Blood: hot and savory, running through the wolf's teeth as they sink deeper into the white, blood-flecked shoulder. A growl rumbles through his body, eyes closing as the fox goes for them again, but to no avail: Jigano's fangs scrape against skin, failing to find purchase.
Perhaps the fox is weakening.
With victory sweet and close he prepares to shake the fox, hoping to stun it, when:
His sister gives a warning bark from her place where she's been nosing and licking the lion, looking for the most savory spot. The wolf holding Jigano opens one eye, seeing her stance, ears forward, tail up, snarling, and that's the last coherent thing he sees. The smell of human sweat mixes with that of fox blood, and a sound sings through the winter air before the earth is the sky and the sky is the earth and his vision warps into blood and trees and fractured dreams—
There's fire in his chest, burning, burning; the world darkens as his breath wheezes out once more
but not in again
as the sun sets on his life.
For a second longer the other two wolves hold where they are, taut and tense, their eyes moving from their slain brother to the approaching humans; the she-wolf contemplates going for the fox but he's too big to carry away easily. Something snaps collectively in their minds, and as one they wheel away, disappearing into the forest, silent and defeated.
Only the dead wolf is left behind, cooling in the disturbed and bloodied snow.
Shit—
The air was cold and harsh in his lungs, but he barely noticed: all he had eyes for was the white fox in the wolf's jaws. The blood. He froze with his bow up, not sure what he was aiming for, what he should be aiming for, so afraid of hitting the fox that his fingers trembled on the bowstring.
But Vai saved him. Her arrow flew straight and true, into the wolf's ribcage, and in its death throes it let go of the fox.
The other two fled, leaving a—whatever the hell it was—behind. Rory didn't notice, just threw his bow into the snow and stumbled forward, full of relief and self-loathing. He collapsed on his knees by the fox, unwinding his scarf and pressing the wool against the wound, soaking up the blood and trying to stem it at the same time.
"Shit, I'm so, so sorry," he mumbled under his breath, voice weak and trembling, hands unsteady, heart unsteady in his chest. For a few moments the fox was all that he could think of, but he briefly looked up from what he was doing to look around again. "Where's Remi..?"
What would they do if they had to go on, and look for him?
Jigano struggles to find purchase against the wolf, his teeth just scraping along its face
Vai shoots and kills the wolf chewing on Jigano
The other two wolves fuck off at that!
Perhaps the fox is weakening.
With victory sweet and close he prepares to shake the fox, hoping to stun it, when:
His sister gives a warning bark from her place where she's been nosing and licking the lion, looking for the most savory spot. The wolf holding Jigano opens one eye, seeing her stance, ears forward, tail up, snarling, and that's the last coherent thing he sees. The smell of human sweat mixes with that of fox blood, and a sound sings through the winter air before the earth is the sky and the sky is the earth and his vision warps into blood and trees and fractured dreams—
There's fire in his chest, burning, burning; the world darkens as his breath wheezes out once more
but not in again
as the sun sets on his life.
For a second longer the other two wolves hold where they are, taut and tense, their eyes moving from their slain brother to the approaching humans; the she-wolf contemplates going for the fox but he's too big to carry away easily. Something snaps collectively in their minds, and as one they wheel away, disappearing into the forest, silent and defeated.
Only the dead wolf is left behind, cooling in the disturbed and bloodied snow.
Shit—
The air was cold and harsh in his lungs, but he barely noticed: all he had eyes for was the white fox in the wolf's jaws. The blood. He froze with his bow up, not sure what he was aiming for, what he should be aiming for, so afraid of hitting the fox that his fingers trembled on the bowstring.
But Vai saved him. Her arrow flew straight and true, into the wolf's ribcage, and in its death throes it let go of the fox.
The other two fled, leaving a—whatever the hell it was—behind. Rory didn't notice, just threw his bow into the snow and stumbled forward, full of relief and self-loathing. He collapsed on his knees by the fox, unwinding his scarf and pressing the wool against the wound, soaking up the blood and trying to stem it at the same time.
"Shit, I'm so, so sorry," he mumbled under his breath, voice weak and trembling, hands unsteady, heart unsteady in his chest. For a few moments the fox was all that he could think of, but he briefly looked up from what he was doing to look around again. "Where's Remi..?"
What would they do if they had to go on, and look for him?
Jigano struggles to find purchase against the wolf, his teeth just scraping along its face
Vai shoots and kills the wolf chewing on Jigano
The other two wolves fuck off at that!
