Cassiopeia's View back in black

I marked it private but I can open it up if you want! @Tzila

In the dark, with the moon sliced cleanly in half, the cold had enough bite to cut right through fur and bones and settle deep into a person's very being. It not only bit, it cleaved and it was certain to get worse as the winter grew deeper. Grimsley welcomed those days openly. He was no arctic wolf, surviving in negative thirty or some such, but he was well equipped for the cold and also extremely fond of it. He relished in the crisp, clean of the cold night and rooted himself in the place where he'd stopped to rest.

He was at home in the mountains and strongly preferred stony terrain. Despite his size and weight, he was well balanced. What he looked out over, however, was not other peaks but wood and water. Lesser beings lived there, if he were honest. The ones who couldn't or wouldn't live in the stone. That was fact and also fine. He worried, though, that he would be forced to find welcome down there with them. How many mountain packs dwelled in these torn lands? How many could he stomach dealing with? He cast a glance out over the expanse where a cloud, dark and ominous despite how much time had passed, still swirled along the top of a distant peak.

It wasn't the only thing wrong about the lands. It was not enough to turn Grimsley away but it did capture his curiosity. What had happened here? His crimson gaze flickered back down, and he watched with passive attention as the night drew onward.

Darkness. Bitter cold. Tzila had never been more in her element. On this night, where the moon winked high above the mountains, the undisputed ruler of the night...of all things dark, had come alive. Winter, as close as it was, was one of her favorite seasons. Silent, dark and dreary. Chilling. And for wolves, it brought their hormones to a spike. Increased aggression. Heightened boldness. More reason to flirt, if you dared.

An icy gust of wind combed its fingers through Tzila's midnight coat, the scarlet stained hairs on her nape standing on end. Goosebumps rose along her skin, but her fur had thickened for the season, ensuring she was well insulated. Away from the haunted wood, she had made the trek north towards the mountain range of Moonspear. As much as she loved her misty home, she equally enjoyed getting out to stretch her legs once in a while. Just as well too. Prey was still virtually non-existent. She resorted to snacking off field mice, and even devouring leftover bones, gaining sustenance from the marrow within.

She was not here with very high hopes of finding anything edible, but she was ever tenacious. Her scouting of the area was nearly complete. Nothing. Tiny pebbles at her paws tumbled downwards in a heart stopping plummet. Gritting her jaw, she begrudgingly made her way to the zenith, for one last look. Smooth features wrinkled with irritation, eyes narrowed and pointedly downcast, she had not yet noticed she would have company.

Your inbox is full, btw!

Grimsley was new to the land and so better fed than many he would come to meet in this place. His concern for food was minimal. It would not be for long as he realized the depth of the problem. For now, ignorance was bliss. 

The wind rose around him and he breathed in the night, lounging almost lazily in his spot among the rock - at perfect ease with the night and the mountain. He noticed the dark shape that approached before it noticed him. His eyes had scanned absently and stopped upon her abruptly when he noticed the crimson that stood out from her pelt. It caught the moonlight and contrasted beautifully. He watched in silence as she came, breathing in the night air for some kind of scent. He was given little but that was alright - he was a social being at heart.

"Good afternoon." He called to her, red eyes shinning in the night, a wolfish grin on his face. "Or night. I suppose that depends on when you rise."

Fixed now. :)

Having nearly arrived at the top of this fine lookout point, it was his voice that made her pause. She did so with one front leg lifted, craning her supple neck enough to lock him in her vision. Her scowl faded, morphing into a slow little smirk, while she reclined, perfectly poised, on her haunches.

This one is new... And quite memorable. Painted in two polar opposites; black and white. Marked with a brilliant white facial mask, from which blood red eyes peered from more black lining. As she inhaled, slightly deeper than normal, she tried to find any trace of a scent. The distance between them made that difficult. She would have to get closer for that. As of yet, she was content, rooted to her spot. She'd gauge what sort of man this stranger was first. "Night." She drawled, her subtle smirk remaining. "Always. For we are nearly one in the same..."

She stopped much too short of his lounging body and Grimsley smirked a little to himself. She was going to make him get up, wasn't she? Such work and he couldn't even see her all that well, yet. But Grimsley could tell from the way she moved and the way she carried herself - she was beautiful. That or she was dripping with unearned confidence and sensuality - which was, honestly, its own kind of interesting.

Rolling his weight forward, he picked himself up on all four feet easily. He was young and spry and well built - a hundred lifetimes of pedigree had ensured that. He padded over to her at an easy, smooth pace. His gait was all breeding, too - he was born to be the large, dark, handsome guy that he was. It wasn't his fault, surely. 

