Bitterroot Valley I miss the misery

@Diesel

 


The monolith female decided to travel a little today, taking a path around the borders of the Glacier and eventually, slowly, arriving in the Valley on the other side. 

She looked out over the rapidly paling terrain with an almost mournful gaze, Nyra zoned out on the frost-kissed grasses, ears perked and swiveling despite the distant look in her balefire golden gaze. 

She sighed softly, raising her head after a long expanse of silence to look around at the landscape again.

A thick, vile scent had been in her nostrils for days now. It made her instincts flare up, and put her in a more pissed-off mood than she was in by default, especially because she couldn't recognise what the damn thing was.

Thanks a ton, dear ancestors, for making alarm bells blare in her head and not telling her what the threat is.

She was in a big valley now, had been for some time. The flatland made her uneasy, as did the fat clouds overhead. She wasn't bred for this outdoorsy shit, as was evident in her flea bitten coat and gaunt waist.

There was a figure in the distance. Diesel squinted. It was big, real fucking big, too big to be a dog. Still, the single pea she had for a brain needed a moment too long to recognise what it was before she called out "Hey!", her bark carrying over the plain.

It was a wolf.

Thanks a ton, ancestors, thanks a ton.

Nyra perked her ears high and raised her head immediately as the bark carried over the distance. 

The figure looked...different. 
Canine, somehow, but different. 

Nyra distantly recognized the smell of human, but it was so faint from where she was, that the Warmaiden assumed that any two-legs were long, long gone and far away.
The giantess lowered her head a degree or two, forcing her hackles to stay somewhat flat. After all, she was still recovering from Ursus. 

"Hail!" Nyra called in return, an acknowledgement further that the she-dog had been heard, and seen. 
The pale she-wolf prowled a few yards closer, but no further just yet. 
Just enough to try and seem approachable and not like a threat. 

Under different circumstances, she might've been a threat. 
But right now, she was a neutralized one. 

A fallen queen to a fallen empire. One she seeks to rebuild someday. 
Hopefully soon...

It was a biiiiiiiig fucking wolf.

Diesel tensed up when it stepped closer. Despite her underfed state, the mastiff was ready for a fight. Wanted one, maybe. It would certainly help keep her thoughts off her rumbling belly. 

And it would be a kickass way to go, if anything. She was sure not even her mom would ever fight a wolf, and the old bitch survived getting hit by a car.

The dog female remained silent, sizing up the other.

Her nose wasn't exactly fine tuned at the moment, overwhelmed by the stench of wolf, so she couldn't discern its gender. Not that it really mattered, as she wasn't about to hit on the damn thing. The white fucker was built like a bear, and Jesus, that was a shitton of scars.

Diesel felt a tad emasculated. Effeminated? Whatever. She puffed her chest out and raised her chin. Well, daddy, here I come.

"This your turf?" She demanded to know, in a way that suggested she didn't give a damn if it was.

Nyra wanted to cackle at the clearly-threatened body language the she-dog gave off; or so Nyra saw.
Yet, she didn't say anything. 
Didn't make a sound to show the amusement of being seen as a threat even though she couldn't do as much damage as she normally could.
If she had wanted to, anyway.

But right now, she just wanted to heal, so she could be in tip-top shape again. 

"No." Nyra eventually said, "But my pack is on the other side of that Glacier, for the winter." She clarified, gesturing with a jerk of her muzzle in the direction she'd come from.
"Not my choice." She rumbled, as if that would probably clarify that she wasn't a leadership figure within her pack.
One day, she would be again. She willed this with all her being.

Right, riiight, wolves lived in packs. For some reason, the dog had assumed they spent all their time standing ominously on cliffs and howling at the moon. Likely because that was what she was taught.

Thanks, mom. You're a livin' argument against homeschooling.

Her hazel eyes followed where the white wolf gestured at. Some mountainous shape loomed in the distance. Shit, was that how close she was? No wonder she couldn't get that stench out her nose - she was marching straight towards Wolfsville, USA.

She maintained her pose. At any moment the white beast could get tired of chatting and lunge at her throat, and Diesel was gonna face it head-on.

"You, uh, travel a lot?" 

Unfortunately, casual chatting was less her forte.

Nyra maintained her own pose of somewhat-casual, somewhat-on-guard.
It seemed the dog caught on pretty quick that a shit ton of wolves were close by. 
An alliance of two packs, to be exact, though Nyra kept this part to herself, at least for now. 

