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 Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 10:51 am
Sadly for the black lioness, it was the former instead of the latter today.
It happened so fast that she didn't have a clue of what exactly took place, or exactly who had done it, but she was obviously out-powered. Something that had almost never taken place against the lioness in all her life (besides her being young, of course), she was stumbling her way towards her cave, most of her shoulder torn up and bleeding down her black leg. She had scratches all across her body, though fortunately only a small portion of them tore the skin enough to bleed.
Stumbling a bit more now, as the fatigue that followed with blood loss as well as adrenaline loss, Ruffian kept repeating in her mind 'keep going, keep going' as her pace slowed, bit by bit. The cave that she lived in with Daemon never seemed so far away, even though it was further away from the hustle and bustle of the caves around Pride Rock. She was secretly pleased that they indeed decided to do that, because she knew it would be chaos if she stumbled across the cubs looking the way she did.
"Oohhh," she said, as a small gasp escaped her mouth while she paused for a moment. She felt like she was dragging herself more then walking, and she certainly didn't want to come across Daemon looking like this. Her ego was something she did not want torn apart either, but some things were just meant to be, right?
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 11:01 am
Daemon's thoughts had been preoccupied the last few days, he couldn't stop thinking about her all the time, meaning all the time. When he walked around by himself in the dead of night, not wanting to sleep, not wanting to have those dreams of memories of his mother, his sister, he never felt alone, he always felt like Ruffian was right by his side, and that made him smile.
He loved her, he wanted to tell her, but again, he didn't want to scare her away.
He was on his way back from the watering hole when he caught scent of it, blood, he knew the smell all too well from hunting and own personal injuries he had acquired over time. In a mere second he broke out into a run, going towards where the wind carried the scent from. It was coming from the direction of the den...he felt his heart skip a beat out of worry..no, she was scouting but...it couldn't be.
Ruffian was tough, strong, Daemon kept trying to think of any other possible thing that could be happening besides what had obviously happened. A figure in the distance was getting closer, black pelt, all too familiar. Though should he keep running to her side, or would she feel like he was over obsessing? He didn't want to drive her away, but he didn't want her to be in pain either.
He slowed his pace down a bit, to a slow walk, "Ruffian?" he called out, watching, going slower, not wanting to put a lot of pressure on her, "You alright?" a dumb question, but he wanted to see if she wanted him coming any closer then he was.
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 11:18 am
Ruffian's brown eyes caught a motion, though the energy it took to raise her head was just too much. Her right shoulder seared with pain, and her forelegs folded beneath her. Getting one paw back underneath her, and slowly getting the other one out from under her, she felt the presence of Daemon near her. Great.
"Obviously not, you imbecile." She sneered, lashing out at the only real friend she had, though it was more of the pain talking through her then her own mind. As she propped herself back up on all fours, the movement caused more blood to ooze out of her shoulder, the fresh red blood drifting down her leg over the dark brown dried blood that had be mixed with dirt. She winced, swallowing the pain that she would show on her face if she was alone, but it was obvious she wasn't.
A sudden hit of lightheadedness overcame Ruffian, and she swayed a bit as she tried to shake it off. Only making it worse, she moaned a bit as her body was going against her mind and doing what it wanted, which was mostly to stop moving and sleep. That was the last thing she could do right now, until she got back to the saftey of their cave.
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 11:31 am
Daemon winced on the inside, her comment hurt him, but then again, it was a stupid question. He got closer, watched her sway and he made a movement to catch her, but she seemed to regain her balance, but was losing it again. He rushed to her side, leaned against her gently so his weight wouldn't hurt her at all, "Look you'll be fine alright?" he really did hate seeing her like this, in pain, blood on her, it made his heart fall a bit.
Why wasn't he there to help her?
Why couldn't he have just gone with her today?
He blamed this on himself, all on himself, if he had just gone with her, maybe this never would've happened.
Without asking or anything, Daemon maneuvered himself to slide himself under her, then raise his back up so that he was carrying her. Her blood splattered on his pure white pelt somewhat, but he didn't care, it would come out in time, what was important now was getting her back to the den safely, even if she would protest, he was carrying her.
