Lost Lake this museum full of ash

open to anyone! fyi he's on the opposite side of the lake as ftc

"Fucking asshole," Roland seethed between his teeth. His wounds ached and fresh blood welled up against the crimson matts in his once pristine fur as they were worked back open by his efforts. Thick paws pounded the ice beneath them, determined to access the water underneath, but the attempt was futile and he knew this. Maybe he should've gone south, instead of dragging his sorry ass all the way up the mountainside. Well, it was too late now.

He was gonna crack this lake open or freeze trying, dammit.

Roland's body shivered violently, teeth chattering as he was forced to take a moment until muscle control returned to him. Why was everything so hard? Why had everything had to change so suddenly so much? He drew his hindquarters down and hunched into himself, attempting to conserve body heat as his paws returned to the once-slick ice now made rough by his blunt claws. The boy wanted to blame his mother for all of it, but that wasn't so simple to do. No, she was only partly at fault. Maybe the rest lie with Ophie in her grave, or perhaps it was everyone in that good-for nothing pack that couldn't even hold it together long enough for him to come home to. Hadn't it been their job to protect his half-sister, after all?

Whatever. Fuck everyone. Yeah, that'd do.

The cove alpha had put the pack behind him for the day, heading out he had been tracking a herd but becoming distracted he'd lost it. Kajika had taken notice that the young Vuesain's scent had disappeared from the place she could usually be found. Had she gone with her parents,the question of whether or not she would return to hang in the air? He was worried about her, the fact that she had not come to say anything to him about leaving worried him more. He did not want to find her in the same condition as Des or Eido.

He'd spent most of the day trekking around the lake in search of Lunette or some sign of her. He didn't find anything but he found something else. As he came closer he could see that the lump of fur was actually a wolf pup, an injured one at that. He was quite the sight to say the least. The dark man cleared his throat to announce his presence.

“You look like you need some help.” It was a statement made before he sat back on his haunches to await the child's response.

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There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity

Roland wasn't alone for much longer. Out of what might as well have been nowhere, a dark shadow of a wolf appeared. Had the boy cared for anything beyond the stench of his own blood, he would've picked up that this man was a pack wolf like the one who had done this to him had been. As it was, he hadn't learned enough of a lesson to curb his attitude as he scowled back at the stranger for pointing out the obvious. He was freezing, hungry, and probably bleeding to death. Okay, not really, but it definitely fucking hurt and his mood had bottomed out as a result.

Above all else, though? He was ashamed, and it burned his cheeks as he considered having to explain to anyone what had gone down.

"No," he drawled, "I'm right where I want to be."

Had he not been so desperate to manage something by himself just to save his own pride, he would've been more careful about not chasing away an adult that could actually lend him a paw. Right now, however, that clearly wasn't a priority to the child.

The alpha had taken in the sight of the boy who couldn't be much older than his godson. For all he knew Chan could be in the same predicament this boy was in. The scent of blood hung heavy in the air and was clearly visible on the child's pale coat. There was matter fur but from the way he was curled upon himself he couldn't tell how thin the boy was. What he did notice was the tremble of shivers and the faint sound of teeth chattering.

A smile crept across the man's face at the words that were launched at him. “Clearly, because everyone wants to be on the shore of a lake bleeding and teeth chattering,” he said sarcasm in his tone. It was probably a good thing for the pup that Kajika wasn't one to take an attitude poorly. Instead he attributed it to whatever had put the child in the foul mood along with whatever pain he was feeling.

“Why don't you suck it up and accept the help that I am willing to offer,” he said with a raised brow his tone remaining even. He wasn't one to be chased away that easily by a child who clearly didn't know any better or else he wouldn't be covered in blood in that very moment.

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On a scale from Treyah to Kerberos, this man certainly fit on the far left. He even smiled rather than curdle at Roland's remark, and if that didn't just burn the pup right up. What the hell was so amusing about what he saw? Again he went on to state what anyone with two eyes could see, and the youngster huddled further into himself, wolfish cheeks puffing up with indignance. Damn him.

Suck it up the adult insisted, and even Roland could cede his point. Still, it was a difficult hurdle to overcome, swallowing his pride and admitting defeat. He wanted his mother back at his side. She'd never made him feel so horrible about needing her, and she would've bit that crotchety alpha right on the ass for what he'd done to her son. For a moment, he just sat there, stuck between his want to be comfortable and fed and pain-free and to not let anyone else in the world have it just as they wanted. Thinking of Oula, he was reminded that there was something of a middle ground.

