{ the mask of red death }

[Red February]

{RED FEBRUARY}
Every night I dream of you.
With my teeth wrapped around your neck.

[/size][/color]

Upon reaching the boundaries of her ‘home,’ to loosely name the Sarnes territory, Kiora found herself dawdling before making her entrance. When she had last been on the marsh, her paws had sunken in the earth and her limbs could easily slosh through the small patches of water; but now, winter’s claws had frozen the ground, making it easier, but less interesting to walk upon. Her ears, perked to the slightest noise, strained for the greeting of a pack mate. But were they still pack mates? and a trembling thought of her own carnage passed through her. She shunned it, though, lest it stir the Red February out of sleeping.

Kiora’s pale, yellow-dandelion eyes waited for a shadow against the trees, but was interrupted by a yip that came from beneath her. Crossing her sight to look directly under her, she saw that the fox hanging from her jaws was still indeed dangling from the jaws of life as well. Its body was mangled between her slackened maw, and she realized she could still feel the faintest pumping of its tiny organs. Proud she had been able to keep it breathing this long, Kiora figured that Shunke would appreciate a live treat.

Beginning to trudge through one of the deeper pockets of mud-ice, she unconsciously clenched her teeth, puncturing an artery in her prize fox tom. The cold slush began to bite at the thick pads under her paws and her small digits, so her pace quickened. As the blood dripping from her prey diluted in the freezing water, she imagined her own crimson, like red shards, in the sludge as well. Ice and chapped paws were a poor combination.


[/color]
title, of course, borrowed from Edgar Allen Poe with little relevance to my post... and welcome me back, guys! i'm sorely out of practice, if that's a phrase. xD the writing will improve, promise.[/blockquote]

[Awiergan]

Stirred by the scent of blood Awiergan stalked silently through the frozen terra that had once formed the trademark marshes of Sarnes. He had joined in the summer when the ground had still been soft with moisture, however the seasons had done their best to alter the terrain in the moons since then until finally the mud and muck had hardened, unable to stand frigid climate of winter. Auds erect atop his blacken crown he advanced through desolate landscape, the only sound audible to his sensitive ears was the crackling frost scraping beneath his padded mitts.

Pale orbs scan the marsh, peering through the seemingly endless shroud of gloom and mist that seem to always cover the land like a blanket. Visibility was poor, swirling mist inhibiting the black wolf’s sight yet leaving his sense of smell and hearing perfectly intact. The marsh retain heat better then most terrain and as such Sarnes was better insulated against the sudden drop in temperature then most, as such the inhabitance of Sarnes would remain reasonably comfortable until about midwinter at which point their luck would change along with the land.

The scent of blood grew stronger as a strangled yip cut through the silence accompanied by a soft splash. Picking up speed Awiergan trotted carefully through the shadows, ears perked in anticipation. It was hard to say exactly what would be waiting for him, the scent of blood was promising in itself but common sense dictated that whatever Awiergan’s quarry it most certainly wasn’t alone. Pelt glistening with moisture he advanced, pale optics locking onto a bleary form trudging through the sludge and muck. Her shape became more distinct as he drew closer until finally Awiergan greeted her with a sibilant hiss, rasping tones flowing freely from ebon maw in the form of a light whisper. “I was wondering when I’d see you again.”

[Dane]

Flaring nostrils lead to eyes flashing open as the scent of fresh blood warped the air. The night was cold and the air was still, alerting the Mann to something wounded on the move within the Sarnes territory. Rising to his feet, the muscular male with a pelt of brown hues gave his body a quick shake to rid it of its initial chill before giving way to his instincts and followig the scent.

Dane's pelt bristled as his body cut through the freezing air. Wolfbane's winter was upon them, and though the swamplands weren't blanketed with snow, the air was still cold enough to send a chill down the spine of Varg, even those with the thickest of pelts. Clouds of hot breath swirled around his parted maw before disappearing into the midnight sky. Though the land was cold, he was thankful that the drop in temperature had managed to harden the normally troublesome mud of the packlands. Large, creme paws no longer sunk beneath the surface of the dark muck; instead, he was able to walk above it. It was a welcome change from the slippery sludge he had been introduced to, and still did not feel completely comfortable trudging through.

