The Dark Wolves

[Wrakune]

Writmo stood at the entrance to the meeting cave at Herring Point. She was anxious to see Keynigh again. The old one would know just how to ease her pain over Scorpid\'s death. Extasis and Wrage, her parents, would soon arrive as well. As their only child, she felt it her responsibility to protect them. She\'d already lost the love of her life, and couldn\'t handle the thought of losing her makers. She lay down, contemplating that night and attempting to remember the Dark Angel\'s face.

[The Cedar Witch]

It was a dark night; the new moon yielding no light and allowing the stars to stand out against the blackness of the sky. Each star seemed to proclaim its own greatness, competing for the moon\'s spot as the most brilliant object in the sky. The air was crisp and filled with sadness, a gust rustling the forest on the edge of the cliffs.

Extasis held her snout high in the air as she prowled on, reading the scents on the wind. It wasn\'t difficult to recognize her daughter amidst the confusing scent of the ocean. Ex preferred the forest and its quiet over the thundering of the ocean surf. The forest was full of an earthy smell and she was far more comfortable with that scent then the lingering sting of salt in her nose.

The black wolf stopped for a moment, letting a clear howl ring through the air to signal her approach. Ex was punctual, usually being the first to arrive at the nightly meetings. She hated wasting time being late that could be better put to use hunting and killing. Her sapphire eyes glinted gleefully as she fantasized tearing the throat out of an accursed winged beast: the object of her hate.

As she approached her daughter, her gaze softened immediately. The air was thick with sorrow from the recent loss of her daughter\'s lover. She padded lightly over to Writmo, nuzzling her neck with her snout as she spoke softly;

"How have the days been treating you, my child?"

[Wrakune]

Writmo\'s voice rose in the night, a long and sad howl. She shivered at her mother\'s gentle touch. Black fur meshed together in the customary greeting of wolves. She lowered her body to the ground in respect of the elder wolf. When she rose she kept her head slightly lower than Extasis\' and whined. "As good as any, I suppose." The beast seemed to frown. "Scorpid would have loved this night, with the sky so dark behind the stars. Oh, how I miss him, Mother." Her bright green eyes were dimmed with sadness. A single tear fell and froze on the ground, sparkling and silver in the starlight; evidence of her human side. She looked into her mother\'s face and whimpered upon seeing the sadness in it. Scorpid had been loved by many.

[The Cedar Witch]

The subtle scent of her daughter\'s tears sent a pang to Extasis\' heart. Whining softly, she licked Writmo\'s muzzle as though trying to ease some of her pain.

"When one in the pack is lost, the whole pack feels it. All of us suffer." her husky, rich voice held a tone of bitterness. Sapphire met emerald as the two locked eyes for an instant. Ex sighed (as best any wolf could) and began to pace. She was impatient and the night was slipping away. Where was her husband? She hadn\'t heard his call for at least a few hours. Not that she didn\'t mind being separated, but this was an important night.

[Wrakune]

She pulled away from her mother\'s loving kiss and frowned again. "I know, but sometimes I feel so alone. I feel like everyone has forgotten him. They don\'t mourn before the meetings like they used to. And I can\'t get him out of my mind. I keep dreaming about that night I should have stayed with him." She started crying again as she collapsed on the ground in her human form. She regretted this, but hadn\'t the energy to go back. She cried until tears wouldn\'t come again. She hadn\'t cried like that since she was young, not even after Scorpid died. As she lay there, breathing in the dust, a voice came into her head. It was soft at first and cunning, then grew painfully loud. It said, "I\'m still here, baby. Do not forget me! I still love you." It was Scorpid\'s voice. "No, it can\'t be," she whispered. "You\'re dead. The Angel killed you. I saw him. You made me go..." She moaned in agony as her head rang with his voice, "No, love, you\'ll see me soon." I love you, Scorpid. She whispered this in her mind, reaching out to touch his consciousness. It was too far away...

[The Cedar Witch]

"We can\'t mourn forever, would Scorpid have wanted us to sit around howling like little pups instead of seeking his revenge?" perhaps the mother-wolf\'s words were too harsh. Ex watched as her daughter sank to the ground and reverted to her human form.

