the female proghorn was old and very slow, and that's how and why he caught it. there was no period of grace to it either; it had been a mad dash at the beast and he ended it as quick as possible. Hemlock decided to eat his fill before moving on. practice his skills as it were, but he wasn't exactly starving. thw west gave him everything he needed. water, outside of the zone of danger, etc. the kill was relatively clean and he ate a leg of the creature before dragging it away. the leg was all he needed, but it'd be a shame to waste such a precious gift. at first, he thought he'd drag it all the way to Valhalla for Aurielle's pack. but he knew that if he did, the sand would make it filthy. the insides would spew all over the ground. it'd be an awful mess. he didn't like messes. they attracted larger predators and he was in no mood to deal with them. besides, there was a perfectly good pack a few paces away. he managed to pull the pronghorn's body to the border of this one before settling down to lick clean the blood and gore from his dark pelt. quickly and effectively for he knew eyes would be watching him so close to their border. the neck was snapped from the back and a leg was missing, but otherwise, it was a whole piece of prey. Hemlock tried to position it openly and without much threat. he had every intention of leaving it here without a word, right before the pack's border. he had no reason to remain here and opted to leave as quickly as possible. the scent of the prey would be enough to make the wolves here come to the pronghorn anyway. call it a gift, a hope of survival for this large community. once he wasn't busy looking for Twig, he'd come back. maybe. you never know. he moved away from the body, twisting his own away. it was only by a voice did he pause, hesitating. he'd been found out.

Deathbelle wasted no time in relocating the pack somewhere slightly safer, the redater rocks seemed less affected than Ashen. Belle wanted to be alone. She paced over the borders she’d left behind for safety. Half patrolling and half looking for her family and packmates that hadn’t been there that day… She hated thinking about it, and hated living in the reality around her. The one where Archon was now missing. Her children were without their father and she lost her Husband.

This was what she deserved for going so strongly against the wishes of her family. Only a few truly approved of her late husband. Were her ancestors being vengeful? She grit her teeth as delicate paws continued to pull her forward. Before she saw or smelled the fresh kill lilac eyes fell on the stranger’s striped form. She tore into Sirius recently, maybe biting into a stranger would feel better. ”What are you doing?” She called out commandingly as alabaster tail lashed at her hips.

Hemlock was no coward. okay, maybe that was a bit of a lie. he had some fear in him, but he had done nothing wrong in this instance. nothing to warrant him running away with his tail between his legs anyway. he turned boldly, facing the woman who had called out to him. his expression was even, looking her over briefly to commit her face to memory before answering. she was beautiful, but that was beside the point right at this second. his eyebrow raised at her before his focus dropped to the pronghorn. "I brought your pack some substance" Hemlock answered her before walking back to his kill and nudging it forward ever so slightly. focusing his ember gaze on her again, he held it there. did wolves not help each other out here? either way... he had no further use for the body, so he felt it was better giving it to his fellow wolves than letting other predators at it. "use it or not, it makes no difference to me. and no, it isn't poisoned." he flashed her a little smirk as if expecting the question sooner or later. he bowed his head, carefully ripping into the side of the pronghorn before chewing a small piece. he made sure to swallow it in visible sight. then he waited, tilting his head and wondering what the woman would do. if it truly was poisoned, he'd drop dead soon enough.

He vaguely reminded the Empress of Rosemary with his color scheme. He was built heavier, if not shorter. Still, he was a handsome creature. Not that Belle would consciously acknowledge the fact. She looked down her nose at him as he turned around and offered his gilded gaze to her. She finally took notice of the carcass.

Her hackles lowered as she realized what he said, he’d brought Ashen a gift. He’d been turning to leave when she’d caught him at the border. She was a little suspicious he was assuring her of its lack of poison, but his demonstration of its validity would be enough for the she wolf. As long as he didn’t fall over dead. The excitement did well to release her from her sorrow, she diverted her attention to him easily.

”Then you have my thanks.” She told him, half waiting on some kind of ransom demand from the striped wolf. Lilac gaze stared at him for a few long moments. ”What would it take to convince you to drag it where my pack stays now?” She asked, curious if she could get more free labor from him or if he’d need repaid.

he didn't keel over, which he supposed would be amusing considering he didn't poison it in the first place. perhaps the gods here were kind and wanted him around for something. either way, she thanked him and asked if he would perhaps drag it back to where they were staying. a brow lifted in question; had the eruption caused this pack to flee? he assumed they'd be out of the blast zone, safe enough. Hemlock mulled her question over, finding nothing he particularly wanted from this pack but knowing he should say something else he appear weak. "a lovely lady like yourself, convincing me to do the work for her? not much is needed" he replied effortlessly though not unkindly. but he only wanted one thing out of them. he had been sleeping in the open for days now, and it was cause for suspicion. the west offered no formal protection with its flat landscape. if he could use these wolves for protection for a day... well, it would be in his favor. "all I want in return is a place to rest my head for a day and night. mingle. chat with others of my kind." he asked so little, and would not apply more conditions. Hemlock needed to recover from his journey to Boreas before setting out for his sister's location anyway. but he also knew that a stranger in their pack's lands was pushing it. "though I will stay away from den sites; just the outskirts." to the man, it seemed a simple request. but to her, a pack wolf, it may be asking a lot.

