Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 12:04 pm

Mariel:

Kieoki, who'd fallen asleep in the tree, was deeply asleep for once. Unlike normal, she was totally tuned out from the world, lost in her dreams that weren't all too pleasant at the moment. Bright lightning flashed across the sky in her dreams, not really frightening her as much as sending a chill of horror down her spine. Not because she was scared, but because she knew what was coming. Wait. Something was wrong with this nightmare. She wasn't supposed to know what was happening. Nightmares didn't work like that. She never knew the fangs and growls and pain were coming until it actually happened. But yet, she knew it was going to happen this time before it did.

She outstretched her arms that were now tiny, marveling for a moment in their tiny size. But this didn't last long. She glanced upwards as another flash lit up the night, illuminating the sudden appearance of a pack of snarling wolves. Her little self froze, terrified by the large and violent creatures. But she knew what was happening and she made herself move, made herself break the pattern of the dream. She shifted into her wolf before the eyes and snarling faces of the wolves in front of her. The wolves stopped snarling as they saw their prey shift into a wolf before their eyes. Kieoki flattened her ears to her head, grinning wildly in her wolf form as the shocked pack took a step back from their prey.

Kieoki let our a chilling snarl of her own at the pack, taking the reigns of the nightmare with her own paws and throwing it out the window. The pack's leader stepped forwards, snarling in confusion. Kieoki left nothing to chance. Another second and she leaped towards the pack leader, her claws outstretched and her teeth bared. The leader snarled and met the leap, claws digging into Kieoki's shoulders. But she was stronger than her younger self, her past self who had no defense. The leader was more than surprised when Kieoki easily rolled him off, lashing back with her claws against his face. The pack started snarling, their fur bristling as the fight continued. Who was this wolf anyways? The fight continued until the dueling pair broke apart, both huffing for breath. Kieoki had the upper hand in the fight, but she never noticed the silent signal the leader gave to his pack. Next thing she knew, the pack was lunging towards her in unison.

Kieoki woke from her nightmare with a start, almost falling out of the tree in the process. She managed to grab a branch as she fell and she swung down with little grace. She landed with a soft thud as she cursed to herself, leaning against the tree's trunk as she took in a breath to calm herself down. Kieoki took another breath, glancing down at her hands. She was shaking? She quivered and tucked her hands under her arms, trying to calm herself down. A sudden sound greeted her ears, rock maybe? She didn't know nor care for the matter. She shut the sound out and tried to pull herself together.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 12:05 pm

Indy:

Theo hadn't expected Kaleb to be forthcoming, but he certainly hadn't anticipated being attacked either.

Woosh. A fly of color landed on top of Theo, making him temporarily loose his balance and fall toward the floor. Instinct kicked in, allowing him to catch himself the last second before he face-planted into the floor and steady himself. He looked at Kaleb, yet there was no sort of companionship in his furrowed green eyes. No, there was something feral in his eyes, urging him to attack Kaleb and overcoming all reason...

His attacker backed away suddenly, withdrawing on the fight. The savage expression lingered on Theo's face for a fraction of a second more, looking as though he still wanted to strike his perceived attacker. Then another expression took it's place: horror. He recoiled, backing up a few feet from the spot. It wasn't because Theo was afraid of if Kaleb would attack again, but rather that he might.

Yet he had no intention of leaving either. He peered up at Kaleb with the closest portrayal of sympathy he had ever shown to anyone of the pack. He didn't know much about Kaleb, but given his despair, he had a good guess what had happened.

"To see if anyone was still there?" Theo supplemented quietly.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 12:05 pm

Cassie:

Kaleb sat there, feeling sorry for himself but also for Theo, for the way he had attacked him. He heaved a shuddering sigh, his shoulders rising and falling.

His hair fell over his eyes, lending to the darkness that was in him. His whole body felt like a live wire. He still hadn't trained enough to help control his other form. Beneath his skin the wolf danced. It raced along his muscles, threatening to break to the surface. He grimaced, closing his eyes. He wanted badly to give in the the pleasure of leaving his skin and Shifting to something of fantasy; something that shouldn't exist. He barely overcame the feeling of wanting to Shift. Then he was just sitting there, sweating slightly and breathing like he had run for a bit.

He saw when Theo looked at him, and he could tell that it was to try and make him feel better. He just looked down though.

"Yeah..........," he paused, "To see...if....my......................" Another pause followed, and he sat there in silence.

