ONE STEP BACK - OPEN; stryker

[EROS]

[align=center][div style="text-align: justify; width: 55%; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -1px; color: black"]This place was peaceful, quiet, there was an air of calm about it that allowed for the sha creature to have some type of semblance to being relaxed even if it was just a little bit. Even though there was wary eyes all around him, the male didn't care that they kept a careful watch over him. He was just grateful that he had a chance to actually live a life that he picked out for himself. The sha had just left the observatory and he was still curious over the star sign thing. It made no real sense to him and he wanted to find Ren and ask him about what it was. Though he hoped he wouldn't be a bother for asking it at all. His nose lifted up into the air as he began a simple walk away from the camping grounds, eyes shifting over the lay of the land as restless paws pushed aside tall stalks of green grass. He took note the changing world around him and the male had begun to marvel at the changing leaves on the trees not too far away. That was also something he had not seen before and the fact that leaves shifted color at all amazed him. A small smile pulled across his muzzle as his steps hurried, energy surging through such a fragile form as he neared some water.

He hadn't yet gotten the name for the lake but all the same he marveled at how large it was. In the Pitt at one point they had had rivers, ponds and then they had moved away from the jungle and into the surrounding desert that only provided small oasises that allowed for them to at least survive the taxing heat of the environment. Lightly he began to dip his paw into the water, watching as the surface rippled with the sudden moment and he tilted his head slightly. A small chuckle left his throat and he wondered if this was what it was like. To be free, to be able to stand on his own paws and have his own decisions. It felt...exhilarating and he sighed, lowering himself to lay down at the water's edge.

[member=1738]Stryker[/member]

[Stryker]

[align=center][div style="width: 60%; text-align: justify; font-size: 11pt; font-family: georgia;"]☣ — The hunt was one of the finest aspect's and one of the most thrilling parts of being within the Pitt. No longer did he chase rats without a purpose, but their enemies who deserved to be taken down... but today was different. Someone he had entrusted had abandoned them. To think that the Ardent laid such a high level of trust within Valkyr was disappointing, especially after the male was promoted up from a slave. Perhaps they never changed. After all, that was Esklav's outlook. Stryker, though, thought differently. If he could bring back Valkyr as a slave, just as he did with Goldenluxury, then bash them into their rightful, perhaps they'd have a loyal member once again. Any sign of getting through the cracks would warrant punishment. Stryker was enthralled to see the results... but first came the hunt.

Usually impatient, the Ardent had staked out near the entrance of the Observatory for some quite some time. Fueled by rage, he had the undying will to catch Valkyr, no matter the method. Soon his time came. The sha came into his sight, wandering towards the Ascendant's lake with a chuckle. Freedom had gotten to him. They were oh-so similar, yet so different. One wanted the unrelentless thrill, the other wanted the comfort of choice. No mercy though. There was a traitor amongst them. Stryker was not going to be gentle later. Quietly prowling out from the underbrush, the lion came up behind Valkyr with a leering grin across his maw. In a sudden movement, he'd jump. Claws outstretched and venomous fangs bared, Stryker attempted to barrel the sha over onto his side and pin him down. If achieved, his mouth gaped open and venomous canines plowed into the pacifist's throat viciously. This would successfully shoot paralyzing venom into him, causing him to fall limp within minutes.

[EROS]

[align=center][div style="text-align: justify; width: 55%; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -1px; color: black"]Perhaps he should have realized that they would come for him sooner than later. He hadn't thought that his leaving would have been taken as treason. Seen as a traitor toward the Pitt but he was just so scared. Yes he may have risen up to being seen as a normal member of the Pitt but that didn't take his behaviors out of him and the instant there was danger of him possibly going back to what he was before he couldn't allow for it to happen. The idea of being put back in chains, of being beaten and forced to do what he was told to sickened him and he just wanted out. Being afraid was something not new for the sha, something he had experienced for most of his life and it won out most of the time. He hadn't thought about what would happen as a consequence he just wanted his life. That was all he could stand to take with him and a few things that would serve as reminders that he should never conform to a place that would put him back where he belong if they smelt the weakness on him. His eyes moved over his own reflection, gaze shifting over features that looked hollow and worn. He did feel tired but he supposed that was normal, something he couldn't really change if he didn't sleep properly but he was used to roaming and not getting enough rest. The routine was always the same and he merely allowed himself to sigh softly before lowering his head to take a drink of water.

