peace will win and fear will lose

Setting: Wheeling Gull Isle, dusk.
OOC: Jinx is being weird and religious. Interrupt at your own risk!

IC: As the sun's lower edge flirted with the western horizon and filled the sky with streamers of pink and orange light, a pale female wolf surfaced from beneath the waves. In her wake, a stream of blood dissipated, teased away by the ebb and pull of the sea from the decapitated head clutched in strong jaws. Her paws found purchase on the silty ocean bottom leading in a slant onto the island, and as she struggled free of the chill water, she shook herself violently to shed the cold.

As she hauled her prize onto the shore, diluted blood flowed into the fur of her throat and chest, painting her with a macabre bib to mark her as Sos'. Crow Moon was coming — or had come — and soon Sos would walk the mortal forests to devour the souls of those wolves who had not appeased him with offerings and service. Jinx Kesuk knew she had done well this year, and had nothing to fear from him, but this last act would secure her continued life, at least until next Crow Moon.

She walked along the grassy coast of Wheeling Gull Isle, whose residents — the gulls for whom it was so aptly named — were eerily absent. Perhaps it was the stillness of the air, and the primal knowledge that soon the Lord of Souls would walk amongst them, as even lesser beings weren't safe from his wrath, that kept them from sight. Jinx wasn't concerned; the silence was comforting, and she preferred to do this sort of thing alone, in private.

She came upon her site of ritual: a roughly pyramidal pile of stones, carefully compiled in the last few days, with seaweed draped ceremonially over the upper tiers of the stone pyramid. Around its base, Jinx had left shreds of white oak bark, equally spaced between six oceanic fish heads whose bodies, once the heads had been removed, had been dutifully deposited into Horizon Ridge's cache. Jinx had also been fortunate enough to find an octopus washed up on the island when she first had come to it, albeit it was missing a few of its octet of legs; this she had propped against the base of the shrine facing the setting sun.

The severed head she brought would complete her shrine to Sos. It was the head of a seal, small, but not a pup — the pups were not born. This seal had been a malnourished female harbouring some illness that would have claimed her life eventually; Jinx had simply done it sooner. The body she had left on the beach where the seals gathered, having no use for it and no means to return it to her pack's lands. No doubt it was crawling with scavengers already. Using all the strength in her neck and all the balance in her toes, Jinx hoisted the head up and placed it carefully on the very top of the pile of rocks, as though the shrine would serve as its new body.

This done, she stepped back to lower herself into a sphinx position with her head bowed, and began mumbling words of praise and prayer to her god as darkness settled over her.

Hawkeye walked along the beach, studying the sea with her precise eyes. She had never seen an extended body of water like this before, or tasted the saltiness that the water carried with it. The ebony wolf stood and pondered about where the sea led, and whether there was land across its vastness.

The white foam swept across her feet. Hawkeye looked up and watched the isle a short distance away (a short distance from her perspective, at least). She quirked her head when her eyes rested upon a white dot. Jinx... she thought quietly, almost speaking the words aloud. Go to her Sos prompted, and Hawkeye began her journey into the waters.

When she came ashore, she did so quietly and with the wave, for Jinx seemed busy and the raven wolf did not want to disturb her. Go to her, my child... Sos sounded more malicious than usual, and a chill shimmied its way up Hawkeye's spine. She took a step forward with her large paw, and opened her mouth to say the words "Jinx, Sos has sent me to learn the ways and please Him." She braced herself, waiting for Jinx to lash out for being disturbed. But, this was something that she must to, in order to delight the dark Sos.

The words that poured from her lips were simple things: quickly whispered hymns of awe and reverence for the god that had risen above the status of Atka's dark twin, pleas for mercy and continued favour, and interspersed questions of future direction, all presently unanswered. Sos had never been a god to speak his goals directly; instead, he had the qualities of a trickster god, a selfish and greedy god, who rather than asking his followers for things, demanded them by his very will.

