Freedom (Open)

[Venom]

The rushing of the river effectively destroyed all hope of hearing intruders, but Venom did not mind; his sharp eyes and nose were on full alert, despite being in a neutral territory and having harmed no one. He had not been followed, nor was there any chance of him running into any wolves who had caught him previously. The elder male had travelled far to get here, replacing his preferred temperate climate and grass with the desolate, barren ground of the west. Any wolf willing to follow him this far would have to be crazy, especially considering how little he had rested on the way.

His reasoning had been simple; after he had run across that filthy coyote who had thwarted him, Venom had intended to, at the very least, harm her. But to her rescue had come another wolf, and between the two it had not been worth the effort. Thus the older male had fled, shamelessly abandoning his attempt to hurt the female in favor of saving his own hide. After all, he hadn't made it as long as he had by being foolish, and he wasn't ready to start now.

Three paws, not four, carried him safely along the edge of the river, keeping him far enough away that it would take quite the effort to fall in, but not so far that he was necessarily out in the open. It was dim outside, as dawn had not yet broken, but the first tricklings of sunlight brightened the land enough that his dark pelt stood out starkly against the green of the grass that often times matched the sparkling emerald of his eyes. Those eyes had never failed to charm those who were charmable, nor had they ever given away his intentions unless he wanted them to.

Currently, however, he had no intentions; the wolf was simply moving south, making his way down the continent in as smooth a way as he could. Venom had had enough of time wasting, and he was ready to return home at last, but it would take several weeks still for him to reach the secluded southern land that he had settled in. Luckily, the wolf was very much familiar with the land, not only from his recent travels but his travels of the past, when he roamed the island wreaking havoc with his brother Kimset.

Memories came to the forefront of his mind, and Venom took a moment to sit still and think. He had not rested in several hours anyway, and his muscles, though accustomed to constant use, were aching enough that a few moments would be a welcome blessing. Visions of destruction and mayhem danced behind his eyes, bringing a small smile to his lips as he remembered the times he had with his brother. That grisly gray brute, stocky as Venom was slim and absolutely horrendous at making conversation, was the only wolf he still cared about, despite hearing nothing of him for years. Their time together as young, disaster-causing wolves had been the best of Venom's life, even better than his stable life just before he was forced to remove his leg. Complacency, he found, was something he despised, and he was secretly glad to have been abandoned by his former love.

Even if he had liked having a home and family, he was thankful for the way they had left him. It had clearly been for his own good, as it had brought renewed life to a wolf who had nearly forgotten who he really was. Kindness and love were boring, and had made him soft; it had been easy for him to slip back into moving and killing, and he very much preferred the taste of blood to the taste of grooming a loved one's fur. Truly he was favored by the gods, for he was able to return to his life of scheming and lying as though he had never left it. Venom welcomed the life of a loner with open arms, though he had the added benefit of a pack that gave him sanctuary as easily as it gave him freedom these days.

Imperium was a special place, one he was proud to be a part of, but he would leave it just as quickly as any other life if he needed--hell, even if he only wanted--to. T'was the nature of the beast, and he was unashamed of the fact that he held no loyalty. Cobain knew, and perhaps even respected it, and for that alone Venom would serve him as needed, so long as that service gave him what he wanted. And so it had.

Words || 782
Tags || n/a
Notes || OPEN THREAD SEASON WHEEEEE

[Karath]

