Round Stone Crest A Sacrifice to the Gods

ooc: Backdated to 6/24

Set after this thread with Raela! :3 Urien brought mice!

 

It was no small stretch of the imagine that Urien had gotten, well, utterly lost. His paws had been tracking him this way and that, and yet his mind had been screaming. Over and over again, it was clear - Bring a sacrifice, make them see your keep; what more could he have hoped for, and yet his nose was twitching as four field mice dangled out of his mouth, often times one would slip out and he would have to stop and reorganize them completely. It was a tedium, but he knew it was supposed to be important - it was supposed to look like he was capable of things.

It was why, despite the nervous he had felt - @Raela's warm welcoming had come out. Now he thought he would be able to join into a world that would be welcomed to him, although he was not always in a state of mind to make it come to pass. Yes, he was frightened. He was utterly unsure of himself, but this was not the moment where he would find himself unable to stop the sing song in his ears. It was why he was almost impatient with his steps, but the fear was slipping out of his mouth in muffled little heavy breathing moments.

Perhaps he should have turned around and ran away screaming; as he neared the borders, the urine-scented markers were enough to keep his head spinning. He found himself unable to stop his tongue from becoming loose, and he danced fairly anxious as the anticipation seemed to be sweeping through them. Were they going to be as patient with him as Raela was? Or was he going to have to eat them alive?!

The submissive wolf likely had not a chance in the world about looking intimidating, his head hanging as he all but danced over the grounds. Anxiously, he had to take a moment to squat - the aching press one his bladder making him a bit of a spook over things, fearful about the thoughts that were coming through his mind. This was not supposed to be so difficult! And yet, he knew there was no option, he was going to have to be bold.

"All right, damned!" The wolf hissed as he spit out the unmauled, but dead mice, looking at them as they crumbled the ground. "I fear you not, so death may be a liable outcome! We walk - strong; we speak - weakly! But we shall stand! We shall..." Stomach lurched, and the wolf found himself groaning as his tail tucked and he turned back around, shifting to make another pacing circle. Fear was crowding him, but he felt like he was already late.

"Beasts!" His voice raised a notch, but his eyes seemed to stare at his features. Finally his head threw back, and he called. Repeating under his breath even though he found himself walking backward, panicking as he found himself unable to stop the features taking his face for a moment, panic. It was why he found himself unable to stop his features, and he managed nothing more than his tensity that was singing in his ears, "Oh god, oh god... I'm going to die..."

The sound was beyond frightening. It was a rushed call, filled with tension of its own. Raela's newly frazzled mind immediately reeled, bringing her to her feet post-haste. No, it could not be an attacker. She tried to calm herself. She was not ready to apply Gent's training to a real scenario again. Not yet. Still a bit sore from earlier, her speed was less hasty than usual. The agouti woman cantered down the mountainside, trying in vain to bring the stranger's scent to her nose. The wind wasn't having it. It was mere minutes before her eyes could pick out the wolf's form among the persistent greenery. At once she stopped; unwilling to reveal herself right away.  Golden eyes slipped quickly between the trees; registering a familiar brown pelt as the loner paced back and forth. Was it? Memory kicked in and she padded forward. Another glimpse told her it was indeed the peculiar wolf from the lowlands. Urien. A smile, half fueled by relief, broke over her maw and she moved faster. A curious lope brought him squarely into her sights. He looked terrified; as if a chilliad of wolves was to descend on him at any moment. A high pitched bark-whine parted her lips in greeting until she could get closer. “Hey Urien!” Her voice was unmistakably pleased. He had come after all. Looking at his horrified face only made her more glad that she'd gotten here before anyone else. Of course it was terrifying to call upon a pack alone.  The urge to again provide the rogue comfort propelled her speech as she drew nearer. “Relaaax, they're not going to hurt you. One of the leaders is my best friend.” With this she offered a quick wag of her tail. @Gent would probably be the first on the scene, knowing that @Minka might very well be preoccupied with the pups. Her eyes fell to the clod of mice at his feet. “Not a bad sacrifice either.” Rae offered him a joking grin. It was then her sensitive hearing alerted her early to the arrival of another pack mate. The woman turned from him, choosing to stand closer to the border for this meeting; between the participants and off to the side. Her amber eyes fell back to the charming oddball. “Just take it easy.” Image © Chris Smith Photography Manipulation © Jenandra

            

There is a moose carcass that has been scavenged by coyotes nearby. +15 Health

Something utterly unnatural careened through the air and assaulted the king's ears. It wreaked of fear, lacked any familiarity, and originated from the precipice of his domain, all factors which brought the man onto his paws and sent him hurtling through the forest and down the mountain's incline. As he lunged through the air, his senses remained desperately open, taking in any and all additional information that could be found. In short time, he discovered Raela's scent, and he pushed his muscles to work faster, horrifically envisioning another instance of a rogue getting the best of her despite his efforts.