Perhaps this was the reason she clutched her belief to herself now. It was why Lecter had only been the wolf worthy of Jinx's obsession: he was the only wolf who had ever comprehended her calibre of devotion, and the only wolf whose Sos' favour had lingered so long with. Not so long ago, in her childhood, Jinx had sworn to follow Atka's ways of light and be the very picture of noble Warchief, like her mother... Until Atka had selected Kaskae, the corrupt child who believed she could be a god's vessel whilst the current vessel and oracle lived, and Sos had selected her, his young champion.

It was why she had been born with toes of black: Jinx was marked as Sos' from birth, but had come by that knowledge later, in the wake of her disappointment that her half year of praising Atka and walking in her light had been thrown aside by the white bear goddess.

She was abruptly dragged out of her reverie and trance by approaching footsteps and a voice behind her so demanding that the hair stood all down the length of her spine. She did not turn at first; aside from the sign of tension in the lift of her coat, she did not acknowledge Hawkeye. Instead, she completed her prayer, then turned to gaze upon the Alpha of Blacktail Deer Plateau with her lip lifted. How dare you interrupt me at my work, her expression exclaimed as affront wrote itself plainly upon her features.

But for Hawkeye, there would always be words. "Begone," she mumbled half-drowsily, as though weary from her ritual and her work. Without thinking of it, she had moved to shield her shrine from view; it was bad luck for heathens to behold it and believe themselves worthy of explaining its significance, as Jinx had no doubt Hawkeye fancied herself enlightened enough to try. "I told you I would teach you when you learn respect.

You may imagine his whispers in your head, wench," this word slipped out unbidden, one of Lecter's famous favourite titles that Jinx unwittingly picked up in this moment, "but you will not presume to give his commands to me. I am his chosen Mambo, if you had forgotten." Unlike many of the things Jinx said, this admission was not laced with arrogance, but with sincerity. She was, after all, exactly what she claimed to be: at the age of seven-or-so months, Nutaaq, grandfather to her and Oracle to the pack, had told Kaskae and Jinx their destinies.

That title, however, didn't mean Sos spoke to her of his designs. He made clear as little of those as he made clear anything else; a god of mystery and cunning was the black bear. In this, Jinx thought she was clear: she did not deem Hawkeye ready to receive lessons on how properly to worship, appease, and fear Sos. It was likely that even a small and petty part of her withheld her knowledge out of spite, but that small part of her was hidden beneath the wrath Jinx felt at the other female's flippant regard for her status and her religion.

Hawkeye watched Jinx with her light green eyes as she spoke. Her patience was wearing thin with this whole "respect" thing and her ridiculous notion that it was acceptable to demand it.

Be patient He whispered to her, and she nodded carefully, and chose her next words the same. "I will not give you the respect that is never given in return. You mock me, but remember that Sos has chosen both of us. If you claim that I am imagining things, what is to say you aren't yourself? If you know He has chosen you, why can He not choose me as well? You seemed to accept that I chose to follow Him while I was in Bon Dye, and the same from Lecter, but what has changed now, Jinx?"

She thought back to her brother, Dexter, who had been driven mad by visions and voices alike; but, Hawkeye only heard one voice now. Was her brother, always brave and wise, just a test subject of Sos? What did it mean that she had gained control of the madness within -- was she another vessel to be used and discarded, too? Or was there a deeper meaning to all of this?

The midnight wolf sat, and waited for Jinx's reply. She would sit and wait until the white wolf accepted that she would teach the opposite colored wolf the ways to please Sos, and would not leave before. Jinx may be headstrong, but I will win this battle, Hawkeye thought inwardly while trying to keep the patience that Sos asked of her.

Though Hawkeye's explanation was as riddled with ambiguity as most of Jinx's, the Kesuk snorted derision nonetheless. Hawkeye, it seemed, was determined to be taught, but why then did Sos not teach her? Nobody had taught Jinx how to worship her gods. Nobody had taught Koios Iqniq, or Lecter the Seawitch, or Nanuq Kesuk, or the Oracle Nutaaq Kesuk. Service and worship of Sos and Atka were not concepts to be taught. They were ingrained in the wolves that sincerely followed the gods, they were ancient knowledge, for Atka had brought life to all things and Sos had equipped them witht ee to rip apart their prey, strong lungs and legs to traverse great distances, and a world of spirits for them to achieve when they passed on. He had given them bloody frenzy and courage to battle their enemies away.

