MEMENTO VIVERE | RETURN?

[arrow]

THAT'S RIGHT, WE ARE PROGRESSIVELY STRUGGLING MONSTERS !
Not many creatures on God's green earth could really say this, but dying was one hell of an experience. In fact, dying suddenly in a disgusting puddle of her own blood was fucking hilarious to Arrow. One day she just up and puked out her organs, practically. Remember kids, check for organ failure.

She spent her time away from the living, took a nice little vacation where the sun don't shine and lived her unlife causing mischief and being a general ghostly nuisance. Not that she didn't, well, horribly miss her fellow swamp rouges, she cared more about not seeing them than she did dying. But she was about to make a pretty ballsy decision and take her dead ass back up and say hello. Hopefully they hadn't all perished in some terrible way.

Arrow squinted down from the branch she claimed as her own, just as she used to do almost constantly before she kicked the bucket hard. Really, it looked like nothing had changed, if not for the tiny difference of small, horribly useless bat wings poking out from between her shoulder blades. Comical, really. She couldn't fly with 'em, she couldn't romantically shield someone from the rain, there were there simply to advertise that she was an asshole and crawled out of the confines of Hell. A straight up imp. All she needed was the horns, eh?

She quietly spat some blood into the leaves, wiping her mouth with the back of a paw. That was a new thing, like a constant reminder of how she died so violently. Eternity of bloody spit, yippie. But she was there, arguably alive, her rebirth hadn't even given her the favor of offering her back feeling in her leg, or wiped away the ugly scar that split her thigh.

[wormwood.]

i was born, on the highway, in a train wreck

with a heart, that was beating, out of my chest

It was sort of funny, really. Arrow had been the first person that Aurum had ever seen die when he had first joined Tanglewood, and despite not really knowing her, the female's death had hit him hard. Perhaps it was just because he was reminded of the crushing constant presence of death over all of them, or perhaps just because he had finally been beginning to consider Tanglewood family, and anybody dying would've elicited that reaction. Still, ever since Arrow had done the tango down to hell, Aurum had taken deaths particularly hard, with Leroy's being the most recent and also one of the worst. Still, the way that Aurum showed his grief wasn't like most others. Rather than locking himself inside, closing the doors and the shades and having a good long cry with a tub of ice cream, the lion preferred to get outside and do as much as he could in order to never think about the fact that one of his loved ones had just died. Was it a healthy method of grieving? Hell no, far from it, but that didn't mean he was going to stop. He didn't even know what to do with himself when he finally processed his emotions, and he had enough of actually thinking about the fact he would never see Leroy again when he had found the other's bottle of whiskey on his porch. For now, he just wanted to go back to not thinking about it, and push it aside so hard it would probably end up with bruises.

As a result of his constant roaming, Aurum was the first one to come upon Arrow, confused by the many different scents that assaulted him as he got closer to the tree she was in. It seemed like there was the faintest old scent of Tanglewood, but also the smell of death, and the sharp tang of blood. All of it skyrocketed his anxiety up to eleven, and he found himself picking up the pace and flapping his wings a bit until he came to the tree that Arrow was in, blinking his one good eye up at her. He opened his muzzle, about to ask her who she was and why she was here, but there was a strange twinge of familiarity that ran through him at the female's appearance, and after a long moment of silence, he mumbled in disbelief, "Arrow...? Is that you?" It seemed so incredibly unlikely, for the female to return after all this time – especially at such an unhappy one, considering Leroy's death – but there she was, clear as day right in front of him, along with the addition of two little flightless wings. He rumbled after a moment, sheepishly looking down and dragging a paw over the earth, "Ah, shit, suppose you wouldn't recognize me. We only interacted once or twice. Er, I'm Aurum. Used to be Wormwood. I was around for a little bit before your... you know. It's, uh... it's surreal to see you back." His ears pinned down to his head for a moment before he sighed, "I wish I could welcome you back with happier news..."

template by orion

[trojan g.]

MOTH

"What if who I hoped to be was always me?"

