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Post by Vixen on May 21, 2019 16:37:29 GMT -6
Something about errands begged for procrastination. It was the damndest thing, really. Complex tasks demanding of high attention, exhausting feats, labor-intensive to-do lists, frankly dangerous training- all were somehow more easily accomplished by Vixen than simple chores. Groceries? Not until her cabinets were down to stale crackers and condiments. Store runs? Ignored until the day she had an urgent need for the item. It was the menial, easily-accomplished tasks that inspired momentous amounts of stalling for the scaled woman, a trait she frequently loathed about herself, but took no steps to address. This particular shortcoming is what had led to a reluctant and unplanned midday run to the market, astride her plucky feathered mount. Somewhere in her kitchen sat a bowl of flour-less dry ingredients where she had been forced to abandon her quest for pancakes. No flour, that's fine, she had thought. Eggs it would be! Except... Oh. Somehow, she was out of eggs. Who didn't have eggs in the house, at least? At that moment, she had stepped back and looked, really looked, at the state of her cupboards. Her fridge had hotsauce, ketchup, and part of a Bwee bone for her Vulticus. The pantry had miscellaneous fixings to contribute to an overall recipe, but none particularly edible alone, not unless breadcrumbs and dry noodles sounded appealing. She had sighed in self disgust. I'm an adult, and can't remember to buy food. The critters, of course, always had food on hand, and she was only a little shamed to admit she'd cut hunks off of meat designated for her beasts to fry up in a pinch. But today, well today was clear, and what excuse did she have? None she could float past even herself. So here she sat, nestled into the saddle of her Chiryma, saddle bags overflowing with vegetables, eggs, some meats, and snacks the vendors had pushed. Why not go all out? Her kitchen was destitute. Juniper, to his credit, was ever the chipper travel companion. He had a plucky strut about him, mindful of commands but curious to his environment, head cocking this way and that, blue eyes flitting about to take in all the sights and sounds of the market. Though Vixen had hesitated in her choice of mount for the day, she was pleased with the result; Chiryma maneuvered with greater ease in crowded spaces than Equillion, and June in particular was docile and not remotely hot-blooded as, say, Voodoo. Despite his comparatively narrow frame, he handled the bulging saddlebags without hesitation on their steady trot home. "What do you think, bud?" Vixen mused, absently scratching the tuft of scarlet feathers that outlined the ride of Juniper's shoulder. "Think we invite Rhett and Ashe over for dinner? Or... maybe just Ashe?" Rhett was sweet, but she'd been devoting a lot of time in training and working with him as of late; she felt as if she'd barely spent any quality time with Ashe that didn't circulate around the Keeps or involve brief, stolen moments. "You think he's feeding himself right? I never feel like he eats properly by himself." Juniper trilled softly, clueless to his owner's babbling, but enjoying the company of hearing her voice nonetheless. "Actually, none of these men seem to eat properly without me, pfft. Maybe it's just me. Mother hen-ing them too much. Spirit knows I do that." She sighed, glancing at their surroundings. They were well outside the city now, nearing the large, reinforced and segregated kennel areas many locals, Vixen included, kept creatures in need of higher security. By her estimation, that put them about three miles out from home. If she kicked Juniper into a decent stride, they could be home quite soon, but hell, it was a nice day for a ride, and besides, she had breakables in the bags. A slow trot was just fine for now. As they rounded by the reinforced steel walls, several hundred yards out from the road, Vixen found herself running through her mental checklist for her kenneled creatures, both here and at the smaller facility. Despite her large number, most were able to remain out between her home, the Keep, and the Panther. She had come by the kennel earlier in the day on their way to market, checking in to feed everyone and note their general well-being. She tried to stretch her time and visit with those she saw less frequently in order to maintain bonds, and for the most part, despite her semi-constant feelings of guilt, everyone remained happy and healthy- well, almost... Vixen grimaced to herself, looking down at the pommel of the saddle. That damn drake in there. Poor Kitty, battle-torn, scarred, hostile. She couldn't remember how she had gotten into the "fodder" aspect of Sarane matching, as it never quite sat right with her. She adored her bond and work with Aquilia, but had yet to bond with a drake. any drake. She found herself in the awkward position of feeling obligated to continue Kitty's care, or finding a way to allow herself to... well, dispose of him. He wasn't her first fodder drake, but hell, Bee wasn't nearly so unmanageable and had earned himself a respectable retirement. She thought of Ashe, who fed such redundancies to Alaska, and sighed. She had long grown out of the "save ever creature" mentality, but she still felt... dirty, somehow, choosing that route. There wasn't much sugar-coating to the life of a fodder drake. They were raised wild, allowed to be vicious, and forever treated like the hostile ferals they were. Kitty had to be fed with a pole through steel bars, and sedated for even minor medical care. Just that day, Vixen had to tranquilize him for the trivial task of flushing a wound on his foreleg and wiping it out with antiseptic. "Maybe we'll talk about it tonight." She bit her cheek subconsciously, a regular habit of her internalized dread or anxiety. Why should she feel any differently about Kitty than she did about any creature raised for slaughter? Did she not regularly eat meat, after all? No, but that was different. She had personally condemned this creature, nursed it after it sustained wounds she allowed it to receive... yet it wasn't a morally questionable thing around the Labs. It was the status quo. The Fighting Pit thrived on such venture, after all. Perhaps it was best not to overthink it. "Fuck, I dunno, June... June?" Juniper had brought his scaled feet to a stop, head cocking severely to the side. Vixen mimicked him, frowning. Had she missed something? "C'mon Juniper, let's go." The Chiryma started forward slowly, his long tail twitching behind them. They had rounded the curve of the road, sending them by the opposite side of the kennel building. Suddenly Vixen pulled up. "That's not good." Where the large, garage door-type loading dock stood, there was a mass of tangled and rended aluminum. Something had gotten out. "Shit. June- no- damn it." She had started to send her Chiryma forward, but thought better of it, keeping him on the path. She was worried about her creatures inside, but now, unarmed and with only a docile, overgrown chicken as her defense, was not the best time to investigate. She would get home and come back with Voodoo, or Aquilia. This wasn't a job for Juniper. No sooner did she resolve for them to run home, did an ear-splitting screech resound from above, a shadow abruptly eclipsing the clear sky. The air rushed out of Vixen, and for a moment her mind froze. "Kitty." The dragon was loose. They had to leave immediately.
