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SHOW US YOUR TEETH
Shortly after a major, Dzekk gets jumped into the pack by Lin.
Serrice comes by and looks on. Enjoy!
...
Serrice comes by and looks on. Enjoy!
...
A warm bathhouse (62176) - the neighborhoods of Duiran
Neatly tiled, with walls of pristine white, this room affords little modesty for those using it. Pipes rise about the ceiling, providing rinsing streams of warm water, though there are no curtains or stalls to separate them. At the edges, shelves have been prepared, bearing towels, scented oils, and discarded clothes. The very center of the room has a basin, filled with water, wisps of steam rising from within. A glowing red flame-shaped sigil has been left here.
Lin turns, more sensing you than hearing or seeing you. Presently she performs a repetitive scraping motion, lathing her forearms against one another - the surface of the water about her is hazy with calcified particles.
Nude with a leering wolf skull bottle full of a steppes tea of mint and wild cherry in hand, Pilar enters as quietly as her hooves will allow her on the tiled floor. Covered in grime and soil and blood, she steps into the basin at the opposite end with a sigh until the water reaches her belly. She pays you no mind, just raises the bottle and takes a long drink.
Lin notices you, naturally, though perhaps she senses a wish for quiet and privacy. Her eyes lift, and for you she puts on a secretive smile. She begins to work at the tufts of fur that sprout from between the seams along her legs, nibbling on them, or scratching under the plates.
You sip from a leering wolf skull bottle full of a steppes tea of mint and wild cherry, the layers of crisp mint, blackberry and fragrant wild cherry merging into a comfortable, aromatic note.
Pilar continues to drink from the bottle, humming her pleasure as she tastes the long cooled tea. With her other hand she cups some water in her hand, washes her face, runs it over her body and through her hair. It's not as thorougha bath as you have seen her take before but the grime soon disappears easily. After a long moment of silence, the little faun finally speaks, "Are you feeling better since we last talked?"
Lin favors you with a brightened expression - serene, withdrawn as she can often be, but not in any way unpleasant. She tends to say a lot merely through the setting of her face. Giving you a small, tight nod, she murmurs, "Very good, sister. Sorry. Don't even remember what Lin-- what I was upset about."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "Pack."
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "My Alpha."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "I've a Knightly sort seeking a way to release his aggression. My Beta pointed him to me."
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "He wants to unicorn you?"
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "No."
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "Oh."
(Viru Ambor): You say, "Tell us more."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "He says he is destructive, but it is not fitting of his positions."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "I know him. He is a valiant Knight, Lord Damariel's champion."
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "... wants an outlet for destruction. Feels rage, doesn't he."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "He does. Fighting is his life, but his beliefs are contrary to such."
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "It is good that he goes to you. You helped Lin with this."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "I mention him because I feel my Beta has sent him to me to find an outlet in the wolf."
"Don't be sorry, I am glad you are feeling better," Pilar replies with a soft smile and her eyes downturned, wiping away a particular smudge along the tattooed band encircling her middle. Turning away she climbs from the pool, water dripping from her furred thighs, and sets her bottle down before dropping to all fours. The small woman shakes water from her body like an animal, sending it spraying every which way before coming upright once more and smoothing a hand back through her dark hair.
With a raised brow, you say to Lin, in Jaziri, "I am sure you want to rest but will you have time soon for what I want to
show you?"
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "I would not push this onto him without responsibility. Should he find his outlet in Lycanthropy, do you two feel he might have a place among us?"
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "Who is he, my Alpha?"
(Viru Ambor): You say, "I don't know the man so I cannot say."
(Viru Ambor): You say, "Not to say that I do not trust your judgement, I do."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "Dzekk Agavezi."
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "Lin knows him."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "Aye?"
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "Want... to bite."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "... I do not know if that is good or bad."
(Viru Ambor): You say, "Oh, I know of his wife. She came to me for study with the Praadi, dropped nearly everything."
Lin lingers in the basin for a while longer, then she too steps out, water sluicing in erratic deltas down her limbs, leaving behind a deceptively broad puddle. Ever since you cut her hair, maintaining it has been a breeze - she simply squeezes her braid out, splattering the floor, then shakes her head wildly. Maintenance of her hairstyle can come later.
Lin says in a smooth, masculine tone, "Have been prepared, sister. I will have time, I promise."
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "Trust you, my Alpha. If you think he is worthy, he is Lin's packmate."
Pilar smiles faintly as she picks up her bottle once more, taking a short sip from it before looking out into the training yard just outside the west entrance. Jerking her head in its direction, she glances to you, "Will you test the man? See what teeth he has?"
The very notion elicits a thrill of excitement in Lin. Her pupils shrink, ever so slightly, her eyes widening. "It would be my pleasure," she says, her voice going tight. With little more than a suggestion, her bestial side has begun to cling to her like an invisible second skin. Hurriedly, she wraps and conceals herself.
Lin puts on a chest-binding undershirt.
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "Pilar?"
Lin puts on a flimsy loincloth of tanned hide.
Lin begins to follow you.
(Viru Ambor): You say, "I want to see what teeth he has first."
(Viru Ambor): You say, "Lin volunteers, yes?"
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "Lin wants to tear him in half."
(Viru Ambor): You say, "I think a small test will only do him some good. Make him earn it."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "You're free to. Come here, he could use a push."
Pilar smirks as she watches you, "You heard our Alpha. Go."
Lin flashes her teeth malevolently. She doesn't say a word, doesn't waste time.
Lin glances briefly westwards and dashes off into the distance.
(Tells): In Jaziri, you tell Lin, "I will be there in a moment, must dress."
....
A military-style training room (62175) - the neighborhoods of Duiran (Unmapped)
Dawn rises upon a cloudless sky, the dim, reddish rays of the sun shining down upon the land. A sigil in the shape of a small, rectangular monolith is on the ground. Lin is here. Aisling is here. Dzekk is here.
You see exits leading north, east, south, and west.
Dzekk takes a quick step back, astonished by Lin's sudden arrival. "Friend Lin," the Knight greets with a kind smile. Upon your arrival, he inclines his head politely. Finally turning back to Aisling, he asks, "Arranged?"
Lin comes from the bath chamber, dripping wet, tiny white particulates coming away with the water, suggesting she has been maintaining her mutated plating. She doesn't say a word to Dzekk, but stares at him steadily and unblinking, her claws spread loosely. Her tail is dancing like wildfire.
A leafy shrubling shimmers into existence before you.
Aisling motions to the arriving women, her smirk ever present, "This is my pack. My mate, Pilar." She says, pointing to the faun, and then, to Lin, "Lin, who you already know. We'll tear that aggression from you. See if you are fit."
Dzekk blinks a few times as he glances around at the gathered women. "Tear it from me how?" he asks with a wary tone, adopting a defensive stance in place of the previously rigid one.
Pilar enters from the yard from the infirmary to the north, her silk robe wrapped tightly around her. Following on her heels, a leafy shrubling rustles and waits patiently, stilling only when the Yeleni takes a seat atop it. Hands folded demurely in her lap, she simply looks Dzekk over with a critical eye without a word before her gaze darts to Lin. Once Aisling has finished speaking, her eyes drop, as if in a silent signal to her horned sister.
(Tells): In Jaziri, you tell Lin, "Find his teeth."
