closed.

[`silver]

𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐅𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐇
tags; hanse, riley location; basement mentions; sky word count; 1,604

The jolt of concern that raised from familiar lips into the muggy air stirred something. His head raised with an eagerness that he immediately shot down by brandishing his usual, unobstructed glare at the man standing at the foot of the stairwell. A sweeping glance as Sean briefly scanned his packmate told him that Hanse’s wolf had clung to the anchor that he kept tucked away in the recesses of his room again, although he was still a bit disheveled looking with those grimy sneakers and his shirt crinkled at the waist, denoting that it had once been tucked into his dirtied pants. The air that clung to Hanse upon viewing Sean’s subdued appearance though—it beckoned towards the archaic power that he likely masked under the guise of settling into a pack. It cut through the basement’s dank, static air with a type of spark that swiftly transformed into untamed crackling, raising the hairs on the back of Sean’s neck and reminding him of how even though they were in almost constant bickering mode, the not-so-young man held a protective streak that was unmatched.

Sean’s unvoiced observations were quick to be replaced by the instinctual need to press himself into the deepest crevice in the room upon Hanse closing the distance between them. The growl that started out soft, warning the other man in an attempt to dissuade the idea of being approached, rumbled into something more guttural when he stood over him. Sean was entertaining the idea of lunging forward or kicking out his feet from under him just to see him fall on his ass when a shadow passed over his face, his hazel eyes flashing a bright gold with anger until fingers sifted through his sensitive scalp. They rifled through his dark golden locks with a gentility that Sean couldn’t shove away even if he wanted to because of the damn shackles keeping him stuck to the wall like some kind of stupid animal. He could knock his hand away, shake it off—he was begging himself to do something to uphold his normal routine of dismissing Hanse’s brief niceties, but in this moment he was relishing it and he couldn’t process why. I hate this. He confirmed to himself, as if making sure that he should be disliking it, nodding mentally that Hanse was still the annoying little rat that had gnawed a hole in the wall of his room just to shove his stupid head into it and bark orders to bring him food at 3AM because he was too lazy to get up.

The muscle in his jaw leapt to answer Hanse’s judging dialogue, dominant hand twitching and soon curling into a taut fist. One good lunge, maybe he could break from these chains too. This time he would have better reason in watching a stream of blood leak out of his pretty little face. That rumpled shirt would look better stained red. Sean blinked slowly, mockingly, “Sorry. I was thinking about how much better you’d look with a broken nose.” He scowled at Hanse, annoyed that he would even ask such a question and bring into the open air that he’d had his ass handed to him, albeit without proper memories to uphold that fact. “I got out, I’m pretty sure. He’s the only one that could’ve brought me back in here anyway.” The words spat from his mouth with venomous intent—most of the pack knew of Sean’s aversion to the alpha and his problem with authoritative figures in general.

A low, unwavering snarl leapt into the air at the feeling of a slow hand drifting languidly along his face made his chest burn, shoulders twitching harshly as Sean half-lunged forward, trapped only by the hand grasping his chin that he promptly wrenched his head away from. “Buzz off, vermin. You’ll get your chance to look the same way soon.” He huffed in an attempt to ease the rise of heat in his chest, his mind momentarily drifting to the fact that Riley would likely have to see him this way. She was a healer, it wouldn’t be something to be phased by, but the idea still didn’t settle well in his mind. Was it embarrassment? Shame, perhaps? That he’d never be able to fully come to terms with the wolf prowling within him whose lips drew back to reveal row of serrated teeth in a menacing smile while he attempted to maintain his human facade? Riley’s image made his fur lie just a little flatter—gently pushed the wolf aside for brief moments of true humanity in a way that even Jaime or Hanse could only remind him of whereas she kept them in place, made them feel as if they had a foundation. It fueled his self-doubt, but being human was also—unfortunately—about feeling things, no matter how much he didn’t want to or decided to brand it as angry or standoffish.

Seemingly manifested by words alone, Sean’s gaze snapped not so carefully over to the blaze of soft blonde that slipped out from Hanse’s receding form as the man backed up. The jingling of the chains alone ignited an angry snarl on it’s own, both he and his wolf conditioned already to hate the noise and it’s significance. He didn’t know how long Riley had been standing there—his concept of time was still skewed and his senses had dampened to that of a human’s in cohesion with how exhausted he felt. Regardless, a small part of him felt worry. Towards what, he didn’t know nor could he really think about it as yet another person approached him, this time kneeling in closer. His eyes held their wolffish light, the presence of his beast dancing consistently between encroaching the surface and lurking beneath the depths, but never quite breaching to make another appearance.

Sean glowered at the release of weight from one of his wrists, not understanding how Riley could just up and do that to him when her brother had so purposefully put him down here where he belonged. He could only glare at Hanse to cope with the sensation of being touched by someone else before his eyes darkened back to their dull hazel, taking notice of how small Riley’s hands were in comparison to his own. She moved with precision, the nervousness that normally radiated from her nonexistent as she focused on him. Her patient. Right, that’s all he was to her right now. Some dumb wolf that had broken out of the basement and put the pack’s existence at risk and yet right now, all he could think about was how the sunlight rested like a halo on Riley’s head the further she drifted into his space. Her eyes gleamed with the prowess of her wolf, casually tapping into it’s power with an effortlessness that only accentuated her delicate existence. A slow, flowing warmth unlike the heat that boiled from him before spread across his chest, closed his throat ever so slightly and had him grumbling an incoherent response to Riley when she whispered to him.

