Fear...
The Grey-flecked Mask of the Bandit...
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'Every silver lining has got a touch of grey..' |
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Bandit
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She is an intensely private creature, so unlike her savage mate�s outgoing ruthlessness. Yet both are ESLP Alphas, and Bandit will stand by her mate in near everything he does. She is perhaps the only one who can even hope of changing his mind, or at the least allowing her to go against his wishes without consequence. New members will nearly always meet and be accepted or rejected by Brute alone. Some of the newer members wouldn�t even know of her existence. Yet, it is she who organizes hunts and food supplies for the pack, she who knows every inch of the territory from the forest to the underground. She knows every member and has in her mind a short file upon them � appearance, background, skills, useful talents, any mistakes or rewards they have afforded the pack. Bandit is, despite all outward appearances, the core of stability holding the pack together. |
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All these shades of grey�
She was born many, many moons ago. The pale silver light dappled the clearing, illuminating the azurite mother Lupine cleaning her litter meticulously. Our story follows the life of the youngest of those � the little female born with her mother�s dark coal-blue coat, her father�s stunning, luminescent green eyes � and a unique marking she would bear her entire life: a mask over her face, covering both eyes, of varied grey flecks. It was this mask that gave her her title � Bandit Gray. ~Whatdya think ya doin�?~ *Yuon demanded aggressively. Bandit raised her head, chewing slowly and deliberately on the chia meat* ~Eating~ *She explained evenly, managing to make the tones sound icy and ambiguous at the same time, adding a long stare from her luminous light green eyes that could have easily been a glare. Yuon growled at her* I�cin see that, ya dope!! It�s my chia!~ *He barged forwards into Bandit forcefully, elbowing her out of the way as he scoffed great gulps of the meat. Bandit gave him a disgusted look, turned, flicked her tail, and walked calmly away. It was the next day things changed forever for the six-month old liter.
Didark snarled, swinging to face the big fire Lupe, who also had his teeth bared* ~I warned you to stay away from my family~ *Didark snapped, black-pupiled eyes flashing angrily. The fire Lupe shook his head pityingly* ~At one time, Didark, you were my family. Before, of course, you murdered our cousin~ *Didark sneered mockingly* ~That weak fool wasn�t worth to havin� the same blood running in �er as I do~ *The flamed Lupe was getting angry, his ears pulling back against his skull now, scruff bristling* ~Serene hadn�t done anything! You killed he for the most reckless, meaningless motive anyone could find! She tripped, brother, she tripped! It wasn�t her fault we missed the deer that time, and in no way was one slip of her paw enough to justify murdering her! You�re insane!~ *Didark grinned hauntingly, black fangs flashing, nodding in agreement* ~Aye, ya right. I just killed�er f� fun~ *It was too much for the fire Lupe. He leapt, claws ready and teeth bared. The brothers fought and their battlecries reached back to Rain and the pups, far away hunting in the dark reaches of midnight. Eve and Night glanced to Bandit, and the three ganged up on Koro, pushing him back from the carcass he had been trying to steal of Bandit. Yuon snarled threats at them, but the crack in his voice betrayed him. All the pups were worried about their father, and for the first time, the fights between them ceased as they lay outside the burrow to await Didark�s return. The arguments, however, did not*
The battle raged for hours. Didark was an experienced warrior but his brother�s determination and strength were not to be underestimated. The battle back and forth, each too equally matched to gain the upper paw. Until, of course, the dawn�s rays stared over the horizon.
