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 Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 7:40 pm
It had been quite a while since the dark shadow that was Panth had skulked about, having received a new task from his Master after he had gotten his fill from Ardelle. It kept him far from his victim, leaving him uncertain what had happened to her. Fortunately, his Master had granted him a bit of freedom to go back and sniff around, curious if she was still there, perhaps making a meager existence for herself within his territory. He trudged through the foliage, passing over leaves with his snout and eyeing branches for evidence that someone had been through. He was not a thrashing demon as he had once been. He was curious to see if she had hung around, and perhaps she was available to... be used again. A soft rustling caught his ears. He grinned to himself, running his tongue along the back of his fangs. Daario and his kin were well-protected within a makeshift nest, covered in dead grass and ferns beside a bush dotted with berries. He was still young, of course, but he hated being alone with his siblings. Why did mother leave? I'm hungry...
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 8:15 pm
It was a fine nest their mother had put together for them. Hidden and protected, warm and safe....and utterly boring to the wandering and inquisitive mind of a child. Well, at least for Alexi.
It wasn't that he didn't love his siblings, quite the opposite in fact. Here he could be the good brother and keep an eye out for any scary demons that could be lurking! Here he could hold the fort down until mother returned from...whatever it was mother did when she skulked off and disappeared! Here he could.....wait...where exactly was he now...?
Suddenly he couldn't tell which way led back to the nest.
Resembling much like a scared rabbit, his ears twitched as he listened for any sound of his siblings. With wide eyes he nervously glanced about for something familiar, anything that would point him in the right direction.
Nothing stuck out.
"Umm....Daa?" He waited a moment and listened. "Tehara?" He hadn't wandered that far off, surely his brother and sister had to be playing some sort of joke on him. "Come on guys! This....this isn't funny anymore. Where are you?"
It took all the courage he had not to curl up in a ball and cry until someone found him. Instead he continued to look around, but there was an edge to his voice that hinted he was on the verge of tears. "Mom.....?" He grew silent for a moment and sniffled.
"Anyone....?"
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Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 5:04 am
Panth closed in one the soft sounds he heard, quietly, until at last he was upon her. He leapt through the brush, an explosion of cracking branches and black fur materializing in front of Alexi. But what met him wasn't his red Kage-- it wasn't even an adult Kage. Or prey. Or anything useful. "What..." he huffed, catching his breath after landing right beside the baby, "is this?"
He narrowed his eyes at the creature with a scowl, sniffing it, feeling tricked as he was quite certain he could smell Ardelle. He smelled... familiar? "What are you doing here? Where are your parents? Do you know you are trespassing?" He looked ready to snap the baby up in his jaws and fling him into the ocean, finding babies completely useless to him. Besides, the Neverlin cultists were not the nurturing type-- even if he brought them babies they would most likely die before adulthood anyway.
He finally took a moment to really study the baby, and noticed the markings. His scowl deepened. "Who... is your mother?" His first thoughts weren't of the baby being his own, but of Ardelle being a harlot, and for some reason that set his teeth on edge.
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:44 am
The sudden sounds in the brush quickly caught his attention and he quickly made to scurry over towards the sounds. They had found him!
"Daa!?"
Unfortunate for Alexi, the creature that tore through the bushes and nearly pounced on him was not his brother, or his sister, or even his mother. Instead he found himself face to face with a shadow, a demon from his nightmares. Alexi squealed and backpedaled clumsily, tripping over his own feet and collapsing in a heap.
As Panth loomed over him, his only response was to curl up in a little ball and start sniffling. He must've been sleeping because this was all just a bad dream, and mother had always said that dreams couldn't hurt you....
Right...?
"I..I..I...well my b...brother and s...sister are...somewhere...and m...mother dis...disappears...s...sometimes." Once his stammering came to and end there was a moment of silence before he dared to peak out from his paws, a bit of curiosity in his eyes. "Wha....what is...tress....trespassing?"
