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Post by Sulwyn on Jun 9, 2014 0:15:04 GMT -6
Two and a half weeks. That was most likely how long she had been running, at least, away from her slavers: a caravan of black marketeers that traded illegal skins under the guise of gypsies and hunters. The fox was their tracker.. able to whine when things got dangerous or sniff out what meal smelled good to her. Every day she had worked as their 'compass' to good hunting grounds. And every day she got nothing but a kick, a smack, or a missed meal as a reward. What little clothing they had given her was ripped easily away by now - the bunt of her tail exposed with orange fur running along the lower inches of her spine. Her body was muddied, dirtied, and she had lost their scent a couple of days ago. Had they stopped chasing after her? Had they pulled back their hunters? Gotten tired? She had. A few whimpers occasionally creaked out of her dry throat every time her feet accidentally toppled over something. The fox's balance was unparalleled on the forest floor. Well, when she was healthy. Images spun slightly around in her vision and her palms and toes found it difficult to sync up for proper walks, let alone trots. Her head slumped down, nearly falling asleep mid-step, and quickly nodded back upwards with misty eyes. *Rnnnk..CHINK!* It had happened so suddenly, so quickly. The yelp that pierced through the air was almost muffled by the sound of the metal bear trap closing itself - so loud and deafening in the calm forest. A forest full of predators... She quickly bit her bottom lip to keep from whining, but it didn't help the cries in her throat. The fox glanced down at her ankle - numbing very quickly after the initial pain. The teeth had clamped on both sides of it, twisting it a little off into a weird direction to the side and rendering it responseless to any attempts at moving it. Her fingers dug into the dirt and she pulled herself forward along the ground, dragging it with as tears streamed down her face. The teeth tugged deeper and deeper into her flesh the more she moved.. but she was out in the open. Finally, after nearly fifteen minutes of struggle, she hid herself within a bush as deep as the piked chain from the bear trap would let her. The stake was too deep in the ground for her to tug away.. so here in the bush she'd wait. For anything. Perhaps to die. It was nightfall now... and her head toppled tiredly to the twigs - tail and ears tangled within the leaves and limbs of the thick bush - breaths pacing shallowly and weakly. |
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Post by Geraldine Killian on Jun 12, 2014 19:39:58 GMT -6
It was a difficult time of year.
Birds singing, flowers blooming and all the world waking up from winter time. All of the forest was green and vital as the day it had been created all those many centuries ago. The moss was slick and full, wet and glossy. The leaves were brilliant in their new life. The evergreens were almost blue with the brilliance of their own life forces. The water could be heard babbling easily over the rocks at the bottom of the stream a bit away and somewhere far over head there was the sound of a trap going off...
Geraldine's eyes flew into sharp focus. The startling green of the world reflected her her wary eyes as she stepped forward in her hunting boots, bow and arrow at the ready. She'd been sent out on patrol. This was a dangerous time of year, a time when animals who were hungry from the long winter and desperate from the meager beginnings that were spring came encroaching on village and civilized territory to make their own ends meet. She walked along the stream carefully, knowing the locations of the bear traps because that's what she was checking for. It was the time of year when fishermen were careful about their nets and materials, keeping them near the stream, but it was also the time of year when bears pulled those same nets and traps out of the water and ripped them to shreds, which had at times set families back months in their savings to try to repair the damage.
... and that didn't even include the problems from the Kath, who were also very aggressive until a proper feeding...
Her red hair was tied back, not in the usual style, but to keep it well out of her way as she stalked through the forest undergrowth and observed the tracks. She began making her way towards the trap, arrow pulled tightly as she walked.
She'd met her fair share of small animals already, but this wasn't a food hunt. This was a patrol for safety and security. She had no intention of killing anything unless it intended to cause her harm. That was the Domhan Tir creed for shield and hunter alike. And she was both. The Killian dagger hung at her side to show as proof of this.
