And...cue the dancing bears.
03-31-2021, 07:48 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-04-2021, 12:33 PM by Cíel. Edited 14 times in total.)
He used to say that beings like us were meant to be monsters, like them. That the one we worship gave us claws and teeth to tear our prey apart and shred their dignity for our sustenance. Monsters, huh. We all play our part in this show, and I'd rather go off script and create my own backstory than conform to the one written on paper.
Or, ya know, at least fucking try.
"Oh, how I yearn for the stories you could tell...amicus meus."
Acute latin lyrics and accenting carried my words to the object that I fiddled with below me. My paw overturned a metal cylinder that was no bigger than a hare, positioning it around to find the best point of entry. The exterior of the metal object was malformed from weathering and the surface of it had tragically deteriorated. My tongue made a clicking sound of disapproval and pity as I shook my head, lowering my gaze only slightly to get a better look at the holes perforating through it, littering all around the surface as if it had been in a fight... one with teeth mangling it in such a way where its scars could never be healed. The punctures were almost big enough that I could see to the other side at certain angles.
"But would you even let me in on something like that? I'm sure those stories still haunt you too. You poor thing..."
My voice trailed off into an audible exhale. I tilted it back and forth before pawing it away and letting it roll off from the broken wooden tree trunk-like pedestal that I had it on. Finding something that I could bring back with me was like finding a black cat among piles of charcoal in this field, or whatever idiom the herds were using these days. My head dipped in defeat as I let out a forced sigh before peering up at the hills in the distance. Rays of light were just beginning to filter through the overcast morning sky and hit the trees with their first touch of heat for the day. Being up through the night left me with the pangs of exhaustion, though it was more felt through my body than anything else. If it had not been for that persistent... thing taking up residence in my thoughts, maybe, just maybe I would have been able to let myself drift off. But alas...
I grabbed the ends of the small animal skin bundle in my jaw before swinging it up and continuing my trot downhill towards a valley-like dip in the land. The temperature dropping could be felt through my fur as I left the sanctuary of the warm morning rays and pushed on into the dimly lit area, coming up on a larger structure that looked like a half-sunken orb with a chiseled our hole on the front.
"Mm-oh?"
My voice murred through the muffled hare skin. Trotting up to the thing and circling around it showed me that the hole was only on one side. I dropped my sack carefully on the ground before excitedly sniffing around. Iron. Oxidation. Tin. Flecks of, ah wait. Thats just dirt. Burnt... something. Smells lke one of those plants full of seeds that I set on fire that one time. Eck. I snorted and reared my head back up to full height.
"I wonder..."
Lowering down on my belly I shuffled forward until my head was at the entrance of the hole. Hm... looks like it'll fit? My nose twitched frantically and with giving a quick look around to make sure I was at least alone within my immediate vicinity, I shuffled my head into the hole and looked about. Light crept through the gaps along the rim where the rocks lifted it up but that was about it. "Hn..g."
My body squirmed as I groaned before I opted to push myself first on my side and then on my back to look upwards. "Oh ho ho... Jackpot baby!"
I laughed as oogled at the thin metal strands hanging from the top of it. My shoulder squirmed as I reached...they were just too big to fit through. My jaw took a few snaps at the air as I began yanking a few of the metal ropes from their nest and letting it fall around my head and neck. When would I find something like this again, I'll never know.
"Speech"
Sirius
High Councilor
Master Fighter (240)
Master Hunter (275)
Bloodletter
age
11 Years
11 Years
gender
Male
Male
gems
51
51
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
04-01-2021, 10:01 PM
After the attack on his pack lands, the Warlord was making his way North. The easiest path was to follow the frozen stream as it wound its way West, inching closer and closer to the Northern territories as it went. It skirted around Fireside, and he abandoned its course as he made his way into Veteran’s Plateau.
Not many wolves were willing to brave the freezing temperatures and leave their packs or borrows. He assumed it was for this reason that he ran into no wolves until the Plateau. Of course, it could be that loners had the same misfortune befall them - without the might of a pack to back them up. The night was going to be forever etched into his memory. Of the dire wolves as they invaded his territory, and fought the Armada wolves as they had formed a protective ring around their young, and fought for their lives. If the Titan found any of the ice-age dire wolves in his path, he knew what he would do to them.
Marshal, who scouted the way before the Warlord let out a piercing cry, warning Sirius that he was no longer alone. Slinking into a crouch, the scarred wolf made his way into the plateau, circling the spot Marshal had cried above. Bast, the snow leopard, left his side and began to circle in the opposite direction. The Bear remained where he had started, sinking into a crouch to wait and see where she was needed. Between the four of them, they effectively surrounded the stranger. Sirius was taking no chances, he was at War with those who had wronged him. He approached the wolf from behind as their rear dangled helplessly in the air, their head occupied doing… something inside of an abandoned structure. “Speak, wolf, or die.” Sirius snarled.
04-02-2021, 06:37 AM
(This post was last modified: 04-03-2021, 08:28 PM by Cíel. Edited 2 times in total.)
"Hm..yeah. That's one, two, three, four..."
My maw mouthed the rest of my count as reddish-orange optics lazily scanned the underside of the metal piece that I was lying beneath. I had gotten most of the metallic strings that had been dangling - the rest were just out of reach. Flipping hole... my shoulders couldn't fit through and that was the only reason. I groaned and turned to look left and right. The rest was bare... I guess I was done here. With a grunt, I began shimmying from my position on my back to my side when I heard a bird making a sound from the skies above. Did it sound like a crow? Hm. I decided to discard the information figuring some bird had found it's breakfast and continued backing my way out of the structure. Absentmindedly, I looked around for my little makeshift satchel before I began to feel the hairs stand up on the back of my neck. You know that feeling where you know you're alone but you could just feel the notion of something or some -
Woah. The low baritone sound echoed through my skull and I felt like, for a brief moment, I was a kid in trouble.
My breathing hitched and I felt my heart sink to my gut out of pure surprise.
My head snapped to my left and I found myself standing between another male wolf and a hard place. Slowly, my paws turned and I positioned myself cautiously to face the voice head-on and that's when I realized another figure circling to my right. Eyes flitted from one being to the other and that's when it dawned on me... the fucking crow. Ugh. I should have been more attentive...
Apart of me wanted to facepaw, another part told me not to move. Mmmph, why didn't I just keep walk- No. That find was worth every moment. My barrel chest expanded as I took in a slow deep inhale. My focus settled back on the larger black male, taking in his stance. Hey hey now... why the tension? The stance, the voice, I could have laughed or pee'd a little on the thought of how eerily similar he sounded like...
"Sir, just scouting Sir."
I barked in corporal fashion while sitting down to aid in giving off my position to not be a threat, and hopefully appease his rigidity. My back straightened up and my ears stood up straight. This guy looked like he wasn't playing any games today. My eyes stared forward at his form, but not his own gaze. Hm. One... Eyes to the right. Two... My gaze flitted up before lowering back down. Three... Three? Was that necessary for one wolf? "I - Well."
I cleared my throat and lifted my head up slightly for...confidence? Sure, lets go with that. "I..."
Let's go Ciel, cut the shit. "These lands are not marked, Sir."
Honestly, atleast THIS part wasn't.So what's the deal Sir 'I need bodyguards because I'm clearly not fucking big enough'.
My knapsack was off to the left and behind me - I could feel it with my tail. Using it, I tried curling my tail around it to scoot it closer to my body. I felt my nose twitch subtly as the wind shifted slightly more in my favor. I wasn't close enough to get enough information...that bothered me. I leaned forward an inch to try and get a better sniff but... nope. Nothing but the touches of his musk along with, no there was something else. Other, beings? Smells? Fuck, I really couldn't get a good read. I groaned lightly to myself and settled back down into place, feeling a tinge of defeat.
"Speech"
Sirius
High Councilor
Master Fighter (240)
Master Hunter (275)
Bloodletter
age
11 Years
11 Years
gender
Male
Male
gems
51
51
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
04-03-2021, 03:42 PM
The Warlord watched as the stranger responded to his voice, and turned to the larger wolf. He was wise enough to keep his movements slow and careful, but when he barked out his answer, the Titan Leader felt himself slowly relax. The (very confused) stranger looked far too out of place to have any part in the raid that had taken place on the Warlords lands.
He clocked the moment the man realised he was surrounded. Despite the knowledge, he showed a little spine, pointing out the unmarked nature of the lands. Respect. Sirius Fatalis relaxed his offensive stance, letting himself fall into a (slightly) less threatening stance. “Your right, these lands aren’t taken.” He nodded his head, and with a subtle flick of his paw, his companions stood down. Marshal completed one more tight circle, and then moved further afield, scouting the lands ahead.
“You’ll have to forgive my aggressive appearance,” It was as close to an apology as the rigid Warlord could give a stranger. ”I’m Sirius Fatalis, Warlord of the Armada. My lands were raided by a type of wolf I’d never seen before only a few days hence. I’m tracking them down to the North.” He explained. “They started appearing shortly after the Ice bridge formed in the North-most peak of Cathedral point, do you know anything about that?” The Warlord had so far only heard of it from second hand reports.
"Speech!"
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He clocked the moment the man realised he was surrounded. Despite the knowledge, he showed a little spine, pointing out the unmarked nature of the lands. Respect. Sirius Fatalis relaxed his offensive stance, letting himself fall into a (slightly) less threatening stance. “Your right, these lands aren’t taken.” He nodded his head, and with a subtle flick of his paw, his companions stood down. Marshal completed one more tight circle, and then moved further afield, scouting the lands ahead.
“You’ll have to forgive my aggressive appearance,” It was as close to an apology as the rigid Warlord could give a stranger. ”I’m Sirius Fatalis, Warlord of the Armada. My lands were raided by a type of wolf I’d never seen before only a few days hence. I’m tracking them down to the North.” He explained. “They started appearing shortly after the Ice bridge formed in the North-most peak of Cathedral point, do you know anything about that?” The Warlord had so far only heard of it from second hand reports.
