I will drink you in my honey Sweet and golden down my throat

After his talk with Blackfoot (which will be kept vague), he moved further south. Where the falls cascaded down the side of tree line cliffs. There was a hit on his head that Sorina had announced to Haldis - a pack he had once aided in forming, aided in protecting, and now not only was he cast out but hunted.

Snow turned to rain as he ventured south. Drizzling and playing light little musical notes on the greenery in symphony to the falls that cascaded below his feet as he wandered the tree-lined borders. Wondering where would be his path down from this cliffside... It would be quite the treacherous fall should he stumble.

the staff team luvs u

Eldritch was not normally one for physical conflict. 
This was widely known by now to those who knew who she was and her specialties. 

But when the order went out to kill Rozencrantz on sight if he was seen, the Seer knew something was deeply wrong. 
A surge of anger brewed and the Spiritualist took to the man's trail, following him at a distance all the way to the Mountains. 

She saw him on the cliffs.

And with a quick analysis of the terrain, she began at a trot.

The anger toiled, bubbled, boiled. 

She was at a sprint now, a speeding bullet soaring for him with his name etched in.

As she got closer, closer, closer, her jaws opened wide as wicked teeth sought his flesh, anywhere she could rip, rend, tear and slice before his own teeth would inevitably come for her too.

Cowardly Bastard!
the staff team luvs u

The sound of approaching footsteps were muffled by the rain and cascading falls. No matter how attentive he was, he was blind on one side and deaf with the scenery that surrounded them. So when the woman who was once a packmate of his approached with bared fangs, sinking them into his flank - instinctively he turned with teeth poised to kill.

Like a coiled viper he struck with no other warning than a quick, muffled growl. Damn @Sorina and her orders! With clapping teeth in hopes to fend off his attacker, the paladin shook violently to buck the woman off his side and face him like true warriors.

the staff team luvs u

He bucked and whirled; Her fangs ripped from his flank to soar for his face, almost trying to jump on top of him in the process, even though her build was not akin to his or even her long lost sister's.
Him - Stocky, heavy. 
No, she was neither of those things. 
But she was faster than he was in exchange, even if she was Amazonian in height. 

Even so, her teeth still snapped for his nose, perhaps his cheek or even his eyes if she could reach them-!
the staff team luvs u

He would not die here. Not after a silly order for a silly mistake and vile words shot on both sides of the argument. Eldritch, their healer would not be gathering his remains and selling them to the queen of Haldis for whatever prize was beyond the orders. Teeth ripped from his flank and onto his face as the woman accepted his demand to fight on equal footing. One of which he would retaliate with his own ivory knives. Hoping to bite at her own face and neck. He didn't want to kill her... this wasn't her fault - but to send a message back to Haldis that he wouldn't go down very easily.

That Sorina had made an enemy of a single, but powerful man. A one-man army who would need much more than lone assassins to rip his soul from his carcass. Furious growls rolled from his marred, bleeding lips. Using his heavier body to smash into the dark woman with teeth at the point of his charge.

the staff team luvs u

Eldritch felt his teeth graze her cheeks and neck, but she was just as fierce.
Her ivories sought his face again, but this time his bulk slammed into her, knocking the Seer to the ground where she would land, then find a patch of loose, gravelly rocks by sheer chance, and aim to swipe them into Rosencrantz's eyes in an effort to blind him.
Regardless of if the effort to blind worked, Eldritch would then lunge upward and SHOVE, with all her might, hoping to at least get him a few lengths away so she could catch her breath - despite the dooming fall-risk that resided only a mere couple feet away.

Would he end up plunging instead of only moving back? Only the incoming seconds would tell...
the staff team luvs u

He wanted to end this here. While she was knocked over, he continued his attack by lunging forward. Teeth snapping in hopes of finishing any fight left within Eldritch and to walk away as victor and the message to Sorina, be sent very clear. With jaws wide aimed at the woman's face, he was met instead with gravel to the face. Stones cutting his only eye and impeding his vision but he didn't stop. He could still see her dark figure and fought the stinging in his ocular with the single desire to win.

