Giant's Demise never letting go

-mostly random post to meet AC but aw if anyone's around  - S for a couple of swears

She hadn’t ventured through this area of the forest since that day. The sight of Flair lying broken in that little ravine, along with a great many other things, was now permanently embedded in Colette’s memory. Something she’d never forget, or forgive herself for. If only she’d been a little faster, a little closer, she might’ve been able to help sooner.

And save them. It wouldn’t have absolved her of her sins, but it might’ve eased them just a little.

The ghost often wondered what’d become of the strange woman that’d attacked Flair in the first place. Gone without a trace, it had seemed like. The ghost regretted not attempting to track down that bitch earlier. To catch up and make her pay, slowly, and really goddamn painfully. But now, after all of this time, Colette very much doubted she’d find any sort of a clue.

However, since she was here, it wasn’t going to stop her from trying. Carefully the ghost trekked through the forest, checking near or under trees, in the ravines, or every little crevice she could find for anything remotely suspicious or out of place. As brief as the encounter had been, she’d never forget that scent. And she’d most certainly never lose her desire for vengeance.

Hi Molo, I hope you don't mind me hopping in! I know this was just an AC post but Finny needs more threads <3

Finley was oblivious to everything that had happened here with Flair, the yearling, and Colette. Sure, she knew that there had been some kind of fight and that the rusted woman had lost her children, but she didn’t know it was here, so close to their new home. She also had no idea she would be right back in this spot a day or two later with that mother, snacking on apples that had maybe been sitting a little too long.

Instead she was just trying to get a feel for the landscape, and trying to maybe distract herself a little bit. Her boys were getting older and didn’t need her as much, Chan was gone, Jethro and Flair were busy getting things ready to start the pack, and then there was Siyet who often was stuck to the dark man's side. Maybe it was just the winter blues, but she was feeling a little bit lonely. She missed her sister, and also felt nostalgic for the business of her children still being young.

So she was wallowing a little bit, feeling sorry for herself, when she wandered onto Colette’s scent. The woman was like a ghost amongst the group, there sometimes, not there other times, but always seeming to appear when she was most needed. So Finley followed it until the woman’s white coat was in her sights, barely discernible from the snow around her. Calling out to get her attention, the darker woman hurried to catch up, tail wagging gently a couple times in greeting.

--not at all ^^ - cole needs more interaction too, even if she doesn't agree or always like it

S for more swears forthcoming here and in future posts too likely



It was exactly like she’d thought. No matter how many little nooks, crevices, ravines, or places she checked, there was nothing. Nothing except for snow and decayed leaves or foliage. She couldn’t reasonably expect any trace of Flair’s aggressor after all of this time, but even knowing that didn’t ease her guilt or dampen the anger. Nothing ever would.

A call split the air just then, providing a distraction from her task and thoughts - though the ghost wasn’t sure it was a welcome one. Her head and ears snapped in the direction of her apparent company, one-eyed gaze locking onto a familiar form. The mother, from that day at the lake, with the damn swans or geese or whatever the hell they were. Caspian and Ryder’s caretaker. Finley, she thought.

Colette wondered what the hell Finley would want with her, and began to saunter forth to ask that (but more politely) when her forepaw caught in some unseen crevice. Then there was a slipping, stumbling fall that managed to twist the offending limb before she managed to wrench it free - resulting in the ghost ending up on the ground, for which she earned a faceful of snow, dirt, and rock.

Cole didn’t bother to try standing and instead settled onto her right flank, flat on the ground with her injured forelimb tucked against her chest, pain radiating through it. ”Ah, fucking damn it,” the growl left her before she remembered she had company and a witness.

Who she prayed would just turn around and walk away.

(This post was last modified: Feb 05, 2023, 07:51 PM by Colette.)

Colette may have been hoping that Finley was going to turn around and leave and just pretend that she had never seen the fall. Maybe a different wolf might have. Instead the woman saw this as an opportunity to repay some of her debt that she owed to the white lady ahead of her and the group as a whole. The Lennox wolf rushed forward silently, though apparently not carefully enough.

Finley should have learned from seeing Colette get caught and tumble that the ground around them was not as it seemed. She was moving so quickly that she didn’t have time to course correct when her paws hit a patch of slick ice hiding beneath the snow. Her ankle thankfully did not end up twisted like her companion’s, but she did end up falling hard on her side and knocking the wind out of herself.

Grunting as she took the blow, the mother let out something so uncharacteristic that those who were closest to her would have been shocked. She swore, ”Shit.” Then, she realized how much better that made her feel and she let out a short laugh followed by, ”Shit. Some luck we have.” Then she looked to Colette rather sheepishly, she hadn’t meant to let her composure down like that.

Of course, of freaking course, the other just couldn’t turn around and play like she’d not seen anything at all. What Colette had not anticipated, however, was to hear a grunt, and something that sounded like a fall.

A huff of pain escaped the ghost as she forced herself up, at least onto her belly, good eye facing towards Finley. Who’d evidently taken a nasty-looking fall, herself. Anything that elicited profanity, in Cole’s experience, typically tended to be painful. That, and the fact that Finley didn’t attempt to stand up right away had the ghost just a tiny bit concerned. The last thing she’d want was for someone else to get hurt trying to help her.

The second little comment earned a soft snort from Cole, though. ”Not luck. Bein’ half blind doesn’t help,” the ghost huffed. She was distantly aware of the amusement in Finley’s statement, or the perhaps embarrassed look that’d crossed the other’s countenance, but didn’t share in the amused part of it. Maybe Colette would’ve still have fallen with both eyes, but the ghost liked to think otherwise.

