*It was dusk, the clouds hanging heavy and low in the autum air. The light forest was young and flooded with light, a breezy and unthreatening place. Calm, tranquil� and suddenly, the peace split by the snarl, the painful barks, the sounds of a tension that had built over the last months to finally emerge in pent-up wrath and savage blows.
The adolescent Lupine snarled, paw swiping with stunning fury and driving the older, light azure Lupine back. The young one bared his fangs angrily � rather long fangs* ~I am sick of you barking orders at me!~ *He roared, the rage alight over every feature* ~What right do you have? Killing my parents � for my good, ha! � and trying to be my father instead, do this, do that, go hunt for an oldLupe � Tchhha!! I have had enough!~ *The elder Lupine raised his forepaws feebly, trying to keep the young one away from him* ~You must listen! I know who your parents were, and they never should have birthed you, both of them knew it! I knew my brother well � he was not fatherly material! Neither he nor your mother could escape the curse, and what hope would you have with both their blood, two curses, raging within you? They would have killed you with their own careless stupidity!~
*The young Lupine did not want to hear it. He was quick, he was smart, and his parent�s blood, if cursed, was the blood of a mighty warrior�s linage. He had been born to battle and battle he did, from the first days his shaky paws supported him. And battle he did now, against his own uncle. Though the same warrior blood ran in the elder one, he stood no chance. Few could fight in the way his nephew, half demon Lupine, could*
~I hate you! I hate you! You killed my parents, and now you will pay!~ *Far after the bloodied body had lost the steady rhythm of its heart, the young Lupine tore into his uncle, anger flooding the young demon and overriding intelligence. When he finally turned and walked away, the crimsoned form lying on the ground could no longer be recognized � not as once living, let alone as a Lupine.
The young Lupe carried on. He did not taste the blood on his lips or see it staining his paws, he had no regrets about the murder of his uncle. Now, he was alone � and free to seek out what it was inside him that his former relative has so strongly feared. The evenly paced walk did not falter as the scenery changed from serene forest to plain grasslands, slowly giving way to rolling foothills and grassy rises. These built steadily until the youth traversed the rocky side of a mountain. There was no other in sight as he scaled the summit, staring out over the starless night. The storm broke as his paws touched the summit, forked lightning tearing the sky apart. The rain pelted into the young demon, streaking crimson down the cliff face as it washed his bloodstained fur. Lifting his muzzle, tasting the raindrops, a single wild howl was turned loose to the storm and the night.
He grew up quickly.
It was difficult not to.
Now he knew, knew the depth of the truth his uncle had tried to hide from him so long.
Coward.
Wild moved with the steely, rapid pace that comes from knowing that none who he came across would touch him. There was nothing walking this earth he feared. The curse within him� it was a demon of twisted heritage, borne in the pitlike blackness of the heart, nourished on hate, fuelled by rage.
The demon lived on the souls of the dead. The demon moved calmly on, hidden inside the shell of dark azure and ebon fur. The demon and the Lupine co-existed in a way, now so intertwined, that one could not survive without they other. Perhaps there was not even a wish to.
Wild traveled without rest, food, or water. The demon had fed him. That was enough. The demon kept him going, and until he reached his destination things would stay that way.
It was in a strange way Wild came to know of the Evil Shadowed Lupe Pack. He had been in possession of his demon for a long time now and was getting very adept at using it. After he had discovered the truth about himself, he had left for the roads, without any real plan other than to find a suitable place to keep his demon satisfied. A populated place. But a place he could feed and not be suspected as a killer�
The demon was fresh within him � he had met an unwary traveler the other week � but he had the budding urge to test it, yet again. It was content with his uncle, the one prize feed� he would keep it happy for a long time. Then there had been three separate �tests� after that, all satisfying, thought not to the extent his uncle had been. It wasn�t as if he needed to take another soul. But he wanted to. And the oversized Lupine with the startling fur tipped with metal along his back seemed an interesting enough target. Wild caught the sharp metallic scent while on the move and stalked up towards it, large paws silently crushing grass and dirt underfoot, ensuring he approached from downwind.
Wild let his demon seep into his bloodstream. He felt it, rising, masking the sounds of his thick large forepaws against the traces of leaf-litter along the path. The horrifying metal-hued Lupine was nearly stumbling as he walked, head hanging low, tail dragging on the ground, the metallic spikes on the white tip scratching along. Wild edged up beside him, keeping to the cover of the trees and scrub at the pathside. He tensed, every muscle gathering under him, ready, waiting� and Wild and his demon sprang together, timed perfectly. So they thought.
The metallic male spun around, what would have been a roar if it had not been so diminish by weakness, ripping free. Not even the demon could have dodged the swipe from mid-air, and even weakened by the rippling movement of that terrible substance through his veins, Steel could pack one hell of a punch.
-
Wild was thrown backwards, shocked by the dimmed powered of the metallic mutant. Wild caught sight of the cold, narrowed, pale blue eyes, the metallic fur that stretched down his forehead and rimmed the inner ears, the tattoos marking the right cheek. The face was drawn, tight with the inner pain he was suffering. But the deadly, untamable glint in those pale pale eyes. They told Wild one thing. Even in his condition, this metal-Lupe was not going to go down without a fight. Wild picked himself up, cold silver eyes flicking the length of the stranger�s body. His fur was grey, fading to sandy on the sides and underparts. The back and neck were tipped metal � freakish � as well as the stomach, with an odd double-cape extending down each shoulder. His breath was coming in painful, ragged gaps, and Wild stepped cautiously closer. He and the demon only just had time to dodge the swipe from a forepaw, aimed at his eyes. Wild did not expect the second blow, as the metallic Lupine rolled, bringing force up under his attack and landing a hefty strike upon Wild�s chin. As the claws passed inches before his face, Wild saw that they too, were seemingly made of metal. She held back his shiver, feeling blood trickle from one corner of his lip. He feared no-one, not even this struggling, obviously sick Lupine who guarded himself so closely with impressive warrior skills. He had fallen back upon one shoulder, eyeing Wild watchfully. The dark azure male spoke*
~Tell me, metalspike. What is it that makes a Lupine so obviously impaired, fight like a Lupe possessed?~
*The voice was gruff and deep in its pitch, laced with the pain he concealed as a notched ear twitched *
~How do you know I�m not?~
~Because my demon would have recognized you. It tells me your are a vampire, however. I have not yet fed on one of those~
~Come one step closer and I rip your throat out, demon or no. I�ve been caged for far too long to let any demonic dickhead to stop me now~
*Wild could not stop the laughter, bubbling up over his annoyance at the insult. This one had spirit� but that glint, it still lay behind his eyes, and Wild knew beyond any doubt the threat was not an idle one. But he could not contain his curiosity at the unspoken power behind his weakening Lupine*
~So, what it is? What drives you even when you are so close to death?~
~What drives every fool male? A girl, of course~ *He grunted, turning his head away, staring at the ground* ~Though if... when I return, I'll likely get my head bitten off~
*His name was Steel. He had learnt to fight form his elder brother, and later joined a pack which had offer a lot of combat situation in the form of their enemy. However, he had silently rebelled from the rules of said pack, and left them for his own quest. He was weak and spoke little of himself more than this, but Wild had what he needed. The pack�s name: the Evil shadowed Lupe Pack. Their goal: to dominate over every other Lupe save for their select few allies � and kill all who opposed them. They had not yet the numbers for outright war� but they trained their warriors with iron paws and stood for no crap, using stealth and the shadows to keep the upper paw on their enemy. Wild smiled, lifting a paw and curling it about the bit of black jetstone around his neck*
~Where lies the way to this ESLP?~