"Just try to relax, everything will be alright," Daemon started padding towards the den then, slowly, with as much grace as he could muster with her on his back, he didn't want to have her fall or anything, that would be worse. He could eel her blood on his leg, and it was warm, he grimaced for a second and continued going. From the recent rain there was a pool of water outside the den, which would be good, to clean her wounds off. "Just relax..." he couldn't think of anything else to say, he didn't want to hurt her pride by saying she was safe now, when she was so strong, and strong willed.
Nearing the den's entrance he stopped by the pool, and settled her down as gently as he could, he didn't want her to be in any more pain then she was already in. "We have to clean them off..." But he didn't move, he just let his eyes settle on hers, as if asking if he could help, or if she wanted to do it herself.
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 11:47 am
She felt his body heat on her side when he snuck by and let her lean on him. She was alright with that, and actually grateful for it, but as soon as she started to relaz, and gear up to push her weight on herself again, the next thing she knew, she was on his back!
"Wha...Daemon!" was all that was able to escape from her mouth as the air from her lungs became limited, the weight of her body pinned against her chest and stomache and Daemon's back. Well, this certainly wasn't comfortable. She flailed a bit, but knew that she wouldn't have the energy to really make him put her down, and so she endured it, wincing whenever a dip in the ground wasn't fully prepared for. Ouch.
Her mind grew fuzzy the ride there, and the next thing she knew she was lying next to a shallow pool of water. She assumed that they must of been near home if Daemon set her down. Instead of going for the water, though, the lioness' pain got to her as her mind latched to the idea of 'home': a safe place. She curled up, her belly still on the ground, her head lowering as she just wanted it all to go away. The pain, mostly. That was the most important thing to her. If she slept, though, wouldn't it go away? She fought against the heavy eyes, though, as a piece of her mind knew it wouldn't be good to fall asleep NOT in the cave, nor with still dirty wounds.
She slowly lifted her head, and glanced at the water, but her mind fuzzed out again, and she was just staring at the surface of the water as the sun's rays lightly reflected off of the smooth surface.
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 12:58 pm
Daemon features softened upon his face, his eyes held worry and concern, as Ruffian laid herself down, Daemon watched, but she couldn't fall asleep out here, she couldn't. But her wounds had to be cleaned, or they might become infected, and that would be horrible, infections were as if not more painful then initial wounds. "I'll take you inside..." he said low, comfortingly in his rough, gruff voice, "Just let me clean them a little bit, I'll be gentle, I swear..." he spoke softly.
His eyes traveled to the pool of water, and he lapped some up, cleaning his mouth a bit (he had eaten not too long ago) and then sat himself by her, curled himself about her protectively, and gentle grazed his tongue over her open wound that seemed worse then the other scratches. He did so for a moment, quickly but gently, he didn't want the pressure to hurt her any. It was a strange taste in his mouth, blood, that of the lioness he loved, and he closed his eyes, trying not to think of it.
Daemon did this for a few moments, every so often, washing his mouth out with the water, and starting over again. He traced his tongue over the smaller scratches that were a bit deep, just to clean those properly as well, and a sigh of relief traveled from him when he saw that the blood seemed to stop flowing so much, he prayed it would stop soon, losing a lot of blood wasn't the greatest thing to do.
"There.." he said soothingly, "Just stay awake, just a bit longer, it'll be alright..." he moved himself again to bring her upon his back, it was harder this time, trying to move her without having the blood from her wounds start again, though he was finally able to take her inside, and settle her down on 'her side' of the den. He placed her far enough inside, set her down gently, and then went outside, and dug a tiny trench in the ground i case she would want water later, he'd just only need to swipe his paw at the few inches of earth between the pool and the indent.
Stepping back over to her his eyes softened, he was still worried, he should go out and hunt soon, even just something small enough to give her some blood, there were a few stray young antelope that grazed not too far away, perhaps when dusk would come, he would go. Though he knew he should stay on 'his side' he went to hers, and curled himself around her, his stomach against her back, but gently against her so that she was comfortable, he wanted to be able to feel every breath she took, so he knew she was alright.
"It's going to be alright Ruffian...I'll take care of you...I swear, you're going to be alright, you will..." he kept saying it over and over not only to reassure her, but himself, if he lost Ruffian...he wasn't sure what he'd do. He didn't even want to think of that possibility. He lay his head by hers, closed his eyes so no tears would be able to form. "I love you...you'll be alright...you'll be alright..."
