Lykaios & Tifa

[Lykaios]

The damage was already done. The boy, the Huan and the two willing soldiers were now all dead. Death caused by a variety of wounds and sustained injuries. Macari's focus returned as he beat his instincts back into submission from his conscious and thought-evoking mind. Death was all he could see now; in every pore, every few steps. Blood, entrails and death-loosened bowels littered the little cove. Macari had not escaped unharmed and unscathed. The adrenaline ebbing, he finally felt the agony from the hammer strikes on his body as he stumbled back to the location of the two young Adrinite's, in their pools. He'd done his utmost to prevent their discovery, but failed when they revealed themselves. He couldn't find it in his own heart to be angry, for they'd only done the natural thing for them. As a pup, he'd gone against orders and requests to keep him safe, and he'd paid the price. He'd learnt form it. But these two Adrinite's were strangers to a foreign world, they'd never need experience, had it not been for Macari's appearance.

He crawled, struggling to move and breathe towards the pools of the young pups, but his vision was hazy. The Huan's legs and arms and body weren't responding to the orders his mind gave them. He collapsed, falling into the nearest pool to him. He pawed at the surface of the water, struggling to get his head above it and nearly failed, were it not for finding purchase on the rocky surrounds of the pool. He dragged his upper body up and with much effort, kept his head out of the watery death below. He no longer had the strength left to hold himself. Blood was filling the pool, changing the pure, clean water to a scarlet of blood-mixed liquids. The blood that had sprayed onto his body, as well as his own, from his own wounds. The adrenaline had been the only thing that had kept his body functional during the conflict. His mind had been out of control the moment he'd seen the Huan's oppression, and his intrincts had happily taken over.

Macari laboured with his breathing, incapable of telling how much damage his body had actually recieved. He was weakening by the second. Like all dogs, he just needed to curl up and recover...or die, whichever it were to be. It was in his mind, however, that he had something he still needed to do. He just couldn't place what it was, at the time. He was in too much agony to concern himself with anything else, either. He had his eyes closed as the hit to his muzzle had rattled his skull, perhaps even dislocated his lower jaw. At the very least, it felt cracked, as every motion ached him terribly and pain lanced through his body. He gave a pitiful whimper of pain, as the hurting continued. If he were to die here, he'd at least spared those pups a brutal death.

That's what I've forgotten! he thought, whimpering in pain again.
"Pray, pups? Are you still there?" he asked, not attempting to open his eyes. He'd tried to sniff them out, but no scents came. Every syllable ached as his jaw moved.
"Do you but breath? Pray...I fear I've brought a demon to your door." he continued, despite the pain. It slowed his words and ravaged his body to say them, but he had to.

"You must leave. They've come now...they may yet return with more. I dishonour your race with my...my..." the word was lost, Macari simply didn't know the Adrinite equivalent for 'ferocity'. And with that, Macari faded. His head fell to the ground, and his body began to slide into the pool. There was no more strength in the Huan at all.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Arik had watched as the Huan returned, horrified by the walking violence that the creature had become. The blood made his stomach churn and his heart ache all the more. He hugged his sister ever closer, not wanting her to see this horror. For all the purity of his innocent mind had been destroyed, he still knew what was more important that anything else: life.
So he carefully relinquished his sister, laying her sobbing form down by the water's edge, pleading her not to look as he placed a reassuring kiss upon her cheek. Her beautiful long hair was matted from their terrified swim, but he would spend many long hours helping her comb in smooth again, if that's what it took to help her forget the horrors they'd witnessed.
Maybe she could recover... even if he was scarred beyond repair.

He padded slowly across the rocks, footsteps making no noise at all. Cool hands would wrap around the Huan's paw, tugging with all the strength they could muster to keep his head above the water.
"I... have seen my fill of death, today," he grunted as he struggled with the Huan's weight. "So I will not allow you to make the toll any higher."
As if the water in which the Huan was slipping heard Arik's words, it heaved, surging upwards, spewing the mass of fur and blood up onto the rocks. The young Adrinite jumped back as to not be crushed by the surge, but ran quickly forward again, to continue dragging the creature, his muscles straining. Adrinites were fragile, not built to be warriors or fighters, but they had the life-grown strength of fishermen, so though the work was slow, he was able to move the creature away from the pools.
"Kira!" he called out to the still whimpering girl, who acknowledged him immediately, but would not look his way. Once Arik asked her to do something in earnest, she would never go against his will. "Go into the Jungle and find the Witchwoman."
The girl stood immediately and fled into the jungle a short way away, her gaze still desperately avoiding the bodies that lay sprawled around.