Her breath had caught in her throat, he was pretty sure he heard it, and it made his mind snap back to how Hanse had pointed out how grimy he looked. And yet, Riley still pulled away what was left of his soiled button-up. His expression darkened as he bent his head a bit to look at the extent of his wounds, a low hiss whistling through his teeth at the benign touch pressing along the ugly purpleish-blue splotches that flagged where exactly he’d cracked his ribs. Should it have been any other person daring to even get this close to his wounds, Sean wouldn’t have had a second thought or given them the chance to get this innately close without going unscathed. A ten-foot pole for a distance was optimal, if not more. With Riley, he couldn’t shake off the fact that bringing harm to her bothered both him and  his wolf. It went eerily silent around her at times, causing him to feel around for it’s presence out of confusion and stir reveries of self-reflection he wasn’t prepared for.

The sensation of her hand drawing away, pulling with it the warmth that she radiated and leaving nothing but cool, aching pains to upwell from the same spot, had his fingers twitching. He could grab her hand back, if he wanted. Just to nonchalantly keep it on his chest, not worrying about the emotional consequences attached—but for her, he wouldn’t. I hate this. He reminded himself, staring at the blood covering her fingers before he busied himself by unshackling his other wrist and promptly raising to his full height again. He teetered a bit, elbow going backwards to bolster himself against the wall for a mere moment of recovery before he bent over, collecting his scraps of clothing to toss them later.

“My legs aren’t broken, I can move around just fine.” He growled softly, the usual anger in his tone replaced by a matter-of-fact one as if he didn’t want to startle anyone. If they had to move, he wouldn't dare allow it to not be of his own accord. Gliding around Riley, he didn’t meet her eyes as he carried a certain wind with him, pushing past Hanse with his good side’s shoulder. He shoved him roughly, enough to have the other man at least shift his weight as he headed up the stairs ignoring the pain whipping across his body. Curling up in a patch of sunlight right now sounded like a godsend. If only he could find one where he couldn’t be bothered.

[Zyn]

💀 𝕯𝓻𝔂𝒔𝓽𝞪𝝒 💀
Subordinate || Bitten Wolf || Male || Twenty-Six || Pansexual || wc: 1,866

◤xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◥
💀 Tags: Jayce
💀 Mentions: Skyler & Riley & Malia
💀 Mood: Well that happened
◣xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx◢

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The full moon found Drystan writhing in agony, his jaw clenched as tightly as he could to hold back any sobs. His first shift of the night had been more drawn out then he could ever remember. He had been sick before and he had shifted before but he had never experienced the two so close together. In the past there had been some recovery time between being sick and the full moon. When he had gotten flu the previous week he had been salty. Not only was it very rare for a werewolf to get sick but to get sick so close to the full moon had him sulking. He had been stuck in bed with a fever that refused to fully go away, coming and going over the past for the first five days. The past two days he had been slowly getting over the flu, mostly grateful for the fact that he was over the fever and was slowly getting the ability to keep anything down. It meant that he was considerably weaker than the previous full moons and that meant that each bone shifting and breaking at what felt like a snails pace. On top of that it was seemingly only one bone at a time. With each bone snapping the darkness in the corners of his eyes threatened to spread across his vision plunging him straight into darkness. A part of him begged for the forgiving darkness, at least if he wasn't conscious he wouldn't have deal with the agony that was turning his veins into slow moving lave. After what felt like an eternity a scrawny red wolf lay tangled up in a blanket, his jaws parted ever so slightly to let out puffs of air. Golden eyes slowly shut as he half heartedly curled into a ball and burying his face under his tail and blanket as though blocking out the outside world.

Sleep didn't come Drystan as the night dragged on. Instead the only thing keeping the small wolf going were flashes of sounds and grins that flickered over his pain like a stead stream of encouragement. Laughter that was both familiar and comforting, not quite cutting through the agony but instead making it a little more bearable. They kept that innate wolfish instinct under wraps, stamping it down until it was squashed into the corner and left unheard. It helped that even the wolf that whined softly at the surface didn't have the energy to exert such plans, the pain that tore through the human side also tortured the wolf side. So together they had weathered out the full moon, each clinging to the other side with a fierceness that could be perceived as them being one rather than two. Each muffled breath held whisper of a whine. As the full moon neared its end so did the end of the shift and much like the beginning of the night the change came with pain that wracked the already weakened body with pain that was even worse then before. Much to his credit there were not cried of pain just a wolf quietly shattering into pieces and being rebuilt into a man who wasn't yet prepared to be returning. As the man emerged the wolf retreated, perhaps grateful to not be at the mercy of the pain that the two had known for what had felt like a lifetime but had been a only a night. Tears streaming down his cheeks and his hands clenched into fists around the blanket that had been wrapped around his shoulders. Now it lay twisted around his half shifted body. As Drystan slowly uncurled from his position and the wolf's pelt finally disappeared revealing the human beneath he finally got a good idea of where he was. At some point during his turn he must have fallen off his bed and had spent the night on the floor, the blanket was tangled around his legs. Blearily Drystan dragged himself to his feet, relying heavily on the bed to keep him upright.

