Northstar Vale Not very pretty, but we sure know how to run things

@Athanasius @Mazatl @Bastian @Eros
lets not do post order but rounds instead, yeah?

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He had plans detailed in his head, of how he wanted to get back, of how he would recover everything he'd lost, but he also knew that days or even months wouldn't be enough to get ready for as much as Bane wanted his life to go back to it's bloody, violent ways. In the meantime he needed to survive, to build up strength, and the only way to do that was teaming up with the right people.

Having crossed paths with Athan had been a gift from the webspinner herself. Bane knew that she'd put him there, right in his way for one good reason, and although he couldn't quite yet comprehend what the hell he was all about or why he cared so much for his boy, Bane could see the benefits of having such a blood-thirsty ally in his fold. The rest, although they had their own particular benefits to Bane's interests, weren't yet as interesting to him. Mazatl was simply useless aside from keeping Athan around, Bastian was weird, too weird for Bane to comprehend, but Bane knew that at some point he would need someone with the madman's knowledge on herbs and medicine so he didn't mind keeping him around and well fed. And then there was the kid. Bane wasn't completely sure what to do with him, but his presence didn't bother him... In fact, Bane had developed a peculiar regard for the child, mirroring Athan's protective behaviors towards his skinny fawn.

Many times had Bane stopped during their journey to evaluate the landscape, looking for potential places to set camp for the time being. He needed a lush place, full of prey and that had strategical advantages in it's location. From the creek he'd lead the party west, into the mountain range looking for higher ground, but the promise of plentiful prey had pulled Bane down to a vale of which he'd found little reason to leave, until he realized how vulnerable they were down there. Enclosed by mountains on all sides, the vale was like a cage in which Bane's pack would be easily surrounded should someone find a reason to do it, and he couldn't afford to put himself in that situation... Not yet.

Eat it quickly, we need to go, he told the child one morning, nudging him roughly out of bed after dropping a beheaded hare next to him. We should settle on higher grounds he suggested, after gathering his company to discuss their options. Bane didn't want to go down south yet, not until he found a way to figure out what influence Blackfeather Woods had over their boundaries, but he was positive they had to find a better place to hang out if he ever wanted to see his plans fulfilled. Down in the vale he felt surrounded, trapped, and that was the last thing he was looking for in a place to settle.

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*rambles indiscriminately*

shitpostttt

He leaves @Asherah as the land warms, leaving them with what herbs and food he can gather before leaving them. He is sure that this departure would not be for long, that he would return to search for them and ensure their safety, but he knows he cannot stay. No, he found real work, true work in this group that Bane had established.

There are no women so far, but there is one male, slim and frail, that looks more feminine than he rest. He attempted getting close once, but the black-striped wolf, the blooddrinker, warned him away. They had a strange relationship those two, something entirely mutualistic in a way he had never seen before. He watched them from a distance, the two the most interesting part of the journey to this new land.

They are settled in a vale for now, resting for the night as they continue the search. He is shifted away from them, curled alone around his bag. He never trusted his employers with his supplies, or anyone really. The man shifts slightly as he hears a familiar deep voice. His acidic eyes blink open for a moment, then he sees the male speaking to them all, not just the young boy. Ah, die Gebirge, He comments, stretching casually. Both precarious und advantageous.

He is curled around Mazatl, his legs draped over the small fawn body, protectively. He was awake all night, thanks in part to his natural nocturnal tendencies, and his night shift. He is exhausted by the time dawn arrives, and lays against the Nahuatl boy's body, tucking the male in the warmth of his larger body defensively. 

Athanasius, despite travelling with the male for all of this time, is still wary of his intentions. Though now he has his own boy to protect, Athan still feels uneasy. Even more so as their group expands, a new medic tagged along. He was German, and intensely interested in his and Mazatl's relationship. Athan steals half asleep glares at both Bastian and Bane, his eyes closing now to relax for a brief moment before he hears movement nearby.

His indigo eyes open for a moment, then his head rises as he sees Bane standing up. He watches as the two speak, but makes no comment, instead nudging Mazatl for a moment, rousing him.

