☾ ——- ❝ ＥＬＹＳＩＵＭ ❞ — [ closed ]

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❝ 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗥 𝗝𝗜𝗡🡖 ꏢ ❟❟
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the driver :( | he/him | (@) the wreck
tags; da3, andi soren| mentions; <--

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every part of his entire body hurt.

unsurprising, nonetheless, that it does. it just still was unbearable to deal with. the ringing in his ears, the feeling of the blood trickling down his neck and the dry feeling in his throat. his head was unbearably dizzy, briar felt like he was unable to see even two feet in front of him. in all honesty, briar wasn't really sure where he was once they started walking forward. he had no idea what was really going on at that point, the throbbing in his head and his spine becoming more unbearable by the moment. his shoulder that has previously stung and burn when soren had moved it had completely gone num, briar worried his arm was beginning to fall off at some point.

it felt safer to lose touch with reality, a weird thing for him to admit. he felt bad, it meant that he really wasn't hearing anything that soren was saying even if he was trying his best to make out the words from the muffled sounds. it just felt better to somehow let himself slip away from his body for a moment, at least it made it feel like his body was less heavy to drag along. if he didn't focus on how badly his body hurt, he could easily try and power through, right?

briar didn't know if soren had said anything to warn him or not, future him would appreciate the gesture, only crying out in pain for a short moment when soren had completely given up on trying to help him walk and just picked him up bridal style - briar was only thankful he was so out of touch with everything that was going on around him, otherwise he knew damn well his face would have been red from not only the blood covering him. he didn't fight it or say anything - he didn't try to move, either. he only wrapped his arms around himself as soren marched forward. briar swore he only closed his eyes for just a couple seconds before the darknessof his closed eyelids was replaced with a golden brown. lights. lights?

briar couldn't really get his eyes to focus on anything around him. he could recognize the distinct figures of three of his coworkers- unfortunately getting grounded by feeling the embarrassment of having them seeing him carried in such a manner. briar would have swallowed harder if it didn't hurt so badly. he felt so relieved to finally be sitting down at least - the chair wasn't the height of luxury, but it was so much better than the rough tarmac that he had only ate so welcomely with his entire body earlier. it felt so much better to lean back into something and hold his stomach defensively, his entire body rocking back and forth as he only drowned out the voices even further. there was only one voice outside of the recognizable one of soren's - the voice sounded hostile. briar didn't want to listen.

he was forced to focus up with the male up in his face suddenly, briar wasn't too sure when he had gotten there or if he had been there long. the feeling of him cleaning up his blood felt relieving, briar only closing his eyes to even let try and calm himself down in the slightest, it was relieving to even get something off of him, even if it wasn't much. the idea of pain medication sounded nice, the idea of anything making it even a little better was just amazing to him. anything to get rid of the awful feeling all throughout his body and his nerves. with the medic's quick words - briar had only wished he was still zoned out as hard as he was, the mention of ennis even indirectly making a sinking feeling in his stomach tug down more violently than any of the pain in his spine had the entire night. briar still felt like he couldn't move a single muscle in his body, only left with his body rocking back and forth again, the comment the only thing he could feel sitting in his empty stomach. the feeling was dreadful - it felt like doom, it made briar more nauseated than being injured. he had killed someone.

oh my god. he killed someone.

his hands were shaking on his knees. he couldn't feel much in his body besides the pain, really, but he could feel how hard he was shaking. briar didn't want to cry. god he felt so undeserving to cry in that moment. he was the reason everyone was so banged up, he couldn't even fathom the idea of crying. if it wasn't so hard to move his arm, he'd pinch himself for even encouraging the idea. his eyes only dropping to his own hands, the feeling of doom only setting in so deep into his stomach, enough it felt like it was anchoring deep down and hard. was the blood on his hands even his anymore?

briar couldn't focus much on what was said after - the sound of the door slamming somehow feeling so far away, even if the door was only a few feet away from him in retrospect. everything felt so far away, his own hands feeling like they were miles away even if they were just sitting on his kneecaps. the fear was incomprehensible, his heart feeling like it was going to drag his ribs into his chest and slowly cause briar to implode on himself. the feeling was so painful, he couldn't tell if it was from everything going on around him or if it was caused from the physical injuries. at some point briar couldn't differentiate the feelings anymore, they all hurt his body the same. he was so sick to his stomach.

he turned his head slightly towards soren when he felt his hand grab his. he didn't know what he said, god he had no idea what he had just said to him. briar could only hang his head at him lightly as he tried to hold his hand as tightly as possible. in reality, he had no idea if he was even properly holding his hand at that point. the feeling of warmth was comforting- he felt so undeserving of it. god he didn't think he deserved the feeling of comfort after what he had just done. it made it easier to stop rocking, briar occasionally felt his hand twitch around his as he only barely rubbed his finger against soren's, the feeling of just someone helping him breathe straighter. he felt so undeserving of it.

he regretted repeating himself so much in his head- soren's hand leaving briar's with the warmth leaving with him almost immediately, briar's heart only dropped back down to his stomach. he didn't want him to leave just yet, he was still terrified. the jacket was nice - god the jacket was nice, heating up his shoulders instantly in replacement of his hands, but the feeling wasn't fleeting. he felt himself shaking like he was on his last leg, his mouth opening to try and oppose to him leaving, but no words were able to come out of his mouth. he felt so frustrated, mostly in himself, but god, he was so frustrated with everything going on around him. he couldn't even get himself to turn and look at the trio next to him, his focus channeling completely onto the door after soren had left, the familiar feeling of nausea welcoming him almost too quickly.

"so..sor," he tried to choke out, his own voice cracking and shaking as he spoke. he chose to stop trying, only shaking his head pathetically as he heard himself. god he was so disappointed in himself. briar never thought he would hit such a feeling of rock bottom - feeling so purposeless, but watching the door stay shut only made the feeling feel stronger in his chest. briar couldn't take it anymore, his hands only pathetically balling into a weak fist. briar only lifted his hands up slowly to grab the jacket around his shoulders tightly in his hands, holding it like it was the only keeping his stitches together. if the jacket were to come off, briar was scared he was going to fall completely apart, limb from limb. he still was fighting back tears, his tongue tightly between his teeth as he only let out heavy and shaky breaths, his head still hung over his own body. briar felt humiliated. the whole situation felt embarrassing, he felt so disgusting for the thoughts he was having. all briar could think of was how badly he wished it had been him instead of ennis, he felt like his heart was hurting him more than any injury on his body.

he couldn't wait anymore. he just couldn't wait anymore. he felt selfish sitting in the shed - he wasn't even looking at them, he was barely acknowledging anyone was in the room with him, and he was still wanting to cry. he felt like such a selfish prick - pinching his tongue tighter again as he only pulled the jacket further up his shoulders so he could push himself up shakily. he almost didn't believe in himself - shocking himself when he was standing up straight, his hand only holding onto the cabinet next to him for a moment. he grabbed the jacket on his shoulder again to make sure it stayed on his shoulders as he only looked at the trio apologetically for a short second - before opening the door to the medic's shed slowly and shakily, his eyes struggling incredibly to adjust to the dark in front of him.

he didn't mean to let the door close behind him the way he did- he didn't realize he was leaning himself on the doorknob the way he was until it basically swung closed behind him- causing him to jump slightly as he kept staring forward, his eyes struggling to focus on the two figures in front of him. one was clearly soren, right? briar kept blinking in hopes it would clear up anything, but he could only feel panic setting in the more his vision cleared up. briar at least found soren - but with another stranger in front of him clearly, both of them looking disoriented. who were all these people showing up?

"you-" briar started, before swallowing his words and only leaning back into the closed door, allowing himself to stop holding his body weight just up by his legs again. "i hate it here," briar managed to mutter, his voice cracking as he had to bite his tongue harshly again - the tears welding up in his eyes the longer he had looked at soren. he couldn't believe himself. he couldn't believe the situation at all. he was just hoping this was some sick kind of nightmare he was going to wake up from, or some hidden camera he could point at and it could be all over. no one else seemed to be talking about the fact a man was also a wolf, briar felt like he was going insane. maybe it was just what he got for being a murderer.

a murderer.

"soren, i- who-" briar started again, hiccuping in his own voice before his eyes shifted towards the stranger again. he only shook his head at her, a few tears dripping down his cheek shamefully as he hung his head one more time. maybe he shouldn't have followed him outside, he didn't know what he was doing. he didn't even remember getting here, he didn't know what he was even doing. the confusion was mind-numbing and stomach churning.


ooc; dont look at the post time,,, can u just let me know if i gotta fix something im NOT PROOFREADING THIS ONE!!!!

[chase.]

𝐀𝐀𝐃𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐀 𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐇 xxxx ♛
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[ bengal tiger ] [ she/her ] [ location - kitchen > beside medic cabin ] [ feeling - is this what it means to be the mum friend? ]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxAndi watched with a concerned frown as the man made no effort to get up, the guilt of watching him flop back onto his back after she retracted her hand was gnawing at her. Well done Andi, what a lovely display of hospitality, tackle the poor man and then accidentally drop him again. It was the kind of stunt her brother would pull on purpose—and she liked to think she had a better grasp on benevolence than he did. Should she go and find Rio? No, no absolutely not. Somehow he’d turn the attack into Soren’s fault or he’d figure out that Mercer had tipped her off—or, yeah, yeah no Rio could stay out of this one. She was a full grown woman and she didn’t need her brother to pull her out of her mess this time. The tiger blinked at the human, her thoughts finally going from a tidal wave to the gentle lap of white foam against a shore. She could do this, maybe if she was lucky the human would forgive her? Hopefully a genuine forgiveness and not one borne out of the fear that he’d be mauled if he didn’t fawn.

