Kite knew the area well, and had seen in the distance the ship captured in ice. It seemed a good a place as any to escape the wind, and hide away for enough time for her body to be workable once more. By the time they reached the ship however she was frozen and her entire body was screaming bloody murder at her. Everything hurt so badly she could barely see. She barely had the breath to speak, and when she did it was muttered oaths and whispered anger.

Setekh leaned her against the side of the ship so he could work the door open, before returning for her and helping her inside. The second they were in, she could feel her body temperature started to rise. With it, what she had already thought of as agony became something more. She let out a short scream and hit the floor, muffling the sound with a paw she crammed in her mouth. Her broken leg made worse from the walking.


"Speech"

It had taken Crux longer than he'd have liked to finally get on his sister's trail. Stratum had been stashed, he'd reconnected with Riya who certainly didn't look like she had anything good to report, and he'd gotten together was supplies he'd managed to grab before he'd left the Col. And then of course was just his usual speed issues. By the time he found Lioness, notably without his sister his hips were screaming in pain and he just wanted to lay down, sleep, maybe see if he could find Triss and just forget about this whole mess for a few hours. But Crux was nothing if not determined and after assuring Kite's feline companion that he had no intentions of dragging her back anywhere, he just wanted to make sure her leg was taken care of and to understand what her plan was he finally started towards the north east. He made a mental note of Andy's scent crossing over before it stopped and doubled back. A curious look tossed at Riya who didn't seem to want to tell him she'd spotted Andy rushing back towards the packlands with tears in her eyes, which was evidently when she'd decided to go find him, having largely gotten the run around from Lioness.

Crux sighed, he had no doubt that both of his siblings still in the packlands were hurting and it seemed he and Kite had wounded one of them each. Still he pushed on, past the crumbling wall where another, unfamiliar, scent mingled with his sister's. He wasn't all too happy about that all things considered. But he'd keep his hopes up that it was just a kindly soul who'd taken Kite to a safe place to rest and start healing. His luck was never that good.

Still, gait even more awkward than it normally was after so long trudging through snow and cold, he finally arrived before the hulking carcass of a metal structure. Unlike his sister however Crux had never been here before and his curiosity would have to wait. It had crossed his mind that Kite might not wish to see him, but he'd decided he didn't care. She could either put up with his presence for a minimum of long enough to set her leg properly or she could end up like Stratum.

It was with this ultimatum in mind that he pushed his way into the ship without a single word of warning. Quickly finding his way to his sister and ignoring the obvious presence of another wolf for the time being. "Lioness really got Riya good. Luckily for you I took a bit to start having to chase you down." He spoke as though things hadn't gotten a little too real the last time they'd shared space together. "Extra luckily for you, I have something for your pain. Unluckily you don't get it until I can make sure you leg won't set weird."

He gestured for Riya to step forward and went about organizing his meagre supplies. He wasn't asking, he was telling her.

"Speech"

The biting cold had exacted its toll on Kyanite, leaving her on the brink of freezing, her voice barely audible past angry mutterings. Outwardly, Setekh paid little heed to her suffering, instead positioning her against the ship's hull to pry open the door before returning to assist her inside.

Once within the shelter of the ship, Kyanite's agony intensified in the newfound warmth, amplifying the pain that had already gripped her. A sharp cry escaped her lips as she crumpled to the floor, her torment evident as it wiped away her haughty defiance for a moment. Setekh, observing her plight, suppressed a smirk. Though he had offered his assistance, her choice of refuge left him with only one course of action – a crude resetting of her limb without the luxury of pain relief. He prepared to proceed, drawing upon the numerous lessons of his youth, when the sound of approaching footsteps interrupted his thoughts.

Listening intently, Setekh observed as Kyanite attempted to stifle her cries by shoving her paw in her mouth. Part of him yearned to remove her hand and revel in the full extent of her suffering, but the arrival of their unexpected guest stayed his hand.

A man, akin in age to Kyanite, approached and began to tend to her with a familial string of words. Setekh's smirk widened as he regarded the scene with amusement, and the God drifted gracefully into the space above Kyanite’s skull – partially hoping she would grasp him again with those wicked jaws of hers. “As you said. Your family proves to be quite persistent, Princess.” He remarked, a hint of mockery in his tone. Despite his amusement, Setekh made no move to intervene, allowing Kyanite's relative to tend to her needs. After all, whether by his hand or another's, he would soon hear her cries echo within the confines of the ship as her leg was attended to. Oh to hear, to hear her wilt, with a lilt!

"speaking" | voices

Her brother's presence was an unwelcoming one - until the mention of pain relief came into play. She reached out a paw and snarled. “Give.” The word vibrated with the growl it was laced with. But apparently he had other ideas in mind. She glanced at Setekh, wondering how far she could push him. Demanding he tackle her brother for the pain meds sounded appealing, but she knew their partnership was one of convenience. He must have plans for her in the future, and the greatness of those plans determined how much she could push him now. So she seethed and sat in silence as her brother came around to look at her leg. He touched it over where the bone was starting to pierce her skin, and she screamed again. The cry was one more of rage than anything else. She lashed out, trying to kick him with her single working back leg. If she got him in the crystals, all the better.