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Post by Vixen on May 22, 2019 5:19:32 GMT -6
We're calm. I'm calm. We're fine. Vixen often reverted to chanting to herself to cling to shreds of placidity among chaos. It had seen her through many a temperamental creature and training mishaps, but a loosed, vicious drake who primarily associated her with fights or sedation? Well, that was a bit different, wasn't it? "Hike hike, June- HIKE!" What started as forced calmness blurted into a near shriek as Kitty descended sharply before them, wings knotted with scar tissue flared out and blocking the path as he landed. Juniper, who had jerked forward at her yell, slammed into a stop, wobbling drunkenly under the force of his own momentum. The sarane loomed above his mistress and her mount, the sun's position behind him shadowing his features as he stepped forward, jaws agape, sniffing loudly as his tail lashed behind him. Vixen was immobilized, her mind seizing at their dilemma- stay still, try to run? Do something do something do something DO SOMETHING YOU DUMB BITCH. She couldn't. Her muscles were locked, squeezing into Juniper's lean sides, her hood flared out at full length along her neck. In her blur, she vaguely felt Voodoo tune into her, perhaps feeling her waves of fear and panic, or hearing the broadcasted frequency of her thoughts. The Equillion, utilizing their shared gris gris totems, accessed Vixen's sight- the large talons gripping the dirt path, the slowly extending snout of the drake, the intimidating pose of his wings. In a disconnected way, as one might hear a familiar, muddled song through the drone of a crowd, Vixen was aware the stallion had taken flight and was coming for her, yet she took no comfort in the fact. You won't make it in time. Steaming, rancid breath rushed over Kitty's conical teeth, stirring loose strands of Vixen's black hair around her face. Can't go forward. Can't turn our back to him to run. A translucent third eyelid swept sideways over Kitty's amber eyes, his pupil constricting into a slit. We try to escape now, or we die here. Steeling her hands to be steady, she drew back Juniper's reins. The Chiryma's muscles were twitching violently underneath her, from fear Vixen presumed, and she dreaded the bird would blindly dart in its terror. To her relief, Juniper slowly drug a bronze foot back, then another, giving a body length between them. She felt his wide, crimson crest feathers flex slightly under the saddle, no doubt attempting to throw his own intimidating display up as instinctively as Vixen's own hood was triggered. Feathers can't save us right now, June. As the Chiryma lifted his foot for another retreating step, Kitty's head abruptly dropped lower, wings pinching to his body. For a moment Vixen was, ironically, reminded of what a cat resembled just before it pounced on a helpless bird, or slammed its paw down on an unsuspecting insect. Time's up. "LET'S GO." Her thighs squeezed sharply into her mount, arm jerking his head around abruptly as he burst into a run. Unfortunately for both, there was neither enough space nor enough time to clear the sarane's path, and at their explosion of movement, the drake hissed and swung his body around, slapping them both with his thick tail, sending them sideways and crashing into nearby undergrowth. The blow knocked the wind out of Vixen, and in her momentary shock, she forgot about Kitty and found herself wondering why she was on the ground, why twigs were digging into her bare thighs, why her head was pounding and her heart throbbing out of her chest. Her forearm was pulsing sharply, as it had evidently taken most of the impact in her landing, and she grimaced pulling it to her. The pain of it sharpened her mind, and she abruptly jerked her head up and rolled onto her knees, violet eyes darting around. Kitty, where was Kitty? Where was June? Some feet away from her, the Chiryma, squawking and indignant, was rolling onto his feet, large beak agape. Any feathers that were not flattened beneath his saddle flared forward, tiny vestigial arms flared out as he extended his neck in a harsh call. Oh June, no. The bird's loyalty to her would be its death, surely. What business did a Chiryma have squaring up with a sarane? Alas, he would not abandon her, and would defend her to his dying breath. A smarter person, someone with better self-preservation skills, would take this opportunity to run, let the beast of the lab and the beast of the land duel it out, but Vixen could only stagger into a stand, dirt and grass stains adorning her skin and tank top. Random objects from their shopping were scattered across their tumbled path; a bunch of celerey here, a wrapped ham there. Egg yolk was smeared across the rich feathers on Juniper's thigh. Inexplicably, it was these minor details Vixen's brain picked up on, grasping blindly at the trivial matters before her to escape the mind-numbing daze of being under attack. Kitty was a mere hundred feet away, eyes darting between his scattered prey, talons clutching the ground as he took several deliberate steps towards Vixen.
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Post by Vixen on May 22, 2019 15:09:04 GMT -6
Kitty's stalking pace rapidly evolved into a burst of speed nearing a pounce, as it surely would have been had he been close enough to close the distance between them. Knowing she could not outrun him, Vixen steeled herself for his rush, preparing to throw herself abruptly sideways as he closed the gap. Her next move was unknown- she would not be able to run; at best she could just dive under him and prolong her own demise, or perhaps make a foolish attempt to grab onto his back- but then what? No gear, no muzzles, she would be brought down without a doubt. By a stroke of luck, her plan was not put into action. As the brown sarane barreled down on her, Juniper flew forward, powerful legs and talons extended before him, thick beak open in a ferocious screech unlike any call Vixen had ever experienced in her work with the more docile, original generation of Chiryma. In a blur of gold and mahogany, the bird dug itself into Kitty's shoulder, causing the drake to snarl and twist abruptly away from Vixen, contorting himself around to address his attacker. As his long neck snaked to the side, Juniper released the beast's muscles, retreating a few steps with bloodied feet. His neck was low and extended, tail raised slightly, reminding Vixen vaguely of an infuriated dinosaur or a Wiurn. A Chiryma's loyalty was quickly gained and difficult to lose, and in their time mount training and Vixen's attentive care, Juniper had cultivated a firm and fierce devotion. If this were his last stand, so be it, but he would not retreat. Under the surge of panic, the adrenaline, the shock, Vixen felt a swell of emotion at June's display. It was a hard match to even watch with the size difference alone, but the commitment was astounding. Kitty swung his broad tail around in an attempt to swipe the bird away, but Juniper, while much smaller, had the leg up in dexterity, and easily dodged the blow with a quick sideways burst. A clicking, raspy sound trilled out from the Chiryma as he sized up the Sarane, pupil rapidly dilating and constricting in his study, not unlike a camera lens acquiring focus. The drake had not yet completed his turn from his missed blow when Juniper made his next move, this time dashing in close to grip at the base of the sarane's neck, gathering a sizable chunk of skin and muscle before clamping down and twisting, eliciting a roar of pain from his opponent and a spray of blood. Kitty swung his neck violently, flinging the raptor to skid sideways across the ground. Disoriented, but not defeated, Juniper rolled deftly onto his feet, only to be met with the extended reach of the Sarane's foreleg. Its thick claws swiped at the bird, snapping several straps of the saddle and rending through the flesh of his chest and raking his side, crumbling the bird. "JUNE!" Vixen choked out a sob as her champion fell to the ground, causing the drake to swing around and face her once more. She had had the smallest sliver of hope, watching the Chiryma land two blows unscathed, but his luck had run out, as had hers, it appeared. The drake, its leathery skin stained with running blood from its neck and and shoulder, looked a little worse for the wear but was far from defeated, and as he locked in on his original target, he seemed to have renewed vigor and lunged forward. There was no room or time to get out of the way; all Vixen could do was accept the inevitability with an odd, stony calm. Ashe will take care of you all. Her ribbons of telepathy, all braided together, were her last chance of relaying any message, and if nothing else, she believed in Voodoo's ability to find her love and pass the torch. Ashe would take care of them all, she knew, for her. It was a peaceful thought to go on, if not bitter that she would not get to see him again, walk the Keep, enjoy her friendship with Rhett, the joy of the aquarium... ...or perhaps she would. With the drake looming directly over her, jaw dipped down for a final blow, Juniper, in a flash of gold and scarlet, leaped onto Kitty's back, digging his large talons into the base of his neck. The momentum of the impact sent the sarane tumbling forward, roughly headbutting Vixen into the dirt with his horns and roughly scraping her stomach and ribs. She hardly had the chance to roll out of the way before the drake recovered, flinging his head to the sky and vigorously beating his wings in an effort to loosen the Chiryma from his back. Juniper, dislodged, quickly recovered, landing on the ground near Vixen and twisting around at blinding speed before launching himself at the drake with a ferocity she had never seen. He looked unrecognizable from her sweet mount; his saddle was sideways and connected by only a couple of twisted bits of leather, leaving his proud crest of red feathers free to stand at full attention; though his feathers were dark with sticky blood, both his and the drake's, he seemed to have a bottomless surge of aggressive energy, and his blue eyes were unfamiliar in their keen, blind rage. While his maneuvers seemed somewhat calculated before, now he was kicking, clawing, and biting with indiscriminant force and repetition, moving with an impressive fury as he landed blows. Before the drake could make a move, its chest was scratched into free-flowing ribbons of torn flesh and rendered muscle, staining both his owner and his opponent with the splatter. Vixen, her ribs seizing in pain from the hard smack of his horns, clumsily kicked herself further away between gasps for air as her Chiryma engaged in unprecendented brutality. With each move of the drake, the bird darted away and quickly rejoined with a fervored passion, raking his talons through the brute's wings, his snout, his ribs. In all his time in the pit, the drake had never been so thoroughly brutalized by flresh wounds, and the amount of blood loss was startling. Juniper seemed moronic in his frenzy, nearly uncoordinated despite his speed and strength, often slipping or bumping himself in his maneuvers and yet seeming entirely unbothered by it. The drake, squalling in pain and with weakened movements, managaed to smack Juniper away with a swing of his head, but the bird acted as if he were merely blown by wind, quickly rebounding and launching himself directly at the drake's face. His talons dug in as they raked down the sarane's skull, shredding his eye in its socket with a sickening squelch, tearing away the thin layer of skin and muscle and exposing strips of bone underneath. Kitty let out a low, guttural sound as he keeled sideways, snapping blindly at the air in a final bid before Juniper made a final, ripping bite to his throat, giving the drake as violent a death as the life it lived.
