Of Feathers, Fangs, & Fortune

[ElliBleu]

She'd been falling into fitful sleep nestled in a secure nook between two tree branches when it woke her, eyes snapping open and chest twinging painfully at the utter despair of the cry. It wasn't human: if it had been Rielle doubted she would have hastily tumbled from her perch to hit the ground running.

It was beast, terrified, and screaming.

Her flurry of activity sent a raven exploding into flight above where she ran, cawing his protest into the crisp morning air as the rest of his roost began to stir and join their raucous song. Not caring that her frantic sprint was leaving an incredible trail, Rielle raced on towards the noise.

She found him on the edge of the trees, antlers and legs horribly ensnared in wires that drew blood against his struggles and rang chimes to inform of a successful capture. The elk froze when he smelled wolf, fixing wide, dark eyes on the girl. He tried to raise his proud head, the wires of he trap keeping him still. Shaking with fear and exhaustion, he still gave the predator a defiant snort.

And Rielle knew it was the way of life, some died, but she couldn't let such a proud creature fall to human traps. She tried to touch his mind with her influence, radiating calm and trying to make herself look smaller, less threatening as she edged closer. Eyes locked, the wolf muttered soothing nothings and reached out to pet the thick, course fur of a flank. The beast tensed, shredding some skin on his hock as he tried to stamp a hoof.

A few minutes of calming pats and bestial-level convincing that she meant no harm secured Rielle's safety from being impaled or trampled, and she set about following the wires to their source wound around various tree limbs. Methodically she used claws to remove bark until she could loosen the wire enough to unwind it and slowly free the elk.

It was slow work, not wanting to further injure the beast or herself with the razorlike wires. She freed his head first, those black eyes watching her move with a wary gratitude.

Beast and girl froze in perfect synchronization, looking wide eyed through the thinning trees. Snuffling, barking, short howls. Dogs.

They didn't worry her. She could handle dogs. The crisp smell of horse mingled with oily human tang sent a chill down her back.

They must have heard the alarms on their trap, or some dog must have seen the the caught prey and found way to inform his master. With newfound determination and urgency Rielle flew back to work, increasingly careless hands soon bleeding on the remaining wires.

Closer, closer.... four wires left, entangled around a single leg.

A smallish dog poked his snout out of some ferns, sent fleeing after Rielle chased him off with a ferocious snarl.

She could feel the hoofbeats now, hear the men talking and smell that alarming sting of gunpowder...

Two more...

And the talking stopped, one man calling out in surprised anger at the stranger freeing their catch. More joined the shouts, edging their horses closer.

No time. Resolutely she grabbed the remaining wires and pulled, feeling them slice into her palms but not caring when she felt them loosen enough for the elk to slip free. She snarled again, sending the elk fleeing on surprisingly still-strong legs. And then sent all six men reaching for whatever weapons they had, shouting again in fury.

Even the dogs were growling at her. That rather hurt. Hopping forward with another snarl she sent the dogs scattering and horses rearing. In the momentary confusion she turned and ran, hearing them give chase too quickly.

It was probably a poor choice, but she wouldn't be able to outrun them for long on two legs. Her wolf form was easy to call, the transformation rippling through her body without making her miss a stride. The sight of a Shifter spurred the hunters on more, and Rielle focused all her mind on flight.

She made for the trees, swerving wildly through the foliage to slow down the horses. She vaulted off a rock to soar over a craggy ravine, more falling down the hill than running. A fallen tree blocked her path ahead, and she gathered her paws beneath her to leap over it.

The wolf landed in a heap, more hearing the steel jaws snap closed than feeling them. Unconvinced, Rielle stood, howling in pain and immediately collapsing again. Mismatched eyes took in the crushed, bleeding back limb, tongue darting out in an attempt to soothe.

She shifted again, blinking back tears of pain and fear. Already bleeding hands wrapped around the trap, trying to pry the jaws apart. It was a futile attempt, already worn from the morning's activities and hands refusing to cooperate through their shaking.

One of the frontrunners found her, calling his companions. A wicked grin split his face when he saw her bleeding, trapped leg. "Poor dog."

And Rielle felt truly afraid.

[Admin]

The freedom flight granted could never be replaced or even articulated. There existed those who had lost their wings, and Torrin could not help but pity them just now; now in the middle of an exhilarating flight over a forest. Not even the sight of a human camp marring the landscape dampened Torrin’s soaring mood. The animal screams of pain, mixed with jingling alarm bells did, however.

Torrin dipped her wings and circled back around, looking for the source of the pained noises which had abruptly ended moments before. Landing in a tree, Torrin watched a human girl work to free the trapped and terrified elk in fascination. The nearby hunters wouldn’t be happy about this interference but that didn’t seem to phase the girl at all.

