Eligos' long stride had taken him far from the pack lands as he set out to explore the extent of the phenomenon that had stirred the pack. So far everywhere he had gone showed hints and signs of it - odd blue ghost-fireflies, the occasional glow from a plant or small animal. It made him uneasy, in part because of how he'd acquired his, rather more fiery, glow. There was something unnatural and magic about this phenomenon, he was more and more certain of it. It made Cypher unhappy enough that Eligos had sent him back to pack lands some time ago under orders to make sure that Kida and her growing pups had enough to eat, which left Eligos alone to set up camp for the night in the darkness, with the blue glow of the fireflies and the sudden flash of a glowing bird wing competing with his own glow beneath the weird constant full moon. Last time he'd followed his instincts, let the Fallen One's prompting lead him, he had found the cure to his blindness - and acquired an unexpected set of horns and begun to glow. What, then, would be gained or lost as he sat here now, staring silently at the fireflies in a meditative state as they darted through the mist, waiting for that inner prompting to lead him. To guide him in a world of dark magics that he had no experience in.

Since catching Veigar chasing the odd ethereal fireflies, Aryn felt compelled to investigate further. She waited until the child had a restful night - exceeding thankful that within Habari they had a village of women to look after him - and headed out west, out past the pack lands and into a land of fog. It was against every instinct she had to step foot in the forest, though in her time under Eyrun the timid woman had changed enough to look past her own fears and into the needs of the many, of the pack who'd taken her in. If they could discover why Boreas had fallen under the light of an eternal full moon, unusual stars and faintly glowing flora and fauna, perhaps that could give her back even more of her lost confidence.

The figure in the mist was at first, terrifying. Much larger then she was, with large horns that spiraled out from his crown and stuck out from the fog. A faint glow was visible, though it was not blue as the fireflies and fungi seemed to give off. Channeling whatever bravery Eyrun had left her with, she stepped closer to investigate the source. Breaking through the fog required more proximity then Aryn had of liked, and very quickly her demeanor shifted from outright fear, to excitement, and then to shame as she reached him, recognized him, and then truly remembered the events of a year prior. "Oh!" She peeped, stepping back into the low hanging fog slightly to give Eli back some semblance of personal space. "Sorry, I, uh, I thought you were a firefly or something." Her cheeks flushed slightly, her muzzle tipping down to stare diligently at her paws.

A rustle broke through his meditation and his eyes came into focus just in time to come nose to nose with Aryn Valentine. He reared back slightly in surprise, and she stepped back too. He sighed - completely mentally, of course, and then immediately winced as her words poked at a very sensitive subject, RE: his new glow. He sent a faintly accusing glance at the fireflies - if they were truly some manifestation of the Fallen God's touch upon the world, surely they hadn't meant to bring him Aryn Valentine of the Adravendis? "Good evening, Miss Valentine," he sighed. "An unrelated mishap, I'm afraid. I've nothing to do with the glowing animals or fireflies." He kept his tone polite as he swept his eyes over her and then he paused a brief moment. She was much thinner than she'd been when they'd met, and even accounting for the possibility of baby pudge having gone away she seemed much scrawnier than she should have been. Only a flicker of eyes and ears betrayed his concern before he covered it. "I wouldn't have expected to see you in a place like this." He gestured to the misty forest around them, with the 'fireflies' and the faintly glowing fungi in the tree nearest them and the general creepy atmosphere. With the full moon filtering down through the bare tree branches with their drapes of moss over skeletal branches, it made for an especially frightful aesthetic, and not one he'd have expected Aryn to stumble upon him in. He closed his eyes briefly to try to regain that meditative state that watching the fireflies had dropped him into, but it was no use. He was far too certain that as soon as he stopped paying attention she would chew on a glowing rock or something, die, and he as the only one there would be suspect. He opened his eyes quickly to focus on her to make sure that she really wasn't chewing on anything weird.

Aryn had for a brief moment, forgotten about the spooky fog, the bewildering fireflies, and the glowing plants plaguing her home. There was no wonder or curiosity possible against the sheer overwhelming memory of being drug home on her first heat from some sex party and delivered directly to her father. She was desperately grasping at an excuse to leave but couldn't break with her polite upbringing and risk offending the man, and then he spoke on his glow and her gaze readjusted up from her paws to fall upon him with confusion.

The wolves of Boreas all seemed to believe in varying spirits, Gods and the like, and Eryun had explained this much in her short time with her. She'd learned more from the Kleins of Habari - some who believed in a God called Abraxas - and was pretty sure that given his name, Eligos was one of those believers. Her brows furrowed slightly as she regarded him and his new glow. "Truly, you don't believe they're connected?" She asked with wonder, forgetting for the moment that questioning him and risking further embarrassment was the last thing she wanted to do. "Do you not believe that your God blesses you with gifts?" With a soft gesture of her head, to his newly formed horns which may have been more unusual to her if she hadn't been spending time around many 'blessed' canines lately. "Why would you assume the glowing animals, fireflies and mushrooms have nothing to do with you?"

