do you want to go first
'cause i'm happy to wait
It's just a light year // open+sleepwalking // and a day
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DOWN IN THE FOREST, WE'LL SING A CHORUSPad accepted the fact that he would never "sleep" in this form, unless something happened to his materialized body, and he would be forced into a dreamlike state of truly being a ghost. Sometimes a blessing sometimes a curse, but nevertheless, Pad took up the role as unofficial nocturnal watchman. So when a door slammed open with a child screeching bloody murder, he was over there in a few running leaps.
The child was identified as Jacob from, the scent of burnt flesh and smoke masking the original aroma of wildflowers and crayons overpowering his nostrils. He had never seen a sleepwalk before, so Pad was utterly confused when the easily upset child tore away his wrappings to reveal charred and raw skin. But the ghostly child knew enough that Jacob was going to end up injuring himself even more if he wasn't stopped.
At first, Pad tried to snap him out of it by calling out "Kid", "Hey", and "Jacob", without any response. So, when push came to shove, impulse took over and Pad was left pinning the sobbing pup to the ground, keeping Jacob's claws away from himself. It had been long enough for someone to wake up and rush to the scene. Anyone to arrive now would probably assume the worst, that Pad, a complete stranger, had attacked Jacob in his sleep. The demon was too focused on snapping the husky out of it to care, even shaking his still thrashing body around in desperation.
//mobileONE THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS -
do you want to go first
'cause i'm happy to wait
Jacob was thrashing around desperately as the fire spread and he fell to the ground, trying to roll around to put it out but nothing was working. It kept burning, kept eating away at the layers of skin. Just like when he'd originally been burned, he felt feeling fade from his face and his leg but he was still burning.
The child screamed beneath the demon, thrashing around in desperation and finally his words could be heard clearly in his sobs. "Fire, fire! Hurt! Daddy!" He shrieked the words in desperation, trying to push against the demon that was holding him down. He tried to roll around but couldn't move and his panic only seemed to grow. His eyes were still shut, even with Pad shaking him about and calling his name. If he was awake, he would have been horrified that his bandages were off, that someone saw his burns, especially those on his face, he would certainly run off to hide somewhere. -
Died alone singing a poor man's song
Rest was needed to recover and certainly during the fire he hardly got any moment of shut eye, so he was downright exhausted. He had managed to get a few hours of sleep finally, only to be woken up by the shouts of his son and the mention of a demon. A demon? The boy was sobbing and crying violently and immediately the stallion jumped onto his hooves and ran to face the scene, seeing Pad, a total stranger the father had assumed the very worst situation possible and immediately he charged over and reared into his hind legs, thrashing his front hooves to try and kick Pad.”Get The hell off my son you fucking Bastard !” The stallion would snap ferociously with a rasp ti his tone and his ears pressed back into a furious frown, absolutely livid to see anyone trying to lay a hand on his son -
do you want to go first
'cause i'm happy to wait
Why wasn't anyone coming to help him? Why couldn't he get up? He didn't see his Daddy or anyone else anywhere.
"Daddy! Daddy, fire! Jersey! Ria!" At this point, he was just screaming names, desperate for anyone to save him from the fire that he thought was burning him all over again. The names were spoken with a slight slur and his eyes were still tightly closed. It wasn't until Harrison arrived and would begin yelling that suddenly his eyes would open and he would break into loud sobs, the burning sensation from his dream lingering. He'd stop for a moment, taking deep breaths and looking about in confusion. His silence wouldn't last long, however, when he would realize Pad was on top of him and his Daddy was swinging his hooves above him. His entire body hurt. It hurt from running when he should of and from tearing at his own wounds and from Pad pushing him to the ground. His burns were bleeding again as well and then he'd notice the tattered bandages nearby and realized he was no longer covered by them and his horror only grew. "Daddy, hurt, fire!" He would cry, glancing about wildly as he cries as though expecting flames to suddenly burst from the ground. He would twist around, as though trying to curl up and hide his face. "N-No look!" He would cry soon after. -
DOWN IN THE FOREST, WE'LL SING A CHORUSWhen Jacob started talking Pad lessened his weight upon the boy. Fire? Was this kid having a nightmare about the fire recently. Well, no shit, Sherlock, he hissed inwardly to himself, until Pad remembered the cancer-riddled "Daddy" he should be worrying about.
