Devastated Shadow Lands: Curse of Kurnin

Chapter One (RP not saved, done through memory.)

Annoth stood at the mouth of the small cave as he was deep in thought. That long night of pure passion with his mate, Arianna, left him winded and desiring more. However he had managed to oversleep while she snuck out to hunt. Slowly he walked over to the small trickling water that lead down to a pond near the cave entrance. Hearing sudden movement he turned. The first thing he would recognize is the smell. The next, was the pitch black fur of the two wolves.

He blinked slightly seeing the scantily clad female with dark hair. Her dark tan skin glistening in the sun, evidence that she had just been running. He looked into her deep golden eyes and was taken back to a time when he and his brother, Gunnar, first met Kahri. The sight of the two black wolves beside her caused him to stop for a moment and simply stare.

"Have you really hunted us this far south? For what?" He growled softly. The two wolves to either side of her letting out low growls and showing their teeth. He turned his eyes to look at each one. "Fozz? Mika? Who else is with you?"

"Shut it, Annoth!" Kahri hissed. "You.." she growled and took a few steps forward. "We have found you finally. Where is the white bitch? The rest of your pack? They should be hear to see what we do to you!" she paused a moment, a twisted grin cracked along her face. "No, you will watch what we do to them." She flung out her hand and instantly Annoth would feel a darkness spreading from her feet thorugh the ground. Vines with thorns, would lash up to wrap around his legs and climb up. They were noth normal vines by any means. They were dead and smelled of rotting plant.  

With a grunt and a twist Annoth attempted to stagger back from the vines, growling and taking in a deep putrid breath before he gathered his energy to not only destroy the vines but clean the ground of the filth she had sent his way.

"You dare use dark magic? Who taught you that?!" he growled. "You will not lay a finger upon Arianna!" he pointed at her. The ground would open up under him. Kahri would not speak to him. The only words she uttered were spells, dark necromantic spells that the druids and the shadow clan had forbid long ago. For good reason. Annoth started to counter the spell with his own, the ground under her becoming muddied and slick. A shout causing her to lose her balance and slip down into the mud. Mika was first to latch onto him, biting deep within his arm. Fozz seemed to snap at his heals.. not really sure what to do, but figured moral support was good enough.

Annoth turned and slapped the palm of his hand against Mika's forehead. A quick spell to knock out the male. Then he turned to Fozz, who opened his eyes wide and started to step back away from the Druid. He tilted his head back letting out a rally call for unknown pack members that were still within the woods.

It was enough of a distraction for Kahri to get back to her feet in an attempt to restart her spell. Thinking fast, Annoth started another spell.. this one would come as a blast from his natural aura knocking out any within 10 feet of him. The blast would reverb through the cave and hit them twice. The three knocked out he slumped to the side. He could feel the death magic seeping through the ground still even as Kahri lay still on the ground.

..
In the distance, Arianna was humming softly to herself. Swinging the two rabbits on a piece of rope as she walked. The day was pleasant enough, but there was an eerie quiet to the forest she hadn't noticed. Then she paused. A strange scent hit her that was familiar. She paused for a moment, brow furrowed, as she attempted to place it. Something she had not smelled in a long while. She lifted her eyes from side to side.. and then she noticed it. The deathly silence. Feeling the hair stand up on the back of her neck she started to turn and look around the woods. The call in the distance hit her ears and she spun back towards home.

She took in a deep breath, the rabbits dropping to the ground with a thud, her feet picking up and slamming against the ground as she beat the dirt running as fast as she could. That smell hit her.. the smell of her mate's blood. A whirlwind of fear panic and pain rushing into her heart. She started to shred her clothes, shifting mid run. Stumbling into trees and knocking them down with her size till she became a raging beast of a war.

As she busted through into the field she could see the cave. Annoth seemed to be slumped over into the pond while three others lay near his feet. She ran to him and pausing enough to see that he was hurt, but alive. She then turned before he could even understand that she was there and moved to rip Kahri's throat out. She knew that smell.. she remembered it finally upon seeing her laying there. Blood dripping down her muzzle she turned grabbing hold of Mika and digging her claws into the back of his neck, about to rip his head from his body when she finally heard Annoth crying out her name.

As she turned he had his hands raised to her.

"I'm fine. Arianna please!" He pleaded. There was hesitation in Arianna's silver like eyes. "They are out. I won the fight. You need not kill them." He said attempting to calm her from her rage. She looked at Mika and slowly lowered him down.. the damage done as she had already severed his spine unknowingly. She turned and looked at the other that lay upon the ground before she set Mika down. Her ears back as she slowly looked at the three upon the ground.

She began to shift back down to her human form and yelped slightly in pain before she rushed to Annoth and wrapped her arms around him. "My love. Are you alright?" She asked looking him over. Aside from the nasty bite wound and the scratches along his body from the thorns, he seemed to be just fine.

"Yes.. I am fine." He said quietly. His eyes looking down at the carnage left of Kahri and pointing at Mika. "Bring him here. I might be able to heal his wounds. We will tie them up and find out how many m..." Interrupted by the sudden roar in the distance he looked up to see three more figures heading their way. One a rather large black wolf.. the other was Vetis. One of the older members of the Shadow Clan. The third... Vida. Their long lost shy and quiet pack mate.

Arianna turned, her lips in a snarl as she readied herself. Ludo heading directly at them only to suddenly have Vetis leap and tackle him to the ground. There was a flailing struggle till it looked as if Vetis had managed to hold Ludo at bay. Ludo had focused upon his lifeless little brother Fozz.

"Ludo! LUDO! STOP! Please pack brother! Just stop!" Vetis pleaded with the snarling kicking gnashing of Ludo. Annoth reached out snagging hold of Arianna's arm and pulling himself up beside her. She turned to look at him for a moment then paused and looked to where Annoth himself was looking. There she saw Vida.. and her heart soared.

"Vida!" she called out wanting to take a step forward. Vetis looked back, though he could do nothing to keep Vida from moving forward to be with her pack he seemed to not have to. There was a strange exchange through their eyes to each other.. and Vida stepped forward.

"Is he dead?" Vida asked. Arianna blinked and looked at Annoth then down at the two males. "Are they all dead?"

"No.." Annoth said. "Just Kahri and Mika.. Fozz is fine." as soon as the last words left his mouth Ludo seemed to slump and whimper with Vetis atop him. Nearly crawling on his belly and dragging Vetis with him.

"Ludo.. he's fine.. I will make sure he is." Vetis growled and strengthened his hold till Ludo finally stopped. Vetis then looked back to Vida giving her a moment. "Do what you want. I will not stop you. I just wish to speak with them. We.. I had no intention of ever fighting them." He said to her. Vida nodded and stepped in front of both Ludo and Vetis. Facing her pack Alpha.

"Vida, I am so glad to see you are alive.. that you are alright!" Arianna had tears in her eyes, holding open her arms hoping that she would come to the embrace. However, Vida hesitated and looked over her shoulder.

"Hear them out?" she asked. Arianna turned and looked at Annoth in a silent moment then turned back to Vida and nodded. Vida turned and looked back to Vetis for a moment then moved forward and waited timidly to see if Arianna would accept the hug she should have gotten before. Arianna was grateful, wrapping her arms around the young wolf and petting her hair.

"I am glad you are alright." She said softly then moved Vida to the side and stood nearly in front of her as if to protect her. "Speak then.. What is it you want?" She asked. Vetis' eyes dropped down looking at Mika's still body then to Kahri.

"Two things.. One.. a proper burial for Mika.. and Kahri.. Second.." Before he could finish Annoth Nodded his head and said 'That is a given.' "I wish for Annoth to come back with us to speak to the Elders."

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!" Arianna started to growl. Annoth moved his hand from her side to her shoulder and gripped it lightly.

"I will go." Annoth said determined. Arianna snapped her eyes to Annoth and tilted her head. "I need to find out who allowed and taught death magic to Kahri. It is my duty as a Druid and my right as a son of shadows." he said turning to look at her. Arianna's expression lightened. She knew that she would have no way of convincing him otherwise. Annoth stepped away from her and Vida.. gathering up Fozz and walking forward to lay his unconscious body in front of Ludo. "He's fine." He assured him. "Just sleeping." Sure enough, Fozz's chest rose and fell lightly while his toes twitched and curled as if he were chasing squirrels in his dreams.

Ludo shifted taking Fozz in his arms, glaring at the two dead pack members and then turning away, just grateful to have his little brother safe and sound. Annoth looked to Ludo and waited a moment for him to stand and dust off his furs. Vetis looked off at Mika once again.

"I think he would have wanted to go this way.. he has been suffering the sickness of losing his mate and his son before we left.." Vetis seemed to pause and rubbed his chest slightly. "We will wait over there near the stone in the middle of the field. Once the bodies are prepared and the pyrs built.. we can start." Annoth gave a soft nod, standing statuesque for a moment until Vetis left. He turned back to Arianna who had started to get dressed.

She took a quiet moment, seeming to ignore him while she washed the blood from her face and looked over Vida to be sure she was alright. When she finally turned back to face Annoth she frowned.

"I do not want you going alone.. we will be following you." she said in hushed tones. "Whatever the case is.. you can not leave your pack behind.. you can not leave -me- behind." she said sternly. Annoth nodded then turned to Vida.

"Its good to have you back, little sister." he said to her softly, moving forward and wrapping his arms around her. "Help me gather some herbs?" he asked. When She nodded they set off to do just that.

Once Fozz was awake there was a sad whimpering from the small wolf, as he had just learned of Mika's death. There was a lot of sadness at first.. then low talking. Ludo snuck off, his intention to find the redheaded female Vida.

Slowly Ludo strutted up to her. A swagger like no other and a grin that curled at the corner of his mouth. "Hey..." he started to say, just as Fozz ran up and knocked his feet out from under him sending him toppling down into the grass. Vida blinked as she was holding a few plants within her hands. Fozz lawled out his tongue and looked at her before he turned and went over to sit his butt upon Ludo's chest. Vida opened her mouth as if to say something until she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to look at Vetis as he stood over her.

Fozz tugged at Ludo's hair, dragging him slightly along the ground. Ludo; kicking growling and slapping at Fozz's face, did not even notice Vetis or that Vida had no longer been paying attention.

"I.. I just wanted to thank you for speaking on our behalf. You didn't have to." Vetis said quietly kneeling near her. "I owe you for that.. I guess." Vida paused for a moment. then a soft smile curled at her lips.

"Don't go.. Don't take Annoth from us.. join us." She suddenly said to him.

"I.. We can't. I have to be sure my clan is alright.. I mean, I would w.." he paused watching as Arianna carried Mika's body slowly to the pyr. Annoth close behind her with Kahri. "I have to go." he said abruptly and stood up looking down at the young female. "I am sorry." He moved past her then stopped long enough to catch both Ludo and Fozz's attention. Serious expressions hitting their faces once again before they moved quickly to join in the rituals to say goodbye to the dead.

