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LydaLynn rolled 1 6-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-6)
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 Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 7:23 pm
Latcho hurtled back the way he had come, his wings pressed tight to his side to keep the wind from pulling them and slowing him down. Through the trees he saw the yellow of Pheonix's wings, but lower to the ground than they should be. The sight pressed him to new speed as he dodged branches and roots. He didn't even notice as he pressed past reaching woods that tore at his hide as he passed.
His breath fogging the air in front of him, eyes red with anger, pain and hunger, Latcho leaps past the final tree between him and the mare. And the circling wolf. Seeing the predator, its muzzle red with her blood, sends a thrill of rage down his back. Screaming a challenge, Latcho moves between the threat and Pheonix.
Unfurling his wings, his tentacles writhing to make him look even larger, Latcho blows his heated breath into the winter air. If the wolf had thoughts beyond that of a simple animal, it would be forgiven for thinking he was blowing smoke from his nostrils. But the wolf was just an animal, one without a pack, hungry and desperate.Roll
1-2 Wolf lunges and bites Latcho dealing some damage to a front leg.
3-4 Wolf is frightened by the display and turns to flee, seeking an easier meal.
5-6 Latcho sees the wolf lunging and rears, connecting with his front hooves and dealing damage to the wolf.
Looking more heartened, the wolf sends up a howl, it's eyes latched onto the two soquili, ready for dinner.
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Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 8:29 pm
Pheonix, surprised by Latcho's fierce and sudden appearance, let a high pitched squeak and scrambled awkwardly back until she bumped the tree behind her. She watched in horrific awe as Latcho chalenged the wold and couldn't tear her gaze from the scene unfolding. Her gaze was fixed on the wolf at the time Latcho turned to check on her, so she saw when the wolf lunged, her warning though, came to late. "Latcho...the wolf!" To her horror she watched the raving wolf sink its teeth into his leg and with immense difficulty, struggled to her hooves. Gently she nudged him, but not wanting to take his focus off the wolf again, she tried to remain as un-distracting as possible. Honestly if he got them away alive, she would be forever in his debt. Pheonix just hoped they would both get away with no more injuries, she wasn't sure how much more pain her body could take. The howl jerked her from her thoughts, and she fixed her gaze back on the wolf. Foaming drool was dripping from its mouth, eyes livid and bony sides heaving. For a moment she felt pity, until it dived back for another go.
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LydaLynn rolled 1 6-sided dice:
4
Total: 4 (1-6)
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Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 9:07 pm
Latcho was ready this time, not taking his eyes from the wolf. He could hear Phoenix moving behind him, but to keep them both safe, he couldn't check on her. As the wolf lunged, Latcho spread his wings and reared.Roll
1-2 Wolf sidles away at the last moment, avoiding damage.
3-4 Wolf takes a glancing blow from Latcho's hooves.
5-6 Latcho solidly brings front hooves down on wolf's skull, killing the animal.
More wary the wolf moves, limping, to circle around, trying to get closer to the more vulnerable looking mare. Latcho moves with the creature to protect Phoenix, slowed by the tree she had been huddling against, but close enough to close the gap in an instant if need be. He doesn't notice the blood flowing from the wound on his leg or the scrapes marking his hide.
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Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 5:19 am
Pheonix had began to shiver from the cold and fear. Looking at the now limping wolf, she wished Latcho had dealt a killing blow, she was sure he could do it, he seemed like a different stallion here and she stole a glance at his face. It was very intense, his steely gaze not leaving the wolf and quite suddenly she felt herself stopping the shivering. Tearing her gaze from his face, her eyes went back to the wolf, once again wishing with everything inside her that it took its injuries and left..and/or Latcho would strike it dead the next time it charged.
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LydaLynn rolled 1 6-sided dice:
1
Total: 1 (1-6)
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Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 9:47 am
Latcho was ready when the wolf lunged again, quickly moving to not only block the wolf, but deal it another blow. His steaming breath wreathing his head, he was not going to give ground. This was not like a hunt, they were quiet things with quick and clean ends. He did not like dealing pain, but he would not back down or leave the mare vulnerable.Roll
1-2 The wolf deals damage before Latcho deals a killing blow.
3-4 The wolf takes a blow that sends it running.
