this is gospel

@Karpos

What had become of his world?

For five long years he had lived in some sort of shadow. Though he had the posture of a leader, it was always the command of another that he would echo. It was as though he'd become some sort of puppet, a willing mouthpiece for what he considered to be a greater good, a family that he loved...No, a sister that he loved. And he did love @Naira. She had not beaten him into submission, imposed her will upon him, no. He'd come of his own volition, certain that this was what he was meant to do. To be a willing soldier and servant to his Queen. It had been fine. It really had, but since he'd come to this place, these damned lands, he'd felt different somehow. The soldier found his hair growing longer, vision becoming clearer.

He could no longer be a pawn because he'd experienced too much freedom. Chulyin had shared smiles with wolves that had become part of his family, he'd taught them and...Yes, even watched them disappear. Where an inkling of sadness had started to bloom, sprouting delicate daylilies over the graves of what might be called "lost love", was suddenly set ablaze. The flowers of mourning shriveled up and were consumed by the fire, a fire set into motion by that damned woman who came to him with her heat scent and eyes of smoldering coals. And she broke him. He was suddenly free from the bonds that he'd placed onto his own wrists and it stung. The cruel light of day upon his skin and his face. For what soldier would speak so kindly with strangers and lie with cruel women? His mission had been to his sister, his family, his entire being, and he had watched it go up in flames.

And he had done NOTHING about it.

The pack didn't know, and since that day, he had not put any thought towards it. He let it boil away from within, setting his own eyes aflame, and he avoided his packmates. Thankfully for Chulyin this was no odd occurrence. He could go through life as though nothing had changed and yet everything had changed. He was lost and there were no chains to lead him back home.

And so he wandered. Not far, but further than he ought to have gone. Prey had long since returned to the Wood and so there was hardly any need to stray outside of the packlands. But he wandered away and away. Past Bramble Falls and west to the Wildwood. He supposed this place might have been thriving at some point; Chulyin could still smell the remnants of livelihood, but it was far gone. Occasionally his eyes would glance over a notch in a tree or a hole beneath a rock, now stuffed full with twigs...This had been someone's home. He paused, tongue passing slowly over his jowls. Maybe one day it could be his.

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This natural selection picked me out to be

Karpos Slayer

A dark horse running in a fantasy

Oh no, were they hunting him down?

The boy had caught the guardian's scent before he could get away so his own might be hidden. He gulped as he realized he probably shouldn't have howled his defiance back to Thorpe and that he should have kept his lack of care towards Aponi a secret. The past two days had been a complete pile of shit for him really. First he blew up on Aponi and she ran away. Then he told Mercy about it, her new boyfriend (good riddance), who proceeded to blow up on him as he was called a bastard, even though Mercy was the bastard and Karpos the prince. Then he had told Thorpe about it and he had been driven from pack lands.

He was in some kind of living hell that he couldn't get out of.

Now he had come face to face with Aponi's uncle and Karpos slowly started to back up away from the male. He didn't want to fight Chulyin because he knew he would lose and Karp was almost completely sure that it was what he had been sent out to do. Aponi's uncle probably had come to get Karpos' pelt so it could be Thorpe's son's first plaything like the threat had mentioned. He took a deep breathe and gulped as he continued to back away. Maybe if he ran fast enough than he could get away from the guardian. No, he'd probably have to try to talk his way out of it. He always screwed everything up when he talked.

Passing his tongue over yellowed teeth, he began to move about the mossy trunks, letting his chin and cheeks pass over them. He swept his scent over the tall trees, though they did not belong to him, he found that he enjoyed the illusion. The strange illusion of power, a sense of pride the came from owning something. Wolves might pass through the trees with their tails between their legs, praying that the man that marked this land might not come after them. But in a few days, his scent would fade, and who knew if he'd come back again. His lips pulled back as he marked the final tree, spraying it potently with a stream of urine. Swinging his hefty body around, he struck out at the nearest tree, scraping trails of bark from its surface with his forepaws' nails.

Yes, they would fear him. This nameless spectre that had maimed this little part of the wood. And then they would forget him as his scent disappeared with the next rain. He stood within his marked land, head held aloft, copper eyes clouded with power, mind adrift. So far from his body that when Karpos revealed himself, Chulyin let his eyes descend and a deep seated snarl bled from slightly parted jaws. Who was this intruder upon his lands? Who--He blinked, the snarl carried on though his expression had become blank and slightly confused. Karpos. He shook his head and retreated a step, cutting off the feral sound instantly, leaving nothing behind but a heavy silence.

"Karpos, I--" He looked upon the boy in slight fear that he'd been caught in whatever act he'd been committing. Why was he so far away from the Keep? For a moment, Chulyin's mind raced. "Why are you so far from home?" He sputtered out, his breath heavy.

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This natural selection picked me out to be

Karpos Slayer

A dark horse running in a fantasy

He hadn't heard.

