Blackfeather Woods Spooky Scary Skeletons

Story time~! Assuming she told him her name in our other thread. I can edit if you’d like. uwu @Nemesis

 
For the first time in what seemed like ages, Xan was unable to fall asleep. The usually lovely lull of "Sleep's" tone was not as enticing as usual, and, dare he say, actually made him want to stay up longer. Never had the comforting embrace that was the temptation of sleep failed in pulling the child into a slumber—that is, until today. Unable to enter his dreamland, the boy chose to head out and take a walk. Perhaps that would assist in the tiring of his body, and allow for him to actually doze off next time he tried. Giving a quick goodbye to his father, the boy set off as quietly as he could, not wanting to risk waking anyone up. He knew that when someone woke him up, he absolutely hated it, and didn’t want to risk an encounter with the wrath of an adult. He’d figured it out right away just how different those of the woods were from the wolves who’d once resided in the valley. In Blackfeather, he was no hidden prince, just another child running around. It lead him to assume anyone could attack him without sparing the idea so much as a second thought.
 
Shaking his head to clear away all troublesome thoughts, the young Inuit paused just long enough to glance around at his surroundings. Recognizing where he was, he continued forward on a path he’d taken earlier that day. He didn’t make it far before a scent hit his nose, one that he could easily match a face and such to. Now, Alexander didn’t know where everyone slept at, but something told him the woman wouldn’t be asleep—and if she was, well, he didn’t care. Changing his course slightly, he started in the direction the scent was coming from, a mischievous glint shining in his abnormal eyes. “Neeem,” he called out, using a nickname he’d silently given her and drawing out the vowel. Stopping, he gave the air a good sniff, before carrying on towards the shadow-coated woman. "Nem, I've got something for you," the boy stated as he approached her, a grin stretched across his maw. It was not a physical item, which was clear given he'd been carrying nothing, but he figured it would be just as good. A story, of sorts, to cure his boredom, and possibly even tire him out.

Xan is honestly too cute, I can't even XD 
No, it's cool!

Nemesis shot up, blinking a few times to calm her erratic heartbeats. As much as she didn't want to believe it, nor admit it, her experience with the 'poisoning foreigner' had scared the living shit out of her. It was bad enough that she had fallen for the evil witch's trap, but to have nightmares of the experience was equally humiliating. In her dream, she was blind once again, stranded in her own mind as she ran her way back to Blackfeather with the souls of her enemies hot on her tail. It was an impossible situation, they were dead, they were gone now and so was the absence of the blindness. Recalling what Meldresi had said, it could have been her conscious trying to tell her something. But the thought passed through her mind as her thoughts zeroed in on finding the kiniving bitch who had done this to her in the first place. Yet, her previous emotions were still fresh in her mind, as she jumped at that call of her name.

It had come to her attention that a certain pup, or she would now refer to as not a child but by his name, Xan. The kid hadn't like it when she had called him a 'little man' even thought it was the best possible name she could have called him. Regardless, she had to give it to him, he seemed to fit right in at Blackfeather even though he was not born in the dark woods. It was in his blood, she could tell and could truly see him doing well here. 
She stifled a groan at his entrance, not particularly wanting to deal with him right then. His tone held a sense of mischief, certainly not a trait that he would be seen without, she figured. 
"Here!" She called out, less enthusiastic to signal her presence. "What do you want?" She snapped, not in a way that would damage his emotions, not that anything seemed it could. The runt couldn't do anything against her, except annoy the last strands of her sanity out of her.

If you think this little bugger is cute, then I believe we will get along well~ (´ヮ`)

 
Xan wasted no time in closing the distance between himself and the elder, wanting nothing more than to go on with his little plan. He was a bit taken aback by her snapping at him, but what started as shock quickly morphed into a show of his own irritation. Who was she to snap at him? He huffed, making it known he didn’t appreciate her tone of voice. “I have a gift for you,” he started, sitting himself down a short ways off in front of her. “But if you’re gonna be like that, maybe I’ll just keep it to myself.” He turned his muzzle upwards, though the change was practically microscopic. Having learned the ways of an actor at a young age in order to acquire what he wanted, the false pout came to his face easier than expected. Even so, it didn’t quite reach his eyes, which continued to allow mischief to swim in their mutated depths.
 
