☾ ——- ❝ ＥＬＹＳＩＵＭ ❞ — [ closed ]

[guh-huh!]

❛xＦＥＬＩＸ　！
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xxmale // tech wiz // feeling: ruh roh raggy. // tagged: danny, who knows
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xx'xxfelix wakes up all at once, which is never pleasant.

xx'xxhis head spins from the suddenness with which he opens his eyes, swimming with swirls of broken headlights and shadow against the pine trees and the tire tracks, now burned into the dirt. the first breath felix takes is slow and aching, and there's no need to remember what really happened because it aches when he breathes, the ghost a seatbelt tucked hard and sharp between his ribs. if he thinks back hard enough, he can remember the way collie had basically flipped over him, folding his back and pressing deep into his clavicle with an audible crack. it hurts his head and his collarbone to think too hard on it.

xx'xxa second after his vision settles, he hears shifting. turning his head feels like an impossible task, so he stares up at the stars, watching the way the yellow beam of the headlights flicker them away before momentarily turning them visible again. to felix, it isn't the worst final sight he could muster up. he'd been sure it would've come from breaking his leg in little league football in sixth grade, screaming and crying as his brother drove him to the nearest hospital. he now realizes that tommy fitzgerald snapping his leg was actually minuscule compared to what he was feeling right this second. cold, agonizing, slipping in and out of consciousness.

xx'xxhe attempts to stand up on his feet, still smudged with smears of dirt and dried blood, so dark in hue against night sky can't begin to tell them apart. the least he can do is go looking for the others, especially now that he can hear voices of people– people he knows– bickering and yelling at one another in a hurried frenzy. his feet, although shaking and threatening to crumple any second, manage to push him upright. it's when he moves his arm to wipe his face does he realize that something is undoubtedly broken; his right arm laying completely limp at his side in an open fracture. it takes all of his composure to get rid of that sight and push forward.

xx'xxonce felix is settled, he uses his other hand to wipe his face clear of any glass or blood that had been bothering his skin. the throbbing in his skull dulls down to a slow pulse where his glasses used to sit, and he sighs at the sight that lies in front of him. sleep starts to pull heavy at his mind at the thought at the others still being inside, but he can't do much else outside of stare mindlessly: unable to tell reality from fiction in his muddled brain.

xx'xx"what?" his voice is tarnished from disuse, scratching the sides of his throat on its way out. there's no real reason for him to speak when it's obvious that he's being a bystander in his own life again, but the word comes out despite that, like an unfinished thought to match the the flash of headlights finally pestering out to nothing with an unceremonious click.

xx'xxhe's quiet, voice tinged with something of disbelief and uncertainty, whispered like anything louder than the drop of a pin could wake him from something that reads like a dream. felix can't see much ahead from where he stands, but he can feel the way his fist is curled white-knuckled at his side, muscles pulled taut the same way his words are — just enough to tremble at the edges from the strain.

xx'xxhe's unable to do anything until a voice snaps him out of his trance.

xx'xxdanny had been there, he realizes, as felix stands awkwardly in agony, and shame wells up immediately at the thought, bubbling low in his stomach. it's not often that felix is forced to confront the extent of his humanity — heavy and painfully real enough for it to burn at the back of his nose every time he breathes in too deep — and it aches to be bound to to a state like this, the collateral damage of his own imperfections. something tells him danny won't hold the haziness against him, but that doesn't make it any better. guilt bleeds into the churning shame; felix thinks he might throw up and that the motion might finally kill him.

xx'xx"yeah, i'll call," felix croaks, mostly because 'i'll call the cops' requires an extra syllable. it's hard not to feel alive when feliz is acutely aware of his own pain, sitting hard on his chest and refusing to let him move.

xx'xxhe yelps pathetically at attempting to use his right arm out of habit before switching to his left. the unnatural movement is hard for him to process, even for something as small as reaching for his phone. his fingers recoil slightly at the chip in the screen of the phone, but with the ultra-deluxe cases he uses on his phone; he might become a spokesperson for the brand: this case won't even break when your body breaks with it!

xx'xxfelix's stomach twists. there wasn't any reception with in the car for miles– why would there suddenly be any now? the pathetic glow of his phones wallpaper mocks him: the felix in the phone background is full of smiles and surrounded by friends at a theme park. it's so far away from where he is now; trembling, debilitated, broken.

xx'xx"there's no service here," he garbles, feeling out of touch with his own words, his own tongue, cottony and unsure. "we'd need to get closer to... something? if we are gonna find help."

xx'xxthe guilt of not being of use outweighs the burning in his arm, still crumpled at his side.

xx'xx"i'm gonna... i'm gonna see if i can find something," felix says, heaving his body away from the sight of the wreckage. "i'll find help. yeah- yeah, there's gotta be- s-something out there." his whole body shifts when he nods and he sways on his heel, feet finding their way to any semblance of service or help that might come down and find them. he went to church until age seven: if all his prayers were for something, felix hopes that the angels will grant him anything to help their situation.

[The Trickster~]

E V A

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xxorganizer // she/her
xxlocation; the wreck
xxtags; danny
xxmentions; the whole gang
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Eva isn’t quite sure what happened at first.

She knows she had been reading the map, or at least trying to. The service had gone out a while back and as the person who had booked the cabin and really been the only one to actually see the address of their destination, she offered to direct Briar. It was the least she could do for booking them a place out in the middle of nowhere. Of course, she hadn’t actually read a map before, had barely traveled in her life, but they didn’t need to know that, and how hard could it be?

Harder than expected, she had realized quickly. She couldn’t orient herself on the map, could barely distinguish one forest road from another, and it didn’t help that it was pitch black outside. If only there were a road sign along the path, conveniently lit up with spotlights and big arrows stating, ‘you are here!!!’ As it stood, however, there wasn’t, so instead she sat there, one hand tracing the roads on the map as she tried to get them back on course and the other holding her phone up with the flashlight on so she could see.

She had been looking down when it happened, the sudden force causing her to shoot forward, the seat belt snapping taught across her chest and neck. She must have blacked out for a moment, because suddenly everyone was moving around, exiting the van, talking to her. Danny had said something, asked her a question maybe, but she couldn’t quite make it out, and only shook her head slowly in reply.

The map lay on the van floor in front of her, glass shards covering it, shining slightly in the light. Guess that wasn’t really needed now. There was no way they were making that reservation. Disappointment flooded through her, only for a moment. She had really wanted that vacation. The cabin had even advertised a hot tub, she had bought a cute new bathing suit purely for the occasion, and now what was that going to be used for? Maybe she would just have to work time into her schedule to go to the pool when summer finally rolled around…

Focus! She snapped back into the present, blinking quickly. Now was not the time to let her brain drift, even if the current events felt like they were worlds away. Get out of the car, step one. Unbuckling with shaky hands, she had a brief moment of appreciation for her seatbelt and that she didn’t go flying out of the front windshield when they hit…. Whatever it was that they hit. It took a moment to register as she looked down at her arms that they were covered in cuts, blood slowly began to seep out, the red stark against her skin. She’d have to deal with that later. It was hard to fully focus on the task at hand, pain slowly beginning to make itself the prominent thought in her head, but she wasn’t the only one in this crash. She needed to make sure everyone was okay.

Both the doors were already open, so she simply stepped out, her legs taking several moments to actually become steady under her. It was now she realized that copper was coating her mouth, the taste making her gag, spitting onto the dirt. Blood was slowly beginning to drip into her eye, and she wiped at her forehead with a shirt sleeve, ignoring the sting. Check on everyone, her brain repeated, and she quickly looked around, attempting to make out everyone in the low lighting.

Collie and Briar stood near the front of the van; they seemed fine enough. Felix was off to the side, looking out of it and shaky, but alive. Later she’d check up with him. Soren and Danny were closer to her, and it took her another belated moment to realize that Ennis was on the ground, dread filling her stomach as she realized he was completely still. Unnaturally still. A familiar panic began to enter her system, and she forced it down. That wouldn’t help anyone right now, she needed to make sure everything was okay. She needed to be helpful.

Danny was speaking to her, she realized, her gaze snapping up to his face from where Ennis had been laying. It took her a moment to process his request, but she nodded.

“Okay.” Her voice sounded distant, quieter than she had wanted. Still, she could pick up branches, that was simple enough. That was helpful, and she could do that right now, even if she was in pain and blood kept dripping into her eye. Scouring the forest ground in the dim glow of the headlights, she grabbed any branch that looked large enough, gathering them up in her arms. If it was all she could do right now, at least it was something that could help them.

[chase.]

𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐘xxxx ♛
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[ security ] [ he/him ] [ location - the wreck ] [ feeling - like maybe he should just gaslight himself and Briar ]

xxxxx

Collie gently clasped Briar’s hand, tensing his bicep so it could bear more weight. “I won’t let you get blown up, I promise.” Collie murmured, eyeing his friend. His spine didn’t seem fantastically mobile, his head having only turned when he shifted his hips towards him. His blue eyes, usually bright with a juvenile charm were narrowed slightly, trying to assess his injuries without sparking further concern. His legs seemed to be working—that was something, atleast. The blonde shuffled sideways, still holding Briar’s hand as he moved out of the way. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Soren drag Ennis out of the passenger seat; the older man unresponsive and ragdolling in the contractor’s grip. Collie stilled, continuing to look past Briar. He’d never gotten on particularly well with Ennis, for one reason or another—but the grim image of him laying on the floor as Soren called out for help, wasn’t one that he’d ever wanted to see. Golden hair fell into his eyes as he watched Danny all but fall down next to the still body, and Collie finally tore his gaze away, wincing. There wasn’t anything he could do that Soren wasn’t already doing, and a cold acceptance settled in the pit of his stomach. He’d been in the army for six, nearly seven years, he knew a lost cause when he saw one. The blonde turned back to Briar, meeting his gaze. Briar was still alive, battered to all hell, but breathing. The dead weren’t exactly going to get any worse, and so he ignored Soren’s calls for help.

Briar spoke, words spilling out after each other in rapid succession. Collie squeezed his hand comfortingly, baring his teeth in a lopsided smile. “We’re fine, I think my nose is broken again but Danny beat you to that a while ago, so you can’t have credit for that one, I’m afraid.” He responded lightly, turning his head to glance at Captain again. The dog continued to whine, attention solely on the road up the slope. Collie couldn’t see the road’s surface from his position down the incline, but he’d be lying if he said the whining wasn’t unnerving him. “He’s fine, mutt fell into me so he’s gotten off Scot-free.” Collie reassured, “But I think Bambi’s dad might still be up there.” He admitted, hesitantly. Under most circumstances Collie wouldn’t have mentioned it, unwilling to risk upsetting Briar at the image of an unfortunate roadkill, but the man had inadvertently, most-likely, killed Ennis. ‘We’ll just have to work our way up to that..’ A dead deer seemed a reasonable middle ground given the circumstance. Collie was never good at that part—breaking the news. ‘Yeah Briar, let’s just go check on the animal you hit and maybe put it out of its misery, oh and by the way I think Ennis might also be dead. But it was an accident, so try not to be too hard on yourself/’ Yeah. Collie was very rarely designated the ‘bad-news-bearer’. His exposure to death in the army had made him unnaturally desensitised to the concept in emergencies - he didn’t know Ennis enough to mourn him; but his ribcage tightened painfully at the pain his friends would be experiencing.

“Okay, buddy, I’ve got you—just take it slow.” He instructed, his tone warm and encouraging, a stark contrast to the events unfolding around them. Collie flashed a smile at Briar again, ignoring the way the wreckage creaked ominously as the weight shifted. “On the bright side, we don’t have to worry about finding a place to park anymore, we can just catch a lift from someone—with all the pity points we’ve just gained.” Collie hadn’t seen another car in over an hour, and the last town was almost four hours ago. However that was not helpful nor comforting to mention, and so the security worker conveniently decided to forgo mentioning it. They’d have time to sort out the finer details later. When they were sat on the side of the road with no signal and a dead body to attract predators. Oh, he was so over this trip.

“Think about how interesting and cool you’re gonna be at parties, yeah? This will make for one hell of a story. Just focus on me, man, you’re doing great.” He continued, uncomfortable with silence. Collie wasn’t sure he believed it himself, but right now the driver needed hope more than anything, and the blonde man was willing to be that hope, even if it was only a thin veneer over his own concern. There’d be time for serious talks and group therapy when they weren’t stranded on the side of the road in the middle of damn nowhere. Captain whined louder, and Collie stubbornly ignored it, a chill creeping up his spine. ‘Please, Please, tell me we’ve orphaned Bambi and not yogi bear.’ Collie oozed confidence, but even he wasn’t egotistical enough to go hand to hand with a grizzly. Maybe Soren could have a crack at that - he’d always heard that the Americans had a little less self preservation. It was a stupid concept; if Soren squared up with a grizzly Collie would be right there with him. Hell would freeze over before he left that man’s back uncovered.

Collie blinked, noticing Felix moving away from the wreckage—looking as bad as Briar. Despite the bruises that had begun to colour his own face, and the dull aching pain that had settled across his torso; Collie was remarkably intact. Compared to the way Felix’s arm was looking, a broken nose was nothing to complain about. The security worker winced as he eyed Felix’s now empty seat through the gap in the headrest. It was bent forward—well that explained how all 6’3 of him had managed to crumple in the footwell. He’d owe the poor boy one hell of an apology later; he’d graciously fed Collie M&Ms throughout the journey, unlike pinging them at his forehead like Soren, only to be folded like a lawn chair.

His attention was once again snatched as Captain cried out, the sound more urgent now. The dog was usually the calmer one of the pair - he had to have a bulletproof nerve to even be considered as a security dog. Something was clearly upsetting him, and the way his eyes hadn’t shifted from the road gave a decent clue as to what was stressing him out. Collie tried to swallow down his concern, but he was starting to rattle. Captain tried again, the noise something between a whimper and a whine in a bid for Collie’s attention. “Why don’t we just, not, do that? Please?” He tried weakly, a pathetic chuckle sounding as he turned from Briar. “Dogs, am I right?” As subtly as he could, he felt for his pocket knife - the only object other than his shattered phone that he still had on his person.

“Can you walk alright, man? I’m going to go check on the animal we’ve hit, why don’t you come with me?” ‘-and away from the highly flammable gasoline that’s probably leaking from the state of that engine.’ Collie couldn’t smell gasoline, but then again he also couldn’t smell anything apart from the blood that had dried in his nose. He stepped backwards, away from Briar’s personal space, the grip around his knife tightening.

[ inventory : pocket knife ]

[ tags, briar, the gang ] [ mentions, everyone ]

[kalo.]

│███ 𝚁𝚎𝚢𝚗𝚊 𝙵𝚕𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚜 . . . <3
────────────────────────────── [ wolverine shifter ] [ mentions danny ] [ tagged the gang ]

indentindentThere were many nights where the pack lay awake and restless, the nocturnal nature of most of their shifted counterparts influencing their human behavior. Or just, people not being able to sleep. That too. Reyna was one of the few that had a bit of a mixed schedule. Most of the time she was awake and present during the day, doing the little duties she was assigned. But most of her days were spent sleeping or in a groggy state awaiting her time to be awake and ravaging at night. She enjoyed the nighttime, it brought a sense of ease to her life. It helped with her anxiety at times at well, the fear that someone was going to come and find them and turn them into the government never quite left her since she left home. Countless nights spent explaining to the pack why they were safer away from any civilization led to Reyna being deemed ' the conspiracist of the pack relatively quickly. But hey, she wore it with pride.

indentindentSo it wasn't unusual for Reyna to be doing something, most likely random, during the middle of the night. Between being told to shut off the record player to avoid the loud vocals of Dolly Parton and nearly burning down the communal kitchen by trying to make blondies. Forgetting they were in there, the whole place smelled like smoke around midnight, but it cleared up quickly with a few open windows. So after being banned from the kitchen it resulted in her rolling around on the cabin floor in her wolverine form. Her paws stretched out as she lay on her back, mimicking that of a cat kneading the air. Reyna enjoyed her shifted form, probably more than she should, and running around and pretending to bite at her packmates never got old. She was tempted to do that tonight, but she knew the rest of the pack was tired. That and she knew Rio would most likely tell her to calm it down for the night. There was no reason to get everyone riled up on a random night after all. Right?

indentindentIt wasn't until the troubling sound of screeching caught Reyna on her feet and the fur on the back of her neck and lower back stood up straight. Her eyes were wide as she watched the rest of the cabin react as well, and it was obvious something was up because immediately Rio was gone. Flying off into the distance where the sound came from. Reyna was no expert in directions, but she had a rough idea of which way she was to go. He wouldn't care if she followed, right? And judging by the others present in the cabin they were going to follow as well. Not like she was baking anymore either, so the cabin could be left alone. A little run never hurt anyone and if it was important, well, she wanted to be there. Plus maybe finding Josie along the way and alerting her would be nice.

indentindentAnd since she was already shifted she didn't have to work hard to leap out into the cooler night air. It was refreshing, and the sound of her paws slamming against the flow her her yelping in joy. But she knew to remain quiet, and trying to follow Rio as he flew in the air was deemed to be difficult. Reyna was never good at directions, but she learned over the months [and mostly Rio telling her exactly how to locate him] to listen more than see. She was small and low to the ground, so if she let herself listen and find him she was good. By the time Rio had stopped, Reyna felt herself growing more and more uneasy. A car. In the middle of nowhere, crashed, and...

indentindentThere was no way. That wasn't Josie, right? She was around somewhere else, and she'd come out like her usual self and wrap an arm around Reyna or ruffle her hair and tell her that she was being dramatic. But as Reyna watched Rio move to scoop Josie's lifeless body up, and Coby broke down next to him, it all settled in. She knew it was okay to cry, but she didn't want to shift out at all. She was safe as a wolverine, and nobody could see her emotions. She didn't dare step close either, the glass all over the road scared her [and the fact that she didn't wanna go to the medic] and the voices she heard by the car alerted her. She swore there was something up because it almost was as if she heard someone she knew. But that was wrong, she had moved far away from her family and nobody was around here. The odds of that were what, one in seven billion? [Reyna was never good at math it seemed because the odds were drastically lower]

indentindentHearing these voices had Reyna slowly taking a few steps forward, her ears low to her head and her paws traveling lightly. If she kept quiet maybe there wouldn't be any fuss and she could go unseen, after all, it was nighttime. The chances of anyone seeing her unless they flashed a flashlight at her or saw the glint of her eyes, were low. There was a small ditch they ended up in, and right away she felt her whole body freeze. There was no way. No way at all that Danny of all people was in this wreck. She had run away from home almost what, seven or so years ago, right after she graduated high school. And seeing someone back that knew her only meant one thing. Two, actually. That her mom was trying to find her still, or the government had sent someone she knew to get her. She felt as if she couldn't move either, just watching him and watching the other people from the wreck moving around trying to gather themselves. It also seemed that they were all greatly injured, judging by the small man with a bone sticking out of his arm.

indentindentWhile Reyna never liked seeing anything like this, she was stuck staring. Her body was almost flush with the ground, and her legs were straining. She could feel the need to shift, to make herself known, but something inside of her was terrified of seeing Danny. It was a life she had forced herself to forget, and now it was thrust back on her. She almost wanted to laugh, but instead, all she could let out was a small little chirp. One that was totally not necessary and only could serve to make her case worse but she really just needed to do something other than stare. But hey, maybe she was like Josie and was a deer caught in headlights.

indentindentShe felt herself wince at her own thoughts. Ouch, too soon?

[друг]

❝ watching the weather in the 4x4, with the headlights onxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxyou look pretty when you cry, and pretty when you don’t

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◈ ⋅ ─── ⋅ 𝐂𝐎𝐁𝐘 𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍 ⋅

████
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tagging; rio
mentioned; humans, in my woods? (shrek)
location; road
twenty-five x⋅x cisfemale, she/her x⋅x dog

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The night was silent and still. The spaces between the trees were black and impenetrable, with the moon winking out of sight each time the canopy closed up overhead. Had it not been for the reassuring knowledge that Josie was somewhere up ahead, slinking through the pool of shadows, Coby might have been frightened by the vast desolation of the night. The mat of leaves was slick and wet underfoot, a kind of bruised brown that cast out a chill and the sweet scent of decay. The cold air felt like it was weaving its fingers through her short fur to reach at her skin, and she shook out her coat, hoping to fluff it up even the slightest bit before the chill could bite its way down to bone. Her broad ears turned, listening, following the softest steps touching down on the earth.

