KISS MY EYES & LAY ME TO SLEEP // open

[APHRA CIPHER .]

[glow=white,1,400]OPEN YOUR EYES UP , STEP IN THE RING ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

By the time Aphra returned to The Typhoon, the sun was slowly starting to rise. She hadn't realized how long she had been gone, but she was starting to regret ever leaving in the first place. Aphra went to visit her father in The Pitt, thinking she could prove everyone wrong, that maybe Caesar had attacked Trygve in defense. Or he never really meant to do it in the first place. But she was wrong.

Aphra stumbled back into camp, though she didn't seem too injured. No, her movements were shaky due to how badly she was sobbing at the moment. Her shoulder was bleeding from a small wound that Caesar caused, but other than that, there appeared to be no other injuries. Aphra collapsed into the sand, letting out a choked wail. She didn't care how many people saw her at the moment; she knew she probably looked utterly pathetic. But her world had been flipped completely upside down - her father disowned her. He disowned all of his kids, but more imporantly, he disowned her. I was supposed to be his favorite! That's what he always told her, ever since she could remember.

What changed?[glow=COLOR,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]

[MYERS]

[align=center][div style="text-align:justify;width:55%;font-family:verdana;"]If Ahab had a family, he would run to them. A mother, a father - these were titles that existed only in dreamscapes, vague visions of running through fields into arms he does not know, of his own unfamiliar paws signing letters home that he would never send. If he had family by blood, he would forgive them for forgetting him. He would forgive them for the arm he lost, for the severed nerves in his skull, for the feeling of grief and loneliness that clung to the far-more-real memories of needles in his skin and scalpels bearing down on on his living corpse. He would forgive them for moving on, wherever they were.

But he never thought of such a thing. He was born on a metal table in a laboratory. He was born when he drew first blood across the floor of a hospital, when he first felt anger and that cold, cold nothing that pulled him so deep. He had no family. Ahab existed only to serve a purpose, and now, without that purpose, there was nothing left but the old and weary fragments.

If he could remember so much, he would wish for a father that could disown him, if only for the closure.

Blood seeps into his nose before he can consider what, or where, the sound of rough sobs is coming from. He is no medic, even though he tried, but it is better, he thinks, to bleed with a familiar face at one's side than to bleed alone. The woods are vine-laden and thick with leaves, but the sharp claws at the peak of his metal paw slash through the undergrowth with the precision of a knife. He had no supplies with which to treat her possible wounds, but he'd made do in the past with the forestry that surrounded him, and he could do so again if need be. The sight of a feline heaving with sharp, horrible cries takes him by surprise. The wound is small. Unless she was a child, such a little scratch should not have elicited such a desperate reaction. The creature stills, tilts his head in question.

"You're hurt." Stating obvious things made for the easiest way to make his presence known, if his massive figure went undetected. It was clear, at this point, that Aphra was hurt in more ways than one. "Do you need... Help?"

[APHRA CIPHER .]

[glow=white,1,400]OPEN YOUR EYES UP , STEP IN THE RING ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

Truthfully, the only family Aphra really known was her mother and her twin sister. The former wasn't very long however, as she was killed shortly after Aphra and her sister became six months old. Aphra loved her mother dearly and was very close to her, but her mother being ripped away from her at such a young age broke her. It was a shame, too, considering the necklace Aphra used to wear was a gift from her mother - though perhaps Ahab knew nothing of the necklace. After all, Aphra hadn't really talked to the much larger male before it was taken away from her.

Aphra's sister, however, wasn't someone she was close to, as surprising as that may seem. Their father had always made it clear that he favored Aphra over Fakhira and as such, Aphra often bullied her littermate. She, quite honestly, felt no remorse for her actions, hence why she never really brought her sister up. Fakhira may as well be dead to her. Her other siblings - half-siblings, actually - were unknown to her. She didn't even know their names, let alone whether or not they really existed. So perhaps that was why Caesar meant so much to her, despite him being a deadbeat father.