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After having witnessed the killing of the woman, he’d been tortured by nightmares. Each time an attempt was made at laying his head down and sleeping, the scene would come to life behind his eyelids and scare him awake. For the first few weeks after his leaving of the Keep forever, he’d been stuck in a sort of limbo, knowing not how to react to certain things. What had been the most confusing aspect of all was that he’d stayed with the males from that day, rather than running off in the night to find a new home. He had stayed and, over time, the memory of the murder he witnessed had begun to fade, until nothing remained. He could not recall Vixen’s face, nor the expression she wore as the life had drained from her body; it had all disappeared from his brain and was unlikely to ever return.

Since his journey with the group of wandering males had begun, he’d started to settle in better with them. There were still plenty of times where he felt on edge and sought to separate himself from the lot but, more often than not, he felt like he was where he had always been meant to end up. It was away from the woman that had birthed him—that was the greatest perk of all—and with figures that wouldn’t starve him of attention. Whether or not it could be considered positive attention didn’t matter to him, just as long as his stomach was always filled with food.

As morning swept over the land, it was a harsh nudge that had awoken the boy. In an instant, he was on his feet and looking around with a widened gaze, relaxing only after his eyes had settled on the rabbit. The order given had just barely registered before Eros was upon the rabbit and devouring as much of it as he could. By the time he’d finished his chest was quivering with hiccups, the price for having eaten too fast. Bothered by his body’s reaction, he sat behind Bane whilst the adults spoke, hoping that relaxing might help cease the hiccuping.

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The shift from traveling with Athan alone to with a group had been a difficult one, but he’d slowly started to adjust to the changes. Whilst he trusted none of the others—the child included—he refused to run away as long as his master was around. He believed that he would be protected at all costs, and had even developed a sort of attachment to the older male. It was with the vampire that he slept each night, knowing that no harm would befall him in the darkness as long as he never left the other male’s side. The price of his companionship was still a curious thing, but he felt himself to be compensated well enough for it to not matter; for as long as he’d be protected, the man could do with him as he pleased, for that was the mentality that he’d been groomed to possess.

From a dreamless slumber, the yearling had been roused, nudged into consciousness by the very same man whose warmth he borrowed each evening. Whilst the beast’s limbs were draped over him, Mazatl’s own were folded neatly beneath his body, tucked in to better retain the heat his body produced. And although he was without the desire to remain awake, he’d blinked the sleep away from his eyes and then looked around, taking in his surroundings before he twisted his head around to stare at his master. With a yawn, he shifted around so that he was then facing Athan, putting less strain on his neck; whilst doing so, he’d pulled his forelimbs out from beneath his body and rested his chin over the one. Little attention was paid to those that had decided to speak, his focus being on watching and waiting to see when he would have to rise to his feet.

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Bastian is the only one to respond to his suggestion, but hadn't Bane tried he wouldn't have gotten close to understanding what he was talking about. He looked at the doctor's venom eyes in confusion, then away towards the place he guessed Bastian was viewing, and only after seeing the silver peaks and ominous ridges did he conclude that he was talking about the mountains. Bane gives his young pupil one long, distraught glance, and then with renewed resolution he speaks again. That's right, he dictates, reinforcing his previous statement. Bane wanted to settle on higher grounds, have the advantage of placement on his side should the time come where they meet a siege. Everything else would have to work out from there.

Alright, let's get moving! he barks, taking route without second thoughts. The Vale had served them greatly, providing them with everything they needed to strengthen themselves in the short time they'd spent there, but it was time to move on. Bane wanted to have a strategy, follow some steps to position himself in the highest level possible before moving on with his plan. He knew that Blackfeather Woods was still too long a shot.

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Bastian is quick to gather his things to him, still suspicious of his current employers. He is not wary of their intentions — that never makes a difference to him — no, he was more afraid of his limited supplies of plants. Supplies were still low, and he guarded them viciously. The bag that bore them was wearing thin — the first large prey that they took down, he would take the pelt for his own — but it would bear the weight of what herbs and tools he had left to bring to their final destination. Los geht's! He muttered, gesturing for Bane to lead the way.