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Setting some time before this thread.
Magen

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⸙

Eloise ran.

Ran until her chest and throat hurt from exertion. Ran until she could no longer feel the excruciating pain that seared across her right hip -- nor the mettalic taste of her busted lip. They were gone; Rylan, Selja, and Vincent -- the lords guards had torn all three of them to shreds. They'd been lined up like pigs to slaughter and taken out one by one, as if to torture the victim that lie in weight next. She wondered if Rylan had meant to push her out of the way from the overwhelming number of guards that swarmed her so she could make an exit, because Eloise did not think twice about doing so at all.

The amount of days she'd been running away was beyond the fae's imagination. Her tears long dried like the blood that matted her fur, but not the would that still festered and caused her to drag her hind leg behind her. Head hung low, her body weakly slapped itself against a tree. Sliding down until she sat. Frowning, miserable, and exhausted.

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Gone were the sounds of his comrades talking amongst the moonlight. Guarding the only family he had from intruders, and the occasional wildlife that decided to wander too far from safe ground. Every memory slowly started to flood back into his mind, replaying everything like some form of record. Bits and pieces of imagery would dance around, making things a little difficult to process; however, he wasn't going to get anywhere standing around and thinking about the past... Even if his brain was trying to make him think otherwise. How tiresome.

Magen sighed.

The heat, albeit was starting to become a nuisance to him, tore the veil of his mind and made him think of here, and now. The sun caused him to tighten his gaze and focus on elsewhere for a while. Before long, there seemed to be something to take his thoughts off the heat and memories. Another stranger.

He trotted over, giving his eyes some time to process after being blinded by nature's watchful eye.

She looked battered, bruised, broken in more ways than one Magen assumed. However, he knew better than that. Everyone he had met here so far seemed to have gone through hell and back from what the brute could gather. And, considering blood matted her fur, he could only make assumptions from that.

"Do you need some help?" He kicked himself for the obvious question; however, there were many who refused a helping paw in his line of work before. Plus, he wasn't exactly some form of field medic. He caused damage, never exactly knew how to fix said damage. But, he wasn't going to let someone get worse if he could avoid it.

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❁

A stranger came, then. Brunette and grassy eyed – like summer in a man’s body. He assessed her sorry state, and Eloise had never felt so ashamed in her entire life. A warrior beat down and broken, yet her pride had since been lost in the very forest clearing where the slaughter happened. Now, she’d been looked at like some prey who escaped the jaws of a predator.

No…

The fae slowly rose to her paws, eyes never leaving the man as she did. The was a bit of a stumble towards the side where her injured hip had been, but she steadied herself. “I do need help.” The woman responded.

“Spar with me.”

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'Spar with me.'

He had to make sure he heard that invitation correctly. Nevermind the fact that they had just met, and he was new to this particular area. Now, he was invited to a fight with an injured woman who shouldn't have even asked for such a thing as a spar. She needed a medic more than anything else... Sadly, a medic he was not.

"Miss..." He stated, clearing his throat and trying to wipe away the sudden shock of what she had requested from his memory. "In all due respect... A spar... Is not what you need right now..." He spoke, his tone more serious as his eyes stayed locked on hers. He noticed the injury to her hip, the blood that matted and stained her pelt. "Is there anyone you know around here that I could help take you to so you can get proper treatment?"

He really didn't understand what had happened to her. It was more so concern than anything with the way he presented himself to her. Let alone the fact she was alone with injuries such as this, in his line of work... It was never a good sign. But, if he could help her find someone to mend her wounds, it would be worth it in the end to him.

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⸙

Ellie hadn’t known what she’d been asking the man, to be completely honest. A spar in her sorry state – how laughable. Anyone could see how easily the woman could be knocked down by just a gust of wind. Yet all she really wanted was an outlet. A way to bring her back to reality and make her feel in control again.

--and yet the man denied her that release.

Her tail and ears slowly drooped in disappointment, pressing her lips together and turning her gaze away in shame. Was she really surprised by this revelation? No….not really. Yet a small part of her desired the opposite to happen. Slowly, the she-wolf settled on her haunches, tail curling around her hip. ”You’re a good man.” she stated simply. ”--to my dismay.” Maybe it would’ve been easier if she striked first and gave him a reason to bare his teeth. Yet it was against Eloise’s Knight code to attack someone unprovoked.

”No, I do not.” she responded reluctantly – and even if there was someone who could give her treatment, she would much rather fester and lay dead at this point.

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