Deepwood Weald King of the Rock

@Nocturnal

One of Damien's favorite features about the Weald was the rocky formations all around the territory that made his new kingdom a fortress. Damien knew of Nyx's revulsion for highlands, but he also knew the worth of a very steep wall when he saw it. From southeast to northwest every inch of his newfound principality was surrounded by walls, a strategist's dream come true.

With his lover on tow Damien coursed the land leading north, where the oceanic winds blew saltier. It was strange being this close to the shore, but Damien's history with the now extinct Donnelaith pack made it feel somewhat familiar. He trekked the hills that drove closer to the edges of the plateau where the landscape was rockier. Plentiful ledges leveled the open terrain until they merged with The Weald itself, and there, still high enough to rise above the treetops, they found a castle.

What do you think is in there? asked Damien as they admired the many holes along the rocky wall just above a hill. Everything around it were monolithic rocks and snow-covered pastures, but still, he wondered whether he could save himself the effort of digging up a burrow if he claimed this palace for his family.

When Damien told he wanted to explore today, Nyx happily agreed to come with. She told Tulugak to stay behind and keep an eye out for unwanted guests before following Damien to the northern reaches of their land. Unlike Damien, the salty smell in the air only brought a sense of discomfort. It even made her sneeze with the delicate sound of a flute and she excused herself shortly after.

It was then that the terrain turned from woods to rock to ledge to cave. She smiled when she saw the holes that lined up perfectly to almost make it look like a castle, though it reminded her of nothing in particular. Let us hope it isn't bears. She answered softly as she stepped forward to align their shoulders.

Yes, bears would be bad news, but at least they could be sure knowing most bears would be hibernating through the cold season. He doubted they would find any trouble up there so he led the way when he saw in his lover's eyes that she, too, found the sight appealing. They had to traverse through a maze of elephant rocks to get up the hill, but once they reached the ledge of rock that served the place as front porch they were most rewarded for their intrepidity. Deepwood Weald looked most impressive from there, for it gave a sort of perspective of how wide and well protected they were. He could see the Moonspear range in the far distance and the entire valley below them covered in tall, imposing trees through which the fog made its appearance. Damien stood on a flat, elevated rock that stretched over the ledge to admire the view, and with naught but his eyes he expressed to his lover how glad he was she had followed him to this place.

Despite her fear of heights, she was content with following her lover up the hill. But the sight on top was so rewarding that she barely cared about falling. Behind them rushed the sea, while in front of them the whole Teekon layed displayed. Or, well, at least a part of the Hinterlands. She swore she could see Blackfeather Woods from up here and resisted the urge to curse them. They had everything and more where they were. There was barely any need to curse others for having things they did not.

It is beautiful... She remarked. If she were to spend her whole life here, she wouldn't mind. But now the caves caught her interest again. Perhaps we do not even need to build a den... She spoke again, practically saying "we should totally bang in those caves", but in a more sophisticated way.

Damien turned his gaze back to the cave at the night maiden's suggestion. He knew she was getting ideas, and he had some of his own, so with half a naughty smirk he turned to her and said My thoughts exactly with a deep, suggestive tone. That was her cue to follow him inside, but before he could lead the way a wind blew a scent his way and his entire expression changed.

Sniffing the air Damien confirmed his fears: the cave was already claimed, but what was most concerning was the layer of blood that carried the scent. His eyes turned in silent alarm to Nyx, who by now had most likely already picked up what was going on.

She grinned while a shiver ran down her spine. It was not even the thought of humping that got her off specifically - it was the thought of one day doing what they enjoyed and being sent a gift from up above. It was romantic and physical and she wouldn't want to enjoy it with anyone else.

She padded behind him and froze when he stopped to sniff the air. She was quick to follow suit and suddenly her heart was racing not because of him but because something else was with them. Her eyes were wide, far more expressive than they were most of the time, and then a worried frown settled on her face. She had fought wild beasts before, but if it was anything bigger... They were only with two. How long would it take them to get off the hill or for the others to get there?

Without looking Damien could sense his lover's worry electrifying the air. And if he were more sensible he would be the same. There was no mistaking the signs, the cave had been claimed and the marks were recent. His pale eyes were fixed in the darkness of the hollow rock, he'd seen a shadow shifting inside. Then a hiss finally got a response from the dark prince, sending currents of electricity down his spine to flag his hackles. If they wanted this palace they would have to take it by force.

A growl echoes into the cave, a warning for whoever or whatever was inside. By the scent and the sounds (more exactly the lack of any), Damien already had a very good idea of what the creature could be. But what kept him guessing was the strong smell of dried blood. I think it's wounded, guessed Damien aloud, but the possibility of there being a carcass guarded by a healthy and strong specimen was just as likely. Then the shadow flickered on his right, and Damien's eyes shifted to the next cave entrance. He hadn't thought about it, but it was obvious, the caves are connected he informed his couple, who knowing him would understand that he meant they now had to take care of each and all of them. There seemed to be no more than one beast inside the caves, so they had the numbers in their favor, but if he didn't figure out a good strategy to force the creature out they could lose their chance to take it down or even risk getting outwitted and find themselves under a surprise attack.

Nyx wasn't often taken aback, adaptable as she was, but the thought of having to fight yet another beast got to her. Last time she did something like this, she almost lost an ear. Who knows what she'll lose if they don't win the fight, other than the perfect spot for their den. She was slower on making the connection between the smell of blood and the possibility that whatever was inside was wounded, but she was quick to catch on. They were both experienced fighters and she didn't want some wild animal running about their territory if they could end its miserable existence now and claim the caves for their own.