It took far longer than he would ever like to admit to stand up fully and he had to take a moment to just breath. Centering himself and trying in vein to ignore the way his body screamed at him for every small movement. When he managed to get his breathing under control his eyes slowly slid open and he fully peered around his room for the first time. Thankfully due to his weakened state as a wolf and in particular how weak had been this past full moon his room had not suffered any damages. Drystan could count on his hand the number of times his wolf had gotten up the energy to cause havoc and even the damage had been minimal. If they did get overly excitable then it was generally one of his blankets that got ripped to shreds or maybe a pillow. Two things that were easy to replace and while he liked them they weren't sentimental to him. This past night nothing had happened, even the blanket that had ended up twisted around him had come out of the ordeal fairly okay. There were a couple of holes that must have been from a claw or two poking through it. At the end of the day it just meant that he had a dedicated blanket for the next full moon. Satisfied with his assessment he slowly stooped and picked up the abandoned blanket, taking a moment to carefully fold it. The act of folding was both parts habit and a way to delay the inevitable. When he could put it off no longer Drystan heaved a quiet sigh and gathered the now neatly folded blanket in his arms and shuffled his way over to his closet. It was a tall oak wardrobe that he used to hang his button downs and in the baskets at the bottom is where he kept his vast collection of blankets. Opening the doors of the wardrobe he located the basket at the very bottom, distinguishable by the full moon sticker plastered to the outside. Within it there was only one other blanket, another victim of the monthly horror he had come to dread.

Shifting his gaze from the blankets he peered at the button downs, for a moment he let himself entertain the idea of changing his shirt. His fingers drifted over the bold colors and patterns, lingering the couple that were particularly soft. The idea of actually removing his rumpled shirt, a few buttons askew, was quickly dismissed due to the pain he knew would come with moving. Still he had to entertain the idea for his sanity, even if it was just considering it, that was still better than doing nothing. Perhaps later when he was feeling better he would actually buck up the nerve to change into something that didn't look like he had spent the whole night thrashing in. Backing away from the wardrobe he took a moment to grab his cane from the corner before shuffling towards the door. He had gotten fairly lucky with his bedroom since his room had a bathroom attached to his room, something that not everyone was lucky enough to have. He had needed it in case he had to get up in the middle of the night and couldn't fathom the idea of walking so far just to take a leak. Slipping into the bathroom he paused by the sink and peered at the reflection that stared back at him. The dark circles under his eyes spoke of the long night he had just gone through and the tousled locks that normally looked fashionably messy looked absolutely insane. As for his eyes they were red with clear signs that he had spent at least the majority of the night sobbing. Not anything new with the full moon but something he hated letting other people see. In particular Riley, the healer had enough to worry about with his health issues and he hated to think that he worried her more for such dumb reasons. Turning on the cold water he tore his gaze away from the mirror and dipped his head to splash the cold water on his face. When he was satisfied with what little favors the water had done to his red eyes he moved onto his hair. Running damp fingers through his hair and taming it just enough to look presentable.

It didn't take too long before he was giving up on his hair, deeming it good enough. There weren't to many expectations to look decent the morning after and he looked halfway decent if one completely ignored the lingering redness. Shuffling out of the bathroom he made his way over to his bedroom and peered out into the hallway. The lingering scents of the pack filled the hallway, some more stale than others telling him all he needed to know about where they were. In particular Sky's scent stood out, the alpha must have returned to their room not long ago and the beta's scent was only just fresher than the alpha's. Tentatively stepping into the hallway he gingerly closed the door before slipping as soundlessly as he could down the hallway. Every step sent a jolt of pain rocketing through his body. Just another layer of pain to add to what felt like fire searing his every nerve. If he hadn't been so ill the days leading up to the full moon he would be venturing out of his room so soon. However the idea of spending one more day cooped up in his room made him want to scream. Which meant he had resigned himself to a day filled with far too much pain and was going to keep up the mantra of 'this is worth it' until it actually came true. Drystan let out a tiny sigh as the stairs came into view and reached out with his free hand to grasp the railing. After a moment to gather himself he began the decent, drawn now by the scent of coffee. All was going swimmingly until a particular jolt of pain had his descending foot jerk forward too far and miss the next step entirely. His half lidded eyes flew wide as he found himself crashing down, taking each step with his butt instead of with his feet. Each stair caused enough pain to make stars dance across his vision until he was laying stunned at the bottom of the steps. For a moment he registered nothing but the pain but then a familiar figured came into focus before him. Jayce. Bright blue eyes grew as wide as dinner plates and his face turned a bright firetruck red that spread from the tips of his ears all way down his neck. He was startled and embarrassed enough that for a moment he forgot the pain. Drystan thoroughly embarrassed managed to stagger to his feet and leaned heavily on the cane as his gaze darted away from Jayce and he rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand. "Oh... Jayce.. um fancy meeting you here? was the half wheezed attempted humor.

