passerine

The woman wasn't surprised by the choice that laid in front of her, yet she had no intention of choosing between the two. Standing her ground, the woman she shake her head, her hackles raising as she flashed her fangs in warning. There was no way she was going to let this woman past her. Her eyes narrowed and her ears tucked, keeping them safe against her head. She wouldn't make the first move, but she didn't put it past this bitch to not attack her with no warning. 

However, that changed when she saw Anai rush past her, carrying the child in tow. Good. Now she just needed to make sure they both got to safety. As long as they both lived, she didn't mind dying herself. So, as quickly as she could, the woman would follow behind, her tail tucked under her to stop the vicious woman from snagging what little tail she had left. She hoped that the pregnancy would make the woman slow, at least slow enough for them to get some sort of head start. 

Even as she tried to run with Anai, she made sure to keep her body behind him, not letting her get anywhere near the boy. She would have to go through the healer before that and Mystery would make damn sure that if she died, at least the pups would too, if not their mother as well. She knew she would no longer be in her pack anymore, so there was no reason to hold back.

"Go faster! Don't stop no matter what." Were the only words she yelled towards Anai, letting him know he was not to, under any circumstances, stop for her. She would either make it out, or she wouldn't. 

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It did make Morag wonder. If Mystery was so opposed to the ways of the Nightwalker, why had she wished to become one? Clearly she wasn't made of the same stuff, the rough stuff that made your bones metal and your teeth knives. What had been her end game here, Morag couldn't help but wonder? Had she wanted to test the waters and see how it felt to be play with the big boys? Surely she had to know that when one was too different, it could really only go one way. Showing blatant disrespect to not only the Second but also the ways of the Warlord? It was like the little Healer had thought she might be able to change the very essence of the Pack she had so willingly joined.

Morag couldn't help but feel the rumble of hunger in her veins, knowing that today... one way or another, she was going to get her way. Whether it was the little dog, the bastard boy of Aries or Mystery -- it didn't matter. Though seemingly, they had decided on Morag's meal for her. Anai had darted out, his not fully formed body carrying the little scumbag and Mystery would seek to keep herself as a silly little body guard between Morag and the children. The she-beast cackled as she lurched into action, pregnant or not, she had been trained since she could walk and she wasn't about to stop because she had children leeching off her innards.

"Oh, don't go," she snarled wickedly at Mystery, honing in on the little Healer as she flattened her ears against her head and made a lunge for Mystery's retreating flank with her saliva coated teeth. The silly bitch had been oh so willing to make herself a martyr, little did she know she had decided to make herself an afters, too. Once she had finished off the Healer, she would hunt down the boy and his maggot, make herself a three-course meal. Morag's blood roared in her veins.

attack: trying to latch onto mystery's flank
injuries: none

---

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 It is not wolf. "I know..." He gasped out, words hardly audible, terrified squeak. They were more for himself... how could he ever have been so stupid as to believe this would go any other way? She had gotten into his head. Her damnable kindness, her empathy, her care for such a wretched little life.

 Was he talking about himself or the pup?

 She'd wormed her way in, made him care for once about someone else other than himself. He didn't know if he regretted it or not. He hated this feeling of guilt, of pain, of fear that she would die. 

 And at the same time...

 He wasn't sure if he'd do a single thing differently. He was alive and that was the most important thing. He didn't want to know what lay on the other side of that dark void... So he would happily sentence anyone else to it. 

 Including her.  

  He was spared by Morag for his loyalty or selfishness when she could have easily destroyed him herself or by telling Vengeance of his disloyalty. "You are most merciful." He dipped his head, speaking quietly... still not looking back at Mystery. He couldn't... not now. He'd betrayed her, and if she lived, she would never forget. 

 He would never forget. 

 He stepped to the side, away from the giants and only when he was safely nestled into the shelter of a bush did he watch what was to unfold. It all played out just as he thought it would. Mystery standing in defiance, Morag laying down promises of death... and in the end, Anai running to save the child. They were all pawns, some more useful than others... why couldn't they see that? Be a good little pawn and do as you're told. That was the name of the game. Do as you're told, stay useful, stay alive. 

 How could they all be so stupid as to throw their lives away for a stupid pup?! A pup that was so deformed and weak that it likely wouldn't live anyway? He hissed to himself, anger igniting the gasoline of sorry. He was all too happy to allow the rage in...

 And then Morag lunged for Mystery... This would result in a death today and fate was not on Mystery's side. He didn't know whether he wanted to watch or look away... 

 When they lit into each other, the rage was replaced again with sorrow. He crept from his bush, up to a nearby tree where he climbed. He owed her that much to be there, to watch as it all went down. He'd betrayed her, the least he could do was watch in her final moments while what he knew would happen, happened. Someone needed to know her story... at least for a cautionary tale within the Nightwalkers. 

   Why did you do this, Myst?

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He felt no teeth against his back, no barreling body against his own. Morag had not caught him, even as he tore from the scene, even as he heard steps fall into place behind him, even as he heard them revealed to be Mystery, confirmed by her voice as she urged him run.

Don't stop.

No matter what.

Yet he was nearly compelled to. Nearly compelled, as he heard the snarling Consigliere follow after. Mystery, too, knew where this ended. And he wondered again why they would give their lives for this child. Even if they made it out alive, the Nightwalkers would see them as fools at best. Giving their lives to save something that, if it were a rabbit or a squirrel or even a fawn, Anai wouldn't have thought twice about striking to kill, child or not. What made this creature any different than that?

And what made the child's life any more valuable than Mystery's or his own? He ought to throw the pup now and go back and help her. But instead, he kept running. Running through the shrouded lands until he would find some stream or river to cross, to throw off his scent. Until he was certain he had crossed into neutral ground - and even then, he would keep running.