5-6 Latcho kills the wolf before it does any further damage.
He was not accustomed to fighting like that. When he hunted, Latcho hunted small animals who were quickly put from their misery. This was not a pleasant experience. But he was glad the creature hadn't run, having to chase a wounded animal to put it out of its misery was not fun in the best of conditions.
As his breathing evens out, the voice again silently whispers, It is done. See to your needs.' The voice was ever reasonable and only there after a kill. Latcho knew it calmed him. He was lucky. Many in his family suffered torment or temptation from their whispers. His kept him from falling into blood lust.
Latcho moves to sip at the wolf's blood before stilling himself, just short of the body. The mare. But he was hurt and had been on edge for too long. She knew already and it would calm the need, allow him to help her. With a sigh, Latcho hopes this doesn't send her fleeing again as he moves the last distance to the wolf's rapidly cooling body. There was blood everywhere so he didn't need to open a vein. Some of it was likely even his own.
He didn't eat the meat, only lapped up some of the blood. The wolf's body held more than he would ever need and was not something he would have normally killed. But the hot thickness on Latcho's tongue seemed to still the stinging where sweat flowed into his wounds.
Careful to clean his mouth and hooves on a small patch of snow that was more churned than bloody, Latcho took a moment to find his calm. A deep breath or two and he was sure his eyes were back to their normal brown. His tentacles were pulled up under his mane, and he had cleaned himself as best he was able.
Latcho had heard the mare moving around behind him, but he had tried to ignore it. He was afraid she had left, or that she would be terrified beyond any reasoning. If she was . . . He didn't know what he would do. It was obvious Phoenix needed protection. He couldn't leave her vulnerable. But he didn't want to cause her distress. Maybe she would agree to let him help her somewhere safer. If not . . . following her would only make her feel stalked, not what he wanted. He wasn't sure what he would do.
Realizing he had spent far too long with his eyes closed and his back to the mare, Latcho slowly lets out a breath before turning to see what was behind him. It might be empty space, it might be a terrified mare, it might be a mare he had left bleeding too long in need of medical aid. As his eyes move over the space of the battle, he sees the churned and muddy snow, the great splashes of crimson blood and . . .
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Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 2:27 pm
"You're bleeding."
Pheonix had watched him lap at the blood coming from the now dead wolf with a sort of sick fascination. It made her belly flop to watch him do it, but for what ever reason she couldn't tear her gaze from him.
When he looked back at her she wasn't sure what to say to him. Thank you was probably what should be said, but it didn't seem adequate to what he had just done. 'You're bleeding.' had been what her mouth let out, no louder than a whisper. She was pretty sure she was bleeding too, but wasn't paying attention to herself.
Pheonix began to take shaky and uneven steps towards him, stopping when she had to look up to see his eyes. A slow smile spread across her face and she closed her eyes. "You came back." The words had barely left her mouth before her legs buckled underneath her weight and she collapsed to the ground. A big sigh escaped her, and her eyes were still closed. "I don't think I can stay awake Latcho...I'm so sleepy."
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LydaLynn rolled 1 6-sided dice:
3
Total: 3 (1-6)
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Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 4:16 pm
Latcho hurries to her side. "No, oh no. No no no no no, get up, you have to get up!" Seeing the wound where the wolf had bit Phoenix, he pales slightly. She was losing blood more rapidly than from the earlier wound and she had already lost a good deal of blood. He was afraid that if she went to sleep, she wouldn't wake up.
Trying to keep her up and awake, Latcho, concern heavy in his heart, pokes her with his horn. He wants nothing more than for her to be okay. And without thinking about it, he calls upon his unicorn heritage.
Roll
1-2 Latcho heals Phoenix just enough to keep her from dying. He exhausts himself in the process.
3-3 Latcho heals Phoenix enough that she can move to safety and rest. He tires himself in the process.
5-6 Latcho heals Phoenix enough that she has decent mobility and is only a little drained from the process.
Slow understanding dawns and Latcho looks to her wound. It isn't healed, but it is closed and not bleeding. If Phoenix was careful and he took most of her weight, they could hobble out of there. He wasn't up to much more than hobbling himself. He could tell that the sluggish flow of his own blood was almost stopped. It would take time to recover, but as long as they weren't accosted again before reaching safety, he would live.
