A Dusty Beginning

[Valentina]

The wolven figure loped along the street, the sun having burned it's last light over the city. The heat was fading into the cool of the night, and it felt wonderful on her body, with fur thick enough to withstand the Arctic. Her slanted eyes appeared silver in the darkness, and flashed in the light from street lamps as she stopped and looked behind her. She was certain she was not alone, but sensed it rather than saw it. The side walk behind the femme appeared innocently deserted.

In the course of just a few hours, Valentina had come across more to think about than she had in three years. First, the meeting of Tyrant, who, though looked very strong, was absolutely nothing like any gang leader she had ever met.

The two leaders she had met were a rottweiler, and an enormous pincer/german shepard mix, both brutes covered in scars with cold black eyes and dumber than she thought possible, but Tyrant was different. He had warm brown eyes and was extremely friendly. He seemed very keen, as well, knowing immediately what was going on by first glance upon seeing Reverie and herself, and being able to accurately judge both their dispositions.

This Reverie though, as Tyrant had called her, was another case entirely. From the way Valentina saw it, she had been sitting there, minding her own business, when this other dog pops up and rudely gives her the glare-down, without so much as a name! Now what was that all about?

Valentina gave a quiet huff, and whipped her tail to the side once before arching it over her back again. This was the entire extent of Valentina showing any agitation. Valentina wondered Reverie's connection to Tyrant, and felt a prickle of jealousy. Again she looked over her shoulder, then disappeared into the darkness of an abandoned theater.

She smelled them before she saw them. The burning, chokingly dry smell of cigarettes hit her nose from the lobby, whose walls were covered with ancient movie posters. From the enormous room that held the screen she could hear their voices, two boys obviously laughing about their getting away with this stunt. Valentina stopped in the dark lobby and looked around. The ceiling was made of white, ornamental plaster. There was a stand to the left with a green counter, an old popcorn maker with its glass broken sitting next to an old cash register. A sign that once upon a time lit up with dozens of little bulbs listed prices for an assortment of refreshments that were probably no longer made.

She padded in to the room where the boys were, leaving large, dark foot prints in the dust that covered the old hard wood floor. They looked unmistakably like a wolf's. Through the rows of seats she could see the two boys leaning against the stage, laughing aimlessly. By the way they even held the cigarettes, Valentina could tell they were inexperienced. She gave them a piercing stare with ice blue eyes that went unnoticed, and crept silently along. These fools never learn, she thought to herself, and her stunt at Ralphie's bar the previous night flashed through her mind. She gave a quiet laugh. She would creep up onto the stage and scare them from behind, maybe leaping off it in front of them, or on them. She would snarl, but never bark or howl. Oh no, she wouldn't permit that of herself.

If they had been more observative, they would have seen her in the wide open, but they didn't, and she successfully managed to climb onto the stage without them noticing. She stood at one end of the stage, a smile on her face, and then charged at them, snarling like a mad dog about halfway there. They immediately stopped laughing and turned wide-eyed, yelling.

[.::Tyrant::.]

Reverie's gaze was confused as Valentina slipped out of the park and headed t'wards the city. She had not know what to expect, but she had at least thought that the femme woudl have stayed in the park. What's she playing at? She thought suspiciously. Deep down, the female knew she was being to suspicious, but she would never have admitted it. She didn't like Valentina, and was desperate for a justification of her feelings t'wards the dog.

Valentina could obviously tell that she was not alone, as 'twas a sixth sense that every living thing posessed to know when they were being followed. Reverie knew it well; a prickling sensation on the back of the neck, a lump forming in the throat, gaze becoming restless, s if urging you to glance over your shoulder. And glance the wolf-dog before her did, but Reverie wasn't going to let herself show. Not yet. She kept to the shadows, slippng from dark spot to dark spot as if she was merely a ghost dog, a figment of one's imagination. When Valentina's ice blue eyes flashed over her shoulder, the Esterela Mountain dog would press herself against the wall or slip into a dark side street.

