Even Petty Revenge is Sweet

[Stan]

The Story So Far…
When Vistana and Grrr’blink, the duo of insane wolverines, first met, they found common ground in the voices they both heard. Soon after meeting, they decided to go on a hunt -- and brought down a moose. A combination of their madness and the encouragement from their first success drove them to hunt moose again. But this time, they were not so lucky, and had their attack on a female moose interrupted by a pair of aggressive bulls. Injured and unsuccessful, the wolverines retreated to their territories to lick their wounds and brood over the defeat. Some time later, Grrr’blink came across the moose’s trail, only to discover she had not healed well from injuries sustained during the hunt. An exuberant Grrr’blink searched out Vistana and entreated her to join him in revenge upon the moose. The other wolverine agreed, and so they set out. It did not take them long to find the injured animal, and it seems this is not a bright day for their prey…
Original Thread

Last Two Posts:
~She was impatient and needed a distraction. Though this was mainly Grrr'blink's hunt and idea, she chose instead to try and track the prey along with him, or perhaps independently of him altogether. She was not a helpless animal, reduced to scavenging or picking off sluggish, half-dead prey. No, she was a hunter, a fierce one at that, and she certainly could hunt an injured moose. She couldn't let someone else run the hunt entirely for her, not with her need to prove herself to everything.

Her sense of smell was no better than Grrr'blink's, and she too noticed how vague the scent was already become. It was there nonetheless, and Vistana could just detect the vague sick feeling beneath the moose's scent. She smiled, fangs peeking through her lips. It did not cross her mind that she was in a similar situation to the moose -- Sick, with a limp, tired and simply going on due to instincts and perhaps a bit of pride.

Or perhaps she did notice after all. The voices didn't get a chance this time. With an audible if quiet growl Vistana shoved forward, snuffing the ground, noting the tuft of fur stuck to the branch, barely keeping herself behind or alongside Grrr'blink. The harder she worked, the harder it was for the voices to get her attention. That was the way it should be. And so she pressed on, steadily more delighted at the revealing of footprints, more fur, and then the distinct scent and sound of an injured, sickly animal.

There was no need for Grrr'blink to wait; Vistana shoved ahead of him as soon as she could hear the moose. She was not risky, but rather moved slowly, carefully, trying perhaps more than necessary to mask the sound of her movement, keeping low as she tried to move as little vegetation as possible. Whether it worked or not she did not know or care, so long as they still could attack.

Soon she could see the moose vaguely through the brush and trees, and, muscles trembling with excitement and from restraining herself from rushing forward, Vistana reluctantly moved toward the moose's injured side. She wanted to take the front, to rip into the moose's nose and throw her down, rip out her throat. But that was not the plan, and Vistana grudgingly went along with what Grrr'blink suggested. It was not a move and show of obedience that she was proud of, but she stuck with it anyway for reasons she couldn't say.

Moving into position, Vistana watched silently for Grrr'blink to attack. He was, in her mind, the distraction; her attacking her weak side would be the crippling blow.~

[Stan]

