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𝒚𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒚𝒂𝒏𝒈

𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔

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Yin and yang a symbols of darkness and light. However, in every little darkness, there is light and with the light there is darkness. It's a sense of balance between the world. In this case, we have the werewolves and the humans it seems they can't create a balance between them. In the little town of Airedale, werewolves have walked amongst the humans. For decades the humans thought the last werewolf had become extinct there had been no evidence for them to be around. But a small pack thought to be the last was hidden just located outside the small town, within their human forms they have jobs in the town and keep their real form hidden from the human eye. Though, it was a struggle for them all to keep their wolves at bay.

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ᴘʟᴏᴛ ☯ ʀᴜʟᴇꜱ ☯ ʀᴀɴᴋꜱ ☯ ᴅɪꜱᴄᴜꜱꜱɪᴏɴ

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A young couple had come across something whilst camping out in the woods. The lovers were drinking under the scary sky. Whilst the fire was burning late into the night the couple had retreated into their tent for the night unaware of what surrounded them. Firstly a growl, the fire was blown out. They couldn't see anything around them with the fire out. One turned their torch on seeing a figure outside their tent it looked like a large dog. With that one adventured out of the tent and the creature had vanished. The next morning there were paw prints left along with human footprints. They were confused but thought nothing more than maybe a lost dog and their owner chasing after it. But it hadn't answered their question of how the paw prints turned into human ones. It had fallen into the local newspaper about the sighting but was blown over by most of the town thinking the couple may have drunk too much. However, one person grew much interest in this. He was once a hunter in his younger years and he was sure that this could be a werewolf. The man was deemed crazy for many years but with the growing suspicion, there may be some creature in the woods that would threaten the town the mayor decided to listen to the crazy old man and view his ideas. Keeping the community from what may be lurking in the woods. 

For the moment all appeared normal within the town of Airedale.

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𝚁𝚄𝙻𝙴𝚂

☯ Pm me for reserves they will last 48 hours. Once that is up you'll lose your spot.
☯ Limit of two characters.
☯ This is a semi-lit role play minimum is 300 with writers' block.
☯ Hide signatures please to keep everything neat.
☯ Post forms on the discussion page, please.
☯ No posting until accepted.
☯ Chat to remain on discord.
☯ CS rules apply to this role play.

𝚂𝚃𝙰𝚃𝚄𝚂

closed - starting soon...

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Along with shapeshifting, all werewolves possess superior strength, speed, agility, healing, senses, durability, pain absorption. The full moon will cause their abilities and emotions to be so heightened that many lose control of themselves, which can cause death and destruction if not handled properly. Some werewolves have control over their shifts whilst under the full moon, new werewolves tend to find this much harder to control and in time will find a way to control their shifts under the full moon. some of this pack is either bitten or born although most have been bitten as the dying species are trying to keep their numbers up however the alpha is choosing not to expand the pack at this moment time as the numbers, for now, are fine.

ᴀʟᴘʜᴀ
skyler | 28 | male | Zyn

ʙᴇᴛᴀ
malia | 26 | female | bunny,

ʜᴇᴀʟᴇʀ
riley | 24 | female | chev

ᴏᴍᴇɢᴀ
jayce | 23 | male | Fawnie

ꜱᴜʙᴏʀᴅɪɴᴀᴛᴇ
jessica | 21 | female |`sappho

ꜱᴜʙᴏʀᴅɪɴᴀᴛᴇ
jamie | (40) | female | chev

ꜱᴜʙᴏʀᴅɪɴᴀᴛᴇ
kang | (23) | female | juyeon

ꜱᴜʙᴏʀᴅɪɴᴀᴛᴇ
jeong | (24) | male | mtuan,

ꜱᴜʙᴏʀᴅɪɴᴀᴛᴇ
drystan | 26 | male | Zyn

ꜱᴜʙᴏʀᴅɪɴᴀᴛᴇ
sean | 28 | male | Silver-

ʀᴀɴᴋꜱ ᴀʀᴇ ꜰɪʟʟᴇᴅ

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𝕄𝔸𝕃𝕀𝔸 𝕐𝕆𝕌ℕ𝔾 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[ 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 𝟕𝟏𝟓 ]

xxx [ 𝟐𝟔 ] [ 𝐅𝐄𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐄 ] [ 𝐁𝐄𝐓𝐀 ] [ 𝐇𝐄𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐎 ] [ 𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬: skylar | 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬: pack, sean ]
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The morning was crisp the desire to kill withered as the daylight drew through the small window of the basement almost covered by the new snow that had fallen during the night. It was another night they had made it through. It was stressful however they made it through another full moon but this one was rather different. The clanging of rusty chains fell to the stone floor after a tired bunch of newly turns stretched and yawned. Their wrists were bloody and sore from the attempts to escape. They had their attempt of grasping Malia as she tried to comfort them but only left her with scratches and her clothes torn. It seems she was struggling to help these wolves to listen to keep them calm. Malia didn't care for her torn clothes or the scratches that will soon heal. There were near escapes from many of them as the chains they had seemed to not appearance their job. Perhaps it was these newly turn becoming stronger.

