there was, first, a ship.

next was a voyage.

stalking it came a storm,

and it all ended with a cliff.

were it ever the ill fates that befell poor number eighteen!



waves of some disagreeable autumnal storm, heralding winter, crashed into fine shores of a land to the child as unknown as heaven.

it were sodden, that urchin, and half-buried in the sand, fur and edges sticking out, nostrils barely free to inhale. it were unconscious, too, undreaming, grey mist swirling beyond the eyelids.

above the shallow divot, the ribbed trunk rose and fell with labored breathing.

Ever since the run-in with the coyotes, and her second encounter with the morbid stranger … she had been consciously less adventurous- choosing to stick closer to home than ranging out in the surrounding territories. It wasn’t that she was afraid- more guilt than anything. She simply didn’t want to put herself (or her parents for that matter) in that kind of a situation ever again. And while remaining within the boundaries of Hallowed territory might not be the most healthy answer, it certainly was and answer. Because of her self-imposed house arrest, Talyssa hadn’t been to the beach since the heat had begun to fade with the presence of autumn. Watching the coastline from the windows of Hearthstone had been enough until now. But today she wanted to feel the ocean spray, even if it wasn’t as pretty as the neighboring shimmering shores. Their beach would suffice for now.

From a distance, it seemed that each surge was managing to reach further onto the mainland than it normally did from- or at least from what she could remember. The roar of crashing waves gave a more ominous impression that only increased in volume the closer she got. While there might not have been an impending threat of storm at the moment, something was on the horizon. If it was coming or going, she couldn’t say.

In the grand scheme of things, she hadn’t been there for very long when something misplaced caught her attention. It almost didn’t seem real at a first glance. An odd piece of driftwood that had been cast aside by the volatile surf. Out of curiosity, she made the subconscious decision to approach. Wandering aimlessly, but now with a destination in sight. However, the closer she came to the suspicious bundle abandoned on the beach, the stronger she felt that sinking feeling in her gut. When the realization struck her that it wasn’t just a thing, but a puppy- probably much smaller than he should have been- she broke into a frantic run. “Hey!” She called, desperate for a response. “Hey! Wake up!” Talyssa demanded as she came skidding to a halt near the seemingly lifeless frame- not much more than a thin layer of skin to cover his bony carcass. “You gotta wake up!” The girl pleaded more desperately as she began rapidly raking away the grit that covered his pathetic form.

it were a nice grey mist. like that thickened dust one'd find in some spots; warm, and still. tranquil. muffling.

h e y

not muffling near enough, it'd seem.

obedience got it twitching - flick of ear, flex of paw - but not much beside. that calming grey wished to blanket the mind, 'till little skull thought its last.

it was pressure that got a stronger reaction. a tremor went the length of the slaveling - tip to tail - and proper black began to take hold of the space within the eyelids.

still it remained vigorless and weak. good will were never panacea for an emaciated body, and lungs full of brine.

If she hadn’t felt movement- the twitch of a leg, the faint swell it its chest, or flick of an ear- she would have swore there was nothing left to save. That she had been too late …. But there was. However, she wasn’t sure what could be done to fend off his demise. Caught somewhere between wanting to pounce him awake, and being too afraid of causing more damage, her mind scrambled to come up with a solution. He just looked so fragile. She didn’t think she could carry him herself- even if she could, she didn’t know if she could safely move him.

After she had cleared away as much sand as she could, her pale gaze frantically roved the violent contour of his body. The only thing she knew to do was scream. “HELP!” Talyssa shouted … to who? She wasn’t sure. Her parents. A healer. Guards. An adult with any luck. Though, she would take anyone who would respond, so at least maybe they could sit vigil with the castaway as she ran for someone who could actually help. “Help I need help!” She called out again, desperation evident in her tone as she cast a glance back up to the castle. When she didn’t immediately see someone coming to the rescue, she returned her attention back to the boy. “Hang in there.” She pleaded, concerned that he might give up just before he could be saved.  

words, they were distorted, sweeps of contact hard to pinpoint - yet it felt panic rise, knowing this was a fellow indentured rousing it from slumber.

but this black, it pulled eyelids shut! little limbs, they wouldn't move. waterways of the body dammed. please, have some understanding, the courtyard'll be swept, just let this awful blackness pass!

beyond its thoughts, the slaveling whined.

While Briar did fully trust her daughter and knew that Talyssa was a smart, responsible girl, it was the rest of the world that she didn't trust. Between her and Artorias' companions they had just enough between the two of them to have one of their various birds or foxes following the pups to keep an eye on them pretty much at all times which was certainly the case today as it was every day–especially after the run in Talyssa had with the purple-hued boy. Willow had been watching over the young girl when she found the boney pup on the shore by the castle and had immediately turned and flew as fast as the falcon's wings could carry it to fetch Briar.

Briar had of course dropped everything immediately and came sprinting out from the castle gardens to bound down the slope to the beach with Willow as her guide, hearing Talyssa's cries for help just as her paws hit the sand. "Talyssa?!" she gasped as she ran over to join her daughter, slowing to a stop as she reached her side, her turquoise gaze landing on the tiny scrap of a pup that was clearly the source of Talyssa's concerns. "Oh my..." she whispered worriedly and she reached out a gentle paw to lightly press to the pup's neck, holding her breath for a moment to wait to feel a pulse. It was weak, but she did feel it and that's all she needed to know.

