Mud Monsters and Pack ghosts
05-21-2020, 06:40 PM
The mud monster wasn't the only one with a dirtied pelt, thanks to him tackling her earlier. Mala made her own quick rinse in the river, emerging slick and sodden with icy cold water. She shook vigorously, attempting to remove the excess from her coat before following Mortis back to the common grounds. She chuckled softly at the boy's sneezes and settled adjacent to him, a good length between them as they huddled close to the fire for warmth.
She hummed softly as she thought up a tale to tel, wracking her brain for stories she'd been told as a kid. She released a soft "Ah," and took a few moments to gather herself.
“One night a woman gave birth to a single little girl," she began. "And just as she was being born, the stars aligned, lightning struck the earth, and the autumn equinox began. The pup was named Anya, and she and her parents lived in a pack on a grassy plain — not so unlike this one,” Mala pointed out, with a tint raise of her eyebrow. “The grass was thick and tall, twice as tall as you, even, and went on for miles and miles. It was the pack’s main hunting grounds, so rich in prey that it was.”
“Anyway, Anya grew up like any other child. She got on her parents nerves, played with the other pups. But, once she reached a year old… strange things started to happen around her.” The girl looked into the fire, listened as it crackled ominously in front of them, letting the silence sink in.
“Animals seemed to drop dead at her feet. They started small, at first. Her mother found her in a cluster of dead sparrows, and a packmate found a trail of dead prairie dogs leading to her. And slowly, slowly, the animals got bigger. Wild boars, and even small deer started to die.”
She flicked her ears, a light smile on her lips. “At first, it was celebrated in the pack. Who wouldn’t want that power, killing your prey in an instant? But then…” Mal turned her green eyes to Mortis, unblinking in the firelight. “Two wolf pups went missing.”
She hummed softly as she thought up a tale to tel, wracking her brain for stories she'd been told as a kid. She released a soft "Ah," and took a few moments to gather herself.
“One night a woman gave birth to a single little girl," she began. "And just as she was being born, the stars aligned, lightning struck the earth, and the autumn equinox began. The pup was named Anya, and she and her parents lived in a pack on a grassy plain — not so unlike this one,” Mala pointed out, with a tint raise of her eyebrow. “The grass was thick and tall, twice as tall as you, even, and went on for miles and miles. It was the pack’s main hunting grounds, so rich in prey that it was.”
“Anyway, Anya grew up like any other child. She got on her parents nerves, played with the other pups. But, once she reached a year old… strange things started to happen around her.” The girl looked into the fire, listened as it crackled ominously in front of them, letting the silence sink in.
“Animals seemed to drop dead at her feet. They started small, at first. Her mother found her in a cluster of dead sparrows, and a packmate found a trail of dead prairie dogs leading to her. And slowly, slowly, the animals got bigger. Wild boars, and even small deer started to die.”
She flicked her ears, a light smile on her lips. “At first, it was celebrated in the pack. Who wouldn’t want that power, killing your prey in an instant? But then…” Mal turned her green eyes to Mortis, unblinking in the firelight. “Two wolf pups went missing.”