Lost Lake The Girl With One Eye

Set the day after this thread 

Setting: Early sunrise.
The world is still dim spare a couple rays of light breaking past the pine canopy and clouds.
 Partly Cloudy - 66 ° F, 19 ° C
@Noble

Trills and chirps of the first morning birds to arise began to filter across the lakeside. Today's first rays of dawn yet to fully penetrate the crest of the horizon and its sentry like mountain that loomed silently in the distance. A watchful giant over the kingdom of Relic Lore below. It felt like years had passed since the last time Hexamora emerged from the dark abyss of her den to greet the world. Having adopted a behavior likened to a hermit since the silver coated bitch on the plateau mutilated her right eye utterly useless. Completely removing the visual-nary organ from its socket and instead giving the empty socket a pair of scars across it from her clashing teeth. Very rarely did the ivory woman dare leave the security of her hole. Only when her bladder needed relieving and her stomach needed filling did her wary self stir from slumber.

What an underestimated thing sleep was. To Hex it was her escape route from reality. A temporary cure from the pain that thrashed against her skull each time she dared open the single eye she had left. Hoping the lopsided world she stared into was nothing more than a nightmare she was yet to wake from. That once she did wake up her vision would be normal again. A full range of sights greeting her instead of a half painted picture with one side sheathed in black like a curtain was permanently hung where its other half rightfully belonged. Keeping the woman from seeing what lay beneath. A darker layer to her pleasant dream where everything was as it should. It was funny how twisted sleep could be.

Uncurling her thickened pelt from its fetal like position, reality was met once again. Single eyelid forced open by the instinctual drive that dwelled in every living creature. Sadly sleep was only ever temporary for the woman. Immediately upon rousing the pain returned. At first a trickle of heat behind the socket where her right eye should be, partially healed muscles and tissue trying to operate a nonexistent eye with futile attempts. Then the strain of this action sunk in. A stronger wave beginning to pound behind her skull that always brought forth a distasteful whimper from her lips.  Oh how she longed to be dragged back into the safety of slumber and sleep away the pain and nuisance of flies attempting to score free meals off the dying flesh that lined her eye socket. Two months and the world still looked as dark as the first morning after the incident.

Slowly Hexamora would drag herself from her prison, head constantly swaying from left to right to sweep over her surrounding to ensure the coast was clear before stepping out fully into the world on shaky limbs. The lack of proper sight causing her equilibrium to take a spin she noticed. It wasn't until she was as sure as a partially blinded woman could be that she slunk like a phantom towards the smell of water. Using whatever coverage she could to disguise her advancement from the others in the pack. For the better half of the past two months she had done good at avoiding others. Keeping her disability on the down low. The last thing she needed was someone to take advantage of her disadvantage.

Pine green optic focused on the approaching shoreline a quick b-line was made for the liquid that would soon sate her parched throat. Salmon tinted tongue lapping quickly at the surface before her head would rise to take a quick scan around her, lowering again to take a couple more quick laps. One could never be too careful. Who knew who was lurking in the shadows.

It was true that her first attempt had not exactly been a rousing success. After all that time and surveillance, Noble had made it out with nothing but a mouthful of rabbit blood and a terrible fright. The taste of her would-be-meal didn't last very long. It was swallowed down and gone before she even stopped running. Crouched by a stream found the night before, Noble had cleaned the blood from her jaws and shivered. The fear took longer to leave. It took hours for the quiver to leave her limbs and the rest of the day for her ears to stop folding with embarrassment at the memory. The next morning found her prowling close once more.

After rehashing all her short-comings overnight, Noble had finally acknowledged what she had accomplished. She'd crossed their border undetected and made it to their cache undetected. It had gone south soon after, but those facts remained. She carried herself with a certain pride; Noble was not a helpless girl any longer. She had done something dangerous and brazen, and almost gotten away with it... that was what mattered.