Slowly she entered the clearing just before the bushes that led to the fishing boats. She moved a bush asside and looked down. Tracks... but not animal tracks... human toes and arches... someone stumbling along fearfully... and a small foot... a child... She looked around. Had an animal chanced to hunt a child down to this area?
"...Is there anyone here? If so ... announce thyself. I am Geraldine Killian of the Shield... and I'll not harm thee..."
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Post by Sulwyn on Jun 12, 2014 22:12:10 GMT -6
Breath eased from between her dry lips and her nostrils - wheezing out in small, whistling noises against the dirt. A twig was snapped in an odd direction and poking up against her cheek. It was uncomfortable.. but she just couldn't tilt her head away from it to move it by. It was okay, though.. She was alone. Alone without a cage, without a leather strap tied tight around her neck and pulled by some tall, strong man with a chain. Not unlike the chain that kept her here in this trap. But at least she had chosen to run this way, chosen to be here. It was a strange feeling - the feeling of freedom - even for how brief it was. Still, with the trap dug deep into her ankle and twisting it off to some odd angle, she didn't feel entirely trapped. At peace... at peace with the feeling that she had done her greatest and would at least spend time alone and by herself while she fell asleep on the forest floor. Her eyes shut, the breath in her lungs became shallow and cold - as did her skin - and her heart began to slow. Her ears zoned out and started to pick up dull roars inside her own head as if to force her slumber. Until.. "...Is there anyone here?" Her ear slowly tried to lift, an eye opening against the ground to see the image of her own, small curled-up hand by her nose. What was by her now? Another human. She couldn't smell right. She had to get up.. had to hide more.. maybe this one was after her too. Maybe they'd caught up to her. How long had she been asleep? "If so ... announce thyself. I am Geraldine Killian of the Shield... and I'll not harm thee..." The words were nothing to her - lacking any understanding of their meaning in the least. Finally, however, her body began to panic and wake up further. The fox's breathing hastened and she slowly tried to tug herself further in the bush. But the chain was pulled tied against the mud of the ground from where it was staked on the forest floor.. and the teeth on the trap clenched her in place. Her ears lowered against her head and she stayed still after the small movement, eyes training everywhere in fear of her persuer. |
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Post by Geraldine Killian on Jun 13, 2014 15:37:35 GMT -6
Her eyes were trained on any movement they caught and her ears strained for any sounds at all. She heard the faint tinkling of the chain as it moved and her eyes slid down to the overgrowth once more. Something was amiss here... and from the clues she had, she assumed the worst. Was she about to come upon the body of a mauled child? Someone who could not get away from the beast that had chased them here? ...
She put on her shield face, the one that had to deal with these kinds of situations... always these situations... and stood a little taller. Geraldine then leaned forward and moved the bushes out of her way to examine if she could see what had happened here. Kath most likely... a male would have come down from the trees... would the victim be able to be identified with what was left?
...What a grisly thing to find first thing in the morning... and then she would have to go put down the Kath Brute as well... Not a pleasant scenario all around...
But as she looked, there was blood on the ground, but not enough to result in death.
Further examination and she was able to find the trap, which had been here a while, apparently. It was wrapped in a vine and the rust on it suggested it had been forgotten a while back and had not been retrieved or taken care of.
Lifting more of the brush out of the way, she looked down to see a small leg... tiny and then and filthy...
Geraldine pulled out her dagger and with a few well placed cuts, cleared away the bush that she would be able to examine what exactly had happened...
And came face to face with the smallest, most pitiable creature she'd yet to see... and that sadly was saying something. It was female. It's hair was matted hopelessly. The cloth it wore was so tattered and stained it did nothing to protect her from anything except eyes. Her skin was smeared and goosebumps were raised on it... she'd been laying in the mud for some time, it seemed. If the trap were still in good condition, it would have snapped clear through her leg, Geraldine was certain. However, luckily... or unluckily... it might have just fractured the limb.
