---> not gunna die tonight {o p e n}

[Deleted]

This is how it feels when

you’re bent and broken

The plains stretched on what seemed like forever, a soft breeze blew through the field, loose leaves dancing in the wind. Koder’s soft paws hit the ground with ease as he entered in the plains. He had traveled far and it was due time for him to rest. This place wasn’t the best though, it was open and there wasn’t much to shield him from his environment, however there wasn’t too many predators that a wolf had to worry about even a lone one. Even still, he didn’t like to be in the wide open, he felt vulnerable, but he wasn’t quite sure why. He lifted his muzzle up into the air and sniffed the land. He could smell pray not that far away, large pray, something that would be almost impossible for him to take down alone. That was one of the few disadvantages of not being part of a pack. When he was with his brother they were able to take medium size pray, but buffalo and even deer were hard unless the animal was already seriously injured.

No, Koder would have to find smaller meals to satisfy his hungry belly. Perhaps there was a rabbit around somewhere. He began to walk forward as he snooped through the land. It seemed like he was the only wolf around, but because how the wind was drifting, the smell could be masked by the air. Koder snorted as he shook his head, lowering his maw to the ground as he began to sniff for any sign of a wandering rabbit that happened to stay too far away from home. It wasn’t long before he soon found the trail of a rabbit. Koder lowered his body to the ground, trying to contain his excitement, for it had been a few days since his last meal; he knew he couldn’t last much longer without food. He tried to make himself invisible to the area, as he soon spotted the animal a few feet away. This was too perfect.

The wind had changed its direction once again, masking Koder’s smell from the creature. The rabbit hopped along happily without a care in the world, not realizing the danger that lurked nearby. As it got closer to Koder’s grasp, he began to get antsy as he shifted his weight, but still remained quiet. Finally his opportunity was open as the rabbit was only one jump away. Koder parted his lips back to reveal his large fangs as he jumped forward, digging his teeth into the neck of the rabbit. He snapped his neck in one quick motion, killing it instantly. Koder held the body tightly as he ran off to a shady area where he began to tear into his meal, savoring the taste.

The meal was short lived, but much appreciated. It was enough to satisfy him for a little while, but he missed the sweet taste of deer and other hooved animals. He licked his chops as he made his way out of the shady area. It was then when an unknown scent soon engulfed his nostrils. Koder froze in his tracks, his body alert, as he looked around. There was another wolf nearby. He held is stance, until he knew what the strangers intentions where.

TAG: @name	WORDS: 544	BIO: link
NOTES:   Open to anyone! Sorry I'm a little rusty. It's been a while since I've roledplayed wolves.

Template by Melz/mizlopez89 @adoxography and Caution2.0

[Deleted]

The field was hot, the air sitting like a dead animal on the thin shoulders of the wolf. She loved it. The way the air pressed in on all sides, driven by the ever pounding sun. It was bliss. Katari had been in a world of her own, golden eyes half shut as the heat slithering through her fur drank up all the energy she had. Her voice was faint, laced with sleepiness and joy. "Ren," she sang to her empty surroundings, her gaze wandering over the vast plain, "Is this not one of the best places we've been to?" In her mind, he nodded, deep voice floating easily through the feverish air, "yes."  he agreed, his eyes scanning the surrounding area for any threats "It is quite warm here. I can tell you are enjoying it." Katari giggled. Ren could always read her so well. Although she wasn't exactly being inconspicuous. Her sloppiness was one of the clues to how warm she was. Ren had said many times that she looked drunk when she got like this. He was worried, as always. Worried that someone would think she was under the influence of something and try to take advantage of it. Katari had brushed him off, saying that he could protect her. Each time, he responded only with a strange, almost sad look on his face, and each time it stumped her as to why he was so unsure. 

"We are not alone" Ren said after a few more moments. Katari had noticed as well. Another wolf! She almost couldn't contain her excitement. She had always been too eager to meet others, so overly friendly. It had gotten her into trouble a couple times before, and she had learned her lesson many times over. Still, it was exhilarating. To think that someone else was enjoying the weather was too tempting a thought to push away. She followed the scent eagerly, the wind gently tossing smells from all around to her nose. "There it is!" She squealed. She wiggled forward, ignoring a 'Katari, Don't!' from Ren, trying to get close enough to examine this stranger. It had noticed her, that was for sure. Its body stood rigid, trying to decipher where she was. The element of surprise gone, she sighed and rose from the sad patch of grass she had been pressed in. "Hey!" she called innocently, face bright, "Hey you!"