“Of course, yeah, I believe you, I just panicked, I'm sorry,” She murmured quietly, placing her hands on her thighs as she knelt in the grass, shuffling ever so slightly closer so she could look at the damage. Her hand tucked the hair over her ear as she looked at the little pinpricks she’d left in the stranger’s clothing—the tiniest drops of blood visible. Her fingers dug into her palms as she closed her fists, drawing her hands to her lap. She couldn’t bring herself to look at her nails, if she saw the slightest glimpse of crimson she’d start babbling a hundred apologies. It was easier to remain calm and believe she hadn’t drawn blood if she didn't check herself for the evidence. At the very least she’d taken down someone who appeared to have recovered remarkably quickly, a man with enough muscle and fat to not have broken apart like a china doll beneath the heavy paws of a big cat.

“Amish?” Andi let out a humoured huff, not quite a giggle given the circumstance but she couldn’t help but find the comment a little entertaining. Being considered Amish was a first, given her particularly not-pale complexion. She glanced around; it was a little plausible, a bunch of somewhat antisocial people living in the depths of the wilderness—hand built log cabins and structures surrounding them. “No, we’re not Amish, it’s just safer for us if we live away from, well, your people I suppose.” She replied delicately, eyes still focused on the marks she’d left on the poor man. It must have been jarring to be alone in the wild entirely at the mercy of a bunch of strangers; and if Rio and Mercer had been the welcoming party she couldn’t blame the strangers for their apprehension. Pretty much anyone else would have been preferable to greet humans. “This is my brother’s place, he just wanted to be as far away from humans as he could get, so can’t really blame you for think—”

The door to the medic shed slammed shut, and Andi startled for a split-second, head lurching to look at who had appeared. The sound reverberated for a moment, the hair raising on the back of her neck like a feral cat. She couldn’t help but stare wide-eyed at the newcomer. Gods he looked to be a state. He held himself awkwardly, like merely standing was a great effort, his frame trembled and Andi couldn’t tell if it was from pain or from shock. What on earth had happened to him? A weak ‘I hate it here,” came from his lips, and it was hard not to take a little offence to the statement—this was her home away from home, her second family, hate was a very strong word. ‘Dislike’ would have been a little nicer, but the cracking of his voice drew her eyebrows together in a gentle concern, her maternal instincts caught up with her and she found herself looking him over—offence at his choice of wording washed away in an instant.

The name of the man she had bulldozed was spoken, and Andi, fleetingly distracted, turned to look at him. “Nice to meet you guys, I’m Andi,” she supplied in an easily calm tone, rising to a stand with a speed that resembled someone trying not to spook a startled deer. Tears dripped down the black-haired man’s face, and the guilt of brutally mowing down Soren ebbed as distress grew for their circumstance. “I’m sorry if the noise frightened you, it was a misunderstanding, I didn’t mean to scare anyone.” She breathed softly, taking a hesitant step towards the newcomer. A misunderstanding was a bit of an understatement; Andi was just thankful for her self-restraint—that could have gone so horrifically wrong and she wasn’t sure she’d have ever forgiven herself. Hurting people just wasn’t in her nature, violence against others made her stomach churn and a deep dread settled within her lungs; it was something done out of either desperation or pure vile hatred. If push came to shove, she could do it, maybe, but the brand of shame would forever be an invisible scar on her skin. It wasn’t a burden she wanted to place on herself, not when there were so many better alternatives. She could do it for her friends or her family if they asked, and if they had good enough reason, but still the shame wouldn’t simply be washed away with a night’s sleep. Though there were times when the instincts stamped out the rational thought and the tiger acted before she could stop herself, unsheathing claws and lunging without a chance to reconsider.

“You must be the boy I could smell on him,” she murmured after a moment of silence, not fully realising how jarring her words must’ve been to two very human individuals. They had made it this far, and with one of them practically reeking of Mercer, they’d have had to have seen something. She paused mid-step, eyes flickering between Soren and the newcomer. “I’m sorry, do you think maybe one of you could tell me what’s happened? I think my friend indoors might have been a little too emotional to tell it truthfully.” Calling Mercer a friend was a stretch right now, she was ninety nine percent confident he didn’t like her whatsoever, so it was a one-sided friendship at best, and now after she’d been practically let loose like a ticking time bomb, her kindness towards him was wavering. ‘He has his reasons’, she reminded herself sternly, even if she hadn’t the slightest clue as to what those were. If Coby could have been with the wolf for years, there must be some good to him—even if was buried beneath layers upon layers of spite and hatred for anything that had a pulse.

[ inventory, n/a ]

[ tags, soren, briar ] [ mentions, rio, mercer, coby ]

[друг]

❝ If I was aware of the open outside, of the planets and the citiesxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxand the flowers and the bedrooms — I’d go away for too long now

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⯭ ⋅ ── ⋅ 𝐒𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐍 𝐇𝐀𝐒𝐊𝐄𝐋𝐋 ⋅ ─ ⋅

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tagging; briar, andi
mentioned; collie, orion, (mercer)
location; dirt man man dirt man
thirty-two ⋅ cismale, he/himx⋅xcontractor

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The wind combed its fingers through the crowns of the trees encircling the clearing, resulting in a soft hushing sound that, in the dark, seemed to fall upon Soren from all around. The thrumming in his ears had faded as the pounding of his heart had evened out, and with the adrenaline gone, soreness had spread throughout his body, leaving him heavy and limbless against the ground. Rusty specks of falling leaves drifted across the star-littered sky, before disappearing behind the eave of the shed that obscured part of his vision as he lay in the grass. He felt like falling asleep right then and there. Yet the voice of the woman was keeping him awake and tethered, and he could hear it clearer now without the blood rushing through his ears — like soft bells that pulled your attention somewhere a few blocks away. There was a lilt to her voice that Soren couldn't place or recognise, and it drew his hooded eyes down to what he could see of her shape sitting somewhere past where the scuffed toes of his boots jutted up toward the sky.

indentindentSprawled in the grass, making no effort to move, he must have been a concerning sight. Unconscious or dead, if it weren't for the glint of his blue eyes moving under the moonlight. Really, he was quite comfortable, and with the strains of the crash and having carried Briar through the woods making themselves known in his muscles, tugging at those fibers like gently prodding fingers, he was not exactly in a hurry to drag himself up. Nonetheless, the concern in her voice made him move, slowly at first, gathering his arms to himself and then raising his body to rest upon his elbows so that he could look at her more closely. She, too, had come closer, only for Soren to be looking her straight in the eye as she gave an explanation he couldn't quite understand. The fabric stretched across his chest shifted, uncomfortably tugging loose from the small amount of blood that had adhered it to his skin.

indentindentHis people? What could it mean? Soren craned his head towards his bunched shoulder to pull the cap back onto his head again. He was socially conscious enough to know that he was a straight white man, and did not blame anyone for being tired of all the things straight white men had gotten up to, but Orion proved the theory of this place being thus-far free of white men wrong. Americans? Again, he couldn't say he didn't understand a desire to get away from all that noise. He had done the same, frankly, even if it had been motivated more by a good job opportunity in Canada than any general distaste for his fellow Americans. But that theory didn't quite click, either. He was the only American among his coworkers, and they had only just met — she had not yet been exposed to his gentle Mainer drawl.

indentindentThen it struck him. Did she mean the working class? Was this some kind of retreat for the wealthy? It would have explained both the snotty brit and the pet tiger. Soren frowned. He needed to talk to Collie soon, because the both of them couldn't have been more in the wrong place. An ex-military orphan and the son of a lobster fisherman, working blue collar jobs, couldn't have been the target audience of a secluded resort for the rich. Once, Collie had shown him one of those movies where a group of obscenely wealthy people had invited guests onto their private island just to hunt them for sport. The resemblance of their situation was... concerning. It really did feel like the beginning of a horror movie, and he couldn't help thinking that Collie might have felt the same. Maybe Soren's subconscious warning him was the creeping feeling he had experienced earlier.

indentindentShabby as he was, smeared equally with dirt, blood, sweat, and grass stains, he should have felt more uncomfortable in front of this woman. Yet her appearance did not match any idea of the wealthy elite that he had in his head — she was kneeling in the grass in cookie monster pyjama pants. The theory he had formed was already beginning to crumble, and he was surprisingly disappointed in himself for not having seen it earlier. Shouldn't there have been more security on the premises if this were a place housing a number of the world's influential individuals? Or at least serving staff, because he couldn't imagine that anyone with enough money to pay to have their laundry done would have bothered to do it themselves, let alone cooked their own dinner. And where was the heli that should have been parked in the middle of the clearing, ready to take them back home once they got tired of playing at camping? No, he couldn't have been right, but the relief of knowing he wasn't going to be hunted for sport was short-lived.

indentindentIt was a cult. They might not have been Amish, but this was most certainly a religious cult of some kind, holed up in the woods, away from society, waiting for the end times, or the rapture, or something similar. What it was didn't really matter, because Soren knew that those who made good, level-headed decisions did not do that. And in a moment of desperation, he had yelled at one of them. He could sense the consequences barreling toward himself at high speeds. A soft liturgical hymn started up in his head, proudly announcing to Soren that he was going to die. He drew a soothing smile onto his face, and laughed amicably under his breath. It was not laughter over his own foolishness of having thought them Amish — it was the laugh of someone who knew exactly what their fate was going to be, and had no choice but to accept it because the chances of anything else happening were so brutally slim. He didn't generally mess with things he didn't understand, regardless of whether he believed in them or not.