[lush]

⸻⸻ ⯎ 𝐒𝐄𝐔𝐋𝐆𝐈 !!
she/her // sub. // tags; hanse sean riley // mentions ; ur mother // word count; 1,461

seulgi felt like she hadn't slept for days. waking up after a full moon was the worst feeling for her, and it was hitting her straight in her head and gut. her head was pounding and shaking, the headache leached onto her brain. it hurt to even try and move her head up from her bed when she got up- almost like she had drank too much the night before. her stomach growled at her angrily, upset it hadn't gotten any food the night before. she didn't like eating on full moons, and she never would. waking up afterwards always resulted in something disgusting one way or another, and her food never managed to stay down the whole night anyway. she wasn't really willing to wake up in another pool of sweat again, suffering and on the verge of vomiting everything up if she even opened her mouth. even if she did end up starving in the morning before and eat more oranges than normal, she preferred bloating with a full and happy stomach over feeling like she had eaten something rotten with a fever following. god i hate starter posts

rubbing her sore shoulder, seulgi only let out an annoyed groan as she pushed herself off of her bed, her stomach growling with every little move. her hair was a mess- looking like a bird had taken shelter in her hair. the shirt she had slept in was covered in wrinkles- the bright yellow making it look nearly like a sticky note. pulling down her shorts farther down her thighs, the girl didnt even care enough to try and fix her hair before already searching for others. even with her head hurting like she had smashed her brain in her skull somehow, being alone in the morning almost seemed worse than her raging headache. pulling up her socks slightly, seulgi only let herself slide against the wooden floor instead of walking.

it had been a rough couple of days. newly turns, hunters, all that crap. she knew so much had been going on in the past few days and something was bound to happen any time soon. even with the world seeming like it was turning around, seulgi couldnt get herself to pay attention. instead of caring properly and worrying about the safety of everyone around her and the importance of the situation, she only blocked it out. only caring about two, maybe three other people around her, seulgi continued to only pretend everything was fine and that nothing bad was truly happening. all she cared about was seeing hanse or sean in the morning, eating her oranges, and going on having a good day. it was bad- it was a bad thing for her to do, especially seeing in her situation you should care for the pack, but her mind just wouldnt let her focus on it.

she didnt want to.

chewing on her lip as she wandered the house, seulgi only ran her hand through her rough and snarled hair as she looked around searching for one of her favorite people. she ran her tongue against her canines slightly- the sharpness still remaining. even with the sun arising in the sky, the moon still had a faint outline up in the cool sky. a few of seulgis features remained. maybe thats why her hair looked like matted fur. or maybe it was just because she slept so restless and refused to brush her hair when her head had been pounding and hurting like that.

it felt weird. only worrying about her appearance and her stomach at a time like that. instead of worrying about how dire the situation was, about everything that was going on- the calm feeling over seulgi almost caused herself to feel uncomfortable with her mind. even if she didnt want to care, and keep herself in the calm and slow state she was in, she still felt guilty. guilty she wasnt doing more, guilty she wasnt even trying to pretend she cared. instead of doing what she was supposed to- she just lazily pulled herself around the house and let her sleepy mind wander away.

her stomach growled again.

she didnt want to succumb into her wants, she wanted to find someone first. she didnt want to wander into the kitchen desperately and ransack the fridge, but with every growl her stomach grew more and more uncomfortable, and eventually she caved. groaning as she spun on her heel and changed her course, she made her way towards the cold kitchen. it was cool in there- and everything felt like ice to touch. she liked it. even if the cold could be bothersome sometimes, it felt nice to feel in the morning. especially the cool air out of the fridge and the cold handle when she opened the fridge.

she didnt waste any time pulling out an orange from the crisper, nearly forgetting to close the fridge door behind her(she didn't). she tried to peel the orange quickly, but she struggled to even get her nail under the rind. it was leaving a residue under her nail, but refused to peel off the orange itself. while it did smell good as she scratched the rind, it was only make her more and more annoyed at the fact it wouldnt come undone. caving once again, seulgi ended up sinking her teeth straight into the orange without any thought, pulling away the bit of rind and orange that came with it. she peeled the rind off of that, and ate some of the orange that came off with her.. weird method.

and she only continued to eat her orange like that, occasionally getting too lazy to remove the rind and chewing on it along with the insides.

seulgi finally made her way towards the steep stairs in the home. hearing her two favorite voices only had drawn her closer, hearing hanse and sean speak. she didnt try to decipher the words they were speaking- she didnt try to eavesdrop, all she could focus on was getting herself towards them. ignoring the sour and intense tone, the atmosphere almost smelled as loud as confusing as the actual situation. all seulgi did once she arrived on the scene was smile at hanse gently before letting her expression fall back to neutral again.

before sean was able to make his way up the stairs successfully, seulgi had found her way to block the male's path, offering a small smile. sean always had towered over her- he was at least a foot taller than her. every time seulgi was able to stand taller than him in anyway possible, seulgi jumped at the opportunity. whether hes down on his bed, shes over the counter as he is sitting down, anything. so seeing him a little bit shorter than her on the stairs only made her mood a bit better. her day was starting off good, at least.

lifting her hand against the male's forehead, seulgi pulled back her middle finger and let it hit against the male's forehead as an immature laugh followed her actions. "where are you going, ding dong?" she asked slowly, her morning voice still accompanying her. her throat felt blocked every morning - but she never cared to clear it, she only let it go away on its own while it caused voice cracks and sometimes even blocking her words completely. her eyes flicking back towards hanse and riley, she only furrowed her eyebrows slightly. seulgi tried to ignore the atmosphere, but it started to become suffocating.