Her head turned away from him, looking out into the fog to see the faint light of lightning bugs, fungi, and the occasional pass of a tiny glowing tail or paw. After a moment she looked back to him. The glow was different, yes, but did that really mean anything? "If there is a God, or Gods, I would assume they brought this on us as they brought your gifts to you." As she finished, Aryn realized once more what she was speaking of - or rather, who she was speaking to. She blinked, averting her eyes slightly down to his chest and giving the brightly colored fur there an apologetic smile.

Somehow stranger than the glowing plants, the glowing animals, the fireflies, the moon, and the stars combined was this new philosophical Aryn, and Eligos found his gaze drawn to hers in surprise as she mused. He shook his head, not in negation so much as just... well, incredulity. "While I cannot discount the possibility that the Fallen One had something to do with either my... changes, or these, the circumstances of my change was unusual. I was cursed, my eyesight taken away, and a witch returned my sight to me in exchange for unspecified sacrifices. I'm afraid I began to... glow... very shortly after that." He gave an odd, slightly self-deprecating smile. "If that isn't a sacrifice, I do not know what it is. I have not considered it a gift, whether from the Fallen God or the witch's magic." He shrugged, then continued. "But perhaps you are right, Miss Valentine. I can't be certain that it's unrelated to all... this." He sent his gaze over the fireflies darting around them, their icier glow contrasting sharply with his fiery one. All of the changes that involved glowing seemed to follow the same general color palette, and was far different than his own. Yet, maybe Aryn was right. Maybe they were related. Somehow that was more troubling than the thought that they weren't related...

Eligos did not rebuke her nor really in any way insist she was entirely wrong, which frankly was more then she could hope for in reply. He elaborated on his predicament and the involvement of witchcraft was, well, bewildering. Eli seemed self-sufficient and independent and probably the last wolf Aryn would expect to consult a witch. Could a witch's touch have plagued the world with these strange changes, too? "I'm sorry you were cursed." While there was a lot more to that story she was confused and concerned about, the polite Valentine woman led with politeness as she always had, and did not push for more clarification to the obviously difficult time.

"Your glow doesn't seem a fitting 'sacrifice' to me, though. It's quite beautiful and unique. Are you certain that it was the 'unspecified sacrifice'? Perhaps you've traded your blindness for something else, and the changes in your pelt are as God given as your horns." Aryn kept herself from admitting that it was possible Eligos had damned the world to streaking stars, a never-waning moon and a new glow. Eyrun had given her a new appreciation for witches and their craft - they certainly seemed powerful enough for this sort of thing. Though Eligos seemed put out enough by the changes thrust upon him, who knew how well he might take the possibility that this was all because of him.

The fireflies around them seemed to become more active, more vibrant and willing to invade her space. She leaned away from them nervously as the 'bugs' swung past her head, her gaze fluttering between the large wolf before her and the unnatural creatures that danced between them. "If your God is watching, I hope he puts a stop to this all soon, whether he is behind it or not." She murmured, unnerved.  

Eligos

You hear a voice that feels familiar to you, calling from far in the distance. You also find 3 mushrooms. Maybe these are worth keeping…

Aryn

You get the sense that something is wrong. You also find 3 mushrooms. Maybe these are worth keeping…

Aryn's condolences for him being cursed earned only a soft hmm for a moment. He couldn't admit to her that the curse was his own fault as well, and he was glad he hadn't, as she continued on and he stiffened, his face and ears suffusing with heat. Yes, as well he hadn't admitted it, since he didn't need any extra form of embarrassment. Beautiful wasn't a term he was super comfortable having ascribed to him. Unique he could accept though he would have preferred to blend in as it was his preferred mode of operation to observe and not to... be observed. He supposed the glow, and the gold color that wrapped his horns, could be considered beautiful and that more than anything was likely what made him dislike it so. Beautiful was a term other wolves used to describe women, objects, places that were aesthetically pleasing, not men who lived a life of fang and claw. There was no use for beautiful. "I don't... like the attention," he rumbled, clearly uncomfortable. "I..." He paused, his ears flickering as he frowned. Was that... he could swear he could hear someone calling out for him. "Do you hear that?"

Aryn may have been ignorant to much of the world, but as far as conversation went she was definitely not stupid. Eligos' embarrassment was plain on his usually stoic face and she offered him a faintly apologetic smile as he expressed as much. Not the type to poke or prod into another's weaknesses, Aryn simply nodded her understanding. "Forget I said anything," She offered good-naturedly, her smile growing into something more playful. "The glow is definitely quite boring, I've seen cooler in Habari." Which definitely was not a lie, Eligos was not the first glow-bestowed wolf she'd met. "The horns would frighten me, were you a stranger and not a wolf who'd already rescued me once." Aryn assumed that Eli would accept any compliment - even one on things he was proud of - as poorly as he accepted the word 'beautiful', so she left it at that, turning her head with him as he frowned at something she could not hear.

