sleep now in the fire
the cost of my desire

misery breeds hunger. that's what he feels right now; hunger. something desperate and primal. darkness clouds his vision. it's a thudding ache that resonates within his skull; a dull and lingering sensation that feels like fog wrapped over the eyes. he feels multiple lacerations envelope his frame, the dried blood seeping through his worn muscles, pinning his flesh upon the fur-lined bed, mind devoured by frayed thoughts of delusionment and wrath.

darkness.

hunger.

riven eventually groans to wakefulness, propping himself up upon an elbow, feeling an intense soreness radiate all across his body. he's been patched up, but by whom? a weary grumble leaves his lips as he tries to focus his singular gaze upon the interior of the den. the air feels crisp here, clear; the smell of black earth and verdant foliage different to anything else he's ever smelt before. strange of all things, he cannot remember anything. an emptiness would ooze from him. a twisted calling, a fractured heart.

he mutters under his breath, cold and hungry; "where the fuck am i?" it's a low whisper of wolfish yearning. again, the headache pounds against his skull, throbbing and snarling with pain. he winces and shuts his eyelid over his winter gaze. hands desperately clutched against the tendrils of dishevelled hair.

@Icefang ♔ @Lathan

He had taken on the task of tending to the prisoner wounded lion, though he did it grudgingly, knowing it took him away from the time he spent staring at the Queen’s den, waiting for one of the five cubs (or multiple) to come wobbling out so he might sneak another look at them. He was rather surprised by the level of petty her grace had been able to show, he thought she would have been above such childishness, but clearly…he was wrong. He lay outside of the den, having vehemently refused to lick the blood from the mans fur. He had cleaned the wounds, but beyond that so that he could apply medicine…he hadn’t bothered. The man could bathe once he was able to walk (or he could groom himself, whichever). Impatiently, the man waited outside, ears perked and listening for the subtle sounds of movement within the den. When he heard it, he would chuff to the Queen to alert her before rising and grabbing the dead fox and bringing it to the mouth of the den and dropping it before partially entering the den. "Welcome back to the land of the living. Can you walk?" He rumbled, clearly not wanting to stay in the cramped quarters, hauling his ass into it had been a pain. "Lunch is outside." With that, he backed out of the den and returned to waiting. He didn’t mention how the fox had met its demise, but if the man was observant, he would note that there were no wounds, though it would appear to have a broken limb. "Speech." @Icefang ♔ @Revin

Art by Rabbit and code by Shazaki

On any other night, she might of considered ignoring @Lathan's beckons and sending a servant to relay whatever message he had for her, but Icefang knew that there was one thing she could count on him for and that was his ability to conduct and stay focused on business. So, when she does hear his request for her attention, she tucks their children into the bundle of pelts in her den to conceal them and then steps out and heads towards the den he had picked for @Riven. Once she gets there, she can smell the dead fox and sees Lathan peering into the den seemingly waiting for a response or movement from within. She guessed it was unlikely their newest mouth to feed would be walking confidently anytime soon, she expected he might of broken a bone or two from his rough fall. Carefully, she treads closer rubbing her left side against the back of Lathan's hind legs. A united front, or so she would make it seem as she lingers on his right side two steps behind as she now also peers inside. In the event that their patient attempted to charge them, she would use the noble as a shield. Even if they were practically restraining themselves from ripping out each other's throats, the entitlement at Icefang's icy core expected him to have the desire to protect his queen and mother of his children with his life. At least while the cubs still needed her.

This was the first in a while that she had allowed direct contact between herself and the larger male, but where there was once a desire that grew within her loins at his touch, now there was a stale hollowness. She feels nothing except for the beginning burn of anger that she forces herself to swallow down as she adopts her regal composure. "How are you feeling?" She hums to the foreign red male that has grasped all their attention. She had missed his initial question on her walk over here, but expects to be bombarded with a list of them as soon as he opened his one eye to peer at his captors saviors.

art ♥ code

sleep now in the fire
the cost of my desire

dried blood envelopes toned muscles, the dark red blending almost seamlessly through his thick, crimson fur. his bright burning blue eye would scan the scene ahead of him, around him; noting with an icy silence, as @Lathan appears by the mouth of the den offering soft words of greeting and a generous meal.

a singular ear flicks forward upon riven's skull, curving to catch that rough tenor, but it is with a blank stare that riven returns lathan's look, his blue eye flashing in the darkness of the den. riven tilts his head slowly to one side, a cautious gaze settling upon his angular, wolfish features, watching with keen observation as the ashen stranger would finally leave.

unfamiliar, everything feels and smells unfamiliar, but when has he ever recalled anything? riven does not even remember his name, or where he had come from. another piercing throb ingites his skull, spiraling inward and stabbing the winter soldier behind the eye. it almost forces a groan of pain from the soldier's lips, but riven bites down harshly, almost drawing blood into his mouth as he slips his fingers through his dark hair and massages his skull. and then, to his surprise, another would appear. the pale-skinned woman looks a little haggard with all her scars, but her face appears icy and beautiful, her voice sliding forth and oozing with a graceful sort of conviction.

