Zikarma - Gold and Ebon Flamed Racer

"I belong wherever I lie down to sleep for the night."

ZiKarma Full name -Zikarma Gender - Male Age - young adult Pack|Status � Member of the Lupes of the Bleeding Moon Colour � Pale, pale silver. Markings � Numerous flames of ebon and gold. Eye colour � A brilliant purple. Build - Tall, lean, wiry. Strength - Average. Speed - Extreme. Personality � Quiet, reserved, serious, mature. Pet � none. Mate - None. Parents - Inferno and Slater. Siblings � Flame, Merle, Indi, Indigo, all deceased. (Half) Luna, deceased. Blackout, status unknown. Crystal, status unknown. Devonian, MockSlaughter, Venom, Predator, Deimos, Phobos, Eclipse, and Winter.

He stands, his tall ears set alertly atop a streamlined skull, the tip of his long tail flicking in unease. He stretches to his full height � a good head or so taller than average � and scans the lands around him. His paws shift � two silver, his base colour, the others flamed in gold and black. He appears nervous. Or, perhaps not nervous, just poised, ready to take off a moment�s notice. Everything about him tells the story of his racer�s lifestyle� his muscles fit him like a second, inner skin, so that at a casual glance he might be taken for skinny. Even one step banishes the possibility he is frail, however, for every movement he makes holds a perfectly balanced grace, a rippling strength that is quite plain to see. His legs are long, his tail spans almost the entire length of his body again. His paws, still flexing apprehensively, bear well-defined claws in the shape of spikes, perfect for traction. His coat was short all over, and even the striking black and gold flames upon the pale silvery body seems to add to his streamlining, dancing down the lines of his body and emphasizing those slim muscles. He belongs to a pack of dark deeds and unspoken evils � the Bleeding Moon � and yet the only obviously aura anyone is likely to notice about Zikarma is his hesitation. There is nothing dark or evil about this swift racer, there is nothing but hooded caution in his brilliant purple eyes. Without warning, without any word or movement, he explodes. One moment he is standing there, tense and twitchy, and the next he simply blasts into action. His paws are a blur - he is a blur, a streak of gold and silver and black lightning over the land. Within moments he is out of sight, and the dust settles back to earth in his wake.

I have arrived. I�ve been accepted. I�ve found my mother and discovered I have more family left than I once thought. Despite this, I�m really not sure how I fit into it all. The pack my mother and her new mate, Dralmorde, are Alphas of is called the Bleeding Moon. They believe that when the moon rises crimson, they will run rampant over the lands, dominating everyone and everything. It is not the objective I would have chosen for myself. My mother has but a little time for me, although she was certainly glad to see me and treats me as an equal. As well as being an Alpha, she is a mother again� she and Dralmorde have birthed eight pups. They are growing well, although there is some dissention among them. I�m not sure how they see me� I�m don�t think many of them realize I�m even here. Save for Venom, and perhaps Eclipse� I can�t recall speaking to any of them really. Mother did want to know about my past, though. I told her about Meera and my siblings. I tried to be as tactful as possible� my siblings may not have been my closest friends, but I have some respect of the dead. I described Flame and Merle as �determined and dynamic� and the twins I told her were very devoted to one another. Meera, how good she was to us. How she had kept her promise. I told her how Saret had come looking for us� and with great hesitation, how he had beaten my father into madness. I explained the battle that had left me with nothing and no-one. Afterwards, my Mother reached out and hugged me. Saying nothing, she let me go and left. So here I am, an accepted member of my dam�s pack. I still run � Dralmorde calls upon me as a messenger often � and I still explore, which the Bleeding Mono lands are, I admit, good for. Make of me what you will.