indentindentThese nightly walks had become a habit after Coby had discovered that she was weirded out by having to sleep alone — really, she didn't seem to know how. She couldn't settle down. Not without Archie quietly snuffling in the bunk above hers, or the steadying weight of Mercer's body touching against her side, as if none of the phantoms that haunted him had ever even existed. A twinge passed through her chest, a quivering bolt of longing. An ache. She did not want to miss him, not when this was the choice she had made, in the face of every pleading apology from him. But she did, like it was some physical thing, a vital part separated from her being. Even — especially — when he was standing right on the other side of the same room, drinking his morning coffee, hiding his own pain deep in the black of his eyes. It might have seemed to the others that he did not even care, but Coby knew. She had learned to see it.

indentindentBut he had hurt her deeply, deeply enough to let go of so many years together. The anger and loathing that had twisted his face the day he'd thought Coby had been unfaithful had ensured that she hadn't looked at him quite the same since. Not once had she been afraid of him, not even during his outburst of anger, but she had felt betrayed. To have loved someone more than you had ever loved anyone or anything else and not have it be enough for them to trust you — well, her heart had known that day that it was over, even if she had wanted to choose otherwise and stay with him. Strangely, she had thought of her brother, of what he might have said or done had he been there to witness the argument between them. He, too, had loved Mercer, but he would have been appalled, pleaded with Coby to leave, and she could not betray him that way, by staying with someone who could wound her so.

indentindentAnd so their former home, a cabin right next to the others, had become a shell of itself, a dark blue shade in the place of their past sunny days. Mercer had wanted her to keep it, and she knew that he had thought he was doing her one last kindness, but by the time his things were gone, and he had moved into a cramped room with the pack, it was an empty, haunted house. Now she followed Josie like a ghost through the dark woods, a dear friend in the place of the one who had once been dearest. Josie had always been honest with her about how she did not view Mercer in the best light, but somehow her words had never been hurtful, merely sympathetic. He was a dark thing, a violent thing, and she did not know how to explain to anyone that, until the day they had broken up, he had never done anything to hurt her. On the contrary. She would have been long since lost without him, destroyed by the separation from the only family she had ever had. I know you're out there, Archie. And you'll come back when you're ready.

indentindentSeveral feet ahead, a flash of black coat with even blacker rosettes shone under a strip of silver moonlight, and the sound under Josie's padded feet turned from the rustle of leaves to a hushed kiss on the old pavement. An engine roared along the road, drawing Coby's ear and she startled, froze in place by the strangeness of such a sound in their secluded sanctuary. It passed through the boughs like a wave, and by the time it reached her, she knew in her gut that it was too late. An ear-piercing squeal of brakes, headlights paling out the dark, the violent collision of glass, metal, and a weight that did not stand a chance. The darkness fell again. She could hear them veering off the road, the tumbling of tyres on uneven grass and dirt, like a herd of thundering horses and the tide of war, and then a second crash, somehow even louder than the first. Silence followed, deafening, like death itself.

indentindentCoby stood still, unable to bring herself to move. Her heart was hammering in her chest, that little dog's heart that had to bear a human burden, and a moment later, she was on her knees in the dirt, staring down at the ground and the pale fingers splaying across it. Images of horror cycled through her head, and she swallowed around the painful lump in her throat. You have to be brave. You have to be. She took a step to rise but stumbled, falling once more onto her knees, before standing up on shaking legs. It was hard, just to move her leaden feet toward the road. Coby felt like she was trying to run inside of a dream, fighting against forces which she could not conquer. The trees parted, revealing the grey stretch of road, the glass shattered across it, and the dark pool glistening in the moonlight as it grew around her friend's body.

indentindentThat's when she ran, a small distance from the side of the road to its center, tearing up the knees of her pants to fall beside her friend. The tears were coming before she could really comprehend what she was looking at, little dark droplets blooming on the collar of Josie's shirt. Coby drew her head into her lap, a sob caught in her throat, choking her voice from her.
indentindentindent"Josie..." The name was a painful whisper, nearly soundless. She brushed the black hair from Josie's face, and stopped to stare at her own fingers, red with more blood than she had ever seen. The moon was ruthless, denying her the mercy of the dark, and lighting every detail of the lifeless face in her hands. She was gone. There was nothing Coby could do.

indentindentHer shoulders fell hunched over Josie's body under the weight of the sobs that came. Hot tears burned the skin of her cheeks in the cold autumn night, and Coby clutched to her clothes like a child, as if it alone could keep her from slipping away forever. She didn't startle at the soft rush of air as the dark silhouette alighted on the road beside her, familiar with the quiet sounds of Rio's coming and going. Her eyes remained locked on Josie, blurred as they were with tears and simple grief. The lump in her throat, the tearing in her lungs, they felt as if they could split her open right there. The shards of glass clinked nearby, and the soft sound of her name spoken made her more aware of the sounds rising from where the road fell away into the grass. She knew he was right, but it was so difficult to move. Her hands twitched.

indentindentCoby closed her eyes when he laid his coat on her, the idea of no longer seeing her face somehow worse than staring at the growing cold of it. More tears slipped down her cheeks, beading at her jaw. The weight was lifted from her lap, and she was left with nothing but the blood smeared on her hands and clothes. She stayed on her knees, defeated, staring at the dark pool and the glass-littered road. Jumbled, half-formed thoughts filled her mind, a part of it fixated on the sight of Josie laying on the road, and another on the car that had taken her life. Rio's shadow, Josie's body in his arms, fell across her. The voices were growing louder, closer, and she raised her eyes from the ground.
indentindentindent"They—" her voice shattered immediately, and she let the small sob shake her shoulders. "They could be hurt," she managed, finally lifting her wet eyes to Rio, but the sight of the body made the tears flood again, and she lifted a bloody hand to cover her mouth.

indentindentIt wasn't easy. These were humans, the creatures that had torn her brother from her, chased her from her home, had her sleeping on streets in the rain. She didn't know why they were here, or what they wanted. Hatred would've been easy, a healing poison to drive this pain from her and place it inside someone else. But she knew in her heart that they hadn't meant to hit Josie — that the odds of her having crossed that road right then and there were simply too implausible. It was a cruel, stupid accident, and if she could prevent another life from being lost, she would try. They were all alone out here, and if anyone, she knew what it was like to feel alone.
indentindentHer feet were numb as she rose, and in spite of what she had said, she did not disobey Rio. Yet she stood beside him, hesitating on leaving. Leaving him out here by himself, with their dead friend. Leaving those humans to die in their senseless wreck. She waited, unsure what would make her leave as he had asked — unsure what she was waiting for.

