Not a good time to die

[Electus]

The ash-grey wolf could see brief flashes of the real world as he periodically regained consciousness. He could feel his lifeblood slipping away, he felt weary, wearier than anytime in his life. But during the moments he slipped away into the dark embrace of delirious sleep, he felt a familiar presence.

Mortil saw a wolf about the same size as he, except his eyes were a dark blood red and his fur was a lustrous coal black. Mortil looked at him, and spoke.

Well?[/color]

Umbra grinned half-heartedly. He's dead.[/color]

Mortil sighed. Couldn't be helped I guess. What about us?[/color]

Umbra shrugged. I cannot tell. I am a killer, not a healer. Why do you ask?[/color]

Mortil looked up at the expanse of black. I do not know. I suppose...I had planned to a bit more before I died.[/color]

Umbra laughed and stalked closer until he and Mortil were face to face. I doubt our time in this world is done yet.[/color]

Mortil started to speak, but felt the blackness begin to recede again.

Do you fear death, Albireo?[/color]

Mortil slowly opened his single eye, and immediately groaned in pain. It felt like his entire body was on fire, and he felt sticky pools of blood beneath him. His vision was blurry, and he felt hot blood obstructing his vision slightly. "Nightblood...[/color] he said, his voice weak and hoarse, "What happened to...?[/color] he left it hanging.

[nightblood]

NightBlood's ears picked up a groan in the distance. Mortil was waking up. She quickened her pace and ran directly to him. She was tired and bruised, but uninjured from the battle. She had no doubt that the gray wolf was in pain, but was not concerned about his life at the moment. RavenShard was the best healer in the pack. No wolf would die under her care.

"Nightblood..." he said, his voice weak and hoarse, "What happened to...?"

"I placed Ultionis's body on the border near Sallin," she answered as the Sentry entered the clearing from behind him, "Mordecai has gone to summon one of the healers. I hope it's RavenShard. I'm in no mood to deal with Cota at the moment."

Night looked down on the gray colored wolf, concerned for his injuries. Patches of red stained his fur and blood still dripped from every wound. She approached his face and found that his vision was compromised. Blood dripped into his eyes from the top of his head. She knew that it was better to clean wounds with water, but the last thing Mortil needed was coagulating blood in his good eye.

Leaning down, NightBlood attempted to lick the blood away from both eyes. It wasn't like Mortil was in any state to object, but Umbra might have a say in it.

The Sentry looked over the wolf and saw that blood was pooling around his front half. Remembering his most recent wound, she sighed and laid down beside him.

"I hope Umbra had fun," she said with a slight smile on her face.

[Blackfeathr]

Mordecai was completely, unbelievably wrong.

He had journeyed some ways away to find this apparently off-kilter healer, thinking to himself NightBlood was just pulling his leg. No wolf accepted into Arnlan would dare make even a silly face.

But he was completely, unquestionably wrong.

He'd found RavenShard sitting in a tree, conversing with owls. She was chatting away in an tongue unknown to him, and he couldn't seem to get her attention away from the creatures. Mordecai had grown anxious and fearful of Mortil slowly dying, so he stood on his back legs and shook the tree. The mad healer lost balance and fell, toppling on to him.

She looked at him and said something he cant remember with hindsight, something about drowning turkeys after midnight. He shook off the confusion and summoned her to care for the wounded. She agreed.
---

Mordecai trudged on through the woods, trying to retrace his steps as RavenShard bounced merrily behind him. Every now and again he'd be forced to stop to watch her scrutinize plants and pluck them from the ground, and tuck them in her little knapsack.
He did not argue with her frequent stops, one or all of these plants could possibly be used to save Mortilitas Umbra's life.


"Hmm... this one looks good... yes I'll take that one. Ohhh if only I had those... but they mature in the spring... I wonder... I wonder... do the stars in the skies have fire in their eyes..."

