Blackfeather Woods i won't become the thing i hate

For @Grimnir and @Damien (but we can skip damien the first few rounds possibly til they reach the tree)! I hope we can move this along as fast as possible :-)

also i imagine this song is very appropriate for Damien. ;)

The plan had been hashed out: Cicero would go and find Grimnir, and Damien would find someplace to stash Baldur, where he would be safe and they could retrieve him when the deed was done. While Cicero did not remember tricking anyone like this before, he felt eerily calm. His heart rate was normal, his expression that of a ghost, as though he did not care what happened or did not happen -- the smiles of his childhood seemingly far behind him -- as he made his way through Blackfeather Woods. He had not yet spoken to anyone else since the storms, but he and Damien had had good reason to be holed up elsewhere, what with the pounding rains and howling storms. They had kept Baldur safe.

Up until now; or so Cicero would make Grimnir believe. Cicero considered the option of getting hurt physically, and he expected Grimnir to at least threaten him in many ways, but he did not care. If Grimnir wanted to see his child in one piece, he had no choice but to listen to Damien and Cicero.

Cicero woofed to announce his presence when he reached Grimnir and Lusa's den. "Grimnir!" he called, searching for the pack mate he knew very little about -- other than that he had very violent and dominating issues. "Grimnir needs to come now. Baldur is in danger." Cicero's mismatched eyes held a sense of urgency and care -- as though Baldur's life truly depended on how fast Grimnir would act. Cicero just dug into what he felt when he looked at the tiny pup's face, and imagined that he was truly in danger.

Grim was behind Cicero when the male came to his den. He had been returning to Lusa to tell her that he had yet to find any clues as to where their pups may be. Golden eyes narrow as he listens to the male call out that Baldur was in danger. He growled low, demanding that Cicero show him, "Take me to him. NOW!" How had this whelp of Meldresi's manage to find his pup first? Grim had looked high and low without so much as a scent to indicate where Damien had taken Baldur. Not that it was too much of a surprise. The heavy amounts of rain had smothered any scent trail and covered any tracks he may have left. Grim wanted to rip the throat from Damien's little neck for not returning with his pup and now placing him in danger.

It was a surprise to find Grimnir coming in from behind. Cicero was glad that Lusa had not been here to await him, for it might have made their mission much more difficult. Cicero had expected that an explanation would be necessary, but nothing of the likes was required from him. He enjoyed Grimnir's raw emotion, the anger that he showed.

Upon the demand made by Grimnir, Cicero nodded and he turned around in order to lead Grimnir towards the pup. Cicero would not offer explanation unless Grimnir asked for it as they ran through the dark woods, occasionally jumping over watery brooks and puddles that divided the land where before it had been solid. The aftermath of the storm was very visible. Cicero took Grimnir south, to the beautiful, light clearing and its dangerous spores -- to the place where Baldur was being kept (or so Cicero needed Grimnir to believe).

Couldn't resist joining already! You guys can skip me if I'm too slow until we get to the part where Damien actually interacts with Grimnir or Cicero

The day to get the ball rolling had come. Every little piece of the plan had been carefully schemed and revised, and both Damien and Cicero were confident on their cunning skills. This plan would be successful, and they would finally get revenge of the bastard that had dared touched their family.

Damien didn't really know if Cicero thought like him. That Grimnir was guilty and had to pay for his crimes, but being himself Damien just assumed that they were both on the same page. He never really asked. He'd seen the same darkness in Cicero that he knew resided within himself, and he felt they were equals. He knew they were equals.

For now, after making sure Baldur was carefully placed in a hollow tree, and his exit blocked, the dark boy awaited for Cicero’s signal, making sure not to step too close to the venomous spores of the weeping willow.

Grim followed close behind Cicero as the young male led him through Blackfeather. He had thought this would happen. That Damien would place his pup in harms way. On one paw, Grim didn't blame the young wolf who was probably out for revenge. But on the other paw, if any harm came of his pup Grim would not hold back. How could he? Burke had said that he would take care of situations like this, but Grim was still struggling to control the darkness in himself.  He could not be calm if his favorite pup was harmed. No one could blame him for losing his self control. But he knew that if he did something to Damien, then that would be the end for him in Blackfeather. Snarling at the thought, Grim decided he would risk that. Defending his pup would be worth it. Though if he was banished, he would be taking Baldur with him whether Lusa joined him or not.

