The unkempt girl just kept wandering, her mismatched eyes scanning the misty woods around her. It was strange to see so much fungus this deep into winter. Some of it she couldn’t even identify as a budding healer. A strange glow coming from one here, a bright red cap over there. It was like the snow wasn’t having an effect at all. It was strange, just like the fat moon that hung overhead and the sudden abundance of fireflies (which she wouldn’t expect to see until the warmer weather rolled around again). A few circled her head, drifting in and out of sight, her muzzle wrinkled in annoyance as she clicked her teeth overhead, attempting to shoo the damn things away. Of course, they just floated straight back, some even going to far as to settle in her fur. She didn’t like it, not one bit.

Daphne shook her coat and growled in frustration. Her ears lay flat as the sound was returned. Where had that come from? It was winter, surely all the bears were hibernating, right? That was what they did when the weather turned cold, so whatever it was couldn’t be a bear… could it?

What she had mistaken for a boulder up ahead, rose in front of her to stand on it’s back legs. It was like nothing she had ever seen before. Dark skin rolled and rippled and as it turned the stench hit her. The stink of rotting meat and wrongness. It was the size of a bear for sure, but all the bears she had seen had fur. It looked like this one had been skinned, and the way it lumbered towards her on back legs was not like a bear would move at all. Foamy splittle dripped from its gaping maw as the creature roared, yellowed and broken teeth glinting under the too fat moon. The girl set her feet, and rolled her shoulders forward, growling in defiance. She didn’t feel like she had much of a reason to live anyway, wouldn’t this be a way to go out?

"speech".

I could use some friends for a change

—347/2500—

Hunger rumbled in his stomach something fierce. It had been a few days since his last meal, that much was obvious. Hunger struck his eyes as he peered around the foreign landscape. In an attempt to warm his bones from the frigid north, he had found his way down south. Marshlands wound their way into the lands of Boreas as twisted trees rose to the sky. Lately, the moon hung low in the sky, bright and hazy as foggy clouds attempted to hide its appearance. Something was wrong with their homelands, but he couldn't explain why. Dusk had fallen quickly as fireflies spread out around him. As a few buzzed in his ears, he was quick to shake them away in agitation. He had no time to be messing with little bugs when he was on the search for something to eat. Up ahead, a larger wolf stood in a defensive position. Her grey and black coat bristled in a fixated position. Does she really think she can fight this thing alone? The thought rang through his head as he watched the scene unfold. While she was a large being, what she growled at was even larger. Pausing for a moment since his search was now delayed, he eyed the terrifying creature as it rose up on hind legs. Gilgamesh's yellow eyes grew wide in both awe and fear. What in the world was he looking at? Was it a bear? A monster? Skin hung loose on its body as blood and spit dripped from its gaping jaw. The roar emitted from its grizzled throat permeated the air with a decaying smell. Wrinkling his nose, Gil questioned whether he should help her or not. Gritting his teeth and regretting his next moment, his mottled body sprung forward. Letting loose his own version of a snarl, Gil flattened his ears and folded up his lips. While his shining white canines gnashed angrily toward the creature, its own yellowed and broken set flared out in defiance. Matching her stance with tight muscles and hackles raised, Gil lunged toward the oozing bear with little fur to be seen. Snapping at its feet, he hoped to get it down on all fours and chase it off. Surely this wouldn't suffice as an appealing meal. 729/2500

She hadn’t been expecting company, least of all company that would come to her defence. Daphne barely registered the man’s appearance, only appreciating that he didn’t hesitate to spring into action. He was right of course, in aiming for the blasted creatures feet. If they could get it on the ground then maybe they could work together to drive it off.

The younger wolf mirrored the older, aiming for the opposite leg with bared teeth. Her teeth found their mark and flesh broke open on the creature, but as it came down A deep burning was set alight in her right shoulder and the coppery scent of blood filled the air, but as it came down a deep burning was set alight in her right shoulder and the coppery scent of fresh blood filled the air. She released her hold and tried to pull back, her right leg instinctively pulled up to her chest, her coursing blood leaving the snow stained red as she moved. Adrenalin still coursed through her veins and she tested the limb, finding it steady enough (for now), to rally for a second attempt.

"speech".