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Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2007 3:59 pm
The black lioness' movements were very still, her mind away from the situation around her. Her mind kept flashing to what happened, and why it happened. The only thing she could grasp on was that she startled another, one obviously much larger and stronger as she. A blur, she couldn't remember much but the sudden movement and instant pain, and the feeling of lashing out an something unknown, and barely hitting anything.
Her muscles tightened as her mind slowly drifted back towards the present, to Daemon seemingly tending her wounds. Why? It was something stupid that she had done to herself, so why was he taking care of her? A sudden rush of embarassment and anger flushed her cheeks, but it disappeared as soon as it came. There wasn't enough energy left in her to get mad, and she was struggling enough to keep herself awake. The blackness of fatigue called to her, and it was all she wanted to dive into. Daemon's annoying, contant comments kept her awake, though, and all she wanted to do was to tell him to shut up.
That was, until her ears really picked up on what he was saying. Alright? Hah! That would be a long time until she would be alright, so why was he outright lying to her? Irritation rose again, thought Ruffian would only let it reach to a certain point. Otherwise it was useless for her to get irritated at him. Besides, wasn't he trying to...help....her?
"...wha?!" was the only noise that escaped her mouth when her ears finally soaked in the words that he had spoken, a phrase she had not heard since her mother was still alive. Unease settled into her bones, though she didn't really know why. She didn't feel like she wanted to flee, but it was something she certainly wasn't expecting. Especially when she felt like she was near death here!
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 7:29 am
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. He was saying stupid things saying she would be alright, he was saying stupid things like he'd take care of her when maybe she didn't want him too, he did a stupid thing in telling her that he loved her...because it seemed like she didn't feel the same way from her outward expression. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. His ears immediately fell back, as if he was a cub getting scolded for doing something extremely wrong, and he felt so tiny at that moment, so tiny...he felt like nothing.
A nothing that was obviously bothering Ruffian...and a nothing Ruffian didn't care for as he cared for her.
Was he really nothing?
He'd been wanting to tell her for so long, but felt like if he did, she would run away and never return, then where would that leave him, where? He felt so small...
"You heard me..." he said low, in his normal voice, trying to show that he wasn't upset, but his ears didn't perk up, and he was looking at the wall. Did she hate him so much that she was in denial of what he said?
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 3:21 pm
Ruffian's expression softened as she watched Daemon look away from her for a moment. She didn't really know why, but it bothered her when he did. Was...did she do something wrong? Everything seemed to be happening so fast, she didn't know how to take it all in.
"Daemon....you're going too fast..." she whispered, her energy still thin, though this situation had pulled her attention away from her pain. She laughed lightly before continuing. "You just....kind of picked an awkward time to do this, y'know?" She shifted a bit, hoping that Daemon wouldn't go away just yet. Hoping that he didn't go away.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 4:32 pm
He knew, because he was stupid, stupid stupid. Of course he was stupid and picked awkward times to do anything and everything. He sighed at himself, not at her in the least, but himself, because he was so stupid, stupid stupid. "I know...I've wanted to tell you for a while now but...could never find the right moment...and I know this probably wasn't the best time either I know but...things happen Ruff...and...I just wanted you to know..."
Daemon was quiet again, turned his head so maybe he could catch a glimpse of her eyes, maybe. Why did he feel so awkward, so ashamed? "I just...wanted you to know..." he said softer now, a slight smile on his maw, he thought it must be funny for her to see him act how he was.
Well...that was that.
"Do you want me to go get you anything? Water, food? Anything?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 6:04 pm
Ruffian's brown eyes studied Daemon for a second, studying his expressions before answering his question. "Well, perhaps a hare. I should eat something..." her voice faded off, her eyes averting to the ground in front of her.
