You just wanna know those peanut butter vibes,

Through the waking of the night, the gentle sound of waves coming through as but a fog covers the darkness of the midnight ocean. A yawning sound within the distance, beasts unrest as they call within their own shadows. Lifeless, bleak, stoney and cold through the bitter north of it's sea-love, though treasures crave to it's shores.

The dragon of the north, an Alpha of her land — death thought to take thee' and yet she had survived. A falling to her doom, days coming through, she looked in bitterness on her final day while diving to it's depths. Though the world she lives in — the plains that called her into existence said she was not ready, as though the ancient dragons cradled her in whispers of blessings. Gifted, she was, chosen they told her, though not to the pinnacle of the beloved life, she was the exception.

The waves hugs her, splashing the wolf through it's harsh times before settling in the quietness, a gentle wave to push her throat the beaches. Yet, she was cold to the touch, some to think death had caught up if it were not for the coughing of the sea water. A blank eye looking out in a haze, for she was alive.

As the ancients do decided.

But conscious wouldn't remain too long, and Vendrussel, fell back into an unconscious state — gravely injured by the beach shores. A blanket of red quietly forms beneath her.

@Kei
(though tagged anyone can join)

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though he knows better, asriel descends from cloudrest towards behemoth's brim, stepping into the enveloping bonethick fog that welcomes him; parting for him and then quickly rushing forth to greet him and pull him into it's embrace with a rapid thump of his heart. the queen of dragonford had not been entirely warm when they'd last spoke and the berserker realizes that this might earn him her ire ( further, perhaps? ) he cannot quite help himself. a lovesick boy, a foolish almost-man ...all true. a quick glimpse is cast over his broadening shoulder, before glacial gaze scours the sands for a familiar shilhouette — though any wolf would look the same veiled by the fog, in truth.

deeper asriel is drawn; lured by the seadragon song that rises into a low, eerie symphony that draws him nearer to the waters edge; the shadow of the ancient trees cast a fierce-some fortress in the distance; their miss-matched shapes cutting thru the fog. it is the sharp tang of fresh spilt blood over the salty brine of sea that diverts his path. or perhaps it is the weaving of the norns at work; crossing threads and paths to intersect.

regardless, his heart gives a painful thump, breath catching in his throat at the shape lain upon the sand. wolven in scent and familiar despite the blood that clung thick and heavy to it. “vendrussel —,” her name chokes betwixt his lips and he hurries to her side. upon closer examination, it was the dragon queen herself. “who has done this to you?” his hackles bristle, nape hairs rising as if he had any right to feel protective over her. cautiously, he presses his nose to her, finding her cold with a shiver of panic.

his medical knowledge was horribly lacking, bare-bones if only because his mother might've insisted upon it ( but really, he sees the advantage in knowing something, given his penchant for travel ). but this was beyond him; and indecision grips him. should he howl? could the wolves of her isle hear him? could cloudrest? he was loathe to leave her side though, assuring himself that she was alive — hoping that he wasn't hallucinating — by the soft rise and fall of her flanks.

so, he tips his head back and lets out an urgent howl, hoping someone — anyone — would hear him.

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She swept between consciousness and nothingness. Pain sweeping from her left back leg, a shaking of sorts that would result in a rumbling from her throat — a decipher from neither whimpering of growling, almost just a conscious noise to be from the tumbling pain that came from it. Cuts drawn from the mixture of the mountain fight and the falling into the water, some would say she was rather lucky when it came to the depths. Cradled by the ocean itself, wounds seeping with blood and mixed with the salt of the sea — she felt dulling pain from all that it was, and even the light bruising that came from her fall.

Though she could feel that slight warmth from another, pressing upon her in seeking of sorts, drawing but a faint eye-open. A blue gaze, though shimmering from a glossy look of near-death, as it slowly went upon the boy, she met weeks before her retribution. Though Vendrussel lived, breathing unsteadily as she looked in an almost humorous way, on him being worried for her — someone who warned him off and guarded aggressively as he came to her land time ago.