"To see if my....mom," he choked out the last word, tears rolling down again and dripping onto the floor. "If she was okay, but....she wasn't." his eyes flicked up to his pack mate and back down. "My mom....she's.....dead." in the

"I guess I just have to move on now."he said, "I have a life here, now, with the pack. So I can't stay stuck on this." Kaleb finished, looking ahead out the window that showed a dark expanse.

"Well...what do we do now?"he asked Theo, looking back up at him.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 12:06 pm

Indy:

Theo leaned on the door frame, his head faced downward, as Kaleb spoke. Brown curls fell into his face, shielding his eyes from sight and his mouth flat and emotionless. He didn’t speak a word as Kaleb spoke, nor reveal any of the thoughts that may have been going on in his head. When Kaleb had finally paused, Theo allowed the silence to remain. 

Finally his head lifted and his hair was tossed back into a wild mess behind him. His eyes were pensive, quiet, and solemn while he surveyed Kaleb, as though searching for something. 

“Sometimes things happen and you can’t do anything about them,” he began in a quiet voice, one that had been deliberately stripped of its emotion. He turned away to watch a small moth flit towards the window, as though he was speaking to the moth instead of Kaleb.

“My father used to turn mortals and I couldn’t do a thing about it, because I thought it was the right thing to do. Actually, my entire pack used to, because we all thought it was the way it was supposed to be. I ran away because I thought I hated my father, but really I hated the way things were.”

He shifted, turning away from the window and looking at Kaleb straight on with a serious face,”But then I turned her, Kaleb,” there was no holding back the surge of emotion, the doubt, the sadness, but most of all the anger,”and I couldn’t do a thing about it. I did just what my father would have done, and I couldn’t do anything about it!”

The moth flew away into the darkness, but Theo did not watch it go. Instead he slowly turned around to look at Kaleb, his fists slowly unclenching as he turned away the anger,”So to answer your question, we can’t do anything but accept what happened and move on. I’m sure your mother loved you, but especially now, you can’t allow the emotion to take hold of you or more people will get hurt”.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 12:06 pm

Aim:

Chime went back to her room after all that happened. She had saw the alpha bring back a girl, the werewolf who attacked Jackie. Though she was in human form, she know the scent. Hiding in her room was what she did when something happened that she didn't like, this being the female staying here. Not even knowing if she had woken up yet, Chime paced around her room.

She ended up sitting on her bed, quietly scolding herself. Why was she so much like a child? Getting up, she decided that she was going to take a walk instead of sitting here. She walked to the door and let herself out, after looking both way of course. She caught herself and put her head up high, no way she was going to do that. 

"Besides, she is probably a good person, just doesn't quite know how to control her werewolf form." Chime told herself in a whisper.

Walking down to the door seemed to take forever, she thought she heard someone crying at a time but choose to let someone else take care of it, she wasn't in shape to comfort anyone, how could she when she was a nervous wreck? Irritated that she was scared of this new person, she started angrily mumbling. What right did she even have to be here? Though she knew that her being here was better then her roaming, it annoyed her.

Getting to close to the door, she saw the female. Nosily and quickly Chime hid behind a doorway, peaking out now and then to look at her. Chime felt like a child, again, hiding behind something like she had done something naughty, but she couldn't help but be scared, not really knowing how the other would react.. At least Zeit was in the room. 

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 12:06 pm

May:

With the click of the car door shutting came a demanding voice over his shoulder and Ulric quickly turned around to face it. Immediately he was met by the green eyes of the Beta whom he recognized as Zeit Chandler. Ulric then lowered his head and stooped into a bow as a habitual sign of respect. 

"Ulric Shragron." He explained, bringing his face up to meet her eyes again. "We were previously introduced a few weeks ago when I came to your ranch with my mother, Resme. I apologize for not announcing my presence here sooner."

The visitor's manner was a sincere attempt at formality, though perhaps it would be found rather odd by those whom were not raised in likewise fashion. 

"I have orders from your Alpha, Kratos, to inform you of his whereabouts and the whereabouts of one of your members, Jacqueline Ryder." Ulric said as he continued to explain. "I am to tell you that they are both at the Reknab Bend Threshold Emergency Hospital, and Jackie is safe for the time being.."

It was at that moment that a person whom Ulric did not know approached from behind Zeit and placed a hand on her shoulder. She bore an inquisitive expression upon her face but did not speak a word of question.

Through the scent she carried it was immediately clear to Ulric that she was not of the pack, so he became silent that Zeit might give her full attention to the woman.

