It's verbatim and it's shakin'

R̶ E̶ D̶ R̶ U̶ M̶

Escape! Freedom! New things! The boy took his first steps outside, breathing in the air that felt quite a bit more fresh, more fulfilling than the stifling atmosphere of the den. It was about time he could venture out, sneaking off while Umber was paying attention to another sibling who was playing a bit too roughly with another. Most likely SawBone. He grinned to himself, the naivety of puppyhood filling him with a courageous spirit to run off and see what he could see on his own.

Redrum was a boy of extreme shades of red, some darker, some brighter. But the most interesting aspect? His ears. Much longer than what should have been normal, standing upright atop his head where once they fell slack at birth. He was an oddity, but not so much of one next to his family. He fit right in with the bright colorations and other such strangeness of his kin. As he clumsily ventured further and further away from the den, a bounce in his step he couldn’t help but feel amazed at the expanse of his mothers territory. And it was supposed to be bigger than what just his eyes could see at once! “Red happy!” The boy shouted to no one in particular, his speech closely mimicking his mothers as it was the most familiar manner of speaking to him; though he did not truly have the same quirk. He’d been reminded of this, no, no- it was I am happy. I am. I. Me. Flicking his long ears in self-assurance as he mentally corrected himself, casting a glance back the way he had come in worry that he’d given himself away. But nothing. No Umber. No mother. Hehe. Red perked right back up, nose to the ground he trotted a puppy trot until he saw something weird. Really weird. There was something ahead of him, like a… rock? But it looked fuzzy, and it was moving. It was in a section of taller grass, and it stopped him in his tracks. Huh? huh! The boy raised his tail in a bid for confidence, puffing out his chest thinking perhaps if he made himself bigger than he was he would scare off whatever that was. But it was to no avail. The boy had no clue how much danger he was really in. That being in his mothers territory alone meant nothing to the circle of life.

“Hey! Away! Red- I - I am red, for danger- you thing!” Stumbling over his speech, a chaotic stringing of words that actually meant: ‘Go away! I am the color Red because I am dangerous, intruder!’ Though, it was severely lost in translation due to the stress of uncertainty he was feeling. Redrum was just a child. He didn’t know what he was facing. Nor if anyone was near to help him. This had been the greatest warning of leaving the den- the danger. And he’d ignored it. Shock flashed across his face as the thing stalked closer, slowly revealing tan fur as it emerged from the grass. Now he could see it clearly. Huge, predatory- a cougar like what his mother kept around. But this was different. There was no care in its eyes, no familiarity, only something to fear. The primal sort. Redrum took a step back, his heart racing. A shudder ran down his spine as his fur stood on edge. Everything within him told him to run. Go. Run. But… Running was the worst thing to do in front of a cat! Even he knew that!

His tail tucked under himself, golden eyes stricken and glued to the cougar- and he, like a fool, ran. But oh, how could you blame a child for being afraid? His flight response kicked in far too well, so he did not scream to alert his family of the danger he was in. Too focused on running to yell for help. He made it a few paces before the thundering footfalls reached his ears and he was seized with a fury. All at once the boy screamed a blood curdling cry. His tiny body slammed into the ground with a force enough to knock the air from his lungs- cutting his scream off. Teeth bit down hard into his back, blood immediately drawn from the cat's incisors breaking his skin with ease. His ears were ringing, his own scream and lack of air rendering him deaf and mute for many moments. This was pain. Nothing he had ever felt before- nothing like the puppy spats he and his sibling got into with their needle-like teeth. No. This was true agony for a child of his age. ”HURTS! Hu-rt-s!!!” Redrum’s skull whipped around when he registered that he was still capable of fighting back. Attempts to bite at his attacker, desperately nipping at the face of the cat wherever he could find purchase. He released a rapid assault of yelps and growls which were the best a young child could do in his situation. It was the only thing he could do.

The cougar would wrap its jaws around the boy, picking him up with a terrible squeeze of teeth. Blood dripping down its chin onto the ground as it hastily took off toward the border of the territory, the feline was intensely satisfied. All the while Redrum continued to scream, words failing him; limbs flailing to flee to no avail.

It was then he heard the shriek from his mother’s companion, coming at last after hearing the initial cry. Redrum was losing strength, his body not meant for such exertion. Nor should it have had to lose so much blood at once. Umbra fiercely caught up with great speed, barreling into the slower attacker and snatching a piercing hold on the male cougar's shoulder. However, in a fit of rage for being caught red handed, the male cougar threw Redrum with a vengeance- the vermillion boy flying and squarely hitting his head on a rock with a resounding crack-thud. Even thwarted, he wanted to kill the wolfchild. It didn’t matter if he would be able to eat the boy. It was good enough if he could take the whelps life.

murder

Code by TR

His days were...mostly uneventful since he'd been mostly restricted to the tar pits. At least, he was allowed to roam beyond them when he was supervised by one of Insomnia's own. Today, however, it seemed everyone was busy, and so he walked the perimeter of the Tar Pits again for the...shit...he lost count. The sun had barely been up past the horizon when he started "patrolling" the borders, and he had lost track of the days that had passed since he had last been out of the smelly pits. He couldn't take the smell anymore! Who in their right mind would ever claim these lands!? He asked himself that occasionally...and then he remembered that Medusa wasn't exactly the sane type. Was she smart? That was debatable. So far, it seemed like she had her moments. She had the tendency, it seemed, to do things in a very strange manner. Some of it made sense, other times it didn't. He had seen the good and bad sides of her. Though was it really considered bad when she was protecting what was hers? He wasn't so sure. He hardly knew what that was like. After all, his mother had fallen into herself after losing her pack to Medusa, and then she had gone and gotten killed.

He couldn't say he missed her too much. Which was a shame, because he at one point, wanted nothing but her love. But she had let her own stuff overtake what was most important. Or so he felt. He hadn't had a whole lot of time to spend with her before she was murdered...did he grieve? Sure. But he did it silently, and on his own for a time before he got over it.

Now he was here. With Enki. Sort of. Though his brother had given himself up to save the rest of them, the crimson-striped boy had foolishly returned to be by his brother's side. Even at the cost of being in the position he was in now. Sighing, he toed the line and looked across once more before he decided to head back to the den he had made for himself.

And that's when he heard it. It was a blood-curdling cry that caused his fur to bristle in alarm. It sounded like a child! He had heard about Medusa's pregnancy and had seen Medusa's round belly the last several weeks...were her pups now big enough to leave the den? It sounded like one of them was in trouble...or was he imagining it? He was hesitant. Unsure at first. But then he heard more commotion, more cries for help, and what sounded like the high-pitched cry of a cougar. A sound he was familiar with. Finally, without hesitation, he breaks the line that separates the tar pits from the other land and he races across, talons digging up clumps of dirt and grass as he tears across the valley in the direction of those cries. Haunting, desperate. It's all he hears ringing in his ears.

When he gets closer, he makes it just in time to see two cougars tussling. One a smoky black, the other the familiar tawny coat. One he recognizes as Medusa's ever-lurking companion, the other? An enemy. He sees a red blob go hurtling to the ground, and at first, he thinks maybe it is blood from one of the cougars, maybe even a chunk of flesh...but as he gets closer, he realizes it's a child. His heart hammers in his chest as his sights are set back on the trespassing cat, and he is suddenly filled with rage.

A snarl rips free from his lungs and he charges for it, talons extended and his teeth bared as he slams his body into the smaller feline, talons raking across its shoulder and teeth reaching for its scruff. He managed to get a hold, the cat yowling in pain as it twists in a bid to reach him, though now it has to fend off two attackers. Akuma yanks its head back, hard, as he does his best to drag the struggling cat to the ground.

It's verbatim and it's shakin'

R̶ E̶ D̶ R̶ U̶ M̶

The cougar hissed wildly at Medusa’s companion, trying to reach back and take her by her scruff; succeeding partially in his teeth finding purchase- but the bitch was so damn tenacious she refused to be pulled off of him! All he wanted was a nice fucking meal. A nice puppy to have with a side of liquor, maybe even leave the pelt for its mother to find; damn dirty dogs. Instead he was fighting to not have an entire pack descend on him.

He was preparing to drop into a roll and dislodge the darker female cougar from his shoulder when a snarl rang out; his shock causing him to release Umbra just in time for Akuma’s attack to land. A heavy screech left its maw as the bigger wolf easily caught him by the scruff. One had his shoulder, the other, his scruff like he was a fucking kitten. He was forced down, wildly flailing whatever limbs could reach in attempts to catch either of his opponents.

Meanwhile the poor red boy lay helplessly. Fallen where he had been thrown, blood spattered across the rock he had initially hit, trailing down where he had slid and crumpled against the cold ground. His head was dripping crimson essence at a slow pace, his back dotted with the lacerations of fangs from the cat now being overpowered not too far away. And all the boy could focus on through disoriented thinking and ringing in his head… was his mother. And pain.

Then all at once he was fully conscious, eyes wild as he fully registered the pain aspect of his existence at the moment. Shaking movements and unfocused vision greeted him as he attempted to prop himself up against the stone once, twice, thrice to no avail. Something was weird. It was like his legs are stretching and elongating and he could not tell how far up or down her needed to place then in order to get them back where they belonged, underneath him so he could move- But Redrum knew there was still danger, and that he had to get back home. To the den. He didn't want to be in trouble. He didn't want to be forbidden from going out again. But... what? What was happening again? He peered over with clouded golden eyes, catching the sight of two cougars and a wolf fighting.... and it doubled and tripled the more he looked.

murder

Code by TR