Nudging Phoenix with his nose, Latcho's voice comes in a harsh whisper. "Come on. Get up. We have to get away from here. All this blood with bring bigger predators. Hopefully they'll be satisfied with the corpse while we get to safety, but we can't stay here. Please . . . I need you to get up. I can't move you by myself and . . . I promise, I won't hurt you. I . . . we have to go. If you want, I'll leave as soon as you're somewhere safe, but we have to go."
Latcho could hear the pleading in his tone. It made him wince on the inside, he hated the weakness that seemed implicit in such a tone. But if it got her up, got her to trust him long enough . . . He would help her as long as she would allow.
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Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 6:40 pm
Pheonix felt warmth seep back into her tired muscles and managed to lift her head to look at Latcho. She saw him bent over her and she was being nudged, she felt that now, the gentle prodding of his nose. Her ears strained to hear his words as she came out of her stupor. "Latcho? I know you won't hurt me." Slowly and carefully she began to rise to her hooves.
When she was standing completely she looked over to him, the sight seeming to give her more strength. "I'm not usually such a damsel in distress." A weak laugh escaped her, but she sobered quickly and looked him over fondly, noting all his wounds and, some how finding the strength to be mad at her self. "I'm sorry...I am...I have never felt so helpless." Hanging her head she blew out a defeated sigh and watched it cloud in the chilled air. "I've surely made a muck out of both of our days, haven't I?" Tentatively, she nosed his shoulder, careful not to cause him any pain if he had bruises, but unable to keep herself from seeking out his warmth.
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Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 8:46 pm
Latcho feels her words like a balm. She wasn't afraid of him. She had seen him kill and eat and . . . she was tired. Surely it was an afterglow from the fight and injury and healing. Phoenix would come to her senses soon enough and he had to make sure she was somewhere safe before that.
As she continued to speak, Latcho shakes his head. "No, of course not. This isn't your fault. And you weren't helpless, you took care of yourself. I . . . " His voice trails off as she nudges him. A tremor runs through the skin of his shoulder.
"Ah . . . " Somehow brilliance escaped him for a moment. Latcho closes his eyes to silently berate himself for being such a dolt. He needed to get his hooves back on the ground. She was grateful, but it wouldn't last, soon Phoenix was sure to remember what he was.
His voice rough as he tries to hide the bitterness he feels knowing this closeness can only be fleeting. For the first time in his life, there is someone who's opinion he cares about. And he already saw what she thought of him when her mind was working.
"Come on, we have to get moving. You can . . . you can lean on me if you need to." His voice didn't break at the end, he was sure of it, mostly sure. Latcho turned his gaze away, afraid of seeing her honest expression at the thought. He could admit to himself that while he hoped she was well enough not to need to lean on him, he wished she wasn't. It was likely the only way he'd ever be that close to the lovely mare and he hoped to have that chance.
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Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 9:20 pm
Pheonix shook her head in protest to his offer, but found herself leaning into him anyways. "I don't want to hurt your injuries...." While it was true, at the same time she enjoyed the warmth that he provided and it put a small smile on her face.
After a few steps away from their chaotic scene she turned her face to him, slightly curious. "Do you know of a safe place where we could go?" Being relatively new to the lands, she was unsure of all of the surrounding area.
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Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2013 9:50 pm
Latcho enjoys the close warmth for a moment before she pulls away. In the instant before Phoenix speaks he is certain she is about to realize what she was doing and demand he leave. Then her words come and he is stunned for a moment with relief.
A slow nod precedes his words, "There are caves not too far from here. I haven't been there myself, but my grandmother uses them sometimes when she passes through. She let me know about them and that they were safe for overnight. I . . . I hadn't expected to use them, I thought I would be farther in my journey. But they will be good place for you to rest."
Latcho looks around to get his bearings, "There, I was almost back to the path, you can see it just through those trees. We just have to follow it along the ridge for a short way and the turn off for the nighting cave shouldn't be far. I . . . you won't hurt me if you . . . I can help support you until we get there."
He was careful not to let that pleading note back into his voice. It made him sound a bit gruff, but it was the better option in his mind. Latcho stood and waited to see if Phoenix would again walk with him or set out in the direction he indicated alone.
