Flesh and Bone

This natural selection picked me out to be

Karpos Slayer

A dark horse running in a fantasy

It had stung him but he had to push forward from it. He wasn't weak and he was going to prove it. He was going to be a constantly loyal second-in-command to Mapplethorpe once he was old enough to tackle the rank and then when the time inevitably came he would rise as an alpha of Hollowheart Keep, a successor to the greatest man that ever lived {in his own opinion}. He drew a deep breathe in as he thought to himself, now calmed down but still pissed off at what Aponi had said. "All we are is flesh and bone. Who your parents were won't matter on the judgement day. No, what you did with your life is what will mattered and Aponi will be rotting in all Seven hells." He hissed to himself as he tried to account for what he had done and said to her just a few days prior. He didn't care for her anymore. Why he had even cared for her in the first place was oblivious to him. He had pushed past the borders of the pack because he was going to visit his Auntie @Capella and his Uncle @Lachesis down at Cut Rock River. Perhaps they could help him understand what to do.

Perhaps he might even seek out his sister, find someone who cared about him. His fear only made him bolder as he wondered who it was that actually cared about him. Did Lachesis truly care? Did Capella truly care for him? Was Aponi just spreading her shit or was she right about something for once? The boy did not regret anything he had said to Aponi, not after even calming down quite bit after raging out on her and forcing her to respect him, attempting to at least. Tace. Tace. Tace." He reminded himself as he felt his fur bristle along his spine once more. He was getting himself riled up, he needed to stop before he did something he regretted. He sat down and stared intensively out into the distance. He was guarding, watching and waiting for another chance to prove how strong he really was. He would be Aponi's superior and she would learn respect by the time he became what he desired to be, a leader. Karpos was plotting off in the distance, becoming leader being an important thing for him. He needed to prove himself and he saw it as the only way. As soon as he reached his goal, Aponi's ass was out on the borders and off the territory.

She had crossed a line that she shouldn't have crossed.

She had brought his family into it.

-noms on this thread-

Between doting on Aponi and minding the borders, Mercy kept himself busy and found his spirits had finally started to lift after having returned to the Keep. Though he still watched over the princess and found himself constantly tracking her down- or being tracked down by Aponi- he felt some solace in patrolling the borders, knowing that he would catch her scent had she left the pack, and that he would be able to intercept any sort of danger that threatened to come for her. He was still gaunt and weak, but he was gaining ground bit by bit as he put a bit more weight back on slowly. He had started to shed out his winter coat and looked more like a ghoul now than he ever had, with tufts of dry, dead hair being pushed out by coarse summer fur and making him look even slimmer than he had when he'd returned. But he felt good, and it showed in his features which had regained a bit of their character.

He knew he needed to distract himself from Aponi in order to be useful, and there were certain times when patrolling the borders didn't quite cut it. His mother wanted him to spend more time with Nova- he knew she wanted him to spend more time with anyone, in general, and let Aponi heal on her own, but it was difficult. Still, he saw some sense in his mother's words and when he caught Karpos' scent he picked up a bit of speed so he could intercept Karpos' path.

When he found him, the boy's features looked dark and cryptic, as though he was lost in thought. Mercy flicked his ears forward and bobbed his head in greeting as he approach and reminded himself to relax. Aponi was somewhere in the pack, and she would be fine. "Karp," He said, and gave the boy a small smile. He moved forward, and aimed to nip the boy's shoulder lightly as a form of amicable greeting. He owed Karpos a lot- he and Evann had found them, and had helped bring Aponi back to the pack.

This natural selection picked me out to be

Karpos Slayer

A dark horse running in a fantasy

Pain had reached his eyes and he tensed when he heard the voice. It was him. The wolf that Aponi had become so infatuated with that it was almost nauseous... nope, it had past that point already. He turned to Mercy with anger in his eyes as he pushed himself up from the sitting position and started to walk away. He really didn't want to get in a fight or argue with Mercy like he had with Aponi. Especially since Sir Mapplethorpe was probably going to want his head for what he had done. Karpos had screwed up when he tried to demand respect from an injured yet snobby wolf and while Karpos thought it was the right thing to do, he doubted Aponi's father would view it the same way. He had no idea how Mercy felt towards Aponi but he did know one thing, Mercy was competition to him, just another piece of game to chew up and spit out... later. He always had to remind himself... later.

