Through the Woods... [Nikki]

[Rufus Lee Bailey]

MAYBE I'M A DIFFERENT BREED

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 355px;] "Something's wrong... real wrong." His voice slipped through his lips with an airy quality, reflective of his increasing dizziness. Rufus let Connie move his head, but his mind was elsewhere. He felt his gaze drift to the ground and then the trees again, but he wasn't really... seeing. The pained teen was so much absorbed with what was going on inside his body that he could pay little attention to his surroundings. He felt his face heat up and beads of sweat form by his hairline. Why was he sweating... it was winter. It's winter, he thought, but that was the biggest effort he made to question why he was feeling this way. Everything was changing so fast that he barely had time to process his pain let alone find reasons for it. Then, the full moon sunk into his bones. Rufus jolted in Connie's arms as he felt something tug on his body. But it, whatever it was, wasn't pulling on a limb or his hair. It seemed to be pulling him from the inside. His chest tightened as he arched his back, seemingly offering himself to the moon that compelled him without his knowledge. Go away. Whatever you are, go away! The pain, though somewhat subtle at first, didn't go away; it escalated. The boy's breathing picked up as he felt himself grow warmer and the pain build. He considered pushing himself out of the woman's arms and into the snow. Maybe then the fire would stop.

| tagged. Nikki | outfit. here | notes. Post is lame and short >.< |

credit to cranberr23 of caution.

[Connie Lynn Marshall]

Casted out

I’m watching your eyes

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,10,true][atrb=style,background-image: url('http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af82/sataraalcaelahn/Lux%20Lunae/bluegradient.jpg');,true][cs=2] Love is like starting over

[atrb=width,240] Just as Connie spotted the pack house, she heard Rufus stir and start to mutter. She glanced down at him and heard, "Something's wrong... real wrong." Yeah, she'd say so herself. "You'll be okay, just fine," Connie said as she reached the pack house. She managed the back door and slid inside. It was... So quiet. "Well, shit." She found Nikki in the house, standing near a cot, but couldn't hear anyone else. "Okay, we're alone," She muttered as she gently laid Rufus down on the cot. "Good thinking getting this up here, Nikki," Connie said as she put a hand on Rufus's forehead. He was burning up. Shit. She had no idea how long it would take for him to transition. She wasn't used to dealing with newly bitten wolves, and this close to the full moon? This was going to be tough on him. "Nikki, go get me some water. Run it into a bucket for me." She asked as she reached down and ripped open Rufus's shirt. She'd buy him another one later, or make Nikki do it. His blood stained the shirt, so technically it was Nikki's fault for ruining it. She needed the water to clean off the wound so she could see it. "And some rags no one will care if they get blood on them. I need to clean the blood off his wound." Gently, she pried open one of his eyes. They seemed to dilate alright, but she wasn't a doctor. She was a teacher for gods sake. But no one else was here, and Nikki was too despondent to do this herself right now. She wasn't sure if the girl even knew what to do. Right now, she thought giving her something to do was the best thing for everyone just then. She snatched up a first aid kit, and nearly ripped it open to get at the gauze and sterile pads. "Hang in there, kid. You'll be fine, just hang in there..."

[atrb=width,100] words , 361 tagged , Rufus/Nikki notes , I'm not a damn doctor...

table by Kat ;; lyrics by 10 Years

[nikki]

"Right! no problem!"

Nikki didn't run, but she walked quickly down to the basement again. She was sure she had seen a bucket down there. Sure there could have been one in the kitchen or in a closet, but she wasn't sure. Now was NOT the time to be bumbling around for the cleaning supplies. She grabbed the pale blue bucket, that was probably a royal blue years ago, and headed up the stairs.

When she got into the kitchen she put the bucket in the sink and let it begin to fill up with lukewarm water. Then she took a few seconds to look for the rags - clean ones preferably. It didn't take too long, and soon she had a half full bucket of water and a bunch of rags for Connie to use. She lugged it over to the two. When Connie took the supplies from her, she wasn't quite sure what to do.