> Grrr’blink froze as Vistana shoved past him, his lips twitching, unsure if he felt admiration or wariness of her energy and focus. Either way, the adrenaline and stress of the hunt was hammering through his body and limbs, answering the tension he saw in her, and he could not stay still for long; his muscled knotted, tensed, and he shuffled forward through the undergrowth towards their prey. He saw the moose, a patch of rough fur, an outline broken by the foliage; he heard her stamp; smelt the injury. He paused, assessed, and slunk forward that he was on the proper side of her. Vistana would not be impressed if he turned up on her side, Grrr’blink was sure.
> The wolverines’ luck could only hold out for so long, however. Just as Grrr’blink tensed to rush forward, Blacktrail’s head came up sharply. She snorted and suddenly bolted forward. She was not fast, however -- not fast enough to escape them. Grrr’blink’s lips pulled off his teeth in a triumphant snarl, and he sprang forward himself, jaws gaping, bloodlust pounding in his skull. His teeth closed on the moose’s hind limb, and she bellowed and kicked out; Grrr’blink tumbled backwards, the taste of copper heavy in his mouth. He yelped, rolled, got to his feet -- did not stagger. He had only sustained a minor injury, a cut on the cheek and lip.
> He snarled, lurched forward. Blacktrail had spun, facing her attackers with stomping hooves and eyes gone wild. Grrr’blink danced one way and then the other, jaws snapping, but was held back by the moose’s flailing limbs. Even injured, she was many times larger than him and strong. The wolverine fell back, breathing hard, jaws gaping, and half-maddened by the scent of blood on the air, but stymied by his opponent. He lacked the courage required to leap into such danger as she presented.
> The moose turned as if to attempt to run again, and he darted forward to snap at her once more. He was quickly repulsed by her counterattacks, but his harassment kept her from escaping.

[Vistana]

No! Vistana pretended that the thought was not hers when the moose suddenly scented them, pretended it was one of the voices. She would not be so horrified at seeing their perfect plan be ruined, would of course expect this and stay completely calm. She growled with frustration, even as Grrr'blink sprang into action. The growl turned into a snarl when he was easily knocked aside, and she ignored the relief at seeing him spring back up so easily.

Yet then he didn't immediately strike. Instead, he hovered around, snapping here and there yet never going for a true hit. Snarling, Vistana decided that she would have to be the tough one. One voice taunted her, saying she wasn't tough enough and was committing a unique form of suicide, while the other panicked and declared that she was going to get severely injured and die slowly. They only served to drive her forward.

The wolverine, driven by adrenaline, forgot her limp and sprang forward, jaws aiming for the moose's injured foreleg. Perhaps the pain would be enough to bring her down, or perhaps it would be weak enough to easily drag her to the ground. Vistana wasn't concerned. She just needed to taste the moose's blood, to taste her injury and feed her own confidence.

((Erm, weird post. Vistana is turning completely insane, don't mind her))

[Grrrblink and Blacktrail]

– Blacktrail’s breath heaved as the crazed wolverine latched onto her forelimb like some parasite of tooth and claw -- a beast she would have only feared if she had a calf by her, and yet which may yet prove her undoing. The moose found she could not lift her un-attacked forehoof from the ground, not with the wolverine’s teeth grinding through tendon and muscle and destroying what remained of the other limb’s integrity. Going to die here, she realized, and bellowed in denial. Blacktrail swung her head as if she had antlers with which to gore, and because of the gesture saw the other wolverine’s gaping-mawed dash for her hindlimb; far past reason, she lashed out and ruined her balance -- but struck the beast’s shoulder and sent it tumbling into the underbrush.
– The memory of bone crunching under her hoof comforted her even as she scrabbled desperately at the leaf litter with her two stable legs, found no purchase, and began to fall. Muscles ached and tore as she thrashed against gravity -- but, alas, no struggle could be great enough for her overtaxed limbs to hold the weight of her body. Something snapped within her as she struck the ground full on her side; she could not feel the leg the wolverine had attached itself to, numb from elbow down and glad for it. Perhaps she’d crushed the accursed thing in her fall, or lashed its jaw from its face with her struggle. The moose, in that thought, found some gladness.
– Blacktrail groaned, spittle on her thick lips. Her dark eyes turned glassy -- shock, the only mercy of nature, descended.