As much as Ex wanted to reach out and comfort Writmo, she held back, feeling as though this mourning was something her daughter must do on her own. Out of respect, she turned away. What could she do? With Scorpid gone it would be that much more difficult to track down any Angels.

Extasis\' heart ached when Writmo moaned, she felt helpless to do anything. Suddenly her ears pricked up and she stood suddenly, very alert. There was a flicker of life in the back of her mind, something familiar. Her tail was parallel to the ground as she stood poised; listening and feeling. Slowly the presence faded and Ex glanced down at her daughter, feeling the outreach in her mind.

"That couldn\'t have been him," she said gruffly, denying the impossibility before the girl even had a chance to speak. "I haven\'t felt him return to us in over a week." Her eyes probed the darkness for some unseen intruder.

"Must be some filthy creature playing a trick on you, darling." Her voice caught in her throat, as though she didn\'t believe herself. But through years of heartache, Ex new it was far better to not get one\'s hopes up to be crushed by a misunderstanding later.

[Wrakune]

Writmo looked at her mother with brief loathing. Suddenly a warm prescence enveloped her. She felt a had on her cheek, but saw nothing. She was held in an tight embrace, but no arms surrounded her. The, almost too soft to notice, she felt a heart beat. "Scorpid," she whispered again and again. She worked herself into a bit of a trans as the pressure of the other being slowly faded away and the heart beat could no longer be felt.
"Did you feel it mother?" she coughed. Tears welled in her eyes again and the silver drops stained the ground like blood.

[The Cedar Witch]

Ex examined her daughter skeptically. To the beta wolf, Writmo seemed to be blabbering feverishly. Feel something? Her sapphire eyes narrowed into tiny slits and her ears flattened against her head. She let a low growl emit from the bottom of her throat.

"I feel nothing," she snapped impatiently out of anger or perhaps frustration. Her features softened as the smell of her daughter\'s tears filled her nostrils. She whined sympathetically.

"Listen, dear, you need to be strong. This loss has been tough on all of us. I think you may be imaging things. If Scorpio was still alive, would he be torturing you like this by not being here?" She shook her head and sat on the ground, letting a long howl ring through the air, calling to the rest of her pack. The desire to kill was strong within her. She didn\'t want to waste any more time.

[Wrakune]

"Torture her, Extasis? I would never!" Scorpid lauged softly as he approached the two. His intelligent amber eyes fell on Writmo\'s tear-stained face and a pang of guilt shot through him. He moved quickly and embraced her. "I am so sorry, love. It couldn\'t be helped. The damn angel\'s had me on the run. He\'s disappeared now, hurt badly. I love you, my darling." He was crying now as Writmo\'s own tears soaked his t-shirt. He held her head up from him and kissed her, long and hard. "Writmo, I am here," he said in a gentle whisper fearing that loud words might damage the fragile creature in his arms.



Writmo coughed and began to tremble. This touch she had longed for was now hers again. She cried with her head against his chest and shook her head in disbelief. When he kissed her, she kissed him back and could\'t make herself belive that it was real. "B-but," she stuttered, "you\'re dead. The angel---he killed you....I-I..."


He put a finger to her lips, "No, love, I am not dead. I am as alive as you are. Fear me not, baby. Look." He took her hand and placed it over his heart. "Feel that? A heartbeat. The dead have none."

His finger was warm against her mouth. She felt his heartbeat and was filled with relief, this was real. Suddenly, she was laughing histarically. She knocked him over and kissed him softly. She held him so tight she thought he might not be able to breath, but she didn\'t care. The love of her life was not dead and nothing else mattered.

[ChaosRayne]

The feel of softened dirt spread between the pads of Tala\'s paws as she walked. Her nose tilted towards the moonlit sky as she sniffed the air taking in the smell of freshly dewed tree leaves and wetened bark. Venturing forwards her ears perked enjoying rustling sound of the leaves as well as the symphony of the crickets.

