In {My} <Place> (The Death Of Liviana)

[Sivoncé™]

The thorns and brambles tore through their fur, leaving droplets of scarlett on the frozen turf. Blood roared, raucous in her ears, and her heart beat in and out of time...

THUMP....thump-thump-thump.....THUMP...thump-thump-thump...

But deeper and louder and even more threatening than her own, choking, intoxicating fear, was the reality of it all. Visions of her bloodied, dying children flashed behind her eyes, still damp from the rivers of tears. They'd begged her...begged her to save them....

--------------------

Lucille yawned and stretched, groaning with the delicate delight of the sun tickling her pelt. The young fae was growing, and fast! Her eyes flickered with excitment and the golden orb rose above the horizon, her heart soaring with the feel of the new day. She loved the morning; the birds sang their melodies to the world as she was awakened from her slumber. The sky would light with a blaze of color, setting aflame the fires on which the daytime would run. Energy surged through her paws, and she flexed them. Anticipation ran down her spine, lavishing in the idea of hunting with Liv and Signus.
There was simply no other time like morning.

Signus blinked away sleep from his light, grey-blue eyes. Standing, he shook a few stray strands of moss from his pelt and padded to the front of the cozy cavern. Lucille was silhouetted against the cave wall, the rising sun illuminating her fur and making her look almost bloody. Her crimson pelt looked much like Gran's did, according to his mother. His thoughts lingered on this. Was it Lucinda that greeted Lucille each day? He'd never really understood why she was so entranced with the time that was morning. Was it that his grandmother's spirit still lingered from her hunt the previous night? He offered his sister a caring smile and sat down outside beside her. Despite the chill in the air, he found himself enjoying the birdsong and quiet.

And she was like Lucinda, emblazoned with crimson fire...

Lucille sighed with content. A hunt would definitly be perfect this morning. Annanti was more of a night huntress, but with a little poking and prodding she would manage to roll out of the den. Liv didn't really have a time;; she woke when her pups woke. Lucille supposed that was how it went for mothers. And what about Signus? What was his time? She didn't know why, but it felt important. To have a place to go when you're lost. To have a time just to take a step back and look at the world. "Signus, I --"

The crows flew up into the reddening sky, inky black against the fire. They scarred it's beauty, wrecked havoc on the scene, her scene, of peace, of hope, of happiness.
Signus frowned at her. Her eyes flcikered around, frantic, betrayed. Who had done it? Who had broken it?
"Lucille are you--?"
"KIIILLLLLL!"
She barely had time to whip around and sight the hellish demon that was her brother before he was on her. His claws embedded themselves in her face, straight razors cutting into her eyes. And almost instantly she was blind. The last shards of her broken harmony were eternally ripped away from her.

Signus hadn't see it coming. His heart stopped, his breath cut short and his paws turned to lead beneath him.

And she looked just like Lucinda, as the blood coursed down her spine....

And she looked just like Lucinda, as her blood, her kin, her own brother, ripped through her chest like one would tear apart prey.

He took a step back, eyes fixed on the two holes, oozing blood, where her eyes used to be. Why did he know these things? Why couldn't he run?

Becuase I'm next.

And then the beast pulled the red, dying formation from her internals. He bent over it, a sinister, devil smile creeping over his maw and his teeth ripped into her heart.

That was when lightning struck.
Liviana and Annanti were out of the den, Signus realized he'd regained movement in his legs once more, doubled back, and ran. But for Signus, realization came far too late. The maddened creature leaped, blocking Signus' way and sending him stumbling towards the cliffledge. His eyes glistened with bloodlust and insane glee. "I never understood what was so entrancing about it either, brother. Morning is what it is;; a reflection in the sky of the blood that is this world."
Signus closed his eyes, and felt the air blowing cold beneath him as he fell to his death, that awaited him with open arms.

"Annanti, partir d'ici! Rapidement!" Liviani screeched, taking a hold of her daughter and flying into the forest. Her heart twisted with anguish as she was forced to leave behind her dearest children. They had fallen prey to the wraith that was Paris. The shade that he had been born to become. She didn't know why, but she felt no sorrow for Paris. Only the intense, almost overpwoering desire of revenge.

-------------------

The thick, dense brush finally opened into coarse, thick grass. By the fould stench of death that tainted the air, this was Bitterwind Valley.
Or perhaps the stench was only her own fate, following her pawsteps.

[.Rabid Lycan.]

(Christ-- you do have muse :

Silent footfalls carrying him forward one meager step at a time, the scarlet wraith shifted his weight from side to side, inch by inch, in compelete and utter silence. Even as he loped at quite a swift pace, his performance was hindered by a limp in his gait. His hind leg was shorter than the rest, the foot severed. But it was a small price to pay for being rid of rabies...
But then again, there was always the rabid scent in the air. The intoxicating desire that fed on the wolves with nothing left to lose-- wolves like Diablo. And that desire was always just out of his grasp... and just like rabies, it drove him mad.
Diablo was mad.
And-- catching the sharp tang of blood on the breeze-- he quickly realized that he was not the only lupine creature in the forest to succumb to insanity.