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Post by Vixen on May 22, 2019 23:23:02 GMT -6
Vixen sat, dumbfounded and trembling, her eyes wide as she watched Juniper, now restored to his cheerful self, tore strips of flesh from the drake's neck and tossed them gleefully back into his throat. What had just happened? Any well-bonded pet would defend its owner until its last breath, but... that? What business did an untrained Chiryma have taking down a full grown Sarane? Where had that physical prowess come from? How had he snapped back so quickly? Juniper, haven eaten his fill, looked at her and chirped pleasantly, closing the gap between them with a benevolent bob of his head, crooning softly to his mistress. Some creatures crafted by the labs possess what the scientists call the "frenzy" trait. A line from her readings drifted into her mind. Was that what that was? Frenzy? Is that why he seemed so... dumbed down, so blankly vicious? Creatures with the frenzy trait did not stop their cause until their enemy had fallen- perhaps that is why he snapped out of it so easily,. How could she not have known Juniper possessed such an ability? It's not as if we've been in the position to draw it out. Grimacing at the pain radiating from her side and arm, Vixen pulled herself upright to her knees, prompting Juniper to gently touch his broad beak to her cheek. Vixen lifted a shaking hand to cup the soft downy feathers of Juniper's face, her thumb rubbing light circles into the golden feathers. "Thank you... you did so... good..." The last word came out as a choked sob as the last of her adrenaline drained, leaving a vacuum for emotions to flood into. Despite the sharp protest her ribs gave her raking breaths, she threw her uninjured arm around the bird's head and indulged the feeling, too fatigued to fight it any longer.
As the cries wracked her body, a massive winged Equillion touched down softly next to the drake's broken carcass, his ears pinned at the scene before him. Ever keen to the smell of blood, the stallion found himself snorting excessively to clear his sinuses of the intense iron-heavy smell. Their empathetic link often plagued him with her confusing human emotions, and now the echoes of helplessness, fear, exhaustion, and sorrow raked over him, causing him to shake his head in agitation as he divided his mistress' feelings from his own. He blew air through his lips and stepped around the crushed wings of the sarane, laying red eyes on his owner. As he circled around, Juniper peeled back from Vixen, bowing up to Voodoo with a raised crest and speculative eyes. The stallion flared his wings out slightly, ears flat to his skull, and bared his fangs irritably before Juniper stepped aside, recognizing him from their shared pasture. Voodoo hurriedly covered the distance between himself and Vixen, nostrils fluttering as he drew her scent into him, his soft muzzle grazing her now-grimy hair, breath ghosting her sweaty face. Vixen hugged his face tightly, pressing her forehead into his, fingers wrapped in his inky mane as her cries dissolved into soft whimpers. He stood frozen for a long moment, indulging her need to draw comfort from him, allowing sweat, salty tears, and smears of blood to be transferred into the toffee color of his fur. Before too long, he began to shift his weight in subtle impatience; this, surrounded by gore and mess, was not where they needed to be. She was hurt; he could not help. She was in shock; he could not help. Something had to be done, and sitting here was not that something. Their telepathic link was something Voodoo rarely utilized to assert what Common he spoke, and more often they communicated through feelings and pictures, but now, a gentle but firm word reverberated through Vixen. Up. He stared into Vixen with large red eyes, trying his damndest to revive her through his attentions alone. Gradually, Vixen flexed her arm tighter around his face and struggled to her feet, letting Voodoo brace her as he lifted his head and her with him. As she stood, Vixen dropped her hand from his face and looked down at herself, assessing her wounds for the first time. Gingerly, she pulled her ripped tank top over her belly and up under her breasts, revealing dark swelling around her ribs and a jagged, bleeding scrape along her oblique muscles, her stomach scales flaked up and crumpled around the wound. Her right forearm still protested to movement, most sharply from the elbow. Blood, mostly that of the drake, smeared her chest, coated her stomach, and spattered her legs and face. A fine sight. Though exhausted and foggy, Vixen was calmer, having assessed the state of things- poor though they were. Up. Vixen glanced at Voodoo to see that he had turned to the side, offering her his back. Her hand went to his mane briefly before she dropped it again with a defeated sigh. Voodoo was a towering stallion at over twenty hands high, though despite this, Vixen was often able to mount him bareback with little assistance. Unfortunately, the process required the full use of her upper body strength, and that simply was not happening. Voodoo gave her a steady stare before loosing a sigh, dropping his heavy body to his knees, wings flattened to his sides for ease of access. Humming in gratitude, Vixen wrapped her left hand into the base of his mane and threw her leg over the side, grunting as the crunching of her abs led to a vicious pang from her wounds. They would heal easily enough, but damn it all if they didn't hurt. As Voodoo stood and extended his wings, Vixen jerked his mane sharply. "No. We aren't leaving..." She flashed a mental image of Juniper to Voodoo and looked over at her savior, who had wandered closer to them with a tilted head and soft eyes. "We'll go to.." She now pictured Ashe and his home, knowing he was closer, knowing she needed the balm of his presence now more than anything else. Voodoo scoffed irritably. There were multiple creatures at home that could heal her, maybe not completely, but make a significant dent in the process, and while he could not possibly hate someone Vixen loved so strongly (damn the linked emotion), he felt oddly around Ashe and struggled to relinquish his owner to someone so entirely. He projected a picture of Niu, of Serenity, Leilani, Helissa, imploring a different route. "Ashe." Her decision was firm. The equillion folded his wings neatly to him and cast an eye to Juniper, breast dark with clotted blood but eager to follow and in good enough spirits. Fine. To Ashe's, then.
***
By the time they rounded on Avant Vall, Vixen was lying on her back, head resting on the swell of Voodoo's rump, feet dangling as her thighs weakly clenched to keep her steady by bracing into her mount. Her eyes alternated between staring up at the blue sky above, and straining further back to check on Juniper who plodded behind, saddle still askew, reins dangling against the claw marks on his chest. The shifting of her body with Voodoo's had caused her to wince as her stretched torso wounds were flexed, but despite that, it was one of the more comfortable positions to be in, rather than hunched forward and forcing the marks, as long as her hand, to fold onto one another. Fuckin' horns. Blood had dried into a sticky veneer on her scales and skin, and flies freqeuntly buzzed around her, deterred only by Voodoo's lashing tail and the minor twitches of her skin in response to their presence. Voodoo snorted sharply, causing her to jolt up, gasping as she did so, hand going to her side with the skin of her palm barely skimming her turned scales. They were here. The great estate of Zanarkand Farm rolled before them, and Voodoo plodded steadily past the iron gate, towards the stone-faced house ahead. When the stallion stopped short of his front door, Vixen was faced with a challenge- dismounting. "Ashe!" Her voice was rough and croaked out, and she shook her head, bringing her hand from her side to her throbbing temple. Try agian. "Ashe!" Better. She swung her leg over and held her bad arm to her, gritting her teeth as she steeled herself for the drop from the stallion's back to the ground below. With a sharp inhale, she scooted herself forward, letting her legs clumsily catch her battered self. It was none too pretty a landing, sending her to one knee and eliciting a gasp, but she was soon standing, walking slowly to the front door.