"whats going on?" she tilted her head slightly, trying to get a better view towards hanse and riley. she only had glanced at riley before her focus was locked onto hanse- it was more comforting for her. she was closer to hanse than riley. plus, if seulgi just ended up staring riley down it might have not been a good impression, no matter how long theyve known each other or been around each other. her RBF had pissed off one too many people. she took another sharp bite into her orange. sucking in a deep breath, seulgi only sniffed around curiously.

"are you bleeding?" she asked, turning her attention back to sean. she felt bad- she was so oblivious to the whole thing going on around her. she didnt even notice he was bleeding until she hit him. she wanted to feel bad- but the way her hand hit against his forehead, the loud sound it made, it was too satisfying for her to feel bad. the loud thwack was too funny for her to care, even if it did leave a faint red mark. granted, she felt bad the male was bleeding in the first place, but just seeing the little red mark she left on him.

ego? boosted.

[Fawnie]

✵ 𝐉𝐚𝐲𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫
xxxxxxxx▶ || rank: omega || location: stairs/kitchen || tags: drystan
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The familiar click of Drystan's cane coming in contact with the floor snapped through the silence and grabbed Jayce by the chin, subtly lifting it so his eyes could watch the man emerge from hell, likely. Jayce knew how tough the full moon was on his friend, though, Drystan wouldn't dare speak a word of his pain to the concerned. Both frequent 'patients', a flight risk and a repeat offender. The night they met, snow crystalized in his untamed hair and threatened to crack at the slightest touch. His cheeks blistered, the depth in his eyes held a threatening darkness like the bottom of a forgotten well, with no current purpose but maybe they once fostered life. Riley brought him in, Drystan hovered. He had them to thank for gnawing through the rope that often swung eerily from his window to the outside world, its strands intertwined with distrust and fear, always a way out.

"Good Morning." He croaked before clearing his throat and attempting a smile. God, he wasn't expecting to run into anyone just yet. He could only imagine how insane he looked-- let alone his morning breath. It was at that point Jayce dropped his pale grey gaze to his own body, noting his track pants with a hole in the knee (hopefully someone in the pack could sew), and his faded grey sweatshirt had mud smeared from shoulder to cuff. He quickly drew in a breath. At least he was a good few feet away- besides, there was no need to really fret, Drystan had seen him in much worse shape. Still, as Drystan began his descend, Jayce took the liberty to dust off the cracked, dry mud and run his hand through his hair a few times, wincing at the burrs that tugged against his grooming- how in the world did those get there? Drystan, on the other hand, looked like he had been up for god knows how long. And yet, the man still managed to look good. His hair was in place much better than Jayce's was, and he was already dressed for whatever this excruciating day was going to bring his way. A genuine smile replaced the half-assed one he attempted just moments before. The day after sucks, and he wouldn't blame a single person who descended the stairs in sweats and house slippers- Jayce would tip his coffee and likely join them in their pursuit of comfort. And then there was Drystan, dapper Drystan, suffering more than most and still giving life everything he could- and god did Jayce admire that.

Oh, no. This is my fault. For a werewolf, where was that reaction speed when he needed it? He jolted forward, missing Drystan's shirt collar by just a nail as his friend's feet betrayed him and he slid down the remaining steps, bottom first. Jayce's thoughts continued to curse him as his knees hit the floor next to Drystan's waist, his tin mug clanked against the floor and rolled somewhere under the stairs. Drystan's bright eyes were wide, and Jayce's heart lurched at the pain that welled behind them. He fixed one hand around the man's bicep, the other provided support at the small of his back, as they rose together until Drystan found his footing. Jayce took a few steps to the side, his eyes scanned every part of him with vigorous concern. Oh, fancy meeting you here. Jayce felt a laugh wiggle through his discomfort, leaving flushed pink cheeks in its wake. "I'm so sorry. I'm not laughing." Yet, that only made him laugh just a little harder. He lifted both hands to push back his hair, and shook his head. "I'm only laughing because that made me really nervous. Are you okay? You took that fall like a champ to be honest with you." He smiled, and gently squeezed Drystan's shoulder as he leaned in to get a better look. He seemed okay, as their eyes met, and he let out a breath of relief. "Let me make you some breakfast. How do you like your eggs cooked?"

After retrieving his hastily discarded mug, he made a mental note to come back to clean the spill before half-jogging to the kitchen. He hummed the tune to a song he had been strumming a few nights ago, Jayce wanted to fill the air with something other than the suffocating embarrassment he knew Drystan must be feeling. He fought off the urge to ask Drystan again how he was doing, and if he was okay as he rummaged through the pots and pans in the kitchen cabinets. After all, asking about the night of the full moon was never something Jayce did, and he knew his friend wanted to talk about anything other than the trip he just took down the stairs. "Hm, lets do omelets instead. Oh, I made coffee earlier. Mind grabbing me a cup too? Looks like we'll both need it." His voice echoed from the inside of the refrigerator. If he had it his way, Jayce would cook Drystan eggs, pancakes, hashbrowns and whatever meat he liked best. But he had no idea what Drystan planned on doing today- and he didn't want to steal his morning away anymore than he already had. Omelets were good too, and much faster to make.