indentindent"This is my brother’s place, he just wanted to be as far away from humans as he could get." Anyone else's first thought might have been to consider this a biological or adoptive brother, someone who had been fortunate enough in life to acquire a private property far away from everything, but with what had just passed through Soren's head, he was convinced that everyone in this cult referred to each other as brother and sister. It was the sort of thing that was mentioned in low-budget documentaries about the lesser-known cults no one had ever heard about because they had all died in some hole in the woods for the glory of a reptilian overlord. What concerned him more was the fact that she had just referred to humans as if she were not herself a part of that species. It was a sign of severe, shared derangement, and Soren knew that he had to tread carefully. His fate might have been sealed by his own actions, but his friends were not yet doomed. And if these people had wanted to get away from humans, he supposed it really didn't get much more isolated than the Canadian wilderness, unless one felt like heading out onto the Pacific, or visiting Antarctica. It wasn't promising in terms of them finding someone else to help them escape this situation before Soren was turned into a ritual offering.

indentindentA strip of light landed in the grass beside the woman, meaning the door to the shed had been opened, and Soren could no longer bring himself to be shocked over someone having heard the commotion and deciding to see what battle of titans had started outside. What did concern him was that the face that emerged was Briar's. He should not have been standing, let alone worrying about Soren. Maybe it was a good sign that he could stand at all, or at least that's what Soren told himself for a shred of hope. Briar was still crying, and the skin of his cheeks glistened sadly in the moonlight. No other thing, none of this eldritch horror, had managed to make Soren stand up, but seeing the boy stand there so awfully broken made Soren lever himself off the ground and onto his feet, trying not to pay mind to the sharp aches that shot through his chest. The words that left Briar's mouth finally startled him, and not because of the truth in them, but because of who was listening. He had already decided that he would get Briar out of this place, and he would never have to suffer under the knowledge of the extent of the danger they had been in.

indentindentThe contrived smile on Soren's face hardly wavered as he made it to Briar's side and offered a supporting arm to get the weight off his feet. He didn't like the way the woman had reacted, startled, as if having been caught doing something wrong, or perhaps considering herself the one in danger. None of it was promising. The way she introduced herself was so normal, so ordinary, that it was jarring. Those words didn't belong here, and Soren tried not to be obvious in the way he tensed when she took a step closer to Briar. Without really thinking about it, he was readying himself to go on the offensive so that he could take Briar and run. It wasn't ideal because it meant leaving everyone else behind, but he didn't know what else to do. He felt surrounded. For now, he would try to pretend as if everything was fine.
indentindentindent"I'm Soren, and this is Briar," he supplied, no longer slurring as he must have been after being struck to the ground, but with a stiffness to the way the corner of his mouth quirked up to form its smile. "Just a misunderstanding. No harm done." he concurred, suddenly conscious of how the door at his back held three more of his friends.

indentindentThe comment about being able to smell Briar on him still managed to take Soren by surprise. He should have expected something like it, knowing how she did not consider herself human and must have believed she had a number of superhuman abilities that warranted separating herself from mankind. Yet he simply was not capable of entertaining the line of discussion as if it was the most ordinary thing, and so he simply stared, praying that his silence passed for anything but disbelief. Surely he must have heard somewhere before that it was best to go along with someone's delusions, because trying to forcefully bring them back to reality would only result in a hostile reaction. Soren was glad she followed it up by asking them to explain what had happened, because that he could do, but the comment about her emotional friend waiting indoors only came across as threatening.
indentindentindent"We were driving to a campsite when we must have taken a wrong turn, and struck something on the road." The wording was deliberate. Soren knew what real guilt was. It was making a choice and telling yourself that you had to make it because the alternative would have been painful, or frightening. Courage demanded pain, sometimes. It wasn't a reason to turn the other way. But Briar had done nothing wrong. In fact, he might have saved lives, because that crash could have ended with all of them dead. There was no way of knowing. That wasn't guilt. It wasn't culpability. Soren was guilty: he had killed people for a cause he had never truly believed in. Then he had gone on living without ever really thinking about it. He had latched on to Collie, because the sole relief a man like that could have was to know someone else who understood. That was how true brothers came to be.

indentindentFor some reason, he thought about the one and only time the face of a dead friend — not a combatant, or a civilian, or anyone else who might have died under his gun, or the bombs, or every other nasty consequence of warfare, but a fellow marine who hadn't come back from a mission — had innocuously appeared in his dream, and he had told his girlfriend at the time that he needed to go buy some toothpaste before promptly getting up and walking out onto the dark street. It had been three in the morning. The severity of how this night could end struck him much like the dark upon waking at three in the morning, but that didn't seem the point of why such a memory had surfaced now. What Soren was really thinking about was how he would fare if this car accident and the mess that had followed were to finally trigger some latent PTSD. Maybe his sense of mental calm all these years had been a fluke. And even if he were to walk out of this place alive, what would that life look like? What would it look like for Briar? The only way to find out was to make it there.

indentindentindent"One of your, ah, brethren found us, and said we could shelter here until morning." That was as neutral as Soren could make his statement. The last thing he wanted to do was provoke Andi and be forced to find out exactly how emotional her friend might have been feeling.

[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; collie
mentioned; vic, rio, salem, mercer
location; main cabin/lounge
twenty-five x⋅x cisfemale, she/her x⋅x dog

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Collie leant to draw his strong fingers over the smooth ears of the shepherd at his feet, and as much as Coby loathed herself for it, the sight made her uneasy. It was entirely in her head — the calcified insecurities about how other people saw her once they knew she shared her physical form with a dog. The questions intruded on her mind, demanding to know that if she were still on four feet, would he have tried to do the same without thinking twice? Was he following her around so gladly because he saw her as something... she wasn't sure, less than human? Pet-like? A semi-person whose presence was mollified by her canine shape? There was already a dog in the house, Hank, and at first, Coby had been wracked with questions about reconciling his existence as a pet and her own agency as a person, but those concerns had been soothed by both the knowledge that the others living in the cabin understood her inherently because they, too, were shifters, and that the reason Hank lived with them was that Vic had rescued him from a terrible situation.

indentindentShe couldn't rely on any of that with Collie, the human who had only just learned what a shifter was, and would inevitably stumble in seeing the animals in the house for what they really were inside and treating them accordingly. She didn't want him to like her just because he liked dogs. It was embarrassing. In that moment, Coby missed Archie, but when did she not. Had he been there, maybe she wouldn't have thought so little of herself, because she knew she never could have thought any less of him just because his shift happened to be a dog. Archie would have told her to stop thinking so hard, because it was making her stupid. Muscle memory urged her to wrap her fingers around the wrist where his geometric scribble was tattooed, but the pillows in her arms kept her from doing so, and instead, she lowered her eyes to the grain of the wooden floorboards somewhere past Collie's feet.

indentindentBringing up Mercer had been a choice, and she feared that choice had been a mistake. Collie's reaction had been peculiar, and she was ashamed to realise that she might have been hoping for something different, even while she did not know what that might have been. "Can’t really blame him I suppose." Coby didn't know what to say to that. She should have blamed Mercer for a number of things, but instead she spent all her time worrying about his well-being, and feeling guilty over still wanting him close even while the reason they had broken up indicated that she should have desired anything but that. Yet how could she let go of the one person who had sacrificed everything in an effort to keep her and Archie together, no matter how wrong it had all turned out in the end? He had kept her alive for a long time, far past where she thought she could make it. Then, inevitably, all the things that had brought them together in the first place had driven them apart once the pack had changed their circumstances so drastically. Placing the blame solely on Mercer might have been the cowardly thing to do. She had made her choices, too.

indentindentAll Coby could do was reason to herself that she had simply wanted to clear the air about Mercer's actions on the road for the sake of their two groups getting along. It helped a little bit, but the matter seemed to sink somewhere within her like a pebble that she didn't want to reach out for. She should have said something when Collie thanked her for the blankets and hospitality, especially since encouraging that gratitude for when Rio was around just might have lessened the friction that had sprung into being upon their first meeting, but instead she found herself nodding mildly, her own thoughts having lessened her bravery into that of a lamb — if it had ever even been any greater than that. When Collie moved, she found herself following this time around, as quiet a shadow as the shepherd in his wake. The comparison was discouraging.

indentindentShe wasn't surprised that Collie had found his way to the right room, considering there weren't all that many places the hallway led to, and Rio had been gracious enough not to tell the humans to sleep on the cold floor of the utility room. She flicked on the light and placed the pillows temporarily down on one of the couches, in the nook of the armrest, and nodded at him once more, before realising it would have been good to verbalise her thoughts.
indentindentindent"Rio wanted you in the lounge — this is it," she explained, with a strained smile that was meant to convince herself that everything was going to be alright. In the back of her head lived the echo of his words by the side of the road, the refrain that reminded her the humans would not be allowed to leave in the morning. Just standing there, busying herself by stripping all the uncomfortable decorative pillows from the couches, felt like lying. She wished she had less respect for Rio, or perhaps no trust in his judgment, because then it would have been much easier to begin screaming with a demand to know what the hell any of them were going to do about any of this, or what the hell they were going to do without Josie, because she was incapable of imagining it. That scream might have been the same one she had been holding in since she was six years old.

