you say i'm mad
ft chrys
his own coat was littered with scarring, both old and new, and bloody and filthy. he hadn't had a good wash in a while and he probably smelled like shit. he didn't really care. he didn't care about anything right now. at random, he picked a direction and walked quickly around his new surroundings. the orchard was slowly dropping the fruit from the trees, content to go into hibernation until spring came once more. the mutt didn't register the scents and potential voices around him. he walked, and walked and walked some more until his body gave out. with a surprised grunt, he felt himself stumble. then he tripped. his chin smacked against the hard ground and he tasted blood. another snarl threatened to overtake him, but it left his body in a pathetic whimper.
Theodora's lifeless form sat across his vision once more and he curled his body tightly to try and rid himself of it. how he didn't help her. how he failed to notice. what an utter fool he had been. "damn it" he'd curse softly, fumbling to place both long limbs over his eyes to try and resist sobbing. everything hurt. every action caused him to scream internally. but he absolutely refused to show weakness despite inner turmoil.
be advised that role-playing with him can trigger others, and any thread will be marked M if it includes it
Dodging out of the way of a falling peach Chrysanthos cast his eyes up into the tree where Bolla, his ring-tailed lemur, was happily munching away on the last of the ripe fruit. Wrinkling his nose he returned to gathering a few springs of yarrow, carefully working his teeth across the stem of the plant. Satisfied he placed it into his pack and shrugged the leather knapsack back across his shoulders. "Come on Bolla, it's getting late." The lemur stuffed one more peach into her mouth answering with a muffled reply before bounding down out of the tree and onto the top of the pack. Satisfied that everything was in order Chrysanthos started working his way east. The Orchard was a wealth of interesting herbs but its proximity to another pack made him nervous. He didn't know much about Legion but from the little he gathered they were a more war-minded pack. Not a group Chrys cared to get on the wrong side of, especially with Olympia still in its fledgling state.
Chrys was just beginning to work his way through a row of apple trees when he was struck but the sound of sobbing and the smell of blood and filth. Oh no… he immediately crouched down, senses on full alert for any signs of attack as he carefully snuck toward the source of the misery. Hopefully it wasn't those bloody Abraxas. What he saw was a particularly scrawny piebald wolf with what he thought was an injured ear. The young man was covered in scars and wounds and clearly was not in good shape. Bolla crawled forward, her fingers clutching the fur of his scruff. Chrysanthos scented the air but couldn't make out the scent of any other wolves. Either way, this young man clearly needed help.
He stepped tentatively forward and spoke as softly and calmly as he could. "Sir? I'm a healer, do you need some help?" Bolla stayed silent and instead just stared sadly at the man with her huge round eyes.
all at once it hit him. Thaddeus felt the brief spurt of energy leave him as he slid to the earth once more. he tried to keep his head up, crouching low and glaring openly at the 'healer'. instinct told him to bite and claw. but that same instinct told him to run fast and far. if only he had the energy for it. he'd settle for a fight. "who... who are you?" the mutt finally asked. he had never seen another being outside of the ones who kept him and his sister like a pet. his sense of wonder was caution now, adjusting to the situation and the presence of the other male. if the other approached him in any way, he felt his lips raise to growl defensively. "w-what do you want?" was he going to be taken back to the cave again? was this man a new one, sent to recapture him after he escaped...?
"I'm not going back! tell them to piss off!" he'd snarl.
be advised that role-playing with him can trigger others, and any thread will be marked M if it includes it
The strange man stared at him wildly and one of Chrys' ears flicked back. Something was definitely wrong with the man, he looked absolutely terrified. The man snapped at him, hurling curses but Chrys sought to remain calm and collected. He stayed where he was, willfully letting the tension loose in his body. "Please, I just want to help. I don't want to hurt you." Bolla didn't think much of the wolf personally. If she had her way they'd just leave him be. If he wanted to be alone let him be alone. she settled onto Chrys shoulder blades and busied herself with grooming her stomach.
The man suddenly slipped down onto the earth, clearly exhausted but Chrysanthos chose to remain where he was. He'd only move forward if the other man gave some indication that that was ok. "My name is Chrysanthos Beaufort. I'm a healer in the pack Olympia. This is Bolla." He gestured to the lemur who looked up from her grooming, gave a little hand wave and then got right back to her initial task. Chrys had to use his patience as best he could. He could smell the blood and what he thought might be infection from here. He wanted to rush over and help the man but logically he knew a sudden movement would not be appreciated.
"w-what do you want?"
"I just want to help you. As a healer of Olympia I am sworn to help those in need. Though I won't pressure you. I will stay right here if that is what you want me to do but I assure you I have herbs with me to help the pain and the bleeding." He could only hope his words would reach the other man.
"I'm not going back! tell them to piss off!"
Chrys brow furrowed and he looked around them with concern. "You're being pursued?" He felt his heartbeat quicken. Crap! He was not really a warrior and was not sure if he could defend this man from his pursuers. "Bolla, keep a look out for any unfamiliar wolves." The lemur nodded then leapt onto the trunk of the nearest tree, shimming up it swiftly. "I won't let them take you, but if there are many of them we may need to hide. I'm not a warrior." But where to take shelter? There were the Whispering Caves to the south but they'd have to cross the Rio Grande first and he wasn't sure the man could make it that far. Perhaps there were some overgrown places in the Orchard they could hide. The smell of ripe and rotting fruit was bound to obscure their scents.