The Forbidden Line [Huntress + Quiet Souris]

[Huntress]

The cold breeze made her shudder. It bit at any of her exposed skin but it wasn't enough to wake her. The woman was sprawled across the long, unkempt grass. The smallest hint of moisture evident on each individual blade and even the young woman's tan skin. Her hair was a windblown mess, dirt covered her face and as one moved down they could see the dark spot of dried blood on her shirt and some of her skin. The wound had bled enough to pool around her left shoulder. Ruining the perfect green colours of the long grass with dirty splotches of crimson.

Birds chirped above, it was still early in the day. The sun barely peeking through the thick canopy of trees.
Eventually a single, determined beam poked through the leaves. This is what woke her. Eyes shot open, back starting to rise and fall quickly as her breaths came in fast and fearful. Her heart started thudding in her chest, getting louder by the second. Hazel-green eyes scanned the grassy field, wide open in shock.

'What happened? Where am I?'

The questions were only just starting to form in her mind, soon they would be racing through, not allowing her for time to think properly. Her hands slowly started to clamp shut as she felt the grass in her palms. A deep exhale escaped her as she slowly started to push herself up.
The dark haired woman assumed getting up and moving around would be a good thing, she could figure out where she was, how to get home...but that wasn't the case. Instead the woman was bombarded with fragments of memories, images flashing in her mind, seconds of random scenes. Clenching her jaw she closed her eyes as she winced in pain, her head slowly beginning to throb.

She could hear the constant thrum in her ears, it got louder as the pain worsened. She tightened her eyes shut more, thinking it would help. Gritting her teeth her brain seemed to be working overtime as it tried to piece together the memories while also questioning her position and how to get home.

A small scream escaped the woman, it was loud enough to startle a flock of nearby birds. Her hands shot up to her temples. Gripping her hair she put pressure on either side of her head as she started to lean forward. Eventually her face hovered just inches above the ground as she dug her elbows into the dirt. A groan escaped her as she gasped and swallowed hard. She mumbled words to herself as tears began to form from the pain.

It all then came to a sudden halt. The steady pounding in her ears stopped, her heart beat slowed down, normalizing itself, the images of scattered memories dissipated. It all grew silent, unnaturally and eerily silent. Opening her eyes she looked at the ground. Letting go of her hair she slowly brought her hands down. Her head slowly coming up. The raven haired woman remained on hands and knees for a few moments before fully pushing herself up and simply sitting on her knees.

The surrounding forest seemed never ending. She was in a small clearing. Her eyes slowly scanning the surrounding area. The loud caw of a crow startled her. Turning to face the sound she found herself standing and staring at a few crows in the distance as the flew off. Her gaze grew confused. It had sounded like the bird was right behind her.

'Probably just the echo.' She thought to herself.

Swallowing passed the dryness in her throat she clenched her jaw once again. Standing up straight she looked around one more time. She had no memory of this place, how she got here or where it even was.

More sounds slowly seemed to come to life from the eerily silent wilderness. With every new sound the woman found herself looking in it's direction. Running water one way, more birds. Small critters skittering across the dirt. The most familiar sound almost instantly had her attention; the air breaks of a truck. Her eyes looked happy, excited even, to hear a sound she knew. That meant there must be a freeway or some sort of road nearby. Slowly the woman began walking towards the sounds of trucks and cars.

 

[Quiet Souris]

Amy 'Amos' James, lightyellow

The familiar sounds of the city and domestic life had no place here.

The dark world of the underground was, strangely enough, very well lit. But these markets sold more than the trinkets of the world above, oh yes. For this was a shifters' market and nothing is ever as it seems.

She hadn't been here for quite some time, caught up in the day to day actions of the clan and the many things she was expected to take care of within the gang systems. She did it gladly at most times, for it was for her pack and that was as good a reason as any really. The pack was everything after all, everything she knew.

Everything she had left.

Biting into the apple clutched in her right hand, her eyes wandered the crowd carefully as her left hand spun a dagger carefully but almost thoughtlessly, the action almost second nature by now. Beside Amos, her second in command Reyos slouched against the wall and let his eyes be entertained by the flashing silver of the dagger in her hands and every few moments, his eyes scanned the crowd in the same manner as hers.

This place was their sanctuary, the place where shifters gathered and met in safety. But it was an open place, though out of the way and as a result, the idea of non-shifters or worse yet, werewolves, making their way in here was a plausible one. And as such, it was Amos's duty, as the head of the fox shifters in the area who controlled.... military matters, to make sure the shifter community was as safe as possible. And of course, the humans who lived in the area knew them. Knew what they were but they turned a blind eye, not wanting to risk it and in turn, she protected them from the other sectors of the city. It was a well devised, well executed system.

