Find me where I am most ruined

4 days since Clay left Blackwood Reach.

---

The days blurred past in a symphony of bird song. Clay traveled through the shifting terrains until his paws ached and his skin had begun to leak his ichor, scathed and broken. With the help of @Nike, the fresh wounds that mangled his frame had begun to heal -- slowly but surely, scabbing and ebbing away as his fur began to sprout new growth.

None had been severe enough to scar him, he was thankful for that. Clay did not wish to carry around another of the Bogeyman's marks, and at the thought of it, he briefly glanced back at the black skin that stretched across his hind legs. He swallowed bitterly.

The winds had led Clay to a bountiful summit, stretching upwards into the sky, alone in its supreme reach to the stars. There was familiarity draped over its reach, smells that warmed Clay in the softest ways. A shadow of familiarity. With each step, Clay fought the urge to wince, teeth gritting as pain ached up his slender legs. He wanted nothing more than to collapse into the ground for just a brief nap, but he'd keep pushing forward to nowhere, his emerald gaze pinned against the ground before him. Lost in his own thoughts and misery, he wouldn't notice the slightest shift in his surroundings.

@Renn

---

the staff team luvs u

Renn had never been one to venture outside the protection of the summit. He never had a reason to. Not when everything he could ever need was right here. So when the conditions of his home are altered, changed, he would be one of the first to notice. And that he did.

There had been a loud noise. Noises of struggle that caught his ear. Not far from here. Puzzled, Renn would only follow the sound out of sheer wonder. He wasn't ever one to investigate, to go out of his way to see things. But the sound was so close, too near by for him to ignore the noise entirely. So he did. Through the grassland he would peak his head out from behind a tree trunk. What he saw...Gods, that was a sight.

A man in grey chromes, barely conscious, heaving as he breached the territory of the summit. Renn's heart dropped. What was he supposed to do? Fuck, what did mother teach him? Run them out? Take them in? Leave them to rot? Shit, shit, shit. This man was injured, clearly unable to fight. He can't...

And he didn't. Renn was not a monster. He was a helper.

He bounded over to the man, his voice hushed. Gentle-spoken even though his blood raced hot, igniting every slumbering cell in his body, keen on his attention. 'Hey...'

Renn's approach was cautious in case he decided to lash out. 'Do...can I help you?'

the staff team luvs u

The second time a wolf appeared out of practically nowhere, descending from the mist of Clay's unconsciousness, and the second time the wolf recoiled in brief shock. He sputtered momentarily, coughing on the mixture of phlegm and blood that still lingered in his sinuses, one paw lifting in response to the wolf's sudden close proximity. 

“I didn't realize... these were pack lands.” He managed to breathe out the words, movements shaky and almost fearful as he lifted his head, eyes swiping over the other wolf. He was young and wore warm colors of comfort, ones that reminded him of home in some odd, bizarre way. He had never met this boy in his life and yet something about him... 

Clay swallowed and finally collapsed onto his haunches, head hanging low against his chest. His breathing was shallow and yet steady, sides falling and rising as he attempted to calm himself. But he could not stop shaking, close to giving out from the exhaustion that wracked him. He hadn't gotten more than a few hours of sleep in what felt like forever. “I'm fine... just need to rest.” He muttered, eyelids drifting closed. 

And then he was out like a light, collapsing into the soil underfoot, chin crashing into the ground harshly.

the staff team luvs u

Renn really had no idea what to do. The man responded. A good thing. Definitely. His voice was ragged, breathy, and Renn took this as a cue to approach him. It wasn't his fault that he didn't know these lands belonged to Vanderfell. How could he? In this state only delirium overpowered him. Renn couldn't fault anyone for their condition.

'Yeah,' Renn would confirm for him. 'This is Vanderfell...not that it's important right now...' Renn's face flushed slightly with his incessant rambling.

When the grey man spoke softly it sent Renn into a panic. He fell over then. 'No— no...no!' He said, biting the inside of his cheek. He was at the man's side in an instant, letting him fall limp against his feet. Renn was not strong enough to carry the man alone. Shit. Shit. What was he supposed to do? Call his parents?

No. Renn was an adult now. He could figure this out for himself.

With all of his might, the cream prince would shove the monochrome man towards the shade of an oak tree, soft bluegrass acting as a cushion beneath him. He'd do his best, gathering herbs nearby that he remembered from his time with @Reiko, and apply them against his surface wounds. It wasn't like he could bite him— he was passed out!

the staff team luvs u

small time skip

---

The nausea that gripped at him was disorienting, filling the unconscious wolf's mind with images of insanity. He saw splatters of red and dark shadows hellbent on consuming him in his entirety, their teeth long and awaiting the release of death. His breath hitched in his throat and Clay jolted awake, eyelids wearing thick lashes fluttering open, his pretty green eyes chock-full of panic. His heart thumped erratically against his chest and the wolf moved suddenly, claws digging into the earth beneath him to anchor himself.

It was then he remembered the young wolf who'd been there when he'd collapsed and Clay dragged his eyes around his surroundings, inspecting the scene. He briefly washed over the form of the cream man, nares flaring as he breathed in the smells that fermented and lingered over the landscape. For once, clarity. He closed his eyes again, only brief this time, forcing his heart to slow and his panicked breathing to subside. He would never get used to the nightmares.

“You helped me.” Clay observed, pulling his eyes from the ground and to the other. “Thank you...” He trailed off with the intentions of saying his name, and then realized he didn't know it. Clay winced as he dragged himself from his collapsed position, uprighting himself and carefully pressing himself down against his haunches. His teeth gritted and air was sucked in between them, the fur along his shoulders bristling with pain.

