Ouroboros Spine Watch the monster come undone

Sitri woke and strode quietly from his makeshift den area. He stretched gently so as to not mess with the wounds that adorned his body. The one in his neck still seeping ever so often, and it smarted. However, this was nothing new to the scarred brute, wounds he was used to. It was the sharp stab of betrayal he wasn't. He remembered when he had woken up to hear them all speaking about him as if he wasn't more than some brute that didn't deserve to live. Yes Kaname and Cara had stuck up for him, but he had not considered them as good of friends as Mordecai. Mordecai who wanted to kill him, a mercy killing he called.

He growled low, it was not mercy when he had suffered much worse, all you had to do was look at his scars to know that. He was angry and hurt and ashamed that he was angry and hurt. He had never had to deal with such feelings and he found them unwanted and hard to handle and it made him even angrier. So with low growls and dark red eyes, he traveled the Spine watching and waiting and wondering should he even stay?

Harlyn had not yet been a member of the pack for very long, and yet she felt fully prepared to take on the task of seeking out her packmates and begin bonding with them. Much of her first days had been spent simply growing acclimated with the land, for it was her belief that communing with nature would open the pathway to growing the bond with her kin. Such had been the beliefs of her native pack back in Sablemoon, and the Cinderloch had yet to witness any proof that such was not the true way of things.

Now was the time for the wilderness to bring her to commune with her packmates. She followed the trails that wound through the pines, enjoying the feel of the cool Autumn air nipping at the tips of her ears and nose. The scent of the Spine now was deep within her fur, and it pleased the dark female greatly to be so deeply saturated with the marks of the land. A breeze swam steadily across the forests, and it was this that she was following, fully confident that it would bring her to where she needed to be. And in the end, when it did, she was not in the least bit surprised to settle her gaze upon the red-eyed wolf that lurked within their midst.

The Spine wolf's disposition was one of darkness and grief, however this failed to deter Harlyn from approaching her new packmate with curiosity and concern held tight within the dancing flames of her eyes. "'Lo there," she called out gently, hoping not to surprise him. He appeared to have suffered some recent injuries and she did not want to irritate them by causing him to start.

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Sitri smelled another before he saw her, but cara and mordecai's scent was on her. So she must be a new recruit. The activities of the last few days were nothing but a jumbled mess in his head lately.

Sitri turned red eyes towards the feminine voice and spoke quietly, his voice raspy and odd from the wound and from being quiet for days. Hello there I'm Sitri. That was all he said the rest others would say about him and he would defend himself if needed. HE tilted his head and studied her through dark eyes. There were so many scars on his face, he didn't even bother to give her a smile, it would probably scare her off. So instead he dipped his head in greeting too.

A smile was not offered in return, but Harlyn found nothing to be concerned of in the wolf's tone or posture so she continued her approach after a beat. "Sitri," she repeated, trying the name out on her tongue with a small smile, "I'm Harlyn Cinderloch--new recruit. It's nice to meet another packmate."

Her tail wagged softly as she studied him, her expression amiable even though the thoughts that ran through her head were slightly more harsh. He was a great hulking beast--clearly built for violence that she suspected he'd both seen and committed, recently too by the look of the scars that marred his frame. Harlyn stole a brief glance at his eyes simply for assessment purposes, but found nothing there that betrayed anything of his personality which actually told her everything she needed to know. This one was a cold brute, one that Harlyn was quite convinced she'd be hard-pressed to find any depth in except buried deep, deep down to a core that perhaps he himself wasn't even familiar with.

Intrigued, Harlyn stopped a respectable distance away from him. "Have you been with the Spine long?" she asked, eager to learn more about this dark soul.

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IT wasn't that Sitri did not wish to offer her a smile. It was the simple fact that his smiles they were a gruesome thing. He did dip his muzzle though and look at her through fiery eyes. Well Met Har...har..Harlyn. He had a hard time saying her name at first, but he worked through it. He found that after his wound his stutter had come back slightly, a small set back, but he'd get through it.

Sitri was not so much cold as clueless. He had no idea how to react to what most would react too. No idea how to articulate his feelings or show emotions. For a beast that had been born a slave, it was amazing the little emotions he could convey. He had been taught at an early age, he would live longer if he obeyed and showed nothing, and it was a lesson he learned all too well.

He frowned thinking, and then said quietly Since the beginning. he wasn't sure what else to say, he had been with the spine since it started.

The man repeated her name with some difficulty and she found herself thankful he didn't attempt her last name. Though she wasn't like to admit it, she had a great deal of pride in her lineage and wasn't too keen on hearing her surname butchered by his faltering tongue. She smiled kindly still, however, knowing innately that whatever character flaws he may have were not likely of his own doing. Nature could be harsh sometimes in the way she treated her children.

His answer left Harlyn wanting more, but first impressions were telling her that it would be difficult to obtain from this individual. She fixed him with a curious and eager gaze. "Was that long ago?" she asked.

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Sitri did not want to attempt her last name. He didn't want to repeat her first name again either. It was not a nice feeling to be unable to properly say a name. He had been doing so well, but the wound and the trauma of the past few weeks had nearly killed what little he had retained from the lessons of Tyrande.

