A Dying Soul

[Nocturnia Diiore]

A beautiful sun shined over the world, and it seemed that the sun god Fenris was feeling rather positive on this day. His rays pierced the day, lighting even the darkest crevices and irritating every eye that dared to stare up at the glowing orb of fire. Each bit of plant life was lush and green with its kin growing all around, plaguing the brown earth a beautiful green. In the midday, many birds chirped their songs, and almost all animals were active and happy - it was a perfect Eden.

However, the world around Nocturnia spun and whirled as he stumbled about, blood dripping and staining the ground underneath him, the liquid gushing from a horrid gash in his side, just under his ribcage. He had been the most clumsy fellow on this day, and had stepped into territory which he knew was not his own, and had ended up being chased terribly by a barbaric group of humans, starving-thin and awaiting the chance for fresh meat to investigate the scent they gave off. Their spears had punctured his flesh, cutting deep into his body as he ran, and after about twenty minutes he had begun to limp half-heartedly through the woodlands.

Steel-hued oculars looked about, blurred vision mixing the trees and objects around him. He shook his head, stepping forward and grunting, for at this point a single step was an amazing achievement. Too much blood had been spilled, and the humans had long since given up chasing the swift varg. With another grunt, the dark wolf fell, a low moan sounding as the sick sound of flesh hitting solid ground echoed about.

He lay there, panting and wincing with the pain that struck his wound again and again, tormenting him. Nocturnia closed his eyes, waiting for the wolf gods to appear, beckoning him to run with the spirits in the great skies. In a matter of moments, he had been ready to faint, though he allowed a weak but extremely audible howl to issue from his maw - if he was to die such a stupid death, then let all the world know of it.

[Turkish]

A crunching of leaves could be heard as Turkish's paws hit the ground. the pup was wondering along the woods, when he heard the howl of another... some one was in pain. "Hm... how pituful... howling out like a baby..." he barked to no one. "Perhaps I should go see who this weekling is... have myself a laugh.."

Turning around Turkish headed in the directionof the howl. Atfter walking for a moment, he came upon a wolf laying umong the leaves.the smell of blood and death hit his nose. Nothing he haden't smelled befor, he was quite used to the smell really. "Are you even alive still?" he groulwed to the furry mound, tilting his head to one side.

[Tsuyoi]

Tsuyoi had been just about to leave the forest after her lunch when she heard a familiarr howl. But it sounded pained, not like the person who she thought it belonged to. Tsuyoi went anyway. At first, she sismply say a small varg sitting beside a larger one, wounded, possibly dying. Until she caught the scent and saw who it was.

<Brother!> She gasped and ran to Nocturnia. <Who has done this to you?> She asked, trying to ten to her brother's wound the best she could in her state of panic. <Brother? Say something...Please!>

[Seara]

Seara also heard the calls, and the cries of another, shouting a name or relation. she could not tell from her distance. She bounded over, and spotted two varg, and a motionless heap upon the snow. Snow. Crimson snow. "No," she moaned to herself. She came as hastly and quitly as she could, not wanting to roase anymore alarm or impose a threat. She kept her eyes averted and tail low, being very sure to not jump authority.

"Is he alive?" she said in nothing more than a whisper. She lowered her nose not even a breath forwards. Life. She could smell it, but only just.

"I know little about medicine," Seara said, bringing her head up again, feeling urgency pulsing through her. "But perhaps we can find something." What was she saying? These were wounds, deep wounds. The blood needed to be stopped. Leaves? Where, in the dead of winter?

"Man," she cursed to herseelf in an amost defeated tone. "Tor only knows why he is among the Lera."

[Nocturnia Diiore]

A deep growl erupted as the first varg approached, though he remained motionless. Nose hardly twitched as his mind registered and recognised Tsuyoi's scent, and he immediately tried to snap at his sister as she approached - it was apparent that he didn't want anyone near him at this moment. Once Seara neared his blood-covered form, however, he had had just about all he could stand. He hadn't intended for anyone to approach, only for them to know that there was a varg nearnig death. Cranium suddenly lifted with a power he didn't think he had, jaws opening wide as he attempted to bite Seara.

"Go away, you stupid femmes! The pup over there has done nothing thus far, and he is the one I prefer out of you lot. Just because I'm wounded doesn't mean I won't fight to keep you away from me," Nocturnia snarled, his rich, tenor voice only interrupted by the pangs of pain that pulsed and coursed throughout his body. He wouldn't accept help even if he truly needed it, for that was just the way he was - headstrong and stubborn. A whine escaped him as a sudden stab jolted his body and he was forced to lay his head back onto the iced-over snow.