"i feel like shit." riven would respond to @Icefang ♔, his voice cold, dark and jaded; their blue eyes touching with a brumal severity, twin winter moons peering at the back of their skulls. riven remains quiet for a few seconds longer, he glimpses down upon his form, noting the numerous scars and the bandages that wrapped for his muscled frame. did they do this? did they heal him? he is feeling grateful, but at the same time, he can barely make sense of what has happened to him.

"what happened to me? where am i? who are you?" his rough voice is pushed out all guttural and rushed, wolfish tenor twisting against the curve of his fangs as he fixes the woman with an intense stare. that slithering wrath settles at the soldier's core, twisting and fraying his swollen nerves, but riven outwardly appears icy, detached, calm. he needed answers, and at the very least, he could show his subtle gratitude by remaining composed.

She came, as he expected, but what he did not expect was for her side to press against his hind leg. The contact causing his muscles to twitch. What was she playing at? He did not shift his gaze to her own, merely offered a whack of his thick tail at her flank. From the front they could appear united, but hidden outside the den, they could quarrel. The Queen would ask how he was feeling and Lathan would wait for a response, he doubted the man felt very well but it was not polite to issue snarky remarks, so he would keep them to himself. The prisoners words would come and he would smile ever so slightly. The cold, jaded voice was amusing, but he expected the man to feel such a way. He wouldn’t miraculously be healed and feeling like shit was part of the healing process. After a few moments the man would speak, asking the questions. His vocals rough, his blue eye fixed on Icefang. Clearly the questions weren’t for him. "I will get your medicine prepared…" He trailed, excusing himself from the immediate space but not going far. He’d brought a lot of his stores here to care for the beast. Thus, as he backed up he would brush against Icefang in a similar manner she had done to him. Stepping to the side so that he could mix together a remedy for what he would imagine was a terrible head pain and to help him sleep again. The assassin would dig in his nearest pouch, the one that had healing herbs and would dig out two very different looking roots and bring them to the mouth of the den where he waited with ears pointed forward, listening to whatever lies Icefang was telling him conversation they were having. @Icefang ♔ @Riven "Speech."

Art by Rabbit and code by Shazaki

@Lathan's tail smack on her flank causes the quietest of rumbles to pierce her friendly, concerned exterior. She cannot see him from her left side, but inwardly she is cursing him. Fuck you. If she wasn't such an attentive host she might of been triggered to remind him how much she missed having him beneath her. If only to properly remind him of his place under her rule and in the bedroom. @Riven's rough words pull her thoughts away from fulfilling her dark desires upon Lathan, a frown faked with concern gracing her features. She figured he felt that way considering how hard of a fall he had taken. Then she is hit with the questions and Icefang's blue eye gleams. Ah, this is what she was waiting for.

"I am Icefang X'uekai," she tells him as her noble brushes off against her to go retrieve a medicine for the blood stained male. "You are in Vermeda Brook, my kingdom. I saved you," she tells him though for now she wouldn't probe too hard on the details of how exactly she had found or saved him. She wished to probe into what he could recall first. "What is your name?" Her right eye flickers to Lathan as he reappears, this time on her good side to provide two roots at the entrance of the den. "Lathan," her voice is disapproving, a small tut accompanying her words as if she is scolding a child. "Please tell our friend here what it is you are trying to give him. The poor man might think you are trying to poison him." More importantly, inform him and her as to what he was providing. It hadn't missed Icefang's analytical gaze that despite the bandaging he had performed on her newest toy, he had failed to remove the crusted blood from his pelt. Perhaps she would do it herself once Riven was up and moving.

"Excuse my noble," she rumbles her skull dipping to nudge the dead fox forward and deeper into the den, nearly brushing against Riven's paws. "You should eat. It will help." Though her words are more commanding than suggestive as she considers what exactly she planned to do with him.

art ♥ code

Vicariously, I live
while the whole world dies

his head continues to throb - a piercing pain, that riven hides moderately well. as he is slightly propped up upon an elbow, he can feel the blood seeping into his bandages, soaking through the fabric with all that thick crimson as he tries his best to remain seated somewhat upright. he can feel the soreness radiate across his ribcage, the stabbing sensation of falling upon jagged rocks still rocking him through the core with their excruciating memory. everywhere hurts, painfully aches. his dark hair falls over his rugged face, barbaric features laced in ruin and shadow.