No sooner does the question leave Dzekk's lips before Lin barrels into him bodily, surging forward like a ballista bolt. Whether he is prepared or not, her shape contorts and bulges, her clothes coming unfastened as her skin sprouts with black and white fur, like a sudden spreading rash.
Lin uses Shapeshifting Mutate.
A low, bestial growl rumbles in the back of Lin's throat as her muscles grow taut, causing her to double over as they stretch and snap beneath her skin. Her face elongates into a lupine muzzle, her teeth sharpen, and a thick pelt springs from her flesh. She gives her body a vigorous shake and lets out a bone-chilling howl as she assumes the form of a werewolf.
Aisling's breath traces cold tendrils in the air, the unfurling frost dissipating with a wintry chill.
Aisling simply steps back, crossing her arms as she watches, though her smile does fade. Her gaze narrows, and her focus is on Dzekk, undivided.
(Tells): Serrice tells you, "I suppose I walked into something a little more serious than I thought."
(Tells): Speaking from the back of her mind, you tell Serrice, "Testing Dzekk, finding his teeth."
Serrice sits on a bench, hands curled around its edges. Her legs cross at the ankles, one foot tapping slowly against the ground as she tilts her head in a rather canine gesture of curiosity.
Aisling's breath traces cold tendrils in the air, the unfurling frost dissipating with a wintry chill.
A piercing sound cleaves through the air.
A portal opens in the air in front of you, edges vibrating madly.
Lin sniffs a sonic portal, trying to decipher just what that smell emanating from it is.
The deepening night settles in as the moon traces its path across the sky.
Surprise etches its way onto Dzekk's face and he grunts as Lin slams into him, leaping back quickly so as to avoid being knocked over completely by the monstrously large werewolf. He stands there defensively, eyeing her cautiously. "I see," he speaks, an excited grin making its way onto his face. Spacing his legs apart for balance, he faces Lin with arms extended, hands open in an effort to fight the beast off.
Streaking the dark sky with dim, fiery rays of orange and magenta, the sun begins to rise in the east. It is now dawn on Gosday, the 3rd of Haernos, year 462 of the Midnight Age.
A crystalline hum ripples along the blade of Mercy, serene and hopeful as it flares to greet the dawn.
Pilar watches calmly from her perch atop a leafy shrubling, reaching into her sleeves to produce a leering wolf skull bottle of a steppes tea of mint and wild cherry and takes a short drink.
Lin's claws crack against the floor as she makes a heavy landing. Her tail stiff and raised in the air, she lumbers toward Dzekk in an unhurried but excited gait, her aggression spurned on by his combatative demeanor. Her head sinks low, her body following as if dragged through liquid, and she lunges at him again, maw stretched wide to snap at his thighs.
Aisling shifts on her feet, something akin to anxiety, perhaps excitement, beginning to fill her, visible in how she seems to fidget, eager for a result.
You sip from a leering wolf skull bottle of a steppes tea of mint and wild cherry, the layers of crisp mint, blackberry and fragrant wild cherry merging into a comfortable, aromatic note.
Shadows dissipate from around Serrice's feet, rendering her footfalls audible again.
Serrice straightens out her head - there's a brief diversion of attention to her feet as the shadows wisp away - then it's back to Dzekk and Lin, her lips curving and her eyes narrowing into a predatory mien.
A confident and wide grin appears on Dzekk's face as he expertly sidesteps Lin's lunge, avoiding the attack completely. His eyes shift to her now-vulnerable head as he twists his body, bringing a plated elbow down towards the top of the skull with strength and precision.
Pilar narrows her eyes at the display and clicks her tongue disapprovingly. Outside of that, the faun remains eerily still, her only movement being the darting of her eyes between Lin and Dzekk.
Lin's momentum continues past Dzekk, her claws already outstretched to brake herself, squealing on the floor. A loud and pained yelp erupts from her throat as Dzekk's elbow finds a home between her ears, sending her bulky form tumbling groundward. In a full second's daze, she squeezes her eyes shut, then opens them wide, the veins prominent, bloodshot.
Picking herself up, snarling at deafening volume, she turns, leaps, and smashes claws-first against the wall, sprinting several paces, making the building vibrate, before leaping at Dzekk from the side. Her claws outstretch, whistling against the air, as she brings them down at Dzekk's head.
Aisling rumbles, taking a step closer to you as the fight escalates, expands, a protective instinct surfacing. Otherwise, she remains still, growing stiff, posture straight, the excitement still clinging to her, her expression betraying little.
Dzekk's body twists in an effort to avoid Lin's oncoming assault, but he does not react quite fast enough. A cracking sound resonates out as claw meets skull and the Knight is nearly swatted away, tumbling down into ground rather ungracefully. He rises, faltering, grasping at his head with one hand while the other is positioned defensively between him and Lin.
Serrice's is far less stoic - she smiles, she grins, she rocks a little back and forth in her seat. There's a keen interest in her eye, her red gaze flicking back and forth between the combatants, watching every movement the two make.
Lin refuses to give Dzekk distance, chasing each feint or tumble with single-minded aggression. "SHOW YOUR TEETH," she roars, her voice a deep and ragged thing; it is felt more in the bones than heard, like the scraping of heavy ashlars. Her mouth remains open as she howls aloud, the air suddenly piercing, inciting maddening thoughts. Rogue flashes of threat or of
instinctive warning prickle the air itself, misfiring the sixth sense for danger. It feels like being attacked from all sides. And Lin takes to dancing around Dzekk, leaping to the side, only to come back as if on a spring, readying another swipe at whatever vital part she can reach.
Pilar pricks an ear at Lin's demand. The shrubling beneath her shivers from the howls and soon her stare is fixed entirely on Dzekk alone, expression somehow stoic yet expectant.
The corner of Serrice's lips curl into a teeny little smirk, and she drums her fingers against the bench's edge in anticipation.
Still staggering from the powerful swipe to his head, and with the additional confusion of Lin's roar, Dzekk completely fails to react and takes the brutal hit head-on, collapsing into a pitiful pile on the ground. "I'm not done yet," he grunts through gritted teeth, pushing himself back up to his knees as he stares her down with a look of anger - perhaps even rage. Suddenly, the Knight lunges forward, surged on by a burst of adrenaline and driving a solid fist into the side of her head.
Lin swerves, her bulky head snapping aside, legs crossed against one another as she tries to keep her balance. Each blow she takes fails to slow her - they only infuriate her, rob her of the part of her mind that can strategize or plan attack, can think rationally. Now, with great, outraged growls, she hurls her bulk against Dzekk, relying at last on the differences of
mass between the two, crashing down on the floor over him with considerable weight and muscle. She leaves minimal time to react, her teeth snapping for his throat.
Aisling tenses, seeming about ready to step in, gaze narrowing, hands closed into tight fists and ears perked, attentive.
While making a slicing motion across her neck, Pilar says, in Jaziri, "In some species of spiders, the male must show his
teeth...or die."
Serrice's fingers wiggle. She leans forwards, as if to get a better vantage for the bloodshed hopefully to follow - her narrowed eyes and smile belie her anticipation.