I could use some friends for a change

—917/2500—

From the corner of his eye, he saw her follow his lead. Above them, the bear howled in fury and pain. Gil's own teeth found purchase on the bear's ankle, his bite clenching tightly as a warm liquid filled his mouth. It didn't taste quite as blood should taste. Nervous, he held on as the bear attempted to take a step, but shaking them off wouldn't prove enough. Soon, its front paws were falling down, aiming straight for them. One paw caught the girl in the shoulder, her blood now seeping into the snow. Moving quickly, Gil released his hold and slunk away from the bear as its other paw caught his forearm. A quick yowl released from his muzzle as he snapped back, teeth ripping at the hairless hand of the bear. Anger flashed in their eyes as Gilgamesh barked loudly at the fiendish being. The rich copper stench of blood stung his nose as he attempted to take the attention away from the girl toward him. If she was seriously injured, she'd need time to recuperate. Lunging once more at the bear's feet, Gil swept his hips around so that he was on the side of the bear this time as it came crashing to all fours. For some reason, this sick and mangy beast preferred to be upright... Persistent that he would take down the bear, dodged another swipe, feeling its claws barely graze his shoulder as it turned to hit him again. Barking loudly a few more times so that the girl could either make her next move or escape, he made sure to keep a pressing closeness on the bear without getting himself killed. 1196/2500

With the mottled wolf distracting the cursed creature at the front, Daphne decided to tackle the stinking beast from another angle. She moved in on the rear end of the beast, attempting to ignore the stench as her teeth clamped on the upper thigh of the beast and tore. Blood began to gush from the new tear, but she hadn’t quite hit the artery she was aiming for.

The attack had been enough to swing the giant beast around however, and she tripped over her own aching limb in her attempt to scramble back. Sharp claws glanced over the thin skin above the bridge of her nose, leaving bleeding furrows in their wake, and now the girl was pissed. It was one thing to fuck up her leg, but to go for the face?! Jaws parted and swung, catching the offending limb and clamping down until she heard the bones crack. She could only hope the other guy had seen what she was aiming for with her attack on the back end. If whatever if was lost enough blood, then they might stand half a chance.

"speech".

I could use some friends for a change

1382/2500

In the fervor of him biting and barking, the girl made her next move. Moving into the bear's thigh, it angrily swung around to swipe at her. Now distracted by the other, Gil watched as she attempted to go for an important artery. It had been smart of her, but her near missing bite leg to the bear catching her in the face. At the sound of crunching bones, Gil took his own chance and slid around the side of the bear. He had to move quickly or they'd both end up goners. Pressing into the ground as he readied his launch, he eyed the spot right where the haunches met the hip and legs. Leaping forward with wide jaws, his teeth sunk into loose flesh. Blood filled his mouth as he pressed with all his might. It gushed around his lips and began spilling onto the densely wooded floor. When he began to choke on the foul-tasting blood, he released and reattached himself to the bear's hip. Another puncture wound as Gil's face and chest turned red from the bear's blood. He could hear the bear roar as it tried to lift itself back up onto its rear legs. But it wouldn't work this time. Its bodyweight began to wobble, uneven by the damage they'd done to its front legs and now the rear. The life began to drain from its eyes, what life it had left at least. The gurgling moan bubbling up its throat as it began to fall was Gil's cue to remove himself. Jumping back on sore paws, he spat out what skin and hair were stuck between his teeth. Watching with careful eyes as the beast fell to its side, he noticed a few fireflies begin to buzz around the body. From afar, it would appear the old, decrepit bear with missing hair had been laying there rotting for a while. How it had still been alive was beyond him. Looking over to the girl who was just about as injured as he was, Gil offered a triumphant smile. 1727/2500

The other wolf must have found the mark she was aiming for, as the creature seemed torn between trying to take out her throat and swinging around to attack the other wolf. As its strength began to wane, the Carpathius girl considered going for the monster's throat but its neck was far too thick, even for her jaws to gain a decent purchase. As it fell, the fireflies moved in and mismatched eyes narrowed in concern. What on earth was going on around here? She didn't have long to consider however, now the terrifying beast was down, the adrenaline that had been keeping her upright fled and her leg pulled up to her chest with a whimper. Her muzzle burned and her eyes watered. What the fuck had she been thinking?

