BRING IT TO AN END! -- Body Discovery

[Ares]

CARNIVORE, CARNIVORE
WON'T YOU COME AND CHANGE ME!?

// Trigger warning for gore after the first paragraph//

The small feline weaved her way around the swampy mess of Tanglewood's territory. Dainty paws skirting over soaked earth and mud, said mud starting to cake onto her legs. The slight stinging on her back, the scars from her wings still aching, kept her in reality. Soon, something else would keep her stuck in reality. The metal tang of blood hits her nose, and her once stoic expression changes to that of curiosity, and she went to investigate. The sudden scent of Coalition, though muddled with the scent of swamp and Tanglewood, caused the curious expression to become that of mild annoyance. Weren't the two groups in mutual neutrality?

Muddy paws froze at the sight before her. Wordless, she stared upon the corpse of the cheetah, blood soaking into the ground beneath him. It seemed as though he didn't go down without a fight, though, as she stared at the clumps of fur around his own body, and the fading paw and hoof prints leading away. Within her mind, something snipped. A thin thread of hope that someone she loved would stay. Claws unsheathed and she shook violently, biting her lip until it bled, and then her teeth dug deeper, holding back the scream that was sure to be free.

Bones broke and reorganized into a bipedal structure, fur became feathers and scales and paws became killing claws that would rip into those monsters who killed Ximen. The violent start of the shift left lesions and open wounds in the skin, a deep crimson pooling from various small and large wounds on her body. Vibrant black wings sprouted from the raptor's back, leaving blood to flow from the wounds on her back. And she staggered, opened her jaws, raised her head, and screamed.

It was a wild, wordless screech, full of pain and mourning. Foreclaws scored down her own arms, shredding flesh and feathers and leaving them scattered around the ground. A sharp inhale followed, and then she let out another screech, a bright white fire flying from her mouth, a line of it reaching up toward the trees, and then it died out.

Ares breathed heavily, deep, long breaths that shuddered more and more. Tears pooled at the corners of her eyes, silvery in color. "Please... please come back, Ximen! Please...!" She sobbed, hugging herself with the killing arms her body wore. And suddenly her body collapsed, wings unfurling and then covering her head and face. There, she quietly sobbed, just like when Ana died.

— Reggan

[Cobra]

[align=center]

DION —  HYBRID — MALE — 5 MONTHS — SINGLE — TANGLEWOOD

[div style="width: 51%; text-align: justify; font-size: 10pt; letter-spacing: 0px; font-family: georgia; color: #15616D;"]the screech was the sound that caught his attention. the hybrid knew the sound was ether danger or loss. he moved towards the sound only to hear the sobs of ares. it took him a moment to realized that she was crying over something. so, he moved faster to the scene. soon, he broke through a mutated fern like plant and stopped. the smell of blood rushing over him and for a moment he wondered if ares was hurt.

then, he spotted the horrid scene before him. ximen, a beast he never met, was there on the earth. the cheetah's blood soaking into the mud. a scent he did not know lingering on the fur splayed about. the strange prints in the mud catching his eye as he stood there. his eyes were studying them as if he was lost in his thoughts. his eyes turned to the only person to treat him like he was not a freak for his views.

anger.

he felt a deep hatred for this strange scent and a desire for blood. he wanted to make the pain stop for the woman. a weird feeling for him to have, but it was vaguely there. the woman needed someone and he was not exactly cuddly. she needed someone soft to cry against and he was not that. yet, he was what was here so he shoved his hatred down and moved towards her in a cautious way.

sorry loss. he tried his best to tell her how sorry he was. he was horrid at words, but he was trying. moving closer to settle in next to ares without touching her. he had no idea what to do now, so he waited for someone to do something.

speech

[Kiara Kokytos]

KIARA KOKYTOS
- tanglewood
- two ( 2 ) years physically
- coyote
- fallen Sin of Greed

the shriek was what summoned the animal and she arrived in a hurry, freezing in her footsteps as she saw the mutilated body of none other than ximen. ares' reaction was accurate, she supposed. she didn't know quite what she was supposed to be feeling - shock, anger, greed, lust, desperation, love, all mixed into one firey bubble of wrath. was this how her brother felt like, all the time? she had had such a nice time with ximen, really had bonded with him. she didn't speak, react out loud. despair was taking over and she didn't know what to do, so she crumbled to the ground, legs weak.

[LUCINDER XIU]

EVERY OCCASION HAS ITS DISCUSSION—


the wail. one that would pierce his heart and embed itself into his memory. he ran over, flames bursting on his pelt and eyes lighting up. stopping at the scene like kiara did, heart sinking upon laying gaze on ximen's mutilated body. he first felt shock, then anger, and that was it. ximen had been a mentor to him - he still had the daggers stored safely in his home. he remembered the time with ximen, laying in the dirt after a good spar or talking about his mother. who did this? he smelt the stench of the coalition and wanted to throw up.