She immediately helped Talyssa finish what she had begun with digging the pup free of the sand that had surrounded it with the washing of the waves and oh so carefully slipped her paw under the pup's rib cage to lift it. All she could feel was their bones and it broke her heart to even see a pup in such a state as she lifted the pup to her chest. She was afraid to carry the pup on her back the way she usually would her own children and the pup's skin felt so thin and frail that she was almost afraid she would hurt them just by carrying them by the scruff. She frantically looked around for a moment before she spotted a few large leaves from the near by tropical plant life. That would have to do. "Talyssa, grab a couple of those leaves for me," she instructed as she started to rub her paw along the pup's back to start warming them up as she held them against her chest to share some of her own warmth, patting gently with the hope that they might cough up whatever water might be hung up in their lungs.

"Briar Carpathius"

no sir mister lobb, wasn't me in the pantry! wasn't me, swear on me dam, believe a compliant soul!

but still it felt the butler's paws roaming unprompted, and still it whined, the weakling.

when that pressure grew to a pushing, something within dislodged. it were sure its colorful guts would go spilling out its mouth!

but that were only brine, fetched up onto fine coats of the noble lady what held it.

coughs wracked the skeleton child.

When she heard her own name echo back to her on the familiar tone of her mother’s voice, she was met with immediate relief. ”Mami!” She called back, trying to project her voice as loudly as she could. She cast a final look at the pup just as the Hallowed Queen broke into their line of sight. While she knew things weren’t going to immediately right themselves, she was immensely thankful her mother responded- because if anyone would know what to do, it would certainly be her.

As Briar drew near, Talyssa returned to digging away at the grit that covered the pup’s lower half. She was vaguely aware of her mother doing an initial examination on the boy. However, she didn’t think now was the time to stop and gawk. Whatever her mother had determined, uncovering their castaway must have been the first thing that need addressing. As they brushed the sand away together, they were quickly able to finish the task. It was only once the drift had been removed, did the girl pull back a bit to see what her mother was doing.

She watched a careful paw try and lift the ragged scrap but ultimately hesitated in the end. The poor thing was just so frail. That had been her fear as well. But when she was directed to fetch some of the leaves a little way up the beach, Talyssa dashed away in an instant. She thought maybe her mom was thinking they could move him out with some of the nearby vegetation, but wasn’t entirely sure. So when she crossed the distance and came to the cover of a large tree canopy, she made sure to grab as many leaf stalks as she could carry in a variety of sizes. Once satisfied, she hastily returned with what she had collected. Dragging them as close as she could without being in the way, before dropping them all together to spare another glance towards the unfortunate scrap. “What are we going to do?” She asked softly while met with a subconscious desire to avoid causing any further disturbance.

As Briar held the tiny scrap of a pup and rubbed its back, they began to cough and sputter, clearing at least some of the saltwater they had undoubtedly breathed in. “There you go, good. Get it all out,” she encouraged softly even though she wasn’t certain that they were conscious enough to hear or understand her. She didn’t mind the coughed up brine splattering across her foreleg in the process. That would be easy enough to clean off later.

She looked up to Talyssa then as her daughter returned with the collection of fronds she had gathered and Briar began to lay a few of the larger ones out with her free paw. The pup was so small that holding it to her chest with one foreleg was easy enough. “I think I can use these like a sling to carry them back to the infirmary,” she explained as she carefully laid the pup on the new bed of leaves. “Help me gather up the edges?” she asked, lifting up one side as Talyssa lifted the other and once they met in the middle Briar took the makeshift sling between her teeth and lifted the pup from the ground.

Now that she had a way to carry them she didn’t want to waste any time getting them back to the castle and in turn to Gwyn so she gave Talyssa a little nod to follow and started hurrying up the slope toward their home. As they reached the various doorways she waited for her daughter to open them for her so she wouldn’t jostle the poor thing too much. She honestly wasn’t sure what could be done for the shipwrecked pup in terms of healing outside of just getting them water and food, but she fully trusted her sister in law’s judgement and wanted her opinion regardless. Stepping into the infirmary, she gently placed their bundle on one of the cots just as Gwyn came out to greet them, the leaves unfurling to reveal the emaciated scrap of a wolf inside.

"Briar Carpathius"

As soon as she set down the different leaves she had found, her mother immediately took them over. Piecing them together in a makeshift sling. Talyssa watched with interest as she laid out some of the largest stalks flat against the sand, only to arrange them in a manner that they would get the most use. And as Briar went to move the fragile thing over to its stretcher, the girl couldn’t help but hold her breath in anticipation. But as he was gently set back down without any instance of struggle, she released a sigh of relief.

As the plan to get him back to the infirmary was explained to her, she offered a nod in acknowledgment. Her earlier assumption that they were going to use the leaves to help transport the pup back had been correct, and when she was asked to help collect the opposite edges of their bundle, Talyssa was quick to comply. The poor boy weighed almost nothing, so it was an easier task than it should have been. Giving over her side to her mother, Talyssa immediately dashed ahead to ensure that a path to the castle was clear.

Once they reached the grand foyer, she shoved open the door- immediately calling out for assistance. “Aunt Gwen!?” Though she didn’t stop, hurrying to the right side corridor where they would find the infirmary. “Aunt Gwen!?” She called once again as she pushed open the infirmary’s door, hoping to find the healer inside and already at work.