Taking the advantage as Eldritch was down, he's press against her with paws and jaws on her neck. Teeth threatening to rip her jugular and throat out unless she would relent and cease her struggling. As the fight seemed to drain from her, he would leave the woman with a non-life threatening gash to the side of her neck. Letting them both catch their breath for a moment, only once he was certain her attack would stop did he remove himself. Backing away from the woman with his vision blurred and disturbed.

Turning away, he took a moment to rub his eye. Freeing it of debris and blinking in hopes of clearing up his vision. Maybe he would have to dip his head into some water soon to fully clear it up.

the staff team luvs u

It was a risk, letting him get so close despite the gravel in his eyes.
Eldritch would play the part of weakness as he gashed her neck, letting her body tremble slightly, go limp as if from exhaustion.

Then he let go, turned his back, tried to walk away.

But he seemed to have forgotten the one thing that saved many a warrior's life...

NEVER turn your back on the enemy.

Silently, the Seer was on her paws, and she charged, weaving between him and safety, where she would then shove and push him for the edge of the cliffs with everything she had left.

She wanted to see him fall.
the staff team luvs u

Mistakes were made. Days prior and in this very moment. He believed Eldritch to be done. For her to be too fatigued to move and for him to move on and clear his vision, as well as find a safe way down the cliffside for he and Blackfoot to take. However... it was quite possible this was his final mistake. A stupid misstep that could very well cost him his life.

Blinded he wasn't able to tell how close to the edge he was treading, only seeing blurred shadows that told him somewhat where to step as he cautiously traced the ground with his toes before trusting the ground. It was that one simple push that sent him over on one side just enough to feel empty air as he tried to figure out his footing. Stepping into nothing as he, instinctively as usual, twist in an attempt to bite his assailant.

His teeth - met nothing.

His feet, floating in air. Only a single paw, claws raking at the stone and dirt trying to hold on left nothing but claw marks on the ground as his weight was too much for one paw.

In moments, his pale figure vanished in the mist below. No sound left his lips but a surprised gaze up at the cliffside, seeing nothing but blurred images, eventually fading into white.

No sound followed his vanishing. Only an eerie silence as he seemed to snap out of existence.

the staff team luvs u

 She should have known things would never be so easy. That life always had a way of fucking you over.

 It was when she smelled the mixture of Rosencrantz and blood that she put a quick pep into her step. Prey was clenched in her fangs, practically mutilated as she felt something was wrong and she bore down her fangs into the yielding flesh.

 She saw him, lying there, motionless.

 It felt like fangs ripping into her insides.

 Like someone was ripping her apart piece by piece.

 She could tell herself that she only stuck with him because he was easy to get along with, a likeminded individual that was safe and trusted. That it was for the ease of it all. In reality, it was something more than that.

 Her mind spiraled, her nostrils flared as she dropped the flesh hanging from her mouth and ran over to him. She panted, not because she was tired, but because it felt like all of the air had left the world.

 What had happened? Did it matter? He was ripped up, bleeding... and motionless. Absolutely still.

 She looked up towards the cliff but could see nothing through the mist... there was no one to tell her what had happened. Her best guess? He'd gotten into a fight... and either slipped off or had been pushed off the edge of the cliff. It didn't matter now though... what mattered was... what?

 She crouched down and, after a bit of hesitation, she draped her head across his flank. She never touched anyone, hated the feel of someone else's fur on her, hated the way it made her hackles rose because of the old wounds from her past. But this time? It was different. He was--

 Not dead.

 Her heart felt like it skipped a beat because she could hear his thudding in his chest. Alive.

 He was alive.

 She breathed a sigh of relief and then... with a great amount of hesitation... leaned forward ever so slowly, closed her eyes and used her tongue to try to lick his face and head to try to rouse him. This felt weird... so so weird... but he was sick and injured. So it was okay. It felt right to do, anyway. "Rose?" She asked between licks, hoping that he wouldn't fade away while she was here. She didn't know if she could take it.

the staff team luvs u

Psych @"aster". He lives, this time. This is a fucking warning *holds gun to Rose's head*

---

Pain.

Everything hurt.

As though he had fallen from very high up. Wait, didn't he?

