A glorious sight dances around tall trees. Layers of red scatter across the earth. A tan and brown wolf carefully steps into the beauty. What is this marvelous place in the territory? Merely the sight of Blackfeather from the outside is enough to draw him in. But this? It is a bleeding forest, touching his natural killer instinct. Home, the voices confirm. Belong, they sing. He lays in the center of it. The trees are loose, spread out in the maroon scene. Eyes slowly scan around him. There is no one here. Strong limbs stretch out across the red sea. He nuzzles the flowers, tail wagging. His head rubs along the soft ground. A sigh escapes him, this is enough to curb his need. For now.
A giddiness sings inside him. He jumps to his paws, leaping through the flowers. Stopping, he burries his head in them again. Teeth snap joyfully. Bounding up again, swift legs dart around the dark trees. The world slows; he rolls through the beauty. On his back, he gazes up at the now lightening sky. Teeth show, he snarls at the morning. Dark, the voices command. Forever, they wish. Imagine a world that was forever night. He could rule it. Lurking in this forest, hunting the wolves. It could only be a dream. But think of the fear he could give. Lust grips him, he groans. What he would give to have something to hunt now. Sitting up, ears swivel. There's is only silence.
Laying his head down, a growl rumbles in his throat. He needs prey. A sudden yawn assaults him. His eyelids feel heavy. He moves his head from one paw to the other. Finding his right foreleg more comfortable, he closes his eyes. A paw twitches; dreams dance in his mind. A black wolf walks through red water. He appears in front of it, laughing. The wolf turns, splashing color over tall trees. Again he stands tall and menacingly in it's path. It skids to a stop, turning to run again. He plays with it. Allowing it to think it can get away. Suddenly he leaps onto it's back, teeth tearing into its flesh. Blood soaks into his fur. The wolf cries in terror of him. The sound fills him with absolute joy. He bites its neck, wrenching it from side to side. A snap echoes through the trees, he lets the body fall. All around him, wolves slip like shadows from the trees. He stands above them, triumphant. One by one they bow, he howls his victory.
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If there was something that could make Blackfeather Woods even spookier, it would only be the cold magic of winter. The darkness of the forest contrasted with the elegance of the snow, creating an amazingly and absurdly macabre atmosphere that was hair-rising even for Bane himself. But somehow, Redgrove had stayed intact through the frigid season. The grove was exactly as ominous and astounding as it always was, just way colder.
The scene that unveiled before Bane's eyes was.. Unsettling. Redgrove had served as inspiration to the most eerie and disturbing legends, so evidencing such a dire beast goofing around in the bloodstained grove was very ironic. Bane just watched from the distance, agape by the new member's behavior. He had heard of this wolf, some said he was a bit.. Unstable.. And by the way he was acting, Bane could only agree with those opinions.
Seeing that the constant movement had stopped, Bane went in to take a closer look at the new Male. Whether he was weird or not, Meldresi had expressed her interest in him being recruited as yet another member of the brotherhood, so it was only natural that the Silver Brother was curious about why the tan beast had caught the priestess' attention..
The young Northerner walked silently through the red bushes, sniffing his way to the wolf that had faded into the thick foliage, but he soon found him, he was sleeping, and he still was unaware of the silver beast's presence. Got tired of playing tag with yourself?
Bane barked mockingly attempting to wake the savage from his dream.
His large form draws itself up, he shakes red petals from his coat. Amber eyes glance over the silver stranger. He doesn't care for the male's white coat. Anything that is not a dark color does not agree with him though. Light colors remind him of the good he is trying to destroy. The wolf looks strong though. He can admire that. His nose takes in his scent. Another Blackfeather member. No matter where he went in these woods, they were always around. Privacy seems to be a luxury. Well, at least he will stay on his toes. Can't be too careful around the pack anyway. Careful, the voices say. Hide, they remind him. Yes, he has to be good. He mentally snarls at the voices. Do they only repeat themselves? "Are you here to admire this scene as well?" He questions the silver wolf. It is a lovely place. So much red.
