Bullet With Butterfly Wings - Smashing Pumpkins


Dark grey paws stepped across the cold stone. The sky was covered with the same glorious oranges and pinks from the last time that he'd been here. The wolf that walked on the wall. Newol had returned, as he'd promised his mother he would do. Only, something was wrong with this land he was returning to. It was sick. Or maybe, maybe it was the brute who was sick. But something between the two was red hot deep down inside of him. It was also very strange. He'd been here before. This exact moment had happened in his time here before. Only the sun had been coming up then, now, it was going down. Fading away into nothing with the late hour. And he hadn't been the one walking on the wall. No. That had been the first wolf of Alacritis he'd met. The Lady in Red. So in a way this was the exact opposite of the moment that had happened before.

And justly so, Newol was a very different wolf than he'd been before. Upon arriving here from the desert, Newol had been just a punk little stray from the sand. And now he was Erani Adravendi's son. He was so much more than what he'd used to be. The handsome young male was more. But right now, all that was of no relevance. Something darker was at work. He didn't know what it was as he walked slowly, no fear or hesitation visible in his body as he walked the top of the wall. In fact, he seemed quite removed from it all. His head was held up with his ears standing tall, and his eyes seemed to barrel off into the distance. Something made his skin crawl, and it wasn't the cold. He was a Zaraidd. Cold was a way of life. No. This was something nasty. Something that made his muscles in his front upper legs radiate warmth. It was something that every Zaraidd experienced from time to time, something like a course on the family, but none the less, it's what he was going through, walking the edge. It was kinda funny to him, actually, because he knew what it was, he just didn't know what was causing it. But it was funny because he could almost swear he could taste the insanity.

It was a little voice, at the back of his mind. A little voice that wanted blood. All his life he'd tried, and succeeded, to be a cheerful and optimistic wolf, but the little voice was trying to convince him that you had to take a break from being good every now and again. You had to give it and taste the blood of another predator. He had no idea where it was coming from, but the voice was trying to tell him he didn't just want to kill, he wanted to eat another wolf like it was his prey. But he knew he wasn't allowed to listen. So he continued to walk down the wall. Last time she'd walked the wall. But this time it was him. The Man with Scars. Fitting. He liked it. It went along quite well with the three that sat on his snout. That voice said something else too.

It said he never should have left.

I can't feel the way I did before

Don't turn your back on me

She had taken a break here in the north, between visiting the packs of the north and going south to visit more packs and on home. A wall rising from the snow, a strange human invention, but that mattered not to her. What mattered was the quick cold of the air, the clear sharpness of the sky, the taste of snow, the fire of a setting sun, and the wall that brought her closer to Asgard and the gods. She perched on the edge of the wall, breathing in the cold and breathing out her pains and frustrations. In, Raisa's disappearance, out. In, the children need someone to care for them, out. In, Virgil and Olympus, out. In, Ebony needs a leader, out. In, she still had not brought her cousin to justice, out.

The sound of pawsteps pacing the wall caught her attention, and one ear flicked in his direction. In, and out. Her head turned in his direction, gold-flecked eyes opening to stare icily at him. The way the darkness seemed to roil from him awakened an answering darkness in the viking, but she had long made peace and embraced that darkness, and it bothered her not. "Something bothers you," she murmured into the silence of the coming night, in a voice devoid of irony but also without sympathy, a mere observation.

I won't be ignored

Time won't heal this damage anymore

Falling Away From Me - Korn

It was a voice that brought him back to focus. Green eyes blinked once as he surpressed all other thoughts and locked the little voice back behind it's door with a quick and well practiced mental action. He's eyes fell on the female that had addressed him from his held up head. His nose tilted down slowly, the three scars across his snout easily visible. In that moment, he felt the aura coming off of her as she felt his. He found himself analyzing it with a very calm and expressionless look on his face. He could have been wrong, but he was fairly certain he saw two different worlds entirely. The dark in her heart seemed calm. Still. Next to his own which was rapid and energetic. But quickly he realized that these observations weren't something that he should concern himself with. This cold wordless stair wasn't Newol's way.