Mis-matched eyes scanned the dreary territory for any sign of his prey, though sound was quicker than sight in betraying the presence of the one he was pursuing. Lowering himself closer to the ground, he approached in a stealthy fashion. Snake-like words flowed like poison from the maw of a Varg he had seen once before, and they were being directed towards a fellow Varg- a female, who held the source of the scent limply in her stained jaws. Whether or not she was an ally, he did not know, though in his mind he had already labeled the ebon Mann as 'no good'. Any wolf lacking the courtesy to show respect to the Sarnes Drappa was undeserving of a place in the pack, as far as he was concerned. Silently, he remained in the shadows, out of the way for the time being, until he could discern what was taking place.

[Emberlily]

-Emberlily-
I'm just a good little girl
Doing a dirty little deed

The sounds of kissing and slurping stopped, silenced by the pause of a silken shadow hidden by the grass and glades. The mud licked at the her paws trying it's hardest to crawl and slither up the bitch's legs. The ice here had shattered and exposed the unfrosted mud underneath. Emberlily looked, her emerald gold orbs trying to pierce their vision through the curtain of dancing mist.

A pink tongue slithered out of the femme's maw, licking her ebon chops before flickering like that of a snake. As if testing the air, waiting for something to be found. Nostrils flared as the scent of blood curled and danced with the air around her. Mouth instinctivley salivating the ivory kissed vixen drew forth, banner billowing in the wind as she began to trace the wind and following the hints toward the flowering scent.

The wolf walked upon the frozen marshlands, finally untouched by the dark earthy paint that so often covered a Sarnes wolf. Her senses led her towards a kill site. The blood now was stronger then ever. Fresh too if the winds were not telling fibs that day.

Beyond the mangled forest growth Ember spotted a canvas of red, embedded in the wash of ice, grey and white soon being eaten up by the watery slush beneath. And in the middle of it all, a royal orange smudge in the grips of a ivory blessed canid. It was elegantly dressed in red, it's pale yellow eyes reflecting the bloodlust that had momentarily consumed her soul. Emberlily walked towards the moving object when her eyes caught the sight of two other shapes, both presumably having the same idea or calling as her. She noted the duo-toned orbs male as Dane though hidden from all view except for Ember. and the other, an obsidian brute to be Aweirgan. Ember smirked, my my her sister did indeed attract many males, if not in the oddest way.

The serpent of Sarnes fled the shadows and began to slither through the marsh and slush towards Kiora. "I see you've still got your touch" A grin grew on the lips of the youngest of the three sisters as she eyed the prized tom and the blood stained masterpiece before her. Ember stepped forward, making a playful swagger to the left to bump into the side of the larger brute. "Games just haven't been as fun without you...sis"

[Red February]

{RED FEBRUARY}
Every night I dream of you.
With my teeth wrapped around your neck.

[/size][/color]

The miasma clung to the harsh silhouettes of the forest and snaked low, gliding but a paw’s length above the marsh waters. Kiora seemed to glower through that vapor, thinking it was the same pale wetness as the frost trimming the woods. Her nocturnal world, a turbulent and washing black eternity of a night, was now veiled by the ice and the fog and soon the snow; it was as if, metaphorically speaking, being in the dark of her own consciousness was not debilitating enough. However, Kiora was well aware of Red February’s partiality for the winter season.

Sarnes’s Devourer of Kin, the derailed cannibal, twitched towards a rumor of movement.

With a pair of soft, daffodil hues, she sought a form that would match the faintly audible noise and an only vague scent. Then a soft greeting stole across the marsh from one varg to the next. Releasing the fox-kill from her maw with disregard, it presented one last, brief spasm before it lay lifeless.. Kiora‘s bushy audits flipped forward mechanically. “Nice to see you again. I haven’t been around since … Tor knows when,“ and she lashed her gaze up and over to Awiergan, eyes punctuating her hello as staccatos. And her words seemed to draw out with each syllable, like she felt a thick, bloody syrup retarding her palate.

Truth be told, Kiora could only remember one brief convergence with the brute. It seemed so distant, almost intangible, along with all those memories that included her sisters.