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Post by Ashe on May 23, 2019 4:23:59 GMT -6
It was a slow, boring day at Zanarkand. Ashe enjoyed the relaxation, between 'just woke up' and 'gotta get busy doing something productive'. Training, that is. Work was never finished on a property as big as Zanarkand, from cleaning the house to mucking the stalls to making sure everyone was fed and had access to clean water, and if someone got too dirty they had to have a nice bath before going in for the night. Daily maintenance wasnt the same as being productive, as far as Ashe was concerned. On top of caring for the animals that lived there, the grounds had to be kept trimmed and mowed and landscaped. Ashe had a couple of workers - his TROD, bless that machine, which saw to tasks here and at the kennel as well, and now Jinx, who spent most of her time with the Equillion. It made since, considering she housed her own here too. Currently, she was mucking out Jezebel's stall, and Ashe was just finishing with Dracula's.
[Why do you have to poop so damn much] Ashe grumbled, good naturedly, through their ribbon. Dracula had chosen not to watch Ashe muck his stall and he was outside enjoying the sun's rays. But he heard the man nonetheless. Flames crackled across his body as the transmission was received, stomping a cloven hoof in the grass as he moved about, wandering through the paature. His diet consisted of mostly meat, so he wasnt grazing like the rest of his herd. Quiet munching of grass and the soft shifting of equine legs was the music of this time of day.
Dracula replied with a bemused snort. He was one of the few pets Ashe could communicate with using words, with the assistance of pictures and feelings when things got complicated. Being bound to the mind of a human since he was little, and being one of the original species the Labs created, even an Equillion could pick up some tricks. This wasnt the first time Ashe had lamented such tragedies, and it wouldnt be the last; this was a standard reply for the conversation at this point. Soon enough, Ashe finished the stall, spread some fresh bedding - Dracula had a preference for shavings, not straw - and leaned against his pitchfork to watch Jinx finish. "When you're done, you can take a lunch. We'll come back in an hour and check the fences. Maybe go for a ride." When she agreed, he turned and headed back to the house to get a little cleaned up. A quick shower at least, to wipe the sweat and muck off first.
He was just pulling on a black tank top, wearing black work jeans, barefoot at the moment, when Inyala tapped at the door, giving an urgent screech to let Ashe know something was wrong. He opened the bathroom door, damp hair sticking to his head in clumps, and rushed to the main room. He didnt make it in time to hear Vix call for him, but Inyala heard it and knew; she was at the front door already, flapping her little wings with such excitement that she came off the ground a few inches. He felt some concern, crossing to the front door and turning the knob. What could have his Imp all in a tizzy like this? Did one of the monsters get loose? A rampaging Sarane? It could be all matter of things here at a place like this. What it was, in reality, was the last thing Ashe would have suspected.
A battered and bloody woman walking toward his door, face pale from shock and tear streaks through the blood and grit on her face. Hair a mess, gore matting it into a tangle. It took him a second to recognize her. Not that he didnt know who she was, it was just that his brain took a few long seconds to catch up to reality. He immediately crossed the distance to her, reaching out to wrap his arms around her and pull her close. "Vix?" he asked, as if not quite believing it was her. He had some creatures that could cast an illusion, perhaps one of them pulling a prank? But no, the woman in his arms was as solid as he was, and trembling. He tightened his grip on her, quickly loosening at the inevitable gasp of pain. She must be hurt somewhere, maybe something broken. Bruised if nothing else. And all this blood... did that mean it was her blood? He put his hands on her shoulders and held her at arms length, though he wanted nothing more than to hold her tight and completely wreck whatever, or whomever, had done this to her. Part of him hoped she'd had a nasty bout with nature and no one was to blame, but the other part of him would enjoy beating something to a pulp. "What the fuck happened?" Ashe asked her softly, checking her over to see where she was bleeding and how much of this mess was hers. He checked her face, her arms, her abdomen under the shirt, gentle but urgent in his touches. He had to make sure she was in one piece before anything else. When he was satisfied she wasnt losing an absurd amount of blood, he was able to focus on the next task. Get her inside where it was safe, and get her patched up.
[Maverick] Ashe probed out, feeling for the Equillion's mind. [Mav, you dont know how to heal, do you?] It was a long shot. Ashe knew he had never taught Maverick how to heal, but maybe it was something he knew how to do on his own? He had a Common at the kennel that had a magical horn. The kennel was too far away at this point to be of much use.
The stallion replied quickly, cautiously. He sensed the roiling emotion in Ashe's thoughts and wasnt sure what caused it, only that Ashe was impatient and concerned. [ I do not. Mother does.] His thoughts were a strange, jumbled mess, though the words came through. Maverick tended to use lots of pictures and feelings, out of habit, despite having a charm of brilliance. He was still perfecting the use of his robot eyes, and old habits died hard. This time, he conjured up an image of Syrene. [Get her, please. Come to the house. Vix is hurt.] Mav made no declaration, yet Ashe was satisfied he would do as asked. Next, he slowly ushered Vix into his house, giving a quick apologetic, and grateful, look toward Voodoo. Gently, he set her on the couch, then sat next to her. "Alright, talk to me."
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Post by Vixen on May 23, 2019 13:29:20 GMT -6
In another circumstance, Ashe's delay in recognition would have been entertaining and worthy of some ribbing, something in the vein of what, you don't recognize the love of your life? Given the state of things, Vixen could only twitch her lips in a failed smile. She was just so exhausted to her very bones, fatigued both mentally and physically, that social functions took far more effort than they normally would have. Despite the small whine that escaped her in his hug, she welcomed it nonetheless, melting a bit into him before he pulled away. When he began to assess her, it suddenly occurred to her how atrocious she must look- like the walking dead, not that that was out of Ashe's wheelhouse by any means. "'m sorry." She wasn't sure why she was apologizing; it was a reflex. Perhaps for bothering him, maybe because he had to see her this way, in such a mess. She hadn't wanted to worry him, and in the past, she didn't run to him with injuries or past attacks- she quietly patched herself up and would casually mention it later on if he noticed it, preferably after it had healed a bit. Vixen didn't particularly enjoy being seen as vulnerable or unable to manage in any way, and had developed and forced "tough" persona over the years, but with Ashe- well, she didn't need to act around him anymore. She'd cry if she needed to cry, whine if she needed to whine. He knew the thread of her character, deeply, and it allowed her a degree of freedom she failed to experience around other people. "Not all mine," she murmured as he gently probed her. As he led her into the house, she did not resist, but cast a meaningful look behind Voodoo, to her Chiryma. "Juniper." She knew good and well Ashe was not going to revert attention to the Chiryma just yet, and she relented. "I need to... after, we need to look at him." She briefly broke away from Ashe, taking a few steps to her companion to rip off the surviving straps of the saddle so he could rest more comfortably. The bridle she elected to leave on him; with no bit, it didn't interfere with his comfort much at all. "You sweet thing," she whispered. With a final soft touch to his neck and then his wounds, assuring herself they could wait, she peeled off and returned to Ashe, allowing him to lead her in and onto the couch. She visibly hesitated a moment, aware of what an enormous stain hazard she currently was to his furniture, but followed his lead.