Still... One managed to break from his chains...

Sky managed to find their escape artist. The alpha told her about the humans in the forest, Sean had found them. He managed to snatch Sean in time before he had exposed himself to the humans. Left too late the couple would be dead. But also risking exposure It's something they don't need right now, they have settled down in this little town of Airedale where many of them had employment. No one saw past them and no one needed to know. What they are needed to stay hidden It was a risk with these newly turns and she warned Sky of this. Yet she had been dumped with them trying to help them control themselves.

It had taken her most of her childhood to find an anchor. When she found it she felt more powerful than ever she had control.

Whether it was to go anything further than just the couple knowing something had happened whilst camping in the woods. It was assumed that word will get around town. Still, they were confident no one would believe the young couple. They had been drinking that night, the campsite reeked of alcohol and so did the couple. Chances were their story will probably blow over in a few days.

Pacing back and forth in Sky's bedroom, she was furious and upset that a wolf had gotten out on her watch. She had burst into his room without knocking, this moment in time she did not care what he was thinking. "Sky... You realize the newly turns are getting stronger, the chains aren't holding them and the risk of being seen is coming more of a problem..." She stopped herself from pacing turning to him her one arm wrapped around her stomach with her free hand hovering over her lips it was a sickening feeling she was having that made her clutch her stomach. Afraid that one day they may be exposed and hunted down once more.

They had called Airedale their home but how much longer will it be their home?

She had always thought about making this pack was a dangerous idea but when Sky earned his red eyes, his alpha eyes he knew he could make a pack and lead it. This was a mistake in her eyes, she respected every decision Sky had made but to create a pack, allow the species to thrive once more seemed it was too early for them. Hunters were still about not as many as there used to be. People didn't talk much about the werewolves anymore it seemed they were long forgotten. Some still found them to be myths. "We almost risked exposure... What if it happens again and we aren't so lucky?" She questioned him raising a brow dropping her hand from her mouth. "I don't want history to repeat itself, the wolves you've turned are going to see the real danger they have put themselves in. If people of Airedale find out I'm sure we will be hunted again..." There was concern in her voice uncertain if Sky had thought about what may happen if another manages to get out under a full moon more maybe emotions could be too much for them and they may turn.

[`silver]

𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐍 𝐅𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐇
tags; hanse location; forest > pack house basement mentions; sky, rose word count; 1,621

The wind barreled into his face, buffeting any and all efforts to continue forward, but for some reason the feeling riveting throughout his body wouldn’t allow it. There was no time to stop moving, to hesitate and ponder whether or not heading towards the blaring yellow lights in the distance would be grounds for being killed—or worse, captured. He was guided by unearthly shafts of silver that cut through the trees, unable to suppress the murmuring that echoed in his thoughts that were driving him rapidly towards the edge. Something was making an awful jingling noise in his wake though, fueling the deep, animalistic rumble that hummed from his chest, his feverish gaze scouring the area for the source with a twisted scowl. Where was it? What was it? It was pissing him off, it needed to stop and it needed to stop now. A snarl ripped from his lungs when pain lashed through his spine, his body keeling over abruptly as he lost control of his own movements whilst his muscles seemed to tear at every sinew and only mend them seconds later as the beast made it's presence known. The forest floor caught him as he fell into the cold underfoot, hands clawing desperately at his own body as he scored into clothing whilst his body felt lit aflame. The night air could do nothing to soothe him as he convulsed, the jingling not ceasing it's abhorrent tones until his hands shakily drew over his wrists to touch cold metal, grazing shackles that dared to encircle his wrists. Pushing through the haze, he focused until he could feel his fingers form a vice-grip that audibly cracked their material.

One. A soft thud signaled the first shackle had succumb to his strength. He went to reach for the other, but his wolf decided to throw him into another spiraling fit, his body soon curling into a tight ball as he heard his own bones cracking and the rushing of blood practically wailing in his ears now. Sinew eased over bone and tore repeatedly, clashing with every fiber of his being until he began crying out in grotesque pain that sounded like something along the lines of a man screaming in unison with the howling of a wolf. Neither his humanity nor his beast were giving up the fight-they were evenly matched. Footsteps trailing around nearby had him biting the inside of his own cheek in an attempt to silence himself, his uneven breaths tossing wispy flames into the chilled air. He couldn't tell who or what was nearby. His senses were askew. The shadows were lengthening around him, taunting, laughing at his pain, dampening some senses yet sharpening others to the point of it being almost too unbearable. He almost wished he could call for someone to help him.