It was defiance that drew her back. Noble was not so stupid as to try again here, but neither had they beaten her. Dark paws traced along their borders to leave a scent that would rile them for days. Despite her boldness, she was alert. Quiet movement made her freeze, hoping the dark of morning would blend with a dark coat. Frozen, she watched Hexamora slink to the shore. It seemed hard to believe this was the same woman and it wasn't until she glanced around that Noble was sure. The tables had turned. Noble lurked in her shadows for a moment, basking in the feeling, before calling out. "You seem smaller than last time we met."

Dampened silt shifted between her toes as the woman lapped greedily at the waters edge. The ripples spreading across the glassy surface the only source of movement one could see. Unbeknownst to the crippled female that a familiar face lurked from within her very shadows. Noble's movements nearly inaudible to the untrained ear as ivory audits flicked at the hushed rustling of pine needles scattered across the landscape. Passing the sound off as nothing to fret over. To her it held the equivalence of a mouse scurrying about gathering what food it could before death claimed its prize between clenched jaws. How wrong Hexamora would soon be proved. "You seem smaller than last time we met." A familiar voice called out too close for comfort.

Internal instinct wanted to turn on her heels and bite the foolish girls face off, but the thought alone was enough to bring forth a dull throbbing behind her ravaged socket. Instead, her skull rose slowly from its hovered position above the water as salmon tongue slithered back into its moist domain. A darkened smirk adorning the flesh of her lips as singular optic came to pinpoint Noble's location, ignoring the pain still throbbing behind her emptied socket. "Ah. What a pleasant surprise to have a Noble thief pop in for a visit." A short bemused chuckle following her clever word play. Despite remaining curled up within her den, Hexamora had caught wind of the local news about a thief's failed attempt at raiding their cache. News traveled fast within Fallen Tree Cove and for this the woman was partially thankful for the ease of keeping in the loop. 

Suddenly all casual conversation came to a halt. Another bout of pain racked her skull followed by a tidal wave of vertigo, forcing the woman to emit a whine as she lowered herself to the ground. All thoughts of @Noble momentarily fleeting her mind as the pain took main residence. Lifting a single paw she draped it over exposed wound in a futile attempt at soothing the fire. Great, it would appear the pup would have the greater advantage this go around.

Old habits died hard. Noble was still a little suspicious of the reversal in this situation and clung to her shadows. She could tell something had happened, but not yet what. Dark gold eyes cast to side only once, before refocusing on the ivory woman. It was a morbid curiosity, the type that drew fair-goers into florid tents to gawk at the unfortunates inside. This woman had frightened her badly once; Noble wanted to see.

The slow lift of Hexamora's skull tamed the fear enough for the dark yearling to gaze back brazenly. The mocking words reached her at the same moment that the empty socket trained in her direction. Noble felt her heart drop into her stomach and stumbled backwards in shock. The cackle followed after her and fear of the familiar voice added to the imagined pain. She squinted her own eyes shut, hiding precious gold orbs as she spent a moment pulling herself together.

A whine plucked at her attention. Hexamora was prone on the ground by the time Noble rose back out of her shadows. She had to step forward -pushing through shrubbery that lined the lake- to bring the woman back into view. The wound was even more gruesome up close. Sympathy fought with revenge as Noble's tail twitched at her hocks. This woman had meant her harm and deserved what had happened to her, of that there was no question. Teeth drew back, just as they had the day Hexamora had threatened her, and Noble glared down at the floundering wolf. Did she deserve more? Probably. Was it Noble's place to administer the rest that was due to her? Probably not.

"It's good to see you again." And it truly was. Twin gold eyes blinked down slowly at the ivory woman. It was good to be able to see clearly and good to catch the woman in this state.

Crappy post is crappy >.<

The pain seemed to go on for an eternity as Hexamora lay there partially bowed into the fragments of sandy sediment the lakeside offered. A pain that was allegiant on causing her misery during this agonizing and sluggish healing process. Wiping an ivory forepaw over the wound for what felt like that umpteenth time, finally it seemed to gradually recede into her skull until eventually it was gone completely. Fluttering open her single lid the world around her seemed to spin like a record, threatening to force her stomach to clench and regurgitate what little food may still remain within its grasp. A few blinks did wonders, though, in setting the world right again. Ivory cranium lifting to focus on the blurred face of Noble. Audits flicking at the words that tumbled from her mouth. A cynical snort escaping her nostrils. Right, she was really glad to see her again. 