It hurt, he hated to admit it despite all his pent up anger and rage, he had loved her. Had. He wanted nothing more than for her to die now. Who knew, maybe her wounds would become infected and no wolf could be able to save her. Such evil thoughts for a wolf like Karp but he had honestly started to regret running after Mercy's call. He was still fighting back the urge to cry as he wondered what Mercy had that Karpos hadn't had. What did that little crowchild have that could top Karpos? Karp could protect her, he could and would have fought for her but instead she pushed him away for a wolf he had thought to be his friend. Maybe she was right when she said that he was the problem. Maybe Karpos just had a habit of driving other wolves away with his obsession. Maybe if he just disappeared, not running away but died, than everyone would have normal and good lives.

"Karp?"

The question hung on mid-air. Mercy hadn't even been able to nip the boy playfully before he'd been given a steely glare which caused him to cringe. Mercy had never been terribly intimidated by Karpos in the past, but the surprise of being treated with such hostility pulled the rug out from underneath his feet. He paused for a moment trying to collect his thoughts and assess why Karpos was being such a sissy boi, before he flicked his ears back and started after Karpos, picking up a trot so that he could reach Karpos' side in a matter of seconds. There was the same determined look on Karpos' face, but he could see anger as well, and this puzzled Mercy- as far as he knew, he'd done nothing wrong, and Karpos hadn't been like this at all when he'd helped bring Aponi back.

"Hey, easy," He said, trying to calm Karpos down. "What's up?" He asked, stepping to Karpos' side and trying to read some sort of answer on Karpos' face. Mercy wasn't nearly as offended by Karpos' demeanour as he was concerned. He knew that Karpos was a bit tender, still, when it came to family and his history, but he thought they'd shared some sort of similarity and had bonded over it in the past. Both were orphans, but both had managed to find a new family. He had absolutely no idea where this new attitude came from, but to Mercy, it felt all too personal.

This natural selection picked me out to be

Karpos Slayer

A dark horse running in a fantasy

Karp just had to block Mercy out and then maybe he would go away. Maybe Mercy would get the hint to stay away from him and go join up to hang out with his over controlling girlfriend. The pain in his eyes, anger, pain, suffering. It all tied into the fact that he just wanted to die. He had only been like this one other time, which his father died and he had been easier to talk out of back then. His family had surrounded him and made him feel love. It was a shame that the former prince of Pitch Pine Trail didn't have family but enemies in their stead. His family was gone, at least 2 days away from where he stood and there was no way he'd get down there without having some stupid idea that he acted upon. No, so he would have to stay in the pack of enemies who liked to dig deep into the scars that Karpos held.

Mercy's question irritated him as Karpos was confident that Aponi had told him about what was said between them. Wasn't that what love birds did? They constantly talked and were practically attached by the hip. Karp hadn't even slept in the pack den since the fight. He slept on the borders where he could rise, do his job and then sleep without having to get stopped by a bratty princess who just wanted to bully him and gain the attention of others. The words stung, he still remembered all of them. She had brought his family into their fight and that was when Karpos had snapped. He continued to ignore Mercy and he picked up pace to get away from him before something bad happened to one of them.

Still no answer, and like a stubborn git, Karpos picked up his pace, with hopes of shrugging Mercy off, who now took this very personally. And he wasn't having it. With a soft grunt, Mercy bounded forward and slipped himself directly in front of Karpos and halted there with the intention of stopping the boy completely in his tracks by his shoulder. He braced himself a bit, but didn't expect to get through this without being bumped into. He flattened his ears and squared his paws as quickly as he could, lifting his head so that he could address Karpos full on and stop this ridiculous game of aversion.

"Look, I don't know what your problem is," He said. "But don't shut me out like this, Karp," He said, his voice tinged with frustration. He wanted to be treated better than this- he deserved it. A small part of him thought that this sort of treatment was cruel, especially given that he was still weak from starvation. If anything, he'd thought that Karpos would have been happy to see him back, and he couldn't quite put the puzzle pieces together yet to figure out why the dark boy would be displeased to see him again. He looked Karpos up and down once more and tried to soften himself a bit so he didn't sound as though he was trying to offend his former playmate. "What happened to you, Karp?" He asked, concern edging its way into his voice. Whatever it was, it had happened after Mercy and Aponi had returned, he was sure of it.

Due to random plot twist.