Deal with it yourself, his wolf jeered. It didn't have to speak for him to know that another wave of convulsions was about to begin. The brief period between fighting off the instinctual shift and the gnawing in his bones allowed him to focus on his surroundings. If only for a moment, his senses flared enough that he picked up two scents belonging to two different humans. They were gaining ground in heading in his general direction, maybe half a mile or so out, but still far too close for his own liking especially in the state he was in. He whispered a shaky curse, staggering to get to his feet only to find himself slumping right over as he held his mid-section. If he got up and they saw him, the whole pack would be screwed. If he shifted in front of him, he would essentially have to kill them. There were too many possibilities, all of which raced in his mind against time he didn't have. Time he could be using to- shift? The idea had slipped into his jumbled thoughts by accident, but just like when his self-doubt consumed him enough to draw smoke into his lungs, he couldn't take the heat of facing his inner turmoil. He couldn't face his wolf either, in that respect. They were sourced from the same feelings that overwhelmed him every time the involuntary shift dropped him into parted jaws. It made him almost, almost wish that Hanse were here running his mouth. At least then, maybe he'd be distracted and somewhat safe from being found by some idiotic humans in the woods.

Gracing over the idea of the shift was enough for bluish-gray fur to melt over skin, draping his body, clothes and all, with a dense coat. If he hadn't been clearing quite a distance before, large paws had him striding effortlessly towards the target of his rage with minutes to spare before impact. Golden-yellow eyes secured their prey, following the instinctual desire that stamped out any last bits of humanity that he might've had, and whisking him past foliage that shuddered against his fur. Two outlines of humans were swiftly sharpening in clarity as they sat together by firelight, heads bent close and bodies angled towards each other in a way that made it obvious they were enthralled in whatever conversation their lips moved for. His maw twisted into an ugly snarl, parting only to taste what the air offered. Disgusting humans.

Two. They'd heard him coming, but couldn't make out his form in the darkness very well. He could smell their fear reeking into the air, it reminded him of - yourself. Images of the initial scene where he'd been bitten by a werewolf as a human had a growl cutting through the air as the wolf lost a moment control, and the human kicked around for reign. He'd locked eyes with one of them for a split second before something as large as him barreled into his side, bones cracked by an outside force instantly raising his hackles. His maw that had been readied to shed human blood immediately sinking into the neck of his canid foe. Blinded by the fight against himself, he acted as if this new oppressor were to be the one to receive the entirety of his rage regardless of whom they were. Another werewolf - likely a pack member - but honestly, the only thing that mattered was the rush of anger tunneling his senses. Patches of moonlight that caught onto their brawl encircled the wolves in a luminescence of azure and silver, breathtakingly wild and perhaps even captivating if not for the sudden stains of crimson.

────

Sunlight peeked curiously through the cracks in the wooden ceiling, it's warmth touching down on dark golden hair and lighting it aflame. This type of heat at least was much more bearable. Sean silently relished the light patting at his head before his eyes peeled open, hazel eyes dull with exhaustion, but their annoyed fire crackling in the lighter flecks. He felt sticky-his skin rubbing against his torn button-up shirt in a way that was gradually beginning to irritate him. He went to lift his hand to touch at what was likely blood and dirt on his face only to discover the new shackles binding him to the wall supporting his backside. They were larger than the last time he remembered seeing them. He was also sitting on the ground rather than being held up by the restraints. Had he broken out again? You'd think that Sky would've done his job and ordered chains for a werewolf and not a dog. His whole body felt like one big ache, with certain points like his arms and shoulders groaning the loudest. Wounds had made their presence known in staining his clothes, the source of their afflictions likely another werewolf he must've fought with considering how awful he felt. A bout of dizziness was tickling his weary eyes by how if he stared at one particular spot for too long, it began to tilt at an ever so gradual rate that nearly had him doubting he was seeing things correctly. It also didn't help that the longer he sat in this spot, the hotter the top of his head became and fed into the idea of waking up with a headache. He wanted to sleep for a week, but knowing Hanse and Rose, he was lucky to have even gotten through this night without them disturbing him somehow.