*My name is ZiKarma. I�m not exactly sure what the word means� it came from my stepdam, Meera. Very soon after I was born, the middle pup in a litter of five, Meera took us away form our real mother � not out of spite, indeed she was Mother�s closest friend. She took us away to protect us. And such it was she had to name us. We were a few months old when Meera finally admitted the whole story, dragged out with reluctance by my two older siblings, Flame and Merle. Our father was Meera�s brother, making Meera our aunt. Our mother had been part of a very large and well-established pack, with our grandfather being the Lead Warrior, his whole family � us included � reputed as highly-classed warriors. That came as no surprise. Flame was an aggressive, pushy creature who did not hesitate to use force when things did not go his way � I had learnt that quickly. Merle always backed him up, and her fighting skills were not to be taken lightly. Even I could defend myself� as I would learn later, rather well. Living alone, save for four siblings and Meera, has the effect of not being able to judge your talents well against those of others. Even my two younger siblings, the twins Indri and Indigo, worked well together when it came to fighting skills. So, I suppose we were a family of warriors, to some extent. Anyway, as I was saying. Mother had been promised soon after her own birth to mate the Alpha�s son Saret. But she had fallen for Meera�s brother � Father � instead. After our birth, Mother had been weak for several days, and it was Meera who found her, and us. Mother had gone into hiding for the birth to stop us being harmed. So Meera stayed to care for us in the hidden den while mother searched for Father and Saret � promising Mother she would take care of us as long as she needed. Meera meant that Slater could take her time looking for our father without worrying about us pups, but Meera�s promise would turn out to be crucial. They had fled the pack... Father running and Saret chasing him. Mother�s elder brother, Brute, located her before she reached the other pack members. Luckily. The whole lot of them were out to get her, � my father had a death sentence over his head which Saret had sworn to carry out, and as they spoke trackers were looking for their five pups � us. We had been included in that death sentence. It was Brute who brought the message to Meera � Mother wanted us to be safe. She asked Meera to take us a long way from the pack, and she would find us as soon as she could. I vaguely remember Brute, my uncle - my eyes had just opened.. a powerfully built young adult, with a stern black gaze. It would be many years before I would set eyes on him again. It would be many years before I even found the rest of my family. But then, it was a certain event which caused me to start looking for them. It happened like this. The area we had lived in since we were three-weeks old pups which Meera had found for us was fairly typical, woodland with a river running not far from our burrow, the den. It was here we were instructed to hide if there was any threat of danger, but of course, Flame and Merle laughed at the notion. I mean, we were practically adults now, who could hurt us? Flame and Merle believed themselves invincible. Who could provide any threat to us? Well. As it turned out, our father could. I did not get along with my siblings too much. Flame and Merle were overbearing and Flame and I argued a lot, and the twins were wrapped up in each other, content with one another�s company in the way only twins can comprehend. They did not need me. Meera was sweet, and no better guardian could we have asked for. If things had not happened the way they had, I probably would not have had the heart to leave her, the only mother I ever remembered. But she was an adult, pining for her best friend and brother, and I could not ask any more of her than I had. I owned her my and my siblings lives, after all. So, I turned to roaming. I loved to run, too � Meera once watched me, and told me afterwards I �was a born runner of streamlined essentials�. Not entirely sure what she meant at the time, but it made me feel good. Running was what got me away, from it all, from nothing. I was always on the move. As I reached adulthood I was a fit creature, lean and wiry with enough muscle to subdue Flame�s brawls with me for a while. But sibling rivalry was quickly going to cease being a problem of mine. As much of en escape roaming was, I began to cut down. Lately, things had been strange.. I would feel almost as if there were eyes, watching me wherever I went. Whatever I did. Flame was short-tempered and came close to showing me the brutality he had as a pup several times. I stayed away from him � I could defend myself, but he was my brother. I did not provoke or attack him needlessly. Merle was gruffer than usual too, and even the unspoken, unknown tension seemed to disturb the twins in their private little world. I still felt invisible eyes. They appeared from nowhere one day, tracking the faintest of marks down the riverside. I had returned from a roam to the small clearing in our woodlands, at ease somewhat because I had not felt the unsettling feeling of being silently followed. Flame sprawled lazily on the ground with Merle torturing some species of insect not far off. Indigo and Indri were somewhere nearby involved in their own twin-world. Meera was off hunting, and the strangers took us by surprise. One was a well-built, cruel-faced, scarred male of a few years, at least about Meera�s age. He was a dark crimson