[Sivoncé™]

Liv whirled about, wolf-scent meeting her nostrils. She kept Annnati behind her at all times, and her daughter had to turn with her as her mother circled and looked about.

His bloodied, gray and white figure loped down from the other side of the forest, malicious, glowing amber eyes never leaving Liv's. Her heart raced faster, and implosion suddenly seemed quite likely. Loucifer licked his lips and grinned at her, now feet away. "I can hear your heartbeat...a little too fast for someone as brave as yourself. You faced Verlust on the cliffs of Endless Winter, and yet, you cannot face me on the Xaviren Heights? Tsk, tsk...." He circled the pair, gaze shifting to Annanti.

"Ah, Annanti. The Ignorance...I thought you'd be the first to go, but alas, it was the Dreamer and the Weakling...." Annanti let out a low snarl, venom in her gaze.

"And it will be the Devil who falls next!" She spat.
Anger flashed in Paris' eyes and he took a step forward. Annanti held her ground, but Liv shoved her way between them.
"Enough! Kill me where I stand if you will, but YOU WILL NOT harm Annanti!" Liv had resigned to the fact that she would die today, that when she'd tucked her children into the nest last night, it had been the last time Annanti had asked her to tell the story, and it had been the last time they'd all listened, ears perked and eyes aglow....

---------------------

Annanti gazed up at her expectantly, eyes glistening with endless curiosity. "Mom...?"

Liv smiled knowningly at Annati, then rolled her eyes and nodded slightly. "Alright, then. I suppose we could start where we left off --"

"But Mooom! You promised!" Annanti protested, Signus and Lucille bobbing their heads with agreement.

Liv sighed, unsure if it was time for them to know. Regardless, she would tell them the tale. Whether they would understand the depth of it was another thing alltogether...
"The bloodline started when Sky and Wind had Valencia and Rhain. Unlike popular belief, Valencia did not die at birth. The details of her life would be another story completely, and she had no children, so we'll follow the bloodline and journey elsewhere," Liv woofed softly. The eyes of her children where glues to her, hanging on her every word. "Rhain had a short-lived romance with a rouge named Regulus. Regulus wanted her to leave her pack and join his gang of rouges, which in reality was Blood Mist. Rhain declined, and the two didn't speak untill her birthing. It happened out in the woods, and she couldn't stop him when he came. He took Lucinda from her almost immediately after birth. She was nursed by a Blood Mist queen, Redfang, who was nursing a wolf named Lily at that time. Lucinda grew up as an orphan; Regulus never claimed nor mentored her. Why, I am not certain. Redfang was beta and mate of the leader, Bloodsbane. She was more concerned about other things than caring for an orphan. Lucinda was a silent pup, and rarely showed emotion except in distaste. Such displays occurred at events such as neophyte and warrior ceremonies. When her own neophyting came, she refused to go through with the ceremony. At first, this enraged Bloodsbane. He had a wolf, Regulus, in fact, slap her around a bit. After quite a harsh beating, the healer, Diablo stepped forward, and stated he would take her as his neophyte. She accepted, and that was that."
"So wait....why would Lucinda fall in love with a creepy old healer?" Lucille frowned.
"She's not done yet!" Signus reminded her.
"Diablo was actually quite young. He'd only been a full healer for about thirteen moons, and the old healer had passed away. Lucinda and he were not close at first; it was just a basic mentor/neophyte realationship. But then, it evolved into something more. In many cases, Lucinda faced death and Diablo felt driven to save her. Lucinda confessed her feelings long before Diablo did, but when he did, there was no questioning if he meant it or not. They ran from Blood Mist after Lucinda had visions of Diablo being forced to kill either her or their pups. The two lived happily as loners for a very long time, raising their two daughters, Fade and myself. However, as the forest was thrown into turmoil once more, Lucinda's dark vision became a reality..." Liv paused, forcing her voice to stay steady. "Our family was ambushed by the mirror lake. The Blood Mist wolves held Lucinda and myself hostage and forced Diablo to choose. He was speechless, and Lucinda....my mother....was murdered. I almost fell to the same fate, had it not been for the lake. My attacker was a neophyte, and we were on an overhang...we fell into the water and I wriggled free. My father ordered us to stay in Silver Mist, now the Siverian Pack, because we would be safe. He wanted revenge, and so he left us." The bitterness in her voice was beyond apparent.
Annanti's eyes were wide. "But...he didn't ever come back?"
"No....no, he didn't."

--------------------

The black-thorns rakes across her stomach, and he threw her hard into the snow. The breath was knocked clear out of her lungs, but she managed to stuggle to her paws. Too late -- he rammed her again, delivering harsh blows to her head. Her vision was blurred, and blood trickled in a violent stream down her throat. She stood there, not defending herself, eyes fixed on her daughter, begging her to run. Annanti kept delivering blows of her own, but Paris shoves her into the snow as if she were some bothersome pup. Her daughter laid there, helpless, wailing her grief to the heavens above.

[.Rabid Lycan.]

