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nimble were the steps, white hellhound upon thick foliage made sparse and thin by wind and storm, white ghost drifting through territory, nearly invisible to the eye. misfortune prickled under his skin, fur on end, teeth ready to tear and bite, but he was old and tired, each step a journey put into his book. he had died a brutal death months, years, however long ago, murdered by a man he had once loved. now his ghost remained in the domain of his child and their children, his name known in stories alone. tired was he, the scent of blood drawing the ghost in, golden eyes shining like the sun as he drifted along, down along the cliffs, leaping over each rock in his way or moving it to the side with his element. rumbling deep in his throat, he traveled on, to collect the soul of who had died, to bring them to wander the land forever more among the rest of the ghosts and spirits. the scent of blood lured him to corpse twisted and maimed, scarlet around paws that he could no longer see, there upon lay the body of his granddaughter, death leaving her cold.

It was cruel, her fate. Too cruel. If one didn't see the body that laid in front of the long deceased wolf then it would've been a right assumption that the world was kind on that day. However it was not to be as fate had rolled poorly that day for the poor melanistic jaguar.  Caught in a fight she couldn't win and dispatched too far from prying eyes of other Alithians. The storm became one of many unfortunate events in recent times and Veris was the proof that the world did not aim to be kind.

the sudden appearance of her dark body brought him grief, his muzzle being brought to her head, inhaling her scent, already knowing that the child was gone and was left to him. he knew not what words to speak, his ears pricking at the roar of earth from inside the tunnels. taking off, he caught another scent, her brother's. he prayed that the other child had escaped, the ghost had no chance of helping him had he not. wandering inside the tunnels, the ghost nearly lost himself, losing the child's multiple scent trails and groaning in annoyance and grief before retreating upon his own trail, back to her corpse. inhaling, the ghost nuzzled her fur, licking it into a presentable way before heading back along the coast, hoping her spirit followed him. he was quick from there, racing the paths to the inn and into the yard, howling to the living, "come you fools!", before the ghost was gone, leading the first to discover him back along the paths to the cliffs, leading those who would follow to the grievous sight of the deceased child, outward from the tunnels echoing the last claps of stone and dirt clouds billowing out of tunnels he had not treaded. thin and weedy was the cut off wail, her brother's own dilemma soon uncovered by his scream for his sister, echoing and haunting those who would arrive.

upon sam's heels came the kingpin, staggering after their dame's call, barely awake and blinking sleep from their eyes. the horrors that would await them were not things that they wished to handle, nor to recall to any amount later in the future. paws swallowng the ground under them as they caught the urgency in the way their dame had ripped off. breath coming quick in the bitter air, lungs squeezing, eyes cracked open. "what in the hells?", they rumbled, rubbing at their face as they slowed above the cliffs before charging down the cliff face on the trail. they could pick up the scents of veris and laeglin, their fur bristling upon their shoulders, having slept in their jaguar body. yawning, they charged ahead before slowing down, having followed in jerisidie's direct path, pawsteps heavy and wary as they picked up the scent of bandits. shit, shit, shit! they were met by the claps of stone and boulder from deep within the tunnels, their eyes dilating at their son's cut off shriek as the cave in buried him alive, their daughter's torn body laying at their paws. gritting their teeth, they bowed their head, sinking to their paws with a roar ripping out of them, "NO! WHAT IN THE GODS NAMES HAVE I DONE WRONG!?", they bellowed, head towards the cruel night sky, mindless of their dame's presence, the ghost listless nearby. they had lost two more of their children, or they so believed, their heart rending into two. only leoku was left ... their only child to survive this long. sobbing, the kingpin crouched over veris' body, nosing her cold and twisted body. "oh my gods ... why!? what have i done so wrong for my children to be punished!?", they croaked, gazing into the tunnels darkly and without hope.

the ringing of stones in their ears, pulse beating a tempo so fast that their eyes glowed, they snarled, standing up, leaving the torn body of their daughter unwillingly to plunge into the tunnels. the gods wouldn't let them die, there was too much to punish them for. there was a chance ... slim as it was, that their son may not yet be gone. it was their duty as a parent to be at their child's side should they die before them, to comfort them and hold them. holding their breath, the jaguar bolted into the tunnels with a snarl, charging down the tunnel that had laeglin's scent, tracking him, nose to the ground as they followed the path the dust hung in like a spider's silk. spitting their rage in words they dared not think of, the grieving parent was forced to drop to their stomach and crawl further in, eyes met by the site of boulders and the limp paw of their son sticking out at an odd angle, blood trickling from his cracked and abused paw pads. shivering at the sight, they knew more awaited them under the pile. they could hear ragged gasps, his paws twitching and claws flexing. the poor thing. they debated if they could clear the spill from top to bottom, or if their body could brace the weight of the tunnel and ground above it long enough for another to reach him. hearing sam, they listened silently, "sam. i'm going to change bodies. you need to crawl under me and move the boulders and dirt aside and pull him out.", they croaked, wishing they had learned how to tame the earth so long ago so that they could help in this ...