Spectral Woods Life as Known

@Loath
Fair warning ahead of time, he may try to recruit Loath...

Shade had stuck close to where his mate had delivered, never straying too far from there. He needed to get her food; they all needed food after all. His eyes closed as he scented around the area for food. Small bits of hare and woodland mice hit his nose and he started to follow the trail to a small rabbit warren. Perfect, he knew the rest would scatter if he caught or missed his attempt at one. So he aimed for the plumpest, surprised that the rabbits were already out as the seasons blurred together in his mind. There was nothing wrong.

Shade crouched down, narrowing his eyes at the rabbits. The plumpest one he was also the slowest, and he stalked forward, keeping his paws light against the floor and making sure he was downwind from the rabbits. He leapt catching the rabbit and delivering a killing blow to the neck. Ne had food for her now. She would need it with her nursing the pups and all. But most importantly, he was providing for his blood line, his family and the love of his life.

Shade kept his eyes on the den, or the direction of the den at least as he traveled. After all, what if a lone wolf got hungry and decided to pop in on Rose, like those lone wolves had to his parents and when they were slaughtered, there was no taking it back. He headed to the stream, lapping up some water real quick. He turned his head, thinking he had heard a sound. Probably the forest playing tricks on him.

WARNING! This can be gross to some readers. Hurr hurr.

Everything flashed by in motion, high definition blurring to grain as every streamline of the speed melted together in colors, the sound of blood rushing round and round in ears and body, adrenaline kicking over and over – a chase. Hours had passed and both animals were on high end of their powers, though one animal resting far more than the other. A wolf in the heels of a lone deer, singled out and chased to a new area of the woods, hours passing and both animals were tired, but the wolf would at times simply walk up to the deer and scare it to a run. Resting its strength it had kept it up for hours now and finally set in the absolute chase, the last mile of the marathon. Legs pushing, chasing and the deer’s ears flailed to every sound of the chasing sound, it crashed through woods and toward an open area of the woods, but this would be the end of its journey. White fur jumped over the log after the deer, chased it over the open ground and every passing second and minute he gained in on the tired animal. He could smell the musk scent of wilderness, of prey, scent the same rushing blood circulation, the fear and panic in the animal was like the sweetest perfume to his nose.

He had made no attempt to attack or jump on the animal, made no fearsome move, made no fatal blow – one leap, one attempt – it was all it took. Crashing to the underground the animal groaned loudly, its legs flailed to the sides, a fatal scream of desperation but its flock was long gone, a set of sparkling white teeth sinking into the soft throat and blood gushing into his mouth like a sweet savoring juice. The animal shook violently and Loath crunched his strong fangs together on its neck and the last few movements of the animal were pure reflexes. It was dead. The white wolf rose to his paws and while his chest was heaving for air, his shoulders moving up and down he launched himself into the soft belly of the deer, tearing it open and swallowing large chunks of meat, brutally ripping out the liver and eating it, pulling on to its legs to open it even further and finally reaching the first prize. He grabbed a hold on to the placenta, pulled it out of the deer’s stomach and ripped it open.

The infant rolled out of the placenta almost looking like a whangdoodle, its legs unfolding, water and blood wetting the ground around the mother deer. Loath pushed at the infant with his snout and the head rolled over on the ground. The miracle of life lying in front of him as the living reach into the miracle and the god take this miracle from even a pleading mother in its hour long run from death and the immortal to protect this infant. The infant was not yet fully developed and it looked as a deformation, eyes not yet there, but the shape was, the legs had no fur the body looked out of shape and broken and the entire thing looked as if it had crawled out of evil itself, the head was deformed and grossly small to its body. Loath leaned over and he ate it. Ripping off the head to toss it away, eating the meat of the neck, the stomach and the little heart that never would know of the chase, would never run for its life and pump adrenaline through the tiny little body. The immortal ate every part it could reach of the infant, having no remorse for the once living.

Life was his taken.

It was the sound of lapping water that made him react through. He looked up at the very instant he heard it, jumped on to the carcass of the mother dear, the eaten infant behind him and the deer, his eyes cold and harsh as he looked on to a black wolf at a nearby stream. He had no idea how long the other wolf had been there, but he suspected that with the violent crashing of the deer that it would have been for some time now. He didn’t snarl or warn off the other wolf, instead he leaned forward, sniffed the air and caught scent of him, imprinted this scent on to his memory and then something else. More wolves and nearby. He had neared a territory yet again, but not any place of the territory he had placed himself close to a birthing scene. The other would be highly alert, no doubt. Loath had been a father many times and been at many births, he knew the scent alright, he knew that it could not have been too long ago, no more than a week or the scent would have been gone by now.

He was not to be ordered around with nor would he willingly give in to those of others or their greed but as he watched this opposite black wolf his stance did not change, he didn’t lower himself or charge, he made no move to seem threatening to the other one. ”I believe I must have. Frightened you.” Does his presence ever call for anything else? Those that did not fear him to some degree were either foolish or his true subjects, but these strangers were not his subjects and they would do well in fearing him, even if they had nothing to fear. He was not a slaughter machine attacking every loner he saw, he felt no reason to harm an entire family unless they truthfully needed his serving and guidance to Eden. He could yet change his mind about that. ”I am Lāth.” Should this wolf make any indecent move, Loath would need to correct him, teach him manners.

Gods means you no well till their own undoing. Watch your step, watch your move. You cannot hide from the death in front of you.

(This post was last modified: May 09, 2013, 11:46 AM by Loath.)

Responses are slow from my end cause I just gave birth to a tiny boy.

(I'm sorry this is really small compared to your beautiful and long post <3)

Shade’s heart raced, the blood pumping through his chest and the rushing sound in his ears as he ran back to drop off the rabbit. But he hesitated, ended up turning back as he caught the faint scent of a lone wolf, his ears perked curiously. The haunted stream, as he called it, was not often a place that others would visit. He knew that Rose’s cave was near here, very near here. They had moved her and the two little pups in between feedings. It was insane that the pups were hungry so often. It must have been four or five times that he walked in per day, just to see that Rose was feeding them yet again.

She narrowed his eyes, his tail curling above him in dominance, but then he suddenly relaxed his stance. “Who is it that has graced me with their presence so close to my mate’s birthing den?” He called out in a questioning tone that some would take as almost a kind one. It wasn’t, his tone was flat and had no meaning to the words other than what was stated. What was the wolf like, how would they behave to his question. Most importantly, how this wolf would react to the news that he was close to a birthing den. Truth was, they were both very close, and Shade would fight the wolf if he chose to be aggressive towards him, but it all depended on how things turned out.

He wondered what this wolf was like for one sole reason, whenever he met a lone wolf he searched out the personalities and reactions which would determine if he tried to recruit him to the cause, and the cause was a pack. He, of course, already has enough wolves to raise a pack. However a pack was reliant on the first few, if they had only two other wolves and one went missing, than the pack would not stay risen and would collapse through what had become a havoc. He needed wolves who wouldn't disappear.

The simple fact was that he couldn't even see the wolf through the thick fog around the stream.

(Don’t worry about it, I am just gonna make a less long and beautiful post :P)

Either the wolf was deaf, dumb or simply couldn’t hear him. Loath stood silently for a moment as he was called out of the forest even though he had stated his name already. He lifted his head and made out the figure once again and then with a loud clicking noise of his tongue tried, once again, to catch his attention to make him come so close he could see and hear him. Loath crouched down on to his dead deer to lie down and waited for the other male to come so close he could see Loath even despite his bright white fur in this thick fog. He knew from experience that others could have trouble seeing him in this kind of weather and he made a low rumble sound to guide the other one closer. When he was within view and earshot he would try once more to introduce himself and reassure the wary male, the father it would seem. ”I am Lāth.” He looked the male over for a short time and then moved slightly from his prey to one side and cleaned his bloody maw and tried to clean his chest.

”You must have me excused. I just brought it down myself a few minutes ago. I mean you no harm, nor your young ones. After all our children and spawn is our greatest treasure.” After all Loath was a father himself, he had quite a few actually. 8 to be exact, 8 beautiful children that he wanted to see again more than ever, but such thing would not exactly come easy for he was far from home and he had no idea where any of his children or his beautiful Loathe had gone – Loathe. She was that thing, that one trait of his life that no one ever would come to understand in his life. She was biologically his sister, yes but she was also the mother of 5 out of his 8 children, she was his most precious member of his family and old pack, she was his lover, sister, being and a part of him. They knew each other without talking, they walked and moved as twins they loved and talked as twins even if they were rarely seen talking together, rather saying words that formed unspoken sentences for the two. Since overpowering their past they had stuck together and never left one another. Until now.

Storm, darkness and a bewildering change of environment was something he could grow accustomed to, even not care too much about, it was just another part of life and nature, but losing Loathe in the midst of the madness was heart wrecking. He could barely live, barely breathe without her presence around him. He knew she was alive, for she would keep her heart beating as long as they were apart and not near each other. The two would not live without having the other one nearby that was for sure. They had made a promise to one another, a promise that one would not live or die without the other, should the day come that one was to die or be dying, the dying would use their last remaining breathe on taking the life of the other. They could not live without each other, Loath without Loathe was no Loath and so the other way around. Life could not continue without them being together and that was why Loath had paused his life, his life mission of helping the weak and demonized, he had to find her first he would find her, no doubt.

”I am a father of eight myself, so I understand your worry. Would you like some of this meat to bring to your family? Food seems scarce around here.” He moved his body so the other would now he was welcome to come closer and take some of the deer, there was no way he could eat all of it anyway and Loath was a strong believer of sharing, especially to growing families. Children of any kind was the future of nature and life, the future of what once will become and grow here, they needed you as much as you needed them. His eyes were relaxed as he made all clear that he greeted the stranger with open arms – some had in the past called Loath a monster, but he would agree to no such thing. He was strict, tough and powerful, but no monster and no dictating tyrant of the wild or any pack. He cleaned his fur as well as he could to not look nearly as scary and waited for the male to either take or leave his offer on the meat.

Responses are slow from my end cause I just gave birth to a tiny boy.

Shade couldn’t help but smile to hear the man’s words, he meant no harm. The name Lāth was admitted as the man’s name. Shade gave a nod but nothing else as the thought about what he should say, or what he could say. The man seemed to know the protectiveness of a child, and maybe he could find himself a place with the small group of rouges that were assembling to rise and to cherish memories and raise a pack. Of course, they still had the issue of moving the pups when they were old enough. After all, Intel scouting mission reported that there was a pack that was already settled in the forest, so he had sent Capella out to scout out a new area to raise such a majestic pack if any at all.

"I would like some of the meat, thank you for the generous offer." He said, he had originally come out to get food to bring back to his own mate, and two pups. He only had ¼ of the pups that this Lāth wolf had, but they needed to be nurtured just as so. "That is a lot of pups indeed, I am Shade Slayer. Say, are you looking for a home, or a pack of some sorts?" He asked the man, hoping the answer was yes. They could use a man like him for a part of the family. "It’s just that I and a small band of other rouges were hoping to raise a pack. We soon discovered a pack in the different part of the forest and once the pups are able to be moved, we are heading south to claim somewhere else, we need more members, and if you are interested, I’m positive that we could use a man like you. You seem very respectable."

Every man had his work, his life cut out for him. He knew what he had to do and what his place on earth would be. This man was no different, he lived for his mate and the pups they had, he protected them and defended them for it was his place in life and he knew that. He would look after them as Loath had for his children. He had been a leader for so many years and every tiring evening he came home, walked into his hall like den where he was met by his enormous large family in there. The youngest would run to his paws and jump up and down on his front paws craving their father’s attention, the eldest and very respectable of his litters would greet him with licks and nuzzles, his companions that he adopted as brothers would also bang heads with him, his sister would stand and watch the scene before coming to him and they would lock eyes in silence. Then he would greet his youngest, licking their faces, maybe pick them up or lay down for them to roll all over him and play with him as he would talk with his eldest children.

He had worked so hard to achieve, he worked all day and every day he was the first to be awake in his pack and he was the last to be within his den with his family. Though his den was never really quiet and constantly had buzzed with pups and adults being busy he had never yelled at his children, he had never told them to leave him alone but treasured those moments he could be with them and stayed awake for as long as he could. He spend his awake hours on teaching them of manners and how to behave, his lead guard had taught them how to fight, but he taught them everything else that was essential to these royal children. They couldn’t be misbehaved and he had before snapped at one of his children for speaking ill to one of the therapists on the higher districts. His son had gone ahead and acted like a tyrant who could have whatever he wanted and Loath had bitten his neck and pushed him to the ground to teach him of right and wrong. He had honestly thought his child would be better than that, and luckily he was. He learned his lesson that day.

"I would like some of the meat, thank you for the generous offer." He nodded toward it to say he could have at it, he was full anyway now so he felt no reason to protect what was left of it before birds and worms would take it from him anyway. "That is a lot of pups indeed, I am Shade Slayer. Say, are you looking for a home, or a pack of some sorts?" His eyebrows folded together and his lip twitched. Him? in a pack of rouges? Leading with someone else? He didn’t think so. He rolled his shoulder back to a less tense position ”No.” it may have sounded rude, but he wanted to let go of that image right away. It was no life for him, no way for him to be locked up like that. He could in some form of situation live with it, but this was not this situation he could live with. He needed more freedom, more access to power.

"It’s just that I and a small band of other rouges were hoping to raise a pack. We soon discovered a pack in the different part of the forest and once the pups are able to be moved, we are heading south to claim somewhere else, we need more members, and if you are interested, I’m positive that we could use a man like you. You seem very respectable." He gave out a very light sigh that made a small cloud around his nose in the dense air and his pink tongue rolled over his maws shortly as he looked at this man. Shade was his name. Good. They could make a deal, not the kind he wanted properly, but he could help anyway. Many things were said, so much to reply to.”Indeed I have many children, should you ever want help with them I will gladly offer it. As for looking for a home. No. I am looking for my twin sister and not a home. I cannot settle before I at least find a sign of life from her. However. I can help you get members and I can help you claim your territory or defend it should the need ever arise. I am a man of my word, or, as you put it, respectable. “ He wasn’t so sure what this Shade Slayer could ever offer him in return, but he would know this man would be in debt to him if Loath actually helped him if he needed it. Loath could find members, he had had 70 of his own, and he could easily look after children as he was patient with them, more than the adults at times. He could fight for he had done it all his life. Actually it was all he had mostly done. He could help as much as Shade wanted it, but he had to expect that one day – one day it would be payback.

Responses are slow from my end cause I just gave birth to a tiny boy.

Shade gave a nod of understanding, and he knew all about looking for sisters and how they always came as a priority. "I have the followers I need, but a few more could never hurt I suppose, that is why I asked. I wish you good luck though, with finding your sister, I once looked for my twin sister, I found her but she died a short while back because of her heart. However, what does she look like, so if I see her I can tell her you were here and looking for her?" He said, though sadness leaked into his voice thinking of Shadowstorm and how she had passed on to another world. The offer to help with the claiming and everything was really generous of the man, though he thought that he would not to take up such offers until a far later point in time.

His sister had always been one that needed taking care of, and when he had met her for the first time, Nina had taken care of her and mended her leg. Though his sister was gone, he knew her spirit was with them and he held onto it whenever he felt it. It impacted his life, and he hoped that Loath found his sister, and that they could be the siblings that Shade and Shadowstorm never got to be. His eyes had a bit of trouble in them, but he was unsure of the source, he hoped it wasn’t something serious; perhaps it was just grief knowing that he would never see his sister again. She had passed nearly two months prior. "I will keep your offer in mind in case it is needed." He promised.