Talk to me. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, trying to recover the jumbled timeline of her day. Her head felt like it was stuffed with cotton balls; everything had been moved a bit to the left and didn't seem quite distinguishable anymore. "I went... Kitty- the fodder drake?- escaped, and.." Suddenly, a realization came over her. "OH. Oh I'm an idiot. I'm a fucking idiot." She brought the heel of her hand to her temple, pressing in sharply as if to forcibly concentrate her thoughts. "I sedated him to clean a wound this morning... and I must not have latched the door fully, or something... that must be it... Fuck. I definitely deserved this." She sighed, crossing her ankles and tucking her knees closer to her. She felt so incredibly filthy and was making a concentrated effort not to touch too much of Ashe's things. Focus. "So drake got out, attacked me and June on the way home... and... Ashe, that Chiryma saved me from a Sarane." Finding some steadiness now, safe and with her partner, VIxen gave him a hurried recount of the story, of Juniper's apparent frenzy, the brutalizing of the drake, ending with Voodoo's arrival to carry her home. "I stood there... I froze like an imbecile..." Her nose wrinkled up in self disdain. She'd been at the lab for what, a third of her life at this point? She should know better. She was better than that, usually. "I just... anyway... most of this..." Her finger tips skimmed the tacky blood. "...is Kitty's. And I- oh. Crap. I can't leave him there, I need to do something about the body." Her mind was buzzing as the staunched flow of thoughts from the past two hours began to catch up with her. "How am I even- no, I need to patch June up first-" She went to stand, but quickly sunk back down. Having sat still for so long, the full effects of muscle stiffness and soreness had caught up to her. Her hand crossed her body to her side, skimming her distorted scales and eliciting a wince. "Or not... I'm sorry. I'm a mess. I just.. needed to come see you, I didn't want to go home." She glanced down, brow furrowing a bit. Scales did not knit together and heal as cleanly as skin did, and she could already imagine the knotted swell of pale scar tissue that would remain when it was all said and done. "At least one of us still looks good." It was a hollow, somewhat forced attempt at humor, but she did mean it; no matter the grime or mess, Ashe always looked insanely good to her. A need to be closer rushed over her, her body and mind both craving the comfort of close contact, but oh, she was a mess. Much too much a mess for that. Instead, she reached over and grabbed his wrist, pulling his arm to her and awkwardly curling her body around it so she could touch her cheek to his shoulder for a moment. This minor touching was enough for her to nearly dissolve against him, leeching warmth and comfort from his skin. "I'm sorry I scared you. I'm sorry I showed up with a mess to clean up," she murmured, turning her lips into his skin, fingers gently digging into his arm. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily against him, finally letting herself succumb to the insanity of it all.
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Post by Ashe on May 23, 2019 20:59:59 GMT -6
It was only when Vix hesitated and retreated outside that Ashe noticed, really noticed, the Chiryma standing behind Voodoo. It seemed perfectly well behaved and relaxed, but it was just as bloody and disheveled as she was, if not more so. What in the world...? Ashe hadn't even known his girlfriend had a Chiryma or showed any interest in them, and here she was with one on his doorstep. Covered in blood. If that bird got into a fight with something (better not be what did this to Vixen, or I'll wring its neck), how was it still alive? Ashe had always regarded those as weak and good for travel only. If even that - Sarane and Equillion were better, in his opinion. He could admire Vix's kind heart for the fluffy bird, though, and he nodded and softly promised they'd take a look at her bird after he'd taken care of her a bit first. The bird was still standing, it would live.
He listened to her jumbled words, quietly making sense out of them as her thoughts piled on top of each other. A fodder drake, hurt, of course Vix would try to take care of it, and it escaped because of an unlocked pen? He doubted that, though he didn't immediately know what else it could have been. Vixen didn't do that, randomly leave gates unlocked. She was meticulous and detail oriented. Even if she had been focused on healing the poor thing, she would have still shut the gate... Ah, June must be that Chiryma. It was attacked by a Sarane and survived? Ashe was surprised by that. He made the right encouraging sounds at points in her story, paying attention but letting her get it all out. When she was done, he let out a sigh. It seemed the creature that had attacked her was dead, meaning there was nothing else Ashe could do to see revenge. That was too bad.
"Nonsense, you froze because you were staring death in the face. We break Drakes all the time in this city, but we bond with them from hatchlings... Wild grown drakes are terrifying." Truth be told, Ashe wished she had more of the flight instinct in her, so she would have run away. He couldn't help feeling that her daily interactions with deadly creatures played a part in her standing her ground a little too long, or not running at the first scent of danger. He didn't like her being afraid. That was his job, to make sure she never felt afraid of anything anymore, yet here they were. "Shhh," He soothed, not wanting her to worry about corpses or her brave bird until she'd taken care of herself. "We'll get to all that later. Right now- oh, don't apologize, I'm glad you came to me." Soon as he said it, he realized she didn't come to him with injuries like this. He had gone to her once, or rather they had both been at the Midnight Panther when Ashe'd gotten into the fight, but it had been his head on her lap as she mothered him, not the other way around. So, while he was concerned, he was also pleased that she'd come to him instead of holing herself up in her house.
Knowing she needed the contact and comfort to settle herself down a little bit, a sort of grounding, Ashe allowed her to move his arm and cuddle against it, but a moment was all she got before he tugged his arm back and slid it around her shoulders, pulling her closer to snuggle against his chest. He shifted to the side slightly to better envelop her, his other arm coming around to encircle her small form. He held without squeezing, one hand rubbing her upper arm slowly, his other wrapped around her body with his hand in her hair. "Still look pretty good to me." He wouldn't admit it to her, but if you subtracted her fear (which he did not like at all), an avenging Vix with a torn shirt and blood splatters was kind of hot. Or maybe he was just biased and a living, breathing Vix was hot. "Don't be sorry..." He murmured softly, kissing her forehead. He didn't care that he'd just had a shower, he didn't care how dirty he got or how dirty his couch was getting. Things could be cleaned or replaced. Next he kissed her lips, pressing in without holding for too long, and when they broke apart he touched his forehead to hers.
After a few minutes of, on Ashe's part, a soothing silence with soft touches, he decided to face the present. "I might have an Equillion that can help heal you and your terror bird out there. It's not trained, but I have Maverick and he's pretty good at convincing the herd to obey him." He had a guess that she wouldn't completely take care of herself before her pet was seen to, so Ashe added, "Once we get you both patched up a bit, you, Missy, are taking a hot bath." And I might just join you, he couldn't help thinking.
Unbidden, but smart enough to figure out what was needed, Inyala jumped off the couch and scurried away. She returned a few moments later with a wet wash cloth. It was cool, in part because, while she understood faucets to a point, she didn't have 'hot' and 'cold' down. But a cloth was a cloth, when it came to cleaning. She offered it up with a chirp.