"I used to, but in lieu of recent events, I'm currently forced to stay close to the pack I'm in. Call it a safety precaution." Nyra responded. 
Given that the shewolf was scarred and probably smelled of blood still, even if faintly, she assumed the she-dog would catch on that Nyra wasn't in her best physical state. 

If not, oh well. 
"My name is Nyra." She offered after a beat or two, hoping to try and ease tensions a little. Assuming this canine was as powerful as she looked, gaining her trust would only be a benefit for the monolith's ambitions.

"In lieu of recent events" it said, all proper spoken, and Diesel's nose suddenly stopped slacking. Now that the olfaction had begun to sort out the smells, she realised there was an accent of blood to the wolf's scent. Some of those scars looked fresh, too.

Well damn, guess it was her lucky day after all.

The mastiff smirked, pushing up her jowls. She began walking away and around the wolf, intending to make a wide circle around it.

"Naee-rah, eh? That a chick name?" She grinned, baring yellow teeth and further wrinkling her flat face. The wolf might have a pack, but it was way away from it right now. In a wounded state, it was less of a threat. Thus, the fawn bitch felt confident enough to test her luck, see how far she could push this interaction. "Who roughed you up, Scarface? You return the favour?"

Nyra kept a poker-face as the dog caught the smell of blood on her.
A wide circle was being made, to which Nyra watched with intelligent eyes. 
She didn't respond to the goading of the fawn-colored dog, instead analyzing the brazen bitch as she moved around her. 

Yes, Nyra was injured, but less of a threat? Not at all. 
Not if she really wanted to be one.

"My scars are all from different fights. None of which you are currently worthy of hearing about." Nyra responded coolly, easily. 
With that, she would turn and calmly begin to prowl in the direction from which she came. 

She may not have actively been watching Diesel now, but she could still hear the fat paws as they hit the ground.
It was a test of sorts, though it was a test only herself would know about. 

What would this cocky human-lover reveal about herself further?

Circling the wolf allowed her to take a better look at it, see the many scars ruining its pristine white fur. "Shredded Cheese" seemed like it would have been a better nickname for the canine. What kind of life did these fuckers lead out here in the wilds?

"Oooh you a tough one." Diesel teased as she came around, although one eyelid twitched in annoyance. Not worthy. Yeah, not worthy of smelling the farts coming out its ass. Who did this fleabag think it was?

Then the wolf turned around and made as if to leave. Ohoho, did it get tired? Did blood rush to its legs? Did it need to go back home to wolf-mommy and wolf-daddy? Might as well have tucked its tail, for Diesel read this action as cowardice. 

She grinned and trotted up to the side of the retreating wolf, now feeling daring enough to come closer to the gigantic canine.

"Hey hey Scarface, why the rush? You got somewhere to be?"

Nyra stood correct. 
This canine didn't seem to know when not to pick a fight. 
But she would learn, very, very fast. 
Arrogant. Nyra thought dismissively.
And in the blink of an eye, the Warmaiden lunged straight for Diesel's meaty face with wicked jaws aimed to shred flesh and rend it from bone. 
A guttural roar reverberated from her chest as she moved for the offensive, viper-speed not lost even with her injuries.

Rolled a 14 for damage to Diesel via the preferred dice method in the Tabletop thread I posted!  Here Please feel free to use the same dice system or ping me to discuss if needed! <3

The strike was expected.

The speed was not.

A grin was still splitting Diesel's face when the wolf's fangs closed about a fold of skin above her brow. On instinct she tried to throw her head back, but the beast's teeth had already found purchase.

She felt something tear.

Somehow, she freed herself, but the dog could feel warmth build up above her right brow, then drip down...

No time to think. 

The mastiff lunged forward with a vicious snarl to challenge the wolf's own, aiming for the face and the long scars gracing it.

An eye for an eye, motherfucker.

Rolled a 9. Diesel had a fold of skin above her right-side eye bitten off.

rolled a 13 I DON'T KNOW HOW?!

 


Nyra chomos into the flesh she ripped away like it was a snack, though not for long until the dog comes snapping for her face in the split seconds after. 
The fawny bitch is assuming at her scars and Nyra lurches to swerve, catching slashes to the cheek and part of her upper neck behind her jaw instead, 

A savage noise erupts from the behemoth woman as she lunges again, aiming her frenzied teeth for Diesel's neck, or even her inner shoulder if she couldn't rend muscle from her intended target area.

She could taste a metallic wetness on her tongue, and knew her powerful jaws had applied enough pressure to draw blood. She felt triumphant, as if there was chance of subduing the white beast, and jumped back to decided on her next attack.