– Grrr’blink rose from the underbrush with a whimper, his front limb numb from shoulder to claw -- but the moose! He grinned, just a tad punchy, and staggered towards the still-breathing prey animal. It twitched when he sank his fangs into its belly for a bracing mouthful of entrails, but did nothing more. He choked down the mouthful, laughed uproariously. “Vistana? Vistana, we did it!” He sat back on his haunches and blurrily glanced around for his hunting companion. They would have to do this more often -- the wolves, those beasts he’d taken for cowards when they hunted in packs, might actually have the right idea.
– ‘Barbaric and unnecessary,’ opined Fem. ‘Should’ve just taken out its throat.’ The usual weak pandering to sentimental ideas. Grrr’blink looked up to the sky as the snow got into the swing of things, flakes making a chilly cape on his shoulders, and almost didn’t feel bothered by the voices -- he could survive despite them. He could. He had to prove himself to fierce Vistana some way, didn’t he?
– ‘Why’s that, Blinky?’ murmured Masc. “Why do you have to impress her? Do you think she wants you to impress her?’
– Grrr’blink winced and thought -- Well, I can deal with the other one, at least. Masc snickered. “Vistana?” Grrr’blink called -- he wanted to celebrate their kill, not sit here fighting with the voices.

[Vistana]

She had the moose's life in her jaws. Vistana could taste it in her mouth, mixed with the less appetizing pus and disease from the wound. She could feel it from the way the moose seemed to sway, uncertain of her footing. The moose's bellow only encouraged her, and Vistana dug in deeper, tasting more blood, less disease. She snapped her jaws down entirely...

And then something shifted. The moose's footing was more than uncertain; it was suddenly gone. She teetered, then fell. Vistana's mind screamed at her, the voices giving her a thousand pieces of advice, criticism, fare-thee-wells, curses, suggestions. Confusion overtook her and instead of letting go, she held on; the moose's leg was Vistana's last hold on reality as she went plummeting down.

Something cracked above her jaws, and then she was unhinged when the moose landed on top of her. With a sharp gasp Vistana's head smacked against the ground, feet trying to scramble but unable to move. Something didn't feel quite right; she could feel her legs, screaming in pain, but it was little encouragement when her chest hurt, and her breath was coming out in ragged gasps.

-You're going to die here.-

No! Vistana didn't notice the moose shudder on top of her, and almost mistook Grrr'blink's laugh to be from inside her head, laughing at her failure and being killed by that which she killed. Then she heard her name being called, and it was not in her head, taunting or panicking, but from outside. Grrr'blink. The moose. Grrr'blink.

Taking a painful breath, Vistana wiggled her legs. They responded, if painfully and with much difficulty. Growling, Vistana pulled at one leg, coaxing it; it moved perhaps a smidget. Panic set back in, the voices assuring her that she would starve beneath food. She snarled at them and pulled harder and longer; with more pain than she was willing to admit her right foreleg was freed.

The moose above her finally stilled; her breaths had been just as painful as Vistana's, something the wolverine tried not to think about. Instead, she froze when Grrr'blink called for her again. He was so close, and yet there she was, stuck and unable to answer.

Wait.

"Grrr'blink... I'm over here. I'm..."

She swallowed, and the male voice cackled, and Vistana swore she could see his eyes. Burning.

"I'm stuck under the moose."

She forced herself to swallow instead of hack on her own pride.

-Stepped into a fight when you're only a cub. Wasn't that smart?-

/You could have gotten seriously hurt. What you were thinking?\

-She doesn't think. Surely you figured that out by now.-

Vistana's painful breath caught her throat. Always the voices had addressed her.

Never had they acknowledged each other.

Vistana carefully laid her head on the ground, staring at the snow drifting lazily to the ground. To her, however, it was not snow but rather darkness, drifting down to the ground, to the moose... To her.

[Grrrblink]

Grrr’blink cocked his head, puzzled by the noise he heard – as of a creature struggling. Yet the moose breathed its last, and still the sound persisted; harsh panting, claws against the soil. He came to his feet with a start, suddenly, terribly aware that he hadn’t actually seen Vistana since the moose went down – not since he went into the bushes. She could be, for all he knew, dying of injuries sustained in the final moments of the hunt, the moose’s revenge. He dug his claws into the soil – and even so small a motion as that drew protest from his injured limb – and sniffed at the air, unwilling to stumble into some gory scene. He could catch no scent over that of the eviscerated carcass – which he had to start eating soon, or risk losing to larger predators.

