Unsteady ground. [Damian]

[Casey DeLaney]

This was not how he’d planned to spend the day. Casey glanced up at the sky, which was the perfect shade of blue, speckled with fluffy white clouds that promised nothing but sunshine. And there he was, walking side by side with Damian. Green eyes flickered over to the other man, and Casey felt his heart sink. There was still so much hanging between them, and neither of them really wanted to speak about it. In fact, Casey had done his best to avoid his fellow scout. But there was no avoiding it when they were assigned to a mission together. Casey walked a step behind Damian as they made their way along the border, trying to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. It was hard to keep his mind focused on the task at hand, especially with the silence that hung in the air about them, so deafeningly quiet. “So…” he began, when he couldn’t bear the quiet any longer. “How do you like being a scout now?”Casey asked, walking a little faster so that he could match the taller Fulsi’s stride. All the years that they had been together, Damian had always been the Beta, helping Legend to lead the Fulsi. When Legend had gone missing, he was Alpha all but in title. To go back to being a supporting member of the Ring, just another scout in a huge group of them, must have been an interesting experience. Casey thought that he still had an air of authority about him, though it was a relief that he didn’t have to take any orders from him. It also would be hard to be watched all the time, and have to explain where he wandered off to after his patrols. He made sure to keep details a secret— if he told everyone about Sascha, he knew it would only put the two of them in more danger. There was hardly anyone he trusted enough to confide in, and curiously, he had only told Jonny. He was sure Damian knew where he was going, but he had obviously been good enough to keep quiet about it. Casey felt a pang of guilt mixed with gratitude when he looked at him. So he managed a smile and nudged Damian with an elbow. “Come on, let’s go check out that building over there!” he suggested, nodding his head in the direction of what looked like an old store. He figured they could check it out for possible new storage space, and they would at least return to the Gospel Complex with some useful information. “We could always use another inconspicuous place to store weapons and food, right?”

[Damian Russo]

Today definitely did not start out as planned. Laughter filled the halls of where Damian slept waking him up abruptly. It was hard to fall asleep no matter the conditions and to be woken up like that just pissed him off. Luckily for Damian he knew he would never hear those people laugh again. When leaving his room his shirt caught on a nail and tore a hole into his shirt. The shirt he was wearing he managed to find off a dead person without any damage and very little blood on it so now it was ruined. Down the stairwell someone decided to take a piss in feline form and it stunk up the entire walkway. Damian couldn't fathom why someone would do that since outside was literally a giant bathroom and the Fulsi was starting to be upgraded due to Redd's upgrades. Now, he was stuck with his ex-lover on a scouting mission. For some reason Casey decided small talk would be a good idea which instantly caused Damian to roll his eyes. "Being a scout is just wonderful. I get to walk around aimlessly hoping that someone won't attack me. Best job ever. To top it off I'm here with you. Aren't I just the luckiest guy ever? Yeah, good times. Good times." he scoffed with intense sarcasm. Secretly Damian actually was grateful he was with Casey since he was a familiar person who had been a Scout for a very long time. It was a comfort that he would never admit to. Damian already knew he was called Grumpy Pony for a reason, especially since Casey just nudged him that instantly caused Damian to glare down at his shorter ex-lover. Weapons and food? Brilliant idea. You are so smart! Even when not speaking out loud to Casey the former Beta could not help except be ridiculously sarcastic. I guess we could go check it out. Just promise me you won't do anything stupid that lands us in a tight spot. Please and thank you."

[Casey DeLaney]

Casey sighed and rolled his eyes. Of course Damian couldn’t even manage some small talk without being rude. If they were going to be stuck together for the rest of the morning, they could at least attempt to have a pleasant time. It was clear that wasn’t on the itinerary for today. “Super lucky,” Casey spat back, just as sarcastically, adding a grin. He accompanied said grin with another roll of his eyes. “Lets just focus on scouting, then. You don’t have to talk to me unless you spot danger,” Casey told him, holding his irritated expression. He swept past Damian and into the old store, making sure he was out of his sight before he let the expression fade. It was a little disheartening that they couldn’t manage simple pleasantries now, when they had been so close before. Casey shot a sad glance over his shoulder to look at Damian and was struck with memories of the friendship and love that they’d shared. Damian had been his only friend during the most frightening time of his life, and now they could hardly be in the same room together. The scout sighed and brushed the memories away. This is what their life was now, and yearning for the past wasn’t going to change anything. “I think there’s a cellar door over there,” He called out, nodding to the low wooden door across the room. That meant that there was a basement below them to check out, one that might possibly still have supplies hidden within. “Lets go take a look.” Casey started in the direction of the door, but gave pause as the floor protested loudly from beneath him. He studied the old rotting planks carefully and took another cautious step. The floor creaked a little less that time, and he let out a sigh of relief. “This way!”