But his tongue never met the liquid and instead his body caved upon the sudden pressure of another body ramming into his own. Everything happened so suddenly, claws that pinned him down and breath that escaped him so harshly that it stunned him. What was going on? Turning he could only watch as teeth suddenly came down on his throat, tore viciously into his flesh, puncturing deep as thick grey blood welled up. His body thrashed but even as big as he was he couldn't hope to move the beast from on top of him and that was when he began to feel it. A deadening feeling slowly creeping up his limbs. Panic began to set in and he tried to continue moving, tail laying limp against the ground as his legs started to disobey his commands. No, no, no! His chest heaved for air as he finally realized who it was and fear made him want to curl up, an action he could do. By now he was limp, just laying there helpless as the venom worked through his body. "No...no, please...please Stryker...." The blight could only beg because what else was there to do. There was no fighting now and a low whine of pure terror pulled from deep in his throat.

[Stryker]

[align=center][div style="width: 60%; text-align: justify; font-size: 11pt; font-family: georgia;"]☣ — The shell of a once innocent man watched as Valkyr collapsed slowly to the ground and soon become paralyzed, just as he intended. Stryker felt certain pleasure from this. If the sha could succumb this easily now, just imagine what he could do with the pain the Ardent would put him through. Hearing the former slave, and soon to be current, speak his name so viciously was pleasing. That meant he was making his mark. If he could ingraine himself in the mind of Valkyr, there would be significance to his stature that could possibly set the sha off when in Stryker’s presence, possibly even making the other tense when he was present. But he wanted to go further.  Just like with Tsuyu and Goldenluxury, he wanted to be the light of their life. When he walked in, their attention would turn to him and do whatever the ardent pleased. Even though he would love to do this through pain right now, they were running low on time. To create a lasting effect, manipulation was the way to go.

Slitted eyes narrowed. Focusing intently, the lion attempted to breach Valkyr’s mind with his mental manipulation, hoping he’d be able to do lasting damage. Just as his previous victims, he would erase any significant history of anyone within the Pitt and focus their thoughts on Stryker, making him the apple to their eye. If successful, Valkyr would ultimately view Stryker as his demented master and have little to no ill feeling about him. Gaze dilating, he pulled back. A paw reached out, figuratively signaling for Valkyr to grab his paw and go with him. ”Let’s go, sweetie,” came his mocking coo towards the Ascendants member, hoping that there was no resistance.

//mobile

[EROS]

[align=center][div style="text-align: justify; width: 55%; font-family: georgia; font-size: 11pt; letter-spacing: -1px; color: black"]Perhaps he had been too hopeful, too innocent to the world that it would give him a chance to have a life of his own. He should have been more cautious, tired to hide himself better. He'd thought that if he was around others that it wouldn't have been so easy to find him but he was wrong. He'd been wrong. When the other began to invade his mind he felt something, a strange pressure against his mentality and he allowed a soft cry to leave his throat. He wanted to say something, anything but it was like his breath had been knocked out of him and he couldn't force anything out. He'd never had anything invade his mind before and so he had never thought to try and build up his own defenses against it. No, the only thing he had been worried about was strengthening his mental abilities. So whatever was happening was easily slipping through the cracks in his mind. His eyes soon began to just stare forward, eyes wide and pupils dilated as he looked at the ever shifting waters on the lake. Images began to flash across the surface as he looked on, jaw slightly parted as saliva began to dribble out the corner of his mouth. The image of Quill surface, the time of when he first met him and when he had offered him his cassette in order to listen to music the first time in his life. Spending time with him and play fighting over a watering hole. When he'd helped to patch him up from when he was whipped and even when he had given him his heart. All of these memories shimmered and wavered till they were nothing. Just gone.

