for the kindness you've shown | gift, o

[DIRT]

cw: blood, gore, death

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It comes in shuddering breaths, in the turn of the tide.

Orange eyes flaring with cruel intent, yellow maw stretched in a hideous grin, teeth exposed. He sweeps the land, searching. One way, and another, for any that may bear witness to the mangled mess below him, of dark grey fur and empty green eyes, of bones and organs splayed, of a heart that shuddered and stopped in its pain.

The scene is red, like the encroaching dawn.

He'd crept along the border like a snake, slipping between traps, finding eventually a crack to slip into, an overlooked area, disarray and empty. He'd padded slowly into town, slipping into a home like a fox into a coop, and silenced the young voice, ripping and tearing away the throat, shearing away skin and tender flesh as the creature gagged and trembled and convulsed and finally went limp. He'd dragged them back out through the hole in heart and foundation, through the swamp and over sticks and trunks, leaving blood and flesh in his wake, before the body clenched and stilled.

He'd torn the wolfdog apart with a unearthly glint in his eye, rending flesh from bone and cackling wildly, a thrill pulsing through him as he thought of those that would find his trail, would happen across their friend drawn and quartered and rendered into bits, he salivated at the grief and loss of those who would only find bloody, cloying murder at the end of this road.

With glee he tore loose their organs, felt his teeth puncture their tender heart, squeezing the last drops of blood from muscle, he dug out their lungs and entrails and splayed them over, tossing them over bush and branch, his paws squelching organs into mud in his frenzied debauchery.

And when he was done, when his crimes were committed, when blood spilled over the hill and soaked into the leaves and the roots and the soil, he let loose a piercing, joyful howl, his body trembling. Oh, how he wished to stay, to see the reactions, to feed off their horror and sorrow. To challenge their leader and tear him apart the same, to taste that sweet blood and make Tanglewood kneel.

But he would be long gone, before any would find the mess he had left, bloody pawprints leading to the Pitt. And Keter was long dead.

[DELILAH.]

Tracking to reply to soon!

[wormwood.]

Kester was not one that Aurum had known well, despite his best efforts to change that fact. The other had seemed skittish and pained, especially after they had figured out that the device around their neck was nothing but a Geiger counter, believing that it had been leading them into danger. It seemed as though, eventually, danger had found them, although not in the form that they might have once expected. Instead, it was in the form of an enemy that Tanglewood knew, and despised, very well. The Pitt was, as far as Aurum was concerned, a terrible and rotten place, full of heinous creatures that took pleasure in the pain of others. That was what it had always been, and what it would always be, in the end. The angel had not thought they had changed after Jervis's death, figuring it would only be so long before the other shoe dropped, and Kydobi revealed his true nature – the cowardly and slimy beast that the other was. It seemed as though the other shoe finally had dropped, although not under the reign of Kydobi, unbeknownst to Aurum.

The smell of the Pitt alone was enough to cause the lion's hackles to raise, his one eyed gaze hardening when he found the scent faintly lingering at the edge of town. However, his mood only grew worse when he came upon the trail of blood leading away from Keter's house, and heard a piercing howl echo through the air. His ears flattened against his head, and he let out a roar in response, racing through the trees after the blood and the scent as far as his legs – and wings – could carry him. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. By the time he reached the true scene of the gruesome murder, Worm was already long gone, leaving only Keter's mutilated body in his wake. Aurum's entire body was faintly shaking as he stared down at the corpse, his one pupil narrowed down to a sharp, rage filled slit. Eventually, the dam broke, and he let out a roar of agony into the sky, slowly laying down beside the other's remains. His voice was full of venom as he rumbled, softly, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Keter... I will make this right. I will make them regret the very day they thought they could hurt another Tanglewood soul." The scent of the Pitt still hung heavy on the air, and Aurum's bloodlust against the violent group was, once again, reignited.

[glow=black,2,300]— ✘ —[/glow]

[DELILAH.]

DELILAH EVERGARDEN

"The Gods have forsaken us."

