Deepwood Weald I go my own way

For @Revui.

Her pattern as of late had been consistent. Tzila was spending more and more time away from the Nightwalkers, often found anywhere but the Haunted woods. Though very much a ranking member, she had distanced herself greatly from the pack. Deep in her bones, she could feel her reclusive nature coming alive again. That familiar pull to break away, as she had done so many times in her short life. Growing stronger as the weeks passed. And yet she lingered, like a ghost on the outskirts. She was a patient wolf. Cunning and clever. Enough so that she knew to bide her time. To wait until an opportunity presented itself. She would not act irrationally, weighing her options instead. 

Tucked away in the deepest reaches of the Weald, Tzila was enjoying herself. Mid hunt, a panicked hare zig zagged and sprinted for its life. In hot pursuit was the black clad wolf, marred with scarlet. She charged through the snow which flew up around her in great plumes, dusting her coat. Nimbly, she dodged the few trees that occasionally stood in her way. Her muscles burned from exertion, but it was feeling she relished. Working for her meal. Alone. With one final surge, she flung herself at the white rabbit and with a thump, crushed its hind end beneath her chest. Still alive, cries of agony were abruptly silenced by the clamping of jaws around its neck. 

He had not ventured to the mountain yet. The deal with Hydra remained fresh in his mind, and he knew he was not welcome there until he had proven himself to her - protected her, as he had sworn to do. When his trail led inevitably to the shelter of a forest (which by happenstance had been marked by many scents) he backtracked and followed the shadow of the mountain instead, leading him to the weald. Beyond that was the sea - he could smell it - but Revui wasn't interested in going further.

The forest was dense. It was made more difficult to traverse with all the snow - although it was not snowing presently, the pressure of the clouds above foretold an oncoming flurry. Revui knew by now that the season's tempestuous conditions were a danger to all that lived, including wolves. He was unafraid, as always.

There came a shriek deep among the trees, further than he had ventured, and while it did not sound like another wolf nor anything to be wary of, he was slow to advance all the same. Cautious. The scent of blood filtered through the trees and gave the winterscape some spice; it also urged him to move quickly to close the distance, and when he did, Revui was struck by the sight of something dark (lined with red) looming over a squirming body.

Self-preservation was key: he held himself back, lurking in the dark of the trees clustered nearby.

Her racing heart began to settle, the adrenaline slowly ebbing away in her veins. But the thrill of the kill was still fresh in her mind. Remaining splayed out on the snowy ground, Tzila's dark tail began the rare motions of a wag. She had little reason to assume she was being watched. In the thick of it all, it had just been her and her lunch. No other sounds or sights indicated that another wolf was lurking. Normally one who was accustomed to always being on guard, just this once, she had let it slip.

A thin trickle of blood rolled down her lips while she nosed at the still warm, lifeless body. She combed through the downy fur, inhaling deeply the foreign scent of the animal. She examined its fixated, unseeing dark eyes...the velveteen nose. Then back to the pelt itself. Contemplating skinning it carefully, she mused that it may come in handy later down the road. With a lick of her chops and a clack of teeth, she set to work on the meticulous task, starting from the neck down.

He watched as the dark shape tended to something small. The longer he watched, the more he could see. There was only so much light penetrating through the clouds, and it took time for his eyes to adjust to the darkness of the forest. Even the ambient light shared across the snow did not help much - but gradually, eventually, he recognized the creature as a wolf. Not just a wolf either, but one he knew as a Nightwalker.

She was so intent on her prize that she did not react to his presence. Whether she recognized him being there or not, Revui wasn't going to waste any time; he wanted to charge her in that instant, bowl her over, take whatever she was hoarding for herself -- except as his body tensed and he readied himself to do just that, he recalled his month away from the valley.

So instead of barreling in, he paused (Hydra would have been proud of this, had she been around to see it); he thought quickly about his next move, and drew closer with a purposeful stride. He did not mask his steps, taking pleasure in the crunching of the snow, and stopped once the wolf had turned to look at him - as she no doubt would.

Inch by inch, the fluffy white hide of the rabbit peeled back, revealing the ripened flesh beneath. She adjusted her hold with her teeth, gingerly working her way down the inside of the legs, towards the chest. Her tail wagged absent mindedly again. She couldn't remember the last time she had paid so much attention to detail.  

Or when she felt so at peace.

It wasn't destined to last. As is so often happened in the wild, someone or something else came edging in with hopes of trying to steal what wasn't theirs. The crunch of snow being disturbed underfoot made her pause mid bite, the swishing of her tail ceasing. All movement of her jaws and head stopped. She stilled, save for the backwards pivot of her ears, like horns. She knew he was there, behind her. Slowly, deliberately, she turned around to face him, but did not rise. Ears still poised in their tilted upright position, she resumed her work with an oddly calm air of self-assurance, fixing his eyes with hers. If he dared come an inch closer, he would find that the scent of the Nightwalkers was near nonexistent on her fur.