Gingerly rubbing her left paw across her foreleg, Kiora’s sensors swiveled towards a new presence -- no sound, but she knew another had decided to attach themselves to the reunion. No, the encounter, unplanned and only a small transfer of words between acquaintances. However, before she could greet the addition, she was pleasantly interrupted by a familiar winding of a welcome. Emberlily, affectionately ‘Little Sister,’ flirting with her words and the wind and the new boy (a pack member, she recognized, that Emberlily knew) just as Kiora remembered. Jamais vu.

“Well, I must confess, I cannot find the alphess,” the snake’s sister inquired a location with her statement, her ears bent towards EL. She was relieved that family and, by assumption, pack members greeted her.


[/color]
gah, sorry it fails. my mom is yelling at me about cleaning. D;

EDIT: and in the last statement, the word wasn't meant to be alphas, but "alphess"[/blockquote]

[Awiergan]

Gaze unblinking in the sickening miasma that ascended the chilled waters infesting the swamp Awiergan advance, pallid hues narrowing on the crimson clad femme known as Kiora. This was a fae accustomed to losing herself to the dreaded frenzy their kind had endured since the dawn of time. Though they had only encountered each other once before Aweirgan knew all to well of cannibalistic tendencies the Red February harbored, recalling the morbid stench of blood and urine that had clung to her pelt during their first encounter.

Whereas the curse of Fenris may have corroded the memory of their encounter from Kiora’s mind the recollection of it remind fresh and vivid in the mind of Awiergan.

Indeed the Nightmare Trio had been a force to be feared in their prime, but now they were disbanded, separated for whatever reason. Bloodied fox dropping to the ground she spoke, her words accentuated by the writhing lera’s dying breathes and sporadic death throes. “Indeed. No doubt a great deal has changed since you’ve been gone and the memory is such a fickle thing.” he rasped, stepping closer. “Perhaps it’s best you have an escort until you’ve refamiliarized yourself with the terrain. I am called Awiergan.” He made no effort to mask the seductive note in his voice, ulterior motive in his mind made clear through the subtle tones of his quivering vocals.

Soulless orbs roving across the fae’s supple red form Awiergan wondered if Kiora was anything like her younger sister, lip twitching at the prospect of bedding another fae.

Though his expression betray nothing, it was at that moment Awiergan became aware that they were being watched. He could feel eyes on him, cold and accusing, wicked gaze boring into his back and scrutinizing them from the shadows. If he chided himself for letting his guard down he made no show of it, features remaining impassive to the newcomer’s unexpected, and quite unwanted, arrival on the scene. It was as though he were cast from stone, blank expression as monotone as the hue of his coarse pelt. Kiora sensed it too as his flickering orbs determined by her swiveling auds, showing her awareness of the new presence.

Shoulders rolling alternately he closed the gap between himself and Kiora, pulling up beside her and bending down to examine her kill. “So sweet, fresh meat.” Without a scent to study it was impossible for him to identify whoever was spying on them and it would be useless to try to seek him out without alerting them of the reaper’s intentions. Better wait and attempt to draw whoever it was out of hiding.

A voice sounded from the shadows, no more than a seductive hiss amidst the marsh. Auds flickering with recognition Awiegan turn to acknowledge the welcome arrival of Sarnes very own ivory snake, eyes following her swaggering hips hungrily as she made her approach. Stepping back he regarded her in cold silence, snapping his jaws suggestively at her snowy plume as the white vixen bump him playfully. “Nor have you apparently.” Kiora’s query reaching his ears he moved to intercede the serpent’s sister, diverting his attention from the succulent Ember Lily to address the Devourer of Kin. “Dear Shunke is absent at the moment, but perhaps our mighty Drappa will see fit to grace us with her magnificence later.”

[Dane]

His ears flattened in agitation as the ebon brute exchanged playful follies with the crimson-stained Fae. The tones in his voice were less than innocent, and Dane could tell that his intentions were just as impure. As he waited under cover, a new presence found its way into the clearing, for the scent of blood and lust had a way of bringing stragglers together. This new addition was familiar to his mismatched orbs, for he had met her briefly once before. Ember, they called her, an ivory seductress of the swamp, though she had been playful with him, no advances had been made for whatever reason. Such was not the case at the present though, for as she brushed against the side of the brute, the lust was burning hot in her poison orbs for all to see.