Mordecai continued looking for his tracks but found himself making a strange face at what RavenShard was saying. He'd finally had enough of this curiousity.
"What are you talking about?" He asked.

Raven looked at him as though he were seeing him for the first time.
"'Scuse me sir, I was answering your questions on what isle the Brutes of Sam Hain live. They cut the heads off of chickens and allow them to share their knowledge with the Amazonians."
Mordecai stopped in his tracks, staring blankly at Raven, who smiled dazedly back at him.

"Kay, thanks. That cleared everything up for me."
---

Mordecai grew more and more anxious as time wore on. Minutes seemed like an eternity. He could not find his tracks, or smell any sign of blood... or any other wolf for that matter.

"Geez Mister Mordecai, can we speed it up? The smell of blood is really getting to me."

Mordecai whipped around to face Raven, who smiled and waved with her paw.

"Can I help you sir?"

"You could smell blood the whole time?"

"Yessir."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why didnt you ask?"

Mordecai slapped a paw to his forehead, sighing. At least they were getting somewhere. "Just lead the way, RavenShard."

"KAY!" RavenShard shouted, nearly leaping over Mordecai and trotting ahead, singing.

"On mules, we find two legs behind, and two we find before.
We stand behind before we find what the two behind be for.
When we're behind the two behind, we find what they be for.
So stand before the two behind, behind the two before."

It was within minutes that RavenShard found the site of Mortil and NightBlood. Her cheery humming ceased completely once she seen the state of the ash-grey wolf laying in his own blood.

RavenShard approached Mortilitas Umbra in silence. Her jaw hung slightly open. A smoky black raven landed on a high branch soundlessly.

Mordecai sat beside Mortil, watching Raven close in and place a paw upon him.
She scrutinized his features closely, her eyes shining with insanity. You could almost see behind them the cogs beginning to spin and her mind picking up speed.
And then, suddenly, out of nowhere, a pink tongue slid out and she drug it across his cheek, giving him a slobbery wet kiss.
"Mr. Mortil, sir, what have you been up to, you sly boots? Running off with the tapirs again? No more outside priveledges for you young man!" She looked at Mortil as if furious, if not for her eyes, sparkling with insanity, giving it all away.

She wanted to keep his mind off of his injuries... coming in and gasping and crying all over the place would just worry him and make his healing worse. Sometimes, laughter is the best medicine. However...
She looked to NightBlood, mad eyes now placid, searching for answers. What had happened to this poor fellow?

[Electus]

"I hope Umbra had fun"

Mortil smiled weakly. "Fun enough." He coughed violently, and his frame shook as he did. "By the gods... he whispered. "I think I'm going insane... He hissed in pain as Nightblood started to lick the blood obscuring his vision away, but he bore it, because he really didn't want to be blind. "Thank you, NightBlood," he said quietly, wincing as he tried to shift his weight.

He soon heard rather than saw a familiar face.

"Mr. Mortil, sir, what have you been up to, you sly boots? Running off with the tapirs again? No more outside privileges for you young man!"

He rolled his single eye slightly and spoke. "Spare me, please." he said wearily. He felt his vision blur slightly, and he felt his grip on reality start to dissolve. As he slowly spiraled into unconsciousness again, he whispered a single word that sounded like a name more than the actual meaning.

"Revolution..."

(( Oh dear, he's getting delirious.))

[nightblood]

NightBlood wagged her tail as the pair of Arnlanians came out of the shadows. "Well done, Mordecai."

Her mood swiftly turned to that of strict business. Blood looked at RavenShard, their eyes locking for a split second.

"We had an intruder. Mortilitas Umbra fought bravely in the battle against him-"

"Revolution..."

At that word, NightBlood immediately thought that it had been Umbra to say it. But there was no coldness in the voice. It was Mortil. She could see by the look on his face that he was slipping out of consciousness. She glanced at RavenShard, silenty begging her to say everything would be alright. She didn't want to loose a friend, not so soon after ShadeBlood's death. She didn't know if she'd be able to handle it quite as well.

