What: Tori is abducted by Isabella and tortured at the cost of having rescued Bianca Swift after her attack. Without care, Isabella kills Tori, leaving her in a field for the Herd to find her.
Tori: had always been fast, but the one time that it really counted towards anything, the 'mare couldn't even manage to throw herself into a slow sprint. Days had gone by, or, what Tori assumed had been days. Maybe hours, maybe minutes. Maybe weeks. All Tori knew was that she was hungry, and she had been surviving off of the poor excuse for water that... well, whoever they were, pushed through the small slot. The raw meat stayed put, as Tori couldn't stomach the thought of eating it. If it had been cooked, there would've been a chance, but raw? Her 'horse thrashed its head at the thought, and it made the human in Tori's stomach roll. Had she been desperate enough, Tori might have acted on it, but the 'horse couldn't bring herself to counteract her own customs. Now, Tori sat still for fear of rubbing her skin against the aconite cuffs. Staring directly upward, Tori blinked a few times, trying to focus on anything but the light.
Isabella took her time painstakingly scrubbing her hands and fingernails in the room adjacent scrub sink before allowing an assistant to mask her and snap on her gloves as if she were preparing for a lifesaving heart transplant. Backing into the surgical portion of the room, she turned and looked at Tori for a moment before readying the instruments she had laid out on several pristine trays beside her. Adjusting the light above Tori so she could see the woman all the better but it was just as blinding as before, she spoke serenely, "Tori Pierce. 25 years old. Kansas City, Kansas. I was able to find your entire life's history up to Pickens, but the point at which you contracted lycanthropy remains a mystery." Selecting a scalpel and lifting it up to eye level, examining it in the light, she continued, "It seems you didn't appreciate the food we left for you, which rules out predatory species. The doctors tested your friend's blood -- the one you saved -- and it turns out she is a weredeer. Those are a rare breed nowadays, what with how easily they are hunted. Is that what you are as well, my dear? A skittish deer?"
Tori could tell she wasn't alone, but the 'horse had been so focused on the pain. Both from not eating, and from the aconite cuffs, that she hadn't taken the time to engage all of her senses. The brunette had been without contact for four days. They had starved her out, made her weak. There was no chance that Tori would get out of this alive, not unless they decided to let her go. When the woman came into view, the brunette bit down onto her lip to keep the whimper from escaping from between closed lips. She was a blur, as the light was far too blinding to actually be of any help to Tori. When the woman began speaking, Tori's frame went rigid. Still, Tori's mouth grew dry. Bianca. She was talking about Bianca. "Leave her out of this." Tori spat, realizing that speaking was a no-go, as her throat grew with the air that Tori inhaled with her words.
Isabella watched in a state one could liken to amusement as Tori spat violent words at her in defense of her friend. "If you haven't noticed, she is being left entirely out of this, as it were. We are more interested in what you have to say, my dear." Dragging the scalpel down Tori's bicep, she left a long thin blood trail as the skin split apart cleanly and evenly, letting the burn of the tool sink in. "Do you see this? It's a marvel, really. Precision tools bathed in aconite; it's a breakthrough in how the substance is used. I can make every wound I inflict on your flesh stay there, despite the rapid cell regeneration your kind are so adept at." Reaching for a pair of prongs, she leaned across Tori's mouth and firmly grasped one of her molars. "There are two ways this can go... you can tell me what I want to know, or I can start pulling out your teeth."
Tori 's eyebrows furrowed as the woman spoke. What the hell was she talking about? All Tori could see was the bright white light of the lamp, and the blurred vision of the woman so that when something sharp dug into her arm, the brunette gasped. Body lurching forward, Tori cried out in pain as the aconite cuffs dug into her bare skin. Tori hadn't even registered that the tool the woman used to bury deep into the skin of her arm was soaked in aconite, as Tori had been entirely too focused on the burning of the cuffs. Tori let out a loud whimper as the woman moved in closer. Something metal made contact with her teeth and the brunette let out a disturbed cry. What the fuck did this woman want, and why the fuck was she coming to Tori for it? Shaking her head ever so slightly as to not disturb the newly formed injuries on her neck with pressing her skin firmly against the aconite cuffs once more, the brunette pleaded with the woman. "I don't know what you're talking about," Tori rasped, her words muffled by the device in her mouth.