Slowly rising on unsteady, shaky limbs, the woman narrowed her single optic in scrutiny at Noble. Throat parched all over again from the effort of whining her pain away. Daring a quick turn of her head to lap at the rippled surface, relief was soon to be had. "What are you even doing here? From the state I last saw you in, you should have become another rotting carcass by now." She spoke upon turning herself back towards the younger wolf. In all honesty it was true through, the girl was nothing but bones cloaked in a leathery layer of pitifully dull black fur back then. 

The pallid woman shifted and rose on unsteady legs. Noble's silent gaze followed the woman. The angle of her dark skull moved with the woman's rising figure until they were face to face. Again. The green orb was by far the more unnerving of the original pair, but Noble met it easily. This was nothing compared to yesterday and Hexamora was nothing like she'd been over the winter. It was easy to feign confidence when she held the upper-hand.

She moved easily with Hexamora as the woman bent to the nearby shore, carefully staying a predetermined distance both away and close to the scarred one. A conversation did not mean they were friends, and Noble wanted that to be glaringly obvious. Hackles prickles at the pointed question. How much did Primrose know about yesterday? The would-be-thief narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Like you don't already know!" Noble spat back, every part of her speaking of the rebellious teenager she'd grown into. Her temper, long since subdued by isolation and the harsh winter, flared to back to life. This felt an awful lot like having her nose rubbed in something.

It might be amusing now, but she would learn. She swung back around from a halfway-started pace. "And you! I wouldn't expect you to be here either." Roughly Noble gestured to the stinking pack borders and looked at the partially-sighted wolf with an appraising expression. The mid-winter rant was not forgotten and it was a good bit of irony to find that Primrose had gone back on her own ideals. "Though... they think jus' like you," Her head cocked while remembering what Namid had said, "'Specially that silvery woman."

A wry smile came to adorn her moistened lips at the spat words in response to her question. Single pine green optic sparkling in the pale dawn light at this display of rebellious angst all teens were prone to exuding. Oh Hexamora knew exactly why this bandit was hear after gossip lofted on the shifting breeze. The miserably failed attempt at thieving brought sheer amusement to the pale coated woman. Had Noble gone about it the way she herself had done so; swearing false loyalty only to take their resources at her whim, there would be one less protest from her shrunken stomach at night.  

Soon the finger pointing was reversed to befall the one eyed femme. "And you! I wouldn't expect you to be here either." Noble uttered the words off her accusing tongue before swarthy skull gestured toward the invisible line doused in pack urine to mark the land outsiders were prohibited from venturing into. A salmon tongue that accused the Beauvau woman of being like them, like her of all people. At this leathery lips curled back to bare stained canines at the child's face. The nerve to compare her to the likes of Namid! They were nothing alike. "They and I are nothing alike." She spat, froth daring to bubble at the corners of her winkled lips from her rising anger levels. "It was strictly a strategic move on my behalf that allowed you to find me here." Single lid narrowing in a fashion similar to that of Noble's before the snarling facial features morphed into a sinister smirk. "But now that you're here, I could scratch off an item off my to-do list.."  Voice trailing off in a mellifluous tone while taking a calculated step forward with single optic trained on Noble, the smirk continuing to grow in inches. Hexamora hadn't forgotten her winter promise either.

Black ears folded briefly away at the stench breathed her way and then were turning right back around. This was an ironic bit of amusement that Noble was not ready to abandon quite yet. As far as the ragtag loner was concerned this was the funniest thing to happen since December. Perhaps if the other woman had not ridiculed her months ago there have been more compassion, but alas, Hexamora had been the one to sink that ship. Noble's brows lifted in skepticism as her smirk grew. The more the woman protested, the more Noble became set in her idea. "Don't seem that way to me...." She egged on.

