DRAGON'S HEART ; return

[T. ROUX]

A breath left him as ashes fell around him, the feeling of cold nipping at him as he laid there uncertain of where he was. His eyes would open slowly as he took in his surroundings but the draconid creature laid in a crater as a soft snort would leave his maw. It took him a moment to realize that he wasn't in the Pitt anymore and within the Elysium, he laid on his side with his breaths leaving him in long heaves. He couldn't remember why he was there in the first place but he could recall a faint memory of Aine, Trygve could feel that familiar flutter within his chest as he gritted his teeth slowly rising to his paws trying to ignore the pain that would go through his entire body. Everything hurt all over but he would spread out his wings slowly determined to go home and he flapped them once before leaping off the edge of the crater where he once laid but... He did not fly, no, instead he fell forward and rolled into the snow hitting sharp jagged rocks before being stopped by a larger rock. He growled in pain "W...What the fuck..." He rose to his legs once more but flinched realizing that the fall had broken a bit of his bones in his back leg, he grimaced but looked over his wing only to see that it had holes in the webbed bits.

Snow began to fall as he stood there, he would glance around trying to figure out which way would lead him to the Pitt. "Aine... Kold... Gael..." He mumbled under his breath, it seemed that he would have to make the journey back home walking and on three legs now... But dammit, he would do it if it meant that he could go home to the people he loved... To the girl who he loved. His body was shivering from the cold as he closed his eyes in that moment, maybe he could summon enough fire to keep himself warm. The draconic jaguar would part his jaws feeling the heat rising to his chest, he would breathe out wincing as smoke would leave his parted maw. No fire. He would have to go quick or he would freeze to death, his ears pressed flat against his skull as he began to make his long trek home with his broken leg being dragged behind him.

Soon, he was out of the mountain and in the warmth of the neutral territories, his body felt heavy but the boy was determined to get home. He knew where to go from these parts, Trygve was going to be home soon and Aine would be there. He would pick up the pace wincing slightly at the pain that stung at his body. He paused when he saw some vines deciding to put them on his broken leg, he wrapped it around his waist so the leg didn't get dragged along but now close to his stomach. It was easier to move now and he would do his best to run on three legs as a few wheezes would leave his maw. He noticed that one of the pyramids were destroyed but he brushed that off as he trudged forward with both tufted ears perked forward, Trygve Roux looked like absolute shit. His wings torn and burnt, new burn scars were on his body, and dry blood caked his cheek, throat, chest, and legs.

His memory was groggy yet he didn't seem to care as he immediately called out "Aine? Gael? Kold?" Were they safe? Who had done this? The boy frowned but he frantically called out for the little vixen "A-Aine?" His voice was tired yet he still limped around trying to find any of them.

[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"]HOW DO YOU RUN FROM Y[color=#5d8e93]OUR OWN MIND?

Four... In... Seven... Hold... Eight... Out...  The snow crunched beneath shaky hooves.  Dark feathers shuffled at her sides.  Sluggish.  Fighting unfamiliar cold.  Her hazel hues flickered dim with passing thoughts. 

Her garden wouldn't have faired well in the storm.  Her clanmates weren't prepared for this sort of weather.  She wasn't prepared for this sort of weather.  What if someone got sick...?

'A-Aine?' Her heart stopped, lungs squeezing tight at the sound of a voice she'd been waiting for.  A voice she hadn't known when she'd hear again.  Hoping with bitter tears that she wasn't making a mistake.  Hoping again for something that might never come.  Hoping again because she didn't know if she could handle... Losing him.  Not him.

But he'd been there.  Among the pillars and tree.  He'd been there.  And gone again.  But he had and Aine let herself hope again.  Holding on to the memory.  'I've loved you...'  It was a numb sort of hope, dim like a dying flame, but hope all the same.  Je t'aime.  "R-Ry?"

Her voice trembled, vision blurring.  It was.  It was Ry.  "Ry?" She stumbled forward, directly into the jaguar, into her heart, tears streaming down her cheeks.  "Ry."

Je t'aime.  Her heart.  Her heart had ran away from her.  Because she'd given it to him.  When had she done that?  Her breath hitched softly as she struggled against a sob.  "Ry, pl-please don't... Don't go away. S-sil vous plaît.  Sil vous plaît.  Je t'aime."

"Je-je t'aime."

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

© MADI

[T. ROUX]

He couldn't help but feel a frown on his maw as he stood there feeling a lump growing in his throat realizing that there wasn't anyone around quite yet, he could recall a time that he felt like he had lost those dear to him once. After the meteor, he got shivers thinking about it but he held his breath remembering when Michael had been there to comfort him yet no one had come to comfort him. It filled him with unease as he continued to limp ignoring the snow that was underneath his paws, the burnt boy kept glancing around in an attempt to find anyone. He was starting to lose hope until the sound of snow crunching made his ears perk forward, he turned around in time to hear that familiar voice calling his name and he could feel his heart beginning to thump loudly inside of his chest. He would part his jaws feeling his body growing warm, he would stumble forward on shaky paws despite being exhausted and in pain "Aine... Aine!" He nearly tripped over but the draconic boy managed to catch himself and just in time since Aine stumbled right into him.

