Sex: MaleHe was a restless spirit, wandering the marsh, barely more than skin and bone, and pale enough to rival any specter. Though he had managed to find his way out of the winding tunnels, Vasco was still wandering aimlessly, lost in every thinkable way. His original goal seemed lost beyond reason, for surely if he was to find his family somewhere in this foreign land, he would have done so by now. But he hadn’t come across even the faintest trace, all he had to show for his months of searching were a paw-full of false starts, and his ribs clearly outlined against the skin of his flanks. It would seem, that whatever power had whisked him and his family away from the seaside, had no benevolence to drop them in the same spot. Instead, the Halex was destined to wander for the rest of his days – which couldn’t be that many more – right into the afterlife. In his febrile state, Vasco hardly even noticed his surroundings anymore, delirious to the point that he didn’t even feel his paws going wet, as the ground beneath them grew swampy. Instead he pushed on, determined to keep walking until his legs gave in, because there was nothing else he could do, and once he stopped he would know it was truly over. So he walked, numb to the ache in his legs, first from exhaustion and later from cold; blind to the trees around him growing deformed and weathered, their faded corpses a fitting mirror of himself. Even as the water reached his ankles, he didn’t halt, didn’t break even to drink, out of fear that his shivering limbs would buckle underneath him. He was a restless spirit, a ghoul, doomed to wander the marsh for eternity. Word Count: 295 Thoughts ”Speech” |
Perhaps she should have kept closer to pack territory after what had happened the day before, but Xules was exhausted, emotionally and mentally, and she didn't know that she could handle being around everyone else after what had transpired. She had yet to fully process everything, and she needed some alone time to do so, if it were even possible. There was still blood staining her paws and chest, where she'd touched her aunt's bleeding body. There'd been no tears, so far, but then again, Xulia couldn't remember the last time she'd cried.
This place was... wet. Swampy. It kind of reminded her of back home, but not as beautiful, and she felt so lonely. Everything was so painful and exhausting, and she almost didn't feel as though she could continue walking at all.
And then, suddenly, she could.
At first, she didn't really recognize Vasco - he was so thin and sickly looking. Her first reaction was muted excitement, because she'd been wondering if he was going to show up, but then barely-controlled horror and fear when she realized the state he was in. The girl shook off the exhaustion that was dragging her body down and sprinted up to the man, golden eyes wide.
"Vasco," she gasped, gaze glassy and afraid. "Hey, hey, stop, you're... walking into a swamp." She was so confused, and so worried, and once again she had no idea what to do. Getting him to dry ground seemed like it should be a priority, but she didn't know if he was strong enough to get there or if she'd have to carry him. "Come on; let's go back to the bank. You can rest there."
She didn't believe in any higher power, but in that moment, part of her wanted to pray.
He hardly reacted at first, to the figure appearing out of the mist. Dull grey eyes remained fixed forwards, paws still trudging on, though his steps were starting to get seriously hampered by the water. Only when she ran directly in front of him, blocking his forward path, did he take any notice, brows furrowing slightly in confusion; What’s happening? Who…? The panicked voice, calling his name, reached deep enough to awaken something still alive inside him, and a glimmer of light appeared in his gaze as it slowly swept of her. “Xu… Xuli…?” His voice was no more than a hoarse whisper, full of uncertainty, as he dared not trust his own eyes. Then he saw the blood, spotting her otherwise light coat, and a hint of panic set it, drawing him further out of his stupor; “No! What is… Why have…” His head veered, on knee finally buckling, making him tilt dangerously; “You can’t be! Not my Xuli…!” There was an almost pleading note to his panicked words, deranged eyes seeking to meet hers. Had she come for him? Is my search finally over? This wasn’t what he had wanted. He’d always assumed he would find them, alive and well, or at least, even if he passed on before that, he would do so knowing they were still out there somewhere; But this…! He shook his head, slow and heavy as if the weight of it was almost too much for his neck. Vaguely he registered that she was trying to guide him somewhere. Tears brimmed to his eyes and finally he nodded, leaning heavily towards her. “Okay… Okay, lead on…” He whispered, throat tight with emotion; At least… I found you! Perhaps that was for the better, as they could be together at last. . Thoughts ”Speech” |
It was uncommon for her to get choked up. Again, she couldn't remember the last time she'd cried. But her eyes were burning and she had to fight to keep herself under control - becoming too emotional right now would make things far worse, and she was not going to allow herself to stoop so low, to make what could very well be Vasco's final moments even more difficult on the man.
"Hey, I'm here, it's alright," she rasped, momentarily taken aback by his panic. Xulia swiftly pressed against his side when he buckled, eager to offer help in the way she knew how. Physical support was so much easier than emotional. She wasn't used to soothing and comforting, but Vasco had always been there for her - for them - and she would be damned if she didn't try for him right now. He deserved that and more. She wondered if he believed himself to be dead, and she knew that she wasn't exactly clean right now, so if that were the case, he must think she was dead, too. There was no use in convincing him otherwise, so she stuck with comforting and guiding instead. "Everything's going to be okay, Vasco." Even if it wasn't.