He only had time to glance up at the rearing stallion before one of his hooves struck his side. The crunch of his ribcage was enough to sicken even him, and as Pad skidded off of Jacob, he instinctively transformed into a ball of quills, repeatedly huffing something that could be made out into, "Son of a bitch,"
One of his ribs had probably punctured into his only good lung, and the now trembling hedgehog could feel it. He rose to his feet, morphing once more into something that could possibly take on Harrison, a mighty buck seemed to appear from the crumpling mess of spines and swears, waterery black blood beginning to drip from his nose and maw, all while snapping back, "What the hell! I was just trying to help the little fucker. "
The shapeshiftng stag tossed his head, threateningly displaying his antlers, before dropping into a charging stance, his own hooves digging into the soil to steady himself. His own blood now soaked his chin, but even in this state, Pad was as mad as a hornet, and was set on making Harrison pay. He didn't immediately strike however, as he was distracted by the now awake Jacob. He couldn't help but feel bad for the whelp, but if his father couldn't even stop his own son from roaming about at night, Jacob deserved it.
//mobileONE THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS -
Died alone singing a poor man's song
Harrison didn't care if his actions wetr uncalled for and unfair due to his size, this was his fucking son and anyone who dared threatened the boy was going to regret the day they had ever commited such an action. Seeing Pad shift into a stag only reassured Harrison that he was trying to harm his son, the defensive stance of the deer only.made him ever so infuriated. Standing in front of Jacob he parted Pad from the boy and snorted unhappily at the defense the antlers creature gave
"Help my ass! An' don't you fuckin' dare call my son that." The huge brute would snap, raising his hooves and stomping them down intimidatingly, trying to ward the drag away before he turned around ti face his son, eyes widening as he saw the uncovered wounds that were cracked and bleeding.
"Go inside Jake, I'll put fresh bandages on." He'd say softly before turning around again to glare at Pad threstiglg, his tail thrashing assertively
TAGS -
Shit this was not good, and to make things worse that guy had just insulted Jacob. Now he knew that Harrison didn't trust him around the kid, but he cared about the small child, and therefore he was here to aid the horse in any way possible. His eyes snapped to Pad as he called Jacob a little fucker and he narrowed his eyes in judgement. "Harry, is there anything I can do to help?" Maybe get Isa, or Egg... because they both had knowledge in healing. The black and white dog looked worriedly at the horse, and then at the child.
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DOWN IN THE FOREST, WE'LL SING A CHORUSOh boy. He hadn't been in a proper fight for ages. And while Harrison's size and strength would of tipped the scales, Pad's antlers aimed towards the stallion's heart balanced the odds. He considered trying to voice his side of Jacob's sleepwalking once more, only to spit out a clot of blood, the inky mixture speckling the grass. Another person showed up, causin Pad to flatten his ears in embarassment as he sputtered, labored words dripping in venom, "He tore off his own bandages, I was only keeping him from hurting himself even more!" Still, the hateful eyes of Harrison weren't buying it.
In a weak attempt to recover his pride, Pad let out a roaring bellow, pawing anxiously at the ground with his cloven hoof. With a start, the demon lunged forward towards Harrison, his crown of antlers hopefully protecting himself from any close blows. It was a risky position to be in, especially with the mutt on the horse's side.ONE THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS -
do you want to go first
'cause i'm happy to wait
When both Harrison and Pad would start arguing, Jacob's sobs seemed to grow louder. Why was it all he seemed able to do lately was make everyone upset? He just wanted them all to be happy. He just wanted all his friends to be safe and happy and together. He wanted his face and body to be normal again. He wanted to be able to make people happy again. He wanted his dad to be healthy and for his nightmares to go away. He would slowly begin to lift his head from the ground when Harrison promised new bandages inside but he would freeze when he heard a new voice and bury it in his paws once again, feeling tears roll down his face. "N-No! No, Daddy, no they will see!" He would cry, his words coming through violent sobs that shook his whole body. He didn't want them to see his face. He hadn't even wanted Harrison to see it but he'd been unable to avoid it for very long. What if they didn't like him anymore because of how icky he looked? The burns on his leg and torso were awful enough, especially while bleeding and cracked as they were but they were not nearly as bad as the burns that invaded his neck and face. The sound of fighting certainly didn't encourage him to lift his head or move, anyway. Besides, if his Daddy was fighting then he wouldn't be able to put the bandages on. He hadn't meant to do all this. He hadn't meant to make everyone angry and afraid. So, the puppy would stay where he was, petrified in fear. -
Died alone singing a poor man's song
Oh fuck no.
