Sheepeater Cliff To gather, such curious things

Need to start making up some trade threads for my crazy doctor gal so that she can actually receive her medical license in canon. All welcome <3

Wandering, wandering.

and even more wandering! It was a ceaseless endeavour, really; and though hunger drew forth a general state of discontent, she had a conflicted relationship with the 'freedom' she now held. 

Or rather, perhaps it was her 'packmates' who were freed of her. Regardless of the finer details, Envy found herself indulging in the ability to simply travel and learn the places where the herbaceous plants of this land took root. To memorize, she'd always excelled at. 

What a good little student. Bravo! Well done to you, perfect one!

She'd do the appraisal all herself, as there was noone else here to give it to her. Sad. Lonely. She'd made it a habit, to regail herself with all the stories once saved to pester the ears of another. 

But like a bad dog, given up on, she was cast out into the world to let it have its way with her. A merciful euthanasia, one others didn't have to look at, or recognize that her blood would be on their hands.

Fine.

She was not a stupid dog, at least. She would have her way with the world instead.

Between the cragged rocks and sheer cliffs, the imp would trot about, a spring to her step as she hummed a soft tune and let her gaze travel and seek for only plants of a specific nature. Like this one, come up ahead, lady's mantle nestled resiliently within the crack of two rocks.

If it could survive here, so too could she.

She had no use of the plant however, as beautiful as it stood, as useful as its properties would be, she would not pluck it from its home. She had none to use it on, none to test its various properties with, and to top things off, it was immature anyways, not yet decorated with the buds of golden flowers. Still, it made for a great spectacle for one so enwrapped within the embrace of natures medicine. 

So instead, she'd simply look, commit it to memory in case she'd find use for it someday. Come back here, time and time again, to take what she'd need, and no more than that. Imagination too would rear its head, mind aflutter with thoughts of a guilty sort of pleasure, she missed that which sated her. That purpose.

Oh, how she longed to lay her eyes on injuries of a most grievous nature. A feast for her. A challenge. A stimulation that made her lips quiver and her heart soar.

She'd lean back onto her haunches, and sit, and stare. Lost in thought.

There were wolves that yearned to be reborn. Through the tempestuous fires of self-immolation, only then were their impurities wrought out. Then, there was Cassian who’d been gifted it. Effortlessly, but was it in vain? The threads of fate spastically wove amok without the wolf’s say in a twisted, parasitic ploy. As if to entertain themselves with a new toy, one who could fall on the drop of a dime now that he was free. Lost. Boundless. A foreign corpse born with the tracings of their previous master.

Life, from what’d been able to be garnered so far, was no different than a coin flip. Some wolves landed on heads. Others on tails. Then, there were those who dwelled on the sides. The grey, where few souls wandered without purpose. The grimy, twisted, gnarled grooves none other would dare pay attention to. Here, he would carve out a home. Here, he would hopefully find answers of who he once was. Here, he would find purpose and a way of life that suited him or he would die trying.

One thing that earned its gratitude in leaps and bounds was the wolf’s instincts. Those that went beyond the simple, shared core capabilities they all had. No, the previous owner of this vessel he now inhabited was a fierce one. One whose rampant, raging practices were ingrained well beyond the nimble palms of amnesia itself. Hunting was natural to Cassian, as a result. Being made well aware of what could be garnered as feasible game and which scents to steer clear of. These beasts were ones that did not come with any image, unfortunately, but their mere daunting presence was enough to send static weighing down upon his fur. True apex predators that would, without an ounce of remorse or thought, still their claws into his being and take his soul for their own pleasure.

The thought alone was enough to jostle him awake in any tired state. Even in the slumber he’d found himself in just a pawful of hours ago. His heart skipped and coupled itself with a blatant, deafening tone; and, only when it stilled, did Cassian rise. Why did that occur? The foreboding visions that haunted him when his eyes blanketed into darkness, were they truly his own? “Too many questions,” he mumbled, gruffly before rising and shaking off the debris that accumulated since he last laid down. Westwards he went, aiming for the jagged cliffs that laid beyond. Scents were a powerful thing, he’d since learned, but sight reigned supreme. While other wolves may have had this neck of the world memorized to perfection, it was a privilege he sorely lacked. Any visual aid would be well appreciated.