Isabella wanted information, but knew the easiest way to get it was with threats she genuinely followed through on. If Tori never knew when the pain was going to come, she was more likely to barter to prevent it. "You saw it, did you not? The creature that attacked Bianca? Tell me where to find it." Not waiting for a response, she tore Tori's molar from her mouth with a sickening crack, watching as blood poured from the woman's mouth. Discarding the tooth on an empty tray as if she were performing careful surgery, she quickly reattached the prongs to the molar on the other side and waited for the response to her question.
Tori "No!" Tori mumbled again, her eyes scanning her surroundings, though, they came in hazy. It didn't help, what with the sedation and the pain still ever present in her arm. "I didn't see-" The 'horse let out a blood curdling scream as her tooth was ripped out. Body bucking forward, Tori let out another high pitched scream as the cuffs came into contact with her skin. Blood coated her tongue, which in turn made Tori gag. The brunette clenched her fists, ignoring the pain from the contact her wrists made with the cuffs. "I don't-" Tori panted, "know anything!" With both the blood and tongs obstructing Tori's speech, the mare found it hard to get her words out, "I didn't see it-" Tori pleaded again, the pain in her arm and hands terrifyingly prominent.
Isabella waited for Tori's thrashing to cease before removing the prongs from her mouth and setting them aside. Retrieving a large bone chisel and a mallet, she dragged them slowly down Tori's body until they rested over her right knee. "Didn't you, though? Didn't you see the monster tearing into your precious deer-friend's flesh with all the carelessness of a young child and a rag doll?" She knew Maera had torn into several of Pickens' residents and it was simply impossible that no one had seen the grotesque chimaera that she became or knew of her whereabouts. Someone had triggered her, somehow, and Isabella was going to find out who and how. "Tell me what you know. What attacked your friend? So close to town and yet no one saw a thing?" Raising the mallet high, she brought it down expertly on the chisel, shattering Tori's kneecap.
Tori tilted her head to the side in the hopes of spitting the blood out as the woman removed the prongs. If it landed on the woman, so be it, but it wasn't her that Tori was aiming for. Instead of landing on the floor, though, the blood just continued to dribble down Tori's chin. When the woman began speaking again, Tori's eyes focused on the ceiling just next to the light. "No." Tori said firmly. Her entire body was throbbing, and the brunette knew that nothing was going to heal, not in the time that she needed it to. There were burns in her ankles, wrists, and neck. Blood still dripped from her arm, and it continuously poured from Tori's mouth. The feeling of something trailing down Tori's leg, however, caught the horse's attention and she froze. "What- I don't!" Tori let out another blood curdling scream as the pain of her shattered kneecap rang throughout her entire body. The brunette thrashed forward, pain blossoming throughout her entire body. "Please!" Tori screamed, her fingernails digging into thin air. "I don't know anything!"
Isabella made a slow half circle around the table, dragging the chisel delicately across Tori's shins from one side to the other until she made it to her opposing knee. "You know something. You're not a naive girl, Tori. You never were, always saddled with guilt and decisions far beyond your years." She watched the skin blister open from the force of the chisel splitting open the girl's remaining knee, thinking for a brief moment that it was almost an artistic pattern and perhaps she should take a photo of it for reference. "Tell me what you know, whatever it is that may be. Give me the information you have or the next bone I shatter will be a piece of your spine."
Tori belted out another scream, which slowly turned into a dry sob. Blood bubbled at Tori's lips and the brunette made to spit it away again, but made it no further than she had the first time. The horse's body shook, which made the cuffs feel all the tighter. "I don't-" Tori panted, her eyes welling up with tears. The woman was looking for whatever was terrorizing Pickens. Though, Tori wasn't sure if the creature was scarier than the woman, who just as Tori thought would let her take a moment to regain her composure, shattered her opposing kneecap. Clenching her fists as she screamed, the brunette felt the newly added pain blossom throughout her entire body. "I don't fucking know what you want!" Tori sobbed through her screams. "You fucking crazy bitch!" The brunette belted out another scream as she arched her back against the chair, though she hardly had any room.