He weighed next to nothing against her side. She'd outgrown him quickly as a child, shooting up past him before she'd even realized it was happening. But still, she'd never considered just how small Vasco really was until now.
It took longer than she would've liked to get him back out of the disgusting swamp water, but soon she was helping him up onto the bank. She felt sick to her stomach, and her chest was aching. Xules wasn't used to all of these emotions overwhelming her at the same time, tightening her throat and coiling around her lungs until it felt like she couldn't breathe.
"Do you want to lay down with me?" she asked quietly, voice hushed and strained. Everything would be on Vasco's terms now - she wouldn't force him to lie down until he wanted to, even if he looked as though he was about to collapse. She wouldn't let that happen, though, still pressed into his side and helping support his weight. But she didn't know what else to say, golden eyes locked onto his gray, hoping that she conveyed security and safety and home rather than the absolute devastation and fear that festered within her.
Her shoulder was as solid as rock against his brittleness, the support holding him together as much as upright. She’d grown so big and strong, so beautiful! As they walked, slowly, he took her in fully, a bit of the glassiness fading from his eyes. She looked healthy, her fur clean and neat apart from the blood, certainly nothing like his own, withering self. Even her voice, despite the emotion lazing it so strongly, rumbled powerfully through their connected bodies. It made a soft smile curve his lips, the irony of her comforting him, like he had her so many times in the past. When they finally reached dry land, his legs were trembling so hard it made his whole body wobble. Still, her suggestion made him pause, brows lifting a little in surprise. “Here…?” He asked, puzzled. Yet his body took her que on its own, finally refusing to carry him any longer. For a moment, all of his wight, however little that was, was on her, until he managed to wiggle onto the ground, more or less gracefully. But it felt good, to finally be still. He lay quiet for a while, breathing long, tired breaths. But rather than slowly drifting off, as he had expected, his mind started growing clearer, eyes finally focusing fully on their eerie surroundings. His head lifted a little, tilting as he glanced over at Xulia, and then back around; I’d thought it would be… Nicer, somehow… This dead wood was unusual, sure, but nothing extraordinary, and it seemed… Cold, in a way. Only the strong presence at his side offered warmth, though that was enough to soothe him. He looked up to meet her golden eyes, his own mostly clear now, though there was still a hint of dreaminess in his gaze. “Where… are your brothers? …Your mother?” He asked tentatively, a hint of fear reawakening in the back of his mind; Is it just us? Perhaps Xulia never found the rest of them either. Maybe they were still alive somewhere. He didn’t know whether to feel happy or anguished at that prospect. . Thoughts ”Speech” |
He looked surprised at her suggestion, and Xulia wished she could take him further away, somewhere clean and warm and sunny. Unfortunately, she wasn't capable of that - she would probably hurt him more, and she didn't want to do that. "Here," she whispered, voice hoarse as she tried to remain steady. His body went limp against her, and she did her best to lower him to the ground slowly, so he didn't crash to the ground. She managed pretty well, and soon his small frame was curled on the damp bank.
Xulia was not particularly touchy, but she felt like she needed to be, right now. The girl lowered herself down beside him, pressing her flank to his to try and warm him. She was almost grateful for the silence, because it meant she didn't have to talk either, which was extremely selfish of her. But she didn't know what to say - all she knew to do was be there. Until he asked about her littermates and Sita, and at least it was a topic she was comfortable with.
"They're... home," she murmured, pressing her nose against his fur to try and ground herself. "All three of them. They're together and safe. They miss you, a lot." Her eyes burned again, and she squeezed them shut. She didn't want to be the one to bring this news back to them. "I'm sorry I can't bring them to you right now. It's just us here." Wherever here was, in his head. She had the feeling he wasn't one hundred percent aware at the moment.
"We love you, you know? Me, and Viorel, and Andrey. I know I didn't say it much, growing up." Now that she was talking, she couldn't quite stop. "You do know that, though, don't you? We love you. I love you."
Her mouth felt dry and her chest ached, but she needed him to know that. It was the only thing that mattered right now.