Tala had already stopped a few moments before to enjoy a sip of the nearby stream\'s fresh water as well as to watch the young fish try to make it upstream, and this had caused her to be late. Even as much as she wanted to sit and watch the moon and listen to the sweet sound of nature, she knew that her kinfolk wouldn\'t be happy about her already late arrival and she needn\'t make them wait longer than they already had.

It was the smell of Ex, er daughter, as well as Writmo that let her know that she was nearing the meeting den at Herring Point, but it was also another smell that made her freeze in her tracks. Her front left leg curled off the ground, and her tail straightened as she listened, smelled, and scanned the area. The smell was familiar too familiar and instantly she stood up straight her head high.
"But it can\'t be" narrowing her eyes she trotted towards the den and into it taking a glance around. Ex, Writmo, and...Scorpid!" Keeping her cool Tala sat down in front of the group just staring in awe, she looked to Ex her eyes clearing asking what the hell had she missed within the time that she\'d been absent.

[The Cedar Witch]

Ex could feel her mother approach, her scent and consciousness drawing nearer. As the Alpha-female walked into the clearing, Extasis lowered her head and exposed her neck as a sign of submission to the higher rank. She could barely contain herself, her confusion, at Scorpid\'s sudden reappearance.

This changed things a bit. Surely, if her daughter could not identify the attacker, Scorpid could? Ex met her mother\'s gaze, as though trying to wordlessly communicate this thought. Her eyes still held the thirst to kill and she grew antsy. She could feel the creature\'s blood in her jaw now, and the very thought of this caused her to tremble.

"Scorpid, we\'ve missed you in your absence." she turned her gaze to the younger wolf. "Surely you have much to tell us," she was itching to know of this cursed being\'s face.

[Wrakune]

Scorpid\'s body shook at the sight of the Alpha wolf. He grinnned, a wolfish grin, and bowed before Tala as is the customary greeting of wolves. He felt he should drop into his wolf form, but lacked the energy. He stared at her and cocked his head, sensing her confusion.

Writmo looked placidly at the she-wolf and bowed her head. Her tear-streaked face beamed with excitement. "It\'s real, dear Tala. This is no trick of the eye. Our beloved Scorpid is not dead!" She almost screamed with joy, but stifled her roar to a gentle giggle. She started to cry again and reached for Scorpid\'s hand. He took it and squeezed it lightly.

"I know you must all be confused. The Dark Angel, Ezekiel, did kill me, in a way, but his powers are somehow difigured, misshapen, if you will. Anything he kills, is reincarnated, somehow. I haven\'t the slightest clue why, but it must have something to do with him falling," Scorpid said shakily.

He spoke quickly and nervously, as if he didn\'t believe himself. Writmo nudged him with her body and he wrapped his arm around her. She felt warm, but still very shaken. She shuddered when he spoke the angel\'s name and pressed her head to his chest. She was so thankful that he was here.

Scorpid knew Writmo must be in a lot of pain and discontinued his speech, saying, "We\'ll talk later. For now, I must take care of Writmo." He picked her up and moved to a rock a bit farther away, out of hearing distance, but not out of sight of the others. He turned, thus facing away from them and held her.

Writmo cried against him and he said nothing, just let her cry. She touched him gently everywhere, as if she was testing reality. She rubbed her fingers over his arms, his chest, his legs, and his stomach in tiny circles. When she was satisfied that this was true, she began to speak, but the words came out jumbled and sensless.

"Hush, Writmo," Scorpid cooed. "There is no need for words now." She nodded and let her body sink into his as he lay down. He propped his head on one arm and watched her as her finger traced his stomach muscles under his wet t-shirt. After a few moments, her hand stilled and her breathing quieted and deepened. She\'d fallen asleep with him as her pillow, just like before. Suddenly, he was crying, as he stroked her hair gently as it glistened in the starlight.

[ChaosRayne]

Tala nodded her head as an exceptance to the greetings that her kinfolk had given her, then stood looking to Scorpid. It was indeed a joy to her heart to see the young wolf again, it took a deep burden off of her shoulders to assure the pack that he would be avenged in his eliged death. Now he stood before them as clear as daylight and as real as everyone else in this den.