Her head tipped as the explanation went on. Did it really matter why? Hexamora had gone back on her word and only minutes ago was a whimpering pile of wolf at the yearlings feet. Those were the only facts Noble was counting. 'Strategic move', her ass. She snorted in response. The sly expression only intensified as the ivory woman launched a new threat. Or rather, tried to. It was several months too late for that to work anymore. As the woman took a step forward, the yearling took a measured and unhurried step back.

"But Primrose," She started, letting her eyes widen with forced sincerity, "Wouldn't you need to see me proper for that?" The girl kept tracing backwards, keeping an eye on the borders, but not making a bee-line for them. Perhaps this was not a smart idea, but Noble was betting she had the decided upper hand here. Unless.... "Maybe your new friends would help you?"

I have no idea what she's doing anymore, she's just...crazy

Each attempted step forward to strike fear into the girl was met with a counter step back, not a single ounce of the emotion Hexamora would have loved to see fill the whites of her eyes apparent on her facial features. Unknown to the phantom colored woman, but her days of keeping Noble beneath her paws as play toy were long over since those months ago in the colder days of December. 

A string of words soon filtered off the loner's tongue, words that had an underlying effect on the older woman as the swarthy girl made reference to her lack of proper sight now. Smack. If Hexamora could she would have flinched in that moment, but instead the leather lining of her lips pulled back to reveal just the points of her clenched teeth. Their coloration glinting in the pale morning light that began to cast the world in a more yellowish glow now, forcing the shadows to retreat much like the Lagina was now with each step backwards she took towards the nearing borders. Then, another smack fell off her lying tongue. 

Friends? Hexamora had no friends and with good reason. Immediately the guard hairs along her nape and hackles rose, jaw snapping at the air between them and Noble's face threateningly while keeping her single optic focused on the girl. "They are not my friends. I do not have friends, emotional connections with others make you weak." Saliva began to drip from the rows of exposed teeth, pearly tail rising to flag over her spine. "Perhaps I should turn you in to these supposed friends of mine, shouldn't I? Watch as they chase you off with the intent on ripping your thieving hide from your useless body, but.." Her words tactically trailed off.

A sinister smirk rose the corner of her lips higher and higher, a chaotic spark filing the pine green iris of her single eye. Maybe now there would be a festinate look of true fear plastered across her smug face for thinking she could best the wretched woman. Half blind or not.  

(This post was last modified: Aug 18, 2015, 08:47 PM by Hexamora.)

thanks for thread (and for turning Noble into a smart-ass). this is 10th post, didja want to tag on an ending for Hex? if not you're welcome to archive for us

It didn't matter that this wasn't a particularly wise or nice thing she was doing. Noble grinned again -wickedly- as the denials continued. She was young and, more importantly, had no adult to instruct her otherwise. The pearly tail rose and her own flicked with amusement. It wasn't that she didn't recognize the potential for disaster here. The past six months had been nothing but misfortune after disaster for Noble. Finally there was evidence that shitty things didn't only happen to her. She had every intention of rubbing it in.

"Don't think it's those friends makin' you weak." More like your missing eyeball. The yearling's head tilted at the threat, considering it... should Primrose actually carry through with it. The pack had chased her off just the other day and she knew how swift and earnest they were. Without sparing a glance around Noble redirected her backwards retreat, shifting her path more true to the borders. Still, there wasn't an urgency to it. The Fallen Tree Cove wolves were still oblivious to her presence; Noble would be half-way to the nearest stream by the time they even knew she was here. They wouldn't catch her off-guard this time.

She continued backing up, facing the white wraith while dark feet probed through the coming dawn. The smirk was only proof of what Noble had already deduced: Hexamora was insane. Whether or not Hexamora could actually take her single-highhandedly was irrelevant, this fight would draw attention she didn't need. Her back feet landed on the borders and an ebony nose twitched at the realization. "Old witch," She taunted, digging nails in to ready herself for spinning around and high-tailing it. "Better be more careful with that last eye."

With that last retort she was moving, feet tensing to hurl her away with a spray of rocky gravel. She loped through the woods, not bothering to look back. There was nothing else she needed anyways.