The two of them had made eye contact for a brief moment before she had turned to associate with the ever-growing posse, and he knew that she had recognized him from his hiding place and had made note of his presence. Just as well, for he didn't intend to remain hidden for much longer. The older male's vocals rang out once more, deep and rich, with words that seemed to hold double meanings. His form was exaggerated in Dane's mind, to look like a fairytale monster; hunched and hideous, with evil, glinting eyes of shining steel, the violent snap of the beast's jaws was magnified tenfold as it resounded through his mind, images of betrayal and injustice flooding his thoughts.

He could remain hidden no longer.

Rising to his paws, he stepped from behind his foliage shroud with confidence rather than reluctance. His tail held at a considerable height, his eyes bore coldly on the monstrous sight of Awiergan. Averting his gaze only for a moment, he gave a slight nod to Ember to acknowledge his remembrance of her, letting his eyes then linger briefly on the thin form of her sister, before returning back to the male with a vicious and accusing intensity. "Well, if this doesn't look familiar" he said smartly, referring of course to the male's overly-friendly behavior towards the females. It was his intent to bring to Shunke's attention the infidelities no doubt taking place within her own lands, and he would be watching the male closely. Saying nothing more on the subject, he turned to the Fae who held the mangled fox. "An old friend of the territory, I presume?"

[Emberlily]

Sorry guys forgot ^^;

Lily's snake like tongue flickered from her jaws as she smirked watching the scene. She grinned fluttering her tassel and playing a game of keep away as the mann aimed a teasing nip at her. But his attention passed onto her older sister. There was a new curiosity in the mann's eyes and the white fae noted that. Eyes blinked as Ember looked about catching the form of Dane. But she left him unanswered for the moment. Rather she decided to turn her attention back to her sister.

It had been quite a while yes. Ember bent over to sniff the fox. A tongue rasp over the limp form, the blood now cold tickled her as she let the taste settle in her mouth before removing her gaze away from the dead prize.

Ember smirked, as she listened to Aweirgan, trying to play his cards right infront of the red deviled fae. But she continued to let the man answer Kiora's questions.

Ember turned looking to Dane now as his voice rang over the moment of silence. Elegantly the lilypainted femme moved closer to Dane, her expression grinning. Ember had remembered sharing with Dane a little bit of her family past, someting that she hadn't done to many. Little Dane, the fae that stands before you is my eldest sister... Kiora.

[Red February]

{RED FEBRUARY}
Every night I dream of you.
With my teeth wrapped around your neck.

[/size][/color]

Bones shaking in her skin, Kiora kneaded the strange texture of the marshlands. Her paws, jeweled in crystallized muck and rings of blood, could not keep still; they wanted to traverse their favorite haunt, the Sarnes lands, and caress every inch of the inhospitable swamp. The mist, like Wolfbane’s breath, skulked about her restless mitts as if teasing, tempting her to disappear into it and into deeper territory. But Kiora understood that succumbing to the fog would cause her to die a little death in which the Red February within would live a little life.

Kiora was rather cold to the warmth, more accurately the perceptible heat, of Awiergan’s proposal. She chose not to answer him by any measure, unless one would count neglecting to reply an response in itself. Digits still pressing the earth beneath, she made an effort to train her optics, therefore her ‘attention,’ to the sizeable mascu’s build. Respectively, she seemed to watch the space but a sliver above his brow, not in favor of breaking out into an superfluous brawl of dominance. Her mind had already sculpted a map of the varg’s strapping body, dark and forceful movements imagined, and she toyed with small fantasies for a moment.

Now wholly bothered by each beast’s eyes pouring over her kill, Kiora’s audits unintentionally slicked back along her scalp. “Well, let’s hope that our drappa returns. I hope order in this pack has not been lost. If that is the case, then it will be reinstated at all costs,” and the wolfess’s words became double-edged, as if another voice could be heard speaking them alongside her. At this time, the second of the Nightmare Trio let out a soft growl, which diminished into silence as a new male presented himself.