indentindentCoby finally stilled enough to briefly press the knuckles of her hand to the space between her brows. None of the couches were sofa beds, and right then, it felt like enough of a reason to develop a headache. But she had known that already. Muffled steps traveled along the hallway, carrying through the wall to her, and she refocused on pulling a blanket off the back of a couch so she could add it to their pile of bedding. Collie asked her about the others, and truthfully, she didn't really want to think about them, because all of her energy was being split between maintaining her composure and getting the lounge set up so they could all go to bed and not think at all for a while. She shook her head, before turning away from the couch to look at him.
indentindentindent"I'm not sure," she admitted. "Salem's the only one of us with any real medical skills. If their injuries were complicated, it might be taking a while. Maybe the others are waiting with them." It was an attempt at easing his mind. Coby imagined that was what she would have done, had their roles been reversed: stick with the group, don't wander off. She knew well how frightening an unfamiliar place could be if you happened to arrive in the dark. She hesitated for a while, before asking the question that had arisen in her mind. "Do you think your friends will be able to sleep? We don't really get live TV here, but I used to put on movies for my brother when they were still trying to put us into foster homes, and he had a hard time sleeping in any new place. There are some on the shelves below the TV." She inclined her head slightly toward them. It wouldn't have been unusual if sleep were out of the question after a traumatic event. Had Coby not been dead tired herself, she might have wondered whether sleep was a possibility for herself.

indentindentThe shadow in the doorway past Collie shifted, drawing her eyes. Mercer stepped into the warm light of the lounge, but stopped to loom halfway into the room as he caught sight of the man inside, his dark eyes fixated on the back of his head after moving away from Coby's face. He hadn't changed out of the tattered t-shirt he had been wearing on the road, one which she knew he had owned at least since the group home, and dried blood-stains decorated the front of it, but his hands were clean, recently scrubbed telling by the redness of the skin of his knuckles, showing from in-between the tattoos. Strands of black hair had fallen out of place, sticking out over his ear and falling to his forehead. His face held its ostensible impassivity, but Coby could tell that he was exhausted, and uncertain. Mercer must have last seen Collie on the road, with a knife in his hand — a knife she had admittedly lost track of — and it was only then she noted just how tall Collie actually was, taller than most of those living in the cabin. He must have seemed threatening just then. She bit at the inside of her lip.
indentindentindent"Give us a minute," she remarked to Collie, before walking around him and to Mercer, so that the latter wouldn't have to leave his corner of safety near the door to the kitchen.

indentindentIt was still awkward, just as it had been to see him on the road, but a large part of it seemed self-inflicted. In her mind, people who had broken up weren't meant to be around each other all the time, and keeping herself separate from him to make end of their relationship clear had been difficult. It wasn't easy to let go of someone you knew so thoroughly, no matter what they had done. She didn't know what to say, but he spared her the overthinking. "I should have been there." The tears rose up again, a stinging vice grip around her throat, and she couldn't get a word out. For a moment he didn't seem to know what to do, before he held his arms slightly aloft, just free of his sides, and Coby gave in easier than she should have. His arms were stiff around her at first, as if he hadn't expected it either, before he relaxed and held her in a firm embrace.

indentindentCoby didn't realise that she was crying until the wet soaking into the fabric of Mercer's shirt touched the skin of her cheek. She stepped away to wipe her face on her shoulder, yet found herself reluctant to relinquish the one bit of comfort she had been afforded all night. It didn't seem to matter that it had come from Mercer. It had merely felt familiar. "I took her to the boathouse." The suggestion was implicit, that she could visit Josie, or say goodbye, or whatever it was that people did with the dead. Neither of them had ever been good at that.
indentindentindent"Yeah, I'll just finish helping Collie set up for his friends," she answered quietly, swiftly wiping at her other cheek with the edge of a faded sleeve. Mercer's eyes lifted from her and turned to something back in the lounge, and Coby was struck by shame when she remembered that Collie really hadn't gone anywhere. It was humiliating enough that she had just given a sobbing hug to her former boyfriend, but having a witness to her backslide was worse. She touched Mercer's arm to regain his attention. "You should go back to bed." He stood there looking at her searchingly for a second longer, and Coby knew exactly what was going through his head. "I'll be fine."

indentindentWith one last look, Mercer turned and disappeared up the stairs, and Coby braced herself to go back to the task at hand. She wiped her face one last time, ran an uneasy hand through her hair, and returned to the couch she had been painstakingly preparing, keeping her head down the entire time. With stilted movements, she tucked the corners of a sheet between the cushions, her back turned, unable to look him in the eye. Every once in a while, she sniffled quietly, as the tears persisted. It was going to be a long night.

[chase.]

𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐄 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐘xxxx ♛
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[ security ] [ he/him ] [ location - lounge ] [ feeling - like what do you even do if your crush sobs in her ex’s arms in front of you ]

xxxxx

xxxxx”Maybe the others are waiting with them,”

’Or maybe they’ve all been buried already, or perhaps just thrown in the river.’ No, he’d have surely heard the commotion. Felix and Briar were both in a precarious state, but with a name like ‘Salem’ he could only hope that the medical skills were legitimate and not something he’d expect to see Drew trying to perform in the breakroom at work. Collie was all for alternative medicine in regards to a headache but there was just something about the look of Felix’s arm that told him a few herbs and a bunch of well-wishing was not going to cut it. Though, given that apparently people turning into animals was in the cards, maybe witches were too—it was quite hard to start rationalising anything now. It wasn’t even like they were some odd misshapen creature like that one werewolf from Harry Potter, so far both Coby and Mercer had displayed incredibly realistic quadruped appearances…Collie definitely owed that one poor assistant at work an apology for raising an eyebrow at the row of crystals on her desk.

Coby spoke again, and Collie moved away from where he was shaking the blankets out. “A few of them were asleep in the car when the accident happened, I think it’ll be a mixed bag of who can drop and who can’t.” He replied, mulling over the question. Without a doubt he’d be able to fall asleep, and if Soren wasn’t too caught up in playing mother hen, he’d be able to sleep standing up if the army had done anything about it. Letting Briar sleep was probably a bad idea, there was a chance the poor kid wouldn’t wake up again after god knows what had happened to him on impact. Eva and Drew might be able to—Felix if his arm allows him. All in all, it was hard to guess who’d be willing to even try and sleep given what had happened, the one certainty was Captain who had already made himself comfortable on the sofa.

The words ‘foster homes’ snapped Collie’s attention up and he blinked. What were the odds? Given that Coby had a proficiency for turning into an animal, maybe not that high—the poor kids with powers in the movies always tended to be hard done by in regards to family. Just when Collie opened his mouth to reply, a shadow shifted in the doorway and Collie flicked through the five stages of grief in the blink of an eye as Mercer stepped a foot past the threshold. The blonde had his back turned to the wolf; instead watching him vigilantly through the reflection in the window as the dark-haired man hesitated. His knife was in his bag, which coincidentally had been left on the floor of Coby’s hallway along with the other four bags he had hauled from the wreck—so he was left his fists and his wit, which against a one hundred and seventy-odd pound apex predator, was effectively useless. Collie continued to watch the reflection past Coby’s head, waiting for the slightest twitch of the man that implied his impending death. The shepherd curled up on the sofa stirred, raising his head to stare at Mercer, and Collie raised his fingers at his side, a silent ‘leave it’, which thankfully the dog seemed willing to obey.

“Give us a minute,” Easier said than done, and Collie awkwardly stood statue-still as if refusing to breathe would somehow make him invisible and not privy to the somewhat private conversation that sparked between the two shapeshifters. He expected them to move into the hallway, just out of the doorway, but they didn’t and Collie was left scrambling to divert his attention away from whatever the hell was unfolding. He crouched to his knees and opened the cabinet, sifting through the various DVDs like it was doing anything to help distract him from the intimate moment he was somehow imposing on against his will. Bambi, 101 Dalmatians, Beauty and the Beast—that one seemed a little offensive towards the inhabitants of the house—Dead Poets Society, Blue Planet, Planet Earth, just about every DC film ever made—Who the hell was in charge of picking the films? Collie just reached for the first one, gently clicking the disc into the player and doing a stellar job of pretending he wasn’t watching Coby hug the big bad wolf in his peripheral vision. For a fleeting moment he considered leaving, ducking out the door he’d entered in and trying to find Soren or Danny, but if he had learnt one thing from camping with the army in the wilderness, it was to not run from predators. If only the training had extended to what to do if said predators were sentient.

The familiar tune of Bambi began to play quietly through the speakers, and for a brief moment Collie could’ve just settled down on the sofa with his dog and pretended that this entire night hadn’t occurred. Ignorant bliss lasted for a split second as Coby’s voice caught his attention again. The reassuring “I’ll be fine,” rang through his ears and he couldn’t help but snap his gaze to Mercer—as if the wolfman hadn’t been the sole individual so far to attempt to maim another tonight. Thankfully the aggressor in question had taken leave, and Collie had been spared whatever consequence that would have been bowled his way at the blatant frown.

There was an uncomfortable silence as Collie returned to adjusting the blankets, laying some over the carpet when he realised there was no way all seven of them were going to fit on the two sofas alone—not laying prone at least. Danny was going to have to take the floor, as unfortunate as it was that he had just lost Ennis, six foot five was ridiculously tall and unless he was willing to cuddle someone, it was just too much space taken. Eva could have the sofa as was the chivalrous thing to do, it would make most sense to also offer it to Felix and Briar with their ailments, Drew was also somewhat small—he might be able to wedge himself between a body. So that left himself, Soren, Danny and Captain to dogpile on the carpet. The blonde shrugged to himself, moving a few uncomfortable decorative pillows to the throw blanket on the floor—beggars can’t be choosers and compared to the negative and wet temperatures of Germany’s Black Forest, a blanket on the floor of a heated log cabin seemed heavenly.