[Damian Russo]

Damian's chest tightened in frustration as Casey tried to take a leadership role with him. To scout with him was uncomfortable as it is and then to be told how they should do something just bothered him. "If I spot danger I will let you know by unexpectedly disappearing. Let's just focus on our scouting." Damian recoiled firmly holding onto some kind of leadership. A deep exhale escaped from Damian's lips as a space a good enough space between him and Casey allowed him to relax a bit. In the back of his head the new Scout knew the way he was treating his ex-lover was completely uncalled for. To show anger and tension was just easier to handle than any kind of sorrow or even a speck of longing for his former lover. The past is in the past and all he wanted to do was let it go. Shaking his head slightly to get out of his own thoughts Damian hoped to not let his emotions get the best of him. As each step was taken on the shaky wooden floor something told him they should leave. Damian assumed he was just being paranoid so he continued further into the unknown building. "Whatever you say, boss man." Discomfort continuously crept up his own body as they ventured closer to the cellar door. "Are you sure you want to go to the creepy cellar? Knowing you there will be viruses down there. Why did I even let you convince me to come in here?" Despite the fact that Damian told himself that he would not let his feelings take over it never seemed to work. Whether it was out of resentment or the need to control everything going on it wouldn't stop him from talking anyway.It was like word vomit that just would not give up. "You're obviously not a good enough leader. Can we please just get out of here before something happens? I'm not in the mood for the bullcrap that is ensured to this scouting mission."

[Casey DeLaney]

All of Casey’s restraint disappeared, and he turned on his heel and let out a frustrated growl. “God-dammit Damian! What the hell is your problem today?” He demanded, glaring up at the taller scout. “I mean, you’re being more of an ass than usual!” “I’m not trying to act like your boss or your leader, but since you’re acting like such a child, maybe I should be. If you can’t handle taking an order, then maybe you shouldn’t be in a Ring.” Casey added curtly. They were both being ridiculous now, and it would only get them in trouble. Perhaps it would have been better to just finish the patrol elsewhere, but the last thing Casey wanted to do was to back down and give Damian exactly what he wanted. There was no way he was going to admit that he was right. “You want me to be the boss man? Fine, I’ll be the boss man. We’re going into the cellar and that’s FINAL!” Casey shouted, throwing down his pack for emphasis. The second the heavy bag hit the floor beneath the two of them, there was a deafening crack. Suddenly the ground gave out from beneath them, and Casey felt himself falling. He desperately reached out for anything to grab onto to keep himself from plummeting into the cellar below, but his fingers only caught air. He landed on the cold cement ground with a thud, and a sickening tearing noise. Casey was dazed for a moment, but when he recovered from the shock of falling and the shock of the landing, his eyes caught the red-black gleam of blood pooling beneath him. He struggled to sit up, but when he finally did, the bloody spear of broken floorboard that was skewering his left thigh showed itself to be the culprit. Upon seeing it, the pain began to register and Casey let out an agonized cry. “Dammit! Why’d you have to say something would go wrong?” He gasped, trying to keep a sense of humor as the peril of the situation sunk in. “Could.. be worse..” He hissed, touching the shard of wood but quickly pulling his hand away as even the slightest movement sent another sharp wave of pain through his body. “Are you alright? Damian?”

[Damian Russo]

Unimaginable rage built up as Casey began to retaliate against him. Any person could tell that Casey was completely justified to react so harshly to Damian's verbal stabs, but for Damian it was an official breaking point. "More of an ass than usual? That's rich coming from a cheater!" he barked back. "I don't deserve to be in a ring? You are really rich today aren't you? Yes, the person taking food and supplies to his lover that's a Rogue Anthro. Definitely have team spirit going on there!" Damian didn't even notice Casey threw down his bag until it hit the floor. Within seconds one of the loudest sounds Damian had ever heard erupted from the floor beneath them as the rotten wood caved in. Realizing the situation occurring the Fulsi Scout braced himself for impact as the inevitable drop was happening. Even with the knowledge to loosen up to make the damage not as bad his body did not listen as he hit the ground with a loud thud knocking the breath out of him. Dust and ash surrounded the room causing Damian to go into a coughing fit. Even as it began to settle it still felt like he could not breathe properly. As he laid flat on the ground he pushed himself slowly into a sitting position to see what damage had been done to his body. Pain purged it's way through the left side of his torso as he moved making him gasp in shock. There was also pain on his right ankle, but it did not compared to the pain in his chest. His body was severely cut up and barely bleeding, but the smell of blood was quite strong and Damian realized it was not his own. As the dust settled more he was able to see Casey about a yard from him. Despite the situation Casey's words made him chuckle slightly. His laughter halted immediately as that only caused him more pain. "Could be worse?" he screeched out in an accidental humorous way. "This might not be the right time to tell you, but..." he paused as he had to focus on taking a deep breath just so he could continue speaking. "I f***ing told you so." At the moment Damian was not sure if he was alright and did not respond. The smell of blood got even stronger which made Damian realize Casey was more hurt than he realized. Luckily for him he had a pain tolerance and began to become accustomed to the searing pain in his body. Pushing himself forward to get on his hands and knees Damian began to crawl over to Casey to see what happened. When Casey came into better view the spear clearly impaled his thigh which caused Damian to feel a bit nauseous. It was not the actual sight itself, but more of who it happened to. "Shit." he murmured to himself. Crawling up to be next to Casey, Damian's first instinct and action was to hold Casey's hand in a soft comforting way. "Casey... I have to pull the piece of floorboard out of your leg." After saying that Damian focused hard as he reached slowly for the bottom of his own shirt and began to lift it over his head. Faint grunts and moans of pain escaped from his lips as he tried to get it off his body. When Damian got it off his breathing was heavy, unsteady, and loud. "When I get the piece of wood out of your leg I'm going to put this shirt around your leg to try to stop the bleeding. Give me your shirt, too." It became clear Casey was going pale and was having difficulty stay conscious. "This is not the time to pass out. Please stay with me! Damian begged as tears began to trickle down his face. "Please..."