Cicero lead Grimnir through the dark forest, with neither of them speaking. It was good that they did not, for Cicero preferred to stay silent. If he was asked too many questions, there was always the chance that he might have a slip of the tongue at some point; it was better to stay silent and run. Besides, Grimnir understood the urgency of his pup's life, and that it was better for him to spend his energy on running rather than waste breaths and therefore time on idle talk that would bring them no closer to Baldur.

Once they reached the edge of the clearing, Cicero halted. "Baldur was put in this tree," said Cicero. He looked guiltily to the ground, his sides pumping from the exertion of running back and forth, as he admitted: "Cicero is scared of Damien when he is like this, so Grimnir should go first." It did not matter that he lied, or what he said about Damien. Grimnir would already think that Damien had done this, and it was necessary for their plan for Grimnir to go first.

The clearing itself was patched with light spots where light broke through the forest's dark foliage, and in the middle of the clearing stood a large willow tree; the tree that brought forth the spores that would seduce Grimnir into a state in which he would no longer be able to attack (well, successfully) and in which he would either pass out if he took too many, or become very unstable and challenged in his balance, and perhaps would start to hallucinate, if he inhaled only some.

Cicero waited at the edge of the clearing, waiting to see until how far it would come before Grimnir would realise that this was all a ruse.

From the distance, and in complete silence, the dark youth watched as his brother brought the prey to the clearing. Damien had made sure that their bait, the bastard's son, would not be a problem for them, and had secured him far enough to not even be heard. As soon as they had Grimnir somewhere he could be interrogated, he would reurn the boy to his mother. Baldur had no fault on Potema's case, and it was the fair thing to do to just return him safely to his loving mother.

Eager to attack, Damien's muscles tensed, ready to strike in case things went south. But he stayed put, knowing that Cicero's plan was infallible. It did not matter to Damien if Cicero spoke ill of him. He did not think of it like that. The dark boy knew that anything Cicero said was carefully thought to to manipulate their target into walking into their trap.

I will make several replies today if you two don't mind as well. I know I've been keeping you up with your own stories so I would like to get this done today.

Cicero stopped, informing Grim that Baldur was placed in a tree. The younger wolf then mentioned that he was afraid of Damien when he was like this. Like what? Why did Damien put his pup in a tree? Was he really the reason his pup was in danger? Grim had little doubt about that. Baring his teeth, Grim stalked forward with the hair standing up on the back of his neck. "Damien!" He snarled. Where was the idiot whelp? 

As he came to the tree, something began to feel odd. His vision began to shift. Grim shook his large head to clear the sensation, but the motion only caused him to stumble. Everything swayed around him, Grim spread his legs wide to steady his balance and keep himself standing. Closing his eyes, the sensation did not stop.

There was a falling feeling, and then something hard knocked the breath out of him. He opened his eyes to see that he had fallen. Grim gazed around, looking for Baldur, but he could not see his pup anywhere. Had this been a trap? Damien and Cicero were also no where to be found. Grim snarled angrily before passing out. They would pay.

Cicero waited for Grimnir to step forward into the clearing. His muscles were tense and he kept an eye out on Grimnir as he dashed forward. Soon he would find out that Baldur was not actually in the tree -- well, not this tree anyway, as it would be far too dangerous for his intestinal system -- but by then, it would be too late. Cicero hoped the effect would be the same as it was on him that time he had come here. At least he was all the way to the tree; that helped. Soon Grimnir's legs were beginning to give in, and a smile spread across Cicero's face.

Duotoned eyes sought for Damien in the shades, and he flicked his tail when he found his dark brother. When Grimnir fell to the ground, Cicero took a deep breath and trotted out onto the clearing with long, fast strides. He assumed that Damien would be by his side soon so that they could pull Grimnir out and away together. They could not avoid ingesting some of the spores, but Cicero would hold his breath as long as he could, and he knew a small dose would not leave them too weak to drag Grimnir if they moved quick.

fine with me -- though i'm in gmt+1 so i may not be able to be there in your evening as it'll be night for me... it would be nice if we can get this concluded asap though.

Okay, let's spree this out, although you're probably not even online... I can spree anytime this week at work (which isn't that much of a job) so just let me know when you guys can.

Damien licked his lips as Grimnir walked into the clearing. He had never experienced the effects of the tree himself, but from what Cicero had said it seemed pretty nasty. And that was for a good reason. Almost three steps into the clearing and Grimnir already looked off. And soon he crumbled to the ground.

The dark teen revealed himself from the shadows, and promptly ran to help his brother pick Grimnir up. "Well done, Cero," said Damien with a broad smile, tainted with malice. The plan was now to get as much distance from the tree as possible quickly, and then they would take Grimnir to the best place Damien could think of to interrogate the bastard.

Grimnir was heavy. Huge, actually, but with Cicero's help moving him away from the clearing wasn't difficult at all. Damien tried not to breathe too much, but he couldn't help taking in a couple breaths, which made him very dizzy. He looked around, careful not to be seen by anyone, not even Burke, because if they did then the whole mission would have failed and it would be a huge waste of time. But there was no one.

"Wolfskull." Damien whispered. Damien knew that Wolfskull cave was the place where the brotherhood took it's prisoners, and probably Grimnir didn't know about it. He wouldn't know how to escape. "We must take him there."

i could any day but wednesday. @Grimnir feel free to pop in again at any time; i figured that i'd skip you during the moving since Grimnir had passed out and then he can come to again when they arrive at wolfskull. :-) (feel free to skip forward to them getting to wolfskull if you want to, anthony!)

The urge to shower Damien in licks and nuzzles was overwhelming as his brother came into view, filled with malicious darkness and a sense of satisfaction that they had gotten their target right where they wanted him. Cicero knew better than to stick around this place for too long, however, and so he put those urges on hold while he and Damien started to move Grimnir. It was challenging because of Grimnir's huge size and it did not go without having to take a couple of inhales of the spores, but nowhere near as much as Grimnir had. Cicero found that the effect of the spores was not nearly as fast when you consciously thought to breathe as little as possible.

Eventually the brothers managed to drag Grimnir to the side of the clearing. Cicero's head felt clouded by what he had inhaled, but at least he was not seeing things yet, and he was conscious enough to know that what he did feel was just tipsiness from the tree's spores. Damien whispered about wolfskull, and Cicero nodded. At the clearing's edge he paused, catching his breath and clarity of mind. A grin spread across Cicero's face when he realised that they had really done it -- the culmination of the boys' many months' of preparation and planning -- and in the rush of victory, Cicero bumped his head against Damien's shoulder and then licked his face a couple of times, ears pressed back in uncontaminated joy. The last lick stroked past the corner of Damien's mouth, touching his lips, which caused a tingle of pleasure to race through Cicero's heart. Then Cicero backed off again with the satisfaction of their achievement clearly written on his face.

Then it was time to get back to their task at hand; moving Grimnir, for while they'd done it, they weren't out of danger's way yet. "Damien's right. Let's hurry," whispered Cicero -- Damien was right to be quiet and to want to move him fast. If anyone found them before they would get a confession out of Grimnir, they would be in big trouble. Truthfully, Cicero preferred to just eliminate the threat to their pack, but he also appreciated Damien's search for the truth.

Jeez I think I'm bad at spreeing... I can try again though if you want, @Cicero I still got a couple more hours today before practice... I mean.. If you're around?

As they stopped at the clearing's border, Cicero bumped Damien's shoulder with his head and then licked his face, slightly touching his lip as he did, but Damien didn't notice this, nor did it bring him the satisfaction it had Cicero. He returned the lips, feeling just as excited as his brother for their success. And when it was done he promptly took Grimnir by the scruff and pulled in the direction of Wolfskull.

Grimnir's body seemed to grow heavier as they approached the dungeons, but once they arrived it felt like a huge load had been lifted off his shoulders. No one had seen them moving through the dark woods, and they were safe to carry on with the plan.

Deep inside the cave, Damien and Cicero dropped Grimnir's uncncious body, "We must guard the entrance. No one can know we have him here... Not yet," Damien told his brother. The plan now was to get a confession from Grimnir, and then they would take his words to Burke and Meldresi, who would decide what the beast's punishment should be. That's the way the Brotherhood Worked and what would give Damien the peace he seeked.

Not a second did Damien's eyes move away from Grimnir's dim-lighted figure. He awaited the moment he woke, and he wouldn't waste a second to get his answers.

When you posted the last post it was around midnight my time and I go to bed around 10 so unfortunately I can't really spree unless it's earlier. <3 Probably @Grimnir can wake up any moment now though. :-) 

Like his brother, Cicero was relieved when they arrived at the wolfskull dungeons. It was hard and long to pull Grimnir all the way there, for he was no small beast, but the satisfaction was immense when they managed. Damien said the entrance should be guarded, although Cicero wondered what they would do, anyway, were another wolf to come over. They had been missing all this time too, not just Baldur, nor Grimnir just now, so if anyone saw them they would have some explaining to do regardless.

"Cicero will take care of it," said the youth and he nodded at his brother. He cast Grimnir one last glance, as though he was afraid that he would awaken and tear his brother apart. Then Cicero moved to the entrance to the lair, and he started to dig a shallow hole, across which he put various branches. It was not a life-threatening trap, but it concealed the entrance to the unknowing eye and it would alert them through the crackling of the branches if someone were to enter.

It was dim when he woke. Grim let out a slight groan. His head was pounding. What had happened? Last he remembered was following... Grim immediately tried to get to his paws, but only managed to fall to his other side. Cicero had led him to a tree where he said Damien had his pup.  Then something had affected him. It had caused him to lose focus and pass out. He had pegged it for a trap. Grim had no ill feelings towards the brothers for wanting to harm him. But his pup was a whole other affair. How dare they get Baldur involved. It made sense for them to choose Baldur. That is Grim's favorite pup and he had harmed their sister. Grim wondered for a brief moment how that white whelp was doing. It had been quite some time since he had laid eyes on her.

Glancing at his surroundings, he noticed a dark figure near him. Growling softly, Grim barked darkly, "Revenge for your sister?" He wasn't sure which brother this was near him. "How is the abomination doing? I heard she lost an eye." A grin flickered at the corner of his jaw. "I wonder who could have done it." His goal was to make the brothers angry enough to slip the information he needed to find his pup. Of course, that had it's negative side effects as well. Though he still wasn't feeling much up to fighting, Grim felt confident enough to escape the two young brothers.

Damien stayed back in the shadows, the only thing visible of him his pale eyes reflecting the light of the glow worms hanging from the rocky ceiling. Not a second did Damien's eyes move away from Grimnir's form, patiently waiting for him to realize that he was trapped. And when he did, it was so different from what Damien had imagined.

For a second Damien thought that Grimnir would actuallyfeel trapped, but then he realized just how silly it had been. Grimnir wouldn't be afraid of defenseless little Damien. But he wasn't that kid anymore. He had actualy never been that kid. Perhaps Damien didn't know Grimnir all that well, But the beast was definitely underestimating Damien.

A deep growl reverberated in the depths of the cave, but damien stayed back in the shadows.

"Does it make you feel powerful?" he snarled, "Attacking pups?"

After setting up the trap near the entrance so they would hear twigs snap if someone were to enter, Cicero returned. Grimnir did not seem frightened. This did not frustrate Cicero; Grimnir was a fool if he was not afraid. It did make Cicero wonder if perhaps paws or back made for a good start of Damien's interogations. Then again, the spores would work for a while.

Cicero stayed on opposite sides of Damien, viewing Grimnir's back, and remained silent. He could not wait to see what Damien would do to him. Talking had little use in Cicero's mind, but he waited patiently. It was Damien's revenge, after all, so his brother deserved the fun of it.

At the young wolf's words, Grim growled deeply. Attacking Potema had nothing to do with power. It had everything to do with ridding the world of light. A wolf with a white coat did not belong. But his attack was also because of his lack of self control and the voices that tempted him. Though, he could not explain this to the young wolf or it would confirm that he had done the nasty deed. Not that they would understand. "Do you think there is power in defeating those who are too weak to fight?" He noticed that another wolf had joined the first. Now which one was which? Not that it mattered. They both were in on it. "You know nothing." 

Grim was not interested in participating in their revenge. Baldur was the only thing on his mind. He had to get to his son.  "You may be the type to attack any of those who are weaker than you just to look powerful," he taunted, referring to them stealing Baldur and the trick the two brothers had done to weaken himself. "That is not something I need." Moving a paw, he scowled. His limbs still felt sluggish. How long before the affects of whatever the two had done to him would wear off? What exactly had they done to him? It made him wonder if Baldur was under the same affects and hidden away somewhere.  If they had drugged his pup, it would make things difficult when trying to find Baldur.

Grimnir tried to explain that he did not need to attack anyone less powerful than himself, but Damien just couldn't get what he was saying. Grimnir had been the one to attack Potema when she was merely a pup, and definitely not a match to the beastly Grimnir. But, of course, Grimnir was just trying to put Damien on the same level as himself, trying to make him feel guilty for using Baldur to get to him. That did not concern the teen. He wasn't guilty of anything, and Baldur was safe.

"I'm trying to understand you here, Grimnir," said Damien, "You say you don't need to attack those less powerful than you, but still you're the one that bit off my sister's eye and didn't even have the balls to take the blame. You're such a coward." he growled.

The male seemed to still be under the effects of the spores, and Damien was carefully watching his every move. At the slightest sign of aggression, he and his brother (who had Grimnir's other flank), would engage to disable the older male without hesitation. Grimnir was not escaping this time.

"Why did you do it?" he growled. There was no doubt in him that Grimnir was the responsible, and he was getting those answers no matter how.

A growl rumbled in Cicero's throat when Grimnir insulted Damien. Damien actually stayed reasonable in the light of Grimnir's words, which did not make much sense to Cicero. Grimnir was not even sorry, not even in the light of the danger in which he was. His soul had to be especially black if he could not even summon a simple emotion such as fear to the forefront of his mind -- an emotion that might have saved him here. No fear, no mercy.

"Perhaps Grimnir needs a little encouragement in order to start answering the questions," Cicero spoke, eyes narrowing as he looked at Grimnir. There was no escape, and he would pay respect and answer their questions; one way or another. "Perhaps Cicero should take some of the useless apendages Grimnir has if he won't be honest." Cicero had expected his brother to have attacked Grimnir by now, what with the cocky manner that Grimnir spoke to him. Cicero was a patient wolf, but he was also a smart wolf and that meant he understood that there were chances they would be found out. He wanted to have the deed done before then.

It did not take the young whelps long to confirm Grim's suspicions as to why they had trapped him.  One (Grim pegged as Damien) demanded an answer as to why he had attacked his sister. Not before insulting Grim by calling him a coward that did not have the balls to take the blame. Grim bit his tongue and bared his teeth in outrage. If he had admitted to his crime then he would not have been able to stay with Lusa. She had been the most important thing to him at the time. He could not have left her. She stayed by his side even though she had seen what he had done to Potema.  Grim would always remain loyal to her. 

Cicero spoke up next, threatening to take a few appendages. Grim ignored the young wolf. He had no fear of the two smaller wolves. There was nothing they could do to drag any information from his maw. And he had no fear of pain, for it  had always excited him.  If they drew blood upon him, that would only encourage Grim to do the same. Thinking about it now brought up the dark voices that he had thought tucked away. Why not just kill them? the voices questioned. They will do the same to you. A low growl worked it's way through his chest. But he did not lust for a kill. They had not pushed him to that point quite yet. He felt no anger towards them. Only annoyance and frustration. 

Again he attempted to move a paw, this time his movement felt less sluggish, but only slightly so. Whatever he had inhaled was beginning to wear off. But not quick enough for Grim. Having his movements restricted irritated him. But he would not show any signs to the two brothers of his improvement. He would get the jump on them and escape to find his son.

Cicero spoke a threat to Grimnir, which surprised Damien. But both of them knew what they were here for. There would be blood one way or another, it was only a matter of time for Damien to decide to start using physical methods to get the confession he wanted from Grimnir. But Grimnir seemed to pay no attention to Cicero's words, and kept silent.

Damien growled once again, drawing the rumbling sound out for a moment before taking a step closer towards Grimnir. The risk of losing control of Grimnir was stronger every second. The effects of the willow wouldn't last forever, and Damien had to act quickly.