Blinking slowly, he peered around without moving his head, taking a deeper breath and wincing at the tenderness of his ribs. Something definitely happened. Whatever it was, it'd come back to him eventually, he guessed. Something told him he'd fought off something particularly large judging by the extent of his wounds along with how they felt. Not to mention the fact that Sky's scent was thick in the air enough that he suspected it was him whom had done the "alpha thing" and collected him before something worse happened too, which was annoying. Sean squeezed his eyes shut when the basement door was kicked open, a rush of wind offering him a familiar scent to which he growled softly at and bored holes into ground. So damn loud, as usual. Dust whipped up into the stagnant air, glowing in the sunlight as if it were meant to dance between the light and dark of the room with purpose. If only the problems he'd caused could be one in the same as dust in the wind, maybe then his mind would be able to settle at some point. With a quiet sigh under his breath, Sean kept his eyes trained to the floor and awaited the barrage of taunting dialogue that would be thrown at him. Hanse would be the first of many he'd have to deal with today.

[mtuan,]

[འབྲོག་ཁྱི]

─────────── 𝙍𝙄𝙇𝙀𝙔 ────── 𝙒𝙄𝙉𝘾𝙃𝙀𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙍 ──────── ◈ ──── ─ ─
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LOCATION; outside pack cabin > basement ─ TAGGING; Sean, Hanse ─ MENTIONED; Jamie, Skyler ─ WC; 2,277

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*
Everyone being alive and accounted for in the morning should have been a source of relief, but as Riley had felt the moon's grip eroding and found herself once again capable of asserting her own will onto her bones and sinew, there had been nothing but bad news and the resulting anxiety drawing up her shoulders and gnawing at her insides. Her routine after a full moon involved checking over those who had put themselves in chains and catching a few hours of rest in her own bed, but on this particular morning, she had not even walked through the door yet. All she had done was grab her lighter and the pack from underneath the porch railing, pace the yard and pick herself apart as if she could've somehow moved the moon, or become a door, or seen a few hours into the silver-lit dark of the night.
indentindentindentThe ground underfoot had frozen solid, into harsh, uncharitable shapes that did not yield to a step, no matter how many times she happened to pass over the same place. The water that touched the shore had gained a layer of ice that had gathered and piled into sharp, brittle spikes, but a distance away, the lake was clear and still as a mirror. Riley could recall its crisp taste, cold on her tongue, clean as a mountain stream to the wolf caught in the influence of the full moon above. At night, the sky had let out small, gently drifting flakes of snow, illuminated by the silver light against the depths of the star-scattered sky. Everything had gained a thin mantle of snow, including the great spires of the old firs near the cabin, their evergreen now dusted with frost.
indentindentindentThe ghostly shape of the moon was still looming in the brightening grey of the morning sky, but the sun had chipped at its power and the night drained away the tumultuous energy of the wolf. It could no longer be pulled at like a tide as the moon does to the waters. Riley's eyes brushed past the surface of the lake again. The sheer mass of the water was grounding, and seeing it serene and cool kept her from floating off into an utter spiral of anxiety. She worried at the nail of her thumb even as the watery morning fell to sooth the throbbing of her bones and ease the memory of muscle lifting from its place beside bone. A breath shuddered out of her, rushing to pool into a milky cloud in the air before dissipating skyward.
indentindentindentHer wolf memories were still all sharp and bent at the edges, gathered with different senses for a different mind, like looking at the world through a rippling pool of water tinted crimson. She never wandered too far from the cabin, only enough of a distance that she would not hear the howling and rattling of chains, because she loathed the basement and did not wish to be anywhere near it during the full moon, forced to watch as the newborn wolves tore themselves sore while wrestling their wolves and she would be unable to help them until they calmed come morning. It was the sole reason she was not chained among them out of sheer anxiety that she would put the pack at risk, and even the thought of her being responsible for their discovery threatened to crumble her resolve. And now it had happened anyway, someone had gotten out and been seen. While she, as a born wolf, knew even with a mind muddled by the full moon in its every crevice that she should stay away from each human smell and sound, the newborns did not have such judgment.
indentindentindentA searing sting in the sensitive skin of her fingertips had her drawing in a reflexive hiss of breath past her teeth — she had forgotten her cigarette and allowed it to burn down to her fingers. Riley dropped it into the snow and put it out with the sole of her boot. She sat herself down on the porch steps instead, as her skin began mending itself from the superficial burn. Her last pack had been killed: Caden, father... mother. This one would be, too, and secretly, she was sure of it. She did not blame Sky for what had happened overnight. They had all been lonely after having spent their entire lives surrounded by a pack, and it had been a terrifying and isolating thought that they might be the last of their kind. But had a sense of belonging been worth risking extinction? To that she had no answer. Maybe Caden would have known, but it was no use pining after the guidance of the dead. The only chance she had of seeing him — him, and not Sky, because even if they were twins, she had always been able to tell — was in the strange dreams where it would be his wolf speaking in his voice, but all the words would sound as if they were backwards and all she was left with was names — people and places.