When he had left the Nightwalkers himself, it had not been planned. He figured that Vengeance would be after him for dropping off the face of the earth (so to speak) — but when this wolf turned to regard him, it was not with the same hostility he anticipated. Perhaps there was no kill-on-sight order issued; a fault in someone's logic.

He had been taught a hard lesson by the Nightwalkers — but another lesson came from the Castle Rock wolves. Revui knew how important food was and how stupid he would prove to be, should he attempt to steal it from this wolf. The last time he had hunted with a stranger had amounted in murder after all. No, he didn't want the rabbit. The woman stared him down - and he turned away, feigning disinterest in order to prove a point. The rabbit was not his concern.

But still he lingered. He watched. He waited.

Her eyes never left him. There was no flame of hatred, no glint of sarcasm. Just quiet confidence and consideration. Back when she and Serem had so ruthlessly pinned him down in the pit for treatment to his wounds, she had been under Vengeance's command. She was following orders like a good little solider, ensuring their captives be kept alive and useful (to a point). Now that he was dead and with a child in his place, Tzila played by no rules but her own. For her own sake, and that of toying with their minds, she allowed those of the Nightwalkers who ranked above her to think she was still on their team. Many who had wronged this wolf were now gone. Were that enough to satiate his desire for snuffing out their lives, was for him to decide.

She huffed softly, content that he did not press her for her meal. With the skin of the rabbit split at the stomach, she concluded the session and allowed the rest to peel away naturally. Tossing the freed pelt to the side, she dove into the stomach cavity to consume the entrails. Several large bites later, and all that remained of the small animal were a few rib bones and a bloodied stain on the snow. She licked her dark maw again, turning back to the charcoal man. Rising with an unhurried stretch, she approached. There was no swagger in her stride. No predatory intent. Just curiosity, mixed with a dash of caution. Last she had seen him she assumed he had been on his way back to Moonspear. So, was that where he'd been this whole time?

The wet crunching of her work filled the grove with a macabre sort of melody. Along with the strong smell of blood, anyone else might have been turned off altogether or found offense enough to leave. Revui did not know why he lingered. If not for the spoils of her hunt, then perhaps for company; but that was nonsensical considering their history. Perhaps it was his physical maturity leading him to linger - this sense that he was male, she was female, for whatever that was worth. Nothing was enticing about Tzila save for the blood she now licked clean from her muzzle; or so he thought in the moment.

When she finished, she rose and tread towards him. He lifted his head back to its naturally confident posture and felt a ripple of energy along his spine - the darkest edge of his coat raising, while he subtly adjusted his posture to something a little more defensive. Considering their last interaction had him pinned to the dirt against his will, he had to be on his guard. But the closer she got the more she gave away: notably, her abandonment of the Nightwalkers. The absence of Vengeance's scent was somewhat telling, at least. She had either chosen to abandon the group or someone had taken out the warrior leading them.

A pity. He had hoped to do so himself.

Until one truly got to know who Tzila was, down at her core, interacting with her was like a game of chance. She enjoyed keeping others on their toes, always guessing. Wondering whether or not if she, in a sudden turn, would go for the throat. She used this tactic purposefully, for she knew psychologically, it could befuddle her opponent. However, there were those of the variety who were not put off such an unpredictable nature. They, she respected more than others. Looking inward, at times even Tzila didn't know who she truly was.

She half expected him to recoil, to lash out with bared fangs ready to seek out her flesh. But he didn't. Only tensed up, made clear by his body language and the twitch of muscle beneath his coat. Her eye caught this, and she slowed her steps even further. Conveying without words, that she was not interested in a physical altercation. To confirm her curiosity, she reached out and let her nose glide along the outermost hairs of his coat, absorbing the scents there. Then finally, turning her head away, she spoke. "Nightwalkers is not what it once was. Vengeance is gone. Dead."

For all the damage that the Nightwalkers had caused him, he had enjoyed his stay there. How strange that must be - to favour one's captors! But it was the truth. It had been a simpler time in his life. Injured and alone, making reparations; it seemed as if Revui was always paying back debts to someone. They had tended his wounds, but in a way that made him feel weaker than he was, debased merely for existing. His stay there had been the catalyst for change within Revui - even he could see that, looking back upon those moments of hunger in the pit. He had been forced to endure or perish. And what kept him from giving up - chief above his love of his own family - was his spite. The promise he held within himself (and which he recited to himself in his silence) that he would survive, thrive, and then retaliate.

Thus far he had only completed two of the tree. With her own admission, the last piece would never come to pass.

Vengeance is gone. Dead. She said, looking away. Nothing registered upon Revui's face to betray how he felt. He did not know how he felt, exactly. The man had been at the forefront of his mind for a while, but Castle Rock had dug him out like a cancerous growth. Vengeance had been formidable in life; Revui would seek him in death, should there be a world after, and find his retribution.

All of this flew through his mind so swiftly, it registered only as a blink of the eye and a soft, almost petulant, huff. Who? He intones finally, inquiring as to what fell beast could have brought down someone like that bear of a man.

