Grimshaw was over it. Over the darkness. Over the fireflies. Over the strangely colored animals. Over it all. Why couldn't things go back to normal already? The strange bugs and animals didn't seem to only plague the south, as he had heard members of the Armada talking about how they were seen all over Boreas and Auster. Grimshaw couldn't help but wonder if Artorias and The Hallows were dealing with the same issues and how they were faring. He could only imagine Art swinging his blade around at the fireflies and the thought made him laugh a bit.

He was outside of the Armada tonight, the moon hanging heavy in the sky as it did every night lately. Nothing in particular had gotten him out of the pack today, but his legs needed a stretch and his patrol had already ended for the night. He should have been in bed, but with the lengthening nights it was beginning to get harder and harder to sleep. He solved this by taking nightly strolls, but even they were getting longer and longer each night.

Tonight would prove to at least be interesting, as a oddly colored, glowing coyote skirted through the forest, weaving in and out of trees leaving a chaser of blue glow behind them briefly. Grimshaw wondered if the coyote had noticed him, blending in with the otherwise darkness of the forest. He stalked after it for some time, coming to hide behind a large tree's trunk as he watched it play in a swarm of blue fireflies.

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Tyrfing had been reminded time and time again of the potential dangers of the glowing flora and fauna, but realistically was any of it as frightening as the wrath of Gods? No, it was not, and so Tyrfing continued to approach the world with the head-on have-no-fear attitude he'd been born with and nurtured through his first year. If it was his time to die then he'd simply die - though Fin was very confident that his death would be bloody and fierce and fitting to earn him a place at the realm of a God, and that he would not be taken out by a mere glowing rat. His hummingbird so rarely joined him on his explorations past Fireside's border, having had too many encounters with firefly swarms to feel entirely comfortable accompanying it's master. Thankfully Fin was able to convince him to just this once help coach him through his hunting - so long as the viking yearling promised they prey would not be one that glowed, floated, or moaned. Eventually the unlikely duo of wolf and familiar managed their way to the soulless forest, where perhaps Fin led the hummingbird specifically to instill as much fear in him as possible. It was there that he'd stumbled upon the scent of a nearby raccoon and - having his companion flutter ahead to confirm it definitely did not glow, - pressed forward with the hunt. He came up upon another wolf crouched behind a tree trunk and let out a soft woof beneath his breath, warning the other before he crawled up alongside him. This bastard better had not been hunting his raccoon! Fin's snout poked out around the tree to take a look, his hummingbird letting out a soft peep before flying up into the tree's foliage to hide itself. There was a coyote in the clearing, playing in a swarm of fireflies and.. yep, it was glowing faintly. In the background he caught sight of his prey's tail as the raccoon threw himself into a far bush to hide. "Is that coyote yours?" He whispered as softly as he could manage. "It's going to eat my raccoon." 618/1500 "Speech" table art by nightauctor

He sat and he watched the playing coyote for some time, watching it play and frolic with the blue fireflies that matched the strange blue markings on its fur. He'd never seen anything like this before, so it was easy for him to get lost in the sight and so he sat there for some time, just watching. He'd been sitting there for a few minutes already when a quiet woof alerted him to the presence of another, just before he saw a raccoon sneak past. The other had asked if it was his coyote, then followed with warning that it would eat the raccoon they claimed. Was the raccoon their hunt or a friend? He had a friend back at the Armada, but seldom traveled with him anymore. Occasionally he would invite the smaller animal along, but often they both enjoyed their alone time when out hunting, exploring, or whatever.

He watched the coyote and fireflies a moment longer, watching how it looked off in the direction of the raccoon but hesitated and seemed to want to play with the fireflies some more. "I dunno, looks pretty occupied with the fireflies. Is the raccoon your friend?" He asked in a whisper, having noticed the hummingbird before it had left to the trees above. "I was just following the coyote after seeing it glow. What's going on?" Maybe they would know or at least hopefully have some kind of insight on what was happening.

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The other yearling didn't seem to have any particular attachment to the coyote and that was good, seeing as Fin was intending to kill it before it killed his prey. "No, the raccoon is my dinner." He grinned. "Maybe we can share it, but you'll have to help me get the coyote down first." To the question of the odd glow certain things held, Fin shrugged his large shoulders. "Dunno what's with the glow, but it doesn't seem safe to eat. That's why I want to get to the raccoon before that coyote does." The boy's conversation had caught the canine's attention and it paused in his playing, turning toward where they hid in the bush. Fin froze, hardly breathing as it glanced over them, then turned back to the fireflies to swat playfully at their bright glow. With a silent wave of his paw he motioned for Grimshaw to look into the bushes beside the coyote - it was hard to see, but Fin was sure there was a second coyote laying in wait. He made a gesture for Grim to take that one, making sure the boy seemed to understand his quiet direction. It was a riskier position Fin had put himself in - knowing the coyote's mate would attack him as soon as he went for her, and trusting that this stranger would have his back - but the viking pup had always been a touch too fearless. He waited until the coyote's back was turned to him and then burst from the bushes, throwing himself into the coyote with all the force he could manage. The disruption in the clearing caused the hiding raccoon to take his chances and flee, which sucked, but Fin figured they could track it down once the two coyote's were handled.   Word Count: 1162/2500 "Speech" table art by nightauctor

Grimshaw listened as the boy spoke of the raccoon being his meal and went on about sharing the small raccoon. He wasn't sure about this kid, but a whole raccoon wouldn't even be enough to satiate him. But maybe he could keep the fur. Raccoons were soft anyway. He didn't blame him about wanting to avoid letting the glowing coyote get to the raccoon and agreed once the other boy had motioned for him to go to the coyote he seemed to believe was hiding in the bushes across from the one his raccoon hid in.

When he leapt out, Grimshaw was quick to follow and headed for the bush the second coyote laid in wait inside. As he approached, the coyote burst free from the shrub and was quick to yelp in fear and bolt as fast as it's legs could carry it. Somehow, the shrub had hidden the glowing pattern it also had across it's pelt and as Grimshaw bounded after the smaller canine, he wondered if anything on the inside of the coyote had changed. Did it's blood glow too? What about it's bones or organs? With the thought in mind, it only drove him harder after the canine as it ran.

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Tyrfing could hear the brawling at his side and knew that Grimshaw had jumped in after his coyote. He couldn't focus long upon it before his own glowing beast was snapping his jaws towards him, and Fin had to skitter to the side to avoid a puncture to his limb. His paw lifted and came down upon the canine, pinning it hard to the ground by it's ribcage while it snapped and clawed for it's freedom. Fin's cat claws extended and he prepared to deliver a deathblow to it's throat when the coyote's teeth fell upon his wrist, bringing him to yelp and release the creature. The glowing coyote got to it's feet, snarling and backing up from the yearling. Fin lunged once more, his teeth catching upon the coyote's cheek and slashing deep red rivets into it. The thing was small, and Fin assumed it would be an easy kill for it's size, but it had him on speed. Everywhere he aimed to strike hit somewhere else, and the yearling was quickly becoming frustrated. With an angry snarl he leaped toward it a third time, this time catching it upon the tail as it moved to dodge. His teeth came down hard upon the fur and Fin yanked with his head, dragging the glowing coyote off his feet so that Fin could smash his paws back down upon it - one on it's throat and one on it's ribcage. The coyote flailed beneath him but without full movement of his head, could not bite back. It took merely one heavy crunch to the thing's neck to stop it's movements beneath his paws, and Fin spit out the blood quickly to ensure he did not swallow any part of the contaminated thing. Chest heaving he turned towards Grimshaw, watching the other boy's battle and making sure he had it. He'd not offer the help unrequested, so he simply stayed and kept watch until they could go looking for the raccoon meal. 1698/2500 "Speech" table art by nightauctor

As he chased after the strangely colored coyote, Grimshaw was quickly catching up. Although the animal was smaller and could take faster steps, his strides were long and smooth, closing the distance between him and the coyote before it could run too far. While it would have been smarter to wait for him to have waited until he was closer to the smaller canine, sharp teeth reached out for it's tail and suddenly clamped down as soon as he felt the fur graze his tongue.

Digging his heels into the ground, Grimshaw stopped immediately and used the force to whirl the coyote around off it's feet and literally toss it around behind him, much like a shark with a seal. The coyote yelped as it hit a tree, an audible snap making it obvious the canids spine had broken from the force of it bending backwards against the trunk of the thick tree. Grimshaw smirked, trotting over to the paralyzed animal. With the animal unable to struggle beneath him, he simply used his paw to apply pressure to the coyotes throat to suffocate it. Once the job was done, he grabbed it by a rear leg and began to drag it back to where the other boy waited, his coyote catch killed as well.

Grimshaw dropped the animal to the ground, spitting the loose fur from this mouth. "Any chance you saw where the raccoon went?" He asked, knowing that was the next task. If he had at least seen which way it headed, that was better than nothing at all.

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"Speech."

