Once Upon A Time -- O; Return!

[number nine.]

Medusa's death hadn't taken as much of a toll on Number Nine as it had on some, but the warrior had certainly still felt it. Truthfully, it was impossible not to, considering the whirlwind of emotions that had passed throughout the group in the follow up. Rhinestone had fallen into a deep depression, and even Drifting had been on the constant verge of snapping, despite the child usually being rather happy go lucky. Nine had mostly just tried to keep his mind off of the loss by throwing himself into his duties as a warrior. He needed to make sure that no one else ended up suffering in the way that Medusa evidently had, if the bloody scene she had left had been anything to go by. He had gotten to work, hunting and patrolling constantly, and even sitting in for one of Vaas's medical lessons. The latter was way out of his wheelhouse, but he had still opted to attend, mainly because he wanted to be able to help others if they were injured, just as Medusa had ended up being. Even if, in a way, Nine knew that he really wouldn't have been able to do much to help the hybrid at the time, considering how far away he had been.

The sound of Medusa's voice once again within camp had nearly given Number Nine whiplash, the jaguar immediately raising his head from his paws and looking around until he caught sight of her. Grinning broadly, Number Nine got up to his paws, slinking up beside the small and sickly form of Rhinestone. He offered a nod to both Fujita and Rhine himself, although his focus remained on Medusa, his voice warm as he greeted her, "Medusa... it's good to see you back. I'm pretty sure all of us were losing it, while you were gone." That was fairly undeniable, considering the emotions that had hung in a dark cloud over the camp ever since her disappearance. Hopefully, things would be able to brighten up a little bit in the wake of her return. Things weren't perfect, obviously, considering the fact that they were still struggling with prey and the cold, but Palmclan wasn't easy to knock down. They weren't about to give up, as evidenced by Medusa standing right there despite having been presumed dead. Unfortunately, it seemed as though not everyone was as delighted by Medusa's return, considering the way that Drifting tore out of camp like a bat out of hell.

HELLBENT ON MAKING YOU LOVE ME TOO