Stone Circle I'm just so alone

Dated: 9th October, probably about 9pm

It was a risk coming here.
Running past Ursus had taken a lot of his energy, but if it meant he could get here without a scratch, it was worth it.
To see @Arlette.

He called her name from a short way off of the border, hoping she could accept him when he got closer. His heart thundered from his long run, but he was here.
And too soon, he'd be leaving.

arriving this post, attacking the next to keep it fair! <3

oh, but to get to easthollow one must pass the lair of the bear -- and the bear never slept.

astara came for derg with little warning. while the man howled for whoever within easthollow, the blackbird emerged to ambush him -- raptoral and furious.

she had failed to make a point the last time the saints had graced their neighborhood. now, she had her chance -- and this time, astara would be damned if she missed.

also arrival! : )

toad paid little attention to whatever sound of the howl might've reached the valley- he was more curious as to the scent trail of astara's he found. the pale boy followed it, only intending to go a little ways- until its direction became clearer, and he recalled the day in easthollow when the large boy had knocked him out. not this time.

toad raced upon the trail until he found astara- and a face that surprised him, but delighted that darker side of him that had developed after joining ursus. it was one of the saints. he was not the fool, but toad figured he enabled the fool by refusing to leave or take the throne for himself. not to mention he was the one who'd lied about nyra's punishment being already delivered, hadn't he? toad flew just behind astara, jaws outstretched as he fell into line behind his leader to support her in her attack.

the gunslinger had seen the dark witch morgana disembark from the pack. he had lamented over his thoughts for only a few moments before setting out on a path of pursuit. all he knew was that she had appeared hellbent and furious; he felt that he needed to understand the reason for her rage. he did not know why, of course, only that the strange silent woman was all he had been able to think about since he had joined ursus. 

so when morgana attacked the wolf he did not know, illidan rushed to ensure that she was not harmed and that this beast was ravaged until the violet-eyed witch was satisfied. he did not care much for his own wellbeing. the gunslinger was mesmerized by the sight of her. the righteous hatred that radiated from her dark figure was intoxicating. the young ghost was smitten, and he was ready to prove himself to her.

I don't want Merrit dying but recognize the weight of his IC actions; I'm definitely willing to discuss outcomes over Discord!

Merrit heeded the call for his sister, as any good brother would. Because she was not here to tell this man away, he reasoned, but even if Arlette had been here to attend the call herself, he would not have let her do so alone. The voice was deep, masculine, and they were at the age of courting now. They were not boys and girls, but men and women -- and men and women did not simply call for each other with such urgency as this man had without bearing some ulterior motive in mind.

But what he found, well -- he'd expected to come upon some proper, if not extravagant scene, of some swarthy man ready to peacock himself around, with flowers clutched between his teeth, ready to woo and wax eloquence to soft-hearted and sweet Arlette. Instead, he came upon this -- a bout of strangers, raising guns and taking aim, mere steps from his porch.

His attention shifted from one to the other, taking stock of the balance, and gauging his own action. And then, he saw her: pale fur blanched as though crawling up from sea salt, dark head reared like the ocean's very depths. His nostrils seemed to flood with brine, his mended reality dripped away; the night seemed stark as day, the yellowed grass lush and green and altogether bright.

Another familiar scent overcame him; he could not stop.

Do you know what we must do?

A dark, twisting night. Trees, bending at angles he didn't know trees could bend. Laughing, the shadows laughed. Came up empty. Dark scents, dark trails. Hunting. Searching. Questioning.

How this must end?

He knew, he'd known all along, but was this the forest? The hillside? Some astral plane? He tried to make sense -- but did it matter? Yes. No? Where was @Hydra? @Leta? The rest of Easthollow? The world became a pinprick, until Caiaphas and that overwhelming murderous stench was all he could see, all he could taste, all that could possibly matter.

Yes.

His own voice rattled through his mind like some distant echo, and Merrit launched himself at Illidan, moving in to do more than intercept, more than maim.

They must die.

A call came from the borders, one unfamiliar yet for one who was. Arlette. It seemed strange to the boy that someone called for her, she had almost become a ghost within Easthollow's walls, yet even still he was sure she never really left the hollow. That was until recently.

West wasn't sure where his sister had gone, but one thing was certain, she wasn't here. The woodland boy traveled calmly, intent on breaking the news to whoever was calling until he too came upon the scene. A mass of wolves had gathered at their borders and for a moment he found himself frozen in place as the fur along his shoulders and spine rose with the burning sensation in his gut.