Perhaps a thank you would be given, yet only a croak of unintelligible noises could come out, before fading back into a darkness, an eyes closing shut.

---

skippable until further notice

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his howl echoes off into the distance, warping until the bonethick fog swallows it entirely; and in the wake of it's absence and no form yet to cut through the fog ...panic begins to trickle in like a hairline fissure in his stone exterior. his ears slick back against his skull as he begins to pace, back and forth, back and forth; keeping the motion and parameters tight. behind him, the dragon queen makes some sort of noise — not a whine, nor a growl ...perhaps some sort of unintelligible garble of words. it draws within him some measure of relief. no doubt she is truly the stormborn he thought she was upon their first meeting; stronger than to be brought to death with her injuries —

which asriel ceases to pace to inspect after taking a deep breath and asking himself what his mother would do, were she here:

inspect the injuries.

upon closer examination, vendrussel's back leg is at a strange angle and asriel takes it to assume that it's broken. on how to mend that, asriel is not sure; plagued with uncertainty of whether anything could be done for it at all. as for the lacerations that split her flesh ...glacial gaze takes stock of the shore 'round them, the high kneeing of the sea dragons continuing their mournful song helps him to focus.

stop the bleeding.

flotsam and jetsam has washed ashore from the tide; and through the foam of the sea as it battered against the sandy shore, he sees long tangles of seaweed. it wasn't pleasant, not in look or smell ...but it would work well enough to temporarily stop the bleeding ...or so he hoped. with limited resources and unwillingness to abandon her, asriel made do with what he could scavenge closeby. he grabs a mouthful of seaweed and trots back to her where he begins tearing it into strips, using his paws to anchor it, chewing mouthfuls of it into a paste and applying it gingerly to her open wounds ( that he could see ) with a smear of his nose.

“i'm afraid i'm not the healer my mother is,” asriel admits with a soft, breathy laugh that betrays his nervousness. even injured and broken, she was a fierce shieldmaiden that stole his breath away and ignited the rapid flutter of butterflies in his stomach.

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The sound of a howl beckoned on the wind, its tone urgent and unfamiliar, but close to their shores all the same. It drew the shadow out from their isles, curious more than anything as to what stranger believed they deserved such an audience between claimed grounds. Kei had sought peace once with the wolves of the mountain tops, but that had long since passed. Now any who came were a threat.

Clambering out of the wake she made her way into the fog, relying more on her nose than sight to find her way to their visitor. She would not need to search long, fur still wet with seawater as a familiar metallic stench hit her. Someone was bleeding. Badly too she might note, though as she wandered closer she found her fur fighting the weight of the water to spike along her nape and shoulders. Her alpha, her friend, collapsed at the mercy of the shore in her own pool of blood while the sea desperately licked as if to savor the taste before she was to be consumed completely. 

A boy stood above her, still so young in age with his worry plain. She highly doubted he was capable of doing this, but he was still a stranger, and Ragnar had many children. A low growl would warn him as she paced further, seeking to close the distance and hopefully separate him from her own, and if that did not work then a protective paw would step over her body as she looked down on him. “Explain.”

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over vendrussel, of whom it appeared had fallen unconscious, asriel kept steady work on making more seaweed paste to bind her wounds ...until approaching footfalls make it clear he is no longer alone and the shadow-kissed woman — smelling of the dragon queen — intervenes and moves between them. asriel, not wanting trouble, backs up ...putting distance between vendrussel, the stranger and himself. even if it brings with it a slight furrow of frustration to be interrupted before he can finish putting paste on vendrussel's wounds.

he keeps his words of protest to himself; understanding where the mistrust comes from. he would be the same, would the tables be turned.

“i found her like this, led to here by the song of the sea,” the sepulchral tones can be heard even now, songs of the sea dragons weaving thru the fog. whether she'd meant that, when demanded that he explain or not, he wasn't sure but asriel figured he'd start from the beginning. “i was chewing up seaweed to place over her wounds when you came.” he gestures to the knotted pile of seaweed with a motion of his muzzle. “you are of the dragonford isles, yes?” asriel inquires. “are you a healer?” he asks next, without leaving much room to answer his first question.

