[FLASHBACK] A Scarring Memory [Jaiun]

[Seraphina]

Spring 498 AV It was as cold as it ever was, but like usual, she didn't notice much. She owed that to the gnosis mark of her goddess, Morwen. She made her way past the guards without much trouble, everyone knew of her little escapades. She knew how to handle herself outside the famous gates of her city. However, she never strayed far from the Icewall Gates, for safety purposes, of course. Seraphina Frostfawn made her way through the snow and ice to whatever is was that happened to catch her fancy first. And that thing turned out to be something furry lying on the ground. It was obviously a wounded animal. She abandoned any caution she may have had as her love of animals drove her forwards. As she drew nearer, she could make out what it was. A wolf. She knew she shouldn't help it, wounded animals in general were known to lash out; let alone a fierce and proud wolf. But still she trudged towards the beast. Her eyes switched to a serious dark red. A red that seemed to match the blood pooling around the wolf's muscled frame. Finally she stood over the animal. Its hind leg was mangled and bloody, stretched limply off to an awkward angle. It whimpered pitifully every few seconds. Her eyes softened to pink. Although she didn't know what she should do, she was sure that her parents would. But she simply couldn't leave the animal out there. Who knew what could happen once she was gone? She squatted down and prepared to at least attempt to carry the wounded thing. She was well aware of the danger, but she was still surprised when the wolf's eyes snapped open and it struck her with a heavy forepaw. The pad of its paw stunned her as it hit her forehead, and as it dropped its leg, the claws scraped along the inside of her left forearm. She let out a gasp and staggered to her feet. The blood seemed to be flowing out of her wound faster than anticipated, and her movements weren't helping. She took a few tottering steps backwards before she turned and made to run away. But the dulled pain in her head drove her to the ground. She made to look over her shoulder and saw the wolf beginning to limp away. She glanced down at her arm, the blood hadn't stopped. "Blast," she muttered under her breath. She bunched some of her clothing to cover the wound, trying to think clearly. She found herself staring at the ground. Her blood was vividly red against the pure snow. Her eyes began to take one the same color...

[Jaiun]

It had been a long day. Even for Jaiun, fanatical as he was, he couldn't say guard duty at the Icewall Gates was particularly exciting- in fact, it was exactly the opposite. Just a bunch of people passing back and forth- rarely did anything happen at the Gates. Criminals were usually smart enough not to cause trouble so close to the guards, but every once and a while excitement came in the form of a clearly villanous individual trying to gain access to his city, but that had not happened today- in fact, Jaiun had only seen one person pass through the Gates, and that was someone from the city, a Vantha girl. Hardly exciting, Jaiun thought. And with good reason. Jaiun yawned, a natural reaction made fearsome given he was currently in his bear form, which had quite a large amount of teeth. He got up from where he had been sitting to stretch his shaggy white form, and for a moment he looked around, but he could see nothing but the snow-covered tips of the trees and his other guards. Nothing exciting...not that he had expected anything. Yawning once more, Jaiun settled down for a tedious evening. However, at that moment, Jaiun's excruciatingly peaceful tenure was interrupted, and in quite a rude way. In the form of a howl from the woods, right next to the woods. At once, Jaiun and the other guards looked up, their keen eyes and ears searching for the source. It was animal in origin- most likely a wolf, or perhaps a wild dog. "A wolf? Why would it be so close to the walls?" One of his fellow polar bear muttered. Jaiun shrugged, and after a moment of listening for more of the sound, he heard nothing. He had just been settling back down when a thought hit him. He stood up suddenly, his fur now bunched and tense. The bear that had spoke before cast him a questioning look. "The girl that passed her a couple chimes ago." Jaiun said, gritting his teeth. The other polar bear, realizing the implications, growled, a deep, almost anxious sound that came from the deep of his throat. Jaiun and the other bear looked at each other, and a silent understanding passed between them; Jaiun would pursue, while the other bear told the others. Instantly, Jaiun bounded away, his strong and powerful form disappearing in the woods of the Northern Reaches in pursuit of the wolf. It wasn't far before Jaiun found his objective. The smell of blood, both human and animal, filled his nostrils as soon as he entered the woods, and he followed that to his objective. Only a chime or so after he had left his post, Jaiun found the scene he had been hoping to avoid: that of a (bloody) wolf, perched over a fallen Vantha- that of the girl who had passed through a second ago- about to strike the killing blow. Jaiun roared, a chilling sound. The wolf, surprised, had time for half a glance before Jaiun charged into him. The force of the impact sent the wolf to the ground, and before the animal could react, Jaiun grabbed the wolf's head, pinning him to the ground. Jaiun, still growling, raised his other paw, claws at the ready, preparing to strike the wolf.