Bearclaw Valley Give me everything

to keep Vesta active lol, AW!

 


The warrior traveled as she always did, marking the borders and filling caches. 

Today she wandered nearer the newest children's den. Would she meet the bearberries today? 

Or someone else?

merrick lay sprawled outside the den, his single eye trained upon the antics of @Asperas and @Apophis. they had grown restless and wild, into wide paws and dark fur, the little bearberries. pride of ursus.
"vesta," the madwolf grinned toward the rednape. "it is almost time to give them blood."

the pale interloper caught at the edges of asperas's vision like a thorn snagging in their fur; prickling, irritating, unwelcome. until recently the unchild's life had consisted solely of skulking dark phantoms, shadowbeings sculpted of the same piercing voidmurk that had borne the newest bearberries. easier for the demon child to accept the existence of other when it was so like herself, easier to see tribute to her own perfection in mirrored atramentous outlines. this — this was blasphemy.
such was the changeling's outrage that they scarcely held control of their own faculties, sweeping stiff-legged and rumbling toward the waxen miscreant with every intention of running them off. needling puppy teeth gnashed together several times, threatening, but asperas was not quite adept at such things yet. the clipping of tongue's edge became apparent only in the aftermath, when the unchild tasted blood. the blunder only deepened their rage, and their growl started to crescendo even as their mouth worked to dispel the metallic taint, lending a peculiar rhythm (click here...) to the sound.

Vesta looked curiously at Merrick, then to the cthonic pup coming at her with aggression. 
Outrage and shock seemed to show in the otherling's face, yet Solaria stayed, watching with concerned interest, would the king have her leave, for the happiness of his newest princess?

Vesta now, looking to the Madwolf king with question:

Does she know I'm one of Ursus? 

in asperas, so much of the blackbird queen sparkled and flashed. 
rage incarnate; neither merrick nor his bride knew the meaning of a cold hunger. they preferred their meals warm, their bloodthirst slaked, their sacrilege noted.
sacrilege was what had created these two, and merrick felt at once that this one meant to be heir to a darker chapter.
he hoped only that age's teeth would not remove him from beholding this glory.
"no one is safe from this one," merrick murmured as if in explanation, ears lifting with delight as asperas drew a slice of blood.
but he came around sharply, and made as if to nudge the nightdark goblin-child into the dirt, warning his bearberry with a bleak snort that loyalty, too, was a tenet of their kith.
a firm affection in it — beneath the blaze of the draconic eye.

rebuked! whatever nefarious plans had half-formed in asperas's wicked little mind were cut short by merrick's brisk intervention. the unchild leapt back, catlike, nearly stumbling in the process. the bruin-witch's snort was met with one of their own, a curl of the lip bringing the spiderling as close to a pout as they would ever reach. the leggy mini-tyrant extended her muzzle with lips half-peeled away from gleaming milkteeth, as if to sink them into her father's nose, but seemed to think better of it at the last moment. teeth clicked together once again, leaving asperas to bump noses with her father in an unintended gesture of... perhaps something like affection, should merrick linger to allow the touch.
regardless, it was time for asperas to take their leave. the whole experience had proven rather humiliating; an unwelcome and long overdue humbling of the demon-god astara had brought into the world. thoroughly disgraced, asperas swept back toward the den with a stormy disposition, likely to terrorize their poor mother as an outlet for their indignation.

The unchild seemed offended at Merrick's soft warning. 
Vesta, meanwhile, watched them both with interest. 
As Asperas stomped away and Merrick said his words, the rednape woman offered a chuckle, otherwise silent from lack of voice. 

Vesta looked upon the Bruinking now, eyes questioning with a tilt of her head. 

Give them blood? A ritual?

asperas, off again, her wrath kindled, her ire apparent. merrick only watched fondly. silently, vesta laughed, and merrick shared in it with an audible titter. "each year they become more wild," he said of his children, fondness and love suffusing his gaze.
to her silent question, he clucked his tongue. "maybe you should bring her a special sort of gift."

Their shared laughter, it made her chest swell with kinship.

And as he acknowledged her, Vesta then tipped her head the other way, asking in her silent way: 

What kind of special gift?

Immediately, Vesta considered a skull, but would the young unchild accept such a thing?

"she is not a child who cares for trinkets. blood," eye flicking to vesta's paw. "bring her bones. kill for her."
a sweetening smile upon his scar-torn mouth, a pleased spear of satisfaction the cyclop's-gaze.

As Merrick spoke again, offering his suggestions, Vesta hmmed in contemplation, giving a firm nod before she turned and started trotting off to find something worthy of the Voidborn unchild

can fade or keep going! <3

merrick would wait as he was, preferring to allow vesta her own hunt.
communing in silence with the bear-spirit, who was as of late quite silent.
merrick closed his single eye.