indentindentindentRiley picked herself up and sidled through the front door, into a space that she found confining all of a sudden. The stagnant air was doused with the night's emotions, fear, anger, and moon-drunk fury. Her own fear. It was hardly a conscious act when she drifted into the kitchen, where she found Jamie leaning against the kitchen island with a cup of tea in her hands and her eyes fixed past the windowpane. Riley silently slid the day's newspaper from the corner of the counter until it was in front of Jamie, then set to picking at her cuticles. She was too disquieted to set her mind to reading, but she knew there was no chance of her settling down until she knew.
indentindent"Does it say anything about us?" she asked, barely raising her voice as if afraid there was something in the room she would break if she did — this tension tightening like a rubber band. Jamie turned to her, almost unpleasantly tranquil. She unraveled the newspaper, scanned the front, then leisurely turned a few pages: "No, darling." There was a breath caught in Riley's throat that leapt out as the opening note of another question.
indentindent"Are you—," before she cut herself off, paced a few more steps alongside the island, tugged at a cuticle a little too hard, it stung, and she grimaced. "Are you lying to make me feel better?" Jamie's mouth twitched into a subtle, dry smile, and her attention seemed to already be drifting back to her tea. "Only when it comes to presidential elections."
indentindent"Okay," a remark half-meant to reassure herself more than anyone else, but there was nonetheless a weak note of relief in her voice. Jamie countered with an alright of her own, and although it sounded more like a question, Riley did not know how she would answer. She was on the verge of busying herself with fussing over Jamie's night when the basement door groaned and the newborns started emerging, and seemingly having sensed Riley's intentions, Jamie waved her off.
indentindentindentRiley found her bag of first aid supplies on the dining room table and set to checking the abrasions on their wrists and taking vitals to ensure that everything had returned to normal as it should. It only acted as a distraction in brief lengths of time before reality would come to remind her of itself with a prickle of anxiety, and this happened more than once — one time strong enough that she had to excuse herself and take a moment just so she could get her hands off skin. But the good news were that they all appeared mostly fine, if not somewhat shaken, and while Riley had very little in the way of reassurances to provide to them, she sent them on their way to Jamie instead. Yet when she seemed done, she could not help but notice that Sean had been nowhere to be seen. An upsetting situation presented itself: if Sean would not emerge from the basement, she would have to go down there to check on him, and him not appearing most likely meant that he had been injured in some way, which meant that she had no choice but to go.
indentindentindentThe slamming of the basement door resounded through the walls and Riley flinched, nearly dropping her bag. Had Sean come upstairs after all? She leaned to peek around the corner, but all she caught was a glimpse of Hanse disappearing into the doorway, followed by pounding footsteps leading underground. The last thing she wanted to do was to impose on them, since they were together, but her role as the healer dumped her at the awkward junction of that and her duties. Her feelings for Sean had become undeniable, but there wasn't a chance she would act on them if it were to hurt Hanse — chances were she would not have had the courage to say anything even if Sean weren't already with someone. Besides, she would not stop fretting until she had at least caught sight of him and made sure he was in one piece.

indentindentindentRiley lingered in the dining room for a moment to give them some time alone, before her restlessness got the best of her. She stamped down her feelings of aversion toward the basement and headed for the stairs, and she only made it three steps down before she caught the scent of blood in the stuffy air. It made her hasten until she was down in the dim room, cut by slanted shafts of golden light flecked with drifting particles of dust. The smell of rust and metal, damp stone and old wood closed around her, claustrophobic, and it was a shiver of repulsion that crawled down her spine at the sight of the chains themselves. Hanse was standing further into the room, and a touch of heat and flush rose to Riley's cheeks: they were cute together, that much was incontestable, but she was soon broken out of her inattention by the sight of Sean slumped against the wall, still in shackles.
indentindentindentThere had been something utterly wild radiating from Hanse, and Riley now understood what it was, even as she averted her eyes, keeping them more on the floor than on her company, and hurried to Sean's side. He seemed disoriented but awake. Nonetheless, as she knelt near him, she did so with caution, because it would not have been the first time an injured and bewildered patient had tried to take a swipe at her. Although that had been a human, and not a werewolf capable of shattering bones with a single strike. The odour of blood rising from him was heavy and cloying, but it came off as older, set, rather than anything putting him at risk of bleeding out. Riley could have taken his pulse from his neck, or even counted his heartbeats by ear if she were to give it her best shot, but frankly, all she wanted was an excuse to get the shackles from him. It wasn't humane, no matter how inhuman they happened to be.
indentindentindentThe shackle slid from his wrist with a rattle of the chain and a weighty thud as it settled onto the floor. He isn't going to bite. She set her fingertips firmly against the vein on the inside of his wrist and counted, until she had confirmation that he was stable enough. The only indication that Riley had summoned her wolf's sight in order to see better in the feeble light was a subtle gleam, as there was barely a diminutive difference between the colours of their eyes, but her breath caught in her chest at the state of his clothing — bloodied and tattered, the surrounding skin marked scrapes that could have only been made by nails blunter than a wolf's. She shifted slightly, leaning back onto her heels to be steadier where she was crouched.
indentindent"I'm — sorry, but I'm going to have to look," was all the whispered warning she gave before peeling away the shreds of his button-up where they stuck to his skin. On his side was a glaring bite, or possibly more, and she would not be able to tell how deep or perilous before cleaning away the dried blood. Deep purple bruising had blossomed around the punctures and across his ribs, and Riley's best guess was that they were fractured. She tenderly pressed the fingertips of one hand near the edges of the bruising and felt out the break. It didn't seem splintered or at risk of poking a hole into his lung, so it would be best left alone to heal on its own — and they likely already had begun to, and any interference on her part would mean breaking them again, which she'd rather not do. Which left the bite, because the scrapes and the same abrasions on his wrists as she had found on most of the newbies were negligible in comparison.
indentindentindentThere was a voice nagging at the back of her mind and telling her that it was Sean who had escaped his chains overnight and put them at risk, but she ignored it. Her fingers came away with a coating of half-dried blood as she withdrew them and glanced up at Hanse, before averting her eyes again and focusing on wiping her hands clean.
indentindent"I think it would be best if we tried moving him out of the basement. I don't want to risk it here, I need — somewhere cleaner with a better source of light."

