wasted and alone
He limped into the familiar territory as silently as he could. What kind of soldier for the Fallen God was he? A miserable one. The castle walls loomed high overhead, and he felt unworthy to seat himself within their embrace. Instead, he lurked at the outskirts, in their shadow. Night was about to fall, and the sun was setting slowly on the horizon. The sky above was awash with myriad hues of gold, crimson, and violet. He would ordinarily love to sit and watch them shift and change, but he felt too pathetic to be worthy of the display. Instead, he leaned against the cool stone of the castle walls. It soothed the growing aches from his fight with the coyotes. Tears burned the backs of his eyes. No, no. He was not going to cry, not today. Not ever. Strong godlings didn't cry, not for anything. Certainly not for a lost fight. Instead, he stared at his paws. Blood was starting to dry in his fur, mingling with the salt of the sea that had been left behind as the water evaporated. He looked like a disaster, and he felt even worse. He'd clean himself up in a little while, but right now he simply didn't have the energy to manage it. He felt winded from it all, and his throat was closing up around the tears that threatened to break. Sniffling, the phoenix not to think about what Malleus might say if he saw him. What if his parents could see him now? They'd be disappointed, for sure. |
Rain sauntered through the castle with his pack resting neatly on his back as he made his way down to the dungeons. He was just returning from a trip to the gardens with his companion walking beside him and had every intention of putting his newly found herbs to use on his seemingly endless supply of subjects. As they turned to move toward the front gates of the castle however Fauldr rested his black palm against Rain’s shoulder to stop him. Rain paused and followed the baboon’s line of sight to the russet male pressed close against the stone walls of the castle’s fortifications.
His heart wrenched at the sight of the male, he looked so battered and melancholy that it broke the poisoner’s heart. He approached the other male slowly, his ears turned back as he noted the distinct markings of an Abraxas. The male was of course also nearly twice his size, but that hardly astonished the male anymore. “Hello? Are you alright?” He called gently, the scent of salt, blood, and the stink of coyote wafting off the boy as the wind brought his scent to him. “My name is Rain, I’m a healer, do you need help?” He asked, his hellish eyes kind and soft.
“Hello? Are you alright?” a small voice asked. Cerulean eyes flicked upwards, seeking the source. Instead, a few inches below where he was expecting, was a small male. Unfamiliar to him. Not family. He looked concerned. Why? Brows knitted together in confusion, one last valiant sniffle shuddering through his snout. “My name is Rain, I’m a healer, do you need help?” the male said, and the phoenix schooled his expression into something slightly aloof. Auds tipped back slightly, wary of accepting help from this unknown wolf. However, he was rather small. Delicate looking. He had eyes like the setting sun. "I.. I guess." he said, and the hint of that sonorous voice he was growing into made itself known. Husky and deep, without the rumble of his father. "I'm not really hurt," he added, lifting his crown a bit higher. After all, he was a godling, though he may bleed, he never truly suffered from it. Supposedly. Right now, he was feeling pretty achy. He had a few bruises blooming in the middle of his chest, making it hard to breathe and walk. His left thigh was beginning to throb dully. "it was just a scuffle with a few coyotes." there was a glint of pride in his eyes, that he had taken them on. Never mind his eventual loss. |
Worried eyes continued to travel over the scarlet male, taking in a brief assessment of his injuries. The injuries themselves weren’t life threatening but the risk of infection, especially from other animals was always a possibility. He seemed neither impressed nor indifferent that the male had been in a fight with coyotes, Malleus had said there were predators lurking near the empire, but he couldn’t help but smile at the slight lift in the man’s spirits.
“Hold still we need to get those bites cleaned.” He said, and carefully shrugged his bags off his back. He lifted the flap and rifled through the contents before producing a dusty bottle capped with a cork and a ball of cotton. Fauldr opened the bottle for him releasing the deep soothing scent of lavender, then he baboon soaked the cotton ball in the bottle’s contents before passing it to Rain. “This might sting a bit.” He warned and gingerly pressed the oil soaked ball to one of the larger bites on the boy’s body, expecting him to cry out. The lavender oil smelled wonderfully and it worked well as a disinfectant but the sting the cleaning process brought with it was all but unavoidable.
speaking Thinking You |
Those two-toned eyes swept over his body, assessing his wounds. He suppressed a shiver running down his spine, unexpectedly delighted by that roving gaze. “Hold still we need to get those bites cleaned.” the dark male murmured, form wriggling to free himself from the bags that were draped across his back. The strange creature that accompanied him didn't seem to speak, or perhaps had no interest in doing so. However, the auburn giant would comply with the request. He eased his shoulder away from the cool stone wall, sitting up ramrod straight in the interest of giving complete access to his battered body. The primate worked at a bottle that Rain handed him, and offered the small wolf a strange poofy thing. A heady perfume met his nostrils all of the sudden, searing a path into his lungs in one breath. It was... nice. "What-" he began softly, icy gaze tracking the movement of the poof as it was soaked in whatever was inside the bottle. “This might sting a bit.” the male said, effectively cutting him off. The phoenix shut his mouth with a click, humming his acquiesce to the treatment. The little poof was pressed against one of the wounds over his ribs on his left flank, and he hissed a breath in through clenched teeth. God, did that ever sting. As it was pulled away, he released that breath and drew in another one slowly. He let it out in a huff. "I'm Mephistopheles," he said. "thanks for the help." he murmured, in a rare moment of humbleness. Gods did not lower themselves to thanking mortals, but he was in a low moment of his life. He was thankful for the attention of another wolf, even under these circumstances. |
He pressed the cotton ball to each of his wounds, scraping away whatever dirt and bacteria clung to the livid flesh. He looked up at the male as he gave his name and thanked him. He paused for a moment at that, he couldn’t recall if anyone else in the empire had ever thanked him before, but he put the thought out of his mind, having accepted his place as a mortal in a pack of gods.
