Silvertip Mountain and it’s sad to know that we are not alone

icefang expanse
day after this, morning
55°, mist

ursus members plzzz

Ok so uhhh.. that planned failed. Like failed failed. Not the “I got away empty handed and now I’m starving” type shit but the “I got taken prisoner and now I’m starving and wounded” shit.

Outnumbered by a bunch of wolves. Ugh! How embarrassing. Buzzard really thought they could give ‘em the slip. Guess that’s only possible when you’re in a group.

Buzzard gave their shoulder an irritated lick. 

You know what? Fuck that. They didn’t need anyone to help them out of trouble. This was just one little mistake. Easy to fix. They’d be outta here in no time.

the sheet of ice which bordered the glacier had once been a source of annoyance to merrick. but now he had discovered a purpose for it.
the wind here scoured over slick ground. there were no trees to provide cover. merrick prowled forward with a shiver in answering.
none in ursus had offered the stranger care for the wounds gotten, or offered food.
now he came toward the figure and tilted his head mockingly toward the glacier and its rivers of ice.
"why would you come to ursus?"

Here comes the ring leader. All smug and shit. And for what? Without his circus they wouldn’t even be here. He got lucky.

Buzzard didn’t answer immediately. They licked their shoulder again—a little more irritably this time—and frowned at him.

I dunno. They shrugged. Thought it’d be fun.

merrick watched the other. there was no outward show of response to the cold on that sneering face.
but the bearwitch was a patient creature.
"and did you have fun?" 
his tone was mocking, and glittered like a spray of glass in the frigid air.

His ridicule didn’t make him any easier to be around. Buzzard  tried to hide their temper with a breathy laugh and a grin, but they did a terrible job.

Yeah. Up until you and your goons showed up. Buncha party poopers they are. It’s whatever though.

merrick flashed a horrible death's-head grin. the furrowing of scars around his last eye seemed to deepen. the other was angered.
it felt that more eyes began to gather behind him, in the bleakweald. whether it was his wolves or the bear spirit, one could not know.
"we are ursus. you know our name."
the bearwolf began to walk across the expanse toward the captive, his intent malevolent.

Hints of Buzzards teeth showed as made his approach. It was out of instinct. They wanted to do the stoic act, but they weren’t the very stoic type. At all.

What’s your game here? They growled.

"to feed you into the teeth of my god."
merrick too flashed the yellowed knives of his murderous trade.
and then he was lunging toward the prisoner again, seeking to throw them down against the icy ground.

Vesta too had come to watch the prisoner, though a little late to the job, it seems. 
Merrick walking toward the wolf with malevolence well attuned to, it stirred a bloodlust in Vesta, and she too started forward like a sinister shadow to the aid of her Bruinking. 

As Merrick lunged, though, she stopped, watching intently, curious and itching to join. Yet she would wait for the invite from Merrick to see if she too could become baptized in blood.

asperas lurked in shadow, watching, perhaps summoned by the violence. the spiderling was enraptured by her father's game of terror, but chose not to reveal herself. not yet. for now, she would linger and learn.

cameo

Uh. What? The fuck? What did that even mean???? Well even if they wanted to ask, now’s not the best time.

I don’t think your god will like how I taste. I’m very— That sentence was briefly cut short with a fucking body slam. They wheezed. —scrawny.

Buzzard wriggled underneath him. Between snapping at the air they cursed, Oh for fuck’s sake why don’t you find some other coyote!?

the creature was tossed down. vesta appeared, and merrick shot her a merry look.
"because this is the one that came into claimed land."
a cruel laugh, and then the patter of his urine close, not so to dampen but to fill the air with the reeking musk of the bearwolves.
"i will allow you to serve us as neophyte."
he jerked his head to vesta. "let her help you rise."

Vesta nodded once as Merrick seemed to catch on to her wants.
This wasn't the time, it seemed, for a baptism. 
She would ask another time, then. 

As Buzzard was upon the ground, Vesta started to come forward then, to help the coywolf get up if he didn't try to eat her first.