A thought drifted into her mind after a moment. When one was unconscious, could the other take over? She cringed at the thought of Umbra attacking RavenShard out of shear intense pain. But perhaps he would be more willing, after all, they were only trying to help.

[Blackfeathr]

"Well done, Mordecai."
Mordecai smiled earnestly at NightBlood, easing closer to Mortilitas Umbra to have a closer look at the injuries. He would have no idea how to heal them; he hoped this mad wolf knew what she was doing.

"We had an intruder. Mortilitas Umbra fought bravely in the battle against him-"

"Revolution..."

Raven pursed her lips, scrunching her face as if to see something far away.
"Oh, my dear sir, you are going under." RavenShard said softly, but matter-of-factly, touching Mortilitas's cheek with one maroon-colored paw.

"Righty-o then!" She turned on a heel, facing the two wolves before her, "We need to get him to a creek. Flooooowwwing water..." she made wavy movements with her paws, "...will stifle bloodflow and keep him hydrated. Cant have him laying in his own blood, he needs to be cleaned up before healing, yes yes yes."
She wasnt too familiar with Arnlan yet, so she'd hope that these other two would know where some water was. The raven, still sitting on the nearby tree branch, eyed her beadily.


---

Mordecai, hearing RavenShards orders, nodded. It was better to get Mortilitas cleaned up before he could be healed. When looking at the ash grey wolf, he was not able to see many open wounds because of the blood caked on his fur.

A creek... a creek... he could have sworn he seen one coming in... and he came in from the southeast corridor... so thats probably where it would be, but he wasn't sure. He and NightBlood would support Mortilitas Umbra of course, so he looked to her expectantly, ready to move when she did.

[Electus]

Mortil heard flashes of the conversation as he drifted in the heated blur that was delirium. He was borderline between blacking out and trying to keep awake, but that was a losing battle. A creek? There was a creek where he and Nightblood had met the river otter, Will, he thought whimsically. Why don't they go there? He muttered unintelligible words, a blur of stumbled memories that were no longer held back behind iron walls of reserve.

"No...father, you...can't die. Umbra! Damn you..."[/b]

He groaned, shivering. He felt so cold...so...cold.

"Archer...I'll kill you...if you even...think about hurting...Revolution..."

He didn't want to die yet...no, not yet. He couldn't.

"Ultionis, please...I didn't do this..."[/b]

He felt stiff, tired, he wanted to sleep...why couldn't he just sleep?

[nightblood]

"No...father, you...can't die. Umbra! Damn you..."

Blood's ears pulled back at this dark statement. She had heard Mortil's story before. Perhaps he was reliving his history as he drifted in and out of consciousness.

"Archer...I'll kill you...if you even...think about hurting...Revolution..."

With a snarling bark, the Sentry jumped up and backed away from the gray wolf. He had seen Archer before Arnlan, of that she knew. It caused tension between them. But she hadn't realized he had tried to hurt someone dear to Mortil. Perhaps she would have never taken him as a mate if she had known exactly what had happened. She made a mental note to ask the gray male about this later.

"Ultionis, please...I didn't do this..."

Another growl bellowed from NightBlood, but she reminded herself that Motil had gotten revenge. And she had gotten to rip the wolf's head off. Her only regret was that he hadn't been alive to experience the pain.

"Righty-o then!" RavenShard turned on a heel to face them, "We need to get him to a creek. Flooooowwwing water..." she made wavy movements with her paws, "...will stifle bloodflow and keep him hydrated. Cant have him laying in his own blood, he needs to be cleaned up before healing, yes yes yes."

Again, Blood looked to the injured Mortil, then to Mordecai. Instinctively, she knew that she would be the one to carry the gray wolf. She nodded, then lowered her head to Mortil's face. She licked one last drop of blood from his cheek before laying down beside him. She had carried a wolf before, but not one as injured as this one. She could not get him onto her back without causing him more pain. The other two would be able to lift him onto her in a more painless manner. She looked up at them, expecting them to debate on how best to move their injured comrade.