[Zyn]

♔ 𝚂𝚔𝚢𝚕𝚎𝚛 𝚆𝚒𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛 ♔
Alpha || Born Wolf || Male || Twenty-Eight || Demisexual-Homoromatic || wc: 2,101

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♔ Tags: Malia
♔ Mentions: Sean
♔ Mood: i... plz
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Cool air buffeted the thick fur of a white wolf that sat crouched at the edge of the forest his crimson eyes fixated on the cabin and his ears pricked forward as though he was listening to something. His muscles quivered against every instinct that told him to run, to pound through the forest with reckless abandon and yet he sat keeping watch over the cabin. The urge to keep his pack safe and make sure that everyone was okay was the only thing keeping him grounded in this moment. It had been many years since he had lost his anchor and while he had been able to find pieces of things to keep him grounded every shift he would never feel that security again. In fact he was beginning to forget what that security had felt like, grasping at straws to remain in control had become his norm and he couldn't bring himself to recall the days when he hadn't needed to struggle. It was a struggle that he would allow no one to know about, not even his sister or his beta were privy to this. Normally he stood guard over the cabin, never leaving his self imposed station. Goodness knows what drew Sky away from the cabin but the great white wolf had finally stirred and slipped into the forest, allowing the shadows of the trees above to give him some cover against the dark. He hadn't gone far, just far enough to block out the sounds of the cabin and the wolves deep within in the basement wrestling with their wolves and their instinctual need to go into a frenzy. For what could have been a long heart beat or an hour he stood his eyes shut and his mussel tilted towards the sky, deep breaths drawing in the night.

Sky's nostrils flared at the smell of humans, a pair that were far to close for comfort. Worry dancing through his mind and mingling with the wolf's need to run. Barely containing himself he stood and moved back towards the cabin, each step was jerky as though pressing against his desire to keep quiet was the wolf pushing to rush through the woods and they had once done. Sky would have continued at this casual pace when another scent hit his nose. Sean. Fear washed over him and taking with him any bit of control he had over the wolf and the huge wolf shot forward. Thundering paw steps drew him towards the wolf he hadn't even been aware of getting away from the cabin. What was left of his human mind swore loudly at his incompetence and complacency. If he had been at his station like he was supposed to be he would have been able to catch Sean before they had made farther than a couple of feet from the cabin. Instead now he was running blindly through the woods with close to zero control of his wolf. The pounding was in time to his own hammering heart beat as he flew through the woods. As he burst onto the scene he had enough time to take it in before he was flinging himself forward and slamming into the side of the blue grey wolf. Jaws swung around and connected with his throat, biting down and drawing blood before he shook them off and spun to meet the wolf with his own ferocity. Claws and fangs glinted in the night as the two wolves struck again and again. Sky didn't know how long they had fought but in the end he stood the victor with Sean at his paws. The humans were long gone as he hefted Sean up and over his back and staggered back to the cabin. He had practically fallen down the stairs into the basement and the shift from wolf to human had been even more excruciating than usual.