Just as it was Aurum's, Arrow's death had been the first Moth had gone through since she had joined Tanglewood. She hadn't been there, exactly, but she knew of the death of the other, and had been saddened by the fact that it had happened. She hadn't known Arrow as well as she would have liked, but she had known her a bit, and was saddened at the fact that a good tangler had lost their life, and it had seemed as though her life would stay lost, until Moth saw Aurum speaking to someone that hadn't been in the territory for a while.

"I didn't think you'd be coming back..." She would murmur, the feline turning her head over to the other, a new strength in her since she had last seen the other, "If you're back then maybe... no." Maybe Leroy would come back. She wanted to say, though she knew it would be too good to be true, and it was the same with Pastel. She knew nothing about the latter of the two except that she had been Selby's family, and he had been torn apart when she was found in the junkyard. "It's Moth, by the way, two bodies later. Did you just come back or...?" She would trail off, looking over the feline with curiosity before noticing the blood, "And do you need help, or is it like Beck's where you can't get rid of it."

tags - penned by @ tikki

[color=transparent]template by orion

[spacexual]

IT'S THE THOUGHT THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE DONE IT [align=right]BUT YOU CAN'T KNOW WHY    —    tags 

It seemed the group must be a popular spot for the undead.

Though, the boy does not like to think about that part so much. Dying was not pleasant. To him, it was not funny. Not funny at all.

But, he'd no idea of her death, nor her life, or existence at all. Such was the natural way of things. It was impossible for someone to know everyone, and, frankly, this boy, in particular, did not know many at all. Neither from his original life, nor within the place he takes refuge now. Being concealed from society was fairly self-explanatory as to why he has not seen many faces, or had many see his own. Though, to be honest, he is not so sure he wants others to see his face now. It is reminiscent, still, of his origin. It still displays his death, quite a bit on-the-nose, and it still belongs to someone others may recognize as a tool, a weapon, a force of destruction, aggression. He'd never wanted that. He just wanted to live, at this point, and for others to live, too.

And, he is trying. Trying to make this place his home. Trying to erase that past. Let others know who he really is, and find out who others really are, too. But, it is scary. It is terrifying. Much of the inner territory is still foreign to him. He knows the marsh well, and the cabin he rests within, recognizes as his real home now, with his father. And he will need to face that fear. And he has. So, he will continue. Continue until it's not scary anymore, until it feels so natural that he does not even think about it. If that even is really possible. Despite everything, he's always been a dreamer, and that hasn't changed so far. Only faltered, here and there. In the end, the world still proved good, and he wished to prove himself right back.

He walks up towards his father's side, head held low as he listens quietly to the others' words. A former member; they seemed to beat around the bush what exactly had caused her to go away. But, he wasn't stupid. He did not immediately jump to any conclusions, but he could draw his own assumptions. His glowing eyes land upon the female's paw, a slight frown upon his features. He blinks, seeming about to say something, before closing his mouth once more and looking to her face. "Hello, ma'am," he greets quietly and politely with a nod. "Um, if you don't mind me asking - are you al-alright?"

[arrow]

THAT'S RIGHT, WE ARE PROGRESSIVELY STRUGGLING MONSTERS !
Ah, it was the lucky first three! The trio of confusion, really.

Arrow tilted her head, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth, sharp teeth poking out like she was some sorta snarky vampire. "You changed your name, kid? I like it! Very regal." Aurum. Would have to remember that, and check. It was him, Moth, and somebody else that did her the favor of calling her ma'am. Aw, ain't that the cutest, so proper.

She stood, easily stepping down off the branch and hopping her way on to solid ground, smirk evolving into more of a grin when Moth spoke up, announcing that yes, it was her, just with a bit of a wardrobe change. "I didn't think i'd be coming back, either. I think i'm still technically dead, but alive enough to cause more mayhem in the foreseeable future." She snapped her teeth just to prove the point. "Can't get rid of the blood, unfortunately. It's like a trophy of cruel symbolism."

Her tail lashed back and forth, green eyes squinting slightly at the vibe that everyone seemed to give off. Something bad had happened here, huh? Something she wouldn't be too happy to hear. "I'm alright, kiddo." She hadn't seen any youngins' in Tanglewood for some time, it was almost weird to realize that. Not that Tanglewood was exactly a 5 star, world class daycare or nothin'. "So what's up with y'all? Did someone like, fuckin' die recently or something?"