And the gods had given their children the wits and means to worship them. It was not something she needed to teach a true wolf of Sos. What Jinx could teach were the qualities of the gods, the appropriate items of the different moons, and the magick and voodooo her, her father, and her shaman had practiced, but she could not teach Hawkeye how to please Sos.

Still, she drew herself up to her full height, lifting her lip in a warning to Hawkeye to watch her tone. You are too near my pack, wench, you will show respect, or I will allow my Alpha to know of your insolence. "I am Jinx Kesuk, second-born daughter of Nanuq Kesuk and Koios Iqniq. My father was the first to bring his voodoo to my home and teach of the loa that serve the gods and protect. My grandfather, Nutaaq Kesuk, is Oracle to the bear gods, and his family has served them dutifully for generations. My mother was the gods' chosen Warchief of Shearwater Bay, my birth pack, and my sister and I the chosen successors to her throne, she by Atka and I by Sos. My brother Arktos was kissed by the gods' frenzy and wanders, sharing knowledge of them where he goes. My brother Vex was given the gift of spirit-sight. My sister is the strongest warrior the pack has known, and I am one of the strongest Mambos known." Aside from Koios Iqniq, that is, the first Houngan and the most powerful.

"I was born beneath the loa, who summoned a storm to herald our coming to the world. My mother marched in war from the moment of our birth and won by the gods' favour. From my first comprehensive moments I have been educated of the gods, groomed by Sos to be his Mambo in my pack, and mentored by Lecter, my shaman and my mother's shaman before me, in voodoo and magic and poison." Jinx's reasons for sharing this information might have seemed foggy at first, but when her gaze narrowed into slits focused dangerously on Hawkeye, it was clear she was giving her credentials... And all the reasons she could not believe the dark-furred Alpha's claims.

"You, Hawkeye, are a wolf who came upon my pack and lent your voice to mine. You chose to serve Ogoun, first of Sos, the loa of fire. When I left for spiritual reasons, you assumed I abandoned you, sparing no thought for my reasons. If Sos chose you then you would have understood." A shrug lifted the thick fur upon her ruff before she continued. "You were one of my most respected followers but you assumed I abandoned you, and mocked my god and my beliefs. Your subordinate, Pied, spat venom at me and made it very clear what my former pack's opinion was. You turned your back on my god, and now you expect me to accept that he chose you, with no proof but your words?"

Her stance backed down a little, now, but she maintained authority. Hawkeye would not stand tall and proud so near Horizon Ridge, alliance or not. "No, Hawkeye," she finished, "however mighty and special you fancy yourself in his eyes, you forget yourself. You will not convince me that you suddenly believe with all your heart you are one of his chosen wolves without proof, not since you denounced him and flung your disrespectful opinions in my face."

ooc: I have no idea what I am doing... ha. I am sure Jinx will find something wrong in all of this :p

Hawkeye smiled sinisterly at Jinx's words. The female truly believed, but couldn't see, that she though she was better than every other wolf. "You seem to forget, Jinx, that this is not my decision. It is the decision of Sos. Do you believe I would come here of my own will, freely, just to speak to you in falseness? My brother lost to Sos, but not me. I will follow Him, no matter what you claim I lie about. My goal is to please Sos, and nothing more, but He has told me to come to you. My admiration and fear of Him only grow, and will continue to do so." Her voice was steady and determined, while her words were slow and clearly spoken.

Watch... he whispered maliciously into her right ear. In the first time in a long time, Hawkeye's light green eyes flashed red, glowing with the aura of the deep blood color. A hum of words that would be confusing to anyone but Jinx, and the others she had mentioned, flowed from her mouth in a deep and husky monotone rumble. The large black she-wolf swayed back-and-forth, similar to a wave pulling in and out.

Suddenly, her eyes returned, and she dropped in a heap on the beach of the isle. Her eyelids felt heavy, as did her frame. She slowly stood, feeling exhausted, and gave Jinx a look of an almost helplessness, but her eyes held a look of determination.