[n ‎]

❝ 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗥 𝗝𝗜𝗡🡖 ꏢ ❟❟
└──────────────────┐

''│
the driver :( | he/him | (@) the wreck
tags; collie| mentions; rio n coby

└──────────────────┘


it felt like everything was getting harder to see. briar wasn't sure whether it was because of
hiw dizzy and disoriented he was or because it was so dark outside with no signs of life other
than them. it probably was a mixture of the two, but it was hard to keep his head straight on
and to keep focus. he didn't know where they were when they were driving, he had no idea
what exactly was going to happen to them now, considering they were basically stranded.

stranded in the middle of no where with no contact or service for god knows how many miles.

swallowing hard, briar could only let out heaved breaths. it hurt to breathe, but he knew not to dwell on it. he didn't exactly know
how likely the car was to exploding, but with the way he wrapped the car's front around that tree, he wasn't sure if he wanted to
stick around and find out. he knew collie was trying to make him feel better, but the pit in his stomach only deepened just hearing
about his nose. even if he wasn't the first, he sure as hell didn't even want to be the second. n well, here he was. he couldn't imagine
what other kinds of things the others were feeling. god he hoped they were okay, he hoped they were in okay shape. he knew he'd be
one dumb dude to try and think that maybe they got out with a scratch and black eye, but he wished that was all it was. with how
heavy and dizzy his head felt, even getting pulled to his feet made him feel like he was almost getting thrown out of his body. gritting
his teeth tightly as he moved to his feet, briar only let out heavy breaths as he stabilized himself into collie. he felt so embarrassed.
not only because when he was getting up he ended up smacking the radio with his elbow, turning the volume up considerably loud
er to the point he winced, but he already felt tired just by moving himself up and out of the broken vehicle. it felt like he was using
so much energy to try and even move, he couldn't believe himself. he couldn't believe the situation he had put everyone through. if
it didn't hurt so much, his frown would be deeper. he couldn't turn back to look at the radio properly, so he just let out a defeated
sigh to his chest. "someone else is going to have to deal with that," he muttered.

at least captain was alright!

the idea of seeing the animal he ended up slamming into was making his stomach churn. he was nauseated. he couldn't tell whether
it was from anxiety or the fact he really is just racking up points that he didn't really want to. he didn't even know what he had hit
in the first place - the movement in front of the car so quick he'd only seen it for a second, the coloring as dark as the road and
forest and frankly everything in front of them. he had no idea what he was walking up to. "how is everyone? are they okay? felix,
danny, ennis?" he asked quietly, his eyebrows furrowed in worry as he only kept his eyes on the ground, their legs moving in sync as they walked forward and followed the dog up the slope, following the tire marks and the messed up dirt. it felt sickening to
look at. briar had no idea if he was ever going to live this down. he didn't think he would. scoffing at collie's comments, briar only
tried to shake his head. he couldn't, really, but he definitely tried. "pity points? please. maybe it was because i was
focused on driving more but i don't really remember the last time i saw a car on this road," he muttered, letting out a deep
breath. he really didn't pay attention to a lot of cars on the road besides the ones in the major cities where he had to be careful of
others, trying to hold onto the hope that maybe he had just missed it being distracted trying to drive and listen to eva's directions.
but he knew.

he wanted to try and be optimistic, he wanted to try and be like collie. listen to collie's words and actually believe what he was
saying to him, try and not dwell on everything and work on it when he was in better condition. but god, did briar feel so stupid
even trying. what kind of stories would he tell? the fact he got everyone endangered in the middle of no where? he couldn't think
of the idea of being cool at parties when the story seemed to have no happy ending in sight. he felt so defeated and doomed. briar
couldn't believe himself in that moment. he couldn't believe what he had done. his chest felt heavy, and he couldn't tell if it was
more from the crash or the guilt. it was hard to lift his head, it was hard to look anywhere, really, but he felt so useless depending
on collie the way that he was. he tried to stabilize himself more to be more independent, but sometimes collie and captain walked
too fast for briar in that moment. hearing captain whine felt weirdly grounding, even though he still felt anxiety in his chest and
stomach constantly whenever he heard him. it didn't ever sound good to hear a dog whine, especially not right after you got in a
crash. briar was so worried. rolling his eyes at collie, he could only let out a sigh trying to laugh. "at least there's no wolves,"
he pursed his lips, the taste of iron hitting his tongue immediately making him hiccup. finally pushing himself off of collie to rely
on his own legs, he stood still in his spot for a moment before eventually starting to slowly follow after the two of them, not
making much distance but moving on his own slowly nonetheless.


lifting his head with a hard swallow, briar only furrowed his brows with anxiety as he looked up to see a dark figure and a
woman, along with a woman in the dark clothed figure's arms. "is that the grim reaper...?" briar let out shakily, his voice quivering
with the pain and fear. dread was all he felt in that moment.

[друг]

❝ no matter where I run, the ways they lead me right back herexxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxI think it's time I stop running from myself

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⸸ ⋅ ─── ⋅ 𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐑 𝐏𝐀𝐆𝐄 ⋅ ── ⋅

████
████

┌─────────────────────────────┐

│
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│

tagging; briar
mentioned; coby, rio, collie
location; cabin > road
twenty-seven x⋅x cismale, he/him x⋅x wolf

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└─────────────────────────────┘

The cabin was silent enough at this time of night, the dim air filtering soundlessly through the many rooms, and Mercer had sank deep into an untroubled sleep. It was dreamless, the best kind, no jumbled fusion of past memories to disturb him. His arm was dangling over the side of the bed — well, futon. It had been there when Mercer had moved into the cramped room, a thin layer of dust covering every surface as it waited for another occupant, as if fate had foretold the inevitable disintegration of his life. He didn't know who had lived there before him, someone who had come and gone before he and Coby had ever showed up. Fortunately it wasn't their former second-in-command, the one who had drowned and set in motion the sequence of events that had led to him sleeping on that very futon. Even Mercer would have found that a little too creepy, no matter what absurd grudge he still bore against them.

indentindentUnfortunately, the process of settling in had taken some days. One might think that a man who'd had few permanent homes in his life could sleep anywhere, but it had been too reminiscent of each time he had been made to walk into a new room, with a new bunk, no one there to tell him how to process everything he was feeling. The juvie rooms, the group homes, whatever tattered blanket Eddy — his father — had thrown over whatever old couch happened to be in whatever place he was staying in at the time. For a handful of nights, he had paced the room like an animal avoiding a strange object in its new cage, then tossed and turned until the morning. But the trouble had passed, and some semblance of peace had returned to him, even if everything else remained uncertain and broken. The truth was that he knew he had done wrong, chosen to stray from the path because of his own insecurities.

indentindentHe had tried to make it right, apologize, act another way, give her space, just as he had each time he had messed up in the past, said some stupid thing or argued with the wrong person, but, this time, the difference was that he had finally managed to hurt her. She had shown him nothing but understanding and forgiveness, and he had found a way to make it run out. Even if Mercer had trouble with his own emotions and the inconsiderate things they made him do, the pain in Coby's eyes had made it clear to him that he had crossed a line that he couldn't uncross. And then she had made sure that he understood by breaking up with him, the one thing he had convinced himself would never happen. This was the reality he had to accept, but he wasn't capable of abandoning her. Archie had been taken on his watch, and that would never happen to Coby. It couldn't.