In moments, he was upon the scene, pale eyes darting between the two gathered to discern as much as they could about whatever the hell was happening. Immediately he could see that Raela was not only calm herself, but speaking with the other in a friendly and comforting manner with a smile upon her face. Still, he did not assume that this meant anything of safety. He recalled the instance between the pair and Kajika, how swift Raela could be to lend out her heart to others. His pace slowed to a walk, but the gravity of his demeanor did not shift in the least. His tail curled high above his back, he approached the two with a presence that demanded attention.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked brusquely, "What was that sound?"

 

All that could have been hoped fore, well, it seemed lost in those moments. His eyes were dancing as he paced, almost cocking a leg with the way he was hobbling - maybe he should have crippled himself! But, no! How could he run if he was crippled? Such was why he was almost gasping for air at the thought, Roasted acorns! Thunderous thighs slapping together, oh woe! Woe is the cross-bred sheep! His words were stressed, the tongue hanging out of his mouth was proof that he was in a statement of what caused him to stare for too long.

When the female appeared, he let out a soft gurgling sound of reply, no words this time, but he could not deny that there was a panic. Seeing Raela, he was content to move in toward her, stretching his legs out as he side stepped, long lolling out as he wondered if he was about to have a heart attack. That would be an easier death - would they eat him? He had been faced with those who knew how to eat wolves - nasty business, that. But as it meant to be a scavenger one would otherwise wonder...

If a noble coward is to die, will the lady strike the final blow? Anxious words requested, realizing that she had shifted. Someone was coming, oh god. Someone was coming. What did he do? Was he going to be castrated? What he going t be eaten alive; ears pinned back against his head, the whites of his eyes was showing as he started to lean back, settling toward the ground with some evident stress. And when the male appeared, Urien was quick to collapse to the ground on his belly, eyes wide.

This was the man who was a devil! He was going to suck out his soul - look at those eyes, oh no! They had babies in them - babies!

Urien would have swore, but he hardly knew what he was doing, His voice was sharp and anxious as he spoke, Burnt King! Offerings from the living! Make me not a skeleton, mental tacking on of words was absolutely lost. His head bowed, and he looked over to Raela's paws, staring blankly, Bask not in my flesh! Have mercy!

Her comforting seemed to have little effect on the horrified man. He was obviously glad to see her as well, but his speech gave away that the rouge was still panicking underneath. She barely had time to cast him a disbelieving smirk before Gent's towering form appeared. He was charging them at speed, and for a moment the subordinate's muscles tensed; memories of his behavior toward Kajika flashing in her mind. Thankfully the mammoth's pace slowed as his eyes darted between them. A thud off to her right brought the girl's head around, though she instantly realized it was Urien hitting the deck. He was oozing with fear, but at least she knew her leader would appreciate the deference.  Speaking of the patriarch, his posture had already shifted to something Raela rarely saw while in his company. Instinct had the pack wolf bowing her head as his body so regally  commanded. The sharpness of his tone flattened Raela's ears. She wished he hadn't been so rough; Urien was already so worked up. A giggle lodged itself at the base of her throat. There was no doubting the sound he questioned was that of the practically weeping wolf at their feet. The whole thing was rather silly; made all the more humorous by Gent's serious reaction. Urien's squeaking plea hit the air in the very next moment. Though unorthodox as always, the loner's speech was at least coherent.  His trembling eyes made their way to her feet; intelligently keeping their distance from the leader's. Less intelligent, was his final utterance. Despite her reassurance, the fool was still convinced that he was about to be dinner. A smirk did make its way onto her muzzle this time; if only to make light of the situation. Why, she could have rolled her eyes at his unwarranted terror. It was about time she explained this too. “This is Urien; the loner I told you about.” Her voice was anything but dramatic. “To my knowledge he's ...not from around here.” Her eyes fell over the wolf's quivering form. “But he is looking for a home, so I told him to try here, and bring a gift.” It was rather impartial a far as introductions went, but the girl didn't want to weigh any pressure against her dark friend. It was ultimately his decision, and if he came to it alone, it was all the better. With one last sweeping gaze toward her superior, she added, “I figured since we were looking for members...” She allowed her voice to trail off at the end; to leave the obvious implication there. It was time for the king to levy his questions.  Image © Chris Smith Photography Manipulation © Jenandra