Isabella watched with little interest as Tori thrashed and spat, her screams echoing off the ceiling and dissipating into nothingness. Growing uninterested with her chosen method of inflicting pain, she put the chisel and mallet back on their tray and lifted a long thin metal instrument, the edge pointed and sharp. Placing the tip between two of Tori's ribs, she explained, "If I put this between your ribs, it will puncture your lung. Your sternum will shift to compensate and your breathing will become labored. I've been told the feeling is similar to drowning." Pressing the needle in just far enough to pierce the skin, she mused, "I want only what you will tell me. Anything that you know. Any reason as to why I shouldn't let you drown."
Tori let another sob rip through her chest as she heard the woman set the tools down. What she'd give to wrap her fucking hands around that woman's throat, Tori thought. The aconite cuffs burned into Tori's skin, but that was no longer the pain that caused for Tori to cry out. It was the pain of knowing that she wasn't going to survive. The 'horse let out a bitter chuckle at her own epiphany. This woman, whoever she was, was never going to let Tori survive. Even though she couldn't see the woman's face, who was to say that Tori wouldn't be able to tell somebody what had happened, and then that person would just connect the dots to whoever it was? The 'horse barred her teeth as the needle pressed into her skin. The only fear that struck Tori was the fear that she wouldn't be able to tell the Herd about what had happened, that there was so much more than even they knew. That the creature striking down citizens wasn't the end of it. "Fuck off." Tori spat, hacking a wad of spit in the direction of the woman's voice. Tori had nothing left to lose. As long as Piper, Nick, Will, and Titus were safe, then Tori had nothing to lose.
Isabella would have admired the girl's spirit in another life. In a time where information was not hoarded like precious resources being drained from the Earth, perhaps she would have felt for the girl and her derision for everything Isabella was. She may have kept her longer, perhaps given her the leafy greens prey lycans were known to eat, maybe even let her live. Unfortunately, this was not that time. Isabella was not that woman and the young, vibrant girl on the table before her was going to die. That had been decided long before she had ever been placed in her cell, long before she was captured off the side of the road near her workplace. Tori Pierce had decided it herself when she had chosen to rush to Bianca Swift's aid. "Actions have consequences." Isabella murmured the saying, more to herself than for anyone to hear, but she was positive the lycan could pick it up. With one swift movement, she jammed the needle forward through skin and muscle until she felt it tear through and burst Tori's lung. The pop was auditory, Tori's breathing changing drastically as the oxygen no longer had a home in the right side of her chest. Her right lung was trying desperately to restore balance, but given that Isabella was not going to use a chest tube to relieve the pressure building inside the cavity it was a futile attempt. Knowing full well that lycans died in their animal form rather than their human body, Isabella took her time unlocking the aconite cuffs around Tori's ankles and throat, leaving her wrists for last. As the girl struggled for breath, she took her time putting all of her tools away at a safe distance, clearing the room for whatever sized body may appear at a moment's notice. Finally undoing the wrist cuffs, she readied herself for any last burst of adrenaline that may occur.
Tori lay on the chair unmoving. The needle was cool against her skin, and in that moment, Tori became acutely aware of everything around her. Of the soft, spaces out breaths that the woman took, of the blood drops hitting the floor. The mare was going to die, and oddly enough, a part of her was okay with it. Tori knew that she had to get back to Piper, to Nick and Will, to Titus. But that wasn't going to happen, so what was the point of fighting her fate? Tori wouldn't make it out of the room with shattered kneecaps, or a punctured lung. She assumed the woman was going to do it any moment, and just after the last breath of words left the mystery woman's lips, the brunette gasped. Breathing became harder, and even though she could feel the woman's cool hands glide over the cuffs that kept Tori secure, she found herself unable to focus on anything other than her inability to breathe. The brunette gasped again, her chest heaving. Blood bubbled up from Tori's throat, and momentarily, the pain in her knees forgotten. As soon as the woman unlatched her wrists, Tori used the last remaining strength she had in pushing herself up and off of the chair. Throwing herself at the woman, Tori intentionally shifted, hoping that some of her weight would land onto the woman. The last few images that flashed through Tori's mind, however, were that of her family. Not of the one in Kansas, but of the one in the cabin, at the homestead, and the 'horse used the rest of her force, hoping that her legs would collapse underneath of her and somehow trap the woman. Then, like that, Tori Pierce was gone to the world.