"...Are you awake, little one? Please respond if you are. I need to remove the trap, and you have to hold still or it will injure you greatly... Do you understand?"
Her voice was calm but official. She was military, and trained for this kind of situation, which while not common, was not unexpected.
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Post by Sulwyn on Jun 13, 2014 16:24:45 GMT -6
LIGHTS WILL GUIDE YOU HOME
✿ Something, whatever it was, was coming closer. The woman who was after her. She'd get her.. capture her and put her back in her cage and she'd be yelled at and kicked again or maybe even hit with the clubs or that whipping vine that they used to use. Maybe she would stop running then.. The fox didn't like the cage, didn't like her owners, but.. it was better than being hit for being bad again. At the sound of the hands rummaging in the bush around her, her ears flattened back against her head - nearly hidden in her identically-colored hair. Her tail was tangled and messied around the limbs of the branch.. covered in mud and leaves and too heavy or twisted to pull back and away for protection. The girl curled, or tried too at least, further into herself to try and hide. No... no, she didn't want to go back... she had spent so long running away ad almost got far enough... "...Are you awake, little one? Please respond if you are." "Hnnnn-," her whine was high pitched in her throat, between that of a small canine and a scared, whimpering child. She wanted the woman to go away, to leave her. Her voice was low and stern.. and surely it'd lift soon to yell at her, rumble and scream and shout.
"I need to remove the trap, and you have to hold still or it will injure you greatly... Do you understand?"
Not only did she not understand most things about the English language (save for a few, simple words that were barked at her constantly), but she didn't understand the closeness of the woman either. Why be so slow? The fox was caught. Trapped. So it wasn't as if she was going to run off by being spooked. It was pointless now.
She shivered with a deep, edged noise in her throat at the discomfort of chilly air brushing up against her bare skin now that the leaves had all been pulled back. The closer the woman got, the louder she whined, hid her face, and the more her tail tried to tug free until eventually it pulled from the tangling branches and curled around her arms and chest to hide herself.
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BY KERRIA ♥ OF GANGNAM STYLE
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Post by Geraldine Killian on Jun 28, 2014 19:42:24 GMT -6
Orik help her... the little waif was no more than a decade old, surely, with those scrawny arms and legs and that tiny shivering body... Geraldine worked quickly with the fear that she would go into some sort of shock. She knelt down, bracing herself properly. She hit the release on the lock for the trap and began pulling the wicked iron teeth apart to lose the leg that had been so cruelly injured.
Before the girl could crawl away in some misguided attempt to rescue herself, Geraldine grabbed her good leg and held her tight while her other hand locked the trap again. It was old, possibly forgotten or lost, and no animal deserved to be caught in such a thing.
"...Remain calm, little one... I'll not harm thee, I swear..." She slowly removed her cloak and began wrapping the girl in it. After the girl was protected from elements and cold, she worked to gently lift the little bundle into her arms and stand.
"I don't know that you understand me. I highly doubt you do... but Orik bless... please understand... I am here to protect. I won't harm. You need help, alright? I know you probably don't understand... but there must be something in your gifted mind that seeks out those who do not wish to harm. You must be healed... You must see a healer. I am taking you to one who respects Orik and his children. Please... please be calm." She held the girl to her chest, breathing soft and even, voice low and calming as she tried to find some way to explain to the little feral that everything would be ok if they acted quickly.
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Post by Sulwyn on Jun 29, 2014 10:20:48 GMT -6
LIGHTS WILL GUIDE YOU HOME
✿ She was still coming closer. No, no, no, no! Her tail hugged tight to her, ears popping out of her muddied, matted hair at alert. The trap was loud when it snapped back open - the sound of rusted and aged metal creaking and releasing. Immediately, she tried squirming away from the woman, lower leg numb, but her good ankle was gripped firmly by an alien hand. The fox cried in fear, whimpers etching and chirping in high-pitched noises from her nose and throat. The trap snapped shut again, making her gasp and jump, but she couldn't get anywhere from the woman's grip.