Coby sniffled again, and the sound made Collie’s chest tighten in an uncomfortable way. He still desperately wanted to ask what was going to happen tomorrow, but suddenly Coby seemed in a far too vulnerable state to press for answers that she might not want to give. If this was Collie’s last night walking amongst the living, at least he wasn’t going to make the poor lady feel bad about it. No need for them both to go down. “I’ve gotta say, this is less scary than being the new kid at the group home,” he started lamely, gently toeing at the silence to test the waters. He chuckled warmly, remembering the incident, “They moved me when I was thirteen once because I had to change schools, and the little brats who lived there thought it was funny to lock me in the bathroom my first night—the poor supervisor found me asleep in the bathtub because I was stubborn and my social worker told me not to kick up a fuss,” he rambled into the silence, verbal comforting was never really his thing—he was better at physically just being the shoulder to cry on and offering to smack someone around if the situation called for it. However there was something inherently wrong with offering Coby his shoulder after witnessing her crumple in her ex’s arms.

Collie chewed his lip, looking at the shepherd that had resumed snoring in the comforting knowledge that the wolf-man had retreated. “Are you going to be alright tonight, Coby?” He asked softy, “I don’t know if you’re going back to your cabin or whatnot, but I just..” He trailed off, unwilling to bring up Josie’s name or the fact he had noticed her presence woven into every corner of Coby’s home. Carefully he spread the last blanket out and straightened up, tilting his head at her with a calm fondness he hadn’t offered anyone since—well, when was the last time? Perhaps when he’d launched Felix into a tree by mistake and tried to soften the impact before Danny caught wind of it. “If you wanted to borrow Captain for the night or something, I’m sure he’d go with you,” he murmured. Maybe if he could convince her to like his dog, then at least the shepherd wouldn’t join him and his friends in the mass grave the surly Brit was probably digging.

[ inventory : n/a ]

[ tags, coby] [ mentions, mercer, soren, every human i think ]

[guh-huh!]

❛xＣＯＵＲＴＮＥＹ　！
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xxfemale // caribou // feeling: not a prey animal now! // tagged: vic n' reyna! who's this danny?
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xx'xxas it turns out, reyna knows the identity of this man. or at the very least a wildly educated guess about his name; which gives him the courage to start moving towards the group of women with a slow start. until, he decides it's alright to go up and hug reyna– shooting off warning alarms in courtney's brain already muddled by the thought of losing josie and the pack in shambles. so, honestly, it's not her fault that she acts the way she does; if anything? it's because the human has the audacity to react to reyna by taking her into his arms and courtney worries that she's going to lose one of her closest friends to the hands of humans a second time that night.

xx'xxthis... danny... or whatever reyna had called him prior, was not going to take reyna away from her true home. not while she was around to protect her, not while the wolverine shifter was presumably uncomfortable around humans at all, and certainly not with josie's body still cold. it wasn't going to happen. despite her negative connotations towards violence, courtney was not going to allow this man to whisk away another person she cared about while she was around to help.

xx'xxlowering her antlers in a naturally commanding and dominating manner, she points the sharp edges and curves directly at danny's frame. she has no ill-will or true desire to hurt anyone, sure, but she'll do anything to protect her sister figure. and god forbid he turn that energy onto vic as well; courtney couldn't allow some of the most important people in her life to be gone in the flash of a second. if her massive stature and largest horns of any ungulate were going to prove this herbivore wasn't playing around, she knew what she had today.

xx'xxshe wasn't going to be an animal of prey today.

xx'xxmotioning for vic to get behind her with a low grumble and flick of her ear, she stood firm with the loud, frantic barking of hank by her side. her large, hazel eyes caught sight of reyna, before glancing back at danny. courtney needed to know reyna was feeling comfortable with this man before she even decided to remove her antlers a soft push away from his soft body and throat.

xx'xxraising her front hoof slightly, courtney drags a keratin-sheathed foot back and forth in a charging manner. of course, it's mostly for show– she's not mercer and would attack without proper warning and approval from at least two other people first– but in order to protect reyna, courtney was willing to drop her pacifist title for a second if it meant keeping her safe.

xx'xxbefore she was cut off by danny running to embrace her, reyna was stuttering out an apology or a bunch of nothingness in order to remove her of all culpability. either way, now with their fates intwined in some odd series of events, courtney had to hear the truth from reyna. a backstory that she never felt like sharing, or one that was easily brushed off in turn for something less terrifying or real. while courtney always allowed reyna to escape the conversation for the time being and never wanted to push her further than necessary; they had the luxury of time and no real threats encroaching on their land.

xx'xxnow, the bell was tolling. courtney needed answers from reyna, and quick.

[n ‎]

❝ 𝗕𝗥𝗜𝗔𝗥 𝗝𝗜𝗡🡖 ꏢ ❟❟
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the driver :( | he/him | (@) the wreck
tags; andi and soren| mentions; <--

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briar's heart felt tight in his chest- the confusion of the situation only heightening his absolute fear and doomed feeling in his stomach and chest, he wasn't sure if it was the pain in his body or the absolute brain-tossing that was making him incredibly nauseated, all briar knew was he was sick of the feeling. praying silently to any god that could hear his begs and prayers running in his head like a rehearsal, anything to save him. to save them.

the air outside of the shed was colder, the breeze more prominent on briar's body, cold chills bumping up on his skin as the cold air washed over him. his eyes were watery and his vision was blurred as he only looked at what he hoped was the figure of soren; his stomach twisting and churning anxiously as he watched soren through teary eyes push himself up off the ground and begin his way towards briar. briar felt a little stupid going out there -the anxious worry for soren being gone for too long feeling like it clouded his judgments.

he did feel a bit more comforted with him reaching him and reaching out an arm for support. briar took it easily to let himself lean into soren, for comfort and to ease the pressure on his body. briar was worried he was going to fall apart at any given moment, the pain coming and going in pressuring waves. he wasn't sure what was wrong with him at that point, the entire world around him was becoming fogger as he continued to stand upwards. briar wasn't used to his vision being so impaired, movement feeling so blurry and the world feeling so dim all of a sudden- everything was giving him more and more reason to be scared, his heart rate consistently raising within every second. briar wasn't really sure there was any stopping it at that point.

if it didn't hurt to furrow his eyebrows so badly, he would have done it for longer when the stranger had introduced herself. briar wasn't following the intention of the introduction, fear only striking into his throat as he let his vision focus to the best of his abilities. he didn't dare speak- he didn't dare say anything, he didn't know what he was supposed to do in the situation, only pathetically clinging onto soren like he was just going to fall apart if he had left him for real next time. briar could only imagine how he had looked in the moment, his stomach nauseated and ashamed, his face would be heating up from shame if he could focus on the guilt and embarrassment more than the throbbing in his spine.

at least he had that keeping his mind off things. somewhat.

he was anxious about soren introducing them - he was scared of the possibilities that could come from the situation. sure, he couldn't come up with any real scary ones in the moment, but still! why do they tell children not to tell adults their names when they're asking? why do they tell you not to tell strangers your name online? for the exact same reasons they were probably going to tell him not to tell the stranger in front of them his name, too! he was panicking!

briar wasn't sure what she had meant by not wanting to scare anyone. the whole situation in itself was scary, he wasn't sure how anything wasn't meant to scare them anymore, only remembering the pure distaste coming from the only other people briar was misfortunate enough to meet with. whatever happened in the medic's shed, whatever happened on the road, whatever happened. briar knew they didn't want them here- briar knew he wasn't welcome, and knowing that only made him feel worse. he didn't want to be there, either, briar's chest constricting his organs tightly in his abdomen. what was there to do in such a situation?

briar remained confused. it wasn't like he was wearing some strong and recognizable cologne that could easily have worn off on soren in the few moments soren had carried him back to the shed, no- the idea of that almost entirely impossible. it didn't take long for briar to only let the comment sink into his head a little more, the idea clicking in his head moments after. ah. she could do it, too. his heart only sank further as briar let his head lean into soren's shoulder, resting with absolute dread as he had to fight back violent tears. his throat felt rough and scratched every time he had swallowed and open his mouth to speak, the dry feeling nearing unbearable. he didn't dare ask - he didn't know what counted as offensive to them, anymore. he didn't know what they even liked being called, even referring to them as, well- "them", making briar feel wildly uncomfortable to himself. he didn't want to risk getting himself pounced on and nearly mauled again, the baring of the wolf's teeth and the sound of his growl so loudly in his face haunting briar's thoughts like a pinned memory. he could even remember the spit on the dog's face, and the man's face when he came out of it.

god, he was so scared to think she was something intimidating. like a damn lion, or a panther. good lord.

it seemed briar was never going to understand anything that was going on that night, the question of what happening feeling like a punch to the gut almost. sure, he could definitely recall not seeing her at the crash or what was going on around them - but who did he see? briar didn't see the other three in the shed that were there before him, and yet they knew everything that was going on! granted, they were in the car and unfortunately a part of the same car crash, but still!

and struck something on the road. briar almost felt annoyed from the comment. what does he mean just a misunderstanding? from what briar could understand, not only was he the reason someone had died in the passenger's seat, whatever he had struck in the road was also a living being - was, a living being. briar had stripped two people's lives undeservingly from them that night when he had been the one driving. the hole in his chest felt more like a drill at that moment, soren's attempts to sugarcoat the moment only replacing the feelings briar had in the moment with deep nausea and dread, his heart dropping far enough to his stomach he was almost worried his organ had actually came out of his chest.

