Dazed and Confused

D

arkness. Her consciousness returned, but the dark did not recede. The air was cold, the smell foul. She was confused and scared. The inky black beast stirred, head aching with excruciating pain from her topple onto the cobblestone. Bleary red eyes looked around slowly, ears ringing like mad and her whole form screaming with pain, as if she had been caught in a landslide.

It occurred to her then — this must be hell. It was a lot colder than she had expected. As she looked around, she saw others in their dark, confined spaces. A sleeping wolfess was near to Rue, who stared blankly at the resting femme.

She had been confident— too confident, as her hulking size was not enough to brutalize the soldiers as she had intended. But the fight had been short, at least for Rue. More experienced fighters subdued her before she could do any real damage.

Why? Why not? What good had the lot of them done? The name Adamh was meaningless in Rue’s world. They were all the same — power-driven maniacs set to control the peons of a kingdom they called their own. A light growl rumbled in her throat as she urged the tears welling in her eyes not to fall.


@Sif

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

SIF ASGAUT

Ears would draw back, a lone eye observing each cell as she passed, having taken over so a jailer could have a break from many hours on duty. Their facets were limited as it was, she had to put in a few shifts of her own even if it wasn’t her job to monitor the cells; so that no one was forced to perform a double shift and become useless should something bad occur while they awaited trials. She didn’t mind much, it allowed her to make sure they were all being treated fairly, and no one was taking advantage of their positions. Which was always a worry when it came to anyone that was sentenced down here in her playhouse. The dungeon not meant for those of petty crimes, she was used to many being down here having a life, or death sentence, awaiting the gallows.

A young medic followed behind her now, having come at her request for a prisoner that had been out cold for some time, concern had started to crawl under her skin that there might be some severe injury she just couldn’t see. Hopefully there was no bleeding internally. One death was enough. Too much in fact.

A breath of relief would escape her lungs as she came to the prisoner in question, seeing them conscious as she came into view, even hearing an audible growl rumble from them. Her tail would sway just a touch before turning her attention to the medic. It only took a few subtle gestures for the young man to understand his services weren’t needed after all and would dip his head cordially to leave from her side for now though would not wander too far likely from discomfort at the idea of wandering alone.

“You’re finally awake, I was starting to worry,” she breathed, ears twitching as she watched the large mammoth of a wolf for a moment. That bit of relief would fall away as she took in the girl’s face, heart sinking swiftly as realization etched its way in on what she had arrested. “You’re just a baby...” the words were barely audible, full of shock and sorrow at this fact.

The only thought that echoed in her mind: What if you had accidently killed this one instead?

Am I Beautiful As I Tear You To Pieces

table by rae - image by Lunicea

H

er blank stare was interrupted by the lupine figure of someone who had not been imprisoned. Rue willed her eyes to focus, but the world was still spinning. Whoever it was, they were small—and free. A low growl rumbled in her throat, but given her current state, bloodied and broken, her attempt was less intimidating and more… pathetic.

She regarded the female guard with suspicion. What did she want? Had she come to be cruel to the protestors who had failed? Rue trusted no one but her brothers; the alleged king’s fools were the worst of all. She expected this one to be no different than all the rest she had encountered thus far.

The stranger on the other side of freedom addressed her; Rue was unable to detect whether or not she was joking about worrying for the dark wolf’s well-being. Her words seemed sincere, emotion barely hiding beneath the surface.. But the other’s second comment earned a sharp glare. ”I’m not a baby,” she insisted in a hushed, trembling voice that did little to make her point. "What d'you want from me?"



@Sif

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

SIF ASGAUT

The following growl would make her ears go back, not in fear but in immense pity as she took in the young woman's face with a foreign tenderness that probably would seem odd to the stranger. She would take to sitting, allowing herself to become even smaller than she already was, tilting her head to the side, watching them as they seemed rather disoriented, which was expected. If one woke in some unknown place, not sure how they got there and was trapped within a barricade, anyone would be scared and lost or simply angry. Anger and fear often went hand in hand, and she was near certain that was what was transpiring behind that deep crimson gaze now.

“Well you are hardly an adult,” she huffed, though it wasn’t meant to be anything crass. If anything, she was just trying to get the girl to smile and get some vigor back, even if that meant riling her up just a tad.

The question would cause her head to tilt just a little more, her tail swaying behind her at the sight of her showing a little more positive competence, rather than just snarling like a feral bog monster. “I was checking to make sure you are alright. You’ve been out like a light for a long time, kiddo,” she said gently, should the stranger be close enough to the bars she would gently reach a paw past them to brush the tears from her eyes. If she got bit, well, then she’d deal with it then but if the girl was smart, she wouldn’t do anything to worsen punishment. Then again, a cornered animal often bit without any sense of right or wrong in the moment, so she braced for the worst.

“And I should be asking you that. Last I checked you attacked me first and incited the violence in the Square. So…what did I do so wrong to you for me to deserve your wrath and ire?” she would redirect the question right back, not looking so much angry but rather holding the gaze of a disappointed mother. Subconsciously, she would roll her shoulders at the thought of where she was bit on the neck, feeling the sting where she had been punctured.