This forest, short lived as it’d been, had brought good fortune upon him. Within his stomach broiled half a colony of rabbits, the other half having made a successful escape. Despite this positive venture, a particularly prideful corner of the wolf's mind festered. Not a single one should’ve escaped. They all should’ve been felled, but just as quickly as the thought was born…it died off. When he brushed past the last verdant shrub, a stellar view bore its beauty forth to the reborn wolf. A clear sky, accompanied by the sun's splay and a contrasting, chilly breeze that’d been previously stifled by the berthed trees. It felt good to be alive. It felt good to be in the here and now, even if there was another wolf sitting on its haunches over yonder.

A single sniff was made by Cassian. Did he mistakenly cross into another pack’s territory? Surely not, unless his nose betrayed him. So, if not that, then why was there a lone stray out here? The question could’ve easily been flipped on him, he concluded. Quite easily, actually. This helped bring him some sense of clarity as he bridged the gap between them. By the end of his endeavors there lay a distance of approximately three yards between the two of them. Gray fur coated the other’s frame. A stark, feminine scent was mired into her. The way they sat, he found it amusing.

So, he copied it, following their example despite them being unable to see the replication. From here, Cassian could see it. A rushing, ferocious river just over the edge of the cliff. Although, it was too far out to jump into. If it hadn’t been, perhaps he’d have dived into it, despite how foolhardy of an idea it seemed.

“What are you doing?”

His voice, it spoke with the innocence of a being not yet tampered by the world and its cruel, haphazard ways. Curiosity, genuine in its purest form, rang forth from the sun-kissed wolf. Those brown eyes of his swam across the grey storms of this stranger’s coat, carefully watching for movements and twitches of muscles. Getting lost somewhere along the way.

“Is there anything I can do to help you?”

Sorry for the late response, been terribly uncreative lately <3 

She'd been locked away in her thoughts, plagued by those which threatened to tear her asunder and swallow her whole; those of a dirty, vile sort of pleasure; and here came one with the key, quickly spurring her from her idle drifting.

In fact, he surprised her so much she'd scramble backwards and scuffle along the rocky terrain before regaining her footing and straightening her posture, as if such a scare had merely been a work of imagination. Envy narrowed her gaze and looked upon the stranger, kissed in the soft hues of prarie and muted gold, as if the sun itself had sought to reach out and touch him. 

Perhaps she was ogling him a little bit; she couldn't help it. The line was muddied in her mind, between merely observing another and raking a hawkish, devouring gaze down their form. 

Where caution could be warranted, she exhibited none; he spoke all friendly, and that was enough for her to believe he was. 

Envy tilted her head to the side, wide-eyed and ears perked attentively Well I'm- She trails off, pearly mitts scraping against the stone. ..S'pose I'm makin' myself a collection. The wretch would inform pridefully, her chest puffed slightly and her tail swishing behind her as excitement manifested itself physically. She'd made a bit of a plan.

She'd scrounge up every little bit of anything useful in this area, make it so the wolves she'd been observing for the past week;  those ones who lived in the valley, would have no choice but to turn to her, no choice but to accept her aid, and in turn, provide her with their own. It seemed that such a skillset was a hot commodity, after all, though that hadn't exactly stopped others from rejecting her before. 

And if they never did allow her to worm her way into their ranks? If she never would come to use what she'd collect? Well, she'd simply sit smug and delighted with her own actions. it would serve em' right, after all, if they were to turn her away. She'd feign indifference toward suffering caused at her hand, but really, that too would tickle some dark fancy of hers. It was a little far off from the usual ideals most healer's kept to, though she'd had her fill of that stifling, pretentious, do-gooder air. There was no pretending here.

She was a trickster, a desperate little trickster who only hoped her tricks would work.

And along came a tool for her whims, as if a divine delivery set out to fall perfectly at her paws. She was quick to accept his offer of assitance.

I could use help, actually. Do you know much about plants? ....Or maybe you could catch me a snack... She'd idle on the thought, her tongue clicking against the back of her teeth. The scrawny one would bound forward dramatically and begin to circle him, studying, testing the boundaries.