—AND EVERY GENERATION HAS ITS MEN

"SPEECH"

ROUND UP YOUR SOLDIERS, QUEEN—
lucinder x — tanglewood — 7 months
[color=#C178B7]—BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY CALL STRENGTH

[merlin]

⛥ there's talk going 'round this town ⛥

The screeching that echoed across the territory as loud as a siren's song, bringing forth the unknowing to discover a brutal murder. It was a sound she wished she would never hear again. It was a sound she knew personally, in the worst of ways. She'd screeched and screamed like this before, they all must have at one point or another.

How cruel the fate to bring herself to her paws, bending her head to pick up Amalthia and strap the sword to her side, the lioness walking from her home as she followed on the path left by others, towards the final resting spot of a Tangler she hadn't known much of. He had been Elsewyr's brother, and he had looked after the former Luminary's children when she had died.

Ears sweeping back as she came across the scene, the first thing being the strange creature that Ares had become, leading the woman forward. She didn't know what had happened when Jormungand had taken her so many years ago but she knew it had to have been quite the scene. The scars this body didn't bear still ached, her lips curling back automatically at the memories of the agony her body had gone through, enough to be remembered by her very soul. Padding to a stop at Ares' side, bowing her head down to sniff at Ximen's body, taking in and remembering the scents that clung to the fallen Reaper's fur. Closing her eyes and lifting her head to look at Ares with sympathy in her eyes, "I'm sorry, Ares.", she remembered Ana. She remembered the agony that she'd heard of for this poor child. Everyone around her kept leaving or dying.

Swiveling her head as she carefully stepped around Dion, locking eyes with Kiara and gazing at Lucinder. "Ximen has departed from us.", the words were quiet as the swordswoman gently departed the fallen's side. Staring down at the tracks in the dirt and mud, sniffing at them as the scents matched. Murder. The Coalition's scents was heavily thick in the air, causing the lioness' pelt to prickle and settle along her spine. "The offenders will be found and punished.", she spoke as she raised her head. "I am the Ambassador to The Coalition of The Condemned. I will not let this slide by.", her gaze returned to Ares. Revenge was warranted, but the children of Els were in too much pain as it was. She knew that she would be the first to demand the bastards who did this be punished.

"Prepare Ximen's body to be brought to the main camp and prepared. His life will be honored, I refuse to see a warrior leave us without recognition.", she spoke softly. She looked at Ares again, sorrow in her heart. Loss was never easy, it always stayed and haunted the surviving ones. If Ares herself didn't have a chance to set this horrible wrong, right, she knew it would haunt her; yet she couldn't bring the younger woman with her. She wanted to allow her the time to grieve, yet she also wanted her to have the chance to see the wrong-doers punished.

Exhaling softly, "I am going to The Coalition immediately. If you can't handle yourself, you must stay behind. If you can handle yourself, you may accompany me. If you step out of line and show aggression against the Coalition, I will handle you. We are going to make our stance known, and there will be a punishment handed out to them, either by their side, or by the affected.", she stepped away to look at the gathering grieving people. Ximen had a central role no matter how little it might have seemed to those who didn't know him. Gaze firmly holding Dion, Ares, Kiara and Lucinder, tail slowly swishing.

Gods, what the hell had these stupid Coalitioners done? This was one too many attacks. Fur ruffling slightly, "If you follow me, I expect you to listen to my words. I know we are all grieving, but this must be rectified and the perpetrators punished. I will not allow us to fall to their level.", technically she had no right to lead anyone else to the Coalition and it might be seen as an acclamation of war, but this needed to be taken care of, kindly or not. An eye for an eye, afterall, but she would take the tongue. It was time to cut the head off the snake.

[CORRUPTTIMELINES]

Death was a common theme in Cory’s life. Faded memories of a time past consumed and swelled the old warrior’s brain, a mix of clouds intertwining within them. Faint feelings would urge a sense of deja vu within him as he heard the wail, his eyes flickering with a sense of acknowledgment. For a moment, he thought it may be inappropriate for himself to accompany in comforting over the death of someone he did not know well. Considering he hadn’t gotten to know anyone well other than his adoptive child, perhaps it was wrong.

Yet, he couldn’t resist.

The domestic feline strode closer, eyes locking upon the drastic scene as his mind registered condolences given. As much as he wished he could feel distraught, or at the least disturbed by the scene, he didn’t feel anything. A cold, empty heart lie in his chest, leaving him to wonder about how different things truly could’ve played out. People were cold, brutal hearted monsters in this world. Perhaps he was too? Yet he tried to find peace in it all the same.

As Merlin spoke, he decidedly moved closer to them, and without speaking a word, simultaneously voiced his desire to accompany them.

code by spacexual

[Kiara Kokytos]

KIARA KOKYTOS
- tanglewood
- two ( 2 ) years physically
- coyote
- fallen Sin of Greed

she didn't like being ordered around but as she locked eyes with merlin she truly understood the words hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. she was going to go with merlin to find those bastards. her heart was frozen over - greed played no part in the anger she was feeling. "i'm coming with you, merlin."