Great Bear Wilderness Demons among us

Set just outside past Nightwalkers borders.

They had come to an agreement. Tzila the Shadow Queen and Black Hat would travel together, north towards Neverwinter Forest. It made sense, during these times to strike out in search of answers. Of possible allies. To go it alone would be foolish, with the quakes growing more frequent...more violent by the day. Tzila considered herself a hardened survivor, but she had never been through anything quite like this. She wasn't stupid.

Although she much preferred to be active at night, given the choice, this time logic out won desire. A recon mission across a volatile landscape cloaked in darkness was unwise. During these times, she would rather see any potential danger well in advance than running into it blindly at the last second. They would rise early, she had decided. She would not rest long - only for a few hours. Tucked inside an old fox den, curled in an inky ball of thick fur, she blended in seamlessly with the darkness. The tight quarters inside and the shadows which wrapped around her like a blanket were normally a source of comfort for her. But not tonight. Dreams...memories plagued her sleep. Of him. The bane of her existence. She growled softly, barely a whisper at first. Then her jaws clenched, teeth grinding painfully. Behind her eyelids his familiar face flashed, plastered with that smug, shit eating grin she hated so. Taunting her...always taunting. Stop haunting me...

Seeing as he hardly got any sleep, Black Hat was ready to go when she was. He sought her out, following her trail into an old fox den to find her curled up inside. Tzila was still fast asleep, but he could tell this was no peaceful slumber from how a growl slipped out from her troubled mind, and he heard her teeth grind audibly against one another betwixt tightly clenched jaws.

Tzila. Wake up, He uttered, loud enough to rouse most.

Corded muscles lined under the layer of flesh and fur quivered, tensing and relaxing repetitively. She felt trapped here...unable to get away from her scourge of a brother. His face neared hers, speaking in a voice that wasn't his own. "Tzila. Wake up." Her whole body tensed. Oh how she hated it when he came by just for the sake of pestering her. To get a rise out of her, pissing her off. He had but nothing else better to do. 

In her dream induced state, Tzila shifted once again. Her form, likened to a splotch of the darkest ink, coiled 'round like a serpents, with the speed to match. Out she struck towards the light of the real world, parted jaws fiercely snapping with a loud clack. "Get the fuck back and leave me in peace you spoiled brat!" She snarled, still partially entrapped by her dream. Even wolves were known to sleep walk, from time to time depending on the individual. Such was the case for her here, unaware that it was in fact, Black Hat, her most recent acquaintance, and not her despised brother, lurking just outside the burrow.

The last he expected her to do was lash out at him for waking her, but here he was, recoiling from her snapping jaws like a gazelle fleeing from a crocodile. Though his instinctual reaction was to become angry and punish anyone for having the gall to attack him, the angry words she slurred felt... out of character. He and Tzila got along swimmingly the other day, so why had she become so volatile? It sounded as if she was speaking to someone else, eyes open but brain still asleep.

Wake up, you fiend! Black Hat hollered, hoping his voluminous, grating voice would pierce through the haze in her mind.

Slight Power play. Let me know if anything needs to be changed. <3

 
Though newly animated, Tzila's eyes were unseeing of the truth before her. Her dream...her nightmare held her fast. All she saw was the face of her brother and his pale eyes, heard his taunting voice. Her blood boiled as she surged forward with deadly intent. Jaws agape, she barreled forward without hesitation, without the slightest concern for her own well-being. Her chest collided against his with a solid crunch and she reared up on her hindquarters, a booming snarl evacuating from her vocals.

Her face twisted into a demonic grimace, she made to strike, like a snake would at it's prey to deliver the fatal blow. Her aim was for the face, as it had always been so many times before when she and her brother engaged in conflict. But this time, as the grating voice of Black Hat, not her own blood, shattered in her ears, did her attack cease, the moment the tips of her pearly fangs grazed his muzzle, between his eyes. She drew back slowly, the cloudy haze fading from her eyes, replaced by bleary recognition. Removing herself from him, she could find no words other than "God damn nightmares..." , while pointedly avoiding eye contact.

She reared on her hinds and slammed into him with a bodily thud, knocking the wind from his lungs. It was then he called out to her. If her teeth dug into his invaluable face, Black Hat would be left no choice but to retaliate, but he'd rather not injure himself nor his traveling partner to-be just before they set off. Fortunately, Tzila was freed from her spell by the sound (or perhaps the sheer volume) of his voice, which was surely nothing like that of whoever she was imagining.

There was stillness, and the two stared into one another's eyes as the virago came to before she removed herself from his person. He hadn't realized how hard his heart was rapping against his sternum nor how his legs had begun to quake in anticipation of an impromptu battle until everything came to a standstill.

Silence.

Then, a low murmur tumbled from Tzila. Still hysterical from his adrenaline high, he shouted, Fucking hell, woman! You nearly took out my other eye! Care to explain? Though he asked a question, it was clearly a demand. He deserved an answer for this madness at the very least, if not a bloody apology!

When her temper flared, Tzila was truly a force to be reckoned with. Rooted deep within her was a primal savagery, entwined with her corrupted spirit, which she unleashed like a rabid hound from his chains. In this, she held nothing back, had the potential to be a great warrior, given the proper training. She only need learn how to channel her wrath. 