The stag lunged forward and the very instance Harry saw muscled flex and legs bringing themselves forward he knew a fight was coming on and it was now set in stone that he could never, ever trust this filthy son of a bitch
Oh Harry was going to make him regret every single fucking thing he had down.
He was slow to ready, so antlers scraped against his flesh however no greater damage would be obtained, the stallion jumping aside spared him of some major injuries and as he locked Pad in his case he knew his rack was his shield and his weapon - his hooves were nothing - how could he defend his belly? Or his hind quarters. Oh yes, the gunslinger knew what was going tk be his strategy. Although he was downright furious, the adrenaline from a fight felt oh so good and oh so nostalgic.
Flipping over to pivot his hind region towards Pad's side the stallion Would attempt to buck at the deer with a single powerful kick, hoping to shove the creature back with a few bruises. and as loud heavy set hooves dropped to the ground the stallion thrashed his tail aggressively, ears pressed hard against hjs head and huge teeth exposed in a furious fashion.
"Back off, im warnin' ya. If you leave ill spare ya this pain, i get it, this was an accident. But if gettin' into a fight is what you want then I hope ya like broken bones." The man would drawl out before snapping his case towards JW
"Get Jacob outta here, please." He'd command however, in a softer tone. Jules was one of his only friends, he deserved to be spared from his rage. Soon the horse frowned and faced Pad yet again, awaiting his response
TAGS -
DOWN IN THE FOREST, WE'LL SING A CHORUSHe felt himself make contact with Harrison, but the horse jumped away before Pad could actually break the skin. He stumbled as he attempted to recover and wheel around at the same time, unable to dodge Harrison's flying hind legs. While he couldn't immediately feel the possible damage, Pad was now spawled belly-up in the cool earth soon quickly writhing back around to a kneeling position, staring blankly at the ground as Harrison spoke. The stallion had sparked a childish rage inside of him; this was no longer merely about a misunderstanding, Pad had found a viable outlet for his wrath, and baring his own fanged teeth, the stag uttered, "No." He was quickly loosing the habitual will to breathe, while he could fight on, there would be no more talking, less Pad worsen the newly collapsed lung.
He wobbled to his feet, huffing once more and readying for the horse's next strike. Jacob's shrill crying was beginning to ring in his head, but he wouldn't allow it to steal his attention away from Harrison, glowing optics matching the fire in the horse's.ONE THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS -
She was on the alert for danger before any of the commotion happened. And it was more than the constant paranoia that came from a lack of sleep. Something, possibly her maternal instincts, kicked in and told her that somebody she cared about was in trouble. When panicked cries arose in the distance, she was quickly on her paws and out the door. It was no matter that her splitting headache impaired her vision or that she was a bit unsteady on her feet - Imperia was going to go rescue Jacob. However, what she saw was far worse than what she expected. Not only was Jacob crying out of terror and his bandages were torn off, but Harrison was fighting somebody! Mon Dieu!
"Harrison, stop. You are scaring Jacob," she scolded in that honey sweet voice of hers, coming to kneel beside the young pup. "Shh..." she soothed, caressing one of Jacob's uninjured spots gently before turning to Julian. He seemed to be the only other level-headed person present. "Here," she said as she conjured bandages out of nowhere. "Please wrap these around the worst of it until a medic comes." It was clear by her tone of voice that she would rather have done it herself were it not for the horse in the room. She sighed, calming herself before turning to the horse and the stag.
