Chillin' with the Black Parade [ open ]

[.Rabid Lycan.]

As the sun reached its peak, light glared down at the valley, uncompromising and harsh in its afternoon rays. The verdant needles of pines bathed in liquid gold, all traces of winter and spring all but obliterated from the scene. And, amidst this abundant heat and flourishing backdrop of woodland foliage, new life (or, rather, re-life) stirred amongst even the most barren regions of the valley. The trees grew scarcer and the grasses grew thicker, but here and there poppies revived the landscape with colorful splotches.
And, with a playful yip, a young pup tumbled over one of the flower blossoms, his round and still-growing form made plush by the soft fuzz of his fur. Moments later, a fae collected him in her maw and carried him closer to the camp. Then, releasing Sargon, Shiver returned to her relaxed position in the shade and idly studied the youthful creature.
Nearby, Oso and Kill bickered passionately over a piece of prey. A scavenged deer carcass, it seemed. “You’ve had more than your fair share, tubby,” Kill growled, plopping herself resolutely on the ground and gnawing at the morsel.
Sargon, meanwhile, yawned under the heat of the sun, and whined softly. He was hungry.

[Sivoncé™]

Where in hell's name did that fire come from?
Red light blazed against Annelise's swollen eyelids. As she slowly roused, she began to realize that, despite the softness that surrounded her, she was also very, very wet. Slowly, she squinted and blinked against the brutal sunlight that poured into the den. For a moment, a single moment, she had the strangest feeling she was back in the den with Arroyo, Siveria, and Kar in a forest far, far away.
And then that moment passed. She knew exactly where she was.
She was far too bruised and battered to run away, let alone move around freely. However, she dragged herself forward enough to peer out the entrance of the den, moss and feathers clinging to her belly as she pulled herself forward. She swallowed hard as she looked out at the Blood Mist wolves, unsure whether to be frightened or mildly disturbed at what she saw.
They look like...a pack.

Ishtar raced after her sibling through the middle of what could have been a camp. It was well hidden, with much gorse surrounding the area. Many dens were hidden beneath the rocks, trees, and underbrush. Ishtar howled her delight as she spotted Sargon with Shiver. Leaping over to them, she tackled Shiver's flank and began to flail mercilessly at it.
"GRARR! LOOK AT ME, I'M FIERCE!"

Annelise.
She hated her with every broken, battered bone in her body, and even more as she had been forced to let her suckle her pups. Babylonia had returned far sooner than she anticipated, but her body was far from healed. If she moved too much, the wounds reopen and bled fresh blood onto the terra. She was weak in a time when she needed to be strong and take up the dormant mantle of leadership that awaited her. Instead, she sat near Shiver in the shadows, watching as her beloveds frolicked. She smiled brightly at Ishtar and Sargon.
"Mommy loves her fierce little darlings."

[.Rabid Lycan.]

Her vibrant silver-ivory pelt radiating a golden hue, Shiver’s brief instance of tranquility was disrupted by a sudden assault. Her mind forcefully jolting into the here and now, the matured Blood Mist Proeliator turned her gaze to the lively pup at her side. Smiling in amusement, Shiver gently nudged the pup with her muzzle. “Yes, Ishtar. You’re a regular Alpha.”
…I wonder if our pups would have turned out like this…
Dismissing the painful thought, she glanced towards Sargon. The male pup immediately leapt to a stand at the sight of his sibling, and joined in the romp. He pounced onto Shiver’s tail, kneading the hairs between his fangs, but all the same mindful not to harm her. He was saving that for the pack wolves, after all.
"I'm fierce, too!"
Elsewhere, Magnus emerged from the undergrowth, dragging the severed hind limb of an elk behind him. Blinking slowly at the playful children, he deposited his catch near the entrance of the camp and retreated into the shadows, studying Ishtar and Sargon carefully.

[Njack]

Ene, rabbit in mouth, and Patch burst in, one after the other. They were singed, burnt, but mostly in one piece.

Patch muttered something unintelligible and monosyllabic and wandered away, maybe to find the healer. Maybe not.

Ene skidded to a stop, glancing at the pups and the other Blood Mist members. I suppose now would be a good time to tell them about the fire, and maybe about Sanceul. Then again, a loner probably won't matter much to them, but the fire might. She jerked her head in the direction of the burning woodlands. "There was a fire in the woodlands that Patch and I got caught in," Ene explained. "Caught a rabbit, though."

Phoenicia, unnoticed, nosed at Sargon's side. As an afterthought, she growled and pounced on Sargon, trying to worry his fur. It wasn't much of a surprise attack, but it could cause a nasty fur day later on.

[Sivoncé™]

A beautiful, full smile flashed across the mother's face. She was broken, but not for her children, no, never for them. Her eyes smoldered as she watched them at play. She gave each of them tender, loving licks and laughed softly as Sargon asserted his fierceness. "Of course you are, my love," she murmured gently. "You all are. You will be fine, brilliant warriors of Blood Mist one day. You will be the most fearsome quartet this forest has ever seen before."

So many things in this new world of hers! Ishtar whirled about, eyes pouncing from wolf to wolf and attempting to take them in completely before something else demanded her attention. She nipped at Phoenicia's ear fiestily and pounced on her brother's tail before running to rub herself briefly against Babylonia's pelt and bask in the glow of Shiver's praise. Suddenly, something moved out of the corner of her eye. She whirled around to confront the newness. Confusedly, she gazed at the strange, large creature with large eyes. Blood oozed from its side, and it stared into space with glassy, glazed eyes. She turned cautiously to Shiver. "Is it dead like Mommy was? Will it come back? Is it a packwolf? It doesn't look like us, it's different."

As the herb healer listened and watched from her place peering out of the log entrance of the nursery, she felt a growing sickness rising in her gullet. Fearfully, her eyes fell to her growing belly.
Is this what my pups are going to grow up to be? Is that what they have planned for me? The perfect revenge... She felt the bile rise higher in her throat and she laid back in her nest, wishing for a miracle.

[.Rabid Lycan.]

Sargon grinned up at his mother, brushing his muzzle against her chest before stumbling off to join her sister. He followed her gaze, equally transfixed by the deceased creature that lay before them. The pup approached it, nose twitching cautiously, but he maintained a comfortable distance. For all he knew, it could leap up and attack. Maybe it’s waiting…
Shiver laughed a little, smiling patiently. “Yes, it’s dead, but not a pack wolf. And it won’t come back, either. That is called an elk, and it is our prey. Our food. When you’re older, you’ll learn to hunt them down and kill them—they’re quite tasty, and filling.”
Sargon retreated toward the older wolves, putting a small paw on his mother’s arm. “Mommy, what does a pack wolf look like?”
As Sargon made his inquiry, Shiver looked toward the arriving pair. “A fire? How close?”


Somewhere, about half a mile from the camp, Sanceul realized that she was still stupidly following the others. She then turned and ran in a different direction, like a good wolf. xP

[Njack]

Patch was long gone.

Ene shrugged. "A mile, three maybe." She scrunched her eyes shut, visualized the whole map from a bird's eye view. "Far enough... You know where the loners call 'The Woodlands'? Pretty much the biggest forest - or fuel source - around." She looked around for somewhere to drop the rabbit.

Phoenicia yipped as Ishtar nipped her ear. She turned to pounce on the ear-nipper but ended up staring into the elk's eyes as well. "Are elk just food? What else do they do? If they don't come back, where do they go when they die?" She cautiously padded up to it and nudged near its eye with her nose. It was furry. Very furry.

[Sivoncé™]

Babylonia smiled patiently, watching her pups in wonder. "Well, dearest one, they look much like we do. That's the problem with packwolves -- they're completely devious. It's their innards that make them all wrong." Suddenly, her head shot up as Ene spoke. Her eyes bore into the female and narrowed to slits. "The fire's that close? Don't you think that might become a problem if it were to spread? And seeing it is in the woodlands, I have a feeling it intends to spread itself far." Nothing, not even nature, will endanger my children.

Oblivious to her mother's testiness, Ishtar continued to play innoccently with her siblings. She crept close to the deer with Phoenicia, sniffing interestedly. At Shiver's explanation, Ishtar's eyes glowed with mischeif. "Can we try some?"

[Njack]

Ene sensed danger in Babylonia's tone, but she remarked, "If it does spread, which is still an if, yes. However, there isn't much we can do about it, other than move, but that seems to be an... unlikely course of action. The forces of nature can't be contained easily."

Hey, don't shoot the messenger... Though I guess technically I am more than that.

Phoenicia quietly continued nudging the elk, because she could.

[.Rabid Lycan.]

“Well… sure, I suppose that would be alright. You’ll be eating raw meat soon anyways, though I’d ask your mother just to make sure.” Wouldn’t want to expose the kids to meat without her permission… heh, look at me. When did I become the secondary pupsitter? Oh, well, not that I’m complaining. They’re certainly a funny little bunch. Shiver’s interest, however, turned to the attention of the fire danger. He throat tightened. “How large was it when you left?”

Sargon immediately turned about, nodding his head with a certain determination glistening in his eyes. “Well, no pack wolves are gonna fool me. I’ll see right through their disguises!” Making a few swishing and slashing noises, he bounced in a playful fantasy, eventually returning to the elk. Scrambling to sit on its head, he yelped proudly. “I’m gonna catch an elk ten times the size of this one!”

[Njack]

Ene grimaced as one question pelted her after another. It was never a good thing to be the bearer of bad news, much less the creator of bad news. But they didn't need to know that. They never needed to know that, as far as she was concerned...

"It was hard to tell," she said. "I mean, we were trying to escape it, not measure the size of it. It spread pretty fast, even up trees, but it might peter out as it goes along." Ene glanced up at the cloudless sky. "Unfortunately, there doesn't seem like there'll be rain anytime soon."

Phoenicia, deciding to be sneaky, jumped on Sargon. I mean, in a sneaky manner. Because she was being sneaky. "...Caught you!" she yipped. "You're not an elk, though."

[Sivoncé™]

(It's raining with Burn/Carolina/Phobia, we could bring the rain in here and help out poor Ene if you want ;D )

Babylonia's expression changed immediately as Ishtar and Sargon spoke. She offered them a wide, glitening mother's smile. "Of course you will, Sargon. You'll be the best hunter there ever was or ever will be. And yes, you may try it....but only a small bit, loves. I don't want you gorging yourselves right away." Don't want them to get sick if we don't have a healer who knows what she's doing...
Babylonia then returned her narrowed eyes to Ene. I don't like this...I don't like this one bit. "Well, I suppose we need a plan if it spreads this far."

Ishtar moved closer to the moose, eyes wide with excitement. Tentatively, she leaned forward and sniffed at it. It smells weird, but...I kinda like it. Woodsy, warm,...bloody....food...yum... Ravenously, she began to tear at its leg.

[Njack]

(I don't really care; much drama either way? Especially if the rain turns into acid rain.)

A plan, she says? Well, I'm good at plans. Ene glanced at the sky, where she thought she could see dark thunderclouds roiling a distance away - maybe near the pack lands. The other packs, that was. Then again, we may get lucky and might not need a plan. Funny, those clouds weren't there last time I looked.

She nodded towards the rain clouds. "Actually, it looks like rain clouds have formed, now. Might be enough to put out the fire if it reaches over here."

Phoenicia worried at her bother brother's fur, then got bored. She watched Ishtar take bites out of the elk... or moose. Whatever it was. "Is it tasty?" she woofed.

Patch wandered back into the camera's viewpoint briefly, then wandered out again, because he could.