his jaded blue eye wearily - yet sharply - trails the bustling form of @Lathan, watching as the slim, charcoal-hued man busied himself around the den. riven merely nods towards the man's words, a subtle inclination of his bearish skull signifying that he understood. when her voice finally comes, almost purring with authority, there is an elegance to @Icefang ♔'s tone - a sharp, nearly morbid brand of clarity laced with what riven could only assume as royalty. she carried herself with purpose, the shadows of the den swathing against the slender curvature of her ice-white frame as she loomed ever closer, a queen of ice and wrath.

he could see the scars wracked across her body,

he could see the lines and the cuts and the singular, milky eye that danced along her battle-born features. she offers her a name, and riven fixes his ice-blue eye upon the brumal features of icefang. more words would tumble from the older woman's mouth: 'vermada brook, my kingdom, i saved you.' he pieces everything slowly together, but his mind is still screaming, his body still begging to be healed, and he has to bite down on that immense, throbbing pain. holding icefang's gaze, riven would fall into a frigid stillness. the ice would emanate from the brutal core of him, the tightness of his lips lifted in a silent scowl. riven remains otherwise silent, nodding almost absently.

when riven finally speaks, it is with a jaded and dull tone. "i don't remember my name." he murmurs quietly, feeling the breeze from outside whisk through the den, stirring the silken tendrils of crimson against his face.

after that, more words were strung out, before a dinner is finally offered, to which riven's eyes would slightly widen with blatant curiosity. normally, riven would have declined the offer, had he been within the mountains of illyria, hunting. but he hadn't eaten in days, and he was starving. with a quick motion, a rugged hand darts forward and he would seize the fox as it is pushed towards him; greedily tearing into its flesh with a famished hunger. he was starving - he was hungry. but this was a start, a start to his new life in vermada.

The Queen would answer the confused man’s questions, painting them as saviors rather than captors. His attention was on the captive patient while she spoke, watching his expressions as she told him her version of things. He noted how the males single eye roamed over his Queens form, taking her in. Perhaps noting her scars. It did not bother him. Or at least, that’s what he told himself. Flicking an ear dismissively at the sight. As Icefang continued he noted the change in the patient, a scowl and a rather unpleasant look in that single eye. Lathan shifted, if only to draw the mans attention to himself. Icefang was formidable - no one questioned that…but the assassin was often forgotten due to his healing abilities. He could kill just as easily and with more pain to the victim. Angering or attacking the Queen would do him no favors here. Finally the man would speak, stating he did not remember his name. Icefang would bid the assassin to speak of the herbs he was offering the man. She didn’t want him to think they were trying to poison him. His sharp gaze shifted to her blinking innocently before he turned to the male who ravenously took the fox he had poisoned and offered as a meal. Fantastic. Maybe he would die and this charade could be done with. He caught the words Icefang had said, excuse her noble. He hid the smirk that pulled at his lips. Lathan sat the herbs next to the man gently before taking a step back. "This is Usnea root, it's bitter but will help with your pain and help with healing any internal wounds." He gestured to the other root. "This is valerian, it tastes like shit, but it will help you sleep so your body can heal." He hesitated. "I recommend eating them while eating the fox, cuts down on the bitter flavor." He turned to Icefang, "I’ll go and get something to pack his wounds today to stave off infection. Now that he is awake, he can move himself to make that easier." He gave her his plan, but he had no intention of licking the man clean, he could groom himself. He would clean the wounds- nothing more. @Icefang ♔ @Riven "Speech."

Art by Rabbit and code by Shazaki

She allows @Riven to analyze her, the queen speaking of what has occurred though she keeps her details limited. Her eye meets @Lathan when she comments and scolds about his lack of explanation, though she is shifting her attention back to their patient when he greedily consumes the fox. She is unaware of its condition, but any symptoms that will overcome the beast will likely happen later when she is not around.

i don't remember my name.

An ear flicks forward, pleased that it seems he recalls absolutely nothing. A clean slate. Perfection bundled in that massive, muscular body. Just how she loved them. "Ah, that will not do," she rumbles considering the plethora of names that come to mind. It would be too drab and predictable to name him after his color or size. No, she was more creative than that. Her skull pivots to follow a crow that caws from above, landing into a tree nearby with another loud, obnoxious cry. There it was. The sign she needed. "I shall name you Crow," she tells Riven, blue eye checking for any indication of his feelings on the matter. Though as his new queen it is decided and she will not allow a protest.

With Lathan's plan of action, she nods and gives him an approving rumble. "I will check in on you later, Crow" and with that she would turn and leave entrusting the healing beast into Lathan's care.

/exit

art ♥ code