This natural selection picked me out to be

Karpos Slayer

A dark horse running in a fantasy

Karp thought he was frustrated before when Mercy was walking beside him questioning him but his fur started to bristle when Mercy stood in front of him. Karpos stopped in his tracks and hissed at the boy all his frustrations with only five words. "Why don't you ask your girlfriend." The words were spat at the other pup who had been pestering him since discovering the chocolate colored boy thinking off the territory just minutes ago. His pain was always hidden in his eyes and he wouldn't give Mercy or Aponi the satisfaction of knowing how he truly felt about it all. He felt he was better pitching himself off the side of the mountain than ever talking to them again, and poor Mercy hadn't done anything wrong, a fact Karp didn't know.

Karp turned around and walked the other way, unable to control the bristling fur along his spine. He closed his eyes and took a deep breathe but it only seemed to make him more angry. Sadness flaked him as he turned to Mercy, sorrow in his eyes. "Mercy... she left. Aponi left because of me." What had he done? His anger more directed at himself rather than the poor boy who had gotten in the way of his emotions. He collapsed to the ground and while he was mad at Aponi he was sad that she had just left. Karpos had caused this. "We fought and argued... she told me my family had abandoned me because of me. She told me that she regretted me being born and me meeting her. She said I was here because of pity and I snapped. Now she's gone." He sobbed out in front of the boy.

Girlfriend? Mercy immediately, for some reason or other, though of Nova for a fleeting second before Aponi's face flashed in his mind. It startled the young man, but was soon forgotten when he realized why Karpos was so angry. He was jealous. Mercy's cheeks flushed hot and he felt a wrenching pain in his gut, and he didn't know how to respond. He wasn't really aware, completely, of his feelings for Aponi- and to have Karpos shout them at him was almost too much. He flinched, inwardly at Karpos' anger, and while he sensed jealousy, he saw no hurt in Karpos' eyes. He was enraged- but Mercy could understand, now, that he was jealous because he used to be Aponi's pet. He used to follow her around, and cater to her every whim. And now, obviously, he felt that he'd been replaced by Mercy. To be honest, Mercy actually felt somewhat proud of this; he wasn't sure he could ever measure up to Karpos, in Aponi's eyes, but it was fairly obvious, now, that he did.

He turned and moved away and Mercy still hadn't said a word. He hated himself for feeling smug that Aponi- according to Karpos- liked him better, but the hair on the back of his neck flew up when Karpos admitted something.

Aponi was gone.

"GONE?!?" He shouted and charged toward Karpos, skidding to a halt beside the boy who'd crumpled pathetically to the ground. He stared down at Karpos who chose that moment to let out his inner sissy and start bawling like a baby. What he said next was a surprise- it didn't sound like Aponi at all, and rather than doubt the girl he'd nearly lost his life defending, he suspected, instead, that Karpos was trying to make himself the victim when instead it was really Aponi who felt tortured and misunderstood. "You bastard! What did you say to her?!" He snarled, tail flagging up over his back. Every fibre of his being told him to run after Aponi, but he needed to know what Karpos had said to drive her away- so he would be able to bring her back.

This natural selection picked me out to be

Karpos Slayer

A dark horse running in a fantasy

Mercy's anger had only further irritated Karpos and the pain hadn't gotten any better. He should have gone with Capella to Cut Rock River. He shouldn't have followed the mountain stranger he barely knew and now he was just ruining lives. "I told her what I felt. I told her I loved her and she blew up on me. I can quote her exact words. "You feel too much Karpos. All you ever do is think and talk and feel. You thought we had something? We could never have anything you pathetic fool. I need someone who is strong enough to protect me, help me, be my equal, you will never be anything but a snivelling pathetic excuse for a wolf.""

He was still angry. "So I responded and I said something completely stupid which pissed her off. Then I told a lie because I couldn't stand it anymore and she left. I said something I never meant and she left before I could take it back. I told her she was only here because she was the daughter of the alphas. Now I have to go explain my actions to Sir Mapplthorpe so you all can bring her back and she'll never have to see me again." He snarled at the man before charging off towards where he knew Naira's den was. If Thorpe wasn't out patrolling. He was done and he was gone to report what he had done so he could be properly punished. This was what it took.

-EXIT-

(This post was last modified: Apr 26, 2014, 12:56 AM by Karpos.)

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the snow. Hunt Opportunity