OOC: I don't think the gods ever take possession, necessarily - I think loa could though - but I wasn't the one who made them up so I'm not sure! We'll roll with it! Jinx is just stubborn cause she was born with it and wants nothing to do with someone who made fun of her for it. :P

IC: Whatever Hawkeye's smirk was for, Jinx ignored it. She was a female of the Kesuk family - a family of powerful wolves, to be sure - and would not stoop to pettiness about that smirk, not even to this deranged wolf that thought to have her teach her the ways of Sos. Part of her selfishly held onto her religion, unwilling to part with it, for Bon Dye had been her first and last attempt to teach pathetic heathens of the bear gods that ruled over all of them, and part of her fervently believed what she said. A wolf so new to the gods could not know a fraction of what a wolf born knowingly into their embrace knew, and that was fact.

She was content to turn around and ignore Hawkeye unless the female laid fang to her - a move that would have assured Hawkeye's permanent shame and potentially her death, depending on the degree of the motion - but before she could dismiss herself, the black female began a violent shuddering. Her body undulated like waves, raising a snicker from Jinx, who knew it was not Sos, but a mischievous (and dutiful to Sos, it would seem) loa, causing it. Nonetheless, a loa choosing to accept Hawkeye as a vessel was confirmation enough, though the Kesuk woman would forever refuse to acknowledge the arrogant opinion that they were even remotely equal in it. In matters of Sos, Koios was Lecter's superior, Lecter was Jinx's superior, and Jinx was Hawkeye's, forever and ever.

"That was a loa," she pointed out when Hawkeye regained her soul, dropping the aggression she had shown before. "But the loa are Sos' lessers as well, so his sign will suffice. Do not fancy yourself my equal," she warned, and the crash of the sea confirmed Sos' agreement in this (at least she believed this to be true), for Jinx was born to it, and would not settle for a wolf newly learned of him to consider herself equally regarded. "He is a god who takes as he will. If you do not obey, he will consume you; you cannot hope to overcome him if he grows tired of you. All sin in the world begins with him, and he consumes sinners. He deceives, and we must do as he does." There was a story in Seahawk of one Thetis Nereides who had been taken by Sos, who had grown tired of the Nereides' foolish belief in Atka, represented by the sea, and their disregard for him, Lord of Souls. Atka was weakened, chased away from her realm by Sos' power, so she could not help a wolf who defied Sos.

"What you come to learn I cannot teach you," she rumbled, still clearly displeased by Hawkeye's presence; they would never be friends, that much was assured. Hawkeye had wronged Jinx and offended her grievously, and there was no coming back from wronging a Kesuk. "There is no set of rules."

ooc: makes sense, she did fall under Ogoun and still counts herself as a fire element (even if it can't be considered so under the new pack guidelines of bare minimum)

Hawkeye listened to Jinx's words carefully. It was obvious that the opposing female had a serious distaste for the raven-colored wolf, and Hawkeye herself fought feelings that were the same.

"Why did He send me here, then? There must be a reason, Jinx." Hawkeye thought hard, and wished the dark bear god would return and give her a hint to what was going on, but He stayed in the shadows of her mind and did not speak a word. "I understand that you do not favor me in the least, but we are brought together for a reason. I would not be here otherwise. So, we might as well tolerate each other." The green-eyed wolf did not desire a friendship with the orange-eyed Kesuk, but what could she do? She was Sos', and Sos she would obey.

So, she decided to confide in Jinx. Who else would understand what was going on? "My brother -- he was overcome with voices. His eyes turned red. He was driven mad by them. I found out that his throat was ripped from him. I feel like he was lost to Sos, and that Sos was displeased with him. When I was six months, my brother chased me from a cliff, then left forever. I was gifted my eyesight, but lost most of my hearing. ...Shortly before I joined Bon Dye, I heard murmurs and the voice of a male, who recently told me who He was. Am I to succumb to the same fate as my older brother? Why have I been chosen?" The words flowed from her mouth in a choppy pattern, the black she-wolf dishing out information as it came to her. Hawkeye did not know what to expect from the black-socked wolf. She hadn't a clue what pushed her to tell her private story that only Pied knew of. But, if anyone could tell her what was going on (besides Sos), it was her.

