the sky is over

363 words. none tagged. --- notes.

Tyberius had parted ways with his brother less than an hour ago and their conversation still rang in his head. He knew that Tiresias only wanted to make sure that he'd be all right. His crippled brother, forever needing babysat and kept safe, Tyberius thought, his lip raising in disgust. There wasn't anything that he hated more than someone doting over him. I'm not completely worthless, I can do things on my own. He also wasn't sure that Tiresias realized that he was different now. Something had happened to him, causing him to stop caring about anything and lie about everything. His ever-loving brother had tried to halt the process but there was no stopping the new personality that was moving in. When Tyberius parted from his brother, there was no sad goodbye from his end of the conversation. He was ready to leave, to strike out on his own.





The more he thought on it, the more he was happy he'd left Tiresias behind. Tyberius knew that his brother would be fine, and honestly, he wasn't all that worried about his brother anyway. He'd finally reached the lands of Amenti and even though he wasn't sure of his exact location, he scented wolves and was willing to join their pack, if they'd allow it. He and his brother had slowly learned the temperaments of each pack in Alacritis and Tyberius was certain that he'd at least be in good company with the Amenti wolves.





In his earlier conversation with Tiresias, his brother had mentioned the Battlefield, a place for wolves to fight for one to join their pack. Tyberius had laughed fit to burst. "They don't want half a wolf!" he'd said through his laughter. "I'd go out there and no one would care. Dead wolf walking."





He walked into the territory, his weird hopping gait sure to attract attention quickly. Tyberius snarled softly at the pain in his remaining hind leg. He'd been going through rough terrain to reach these lands and his muscles were tense from overuse. The male dropped to his haunches, ignoring the pain on his left side when the stump hit the ground. He then tilted his head back, releasing a long, low howl. Since I'm here, I might as well make myself known. Tyberius was almost certain that the alpha would arrive and turn him away. Rouge life wouldn't be half-bad, although he knew that Tiresias would try to find him, and would probably succeed. He wouldn't go hungry either way, that was for sure.

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Pain, it sang a song so lovely she could almost yearn to know it. Perhaps the master of that call hadn?t known that she knew those lyrics well. It was only a gesture, a soft caress against her ear. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep steadying breath. Kaios had inflicted a decent amount of damage in their last encounter. She had demanded he have her and he had done so just as she desired. Blood still caked her coat from their brutal loving and she denied herself the chance to clean the wounds. If she was honest with herself then she would know she was wearing them like a badge of honor. Her tail flicked lazily behind her as she allowed a soft huff to escape her lips and carry her behemoth frame towards the beckoning call.

She was swift in her approach. The shadows seemed to bend and twist to their masters will. It as all illusions but she had mastered them long ago. It was as if one moment nothing stood before the stranger and another had passed and her she was. She was largest wolf in the entire realm. A monster among monsters and the well known queen slayer.

Violet eyes transcended down towards the unknown male. Their stair was calculating, evaluating, as they drank in every inch of the wolf before her. So, a wound half grave was inflicting this male. She wondered what it felt like to be missing a part of her. She almost laughed at her own thought. She was missing a part, her mind, they all knew she was mad and she was happy to be so. ?So, wandering in the shadows is a wolf looking to prove his worth?? she asked, her head tilting every so slightly to the right. She was ever a sight to behold. Her coat was as soft as gray storm clouds. It held an odd shade of violet, like crushed velvet, giving her the illusion of being partially purple. It was the pigment in her skin that made her coat seem violet. All her children had inherited it and she couldn?t help but admire the oddity of it all.

This place was for the neutral. Those that wanted to be something more and prove they were worth fighting for. She had a soft spot for those in need but she wouldn?t dare show it. ?Don?t think I haven?t noticed what you?re lacking. Do you know what you can make up for your faults?? she asked, she wanted to know what he thought he was worth. She could work with oddities. She did better with them then the normal and perhaps she could be his rising. She could be his savior as she had been for many broken minds.

the sky is over

349 words. NEWT tagged. --- notes.

His call was answered in mere minutes, not by the sound of another's call but by the sudden arrival of a massive wolf. Tyberius was certain that this strangely colored wolf was the alpha male, and if he'd been more careful about his well-being, he'd probably have been afraid. It was as if the wolf was made of the shadows around them - it was almost as if he had blinked and she had formed. As soon as he saw the stranger, he rose to his feet. Best to make a decent impression, he thought, shaking the thoughts of the shadow illusion from his mind.



The wolf before him began to speak and he was surprised to learn that 'he' was in actuality a 'she'. His usually stoic expression betrayed him and his surprise showed through for a moment, then was tucked away once more. Tyberius nodded his head in response to her words. "Indeed, I am," he said, shifting his weight as best he could to his front paws. He was not at all keen on appearing weak before her, even though he was not worried about being turned away. Tyberius knew of the slaves the pack kept and he did not want to become one of them. If it came to that, he'd be better off as a meal.



He listened to her speak and almost laughed. She was willing to give him a chance, more than what most would offer. It was apparent that his duty list would be slim, given his condition, but he would not expect special treatment. He wasn't any different, just missing a leg. "Lying and manipulation come easily to me. What I lack in body, I make up for in brains," Tyberius said, his green gaze resting on the female before him. He wouldn't add the fact that he was rather difficult to control. The only orders he felt he needed to follow were those directly from the alphas, and even then he would drag his feet. Those were facts that needed to be well-hidden for now, sure to resurface later.

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A trick to the trade and it didn?t surprise her that he called his mind his worth. When the world broke the strength of others, their minds tended to feed off their difficulties and make up for lost causes. Her ears twitched as she allowed a sigh to escape her mouth. She wanted to hear something new. Manipulation was a well known trait amongst many, even herself, she could be a master at it if she truly wanted and perhaps she was. She was the lost wandering mind of a broken forgotten monster that everyone seemed to forget the moment she put the crown on her head. Her children had grounded her, as well as her mate, and champion and Zara. They had all helped her in some way to keep sane but that tick. That edge of wonderland that followed her around still threatened to consume her and bring her into the dark unforgiving hole.

Her tail twitched behind her as she thought. Her mind whirled at the questions that she could ask. ?So your mind is your primary strength, what is your weakness other then the obvious?? she asked, her brow arching with her question. She was curious what he would say other then his missing hind leg. She hoped that perhaps he had other things to offer other then deception and mistrust. Not, that they couldn?t use a few good spies. Tortuga was having new leadership and they were meant to be alliance. She was sending Syn to them to secure the alliance and to keep an eye on things but what of the other packs? She didn?t know them all yet and was curious to know about them.

the sky is over

332 words. NEWT tagged. --- notes.

The female sighed and it was obvious that she had not been impressed with his answer. To her, he was like any other wolf except that he had more baggage and less to bring to the table. Tyberius wasn't worried about it, although he had been hoping for a better first impression. He'd had the chance to think on his feet, to show her his potential, and he'd let it fall through the cracks. No matter, he thought. The list of his negative traits was much longer than the list of positive traits, but he wouldn't be opposed to lying to her. For some reason, he'd just blurted the truth out to her. It wasn't likely to happen again though.





Already, he was imagining what the Battlefield might be like. Tyberius wasn't at all certain that the alpha would accept him into her pack and was entertaining the idea of what would happen once the alphas saw him on the Battlefield. There weren't many possibilities but the few that there were amused him enough. He was not far removed from the situation at hand, and when she spoke to him again, he pulled out of his thoughts and turned his full attention back to the wolf before him.





"My weakness? Certainly my shyness. It does not affect my ability to do my duty; however, it tends to affect my relationships with other wolves," Tyberius said, the tip of his tail twitching. For a moment, he wondered where Tiresias was, what he was doing. It's been too short of a time for him to have made it to another pack. He'd never come here, Tyberius thought, It's far more likely that he's wandering alone, wondering why his half-crazy brother left his side. This didn't trouble him. In fact, it was enjoyable.





His back leg was bothering him. Impulsively, he sat on his haunches, and didn't regret the result. He returned his gaze to the purple-tinted female, curious as to what she would say.

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