[Deleted]

This is how it feels when

you’re bent and broken

Suddenly without seemingly any warning a wolf came forward toward Koder, he lowered his head slightly, pinned his ears tightly back against his head, and pulled back his lips revealing his sharp teeth. However as the wolf got closer, and heard her call to him, he relaxed a bit, but only ever so slightly. This could be some kind of trap. Koder raised his head, but still kept his body alert. He snorted as he shook his head. It seemed odd for someone to randomly call happily to another just like that. He gave her an odd look, still not speaking. Koder was very careful. He liked to take his times to do things. He never spoke or did anything without calculating everything first. It might even seem like he was ignoring her for it was at least a minute or so before he finally felt compelled to answer her.

“What is it that you are seeking?” He asked her. His voice was neither joyful nor angry, but it still had a cold feeling to it. Koder just liked to jump straight into whatever business there was, he wasn’t really in the mood for small chit-chat. Even though he had caught that rabbit, it would only satisfy him for so long. Who knew how long it would take him to escape this meadow and find somewhere else to settle into. Every second was precious (at least according to him). Glancing over the wolf that stood in front of him, he felt that her intentions were harmless enough.

“Where is your pack?” He asked her. He wasn’t sure if she had a pack or not. A lone wolf seemed to be common at times, at least a male loner was normal, but a female. They were precious to packs as they were the ones that continued the growth of them.

TAG: @katari	WORDS: 309	BIO: link
NOTES:Sorry for the rather crappy post x.x

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[Deleted]

Katari paused, uncertainty flashing across her face at his posture. He stared at her for a minute, uncomfortably silent, before replying. His voice was cold, distant, and it mentally pushed her away a little. She hadn't even considered the idea of meeting an unfriendly wolf. She wasn't certain about anything of this stranger. "Me?" she mused, a playful grin tugging at one corner of her mouth, "I am not seeking anything. I just haven't seen anyone else really, in quite a while. No big deal really, I'm kind of used to it, but I thought, hey, since there's someone here I might as we- ah" She stopped mid sentence, realizing that she had been blabbering. Some wolves didn't seem to mind it, but this one seemed somewhat standoffish, and she knew that if she didn't keep herself in check, she could talk for hours. There was just so much to say, and not enough ears to listen. "I'm Katari." she grinned shyly, keeping her sentences short in an attempt to stay focused. "You  can call me Kat if you want, but i really don't care." She tilted her head, waiting to hear the others name. If he would even offer it.

"I don't have a pack." The words stung a little as they left her mouth. She used to have a pack, if it could even be called that, but she had left long ago. She was determined to put those scars, both physical and mental, in a box and bury it deep within her mind. "It's just me and Ren" her face brightened at his name, the sole comfort in her cold world. She gestured over her shoulder, looking back at the empty air with a slight smile on her face. There was no one there of course, but to her, there stood the large wolf that had been her only companion on the adventure that had started the moment she snuck away from home and never looked back. He was her brother, friend, protector, and so much more. "He... doesn't talk to strangers much." a few times, on the rare occasion that she came across someone in this deserted wasteland, she would introduce them to Ren. They all had that same confused look on their face, looking around as if they weren't seeing what she was. Which they weren't. Katari had all but given up on trying to get Ren and other people to talk. They just didn't seem to get along. That was fine by her of course, she didn't mind doing all of the talking. She just needed someone to listen.

[Deleted]

This is how it feels when

you’re bent and broken

Koder just stared at her as she rambled on; he was unable to keep up with her and ultimately missed half of what she said. Then she finally seemed to catch herself and stopped. He titled his head to the side as he watched her. Obviously she wasn’t someone he had to worry about, so he relaxed his posture some, even going as far as sitting down. He wasn’t sure what to think though. Didn’t it seem rather dangerous to just go and randomly talk to the first stranger you meant. What If he was the dangerous one and attacked her? He almost felt bad for the young one, even though they seemed around the same age – Koder was much wiser than his years. He nodded his head when she spoke freely of her own name, but since she didn’t ask for his, he didn’t think much of it.