Torrin’s attention snapped away from the girl and elk as she heard the hunters approach quickly with dogs and on horseback. The girl heard them too, far sooner than Torrin would have expected. She began to work faster to free the elk.

Torrin watched in horrid fascination as the men came upon their prey and its liberator. They were decidedly unhappy about it but they had been too slow, or the girl too fast. Finally the elk was able to sprint away and the girl was not far behind. Silently, Torrin took off and followed the pursuit, though she almost fell out of the sky in surprise when the girl took on the shape of a wolf. Torrin found herself to no longer be fascinated by the events, but angry.

She followed close behind and far above the now wolf-girl, and saw the trap laid out seconds before she landed on it. With a falcon’s ear splitting screech of fury, Torrin dove to the forest floor, changing shape five feet above. She landed on the ground with her falcon wings flowing out of her human back in a cascade of white elegance in between the first humans to arrive and the trapped….girl. She had shifted again and Torrin had missed it. She allowed herself a momentary inner pout, she loved watching others Shift.

Torrin drew the medium length, curved sword off her back in one and lifted the other slightly towards the humans, releasing her magic. They stumbled backwards as cuts appeared all over their torso and arms. As more humans arrived and took in the shape of their comrades, and the small, frail looking girl with wings and a sword standing in between them and their revenge their eyes grew wide with surprise and more than a little bit of fear.

In that moment of shocked stillness, Torrin attacked; leaping at the closest uninjured human, she slashed her blade from shoulder to hip. Torrin spun to attack another as she narrowly avoided getting shot by him.

Worried about the shape of the wolf Shifter, Torrin decided to end this fight immediately. There were just three men left and they were all aiming at the two Shifters already. Torrin’s eyes widened; worried she may be too late she lifted her hand again to release the magic she so disliked using in fights with humans. The power hit the group right before they fired, knocking them all back a few feet and instantly unconscious.

Torrin’s hand dropped slowly as she sheathed her blade and turned to the girl, wary of her reaction. There was no mistaking what Torrin was. A falcon, and a powerful one at that. She half expected to be rejected by the Shifter at her feet.

Steeling herself for it, Torrin finally spoke. “My name is Torrin,” she said as she gave a slight bow of introduction, “It is a pleasure to meet you, Wolf. Please tell me if I can be of any further assistance to you or if you’d rather I left you alone.” Her tone and expression were guarded but they wavered slightly at the last. Torrin hated being rejected for something she couldn’t help; for simply being a falcon.

[ElliBleu]

A screech and a flash of white feathers and confused mayhem. That was about all Rielle could make sense of, pain and fear muddling her mind into fuzziness. Her bleary gaze traveled form the winged woman to the dead or dying men. even sparing a glance for the few horses nickering in confused agitation a short ways away.

Poor creatures. Scared beyond their wits by the violence and smell of blood, loyalty and affection keeping them near their fallen masters. A bitterly familiar sight.

With a derisive snort she turned her attention back to the cruel steel trap clamped mercilessly onto her leg. Curling her fingers around one side of the jaw Rielle again pulled again, feelign it budge marginally. The avian woman spoke, bringing Rielle's face snapping upwards and the trap snapping closed once more.

... Wait a moment.

The wolf blinked in confusion, mismatched eyes narrowing slightly. This woman had helped her, a total stranger, a pitiful, wretched beast. Canine gratitude made her automatically return the bow, albeit awkwardly from her position. The wariness and distrust etched onto her face couldn't be helped and she didn't rather care enough at the moment to try to hide them.

Still... she had stepped in of her won will to save the trapped monster.

"Rielle." she lowered her eyes, not feeling confident enough to meet the stranger's eyes. "My name is Rielle. N-nice to meet you, as well..."

With a hiss she shifted, trying to move her mangled leg into a more manageable position. The blood pooling beneath the steel was growing a bit worrisome. She would live, certainly, but didn't relish the thought of the next few days of healing and limping. If only tonight promised a full moon. Then she'd have little to fear.

Pink tongue darted out over dry lips, mentally preparing herself for the unpleasant task of freeing herself. Inhaling sharply the wolf wrapped resolute fingers around one side of the jaws, slowly prying them open. They slipped inside heedless of the sharp metal teeth that added to the lacerations on her hands, using the increased grip to force them a bit more open.