At first, the sounds of a large figure approaching startled her, and her head shot up from where she was trying to hide her head between her forepaws. Instinctively, the feline puffed up and attempted to make herself look bigger, wrapping her long tail around her body as much as she could. Although she hardly knew Ahab, he was, at the very least, a somewhat familiar face. Not to mention, he carried the scent of The Typhoon... She was home, she was safe.

"No shit, Sherlock," Aphra mumbled in an angry tone, sniffing as if she was trying to hide the fact she was crying. She could feel the wound on her shoulder, though Ahab was right in thinking (not that Aphra could hear his thoughts, because she couldn't) that it wasn't something that were cause her this much distress. This wasn't someone she could provide that information too; he didn't know her relationship with her father. Hell, most people's reaction at the mention of Caesar was often an amused huff or angry outbursts, as if he was some sort of lowlife. Of course he loved her, of course she was his daughter. Or... so she thought, anyway.

Aphra blinked at his question, frowning. Did she need help? Yeah, she needed a fucking drink if she was honest. "C-could you get Roan?" She asked. Roan was the one that tended to her wounds the day she got attacked by Marina and Roxanne, he could just make sure everything would heal fine again. Right?[glow=COLOR,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]

[roan ;]

[div style="width: 45%; text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -1px; font-family: times new roman;"]♡ — Roan knew that he had a loving family behind him. In fact, he had a lot of loving family that he knew would stand by him and comfort him in any time of need that came into his life. Despite this, the draconic boy had been pulling away from his family more and more as of late. After he had lashed out and hurt others, including his own mother, he found it difficult to relax in their presence once again, eternally frightened that something would go wrong. If he became upset, and he accidentally lashed out with the power hidden inside again... he had begun having nightmares about that possibility. Horrible, gutwrenching nightmares where he found himself shouting in rage and agony and raking electricity over the bodies of his siblings, or his second cousins, or even just his cousin, Goldie. He had been reassured over and over again by now that he was okay, and that the captain would teach him more about how to control his powers, yet he still couldn't feel the sense of safety and comfort at home that he had been able to before the incident. Perhaps things would've been easier, if his mother had responded to his outburst with anger and disowning. At least then he would've known that she was safe from him.

Truthfully, the apprentice didn't know why he had left his home that morning. All he had known was that he needed to move, and he needed some space. He had this desire inside to help others, as if that would somehow make up for the sins of his past. As if it would somehow heal the scars that Kaz, Roxie, and Octane would all carry with them for the rest of their lives. The thought made his stomach twist, an unpleasant heavy feeling settling over him as he grabbed his bag in his jaws that morning, slinging it over his growing form and heading out the door. He was, mercifully, distracted from his distress before too long by the scent of blood. Guilt turning to worry in one swift motion, Roan headed towards the source of the smell, a frown curling on his muzzle when he saw Ahab. Had Ahab hurt someone...? He didn't think the big bear his mama was so found of would do such a thing. However, when he passed by the bear, he realized the real source of the smell – Aphra.

He had dealt with the other feline a couple of times before, and held no ill will towards her despite incidents in the past, mainly because he hadn't really been around for them. His blue gaze softened when her took in the pain on her face, as well as the wound that sat on her shoulder, looking mild but painful. It wouldn't be the first time that he had treated her, as demonstrated by the fact that she was asking for him. Carefully slipping past Ahab, Roan lowered his bag to the ground before speaking, "Aphra! Mi amiga, are you alright? Would... would you mind if I take a look at that?" He doubted she would, especially considering she seemed to be seeking him out anyways, but he wanted to be sure before he went poking at her injury.
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[Seakit Roux.]

SEAKIT ROUX

[i]
health 100% . weak, young . no powers . baby . minor peaceful powerplay allowed

Seakit was almost four moons old now and, in his mind, that was a pretty big deal! So, he had decided that since his cousins were allowed run off to the Pitt and if Brandy was allowed to get in a fight with Ry, he should be allowed to wander freely. So, here he was. Further then he should be, for sure, but maybe it would turn out for the best.

