23rd Trial of Cylus
Unknown Break
Arc 717
Unknown Break
Arc 717
The drunkard had gone, his forehead branded with his own poker, stumbling in the direction of what Alexa could only assume to be Krome. Without him there was naught but the crackling flames to fill the silence. Bodies riddled with her arrows but slain by her wolf's vengeful fangs laid about the hunting camp. Their blood was spilled upon the frosted earth, mixed in with disturbed clumps of snow that signaled their struggle upon the ground. The Burhan girl looked about the gory scene with sorrowful golden eyes. Here laid those that snares wolves and ripped pups from their dens to be poked and prodded with red-hot iron like cattle. Perhaps not all of them were sadistic, but they were complacent. Their willingness to laugh while their companions tortured a small animal had not been their ultimate punishment. Their trip to the afterlife came only when they unsheathed weapons and fired bolts at her. For that mistake Tala ensured they paid with their lives. These weren't good, pure men. So why did she feel guilty for playing a hand in their deserved demised?
Alexa wandered toward the caged pup where it shivered and whimpered in the cold Cylus breeze. "It's okay. No one will hurt you anymore," the Mixed Blood soothed as she crouched beside the confinement. The wolf was a harmless, brown fur ball. The fur beneath his eyes was tear-streaked and she could still smell singed fur from when he was burned with a hot poker bits before. "Hold on, we'll get you out of there." Alexa slipped her hand-axe from her belt and grasped it with two hands while she stood. She reached the weapon out and flipped it so the poll hovered over the wooden locking mechanism. She lifted the hand-axe over her head and brought it down with a sharp exhale. The poll smashed against the wood once, twice, a third before locking mechanism was splintered into useless bits. The cage door dropped and the pup whimpered at the far enough of its confinement. Alexa slipped her hand-axe back into her belt and crouched down again to peer inside.
"Come out, it's okay now. You're free," she coaxed to no avail. The pup remained in place, quaking. It was then that the black wolf approach at the Burhan girl's flank. Tala ducked her head to take a look at the pup for herself with her icy blue stare. Alexa edged away and the wolf leaned her head in with open jaws. Gently, Tala took the wolf cub by its scruff and backed out of the cage before she dropped it before Alexa in the snow. The black wolf's tongue lashed out a few times to soothe some of the pup's burns. "Let's see what we can do about those." Alexa dropped her bag and fished out her jar of honey. The pup made an attempt to scamper away, but Tala would gently guide it back toward Karem's favored each time. The Mixed Blood dipped her hand into the honey with one hand while the other daringly scooped the pup up. She cradled it against it chest, and though it whimpered and squirmed in her hold, it didn't seek to bare its little fangs upon her flesh.
Carefully, Alexa began to dab at the pup's burns with the honey to help keep it from getting infected. When she was finished she gently lowered the pup back down upon the ground. Yet the smell of honey this time kept it from making another escape. Instead the brown fur ball turned about to lick the sweet substance from her fingers like mad. "Poor thing is hungry." Tala's ears flickered and she sat down on her hindquarters. Her icy blue eyes rested upon the injured pup. "He needs his mother," the wolf stated firmly. Alexa's lips pursed at the fact. Her free hand rubbed the top of the pup's head while he continued to taste the honey. "How are we supposed to find his pack?" If Tala could laugh like a humanoid, she certainly would've in that moment. Instead she swished her tail and stood on all fours again. "Like this."
The black wolf lifted her head toward the sky and released into the twilight a long, loud howl that pierced the silence of the forest. When she was finished she lowered her head again with ears perked, icy blue eyes glancing around. Alexa's brow tightened. Nothing returned to their ears but the crackling of the flames. Tala wouldn't be so easily deterred. Another howl ripped from her throat to be carried on the breeze. An instinct in the pup sent his little howls up toward the sky, too, though they were far more squeaky and less powerful than Tala's. Suddenly a far-away reached their ears. Her brow shot up and she looked toward Tala. A few trills later the woods were alive with howls from some wolf pack, most of the calls sounding closer than others. "That's them. Pick up the pup." The black wolf began to trot and Alexa scrambled to put away her things, scoop up the wolf cub, and follow.
Alexa wandered toward the caged pup where it shivered and whimpered in the cold Cylus breeze. "It's okay. No one will hurt you anymore," the Mixed Blood soothed as she crouched beside the confinement. The wolf was a harmless, brown fur ball. The fur beneath his eyes was tear-streaked and she could still smell singed fur from when he was burned with a hot poker bits before. "Hold on, we'll get you out of there." Alexa slipped her hand-axe from her belt and grasped it with two hands while she stood. She reached the weapon out and flipped it so the poll hovered over the wooden locking mechanism. She lifted the hand-axe over her head and brought it down with a sharp exhale. The poll smashed against the wood once, twice, a third before locking mechanism was splintered into useless bits. The cage door dropped and the pup whimpered at the far enough of its confinement. Alexa slipped her hand-axe back into her belt and crouched down again to peer inside.
"Come out, it's okay now. You're free," she coaxed to no avail. The pup remained in place, quaking. It was then that the black wolf approach at the Burhan girl's flank. Tala ducked her head to take a look at the pup for herself with her icy blue stare. Alexa edged away and the wolf leaned her head in with open jaws. Gently, Tala took the wolf cub by its scruff and backed out of the cage before she dropped it before Alexa in the snow. The black wolf's tongue lashed out a few times to soothe some of the pup's burns. "Let's see what we can do about those." Alexa dropped her bag and fished out her jar of honey. The pup made an attempt to scamper away, but Tala would gently guide it back toward Karem's favored each time. The Mixed Blood dipped her hand into the honey with one hand while the other daringly scooped the pup up. She cradled it against it chest, and though it whimpered and squirmed in her hold, it didn't seek to bare its little fangs upon her flesh.
Carefully, Alexa began to dab at the pup's burns with the honey to help keep it from getting infected. When she was finished she gently lowered the pup back down upon the ground. Yet the smell of honey this time kept it from making another escape. Instead the brown fur ball turned about to lick the sweet substance from her fingers like mad. "Poor thing is hungry." Tala's ears flickered and she sat down on her hindquarters. Her icy blue eyes rested upon the injured pup. "He needs his mother," the wolf stated firmly. Alexa's lips pursed at the fact. Her free hand rubbed the top of the pup's head while he continued to taste the honey. "How are we supposed to find his pack?" If Tala could laugh like a humanoid, she certainly would've in that moment. Instead she swished her tail and stood on all fours again. "Like this."
The black wolf lifted her head toward the sky and released into the twilight a long, loud howl that pierced the silence of the forest. When she was finished she lowered her head again with ears perked, icy blue eyes glancing around. Alexa's brow tightened. Nothing returned to their ears but the crackling of the flames. Tala wouldn't be so easily deterred. Another howl ripped from her throat to be carried on the breeze. An instinct in the pup sent his little howls up toward the sky, too, though they were far more squeaky and less powerful than Tala's. Suddenly a far-away reached their ears. Her brow shot up and she looked toward Tala. A few trills later the woods were alive with howls from some wolf pack, most of the calls sounding closer than others. "That's them. Pick up the pup." The black wolf began to trot and Alexa scrambled to put away her things, scoop up the wolf cub, and follow.