Her downy banner wavered behind her, flickering side to side like an extinguishing candle. Soon, her tassel failed to gesture at all, and Kiora’s scarlet dyed maw parted again. “Hello,” which was her welcome to Dane, was pursued with a tip of her crown, a bow, and that was all. Attentions turned to EL, as always.

“What did you say, little Lily? I hope you have only misspoken, since our eldest sister is Moon Crypt. Have these boys ridden you so hard, little dear, that your mind is beginning to slip?” there was an unfiltered resentment as that insult came from her parted jowls, a rare unkindness to her sister that only presented itself because of shame. A small snarl creased her satin muzzle. “At the start, you would play these games for the Nightmare Trio. Yet you still want more? So just lower your tail already, you stupid whore.”


[/color]
i've become a meanie. [: oh wait, i already wasss.[/blockquote]

[Emberlily]

-Emberlily-
-She's just another whxre-
-too bad she's beautiful-

The ivory serpent hissed, her banner wavering to the side as she slithered a few steps away from the adolescent male, Dane. Ember watched her sister, noting any changes in her character.

"Shunke will come about when she wants too. But what state the pack order is in doesn't concern you of such a burden"Ember's lips twitched as she mirrored the growl Kiora emitted.

Though every unbalance seemed to momentarily pause as eyes turned on Dane. Shunke's own little jewel. Lily let the moment pass but before long Kiora had once again let her tongue click one too many times.

Ember smirked her ears twitching as her lips pursed. "They like to think they can... But dear say sis when has a male ever touched you?" She asked almost innocently as her lashes batted in rhythm with her last two syllables.

Lily's lips rolled back as her pupils retracted into snake like orbs. "My mind might be slipping sister but it seems you've already lost yours. You speak of the Nightmare trio so fondly, so freely, yet have we forgotten why it has come to this day? And even so your decide to haul your pretty little ass back here. Are we supposed to be playing a happily ever after? I might be a pretty little whore but I haven't forgotten my place" Lily cooed as Kiora's last remarks set alive the burning desire to launch herself forward at the only kin she knew left.
It took every muscle in her part to stay anchored to the marshy grounds.

A serpentine hiss emitted from the vixen's jaws, muzzle wrinkled into growl as she digested her kin's last two remarks. Her hackles prickled as her tail shot up instead. "Your at the bottom of the food chain now you little bitch, lower your tail" In regards Ember wouldn't have confronted her sister in such a grotesque attire, but would it be too immature to say: She started it.

[/color]

[Awiergan]

Eyes narrowing on her wild eyed form Awiergan stare down upon the untamed varg known as the Red February, pallid orbs shining darkly in the eerie half light of the bog. So far Kiora had proven unreceptive to his less then subtle advances, ignoring his seductive proposal and neglecting any response in return. For a moment the jet brute wondered if she was simply indifferent of his presence until he caught her examining his trim form, placating any feelings of hostility that might have been forming. He toyed with the idea of continuing with his seduction of Kiora but ultimately decided against it. She clearly wasn’t interested in starting anything right now, however Awiergan had seen her looking so the idea was there. It would b better for him to wait and try again later after she had settled into her surroundings.

Thick plume fluttering teasingly in front of him Awiergan snap purposefully at the ivory appendage, attempting to grasp Ember’s trailing tassel between his jaws and beat the elusive Beridan at her own game. But nay it was not to be, her slim tail evading his grasp each time until the ebon brute finally gave up. Reclining on his haunches he watched the events unfolding before him in silence, pale orbs observing the silent interaction taking place between the sisters with keen interest. “Indeed, such matters are best left to those with authority.” Rasping in agreement of the white fae, seemingly indifferent to the sharp edge and subtle meaning of the Kiora’s suggestive reply.

