AMONG US ; return from Blooding

[T. ROUX]

THE GOLD IS SLEEPING IN THE RIVER

Everything hurt.

His throat felt dry, his entire body hurt, and well, he had been alone several nights though she had found him. She had taken care of him those last two days and practically scolded him but he simply gave her a tired smile. Being hurt, he couldn't really hunt down something so while limping home did he stumble about a boar's skull only to pick it up with his jaws offering Aine a pained grin. He had to bring something home, he didn't want to return all battered up... Empty handed. Trygve would sigh through the skull that was in his teeth, his mottled tail lashing to the sides and he couldn't wait to go home to the Pitt. Fuck that white lion and wherever he had lurked back to.

His return wasn't as great and boisterous as Vale's had been but that was fine with Trygve seeing that he was very tired and could barely stand for any longer, he would lower his body to the ground with his claws on the boar skull with a wheeze leaving him. He closed his eyes slowly "God... It's good to be home," So, he supposed that he was a full Pittian now or he hoped anyways... Aine had found him on his last two days and had made sure that he hadn't died completely.  Hopefully, Gael wouldn't kill him for his daughter's disappearance... That wasn't such a great impression and Ry was Aine's best friend for fucks sake.

He watched everything around him with eyes half closed, he could've done better but... He was grateful that he hadn't died out there alone.

BUT THE FLOWER'S IN MY HAND
WITH A PALER LEAF AND BROKEN PETAL, I'LL PAINT THE KING AND QUEEN

— Reggan

[VALE]

[align=center]

graphic gore ★ genderfluid ★ melanistic fox

After the draconic jaguar acted like a dick to Vale, the shapeshifter had no reason to be kind in the kid’s own post-blooding return. Yet Trygre looked like absolute shit, and the fox wondered what the hell was up with that shit.

“Yo, kiddo, why even do the damned blooding if this happened to ya?” Vale called. The words were muffled by chewing sounds, as Vale dug into a pile of jerky. “I mean, seriously. What’s the point? What’re you getting? Status, recognition? All that is a lie propagated by the existing power structure. If you wanna tough up and prove you’re hot shit, there’s way saner ways of going about those goals.”

Vale picked zir teeth with a sharpened bone. One tooth rattled out, and was quickly replaced with a hyena molar. Then one poke sent three more cascading out, and Vale grimaced and replaced the whole lot with hyena teeth. “Ugh, fucking jerky, man. Sweeney wasn’t kiddin’ about needing the right teeth for this stuff!”

YOU NEVER TRUSTED ME ★
BUT I’M ALRIGHT NOW
[sub][W]isker[/sub]

[DANTE NORTHWEST.]

[glow=white,1,400]THEY WANNA SEE BLOOD, THEY WANNA SEE HATE ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

"It's to show your loyalty to The Pitt, dumbass." Dante huffed in response to Gale's question, narrowing his green eyes at the shapeshifter as he approached zem and the feast that was going on, briefly looking over at Trygve and frowned at the kid. Sure, he and Ry didn't get along (two stubborn assholes were always going to butt heads), but that didn't mean he wanted to see the kid hurt by any means.

"You doin' alright, kid?" Dante asked. He wasn't hungry at the moment (he'd probably get the munchies later or something) and instead choose to be there for Ry if he needed someone to talk to. The Bloodening was a harsh trial and one that Ry was fortunate enough to get through, even if he ended up being battered and bloodied.[glow=COLOR,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]

[j a c k .]

Jack remembered his own blooding, proving himself to a leader that disgraced the Pitt as a whole it was... Ironic, that within the next day that Kydobi was dead- no, not dead maybe but gone. That Silent too was now gone. Both of them saw it fit to prove themselves the worst of the worst and they both ended up dead. it wasn't a competition. There was no throne beyond the one made from the same ilk that thought themselves better- and died by someone who proved to be better.

The Pitt lived in precarious balance with itself. Trying to prove itself ruthless while in tandem living on the merit of being the strongest. They could not be the strongest if they killed the weaker- untrained. They needn't worry about doing everything horrible to the rest of the clans to simply prove their might either. In fact, it was in part known to Jack through mutterings. This fragile peace was more waiting to see Gael's target of choice. Few knew that he had little plans to even start a war that Silent had kicked up.

Jack would like to call it peace, but he knew better. Such an Ardent wouldn't know peace, and Gael knew no difference, he would fight if the need raised, and there was no shame- there was honor in that. Respect, for the simple fact he outlived past the brutes and claimed the seat at the dead throne himself.

The Kodkod was an afterthought, into the conversation, the white feline small notice in the background until he spoke up. Ice blue eyes looking towards the hybrid- newly proven Pittian of Trygrv "You're not entirely wrong though, vale." As much as zey enjoyed the provocation of their outlandish, and odd ways of speaking, Jack wouldn't be doing any favors if he ignored zir words. "No one has to go through the blooding, but it is a rite for a reason" Jack's voice was calm, a lot more thought put into his words- actions as of late than usual. "To prove you can survive out here, in a place that resource is scare. It makes them an asset, not a burden or hindrance."

There was a moment, where Jack were quite, and the character broke. A smile shined on his maw and he pulled back, sitting down and raising a paw to scratch idly at the necklace along his neck. "Congratulations Try!"