Am I Beautiful As I Tear You To Pieces

table by rae - image by Lunicea

”W

ell you are hardly an adult.” Rue huffed in return as she looked through the bars of the cage, down at the wolfess – quite a ways down, in fact, for now that she had some sense about her, the size difference between Rue and the other was readily apparent, almost comically so. The black wolf shook her head as she observed the she-wolf with orange sights. ”What’re you then, Tiny? Jus’ stopped growin’ eh?” Her tone was deep, but a hint of amusement crossed her visage, if only for a moment.

She was silent again as the femme informed Rue that she had been unconscious for a long time, and the black wolf’s expression melted into simmering disdain. Ruby red eyes narrowed as she stared past the older wolfess – and as she was distracted, the soldier dared to reach her paw in to touch Rue’s face. The enormous girl jerked away instinctively, as if she had been struck. Her expression was suspicious of the other’s intentions.

Had her king sent the wolfess? Could more punishments be prescribed now that Rue was trapped there?

The soldier asked what she had done wrong, and Rue was quiet as her pounding head attempted to find words to describe… It wasn’t this wolfess individually – it wasn’t any single one of them, they were simply pawns of someone who thought themselves more powerful than the rest. ”You fight for that king,” the wolf spat with overt disdain for the monarch.

”And none – none of you have power of me,” she insisted in a quieter voice, still defiant, even though her words were clearly not true anymore. Maybe they had never been true, and the king was as powerful as his followers believed…



@Sif

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

SIF ASGAUT

Height jokes hardly affected her, it wasn’t like it was anything new to her so she hardly reacted to the girl behind the cell, only offering a shrug. “Easier to maintain than being a hippo, hardly has to do with me being your elder though,” she stated indifferently, finding it nicer to not have to eat as much when she actually felt like eating. Not that she really ever did, stress and hunger often countering each other and stress usually won in most instances. Probably why she remained so small in the first place, malnutrition after she lost her whole family and never really having gotten an appetite since, besides the occasional drug or drowning of alcohol to numb her for a few hours or allow her dreams to be empty instead of nightmares.

When the young one jerks away, she wouldn’t push it any further, knowing what it was like to not want to be touched and in that sense perhaps she should have asked. “Sorry,” she stated if only on impulse, feeling like maybe just leaving would be the better option at this point. She certainly preferred to be alone and who knows when this cellmate was going to awaken to disturb that further. Her head tilted just a little at the other stranger in the pen, honestly not even sure if the woman was sleeping, not that it really mattered. There was no such thing as privacy in this place.

However, she wouldn’t pull away in time to hear an answer, her head turning to her again but with little surprise, only annoyance. Her tail nearly thrashed but she managed to calm it before it could. “I served under him, yes, but not all soldiers fight for him, that is a fool’s belief. Some are forced into the position; others serve only to help the civilians and others just join to survive. That protest shows it wasn't just that the King was the problem, civilians not connected were pulled into it that never should have been. War does the same. Everyone involved is at fault for putting innocents at risk. You and I both. If, say: you have a brother and he kills someone, should I blame you for it even though you aren’t him but simply share his blood?” her lip curled only slightly though it would not peel back enough to be considered a snarl.

“Your logic is flawed. The world is not so black and white, it's entirely gray. You seem to be fine now; I recommend you rest a bit more. I hope your trial is just. I won’t deny there are some in the system that abuse their power over others, that’s why I’m here to ensure they don't,” she stated, drawing away from the bars, having no further interest to converse with the giant any further. Her socializing meter having depleted tenfold talking so much.

-sif exits unless given a good enough reason to stop-
Am I Beautiful As I Tear You To Pieces

table by rae - image by Lunicea

In

truth, the two wolves standing on opposite sides of the cage were not so different. Both had come from tragic beginnings, losing their families, enduring the necessity of survival when all else has been lost. But they were different wolves who had made very different choices. One was free, the other not.

Hippo? Her blood-red eyes grew wider in disbelief – she had been called a great many things, but never Hippo. But it seemed Rue’s words, few as they were, visibly agitated the small fae. The irritated woman then proceeded to lecture Rue about the workings of the army, but it was difficult for the younger wolf to make sense of every word uttered… on account of the massive concussion and all.

The older woman’s patience had been worn thin, and as she offered her final stern words, she disappeared back into the darkness that led back to the light. Back to freedom. Rue watched silently as the irritated little wolf vanished from view, uncertain what to feel. She was angry at the woman for existing out there – but then, no one else had bothered to see if Rue was even still alive after the fight. She doubted she could be heard as she grumbled: ”See ya, Tiny.”

The stranger’s sudden departure inspired a strange sort of sadness in the behemoth as the solitude crept in once more. The dark wolf’s head ached more than she thought possible, and the dizzy, falling sensation returned. Slowly, she lowered her massive form back to the cold dirt floor, black chin resting on her forepaws as she continued staring into the darkness.


[exit]



@Sif

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck