Wicked Wicked
It had taken a full day of wandering through the murk before he found it, but when he did his eyes lit up brilliantly and he instantly knew he had found his home. Amidst the mud of the swamp and the fog signs of the nearby cavern had emerged making a small stone staircase cropping out from a low hill and at the top sat a tree whose branches were draped in flowing Spanish moss. It was simply so delightfully his that he had marked every single one of the huge boulders leading up to the tree and had started digging under the roots immediately. In the following days he would decorate what he affectionately called his “front yard” with clusters of small animal skulls, mostly raccoons and opossums. He had meticulously painted the rock outcroppings with the elaborate seals of his Loa using the last of the doughy deep red berries he had brought from his homeland to do so, and made a mental note to gather more if he ever found them. The next few days were spent gathering the herbs necessary for his trances but after that he was completely settled. He took a moment to admire his work before all but skipping up the giant boulders to his den and curling up in the warm earth under the gnarled roots.
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To wander the muggy wilds of a swamp was hardly at the top of her to-do list. Alas, it was the ideal place to find herbs, and being in a new land meant she was dreadfully lacking in stocked - well, anything. She had nada, zip, nothing with which to do much of anything and it made her nervous to be so dreadfully unprepared should she end up needing something and not have it. So here she was, picking her way through muck that slurped and squelched, trying its darnedest to take hold of her paws and not let go. Let it be worth it, please please please. If she came away with empty paws... Well, hopefully that wouldn't happen. She was nearly on top of the little patch of owned space before she noticed the signs of someone staking their claim. The scent markers were what brought her back from gazing at her mud-covered paws and grimacing. Peering about, the Abraxas woman found quite the little set-up. Painted rocks, staged skulls, a meticulously crafted space greeted her with it's dark appearance. What sort of wolf lived in such a space? There was only one way to find out, and now that this strangers little plot had her attention she wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. A loud bark broke up the silence to summon whoever resided here. |
It seemed as though he had only just fallen asleep and already he had caught someone’s interest. That was of course his style; to attract as much attention as possible. From his appearance to his actions he was as loud as he could possibly be and always demanded to leave an impression.
He slipped from his den as fluidly as a snake leaves a hole and peered down at Razi from his place at the top of the stone pathway. “My word !” He exclaimed and began a slow and graceful decent down the stones toward her and stopping just as his considerably smaller frame stood at level with hers.
“So many beautiful women in one place, tell me Cher, how do the men ever cope?” He asked, although the question could have been rhetorical he paused and waited for her to answer. He hadn’t entered the crossroads since arriving in the strange new land but the chronic condition they caused still left a faint, almost undetectable, sour tint on his breath no matter how much spearmint he chewed. This had also meant that The Whispers that usually teased and muttered in his ear were silent. For the time being anyway.
“Dumois Rosario, at your service, Cher.” He said with a deep and grand bow, stretching one arm out and curling the other toward his chest.
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She'd hardly be an Abraxas if she didn't delight in the attention of others at least a little, even if it did come from creatures beneath them. Her head raised skyward a few degrees, eyes narrowing slightly with pleasure at the compliment while she looked at him sidelong. Despite the strange colors of his coat, the man had good taste. She'd gloss over how odd she found him for now, too preoccupied with basking in the attention to comment on such things. Toothy grin spreading with every word he spoke to her, the woman of darkness and light found herself pleasantly surprised and responded in kind, "Hah, I wouldn't know dear, I've hardly been here long enough to find out. Do strangers go weak at the knees when you deliver such words upon first meeting?" Such an interesting creature, likely to keep her entertained for some time she hoped. The perfume of herbs was heavy in the air, all concentrating around the rosy colored man. Two points of interest in but a minute, how lovely. Returning his gesture with a dip of her head Razi purred, "Razi Abraxas, pleasure to meet you Dumois. This is quite the interesting setup you have here, I couldn't help but summon the one who made all this. And I see you make use of quite a few herbs. Would you be opposed to maybe teaching me about a few of these intriguing scents hanging around here?" |
“Bit more complex than that I’m afraid.” He purred, sitting on the rock and coiling his silky tail around his legs. “I’m no healer if that’s why you’re asking Cher.” He said simply, attempting to swallow his pride and not be offended by someone who thought he could simply “teach” his knowledge in a day. “I’m what you might call a priest, I heal the soul, not the body.” He said simply, still smiling although his already thin pupils had become needle thin in his deeply hidden ire.
“Although…For a price, I’d be more than happy to grant you my services. Give you a little demonstration so to speak.” If he were back in Bontemp, where the wolves had learned to use the machines once owned by man to turn ordinary plants into delightfully intoxicating highballs that could leave him in a daze for a week he would have asked for such an offering before entering the crossroads. But these were simple wolves as far as he could tell, for all he knew they didn’t even have Seers- mystics that had been taught since birth to decipher the text left by men. Still, a meal was a meal and would be greatly appreciated after he puked half his guts out- as was inevitable with his rituals.
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"Ah, well, I'm not one to shy away from leaning about something entirely new to me," she amended, just as interested to hear about this strange 'priest' as she'd have been to learn new herbs. Really any information she picked up was something. Eyeing the man curiously, she sat on her haunches for a bit to observe the strange brightly colored creature a bit before speaking again. A price? She hummed softly to herself, taking her sweet, sweet time deliberating. If it were anyone else in her family she had a hard time thinking even for a moment that they would be willing to make such a trade. They weren't really prone to dealing with creatures they deemed beneath themselves. Lucky for the unsuspecting man she was speaking with, Razi was terribly curious about what it was he did, and less prone to taking things by force than her kin. Rising from her seated position she finally relented, "You've got my interest; I'll be right back then." Trotting off into the swamp, she went in search of a fitting offering for this wolf. It took some trekking, some muddied paws and a few colorful curses before she came upon something of interest. In a flurry of claws and fangs she was on top of the furry brown rodent, springing from the undergrowth without hesitation the moment she laid eyes on the creature. She had no intention of taking long on this quest for suitable payment. In the fray things happened so fast, a wild thrashing brawl turning to sudden stillness as she found her grip on it's neck and tore viciously into the animal. Stepping back, she found her right leg stinging from a bite the creature must have landed. No matter, she had what she'd come for. Staring at the thing, she took in it's odd appearance with a sneer, You look like a beaver got it on with a rat, she thought to herself. With that she'd scoop up the creature in her jaws and make her way back to the priest. This better be worth the trouble, one way or another. Arriving back at their meeting spot, Razi swiftly tossed the animal down at Dumois' paws with a flourish, "Dinner is served." |
He laughed heartily “You’re too kind Cher.” He purred before scooping up the slick coated animal and turning to climb the stones to the base of the tree where he stopped to wait for her. Dumois was a man who adored the luxuries he could afford. As a result he had worked tirelessly until the tunnel under the tree’s roots led to three chambers; one where he could sleep lined in fur and moss, one where he could store his herbs and craft them into the mixtures he needed for his rituals and the third chamber, which he referred to as his chamber of whispers. The chamber was sealed by a thick wheel made of packed dirt and moss that could be pushed aside, revealing the portal to the chamber.
The Chamber of Whispers was shaped like a bowl with perfectly smooth walls and a ceiling that had been stripped of any roots and was only broken by a small, hollow chute of bamboo that barely jutted from the surface, yet filled the chamber with light. Directly beneath the beam sat what could only be a cauldron filled with yellowed stalks of long grass, branches from various trees, and directly in the center a bleach white human skull. It was his “nganga” a cage that held one of the most powerful spirits the world had ever known, and with it he bestowed blessings and gave predictions of the future. “Tell me Cher, what’s your pleasure? A healing for your damned soul? A glimpse into your future? Or perhaps a curse on someone that’s mistreated you?” He asked as he led her through his den and to the door. The scent wafting from beyond the moss caked seal was overpowering; a musky damp smell with an underlying hint of lavender and chamomile, a scent dense enough to make anyone’s mind hazy, which of course, was the intention.
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Watching him walk for a moment, she reflected on the situation and hoped dearly that she would at least get something out of this little... well the word to describe the situation that was unfolding eluded her, as she'd seemingly only just begun whatever this would turn out to be. At the bare minimum she could tell the others that there were strange vibrantly colored wolves living in this land the likes of which she'd never seen. Picking up a rapid trot she went to meet him, following Dumois into the strangest den she'd ever been in. It was odd, splitting multiple ways with air that hung heavy with multiple overpowering scents. She'd almost gotten herself absorbed in picking out each one when he interrupted her thoughts with a question that made her chuckle, "Ooh, so many choices. Let's see. Since there's hardly anyone alive I wish to curse, and the soul isn't of interest I'd have to pick a glimpse of the future." It was impossible to know what to expect or think. If by some miracle the man managed to impress her Razi at least wanted to have made her choice count. |
The chamber, despite it’s name was silent, so silent in fact that the soundlessness hung in the air oppressively and added to the strange sense of pressure in the room. “Take a seat Cher, I’ll be right back.” He purred before slipping away to his herb chamber to collect the appropriate “highball” for future telling. The Priest’s highballs were small leaf pouches of dried and crushed herbs, each one mixed for a different purpose but all of them held the ability to transport him to The Crossroads. He slipped into his ceremonial wear, a cowrie shell shawl with two boar jaws resting on his chest and finally grabbed a faintly sparkling stone, one he had dug and scoured for relentlessly until he had found it. He reentered the chamber, pulling the door shut with a piece of rope slung through one of the edges and took a seat on the opposite end of the nganga from Razi. He set the stone and leaf pouch down in front of him and looked at the considerably larger woman with n expression of calm reverence. “Tell me Cher, what’s your name? Your full and real name I mean, the Loa need to know who they’re looking for.” He said softly almost as if he were preparing to sing a lullaby.
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Doing as instructed, Razi settled herself in the odd room, gazing at it curiously while the brightly colored man disappeared off to some other part of the odd tunnels. The lack of noise was borderline unsettling. She'd never been somewhere that didn't have at least some ambient noise. Gold eyes studied this place, a critical eye roaming over the brute when he returned dressed in some odd garb the likes of which she'd never seen. There seemed to be a whole lot of new things in this place. "Razi Abraxas," she'd repeat smoothly. She had no use for middle names that lengthened and complicated her calling. It was pointless to her, and she didn't enjoy useless or pointless things. Perhaps her parents saw this when naming her, or at least she liked to think so. Her gaze was hungry with curiosity and the need to soak up all of this strange experience. Whatever this guy was going to do was sure to be an interesting experience. |
“Wonderful name cher.” He purred with a soft smile “Let’s get started.” The priest rose back onto his crouched rear paws, his head tipped back as if he were howling, his eyes closed in silent meditation as he began to clear his mind. His jaws parted slightly and a single low guttural sound escaped him; a deep throaty “Ohm” that seemed to fill every corner of the chamber and reverberate off the smooth walls, surrounding both of them in the single sound only to have it come to a sudden stop and cloak both of them in silence once again.
Then suddenly it began; The witchdoctor fell onto his paws, his body crouched and twitching as if he was having a seizure, his slitted pupils had become thread thin his bi-colored eyes wide open. His jaws opened suddenly and snapped around the small pouch with a loud “CRUNCH” the toxic dust filling his mouth and spilling over. His spine bent as his chest hit the smooth floor of the chamber, his knees locked and his paws outstretched. A single noise escaped him; a scream that rivaled a frightened fox’s but coming from the expressionless wolf seemed nothing short of unnatural. His jaws closed around the stone, his body rearing back and then coming down, striking the rock against the rusted rim of the nganga and ushering into the world a spray of sparks. The sparks caught on the dry grasses in the cauldron and set them alight with a sudden “Whoosh” of flame filling the chamber with blinding light and suffocating heat.
Dumois walked calmly along the mirrored edge of the crossroads, his claws clicking against the smooth surface as he wandered aimlessly into the black abyss. He strolled listlessly until a noise caught his attention; the frantic hiss of a rattlesnake’s tail. He turned nonchalantly to look at the diamond pattered serpent and grinned. “Dumballah!” He chimed as if he were greeting an old friend. “Wonderful to see you again! I have a bit of a request; Razi Abraxas has approached me with questions of her future.” The snake continued to rattle its tail, it’s forked tongue darting out of its mouth as it stared fixedly at the violent wolf, and then spoke; “əəs I əɓuɐɥꓛ ꓯ” It said. “əɔıoſəɹ puɐ sɹɐəds ɹıəɥʇ uʍop ʍoɹɥʇ ๅๅıʍ ʎəɥꓕ” The snake drew back, ready to strike and opened its moth to reveal two hooked fangs “ssəuʇɐəɹɓ əʌəıɥɔɐ ๅๅıʍ noʎ əɯɐๅɟ əๅʇʇıๅ ɥsnd ɥsnd ɥsnꓒ” The snake darted forward and sank its fangs into the priest, who seemed completely unperturbed. His work was complete.
….
His body had spasmed and twitched violently, the forgotten language of his practice spilling from his mouth as Dumballah spoke to him in the crossroads and mirroring what the serpent had told him. When he regained consciousness he flipped onto his paws and vomited violently, his body heaving for air as he flame continued to crackle in the middle of the room. “You’re a very fortunate girl…” He said calmly, letting his hips fall tiredly onto the floor of the chamber. “There’s someone in your future, someone you will cherish above all others, although you won’t expect it. This person will change you in a most unexpected way.” He licked the bile from his jowls and shook out his fur. “Your struggles and battles will end, you are so close to your goals dear Razi, you need only need to push just a bit harder, and you will succeed, not immediately, but inevitably.”
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