"One and the same?" He cocked his head a bit, stopping a respectful distance from the she-wolf - and yes, she was quite pretty. "You and the night...or you and I?"

The mysterious male was correct in both his assumptions. Tzila was well aware of her looks and adjusted her body language shamelessly, when she felt compelled to do so. One might easily get enthralled with her, from the way the light played off her coat, to the almost unnaturally precise way in which she sometimes moved. But they mustn't be careless. The weaver of shadows was a deadly beauty who would kill with a toxic kiss if you didn't play your cards just right.

Pleased that she had coaxed him to his feet, to come to her, she felt a small bud of pride bloom in her chest. Openly, she looked him over. Up and down, examining his musculature, his coat. Reading his every movement. His eyes caught hers, the very same shade of red that reminded her of her Warlord's stare. For his reward in coming closer, she took a single, but significant step forward. She twisted her torso, prepared so as to begin circling him, curiously. "The night and I." Her breath billowed out into the chilled air in a plume of white. "For you see, I am named after the shadows themselves." She followed through with another solo step, features soft but intense. "Tzila." 

He let her look long and deep. His posture shifted, though he had been perfectly balanced and standing before, to one even more flattering. It was highly unnecessary and inwardly he rolled his eyes at himself - though he was enjoying the game. The game was not unusual for him and he reminded himself that while, yes, she was outright beautiful - he was seeking much more than that. Still, his gaze lingered on her figure - feminine but not delicate. Her dark coat made his heart ache for home - and sent an ache to something more, as well. But Grimsley had impeccable control and he was more than a young buck, at the mercy of his instincts and urges. He expected better of himself and he had never been disappointed – at least not yet.

He could not deny the small thrill of triumph that flickered in his chest as she rewarded him with a step closer. She was on her feet now. He preferred it that way - now, he could watch her move. She appeared well wired, put together with care and purpose, but movement told tales of structure. He thought in the manner of good breeding at all times, without notice. He could spot a limp, an awkward gait, gangliness, disproportion of the smallest scale and a weak frame with great ease - and he dismissed each and every one. He could not help it. He imagined she would show no such faults but still his sharp but cool gaze paid attention, even as he answered her.

"Tzila." a deep rumble. "Lovely." He remarked simply and so it was. Grim very rarely lied. "I suppose I am named for the dark, as well, although a different type, perhaps." He flashed her a grin that was all teeth but no threat. "My name is Grimsley." He had been named for the mask on his face and the stark contrast of his pelt. "I come from a far elsewhere. You, however, reside here - I assume?" It was small talk, yes, but the simple question held a world of information for Grim who had not been in the lands long enough to know anything about it's locals.

One step and then another brought her into motion, forming a slow circle around him. To some, it could be perceived as predatory. And in a sense, it was. There was always an underlying air of danger looming around Tzila, but in this very moment, in her dance, there was nothing threatening. 

He tested her name, seeming pleased. Complimenting her, in the very same sauve manner in which her pack mate, Black Hat had done when they exchanged introductions. She let forth only a short, amused low chuckle in appreciation. It seemed that she had not lost her charm with the men when she really was on her top game. And in front of this striking young male, who simply begged to be admired, she wasn't about to be shy. A single dark brow lifted. "Hmm yes. Such things can and may always be perceived in different ways." She offered, hinting that her ways of thinking were never entirely closed minded. His name intrigued her. Appealed to her. "Grimsley...a pleasure to meet you." She said, returning his smile with a curl of the corners of her lips.

He said he was from the mountains. Which explained why she may have found him here, at this time. The rocky peaks of Moonspear may have reminded him of home. Tzila had never had the chance to explore such terrain, too busy scouting and working. But she did find their beauty...their ruggedness heart stopping. Especially on a night like this. "I do." She affirmed. "My home is there..." She pointed with her snout towards the dark patch of expansive forest that was Haunted Wood, to the east. "Although my birthplace was a distant coastal region." She said, silver eyes growing cold, a note of bitterness in her voice. "What brings you to the Teekon?" If it was information he needed, she could help him out. While she had not covered the entirety of the wilds, Tzila was a well-traveled individual.

He was not disappointed - she moved like a panther, light and lithe. And predatory. Grimsley felt no fear and no need to defend himself. She might give him a challenge, maybe, but they weren't here for that and Grim was nothing if not highly confident. He outweighed her. He felt perfectly confident with that fact alone - a side effect of being very young and therefore, in the way of youth, very dumb.