Dzekk is pinned beneath Lin's great mass, pushing with all his strength and struggling frantically to keep her snapping maw from finding his throat. He roars, a deep and guttural thing, his body twisting beneath Lin as he props his feet against her body. With an ear-shattering scream, it happens - his body contorts in its vulnerability, changing into something less of a man and more a wolf - and he throws Lin seemingly effortlessly to the side, rising in his new form with a low, constant growl.
Dzekk uses Shapeshifting Mutate.
A low, bestial growl rumbles in the back of Dzekk's throat as his muscles grow taut, causing him to double over as they stretch and snap beneath his skin. His face elongates into a lupine muzzle, his teeth sharpen, and a thick pelt springs from his flesh. He gives his body a vigorous shake and lets out a bone-chilling howl as he assumes the form of a werewolf.
Aisling stops, her fidgeting, her urge to move. The woman steps back, a low rumble rising in her chest at the sight of the golden wolf, and her gaze shifts, to the others gathered.
He is an athletic Azudim werewolf of Human heritage, his hulking form a bristly, swollen thing over seven feet in height at the shoulders despite standing on all fours. His fur is thick and a luminous gold in color all over, marred here and there by several vicious scars while a crest of pure white sweeps back messily from atop the lycanthrope's head. Most unique about this wolf are his forelimbs - though large and powerful enough as is, a series of hardened, carapace-like crests emerge from his shoulders and completely envelop his muscular arms and sharp claws, tufts of golden fur jutting out between the plates. A single horizontal gash lies across his angular snout and his predatory eyes glow with an eerie white. He walks with the blessing of Damariel.
(fused to his wrists) : a pair of blackened steel manacles
(displayed openly, hanging from his neck) : a long silver necklace with a sword of mithril
(wrapped thrice about his wrist) : a string of Damarielite prayer beads
Lin tumbles over onto her side, picking herself up again unthinkingly, ready to lunge again, and again, and again, until Dzekk submits or is dead. But now she takes pause, glaring at him, her ears folding back, tail vibrating as it lowers. Her head lowering, she clenches her fangs and gives a bowel-shaking snarl. Then she presses her attack. It is much the same as before - leaping at Dzekk with pure offensive aggression, claws and teeth at the ready, ready to latch on wherever she can, eager to bring the fight to a violent end.
(Tells): Her voice sharp-edged and frosty, Aisling whispers to you, "What do you think?"
Still holding her bottle, Pilar smirks at the transformation as she crosses her arms. With Dzekk's change, the faun now seems more interested in the outcome.
(Tells): Speaking from the back of her mind, you tell Aisling, "He still has not shown me any teeth."
(Tells): Speaking from the back of her mind, you tell Aisling, "I see what kind of man he is but what kind of wolf is he? We don't know yet."
Serrice straightens up - after a moment spent giving Dzekk a keen once over, she too briefly averts her attention, and gazes over towards the other, not-wolf persons in the room before the inevitable draw back to the fight at its center.
You sip from a leering wolf skull bottle of a steppes tea of mint and wild cherry, the layers of crisp mint, blackberry and fragrant wild cherry merging into a comfortable, aromatic note.
(Tells): Speaking from the back of her mind, you tell Aisling, "I do think it is too bad that Delyth is not here to witness this."
Dzekk is more than ready this time, meeting Lin's aggression with a lunge of his own. Claws lock with claws and he snarls, a crazed, rage-filled noise, snapping his fangs towards her throat as he pushes on with monstrous strength. A bloodcurdling howl pierces the air and he forces Lin away, swiftly closing the gap with his maw ready to snap down upon her shoulder.
(Tells): Her voice sharp-edged and frosty, Aisling whispers to you, "Delyth will have her turn, but it'll be under me."
(Tells): Speaking from the back of her mind, you tell Aisling, "Of course, Alpha."
The sun rises higher in the sky, casting its rays more intensely upon the land as it nears its zenith.
(Tells): Her voice sharp-edged and frosty, Aisling whispers to you, "She bends easily under Lin."
What ensues is a flash of motion, golden and black and white, Lin and Dzekk locked in a deadly scrum, each forcing the other to give. As the dizzying, rapid-motion conflict comes to an abrupt halt, she is pinned to the ground, her maw open wide, ears flattened back, as Dzekk sinks his teeth into the meat of her shoulder. She whimpers aloud, the ever-present snarling dying in her throat.
(Tells): Speaking from the back of her mind, you tell Aisling, "I am aware."
(Tells): Speaking from the back of her mind, you tell Aisling, "I think I have seen enough for now between these two."
Aisling snaps to action when Lin's whimper comes true, the outcome clear to see. She pulls her shirt over her head, steps growing faster until she leaps, shifting into a wolf midair, a huge, white blur that lands heavily by the fighting pair, a warning snarl resounding from her. She snaps at Dzekk, urging the golden wolf away with sharp teeth.
Aisling uses Shapeshifting Mutate.
A low, bestial growl rumbles in the back of Aisling's throat as her muscles grow taut, causing her to double over as they stretch and snap beneath her skin. Her face elongates into a lupine muzzle, her teeth sharpen, and a thick pelt springs from her flesh. She gives her body a vigorous shake and lets out a bone-chilling howl as she assumes the form of a werewolf.
Dzekk releases Lin's shoulder from his grasp, backing off to no longer pin the other beast down. A growl remains ever present on his voice as he stands there breathing heavily, still ready for anything as he looks to Aisling with eyes full of emotion - rage, terror, compassion - and backs down completely.
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "Wolves. Your thoughts."
(Viru Ambor): You say, "He doesn't want to die today, I like that."
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "H... he is... un- unafraid..."
Lin rolls slowly to her feet, keeping her posture low to the ground, her ribs sliding along the floor. Tail curled between her legs, she moves beneath Aisling for protection, pressing her skull against her throat.
Serrice looks a touch disappointed, but it's an expression that fades. She notes the little spots of blood dotting each of the combatants, her eyes drifting between the pair and Aisling too.
She is a typical Azudim werewolf of Atavian heritage, toned and tough. On all fours, her shoulders rise perhaps eight and a half feet from the ground, her body proportionately long. Her fur is icy and speckled with white, the thick coat reasonably soft to the touch, though dirt and other debris clings to it easily. Her snout is long, standing beneath unusual eyes, the
irises a piercing yellow. She is broad, muscular, big paws marking her as one used to swift running. One of her ears is mangled, missing a large portion of its tip.
(visible in missing patches of fur) : a woven, triangular tattoo
(under one wrist) : a black-inked tattoo of a feral eye
(dangling at the neck) : an entwined band carved from a wintry icecrystal
Pilar looks to Aisling, her gaze unblinking as she waits for the white wolf to make a move.
She is a stalwart Azudim werewolf of Human heritage, a muscular and disturbing marriage of wolf and something darker. She is considerably large, approximately nine, perhaps ten feet from shoulder to rear. The face is elongated, sunken in places and extruded in others, only the very ancestral suggestion of a wolf, with a heavy lower jaw and deep, skull-like eyes of amber.
Where the hollowed sweeps of her cheeks meet the curve of her neck, a pair of jagged horns flanks her head. A crest of thick, black fur begins at the top of her skull and extends the length of her back, a mane that covers the entire top portion of her body. The rest of her fur is a mottled white, sleek and thick, especially around her shoulders and neck. The beast's legs are
grown over with unnatural mutations of bone, emulating the shape of a wolf's musculature, but warping it into weaponized exaggerations, the claws nothing less than skeletal blades, several inches long. Her tail, a clattering, flexile length of calcified bone plates, almost doubles the length of her bulk; unlike a wolf's, it is long and ropy, ending in a rough and jagged barb.
