourself, you don't need to be an asshole about it." She understood that he was upset, but she wasn't going to allow him taking it out on her. She sighed then and glanced back down at his paw again, watching his toes flex and feeling the muscles move from where it was resting in her own paw. There was a hint of an idea in her mind, but the execution of it was something she wasn't fully sure of yet. With a hum she released his paw and got back to her paws, telling him, "Wait here," before turning to walk into the space that had until just a few minutes ago been her workshop.

It was unfortunate that this happened right after she finished packing up all of her materials and tools, but that was just how things went sometimes. She went to the projects she had finished or half finished first, wondering if perhaps there was something she could salvage off of them to give her a basis of something. She found her answer in the form of a pair of gauntlets that she had made gloves of sorts for that were fixed to the bottom edge of them, giving additional protection over the wearer's paws and toes. She had made individual toes onto the gloves to give the most protection without hindering movement and that gave her an idea. She grabbed some of her tools and after a couple of minutes she was able to cut free two of the toe caps off of these gloved gauntlets.

She used one as the top of the toe and flipped the other one upside-down, using that as the bottom of the toe. She used a bit of pine resin adhesive to fix them together for now while she workshopped the idea and tried to come up with something that would fit his paw. She pulled out a scrap of black leather, using the same adhesive to attach a bit in the place of a paw pad and another piece to cushion where the "toe" would sit against his paw. She cut a pair of thin straps to attach the makeshift toe to his paw and with that her quick mockup was done. If he liked the idea she could make him a more substantial version once she had her workshop rebuilt in their new cave. After a bit of time she came back to where he was waiting in the main chamber of the den, presenting him with the "toe" that was made of black steel and leather that was roughly formed into the shape of a wolf's toe. "This is just a rough prototype, but maybe it'll help. Do you want to try it?"

"Avacyn Mendacium"

No matter how much his maimed paw hurt or how unnatural missing a toe felt, it didn't compare to the way a strike of pain pierced through his chest when he saw Avacyn recoil from him and his scathing sarcasm. His pained, furious expression softened a bit, his scowl remaining but the snarl slipping away as shame replaced his anger at himself. He didn't mean to take out his foul mood on Ava; she hadn't done anything to him and he had been the cause of his own misery. The crimson prince didn't respond to his violet twin right away when she scolded him for lashing out at her for trying to help him, instead remaining quiet while she stared with pensive contemplation at his injured paw. Avacyn excused herself and told him to wait here, but Sara was sorely tempted to ignore her order and just go slink off to bed to forget about this hellish day before he could do any more harm to himself. Ava was gone for some time, and more than once he had gotten up to begin making his way to his bedchambers to hide away from her and the world, yet he remained where he was. Whether it was out of respect or fear of upsetting his sister more he didn't know, but he stayed put all the same.

Eventually Avacyn did return to him, carrying some sort of contraption with her. It was only once she presented her apparatus to him did he realize what she had done. Avacyn had made a crude prosthetic of a toe to replace his missing one. Saracyn's expression fell from bitterness to surprised remorse. Ava asked if he wanted to try it and pained cerulean eyes lifted to meet the obsidian jewels set in his twin's beautiful face, his white-tipped ears folding back to his skull while he managed a sheepish nod. He didn't respond verbally, but lifted his paw and held it out to her to attach the false toe to his paw. While Ava did her work, Sara watched with grim curiosity and shamed regret, feeling bad for the way he'd treated her and lashed out at her in his own self-anger.

"I'm sorry..." he murmured after a moment, keeping his eyes on their paws, unable to meet Ava's gaze. "I didn't mean to lash out at you. I am an asshole, and I'm angry at myself for being a fucking idiot, but you don't deserve that shit from me. You've only ever been good to me..." Saracyn sighed, shoulders slumping as he collapsed inwardly on himself. He didn't deserve Avacyn; she was far too good for a bitter prick like himself. As Ava affixed the toe to his paw, Sara managed to speak a soft "Thank you," to show his appreciation for his twin's efforts.

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Warning: Saracyn is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
Saracyn's designated wolf to protect as a Bodyguard is Avacyn. She may enter his threads not marked as Private.
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Avacyn had seen the shift in his expression when she lashed back out at him for his attitude and saw it change and soften even more when she presented her first attempt at making a prosthetic toe for him. She knew that he wasn't mad at her and that his behavior was simply a residual effect of his own anger at himself and the situation, but she also wouldn't simply let him lash out at her without saying something about it. She didn't hold it against him since she knew how he was, but she still appreciated the remorse he showed since she never wanted to feel like he was willing to just take out his anger on her. After he agreed to let her try her creation out on him, she brought the metal toe to his lifted, injured paw and kept her gaze on it while she carefully worked on positioning it just right and getting the straps fastened around his paw in a way that would keep it securely in place, but wasn't too tight. Already she was seeing places where this could be improved and was getting ideas for a better version of this, but for now it would do the job and at least let him get used to wearing something like this to see if it even helped.