He peeked up his attention some when she mentioned that she didn’t have a pack. He wasn’t too surprised though. It wasn’t often pack members would go on their own. He felt bad for her. It was better for females – or really even males to be part of a pack. He was with that luxury once, but it wasn’t something that caught his attention much anymore. Still, sometimes he wondered. He looked at her oddly when she said it was just her and someone else. He looked around to spot another, but could not. Perhaps he was off hiding in the distance? He had no idea.

“Oh, umm…okay.” He said, not quite sure what to say. “You need to be careful though, who knows what dangers lurk out there. Even we wolves have to be on our guard.” He reminded her. “There are some terrible things out there.” He whispered as he turned his head from her for a second and looked toward the sky.

TAG: @katari	WORDS: 314	BIO: link
NOTES: finally replied!

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[Deleted]

A frown itched it's way across Katari's face. This male was so quiet. She was used to it, but even so, meeting someone always gave her so much to say; she couldn't imagine him feeling any different. It seemed to be so, however. He didn't offer his name, or give any hints on his past or why he was wandering this no mans land by himself. "Don't you have a pack?" she questioned, noting the faint surprise on his face at her announcing that she was a loner. "Don't you get... lonely?" Her voice had a certain purr to it,trying to crack through the wall that was up between them. It wasn't intentional, of course, she was just used to speaking like that. It made it so much easier to get close to someone. Too easy, sometimes. It had gotten her into trouble on more than one occasion, males making the assumption that she wanted someone more than friendship. The thought made her shudder. She never knew why she was so afraid of things like that, but she had a few ideas. She had grown up in a cruel world, the cold pushing out any love that she had hoped for. She just wasn't used to it. The only one that she felt truly connected to was Ren, and they were far from romantic. They were both comfortable with just being friends, so that was the way it stayed.

A playful grin twitched on her face at his words. She could almost pretend like those words came from someone who cared about her. Almost. She wasn't so naive as to think that someone she had just met would say those things from the heart. No, she refused to believe it. If people she had known all her life didn't care, then why should anyone else? "You are preaching to the choir" She said softly, a sad smile on her face, "I have seen many terrible things. Perhaps that is why I am no longer afraid." She paused to look around at the blank landscape surrounding them. It was so peaceful, so boring. The flat plain seemed to sprawl on forever, trees and mountains made tiny by distance. What could she be afraid of here? She looked back at the male, a dark look in her eyes despite the mischievous tone in her voice, "Should I be afraid of you, stranger?" 

[Deleted]

This is how it feels when

you’re bent and broken

“No,” Koder said almost quietly, shaking his head, “I have not belonged to a pack since I was a pup.” And it was true. Although at one point he had roamed around with his brother and then his mate, they were never part of a pack. At that time it didn’t interest them. They liked to travel around and see everything. A pack life just felt like it would tie them down. He didn’t feel that way much anymore. He actually didn’t know how he felt about it. “I don’t really remember what it’s like to be in a pack…although I was never alone. I always had someone….that was up until six months ago…” he grew quiet. It had been six months since his mate died. Their time together was very short, but it still left Koder heartbroken. He wasn’t really sure if he would ever recover from it. She was so young and so filled with life and to be taken like that from him…he couldn’t even bare to think about it. He cleared his throat and turned back toward the female. “So I suppose sometimes it gets lonely…but I don’t think a pack is really for me.” He told her truthfully.

“That is sad,” he told her truthfully, “to see so many horrible things at a young age.” He told her. Koder hadn’t been through too much, the worse was Wail’s death, but he had seen things before. He genuinely felt bad for those that had been through that. He wouldn’t want to go through that, but his heart had already hardened already, so he doubt there would be much that would affect him. He had nothing to lose anymore. Before he believed there was no reason to live, but he slowly began to have a positive outlook on life, but it was still difficult. He honestly didn’t care what happened to him. No one would be sad, he would leave no one behind, perhaps then he would be at peace? But, until then he would keep wandering on.

