Muddy River — The Shape of Dreams

Her dive towards the stag's throat proved true and she felt her teeth sinch around it's throat, pinching skin. The stag thrashed it's legs and she held on firm, tasting the flavor of blood as her teeth dug in deeper. Simultaneously, her own neck pricked with blood, as if she was grasping her own neck by grabbing onto his. The pain smarted and she winced and growled through it, her chorus of growls matching that of the stag's as he grunted and heaved. He continued to grunt and grunt and both she and Caedwyn held on tight to their grips. Eventually, the stag ceased in it's fighting and Enya could tell that it had, at last, had a change of heart. And yet, when she reached for their bond, the string was feint and slipped right through her toes. She could see it, feel it, but couldn't quite grasp it no matter how hard she tried.  When the stag had settled and ceased his thrashing, Enya held him still for a moment before deciding that it was time to let the beast go. There was nothing she could do with it now as it laid rested between her jaws. She couldn't kill it. She couldn't command it, either. They couldn't hold him here forever, and she saw no feasible way for them to restrain the beast without it escaping. She had to let him go.  'Please read my mind' she prayed to herself as her snarling at the deer turned, briefly, in Caedwyn's direction. 'Let him go' she thought to Caedwyn, trying her best to impress upon him her meaning through her gaze. A hardly visible nod of her head shook the stag's neck, and then just like that, she let go.  Buck rushed back to his feet in a flash. Enya backed away from the stag as he kicked his legs to turn and flee, eyes wide and wild with fright. Enya's own eyes grew wide as she saw Caedwyn dangling from her stag's antler nubs. "He didn't let go!" she screamed without realization. Just as quickly as Buck had dashed away, Enya followed. Her neck ached from her own injuries, and her back pained her as her wounds reopened from her failed healing spell. It didn't matter. She had to help Caedwyn before he ended up hurt from her own stupid fucking familiar.  She wasn't fast enough. Buck leapt through a tree and Caedwyn's body was slammed against it. She heard him exclaim from the impact, watched as he fell off to the side. Two more bounds and Buck was gone, disappearing into the forest. She didn't care about him. She cared about the wolf who had been thrown to the side. "Caedwyn!" she called, rushing into the bushes to find him. "Oh you fool. I gave you the nod. Didn't you see it?" She chastised him even as she reached her muzzle down to nose him and see if he was ok. "Where does it hurt?" Evident concern was written across all of her features as she tenderly inspected Caedwyn, reaching down to comfort him and, if need be, attempt to heal him. She prayed the impact was simply enough to knock the wind out of him, and not so hard that he ended up with broken ribs or a broken leg, or worse.  "Speech."