"why are you lying?" briar only let out hushed and under his breath to him, the salty burn of tears stinging up in his eyes again as the familiar blur of his vision started coming back, briar only shaking his head as he pulled his away from soren's shoulder lightly to try and blink his tears away quickly. he was starting to become more embarrassed than anything. he didn't think he was allowed to react this way, to have this emotions - not after what atrocities he had just committed.

his breathing was only becoming rough again, his heart feeling tight in his chest as he moved his bloodied hand to clutch his stomach, his grip tight on his own skin. it felt so shameful, feeling like soren was lying so blatantly for him. briar wasn't sure how he was supposed to bring up what he had actually done, he didn't know how he was supposed to tell the truth like it was getting him in any kind of better place. it just felt wrong, it felt wrong in his stomach. soren was leaving out so much, soren wasn't telling the complete truth. he completely had left out the two casualties that briar had so, so carelessly been responsible for.

oh god, he was going to throw up.

the only thing bringing briar back down to a calmer state was soren's next words- his head twitching upward along with his gaze to only stare at the blonde with confusion. did briar hear him right? did soren just call one of them her brethren? "where do you think we are?" briar asked him again, his words a little bit louder this time as his confusion was loud enough his eyebrows furrowed lightly, contorting into a lost expression. he let his eyes look back at the taller women, his expression riddled with guilt and fear. "what-what did you hear?" he tried to ask her, his words choked and straight, only hoping he was sounding coherent enough to understand. he was scared to talk to her, he was scared to say anything.

[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; (coby, collie)
mentioned; andi, rio, reyna, nish, neil
location; main cabin > outside
twenty-seven x⋅x cismale, he/him x⋅x wolf

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A delicate hand flew up to Andi's mouth as the pieces fell into place, and Mercer watched her with something not far removed from disinterest, focused largely on chewing his food. Sure, he had muddied the details of what had happened, but if he wasn't allowed to lay a hand on the humans, then she could do it in his place. Of all the people in the cabin, she might have been the least likely to suffer any serious consequences for going against Orion's orders, with the exception of that ankle-biter, Reyna. Yes, yes, Orion had probably killed for far less, but he had chosen a terrible moment to grow a conscience. It left Mercer inclined to rebel, driven forth by his own murky motivations that were often nothing more refined than the movements of his instincts. They brought about dark feelings, violent images, sometimes left to reconsider at the knowledge that anything considered going too far might have indirectly hurt Coby. She might have been the sole conscience he had, detached from his soul and placed outside of his own body. Yet he was convinced that the humans brought nothing but disaster with them, and shedding some more of their blood was merely what they were owed.

indentindentMercer wasn't certain what pieces Andi was conjuring to fill up the gaps of his story, but they seemed to be working in alignment with his goal. No reason would be sufficient to stop her now that he had lit the fire, and he watched with slight satisfaction as she whirled around in search of an answer or an outlet, before finally launching into action and tearing past him, a weapon fired at a target. How easy it could be, to manipulate some of them. If everything went as intended, they would never know that his motivations were even more complex than he let on: he was clearing the playing field for an act of sabotage, and having his fun on the side. Orion had proven himself to have a spine after all by ordering, with expected self-importance, that Mercer should disable the car stashed in the woods, cutting off the humans' only means of leaving come morning. Orion had not elaborated on what would follow, but Mercer had been elated enough at the prospect of getting to destroy something that he had not bothered to consider it much further yet. And the less people that knew about how intentional the damage to the car was, the less likely it was that any of the humans should find out.

indentindentOf course Mercer wanted the humans gone as soon as possible, but he knew that there was no chance they could be allowed to walk out of these woods after what they had witnessed. He knew viscerally what happened to shifters who were discovered, and letting everyone go would have been plainly suicidal, regardless of what promises or assurances were made. Word had a way of getting out. No matter the bad blood that remained between them, he would continuously have to admit that Orion wasn't a fool, and being tasked as he had been made him think that the raven must have had at least half a plan. Maybe that was good enough for Mercer. After all, if everything fell to chaos, it would merely be an opportunity to argue for putting them all down in order to safeguard the future of the pack. The chance remained that he would make a big show of sending them out for a hike into the nearest town, just to cut them down once the witnesses were few and the moment opportune. One could always hope. But all that was left to be seen, and Mercer wasn't the most patient man. He would remain on edge every moment the humans were allowed free rein of the pack's lands, even if it turned out to be for show.

indentindentHe was aware of Nish's presence in the stairs as he finally shifted on his feet, closing in on the counter behind him just to swipe a set of car keys out of a nondescript bowl. There was no way of knowing whether he could have shimmied the lock with only his knife before seeing the door itself, or whether he could pop the hood solely by manouvering the latch, and so the easiest course of action was also the least thrilling one. But he couldn't risk setting off the alarm and rendering all of his efforts at stealth futile. Neither could he risk leaving bloody fingerprints behind in the dark, and so he slipped the keys into his pocked and left the kitchen to scrub his hands clean. He had little to say to Nish, or Neil, who had appeared in his usual creepy way when Mercer must have had his eyes turned elsewhere, and the bit spreading of news of Josie's death to the unsuspecting in order to set them on the humans was lamentably played out. But each pair of eyes on him was another alibi.
indentindentindent"'night," he mumbled, begrudgingly, as he passed by the stairs and into the hallway, on his way to the bathroom, where he could rinse the blood off his hands.

indentindentHe had expected the cabin to fall quiet, with the exception of the water running pink-tinted into the drain at miserable pressure, but instead there were voices behind the bathroom door, coming from somewhere back down the hallway. Mercer turned off the tap and listened, but all he heard was the slow dripping striking the porcelain sink. They must have moved on. Yet when he exited the bathroom, he heard the same voices, this time coming from the lounge, and realised that one of them was Coby's. He might have gotten on with his plan had it not been for the voice that accompanied hers — unfamiliar and belonging to a man. Instead of leaving, he lingered, listening in the shadow of the doorway as they spoke about the sort of things he might have expected them to talk about in their current circumstances, mundane, until she brought up her brother. That was anything but mundane — really, it was a bruise, one that kept growing darker instead of fading away.

indentindentOf course she would talk about him, in allusions and the ordinary things he had loved, because he was a constant undercurrent in her thoughts, but that was to the pack. Never to a stranger. Archie didn't belong to them. They had both witnessed him getting dragged away to a fate they both understood but would not name, by humans no less, and yet having not seen him die, Coby had held on to the hope that he was alive. Mercer knew otherwise, but he had never been capable of taking that hope away from her. At least not until it would grow more painful to bear than the brutal truth. All this told him was that she had gone to a dark place, shepherded there like an animal by Josie's fate, and now she wallowed in memories of lost loved ones. Mercer had to stop and ask himself whether seeing him would have made any of it less unbearable, or more — that was his bruise. The drained tone of her voice convinced him that he needed to see her face, to reassure himself that she would make it through this, and he stepped into the rectangle of light falling through the doorway.

indentindentHis eyes sought out hers, just to find that they were reddened and tired, but still as light green and beautiful as he knew. Mercer wanted to remain there, in that sight, but his instincts pulled him elsewhere: the man, a trespasser in this house. He recognized the back of his head from his retreat on the road, and seeing him again made Mercer's skin crawl. The man was armed, for all he knew, and Mercer wasn't. His thoughts strayed to the switchblade stashed in the drawer of his bedside table, and he calculated what his odds of winning were without the wolf. The man was tall and solid in a way he had never been, and he had smelled the stench of old authority on him the moment he had seen him — a cop, or a soldier, maybe. Either way, he would know how to fight. One alarming move, and wolf it was. But before Mercer could do something stupid, Coby was moving toward him, and any potential ulterior motive leaked out of his head at the sight of the tears shining in her eyes. He wanted to take her home, some safe place where she could recover and be removed from all the grief, but nowhere remained. It was only this cabin, and he had no home here. No one but her.

indentindentAnd these humans would strip this one last sanctuary from them at the first opportunity. That was what should have been at the forefront of his mind, but the majority was occupied by Coby. He wanted to say something comforting, but as he reached for that emotion, all he found was bitter anger — at the carelessness of the humans, but also at himself. Mercer should have been there. She should not have been alone, shouldn't have had to see Josie like that. And so that was what he said, an "I should have been there" whispered to her in a tone more broken than he would have liked to admit. She fought a losing battle against her own tears. Fearing rejection, he spent a moment hesitating over what to do, before the sight of her pain grew to be too much, and he offered his arms to her without thinking. She folded to his chest, and again he hesitated, as if the sheer force of having her in his arms was enough to strike him dumb. But the soft, grieving shudders of her shoulders drew him to embrace her, and he held her silently, burdened by the knowledge that he had rendered his offerings of comfort insufficient by breaking her heart. Once, he had quieted her nightmares just by sleeping soundly beside her, and now she suffered alone. The thought... it hurt.

indentindentThey were both at their best when they were together, but she was stubborn, and he was inclined to hurt anyone who came near. She should have been a lion, something strong enough to protect herself, but the world was cruel and made little sense when one tried to look at it otherwise. Coby had once tried to make him understand that he didn't need to turn people against himself in order to feel certain of what they thought. That he didn't need to always be on the offensive to feel safe. But he believed that people could most be trusted when they were violent and cruel. It was what he knew. It was familiar. It was his nature, embedded in him since childhood, and not so easily changed. She was the lone exception. And with her clinging to him, he was reminded of why he protected her so viciously. She deserved none of this pain, fear, and suffering. If anyone did, it was himself.

