Bearclaw Valley do you forget why i've killed myself out here at sea?

@Vercingetorix - can be RO, or a quick thread if you'd like - set for a day or two after your thread in DA, maybe?

they had made it to the stony valley that stood between the plains and easthollow, and it was here caiaphas announced they would bed for the night. tomorrow, they would start anew. there was much surveillance to be done -- the sun had yet to set behind the horizon of spruce trees to the west, and caiaphas' sights were long focused on the distant columns of stone in the distance.

her plan was to scout easthollow's borders in the days that followed. they would map the territory, learn how often sentries were posted (if any), and then they would reconvene and better plot the salt-queen's long anticipated revenge.

it had been a year since caiaphas had set foot so close to this wretched place, and still she sharply remembered the misery that had burdened her heart. never once had caiaphas forgotten the starved countenance of her children, nor the metallic tang of sorrow she had felt in her mouth as she and her family were turned from the hollow to die.

that time frame works for me!

Seeing his kids again had given him a boost he hadn't realized he'd needed. With the staunch promise that he'd return, Verx moved along with Caiaphas, headed toward Easthollow. They stopped at a distance; he caught a faint ring of strange, vertical stones in the distance, distinct on the horizon. This must be the place, then.

What do you know about this place? he asked in a low, quiet voice, bicolored gaze taking in the sights around them. You familiar with anybody in the pack? Any of their allies?

He wondered about the relative strength of Easthollow and the severity of any potential retaliation. He wondered whether this pack was filled with warriors, like Rusalka or Drageda, or if they were softer. He hoped, sincerely, for the former; it gave him no great joy to beat up on weaklings. He liked a good fight.

caiaphas' gaze followed vercingetorix's, settling on the stony pallisades in the distance. they blotted the horizon and cast long shadows, which she trailed silently as vercingetorix pulled alongside her.

she knew very little of easthollow; she knew when she had went, they claimed to be full.. but the matron looked soft, and the her mate (boy, was caiaphas in for a surprise there) did not seem very impressive either. caiaphas managed a thin purse of her lips. "very little. last i was here was a year ago." she recalled the events vividly and conveyed some of it in a quiet, almost stony tone. "i was greeted, by a subordinate who looked soft.. and then later by the leader. she did not strike me as a fighter. we scout first to see what their defenses are. i expect little trouble."

little did caiaphas know, trouble had an exquisitely delightful way of finding her, regardless if she anticipated it.

Ah, shucks. Verx liked trouble. He thrived on trouble. He ate trouble for fucking breakfast, lunch, dinner and Taco Bell fourthmeal. But then again. . .a lack of trouble made it certain he'd see his kids again. He sometimes forgot, especially removed from them, that he had more to live for than just his own stupid hide.

Right on, he answered, nodding. I'll go wherever you send me. I'm not exactly the most inconspicuous wolf, he added, nose wrinkling in amusement. But I'll do my best to, uh, blend in. Probably patrolling at night was what was best, hiding in the long shadows. Away from the moonlight.

So, what's the plan after that? We take a hostage, kill 'em all. . .what're you thinking?

last post from me <3 feel free to archive here or tack on your own reply

vercingetorix seemed undaunted thus far by what caiaphas had schemed, but not even she would tell him what was in store. her errand was a savage one, and she dared not articulate it yet. he would see, just as valette would see, exactly what was in store.

"kill them all." caiaphas returned darkly, repeating the last of the tall dragedan's words with cold irony. she had no further plan to share, and turned her thin back to the man to watch like a hawk the distant realm of easthollow.

just a cameo a few miles outside bcv - also forgive me, i meant to post this a week ago

It was sheer selfishness that drew Svalinn after his mother...

Or perhaps it was experience, and some brand of post-traumatic stress that caused him to follow; because it seemed that nearly every time she exited Rusalka, she returned in a state worse than when she had left.

Svalinn had realized some time ago that his mother (and Raleska, to an extent) were incapable of avoiding danger.

If anything, they seemed to seek it. Like maniacal pigs rooting for trouble-truffles. It was maddening, and would probably give him a heart attack one day, but for now he just moved with single-minded intent; unaware of the anxiety that rippled off him in stink-heavy waves.


He knew where he should be, and who he ought to be protecting, but he found it impossible to ignore the fact that Caiaphas had absconded on some far-south mission. With a former enemy, no less. He didn't actually have anything against Vercingetorix— but he certainly didn't expect a wolf with revolving loyalties to properly protect the Eyjolfur matriarch, so he only let half a day pass before leaving on his unannounced, one-wolf assignment to make sure she wasn't grievously harmed.

So far he had been unable to catch up to the duo, but it was probably for the best.

Well, alrighty then. That settled that.

Blissfully unaware that Caiaphas actually meant that quite literally, Verx nodded, watching as the woman turned to face the stones. He was perfectly content in taking vengeance on those that had shattered Ephraim's family, and thus, cast him forever between two worlds. He thought he could handle that just fine.

If only he knew!