One was unfamiliar, a male with scars riddled across his face, though he was too far to detect the familiar scent he carried. Likely, he was the one to have called. Racing from behind a stark shadow bore teeth as she lunged for the stranger a familiar boy at her side. Ursus. The last one was unfamiliar but based on how he ran to join he could only assume he too came from the bear pack.

Green eyes shifted to a movement at his side as his gaze locked onto the sight of Merrit, quick to charge with some crazed look to his eyes. It almost seemed as if he had fallen into another world as his brother lunged, marks set for the unfamiliar Ursus wolf. It was the nudge needed to spur West into action. Compared to last time, their numbers had yet to overwhelm them and he knew that he could handle at least one of these wolves with ease.

Paws thundered against the ground as West closed in, his head lowered like a bullet as the glint of his fangs shone through. For now he would avoid the stranger and shadow, his eyes glued to the boy he had fought before. It only took one hit last time, one throw to the ground to put the numbers in their favor. A growl rumbled from his chest as he neared, fangs reaching to grab the other just as he had before by the throat.

When will these damn wolves LEARN?!

A lonely howl.
The clashing of teeth.
The chorus of growls.

The king arrived to the scene late with heart in throat, blood pounding in his ears, and legs heavy as he looked down upon Ursus with a soured gaze.

Easthollow had dealt with the bears long enough. Had been toiled and taunted, gouged and left ragged. No more would they endure it; No more would he stand by and let them reign over their hollow, to maim, to hurt.

This was Easthollow. This was his home; His wolves; his family.

Casting an alarm deep within the air for all of Easthollow, the elder giant descended downwards with purpose and bared fangs. "WITCH," he shouted into the darkness, seeking the purple gaze. "THIS ENDS NOW." And with jaws parted Greyback sought to drive all of his massive   weight into the witch, to barrel her over to the point where his fangs could find leverage. Find anything.

Ofc yell at me if he is perceiving events wrong

Sorry for the update, but this was decided after my post lol.
This thread is now closed to new characters except Valette, as she is EH's PM. Rounds will last for 3 days and there will be no post order. If you miss the 3 day window, ensure you include all attacks sustained to your character in your next post so there is no confusion. I'm aiming to get this closed up after everyone has 3-4 posts.

The world which mere moments before had seemed so bright, so fresh.
The crisp autumn night was closing in with deeper darkness around them.

He didn't realise he'd been trailed. Not by Ursus at least.
The first he knew of it was when a war-drum beat flew towards him, and he turned to spot those evil, violet eyes practically atop him.
Toad, the pale man was barely registered before Dergs eyes landed on the headless body.
Illidan.
His gut wrenched as he watched the sea-witch's boy thunder after Astara with a similar snarl adorning his features.

He'd made the mistake before of not being quick enough -- and look at his face now.

Behind him, where Easthollow borders lay, his call was answered by anyone but Arlette.
One threw themselves into the fray - into Illidan. He wanted to stop them, but he couldn't not right now. Though the attack seemed to open the flood gates, for another two flew like arrows after the first. The giant bellowing his war cry at - almost undoubtedly - Astara.
The smaller like a dark bullet launched into Toad.

Derg - whilst his eyes registered all this quicker than it did to write down - had swung his back to the borders of Stone circle, and he too launched at the furious Night-Bear.
Jaws swung wide, ready to catch her face in his bear trap, hoping too not to be flattened by the grey behemoth. 

attn readers: this thread is probably mature now . attack in this post <3  i rolled here just to keep it fair, but we can really do any kind of roll-style the members are comfortable with, or not at all, lol.  

astara's moves are: get hit by greyback, circle around them avoiding gb, and attack derg again

many on the scene were ursus. astara's heart roared to life with savage pride.

they parted like lions amid a swarm of wildebeest. each with their part to do -- each linked by the indomitable will of the bear.

astara's eyes were for derg now, and she came upon him in harping fury. scythe, cut, claw -- whatever she could do to him in the short period of time before greyback appeared.

ah -- the fossil -- astara eyed him tauntingly as he came along. she leapt away, but not before greyback bludgeoned her to the side. strong hit for an old man -- astara felt a thrilling laugh spill from her throat.

derg's teeth set to claim their little pound of blackbird flesh. click went his empty jaws, for astara had been knocked away.

if she had any say she supposed it was better to be knocked aside than to suffer bloodspill -- next time greyback would not be so lucky.

she slid in the grass with deep gouges left from her claws. pain split her temple where greyback's fangs drew blood from below her skin. astara was no spring lamb to fights, luckily, and swiftly recovered owing to the hours she had spent teaching, sparring, fighting. the man's height did not daunt the blackbird. in her experience, monoliths were slow and tired quickly.

