Haunted Wood We Let The Fires Just Bathe Us

@Valour 
(Slight pp to get you started?) 


It had been a while since he had crossed swords with the Alpha. He had learned a lot since losing his eye- but a round of play wrestling with a pup, and flirting with Santiago, was not enough to know what would happen if he were to be in an actual fight. 
For that- he needed a warrior with respect. 
He Found Valour on the border and crept behind him, springing forward and tackling him. "Hi. Wanna spar?" 

Clay. Clay had been hurt. He'd been on edge all night and had finally set out to the borders to try and cool off with a patrol. Lost inside his head he hadn't heard Memory coming and with a grunt as he was knocked aside and a low growled "Hell yeah" that was mainly playful aimed a quick snap of his jaws that was meant to miss toward as he used his hips and shoulder to shove the man off and take a defensive stance, circling and waiting for an opportunity to strike. 

Dice rolls or go at it purely ic? If ic no serious wounds or maiming but I welcome nips, scrapes, a little blood etc

Dice thread: 
https://wolf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=41209

Memory was grateful for Valour's enthusiasm. It made it easier for him to get his head into gear. 
By now his moves were predictable- he knew Valour was aware that he typically went for the legs first and would be expecting it. 
A smirk on his twisted mask he swept forward, feigning right. It was difficult when Valour was on his blind side; he aimed for Valour's neck, unsurprised when he felt fur brush past his face. He turned his head inward, finding purchase on Valour's shoulder.

You rolled a miss so he'll dodge the attack <3 sorry HHH

Seeing Memory's smirk he prepared for a good fight ready to see what the grizzled warrior's skills were. As Memory drove forward Valour moved back in sync turning and ducking low so that when the man's muzzle came toward him it sailed over his shoulder leaving the curve of his throat and windpipe open. Pushing up with his forepaws Valour aimed a headbutt to Memory's windpipe, the hard part of the bridge of his muzzle being driven in enough to hopefully cause the soldier to choke and fumble a little.

Coughing, he wrenched backwards, pulling himself free of Valour's jaws with a few narrow scratches on his throat. He danced forward, swinging a paw towards Valour's face. Easy enough to dodge, he supposed.

Moving quickly the young agouti tried to snap Memory's paw out of mid-air, teeth coming close but not close enough as they clicked together on empty air. Focusing on keeping it smart he didn't attack again but instead pulled back and kept light on his paws shifting back and forth slowly as he waited for Memory to come back at him.

This was almost more nonsensical than when he was playing with the pup, but- He was never one to cow down to anyone. He did, and always would, treat Valour like an equal. Hell- someone had to make sure his ego wasn't too big. He streaked forward, crouched down and rising to his full height and flipping the kid backwards. He stood over him, snapping his jaws shut an inch from Valour's nose.

As Memory tried to toss him over he dipped and dodged again learning to be quicker on his paws. Memory's lunge succeeded in bringing his fangs across Valour's nose and the fierce pain only fueled him to fight harder. Rearing up onto his hinds and balancing he wrapped his forelegs around Memory's neck holding him tightly and gripped him by the bridge of the muzzle, once again holding to see what the older soldier did to escape.

It was unfortunate that so many wolves forgot one of the most valuable tools. 
a growl in his throat in frustration and pain at being held, he dug a claw into the sensitive part of Valour's ear, raking a series of scratches down from it. He pulled away with Valour's inevitable cry of pain and shook off his muzzle, moving just a hair too slow to snap his jaws around Valour's neck.

It felt like someone had stricken his ear with flames. The ear Memory had hit was the one already partially torn by Hela, the man's claws succeeding in tearing it the rest of the way off. It was only about a quarter of the ear but it bled like crazy and hurt like hell, Valour's pupils began to dilate as he forgot it was a spar and snapped for Memory's neck with a Savage snarl. Missing he frantically reared up onto his hind legs again, the move shaky and forepaws intended for Memory's blindspot instead swept past and fell to the ground again harmlessly as he stated and breathed heavily from his nose sounding like an enraged stallion as he regained a little bit of his senses and glared Memory down with something closer to actual anger now as his ear dripped scarlet onto his pelt.

He sensed the shift in Valour's demeanor and paused, calculating. Memories of Clarence begging him to stop before ripping his face off....no, it was not a mistake he had cared to repeat. 
He lowered his head and tail, giving the alpha a chance to breathe. He was not about to make this more serious than it needed to be, not when it could end with one or both of them killed. And as much as he aspired to lead one day- he wasn't about to try now. 
"Let's just say I won and leave it at that." He uttered warily.

