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 Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 2:18 am
No, no, no! Everything was wrong. So wrong. Mama had told her to be careful and not to tread alone, but she hadn't listened... and now she was paying for it. She didn't even know if she would survive the night, what with the talk of eating her!
And yet she had dived right back to her den when she had a moment of possible escape. Stupid, stupid, stupid. But she was here now, and she would not have that chance of surprise again. Bolting was not an option, not as the adults moved in closer.
Pulling the deerhide together, she subconsciously tried to cover the books better with a claw before pushing it under and firmly behind her into the darkest, furthest point of the den she could. After which, she proceeded to press herself in as far as she could... not that that really proved safe. She was still within reach, but she braced herself and raised her lips in as menacing a snarl as she could.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 2:27 am
Brutus hadn't jumped down to chase the filly down immediately when she had bolted because her baby strides would not have gotten her far, but it was surprise and confusion that had made him pause when she turned back around and slid back into the trap that was her den.
His glance at Grauen proved to be conclusive. She had something, and it was valuable. Brutus could not possibly imagine what exactly this thing could be, but it was obviously something important. A curt nod and an easy drop down from the ledge brought the stallion down to between Grauen and the pale foal. The game had been called to an end, and he wasn't about to argue. Foals and mothers were the worst to watch, but even those he was beginning to get used to. He tried to tell himself that it was making him stronger and less vulnerable to such predators in the long-run. Anything to kill that annoying conscience.
Bending his forelimbs, Brutus dropped down to his knees causing a small shudder through the surrounding earth. Tilting his head to the side he peered into his shadow to find their prey braced and snarling. She lashed out at him, but he knocked them aside easily with his big muzzle. "A flea bites harder. Now, come out before I drag you out." His voice was as steady as stone and demanding, not a request to be brushed aside.
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Nyx Queen of Darkness Crew
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 2:34 am
Grauen was practically gleeful. She had at long last found them..they were there...she just knew it. She heard Brutus trying to talk to the foal, and she felt her irritation rise.
"Drag her out now or I will! I don't care what happens to it, but get it out and hold it or I will do things far, far worse!" Her temper flared brightly and the wolves on her coat howled and then hunkered snarling ready for a kill.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 2:41 am
She lashed out with her claws as best she could, but she was no fighter. She'd had maybe a scrap or two with her sister before, but that was the extent of her experience. The foal was woefully outmatched, but she wasn't about to give up. Her lashing turned into flailing as she fended off the attackers as best she could.
There was no sense, no listening, no nothing. All there was was panic and fight. And more panic. Whinnying in fear, the filly tried desperately to find something more solid than dirt to ground her hind claws into to prevent the inevitable. She hoped against hope that if she just stayed back as far as she could they would give up, but even she knew deep down that that just wasn't going to happen. The anger outside of the den had turned fiery red, and though this wasn't the sort of warmth anyone goes looking for, it was (grimly) a warmth to contrast the cold-sweat that had broken out on Avia's sides.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 2:48 am
He had asked her to come out nicely, and what did he get for it? He got Grauen angry at him, that's what he got. Brutus snorted, sending a small cloud of loose dirt into the filly's face. It was not an intentional tactic, more one of ire, but it did turn out to be a useful action. It created enough of a distraction for him to reach in and grasp a hold of... something. He got his mouth around some skinny body part, limb or tail, he couldn't tell, but he grabbed hold and began to pull back. Ignoring the attempts to claw his face, Brutus managed to pull the filly far enough out of the den that he could back up with his hind end to bring her the rest of the way out.
She wasn't being compliant, but she was barely a notice for the big draft even amid all the screaming and claws at whatever it was that she was trying to save. Giving her a good last yank, he dragged her free of the 'safety' of her den.
Brutus had his teeth firmly around one of her hind legs and as he stood up, the filly got dragged upward until she was hanging upside-down from his muzzle. When he looked down at her here in the open, the dust settled to reveal that she had managed to snatch up the parcel wrapped in deerhide, and was clutching it desperately to her stomach.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 9:35 pm
Grauen watched as Brutus yanked the foal out like a mouse from a hole. He body danglign from the wone gangling and clawed leg. So she was a special kind at that. She followed the girl's tail to where she had the hide-wrapped possessions pressed to her as though her life depended on it.
Little did she know, her life depended on dropping them.
"Well, well...look at the little mousey...I'm sure there's a big kitty around here who'd like something to feast on. One of those...what are they called?" Grauen paused deliberately, "Walkers? Is that the word?"
She laughed again, her coat shining and shifting with the supplying of fuel to her need for fear. Her teeth lunged out sharply and bit the little mouse's tail hard, the taste of blood filling her mouth.
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Nyx Queen of Darkness Crew
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 9:48 pm
All the flailing in the world didn't help Avia from being caught and dragged out of her den. The stallion had snorted dust in her face, and amid the coughing and slashing, he pulled her out by a leg. She screamed insults and unintelligible sounds at him all the same, until she realized she only had a split second to gather up her possession. Pulling it close to her she had tucked her tail around it and held it in place against her stomach with her other hind leg.
As he stood up, her world got turned upside down and she was instantly staring up (or down) at the mare. More talk of death and eating her, but at this point any talking to her went straight over her head and didn't really register. Fear had solidly taken hold of her young mind, and there was nothing for her to concentrate on... at least not until the jarring bolt of excruciating pain that shot through her.
