Herbalists' Cache called to the skies but she was overcast

The place was beautiful; though she imagined it would be even more so in the summertime, when the herbs existed as more than faded scents beneath the snow. As soon as @Portia had told her of the place, she's wanted to go. With the inability to gather sea-glass on the shore any longer, she was eager to discover some new place she could frequent, especially now that the threat of war was done with. 

She peered back at her mother over her shoulder, happy smile on her face as she darted here and there, encountering the odd bit of frozen herb and calling its name out to her mother. She slipped a little deeper into the wood, glancing from bough to bough and imagining it in its full summer glory. Her mother was somewhere behind her, she knew, but didn't concern herself with where exactly, not when a remarkable little finch had caught her interest as it flitted through the tree limbs.

@Ithrik

it pleased her greatly to know that dalia was as thrilled to come here as she had hoped she'd be. portia had let her daughter get a little bit ahead of her, hanging back to catch a nearby rabbit for them to share. she'd catch up and they could chat about the garden and take a quick snack break, and portia couldn't be more thrilled.

she'd caught the hare (thankfully) and then pressed on to catch up with dalia, spotted tail wagging as she padded along. it was a good day, portia could only think about heading home to tell her husband all about their quick vacation to the garden-- a day to celebrate the end of the war. finally, all was peaceful again.

Peace was hard to find. Ithrik had never truly felt that he was at peace, in any sense of the term. Even when he was fulfilling the blood-lust in the pit of his stomach, it was only to make peace for the rest of his sins. Their blood would forgive all that he had done and would bring him to his final peace. Until then, he would continue his march for atonement and he would satisfy himself with every life. As if on cue, the Apostle whispered in his ear; he requested another body. Ithrik cast his muzzle to peer over his shoulder, searching for @Iliksis' shape. His nephew would not be far behind him. They were hunting together.

Stilt-like limbs carried him forward. The devil's head swung from side to side with each sauntering step. Without warning, the scent of a stranger wafted through his nostrils. His pace slowed and he drew his skull upward with interest. Another scent joined the first, similar but different enough to distinguish. The vile hound grinned and continued onward until he could peer through the brush and see the two wolves. Both were female and both appeared to have found some peace in the beauty of the terrain. All of that was lost on the hungering brute. His mouth salivated and he cast his gaze to the younger of the two with considerable absorption.

Knowing that his nephew would not be far behind, Ithrik stepped through the brush and emerged on the other side, swaying in place and fixing the women with a savage intensity. Drool gathered in his mouth and he opened his black-furred muzzle to draw a salmon colored tongue over his lips, drizzling slobber to the ground. His fur prickled at their scent and he grew aroused. The young girl would be his mark without fail.

they traveled in silence, the piebald man fording the trail while the grey male nimbly followed in his tracks. two souls in an unforgiving winter hinterland, alone save for their own company and the presence of evergreens and endless snow. he did not recognize the valley or the trail they kept to. it was new and alien and doused in white that the sun beat reflectively down upon.

they came across a pair of wolves and it was no surprise to him to witness ithrik's actions. quietly he assessed the two: female, one young and one old. iliksis was struck by the dottering way the skewbald female attended to the silver agouti and he presumed they might be related. he thought the skewbald's coloring most unusual, all moonlight fur with blots of obsidian -- like ithrik's, if ithrik was somehow turned inside out.

already ithrik made his attentions clear and iliksis quickly closed the distance between them with his posture neutral and ears held affably askance. the women would be worried for their presence and surely ithrik's intensity would alarm them. iliksis sought to balm whatever unease they may have had by stepping brightly in front of his uncle with an amicable expression across his sharp features. "hello," he greeted warmly, a friendly wave of his tail given as he issued an apologetic glance in their direction. he spoke in a sotto voice, his words accompanied by a winsome smile: "don't pay any mind to my brother.. cougar attack two years ago and hasn't been the same since. i'm drogon." a lie - he wasn't drogon at all, but he sold the name well. "and that's my brother rumil. we were hunting but lost the trail further back." he looked from portia to dalia with a feigned expression of excitement on his features.