Would it be his fault, if Vistana died? Could he pretend it never happened, if he never saw the corpse, just ate his share of flesh and left?

‘Oh, it’s your fault,’ opined Masc, followed by Fem’s advice: ‘You need weight for the winter. Eat.’ Grrr’blink shifted once more, unsure of answers, unsure of action, and was saved from making a decision by Vistana’s voice – calling his name, and, unhelpful, saying I’m here. She sounded close; Grrr’blink braced his forelegs against the moose’s belly and glanced all around. Then the other wolverine stated her location, and he dropped off the carcass in a hurry. He hunched his shoulders and paced around to animal’s shoulder, and thus caught sight of Vistana’s head and forelimb protruding from beneath the moose’s bulk. “Oh,” he said. “You’re…”

He’d never heard Masc laugh so loud. ‘How undignified can it get?’ the voice asked, rhetorical. From Fem, there radiated a sense of smugness. Grrr’blink shook off the voices and their opinions and hurried forward, nosed at the corpse beside Vistana’s head. She lay very still. He took a fold of flesh between his teeth and tugged; the carcass barely budged, so that he backed away from it with a feeling of defeat and embarrassment. “We might have to eat you free,” he muttered, weak joke, so weak even Fem didn’t laugh at it. “Do you need… I mean, what can I do?”

[Vistana]

He was fast in coming; a part of her suspected he had been waiting for her, confirmed by the voices but for much more bitter reasons than she had been thinking. Surely if he wanted to leave her to die he would have eaten and gone his way? They thought of more devious plots, and Vistana delicately forced them away, one at a time, each one a little easier than the next.

Then he appeared, favoring one limb and smelling uncertain. Vistana lifted her head to face him. He stuttered, shook himself -- the voices, she realized, she knew how that felt -- and then hurried over. He was brave, trying to rip off the moose carcass, but the lack of pain let her know that it hadn't budged at all. He looked embarrassed, and then spoke a plan. Vistana stared at him, dumbfounded; what kind of idea was that?

/It was a joke, you moron. Losing your mind?\

The last sentence taunted her, but it was the truth that made her wince. He looked up at him, flexing her forepaw, and then an idea came.

"I was able to pull my leg out... Maybe..."

She drifted off, a flurry of panic and insults in her mind. Yet what was the worst that could happen? She would either die at his jaws, or die of starvation under her own food. Carefully pushing everything out of her mind, she knew which one was the best, no matter what the voices and her own past may say.

"Maybe you could pull me out."

She tugged at her stuck forelimb, hoping to make her point clearer just in case he didn't understand. She wasn't quite sure how he couldn't, but then, she knew very well how it felt to have other creatures jabbering in one's mind, giving suggestions and conversation that was unwelcome. Emphasis and repitition may well be needed to bring him back to the real world.

Besides, she could use a few reminders for herself, from herself. It was, she thought bitterly as she tugged again at her forelimb, her last thread of hope.

[Grrrblink]

Vistana’s blank look did not relieve Grrr’blink’s embarrassment a whit; he had held out hope he would get a chuckle, at least. Then again, he wasn’t entirely sure the fault was his; the female looked poorly, her reaction and speech slow. Stunned in the fall, he’d bet; and no wonder, considering she’d had a moose dropped on her. And yet – that was not, perhaps, the only problem. Her face twitched from one expression to another, inner turmoil obvious enough for him to read, and he was no genius when it came to divining emotions. As a result, he pulled back a bit, not at all willing to have his face close to her teeth; who knew what she thought, with the voices urging her to mad things? He did not blame her, but he did not trust her, either.