He continued humming as he gathered his ingredients and started the stove, tapping his foot to the beat of cracking eggs and sizzling butter. Cooking made music of its own, and it was one of the few times Jayce felt relaxed. Especially since he was cooking for someone else. Jayce fully intended on sulking for the better part of the morning in the shower, waiting for the last few waves of anger and pain to roll through his body like the beads of water around him. But as he plated Drystan's omelet, he couldn't help but take note of how spending just a few minutes with his friend made the lonely night, that was freshly chased away by the morning, seem like days ago. Unintentionally, Jayce wiped his dirty sleeve across his forehead, clearing his head of his musing but leaving a smudge of dirt- branding himself of the mess that muddled inside him. He slid Drystan's plate across the bar towards where he was sitting. "Let me know what you think." He said gently, hovering a few small paces from the plate in anticipation of his review.

[mtuan,]

[འབྲོག་ཁྱི]

─────────── 𝙍𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙔 ────── 𝙒𝙄𝙉𝘾𝙃𝙀𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙍 ──────── ◈ ──── ─ ─
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─ ─

LOCATION; basement > outside ─ TAGGING; Sean, Hanse ─ MENTIONED; Seulgi, Sky, brb passed away ─ WC; 1,926

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*
The foremost thought in Riley's mind was the heady scent of gin and the underlying herbal note, and the one right beneath it desperately telling her to focus. The stagnant air and persistent dust of the basement intruded her senses, followed by the tangling of the blood in dried metallic tendrils, and she concentrated on carefully discarding the paper she had used to wipe her hands clean. She did not dare lift her gaze and catch sight of Sean's hazel eyes, because it would have surely made her blush, and Hanse was standing right there. The chains rattled again as the other shackle fell to the ground with a thud, and her senses leapt to an apex, just in time to avoid being startled when Sean suddenly rose to his feet. As his steadiness experienced a momentary wobble, her hands thoughtlessly twitched at the ready, then settled as he found his balance again.
indentindentindentThe sound of Sean's voice, pitched low, was sudden and loud after the moment of charged silence, and all Riley could do was nod — more to herself than anyone else — before returning to gathering her bag of first aid supplies with the intention of following him and dressing the wounds wherever he would choose. But before she had a chance to stand, she was seized by the caustic tone of Hanse's voice, and, startled, she raised her eyes to him as if her head had been forcibly gripped by the chin. Somewhere near the stairs, there came the intrusive snap of a knuckle against skin, followed by Seulgi's laughter and her words, then the citrusy smell of orange, but all Riley could focus on was the petrifying face Hanse was making. Underneath it lied something thoroughly feral, and the shiver that trailed down her spine was an instinct from her wolf, telling her that it was expecting an attack, and being who she was, Riley did not rise and resist but heard the warning and surrendered, remaining on the ground before Hanse in the hopes that he would change his mind once he saw that she posed no threat.

indentindentindentHer name from his lips cuts with the sharpness of a knife, and the harsh reality and its promises of what is to come sinks like a cold stone into the pit of her stomach. My brother? The initial enclosing opaqueness of the confrontation dissolves into a fledgling fear that begins gnawing at the possibilities rising up as if they were grains from the disturbed sediment at the bottom of a pool. Sky did this? A thought of Caden flits past somewhere in the periphery and Riley's heart tightens in her chest, because there arises an urgency and need to know whether Sky has been injured as well, and even without the aid of anxiety assuring her that yes, yes, the utter worst has come to pass, and the longer you linger, the worse the outcome, she knows, rationally, that with the extent of the injuries Sean had sustained, it was more than likely that her brother had endured some to match.
indentindentindentFor a final time, Riley's eyes flicked toward the basement stairs before they would affix themselves to Hanse's face in an act that would have been bold had it not been done out of transfixing fear. Guilt is a smaller knife that sinks into her chest, inching between ribs and breaching the lungs, and useless is the word that traps the breath in, a slow strangulation in a snare she had not known to anticipate. Because in Riley's head, Hanse was right: she was the healer, and she should not have allowed her own weakness to drive her into the woods and away from the noise that she found so overwhelming. In spite of her many apprehensions, her own uselessness was not a matter she had known to consider before, but now with the words out in the claustrophobic air, it had drawn that fear from hiding, and she felt it, burrowing deep. For all that she did, what if she was useless? What if it still wasn't enough? And with all that had happened, it clearly wasn't.
indentindent"I'm— I—," she attempts, but all she manages is to stammer, and then the apology dies in her throat.
indentindentindent'Your stupid brother and his stupid rules.' Her hands tighten into fists, because he is right, they are shaking. 'Perhaps Skyler is setting you up for failure.' There's a shiver down the tether that keeps her grounded, anchored, and although she wants to deny every claim Hanse is making, she is ashamed, because this is doubt. A shimmer runs its course through the pallid gold of her eyes, because all she wants to do now is to flee, but she is an animal, trapped, backed into an inescapable corner, and she is terrified that she will make it worse if she tries. She can feel it coming a split second before Hanse finds his crescendo, but the place he has just dug his claws into is an open wound, and a single tear of pain, shame, and fear escapes from the corner of her eye and makes its way down her cheek. There were countless things she should have said in the defense of her closest remaining kin — and her anchor — but all she could do in the moment was cower, just as Hanse had said she would.

