When the Shadows are Long ((OPEN))

[Meds]

Nyx;

It was late afternoon at the riverbank, and the sun was just about to begin making its descent. It was still autumn, and as such the evenings were getting steadily cooler. A breeze whistled as the sun illuminated the last of the river rushes. Their shadows danced as the plants swayed back and forth. Suddenly then, the shadows of the rushes were moving of their own accord. As if a fierce wind blew, the shadow-stalks danced uncontrollably—then they stopped moving completely.

A chuckle echoed over the flowing water from out of a dark patch of bushes. Burning orange eyes opened and a glowing orange double-ringed circle shone out from the depths. Then, Nyx slid out from her hiding spot. The tattoo over her right eye and side of her head was glowing, as ever, and the shadows were bending to her will. Who knew defense could be so much fun?
She had discovered that day that not only could she move and manipulate shadows, she could also change the shape of them. There had been a rutting-buck that was in her way, and with a little creativity she had had her fun, and when the deer caught site of a 10-pointed shadow-buck, he took off quickly enough. Now, Nyx had new ideas.

She closed her eyes for a moment and focused. Then, her own shadow, usually so predictable and boring, began slinking from the ground and up her legs. It spread across her black and orange back until it hung off, over-lapping in some places to make it even darker. Nyx stood by the bank of the river, admiring her reflection. Her shadow fairly dripped off of her body, hanging over her shoulders and head, spiking up from her back and neck, giving her the appearence of a wolf three times her size—a wolf or a monster, that is. It ringed around her eyes, making them appear to glow and smoulder even more than usual. She opened wide her jaws, and the shadow slunk in there as well, making it appear as if her mouth was an endless black hole.
To any passersby, she would look like a demon surrounded by a moving, living, breathing shadow entity.

[Deleted]

Scourge:

Late afternoon. The sky was just darkening, the sun descending below the horizon. The silenced territory was seemingly empty, devoid of any life. The only clear sound heard was the water rushing in the riverbank, and the whistling breeze. The breeze was carrying a diabolical scent, reeking of blood and death. There was a ferocious, doom-laden expulsion of laughter as the monstrous figure sauntered through the shadows and out of the woods. His cackle was like a dead man's lullaby, ringing in a sickly, icy way. Etched across his face was a smile that betrayed all innocence.

The brute stood at the silenced border now, daunting breath flowing into the breeze as he exhaled. Some teeth were either chipped or missing, the remaining stained with blood. His crimson mask-like marking was streaked with scars. His eyes were black with pinprick pupils that pierced an intimidating red. His massive paw stood atop of what appeared to be a bobcat, drenched in blood and mostly eaten. Oh, how Scourge longed the feeling of flesh ripped to the bone... He shot the exposed skeleton away from him and continued on, his long tail trailing along the ground behind him. He wasn't exactly sure what brought him here, he tended to... forget, quite a bit. His mind was shrouded with evil thoughts and intentions as usual, and he simply could not rid of them.

[Blood]

Bane:

Large blood colored paws hit the ground in noiseless padoing, trampling the dying brown grass. The night was yet young, and Bane had slunk out of his daylight hiding place and now walked freely in the open dusk. He was in an exceptionally good mood at the moment, for autumn was upon the land, and the fall season meant quite langthening of the shadows, which meant more darkness for Bane, and much scarier manipulations of shadows could be preformed. Even as he walked, he had shifted his own long shadow, and it now blanketed his broad shoulders and angular head, making him look two times bigger than his original size. Of course his true form was normal-ish compared to other wolves, but with this power he could make himself look as big as he wanted. The only struggle was finding a big enough shadow to accomplish that. With only a level one, he couldn't grow shadows to make them bigger, he could only manipulate original sized shadows to his will. That,s why this time of evening was his favorite, because the shadows were oh so long.

