tales of the wounded -- ! [NASHIRA/CLOSED]

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It had been some time since the battle with the bears. Two dead, the others driven out from fear of more bloodshed. The Oriens were peaceful once again, though Amar had suffered its own losses. Kyros was dead and the rest of them bore injury in some form or another. Hadrian himself was suffering from cracked ribs and a slash to his front shoulder. It wouldn't have been so bad if the scars had not started scabbing over. Though he treated himself regularly with the various plants, the scab pulled at his skin and it itched something awful. His shoulder constantly felt tight and it took effort to walk without a noticeable limp. The Mexican male was a proud brute though, and he refused to show how much his aging body was truly suffering.

That's what had brought him to Nyspoli's Pool. The clear waters of the lake would do his some good. He would be able to bathe and hopefully loosen up some of the dried blood. Sure the water would be cold (it was not the hot springs that the wolves in Kamari were lucky to enjoy), but it would have to do. Stepping up to the water's shores, he dipped his head for a drink before looking around. A part of him wondered if he would find Lynker resting here again, or maybe Curse, the only bear offered sanctuary within Amar's borders. Lynker was a strange wolf, that was for certain. It seemed the other male liked to keep a small zoo as his entourage, though Hadrian himself was beginning to understand the comforts of having friends of a different species. It was a known fact that Paisley the raccoon was up in the treetops around the lake someplace, watching over him like she had taken to doing.

Content despite the fact that it seemed no one of his pack was around, Hadrian gave in to a rare whim. He let out a deep sigh and allowed his body to relax. His ribs ached with bruising and his shoulder groaned in protest. And for the first time since he had assisted his pack in bringing down the bears, he let his face show pain. His eyes squeezed shut tight, teeth gritted together as slowly he forced his body forward. The water was indeed cold; the wound of his shoulder stung as the cool liquid lapped at his body. It had to be done though. His shoulder needed to loosen up and it wasn't going to happen if he kept letting it air out.

Finally fully submerged, the Mexican male let out a groan as his body adjusted to the chilly water. With dense rain clouds overhead there wasn't much chance of the sun peeking through any time soon. He would simply have to wait it out. And it was true that the longer he kept himself submerged, laying down against the sand with only his head above water, the more his body adjusted to the temperature. After a while the water felt almost pleasant. It had been some time since Hadrian had had the chance to appreciate his new homeland. Now, with his guard down and his wounds tended to for the time being, he could do just that. And as he lay there, staring up at the lake's shore, he couldn't help smiling at how wonderful his new home truly was.

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The territory spread before this femme was foreign; yet she minded not. Her focus was still set upon a goal with unforeseeable results. As the rain clouds loomed overhead, growing ever more threatening, the Mexican femme continued on her adventure forward. For an unknown reason the female made drive towards Nyspoli's Pool, although she did not know its specific name, perhaps it was due to her overwhelming underlying thirst. Either way, it would give her a temporary opportunity to relax and quench the overwhelming dehydration that had begun to consume her. Traveling was getting a bit weary, simply for the fact that there had been not a single breakthrough on her search. One wolf said this, another rumor said that; yet it all turned out the same, nothing. It caused anger to flare up within the femme, but her mindset never wavered. After all, what other purpose did she have at the moment?

Paws trotted lightly over the ground whilst her tail swung loosely behind her. The stance of Nashira was not what one would call submissive, especially not for her being aware that she was within pack lands. 'I am not harming anyone, there is no reason for me to worry,' a smile curled up her lips. It was quite unlikely that she would be worrying, after all a fight was never unwelcome on her end. The female did not seek out a quarrel, but when one came her way it never got turned down. It was simply her way, how was she supposed to prevent herself from beating on another? Truth be told, they had initiated it, which meant that all blame would be raised from her shoulders. Thus, wandering through another's territory bothered her not, and that is not even to mention the female's honesty. Nashira was not one to lie, if an Alpha stumbled across her and inquired about her reasons to be upon his land; well, the femme would tell him. She was quite prideful about her mission, and there was absolutely no reason for her not to be.

