[ P ] Murder on my mind

do not press this,
I am relentless.

His temper had made him sloppy and now he paid the price. The Colonel seethed. His body vibrated with a new kind of rage that burned its way through his veins like wildfire. His injuries were relatively few, a bite to his shoulder that would heal and be forgotten. The bumps and bruises he acquired were insignificant. His face though, his right eye throbbed and caused a splitting headache. Lids remained pinched shut since the Jacobite had clawed at his face in a desperate attempt to break free of his hold. With a stroke of luck, the wolfs nail had scraped across the delicate surface of the Colonels eye. The white hot pain had sent him reeling backwards, his body instinctively flinching. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he knew he’d likely be blind in that eye now.

But that wasn’t what had him breathing fire at anyone who dared to remain in his path as he left the battlefield. As he left Illaria behind. That knowledge would pull a thunderous snarl from his jaws as he searched for his medic. And on top of that, they had lost. Jacobs army had managed to drive them back, securing the forest as their home. The bruised ego that came with losing was worsened by the knowledge that Illaria had lingered on the battlefield. He didn’t even know why the hell she was there.

Still dusty and bloodied, the Colonel prowled the Imperial camp, his now singular gaze sweeping over each battered wolf that returned, each looking most disheartened than the next. Nalik towered over those that passed, his restless energy earning him nervous glances. The sound of his blood rushing in his ears lingered, his heart still thundering against ribs as he continued to ride to the adrenaline high.

His impatience grew ten fold as he waited for her to appear. But she wasn’t the only one on his mind. He had yet to see Ryker, Kenzo, any of them. When the last of the soldiers returned, a cold dread spread through his veins. Without wasting another second, he found a couple of squires, sending the boys on a mission to find the trio. The implication of what their failure would bring was heavy in his voice.

It was then that Malik would say on his feet, feeling as though his head might explode. His eye throbbed mercilessly, the intense burn causing him to rub his paw against the side of his face. A growl vibrated in his throat as a fresh wave of pain was followed closing by nausea. Paired with the weakness of his hind leg, he would sink to the ground, falling on his haunches with a grunt.

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The second round of the war had brought more damage that was full circle for many. Physical, emotional, mental - maybe even spiritual - changes had been made and that meant more work for the healing paws within the Imperial army. The Jacobites had the upper hand after the last major encounter and had bitten off more than their enemy had intended. As the majority of the Imperials came back with wounds to lick, Ashira was among the few whose silvery paws continued to remain stained with blood and gore by the end of her shifts.

The monochrome woman was meant to be there and she did not find any reason to question the cosmos. She was making a difference in her life, as well as the many whose bodies she patched up with stitches, salves, and firmly placed compressions with healing properties. Bandages were secured, pain medications were successfully given, and the majority of her patients were compliant. As she cleaned her paws from her most recent encounter, she saw the male before he realized he was being watched.

Colonel Nalik was injured, a good many of them that happened at the same time and attempted to bring him down. Anger rolled off of him in waves, his aura filled with colors and pulses that could be explained by frustration, pain, and potentially physical sickness. She assessed him as he stalked through the camp, searching for someone - or somebodies - that were missing. When they did not show up, the physical draining of the colonel took over and he found a private place to collapse.

She did not approach him right away; a wide berth was given as she picked up the necessary items she needed before coming towards his massive frame. His right eye was clamped shut, oozing from a possible encounter with a sharp object. Random bites and slashes were along his body and his back leg showed some potential damage. The colonel was a man meant for war and even though his body had scars, there was more potential stories to adorn his frame before his end.

Ashira’s silver eyes met his undamaged opt, the fiery anger and pain meshing together in that singular stare. As always, she had a neutral face as she carried the required herbs that were meant to help ease any potential discomfort. His abdomen heaved and she noticed that nausea had possibly started to settle in as a side effect of the pain. Before she did anything physical to him, she lowered the herbs within his reach and stated, “Your pain and nausea will cease if you chew on these.”

do not press this,
I am relentless.

In all his years, the Colonel had faced a myriad of injuries. Whether it was luck or skill, he hadn't been seriously wounded until this year. Sure he had spent a day here and there in a hospital bed, having deep wounds tended to until the nurses were certain he wouldn't die of infection. But as fate would have it, Nalik had faltered twice now this year. First, when Merrin had crippled him and now his eye. Suddenly his leg didn't seem all that bad, the dull ache that plagued him most days was nonexistent.

Legs sprawled beneath him and as his body relaxed, his face throbbed more and more. Greying lips lifted, baring his teeth at no one. Resting, adrenaline faded faster than he hoped and would allow the weight of his newest injury to set in. His eye burned, his head ached.

Even wrapped up in his own pain and suffering, an ear would twitch when someone approached. Safe within the Imperial camps, he knew it wasn't an enemy soldier, but the Colonel wouldn't tolerate just anyone approaching him in that moment. An earth shattering snarl would unhinge his jaws before he turned to glare at the offending wolf. While it shouldn't have been a surprise, he didn't expect to see a familiar face. The silver eyed medic.

Undeterred, she approached, dropping herbs in front of him with the promise that he would feel better if he ate them. The growl in his throat would quiet as he snatched up the plants, chewing them thoroughly. Her expression was just as neutral as it was the first time he had met her. The only difference was this time he wouldn't keep her at a distance with his questioning, his position would shift ever so slightly, giving her access to him. "Fix it." Was his only demand.