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She could feel the wounds stinging, the constant shift of relief and pain as someone attended to her body. Though Vendrussel was dreaming, of the war that was to come. The calling of both sides as the skies roared in vengeance but the sea growled in defense, for who was right, and who was wrong? Justice! She would call in her dream, for all the storms within the sky, a lone wolf — Vendrussel stood, staring into the void as the world itself roared.

Then she was falling into the water, blackened to the surroundments as she could see nothing, feel nothing.. Though she struggled, for she was not done. A honor to be brought up, to defend the name of those who call her from the depth of the ocean, and go against those pulling her down.

Then Vendrussel was flying, high in the sky, unfamiliar wings.. 

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Head pounding body aching, she opened her eyes again. A lone boy who paws were soaked from blood and seaweed — an attempt to help as she breathed in, and out. Though sucking in the air for even to inhale was to be in but a transmission of pain!

"Northfall," the woman whispered, a fluttering look toward the one who stood before her. Her friend, her packmate.. A relief was washing upon Vendrussel, for not all was but a dream she assumed. She was near the ford, near home — she was safe from the abyss's grasp.

A paw, touching gently to Kei, like a reassurance, faint as it was for she could only touch before it dropping back to her side. For Asriel, was not the aggressor off this story.

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Lucky for him, he decided to take the hint and back away as Kei quickly reclaimed her friend. It only took one glance to know her condition was bad. Blood oozed from untreated wounds, her hind leg mangled and twisted, all while floating out of consciousness. The boy answered her question though he quickly moved on to answer his own. An annoyance snapped inside her, wondering where he found his place to ask anything of her, but before her temper could get the best of her, a weary voice called from below.

Vendrussel's touch caused her eyes to shoot down as the woman's limb shortly fell back to her side. She had spared him, a child not of the northern mountains, though then the question lingered, if not from Northfall, then where? The shadow snorted, golds flicking back to the boy as she let her hackles fall, “I am and I know many skills.” Though healing was not one she found herself practicing often, she knew enough to patch. Enough to stabilize. Vendrussel would survive her attackers long enough to make them regret that they had not ensured her death.

“Have you cleaned the wounds?” Her voice was gruff as she assessed him. Even if he had come to help, he was still unknown, at least to her and Vendrussel was in no state to make calls right now. He was smart to try and use the seaweed, rather he knew of its properties or not. It was a quick save that might have saved Vendrussel's life, but clumsy or inexperienced work might harm her all the same.

If an infection set beneath the paste it would fester, fed by the thing meant to keep harm out and more difficult to treat should the flesh fuse shut. Kei watched him carefully for his response, but she would not shoo him for now. If his work needed to be redone, two was better than one. Who he was and where he came from could come later, so long as they were on the same side...for now.

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it is only in the interim that asriel realized that perhaps he might've overstepped by asking, but his intentions were good ( whether that mattered or not ). he was looking out for vendrussel and not knowing who her enemies were and if her injuries were caused by them. for all he knew, the ebony colored woman could have very well have been one of said enemies. the tension in his muscles lessen when she assures him that she is from the dragon queen's isles. though she does not come right out and claim she is a healer, he is willing to assume — right or otherwise — that she knows more than him as an adult. he worries his cheek for a moment, considering that he'd feel better if his mother was here to assist given her skills that he was quick to praise but at this point, any help would be welcome.

especially help that comes from the same pack as vendrussel.

“my aiti — my mother —,” asriel is quick to translate for his present company. “she told me salt cleanses wounds painfully but well.” and given their current location 'round the frothing waves that lap lazily at the shore, he assumed her wounds were thoroughly drenched in saltwater. “beyond that, no.” he admits. if she chose to undo his work and cleanse them further than he would help where and if needed.

238 words

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Kei eyed the boy carefully as he spoke, though from the way he relaxed and no pause to his words it was safe to say he was likely telling the truth. Children weren't very good liars, the tell-tale signs often obvious like the adversion of one's gaze or a stutter as they searched for some excuse that likely fell flat. That didn't mean he was right though. Admittedly, she hadn't grown up near the sea to know if the water would do all that he claimed. If it did, then it was a good thing that Vendrussel seemed out of it for the most part, but on the other hand, that did not stop infection or clear the wound of any lingering debris.