With trembling fingers Sky had shackled Sean once more, this time using the largest set of shackles they owned at the moment. When he was satisfied he had made his way back to the stairs and slumped against the wall. His half lidded eyes had never left Sean and he had sat there for the rest of the night. Fear that he had hurt Sean more than he had intended kept him down in the basement watching over the injured wolf. If he could have gone to Riley to ask her for assistance he would have but she was not around anymore, no doubt wandering the forest far enough away to ignore the pain of the wolves who struggled. As for Sky while he wasn't as injured as Sean he was injured enough to keep him from moving very far. His own injuries would take awhile to heal but his mind tired from the shifts and the fight didn't care. He had stayed there ignoring the way his back cried out in pain at the pressure against way. Stayed there until he knew the other wolves would start stirring and only then had he pushed himself to his feet, he knew he would be the last person Sean would want to see. So he had left, making his way back up the stairs and slinking through the cabin until he was able to quietly slip into his own room. His room was small and contained his day bed by the window and book shelf that had yet to be completely filled with books and a desk. The desk is where he settled, twisting to face the mirror he had propped against the wall. Painfully he peeled his shirt away from his wounds and dropped it in a pile by his feet. His eyes though didn't leave the mirror as he studied his wounds. They had stopped bleeding but the healing factor that they took for granted hadn't worked the same in years. He had hidden his slow healing from Riley and planned on keeping it that way.

As his finger tips drifted over the wounds sky couldn't help the way his mind wandered. He had injured a packmate, something he had never wanted to do. He had seen enough damage caused by hunters and he had never wanted to be the cause of pain. Yet his figurative hands had been tied, if he hadn't stopped Sean they would have been in more danger than if he hadn't. Even with this quiet reassurance in the back of his mind he couldn't help but dwell on the injuries he had caused. On top of that they had been spotted by humans, his biggest fear. If someone caught wind and let it spread it would be all to easy for the news to reach someone who could do some damage. The same people or people like the hunters who had come in the middle of the night and single handedly eradicated a whole pack. Images flashed through his mind, Caden grinning wildly at him from across the room and then his brother laying there his blue eyes blank and glassy with no sign of life. The cabins that had once been so full of life, sound of music and laughter and the scent of fresh baked good replaced by screams and iron. He knew these images all to well for they visited him every night in his sleep, even if he could get rid of them he wouldn't. Being able to see his brother's face even if it was fleeting before the horrors' that followed were enough for him to cling to them. A barely audible gasp drew his mind away from the spiral downwards and his gaze snapped up as he search for the sound of the pained gasp. It took a moment to sink in but when he realized the noise had come from his own throat he gripped the desk a little tighter as he fought to control the lump in his throat.

The sound of his bedroom door opening had Sky jerking into action, his grey eyes flying wide as he scrambled to tug on a shirt and hide the majority of his wounds from sight. His heart hammering in his chest he had barely managed to shift his expression into the same passive one he always wore. Calm and collected. The white knuckle grip he had on the desk was the only sign that he had truly been startled. Malia, he noted, was the one who had barged into his room without knocking. It wasn't like he didn't welcome the pack into his room if they needed anything but he was unused to the lack of knocking. His gaze tracked her as she paced back and forth, her fury crackled off her like lightening. He knew what this was about and he slowly released the grip on his desk to lift his finger to trace the cut on his cheek. Suddenly she was talking and he drew in a soft breath as she stopped and turned to face him. He couldn't fault her for her anger, he himself had been thinking about how strong the new wolves were getting. In fact he had been planning out his meals for the next month, the bare minimum he could eat to survive while saving enough money to have reinforced chains by the next full moon. How many shift he could pick up to help supplement that income, with the things that broke in the cabin he was often strapped for cash and hadn't bought anything for himself in few years now. Not that he would complain it was part of being alpha. He couldn't ask anyone else to do that. Just like with the pack and keeping them safe that was burden he had to carry. If it came down to the packs safety and his life he would choose the pack every time. But if he didn't figure out something to help contain the new wolves it wouldn't matter how many times he lay down his life they would still be in danger from hunters.

Sky opened his mouth to explain his plan but then snapped his jaw shut as Malia continued. Her next words were like a dagger straight to the chest, they had risked exposer and the idea of them not being so lucky next time sent his heart thundering again. Her next words felt like she had taken that dagger and twisted it before stabbing him again for good measure. The idea of history repeating itself hounded Sky's every move and he was constantly afraid that the hunters from the past would find them and track them down. Would rip his pack, his family, from his fingers and leave him to pick up the pieces once more. Though if it came to that he wouldn't flee like before, no this time he would stand his ground. Lifting his hand he raked his fingers through his hair, if there was a slight tremor to his hands then hopefully it would go unnoticed. How she had managed to find the exact words to pry out the right response he had no idea. The fact he managed to keep the agony off his expression was a miracle, on the inside he wanted to recoil and leave the conversation. To get away from the truth that was being thrust upon him. "It won't happen again Malia, it can't. I have a plan to reinforce the basement again, just have to gather the funds but it will be done by the full moon. The people in Airdale won't find out, the people that saw were drunk and nobody will believe a word they say" he said steadily. "Of the wolves turned most we have gathered here were already turned by someone else, this is their home as much as it is ours. I will just have been more careful, these wolves need this pack as much as we, I needed it. And if something happens I will deal with it, I won't allow this to come back to haunt the pack." A promise that held more weight then he had intended. Pushing himself up from the chair he made his way over to his dresser and dug around until he produced a jacket before turning to face Malia once more. "I need to get some air, probably go into town to get some insiders information. If Riley isn't already with Sean can you make sure she knows he is injured?" His voice was steady as he pulled on the jacket, internally wincing at the pain that shot through his back at the movement.