The stranger still wasn’t dead, and if he agreed to her request she would be allowed to observe his effects for even longer. By the time they arrived at the rocks she could be assured of the quality of this man’s gift. His words were softly complementary, and his title was not quite as high as her rank deserved. She opened her mouth to correct him as he continued with his answer. His request seemed simple enough, and one or two nights wouldn’t hurt them to allow him so near the pack.

”The trade is easy enough. What is your name stranger?” She asked, though didn't allow her delicately sculpted nose to fall as he held her head high. She may have felt a deep emptiness inside from Archon being ripped away, but putting herself into her leadership role helped to redirect her pain. It wasn’t all encompassing as she embraced her role as Empress. ”How long have you been on the road?” She pried, but then again she had a right if she was going to allow him protection and a safe haven next to her brood.

Hemlock remained unaware that he was speaking to a woman of some rank. she hadn't introduced herself to him and therefore he was blissful of her title within this pack. he always just assumed wolves in packs looked down on loners anyway, so he wasn't exactly put off by this. no inkling was given and therefore he had no reason to give her the respect she felt she needed. he addressed her as any other pretty lady he came across. why was she any different? he'd spoken to Aurielle and Rags the same way. really, you had to worry if he didn't do that. it was cause for some alarm or disrespect of the other being. "Hemlock Memoire" the man replied easily enough, having been quite used to his own name and giving it by now. her question wasn't exactly prying; it was conversational at best. "for a whole year, if you can believe it." he chuckled, gesturing to his well-kept appearance with a snout before moving forward to grasp the pronghorn in his teeth. many hardened battlers of the road made themselves filthy and uneducated. he was above that. he kept himself clean and aware of the world around him. dragging the body toward her, he set it down with a soft grunt once he was close enough to the woman. "lead on; I will do my best to keep up" with your graceful strides he added to himself, not minding he was behind her. it gave him a good view anyway.

His answer was easy enough, and he sounded honest as he announced his title. She nodded slightly in acknowledgement. ”That’s a long time.” The comment was innocuous enough. ”My name is Deathbelle Klein,” he hadn’t asked but manners stated she should return the answer. ”Empress of Ashen.” Lilac gaze didn’t leave him as he quickly shifted his quarry, she nodded again as he spoke and led the way from the border.

”The way is not long, lucky for you.” She told him, trying to fill the void of silence. Only the sound of nature and the carcass over the ground. Deathbelle would easily slip back into her sorrowful thoughts if she didn’t focus on her duties, or a conversation. With her ears swiveling on her crowned head to keep a look out for danger so her eyes strayed over the horizon and back. She might have looked nervous to the onlooker, but she had to go all out or lose control.

an empress, eh? that was now two women he met with positions of power. Aurielle had, obviously, been the first encounter. she had called herself a Spirit, wherein Deathbelle was more direct. their introductions out of the way, he could only dip his head with some politeness - she was, after all, not his leader - as he began to drag the carcass after her. she claimed it was not a long trek, but one never knew what they meant by 'long'. luckily, his travels kept him in shape. he did not so much as groan and grunt as he continued along. his eyes strayed from her back to the surrounding area. he was more or less trusting this stranger to fight off any predators who happened to smell the pronghorn. after a great pace was made, he allowed Deathbelle to go ahead as he stopped to take a break. Hemlock didn't know what to ask her or allow for conversation. her company was enough to the rogue but she did seem nervous and... was it his imagination, upset? it was not his business, and he kept his nose out of it. unless she started that conversation, he would remain civil and polite. respectful of their boundaries. "before we continue" he spoke, at last, attempting to get back to the point of why he was even here "have you seen an ivory female with lavender stripes? my sister" Hemlock added before Deathbelle could ask who it was "was last seen here, in this realm." and then the trail went cold as if hell itself froze over.

He certainly didn’t seem surprised at her rank, but if he spent any amount of time in the west he likely ran into Aurielle, their neighbor. Belle still couldn’t decide if she liked them or not, but the thought didn’t even cross her mind as she continued forward. Her ivory tail twitched in nervous anticipation, as though she waited on the other shoe to drop. Her ears swiveled back as the sound of dragging ceased, her attention was swiftly turned in his direction as he addressed her.

She forced her mind to the description he gave her, and came up with no faced to match his description. She shook her head in the negative. ”No, that description is not familiar. Maybe she attended Valhalla’s festival.” As the words left her mouth she knew she had made a mistake. One of her happiest moments had been arriving at the festival with her children and Archon at her side.

Deathbelle did her best to quickly turn from Hemlock as her eyes filled with tears again and she lost her breath. ”I’m sorry,” she croaked away from him, feigning another sweep of the area. She grit her teeth as the pain swept over her again. Archon was gone, and everytime the fact repeated in her head she wanted to cry out to the sky that it wasn’t fair. She deserved him back, he wanted to be here to raise their family, and he’d been stolen from them. A whine left her lips involuntarily and Belle’s delicate paws carried her forward again.