[arcy]

-

-

Crowley hadn't been introduced to the idea of people coming back from the dead yet. And, quite frankly, he would have preferred if he hadn't been at all. Were the people here just .. completely above the system? What the fuck? It as probably for the better if they were, but Crowley still didn't appreciate the implications.
"Is this just a normal thing?" Crowley says, annoyed and alarmed. He scowls, stopping shortly behind Aurum. The others seem to recognize her to some extent -- Crowley isn't surprised he doesn't. Though he'd been here for a good few months, he still considers himself fairly new. Hell, he barely knows half of the members here besides like .. Aurum.
".. Welcome back, I guess," It takes a fair few seconds for Crowley to figure out what the hell to say. In a way that wasn't somewhat aggressive, he means. It wasn't at all Crowley's style, but he's still on edge about .. his latest happenings, and also the fact that apparently, people coming back from the dead is just .. a thing. It feels terribly, horribly wrong to Crowley, as a demon, but he's rolling with it. "Uh. I'll let somebody else answer that. Who're you, anyways?" It'd probably be insensitive of him to be the one to announce it, as somebody who was not affected by Leroy's loss at all. Crowley was an asshole*, but not that much of one.
*Not really, but he tried to be. Sometimes. Also no.

-

[wormwood.]

i was born, on the highway, in a train wreck

with a heart, that was beating, out of my chest

When Roy came up beside him, Aurum smiled faintly, glad once again to see his son out and about, especially showing up to something like this. He couldn't help the faint chuckle that left him when the tiger called Arrow ma'am, and his tail gently flicked against the boy's back in an affectionate greeting. He also offered a soft look to Moth, sure that the other must've been thinking about Leroy, with Arrow returning. When Arrow mentioned him changing his name, the lion couldn't help but smile and chuckle, faintly amused at the prospect of being called kid – it had been a long time since he had been considered one, but Arrow was his senior within Tanglewood, anyways, "Yeah, changed it. Felt like "Worm" didn't quite fit me anymore. Got promoted too, I'm a guardsman now." He couldn't help but feel faintly proud, telling the female about his accomplishments. Although they never got close before her death, he had respected her as the guardsman captain ever since he had heard she held the position, and now that he was right under where she had been, he couldn't help but feel warm inside. He then mumbled, a soft chuff leaving him, "Glad to hear you like the name." It really did feel great, having Arrow back in the group, even with the new addition of the ironic reminder of her death. He was sure that many had missed her, and perhaps her presence would provide some comfort for Crow after Leroy's death... maybe.

It was then when Crowley came up on Aurum's other side, stopping just a bit behind him and expressing his concerns over someone just hopping back up from the dead. A soft chuckle left the angel as he answered, shrugging his shoulders, "It doesn't happen that often, but I believe it has happened a few times in the past to others, yes. I think Goldie died once... or twice, I'm not sure." He wasn't sure if he would come back if or when he died, or if he was just completely incapable of dying because of his status as an angel. He preferred not to think about it, just as he preferred not to think about now whether Crowley could die, especially after that whole fight thing. Unfortunately, it seemed as though death was going to be a running theme with Arrow's return, considering she had asked the question they all had been thinking. A soft and sad sigh left the guardsman before he responded, his one blue eye darting down to stare at the murky earth for a moment as he spoke, "Uh... yeah, actually. It was uhm, Leroy. He died maybe a week or two ago. Had a huge stroke, probably caused by the cancer he found out he had... I'm sorry you had to find out like this." He wasn't sure how else she would've found out, besides maybe searching for a grave that bore Leroy's name, but this felt like the more direct option, and the one that would allow Arrow as much time to grieve as possible. Still, his heart sank at sullying the happy occasion of Arrow's return with the news of Leroy's passing.

template by orion

[Crow Roux]

[align=center][div style="width: 55%; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 1.4;"]
"Did someone like, fuckin' die recently or something?"

Crow stopped in his tracks and swallowed hard. Death. He didn't like that word, especially ever since... He cracked a smile at Arrow as he shoved away his feelings, but the reminder of Leroy's absence grew like a heavy tick on his side. Arrow had died too, and here she was right in front of him as if nothing had happened in the first place, and Crow didn’t realize it at first, but he grew angry. His relief that dissipated like fog in the midday sun transformed to indignation at the female’s presence and the lack of someone else’s.