“I... can't go much farther. Maybe I could stay h-here, just along the edges of the territory.” Clay seethed. His eyes brushed across his own paws, unwilling and too broken to meet the eyes of the other wolf.

the staff team luvs u

Renn had tried his best. Dried fern's had already covered his flesh wounds. Someone had helped him. Or, he did it himself. He wasn't too...well-versed in the application of topical wounds, so he simply shoved down any herb he could find into the man's throat. Surely he won't mind.

Renn bet on it as the man stirred. His eyes flashed awake in a panic, but Renn did not move. Be brave. What would happen now that he was awake? Would that blissful kindness linger through his haze? Or would tooth and claw decide to overpower his gentile nature? The thoughts of anxiety rushed through his head, but he grounded himself in the name of courage. Be. Brave.

'Yeah,' He'd nod his head when the male spoke. But as the other decided to try and stand, Renn raced to his side, letting him use his shoulder as a crutch. He didn't think it was such a good idea for him to exert that much energy yet, but he didn't have the courage to say it.

Renn went back to his spot beside the male. Silence fell over them as he realized he didn't know what to say.

'Can I stay?'

Renn knew what his answer would be, but he didn't know if that's what his mother would agree on. Inside him a war began. Just on the borders... he pondered, it couldn't be that bad, could it? At least that's what he convinced of himself. 'I don't see why not...' Renn said, also convincing himself that this was the right thing. It is.

'I'm Renn. You?'

the staff team luvs u

Relief was clear upon Clay's face, worn upon him like the morning sun, beaming and bright. For a moment, warmth was present upon his bruised face, his chiseled features softening as he finally lifted his head enough to look at the other man. 

Renn. It was a nice name. Strong. Clay couldn't say the same for himself, so he envied it, but it wasn't a burning and bubbling envy that made him want to claw the other's face off. It was somewhat rooted in admiration. Clay's parents had named him after the dirt they walked on, pissed on, shit on; it was insulting and Clay had never been able to wrap his head around it. Why? Was that what he was to them? Dirt? 

“Clay.” His voice was thin and scratchy from wear, and his throat was sore from use. He'd been shouting and screaming and snarling so much it grated to even speak, and now he noticed it as the world around him became clearer. As his own body began to catch up to his mind. Clay had blinked appreciatively at Renn when he moved closer to stabilize him, and he bashfully turned his head away. He breathed softly and ingested the scents that rode the autumn breeze, brows furrowing, knotting up above his green eyes. He still couldn't place where he knew some of them from. Even Renn had a layer of familiarity to him that Clay found nostalgic. 

“You ever seen someone beat up this bad? You're staring at me like I might fall apart any s-second.” He coughed against his arm when it raised instinctively, wiping away the bloody snot that bubbled at his nares. 

the staff team luvs u

Renn immediately felt bad about making him speak. He was still weak and his voice was evidence of that. It was practically cruel to ask him so many things. But...but he needed to know. Shit. What was he going to tell his mother? He was more terrified of her than the Gods wrath alone.

'Good to meet you, Clay.'

It felt good. This was good, right? Did this mean that they were friends? The last friend that he remembered making was Reiko...and well, she hasn't been around often. Renn shouldn't be thinking this much about it, should he? It wasn't like he was practically nursing him back to health or anything...

'Once...I think.' He wasn't totally sure. His memories from when he was young were over a year now. But he's seen blood before. He's sure of that. But he thinks he was just watching someone else mend them back back together. He was far too young himself to do anything.

Renn felt embarrassed for a moment. But he sighed. 'You looked like you were dying.' He confessed. 'I've never seen anyone die, 'n I don't really want to.'

the staff team luvs u

And just like that, it hit Clay. Renn was pure as soft snow, innocent, mind untainted by the cruelties of the world around them. Clay blinked a few times as he glanced over his shoulder towards the direction he'd come, lingering there. Renn had probably never been past the borders of his home, never exposed to what lay out there in wait. Clay's thick brow bone slid down above his pretty eyes then, furrowing into a look of trouble, his mind suddenly pulled away from the conversation at hand.

When he'd looked back at Renn, he'd sighed. He slowly, gingerly, moved -- forelegs splaying out before him and stable paws pressing into the cool earth below his frame while he lowered himself to his stomach. A fire spread over his battered body, but it was nothing compared to the pain it had once been. Now, it was tolerable. He'd live. 

“I don't blame you.” The words were carried on a sigh between his lips, and Clay pressed his head against his paws, nose tucking between them carefully. For now, he just wanted to sleep. Beneath the shade tree, he'd let his eyes close and his mind drift away. His last words to Renn came in a wide yawn. “Watch my back, w-will you?” He didn't feel safe sleeping alone. 

the staff team luvs u

Renn watched as Clay's expression changed, his brows furrowing and a sigh leaving him. Had he done something wrong? He didn't think so. Renn suddenly felt embarrassed. Again. With this stranger Renn felt as though he knew nothing. That he was still just a baby beneath his mother and father's wing. There was so much that he didn't know. He felt weak, small, but the embarrassment subdued once Clay laid down at his feet.

He laid down, sprawling at the base of the tree. Renn shifted awkwardly, not sure what he was supposed to do. The borders here were so close to the Run. Maybe it would be better if Clay rested there— a touch of paranoia brushing against the curve of his spine.

But with Clay's comfortable position and soft words, a plea that Renn couldn't ignore, he thought against it. Thought against the ways of Vanderfell. He was never one to stand up to authority. Even though Clay was weak, he was larger than Renn. Could definitely take him in a fight. Then Ira and Hiero would end up with a dead son.

He didn't want them to endure that.

So he stayed quiet for a moment and nodded his head.

'Yeah,' Renn would smile softly for the first time. Genuinely. He stayed while Clay slept and eventually found him drifting, too.

the staff team luvs u