Chasing Delusions

[Deleted]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,false][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=background,http://i36.tinypic.com/aoxtll.jpg,true] "Hey? Where ya goin'?" The soft, lyrical voice of a young child called after a shimmering insect. Large, clumsy paws that didn't quite fit her body chased after it eagerly, stumbling over rocks and dirt. Behind her were her family's dens, rapidly fading into the distance as she headed east. She didn't care that she was alone or quickly approaching the border between the Salen and Haishin packs. All that mattered to little Meridian was the dancing dragonfly that subtly urged her forward, whispering for her to follow. She must of been a strange site, this small, three month old white bundle of fur bounding past boulders and barren land, nose pointed towards the sky as she focused on something only she could see. Her tail wagged happily as she chased the delusion, a childish smile on her face. The deranged little pup didn't seem to have a care in the world. It didn't matter that she didn't know where she was going or where she would end up. It didn't even matter that she was completely alone. All Meridian cared about was tracking the dragonfly. It was her soul intent, a task she was so focused on that nothing else seemed to exist. Slowly the land began to morph around her. Though it was still flat and rather barren, the boulders of Ryn-Eldbel were quickly changing shape. The became more angular, geometric, constructed. They climbed higher towards the sky, taking on the shapes of strange walls and boxes. The mixed Tundra fae slowed her pace, cautiously sniffing at this new scenery while the dragonfly perched itself on a nearby, crumbling wall. "What is dis place?" she asked her imaginary friend aloud, sparing a glance at the invisible insect. When it gave no answer, she continued her exploration. Her steps were careful as she approached the wall, sniffing intently at the human rubble. She'd never seen such things before. Sure her home had whispers of human construction, rotten support beams reinforcing the mine walls. This place was different, though. These human remains stood on their own, defiant to Nature's will. Raising to her hind legs, Meridian's forepaws dislodged a bit of loose cement as she braced herself against the wall, peering over the dragonfly to get a look inside the building. Her eyes were wide, curious, excited as they looked into the void of a forgotten human home. This place was so strange and yet so enchanting. And the imaginary dragonfly egged her on, insisting she keep exploring the rubble without warning her that she had crossed into the lands of the Haishin pack. That bug enjoyed getting the pup into trouble.

[terror]

Puppy whimpers emitted from within the den, little paws sprawled and feverishly thrashing against the dust and grit of the ground. It was one of those reoccurring nightmares that Terror goes through basically every night. Sometimes, he'll awaken like nothing happened. Or more currently awaken in a daze, his eyes fogged over and not completely awake but living in his nightmare as the villain. The wolf he fears and sees in his dream, he has become that monster. He has become Rapture. Nearly every demented bone in his father's body has merged into his own marrow, creating a monster that is almost as sickly as Rapture if not worse.

But of course, all of Terror's doings are accidental, not on purpose. He doesn't know what is going on in his own mind; as if the demon wolf lived within him and 'came out to play' whenever it so desired. While Terror sleeps, the Demon comes forth, a living Zombie is what Terror would appear like during his trance; and there would be no mercy. The screams would only fuel his rampage, but nonetheless the true Terror is blind. He can't see through those clouded eyes, but he can hear their cries for help, yet cant do anything about it. Not unless the Demon fades, and he regains his own body and mind. That normally happens after the deed is done.

And the deed is done, Terror sees what he has done; or what he thinks he has done but cannot remember doing so. That specifically, the pain and suffering he has caused only worsens his nightmares when he sleeps. The whole cycle continues.

This particular night doesn't differ from any other night. He is kicking, whimpering and fretting in his dream; trying to escape the dreadful wrath of the demon. Until finally his eyes snap open. Not his soft golden eyes, his clouded lifeless eyes. Terror still sleeps, Demon takes over. Clumsily crawling forward on his paws, dreary eyes loping around the dens... It was dark and he couldn't see. The young ill minded wolf then hobbled out of the den, his lower jaw gaped down and tongue hanging from the side. He didn't even look back, there was no soul left in Terror's mind, once again he was only a mindless Zombie looking for a victim.

There was no set destination Terror was going, he was just... Going. The thirst for blood was his drive, the need to kill and sense his victim's suffering. After countless hours of aimlessly wandering around the territory, Terror with a mindless sense of direction made his way into the barren wasteland of Kalus's Point. A place his mother didn't really want him to investigate due to all the dangers. Terror wasn't investigating though, he was hunting; stalking prey he has yet to find. Until a glimpse of white caught his dull, wide eyes. Contrasting against the darkness of the land, his next victim has been spotted.

Low, puppyish growling and grunting bounced through the crumbling walls, a sound that decayed from his throat a rather awful sound it was. Loud enough for the little white pup to hear, for this demon was only twenty feet away. Soft hair became bristled into daggers from his scruff and down his spine, his head thrashed side to side like a bull on a rampage. "Ruh..Rah Grah!..." Terror began snarling, revealing a set of sharp baby incisors, his snout wrinkled and eyes wide with frenzy. Scraping his paws in the dirt, rising on his hind legs in a bound and pounding his fronts back onto the ground. He looked like a pissed off horse than a puppy, what will the little she-wolf do?

[Deleted]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,false][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=background,http://i36.tinypic.com/aoxtll.jpg,true] The sounds of a feral pup behind her interrupted her close inspection of the decaying building. Meridian cautiously pulled her eyes away from the rubble, craning her neck back to look at the purebred Mexican thrashing about. The scene was quite comical, the way he bucked and snarled. It brought an innocent smile to her face, laughter tumbling from her muzzle as she dropped back to all fours. "What are you doing?" she questioned sweetly without a trace of fear. Her little dragonfly friend had taken to the skies again, buzzing around the unfamiliar pup's head with practiced ease. Whether she was talking to the pup or the delusion was unknown. Both were acting a little out of the ordinary. She'd never seen a pup practically foam at the mouth before, as if possessed by some sort of evil spirit. And the dragonfly rarely took a liking to others. The way it hovered around the Mexican, calling for her to join them... Meridian took several curious steps forward. Her blue-green eyes (for they had only just begun to change from that puppy blue to their more natural color) sparkled eagerly as she heeded the delusion's call. Her entire body seemed to pulse with excitement, senses charged with an electrical energy that made her fur stand on end. The expression on her face was almost sadistic. There was an innocence about her, yes, but lurking beneath that sweet facade was a mind possibly more warped than that of her parents. Genetics had severely impaired her judgment. With a wag of her tail, she stared eagerly up at the slightly older pup. "Have you come to play wif me?" she asked, batting her eyes cutely as she faced off against his more violent form. The invisible insect was whispering that this young male was to be her new playmate. It promised he would be her new best friend. That news delighted the small pup right down to her toes. All she ever had to play with were her two brothers, and they rarely held her interest for more than a few minutes. The fact that her dragonfly was so insistent the stranger wanted to play must have meant only one thing. Meridian was in for an exciting evening.

[terror]

"Huu.... Huuuu.... kuuu..." Terror's body shuddered with angst and anxiety. He was ready to preform the leap of death, but something was holding him back. It was innocent Terror, drawling in the back of his mind to hold his own body. But the demon was overpowering, the body was encouraging to attack. Legacy's child was in the darkest crevice of his own demented mind that he could not escape willingly. But wait... This was strange... Was he actually seeing through the demon's eyes? Could he see the white pup standing before him, and asking to play? This didn't make sense, never before could Terror be able to hear his demon's victim... This only gave him the urge to escape his trance's wrath, help and save the poor pup!

"Ahh...Ahhg! Play... Yes let's play!" Terror shrieked with an excess amount of huffs and groans. His puppy tail twitched from side to side, his ears flicked and his eyes dilated whitely. Muscles tensed and Terror threw his head around again, snapping his jaws with an enraged hiss slithering through his blades of teeth. His head tilted roughly to the side as he seemed to be locking onto his target; tongue poking through his front teeth and a stream of saliva trailing down the side of his chin. A step forward, another snap of his jaws with a harsh sniff following it. Was this wolf pup going to run away like the others did? Or would she surprisingly fight back like he wanted her too?

"Plaaaay...." He murmured as he stepped forward again, his heart racing with adrenaline. The pupils hidden behind a white film could be seen shivering as Terror eyed his prey, his head lowering and tilted to an angle in order to grab a hold of one of her front legs. He didn't move as quickly as he normally would, and he didn't target her vital neck organ like a normal killer would. He played the game she advised, and he was in it to win it. With jaws agate, he pushed off his hind legs aiming to release a vicious vice grip to the white female's front left limb.