For a moment.. Vida would be confused.. as Mika seemed to hover slightly before her in a ghostly form, before he turned and ran off. She looked down in her hands and threw the herbs and flowers away from her. Thinking that somehow the combination had caused her to hallucinate.

Once the funeral was over.. everyone slept. Annoth, Vetis, Ludo and Fozz would leave before daybreak. Arianna and Vida would follow not to far behind.

Chapter two

The Spirit Walker's Nightmare.

Arianna had not waited for the ashes in the fire pit to become cold before she was back and following the trail of the four males. Light had barely touched the small valley they had chosen as home before they left. For a while.. there would be nothing but silence. Quiet gestures to convey what to do where to go..yes and no answers to any expression given. It wasn't until almost a full month had passed that they started to see signs of the northern lands. Snow drenching down upon the thick fur and pine forests, slowing them down and making them stay back further so as not to alert them with the crunching snow. "We'll have to be careful here." Arianna whispered breaking the long silence. Her voice sounded a bit rough.. but then it hadn't been used for a very long while. "We'll have to follow their trail now and only speed up when it starts to snow so that we don't lose it. No more going to spy on them and their camps.. we'll just have to have faith that they are ok." She tugged her cloak a bit more around her shoulder. Part of her wondering if the Northern lands had always been so cold. Something did not quite feel right.. but she pressed to walk forward keeping an eye on Vida with short glances around the woods.. "Up ahead.. there looks to be a clearing.." she said.. "What is that smell?" Her brow furrowed and she focused intently on the trail Annoth and the others had left behind. Vida would hear something in the distance.. but not sure what to make of it.. and Arianna would not react to it.

Vida Lyre had adjusted well enough to only being able to look on from a distance. Sure, on occasion, the urge to make herself known came up... but she knew better. They couldn't. So she'd faithfully stayed hidden with Arianna, also only speaking when she absolutely needed to. Vida herself had little memory of what the land was like before; she just knew it was damn cold at the moment. As they came closer, she furrowed her brow. Her head shook at Arianna's question - a silent 'I don't know' - before she paused and perked up. She looked around for the source of whatever she'd heard with a frown... but when she couldn't really figure it out, she pushed it to the back of her mind for the time being, letting out a slow breath.

Arianna as she would reach the more sparse trees just before the clearing her footsteps would become slower. She was on edge, tense and alert as if she were a dear walking into a clearing with hunters. She came up to the back of a tree and looked up the hill seeing what seemed to be a dead tree covered in snow.. The smell of decay frozen in the snow.. that is what it was.. death frozen over..a soft chill went up her spine, weather by the wind finding a uncovered spot in her fur armor or from the realization of what that smell was. Agian There would seem to be whispers that only Vida would hear.. none made sense..not yet. The trees around them creaked and slowly Arianna started to make her way up the hill.. She seemed almost afraid to reach down and touch the side of the hill for traction, but did so anyway to help her along. Something had her spooked.. but she was doing her best not to worry Vida.. It wouldn't be till they got to the top of the hill that they were able to see that the clearing wasn't so much a clearing as a vast wasteland.. Arianna would pause here..staring in a silent horror at the mass decay of plant life.. not noticing that some of the 'branches' that stuck out of the snow..were actually the bones of beasts and animals alike. "By the Gods..." she let slip in a low breath that caught on the wind.

Vida Lyre was unfortunately not as good at concealing her worry as Arianna. She continued along uneasily as it was, trying to make sense of whatever she'd heard whenever her mind was idle enough to grant her the time. The smell caused Vida to hold her breath as much as she could, or at least breath through her mouth more. As the whispers picked up again, Vida perked up and looked around with a start, eyes flitting about to try and once again spot a source. Arianna may have succeeded in not causing the red's tension to rise... but it did that on its own. As they came in view of what lie before then, she forced herself to swallow the lump in her throat. The whispers - or their reason for existing - were slowly starting to make sense, but she couldn't figure out who - or what - they came from, let alone what they were saying. The hint of a vaguely frightened expression crossed her face as she looked around. It was building up. Slowly, but it was building.

Arianna did not want to move right away.. she..was scared. She had not seen this amount of devastation even when the un-dead were tainting the Amouras. The memory of the several armed skeletal being that had attacked her and Annoth came vividly to mind. Her stomach clenched she almost took a step back.. then her senses looked down to the trail.. where as before they had been walking separate and in a rather straight pattern.. it was obvious that the trail took a sudden stop..and slowly dwindled to a single thick line that pushed ahead. It seemed that they had been just as shocked to see the landscape... and from the look of a few random juts where it looked as if Vetis perhaps.. had stopped to look around for land marks.. They were just as unsure as Arianna.. that they were going in the right direction. Taking a deep breath she too would start to look off for landmarks in the mountains to assure her that they were too heading in the right direction. Vida.. would hear a wailing.. a pained scream and pleading type of wolf vocal that would curdle milk if the milk hadn't frozen over. Arianna.. did not react to this at all.. as she would not hear it.

Vida Lyre trembled. Maybe she could sense Arianna's own fear by then... or maybe it was just getting to her that badly. She didn't seem to be in a hurry to move either. But at the same time... she was suddenly becoming more and more worried about the group they were following. Without a word, she turned her head to look uncertainly at Arianna. Then that agonizing scream of pain sent a chill straight through her being. Her body jolted and tensed, and she started frantically turning to look for the source. "What-..." She couldn't form any words. The pain alone in the wailing caused a sick feeling to form in her stomach. An uneasy whimper formed in her throat as she began to scan the area more urgently.

Arianna turned her pale blue eyes on Vida at the sound of her voice.. seeing her look about in a startled way caused worry to cross her face. She closed the distance and moved to stand next to Vida and offer a arm around her shoulders. "What is it?" She asked.. but she'd not understand. It was obvious that she heard nothing. Vida would then hear it.. 'Pleeease.' in a shuttering wicked voice.. and then silence. She would then only hear her own heart pounding in her ears.

Vida Lyre accepted the arm, even if she didn't respond much to it. She was too busy looking around... but Arianna helped solidify the conclusion that it was ... nothing that was alive any longer. "Something... something's here. Someone's here... but... why..." Her eyes were flitting about. She didn't want to shout for fear of giving themselves away. At the same time, she didn't know what to do. "It's... pleading. I don't understand... why is it here? Wouldn't it have moved on by now?..."

Arianna watched Vida for a moment.. seeing fear in her pack mate caused her concern. that primal need to protect would come forward and she would start to look around more carefully.. sure enough.. she would notice the soft  protrusion of what seemed to be ribs just along the brush.. she stared at it for a moment then looked back at Vida.. not totally connection the dots...slowly she started to move from Vida's side to the skeletal remains, offering a soft squeeze of her shoulder as if to reassure her. As she made it to the remains she knelt down and started to dig through the snow.. and Vida would hear the pleading again. 'Pleeease...' and for a moment she would only hear Arianna digging through the snow to uncover that of a partially transformed lycan. Her ribs had been gnawed on, but the rest of her had been protected by the frozen snow.. as Arianna started to uncover her face Vida would hear a scream. the warning howl and snarling. 'NO! STOP! I CAN'T CONTROL IT!' Arianna continued to uncover the body.. not hearing any of this and unaware of what might be the danger. "I think.. I think it is one of the shadow clan." Arianna said in a shaky voice. her hands started to sting from the cold.. and then Vida would see it.. a slight green glow that seemed to move like a snake through the frozen fur toward the lycan's deformed face.

Vida Lyre felt the urge to vomit. Something was horribly wrong, but she wasn't aware of just how wrong it was. She stayed where she was at first... but then the pleading came back... and the body was uncovered. But during that... her blood ran cold. Vida didn't quite scream... but she let out an alarmed yelp and scrambled toward Arianna, reaching out to try and grasp her shoulders. As she came forth, it was then she saw the glow... and she became more frantic, mirroring some of the voice's own cries. "Stop!" Her heart pounded and both trembling hands tried to tug her back away from the body, her feet scrambling in the snow as she did so. "Get back get back get back... Please get back!" She didn't know what was about to happen... but she didn't want to be anywhere near the creature in case something horrible was about to happen. Even worse, Vida had most likely never acted so terrified in her life. Hopefully that would be an alarm in itself.

Arianna paused with her hand on the creature's shoulder looking back at Vida.. The eyelid would snap open and the sound of ice breaking would cause Arianna to stumble and fall back to her ass in shock. Slowly the deformed corpse would start to break free of its prison..loosing an arm and half of its face in the process.. It lunged for Arianna with its free frozen claw, jaw snapping as a hoarse hiss came from its open throat. The spirit would star to scream and howl in pain. "NO!" Arianna grunted kicking and trying to get away from it. Indeed it had scared the shit out of her. Her chest heaving in shallow panicked pants as her heart was nearly up in her throat. 'HELP! PLEASE IT HURTS!' the spirit started to cry. All Arianna would see was the pure horror and all she would hear is the hiss. The claw grazing her calve and cutting into her flesh in a jagged fashion.

Vida Lyre found herself at a loss. How do you defeat something that's already dead? She didn't know. "Arianna!" She scrambled for something - some way - to stop it. The white wolf was their best bet for survival; Vida only had the senses to be able to know what went on between this world and the next. Whimpering helplessly at first, she suddenly let out a frantic shout and tried to speak to the spirit. It was something she'd never done before... but she could only hope it would hear her and provide her with an answer... any way to fix this. "What happened?! How can we help you?!" Her eyes remained wild with terror. In a last ditch effort while she waited desperately for an answer, she tried to jump onto the creature's back - even if just to distract it from Arianna long enough for her to gain some distance between the two of them. If she could, she tried to grab at its arms, grunting and struggling - trying to do something, anything.

Arianna stumbled back pulling her legs out and away. She hadn't felt the cut, not really. Her expression was pale as she was not sure exactly what she was looking at. As Vida screamed the spirit would be wailing in a unhelpful tortured manner. As she grabbed hold of the beast it would flail.. its hind legs still frozen and trapped within the snow. It twisted its neck up, cracking and the noise of breaking ice would be heard as it opened its jaws attempting to snap at her. Arianna's eyes would see this.. and instantly the color would come to her cheeks again.. rising up she would reach out and snag hold of the beast's twisted muzzle and pry the jaws open further.. If Vida looked down the throat.. she would see a talisman wedged just there. Ghostly human fingertips wrapped around it but unable to move it. "VIDA! GET FREE!" Arianna shouted in worry for her pack mate. 'Pleeease take it!' the shuttering spirit voice called to Vida.

Vida Lyre felt her eyes go wide. They'd begun to well with tears of desperation. The pained screaming only added to her own anguish; she was only just barely hanging on by a thread as it was. She squirmed away from its snapping as best as she could. It took her a moment before she could see the talisman. The moment she did came mere milliseconds before the voice called out to her. So as quickly as she could, she tried to reach in and jam her hand down the beast's throat. Her fingers stretched and wiggled. If she was successful, she yanked the talisman free and scrambled away from the creature, panting and quivering as she did. If she wasn't... well. That moment had the potential to get ugly.

Arianna was shocked to see Vida plunge her hand down the beast's mouth. She strained to keep the jaws from clenching together. Vida had to let go of the arms to do this.. and with that came a sudden blow to Arianna's side. She winced.. but kept hold and steady.. just as the fingers on her ribs started to curl inward Vida freed the talisman... and suddenly the corpse faltered...then started to break apart. The jaw snapping off like a brittle twig, the arm falling from the creatures shoulder dragging its claws down along Arianna's side. As Vida stumbled back so did Arianna. For a moment she looked at the corpse waiting for it to rise again then suddenly spun around grasping and wrapping her arms tightly, if she could, around Vida. Shaking and unable to say anything.. not that Vida would hear.. there would be a roar of pain from the spirit.. crying and babbling that she wouldn't understand.. the talisman still within her fingers seemed to have a light blue light that seemed to be broken yet still trailing to the body. The spirit was in pain beyond anything Vida could understand.

Vida Lyre had relinquished her hold on the creature's arms so absently that she hadn't thought about the danger it presented to Arianna. In a brief moment that she was able to realize this, she wished she'd been able to give it more thought to try and keep her from experiencing more pain... but the moment was over. The creature that had attacked Arianna was once again still and lifeless, as it were. She shook and allowed herself to be held onto without a word... but the sounds became overwhelming. Her fingers clutched the talisman tightly and she too cried - sobbed hysterically, even. She shivered violently and tried to at least get a few words out, hunching over in Arianna's grasp. "Pain... there's so much pain... I don't-..." And that was when she lost it entirely. Her knuckles went white from their grip as her hands shook tensely. "I DON'T KNOW HOW TO MAKE IT STOP!"

Arianna took a moment to look over Vida.. "Why did you.." she looked down at her hand..seeing a piece of black feather and bone sticking out of her tight grasp..She dropped down with Vida.. taking the talisman from her hand even if she had to pry at her fingers to do so. If she managed.. she would inspect it further.. the screaming would not stop.. every move of the talisman seemed to cause the spirit more unbearable pain. It would only manage to stutter the words 'stop' 'please!' and 'no more.' between the movements. The blue glowing line between the talisman and the corpse seemed to be breaking between the movements. "What.." Arianna was doing her best to bring her wits back to herself..

Vida Lyre was only able to speak in broken fragments, frantically looking between the talisman that Arianna had retrieved from her hands and the lifeless, damaged corpse. Her heart raced and the pleading would only add to the terror she felt. "I don't- ... what- ... it's hurting them-..." She just couldn't stop. She'd had time to figure out what she was capable... but not enough time. Not enough to know how to handle something like this. Her tears brought a deeper chill to her cheeks as she looked from the talisman to the body, watching it breaking. "Wait!... Stop moving it...." She just couldn't make sense of it. She looked back at the talisman. "Its spirit... is it-..." Her jaw quivered. She looked desperately up at Arianna. "... It's trapped! Someone trapped it!"

Arianna was doing her best to calm Vida down while looking at the talisman. She paused.. doing her best to no longer move it around as Vida pleaded with her. Slowly she pealed back the cloth that was wrapped around it.. sure enough.. there was a human tooth within it along with what seemed to be a baby crow skull with black feathers and hair used to tie it together. "That sick bastard..." she breathed...slowly and carefully she used her fingernails to pull the ties back. The spirit would howl and scream until suddenly.. silence.. the ties broken and the pieces of the talisman fallen apart. Arianna would look up at Vida.. something finally clicking within her own mind.. Vida was a spirit walker. This journey.. especially with what they were to face.. was going to be a hundred times harder on her. The silence seemed to go on for a moment longer.. then a soft pale blue shape of a woman rose up from the twisted corpse..she turned to Vida and then formed into a wolf.. stepping closer to her and then lifting her head up to the sky with a eerie howl.. that would say 'Thank you.' to her.. before fading from her vision. Arianna would not see any of this.. focused purely on Vida's expression with no words to try and help her. She didn't know enough about spirit walkers other than a few childhood stories that were told.. and even then.. they were told to help the children get through the passing of a loved one.

Vida Lyre remained on her knees in the snow. Part of her was thankful that Arianna seemed to know what to do from there. She herself was terrified of destroying the talisman, worrying what would have happened if she had. For a moment, the screaming caused her to lurch forward and cover her ears... but she uncovered them again - slowly - once the silence hit her. Her eyes scanned the corpse and paused as something began to form. Frozen where she was, she could only watch the figure move closer to her. Vida at least had calmed considerably as she looked on. But as the spirit faded, her head bowed and she finally wept. This time, it was quiet. "It's over... She's free... You freed her..."

Arianna let the broken talisman drop from her grasp and sat up wrapping her arms around Vida.. There was no way for Arianna to understand the torment she just went through. She wasn't even sure how to bring up that childhood story to try and prepare Vida for what might happen as they travel further into the wasteland that was ahead of them. For now she just held her.."Its ok.. It's over." She ignored her own wounds for now.. doing her best to comfort and bring Vida back to sanity. Watching as the snow seemed to start falling heavier onto the ground.. only then did she remember the trail and closed her eyes tight.. 'It can wait.' she thought.

Vida Lyre leaned into her with a heavy breath. Arianna was right: it -was- over. And that much at least brought her comfort. It took her a few minutes to recover. Even then, she hadn't thought about what else was in store for them. Maybe she didn't even want to think about it. For another moment, she practically clung to her... and as her tension finally passed, she let out another deep breath and nodded. "Thank you..."

Arianna leaned back giving Vida a bit of room. She pet along side her head and patted her shoulder. She would have to tell her.. and soon.. there was no telling how many of these monstrosities lay between them and the shadow clan village. But for now she wanted to give her a break from the pain she might have suffered from that. "We need to continue along the path.. they are getting to far ahead and the trail is started to get covered.. Can you make it? We will find shelter soon and rest for what we can."

Vida Lyre paused. For whatever amount of torment one occurrence caused... it would have been worse several times over if they lost track of the rest of them only for something awful to happen to them. As that realization hit her, she nodded and already started to push herself up. "I'll be fine. You're right - so let's go." The first cut was always the deepest. She could only hope that she wouldn't be so terrified if she had to deal with it again. It took her a moment, but once she looked Arianna over, she noticed at least the hints of her injuries and frowned. "Are you okay? We should probably make sure those are cleaned first..."

Arianna stood and winced. Her leg wound and ribs cried out in a sharp pain. When Vida voiced her concern she shook her head. "It can wait.. it will heal overnight." she said placing her somewhat bloodied fingers around her chest. "We need to keep moving." And like that she surged forward into the small grove that the males had left. "Stay close." she said.. the weather would get worse. They would travel at a fast pace for a couple of hours, wind causing the snow to bite at any exposed flesh. The path had been somewhat covered but it wasn't long before dark started to fall and they could see the glow from the male's camp just over the hill. Arianna turned and looked around finding a small cave like groove and moved to there, snagging up branches from trees and twigs along the way. Vida would hear distant screams and wailing but none that seemed to be close enough by nor could she really pin point what direction they were coming from. It would be constant, only drowned out by the sounds of crunching snow and the encouraging words Arianna called out to keep her going. Once the fire was lit and the warmth started to fill the small spot.. did the screams and voices stop. She would only hear the crackling of the fire as it bounced of the walls around her.. probably a welcomed deafening noise. Arianna sat across the fire pealing back her boot to inspect the jagged claw scratch. "It isn't to bad. Looks like it'll heal by morning." she said. Her ribs had already started to ache less. She turned her palms up and looked at her fingers, where they had scraped against the jagged jaws of the beast before were soft pale pink marks. Thankful that her lycan ability to heal itself was so strong.. as having a wound in this cold of weather whilst traveling would make things more difficult. She looked across the flames to Vida. "How are you holding up?"

Vida Lyre frowned as Arianna shrugged off concern over her wounds. Still, she didn't press it: she always trusted that if help was needed... she would know. It didn't stop her from keeping a close eye on her though, despite the pained cries and wails that filled the air. She tried to drown out the sounds, but it didn't help. They were as real as anything to her, as if she was hearing them being slaughtered right that moment. It was taking its toll on her. The fresh youth that had stubbornly held onto her features had dripped away the longer the noises went on. In its place was something else... something aged, but subtle. Arianna was able to successfully keep her moving, but everything still... got to her. It didn't stop until the fire seemed to drown it out. With a sigh of relief, she tried to make herself comfortable, looking toward the marks on Arianna's body with a slow nod. "I'm glad... but I'm sorry you were hurt to begin with." At her question, she paused for a moment, unsmiling, but nodding. "I'm fine. Better now. Can't hear it right now."

Arianna gave a slow nod and took her gloves and boots off to dry by the fire. "There.. is a story that I feel I should tell you about.. that might help somehow. I am just not sure how to tell you.. Have you heard of the spirit walkers?" She asked.  "It is a very old lore that..my father once told to me."

Vida Lyre blinked a few times. She settled into an unladylike slouch, pinching at the bridge of her nose as she adjusted to the relative silence. At first, she didn't respond, but she looked toward Arianna, stone-faced. "I've heard of them, but I don't know much about them. They weren't something I heard a lot about before..." She eyed her for a moment with a gleam of curiosity... waiting to see what she had to say.

Arianna took a stick and poked at the fire to keep it burning hot. "When my mother died..My father told me a story of the spirit walkers. They were like us.. no different from anyone else really.. aside from the ability to speak to spirits and help them find their way onto the next realm. He told me that.. Mother was fine.. that a spirit walker has taken her to be with the pack that awaits us in the great wilds." She paused for a moment and looked at Vida. "That is the most of what I've heard... before today..I wrote it off as a tale told to children when they asked where their loved onces had gone.. I'll admit..I hated the spirit walkers for a while when i was a child. I thought they were the reason my mother left.. but then slowly I started to shrug it off as a fairytale." She turned and set the stick down and reached into the small pouch to pull out some food. "I .. Believe you are a spirit walker, Vida. You've been given a very ..painful gift." She takes out some dried elk and offers it to her across the fire. "It may get much worse from here on out.. because you will not be able to escort all of the spirits on.."

Vida Lyre sat back as she listened. Her gaze rested intently on Arianna as she spoke. This... she hadn't heard this much about them. She didn't know what they did... but it began to make sense. Her brow remained furrowed. Leaning forward, she took the piece of elk offered, gratefully taking a bite out of it with a relieved sigh. She had to force herself to eat... but it was a welcome offer nonetheless. "If that's true..." Her head shook. "... I don't know how I'm going to handle this. I don't know how to ignore this much agony."

Arianna gave a soft nod looking down at the dried elk she had picked up for herself. "Hopefully.. it is not going to be as bad as I am suspecting.. But just in case.. stay close to me? Do not put yourself in harms way and listen for my voice.. okay?" She would wait for Vida's agreement..then they would remain quiet.. and eventually fall asleep. Unsure of just how bad things would get the further they went.

Vida Lyre nodded in agreement. "I can do that..." Her gaze fell to the fire before she eventually curled into as much of a ball as she could manage in that form. Unless there were voices that made themselves known through the night, she would at least be able to sleep all the way through. But even more than she had before, she found herself wishing they didn't have to travel separated from the rest. Once she finally drifted off, she remained still, unmoving, quiet... as she was finally able to rest.

Chapter Three
Where are we?

Vetis Bruun had spent the night in the valley rather quietly. Answering any questions that Annoth had to ask but for the most part keeping a watchful eye on the brothers. After the ritual he was feeling rather somber. The loss of Mika still plagued his heart.. and even though he let out that sorrow filled howl it wasn't enough.. at least he thought so.. he should cry..right? but he wasn't. The next morning he had slept only a bit before he started to gather up what was left. They traveled for almost a month till they reached the thick fur and pine forests that lead into their northern land. As they made their way through it would get noticeably colder and they would eventually start to see snow. As they trudged ahead they noticed that suddenly.. the trees opened into what seemed to be a clearing.. Vetis paused and gave a faint sniff.. the air didn't smell right.. it smelled like frozen death.. not just animal but plant as well. He looked over his shoulder to Ludo and Fozz who didn't seem to even notice then to Annoth "You remember this path right?"

Annoth Rugani followed from behind, his thoughts constantly on the shadow clan, but also going to Arianna who followed out of sight. Wen Vetis spoke he raised his head slightly and paused, his eyes gazing into the clearing. "Yes but...it was not so...barren." it was the only way to describe what he felt. "Is it like this at the den as well?"

Ludo watched his little brother bounding into the snow.. he too could smell something but wasn't sure exactly what it was. Not something he had ever smelled before, he didn't like it. it had a bitter sort of bite to it. He heard Vetis speak and listened to Annoth's response, then continued to walk on by them as if nothing was wrong. Yeah, this was the way home. he could feel it. He and Fozz would be the first to clear the trees.. but they would pause looking up the hill..."Uh.. You sure you two know where you're going?" He asked.. Barren didn't cover what he was seeing. Where he was so sure before.. suddenly he felt extremely lost.

Vetis Bruun watched as Ludo and Fozz trudged ahead and started to follow behind. He shook his head to Annoth's question. "It wasn't this 'barren' when we..." he stopped mid response just as he stepped into the clearing.. He looked around. "...left.." The land was not Totally empty. There were skeletal trees and brush around...but they were not in slumber. The scent of death hung heavy. Even the ground felt dead. Slowly Vetis stepped forward and started to make his way up the side of the hill only to stop at the top and stare in disbelief at how far the devastation went.

Annoth Rugani frowned slightly, the land felt tainted somehow, and he began to wonder if perhaps during their month long travel that the death magic user had grown in strength so quickly. Closing his eyes he would listen for signs of life, but there were none. The air was stagnant, the earth was sterile, and the snow felt tainted somehow. There was nothing alive nearby, not even a bug. Walking forward he would join Vetis at the top of the hill and gaze silently at the devastation. What a sorrowful state. "We will need to pick up the pace. Before it gets any worse and spreads out any further." normally he would try to cleanse the earth, return fertility to the soil, to tr and cleanse the land but the one responsible was still present and would only kill it again.

Ludo forced himself up the hill, plunging his hands into the snow as he did so to keep up with Fozz who was in his wolf form. He grumbled some, having to carry most of the gear since his little brother refused to take his biped form. As he reached the top he found Fozz, tail between his legs, ears flat against his head and standing very close to Vetis. It wasn't until he looked up that he too was hit by the devastation..."Wha..." he breathed.. this couldn't be the right way..there was no way their home was in this...this wasteland. Without really realizing it.. he and Fozz would get closer to Vetis and Annoth for comfort.

Vetis Bruun blinked and then nodded at Annoth. He looked up at the mountains finding the pointed peak that was there..even if the land was dead, the mountain retained its distinct markings that would help guide them home. He walked around a bit looking for other landmarks till he was sure of the direction they needed to head. "Alright.. Ludo, Fozz. Keep close." He came back.. and slowly they would start to continue their journey, unknowing of Arianna and Vida who had been close behind and spying upon them from time to time to be sure Annoth was alright. They wouldn't notice the bones hidden in the brush and snow or the spirits trapped within them. "We'll make camp but only shortly after we pass the hill there.." he pointed off into the distance. "The weather seems to be getting heavier on the horizon... so i mean it guys.. stay close."

Annoth Rugani was silent and continued to gaze through the land. This is what the world would be like without life, if everything was wiped away. That thought was stuck in his head, and looking to Vetis it was clear he disliked the idea of making camp here. Still...would be worse to be caught in a storm,. "Well, we shall have no lack of firewood at least." he muttered, walking towards a nearby tree and plucking the wood from the branch. Looking at the flesh of the wood he saw it was brown and dry, as if it had died a long time ago. No doubt the result of the cold winter air and the magic that had been unleashed. "How much is left of the clan?" he asked.

Ludo did just that.. stayed close. He watched as Annoth split from the group to gather wood.. and silently decided he would just let him do the work. He was content to stay close with Fozz and Vetis, there was a chill running up his spine.. and it wasn't from the cold. Fozz seemed a bit more nervous when Annoth stepped out of the group to gather some dead wood.. Hunched like a scolded pup he would attempt to follow him the decide against it as Vetis and Fozz were sticking pretty close together. Neither attempted to speak, even if Fozz could in his wolf form.. he didn't want to..

Vetis Bruun paused in the trail and looked back watching Annoth as he moved from the group. "I don't know.. When i left there was still a couple hundred of us.. but from what Kagura told me when she joined us... fewer than that.. about 70.. and most were male." He shook his head slightly as he attempted not to think that.. perhaps they were to late. He moved to help Annoth gather wood..leaving the two frightened pups to shiver where they stood. "Are you sure you want to go back?...because... I'm not." he finally admitted. The air would seem thicker and darker near the tree.. the piece of wood that Annoth took from it nearly crumbling in his hand. This hadn't happened over a month.. this happened over a year. If he looked back to the thick forest they had left.. he would see that slowly it was killing the trees, the sound of creaking could be heard even where they stood as trees cried out in pain from the poison spreading through the land. aside from that.. only the crunch of snow and the companions voices could be heard. Left still long enough.. only the death of the land and the silence would be heard.

Annoth Rugani looked at the wood and shook his head, nothing but wood chips at this rate. He was sure if he kicked the tree it would shatter into many pieces of rotten wood. "Yes I am sure, otherwise what you see here will spread, and it will be much worse by then." he explained. Wood was wood, and soon he was making a campfire...or attempting to anyway. The wood was all rotted away, and he was forced to use some magic just to get a fire going, and a little bit more just to keep it alive. "Death magic...that is the cause of it. Your clan experiments with all magic, but death magic is expressly forbidden, and this makes the duty of a shaman in the clan more important. They are there not only for rituals, but for your clan, to stop them when they dabble in magic that is not to be touched. " he shook his head slowly. "Its like dealing flesh rot, if you do not catch it quickly, you'll lose the hand, then the arm, then everything else. " he would gaze around for a time before turning his gaze to the mountain. They were close, and he was wondering if the Death magic practitioner knew they were here.

Ludo blinked as Vetis moved away. For a moment he looked at Fozz then puffed out his chest. Moving in a forced bravery over to the tree he would snap a branch off and promptly trip over a root falling against the tree. The tree crumbled under the impact sending Ludo tumbling into the middle of it. For a moment he flailed and grunted, legs kicking out from the side of it.. then suddenly he went very still, his tail fluffing out. "GET ME THE FUCK OUT OF HERE! GET ME OUT!" He started to scream and flail wildly. Fozz's ears would perk up and he would take a few steps forward but then hunch down again whimpering. His brother's strained muffled cries from inside the tree were more than frustration.. they were fear.. something was in there.

Vetis Bruun gave a slight nod to Annoth as he spoke, he was gathering wood from the branches and tinder from the dry brush. When Ludo fell into the tree he gave a soft chuckle, that was until he heard the screams and frantic flailing. His eyes opened wide and he dropped the wood and things he had gathered, running over to get a hold of Ludo's flailing leg in an attempt to drag him out of the tree. "Calm down you idiot." he grunted after getting a boot to the gut. He didn't notice Fozz's reaction.. barely heard his whimper. There would be another sound other than Ludo's flailing and cries for help. The sound of scratching against the tree.. something else moving within it.. Ludo was stuck.. hard stuck.. as if something was holding him in there tugging him further into the shell of the tree.

Annoth Rugani immediately stopped everything and began to run over to the pair. Normally t was something to laugh about but, Ludo was not reacting as one normally would, and couldn't seem to get out by himself. There shouldn't have been anything alive around here, and so it made him dread whatever was inside the tree. "FOzz! Grab him quickly, Vetis and I will smash down whats left of this tree." whatever it was made the tree its home, and hopefully damaging it or destroying it would force it to leave Ludo alone. Moving to the trees side, his body would slightly increase in size and he would immediately begin to claw and tear at the rotted side of the tree.

Ludo flailed as something clawed at his face. He punched and grabbed hold of things.. many things.. trying to pull them off of him. He was no longer speaking words.. it was dark in the tree.. he couldn't see what it was.. and he was freaking out. He kept kicking wildly, not caring that he might kick Vetis or anyone else attempting to grab at him. The noises that came from his throat were panicked. Something was biting him and scratching him with many mouths and claws and there was seemingly nothing he could do. He could hear Annoth's muffled shouts but not much else would register with him. Fozz finally brought himself to move forward. Opening his jaws and biting down on the pant leg and part of Ludo's boot. He then started to tug.. giving soft grunting growls.. shit he was really stuck in there!

Vetis Bruun got kicked again this time in the groin and grunted loudly. As Annoth shouted he nodded his head letting out a hissing moan and sucking it up. He too went after the tree's shell as Annoth suggested. Fozz taking over attempting to pull his brother from the shell. Annoth would break through first, his shoulder going through and something landing on him, taking hold of his arm and biting attempting to get him through his thick fur. Vetis hit the tree.. it shattered along the side and started to creek, there was a good chance the tree would come down on top of Ludo and Fozz if they weren't careful.. Vetis shoved his fist through.. and instantly something grabbed hold..biting into the soft part of his wrist and causing him to snap his fist back to his chest. With it came what seemed to be a dead squirrel..until it moved with fast squirrel like speed to run up his arm toward his face. "GAH!" he flailed knocking it to the ground. "What in the nine hells!?"