Karpos wasn't sure how to answer Chulyin's question before having to explain what had happened with Aponi and how he had been kicked out of Hollowheart Keep. Karpos took a deep breathe as he started to speak to the uncle. "I've been driven out or abandoned at every home I've ever been in." He said sadly as he sat down. Chuylin had not been sent to kill him because he had asked a question he would not have asked if he had known. He drew a deep, ragged, and pain filled breathe as he scooted backwards slightly. "I fucked up." He said simply as he looked at the ground. There was no hiding it, and the nervousness filled him as he wondered how the man would react to this.

"Your niece... she's made sure that she'd never have to see me again. Just liked she wanted because everyone knows she regretted my birth and then bringing me to the Keep. 'Cause you know, no one loves me and the reason my family went off and abandoned me or got themselves killed because of me. 'Cause I'm a snivelling pathetic excuse for a wolf." He quoted Aponi directly as he continued off into a rant to her uncle. "She needs someone who is strong enough to protect her, help her, be her equal. Mercy. She's falling for Mercy, who nearly got both of them killed. He can't protect her. I carried her back to the pack and I'm not strong enough to protect her? I kept her alive and I get driven out because I said some harsh words to her after she went and completely destroyed me with words alone." His anger was acting up again. He needed to control himself but he couldn't.

The words Karpos led with worried the man. His ears tipped back and yet he did not approach Karpos further. What did he mean by that? The next set of words lingered on for a moment, and Chulyin's eyes narrowed almost in the fashion that an angry and suspicious father might look upon his ill-mannered son. "What did you do, Karpos?" In their previous talks Chulyin had at least tried to offer the lad some sort of support, even if their planes of thought were totally different. But something told Chulyin that there was nothing he could do this time. No words would fix what Karpos's voice laid out.

Then the words came tumbling out without mercy or hesitation. They painted a vivid picture in Chulyin's mind and his expression began to contort into some pained and frustrated. He felt sympathy for Karpos and yet..."You're a child." Chulyin snarled and snorted heavily through his nostrils. The words were not visceral, but they were harsh and scolding. "If you had half a mind, you would have left her be, Karpos, and instead you drove your superior, the single wolf you were meant to protect, from her kingdom." Tossing his head back, Chulyin turned away from the child, muscles tensed as he mulled over his thoughts.

"I suppose you're going to the River then?" The Knight asked, suddenly quiet. He didn't look back at Karpos. It seemed logical. If Chulyin wasn't mistaken, Karpos had once told him he had family there. His toes curled into the damp soil and he wondered what he truly ought to be doing right now. The scent that he had laid out all round them was heavy, all he could smell. Though Chulyin felt as though his soul hung in limbo, his physical form was grounded, tense...

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention

This natural selection picked me out to be

Karpos Slayer

A dark horse running in a fantasy

He had a different reaction than the most but it was all the same. He didn't rage and start to chase him, instead he asked what he had done and as Karpos had ranted on with everything that Aponi had said Chulyin snarled. It wasn't a threatening, it was a scolding. It irritated him when she was referred to as his superior. "She is not my superior. She is a pup who finds it necessary to be glued to Mercy's side and degrade on other wolves until they consider killing themselves." He hissed, his emotions laying out across the forest floor. Chuylin was turned away from him and Karpos almost collapsed. The pain, the rage, the sorrow, it was all too much for him to handle. He tried to draw a deep breathe.

Chuylin dropped down to a terrifyingly calm voice asking if he was going to the River then. "I'll be seeking out my Aunt Capella and Uncle Lachesis who both reside within Cut Rock River." He stated simply and quietly. He would not make the same mistake again. A sad sigh from him as he turned to leave. As all the other Keep wolves, he assumed that the uncle to Aponi would want nothing more to do with him. It would be best to leave of him to leave before he found his pelt lining the pack den for Hollowheart Keep. He held a pained look in his eyes. Even though he didn't know Chuylin that well, he felt closest to him for some reason.

"Of course she's your damn superior, boy." True, they were both children within the bounds of Hollowheart Keep, but she was a daughter of Naira and Karpos, well...He wasn't. And until the day that either of them joined the adult ranks and Karpos proved he was better than she, Aponi would be above him. It took all Chulyin had not to shake his head. "Aponi is the leader's child and if she wants to hide behind that, she sure as hell can. But someone had to be the mature one, Karpos. You didn't pick that road." His jaws clicked shut as he finished, ears twisting back in obvious displeasure.

Deep down, Chulyin was thankful that, at least, he had a plan. Hopefully the River wolves would take him in. It was clear that his niece's words had hurt the younger boy, but Chulyin could have only hoped that Karpos might have taken the high road...Aponi was a piece of work and it was known. Chulyin closed his eyes for a moment, exhaling slowly as he tried to hold himself together. "And if for a second you believe that no one cares for you, Karpos, you're dumber than I thought." With a light shake of his head, Chulyin began to tread west, and gave his head a slight toss. "I'll take you to the borders. No point in putting up a fuss." A deep set scowl had laid waste to his generally handsome features as he waited for Karpos to follow. Regardless of the fact the boy had family in the pack, Chulyin would be damned if he let him make the journey alone. The Guardian was furious, of course he was, but until Karpos crossed the borders into Cut Rock River, he was still a Keep wolf and Chulyin would keep him safe.

