Bearclaw Valley a thing can be true and still be desperate folly
all the world will be your enemy
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#1
All Welcome 
The dark crow picked his way across a foggy valley in search of the cache he had started to feed with small rodents. In his narrow muzzle was a fat vole, clasped lightly between the sharp point of his fangs, but just enough so that it would not fall from his hold. Tadec had hoped that he would find Indra hustling about, but his Frith-touched friend had seemed in a state of busy movement since his arrival. Though he was not aware that her sister was carrying pups, he assumed that her work was important within the pack, and so he did not seek her specifically. Instead, he made to busy himself with what he could, and since the large white Alpha had threatened his life if he found the crow stealing anything, Tadec had set himself to hunting the smaller game in their territory and the surrounding lands. As his broomstick limbs carried him closer to his cache, the halfling picked up his pace and trotted across the stretch of flat earth.
all the world will be your enemy, Prince of a Thousand Enemies. 
and when they catch you, they will kill you. but first they must catch you; 
digger, listener, runner, Prince with the swift warning. 
be cunning, and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed.
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#2
forward-dating a wee bit with permission. keeping it a bit vague since last thread is not concluded

Her run-in with the wild woman in the meadow had left her even more broken than before, if that were possible. Once Maegi had managed to slip from her slimy grasp, she dragged herself across the meadow, heading toward a mountain, smaller than the ones she'd just left. Though wary, now, of higher altitudes, it reminded her of the Bypass; she saw an entrance ahead to what appeared to be a valley, and trudged on.

Perhaps there was safety to be found, here. Or at least something to eat and drink. She'd been taking mouthfuls of snow for fluids, but she was famished, and it was beginning to take a toll on her body--she trembled like a leaf. And she needed herbs, desperately. The gash on her cheek had more or less stopped bleeding, though it split open once more if she moved her mouth even slightly more than what was necessary, but she knew it needed to be properly dressed, like she'd done, somewhat, for Cicero.

To her dismay, though, she caught the stench of border markings at the entrance, and her civility warred with her hunger, her exhaustion. Dare she cross into another pack's territory? She knew what could happen when one member of a pack offended another; Miraak's body lay dead and buried because of such transgressions. At the same time. . .

She laid on the ground just a few steps away from the border, too weak to decide, too weak to howl, too weak to do anything but wait and see if anyone would even show up and find her.
all the world will be your enemy
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#3
Shortly after depositing his catch into the cache he had created, Tadec drew his salmon-colored tongue swiftly across the dark hairs of his muzzle before he fixed his gaze on the borders – the only ones that could be reached from the outside – and mustered enough courage to venture a patrol. His long limbs allowed for him to close distance quite easily, and it was only a short matter of time before he had arrived at the opening of the pack. The large rock was vacant, but the faint scent of the wolfdog female had been there and seemed to have been a prominent piece of the stone. Tadec sniffed about it for a few seconds before losing his interest and turning back to the mouth of the valley. It was there that he sighted a sullen and pale figure – one that was not familiar to him – spread out beyond their claim.
 
The thief did not anticipate that he would be fit for a fight, if one were to happen, but he approached her with careful steps nonetheless and announced his presence with a high yip. “What doing, strange wolf?” he asked her with an inspecting, narrowed brow. He was not certain if she belonged to their pack, or if she was waiting for someone to aid her in joining. Tadec knew that he was not suited to accept members, but he was more bothered that she appeared so dismal. Her frame appeared to have taken a terrible toll, and while it made the spindly coywolf wary, it also inspired him to step a few feet closer to her to examine the state of her being.
all the world will be your enemy, Prince of a Thousand Enemies. 
and when they catch you, they will kill you. but first they must catch you; 
digger, listener, runner, Prince with the swift warning. 
be cunning, and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed.
Ghost
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#4
A skinny dark demon appeared before her, eyes a dull orange in his angular face. He spoke in broken words, like Shivali, coming to a halt a few feet away. Maegi raised her muzzle an inch or two, then let it sink down again, utterly spent from just that movement. She didn't know who this was, or why he was here; all she cared about was getting some food, and some sleep.