The large, shaggy furred femme paused as Valentina dodged into an adbandoned theatre, a place she knew well, from simply exloring the city. This had been one of Tyrant and herself's favourite resting spots before they found the Hollow, and formed the gang.

After a moment, Reverie slipped in after the female, pokng her maw in and glancing from side to side to make sure the coast was clear, before padding inside. Her paws echoed as she took her first footsteps into the high-celinged entrance hall, and she cursed herself for her clumsiness, dropping into a crouch and pulling herself forward as quietly as she could.

She soon found herself sidling into one of the screening rooms. There were three in this complex, it had been considered qute large in the days when it had been used. The now broken sign, hanging limply from the grime covered wall above, stated it as being 'screen 2'.

The fawn and mahogany hued dog trotted in after her, crouching in the shadows as she watched her walk straight down the aisle t'wards the stage. Leaning notchalantly agaiunst the stage were a group of young male two'legs, smouldering sticks clenched in their hands. One was strutting about, showing off, and the other two were laughing, occasionally lifting their ciggarete to their lips and taking a long suck, before allowing a stream of dirty smoke to slip from their parted lips.

Reverie growled softly as the acrid tang of the tobacco wafted into her nares, causing her to supress a cough. She wirnkled her nose and growled again. These youngsters need teahing a lesson. Polluting the air like that. I think I may have met them before.... she thought, smirking slyly.

Valentina was all but forgotten to hre as she slithered up to the stage, leaping up at the opposite end to Valentina. Her gaze was locked onto the three boys, and she didn't notice the wolf dog until she herself had rocketed out of the shadows, barking like a made dog, straight t'wards the group.

The boys had their terrifed gaze locked on one dog, their lips quivering, their feet plastered onto the ground as Valentina dashed t'wards them. When Reverie's loud bark filled the air, one whirled around to see yet another crazy canine running at them from the other end of the stage. R-r-r-r-run!" He cried, lifting a shaking finger to point at Reverie.

His friends did not need telling twice, all three opf them turned away, bolting t'wards the exit of the theatre, chucking their still smouldering ciggarettes over their shoulders as they went.

Reverie laughed and released two savage barks after them as they reached the exit and paused, staring at the two dogs. These sent them running once again, tripping over their own feet. Their cries floated back to her, cusing her to grin as she turned to the dog next to her.

For a moment she was taken aback. She had forgotten about Valentina. Although she had known that another dog hd been chasing the boys, she had been to caught up to put two and two together. I guess she just came here for some fun... She thought, shrugging. The chase had put her in a good mood and she grinned at the husky-dog.

"Well, that was fun." She panted, settling uponm her haunches. Her nose twitched suddenly as the scent of smoke reached her, but she didn't turn, assuming that it was simply still ingering in the air after the boys smoking session.

The smell did relate to the session, but it was not merely a lingering trace. One of the cigarettes had landed beneath a deep purple safety curtain, still lit. The curtain was slowly blackening, curling in on itself as it resisted the urge to catach alight. However, in the end it could hold back no more, and it suddenly burst into flame.

The fire spread up the curtain at a surprising pace, devouring the material quickly before turning on the crumbling ceiling, coated with dry dust and awfully flammable. The flames crept across the plaster, cackling and spitting their glee at a room filled with so much fuel.

Reverie whipped around as as the flames roared into life at the foot of the curtian. Her feet suddenly glued themselves to the floor and she began gasping like a fish wipped from the water. Her fur prickled and she gave a low whine as memories flooded her, terrible memories of her childhood, when humans had burned her den, with her and her family inside it. A growl of defiance was released, but it was weak, and soon the memories had complete hold over her, gripping her soul tightly. Anotehr whine escaped her lips, then she collapsed. The ground rushed t'wards her at alarming speed, then everything went black.

ooc: Valentina. If you wouldn't mind, please don't have Valentina carry Reverie. She would be too hevy anyway, but I'd prefer her to just be woken up so we can roleplay the whole escaping from the fire bit together. Maybe a 'blazing beam can fall across the entrance or summin. -huggles and jumps up and down- So exciting!