Wait... didn't he die? He should have, after the fall. He had fallen for what felt like forever. Or was this his punishment? An eternity in pain, to spend his immortal soul's lifetime in agony until the end of time and space itself?

No, he was breathing. Every breath was agonizing, but he could feel it. The rhythm of his own ribcage as every time he sucked in, it stung.

And there was something more. Something tender and pleasant on his muzzle, drawing him away from the darkness as pale lashes fluttered, meeting with water as it immediately washed away the remaining gravel and sand that stuck to his eye.

Heaving, he coughed. Staining the water with red as he tried to roll onto his belly, and failed as the world felt dizzying. Splashing back into the shallow bed he had drifted into after meeting the waters and narrowly avoiding the rocks below. Though he was in pain, he grinned. Sharp, vile, and humourous. More so than he normally ever expressed before. “I live.” He croaked, blood dripping from his teeth from within and shifting his dizzied gaze to Blackfoot.

He had cheated death once more.

the staff team luvs u

 His pale lids fluttered, opening as she gave him tender attention. He lived. Pulled back from whatever place he hovered on the edge of. Blackfoot pulled back, less comfortable being so close to one who showed such full signs of life. She felt relieved and happy and irritated! Why was he trying to move?! She glared at him and barked out, "Keep still." He could hurt himself more! He could still die! How dare he try to injure himself further!

 Her worry turned into anger as she tried to focus her panic on something productive. "Just. Stay still. Please. Or you might not live." Because if he actually did die, she didn't know what she'd do next. Drag him back from whatever hell he went to and yell at him? Maybe.

 She laid down in front of him, staring as if she were afraid he'd pass away right before her very eyes. What did they do? She knew no one that was a healer. She sighed, wearily, as she tore her gaze away to look around. Perhaps... there was a place here that they could lay low in or maybe it would be better for him to remain in the water. She looked back at him, still glaring. "Scared me... Dick." It was easier to be a jerk than to be gentle and nice.

the staff team luvs u

Keep still, she hissed. The Paladin was never one to just sit still and recover. He was bullheaded, a warrior, and he was always taught to just walk it off and continue fighting until your final breath. He still had breath in his lungs, it stung, but it was present - and so he still had fight left in him. Capable of one more battle, one more fight and possibly more to come should he survive that one too.

“I'm beginning to believe even death doesn't want me.” From fires, to floods, famine and war. He kept pushing on. Stood on the edge of oblivion, looked into its abyss and it stared back into the empty socket it had left behind its chaotic wake - just to let the archangel slip between its fingers as he continued to roam this earth once more.

Blackfoot had pulled back from him so quickly, he was left yearning for more. How it felt nice and letting his eye linger on her as she lay just beyond his reach. She cared. Truly. “Won't be the first or last.” That he was certain. There were few things he knew for sure, but now... this was a certainty. He would stare the reaper in the face once more, at least once if not more as mortality was still part of the equation. For how long his luck or misfortune would last?

For now he'd listen. Remaining still as he rested. Groaning as the pain stung in his leg and sides, wincing but letting no cry escape him. After all, he had felt worse. And looked much worse before.

the staff team luvs u

 "Keep testing it and it will." A bit terse. It wasn't funny! He almost died! For what? well... actually... for what? What had happened? She frowned, this time not at him but up at the cliff, then back down at him. His wounds, his whole being. For once, actually appreciating what was there. She could have lost him forever. "The fuck happened?" Because she knew it wasn't from a simple loss of foot. No. He was careful, surefooted, a warrior. He would never just fall due to carelessness.

 "Try to limit it. Please. Or will kill you myself." Spoken in her normal, dry tone... but it was a little bit of humor, her extremely morbid and very wry humor. Even if it might sound more like a threat. Then, she started to lean forward... slowly, carefully. Her heart thudded in her chest as she willed herself forward to clean his wounds. She reasoned with herself that this was extenuating circumstances, that he didn't mind, he wasn't going to bite at her or yell at her for it. She was a bit rough, not used to caring for others in such a manner but she tried so that she could tend to him as best as she could. Hopefully while he explained what the hell had happened.

the staff team luvs u

Some day, he agreed internally. But not today.