Dark gray rimmed ears concealed in shadow swiveled to the sound of a nearby river, and Bane decided to try shadows with water and see what would turn out with that. As he skeptically watched around him, the scent of fresh water came to him, but also another strange scent, and it was recognized as a wolf. A low growl escaped Bane's throat and rumbled his cheek as his deep golden eyes narrowed. Why did the presence of another blasted wolf have to ruin his night. Of course he could just walk away, but curiosity had gotten to him as he saw a little ways off, the shadows shifting in an unusual way. Awareness suddenly hit him as he clearly depicted through the shadows of darkness, a she-wolf; black as midnight and marked with orange patterns with her toothy maw cracked open with a malicious grin on it. The dark female definitely had the power of shadow mastery like he did, as dark wisps of blackness moved about her, and created her into a monster that didn't fool him. He was concerned that this she-wolf may be a higher level than her, but he wasn't about to let her think that, as he morfed the shadow around him, stretching it, and thining it out, making it look terrible and bristling. Who cared if she could see through it, which she could if she had the power, Bane just wanted to look stronger and more powerful than her. His fangs showed as he made him and his shadow completely visible to the dark female.

[Meds]

Nyx;

What was interesting about Shadow Mastery, was that even at level 1, like Nyx was, she could feel the shadows. If she chose to manipulate a shadow, anything that shadow touched coud be felt within her concious. It wasn't a physical feeling, and nor was it very strong, but she could sense it within her mind; for example, if the shadows of the reeds crossed each other she felt them brush against one another. Or even in regards to her own shadow, so deformed and mutated at the moment, she could feel it touching her. She could sense the way her fur felt underneath the shadow, or the way the grass felt under her own true feet, but under shadowed feet as well. Nyx had thought she would only be able to manipulate what she saw, and nothing more—she hadn't thought it would affect the way her mind worked, as well.

Suddenly, from across the water ahead of her, a horrifying sound rocked out from the trees; well, horrifying to anyone else. Nyx merely heard it and reguarded it cooly, interestedly. No whole wolf would make that sound—that was the laughter of a broken soul, reformed in darkness. She hadn't the faintest doubt that the wolf that had made the sound was as dark as her, if not more dangerous. Suddenly, then, another sound came from behind her; or rather, a concious feeling.

She turned fluidly, and the shadow turned with her. It was a male, draped a deformed shadow of his own. Nyx raised her eyebrows, and those black-and-orange eyes of hers narrowed dangerously. Another Shadow Master. Her lip lifted and showed sharp teeth.
"Quite the trick you can do, there." She said with an air that suggested she was unimpressed. Her voice was low and gruff, as if she had been yelling all day. She hadn't—that was just how she sounded.
The shadow clinging to her back leeched off of her and slid across the ground towards the newcomer. It dripped off of her in waves, more and more, and she stretched it far, until it was but a few feet from the male, ever-moving and twisting, like a wave of some dark matter.

A part of her suspicious mind was still over the other side of the river with whoever had made such a wretched sound. But for the time being, with the water between them, she wasn't overly worried. Any wolf like that would have been cause for concern if it had snuck up behind, but Nyx was confident for the moment that the river would be enough of a barrier to stop any surprise attacks. She was aware of a few fallen logs that hung over the water, but she tried not to worry about them.

[Deleted]

The screeching silence had awaited a trespasser. The moonlight now casted its eerie shadow on the dim-lit territory, and it seems to beckon with a ghostly glow that Scourge simply could not resist. Ah, sunset, so beautiful. A time where Scourge would sit on the cliffside and watch the sun's breathtaking descent, and then proceed to murder an entire family of innocent wolves. Glorious! Pulling, pushing, dragging, each victim further through the darkness, each one silenced by the beauty, terrified by the power...

As the behemoth of a wolf continued on, the deafening silence is pierced suddenly and without warning by the deathly shriek of a raven. Again, it shrieks, and again. Like the screaming of a child or the snarling of some terrible beast, the presence of neither would seem strange in this place. The riverbanks were usually peaceful, but odd things have been happening lately...