Bane would've agreed with Grim about the privacy issues in the Woods. The pack had gained a lot of new members during the winter, not a surprise, but it was a bit annoying. Still, Bane broke the new guy's peace by waking him up.. Revenge? No, he was actually curious about the beast that now called Blackfeather Woods his home, very curious.
The male didn't seem to have had noticed Bane's presence before being awaken, he was easy to sneak into, but he doubted that he would be an opponent he would want to confront in a battle. Grimnir was big, almost bearlike, his strong musculature was obvious even under the thickness of his winter coat, and there was something about his bright yellow eyes that screamed danger.
No I'm not.
Bane responded coldly, I was watching you, actually.
he barked, the coldness turning into the usual sarcasm, which finally became a self-amusement smile.
He wonders how many wolves are in this pack. Which of them will he kill first? Would it be a male or a female? He leans more towards a female. Giving in to both forms of lust seems a lot more appealing. So how many females then? He hopes he has a large collection to choose from. Take the best of them first or the worst? Maybe he can leave the best one for his mate. Grim shakes his head, ridding it of the thoughts. He needs to focus on the wolf in front of him.
See.. It isn't often that we get the chance to see someone playing around like a pup here in Blackfeather. You are, without a doubt, my friend, a unique wolf.
Bane said still smiling at the agouti beast in front of him. It was indeed something unusual to watch, someone jumping and running around in Redgrove in the middle of the winter... Bane didn't in any form mean to insult Grimnir with his words, he just wanted to amuse himself with the company of such a strange creature. Meldresi said he was fierce, but he was there dipping his head in the red bushes and swaying his tail like a pup who got a new bone to play with. Though, Bane wasn't in any way aware of what was going on inside the beast's head. If he did, he would send him far away before he got his fangs ripping his own flesh, he would hate to kill the guy when he had shown to be so... Entertaining... You're Grimnir, aren't you?
Bane said as he sat back on his strong haunches, still holding the smirk on his face.
Ears flatten with embarrassment at the white wolf's statement. A lip slightly lifts in a silent snarl at the remark. The male still smirks at him. Amused by his actions. Grim couldn't help but enjoy the blood red scene. He had wanted to cover himself in the beautiful sight. A paw shifts in the flowers. A golden eye glances down at them. How could any of these wolves just walk by without stopping to immerse themselves in it? Perhaps blood does not intrigue them. He cannot understand innocence, or loyalty, or the want to protect something precious. They are hunters. Killing is a part of them. Instinct, the voices agree. Natural, they state. A hard gaze is returned to this smiling irritation. He would like to wet the ground with the white male's life. Add true blood to the flowers. Rip the smile off his face. The snowy wolf would not be smirking if Grim went for his throat.
Then the grinning male inquires about his name. Eyes widen with curiosity and surprise. How did this pure white male know him? They've never met before now. Have they? "Yes,"he drawls out slowly in confirmation. He doesn't question the stranger about his knowledge. Instead he comes to terms with it. What does he care how the male came by his name? That doesn't matter. "And you are?" Grim narrows his eyes. What was this wolf about? What were his thoughts? His intentions? Was he wishing to anger Grim enough to strike out? He will have to hold back his frustrations and blood lust. He will not fall victim to this wolf if he is enticing Grim to attack. A fool he is not. He refuses to be treated like prey. Flames lick in his eyes, darkening the golden color to a dirty orange.
He was once again asked for his name. By then, the northerner had gone through an immense internal battle about the matter, and ha had come to terms with the fact that it didn't matter if his name was an icon of disgrace in the past, it was a whole different story now, and it was time for him to embrace his identity. Bane... Bane Blackfeather.
he said with confidence. That wasn't the name of a freak anymore, that was a name that people had learned to fear here, away from the butt-headed northerners.