Annoth Rugani with another sickening thud he ripped a chunk out of the wood, and then he felt something biting at his shoulder, trying to tear through the thick fur. Was it...an undead squirrel? His hand snatched it away from his shoulder and he stared at it for a time, sadly. There was no life...these things were undead. Ludo had fallen into a nest full of undead tiny creatures. "Fire...the purifier of life." he said, and the cold air became colder as the heat drained from it, collecting around his hand in red wisps. Letting the squirrel fall it would burst into flames with a great scream, but the flames found its body delicious and reduced it to ash. Gathering the flames he would make them larger, increasing their size, and soon they went from a fiery red to a shimmering white. These flames did not burn, they purified, and they would surge throughout the tree, seeking the undead. The tree itself did not burn but there would be squeals as another squirrel was lit aflame. "Get him out...quick... cannot control fire very long."

Ludo could finally see what was attacking him thanks to the new holes that had been punched into the tree. He let out a very high pitched scream and twisted within the tree. A good tug freed the bag from being stuck on a jagged piece of bark, another pulled him nearly completely out of the tree. Fozz was doing his best! He tugged again and started to drag Ludo through the snow away from the tree just as the fire started to catch the whole thing aflame. This did not fully help Ludo though.. as a few of the nasty critters still clung to him biting at him and attempting to get to his eyes and neck. Frantically screaming and tossing the strange beasts away from him when he could grab them, his face an twisted example pure terror.

Vetis Bruun stumbled back away from the small zombie as it attempted to hop through the snow at him. His face confused he turned in time to see Fozz tugging his brother that was covered in at least 7 more of these things, tossing them wildly around. Indeed.. the small critters did scream.. and in the distance someone would suffer their pain. As the tree caught fire there was a heavy pulse that would go through the land.. that only Annoth would feel. Now 'he' knew they were there. There would be a flash of light and a small explosion inside the tree where a talisman had been placed. Many more exactly like it would be strewn throughout the land. The explosion caused Vetis to stumble back and fall into the snow, covering his eyes with his forearm. As he lowered his arm he blinked a few times and looked around for the tiny critters to be sure they weren't sneaking up on him.. however.. they all remained still..lifeless..finally and completely dead. "WHAT THE .. WHAT?!" He stammered and looked around. "WHAT?!" it seemed to be the only thing he could think of to say.

Annoth Rugani purged them, purged them from their misery, from their unnatural existence. There was a sudden wave of magic then, something tha touched him, then there was an explosion and he would be sent flying backwards into the snow with a grunt. Laying there for a time he would shake his head and look at the tree, the white flames continuing to eat away at anything within it. "That was not me..." he muttered. Someone else had triggered the explosion, had caused all of these squirrels to die but he was unsure why. "Ludo!? Ludo are you all right? Fozz?" he was sure Vetis was okay...though he seemed stuck on one word.

Ludo flailed still.. the explosion didn't matter much to him because of the nasty beasts that were attacking him. even when they had got still he freaked out.. tossing the dead bodies around and sitting up, scraping his nails across his skin and flicking his hair in an attempt to get every bit of them off of him. Shuddering then shivering as he stood up and started to stomp on those who lay still in the snow. "FUCKING.HATE.SQUIRRELS!" He snarled. Fozz blinked watching him for a long moment. Aside from the scrapes and bite marks on his face hands and neck.. he seemed ok...slowly Fozz would drop his butt to the ground..and silently laugh to himself at the entire situation. They all would laugh later over the fire.. save for Annoth..this was still very serious business.

Chapter Four

The Sun and Moon spirit arrive.

Vetis Bruun had just finished snuffing the fire out. He looked among his group as they still slept and gave a heavy sigh. Today they would see their home for the first time in a couple of years. With how drastically the landscape had changed he was not looking forward to it. He walked over to Ludo and Fozz who were snuggled up together like a couple of huskies. Giving Ludo a soft nudge with his snow covered toe of his boot he spoke up. "Time to get up guys. Seems the storm has passed. We should get going before the sun fully rises. We should be there just before midday."

Annoth Rugani had not slept much...or at least not very well. With a soft sigh he got up and smoothed out his hair. Slowly he got up out of his sleeping space, and looked at Vetis, Ludo and Fozz. "That works, was hoping to leave soon anyway." his hand scratching at his beard for a moment before finally getting up nds tanding. With a soft yawn and a quick stretch, he would check the landscape before looking to Vetis to lead the way. Hopefully things would be better in the village

Ludo (silentassasin.fall) scrunched his face some at the cold poke. He swatted the offending boot from his face an sat up. His face was still covered in bruises and scratches along with his hands and neck.. and they ached. It was not normal for a lycan to not heal quickly from these wounds.. even Vetis still wore the bite on his wrist from the squirrel that bit him. He rubbed his tender flesh and then stood up, followed by Fozz.. he too would follow behind Vetis..all be it at a slightly slower more groggy pace than the others.

Vetis Bruun did not notice.. or chose to not care about the bites. they were just squirrels after all.. its not like they did a tone of damage... He felt a bit lethargic as well but chalked it up to not sleeping well during the night and taking the morning watch. As they traveled they would notice that there was a fresh thick blanket of snow upon the ground.. covering anything that might be within their path. As they got closer to the village the eerie feeling would continue. There still seemed to be absolutely no life at all. "Where is everyone?" Vetis muttered as they started to pass the first hut. The houses in a destitute and neglected way. As they made their way along the paths they came to the main hall at the end.. the fire pit had been out for a very long time. weeds growing around it and in it through the charred remains of the once roaring fire. "This.. isn't right..." He gave a wary look over his shoulder to Annoth.

Annoth Rugani walked for a time, his thoughts on the dead squirrels and the sudden explosion. He wasn't quite sure what had caused it, but he was sure their presence was known. Once they entered the village concern appeared within his eyes. It looked almost abandoned, as if everyone had suddenly left. "No...it isn't." he was beginning to search the land, to feel for signs of life, but thinking on it he would instead simply keep the elements at ready...or those he could contact. Death touched everything and it felt tainted, purifying would need to be done and he was not sure how to do it without attracting attention. "I was expecting some sort of welcome...."

Ludo (silentassasin.fall) drew his bow and notched an arrow waiting.. Fozz gave a soft growl, his eyes and ears focused on the huts that surrounded them.. though his growl seemed to be courage.. his posture and where he stood so close to Vetis told the story of fear creeping up along his spine. "If their not here then where do we go? The elders?" he asked quietly and turning to look up and down the empty pathways. There was another pulse of magic.. things would seem to blur for a moment, only for Annoth. The others would not sense this.

Kurnin the Destroyer gave a low chuckle that seemed to surround the group of four. "Well done Vetis. I knew you would bring him back." Came a haunting voice after. "Oh don't worry.. there WILL be a welcome." Slowly he emerged from the shadows and darkness of the halls.. not even in a human form yet able to speak.. his jaw decayed, bones protruding and eyes glowing. That jet black fur seeming to meld with the shadows behind him. "Nice to see you again, brother." The ghostly voice vibrated through the village.. huts started to creak.. and then the sound of rustling bones.. cracking ice and hissing breaths would follow.

Vetis Bruun had just looked back to Ludo and then to Annoth. He opened his mouth to answer but the sound of the chuckle caused the hair to razor up his spine. His eyes widened and he spun around.. as Kurnin came through the darkness. "Wh..what have you done?" He said through clenched teeth.. almost unable to recognize the pack alpha with the destruction of his body.

Annoth Rugani looked to Ludo and shrugged until an answer came. His eyes went towards the darkness of the hall, and then the form that slipped out of it. Kurnin.... his appearance...it was him all along. He had become a lich. "You are not a brother of mine." he replied curtly, and immediately he began to call upon the elements. "You've become a lich...you poisoned the lands and you've destroyed the clan... my clan! For what purpose!?" he demanded, a growl leaving him.

Ludo (silentassasin.fall) raised his bow and upon seeing the deathly beast let the arrow fly. Fozz's growl strained some as he began to tremble...the darkness from inside the huts.. started to shamble out slowly.. wolf forms, heads hung low..there was no telling how many of their pack mates..they did not look to be as bad a state as Kurnin did.. but they would not feel alive..thin and stiff from the cold it would appear..none of them looking up.

Kurnin the Destroyer snarled, his jagged lips, or what remained making his face become even more skeletal. The arrow would disintegrate as it went through the air..and turn to a soft gust of win on the twisted face. "What I have done? YOUR CLAN!?!" His angry tone turning into a deathly cackle. "No." he scoffed and suddenly his image started to shatter and skip forward. Suddenly he was in front of Vetis, a deathly bone claw pointed at his face in an attempt to simply touch him. "YOU dare turn traitor against your clan?" His face would turn to Annoth.. it seemed he didn't care at all about Ludo or Fozz just yet. "And you dare reclaim that you walked away from? You're the cause to all of this!" The snow would jolt and crack as bodies far more decayed would start to rise up.. where as before it only seemed like a few in the huts.. it would seem clear. that the entire clan was here...but no longer.

Vetis Bruun saw the image start to flash towards him and grasped his sword.. When Kurnin reached for his face he would slice at his arm to take it clean off his body. He did not fault Ludo for attempting to shoot him instantly.. It wasn't until the snow started to break and bodies started to rise that he realized just how bad the situation really was.. suddenly those squirrels were not so humorous.

Annoth Rugani let out an angry growl "Don't you dare try to lay blame on me for YOUR weakness Kurnin! The death of this clan is on your shoulders only, it is on your weakness. Vetis is no traitor...he is one who has done right to try and save the remnants of this clan!" he retorted. Already he was beginning to shift, his body growing in size, the crack of bone and the tearing of sinew and muscle as it shifted in shape and strength. Tearing off his clothes he would hurl them away, and as he shifted he spoke to the elements. and told them of his need. As soon as his shift was completed he would move to try and slam a massive fist into Kurnin's body, to try and send the lich away from Vetis, and the he would howl into the air as loud as he could, to let Arianna and Vida know of their encounter. "Break their bones! We cannot kill Kurnin but we can delay him and his minions until I can locate his phylactery!" it was the only true way to defeat a lich, find the phylactery and destroy it.

Ludo (silentassasin.fall) gritted his teeth. He too would attempt to shift.. Fozz hesitated.. not wanting to leave his brother's side. The wolves who let their head hang for this greeting suddenly snapped up.. their eyes glowing green. Their hissing growls followed as they lunged for Annoth and Vetis. Ludo continued to shift but notched yet another bow, attempting to knock out one of the wolves that lunged for Annoth. And then it happened..

Kurnin the Destroyer lost his arm for only a second.. it reattached after hovering.. As Annoth moved after him he suddenly disappeared.. and reappeared behind ludo. he wrapped his skeletal arms around him, touching his face where the bites had been.. he started to cackle mechanically... and the bites began to infect.. Ludo would scream out in pain, dropping his weapons. Fozz spun in time to see this going on.. and instantly lunged for Kurnin.. actually snagging hold of his arm and shaking it viscously. "HAHA HA.. bad move pup." Kurnin said before he let go of Ludo and slammed his bony finger into the middle of Fozz's forehead..A flash of green light.. a loud yelp.. and Fozz fell lifeless to the ground. Ludo clutching at his face where green had started to spread from around his wounds.. fully shifting into a large lycan himself.. clothes tearing away..he had not seen what happened to his little brother.