She wasn't completely useless right now. Maybe a little bit brain dead with what she had just done, but not USELESS. If Connie or anyone else for that matter told her to do something, she would probably do it with out a second thought. But because Connie didn't have any orders for her right now she just knelt down by Rufus' crumbled form. There was so much blood, and she could tell where her teeth had sunk into his flesh... just barely missing the tattoos on his arm. She couldn't believe what she had done in any sense. Why would she attack? She normally had such a handle on her humanity. What had triggered it? Why the fuck was he even there? She just pondered this as Connie continued with her ministrations.

WORDS: No idea, somewhere around 300
TAGGED: Rufus
OUTFIT: its a wolf...
NOTES: dun Dun DUUUUN
LYRICS: Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace
CREDIT: CaeJae@caution2.0

[Rufus Lee Bailey]

MAYBE I'M A DIFFERENT BREED

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 355px;] For a full three seconds, Rufus actually believed Connie. Everything would be fine... yeah, it would. He was an optimist at heart (had he not been he probably would have dismissed the werewolf's comforting with a shake of the head), but not even an optimist could ignore the pain welling up in his body. Some unknown being continued its relentless tugging on every fiber in Rufus' body; even his veins felt ready the burst with his shifting blood. The light stung his eyes and made him feel translucent, so vulnerable. He'd never felt this sort of pain before! This.. this wasn't cancer was it? Did werewolf bites give you cancer!? The moon's unseen rays burrowed even deeper into the boy's body until he let out a scream. This was not fucking cancer!! Now, what did he think about Connie's earlier words? "BULL SHIT!" No sooner had Rufus screamed did his head touch fabric, the cot to be precise. He writhed on the makeshift bed and made cleaning his wounds difficult for the delta. Why should he care!? Rufus didn't believe any amount of wrapping would stop this pain radiating from his body. "It's not helping... it's not helping." He reached to push Connie's hand away but stopped as another convulsion reached his body. He spat bitter curses into the air then let his voice drift off into a whine. While the two werewolves busied about the bloody boy, he saw fit to shut his eyes tightly and wish it over. And always, always just before he could feel relief wash over his body a new convulsion would begin. On the bright side, these rolling bouts of pain helped to disguise the nausea building up in his stomach. Rufus didn't bother concerning himself with these flu like symptoms. They were the easiest to ignore out of the various pains he felt. A stitch there, some guaze, maybe some duct-tape for all he knew, and Rufus had stopped bleeding. He was, from an outsider's point of view, fixed. But, on the inside he felt that ever constant pain. It was only because of his decreasing energy that he ceased his cries and curses. Ruf's occasional scream dwindled down to mere whimpers as he grasped tightly onto the cot. He made quiet calls and pleas for his family while focusing on the ceiling. Amongst all of this, was another feeling waiting to be sated: I'm so tired.

| tagged. Nikki | outfit. here | notes. I can make him pass out in the next post if you guys want me to? Then I'm assuming we'd either skip to a new thread or fast forward a few days so that Ruf was all wolfy. |

credit to cranberr23 of caution.

[Connie Lynn Marshall]

Casted out

I’m watching your eyes

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,10,true][atrb=style,background-image: url('http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af82/sataraalcaelahn/Lux%20Lunae/bluegradient.jpg');,true][cs=2] Love is like starting over

[atrb=width,240] Connie did what she could to patch the boy up. She wasn't a doctor, but she did know how to do basic patch ups. This, though, needed more experience than she had, but she was the only one there besides Nikki, and she didn't think Nikki was up for this just now. She sighed as she leaned back, looking at Rufus. She turned to look for Nikki, when Rufus began to convulse. Her pulse leapt as she jumped to her feet. She wasn't sure what was going on, if it was just the initial transition or if it was the actual change. This close to the moon, it could have been the later. But she didn't think so. "Hey, kid, it's okay," Connie said, trying to sound soothing as she dipped a rag in the bucket of water and placed it on his forehead, hoping to cool him down some. She ran her fingers through his hair, and held his hand when it wasn't clutching the cot in a white-knuckled grip. She sang to him too, hoping something would get through to him, would help to keep him calm even as pain ravaged his body. She had talked to a werewolf that had been bitten, not born, and he had explained the transition to her. Connie thought that's what was going on. He had said the pain was like nothing else, and someone had told him he had been delirious from it. All he had remembered was the pain. And he was a lot bigger than the boy on the cot, too. Brow's pinched, Connie stroked a hand down his cheek, singing to him as she worried. She prayed he would make it through this okay. How many humans died over the years just because of the transition? She had no idea how long this pain would last for him, but she hoped it would be over soon. "Nikki, why don't you get dressed," Connie said softly as Rufus stopped screaming and started whimpering instead. She looked up at the girl and gave her a wan smile. "No need to let our new wolf here see you naked." She was hopeful the boy would pull through, anyway. Silently, she prayed to any god that might listen to her.