Memory's words washed over him like ice cold water and he blinked, head lifting up and back as he stared at Memory incredulously. "You didn't win anything, you just spilled first blood. I landed more moves and dodged yours" he retorted in a protesting tone, lips curling up in a sneer though he still had a confused expression in his eyes like "wtf dude". He looked Memory up and down and then narrowed his eyes "You want it over with, admit I showed more skill and I'll call this a battle scar" just because he was angry didn't mean he was going to just rip Memory to pieces, he was simply an asshole not a monster. So instead of going off the walls he tried to back Memory into a corner. After all it was the brown furred warrior who had riled him up and he hadn't had a rough fight in so long. He had no idea what Clarence had done to Memory or he may have been a little nicer instead of provoking him into continuing.

Memory shifted uncomfortably. He hadn't meant to insult Valour. But the words that met his ears had him bristling, a low growl clipping his words. 
"You may be my alpha, but kid...I've been doing this since before you were snuggling up in your momma's belly. I've seen and done shit you couldn't possibly imagine." 
His temper got the best of him and he charged, aiming a bite at Valour's shoulder but swinging past at the last second, shoving him. He aimed another swing at Valour's face, this time aiming for his eyes.

Ducking Memory's bite he tried to snap his jaws closed around empty air as the older wolf pulled back to swing with his paws. Valour ducked jaws parted and ready before he gripped one of the limbs in midair, twisting and pulling it back toward his abdomen so he couldn't use the leg a snarl roaring from his chest "I am your Alpha and whatever you've done before Nightwalkers doesn't fucking matter!" he snarled around Memory's limb his own temper flashing "You came here loyal to me Memory. Remember that?" 

Repeating the same move over again had been a mistake and fire lances up his limb as Valour catches hold of it. He rolled with the motion of Valour's thrashing, flopping onto his side and aiming a kick at his Alpha's gut. 
"Experience is experience." He grunts. "Just because I came here doesn't make the past dissapear." 
He kicks Again and this time uses the momentum to push himself forward and pivot upward, jaws finally finding purchase on flesh- the tender thin skin of the back of Valour's foreleg. It was one of his favorite attacks- hard to keep clean and extremely painful, it could cripple an opponent. 
"I will always remember that. I was loyal to you even while the bitch was in power. But I am older, and age means experience. You picked me to help train pups for a reason." He snarled back, voice slightly muffled by fur.

Each and every word felt like Memory was trying to say he was better, that he had more prowess as a warrior than Valour had. True or not it caused the first real instinctual surge of dominance. He was the Warlord here and he'd earned it whether it was because he'd done so peacefully or not. As he felt Memory shift against his legs he hopped to the side narrowly avoiding Memory's kick and leaning down nipping at his mouth before misjudging his lunge and pulling back. 

Another wave of searing pain and he looked down to see Memory attached to his leg and his adrenaline spiked as he thought Memory was going to rip his leg out. Quick second thinking and using something he'd learned from Santiago he embraced the pain and shoved his ankle further back against the man's teeth tearing his flesh but prying open his jaws. Freeing the limb he quickly slammed it down on Memory's head, pushing with all he could to hold him down "I picked you to come train me not to sniff after the pups. Lot of good that did too, two went missing" he couldn't believe that was the man's excuse. Stating that age was experience was just as laughable "That's funny seeing as an 11 month old has you pinned. Maybe you're getting too old to fight. Training pups suits you" the more he spoke the more time it gave the adrenaline to wear out and he realised exactly how bad the situation had gotten. "It's a tie. Can I let you up?" his voice was monotone and hushed as he pretended to feel nothing about the predicament, offering a gesture of peace. If it was taken he'd quickly walk away to see Serem, his ankle needed tending as soon as possible.

The battle ignored, Memory glared stubbornly up at Valour, pride more wounded than his body. 
Valour's words stung. 
"Do I look like a broodbitch? Until they are old enough to walk, talk, and fight they are their parents responsibility. I don't see anyone asking the bitch that whelped them, or Serem for that matter, how they wandered off." It was a lame excuse and he knew it. How had he managed to fail so badly? How had he managed to dissapoint literally everyone he admired or respected? 
he sagged, tail tucked, defeated. "You try being blind in one eye because a pup lost his mind and tried to rip your face off. You try having to hold yourself back every battle because every time you fight you hear voices and all you can see is the blood at your paws, and a demon in your face telling you one day you'll drown in it!" Even as valour moved he stayed there, prone, and for the first time in his life completely vulnerable. 
"I'm terrified of being useless because my whole life I've only had one use. And now...now I can't..." Words failed him and he fought to blink back tears. "I was brilliant, out there. You would have been amazed. But when Nix...I swear there was something supernatural about him. And when he left me for dead...that power went with him."

"Yet you swore to protect them" came the cold response to the older man's breakdown growled out through gritted teeth his heart pounding in his chest as he realized that there was a point made. Neither Eirwyn nor Serem had been held responsible though one had apparently left and the other was safe the fact she'd taken on pups that weren't hers and was exhausted. Flanks heaved with contained rage and the effort he'd put in to lay the man flat and he spoke between breaths as he backed off and sat down leaving him on the ground " I wanna know who ripped your face off. Flat out. I'll talk to them. But you're a warrior, you'll learn to fight without an eye. And you sound like you could understand a lot us here. I don't sleep unless I'm at peak exhaustion. I get nightmares. I get to remember every bad thing I've done. Every bad thing I've seen" he sounded exasperated but he was. He wasn't even a year old trying to help an older man process his life crisis. As Memory opened up he felt genuinely sad because it sounded like he was an amazing warrior but the whining man he saw now was nowhere near impressive. "Nix sounds like your Vengeance. Why don't you find your own power? Make a family or something. Make a pack the normal way" he suggested in a tone much more supportive than he'd ever used for anyone as he calmed down. "Stand up. Seriously. You're freaking me out and it's sad" he tried humor to lighten the mood, standing and walking over with a low wagging tail to show he wasn't mad anymore and he was sorry.

The coldness of his words struck him and he realized his mistake. Realized who and what he was becoming. 
"I did. You're right. I'm an idiot. A prideful, idiot, jackass." 
The words weren't teary, more sheepish than anything. "I guess I needed my ass handed to me to remind me." 
At Valour's question he pinned his ears, looking away shamefully. He couldn't betray Clarence. But his Alpha had asked him a direct question. "It was an accident. I thought I could control the situation but I made it worse. I've already forgiven Clarence-" he cringed inwardly realizing he had given it away. "It wasn't...he had a flashback or something. The kids been through some shit." 
He realized Again how selfish he had been. "It's not right. You're just a kid- not even a year old. You should be running around having your first crush, and only worried about where your next adventure is going to be. Nobody should have to go through what we have." 
He gave a derisive snort at the comparison between the two tyrants. But the kid had a compelling point. "From what everyone tells me about Venegance they would have been best buddies. And I've...met someone. Tentatively. Shes beautiful...I met her up by Moonspear looking for Conquest. Shes so soft and sweet and every insinct tells me to protect her."  Somehow the little sylph had captivated him in one meeting. He rose to his paws and gave Valour a friendly headbutt. "If I were to go...to her...you wouldn't blame me, would you? If I tried to make a new start, away from here, away from this path- Though I have no idea what a washed up warrior would be good for-"

It seemed that Memory had calmed down and the rest of Valour's tension flew out the window as well upon the man's admission of losing grips on himself lately. Giving the man a gentle nudge with his shoulder he smiled, ears shifting back "Hey...nobody really expects a kid to be lethal either" he could admit that him and Hela were the sole product of Nightwalkers foul start. It was kill or be killed, literally and they both wanted to survive so much they'd risen to the top of it all. He was observant of Memory's response to his question about the face injury and like a shark honed in though it was their shaky but genuine friendship that kept him from showing any signs of judgement as Memory explained.

Then a key detail was given and his eyes flew wide for a moment before he corrected himself and just played it off by taking a seat by Memory's side as he continued to have what seemed to Valour to be a ton of emotional ventage. Admittedly he kind of tuned out, only able to focus on Clarence. Gentle, Pacifistic Clarence....the fact that he'd done this much damage to Memory was something he actually found impressive as well as alarming. "He's a nice guy" was all he managed to say as Memory explained Clarence had a flashback and his ears slowly pressed backwards feeling a pang of genuine sympathy as he related way too strongly. Thankfully Memory dragged him away from his thoughts by stating it all wasnt fair and why, Causing a mischievous smirk to curl up his maw "Who says I haven't been doing that?" his tone was teasing as he thought about Clay back in his den, wondering if Memory would smell the ashen boy in his fur. "Nightwalkers is plenty adventure" he joked ignoring the fact that he was beginning to wonder if he wanted to be tied to the lead anymore. Of course he enjoyed the power but with everything he'd been through he knew how serious his responsibilities were now, he couldn't disappear for a few days journey to see Clay and just work it off anymore. "Monsters like Vengeance and Nyx are the reasons I'm not afraid to own what I am. I'll find all the sick fucks like them I can and kill em" it was the last thing he got in before Memory dropped a bomb on him.


He was considering leaving because he'd met someone. It felt like someone was slowly squeezing his heart as he imagined saying goodbye to yet another friend. Sure they could always seek one another out again like him and Clay did but Valour selfishly wanted someone to stay by his side in the haunted woods. Yet....