(twisted around her horns) : warped and twisted filigree horn ornamentations
(burnt into her forehead) : a circular mark, half darkened
Aisling keeps her teeth bared, her snarl ever present as she watches Dzekk warily, body shifting forward when Lin seeks protection, her monstrous form helping shroud the defeated wolf. Her snout is pinched, and her tail held high, even as she stands defensively.
Dzekk lowers his head before Aisling, any intent to continue fighting gone from the wolf's stance as his growling comes to an end. "I.. submit.." the golden wolf snarls, deep and guttural, yet obedient in its tone.
(Viru Ambor): Aisling has invited Dzekk to join the pack.
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "He just... gives up!?"
(Viru Ambor): Dzekk has joined the pack.
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "To me, he does."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "Welcome, Dzekk."
(Viru Ambor): You say, "Welcome, Dzekk, welcome."
(Viru Ambor): Dzekk says, "Thank you."
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "... hello, Dzekk."
(Viru Ambor): You say, "Finally you show us some fangs."
(Viru Ambor): Dzekk says, "It is relieving."
Lin watches Dzekk with atavistic fear, nestling under Aisling's bulk until her adrenaline evaporates. At his declaration of submission, she allows herself to revert to her humanoid shape, continuing to cling to Aisling in much the same fashion. Her facial expression is no different from that of the wolf's, her features devoid of emotion, the animal mind still very much in control.
Lin uses Shapeshifting Revert.
Lin gives her body a vigorous shake and begins to shed her werewolf form, the fur receding rapidly, and her body shrinking back to normal size, not a single trace of the wolf remaining.
Seeing that it's over, Pilar rises and straightens out her robes. The shrubling behind her shivers and disappears, sinking into the ground once its services are no longer needed.
A leafy shrubling goes suddenly out of focus, then fades away.
Aisling relaxes slowly, seeming to sense Lin's fear enough to remain in this form, large enough to shield the woman. The white wolf inclines her head to Dzekk, in acceptance, and the tension in the air seems to slowly fade.
A calm comes over Dzekk as he relaxes, trying to harness the human side of him once more and reverting. A blank expression lies on his face as he stares at the ground, displaying very little energy. "I.." is all he utters, overwhelmed by everything that just happened.
Dzekk uses Shapeshifting Revert.
Dzekk gives his body a vigorous shake and begins to shed his werewolf form, the fur receding rapidly, and his body shrinking back to normal size, not a single trace of the wolf remaining.
Serrice leans forwards, a leg extending and planting its heel against the floor as she stretches. A hand brushes away loose bangs, and a face regards Dzekk with curiosity.
"G... good... good fight," Lin whispers. She won't move from her spot under Aisling. Even returned to her flesh, her nearly-human face, her manner has not changed, her attitude that of a defeated, subdued creature. Her claws are sunk deep in Aisling's fur as she stares endlessly at Dzekk.
Pilar moves to take Serrice's side and she leans slightly against her, quiet and still simply watching.
Aisling shifts, a low, comforting rumble in her chest as she moves to stand in front of Lin, easing the woman's claws off of her fur with gentle taps of her paws. She looks to Dzekk, an unheard conversation ongoing, ears perked.
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "Rasani is my Beta, we'll help you adjust."
Serrice startles a little at your proximity. An arm snakes out and wraps loosely around your waist, the woman's fingers absent-mindly drumming against your skin as she quietly takes Dzekk's measure.
Dzekk offers Lin a single nod in reply, and a kind smile makes its way onto his face as he grows more comfortable with his surroundings - and the change. "Yes, good fight," he replies, looking around the room once more to glimpse at the observers. Turning to Aisling, he bows his head respectfully and says, "Thank you... I needed that."
(Viru Ambor): Dzekk says, "I am glad for the help. Adjusting to this might take some time.."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "No rush."
Delyth arrives from the south.
Lin rises to her feet, cuts and gashes here and there, especially the deep bite in her shoulder, sunken right where the flesh meets curling, upraised external bone. Though she stares at Dzekk, she doesn't quite make eye contact, her tail slung low between her calves. She is quite undisposed to speaking at the moment, her face perfectly blank, save for the fear in her
eyes.
Pilar looks up at Delyth from Serrice's side with a raised brow, "Oh, you missed the whole thing."
Aisling finally reverts, seeming unbothered by the harsh cracking and the shedding of fur as her form grows smaller. The woman gives Dzekk smile, something of pride, "Rasani went through much the same, we'll see it all done." The woman says, voice rough, still adjusting. Her attention shifts to Lin, and she offers the feral woman a hand, "Come here, dear, want me to get you some water? Tend to your wounds?"
Serrice glances the way your voice is sent - a small smile forms upon seeing Delyth, and she waves, a little wiggle of her fingers, before shifting her attention back to the center of the room, where Aisling, Lin, and Dzekk are gathered.
Lin response snappily at first, retreating back from Aisling's hand, then as her sense returns, she takes it hand without looking, not breaking her gaze from Dzekk for several seconds more. It takes a while for higher sentience to return to her, and it comes slowly. She turns to Aisling with a quiet and muted expression, the tension in her eyes betraying a modicum of pain. She just nods.
Very quietly, Lin says in a smooth, masculine tone, "Yes, my Alpha."
Delyth totally has her robe on and not the clothes she is wearing. Its tugged closed, with heavy bite marks still healing on both sides of her neck. "I do not have the best timing, do I?"
(Tells): In Jaziri, you tell Lin, "You did well, sister."
(Tells): Lin tells you, in Jaziri, "Thank you. He is... is very strong."
Dzekk looks on at Lin, an apologetic expression coming forth. "You get a free one," states, patting at his own shoulder with
a grin. "Whenever."
(Tells): Lin tells you, in Jaziri, "I want to become stronger."
(Tells): In Jaziri, you tell Lin, "Now that you have a sparring partner, you will."
Aisling chuckles at Dzekk's words, "Don't say that." The woman warms, though her tone is far from serious. She leads Lin to a nearby bench, urging the woman to settle. "Are you well, Delyth?" She calls out, as she takes some bandages from her pouch.
Pilar smirks at Delyth and shakes her head, "Terrible. Awful." With a sigh, she extricates herself from Serrice's side and yawns wide, "It tired me just to watch. A little rest will do me good."
"It does not work that way," Lin says to Dzekk, with sudden sharpness, her words a bite. "Will get one when Lin can -take- one." Tension still making her movements stiff, she follows Aisling to the bench, sitting with her legs apart, elbows on her knees, head low, like a gladiator resting after a tough bout.
Serrice settles her hand back against the edge of another bench, fingers restlessly drumming against the wood. "Go well," she tells you, flashing you a brief smile of your own.
Aisling's breath traces cold tendrils in the air, the unfurling frost dissipating with a wintry chill.
Delyth grins towards you, moving out of the door way and at least coming further inside. "Mostly recovered, yes," she answers Aisling with a grin. She lets Aisling tend to Lin, uncertain, but gives Dzekk a little wave. "Sounds like you have had an interesting week so far."