The finch fluttered off, suddenly disturbed from its meandering flight. Gaze fluttered to land on the brush as it surged and snapped, revealing some beast who's gaze burned over both of them before settling on her. The sylph's fur prickled, falling motionless as she took in the beast before taking a hasty step back. For a moment did her gaze meet his, and she dropped her own with revulsion and a low surge of fear in her gut. Again did she skip backward when another joined the first, though he did not seem a monster. Perhaps, had she met him alone, she would have realized the wrongness of him too, and yet in juxtaposition to the beast he seemed benign.


She twisted around once to find the comforting shape of her mother before twisting back, not liking the idea of taking her gaze off the beast. It was a while before she found her voice, and beat longer until she found the strength to speak clearly. "hello,"  Increasing her volume, she tried again, continuing. "I am sorry - about your brother." Meeting another demanded an exchange of names, did it not? I bit more confidently now that she seemed on a roll, she did the same. "Dalia."  Still, she was uncomfortable, as made obvious by her shifting weight and ears that twisted towards her mother.

portia came upon not just dalia, but two others-- two strangers, one with a gaze of... nothing she'd ever seen before. had she been more focused on his appearance, she two might have made the observation that he was just like her-- but opposite. but his gaze held her attention, and it wasn't until the other one-- drogon-- spoke that she was able to tear her own gaze away. dalia looked to her, and portia did the only thing she knew how to do, stepping in front of the pale sylph to direct any of the questions at herself-- for dalia didn't like to speak as much as she did.

"portia," she greeted as sweetly as she could, focusing on how charming this young man was despite his brother. his comment piqued her interest. "what were you hunting?" she asked, the rabbit hanging casually from her jaws, "ya'll are welcome to share this-- we're headed home soon, don't need it." that was all she could do, offer her own sacred southern hospitality. besides, even though the one-- rumil-- gave her chills, she couldn't place anything wrong with the pair, not quite, anyway. she assumed this was a two birds with one stone. any good intentions they had, portia had done right by them, and if something truly was wrong well-- perhaps an offering would calm their malice. for now, she remained calm.

Iliksis seemed to have the best timing. Just as the two women were struck with a dreadful pit inside of their stomachs, he stepped through and saved the day with a few eloquent words. When his nephew introduced him as Rumil and provided him with his own tragic backstory, the piebald devil cracked a nasty grin and drooled all over his paws. “Eheh... cougar,” he babbled like an infant, darting his gaze between the two women with a sharp interest. Both of them had their beauty, but he had never been able to pass on a tender child – one who still had not reached her full adulthood. There was a beautiful innocence in them and he knew that it could be found nowhere else. No matter, he knew that the Apostle required the purity, and so he would always seek it out.

Taking a few swaying steps toward the pair of women, Ithrik eyed the young and pale girl who looked at him with such fear in her eyes. He could feel himself being drawn to them. The pair would make a nice addition to his collection of parts. Though eyes were tasty morsels, the vile hound would have liked a sparkling set like hers. The way that they glimmered reminded him of the warm ocean. He opted to continue his feigned imbecility for them and wiggled his rear a bit to show off a wagging tail.

“Girl has pretty eyes. Rumil likes them. Likes them very much.”

But Ithrik would like them more if they were to slide down his gullet. The devil almost gave himself away with the very thought, as it caused his body to stiffen and his limbs to hold him in place for a moment too long. It was not difficult for the piebald brute to fabricate his lunatic state; when he had gone so long without feasting, it came almost naturally.

if they believed his ruse they did so mistrustfully. iliksis could see the reluctance, particularly in the younger one's complexion. whatever opinion the duo shared of his monstrous 'brother' was not necessarily eradicated by his fabrication, though he did see that the edges of the older woman's eyes seemed to soften perceptibly.

she motioned to stand in front of the youth and that reinforced iliksis' assumption that perhaps they were mother and daughter. he was not keen to fight mothers, for he found they often had an inconquerable fierceness about them where their offspring were involved -- which made them dangerous. he cast the briefest look to his 'brother' but it was clear from ithrik's hungry stare (and his equally perturbing statement) that the man had made his mark. deftly he sought to disarm them by rejoining: "her name is dalia, rumil." he corrected with exasperation, as if he constantly had to chide the brute for his lapse in chaacter. "sorry again." he whispered with a wink.

