Good day for death to strike

Walk | Talk | Think

Incessantly the pup Cross spoke, telling without a spared detail the grand adventure he had been a part of. It amused Mercianne how much he had remembered and how he managed to weave every piece into the tale that he told to his babysitter, filling the cavern with the curious descriptions of the Range and its inhabitants. The healer-in-training found herself drawn into its telling though it was not meant for her ears, but how could she ignore it? He was simply so excited about it that she found herself infected with his childlike wonder, and even noted the moment when he had stopped, the moment Ithurial stepped from the cave to bring in the snow.

Her small venture was enough to upset the quiet inside the cave, and just like that the young babysitter's charge was wanting to leave the safety of their shelter. The creamy white wolf glanced toward the young Ithurial with a smile, rising slowly and carefully to her paws where she rested near the cave wall. She was ready to step in, to provide any assistance that she could to the new Glaciem yearling, but she handled things well, even inviting another young pup who had wandered close to join in a game that they would play. To her surprise, even she was included, and with a timid smile and a wag of her tail Merci stepped from the cave to join them in the snowy, open space outside of it. A snow war. That sounded quite fun.

She positioned herself nearby Ithurial, signifying that she was part of the young wolf's team, and watched with a chuckle as the pups took off away from them, seeking their own place to begin their war game. But as she turned her head to set her dark brown eyes upon her partner, she spotted another figure racing toward them. A familiar black and white figure. A figure that immediately made her heart race and her cry of warning to stick within her throat.

He leaped at the unsuspecting young she-wolf and latched onto her face, eliciting the most horrible sounding scream that Mercianne had ever heard. She froze, staring in shock and horror before she scrambled frantically away from the attacking wolf as he practically threw Ithurial away from him, drawing herself closer to the pups. Her body crumbled into a crouch, her ears pinning against her skull. They were dead! She was a healer, not a warrior. She didn't know how to fight, couldn't defend herself let alone the pups who stood nearby. Sixx would end them here, and the pack would be torn by even more death.

Sixx turned on them, pausing just long enough to stop Ithurial as she miraculously tried to defend those present. A pitiful whine slipped from the panicked she-wolf's muzzle, her eyes blurring with tears as her friend was struck down. She felt so useless, so helpless. What help would her meager skills be to her if she died? How might she let her pack down? She backed up another step, moving unconsciously closer to the pups, but they were on the move as well. Cross, hackles raised and growling, confronted the stranger, while his cousin Kairos leaped forward to attack. "No, don't!" she tried to cry out, but her words came out weak and shaken. No, no! She couldn't bear it if they died too. It was like a living nightmare there was no waking up from.

Young Kairos was tossed aside with a careless ease, Sixx advancing forward with the intent to finish what he had started. She parted her jaws, ready to protest, to say something that might give their attacker pause, but before she could he was attacked. Another had arrived, one of their pack, and Merci watched wide eyed as Awaken fought against his self-proclaimed brother, matching him bite for bite and claw for claw until he got the upper hand. Pleas were made by the caught Sixx, desperate words to prolong his life, but Mercianne could see what was to come. She closed her eyes and turned her head, pinned ears trying desperately not to hear the last fragments of life leave the wolf. Criminal or not, death was not a friend to the healer-in-training, particularly violent and gruesome death.

She was still in this position, crouched with her eyes and ears shut to the world, when at last Awaken turned to address them. She almost didn't hear anything he said over the sound of her own blood rushing through her ears. Only the sound of her name drew her fearful eyes open, and trying not to allow her gaze to drift to the prone figure of their attacker she let her attention follow that of Awaken, realizing that it was well overdue that she act.

He was right. As the shaking white wolf neared the still figure of Ithurial, she could see the way in which her sides shallowly rose with each breath, could hear the almost wheezing sound of her breath. Swallowing, she tried to clear her mind, set aside her fear, her sorrow, her shame so that she could act now. And swiftly. "Ithy? Ithurial, can you hear me? It's going to be okay," she said shakily, glancing around swiftly for what she needed. Something for pain. Something for bleeding. What did one use for near suffocation? She shook her head quickly, not wishing to get caught up on questions. That would only slow things down. Instead, she rose, addressing the pups "Sit with her, please," she begged, adding with a swift glance at her patient, "Tell her how brave she was." Turning from them, Mercianne bound away into the trees a short ways until she found the poppy plant she was after. She returned with it, carefully attempting to crush it upon the snow before she tried to force Ithurial to eat it, hoping to reduce her pain. Standing back, she turned to Awaken and tried to keep the desperation from her voice. "Can she be moved? If I can just get her into the den," she stated before breaking off with a glance over her shoulder. Everything she needed was in there, in the little alcove she had chosen for her growing herb stores. With pain medicine administered, she hoped it could be done.