Blackfoot Forest standing in the fading headlights wondering "what if"

Two bodies lay slain already, grotesque and stiffening into gnarled forms, lost of all the sleekness they had been. This place was rich with them and their kin, the cries of fox echoing through the barren trunks as darkness fell, paw prints and the odd patch of feathers and blood marking one of their kills. But the wraith moved through the place with death's grace, finding amusement only in the shrieks of the dying as she killed relentlessly and methodically. It had been a while since she'd last been in a fight that had sent her blood hurtling through and out of her veins, and here, in this forest of fox, was release. It paled in comparison to a fight, fang on fang on flesh, but it would do.

@Kelina (?)

From the darkness she watched, a glint in her eye as the scene unfolded before her. The Nightstalker was lucky, at times such as this, that her pelt blended so beautifully into the shadows, allowing her to secretly observe the wraith as she relentlessly slaughtered foxes one by one. It was a curious sight indeed, but one that intruiged her to no end - it was a situation in which she could imagine herself being a part of, for she would find a terrible amount of pleasure from the grotesque murder of the smaller creatures.

She supposed that was why she stayed, violent eyes peering out from the night's claim to the land that surrounded them in inky blackness. This was her favoured time, and that would be the reason for her aimless stalking. Having heard the desperate cries of the foxes, she had prowled closer to take in what was happening, and the very sight amused her. Kelina savoured the sound of the shrieks, voices that usually plagued her head hushing for a while as the screams echoed in her mind. They were good sounds, indeed.

Fangs closed around another small throat, this dying squeal a bit more satisfying. This one had put up a fight; a small line of blood ran down her forelimb. She moved with easy grace back towards the others, though the body was dropped when intuition whispered carefully in her ear and slipped down her spine, familiar in its warning. Bleached gaze swept the trees once, twice, until falling upon a shadow darker than those around it, a sliver of purple barely illuminated by the fading day. For a moment, ice met indigo, until her voice rent the silence. "you are entertained?" The words slipped from her tongue without much emotion, only a vacant, mild interest in the pair of purple eyes and the darker shadow among the many. She did not leave, did not join her, did not steal. She only watched, and thus the wraith watched her in turn, body forgotten and stiffening already at her feet.

She continued to relish in the sounds and sights until the white, ghostly figure turned and stared at her dark form. A twisted, cheshire-cat grin began to stretch across her maw, sickly and dangerous, and her shadowed figure slunk from the shade of the trees but did not make any further approach. "Indeed." The word fell from the Nightstalker's maw silkily, a single word spoken in a way that would shake most to the core and insert an instinctual sense of fear to their heart. Perhaps, if this one was stronger, she might resist the urge to flee if she was scared. Or maybe she was not frightened at all, for she had certainly slain these foxes with no hesitation - Kelina might find herself with another recruit. Curious.

"Mmm... I have to say, you put on a good show. I enjoyed it thoroughly."

The woman slunk from the shadows, sickly grin plastered across her maw. Aeronwyn stood impassively, but her gaze scanned the woman once more, this time with interest flickering dully in her optics. She was different, certainly, but a careful taste of the air proved no scent of the Wood lingered on her. "hm," The contemplative noise came soon after her indeed, though she did not break the silence again until a moment after the woman had spoken. "you have low standards."  Gaze blinked as she gazed once at the fox at her feet, before rising once more to meet the woman's. If the woman found killing fox to be a good show, then surely she'd find the rest of the wraith's repertoire to be absolutely thrilling. 

 "and what do you seek here, then, besides watching my foxhunt?" Normally she wouldn't have bothered, but something had her probe, rather than try and incite the woman into some sort of fight to satisfy her battlelust.

She chuckled lowly at the pale woman's words - no, her standards were not particularly low, as such, but the wolves of the Teekon did often not provide her with any sort of amusement. They were unbelievably boring, and so to watch this wolfess slaughter the foxes without a hint of hesitation had piqued her interest. The Nightstalker's grin grew, but she made no comment. 

Hmm. What did she seek here? Aside from the pleasing show, did she really have any purpose here? Kelina hesitated for but a moment, mind drifting to thoughts of her rising domain, and the shadowed wolves that were beginning to follow her command. "Perhaps.... perhaps I could propose an offer to you." Her head tilted, violent gaze sparkling. "I have a group of rogues banding together very close to here. You seem like the type that might fit in." Again, the chesire cat grin presented itself again, blackened ears perked forward to catch a response. Indeed, this could be the perfect opportunity to sieze, and earn herself another to join her steadily growing group.

She made no comment, rather, her grin only stretched across her inky face. Sanity seemed a poorly placed veil over this one, wearing thin in some spots. Still, the wraith was motionless, watching cooly as the woman made to propose her offer.  The dark stranger canted her head, violet gaze glinting with something that came close, but wasn't quite, sanity. When finally the woman made her offer, Vengeance's words returned to her. "yearning companionship will only put you in the company of the wrong individuals" She'd made peace with her solitary life some time ago, and it had hardened her and taught her much in the past year. 