He could feel his eyes starting to sting as tears threatened to spill yet he only paid attention to her, his whole world revolved around her and if she ever left... It was safe to say that his world would collapse with her absence. He sat down wincing briefly at the pain of his broken leg but didn't hesitate in bringing the small vixen into his arms and nuzzling into her, he closed his eyes listening to what she was saying only to murmur with a shake of his head "I was a fool to leave the first time... But I promise you that I won't leave, I will never leave." He reopened his eyes slowly as he shook his head continuing to speak in a shaky voice "I made a promise to myself that I'd never leave the prettiest vixen on the whole planet for anything or anyone else. You're stuck with me," He offered a soft smile with both of his ears pressed flat against his cranium. Nothing had held him back from coming back to Aine and he would keep it that way, she meant the world to him.

"Te amo, Aine." He mumbled under his breath with his nose pressed close to hers, he could feel the heat rising in his face but he knew what he had wanted to do for a while now. He didn't know if he'd get another chance seeing as the two of them were alone but he kept her near in his embrace. He would give her a soft kiss.

[VIRGIL M.]

[table][tr][td]

[/td][td]

XVIII - THE MOON

a monument dreams and fantasies come to life, the representation of instincts often left suppressed and a knock into our subconscious.  Virgil of the pitt is a study in beauty: a perfect understanding of that which terrifies you, a perfect picturesque of horror and delight

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

A great deal of effort went into waking, shuddering breaths stuttered between the chill that etched even in the desert now. Winter was in full swing: a great time of dying and renewal. Wrigley things sink deeper into the earth and even the few things that cannot handle the frigid would simply fly away to warmer places.

Virgil... didn't know Trygrve. She knew of the creature- similarly that she knew of a few people. The runt kept mostly to herself, even now as she dwelled into the same lands- and it seemed like he too kept to himself- kept his secrets. Yet the hearty return she found herself in front of couldn't be misplaced. He had been gone, for quite a while it would seem.

"You're injured." they spoke up, walking closer to the pair, she noticed it in the other's walk. A limp even from a distance, yet as she neared closer there was also small scrapes, holes along the other's wings from what she could see of it. There was a worry, and virgil cocked her head towards trygrve instead of meeting their eyes. Sickly eyes looking on. "must be quite the story you have, hm?"

[Kold]

Kold had been becoming more and more distant as the cold gripped the lands. Always roaming, looking for food for the Pitt. Returning from an unsuccessful trip, her chest tightened and her heart seemed to twist. Eyes settled on Trygve... Ry. Her brother figure. Her heartbeat echoed and drummed in her ears as she sloppily walked toward him and the two others -- Aine and Virgil, who were also there.

"Ry... R-" Words caught like flies as she stumbled next to Virgil. "We have missed you, Ry."

[table][tr][td]

[/td][td]

I LIVE INSIDE MY OWN WORLD OF MAKE-BELIEVE. Kids screaming in their cradles, profanities. SOME DAYS I FEEL SKINNIER THAN ALL THE OTHER DAYS. Sometimes I can't tell if my body belongs to me. I LOVE EVERYTHING. Fire spreading all around my room. MY WORLD'S SO BRIGHT. It's hard to breathe. BUT THAT'S ALRIGHT. HUSH.

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

[SAINTKIT.]

[table][tr][td]

SAINTKIT

HARDLY KNOW HOW BAD IT GETS

[/td][td]

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

Who. Who, who, who? Who was this?

Saintkit had no knowledge of Trygve, the other male having arrived to join The Pitt far before the boy had even been growing in his mother's belly. Despite this, he still felt a sort of hostility upon seeing the injured draconic male, or at least a sense of fear. Aine and Gael were the only two members of the Pitt that Saint truly knew so far. He knew that was mostly his own fault, since he had been avoiding others for the most part, but he still now felt attached to them. Even after only a few days, he felt as though they would keep him safe, something that he was desperate for following the passing of his parents. And now, here was Ry, showing up on the border injured and unfamiliar to Saint, embracing Aine and whispering sweet declarations of love to her? Perhaps if the young feline had known him better, he would've been overjoyed for the union. As it was, however, Saintkit just felt the fur along his spine raising with worry and irritation, slow steps bringing him over to where Aine and Ry were, along with Virgil and Kold.