Sitri chuckled at her eagerness, it was an interesting quality. One who searched for knowledge were welcome in his book, he did not know do it. He could however admire someone who did. About 7 months Harlyn. He said her name then and tilted his head so he could look at her a little better. What brings you here?

The second time he said her name, it seemed to come a little easier to him. She wagged her tail softly to show her pleasure, only to steady it as she pondered the beast's next question thoughtfully. Her initial reaction was to explain that life and fate had brought her there--that she like he was a child of the natural world, and that it had been the will of nature to bring her to their doorstep. But, Harlyn--rather wrongfully and arrogantly--took Sitri to be slow and dumb, and in her "goodness", didn't want to overwhelm the poor halfwit with too much talk.

"It was just so lovely here, I couldn't resist staying," she answered simply with another encouraging/condescending smile, "I was just exploring, hoping to learn more about the land. I wouldn't mind some company?"

Sitri was not the brightest, however he did know of fate and life and duty. Those were things he was well aware of, and fate had dealt him a cruel hand in all honesty. However, he also didn't much like to talk about it, because he was of the opinion that you couldn't change fate, and often that earned him some enemies. He saw it that fate figured out what was going to happen to you in your life and then it made it happen.

Sitri didn't know emotions so he took her smile just as that, a smile. He however didn't return it, simply because his smiles were hideous and he didn't wish to scare her. I will gladly come with you. Do you have a certain sight in mind?

The beast agreed to accompany her to a destination of her choosing, causing Harlyn to share with him a grateful smile. She pondered for a moment what sort of things it was she was looking for in a forest such as this. It hadn't been too long that she'd been away from pack life, though the details on what she would be expected to contribute were a little hazy.

"Gosh, anything and everything really," Harlyn replied, "Are there any particular spots or landmarks that are more significant than others? A certain place the pack is usually called together for meetings, or somewhere everyone usually goes to spend time together?" Her questions were saturated in naievete, for she had no idea just how loosely bonded the wolves of her new home truly were.

Sitri mentally went over much of the land, most of it was still unnamed, so he couldn't really tell her about it. He did think of the lake with the monster in it, but wasn't sure if she would want to see that. He thought of the forest with it's old trees and the other small rivers that ran about the spine.

Sitri shook his head, We are still learning the place. Maybe you and me can find a place and name it? Yes? There is a lake with a monster in it, nasty fish it is. he grew quiet then and shifted his weight unsure if she would want to do any of what he just said. He was however content to let her take the reins so to speak.

Harlyn bit back the desire to correct him that it was actually 'you and I', simply pushing past it to focus on her enthusiasm for the suggestion he made, and then fascination for the very random story he told shortly after. A lake with a monster? Oh my goodness, this big, dumb beast was rather endearing, wasn't he?

"That sounds nice," Harlyn replied, canting her head, "A big monster, though, huh? How did you come across this? I'm sure you've a fascinating tale to share." As she spoke, she began to walk lightly. She had no particular direction in mind, but instead just steered them down a path she hadn't before taken.

Sitri would not have minded really if she had corrected him. Been embarrassed yes, but he knew very well that his speech and word choice left a lot to be desired. Sitri wasn't sure if Monster was the exact word for the beast in the lake, but well it was he best he could do.

Sitri shrugged, he didn't have a tale really. Not really saw it one day eating all turtled, long and slimy with sharp teeth. Moredecai and I tried to catch it, but it was smart and stayed away." he wasn't really sure if the creature was smart as much as just full that day, but well it was what it was.

The beast's words online intrigued and confused her further. She made a mental note to ask Mordecai his take on the story one day since Sitri's just sounded like a load of nothing to her. She knew nature to be unpredictable and wild, so maybe it did send a beast to greet a beast on that fateful day.

"It seems I'll need to do some study of the lake soon," Harlyn commented thoughtfully, "I would love to have my own experience with this monster. It truly would be amazing."

Sitri shifted and nodded Sitri will go with if you like. He didn't like the thought of the creature beneath the glassy water, but he also didn't like the idea of the she wolf going into the water or near it. It could at least take a paw if not worse. And if it could pull her under and keep her under, well she could drown.

Sitri studied her for a moment amazing, how a monster could be amazing he didn't know. But it gave him a little bit of hope for himself, after all he was a monster. So maybe he could be considered amazing some day.

The beast offered to join her, and Harlyn at once accepted. "That would be wonderful," she said with a smile, "Your expertise would be well appreciated to help me find it. Indeed, to help me escape it too if we do find it." Harlyn laughed softly. She was still a bit skeptical that it even existed, but it would be quite a story to tell afterwards.

Fade?

Sitri gave her a ghastly smile, but he followed behind her anyway. His large paws tearing up the ground like the brute that he was. I do not know much about it, only that it is there and it is ugly. He had only seen it once and it had been long and lean and ugly with teeth and bugging eyes.

Sure thing!


Sitri admitted to not knowing much that would be of use to them, but Harlyn gave a smile anyway. "That's enough for me," she said with a sway of her tail. He was an ugly beast, scarred and certainly not without an ominous aura about him, but maybe there was something beautiful hidden beneath the gruesome exterior. Harlyn certainly intended to find out for herself as they disappeared into the trees, continuing their friendly getting-to-know you chat until eventually parting ways.