T: Death's Quarrel with Life by xiThumper, literature
Literature
T: Death's Quarrel with Life
There was the gentle dripping of water echoing from somewhere within the cavern. Several spires of limestone surrounded the onyx Shi’vali, his ominous markings sparkling in the beam of sunlight that broke through the opening in the ceiling of the cavern. Here is where Mortiferus laid in his solitude. It was moments like this when he needed time away from the dead, time to contemplate the things that caused a disturbance in his soul. Between his paws he cradled a sizable crystal, his claw scraping away at its surface, gently carving runes of good will into its surface. Ever since he had met the young soul, lost and lurking in places he should not be, Mortiferus could not stop thinking about him. The lost boy. He felt sorrow for the boy who had not even a moment to feel the warmth of his mother’s arms or the feeling of the sun beaming on his face. Then… he felt anger. Anger that such a small and innocent thing was taken from his world before he even had a chance to breathe. To then be
When Ikinmaya was not actively on the hunt for Toruk, she allowed herself to extend her mind across the lands of Shimora in search of him. Coward. Always hiding, always running. But she knew she would catch up to him. No one can keep running forever. Through her probing of the various minds of Shimora, she found joy in terrorizing the weak and challenging the strong. She broke many, injured some, and was simply a nightmare for others. Occasionally, the twins would join her. Games of the mind were their expertise afterall. They weren’t always together but the twins knew what delighted the All-Mother. Finds like these were rare but a perfect distraction for Ikinmaya who was more… kind when they were able to find something to preoccupy the All-Mother between their endless frustrating search for the betrayer and his “companion.” That’s how they stumbled upon the one called Eleven. He was such an interesting creature, full of rage and violence. Two things Ikinmaya fed upon. “Over here…”
Mistress… Mistress, you must rise. Yes. It’s time. It’s time. An opponent has been chosen. Yes. A creature of the sky. Large, strong, a towering being. She will be most challenging. But this is what Mother desires, a challenge to demonstrate her ever growing power. The All-Mother gives life. And she takes it. A low guttural growl emerged from the creature’s throat. Her thick knotted muscles flexing and stretching forward as she rose from her slumber, stretching her sore limbs. Size means nothing to me. A hopeless detail for a hopeless creature. Her voice was bored, tired. Her claws scraping against the cold floors. Ikinmaya had taken refuge in the abandoned holding cells of the underground arena. The area had long been sealed off and forgotten by its original builders and it did not seem like this would change any time soon. The All-Mother found the cries of the arena… soothing. She was not the only one to make use of the structure and tales of her existence were already spreading
Nergui's Journey (HoD Event) by xiThumper, literature
Literature
Nergui's Journey (HoD Event)
Nergui leaned heavily against Mauna with a soft sigh. Riding Mauna for long had become uncomfortable for his old bones and steep steps of the imperial palace was enough to have him huffing and puffing. It has been a long time since Nergui was summoned to the imperial palace. After reviewing the letter he received, he could understand why. Nergui and Mauna have lived very long lives and witnessed many staple events that made Shimora what it is today. During their time in the Khan’s army, their many patrols sent them to intricate places, allowing the duo to become one of the few citizens who understood Shimora like the back of their hand. But Nergui’s memory was wavering over the years and he was unsure if he could provide MeiMei with what she was looking for. He had hoped that, with Mauna’s help, they could achieve what seems like the unachievable. Nergui and Mauna were escorted into the imperial library, the aisles dark and dim with most candles long burned out and some only
CM|| Stormy Day (Tracking) by xiThumper, literature
Literature
CM|| Stormy Day (Tracking)
There was a storm raging in Ulfrheim that caused even the strongest of trees to bend to the wind’s will. Most of the felvargs were tucked in dens or within other shelters to get away from the fierce wind. Grey clouds blocked out the sun and left the day feeling depressing and dreary. It seemed like it would rain soon and no one was in the mood to have their pelt soaked through. Not only that, but there was a thick humidity in the air that made everyone feel extremely heavy. This was one of those days where the felvargs missed the intense chill of winter. Even the alpha would joke about moving the pack into the mountains to get some more fresh breeze. Despite all of this, the pack still needed to eat. Every hunting group was in hiding, trying to avoid the alpha’s gaze or even the simple thought that they should have to do some sort of physical activity. But of course, who would receive the unfortunate honor of going out in such miserable weather but our loyal trio of
