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 Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2011 8:57 pm
(( You can end it. ))
Frustrated, Aiken went to searching for large rock, or a stick, or something She was growing paranoid, worried about Takashi and the fact this this was her fault. Hers.
Frantically, she began to throw sticks and stones and anything she could get her hands on. This was becoming to much for her, she was failing Takashi... No! She couldn't let him die! She needed to help!
Grabbing a particularly large rock, she aimed for the cats eyes, snarling slightly as she did. She needed to help Takashi. Now.
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Posted: Fri Aug 19, 2011 3:45 am
Most of Aiken's throws hit their mark, but unfortunately Takashi and the cat were thrashing around so much that some of them were hitting the poor male as well. He grunted slightly in pain as they hit, but refused to relinquish his hold upon the cougar.
Though he fought like one possessed, Takashi knew the limits of his body. He knew he was about to reach them, and to cross over those limits would mean he'd probably die. But if it was to protect Aiken, it would be worth it. So, with a strength born from adrenaline-fueled bloodlust and desperation, Takashi made his final move.
He brought his body in close, ignoring the slashing claws and ducking the teeth, aiming for the cat's throat. His jaws fastened firmly into the neck and he bit with so much pressure it felt like his jaw was cracking. Neck muscles screamed in protest and some even tore as Takashi heaved with every bit of his might. The was a sharp crack, and suddenly the cat went limp.
Though the strain was taken off Takashi's muscles he still held firm to the cat's neck, growling. His body had no strength to resist as the corspe pulled him to the ground, and as he hit he let go. Before darkness swallowed the male entirely his eyes found the disheveled, dirty figure with white fur still gleaming through the muck. He smiled, then knew no more.
((You might have to do some time skipping in your next post. Poor Takashi XD We could probably get another time skip in at some point as well, it's gonna take him awhile to heal...))
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 12:10 am
As he fell she moved to catch him, missing. She knew he was out of it when she began to drag him up the small hill and under a tree to keep him from getting further wet. Carefully, she began to whip him off, attending to his wounds throughout the night. All she hoped was that he would wake up in the morning, that he'd be okay... because if this warm body grew cold she didn't know what she'd do with herself.
-Time Skip-
As the sun shone it was clear Aiken hadn't slept a wink, bags under her eyes as she just lifelessly stared at Takashi, praying silently he'd be alright. Her eyes had flicked to the dead cat once or twice, perhaps just to torture herself further, she knew she deserved it. This was all her fault.... all of it.
And as she prayed she also prayed for the strength to leave, to let him be rid of her bad luck. To be rid of her failure. She had never been the kind to believe in deities, but perhaps today was an exception.
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 12:21 am
A slight groaning noise broke was added to the birdsong; for the first time since he'd fallen after defeating the cat, Takashi began to stir. Though Aiken had done a commenable job in cleaning him the big male still looked tattered, more like something that died in a heap and was defying all the laws of nature to move again.
Not that Takashi moved much. He could only roll his head and moved his legs ever so slightly before pain and stiffness halted him. He suppressed another groan and instead sent his golden eyes to searching the area around him. The sweet scent in his nostrils told him what he'd find, but he had to confirm it with his eyes to truly be set at ease. Ah, there she was.
Takashi looked up at Aiken questioningly. How was she? He didn't need to look at himself to know he was in bad shape, he could feel it all and there was no need to waste energy confirming that. The most important thing was that Aiken was okay.
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 12:26 am
When he gave her that look she merely got up, circled, and then sat back down, proving she was alright. However she did tense, and her worry showed. Her eyes kept flicking to the side, as if any second she'd leave. But no, she wouldn't. Not yet. Takashi needed help, needed care, and she'd give it to him. She'd make sure he was healthy again, and then she'd leave. Then she'd let him his peace from her.
Moving to his side, she began to adjust his make-shift leaf bandages and cobweb wraps, her tail curled firmly around herself. She hadn't slept and it was getting to her as she eventually dragged herself away from him, giving him room. Blinking wearily, she moved aside to reveal a rabbit she had caught earlier, pushing it towards him.
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 12:39 am
Takashi's eyes followed Aiken as she moved, brow knitting in concern at all the little injuries he spotted on her. Nevermind that he looked like something a hellhound had been chewing on, his main concern was for Aiken. It wasn't just the injuries. There were bags under her eyes, and Takashi found himself wondering how long it had been since she'd last slept. There was something else though, something in the way her eyes kept flickering. He didn't much care for that either, for he could see it caused her a certain amount of pain.
She moved to show Takashi a rabbit she's caught, presumably for him. It wasn't much use though; his head only barely managed to clear a few inches from the ground to look, nevermind being able to get up to reach it or even eat it. Besides, he'd rather Aiken got something to eat herself. He made no other moves towards the rabbit besides the brief moment of lifting his head, letting it fall back to the ground with a light thud.
