Of All the Things That You Would Change

Traveling south from the river, West was happy to find his footing more sturdy the further he moved from those muddy banks. Though where the land dried, the air grew wet. It wouldn't take long for his travels to carry him to a sparse forest of sorts, or maybe a lightly dense meadow. A low-hanging fog filled the land and stretched as far as his eyes could see, though it wasn't overly ominous. It was actually kinda pretty and seemed to stir familiar memories of home.

There were no towering stones here, but that didn't take away the feeling in his core. In fact, had there been a bison heard nearby he might almost mistake it for those familiar plains on a cold day. Instead, there seemed to be some birds lingering, their song carried on the open breeze for travelers to hear as they wandered.

+2 Discovery Points

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The rays of the sun gave their farewell kisses to the land below as the light dipped to the horizon, seemingly ready to rest for the night along with some of the other creatures that lived here. Things were growing quiet fast as birds settled down and soon he was left to wander alone...

or so he thought.

A lumbering figure stood in the distance, seemingly moving as it grew closer though as the world began to darken so would the other making his features all the more difficult to make out. He smelled the man before he found his eyes. It was something foul and rotten that almost made him gag as if stumbling upon an old cache, with an eerie blood-filled gaze that could make even his skin crawl. He reeked of trouble.

So without another thought, he turned, seemingly adjacent to the stranger in hopes of skirting by without a confrontation.

+1 Discovery Points

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Unfortunately, his attempt to avoid the stinky man did no good as the warlord too turned his path to follow, his tail signaling behind him as he approached. It was almost a comforting sign, that perhaps it was just a nearby alpha who wanted to see what's up with the stranger passing by his land, but something in his gut told him there was something more. A wake of despair followed where the lord stepped, the dew on the grass disappearing with each step.

Clearly, he wouldn't be left to his own devices, so regrettably, West paused and waited for the other to catch up. He wasn't submissive, but he wouldn't try to challenge the other either. As far as he could tell these fields went unclaimed, and his passing through should bring him nor his pack trouble. “Is there a problem, Sir?” The light might be dimming, but it wasn't enough to mask the gunk and blood that seemed to cling to the other's fur. Unsettling was but one word for something so gruesome amongst what was once tranquil air.

+1 Discovery Points

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As the hulking man came to a stop he noticed that he was just about the same height if not slightly shorter than the stranger, but his bulk looked to be wider. If he was any other wolf he would likely be dwarfed with a towering creep hanging over his shoulder. A single word reply was all he was given as the silence hung thick in the air, just like the fog that rolled past.

West could feel as the beast's eyes roamed him, though so far he had shown no aggression, so he would do the same, relaxing his muscles as he was addressed once more, “I'm looking for someone. Just passing through, I shouldn't cause you any trouble.”

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A local. Well, at least he now knew where to permanently avoid...but, if he was here anyway maybe he should poke for information before skedaddling right on out. He wouldn't even know where to start with his own search, and the last thing he needed was this guy assuming he's crazy for some...weird feeling. But Hydra had given him a task. He could work with that, right?

“You have travelers pass through here often?” Something about that surprised him, even though he could smell the stale scents of those who had passed through before. Maybe he was just unlucky and came at the wrong hour, or maybe those wolves never finished passing... He mentally shook that thought out of his head despite the blood that stained the other's fur. It could be...prey blood, yeah? “No one specific really. Lost family...don't know of any Ostregas do you?”

The rest didn't seem important to point out right now and he certainly wasn't going to specify where Hydra had set her claim. He was pretty sure this guy fell into the "pretender" category and his scent didn't even come close to that of the mountain wolves.

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His question only seemed to tick the other guy off, maybe he had been on to something after all. 

"Often enough." 

Eugh, this was like some creepy pup tale and he still couldn't get over the feeling that he had to either gag or stop his skin from crawling away without him.

Though it seemed that maybe he had said the magic words as the warlord shifted. None of Hydra's kin had passed through, something he almost considered a blessing, but he did know of one. Maybe he could be pointed towards the lost individual. “They're my packmates.” Not that he had really stayed around long enough to...you know..."become" one of Hydra's wolves, but he was helping them out all the same.

“I'm looking for anyone who might be lost and hopefully send them home. Our claim is some days north from here. Where's the one you met?”

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The beast shifted, lowering his nose as he stepped closer, smelling him. He confirmed that the one he knew...lived in the mountains? Then they were already with the p- oh gods. “I didn't realize Hydra had allies here—” If his brow could sweat it would. He knew he didn't carry their scent, not well enough to hold up through his travels.

It wasn't the credibility of his story that made him freeze though. It was the name.

Nightwalkers.

He had heard that before. As if he had been hit in the head with a brick the memories came flooding back. Some faces seemed scratched out, blurry or unrecognizable, but the stories he had heard remained untouched. Vengeance. The man that had taken his brother. The man who led a child army and the scars of a girl—

That girl—

His breath hitched. He couldn't see her face, but he could see her. Small and white like a dove. There were bits of her that scattered his memories, filling holes that had once been vacant.

Who was she—

Regrettably, he forced his attention back to the vile man before him. He could figure out his puzzle later, but right now he knew he had to go. There was no doubt in his mind, he matched the descriptions. And Hydra had allied with him?! She must not have realized.

“You're Vengeance.” This time he had been sure with his words. Whatever oddity the other had witnessed as he dealt with the whirlwind of emotions that swept his mind was gone now, replaced with something far sterner. A fire lit his gaze as his head raised, ever so slightly, burning that bloodied maw into his mind.

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PP approved from noki

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The warlord confirmed that which he knew, the rumble in his throat likely enough to intimidate almost anyone, any kid. Did he still command children? It made sense now, just how easy it would be for him. He was a walking nightmare, one that they wouldn't be able to awake from if they disobeyed. 

“Prove to me you are one of Hydra's."

The woodland man's jaw locked, unsure how to answer. If his word up until now hadn't been enough there was nothing else he could offer. “I can't.”

And then he saw it. The shift of the beast's weight, the glint in his eye as he swiftly lunged. West narrowly avoided the fangs aimed at his throat, breath hot on his chest as he too lunged, out of immediate danger. 

As soon as his paws had hit the ground, not a second more would be wasted, tearing away into the mist. Not once did he slow until he was clear of the mist. He would be certain to keep moving, jogging if he had to so he might stay far enough to be too bothersome to pursue.

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