As the male sauntered through the tall stalks of grass, a strange scent comes across him. Another wolf? No, two... Scourge felt a strange cold feeling descending on him, pressing onto his shoulders and making him shudder slightly. It was silent, so eerily silent. During the dark nights at the riverbank, there should be sounds. Owls should hoot. Crickets should chirp. Yet there was not a sound. Until the scent came closer, and a deep growl emitted in Scourge's throat and erupted from his mouth as a bloodcurdling snarl. His legs straighten and stiffen, lifting his wide head and raising his tail, positively radiating dominance. But wait...

What is this... Bewildering display? His ears flattened as he suddenly sees enormous shadows, sweeping to and fro across the grasses in front of him. Waves of darkness swirled around like cyclones, and the unending shadows hung on two figures in the distance like a heavy, suffocating sheath, casting a relentless misery on all who trespass through it. He keeps a fair distance, but stares in curiosity. He had heard tales about wolves with powers, but he had never seen a display with his own eyes before!

[Blood]

Bane

The she-wolf had noticed him, she had notice his power over the shadows as well, and her voice leaked through the dark still air and reached his ears. Arrogant, gruff, and purely evil. Bane was imidietly grinning slyly under the mask of his shadows, he was drawn to this other shadow master, but couldn't figure out why her voice had made his chest burn with excitement. Maybe it was the possibility that she was so much like him in so many ways that he had not yet discovered, or that he was just drawn to other dark beings. Either way, the dark gray and red marked wolf had to come up with an even better reply to this she-wolf's prideful statement, but first he wanted to show a better display of more of his power in response to her own shadow shifting that had reached almost to his paws.

Like a gentle breeze stirring through the branches of a tree, the darkness around Bane changed and silently rustled, shifting about his standing form. He was not at a high enough level to manipulate the shadow to grow in size, but he wondered how it would work if he combined two equally large shadows and controlled them as one. Without hesitation, Bane attempted his idea, and mentally took hold of a large shadow that lay over the ground not far off, while maintaining his control of the shadow that swirled around him. The grounded shadow shifted slightly in movement towards him, but in his focus, the shadow that was around him began to melt from the air and for a second Bane panicked, and dropped his focus on the second shadow to maintain his grip on the cloaking one. How was he going to accomplish without looking week, how was he going to be able to mentally uphold both shadows at one time? The thought came to him like a bird chirping in the distance, his four legs. He could control each of his paws separately while maintaining the steady control of the other three of his paws, while jusmping or digging, he would perform many actions with individual paws while keeping his balance with the others. With this idea in mind, Bane tried again and mentally touched the shadow that was at a distance, while keeping his hold on the one shifting about him. The connection was made, and Bane slowly lifted the blanket of darkness on the ground, and wrapped it about him. Both darkness combined, and it almost felt like he was touching two of his paws together, and stroking them, the attempt had worked!

Bane grinned again, and let a deep chuckle rumble from his chest as he swirled the combined shadows around him, faster and faster like a cyclone of wind. He took a few steps closer to the bright orange marked female, the force of his moving shadows seemed to stir the darkness that she had stretched towards him. Narrowing his eyes, Bane glared through the darkness at her and replied wittily, "Well, if you are so impressed, why don't you show me a few of your tricks missy."

[Meds]

Nyx;

The male approaching her decided it was to be a show of power, if she herself had not already decided. Nyx's ears twitched as he began melding two shadows together to create a bigger darkness. The mixed shadows swirled around him, faster and faster—to Nyx's Shadow Master's eyes, she could see through it perfectly, and yet she could still tell the shadows were as dark as pitch. As he played around, she didn't take her eyes off of him, gauging his power and level of commitment to it. She smiled when his face revealed relief when the shadows blended properly. Nyx, on the other hand, had already been practicing melding shadows together, as was testiment to the reed shadows she had gathered. He asked her to show him some of her own tricks, and he even belittled her by calling her missy. Nyx chose not to reply, but she looked him over cooly.