Vetis Bruun spun around hearing Ludo's cry.. he too started to shift..letting out a gasp then a pained roar that would seem to shake the ice from the dead trees around them. Fozz had fallen.. something was happening to Ludo..He lunged forward only to be knocked down by a pile of four wolves, grasping hold of any limb and shaking to tear the flush and fur and clothing from his body. Arianna and Vida would hear the call.. and would soon be with them.. but Vetis and Ludo would not know this..to them.. they were outnumbered.. and outmatched.. but not going down without a fight.

Annoth Rugani let out a growl of anger, and immediately he would call upon life itself to aid him. Thunder roared over head, and with a shout he cried "Wind let your fury be known!"immediately a great blast of air came, and these he directed at the wolves, to send them flying off of Vetis' form. He was not done, and then he let out an angry shout. "Sacred wind, tear apart the vessels of these unclean beings!" hey were outnumbered yes, but Annoth could at least try to stall things til Arianna came and brought her own brute strength to play. Thunder boomed and great spears of lightning would strike down, tearing at the rotted flesh of the dea. bodies would be blasted away, for once the gentle brown eyes of the shaman were filled with righteous fury. He would not die here...he refused to die here...he had his mate to go back to...and a clan to revive. As soon as he had done that, he began to work o n the next spell, this one a healing spell, to purify, he only hoped he would make it in tim. "Stand Vetis, stand and fight for your clan, fight for its rebirth!"

Ludo (silentassasin.fall) clawed at his face as his vision started to blur. Whatever it was that Kurnin had done to him was draining him quickly. He had become a very large ball of flailing claws gnashing teeth and pitiful yelps of pain. For the most part.. the wolves seemed to leave him alone.. still unknowing of what happened to his brother. In the distance.. it would not just be the howls and storms and roars that Arianna and Vida would hear. Vida would hear the screams of the spirits as their bodies and what kept them chained were destroyed.. killing the spirits as well.

Kurnin the Destroyer cackled as he would raise his hands. "You cannot win, Annoth. They are mine now.. and so are you." his voice was eerie and dark. A flash of green light chained up to the sky causing the clouds to become black. A dark mist started to form around the small village, swirling in the wind that Annoth had created. If Ludo did not get up off of the ground, it would claim him first. What was not totally destroyed of the wolves that Annoth's spell had hit.. they would reconnect.. perhaps even with parts of other bodies and start to rise again. The ground was broken from how many bodies rose from the snow and the darkness seemed ever swirling with wolves that jumped from the open huts into the fray. And then.. Fozz slowly started to rise from where he lay. His head raising up to look with his dead green glowing eyes into the distance.. where two figures were charging in. Arianna the larger of the two blending in well with the already white snow.. but her snarl could be heard and felt like a rumble from an earth quake. Fozz lifted his lips, bearing his pale gums and teeth in a low guttural growl. Vetis would be covered in wolves again.. though he would stand with them gnawing upon him.. he would fight.. but ultimately.. he would fall.. Kurnin had no idea.. the moon spirit was on her way. Already believing he had won as the three males were surrounded in a sea of their dead pack-mates.

Chapter Five

Not a dream.


Vida Lyre would have slept more soundly if it wasn't for the unsettling images that came into her head at some point as she dreamed. She wasn't herself. She was trapped in something cold; something brittle; something rotted; something dark. There was a relentless ache within her being as if she'd been trapped there... and just like that, dim light burst through. But why was it unwelcome? She found herself joined by a collection of beings just as small as her, all suffering... all desperate for escape. She heard shouts, screams... but she didn't know where they came from. Her movements were not her own. Everything came as a blur. She and her counterparts were lunging, pouncing, attacking a collection of much larger beings... and then came the burning. Her flesh erupted with pain. Her throat became paralyzed and held her back from shrieking in agony. This was it... it was going to end like this. Her dreams were going to kill her, and she would go out with little more than a whimper. But as the end came, there was an odd explosion... and as if she'd been dreaming of falling, she jerked awake with a blood-curdling shriek. Sleep paralysis wore off and she shook violently. It was the worst nightmare she'd ever encountered - far too vivid. But that was all it was... right? She wasn't entirely aware of where she was just yet, though her eyes flitted about wildly. Sight of Arianna failed to register. As far as she knew, she was alone... but at least she didn't feel the pain she could have sworn was there as she slept.

Arianna awoke from Vida's noises. She sat straight up a snarl escaping her and she moved around the small camp. the embers of the fire had pretty much all but died out. She panted heavily staring into the darkness.. a light on the horizon giving hint that day just might break soon.. She turned and looked at Vida then around her. "Are you ok?" Her voice came out commanding even though she had not intended it to.

Vida Lyre stood there, wildly swatting at her flesh as she looked around. It took her a moment to realize Arianna had spoken to her. Once she did, she seemed to collect herself - looked toward her with a little bit more clarity... and she gave a bewildered nod. "Just a bad dream..."

Arianna moved over and knelt down beside her. "Are you sure?" the concern on her face was warranted considering what had happened. "I smell something burning in the distance.. I think they are on the move again.. we should get going." She said lifting up the dry boots and such to shove her bare feet into them. Luckily they were still warm from the fire.

Vida Lyre nodded slowly... but the mention of burning caused her stomach to turn. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she rubbed at her eyes and pushed herself up. It didn't occur to her right away to inspect Arianna, but once she did, she turned to look her over with concern. "Your wounds... you're feeling better now?"

Arianna paused and looked at her leg.. it was still a wound.. for a moment she stayed looking at it confused as to why it hadn't healed up the whole way.. she then grabbed a bit of snow and rubbed it roughly against it to clean it and get it bleeding again before she then wrapped a bandage around it. "It'll be fine. Nothing that will slow me down." She didn't bother to look at her hands as they had healed as did her ribcage. She shoved her foot through to the bottom of her boot adjusting to the feel of the bandage within and stood up. She started to trudge through the heavy blanket of snow that had fallen and made her way up the side of the hill. Pausing only to wait for Vida to catch up. At the top of the hill stood a smoldering pile of ash where a tree once stood.. small burn marks laying all over the ground where there once was bodies.. Arianna raised a brow to this then looked over to the fire pit and the trail that lead from it. "Shit.. they've already left." she grumbled and moved over to check the pit to see how warm it still was. Something about the scene of where the tree was might look familiar to Vida.

Vida Lyre frowned at the sight of Arianna's wound, but she didn't press the matter. Instead, she waited patiently for her to bandage herself up - of course offering help if she appeared to need it. She didn't say much else as she continued along without a word. If any wails of agony reached her ears, chances were they were what slowed her down enough that Arianna had to wait for her. But the sight of the tree - or rather, the tree's remains... sure enough, it caught her attention. "This is oddly familiar..." She inched closer to the tree as if to inspect it while Arianna studied the pit. She was trying to make sense of that odd feeling of familiarity for the moment. "The marks are so... small..." It made her feel sick just looking at it for whatever reason. Her head shook.

Arianna felt the embers and the looked at the tracks. "They aren't that far ahead of us..what?" she said hearing some of what Vida said.. Vida would hear the constant screams in the distance like a light wind. calls of agony and pain that she wouldn't quite be able to identify just yet. Arianna moved over to the tree and then knelt down to one of the small burn marks in the snow.. for a moment she wasn't sure what she was looking at.. then slowly she placed her hand into the surprisingly deep hole.. it wasn't a burn mark.. it was a snowy  grave that had not been filled in. As she pulled her hand out it held the small body of a long dead rodent.. its bones looked to be slightly crushed. She dropped it as quickly as she realized what it was, brushing her hand along the side of her skirt with a wrinkled nose.."It is like the tree exploded or something." she muttered.. those words might have been a sickening revelation to Vida. "We better get going.." Arianna started to turn but stopped looking back at Vida.

Vida Lyre had learned to at least somewhat deal with the screams, the way a soldier has to learn to deal with other traumatizing noises in a battlefield - or beneath the hands of a medic. It wasn't something she'd adjusted to hearing... but at least she wasn't constantly brought to tears. Sure enough, the revelation came... and she scrambled back from it fearfully. She didn't want to make sense of what she was dreaming about all of a sudden. She instead focused on catching up with Arianna to keep pace with her. "Sorry... not that far ahead, then?"

Arianna watched Vida closely for a moment then nodded. "Hopefully not. I'm not sure how far it is from here..this place used to be a vast forest.. so it is a good thing we have the trail to follow." Sure enough.. they would walk along the trail..and for a while things would seem ok, but the closer they got to the village.. the more ghostly voices started to reach out to Vida. Pleading for release..begging.. offering their spirits as slaves in some cases just to free them from the painful and unnatural bond they now held with their former bodies. It would almost become deafening to the point that she might not hear Arianna speak. "Vida?" she spoke up turning to face her. "Did you hear me?"

Vida Lyre wasn't prepared for the crescendo. She'd adjusted to the distant wailing... but not such desperation. Desperation she could do little to nothing to ease. Her heart began to pound as they continued along, and each time a voice spoke to her, her head turned in the direction it seemed to be coming from. Her brow began to furrow as they seemed to grow louder. The urge to vomit returned. This... this was unbearable. It was true: she couldn't hear Arianna over the maelstrom of pleas and cries. It didn't occur to her that she'd been spoken to by someone who was still alive until her alpha had turned to face her. It was then that she was able to focus on her voice... but she had difficulty speaking in return. Much like the way one struggles when they can't hear themselves speak... Vida's words were a bit mumbled, maybe even barely coherent. She was trying not to shout over the things she heard. When she spoke, she didn't even answer her question - at least directly. Her response possibly could have been considered a 'no.' "There are so many... so desperate..."

Arianna furrowed her brow and stepped closer to Vida attempting to cup her hands around her face. "Vida." she said in that commanding tone. "I need you to focus on me alone.. when we get there I want you to do what you can.. the spirits are obviously still there.. you need to slow them down somehow.. you need to talk to them.. I dont' know.. figure some way to find out how to destroy this evil..." She wanted to make sure that Vida could see her.. understand her.. doing her best to encourage her to stay with her. Insanity is a tricky thing.. very few things can bring someone back from the brink of it.. at Arianna's words and tone.. the voices would start to whimper. Begging to not be forgotten. "We will help them.. I promise.. but we need to stop whatever is causing this first.."

