A thick fog had kicked up from over the sea, shrouding the lush greenery of her home in grey dampness. Or was it her home? She felt like this was the only world she had ever known, and yet something about that idea struck her as wrong. She tried to grip that thought, but before she grasped it she felt it fade. She blinked, rubbing her eyes. Hmm, it seemed a fog was rolling in, might it have come from the sea? She shook out her coat, disliking the feel of dampness in it, and moved through the trees. She didn’t go far. She couldn’t. Why was that again? The answer came to her a moment later, a pair of dark eyes that stalked the woods beside her. The leopard belonged to someone. She remembered that, and remembered that it was important. That importance should matter, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. She trotted on, a feeling that she had somewhere to be itching at her. She didn’t go much further before the leopard moved out of the trees. Blocking her path… herding her. She followed after it, docile as a lamb. Before she knew it, she was in a clearing. There was a small shack, and a wolf standing there. Shaking his head at her, but it was the leopard he directed his words to. “Did she get out again? That’s the third time this week. Time to up her meds, I think” she blinked at him. Med? Was she sick? She felt she remembered him telling her she was. She needed her meds, she needed them, or she would die? Right? She followed him into the hutch, and obediently took the jar he handed to her. Coughing as the foul stuff slid down her throat. Foulness was right for medicine, and she found she didn’t question it. Couldn’t question it. She felt her thoughtless sliding away from her again. She sat on the threadbare blanket of the shack, blinking slow, owlish blinks. As she sat there, the thick ocean mist slid through the open door. This time, she couldn’t find the words to consider it. "Speech"

Nothing had been right since her daughter had disappeared. Her only daughter, her heart. The young mother couldn't sleep without her daughter, and so it was no surprise that the looked as though she hadn't slept. It'd been days, weeks, without sleep or a proper meal. Phantasm was doing what he could to help, but he wasn't her. She loved all of Medusa's children as her own, but they weren't her children. The only family she has that she loves in this damned world is her daughter, and now the world has taken her too!

The woman had practically paced a trench in her den, a noticeable path worn down by heavy, impatient steps. She'd gone out and searched everywhere she could look for her, only taking breaks when her ravens could go out and search for her. She was trying to stay strong, but the woman was obviously getting weaker. The ravens were taking over for her more now, nearly forcing the woman to rest while they worked themselves to the bone for her. She couldn't be more grateful, but she wanted to be out there.

Recluse never looked for her, and she was not her mother.

A loud, raucous cawing alerted her and she ran from the den. Had they found her? Had they brought her daughter home to her? Looking skyward, the ravens circled above before swooping off towards the distant island. The island. She hadn't searched there yet.

Dust flew as she tore through the plains after her ravens, desperation written clearly on her face. She didn't even think twice as she sped into the water and swam until she could pull herself onto the rocks edging the island, fueled by adrenaline that only an angry mother would have. As soon as her paws touched the grass, her daughters scent was clear. She was here.

Growling, Widow followed her scent trail noting that it was accompanied by a large cat. As the trail got fresher, the scent of another filled her nose. She broke from the trees into the clearing with the small shack, the scent of her daughter strong but laced with something medicinal. Pausing before the hut in a stance that suggested she would not be asking any questions, she roared, "Give me my daughter and I might let you live."

"Speech!"

Code © Skelle 2023

She sat in the hut as time passed her by. How much, she couldn’t say for certain. Her eyes grew dry in the times she forgot to blink, and her motions were jerky and uncoordinated. The medicine sat thick inside her chest, and left her dazed and confused. So it was no surprise that she was slow to react when an angry voice - achingly familiar - roared just outside the hut. She turned her head slightly, trying to place the voice. The words. She tried to grasp at it, but it eluded her. The focus behind her eyes vanished once more, leaving the blank-eyed stare that had become her norm.

Outside the den, however, a wolf was suddenly faced with an angry and very large wolf. The gold-trimmed wolf towered over him, and for a second he cowered beneath her anger. Then his leopard was at his side, reminding him he was not alone. “There is nothing of yours here, leave” He told her, blocking the entrance of the den door. "Just things that belong to me. My prize.” His smile was no as sane as it could be, and there was a malicious glint in his eyes.


