the hunter and the hunter

"All right." Juniper took a deep breath, bracing herself. Part of her hadn't expected Deimos to say yes -- had almost hoped that he wouldn't. As bad as she would feel if they left the bobcat to die, she hadn't set out today to get hurt. But she trusted Deimos to extricate her if the wicker woman caught her ... didn't she? And she had faith in her own speed and agility, too.

Setting her pack down -- she might move a little faster without its weight, and that could make a difference -- Juniper nodded. "I'm ready."

This time, as Deimos's magic peeled the wicker woman's branches away from the cat, Juniper darted in, dodging hanging tendrils, and snatched up the animal. It yowled and tried to claw her, but it was too weak to struggle much, though it did leave a nasty scratch across Juniper's arm. Then Juniper back-winged, moving erratically as she tried to balance the squirming cat. A tendril touched her ankle, but she managed to shake it off before it got a good grip, and then she was out of the wicker woman's reach.

Juniper returned to Deimos and adjusted her hold on the bobcat, pinning its legs against her body so that it couldn't claw her any further. "All right. That wasn't so bad."

She was bleeding a little from the cat's claws, but it looked shallow; she'd just have to make sure to wash it thoroughly when she could.

"I can take the bobcat back to Sidhe Village," she added. "There are a few Fae who nurse injured animals back to health; they'll get it back on its feet."

Juniper

"art nouveau winged fairy" by e³°°° is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit here

DEIMOS

The sound of iron shots is stuck in my head
The thunder of the drums dictates

Whatever apprehension curled around him seemed to fade away when Juniper’s swiftness and his incantations went to work. Strength pooled and unfurled around the tendrils, and between his efforts and the Fae’s quick motions, the bobcat was freed. He permitted one snort as he released the Wicker Woman back to its preferred haunt, glancing downwards at the bobcat and diplomat. “Went rather well,” and if there was surprise in his voice, he made sure to alter his features into the lightest of smirks, affording levels of trust in one another and their abilities – gesturing towards Juniper’s arm in turn. “Zuriel can heal that, if you want.” There was a temptation to do the same for the cat; but then realizing it would just make the ordeal that much more difficult, the feline could be mended elsewhere.

With the actions done and conducted, his eyes looked upward, towards the horizon, canopies, and treeline. “Was there anything else you needed?” The task complete – done, measured, and orchestrated?

The rhythm of the falls, the number of dead
The rising of the horns, ahead

"Thank you," Juniper said, allowing the unicorn to heal her scratch. Like Deimos, she realized that getting the bobcat back on its feet would only make taking it home more difficult -- though if Zuriel could return it to its full strength, perhaps it wouldn't be necessary to bring it back to Sidhe Village. Still, in the long run, it was probably better for the cat to be nursed back to health over time than to receive a single infusion of magic.

Juniper shook her head, though not before checking her pack to be absolutely sure the wicker woman's vine was safely stowed. "I have what I need. Thank you again, Deimos. I really appreciate this."

- FIN

Juniper

"art nouveau winged fairy" by e³°°° is licensed with CC BY-SA 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit here