Silvertip Mountain chickity check yo self
Ghost
618 Posts
Ooc — mercury
Guardian
Offline
#1
All Welcome 
dated July 30, high noon. will archive if no response in a few days.

He'd cleared out his nose as much as he could. However the fuck a wolf did that. He needed his nostrils as clear as possible and boy. . .when you really concentrated on scents, they hit you so much harder. Despite the newfound sensation, Verx forced himself to focus. There were only a couple of smells he needed to find and track -- no room for distractions, now.

He didn't say goodbye to his children, afraid that they'd see it as just another betrayal. And at any rate, he planned to come back, dragging along Dragomir's tormentors' heads like a kid with deflated balloons. He wouldn't settle for anything less.

Vercingetorix climbed the mountain, something like rage blooming in his stomach. There was a spring to his step that had been missing for some time, but it wasn't euphoria that drove him now but vengeance, hot and heavy. Revenge was a hell of a motivator, and damned if Verx wasn't the most motivated he'd ever been, right now. Up, up, up he went, face set sternly ahead, until he reached the mouth of the cave.

Don't look down, he told himself, speaking aloud -- for he knew if he looked down, he'd see his son, broken and bloody, all over again. . .and he couldn't afford any flashbacks right now.

Instead, he entered the cave, heedless even of the beauty of the crystals, winking merrily in the sunlight. He lowered his nose and began to sniff, sorting out the foreign scents from that of his son's, all of them growing stale -- but still there.
Common · Trigedasleng
this is my book
and i know how to work the spells and charms in it
i know them all
1,610 Posts
Ooc — ebony
Master Warrior
Master Missionary
Offline
#2
the idea of returning to the scene of his first murder thrilled merrick awake; he came alive in the glow of early morning, gently panting, the shudder of adrenaline juddering inside his veins.
@Astara was not near to where they had slept that night; the boy presumed she was upon an odd hunt of her own, and left the spine of a mouse in the grass bent by his body, a gesture to signify that he had gone off.
he quickly traveled back to the peak as the sun brightened, clawing its way hotly into the sky, and just as the heat began to grow uncomfortable, merrick came to the damned, beloved place, and began to climb the shaled side of it.
if there was someone here, he did not know it. the yearling stood upon the precipice and sighed into the warm air, gazing down at the place where he had thrown the child. no body there, but it did not perturb merrick, for what he had not eaten would not sour in the belly of another predator.
turning to the crystalled den, the young wolf entered its coolness, the scent of the pup’s fear still echoing through the oddly glowing cavern.
i'm going to bring it all back to you
848 Posts
Ooc — Lauren
Guardian
Rogue
Offline
#3
cameo for now <3

astara returned from her jaunt to find merrick gone, his scent meandering away through the mosswood. where his form indented the carpeting pinestraw, astara found the curled and fragile form or a mouse's impossibly tiny spine. nudging it, astara deliberately turned it lengthwise, and then left it alone.

she did not fear for merrick's safety, and so did not find herself immediately trailing the wayward scent of her companion. instead she pursued in an idyllic fashion, stopping here and there in lazy interest to investigate a strange pinecone, an old rabbit warren, and the gnarled, long-dead skeleton of a hapless buck that had found his death in the embrace of a stunted tree.

»» they may promise you that the river ain't too deep. ««
»» player policies ««
Ghost
618 Posts
Ooc — mercury
Guardian
Offline
#4
As deep into the cave as he was, he didn't notice the newcomer. There was a stillness in the air that belied the presence of another, but he mistook it for the solemn atmosphere that marked the cave, anyway. This was the site of his son's greatest terror. This was a haunted place. He wanted out -- but he had to keep looking for clues.

Creepy as shit, Verx muttered under his breath, but he had to admit it was beautiful, too. All that crystal in the sun. What kind of monster would bring a kid to a place like this and tear him apart?! He --

His heart caught in his throat as a mountain bird flew suddenly past, a flurry of wings headed for the opening. Fuck! he exclaimed softly, trembling all over. He was already on edge; the fucking bird just made it worse. He bristled as he continued to sniff here, there, and everywhere. . .still ignorant of what stood a ways behind him.
Common · Trigedasleng
this is my book
and i know how to work the spells and charms in it
i know them all
1,610 Posts
Ooc — ebony
Master Warrior
Master Missionary
Offline
#5
in this moment, the greatest source of merrick's fascination was himself. he had come here, he had brought the boy, punished him, pronounced judgement upon him, and sentenced him to death. merrick was judge, jury, executioner; the thought titillated him until his teeth clenched together upon the sensation of something like carnal pleasure.
that itself was far from his mind, except when he looked upon astara, and ached for her in his marrow. his body had decided for him what he did not understand, an urge separate from the one that had led him to throw the child from the cliff — he did not understand it, and sought only to comingle the two, contemplating in detail what tasting her blood might cause him to experience.
she was too precious a companion, however, and so merrick pulled away from those thoughts, ducking with a sharp inhale as a disturbed owl flew savagely close to his head. a gasp; a laugh that started quietly and began to trickle into the recesses of the crystal place.
Ghost
618 Posts
Ooc — mercury
Guardian
Offline
#6
The owl was spooky enough, but the laugh that echoed suddenly through the cave had him spinning around, now fully on-edge. Who's there?! he barked, bringing himself up to his full height. Imposing as he looked, there was undoubtedly some fear within him (Verx didn't do well in the mountains; this was well documented by now). He'd rather this fight, if it came to that, come on lower ground, preferably within the trees.

Fuckin' rocks. FUCK rocks.

Hey, chucklehead, Verx continued, beginning to walk his way through the winding cavern back to the mouth. The light was growing stronger as he drew nearer; he'd be there soon enough. Come here and tell me what's so funny.

Yeah, fucking hilarious to scare a stranger in a cave. Fucking prick.

(He hadn't put 2-and-2 together, yet.)
Common · Trigedasleng
this is my book
and i know how to work the spells and charms in it
i know them all
1,610 Posts
Ooc — ebony
Master Warrior
Master Missionary
Offline
#7
abruptly merrick's mirth was cut off as soon as it had arrived. he blinked placidly into the looming glow of the place, ears swiveling at the sound of pawsteps. no need to be caught; the yearling ducked quietly behind a large outcropping as shadows flickering against the cave wall revealed that he was not alone.
the anger in the voice did as well, but merrick was gleeful, for this encounter mirrored his first with the boy he had thrown from the cliff. must not be discovered, be caught, be caught
"no one knows what happened here," merrick murmured conversationally, letting his own voice echo against the crystal. "no one no one no one."
Ghost
618 Posts
Ooc — mercury
Guardian
Offline
#8
Oh, fuuuuuck that.

Who the fuck are you?! Verx called out, steps getting faster, bolder as he bore down on the taunting voice. Show yourself, you goddamn coward. The echoes rang out around him, mocking him. Mocking mocking mocking --

Sunlight hit him like a smack to the face all of the sudden, temporarily blinding him. Vercingetorix blinked, blinked some more, caught a glimpse of a dark pelt with ruddy patches --

I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU! he roared, barrelling forward, heedless of where he was going and all too aware of the brutal force he was about to impose upon this piece of shit.
Common · Trigedasleng
this is my book
and i know how to work the spells and charms in it
i know them all
1,610 Posts
Ooc — ebony
Master Warrior
Master Missionary
Offline
#9
the flash of sunlight was captured by crystals; the sheen of it covered merrick's mad ducking to the next ledge, even as the man charged forward. he was dark, scarred, powerful; the sight of him fired the yearling's blood, for he resembled the young sacrifice. what dumb luck to have stumbled into a cavern with he who was perhaps the very sire of the boy he had thrown to his death.
aware that his own might come this very hour at the teeth of the avenging demon, merrick was silent, motionless, scarcely breathing. he dared not move again, but a maddened grin exposed his teeth to the moistened air.
"it won't bring him back now, will it?" came the low curl of his malevolence, arcing out in a daggertone designed to stab into the heart of this hapless predator hunting him in a bloodstained cave.
Ghost
618 Posts
Ooc — mercury
Guardian
Offline
#10
He skittered to a halt as the beast leapt away, barely avoiding tumbling down the rise himself. The words pummeled him like hailstones, cold and sharp; he swung his head to stare in the direction of the predator, snarling. So he thought Dragomir was dead. Good. Verx would let him have that, if it kept his son safe.

You're a fucking monster, he spat, ears folded back. Not to mention a coward. Who hurts a kid?! Caiaphas. Touche. They would make a good savage pair. Fuck the both of them.

Get down here and face me instead of running away like the coward you are, Vercingetorix rasped, fur bristled out so that he looked twice his already enormous size. Like a particularly vengeful storm cloud, he was. A big fuzzy black ball of "fuck you the fuck up."