[Deleted]

[atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,false][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=background,http://i36.tinypic.com/aoxtll.jpg,true] The unfamiliar pup certainly but the strange in stranger. Meridian's head tilted slightly to one side as he snarled and twitched above her. He almost didn't seem real. There was something so raw and animalistic about him. "Friendly" was the last word that could be associated with such a beast. And yet, the little white pup was almost more than eager to turn him into her new best friend. Maybe it was a good thing her idea of "best friend" was someone to use as a chew toy. Compared to the monster before her, the Tundra mix had picture perfect composure combined with just a hint of anticipation. She was so sweet and childish as a large grin spread across her maw, tongue flicking past tiny milk teeth in a sign of anticipation. Her small ears were perked, wisp of a tail wagging tall behind her, head held high. Meridian was determined to take on the demon. At some point her dragonfly friend had come back to her side, perching daintily beside one of her ears. It whispered words of encouragement and words to kill, insisting her papa would be proud. It was a strange thought to have enter her head (for Exodus generally liked children) but the dragonfly had never been wrong before. She trusted it fully, and making Papa proud would be an added bonus. "Play," she repeated, her words more curt and matter-of-fact than the young male's. Unlike him, she was acutely aware of everything in this situation and was actually enjoying it. The blood of her father that burned in her veins was feeding on the Mexican brute's feral energy. And when the pup made a grab for her leg, Meridian sprang into action instantly. She was much faster than his delayed movements, easily leaping out of the way of his jaws and landing behind him with a light thud. Tinkling laughter tumbled from her maw. With sparkling eyes she made her own lunge, determined to latch unto his tail. Maybe it was a cheap shot, but with a fluttering insect encouraging her every move she really didn't care about fighting fair.

[Deleted]

The fur ball stood at the boarder of Salen territory. The blue-green eyes that matched Meriden’s well enough peered over across the touching land. The Forbidden Land. Father had said to never leave Acerbus unless they traveled with him or their mother. It was strictly forbidden. Strictly! Róvanfaer’s small black nose twitched with derision. Meriden was off running around in the forbidden lands when father strictly said not to go there. Bending down to sniff at the scent boundary that marked Salen land, the young pup lifted his leg like he had seen his father do. A stream of yellow piss fell onto the new by rock effectively ‘marking’ it. Pleased with his work, Rovan turned around and took several steps back toward the den intending to let Meriden get in trouble all on her own.

Suddenly, the pup’s right paw sank down further than it should have. Startled, Rovan peered down and into the much larger paw print of Exodus. For several moments the young brute stood there examining the paw print with his own paw inside. His paw was much, much smaller. It was so small that it probably only took up about 1/3rd of the print if that! The brute scowled in frustration, then smirked. “Some day, daddy, I’m gonna be just like you.” Grinning with himself again, Róvanfaer turned back to peer at where Meriden had disappeared. She had gone off running after something that flew around in the sky. Most likely, it had been a butterfly. At first, Rovan had wanted to play too, but when the she wolf had crossed into enemy territory, Rovan had stopped short refusing to venture further.

What would his daddy have done? His daddy would have marched right over that scent marker and straight into the territory without an ounce of fear. If that’s what his daddy would have done, then that’s what he will do! Puffing out his chest, Rovan marched straight over the invisible lines and into the other land. After walking through them for a while, Rovan’s display of bravado had pretty much disappeared. It was replaced completely by caution. Like his daddy though, Rovan remained mostly fearless. When he happened upon some noises, the brute’s ears perked forward. Clumsy paws carried him closer to the sounds which turned out to be his sister and some other brute. Rovan, intending on telling Mer off and telling her to come back, forgot about his initial mission. “I wanna play too!” He exclaimed. The years of being distant lay ahead. For now, Rovan was just like any other pup.

[terror]

Voices could be heard, visions could be seen... But was it all a dream? No, this was his nightmare. Terror was able to see through his demon's clouded eyes, smell what his demon smelt. He could feel the rush, to his distaste. This wasn't the sort of play he had intended to preform; it was much worse. Possible play till the death in the Demon's eyes. But did his Demon even have a soul? A heart perhaps? Of course not, only a heartless monster would kill a pup younger than he. The only reason to kill was to protect yourself, and if one was lucky enough to retreat unscathed.

Terror fought, squirmed and quarreled in the depths of his own mind; fighting for the rights to control his own body. His desolate home was behind closed eyelids in his innocent slumber that was awakened by a demon that lurked inside the darkest abyss of his heart. The demon inherited by his father Rapture. But not even Rapture would kill in his sleep. He wouldn't be able to... Terror was special. He was given a name that suited his demon. Not himself. What was his mother thinking? Was this what she truly thought of her only son? Her only living son? Terror screamed out, lashed out on the womb of his mind. He wanted OUT!