He admired her greatly but as the conversation turned to this land - Tekkon Wilds - Grim focused his attention on what was more important. His gaze never lost its glow of appreciation at her form but his expression shifted as he listened and turned in the direction of where she gestured. A dark woodland - on the ground. He wasn't surprised but he was a bit disappointed. He would be lying if he said he could not smell woods and earth upon her. "Coastal?" He chuckled a small, husky laugh. That was even worse. He read in her eyes that she was displeased, as well, but he assumed it was for a different reason than is own displeasure.

He did not press further - not yet, at least - as she asked his own story. "Mine is a common reason, I imagine. My family is prominent where I come from -" to say the least "- but I wanted to see the rest of the world. Perhaps carve my own slice of it. I am neither an outcast nor exceptionally unique in my family but different enough to want my own things in life." He felt he could cultivate it, as well - he felt that he could succeed. He knew he could. Perhaps it would not be easy but Grimsley had not started this journey because he thought it would be.

"You have your pack but what brought you here to start with? Why there, with them? What packs exist in these mountains?"

Tzila would much rather forget about the ocean and stay as far away from it as possible. It was tied in to her past, and the awful times she had as a child in those days. Her dark features smoothed out some while he proceeded to explain while he struck out on his own. He had an adventurous streak, it seemed. A man with desires...goals of her own. Her faint smile returned. She wondered what he dreamt to achieve, and for what reasons. For now she simply replied with "Yes...why settle when there is so much more. Potentially for the taking, if one wants it bad enough."

Now it was her turn to indulge, to share with him what she knew of the Teekon. And perhaps, some of her backstory. Retaining that playful, faint little smile, she was silent a moment. She turned, giving him an inviting look that said 'join me' before leaping up to the very slab on which he previously rested. There she waited, stretching out to lounge comfortably on her belly. When he was beside her, Tzila resumed speaking. "My reason for coming here in the first place was easy. I wanted to escape from my old, childhood life." Her silver eyes rested on the horizon, rather than on him. "Too many bad memories. Let's...leave it at that." Finally turning to face him, the glint in her eye was dark. Hinting at a wolf who had committed a great sin. And wasn't exactly ashamed of it either. 

"As for my place here...with my pack...they allow me to be who I truly am. They are the second of which I have belonged. The first...was purely by accident." She didn't delve into any further details than that, happy to keep him intrigued. Let him pry for more and she'd see just how much control she really had here. "There is one pack that claims the mountain range directly to the north. Moonspear." Her head tipped up in a sense of pride. "They are a tough, formidable pack. A tightly knit family, from what I have heard. They are our allies, and together, we have staked our claim over the entirety of the Great Bear Wilderness." Her tone had lowered some, hinting at her sense of confidence in the power they held. "To the northeast of our territory is Blackfeather Woods. Further east, you will find another mountain range...the Sunspire Mountains. Not far from Elysium, my first pack, though it has since fallen." She had left out the best for last - the Nightwalkers.

She was right - why settle? Excellence was in his nature. He wished to rule because he should, that was all. He wished to rule because he would do it best. His people would be well cared for, his territory jealously guarded, and his pack respected or feared - he did not care which it might be. His people would serve and in turn be served by their leadership and he - Grimsley - he would see that it was done and leave a legacy for his children to grow from, away from the shadow of their ancestors.

He might tell her this one day. Maybe, if she was right and if she would have him. Of that bit, he was confident - perhaps arrogant. There was something in her eyes, in her body and the way she spoke that challenged this absolute belief but so young and full of nothing but confidence he elected to ignore that instinct.

He followed her willingly and without hesitation. He lay next to her, rolled to face her slightly. He was back at his place on the mountain, on his throne - Grimsley was pleased.

She told him an agonizingly small amount about her life before this moment. Grimsley was a curious creature but not enough to chase most things. This woman was a bit of an exception, however - this one, he wanted to know. While she looked out at the flatter lands below, Grimsley watched her. He watched the expressions on her face, the coil of her body - and he met her eyes evenly when she looked back at him. "Nn." His answer was quiet but not dismissive. He accepted her silence, that darkness in her stare. He burned to know but he saw that she did not wish to tell - not now, perhaps not ever. He gave her that respect and they moved on - but he would not forget. 

He listened to her explanation of the packs that lay around them. Indeed, there was a strong one in the mountains. It seemed someone had good taste and power. He was not surprised, and his curiosity was tinged with a desire to explore the potential for exploitation. Tzila said that the mountain pack - Moonspear - were strong and allies of her own. How strong were they? Perhaps he would not need to forge his own place from the ground up, though the idea of building on inferior foundation discouraged him a bit.