OOC: I remember when the faith was first introduced and Jinx was first born I struggled with what was right and not, but it's all sort of open ended so really anything is right. Most wolves had a spirit animal guide or totem back then. :P Jinx thinks loa do what the gods consider beneath them, so you could play like Hawkeye is possessed by Sos or by a loa, and Jinx will always think it's a loa, everyone differs. It's sort of up to you how you play it! I could dig up the old guide to their religion - before Jinx turned away from Atka and the light part of it, that is - if you would find that useful too!

IC: To Hawkeye's query, she could only lift a shoulder in a sign of uncertainty, as if to say, he rarely makes clear his true purpose. Even Lecter, his devout servant and shaman, had often been befuddled by Sos' guidance. They all sometimes saw the bear - any black bear could take the visage of Sos, they being his divine vessels and children as well as any wolf - but Sos was adept at secrecy. He told wolves riddles and half-truths, and waited for them to figure it out themselves.

It was for this reason that late at night, she wondered if leaving Shearwater Bay to Kaskae, to correct the balance, was the right thing. She wondered if it was instead all part of Sos' plan to overtake the goddess of light... But these were at best momentary concerns cast in the doubtful shadows of her mind, and discarded.

Hawkeye suggested they might as well learn to tolerate one another, and though Jinx saw no reason for them to spend any time together and tolerance was unnecessary, she remained in stoic silence, feigning agreement. Her seawitch was not here to cast bones for her and advise her. Jinx would have to decide alone; she knew the art of bone casting, but hadn't done it since her days heading Shearwater Bay next to Atka's warrior. For now, she could only do as Sos advised, which was to lie in wait and scrutinize for any slip-up revealing a farce on Hawkeye's part, and if she found none, then continue to wait.

"He was not necessarily displeased," Jinx said. "My father was murdered by my aunt when we came squalling into this world. By my mother's account, and Lecter's, they were both Sos'. My father was devout to his cause, faithful to my mother the Warchief, and respectful of Atka. My aunt was a deserter who rose an army to defy my mother." The truth, where Koios had been slain by a Kermode bear (the start of Atka's stand against Sos, perhaps?) had never been told to his cubs. Even Nanuq was skeptical of that claim, and all wholly believed Siku had slain him. "If we are to claim Sos is a righteous and just god, then my aunt would rot in her grave and my father would walk still. He is no such thing. He is Lord of Souls and he covets them to add to his realm, and he is unforgiving and fearsome. He does not even show mercy to those who please him if he chooses to target them; he acts unpredictably, but remaining in his favour makes you valuable, and he will spare you for that. Your brother may have been in the wrong place at the wrong time; Crow Moon brings Sos near our realm, that he may seek the souls of those he deems unworthy, regardless of their inclination toward or against him."

She turned now to her shrine, giving a sidelong look to Hawkeye. She couldn't pretend to understand why Sos had sent Hawkeye here, but it was not to have Jinx teach her sacred words of worship, because there were none. Worship was heartfelt, and no recitation of words would suffice if they were not from the heart, and the heart of Sos' wolves told them what to say. If not for that, which was an impossible thing to teach, then she suspected it was for the simple act of prayer.

"Crow Moon is upon us, as it is every year." The sun had completely disappeared now, leaving the pair in all-consuming darkness. "This close to its end, it is bad luck to be out long beyond dark. Sos hunts weak souls in their dens in the dark. You would do well to leave offerings at his door, to sate his insatiable appetite so he does not consume yours." She had spoken more by now than she had in months, and felt her throat growing dry and hoarse, but continued nonetheless. "This is a shrine to him, to appease him for Crow Moon. Perhaps he guided you here to pray, or add to it. He is especially fond of sea creatures; they are of Atka's realm, and lately they have been at odds." Crow Moon was traditionally in October, but the god and loa were uneasy, so it was not bad to tell Hawkeye it was now, if only to ensure she would act accordingly, if she truly believed she was chosen. Jinx was still skeptical, and selfishly annoyed, but shared her knowledge nonetheless; she could only privately hope Sos would make madness consume her as it had her brother.