"I have no idea what this is about, but it is stupid and idiotic," she chided with narrowed eyes. Surprisingly brave for someone so timid. "Harry, your son is suffering, so put aside and take care of him." And then it was pad's turn. She did not know what he did, but she was both sympathetic and annoyed. "As for you... please get yourself some medical attention. You do not look so good." -
do you want to go first
'cause i'm happy to wait
He would listen as his father and Pad continued to fight, shaking now as he pressed himself against the ground, trying to hide as many of his burns as he could, his tail wrapped tightly around what he could cover of his torso and his head covered by his paws. color=#c0e4ff]"Stop it! Sorry!"[/color] He would cry, desperate to say anything to make it all stop. This was all his fault. It was his fault that his Daddy and Pad were hurt. It was his fault that they'd started fighting. It was his fault that he'd woken everyone up. He hadn't meant for any of this happen.
When Imperia would begin caressing him, he would seem to tense until he heard her voice and realized who it was. When she began to speak to JW about putting bandages on, his panic would spike once again. "No! No see, Ria! No see!" He would insist, sobs now coming from his again. "I am icky..." Came his voice, quieter this time and trembling. He didn't want her to see his face. Before he'd looked in a mirror a few days ago, he didn't seem to mind much if someone saw his burns but ever since seeing himself he had become convinced that he should keep the marks hidden away from everyone else. What if Imperia saw them and didn't want to be his friend anymore? -
Died alone singing a poor man's song
Some guys just didn't know when to fucking quit now did they? This stag was going to hobble to his own death, harry was sure of it. Not many men survived his rage, who was this dumb ass shapeshifter to think he would? Hearing how the cervid responded Harrison scoffed and turned his gaze away, he knew better than to ruin his reputation which he had tried so hard to fix. He was better than this bastard.
"Look at you - I ain't fightin' you. 's not a fair match." The Southerner would say before his eyes fell onto Imperia, who had scolded them. He frowned her way but still sighed, she was right, he was being foolish, although he was idiotic at times she did not need her to tell him to back down from a fight.
"I know I know, I just-"
No, don't argue. He bit his lips and trotted over, his back turned against Pad before he saw Jacob freak out about his image, about how Imperia was approaching him and immediately the large man came over and craned his neck down to attempt and caress his son.
"Hey hey hey, it's okay, daddy's here. I'll put them on for you - does that sound good??" He knew that the husky trusted him to do that, at least, that was what he assumed. Maybe he should have allowed his son to trust other people but... He just didn't want to see the damaged boy so distressed.
TAGS -
Jacob's cries made her heart ache. Nobody, especially a child should ever half to worry about their self-image. She wanted to tell him that scars did not define a person, personality did; but she was unsure if he was old enough to understand that concept. Instead, she went for a different approach. One that should be easier to understand. "Okay, I will not look," she said with a smile, raising a paw to "cover" her eyes even though she could still see if she tried. "but Ria loves you no matter what. You do not have to be afraid to show me." Imperia would not push him. He was young and in a fragile state, but she could try to guide him in the right direction.
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Well fuck that! JW wasn't going to stand by and let Harry get hurt by this ugly beast. But it seemed Harry had better reflexes, "Perri darl, don't be so hard on Harry. I mean, if it were someone talk'n to you that way, I would be pissed too." The black and tan dog drawled, he usually didn't sound so southern, but today was an exception. "Get the fuck away from my friends deer... go get some help." He added, he didn't want to be too harsh, but seriously, poor Jakey needed aid. "Harry, Jacob will be okay... should I get a medic?" He added as an afterthought.
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do you want to go first
'cause i'm happy to wait
Really, if Jacob could just put them on by himself he would do that but that wasn't really an option because he had no clue how to actually make them stay on. Not only that, but now he'd almost certainly have to get some extra herbs to put on it because he'd scraped the burns up so much. When Harrison would stop fighting and come over and talk to him, his body would visibly relax. At least now he knew his Daddy wasn't getting hurt. He'd then hear Harrison's words and would slowly nod. Yes, he would let Harrison put them on but he was also aware that would involve having to lift his head and walk back home but he couldn't do that, not when he knew that at least Jules still had his eyes open, that he'd still be able to see the awful burns that covered his face and body. He heard them talking about medics and all sorts of other things but he decided to stay close to the ground until he could actually do something. "Looking?" The single word was a question. All he wanted to know was if anyone was still looking at him besides Harrison.