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention

This natural selection picked me out to be

Karpos Slayer

A dark horse running in a fantasy

He didn't believe it. He knew people cared, but it had irritated him that Aponi had said that to him. "I tried. I tried to walk away when I knew I couldn't keep my temper and she followed me knowing I would blow." He said defensively as Chuylin talked about being the mature one. "I know wolves care... I was only quoting the princess." He practically spat the word as it held no sense of honor anymore. "I'm sorry. I let my rage get the best of me." He whispered as he followed the man. He didn't need or want an escort. He was two weeks from being a yearling and he could handle himself but there was no point in fighting the guardian who seemed to still care.

Karpos became a lone wolf once more as soon as he ran from Mapplethorpe. The boy found himself always being the same. No matter what, in the end, he was a lone wolf just as he was born. He was born into nothing. His father had paved his way to be a king and Karpos would do the same. He would revive Pitch Pine Trail when he could. When he was old enough and found his own band of followers than he could trample over the Keep lands. What Aponi had started would brood and rise into a war. Karpos would make sure that they paid. He was done. He was done with being walked over by others, even if they were technically superior to him because of their parents.

He drew a deep breathe as he asked the question he'd been dying to know. "Why? Why are you being so nice? Why aren't you killing me and taking my pelt back to line Mapplethorpe's and Naira's den?" He repeated Thorpe's thread to Chuylin by asking one question that stemmed into many. Why?

Chulyin only listened as Karpos went on. It dawned on him that his words meant nothing to the dark child, who always seemed eager to be contrary. It was in his nature and Chulyin was done fighting. Once Karpos was beyond those borders, Chulyin would wash his hands of the Slayer child. He would not play a hand in his downfall. A single ear twitched at the apology that was whispered, but it was too late. He would be a bona fide adult soon and eventually apologies would mean nothing. Hopefully the River wolves would teach him something, beat some sense into him. Chulyin let his gait lengthen as Karpos followed, and continued to say nothing. He could imagine the fallout back in Ghastly Woods, and while not eager to face it, that was where his place was. Though not eager to admit his mistakes, Chulyin would face his sister and admit what had taken place. If only to just put it behind him, and hope that life might drag on, pulling him lazily behind it.

Though the Knight pushed on through Karpos's question, he came to an abrupt halt as it concluded and turned on the boy, teeth bared, eyes wild. "Is that what you want, boy?" The man snarled, no longer scolding, but absolutely furious. "I would happily oblige if that is what you so desperately want." His tail was lifted high and bristled at his back. His chest heaved with the effort of fury and saliva began to pool beneath his tongue, threatening to waterfall over his teeth. "Unless you want your pelt beneath our paws, I recommend you shut. up." Whipping around again, he plowed forward, heaving down the spittle. His hackles rose along his spine as he tried to temper his fury, his rage towards this boy who seemed to want nothing more than to be dead. It hurt. It fucking stung the older man to his core that this wolf that he had trusted, had considered family to such a great extent would be reduced to this...This privileged child, no better than the girl he now cursed. His mind screamed to do as the boy seemed to wish, but Chulyin kept his path ahead.

Lurking until the end of July - Please PM/tag me to get my attention

This natural selection picked me out to be

Karpos Slayer

A dark horse running in a fantasy

He had never seen Chuylin so angry. Karpos continued to dig his own grave and so he just walked, remaining silent although wanting to protest to say he could take himself to his true family. He had once thought the Keep his family but he couldn't even consider it anymore. He had no idea why he was still so riled up any time that he even thought of the princess. A frown as he pushed towards the south where he knew his aunt and uncle were. The pain in his heart that he would probably never get over. It had all been so stupid and that was what had really been irritating Karp. He had no home again because of a stupid argument that shouldn't have happened.

Karpos just wanted to be around his family who cared for him. To be honest, Chuylin's words had stung him more than Aponi's but he had learned to mind his tongue and anger at that point. His brown eyes held that one specific look. He looked like he was walking to his death and he was thankful that Hollowheart Keep didn't believe in allies because then he would probably have half the lore as an enemy. He already had the enemies of his father, Willow Ridge. Then he had Hollowheart Keep who now would love to see him dead after he had been their ward for a month. It angered him that he knew it was his fault. His fault for falling for Aponi. He regretted meeting her in Spectral Woods. He regretted every moment after. He hated how she got away with whatever she said to him but he spoke his mind and he got kicked out. When she became an adult she was gonna get her ass kicked since she couldn't watch her tongue.