Vida Lyre did her best to force herself to focus. She knew that tone - even in that mental state - well enough to know she needed to pay attention to what was being said. As best as she could, she cleared her gaze and focused on Arianna. And as long as the voices didn't become too overwhelming, that was what she would do: keep close to her, focus on her... and try to think of a way to help wherever and however she could. Of course, it didn't help that the whimpering caught her ears and caused her heart to break. She nearly cried from that alone. In fact, her eyes welled, but no tears fell. Not this time. She was trying.

Arianna gave a short nod.. she wasn't sure just what to say to her other than that.. just as she started to turn a booming howl filled the air.. This one Arianna did know and react to.. it was Annoth. Her eyes widened and her lips parted.. hopefully they were close enough and would be able to get there in time. Arianna hardly waited, ripping her clothes from her hissing at the cold on her bear skin then growling as bones started to snape and twist with her form. Her legs started to stride, tripping her up a bit and kicking up snow as she moved and they shifted. Building up speed.. it was almost as if she forgot about Vida..she would not look back.. a sharp static filled the air.. and 15 souls would scream out in pain.. then fade to darkness. Other souls would start to scream and plead for it to stop. 'I dont' want this! NO! HE IS ONE OF US! PLEASE NO!' others crying.. they were close.

Vida Lyre blinked in surprise when Arianna responded to one of the sounds. This one, she caught onto. And while she did her best to still focus on just her, the growing intensity was getting to her. Her heart began to pound as she took off in a full speed run to keep up. She was doing well not focusing on the cries and wails... and then it happened. All at once. She kept moving - forced herself to - but her hands clamped down desperately over her ears. Their screams birthed one that came from Vida's own mouth, her features contorted with anguish. The simultaneous fade of souls gave her bittersweet relief, but the remaining voices still wreaked havoc on her psyche. Her gaze was locked on Arianna's form as she ran after her. It was all she had keeping her tethered to what was left of her mind.

Arianna heard Ludo's screeching and snarls and came into view of a wolf slowly standing up from the ground between two of the huts. She let out a roar that covered the scream from Vida from her own ears. She would not know until it was to late.. that it was Fozz who stared back at her baring his teeth. Her own teeth bared, ears flattened back, running on all fours kicking up a snow storm behind her that almost blurred her forum from every angle.. those who looked directly at her from between the houses.. would only see the red of her mouth and the soft hint of blue eyes as she barreled down into the village. Then Vida would hear it.. Fozz's voice.. 'Yes.. kill me.. destroy me.. before i can hurt my brother!'

Vida Lyre was trying once again to prepare herself for the worst. This was it - they were almost there. This would be the hardest thing she'd have to deal with. But nothing could have prepared her for what they saw. She didn't recognize Fozz at first... but she recognized that voice. Her heart sank. "No..." She didn't want to expect even worse than what she'd already anticipated, but seeing him... that was all she could think of. Who else was lost? "NO!" She stopped paces behind Arianna as she went barreling in. "Your own brother... you wouldn't. You couldn't-..." She scrambled after Arianna's wake, only stopping if she had to find a safer, slightly different path to avoid meeting someone's jaws throat-first. "This can't be!" It was her own desperation by then that drove her body surging into the village after her much stronger packmate. She had to think of something... and fast.

Chapter Six-Fin

Annoth Rugani let out another howl into the air before glaring at Kurnin. "You talk far too much for someone who should be dead Kurnin!" his words harsh. it was a horrible situation, and now both Ludo and Fozz had died with their bodies becoming a part of the undead legion Kurnin was creating. Again he began to call upon the elements, but their response was weak...so much was tainted and left unresponsive. Kurnin had twisted the elements with his magic. No option was left but brute force, and he would set upon th wolves attacking Vetis with a fury rarely seen from the Shaman. Powerful limbs struck at the undead wolves that threw themselves at Vetis, and one would hear the sickening crunch of bones being crunched as he dealt blow after blow to their bodies. Grabbing one wolf he threw it on the ground and then smashed its head in with his foot, then took another and hurled it at Kurnin's face.

Vetis Bruun yelped and struggled.. Forcing himself up off the ground only to have his leg snagged by two of his former pack mates and dragged out from under him. The jagged teeth ripping into his hide was painful.. he had to keep fighting. Kicking at them, and in one case opening his jaws to bite and snap the neck of one or two. With Annoth's help he would start to rise again, battered and bleeding but alive and still fighting. His eyes turned to Ludo who was still roaring in pain and twisting upon the ground trying to get away from it.. the wolves were leaving him alone for now.. that was a good sign right? Lunging forward he started to swat the undead to clear a path to Ludo, all the while the wolves continued to try and pile upon Annoth and Vetis as if they were all that matters.. that last piece of meat before the end of starvation in their eyes. Vetis had lost sight of Fozz.. it no longer mattered.. he was dead.. Ludo still seemed to be fighting whatever it was.

Arianna lunged into the air.. she could see the dark mist swirling along the ground but would have no idea what it was. When she landed mere inches from Fozz, the mist suddenly parted as if not willing to touch her.. Her clawed hand swung.. and Fozz would go flying into a few other wolves.. but otherwise body unharmed. Then she charged.. Taking Kurnin by surprise as his focus was on the destruction of her mate and Vetis. Her jaws making a sickening crunching sound upon his back between his shoulders.

Vida Lyre came surging in after Arianna. She wasn't ready for this. The sounds overwhelmed her by then, but she forced herself to continue forward. As they were en route, she wasn't even able to hear Annoth's second howl over the din of pained wails and cries of the trapped spirits who were still unable to move on - the things that only she seemed to be able to hear and feel. The sight of Fozz had startled her and she kept her eyes on him. She'd heard his plea... and she would not allow his destruction. She had to try something. "FOZZ!" She stayed back, knowing just how weak she was in a fight, especially when it was in large part a matter of brute strength. "I know you can hear me! You wouldn't do this! Don't let him control you!" She remained poised to spring away, just in case anything came too close - mindful of the mist's presence for as long as it lingered. "Fight it!" The pleading voices around her were on her mind. If this worked... she might have had an idea after that...

Ludo (silentassasin.fall) started to gasp for air and then vomit do to the mists. Struggling to force himself up from the ground.. growing mad from the pain that was ravaging his body and fighting with his natural ability to heal. He started to froth at the mouth growling and snarling in every direction at hallucinations. When Arianna landed close by.. the mists parted and gave him some room to breath.. and with that he would slump over, gasping and staring at the white wolf as she hung from Kurnin's back...and then he would see Vida..no.. he couldn't get up.. Fozz? no he couldn't give up! Slamming his hand against the ground he started to rise up again, fighting harder against the infection and crawling in Vida's direction to try and protect her from any that might head her way.

Kurnin the Destroyer sneered as Annoth spoke and watched as he attempted to save Vetis from his fate. Amused ...till he jolted forward.. he did not fall completely to his face, rather just stumbled a step or two.. something was upon him.. and slowly he twisted his head fully around to look down upon her. "So the white harlot has returned. How happy you've made me." His bones started to creak and twist as they turned to reach for her.. his hands grasping hold of her and fingers digging into her flesh. "Revenge is a sweet.." His eyes flashed green as did his hands..a yelp was heard.. Arianna's eyes would also flash green.. but she did not let go.. they flashed yellow...her head shook in an attempt to rag doll Kurnin off his feet... and then they flashed back to that pale blue once again. "What?!" He snarled and twisted his body bringing her up off the ground up over his head and attempting to slam her into the rocky path. "THIS CAN NOT BE!" He started to screech in that deathly hollow voice. A few of the wolves would hear Vida

Kurnin the Destroyer:  speak and turn her direction. Some even had bits of fur and flesh torn from Vetis and Annoth clung in their mouths.. at first it was not sure why they had turned to look at her.. Fozz started to walk toward her.. she would hear him plead for her to run.. that there was no way to control it... but a few wolves on Vetis and Annoth would pause.. and back away from the fight.. ~-It is possible!-~ she would hear them say n a strained tone.

Annoth Rugani panted softly, tired from the constant fighting, and then chaos seemed to break anew before settling. Arianna had appeared...and Vida as well. The dead were backing off, and Arianna was man handling the Lich with ease that it was a wonder they ever had trouble at all. He was relieved to see he was wrong about Ludo, the male was still alive, weak...but well. He could not treat him just yet, he only hoped the lycan could last while he worked. Closing his eyes he begant o all upon the elements again, but in a different order. First was the flames, and to create them he used his own strength as a catalyst. The flames appeared eagerly, hungrily, bursting into existence with a radiance of their own. Then he would call the other elements, and as he did he would pull them through the flames. The taint snow that melted into a black liquid passed through the flames and became brilliant and clean. This he repeated for the other elements, cycling them into each other, slowly purifying the village area. When he had enough he began to gather them into a small orb, and Ludo would recognize the white light being created as those elements combined. Grasping it, he would rush towards Kurnin and hurl it at him, to unleash the power of the combined elements at him. With Arianna at his back, he was not worried she would be harmed by it.

Vetis Bruun kept struggling.. it seemed like for every wolf he managed to swat and pull free from his flesh another attached itself.. the few wolves that backed off caught his attention.. he could see Ludo crawling upon the ground.. and then he would see Vida..He knocked a few wolves off from in front of him and noted that some were heading in her direction.. he had seen what Arianna was doing.. his heart sank knowing that Vida was now among the fight..They can't lose.. no.. he wont be part of any more of this pack's death even if it is simply because he brought them here.. Letting out a sickening roar he would attempt to charge through the wolves.. hearing and feeling something beside him knowing that Annoth was there in the same situation he was. Just as he started.. another wolf jumped and latched his jaws around his muzzle, sending him off kilter and crashing to the ground into the mists that were still hovering between them and the others.. though Annoth's attempt to purify were working and they were no longer as potent as before.. they still caused Vetis to retch and struggle to breath.

Arianna was flung over Kurnin's head and hit the ground with a sickening thud. It caused her to let go of her hold on him.. but as he hovered over her like the angel of death she snapped out of the pain and shock of hitting the ground, snarled and latched onto his arm. She would tear it from his body if she could! She knew Annoth was somewhere there.. she could feel it in her heart.. she had to do something.. what else could she do? Attacking Kurnin didn't seem to be stopping the minions from attacking the others at all.. was she wrong to go after him? She couldn't do much else other than fight him for now.. he was what was right in front of her. The pain from whatever Kurnin did to her made her feel ill.. but she was determined.. this would not be the end of her pack.. this would not be the end of her.. she would keep fighting.