Grey eyes scanned the horizon, his ears not bothering to try and pick up anything outside the heavy and beating thrum that the river's sound made reverberating almost annoyingly into his head. It wasn't like he could stop the river though, and so the male felt nothing at the situation of his eardrums. His white muzzle was clean, and he had not made a kill in a small while, but was not hungry, if he had wanted a hunt though this land was as good as any as he could not tell that it was claimed by any particular pack. All the better if it was though he thought with some amusement. It had been awhile since he had engaged in a fight, but that fancy did not seize him at that instant so he did not run with it. Instead, above the clear and smooth scent of water there was a wolf near here. His eyes narrowed, the grey standing out just enough against the black pupil, he wondered briefly if he should turn around now. Half of him willing his paws to go towards the other wolf, a male his nose told him as it heaved in scents and analyzed the data of its own accord, and another reminding him that it would be better to leave the situation as it were and not invite unnecessary trouble, but as he moved to gain a better vantage point, the scar on his leg moving slowly as he carefully proceeded not wishing to be noticed, he observed that the other wolf was sitting down. His eyes did not catch the missing limb, as it was hard to distinguish the wolf sitting down with an all black coat. Still the other did not appear threatening, even if intuition warned him about the danger of judging by appearance. The male should have known his mind had been made up when he did not immediately flee at the idea of another in the area. A dull thought glanced through his head and then left as soon as it had come so I'm in that kind of mood today

Not bothering to fight with himself any longer he pad over to the wolf, tail at a non-threatening but not submissive either position, and very little light in his eyes, not suggesting any emotion, and closer resembling apathy, but the keen observance would dismiss any idea of the male being entirely dimwitted. Leaving impressions in the ground as he was not trying to cover his tracks the wolf began to approach the other. No thoughts went through his mind, and he did not even really bother to think about what he wanted to say, or what he wanted out of the wolf. As he neared the male thought it strange that bloodlust was not coming upon him as it sometimes did when he approached others for seemingly no purpose only to near them, and suddenly have the desire to rip their throats out. There was no panic in him, no real fear of being made a fool of for approaching and finding his tongue stuck behind his teeth having nothing to see, but he did wonder at it. He had no desired result from this conversation, and he was the one approaching so he was fairly sure that the stranger had no expectations of him, but he could not very well walk away now, as then it would only look strange as if he was an odd spy, or a pup that had been caught eavesdropping on his parents. His thoughts barely soured when he thought of his own parents, plain apathy to them. Ears pricked only slightly forward as he did not want to seem aggressive he tried to pick up anything unusual about the wolf that he was walking towards, a faster heart-rate, heavy breathing, but the river washed away any sound that his ears might have received, and the roaring of the river only became more distinct as he tried to listen. As he neared he tried to assess the wolf as one he would meet in battle, and was almost befuddled by the conclusion he came to, the wolf was bigger than him. He did not consider himself to be a large wolf, but he had considered himself fairly intimidating, and it was not as if the number of wolves smaller than him were significant. While the wolf was only somewhat taller than he was, as far as he could estimate the wolf was longer, and heavier than he was. The other's missing limb continued to go unnoticed as the male speculated if he could actually win in a fight with the other individual, and was left unsure, but standing only a few meters away it was too late to use that knowledge in a wise way other than running, and he had no interest in that.

words|| 818
Tags|| Venom
Notes|| Mind if I join the rp? I'll delete the post if it's a problem

[Venom]

As he rested silently by the rushing river, Venom debated which direction he would begin to turn. It would be unwise for him to pass through Acerbus; rumor was there were massive, fierce wolves there who would tear him apart without a second thought, and while the dark male was accustomed to overcoming more obstacles than most, he did not particularly desire to tangle with a wolf nearly three times his size. Kairos was a place he would avoid out of caution rather than fear, and because he was clearly outclassed when it came to size.

The rest of the west coast of the island was fairly boring, though the Ocassus would be interesting to traverse. Venom could already see the peak that was the massive volcano located there, and he was curious as to what it would look like up close. His history with cliffs and mountains was rocky, as it had been a mountain avalanche that lead to his loss of leg, but he held no anxiety about visiting another. Besides, there would be no avalanches on a mountain without snow.

While he had been thinking, a loner had popped up in his field of view, and Venom internally flared his temper, though he changed nothing about his outside appearance. The river had made it impossible to hear the wolf coming, but his green eyes had caught him easily enough as he had walked straight into Venom's line of sight. It took only seconds for the seated male to deem him unthreatening, as he was somewhat smaller, but the black newcomer would not be underestimated by the battle-hardened elder.