The shadow plunging towards his feet stopped suddenly, shuddered, and then came racing back to her as if a dam had been broken and it was water set free. She had never tried blending shadows much bigger than the reeds, but an idea came to her then. The sun had dipped lower, and a few of the larger trees and bushes had shadows of their own. Nyx closed her eyes, and the black tattoo on her head glowed an even brighter orange, if that were possible, and her forehead knit together. She couldn't make shadows bigger, no, but she could give the male a taste of his own medicine. She felt the mental pull and fatigue set in almost immedietly, but so too did the shadows start sliding towards her, away from their sires.
For a moment it actually hurt and a headache rocked through her mind and she was about to let them go, but then, just as suddenly as it had come, the headache lessened. She paused, and the shadows did as well, as she measured how she felt. She didn't want to work so hard that she passed out or something—but no, she was feeling better already. With a sharp-toothed smile, the shadows of the trees fell into place and blended (not flawlessly) to create a writhing, shuddering, twitching ocean of never-ending blackness. She stepped into the depths of the darkness and made the shadows moved up as she touched them, as if she walked through a palpable mist. She walked closer and closer to the male, then halted mere feet from his own swirling, twisting cyclone.
"I'm Nyx," She said, not kindly, but not in a threatening way, either. She appreciated the male's commitment to his gift, and any two wolves with the same power must be connected in some way.

Suddenly then, the wind shifted. All at once, as if they had never been manipulated, the shadows sprang back to their original places and Nyx's tattoo faded to black within her orange patch once more. As she let go of her hold on them it was like getting snapped with an elastic in the mind, and she winced slightly, but other than that was alright. She could smell a wolf.

Though it was getting darker, Nyx's eyes (and the male's as well, no doubt) could pick up the new male as if it were high-noon. She tilted her head slightly, because something about the male both intrigued her and threatened her. She nodded towards him, so the shadow male would notice as well.

[Deleted]

Scourge had just hesitantly made it across the river when the shadows started swooping back and forth once again, sliding across the ground and enshrouding him in pitch black darkness. A cold shudder went down his spine and made the fur along his back raise. The brute had mixed feelings about powers; it was mostly like a "love-hate relationship." Scourge himself had always battled tooth to claw, and wasn't crazy about all these magical abilities and whatnot. But then again, he had to admire the way the shadows swept across the grass, twirling and spinning like cyclones and leaving a piercing cold sensation on anyone in its wake. The darkness was brutal, but to Scourge the shadows almost seemed to dance, mesmerizing him as his small red pupils followed them along the riverbank.

What is going on here? What is this? Who was he kidding? The male wished he could have such powers, but the tales he heard had something to do with climbing up an enormous mountain, and Scourge wasn't exactly... fond of doing that. Snapping out of his thoughts, a breeze passing over him as another tendril of shadows swoops past him, his long red-streaked tail curls around him. All he longed for was the warmth of a cave or the sensation of the summer sun. Instantaneously, his ears flick back against his head. He felt a heavy, sinister gaze flick over to him. Scourge's eyes met another pair a fair distance from him. He knew that these wolves were there, of course, but there was something about that female's similar gaze to his... Were they — like him? He nodded his head to the she-wolf and the male across from her.

This time, he surprisingly wasn't being sarcastic or snarky as usual. He was actually unsure what to say. Simply, a dark, sly voice slipped out of his muzzle. It was brief as normal, hoarse and almost unnerving. "Impressive."

[Blood]

Bane:

At Bane's request, the dark female stepped into action with a sudden whiplash of her shadows. They no longer splashed around her like waves, but the darkness along the tree line twitched and jerked unnaturally. With a mental trigger, Bane willed the shadow tornado around him to lessen in speed and size because of the energy it was sapping from him, but he heightened his focus on the she-wolf's every move as she drilled her eyes on the shadows of large trees. Her brow furrowed, and the red marked male could detect a flash of pain in her dark eyes when the darkness began to move more unsteady shifts.