*******

A few moments after Jackie's spork clattered to the ground of the hospital room, the door came open and was for a moment left unoccupied. Then in peered Kratos with a somewhat amused smile upon his face.

"Are you ready to jump out a window already?" He asked sarcastically.

As he slowly came into the room Kratos made an obvious gesture to look down at the fallen utensil. He then pressed his hands into the pockets of his pants and looked Jackie in the face.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come on you unawares; I assumed you were still sleeping and came to check up on you.. Though I admit I did not request permission to do so." He explained briefly. "How are you feeling, can I get anything for you?"

Kratos had decided beforehand that he would not attempt to force Jackie to stay in the hospital; he knew she was a determined person. But there was still a problem to be dealt with if they simply shattered a window and vanished, thus he made no mention of the matter for the moment...

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 12:07 pm

Indy:

Earlier tension and concern over possible drug-laden nurses dissipated. Quizzically Jackie glanced at Kratos, silently taking him in. His tall powerful frame seemed out of place in the dainty little hospital with peeling floral print. Half a question seemed to form on her lips, but then idly it was dismissed. 

“You’re quieter than the nurses,” she observed with even tone.

Slowly she leaned down with outstretched palms towards the spork. A quick stitch of pain shot through her side, a protest from the sudden motion, but it was ignored with a brief grimace. Victoriously, she closed her fingers around her weapon, and examined it in her palm. The disgusting white plastic had been chipped and warped now from its fight against the window frame, but it otherwise was just about as useful as it had been before. With a nod of acknowledgement towards her handy tool, she brought a decisive gouge into the window.

Clunk.

Clunk. Clunk. Chink.

“The only thing you could do,” the spork buried itself furiously into the window sill.

Clunk. Chink. Thunk.

“Is get me out of here before the nurses come back”

Clunk. Chink. Pieces of old, shredded wood fell like snowflakes on the floor.

“Before I do something stupid”

Riiiiiip. A large piece of wood, the size of her pinky, was freed from its splintery bed. Unfortunately, it had also found a nice home imbedded in her thumb. The woman cursed, removed the piece from her finger, than nursed the wound in her mouth. Her eyes closed venomously on the window, than snapped up the spork from her lap, and began again with renewed vigor.

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 12:08 pm

May:

"I suppose jumping out a two-story high window might count as something of that sort." Kratos said, briefly recalling the embedded knife in Zeit's kitchen wall. "You certainly are skilled at bringing to pieces the average building.." 

More seriously now Kratos continued with a lowered voice so as not to be overheard by anyone passing on the outside of the room. "It's likely they won't release you for a week yet if you continue to improve.. However, Ulric filled out most of the papers with his own information, so we have no risk of any agencies seeking out the ranch if we were to leave without requesting permission. Still, there are different risks which must now be weighed on Ulric's behalf.." 

It would seem then that the Alpha's thoughts were briefly caught away someplace else, before he sighed and changed the subject.

"I caught the person who attacked you last night.." He informed. "She looks to be nearly in her mid twenties. She is an obvious above average size, and judging by her stature she has done fighting previous to now. Whether or not her actions were fueled by some kind of emotion, I cannot say, but my guess is that she was acting under the influence of the moon."

Kratos pulled his hands out of his pockets and crossed his arms over his chest. "She's being held under Kale and Zeit's now, but what becomes of her has not yet been decided. Also, I found that you were not the only one to be attacked by her last night. I assume just after you escaped that she discovered the werewolf spy I've been seeking for weeks and attempted to take him out as well."

Quote from Indy on August 22, 2018, 12:08 pm

Indy:

Jackie seemed to have determined the conversation to have evolved into a need for her full attention. Her pale fingers temporarily reprieved the spork of it's window-destroying duties. She folded it gently into her fingers on her lap, and spun, slowly, to face Kratos.

Her face grew harder. While her skin still looked pale and sickly and her movements limited and haggard, there was something unmistakeable resolute and firm about her weak body. Pale lips pursued in annoyance.

"If you think I'm staying in this horrible hospital for a week, then you're crazy. I don't care if I have to burn the papers or jump out a two-story window, I plan on leaving tonight. Clear?" from there Jackie smiled ironically, then firmly continued to shove the spork back into the window.

It was only after a great passage of time, when it seemed almost obligatory, did she skip over to the next statement. Her voice dropped an octave. It was as resolute as before, but with sinister and cold edge that made the sunny hospital room grow colder,"Then please tell my attacker, that next time I'm coming back for blood.