“There is no reason to fear me,” he told her, “if I wanted to do harm I would have already tried.” He said with a slight nod of his head. He would only try something if someone stepped on a nerve or wanted to fight him first. He would never back down from a challenge, no matter how much stronger they seemed. But, for the most time, he was just easy-going and relaxed. He often wasn’t someone that was good at small conversation, he may seem unpleasant, distant and cold – but that’s how he always been. He was a little more open up around those he cared about, but that was a long time ago.

“I’m Koder, by the way,” he finally said, figuring that he might as well state his name, it seemed only polite. Plus, he could see the disappointment when he didn’t return his name.

TAG: @katari	WORDS: 489	BIO: link
NOTES: Yay! For Muse!

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[Deleted]

The comfort of familiarity sent warm sparks through her body. "I totally know what you mean!" She chirped excitedly, "I haven't had a pack since..." She stopped suddenly, visible shudders racking through her body as nausea from the memories danced in her stomach. She took a steadying breath before continuing, her tone more quiet and cautious, "I haven't had a pack in a long time. But I have never been alone. At least not for long periods of time. Ren sometimes disappears, but he always comes back. I don't know what I would do without him." her voice held the love and pride that comes only once you have known someone for a long time. She almost felt possessive of him. He was hers. more so than even she knew.

The mention of Ren's name reminded her of his presence. He looked... off. He was glancing around nervously, shifting his weight between his feet. Perking up, she listened, trying to figure out what it was that was putting him on edge. The only thing she could detect was a slight rumble in the air, the deep vibrations of something in the distance. The thought slipped out of her mind as she was brought back to attention, interested in the wolf's words. He didn't think a pack was for him? She supposed that everyone had their preferences, but that lead to the question: was a pack for her? She hadn't given it much thought. The thought was alluring. To be protected, loved, it was all she had wanted earlier in life, and all she wasn't given.

Her wandering mind snapped back to attention as he continued to speak, his words pitying. It made her stomach clench. She didn't want to remember all the terrible things she had experienced, and she certainly didn't want pity for it. "Yes." She agreed, her voice turning hard, "It is sad, but sometimes, sad is what you need." the lie stuck uncomfortably in her throat. She didn't want his sympathy, but she certainly didn't want to not tell her honest feelings.

"I suppose you are right" she murmured, staring into his eyes, "besides, it would have been my fault for walking so carelessly up to a stranger." A playful smile tugged at her lips. Koder. She mouthed the word to herself, feeling how it sounded on her tongue. It was a small victory for her to learn his name, and she was awaiting many more. She always felt the pull to know people, to get close to them. Put that with the hard stubbornness she acted upon, and it was no question why some called her pushy. She had tried before to tone it down, but damn, it felt good getting what she wanted.

[Deleted]

This is how it feels when

you’re bent and broken

“That’s good you haven’t been alone. I used to never be alone…but I’ve grown to accustomed to it.” He told her. It wasn’t a lie. At first it was difficult to be by himself, and there was times you could call him feeling a bit lonely, but he did enjoy the peace and quiet (at times). It was good to have some sort of companionship though and Koder at times did miss that, but there wasn’t much he could do about that. It was something he would have to get used too. Sure, once in a while he would run into another, like now, but the conversations were always short and never lead to anything and it wasn’t like he was disappointed with that or anything. It was better that way.

“That may be true,” he started to speak, “but it’s not like it’s a bad thing. Sometimes it’s good to be friendly, but a little caution is always good as well.” He told her. He didn’t want to see her going up to the wrong wolf and ended up getting hurt. Koder didn’t like to see anyone get hurt. He understands how that pain could feel. That is something that was close to him. That was something he didn’t want anyone else to experience, even though he knew that it was unavoidable and that death was a part of life. He still admired how open and friendly she was. Koder wasn’t like that. Often others would stay away from him because he seemed cruel and cold, which really wasn’t the case. He was used to it though and it didn’t bother him that much anymore.

“Hopefully though someday…” He started to say, but he paused. He lifted his body up; his ears were alert as he looked around. He could have sworn he heard something. He turned back to Katari. “Huh…maybe I was imagining things…” he mumbled to himself. He was just about to say something else when he looked at the ground, noticing small pebbles begin to pounce around. It felt like the ground was shaking. He turned and looked back to Katari. “Do you feel that?” He asked her in a slow voice, still trying to concentrate on his surroundings.

“I think something is coming…” He finally whispered to her, he still wasn’t a hundred percent sure.

TAG: @katari	WORDS: 390	BIO: link
NOTES: dun dun dun

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[Deleted]

"Ahh, the miracles of adaptation." Katari laughed, "Of course you'd get used to it. Anyone can get used to anything, if they are left with it long enough" She had. She had gotten used to the pain, the loneliness, the fear. She had convinced herself that what her family was doing to her was okay, that the bruises would fade,  that the cuts and wounds would heal to become irrelevant scars of her past. She told herself that she could heal from it, and she did. Mostly. Her mind was a puzzle that had been taken apart so many times, some pieces inevitably got lost, their spots filled with ones that didn't quite match but were pushed in anyways. Ren was one of them. Her fear of intimacy another. The resulting masterpiece was a patchwork of what used to be a girl, all sunshine and naïvety and warmth shining through the cracks in her broken mind.

"Friendliness and caution never exactly go hand in hand. You can't have one without pushing aside the other." She knew that all to well. How could she get people to trust her if she herself set up walls between them? It was impossible. It was only by throwing caution to the wind did Katari manage to worm her way into peoples lives, pushing on stubbornly despite all obstacles that they set between them.

She froze at the same time he did. So it wasn't just Ren that had felt it. "Yeah" she whispered, her breath the only thing that moved between them. "I feel it" There was definitely a rumble now. The feeling itself spoke of soft comfort, the gentle tumbling of a hungry stomach, the thick roll of thunder over rain soaked earth. This, however, was not gentle. Her wide eyes flicked nervously over the grass, searching for the cause of the sound. She could sense it now. It was the sound of thousands of hooves pounding the grass flat, the smell of panic and fear and sweaty bodies pushing and jostling through the crowd. There was no end to the mayhem, it stretched wide and deep, so much so that she couldn't even see the cause of the chaos. All she could see was it was heading right for them. Her eyes flashed to Koder, panic and the terror of knowing what was to come laced within the golden hues. She only said one word, her voice strained with the weight of it.

"Run"

[Deleted]

This is how it feels when

you’re bent and broken

The hair on the back of his neck stood up as it got louder. He looked up and saw something in the distance. It was hard to see, but it looked like a large mass or something coming toward them. However, as it got closer, Koder was able to recognize it. His yellow eyes widen as he took a step back. “bison.” He mouthed to himself as he saw the heard stampeding toward them. There was dozens among dozens of them running. They were probably only a mile or so away from the two of them. He quickly looked around, where could they hide? It was an open field. This was the worse place for this to happen. This was serious and very dangerous. Bison were huge creatures, one stomp from them and they would be dead. He turned his attention to Katari.

“Run.” He heard her say.

He nodded his head, agreeing with her. He nudged her slightly to the left, knowing that running straight ahead was useless. Even though the bison stretched out very far, it would be difficult to evade them. “We have to get out of here now!” He hollered to her. Koder was genuinely scared. He quickly began to run, hoping that Katari was right behind him. It was getting louder and the earth was shaking. The bison were easily gaining up on them. It was like a dark cloud ramming through the meadow, nothing in its path was safe.His heart was pounding in his chest. Before he was always unsure about whether he wanted to live or die. It seemed like his answer was clear now. He wanted to live. When pushed into the corner, Koder would naturally push back and live. Was it only instinct of generations of wolves or was it his own choice? That was something he had to find out for himself.

TAG: @katari	WORDS: 313	BIO: link
NOTES: Sorry for the short  reply!

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[Deleted]

There was nowhere to go, no where to hide. The herd rushed ever closer, too close, and Katari was all too aware of her surroundings. The huffing breath of the mass, the shake of the earth as it was beaten mercilessly by thousands of pounds wired bison. She sprung forward, leaping after Koder. She didn't know where he planned on going, but anywhere would be better than here. The heard drew closer, the pounding of their hooves matching the fluttering thump of their hearts, spiked on adrenaline and fear. She slowed, turning her head to search for Ren. He was merely trotting, all the worry he had directed at her and not himself. The gap between them widened, and she skidded to a half, caught between going back for her friend and following a stranger to safety. It was no contest. Leaping back the way she came, she cried out for Ren, her breathlessness making her voice shaky and weak. "Ren!" any attempts to push him faster were in vain. He seemed completely uninterested in his own well being, focusing more on the beasts closing in than the danger that it put them in. She glanced back at Koder, so far away. The first of the bison flew by, cutting him off from her line of sight for half a second. She couldn't wait any longer.

The sound was deafening. The once scarce flow had turned into a thick mob of bodies, the smell of sweat and fear clogging her nose. She darted between bodies, losing sight of Ren all to quickly. One misstep would be a sure fire way to becoming more than a smear on the ground, but she had thrown away the idea of cautiousness, instead sprinting through the heard with as much speed as she could muster. She couldn't sense where Koder was over through the chaos, she only prayed she was going the right way. It was like being lost at sea, the churning mass changing too quickly for you to get your bearings while the riptide pulled you further and further from safety. She skittered left and right, trying to avoid getting stepped on or ran into. A hoof whipped at her back legs, making her stumble and sending a sharp spark of pain through her body. She regained footing on the hard packed earth, only to stumble into a dent in the ground, worn away by time and thousands of hooves. She pressed her body into the ground, hooves flashing by her eyes and nicking her side painfully as the frenzied creatures leapt haphazardly over her frame. The constant surge above her kept her pinned to the ground; all she could do was hope for either a break in the flow or a quick and painless death.

[Deleted]

This is how it feels when

you’re bent and broken

Koder kept running as fast as he could. The herd was gaining on them. There was no way they could escape. They were in danger. He turned his head slightly and noticed that Katari was far behind. “Katari! What are you doing? Run!” He hollered at her. He cursed under his breath as he turned, about to go back for her, when suddenly it was too late. The bison’s collided with them separating her from his view. It took all he could just to doge them. It was a time like this where he wished he was his brother. Koder was the strong brute force of the two, but Dasher was the lean beast that could run faster than any wolf he had ever met. He cursed at his lack of abilities. “Katari!” He kept calling out to her, but he heard no answer. His heart was pounding in his chest. What could have happened? Could it already be too late? No! He wasn’t going to think like that. He growled when a bison hit him knocking him to the ground, he quickly got up. He wasn’t going to die here, not today.

It seemed like an endless swarm of bison, how many could there be? He pushed through the crowd, still trying to find Katari; he could only pray that she was alright. “Katari!” He screamed once more, but his voice was muffled by the loudness of the bison’s hooves hitting the ground and their own bellowing. “Stupid beast,” he mumbled to himself. This was almost hopeless, but he just couldn’t give up just like that he had to keep trying. It wouldn’t be the right thing to try to save himself. Even if it seemed stupid and it might have been the wrong thing to be doing, he had no other choice and he had no other way. He would keep pushing through. He had to believe that he would find her alive and well. He wasn’t about to give up now. A coward was the farthest thing from what he was.

“Umph,” Koder said as he once again was pushed to the ground, but this time it was impossible for him to get back up. They were too powerful for him. Koder growled as he tried to snap at them, wanting to scare them even a little so that he could get up. His efforts were fruitless though. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain on the side of his head. His head fell back as his eyes grew heavy. No…he had to get up. He had to...however the darkness soon succumbed to him and he closed his eyes, his breathing slowed down and he was awake no more…

“Wha-“ Koder whispered as his eyes snapped open. His head was fuzzy and felt heavy. It was difficult to breath and he had no idea what time it was. He looked around, there was no bison around. He was alive. How long had he been knocked out? He wasn’t sure. He felt his body grow heavy and he plummeted back onto the ground.

“I have to get up…” He whispered, but he was too weak. He felt like the world was spinning. But, he wasn’t going to let that get the best of him. He pushed himself off the ground, it took a few minutes, but finally he was able to stand.

“Katari!” He could out, but his voice was weak and harsh, he wasn’t even sure if she could hear him. Where was she?