Isabella could see every movement the girl made before she made it, bracing herself for impact. The way she launched herself was sudden, desperate, visceral, as if it was the only choice she had left in the world, and in a way it was. She could no more choose to live than she could choose to escape, her bloody, starving, suffocating body refusing to give one more inch past the last burst of adrenaline in her veins. Isabella caught her instinctively, wrapped her arms around the girl only to feel her body burst into something much larger, much heavier than she could hold, and the last flash of life in a human girl's brown eyes became the dead, blackened stare of a 'horse as it flew down away from her and collided with the floor in an audible thud. She stepped over the 'horse's broken back legs, bent at odd angles, and let her heels click softly against the linoleum as she moved to exit the room. Pulling her mask down from her face with a bloody glove, she exhaled a firm order from ruby painted lips. "The field, outside of Pickens. Shady Grove. Leave the body there." With those words, she disrobed of the surgical gown she had been wearing and disappeared like a whisper into the darkness.
Bianca raised both her arms at Tori, doing her best mummy imitation from her limited position in her bed. “I’m glad the sheriff is actually doing something about all of this. I hear there were three of us. Two people where put in coma’s because of what’s running around out there”. Bianca leaned back into her pillow, suddenly feeling wary. She kept bouncing between extremely good and extremely weak these days. “Maybe by the end of the week? It’s really stupid because all they need ti do I keep changing my bandages really. I could do it at home myself, I have basic first aid training cause I was a lifeguard for a short time in high school. I’m just taking up space” she sighed, grumpily. “Also I miss wearing clothes that actually cover my ass” she moaned, hating her hospital gown more than ever.
"You know I never did properly say thank you for helping me" she said quietly, her little rush of enthusiasm. Didn’t the saying go that part of recovery was about keeping your spirits up? She was trying, but more than anything Bianca was tired of the hospital. In truth she’d rather shift and go for a run through the forest. She felt trapped in her bed, with nothing but her thoughts, and memories of the attack to keep her company. She was tired and irritable at best - in part because she wasn’t allowed to drink coffee after her operation. She also felt a little guilty about Tori having to be the one to find her. The doctors had told her how torn up she had been and how lucky she was to have survived. Not only had Tori saved her life, but she had also come back specially for Bianca during the full moon. "You saved me,Tori" she smiled at the brunette, stretching out her good hand to the other woman, "I don’t even know where to begin thanking you".
"Yeah." Tori bit onto the inside of her cheek. Tori had gotten lucky when she came to Pickens. Sure, it had taken awhile for the Herd to actually form, but once it did, the horses were finally being seen as an established group, which meant that they had some information. "Three more? I thought you were the third." Eyebrows furrowing, Tori made a mental note to check back with the newspapers to see if there was anybody else who had been attacked, as it was probably somebody who Tori didn't personally know, although, she hardly knew Harmony, or the other human whose name she wasn't very sure of. But at least with both Harmony and Bianca, Tori had some type of connection to them, even if it was getting chocolate from Harmony at the Rookery, or patching up Bianca's injured leg. The brunette couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at the deer's words. "Oh, that's pretty stupid." When Tori had gotten shot, she had been lucky that she didn't have to go to the hospital. Although, the hospital seemed to hold a lot of Tori's time, between Nick and Bianca, Tori had been to the hospital more times than she could've ever wished for in the small amount of time.
Waving off Bianca's thanks, Tori smiled softly. "It's the least I could do. I mean, really.. I couldn't just ignore the voicemail." Tori hadn't known what was going on, or if she would come out of saving Bianca alive, but she knew what she had to do. It wasn't just the Herd that Tori was worried about, which was odd to Tori. There were friends outside of the herd that were extremely important to Tori. Even the people that Tori hardly knew held a place near Tori's heart, and she would do just about anything in her power to help somebody out. Besides, if Tori hadn't done anything, she would've never forgave herself, and she would've hated if Bianca were to die just because she decided to be selfish and not help the 'deer. "It's not a problem, really."