[Valentina]

(okie! ^-^)

Valentina turned smiling to Reverie, laughing as she watched the boys run off. That had been very satisfying, especially after her encounter with---the evenings' events popped into her head and she suddenly remembered, also amazed that she was actually having a laugh with this dog whom she'd been steaming at not an hour before! She must have followed her. "Wait, so what are you---"

The smell was horrid. The room had been over-taken by flames faster than she had thought possible. Valentina had never had any experience with fire, save for a tamed little flame in a humans fire place now and again, and she was terrified. She crouched down low, her chest touching the stage floor, and stared up at the flames as they rose above her. She heard Reverie's growl but it never registered. She was lost in a terrible trance, the orange tendrils of fire dancing in her blue occuli. She pinned her ears back and just stared, and then Reverie fainted.

She snapped out of it and whipped around to look at her at the sound of her limp body thudding on the hollow floor. "Reverie?" she half whispered. The plaster began to crumble from the ceiling in chunks steadily growing larger, and the flaming debris was starting to crash down all around them.

She bit Reverie's ear and tugged on it rather harshly, muttering "Get UP!" through the fur in her mouth. At no response she reared up and brought both feet down together roughly on Reverie's side, hoping to jolt her back into consciousness, and thinking appologetically, Ouch. She'll feel that one tomorrow! I'm so sorry! "Reverie wake UP!" she screamed, feeling panic rising within her, but determined to keep her cool. She'd entirely forgotten about escaping herself---she couldn't leave without Reverie.

[.::Tyrant::.]

The blackness faded as quickly as it had come, to be replaced by terrifying images from her childhood. Reverie was trapped in her past, a past she had never spoken of to anyone. Not even Tyrant. She saw her fater, coat flaming, scream at her to run. She felt her mother nudge her t'wards the door. Tear trickled down her cheeks as her father started back into the smoke, in search of her brother.

Suddenly, a sharp pain in her right ear jolted her and she was thrown back into darkness. Then, another jolt caused her eyelids to flicker, and she gave a low groan as they finally burst open. Panic flared in the femme's eyes as her dreams seemed to become reality. Fire still blazed around her, red and orange tendrils reaching t'wards her, cackling evilly and seeming to taunt her. She whimpered as, inside her head, a fierce battle raged. 'Twas between her comon-sense, struggling to get to her feet and find a way out, and her fear, wiling her to lie back down and close her eyes, to escape the terrile scene before her.

In the end, her common-sense won, and she leapt to her feet, then immediately crouched down again as black smoke filled her nostrils and caused her to cough loudly. The air was clearer near the stage, but she and Valentina needed to get to the floor. Narrowing her eyes to focus on the dog beside her, now shimmering in the blazing heat, she shouted above the roar and snap of the flames.

"Get down! Off the stage!" Then, turning, she leapt ff the raised platform in one boud, just as the screen shrivelled and a shower of black ashes fluttered onto the stage. Reverie flattened herself to the ground and searched anxiously for te entrance. Everything looked strange in the furnace of a room. Larger than life, and as if the very walls were leaning in, threatening to topple over at any minute.

Reverie's mahogany gaze, now flickering with red and orange light as her occuli reflected the flames around her, finally fell upon the exit and she barked over her shoulder, the nosie sounding faint and ghostly, as if it had come from someone other than herself. Shuddering, she began up the aisle, head lowered against the smoke and to shield her eyes from the dark dust now flying around the room.