ooc: It would be awesome to read all of the stuff so maybe Sos can "secretly" slip things to Hawkeye. for the "tranquility and hope" that Sos speaks in the post, I went off of the old BD month thingies and saw Ruiros. hopefully this is right, if not please let me know! this stuff is hard to get the hang of

Hawkeye listened intently to the words that Jinx spoke. So, perhaps her brother truly hadn't displeased Sos -- or maybe he had. It was up in the air whether her possible murderous brother was killed of his own doing. The black wolf thought back to her older brother and all of the changes he had gone through. He seemingly transformed over those couple of months into something malicious. Had he actually killed her baby cousins? A chill went down Hawkeye's spine as she felt like she knew the answer was a definite 'yes'.

Another child stuttered through the black beast's body, feeling as if Jinx had it out for her. The looks that the white wolf gave her made her feel unsettled, as if she desired that Sos come and strike her down where she stood. She sighed, realizing that Jinx would never favor her in any way.

It is a month of tranquility and hope... Sos' forced whisper drizzled into her ear. Hawkeye nodded and peered into Jinx's eyes. "I understand that this month is about tranquility and hope, but sacrifices are needed for Sos either way. I hope that things will change between us." Hawkeye put extra emphasis with a look, before turning toward the water and dipping her paws in, ready to dig.

After a few minutes, the swarthy she-wolf returned to the white one with a starfish dangling from her mouth. She stood in front of Jinx as if asking for permission to lay the odd creature in front of the shrine. If He wanted a sea animal, well, He got one. Maybe a fish would have been better... Hawkeye thought to herself while shifting her eyes between Jinx and the shrine she had built.

OOC: That's right! Ruiros is based off Bear Moon from SWB. The rest of the SWB seasons are on this site, under Rituals, along with all the other info! You can prefer to use the Bon Dye seasons by name if you like, if you have access to them, since I've lost that information but it'd be what Hawkeye learned in BD.

IC: Although Jinx was annoyed to be corrected - what harm was there in deception, when it better served Sos? - there was a wry tug at the corners of her lips, as though she had realized something funny, but didn't comment on it. Hawkeye had been a Bon Dye wolf, she reminded herself, and the seasons had been the same, if not cast under different monikers. Jinx would return to her older beliefs, just as her mind had returned to that of her ancestral wolves, away from the compassion she ordinarily showed. She could abide a tense truce, but there was no love lost for wolves who did not like her. Not like there had once been.

"Bear Moon, yes," she purred in the darkness, letting her lips pull into a tight grimace. "A time for contemplation and being born anew. But I have missed the bloodletting and the hunt of Amarok. I need make amends for that, and so, my shrine stands. It is Crow Moon for me, so long as I stand short of Sos' demands." That said, Hawkeye departed, presumably to make her contributions. As the moon rose to illuminate the sky, the pale wolf sat vigil over her shrine, unsure whether it was because she was compelled to remain, refreshed to once more be instructing of her faith, or because she didn't trust Hawkeye alone with her carefully constructed shrine. Sos was not terribly unforgiving of missing Crow Moon, since his appetite had been sated by the blood of Atka, and yet... The world had not descended into darkness. The goddess could not truly be gone, only spurned.

Hawkeye returned just as Jinx was yawning deeply and considering returning to her home. The dark furred Blacktail Alpha bore a sea star in her mouth, a good enough offering for a first go at it. She would have chosen something more lively, but she had been living under her god's care for her whole life, so her reverence and practice were more attuned to him. "Good," she said somewhat begrudgingly. She was weary of the feud, and the loa had made clear Sos' intent for Hawkeye. She could not bring herself to be hateful, not while Hawkeye was at least listening. She had Pied to deal with already.