Pilar awards Serrice's smile with a brief kiss before she heads out of the yard and into the garden.
Neatly tiled, with walls of pristine white, this room affords little modesty for those using it. Pipes rise about the ceiling, providing rinsing streams of warm water, though there are no curtains or stalls to separate them. At the edges, shelves have been prepared, bearing towels, scented oils, and discarded clothes. The very center of the room has a basin, filled with water, wisps of steam rising from within. A glowing red flame-shaped sigil has been left here.
Lin turns, more sensing you than hearing or seeing you. Presently she performs a repetitive scraping motion, lathing her forearms against one another - the surface of the water about her is hazy with calcified particles.
Nude with a leering wolf skull bottle full of a steppes tea of mint and wild cherry in hand, Pilar enters as quietly as her hooves will allow her on the tiled floor. Covered in grime and soil and blood, she steps into the basin at the opposite end with a sigh until the water reaches her belly. She pays you no mind, just raises the bottle and takes a long drink.
Lin notices you, naturally, though perhaps she senses a wish for quiet and privacy. Her eyes lift, and for you she puts on a secretive smile. She begins to work at the tufts of fur that sprout from between the seams along her legs, nibbling on them, or scratching under the plates.
You sip from a leering wolf skull bottle full of a steppes tea of mint and wild cherry, the layers of crisp mint, blackberry and fragrant wild cherry merging into a comfortable, aromatic note.
Pilar continues to drink from the bottle, humming her pleasure as she tastes the long cooled tea. With her other hand she cups some water in her hand, washes her face, runs it over her body and through her hair. It's not as thorougha bath as you have seen her take before but the grime soon disappears easily. After a long moment of silence, the little faun finally speaks, "Are you feeling better since we last talked?"
Lin favors you with a brightened expression - serene, withdrawn as she can often be, but not in any way unpleasant. She tends to say a lot merely through the setting of her face. Giving you a small, tight nod, she murmurs, "Very good, sister. Sorry. Don't even remember what Lin-- what I was upset about."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "Pack."
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "My Alpha."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "I've a Knightly sort seeking a way to release his aggression. My Beta pointed him to me."
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "He wants to unicorn you?"
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "No."
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "Oh."
(Viru Ambor): You say, "Tell us more."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "He says he is destructive, but it is not fitting of his positions."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "I know him. He is a valiant Knight, Lord Damariel's champion."
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "... wants an outlet for destruction. Feels rage, doesn't he."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "He does. Fighting is his life, but his beliefs are contrary to such."
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "It is good that he goes to you. You helped Lin with this."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "I mention him because I feel my Beta has sent him to me to find an outlet in the wolf."
"Don't be sorry, I am glad you are feeling better," Pilar replies with a soft smile and her eyes downturned, wiping away a particular smudge along the tattooed band encircling her middle. Turning away she climbs from the pool, water dripping from her furred thighs, and sets her bottle down before dropping to all fours. The small woman shakes water from her body like an animal, sending it spraying every which way before coming upright once more and smoothing a hand back through her dark hair.
With a raised brow, you say to Lin, in Jaziri, "I am sure you want to rest but will you have time soon for what I want to
show you?"
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "I would not push this onto him without responsibility. Should he find his outlet in Lycanthropy, do you two feel he might have a place among us?"
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "Who is he, my Alpha?"
(Viru Ambor): You say, "I don't know the man so I cannot say."
(Viru Ambor): You say, "Not to say that I do not trust your judgement, I do."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "Dzekk Agavezi."
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "Lin knows him."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "Aye?"
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "Want... to bite."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "... I do not know if that is good or bad."
(Viru Ambor): You say, "Oh, I know of his wife. She came to me for study with the Praadi, dropped nearly everything."
Lin lingers in the basin for a while longer, then she too steps out, water sluicing in erratic deltas down her limbs, leaving behind a deceptively broad puddle. Ever since you cut her hair, maintaining it has been a breeze - she simply squeezes her braid out, splattering the floor, then shakes her head wildly. Maintenance of her hairstyle can come later.
Lin says in a smooth, masculine tone, "Have been prepared, sister. I will have time, I promise."
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "Trust you, my Alpha. If you think he is worthy, he is Lin's packmate."
Pilar smiles faintly as she picks up her bottle once more, taking a short sip from it before looking out into the training yard just outside the west entrance. Jerking her head in its direction, she glances to you, "Will you test the man? See what teeth he has?"
The very notion elicits a thrill of excitement in Lin. Her pupils shrink, ever so slightly, her eyes widening. "It would be my pleasure," she says, her voice going tight. With little more than a suggestion, her bestial side has begun to cling to her like an invisible second skin. Hurriedly, she wraps and conceals herself.
Lin puts on a chest-binding undershirt.
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "Pilar?"
Lin puts on a flimsy loincloth of tanned hide.
Lin begins to follow you.
(Viru Ambor): You say, "I want to see what teeth he has first."
(Viru Ambor): You say, "Lin volunteers, yes?"
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "Lin wants to tear him in half."
(Viru Ambor): You say, "I think a small test will only do him some good. Make him earn it."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "You're free to. Come here, he could use a push."
Pilar smirks as she watches you, "You heard our Alpha. Go."
Lin flashes her teeth malevolently. She doesn't say a word, doesn't waste time.
Lin glances briefly westwards and dashes off into the distance.
(Tells): In Jaziri, you tell Lin, "I will be there in a moment, must dress."
....
A military-style training room (62175) - the neighborhoods of Duiran (Unmapped)
Dawn rises upon a cloudless sky, the dim, reddish rays of the sun shining down upon the land. A sigil in the shape of a small, rectangular monolith is on the ground. Lin is here. Aisling is here. Dzekk is here.
You see exits leading north, east, south, and west.
Dzekk takes a quick step back, astonished by Lin's sudden arrival. "Friend Lin," the Knight greets with a kind smile. Upon your arrival, he inclines his head politely. Finally turning back to Aisling, he asks, "Arranged?"
Lin comes from the bath chamber, dripping wet, tiny white particulates coming away with the water, suggesting she has been maintaining her mutated plating. She doesn't say a word to Dzekk, but stares at him steadily and unblinking, her claws spread loosely. Her tail is dancing like wildfire.
A leafy shrubling shimmers into existence before you.
Aisling motions to the arriving women, her smirk ever present, "This is my pack. My mate, Pilar." She says, pointing to the faun, and then, to Lin, "Lin, who you already know. We'll tear that aggression from you. See if you are fit."
Dzekk blinks a few times as he glances around at the gathered women. "Tear it from me how?" he asks with a wary tone, adopting a defensive stance in place of the previously rigid one.
Pilar enters from the yard from the infirmary to the north, her silk robe wrapped tightly around her. Following on her heels, a leafy shrubling rustles and waits patiently, stilling only when the Yeleni takes a seat atop it. Hands folded demurely in her lap, she simply looks Dzekk over with a critical eye without a word before her gaze darts to Lin. Once Aisling has finished speaking, her eyes drop, as if in a silent signal to her horned sister.
(Tells): In Jaziri, you tell Lin, "Find his teeth."
No sooner does the question leave Dzekk's lips before Lin barrels into him bodily, surging forward like a ballista bolt. Whether he is prepared or not, her shape contorts and bulges, her clothes coming unfastened as her skin sprouts with black and white fur, like a sudden spreading rash.