"I see, thank you..." Hemlock trailed off, looking away to stare back where he knew the Dancefloor had been. so it had been a festival. he knew it from the discarded items and signs of revelry. had his sister been there after all? but he did not move from his spot near Deathbelle. if his sister had been there, he supposed he would have picked up her scent else he may have forgotten it entirely during their time apart. there was still much to search for. it was the woman's short breath that made him swirl back to her. she had walked a few paces away, uttering apologizes. the man noticed her voice was thick, perhaps from the grief he sensed earlier. "though, now that I think about it more... may we take a break?" maybe not for himself but for her, though he had the tact to sigh dramatically and kick out at the pronghorn. it didn't take a genius to realize the woman had been pushing herself beyond her limitations. "this beast is heavier than it looks." even if it was for a few minutes, Hemlock did want to make sure she was fine before moving on again. Deathbelle was the empress of her pack; it would do no good for her people to see her emotional. he didn't know what caused it, and it wasn't really his business. reclining upon the earth, he looked away from her to give her space and the time to recover. however sweet a few words of forced and polite of comfort he could offer her, the man knew better. she was probably getting a lot of them and was weary of it. "the only thing 'sorry' is my lack of endurance" he chuckled.

Deathbelle couldn’t show her weakness to the pack, though her tears flowed freely around her young brood. Sirius had seen the true emotion behind her, but she hadn’t wanted to bother anyone else with her grief. They knew what she’d lost. Some appeared to give their condolences, some stayed away in her time of mourning. Life went on, however much it pained her. Archon was gone, the world hadn’t stopped and she remained trapped in the mortal realm without him. Her heart ached.

She pushed him from her mind as she must, for her pack and the livelihood of her family. However much she wished to invoke his name and sob for her loss. She recovered enough to turn back to him without tear marks under her eyes. ”If you must,” she said with much more patience than she thought she had. Her paws, especially the claws, were really bothering her after the eruption. She was also exhausted, mentally and physically even if she wouldn’t admit it to herself.

She didn’t want to confront him, but as he spoke she thought he might not have need of the break at all. She knew her distress wasn’t invisible, but was her state to obvious? What was sweet was the thought of him calling for a break for her. ”I’m sure.” Belle added as he chuckled. She raised a pale brow in his direction, but felt herself gain better control of her cracking facade.

he had no reason to be a heartless bastard. sure, she may have spoken unkindly to him at first but he had been quite near her border. once all that stuff was out of the way, he had attempted to help her deal with this shitty situation. even if it was just a small way, and he didn't know the pains of grief... well, he assumed they were pains of grief. he was sharp, he'd give himself that. "you're too polite, empress" Hemlock added with a brief sigh again "you're supposed to tell me to hurry my ass up. we have people to see, things to do. especially hauling this fat bastard to your pack before she gets all maggoty." he turned his head curtly to view the fallen prey before back to Deathbelle. she had raised a brow at him, either amused or exhausted. he didn't care; it was attention enough. even some encouragement. Hemlock chuckled again, seeing her recovery successful to continue. he got to all fours again, pleased and happy to continue. "well, I may throw my back out but I'll get this to your pack" he added pleasantly enough as he rose to grab the pronghorn. gripping the same place he had before, the man began to drag it toward the woman.

She could allow herself to think about topics that didn’t revolve around Archon, for her own sanity it was better if she had moments where she didn’t have to relive the memory again and again. The ground falling out from under his feet, the look in his eye as he slipped past the ridge and out of view. The images haunted her dreams relentlessly, another reason for her tired body.

Belle ‘hmm’d’ softly as he told her what she should have been doing, and she would have been amused were it not true. Her affection for her servants was looked down on by some, the fact disturbed the peace of the pack more than she liked. ”Indeed,” she offered with a forced grin to be polite. The Empress was usually much more charming, but she could only offer single word answers and keep it together.

”Well, don’t do that.” Belle told him, amusement finally tinging her tired voice. ”Your reward from Ashen certainly isn’t worth it.” She led the way as he took back hold of the pronghorn. Belle remained hyper-aware, but kept herself better composed.

-exit to new thread?

she was keeping his company polite and himself at a distance, though he had a feeling she was usually more talkative. leaders typically were. they loved to hear the sound of their own voice. "ha!" so he finally made her chuckle a bit. Hemlock brought forth his charming sneer as he relished in her amusement. "I have to believe worse bargains can be struck." she could have turned on him, murdering him as he walked with the pronghorn. discarding his body for nobody to find. using him, turning his little trust against him... but he was ever an optimist. falling into a more cheerful silence, he continued to follow after her without fuss. the fact the depressed woman had allowed some semblance of his entertainment was enough prize for him. the company of a pretty woman was always a bonus, and he didn't mind walking after one too. he did not have the ego some men had, and the sexism toward females that some often did. using them for their womb was perhaps the most disgraceful one in his eyes. women could create life. it should be celebrated. they should be celebrated. not used, cast aside and left to pick up the pieces of their life. ooc; EXIT TO NEW THREAD