Haunted Wood Toxicity

September 25th. Late afternoon 54°, partly cloudy. For @BlackHat. 

Tzila had been keeping busy. The difference between her routine here and hers in Elysium, was drastic. In her former pack, she did the bare minimum, content to let others practically do all the hard work. She needn't lift a paw. All her needs had been met. But here with the Nightwalkers it was different. She had purpose. Ambitions... The likes of which she would stop at nothing to fulfill, one way or another. 

Her days consisted of many long hours. She rose early to patrol, fill caches or even spy on her pack mates, should she get the chance. She retained her somewhat nocturnal nature, opting to stay up late...well into the darkest hours of the morning. Today, while she glided silently through the misty forest like a dark wraith, she was bristling with restless energy. Her tense jaw hinted that she was just scraping for a fight, but also, that her mind was busy. What Vengeance had said at the meeting had imprinted on her mind. Other packs. Seek them out. Learn. She sneered softly. Tzila had done much traveling during her short time in the Teekon. Heading in the direction of the northernmost border, she had already made up her mind that she would set out, in less than a weeks time.

Black Hat was taking an evening stroll, as he often did. It wouldn't do for him to sit on his arse and atrophy. Besides that, he just liked keeping himself busy. He noticed a vaguely familiar dark figure draped in crimson, and she appeared to be in a rush. Where are you headed in such a hurry? He asked, conversely winding down with the waning sun.

He took a few steps towards her, wishing to familiarize himself with the woman and feed his curiosity.

The Shadow Queen did indeed appear to be in a hurry. But only to get within a comfortable distance of the borders. Once there, she would set up camp for the next few days while she prepared for her excursion. On her way, someone unexpectedly made her falter. It was the dark, gangly man she had seen many a time during her strolls through these dark woods. He was at the hunt...he was the one who took on Vengeance in a spar.

Adjusting her path to meet him head on, her lengthy strides slowed, tail waving loosely with natural confidence. Her metallic silver eyes narrowed, a thoughtful hum slipping past her lips. "The northern border. I have an...agenda I'd like to meet." Just the fact that she chose to alter her route, to stop and take a moment for conversation, suggested that she could allow for a small gap in her pre-planned schedule. Her eyes narrowed further, this time accompanied with a curl of her thin lips. "I know you... I saw you take our Warlord head on..." She appraised, leaving it up to his imagination if she was impressed that he had survived the ordeal in of itself.

To his pleasant surprise, the woman decided to humor him and turned to head his way. His interest was successfully piqued by her reticient verbiage. Oh? He asked with the quirk of a brow and a spreading grin. Care to share this agenda?

She also mentioned having seen his spar with Vengeance, and it sounded like she respected him for it. As she should, despite his loss. He was a respectable man! Black Hat thought put up a bloody good fight, especially against such an absolute unit of a man. Ah, so we did have an audience, He mused aloud. The name is Black Hat, if you haven't caught it already.

Tzila didn't see the harm in sharing the plans she had brewing. Her inky coated head dipped down a fraction, a knowing glint in her eyes. First, a proper introduction was in order. "Indeed. I was curious to see who would answer his challenge." Her tail lashed through the air. "You might have lost, but you certainly gave him a run for his money." Impressive.

A dark brow lifted, the smirk at the edges of her lips growing just slightly. "That is...an unsual name. What drove your parents to give their spawn such a name?" She asked with idle curiosity and an edge of humor in her voice. In exchange, she offered. "I am called Tzila." Did he know what it meant? Doubtful. Not many did. She slipped by him, directing a playful snap of her teeth against the air just shy of an ear. There was no true threat behind it - this was just her way of expressing her sassy attitude. She proceeded to rest upon one of the many recently felled trees, facing him conversationally. 

He gave a haughty chuckle and lifted his chin just a smidge higher from her praise. Black Hat always loved to have his ego stroked... not that he needed it. Stay tuned. Next time, I'll be the one who ends up on top, He promised, utterly sure of himself now that he had a feel for Vengeance's style of fighting. It was similar to his own in that they both went on full-offense, but where they differed seemed to stem from their differences in personality — Black Hat was more precise and refined, whereas Vengeance was raw and primal; easily bested by a cunning villain such as himself.

He laughed when she questioned his alias under the assumption that it was his given name. 'Tis merely an alias, darling. Don't you find it dashing? He flirtatiously returned, staring at her from beneath dark lids.