Grimshaw finished off his coyote and Fin eyed it, spotting that it too glowed. What was it in the animals' dna that determined whether they did or did not? If they caught the raccoon and ripped it open, would it seem to glow too? Fin grimaced, but then turned back to the bush when Grimshaw spoke. "Nah it ran this way." He commented as he trotted towards the shrubbery, ducking his face into it and scenting the ground. The trail was still there, and strong enough that the boys could follow it. "This way, I think." Fin decided, keeping his head low as he stalked through the underbrush. It didn't seem the raccoon ran very far, and further into the forest in the low hanging fog the viking boy could see a faintly ringed tail. "What do you want to do?" He posed the question to Grimshaw, letting him make the plan for their hunt as Fin had taken the lead with the coyotes. It wasn't as if killing a raccoon was a two wolf job typically, but Fin wasn't interested in chasing it for another mile nor losing it in the deep, firefly ridden fog that covered the soulless forest. 2160/2500 "Speech" table art by nightauctor

Thankfully the other boy knew where the raccoon had ran off to and Grimshaw was quick and eager to follow. Although it was the boys raccoon to hunt, in case he needed help for any reason he would tag along. With glowing animals, fungi, and crystals, as well as strange fireflies always looming around Grimshaw didn't want to think about what else could be out there. So it was simple. He would tag along just in case.

When he was asked what he wanted to do in regards to tracking and hunting the raccoon, Grimshaw was a bit surprised. The raccoon wasn't his hunt, so why should he decide? "We're only here because you want the raccoon, so you decide. I'll happily take those glowing coyotes off your paws." He offered, wondering if stringing up their carcasses would keep other glowing coyotes away like it worked for the non-glowing canines.

Whatever he wanted to do, Grimshaw was perfectly happy doing. Want him to help, sure. Want him to keep watch? Why not? Don't need him anymore, so he can go back and skin get those coyotes back to the Armada? Fine by him. The longer he thought about the coyotes, and what would be inside of them, the more curious he got. He was careful to keep the one he killed from bleeding, wanting the surprise later when he can focus on it entirely. Having two was even better, giving him the chance to check for any differences amongst them. He had already realized the coyotes had different blue markings, so would they have different colored organs from each other, too? What about the flesh? There were so many questions he wanted answered, but he didn't want to ask anyone to find out... he wanted to figure it out himself. It would be more fun that way, and maybe if someone else had different notes, later he and whoever could compare them and see what was different between them.

After a few moments, Grimshaw realized that he was lost in thought and looked back to the purple and grey boy. Had they said something?
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"Speech."

Grimshaw explained he wanted the coyotes, not the raccoon and Fin gave a large shrug of his shoulders in reply. "Suit yourself, I don't want the glowy ones they freak me out." He could still see the ringed tail rustling in the bushes, and seeing as it would be his carcass he figured he could lead the charge again. Turning to the other yearling, he gestured around the side of the bushes. "Go that way, and when I run at it you can cut it off." He explained, watching as Grimshaw took the instruction and moved up around the raccoon. Once his new friend was in place, Tyrfing charged. He crashed through the foliage quickly toward the critter, aiming to spook it hard enough for it to run right into Grimshaw. The plan succeeded, and with the other yearling having a hold upon the raccoon's tail, Fin delivered a quick crushing bite to it's throat, killing it instantly. "Thanks." He offered the other boy with a wag of his tail. "I'm Tyrfing, by the way." "Speech" table art by nightauctor

Grimshaw & Tyrfing

As the pair of young boys separated to sneak around the racoon a loud snapping sound comes from further back in the forest... From where the coyotes were left. The racoon lets out a chittering sound of fear and darts away again, but even as the instinct to give chase after the retreating ringed tail sets in both wolves find their paws rooted to the spot. Slowly, painfully slowly two pairs of eyes turn to look in the direction of the snapping sound, the air is filling with light pops and creaks and a too loud breathing that sounds labored but still loud enough to carry without a wind to pick it up. Two figures appear from the shadows, too big for the scent that tells the pair what is approaching them, the coyotes. They shuffle forwards with awkward halting steps and each one seems to come with the popping scraping noise... Like bone dragging along bone until it snaps into the proper socket. One of them shuffles forwards into the glow of a cluster of crystal and it is a horrible rotting thing. A jaw just barely hanging onto the upper skull, shreds of flesh the only sign of her pelt and a single bulbous glassy eye hangs from a strand still attached to the empty socket. The male joins her and he is in no better state. That's not possible! These coyotes look like they are several days if not weeks into decomposing! An overwhelming urge to close their eyes washes over Grimshaw and Tyrfing and both fight it as much as they can as the two impossibly decayed and large coyotes continue to shuffle forward. But they do not win that fight and Tyrfing only opens his eyes again when he hears a familiar chittering and shuffling, discovering things are just as they were before the specter of the coyotes approached, racoon and all, as if it never happened.