Round ears picked up the sound of crying and the sharp stench of blood reached his nose. Fear dug its sharp claws into the cub's heart and he speeds forth, following the scent and smell. He couldn't handle much more stress and when the realization it was Aphra's voice he heard, a whine left him.

As she entered his eyesight, he started to push forward but stumbled as he realized Roan and Ahab were there. He didn't recognize Ahab but he did his cousin. His eyes dashed from animal to animal, holding back a whine. He wanted to comfort the white feline, needing her comfort as well. He froze where he was, looking akin to a deer in the headlights as he looked at Aphra with distress. Should he approach? Would she even want him to? The cub, the bit of a cry baby he is, sniffled, stress pulling tears from his eyes as he felt his chest tightened.

[ROXANNE R.]

[glow=white,1,400]I LOVE YOU, CANNIBAL QUEEN ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

Roxanne was familiar with being disowned although, she had been rather young to possibly even care. Sure, it had hurt being shoved away from her own mother for being different and it had stunted her growth horribly but Roxie was happier now. She had a better family and she was having children to call her own. Truthfully, Roxanne could never disown her firstborn son and she wouldn't. She had vowed to herself to never be like her mother and she was going to stick with it, her whiskers twitching lightly as she moved across the sand with a slight limp, both ears perked forward at the sound of sobbing. Suddenly, the smell of blood, Ahab, and Roan wafted within her nostrils did she pick up the pace only to find that the source of the crying was Aphra. She felt her throat grow dry and her gaze shift away knowing that she probably wouldn't be of any help, she was useless.

A pathetic excuse of a mother.

The thought hurt but she felt it were true, Roxanne still believing that Roan and Ry leaving was because of her. She took a deep breath with more hesitation only to slowly approach standing next to Ahab with ears pressed against her cranium. Her eyes fixated onto Aphra's exposed neck where the necklace once rested, her heart feeling heavy though she did remember something that Aphra did for her and well... She wanted to return the favor. Would it even be appropriate right now? A nervous flutter rose in her stomach, her eyes staring down at her paws only to lift to meet eyes with Aphra. A sheepish smile tugging at her lips weakly "Y... You... Wanna do girl's night? Looks like you... might need it,"" Of course, she wouldn't verbally state outloud in front of everyone what she was originally going to say. Oh yeah, let's get so drunk and forget our sorrows. The thought made her cringe but her intentions were genuine, Aphra had pulled her out of her depressive state back then and well, she wanted to be of some use. For once.

"If you're free or would like to anyways..." [glow=COLOR,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]

[APHRA CIPHER .]

[glow=white,1,400]OPEN YOUR EYES UP , STEP IN THE RING ! — ｡+ﾟ.[/glow]

Luckily for Ahab, Roan came by at just the right moment. Hearing his voice, Aphra looked over at him thankfully and gave him a nod. "Of-of course," She sniffed. "I think my shoulder is the only thing that's wounded." Sure, Caesar had leapt at her to pin her down, but that was all the attack was. Her shoulder was definitely the only thing hurt, even if it was just a small wound.

Behind Roan came Seakit, who was looking wide-eyed and afraid. Aphra bit her lip slightly hearing him whine. "I-I'm okay, Seakit, I promise," That was the truth; her emotional baggage here was far worse than her
shoulder. But would anyone else here understand? Roan and Seakit most likely wouldn't, given that they were loved by their parents. Aphra didn't know much about Ahab's past so of course she couldn't really speak for him, but the two young boys in front of her definitely wouldn't understand what she was going through. Hell, Aphra didn't really understand it herself - after all, Caesar was never around when she was younger.