with black markings over his back, a dully ignorant glint in his eyes. He was leading them. A smaller version of him, perhaps about two years younger, stood at his side. Brother, I marked him. He looked equally intelligent. There were four henchLupes who did not speak, only obeyed their given commands. And the last Lupe.. once, he might have been classed as handsome. But now his flamed fur, rather alike to my oldest brother�s, was dull and unkempt, and his gaunt frame was literally covered with scars. And they were not the marks of battle such as the leader, but symbols of a lost life, of mere existence in complete hopelessness. The leader spoke, his tone harsh, unforgiving, and ill-bred, as he was* ~For once, Inferno, you did well. You have some talent as a spy, it could seem~ *He spoke to the cowering fire Lupe with a hint of distain. A hopeful, slightly insane gleam appeared in Inferno�s eyes at the hint of praise, and he replied fawningly* ~O Great One, I th-~ *He was never allowed to finish. The leader struck him brutally across the face, spraying blood. Flame laid his ears back � enough these strangers simply waltzed into our home uninvited, now they were beating this shadow of a Lupine further. It did not take much imagination, after seeing the scorn and spite in the leader�s face, just how Inferno had gotten all those scars. He felt back now, stumbling to the ground, paws clamped over his face and blood seeping around them. Flame growled aggressively. My brother, never one for small talk, all action, all aggression, always assuming everyone though him as great as he himself did* ~What d�ya think ya doing, ya damn hulkin� bully?!~ *Flame spat. I expected violence in return from the crimson and ebon leader, but his sly, cruel grin surprised me* ~Oh, how sweet. You don�t even realize who he is and you jump to protect him. Sweet little pup~ *Of course, Flame reacted to the taunt and flung himself at the other, Merle at his side. With a swift, curt signal the leader drew his henchLupes forwards and stepped behind their safety net. Merle and Flame were good, but not that good. Outnumbered two-to-one, they fell in seconds. The four henches were trained killers, and my siblings young and without experience. I felt my instincts flared and leapt to help� too late. The leader�s brother quickly blocked my path with a smirk. Just as swiftly, I removed it with a swipe to his face, harder and struck with more heart than the one the leader had dealt Inferno. For you see, I had it worked out now. Even before the brother staggered back screaming, bleeding, and three henchLupes surrounded me, growling, and before the leader smirked wickedly, his cold insolent eyes on mine. I knew. He turned away to the injured fire Lupe* ~So, Inferno, you have finally paid the price for your treachery to the Volcano Valley Pack. And it is I, Saret, son of the late Markor, who now passes your final punishment for mating the Lupine I was arranged to~ *His lofty voice easily reached my ears, and the ears of Indri and Indigo, who had appeared and galloped towards us. One of my �guards� left me to aid the remaining one in handling them. The leader went on as his injured brother finally climbed up to his paws again, to help the two fighting the twins* ~You will kill the worthless spawn that resulted in your illegitimate union. The two that are left~ *Indigo was howling madly, as if his heart had been broken. Glancing over my guard�s shoulder, I saw why. The brother, bleeding as he was from my swipe, had locked his jaws around Indri�s neck. Now she lay motionless on the ground, head bend at an unnatural angle to her body. The two henches cornered Indigo, but the fight had left him. I stared at Inferno. My father. He wouldn�t� he couldn�t, he wasn�t going to obey the word of this deluded tyrant who had struck him hundreds of times� was he? He spoke without hesitation, in that sickening fawning voice without a waver* ~O Great One, as you command, Great One~ I stared in disbelief. He went for Indigo without hesitation, simply charging at an astonishing rate for one who looked so unfit. Indigo's guards stepped aside as mine closed in and prevented me from going to my brother, helping him. Indigo was howling, eyes screwed shut, tone choked as if the sound was tearing him apart. I barked a desperate warning� but he did not respond. Did not even move, just kept howling the grieving cry for his twin. I knew then that he had lost the will to live, that in all his months had not ever been separated from Indri and could not bear it to be so now. I wanted my youngest sibling sit crying as he died. Any Lupe can kill, no matter how weak he might be, when his foe does not fight back. My turn. Muzzle bloodstained, my sire turned to me. I saw straight into his eyes. The gleam there was not one of recognition, of kinship, nothing but the hyperactive, crazy glint of madness. My father inferno had lost all traces of sanity somewhere in the long months of starvation and torture. Now he only lived for one thing � to obey his master like the mindless puppet he was. As he charged towards me and I heard Saret the former Alpha�s son laughing, as sick and deluded as the beast he had made of my father. I knew what he wanted. He hadn�t expected Indigo to give up so easy, it simply saved him ordering his minions to do it instead. But I was different. He meant for me to kill the feeble shell who was my father. One problem with that. Father was the one who didn�t know what he was doing. Not me. And it was just as plain to me, I was not meant to live through