Lin uses Shapeshifting Mutate.
A low, bestial growl rumbles in the back of Lin's throat as her muscles grow taut, causing her to double over as they stretch and snap beneath her skin. Her face elongates into a lupine muzzle, her teeth sharpen, and a thick pelt springs from her flesh. She gives her body a vigorous shake and lets out a bone-chilling howl as she assumes the form of a werewolf.
Aisling's breath traces cold tendrils in the air, the unfurling frost dissipating with a wintry chill.
Aisling simply steps back, crossing her arms as she watches, though her smile does fade. Her gaze narrows, and her focus is on Dzekk, undivided.
(Tells): Serrice tells you, "I suppose I walked into something a little more serious than I thought."
(Tells): Speaking from the back of her mind, you tell Serrice, "Testing Dzekk, finding his teeth."
Serrice sits on a bench, hands curled around its edges. Her legs cross at the ankles, one foot tapping slowly against the ground as she tilts her head in a rather canine gesture of curiosity.
Aisling's breath traces cold tendrils in the air, the unfurling frost dissipating with a wintry chill.
A piercing sound cleaves through the air.
A portal opens in the air in front of you, edges vibrating madly.
Lin sniffs a sonic portal, trying to decipher just what that smell emanating from it is.
The deepening night settles in as the moon traces its path across the sky.
Surprise etches its way onto Dzekk's face and he grunts as Lin slams into him, leaping back quickly so as to avoid being knocked over completely by the monstrously large werewolf. He stands there defensively, eyeing her cautiously. "I see," he speaks, an excited grin making its way onto his face. Spacing his legs apart for balance, he faces Lin with arms extended, hands open in an effort to fight the beast off.
Streaking the dark sky with dim, fiery rays of orange and magenta, the sun begins to rise in the east. It is now dawn on Gosday, the 3rd of Haernos, year 462 of the Midnight Age.
A crystalline hum ripples along the blade of Mercy, serene and hopeful as it flares to greet the dawn.
Pilar watches calmly from her perch atop a leafy shrubling, reaching into her sleeves to produce a leering wolf skull bottle of a steppes tea of mint and wild cherry and takes a short drink.
Lin's claws crack against the floor as she makes a heavy landing. Her tail stiff and raised in the air, she lumbers toward Dzekk in an unhurried but excited gait, her aggression spurned on by his combatative demeanor. Her head sinks low, her body following as if dragged through liquid, and she lunges at him again, maw stretched wide to snap at his thighs.
Aisling shifts on her feet, something akin to anxiety, perhaps excitement, beginning to fill her, visible in how she seems to fidget, eager for a result.
You sip from a leering wolf skull bottle of a steppes tea of mint and wild cherry, the layers of crisp mint, blackberry and fragrant wild cherry merging into a comfortable, aromatic note.
Shadows dissipate from around Serrice's feet, rendering her footfalls audible again.
Serrice straightens out her head - there's a brief diversion of attention to her feet as the shadows wisp away - then it's back to Dzekk and Lin, her lips curving and her eyes narrowing into a predatory mien.
A confident and wide grin appears on Dzekk's face as he expertly sidesteps Lin's lunge, avoiding the attack completely. His eyes shift to her now-vulnerable head as he twists his body, bringing a plated elbow down towards the top of the skull with strength and precision.
Pilar narrows her eyes at the display and clicks her tongue disapprovingly. Outside of that, the faun remains eerily still, her only movement being the darting of her eyes between Lin and Dzekk.
Lin's momentum continues past Dzekk, her claws already outstretched to brake herself, squealing on the floor. A loud and pained yelp erupts from her throat as Dzekk's elbow finds a home between her ears, sending her bulky form tumbling groundward. In a full second's daze, she squeezes her eyes shut, then opens them wide, the veins prominent, bloodshot.
Picking herself up, snarling at deafening volume, she turns, leaps, and smashes claws-first against the wall, sprinting several paces, making the building vibrate, before leaping at Dzekk from the side. Her claws outstretch, whistling against the air, as she brings them down at Dzekk's head.
Aisling rumbles, taking a step closer to you as the fight escalates, expands, a protective instinct surfacing. Otherwise, she remains still, growing stiff, posture straight, the excitement still clinging to her, her expression betraying little.
Dzekk's body twists in an effort to avoid Lin's oncoming assault, but he does not react quite fast enough. A cracking sound resonates out as claw meets skull and the Knight is nearly swatted away, tumbling down into ground rather ungracefully. He rises, faltering, grasping at his head with one hand while the other is positioned defensively between him and Lin.
Serrice's is far less stoic - she smiles, she grins, she rocks a little back and forth in her seat. There's a keen interest in her eye, her red gaze flicking back and forth between the combatants, watching every movement the two make.
Lin refuses to give Dzekk distance, chasing each feint or tumble with single-minded aggression. "SHOW YOUR TEETH," she roars, her voice a deep and ragged thing; it is felt more in the bones than heard, like the scraping of heavy ashlars. Her mouth remains open as she howls aloud, the air suddenly piercing, inciting maddening thoughts. Rogue flashes of threat or of
instinctive warning prickle the air itself, misfiring the sixth sense for danger. It feels like being attacked from all sides. And Lin takes to dancing around Dzekk, leaping to the side, only to come back as if on a spring, readying another swipe at whatever vital part she can reach.
Pilar pricks an ear at Lin's demand. The shrubling beneath her shivers from the howls and soon her stare is fixed entirely on Dzekk alone, expression somehow stoic yet expectant.
The corner of Serrice's lips curl into a teeny little smirk, and she drums her fingers against the bench's edge in anticipation.
Still staggering from the powerful swipe to his head, and with the additional confusion of Lin's roar, Dzekk completely fails to react and takes the brutal hit head-on, collapsing into a pitiful pile on the ground. "I'm not done yet," he grunts through gritted teeth, pushing himself back up to his knees as he stares her down with a look of anger - perhaps even rage. Suddenly, the Knight lunges forward, surged on by a burst of adrenaline and driving a solid fist into the side of her head.
Lin swerves, her bulky head snapping aside, legs crossed against one another as she tries to keep her balance. Each blow she takes fails to slow her - they only infuriate her, rob her of the part of her mind that can strategize or plan attack, can think rationally. Now, with great, outraged growls, she hurls her bulk against Dzekk, relying at last on the differences of
mass between the two, crashing down on the floor over him with considerable weight and muscle. She leaves minimal time to react, her teeth snapping for his throat.
Aisling tenses, seeming about ready to step in, gaze narrowing, hands closed into tight fists and ears perked, attentive.
While making a slicing motion across her neck, Pilar says, in Jaziri, "In some species of spiders, the male must show his
teeth...or die."
Serrice's fingers wiggle. She leans forwards, as if to get a better vantage for the bloodshed hopefully to follow - her narrowed eyes and smile belie her anticipation.
Dzekk is pinned beneath Lin's great mass, pushing with all his strength and struggling frantically to keep her snapping maw from finding his throat. He roars, a deep and guttural thing, his body twisting beneath Lin as he props his feet against her body. With an ear-shattering scream, it happens - his body contorts in its vulnerability, changing into something less of a man and more a wolf - and he throws Lin seemingly effortlessly to the side, rising in his new form with a low, constant growl.