A hand held her weak body down and soon she was covered with a thick fabric. It.. smelled nice. And it was warm. It didn't hurt her skin like the cold air did. She whined a little less - eyes heavy with exhaustion under the new comfort. But then she was picked up into the air..
She yelped, trying to pull her legs up to her chest and hands gripping at the front of the woman's shirt in attempt to push her away. That was getting her nowhere fast.. The woman was a stone compared to her. Her body shifted uncomfortably, her tail pinned beneath her in the blanket. It tried to wiggle free, tangled in the folds, and tugged a few times between her and the woman's arms through the blanket. Her head pressed against the stranger's chest in attempt to stretch herself out and free her aching tail - but to no avail.
Her hands grabbed different areas of her shirt to see if one section would give her more leverage than the others, ears flattening low against her head with confusion and fear, hair falling in her face and eyes - strands getting caught in her mouth. She kept speaking.. but it was lost on her. Her eyes couldn't hepl but lock onto the moving ground beneath her - whining through her nose. Where were they going?.. Was.. she going back to the cage now?.. Her head lowered in defeat.. but she continued to softly cry.
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BY KERRIA ♥ OF GANGNAM STYLE
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Post by Geraldine Killian on Jul 7, 2014 8:44:21 GMT -6
The child struggled weakly and the future head of Killian house tried to keep her still. Realizing that the child was uncomfortable, Geraldine tried to adjust the little one as best she could. The dirt in her hair and on her body was so caked on that it didn't even cloud up in the air as she moved... and Geraldine found her self wondering if the girl's hair was really as dingy as it appeared in color or if perhaps it was as fiery as her own.
The child was so weak... so helpless...
'It's for those like this that I am a shield...' the thought was one that was unbidden and unexpected in her mind as she tried to be tender in her actions even as she rushed towards the village with a hurried and knowing stride. She'd walked this path many times. She knew all the traps and all the bends in it.
She reached the edge of the village quickly. Far more so than anyone had expected. The watch at the edges of the village noticed that she was hurrying back long before she was expected to end her patrol of the area and met her along the side of the main road.
"She is injured, a victim of one of the traps that was left by the river. A gifted child of Orik and she hasn't yet spoken. She may be feral and I'm uncertain how long she's been in the woods. She needs treatment immediately."
One of the guards nodded and returned to his post to watch for others while the other began calling for a medic. Geraldine kept her arms tight but gentle around the girl in hopes that she wouldn't spook too badly in the village, which would probably seem very new to her. Then the bad news came...
"We've no room for her in the clinic... we're still dealing with the fevers of winter there and the injuries from the bandit raids on the roads. She'll have to stay elsewhere while being treated and examined..."
Geraldine nodded, looking down at the child with a concerned but otherwise flat expression. There was nothing for it then. Her father would be unhappy for certain... he never did approve of her bringing her work home with her... But if there was no room at the clinic...
"Send the first able medic to my father's house as soon is it is viable and be certain they have all the necessary equipment. I will take responsibility for her until we can determine who she is and where she is from."
Several people stopped in the street to watch her go by as she stepped quickly down the road un-escorted. Only a few had heard what had happened and so whispers began immediately of worries and wonders. Some wild creature? Rabidness? Geraldine taking in an orphan? So many opportunities to talk without a thought in their heads... but Geraldine only had one thought in hers. To serve was her duty. And she would be remiss if she did not serve that duty to the ones that needed it most.
