Ravensblood Forest turmoil & tinfoil

He'd wrangled his way out of the sisters' clutches. Unsure how—one moment, they had him, the next. . .

Anyway. he was free.

Free to check his mountain, which he did. . .only to find the scent trails of Lorcan and Envy going elsewhere. And Dreven—cut off, on a sharp precipice. He did not need to be some kind of genius to figure that one out.

So Shadow Ridge was no more.

He wandered back down, the weight of loneliness like a yoke 'round his neck and shoulders. He gazed at the sap upon these trees—

Like blood, he thought, shaking his head. Perhaps that was fanciful on his part. Or a figment of his wild imagination. He didn't care to test it.

Instead, Hex continued to skirt the border of the forest, aimlessly wandering.

HELLO and sorry for bad writing I'm coming back from a break

Murkwood grew stronger, and with it grew Noxir's ego. He could let it slide if most who joined his ranks were outsiders or runaways, outcasts and wolves with nowhere else to go. That was how every crew began, and the phantom was more than pleased to draw more to his cause.

Like this one here.

Amber eyes watched from the treeline as a shadow of a man traipsed near. Though he could not tell much from such a distance, there was something in the way the stranger carried himself that piqued the captain's curiosity, and so he sidled to interrupt his wanderings with a toothy grin and an amicable chuff. "Goin' somewhere?"

NOT bad writing and never apologize!

The man that came blended well within these dark woods, being made of shades of dark brown. He emerged from the shadows and Hex started a bit, but managed to compose himself before the question reached his ears. Gold met fire as he found the other's gaze.

Nowhere in particular, he replied, shrugging. He jerked his chin toward the forest at large, and asked, Is this your place?

Too late, his nose found traces of scent markings—though he could pick out no more than one or two individuals, one of them this stranger. Setting up shop, maybe; he remembered when the Ridge's claim had been shaky—

Well, when had it not been so?

Shadow Ridge had existed upon a knife's edge, its reign tumbled sideways all too soon.

Sharp eyes observed the man's subtle startle, noting the way he swiftly recovered. "Ay," he replied, a hint of pride in his voice as he followed the gesture towards the nearby treeline. "Murkwood's th' name." 

Nox drew closer until he was almost nose to nose with the shadowy stranger. They were of similar age, if his sleek build was anything to go by, and he couldn't help but imagine his brother standing in his place. The resemblance was uncanny, but where Seger's face was carved in an almost permanent glower, this one's held nothing but melancholy indifference.

Who was he? "Are ye from round 'ere?"

As the man drew closer, he was taken aback by how young the stranger was—younger than him, even. Still, it was clear the other had the upper hand, even if Hex was some moons older. 

They could be brothers, yes. But where life's pressures had ground Hex into a round, flat stone, it had honed this man into something much sharper.

It was like looking into an alternate reality. . .well, if he cared as much to do so.

No, Hex replied, shaking his head. From the mountains. Too high for me. Just passing through.

The mountains this man hailed from loomed intimidating like giants behind him and Nox found himself sympathising with a curt nod. "Not my thing either. Too far for a body to fall 'til it goes splat." Dark humour aside, he had not been a fan of the peaks himself and would rather see the boiling ocean below him than a pit of pointy rocks.

"Yer welcome to rest here," he grasped the quiet between them, steering the conversation, "get some food in yer belly then be on yer merry way." Perhaps it was the closeness in age that the Captain was reluctant to let this one slip from his grasp and fall into the throws of another.

The joke hit too close for home, and Hex winced slightly, thinking of poor Dreven's ultimate demise. He sucked in a breath and nodded, though, and his ears cupped forward as the man offered him shelter here.

Thanks, Hex replied. I won't leave you without something in return. I've got nowhere to go—maybe I'll stay a while, and help you out.

What else was there left to do? Everyone was gone. He could turn tail-tucked toward his father's territory at Swiftcurrent Creek, but honestly, he'd rather die.

This seemed like the best case scenario, at least for now.