"Speech"

Widow was no fool, but she wasn't thinking as clearly as she could be. As the man stood between her and the shelters door, her fur bristled and tail lashed. Even as the leopard approached and backed up the kidnapper, she wouldn't be threatened. She'd won spars with other wolves and killed other cats, this was no different. Except now, she had a real reason to fight. She would save her daughter, hold true to her promise to protect her always, and rip this man apart without damaging his pelt too much. The leopard too, she wanted to memorialize these monsters f o r e v e r.

She lunged forward without warning and wrapped her jaws around the mans foreleg as she felt the leopard descend on her back. The mans limb broke easily in her powerful jaws, holding no restraint despite the sharpened claws pulling at her flesh and muscle. Rage fueled her and so she felt no pain. The man yelped and in a two-for-one move she shook her head violently and threw the man to the ground while simultaneously shaking the leopard enough to make it fumble. Releasing the mans limb, bloodied fangs reached for the leopards rear limb and tore it from her flesh, immune to the pain that accompanied the leopards claws tearing open her skin. The leopard hissed and dove to bite her, but Widow was faster and pulled back just in time for the leopard to lunge at the captor instead.

Widow took the small opening and lunged forward again to sink her teeth into the flesh of the leopards throat, the sheer force of her grip severing important arteries. It only took a moment for the leopard to fall limp, the last of its life force sputtering from parted jaws, before Widow released her grip and turned her argent eyes on the man that was attempting to crawl away. She took a few slow steps forward until she stood over the man, using a clawed paw to push the man onto his back. Without the protection of his leopard, he cowered beneath her.

Her snarl turned into a smile briefly, tempted to let the man live only to see him shredded by the pack should he dare leave this island, but no, his pelt was far too pretty to waste. "And now, you are my prize," she purred, almost sweetly, but as blood dripped from her maw it was anything but. She only gave the man another gasp of life before she took a single sharpened claw and slit his throat, watching him bleed out beneath her with a wicked grin.

Blood poured from her body, but she couldn't care less. Her daughter was safe. Stumbling off his body, she crashed through the door and found her daughter inside. Quickly she hurried to her, wrapping her arms around her small daughter tightly. "You are safe, my love," she purred, growing weaker by the second but holding on. Her ravens cawed and hopped into the hut, tilting their heads at the two wolves before flapping their wings in excitement. "Go get help," she instructed the birds and soon they were off, flying back to Insomnia as told.

Widow turned back to her daughter, pulling away from her enough to get a look at her. She was clearly drugged. After a moment and a sigh, she pulled her in close for another hug as tears began to fell. What had he done to her?

"Speech!"

Code © Skelle 2023

The sound of sudden fighting was enough to jolt Triss from her stupor. Blinking stupidly around herself, she struggled to understand what was going on. With a fresh dose of his tonic inside of her, she could barely find room to think. But there was plenty of room to panic. She felt her breathing hitch, and she curled in on herself, little tail covering her paws as she whimpered and listened to the sounds of tearing. She didn’t know if she should be afraid for someone, so instead she was simply afraid for herself.

When a great and bloody beast crashed through the door, she gasped, ducking even further into the floor of the shelter. She shied away at first when the creature went to grab her, but then the scent that reached her confused her. It reminded her of soft things, comforting things. It was so utterly at odds with what she was seeing that it froze her for a moment. Then she was in the wolf's arms, and the wolf was calling her her love.

She took in another breath of that oddly comforting scent, leaning into the wolf where logic dictated she should be afraid. Then, after a long moment, she whispered. “Mumma? Mumma, is that you?” Her words were broken and slurred, and her eyes lacked focus


"Speech"

Widow was not her mother. She wouldn't dream of abandoning her children. She might only have Cryptis to hold dear, but that was beside the point. All that mattered was that she never gave up looking for her and now she finally had her. Widow wrapped her body protectively around the tiny child, in case some other threat dared enter the hut. A million emotions washed over Widow it all sank in and tears streamed down her face as she pressed into her daughters fur, invading her nostrils with her daughters scent despite it being mixed with her kidnapper. She wouldn't trade it for the world. How could her own mother let them go? She was dead now, much like the man bleeding out outside, but Widow nor Cyptis would be facing that fate today.

