You Come Here Often?

Vale had finally finished skinning the skull by dawn, but he wasn't going to let the light creeping through the cavern entrance keep him from getting his rest. The brute ended up sleeping there until late that next night, the moon his only light and guidance for the trip to come. He decided to eat off of their intruder before leaving, better than risking any further injury by going on a hunt. He decided to use skin a piece of the cougar's pelt to carry some of this meat and the skull for the trip to come. He could only afford to take two hefty chunks in order to carry the skull as well. Vale would just have to eat small meals, enough to keep him energized and to keep his injuries healing properly. The man looked for the herbs the healer had left with them, they seemed to be running low. Hopefully, that meant his infection would be gone soon. Vale managed to swallow the bitter plants with ease this time, using the meat as a way to mask the herbs' horrible taste. Brute packed the rest into his makeshift satchel and carefully set the skull on top of everything else. Thankfully he'd gotten a nice piece of the beast's pelt, it allowed for everything to fit without risking any damage to the skull. The young man picked up the pelt by the edges and made sure his grip was strong before setting off.

Thankfully, Elias had given him some idea as to where this mysterious burning mountain in the East, so he wouldn't be wandering aimlessly. He traveled through the swamplands without even considering to stop for any kind of breaks, he managed to make it through by dawn. The Rio Grande came into his sight next, so he decided to stop for water. Vale practically drowned himself in it, wanting to be sure he was completely hydrated before he had another incident like before. Once he'd had his fill, he'd move on, crossing the Rio Grande and finding himself in the Soulless Forest. He'd travel through the forest with ease, not feeling a need to rest until the very end of his trek through the forest. Travelers' Pitfall was in his sights, but he needed to rest. It was now night again and he could feel his energy slowly failing. He slept through the night and woke up about midday. He hadn't had much coverage, but luckily, no creatures or other wolves had tried to bother him. He would devour another piece of meat along with some of the herbs before setting off again. He was beginning to feel more like himself now, less tired and weak. The hike through Travellers' Pitfall was a breeze, considering he was well rested and fed. Ahead he could see this burning mountain Elias had spoken of. Something about the place called to Vale, he felt right being near it.

The hike up the mountain would be a difficult one, but he had taken his herbs and eaten, so bring it on. It was night time when he started up the mountain, and he managed to finish his trek by morning. The beast was definitely exhausted at this point, he set the pelt down and ate the last of the herbs and meat he had before laying down to rest. He could explore this place later when he'd had his rest. All in all, he made the trip in three days, so he hadn't taken too long. He would probably still have to wait for Elias another day or two depending on where he went to meet with his family. So Vale spent the next two days exploring the mountain, killing small prey that was stupid enough to wander up. He wasn't well fed, considering the prey was scarce here. It seemed no one dared disturb whatever lay on top of this mountain. On the last day that he lay in wait for Elias, he heard something strange in his sleep. Almost like something clambering up the mountain, but what was stupid enough to do such a thing?

His eyes opened to find a pair of jackals, who were obviously looking for trouble. He didn't feel too threatened by their approach, as they were quite smaller than him. The male standing at about 19 inches and the female standing at 16 inches. Compared to his own height, he figured they would be no match for him. Vale was on his feet within moments, ready to attack. His spine aligned with his skull and talons gripping the rocky terrain beneath him, he snarled at the two, daring they come for him. It seemed the two were fearless though as they accepted his challenge. The female going for his right side and the male going to the left. Vale managed to bat the female away, sending her flying a few feet away, but this left his left side wide open for the male to attack. His jaws closed around Vale's front ankle, or what he could manage to fit in his muzzle. Still, the sharp teeth could do some damage as they were considerably close to his achilles heel, that necessary tendon in the back of his front leg. Vale could feel his blood boiling, his mind daring to open up to his demons again. Their voices low, but still taunting him, "Kill them, tear them up. We need this, please us. Don't be weak." They seemed to repeat that last sentence as it was one that definitely triggered him.

Just as he was about to let them take over, it seemed the female jackal gave his demons the go ahead. He heard a bark escape her as she clamped down on his right side, using her paws to hold onto him. In doing so, the bite and added pressure to the area ripped his wounds from the cougar right open. The man let out a chuckle as the savage in him came out to play once more. Ignoring the amount of blood coming from this now severe wound, he went to his defense. The male jackals hold was loosening, as it seemed his jaws must have been growing tired. Vale used this as an opportunity to shake him off, yanking his leg from the creature's hold. Before he could move away though, Vale was on him like white on rice, slamming a massive paw on his throat. Vale could feel the creature's windpipe crush beneath his weight. A guttural sound escaped him, it sounded like a laugh combined with a growl. He continued to ignore the pain or blood loss from the female's hold, she would lose that with his movement. Vale took the male by his jugular, the smaller creature's neck was almost small enough to completely fit in those volatile jaws of his. He snapped the creature's neck with ease before dropping him to the earth like the scum he was for disturbing him.

He could feel the female losing her grip, probably too distracted by her now deceased partner. Surely her plan was to let go and run away as fast as she could. Too bad Vale wouldn't let that happen. He turned his head to the right side, waiting for her to drop to the earth. He wanted some kind of chase, the man had gone much too easily. She did just as he'd suspected, and Vale was right on her tail. His eyes wide with excitement and a mixture of hot blood and saliva dripped from his jaws as he flew after her. She was his now, she'd made a wrong move in attacking him, especially opening up old wounds like that. Vale tackled her, using his paws to take her down by her rear. He could hear her cry out under the weight of his front half, but it was too late to whine now. He was beginning to see black in the corners of his vision, he'd lost too much blood. However, he wasn't going to stop now. No, he got in close to her face and laughed before ramming his head into her maw, forcing her to expose her vitals. He wanted this one to have a bloody ending, as she'd done to him by clawing through old wounds. He closed his jaws around her jugular, letting his teeth meet beneath her windpipe. With a swift movement, he ripped the windpipe from her throat and spit it in the opposite direction. He grinned in her face as the life rushed out of her body. Vale grabbed a hold of the female by her tail and dragged her back towards his original resting spot, leaving a trail of her blood and his own as it continued to pour from him.

He struggled to keep himself steady by the time he'd made it back to his spot. He threw her lifeless body next to her partners and collapsed beside them. He was just about to calm the voices, but they seemed to quiet themselves as Vale began fading. His vision completely blurred, black consuming the edges, and he felt cold. The female's clawing must have made the gashes in his side much worse, leaving him to bleed out. Vale could only hope that Elias would show up soon to fix him. At least he managed to keep this place Elias wanted so badly safe, free of predators. His breathing became more shallow and he could feel his lids closing. He was so close to losing consciousness, but before he slipped, he called his friend once more. "Elias..."

"Talk."