Hearts & Flowers

The day wore on and would soon turn to night as he made his way up. Crimson gaze searched the remains of the former Ruina land, but he found no sign of anyone that had once been considered a comrade. Coyote scents were strong. Much stronger than usual which indicated the coyote population here had increased significantly now there was no pack to chase them away. He kept alert and on guard, though he wasn't too worried about them. He could easily take down a few of them, but he wasn't so sure about an entire pack of them. Still, he pressed on and ignored them for the most part. It wasn't until he smelled stale blood that he paused, nose twitching as he looked around. Had someone been left behind? Fur prickled as he quickened his pace, following the stale scent of blood. When he rounded a few fallen rocks, he found the source.

His fur lied flat as he stared at it. A mother fox and her cub, dead and bleeding in the snow. the mother fox looked like she had been trying to protect her child, obvious by the way her body was haphazardly laying on top of it. But it seemed that she was no match for her attackers, and both of them perished. "I really hate coyotes..." A heavy sigh escaped between stained teeth, nose wrinkling at the overwhelming stench of coyotes. The mother fox and her cub looked like they had been killed maybe a day or two ago, their bodies somewhat preserved by the frost and snow that kept its grip on this place. He turned away for a moment to continue on, but then decided against it. Glancing back at the foxes, he decided the least he could do was give them a proper burial, and that is exactly what he did.

Ace began to dig out a hole in a better spot several feet away. He worked quickly, but carefully. When he was finished, he carefully picked up the mother and gently placed her into the grave, then did the same for her cub. He laid it gently beside her, arranging them so that they appeared to be resting peacefully, instead of looking like their final moments were in terror. His heart went out to the two creatures, and he felt a pang of sadness in his chest. He didn't know what it was like to lose a child, but if he did have any, he would protect them with his life, just as the brave mother before him had done. "I am sorry...for both of you. You, a mother protecting her child...and you, a child who was just beginning to know the world...may you both rest in peace, and may your journey go well into the next life." He took a deep breath and watched them for a few moments longer before burying them.

Continuing on his way, the encounter left him feeling saddened and heartbroken. And also angry. He was angry with his brother. Elias didn't seem to value life the way it should be valued. When Ace thought about it, that mother fox and her child could have easily been him and Ignis or Actaea. It could have been Elias and his pups many times over, but the ignorance his brother showed time and time again was astounding! His lip curled with disgust at his brother's actions, and all he wanted to do was tear into his throat and punish him. He wanted to make it so that Elias would never hurt anyone again the way he had done to so many others. A sharp growl sounded from his throat but was promptly cut short when he heard soft whines coming from his old den. His attention turned sharply to the source, his growling ceased, and he carefully moved to check it out. Again, the smell of coyotes lingered around here as well, but not as strong as they were before. Peering into his old den, he swore he could see some movement in there. "Hello?" Ears pricked forward to listen for movement, and sure enough, he heard shuffling from within. "You can come out, I won't hurt you." He said softly, lowering himself to his stomach to emphasize his words.

Moments later, he heard soft whining again, and through the shadows came the head of a young fox cub. It peered at him with frightened eyes as it slowly moved forward, watching him. "Oh...you poor thing..." Ace realized that this cub must have belonged to the mother he had found. It slowly approached him, and as Ace looked at it, he noticed something else. He looked past the cub only to find another set of eyes staring back at him. There were two? They both approached him, slowly and with some hesitation, but the more he reassured them, they both appeared enough for him to get a good look. They were both a little thin, frightened, and cold. Siblings, one boy, and one girl. Crimson gaze stared back at two pairs of blue and green, and he decided then and there, that he would take them under his wing. There was no way that they would survive here on their own. "You two can't stay here, it's not safe anymore. Do you understand?" They whimpered back, obviously still a little too young to understand. "You'll just have to trust me." Without waiting further, he picked them both up by the scruff and began to carefully descend the mountain. He would head back to Abaven, and maybe he could get Shaye or someone to look them over and make sure they were alright.