( the diseased // 1x1 between invictus, and artemis; )

[artemis,]

milena nodded shyly, her ears swiveling with the movement of the wind.
watching rowan attempt to wake up noah with no prevail, she needed no
further coaxing to walk over and pushing his shoulder with both her paws,
rolling him over in hopes of rousing him from his sleep. watching him stir,
she stepped back next to rowan to watch noah wake.

noah, feeling a disturbance in his slumber, grunted lowly and opened his
eyes, seeing two familiar figures looming over his figure. blinking his eyes
fully open, he sat up, an annoyed expression crossing his muzzle. noah's
eyes narrowed at the two, snipping at milena curtly. "seriously?! what in
the world do you want," he started, watching her flinch ever so slightly.

[d0gteeth]

ＲＯＷＡＮ ． "find a space and lose it, you can do it. won't you dance with me?"
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xxxxxxxx"calm down, fido." i snap, protectively standing before milena. "veronica ventured off again, you gonna go find her ass?" i grunt, eyeing him up and down. taking in his unamused, frustrated expression. "not that she probably wants to be found, but last time i checked, you're about as close she'll get to actually liking anyone." i comment, a grin tugging at my chops, aware he'd hated the "torment" as much as she had. they were perfect for each other. "or milena and i can always go catch her, but you two would get some alone time." i wink playfully, awaiting his snappy response.

[artemis,]

milena quickly recovered from the snap she received, her muscles relaxing
when he settled down. piping up, she let her gaze wander from the two over
to the forest where she believed veronica had traveled. "i think she took to
the woods. she could get lost," millie voiced her worry. chuckling at rowan's
quick poke at noah, she nodded when he suggested finding the girl on their
own. shifting into her human form, she tucked a strand of blonde hair behind
her ear.

noah's eyes narrowed thinly as he listened to them. grumbling with sleep, he
kept his uninterested gaze. "and you want me to find her?" he asked, a look
of absolute confusion crossing his face. at rowan's remark about him and v,
he growled. "watch it wednesday adams, or you'll have some alone time in
the afterlife." pleased with his jab at his brooding and indifferent tendencies,
he rose to his feet and started off to find veronica.

[d0gteeth]

ＲＯＷＡＮ ． "find a space and lose it, you can do it. won't you dance with me?"
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

xxxxxxxxi roll my eyes at noah's smart remark, picking up milena's obvious concern and distress for the ill-tempered girl. "we'll find her, no worries. she couldn't hand stranded far," i smile reassuringly, shifting into my human form as well. passing a hand through my shaggy, unkempt hair. "let's follow ass," i mutter, stepping forward to trail after him into the woodland. expecting milena to follow as well. admittingly, i had no idea how hard it would be. that girl would do just about anything to get away from us. no doubt she'd even leave noah if it meant her freedom. i moved further into the woods, kicking at broken branches and dead greenery. managing to keep up with noah despite our different forms.

[artemis,]

starting off after rowan, her boots made a distinct crunch against
the crisp leaves that littered the floor. almost mimicking rowan's
thoughts, she started quietly. "i doubt she'd run off. she knows she
can't survive without us." which was mostly true. lord knew what
could happen to her if she caught the plague.

noah kept walking, not turning back to see if they followed suite.
noticing their trouble keeping up, he into his human form, fixing
his brown hair and adjusting his jacket, feeling the cold seep
through it slightly.

[d0gteeth]

ＶＥＲＯＮＩＣＡ ． "i've always liked to play with fire"
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xxxxxxxxeventually my destination was successfully reached, although the nagging idea of running off loomed within my mind. i know they'd cluck their tongues and call me crazy, but, not like that situation hadn't already occurred. i sit idly on a spacious slab, overlooking the stretch of forest that runs further than the human eye can see. casting vigilant glances over my shoulder often, aware the group would come searching for me any time now. then i hear the crunching of leaves under human feet, heavy steps, and a sudden breathless sigh. i shift back into my human form, standing upright.
xxxxxxxxx"i figured i'd be seeing you soon," i grunt, not bothering to hide the obvious aggravation arisen upon his arrival. "where are the two lovebirds? not that i care," i add with a raised eyebrow and arms folded across my chest.

ＲＯＷＡＮ ． "find a space and lose it, you can do it. won't you dance with me?"
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

xxxxxxxx"i wouldn't be surprised if she did, honestly. she doesn't always use her head," i murmur in reply, looking down temporarily and just missing a fallen log. noticing afterward that noah had since shifted, and was quite a ways ahead. i don't bother picking up my pace, it's probably best she didn't see i or milena, anyway. if she was convinced she was alone with noah it may just make getting her to come back somewhat easier. "sounds like he's found her," i stop in my tracks, peering ahead and attempting to catch the outline of his figure.

[artemis,]

milena nodded in agreement, pulling the sleeves of her sweater down
to cover her wrist. noticing noah had shifted, she made no effort to match
her pace, knowing there would be no point. peering through the darkness
of the morning, she saw the pairs' silhouettes across the grass. turning back
to rowan and crossing her arms over her chest in an attempt to keep warm,
she smiled slightly, looking up at him with kind eyes. "maybe we should go,
since they'd probably like to be alone," she muttered, eyeing the path back
to their general camp.

noah didn't bother to slow down for the two behind him, knowing he wanted
to outrun them as fast as he could. as veronica's figure came into view, he
slowed down before he reached her. leaning against a broken wooden fence,
he listened to her speak. rolling his eyes at her bratty behavior, he shook his
head at her inquiry. "no clue. even if i did, you said you didn't care?" noah
mused with a cocky grin adorning his features as he shrugged nonchalantly.

[d0gteeth]

ＶＥＲＯＮＩＣＡ ． "i've always liked to play with fire"
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xxxxxxxx"they usually show up with you," i shrug indifferently, turning around fully to face him. peering over his shoulder into the darkness, not catching any moving silhouettes. honing in on any possible sounds that could potentially be them, the rustling of a bush, the snap of a twig. nothing came. just silence. the only rational reason i could come up with that they actually need me for is my knowledge connected to the forest and specific weapons. otherwise, i was nothing but aggravating for the lot of them, capable of getting under everyone's skin.
xxxxxxxxx"i hope you don't think getting me back there is gonna be easy," i grin, hands falling to my sides.

ＲＯＷＡＮ ． "find a space and lose it, you can do it. won't you dance with me?"
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

xxxxxxxx"yea, let's get going." i agree, turning around to work my way back to our designated camp. checking over my shoulder to make sure milena was following. once i confirmed that she was, i turned my head back towards the camp that wasn't too far from our current location. capable of seeing the now dirtied and dimly colored roof of the circus tent. "nearly there," i huffed, finally break away from the branches catching the fabric of my shirt and out into the open. "while they're gone, and lord knows when noah will convince veronica to come back, what would you like to do?" i inquire, despite being aware that there really wasn't much we could do.
xxxxxxxxx"we could go check out the insides of these tents or the old cargo a bit further?"