Eyes squeezing shut and her claws creating closed fists, Avia's tail whipped out in reflex, and in doing so released her precious bundle, sending it tumbling toward the ground. She wailed in pain and squeezed her eyes shut all the tighter. She wanted nothing to do with the outside world, and the pain it had just caused her.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 9:52 pm
Holding the filly up didn't phase Brutus in the least. He had a good hold on her and so long as she didn't flail as hard as possible, she wouldn't hurt herself, and if she did... well she shouldn't have flailed quite so hard. What did surprise Brutus was when Grauen lunged in and bit the filly. It was a sudden movement, and it made him stare at her for a few moments. She must really want whatever it was that the filly had been holding.
He watched silently as the bundle was released and fell towards the ground at Grauen's hooves.
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Nyx Queen of Darkness Crew
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 10:14 pm
Grauen scooped up the books hastily and tore away the wrappings with her teeth. There was the book, just as it had been described to her. Green with gold trimmings, she could see the embossed letters but did not know their meaning. She would figure them out in time...
She laid the book down gently, and used her teeth to pull at the cover...But it didn't budge. She pulled and pulled, panting for breath, but the book would not open. It was as if it was bound for some reason.
In fury, she snapped at the filly. "How did you open it? Tell me! I'll kill you if you lie!" Her coat blazed hotly, her ears laid back and her teeth bared.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 10:27 pm
Avia faintly began humming to herself, trying to drown the rest of the world out. For that matter, trying to drown out the pain. She had never felt such agony before! Why would someone do this to another willingly? It hurt soooo bad!!
Angry yelling snapped her ears in it's direction, but Avia kept her eyes shut. Better not to see the anger too, just hearing it was enough. Something... about... Oh, about opening it. Very angry something about opening it. And more about being killed. If her sides hadn't already been in a cold-sweat, they would have started now. Being upside-down was no easy feat, all the blood rushed to her head, and her tail and stomach was stained crimson from what had poured out of the bite-wound.
"Open? It-it can't." The words came out small but they did not shake, her fear was becoming her natural state, slowly but surely. Her sides flinched from a shiver, and she felt cold amid all the anger, but the fear could not inflate anymore, it was at it's peak.
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 10:36 pm
There was nothing for Brutus to contribute to the situation, so he stood there, dutifully silent. The filly had gone into a quiet state, humming to herself, presumably to try to wash away the pain. Her tail was no longer gushing blood, but it poured rather steadily onto her stomach and down her sides for a few seconds before slowing to a trickle. It was interesting, really, how the body reacted to injuries, and how blood would cascade or gush. Brutus was an observer most often, since it was not his place to be talkative.
His eyes drifted over to Grauen as she unwrapped the book that she had presumably been looking for this whole time. But then she tried to open it... and it wouldn't budge. Brow quirking, Brutus did not understand. How could the book not open? She had applied more than enough strength to open a simple flap of wood and skin. Her anger flared, hot and aggressive, she snapped at the filly, and it took all of his might to straighten his expression in time so that she would not see the confusion that had been there a moment ago. Perhaps he just did not understand how a book was meant to be opened, but the filly gave no more of an answer. She said that it couldn't. Did that mean it wasn't a book at all? Or was she just lying to save her own skin?
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 10:45 pm
Grauen lashed out with her teeth again at the filly, her mouth tasting blood again. She spit it out as she looked at the whimpering thing. But despite the fury of her anger, she could tell the girl was not lying...she did not know how to open the books.
She dug a hoof into the ground, grating her teeth together. "Tell me little mouse, where did you find them and how?" She needed more answers. "Don't try to run," she commanded.
Turning her attention back to Brutus she nodded, "Drop her."
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Nyx Queen of Darkness Crew
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 10:59 pm
She had answered the mare's question without lying, and so was not expecting the next bite when it hit. Warmth and a deep pinch spread from her side, a blossoming of blood spread across her ribs and began reaching for her neck with lengthening fingers. Gritting her teeth, she contained her outcry enough to muffle it some. With all this blood everywhere she was getting dizzy, so she replied hazily to what she heard, "They're mine.... Mine... I found them..." A slight pause and a shake of her head added, "No, no running... no running now..."
One more thing was said, and that caught her attention. Her eyes snapped open to find herself staring at the mare's tumultuous pelt but she quickly darted her gaze over to the stallion that was holding her and quickly shook her head with a plea of, "No!"
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 11:20 pm
Relieved that the mare hadn't caught his moment of confusion, Brutus once again was surprised when Grauen lashed out at the filly. A second strike out of anger, fury, ire. Brutus made a mental note to stay as inconspicuous as he could for the rest of the day... or week.
The foal mumbled and muttered replies, if one could call them that, but when Grauen turned her attention to him and asked him to drop his prisoner, he had just enough time to see the filly turn her head to him and as he opened his mouth her plea was warbled by her fall to the ground. Oops. She had had a moment warning, and he'd rather give the filly a bruise by dropping her than turn Grauen's wrath upon himself.
Strictly obedience, was the key to keeping her off his case, and that was the plan until she calmed down.
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Nyx Queen of Darkness Crew
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Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 11:27 pm
The wolves on her coat all came forward, leaving her sides barren. Their snarling faces all pointing at the girl, pacing back and forth in fury and anger on Grauen's chest.
"I know who one of the owner's were. That is a lie." She kicked out wildly at the filly. "I told you about lying to me, now where did you find them?"
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