It would be cruel to let it live any longer. She commented grimly. If the caves are connected like you say, perhaps we can corner it. She proposed. But what if one of them was faster? Would it be better to run in blind and hope it was weak enough to be ambushed?

Cornering him was pretty much what they were doing by just standing there at the caves entrance. And pressing any further could be dangerous if they didn't see where they were going or even know what they were up against. That was why he often took it upon himself to do the strategic thinking, because his lover was way too impatient and reckless, a danger to herself. It will come out at some point. We'll mount siege and wait for it to happen. Then it's one against all of us. he thought quickly and proceded to send a howl into the air for whoever was nearest (@Aries @Midar amd @Alarian were the only ones present at the time tho) to join their siege system.

But things went way faster than Damien had anticipated. The feline leapt from within the shadows, cutting his howl short in a desperate effort to free itself from the pack. It had seen a chance to demolish Damien's throat when the dark prince rose his chin to howl, but somehow Damien had managed to avoid it and inteas the failed collission sent them both tumbling down the rocky hill in a ball of growls, hissing and teeth that was bound to end badly.

Midar had also been exploring. The weald provided many new and different places to check out, and if he wanted to keep a proper eye on the place, he would need to become familiar with every part of it as quickly as possible. He had also been looking for Alarian in the midst of his wanderings, wanting his company as always, but hadn't yet been able to find him. He wondered if the scarred male was avoiding him again, but he had little time to to dwell on the thought, though--Damien's howl pierced the air then, and Midar stopped, looking in the distance. The intent of the call sounded serious, and so the beast spent little time wondering about why he had been summoned, instead taking off across the rocky ground towards his leader. 

He hadn't been very far, and as the ground grew more uneven, forcing him to leap between large, jutting, hills, Midar spotted his tumbling master and panic flashed through him as he saw what he was tumbling with. Not needing to ponder what to do, he took off towards the pair, jumping in and hoping he wasn't too late.

She looked at Damien, her brows pinched together which rearranged the stars that decorated her forehead. She supposed her plan was rather reckless, but just waiting it out? Was that really a better idea than go for the advantage they now had over the beast? She looked even more worried when he rose his chin to howl but was distracted by the shuffling of paws. She was just about to warn him, just about to leap in front when the cat already had her lover tumbling down the hillside. Damien! She called out in a panic, jumping after them as if her own life depended on it. Suddenly her fear of heights was overshadowed by the fear of losing Damien and she was quick to join the dogpile to free him, together with Midar of course.

Adrenaline rushed through his veins as he wrestled the cougar. Claws, teeth and paws flew back and forth, and a deadly symphony of growling, hissing and roaring made for a cinematic scene. The cougar had missed Damien's neck by mere centimeters, and now several meters down the hill, the brawl had been joined by not only Nyx, but Midar himself, making it a lost battle for the cat has lost its best chance. Nyx and Midar pushed the cat away from Damien easily, but Damien dived in once more to gouge his fangs on whatever he could find.

Maybe one more round of wrestling and then ...?

He and Nyx seemed to successfully detach the cougar from Damien and send it back a few steps. A snarl left Midar's chest as Damien lunged, and the beast was not far behind, throwing himself at the deadly cat. He barely felt the swipe of claws across his shoulder as his teeth sunk into some part of the creature--he didn't really care, he clamped his jaws down as hard as he could before throwing his head from side to side, his instincts urging him to do maximum damage. Surely the fight would be over soon, either ending with the cougar's retreat, or even better, its death.

Prolly my last post, feel free to fade when the cat is dead :p

A symphony of growls escaped her throat as she tried to separate the cat from her lover with the help of Midar. Though successful in doing so, the cat was still alive and attempting to flee. Much like Midar did she sprint after it, hoping it won't sneak past them to attack Damien again. Nyx went for its guts and chomped down on the fleshy parts while a back leg scratched her already torn ear. There wasn't much fight left in it, she was sure, and as soon as they were victorious she turned around to check on Damien.

Where did it get you? Are you alright? Yes, she was aware that Midar also sustained damage, but at that moment she couldn't think about anyone but the King of the rock. Her ear dripped blood and stained almost half of her white freckles on her face a deep crimson.

Fuck I thought I had replied to this

Damien mauled and tore away, and blood spilled all over his body, but all the gory details were of no importance for him. Damien was desperate to end the creature's life so he could check on Nyx, whose face dripped blood of her own and made Damien anxious. So when the cat's savaged body laid limp before them Damien immediately turned to his lover with anguish. Nyx! he rushed to her, ignoring her own worries for him, Your head! he gasped as he searched frantically around for injuries while she did the same. Damien himself had several claw marks on his chest and up his neck, but the cat hadn't been good enough to sink its fangs on him. And when he realized that Nyx was out of danger he turned around, remembering Midar had been there too. You did well, brother he praised, and through his voice, it was obvious how impressed and grateful Damien was for Midar right that second. He had saved him and her, his entire world, to whom his eyes went back again. We should get that checked, he suggested, thinking this would be the perfect chance to evaluate a certain wolf's alleged trades. Midar, go find your friend. I need him to tend to Nyx's wounds, he ordered, and nudging at his lover he leads the way back up their palace, earned through blood and fear.

Fade here, continued in another thread (link coming soon)