If he wanted to go to Clay one day, wouldn't he want to be seen off with support and not anger? "I don't know man, she'd have to be pretty hot for me to give up a friend" he said his tone serious for all of three seconds before he cracked a smile, feeling actually happy that he could be the one to maybe send Memory off to a happy life. "I'm joking. Of course I'd be okay. As long as you come update me and tell me how things are once in a while" he gave a slow sway of his tail though hiding the fear of losing someone else was proving increasingly difficult "You're still strong. Train to cover for that eye and just...help provide the pack with food or entertain pups like you do here" he said encouragingly and then stood up as a throb of pain surged through his ankle "I have to go get this fixed up" he said ears shifting back against his head "Come see me...whenever you want. Especially if you're gonna go, I hate not being told goodbye" on that particularly soft note he began to walk off before pausing and looking back "You gonna be okay?"

He shrugged, giving a short laugh. "Nobody halfway sane, anyway. It takes a lot of darkness to make a child able, and willing, to kill." With his own upbringing Memory had developed an odd sentiment towards pups. Of course the basics of wolfdom should be learned early, but roles, and anything other than being a rediculus pup should wait until much later. He never had a puphood, and neither had Valour. Nor had Hela, if he thought about it. He wondered if he would have liked the girl in another life. Valour certainly had admired her. The subject of Clarence came up and he sighed. "I promised him it would stay between us, that I would protect him. Kinda an unspoken thing between me, him, Santi, and Serem. I talked to him after your coronation and told him I forgave him...poor kid thought I was gonna kill him." 
The suggestion of valour having a crush made his eyes widen and his tail give a Hopeful thump. "Oh? It wouldn't be the little thing that you dragged bleeding across the border a few days ago, would it?"  He teased, indicating he had smelt the exchange while on patrol. 
He laughed at the jab, relaxing a bit more. "Shes beautiful. The most beautiful creature I've ever seen. Who would have thought I'd fall for a halfling. Shes from up North near the Mountain. A healer...and she's like us. Broken and scarred. And I want to find who hurt her and rip their faces off."  His eyes lit up as he described her. Sensing Valour's uneasiness he gave a comforting lick to Valour's cheek, like a father or older brother might do. "I'll be a few days journey away. And best believe I'm going to stay in touch- Clarence would be devastated, Santiago needs a friend he can just be a guy around, Serem I'm sure wouldn't mind seeing me...and of course you. And the pups."  It was bittersweet all that he would be leaving behind. But what he was moving forward to was worth it. 
"Don't be dumb like I was and try to smear honey on it." He snickered. " Any time, little brother." 

Little did Memory know he'd just given him a small dose of wake up call. Darkness.....that's what he was right? What they all were? Creatures of the dark, living in a shady, sketchy dark forest where they all trained and kept a reputation of being killers. Or....they were supposed to be. Now they had softies like Clarence and Seagull around making it harder for him to try and advertise their pack's name for jobs. "You have to be dark in some way to survive here" he said with a shrug. Everyone who didn't like it left for their own reasons, he supposed he should grow used to seeing people leave his life. 

As the soldier explained about Clarence Valour lifted a brow surprised that it had been kept so quiet. What was the big deal anyway? Tempers were lost...accidents happened. Half a face being removed was some accident though he had to admit. "He isn't in trouble. Hell...that's impressive no offense"  he said motioning to Memory's still kind of cringe inducing injury with a teasing and entirely playful smirk. The smirk faltered a little as he frowned and glared half heartedly as Memory caught onto his hint at Clay, spot on about who he was. Embarrassed that he'd been seen carrying Clay all he did was give a slight nod of his head "Don't say shit" he said seriously eyes narrowed for a moment before he eased up with a small sigh as Memory quickly changed the subject to his crush, describing her as a halfling which he didn't get but he smiled happy for him anyway and laughing at the threat made to past attackers of hers "Lemme know if i can help" he said with a wicked grin comforted by the fact Memory would be close by "Let me know before you leave or I'll hunt you down" he threatened only joking. Though the initial shock wore off he still felt a bit sensitive about it and didn't want to stick around much longer with his ear and ankle bleeding everywhere anyway. Whenever Memory responded he'd say his goodbyes and go off to Serem, wondering how the woman would react to his many many wounds.

He nodded. 
"Yes, but you shouldn't let it consume you. And a child should have no part in darkness." To him it seemed logical. He was not the Alpha Nix had raised. He wasn't an alpha at all. And for the first time it didn't bother him. He had nothing to prove. 
At his remark about Clarence he breathed a sigh of relief. "He'll be dangerous if he can learn to control it. Use the madness as a weapon like me and Serem do." He needed to talk to him, to tell him goodbye. Santi, too. 
He grinned and teasingly nudged Valour. 
"I wanna have a little chat with this mysterious lover of yours. Im the closest thing to a big brother you've got; it's kinda my duty." He teased, smirking. "Of course. Now go get that ear looked at. I'm gonna go find something bigger than a groundhog to eat- maybe I can find a yearling deer or something."