indentindentindentHanse lunged closer and Riley flinched, finding her back pressed against the basement wall. Panic swelled in her, a tide intent on carrying her away from this trap and into safety, but she remained frozen, shimmering eyes stuck on the man looming over her, senses flooded with his simmering anger, and the once so clean and pleasant and now suddenly nauseating cedar hanging from the collar of his shirt — he was leaning so close that she might have smelled these even if she were only human. Her body twitched in response to his every move, and each quieted word from his throat chilled her skin just a little more. That covenant — the threat — it sank in, sharp and slow, visceral. She had gotten too close to Sean, and Hanse could see right through her. He had just threatened her brother's life — the alpha's life — and Riley, she could do nothing. She did nothing — nothing but stare at those blue eyes she should have thought of before. She was weak, vulnerable, and defenseless, left feeling as if Hanse had gouged out her each and every fear without ever batting an eye.
indentindentindentThe pressure bearing down on Riley only eased once Hanse had suddenly withdrawn and the complete turn in his demeanor left her reeling. The horrible thought occurred to her that it might have been a trick, a false relief, and so she did not dare move a muscle even as he made his way closer to the foot of the stairs, where Sean and Seulgi stood. Her arms were trembling and her heart was lurching in forceful leaps that left her chest shuddering in its rhythm. Her eyes remained on Hanse, following him as he stepped into the square of light falling down through the basement door and draped an arm around Sean, but she quickly dropped her gaze to the floor at her feet when he turned to glance back at her. And she didn't dare lift her head even as he mentioned the chains, but that's when it seemed as if every muscle in her body coiled and tightened. The laughter that followed was bone-chilling in its joviality.
indentindentindentAgainst the instincts of her wolf, Riley had never enjoyed chasing rabbits in the woods, because she thought she could imagine their fear — that quivering terror that came with the latter half of fight or flight. And Hanse was right, he had been right about everything: she would never choose to fight, she would only ever flee. Like a coward. A cold surface on the ground brushed against Riley's wrist, jerking her attention away from her three jeering packmates. The shackle, left laying where Sean had dropped it. Something fractured then, some petrified ounce of self-control, and it sent her from freeze to flight. Riley scrambled away from the chains, onto her feet, and although she could not take the shame of actually running, in her haste to escape the confinement of the basement, she left her bag behind.

indentindentindentRiley rushed past Hanse and Seulgi — and Sean — and up the stairs, and the sole thing she could think to do once she was back in bright daylight was to go outside. Outside, where she could be in the open, breathe fresh air, let the cold calm her down. Although she had left the basement, the panic was still welling in her, overwhelming, dizzying, making it difficult to focus her eyes on anything that might have grounded her. She went for the back door, trembling hands fumbling with the handle, until it finally clicked and she was let into the biting winter outside. But the world kept feeling as if it were collapsing down on her, pressing tight against her shoulders and chest. Even while she felt as if she couldn't breathe, as if all the air were stuck somewhere outside of her lungs where it desperately needed to be, her breath shivered out of her in shallow, white puffs. And all she could think about was that she was dying, that this was what it felt like to die. A panic attack. She hadn't had one in years.
indentindentindentWith unsteady legs, Riley rounded the corner of the house, chased by the rushing of her own blood in her ears, and this ringing, which only tightened as she slid down to sit on the ground by the bench that faced the lake. She set her shoulder blades against the steadying edge of the seat, but her heart kept racing, and so did her mind. I should find Sky — I should say something to him, warn him. But what if Hanse were to find out and retaliate? The ringing in her ears became louder, high-pitched. We lost one pack already, and he said we would lose this one, too. She pressed the heels of her trembling hands against her eyelids, trying to search her mind for whatever affirmation had broken her out of the last attack, but it had been so long — too long since she had had her mother to tell her how to calm herself down.
indentindent"I'm not dying, I'm— I— I can't—," it was hardly louder than a whisper in a breathless voice. Being the healer seemed the sole grounding force in her life, and it was the one thing that granted her confidence, but what if someone did die? What if she killed someone? How could I bear that? She couldn't even face the basement on a full moon. I can't do this, I can't do this anymore. I can't take this responsibility. It's too much, this is too much.
indentindentindentRiley's mind wandered to her anchor, made a desperate lunge and grasped for it, but each moment she thought she had found some solid ground, her thoughts kept swerving back to everything Hanse had said about Sky. Through her tumultuous snarl of thoughts rose a single, steady voice: it's safer with me, come, it beckoned, past the points of white canine teeth. Fire ignited in the veins running past the insides of her elbows and pulsed toward her shoulders, but she hesitated, dug her heels against the frozen ground, uncertain whether she should give in.

[I'm done delete me.]