Oh whatever. Just cause they were snooping around didn’t give these guys the right to keep them trapped her. Why couldn’t they just run them out like every other wolf on the planet? Oh well. At least they didn’t kill them for god or whatever the fuck. 

But y’know what? Buzzard would probably prefer to be god’s dinner rather than acting as a wolf’s toilet. Oh my god dude aim— AIM! That shit could’ve gotten in their mouth! Luckily it didn’t get in there or on any part of their body.

They weren’t too happy about the new job. Huh?! Before Buzzard could protest, preacher man ordered goon #1 to help them up. And before Buzzard could scramble up themselves, they were hoisted up by the much larger woman. They shot her a good “fuck you” glare before turning their attention back to the leader.

The hell’s a neophyte? I didn’t sign up for this!

the rawboned creature had many opinions.
"you no longer have the freedom of choosing your activities."
he was pleased to see vesta pluck their prisoner from the ice. merrick led the way through the winding forests, to the edge of a river.
here he suddenly lunged for the neophyte, shoving toward the water. "swim across."

Vesta more or less carried Buzzard some distance, stopping with Merrick at the river. 
As they paused, Vesta released, which in turn resulted in the King shoving their newest pet toward the water. 

Swim. 

Vesta swayed her tail slowly, padding a few steps forward to see if Merrick wanted her to escort Buzzard across.
A glance to the Bearking then. Do I cross with them? 

Well shit, why didn’t he just say that in the first place? They’d expect nothing else from a god fanatic.

Needlessly complicated words aside: this sucked ass. Buzzard fancied their freedom very much thank you. This just made their need to escape greater. 

For now, it’s swimming time. And maybe they would’ve enjoyed it if they weren’t practically shoved into the water. They stumbled a bit, fell forward, and began doggy paddling towards the other side. Their teeth chattered the whole time.

a tilt of his muzzle to vesta in answer: please follow.
merrick crossed with only a snort at the cold of the water, and emerged on the other side to shake out his coat, turning to stare at the prisoner with the inviting glint of a crooked innkeeper. "do not fret. we are close."

As Merrick tilted his muzzle, she nodded once and crossed with Buzzard, snorting softly at the chill before climbing out with the Neophyte, shaking out her pale pelt as she waited for Merrick to emerge as well.

Once he did, she fell into step again, keeping close to Buzzard and watching closely to assure he wouldn't try to run off. If he did that, she crooked a grin to herself, 

Run, and I'll break your legs.

Buzzard stepped out the water just as the woman did and immediately got a face full of water when she shook. They heaved an irritated sigh. A warning would’ve been real nice, but they weren’t expecting any sort of kindness from these wolves at this point.

They were the last to shake their coat out, and when they finished they met the preacher’s gaze. His reassurance didn’t make them feel any better.

Where are you taking me?

vesta was a perfect guard. merrick grinned and said nothing, turning back to his lead down the trail. "why does it matter where a captive is taken?" anywhere they were kept upon the mountain would be a prison.
the sharp stone spikes reared ahead. the grass changed to gravel, then to sand. merrick gestured to a shallow den surrounded by thorns. "in you go."

Short post on my end, apologies

As they got to Buzzard's new prison, Vesta waited until Merrick told the coywolf what to do here, before moving forward a few steps, a silent yet loud promise of force if the neophyte didn't do as the Bearking ordered him to.

That was the most bullshit answer they could’ve gotten. Buzzard’s gaze hardened as the three traveled silently  to their prison cell. Grass gave way to sand and soon enough they were staring down a barbed den.
They wanted to run away right then and there, but that would be a pretty stupid idea in the state they were in. Buzzard took a deep breath before slinking through the thorns. They’d get their chance to escape soon, but for now they had to play along.

last for me!

merrick watched happily as the prisoner heeded them.
"let them have water, but no food. not yet," he instructed vesta. "hunger makes a soul more ready to be molded."
he grinned, backing away before he turned and set off for the embrace of his corvid queen. vesta would keep their wretch in check.

last from Vesta!

 


To Merrick's order, the bearknight offered a firm nod, climbing somewhere above the mouth of Buzzard's prison to keep guard and watch over their newest ward.