this encounter any longer than my father was. Otherwise the henchLupes wouldn�t be here. When my father failed, they would kill me as well. I could hear it all in the sick, sick laughter. Was my mother really worth all this? I could see that � and I could see me way out. Streamlined essentials, remember? Thanks, Meera. Oh, I hope you are safe� The guards stepped back and Father leapt forwards. Keeping the hint of clumsiness in my gait, I dodged aside and swiped at him in passing, purposely missing. He swerved around and came at me again, his teeth catching my shoulder. I grappled with him for a moment, batting my forepaws at him haphazardly and yelping every time his claws or teeth came into contact � all the while subtly shifting my weight and blacking his blows so he was not inflicting much damage. The henchLupes, Saret, and his brother were all watching closely as I managed to break Father�s grip and dodge back, leap further as I dodged again, one last avoiding movement� now! With lightning speed and graceful force I landed a blow on my sire�s skull. Senseless, he toppled to the ground, but I was not hanging around� I had been carefully edging backwards to provide enough of a gap between the henchLupes and myself. I had reached that point and took my chance. Leaving the bodies of my family behind, I turned and ran my heart out. Streamlined essentials. But my plan did not end with running away. My blood was roused and vengeance pulled tantalizingly at my spirit. That� thing back there had turned my father into a sniveling shadow of the former self I knew he must have been � Meera had told me enough of their earlier adventuring days - and I wanted him to pay for it. Naturally, it was the henchLupes, three of them, Saret sent after me. He, his brother, and the last underling stayed behind to hunt for Meera. Sadly for the henches, they didn�t possess the mind, speed or the endurance I did. It was their downfall. I knew our little territory like my own tailtip. The first place I headed for was the steep bank over the river. It was woodlanded right up to the drop-off� the kind you wouldn�t see unless you were looking for it or already knew of it. I�m sure you can see where I was going. Two of the minions were about the same age and build and kept pace together after me. The last lagged behind, being somewhat too heavy to be much good at running. I ducked behind a thick-leafed shrub and braced by forepaws for the slide down the bank, absorbing the shock of the landing at the bottom and dropping instantly to a crouch, having just enough headstart for me to do this successfully as the two in the lead skidded around the shrub full-speed and growling threats � and running out into mid-air. One screamed, the other�s howl of horror cut off as his hindpaw caught a protruding, curved tree root. His head slammed violently by his own momentum into the hard clay bank. The second hit just before the water�s edge with a crack I knew was a bone snapping. I was on him before he knew it, sharp stunning undercut to the chin, hindkick to shred the skin of his belly and spill intestines to the damp ground, forepaw thumping hard over his throat. Those playfights with Merle and not-so-playful fights with Flame had paid off. I would show this hench and his unconscious buddy hanging around the same mercy they had to my siblings. As I yanked down the hanging Lupe and carelessly threw his limp body out to deeper waters, the third minion�s muzzletip appeared over the bank above. I snarled calmly at him* ~Come one, fatty. I�m waiting~ *An eye joined the muzzle, probably catching the last bubbles of air of the river�s surface sent up from hanger�s lungs. No doubt seeing the carcass of the other one I had dispatched. Hastily, the muzzle retreated. I growled. He wasn�t getting off that easy� I knew the way up the bank and dashed to it, leaping up it like a jackrabbit and taking off through the sparce woodland. It didn�t take me long to find fat-boy�s scent. Nor long to dispose of him. But I still had three more problems to take care of - I just hoped they hadn�t found Meera� They found her at the same time I did. I never knew Meera could fight, but fight she did, I did, against Saret, his brother, and the last henchLupe. I took care of the latter easily � a leftpaw swipe to the side of the skull, after he took a step to close, deceived by my false stumble. The brother was faltering, backing away, unwilling to face me after he realized I was the one who had taken away a good chunk of his face. I went after him as Meera�s snarls varied between pain and justified revenge. By the time I forced the brother to join his sibling�s minions, Meera and Saret were drawing to a close. They had torn badly into one another, clumps of fur and flesh were lying over the bloodstained grass. I charged from behind, and finally, between Meera and I, Saret fell. With the death of he and his brother, the remnants of what had been the Volcano Valley Lupe Pack would drift away, until nothing but an empty valley and the smoke-puffing mountains stood as the former territory of an extinct pack. Breathing heavily, not without my own wounds, I faced Meera. She looked up into my eyes, smiling a faint trace of that smile I had known since a week old. Pointing weakly, her torn forepaw shaking with the effort, she gestured to the fallen, crumpled heap lying not so far away, hardly any different from the bodies of murderers and siblings lying around the little clearing. I nodded silently and padded over to it. It was my father. Inferno was bleeding from a forehead