[glow=#add8e6,2,300]I DID WHAT I HAD TO DO[/glow]

[glow=#add8e6,2,300]AND SAW IT THROUGH WITHOUT EXEMPTION[/glow]

[aine.]

[table][tr][td]

AINE NÍ BROIN
FLESHWEAVER
FAE DRUID
INFORMATION

[/td][td]

[div style="width: 360px; font-family: palatino; color: #2e8b57; text-align: left; padding-top: 15px; padding-left: 10px"]I'LL C[color=#36829c]OME BACK WHEN YOU CALL ME

The little druid couldn't remember why...  The rhyme or reason... When Kydobi first established the Ibada.  All a little vague in her memory.  Not entirely... Important... To her.  She never did it.  Aine didn't know for sure, but she doubted anyone really expected her to after being a Pittian for so long.

But she ran into the desert without a second thought when it was Ry on the line.  It was Ry.  Simple as that.  And he had rushed off so soon after... ... He didn't deserve to be alone.

Aine felt as though she might cry.  So frightened when she found him hurt.  If she hadn't ran after him... The petite deer-fox shook her head, wings shuffling against her sides.  Her hazel hues were locked on Ry.  Attention belonging to him alone, though her ears flicked at the sounds of others.

Irritated by Vale's ruder voice in particular but weary, the Fleshweaver simply settles next to her friend, pressing her fur against his side.  It was good to be home.

[/td][/tr][/table]

© MADI

[T. ROUX]

THE GOLD IS SLEEPING IN THE RIVER

When Vale walked over, the draconic boy would simply roll his eyes at the shapeshifter not at all intrigued by anything that they said. He shakily sat up with a soft breath only to feel a pain in his neck briefly glancing up at his own horns, their weight didn't really help but he was sure that he could trim them down for his own sake. "I wasn't alone during my Nights," He finally began with a light shake of his cranium, a soft huff leaving him as he recalled what had happened. He had nearly died out there and if Aine hadn't found him well... He sure as hell wouldn't be here speaking to everyone now "I was attacked and I fought back... This is why I look like absolute shit, it wasn't my decision to almost die out there." His claws would sink into the ground underneath him deciding that he had said enough words and he glanced up to see that Dante had walked over.

"Still pretty sore and being wobbly ain't shit but I'm alive," He answered Dante with a faint smirk on his maw, Ry looked over to Aine through half closed eyes still feeling bad that she had basically left home just to find him and bring him back. "I definitely wouldn't have made it if Aine hadn't found me." He murmured with both of his tufted ears pressed flat against his skull, he just wanted to rest now without much of a care but sure enough, Gael would arrive and gnaw his ears off for possibly endangering Aine. Some friend he was. The thought made his mottled tail lashing to the sides, if only that son of a bitch lion hadn't attacked him that night he had been mourning the loss of his brother. But the world was cruel and Ry knew better than to turn his back to it.

When Jack decided to show up and share his few verses, it was all muffled to the point. The blood loss was already getting to him and causing him to become dizzy, everything spun around him and all he wanted to do was go to the treehouse to rest. At the congratulations and smile that was offered to him, Trygve blinked a few times before saying with a somewhat hoarse yet exhausted voice "Thanks," He was a full Pittian now or that's what he hoped anyways, he felt Aine pressing her side against his own. He offered her a weak smile and lowered his body to the ground once more, if he didn't... Well, he probably would've toppled over from the dizziness.

BUT THE FLOWER'S IN MY HAND
WITH A PALER LEAF AND BROKEN PETAL, I'LL PAINT THE KING AND QUEEN

— Reggan

[VALE]

[align=center]

graphic gore ★ genderfluid ★ melanistic fox

“Oh, I’m entirely right, Mr. Kod-bod Jack-a-lack,” Vale said with a wave of zir paw. “So you argue the blooding is for proving one’s worth in a place with scarce resources, thus proving you deserve them, eh? Hey, I’ve got a nifty idea, why don’t we like… not live in the desert, then. I mean, I’m fine with livin’ like this, being a shapeshifter and all. But I just don’t geeeeeet iiiiiiiiiit man.”

Vale leaned in closer to Jack, holding a paw to zir mouth, as though shielding zir mouth from Dante’s line of sight. However, Vale basically shouted zir next words. “Least you put more thought in that argument than fishbait, though!” Then Vale looked pointedly at Dante and stuck out zir grey tongue. “Common, dude, you’ve taken so many drugs, haven’t you met a god yet that made you question your reality and all the lies little leader men tell ya?”

Vale only then turned back to Tryve. “Oh? So you did all that and basically failed? Sucks, man, really sucks to be you.” Vale sighed dramatically and picked at zir new hyena teeth with a claw. “Oh. Wait. Did you not fail? Seriously, I can’t keep these rules straight—it’s like, you know, the people in charge make em up as they go, picking whatever’s most convenient at the time.”

“But, hey, if what you want is to give yourself a lobotomy to be a better soldier boy, by all means. Congratulations!”

YOU NEVER TRUSTED ME ★
BUT I’M OVER IT NOW
[sub][W]isker[/sub]