A new wave of discomfort washed over her and a shudder ran along her spine. Whatever had caught Eligos' attention, she felt it where he had heard it. Her fur stood on end, a small tremor coming to her limbs. "I didn't hear anything." She whispered, keeping her voice as soft as she could as if too loud a sound might draw the invisible force closer. "I-.. something feels wrong." Her jaw clamped shut and she stepped gingerly toward the Tiercel until her fur was nearly touching his. Embarrassment be damned, these were freakishly scary woods even before voices or strange feelings were concerned. At least beside Eligos she might have a chance of survival should something attack. Plus, Aryn still couldn't discount that this could be an act of God, and should it be Eligos' God who plagued them then perhaps he'd spare her if the mercenary requested it. "What is he saying?"

Head turned toward the distance whispering voice, alert, he let Aryn crowd close but put a restraining paw on her shoulders, pushing slowly and gently downwards with the intention of pushing her onto her belly so he could step over her protectively. "I don't know," he rumbled slowly, blood red gaze scanning the dark, gloomy forest around them for any shape in the mist other than trees and hanging moss. "It seemed to be calling me, at first, but it is so distant I can't understand the words." Standing over Aryn, he could protect her from most things, but he would be greatly impaired by his forced immobility and the need to protect someone helpless. He gained nothing from protecting her, and logically he shouldn't bother, but it was becoming habit to him. Staring into the trees, he growled a warning deep in his chest for whoever - whatever - seemed to be stalking them.

Eli's response was unexpected and for a brief moment through the fear when his paw came down upon her shoulders, that lingering embarrassment seeped through. Aryn's ears pulled flat against her skull, her tail tucking tight beneath her legs as she felt his paw's pressure strengthen and she was sure, for that moment, that Eli was ready to give her a push out into the woods as bait.

As her body slumped beneath his gentle paw onto the foggy forest floor and to her surprise his much larger frame stepped over her. She placed her head low, peering out with wide eyes between his legs out into the trees and giving a full body shudder as his growl echoed around her. "If it talks, it could be friendly?" She murmured hopefully. There was a flash of.. something through the mist, and Aryn had to force herself not to shuffle backwards away from his protection in response.

All the talk earlier about witches and the Fallen God made the disembodied whispering particularly hair-raising, and while he didn't say anything to Aryn about it - the way she was huddled beneath him, she didn't need much more to worry about before she bolted into the woods - Eligos was very aware at that moment that his family's mythos did not consist solely of the Fallen God... there were quite a few other gods out there and plenty of them had cause to hold a grudge against the Fallen One and, presumably, his demi-god offspring. And if, as Aryn had hypothesized, the new glow of his was a mark of Abraxas' favor, then might not the strange cold glow that was so markedly, almost deliberately opposing to his fiery markings be theorized to be a deliberate choice on the part of a god or witch with reason to hate Abraxas? It was a new, extremely troubling possibility.

Something seemed to flash through the mist, and Eligos shifted carefully in his protective position to follow it. "Aryn," he said with a low growl of almost amusement, almost exasperation to his tone, "I talk. Counting on a being's ability to communicate indicating a willingness to be friendly is suicide." He shifted again to follow a different flash, and cursed under his breath as the whispering sounded from behind him, again sounding like his name called from a distance, almost louder and more clear than before.

Eli's form continued to shift atop her, making Aryn feel all that much more in danger if he was sensing threats from different sides of the forest. How the hell was she ever going to make it home? His reply brought from her a soft anxious bubble of laughter - an inappropriate response, she assumed, but there was some wiggle room in what was acceptable when you were pretty sure you were going to die. "Fair point." Though she did not see an unfriendly side to the alpha, it would be stupid to assume that the leader of a mercenary pack was incapable of cruelty.

Aryn's ears perked at the repeated whisper, hearing no discernable words or syllables but recognizing it as a voice nonetheless. Her head lifted slightly and she shuffled on her belly so she might be able to curving her muzzle around his limb to investigate. The low hanging fog was hard to peer through and somehow seemed to be growing thicker, and as she squinted into the mist Aryn thought she could almost see a discernible shape within the faint blue glow. She opened her mouth to say as much to Eligos when the fog parted suddenly to give way to a vaporous, swirling blue cloud of mist that - as it advanced upon them - condensed into something large and almost canid.  

Aryn shifted below him to look at something, and Eligos turned to, just as the fog swirled and a form coalesced into something like a ghostly canine. It advanced, slowly at first, and then, it charged forward into a sudden leap towards them. Knowing he couldn't leap aside without exposing Aryn, Eligos braced himself to take the impact... but just before it would have hit him it suddenly vanished. He felt only the cool caress of mist-laden wind. He nearly reeled at the sudden shock of no impact at all, but he gave a convulsive shudder to shake it off. Where did it go? He doubted it was just gone - more likely toying with them until he was off guard. Well, they didn't need to stick around with a target on their backs. The trails out of the clearing were too narrow for them to travel side by side and they would be exposed, strung in a line. "That is our cue to retreat, Miss Valentine," he said politely, stepping off of her before whirling nose to nose with her and, far more rudely than his words, scooped his head under her chest between her forelegs and half-heaved, half-slid her onto his back facing his hips. "Keep watch for any trouble coming up behind us," he told her grimly. "And hold on tight." With that he sprang forward onto the likeliest path, trusting that the smaller woman could hold on despute the tug of brush and moss as the dire sized wolf pushed his way through them.