Swallow Swallet rummaging for answers in the pages

For @Zerxes only.
Backdated to July 12th, since I said it'd be on that date. Clear weather, noon. Taking place near the Swallet bc I have an emergency exit strategy planned if needed lol.

Ever since the 'career planning' meeting with @Veho and @Tomen so close to the Swallet, Nineva had decided that she needed to stop avoiding the area. Determined to give herself a kind of exposure therapy, she now would intentionally visit the sinkhole in hopes of eliminating the sick feeling it created in her gut. After all, who was going to respect an alpha that was afraid of swallows of all things? This bird thing had to go.

That was, of course, easier said than done however. The cacophony of their talking ebbed at her like waves on a shoreline, growing louder with every step until the echoing seemed to surround her. She'd stepped into the sea, with stones tied to her ankles. Ahead of her, more light shown past the trees as they thinned, preluding the forestless expanse the chasm had caused. She almost there, and yet she was frozen. Part of her wished dearly that she had brought Tomen along, but the girl knew that this had to be done on her own. With a deep breath, she dared another pawstep forward.

Along with the dampness of the rockwalls and the reak of birdshit, another separate stench invaded her lungs. It took a second to register, and then she saw it in her mind, that crimson-saturated grinning face, Duckweed soaked to the bone and choking, fresh blood fighting through the waterlogged fur that clung to his thin body. Her skin prickled with something that wasn't fear, a different emotion fighting past her phobia to claim dominance over her thoughts.

Nineva was livid.

Decisively, she turned on her heel, returning to the forest to hunt down the monster that was giving off such a vile smell. What had happened to Duckweed had been more than unfair. It had been a crime, and the perpetrator would be brought to justice.

Zerxes had more reason to smell now more than usual.

Late morning had landed the loner with an easy takedown kill of an inexperienced fawn that had wandered too far from its mother's side. Its gangly legs had given way to the full brunt of Z's weight while its thin neck was readily pierced by long canines. To be honest, he hadn't been all that interested in making a meal of the thing. He'd had his fill over the last few days, gorging himself on the bounty of prey in these lands that had been sparse otherwise. Perhaps it had been luck, but Z saw no reason for any loner to be doing poorly unless they themselves were inept.

However, despite the ease of his kill, another had also been stalking it. Furious with the loss of its almost-prize, a full grown carcajou had rushed Z at his kill site with the ferocity its kind were known for. Far from intimidated, the loner's jowls had pulled back in an overly pleased smile as it met the animal head on.

It was no small secret that wolverines were pungent vermin but they were worse when they were dead and strewn about in pieces.

Curiosity had Zerxes feasting instead on carcajou flesh rather than that of the downed fawn. By the time @Nineva came upon him, he was scraping his canines along the skull, playfully peeling back the layers of muscle and thin skin there in gouges. Almost with disinterest, his devilish green eyes lifted to observe her approach. Recognizing her immediately, he gave the skull nestled between his paws one last lick before lifting his muzzle to smile at her in welcome.

Lazily, his tail flopped in the gore consisting of the rest of the wolverine's body behind him. "I suppose you managed to save that useless runt, then," he commented. "Don't you get sick of being someone else's keeper?" It was a genuine question even if it was spoken with his usual devil-may-care tone. "A strong wolf like you could do so much better than the likes of him." If his meaning weren't clear enough, Zerxes' smile grew while his eyes narrowed.

Without the girl realizing it, her rigid and angry marching melted into something far more predatory, her strides powerful and determined. That righteous rage filled every cavern and crevice within her, turning both her heart and stomach to stone and emboldening her further. There was no room left for doubt or fear; not even for caution.

Her snout wrinkled as she drew near, blood, bile and musk mixing to create a potent stench that would have tickled her gag reflex if not for the emotionally hardened state she was in. As it was, as she was, ice and metal through and through, the girl found herself calmly stepping onto the scene. A slow sweep of her harsh gaze took in the mutilation before locking upon Zerxes' bloodied face. That same toothy grin began to spread over his features, and her tail levelled itself with her spine.

Apparently, the villain took this beat of silence as indication that she wished to hear his voice. @Duckweed was referred to as useless, and the claim was so far from reality that her mind discarded the taunt altogether without even a whispered thought to correct it. Duckweed wasn't this man's to judge. But he was her concern, and the lawful values that she was doctrinaire to demanded an eye-for-an-eye penance for his unearned suffering.

Don't you get sick of being someone else's keeper? he went on to ask, and the answer thrummed throughout her entire skeleton. Never. Righting wrongs, protecting others, being exactly what was needed to keep the path well lit so that no one would stray; that was her purpose in life, what she had been made for. How could she grow tired of that?

Of course, a criminal would not understand, and this one before her was more vile than she could imagine. Nineva's lip lifted in a silent snarl. He thought she was strong? She planned on proving him right.

"What you did was unjustified," she replied coldly, ignoring his attempts to take her down twisted alleyways. "You deserve to have the same done to you."