the ash-splattered woman offered her hare; iliksis shook his head in polite decline though an appreciative smile played his lips. "m'lady, i could not take something that you fairly caught! we were hunting a doe, but lost her tracks a ways back. this one --" he jerked his muzzle back towards ithrik before continuing -- "is not the most discreet hunter." his tail swayed around his hocks as he continued.

it was then he would make his move, for he feared if they interacted any longer the two would become wise to the malevolence that clouded the two 'brothers' -- he made to pick up the hare as if he had changed his mind, but at the last minute lunged for the mother with his fangs bared and paws outstretched.

She did not like the male with the glowering gaze, the one that remarked on her eyes. She swallowed dryly as he neared, but could not shake the growing feeling that she was being stupid. It was not Rumil's fault to have her this uncomfortable, surely, and she smiled weakly as Drogon made his apologies for his brother, at once glad to have her mother between herself and the strangers even though she knew she was being cowardly. "thank you," The words came carefully, and she attempted a small smile of the larger beast.

She fell silent as her mother spoke, thankfully slipping into her relative comfort zone as her mother offered the hare she'd caught. She knew that this too was cowardly, surely, she ought to say something, anything. Before she could offer anything, however, the male was politely refusing their offer, though only a moment later reconsidering.

When he lunged for her mother, she was for a moment made still by complete shock, muscles freezing. "stop!" She cried, and at once her hackles prickled and her gaze slid desperately to land on her mother. Her mind caught up with what the male had done a beat later, and a second after that she was sorting through her sparse, sparse knowledge of fighting. Who did she attack? For surely she must, she couldn't simply run - did she go for the beast with the glowering gaze, or the more obvious threat? For a long moment she was still, and then made a delayed lunge towards Drogon; at the same time her panicked mind worked through all that she'd ever heard of fighting.

only when rumil made a note about dalia's eyes did the fisa take another step back. it was small but meaningful, trying to offer as much comfort to her daughter even as this stranger was just flat out... well, portia had a lot of words for it. creepy was certainly one of them. portia shook her head gently as he declined her offer, making a mental note of his choice of words. she wanted to leave by now, actually, so when he had apparently changed his mind and went to take the hare, she began to offer a farewell. "well it--" but was cut short as a blunt force rammed into her, throwing her to the ground and absolutely knocking the breath out of her.

for a moment she blacked out, confused and shocked and then in pain, as teeth grabbed a hard hold on her scruff. and, truthfully, that was absolutely it for poor mrs. portia moreau, who lacked all the skill necessary to fight properly and was already pinned and held at an angle so awkward she simply couldn't fight back. her limbs flailed and kicked and pressed against the dark-furred body above her. "get off!" she snarled, but even she knew that words were likely useless now... as if they were ever any help in this situation to begin with.

i thought dalia was the last to post for some reason. please smack me if this waits too long again <3 i don't want u guys sittin around waiting on my ass.

 

The girl's thanks caused him to shudder and he wheezed a desperate breath from between his dark lips. She was so polite, so fair, that he felt himself burning at the thought of touching her in places that she ought not to ever be touched. It festered inside of him as his ears swiveled to listen to Iliksis, but the words that were uttered by his nephew did not matter enough to him. His entire physical presence had been placed in that precise location for her.

Thankfully, the devil did not have to wait long. Iliksis made his pretty words and moved to collect the hare, feigning at the last minute and lunging toward the speckled mother with a fiery in his gaze. Ithrik laughed loudly, hacking in the back of his throat. The hound fixed his eyes on the youthful wolf and salivated onto the ground beneath his feet. His stilted limbs carried him like a dancer in a wider circle around the two females, blocking a direct escape from either of them. Once he had ensured that his family was secure with his mark, Ithrik faced the youngest of the two once more and bared a set of rotten, jagged fangs. The fur along his back rose and stiffened while he prowled forward.