However, when she was only half way up the aisle, a large chunk of plaster detatched itself from the celing and fell, still burning, to block the doorway. The pale boulder, now engulfed in flame, crackled dangeroulsly at the two dogs, then suddenly went out in a puff of smoke, leaving only blackened ashes in its place. Reverie snarled and charged forward, plunging her forepaws into the fine dust and digging for al she was worth. The dust's dry smell clogged her nostrils and tiny specks flew into her eyes, irritating them even more than the stinging smoke. With each pawful she dug out, however, another ple seemed to slide from the top into its place. Like an infuriating circle.

[Valentina]

A smile of relief flashed across the wolf-dogs face as Reverie rose, but it was gone as quickly as it had come, over-taken with panic and fear that she could almost taste.

She saw Reverie leap off the stage and followed in suit, but she had been delayed a split second, forcing herself to register Reverie's words through all the confusion. She turned to see the screen, black and flaming, falling down at her like an enormous hand. Her mouth was slightly open and her ears were pinned back as she stared at it wide-eyed, then turned and leaped off the stage in one agile motion. But she had jumped a heartbeat too late.

In mid-air the screen caught her left hind foot, not lighting it afire but scorching it. Valentina howled in pain, a purely wolven sound, the first and perhaps last howl to ever escape her lips. In the pain she lost all thoughts of landing, and landed heavily on her side, sending up a light cloud of dust that was settled on the ancient floor. Upon impact with the floor, her icy eyes went blank and Valentina could not see. From the speed, momentum and height from leaping off the stage, she rolled over twice, but her feet were under her in a flash. She stood defensively, feet slightly apart, blinking and trying to regain her vision.

Through the blackness Valentina could see the hazy form of the room slowly coming back into view. It was entirely orange. She could hear the enormous hunk of plaster crash down more than she could see it, but she managed to sight Reverie's retreating flank headed at where it was falling, and she felt sure it would fall on her. She snarled compulsively and bounded after the femme. She refused to limp, but a low snarl continually escaped her lips as she moved, subconsciously acknowledging the burning pain in her hind left foot and right shoulder which she had landed on.

If ever Valentina had looked like a wolf, it was now. Her icy eyes seemed silver, and reflected the flames around her, making her eyes glow golden like a wolf's, as she stalked stiffly along, head low, growling through clenched teeth determined not to show her pain.

The heat was unbearable. It was hot enough to drive one to the brink of insanity, and it was getting hotter. Valentina stopped about eight feet behind Reverie, hearing what she was doing more than seeing it. "Give it up!" she yelled over the roar of the fire. "There has to be another way out!"

Valentina had been in theaters before. She was familiar with human ways, and was even able to read certain things, and she knew there was always an exit besides the main entrance, usually marked with a glowing sign. Of course, there was no glowing sign, and Valentina was half-blind, going mostly on instinct. She padded quickly back down the aisle and in front of the stage entirely in flames, and sure enough, on the right side of the stage was a door. It was one of those door with the metal bar across it you had to push on to get it to open. Valentina could just faintly make out the long gleam of the metal across it. The smoke was starting to burn what was left of her senses.

She reared up and pushed her feet against the metal bar. It unlatched and swung open with the pressure from the room they were in, and the flames immediately poured into the next room. Valentina turned, searching blankly with near-sightless eyes for Reverie, and realized she would probably not be able to hear her from where she was, and ran back to her, almost collapsing but managing to keep her feet under her somehow. "C'mon!" She shouted, hoping reverie was following, and ran at the open door. She prayed that it wouldn't cave in as well before they got there, and that they weren't headed for a dead end.

[.::Tyrant::.]

Reverie growled as a huge pile of soot collapsed, sliding down the pile and stainging her paws and already dark maw an inky black. Behind her, she heard Valentina tell her to give it up, and she whipped around. The rest of the femme's words had been whipped away, and Reverie was suddenly confused. Give up! What does she mean? Just stay here to die? She asked herself angrily, peering into the flames. Valentina was nowhere to be seen, but Reverie could hear pawsteps, muffled by the flames bu stadily getting louder.