‘Such a lovely couple,’ Masc crooned. ‘That are wary of each other’s teeth.’ Idle heckling the likes of which Grrr’blink chose not to respond to, lest it spin further out of control; he’d learned that much from his tormentors. Masc called it cowardice, and taunted him the more. Fem – Fem was so caught in a sulk, she didn’t even attend to Masc’s words. She disapproved of Vistana on grounds of it being unnatural for wolverines to associate, and equally unnatural for him to put any care above his own health – as far as Grrr’blink could tell, anyway. While he dutifully ignored the voices, Vistana seemed to come back to earth; her expression cleared.

It did take a moment for her words to sink in, although not for the reasons she had thought; Grrr’blink had quite a good hold on reality, at the moment. But he couldn’t imagine the female trusting him enough to drag her free of the carcass; would not trust her to do so to him under the same circumstances. Could not, in fact, figure out the logistics of it, having never been called to lay teeth on anything he didn’t mean to destroy. ‘This is insane,’ Fem remarked, venom in her tone; Grrr’blink took this as a sign that the plan would definitely help Vistana. He nudged her paw gently with his nose in an attempt to bolster her morale and said, “I’m sure this will work.”

Having dispensed some comfort, now he just had to measure up to his words. He leaned back to consider the situation dubiously, then, Masc cackling in the back of his mind, he gently took hold of Vistana’s freed paw and gave a very, very gentle tug. This, predictably, did not budge anything in the least. Grrr’blink was just glad not to have drawn blood. “Sorry,” he told her, and then circled around to see if he could get a better hold elsewhere. But his options were paw or neck, and memories of crushing bones in his jaws did not make him want to risk Vistana’s spine between his teeth. He paced back around and sniffed at the place where the other wolverine’s body disappeared under the moose. Perhaps…

‘This,’ Masc declared, ‘Will absolutely never work.’ Then he laughed.

‘Just eat and leave,’ Fem urged. ‘Wouldn’t that be nice?’

Grrr’blink rolled his eyes, then abruptly wriggled his head under the moose carcass; he thought that, if he could reach the trapped limb, he might be able to tug it loose. Then, Vistana could pull herself free, and there’d be no more of this nonsense about him helping her do it. He braced his shoulder against the corpse and, unintentionally, shoved it upward. It seemed that, if she exerted herself, Vistana would have enough room to get free. Grrr’blink made a startled noise, and then gasped, “Hey – try getting out now.” No extra breath for pleasantries, and he hoped he wouldn’t get bit for it.

[Vistana]

Even after suggesting it, Vistana wasn't quite sure she had suggested the best plan. She had not thought it through clearly; it was the first plan that was her own, not something else's, and so she had immediately given it before it was lost. Grrr'blink was not responding, and he normally leapt to anything to be useful. Now he was quiet; doubtful over her plan?

Then he came over and nudged her paw. Fire spread through her, exploding in her mind. The voices shrieked, one cursing, the other panicked. Vistana's ears flipped back, muscles stiffening... And then he spoke encouragement. He was sure this would work. Vistana gritted her teeth and closed her eyes.

When his teeth closed in on her paw, it was only a small relief. It felt like he had bitten through her paw, straight through the ground, pinning her by one foot. Her mind was a permanent buzz, but she was only relieved that she couldn't fully understand any of it. She needed enough concentration to keep from screaming as it was while Grrr'blink tugged futiely at her.

Then he let her go, and Vistana let out a sharp sigh.

"Grrr'blink, maybe--"

Her voice was hysterical, but soft enough that Grrr'blink weak apology cut her off. She took a deep breath, focusing on the silent part of her brian. Before she could get it completely, Grrr'blink shoved his head under the moose. With a snarl, Vistana snapped toward him, jerking herself just short of biting him. Instead, she roughly diverted the movement away... And moved.

She paused with surprise. The male voice laughed, the female voice sighing and whining at her. She gritted her teeth at them, and, not even hearing Grrr'blink, shoved, squirmed. She felt her body move and squirmed more forcefully, scraping at the ground.

