what am I coming home to

While she'd done her best to talk down the infuriated alpha, Recluse was not willing to budge in the heat of her anger. Aryn's pinned maw gave the barest of whimpers as she felt Recluse's paw come down upon her own, splaying her toes into the dirt and holding them there securely. Instinct had her attempting to pull back from the forcefulness, but there was no use against Recluse's weight and preferable position over her. "Please, Recluse." She begged once more, her tone barely a whisper.

Recluse's answer came in searing pain as she felt one claw firmly grasped between the alpha's jaw and wrenched. Her unpinned limbs contracted hard, her body fighting against the hold but to no avail. A wave of nausea washed over her, followed quickly by the urge to faint. Aryn heard screaming, wondered why Recluse did not pause in her punishment to attend to the dying wolf, and then realized it was her own voice. Recluse made quick work of their removal, but every moment beneath the alpha's teeth felt like an hour as Aryn's claws were roughly pulled free from the bone.

Panting hard and fighting the shock, she hardly noticed when Recluse finally stood and spoke. Her head felt heavy in the dirt and her tortured paw throbbed with such pain that Aryn wasn't sure there even was a paw left there anymore. A wave of cold washed over her and she eyed Recluse blankly as she was shoved hard onto her back. It did not take long before the albino's paw was back upon her head, but Aryn did not have the strength remaining to try and fight it. The fog in her head grew stronger, like something was dragging her under into a deep, healing sleep.

White hot pain brought Aryn back to attention, her head sharply rocking forward - but hitting the strength of Recluse's paw instead - in response. Something was carving out her heart, was there any other explanation? It, too, was over fast, but the lingering pain seemed only to grow as Recluse pulled back and spoke once more. Aryn hardly heard her words, tucking herself into a small ball on the ground and whimpering loudly against the pain until fighting the nothingness became just too hard.

-exit via unconsciousness-