[atrb=width,100] words , tagged , Rufus/Nikki notes , I'm not a damn doctor...

table by Kat ;; lyrics by 10 Years

[nikki]

"Eh-heh yeah... might be a goot idea" Nikki stutter-mumbled, something not very common with this particular werewolf. She was just so fried, there was nothing she could really thinking of to fix her brain, she she just walked up the stairs to one of the guest rooms. Entering it, she rummaged for some clothing, none of it was hers, but it was understood that in the pack house guest rooms all clothing was a free for all if it fit.

When she was good and dressed, in unflattering jeans and a raggy T-Shirt no less, she sat on the bed up there. She was seriously debating something, and finally she got up and walked over to the other end of the hall and found the phone. "Hey, uh, mom? Yeah something sort of happened..."

After a brief, rather anger-filled call on her mother's part, Nikki hung up the phone. That hadn't been as hard as she though, and she was glad she had gotten it over with. Sure she might have technically been an adult, but she still needed her parents advice. They didn't come over until the next day though, and the visit had only been brief. They tended to stay away from the pack house, only entering when they were needed, for reasons unknown to Nikki. When her parents had arrived, they agreed with Nikki that something was familiar about the newly bitten wolf, but they too couldn't put their finger on it.

Another day went by and the poor guy seemed to be in a more stable condition, from what Connie was telling her. Nikki hadn't had the courage to go in and see for herself after she had helped Connie bring him into the room. It was getting far too close to the full moon for her, and she was too worried about her control. Now she just waited in the pack house couch until Rufus was able to come out.

WORDS: No idea, somewhere around 300
TAGGED: Rufus
OUTFIT: its a wolf...
NOTES: dun Dun DUUUUN
LYRICS: Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace
CREDIT: CaeJae@caution2.0

[Rufus Lee Bailey]

MAYBE I'M A DIFFERENT BREED

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 355px;] After nearly an half hour more of writhing pain, Rufus succumbed to the moon's power and fainted. But beneath closed lids, Ruf's mind refused to quiet. He worried. He panicked. He endured just about every negative emotion his heart could conjure. But mostly, Rufus worried about his family. Would his father accept him and change his ways? Would he see his brother again? Amid some halfheartedly optimistic answers stood a dreadful one: they may disown him. He barely stirred on the outside, but Ruf's mind immediately dived into turmoil. He remained in this state for a full two days, unconscious for most of it, before awaking with course sob. The distraught teen rolled over and bit into his pillow as tears streaked his face. He became too absorbed with his emotions to take notice of his body's condition: no more flu-like symptoms, only a harsh pain from the moon's rays. So in a respect, he felt better. But from his point of view, there was nothing worse in the world than a family's rejection. Rufus continued to sob into his pillow, his shoulders heaving rhythmically, until he felt anger begin to drive his soul. Never before had he felt such... such blinding anger. It boiled in his blood and pulled at his heart. With an almighty cry, he struck and grated his claws along the bedroom wall. Rufus paid little mind to his changing features as he continued on this pained rampage. With every hit and slash he imagined eliminating one word: disown. He wanted to bite and tear into that word until it bled out. But he couldn't. There was no way to kill a word, but Ruf's newfound irrationality intermixed with his anger and refused to buckle. The teen couldn't imagine life without his family, and until he found the security of his parents' embrace, he couldn't imagine life without this anger either. He struck again and again, and with each second the boy grew more wolfish. Rufus slashed the pillow and his teeth sharpened. He gnawed the bedpost and his eyes burned yellow. One particularly strong punch to the wall caused him to snarl in pain and cast out a terrible, shaking howl. The moon beckoned to him and offered a relief unfamiliar to Rufus, but he refused to take part in it. His control was slipping and his bones were grinding, ready to shift. But he would hold on just a moment longer. He had to speak. With another howl he cried and threw his head back, "I'm sorry!!" He continued to cry and plead for forgiveness, though he knew well enough his family heard none of it.

| tagged. Nikki and Connie | outfit. here | notes. I'll have him shift in the next post |

credit to cranberr23 of caution.