Suddenly, her gang-mates head emerged from the flames, shouting something. Reverie strained her ears and just managed to pick up what she was saying. Another way out! Of course! She thought, dashing after Valentina.

Reverie plunged through the thick smoke, narrowing her eyes and holding her breath against the dry smell. But despite her best efforts, her throat became parched and irritating when she had only ran a few steps and her eyes filled with particles of dry dust.

The femme was forced to press herself against the floor, where the smoke thinned out slightly. Valentina was no more than a small, hazy splodge before her, her figure losing all sharpness in the shimmering heat and inky smoke. However, this 'splodge' was what Reverie fixed her eyes on, ignoring the crackling, spitting flames on both sides of her and squirming after Valentina desperately.

Soon, Valentina reached a door, a horizontal metal bar attached to it about halfway down. Reverie watched as the female reared up and thrust her forepaws down onto the bar. Then, her eyes widened as the door gave a soft click and swung slowly open. Reverie was about to dash inside when flamces roared overhead and to her sides, spilling into the hallway beyond. She whimpered and flattened hre body, her auds flicking backwards.

After a moment of breathing deeply with her eyes closed, Reverie began t'wards the exit. In other circumstances, the fawn and brown female would have looked quite comical, wriggling along like a snake, yelping every time she ventured too close to a flame and her fur was scorched.

She continued in this strange, worm-like manner of travel all the way along the corridor, her eyes narrowed to slits to block out the terrifying scenes all around her, fixed straight ahead, where the space not consumed by flames was horribly black.

Suddenly, a door loomed before her. 'Twas similair to the one Valentina had opened earlier, and new hope pulsed through Reverie. She leapt to her feet and gave a booming bark, telling Valentina that the exit had been found. She could feel tiny gusts of fresh air wafting in from the hariline cracks around the door, and she frantically pushed her snout up against oe of these cracks, tasting the air with relish while behind her the corridor was filled with blazing orange light as the inferno danced and flickered, licking at her long, shaggy fur, roaring like an angry beast.

[Valentina]

ooc: okie, will wait ^-^ I feel like I'm watching a movie in slow-mo or something! lol this is a really awsome rp!

[.::Tyrant::.]

ooc: Yeah. Hehe. 'Tis cool.

[Valentina]

The fire and smoke was pouring into the room before her at alarming speed. She dashed through the door she had found, going on blind hope, and found it to be another screen room, now lighting equally as fast as 'screen 2' had, and the plaster was starting to fall aslmost as soon as it caught fire.

She pushed in, the smoke not so thick as the other room, and once she reached the stage, planning then to turn and run at the exit, it began to cave in around her. The flaming hunks of plaster came crashing down on all sides, and she knew she would never make it to the exit.

The debris was falling into her fur, scorching it, at which the snarl already continually escaping her clenched teeth would double. She turned back and bounded over a three-foot flaming hunk of plaster, her already-burned feet passing through the flames. It took all her will power not to collapse as she landed, but she knew if she fell she probably couldn't get up. She dodged the debris as it fell, but it was getting harder and harder to see.

Her eyes were still damaged from her heavy impact with the floor, and the blurring smoke, hard enough to see in anyway, made her eyes as useful as being blind. They smarted and stung unbearably, and the smoke seemed to set her lungs on fire. She was slowing down, losing track of where she had come from, though she knew she hadn't been far into the room. The fire was overwhelming her, and she had come to the conclusion that she was going to die.

Just then the wolf-dog heard her saving grace---Reverie's bark. She immediately picked up speed again, and following where it had come from, head low to escape the smoke as best she could, she found the door again, and slipped though it.

