Beauty and the Beast || Rebecca & Charles
The sun had just began to fall over the land of Athoria, sending forth the dimming rays of light through the trees only to one by one be overpowered by the Hallowed Oak’s thick shadows. There were two worlds coexisting underneath the canopy of the dense forest. One of mystics and magic, a welcomed calm that settled on the forest floor like the dying leaves of an oak. This world belonged to those who saw magic in wind and limbs of trees.
But, as the sun falls and the land is plunged into a state of darkness, another world is born. A world with much more ominous tones, harbouring beings that seem to have grown aware and formed from concentrated fears, their teeth sharp and eye’s aglow with an evil no mortal had ever bared witness to and lived to tell the tale. Funny, how the lack of one element could turn a world of fantasy into a nightmare.
Although, there are beasts who find solace in nightmares. Creatures who lust for pain and a contagious fear. Charles was only one of these creatures who loomed in the shadows, preying on the bodies and emotions of lesser species. And although he could not deny his fondness for giving into the primal urges that beckoned him to commit the most heinous of crimes against the innocent, tonight his focus was drawn to one in particular.
A dog.
The phantom strolled by in plain view, carelessly entering the territory of a different and admittedly powerful species. He had never cared for the semantics surrounding the different clans and powers of the country, as long as there was at least one party funding his escapades he didn’t mind who held the crown. In fact, the whole idea of demanding respect from a group of equal individuals had always seemed a ridiculous notion. Just animals clawing and biting for the title of alpha in a temporary plane of existence. He would have pitied them if he had the ability.
Growing bored, Charles came to a stop and observed his surrounding. It was a mystery as to why these packs and clans grew so defensive over the land. Nothing but a group of dead and dying sticks marked by the piss of lesser creatures. Disgusting. Glancing up at an ancient tree he smirked and pulled a blade from his side, stabbing the end into the dry bark and deeply carving his name into the wood. Sap bled from the wound, dripping down to coat the leaves of a new sapling that stood defenseless at the feet of the man defiling its mother.
Her desire to patrol Vargulf lands like she had when Elki first brought her to his pack some decades prior had grown increasingly as of late. She assumed it to be the hunters that had invaded her privacy and well-being at Brailston a handful of moons ago. Rebecca had escaped only with her life thanks to her current and present companion, Casper. Unfortunately she had never exploited who the men were and why they had chosen Rebecca to hunt and threaten with such distasteful manners. It had been frightening considering she had been cornered in the middle of the capital with no means to defend herself other than shedding her clothing and phasing into the raging wolf that she was. If these men were still after her then Vargulf would forever be in danger, and it would be all thanks to her.
She patrolled like she had in the old days, migrating from post to post that rested atop of large trees and lingering for however long she deemed necessary before making rounds once more. Against her back rested her faithful bow and a quiver of freshly sharpened arrows and against her thigh hanging from her belt was a swiftly curved hunting blade. It was a new addition to her own personal armory, and for some reason her instinct told her that she'd be needing all the protection she could afford that night.
Moving from tree to tree, deer-skinned boots impressing the ground as she went and hand gently caressing the bark against the trunks, Rebecca wandered into a girlish daydream. She imagined a life where borders were not needed and supernaturals were all kind creatures and used their abilities for good rather than to conquer others that were defenseless like the humans. A life without wars and ravage killing...a life with peace and nature...a place where she could marry without having to explain herself or hide amongst a King who would terrorize her life without question.
In the end it was what Elki had wanted and so it would always be Rebecca's desire to see it through. She'd follow Elki into the darkest life if it meant being with him and forever protecting her wolfish family.
Rebecca's ears twitched, then, and her head pivoted north of her boundary. In Hallowed Oak, especially surrounding the Trinity Lakes rested many a sound and many a smell that all of Vargulf were familiar with; the soft paddles of deer crossing the shallower rivers and the steady heartbeats of the owls and their families hidden high in the trees. Wolves were blessed with the their radiant sense of smell and Vargulf borders matched the circumference that they could manage to detect. Rebecca's eyes glowed into a shade of green that reflected her wolf and without another seconds hesitation she sprinted towards the smell of the intruder.
He was not far away; in fact the scent of the phantom was so convenient that Rebecca should have been more cautious. Instead she leaped from the trees and landed on the path in which the suspicious looking man damaged their property without a care. She crossed her arms across her chest.
"That's quite rude, don't you think?" she said with an attitude, annoyed that this man would invade Vargulf lands without a single notion of respect. "You've entered Vargulf borders and it would be wise for you to turn back, seeing as you have no business with my leader or anyone else for that matter,"
