Drooping Willows The Verge of Collapse

Dated 3/4/2015 - Xetor next then @Skoll after?

There was no doubt that Titan was taking his time with leaving Willow Ridge. Maybe it was the lingering scents of the ladies holding him to the land. Perhaps it was because he was finally comfortable there. Or maybe it was because he was secretly dreading the return trip to Whisper Caverns. The only reason he even wanted to go back to Whisper Caverns, a part from the questions he had for mother dearest, was because Titan wanted to check up on Danica to see how her wounds had healed. By now the work both he and Kassander had done on the woodlands princess should have healed nicely. Though Titan wanted to make sure of that while perhaps catching up with Danica when it came to pack gossip.

There was also Xetor to think about. Titan had helped with Xetor's treatment on the Archer's shattered leg, and he wanted to keep an eye on the male to make sure that it was healing. However, even that reason for staying in the Ridge was a small one. Titan knew that Xetor would be well cared for by his family, for they had many accomplished healers in this pack. It was no secret to everyone that Titan and the young Second did not get along well either. Especially with Tor's ruthless bullying of Titan. That was the only good thing about the shattered leg. It meant that Xetor couldn't pester the Thorben whenever he approached the medicine dens to study.

Carefully Titan avoided a patch of slick ice that had formed due to the thawing then freezing of the landscape as the spring days rolled in. The young shadowy wolf was tracking Xetor's stench because he was far from the extra medical den (Kiche's old one) where he was supposed to be resting and healing. Sure it had been almost a month and a half since Tor had first received his injury, but he was far from ready to walk. Though The dark Thorben guessed that the Archer had gone off to the cache to find food for himself since Titan (who was supposed to be getting meals for the resentful Archer) was late coming back from a scouting trip looking for food. Surely he was going to get an earful from Xetor when he found him.

Upon spotting the young black and rust wolf, Titan let out a low "woof" in a short and annoyed greeting.

"Hey now, you're supposed to be in your nest not out here..."  Titan growled low as he approached Xetor while ducking his silver tipped crown. The Archer was holding his injured leg up high away from the ground and supported himself on his other three sturdy dark limbs.

(This post was last modified: Mar 09, 2015, 08:36 PM by Titan. Edit Reason: tagged Skoll )

Xetor was not a happy wolf. His injury was slow to heal and that left the male bitter as the other wolves of the Ridge cared for him. Well... When they cared for him. He never realized just how much this pack seemed to hate him because the only one who ever sought him out to chat or bring him food was the damn Thorben youth. Morganna and his own aunts Sorya or Elettra never came by. It was just Xetor and the one wolf he couldn't stand most. Jealousy at the dark males height and size came naturally to the Archer whenever Titan came around. Snapping at the boy for no reason at all but to put him in his place was a common occurrence even while he was injured.

Today the damn Thorben had not only forgotten to bring him food, but had forgotten to change out the birch bark that wrapped around his broken leg too. Since it was just his lower leg however, Xetor could lift his injured back leg up and walk around on three legs when he needed to. He had unsuccessfully changed out the birch bark cast, only to pain himself further. So fixing his own injury up was still a problem that would require Titan's extra jaw and paws. However Tor knew that he could find himself a meal easily enough.It was just a matter of getting to a cache.

Traveling around the territory in search of a cache that still had food left in it proved to be a bit harder than Xetor had imagined. The injury itself wasn't a problem as he lifted it off the ground. It was that by laying down so long and not using his body that Tor had lost much of his stamina. It seemed that he couldn't stand for more than an hour. So when he did find a cache to his liking just inside of the border, Tor lay himself down and dug halfheartedly with his front paws. He hadn't even gotten to the food by the time Titan's low "woof" reached Tor's ears. Forcing his ears forwards immediately and whipping his head around to stare down the black yearling, Xetor bared his teeth at the young male.

"You'll never be a decent healer if you forget to care for your patients! You big oaf!" Xetor's first words weren't as harsh as he usually was to the dark yearling. Perhaps due to his tiredness from the trip out here. Though the nip he sent towards Titan's muzzle was Tor's usual greeting.

"Now get down and dig! Get me what's left out of this thing you son of a bitch." The usual harshness of Tor's attitude finally made its appearance as he tried standing up to be taller than Titan. If Titan chose to follow his orders he would sit back and survey the scene with a please smile as the Thorben would stoop low to dig and be shorter than the Archer was for a short time.