Arik then turned his attention back to the Huan, gentle fingers running through the soft fur, taking note of and remembering where every wound they found was.
"We stand no chance with no one to protect us..." he whispered to the creature, the fear thick in his voice. "We have no warriors with which to fight."
His eyes lifted from the broken dog-man and across the shoreline down towards where the village lay in the sleepy cove - unaware of the danger that now lay on their doorstep, barely thwarted in time.
"We cannot move, this is our home..."

[Lykaios]

Some tremor from the water itself had thrown him out of the pool, a movement he had barely noticed as he thudded into the ground. Death surrounded him, not least of all, was a part of his function now. He had left his pack to seek answers, instead finding only more and more violence. Now here he was, verging on death himself, having protected a race with no protection for themselves. He was unconscious, in a state that left him somewhere between alive and dead. it couldn't have been easy for Arik to half-carry and half-drag Macari's hulking mass anywhere. He was only small, especially true when compared to Macari's build.

Macari's mind registered words, as Arik carried him, though where, Macari didn't know. He was simply too close to complete and total darkness. When he would awaken, however; he'd have need to thank the pair, for saving his life. Despite his attempts to keep their kind safe, he had failed to do so, which would be much to his dismay. In his unconsciousness however, his pack sensed his agony, dimly aware of the damage he had sustained for the betterment of others. They could hardly comprehend why he was in such pain, but it was unanimously decided they had to come help. He was pack-brother, and pack-brother was wounded heavily. there was no choice for them but to find him and help him.

In his feverish state, he muttered in Huan, "They'll be here. A week at least...but they come."
There simply was no way Kira or Arik could understand what he'd said, but when he recovered -if, he recovered- he could inform them of reinforcements.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Arik had dragged the hulking mass of fur as far as he could, but eventually he collapsed gasping into a heap. They were a short way into the jungle, but he hoped it would be far enough. Arik had barely managed to gather himself up before he heard a rustle from the bushes. He turned desperately, terrified for the first time in his life that it might not be something friendly. His fears were quickly put to rest though, when it was his sister and a strange elven woman that emerged.
"He's here!" Kira exclaimed, stumbling over to her brother, gathering him up in her arms. He was trembling with exertion, but a quick sweep of her hands over his body quickly told her that he was OK. Desperately fearful - not one to like even a moment of separation from her brother - Kira placed a quick kiss upon his lips. "You brought him so far..." she whispered with admiration.
"I wanted to bring him the whole way..." Arik admitted sheepishly. "But he's just too heavy."
Kira smiled softly and brushed her brother's hair, before looking up at the elven woman. "You'll help him?" she asked desperately.
"I will do my best," the sage-like woman replied.

She was old - especially for an elf. Her kind did not show their age until they were in their twilight years, and that was usually anywhere from 100 years to 200, depending on their lifestyle. The phenomenal longevity of the elven race was what allowed them to populate most of the known world. Her hair was long and silver, woven with vines and flowers from the jungle. Her dress was ratty and made from natural woven fabrics. There was a strip of fabric over her eyes as well. The old woman moved to the fallen Huan's side, her seeking fingers sliding over his form, finding the wounds one by one.
"You have fought hard this day, noble Huan," she said in his own tongue. She reached into a pouch on her hip, producing a small pot of a strange purple salve. "There will be pain I'm afraid."
She then applied the strange paste to all of his wounds, smoothing it in gently, making sure that not even the tiniest scratch was left uncovered.

[Lykaios]

In his coma, the Huan's ears perked at hearing his native language. The owner's voice was willowy and feminine; very unlike a Huan. Somewhere in his mind, the connection was made, and he saw something strange in his abstract dream. An elvish woman, lean and wisened by age; delivered him a message, jumbled by his mind. But he recognised his own language, despite the ruin of words. Shortly thereafter, his mind delivered a message to him quite clearly: Pain. He howled and cried out as some salve was applied to his wounds, a deep burning sensation and ice-like applications tore through his body.

Externally, his snout snapped shut and open in succession, attempting to quell the outer release of pain in a whimper and moue of pain. Failing, the pangs of agony were let out, to Arik, Kira's and the elf's ears. It was unfortunate, but there was nothing any could do for his anguish. As the pain subsided, Macari's fever and cries lessened. As some time passed, the Huan began to wake up from his unconsciousness. Eventually, waking up, Macari moaned and slowly opened his eyes. Vision starting out blurred and hazy, and still lacking a sense of smell.