The cry, the blood, the scent... all sharpened his senses, dragging him back to reality. The cold reality of death. Diablo found himself running (dragging his lame leg behind him) until he reached the top of a sloping hill. Looking down, through the eerie, coarse foliage of the valley...
He wish he hadn't.
The old healer's limbs locked, frost settling on his stone heart. A chill worked its way up its spine, slowly dragging its icy claws between every crack and bend in his back until it drove into the back of his vulnerable skull. The chill stabbed at his mind, and suddenly he realized that the cry and the blood and the scent was all very, very familiar indeed... because it was his own. It was his grandchildren's. It was his daughter's, and-- most of all-- it was his mate.
Liv was dying out there, far away but still visible to Diablo's wounded eyes.
"LIVIANA!" he howled, anguish sharp in his desperate cry. Not again... not again...

[Sivoncé™]

Stop and stare....

I think I'm moving but I go nowhere....

The blows kept coming, and Liv only layed their, bleeding in the snow. Her gaze slowly shifted to the figure on the hill. Her father? Could it really, truly, be? "Dad....take Annanti and get the hell out of here. TAKE HER!" She managed to bark back. Her vision grew blurred, the darkness was closing in swiftly...

Stop and stare...

you start to wonder why you're here not there...

and you'd give anything to get what's fair...

but fair ain't what you really need....

And in this cold world of blood and hate, one less heartbeat carried on the rhythm of the wolves.

[.Rabid Lycan.]

(aww... you make me sad )

Diablo dashed forward, crashing through the underbrush until he arrived at his daughter's side. But by then it was too late...
"Oh god..." There were tears just beneath the lids of his eyes. "...I'm so sorry, Liv..."
He glanced up, about to take down whoever did this-- but then he recalled Liv's words. He wouldn't dare break them. So, instead of following his cold intuition, the vengeful killer swiveled about and snapped Annanti up by the scruff of the neck... and ran like a demon from the depths of Hellfire.

[Sivoncé™]

( that was the point XD )

Annanti allowed herself to be snatched away by unknown paws. But as her mother's bloody form whipped out of sight, Annanti took one last, long look at Paris. All her hate, all her pain, all of the tragedy was painted in her eyes, silvery-grey and dulled with emotion. "I'll kill you, Paris. You know I will. I'll hunt you down, and I'll kill you." She whispered, knowing her vow would be carried to him on a whisper of the wind.
And she meant it. To the very essence of her being, she meant it.

[.Rabid Lycan.]

(XD Is this payback for my sad Sarroyo vid? Lol!)

Emotions whipped through Diablo's mind like a ravenous hurricane, shredding everything that made up the remainder of his being. It had happened again. He had failed again. And he was dying inside... for perhaps the final time.
He was dying.
Yet he found himself using all his strength to tenderly cradle this pup in jaws, trying hard to keep himself from biting down too forcefully into her flesh. And trying so hard to keep himself from casting her aside-- like he had done with Liv and Fade-- and seek revenge.
Tried so damn hard...

[Sivoncé™]

(Wolfie, if you think this is revenge....
You haven't seen anything yet. Soon...maybe in a month, maybe a bit longer, I'll make you all ultra-depressed...how? Not telling! *zips lips* XP )

Annanti had fallen into unconsiousness at this point. Her chest rose and fell, but it took great effort. It took a lot just to stay here...to not run to her mother's side and cry until Liv told her it was all better.
She'd been born into the world with a mother and three siblings.
She'd gone to sleep last night with a mother and two siblings.
She'd woken up this morning with a mother.
She'd gone to sleep this night with no one.

[.Rabid Lycan.]

(just great-- I'll be spending the rest of the week wondering "who could she kill...? *fast breathing*" :

And it was when they were running alongside the river under the shade of the shadowed trees that Diablo finally slowed his pace. Nearly tripping over his injured leg, the self-made assassin gently rested Annanti between his paws, and curled his form around her. He stared forward into space as the water rushed past, a glaze over his already opaque orbs. He wouldn't sleep for many nights...

Only God could save you if you knew your way to the light...

They're coming to take you away.

[Sivoncé™]

Annanti didn't sleep long, her eyes blinked open, no longer watering. She'd cried her eyes out already, but was sure that there would be more later. Turning, the adolescent was suprised to see Diablo. "Who...?"

[.Rabid Lycan.]

Diablo's pupils shifted in Annanti's direction, tears slipping from his orbs. "Hush..." he whispered, voice cracking slightly. He gently licked Annanti's forehead. "I'm--" He paused, withdrawing for a moment. "...I knew your mother."

[Sivoncé™]

Annanti studied him, an old memory poking through. "You're the wolf who i saw on the ledge that one day...the one that slapped her...." Annanti's eyes narrowed dangerously. "She callled you Diablo and.....and you're her father!"

[.Rabid Lycan.]

Diablo gritted his fangs.
"...once, yes. I was her father... now I'm nothing but an unpleasant memory-- another bastard to be left to die out here." He diverted his gaze. "...I would deserve it..."

[Sivoncé™]

"Oh, stop wallowing in self pity and get a move on!" Annanti snapped, eyes sparking with sorrow. "I...I want to go back there. I need to....I need to bury her," she managed to croak.