She bumped against a tree. Vistana blinked at the bark in front of her. Then, weakly, she rose shakily to her feet and turned. The moose was still there, Grrr'blink under it. She had just somehow scraped herself out and all the way to the other side of the clearing.

"I'm... I think I'm free now."

The stupidity of the statement made her laugh, a sharp bark that even made the voices silent. It was cut off as rapidly as it came by a gasp of pain from her ribs.

/Fool. Do you want to attract something to put out of your misery?\

-You need help. Grrr'blink isn't helping. He's just as crazy as you.-

/He's crazier. He's hanging out with you.\

Throughout the entire conversation she walked, one careful step at a time, over to the moose. She arrived at its throat, curiously untouched, though she did not think about it carefully enough to consider it. Then she bit into it, tasting the blood, every bit of it. Soothing.

/Blood-thirsty.\

-You truly need help. You need isolation.-

She closed her eyes and focused on the taste of the blood, tearing through the throat and taking a bite. Her food would calm her. She was crazy with hunger; no good hunting when one had a limp. Her food would make her feel better, make her less crazy.

It simply had to be.

[Grrrblink]

After freeing himself, Grrr’blink watched Vistana’s behavior with increasing distress; was worried enough, in fact, not to immediately return to his feeding. He edged to her side, his path a curve that should have made him visible on the approach: but who could say, when she had her face buried in the carcass like it offered salvation? For once, he and both voices were in accord; Vistana had utterly lost her senses in the fall. Most stressful to Grrr’blink, who enjoyed the female’s companionship and her contributions to their hunts; Fem persisted in her smugness, saying: ‘I knew this tramp was no good.’ Masc still hadn’t left off his mirth, so that his cackles birthed a throbbing ache in the wolverine’s temples. It’s not real sound, he told his brain. It shouldn’t be able to do that. His body paid no heed, but Fem tsk’d and Masc laughed the harder.

“Never mind,” he muttered to himself, suddenly fearful of what he’d meant to do, then, louder, for Vistana’s ears: “A good hunt! I’m glad you’re okay.”

Which she was, obviously, not. Grrr’blink retreated to another spot on the moose and gulped down flesh in frantic haste, very unsure how much of this meal he would eat, between what Vistana might do and what other predators were sure to do. Even while he fed, the voices pestered him: and he could not snap at them, as he would at any other sort of disturbance. ‘You’ve sure picked a winner,’ Masc informed him. ‘You’re a coward, but you choose an aggressive and unstable female to mate with?’

I’d like to grind your bones between my teeth, Grrr’blink told him. You could be the size of a mountain, and I wouldn’t care; I’d taste your blood. Unspoken but still heard: I’m not a coward.

‘That’s not bravery,’ said Masc, his smirk a tangible thing raising the fur on Grrr’blinks nape. ‘That’s desperation. I’ve driven you to that, as hunger and bravado drove you to the moose and procreation drives you to Vistana.’

‘Which is why we shouldn’t hunt moose and should stay away from that insane female,’ put in Fem, always the mean little voice of reason. ‘That’s best, isn’t it, Blinky?’

Your blood would taste sweeter than his, Grrr’blink commented, which drove her to silence and prompted more laughter from Masc. Grating laughter: less grating than his words.

His stomach swelled; his mouth tasted of rich organ meat and copper blood. His teeth scraped a rib bone and, finally, he settled back on his heels, feeling satiated but still anxious. He slid a glance to Vistana and thought, Surely she’s more sane now she’s eaten. He stood and padded toward her, a smile on his blood-stained muzzle and worry in his beady eyes. With a deep breath, he nudged Vistana’s shoulder, shied away a moment after having done it with full knowledge of how dangerous it could be; touching a deranged and feeding wolverine? He’d ascended to a new height of foolishness. Disturbingly, he couldn’t trace that thought, whether it came from himself or Fem. But Vistana had snapped at him while he tried to save her; he hadn’t missed that. Whether the thought came from him or his passengers… was irrelevant. It was practical.