Dzekk uses Shapeshifting Mutate.
A low, bestial growl rumbles in the back of Dzekk's throat as his muscles grow taut, causing him to double over as they stretch and snap beneath his skin. His face elongates into a lupine muzzle, his teeth sharpen, and a thick pelt springs from his flesh. He gives his body a vigorous shake and lets out a bone-chilling howl as he assumes the form of a werewolf.
Aisling stops, her fidgeting, her urge to move. The woman steps back, a low rumble rising in her chest at the sight of the golden wolf, and her gaze shifts, to the others gathered.
He is an athletic Azudim werewolf of Human heritage, his hulking form a bristly, swollen thing over seven feet in height at the shoulders despite standing on all fours. His fur is thick and a luminous gold in color all over, marred here and there by several vicious scars while a crest of pure white sweeps back messily from atop the lycanthrope's head. Most unique about this wolf are his forelimbs - though large and powerful enough as is, a series of hardened, carapace-like crests emerge from his shoulders and completely envelop his muscular arms and sharp claws, tufts of golden fur jutting out between the plates. A single horizontal gash lies across his angular snout and his predatory eyes glow with an eerie white. He walks with the blessing of Damariel.
(fused to his wrists) : a pair of blackened steel manacles
(displayed openly, hanging from his neck) : a long silver necklace with a sword of mithril
(wrapped thrice about his wrist) : a string of Damarielite prayer beads
Lin tumbles over onto her side, picking herself up again unthinkingly, ready to lunge again, and again, and again, until Dzekk submits or is dead. But now she takes pause, glaring at him, her ears folding back, tail vibrating as it lowers. Her head lowering, she clenches her fangs and gives a bowel-shaking snarl. Then she presses her attack. It is much the same as before - leaping at Dzekk with pure offensive aggression, claws and teeth at the ready, ready to latch on wherever she can, eager to bring the fight to a violent end.
(Tells): Her voice sharp-edged and frosty, Aisling whispers to you, "What do you think?"
Still holding her bottle, Pilar smirks at the transformation as she crosses her arms. With Dzekk's change, the faun now seems more interested in the outcome.
(Tells): Speaking from the back of her mind, you tell Aisling, "He still has not shown me any teeth."
(Tells): Speaking from the back of her mind, you tell Aisling, "I see what kind of man he is but what kind of wolf is he? We don't know yet."
Serrice straightens up - after a moment spent giving Dzekk a keen once over, she too briefly averts her attention, and gazes over towards the other, not-wolf persons in the room before the inevitable draw back to the fight at its center.
You sip from a leering wolf skull bottle of a steppes tea of mint and wild cherry, the layers of crisp mint, blackberry and fragrant wild cherry merging into a comfortable, aromatic note.
(Tells): Speaking from the back of her mind, you tell Aisling, "I do think it is too bad that Delyth is not here to witness this."
Dzekk is more than ready this time, meeting Lin's aggression with a lunge of his own. Claws lock with claws and he snarls, a crazed, rage-filled noise, snapping his fangs towards her throat as he pushes on with monstrous strength. A bloodcurdling howl pierces the air and he forces Lin away, swiftly closing the gap with his maw ready to snap down upon her shoulder.
(Tells): Her voice sharp-edged and frosty, Aisling whispers to you, "Delyth will have her turn, but it'll be under me."
(Tells): Speaking from the back of her mind, you tell Aisling, "Of course, Alpha."
The sun rises higher in the sky, casting its rays more intensely upon the land as it nears its zenith.
(Tells): Her voice sharp-edged and frosty, Aisling whispers to you, "She bends easily under Lin."
What ensues is a flash of motion, golden and black and white, Lin and Dzekk locked in a deadly scrum, each forcing the other to give. As the dizzying, rapid-motion conflict comes to an abrupt halt, she is pinned to the ground, her maw open wide, ears flattened back, as Dzekk sinks his teeth into the meat of her shoulder. She whimpers aloud, the ever-present snarling dying in her throat.
(Tells): Speaking from the back of her mind, you tell Aisling, "I am aware."
(Tells): Speaking from the back of her mind, you tell Aisling, "I think I have seen enough for now between these two."
Aisling snaps to action when Lin's whimper comes true, the outcome clear to see. She pulls her shirt over her head, steps growing faster until she leaps, shifting into a wolf midair, a huge, white blur that lands heavily by the fighting pair, a warning snarl resounding from her. She snaps at Dzekk, urging the golden wolf away with sharp teeth.
Aisling uses Shapeshifting Mutate.
A low, bestial growl rumbles in the back of Aisling's throat as her muscles grow taut, causing her to double over as they stretch and snap beneath her skin. Her face elongates into a lupine muzzle, her teeth sharpen, and a thick pelt springs from her flesh. She gives her body a vigorous shake and lets out a bone-chilling howl as she assumes the form of a werewolf.
Dzekk releases Lin's shoulder from his grasp, backing off to no longer pin the other beast down. A growl remains ever present on his voice as he stands there breathing heavily, still ready for anything as he looks to Aisling with eyes full of emotion - rage, terror, compassion - and backs down completely.
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "Wolves. Your thoughts."
(Viru Ambor): You say, "He doesn't want to die today, I like that."
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "H... he is... un- unafraid..."
Lin rolls slowly to her feet, keeping her posture low to the ground, her ribs sliding along the floor. Tail curled between her legs, she moves beneath Aisling for protection, pressing her skull against her throat.
Serrice looks a touch disappointed, but it's an expression that fades. She notes the little spots of blood dotting each of the combatants, her eyes drifting between the pair and Aisling too.
She is a typical Azudim werewolf of Atavian heritage, toned and tough. On all fours, her shoulders rise perhaps eight and a half feet from the ground, her body proportionately long. Her fur is icy and speckled with white, the thick coat reasonably soft to the touch, though dirt and other debris clings to it easily. Her snout is long, standing beneath unusual eyes, the
irises a piercing yellow. She is broad, muscular, big paws marking her as one used to swift running. One of her ears is mangled, missing a large portion of its tip.
(visible in missing patches of fur) : a woven, triangular tattoo
(under one wrist) : a black-inked tattoo of a feral eye
(dangling at the neck) : an entwined band carved from a wintry icecrystal
Pilar looks to Aisling, her gaze unblinking as she waits for the white wolf to make a move.
She is a stalwart Azudim werewolf of Human heritage, a muscular and disturbing marriage of wolf and something darker. She is considerably large, approximately nine, perhaps ten feet from shoulder to rear. The face is elongated, sunken in places and extruded in others, only the very ancestral suggestion of a wolf, with a heavy lower jaw and deep, skull-like eyes of amber.
Where the hollowed sweeps of her cheeks meet the curve of her neck, a pair of jagged horns flanks her head. A crest of thick, black fur begins at the top of her skull and extends the length of her back, a mane that covers the entire top portion of her body. The rest of her fur is a mottled white, sleek and thick, especially around her shoulders and neck. The beast's legs are
grown over with unnatural mutations of bone, emulating the shape of a wolf's musculature, but warping it into weaponized exaggerations, the claws nothing less than skeletal blades, several inches long. Her tail, a clattering, flexile length of calcified bone plates, almost doubles the length of her bulk; unlike a wolf's, it is long and ropy, ending in a rough and jagged barb.