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Post by Vixen on May 24, 2019 1:35:36 GMT -6
Vixen hummed softly at his pacifying comment about the wild Sarane, partially accepting it as a salve to her ego. She wasn't particularly sure how different a hand-raised drake was from a wild one once the hormones hit- Aquilia had been quite the handful, but even still, she was a hen. "I've stared death in the face before," she murmured, huffing. Pliathor, Wiurn, hybrids- Hell, the dock master's pet had to rescue her before, and still she was not the useless heap she'd been today. With a sigh, she let the thought float away, a matter to sulk about at another time. She was too relieved to be here and too tired to fully commit to beating herself up; no, she'd save that for the coming days, when her wounds throbbed or she flinched unnecessarily while her nerves recovered. "I'm glad I came, too, love." Her voice was gentle and sweet in the wake of warmth his words had left. They'd been together for some time, known each other for even longer, and she'd be damned if she didn't find herself just as smitten as a child with a school crush. Handsome and charismatic as she found him, it was hardly a surprise. Minor attentions from him were enough to keep her warm, and tender care such as this dissolved her like a cube of sugar in a warm tea. As he pulled her closer, she gratefully accepted the invitation, reclining into him, leaning her head back into his hand slightly. His masculine scent and warmth enveloped her, and for a moment, nothing hurt, nothing was so awful that it detracted from this moment. Voodoo probed inquisitively at the back of her mind, but she shook him away. There was never a moment with Ashe in which she was wanting for protection or care.
As Ashe began to discuss their next move, Vixen reluctantly opened her eyes, which had closed in her deep relaxation. If he had let her, she easily would have slept as she was, disheveled and grisly, and yet perfectly content. An Equillion? She nodded against him, content to let him patch her up however he saw fit. Ashe's private speculations were entirely tight. Had she gone home, she was liable to have had Juniper healed to the fullest extent, and haphazardly stitched whatever could not be cured by magic for her own self. At the mention of a bath, she moaned shamelessly. "I thought I wanted to sleep, but a bath sounds so much better." The idea of sinking into hot water was an unmatched pleasure at that moment, though she did hate to think of the muddy maroon she would inevitably turn the water in her current state. Was she really still a person under this layer of muck and gore? She could feel the sweaty tangles of her hair and felt disgusted. Yes, a bath and stretching out in Ashe's clean sheets sounded ideal now.
As if on cue to her thoughts, the imp scurried away, startling Vixen, who had forgotten about her presence entirely. When she came back with a cloth, Vixen chuckled, peeling herself off Ashe with a grunt to take the offered gift from Inyala's small blue hand. "Thank you, sweetness." She touched her palm to the top of the imp's head in an affectionate pat before bringing the cloth to her face, wiping it with slow, firm strokes. Cool though it was, it was delightfully refreshing to feel even the slightest bit clean, to feel air against her tan skin without the barrier of sweat and and dirt. She moved it across the back of her neck, then down to her chest, slowly removing red swatches that had been smeared onto her skin. When the rag itself took on a coppery-red hue, she looked down at it blankly. "I must have looked terrible. ..I don't even want to know what I look like now." She squeezed above Ashe's knee affectionately before she pushed herself up, using both he and the couch as leverage. Her legs screamed protest at her, but she took it in stride, pursing her lips away from Ashe as she absorbed the aches. She moved forward stiffly, exhaling forcefully as she clutched the rag in her fist. "As much as I hate to move, I want to check on Juniper. He seemed okay walking over, but I know he got thrown around more than I did. If I remember right, a lab creature doesn't go into a frenzy unless they've taken a good beating..." She drifted her uninjured arm out to the side, seeking his hand with a small smile. "Show me your Equillion? I promise I'll pay you back at some point with a good dinner and something for your pet."
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Post by Ashe on May 24, 2019 18:24:56 GMT -6
Had he known how close she was to falling asleep, Ashe would have let her. He would have regretted instantly pulling her back to the real world, to her problems and the mess that they had to clean up - the gore, the corpse, the wounded giant chicken out there. Even if his arm fell asleep, he would have let her snooze until her body woke her back up again. Things couldn't get much better than when he had the love of his life in his arms, snuggled close, finally after all this time. Even though they still couldn't keep their hands off each other this far into the relationship, Ashe still treasured every moment. Perhaps that was the bonus of working for someone's affections, instead of just being handed the love? Or maybe she was just that special of a person to him. No one else fit just like a puzzle piece, complimenting him in all the right ways. All that said, despite their current situation, Ashe's body responded and stirred at her moan, but he suppressed the shiver that tried to run down his spine. It was so completely out of the blue, and with him thinking about her in the bath... Ashe maybe sponging her clean... He couldn't help himself.
Saved by the distraction of his Imp. Ashe wasn't sure if she responded specifically to bring him right back to reality, or if she just suddenly got the idea. He cleared his throat a bit, trying to banish thoughts that had no right to invade under these circumstances, and loosened his grip on Vixen enough that she could clean whatever patches of skin showed. Inyala chirped happily, enjoying the kind words of praise and the soft pet. She hopped up onto the arm of the couch and perched, watching, waiting until she could help again. She couldn't do much, being as small as she was in a tall man's house, but she was fueled by her master's love for this woman just as much as Ashe himself was; their bond was that close. Next to her master, she couldn't think of another human she liked as much.
"Still beautiful. Just in a rough and tumble kind of way," Ashe assured her. Even with all the grime and dirt and blood, she still shone. Her fear and shock had done more damage than her outward appearance; she seemed to be more relaxed now, more herself. He let her slide out of his grasp the rest of the way and stand up. His hand went to her ass, both for support and because - what, he was expected to let it be right there in front of him and not give it a squeeze? Hell no. When she was secure on her feet, he stood as well. Personally, he had no knowledge of anything about a pet going into a frenzy, though he might want to look into it now that he knew what exactly a creature could be capable of. Taking her hand, he gave a short nod. Hopefully Maverick was there by now. He just hoped he could help her, and that Vix's time at Zanarkand wasn't a mistake.
Slowly and gently, he led her outside. A shadow cast itself over the front door as the large skeletal stallion, Maverick, stepped forward. He bowed his head slightly - out of respect, but it looked like he was going to stab someone with that horn - and spoke in the common tongue, "Mother wouldn't come. I found someone else. Will help." Ashe frowned a bit, concerned. Syrene the Pure didn't trust him yet, even though he'd had her for ages. She spent all of her time with the most docile Equillion on the farm, Beelzebub, yet she remained one of the flightiest when it came to people. Curious who stepped up to the plate, Ashe looked beyond Maverick to - Adam. The Common tossed his white mane and pranced in place. Maverick made him nervous - an Equillion that could communicate with him, and also people? Plus he was just plain scary.
Having had no idea Adam knew how to heal, Ashe was surprised to see him. But thankful. Adam was a kind and gentle soul, and he knew Vix. He whistled softly and the Common walked forward, side stepping so he didn't have to get too close to Maverick. When he was close enough, Ashe reached up and stroked his face. "What do you say, boy? Can you patch my girl up?" He looked over at Vix, urging Adam to inspect her, not him. The stallion extended his neck and snuffled at Vix, recoiling a bit at the scent of Drake blood, but determined and seeking.
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Post by Vixen on May 28, 2019 17:09:01 GMT -6
As Vixen followed Ashe's gentle lead outside, she was greeted with the overwhelming presence of both Maverick and Voodoo, who towered abreast of the skeleton. The stallion had tracked her movements towards the front of the house, and though he stood out of the way, he kept Maverick pinned with his red stare, irrationally irritable with pinned ears and ruffled feathers. None of Ashe's skeletal beasts had ever sat right with him, despite his owner's complete ease with the lot of the, and the spooky stallion's proximity to his owner aggravated his protective instincts greatly. Vixen cut her eyes to her steed with a slight shake of her head. Stop. He's trying to help me. Voodoo only backed a half step, his resentment flooding their empathetic link. It came from a place of loyalty, and in part, she could see, resentment that he was forced to rely on strangers to tend to her. In a way, she loved and pitied him for it; he wanted so badly to fix her, but lacked the abilities himself. Sweet boy, I love you. You did your job. Let them do theirs. In contrast to his travel companion, Juniper had not been hovering by the door, but drifting forward upon her exit, trilling softly with a cocked head, entirely benevolent to the new creatures and human milling about before him. Much like Vixen, blood had dried into flaked, matted maroon on his chest, but despite his wounds and slow movements, he was in good spirits. He remained on the outskirts, crimson crest feathers flat and relaxed, watching with bright curiosity but with no urge to intrude.