[Blackfeathr]

Mordecai bit his bottom lip, mind racing as NightBlood looked up at him expectantly.
"Well..." he began, the word ending in a sigh, "'ere... I can nudge him up on my back... can yeh help me get 'im up nice and steady there?"

Mortilitas looked light, so he shouldn't be too hard on his back.

RavenShard watched in silence, until a burst of insight seemed to light up her eyes. She looked to the raven, still sitting in the tree, eyeing her beadily. She gave a hoarse rasp of a squawk. The raven stuck its head up, and paused. Then, but with a brushing of feathers, it flew off. She waited, staring at the trees for its return.

((Short buh))

[Electus]

Sleep, Albireo...

"'ere... I can nudge him up on my back... can yeh help me get 'im up nice and steady there?"

Umbra snapped open one bloodshot eye, impatient. "Do it already, damnit!"[/color] the killer snarled, snapping his jaws impatiently.

The ash-grey wolf lay perfectly still, not even daring to move. "Hurry, I'm light enough. I do not plan to die so early. Move! Have you all forgotten how to breath and function?"[/color] the killer's cold voice seemed to shatter the solemn air. Forget that, he wanted to live, for the love of the gods!

[nightblood]

"Hurry, I'm light enough. I do not plan to die so early. Move! Have you all forgotten how to breath and function?"

NightBlood jumped when Umbra began to speak. Her tolerance quickly evaporated. She'd shown compassion for the the gray wolf and all he could do was bark orders. She knew it was the way he was, but that didn't mean she had to like him for it.

"Aw, fuck you, Umbra!" she growled as she approached him, taking him up in her jaws by the back of his neck. She pulled on him roughly, but was gentle enough to not make the wound on his chest bigger. Using all the strength she could muster, she lifted his body high in the air and proceeded to drop him on top of Mordecai. As long as the Irish didn't move from where he was, she should be successful in placing the mangled fighter in a comfortable position.

"You're lucky Mortil's a friend of mine."

[Blackfeathr]

"Hurry, I'm light enough. I do not plan to die so early. Move! Have you all forgotten how to breath and function?"

"Aw, fuck you, Umbra! You're lucky Mortil's a friend of mine."

"Shut up, Umbra." Mordecai snarled over his shoulder, grunting as the weight was thrown carelessly on his back by NightBlood.
He was on good terms with Mortil... but Umbra, he still could not trust. They were trying to help, after all! If he was so impatient, let them just drop him on the ground here and now and let him survive!

Mordecai rid his head of such horrible thoughts... he would help Umbra, even if he was a pain in the ass.
---

RavenShard stared at the spectacle distractedly, expressing dismay when NightBlood cursed at Umbra. She tutted at the both of them, not noticing the raven perched atop her head until it pecked at her forehead. She looked up, crosseyed, and made a raspy lowing sound. It took flight and began to head southwest. She followed it, looking back at the group.

"C'mon me larkies! Water flows this way away! Onward and upward, Sirs and Madam's of Wolven of Arnlan!"
She bounded happily after the raven, spinning and chasing her tail as she ran.

Mordecai heaved a great sigh and followed the Sage, trying to keep in step with her erratic movements but making sure Umbra was correctly balanced on his back.

In no time they found the creek, with the raven perched on a near branch. RavenShard sat by the bank, waiting quite impatiently for the rest of the party to arrive.

[Electus]

"Aw, fuck you, Umbra! You're lucky Mortil's a friend of mine."

Umbra snarled viciously. "And you are lucky dear Albireo is a pack member. Otherwise...oh never mind. The point is moot. Let us be civil...hm?"

He laughed, the sound chilling and mechanical. "Hmm...Nightblood." The killer's voice was deadly serious this time, something rare. "What is your opinion of Albireo? The truth now."