𝕄𝔸𝕃𝕀𝔸 𝕐𝕆𝕌ℕ𝔾 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 𝟏,𝟐𝟏𝟒 ]

xxx [ 𝟐𝟔 ] [ 𝐅𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐄 ] [ 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐀 ] [ 𝐇𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐎 ] [ 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬: sean, hanse, jayce, drystan | 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: sky, seulgi, riley ]
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Drowning in her thoughts that one day they may be discovered again and they'll have to run for their lives and go into hiding, how many wolves would they lose this time? It seemed Sky wasn't getting the point, it's bound to happen again and he was to replace the chains for the next full moon. She merely looked to him watching as he left his room to go into the town for more supplies. Her concerns quickly had been brushed off of his shoulder but have remained on hers. "Sky..." She huffed watching as he disappear from the room. Her eyes swelled up, a tear rolling down her cheek to which she caught wiping it away with her hand. Taking a deep breath to repose herself. Malia had to check on Sean, making her way out of the alpha's room to which she had barged into.

Down the stairs, she heard most of the pack in the kitchen some still coming up from the basement from where they had been chained up. She was sure that they had found Sean down there unconscious but she had to make that he was healing. Hitting her nose was the coffee being made in the kitchen. By smelling the aroma of the cocoa beans she felt slightly more alive after staying up all night and being wounded by her packmates. Into the kitchen, she had also noticed that Jayce was making breakfast. Another whiff as she could smell that he was making omelettes. She took notice that Drystan was also with him, both seemed unfazed after another taste of the full moon. She had yet to change out of her ragged clothes left by the wolves that managed to get a hold of her last night. Her wounds had healed throughout the morning she found herself exhausted but she must return to work soon. Perhaps there she may determine whether the folk have discussed the event of last night. It may calm her nervous if she hears from the community that they think it's just two drunks seeing things.

As she made her way towards the basement, out popped Riley in a hurry. She could smell the anxiety on her but it didn't linger as she ran out the front doors of the cabin. There Maila turned to see the boys coming up from the basement. Seeing that Sean seemed to be unscathed. Malia allowed Seulgi to pass as she believed she had done nothing to cause Riley to be upset. However soon as she did, she then trapped the other two from their escape. With her hand on the other side of the door frame and her body leaning up against the other. She looked to the two muppets that seemed to cause trouble within the pack. "You two better not be causing trouble!" She pointed her finger at the two boys, Sean had already caused enough trouble for them, she hoped that Riley was alright. Unsure what had happened but she was certain that these two had gotten to her. "If you two cause any more trouble you'll be chained up all week with no food" she warned the two before letting them pass. Eyeing the two as they did, she was certain Sean was fine perhaps a little bruised but still he would heal.

After that, she walked back into the kitchen meeting Jayce and Drystan, "morning guys" she smiled taking a cup from the cabinet above the counters and placing it on the surface. She tapped her hand against the kettle to see if it was still warm. Taking it by its handle she poured the freshly grounded coffee into her cup, placing two sugar cubes inside. Looking back at the other two, bracing her cup in her hands feeling the warmth hit her lips as she took a sip. She lowered her cup from her lip looking to Jayce "what time is your shift Jayce?" She asked wondering whether she will see him later in the bar. The waiters would work later on in the evening when there were more people to serve but a couple usually starts in the morning for the breakfast shift and early day drinkers. "Awesome I guess I'll see you later on, have a great day Drystan" she then took herself back upstairs to get herself ready for her shift.

Taking a quick shower, she made herself ready for her shift, wearing black skinny jeans with a black button up top. She placed her hair up into a ponytail. With a moment to look in the mirror, she then drank the rest of her coffee and made her way back downstairs with her cup placed in the kitchen to which she quickly washed up. Taking her coat off the stand. She then set out to go to town.

The cabin was set a few miles outside the town, hidden with the trees where no human had been nor found. The lake beside them was so still and clear but will soon ice over once it dropped in temperature. It was certainly cold with the many layers of snow. Winter was upon them, but with the town close by they had enough supplies to get them through the cold. Hunting was an option for them, but with the cold weather, there was nothing about for them to hunt.

There were a few ways to get to the town, either drive or walk. Malia prefers to walk, taking her time soaking in the scenery around her. With the trees bare, all she could see was white, there was some evidence of deer being round. It seemed some stags have been rubbing their antlers on the trees. It would be nice to hunt some deer, a fresh kill for the pack to eat but she was too worried for the pack to hunt. With the humans adventuring further into their land they had to be more careful.

Malia had come across where the couple had been camping, the snow had covered their trail, but she couldn't see any evidence of wolves being here. There were items left by the humans, mostly beer bottles and burnt wood from their fire. With another sniff, she had caught another scent that had come by here not too long ago. She decided to follow the scent.

Although, this had led her to the town. She didn't think anything of it perhaps just a hiker was coming by. She made her way towards the bar. Shops were opening up, freshly cooked baked goods soon hit her nose which had reminded her she hadn't yet eaten breakfast. Through the back doors into the kitchen, she could smell the breakfast being made by the chef "hey Lee could I get a bacon sandwich?" She asked with a smile to which he couldn't say no to "sure how could I say no to you?" He chuckled as he quickly made her the sandwich. The beta quickly wolfed it down and made her way out to the front. Currently, the bar was deserted. She sighed gently and began cleaning whatever mess was left from last night. Seems some glasses were missed and some tables are still sticky. She began to clean the tables along with collecting the glasses.