            

As Gent stood to observe the happenings unfolding before him, it became absolutely certain that this crimson shaded man was undeniably terrified of him. It was not deference that swept his legs out from under him, this was without question, and thus the display did nothing to quell the upset that was starting to boil within the great beast. This wolf had him absolutely baffled, and what was both so violently misunderstood and unintelligible could not be trusted. The whites of his eyes were visible as the orbs rolled around in the pathetic man's head, wildly like a shrieking hare caught between the fangs of a predator. It was evident on the king's face that this display both abhorred and confounded him.

He did not ease his stature, for instinct had too great a grip on him at this point. It was not to further instill fear into the boy, nor was there any longer a need to assert himself as the god of this realm. Instead, the hike of his tail and baring of his fangs was for himself, reassurance of his power and control in the face of certain insanity.

Pale eyes never once left the trembling worm, but Raela's voice earned the full facing attention of his ears, and they soaked up every single word that left her jaws. Yes, he remembered her speaking with him of a man who spoke elegantly, oddly, but was benign in her eyes. This had not at all prepared the blue black leviathan from meeting even an inch of Urien.

"Speak straight," he barked harshly, wanting the stranger to compose himself but unable to muster any sort of compassion. That was Raela's vocation, after all; not his. "and stop your pitiful groveling." He paused for a moment, as though that was all he had to say, but as this other man's words played over and over on loop in his head Gent found himself fixating on one word in particular; living. Hesitantly, he dared to ask, "What do you think I am?"

The pain was thick in his chest, and his pulls back ears were vaguely aware that he had to keep himself straightforward. It was a notion that could not be denied, even as his heart started hammering in his chest in a way that was not about to be denied for too many long moments. It was a thousand notions that not be hushed, and such was to a result that caused eyes to go dancing with panic. Widening his eyes, he swung his features until he was staring at Raela.

He words were so sweet, they were kindness that could not have been imagined, but there was a few moments where his features seemed to soften. Something came to pass, and he found himself unable to stop the reasoning that were making him struggle, and finally his tail seemed to untuck a little bit more. As he crept toward her, the concentration was not about to be chased away - Such pretty words, pretty promises. Awe seemed to touch his voice, and he cocked his head.

Why... Urien, for these moments, were not something that could be believed for a few seconds. The stress was not about to be singing on his tongue, but he found himself unable to organize his thoughts in a better order. Shifting lightly, he strained his legs to pull him back until he was looking into the face of the male. This time, his eyes managed to come up until it was touching only about the nose of the dark male's features, and his lower jaw seemed to leak lightly with drool. Hopeless as ever, but still so very frightened.

The question was enough to make him struggle, the tightness in his chest was not about to soften. He stared, attempting not to look back at the female for support - however thankful he was, he supposed this was a moment about him. What did he think Gent was? Angelfire blue on earth is a fallen quote; devils' wear alone. Confession was soft, and he found himself dropping his gaze; Why else would the heavens themselves peer from spitfire?

Burnt King, this wolf... Erratic, his words scrambled to keep coming, even as he tucked back into himself, Humbly begs... offerings... Lady Luminescence, Keeper of the Trials, said no sacrifices of another kin of this wolf would be begged. It was something that he still thought was a bit off center, but his head cocked toward the ground, almost listening for the little devil-bandit minions to come up and start ripping his flesh off his legs.

Urien Castell; I would merrily pledge my blood... His words were a plea, jaws opening as he reached to take his own leg in his hold, jerking it off the ground, looking between the other two wolves thoughtfully, eyes shining with hope.

