Haunted Wood Stalking through the trees

She smelt his scent a while ago but didn’t act on it until she seen him come to when Vengeance called. She traveled through the woods, not actively seeking him out but looking for him all the same. He noticed the tiny female he seemed to have following him all around, Perhaps another she could toy with in the days to come, the female seemed the perfect target for the raven.

She knew what happened between the leader and Vanity but she didn’t show her anger to anyone nor did she make her discomfort with the fact it happened known either.

For @Black Hat when you have the time :)

He was relieved to find the entire territory wasn't all gnarled oaks and foreboding fog. Lately, he'd developed the habit of spending much of his time by the strange trees with the drooping, moss-like limbs. They fascinated him, for he'd never seen anything like them before coming here. They were ethereal and tranquil, striking him as belonging to another plane of existence entirely with how their limbs bristled lightly, whispering in the breeze. It was a welcome respite from the usual doom and gloom of the Haunt.

Black Hat dozed in the shade of one of the nameless trees, thoughts already becoming blurred and dreamlike. Though not a deep slumber, it was still the best sleep he'd gotten in weeks.

She saw the male as she trekked on she wanted so badly to attack him for what he did to her back near the lake but deep down she knew she was above this and merely walked passed him. She smelt the tiny female on his coat but paid no mind to it, if she had to bet that the female wouldn’t last long.

The sound of footsteps nearby roused him from his light nap. With perked ears, his mismatched eyes flung open. He wasn't a fan of this suspicious behavior, to say the least. Snapping his eyes towards the creature lingerng around, they landed on a familar figure: the mad woman. Dread washed over him, but a confrontation between them needed to happen at some point, seeing as they were both sharing the same space.

You, Black Hat uttered lowly with growl wound around the word. What are you doing? His tone was accusatory, for he suspected she was plotting something while his guard was down. He would've done the same thing if someone kicked his arse that hard... but better, of course.

She seemed to have awoken the male and was greeted with a hostile growl and the female could only give him a blank stare. “I’m simply doing patrol through the territory, checking if any unwanted guests still lingered.” Whether that be other wolves or coyotes she was determined to drive them out. “No need to get all hostile.” In truth she could care less what he thought of her. Their fight was simply that; a fight. Nothing more, nothing less.

The excuse was sound enough, but he didn't trust this woman nearly enough for it to clear her of all suspicion from his perspective. Her calm response honestly caught him off-guard; perhaps he'd misjudged her. No, not quite... he was projecting, Black Hat realized. Her unnatural lack of self-preservation and show of admiration towards him despite his blatant abuse was... uncomfortably familiar, to say the least.

But he wasn't going to apologize for it, nor was he going to mention that other nutjob, if only to prevent inquiries about his past. Instead, he grumbled, for he still held a grudge against her from having sustained such a debilitating injury from her fangs. And well, Black Hat also just tended to be a grouch, especially when woken up from one of his rare bouts of sleep.

Deciding not to argue for his own sanity, he dragged himself up into a sitting position. You never told me your name, He said, steering the conversation onto a more casual route.

In all truth his question had taken her by surprise but at least he was being civil finally especially better than the last time they met. “My name is Serem and yours?” Whether he has told her before he and she had their fight she was completely unsure.

She somehow wondered why he had taken this route since the last time it didn’t go so well and it sparked her curiosity a bit.

Black Hat tutted. He explicitly remembered telling her not to forget his name. How could she have forgotten such a simple yet iconic title, especially in his magnificent display of dominance? Though willing to acknowledge there were distinct differences between her and the disturbed trollop he was familiar with (for the better, from what he gathered so far), Serem clearly had a few screws loose. At least he had something to call her that wasn't some kind of insult.

Black Hat. If you forget my name again, I may just have to teach you another lesson to make sure it sticks, He threatened, though his tone softened it to sound more like a jest, not wanting things to escalate between them again at the moment.

With a tired sigh, he brought his gaze up to the trees. Do you happen to know what these trees are called? I've never seen them before coming here, but I quite like them, He asked conversationally, guiding their little talk somewhere else... again.

She took what he said as a threat to say the least and all could give him was a smirk. “Like what you tried to do? I’ll keep that in mind.” She said referencing what he tried doing before they fought. “I’m my defense I didn’t think I’d see you again but here we are.” She said simply. Now onto his next question. “I believe they are willow trees.” She responded.

He glowered at her, ears flattening. Yes. I can only do so much with someone as thick as you, but I'll try as many times as I must, He retorted bitterly, refusing to let her win any sort of pissing competition with him.

“In my defense, I didn’t think I’d see you again, but here we are.”

'Here we are,' indeed... He mumbled.

Thankfully, Serem was able to answer his question. Willow trees, He repeated mentally. The name was soft, calming... fitting. For the first time in her vicinity, he felt relieved. Black Hat liked to think of himself as an educated man; he took every opportunity to learn something new. It vexed him when he wanted an answer but wasn't given one.

I see. And what brought you here to Nightwalkers? He asked next, turning back to Serem.

She gave a soft chuckle at his retort. “We’ll see.” She said simply as if it were a challenge. He seemed to repeat the last of what she said but she paid no mind to it. “I found a place where I can do as I please and a man strong enough to follow.” The rest she met were pansies who never kept what they promised. “And you why’d you join? I noticed your little companion what is she a little plaything to amuse yourself with?” She asked genuinely curious.

Her answer was simple, but it was reasonable. Fair enough.

She asked him in turn, and he answered bluntly, Because I'd rather not become wolf food. Hopefully, she could put two and two together; Vengeance wasn't all that secretive about his palate for wolf flesh. But, He added, now that I know what it's like here... I've found myself feeling the same as you. A pause. Black Hat's eyes drifted away from her as he began to muse aloud. It's a double-edged blade though, living around like-minded individuals when your own mind is so twisted. Everyone's out for themselves — you can't ever trust anyone, not fully. If pissing off too many packs wasn't the Nightwalkers' downfall, he was sure the faithlessness of its members would be.

Serem gained his attention again when she asked about his companion. Ah, Radar. I suppose that's not entirely inaccurate, but I mainly keep her around because she's hale and — most importantly — she's malleable. Well, most people are malleable to me, He gloated, but Radar is particularly easy to bend into whatever shape I desire. His answer was honest, and while he knew she could choose to turn around and relay all this to Radar, Black Hat had an unmatched silver tongue. He'd call it a gold tongue, if you asked him. If it came down to her word against his, he'd bet anything his would win. So he told her, content to converse about his misdeeds and possibly learn more about what made Serem tick in the process.

The dark female chuckled a bit at what he said. “That’s always better I suppose.” Who would want to get eaten no one hopefully. She listened to him speak with interest and nodded her head at the statement where you can’t trust anyone.

When he agreed with what she said about his companion, she was a little bit shocked that he had agreed with her. “It’s always nice when you can easily control someone.”

Isn't it? The spineless make life so much easier. He sighed as the horridly lovely reminiscenses came back to him. You know what? He asked after a little while of staring off into the past. I'm actually glad we had this little chat. As much as I like being angry, I'm not out to make formidable enemies. He let the implication that she would make one such enemy hang in the air for a moment. Well, don't let me keep you from your duties any longer; we'll certainly bump into each other again.

Settling back down in his spot under the willow tree, Black Hat felt the fatigue wash over him again like a wave, and his lids drooped over his eyes as if they were being tugged by gravity. Assuming Serem took her leave then, he'd drift back off again, dreaming of the sweeter bits of his memories.