A New Dawn

Sibyl said nothing in reply to his question and instead took the initiative to enter the cave first. He followed her into the opening, feeling the cold, icy bottom of its floor beneath his paws. There was something wrong about this place. It was like they were walking straight into the mouth of a sleeping monster that was soon to be awakened with one wrong step. The fur on his neck began to stand up on end, and he was suddenly reminded of the state of the forest upon awakening. A similar uneasiness filled his being from his head to the tip of his tail. Destin made sure to keep up with Sibyl and welcomed her presence besides him, gladly maintaining a large amount of contact between them as they ventured deeper into the cave. Its entrance had since disappeared, and so did the light that had emanated when first arriving. Straining his eyes to see anything in the darkness, he could only see the large, darker black shapes of the walls on either side of his guide and himself.

Destin could feel the tension in the air and knew that Sibyl was just as frightened by these happenings as he was. Hearing her words, he felt terribly for suggesting that they investigate if it caused her so much distress. "Of course I will," he replied, nuzzling her neck in attempt to reassure. Soon the female wolf stopped. She must have heard something that he was not aware of? As he ceased his gait, he could hear it too. It was a panting- a soft one coming from ahead of them, though close enough to hear clearly. Why would an animal be down here in the first place? Was it exploring like them or was something wrong with it? The sounds it made were alien to him and nothing he had heard before. Sniffing, a horrible stench filled his nostrils and he shook his head in an attempt to rid it from memory. This was amiss. This was terribly, terribly wrong.

The sound of claws rapidly approaching made Destin's eyes become wide. Its manic sounds were getting louder and he knew Sibyl could hear it too. The shriek that came from the female frightened him further. Instinctively, he moved to push her towards the entrance of the cave in an effort to encourage her to run for it first. He turned back around to the coming animal and an uncharacteristic snarl emerged from his jaws. Large body attempting to shield his friend, he moved to a defensive stance. Protect was the only thing he could think as he could see a dark shape coming towards them. Blindly attempting to swipe in the darkness, he felt contact and heard a loud yelp. Destin's fear then returned greater than ever and he spun around, using his head to press against Sibyl's body and steer her towards the light of day with the other animal rapidly composing itself after the first hit. "Run! was the only thing he could manage.

(This post was last modified: Jan 13, 2013, 03:42 AM by Destin.)

Sibyl felt Destin's weight push her away from the approaching creature, and her only option was to oblige. Her paws dug into the hard dirt of the cave as she practically threw herself at its entrance. Somewhere behind her she heard a snarl, a dull thud of flesh hitting flesh, and a pained yelp that she dearly hoped hadn't been Destin. Much quicker than him and unhindered by fighting off a foul beast, her face had just emerged into the blinding white shine of the snow-filled outside world as she heard his voice yelling to run. She spun around to face the cave, momentum carrying her farther away from it as her feet slid into the snow.

Her bronze eyes were wide, fear evident in the ring of white that circled them and her heart hammered in her chest. Half blinded by the sun, the cave looked like a gaping hole into nowhere and for a moment it seemed like Destin wouldn't make it. She couldn't leave without him, at the mercy of the beast inside the cave, and hoped he would emerge unscathed. As soon as she saw his bulky brown form appear in the opening, she woofed, urging him to keep moving, and fast. She wasn't going to wait for the hellhound to catch up with them.

Immediately she dashed towards the slope they had come down from, the adrenaline burning in her bones carrying her up the incline easily and back over the cliff they had recently been standing on top of. Only when she reached the top did she look back, checking to see if Destin had caught up with her at her side and if the monster had followed them. Seeing Destin more or less whole and unaccompanied by any demon, she heaved a sigh of relief. She butted her forehead into his shoulder, just glad he'd made it out alive. That did leave the question of what happened to the animal, however. She looked to Destin, worry in her eyes as she whispered, "Where'd it go?" She glanced at the cliff, before carefully peeking her head over the edge, to see if the monster was there.