Perhaps he was conscious of his own error, as he kept his head tilted at an angle so as to avoid eye contact. Or, maybe, he was just trying to better his act. Whatever his reason, it worked to his favour. “If you apologize…” And there it was. The next step to his little act. “I’ll give you what I’ve brought.” He believed that saying such things could accomplish the task of gaining her full attention and interest, but he couldn’t yet decide if that’d truly be the case. Giving a discreet glance up at her face, he tried to figure out what she was thinking, but was unable to. Something like that wasn’t an easy task, and far beyond the boy’s current skill level. Averting his gaze once more, he waited to hear what she’d say. The moment of truth, if you will, that would tell him how good of a performance he’d put on, and whether or not he’d succeed in obtaining her curiosity. Silently, he hoped he had accomplished both things. The latter more so than the prior, since he actually did have something for her. Not a “true gift”, as some may call a physical item, but a patchwork fable, created by combining numerous stories and names his father had told him about. A mess if put together incorrectly, but just right if the proper components have been taken from each tale.

Eek, he's so annoyed at her I hope that's possible lol

A look of shock quickly morphed onto her face as Xan actually looked hurt by her sharp choice of tone. Not earlier, he had been quite clear that nothing could bother him, nor touch him for he was purely indestructible. She shook her head, reminding herself that he was merely a child, less than half her age. It was different than speaking to an elder, something that she would have to get used to if she was to hang around him more often. Something told her that the child would one day end up in serious trouble if he was left unsupervised in a sticky situation. She couldn't help to worry on his part, his curious and devious nature could prove to be useful or brutal. If Kove was busy enough to not watch his own son while he was off causing trouble, someone had to watch the runt. She would not have a child of all things, hurt or slaughtered in revenge in the pack, who she knew had multiple enemies. Yet, she wouldn't be to hard on Kove's actions. With the absence of his mate, or whatever she was, he was a lone father in charge of the boisterous little man, with the attitude. Her judgments cast aside, she pondered what exactly could the kid have in store, or what devilish little plan he had going on. 

Sighing, her features relaxed, her tense mindset dissolving with the attitude it brang. Her eyes met the child's a look of apology glinted in her cold orbs. "Fine, i'm sorry for snapping at you. I'm not in a very good mood, regretfully" She let out, not even sure herself why she was telling her feelings to the kid in the first place. She didn't tell anyone anything, didn't open up or express any unnecessary emotion. But talking to the boy was different, she didn't need to worry what he would think, who would he tell besides his father who seemed trustworthy enough. But seeing the look on his face after mentioning Kove, her thoughts said otherwise. Were they... okay? She wasn't sure what to think. She was by no means a caretaker or counselor, and her social skill weren't the best but she would tell something was bugging the kid. Perhaps the absence of his mother left a gap in his esteem, behind all that persona was a sad, little boy. Not that she would dare to call him such. The thought of referring to him as such outloud made her want to cringe in itself. 

"What did you want to tell me?" She asked, a more pleasant mood on the table, completely ignoring the previous exchange. The kid almost looked like he was trying to read her emotions, a skill that would prove very difficult for his level of... expertise. It didn't take a genius to guess that he was playing her, whatever trick he had in store, she would be ready. She didn't get  scared, it was as simple as that.

This entire story is going to be like a challenge to see how many different tales I can combine without things getting too hectic, aha

When the apology came out, Xan’s head snapped up to look at her face, a devilish grin spreading from ear to ear. He hadn’t actually expected her to give in so easy, or at all, for that matter. It was a pleasant surprise, revealing to him that he’d been successful in his little trick. A few stray laughs made their way out of his throat at that, amusement stitching itself into his features. “I didn’t think you’d apologize,” he admitted, his grin growing into something that would put the Cheshire Cat to shame. The last time he’d tried to pull one over on someone older than himself, the falsity of his actions had been discovered immediately. It’d been an unfair endeavor, however, his mother having been around other children enough to tell a real cry from a fake one. That’d caused the ruse to, ultimately, fall from his favour back then. Luckily, now he was not around the elder albino, but a shadow-filled woman, allowing for him to get away with more. For the time being, anyways.
 
Deciding now was as good a time as any, he jumped right to the point. “I have a story for you,” the child told her, an edge of eagerness to his voice. It would be his first time telling someone a story, and he couldn’t help but be a bit excited—for numerous reasons. Without giving her a chance to wave him off, the child got started with giving some details of his tale. “On the way here, my dad told me some things about the land he came from. He told me about the deities that live among his family up there, and of the creatures that can cause harm.” There were other things he’d been told about, too, but they either didn’t relate to the story at all, or he wasn’t yet ready to incorporate the information into his words. “One of the ones I liked hearing about the most is Issitoq, a giant flying eye that punishes bad creatures. One time, I saw him, and also the things he could do.” That was a lie through and through, but he tried to sell it the best he could. Pausing, he focused on the woman’s face, trying to gauge her reaction so far.

