Wherefore, Heroism?

For his part, if the Flagellant thought anything was off about the dire wolf, he did not show it. Normally bloodied hands had been cleaned by order of the sanitarium’s nurses, and for once he was glad for it, because now he felt the soft fur against his hands, the powerful muscles beneath them.

“Forgive me, kind one, but are you perhaps lost?” He had half a mind to bury his face in her fur and smell, just to have the scent of something clean and healthy and living.

Everyone in the Hamlet and the surrounding acres were already rotting, even if they didn’t know it yet. The best they could do is make sure this plague did not spread.

Plague. Spread.

The man’s movements faltered for a moment and his breath hitched before he pulled his hands back reluctantly. That’s right. Even if he was fresh from the sanitarium, he was still, by very nature, a carrier of this virulent corruption, this maddening disease. His fingers twitched as he fought the desire to pet the wolf once more.

“I…” He hesitated for a moment. “Forgive me, kind one. Your beauty, your purity… it distracted me from my plight. For a moment, I forgot all but your presence. Ironic, isn’t it? You’d think I wouldn’t notice anything at all, but your radiance is enough to light up even my dim eyes.” He pointed to the bloodied bandages surrounding his long since broken eyes.

“This land is sick and diseased. It is not safe for you here. Even if it hasn’t spread to your home yet… it will. I urge you, kind one, please leave before the same plague that has taken every living thing here takes you too.”

She allowed him to continue petting, deciding that it couldn’t hurt just to let him do something that made him happy. Rinnah’s mouth opened wide as she yawned, a little sound escaping at the end of it. The wolf’s head then tilted when he asked her a question. It was quite obvious that she was no dog. The concern on his part was rather confusing, not understanding why he would ask such a thing.

Rinnah’s eyes narrowed slightly as he stopped, though not out of disappointment. It was much more concerning, his sudden guilt and reluctance. A contemplative noise rumbled in her throat before she stepped closer. The man was much too troubled for her to leave. Brows furrowed, and she kept staring at him contemplatively. What was the skin changer to do? There was only so long that one could tolerate staying in one form, but she didn’t want to upset the man further.

After a few moments of difficult consideration, the wolf was no longer standing before him. Instead, now, there was a young woman.

Perhaps a rational mind would have questioned it. An ignorant one would have almost certainly feared it. In the lands to the North, he had heard tale of tiny babes killed on the suspicion they were secretly changelings, fae.

He was neither ignorant nor rational. He had seen the impossible. Even when sight shouldn’t have been possible, when the Heir had sent him into that godforsaken manor for that one advantage, the terrible truths of the world had nonetheless wormed their ways into his mind. The first and only images of this world were.... troubling.

@rinnahtheskinchanger

Damian would be the first to admit he did not particularly enjoy the company of canines. So far the ones he had encountered were the rabid, diseased mutts infected by the Weald, and though he felt sympathy for them, he felt even more annoyed at the way their teeth sank into him before he could even return the favor.

Ana, Mr. Frederick’s hound, was a likable little lady, but the Flagellant did not see much of the Houndmaster.

No, he did not have much experience with canines in the slightest. So when his nose picked up a distinctly canine scent and shapes danced in his dead eyes of an impossibly beautiful creature, he was surprised at how his body reacted. It was not long before he had closed the distance and his hands ran through the beautiful creature’s white mane. Though she was massive, Damian was even moreso.

Dazed and Confused

@rinnahtheskinchanger

Damian would be the first to admit he did not particularly enjoy the company of canines. So far the ones he had encountered were the rabid, diseased mutts infected by the Weald, and though he felt sympathy for them, he felt even more annoyed at the way their teeth sank into him before he could even return the favor.

Ana, Mr. Frederick’s hound, was a likable little lady, but the Flagellant did not see much of the Houndmaster.

No, he did not have much experience with canines in the slightest. So when his nose picked up a distinctly canine scent and shapes danced in his dead eyes of an impossibly beautiful creature, he was surprised at how his body reacted. It was not long before he had closed the distance and his hands ran through the beautiful creature’s white mane. Though she was massive, Damian was even moreso.

“What is a beautiful creature like yourself doing out here? It is dangerous for living things like us.” He murmured. “Did the Light send you to me?” His voice was uncharacteristically gentle, even if it was also hoarse from his constant screaming.

Rinnah had been wandering around a bit aimlessly, stopping for a bit here and there. This morning, she’d started the day off with a good stretch, before flopping down to sit and scratch behind her ear with one foot and a yawn. The dire wolf blinked blearily in the morning sun and looked about her surroundings. So tired was she, that the man hadn’t been noticed approaching, and suddenly he was there in her line of sight, hands on her in a flash.