"Speech!"
04-03-2021, 08:27 PM
I couldn't stop myself from swallowing the pool of frothy saliva that started right under my tongue. It wasn't from nerves, at least... I didn't think it was. My best guess was that it was from that bird that was still above us. My stomach tightened at the thought and I swallowed again, taking that as an affirmative. The realization of missing any meals for the past day, maybe it had been a little more than that, was getting to me now that there was prey about. My eyes kept on his form while trying to keep the other shadow in my peripheral when I was able to. This guy was on edge... I felt that permeating from his form. I didn't blame him though - part of my own chore growing up was to patrol out of the same kind of necessity.
Ah,...est autem lapis rimas. (The stone shows its cracks.) Perhaps my answer lowered his guard, albeit, marginally. My eyes went from his tucks back to his body while I looked him over. The one other being that I saw earlier, and I still had no idea what it was, disappeared from my line of sight. That made me nervous, and I know that it would just continue to irritate the back of my mind like a gnat to a flame. What to do...
Should I though?
Do I know anything about... Man, you've got bigger problems than just little 'ol me."
"Sir. If I may."
I swallowed again, flicking my gaze down to my paws out of habit before bringing them back up as I heard my fathers voice to keep my eyes up. Slow. You can do this You're asking if I..."
I pushed my sack back under the dome behind me and stood up, casually looking around, giving an introspective expression as I did so."A mere hungry loner, a neutral party."
My voice, not as deep as his yet, expressed the casually jovial essence of a friend talking to another dear friend. My tongue rolled over my Latin accenting as I tried to enunciate my words. One paw in front of the other, keeping the same amount of distance between us as we were, began to nonchalantly walk around to his right flank while I spoke. " 'Fresh meat', yes? I mean, that's what they call newcomers?"
That wasn't a lie, I did just get to these lands a few moons ago. "Someone who has probably spoken to...meh, 5,6, maybe 9 wolves since i've been here. Someone who has had eyes on..."
I shrugged. "Things here and there within these parts for the last few days. Just last night there were these two other wolves that were - Aw, well. You're probably not interested in that."
I laughed lightly, flipping my tail casually behind me. Blood orange eyes cut over to him just long enough to take in how he was reacting to me before lowering back down to the ground. Ugh, silly habit. I brought them back up to his body. The sun had finally come over the mountains and it's early morning beams began to slowly light up the dip in the land where we were situated. No longer being in the shadows, I caught a glimpse of where the other figure had moved to and made a mental note of the resting position. Wait... what's that thing in the background. It was a little far...Is that another - It's a bear. Is it? It is. It's gotta be a bea- WHY. Does this guy have a bear? And HOW did he... I took in a slow inhale and let it seep out of my lightly agape maw. 3. 2. 1. Reddish harks flipped back for a moment while I continued my saunter around him, in part annoyed, in part out of sheer skepticism. This guy may be all show if he needed this amount of backup. If Sirius had stayed where he was when I first started my stroll, I would have come around from behind him by now and would have ended up on his right side, still keeping a few yards of distance between us. The guy didn't seem like he might have been one for, hm, intimacy.
"I'm not sure what information you're looking for that can be of any use. You'll have to specify."
I came back around and stopped at the sunken metal dome that held my head in it only moments ago, flicking the tip of my tail idly as I came to a close. "But let's say I did. How valuable is that kind of information worth to you?"
I tilted my head and pursed my lips together, taking a short look off to the side while I pondered it over. "You know. In order to protect your lands."
I reinforced. Which... was clearly... still not here. But that was a separate issue to follow up on if I came to care about asking.
"Just out of curiosity."
I blinked and shifted my stance. "Sir."
My tone remained formal, maybe a tad arrogant. But I figured it was no harn. I had no shame in it - He needs someone to talk, and I gotta eat. And if I wasn't thinking about that damn bird before, then I sure as hell had nothing else on my mind now. I wondered if he would trade a meal for info... That being beside the point, I had done nothing wrong, and so I didn't see a reason to be scared of his intimidating, and yes, anyone with a brain would count him as intimidating, stature. Surprised, absolutely. Who the hell wouldn't be with this big guy and his band rolling up on the scene in this fashion. However, lessons have taught me to never underestimate. I didn't plan on starting now, especially since I've seen how a few loose cogs can hide from the surface level of one's personality. And how if you happen to be the right kind of trigger, boom goes the dynamite."Speech"
Sirius
High Councilor
Master Fighter (240)
Master Hunter (275)
Bloodletter
age
11 Years
11 Years
gender
Male
Male
gems
51
51
player
Seadragoness
Seadragoness
04-03-2021, 08:56 PM
(This post was last modified: 04-03-2021, 08:57 PM by Sirius. Edited 1 time in total.)