With watchful eyes, Tzila searched for his reaction. Only to find nothing other than the soft little huff he let out. She had not been present of course, when it was just him and the former Warlord, when he confessed his plans of revenge. So she could not assume if Vengeance too, had been on his hit list. The question that she knew was coming did indeed leave his lips. Tzila did not hesitate in offering her answer.

"A child, not even physically come of age." Though her expression remained impassive, the hint of disgust in her tone was palpable. "You might know her as Hela." Dark lids flitted over her eyes momentarily as she took in a steadying breath. "He met his end in a challenge for rank..." Her cold silver eyes opened again, and when she did, she pointedly turned her head to the side, ears slicked back. "...and now she expects us to fall in line like good little troops." Her outer shell was beginning to crack, to show the faint outlines of emotion hidden within.

He waited for an answer, and his brain buzzed with images of the various wolves he recalled of the Nightwalkers. Among them was Tzila, but she was here before him and did not carry herself like a queen. He thought of Black Hat, and then the medic who had dosed him on various occasions within the pit - finally, Vanity, but none of them had assumed the throne. As Tzila named the successor Revui's brow furrowed; he could not recall anyone by that name, and had likely never exchanged details with the girl in question. But the woman called them a child which could only result in two options: the girl who watched him in the pit, or the boy who had harassed Orochi during the escape.

...and now she expects us to fall in line like good little troops. Tzila betrayed her misgivings with the ease of her statement, the vitriol within the tone of her voice. Even Revui could catch the disinterest there, the lack of respect, and it made his spine bristle a little bit. No matter who ran the Nightwalker crew the leader was the leader; they demanded the respect of their lessers, and it did not sit well with Revui that anyone would be so resistant to the change.

He shrugs his broad shoulders. I do not know the name, he explains with a brooding, low voice. You do not think them worthy? He asks next - mostly rhetorical, considering how obvious Tzila's unhappiness was with the outcome. Anyone who could take down a behemoth like Vengeance deserved some respect. If she is not, then take her place. It was a simple solution, at least to him.

Her eyes narrowed, showing contempt. Not towards him, but to the situation in Nightwalkers. "Defeating him as she did is an impressive feat in of itself. That I won't argue." She said, exposing some of her more rational train of thought. The look she gave Revui now was still serious, but also meaningful. She thought it about time to fill him in, just a little, regarding what type of wolf she really was. Not as a Nightwalker, but an individual. "I was never a team player. I joined them only to sate my curiosity and for my personal gain. I never once swore any type of loyalty."

She turned to move, to begin a slow walk further through the forest. A glance invited him to walk with her. "That being said, I do not offer my loyalty easily, let alone my respect." It had to be earned. But there was one wolf, one whom he was very close to, who had earned such a rarity instantly. The moment Tzila had laid eyes on her. "So, I see little point in the effort of leading a pack of mongrels who would follow a child rather than an adult with actual experience. That right there says a lot about their character and I would rather not associate with such a lack of common sense."

He listened. Mostly because he had to. She was there, and she was full of spite, which spilled over via her tongue. So many words and so much emotion - but he listened. It did not make much sense to Revui that she would be out here roaming instead of taking care of her problem; but then, words had that effect on him. Actions were so much louder - and more permanent. Maybe she was afraid of what the Nightwalkers would do to her if she followed-through with her true desire.

When there was quiet, he almost did not notice it. Revui appeared distracted and disinterested. He had been listening, truly, but it took a beat before he caught on to that gaping emptiness of silence and filled it with his own mumbled words. He shrugged, furthering his indifference, and offered her one more olive branch of advice: Find somewhere else, then.

She wasn't willing to kill the offending wolf. The pack would rise up against her if she even tried, and it sounded as if she had a small modicum of respect for the girl deep down. If they weren't a good enough leader that was one thing, but if Tzila wasn't willing to take over and do a (subjectively) better job, there was only one course of action. It seemed simple to him.

Tzila cared little what Revui's reaction might be. Only that he heard her. She didn't need verbal acknowledgement. Often times, body language or a glance, said so much more than words could. If he did think that Tzila might be afraid of what the Nightwalkers would do to her when she left, he was sadly mistaken. If they came after her, she would cut them down one by one. Serem was perhaps the only wolf within the pack she truly trusted. Others, she had proven herself against by sheer example alone and her long-standing rank as Major. Tzila had killed before and she would do it again. 

But even if they did dare come for her, finding her would be no easy task. The Shadow Queen was infamous for making herself disappear, and with good reason. After the stretch of silence between them, broken only by his simple piece of advice, Tzila looked at him out of the corner of one cold silver eye. There was no fear there...no worry for the safety of her own hide. Only self-resolution. "I know what I must do. Next time...if you see me, the circumstances will be different." She was curious of his own reason for vanishing from the Wilds altogether. Why he had not returned to Moonspear. But he didn't offer it and she didn't ask. That might be for another day. Without another word or a backwards glance, Tzila slipped away, melting back into the shadows from whence she came.