But the next person to come to the scene was someone who possibly could relate to her. Aphra still wasn't 100% sure of Roxanne's relationship with her parents, but she did have kids of her own. Roxanne would understand, she had to understand. At least, Roxie knew how Aphra felt about her mother and even if she wasn't the biggest fan of Caesar, Roxie knew that Aphra felt close to him (for whatever reason). The fact that Roxie destroyed her only memory of her mother was seemingly completely forgotten and Aphra's throat tightened upon seeing the other girl. I would love to, Is what Aphra wanted to say, but couldn't find herself to choke those words out. Her sorrow was flooding back to her, mostly because of the reason she even went to confront Caesar in the first place. Not to mention that her heart was beating faster whenever she noticed Roxie. "Y-yeah..." Was the only thing Aphra could say in response to her.

Roxanne was returning the favor. How sweet of her.[glow=COLOR,1,400] ━ ✧*:･ﾟ[/glow]

[MYERS]

[align=center][div style="text-align:justify;width:55%;font-family:verdana;"]He isn't sure what to make of this, all of it. The bear is ready to turn and leave in order to seek out Roan, but the child had a way of appearing at just the right moment, it seemed. All he can do is watch, suddenly feeling all-too-awkward in the apathy that had been forced upon him since he'd awoken. If there was a goal here, an objective, he'd already failed. Now all he could do was revel empty in the fact that somebody was hurt and there was nothing he could do about it. He was supposed to be better than this.

Roxanne doesn't appear to be in any better shape, pushing the weight harder against his chest. What had happened in his absence? He feels all at once painfully useless, and painfully alone in a crowd of people who knew each other far better than they knew - or wanted to know - him. He was an outsider, here. He doesn't even know the new cubs' names: neither Roxanne's, nor Goldenluxury's. Ahab stills, feels the hard line of his jaw tighten at the thought. They would take care of each other, and he would continue to linger in the peripheral, uncertain as to his role and how, if at all, he could do better. Giving Roxie and Aphra more space was the least he could do.

[roan ;]

[div style="width: 45%; text-align: justify; font-size: 12pt; letter-spacing: -1px; font-family: times new roman;"]♡ — It was difficult for Roan, seeing his mother approach with a limp in her step and the faint glint of pain in her eyes. Seeing her move like that, and to know that it was because of him... it was enough to make him want to run and hide himself away again. However, he knew that wouldn't solve any of his problems. He had just ended up hurting his mama more when he had disappeared the last time, and he wasn't keen on a repeat of those events, even if he had met some nice people within the Pitt. Even with his newfound sense of determination, the boy had to force himself to look away when Roxie approached, a sense of guilt settling over him. He knew that he needed to focus on the task at hand, just to get his mind off the churning within his stomach. Instead of hurting anyone, he could help, and this was the best way for him to do it. Nodding his head a little stiffly when Aphra said he could check her wounds, the draconic apprentice stuffed his paws down into his bag, searching around for the things that he would need.

Broom, comfrey root, goldenrod... Roan grabbed the different herbs from his bag as he listened to the conversation around him, everyone's voices sort of a muted hum. As he made a poultice, he could hear his mother's offer to Aphra, an offer that made his stomach give a warning flip. He didn't know what "girl's night" was, but he couldn't help but feel slightly cautious about it. Pushing this aside, Roan mumbled softly, taking the poultice he had made and gently applying it to the wound on Aphra's shoulder, "This might sting a little, but it'll help..." After this, he pulled the bandages he kept from his bag, wrapping them over the wound and stepping back with a smile. He could feel a sense of satisfaction and pride in his chest as he admired his work, as well as a sense of relief from helping someone else. It might've only been a temporary reprieve from the guilt, but it was better than him just doing nothing. Blue eyes moving back to Aphra herself, Roan muttered with a twitching tail, "There you go, good as new amiga. It wasn't too deep of a wound, so it should heal before too long." The boy wanted to ask how exactly she had sustained such a wound, but he held himself back from doing so, not wanting to pry. If Aphra wanted to tell anyone, she would.
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