Nemesis lifted a light glare at him, a warning not to venture into the topic of forgiveness. She never forgave, no matter the trouble she had caused, or the people she had hurt. In the end, she had always done what needed to be done, and trusted that she knew best despite the casualties. "Yeah well, don't get used to it" She deadpanned, a look that ended the topic where it started. Before she could halt him from reciting a ridiculous tale, made up by his little scheming mind, he opened his mouth and began.

Nemesis narrowed her eyes at the boy, resting the urge to laugh at his ridiculous story. But, she thought, maybe it was best if she let him play it out, let him have his fun even if it was a pitiful attempt at scaring her. There was nothing that could faze her, not matter the danger or the spookiness. And really, how could she believe that a giant flying eyeball could do any harm? 
She held back the urge to sarcastically note that his story made literally no sense, that no eyeballs could fly so said common sense, but he was a kid. And as far as she knew, that's what kids did. Right? Instead, she put on a look that suggested she was intrigued, that she had gullibly fallen for his tale. 
Before she could respond, he carried on with his story, and she noticed how into it he really was. He had ambition, for someone as young as he was. She would give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe fake her surprise to go along but truly no matter how hard he tried, he could never scare her.

Or so she thought.

The child gave a discreet roll of his eyes, before focusing back on his story. He hadn’t planned to get used to receiving apologies from her, or anyone, for that matter. He took in the look that had taken up residence on her face, far too young to tell the true feelings from the false ones. Believing the woman was actually interested in his story, he gave a faint grin and then continued on with his tale. “Issitoq isn’t just some normal flying eye, though.” If any giant flying eye could be considered ‘normal’. “He’s a shape shifter, too, able to take on any form he wants. Wolf, fox, bird… he can take on the shape of anything, but no matter what he shows himself as, he’s always missing one of his eyes.” Okay, so that wasn’t true. A shapeshifting creature did exist, but it was known as an ‘ijiraq’, and he’d never heard of them being without an eye. They were strange creatures, stealing away children and hiding them, only to abandon them soon after. He didn’t understand the point of it, but didn’t dare question the being’s actions aloud—lest he wish to risk drawing its attention and have himself taken away.
 
“Issitoq doesn’t like that he only has one eye,” Xan continued. “He feels he had his chance to see the world clearly stolen from him, and that makes him very angry. So angry, he’s been known to take on a ghostly form and eat those who cross his path.” Not quite true. He’d based that part off of Atshen, a cannibalistic spirit. “But for him to actually eat anyone is rare.” The boy decided to pause, then, perking his ears and glancing around as if he’d heard something. There’d been no noise, but he’d wished to darken the vibe surrounding them. Giving a slight shake of his head, he returned his gaze to Nemesis. “Instead of eating them, he tries to make them feel the same way he does every day. He’ll take on the form of a bird and stalk his prey from the skies, waiting until he’s cornered them before swooping down and attacking.” Again, he paused, a distant look finding its way into his eyes. “He goes straight for the face, talons stretched out so he can get a good grip. Then, he plucks out one of their eyes, taking it between his beak and ripping it right from their heads… when they try to find back, he takes both their eyes, leaving them with nothing but two dark, bloodied holes on their faces.” Quickly, Alexander snapped out of his supposed daze, eyes growing wide as he looked right past the woman’s head. “Nem, he's here... Look out!” he shouted, scurrying to lower himself down, the action seeming genuine—though the entire thing was nothing more than an act.

As Xan spoke, she found herself slowly being absorbed into the story, ignoring the child's snarky remarks. She would never fall for it, but she simply liked the tale, no matter it's unoriginal orign. Yet, something about the story made her uneasy, the thought of something supernatural chasing after her sent a chill down her spine, reminding her of the blind incident as she ran distraught through the forest, blind. What if it was real? Meldresi believed in the other power type thing, who was to say this thing didn't exist either? 
A gush of icy wind hit her face, sending yet another chill down her spine as the thought of this thing waiting in the shadows to take her, just as she had done to so many. If it could take any shape, she could have already met it. A thought of horror past thought her mind a the idea of the fox that she had so horribly threatened, being this thing waiting to kill her. 