The voice seeping from her throat should have sounded foreign to her ears; she had never used it before, had never considered harming another wolf up until that day. Yet it was familiar, solid, right. This was her, and she felt utterly at peace with it. To shred this man's skin as he had done to her friend would not be cruel, it would be a balancing of the scales. Justice.

Would @Ash Hervok be proud, or would his stomach weaken to see what he had passed onto his darling daughter?

What a queen she would make some day! If she lived that long. He let the threat pass on by idly, however. He quite enjoyed seeing that flash of fire in her eyes. What else could he bring out in her? Wondering was getting him all excited in ways he hadn't been for some time.

Zerxes languidly swiped his long tongue over his lips, the action leaving his mouth open in an exaggerated fashion to show off the blood stained teeth. Maybe they would serve to remind her just who she was stepping up to. Her talk of justice was distasteful; not a quirk befitting a true queen. Then again, those deserving of such a crown were meant to be rare anyway. After all, not just anyone could rule.

Slowly, Z stood. With all the worry of a clueless pup, he stretched out his back followed shortly by his hind legs. She stood taller than him, a fact that annoyed him. Still, wouldn't she look marvelous at his side? Pinning her with his gaze, Zerxes smiled. "Justice is an ideal for fools. You, my dear, are above that. Besides! What makes you think the runt didn't deserve it? I'll have you know he had it coming." The loner bent to sniff at his carnage and plucked up a strand of bowel which trailed away from the wolverine's abdomen. With one quick tug, it was yanked free to dangle from his mouth. With all lack of manners, he swallowed it and its contents down in a few gulps.

"Do you know what you deserve done to you? I could describe it in vivid detail, if you'd like. I wonder if anyone has before." His laugh was just as harsh and vile as the scent around them. Even through the shredded wolverine's musk, Zerxes could scent his own around it. The knowledge that she would have his scent pervading her senses as well brought him enough pleasure to overlook her rather unkind behavior.

As if he'd not insinuated anything only moments before, Zerxes carried on. "You have very striking eyes. That one on the left looks like it's seen the other side of the grave. They're stories about wolves like you, you know. Destined for unhappy, unfulfilled lives all because they were born with two different eyes. You stole it from another in a last life. Really, when you think about it, you're not much different than me.

"What's your name, gravewalker?"

lolol sorry nins no fun

so lying underneath these stormy skies

Her words seemed to mean nothing to the man. They didn't surprise him, didn't anger him; but then, she hadn't really had any expectations of how he might react. Nineva was fully aware that she was working with a creature that she knew absolutely nothing about. That was why she should have been careful rather than bold. It wouldn't be much longer until she learned that lesson by tuition of her own blood.

Still, that he was very much unworried did not unnerve or intimidate her as it should. Her body was still without rigidity, as steady as a pillar while that burning gaze did not waver. The only changes across her features were relatively subtle and came about only initially as he opened his cruel mouth once more to speak his venom. No one was above justice, and the simple insult to that core value of hers caused an annoyed flick of her ear and narrowing of her eyes. He went on further to lie, because what on earth could Duckweed have possibly done to deserve being mauled?, and she took a single step forward as he turned his careless attention onto his latest victim.

What she deserved done to her, was that a threat? It sounded very much like it, but her naive ears could not know the extent of what was meant. He had shown her the only glimpse of evil she'd only witnessed; she could not know there was so much more that he, or anyone else with the muscle, could do to damage her. Another silent snarl curled her lips as that wicked laughter assaulted her ears, and she had half a mind to lunge then and there, to end his continuous attempts to turn this simple trial into some kind of megillah.

Then he brought up her eyes, and something actually interested spilled from his mouth. Her tail flicked as she considered, for a split second, what he had to say. It was ruined when he pressed the envelope, daring to compare himself to her. He wanted to deal in epithets? So be it.

"The judge," she answered, before lunging, teeth poised apart to carve his skin.

she said "I know the sun must set to rise."

Fenrir, those eyes were something. And the way they narrowed so fearlessly on him left quite an impression. She was young, for sure. Young and foolhardy enough not to have any inkling of what he'd been referring to before. It was almost disappointing not to have her tremble at his words, but then all Zerxes had to think about was how he could be the first to educate her on the matter.

Her answer, while predictable, brought forth a sigh. Children. They just weren't made like they used to be. It all started with poor parenting. Without good role models, he really couldn't expect her to know any better. Of course, his own had been just as deplorable at that. But he knew the error of the ways early on when they'd thought to snub him of his birthright.

As the young girl lunged for him, Zerxes was ready and danced just out of reach, his breath hot and rancid with musk and bowel of wolverine as it ghosted across her face. His laugh was sharp as Z snapped at the air in warning. "A judge you may be, little girl. But you're hardly an executioner. Why don't you leave that to me?"

Though his body language broadcasted that he intended to remain sedentary, Zerxes suddenly launched forward with the intention of bowling her over to give her the first clue of what a fate worse than death could mean.

so lying underneath these stormy skies

She missed. A scowl twisted her black lips as her teeth grasped nothing, and the expression deepened further as the stench of his breath bullied its way into her lungs. Repulsed as she was by their proximity, it gave her no reason to second guess her actions. A miss only meant she would need to improve with the next strike, and there were no doubts within her mind that she would meet her mark this time. Never before had the girl been over confident, but for once her faith in herself would be her downfall.