Sköll had never really liked Xetor. Since that very first instance they had met, the swarthy prince had both detested and avoided him. Cousin or not, the other Archer was a direct threat to all that Elettra's son had held dear - Willow Ridge's future, his mother's throne, a position of superiority and a proper title. Under his mother's reign, everyone was replaceable, but so long as everyone did their job, the matriarch barely batted an eyelash at them. Xetor and the other males, on the other hand, Sköll figured now would be a good time to drop by.

Renier, he soon came to realize was off-territory (presumably with his sister Morganna, and that fact alone made the contents of his stomach roil). Niccolò, the uncle he had not even met or even seen about, still lingered; but, from scent, alone, the prince knew that he was someone that was better left alone (or, rather, left to solely his Aunt Adele's companionship). He was a busy man, and Sköll assumed that should his aunt and uncle be bothered in their studies and walks around the territory, he would receive a somewhat nasty nip to the ribcage by his mother. With the other males accounted for, that meant Titan was left and it would seem that the Thorben had been very busy practicing his healer mumbo-jumbo. His musk was evident all around this particular portion of the Ridge.

The yearling wrinkled his nose as he went. News of Xetor's injury had either not gone far among its members or Sköll had chosen not to acknowledge it. He preferred the latter, ultimately forgetting. He was merely strolling across the slush and mud on Titan's trail, curious to see what his age-mate had been up to since the stand-off between Rook and his petty little girlfriends, when the disgruntled shouts nearby had ensnared his full attention.

"You'll never be a decent healer if you forget to care for your patients! You big oaf!" He recognized the voice now, scowling at the idea that he might be telling Titan - or his mother - off. The orders continued and Sköll leapt into a ground-eating run, "Now get down and dig! Get me what's left out of this thing you son of a bitch."

What he came to survey before him was the sight of a clearly angry and unwell Archer and a very concerned Thorben. Sköll added his own growl into the mix. "Perhaps the only son of a bitch here is you," he easily quipped, moving towards Titan. "Didn't your mother ever teach you to mind your manners when speaking to a prince?"

He came to stand next to his 'buddy' now, his own hackles raised and his full tail lifted in an intimidating curve. "You reek," he jeered, narrowing his eyes and scoffing as he scrutinized his cousin. "What'd you do to your leg? No wonder some of the caches have been left empty the past few weeks and I've had to fill them." He briefly looked to Titan before returning his gaze to the three-legged brute, "Does Elettra know about this?"

(This post was last modified: Mar 09, 2015, 09:00 PM by Skoll.)

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

Titan knew what was coming. So why did he place himself so close to the Archer bastard again?

The nip sent his direction had just clipped his nose opening up a small cut on the very top of his muzzle. Titan had tried to duck away but his bulk was too slow to dodge all of the attack. Dancing backwards from Xetor, Titan licked his lips as a tiny trickle of his own blood dripped down the right side of his muzzle. He wasn't sure if the cut was big enough to leave a scar, but really Titan didn't worry about it too much. It would likely heal in the next few days.

Not answering Xetor, the dark Thorben gave the rusty black wolf an annoyed glare before looking down at the earth where Tor had been scratching at. The smell of food was only barely noticeable while buried under the dirt. Wolves and other creatures would only smell it if they had their noses just over the ground where the cache was.

A good number of their caches closer to home were low or empty, so as Titan looked longingly at the dirt where food was he felt a pang of anger knowing that this food would be going to Xetor. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Titan then looked to Xetor again while the other male had an expectant look on his brow. Then another scent caught his attention. Skoll was coming, perhaps after hearing the other Archer's loud voice. Titan wondered for a moment whether Skoll and Xetor were friendly with each other, but that thought was wiped away by Skoll's greeting to Tor.

Good... Maybe now he'll stop fucking with me... His thoughts rumbled loudly while Titan watched Skoll closely. Lowering his head in submission as Skoll came to stand beside him, Titan then glared at Xetor hoping so much that the male would shut his mouth while he got him his food.

Slowly Titan began to dig at the cache while intently listening to the others. When Skoll asked about ELettra knowing about Tor he shook his head no before answering.

"I was with him when he got injured. A wolverine attacked him from behind while he was stuffing his face at a carcass in hush meadow. I brought him back to his medicinal den at Xetor's request, you know the old one near the edge of Ridge territory, and treated him further there. I'm not sure if Lady Elettra knows about him being hurt yet. I probably should have told her by now..."  Titan paused in his digging realizing that the dark lady might be mad at him for not telling her of Xetor's injuries earlier.

Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat...

Lol, Xetor smells

With Titan respectfully submitting himself to Xetor the rusted male now turned his fiery gaze towards Skoll as Elettra's son came forward. Skoll's words were just as harsh as his had been, but then again they were rather alike in many ways. Harshness was something that both males knew how to use. Not batting an eye at Skoll' words, Xetor flashed his teeth at the Archer yearling in response.

"Technically speaking we are all sons of bitches but that's besides the point." Tor growled low while catching Skoll's stare. He sent his own right back at the boy while also allowing his hackles to raise. "and if he's a prince then I'm a fish... You're not a prince unless you've stayed in your home pack." He retorted sharply before turning his scrutinizing gaze onto Titan's work. Skoll spouted something about him smelling which Tor easily ignored. Words were something he used often to hurt others when he could, but those very same words would almost never hurt him back. Glad to see Titan keeping his maw shut and working hard, Tor watched the earth being moved beneath the giant Thorben wolf. The silver tipped black furred boy was relatively close to the food in the cache when he paused to answer Skoll's next question.

"...and you were supposed to be keeping watch for predators not wandering off to do who knows what... I thought you had my back while I was eating!" Tor snapped towards Titan's face once more but only hit air. He was too far away from the dark wolf to actually reach him without lurching forward on three legs. The snap of his jaws was merely a warning for the Thorben boy to keep on digging instead of talking.

His cousin was quick with a comeback, "Technically speaking we are all sons of bitches but that's besides the point." Sköll's fur bristled along his spine with a flash of his teeth. "And if he's a prince then I'm a fish... You're not a prince unless you've stayed in your home pack." Another growl rumbled from his white-patched chest; he wanted Xetor to take it all back. Obviously, things were different here than in the faraway lands of Torbine. And, Xetor, here, was a long way from home.

The older Archer continued snapping about, bullying Titan in front of him and Sköll could not help but to stare daggers in the Thorben's direction. Even after Titan had said that Elettra did not yet know that her nephew was indisposed... Regardless of whether his dark-coated buddy was going to continue digging or not, Sköll made certain that Titan was not going to continue Xetor's bidding.

His silver eyes honed in on Titan's work, that shallow hole in the ground that stank of old fur and stale meat, then focused on his face. "Don't... You want to take orders, then you listen to me. Not him." He moved in such a way as to use the whole of his large stature to shield his age-mate from his tormentor; and, again he scrutinized the Archer, specifically eyeing the limb that had been broken. He took a step back, pressing his shoulder and side into Titan's and gently nudging him back and away from the injured brute.

The prince then stood up straight and sized the other up. For having only three strong limbs, maybe Xetor would have to be lucky to outmatch him. Hmm...

Sköll's tail gave an unimpressed wave and the bridge of his muzzle wrinkled, "Your time in Willow Ridge has just expired, cousin. The pack has no use for a crippled wolf, let alone one that doesn't know his place." He scoffed then let out a thunderous growl; no Second in the history of the Ridge had as much cheek as Xetor had and the insolence and disrespect was not going to be tolerated Elettra's son. "Leave now, or I will personally see you out."

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

His head yanks up from the earth as Skoll speaks to him. Glad to have somebody else backing him against Xetor's misuse of him, Titan happily obeyed and stopped his digging. He peers around Skoll with a lowered head to see Xetor's expression. Hell would have frozen over at the look he got back from the second. On one side of his subconscious Titan was also sneering at Xetor and wishing that he could give back the cuts that the other male had given him across the nose. That side of him wanted to push Tor to the dirt and have him slink off to the den while he got him his food. However, Titan also had his good side, the side who wanted to only help feed Xetor and then get out of there as fast as he could. Both sides wanted nothing more than to avoid the second. It wasn't until Skoll spoke again that Titan flicked an ear to his words. The fur along his spine shifts upwards at the malicious intent lacing the dark princes words. The dark Thorben quickly flattens his fur though to keep from either of the Archer's from noticing.

"I have to..."  Titan glanced to Skoll worried about the dark Archer's actions and words. He hated Xetor, that much was true, but he had to take care of him didn't he? Wasn't that what Elettra would have made him do if she had known of Tor's injuries?