"What words you speak come from you," she said, "if you speak them. They are not always required." She stood and stretched languidly, keen to be out of stressful company and back in the embrace of her sequoia den, where comfort came easily. She would return to tend the shrine every few days. She did not expect Hawkeye to make the trip, though, so she said, "you may build your own if you feel up to it. Find ground you consider sacred. This isle is like an isle back home, upon which our altar of sacrifice sat. I thought an isle fitting." After thinking a moment, she said, "places bears walk are best suited. Sometimes a bear will eat of your offerings, and this is a joyous sign. Bears are sacred children of Sos and Atka and must never be harmed. You never know when the gods look through their childrens' eyes." A soft sigh, and then, "I ought to get back. Akhlut will expect me."

Upon realizing she had mentioned their sacred Bear Altar, Jinx paused in turning to head away, and lowered her head almost ominously. "I will warn you," she said by way of parting, "that Sos and even Atka have a preference for true sacrifice. The sacrifice of a wolf's life will win their favour, protection, and blessing for a whole year for a pack. But it must always be a sacrifice done willingly, or the gods will curse you and yours to die perilously by year's end." Lecter had known of ways to make even the most frightened sacrifice victim feel completely willing to go to the gods, but it was a difficult and trying thing, and even Jinx would not attempt that trickery without full assurance. It took a naive wolf to make a willing sacrifice; wolves were too proud, and courageous, and fearful for their lives.

And, hypocritical as it was, Sos' direct followers (even Atka's) would not offer themselves for sacrifice, such was the nature of their desire to survive. The way she said the words even seemed to suggest that Hawkeye should not attempt such a thing lightly. With what she'd needed said, said, she turned for the ocean as if to leave, but paused in case Hawkeye had any other questions. She longed for home and privacy and respite from this woman she believed to be full to the brim of arrogance, but she had said much already, and could not deny explanation now.

Hawkeye decided that a shrine of her own would be better suited. Somewhere sacred... she thought privately, and her eyes lit up when she thought of her ledge that overlooked the valley. No one knew of it but her and Pied, and now that Pied was gone, she could set one up with no disturbances. It would be the perfect place for sacrifices and meditation.

She thought about the willing sacrifice of a wolf; back in Bon Dye, she ran the borders, just waiting for a wolf to come so she could rip them to shreds, but she never thought that it had to be a willing sacrifice. Could she do that now? Any other creature, beast, or animal, she was sure she could kill. Even a wolf that trespassed on her lands or threatened her pack. But willingly?

When Jinx paused, the dark charcoal wolf, who happened to blend into the blanket of night, took it as an opportunity. "Jinx... thank you. Does Akhlut know of your following of Sos? He seems to be wary of me, and Sos told me he follows the light... which I assumed was Atka. Does this bother you any?" Hawkeye was unsure whether or not her questions would bother Jinx herself, but she was curious and wanted to know, now being an opportune time.

OOC: Being vague about what Jinx knows of Akhlut so far!

IC: Her pause appeared to be well placed. The thanks was welcome, though Jinx would have preferred apology for the former mockery of her beliefs, but thanks was accepted in its place. The next was more interesting, for Jinx had done little investigation into Akhlut himself. She knew him to be capable, yes, perhaps strong and well-bred, and she had placed her services at his disposal, but of one another, they knew little. Akhlut was most certainly a wolf of Atka's light, and Jinx preferred Sos' darkness, but that did not make them opposites, for without one the other could not be.

However, there was a natural inclination toward binary opposition, and Jinx could understand why. The balance had been tipped, first in Atka's favour and now in Sos', so the gods were tense toward one another... Nutaaq would have had answers, if he were there. "It does not," she answered after a moment of thinking. "Atka is my god, too, though I choose to pay homage to Sos primarily. Others choose Atka primarily. My mother and sister are among those who call her Primary." The last word came out sharply; Jinx would forever feel forsaken by Atka, whom she had done all she could to earn the favour of, and failed. Sos had found her instead... And that was for the better, but a Kesuk could hold a wild grudge, and Jinx did.

