Henbane had washed back up days ago. Fighting to get her bearings, put together her sense of self again. The sea hadn't been kind to her. No, she was pretty sure she never wanted to swim like that again. Every part of her ached, her head hurt, and her memories were... fragmented. Fragmented at best. Even before she left was foggy, hazy. Hanging around Hen's head in a way she doesn't really know how to describe. Too many pieces. Fuck, she missed her dad.

The sun hung high in the sky when she finally dragged herself to her feet, the afternoon of the fourth day. She'd survived the worst of the soreness and pain, the shellfish she'd been able to scavenge was enough to sustain, and Hen found herself equal parts hungry and cranky. Back aching. Chest aching. A dark mood hanging over her head, but at least she was feeling well enough to walk the beach and check for abandoned fishing nets.

Score. Pulling in a line, not quite a net but a trap with an assortment of crab. No bad. Hen was distracted by her spoils, she didn't hear the three coyotes as they approached. No, it's not until they'd sprung upon the creature that Henbane even realized something was off. Swinging her head, she catches one, but she can't conceal the yelp that springs from her throat. Fuck.

"Speech"

The stress of oncoming pups was getting to him. Without a parent to confide in, he wasn’t sure how to handle it all. Who was to calm his nerves? To tell him they would be alright? That he would be a better father than the one he had never even met? These thoughts ran through his mind even as he emerged from the depths of the water onto a nearby island. The heat of summer quickly dried his salt and sand fur as he wandered around the shore.

Quiet, sullen, and feeling rather… frustrated? That wasn’t the right word, but he couldn’t quite place a paw on it. Unsure of his emotions, Ghoul was thankful for the sudden scent of coyotes. There also was an undeniable scent of female, but he wasn’t worried about other wolves. The pack of coyotes was an answer to an outlet for his frustrations… That dark and brooding cloud that hovered over his head begged to have a release.

Without alerting the other wolf that he was there, Ghoul ran through shallow water and clumpy sand. His fur bristled and shoulders hunched, lips raising up to reveal a mouth full of sharp teeth. A growl rumbles in his chest as he lunges for the nearest coyote. Grabbing it by the hind leg, he thrashes his head and tosses it rag doll style into the water. He lets his gaze flicker momentarily to the young girl before moving on to the next one.

She's not alone for much longer, though Hen can't be sure at first if it's another attacker or someone come to her aid. She bristled, forced her legs beneath her. Forced herself upright, with a snap and a snarl. Her teeth gleaming in the afternoon sunlight, flashing as she sinks them into the closest coyote. A snarl and a snap, just as she hears one of the beasts hit the water. Staggering backwards and to the beach, scrambling to stay upright-- there.

Henbane found her footing, scaffolding herself onto the coyote and then sundering the creature beneath her weight. Snarling. There's something extra savage about her in moments like this, gore coating her face and chest. Though she stumbles, she's doing her absolute damndest here. Panting, lunging, it's not pretty and she's limping but it doesn't matter.

Snapping the leg in her mouth, Hen is still trying to kill the beast that besieged her. How fucken dare they, actually. Gaining control of the coyote, though not without cost. She whimpers as she feels teeth sink into her cheek, but she's undeterred. Teeth sinking into the bastard's throat, grumbling as she throws it to the ground as well. No, the man that had joined her didn't seem to mean her harm. Not that she had time to ask questions before being clobbered by the next predator at her shoulder, slamming into the girl full force.

"Speech"

Teeth dig into his thigh as he lunges for a second coyote. A bony spine crunches loudly between his teeth as greasy fur gets stuck in all the wrong places. Ghoul grunts, a mixture of pain and anger as he drops his second victim and turns on the third. His focus is attempting to curl backward enough to grab ahold of the scruff of the ballsy coyote but another jolt of pain digs into his vulnerable shoulder.

Snarling, Ghoul whips his haunches around to try and fling the third coyote off. As he does, he whirls his front end back around to try and remove the fourth coyote. From the side of his vision, he attempts to keep an eye on the girl, but after he notices just how large she is, he’s not quite worried that she’ll be in much danger.

Blood begins to seep down his legs and onto the sand. The brawl is a good release for whatever unnamed emotion has been simmering inside of him. Exhaustion begins to overtake the adrenaline and fury, but he doesn’t relent. Not until every last mongrel is taken care of.

Henbane is brutal. She is absolutely brutal. The last coyote in her line of sight is upon her, diving into her shoulder, ripping at her ear. She growls, snarls. Feels the creature as it sinks its teeth into her face, the soft flesh of her cheek giving way beneath its teeth. Hen whimpers. Rounding her shoulders, flinging the coyote forward with a sickening crunch. It twitches, crumples on the ground before her. Blood runs down her face, and she feels... alive. In pain, but alive. Henbane is victorious, standing over the creature's corpse for a moment.

It's the last coyote that clobbers her, seemingly out of nowhere. Five? Six? How many had there been? How many was this? She was tired, the kind of tired that seeped into her bones. As the beast clobbered her, she stumbled, shook. The coyote comes at her in a way she doesn't expect, and Hen is blindsided. Fighting back against the thing, rallying hard. Teeth shining, snapping. Henbane was still swinging, the two wrestling each other into the rocky sand. Snarling, covered in blood, but at her best. It's the last coyote on the beach, and at this point, it's personal.

"Speech"

Ghoul finishes off the coyote is he entangled with, tossing it to the side, and looks around for the girl. Ah, there she is. In about with the last coyote standing, he sees the blood flying about. Wasting no time to assist, Ghoul rushes over and grabs the coyote by the back leg. Ripping it off of the bleached girl, he watches it fly into the water with a loud smack. More blood seeps from not only the dead coyotes but from them as well. He is breathless, sides heaving, tongue lolling from his mouth. Unsure whether the shakes are from the cold water or the adrenaline fading, he turns to the girl. "You need a healer," is all he says before he turns and heads into the water to swim back to the mainland.

- exit ghoul -