red snow - open, joiner

[tomorrow]

JUST STANDING WAITING FOR THE PUNCHES

TW: Animal injury, blood

It'd been a long, long time since the bite of cold air hadn't seeped into every part of his body, since he'd been able to lay in the sun and soak up the warmth. But it was the middle of winter, so maybe he should stop being dramatic; the warmth of spring and summer would return eventually, he just had to push through the snow and freezing temperatures until then.

His dogs picked through the terrain ahead of him, comfortable in the snow as they sniffed the bases of the pine trees that made up the forest they had been edging their way through for the past few weeks. Food was scarce up here on the mountains, but the intense weather and lack of resources meant not many people dared the climb; which was a good thing in Tomorrow's opinion, he wasn't sure if he could handle human contact again just yet.

Still, there was a longing deep in his chest for connection; a simple conversation, an uncertain smile, an extra pair of hands building the fire. But those temptations lead down dangerous roads, and Tomorrow was still hesitant to follow them.

He noticed Jeremiah, the youngest of his pack, wandering increasingly far ahead. He whistled, and the three dogs immediately turned and trotted back to him. He reached down and pet Claire, dusting the snow off her head and muzzle as the dog pressed herself to his legs, nearly knocking him over. Beorhtwulf yipped and hopped around him, trying to find a good angle to jump up and sniff at his owner's face; well, that's what Tomorrow figured he was doing.

Laughing, he gently shoved the dogs away from him and continued his trek. He didn't need to kid himself too much, all he needed was his dogs, the endless sky and a pair of legs to roam with.

---

It was a few hours from sunset, and Tomorrow was still hiking through the frozen, mountainous terrain. He doubted he'd gotten as far as he would've liked with the amount of snow peppering the ground, but any amount of distance was good enough for him.

Barking and yelping caught his attention, and he snapped to attention. About thirty feet in front of him, Beorhtwulf was thrashing and yelping in the snow. Claire and Jeremiah were both barking and sniffing around the dog, and Tomorrow immediately started moving as fast as he could through the knee-deep snow.

Reaching the dogs, he pushed Claire and Jeremiah out of the way to see a red mess soaking the snow underneath Beorhtwulf. The dog was yelping and shaking in the snow, his leg snapped into a rusted but still functional beartrap.

"Oh my gods- Shush, shush, I'm gonna get you out of there." Tomorrow tried to soothe Beorhtwulf as his hands fumbled for the trap. The cold and the adrenaline was making his fingers shake, and he cursed his body as he tried to pry the trap off of Beorhtwulf's leg.

He pulled out the machete he'd been carting around, hilt stained with long-dried blood, and wedged it in between the trap's teeth and Beorhtwulf's leg. He grabbed the other side of the trap and strained, pulling it off of Beorhtwulf and allowing the dog to yank his leg away.

"You're okay, you're okay." Tomorrow said, dropping the triggered trap into the snow and stashing his machete once more. He leaned down and grabbed Beorhtwulf, heaving the dog into his arms. It was strenuous and difficult, but he didn't doubt Beorhtwulf would lose his leg if left in the snow.

Glancing around, he caught sight of something strange in the distance; smoke, and a dash of color like there were buildings in the distance. Even though he knew better, he also knew he needed to get out of the cold and tend to Beorhtwulf's injuries; plus, if these people did lay that trap, they owed him for his dog's injuries.

With that thought shakily in mind, he headed towards the village with Claire and Jeremiah trailing behind him and Beorhtwulf too dazed to struggle in his arms.

[HAYLEY]

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---

☁  hayley, in all truth, probably shouldn't have been out. hardly a week after her daughters birth, the twenty-three year old still felt physically and mentally exhausted. she hardly slept at night, watching over the baby as her chest rose and fell, occasionally pausing for a few seconds before remembering how to breathe. it had taken a few days for hayley to gather up the physical strength for a trek in the snow, though nearly a full week for the mental strength to leave her daughter, curled up in a bassinet by the fire with half a dozen eyes watching her.

luckily for tomorrow, the brunette had decided it was a good time to make a trek down to the relatively abandoned village to retrieve her satchel that had gotten left there, containing her various items. pens, a few knives, a thermos that had gone cold, nothing of necessity but all things she valued none the less. it was on her way back that she spotted the man and a bleeding dog, a few more behind him, and her heart clenched in her chest.

❝hey!❞ she called over the wind, changing her course of direction towards the man and the dogs. ❝is he alright?❞ the closer she got, however, she saw more of the blood and the lack of struggle the dog was putting up, and her heart clenched. ❝shit— come with me, up to the lodge, i can try to fix that leg up.❞ she said, motioning up the hill. though the village was closer, there wasn't much there by way of medical supplies; since more and more people had joined flintlock, they'd all seemed to chose the lodge as a home, and naturally that had become something of an epicenter for their supplies. a damn shame too, considering not long before she'd been forced to give birth in the village, without so much as a clean sheet.

i spot a darky

---

[tomorrow]

JUST STANDING WAITING FOR THE PUNCHES

Tomorrow flinched at the sound of another person's voice, immediately snapping to attention as his eyes surveyed the snow-covered area around him. Seeing the woman, a relieved smile broke over his face and he hurried closer.

"Really? Thank you, miss." Tomorrow said, having to raise his voice a bit to be heard over the wind as he caught up with the woman. Claire and Jeremiah started growling and circling around his legs, but a sharp whistle from Tomorrow made the dogs hesitate and then relax.

"Be nice, you two." Tomorrow said under his breath to the dogs, and rolled his eyes as the two inched closer to the woman to sniff at her heels before turning around and staying close to Tomorrow.

//oh shit i've been spotted

[HAYLEY]

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---

☁  logically, perhaps hayley should have practiced the whole 'motherhood' thing on a dog or a cat before she did on hope. but her daughter had been anything but planned, and by the time she'd been made aware of the pregnancy, it was a little too late to start practicing. perhaps one day she'd get a pet, but at the moment her undivided attention needed to be on her daughter, and on the lodge.

as they neared, she sped up a bit, shoving the doors open and holding it open, motioning for tomorrow to enter.❝how did he get hurt?❞ she asked with a motion to the dog, worry clearly present on her features. then: ❝set him on the floor, i can mop up the blood later.❞ and immediately, she'd move to grab the first aid kit, rummaging through it. she had no formal medical training, but she'd raised herself for the last twenty-three years and she'd gotten pretty damn good at sewing up stab wounds and bullet holes, on both herself and others. dogs weren't humans, but she wasn't doing open heart surgery, she was closing up a wound.

---

[tomorrow]

JUST STANDING WAITING FOR THE PUNCHES

Tomorrow had grown up taking care of others; keeping people in line, but being gentle enough that nobody felt like he was too overbearing or rude. It was a delicate balance, and oftentimes he was ignored, but with his dogs he was never ignored or looked over; it was... Nice, to be listened to. But that meant he needed to take care of them as they took care of him.

Stepping into the unknown building, he was hit with a rush of warm air - warmer than the freezing temperatures outside - and his entire body shivered as he made to set Beorhtwulf on the floor. He then tried to quell his panic and take stock of the situation; Beorhtwulf was injured, probably too injured to move around properly for a few weeks at least; He'd gotten found by a surprisingly nice woman who was determined to help him, which he was genuinely thankful for despite his nervousness about human contact again; And there was a child with a large, carved staff arriving upon the scene after they got inside.

"There was- There was a trap in the snow, meant for a larger animal I'm sure." Tomorrow's voice was soft and strained, and every breath in the warm air was painful until his body got used to the change. "Beorht- It's gonna be okay." His voice grew quieter as he leaned down to plant a kiss on the dog's forehead, and Beorhtwulf's tail wagged weakly.

"I'm- I go by Tomorrow." Tomorrow responded to the boy's question, uncertainty lacing his movements as he sat up but kept one hand on Beorhtwulf's flank. "This is Beorhtwulf, Claire and Jeremiah; they don't bite unless I tell them too, a-and they don't have rabies or anything." Tomorrow added, and pet the dogs each in succession as he introduced them. Claire and Jeremiah stayed by his sides, though he could tell by their postures they wanted to go over and sniff at the boy.

"If- If you don't mind my asking, who're you people? I don't mean to sound- erm, ungrateful, but I'm curious." Tomorrow asked, voice stuttering a bit in stress; he wouldn't say anything yet, not until Beorhtwulf wasn't bleeding anymore, but he had nothing to repay these folks with.

//greetings complete stranger who i absolutely do not know

[tomorrow]

JUST STANDING WAITING FOR THE PUNCHES

Tomorrow glanced around the place he found himself in, finally able to fully take in his surroundings as he anxiously waited for the woman to find whatever she was looking for. He ran a hand over Beorhtwulf's flank, feeling calmer with each breath the dog took.

It was.. Some sort of lodge? Clearly built before the blackout, and by the scuff marks on the floor and the homely atmosphere he'd be surprised if there weren't more inhabitants also living here. A chill ran through him as he realized he might've accidentally stumbled onto a proper colony; now he had to figure out if it was a band of bandits, or a normal community.

He bit his lip, and shook his head slightly. No, these people didn't seem like bandits; the kid was eyeing him and his dogs up a bit much for Tomorrow's liking, but otherwise they didn't seem like they wanted to take his things or hurt him.

Tomorrow shifted, noticing the boy's eyes had landed on him. He looked up, meeting their eyes for half a second before glancing away at the floor. The kid didn't do much explaining, or introduce themselves, simply stating the name of the community that Tomorrow had stumbled into. Flintlock Lodge... It rang a bell, but he didn't quite remember where he'd heard the name.

"Ah." Tomorrow responded softly. "There are more people here then." Tomorrow stated, reaffirming the conclusion he'd come to.

[HAYLEY]

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---

☁  hayley's gaze danced between tomorrow and brendan, listening carefully to the conversation as her fingers moved to tend to the bleeding dog in front of her, hoping the canine wouldn't mind her, if not for the gentle demeanor in which she treated it then by the soft smell of baby and milk that seemingly soaked into her skin after tending to her newborn so frequently as of late.

❝some residents must have put them out there a while back, before i got here,❞ the brunette said with a tired sigh as she focused her eyes on the canine before her. she'd have to make sure they swept the area for any more; a bear trap in a leg could be fatal for a human out there. ❝i'm hayley, by the way. i'm sort of in charge.❞ it felt weird to say that; these people were her family, her friends, her vague-acquaintances in cases like brendan. she wasn't in charge of any of them, she didn't control their lives. all she really did was make sure people ate dinner and mundane bullshit like that. she prayed, for her daughters sake, that was all she'd have to do for a long while.

❝there's a few of us,❞ she said, focusing on the dog the best she could to close up the teeth wounds of the trap, ❝i'm really sorry about him. we've got dogs here too, i wouldn't want any of them getting into a trap either. he'll probably need a while to rest the leg though, let it heal. i could get you a sled to pull him on, or,❞ she glanced at brendan, ever the wary boy, then to tomorrow, ❝you could stay for a bit? we've got hot food, clean water, plenty of warm beds and clean blankets.❞ that maternal instinct she held for her child, for the residents of the lodge, extended out to the stranger, tomorrow, and the dog on the ground. once a woman who couldn't be tamed, as of late she'd been feeling rather worried about everyone in her presence. motherhood really could change you.

---

[Gray]

[align=center]

GRAYSON HANSON
Sixteen & Trans Male & Residing in Flintlock Lodge
❝and ever since seventh grade i learned to fire-breathe❞

Traps scattered about the territory were a significant part of what put food on the table in Flintlock; it had especially been the case a year or so ago, as Johannes was mainly a trapper. Gray took a more active hunting style, though he did still maintain and check the old traps. He kept a mental map of them in his head so he'd know the spots he had to check and where to be cautious around.

Unfortunately, few others shared his knowledge of the territory and the traps hidden within it.

Gray had been drawn to the front room not because of the voices or commotion, but rather by Brianna. His dog had been quite keen on coming here, and when Gray's optics landed on the stranger and his injured (and uninjured) pets, he understood why and grabbed Brianna's collar, pulling her back. "What happened?" He couldn't really see the injury, but if the dog had been mauled, he'd need to go out there and hunt down whatever had done it before someone from the Lodge fell prey.