She could no longer hear the dog, but down low where the smoke wasn't so thick, she could faintly make out something that appeared to be Reverie's feet up one of the isles. She dragged herself to the dog's side, coughing and unaware she was still snarling. The wall around the door was engulfed in flames, but she could feel the air coming from underneath the door nonetheless. It was their last hope. It wasn't a push-door like the last one though, but a metal door knob, scalding to the touch, was their only way out. She tried it and wiggled it, using her teeth, yelping as it touched her tongue, and then trying her paws, which also came away burned.

Whether the door was locked or not, it's near impossible for a dog to turn a door knob, especially one glowing red-hot. She turnd to Reverie and shouted, "Let's charge it!" hoping it would give if they both slammed against it at the same time. She backed up about fifteen feet, disappearing into the smoke once again, holding her breath and hoping Reverie would follow what she was doing...she had no more ideas.

[.::Tyrant::.]

Reverie began to panic as, at first Valtina did not appear at her bark. I can't leave her here! I'll have to back and find her! She thought, dismay nearly overwelming her as she turned to the flickering flames, now surrounding her on all sides xcept for a narrow passageway between the fire, where smoke writhed and twirled as if in a deadly dance.

Just as she went to plunge into this passage, her way was blocked by none otehr than Valentine. Reverie issued a sigh of relief and nuzzled the femme as she went past, showing her joy that her gang-mate was safe in an unusual display of affection.

She watched as Valentina tryed the doorknob, encouraging her with low whines and the occasional bark. When the femme stepped away her face fell, but her depression was soon overwhelmed by a burning determination.

She rushed at the door, barking and snarling, and attacked the doorknob with claws and teeth, but her natural weapons were near useless against the brass knob, and she barely even scratched the surface. Snarling, she turned away and began pacing to and fro before the door, mind working furiously, when Valentina's voice probed through her angry trance, full of common sense.

Why didn't I think of that? Reverie thought, backing up with Valentina. When they were both far enough away from the door, she turned to the wolf-dog and nodded, then bolted at the door as fast as she could, head down, right shoulder thrust forward.

Her shoulder blade met the wooden dor with a mighty crash, followed by a splintering sound. Pain lanced down her foreleg and up her neck, but she ignored it nd stepped backwards hopefully, peering into the smoke.

ooc: You can decide whether the charge worked or not since 'twas Valentina's idea.

[Valentina]

Valentina smiled as Reverie came to her side, knowing her plan. She felt as if they were now in full understanding of each other, and turned back to face the direction of the door, as her eyes were as useful as being blind. At the same instant they charged, and Valentina closed her eyes tight, waiting for the impact.

She heard the smash, felt the thick wood give, and yelped in pain as a shard of wood became lodged in her upper-arm. Blood slowly began to pool around the haggard shaft, and Valentina glanced at it with a snarl.

The wood definitely had given way, but as she stepped back, opening her eyes again to the smoke and fire, the femme could see that it appeared solid. Upon closer look though, she could make out that it was severely dented and very weak. She turned and grinned at her gang-mate, then took two bounds and smashed through the weakened spot on the door. Shards of wood flew all around her, and a large, splintery hole was left in her wake.

The air, though barely cool, felt like ice poured over the wolf-dog. She skidded to a halt, and wheeled around to stare anxiously at the hole left in the door, prepared to dive back in if Reverie didn't appear.

Ooc: short post XP couldn't think of anything much

[.::Tyrant::.]

The Esterela Mountain dog's face fell as the inky black smoke tendrils that hd been shrouding the door thinned slightly to reveal that it was still in tact. Her eyes felt raw and dry, and the tips of her fur were singed black. Wth a whine of despair, she began pacing backwards again, readying herself for another attack on the door.

But, before she had gone three paces, Valentina rocketed past her and smashed straght through the wood. Reverie stared at the hole her gang-mate had formed, a smile slowly alighting upon her features.

Dashing t'wards the gap, barelling through the smoke that now crept outside of the building to be teased away by a gentle breeze outside. Reverie thrust her head through the openign and breathed deeply, relishing the cool feel of smoke free oxygen slip into her nostrils and down her throat, clearing her head and relaxing her lungs.