Her eyes wandered past Xan, as she looked into the shadows of the forest, as he had. Pull yourself together, the runt's just trying to scare you, she reminded herself, willing herself not to believe this ridiculous tale. But only a few selected words made it to her ears as Xan spoke, ripping heads.. bloodied.. Her eyes scanned wary, her pulse quickening as he spoke. 
It was then when Xan cried out, causing her to jump against her will. It was a small flinch, enough to give Xan the satisfaction he wanted. But inside, her heart raced as the feeling of terror felt her way through her, reminding her of blindly wandering in the dark, to god knows where. Instantly, her eyes darted to the child, the cold irises hardening as her eyes narrowed maliciously. Of course she was not mad at the boy, knowing simply he was having his immature fun. But that wouldn't stop her from having her own fun either. A playful but mischievous look danced in her eyes as a smirk reached her lips. 
"I'm going to get you for that," she said as she lifted herself from the ground. In any case, she would make sure he never repeated what had happened to anyone, no one important for that matter.

Just after his outburst, he’d noticed the woman’s body jolt. Witnessing that caused grin to sliver across his features and he stood back up, almost giddy over the reaction he’d gotten. He laughed, then, thoroughly amused by the outcome of the situation. It was not a quick chuckle or a mischievous snicker, either, but true laughter. There was very little out there that could make him laugh in such a manner, but what had happened was too good for him not to be humoured. “You should’ve seen your face!” he practically shouted, working to speak between his ongoing laughter. If he were human, he’d surely be doubled over by now, clutching his stomach. Instead of that, though, his head just craned forward slightly and he fell back to sit down. Xan was in hysterics, sides heaving as he tried desperately to bring in as much air a he was letting out. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes, their origin not of sorrows, but of joy. Eventually, he started to settle down, needing to catch his breath. The laughs faded into chuckles, though every time he glanced at the dark woman, he needed to take another moment to ease himself back into the real world.
 
Alexander’s attention was pulled to the woman, unwillingly, as she moved, and it took every ounce of power he possessed to keep himself from cracking up again. “Yeah?” he questioned, tone harbouring taunting edge. “What are you gonna do, huh?” Another fit of chuckles washed through him, clearly not worried over Nemesis’ slight threat. He was certain she would not hurt him, and so what was there to fear? Issitoq? Again, he started laughing, amused by his own thoughts. Xan was content with what had happened, unable to imagine anything that could have made it any better.

Her glare hardened as the boy laughed at her. It had only been a flinch, not a screech of terror. It really wasn't that funny, in her opinion. The boy was immature in all aspects, thinking that he could fool her in such a way he had hoped. Even if he had gotten a little reaction out of her, it was purely caused by her own existential crisis and impending thoughts that shook her. Her jumpiness could be profoundly blamed on the fact that only a few days earlier had she been poisoned that ended up in her BLINDNESS. All reactions were normal and his case was irrelevant. At least, that what she told herself. Xan, on the other hand would never believe her 100% truthful excuse. 

At least he was happy, she sighed, wanting to completely leave the situation and Xan on his own. Yet, something about his laughter amused her, as if joy was actually detectable in her vague box of emotions. Joy wasn't something she recognized as a proper emotion, and neither was laughter. She didn't laugh. But he could. And he certainly did. A twitch at the side of her jaw made her completely aware of what she was feeling, and took no time correcting herself. She couldn't, all feeling such as had been willingly suppressed long ago. And for a good reason. When she was happy, she was reckless. Reopening those feelings wouldn't do anyone good, and she never wanted to. Ever again.
A frozen glare took to her eyes, directed at the boy. Her muscles tensed at his poor word choice, all seriousness took over her exterior and no reachable emotion was present in her aura. 

What are you going to do, huh?

She knew his words were teasing, but something clicked in her mind. The same words had been repeated over and over again too many time to bare. A scene flashed in her mind of a tormented childhood, one where her superior had challenged her to disobey, shooting her down with a simple question. Then, she couldn't do anything but sit back and let the pain take over. Now, she was different. And the same question faced her. She would do anything. Anything to get back at those who hurt her, fooled her, diminished her to nothing. Yet, she was helpless in the face of a child who fooled her just the same. 
In an instant, she turned around, walking roughly in the other direction before her temper got the best of her. To her conscious, the boy represented something bigger than him, something a threat to her own. And she knew that her conscious was unreliable, dangerous and unstoppable. 

Heavy breathing and thudding footsteps could be heard as she pushed all her feelings into her footsteps, away from her mind. Taking a deep breath, she cleared her mind, willing herself to stop making such a big deal of a little teasing. Stopping ahead, she glanced back at Xan, not sure what to say. What could she say? She opened her mouth, but quickly shut it. 
Turning back, she slowly strutted back to the child, stopping right in front of him."Tell no one about this, understood?" Her eyes reached his. It wasn't the prank she didn't want anyone to hear about, but what he had witnessed. It was a side of her that needed tethered release. She didn't need the child blabbering about how she was a crazy, short tempered, possible serial killer and safety hazard. That would be known on its own time, and right now was not the time.