[Fawnie]

✵ 𝐉𝐚𝐲𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫
xxxxxxxx▶ || rank: omega || location: woods/kitchen || tags: sky, riley, drystan, sean, jamie
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"Jayce! What do you do when you get scared?"
"Hide!"
"Good, then what?"
"Wait for you to come find me."

Billowing breath filled the cool, quiet night. A conversation with only one set of prints in the settling snow. Jayce lifted his face to the full moon, its light washed past his closed eyes and into his bones, nestling in his small quiet frame. The fullness of the moon didn't bother him much now, not nearly as much as the anchoring memories that tied him to a life that seemed just beyond reach, but as real as his heartbeat.

Skyler's lone frame sat eclipsed to the moon just a few yards away. Often on nights like this, Jayce lingered in his shadow. Weaker than the rest, but with a desire to contribute to the pack more than most. Sky understood that- though, he couldn't even begin to assume what the others must think of him. Aside from Riley and Drystan, of course, but even then...
He wondered where they might be tonight. The trio shared a particular disdain for the full moon. Drystan and himself with reasons more obvious, though Riley... he wistfully recalled the several months she would disappear whilst he and Drystan managed themselves through the night. He huffed another big breath of mist and watched it swirl against the twinkling stars.

Better to leave the night to Sky. A few still needed to spend the night in the basement, and he could only imagine the thoughts that battled each other in Sky's mind. Fortunately, the basement is a place Jayce has never seen, let alone spent a night in. It was the very reason he spent his nights outside the house, though this was a privilege earned either by trust or pity due to his weakened wolf state. Jayce didn't bother spending much time contemplating which box he checked, what was the point? He never wanted this life anyway. To him, perhaps it was a blessing, to feel less of a monster than the others. It was slim, the hope that brightened his thoughts on nights where his eyes married the splintering wood that made the ceiling of his room. But no matter how you shuffled the cards, Jayce was a monster through and through.

Crunching snow broke the silence as his slender frame blended into the trees while Skyler's grew smaller before disappearing all together. It wasn't that the urge to destroy didn't pulse through his veins. Anguish wracked his body as he recalled the many nights Thomas took his viscous desires during his transformation out on Jayce. "It's better this way." Thomas's growl echoed. Jayce grimaced. It was true, it kept them both out of trouble. Now, the feeling the other wolves felt to physically destroy manifested mentally for Jayce- and oh how exhausting that was. His only solace was when dawn broke and the hatred dissipated.

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God, just the smell of coffee was a cure-all. The instant stuff was a guilty pleasure after a tumultuous night. The hissing from the pot was the only music he needed. No time to grind beans, that process deserved care and devotion, Jayce would not slack on something so important. Jamie cupped tea in her hands, likely warming her musing thoughts and hands from a night he wouldn't ask about. He never did, ask about. The silence was almost comforting against the stale air that not even coffee could penetrate. Though, their breakfast muses were interrupted as the front door swung open and Riley stood, disheveled, in its wake. That, too, he would never ask about. Through their months spent seeing each other every day, Jayce was never a person she confided in. Their relationship wasn't complex, and though he grew fond of her blonde hair and gentle touches, it wasn't something he saw or felt much of since he wasn't falling apart- physically.

Coffee cup in hand, Jayce slipped around the corner before Riley even looked up. Jamie was their resident confidant, there was no denying that, and he had no intentions attending a meeting he wasn't invited to. He was certain the healer would be gathering as much information as she could before she had to face the morning after.
He did not envy her for that. He brushed his free hand through his hair, pushing it out of his eyes. Maybe he would work the courage up to ask if she needed anything later on, after she's had time to do her job and let her emotions reel through her before they left her, forced to prepare for the following days.

Quietly, he made his way to the stairs. He did not want to be in earshot, and he desperately needed to shower off the hatred that-though soothed with the sunken moon- still left a bitter taste on his tongue.