What’s your excuse? She thought about asking, but that would be going too far. Not wanting to come across as too cold or unfeeling, the ghost opted for something else. ”You alright? Would hate to see you get hurt tryin’ to help me.”  

When Colette didn’t react to the swearing Finley suddenly became embarrassed. She had thought she was being relatable and instead now she probably just looked like a fool and she had fallen down. Trying to brush the whole ordeal aside she quickly got up onto her skinny legs and got her paws back underneath her. Shaking her fur back into place she tried to offer a reassuring smile, ”I’m fine. Just a little surprised.” She wanted to move on from this.

Coming closer to where Colette lay the green eyes landed on the gingerly held ankle cradled in close to the other woman’s body. The Falls wolves seemed to have an issue with ankles didn’t they? Brows furrowed, ”But are you alright? Did you hurt yourself when you fell?” They were quite far from the others but Finley figured they could probably make it back with the two of them.

As long as neither of them fell down again that is. She looked back up the small slope to where she had started, this might be quite the trek with how deep the snow is, and how much ice was apparently present underneath it.

The tiniest little breath of relief escaped the ghost to hear her company was fine, just surprised. ”Good..” Her instinctive distrust of others and their word prompted a quick visual assessment anyway, though. Thankfully, that seemed to confirm that Finley was telling the truth. There didn’t appear to be any wincing or pain in her movements toward Cole.

The subject predictably though, and unfortunately, turned towards Colette and her well-being. There was no way to hide her cradled limb. No point in trying.

”Twisted this damn leg. But I’ve had worse.” Cole offered, attempting the faintest hint of a joke and a wry smile with that. If only to try to lighten things a little. But it didn’t stop the ghost from gingerly rising on her three good, albeit still unsteady limbs. And then testing the fourth.

Only the slightest application of weight upon it elicited another grimace,  a shake of the head, and then a hissed, ”yeah, it's no good.” Which would make getting out of this mini ravine and back to the others even more of a damned hassle. The idea of being stuck here was more than mildly irritating, but if there was one thing Cole was good at, it was masking her emotions.

Another deep breath, and then a level glance towards the other. ”Don’t feel like you’ve gotta stay for my sake. I can figure somethin’ out.”  

Finley felt a little squirmy under Colette’s single eyed gaze and felt a sense of relief when the attention was turned back to the injury at hand. She herself felt her eyes flinch ever so slightly at the hiss of air the indicated pain as her companion got to her paws. She herself was no healer, and frankly she was not even sure the group had a healer. Did they? She suddenly wished she knew the whole group a little better instead of being close acquaintances at best.

As a woman who always felt like others were keeping score, she felt strongly when Colette suggested that she should take off. Shaking her head firmly once, green eyes trained up the small ravine trying to figure out the best plan. Turning back to the other woman she suggested, ”You saved me once from a bunch of geese when Ryder was born. How about we get you out of here and we call it even? We never need to mention it again.” That seemed fair, and then Finley wouldn’t feel in her debt anymore. That would make at least one member she didn’t owe anything to.

Looking at one of the nearby fallen redwoods that seemed to have the gentlest angle coming in and out of the ravine she nodded once more. That was probably their best best, ’Do you think you could make it up that one, if I support some of your weight?” Otherwise they might just be stuck down here forever.

The other woman reminded Cole of past events that she certainly hadn’t forgotten about, but that she would have preferred to have left in the past as well. And she seemed determined not to leave, either. What was it with these wolves and them thinking they owed her something? First Flair, now Finley.

While she would have liked very much to protest that, and probably would’ve under any other circumstances, the other woman offered her an idea and a deal. One that Colette probably wouldn’t be getting out of here without. At least, not anytime soon.

After the slightest of annoyed huffs, the ghost offered a terse nod, her single good eye examining more closely the fallen tree Finley had pointed out. ”Fine. Deal,” she murmured, tentatively limping towards the tree, before something else occurred to her.

”I.. never asked. How’s Caspian doing? Did his leg heal up alright?” Cole inquired, genuinely curious as to the well-being of Finley’s adopted son. The irony was not lost on her, either. Now she was the one who was hurt, and Caspian’s mother was helping her.

Feel free to fade on your next Colette post with them getting out!

The mother chose to ignore the annoyed huff that the other woman let out, she was not about to take no for an answer. They could both sit down here until long after the nightfall if that was what Colette wanted, but she wasn’t leaving. She watched closely as they made their way towards the log, trying not to linger on the limp too much. It might be a long walk back to the pack for the pair of them.

It was not quite wide enough for them to walk fully side by side, so she gestured for Colette to climb on first then quickly followed. It took a little shimmying but Finley was able to work her way so her shoulder was lined up just behind the white woman’s on the side of the injury. This way she could act like some kind of a crutch of sorts while trying to go up the incline.

With the extra weight leaning on her slim frame it wasn’t easy, and her smile was a little strained in response to Colette’s question. Still, she kept her voice even as she responded, ”Much better now, though I think if you asked him he would tell you it took forever.” It hadn’t been that long but that didn’t mean much to a child. They were about halfway up the log when Finley felt her back foot slide against some loose bark and for a moment dangle dangerously in thin air. Catching herself quickly the mother gasped, then steadied her body and her nerves. They were almost there.