[Tifa Lockhart]

As he woke, Macari would notice that a fire had been lit close by him, and that on the far side the Adrinite twins laid curled together. Kira was curled closely into her brother's arms, wrapped tightly in a woven green shawl. She was shaking slightly in her sleep, the remnants of her long hours sobbing after the Witchwoman had treated the Huan. His whimpering cries had wrenched deeply at her sensitive heart.
Arik sat awake, eyes staring glassily into the fire, watching the tongues of flame crack and jump into the air, sending little embers up into the canopy where they danced around like fire-flies. His eyes were eerily dark, the joyful light they'd exhibited earlier that same day long gone. It would be like watching a boy being forced into becoming a man. He looked over at Macari as the creature stirred, lifting its head slowly.

The Witchwoman immediately got to her feet and moved over to the Huan's side, placing a gentle, soothing hand on his shoulder.
"Do not push yourself noble one," she said in his tongue again. "Your wounds were most severe, but they are recovering well."
Her fingers traced slowly to the places she knew were wounded, inspecting the progress her magical salve had made on them thus far.
"What you did this day was a brave thing. Not many can oppose the might of the Shadow King and live."
She sat back on her heels, a slender finger reaching up to brush back a lock of her silver hair. "Many of your kind who try end up his mindless slaves, like that poor beast you encountered today. Their soul is torn from their bodies and used to form that collar that they wear. They are kept prisoner by their very own being."

[Lykaios]

Macari's body was tender, that he could already tell from simply being awake. His whole body still felt ablaze, though he assumed that was to do with the elves medicine, and not any after-effects from the combat. He slowly opened his eyes fully, now back to normal; and looked around. There was a roaring fire, and the Adrinite twins were sleeping -or, at least the female was- while the elvish woman appeared to tend to his wounds and keep him still. He looked down at her, as he was laid out on his back, and she was at his lower body, looking up to his face, and he saw the look of worry their kind carried when they saw unnecessary bloodshed.

Inexplicably, his already heavily guilty conscience bore down on him once more, with tremendous severity. He'd done great evil on this day, and all to protect the children of the sea only temporarily. He'd taken wounds that could have been fatal, had he not been so lucky. He -much to the elfs distaste- sat up a little, to look upon the Adrinite's. He needed to strengthen his resolve. The scene he look upon, hurt him greatly. The girl -Kira- had been sleeping, cuddled up to her brother, who lie awake, much of his innocence now gone, due to bearing witness to horrible deeds, all in the name of a species of non-violent origins. Macari felt dishonoured, and his expression became hollow, as Arik met his gaze. He couldn't begin to comprehend the anguish the boy must feel, for seeing something so gruesome.

The elfs words in his Huan tongue drew him out of his reverie, as she explained the collar on his Huan-soulless dessert-brother. A distinct and incredible bitterness overwhelmed his emotions as they fluttered from one feeling to another, not knowing on which to linger. All were painful, at this moment. But this knowledge and the following understandings, alluded to incredible pain and suffering he assisted in causing his pack-brother. An overwhelming madness slunk into his feelings as a creeper vine traveled the heights of a growing tree. He lost interest in this Shadow King more by the second, a resolve to try and curb the spread of his madness, grinding into place in his mind.

But not before rescuing these Adrinites. He looked to the elf and whispered in his native tongue.
"My pack travels. They shall arrive in the week. Then, I can really protect this pack from this King." placing a dark emphasis on the final word, as he lay back down, and returned to sleep.

((Sorry about the belated response...haven't had the laptop for two days. D: ))

[Tifa Lockhart]

The elf woman remained with the group for a little while longer, ensuring that the Huan male's wounds were in a good state, before she excused herself and departed, returning to her hut in the dark recesses of the forest. Arik spent a short while trying to convince his sister to return to their hut, but she refused. She wanted to remain with their saviour, intent on caring for him until he was completely recovered. Arika could of course refuse his sister nothing, and so instead the two of them remained curled up close by him, Arik leaving his sister only long enough to fetch the two of them some food.