Or did he have another choice here?

The side of him that was tired of being pushed around wanted to join Skoll and snarl threateningly at Xetor. The urge to do so was so strong that he did indeed lift himself up beside his pack mate and let a few fangs show past his black lips. He wasn't thinking this whole thing through. At best he was following instinct and urges to protect himself and dominate, even if he was dominating over an injured wolf. Skoll was right here, an injured wolf shouldn't be ordering healthy wolves around.

A short few seconds of clarity had Titan thinking whether chasing away an inured wolf from the pack was right or wrong, but in the end he just gave in to his hatred of the young Archer bastard.

Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat...

OOC: Please tell me if this post is okay or if you would like it changed Grey ;) Feel free to have Skoll do the deed now if you wish.

IC:

Xetor glared dangerously at @Skoll and Titan as the pair of soon to be men stood against him. Really? Titan would grow a spine now? Of all the times he could have fought back the wuss would decide to do it when he had the backing of another? Damn coward. Xetor held back a venomous reply as he weighed his options. Two on one was not fair, Tor knew this and had been used to the other wolves of Torbine bullying him like this. He would not, and could not win in this situation even if his leg was healed. Not unless he tried the element of surprise. He recognized the fact that it was Skoll who was the main problem. Titan wouldn't have reared up against him had Elettra's young prince not come into the picture. So if he put Skoll in his place with a surprise attack Titan might follow suit and submit. It was a long shot, but with Skoll impolitely asking him to leave Tor had no other choice. He would very well die outside the pack on his own. If Skoll would attack him for attempting to stay within Elettra's lands then he would have to try trickery instead.

"Patience Xetor, it's your best quality... He thought quietly while stiffly watching the pair of wolves sizing him up. Breathing a deep sigh, Tor lowered his head and averted his gaze respectfully allowing the two other wolves to be dominant here. He even went so far as to whine in apology while his ears lowered themselves to the sides of his head. Carefully so as not to unbalance himself Xetor crawled forward on his belly trying to appeal to Skoll's ego. He was acting as the submissive now, clearly knowing that he couldn't win a fight against the both of them. The dark wolf moved carefully and slowly towards Skoll's chin acting as if he were about to go licking him there like the soft weakling that he was.

"You are right prince SKoll... An injured wolf cannot be where I am now, a second... So I lower myself to you in apology... " He got closer and closer... whining sorrowfully before the dark Archer prince. Then in a quick movement Xetor stood upwards lunging for Skoll's face and muzzle. He hoped he was still fast enough to hit the arrogant bastard. Maybe scarring up his good looks would make him realize that he was not immortal...

(This post was last modified: Mar 26, 2015, 12:30 AM by Xetor.)

Likewise, for you, TABs, let me know if I can change anything!

Sköll could have cared less if Xetor had to hop, limp, hobble, or even lurch away, so long as the lesser Archer was gone from his mother's lands. Cold, silvery eyes stared the injured brute down, very much aware that Titan, at his back, was mirroring his sentiments. The anger and adrenaline between the both of them roiling about them as if they had both been surrounded by a wall of invisible thorns. For what seemed like several minutes, the three of them stared, anticipating someone to move. Whether it was Sköll who lashed out, Titan who jumped the gun and reinforced Sköll's word, or Xetor who made himself scarce or otherwise... it was all hanging in he balance.

Xetor eventually sighed and it made Elettra's son fully display his full set of clenched teeth. His patience was running dangerously thin now and if his cousin wanted to press his luck, he was going to suffer for it. It was with a keen set of eyes that Sköll observed as the Second lowered himself and so very carefully crawled forward on his belly. A ridiculing snort was given as he anticipated Xetor to lick his chin, what came instead was an apology.

The royal's ears came up and his eyes narrowed, the air between them heating up by the second despite the release of several pitiful whines. Frankly, it made Sköll absolutely seethe. A growl emitted from him once more, but almost immediately it leveled out into a sharp whine. It had felt as though it happened in slow motion - Xetor shot forward and Sköll instinctively tucked his chin to his chest, closing his eyes and blindly flailing to plant a paw into his cousin's shoulder. In doing so, the older Archer's jaws found purchase along the bridge of his muzzle instead, his eye teeth dragging and lacerating as it trailed along the right side of his face, all while Sköll winced and staggered backward onto his right forepaw. It was then when he cracked open his left eye that he recognized an opportune moment: Xetor's neck, stretched from being forced away, was open for attack.