He began to prowl toward the ruddy figure in the shadows, trying to figure out what the hell to do next.
Common · Trigedasleng
this is my book
and i know how to work the spells and charms in it
i know them all
1,610 Posts
Ooc — ebony
Master Warrior
Master Missionary
Offline
#11
survival meant the ability to continue his movement; merrick had no intention of being seized by who he presumed was the angered father. the lanterns of his stare glowed as the great cur began to approach again; they winked out as merrick narrowed his eyes and sought a deeper niche. he was untouched by the scathing words; he had prevailed, had taken the boy, had tormented him, had killed him
yes yes yes
merrick alone had emerged victorious, and taunted the other male with an answering spate of ribald laughter. "a coward let his baby fall into my teeth," he crooned. "i threw him on the rocks." a shuddering sigh arched in his throat, brought a low moan to his lips yes yes
he had done
that.
i'm going to bring it all back to you
848 Posts
Ooc — Lauren
Guardian
Rogue
Offline
#12
still skippable, but just wanted to put astara a bit closer for trade purposes <3

she was a far ways off, though from the twilit forest she stood in she hear the dulled roar of a male's voice; not merrick's, but someone's. astara's gait sped, her movement nimble -- up until she came upon the familiar cave.

a lull in her steps transpired, for astara suspected the familiar instantly. there were a number of reasons for her to have her guard up, least of all the child's avenger -- she could hear merrick's voice trickle out in thin notes from the cave, followed by an aggressive burst of angry words that might have chilled her to the bone if astara hadn't been born so cold.

she tread lightly over the known pathways, taking care to move only where the air was stale and no rustle of sound could betray her presence. further down along the corridor merrick baited and tormented, and astara was ready, poised like a 42-fanged shelob for whenever the convoy happened to come her way.

»» they may promise you that the river ain't too deep. ««
»» player policies ««
Ghost
618 Posts
Ooc — mercury
Guardian
Offline
#13
Disgusting. Fucking depraved. At this point, Verx didn't care much whether he succumbed to the same fall as his son; right now, all he needed was to get this bastard in his grasp. He leaped toward the devil, feeling the rush of alpine wind and empty air sail past him. Airborne, aloft. . .

His paws hit stone and scrabbled, and he found himself, with a sickening lurch of his gut, going downward. Luckily for him, he didn't plummet nearly as far as Dragomir had, and hit a ledge below with a thud and a groan. He could only smell the kidnapper now, not see him.

I'm going to fucking kill you, nomonjoka, Vercingetorix snarled, muzzle lifted to the sky. His eyes darted frantically to and fro as he looked for a way back up, but there didn't seem to be one readily available. Fuck fuck fuck.
Common · Trigedasleng
this is my book
and i know how to work the spells and charms in it
i know them all
1,610 Posts
Ooc — ebony
Master Warrior
Master Missionary
Offline
#14
anger made wolves stupid, merrick decided, watching his hunter leap toward him, or where he thought the boy to be. and over, over, over! over! he could scarcely hide his glee as he padded forth to look where the man had fallen and surely broken upon the cliff below.
but it was not to be. merrick felt an answering kick in his own stomach, one of disappointment not to see blood puddling over the rock. only a snarled, empty threat, the taste of the man's frustration. and though the yearling knew better than to allow his would-be assailant a good look at his features, he could not help the slow, mocking blink of his orange stare toward the downed predator, the teasing smile that flit across his countenance.
all at once, he turned away and headed off at a quick clip designed to carry him away from the teeth of the man who had promised to kill him, and it occurred to merrick as he sought his self-preservation that he had not seen blood upon the stone that night either.
Ghost
618 Posts
Ooc — mercury
Guardian
Offline
#15
Before he knew it, Verx was alone and seething. The shadow had slipped away somehow, and he was without blood in his mouth. Without revenge. He hollered his frustration into the empty air, voice ragged from the yelling he'd done before. All the best Trigedasleng curses, just for this mountain.

After a while, he began his descent, fuming all the way. He knew this wouldn't be the last time he'd see the demon -- but to follow his trail now would be folly. He had to get back to his kids, at least for a little while. After that, vengeance could begin anew.

Fuckity fuck it all, Vercingetorix remarked, and repeated that phrase under his breath for quite a while longer before finally falling silent.

leaving this open a couple more days before archive, in case @Astara wants to post once more! otherwise you can archive <3
Common · Trigedasleng
i'm going to bring it all back to you
848 Posts
Ooc — Lauren
Guardian
Rogue
Offline
#16
her trial was not to be. the incensed man had tumbled to the depths below, well out of astara’s vantage. all she could see in that monotonous dark was the slow blink of mocking lantern-orange eyes; merrick, perched on the stones above. 

in silence astara made her way out of the den, recognizing their dangerous game had an end. with the full-throated bowls of fury sounding behind her, astara exited the presumed grave of their first victim, wearing a satisfied smirk as she went.

»» they may promise you that the river ain't too deep. ««
»» player policies ««