((Sorry it's short, I was struggling a bit >.<))

[Lykaios]

Macari was in agony, but it wasn't as bad as before. The elf had done a fantastic job with her salve, and the Adrinite twins had stayed close by, keeping the Huan company, and keeping his health in their permanent peripheral vision. Despite his waning strength, he could open his eyes and watch as Kira lay huddled by his side. She was just a pup by Adrinite standards, and not even a fledgling pup by Huan standards, but they were strong. They'd already proven him wrong about their strength twice already.

He lay still, awaiting Arik's return.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Arik returned soon enough, his arms filled with strange aquatic vegetables and some fish he'd obviously caught himself, as he was dripping wet.
Kira would leave their Huan friend's side then, pulling a large leaf off of a nearby tree to set it down on the ground for her brother to put their food on. Wordlessly she would then pull a small shell-knife out of a special holster on her leg. She would use this to beginning cutting up all their food while Arik built them a fire over which to cook it all.
"Do you... eat fish?" Arik would ask Macari as he looked over at him, pointing at one of the fish, just to help in case Macari didn't know what he meant.

[Lykaios]

Macari struggled up, looking at Arik's swag of food as he asked a question. He didn't know the Adrinite's language extensively, but pointing at what he had called a 'fish' and asking if he ate it, made enough sense. He nodded his large head slowly, not wanting to rouse more pains. The healing had left him hungry...especially true, since he didn't remember his last meal.

"Pray, I do hunger." he rose onto all fours, to retain his balance and moved to the fire Arik had started. The pup had a knack for starting them. Macari's large hands were too thick to begin fires. It was lucky most Huan ate meat raw for the larger ones couldn't light fires. He watched as they prepared their meat over the fire, and he nibbled slowly on a fish. He liked raw fish, but it wasn't food he regularly ate, being forest-born.

"This is good." he murmered, between mouthfuls.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Arik returned to the fireside to sit with his sister, passing her one of the fish once it was adequately cooked. She began to nibble on it quietly, her eyes locked on the flames. Arik was leaning forward to rotate his own fish over the fire when Macari spoke.
"You do not have fish where you come from?" he asked, surprised that the creature did not know the taste of fish, as it was their staple diet.
He reached into the sack of food he had collected and produced two large and deeply curved shells, which he passed to Kira. The girl would hold her fish in her mouth so that she could use her hands, moving handfuls of the strange aquatic vegetables she'd sliced up into them, before passing one back to he brother. She would then resume munching away on her fish, eating around the tiny bones with well practiced skill.

[Lykaios]

Macari looked at Arik upon his question, and shook his head slowly. It wasn't that they didn't have fish. It was that in the forest-born pack he was from, they had fish only rarely, and never really succulent fish as he was tasting now. He wasn't quite sure how to put that across though, as he didn't know the Adrinite's linguistic equivalent.

"Rarely do we eat fish, as you call it. But not one's so good." was all he could really respond with as he continued eating. He watched as Kira easily worked with what they had in the shells and ate. She was impressively skilled as her brother. They could use their hands so easily.

[Tifa Lockhart]

Arik paused mid mouthful and watched the Huan as he spoke, still trying to imagine what his world must be like. He could only imagine how different it must have been from their seaside village.
"What is the rest of your pack like?" Kira chimed in then, her shell bowl raised to her mouth as she scooped some of the vegetables in with a cupped hand. She recalled that Macari said they were coming, she was both excited and nervous about the idea of meeting other Huan.
"Are they all as big as you?"
Arik nodded his head, agreeing with his sister's questions, all his previous caution was gone in Macari's presence, he'd obviously decided he trusted the creature, since their brush with the humans.

[Lykaios]

He grinned his animalish grin, at the female pup's question. His pack was his family and there was no other real way to describe that, though he knew he should try, for their sakes. It was hard to not talk when posed a question by a very curious creature he'd come to care for in their short time. He'd fought to protect them from human ferals, after all.

"My pack are strong and wildly protective. Some are my size, but the majority are a head smaller than me. We are territorial creatures, mostly. Keeping to our forest home, unless threatened. It's quite the same for when it comes to fighting. We're loyal to our kin, and those who earn our respect. But if seriously threatened, we can do as I did...and snap at the heels of those angering us." he closed his eyes as he talked, remembering his pack-brothers and sisters.

He finished his fish and returned to lying down on the ground by the fire.
"Pray, there's only three in my pack my size. All born in the same brood. My literal brother and sister, I suppose you would say. We share the one coat colour. But most of our pack are black and brown. We were told we were special. And we are. Of the three of us; one shall be next Alpha. Our leader."