He still remembered when @Sita had first gotten pregnant. He’d been so jubilant, with Platon out of the picture, surely this was the perfect que for the lovers to make their relationship official; They were gonna be parents! But then, she’d insisted that it was too soon, too scandalous. It was better to say they were Platon’s. And what could Vasco do? He wasn’t about to cast his true love into shame, potentially turning her whole family against her. He agreed, even if her was certain that Platon would never come back to claim his offspring, he would allow him the moniker of ‘father’, though it pained him so deeply. But nothing and no one could stop the young man from doing everything a real father would. He’d loved them from first sight, and he would care for them and teach them, every chance he got. To Vasco, these were his children, and it hurt him to know that they would never know it, but he loved them regardless. So of course, when they had all disappeared, his world had crumbled! Not only his Sita, but his kids, gone without a trace. Waking up in this foreign land, he had at least thought he would find them somewhere; And now I have! He pressed into Xulia’s warm body at his side, unembarrassed at the supposed weakness in such a show of affection. He was hardly in a position to put on tough facades. He was just happy to be with his family again. The sound of her voice was soothing, but the words made his brows furrow in confusion; Home…? That couldn’t be true, he knew it wasn’t true, they’d disappeared, he’d been looking all over… He veered his foggy head, trying to understand, but as Xulia continued to talk, it only confused him more. They were nearby? But then, why can’t you bring them…? None of it seemed to add up. In fact, the longer he lay here, on the cold, wet ground, the more he was starting to feel just how miserable he was. His body ached and his head throbbed, all of him, horrendously alive. The realization shook him, and, along with Xulia’s next words, cleared a little more of the funk from his mind. Straining against the pain, he tilted back his head to look up at his daughter, grey eyes tired but clear in their search to meet hers. ‘We love you. I love you!’ It would be enough to make much stronger men cry, except Vasco’s body was too dehydrated for proper tears. But the emotion was very evident in his hoarse voice as he answered: “I know my treasure… I love you too, more than life…” Simply speaking those short sentences felt exhausting. He had to pause, letting his head loll back down as he heaved heavy, wheezy breaths, feeling the pain in his head intensify to the point of blacking out his vision for a moment. If she hadn’t been by his side, he might have fainted then and there, but a last fiber of strength from somewhere deep in his chest, kept him conscious. Instead, after a long pause to catch his breath, he murmured: “Could you… Help me, back to the water… I’m… So thirsty.” He was finally awaking to the reality of the moment, to the truth that his search had really been successful. But at the same time, his body was giving him a stark reminder of just how close he was to death. Word Count: 586 Thoughts ”Speech” |
She'd always wished, in the back of her mind, that he was. It was never something she had voiced aloud, and hardly something she'd even allowed herself to think. But it was true.
Xulia was brought back into awareness at Vasco's next words, raspy and hoarse and... much more aware than she'd been expecting.
He was thirsty.
Dying wolves didn't typically ask for water, did they?
The girl sprung up to her feet and nodded her head. "Of course," she gasped, bending back down to try and help the man to his feet. Water was good - the first step. If he could handle water, perhaps he could handle food. And if he could handle food, then she could take him back to the pack, and they had healers and family there, and he could be okay again.
"Are you hungry? I can try and catch you something to eat. Maybe there are fish in here," she rambled as she assisted him, her steps slow and methodical and body shaking as she held his weight. It wasn't hard to support him, but the amount of raw emotion she'd felt in the last twenty four hours was appalling, and she didn't know how to handle it.
If he had ever needed any form of confirmation that he had fathered Sita’s pups, Xulia was it. Unlike her brothers, with their dark coats similar to Platon’s, the girl had been born with a coat of pale brown and grey, the spitting image of Vasco himself. Of course, no one else saw it, they wanted to believe the vanished hero was the sire. It had been a sore spot for the Halex ever since, but Sita wanted it so, and he was loath to deny her anything. But looking at the young lady by his side now, he thought of her fully as his daughter, and his chest swelled with love and pride, and the joy to have finally found her again. She let him gently back to the water’s edge, having to do almost all of the work, as his legs remained numb and unresponsive. But she was strong and determined, and soon he could slide to his stomach, extending his muzzle over the edge to dip it into the murky water. The marsh was hardly the healthiest option for drinking-water, but then, beggars could not be choosers, and as he filled his dry mouth, sucking more than lapping, it was like feeling life itself seep back into his body. He drank silently for a long time, filling his shriveled stomach to the brim. Only when he couldn’t possibly hold anymore did he finally let up, scooting back a few inches and flopping heavily with his head flat against the ground. Xulia’s question made him smile, grey eyes rolling upwards to look at her without lifting his head. “I haven’t had fish in a long time…” He murmured, longingly. That was all he could muster in his exhausted state, eyes sliding closed as he sighed heavily. He might have felt embarrassed at just lying around like this, making her do the work, but even that, he had no energy for. Starting to drift into a half-dreamy state, he began to talk, to try and stay awake; “Remember when I tried to teach you how to fish?” His tone was fond, the smile still curling his lips though his eyes remained closed; “I had only just learned myself, from your mother… I miss her…” A small furrow formed in his brow, and his voice grew sadder, and more distant; “I miss you all…” Word Count: 394 Thoughts ”Speech” |