"Perhaps you're right..." Damien agreed with his brother, "You seem to have fooled my mother and father, but you don't fool us. We know you are guilty, and you will answer to Sithis' wrath..." he threatened before lunging forward with a growl and bared teeth that aimed for Grimnir's eye.

Much faster than he had expected or thought -- Cicero mentally noted that he should keep this in mind and perhaps experiment with the spores to see what factors played part in this -- Cicero noticed that Grimnir moved his paw. The movement was a lot more fluent than it had been before. Damien meanwhile seemed to be losing his temper and anger. Cicero would have preferred going to work more calculated, work with pain rather than an all-out attack. He was about to warn Damien that they should be careful when his brother growled and launched himself at Grimnir.

It all happened rather fast, but Cicero did not hesitate to jump into the messy fight when Damien did launch forward. Doubtlessly Grimnir would attack back, and judging by his movements he was in a much better state than Cicero had gauged. And Cicero could not let anyone harm Damien.

Cicero launched forward moments after his brother, trying to go for Grimnir's neck; if not to kill him, then at least to pose enough of a threat to divert Grimnir's teeth from Damien.

Should we mark this thread as mature?

First it was Damien. Grim attempted to dodge him, but a tooth snagged on the right side of his face, tearing it open. Grim snapped and snarled at the whelp, but before he could attempt to sink teeth into him, Cicero launched at his throat. Grim stood up on his hind legs to avoid the second attack, but felt more teeth lodge in his chest. He allowed his body weight to pull them both down, his own teeth aiming for any part of Cicero within reach. 

Grim always enjoyed a fight no matter the reasons behind it. Controlling his murderous impulses was hard. The other wolf usually ended up with some sort of vicious wound whether it was a spar or not. So this was perfect. He wouldn't have to hold back against these two. But it would be difficult. He still felt heavy from whatever drug they had poisoned him with. But the effects were wearing off more quickly now.

Actually, I was hoping we could leave the fight be an OOC event...
This will actually be my last post in this thread...

The taste of blood quickly flooded damien's mouth as his fangs sunk in Grimnir's face. It wasn't quite the spot Damien was going for, but any damage done to the beast would be a +1 towards Damien'd ultimate goal, and frankly, it pleased him to hurt the monster. He'd been wanting to do it for quite a while now.

Damien was joined by his brother, who had promptly lunged to take a piece himself of the bastard that had hurt their sister so long ago. But time wouldn't wear off the fact that Grimnir was a threat to the family and the pack. It was a matter the Brotherhood would have to deal with sooner or later.

Grimnir didn't seem to put much of a defense against the attacks, but Damien did not suspect even a bit that the effects of the spores were fading away in Grimnir. He was enjoying the moment way too much to think clearly. But satisfied with how deep his teeth had pierced Grimnir's skin this time, the dark boy stepped away and watched how his prisoner's face bleeded for a while. This would not be the last time he drew blood from Grimnir's body, he was sure. But there was one thing Damien did not know...

His inexperience would cost him dearly this once...

Cicero realised only too well that the drugs were wearing off, and he did not realise that his brother did not know this. It was the only reason that Cicero joined in; not because he wanted grim revenge (he preferred a defenceless target for that) but because he wanted to protect his brother.

The beast stood on hind legs, and Cicero's teeth merely hit his chest. He was quick to let go when Grimnir's teeth reached for his head, however, and Cicero felt pain jolt through his face as his forehead and cheek were gashed, if only shallowly. Blood started to pour down his face which blocked his vision briefly while Damien and Grimnir continued to tear each other apart.

Unfortunately Grimnir ended up getting away, and while the boys had torn him up pretty good too, they too had their wounds and were left with the bitter taste of defeat. Cicero wished he had been able to control the drugs better, as that was his task — and he had failed onto it. However, there was no use to sulk about it. He would simply research how it worked so that he could improve in the future. Cicero wondered what that future would bring, and whether it would take place in these woods or outside of them, but he did not worry overly much as he and Damien set off to tell Meldresi of the news. As long as the future took place beside Damien, Cicero did not care about location.

my last post too, then. did a sort of fade. feel free to post again or archive as is. :)