"What felled it?" He asked, somewhat dismissively, of her former pack. He had been listening but only vaguely to her explanation of the other packs. This last had caught his attention only because it pertained to her. His attention was divided and half lay with Moonspear...and hers. She still had not said what that was, although they ruled this 'Great Wilderness' together, apparently. "And what pack is yours? Who runs with the mountain pack? You've told me that Moonspear has powerful allies and that this ally is your people - so who are they?" His gaze had wandered as he'd listened to her tell him about the life and politics around them. It had returned to her, now, intense with curiosity and a bit irritated at beating around the bush.

She let him soak the information all in, however interested or not he was. It was his to do what he chose with, to decide what snippets truly intrigued him. And so it seemed, when he pressed for more pertaining specifically to Elysium, Moonspear and her very own pack, that his deepest curiosity might be linked to her. When he met her gaze again, with his intense red eyes, she met it. Tzila ignored any irritation visible on his contrasting black and white features. As relaxed as she appeared on the outside, she could turn in a split second if pissed off. There was no wolf she had yet to meet whom she'd happily give a taste of her hair trigger temper.

"The crumbling of Elysium started not long after an attack by a grizzly. It slaughtered two of their loved ones." Her voice was emotionless. She had been involved, yes. Maybe she had even cared, back then. But certainly not now. "They tried to recover from the loss...to move on. But I could already see it was futile. Their weakness was obvious." She curled her tail over her exposed rear paws, crossing a slender foreleg comfortably over the other. "Moonspear is led by an iron queen - Hydra. I have only met her once, briefly." Something flashed in the depths of her eyes. "She is not a wolf to be crossed."

She lapsed into silence just long enough for him to consider her words of warning. The smirk that had faded from her lips reappeared. "My pack is the Nightwalkers." She stated with a proud little lift of her chin. "We are led by our Warlord, Vengeance. He is nothing short of ruthless. Vile...easily prickled. But undeniably a worthy leader." She drew in a breath, letting the air in her lungs expand, heaving her chest. "We are a pack of mercenaries. Only the strong survive there. Competition is fierce." Her expression hardened some. "Hardly for the faint of heart."

He had no intention of attacking her, though she could not know that. Grimsley lacked unchecked rage and unfocused anger. He did not mistake frustration with aggression and he did not lash out...without warning, at least. He was controlled - always. He had been taught control from the moment he took his first breath and he had learned the lesson very well. When she told him of a grizzly attacked, he refused to allow his hair to rise, though the story sent cold ice through his veins. He disliked bears immensely. They were one of very few things that posed a threat to himself and his people and they were a common side effect of mountain living. They were, perhaps, the closest thing Grimsley had to a genuine fear. "I see." He said simply and was happy to move on.

News of such a powerful female struck him as interesting in a different way than Moonspear had been before. He couldn’t help flicking his gaze in that general direction, his mind now drifting away from usurping and into matrimony. It was quite a leap and only the ghost of an idea but he decided then that he would go to Moonspear and meet them. Whatever they were or were not to him in the future, he wanted to get his own look. Grimsley did not lend himself to bloated ideas and feelings of grandeur. What she said, even about her own pack, sounded excellent on paper but may not hold water when exposed to the light. He would need to see for himself.

He watched her again as she moved. She was quite a beauty. Feminine, sultry physique without weakness or delicacy. He was happy to be in her presence and a small, pleased grin split his lips as she told him of the Nightwalkers - her people. He immediately felt a distaste for her leader - but he had expected that. A male with a terrible attitude and likely a terrible pedigree, as well. It was to be expected and it didn't mean the pack wasn't salvageable - after all, he quite liked Tzila.

"Worthy." He said quietly, mulling over his mental picture of Vengeance. "Despite his temperament." They were only statements, thinking aloud. He refocused when she told him that they were mercenaries - only the strong survived. It did not concern him to know this but it did excite his curiosity again. He liked strong. Grimsley wasn't dumb enough to throw the baby out with the bathwater, so to speak - perhaps there was something of worth in this pack. Again, Tzila was an nice example. 

"Indeed." He acknowledged her and her pride, giving a small nod. "You are mercenaries, you said. What is your purpose?"

After the attack in Elysium, Tzila had found herself loathing bears simply for what they were. She had even briefly been hell bent on exacting her revenge upon their kind, for the act of a single individual. But after contemplation, she deemed it a waste of her time. Her feelings towards bears remained the same, but these days she would rather put forth her energy into more fruitful efforts. If only the mysterious white-faced man beside her had voiced his feelings aloud, then they would have known of their common disdain.