“Eldritch must have caught my scent.” He said plainly. Not completely blame her for following orders, but still bitter. He could remember most of the details, but it made his head hurt. He just wanted to lay here or move if his limbs would cooperate, instead, he was answering questions that he had to rack his brain for.

He huffed a single note laugh at her threat - certain she would follow through if he tested it enough. Tested her own patience and loyalty to someone who was just a travel companion. Someone she had turned away from a pack to join on their aimless wandering. How much shit would she put up with before it was too much?

“I couldn't hear her through the rain... the falls.” He was slow to speak, breathing steadily through his words...pausing as he saw Blackfoot approach to clean his wounds. She had licked him awake, but now, awake and aware, this was the first time really they touched in any way. Wounded... annoyed... and his skin was set on fire. He swallowed the thick lump in his throat, calming his senses the best he can while focussing on a frown instead... growling lightly at the pain her rough care gave him.

“I thought I won.” He huffed. “I was blinded, and she was not done.” It was a mistake he would not reppeat. Next time, he will kill the one who tries to take him down and leave the corpse on Haldis' doorstep.

the staff team luvs u

 Eldritch. Unlike Blackfoot, she was likely not too concerned with the why's and was all too happy to follow orders. Perhaps Blackfoot would have been too, if not for her ties to the man before her. Her loyalty. How much would it be tested? How much would she be willing to take?

 She paused briefly when she heard the growling. Her eyes closed tight as a face flashed before her eyes... not Rose's but instead a red one. Her mother, @Amelia, who would be all too happy to growl and snap at her for getting too close. For showing affection. For trying to help her with anything. She fought the image and the memories off, bringing herself back to the present with some effort. This was not her bitch of a mother, this was Rosencrantz and he was growling because he was in pain. Not because he was about to go for her throat.

 She calmed herself, breathing steadily again as she continued to groom him... softer this time after the reminder of her terrible bedside manner. It was just as she thought. A fight and then he'd fallen. She couldn't fault one for following orders... but she could offer one piece of advice. "Next time," If there was a next time. "Kill them." Whoever "them" would be. Mercy apparently would get you thrown off a cliff so they would be beyond that for those of Haldis. It was the pack against them and she would have no trouble with offing someone else before they killed her.

 Or Rosencrantz.

 If only she wasn't off hunting. Both of them together would have made a difference. She could have stopped it all. "Sorry. For not being there." She sighed, pulling back as she looked down at her handiwork. Pathetic. He'd die under her care... Just like he almost died today. She looked away, glaring at the ground. "Don't know what to do..." She admitted to him. He likely had broken something but she had no idea whether to move him or keep him here. They could call for no one lest the bring the pack straight to them... they were fucked out here.

the staff team luvs u

He agreed. Unbeknownst to her he had already come to that conclusion himself. He'd give a barely noticeable nod to that declaration. He'd be happy to slay the next one who attempted to take his life. He wouldn't want to worry Blackfoot after all and have her haunt him even in the great beyond. Somehow... he was certain she would find a way to. It was also possible that Sorina would want Blackfoot dead too now that she chose him over Haldis. Killing whoever came by to claim their prize was not just for him, but for her as well.

His eye flickered to her as she apologized. A frown tugging at his lips. It wasn't her fault. Everything that had happened was because of him. “Not your fault.” He'd try to reassure. Feeling the weight of it all on his shoulders, including her own guilt she placed on hers.

Blackfoot's cleaning had been gentler this time around, relaxing really as he nearly drifted back off to sleep. When she stepped back and looked less than pleased with her work, confused with what to do next. “I'm tired...” He admitted with a sigh. “First we rest.” They can find a healer or reset any broken bones themselves later.

the staff team luvs u

 The whole thing was not her fault... but she could share some of the blame for him being this badly hurt. Or at least, in her eyes she felt that way. To his reassurance she simply grunted, a noncommittal response to what he said.

 At least, Rosencrantz knew what to do now. She'd nod her head, standing up so that she could prepare to fetch the fox from where she'd left it. "Will keep watch." Because one of them should, just in case. "You rest." She wouldn't take no for an answer. Then, she'd go grab the fox and bring it closer before settling in next to --though not touching-- him.

---

-fade/exit?-

the staff team luvs u