The other male kept approaching, and Venom continued to sit silently, his ears perked forward and his eyes narrowed only slightly, the only sign that he cared about the intrusion. When the stranger stopped several meters away and said nothing, the older male kept his confusion confined to his mind and waited. The silence stretched on, and Venom could take it no longer.

"Can I help you?" he asked coldly, his voice slightly harsh as he stared, annoyed at this interruption. He had been sitting quietly resting, and this male had come up, unbidden and with no introduction, to stare at him. Was he addled in the brain? Mute? Just dumb? Venom could speculate all he liked, but he was not above treating an intruder like the speck of dirt he appeared to be. "I was rather enjoying my time alone here, it would be just lovely if you could leave me be. Or, at the very least, say something worth hearing."

Words || 441
Tags || Karath
Notes || No worries, open threads are fair game.

[Karath]

Cutting words made no dent upon his attitude, though he observed that the other did not seem like the kind who would enjoy company in any situation. Having no real thoughts upon the matter he set about wracking his brain for a response. The wolf was not challenging him to a battle, but it would be something interesting judging from the scars littering the other's body, but he was not really interested in that at the moment. This was not every day pleasantries that the male had come across before so none of his almost rehearsed answers would come to any use. Glancing at the wolf's scarred appearance finally Karath determined to match the other's tone. He did not care what the other thought of him, and it would be too much work to be genuinely polite to such a rude individual, the easiest thing to do would be to walk away, but as long as he was here he might as well do something, and if all he had to do was copy what the other did then this should not prove much of a challenge. Matching the short manner of speech Karath all but growled out "I'm not so sure your words are worth much more," thinking that he should have something to call the other he spoke in only a slightly less gruff manner "I guess I only came to ask who you were, I'm Karath." He did not think that there was a pack scent on the black wolf, pure black, he was not envious, but his own coat was speckled with white and varying greys.
Not directly meeting the other wolf's stare he noticed the green eyes, interesting he thought, but the words came out so blandly in his mind it was as if he was speaking about some oddly shaped stone. The rude behavior of the black pelted wolf did not really offend him, but it was unexpected, while he would have wanted that kind of attitude had he been looking for a fight, and the other had been the alpha of a pack whose lands he had been intruding on, this kind of aggression was not expected in a relatively neutral area like this, but he guessed that to each his own was an acceptable and applicable phrase in this situation. Noticing that the other was still sitting, and not wanting to miss a beat he cautiously lowered his own hindquarters, other than the careful control of his muscles he paid no mind to grace or finesse as he sat, allowing most of his other limbs to go where they pleased as long as it did not leave him sprawled out on the ground looking like an idiot.

word count||456
tagged|| Venom
OOC|| Thanks!

[Venom]

Venom continued to stare coldly at the wolf before him, unamused. What had started off as a pleasant, peaceful day had turned sour within no time, and he wondered vaguely if it would pay to get up and leave. This was a nice spot, though, even with the rushing river making it hard to hear the environment around him, and he was loathe to give it up for a foolish loner to take. No, he would stand--or rather, sit--his ground, at least for now. There was always the chance, he supposed, that this male was absolutely unbearable, but only time would tell.

At his short statement, the darker wolf barked out a harsh laugh, still no humor in his face or tone. "Certainly not. The words of a wise old loner could never be as valuable as those of a whelp like yourself," he said coolly, narrowing his eyes at the young wolf. While he was clearly an adult, at least in body, the other wolf was very obviously younger than Venom; even the speckling of lighter colors in his coat did not serve to hide the fact that he was only one or two years old, and compared to the seven years in which Venom had been around, he was just a pup.