Sköll, whose face felt as though it were on fire, countered him, much like a snake would upon being accidentally stepped on. His large frame curled to his left, his jaws wide open and his tongue arched along the bottom of his mandible. He bit down hard, tasting that metallic tang of iron in Xetor's blood. Then, with using the rest of momentum, even after his right forelimb had draped over his victim's back and shoulders, he forced the brute down to the ground, never letting up the grasp on his throat until he felt he was certain that Xetor would remain there. Broken, bleeding, and possibly beggarly...

The blood that had poured from the fatal wound had left the second-born's front covered in crimson from the underside of his muzzle to the place where a tuft of white had once been on his chest. For a while, he stared down at his cousin, a smug grin on his face, waiting ever so patiently for the bastard to bleed out and let go his last breath. And, once that moment had finally come, his tail came to level with his spine while he pressed his lips into Xetor's ear to have the last word, "...and don't you ever call my mother a bitch."

i'm a dreamer, i'm a man

i'm doing whatever i can to make the bad things go away

Titan's so gonna freak - PPing what Xetor's doing cause I really don't wanna post with him here again.

@Skoll

Titan watched what Xetor would do now that he had stood against him. Sure he had Skoll beside him to boost his confidence, but Titan had just about been at his limit anyway. Xetor had pushed his buttons way too often for him not to eventually strike back. It just so happened that he hit his limit while Skoll was around to help...or to take charge of the situation. Either way, Titan wasn't going to deal with Xetor's general meanness anymore.

He didn't exactly take Skoll's warnings to heart knowing that in the end it would be Elettra and Angier who decided whether Xetor would be chased out of the pack or not. However Titan didn't try to stop Skoll from saying just that. He wanted the other Archer to be scared for once, instead of being the one to make others fear.

He snorted in surprise as Xetor looked the both of them over then took a submissive stance. Finally the idiot realizes he's outmatched... Titan thinks while allowing his tense body to relax a small bit. He lifts his head further and brings his tail up to just under Skoll's banner in order to show his allegiance to the darker prince. His ears jut forward in a silent warning to Xetor not to make things worse for himself. Titan knew that Skoll could be harsh and he doubted that his punishments would be less than that. Titan didn't want Xetor to acquire more wounds for him to patch up.

"Good man... To bow to your prince when you know you are defeated."  He spoke up while watching Xetor inch closer to Skolls muzzle. He wrinkled his own nose at the pitiful whines that Tor gave off. "Now you ju-"  In an instant two dark pelts flashed into movement. Titan wasn't sure what had happened first, if Skoll had struck Xetor, or if Tor had gone for Skoll. His pelt bristles dnagerously as Titan jumps forward to attach his jaws to Xetor's scruff while he was on the ground to keep him from attacking further. It wasn't until Skoll stooped low to talk in Xetor's ear that Titan realized he smelled fresh blood. His eyes glance to Skoll's face noting the large cuts across his muzzle obviously given by Xetor.

But there smells as if there's far more blood coming from somewhere... Titan loosens his grip on Tor's coat before looking towards the ground. The sight of scarlet blood coating the earth caught his eye. Looking downwards while releasing Xetor fully, Titan gasped at the horrendous wound. Even with all of his medical knowledge he knew that he couldn't patch that.

Xetor's body was twitching as a snarl coated his face. The man's grayish amber eyes glared up at Skoll burning with the fires of hell. It seemed as though he were trying to say something, but all that came out of his torn throat were bubbles of air and blood. Titan looked on in horror as the Archer choked on his own blood. Only a minute and a half passed of Titan watching Xetor slowly choke and die, but it felt like an eternity. He felt ridiculously helpless, just like when he had first learned that his sister had drowned. He couldn't do anything to help.

Once Xetor's body stilled and his eyes, which were still glaring at Skoll, had glazed over in death; Titan couldn't do anything but stand there gawking. It was Skoll's movement that finally wrenched him out of his shock. Titan's eyes flicked to the Archer prince with fear and respect glowing within them. Then he glanced back down to Xetor.  "What an idjit! Why in seven hells would he try to fight with his injuries!"  Titan exclaimed before looking towards @Skoll again hoping for some kind of answer.

(This post was last modified: May 10, 2015, 07:01 PM by Titan.)

Learn from these streets, it can be bleak,
Accept no defeat, surrender retreat...