Voodoo having been dealt with in part, Vixen turned her full attention to Maverick. In the back of her mind, she was still minorly perturbed by his robotic eyes, as she still attached a faceless skull to her mental image of him, and the concept of his enhancements were strange to her. A bit stranger still was hearing his voice, as she rarely did; the communication between Ashe and his stallion was largely telepathic, at least in her experience. Still, she did love and respect the strange beast. As he spoke, Vixen watched Ashe's face, not knowing fully his herd's dynamics and relying on his expressions to understand what was happening. Though she wasn't sure who "mother" might be, she did notice the stallion had gone out of his way to locate a replacement for assistance- though evidently, not one Ashe had in mind. "Thank you, Maverick." She nodded towards him, treating him as she would another person in the party- after all, with his Charm, he may as well be. Peering behind him, she saw Adam, and though surprised, she grinned. "Hey boy. So good to see you," she crooned softly as he first greeted the man next to her. As Ashe urged him, Vixen became the recipient of his attentions, and reflexively raised a hand to his face, scratching his forehead with dirtied fingernails. As he began sniffing her, she was refocused on why he had even been brought to see her, and gingerly peeled the tattered tank top up over her stained sports bra in an awkward fashion with one arm, tossing the ragged garment to the ground next to her. Her scales and skin were mottled maroon and brown, flaked with dried remains in some spot, still tacky where blood had pooled and soaked into her waistline. The deep scrapes along her stomach were clotted and raw with a dull glisten, scales crumpled and unnaturally turned upwards around the wound, bruising radiating from these marks, and up her ribs. Her elbow felt sprained, though nothing major, so she chose to present Adam with her side for his attentions. "Just like me, isn't it babe? Show up with work for you."
She looked back to Ashe, turning her attentions towards him. "You truly do have an Equillion for every occasion, don't you?" Though her herd now sat again at twelve, after having been reduced from twenty-two to seven, two were aquatic, and her numbers still did not begin to approach Ashe's great herd. "I have rookie numbers compared to you," she mused. Suddenly, something dawned on her. "Oh! I have a present for you, for another time. You might find it... ah, amusing." Despite her current circumstance, she seemed delighted and fighting to smother a smile. She loved gifts and surprises, even if she struggled to keep it a secret. True to their tradition of gifts to one another, this one was another creature, though she suspected he wouldn't mind much once he saw it. She had originally intended on getting him a Chiryma of his one, a counterpart to a little crested chick she had picked up, but curiously, the stall that once sold them was gone. Still, she could adapt and overcome, and had already found something else to treat her beloved with. "Take me on a date some time, you might get it."
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Post by Ashe on May 30, 2019 17:15:15 GMT -6
Maverick was undisturbed by the stare, or the projection of such hostile feelings toward him. He rarely took part in trivial games involving feelings; he was a no nonsense type ruler in the field, keeping the unruly batch of Equillion in line. Dracula and Strakh were the only ones who gave him trouble; one because he was basically Ashe in Equillion form, and the other who rivaled Maverick in sheer creepiness, aloofness, and detachment. Strakh did what he wanted, usually, and thankfully he just didn't care to confront Maverick. But this visiting stallion, posturing and glaring? No match. Maverick's flames rippled over his body, calm as the embers of an aging fire, oily black. Invisible in the nighttime, licks of shadow in the daytime, and hot to the touch nevertheless. Unless he liked you, of course - and he liked Ashe and Vixen. Voodoo could try something, if he wished, and would not be treated so kindly.
He dipped his head by way of saying 'you're welcome,' and he backed up to circle around the side, to stand near Ashe and make sure his modified plan worked. If it failed, or Ashe needed another, he had a few in mind. He could make them do things even they did not know they were capable, if needed. He'd rather it didn't come to that, as Adam was quite willing and more than happy to help.
Adam, on the other hand, had been more concerned with Voodoo, and had done his best to keep distance between them. Though he was not the target, he felt the air humming, and did not want to distract him from dishing it out toward Maverick. Mav could handle it; Adam could not. He eagerly shoved his nose into her hands, standing still for scratches and pets. As she stripped in front of him, the stench of blood and dirt and hurt came to him. He pinned his ears briefly and gave her a complete once-over. He sniffed and nuzzled, his soft velvety upper lip grazing her skin, scales, bra, even her hair. His concern grew as he went. Kind hearted, son of a Pure Equillion mare and a gentle Chiquinto, he had grown up to be compassionate. And he shared that compassion with his human friends. How many dates had Ashe taken him on, riding next to Vixen on one of her Equillion, strolling through the forests and stopping for picnics (or more scandalous activities)? Without exactly meaning to, without being able to control it, his small horn began to glow. A soft light came from him and spread, slowly creeping over Vix's upper body like a fog. To the touch, it would be lighter than a cloud, but the feeling inside would be a warm, slightly tingly. Fatigue slowly fading away, pain receding. He might not be able to heal perfectly without a scar - perhaps a more practiced Equillion might be able to do better - but his trick took care of what he wanted. He took away her pain. Outwardly, she was still dirty and stained. Inwardly is where the magic targeted, healing bruises and cuts, sealing wounds. He did not know about her elbow, but assuming it was close enough, it might also feel better after bathing in the soft cloud of light.
While the healing was going on, Ashe couldn't help but chuckle a bit. Definitely like her. Girls. Always trouble. If it wasn't one thing, it was another, right? He was sure Vix thought the same thing about men. And he supposed neither would be wrong, would they? They'd each patched each other up now, and it was always a near death experience with these monsters, regardless of the battle scars they received. "Yep. Equillion are my favorite, I guess you could say." Funny, considering he was well known for his Pliathor, and his Sarane did pretty well in tournaments. Yet simple Equillion made him happy. "Count your blessings you don't have this many mouths to feed," he teased. Her gasp, causing a slight head tilt from the man, then he snorted. "A present for me? Vix, you spoil me..." He was intrigued by this promise. "Amusing," she called it. He wondered what it could possibly be. And what a crazy time to bring it up! She was being healed, filthy, having just escaped death, and she was telling him she'd gotten him a present? Yes, this was totally like Vixen. Couldn't even spare more than a second to think of herself.
"Get you healed up first, cleaned up, rested... With how I intend to end our dates, I need you in tip top shape." When Adam gave them room, Ashe reached out and cupped her cheek. "How do you feel?"