wound � mine? Maybe. It had not bene my intention to kill him when I hit him... His eyes opened a crack as I approached. Meera made another weak gesture. Gently, I picked Inferno up, dragged him as lightly as possible over to his sister. He did not fight me, he wasn�t really in a condition to� these wounds can�t all have been me, and my guess was that before finding Meera, Saret had had another go at him. But as I laid him gently down by Meera and his eyes widened in shock, I saw the gleam of madness had slightly subdued. Meera spoke* ~Leave us, Zi. My brother does not need his remaining son watching his death~ *I stared at Meera for a moment, not wanting to leave, not wanting to leave her with a madLupe, not wanting� but I went. Meera had asked me and I had, ever since a pup, always done as she�d asked. Besides � my father�s eyes were quiet now, resigned almost, if he even understood what was going on. He�d taken his last beating form Saret. It was only an hour later when I finally returned, hearing no word from Meera, I learned the truth. Inferno my father lay silent without breath or heartbeat, lying in a curled position on the ground. With one paw resting on her brother�s back, Meera lay with her eyes closed, her bloodied form finally at peace. Brother and sister had died together. My tears washed streaks of dirt and blood from their fur as I buried them, placing them so they lay as they�d died, Inferno tucked into a puppyish ball, Meera silently comforting him. Together at last, in death - my sire and the only mother I knew. When the graves for my family had been dug and filled, all five of them � I stood silently staring at the freshly-turned mounds of earth. My claws were worn and my paws and leg muscles sore � but I noticed none of it. I was alone. Every Lupe who had ever been a part of my life had died today, and to have that thought run through your mind slightly of alters your view of things. There was just one Lupine in my family I still knew of. I did not know if she was alive or dead � but some chance for her existed, more than my father or my aunt, my brothers or sisters. The mother Meera had told us of, who never had returned to find us� SlatenShadow. And so, leaving behind the once peaceful territory, I set off on my last journey.

It's easier to run... Replacing this pain with something numb It's so much easier to go... Than face all this pain here all alone Something has been taken from deep inside of me The secret I've kept locked away no one can ever see Wounds so deep they never show they never go away Like moving pictures in my head for years and years they've played (If I could change I would, take back the pain I would) (Retrace every wrong move that I made I would) (If I could stand up and take the blame I would) (If I could take all the shame to the grave I would) (If I could change I would, take back the pain I would) (Retrace every wrong move that I made I would) (If I could stand up and take the blame I would) (I would take all my shame to the grave) It's easier to run... Replacing this pain with something numb It's so much easier to go... Than face all this pain here all alone Sometimes I remember the darkness of my past Bringing back these memories I wish I didn't have Sometimes I think of letting go and never looking back And never moving forward so there'd never be a past (If I could change I would, take back the pain I would) (Retrace every wrong move that I made I would) (If I could stand up and take the blame I would) (If I could take all the shame to the grave I would) (If I could change I would, take back the pain I would) (Retrace every wrong move that I made I would) (If I could stand up and take the blame I would) (I would take all my shame to the grave) Just washing it aside All of the helplessness inside Pretending I don't feel misplaced It's so much simpler than change It's easier to run... Replacing this pain with something numb It's so much easier to go... Than face all this pain here all alone It's easier to run... (If I could change I would, take back the pain I would) (Retrace every wrong move that I made) It's easier to go... (If I could change I would, take back the pain I would) (Retrace every wrong move that I made I would) (If I could stand up and take the blame I would) (I would take all my shame to the grave...)

Lupes of the Bleeding Moon. Slater Zikarma has a somewhat vague relationship with his mother. She was not there to raise him, she does not know the first small catch he brought home as a puppy, was not present for the opening of those purple eyes or the first tottering steps. Zikarma is well aware of the distance between them, and unsure of how to go about changing it. Dralmorde Zikarma is well aware that the Alpha of his new pack both has respect of him for his talents� and that he, on some level, thinks of Zikarma as the result of his mate�s first love. Zikarma treads very warily around Dralmorde, is quick to heed any order he may be given, and stays out of his way as much as possible. Zandralyn Zikarma met this young female soon after joining the Bleeding Moon pack, and is slightly uncomfortable knowing that somewhere along the line, for a reason beyond his knowledge, he has caught her interest. She is a strange one, speaking in riddles and seeing far further than she should, and her mental abilities only make Zikarma more nervous. He is far form stupid, but there is nothing supernatural about the way his mind works. She is a mystery, and he treads carefully around her.

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