The shadow battle so far had shown no turn towards physical aggression, just simply a showoff of power, but Bane kept his guard up towards the sly female. It was very possible she could be an evil murderous wolf and was just playing around before she tried to kill him, but then again, it was very possible if she thought the same towards him. Bane raised his brow in slight admiration, the she-wolf was good, but he noted her shaky manipulations and the way they didn't quite flow as one heartbeat. Of course his own shadow shifting wasn't smooth at times either, but at least this other shadow master wasn't more powerful than him. Thinking about that made Bane hold his head higher as the pitch-black and orange female sauntered towards him through waves of her darkness that melted around her. As she neared, the male's own shadows grew thicker as they swirled around him, giving him the appearance of growing larger. Despite her ability to see clearly through his dark form, he was still taller and thicker in muscle than her. She stopped in front of him, and Bane looked down at her with a dark smirk on his maw, his stomach fluttered for a moment before the feeling dissipated. "I'm Nyx." She spoke again with her gruff arrogant voice. "Bane." The dark gray male rumbled while dipping his chin in respect, but keeping his bright golden eyes glued on hers.

Nyx kept the gaze for a moment before breaking it with a flinch of her head that showed a streak of pain. The shadows that were under her control jumped with suddenness like a frog leaping into the water, and returned to their natural place. A shift of the wind made Bane glance to were Nyx was already looking. Another dark male wolf stood not far off, his figure shouted "killer", and Bane couldn't help the tensing of his muscles and raising of his hackles. Even the new comer's scent reeked of death, and his tall lanky form and abnormally long tail made him look like a walking skeleton. For a few short seconds that seemed longer than they were, silence filled the air until a sound like snakes hissing and wasps humming made up the stranger's one word "Impressive." Bane narrowed his black framed eyes, and his sharp ears touched his raised neck fur. This other male could either be actually impressed with their shadow manipulation, or just mocking them because he harbored an even greater power than either Nyx or him.

Refusing to show fear, the gray male took a step forward and let the cyclone of darkness drain off in slithering strands that returned to their original states. The only shadow that stayed was his own, the one shadow he constantly held in place as a hazy layer of darkness that masked his true appearance(of course not to Nyx though). With a flash of his fangs Bane barked, "And who are you?" The question wasn't rude or demanding, but a dull tone giving the feel of one powerful wolf speaking to another powerful wolf. Bane hadn't completely ignored the female shadow master, but felt like this dark stranger was more of a threat than their newly made acquaintance.

[Meds]

Nyx;

Bane's eyes did not betray him as Nyx stalked towards him from her writhing water-like work of darkness, and for a moment she was axtually almost impressed. It was not any wolf that could appear calm in her presence. Then, however, an almost undetectible shiver went through the shadow-tornado that was encircling him. It was paired with a flash in his eyes of something—something Nyx had seen many times before, and yet never felt herself. She raised one eyebrow and was about to chastise him, when the look went from his eyes and his shadows regained their once-fluid motions. She chuckled deep in her throat. She had not missed that. But what had it meant?
"Bane."

Nyx inclined her head slightly in greeting. His name meant that which causes distress or annoyance, she knew. Distress was an interesting noun. She flicked her head side to side, and the smouldering orange orbs within her black eyes pulsed slightly as she tossed the definition around in her mind. Distress.
That could prove interesting.

But then the other wold needed her attention. Impressive, was it? Her black tattoo flared up into the bright orange colour once again, and the shadow that was clinging to her feet then puddled around her, making it appear as if there was a gaping hole that she was standing in then middle of. Bane called to the wolf, demanding he announce himself or his purpose. Nyx almost smiled. He did not appear to be a wolf that would introduce himself simply because another suggested it. She was intriged by this new wolf—an excitement rarely felt was sparking in the depths of her stomach. What was his story? And what was the other shadow master's story, for that matter? She felt a common denominator between the three of them, but what it was she couldn't place.

