Bramblepoint We float before the sea and eyes,

A rabbit dangled from their maw, as crunching rung out to the forest.

Hungry.

It was all they known, they were but a void filled with a simple desire of greed and gluttony. All they wanted to was to feast, and nothing else. The delicious desire, to fill up.

To taste what was a nectar of sweetness.

How they drooled thinking of the black wolves of the mountain, or the white wolf they encountered long ago. Even the fluffy one, tasted delicious. That one, looked like a rabbit, but was skinny and weak. She ran, as did all of them.

They prowled through the forest, bones crunching as they searched.

How he ended up on the other side of the map, Laur was not sure, but Ruvik had somehow found his way back into the Wilds after that fateful day where the waves had ripped him from the shores of Yuèlóng and cast him to the mainland. In a panic, the man had run, confused and frightened, always looking over his shoulder for The Savior, knowing she was ever there, ever watching, ever lurking. Though it was not just cougars he had to fear.

The crunch of bone caused Ruvik to pause mid-step, paw left dangling in mid air as the hairs on his back rose in apprehension. He had avoided others until now, diverting course as he came across their tracks, ducking out of sight as soon as he spotted the tell tale signs of another. This one, however, had caught his interest, the smell of fresh rabbit meat, of blood, it sung out to him in his starved and weary state.

With tentative steps, the wolf crept towards the source of the foot falls, his breath coming out in eager pants. His stomach growled, the scent tantalising. It was close.

Monty dropped what was left from their maw, all but crushed remains into a fine mess of splintered bones. The meat had been cleaned off, and blood licked through. It was but a small meal, nothing that could satisfy their desires.

But then, they smelled another. Head in the air, a sniffing of what could be- a possible meal.

A wolf.

Skulking  forward with a dropping of the tongue, they looked to the source, a scruffy wolf.

Though.. If they had to say, the meal wasn't tasty looking.

They stayed in silence, judging the creature before them; to eat, or not to eat?

A thump, and then the sound of more loping footfalls, almost predatory in nature. At least it sounded that way to Ruvik, whose mind turned once more to the cougar who stalked him. His heart began thudding, the roar of blood rushing through his ears deafening. A mistake, he hadn't meant to enter this forest. He was no longer hungry. Run, run!

Only he had been spotted by the other, a shock of white amongst the dark foliage. His limbs refused to move, his entire being frozen in place by the other's vivid green, blank stare. Ruvik remained in place, paws splayed and tail tucked, staring back with a similarly wide-eyed look, only his was one of primal terror.

"H-hello," he managed to croak despite himself.

They spoke, but for them, it was a welcoming for a taste. A lunge forward! There was no warning or even a sound that came from them, as they only desired for a single entity; a meal from them. There was no goal to where they would strike, only the endless striking of their jaw snapping to catch for anything that could be.

They only wanted a taste.

Another mistake. The moment Ruvik spoke, the other dived towards him as if he had personally invited them forwards. No sound escaped their lips, no growl, no warning. There was a strange sort of hunger within their eyes, a look so deeply unsettling that it finally spurred the man's legs into action.

Only he was too slow to avoid the gnashing teeth of the other. They clamped around the loose skin at his shoulder, tearing into flesh, and Ruvik pulled away with a shrill yelp. Pain seared through the fresh wound there as blood began to spill, only he did little to fight back, instead continuing his struggle to back away from his attacker with a series of pleading whimpers.

Huā had been out to scout the lands again, wandering a forest when she heard the sharp yelp from some yards away. She frowned, dark ears swiveling- perplexed at why she only heard one voice, whimpering, but no snarls from another end. Perhaps some poor fellow had been stung by the "bees", she thought- and made her way through the underbrush to seek the victim out. 

The scene she discivered was much different than imagined. There was a scrawny brown wolf- Ruvik, she realized rather suddenly, eyes widening with shock. And upon him was a wolf, biting at the skin upon his shoulder- and who she realized, had a scent matching that of the cannibal Hydra had described once. Could it be...? They were awfully close to the glen... either way, even though months had passed and Huā thought Ruvik may have fled, she would still fight for him. And so as the male struggled beside his attacker, Huā charged to the unfamiliar cannibal, intending to headbutt them in the ribs with as much force as she could muster.

They tasted good! What a surprise, thinking the scruffy and weak looking one would be tainted. Perhaps it was the smaller things, were the best? It was still a question for the gourmet, as they tried various of different meals, and always seemed to be surprised in the end. It's what they loved!

Ah, the sweet nectar-

and then they got pushed. There was a look of surprise as another pushed them aside, and causing the beast to let go of their meal. It was a hope to take some of the flesh with, but alas, maybe it wasn't to be. Though now there was another in the mix, of sands and sea-glass eyes. They never tried a wolf with such a vibrant gaze...

What did it taste like?

Like a zombie, they got up without a care to the world, and proceeded to lunge at the new wolf, forgetting about the other. They wanted to try the new taste.

It hurt, it hurt! His skin pulled taut as he scrabbled backwards as far as he could, kicking up dirt and pulling the pale monster along with him by its teeth. It had a vice-like grip, and Ruvik pleaded mentally for it to let him go! Desperate eyes searched for the bloodthirsty creature's own as if he could convince it with a look, until suddenly they were both thrown sideways by an unknown force.

Tumbling to a stop, finally released from the other's jaws, Ruvik choked back a pained sob as he turned to inspect the wound, only for his attention to be stolen by the brown-and-black figure who had intercepted. "Huā?" he rasped, staring, wondering what she was doing so far from the ocean.

He would not have time to wonder for long, however, as the other wolf was back on all fours, seemingly unfazed by the bull charge from the woman, and it now had the sea wolf in its sights. Again, Ruvik stared, mind caught in between two actions — to run, or fight. Save his own hide, or protect the empress who had so graciously taken him in all those months ago?

Still laying where he had fallen in the dirt, with haggard breaths he watched the scene unfold in horror, locked in indecision.

i'm shuffling monty to the back until further notice! thanks for the thread!

Monty paused.

Something else smelled delicious.. Something easier..

Was it a rabbit?

A swan?

Either way, they were now disinterested on these two.

With a final glance, the cannibal walked away.

<3

Suddenly, the chaos from moments before dissipated. The snarls, the teeth, the pain, it all ceased. Ruvik remained where he had fallen, watching as the pale beast seemed to be distracted; it cast its nose into the air and then, with a single look back, it turned and left the scene.

He wasn't sure why it suddenly stopped, why it had chosen to spare Huā, but he wasn't about to ask. Ruvik seized his chance. He scrabbled to his feet, panting, whining in pain, but he had to get out of here before the empress began to question him. He was overcome with guilt, with only one thought running through his mind: run.

Without even a glance back to the sea wolf, his own Savior, the cowardly man took off into the darkness of the forest, the crushing sense of failure nipping at his heels.

Suddenly the cannibal turned on her, flinging itself at her while Ruvik's voice shakily ripped through the air. Ruv- The empress attempted to call back, but her voice was cut short by the impact of the hit. Teeth grappled at her for a moment, and then like a spooked beast, the cannibal left- sparing her life, likely, for she doubted Ruvik was a fighter. And though she attempted to stand and found a wobbly way to her feet, a swift turn of her head found Ruvik had already vanished- and so she set towards home again, careful of the slight new wounds she had gained in the moments of risk.