“Stop, stop, stop,” he teased the girl in a mimic, snapping his teeth together with each repetition of her plea. Drawing his tongue along his muzzle and lips, Ithrik made a lunge for the younger girl and aimed to strike his fangs against the softest portions of her skin; the hocks.

iliksis had only eyes for his quarry: the girl's pleas, his uncle's derisive laughter -- all of that was missed as iliksis looked down upon the sprawled and kicking form of the woman he had just assailed. she was upended in the snow, thrashing like a trout pulled from water -- with a hungry growl he fell upon her with fangs unsheathed.

the darkness of his plans were revealed by the forceful way he positioned himself -- between hefty kicks of her limbs he grunted and attempted to straddle her, fending off her defenses with quick snaps of his jaws. he was hungry -- but not for hare -- for a moment he sought to make eye contact with her; as if to tell her, this is what is in store for you. this is what i will do to you.

she would struggle, and iliksis would enjoy it - he always did. but first, he would have to physically eviscerate her and strip her of any defense. as her limbs plucked about him he fell upon her front leg with a savage intensity, teeth finding sinew, searing tissue -- a satisfying crack hit his ears as he reared back as if a man on a line -- he had tasted of her blood and her sweat and fear -- and soon, he would taste of her.

he was about to force his way into her when a particularly powerful clout of her thrashing hind legs impacted his gut, taken by surprise given the sorry state he had left her front leg in. with a grunt he was bowled backwards and winded -- the pain caused a blind rage to overcome him and with a snarl he flung himself after her. he would not let her escape - she was his to torment, his to defile -- and she would suffer for her outburst.

her lunge was halted as doubt overcame her, and the fierce stare of the other male had her twist. her ears flicked, pushing against her skull before twisting towards her mother, then the male that taunted her so. she cowered, shifting low as fear and confusion glinted in her gaze. hasty steps back away from the male before she paused, gaze moving once to her mother as she kicked away the first attacker - Drogon. she bade desperately for her to run, but before portia could move the male was atop her again, and dalia knew that she could not flee. 

her gaze moved once, twice to the drooling male, knowing she ought to focus on him but utterly overwhelmed. it was this, coupled with her total lack of experience, that had the male find his target. rapid yelp left her muzzle as she thrashed, jaws agape and fangs snapping shut on empty air several times as she sought desperately to escape the hurt and the fear, the way the male knew just where to land his fangs so that the pain may burn through her limbs. she aimed for his face, or any bit of piebald fur that presented itself, driven into a desperate fury.

pain was not something that portia was accustomed to. she was dainty and delicate and made to be admired from a far. she was not a front-line warrior, or even a back-line warrior. she was made to gather plants and look pretty-- something that rarely encountered any sort of danger. except for now, apparently.

so when teeth clamped against her foreleg she was suddenly still. and as the bone cracked-- the noise alone enough to make her want to hurl-- portia couldn't think of a time she'd ever felt like this. even childbirth was different, but she couldn't explain it. her leg burned, stomach churned, and though she'd stilled suddenly to handle the shock, portia was suddenly angry, because she remembered dalia. her flailing returned, the male had perhaps been off guard or maybe she was just purely lucky-- though not entirely given the situation. her hind leg slammed against his underside and knocking him away. it was dumb luck, and portia let out a sob in her shock. she'd seen the look in his eyes, she knew what he wanted, but portia was a married woman-- she wouldn't be able to go home, not if he'd defiled her like that.

but her escape was... not smooth, not even an escape. she couldn't get to her feet, her one leg had snapped and was holding no weight-- duh portia, you're a medic, you know how broken bones work... more importantly, how they don't work. she stumbled, face piling into the snowy earth as she tried to raise herself with her one limb. dalia was the only thought going through her mind. her eyes scanned, finding the girl tooth to tooth with the beast, and she tried to lunge at him, but the other one, drogon, he was too close, and his force met her hind, knocking her forward.

trying not to interrupt anything if it's not wanted! feel free to interpret portia being through to the side or directly into ithrik? either is fine. (:

Ithrik had met his mark and felt the younger girl thrash against him in a desperate attempt to get away. Her fangs snapped in the air for a long moment before he found his pelt and began to sink into portions of his flesh. The devil disregarded the potential damage that it would cause, knowing that he had faced worse. All else faded from his mind and he found himself enthralled with the idea that he had finally latched his teeth to the tender body of a young girl. Her struggle was enough to draw a vile desire from his gut and he pressed his lower half against her in a few rapid bucks, trying to show her what was in store. Ithrik wanted her to feel the pressure of his cock against her skin and the rapid swinging of his hips as he pushed himself forward. The vile creature wanted her only to know just how terrified she should feel before she was raped and left bleeding against the earth.