Karath. What a ridiculous name, he thought to himself, scoffing as he heard the moniker and was asked about his own. It was unlike him to reveal his true name--more often, he preferred to make one up, or use the name of his brother Kimset. Today, though, he decided that it was about time he started to let the rumors circulate about the real Venom. Taking chances was exciting, after all, though he doubted this simple male would even mention him to anyone else.

"If you really must call me something, make it Venom," he said at last, switching quickly from annoyance to boredom as he glanced past the wolf before him, wishing he had something to pull him away. But now Karath was settling down as well, making himself comfortable, and a grand sigh forced its way out of Venom's muzzle. Clearly the intruder was intent on staying, and the older would could not simply sit and ignore him, nor would this loner likely avoid asking him questions.

So, resigning himself to having to make conversation, the male shifted so that his body was laying fully on the ground, crossing his paws and keeping his head up high. "So Karath. Why is it that you've chosen me, of all wolves, to annoy on such a nice day? Have you not a pack to occupy yourself with? Or a family to bother?" he asked lightly, his tone less one of annoyance now and more like his typical, chocolatey-smooth manipulative voice, despite his saying nothing in particular.

Words || 486
Tags || Karath
Notes || Sorry this took me so long, I wasn't sure how to proceed.

[Karath]

Karath observed the other male, the spot was rather nice, and if the other left then Karath would have no qualms about taking up the area for a nap himself. There was a splitting sound that filled the air, and the wolf begrudgingly almost pulled his attention to the black male in front of him. He's stalling, was the only thought that Karath gave the response, the wolf did not want to tell him his name. He could not judge the age of the other wolf very well, but a large expanse of scars told enough that this wolf had not exactly been born yesterday, even if his pure black coat made him seem younger than he claimed. Karath almost snorted at the words not a wise old loner, just a warrior the thought gave him pause just a warrior he told himself.
Finally the other deemed fit to respond, and Karath almost chose not to take the words at face value, internally scoffing at the name the wolf had coined, perhaps it was a lie, but...he never had said it was a name, only a form of address. Venom laid down, tone different, and he found himself wondering if the other male would ever stop talking. This time the tone was smooth and decidedly different even if the words contrasted with it. Flickering his ears even if he could hear nothing against the spray of the rushing water he thought of the best response.
Not at all bothered by the content of the speech, but slightly interested in how he was going to respond he took the time to settle down as well, keeping his head up, using the small lapse to ponder his own words. Finally settling his mass, and his response the male responded "From what I gathered the day ceased to be pleasant as soon as I showed up" he almost added old one, as the wolf seemed to think that he could assert dominance through age, but rejected the idea, and moved on "but no, I do not yet have a pack to spend my time with, and my family is not within distance for me to easily irritate." Tilting his head slightly to feign interest he prepared his own set of questions for the other wolf. His tone even, and steady, was not really matching his mocking words "I'm surprised someone who seems so well traveled as you does not have someone to keep company with? Or is your sweet personality not attracting many flies?" There was no smirk on his lips, but the wolf was rather curious with how the other would answer him. The other did have a rather suave tone though, and it made him-if not curious- at least not indifferent about the stranger. He honestly did not know what he hoped to gain from this interaction, but the company was not unwelcome, it had been awhile since he had enjoyed speech with another. This wolf was not uncultured, and did have a distinct way of using the language.


tagged: Venom
words: 509
notes: no problem

[Venom]

Venom's green eyes stayed trained on Karath, boredom mixing with annoyance in his steady gaze. If he needed to be interrupted, it could have been worse. Any number of wolves had already run him out of several places, and he was making quite the destructive way back home, but it was no matter; he very rarely visited a place more than once, and it was highly unlikely that any of the pack wolves he had attacked and offended would truly chase him this far. If they had, they certainly would have shown their faces before now.

So he endured the company of this loner, at least for the time being. Before long he would likely get up and leave, as he wanted to continue moving regardless, and having an excuse to move was very convenient. Karath spoke with a sarcastic and snarky voice, but such blows did not even remotely affect the older wolf. He was the master of manipulation and snark, and it was pathetic that the other male thought he would be able to rattle the scarred, three-legged brute. Venom had seen and done more than this whelp could possibly imagine.