With a long breath in, he exhaled and calm washed over his body like a falling river. His shoulders relaxed and the light returned to his eyes, his brain settling on the here and now. A calm and friendly smile appearing on his maw. She was right, something was bothering him. Something was bothering him terribly, he just didn't know what. And until he did, there was nothing for it but for him to control himself and maintain his pleasant disposition by force of will as he always had. With a respectful bow of his head, he introduced himself. "My apologizes, ma'am. When I'm alone my mind just has a bad habit of... wandering." It was true. Every Zaraidd before him has been guilty of their own fair share of demons. Seemed to be a family curse. But like all things, he cast that aside and stayed in the moment. Again he spoke, a friendly tone on his voice. "I didn't disturb you, did I?" his question was genuine.

I can't feel the way I did before

Don't turn your back on me

"Of course you were," she answered him bluntly, though her voice held no rancor and she shifted her angular body to face him, signaling she was not adverse to his company. Her dark masked face held no expression as she studied the stranger. He held no pack scent that she could discern, and the thought made her look more closely at him. He was young, strong, a boon for any struggling pack, and she considered briefly luring him into Ebony though she would hold her peace until she was sure he was not already tied to a pack. She was known for being straight-forward but even she knew the value of holding your tongue until you have enough information to go forward on. "Tell me," she mused, gesturing with her tail, "what does your name be?" Her bright gaze continued to watch him intently.

I won't be ignored

Time won't heal this damage anymore

Homecoming - Linkin Park

Her answer struck him very bluntly. It was actually rather surprising considering his attempt to appear welcoming. Newol was not much into making enemies or hostile interactions. Yes, he had his darker moments, but those where contained souly to himself. She didn't seem very friendly, but at the same time in her demeanor, she didn't appear hostile. And she did carry pack scent. Newol knew he didn't, and it struck a pang inside of him. She hadn't been openly hostile yet, though, and he knew that was because they weren't within any pack lands, so he would continue to attempt to be social.

She asked him his name, and this brought a smile to his face. He loved his name. His name was a strong one, His first name being the one his birth mother gave him, the second part being the name of the royal bloodline that had ruled over another land for generations now, and the last part being the name of his adopted mother. That last part meaning that he had somewhere to belong if he wanted. It meant that there was someone willing to claim him. So, lowering himself to a setting position, he spoke his name, continuing to use a welcoming tone. "Newol Zaraidd Adravendi." And with a single wage of his tail, he addressed the fea before him. "And you?"

I can't feel the way I did before

Don't turn your back on me

The male seemed to be taken aback by her bluntness, which more often than not crossed the line into rudeness. Not that she cared - she didn't have the time nor the excess energy to waste on social graces, and she would not play the games they required. He would give his name, and she filed it away in her head for later use. Always could knowing such things come handy for a mercenary, though she did have to remind herself that she was a mercenary no more, but rather a respectable pack wolf, and a leader at that.

He asked her name, and she saw no harm in giving it. "Katja Finnvi am I, of the pack Ebony," she told him, though she did not bother with her rank for the moment. There was a time and a place for everything, and perhaps now was not the time for rank. "What does bring you to this perch, Newol Adravendi? What plagues your mind in this godly place?"

I won't be ignored

Time won't heal this damage anymore

The way she talked interested the male. Her words were strong. They where also blunt and to the point. She was clearly only interested in some means to an end. And with that, Newol knew that he was not going to appeal to her with just standard gentlemanly behavior. So he dismissed it with a chuckle. Still, there was more than just one way to interest someone's curiosity, he'd just have to wait for his. He decided he'd just entertain his on interests of her by seeing how she reacted, what she would do, for the time being.

Turning to face the sunlight, he let out a long exhale. The thoughts that had been concerning him wouldn't make very good conversation and he knew it. But as for what brought him here, that was a much more pleasant, and crowd friendly, topic. With a small smile on his face he spoke. "Alacritis is Home. I met my first wolf of this land here when I first came here. And sense I'm returning, it seemed fitting." The next part he approached carefully. That issue he would have been content to dismiss aswell. "And as for what's bothering me... Well..." He turned to face her again. "It's mostly just pointless noise in my head. Like I said, it wanders when I'm alone." Giving her a moment to calculate that response, he attempted to turn the boot on her. Wanting to know why someone so to the point as her would come out here. "And what of you? The Rock Garden isn't exactly right around the corner. Somethin's on your mind too." He questioned her with a casual and non hostile tone. He'd gladly let her probe him a little. But he was going to do it in return.

A rare smile flitted across her features at the male's own probing question, a smile with more than a touch of wry irritation to it. "Indeed Ebony is far from here," she agreed, "but this wall be not my destination in these lands. Journeyed I have to establish allies and treaties for Ebony. A diplomatic mission, as it were." Her silver gaze roamed the wall beyond them, still deciding how much was beyond his need to know, but since none of it he needed to know, there was no point in continuing to sidestep it. "Recently did I acquire... guardianship of the pack Ebony. Under my rule do I wish it to remain secure in its sovereignty - therefore the diplomacy. It is not my usual method." The dark wolf's voice was thoughtful as she voiced this. Truly she was much too straightforward and tactless for diplomacy, but Raisa had asked her to take care of the pack and she would do it in whatever way she must.

The male marked it as a small victory when the faint smile crossed her face. So she was alive after all. As she spoke her reasoning, he sat there and politely listened. Diplomacy. He remembered that well, having been dragged on one or two by his mother Erani. So he could relate somewhat, but only in the distaste for it. Newol was good at bringing people together, especially in hard times. But he loathed the practice. It involved putting up with people that he didn't know in a professional setting. And the brute preferred to avoid professional settings. So with a light chuckle, he looked out beyond the wall. "Been there. Done that. It's not fun, so I sympathies." but then he turned to face her, this time as a leader and not a stranger, so there was a sudden shift of seriousness about him as he looked at her. She was a leader, and he respected that. But this was neutral land, and she was not his leader. And she'd have to respect that. "But you are responsible for Ebony at this moment. So you'll have to put up with a lot of things that aren't your usual methods. Newol was very intelligent for a Loner. This was due in part to how quickly he could think. But none the less, he understood what it meant to be a leader even though he'd never been one.

I can't feel the way I did before

Don't turn your back on me

The rogue's words spoke of experience with diplomacy of this sort, and she studied him through narrowed eyes. Rarely did rogues and loners have a use for diplomacy, seeing as they had little to offer most packs. This wolf was, at one point, likely to have been in a pack, either highly ranked enough to be involved in diplomacy or a guardian of some sort guarding someone who was. Interesting.

She stretched her slender limbs. "Truly," she agreed with him. "There is much I must adjust to if I am to care properly for Ebony, and for Ebony's heirs. Not the motherly sort am I," she rumbled, a wryly frustrated note in her voice. "But be that I must for Ebony's orphans. A strange thing, this." Her pelt rippled, as though to shake off such thoughts, as she returned her attention fully to the rogue, silver eyes sharply evaluating. "And you, Newol? What are you, truly?" Was he a longer, or a pack wolf? Rogue, or guardian? There was something she could not quite pin down about his mannerisms.

I won't be ignored

Time won't heal this damage anymore

The Messenger - Linkin Park

And there it was. It seemed he'd finally snagged the girl's interest. Not without a small pinch of effort. But the words that she spoke where true. He could agree with them. Weather by choice or by happen stance, when the task of leading fell upon you, you forfeit yourself. Everything that you where, it all went out the window. It became your responsibility to be what your people needed you to be. If they needed a mother, you became their mother. Newol knew that first paw. And he would never forget it so long as he lived.

Now he meet the woman's gaze head on, his head lowering some in a display of respect. She'd struck a cord inside of him with her last statement. She might not understand it but there was a hint of gratitude in his facial expression. "Realize just how much that means. To be an Orphan's mother." And with that, his eyes dropped to his paws for a moment as he considered his next words. She wanted to know who he really was. And he knew just how to put it to make her truly understand his last statement. Bringing his gaze back up to meet hers, he spoke. "My birth surname is Zaraidd. I am the adopted son of the Alphess Erani. I'm the desert brat she made someone's child again." A light breeze picked up and ruffled his fur as he turned toward the firey sky. He would have liked to tell her encase she wasn't already aware, but it was something you had to come to know on your own. To be claimed by somebody, it was a very special gift.

I can't feel the way I did before

Don't turn your back on me

As Newol stated he'd been adopted by the alpha Erani, her eyes narrowed suddenly in understanding. "And alpha Erani do be the alpha of Valhalla whose leadership is being contested," she stated calmly, as though commenting on the weather. "That be why I did no visit her queendom on this journey, and, perhaps... that may be why you do be here in such serious thought? Or perhaps you didn't now." Cold gaze watched with unblinking curiosity - such things could always be used to lever a price from people. Things such as vengeance, or using the relation for ransom. Though, she must remember, she was no mercenary now. Still, if it would benefit Ebony she would not hesitate to use it against him, or anyone. Masked face angled slightly. "Tell me, son of Erani, do you trust her to win her battles? Or do you believe Valhalla to be lost to you now?"

I won't be ignored

Time won't heal this damage anymore

Any amount of gratitude that had been previously displayed in the male suddenly disappeared. Now it was only seriousness that showed on him at the topic she brought up. As he feared. She was perhaps too caught up within her own blunt point of view to understand what he was trying to say. A leader was more than just strong. But the only thing he found in her was strength. Her questioning too was most unwelcome. Newol didn't care about honor. If he'd have had his way, Erani would have never been challenged. He wasn't the kind to honor a one on one challenge against someone he loved. It was part of the reason why the little voice was clawing at the back of his head. It was why he'd returned to this land. With a deep inhale through his nose, followed by a slow exhale, he spoke in a low and blunt voice that mirrored her own. "Таким образом, это так."

Finally, with a stern gaze, he returned his head to it's upright position. She wanted to know what he felt, so he would let her know. No doubt she saw something to gain from him, that was why she'd stepped on his toes with her comment. So he returned the favor. "I believe that I will follow Erani regardless of what comes to pass. Remember that I was a desert brat." He didn't need a pack to be home. He didn't need a specific place to belong. And if he could make this woman understand one thing about him, it would be that. It was defiance that was next felt in his voice. "Our place of origin is irrelevant. What matters is where we choose to go together." But of course if Erani lost, darkness would fester in his heart. But that was a matter his own. For right now he believed in his mother. He believed she'd win.

I can't feel the way I did before

Don't turn your back on me

"Undoubtedly you would," she agreed without rancor, unconcerned with his words. Her tail flicked behind her not out of annoyance, but with all the contentedness of a cat lapping cream. "Family is, after all, family." He did not, she noticed, bother to claim he believed Erani would win, whether he felt that way or not. That was telling enough to her, and she added it to her growing file of intelligence concerning that particular pack and it's members. Not much, as yet, but growing.

"Well, no good to worry about it all the way up here is there?" she continued, her ears flicking dismissively. "The battle will go as the gods will and little there is for mortals such as us to do in such matters without doing dishonor to the ones we would seek to protect. Perhaps a sacrifice to the gods for their favor, but little else, ja." And for her that was the end of it. Perhaps if the challenge went awry for the male's adopted mother they would travel to Ebony and give strength to their ranks, or perhaps not. If the gods showed no favor to the current alpha of Valhalla, would she and her son really be worthwhile members anyway?

I won't be ignored

Time won't heal this damage anymore

This woman was like stone. The gap which he could use to burrow into her and see what she was was just not presenting itself. He'd had if for a second there, when they'd talked about leadership. But as soon as she'd learned who the boy was, that stone wall had taken over again. This creature was strong. At least very head strong. And perhaps not in the good way. It was clear that she cared to preserve her pack, but her mannerisms lead the brute to believe that she was willing to explore every single possible means and method. Even ones that made enemies. Aggressive diplomacy was a very dangerous road. A wolf of Newol's heritage was an extremely loyal friend. He didn't care how he personally was treated. But he would never forget nor forgive a wrong done against his family. Newol wasn't a savior. He didn't have to forgive. And he wasn't the only wolf with some fashion of this mindset. There where wolves with much more vengeful tendencies than he had. And if she upset them, then there would be a lot of anger pointed toward that that she wanted safe. A dangerous road indeed.

The brute made up his mind. He was done here. She had lost his interest and thus it was time for him to move on. He had other more important matters to attend to. Raising to his feet, if offered her a small bow of his head in farewell, though the stern look never left his face. Turning to walk away, he took only a few steps before saying over his shoulder. "You want to keep you pack strong. Please, exercise caution. Trust is more valued than fear." and with that, he continued to walk. His mind returning to the befuddled cloud which it had once resided in.

Newol Exit.