indentindentMercer started awake, groggily pushing himself up on the bed, where he had been laying face-down just a moment ago, his cheek still imprinted on the pillow. What had it been, a strange distant squeal? Behind the thin curtains, the moon drifted in the sky, flanked by a cowl of stars, and wan silver light fell as a narrow strip across the floor. The stillness in the cabin felt unnatural, as if everyone else awake had stopped to listen alongside him. Then there it was again, another loud sound, a dreadful crash that cut through what should have been miles of peaceful forest around them. He had neither imagined or dreamed it. Something was going on, and the ease with which it set him on edge was astonishing. He launched himself out of bed, his pillow tumbling to the floor, ignored.

indentindentHe tossed the curtains aside, and saw that the lights in their old cabin were still on — a treacherous warm glow that terrified him. Coby hadn't returned yet. He had enough sense to grope at the floor and pull on a threadbare t-shirt, faded orange and full of holes, before dashing out of his room, the door banging in his wake. The moment he tasted the night air, chilled and bright, he shifted mid-step, the action itself unconscious as his sole thought was to follow her trail. He cared little for what this crash was, only that he would not find Coby in the middle of it. Black-brown fur fell around him like a cloak, and wide paws, tipped with shining claws, slammed into the dirt, tearing up the ground behind him. His eyes glinted in the night, amber and wild.

indentindentMercer kept his head low and level, drawn by his nose toward her familiar scent. His hackles were raised, forming his back into a jagged line that dove from shadow to shadow. He was careless about his presence, thundering through the undergrowth, feet pounding, pelt snagging on branches, like the end of days itself was upon them. There, the space between the trees shone with an artificial light, the surface of the road showing unnaturally flat amid the rolling shapes of the earth. He knew her shape by heart, standing there beside the raven. The reek of blood struck him like a wall. He felt crazed. The images came faster, red-tinted. A body draped in Rio's arms. Strangers stood there, daring to come near her. Humans. They'd killed once already.

indentindentA resounding growl tore itself free from his chest, like a ragged bellow, a feral sound. Mercer's feet struck the pavement once, twice, dashing past Rio, close enough to stir the hem of his coat, and shooting blindly for the unfortunate soul standing closest to Coby. He leapt and they collided, an unstoppable force meeting a very moveable object. The human crumpled to the road and Mercer tumbled onward, rolling and skidding on the asphalt, before regaining his footing and dashing right back for his mark. The crushing weight of his paws landed on the human's chest once more, and he snapped at his face, slavering teeth inches from tearing open skin.

indentindentThe voice made him freeze in place. Her voice, urging him to stop. This made no sense to him, but he listened. He wasn't going to make the mistake of not listening to her twice. Mercer withdrew his teeth from the human's face, and stepped off his chest, onto the cold pavement. He circled away, glowering, moving sideways to the strangers to avoid turning his back on them. There was another man, taller, broader. Mercer clocked the knife clenched in his fist, an easy thing to spot now that the frenzy had passed. The wrong target, and he might've been stabbed. So why was Coby calling him away from an easy kill? There were certainly more of them, as was always the case with humans, and they would come, and they would make it more difficult to defend themselves.

indentindentMercer stopped a few steps behind Coby. Seeing her cut to the core, still, but he turned his eyes to the strangers, and the pain lingered as an ambient nausea in his body, a reminder of what he had resigned himself to. It mingled with fear and hatred. Without thinking, he shifted back, the fur retreating, replaced by a tattered orange shirt and tattooed skin. He loomed behind Coby, a warning shape, daring anyone to approach. His mouth tasted of phantom flesh and bile, and he clenched his hands into fists to hide the fact that they were trembling.

[Foe Paw]

[ 𝘿𝘼𝙉𝙄𝙇𝙊 𝘿𝙄𝘼𝙎 ] ▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

[ leader━ he/him ━ 39 ] [ location ━ crash site ] [tagged ━ soren, mercer]

xxxxxxHe usually thought of himself as being the type who reacted well in an emergency.

xxxxxxThe memory came to him unbidden, of a late autumn day back home. He had been cleaning the gutters when the neighbor's dog bit their son in the face. Something about the preteen being home by himself, and the dog reacting poorly to a kid clambering all over it - later, all kinds of theories had been tossed out to explain the unfortunate event, but at the time it was less about why and more about focusing on not falling off the ladder while rushing down it and over the fence. He'd dragged the dog off by its collar and chained it, and was partway into applying hydrogen peroxide and a heavy dose of a calm, trying-not-to-spook-you voice to the kid before Danny's father had time to come out of the house where he'd been watching TV and finish shouting almost as loudly as the neighbor's son had in the first place. See a problem, do something to get it fixed. Simple. Losing one's head never helped with anything.

xxxxxxNot to say that he'd never lost it. It was comforting, to take pride in the times he'd been the voice of reason in a difficult situation, where he knew just what to do, and to try to say that's how it usually was. After all, nobody liked to dwell on their failures. Considering, though, those times - the raised scar in his neck from the hook Collie got in it, just for one. A couple of other arguments descending into fights ending in Danny hitting the floor fast and hard. Other, older wounds in him. The end of his marriage, for one. The death of their son, that had shook them both so badly that for the rest of their days together, they were either fighting or not speaking. Then, the ill-considered attempt that he'd never mentioned to anyone. All of those little burrs in the flattering tapestry of a level-headed, calm and collected man, and all of them having something in common; before committing whatever misstep led him to failure, he had already been hurt. He never managed to keep his precious calm if he was already bleeding.

xxxxxxDanny couldn't think while he was in pain.

xxxxxxHe stared half-blind down at the face of the man that he thought might be, for the first time in years, something serious. Ennis had no one else - he needed him right now. The rest of his young coworkers - how many of them had gotten into car crashes before? Knew how to call the people who needed to hear about it and in what order, and then schedule themselves doctor's appointments? Knew how to reorient themselves after getting lost during a trip, and stave off the panic of not knowing where you were? Even a car accident that hadn't hurt anyone was a stressful thing, one that would always benefit from someone keeping their cool and knowing what to do to help things out. All of that to say - it didn't matter if Danny lost it as soon as he saw his own blood. He needed to keep it together. He had to be the responsible one.

xxxxxxAnd he'd already been putting his foot in it, he noticed. Felix's voice, bringing back a reply about the lack of signal, came laced with pain, and Danny nearly kicked himself for dishing out the order to go digging after a phone without checking himself if Felix was alright before. Eva, as well, he'd sent off with only the vaguest notion that she was conscious- but what if she was in shock and he'd just sent her off into the highway again to wander into the woods? Did anyone even hear from Drew yet?

xxxxxxIdiot. Pull yourself together. Danny exhaled a shaky breath and took every last racing thought, everything in him that was threatening to tip over from cracked into fully shattered, every urge to start screaming for Ennis and complaining about the unfairness of it - and shoved them unceremoniously out of his mind, to think about later. Now wasn't the time. He needed to be practical about this.