Delilah had arrived into the scene no sooner than after Aurum's roar sounded, medical supplies loaded into her saddlebag until the woman came to an abrupt stop. Eyes widened, the sight of blood and gore making bile rise in her throat.

She felt something inside of her crack when the smell of Pittian filth hit her nose.

They hurt another person.. What shall you do, beloved girl?

Hurt them. Make them feel the same pain.

"It's an endless cycle of death and pain for them.."

Broken were the words that sprouted from once-unpure lips. She wanted blood, for them to feel the same pain the Pitt put Tanglers through, all of these years.. And not a wink of sympathy. Not even an apology.

"They've hurt too many of our people.. They took Arrow from me. Ophelia. Leroy. They hurt so many f- fucking people for me to take anymore!"

Delilah's loud, vicious roar erupted but no sooner quieted down when she knelt at the dead body on the ground, flowers of thorns and roses sprouting at her feet as she collected the corpse into one full, yet still bleeding piece. Not touching it, no. She refused to take on that burden of releasing the spirit there. She had purified this place of vengeful spirits long ago.

"They will pay.. Aurum, please say that they will pay?! VIGENERE!"

tags - penned by [member=1260]ryuu-tan[/member]

template by orion

[trojan g.]

[align=center][div style="bgcolor= black; max-width: 500px; font-family: Times New Roman;font-size:10pt;text-align:justify;"]Confusion plastered itself onto the child's face as he heard the joyful howl of Worm at the border. He'd expe4cted something fun when he got there, not pain and suffering and blood. Drawn out by the joyful call, Nicabar had been surprised to find himself in an area where no joy was to be seen, the culprit that had been happy seemingly gone from sight.

Even if he was still there, Nicabar wouldn't have been able to see the other. Fixated upon the blood and the body of Keter being held by the other clan members, he'd feel his feet sway beneath him as eyes quickly closed shut and today's lunch was on the floor. Blood wasn't something he could handle.

[Luciferr]

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the heavy tread of war on these blood soaked lands.

Eyes of blue fire took in the scene and the beast rumbled, that same scorching gaze flickering to the distraught dragon ”calm yourself - they’ll get it soon enough, but hysterics is what they want, running headfirst into this will not bring them back” the steady rumble belied his own anger.

He did not know Keter and this he did not mourn him, blood was blood and an unrecognisable face did not move War - not when he had seen so many pass.

But there home had been violated in the spilling - and that he found discontent in.

It seemed peace never did last long.

[wormwood.]

Vicious was not a word that could often be attributed to Aurum. Despite being an archangel of vengeance, the lion found that he much more often preferred peace, and the company of those that he loved. However, when another group was threatening that peace, as well as the people that he loved? Well, vicious was just one of the many words that came to act as a very accurate descriptor of the shaderunner. Tail lashing from side to side behind him, the male winced when he heard Delilah's vicious roar, rumbling reassuringly, "Don't worry, Del. They'll pay. They'll pay dearly, with more than just their lives. I make that my promise to you." His voice was cold as he spoke, a clear sign that he was leaving no room for argument. If Vigenere would not give them permission to take vengeance as a whole, then Aurum would have no problem with doing it on his own – even if he doubted that Vig would stand in the way, given their new leader's history.

Turning to face Fenris next, he said firmly, voice betraying his true age, and his history of authority, "She's allowed to grieve. Hell, she's even allowed to be in hysterics. No one said we'll be running in and attacking them today. They just need to pay for what they have done. Not only here, but what we gave them a second chance from, ages ago." Jaw set, the lion then got up, moving away from Keter's body and over to where Nicabar was practically collapsed. Setting a gentle paw on the boy, he gave him a small shake, unaware of whether or not he had fainted, or simply vomited, "Nicabar...? You should not stay here. Come, let's go back to town, this is no place for a child..." He hadn't known Nicabar long, but even if the other hadn't possessed the soul of Moth, Aurum still would've felt a certain protectiveness.

[glow=black,2,300]— ✘ —[/glow]