To her dismay, though not surprised, Rielle found she couldn't straighten her foot to make pulling it free easier. The trap needed to be opened wider. Biting down on her tongue to keep from whimpering, she reinforced her grip on the blood-slick steel, moving the heel of her free foot against the trap help lever it open. Wrenching back she tore free, falling with a painful, relieved cry onto her back as the trap snapped closed on empty air.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Rielle tried to get control over her ragged panting and concentrate on numbing the pain arcing through her leg and throbbing dully in her hands. Cracking the amber orb open she regarded her company again, voice much smaller than any wolf's should be. "I owe you for saving my life, raptor, though I don't know why you would bother. I am greatly indebted, but I can offer nothing in repayment. I'm sorry to have troubled you and can ask nothign more. The offer is appreciated, but I have been through far worse before and been able to fend for myself."

[Admin]

The wolf’s downcast eyes, defeated tone, and pained demeanor softened Torrin towards her a bit more. She had been dismissed and rejected countless times by people who have been outright rude about it, but also from people who attempted to be polite, saying they didn’t need help but really meaning they just didn’t want help from a falcon. That didn’t seem to be this girl’s intent, but Torrin kept her emotions guarded as she formed an open, yet encompassing reply.

“Why I would bother, my dear girl, is because I really do enjoy helping people, especially fellow Shifters regardless of race and you obviously required some assistance.” She smiled a little as she said, “And you owe me nothing, brave wolf. I saw you help that elk free from the hunters’ traps. I simply followed your kind example. Besides, there is nothing I want that is within yours or indeed most anybody’s ability to grant aside from company and perhaps some stories.”

She continued, addressing the girl’s final statement, “It truly is no trouble. I travel aimlessly, often alone though sometimes with others I meet along the way, so assisting you or accompanying you while you heal will not delay me in any way since there is nothing to be delayed. If you would rather travel alone, I can understand that and would respect it, but please do not concern yourself with whether or not I am troubled. I assure you, I never do anything I do not wish to do.”

“For instance, I would be most happy to do what healing I can on your injured leg. I am unsure of how familiar you are with my kind but we, as many Shifters do, possess magic. For the most part, it manifests itself in the form of offensive attacks as you may have witnessed were you able to concentrate on the fight, but I have applied myself to healing and have become quite good at it though not nearly as powerful as the horses are. I can’t promise a complete and immediate recovery like a horse would be able to, but I can certainly accelerate your natural healing processes if you would like me to.”

Torrin’s eyes met the wolf’s mismatched ones with a spark of defiance. This would be the last time she offered her assistance to this Shifter. If the girl insisted she didn’t need any help, or was ‘unworthy’ of it, Torrin would fly away without a single backward glance, though she was somewhat curious as to why the girl thought so little of herself when she was obviously a most generous and extraordinary individual.

[ElliBleu]

A long time ago that spark in the avian's eyes would have sent Rielle's inner fire blazing and almost instantly endeared the bird to her, enjoying the company of another who shared the same confidence. Now, broken, battered, and bleeding to top it off, Rielle couldn't help but shy away a bit.

She listened blearily as Torrin spoke, half her mind focused on her injury and the other half really trying to give the generous raptor at least some attention. She said she liked helping people, and the wolf felt another pang of hurt in her chest. Once upon a time she would have agreed.

Torrin continued talking, Rielle realizing fleetingly it had been weeks since anyone had spoken to her, and far longer since such an amount. Her words would need to be chosen carefully here, lest she let this chance at rapid healing pass her by. As a wolf she knew too well what happened to those unable to run, to hunt.

And company.... Much as Rielle would have liked to deny it, to never again need something so potentially dangerous, she wanted it. Needed it. It was her bloodright as a wolf, to seek, desire, and share company.

As it had many times before- and turned out with her bearing yet another scar at the end just as frequently- desperation drove her to nod. A small voice in her head told told the wolf it was for the healing, just for the promise of a better chance at continued survival... Nothing else. Always moving, that was her code, and this was just a means to continue... she didn't need a companion, didn't want another opportunity to have a knife twisted in her back.

.... It was purely.... for the promised medical aid....

It was a lie.

A bad one, at that. But Rielle was content with it, far too experienced with blinding oneself to the truth by now. It was a tirck learned by necessity

Having a raptor along for a while couldn't be so terrible. Hunting would be easy with eyes from above. So would avoiding danger and picking easy travel routes. If it became an unwanted thing, Rielle was confident in her running-away abilities to evade even a bird for enough time to get away.

It took her a few moments to find her disused voice, seeming unnaturally small for a wolf. "You're generosity puts me at a loss for words," she muttered, bowing her head to the proud avian. "I owe you my life, and wolves rarely forget a debt. I have no destination, but if you seek traveling company I can only oblige."

It must have looked pathetically forced, but Rielle tried to offer a smile. It just seemed as though she couldn't quite remember how.