His words were meant to mock but all they did was further embolden her. That's right, she would need to be both, and her determination shouted back that she would become that now. He was answered with a growl that shook the air as she launched forth once more, barely missing a beat between her initial miss and this new attack. This would be done and over with quickly, she did not want to give him time for thought and reaction.

That he would make a move in the same instant did not surprise her, but the thrill of an extra dose of adrenaline did empty into her veins. His weight slammed into hers harder than expected and her balance was thrown, but she would not go down without latching onto a piece of him with every intention of tearing flesh.

she said "I know the sun must set to rise."

(This post was last modified: Aug 21, 2016, 09:24 PM by Nineva.)

@Nineva

She was persistent, he could give her that. Perhaps it was a trait present in all gravewalkers to be so damnably present to prove their existence on this worldly plane. This one was proving that in spades. No matter how many times he knocked her back, she seemed ever intent on coming after him. Did she not know her size? How so very breakable she was? Afterall, she was only female. And while she could do a fair bit of damage, there were so many more things he could do to her that would last even longer than a broken bone.

But there was an idea. Break a bone and she won't be so willing to come after him again, hm? Obviously drowning her little friend hadn't been enough. Oh, right! Even as she grabbed at his scruff, Zerxes twisted painfully free of her teeth and panted with the excitement that come from that shock of pain. "How is that little runt friend of yours, gravewalker? Did he make it? I'm so curious... Was his mind intact at the end of it? I hear drowning is an awful experience." With the words were spoken with sincerity. Were it not for the hungry glint in his devilish green eyes and the sneer on his lips, one could almost believe he truly felt concern for the stuttered boy he'd tossed into the river.

So intent on ripping into a piece of flesh was she that the female left her legs wide open for him. It wasn't the most natural of targets unless directly presented in a fight such as this, but Z was nothing if not unpredictable. Expending the extra energy, the masked male jerked his head down to grab hold of her extremity in an effort to chomp down for all that he was worth.

Her fangs found purchase amongst the thick, bristled fur at his nape and she scrambled to regain her footing so that she could take advantage of it. Her paws dug in and she ripped her head from side to side as she pulled hard, but he was twisting and yanking too and suddenly her jaws clicked together with nothing more but pulled hairs caught between them. She found herself disappointed that she could not taste blood. Her muzzle wrinkled as an endless, seething growl vibrated through her chest. Damn him.

Once again, he prodded and poked at her with his words. For the first time in a long time, she found herself yearning to break her vow of absolute honesty and lie to him, to tell him that <i>Duckweed didn't even remember a thing.</i> That they still fished at that creek and laughed and that Zerxes' only impact on him had been a few cuts and bruises that had already healed. But this fucker would not have her sacrificing her morals to get the better of him.

"I think him getting to piss on your grave will make it all better," she hissed instead, and that was all the pause given in her tenacity. She lunged again, this time aiming for his side where she might strike at a sickened doe; where the skin was thin. Her jaws had only just parted when his own closed, the quicker wolf dodging round to clamp her thigh between his cutting fangs.

Pain she had never known before seared through her as he pierced the skin. Without thinking, she wheeled round, snapping her jaws viciously at anything and everything she could reach to get him to let go. His grip was dragging through, leaving rivulets of blood in its wake, but she would not cry out, would not let him see a hint of moisture in her eyes.

She was going to fucking kill him.

(This post was last modified: Jan 26, 2017, 05:26 PM by Nineva.)

@Nineva's fury revealed so much. That she made no mention of the little runt's status aside from the surprising fact that he still lived told him it affected her very much. How many nightmares were plagued with his face in them, he wondered. He bet plenty. As expected, she was predictable in her anger. Poke, poke, poke at the sore wounds and she'd split them wide open herself when she attacked. The little gravewalker may not realize it now, but she would in time.

Zerxes would admit readily to baiting her. Offering such a delectable target only to have access to one of his own choosing was a fine strategy and not one often used due to the personal loss. Z hated losing anything. But in this, he didn't mind a bite if it meant he could maim. As his fangs dug deeply into muscle and sinew, her blood coating his teeth with a deliciously metallic tang, he felt her own jaws snapping at his back, his side, his flank, anywhere within reach. He deigned not to make it easier on her. Each time she tried to find purchase, he would dance his hind away, all the while allowing his jaws to slide and pull through her haunch with vicious glee. He even managed to lift a paw, digging claws into the soft skin between her thigh and abdomen to give himself better purchase on her flank.

His hot breath blasted against her open wounds, his saliva coating them, infusing her with him. He was part of her now, as much as she may rage against it. He had left his mark and she would never, ever be rid of him no matter how many healers attempted to scrub him from her. The scars would remain until she walked herself into her own grave.

Finally satisfied in the mark left behind, Zerxes' pulling and tugging turned into shoving in an attempt to knock her straight off her paws and away from him. "Now you and your runt can compare scars," he laughed, devilish eyes bright with delight despite his own bleeding wounds she'd left behind.