And this woman seemed to have no qualms about appearing weak; rather, she was blunt in her intent. Scrape up whoever and whatever she could to join her band, or at least, that was how the wraith saw it. Still, perhaps there was something to be gained, as commonly could be when dealing with others. Even though her current interest in the woman's group was dismal, to say the least, after a long moment did she speak. "and what, then, could your band offer me?" For surely if the woman made her offer so quickly, she was in need of followers; as Aeronwyn was in need of a few choice things herself. It had been a long while since she'd been a follower, and she had little interest in doing so, but still she probed, thoughtful.

If she could have seen into the pale woman's thoughts, she might have laughed. Of course, she may be picking up many strangers along her travels, she did not pick just anybody. If she was not interested in something about them, or something they had, she would not have even bothered with an approach unless it was to play with them in whatever way she found amusement from.

The inquiry was one she quirked a brow to, but did not hesitate in an answer. "It depends what you would seek." The Nightstalker muses, tail flicking behind her dark form. "If you show yourself to be a talented fighter, a spy, a thief, I can give you power. Wolves to command, land to control." She kept a cool gaze upon this wolf, this ghostly figure, as if gauging her intentions.

Oh, when the woman mentions power she is intrigued. Surely it is wrong of her to find such interest in the woman's words, foolish, weak, as Vengeance would have said. But Vengeance had left with empty promises and without a trace, and here instead was the woman with the violet eyes. "hmm," The contemplative sound left her maw smoothly, considering still. 

But there was a spark of interest in her gaze that had not been there before, a flash the most perceptive would surely notice. "and where is your claim?"  The words slipped smoothly from betwixt her jaws, and they too were not as detached as they had been previously, not as noncommittal. Names had not been exchanged, she knew, but they seemed such worthless things to give when they held no meaning, not yet. She had been many places and held many titles, but it had been a long time since she'd tread this land.

She noticed with a glimmer of satisfaction the interest sparking in the pale woman's eyes, and she internally stretched her grin. Ah, so this wolf did seek power as she suspected - she certainly seemed the type, despite carrying no scent of a pack on her fur. Kelina perked her ears forward to listen to the answer she recieved. 

"We are settling just west of here - less than a day's walk away, upon the mountain." The Nightstalker gestured with her head to distant rise in the land, a wonderous sight from the ground of which they were standing. She, too, had noticed that names had not been exchanged but it seemed such a meaningless thing at the current time that she did not bother. Of course, even if the woman had asked she might not have given her real name, content to settle with her title.

Her muzzle swung smoothly, gaze settling on the inky peak surrounded by the slate of the sky above. It was difficult to see where sky ended and mountain began, but the shape gradually materialized in the distance. After a moment did she return her gaze to the woman, receptive, now, to her offer. Still, she was not interested in this turning out like the rest of her ventures in the Wilds tended to. "there have been others who have promised power, titles, land. they have failed to deliver." Here she paused a moment, tongue darting out to catch a frozen smear of blood. "how are you different?"  There was no maliciousness in the words, rather, a glimmer of curiosity that she allowed to slip into them.  

The night wraith observed the swing of the paler woman's muzzle, following her gaze that swept to the mountain of which she already considered her own. The rogues she commanded were already content to spend a large majority of their time there, and it seemed as though it truly was theirs already. The moment we stake our claim will come soon, she mused to herself internally, violent eyes drifting back to the ghostly figure before her as more words were spoken.

"When I make a promise, I do not break it without good reason." There was some fault to the confidentally spoken words that fell from her dark lips, but it did not show. If she was teasing someone or using them for her own desires then the result would differ, but in this case her intent was only to recruit another to her band of shadows. "It is up to you whether or not you choose to believe my words, but still my offer stands."

For a moment she considered, weighing the words of the woman against her own doubts, the fox at her feet long forgotten. She could decline the offer and continue as she had been, gaining nothing and losing nothing from this interaction. She was seldom impulsive, but perhaps something along the lines of that had her reply, finally, "I accept your offer." If this went poorly, if the woman did not keep her promises, she could simply slip away. Or she could turn on the violet-eyed raven, and behind her fangs would collect all the betrayal she'd kept bottled up, the kind for which she'd never found retribution.

Finish up here? :)

There was a moment of silence as the Nightstalker's offer was considered, and the ink-coated woman stood stoic and tall as she waited for the result. The pale woman was no doubt interested, and she had every reason to be - of course, as the preposition of power fell from Kelina's lips, she would be far more intruiged. Who would not be? It was far too tempting, the promise of land and titles. She herself had always longed for such. And now, she thought with a hidden smirk, she was gaining just that.

Ah, she felt a surge of satisfaction at the words that finally fell from the sylph's maw, a confirmation, an accepted invitation - she would accompany the night wraith, then, back to the mountain where the other wolves lay. She would become one of them, perhaps, and Kelina felt certain she would fit in nicely. "Wonderful," The dark woman purred, nodding her head. "Come, we must head to the mountain." She gestured back toward the peak and turned as if to leave, waiting for the ghost to follow.

The woman seemed pleased with her answer, and the wraith was still only a moment longer before smoothly dipping to catch the carcass in her fangs. The woman started off and soundlessly did the wraith follow, stopping once to collect the other carcass before slipping into a smooth rhythm besides the raven. Had the days been warmer and prey been more frequent, or had the woman been alone; she would have left the bodies where they lay. But while she had been alone a long while, she was no stranger to packs and no stranger to winter's wraith, and thus the corpses swung in discordant rhythm from her jaws, leaving tracks in the snow.