After taking two more deep breaths, Reverie began through the opening. However, as she did, a tendril of flame leapt onto her tail, devouring the fur quickly and beggining to at at her thick skin. The femme gave an agonised yelp and darted the rest of the way through the hole. Her feet gave way beneath her as she fell, her eyes dull from pain.

Quickly, she rolled over and leapt to her feet, her tassle still alight. She hurried to the wall and flicked the burning tail aroud so that it was between her and the wall, then leant against it, squashing out the flames.

When she stood and her plume replaced itself, hanging limply beind her, a large, angry red patch could be seen, raw and gleaming. Reverie sat and began to lick it frantically, easing the agony, if only slightly, with soft caresses from her smooth slamon pink tongue.

After a moment spent in this fashion, the fawn and mahogany female lifted her head, panting, and stared into the hole through which they had come. An eerie orange blaze radiated from the opening, mindling with dark fingers of smoke. Reverie shuddered, immensly glad that she had escaped the hell hole.

Suddenly, the sound of a loud siren caused her to jump, and she whipped around to see a firetruck roaring t'wards the derelict Theatre, lights blazing, men clad in red overalls hanging from its windows. Turning to Valentina, Reverie smiled, although the pain still lancing up her tail turned it into something that looked more like a grimace, and got to her feet.

"Let's go home, my friend. Tyrant's probably wondering where we got too." She said, padding away. Then, as an after-thought, she turned to the husky-wolf once more. "Oh, and if you tell anyone of my fear of fire, I'll tear your liver out." She said, then burst out laughing, padding back the way she had come to nuzzle Valentina, before continuing to pad away from the cinema.

[Valentina]

A wide smile burst across her cream-hued muzzle as her friend came through the door. She got up and pranced in a wide circle, nose in the air, sniffing comically and grinning. She then collapsed in the ground, rolling over onto her back, and looked at the fiery door they had escaped from. From inside she could hear a loud, snapping crash, and it crossed her mind bitterly that that sound could have been the end of one of them. She turned to see Reverie extinguishing her tail, blinked, and then burst out laughing, rolling side to side. She wasn't laughing at Reverie's antics so much as she was expressing her relief, finding the slightest thing funny.

She heard the sirens, stopped rolling and looked up at them, then rolled onto her feet, turning to Reverie, nuzzling her back and padding along at her side. The impact of her injuries suddenly hit her, and the low snarl suddenly raised up in her throat. Her hind pad was raw and the leg was sensitive from being scorched. Her upper-arm was severely bruised from landing on it, and to make matters worse, there was a six inch shard of old, rough wood, lodged three inches under her skin.

The wolf-dog turned and ripped it out with her teeth, spitting the bloody shard on the street as they walked. She moved stiffly, but refused to limp to the extent her body wanted her to. She turned back to her friend, and gave a pained laugh. "Who needs livers anyways?" She couldn't get over the immense relief she was feeling from getting out of that cinema, and she felt weak. Her arm was still bleeding, but it was hard to tell how much as her fur was already red. Her eye sight had basically come fully back, but now things were blurry and had the tendency to split in two every now and again. The flashing lights became kaleidoscopic to her.

She was determined to make it back to the Hollow though, but until then she would not give in to her body's cries. She thought about seeing Tyrant again, about what he would say. He might be mad at her for leading a pack member to danger, or perhaps glad they had escaped? She walked in silence, trying to ignore her pain and suddenly longing for the quietness of the Hollow. She poked along, doing her best to keep up with Reverie, and hoping they'd get there soon.

[.::Tyrant::.]

ooc: Let's continue this at the hollow. Weeeeee! That was fun!

[Valentina]

ooc: okie! wow that was the best rp I think I ever rp'd in! -carries Valieh off to hollow- who's my poor burned 'ittle puppay?