Memories of Benny came next, his sharp tongue and charisma washing across his mind's eye. That smile and his mannerism shifting and warping, burning away before it was even missed. Levi soon surfaced next, the doberman so strong and willing to push himself to make ends meet. He watched as he treated his wounds but even that didn't stand a chance against the mental assault. Choking sounds left the sha creature and a thought so soft slipped in his head of what was happening to him. 'He's taking...everything...' Everything he had known, everyone he had met. Cosette, Esklav, Ninazu, Melantha all of them. They were being burned away and so quickly that he couldn't' stop it till there was nothing. They were no one to him and false memories were being implanted. Stryker. Stryker was his world. Stryker was his master and he had to obey him. That was his place, to forever bow before the lion. During the whole process the canine had not moved from where he laid but his eyes had become watery, tears slipping down his face as his memories were erased.

When Stryker spoke again the male didn't seem to react at first. But those glazed over eyes that had begun to shed tears shifted to look at his master. His body felt sluggish and slow and he was so confused. Where was he? This was...? Had he ran? That was grounds for death and fear pulsed through him. But he'd never do such a thing and he struggled to breathe even as a headache began to form in his mind. "M-master...I..." He forced himself to shift, dragging himself off of the ground as the paralysis began to ebb away from his form. His head was lowered to show his submissiveness to the lion and he swallowed thickly unsure of the situation. But there was something that lingered, a strong hesitation that made him pause in following the lion. That was wrong and he shouldn't feel something like that. His tear stained face blinked and soft water slipped down his cheeks before he looked toward his paws. "I-I'll accept...punishment for running..." It was the only explanation that he could give to understand his situation as he reached to fearfully take Stryker's paw.

[EROS]

Bump

[GABRIEL]

[align=center][div style="width: 500px; text-align: justify; font-size: 9.4pt; line-height: 1.4;"]//retro to laz's death

Slavery. It hadn't ever been so blatant in the places Gabe visited, hadn't ever been in clear-cut terms like "owner" or "master" and "slave." But there had been a hierarchy on the streets, and the ones stuck at the bottom of the ladder were nothing to the ones at the top; they forfeit their lives daily, and they hadn't felt there was another option, backed into a corner, stuck between a rock and a hard place. The helplessness plagued the world he was born into. It still did. Those with power had an awful tendency to abuse it, and by extension, the people without power. No, it wasn't an obvious system of slavery wherein individuals were treated as objects to knock around as they pleased, like property with no wills of their own, but freedom was such a fickle concept, wasn't it? Bound by physical chains or those less visible, they all bowed to something. Fear, religion, authority, family, materialism, food- the list went on and on. Some were more abstract, others less so.

Regardless, Gabriel wasn't keen on overlooking any of it. He didn't know Valkyr, not really, but here was someone smelling of The Pitt treating him like property, with Valkyr responding in kind with clear submissiveness. Gabe felt like shit, head throbbing a steady staccato, but that didn't matter here, and he took to the air, diving Stryker from behind and attempting to dig his talons into the back of his head.

"Get your sand-snorting ass off our territory. You own no one."
[align=right][i]——INFO

[Stryker]

[align=center][div style="width: 60%; text-align: justify; font-size: 11pt; font-family: georgia;"]☣ — Master Stryker. The words brought him unresistable joy that he wouldn’t admit to feeling, but good lord, the lion was graciously taking it all in as Valkyr bent the knee. Their former member he succumbed once again because of their crimes. Now if only they could leave in peace. Seeing that the sha moved towards him with an open paw, the lion began to trail forward towards the neutral grounds with the hopes that Valkyr would follow. That soon was interrupted though. Talons etched into the back of his head, moving towards the base of his neck and causing Stryker to winch in pain. His whole body detached and whipped around. Frustrated, the lion’s unsheathed paw attempted to swipe at the air in front of him, hoping to land a strike on the Ascendants member. Though Gabriel’s arrival was heroic, it was too late.


//movies