If It Wasn't For Bad Luck

Why hadn't he listened? The signs had been wrong. A flock of dark birds had crossed his path, a known omen of bad luck. A portent of negativity that Merrick would soon pay for. He'd ignored those signs against his better judgement to go out and hunt. Why? Because he hadn't killed something in a while and staying in territory was driving him crazy. So he left, striking out on his own now that Relm was a blemish to his sight. He had no friends or acquaintances that he might take with him. That would prove to be his undoing.

Merrick had caught the scent of elk and had followed it off into the winter snows of the north. An elk wasn't ideal to drag back, but he could bring a bit of it. A haunch, if anything. While the black and purple brute had been murdering an elk cow, an angry bull had run up on him, goring the wolf and losing its antler in the process. The sudden lack of rack had frightened the young bull and it fled quickly, along with the cow that he knew would die of blood loss.

There was a hole in Merrick's side and blood poured from the wound. Curling his neck, he noted that strange bits of pink were hanging out, so he pushed them back inside. Casting his gaze about, the brute found some vines which he wrapped around his body to cover the hole. Then... he made the long trek back to Elysium.

Many times during his journey, Merrick didn't think that he was going to make it. His body was bruised and he knew that a tine or two of the elks antlers had snapped off within his body. He could feel them grinding against his ribs. He'd suffered from a tremendous amount of blood loss, leaving a swath of red across the northern snows. Like a ghost he padded along, head drooping, eyes constantly drifting shut. Eventually the wounded man's mismatched eyes lit upon the land bridge. He tried to make it across, but it was as though seeing home had taken the last of his strength. Collapsing to the ground, Merrick let out one choked howl with the last of his energy, then placed his cheek in the sand.

"Merrick Mendacium"