It was clear from both the reactions of Aine and Kold that Ry was someone who had been missed, and even Virgil's reaction told him that Trygve was trusted. Yet still the child almost felt like recoiling, his mind flip-flopping back and forth as he considered whether or not to even open his mouth. Still, he supposed it would look rather odd, to just come padding up without a word out of his muzzle. For a moment, Saint just stood there, tail tucked between his legs and orange fur tufted up in spikes as he considered what to say, or whether to introduce himself or not. His tongue pressed lightly against his teeth, purple eyes dull with thought before he eventually decided to be straightforward. His tone came out as a sharp squeak as he spoke, a flash of growing fangs glinting as he questioned, "Who are you? You're hurt... why are you hurt? Who hurt you? They're not going to come and hurt us, are they?" Saintkit couldn't help but be cautious, considering how his last few days had been going. He was only just beginning to settle within The Pitt. He couldn't take it if any of his new companions ended up injured, or worse.

━ GUESS I'LL JUST GO BACK TO BED┆PITT PUP. ━

[gael]

[align=center]

♛ GAEL Ó BROIN

Trygve's departure had inflected a noticeable deal of stress on those he left behind -- ranging from grief to despair and rage.  The vulpine had spent numerous days increasing the lengths of his patrols, searching, for someone who's absence single-handedly shattered his daughter's heart. 

It was difficult to say the boy did not earn a considerable amount of ire from the Ardent as a result.

Moreover, what they had seen at the meeting had been a concern; leaving Gael uncertain but suspecting they might finally see the boy again.  For Aine, it presented hope, but the faerie considered it lucky they had even been recognized in the first place.  Everything had been distinctly off about Trygve and his state of mind.

Anger is often a silent matter to the vulpine -- ice cold.  It's sharp in his eyes when a missing voice pierces his ears; interrupting thoughts of patrols and recovery efforts.  His paws halt immediately, a number of choice words passing through his mind.

In the end, his daughter both grounds him and kindles the fire; the wind snapping and cold air threatening to completely stop around the jaguar.  Yet the broken joy in Aine's eyes and voice is enough to ease the worst of the rage hardly a second later, as though nothing happened at all, though his hazel eyes still glint with dangerous wrath as he came to a halt besides Saintkit.

"Trygve." He is quiet, surprising even himself; just reluctant enough to interrupt Aine's happiness.  "I expected better of you."  Hard disappointment, would be the most the boy received; not a single trace of warmth or open arms.

"And I will hold you to your words today."  Not a warning, but a promise -- he would have to earn the trust he lost, for Gael was not as forgiving as Aine.

He turned his head, coolly turning his focus on another -- Saintkit.  "It is okay, no one is coming to hurt us.  Aine will tend to his injuries, and it will be okay."

"I AM A STONE" —-- gael ó broin / faerie / ardent / lamby

[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"]HOW DO YOU RUN FROM Y[color=#5d8e93]OUR OWN MIND?

A fool.  But he was a fool with her heart somehow.  And she didn't mind... So long as he stayed, tears still trickling down as he promised he would.  He would stay.  He would stay.  Surely she wasn't a fool for believing him because she did.  She had to.

Her vision is still blurry.  Te amo.  Je t'aime.  Her vision is still blurry but her heart skips a beat.  Melting into butterflies when his lips meet hers, gently stealing her breath for just a moment.  The butterflies remained trapped in her chest as their clanmates arrived, fluttering out of control.

She feels her cheeks warm, a fuzzy-dizzy feeling replacing all pain and fear, her heart abuzz as she tries to register what is being spoken around her.  Concern.  He is hurt.  She didn't need to dry her eyes to see, murmuring under her breath, "un imbécile."  A fool.

But she doesn't want to go yet.  Doesn't want to move.  Doesn't want him to let go.  Not yet.  Not yet.  Though it was clear a trip to the white temple was needed.  Or a stay.  And her ears flick back sharply as she currents of the air change.  Growing a little too still.  "Da."

Unnecessary, it seemed, but her teeth still catch the inside of her cheek.  She understands, even if it makes the tears rain anew.  Some part of her agreed with the rage her father was reigning back.  A fool. 

Some part wanted to hit him, slam her hooves against his chest and cry and yell at him for leaving with nothing but a letter.  Leaving with the thought he might not come back.  Leaving because he thought he was dying... When she was... She tried...

Aine sucks in a deep breath, dropping her head into Ry's chest.  Unwilling to move.  Not yet.  She needed to stay.  She needed him to stay.  Just for this moment.

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

© MADI

[Kold]

K O L D

How long did you think we could make it?
How far did you think we could take it?
We couldn't be bothered,
We didn't have time
To think
So far
Ahead

The Pittian let a smile lift to her face, black eyes swirling with delight as the scene settled in. Ry was back. But as Gael approached with cold anger she felt herself stiffen. She searched for words in a dark sea before she was able to speak. "Dad, wait-" Soon as those words left her maw, she blinked. Did she really just call Gael her dad?

She blinked for a moment, then seemed to back up, sitting down on her haunches and falling silent.

"Speech"

— Reggan