While she was working, he began to apologize and express all of the things she already knew and she glanced up at his face even though his gaze didn't meet hers. She didn't necessarily need an apology, but it did bring a little smile to her lips and she paused her work for just a moment to tip her muzzle up to his, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. "I know," she said simply, giving him another gentle smile. "You might be an asshole, but you're mine and I love you regardless." Chuckling softly, she looked back down at his paw, adjusting the straps a bit and flexing his paw and ankle with her own to see how it held as he moved and seeing if it moved at all like his other toes did. Content with her work, she finally released his paw, looking up to his face for his reaction. At his soft 'thank you' she smiled, tipping her muzzle up to give him another light kiss. "You're welcome. We'll keep working on it and making better versions as you get used to it and figure out what you like and don't like. Hopefully it makes walking a little easier at least."

With that she got to her paws, motioning with a nod of her head for him to do the same and follow her. "Now, I think you need some rest," she said, stating the obvious. She led the way to his bedroom, glancing back to see how his new toe did for its first few steps at least, before going over to his bed and settling down onto the plush pile of furs and looking up at him expectantly to do the same. Once he had laid down with her she shifted closer, slipping her paws around his neck and pulling his head into her chest. She nuzzled the top of his head between his ears, kissing one of his matching white-tipped ears affectionately. "Don't do that kind of shit again," she told him as she gave him a gentle squeeze in her embrace, easily molding herself into him as they always did as they got comfortable and letting her paws rub over the back of his neck and shoulders lovingly.

"Avacyn Mendacium"

Apologizing wasn't something Saracyn usually did—or ever did, for that matter. Apologizing meant admitting you were wrong, and admitting you were wrong felt like a show of weakness. Saracyn did not show weakness. The Mendacium family was far too strong for shows of weakness. But for Avacyn, Sara had no armor. He laid everything bare to her, from his heart and soul to his emotions and vulnerabilities. She would be the only one to ever see the more tender side of him. The rest of the world would see teeth and claws and strength. Only Ava would get to see him as he was. As he made his apology, the prince was pleasantly surprised to find his twin's muzzle tilt up until her lips caught his in a gentle kiss, making his heart miss a beat. His face flushed warm, a strange show given all the ways they'd been intimate together thus far, but it still flustered his wild emotions when she did anything romantic and affectionate towards him. Returning her smile was easy, especially when she forgave his brusque behavior, claiming him as her asshole. A crooked smirk cocked his lips when she declared her love for him; he could live a thousand years and never tire of hearing her say those words.

Once Avacyn was pleased with how she had affixed his false toe to his paw, Saracyn lifted his paw and inspected her handiwork. It was indeed a crude and early prototype, but he was damn impressed with how quickly she had assembled it for him. He flexed his paw, watching how it moved with his other toes. It would need some tweaking to better keep it in line with the others instead of flopping around, but when he went to put weight on it, it did indeed hold strong and give him more of the grip on the ground he was used to. As if reading his mind, Ava explained how they'd keep working on it to get it just right, but at least this would make walking more natural for him. "Yeah, I can definitely think of some things I'd like altered, but this already feels much better." He tested his steps a few more times until Ava ushered him away with a nod of her head, instructing him to find some rest. "Yes, ma'am," he teased her with a smirk while following her back to his bedroom.

Stepping into his personal quarters, Sara was immediately greeted by the sight of his gorgeous twin spread out on his expansive bedding with an expectant look in her eyes. Gods, if he hadn't maimed himself and felt emotionally drained, he would have pounced on her then and there. As it was, the prince simply padded over to join the princess on the bed, settling his larger form down next to hers. No sooner had he gotten settled in, he felt Ava shift to curl around him and draw him into a soothing embrace. The dire brute melted easily into his beloved's forelegs, resting his head against her soft chest and listening to her heart beat while she stroked and caressed his forehead and ears. Each ginger touch to his white-tipped auds drew rumbling murrs of delight from the young male, and soon tired cerulean eyes began to disappear behind drooping eyelids. His own strong forelegs lifted to wrap around Ava's slender sides, holding her close while she soothed him off into slumber. Her words made him chuckle, managing a sleepy "No promises..." before he settled into gentle snores and slept away the residual pain, safe in his lover's arms.

"Saracyn Mendacium"

Warning: Saracyn is an explicitly mature character for violent and sexual content. Read his threads with caution.
Saracyn's designated wolf to protect as a Bodyguard is Avacyn. She may enter his threads not marked as Private.
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