His scowl dissolved into a deep frown, and his eyes began to haze over with moisture. No longer was he the image of a sour, spoiled troublemaker. Instead, he was vulnerable and upset, as though the dam of all that he could take had broken and now, with the pretense gone, the stranger was being shown the raw child beneath the frost.

"... that's why I'm bleeding, is 'cause I accepted help. I don't... I don't want to be hurt again."

His yellow eyes lifted to meet Kajika's gaze, all but pleading.

"Please, just... if you don't mean it, just leave me alone."

Perhaps it was because the boy reminded him a little of Chan or the fact that it was winter and he was alone. Whatever the reason he held sympathy for the child as he didn't most loners so he was willing to help regardless of the way he'd been talked to. Besides he couldn't turn his back on a young pup who was clearly in need of help, he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did such a thing and Moonshadow would probably kill him for it too. He wasn't his parents and never would be.

His words may have been harsh but he knew they were what needed to be said regardless of if they were taken well or not. He was prepared if the bot chose to lash out of course he hoped the pup would realize that there was help staring him in the face and he could either accept it and get what he needed or decline it and continue to suffer.

The dark alpha watched the boy for any sign of what was to come and he say the slight change in expression and the wetness in his eyes. Perhaps he had gotten somewhere and he would be able to help in whatever way he could. Still Kajika wasn't stupid, he was still ready for anything that might be thrown at him. His ears came forward as the boy began to speak. “Well, you don't have to worry about that from me and unfortunately there are some wolves out there that aren't so willing to help and I am sorry this happened to you.”

He couldn't offer any more than that on the subject of who had hurt the boy. Another gentler smile was given to the child with a nod.

“I am not one to say I will do something and then not do it,” he reassured, “Let's start with your name, I'm Kajika leader of Fallen Tree Cove. If you would like we can head back to the cove and get you something to drink and a warm place to rest up and get you cleaned up. I know a little about medicine so we can get something to help your wounds too. Only if that is what you want to do?” He would leave the choice the the pup if that was something that appealed to him. “If not we can do with what we have available to us here.”

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The man didn't have to persuade Roland that he was genuine; the boy could already see that the adult would easily be won over to his side. That made it all the easier for him to accept this help, and with Kajika putting in effort to convince and assist the child, it made Ro feel all the more that this was on his terms. Finally, he was able to draw himself away from the ice.

"Aren't willing? Ha..." his steps were shaky and slow with the cold, and there was a limp in the leg attached to his bleeding shoulder.

"They said they were. They were nice at first too, but... you're right. I'll... I'll die out here, won't I?"

His yellow eyes lifted as he finally reached Kajika, searching his dark, chocolate features for an answer. His tail was tucked between his hocks, and while the fear was feigned, his misery wasn't. The man's offer was as appealing as oxygen to a creature drowning.

"I'm Roland. I... want a home. Please."

(This post was last modified: Jan 04, 2018, 06:29 PM by Roland.)

It was sad that the child couldn't get help when the the snow was as deep as it was and the temperatures as low as they were. Instead they had only made things harder on the boy. It was a good thing he'd found himself at the lake and a good thing that Kajika had been searching for Lunette when he had. After seeing the pup in his condition Kajika didn't want to think of what could have happened had he not found the child when he did.

“That's putting it mildly,” clearly considering the amount of blood on the pale coat. When the boy got to his feet and Kajika was able to see more of the damage that had been done.

Kajika bowed his head at the question that was asked of him. He rose his head to look the child in his eyes, “I am afraid that is very possible. With your limp other various injuries it will make hunting hard if not impossible.” He didn't go any further, he didn't need to scare the child especially since he seemed more accepting of the help the dark Alpha was offering.

He watched as the smaller wolf approached him and looked up at him. He then learned that his name was Roland and he wanted a home. “It's nice to meet you Roland and I can give you a home if that is truly what you want.” Kajika touched his nose to the boys crown in hopes of giving him some comfort, it was clear that he needed it. “We should get you back to the cove and get you started on your recovery."

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Had Roland's face reflected his thoughts, a devilish smirk would have twisted his lips upward. Kajika's touch was foreign and unwanted - Roland had never been a touchy wolf away from his mother - but he leaned into all the same, still gracefully playing the part of lost soul. It had been a rough go getting here, but he was at least finally achieving what he had wanted to begin with; a place to start fresh and forget about the inconveniences of his past.

He stuck himself to Kajika's flank like glue, tail sweeping through the air eagerly behind him. Wherever the man led, he would follow. Warmth, food, accessible water... despite his injury, this would be the best end to a day he'd had in a long time simply by having his most basic needs met for him.