xxxxxxPrioritize - what was needed? He'd heard Collie and Briar's voices, a bit away. He eyed the car - or, what little he could see, what wasn't swallowed by the night being mostly a shape existing only in the reflected yellow glow of the failing headlights. Was that- a glint of glass, near the door? The promise of eyesight made him clamber back up, shooting a guilty look where Soren was - still, bless him - continuing with the ressuscitation efforts. He limped to the eight-seater, reaching down with a sense of relief that lasted only long enough to see that while he had found his glasses, they had been mangled in the crash. Would that these were the only casualties tonight - no. He's going to be fine. Get back to work.

xxxxxxHe fruitlessly jammed the twisted frames of the glasses on his face, perching precariously on his head, and tried to find some part of the shattered glass that would let him see clearly. Mostly pointless, but there was some smell of gasoline. He eyed the smoke coming from the motor and said loudly enough for the spread out group to hear him, still in that carefully steady tone; "There's a gasoline leak, but the smoke is a good color. I don't think it'll catch on fire at the moment. Still. We'll have to back away. If we can check everyone's up, we can then work on liberating the baggage. We'll keep up CPR until rescue comes take care of Ennis." Danny limped back to where Soren was still on his grueling task. "You did great, honey. I'll take over, alright? Go see if-"

xxxxxxThat was when a sound coming straight from mankind's nightmares ripped through the night.

xxxxxxA heavy impact - the sounds of horrible snarling that hit a person straight in the part of the brain that had never forgotten it had once been prey. The memory of the neighbor's dog bubbled up again, and he jumped to his feet, stumbling up the slope to at least get a line of sight on whatever was happening. When he got up to the road, though, all he saw - through the disorienting headache of only half a lens being whole enough to even try seeing through, the other one being entirely missing - was human figures. Collie, readied - Briar, on the road - and opposite them, a pale face looming in the dark, flanked by two others. Some other human shape in their arms. No animals.

xxxxxx"Where's the dog?" Danny asked, bewildered. He shot another look down the slope - trying to check if Soren's shape had moved yet, wanting to go racing back down to pick up the work of mantaining Ennis' last hope. He rushed to Briar's side, close enough to see the damage. Was this- from the car crash? "Briar? Briar, can you hear me?" Danny's head shot back to the figures up the road, urgently. - fine. "Please, we need help, there's been a crash - can you-" His pleas for help died in his mouth as the strangeness of the situation started to register. Why... were they standing there - who was that shape, in the pale figure's arms? Where did they even come from, in the dead of night, away from all other civilization? He rallied, desperately looking for some sort of rulebook he could try to apply to this. "Are you the homeowners?"

[chase.]

𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑 xxxx ♛
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[ raven ] [ he/him ] [ location - road ] [ feeling - like he should look into rehoming mercer ]

Rio’s eyes softened slightly as his gaze met Coby’s. His second-in-command, bloodied and covered in her own tears, somehow preached sympathy for the humans. Even after what they had done—after they had killed one of their own—Coby still couldn't turn away. Her compassion, her selfless concern for the creatures that had wronged them, stirred a quiet frustration in Rio’s chest. He wanted to leave them—they didn’t deserve mercy. Yet he couldn’t bring himself to walk away. Coby had witnessed the loss of their friend, the brutality of it still fresh in her eyes. Despite his disapproval, despite the bitterness clawing at his soul, Rio felt an unspoken debt to her. He owed her that much, even if it went against everything he considered rational. So, with a sigh barely audible in the heavy night air, he moved forward, his step slow and deliberate, resigning himself to help—if only for her sake. “I will see what there is to be done.” He relented, the promise spoken in hushed tones.

Rio made it exactly one half-step away from Coby before his sharp eyes caught movement at the edge of the road. Two figures, one tall and broad-shouldered, the other smaller and clearly in worse condition, emerged from the embankment and stepped, or rather limped, onto the tarmac. He placed his foot down, silently halting his advancement and instead opting to stay close to his second; regarding the strangers with a stone face. Subconsciously he tightened his hold on Josie, drawing her closer to his chest as he stared at the pair ahead of them. The blonde held a knife close to his side, clenched in ghost-white knuckles, and Rio’s grey eyes narrowed at the sight—

“Is that the grim reaper?”

He blinked, mind temporarily distracted from the knife. If he hadn’t been intently focused on the survivors, the words would’ve been lost to the air between the opposing sides. Rio tilted his head somewhat, unsure whether he should be amused or offended by the remark. Maybe if the comment had been spoken by another, perhaps Nish or Reyna, he’d have managed to muster a chuckle, or a slight shake of his shoulders. But the raven shifter failed to find the humour in this particular scenario—the humans were fragile, broken, and the situation had already spiralled beyond his control, there was no amusement here. Still, he couldn’t help but let the words linger in his mind, mulling over the incredulity of the comparison. Perhaps it wasn’t too far-fetched, he was holding a body, after all. He didn’t bother to correct the fearful misinterpretation; they could think what they wanted—especially if it helped keep them cautious and at arms-length from his pack. The man with the knife was still, his eyes travelled from Coby to Rio, to Josie - where they lingered for a moment, and then back to Coby again. The black-haired boy was less threatening, his stature smaller and his posture tense and off-kilter—badly injured. Every fibre of his being told him to take Coby and Josie and leave them, lose them in the shadows and simply vanish into the dark expanse beyond the road. They could disappear into the night, and let the humans fend for themselves in the aftermath of the wreckage. It would be easy—clean. He could use the raven to check the wreckage for any evidence of recording devices, and set the entire vehicle ablaze before any DNA could be taken from the bumper; if it hadn’t already set alight by itself in the meantime. It could be a compromise between himself and Coby; the man who’d prefer to bury them all and the woman who, in the face of tragedy, burdened herself with concern for them. Let Mother Nature and the laws of the wild choose who would live and who would die. Rio frowned. ‘No, it wouldn’t be clean, easy perhaps, but not clean.’ Too much unwanted attention would be pushed onto their home.

He would help. He’d given Coby his unspoken promise mere moments ago; simply gaining a visual of two of the survivors wasn’t enough for him to betray her so cruelly. If they offered aid and a temporary sanctuary, they held the control; the strings for the puppet that was their lives. People could be manipulated, they were damaged and lost from the accident, with delicate planning a catastrophic clash between species could be averted with a wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing approach. Just as he steeled himself to act—a growl, threatening and wild in nature, erupted from the space behind him in a loud bellow—breaking his focus. Before Rio could even register what was happening, Mercer rushed past him in a blur of brown and black at frightening speed. The force of the wind from Mercer’s movement tugged at his loose clothing as the wolf barrelled towards the humans without hesitation. His massive body slammed into the closer man, knocking the stranger flat across the unforgiving surface of the road. Rio felt his usual unreadable expression crack.

His breathing was slow and angry as he watched the wolf stalk back towards them, recalled away from his target by none other than his ex. Rio’s anger ignited in an instant, a white-hot flame searing through his veins. His normally cold, composed demeanour shattered as Mercer finally returned to Coby - lacking the decency to even pretend to be ashamed at the reckless abandon. The insubordination was blatant, a slap in the face to Rio’s, and by extension, Coby’s, authority. He felt his jaw tighten as his lips curled into a snarl, barely able to contain the ire simmering beneath the surface. Mercer hadn’t trusted him to handle the situation, hadn’t trusted them—as if Rio and Coby were incapable of making the right decision. It was an insult he was going to struggle to forgive anytime soon. There was, however, a time and a place to tear into one of your own; and Rio would not weaken their image by doing it infront of strangers. Instead he removed his gaze from the hulking canine, explaining the rather domestic appearing wolf was going to be a—what was wrong with the blonde human? Rio watched as his mouth opened, then closed, then opened again before he yelped a curse, voice cracking breathlessly in shock. It was a peculiarly delayed reaction to seeing the wolf, and Rio’s brows knitted together in response. A moment passed, and the man’s attention stayed focused behind him, his line of sight higher than it should’ve been if he’d been looking at Mercer’s animal shift. Rio’s mouth parted marginally. ‘He hadn’t.’

Rio turned over his shoulder. Unbridled anger, red hot and seething gave way to an ice-cold wash of shock. His eyes widened in utter disbelief, his lips parting further as his jaw slackened. Mercer, standing in full view of at least two of the humans, had shifted. For a moment, Rio was frozen, his mind struggling to comprehend the sheer recklessness of it. They had spent years protecting their secret, living in the shadows, careful with every move—and now, in a single moment of thoughtless action, Mercer had laid it bare for all to see. The realisation settled over Orion like a suffocating weight, the enormity of the situation somehow heavier than the body he cradled delicately in his arms. There was no going back from this.

Red to a bull must’ve been what orange currently was to Rio. His jaw ticked looking at the battered shirt that clothed human Mercer. “Do you understand what you have just done?” He growled at last, disbelief clashing with fury across his pale features as he fought to keep his voice low so he’d remain out of earshot from the strangers. “Did you take a moment, a second, to consider the repercussions?” He continued, cold air rushing out of his nose as he exhaled sharply, disbelief beginning to once again return to wrath. Rio closed his eyes, feeling his composure slipping like sand between his fingers. “This conversation is not over, Mercer, but it will wait for another time. We are going to aid the remaining survivors; if you are not capable of helping, make yourself scarce. Now.”

After a moment he turned back to Coby, his expression softening. “If you think you’re able, without compromising yourself, you may help.” He murmured tentatively, rescinding his previous demand spoken when it had just been the two of them. “But if not, go home Coby—stay in the pack cabin with everyone, if it will help. My room is yours, always.” It wasn’t as if he had any intention to leave the humans unsupervised, much less sleep, tonight. Not now their cover had been blown wide open.


A third person appeared on the road, somehow even taller than the one who’d had an outburst. “A crash? I hadn’t noticed.” Rio responded dryly under his breath, his distaste for the general population unfortunately had yet to be smothered by his fondness for Coby or Nish. ‘This is what Josie would’ve wanted.’ He reminded himself. It had been an accident, after all— and they’d paid the price with one of their own, perhaps two of their own now, if Mercer’s actions had anything to say about it. He could stand to be more polite. Rio stepped closer to the trio, glass crunching underneath him as he approached. “Can we, what?” He prompted, breezing over the man’s latter question. That was information he wasn’t willing to surrender just yet, too personal for Rio without some of their information in return. “Is he the worst injured?” Rio asked, stopping a few feet away. He glanced to the side, down the slope and towards the wreckage. “That is still breathing, to clarify.” His gaze lingered, a small creature hung close to the shadows - Reyna. Was every single one of his shifters out of bed? Rio stared for just a second, blinking at her before looking back at the strangers. The damage had been done now, if three of them had been spotted - a fourth made no difference.

[ inventory : josie? n/a ]

[ tags : coby, mercer, danny ] [ mentions : collie, briar, reyna ]

[guh-huh!]

❛xＣＯＵＲＴＮＥＹ　！
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xxfemale // caribou // feeling: anybody got a flashlight? // tagged: open!!
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xx'xxafter her first shift at age sixteen, courtney was pretty certain that her changing body was a little unlike the other girls' in her class. one thing that her teachers didn't tell her; having to scope the depths of google and textbooks alike to find out– was that caribou had a relatively acute sense of hearing. one that, somebody might expect, comes along with being a prey animal that is willing to flee any situation that was deemed compromised at a moment's notice.

xx'xxof course, courtney wasn't a large herd animal all the time; at most, a slim ten-percent of her day was comprised of walking around the lush canadian landscape as an even-toed ungulate. a tad more in the colder months, as a coat of long, silky fur was much more suitable for the freezing temperatures that threatened to ruin her day. a much more economic choice too, as purchasing hundreds of jackets to avoid wearing the same thing around the pack seemed a bit excessive. especially when many of the pack members didn't share her need to stay stylish and trendy– it just seemed a waste.

xx'xxbut, back to the matter at hand (or, hoof?) courtney unmistakably, most certainly heard a loud crash from outside of the cabin. the sound of tires screeching, maybe, or perhaps somebody taking a tumble down the cabin's stairs at this late hour. it was honestly pretty hard to tell, due to the fact she hasn't driven, nor heard, from a car in quite some time. instead, she jumps at the chance of catching one of her friends rummaging around during the night. very rarely is she the one who can catch a fellow packmate sneaking a snack this late at night, so courtney has to take the opportunity when it presents itself.

xx'xxgrabbing her phone and hitting the flashlight, she stealthily crawls out of her bedroom with a newfound determination that can only be possessed by somebody who's looking to take an embarrassing snapshot of a friend. she regrets not wearing socks to sleep, as her feet get slightly cold on the hardwood as she shuffles towards the sound of the kitchen- but she pays it little mind. with a big payoff at the end, she can hardly wait to finally join in on the fun and pranking wars of the others to prove that she, too, is hilarious and can match everyone's humorous ability.

xx'xxwhen she turns the corner to the light in the kitchen, she freezes momentarily before hopping across the corner in a gotcha! manner- only to realize that she's facing nobody. somebody, however, did leave the pantry open, so she closes it in a brief manner of disappointment to both herself of being so gullible, and to whoever keeps leaving the pantry open. this is why we have ants, guys.

xx'xxbut then, what was that noise she heard? surely her brain didn't spring her awake with a terrible crash for no real reason? that would make less sense than whatever new conspiracy reyna was trying to convince her of during last week's pizza dinner. she catches light of the old cabin still on, so perhaps something is afoot- perhaps something much bigger than a person rummaging around in their kitchen or a raccoon outside of their house.

xx'xxand hell, if it is the government finally coming to take them away like reyna said: she'll swallow her pride and admit reyna was right...

xx'xx... eh, maybe.

xx'xxbut whatever it is, she doesn't want to go into the dark alone. as a pretty lady, or a helpless prey animal. she fumbles around in the dark a bit, until she manages to find one of the light fixtures in the house and flips it on. hopefully, somebody else was still in the house and could follow her on her journey towards the flickering lights. or even if it was nothing, she would sleep a lot sounder if somebody else went and checked outside with her.