“You’re welcome.” He said idly pretending to focus on the male’s wounds as he felt a blush lift the fur on his cheeks. He looked away from the male to return his attention to his pack where he produced the large triangular stem of an aloe plant. “This should help the swelling.” He said and carefully held a clump of gel on the end of his tongue before applying a small dollop to the male’s wounds and spreading it over the length of his wounds.
"Are there any other injuries I should know about?" He asked, his ear cocking involuntarily as he hesitantly met the male's ocean blue eyes.
speaking Thinking You |
“You’re welcome.” the reply came soft and absentmindedly. This was good, if Rain had made a big deal about it he would have been forced to slaughter him on the spot. The delicate framed male turned away, revealing the slender expanse of his spine that seemed to go on forever. The shift of colours in his fur was fascinating. Much more exact than the mottled hues he was familiar with. More like his mama, if he really thought about it. Sharp breaks, instead of soft gradients. “This should help the swelling.” Rain said as he turned back around, clasping a strange plant ever so gently between his teeth. Mephistopheles watched on, rapt attention focused on the scrape of Rain's tongue over the broken end of the plant to collect some sort of goop. He rather liked that image. Cerulean optics trailed along to follow the smaller male's movements as he carefully applied the goopy stuff to the wound on his flank. It was cool and soothing. A soft sigh forced itself through his nostrils, shoulders relaxing ever so slightly. "Are there any other injuries I should know about?" he finally asked, and their eyes locked once more. Well, there was the more serious set of bites to the area below his knee on his left leg, but he wasn't too concerned about it yet. Not to mention, it seemed as though it might make the male uncomfortable. He seemed wary already. Instead, the phoenix shook his head. The onlooking primate was completely forgotten in favour of the attention he was receiving from the small healer. "That's perfect, Rain." he murmured, trying to mimic the silky sweet croon his father used to use on his mama before she'd left. It fell a little flat. He did, however, quirk the corner of his lips into a half grin. "Let me repay you," he said next, rising to his paws to tower over the other male. "would you like something to eat? Something might be left in the stores in the castle." as the words came out of his mouth, he was forced to wonder. What kind of repayment was that? Rain could easily go and get the food himself. Perhaps he should have come up with something better. Something that utilized his skills.. like what? Beating up another wolf? Evidently he wasn't so great at that. Yet. Perhaps he could seduce a lovely lady for him, and offer a concubine as payment. No, that seemed tasteless. |
The male loomed over him and Rain felt a chill crawl up his spine. He had underestimated the size difference between them and now Rain felt acutely aware of how easily the male could bite down on his spine. “Oh that’s not necessary.” He said quickly, attempting to hide the intruding fear in his voice. He stepped back from the male and caught sight of the bite on his inner thigh. “I think I missed that one.” He said quietly, mostly to himself.
He realized belatedly that the male’s fur was still brittle with sea salt and stood disheveled on his body. “You should probably see me again after you’ve washed.” He said hesitantly, berating himself for not having considered how his work would be undone beforehand. He glanced at the male nervously then looked away, “Just to put the aloe back on.” He added, his heart beginning to race under the younger male’s piercing gaze.
speaking Thinking You |
Almost right away, the smaller male shied from his personal space. “Oh that’s not necessary.” he quickly reassured, gaze dropping to his wounded leg. Ah, there went that ploy. Completely out the window. “I think I missed that one.” he murmured, soft as a whisper. After a moment's consideration Mephistopheles realized that wasn't intended for his ears. Thus, he ignored it. No point in troubling himself. He gave himself a quick shake to dislodge the growing ache in his joints. A spray of seasalt radiated outwards from his ruddy coat. “You should probably see me again after you’ve washed.” Rain said, and there was a hint of a frown to his expression. What was that about? Their eyes met briefly, and the phoenix sought some kind of answer within Rain's gaze. However, those two toned eyes darted away before he could possibly glean anything from them. “Just to put the aloe back on.” he muttered. Brow quirked, the start of a wolfish grin toyed at the corners of his lips. "Let's cut out the middle man," he drawled, gaze searching the surrounding woods for the path that would lead to the nearest water source. They would be low, but not enough so that he couldn't clean off. "come with me, we can both cool down. It's the end of the day, and the water will be cooling down right about now. I'm sure you could use a break from your duties, hm?" cerulean gaze fixed upon Rain, and the tips of his fangs poked out from beneath his lips with his half grin. Before he could get a response, the auburn male began sauntering off towards the Garden, and through there they would reach Cedar Falls in no time. The water would likely be high enough there that he could have a nice wash. |
Rain opened his mouth to protest but before he could the male was already on his way. He turned his ears back as the male led on and realized that in his injured state and bleeding other creatures would be attracted to him, and might injure him further. “Great you can clean up after them” his thoughts chimed sardonically. With an almost arrogant huff Rain turned to follow after the younger male after shouldering his pack again. He kept his eyes low and his senses tuned to the world around them, hoping to sense any danger before it found them, and praying Malleus and the other high ranking members of the empire didn’t have his ears for not forcing the male back into the castle like he should have.
-Exit Rain with Mephistopheles-
speaking Thinking You |