There was a scent in the air. She unconsciously straightened her back and looked for the source of the scent, finding none but still it persisted. It was faint, almost nonexistent but it was there.

Blood.

It was a familiar scent, one she knew well in her line of work. Sheathing her dagger, she tapped Reyos's shoulder quickly and her hands flashed through a series of signs, watching as his face turned serious and he nodded. She returned the quick nod and strode off, out of the markets and following her nose.
When in doubt, always follow your nose.

She was out the back of the markets now, the bordering edge of the wilderness that was their hunting grounds, as the coppery tang of a blood scent grew stronger and stronger.

But where the hell was it?

 

[Huntress]

The walk seemed longer than expected. The sounds of the vehicles seemed closer when she first heard them. The young woman continued on, determined to find this road. Maybe she could hitch a ride home or at least to the nearest town. From there she could make some calls or figure out arrangements for returning to a familiar place.

She trudged on through the trees, everything seemed so alive, vivid, almost unnatural and surreal. The smells of the forest were rich, different than any other time she walked through the wilderness. The sounds were intriguing and the sights seemed more detailed. Her mind was somehow analyzing everything without a problem, anytime she focused on something her brain would find the answer. The whole thing was weird.

Soon she spotted a clearing in the trees, there was a quick shimmer on the other side and the raven haired woman found herself smirking as she picked up the pace. Pushing through the thick brush she grinned when she spotted the road. There currently weren't any cars on the road but she was beyond excited. She closed her eyes and exhaled with a smile, thankful for finding her way out. Looking down the road she stopped in her tracks as the smile slowly faded away. A memory flashing through her mind.

"Come on, don't be scared. You trust me right?" The man spoke as he looked into her eyes, familiar brown eyes. The car door opened and he helped her out. "I'm telling you, you'll love this place. It's gorgeous. We don't have to stay long if you don't want to." His warm hand took hers. His grasp was firm but caring.

He led the two into the forest, towards a small clearing, a different one from where she woke up. "Alright Bree, I'll be right back, just take a seat. IF you need anything just call out. I'll hear you I promise."

She nodded. "Just don't take too long Reid, this place kinda creeps me out." She responded and watched the man walk away.

When the memory faded, Bree found herself looking in the direction the two had walked in. Her mouth slightly hung agape. What had happened? Why couldn't she remember?

There was a low, deep growl that caught her attention. The sound was incredibly familiar. Her heart rate began to pick up as her breaths came in quicker. The growl got louder, closer, deeper. The roar caught her attention as she turned around and stumbled backwards. Tripping she fell on her back, her arms shooting up to cover her face. There was no weight on her chest, no more growling. There was actually nothing. Opening one eye she looked between her arms only to see the blue sky above. Subtle sounds of fear and worry escaped her as she slowly brought her arms down, propping herself on her elbows.

"It was nothing...There's no one there..." She muttered to herself and eventually sat up.

A sudden burning pain spread from her shoulder, catching Bree off guard as she hissed in pain. The heat began to flow through her veins, a wince escaping her as she scratched at her neck and shoulder. Worried sounds escaped her as the burning sensation only grew worse, she tilted her head away from the pain as one hand pulled at her shirt and the other scratching her sensitive, burning skin.

Scratching a little too hard Bree broke the skin. Looking down at her left shoulder she grew even more confused. There was a large, healed over wound that had accidentally re-opened from her vigorous scratching. What was even weirder was that her veins began to protrude in some areas, travelling across her body. The burning grew worse, her skin flushed and moist as she began to sweat. She wanted to keep scratching but she couldn't or else she'd make it worse. She whimpered as she stopped herself from scratching, slowly pushing herself up and off the ground.

Not knowing what was happening to her terrified her even more. She needed to figure out what this was and she had to do it fast, If it was an infection she could die.

Her right hand came up, putting pressure on the burning area but not without another wince of pain. Her skin literally hot to the touch, her sweat not doing much to help cool her down. Every now and then she could feel it travel through her blood. Whenever she felt it she would wince or whimper. Her ears began to ring, her breathing felt laboured, her nose had grown stuffy and her vision was starting to blur.

Even with her senses starting to betray her Brianna continued on, walking along the road until her body could take no more, causing her to eventually collapse.