Nothing Much (Open)

[.Rabid Lycan.]

I should have recognized it sooner, of all wolves! I’ve been so used to searching for scents of Damien and Morgan that I didn’t even consider—
“Do you mind telling me what’s going on?”
A sort of irritated grunt passed under her breath, muffled by the flaming twig held in her grasp. Casting Ene the briefest of glances, Sanceul uttered a few sentences before retreating into her world of memories. “Bad wolf around here. Old. Must die.”
Yeah, that sums it up quite succinctly.
Then, as if on cue, the wolf in question slid into view. A new fae, rising her tired eyes to meet the newcomers’ gazes, blinking slowly as if partially blind (and she was). Her frame was aged, but her coat was singed, with smears of ash running in streaks through her fur. Her scent was faded, mingled with fire and even a touch of BloodMist—but only barely.
All in all, an ancient Hellfirian was the best estimate.
Sanceul slid to a halt, tightening her grip on the branch until it nearly snapped under the pressure of her jaws. “…well, there you have it. I thought I smelled a rat. Well, Blood, actually, but same difference.”
The old fae stirred. “…who are you two? … is that… Sanceul…?”

[Njack]

Ene was briefly under the impression that she was intruding on something very personal. Not just an impression, really.

"Well, that doesn't quite help much, but if she's really that bad, she's going to come back from Hellfire anyway." Ene eyed the old wolf, taking in the smell of soot and flame. I have a feeling Blood Mist might want me to bring this wolf back, but we'll see what Sanceul has to say about her... After all, Blood Mist isn't watching me at the moment. Why would they? I'm no one special.

...Actually, "bad wolf" and "must die" could classify me, probably with the pack wolves. Probably not the old part, though.

Ene decided not to say anything more. There wasn't a reason to, and she still really didn't know what was going on, besides killin's.

[.Rabid Lycan.]

“Oh, that doesn’t bother me.” She flashed Ene a humorless grin. “I don’t suppose you’re familiar with old BloodMist traditions? You know, before Hellfire spat up its lunch and all that. This here is Blood—a popular ally, ‘til she went a little crazy in the head.”
She paused, momentarily wondering why she was explaining everything to a wolf she had met only minutes prior, and far from trusted. Actually, she smells like fire, too. Maybe not only earthly fire—at the very least, behind the ashes, I could’ve sworn I detected some BloodMist… All the same, it was nice, being able to speak to someone. Even if she is from BloodMist, I just helped their queen have her pups. They wouldn’t touch me unless it was extremely important.
Blood, however, seemed more horrified than amused. She took a few steps forward, cautiously sniffing the air. “S-Sanceul… you’ve grown.”
“Yeah, and no thanks to you.” She tightened her grip on the torch, casting an even wider, more malicious smile at her younger companion. “You know, I think I just discovered a new use for your lovely talent: irony.”
Lunging into a sprint, she ducked and jumped, springing upward to drive the flaming stake through the chest of the old Blood Mist roamer. Blood spluttered, and coughed, and immediately began to slide to the ground. Sanceul had released the branch and jumped to the side, staring darkly down at what she had done.

[Njack]

Ene blinked slowly at the scene. "Irony, huh?" The dead rabbit slowly shook its head from side to side. What a waste of a perfectly good fire... I guess Blood Mist won't be seeing this wolf anytime soon.

"You do this often to... wolves you know?" She looked down at Blood, who was bleeding. That could be interpreted as ironic too, I guess. But you know, stab a wolf and they'll bleed.

A distance away, a large wolf-like figure sniffed at the remains of the second fire Ene had set. The stumps of his feet resounded heavily through the wooded forest. "Ene," he grunted, and stumped off towards the source of the smell.

[.Rabid Lycan.]

“Well, irony, slaughter… give or take, and all that.” Sanceul slowly circled the femme, who was gasping in anguish and clawing at the earth in front of her. Sadistic eyes roaming, Sanceul closed the gap between them, placing a paw against the base of her shoulders and slowly adding pressure. After a good minute after Ene had spoken, her voice gradually returned. “…not particularly… though I may have to make it a habit.”
She brought her fangs down against Blood’s neck, eyes glazed and hollow. To let her suffer, sure, that was partially the goal. Blood could feel the literal fire eating away at her heart and lungs, suffocating her in a combination of agony and her own body fluid. Let her suffer as I’ve suffered. It’s all her doing. All her fault. Leave her here, let her writhe. Make it worse and just leave.
Then, quite abruptly, she dug down, ripping through the vital cords and arteries until bone greeted her fangs. And she dug through that, too. Blood gave a heaving breath, scarlet spraying from her maw, nostrils, and the slashed remains of her torso—and she was dead. Her eyes dimmed, and her body sagged. Dead.
Sanceul released her, bringing herself to a crooked stand. Her chest burned, almost disgusted with her own actions. She deserved more. I should have left her. But she continued to stare, long and hard, at the new corpse spread out on the grass, the reek of scorched flesh rising from the decaying mass.
“…hurmph.”
Throughout the killing, she had forgotten to remain alert.

[Njack]

Just then, a loud, guttural growl issued nearby. Ene, caught up in watching Sanceul kill Blood, jerked back to full alert. Her natural reflexes kicked in, and she made as to run, but then stopped herself. Eh, what's another wolf, give or take?

The gleam of an eye caught her attention as Patch emerged from the wood, his legs and stumps working in conjunction to form a very odd trotting walk.

He grunted towards Ene, then turned his attention towards Sanceul, then looked back at Ene. "Who she? You no come back to camp, I go find you."

"I can deal with myself," Ene growled. "Just hunting and stuff." As if it wasn't apparent from the rabbit hanging still from her jaws.

Patch ignored her, turning his attention to the fresh corpse on the ground. "You kill pack wolf? Smell... weird." Mental cognition finally kicked in, somewhat, in Patch's brain, and he stumped up closer to Sanceul. "No. Ene, no kill wolf... you kill. Who you?"

[.Rabid Lycan.]

Oh, shit Sanceul’s ears flew up, her body rising to its full height—which, honestly, wasn’t that impressive. So stupid! A wolf sneaking up on me—or, er, us. Should’ve kept watch, kept alert… Hellfirians are immortal, sure, but I only have one life on the line.
Swiveling about, she was greeted with the sight and sounds of yet another wolf. A male this time, who appeared to have some sort of speech impediment and odd physical features. How refreshing. And, more still, his scent revealed, without a doubt, the identifying BloodMist signature. Even better.
“I’m a rogue,” she growled, backing up a step as his singular eye turned on her. “Just a personal affair, between me and the body. Now run along with your friend over there,” she nodded to Ene, “and we won’t have to make it a universal concern.”

[Njack]

If Ene could, she would have crossed her arms. But she couldn't, so she merely growled, "He's not my friend."

"What big words mean?" Patch shot a sidelong glance at Ene, but help didn't seem forthcoming. "Oh well. Body smell like smoke... Hell... Hell fire yee un or what."

Ene saw what was going to happen before it happened. "Patch, think for once. Actually, let's just go, like she said. It's a personal matter, right?" Oh man, I sound stupid.

Patch was concentrating very, very hard. "...Friend. Blood Mist say Hell fire wolf friend. You kill friend. Then I kill you." Without another monosyllabic word, he lunged fiercely at Sanceul. If the hit connected... well, he wasn't thinking that far ahead, was he?

Interestingly enough, the ground was nicely twigged. Twigs don't cushion landings that well, though.

[.Rabid Lycan.]

What the—?
Sanceul recoiled, pulling back as swiftly as she was able. The brute charged at her, quite randomly and unprovoked as far as she was concerned. She barely managed to dodge the bulk of the assault, though something managed to clip her shoulder—fangs or what have you, she had no idea—and she rolled into the uncompromising nest of spiny branches and jagged edges. Although winded, she dragged herself into a quick battle crouch, panting and switching her stare from Patch to Ene and back again.
“Hey, Ene—control the bastard! What did I do?”
I could probably outrun him. I’m still a bit hungry, but I’m generally fast and he has… stumps? She blinked. Yeah, probably run if he gives me more trouble. That is, if the girl let’s me leave.
The thoughts raced by in a fraction of a second, and Sanceul began to back up into the woods, ignoring the stinging from her shoulder.

[Njack]

Ene watched helplessly, volunteering, "I think he thinks that you think that he thinks that..." She stopped a moment to catch her breath. "He just thinks that you killed a Hellfirian, and Blood Mist says that Hellfirians are our allies. So he's going to try to, uh... kill you."

Patch growled as his enemy rolled back to her paws, and began to charge a second assault.

Control? What am I supposed to do, short of attacking him? And this is my packmate! I could be exiled, or worse! Ene narrowed her eyes as Patch began to charge. Never mind that. You're the planner, make a plan. It's now or never.

"Hey, Patch!" she hissed. "Look over here!" Ene didn't really know what she was doing, she just grabbed a handful of twigs and began rubbing. Heat gathered near her hands, gradually but surely.

Patch whipped his head around, halting his charge.

"You see the pretty fire? You see it?" Slowly, the fire began to grow, consuming more little twigs nearby. "Alright, come here..."

Patch now had his back turned to Sanceul.

Now's the time to run, all of us... Ene thought to herself. She wasn't paying due attention to the fire, which was beginning to spread from its initial position at the base of her paws.

[.Rabid Lycan.]

Sanceul stood, transfixed, as Patch shuffled about like a raging bull in a matador’s stadium. “What? Not all Hellfirians are Blood Mist supporters!” Finding herself backing into a tree, she was just about to explode into a sprint.
That is, until Patch hesitated. Following his gaze, the gypsy’s eyes widened. “Hey, lady—I don’t think this is the best place to be doing that!” Though she was thankful for the momentary distraction, Sanceul’s hackles spiked higher and higher. Following the shower of sparks, she suddenly realized that the entire area was a bed of dead foliage.
This is why I got out of bed this morning?
Creeping toward Patch’s back, panic began to rise in her throat. The fire began to spread at Ene’s paws, and was spreading fast. It’s becoming its own animal, now.
“Hey, Ene! GET MOVING!”

[Njack]

Two words, that was all. "GET MOVING!" Ene startled at the yell from Sanceul, then looked down.

Crap.

The fire leaped up, tickling and singing her stomach. Almost a hissing sound raged forth from the fire, as it leapt and slid along the forest floor, feeding itself with dead leaves and twigs.

Patch was still eyeing the quickly growing fire with curiosity when Ene leaped over his head, fleeing the fire. "You too!" she yelled at Sanceul, then fled the scene of the crime as fast as her legs could carry her.

I'm going to get booked for arson, I just know it...

[.Rabid Lycan.]

The flames grew noticeably brighter, the hungering creature reaching for more and more air, hissing with every breath. So much food, so little time.
Nearly about to follow Ene in a dead sprint, Sanceul had to stop herself. She had gotten no more than a few yards before glancing back at the deformed brute, which remained absolutely in awe of the augmenting inferno. …oi.
Against her better judgment, she raced back to retrieve him. Guy probably doesn’t even know that fire can burn him. Leaping in front of him, the ivory fae gave the brute a quick shove. A few embers and a tongue of fire sizzled at her feet, and she hissed in pain. Serves ya right. “Move it, idiot!” Then, without any further delays, she stumbled into a run, the fierce stinging on her leg encouraging her flight.

[Njack]

What was I saying before? That fire doesn't burn that long?... Oh boy. Ene continued running outta there. Hopefully the others made it out alright.

Patch growled at the rough shove he received. He almost turned around to smack the wolf a good one, but then he noticed the heat roasting his face and front legs. He may have not been the brightest wolf that ever lived, but pain gets through almost as well as shoving. Calling on almost ridiculous stores of energy for such a large brute, he hightailed it out of there. At least as fast as two legs and two stumps can take you.

The fire seemed to grin in pleasure, then began to climb up trees, gobbling up bits of bark as it went.

[.Rabid Lycan.]

For a moment there, Sanceul wondered if the brute was going to reach out and toss her back into the flames. Luckily, he either didn’t consider the option, or wasn’t given the opportunity. Her legs extended and flexed in a blur of motion, her pale pelage dotted with fresh sprinkles of crimson to compliment her naturally maroon paws. A sort of half-scowl, half-smirk appeared on her muzzle.
I wonder if this is what Hellfire is like?
“Hey, Ene!” she called, yelling now. A new smell crept to her nostrils—charred flesh became charred wood and flesh. “How long will it take for this one to burn out?”