[Connie Lynn Marshall]

Casted out

I’m watching your eyes

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,10,true][atrb=style,background-image: url('http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af82/sataraalcaelahn/Lux%20Lunae/bluegradient.jpg');,true][cs=2] Love is like starting over

[atrb=width,240] Connie was sitting in the living room of the pack house, hand over her eyes as she tried to stay awake. She'd been awake for what seemed like a week, but really it was only a few days while Rufus's transition cycled through what it needed to in order for him to become a wolf. He had been sleeping when she had last left him. She yawned hugely, her jaw cracking. She lowered her hand and blinked bleary eyes around the room, as if to orient herself. "I'm so freaking exhausted..." She'd only caught snatches of sleep on the floor of the bedroom she had placed Rufus in. It was in the basement, so it was more of a cell just in case he shifted before she could get to him. That way, he could only tear up the furniture instead of something a bit more precious. She paused in the act of getting out of her chair for more coffee, having heard something downstairs. She moved to the stairs, and heard what sounded like wood crunching. Frowning, she started down the stairs when she heard his loud apologetic cry. Well shit... "Nikki! He's awake!" Connie yelled, not sure where the girl was at the moment. She sprinted down the stairs, and to the room where the boy lay. She had no idea of his name, he hadn't really said much of anything in the time that he had been out. She didn't think Nikki knew him either. Sliding inside, she made sure to move slowly. "Hey," She said in her most soothing voice. He was starting to shift, Connie could see the first signs of it. "Hey, it's okay." She held out her hands, smiling faintly as she approached. "You need to calm down. I know it hurts, but if you don't relax, it's going to be worse for you..."

[atrb=width,100] words , tagged , Rufus/Nikki notes , Ho-hum...

table by Kat ;; lyrics by 10 Years

[nikki]

Nikki couldn't say the moon wasn't an attractive force to her right now. And no, that does not mean she was attracted to a big rock in the sky. Right now, she wanted nothing but to give into the shift and become a wolf. She had been through too much stress and too much excitement and she was simply tired. She didn't want to have to put up the fight that the moon caused her have.

But she couldn't.

She had gained a responsibility, annoyance, job, unexpected gift recently. She couldn't just abandon the guy to Connie - not that Connie couldn't handle him - but that just wasn't how it was done. Nikki wanted to make sure this whole thing didn't turn into a fiasco for both of them. And as everyone knew, if you wanted a job done right, Nikki had to do it herself.

That wasn't narcissistic at all

Nikki thought as that train of though crossed her mind, of course other people could handle this. That wasn't even close to the reason why Nikki felt obligated to do this. Others just shouldn't have to deal with what she had done. This whole thin was her fault anyway.

It was then that Connie called for Nikki with the frightening news. The teen had awoken. Nikki wasn't quite sure what she expected, but she figured she wouldn't like it. She was in the room only seconds after Connie had called for her, seeing the teen whose life she had condemned to wolfitude for the first time in a while.

She found it was an odd sight. It was obvious the torn up teen was going to be shifting soon, and she had no idea what to do except wait for the inevitable. She hated that he was writhing in pain, she hated what she had caused. She wished more than anything, more than she wished that Collin had't left, that she hadn't done this.

WORDS: No idea, somewhere around 300
TAGGED: Rufus
OUTFIT: its a wolf...
NOTES: Sorry, got swamped by school
LYRICS: Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace
CREDIT: CaeJae@caution2.0

[Rufus Lee Bailey]