indentindentHer shudders slowly subsided, and Mercer could feel her begin to draw away. He was reluctant to let go, but did not resist as she stepped back from his arms, wiping the tears from her face. The vacuum forming between the two of them told him that there was something more that needed saying, but he had never been good at speaking kindly of the dead. Yet he was aware that she might want to visit Josie, something that the world had denied from her with so many of the others she had lost, and he knew where he had been told to take the body. "I took her to the boathouse," he offered, feeling that the embrace had said many more things that he wasn't all that capable of speaking out loud. But hearing her speak the man's name, Collie, finally broke the spell that her nearness always seemed to cast over him, and Mercer's eyes turned back to the unwelcome presence in the lounge. Time and again, Coby had shown that she tended to be right about people, but Mercer couldn't bring himself to trust this man one bit. He had a task that required doing, but leaving her alone with this twerp? Orion owed him, a lot. And if this Collie were to lay a hand on her, he would turn him into something that no longer resembled a human being.

indentindentFrankly, Mercer was craving for an excuse to turn Collie into a wet smear on the lounge carpet, but with a touch of her hand against his arm, and a reassurance that she would be fine, Coby had effortlessly persuaded him to take his leave. He looked at her for a while longer, searching for any sign that he shouldn't have left, before turning for the stairs. As he climbed the steps, he did his best to shake her from his mind in order to minimise the distractions with which he was battling, but that was easier thought than done once she was out of sight and alone with the man. He made no effort to be silent when closing the door to his sad excuse for a bedroom — he needed everyone in the cabin to think that he had gone to bed for the night. Once inside, he pulled off the garish orange t-shirt and tossed it into some corner of the room. He was briefly vulnerable, the mess of scars and ink on his torso exposed to the cool night, before he drew on a darker long-sleeve that would keep him better concealed in the shadows. He tugged open a drawer, fetching his switchblade, a flashlight, and a crumpled pack of cigarettes, all of which he slipped into his pockets, to accompany the stolen car keys.

indentindentThe room fell into darkness as he clicked off the lights, and from there on, he would have to be quiet. He opened the latch on the window and pushed it up, allowing him to climb out onto the porch roof, where he carefully lowered the window back down. The shingles were wet and slippery, dotted with ruddy leaves from the trees around the clearing, but the roof was level enough to traverse without falling. Mercer made it to the far corner, near the edge of the woods, where the outside lights did not reach. There shouldn't have been anyone in the utility room to see him through the windows, but he didn't want to risk making himself obvious by crossing a sphere of light. He dropped down, barefoot, onto the grass, where he was concealed in the corridor between the two cabins. He cut into the woods from there, thinking it safest to not cross the yard in plain sight where the darkness might not be enough to conceal him. Walking barefoot on the forest floor wasn't the most comfortable, but he had done it before, and the mat of leaves left behind by autumn softened some of the sharper edges.

indentindentA commotion near where he thought the storage shed to be made him pause among the shadows to briefly listen to the voices, one of which seemed to be Reyna's, but he couldn't risk being seen and soon moved onward, toward where the truck should have been parked. He could have turned on the flashlight to navigate easier, but he didn't want the beam of light cutting through the trees this close to the cabin and drawing attention to him, and so he was left to rely on what meager night vision the wolf afforded him while he still retained his human skin. Soon enough, he was stepping into the smaller clearing, where the truck sat parked at the end of a narrow dirt road, the paint gently gleaming under the moonlight. Slashing the tires would have been too obvious an act of sabotage, something meant to be noticed — as a message, or simply to piss someone off. Something he might have done to Collie, had the truck been his. But that wasn't his task tonight, merely a life philosophy.

indentindentMercer used the misappropriated keys to unlock the car, and popped the hood. During the years he had spent surrounded by criminals of varying kind, he had learned many ways to take a car apart, but no one had ever really taken the time to teach him how to put one back together. He imagined Orion would neither appreciate him ruining the truck for good, or needing to have it towed, because the latter was unlikely to happen. Thus when he clicked on the flashlight, he pointed the beam at the fuse box, with its colourful rows of parts vital to the electrical system. He eyed through the numbers, and pulled out the one corresponding to the fuel pump, before using his switchblade to break off one of the fuse's prongs and placing it back into its slot. Simple and unnoticeable at a glance even to someone who knew cars, but it should have kept the truck from starting. Even if someone were to figure out the issue, it was unlikely they would be able to fix it, unless they happened to be walking around with a replacement fuse in their pocket.

[chase.]

𝐀𝐀𝐃𝐇𝐈𝐑𝐀 𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐇 xxxx ♛
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[ bengal tiger ] [ she/her ] [ location - beside medic cabin ] [ feeling - like she’s knocked the intelligence out of soren ]

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxAndi shifted the weight from her heels to the balls of her feet, rocking back and forth repeatedly in a subconscious attempt at self-soothing. Struck ‘something’ on the road. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears and she put her hands on her hips, taking a moment to look away from the two humans as she reigned in her composure. Her chest tightened and her stomach flexed beneath Salem’s stolen hoodie as she drew in a shaky breath. So Josie had been killed in an accident, not cold blood. After a moment, she turned back to look at them. Soren’s choice of words made her mind buzz steadily, did he truly not know that they’d struck a person, had Rio and the others kept it hidden from them for some reason? She blinked, gaze shifting between the pair as Briar whispered something unintelligible to Soren, the words evading her hearing. Her lips thinned, a soft frown on her face. Was he trying to soften the blow, do her the kindness of veiling the truth to what had happened? Maybe in the hopes that someone in her family could break the news and she wouldn’t have to suffer it from the voice of a stranger? Andi sighed gently, whatever his reasons for being vague where, she couldn’t hold it against him. They were in a land unknown to them, in a circumstance no one could be prepared for, being attacked by a tiger was enough reason to be allusive.

Briar looked to be taking a turn for the worse, his breathing becoming rougher and his bloodied hand moving to clutch his stomach. Andi hesitated, her weight still shifting as she desperately scrabbled for ideas on what to do. Briar was so obviously traumatised by what had occurred, and she felt helpless with her inability to offer any semblance of comfort. His injuries looked severe, the sort of state you’d expect someone towards the brunt of the impact to be in. Maybe he had seen it from the passenger seat? Her eyebrows steepled with sympathy, a soft huff of breath leaving her lips. It was a horror she wouldn’t wish on most, to bear witness to such a devastating event.

Soren answered her question, snapping her attention back to him, and instantly her sympathy was dulled by a wash of confusion. One of her brethren? She didn’t even try to hide her facial expression, her head tilted to the side and she squinted subtly, eyes scanning over Soren’s face. Oh gods what if he’d hit his head? What if she’d concussed him without realising it? Instantly she turned to the side, looking over the grass she had tackled him too, searching for any hidden rocks or stones jutting out of the soil that he might’ve landed on. There was nothing but the flattened blades of grass and a few bare areas from where she’d dug the roots up in her impulsive decision to charge the poor man. No speckles of blood or shiny reflection of a piece of stray flint that he might’ve smacked his skull on…Could he be ‘dimmer?’ Andi didn’t like thinking that of anyone; there was more than one way to measure intelligence. Perhaps he was just a little slower than most people she knew, and he just needed a bit of extra time to gather his thoughts—it would explain his rather simplified explanation of events.

She nodded her head slowly, like a teacher who felt the need to reassure a struggling student. “Oh, alright, of course, I understand..” she didn’t. Was he struggling to wrap his head around the existence of humans who could turn into animals? Trying to detach her family from his species as much as his tired brain could manage?

Briar spoke again, and the question only added fuel to Andi’s uncertainty. He spoke like Soren’s statement wasn’t typical, and so Andi’s theory of Soren being of less than average intelligence sank like a lead balloon—leaving only the considerably worse theory—that he’d suffered a bad hit to the skull, potentially even at Andi’s own hands. “He thought we were Amish..” She murmured to Briar, still eyeing Soren with concern. Poor Briar still looked terrified, and Andi tried her best to avoid eye contact—that was what animals did right? If she looked him in the eyes maybe it would only make him more nervous, so instead she kept her attention on Soren—who didn’t seem nearly as phased.

A question was addressed to her, and Andi only flicked her gaze back to Briar for the briefest of moments. “Oh, it was just a misunderstanding,” She began, her accent thickening as she became more sheepish at the admission. “The retelling I was given was vague, it kind of implied that it was on purpose, but I understand now it was an accident—I jumped to conclusions and that is on me.” She confessed, guiltily eyeing the pinprick holes in the fabric that covered Soren’s chest. Mulling over Mercer’s words in her head didn’t help her culpability—he had never said that they’d murdered Josie in cold blood, only that they’d played a hand in her passing and that he’d taken action to try and seek his own justice. Her brother apparently preventing the death of a human should’ve been evidence enough—she had just been too blind to see it. “Mercer did also mention that my brother is willing to let you stay the night..” she trailed off, somehow using Mercer’s rather spiteful words and calling it a ‘sleepover’ seemed demeaning for all parties involved.