He bucked twice more and groaned against where his teeth had latched to her. He wanted to feel the heat of her body against him more than he wanted most anything else. Ithrik could smell the fear wafting off of her in clouds that lingered in the air around the four of them. Without warning, his back end was pushed by Portia and it caused him to flop forward, aiming to land on top of the young girl with a huff.

keeping it vague so you guys can exit if you want!

he was flung back by the force of her kick, and in the time it took for him to compose himself she was already running for her daughter. he was hot after her with a snarl,narrowly avoiding ithrik as he was buffeted aside by the mother's intervention.

a fierce expression overtook him and he lunged again for the woman -- or for the girl -- anything to keep them from turning on ithrik in his moment of vulnerability. his lips parted and glistening fangs were exposed as he hacksawed back and forth with great swings of his muzzle, to pulverize flesh in his jaws, to hurt them as no being ever had before. he would attempt to pluck the woman from her daughter's side and fling her if he could, but he was content also with inflicting immeasurable pain too.

---

she was jostled and shoved, her flesh torn and fear threatening to engulph her. and then the man was shoved upon her, and her head whipped back to catch the source of the motion; her mother. some last vestige of effort rose from the depths of her endurance and she struggled in the manner of a desperate animal, until quite suddenly she was free from beneath the beast. 

she found herself between her mother and the threat, though if she'd placed herself there in some attempt to protect her mother or had simply moved there in the whirlwind of it all, she did not know. it did not matter, for the male seemed intent in inflicting pain, and do so he did; but she did not think to cry out when her pelt was ripped apart and her blood turned the white crimson and pink. she moved, then, rushing to her mother and knowing even then she could not run off and leave portia here.

all too much happened at once. portia might've blacked out for it-- she certainly couldn't make any sense of it now. dalia was suddenly between her and the demon and she was gasping for breath and a hold on the situation. she found little of either, and instead found half of her voice which she used to yell "leave, dalia!" and grabbed her daughters scruff in attempt to snatch her from where she was and send her running away. portia was not a long distance runner, and especially not with a broken leg, but as she threw her child forward with all her might she moved to run with her, as fast as she could on three legs. limp-galloping away from the two beasts with fear.

ithrik out so we can wrap this up

The jostling had knocked the young girl out from underneath him and he snapped his teeth savagely to latch them to anything so that she might not escape. Still, the mother made a move to keep her daughter from the devil, and it was successful. He was knocked to the side and swayed against the length of his own limbs before he fixated his stare on the females and the hunger in his stomach swelled to the point that he would have sunk himself inside of any piece of their severed body, if he had the option. Before the two predators had their chance, the mother was hobbling away with her daughter close at hand. The pursuit would not be worth it, he decided and turned to his nephew with a sour expression at having lost their potential prize. There would be more, he knew, but it would take further searching to find what they both sought.
 
With a huff, he departed and wandered away from the location without looking back. Iliksis would always be welcome to follow, but he needed to put space between himself and the point of attack before they had sent a search party. Ithrik was not keen on being caught and his clever mind had constructed numerous ways of escape, living victims were not part of his plan.

the dark shade might have rallied then and pursued the hobbling woman, were it not for his uncle who had slowed his pace. wordlessly iliksis ceased his chase, slowing to a swinging dogtrot. he did not let them off easily, though -- he threw back his head and howled derisively after them, a smirk marring the thin shape of his countenance.

they could run, but they had not won -- and that was all that mattered to the monster. he stalked jauntily after his uncle, though like ithrik, iliksis devised ways they could finish their dark designs at a later date.