She actually half-hoped he would leave, if only for a moment, actually. Just long enough so she could gather her thoughts up. She didn't want to have an outburst, say the wrong thing and unintentionally hurt him, but she also didn't want to say something foolish and regret it later. Perhaps for that moment, she could sort herself out, her heart out, and really give him a reply he deserved. If she was brave enough.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 6:09 pm
"A hare then," he said standing up, giving up the warmth of laying next to her, which he greatfully regretted as soon as he stood. Perhaps she just wanted him to go away for a while, maybe he was bothering her...maybe she just didn't want him around because she didn't feel the same way. His heart felt like it was wilting like a flower in the sun, falling over slowly, somewhat painfully.
Meh...he was so stupid.
She hated him already.
"A hare..." he didn't say anything else before padding outside, the light was dimmer now, night would soon fall, he'd have to hurry, catch one and get back...though, even if she wanted him to be away...if whoever hurt her came back again, he'd have to be back to protect her. His head was held down from where he usually held it high, he felt like he was tipping over.
None the less, if she wanted a hare, he would get one for her.
With that final thought, he was off into the dim light that was ever fading to the night's shadows.
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Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 7:35 pm
Ruffian followed his movement until she couldn't see him anymore. His white coat disappeared quite quickly, and she soon wrapped herself in her own thoughts about what had happened. Could she really trust him? She didn't doubt his feelings, but the real question was; could she trust herself? Could she really expose her heart to the world again?
If her mother was around, she knew she'd be getting a smack on the head for being so unsure. It was so unlike Ruffian. Unlike Usiku. She knew that if she did open herself up, she would have to tell him more then he already knew. About her past, about even her real name that she had cast off. She didn't fear that he would hold it against her, but it was a pain that she didn't want to remember. The past couldn't always be held in the past, right?
Her mind wandered, remembering bits and pieces of her cubhood, that she didn't realise the gap of time that took place from when Daemon left. The sun hadn't fully set yet, but the shadows stretched far across the lands, she could see just a tiny bit of them. How long had it been? Should she worry? She wriggled a bit closer to the cave's entrace, dragging herself, but she didn't quite want to get up. Hopefully Daemon wouldn't notice that she moved, one less thing for him to worry about.
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 12:15 pm
Daemon was stalking through the tall shadow glazed grasses for the third time now, so far he had gotten one hare, the second time around it darted to the right, and so did he, running straight into a bush with sharp branches that scraped across his eyes. It wasn't a bad scrape, it wouldn't scar, but his mind was making it hard for him to concentrate now.
What if she would be gone by the time he got back? Thats why he was going to get two hares for her...in case she wanted more, and because he was afraid of returning...and Ruffian would be gone. If she was gone, he wouldn't know what to do, chase after her? Or...or what? What could he do? How could he stay here, his original home, if Ruffian, the love of his life left here...left him?
He saw a flicker of a white tail and he growled, bounding off towards the darting hare. In a sense he was trying to lose himself in this hunt, try to regain his focus back, but it was making him clumsy too...and he didn't want to taste the blood...he didn't want blood in his mouth for a little bit now...after he had Ruffian's in his mouth, even from just cleaning wounds...he knew hunting and eating would be awkward for a little bit.
Her blood was still on his pelt somewhat, not as bright, faded, but still there.
Daemon caught the second, and picked that, along with the first, hare up and started back to the den.
Maybe he should sleep outside tonight...
He sighed, head drooped forward, tail almost dragging behind him. He could see the silhouette of the den come into view, and he started going slower, he was afraid she wouldn't be there, that she'd be gone. None the less he went on, his paws nearly touching the entrance of the den...his head still held down, eyes on the ground.
He was afraid he was going to walk in, and she'd be gone, he was afraid what would happen when his paws stepped inside the den's entrance.
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Posted: Sun Jul 08, 2007 8:15 pm
"Daemon?"
Her voice was quiet, not the firm, deep tone she normally had when using his name. She was hoping that it was him, because she was in no working condition to really do anything else. Her muscled ached with fatigue now, and though she had lost her sleepiness, the weariness would stick around for a couple days. She was certain of that.
She didn't move, though, for she didn't think it was necessary. It had to be him if the visitor was hesitating. She had a hunch that perhaps that's what he would do, since obviously she had said or done the wrong thing when he had spoken to her. Her tail flopped on the ground next to her, her brown eyes watching the tip flop around a bit, hoping that he would walk back in soon. The longer he was out there, the more it bothered her that he even was standing out there, from something she did. Ugh, men!
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