His expression remain unchanged as the trio were joined by the previously unnamed spy, hackles bristling as under the intensity of Dane’s scrutinizing glare. The brute was somewhat of an enigma to Awiergan, always watching him as though waiting to for the ebon mann to slip up. He held a keen hatred for him in his bi-hued eyes, a feeling in which Awiergan returned fully. As for the cause of this intense rivalry Awiergan suspected it had something to do with the pup’s mother, Shunke, whom had recently taken the morbid dragga as her lover albeit secretly.
Awiergan wasn’t entirely sure just how Dane had come to find out about his arrangement with the Sarnes anwelda, in all honesty he didn’t really care so long as the muddied brute didn’t interfere with his affairs. Unfortunately it seemed that such would not be the case as each encounter with the young nieten, however infrequent they might be, only served to fuel both varg’s aversion towards one another. A conflict was inevitable, it was only a matter of time. “Ah the pup, Dane was it?” Awiergan mocked, rasping tones taking on a sibilant, condescending hiss. “Tell me, how is dear Shunke doing? Surely her faithful son would know the whereabouts of our beloved Drappa?”

((sorry for the wait, thought I'd focus my attention on Dane for a bit.))

[Dane]

Eying Ember Lily, his gaze was devoid of greed unlike most males who looked upon her. Among the Varg present, she was the one he 'trusted' the most, if he had to choose one. They had met once before, and she had shared with him a bit of her life story, along with some words of reassurance. In the long run, it was that conversation with her, that extra push, that drove him to where he was now. He remembered how hesitant he had been to be a part of Sarnes, to be leagued so closely with the Night Hunters, but not anymore. That had been the first time he was able to acknowledge the loss of his friends and th life he was used to. Erased, for something much more valuable. He had declared that day in front of the ivory Fae that he would be proud to stand alongside he Balkar as a member of Sarnes.

Two-tones orbs then shifted to the one called Kiora as he drunk in her frame. "Kiora..." he repeated, letting the syllables roll smoothly off his tongue. "Well then, it certainly is a pleasure. My name is Dane, as you have heard already." Craning his neck, he returned her short gesture with a humble bow of his own, his eyes panning over to the ebon brute to insure he didn't try anything underhanded.

A sort of bitterness transpired between the two Nightmare sisters, a cat-fight, even, though he tried his best to ignore it. His eyes watched them, as he was sure Awiergan found their words at least a little amusing as well. When he grew tired of their petty remarks slinging back and forth, he once again turned his attention to the brute, who in turn, had something to say to his previous comment. His raw words were laced with poison he didn't care to hide. They seemed to beg for retaliation, and they definitely warranted one.

His expression showed no sign of embarrassment or shame at the label of 'pup'. Though he was no longer a pup, he was no doubt one of the youngest members of Sarnes, and the fact that his mother was Drappa only added weight to the insult of 'pup'. Still, he knew his place as well as his age, and in his eyes, it was all that mattered. Let others say what they would about him. His eyes shone back, full of pride, as he stood tall against his attacker. "I give the Drappa her space and freedom, I do not tail her like a dog in heat, nor constantly expect to know where she resides. This is her territory, is it not? She can do as she pleases without restraint." His words were equally cold as he spoke matter-of-factly. His body was rushing with adrenaline as he played this twisted game that could easily turn into something much more devastating. Keeping the wicked smile to himself that he so wanted to display, his eyes challenged their steel counterparts as he waited for a response.

[Zukozu]

Tension rode the air like a sickeningly sweet torrent; crashing against the trees and grasses until it finally collided with the wandering black ghost of Zukozu. A chill ran down the bitch’s spine and her hackles stood on end, tingling with excitement at the possible opportunity of confrontation. A long, sinister grin crept its way into her features like ivy up the trunk of a tree as a wicked chuckle shook her chest. “Marvellous,” she growled to herself, ember hues flashing with a dangerous thrill as she changed the course of her original direction and headed for the everglades where a large grouping had gathered.

Zukozu, niece to the First Balkar Serg and the reason the two packs went to war again Ge-Rad (something she will always be proud of), had been a little absent lately due to hunger. She had wandered the pack lands in search of fresh meat, and whenever she found either that or carrion, she would hide it and lurk – growing ever more wary of rival vargs who would steal her precious plunder. And for some time too, the entire pack had grown dormant through the tough winter months, depending so much on their own selves rather than working like a true pack. Sarnes was indeed more of an independent grouping of varg than a pack. That’s what happened when deficient varg joined together.