With one last look at the drops of blood stained in Soren’s clothing, Andi made her mind up. “Why don’t I get you settled inside the main cabin, we have food if you have the appetite—or just a drink if you don’t.” She looked at Briar, “but I think it would be good if you could try and eat something.” Besides if she got them to the cabin, they had half a chance at being allowed to settle somewhere comfortable and not be ordered to sleep outside in the dirt. It was really the least she could do after her thoughtless actions. “Soren? Are you, are you okay with that? I can bring you both back if you need more medical attention—or Salem might be okay to come and check up on you both inside.” She spoke slower than usual, making an effort to subdue her accent incase he has troubled understanding in his..state. Where even was Salem?

Andi took a deep breath, side-eyeing Briar—her guilty look matching his own. “I might’ve slammed him into the floor a touch hard.” She admitted in a low tone, as if there was a chance Soren wouldn’t hear it despite the fact he was standing right next to the other man. She nudged her head in the direction of the main cabin. “It’s warmer in there, I can put pasta on..or something,”

[ inventory, n/a ]

[ tags, soren, briar ] [ mentions, rio, mercer, salem, josie ]

[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; collie
mentioned; vic, rio
location; main cabin/lounge
twenty-five x⋅x cisfemale, she/her x⋅x dog

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For a while, Coby let Collie talk to her turned back. The thought of showing him her tear-stained face once again was unappealing, and so she went through the mechanical motions of unfolding and refolding blankets, while her head was somewhere else. She hadn't forgotten about his social worker, and him telling a story from his own group home days merely confirmed that they came from similar circumstances. It should have been comforting, and when it came to reason, it was, but all she could feel was the crushing weight wrapping itself around her chest and shoulders. She wanted to laugh at his antics, at the idea of young, scrappy Collie, and the sheer relief of having someone near who would understand what it was like to grow up in a place like that, but the tears kept silently slipping down her cheeks, until she would interrupt their path with a swift wipe of her sleeve. Josie was dead, and there was absolutely nothing she could do to bring her back. The permanence of it all was sinking in, and the gravity of the earth was dragging her down to lie on the ground and sob until she couldn't anymore.

indentindentThen Collie's voice, softer than she had heard it, was asking her whether she was going to be alright, and the darkness bore down with such force that she thought she was done for. Something inside would rupture and she would bleed out in the lounge, a death as unceremonious as that of her best friend. Her hands had stilled, gripping the blanket with bloodless knuckles, and rather than meeting her own death, she slumped down onto the couch, hunched over herself, and placed her head in her hands in a way that signaled utter defeat. Another moment of heavy silence followed as she dragged slow breaths into her lungs, searching for the strength to give him an answer.
indentindentindent"No, I don't think I will be," she whispered into her sleeve-covered hands, her voice sore and frail. Again, she wanted to take up the comfort he so patiently, and selflessly, offered, but reality was always more complicated than one hoped. His kindness was touching, and for some reason, that made it all the more painful in a way that Coby hated. She wanted to be at ease around him, and not feel whatever this was.

indentindentHer hand trembled as she moved it to pull aside the already frayed collar of her sweatshirt, revealing a mesh of dark scar tissue marring the pale skin of her clavicle and shoulder. That was the time she had learned that an angry dog would aim for the throat, and that dogs could tell when something was merely dog-like. She pulled the shirt back into place and returned her hand to her face. Looking at anything seemed too much at the moment. More tears fell, and she could feel the wetness trapped between her palm and cheek as she forced herself to say something that would explain the strange gesture.
indentindentindent"I'm not really a dog person," she choked out. The statement was so ridiculous that at any other time she would have been laughing over it, probably hard enough for her stomach to hurt — in a good way. Now she found herself wishing that Collie would find nothing about it funny, because the world was very rapidly collapsing around her, and she wasn't sure how she might have reacted. Really, she should have said something more, thanked him for his kindness, because it must not have been easy to borrow someone a beloved pet, or apologized for the state she was in, or even explained that maybe Captain would find a friend in Vic, who must have had enough dog supplies to share, but the words couldn't make it out of her throat before meeting a pathetic, deflating end.

indentindentCoby sat there crying for a while longer, before the feeling finally eased enough to allow her to voice at least some of the pain that Collie was — likely confusedly and uncomfortably — bearing witness to. She wiped her face once more, and shifted her hands to brace against her forehead, which left her staring at the floor because she couldn't bring herself to look at him yet. He was, well, him, and she was a mess. At least some of it would be easier to share with him, because he would understand the adrift sensation of a foster kid, and she wouldn't have to tie herself into knots over trying to put those feelings into exact words. Or maybe none of it would make sense, but at least she was saying the things weighing so heavily on her. There was so much to say.
indentindentindent"Josie... Josie gave me the first tangible, permanent home I'd ever had. Before the pack home was a person, but she saw me and it's as if she knew that I needed someplace I could feel safe because I'd never really had that before. She gave us that cabin like it was nothing at all to give up, and it meant everything. I really believed it, that we would be safe here." Her voice was teary, and kept wavering as she pushed through the sentences.

indentindentindent"And my brother... you know I'm six years older than him? You know group homes, so you know that people just disappear there — your best friend, or your sibling, gets transferred somewhere else, and you never see them again. You never hear from them. Trying to find them just makes the world feel so big and incomprehensible, like a place where people just fade away and you're helpless to stop it. You don't even know where to look. I was going to age out so much earlier than him, and there was no telling if I would have him back in my life after those six years. They would have separated us from the only family we had, and I... I don't think I could have taken it. Not all alone. And other kids, they can be so cruel when they've never been given stability, or unconditional love, or a single adult that would stick around for longer than they had to. Having Mercer with us was the only time I wasn't terrified. And he sacrificed so much to get us out before I would lose Archie. I don't just owe him my life, I owe him my brother's life, too."
indentindentindent"But in the end, I'm left with nothing. I love Archie, but I spent so much time asking him to be someone he wasn't in the hopes that one of those foster homes might finally want to keep us. That wasn't right. He should have been allowed to be himself, a child, and have someone love him regardless." She wasn't capable of applying that same sentiment to herself.

indentindentDrawn by the sounds filling the lounge, as if just noticing them for the first time, she raised her eyes slightly to see the images playing on the TV screen, as they lit the surfaces of the dim room in various shades of the animated palette.
indentindentindent"You put on... Bambi." Coby tried to laugh, but the attempt was weak, and soon a silent tear fell onto the carpet at her feet, followed by another. The line of her mouth warped as she sought to control her crying by biting at the inside of her cheek. "I'm sorry, it's just — all these years, I've been waiting for my brother to come home, because we would finally have a home, and I never imagined something like this would happen here. Just, not here. That one of us would die, and not because someone wanted it." She wasn't sure whether she was making sense anymore, but saying it all was making her feel infinitesimally lighter.
indentindentNaturally, she had heard stories about Elijah, the man who had preceded her as the pack's second. He had drowned in a tragic accident, one that she could see had scarred many of those who had lived here at the time, but she had arrived after, and so the cabin had always been a place of unbroken safety for her. Maybe it had been naive to think that the world could never reach them there. Or that the natural laws of tragedy and loss would somehow spare them, because they had already suffered so much. Her suffering had begun before she had ever even known that she was a shifter, or that the world would loathe her for something she hadn't chosen.

indentindentCoby attempted to remember what had happened to her parents, but it was an interminable void inside of her head — as if there were nothing before the foster care authorities at six years old. She would push for the memory and it was as if her head were filling with an overwhelming drone, before it all fell away, as if into that abyss, and she was left feeling unsettlingly numb. Even while Josie hadn't been all that much older than herself, frankly, she had filled many of those longings that someone who had never known a parent was bound to feel: she had been reasonable, reliable, someone you could go to when you needed a person who would help make sense of the world. Josie had been the one to comfort her when she had thought that breaking up with Mercer would break her for good. And Coby knew she had been the same to many others, something of an older sister, and she didn't know how they were going to go on without her. In her own moments of doubt, she had believed that Josie should have been Rio's second, but it seemed she had never wanted that responsibility.

indentindentindent"If you were wondering what it's like to be a shifter, this is it." She removed a hand from her face and gestured aimlessly to the side, as if to indicate the emotional wreckage flaming sky-high all around them. "It means having a lot of dead friends." The words sounded more cruel than intended, but it was the truth. She wished it were different.
indentindentindent"It means coming to terms with a lot of things you don't want to accept. Like having to become an adult twice over. And for kids like us, the ones with no one to be an adult for us when we need it the most, it's thrice. It feels like it never ends." After that, she was quiet for another moment, but the shudders of her shoulders betrayed that she was crying again. Silently now, ashamed at being unable to stop.
indentindentThe reality of their situation was that she had a choice to make, and it had only just revealed itself to her: how could she protect the only family she had left? Guilt twisted painfully in her stomach, because she knew she had contributed to the difficulty of the situation. In her good intentions, she had shown Collie what they were, and even convinced Rio to bring them here, to the one place in which they had once been safe and unbothered. What had she done?

indentindentThe words that begged to be said stirred like needles in her head: Rio isn't going to let you leave in the morning. I don't know what he's going to do to accomplish that, but whatever obstacle it is, I'm going to need you to pretend like you don't know and that everything is fine, because your friends might panic and I can't bear being the only person here who knows what's going on. Collie, I'm begging you to be patient until we figure out what you knowing about us means, because with enough time, I know we'll find a solution. If you aren't, I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know if some of my friends will get hurt, or if your friends will get hurt, and I don't want either of those things, because I can't handle losing anyone else. This is the only way I know to guarantee that everyone stays safe. Please listen to me.
indentindentBut she couldn't bring herself to betray Rio, and only buried her face deeper into her hands.