she did not. if he came again she would dance about him like a blackened piper, taunting until the last of his energies were sapped and she could creep in, black widow she, and drain the last of his lifeblood.

greyback had not been the target of her fangs when she left ursus for saintsblood, but now a red sigil stood above his head. a scarlet omen that his life was marked for death by her fangs.

evien was now in the fray. astara panted as she loped around them, swinging artfully away from any second blow from greyback. evien would serve a good purpose here - distract and tire the beast, while astara nipped and hounded them into exhaustion.

she was wickedly fast as she came upon derg a second time. seeing her opportunity while greyback was harried by evien, astara lunged for the saintsman.

silent, homicidal wrath pooled as reddening fury in astara's gaze as she swung her jaws for the right side of derg's face; a scything uppercut aimed to loose arterial blood-rain upon them all.

I am keeping this concise so that Jaclyn can react and show any damage to Merrit that she would like.

the gunslinger hungered as he watched the dark witch aim her fangs at the man he had once known – the brother of grezig. in that state, he did not even recognize that it was derg or that he had ever held feelings for the rough-voiced man and his kin.
 
how disappointed would she have been in him, to see her ward in such a state?
 
before the ghost could join in the fight with the dark woman, his gaze turned to the approaching form of a grey-clad beast. anger filled the gaze of the stranger wolf. illidan’s lip peeled viciously, but he did not move in enough time.
 
merrit’s figure struck illidan and tumbled the black-hooded wolf to the earth. he turned with snapping teeth, aiming to strike wherever he could reach. his heart was racing wildly; all of the training that he had worked so hard to endure seemed to have vanished from his mind. sparring was nothing like the heat of a real fight, and as merrit’s fangs scored across the bridge of his muzzle and blood drizzled into his mouth… he knew that he would need to battle for his life.

thanks for waiting for me! also keeping this vague, so Bo can determine any more injuries for Illidan! <3 edit: he's also still hallucinating Illidan as Caiaphas, hence all the references to "she", "her", and "witch"! :)

he slung like an arrow, target met; the world shifted and tumbled around them. sky to ground, and ground to sky, just like the first, when he had fallen.

only, this time he did not fail.

he somersaulted with the witch until he tasted her blood. copper stained his mouth where he latched and pulled. ripping flesh. tasting blood. his stomach lurched with the need to vomit. he swallowed. bile stung his throat.

and the witch struck out, headless fangs reaching out in blind desperation. merrit ducked, to avoid the strike, but so entangled in their furious fray, he had little space to move, and he felt a searing pain where trained incisors sunk against the weathered fur of his cheeks and upper brow. the air sprayed with a cloud of crimson rain; blood wept along the raven's face.

adrenaline buried the pain. he blinked through the darkened haze of his own lifeblood, and snaked forward again, as a cobra from his hole. half-blind, and guided by instinct. the world, still devoid of any but the witch; his aim, to overpower; his teeth, still seeking the other's bloodied head.

I have opened a roll thread here! And Lauren I know you said you didn't want Astara to have leg injuries so feel free to PP him either not hitting or her being released quickly as a result of her next attack <3

Astara swung around Greybacks burly form, recovering quickly from his bulldozer attack.
She didn't care for Easthollow. She wanted the blood of a Saint coating her maw.

His teeth shuttered on empty air where she had been. Where she should be.
No Arlette from what he could gather. Good. Now to stay calm. His anger couldn't make him clumsy again. 

She dove for his face like the blonde bitch had done so before her, but he'd learnt his lesson. He threw himself aside, throwing his rear out of balance as he pushed to snap up her rear leg. And break it in his jaws.

i popped my roll in your thread but please lmk if i did it wrong!! leg injuries are ok but she has to get home somehow haha <3

around them chaos ruled, and astara was in her element.

greedily she lunged for the man's face, to give him an equally gruesome scar on the other side of his cheek -- he nimbly stepped aside.

ah, good.

he was no milksop. no indra just letting her hurt and maim and destroy -- this promised to be interesting.

as he lunged for her leg astara readied and sprung back neat as a cat. he'd have to do better than that.

this time she didn't go for face. while he was still close the blackbird dove for his shoulders, attempting to sink her fangs into the meaty attachment of his neck. that'd teach him to try to use his teeth against her.

meanwhile illidan and merrit tumbled alongside them. astara kept them in her periphery but for now her target was the man who belonged to the pack who had wronged her so grievously and without a shred of remorse.

permission from summer for attacks to land/agreed upon injury

Compared to the last time the two had fought, West did not have surprise on his side. He neared, though his grip would not reach the other male's throat. The other boy had enough time to move, though not enough to fully dodge his barreling form. West could feel his fangs glide, just barely nicking the side of the other's throat before Toad turned in retaliation. A burning sensation quickly bloomed from his shoulder where the other had quickly latched onto, though for now, he did his best to ignored it.

