He lay there in wait. All limbs shattered by one stupid mistake. Possibly not as stupid as nearly starting a war between his family and that shrimp’s family, but that didn’t matter now either. How could his life be so dull and dismal?

His girlfriend had disappeared in a tragic accident, he had no clue where she actually was or if she was alive. His shot at the Heir title beneath his mother had dissipated into nothing. No more Habari and he didn’t even know where most of his family was either. Insomnia was a bleak chance at possibly thriving, but he had no clue if Medusa would show him pity. Maybe… he should hope for death.

A slow, painful, agonizing death that would bring him relief from all that had happened. No more reason to live, right? Closing his eyes, Ghoul let out a shallow breath.

Death probably wouldn’t pity him anyway.

She had watched it happen. But initially, she did nothing but wait. Ghoul had lots of family, she was sure one of them would help him. But upon returning to the forest sometime later, she made her way to the area she had known that strange statue to be. And to where she had last seen Ghoul. A lot had happened since she had last properly seen him. She had caught a glimpse of him at the challenge and saw how angry he had looked. While she somewhat considered Ghoul a friend, her challenge was personal and mostly aimed at Recluse. She knew it would affect the pack as a whole, but she didn't care about them any more than they cared about her when she had been there. She couldn't say that she felt bad about tearing the pack away from Recluse's undeserving paws. But since then, she had come to find Widow and showed her mercy. And evidently, Ghoul was next.

She approached the young fallen warrior. He looked...broken. Pathetic even. The world had crumbled beneath his feet, and honestly, she knew exactly how that felt. Minus the broken limbs, of course. And while Habari did gang up and break her toes, it still wasn't as bad as this. Dual-toned gaze regarded him in silence as she looked at him. Lying there. Seemingly accepting the pit of despair he had fallen into.

Much like she had at some point. Yeah, she had been there a time or two. When she thought all was lost...like her life was over. But she managed to find the will to pick herself back up and keep going. And now she was here. Ready to show him that he wasn't alone. Despite his mothers transgressions, Ghoul was perhaps the only one in his mother's pack that had been kind to her. Even if he never stood up for her, their conversations and the few times they had worked together and tried to understand one another (even if it went unspoken), they were still connected in some way, shape, or form. "Ghoul is still here. His family left him." She stated the obvious, of course. But she didn't mean it as something to rub in his face. Simply something she had observed. "Medusa is here though." As what though? To her, she was here as a friend...as someone who wanted to help...as his new...alpha? (Still a strange thought to her). She wasn't here to strictly drag him to Insomnia, but to show him that despite all that had happened, he wasn't abandoned.

speech

code by Cloudy; art by Cloudy

His brother had left him to seek help for his injuries. What he hadn't expected upon return was Medusa instead. Ghoul could tell it was the newly appointed Alpha by the well she smelled. Medusa always smelled a bit like rotting flesh to him, not that he minded. Laying as still as possible, his ruby gaze shifted toward the skeletal appearing wolf as she spoke. Soft and eerie as her tone seemed to always be; as if she were a ghost wavering from one realm to the other. Unfortunately, she had a good point. It appeared that no one, not even his own brother and best friend Macabre, had come to his rescue. Albeit Viscera's attempt, he had not expected much. Any healer would be stupid to attempt to heal his legs - there was no hope for him. Releasing a sigh, Ghoul's cheek rubbed into the hard dirt beneath him as he nodded in agreement. "Yes, Medusa is here. But why?" Ghoul's voice is a hoarse rasp as he stares at her, gritting his teeth as he struggles to breathe. Everything flickers and dims around him as he fights to keep conscious.

G H O U L

She thought about his question for a moment, ear flicking back, and then forward for a second as she considered his question. She supposed it wasn't a hard one to answer. Ghoul was the only other one from Habari that she actually got along with and didn't mind his company. He was the only one that had been nice to her, talked to her, let her do things with him and treated her no different than anyone else. He didn't treat her like an outcast like the others had. And as she considered this, and thought back to the few times they had talked and worked together, she eventually came to the most logical conclusion that made the most sense to her. "Because Ghoul is Medusa's friend. And Medusa doesn't leave her friends behind." She stated firmly. Simply. It didn't need to be some elaborate answer full of bullshit, but straight and simple and to the point. When she was in Habari, since he had become old enough to recognize her, he had been almost nothing but nice despite who his mother was. And if Medusa didn't know better, she would have thought Ghoul was years older than he really was in the way he acted...barring the dumb decisions he had made at the challenge, but she didn't hold that against him. Everyone did things they regretted, everyone made mistakes. It was a live-and-learn world, and he was still pretty young. Just like she had been at one point. "Medusa wants to help Ghoul, if Ghoul will let her." "Medusa"

Ghoul had always admired Medusa's straightforwardness. If he had been a bit older, he might have realized that she spoke the way she did due to trauma or her upbringing. He would admit though that he was surprised at her answer. It wasn't like he was exactly on her side during the challenge. In truth, he had been all for his mother winning. From the day he was born, Ghoul had always been closer to Recluse than his other littermates, but now, as he had watched her fall and soon abandon him, he wondered if he even cared. If she were to be too preoccupied with saving her newest litter, would he be better off going with Medusa to start this new life? He hadn't always agreed with Medusa's treatment anyway. Why be so cruel to the poor woman when it didn't seem like she did much? Not like he really had anything left. Nothing had gone well for him since Edelweiss' disappearance anyway. He didn't even know where Mac was and without Mac, he really didn't have much to live for. Swallowing the lump that began to build in his throat, he nodded slowly. Dragging his cheek through the bloodied dirt, he let his eyes close. Still on the edge of consciousness, Ghoul let out a moan of agony. "Yes, Ghoul is your friend. Please help. My caimans will assist," he whispered as loudly as he could, speaking was more energy than he could afford currently as the pain radiating from his legs threatened to end his life. From the shadows of the trees, three sets of beady red eyes peered out at Ghoul and Medusa. They would step forward and peer at the woman with curiosity and nervousness. Having spent most of their life being cared for and raised by Ghoul, they were not accustomed to the state he was in.

He agreed to let her help him, and she glanced at the trio of strange reptilian creatures that came out of the darkness to help their master. Last time she had been around similar creatures was a big crocodile almost ate her! These probably weren't quite the same thing, but close enough! She turned back toward Ghoul as she pursed her lips and squinted, trying to figure out the best way to transport him. Carrying him would be the easiest way, even if it was slow going. If they could drape him over her back, she could carry him back to her new lands. And if she got too tired before they got there? Maybe the Caimans would carry him a bit as long as they were shoulder to shoulder or something. She didn't have a cart or a sled or anything to pull him in, and she didn't have time to build one. Not when he needed immediate medical attention. "Medusa will carry Ghoul. The new pack land is not too far away, she can do it." She reassured. While he was heavier and she was lighter, she was sure she had proven how strong her perseverance for things was. Besides, she never quite knew when to give up. And she certainly wasn't going to give up on her friend. Lowering herself to the ground and with the help of her companions and his companions, they carefully managed to wiggle Ghoul over her back. She grunted as she stood up, and she could feel his limbs uselessly flopping against her sides. Umbra and Nox used a few sturdy vines to strap him down to her so that he wouldn't slip off. "Ghoul will be okay." She stated before moving. The new weight was not something she was quite used to, but it wouldn't stop her from getting him where he needed to be so she could help him recover back in their new home. -exit?- "Medusa"