Meldresi told me about you, she tells me about every new member.
he said with his constant smirk. And then, the most brilliant idea popped up in his mind. What about he checks out his talents? I was going to go track down a big herd of Albus Deer that I saw the other day... Care to join me?
he asked and raised from his sitting position. There were three main paths that a Dark Brother can follow upon joining the guild. You could be a Spy, an Assassin or a Necromancer, and tracking down prey without being noticed covered the spying field. Maybe that was Grimnir's strength?
He then remembers the scent of puppies on the alpha and wonders if they have already mated. Grim has yet to even see the little ones. Golden eyes flare for a moment. Out of longing he had wanted to kill the pups. Now he will kill them if this irritating wolf is the father. This will give even more meaning to their deaths. Kill the pups to hurt the mother and the father. Kill the pups to rid the world of a little light. Should he let the dark ones live? No. None should live. Why allow Meldresi and the father to have even one? No survivors, the voices agree. Slaughter, they say eagerly. He wonders how old the pups are. Were they up and running around yet? Would they know if he hurt their mother, or knew what Grim was going to do to them? He wants the pups to watch him bring their mother to the brink of death. Then he will hear them yelp in fear and try to escape. Kill them all. Listen to the mother's anguish at their deaths. But does it matter their age now? It is not as if he can kill anyone right now. They will be old enough once he starts.
Shaking his head, he returns to the present. Bane wishes Grim to join for a hunt? He does not care to do anything with others besides kill them. But can he refuse? He supposes not. "If you wouldn't mind. I could use a hunt." He will have to control his blood lust in front of this male then. Hide, the voices caution. Pretend, they advise. There's no fun in hunting with his mind in tact though. To be able to just let loose on his prey is more than satisfying. "You know this place better than I, so you shall have to lead the way.."
Had Grimnir known the darkness that resided within the winter wolf he would've taken his thoughts back. He wasn't aware of who he was standing in front of. And had Bane known of Grimnir's thoughts about his family, only his headless body would remain to freeze in the crimson forest.
"You don't need to be a local to know where to find a target... Are you saying you don't know how to track your own prey?" Bane said coolly. Maybe Grim hadn't realized it was a test he was about to take, but Bane wanted to see from the beginning how much truth there was to the Priestess' words. He wouldn't allow anyone to enter his shadowed family. He wouldn't call anyone his brother. "I think I'm going to follow you this time..."
A faint scent of deer tickles his nose. Grim gives Bane a sidelong glance, saying nothing. He picks up his pace, believing this scent is only a few hours old. The trail doesn't waver from the northerly direction. Hopefully it doesn't take them too long to catch up. He hopes the deer have stopped somewhere instead of traveling. He will follow them for however long it takes though. It won't do to fail underneath the eyes of this wolf. Besides, Grim can track things for days. He only hopes that this white male can do the same if it comes down to that. Heh, Grim will show that he is greater than Bane. Even if the prey has managed to go beyond the pack boarders he will not stop hunting them until his teeth tear the life from their throats.
Bane watches with amusement how Grimnir takes his words. One of his lips curls up, suggesting a growl but never actually materializing it, and Bane chuckles silently. It was going to be too easy to stay on top of him the way things were going, but there was one thing that worried the arctic assassin, Grimnir was too lustful, a downfall to his potential, and he would have to work on that if he wanted to have a good spot in Blackfeather Woods. Bane wasn't going to allow such an unstable beast near his pups.
He followed nonetheless, silently, watching closely each movement made by the cinnamon savage, analyzing every turn he took, and keeping up with his quick pace. He was sure Grim would easily find a trail soon, and he was more than confident that he wouldn't fail the test he was working on him. But there was something he wasn't sure about, did he really like Grimnir?
Once close enough he lunges forward aiming for the doe's neck. It startles, tensing to flee. But it is too slow. Flesh and blood fill his muzzle as Grim succeeds in catching its throat. He drags it down, using the full of his body weight. He rips out its throat with a few bites and minutes later it lays dead. He looks back at Bane with a slight grin, hoping the male found Grim's hunt to be a good one. Then he turns back to start feeding on the doe, making room for the white wolf to join him.