Adrenaline now fueled the woodland boy as he sought to bite whatever he could and hopefully keep a hold. Thanks to their current positioning, there was a convenient opening along the male's flank. Just as the Ursus boy had done, West snapped out, teeth finding purchase in the soft flesh along the other's shoulder. The metallic taste of blood was quick to coat his tongue as West clenched his jaw, a growl steadily rising in his throat once more while he tugged hopping Toad would be first to release his grip.

Sorry for the delay, personal issues <3
Gonna void my roll so he can get the injury I want lol

She neatly danced her hind from his trap.
He was caught low, his head and shoulders stooped too low to recover and feign off her teeth driving into his shoulder.
Red splattered from the wound, seeping through his fur in an instant.

He watched as Toad was brutalised by a young man clad in deep earth tones, and as Illidan was barreled too like Greyback had done to Astara.
Thinking of the grey titan that had swooped to his rescue, where was he now?

He didn't have time to look before he had to think of Astara again with her teeth driving to scathe his shoulder blade.
He swung his head to her, pulling his body after the motion to drive up towards her neck. An awkward angle, but if successful he could be clutching the base of her neck in his jaws.

His jaws were empty, void of warmth from The Witch between his teeth and tongue, and shaking his head the man sent her a well earned glare as he watched her continue her assault upon Derg.

Wolves danced him in the fury of chaos unknowing of the man. That was—until he heard a well sounded grunt from his son. Heart pounding within his chest, the man looked sideways in attempt to find him. To know his son was okay—his only living son. Luckily Greyback was spared from the sight of seeing West crumpled to the earth, and turning his attention back to Derg and the dark woman the man continued on without a fear.

The large man prowled around the duo, head kept low and he waited for an opening to strike. Astara was busy cutting into shoulder of the poor boy, and as Derg went to return a bite of his own, so did Greyback. The elder rushed forward with jaws open wide, teeth shining as he brought them down onto the small woman's neck—instantly latching into the fur and skin. If the woman was unable to worm out of his grip the man would pull, attempting to detatch her from Derg.

cut here, cut there --

the duo danced a dance as old and as violent as the dawn. blood rose to her vision, clouding her sightlines.

he cut, she parried, she cut, he parried -- a rueful glare as she watched her first strike miss its landing.

derg swung again and she was too slow. his teeth sunk into her skin. into her neck. cognizant of her sure demise if she did not fight tooth and nail then (what had she been doing, all of this time?) astara retaliated violently with a lunge for his chest -- only in that moment to be seized by the man beyond and

fuck

torn into like a pack of savage, starving dogs --

pain in every corner

agony in every orifice

senses diluted then by panic, which roared in her ears louder than her lungs could have ever done, that if she did not escape now her rotting bones would be but another monument marking the insufferable, infuriating existence of her eternal enemies.

Her teeth struck him time and time again as the parried.
But his teeth also met many marks.

She was wearing thin.
He was too.
But then the cavalry barreled its way onto the scene.
Greyback charged the woman, making her miss an important mark.
She was panicking.
He could see those wild eyes roll as she looked for her support. Her saviour.
But they were enrolled in their own battles for now.

He lunged after her flailing form, trying to snatch her up again.
Teeth seeking for the supple flesh of her cheek. The hardness of her muzzle.
It never came as she further scrambled to free herself from the titan.
Derg's teeth clacked empty once again.

This time, it was his turn to prowl around the pair, watching for another Ursus assault should the wolves of Easthollow be tragically defeated.
His shoulder wept with blood in the long, jagged wound that would surely scar.

Gonna get a reply tossed up in here and tag @Merrit just so Jaclyn sees I responded.

 
snarls and the clashing of fangs seemed to be the only sound that had filled his ears. nothing else, maybe except for the rapid beating of his young heart. the scores to his muzzle would leave deep scars. as the easthollow wolf continue to fight against illidan, the ghost felt his patience growing thinner and thinner. he did not want to be there, but instead helping the dark witch morgana. he did not want to be trapped beneath the body of that bastard stranger.
 
there was a mean snarl issued from his mouth before illidan kicked and snapped his way from under merrit’s hold and stood his ground with glistening teeth. it felt better to be on his legs, but the strikes to his head had left him feeling woozy and violent. blood drizzled from the top of his muzzle and into his lips and fangs. he was grateful he had not suffered an attack on his eyes.
 
the ghost glanced to morgana to see if she wished to continue this battle – if she would lead them into death – or if they would flee. no, the dark she-wolf fought on and savagely. knowing that she was to continue her battle with the others, illidan faced his target and lunged, aiming to snap his teeth to merrit’s flank.