He cleared his throat and found no words in it; the wolverine winced and hunched his shoulders in mortification and fear.

[Vistana]

She refused to admit that it wasn't helping nearly as much as she hoped. Oh, as she ate greedily, her head started to clear, her aches and pains felt less important, and she simply felt more content. Yet it did not quiet the voices. It did not soften their presence. She could still feel them and knew they were there, watching her, waiting to laugh at her when she did not in fact get better.

Grrr'blink only confirmed this to her. He gave her a wide berth as he approached, face full of concern. His words were too optimistic and to her were obviously false. He ate with a speed that simply could not be attributed to merely other predators. The fur rising on his nape only confirmed it to her. She had gone utterly insane. So insane that Grrr'blink was frightened.

/You frightened a fellow lunatic. Very impressive.\

Perhaps once she could have ignored the voice. However, it was the truth, and so she could only frown as she slowed in her frantic feeding. Food would not help her. Nothing would help her now. Even as the food sat well in her stomach, relieved her of a headache, she knew that it was too late. She had let the voices get too deeply into her. They were her now. Whenever she got hungry, they would badger her, and her hunger would keep her from ignoring them. The damage was done.

-Surely we aren't that bad. We try to help!-

/We can keep you safe. If you listen.\

A nudge on her shoulder made her jump in surprise, pulling her from her mind. She jerked her head to the side in surprise, but it was only Grrr'blink. A half-smile, worried eyes, worried posture. Fearful posture. She looked over at him, then turned away. She felt more pain over losing his friendship than she logically should. And yet a part of her knew she couldn't keep this up. She would hurt him in the end, and he didn't deserve it.

"Grrr'blink... I'm sorry."

The voices babbled and laughed at this, a final blow to her pride. But it was true. She truly was sorry for being so weak, for letting her insanity get so deep.

"I... Think I have truly lost it."

She didn't say what the implications of this were; she did not want to be the one to tell Grrr'blink he should never be with her again. It tore too deeply at her own heart. He was the only one who understood. He was careful, friendly, helpful. He cared about her more than he should. And she cared about him, which was why she should tell him to run away, find a new friend.

She couldn't. She only looked over at him with a pained frown, posture resigned. It was his decision to make. His decision whether he saved himself or -- as she painfully hoped -- stuck with her until the bitter end.

((This is ending up far more tragic than I intended with her insanity. o.O ))

[Grrrblink]

((This is the most horrible thing I’ve ever done to someone else’s character! I am both sorry and delighted.))

Grrr’blink flinched as Vistana’s head whipped around, and flinched again at the expression on her face, which gave him a window to raw emotions that he didn’t want to see. He couldn’t help but feel glad as she turned away, even as it pained him that she did so. Grrr’blink supposed she would leave now – now that he’d shown himself to be such a coward; even a mad female wouldn’t want his company. But she spoke instead, and her words made him freeze, as if the fearful cold under his skin took physical form and locked all his muscles in place. Would she attack him now? Did she mean that? He broke through icy alarm and took a stumbling step back.

But she didn’t attack him: she essentially warned him that she might attack, as meanwhile her proud head bent low and her shoulders hunched. Reason nor instinct offered a solution to the quandary she presented him; she offered no clear sign as to her wishes, either, although she frowned at him as if he should have known. Grrr’blink stood, perplexed and nervous, caught in a dilemma and with no place to go, until finally Fem broke the spell. ‘She wants you to leave,’ opined the voice, her tone sly. ‘No one wants a friend to watch them go insane.’ Masc giggled as she said it, so Grrr’blink thought Fem probably lied.