(twisted around her horns) : warped and twisted filigree horn ornamentations
(burnt into her forehead) : a circular mark, half darkened
Aisling keeps her teeth bared, her snarl ever present as she watches Dzekk warily, body shifting forward when Lin seeks protection, her monstrous form helping shroud the defeated wolf. Her snout is pinched, and her tail held high, even as she stands defensively.
Dzekk lowers his head before Aisling, any intent to continue fighting gone from the wolf's stance as his growling comes to an end. "I.. submit.." the golden wolf snarls, deep and guttural, yet obedient in its tone.
(Viru Ambor): Aisling has invited Dzekk to join the pack.
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "He just... gives up!?"
(Viru Ambor): Dzekk has joined the pack.
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "To me, he does."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "Welcome, Dzekk."
(Viru Ambor): You say, "Welcome, Dzekk, welcome."
(Viru Ambor): Dzekk says, "Thank you."
(Viru Ambor): Lin says, "... hello, Dzekk."
(Viru Ambor): You say, "Finally you show us some fangs."
(Viru Ambor): Dzekk says, "It is relieving."
Lin watches Dzekk with atavistic fear, nestling under Aisling's bulk until her adrenaline evaporates. At his declaration of submission, she allows herself to revert to her humanoid shape, continuing to cling to Aisling in much the same fashion. Her facial expression is no different from that of the wolf's, her features devoid of emotion, the animal mind still very much in control.
Lin uses Shapeshifting Revert.
Lin gives her body a vigorous shake and begins to shed her werewolf form, the fur receding rapidly, and her body shrinking back to normal size, not a single trace of the wolf remaining.
Seeing that it's over, Pilar rises and straightens out her robes. The shrubling behind her shivers and disappears, sinking into the ground once its services are no longer needed.
A leafy shrubling goes suddenly out of focus, then fades away.
Aisling relaxes slowly, seeming to sense Lin's fear enough to remain in this form, large enough to shield the woman. The white wolf inclines her head to Dzekk, in acceptance, and the tension in the air seems to slowly fade.
A calm comes over Dzekk as he relaxes, trying to harness the human side of him once more and reverting. A blank expression lies on his face as he stares at the ground, displaying very little energy. "I.." is all he utters, overwhelmed by everything that just happened.
Dzekk uses Shapeshifting Revert.
Dzekk gives his body a vigorous shake and begins to shed his werewolf form, the fur receding rapidly, and his body shrinking back to normal size, not a single trace of the wolf remaining.
Serrice leans forwards, a leg extending and planting its heel against the floor as she stretches. A hand brushes away loose bangs, and a face regards Dzekk with curiosity.
"G... good... good fight," Lin whispers. She won't move from her spot under Aisling. Even returned to her flesh, her nearly-human face, her manner has not changed, her attitude that of a defeated, subdued creature. Her claws are sunk deep in Aisling's fur as she stares endlessly at Dzekk.
Pilar moves to take Serrice's side and she leans slightly against her, quiet and still simply watching.
Aisling shifts, a low, comforting rumble in her chest as she moves to stand in front of Lin, easing the woman's claws off of her fur with gentle taps of her paws. She looks to Dzekk, an unheard conversation ongoing, ears perked.
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "Rasani is my Beta, we'll help you adjust."
Serrice startles a little at your proximity. An arm snakes out and wraps loosely around your waist, the woman's fingers absent-mindly drumming against your skin as she quietly takes Dzekk's measure.
Dzekk offers Lin a single nod in reply, and a kind smile makes its way onto his face as he grows more comfortable with his surroundings - and the change. "Yes, good fight," he replies, looking around the room once more to glimpse at the observers. Turning to Aisling, he bows his head respectfully and says, "Thank you... I needed that."
(Viru Ambor): Dzekk says, "I am glad for the help. Adjusting to this might take some time.."
(Viru Ambor): Aisling says, "No rush."
Delyth arrives from the south.
Lin rises to her feet, cuts and gashes here and there, especially the deep bite in her shoulder, sunken right where the flesh meets curling, upraised external bone. Though she stares at Dzekk, she doesn't quite make eye contact, her tail slung low between her calves. She is quite undisposed to speaking at the moment, her face perfectly blank, save for the fear in her
eyes.
Pilar looks up at Delyth from Serrice's side with a raised brow, "Oh, you missed the whole thing."
Aisling finally reverts, seeming unbothered by the harsh cracking and the shedding of fur as her form grows smaller. The woman gives Dzekk smile, something of pride, "Rasani went through much the same, we'll see it all done." The woman says, voice rough, still adjusting. Her attention shifts to Lin, and she offers the feral woman a hand, "Come here, dear, want me to get you some water? Tend to your wounds?"
Serrice glances the way your voice is sent - a small smile forms upon seeing Delyth, and she waves, a little wiggle of her fingers, before shifting her attention back to the center of the room, where Aisling, Lin, and Dzekk are gathered.
Lin response snappily at first, retreating back from Aisling's hand, then as her sense returns, she takes it hand without looking, not breaking her gaze from Dzekk for several seconds more. It takes a while for higher sentience to return to her, and it comes slowly. She turns to Aisling with a quiet and muted expression, the tension in her eyes betraying a modicum of pain. She just nods.
Very quietly, Lin says in a smooth, masculine tone, "Yes, my Alpha."
Delyth totally has her robe on and not the clothes she is wearing. Its tugged closed, with heavy bite marks still healing on both sides of her neck. "I do not have the best timing, do I?"
(Tells): In Jaziri, you tell Lin, "You did well, sister."
(Tells): Lin tells you, in Jaziri, "Thank you. He is... is very strong."
Dzekk looks on at Lin, an apologetic expression coming forth. "You get a free one," states, patting at his own shoulder with
a grin. "Whenever."
(Tells): Lin tells you, in Jaziri, "I want to become stronger."
(Tells): In Jaziri, you tell Lin, "Now that you have a sparring partner, you will."
Aisling chuckles at Dzekk's words, "Don't say that." The woman warms, though her tone is far from serious. She leads Lin to a nearby bench, urging the woman to settle. "Are you well, Delyth?" She calls out, as she takes some bandages from her pouch.
Pilar smirks at Delyth and shakes her head, "Terrible. Awful." With a sigh, she extricates herself from Serrice's side and yawns wide, "It tired me just to watch. A little rest will do me good."
"It does not work that way," Lin says to Dzekk, with sudden sharpness, her words a bite. "Will get one when Lin can -take- one." Tension still making her movements stiff, she follows Aisling to the bench, sitting with her legs apart, elbows on her knees, head low, like a gladiator resting after a tough bout.
Serrice settles her hand back against the edge of another bench, fingers restlessly drumming against the wood. "Go well," she tells you, flashing you a brief smile of your own.
Aisling's breath traces cold tendrils in the air, the unfurling frost dissipating with a wintry chill.
Delyth grins towards you, moving out of the door way and at least coming further inside. "Mostly recovered, yes," she answers Aisling with a grin. She lets Aisling tend to Lin, uncertain, but gives Dzekk a little wave. "Sounds like you have had an interesting week so far."
Pilar awards Serrice's smile with a brief kiss before she heads out of the yard and into the garden.
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