It was sheer, dumb luck that he hadn’t been intent on hurting her. Though, perhaps, if he had been, her senses would have picked up on it. She felt a mixture of embarassment and confusion as he pet her. Rinnah blinked, completely struck and unsure of what to do next.

She couldn’t stop the huff, though, at his compliment. A look to his face confirmed the little joke she’d thought in her head, which she regretted quickly. 

Must be blind to think I’m beautiful.

“Forgive me, kind one, but are you perhaps lost?” He had half a mind to bury his face in her fur and smell, just to have the scent of something clean and healthy and living.

Everyone in the Hamlet and the surrounding acres were already rotting, even if they didn’t know it yet. The best they could do is make sure this plague did not spread.

Plague. Spread.

The man’s movements faltered for a moment and his breath hitched before he pulled his hands back reluctantly. That’s right. Even if he was fresh from the sanitarium, he was still, by very nature, a carrier of this virulent corruption, this maddening disease. His fingers twitched as he fought the desire to pet the wolf once more.

“I...” He hesitated for a moment. “Forgive me, kind one. Your beauty, your purity... it distracted me from my plight. For a moment, I forgot all but your presence. Ironic, isn’t it? You’d think I wouldn’t notice anything at all, but your radiance is enough to light up even my dim eyes.” He pointed to the bloodied bandages surrounding his long since broken eyes.

Did his ears deceive him? He stopped in his tracks and turned to face where the wolf had been. Her outline had changed… but he couldn’t tell why. She still smelled like a wolf to him.

He obeyed her, staying and gently pressing his hands together. “Yes?” He breathed out softly, utterly entranced. He didn’t care if this was a dream. He didn’t care if talking animals were real or not. He just wanted companionship. He wanted to be wanted.

“D-do you need something?” He nearly tripped over himself in his efforts to return to her, taking her head into his hands… and instead of fur, he found soft cheeks and long, lush hair that he quickly started to run his hands through.

It was nerve-wracking, waiting for a response. She swallowed thickly, nervously looking around as she tried to decide whether or not to play dumb and just run for it. When he spoke, however, Rinnah knew that leaving wasn’t an option. This, of course, made her no less nervous, tongue tied and no proper response coming to her at the question.

He walked towards her, nearly tripping, though the girl was much too preoccupied with her thoughts to notice it. Suddenly, the man was right before her, reaching up and gently taking her face into his hold. Rinnah sighed, resting heavily into his hands, trying to will herself to just speak to him.

“In my village, we knew of you. The ones who took on the form of animals to walk amongst us. The ones who protected humanity when we did not deserve it. And now... somehow... far away from my home, fate has brought me to you. It is my duty to make sure you are not alone.” He reached forward and hesitantly cradled her in his arms. “God, I just... I have been alone for so long.” His voice was a small whisper. “They think me mad... how long have you been alone?” The hug became warmer, tighter as he poured all of his emotions into the embrace. He buried his face in her neck. 

He couldn’t remember the last time he had been this physically close to someone. Perhaps a village girl back home he had been fond of, before he was forced to leave him for patricide.

He finally forced himself to pull back and bit his bottom lip gently. “Thank you for your time, kind wolf. I will… get out of your fur, so to speak.” He leaned down and gently ran his hand through her fur one more time before he crouched down and started to search for his spiked gauntlets and collar.

Eventually he managed to find them and pulled them on. He turned to the direction of the wolf and gently waved. He left the blindfold with her, instead opting to pull his hood deeper down his face.

Rinnah sighed when the man sounded so guilty and upset again. She looked back at him after being gently removed from his lap, watching as he went to grab his things. There was no chance to help before he did so, but the wolf stood up nonetheless, and felt a bit of worry and aching in her chest when he waved. She whined softly as conflicting thoughts rushed through her head. Rinnah didn’t want him to leave, but worried what might happen if he found out that she could change.

Her not wanting to be alone, however, and the worry for his happiness was enough to tip the scales.

He obeyed her, staying and gently pressing his hands together. "Yes?" He breathed out softly, utterly entranced. He didn't care if this was a dream. He didn't care if talking animals were real or not. He just wanted companionship. He wanted to be wanted.

“I’m sorry that my dirty hands are sullying your beautiful fur, Gracie…” His voice seemed wistful and far away. His body was warm, so much warmer than a normal human’s. “I wanted to give you the life you deserved. But I was selfish, too. I wanted you by my side. I let you run free in the wild. And then… the disease…” Tears ran down his cheeks as she pushed back against him. He knew that, logically, this was not Grace and it was unfair of him to project his emotions. But she couldn’t understand his words, right? 