But the wolf was just too goddamn fast. As Diesel leapt back, it leapt forward, and its teeth closed about the loose folds of her neck. The fangs pierced her, then remained in place, as if trying to throttle the life out of her. It was only thanks to their size difference and her breed's anatomy - thank you kindly, dear ancestors - that the wolf's grip was awkward enough to slip. The mastiff twisted her body to free herself, in which she succeeded, then attempted to distance herself. 

The warmth for her brow had slipped into her right eye and she shut it on reflex, now blinded on that side.

Fuck fuck shit fuck.

It began to dawn on the she-dog that this opponent was out of her league. Scarface proved itself a formidable challenge, this teasing brawl having potential to turn fatal - for she more likely than for it.

Still, Diesel wouldn't be the dumb brute she was if she knew when to quit a fight. 

With fierce barks she dived low then up, trying to reach the neck of the white beast, or perhaps the jaw. 

This fight needed to end now.

Rolled an 8. Diesel's neck has been pierced, but not in a fatal way.

(3/30)

rolled a 10

 
Nyra snarled angrily as the she-dog was able to rip herself free from her fangs. 
She flagged her tail high as Diesel backed off briefly, blinded by her own blood.

Then came forward again.

Nyra roared as Diesel tried to grip her throat from lower down, and with a vicious sound from deep in her chest, the Warmaiden aimed her teeth for a hold at the base of Diesel's skull, where her spine would connect to the head. 

Whether or not she got this exact hold, the Warmonger would then shove her brawn into the effort of trying to wrestle Diesel to the ground, where, if she succeeded, she'd stand over Diesel and hold her down until the arrogant little shit submitted. 
And if she didn't, she'd force the issue until she did. 

The Fallen One wasn't in the mood to kill today.

For the first time in her life, Diesel found herself outmatched in strength. The wolf took hold of her neck, grabbing her as if she were a pup, and managed to, with pure brawn, wrestle her to the ground.

Diesel fought viciously as she went down, but no bite broke skin, each attack expertly deflected by the clearly better fighter. 

She didn't cease once her back hit the ground, still snarling and barking - until a closing of powerful jaws about her throat made her whole body stiff.

At first she growled as she felt the pressure grow, limbs pressing into the wolf in a fruitless effort to push it off. Then, she though "fuck it", and laughed trough her closing throat - although the noise was closer to a wheeze.

"You- you a tough one, eh, Scarface?" The bitch breathed with an off-sounding chuckle. "K-kill me, then, but at least I'll have died well. I give you the win."

It was as much of an acknowledgment of the superior animal's skills as the arrogant youth could manage.

pp'd nyra, but will change anything if you ask!! i wrote this as if nyra was just trying to scare diesel by choking her and wasn't actually going in for the kill

<3

 

Nyra latched to the jugular of her opponent as the bitch tried to get free.
The Wardog felt Diesel stiffen and begin to wheeze with fruitless efforts to get her own mass from on top.

Eventually though, it seems the Mastiff grew wise and admitted defeat. 
Not in the way Nyra exactly wanted, but good enough.
With a sharp pull, Nyra aimed to leave wounds where her fangs dug into flesh, not enough to be lethal however, simply enough to hopefully scar and leave an unspoken reminder.

With that, Nyra backed off with a low growl.
"I'm feeling merciful today. Now, Piss off." The giant rumbled before turning away. 
Some small part of her murmured to try and recruit Diesel, but Nyra shook it away in a brief, sharp motion and continued to trudge through the snow unless the fawny Bitch felt inclined to try and stop her again.

Diesel yelped when the fangs jerked away from her jugular, leaving red ravines in the most sensitive flesh. Once freed, the dog rolled onto her stomach, panting. Relief she refused to acknowledge washed over her.

The wolf's mercy hurt more than murder would have. At least she'd have died with satisfaction, pleased to have found someone who could kick her ass so soundly. This way, the dog only felt humiliation.

Still, a breathy sound - a laugh - got out of her.

"Heeey, caught a peek at your parts down there." The bitch twisted her neck to watch the big white beast leave, a weak grin on her lips. "So Naee-rah's a girl name, eh?" She called, but by that point the wolf had already left.

And perhaps there was a part of her that stifled her voice, hoping she wouldn't be heard.

In the ensuing silence, Diesel became acutely aware of how loud her own heart was pumping. The reality of her brush with death - which, in some attempt to be boisterous, she was willing to accept in the adrenaline-fueled moment - was setting in with each beat.

She set her head to the ground and covered her face.

I'm one stupid, stupid motherfucker.

i suppose we can archive this now? hmu on discord of that's okay!