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 1:20 pm
Panth rolled his eyes and sat back on his haunches now, finding the little sniveling pile of fur just pathetic-- nevermind that it was just a baby. And nevermind the fact that he must look like a monster to him. Then again... Panth wasn't exactly docile. He was worth fearing. "You're treading on land that belongs to me and my Master. That is trespassing. I could snap your little neck for that." He grinned, knowing that would scare the living daylights out of him even more if he could comprehend what he was saying.
His eyes fell back to his coat, however, just knowing it had to be that wench he had taken a few months ago. Months... His black eyes widened. There was no one else in this forest, no brave Kage to take Ardelle as their own. It had only been him. He would've known if more male, adult Kage were around. I would've known! Staring down at the miserable whelp, Panth had an epiphany, but he didn't like it. In fact, it sent him into a rage.
"I KNEW I should've killed her!" he growled, attacking a bush beside Alexi, sending twigs and chunks of brush flying. His powerful claws crushed the little plant in seconds. "No. No. It can't be." He glowered at the little creature, shaking his head. "You. You said you had a brother and sister. Take me to them." In an instant, the large black Kage had snapped up Alexi into his jaws and flung him back towards the path. "GO."
He figured he could find their accursed mother as well this way, though he had no idea Alexi was lost this entire time.
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 2:10 pm
"But...but we live here! I....I haven't seen y...you here before! M...Mother will be upset if she f...finds you here." Verbal threats didn't really seem to phase him too much, but if the larger kage so much as breathed in his direction it would've probably induced another panic attack.
Alexi took note and watched Panth intently as he ranted to himself. The other kage was clearly angry with someone, not that Alexi could connect the dots. He was completely unaware that his dear mother was the source of Panth's ire.
At the sudden demand thrown his way, Alexi was conflicted. Half in fear of his inability to do as he was told, and half with his unwillingness to. Wasn't this what he set out to do? To protect his siblings from passing demons? Uncurling himself he stood, albeit shakily, and face the much larger kage with defiance in his eyes. Stray bit of courage or not, he wasn't about to aggressively challenge the older kage. He was young, but he wasn't that stupid.
"I won't! I won't let you hurt my brother or sister! Just wait til-" His little tirade was interrupted when Panth suddenly rushed him. His courage quickly melted away as he found himself in the jaws of the other kage and he squealed and flailed about in an attempt to free himself. One second he was sent flying through the air and the next he landed hard on his side and was sprawled out on the ground.
"I can't!" He wailed loudly. "I....I'm lost....I don't know where they are."
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 7:41 pm
"Nothing this stupid could ever have come from me," he assured himself, thinking out loud again as he prowled towards the baby and slapped grass and rocks at him. "How can you be lost? Hell, I can see where you came from right now..." He looked over at a cracked branch near the ground, with a bit of Alexi's red fur in it. "As you seem quite intent on protecting the other little whelps, I'll just have to find them myself." He glanced back at the tiny thing as he turned to go and find their home. "And quit your mewling. You'll attract more predators that way."
He knew he was the only real predator left in these woods, but Alexi didn't.
And what will I do when I find them? Will I kill them all like a farmer with a litter of kittens? Bring them back to the Master? No... he would punish me for cavorting with that little wench. But we could use them-- if they weren't such useless little things. His head was pounding now as he went off to find the rest of the babies, whether from shock or Alexi's wailing, he couldn't tell.
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 8:13 pm
Panth's out loud thinking gave him reason to pause as he turned the words over in his head. One could almost see the gears turning in his mind...and skipping as he failed to draw any conclusion even if the words did strike him as odd. His attention was brought back to the situation as he was sudden pelted with bits of earth and rocks, yelping and quickly scurrying out of the way.
"Of course I'm trying to protect them! That's what family does!" He was clearly in tears at this point, but if this demon wanted to get to his siblings he would have to go through Alexi. Not that it would be that much trouble for the elder kage, but if Alexi could follow after and make as much noise as possible, perhaps his brother and sister would hear and get away in time.
"I hope there are other demons around! Then maybe one will come and snatch you up!" Part of him was relieved when Panth turned his attention to finding their nest, and another part was down right indignant. So much so even that as he darted to catch up with the black kage, he dared to n** at the other's feet.