For there were two things he decided were the end of this matter: the first, that Mystery had chosen her lot, just as Anai had chosen his. To help a child who was helpless to choose his own. And so, they chose life for him. And the second, that Anai had seen in the child's eyes, though dimly reflected and caged in misfortune, the shadow of wolf.

That was what made this child different from the prey that he hunted. That was what made this child worthy to give his life for.

That was why he kept on running.
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^^

Morag couldn't help but wonder if Mystery realised she was being a hypocrite. She sought to protect a child by being uncaring for the unborn children Morag carried by deciding that she would go straight for the stomach. Did she understand how she made her own point redundant? Not to mention that the children that Morag carried were Nightwalkers before they were even born and as someone who found herself in their ranks, she should have valued them above a child that was not theirs. Yet... she did not. Did she think it made her a good Samaritan, what she was doing? She was no better than Morag herself after she had said to choose between the canine and Anai, for she was deciding between the canine and Morag's own children.

The children of Vengeance, the children who were a vital part of the future ranks of Nightwalker ranks and bodies.

Morag thought that Hypocrite would make a nice taste.

The she-beast had been successful in her attempt to lodge her teeth in Mystery's flank though the little Healer had obviously opted for her belly. Morag had been able to move enough in a curl that she had managed to not have more than obvious cuts of Mystery's teeth. The little Healer hadn't gotten what she had desired entirely, surface wounds to Morag's swollen sides. Despite not being what one might think a mother should be, the unborn children had not yet done anything to disappoint her or to be failures so the possessive streak seemed to come in a stride. Only she or Vengeance had the right to kill what she bore. Morag didn't even grace a response with words, only a mocking cackle as the little Healer attempted to be cute. 

She should have known Vengeance would come. The Warlord's ability to sniff out a scrap was almost magical but he was often patrolling, so it was only a matter of time until he happened upon the scene. It was a shame that Anai had scurried away with the little dog, because she would have enjoyed to see that being addressed. Yet something tastier was happening as Vengeance came with... well, a vengeance as he gunned for Mystery. Morag thought back to her earlier thoughts, only she or Vengeance could kill their blood and from his view point, Mystery had been seen attempting to attack the very thing that was housing his bloodline.

Morag's smirk was dangerous, feral and lightly touched with blood as she watched him go for her, her face and without waiting to see if he had managed to grab her, Morag surged forward. Her fire filled gaze looked only for the freshly touched flank of Mystery, looking to regain her grip on the womans flank and this time, make more of a mess of her flank than she had managed originally. She had sealed her own fate and Morag would enjoy this. ^^

---

attack: the flank again
wounds: surface wounds to her side

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She knew that she had signed her dead warrant when she went after the bitch's stomach, but in reality, it was all the stupid woman's fault. How the fuck can she go around stating that she was a good leader when she went and put her unborn children in danger? She was an idiotic leader and a more idiotic mother. From Mystery's point of view, it would be better to put those children out of their misery or they would grow up and likely be mauled or ignored by their own mother. What life was that?

She wasn't surprised when Vengeance came to protect his bitch, something that almost made Mystery scoff. Of course the pregnant whore couldn't fight her own battles and had to get someone to protect her. What a laughing stock they were, and they were supposed to be big bad scary wolves. She felt his attack find purchase on her cheek, though there was no way she was going to go down without a fight. Pushing herself forward, she ignored the woman behind her, grabbing her flank again, and focused on Vengeance. Even with the tearing of flesh, the woman would push towards him, trying to lower her body slightly as fang moved for his neck, though with where her head was, it would be more likely for her to grab his lower jaw. Not that she cared really, anything to make these idiots bleed.

Attack: Vengeance's lower jaw/throat
Injuries: Serious injury to flank, wound on cheek

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Morag wouldn’t call it luck, because once they were through with her, it would be how unlucky she truly was – so perhaps it was simply good for her that for the moment, Vengeance called a cease fire. From what she could make from his garbled words as he encased her jaw the same as she sought to do for him. Morag's lip twitched with annoyance, though, as she pulled back from the little bitch. Was it her flesh she felt on her tongue as she swallowed? It certainly had the tangy taste of blood, if it was.

“I told you,” she all but cooed to the little healer, “you attempted to house and lie about a canine that was not a wolf,” Morag’s tail lashed behind her as she watched the two, “and you outright disobeyed.” The she-beast would tut though she did not seem angry no longer, only gleeful as she knew that Vengeance would not go light on the healer. “And you go directly for my poor stomach, the originality,” she sniffed.

The she-beast fell silent as she cast her fire filled gaze to the trail that the boy had taken and she narrowed her gaze, “the boy has run off with it.” Yet she found herself thoroughly intrigued on what her favourite Warlord had in the works for the example. Her surface wounds throbbed and Morag had decided she would make @Err  see to them, hopefully as she laid on the skin of his dark-furred friend.
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She wasn't really able to get the hold that she wanted, but even if she was able to, it didn't matter. Vengeance's hold was better and his trashing caused her to let go of any hold that she may have gotten. A loud, agonizing cry escaped her as she let her body remain loose, letting him thrash her around in an attempt to reduce the pain from her body.

It's not like it helped though and she remained quiet as they snarled and spoke to her, not really able to speak much with her face being ripped away like it currently was. Panting, she stood there on shaking legs, not really able to do much of anything. After a few seconds though, she would try to wait until Ven stopped trashing her around before she would try to push herself into him, letting out a whimper as her whole face felt like it was on fire. 

She would try to shove herself into him, wanting to use her shoulder to try and slam into his throat. She hoped that this would make him let her go, or at least open his jaws slightly to allow her to slip out. Her body was tired and the blood that ran down her cheek was thick, not helping her currently lightheaded state.

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