Long elegant legs and a sleek nimble frame helped the bitch float effortlessly over the marsh terrain, light paws barely touching the earth as her trot took her towards the action. Her feathery banner was held out behind her inline with spine and head, the common stance for travel. Though as the scent of a foreign visitor – and that of several other pack members – reached her sensitive nasal, Zukozu’s tail twitched upwards and her hackles began to stiffen once more. Licking her ebony chops with a rosy tongue, excitement washed over her once more as the four varg came into sight.
Chuckling manically to herself, she bounded from one solid clump of grass to the next, knowing the everglades well enough so as not to sink into its boggy pits. Harsh growls and snarls could be heard from the two faemme - EmberLily and the strange red hued bitch – and Zukozu’s growled dangerously as her pace slowed and she approached. The words that were tossed back and forth allowed the wench to piece together the small puzzle that they obviously knew one another. Ember was in fact the Beta of the pack, and if this bitch was standing up to her, then a fight was sure to break out. Again, licking her chops with anticipation, Zukozu’s hungry eyes watched over the pair; waiting for the strike that was surely to be delivered by one or the other.

A short silence fell between the two, though words that belonged to another broke it. Swivelling her head sharply round, ember fires landed upon the large brute Awiergan and the more snivelling form of Dane. The two tones whelp had been adopted by their alpha, and Zukozu found his affection for her rather sickening. She had never felt the true love of a mother and father, and it was simply unnatural for her to think of Shunké anymore than just another varg – one to be respected yes, but there was no fun in submitting all the time.
Scoffing at the younger brute she padded towards the pair, pushing herself in-between them and flicking her feathery tail under Awiergan’s muzzle. Turning herself round she faced the two before sitting promptly back onto her hind quarters and holding her head high. A sinister grin tickled her features now as she growled lightly. “Well now, this is an unusual gathering. Who’s the bitch?” she queried, passing a swift glance in the stranger’s direction. Knowing fair well that the runt would more than likely respond ‘you are’, she threw him a hard look and awaited a response.

(sorry it's crappy and long...it's been a while since I posted as Zu, not to mention I wasn't quite sure how to enter >.< )

[Shunké]

//Oh noes! pack riot! XD Hope no one minds me popping in, since I see I've been mentioned O.o//

Ebon paws splashed into the slushy muck, sinking her legs into the chilling slush of mud and ice. Luckily she didn't sink down as much as the others, because she was so light- framed and thin. Too thin, most would say. After all, it was quite apparent that she was rather emaciated, and her long thin legs didn’t help this matter. With semi-thin, course unkempt coat Shunké had been described to be quite “sick” looking- as if she could drop dead any day now. Those who knew her knew otherwise; at the age of three or four, except for her appearance Shunké was quite healthy and able to adapt to her choice of lifestyle. That wasn’t what made her quite unique, though. Matching ebon auds flickered and scanned the territory, catching little mumbles here and there. She knew that on this “fine” day, she wasn’t the only one lurking about.

It wasn't the power of her hearing that had brought the fae abroad; but the power of her nose. Even in the slush, this Drappa was able to pick up even the smallest of epithelial cells and hair fibers- heading directly into the Sarnes territory. Now, this wouldn't bother Shunké so much if it wasn't for the fact that the scent was somewhat foreign to her, and didn't belong to any of the current members. Not only that, but Shunké had picked up on another scent- blood. Who was this visitor, and what business did she have within Sarnes?

Shunké shook her itching mud-caked winter coat, her mismatched sunset oculars fixated on the lands ahead. It was odd to be growing such warmth on the fae, for usually Shunké’s coat remained short and coarse all year round. This year, however, the sick- looking fae actually looked more like a Drappa than she ever has before. Perhaps because for the first time in along time, things have gotten better than they ever had. She had a son who she loved, and even a male who loved her for who she was- and not what she had become. It was the first time Shunké was able to be intimate with anyone, and that is what made her healthier. “Think what you want, oh might drappa; you’re still being played” came a sleazy voice from the pack of the fae’s mind. This appearance had no effect on the Drappa’s stride, as she kept her head high as it nothing ever happened. For a long time now, even Tarquin wasn’t able to push the fae’s good mood- yet. Not at least to the extremes she had visited before.