She laid in the sand, the wake kissing darkened fur. Perhaps the salt had acted as an antibiotic, but that did not mean that something like sand did not linger. “You should always clean a wound yourself. Sand goes everywhere. It's a pain to get rid of and is always worse when wet.” So it would be a misfortune that he had already started. Sighing, Kei stepped back from the battered body beneath her to take a seat, her teeth carefully picking green mush away from the blotted wounds so she could hopefully remove anything that still remained. The dragon would find blood coated her tongue more than anything, though, with wounds so fresh, she could only hope that her body was working out what did not belong with the blood.

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“oh,” asriel breathes, ears fluttering back to lay flat against the crown of his skull as he considers her words and watches her begin to undo the work he's already done. for a moment asriel spends a measure of time being unhelpful by beating himself up for it. he should've known, he should've not let his panic grasp him so tightly —

it only takes a few more seconds until he draws in a breath and shakes it off. he cannot be expected to know everything, and beyond that: wallowing in self pity was not aiding the dark pelaged woman nor helping vendrussel. “what should we clean her wounds with?” asriel inquires hesitantly, unsure if his assistance was welcomed further or not. “do you need me to get anything?”

132 words

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A glance was spared at the tone of his voice, his disappointment clearly evident on his face as ear drew back. Something within her stirred at the sight, her nose only wrinkling slightly as she turned back to her work. It wasn't his fault, at least that's what she'd think to herself. He had done his best, but no matter how well put together he tried to appear he was still a boy, and a boy only knew so much. “Your tongue will do for now.” If he wanted to help so bad then she might as well make use of him. Ideally, they would find something to apply as a disinfectant, but who knew how much blood Vendrussel had already lost? She wasn't about to gamble her life away for a preferred method when something could be applied later.

“The blood is our concern for now. Without it she dies.” Had he any boundaries of death yet or did the boy live a sheltered life? It wasn't really her place, but if he wanted to help so bad, if he wanted to heal, this was the reality he would need to face. His mother was a healer too, it was simply something he would become accustomed to had he not already. Hopefully, it would not scare him away though, since admittedly, Venny didn't look good. Kei sighed softly, the air trailing from her nose as she successfully removed what was left of the seaweed to lap at her friend's wounds.

She would never forget the taste of blood. By now in her life it was almost like a vivid aftertaste, the metal bite always lingering somewhere for whatever reason. The good, the bad, it didn't matter it would be there to haunt her. Once more she would check on the kid, though it was about time to have him do more. This lapping would not ease the irritated flesh, and he hadn't been fully wrong in his path before. “Go back to what you were doing before, just make sure the weeds are clear of sand and clot the wounds that have been cleaned.” A pain to restart surely, but at least now she felt better about doing so after having checked the state of Vendrussel's wounds herself. Kei almost wished she could move her now to safer shores, but realistically Venny would be here for some time while her wounds sealed and she figured out what to do about that twisted leg.

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crap post b/c i have a nasty sinus headache but i wanted to post something before work. ^-^

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at her direction, asriel nods and firmly, and tries to keep at bay the unwelcome flutter of panic that beats in his throat like a raven's wings when the other dragon woman tells him without blood vendrussel will die. he surmises as much, of course ...but to hear it put so bluntly —

besides potentially causing a diplomatic incident — asriel bears the heavy weight of the knowledge that he is a representative for frostchant while he roams and interacts; whether or not anyone else sees him as such — he does not want to be a cause in her death. feeling his old soul trapped in his young body was heavy enough; knowing he messed up and caused a death would be a chain he was not yet willing to bear.

he aids in cleaning vendrussel's wounds, the metallic tang of her blood mixed with the seasalt lingering upon his tongue. soon — and with relief on asriel's part — he is pulled from cleansing of the wounds and put on the task of making new paste to temporary bind her wounds. he gives an affirmative nod and takes to the new task; cleaning off the seaweed as best he can before methodically chewing it into a paste and putting it over vendrussel's cleaned wounds; gentle as he knows how to be.