"Impressive to some, perhaps," She said in her gruff voice, slinking to the side, closer to the other shadowed male. She could see through the shadows encircling him, whereas the newcomer could not. He was larger than her, yes, but not as large as he boasted. "But it surely wasn't our light play that brought you here." Within her words was an unspoken question of who he was—Nyx hoped that if he didn't take well to what Bane said, perhaps he would respond better to something that she, herself, would respond to.

[Deleted]

Scourge:

The male had examined the scene as it continued to unfold before him, wondering if these wolves would still have interest in him if he didn't harbor the powers they possessed. His ears flicked ever so slightly as they introduced themselves... Nyx, Bane... before a shiver went down his spine that he never felt before. Dark, brooding eyes very similar to his own flicked over to him, and the shadows encircling this 'Bane' made him appear large and formidable. He didn't want to admit he was a bit unsettled. But as soon as those gazes shot over to him, he knew they had to be like him...

"And who are you?" the other shadowy male would demand, with a hint of aggression. Scourge would normally respond to this, but he was not phased as he stood calmly at the riverbank. There was something about them that lured him over, while he was often reserved and solitary... "Name's Scourge." The reply was blunt as usual, but not uncivil. "No derision here from me... I am genuinely impressed." His dark gaze would flick over to the female, 'Nyx', was it? A bewildered look almost crossed his face when he witnessed a luminescent light coming from the female, seeming to come from a tattoo. She seemed to be... hovering, over a black pit that encircled her. Scourge admittedly almost felt embarrassed, he had no such abilities that these two did.

In response to the female's remark, Scourge craned his neck a little with interest, his gaze meeting hers but not staring. Why were these wolves so intriguing to him? The cold-blooded wolf had never felt drawn like this to anyone. "No, not necessarily," he replied with his sly voice. He guessed he would open up, there was no hiding his secret when he had a red skull marking on his face and he reeked of death. After a few moments, he spoke. "Might as well get straight to the point. I felt... lured here, if you will — I suppose you two are..." he almost whispered eerily... "Like me?"

Scourge's pinprick red pupils seemed to gleam in the darkness; they had to know what he meant just by looking at him. Evil. A deep seated rage, which is split off and repressed, is at their core. He could tell. But were they evil like him? Seeing others around him not as wolves, but only as targets and opportunities? Instead of friends, having victims and accomplices who end up as victims? Corrupted? Broken?

[Blood]

Bane:

"Name's Scourge." The deathly wolf stated without holding back or hesitating. Bane narrowed his eyes even more at the red masked male, he seemed to act too comfortable in the presence of two shadow masters, but why wouldn't he if he thought he was the most powerful wolf of the three. In rising anger, the tempered shadow bender almost voiced a snarl towards the dark stranger, but something told him not to. He held back his threat, and listened to Nyx carry on a shallow conversation whith this Scourge, apparently she didn't think he was much of a threat. Her shadows lurked closer to his as she shifted nearer, the two great darkness melted together at the edges, and for a split second, Bane imagined what it would be like to manipulate the shadows with another master.

"But it surely wasn't our light play that brought you here." Bane flicked his ear at what the she-wolf had said. Confusion was fogging his anger towards the dark new comer, and curiosity was slowly replacing it. Nyx obviously was whiling to communicate with this killer wolf and try and make some sort of connection with him, this made Bane start to think... What if he showed less aggression, and more effort in trying to coincide with these two new acquaintances, trust them a bit more and give them less of a harsh attitude.