Scuffling raked across the ragged terrain the two of them were sharing. Beyond the inner chasms of Cassian’s mind it spurred forth a memory; but, be it as it may, all it did was clamor amongst the chains whence it was sequestered to. The sensation was a numbing chill that whirled its merciless path across the wolf’s cranium. A taunting, fleeting touch from the fates themselves and a reminder that the experiences this sun-kissed soul once held truly never belonged to him in the first place.

Boundless, curious, and overtly trusting was he. When met with the gates of hell, this temporary guest found refuge rather than discomfort. The murky brown waters that glazed over Envy’s figure took in the full essence of their physical self. From their boney frame, downwards to the silver and whites muted perfectly across her frame. To Cassian, they reminded him of nothing. She was the first since his inception and these sequences of colors would forevermore be tied to her essence.

”Well, youuuuu?”

The first shifts in her demeanor were mimed by Cassian. Tilted head, wide-eyed stares, perked ears. Simply for no other reason than finding strict glee in the act itself. ”A collection, huh? Out here? Alone? I think it’s difficult enough to live daily without something like that. You must be really talented to accomplish something that astronomical!” Granted, there was no information on what exactly it was that this stranger was hoarding. Still, the blossoming desire to lend them praise came freely from within this wolf’s chest nevertheless. From where he stood it was clear that they took satisfaction in whatever that was. Solidarity, the acclimation of living in a foreign world, and the uncertainty of the next day’s meal was enough to lay stake to a claim of ego. The fact that she wrought forth that same sensation from elsewhere opened mental doors for the wolf.

There were other things in life that could stake their claim as being worthy of pride.

”No, I don’t know anything about plants. I know about as much as the next wolf honestly, haha! I know you can’t eat them. Most of the time, anyway. A lot of them taste bitter and aren’t anything compared to meat. So, I avoid em!”

His gaze glued itself to her frame as she leapt forward. Flying, even if only for a brief moment in time, much like the birds in the sky that he enjoyed pursuing. Then, a faint whisper curled itself against the sun-kissed wolf’s ear. A twitch, haphazard and erratic, sprung forth. The voice within Cassian rarely ever spoke its piece. A fading, dwindling ember amidst the abyss it’d been banished to. Still, it had its moments, and right now it screamed from the ether to stand still. To tuck his tail around his frame and monitor the situation. So, he did, albeit there wasn’t an ounce of stress weighing down on the wolf. There was no reason and there had never been a reason.

It was foreign to him, the feeling of distrusting another.

”I could get you something to eat, yeah! You seem to be lacking meat in all the right places. I’ve never seen somebody so tiny before! Maybe you’ve been focusing too much on your collection or whatchacallit?”

The idea never blossomed to him that she might not have been able to hunt for herself in the first place. There were a variety of prey felled by Cassian that were scanned through for the purpose of her proposal. Why, the wolf’s first memory centered around blood draining off the side of his maw, kissing the earth below with each sickening, satisfying crunch of bones beneath the pressure of gnarled bites. A fox wouldn’t be enough to feed her, would it? But then again, she said she wanted a snack. There was no specification on an entire meal.

”A fox is a nice treat. At the end of the day, it’s meat, and you did say you wanted a snack. I want something in return, though.”

Only when she rounded her way back out in front of him did Cassian rise from resting on his haunches. Steps were taken towards the opposing wolf, leaving just enough space for an entire yard’s worth of distance. A smile splayed itself out, hospitable down to the very core. Then, a swaying of the male’s tail, in an eerie replication of the tempo her own had been going at mere moments ago.

”I would like to know your name. Mine is Cassian. But, if you don’t want to give me your name, then maybe you can give me something else. I think I’d be okay with telling you what that is after gifting you your treat. It’ll be something simple.”

Innocence met morbid curiosity today. In a twisted conspiracy melded together by their circumstances Cassian found that his heart was beating avidly. Racing, at the mere prospect of having this wolf choose between two options. But, why was that? What was this sensation? One that escaped him entirely up until now. A greedy, sinful, bumpy wash over his skin.

”So, what’ll it be?”

Envy sat back casually as the stranger spoke, his flattery beckoning a museful purr that rumbled in her throat and drew a delighted grin that weaseled its way across pallid features. Astronomical, talented. Yes yes. Don't stop now. Keep going. 

The attention felt like the warm embrace she so desperately craved from many others in her life, yet of course she was resigned to seek it from strangers, rather than flesh and blood. A seeker, she was forced to be. A soul tainted with desperation, it was not her fault she was this way. Nothing was, nor could it ever be. It was others that had soiled her so. 