Slowing her pace to a steady walk, the Drappa’s long legs began to sink farther into the cold muck. Nares wafted the area, in her delight she now could pick up the distinct scent of her other pack mates. Shunké grinned toothily, showing a flash of her crimson hued daggers; at lease she now knew the pack was well alive and aware there was someone else treading in her lands. “See that, you bastard? They’re all still here,” the Drappa snarled aloud to Tarquin. “Yes, maybe, but what is this tension I’m sensing, you’re hindness?” Pulling her ears back, Shunke’s features dropped. Now that he mentioned it, Shunké could too sense something brewing about the lands, tension that made her hackles stand.
Picking up her pace, it wasn’t much farther until Shunké could see the cluster of vargs with her own eyes, her auds catching Zukozu’s question quite clearly. It was only then did she slow again, her tail and head raised in a dignified and dominant way.

“I think Zukozu has a good question there,” Shunké growled making her presence known, eyeing each varg in her pack. It seemed indeed that each one held their tension in-between more than one member- as hard as she wanted to she couldn’t ignore that there indeed would always be tension amongst the members. But what surprised Shunké the most was what seemed to be going on with Ember Lily, and the unknown red hued fae. This stranger seemed familiar- but still Shunké was at a loss to identify the bitch. Whoever she was, it seemed to make Ember Lily the most upset Shunké had ever remembered seeing her.

//-finished- ending's crap and it's long, sorry -.-//

[Red February]

{RED FEBRUARY}
Every night I dream of you.
With my teeth wrapped around your neck.

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Treading water -- that’s what the individuals of the Sarnes ‘pack’ were doing by causing unnecessary rises in themselves. Like heads bobbing barely over the surface, gasping for air to fill their rotten lungs, an end was imminent and fast approaching at that. Red February did not reject the thought, her static plume also raising and hackles now seemingly backcombed with all the tangles and stress. Daffodil specs still on the putrid drops of jade, those eyes belonging to her sister, her heart became the open claws of a driving eagle. As Dane and Awiergan began their own ludicrous, juvenile argument, she fought for attention in the knotted ranks of Sarnes with her words. Her heart was clenching into a fist and the speed of the dive was dizzying.

Her rhyme was losing its riddle; blatantly the she-varg released the truths into the reverberating fury. “Emberlily, I never said I hadn’t lost my wits. But it doesn’t require eyes to see that to any male, you’ll submit,” and the fae throttled her own snarl, attempting to subdue the disgrace it was that her own sister was prostituting herself for minimal fees, if any. There was a significant difference between a loose, tasteless strumpet and a femme fatale, so Red February refused to concede. Parting her crimson-dyed muzzle she continued with, “And you’re disqualifying my claim because I’ve been absent recently? As for my sexual encounters, excuse me for wanting to retain my own decency.”

The near meaningless noise of Awiergan and Dane exchanging verbal blows buzzed hotly in her ears -- at least they seemed tactful with their biting provocations. Her blood-speckled tassel jerked briefly, a spasm of annoyance really, before her next words. “Bottom of the food chain, little harlot? When you’re beneath all those rocking bodies, does it make you feel like a starlet? Vain as usual and all those males you bewitch! I’m beginning to wonder if you’re just a lost barren bitch,” the callousness burned away with her last two statements, honesty seething from her. Seriously, the third of the Nightmare Trio must have been impregnated, and induced miscarriages didn't seem to be an option for EL, although her low morals probably approved.

And suddenly two new, inky shapes manifested themselves, both gaunt beauties by most standards with eyes of embers and flames.

Padding away and pivoting herself from the bristling EL, she now projected to all. “Lazy siklas, this is our top concern. I take it that many have been missing in action, so is there no problem that you discern? Is lust and apathy all that you share?” but she did not finish her verse. She gesticulated her frustration with a fanatical toss of her sanguine poll, growling. It was true that she was a lowly pack member, having been inattentive to her duties, but it seemed that no one endorsed the actual structure of a pack around the swamp anyway. Perhaps they were treading mud or quicksand now: the damned bog itself. Where were the constituents to order?


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D: length suckish quality, but... i want to get a post up. it's hard to convey this pack crap pretty. >___>;;[/blockquote]