As the sun rose, Rain was forced to retreat underground, but the pups did not budge. It had been discovered they they were not allergic to light as their sire and dam. It was Bandit who moved first, standing and staring of in the direction the battlecries had been heard from last night. Her father could not stay out in light, she knew. It was unlike him to spend the day away from his den. Yuon growled, jumping up to black her* ~Well well, you�ve changed ya mind. Ohhhhh, daddy can take care of himself, but I�ll start doubtin� that once it�s morni�n�~ * But Bandit, not rising to his hostility for once, simply passed him by. Feeling rather foolish, Yuon still growled again when Eve and Night stared scornfully at him as they passed, following their youngest sister. Yuon�s ears snapped back in anger, and he turned and took it out on Koro* ~Get up, you useless weak�!~ *Yuon and Koro were forced to bound to catch up with Bandit, who was setting a ground-eating pace up ahead of them* *Bandit was the first to reach Didark�s corpse. She stood in silence as Eve and Night turned away, swallowing hard. Yuon stared down in shock and rage� someone, some Lupe, had defeated their father, the mighty unbeatable warrior. Some Lupe, had� killed their father. Anger was so much easier to cope with than sadness� Before any of the others knew what was happening, Yuon lashed out at Bandit. His claws tore open her shoulder, blood shooting out, and Yuon was leaping at her the next instant. But although the first strike took Bandit by surprise, it also served to warn her of Yuon�s intentions. Dodging aside, Bandit was ready for the fight in a second and struck back. Their paws clashed, leaping back, darting sideways, jumping forwards to snap or slash. Koro just stood there, stunned by usually quiet, reserved Bandit�s sudden ferocity. Of course, she had joined in the fights, both in play with her sisters and more serious with her brothers, but none had ever seen Bandit fight like this. Yuon realized quickly something had snapped within Bandit, that quite possibly seeing her father dead had pushed her over the edge � whatever it was, it made her fight with an amazing strength, and Yuon�s eyes were steadily widening with fear as he missed blows and Bandit landed them. Finally, Koro was spurred into action by Yuon�s angry scream, edged with fear* ~Koro, what are you waiting for! Help me take her down, idiot!~ *Koro obediently turned to help � to find the way blocked by Eve and Night, the sister�s scruffs bristling with soft anger as they growled in low voices � a subtle warning, but a warning nonetheless. Koro stood, undecided. It may have been this indecision, the hesitation to take on two of his sisters, which cost Yuon his life.
Bandit dropped the lifeless body. Eve and Night gaped � they had seen these two fight before, though not like this� but they had not expected Bandit to kill him. Koro sat down very suddenly, staring at the bloodied, tattered form that had minutes ago been ordering him about. Without a word, Koro stood and turned his back on his family, breaking into a quick trot as he left them behind.
She traveled alone, spurning the companionship of others. She had always shown a particular interest in hunting, as an excuse to be alone and free from her brothers for a while. Now, hunting was a matter of survival, and Bandit was quick to perfect her skills. Traveling the roads alone gave a lot of opportunity to practice. And it was alone she remained� until one not so special day that dawned as any other.
He lifted his soulless, empty eyes, staring in near disbelief at what he saw. She was, without any doubt, the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. A perfect build, muscular but still lean and trimmed. Her sharp ears swung alertly, bushy tail twitching as she crept slowly up on her prey, a young chia. Her lithe frame was covered from muzzle to tail-tip with thick azure fur, but it was her eyes that primarily held Brute the Savage�s attention � spellbinding orbs of the brightest jade imaginable. Brute lay in hiding, watching the beautiful femme slowly advance � Deep Shadows, she could move! Every muscle was under control as her paws shifted silently, carrying her body forwards, ever soundless as she inched closer. Her dark coat reflected no light, seeming to soak up what minute patches of it made it through the forest canopy. She froze without a single movement when the little chia�s eyes were her way, she was moving again the instant his back was turned. Though the femme made it look as easy as breathing, Brute knew it took years to perfect a hunting technique such as the Lupess was displaying, but he could gauge she was at the most, only a year younger than him. Blue and Grace�s twins were a month old when Brute stood proudly by the den, watching his and Bandit�s four pups crawl blindly around their dam. Each one was blue, with few differences in coat colour � the oldest, who was a solid, large-boned young thing, was a shade lighter than the other three. The second eldest, a female, was long in the limbs and had very long, sharp, curving claws for an infant. The youngest two were average-sized twins, a male and a female. All had the normal white markings � Bandit�s fully azure coat had not been passed on. But she was just as proud as Brute, as she stared down at the four fluffy bundles. They were perfect, flawless, they would grow with Brace and Balios, Grace�s twins � in the thick forest Brute had discovered and fought for, won the rights to. The pack had begun.
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She is at present mother of two litters fathered by the Savage, the first long since grown and reproduced themselves, the second just entering into the lives of young adults. Her children, despite variations in appearance, nature, and loyalties, will always remain her children. From Daverone the traitor to Outlaw the troublemaker, her feelings for her offspring cannot be denied. She would die herself before seeing harm come to them.
Daverone is the eldest of them, the largest, and the most compassionate. Branded traitor by his family, he left them years back to join rank with the more empathetic Fire Eagles. It was this betrayal that led Brute to declare war upon the Fire Eagles and all who spoke as their allies, and Daverone has solidly remained with his new family, fighting against the old. Bandit stopped her mate killing their eldest in battle, and while this does not place them on the same side, it is perhaps a step closer to it.
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