Gent was clearly more worked up by the strange wolf's speech and behavior than she was. It wasn't as if this reaction was unexpected, but she was growing worried. She couldn't let him get caught up in the oddities and overlook Urien's potential. Unfortunately Urien himself wasn't making the situation any better. A command finally cracked into the tense air, flattening Raela's ears against the harshness. She wished he wouldn't have done that. A twinge of irritation erased any semblance of humor that may have been lingering on her face. Could he not see how fearful the man already was? He didn't need to posture at him any more, or to bark at him so. Then again, Gent hadn't ever been very good at knowing when to ease up, so she supposed that was left to her.  She was about to speak when Gent's question came about. Finding this curious in itself, she too turned to listen to Urien's response. He was moving toward her, terror still gripping his eyes. She couldn't bring herself to back away when he so obviously needed her for security. The woman only watched as he uttered something of promises. She had promised they would take him if he vowed to help, hadn't she. So she very well couldn't stand by while Gent's fear of the unknown murdered his chances. Finally the strange one spoke, though she could hardly call it “speaking straight.” She found herself unable to fully understand his first sentence, though the rest of his little speech came in clear. He'd brought Gent a gift in hopes of joining; she hoped he could comprehend that part, at least.  As Urien took a leg in his mouth, Raela felt some nervousness actually creep up. The expression on his face was actually the most benign and normal he's produced so far, and it helped to ease her thoughts. He wasn't really going to do that... it was just symbolic. Yes, that made sense. Still, she wanted to reassure him, and especially before Gent opened his mouth. “That won't be necessary Urien, though we appreciate it.” If she could remain calm and level-headed here, maybe the Alpha would follow suit. Her eyes left the man's form, settling near Gent's. She glanced at his raised tail and wrinkled maw. “I think he's frightened enough Gent,” she urged, her tone even and low. Didn't he realize how damn huge he already was? The subordinate still would not raise her posture until he relaxed. The last thing she needed was him blowing up at her too, but he really needed to ease up if they were to get anywhere.  She could have pleaded his case further, but she knew Gent wanted to hear from Urien more than herself. Even with that, she knew little of the man's talents; of what would make him a good addition to the pack. Her eyes remained on her leader as more speech flicked from her tongue. “I know you have a way with words Urien,”and a very strange one at that,“but I think we'd like to hear of your other talents.” It was probably the one thing that might sway the ebony mammoth before them. She only hoped her friend had seen the pile of mice he'd been offered. It was no simple gift on a loner's stomach; that much was certain.  Image © Chris Smith Photography Manipulation © Jenandra

            

Gent watched his fear-strangled struggle with unforgiving eyes. The words that managed to escape his gaping jaws were slow coming, but that only gave the king time to decipher them as they tumbled through the air and drummed against his brain. Each and every one only confirmed the leviathan's suspicions that this other man was, indeed, insane. His stare remained hard, visage unmoving until the wretched beast's words spoke of Raela, during which the pale gaze was transferred upon her. Despite the craze lacing them, it seemed every one of this wolf's words meant something, and so he had to wonder about the many names given to his best friend. Yet at the mention of sacrifice his sights were once more pulled toward Urien, narrowed with suspicions of the wolf's past misdeeds. After all, what creature would assume such things necessary?

The man then placed is own limb betwixt his jaws, threatening his very own flesh in attempt to please the monarch, to be accepted by him, despite all of his ramblings of burnt devils. All of it was erratic, and none of it made sense, which rendered the entire occasion completely unacceptable. It was only Raela's rapport with the king that kept him rooted to the spot, allowing this freak show to continue. And still he could not grasp why she thought this miserable creature would have made a good candidate to accept into the pack, to allow near the children.

He opened his mouth then, but someone else's voice began to fill the air instead of his. Once again those 'angelfire' eyes locked onto Raela's dial as he soaked in every word. She was being too kind, but his faith in her was great enough to actually heed her suggestion. Surely, there must be something of worth inside of this wolf. Even if it didn't hold a light to all of his crazed faults, he would still lay witness to this one redeeming factor just to please her. Slowly, all the while leveling Urien with a gaze nothing short of predatory, Gent lowered his haunches to the ground, taking a seat upon his forest's floor. Patiently, he awaited for Raela to give testimony to this phantasmal something, but all she did was throw the ball back into Urien's court. The kings again could not feel as though this was anything other than a tremendous waste of his time. It seemed doubtful that anything the scrap of fur had to say would be auroral to the conversation, shedding a new and favorable light unto the situation.

"Actually, Urien, what I'd like to know," Gent interjected, before the man could even try to formulate an answer to Raela's prompt, "is why you think I should let a man who allows fear to consume him so completely that it renders him useless to watch my borders and protect my children? Do you think yourself fit to scout, with such a twisted tongue and skewed perception of the world? You think me a devil, a merciless demon, so why would you serve me? How could I ever trust your intentions, your loyalty? How could I trust you not to poison the minds of my children, to try and turn my subordinates against me? What the hell could you possibly offer to negate such monumental risks?"