But dare he risk himself? Vistana had always been aggressive, but this new snappishness, the resignation to it – could he trust his hide to her company? A wolverine’s bite was no small matter, not even to another wolverine, and the danger worse with the season harsh. And yet even as he looked up to meet her eyes, guilt nibbled at the edge of his mind; even as he smiled fake and nervous, he thought he’d picked the wrong path. On the edge of words, he thought, I can fix this; I haven’t said anything yet. But what could he do? Grrr’blink didn’t know, and so he mumbled: “Good luck. Get well. I’m sure you will. I’ll… I’ll see you around.”

‘All those resources wasted,’ muttered an irritable Fem as Masc cackled in the background. A slumped Grrr’blink backed away from Vistana, passed by the moose and left the lot to the scavengers. His lips twisted in a grimace as his rump struck a tree, and at last his eyes left her. He gave a sharp nod, a final farewell, and then lumbered into the underbrush. His footsteps left faint imprints in the first snowfall, but they were swiftly filled in by new damp flakes. She won’t be able to track me easily, Grrr’blink thought, and felt horrible for it; she knew where he kept his territory, anyway, so it didn’t matter. He forced himself to think, Vistana will be alright, and repeated it to himself as he made the long walk to his den.

[Vistana]

((We are terrible people, no? xD ))

She knew what his answer would be just by looking at him. The problem was that Grrr'blink had simply never been brave. She had always been aggressive around him, and he had never quite gotten used to it. Now... Now she was unpredictable, too far lost, and Grrr'blink knew. He knew before she said it.

He stumbled back as if she had attacked him, and then she knew clearly. She watched him, desperately hoping for him to say it was okay, but instead he just looked her painfully in the eyes. And his words... Well. She snorted softly and turned away. False words, fake and full of pitiful encouragement. She heard him stumble backwards, hit something, and then he was gone, his steps fading away toward his territory.

/Go after him. Now is your chance.\

-He may come back. He's dangerous. You sho--

"Would you shut up?"

Her words were half a scream as she lashed out at the moose carcass in frustration, claws leaving deep lacerations. One of the voices flinched back, but the other only grinned. Expectant. She snarled at it and began to pace, limping and hobbling, back and forth in front of the moose carcass.

"I'll show you."

/Show us what? Go on. Go on.\

The other voice did not respond; she was always meeker, and Vistana thought that even she was shocked by the other one's taunting. The wolverine snarled at them, fangs exposed, and delivered another swipe to the carcass. The female voice rose as if to speak; Vistana growled at her and felt pleasure when she cowed.

/Go on. Go on. You can snarl and whine but can you act?\

Another blow to the carcass. They had made her lose her own friend. If he could be called a friend. The male voice started laughing, a harsh hysterical noise. The female voice rose back again, scolding.

-You sit down. You're hysterical. You know males are no good. He only planned to use you.-

"You don't know that."

/Then why, the second you go crazy, has he vanished?\

Vistana froze; against her better judgement she almost felt that he was there, in front of her, blocking her path. She snarled and turned away, only to have her eyes fall upon the bloody carcass. She would not have caught it without Grrr'blink... But no. Perhaps... She growled at the voice's laughter.

"You think that's funny? Do you?" She pounced forward, at nothing, tumbled and fell into the ground. The female voice scolded her for her stupidity while the male laughed, on and on. She bounded to her feet and snarled up at the trees. "I'll show you what's funny! You think I can't do it. You think I can't make it. I'll show you that I'm good enough! I'm not dead and useless! You'll see! You'll see!"

/And so we shall.\

-You always did have too much pride.-

Vistana snarled at the voice, whirling around; while the male was in front, the female seemed to be behind, in the background. By chance, she happened to spot one of Grr'blink's pawprints, gradually being filled with snow. She stared at it for a long moment, ears back and fur bristling. Then, with a harsh snarl, she threw herself at the moose carcass, digging her claws into it, ears swiveling. Guarding it. Preparing.

She would get well. She would show them.

She was no cripple.

((Aaaaand with that Vistana has gone completely over the edge))