"I dunno," she muttered, words slurred. "Dunno where I am. Just crawled here. Got attacked. Tortured. Hungry." She gave a shrug of her shoulders, letting out a shuddering breath. "Do you understand me?" she asked, thinking of the trouble Shivali sometimes had in picking up words in the common tongue.
all the world will be your enemy
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#5
The crow was bewildered by the state of the pallid female. While it may have been considered impolite, he peered at her with a careful placing of his small paws and a concerned expression that tugged on the edges of his mouth, pulling them downward. The thief was a finder – an accumulator of differences – and the girl appeared as though she had endured an arduous act of malice. The large, dark ears cupped forward as she spoke to him. Her words were strangled and saddening.
 
Something within Tadec believed that she was beautiful for it.
 
Drawing the pink of his tongue across his dark muzzle, the crow smiled at her in a shriveled fashion. His eyes burned as he took another step closer and sniffed delicately at her coat. Tadec was careful, tense in his movements, and he positioned himself to leap away if she should lash against him. The stranger spoke of torture, harm, and she mentioned that she was hungry. Then, she inquired as to whether or not he understood her. For a moment, the burn of his stare softened with uncertainty and he cast a nervous glance over his slender frame and back into the mouth of the pack.
 
“Tadec understands. This one will feed you,” he offered her with the same shriveled smile. Then, the spindly coywolf turned on his heel and raced toward the nearest cache he had created. He searched as quickly as he could for a substantial meal.
all the world will be your enemy, Prince of a Thousand Enemies. 
and when they catch you, they will kill you. but first they must catch you; 
digger, listener, runner, Prince with the swift warning. 
be cunning, and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed.
Ghost
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#6
She slumped in some relief as Tadec affirmed that he, indeed, understood her and. . .oh. Would feed her. Her stomach gurgled audibly at this, and she gave a small groan, curling in upon herself. Hunger hurt, almost as bad as the pain Nikan had dealt her. It was a different sort of pain, a dull ache rather than a blinding flash of agony.

He looked weird, and spoke weird, but he would feed her. That was all that mattered to Maegi in this moment. Thus satisfied, she began to drift off to sleep, and likely would not wake until the vibration of his footfalls upon returned roused her once again.
all the world will be your enemy
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#7
Tadec searched feverishly for more than a vole or ferret in his trove of game. His narrow muzzle and sharp nose pushed those aside until the crow had found his preferred lapin. Scooping it and tugging it free, the halfling was forced to gain his bearings so that he might return to the poor stranger at the mouth of their valley. The fine, rawboned thief was grateful for their geography as he hastened to close the distance between his cache and the aperture of his home. Once back, Tadec was breathing heavily between his hare. He tiptoed on lengthy legs toward the pallid female and dropped the rabbit toward the front of her mouth. The flame-touched crow took a few steps in reverse and fixed his gaze on the woman with a pair of burning eyes. “Eat,” he advised.
all the world will be your enemy, Prince of a Thousand Enemies. 
and when they catch you, they will kill you. but first they must catch you; 
digger, listener, runner, Prince with the swift warning. 
be cunning, and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed.
Ghost
1,738 Posts
Ooc — mercury
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Master Toxicologist
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#8
shiiiiit i'm sorry i thought i had responded to this. serves me right for not looking back in my threadlog

He didn't have to tell her twice. With no hesitation whatsoever, the girl summoned whatever energy she had left to fall upon the hare, devouring it in ravenous bites. Muzzle smeared with blood, breathing raggedly, she polished it off a few minutes later, blinking up at the mysterious man.

Her stomach was pained; she'd stretched it too far, after eating barely anything for days, weeks. She also felt a wave of exhaustion coming on, urging her back to slumber. But she was grateful, and she at least wanted to express her gratitude to the skinny wolf, who'd gone out of his way to be kind. Her mismatched eyes, though the lids drooped, were fixed on him.

"Thank you," Maegi whispered, her voice barely audible. "Thanks. Who. . .who are you?" she asked, natural curiosity still not thwarted by starvation, near-death, or trauma.