Gonna start to wrap this up because it's going stale

Greyback and Astara exchanged blows.
A flurry of snarling cuts and brute strength being used to combat one another.
He wondered if either would go down.

Illidan threw himself at Merrit with renewed strength. Willing to fight for the Ursus Queen.
Damn him.
Toad seemed to be getting his ass kicked too. But then the tables turned as they often do in conflict and he managed to deliver his own significant blows.

The agouti male thought about running. Seriously considered it.
But then decided against it. Arlette may well and truly be done with her family home, but he doubted she'd like Derg if he left them in conflict.
He waited for the blackbird to try and run for it, and he hoped she succeeded. He was done already. Then he'd go home the long way around.

rolled in tabletop for reaction to Illidan's attack

they battled, relentless, dealing blows of equal consequence. his flesh wept and begged for ceasefire but Merrit carried on. after months of fruitless searching, of upending earth and sky and sea, he would not let the witch slither from his paws as seawater slipped around the shoreline's ragged stones. he would reach her, he would grab her, he would strike her until she fell. he would kill her, and he would end this madness that had gripped the Wilds for far too long.

yet there came a moment in their parries where they found themselves locked in a frozen second of reprieve -- the witch, having snapped her jaws in his direction, and Merrit, having jumped away to avoid her, and seeing grey fur fly but this time without blood.

Merrit blinked the ruddy haze from his eyes and prepared to strike again, when the world took a sudden shift. the sounds grew louder, and his vision spun out of its hyperfocused scope until he faced that full picture of reality everyone else had always seen. the sagging sun stained the meadow with its final rays. bloody, in its own descent. West and Greyback clashed around him, with wolves he did not recognize --

and he saw, now, that this wolf he fought bore every resemblance to the sea witch, down to the devil's eyes, but this wolf - this was not her -

but the scents -- they all smelled of her companions. so many - her following - but how - and they were here.

the gravity threatened to sink him, but he caught himself, grounded himself, and dodged the lunge Illidan threw his way. jaws clicked where his left shoulder used to be. empty air. but Merrit stumbled in his footwork, and the momentary lapse left him exposed in a window of opportunity. the raven would seek to recover and barrel at Illidan's own shoulder, unless the hooded man found his own footing again, and spun around to strike him first.

again permission to PP toad. Having west exit here!

It wouldn't take long for West to fall to his senses, highly in tune with each tug and rip of the other boy's jaws as he sliced through his skin just as easily as West did to him. It was a game of resistance and stamina, luckily the Gods seemed to shine down upon him once more. In the end, it was Toad who pulled away first, his flesh along his shoulder ripping as he tore away in a hasty retreat.

Blood trickled down the woodland boy's maw and coated his side, a mix of his own and the blood of Ursus. It would never be enough, not for them and the crimes they had decided Easthollow was guilty of. West watched as the other made quick strides towards his own territory, his own limbs far too heavy to bother chasing. His goal was to ward off the bear wolves and with one more retreating, the rest were sure to follow. West glanced to his family, his brother, his father, both of which torn in their own tussle, but both on the sides of winning.

He was certain that Easthollow secured but another victory in the relentless attacks that Ursus continued to throw their way, and with his job done, West started off to go lick his wounds and rest before they returned once more.

since we are wrapping this up, i left my stuff vague too. PM me if anything is off <3 and thank u for the thread!!

toad, illidan, astara.

the three fangs of ursus.

they were met by easthollow's bulwark; the boy and father she recognized from last time, and now a new face.

for all their softness, easthollow came to the scene with tenacious energy. they were outnumbered, and no wolf ever won when the tables were so firmly tipped out of favor.

astara saw all of this from the corner of her eye while she wrestled free from derg and greyback. no small feat, and not without grave injury -- rivulets of blood darkened the earth where she stood as she sprung and turned around, tail arced and snarling.

she tipped back her head in a retreat howl -- go home, regroup, lick our wounds -- their main objective had been completed today, and that was show easthollow that ursus was an ever present, ever sinister presence right under their nose.

astara loped after west as he drove for illidan -- should he swing close she would aim a sniping nip to his hock in her driveby, all the while attempting to forge between the group and give illidan his chance to escape.

they would return to ursus together, alive -- and one day, would come back to easthollow with their hateful vengeance renewed.