The Eden that the world had been just moments ago was beginning to show signs of snowing, as if the frozen stuff hadn't plagued the world enough. Once blue skies were now being overthrown by dark clouds, and Fenris' eye was hidden from view, though His outline could scarcely be seen. Even though he could tell a fierce snow could strike any moment, Nocturnia didn't care - he was close enough to running the skies that life hardly mattered any more.

[Mandarb]

Padding through the shadows of the forest Mandarb pushed his tiny runtish body hard. He had barely eaten in days, the hunting this time of year was bad and he was too small to be able to hunt the larger game, which meant relying on finding enough of the smaller creatures to keep him alive. He had to find something, anything. His stomach ached from hunger and his mouth hung open, tongue lolling from one side of his maw. Sticky saliva dribbled, coating his chin and dripping down onto his chest. His eyes shone with pure madness, with the absolute desire to kill, to feel his teeth ripping into flesh, to taste blood once more.
The howl that caught his ears as it drifted on the wind brought him to an absolute halt. The pain and sense of defeat in a howl he knew so well and loved brought a stab of fear to his heart. His hunger and need to eat was forgotten as he suddenly bounded forwards, pushing himself even harder than before. He howled into the air in reply, to say he was coming, it was a weak sound compared to the noise others could make, he was a small little wolf after all, his body did not ahve the ability to produce as much volume as others.
He could smell the scent of other vargs in the area too, but he ignored the possible danger and rushed headlong into the clearing, darting past the others and right up to Nocturnia's side. He whined softly, standing beside the great varg's head and nuzzling at his neck before licking his maw. He whimpered as he looked at the wounds still seeping blood from Nocturnia's side. He couldn't lose Nocturnia, without the ebony male he was nothing - a worthless runt nobody cared for.

[Seara]

Seara leapt nimbly away as Nocturnia snapped in her direction. She immediatly curled into a snarl, flashing two neet rows of teeth. But she quickly settled herslef, letting her muzzle fall limp. This wolf was not in the right mind. No, he couldn't be. Especially since he was turning down the company of his own sister, and choosing the pup for assistance. "Now listen," she said firmly, and with acid edging her voice. She should have known better, but instinct instagated her, and the ebony wolf had pushed it. She would have to keep calm. "If you are going to live through this you're going to need other varg." she did not meet his eyes, but averted her eyes only a narrow distance. She eyed the male pups and Tsuyoi. "Do you think we could remove the spears on our own?"

[Turkish]

Turkish sat and wathed the two new comers... what could they offer? He thought, what could two usless vargs do to stop death? Turkish had meet with its jaws once, and interesting exsperiance indeed.

Pirkind his ears as the dieing wolf spokel istening to waht it wa he had to say. A sniker crawled across his maw, as he heard the vargs orders. 'How interesting' but suddenly a runt like varg bumped into turkish, who snaped and sanrled at him. "watche were it is you are going!" he snarled, bearing his white teeth to the varg. He may only be a pup, but Turkish wasn;t about to let anyone push him around, esspecialy a runt.

[Mandarb]

Mandarb whirled round to face the others, his sickly fur bristling angrily across his neck, his lips writhing in time with the growls that bubbled up in his throat. Saliva dribbled from the side of his mouth, further coating his already damp and sticky chin and front. He stood protectively in front of Nocturnia as though daring any of them to try and come closer. A brave stance for one so weak, but Mandarb was no stranger to pain, he lived for it, worshipped it. It was his life and always would be. Being in a fight with a varg more powerful, stronger and more experienced held no fear for him. He had been in fights before - there were those who only saw a runt as a source of easy amusement, something to bully - and he had survived simply due to his lack of fear, the fact that he put himself in a position where he would certainly get hurt, but from which he could do even more damage. Most vargs were unwilling to put themselves in such a situation. His eyes shone brightly with the madness that lay in his twisted little mind as he stared at the three vargs, "He needs no help from the likes of you!"

[Seara]

Seara almost spat at Mandarb, salivating in anger and frustration. But hse held back. 'The likes of us,' whatever that could have ment. How could he degrade her character? She had not even known him. "This varg needs all the help he can get. Now, do any of you think we should remove the spears," she asked again, glancing at the dieing body and whimpering.

[Nocturnia Diiore]

Nocturnia lay panting, his breath issuing from him in large clouds of mist and hovering over his head before the clouds eventually vanished completely. The dying lupine indeed needed all the help that he could get, though he would never be willing to submit to the help of a useless she-varg - the only thing that these creatures did in the world was breed. He could have snapped at Seara just then, but he was becoming weaker and weaker by the moment, and even the most crazed varg could sense this.