Pacing back and forth Tala kept her gaze upon Writmo and Scorpid.
"Scorpid, this pack will do everything in it\'s power to bring down the creature that has done this to you. Do not be mistakened that he will not writh in pain for it." Her anger seemed to show as he eyes slanted with hate, yes Scorpid was back but that didn\'t change the simple fact that one of those cursed creatures killed one of her beloved pack members and for that it would pay.

"Take your time Scorpid, I\'m sure all of this is exhausting for you and Writmo. The rest of the pack hasn\'t made it here yet you have time before you must share your story." Turning she walked towards Ex rubbing her head along the side of her daughters neck, then sitting right in front of her.

"Beloved daughter, it is good to see you. I can feel your angst and strongly desire it myself, but do not let that blind you. Your mind must be sharp as well as your reflexes. The creature will pay for its deed and you will have your share of blood in due time." Her eyes were sturn yet soft letting Ex know that she didn\'t want to loose her only child, loosing Scorpid was hard enough on the pack.

Looking off to the side, she walked to the entrance of the den and stood letting her neck strecth and her maw raise to the moon, then she let out a long beautiful howl to her beloved. She wished Keynigh would hurry, the metting needed to start before everyone grew restless.

[Idrial]

Keynigh lifted his muzzle high into the air, trying to read any sort of scent that would be carried on the wind. Sure that nothing had been following him he proceeded on in a sort of trot, ever since the attack of the dark angel on Scorpid he had become very cautious. The loss of the lad had been hard on their pack and most of all on his grand-daughter Writmo and she had not been the same since his death.

He stopped in mid stride hearing a howl in the distance; he gave a sort of wolf-like grin. He knew that howl all to well; it was his beloved\'s Tala. He now knew how late he was and no longer remained in a trot but a full run. His feet pounding against the ground, he threw his head back and howled long into the night back to his mate.

As he came closer to his pack he felt a strange feeling and completely stopped, he had know this feeling before and could not believe it. Scorpid was back, but he was presumed dead by Writmo. It was feeling that he was glad to feel once again, he hiked in an even pace the rest of the way towards there den. With each step he was sure that Scorpid had returned to them and was reassured when he reached the den, seeing both lovers embraced. He walked into the den, placing a paw on Scorpio while he held Writmo, and spoke proudly.

“Welcome back brother, no longer shall we grieve for your death now that we have all seen that you have lived to hunt another day. We shall make sure that this cursed being suffers for what he has made our pack go through. His death I assure you will not be a quick and painless.”

He took his paw off and proceeded over to his beloved and licked her muzzle gently.

“You howl becomes more beautiful every time I hear it Tala.”

He then looked towards his daughter and could see the hate and vengeance in her eyes, he walked over to her and looked into her eyes and did not like what he had seen. He knew that his daughter had always hated the angels, but this was more hate than he had ever seen her in and it scared him a little.

“My beloved daughter, it is once again good to see you. I can see you overflowing hate for this angel that has hurt our pack. Do not let this anger and hate clouds your judgment, it can hurt you more than help you. Your mind must be calm and collected, never forget that my dearly loved daughter.”

He then nuzzled her; it would pain him the most if he was to lose his only child. He then placed himself beside Tala before looking at Scorpid and Writmo once again. He said nothing for he has said all he wanted to sat on the subject and waited for him to tell his story in due time.

[The Cedar Witch]

The wolf\'s head shot up as a familiar scent drifted through the trees. The response to her mother\'s call rocketed through the forest and Extasis was certain the identity of the new comer. Ex lowered her head and exposed her neck as the Alfa-Male approached, submitting to him as a form of respect.

Sapphire eyes followed her father\'s gait as he padded over to her mother. It had been a long time since she saw the pack together. It felt as though an eternity had passed since they had gathered. It warmed her heart to see affection between her parents and her daughter, yet filled her with longing for her own mate. Always late, she mused silently to herself.

Her father\'s words had caused feelings of anger to flair up inside of her and she struggled to contain a growl. She sighed instead, returning the affectionate nuzzle. She wished that he could see that she was strong. Her eyes followed him as he sat by Tala. Ex was itching for a battle, she hated sitting still. Now standing, she began to pace impatiently in front of the cave\'s entrance.