Up here, laying side by side with a fellow who so far, seemed agreeable enough company, the shadow Queen took in the impressive view that sprawled below them. She had never realized how small it appeared, from this vantage. The forests that stretched for miles with their great trees now looked like only little dots of land. Rivers like veins, lakes like mere puddles. Away from the Nightwalkers for the time being, she felt no sense of pressure. Of competition or restraint due to her rank. She could act as she wished...as she believed she was meant to.

"Should you ever meet him, you'll know it when you do." She said, remembering the Warlords sheer bulk, demeanor and of course, memorable scent. Regrettably, Tzila had not gotten to spend as much time with him as she would have liked. It was partially her fault, for keeping busy, especially with the master mind solider Black Hat. She would expand her integration within the pack further. Shifting further onto her side, she faced Grimsley more. "First hire, as Mercenaries. If there is something you want or need done...or someone you don't like eliminated, we will do the job. There is no task we won't take on." She smirked, somewhat darkly. 

@Tzila - sorry for my sudden disappearance! I'm back to normal, now.

He would know him when he saw him, hm? Grimsley grew especially intrigued by that. He imagined a large, unkempt and unstable wolf. He was dark in Grimsley's mind, as he imagined most others to be until he saw their pelts himself, with a crazed expression and frothing lips. It was highly cartoonish, Grim was aware of that. He still cared not for the description of "vile". That recalled things like sickness and rape and sadism. These were not things that Grimsley held company with. In fact, he would rather have seen it eliminated altogether than allow such behavior to keep breathing. He was making assumptions, however, and even if they were true - he was not quite there, yet. He couldn't afford to get ahead of himself.

He listened intently, crimson eyes on silver as she looked right back at him, when she told him about the mercenary work. Grimsley was not immediately concerned - after all, he'd had no time to make enemies. His thoughts shifted far into the future and settled on the uncomfortable idea of regicide. He was sure that would be on the menu, there were far worse things than killing a king. For assassins it was child’s play. He frowned softly at his own thoughts, casting a long look toward the trees where she had indicated her pack lay in the dark. Perhaps it would benefit him more than he had initially thought to get to know the Nightwalkers. Perhaps he could earn himself a favor...or a few friends. He turned back to Tzila.

"You are lovely." He said, coming back into himself. "You pack is very intriguing, though not so much as you, individually. Perhaps I will need to meet them one day - and this Warlord of yours." Just like Moonspear, he was going to make it a point.

No worries! Good to have you back. <3 This will be my last post and then we can fade?

Vengeance was a man who was hard to miss. Anyone who called themselves a Nightwalker, may also easily be recognized as such. There was a certain air of foreboding about them, different from other wolves. A profound desire for power, be it within reach or already attained. The ever-lingering urge to try and be better than everyone else in the ranks, to each their own means. Tzila, while comfortable in a pack for perhaps the very first time in her short life, was still dissecting the system. Considering if in the long run, the Nightwalkers would truly be the best fit for her. She had agreed to join Vengeance and his group, but she had never once knelt and swore her total loyalty.

Pleased to have provided her mountainside companion some beneficial information, of which he may take for the road, Tzila considered a prospective role for herself in the pack. Scouting. Relaying information, and even snooping. She had already visited one pitiful attempt of a pack and was well traveled even before her time with the Nightwalkers. On top of that, such a duty would give her ample reason to escape the ceaseless competition or bickering, when she felt suffocated. 

Her thoughts didn't linger for long. What he said next almost widened her silver eyes a fraction, but her composure held. A compliment. Not towards her skills or of acknowledgement of her hard work (not that he would even be aware of that!), but of her, herself. No single wolf she has been in the presence of during her lengthy stay in the Teekons, had ever complimented her for who, and what she is. Not even her own family. She would not let him know of how she wavered, deep inside. Instead she gave a gracious bow of her head. "Such flattery. You are too kind." She tested him by shuffling a critical inch closer to his side, matching dark hairs nearly grazing. "Yes. One day. And when the time comes, you will know where to find me." She would be there, waiting.

Tonight, the pull to return to the Haunted Wood had loosened its grip on her. Instead, her desire was to remain here on this stony, cold throne for two, far above the earth below them. Her thrilling trials temporarily forgotten and in an entirely new element, Tzila would remain by this fascinating new man’s side until dawn. And then slip away, like the very shadows of which she was crafted.