"Gah ai aiai huuu...Oof!" Terror's directory of the attack was off only slightly, front paws curling under his fallen form, but he quickly recovered only to feel sharp puppy teeth stabbing into his tail. Demon Terror felt no pain, what pain was felt was greatly enjoyed. Just like Rapture, how pitiful and disgusting. "Uhhh Errr!" A single strand of saliva spilled from his pouted lower lip, glossy emotionless feared eyes dully gazed on the white pup as he snarled lazily at her. A ripping snare was then directed at the second pup, male, about the same age as the white one. 'No... you do not want to play, please hear me out... Leave please leave!' But only Terror's internal cries couldn't be heard, the Demon never spoke them out loud. The Demon was hardly capable of speech... Not yet at least. The differences between Demon development and Terror's were slightly delayed. Though Terror was about six months of age, the Demon varied about six weeks. Adolescent yet savage. That was the way of life.

"Ooouh?" The Demon's brow raised, head faced at the male pup as his body curved. Rear facing the chest of the female who had a firm grip on his tail, he bucked... Multiple times finally unlatching her from his tail. This young male obviously didn't know what it meant to play, when two ill children come together and play was a different meaning. Terror found his prey, the white one was his prey, he turned his attention back to her as his tail slowly dripped with fresh warm crimson. Another puppy growl emitted from his throat as he spun quickly around again, quick on his feet lunging at Meridian. Claws like sharp daggers as he pinned the white fae to the dirty ground. Flinging spit and hatred and lust for blood all over her creamy fur. Nothing could stop his rampage, nothing unless death or awakening...

(OOC: Hope the minor PP-age is alright~ If not I can modify. XP YAY I FINALLY POSTED.)

[revan]

Revan's mouth was full of Aghada Leaves, as she loped through the broken stones of Kalus' Point. Ugh, she thought, trying to ignore the cloying taste of the clumps she carried. Why am I doing this again? The black wolf asked herself. Oh yeah, she answered herself wryly, I have to bring the herbs in before winter falls. But they still taste horrible. Oh well, there are worse things to carry in one's mouth, after all, and, technically, I don't have to do this. It was my choice. It was true, gathering medicinal herbs was not her official duty, but as no one else was doing it, and it was necessary, she had begun the monumental task of putting together a cache of the various plants that would help with the injuries and illnesses that cropped up. It was late fall, so she had little time before many of the plants would begin to wither and die.

Revan's paws carried her along the almost-familiar path towards the dens as she mused on how she might acquire some of the other herbs. She had no idea how to get the ones that were on other claimed territories. I'll have to ask Zethrox when I get back. Maybe he has some ideas... The black female's train of thought was interrupted by a set of growls and yelps that reached her ears. She recognized one voice quite clearly, but the other two were unknown. Terror? she thought. She lifted her nose to catch the sent trails and her ears twitched in confusion. What's he doing way out here? And with Legacy nowhere in sent-range? While Revan knew that it was safe enough for the pup to wander, she also knew that Legacy rarely let the pup out of her sight. Hmm... she mused. Guess I have to check this out. While Revan and Legacy were not friends - much to Revan's dismay, but it wouldn't stop her from continuing to try to win the other femme over - Revan liked Terror, and knew that Legacy wouldn't be happy if the pup got into trouble and Revan didn't try to help. Digging a small hole in the damp soil near an oak tree, Revan dropped the leaves in and turned to run in the direction of the sounds. She could retrieve her herbs later.

Cresting a small hill, Revan was surprised to see Terror scuffling with two other pups. Obviously, they had strayed in from an adjoining territory, but that wasn't important right now. Terror, whose hind legs and tail were covered in blood, had pinned a small cream female to the ground and was about to dig his teeth into her. A glance at his movements told her that Terror's other personality - his Demon as he called it - was in control. Revan knew little about that side of him, but she knew that it was completely ruthless. At times, she wondered why it was that he had the demon, but she was polite enough not to ask. She would find out eventually, she was sure. Oh dear, she thought, leaping forward. I hope I can snap him out of it. If not, there's going to be trouble.

"Terror!" she said sharply, coming to a stop a few feet away from the scuffling pups. "What's going on here?"