Give your words to fill that empty, cavernous place that yearned for approval. This sweet little treat of attention merely inspired her to do more, to act out, to push herself further. 

Don't take your eyes off me. Keep coming back for more. I can be good.

And then he'd introduce himself, stranger no more. Cassian now. She listened attentively to his words, absorbing them into her very essence. Feeding an ego she bore out of defense. 

He was friendly, and so she trusted. Deception was unknown to the wretch, beyond that of her own, of course. No, any she'd encountered were always upfront, unable to hide their feelings on her. She had that effect on people. Tunnel visioned and erratic as she was, those derisive glares which failed to mask disturbance were far from lost on her; they were merely an echo of a sentiment long internalized.

She knew the look so well. Mother had it. She'd always had it. 

Cassian seemed to withdraw on aiding her herb-gathering venture, though his offer of a hunt still stood. She wouldn't allow it to slip away.

 Indeed, they're bitter little things, but good for other uses! Much more fun uses! Better than being snacked on by some doe and her fawn. I can handle the plant gathering okay on my own, come to think of it... 

She'd  drawing a pearly fore mitt to her maw and rubbing it down the length of her muzzle. 

But the snack! Oh yes, you'd be great for it! You seem like a fit hunter, strong legs and pretty teeth. You could catch me something nice, I'm certain.

Envy rose to circle him, crouching and eyeing every feature as she too would shower him in a motivating barrage of flattery. Intentions lingered beneath every word. She slunk along his flank, not shying from touching a man she'd only met hardly a breath ago, and allowing her tail to linger and gently flick before she'd retake her seat in front of him, a soft thump as she sat back.

She'd indulge his request for her name, though at this point in her travels, he could've asked for much of anything, and she'd have indulged. Her name was an easy feat. 

Oh no, I can give you my name, it's no secret a' mine. My name is Envy... Maybe because I was the prettiest of the litter, or maybe cause mama wished she could restart. Or maybe it has no meaning at all. 

She mused and offered an idle shrug, her tongue drifting intentionally over pearly ivories, exposed for only a moment as she'd pause to yawn. 

...But now you've got me curious on what else it was you wanted. 

She remarked in a higher pitch, curiosity leaving its mark on her tone, she'd flick an ear restlessly. 

...Bring me that snack, if it is a fox, try an' bring it alive if you can. I like to play with my food. If you can do that, then I might do whatever it was you were thinking of. We can share it too, if ya like.

Mature Content Warning

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The participants have indicated the following reason(s) for this warning: Scar inflection mentioning!

You seem like a fit hunter, strong legs and pretty teeth.

To Cassian’s recollection, there wasn’t a single point in time where another soul had gone out of their way to actively compliment him. The sensation that it bore, the revelation that sprung forth out of it was….it was….

Boring.

To this man, there was no pleasure to be found in the paltry words of others. Save for when they actively chose to engage with him, of course. If there was a challenge to be had, a task to be given, some sort of directive to aim and aspire for only then did those murky, brown waters of his gleam tirelessly. This was a simple, tellable sign that only blossomed forth shamelessly when the next sentence drawled its way out of the woman’s maw.

You could catch me something nice, I’m certain.

Yes, he could. He would. He should garner something for this stranger who was clearly naught but a bag of bones cascaded in illustrious, captivating fur. Yet, the most alluring aspect that Cassian found were the scars delicately placed around the dame’s ears. So captivating, in fact, that when their bodies made contact the man edged just the tiniest bit closer to run the edge of his nose against one of them. There was now a new object of interest presented forth and chasing the dopamine that fueled the everyday antics this soul peddled in proved time and time again to be the simplest, most effective way of life.

Envy.

The name in itself was so…eerily fitting. Cassian etched it within the confines of his mind, making certain to never let it run free. A core memory that would stand the test of time. At least, the sun-kissed wolf prayed for such a thing. It’d already transpired once and the mere prospect of it occurring yet again was something that filled him with a foreign sense of trepidation and fear alike.

“Okay, I’ll be back, Envy! One fresh fox, nice and alive just for you! Envy, Envy, Envy, Envy, Envyyyy.” The way it coiled off of the tongue was charming to him. Even if it fell deaf on her ears it mattered not to Cassian. 