"Mandarb.. Back down. This is not a fight - this is merely a witness of a death that shouldn't be seen by your innocent eyes. Go on, get away." He tried his best to snarl, but all that came out was a hoarse whine mixed with his usual tenor, guttural voice. "Let those who wish it try to help me. It is stuck and is holding back most of the blood, they shall soon find this."

The obsidian male winced, not at all enjoying the feeling of the sharp tool penetrating his skin, poking at his organs. Fur had become matted with the blood that continuously flowed from him, though it had slowed greatly since he had fallen. He groaned, realising what he had said to his pup, and now he desperately wanted to nuzzle the runt, to be looked up to as a true father, not just a stranger who gathered his trust. The crimson-tainted snow underneath him was beginning to melt, dampening and eventually wetting his thick, onyx fur.

"If I am to die, so be it, but.. If I am to live, then please, please help me.." Finally, for the first time in his life, Nocturnia had admitted that he needed help. Miracles seemed to repeatedly happen on this day. His paw just barely nudged Mandarb, and he jerked his head slightly, trying to signal to his son that he wanted the runt close to him - this reunion of the not-so-official father and son might soon become tragic unless he was given help soon.

[Seara]

Seara relaxed. Do hear even the faintest pleed from this fading creature was enough to renue her spirits. And she did not think him weeker or of cowardess for Nocturnia doing so.

"Very well," she breathed. The runt would have to be his true medicine now. Not only because the onyx wolf seemed to look lightly upon no other, but that the pup might in some small way distract his father from the pain.

She almost asked again if the other wanted help, but clamped her jaws. She was not an assertive creature, but it must be done. This creature wanted to live.

She approached a spear on his back. Fewer organs, but a primary aspect. She firmly pressed a forpaw on the base, hoisted his body in place, clamped her jaws around the rancid human stick, and prepared to tear it out in one clean rip.

[Turkish]

Turkish shook his head at the die wolf. It was intersting how something like this could make even the strongest wolf feel like a helpless pup. Turkish could almost see the reapers coming to take this wolf's live, yet evey one esle seemed to try so hard to save him. Why? It all seemed so strage to him. It went agaist every thing he had been taught, and every thing he had seen.

Turkish waslked over to get a better view, he wanted to see if this would really work, and if so what then? how would they keep a wound such as this from infecting? "Ifyou ask me, you should let him die..." he mummbled under his breath.

[Mandarb]

At Nocturnia's words the fight went out of Mandarb and the growls died abruptly. His ears fell against his head and his tail drooped between his legs. He turned, padding those few steps to the ebony varg's head and laying down beside him, his tiny body pressed up against Nocturnia's a quiet whine bubbling up from his chest. He had believed Nocturnia would live with or without help, to hear the male say otherwise struck fear into the core of the runt. Nocturnia couldn't die, he couldn't leave him alone now that he had learnt to live with another at his side to protect him. He licked at the side of Nocturnia's muzzle, letting the male know he was there and wouldn't be leaving whatever he had said. As Seara moved he looked round at the female and that single gaze spoke a thousand words. This little black runt could not live without Nocturnia, in that look he was begging Seara to help and at the same time there was a threat that said he would hold her responsible if Nocturnia did not survive.

[Nocturnia Diiore]

Nocturnia winced and gave a loud whine as he felt a jolt of pain once Seara clamped her jaws upon the stick, which in turn made it vibrate inside him. Tongue lolled from his mouth as he panted, for the pain and blood loss were beginning to affect him, which had begun to become quite noticeable. Body lay limp, a pool of blood surrounding him as he licked Mandarb, for once glad that someone refused to leave him.

"Hurry up.. Pull it out, but don't tear me apart inside." His words were almost a demand, an order - anyone who knew this arrogant wolf knew that he would never request another to be gentle without a hint of dominance. The deepest-onyx lupine writhed momentarily, trying to find a better position so that the spear wouldn't attach to any of his muscles or organs in case Seara decided to swiftly force the despised thing from his body.

"Mandarb.. If I die, I want you to make sure that you keep protecting yourself. Never give up, and always keep your head held high.. Remember, even if I die, I'll always be with Tor and Fenris, watching you. Hey, I might even be your guardian angel some day.." It seemed that Nocturnia was making a final promise, a final statement to his 'son'. He knew that the chances of his survival were slim, though he was determined to make sure that the runt would not be badly affected should he leave the world this wretched night. Steely eyes looked to Turkish, narrowing slightly - if he lived, he would show this pup what it meant to respect your elders, even as they lay dying.