At the cliff's base, besides the caves they had just escaped stumbled a creature that must have been a fox at one point. Orange, scruffy fur covered its head and shoulders, but it's hindquarters were bare and leathery, tufts of fur clinging to the skin in patches. Its head jerked and slobbery jaws snapped at the air, and Sibyl couldn't help but notice that it seemed to be looking for something... Or someone... But the poor animal didn't seem to have the wits about it to know which way the wolves had gone. Wholly shaking now, Sibyl backed away before the thing could catch sight of her or figure out where they had gone.

OOC: I'm assuming he would have followed her up the cliffs, but if I need to edit it let me know :)

(This post was last modified: Jan 13, 2013, 04:30 AM by Sibyl.)

Destin ran as fast as he could, hearing the panting of the insane animal behind him as he did so. He never had this experience before and had no idea what kind of monster was chasing after, but knew whatever it was had to be bad news. Sibyl was already long off in front of him and out of the cave but Destin fell behind due to his size and attempted attack of the animal. It seemed to take forever, but finally he reached the mouth of the cave and saw his friend waiting there for him. She told him to keep running, and he knew that they could not stop until they would absolutely safe. His legs were beginning to hurt as he scrabbled up the snowy slope behind the brown wolf ahead of him. Only when they reached the top did he take the chance to turn around and see if the animal was still following him.

Sitting down in the snow, he followed Sibyl's lead and leaned over to look down at the entrance of the cave. A familiar looking animal emerged, but it was obviously sick. Fur was falling off the thing in tufts and it was drooling far more than what was normal. It was clearly looking for the two wolves who had escaped from it only moments ago, but didn't seem to see the prints left in the snow beside it. For that Destin was thankful, though he knew that if the fox did come find them they had the time advantage.

Pulling away from the edge, he turned to look at Sibyl. His own heart still hammered in his chest from the experience and he was breathing heavily. "What's wrong with that thing? I've never seen an animal act like that before!" The male watched as the fox continued to walk straight and disappeared amongst the trees and into the forest. "We need to warn Jaysyek don't we, ma'am? If that thing is wandering in our woods?"

Sibyl frowned, not knowing how to answer Destin's question. She'd never personally seen such a vile creature before, never come across something so ill. Sibyl recalled her aunt warning her of such a violent possession that could wipe out entire forests, a demon that would shake the life from an animal along with it's sanity. Sibyl didn't know if she believed this, as the woman was frequently off her rocker and Sibyl could never quite tell her aunt's delusions from fact. Yaga's stories tended to hold a grain of truth to them, but Sibyl desperately hoped the batty old woman had been wrong for once.

"I... I think it's possesed," She murmered, watching as the scruffy fox staggered off into the forest. It was a relief that the beast hadn't noticed them and was heading in the wrong direction, but it troubled Sibyl that such a deranged animal would be wandering the forest at large. Destin was right, Jaysyek, the pups, the whole pack needed to know what was out there. She hated to think what would happen if any of the children, growing more curious and bold by the day, ran into the disturbed creature.

"Yes, I think we have to," She agreed. "It could hurt somebody." With a lingering glance at the forest the terror had wandered into, Sibyl turned away from the cliff and started walking at a hurried pace back towards the den. The frenzied escape had tired her out, and if she could muster a run she would have. She reasoned that Jaysyek would likely be in that direction, but truly Sibyl wanted to put the most distance she could between them and the fox. She tried not to think if any more monsters were hidden in those caves.

(shall we PM Jaysyek and invite her into this thread or make a new one telling her?)

Destin watched Sibyl's expression as she tried to find a source of this insane fox problem. It didn't seem like she had an immediate answer. He watched as she thought carefully, and when she responded he was slightly surprised at the answer. Possessed? By what? Demons? Then doesn't that mean that evil spirits were infesting their once-peaceful forest? All of this was of course making the male uncomfortable- especially since these events seemed to only have begun occurring once he had joined the hierarchy of Grizzly Hollow. What if he triggered this? What if it was his fault?

The large wolf did not mention his concerns to Sibyl, though. Maybe she would force him out of the pack if she agreed with him, or in the least would be afraid of him and would refuse to be his friend. The only thing he could hope for was that everything would calm down and return back to normal. But Destin had a feeling that everything had just begun and that there was a storm brewing over the territory of Grizzly Hollow.