As his laughter was completely subdued, he focused all of his attention on the woman. While he felt amusement towards the situation, he knew she did not. He didn’t need his father’s skill to figure out what she was feeling, and he took an unconscious step away from her as she started moving. Heavy footsteps hit the ground, causing the child to grow a bit uncertain of whether being in her presence was a good thing or not. He had played a trick on her, yes. He’d laughed at her, yes. He had taunted her, yes, but her reaction to it all was completely unreasonable at best. He didn’t know of what memories his teasing had brought up in her mind, as he was not a mind reader, but what he was witnessing had him contemplating a quick getaway. Xan was not a coward, but he wasn’t stupid, either. Nemesis was far larger than himself, and had more training and experience under her belt than he did. To go up against her physically, right then and there, would be the same as signing his own death certificate.
 
When she turned to look at him and started moving in his direction, the boy couldn’t help but think he’d missed his chance. His one opportunity to escape while her back was turned, and he’d missed it. What came, however, was not what he was expecting. An attack, a sharp bite, a punishment of some sort—that was what he’d been mentally preparing himself for, but it never came. “What would happen if I did?” he challenged. Alexander was genuinely curious of what would happen, of what she would do if he told anyone of what he’d seen, but god forbid he actually show that externally.

Last post! nem is so evil xD

Nemesis eyed the pup, hoping to find some sort of joke in his eyes. Thankfully, she found it. She didn't trust herself, and could never predict what she would do. All hope was put into the fact that she would never hurt a child, but still, she could never be too sure. 

"Or i'll tell your dad what you've been up to. Disrespecting higher ranks, causing trouble. It's punishable by death you know" So what, a lie white lie couldn't hurt anyone. The least it would do would slow him down for a little while before he became a nuclear bomb of annoyance once again. In any case, her exaggeration on 'death' was almost comical, yet still believable.

"And you wouldn't want your dad getting in trouble because of your bad behavior" She pouted, almost heartlessly. But the fact was true. If Xan didn't learn, the feud between the elders would only grow. She just hoped he would learn soon before things really got messy.

And with that, she turned away from the boy leaving him to his thoughts. The realisation dawned on her as she was out of eyesight that she had acted in the same way Xan did, but on a more sadistic level. Suddering at the thought, she continued on her way.

I took a bit too long to finish this up, huh? Either way, thanks for another cool thread.

The child was not so easily fooled, seeing through the woman’s white lie thanks to past experiences. Never had death been brought up back in Bearclaw, and not once did he show the leading male an ounce of respect. He couldn’t, in all honesty. To do so would have suggested that he actually recognized the Roman as a leader, which he definitely had not. Despite all the times he’d challenged Raziel’s authority, however, the threat of being executed had never come up. He believed that was because it was the way things worked, though a few stray thoughts had him considering other reasons. Back in that pack, he’d been a prince. Though neither of his parents had been stationed at the helm of the ship, it did not mean much in the child’s mind. They’d been the founding leaders, and had once held a claim to the land that was not to be questioned. That made him a prince, as did his father’s lineage—or one of several, if he was correctly recalling how the Inuit’s birth pack worked. Either way, he wondered, briefly, if his status back there had held any effects over how he was treated. That thought, and those similar to it, were quickly snuffed out as his brain drug forth memories of how often he was chastised. Despite his having seen right through her lie, he made no comment on it, letting her believe she’d managed to fool him. Different pack or not, the roots of it could not truly be so different that the killing of loyal pack mates was permitted.

Alexander’s mouth parted, then, about to throw in a smart-aleck remark, but he was cut off by the woman’s words. Unlike the false threat, her last sentence actually managed to snag hold of his attention, as well as awaken what little concern burrowed itself deep within his body. It was true that he didn’t want his father getting into trouble because of his actions, it was a fact that he couldn’t ignore no matter how much he may ever try. Kove was the only member of his family who’d decided to stay by his side despite the boy’s way of living, and for that he could not wreak havoc upon the elder’s life. The idea of doing so was enough to keep him silent, even long after Nemesis had taken her leave. Xan knew that, in order to keep his father from being disappointed in him, he needed to act better—or at least not get caught during times in which he would decide to act out. Ideas and strategies drifted around within his skull for the remainder of the time spent outside, before he’d eventually chosen to take a break and head for home. To act better was not something he’d ever considered doing, but for the sake of his dad, he knew he needed to at least try.