Aystia was still upset with how Grinch and Dubhshlaine behaved on their last deer hunt. But, she wasn’t going to give up on them just yet. She noticed the shameful glances they gave each other as they went back and forth with the responsibility of carrying the large buck home. Luckily for them, deer were going to be in season for a while and Aystia planned to keep taking them to those hunting grounds until the boys figured something out. She did not hide the fact she was still upset with the two of them, only jerking her head to signal them to follow her as she began walking towards the hunting ground. Aystia had to admit, she felt extremely uncomfortable being in a position of power. She considered herself to be more of a quiet follower than a strong and abrasive leader… but she had to play the part. For now, at least. Grinch and Dubhshlaine once again flanked Aystia, a position they were not used to but the alpha’s word was final say. They could already tell by the path
CM|| Out of Sync (Tracking) by xiThumper, literature
Literature
CM|| Out of Sync (Tracking)
To say things were not tense between Dubhshlaine and Grinch would be a lie. Almost immediately when the trio arrived back home, Grinch and Dubhshlaine were whisked away and Aystia’s wounds tended to. Aystia wasn’t sure what occurred when her brother and Dubhshaline were taken into a meeting with the alpha and by a couple of other pack leaders. But she could only guess it was not good. Dubhshlaine and Grinch were both excluded from hunts and were put into more laborious work such as clearing obstructions around the home den, cleaning up carcass scraps, and other such trivial things that were usually left for the lower ranking felvargs. Aystia on the other hand, was placed on bed rest until her wounds had fully healed. She was visited often by healers to replace bandages or reapply salves and it would be a while before she was allowed to walk around the den area for reasons other than relieving herself. There was a strain in her injured leg that would have to be worked out but
Aystia yelped as a wolf snapped at her ankles causing her to whip around and grab it by the scruff of its neck and use all her strength to throw it down in front of her. She could feel its teeth snag at her flesh and cause her to limp as they wrestled on the ground. A few feet away from her, Grinch was furiously snapping and swatting his paws at two wolves trying to corner him while the remaining individuals circled the battle as if waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Dubhshlaine frowned, his eyes narrowing as he watched the chaos unfold, his claws digging into the earth unpleasantly. His tail swayed and his rump wiggled as he watched Grinch and Aystia thrash and struggle. He needed to calculate this carefully before things got out of hand. It was another moment before Aystia managed to throw another wolf to the ground, lunging to come at the assistance of her brother who was being swarmed but failed to watch the two shadowing wolves begin to close in on her.
CM|| Challenges (Tracking) by xiThumper, literature
Literature
CM|| Challenges (Tracking)
Contrary to popular belief, wolves and felvargs were completely different entities. While the smaller fels could almost match in size, most fels towered over the creatures. They may be somewhat related, but the two species have grown far apart from one another. So much so that the two species often clashed over prey, territory, and other such resources. Although the felvargs used their higher intelligence to their advantage, the wolves had savage brutality that became a threat when caught off guard or when a felvarg was outnumbered. The wolves were not as dumb as many felvargs liked to say they were. Sometimes, the elders had to remind them just where some of their hunting tactics, formations, and strategies came from. Despite this demand for some form of respect for the “lesser”, there seemed to be no solution to the endless conflict between the two species. No one was completely safe. Not even the “dream team trio” of Aystia, Dubhshlaine, and Grinch that the pack seemed to
CM|| Problem Solved (Tracking) by xiThumper, literature
Literature
CM|| Problem Solved (Tracking)
There were odd shifts in the territory. Usually, most smaller predators stayed outside of felvarg territory or somewhere along the outskirts. They never quite got too close so it was a complete mystery as to why there had been so many fox holes lately. At first, they had thought they were the rabbits. They do breed like crazy after all. But the fels were always on top of purging the rabbit population. Upon further inspection when one too many cubs were falling into said holes while romping about, it seemed they were actually fox holes. Multiple of them scattered across the valley fields. Some seemed abandoned but there were a few times when the felvargs scouted the area that they would catch a few foxes peering out at them from the bushes as if waiting for the fels to leave so that they may return home. Foxes were a difficult hunt. They were slick, fast, and extremely sly. There have been a few incidents of foxes hunting younger pups which has caused a lot of discourse…