She would need to eat soon, and he could use something more solid in his belly. Latcho hoped that the cave he was heading towards was like most of his grandmother's nighting places. Usually there was easy food and fresh water nearby. If he had paid better attention earlier he would know for sure.
Latcho had been careful not to say his grandmother had told him of the cave. Because she hadn't, not specifically. She had left trail markers and taught all of their family how to read them. He knew that the signs had indicated if there was food and what type, or at least what season it could be found in, but he hadn't made a note of it.
But he knew there was shelter, and that was a blessing. If he had to, he could go exploring once Phoenix was settled and find provisions for her. As long as she would allow him to help her that much before kicking him out.
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Posted: Wed Apr 10, 2013 12:57 pm
Pheonix leaned her tired body back against Latcho, sighing as she did so. She was lucky, they both were, to be able to be walking someplace safe, lucky not to be lying back there and it be her dead body instead of the wolf...a shudder ran through her at the thought and she brought herself back to the present.
"Caves?" Breifly she wondered if had she not fallen and kept going the way she had been, if she had stumbled uppon them at some point. Would she still have met Latcho? It seemed likely that she might have, but very unlikely aswell. The prospect of never having met him brought a sadness to her heart that she wasn't sure she could explain.
"A cave sounds like the most wonderful place on earth right now." Offering a small smile, she continued. "Its a good thing they are pretty close then. I doubt either of us would fair too well on an adventure in our current conditions." If Pheonix was honest with herself, all she really wanted to do was stop in her tracks, curl up, and sleep until the snow all melted. That was her being unrealistic with herself though and realistically, she had to keep moving.
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Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 4:02 pm
Latcho nods. "We are a bit worn, I suppose. But here, it's just down this way." Latcho leads Phoenix off the trail on a game path that is barely visible under the snow. If he hadn't seen the pile of rocks, placed just so, he wouldn't have seen the path either.
Supporting Phoenix, Latcho is careful, leaving himself on the outside of the trail with himself between her and the steep drop. "Look, just ahead, there's the opening. Once we're inside you can rest."
Careful not to think about the task of finding himself somewhere safe to stay if she didn't want him around, Latcho moved the last of the distance to the cave opening. "Here, wait just a moment while I make sure there's nothing sleeping in there." Leaving her leaning against the outside hillside, Latcho slips in. Finding the cave empty he hurries back to help her in.
"Almost there, just a few more steps. And it looks like my grandmother stored a few pinecones in the back that you can munch on." He tried not to think about how soon he wouldn't have her next to him. His body aching but his heart hurting more. Of course, having gotten this far, Latcho wasn't sure he could move any further once Phoenix was settled.
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Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:19 pm
Pheonix was really starting to feel the extreme tiredness take over her mind while she waited for Latcho to return from checking the caves. Dreams were mixing with reality and she was having a difficult time keeping her eyes open. Slowly, her mind registered that Latcho had returned and was talking to her. "Oh...pinecones....yes." When her hoof scratched the cave floor causing her to stumble, she just sort of took it as an invitation to laydown. Once on the floor and comfortable she shook her head, wanting to focus on words. Looking up at Latcho she set what she thought was a stern look to her face, but was probably far from it and told him, "Latcho, you've been a hero all day...so you should...y'know, sleep."
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Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 9:45 am
Latcho blinks. That was not what he had expected to hear from her. She wasn't demanding he leave but suggesting he stay, rest. His heart pounded for a moment before he forced himself to face reality. She would remember soon enough, but for now he could stay.
Taking a moment to move some conveniently placed dried brush over the cave opening, Latcho shakes his head to clear his vision of the exhaustion that tries to steal over him. Finally, not able to do any more, he returns to Phoenix's side and lays down next to her. If he isn't going to have much time with the mare, he will savor what he has.
The strange thought swirls in his mind as sleep creeps over him. Why he should feel so attached to her he doesn't understand. But the heavy smell of blood in the cave, mostly congealed, but of both their wounds mingling, for the first time, doesn't bring hunger. His blood thrums with an odd heat and he can feel her heat next to him. And it is a comfort as the darkness of unconscious rest takes him from awareness of the world.
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