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 12:43 am
Wearily, she just nodded and left. After a few good minutes, perhaps half an hour, she returned with berries and a stock of new leaves to change his bandages later on. Using a leaf to put the berries on, she crushed the berries into a wet paste, approaching him with her berry stained paw and pushing the leaf to the front of his muzzle.
With this in order she flopped down near him, though enough so he had room, and set her head on her paws, fighting back sleep. She had to care for Takashi. Hopefully he'd eat the berries, she knew they were safe due to eating them as a kit. Now, she just wanted him to eat something, to get a little better as much as possible.
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 12:53 am
Takashi wearily moved his head forward a bit more until the tip of his nose was just touching the leaf, then sent his tongue out and began to lap up the mash of berries. Truth be told he wasn't hungry and his concern was more for Aiken, but if it would ease that pain he saw in her expression then he would do it. For her.
That took the last of his strength. Really it was amazing he'd even regained consciouly by the next day, with all his horrible wounds. He fell back into a deep, healing sleep, body trying to conserve all it's energy and heal the massive damage inflicted to it. Whether his last act of consciousness or one of total subconscious, as his eyes shut his tail twitched ever so slightly to lightly press against Aiken.
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 1:19 am
As he pressed into her side lightly she blinked at him, over-come with the desire to just sit there all day, to curl her tail around him protectively and hunch her head over his body, allowing her eyes to shut. She'd sleep like this with him against her, protecting him as best as she could. In the morning though of the next day she would see if he needed more help..
-Time Skip-
Four days later and Aiken had hardly eaten, hardly slept. Her mind was filled with Takashi, protecting him and healing him, feeding him and bringing him to water. He needed her, and this feeling of being needed kept her in place. She wanted to help him as he had protected her. Somehow he had found her, and now somehow she would save him.
She couldn't lose him. No. Not the one person she found herself actually sticking beside when everyone else she made up reasons to not need them. She was a logical being, and yet Takashi's existence in her brain was far from logical. Far from. This emotion, this attachment, she knew it served no purpose, and yet she held it.
And it was this feeling that had harmed him so. If she had simply let things be, had simply left him earlier he wouldn't be like this. This strange feeling had poisoned him, had caused him to suffer.
This was her fault.
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 1:29 am
Takashi was possessed of a normal healing ability, but through sheer willpower it seemed like he was getting better quicker than he should. Already he was able to sit upright on his own without help, and though the movements were as wobbly as a newborn fawn he could even stand. Not for a long period of time though, and he needed Aiken's help to walk. After he could first move they'd relocated to the river, so that Aiken wouldn't have to go so far for water and to get away from the corpse of the mountain lion.
He was still eating mostly berries and other plants, but if Aiken caught kill and tore it into pieces he was able to manage those. It was his hope that sometime today or tomorrow he'd be able to walk himself down to the river to get a drink on his own.
At the moment Takashi was sitting upright, watching Aiken. He was clearly unhappy, brow in a furrow so creased it looked permanent and golden eyes worried. No matter what he tried though, Aiken refused to eat more than a few bites and he had no idea if she was sleeping properly since he himself slept so much. The worsening bags under her eyes indicated not though.
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 1:38 am
Aiken caught him staring, her blue eyes staring back at him, no, through him. Her mind was a whirl of thoughts, thoughts that stayed lifeless on her face, though inside she was tormenting herself. Takashi was getting better, but he shouldn't need to. He should have never saved her. He should have never had to worry. She should have left his back earlier. She should have decided it on her own.
He barely needed her as much. He was getting better, and soon her plan to leave would be used. He didn't need her, and as the days went by she kept beating herself mentally over it. Over the fact this this was entirely her fault, and there was not a single excuse that could change her mind.
She had failed Takashi, yet he had never failed her. She had given up, he hadn't. She had stayed still, he had attacked. She had been useless, he killed the beast. She clearly was the cause of all this.
As he stared she grew restless, and rose. She didn't want his golden eyes staring anymore. Those eyes she couldn't read, clouded by her own misery. She left then, returning with berries once more, and setting them down.
Again, she just sat there, waiting and watching him.
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 1:48 am
Takashi didn't look away from Aiken. From the moment she left his eyes stared at the spot she'd vanished, until she came back into view. He didn't even glance down at the berries she placed in front of him.
His eyes were like molten gold, burning. If that fire in his stare died there would be nothing but despair, nothing but lost dreams and should have beens. Takashi was not yet ready to give up, not yet. Even if she refused to meet his eyes, their piercing, flaming gaze followed her. If she only looked at him, looked long enough, surely he could break through the sea of despair he saw in Aiken's gaze. The only time he relented was when he had to close his eyes, unwillingly, to sleep.