As the other male settled down, Venom resisted rolling his eyes. Of course he would get comfortable; it showed that he was not afraid of the darker wolf, that he was letting his guard down. Since he had no desire to attack, the elder ignored what Karath was doing and instead focused on his words. "What a shame. I did very much hope your mother would be coming to collect you and leave me in peace," he said coldly, a hard set to his voice as his irritation rose. Typically, it took much more than this to get on his nerves, but this Karath was somehow getting under his skin.

"Family is a young wolf's game," he continued, nodding at the other as he spoke. "And having someone trail behind me all day long is... an unsavory concept." As he spoke, Venom's lips curled up in disgust. It had been years since he had truly had a companion, and that had been his brother, Kimset. Traveling with a nearly-silent powerhouse of a male who feared nothing was excellent, and Venom could not imagine spending time running around with anyone less aggressive. It would be unbearable, especially if that creature insisted on making conversation like this one.

"Besides. I travel quickly and constantly. It would be a chore to need to hunt for two wolves and waste time resting when I can do as I please," Venom added, glancing to the side when a rustling caught his attention. Ears perked forward, he waited a moment until he determined that the noise was a creature below his notice, and turned back to Karath, a fresh wave of annoyance practically rolling off of him. "What are you doing here in the east, Karath? Scouting out a new pack? Wanderin aimlessly during your youth?"

Words || 508
Tags || Karath
Notes || n/a

[Karath]

The male barked out a laugh at Venom's words, his mother...He let the thought die, he had no unpleasant thoughts about the wolf but he never really knew her that well, but what he did know was enough that he would be able to tell this stranger with absolute certainty that even if his mother did know where he was and could reach him she would not. He enjoyed this banter, it was interesting to say the least, and as soon as he had gotten over the fact that he had been at loss for words for the first small amount of time he felt that it was a rather comfortable way to converse, unless you are trying to make a good impression. he thought with a small internal laugh. He rarely had to do that though, the wolves he actually had conversations with he was doing it just so that he could fill that need to interact, and not because he actually cared about what they had to say or having any sort of communication or further meetings. He did not miss the way Venom's eyes rolled, but chose to ignore it.

When the other continued he almost tilted his head, while he had picked up on the different manner of speaking the word choice was more unconventional than he thought it would be, but he understood what the other meant when he talked about not wanting to hunt for two, and constantly think of another wolf's needs when you could accomplish so much on your own. He almost sounds like a young wolf himself was the brief thought that crossed his mind but he dismissed it. This black male in front of him was obviously not a young wolf, and an experienced fighter, not that he would back down if challenged, but... Ears flickering he caught something on his periphery above the constant rush of noise that the water made, but quickly twisted his ears back to focus on Venom, and he could feel the annoyance pouring off the male. It agitated him, but pausing he answered the question honestly "I've been traveling" the word wandering he did not like. He had not simply wandered away from the territory he had grown up in, he had left. He was not drifting he was going, but where to that he did not know. "but I am looking for a pack." This time he did tilt his head, wondering about the male himself. The wolf did not seem to have a companion he was traveling with, and from the way he spoke Karath doubted if he was part of a pack; still it struck him as unusual that a wolf as old as this one claimed to be would be without a pack. He did not give it much care though, the male could take care of himself and make his own decisions, and he had already surmised that the black wolf was not normal in the sense of the word. Still he was not ready to get up and leave yet so he asked "What about you? I presume you're not spending your youth wandering around, but do you have anywhere you are traveling?"