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The monochrome woman watched Nalik eat the herbs, chewing heavily before swallowing them with painful malice. The high level of pain and frustration was not directed at her when he looked at her. She was not the kind to take anything personally, unless there was something she had intentionally done to make it that way. Nalik’s body trembled in anger, pain, and a rage that could be expelled in any way he chose. If there was enough fuel in his fire after she was done, Ashira would not be surprised to see him run a tirade through the camp. When he finally finished his herbal remedy, his eye glaring at her never left her gaze as he ordered, ‘Fix it.’

Ashira was not one to waste time; the cosmos made sure she did what was meant to happen during her lifespan. She moved closer to Nalik, unaffected by the rolls of his pain and anguish coming from his massive frame. Silver eyes moved along the parts of her healing items to pick out what was necessary for Nalik’s injuries. She found a cold compress that had been securely placed in a freezing location of the medic camp hours prior and gently peeled it apart. Numbing cream, combined with a healing paste, was applied with a firm paw before she moved towards Nalik’s head and injured eye. Bright eyes stared firmly at Nalik’s good eye before she said, “This will be cold and expected. Stay still and this will work faster.” With practiced ease, Ashira laid the compress across Nalik’s affected opt.

She felt Nalik twinge under her and try to move from her, snarling rising to meet her ears. Instead of snarling back, Ashira tapped his paw and then applied gentle pressure to his new compress. “Put your paw here, don’t let up any pressure.” Her eyes met his good one again, staring at him with a light that had been slightly dull when they had first met. Her heart rate had increased and she was focused on intending for him to realize she would not defer from decreasing his pain intensity. When he complied, Ashira intended to move towards and inspect the bite on his shoulder.

do not press this,
I am relentless.

Just like last time they crossed paths, she wasted no time in getting to work. He remained as still as he could, but nothing could keep the growl from his voice as she touched the area surrounding his injured eye. An order for him to remain still was given before she applied a cool compress to his face. Initially he stiffened but soon he found himself relax, his pain ebbing some.

When he did snarl angrily at her, she didn't flinch. Instead she told him to apply pressure. He would do just that, finding his own touch fractionally more tolerable. But nothing could quite dull the edge of the sharp pain when pressure was applied. She would take the time to examine his other injuries, the ones that seemed like nothing in comparison to his eye.

The worry was there. That his sight never returned in that eye and he would be even more handicapped than he already was. His hind leg chose that moment to tingle, as if to remind him of the damage Merrin had inflicted. The Colonel remained silent, sinking into his own troubled thoughts as the herbs he ingested began to work, soothing him and his aching body.

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Time was something Ashira did not take for granted. Destiny had it as a companion and whatever they decided to do together would create the future path for the monochrome woman. As she continued to clean and then patch up the various wounds and gashes on Nalik’s massive frame, she moved with a skill that only came from repetition. Ashira was not impatient or foul-tempered. She understood that those emotions could happen, but she lacked the empathy to have it for herself.

The Colonel’s discomfort and pain were creating emotional options that he had no choice to endure. She understood the source of all the feelings and thoughts that were most likely running through his mind. Anxiety and adrenaline were two things best not seen together, but she could not control what was going on in Nalik’s mind. Instead, she soothed his thoughts and current physical ailments by ensuring numbing, clean, and dry dressings that were appropriate for him.

As she came to the last of his physical injuries, Ashira noticed that the herbs were starting to take effect. She watched Nalik as he continued to slowly relax, pain ebbing away and his muscles becoming less tense. Monochrome paws completed their duty and she cleaned up the various parts of her medical tools before completing her time with Nalik. As he slowly drifted into a resting slumber, she said in his ear in a low tone, “I will be back.” She knew that she could drop dead after just saying that, but she did not question it as she slowly began to walk from where her patient’s pain began to ease. Destiny had brought her to aide Nalik; she would not be surprised if her path crossed his again.

-EXIT Ashira-

do not press this,
I am relentless.

Soon enough she would leave him. His eyes were closed and his body slump with forced relaxation at the herbs worked their magic through his tired body. An ear would twitch, the only outward sign that he had heard her speak. But he didn't lift his head, he didn't mumble a goodbye. The Colonel let her go without so much as a second though.

And then he was left alone with his thoughts.

Ryker was a captive in Jacobs ranks. Illaria too. And he was half blind. Sedated, the rush of his temper was reduced to simmer. But his thoughts remained. Ryker would be fine. She had to be. There was no other option. Worry gnawed at his gut, merciless in reminding him that he was unable to help her in this moment. All he could do was hope that he had prepared her enough, that the army had prepared her enough.

Then there was Illaria. His little medic. The sentiment that once brought a faint smile to his lips now left a bitter taste in his mouth. What in the hell was she thinking? He wanted to know what compelled to just show up on the battlefield like she belonged there. She had been left a home for a reason. Her thoughtless decision now had lasting consequences that he couldn't help but blame her for. If she hadn't shown up and surprised him, he would have been focused, his attention wouldn't have been split. He wouldn't be blind. Resentment festered like an infected wound.

Suddenly, and for perhaps the first time ever, the Colonel longed for the tranquility of his home. The quiet four walls of his cottage where the world left him alone. Sedation weakened his resolve, softened him to the idea of retirement. He could set down his sword, pass the torch to Kenzo and truly settle into his old age. The only one thats joined his mental image were his children.

exit via sleep

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