howler.

He tilted his head slightly as she began to apologise, shrugging a little as he tried to wave off the apology. “It’s fine.” he replied, “Have you perhaps gotten medication for it?” he asked, knowing there was a family member they’d had that suffered from them, how she’d managed to get medication that helped her with them. “I think everyone is.”

“Medicine doesn’t really help. It just makes me...nauseous,” Isidora explained. She sighed softly and turned to face him. She wiped her eyes and ran a hand over her face as he agreed about people being on edge. “It was crazy out here. I hope you weren’t too affected by what happened.” She placed her hands on her hips and kicked at a rock on the ground. 

Mark had been pretty much avoiding Oliver since he’d triggered his first shift in the older wolf’s presence. The whole ordeal had been a lot to process,so Mark was avoiding all of the usual spots he expected Oliver to show up. The only downside was that it meant he was inadvertently avoiding a lot of the other Howlers as well. Because of this, he hadn’t been expecting to run into anyone he really knew today, but the dark-haired woman he saw before him was unmistakable in all of her impossibility. 

He was still grappling with the fact that she had died and that Oliver had had some role in her death (and in her resurrection). He hadn’t worked up the courage to face her yet, in all honesty. What did you say to someone you had mourned? He wasn’t sure, but he did know one thing- ever since the light from the mountain had ripped open the sky, he’d felt off. Obviously, something had happened that night, something very strange. Even in the daylight, the world was somehow dimmed. Surely he wasn’t the only one seeing it? 

He watched Isidora for a moment, deciding on talking to her and getting her advice on so many things he hadn’t been able to talk with Oliver about lately, or turning tail and running away like he’d never been here to see her at all. Coward. And then- she covered her ears, her body language turned inward, almost like she was in pain and, well… she was family, and Mark didn’t turn his back on his pack. He closed the distance between himself and the she-wolf before he had much time to over-think his decision and tapped on her shoulder. He was confused by her startled reaction, however. She should have sensed his approach?

“I- you. You looked like…” He fumbled for words as she snapped at him, the growl in her voice raising his internal hackles just the slightest bit. “You looked like you were in pain. I wanted to check on you,” he managed at last,eyes shining with guilt for avoiding her for so long. 

Isidora’s gaze softened as soon as she saw who it was. Markos, the sweetest member of the Night Howlers, probably even sweeter than Piper considering she could be more devious. She dropped her hands from her ears and tried to drown out the high pitch hum she heard. Could Mark not hear it? Was it because she died and came back? 

“I-I’m okay,” she breathed. She held up her hand and put it on his shoulder in an attempt to be reassuring. “I’m okay, Mark. I’m fine. I-It’s nothing.” She couldn’t even keep her gaze on him. Isidora found herself staring at the ground and looking from side to side at the people walking around them. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw shadows moving on their own, independent of their person. 

“Can you...Can you go pick up Piper from school? I told her I would, but I don’t think I can today.” Isidora had research to do. She couldn’t let this continue on. She wouldn’t let this happen. Isidora needed to figure out why she was seeing shadow people, why she was hearing a high pitch hum that no other werewolf was hearing, and how she was brought back to life. There were so many questions. Was she getting some of her witch powers back? Was it possible for her to regain her witch powers? Would she lose her werewolf abilities? Isidora wondered if she made a deal with a demon if she could get her witch powers back. “And...um, have you seen Oliver lately?” she asked him. 

                                   “—You’re losing your fucking mind                                                                           in public.                                                                           Isidora get it together.”

Believe it or not, he’s not attempting to be cruel. Sure, Isidora might not be a part of his pack but she`s a wolf, she knows what its like to feel the tides of the moon, to have a beast howl within, there`s solidarity in that. There`s also a require strength in belonging to the superior supernatural and right now, with Isidora`s signs of weakness in public is revealing nothing but an humiliating frailty.

When you’re going to fall apart, fall apart in private, scream, shatter but close those doors. Jasper understands falling apart at the seams, to have sanity slipping and cruelty greeting you at your front door, he understands wreck but there has to be pride, there has to be collection, absolution and an armor of steel and Isidora needs to steel – seek closed doors and Jasper is asking her to not splash her break in front of his visage, a couple cracks in the sidewalk walking before him when she halted for a fracture in sanity.

“I’m not losing my mind!” Isidora snapped again. She closed her eyes and pursed her lips together and took in a deep breath. She needed to calm down. She was almost growling at people. The wolf on the inside was fighting and clawing to get out. She couldn’t fall apart now. She had to keep herself together. For the Night Howlers. For her family. For Oliver. For herself. She died and she came back. It was a miracle. She couldn’t throw it away by falling apart and giving into the wolf. 

“What are you doing on this side of town anyways?” She didn’t peg Jasper as a guy who would be caught in Uptown Braddock. After recent events, Uptown Braddock could use some cleaning and a facelift. Graffiti covered the walls and boards were over smashed windows. People were slowly starting to repair the damage that was done by the hunting parties. 

Lachlan didn’t mean to startle her or provoke the response she had received. Concern and worry were evident through the details of her facade, with an arched brow and wide eyes. She mirrored her jump, seeing it was unexpected though it shouldn’t have been. Her words and how it was presented was familiar, almost too familiar, that it sent chills down her spine. She threw her hands up in defense, showing her true and innocent intentions. “I was just checking to see if everything was alright. Or if you needed help with something.” It was a concerning sight. The brunette seemed bothered by something, and with the new atmosphere that has embarked onto the town, it wasn’t surprising. It wasn’t something Lachlan could ignore and walk away from. Everything was weird. Everyone was acting weird. An explanation for her own actions and isolation, even though she knew the real reason. “I’ll leave if I’m bothering you.” 