Words|| 538
Tags|| Venom

[Venom]

[attr="class","plbase"]

[attr="class","pltxt"]
Every little thing this wolf did seemed to irritate Venom to no end, but the older wolf steadied his anger; it would do him no good to have any sort of outburst, much as he would like to set his teeth into this fool, and so calm would have to prevail. The harsh laugh nearly hurt his ears as it flowed through them, completely against his will. This young male was evidently content to sit and bother him, and so Venom would apparently sit and be bothered. It seemed as though the time to get up and leave had passed, though he wished dearly that Karath would get an itch and go on his way.

"Travelling is what one does when one has a purpose or destination," Venom said smoothly, narrowing his brilliant eyes as he scoffed at the young wolf. "You, dear whelp, are wandering. There is no purpose to you, and without a pack you have no destination. I could direct you toward the nearest, if you would like. I would be happy to send you on your way to a home." It was only half a lie, really; Venom would be happy to send the wolf anywhere, so long as it left him in peace.

Karath questioned him, then, and again the older wolf held back his sigh of annoyance. He had already told the loner his true name, which he had never done--the exception being when he had his own pack, his own family. They had taken his name and forgotten it, and so he made a point to keep it distanced from himself. Imperium and its select few wolves knew him as Venom, sure, but they were not apt to leaving the pack lands. In fact, he was the only one who truly set his feet elsewhere on a regular basis, as it was his duty. So therefore, little danger existed in the form of anyone finding out about him and truly putting his life in danger.

But Karath did not deserve to know the inner workings of his life and mind. He had wasted enough time trying to outwit the more experienced wolf, and Venom had had enough. Unable to resist his increasing urges, the dark male lifted himself from the ground, glaring coldly down at the resting wolf who had so aggravated him. "It's been absolutely abhorrent talking to you, Karath, and so I really must be going," he growled, moving in his unique and hopping fashion past the other, giving him plenty of room so as not to assume he was being attacked. "East and north of here you will find plenty of packs eager for fresh blood. Try your luck."

Words || 459
Tags || Karath
Notes || Venom is a turd. If you want Karath to follow we can continue the thread a little bit but either way it'll be done pretty soon here, I think. If you just want to make one more reply to close it up that's fine too.

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[Karath]

The male listened with disdain at other wolf's words. He did not care to be demeaned, even if he was confident in his own character it was becoming more of a pain to continue to interact with this wolf. Even though the mere mention of a fight gave a slight shock through his veins he did not act on it, that was not what he had set out to do, and he guessed that the desire was simply no that strong to do so. Staring at the wolf he could practically see Venom think, and waited for the next torrent of words. He had no doubt that the male would disappoint, so given to his speeches, but it was not as if he himself was any better as he considered his conduct during the past few minutes. His ears flickered, as he heard the black male speak again, and tensed as the entire mass of the wolf was lifted up, and it was at that moment that he saw. His face was placid and blank, but he considered the idea a three legged wolf almost tempted to ask the story he thought better of it thanks for the advice was his only sarcastic thought at the final words of the male. He had only been seeking a conversation, but still; no love lost.

Hefting himself up he eyed the other, even if he were missing a limb Karath did not want to underestimate his skill in combat. Even if he was itching for retribution he cooled the thrumming of his veins, and said evenly "Then I guess I shall be going as well." The stream was too loud for him, and he had only come here because he sensed another's presence. As soon as the situation lost it's glamour he had no reason to stay, rather indifferent even if it was a nice spot. No further parting words he thought would necessary as he did not think that he or the other party would take kindly to them. Venom seemed intent upon getting anywhere away from him, or getting him as far away as possible; and he had reached his limit to pretending upholding a solid stream of noise mattered all that much to him. Without lifting his nose he thought of the words, he could look for a pack, but...not yet and began to move his paws in another direction. Maybe he was wandering, he had no destination in mind, but the image flickered, and he all but shook it from his head. Nothing worth thinking about, choosing a direction where he thought he was less likely to run into foul tempered wolves he set a decent pace, only trotting though not loping until he had a definite sense of where he wanted to go.

tagged: Venom
words: 470
notes: Venom is a character. Thanks for rping with me, I'm fine with ending the thread here.