She gave her name, and he let it roll off of his tongue. Tzila... a beautiful name. You hail from a land far from here, He keenly presumed, so confident that he worded it as a statement and not a question. Tzila suddenly went for his ear, which caused both of them to flatten instinctively before he pulled his head out of her reach. Black Hat smirked at her and mumbled, Aren't we cheeky?

She let a low chuckle come to life in her throat. Crossing one leg over the other, she got comfortable. "Don't you worry. I am always watching." Tzila was known to lurk, spying on the others from the comfort of her shadows. She liked to think that the art of stealth came naturally to her. But there was always room for improvement. 

"An alias perhaps, but a most memorable one." She agreed, saying it in such a way that she didn't judge it as a bad thing. Sometimes different was good. And speaking of different... She was incredibly curious of the crown of dogwood on his head. Wanted to inspect it like a new toy. But refrained, opting to stay in her spot. Her toes flexed and she shivered whilst feeling the satisfying pop of their individual joints. She soaked up his compliment like a sponge, tipping her head to the side as if to amplify her angular features. "Very far. From a distant coastline." A scowl morphed onto her face at the memory. "It was too bright there...too open..." She uttered, giving him a clue to her likened nature of the dark.

He hummed at Tzila's eerie statement and slyly side-eyed her. Noted. Seeing as she was getting comfortable, he sat down across from her on the ground. To his delight, she was fond of his alias. Only someone with awful taste wouldn't be. She confirmed his assumption about her origin, though Tzila didn't strike him as a coastal wolf. Her expression alone explained why she was no longer there, at least in part. His grin deepened at the sight.

I've only a little experience with the coast, and I have no desire to change that for the same reason. They were only just getting acquainted, but Black Hat found this woman quite likable. She seemed to have her head square on her shoulders, and they were like-minded enough. Anyone who thought similarly to him was alright in his book, because he was the greatest. Obviously.

Noting how he adopted a sitting position, she could only assume that he was starting to get used to her presence. And his attitude. He liked her thus far, and the feeling was mutual. They seemed to play well off of one another. Smirking inside, Tzila could now name another wolf within the pack who was on her good list. There was also Serem, whose logic appealed to her. She did not have time for wolves lacking in common sense. 

"Yes. I've steered clear of the coast here, to our north." Moving on, she fixed him with a level gaze. She hadn't forgotten what he had inquired of her before. "And as for my agenda..." She moistened her lips with her tongue, thinking back. "You heard what he said at the first meeting. Seek out other packs...gather what information, if any, they can offer about these...tremors." She paused for a moment, quite sure that his memory served him well. "I intend to scout the lands to the north myself, and soon in hopes of answers."

Black Hat leaned in with clear interest as Tzila got around to answering his question. He listened intently as she explained. Yes...? He urged impatiently during her pause. Finally, she revealed her agenda. It sounded like she wanted to go on this mission solo and take all the credit, but he knew he could sway her.

Ah, I see. Actually, I met a boy from a forming pack that way. 'Neverwinter Forest', I believe he said was the name, Black Hat explained. I can lead the way. Lucky you, I'm tagging along. He doubted she would reject him, given he knew a destination that she did not. Black Hat stared at her expectantly with a smug, crescentic grin plastered on his face.

She canted her head slightly to the side, regarding him thoughtfully. "Well that is helpful, knowing this lad. And a pack in the making?" She smirked, allowing him no room to sneak in another word. "All the better." Though still relatively new, the Nightwalkers needed to make their presence known to any distant neighbors. She cared not if they wound up on positive or negative terms with them. To her, the point was to acquire information and learn of their strengths and weaknesses. Plus, she wanted answers to the cause of the rumblings of the earth.

Black Hat seemed insistent on going with her. "Very well." She hummed pleasantly, but still always with a devious undertone. "Since you already know the way and the identity of the boy, your company will be most welcome." And that wasn't a lie, if she did say so herself. Tzila wouldn't mind traveling with who seemed an amicable pack mate, at least as far as the Nightwalkers breed went. "I had planned to leave within three days, but if you prefer, we can set out tomorrow."

Sorry for the tiny poopoo post.

Precisely. The two were on the same wavelength, which was a rare yet pleasant occurance for Black Hat. Tzila voiced that she was more than happy to have him aboard, then explained when she planned to leave.

The sooner the better — unless you have something more urgent to attend to, He said, twitching his brow.