He nodded in head in agreement to Sibyl. Of course they would need to warn the pack for it was their job and extremely important. Sibyl turned away from Destin and the cliff and began walking back to where they had come. The male followed her quickly, despite the fact that all of their adventures had tired him out.

Sibyl's eyes bounced about the tall cedar trees as she slunk through, utterly terrified in her own home. Slowly, she'd come to see the place as a sanctuary, and now it had been desecrated. Bears and bobcats were a dangerous nuisance, but whatever was going on with that fox was just so wrong. Thinking about it, she reasoned that the uncanny silence they had noticed earlier had something to do with the demon. If other animals were fleeing the forest, or hunkering down in silence and hoping for things to pass, would the pack have to, also? Sibyl had grown attached to Grizzly Hollow and the place it was rooted in, and she really hoped they wouldn't have to leave.

Every so often she would cast a worried glance over her shoulder, checking to see if they were being followed. Destin's presence did reassure her a little, even if he really was just as mousy as herself. But even given that, he did stand up to the fox when it had been coming for them, and there was something to be said for his size. She felt bad that one of Destin's first experiences in the Hollow's land was such a terrifying one. She hoped he wouldn't leave, but couldn't blame him if he did.

Once they were in proximity to the knoll of the den, she took the opportunity to finally sit down. Her legs were so tired and sore, either exaustion or fear, or both, making them wobble beneath her. She looked to Destin, nervous to call for Jaysyek but knowing it would have to be done. With a deep breath to steady her nerves, she finally tilted her head back and called for her leader with an urgent note in her voice.

Destin ran as fast as his tired legs could carry him. His fears about the forest could not be forgotten and were now even greater than ever. The birds had warned them to not go exploring, but the duo hadn't listened and it was mostly his own fault. What if Sibyl had gotten hurt because of him? The male wouldn't know what to do with himself. It was the luck of the draw that neither of them had been attacked, and perhaps next time nature would not be so forgiving.

As the two ran through the forest it was as if he felt eyes watching him. His own were filled with fear at the events that had occurred, and he focused his gaze on the back of Sibyl and kept looking forward instead of around. He was scared that if he did he would see a monster that resided in these woods. Now his thoughts turned back to his friend and he wondered what she was thinking about all of this. It had been a wild, scary turn of events and he hoped she would recover from it well. Destin did not know if he would so easily, and now he would probably stay away from his share of caves. The fox would haunt his dreams surely, along with that bear from so long ago. Nightmares were adding up and he could help wonder how much more he could take.

Shaking his head to rid himself of such morbid thoughts, his gait slowed as they arrived back at the place where their day had started. Sibyl seemed equally as tired and the male figured that after this they would need a good sleep. He followed and sat down next to Sibyl, watching her call for Jaysyek. She looked so nervous and afraid like he was! The male moved closer and bent his head down and touched her neck to show that he was there for any support. Then leaning backwards, the brown wolf said nothing as the two waited for their leader to approach.

Lurklurklurk. Sent you both a PM, check inbox. <3

          Dapplefur crept farther than intended, likened, and for the sake of her own tail. Not only did the locals have an offset feeling, but the Aniwayan wasn't necessarily feeling all that settled about this region herself. There was a dual mission for herself to fulfill, and whilst on the hunt to gather a clutch of scrub pine, hellebore, and white fir bark, the pristine white female weaved through the trunks of Cedarwood Forest like a lonely ghost. The Cedarwood was spacious, which meant concealing herself was easier said than done. Dapplefur danced from large barked tree to tree, calculating the right steps and the right bodies of objects to shield herself behind. At some moments, the fallen snow proved useful to blend right in if she pressed herself low against the icy Earth. Even her breaths were taken in light puffs, for the natural smoke of warm exhale in the cold of the air could very well give away her presence almost immediately. Actually, the very scent of her presence alone could alert the locals. Dapplefur was no fool; she knew of the consequences that would come if they caught her red pawed deep into territory. That was why beforehand, Dapplefur made certain to roll herself in the most pungent of cedarwood bark shavings and chips she could wedge off the closest tree or find molding in the forest snow. Cedarwood had a distinct woody aroma, far superior and stronger than pine and oak. It masked her natural scent well, but there was a time limit on that, and Dapplefur wanted to be in and out before it faded completely.

          Finding a rare bunch of hellebore (Dapplefur seemed to not get enough of it), the hellebore remained tightly locked into her jaws as her ears flew up at the sparkle of voices and individuals beyond her scope of trees. The Aniwayan dared not to approach too close to the underground den that was this pack's main hub of activity and rest, but found two spirited wolves exploring their own region through the vastness of the forest. Remaining as far back as possible while the two traversed along notable objects they seemed to recognize, her ears only caught several random chatter from the two. "The forest is not normally... this silent?" Was one of the remarks heard. Dapplefur didn't think nothing of the meaning at first, the rest of their conversation drowned out by distance. There was something about the two, whether happiness or the male's enthusiasm for exploration, that spread a small wistful grin on Dapplefur's muzzle as she decided to trail ever so elusively behind them. They seemed to be a happy pair, the two wolves. Unknown if they were siblings, strong pack members, mates... they each had a gist of wanderlust and overall excitement of life about them. Qualities that Dapplefur herself enjoyed to see in others. Both of them wore similar timber agouti colors to their fur, both seemed youthful and healthy. Dapplefur came from a pack predominantly of elder wolves, and there was something within her that missed the enthusiastic spirit of wolves aged as young as she was.

          Unbeknownst were they also giving the white female a mini tour of the region herself. The first location beyond the maze of trees were the bones sticking from the snow, an apparent strong smell of once living animals or frozen over buried ones. Interesting. The choice of landmarks they used to signify this area was fascinating. A hunting ground of some sorts, a storage. Once the duo moved on (Dapplefur falling slightly farther behind at the break requested from the male), they migrated toward a spectacular view. Dapplefur could have cared less for such a view (despite how still and stoic it was in winter), the two pack wolves descended down by some caves that Dapplefur followed right in their paw falls toward. This adventure was turning into an adventure for herself, as Dapplefur was finding herself quite thrilled to be exploring with these younger wolves at the base of the caves. The hellebore in her mouth refused to slip, the stems growing moist and her tongue tasting the bitter taste of herb, but it didn't bother her for her focus was too concerned on if they would have detected her following in their shadow.

          This was where Dapplefur came to a complete stop. She couldn't follow the two in the mouth of the cave, for her presence would surely be revealed. Instead, the Aniwayan wedged herself between a tree bark and unsightly boulder located next to the cave, where she could peek from her hiding from a crack in between both objects. Hesitation, at first, seemed to befall them. Cautiously, she watched as both of them were engulfed by the darkness of the cave. Briefly she casted a gaze behind her shoulder, olive drab eyes scanning the area behind her to see if there was anyone else. Nothing. Not even a song from a bird. It had been strange this place was unusually quiet, but Dapplefur jolted at the sudden reemergence of the two wolves, almost letting out a gasp as she ducked behind her two stronghold protectors of tree and boulder to conceal her better. One olive eye watched as the former spirited young wolves ran out of the cave in terror. As if attending a play and anticipating the next role, Dapplefur was at first confused at what startled them. A bear? A mountain lion? The two wolves took off up the cliffs.

          The Aniwayan's heart nearly stopped, the hellebore finally falling free from her jaws in astonishment, disgust, fear. It was something much feared than an angry mother grizzly or an irritated mountain lion. The scraggly remains of a vixen lurched out, its gaze delusional and full of fire from the two wolves disrupting its meandering in the caves, doing who knows what. Its figure was distorted, patches of orange fur missing, its behavior awry. The smell was putrid and off, a smell that Dapplefur knew similar. Slimtail. Slimtail had been the very first thing that came into mind. No. No, no, this can't be. This can't be why. Shaking her head to herself, this was the reason that brought Blackcrow to his demise. This was the reason Slimtail was following in Blackcrow's paw steps. This would be the reason to be the death of every single one of them. This was where the disease originated from, right in the heart of the goddamned forsaken pack territory, and not even the pack themselves knew. The vixen leered about, looking for the two wolves that trespassed in its diseased cave, but at the same time confused of its bearings. With the two wolves long gone up the cliffs, Dapplefur had to report back to the Aniwayans about her find. She believed she found the reason, and this reason would not bring the Aniwayans smiles and happiness.