Umbra looked at Nightblood, his eye locking with hers. "Your opinion means very much to him, you know."

[nightblood]

"Let us be civil...hm?"

NightBlood snorted at the statement, but kept moving nonetheless. She wasn't going to pick a fight with Umbra. She'd seen what he could do. Even to pack mates.

"Hmm...Nightblood." The killer's voice was deadly serious this time, something rare. "What is your opinion of Albireo? The truth now."

Blood turned to him, staring him in the eye. What was his game this time? His voice wasn't a joking one, but the question that left his lips seemed to be something a young adolescent would ask a friend.

"Your opinion means very much to him, you know."

It took a moment for Night to come up with an answer. She hadn't really ever thought about it. Sure, her opinion of him had changed since he'd joined the pack, but is couldn't be all that important. Or was there something else?

NightBlood took a moment to search her feelings of the ash gray wolf. Both of them, for that matter. Mortil was kind and, in all honesty, had a good heart. Only once in a while did she get the inclination that he may have been influenced by Umbra's anger, but she could say this about herself as well. Her feelings of Umbra, on the other hand, were quite different. For some odd reason, he was the only wolf in Arnlan who she seemed eager to please, other than the Alphas. This was most likely because she wanted to keep him from flying off the handle.

All-in-all, she could never say who's presence she preferred to be in. She liked Mortil for his companionship and kindness. Being near Umbra, there always proved to be an interesting conversation or a good fight ahead. To be completely honest, she liked them both, even though Umbra could easily get on her nerves. And for some weird reason, she had enough patience to deal with him.

"I think he's a kind wolf and has dealt with his situation well," NightBlood stated, making it clear that 'situation' meant Umbra, "I enjoy his presence, as well as yours, and yes, I am quite fond of him..."

The Sentry took another moment to think this matter over. A phrase came to her mind that she had not thought of since ShadeBlood had died.

"I guess you could say that I think of him as a brother."

With that, NightBlood turned to face forward as they slowly came within sight of the river.

[Blackfeathr]

Mordecai could see the gently coursing river through the darkened trees. RavenShard was sitting at the bank, tapping her foot impatiently, looking upwards at some unknown branch dweller.

He pulled his ears back and picked up his pace down the slope to the bank, not really caring if Umbra protested from being jostled around. He was not in the mood for any more of Umbra's haughty remarks.

He arrived at the edge, greeted by Raven scrutinizing the weight on his back that was slowly starting to make his body ache.

"Can I let him down now..." Mordecai slowly turned to RavenShard tiredly. He really needed to start working out more. This wasnt much of a walk, and his back was already sore.

"Yeah, yeah, go on... gently..." RavenShards eyes were serious and somber, watching this ash grey blood-mottled form slowly rest on the bank of the river. This was a shallow bank, and Raven used her nose to push Umbra slightly closer, allowing his paws to dip into the cool water.

Since she couldn't just throw Umbra in, she jumped in the water herself, shivering at the cold liquid biting through her fur onto her skin. Opening her mouth, she drew in as much water as she could, filling her cheeks completely as she stepped back onto the bank, sopping wet and cold.
She let the water trickle out of her mouth over the gash on Umbras left side. Most of the blood, still fresh, seeped away and dissolved out of sight into the earth. She could see the wound more clearly. It didnt look good at all.
The raven that was silently watching them from a high branch gave a rasp of indignance, catching Ravens attention. She realized she held the bird here for a reason, and addressed him.
"Gaagii," she started to say, in an voice unnaturally deep for her, then started to make a set of rasping, choking noises. She drug her wet paw in across the earth, marking a muddy path of some sort. The raven followed the path she made with one beady eye. Then, slowly nodding its head, flew off.
Sighing, she jumped back into the creek, and turned to face Umbra.

"Close your eyes." she said shortly, her temperment unlike her usual self.