“No, no, it’s okay.” Isidora clenched her fists as she felt her claws coming out. She pulled her sleeves down to hide her hands as she kept her fists balled up. Hopefully blood wouldn’t drip down her hands. “I’ve been having migraines lately and I don’t know why. That’s all,” she said. It was the only excuse she could come up with. It was the only possible thing she could come up with. There have been these rifts, but Isidora’s magic was gone. When she sensed the energy radiating from these rifts, it felt different than when she felt magical energy as a witch. She felt helpless because she didn’t know what it was and she couldn’t do anything about now. She wondered if these rifts opening up was affecting her werewolf abilities or it if was just because she died and was resurrected some time later. “Don’t tell me that I should go to a doctor. I’d prefer not to. Especially after everything that’s happened.”

“No, I don’t know what’s going on, Dad..” he sighed a little as Grant cut into his answer with another question and began to ramble of other things to be looking out for, and Aaron let his attention drift to other things as he kept the phone pressed to his ear, his eyes drifting across the street to catch the sight of a dark haired woman, who could only be described as looking distressed. No other word could really fit it accurately. “Dad, I gotta go.” he replied, cutting Grant off mid sentence as he crossed the street. Arching an eyebrow in question when she snapped, he merely shrugged, “Just wanted to see if you were okay, can tell from across the street you’re just.. not.”

Isidora put her hands down immediately and looked up at the man who came over to her. “I-I’m fine,” she said hesitantly. She bit her lower lip and shook her head, trying to get rid of the ringing and humming that kept invading her mind. She put a hand to her head and ran her fingers through her hair. “Uh...gracias. I mean, thank you for checking on me...I’m just dealing with some migraines. I’m sorry that I snapped at you. She put her hands on her hips and rubbed her neck. “I didn’t mean it. I guess I’m on edge these days...”

Tagging: Isidora Ramos Time & Location: December 1st, 2016 @ the Jager-Ramos apartment Word Count: 563 Summary: Isidora is resurrected thanks to Oliver’s deal with a Crossroads Demon. Side Notes: Finally finished this! 

Isidora felt herself being pulled, like there was a cord running through her that tugging at her heart. A voice whispered in the back of her mind. It was soft and mesmerizing.

“Come home. Come home. Come home...” the voice said.

When someone tapped her on her shoulder, Isidora jumped and turned to see who it was. “What do you want?” she growled. 

Tagging: Isidora Ramos Time & Location: November 13th, 2016 @ the Jager-Ramos apartment Word Count: 717 Summary: Isidora succumbs to the mysterious infection. Side Notes: There is death in this para, so beware.

“Go now in peace, to love and serve the Lord,” Orion spoke to the people who had gathered, concluding the Mass. There were a few murmurs of ‘Amen’ as they all stood and left the church. There had not been many who had attended, but this was not Sunday and his predecessors here had not done well maintaining the Church’s relationship with the people. He was here to change that, but he knew it would neither be a quick nor easy task. He looked to the crucifx at the front of the church and began to pray softly to his father for the strength and patience necessary to accomplish his task here. 

Then he heard the sound of the door open and someone entering. It was a littel irregular to come in after the service had so recently ended, but Orion turned and smiled at the person anyway. “How may I be of service?”

Isidora hadn’t been the same since she died. Or at least, she’s pretty sure she died. She wasn’t even entirely positive that she did die, but when she thought about what happened, she had to have died. How she was brought back to life was a mystery that Oliver wouldn’t answer. She had no way to contact her family and no one would talk to her. Honestly, she was losing her faith and she felt lost all around. She didn’t have the same control over her werewolf powers and she felt confused by everything. 

“Um...nothing in particular. I didn’t think that anyone would still be here...I guess I’m here to pray...for an end to the whole plague that’s going on.” She crossed her arms over her chest and pursed her lips. Would a priest understand her thoughts about death and possibly crossing over to the other side?

       Apparently his Christmas gift from the universe was constant, paralyzing panic attacks. Every time he thought about all of the tasks pulling him in every direction he shut down. He wouldn’t even need to be doing anything “triggering.” An uneasy rolling in his gut would start up and from there it would remind him–remind him of the war on the tips of everyone’s tongue and fingers, remind him of the responsibility he owed to Oliver and Izzy, to take care of the Night Howlers in their absence, remind him of his absolute inability to run to his parents and cry on their shoulders. He was holding it all up, all on his own and he had no one to ask for help. His heart was beating too fast, making him paranoid about who or what might be watching him.         He was going to be sick if he didn’t stop overthinking everything. Mal needed to clear his head. He sat on the steps leading to the abandoned Pizza Inn, frustrated that he didn’t even have work to occupy him.

Ever since Isidora woke up, she’d felt off. Maybe it was because she died, went to the other side for an extended period of time, and then returned to the land of the living. She would see shadows out of the corner of her eye and hear whispers. Oliver was never around anymore and Isidora knew something was up. She knew him too well. She found her way to the Pizza House, which was basically out of business with the rest of the businesses in town since the infection. She hoped to find Oliver, but instead found Mal. She didn’t want to tell anyone about her miraculous recovery, mainly because she didn’t know how to explain it. 

“Have you seen Ollie around?” Isidora asked. Whenever he came home, it was late at night and she hardly heard him come in, even with her werewolf senses, which had been off ever since she came back from the dead.