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oh god I hope you're feeling better now e-e

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The boy wouldn't challenge her and a silence would soon grow as they both got to work. He may be young, but the current tasks were simple and his extra paws soon came in handy as they quickly patched the sea dragon's wounds. Eventually, it would seem their efforts were successful as no fresh blood seeped from her body leaving her with only the dark spots that had grown somewhat matted into clumps as the blood dried.

Taking a moment to step back and assess their work, Kei sighed as she finally felt comfortable relaxing...somewhat. “That will have to do for now. Given who likely did this, she is not safe here. I will need to take her somewhere safe and the rest will come with time.” Time and hours of her scavenging for shit to patch Vendrussel up, but she wasn't ready to admit that out loud. Even if this boy's intentions were good, he was still unknown, at least to her, and she wasn't about to put her friend's life in the paws of strangers.

“You did good, Kid, but you should probably clean yourself and get home.” The last thing they needed was another pack at their throats should his mother show up and believe him missing or something. Call her paranoid, but they were borderline, if not already, at war with another pack. “You far from home or you good going back on your own?” Gods she hoped he said he was fine. She didn't have time to lead both him and Vendrussel around the mountains to safety.

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<3! last post for me & riel.

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when it was said it done, when the silence between them has faded and the end of this meeting grows thick upon the air; syrupy... asriel feels a soft pang in his chest. he does not want to leave vendrussel, despite that the ebon woman's words make sense. where ever she was taking her hurt leader, it was likely where asriel could not follow. his dismissal was to be expected and he has to fight the urge to protest. she was right that if he spent too much time away, his mother would worry. as all mothers do. and he was duty bound to frostchant. he doubted an unsanctioned trip would be met with any sort of approval. so he sucks in the protest bubbling upon his lips and lets it out in a soft sigh instead.

“i don't live far.” asriel assures her. the thought that he would need to be escorted back home was almost insulting but he allows it to roll off of his shoulders before it could smart. they are strangers, after all. “i can find my way back.” he adds for clarification, just in case. he peers away from kei then to take a last look at vendrussel. “i'll make a sacrifice to my gods for her swift recovery.” a twitch of his lips is given then; an uncertainty before he trusts the dragon queen is in good paws and heads back the way he comes; stopping along the way to clean her blood off of him.

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There was no response at first as the boy's look falters. It was hard to tell just what was going on in his head, and frankly, she would never know. He would stare, a look she knew well enough as one that he would not want to admit. Maybe he didn't want to go home, but whatever troubles waited for him there, or whatever tethered his interest to the foggy shores, he did not belong. Kei was almost prepared for a rebuttal of sorts, but it never came. Instead, he sighed, eyes flicking from herself to Vendrussel's fallen form as he finally found the words to answer her.

To hear that he lived close was troubling to a degree. The only packs nearby she knew as Northfall and their prospective allies to the mountains in the east. He was young and despite this not being his war to wager, it did not mean that he may belong to those who would come for them next. It was good that he could return on his own. It would save her from having to explain why he was in her company should she have had to escort him back, but it also meant the loss of learning just where this other pack resided. A hit they would just have to suffer for now...

“Good.” Her own gaze had drifted to Vendrussel now, eyes trained to the slow rise and fall of her chest that proved she still lived and breathed amongst them. To hear that this boy would offer a sacrifice to his gods for Vendrussel's health was...a little jarring, though it was not out of means of something the Order would practice either. A life for a life after all, anything to preserve the balance. Now to hope that whatever gods he prayed to saw things fit to grant his pleas. “Thanks... er, stay safe.”

Kei would watch as he retreated, his pelt quickly melding with the late-night fog, and then he was gone. Now all that was left was to make her own journey home...A brief sigh escaped her as the shadow reached down to carefully grab her friend by the nape and then she would drag her carefully to safer shores until morning when she could look for the land bridge or drag Vendrussel over calmer seas.

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