[spoiler=MY CHILDHOOD SPAT BACK OUT THE MONSTER THAT YOU SEE | 12/08]General — biograhpy
▪ Grayson Hanson | Gray | Formerly Aria Rivendare
▪ Masculine presenting | Identifies as male | He/Him | DFAB
[size=7pt]— Almost impossible to tell his birth gender (get Pyre's permission before having y/c know)
▪ 16 years, 10 months | 2/6/22 | Ages primarily real time
▪ Member of the Moorland Riders | Residing in Flintlock Lodge | Ex-Ranger of the Flintlock Lodge

Physical — reference
♦ HUMAN | Health: 100%
— Gray is about medium height at 5'6", and very thin and lanky. He has gray eyes, and off-black hair cropped into an undercut, which has recently been cut a bit closer to the scalp than normal. Under his left eye he has a beauty mark, and there are a few scars on his medium-brown skin, and there are more under the slate gray bandanna, hoodies and jeans the gangly teen tends to wear. There are three pierces in his right ear, two in his lobe and one in the cartilage.
— minor injuries: n/a
— major injuries: n/a

Important Info — roleplayer
▪ In no way shows that he was born female, does everything possible to hide it (such as binding) and wears clothes meant for men. Without him stripping, it's pretty much impossible to tell that he isn't biologically male.
▪ Low-key history nut.
▪ Nearsighted.
▪ Has a blue pit bull puppy named Brianna.
▪ Opinions and motivations are Gray's and Gray's alone and are not shared by his roleplayer.

Personality — personality type
— DETAILED IS STILL A BIG WIP
— Articulate; contemplative; efficient; driven; incisive; intelligent; meticulous; orderly; perceptive; practical; rational; self-sufficient; shrewd; vigilant; witty, enigmatic; frank; neutral; placid; private; stoic, abrupt; aloof; assertive; blunt; calculating; coarse; critical; cynical; distrusting; judgmental; opinionated; pedantic; sarcastic; self-serving; unreliable; vindictive

Relationships — heartchart
▪ Val x Summer Rivendare | Adopted by Diana Hanson
▪ Pansexual | Panromantic | Monogamous
▪ Single | One crush
▪ ½ Graux | ½ Torrson
▪ Generally puts on a friendly front and cares for those around him, but still holds them at arms' length and is very hard to get close to. Very awkward when flirted with and doesn't really like it, but becomes quite flirty when drunk

Interaction — plotting thread
— Medium Physically | Hard mentally
— Still in training
— Prefers to fight with a machete, but can go hand-to-hand
— No kill/capture/maim without permission
— To attack, [member=2027]Gray[/member] and attack in underlined #708090
[/spoiler][/size]

[tomorrow]

JUST STANDING WAITING FOR THE PUNCHES

Tomorrow blinked, a sigh nearly escaping him as Hayley affirmed that it had been the residents of Flintlock to place the trap there; he'd already sort of assumed such, these people seemed... Too welcoming to lay out such things, with their metal teeth ready to claim the life of an innocent creature. Tomorrow saw no fairness in it; animals deserved at least a fighting chance, even if it was necessary to kill them.

Tomorrow continued petting Beorhtwulf anxiously as the woman introduced herself and talked; his dogs didn't seem to mind her, least of all Beorhtwulf; he wagged his tail weakly as she tended to the wound, whimpering slightly but otherwise staying chipper. Tomorrow wasn't sure if it was the daze the canine was in, or something else about Hayley that he hadn't picked up on, but he was glad nonetheless that his companions weren't going to freak out.

Tomorrow blinked, listening to Hayley speak. She offered him a sled to pull Beorhtwulf on, which scared Tomorrow a bit more than he'd like to admit; he didn't want to say, but he knew if he returned to the wilderness now that the frost would claim Beorhtwulf as it had claimed Jeremiah's siblings. She also offered him a place to stay, which also scared him; he felt like he was backed against a wall, being forced to decide between two terrible options.

He could stay until Beorhtwulf was healed, and then leave; he didn't need to.. To make any promises, that he'd stay. Though if he accepted, he wasn't sure what would be expected of him.

His attention was thankfully diverted as Claire and Jeremiah, shackles raised, started growling and pressing closer to him. He glanced up, seeing another figure had appeared; another younger boy, nearly a man really, with his own dog who he was holding back by the collar. With a sharp whistle and a scratch behind Claire's ear, Tomorrow whispered a command to his dogs and they both sat on either side of him, bodies still straining to lean forward and sniff at the other dog.

"A trap- a trap went off on my dog. Miss- erm, Miss Hayley is helping patch him up." Tomorrow quietly explained, the use of another's name feeling odd rolling off his tongue. He was quickly becoming a bit overwhelmed by the people surrounding him, and it definitely showed in his clipped, uncertain voice.

"I um, I couldn't bring him out into the snow- Not like this." Tomorrow said, mostly to convince himself as he turned back to face Hayley. "If you'd have us, I'd prefer to stay here. At least until he's healed."