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Post by Vixen on Jun 2, 2019 22:40:25 GMT -6
Vixen had only taken healing from a creature once or twice before, and for much more minor wounds than this. Sayen had soothed angry bruises and small cuts, not bruised bones and ripped scales- how much would the stallion be capable of? She wasn't sure. As his horn began to glow, she breathed a quiet relief at the immediate feeling of warmth and closed her eyes, visibly relaxing into the sensation. The glow beckoned her to look, and she tried her best to look down at the process as the misty light enveloped her wounds. The fogginess made it difficult to see in clear detail, but she could somewhat make out, as well as feel, the wound become more shallow and less sharply painful. The scales, ripped and dead as they were, fell out from the edges painlessly, dropping down and sticking to her waistband, whereas the wider turned-up scales of her belly seemed to curl in and flatten down. Somehow, he pulled the bone-deep exhaustion from her, removing an enormous load of physical and mental stress off of her body as he unburdened her system of the full job of healing itself. Though not targeted, her arm even seemed to feel better, stiff and protesting still, but far more functional, and as Adam stepped back, she dared to look closer at her injury. Incredibly, it had transformed from a ragged and wide wound, to a pair of puffy, angry-looking reddish pink lines, scar tissue already forming at the edges, framing the layer of healing skin. Perfect was never her aim, and this was far more than she ever expected. Aggressive relief took over her, and she stepped forward after the black Equillion, twirling a thick swatch of white mane in her hand as she briefly hugged his head, minding his miraculous little horn. "Thank you." Her sincerity was palpable in her whisper, and she gave him a deep scratching at the crest of his mane before she untangled herself to look back to Ashe.
Visibly lighter, his alluding to their nocturnal... and morning... and broad-daylight post-date activities made her laugh in earnest, maybe moreso than she usually would, and at the sound, her own aggravated Equillion became noticeably more relaxed. Non-favorable company could not remotely cancel out Vixen's emotional feedback or his own relief of her recovery, and his attitude towards Adam, at least, had evolved into something of appreciation, in contrast to viewing him as little more than a potential feeding source. At Ashe's hand, Vixen leaned her face into his palm affectionately and lifted her eyes to his, her hands reaching to rest against his waist in a gentle hold. "So much better. Thank you, sweetheart." She turned her head, kissing the heel of his palm before resting her forehead on his chest for a long moment. Everything had felt like such dire straights only a couple of hours ago, and now? Almost just as they should be... almost. She turned her bare back to him and leaned into his body, pulling his forearm across her chest and keeping one of her hands resting lighting on his muscular forearm. She could not, in any state of bliss, ever forget the welfare of her pets, especially those hurt in serving her. "Juniper."
The Chiryma, watching quietly from afar, perked up at his name and lifted his gold-tufted head, coming forward with light steps and a bobbing head. Having no fear or concern of strangers, or other critters for that matter, he passed through the triangle of Equillion, paid Ashe no mind, and came directly to his owner, prodding her uninjured side with a broad, blunt beak. With her free hand, Vixen touched the underside of his jaw and gently guided him off of her, trailing her fingers down the side of his long neck. Turning her head, she looked through her bangs and up at Ashe with soft eyes. "Do you think Adam can handle June as well, without wearing himself out too much? His aren't as deep as mine were... if not, I can patch him up myself with salves and stitches at home, but he should at least have some sort of antibiotic in the meantime, and I'd need to flush the wound and cover it before I can leave him for a while... He could also follow Maverick to the herd if you're sure nothing will eat him... And... um, I definitely want that bath, but after, I may or may not need to borrow one of your shirts..." She looked at the absolute wreck of her tank top on the ground, having zero interest in attempting to wash or repair it. "I'd say don't worry and I'll give it back, but... I think we both know what happens when I wear your clothes." At this point, she had an entire drawer of jackets, t-shirts, and even a pair of boxers she had worn at Ashe's and failed to return for some reason or another, between her home and her room at the Keep. "I want to say I'm sorry, but they smell like you and they're comfy, so I'm not." Polite lies had long since left their relationship. Benign in his current mood, Juniper had circled behind the couple, now randomly tapping his beak on the back of Ashe's thighs, the middle of his back, finally chewing on strands of his black hair as the pair debated on what to do with him. Indeed, his own chest, under the stained and matted feathers, did not seem to boast wounds as deep as Vixen's had been, but they were much longer, crossing from the bottom right side of his neck and stopping midway down the opposite rib cage.
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Post by Ashe on Jun 6, 2019 19:14:44 GMT -6
Adam nickered to her, pleased he could help and make her happy, make her feel better. He'd become quite fond of the kind woman on their dates, and there was the bonus of seeing her kind to his human, and seeing his human affectionate of her as well. It seemed like she was worth saving, even if he could feel the act taxing his energy, sapping it as he gave some to her. He was fine, he could continue, he was sure. Her pets, kind words, and scratches felt wonderful. He held still, slowly extending his neck and gently chewing at the air when she hit a particularly good itchy spot.
Ashe was pleasantly surprised at the laugh that burst forth, and took it as a sign that she was feeling better. Much better, by the volume of it. He felt a tension lift from his own shoulders and he could finally relax a bit. Though he'd trusted Adam to get the job done, he had never really used an Equillion to heal anyone before, not to mention he hadn't even trained it so he didn't even get that starter experience other trainers might have. But it had worked! As she leaned into his hand, his gaze held hers, then dropped to roam her stomach, seeing the wounds had closed and healed over. Maybe not at one hundred percent yet, but a damn fine job if he said so himself. She was back in one piece again and that was what mattered. A kiss to his hand, and her leaning against his chest, Ashe brought his arms naturally around her smaller form, a loose protective hug. One hand went to her hair, gently stroking (on top of the mess, not combing lest he get caught in a painful tangle) and the other to her back. Bare back, save for the bra. One article of clothing he could do away with quickly... She turned around, draping one arm across her, nestled between her breasts but, unfortunately for Ashe, in a nonsexual way. They weren't done here, of course. The life-saving Chiryma still had to be taken care of. Even if this bird was interrupting and occupying Vix's attention, he could only be thankful to it, glad it had saved her from worse damage than she'd sustained.
That was one brave bird. Not only did it take on and kill a wild Drake Sarane, it strutted through two large intimidating Equillion like they were nothing. Passing Adam was one thing, passing between Maverick and Voodoo was a completely different task. Ashe almost wanted to check under the tail and see the size of that thing's balls - but birds weren't built like that, anyway, and Vix would just ask him what the hell he was doing. He smiled down as she looked up. "I'm sure he can manage to help June. He has the rest of the day, and night, to rest and relax." Of course, Ashe cared about his creatures' well being, especially Adam's - he was just confident that Adam could spare a little more energy and rest a little longer. He'd be rewarded with a feast of apples, carrots, and pears for the foreseeable future! Surely that would more than make up for fatigue. "Shush," he said gently, as Vix went on and on, already five steps ahead in planning and knowing what to do and when to do it. He wanted her to relax and worry about herself, the brave bird would be seen to.
Ashe clicked his tongue to call Adam back toward them. He'd stayed back, out of the way, once his job was done, but now he approached again, carefully.
"Honestly, I don't think he's safe in the main pasture. But that's alright, I'll leave the beasts outside tonight and set up a stall inside the barn for him. How's that sound?" Safe inside, straw bedding, and a full meal - whatever Adam didn't heal, would definitely have a head start with a cozy set up like that. "You can have one of my shirts," he corrected in agreement, scoffing and then laughing. It was true, he'd made sure to get plain color clothes, sometimes multiples, to have a spare if she ever needed one when she stayed over. Or, to restock his supplies when she managed to scurry on home in it. "It's just not fair, I can't fit into your clothes and steal them! Maybe you should wear one of mine, get it smelling like you, and I'll trade you a fresh one. Full of Ashe stench - hey!" Juniper had tugged his hair, and Ashe swatted him gently away. He'd tolerated the poking at his legs, but he'd rather not get a new haircut done by a Chiryma. "Adam, heal this crazy beast, will you?"
The dark stallion perked his ears at the sound of his name, and though he didn't understand the words, he saw Ashe gesture toward a wounded pet and he got the picture. He inched closer to the chiryma and lowered his head so as not to scare him. Not that the caution was needed... Assuming the Chiryma would allow him, he would do the same thing over again, sealing up the bird's wounds. He couldn't replace feathers, but the skin would mend.
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