Come his retort, she spun back to face him, though this time, without hostility in her eyes. She still quivered slightly from the rush of adrenaline flooding her system. "Wasn't your fault. T'was mine. I...have that same dream from time to time." Heavily, she planted her bottom on the ground. "Involves my brother...the little shit..." She grumbled, ears pinned back in the dark hairs of her skull.

She took the blame, which he supposed was close enough to an apology to quell his ire. What did he do to you? He murmured, calmer now. Her sibling must have done something truly heinous to elicit this kind of response, not to mention the recurring nightmares. Black Hat wished to be privy to it, to understand what made Tzila the twisted soul she was today.

At his question, she sent him an abrupt, sharp glare. But it wasn't meant for him personally. Her features were hardened, as if the mere thought of her brother and his role in her past caused her great pain. Debating with herself inside, she narrowed her silver eyes slightly. The silence that fell between them hinted that this subject wasn't one she took lightly. Finally, she broke it with a question of her own. "What makes you want to know?" She said coldly, unaccustomed to such a question. No one had ever asked her before. No one cared to, to find out why Tzila was the corrupt demoness she was today.

She shot him a sharp glare as if wounded by his question. Everything about her reaction screamed "trauma". Tzila returned a question of her own in lieu of an answer, and he snorted. You nearly tearing my face off in the midst of a nightmare certainly contributes to my sudden curiosity, He sassed, pretending to be deep in thought. Black Hat was the type to lash out when truly irate, so with all things considered, he was in relatively good spirits about it.

Rolling her shoulders back with a tip of her neck, she flashed him a smirk. "Fair enough." She would rise from her seated position and began coming towards him, with a little sway in her step, of course. Though that smirk remained, her features darkened, the light in her eyes containing a quiet sort of fury. The kind of the most feared variety. 

"He did what he does best. Being himself." She stated, before moving on to explain further. For it was oh so much more complicated than a clash of his personalities. "Although I may have been the first born, he was always the favorite. Always better, always outclassing me in every facet." Tzila's inky form tinted with her signature crimson scarf, began to circle Black Hat now, with slow, precise steps. Slowly she coiled in closer with each turn. "No matter how great my efforts, how desperately I tried to excel...to please my family, he struck me down every time. While I was ridiculed...shamed. Shoved aside as a disappointment. And all the while, he basked in it. Every fucking god damn moment." Now she stepped close, rising up again to drape her fore legs over his shoulders. Down the length of her muzzle she stared at him, with slitted eyes. "So I did to him what I nearly did to you. I ruined his oh so perfect image, the dashing charmer everyone so adored." Her voice was low...toxic, while a smile only fit for a devil rested on her lips.

She humored him, demeanor shifting to that of sinister amusement. There was an intensity to her gaze like that of a serpent about to strike as she approached, which made him suspect Tzila would attack him in full this time. One could never be too careful when dealing with villains, especially those who were unfamiliar. Unpredictable. But she did not strike — not yet, anyway — instead opting to circle around him. Black Hat trailed her movements with his good eye, muscles ready to spring into action in case she snapped; though he watched on with a relaxed expression.

Despite his wariness, he absorbed each and every word that passed her lips. Such ferocious jealousy, and at such a young age... he'd seen it all before. To be tossed aside by one's own family twisted anyone in one of two forms: a weakling with no self-esteem, or a corrupted soul fueled by pent-up fury. Tzila just-so happened to be the respectable of the two possibilities.

He didn't expect her to rear up, and it was only the slowness of this movement that prevented him from instinctively retaliating. She rested her weight on his shoulders, and he did not shake her, instead staring back into those narrow moon-shade eyes. I see, Black Hat said simply, finally. The satisfaction of learning so much vital information about her left him content. What does he look like? Aside from a fucked face and all, He jested darkly.

She shifted her weight from one rear paw to the other, keeping her pressure light around his shoulders. While her smile did not fade, the light in her eyes did. Into them seeped a darkness, so like the coils of shadows she was the master of. "Unforgettable." She began simply. It was the best way in which to describe her brother. No matter how she tried, there was no erasing his face from her memory. Not ever.

"He boasts a dark coat, grizzled with silver. Deep black points, especially on the ears and legs. And his eyes...those god damn eyes..." She clenched her jaw tight, while studying his own...contemplating how he had attained the injury to the bloodshot one. "...are a champagne color." 

Slowly she pulled back and dropped down to all fours, passing him by with a mere graze of her dark flank. "I riddled his face with deep wounds...took a good chunk out of his ear. I haven't seen him in ages...but I would love to see how our medic did with such...extensive injuries." The edge in her voice was nothing short of saying she hoped those scars were raw...never destined to be fully healed. "I made quite sure of it that you can't forget a face like his." Tzila laughed openly...proud of herself.

Gonna close this out!

Tzila was as vengeful as they came, and she wore her sins with pride. He listened on with a sick sense of joy and allowed her to reminisce uninterrupted. She returned to all-fours to continue her circling, but Black Hat was relaxed as could be, enraptured by her dark ramblings. Only when she was finished did he speak.

Unforgettable indeed, He rumbled, committing the description to memory. If I see him, I'll be sure to give you a call — after I'm done with him, of course. Black Hat grinned wryly. He wanted to see what she would do to her brother now with his own eyes. It was rare to find such a raw, unrestrained vendetta, especially towards one's own kin. He treasured it as the gem it was.

Remembering why he came to get her, he shifted topics. Well, He breathed. With that settled, we should get going. Ready when you are.