"No, no…no, nope" the brunette mumbled to herself as she flicked through the channels on the tiny TV above her bed. Now that her life no longer hung in the balance Bianca found herself stranded in a kind of limbo. She was no longer in enough pain for the hospital to keep her doped up on painkillers, but not well enough to be discharged yet. Other than than a nurse coming in to change her bandages, and the doctor to talk about her physio schedule she neither spoke nor saw anyone for the last two days. Blake had texted her to check in since he had work and couldn’t get off in time for visiting hours. She had already watched the news long enough for the stories to begin to loop and every other channel only showed programmes or movie from before the year 2000. Plainly put, she was bored. She hated hospitals - their cold, eerie smell. There was no cleaning agent string enough to mask the persistent smell of death that followed the doctors down the hallways. Bianca had just contemplated jumping out of the window when Tori’s face appeared in the doorway.
"Oh thank god, you’re here!" she smiled, grateful to see a friendly face, "Thanks, yet they won’t let me get out of this place. Come sit" she pointed to the chair beside her bed with her bandaged hand. "yeah, feeling well enough to not need the morphine anymore, but my wounds are still pretty tender so I basically look like a mummy under this stupid robe". She wrinkled her nose, still upset that they wouldn’t let her change into her own pyjamas at least. "How are you?"
Bianca's response to Tori's arrival made the 'mare smile softly. "I have nowhere else to be. I've got today off, and mine are all taken care of." Tori said, referring to the Herd, though, she wasn't sure if Bianca would catch onto the words that left Tori's words. They weren't of much importance. Taking the seat that Bianca pointed to, Tori crossed one leg over the other and watched the brunette for a moment. The 'horse was slightly amazed by Bianca's optimistic outlook on the entire situation. Tori hated sitting back and letting other people do the work that she could easily do, though, Tori assumed there wasn't much more for Bianca to do other than to get better. Tori wasn't aware of any other 'deer, other than that of Blake, who was Bianca's brother. Biting down on the inside of her cheek, Tori shrugged at Bianca's question. How was she? Hell, she didn't know. Every time Tori closed her eyes, she'd just see the gored body of Bianca, laying in a heap behind the Rookery.
"I'm better than you." Tori mused, nodding at the bandages. Deciding to take a light approach to their discussion, Tori chuckled. "I mean, I don't look like a mummy or anything." Sticking her tongue out, Tori rested her head back against the chair. "You wouldn't believe it, the amount of shit that the Sheriff is doing." Tori shook her head, letting out a low chuckle, "I'm pretty amazed that he can do so much, I've never seen him anywhere but behind his desk." The brunette leaned forward and cupped her chin in her hand. "Any word on when you're getting out of here?"
Before Pickens, Tori hadn't picked up a newspaper with the intent to read anything other than the sports and comic section. Now, Tori found herself with her eyes glued to the paper, unable to quite grasp the reality of the situation that Pickens was undergoing. Since having found Bianca, Tori was on high alert. It had been different, not seeing the aftermath of what the creature could do, or actually smelling it. But the day that Tori's hands cascaded across Bianca's ripped up shirt and bleeding abdomen, Tori couldn't quite say that she wasn't worried. She saw what the monster could do, and truthfully, the only thing she wanted to do was to keep it from happening again. The gun she had gotten from Zach wouldn't stop it, Tori knew that much, but it didn't keep Tori from having it close by. The 'mare hadn't stopped in to see Bianca since "breaking her out" of the hospital for the moon, and then checking her back in. She was overdue for a visit, Tori knew that much.
As the see-through glass doors slid open, Tori stepped into the building that was cool with the smell of antiseptic and bleach. Wrinkling her nose in distaste, Tori immediately took to the front desk, telling the nurse that was sitting there who she was going to see. The sound of Tori's boots clicking against the tiled flooring was all that the 'mare seemed to be able to focus on- and she hated herself for it. Rounding the corner, the brunette ducked into the room that Bianca was in and smiled at the woman who lay on the bed. "You're looking better." Tori said, nodding towards the wounds that seemed to be well on their way to healing. Bianca had it easy, she was a lycan, which meant that she would heal sooner rather than later, and Tori was sure that the night of the full moon helped quite a bit, what with shifting. "Are you feeling better?" Tori asked, taking a seat next to the bed.
Ugh. The fun doctor is in, and there’s a lot to be done apparently. I heard the Outlaw’s a place to start, I’ve decided I’m taking you there for an emergency operative.
kianamaiart
stormborns
annaxmalina
origamiaround
jacobvanloon
andulkaphoto
baratheonpilled