"Where the hell is he?" Crow snapped in a feverish fit of futile outrage, teeth bared in a grimace. "You’re here, so why ain’t fuckin’ he here too?!"

Tears spilled down his cheeks as his eyes widened, and he stepped backwards a few paces, just mere seconds away from tucking his tail between his legs and running like the coward that he was.

[suvi.]

[align=center]— T͏O̴G͠ETH͏ER̕ ÁT̴ ̸T̕H̶E ST͏ART̶ O͏F̀ ̵TI̡M͏E —

Great deal of voices.  Lately, the petite vixen had taken to avoiding everyone.  Avoiding anywhere high population.  Numb.  Stuck on repeat.  Trying to accept a new reality that she didn't agree with at all.  Evȩr҉y̴one̛ ̨goes ͡a͟w̛ay.̶ ҉ E͟v̧ery͏o͠n̛e҉ le͏áv͞e̵s.

Stubborn.  Kiira struggled with letting go.  Accepting the obvious; nobody could do anything.  Obvious or not it wasn't fair.  Fair.  Simple as that.  Why did everyone have to go away?  'The last one remaining.'  Was that her destiny?  Was that the life Cynthia left her to when she split her soul in half?  I d̸͘͜o̧ǹ'̴t w̧̕a̛nt to b̶e̶͟͞ left́ alone.̡  Not̶̢ ̸aģ̴ain͏̕.  She didn't want to be a repetition.  An echo.

As a familiar voice registered among others, the petite vixen paused.  Her snow white paws flickered.  Gone for a moment.  "A-Arrow?" Truly?  Her mitch-matched hues blinked.  Confused.  Uncertain.  She died.  She died and Kiira hadn't been able to do anything it.  Maybe it was the Pitt's fault for taking her, but she hadn't put up much of a fight, now had she?

Her vision quickly became blurry.  Something wet on her cheeks.  "I-I-I'm sorry." I should've been here.  I could've t̢́͞r̴͞ièd. "I-I'm sorry."  P҉l͏eà̡̀s̢̛͡e̡͢ ҉͢do҉n'҉͡ţ́͜ go̸͘͢ ̛̀aw̛ay̷̕ ̴ag҉͝ai̵n̛͜.

✯ — suvi kiira ní faoláin. female. medic of tanglewood. beta of the typhoon. arctic fox.  ref. bio.

[arrow]

THAT'S RIGHT, WE ARE PROGRESSIVELY STRUGGLING MONSTERS !
"Name's Arrow, handsome stranger. Like the weapon." She'd obviously never met this guy, but she already liked him. Couldn't explain it, he just seemed like an asshole and she was drawn to assholes. They were the most fun of all.

"Uh... yeah, actually. It was uhm, Leroy. He died maybe a week or two ago. Had a huge stroke, probably caused by the cancer he found out he had... I'm sorry you had to find out like this."

At the mention of the recent death, the ends of her mouth twitched for a moment, and then the grin slowly faded. For an excruciatingly long moment of sheer silence, green eyes simply blank, Arrow stared at Aurum as if waiting to hear him say "haha, just kidding!", but she knew that wasn't going to happen. There was a sense of shock induced calm that overcame her, like getting punched in the emotional dick. "Leroy..." It still wasn't processing. Leroy was gone, huh? Deep down somewhere she knew it was going to happen one day she just...she'd wanted to be there for him when it did. She hadn't expected to come back after her own unfortunate dance with death. Arrow closed her eyes, inhaling sharply.

Crow, what a pleasure to see you here too. "I don't know, man." Her voice dropped low, shrugging loosely. The words stung. She felt guilty, but it wasn't like it was her fault. She wouldn't cry, not yet, but she did feel like shit. What a way to come back. "Don't be mad at me, Crow, c'mon. Please." She sounded tired.

And then there was Kiira. Her smile came back, sadder this time but there nontheless. "Hey, girl." Another familiar face, a sweet and glitchy face. She lifted a small paw up, trying to wipe at her wet cheeks. "It's all alright, it's all gonna be alright now, yeah?"