The final part of him was dead set on keeping this monster away from his family. Death sentence or not. "Hey! Hey! I don't remember coming from this way!" Tracking was far beyond him at this point, and he was clueless as to the signs Panth had picked up.
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 8:30 pm
Panth almost laughed at the brave little Kage, if he didn't find him so irritating. He shook him off as he attempted to n** his heels, and stalked onward, almost ignoring his pleas and threats. It made no matter to him. "No, you clearly came from this way," he muttered as he leapt over a large half-buried rock, covered in moss. He could tell by the way a pair of tiny feet had scrabbled over it and slid down the other side.
They soon came to a clearing, where the nest stood against the berry bush and a bird chirped merrily within the twigs. Panth raised a brow, smelling all sorts of interesting scents. Ardelle, and more babies. Though, she didn't appear to be home. Why didn't I find this place sooner? Ah well... choices need to be made. Panth turned back towards the baby that had scampered after him, and put his face real low and close to his. He bared his fangs, sneering. "Look what you did. You brought the only demon in the forest to your home, to eat your brother and sister all up!"
The ensuing wail or shout would be enough to draw Daario from the nest, blinking hard against the relative brightness of the forest. "Alex?" he murmured, as his eyes grew wide and his jaw dropped at the shadow that had followed his brother home. "ALEX??"
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 9:06 pm
This was irritating. Tehara had been quite content in exploring the area around the nest while Alexi was out. And Daario seemed to be asleep, so it was the perfect time to slip out. Mama had gone somewhere, so she was an opportunistic explorer. But she had heard her brother's whimpers. How could he be lost when she could still hear him? She had started coming back to the nest when a very larg, very mean thing jumped into the clearing. All the little girl could think to do was puff up as large as her fur could and growl her best, most fierce growl at the intruder.
It probably wasn't that intimidating, and sounded more like a kitten making racket. But it was her most fierce display. "STAY AWAY!" She warned in a very threatening tone... she thought.
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Posted: Wed Nov 09, 2011 9:22 pm
When Panth leaned in and spoke Alexi did the first, and possibly most idiotic, thing that came to mind. He took a swipe aimed right at the monster's face with his claws. Now Alexi was still quite young and his claws were similar to his teeth, too small to do any real damage, but sharp like little needles. "YOU LEAVE THEM ALONE!" Had his voice been a few octaves lower, and had it not cracked half way through, he might've sounded scary...to a field mouse perhaps.
He could literally hear his heart pounding in his ears, and hearing that his siblings were clearly still in the area did nothing to ease the increasing steady rise of panic. "Daa! Teha! You gotta get out of here and find mum! I'll slow him down!" He all but screeched so they could here them regardless of where they were. He then promptly did what he set out to do and latched on to one of Panth's back paws and wrapped his entire body around it; limbs, teeth, claws, and tail.
Come hell or high water, he wasn't gonna let this demon do what he clearly planned to do. Not while Alexi still drew breath.
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Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 6:45 am
Panth's face twisted in confusion as the little twerp retaliated instead of recoiled in fear. The tiny scratch was enough to force him backwards in surprise, brows furrowed. "Why, you little monster..." he spat, resisting every urge to crush him into dust. It wasn't time for that just yet. Patience. Unfortunately, that patience was growing thin.
He turned back to the nest, and laid his eyes upon the puffball that had come to Alexi's aid. "Oh great, two little guardians..." he murmured. He took a step towards the nest, and the familiar prickly feel of tiny claws enveloped his back leg. Looking backwards with a growl, he shook his foot like a cat that had stepped in water. "WHELP, if you had not annoyed me so, I may have taken it easy on you! But now you will suffer!" Ignoring the baby now, he approached the nest, brushing past the little puffball Tehara and enduring any prickly attacks that may follow.
Finally, Panth noticed Daario. He had been watching his brother and sister, his face showing fear and shock, his body frozen up. "Out of my way," Panth hissed, knocking him aside. With one swipe of his claw, the nest was completely uncovered and scattered into a pile of foliage and natural debris. "This is all your fault!" he shouted to the children, "and now I will kill that whore mother of yours before I kill you. Where is she?!"