The man did something unexpected. He sat down and, in a surprising display of strength, pulled her into his lap and held the wolf in his arms. It was almost an awkward position. The wolf’s back was pressed against his chest as he hugged her close and continued to pet her. He buried his face in her pelt.

“I apologize, kind wolf.” He murmured gently. “I… I have been questioning my place lately. What is required of me? Am I even needed? I suppose… I suppose I was just looking for a sign to keep going. Sometimes it feels that all our efforts to protect this place are in vain. He gently let go of her and eventually found her head again, pressing his forehead against hers in a friendly display of affection. “I apologize for disturbing you.” Even if she couldn’t understand his words, he should at least apologize. “It is considered a crime back in my home village to disturb wolves. If you deem it necessary, I will gladly let you kill me. It is a small price to pay for this short time of comfort.”

She was quiet as he spoke, but kept pressing into his touch. A little whine escaped, though, when he pulled back, revealing the tears that had welled up. The wolf’s ears pinned back, and she was glad that he could not see her so upset by his sadness. It wouldn’t do well to make him any sadder.

There was a little grunt of surprise, though, when the man tugged her into his lap, embracing her with arms even stronger than they appeared. Rinnah craned her neck to look at him the best she could, but didn’t pull away at all, not wanting him to think that she was trying to escape his hold. This was nice, too, though there was some guilt in her enjoyment of it. After all, he was just hugging and holding her in the memory of his beloved friend, and she was merely a stand in.

Rinnah pinned her ears back once more at the tale of his people’s traditions, and managed not to growl, though her lips certainly lifted. When he moved to rest his head against hers again there was a quick scramble to smooth her features, trying to keep him from thinking anything negative. The skinchanger would most certainly not be hurting him for this. In fact, she’d rather just let all of the gentle touches continue.

Here’s the doodles (most of which are unfinished oops lmao) from last nights stream!!

Wolves at the Door

Damian was not generally a people person. He found himself in the squalid hamlet after years of searching for a good cause but he had as much trouble getting the people here to open up to him as the people back home. Thankfully the flame wielder had his comrades in the Order of the Flame Wielders… well, said comrades were just Daniel and Jacob, but they were still comrades.

The blind man could hear whispers behind his back. Constantly. It grew almost as tiring as being sent into the Warrens every day to slay the swine folk and prevent their diseases from spreading to the town.

It was time for a little walk, he decided. A walk to clear his mind. He found himself walking to his usual place in the nearby woods but something caught his attention. Though the flame wielder was incapable of sight, he could always get rough outlines of figures based on their body heat. And what he saw before him almost made him cry.

She was a beautiful dire wolf. Almost exactly like his precious Grace who had accompanied him on all his adventures. The flagellant gently approached the wolf, starting to take off his spiked gauntlets and his collar. “Hey there, sweet girl…” He whispered gently. “You’re a beautiful one, aren’t you?” His blindfold was still on and still very much bloody so it was obvious he could not see. He gently knelt in front of the dire wolf and reached his hands up to scratch beneath her chin. “So beautiful… you remind me of my old girl Gracie. What is a creature as wonderful as you doing in this horrid Hamlet?” He leaned forward, clumsily searching for the wolf’s snout before placing a gentle kiss to it. His lips were chapped, yet oh so warm. The man had smile lines and oh so many scars that betrayed his mania, but his demeanor was genuinely calm and at ease. He leaned forward, taking off his blindfold and pressing his forehead against the creature’s own forehead. “It is said that dire wolves are guardians, and protectors. I’m sure you’re a wonderful guardian, aren’t you?” He smiled, though it did not reach his milky white eyes. It could not.

The massive, white wolf plodded tiredly through the trees, not really paying much attention to her surroundings. It was not often that humans came out into the woods, save for the morning to check their traps. Of course, this wasn’t always the case that she would be interrupted, but usually she would catch scent of sound of someone that was approaching. Humans were greeted kindly…beasts not so much.

It was certainly a surprise, then, when there was somebody suddenly walking towards her. Rinnah panicked internally, for a moment, before catching sight of the man’s face. His eyes were bandaged, indicating blindness, but he seemed quite comfortable in his surroundings. If she was careful enough, he could be avoided completely, or she would be able to shift her form. His actions halted her, though, confusion settling in as his armor was peeled away. Rinnah stood stock still, ears shooting straight back as the man walked right over, digging his fingers into her fur.

The man did something unexpected. He sat down and, in a surprising display of strength, pulled her into his lap and held the wolf in his arms. It was almost an awkward position. The wolf’s back was pressed against his chest as he hugged her close and continued to pet her. He buried his face in her pelt.