A glance to her companion told her he wasn't exactly in much better shape than she was. The iron-tinted scent of blood filled the air, lower notes of whatever the fuck that thing had been lingering as more and more glowing bugs came to land upon the carcass. It was almost as if she could feel the judgement of those thousands of tiny eyes weighing her down. "I-uh... Thanks, I guess." She offered to the blood-soaked mottled man, wincing as her piss-poor attempt at a smile pulled on the open wounds across her face. "I'm Daphne, I guess the least I can do is offer to patch you up huh? Let's get outta here before those weirdos... take offence or something." She tipped her head toward the fireflies, and then turning to return to the hollowed-out tree she had her small stash of belongings tucked into. It was a bit of a walk, and no doubt Pandora would ream her out when she got there. But she was sure she had something to at least take the edge off.

I could use some friends for a change

-2037/2500-

The smile on his face waned as she offered thanks. Nodding as he tried to dispel the rotting taste from his blood-soaked mouth, he glanced over to the carcass. Sure enough, the blue glow of whatever these fireflies had swarmed the beast without a moment's notice. Worried and nervous that perhaps whatever was affecting the bear would cause him harm, Gil looked back to the girl as she began to limp off somewhere. His own adrenaline was slowly fading away as the pain in his shoulder and leg spread across his body. Wincing with each step as he hobbled after Daphne, he wasn't going to wait around and find out if they would take offense. "Name's Gilgamesh," he muttered, mouth still unsure of the flavor of the bear. Shivering from the cold, he eyed the hollowed tree she led him to. Stopping nearby, he kept his weight off of his now injured leg. "Not sure if that was a real bear," Gil offered, gaze once more going behind him to look at the glowing mound of a body they'd just taken down. Giving his head a shake to rid of whatever ideas were filling his thoughts, he focused on what was more important. "Thanks for helping patch me up," his voice was back the deep rumble it normally was as he waited for her assistance. 2262/2500

When he offered his thanks for helping patch him up, she laughed, but it was a hollow and bitter sounding thing. “I dunno what came over me, I should have just run, right? You didn’t have to intervene. It would have all been over a lot quicker if you hadn’t…” Of course, the result would have been quite the opposite to how it had ended up playing out. “Guess I at least owe you my life, huh?” Not like that was going to be hard to pay back, she didn’t think it was worth much at the moment.

She rifled through what little she had gathered before the weather got too cold. She got Pandora to measure out equal portions of white fir and wormwood, and to bundle up some extra doses. “It’s gonna taste like shit, but you should take it at least daily for the next 5 days.” Daphne then pulled out some cedar leaves, crushing them up to release the oil in them and mixing them with moss. The stinging scent of antiseptic filled the air, “This is gonna hurt a bit, but it’ll keep the wound clean. I’ll need to pack it on with mud to hold it here, at least for a day, try to keep it on for two if you can. It’ll stop anything nasty from getting in the wound.” She gave her patient an apologetic glance and pressed the dressing against his shoulder, cringing in anticipation of teeth in her skin. It was always her least favourite part of getting injured, it usually hurt more than the initial pain itself.

"speech".

I could use some friends for a change

-2530/2500-

Her bitter laugh rang out and Gil looked at her curiously. Did she not favor her life as he did his? He shook his head softly with a purs of his lips. "You owe me nothing," he replied, ears folding back for a moment. Stupidly, he was always ready for a fight, any day and any time. He hadn't really done it to save her. Unlike most wolves, he wasn't really the knight in shining armor type. Watching her carefully as she pulled bits and pieces from her stash, handing it to her companion for help, he waited quietly. It was interesting to watch her work as she talked. Her instructions were clear and while he detested having to keep something on his body for more than a day, he would comply. While her voice still held bitter tinges, he wouldn't ask any pressing questions. Her life was her own and he knew nothing about her. They weren't friends so he wouldn't meddle with anything. Distracted by his thoughts, he let out a yelp when she pressed the concoction to his injury. Flattening his ears and letting his hackles raise, he gritted his teeth so that he didn't try to bite her. "That stings," he mumbled, closing his eyes briefly. Only a few seconds passed before he felt relief. His body relaxed as he lowered his head, keeping his eyes closed for a few more seconds. "Thanks again," Gil added, giving his tail a friendly flick so that she knew he was appreciative. 2783/2500

Gilgamesh & Daphne

As Daphne holds the dressing against Gilgamesh's wound, the instant relief gives way to another sharp bout of discomfort. Removing the dressing uncovers a tiny, glowing mushroom spore that has somehow settled into the wound... you swear you see it trying to wedge itself even deeper with each passing second. Best to pull it out before it takes hold!