MAYBE I'M A DIFFERENT BREED

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 355px;] The werewolves were funneling into the bedroom, though Rufus paid little attention to either of them. He was... elsewhere, and this wasn't like him. Teachers usually paired new students with him because he was so friendly and talkative! He wandered down hallways, waved to nearly anyone who had the time for waving back. But this... not even a glance? It was so wrong. He wasn't one to cry often either, but here he was, bawling his eyes out and gripping the bedposts. And why? It was not because of the moon's power ravaging his body. Nor was it a matter of shock regarding his new claws. His family. That's what bothered him. He loved them so dearly and... he knew what he was, and he knew what his father thought of them. He knew the terrible bedtime stories his father currently told Adam. In fact, Rufus could hear them clearly in his head right now. Once upon a time, there was soldier... he looked a lot like you, Adam. Rufus gasped and pressed his forehead against the basement wall. He was brave and incredibly noble. He protected his family against any beast he encountered. But he had one rival who he constantly struggled to defeat. The aching teen's shoulders heaved and sent his body shuddering. The werewolf... he was a strong one. For years they fought. For. Years. Ruf grated his claws along the wall with another cry. But one day, the soldier defeated the werewolf once and for all. The entire town rejoiced. Rufus cast his golden eyes upward and stared at the ceiling, his body numb. They all lived happily, ever after. And then, he was present. Not happy, but not numb either, and he could finally hear Connie. He yanked his claws away from the wall and fell onto his back with another howl of anguish. His eyes met Connie's, and he spoke just before the shift completely overtook him. "They'll disown me." He knew she was referring to the pain caused by the moon... but that was nothing to the horror of losing an entire family. Even as the moon's power finally pierced him, he thought of nothing but his brother's face. Nothing but his smile. What would he look like when he saw Rufus, his brother, shift into the bedtime monster? Rufus hung his head, his now black and brown furred head, and beat said question to death. He didn't want to know the answer.

| tagged. Nikki and Connie | wolf form: here | notes. none |

credit to cranberr23 of caution.

[Connie Lynn Marshall]

Casted out

I’m watching your eyes

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,10,true][atrb=style,background-image: url('http://i996.photobucket.com/albums/af82/sataraalcaelahn/Lux%20Lunae/bluegradient.jpg');,true][cs=2] Love is like starting over

[atrb=width,240] Connie didn't turn when she heard Nikki come in. She wasn't sure of the boy's mental state as she walked closer to the bed. He was starting to change, and this was more in Connie's area of expertise. "You need to relax," Connie said gently as she reached out and placed a soft hand on his head. She didn't leave it there, just enough for him to know she was close and meant no harm. "They'll disown me." "Oh honey..." Connie's voice was sad as she stroked a hand gently down his back. She didn't know what to say. She didn't even know the boy's name, let alone who his family was. Most families didn't outright disown their kin who were changed, but some did. Hunter families, or just those families who couldn't stand the strangeness of it all. Connie wished she could help, but had no idea what to do to soothe his soul. She turned, glancing at Nikki and motioning for her to stay by the door. If the boy attacked, Connie thought she would be able to hold him down, or at least keep him from clawing her face off, but she wasn't sure how good Nikki was in a fight. Probably not too bad, but she didn't want her to get hurt. "Before you change, is there anyone you want me to call? Anything you need? I'll get you whatever you want."

[atrb=width,100] words , tagged , Rufus/Nikki notes , Sad

table by Kat ;; lyrics by 10 Years

[nikki]

Nikki couldn't say she was ready for what was about to happen. Nope. Not in a million years. She had to admit, she'd never seen someone change for the first time right in front of her, Collin hadn't even been in her vision when they had shifted. Besides she barely remembered that day.

Now what was even worse was that Nikki knew it was her fault this still unnamed teen was going to be put through this pain. That was a very sobering thought as she stood back at the door. Connie had motioned for her to stay there, but in reality she doubted she could move from her spot even if she wanted to. She felt glued there. She couldn't leave and abandon the teen, but nor could she get closer to him.

"I'm so sorry..." she murmured as she heard the wolf to be. Of course family would be the first thing on his mind, of course he worried that they wouldn't accept him anymore. That was probably the worst part about becoming a bitten wolf, Nikki figured, having to separate yourself from your family one way or another.

Nikki couldn't say she knew how he felt about that, she doubted any born wolf could, but she could imagine the kind of pain it caused. She had been pretty heartbroken when Collin left Converse. She was sure this was a million times worse though.

WORDS: No idea, somewhere around 300
TAGGED: Rufus
OUTFIT: its a wolf...
NOTES: Holy shit crappy post, I just have no idea what to write. Sorry about not replying! I have been a busy bee. The only reason I got a chance now was because I have a snow day.
LYRICS: Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace
CREDIT: CaeJae@caution2.0