It would be but thirty lonesome minutes before Cassian returned. The scarlet fox encased within the wolf’s pretty teeth once scrambled about tirelessly but now its body hung limp and hopeless. But, it was still perfectly alive to be played with.

“Here! I did my best to not do too much to it besides catching it. Oh, and you had a question about what I wanted earlier, yeah?”

The words came by initially muffled. Then, an entire moment whisked by. In that time, Cassian laid down, allowing the fox to run free for a singular second at most before stamping a paw down on its tail to keep it in place. There, brown met with red, and in the mired sea of the unknown a twisted interest was born anew between these two wayward, wandering souls.

“You can keep it, the fella is basically tuckered out at this point, haha! You had a question about what I wanted earlier though, right? Sorry, I thought I answered!”

On that day, Cassian felt true joy run its course through his veins.

“I want my ears to be like yours. The scars are…so alluring! Plus, even if my memory goes away one day, I’ll still have something to remember you by! Does that sound fair? Pleeeeease, Envy?” He asked; no, he begged . Almost innocently, too, were it not for the sadistic way his paw grinded itself into the dirt to cause pained yelps to spring forth from the fox caught for her.

Mature Content Warning

This thread has been marked as mature. By reading and/or participating in this thread, you acknowledge that you are of age or have permission from your parents to do so.

The participants have indicated the following reason(s) for this warning: violence, slight mutilation, I figure perms are given but lmk if otherwise and i will edit :)

She waited patiently for his return. Dainty paws scratched against the stone; she'd rise to pace around the little nook in the cliffside, taking in the valley below from this vantage point. Her stomach growled, a sound she'd grown accustomed to, the pangs were familiar, and it only made her all the more restless and eager for his return. She'd never tried fox. Never really put to mind that they could be more than things to toy and experiment with. 

Meat is meat. She'd accompany her thoughts with a shrug. Now if only he would come back faster. Faster faster faster. Perhaps if she thought it with enough vigour, she could will it into existance. Her paws flexed and her frame shook in anticipation—and when those thirty minutes were up, and she'd catch his radiant form peeking over the hillside, Envy met him halfway, excited. 

This is good! She grinned, looking down at the pitiful creature, its strength failing. No match was the quick one for the threat of pursuit; even fast limbs could not outrun that which never ceased chasing. She'd have to deal with it before its lungs caught breath once more.

Cassian played a sweet ballad for her, within the grinding of his paw and the pained screeches of the red. She was beginning to look at him with a hungering gaze. 

His request was certainly not one she'd heard before, and it drew a slight tilt of her crown, before an amused smile would tear its way across her features. He was funny. Hehe.. Alright, I'll bite. I can even give ya somethin' for the road, make sure you don't get any nasty infections later on... But uh, first things first..

Envy leaned down to the struggling fox, aiding in its restraint by placing a paw onto its back as well, and tracing her nose down its spine—searching for something. She'd pull it's skin as far as she could, holding it tight to the frame of the whimpering animal. She dragged her lips along its neck and down its back, feeling the vertebrae residing there, before nipping the sixth, enough to break through, her canines held no mercy on their journey; and the sudden jerk of the fox proved that she was successful in disabling its ability to run away. Where will you go, when your hind limbs neglect to carry you?. It would not fight any longer, but instead lay as subject to the whims of the wretch; after all, what better to test her skills and knowledge on than a fox- oh so similar to a wolf in many ways, all the right anatomy to pick apart and study. 

Sit and wait tight, toy.

Her tail assumed a quick wag, she was clearly pleased with herself. Now he won't be goin' anywhere. As for yer ears.... Can't say I've gotten such a request before, but I can definitely give ya a few nicks, if thats watcha want. You wanna match? She inquired with a giddy grin, pacing a circle around him again before leering forward to snip her jaws along the tip of one ear, canines piercing in an almost uncharacteristcally gentle manner before ripping back and shredding a neat line through the top. The taste of metal lay heavy on her tongue, and swept across her maw as she ravished him, adding one additional slice to the other, the side this time. 

Though, she'd halt here, not wanting to overstep on the one who'd just brought her a snack. If he wished for more, she was inclined to give him more. 

How good it felt, to be wanted, even in this depraved manner.