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Post by Sulwyn on Jul 7, 2014 20:11:56 GMT -6
LIGHTS WILL GUIDE YOU HOME
✿ Her tail flipped rapidly out, unfolding with a small crying bark and wrapping around her front - hiding her face. They had walked forever it seemed.. and she couldn't smell anything she recognized or remembered in the air which only confused her more. As soon as she smelled the blood of others and heard their breaths and movements in the air, she tensed. The woman spoke sternly and she opened her eyes, looking outwards. More people! With weapons on them! She cried and burried her nose into the woman's shirt, hiding away from them all. Her arms squirmed around a little, good leg pressing against the inside of the woman's arm to try and hide even further or get away maybe - the limp leg dangling downwards. But soon.. that tuckered her out too far.. To the sounds of whispering from the voices of many she didn't know or recognize, the fox fell to sleep. There were no dreams. Well.. no vivid dreams. Colors or scents here and there - maybe the sound of a bunny scurrying and her chasing it. Lack of knowledge only made the fox dream more as her animal counterpart - not anything like the average man. *KNCK KNCK* The crack of knuckles on wood made her ears perk up and eyes open wide with a few hastened blinks. The scent in the room was almost pine-like.. clean.. and it was warm. The air was thicker instead of so thin that it bit at her. Her eyes adjusted around the small room.. on a soft pillow filled with hay and circled in a wool blanket. The scent of fresh cleaned fabrics was new to her, but it was kind to her nose. She saw the tiny room with wooden things-.. a bowl attached to the wall above her head across the way and a large tub beside her that she was rested against - her bad leg stretched out away from the blankets - open-wounded - covered a tad with a damp rag. She had no time to think before she heard muffled voices outside the closed door to the tiny room which opened rather suddenly, the face of a strange man appearing.. one she didn't know. She barked and growled, mostly out of fear and not aggression, backing up against the wall and began trying to claw herself into the corner of the room immediately. |
BY KERRIA ♥ OF GANGNAM STYLE
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Post by Geraldine Killian on Jul 8, 2014 22:11:26 GMT -6
Geraldine had brought the child in and had bathed her gently with a few damp cloths, particularly her arms and legs. The child was so caked in filth it was deplorable... But it spoke of her struggles to survive. She was a fighter. Whatever she'd come through, it had been a difficult struggle.
Gwendolyn came up the stairs quietly. Geraldine hadn't even heard her enter the bathing room. When she placed a hand on Geraldine's shoulder, the young redhead jumped. Gwendolyn Killian put a quieting finger to her lips and looked over at the child. The ears and the tail. Gwendolyn, having once been a part of the Rose, knew Orik's loving work when she saw it.
"...She was caught in a trap? The poor thing..." It had taken time to explain everything but Gwendolyn had been patiently helping to clean the little one as she discussed with her daughter the circumstances of the fox child's rescue.
"...Keep her here. I will go fetch Jonathan Lane..." Her mother had instructed without any room for argument. Geraldine knew that her mother would also gather herbs for cleansing and calming as well... She was a strong believer in the woods' remedies.
~*~*~
It had been a few minutes maybe but it had felt like hours just watching the little one sleep...
When Jonathan had entered, Geraldine averted her gaze and dipped her upper body in a reverent bow. What had transpired between the two families was entirely her own fault... and she had no disillusions about that. Her father had not allowed her to forget that there were consequences for her disobedience.
But Jonathan and Mrs. Lane were both some of the best healers in the whole of her father's province. And mother was still on good terms with Mrs. Lane.
The little fox was upset and so Geraldine busied herself with reaching out to her to hold and comfort as one would a victim of a fire or another tragedy. No one would be able to say what had caused her shaken and feral state... but it was certainly something unpleasant.
"Hush now, little one... tis fine... no one's going to harm you... we just need to make sure your leg is well... if it is broken we can't let it get worse... we must heal it... please be calm little one..."
Gwendolyn lit some faint incense in a small burner up above the tub and the room quickly filled with the scent of lavender and rain, calming smells that were natural and peaceful. Geraldine turned her back to the doctor, still uncomfortable with her knowledge of their past, and tried to allow him to work on the child's leg without her interference.
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