Deep in the Woods, Sunday Evening

[not_a_parakeet]

Warren still hadn't gone back to his room.

Yesterday, when the embrace of the taint had fled his mind, he'd fled in turn, to the woods. He felt like a monster, looked like a monster. He'd hurt his friends and had nearly killed Karla, and when he found himself in his right mind, still covered in leather and jagged edges, he'd run. He wasn't up for

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[glacial_witch]

After sleeping through most of the day and then eating her body-weight in food, Karla had finally left her room to go across the hall and check on Warren. Except he wasn't there. And she didn't think he'd been there at all last night.

"Warren?" Fortunately for her--and him when she finally caught up with him--Karla was able to track via psychic scent. She left the dorms and headed into the Preserve, following the thread that said Warren into her mind. "Warren?"

[not_a_parakeet]

It took hearing his name a few times before Warren clued in to the fact that it was actually being said at all. His sleep last night had been fitful at best, and his day had been spent drifting in and out of consciousness. Between the nightmares and his healing factor kicking in again, trying to drive the taint out of his system, he wasn't really taking much at face value, tonight.

But then, when the sound of his name being called didn't stop, he looked down with eyes that still cut through the lengthening shadows of the forest with ease, and his heart damn near jumped out through his throat.

He licked his lips, looking down at himself, still caked in dirt and blood and god only knew what else. Still half monster.

She was going to keep looking. He knew that much.

"Karla..."

He wasn't coming down out of his tree yet, dammit.

[glacial_witch]

Karla stopped at the foot of the tree and peered up until she was able to make Warren out among the boughs. "You going to come down from there?" she called, placing her hand on the trunk. "Or should I come up there?"

Because she wasn't about to go without him.

[not_a_parakeet]

He peered down at her for a while, contemplating just jumping through the branches and joining her there on the ground. It would be quick. Painless. Just get this over with and get back to living.

Easy.

But even 'easy' wasn't generally as simple as it looked on the surface.

"I hurt you."

That was apparently Warrenese for 'the branches are fairly sturdy all the way up.'