"He knows only what he must, and nothing more. I do not know him well and it is not prudent to share secrets with strangers." Here she revealed something private, and also important: that she was, in some ways, as misleading as her god. It was not meant to explain any of her former actions - Jinx would never betray wolves that followed her, and had not deceived Bon Dye - but she made it clear, curiously, that she would keep Akhlut in the dark until such a time as she saw fit to reveal her belief. Perhaps it was to keep her god her own, or perhaps because she, like Hawkeye, had sensed light in him, and did not believe he would take kindly to her voodoo as her family did... Whatever it was, she said no more on it, other than, "it will be him who decides how to wield his light. Light should be used to amplify darkness and bring it to power in the right places, not to chase it away. Without Sos there is no Atka, without Atka, no Sos. One may outdo the other, but both are always present."

Hawkeye nodded, not knowing if Jinx could see her or not. So, she would not tell Akhlut of her following unless probed. She secretly wished Jinx luck in this, feeling a twitch in thought of the way that Akhlut looked at her. It was a definite distaste, but he held it in apparently, since their packs were allies -- for now. Hawkeye wondered whether Jinx's loyalties would lie with Akhlut or Sos (and therefore the black female and Jinx in her own self) if it came down to choosing.

She, herself, was not very interested in Atka, or the light. The she-wolf would have considered herself neutral, but moreso towards the light if a side was to be picked, before her time in Blackfoot Forest and Bon Dye. "I wish Lecter were here..." she muttered to herself, then looked up to Jinx, blushing. The opposing female had no idea of the feelings she previously carried for the Shaman, and she had desired to spend more time with him before he disappeared with Jinx, Lecter, and Kerberos.

Disappearing. Should she apologize for being so harsh to Jinx? She had followed Sos, but Hawkeye still couldn't help but feel betrayed. The midnight wolf would have done anything for Jinx and the pack, and she had felt like she was just finding her way before it was ripped from her.

There was a moment where Jinx considered pulling Hawkeye's tender vocal cords from her throat, and that moment occurred when she mentioned Lecter. Jinx bristled somewhat, glad for the cloak of darkness that would mask her indignation as she said, "As do I." She decided against it; logic crept through for the first time in two months to remind her that maybe she only perceived fondness. It was gone just as quickly, leaving jealousy in its wake. Lecter was hers, and she would not permit another wolf's fondness should he return.

Instead of making a fuss over Hawkeye's strange and disconcerting proclamation, she decided it was time to leave. Time to get back to the quiet of Horizon Ridge's shore before dawn rose and Akhlut with it. Time to shed the company of a wolf who sat distastefully in her opinions, but whom she had no choice but to put up with, for now. Her gaze sought the black Alpha, but she was hidden by the night.

"I must head back," she announced. "It's growing late. You may linger a while at this altar, if that is your wish." After all, she figured if she returned come morning to find the altar in a state of ruin, she would know exactly who had done it. She very much doubted that. "If you have need of me, you know where you can find me." She had no doubt the loa that whispered Sos' words to her would reveal Jinx's location, and if they were so kind, warn Jinx so she could either slip away or choose to remain. That was all in the future, though, and without the shaman to cast bones for her the future was uncertain.

With a nod of parting, which may or may not have been visible, Jinx slid into the chill ocean and began making her way home, riding the swells and dips as easily as if she were once born in them. She may have feared the sea in its wrath, but it spoke to her when it was calm and she was at home in it. Whether Hawkeye would remain long enough for the tide to roll in and roughen the waves was no longer a concern of hers. Her allegiance was to Sos alone, and if one of his chosen died, then it was no skin off her back. It merely meant there would be more for her to do.

The dark she-wolf quietly watched the white female cross the sea. She watched until Jinx disappeared, and then watched some more. Hawkeye inspected the altar the other wolf had left from a short distance, then turned inspecting the slow-moving waves that caressed the beach.

Hawkeye crossed the water, and her fur dribbled droplets onto the shore as she parted from the chilly wetness. The gritty sand stuck to her paws, disturbing her comfort slightly, as she trekked from the malleable beige stuff underfoot and into the woods.

She passed the high sequoias, marched through the rainforest-like forest, balancing her eyesight between what lay in front of her and the movements the shook at the edge of her vision.

Following the river out of the woods, Hawkeye slowed, but kept her purpose. Her sharp eyesight touched everything it could as she moved with the blanket of night back to her home. She had work to do.