A sharp twang of pain shot through the dark gray male's head distracting him from the conversation. Bane had over worked himself whith shadow manipulation, and had caused himself a headache, but not wanting to show weakness, Bane simply lessened the large brooding shadows around him, until on his on shadow thinly shrouding him in a blanket of darkness. His glowing red power mark and piercing blood red eyes were now more clearly visible. Bane flashed his orbs from Nyx to Scourge, even if they did end up turning against a mutual agreement, he still had skills in fighting, and had his shadows as defense against one of them.

"Might as well get straight to the point. I felt... lured here, if you will- I suppose you two are... like me." Scourge's creepy voice hissed in the chilly air and died with a hushed "like me". Bane grabbed hold of a shiver that was about to run down his spine, and gave a short exhale through his teeth. "Like you?" The red specks of his eyes glittered with amusement. "The taste of fear is what I consume for meat. I hunt for it in every creature I find." A fiendish smirk poked at his lips as he met the gaze of Scourge with equality and a mysterious connection.

@noelle
Meds

[Meds]

Nyx;

To Nyx's faint surprise, Scourge replied easily enough to Bane. She admitted to herself that she hadn't seen it coming. That was interesting. The male was certainly dark, insane, broken... and yet unpredictable. He had layers within him, which made for interesting company.
Nyx regarded Scourge cooly—or perhaps, that was just how she looked at everything. Though he admitted his words were not done in mockery, she could see how his dark eyes drinked in their shadows. They intrigued him.
Speaking of shadows, suddenly Bane's shadows melded with her own (the black hole she had created). Since she could subconciously feel what her own shadows touched, when they melded she got a deeper understanding of Bane's own. It was a close feeling. A personal feeling—almost a sensual one. She flinched, hating the closeness, barely holding in a snarl and dropping her shadow all together. Her tattoo died to black once more within the orange patch around her eye. Beside her, Bane, too, lessened his own shadows, but perhaps for a different reason. They were both still level 1, and practice took time.

The reek of Scourge was more noticeable now that her mind wasn't focused on shadow bending. It was a scent that she did not find offputting. He smelled of death and decay.
Her eyes smouldered and she relaxed her stance, even with Bane right beside her. Perhaps most other wolves wouldn't be so at ease around a pair of such clearly dark animals—but Nyx had no fear. Though she was on the smaller-end of average, she was scrappy enough to kill other wolves, and had done in the past; however, probably not wolves such as these two. No, the reason she had no fear around them was because she wasn't worried about what they could do to her.
Anything they could do had already been done to her—she had even died once, back in her original pack that was built on the fabrics of shamans and necromancers. They had brought her back quickly and it had been almost a non-issue. It happened all the time in that pack—but Nyx came back different. She had always been dark, but when she came back from the beyond, there was something that had changed over in her mind; that was the wolf that she was today. Hardened, unafraid, cruel—an enhanced versian of what she once was.

Bringing her attention back, Scourge asked if they were, simply, like him, and said he had been drawn to them. Nyx could understand this if, in fact, they were simliar wolves. Bane replied in his own way, saying he thrived on fear, like an addict who got it from everyone he encountered. Nyx lifted her chin and regarded the two wolves with downcast eyes.

"I've never tried to define it before," Nyx said slowly once Bane was done, her irises burning. She was referring to herself and her way of being—and though certainly she was like the other two (if not more subtly broken), how to explain it was proving a challenge. She had never had a need to explain it in words before. Everyone she met could sense it from her. Like dark, static waves that permeated the minds of all she encountered.
"Others have called me unhinged, immoral, shattered... To Skotadi..." She let the Greek roll off her tongue without an explanation before shaking out her mane and looking at each male in turn. "Similar..." The three even had similar eyes. Though Scourge only had pinpricks of red, and Bane's irises were yellow whereas Nyx's were the same burning, shifting orange as her coat—they each had eyes that were black where they should be white. That in itself was interesting enough.

In fact, Nyx felt more interested by them than she had about any another wolves in recent memory. What were their stories? And, more importantly, why on earth did she care?


@noelle