At last, the female noticed the pool glimmering before her brown eyes. A playful laugh escaped her lips, but the female stopped it angrily. 'That is not permitted,' mentally scolding herself, the female focused her mind on the pool. Was there a wolf within it? The female had superb eye-sight, yet at first did not believe what came into view. It appeared that a wolf of similar species to herself was relaxing within the water, Nashira was quite frustrated with this. 'I made it this far without running into a creature that was going to slow me down or attempt to drive me from their territory.' A low growl rumbled within her, but that too dissipated before her steps continued to bring her closer to the pool. She felt no nervousness, no fear, only the drive to avoid being distracted from her plan. It seemed that locating this war lord and her father had become quite a life goal.

Her movement was a bit more stiff upon approaching the pool and the gaze she had cast towards the brute was stern. She gave off no extreme disrespect, simply remained quite stoic in expression. Her orbs seemed to be the only piece of her that would reflect even a single ounce of what could be running through her mind. However proper the female was had temporarily failed her, she knew not what to do. 'Do I greet this brute or drink my fill of water first?' The thirst within her had grown rather great, yet she wished to not intentionally antagonize this new wolf. At last a decision had arose within her mind.

Her head bowed slowly towards the brute, her gaze hardly drifting from his face, "Greetings, sir." The femme was intrigued by this other creature, for she had not seen a wolf on this new land that looked similar to her. There were many different sizes and shapes of creatures out here, and it seemed that many of the wolves were larger than herself. Gently the femme lowered her head to the water and took a few quick laps at it. The brute before her did not seem in the mood to attack, although she did not realize that he was within the cool liquid to aid his wounds.

OoC| Meh, I feel like this one isn't very good >>

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Hadrian did not hear the approach of another until it was much too late. Agitatedly he flicked his left ear, hoping upon hope that finally he would hear even one ounce of sound. And yet, no matter how hard he tried there was consistently nothing. Not even a faint ringing plagued him. The ear was as useless as a pup that had yet to open its eyes and the old injury frustrated him to no end. Had both ears been working he would have heard the female's approach long before he had seen her. Instead he had not noticed until she was clear upon the shore.

"This is Amar territory, stranger," he returned at her greeting. With some effort he hoisted himself up onto all fours. Though his shoulder ached he dare not show weakness in front of one so... reckless. Water rolling off his coat, droplets dripped from his chin and made small ripples in the water as finally he moved towards shore. "The alpha will not be pleased you made it this far into the territory unannounced." Hadrian knew better than anyone how important it was to be on guard. His rare moment of peace had been shattered with this stranger's arrival and his body and mind were settling into the old warrior ways. Don't turn your back on the enemy, don't show weakness, don't give away the high ground.

His stance was decidedly defensive as he worked his way out of the shallows. Once free of the water he gave his fur a good shake, further eliminating water. The air was much chillier now that he was wet and the excess water would only further bog him down. The only advantage to his soggy state was that it showed his true frame, all lean muscle that was usually not visible beneath his fluffy pelt. Even injured Hadrian could be a formidable foe, especially given the way he presented himself. And, Shaman or not, he was not going to let some young female prance about their territory willy nilly like she owned the place.

"I suggest you state your business, young one. If you have none, I will escort you from the territory myself." Though guarded, he would give her a chance. She could explain her actions without the alpha here to take action upon her. And maybe, just maybe, if it turned out that she was merely suffering the follies of youth and proved to be somewhat of value, he would vouch for her. Though it was growing, Amar still needed members. It needed hunters and warriors to ensure its survival. And, though the femme had trespassed, she had shown some hint of restraint. Respect. Respect could go a long way in terms of retribution.

ooc: soo soo soo sorry for the wait. x.x real life has been kicking my ass lately.