Slowly the blanket of night fell down over the two of them. Takashi's gaze flickered a few times, as he fought sleep. He knew he needed to, but he refused. Something deep inside told him if he did, if he took his eyes of Aiken for that long, something bad would happen.
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 1:27 pm
As night came Aiken had become rather tense. He wouldn't stop staring, and it was his eyes that judged. She knew that behind those eyes he was not judging her, but it was those golden orbs that frightened her the most. Eyes that could have been dull, eyes that now held pain when he moved to eat or receive water. Eyes that often would speak to her in that silent fashion. No. She couldn't take it anymore. His eyes were his mouth to her, it was the bridge between them, how they communicated.
Then, after she dark, she noticed them closing several times, opening once more in a struggle to actually look at her. He was falling asleep, and now she knew it'd be okay. He was fine. He'd be okay. She could leave now.
She could vanish.
And yet, Takashi was special. She couldn't just leave him, she couldn't. She wanted to give him one last thing, one last gift from her. Her heart. She didn't know how to express herself well, and yet the one thing she could use to express her feelings she never used. No one was special to her. No one could hear her voice. No one. Singing was unlogical, there was no reason.
Though all her feelings currently had no reason, no purpose. And as he started to fall further and further into sleep she opened her mouth, standing. She'd part with this last gift. And so, she sang. And as the song escaped her lips she nearly choked on the words, and yet she didn't. As the tears fell she merely kept her head lowered, hair hiding those dreaded emotions.
All of this had no meaning.... She had indulged herself to far, she had let it go to far. She had let Takashi get hurt. And as she rose and the song ended she silently made her depart.
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 2:29 pm
Takashi was still fighting sleep and trying to silently communicate to Aiken when she came over and started to sing. His eyes drifted shut almost as though the action had been decided beforehand, and throughout the entire song they stayed like that. But he never fell asleep.
Takashi always looked out for others, whether it was his siblings as a kit, his sister as an adult, or Aiken at his current point in life. All had the same thing in common that no matter what his own needs were, Takashi always put their needs ahead of his.
That was why, no matter how beautiful the song, nothing with that much sheer heartbreak in it could ever send him to sleep. Even in his current state Takashi would run to hell and back if it only meant he could fix whatever had caused Aiken to feel like she had to sing like that.
Once, when he'd been doubting himself as to why he didn't speak like others, his sister had told him that actions spoke louder than words and that he shouldn't worry about it, that he should just be himself. With this song Takashi now knew that actions might speak louder than words, but sometimes a single word can speak volumes if spoke by the right person, at the right time, in the right tone.
There was only one way left to make this right.
"S-Stay."
This giant male, with healing wounds on outside and inside, had no actions to offer Aiken for comfort. Perhaps that was why he could not fix her saddness with his eyes alone. If actions couldn't do it then he would use words. He would use everything he was if it meant Aiken would stay. He turned his head upright, looking at Aiken's back and willing it not to move any farther away while he spoke.
"Stay. Don't be afraid, everything will be alright. Just stay here with me. Don't give up, don't run away. I love you, Aiken."
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Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2011 3:35 pm
Aiken was in mid-step when he spoke, head whirling around at the strange sound of his voice. So long of them being silent that she hadn't memorized his voice, yet it suited him. The vixen's ears flicked as he choked out a word, eyes widening slightly, an emotion flicking across her face.
Why was it always Takashi? She never showed her emotions, she couldn't. She didn't know how to, as if her emotions had become sealed inside her mind and unable to reach further. Yet it was him that caused flickers of emotion across her face, him that caused her to let them pour from her eyes. As he spoke another tear fell, paw shakily resting on the ground.
Love. It was a meaningless emotion, or so she had believed. Love did not help, love only distracted. Yet, if so why was she crying? Why was her chest choking as she struggled to hold back audible sobs. She didn't understand it, and yet she knew that this distracting, strange emotion was there, and she couldn't stop it. Somehow, this male had wiggled his way into her existence, and now she felt as if previous life was lonely, that if she left Takashi right now she'd be lonely, when before it hadn't mattered.
And so, her paws hesitated, nails digging into the ground as the blond stared at him. He loved her. Her, the woman he had nearly died for. What she wanted was to run, to tell him this was her fault, and yet the place she ran to was not away as he intended, instead she moved closer.
"Taka...shi." Her voice choked as another sob threatened to escape her. Selfish. She was being selfish, but wasn't love a selfish emotion? Or was it...? Another step closer, ears lowering softly. "I let you get hurt." She whispered, body hunching over as she moved closer, and then stopped. "It's my fault."
She wanted to tell him, and yet she wanted to protect him. She wanted him to be safe, wanted him to find someone that wouldn't put him in danger.
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