Her rage was the only thing keeping her going. Keeping her from seeing how her life had fallen apart. How she herself had imploded it. She had to hate. It had to be their fault. It was the only way she would survive this. “Give me the damn meds you psychopath!” She snarled at him.


"Speech"

His sister's anger did not entirely shock Crux and as the unknown male moved around her, making comments he wanted to make his own comment about the stranger's less than agreeable attitude but his sister took his attention instead.

Stratum had been a pain in his ass and he hadn't expected Kite to be happy but her aggression felt pointed and he grit his teeth, ducking away from her kick. Her words setting him on edge. He stepped back, removing his paws from his sister's leg and standing out of her reach. "You can either wait until I set your leg or you can join me and Stratum in the  permanently fucked up leg club. Your choice." It took much audible effort to not return her anger. Steel blues narrowing at his sister. He'd not go about treating her until she chose. "Hard as it may be for you to believe I'm in your fucking corner Kite. I am not enjoying this." In fact he hated it, he just put on his work face but the way her leg was bent, the broken skin... Her screams of pain... He hated every minute of it. It sucked how personal her anger felt.

"Speech"

Setekh lounged on his haunches, a subtle smirk playing at the corners of his lips. His molten eyes, sharp and calculating, followed every movement the other male made in the dimly lit chamber. Kyanite's relative, he assumed, was determined as he knelt beside her, swiftly assessing the injury.

The ship's quiet hum filled the air, punctuated only by the occasional creak of metal under strain. Setekh observed with calm, yet vested interest as Kyanite's relative refrained from tending to her wounded leg. The girl was simply too volatile. In too much pain for her to endure. So, he moved forth, offering his physical support to Kite with a soft rumble from his chest as his fores wrapped around her. He began to beckon her, softly, a ruse for her kin as he dropped his lips to her ear. “Remain motionless,” He whispered, sweetly, wickedly. “But if you crave release, sink your teeth into my flesh. Be done with it.” The words were for her ears only, whispered and heady. The scene unfolded like a carefully choreographed dance, each movement from the Ivory God deliberate and precise.

"speaking" | voices

He pulled away a little too quickly, and she was slowed by her pain and the awkwardness of the broken leg. She panted, and glared at him, losing the satisfaction of a connecting blow. He pulled away from her then, and as if his presence and the taunt of pain meds had been a balm, her leg flared again. Tears slid past her control, but her face remained lock in an expression of anger.

She would have said something else, she didn’t know what, but it may well have ensured Crux left her to her suffering. But before she could, Setekh was there. Wrapping his paws around her. She gripped his forearms with her claws, and dug them, extended and volatile into his skin. Latching onto him, and drawing blood. Gripping him so tightly relinquished her of some of her own pain, and she did as he said - sinking in with her claws instead of her teeth. “Do it.” She said to Crux. Her eyes down on the blood slowly seeping through Setekh’s fur instead of Crux, her leg, or anything else.


"Speech"

(Minor pp permission granted by Sea!)

As deeply distrustful of the other man as he was, Crux, begrudgingly, had to give him one thing. He was making his job at least a little easier. When Kite finally gave the go ahead, Crux stepped forward again. Grit his teeth and set about his work, frustrating and disheartening as it was. He tried not to flinch whenever his paws moved over a particularly tender part of her leg. It really did hurt him to see his sister like this. He figured he knew her well enough to assume her anger was masking the vulnerability she was really feeling. Having to rely on others had never seemed to sit well with her, and right now she was very much at the mercy of the wolves around her. Maybe that was why Crux still had nothing but distrustful glares for the stranger. He knew all too well how some would try to take advantage of perceived weakness.

"I apologize in advanced." That was the most basic courtesy he'd give the other man, before he started the worst part of the whole affair. Realigning her leg. It wasn't going to be pleasant for either his sister or the poor man with her claws in him. Still he'd work as quickly as he could, avoiding drawing out his sisters suffering as much as he could. With her bone in a more normal position again though he'd finally nod at Riya who carried over the small bundle of lady's slipper they'd managed to salvage before their flight from the Col to Kite. "That's the best I could do, you're not the only one who ran away from home. They'll make you sleepy, but it'll also take the edge off the pain."

Hopefully that'd pacify his sister long enough for him to treat any open wounds on her leg and then properly splint it so it could start healing on it's own.

"Speech"

Setekh's smirk widened slightly as he felt Kyanite's claws dig into his skin, drawing blood in a visceral display of her desperation. Her grip was tight, almost hateful, and he relished in the sensation of her pain mingling with his own through blood and agony. The defiance that had garnered his attention in the first place still stoked a primal flame within him, even now. He suppressed a pleasurable shudder, opting to make it appear as though she had shared her pain instead. He was becoming more and more interested in unraveling her harsh exterior, if the reward was more delicious somatic experiences? He was so eager.

Setekh observed Crux's begrudging acceptance of his presence with a sense of detached amusement. The man's distrust was palpable, understandable given the circumstances, yet it only served to fuel Setekh's intrigue. She was at odds with her family, so why was he here to help her? Why was she so adamant to stray? Questions, questions. And he was fully prepared to capitalize on her desires.

He gazed down at her with a mixture of amusement and approval as she gripped him, his molten eyes locking onto her skull as she worked through her suffering; only briefly flicking to the other male’s as he worked on her leg.

"speaking" | voices