The sudden sound of her voice brought the woman's attention to her immediately, pulling her head back to look over her some more while tears welled in her eyes. "Yes baby, I'm here, I've got you now," she confirmed, adding a soft kiss between the girls eyes. "Everything will be okay, rest now," she almost purred despite her own pain and pulled the child close to her again.

"Speech!"

Code © Skelle 2023

She could feel the dampness of her mothers eyes against her coat, and some of the stupor began to fade away. She felt herself start to shake, confusion and fear seeping through the cracks. Something terrible had happened, why else would her mother be crying? But the more she tried to grasp the situation, the more aware she became of the blank spaces in her thoughts. She didn’t know where she was, she couldn’t remember her mothers name.

Her breathing hitched, and she curled herself into a little ball in her mothers arms. Knowing that in her uncertainty and fear, Widow was the only thing that made sense. Her mothers voice was soothing and familiar. She created a safe space for Triss, and in light of that she began to cry. Digging her paws in her mothers coat as she bawled her eyes out. “Mumma… Mumma, I can’t remember anything, Mumma” She wailed. The drugs that her captor had used on her were stacked in the corner of the small hut.


"Speech"

The Wraith raced toward the island that Widow's ravens had told her about. She followed them, running hard and fast beneath their shadows. Her companions kept pace beside her. They had found Cryptis! Medusa had been searching far and wide, aiding Widow in searching for her missing child. Her only child. Though Medusa considered the young girl as one of her own, too, she had chosen not to rest until the girl was found. (That, and the fact she had insomnia so her nights were often sleepless anyway). She had enough sense to know that Widow had been beside herself and would not stop searching until Triss was found. Neither of them would. However, the skeletal marked woman had limited searches since she also had to consider things that needed to be done in the pack and ensure her own kids didn't go missing, too. She didn't know if Triss had been kidnapped from her very land. She hadn't found any strange scents, but if they had snuck in through the tar pits, she could see how the scent could've been missed.

She charged into the water and swam the rest of the way, ignoring the rough and cold waters until she had made it to the other side. Once on the island, she continued her hurried pace and didn't even bother to shake the salt water from her coat until finally, a hut came into view. She was ready to go in with tooth and claw and rip apart whoever had dared harm Cryptis, but it seemed Widow had already taken care of them. Passing by the dead bodies, she stepped through the doorway and stopped to find Widow and Cryptis. "Widow found her!" She exclaimed, breath ragged from all the running and swimming she had just done. Water poured from her coat still, and she made to move forward but a paw against her chest from Umbra would stop her. The cougar quietly shook her head, indicating to Medusa that she should wait before approaching. Triss didn't seem to be in the best mindset, and Medusa hadn't been able to read the room. "Easy." Umbra murmured before she walked away to make sure no others were around.

Medusa did as she was bid and remained where she was. "Is Cryptis okay?"

speech

code by Cloudy; art by Cloudy

Everything would be okay now. Everything would be fine. Cryptis was safe, her kidnapper was dead, and now Medusa was here to help with the mess. She was exhausted though, her entire body aching from it all. She could finally relax and maybe even get some sleep, but she needed to get her daughter home first. Once she was taken care of, then Widow would consider her own needs.

"Shhh, it's okay. All that matters is you're safe. Just rest for now," she cooed before dragging her tongue across her daughters forehead to soothe her. She could hear Medusa approaching before she came through the doors and smiled weakly at the woman. "Yes, she is safe now. I think he drugged her, though. Would you mind making sure his and the tigers pelts make it back?" She asked, hopeful but knowing she wouldn't mind at all. Getting her daughter through the swim was going to be it's own challenge, and one she wasn't sure either of them were ready for. Waiting on this island, although it was safe now, wasn't going to be good either. She needed to get her daughter home for her to properly rest, and to get the right herbs in her so she could recover.

"Speech!"

Art by SkeletonDragoness Code © Rex/Witchdogtor DO NOT USE WITHOUT PERMISSION