[Casey DeLaney]

Casey managed a weak chuckle as Damian pointed out that he’d told him so. It was true; Damian had objected to coming here from the start. Casey’s chuckle turned quickly back to tears as he was overwhelmed by feelings of guilt, regret, and mostly pain. He had never really been injured so badly before, and the fear that this could be life-threateningly serious overwhelmed him with fear. What if he never made it out of this goddamn basement? What if he bled out right here in front of Damian? Would he have to drag his body back to the Gospel Complex? Casey’s panicked thoughts were spiraling out of control, and he suddenly found himself breathing erratically as he teetered on the verge of a full blown panic attack. And then Damian was suddenly at his side and took his hand gently in his own. The gesture calmed him more than he thought it would; he took a deep breath and leaned over to place his head on Damian’s shoulder. All of his animosity and hurt feelings seemed to melt away when faced with such a dire situation. He was terrified, but at least he wasn’t alone. “Are you sure..that’s a good idea?” Casey asked, glancing worriedly at the shard of wood. It was a deep wound, and he worried that the sharp splinters could have caused more damage than was visible. Pulling it out had the potential to make the injury even worse. But Casey was frightened and could hardly think straight, and so he let Damian tie his shirt around his leg. The pressure sent another wave of fresh pain washing over him, but he gritted his teeth and clutched Damian’s shoulder tightly. When it had passed, he let out a long breath, relieved that the feeling was gone…for now. Casey did as he was told and though it was a little bit of a struggle, managed to unbutton his shirt and slip it off. He handed it to Damian with a nod. “T-there, we can stop the flow of blood with that… once you get it out.” His sentence was fractured by his heavy breathing, and he had to close his eyes for a moment to compose himself. It was a struggle to stay sharp and alert, when everything just seemed to be getting fuzzier. “Okay… I think I’m ready.” But there was nothing that could prepare him for Damian even grabbing hold of the shard of wood. He had only tugged it slightly upward when Casey let out a scream that made his own ears ache. He only got out another scream of ‘Stop! Stop!’ before he felt himself falling. His vision went dark and he wasn’t sure what happened after that. Casey awoke after that, and looked up to find himself leaned against Damian’s chest. “…Damian?” His brows furrowed in confusion as he stared up at the other man’s face. Why was he here? Where was Sascha? Why was Damian holding him like this? The creeping sensation of pain slowly registering again reminded him. He slowly lifted his head and saw the shard of wood still impaling his thigh. “Let’s…not do that again?”

[Damian Russo]

The scream Casey let out as Damian tried to pull out the piece of wood was frightening. Damian was counting on Casey's ability to heal himself and the evidence in front of him clearly showed that was not going to happen. Not being in the right state of mind skewed the logic in his plan. "No! Don't pass out now, idiot!" Damian yelled frantically. As he held Casey in his right arm he used his left hand to lightly slap his ex-lover's cheek in the hopes of trying to keep him awake. "Casey! Casey!" It was no use as he watch the man in his arms go limp. From what he could see it appeared Casey was barely breathing. It was a lot more comforting to know that he was at least still alive. Damian reached under Casey with his left arm and began to stand up. Like a lion's roar he yelled in agony as he started to stand up slowly. Everything looked like a blur and time felt it had slowed down tremendously as he finally was able to get on his own two feet. Heavy breaths escaped him as he took steps forward his to escape from the cellar back to the Fulsi. Every movement felt as though he was walking on hot coals. Until, his commencement did Damian realize that his right ankle was severely fractured and his left calf had a nice gash across it. Step by step Damian managed to trudge up the stairs which were barely intact to hopefully escape from his potential grave. Damian prayed hard that the floor boards beneath him would not collapse as well. There were two sets of stairs that belonged to the cellar. One led to the main building and the other to the doors that led directly outside. The doors were barely holding onto the hinges and Damian knew his hands were already full. "I'm going to regret this," he uttered out loud as he bashed his head through the exit causing the wood to collapse around him. Everything felt like it was spinning after using his head so he could obtain his one way ticket out to safety. "This is not what they meant when they suggest to use your head," he barely managed to snicker while talking to Casey. "Everybody's a critic," he replied to Casey's silence response. ------ Only thirty minutes had passed while trying to make it back to the Fulsi for help. For Damian it felt like hours. The Fulsi Scout began to feel a stir in his arms. A sense of relief washed over him as Casey had finally woken up from his "coma." Let's... not do that again? Damian looked down with a smile. "Okay, boss man. We won't do that again." OOC: Dem feels, yo. End of thread? :D