Daario stood up and pedaled backwards, still in awe of such a huge monster, barely noticing his brother and sister fighting for their (supposed) lives. His words brought contempt to his face, however. "Why did you bring this monster here?? Mom's gonna be so mad!" Daario cried.
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Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:04 pm
Tehara hissed at the big ugly mean old creature that was attacking. "Mama's not here! So nyeeeeeeeee!" She stuck her tongue out at the bigger demon, slowly inching over to Daario. She nosed him once to make sure he was ok. She then turned her tiny hate-filled gaze back to the attacking Kage. "YOU'RE the monster you big fat meanie!" Her back arched as she tried to make herself look bigger again, before starting to shout "MAMA! MAMA! HELP!"
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 1:40 pm
She absolutely adored her children. She loved them as much as a mother could love, and yet something was still wrong. Sometimes when she'd just sit by and watched, amused as they played together, the memories would come back and she just had to get away
They were his children after all.
This morning she'd been watching them sleep when the memories came back. She had forced herself away, deeper into the forest, before she did something she was surely regret. It was a mother's job to protect her children, even if it was from herself.
She knew the forest well enough by now, whether from aimlessly wandering or when she'd searched for the best spot for her nest, or even when she hunted. She never strayed too far from her children and yet, she knew there was little to fear in this forest during the day so long as the shadow was away and you kept away from the encampment. As it stood, she was probably the scariest thing in the woods. Before everything that happened it was unheard of, but now...the little bit of power seemed to calm her.
She had been wandering back in the direction of her children, when the sound of commotion reached her ears. She crouched, ready to take off in a mad dash to protect her children when a very familiar scent reached her nose.
It was him.
For the briefest of moments she hesitated, the helpless victim conflicting with the over-protective mother. It was over quick and in a flash she was off to face her demon. She was not the same scrap of a kage that Panth would remember; the days she'd spent in peace under the sun with her children had already out-numbered the nights she'd woken up screaming, jumping at every shadow.
Even if all of her new found confidence was stripped away at the sight of him, she had something else to live and fight for now.
She leaped through the bushes and into the clearing. Her first instinct was not to attack Panth, but instead locate her children. She spied her darling daughter puffed up like a hellcat in front of Daario, and a quick survey of the scene saw Alexi being shaken off of Panth's leg. She bristled when her brave little son was slow to get back up to his feet, and narrowed a rather icy stare at the demon who had haunted her dreams.
She waited for it; the flashbacks, the panic, the mind-numbing fear.
She waited...and waited and after a few beats when she still felt nothing, nothing but free, a very strange thing happened.
Ardelle smiled....
Then she laughed.
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 2:07 pm
Her entrance caught his attention, the black Kage swinging himself angrily to face her. "There you are," he spat. "What is this? What are these? I should've killed you. This is unacceptable." He furrowed his brow as the female began to smile and laugh, thinking her mad. "Is this all a joke to you? No... you'd best start groveling, as may snuff you all out right now. You're not part of my plan."
He noticed that she didn't seem frightened or ready to flee, and she was a bit larger, slightly more intimidating than before. Was this the same Kage? No longer a mouse, but a wildcat. This is what I get for taking on a new mission for Master... the woods have grown wild without me. I must cut down this tree and her saplings before they grow any larger. "I will tear you apart like I should've done all those months ago." He approached her, his beady black eyes ablaze with her red reflection. The children could watch. He liked the prospect of them watching their mother die. Daario remained in shock beside his siblings, knowing it would do no good to get in the middle of a full-on fight.
She had been far too weak to be any use to the Master back then. After childbirth, he assumed she'd be just as weak, but perhaps stockier and full of milk. Useless. Just as useless as before. "Useless!" he hissed, and finally leapt at her with claws splayed and fangs bared. He would take her down and scuffle in the dirt if he could catch her, eager to rend flesh even if she returned some of the blows.
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