          Picking up her hellebore, Dapplefur crept backwards from whence she came. The two wolves might have had a better vantage point from their run up the cliff to see movement of her departing. Stealthily, she kept herself low to the snowed Earth, allowing the fresh powder to blend in with her immaculate coat, and using the tall trees as her shield. Her heart pounded more profusely, her pace a little more hurried than calculating. Adrenaline welled up in her veins, but it was adrenaline of both fear and anger. A meager, pathetic sick fox brought their beloved leader down, and was threatening the wellbeing of every single canine that came in their path. The Aniwayans had to come up with a new strategy. These wolves here in the valley couldn't be trusted. Not even with their land.

          Disappearing amongst a vertex point of the woods to the outskirts of the valley, the Aniwayans would be pleased of her finding despite how it wouldn't be pleasurable news in the long run.

J a y s y e k our time is running out It was that time again when she wanted to split herself into several pieces, and tie them to each wolf. Pieces of her were nothing, and her guards, her mate, her pack would somehow get through this. Really winter, why was it the craziest time of year? When she thought the children would be more mature,less danger, and bam! Everything was happening at the same time. Pups were wandering farther, food was harder to get, it was freezing cold, and there were a lot of strange, grim happenings that did not to the mother's heart well. A sickness. Something she had barely encountered, and knew so little about. Borden and Angier had went looking for answers, she only hoped they found them not brought them home too. Her shoulders fell when Sibyl's voice broke across the rather quiet forest. Jaysyek abandoned her hunt, and began bounding across the territory to see what was wrong now. With her subordinate she could never tell how urgent a matter was until she saw it with her own eyes. Since it seemed it was coming from the heart of the hollow Jayse could only hope it was not something too dire. Arriving with tussled hair, and a questioning gaze she let her eyes fall upon Sibyl and Destin. They looked okay, but something about them was off. The energy they had around them. "What happened?" She asked, her paws twitching beneath her, her mismatched eyes locked with concern. Jaysyek did not fall into panic, no she kept her sense of authority, and her head knowing that was her job.

(This post was last modified: Jan 16, 2013, 05:50 AM by Jaysyek.)

At first Sibyl flinched at Destin's contact, but once she realized it was him and not some forest ghoul she relaxed, the tension easing slightly from her rigid shoulders. Whatever was going wrong, she at least wasn't alone. Her pack would always be there to back her up, and she would always be there for the pack. Still, Sibyl was worried about how she would explain this to Jaysyek, turning over the words in her head in preparation. Almost too soon, Jaysyek approached at a hurried pace, seeming to have caught the urgency in Sibyl's call.

"Miss Jaysyek," Sibyl began, her head ducking low as she stood to move towards the Hollow matriarch, unable to meet her sun-and-sky eyes. Sibyl's tail curled by her ankles and her wide nervous eyes swept over the pale ashen ankles of her leader, a soft noise squeaking from her throat. The plains wolf was beginning to second guess having even called the woman, wondering if she was at fault for unleashing the slobbering beast upon the forest. Maybe she'd be exiled... No, no, Jaysyek was too kind for that but the message she would have to deliver pained her. "I, we..." She gulped, her voice growing tiny as she tried to find the words that had vanished from her mind the second she opened her mouth.

"There's something wrong," She finally choked out, and with a trembling breath she continued, "It's... It's so quiet... But that's not it. We went into a cave, and a mad fox chased us out." Sibyl paused, realizing that, phrased that way, it didn't really confer the absolute terror and wrongness that loomed about the animal. "It wasn't right, Miss Jaysyek. Half of its fur was missing, and it didn't seem to have any sense about it, it smelled so ill. It wanted to kill us, ma'am..." Sibyl shuddered, the very thought of the deranged fox setting her on edge again. Sibyl turned slightly, glancing towards Destin if he had something to add before looking back to Jaysyek's snowy paws. "It's wandering around the forest now, I'm sure... Out for blood. Ma'am, the children won't be safe..."