TAG: @katari	WORDS: 586	BIO: link
NOTES:

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[Deleted]

Any thoughts that occupied her mind were nothing more than blobs of colour, meaningless shapes dancing around her consciousness. Husky browns, rushing by her memory, the soft greens promising safety, the harsh tones of red speaking of pain and blood and injuries. Things began to take shape, slowly, drying out after the thunderstorm that was the stampede. Her initial thoughts were for Ren and Koder, who were both nowhere to be seen. Then, as the feeling returned to her body, a grimace wrinkled her face. She gathered strength before looked back at her body, dirt and blood marring the once golden hues. She looked like dirt. She felt like dirt. "Ugh" Her voice sounded not like her own, cold and distant. The meadow was silent, no more rumbling of the turmoil that had happened only minutes ago. Katari! she paused. Her own name hung in the air, so faint that she could almost believe that it was her mind conjuring up the sound. Lifting her head, she searched for the sound of the cause. For a second, she thought it was Ren calling out for her, but it was someone else. It was Koder.

Pulling herself to her feet, she tried to head in his direction before a sizzle of discomfort spiked through her haunches. She remembered the hoof that had sliced it, knocking her off balance. A string of curses flew from her lips, which was rare, and she flexed and stretched out her leg, trying to asses the damage. It didn't feel too deep, and it looked a lot worse than it felt. Blood clotted through her coat, a deep red path that spread down her leg. Dirt mixed with the sticky substance, turning it into a less than friendly colour. Still, she knew she was lucky, escaping with a likely not fatal injury and a number of bruises. Bruises she was used to, she had grown up with them. Strangers might not expect her to be tough in any way, but her past had built up her pain tolerance, and it was coming into play even now. Ignoring the throb of her body, she turned back to Koder, her eyes skimming over him to look for damage, even though she was too far away to make any real assumptions. She pushed forward, closing the distance in uneven, staggering steps. Despite the horrendous situation, a bright smile had already formed at her lips, words bubbling in her throat. "Oh my god, are you alright? I lost sight of you when I went back. I know it was stupid, but I couldn't leave Ren behind. Speaking of which, have you seen him? I lost him in the mob, and I know he will find his way back to me eventually, but I still worry. He didn't seemed faze at all with those huge beasts running at us." She knew she was once again blabbering, but now she didn't bother stopping herself. A pit of nervous energy had formed in her chest, and she felt like talking was the only way to relieve herself of it, "Oh jeez, I felt like I almost died or something. I was crouched in this little hole, and I kid you not, they were leaping over me like some majestic creatures of the forest or something, but without the majestic. Honestly, they didn't even bother picking their feet up all the way as they ran over me. How rude." She faltered off, taking a deep breath to replace the one that had been expelled in her rant. "But what about you? Are you... okay?"

[Deleted]

This is how it feels when

you’re bent and broken

Koder felt like a big weight had been lifted from his shoulders when he saw Katari in the distance. She was alive. Yes, she was pretty beat up (but so was he) but at least she was alive. His tail slowly wagged behind him as he smiled as she walked closer. When she started to ramble on, Koder listened to her, nodding his head. “Don’t worry about it,” he told her, “I’m just glad that you’re alive.” He said. He noticed she once again spoke of this “Ren” he wasn’t sure what to say when she asked if he had seen him. There was something off about this wolf, but everyone had their own little thing, and that didn’t make her any less important. “No, I haven’t…” he said slowly and careful, not sure how to react to it. But it really didn’t matter to him. He was just relieved that this whole ordeal was over. He winched in pain when he shifted his weight. It was going to take a while for the wounds to heal.

“Yes, I’m sure it was very scary. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to get to you. I try my hardest…” Koder said with a small frown. He knew that it was physically impossible for really anyone to push their way through a heard of buffalo, but he still felt bad for failing. He didn’t like to fail. It was one of his weaker points. He always wanted to be on top, he hated to see others in pain because of his own failures. “I’m just glad it’s all over.” He said with a soft sigh. “Don’t worry about me,” he suddenly told her when she asked how he was doing, “I got knocked out when I was trying to find you…not going to lie say it doesn’t hurt, but I will be alright in the end. At least we are alive. I suppose that’s all that matters in the end.” He said. He paused for a second as he looked around at the flat meadow. They needed to find a water source, not only to clean out their wounds, but he was dying of thirst – and he was sure that Katari was feeling the same way. He turned back to Katari; perhaps she knew where they could find a water hole.

“Do you know of any source of water around here?” He asked her. He figured there had to be one around here somewhere.

TAG: @katari	WORDS: 412	BIO: link
NOTES:

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