Vida Lyre caught sight of Ludo fighting his way toward her. She would have tried to meet him halfway if she could have... but with Fozz inching closer, she couldn't. Sure, she was scared shitless that it wouldn't work - but she had to try. For every step he took, she took another away - carefully. For the time being, she had trouble seeing or hearing any of her allies in the chaos. Her focus was on Fozz... and now the other wolves, once she noticed they were beginning to fight it too. It was then that instinct came to her. She wasn't the most vocal of her pack by any means - but she took to it then. A howl that bordered on unearthly erupted from her as she called to the fallen spirits - a rallying cry. It was as close to a wolfkin's call as humanoid vocal cords could allow. "THEY ARE YOUR BODIES! THESE WERE YOUR LIVES! RETAKE THEM!" Her gaze locked on Fozz again and she drew in a slow breath. Her eyes were scanning his being... not sure how he was turned so quickly, but desperate to seek out something that would remove his body from Kurnin's control. Vetis' roar caught her attention and she looked up in time to see him come crashing to the ground. She watched Arianna continue her fight with Kurnin, her hope remaining... but her heart sank as she looked between Vetis and Ludo on the ground, then back to Fozz, intentionally trying to lead Fozz away from the melee to keep him from being destroyed if she could manage. "Hold on... please hold on..."

Ludo (silentassasin.fall) could see a wolf slowly inching toward Vida.. and would push himself to move faster.. lifting further from the ground and attempting to walk on all fours.. he wouldn't really understand Vida's words.. he was in a blur for the moment.. he must help.. he must keep fighting! He would reach the wolf just in time falling atop it to hold it back... it was only then that he realized it was Fozz...why would Fozz attack...no..his eyes fell into a dark green glow.. and for a moment.. his breath would stop.. Vida would hear Ludo for a moment.. as if he were a spirit.. his cry and heartbreak just as painful as if she would have seen him physically go through that...then he gasped for air.. one gasp.. two...his eyes slowly dimming from the dark green...and then slumping to the ground once again.. he had given up..what was the point?...they were all dead anyway..another gasp...he can't keep fighting..

Kurnin the Destroyer smiled down at Arianna as she was momentarily stunned. He would attempt to infect her again, reaching out to grab her only to have his arm snagged and shook till it tore from his body.. quickly he flashed back from her.. she had more stamina than he would have guessed for such a small beast. He would attempt to recall his arm.. but it would be lodged deep within her jaws.. the attempt to hit him a total miss.. between the wolves that shook him and his sudden jump to escape the strange white wolf, Annoth's spell did not have a chance to connect. Ludo was fading.. If he died.. the fight would be come a hundred times harder.. where as the wolves were a chore.. Ludo was a fully shifted lycan and would be much harder to fight. The wolves would pause at Vida's howl.. a few more of them.. then more.. until there were nearly 50..that had either stopped attacking and turned into a statue like mode.. heads held low as if they had fallen asleep standing up.. more voices would call out.. weaker..~I CAN'T!~ but then others.. would start to repeat the rally howl that Vida had started..no one would be able to hear this eerie victorious call to encourage the other spirits to retake control. Kurnin started to turn and look around.. no.. he was far to powerful! HOW!?! then his eyes shifted turning to Vida who seemed to be trying to lure one of his minions away. "You..." he said in that haunting growl. More and more of the wolves seemed to slow in their actions.. as their trapped spirits would attempt to gain control if only to stay the attack their bodies were ordered to do.

Annoth Rugani growled in some frustration as the orb missed, and quickly went back to a defensive stance. His eyes gazed about, preparing to deal with anya ttacking wolves but they had all seemingly backed off. Vida...how had she done it? No...he couldn't figure that out until later, there were two things he had to do...first was finding the phylactery and the second was to deal with Ludo. Again he called upon fire, forcing it to reach that state of dazzling white. "Ludo!" he shouted, rushing towards him, and he would attempt to press his hand into his back, to pass those purifying flames through his body. They would not actually harm him, the intent was to purge his body of the unnatural infection that was in him, and with Kurnin distracted it was the best time to try and help him. "Ludo....you must fight, you must avenge your brother. You are a proud member of the shadow clan, we do not allow anyone to trample our pride, our strength. We are the one's who do what the other clans cannot or will not do. " the phylactery...where was it? The hall? Kurnin himself? No....too obvious that was not it. in the earth itself? No. It was in the village, somewhere, and hey needed to find it now. "Vida! Ask them where it is! Ask them where Kurnin hid it!"

Vetis Bruun found the wolves letting go of his body to be a huge relief.. but they had not all let go.. just enough that he was able to swat and kick them away.. rising up from the mists he managed to start fighting his way to Vida.. he had to protect her...he couldn't let her fall. He would move past Arianna, knowing she could handle herself just fine... at first crawling.. turning to fling a wolf from him if it hindered his attempt to reach her. Ludo fell..but Fozz was still moving toward Vida.. he had to stop him...Fozz's steps however.. were jolted.. he was fighting the urge to attack her..something was keeping him from attacking her.. what?.. it didn't matter. Annoth would pass by Vetis.. attempting to heal Ludo and bring him back from his despair. Then Vetis turned hearing Kurnin speak.. placing himself between Vida and the lich with a dark rumbling growl.

Arianna held onto the limb tightly, the bone almost crunching in her jaw.. when Kurnin moved from her she forced herself from the ground, taking his arm into her hand.. and when he looked in Vida's direction she swung his own limb into the air jumping and bring it down across the Lich's face. No.. his attention would stay on her! She would make sure of that.. and would continue to beat the son of a bitch with his own arm to be sure she made that clear.

Vida Lyre heard the spirits' weakened cries and shook her head as she looked around her, calling out amidst the ethereal howls that followed her own. "YOU CAN!" She saw Ludo catch hold of Fozz and her eyes went wide. She'd known the very moment he gave up. If she'd had time to process it properly, her heart would have shattered. Her eyes still welled, but she kept herself composed. "Ludo... LUDO!" She looked between the two males frantically and shook her head. "Don't give up!" As Annoth came for him and began to speak to him, she moved her focus elsewhere, trusting that he could tend to him. And then that growl... that voice. Somehow, it reached her over the calls, wails, shouts, howls - and it chilled her to her very core. She froze in place and stared directly at Kurnin. Her heart pounded, and her eyes remained locked cautiously on him even as she spoke to any of the spirits that lingered close enough to her to hear. Annoth's idea was a good one. There had to have been one that could tell them... right? "What controls you? Where is it? Where is the thing that gives him power over you?" A mixture of relief and a renewed sense of worry came over her as she found herself guarded. With Vetis standing between her and their enemy, she was unable to see Arianna beating Kurnin with his own arm. They needed to take Kurnin's power away from him. Fast.

Ludo (silentassasin.fall) felt Annoth's touch upon his back.. and at first did not care..but Annoth's words coupled with Vida renewed that anger.. that fight.. that revenge.. The purification would force the putrid infection from the wounds on his face and from his lungs.. his eyes slowly turning back to their yellow vibrant color. The gasp that followed would be a ragged one.. making those around him unsure if it was his last.. but then he would jolt.. attempting to sit up.. coughing and vomiting out the ratchet taste until it was all gone... and with a low growl.. his head would slowly turn to Kurnin..his teeth would bare...yes.. Revenge. His eyes flashed and his large hulk of a body would rise up faster than one would have expected after someone was so close to death. He would lunge and go after Kurnin without any hesitation. They would be reminded of their first encounter with him, where Vetis had attempted to hold him back..this is what would have come.. a raging beast that was sure to end Kurnins physical being at the least. Fozz would feel his brother lift from the ground.. he would hear the rally cry and know.. his brother was alive..his movement stopped..his head lowered..he would not attack Vida..he would fight and keep his body from doing any harm..and become a statue like the others.

Kurnin the Destroyer had started to well up another death spell when his own hand nearly sent his face spinning in the other direction of his body. He was honestly shocked..stopped in his track.. by the sheer fact that this white wolf had the nerve to strike him.. WITH HIS OWN LIMB! So shocked.. that he stood still as she did it yet again. Slowly his anger became a boiling point.. he was no longer amused.. his head ticked back into place looking directly at her.. only to catch his limb in his teeth..it took him only a split second to bite down and shatter it. "YOU DARE STRIKE ME WITH MY OWN LIMB!" his voice was ear piercingly high pitched. The ground would start to rumble.. and the weaker of the spirits would no longer be slow.. none of them would attack the others now.. all of the fury and hate was upon Arianna now. Even a few that had gained control.. lost their control again.. screaming in pain as their bodies moved against their will. They would all start to pile upon Arianna.. and she would toss them.. only to have them return to attack her.. unlike Vetis and Annoth.. she would not destroy the spirits along with their souls. Vida would hear a voice.. a strong and kind one.. much like Annoths.. ~Here...It is here..~ she would feel it coming from the fountain.. ~Here young one.. near me..~ she would see.. one corpse.. that in all of the fray.. did not move..had not attacked.. and lay still near the fountain.. its paw dug slightly under the lip.

Annoth Rugani saw that Arianna was in danger and immediately moved to go and aid gher. He would pry off one of the wolves and bring his fists down upon its body in a torrent of blows that shattered bone. With an enraged roar he would then hurl the body at Kurnin, shout following as he lit the body aflame. It was much on Vida right now, and keeping Kurnin distracted was needed. He prayed that all would go well...that this fight would not end in defeat as he feared for what would happen to Arianna. Still... he had faith, and the Shaman would once again begin to concentrate, putting all of his effort into conjuring flames. All that was needed was the phylactery...and they'd be able to end this sad affair soon

Vetis Bruun had felt the rush of air as Ludo charged past him.. his heart leaped with joy that his pack member was alright. His fire to fight fueled he glanced back to see that Vida was ok and turned to join Ludo in his charge against the lich.. he was almost sickened by the thought of Arianna being buried beneath all those jaws and claws.. the white wolf covered from sight in the dark frenzy... and rather than attack the lich.. he turned to aid her.. remembering the first fight he had had against her.. where literally they were throwing their bodies into the fight and being destroyed by her pure power.. now..he moved to help her.. it was a odd feeling. He started to latch onto the wolves.. tearing them away, breaking necks and crushing skulls as he went. Not once giving thought to the damage he was causing to their spirits.. as he believed the spirits of his beloved back were already gone.

Arianna watched as the limb shattered and just as she raised her claw to strike him down the first few wolves hissed and bit into her arms and legs.. it was happening so fast.. and there were so many that the light started to be blocked out.. for a while all she could hear was grotesque growls, gnashing teeth and could only see breaks of light between the bodies.. no... she had to save their spirits.. Vida would suffer if she destroyed them.. it was clear to her the moment they had finished the first undead they came across. She could only hope they would find the talisman soon enough to save her.. till then she would kick and attempt to swat them away.. ending up on her back and rolling to her stomach to protect herself and the baby. She gave a sharp kick knocking back a group of the wolves.. and she started to panic as they tore into her shoulder flesh and attempted to grab her by the back of the neck.

Vida Lyre let out a sigh of relief as she saw Fozz's head lower, his body going still. Her voice quivered for a brief moment as she spoke out to him. "You did it..." She pressed her lips into a thin line with a renewed feeling of determination. "We'll free you..." The voice caught her attention. At first, she looked at Annoth in confusion, thinking at first that he'd spoken to her. But as she moved to look toward the source... she saw it. At first, she went to get Annoth's attention... and then she realized he was trying to help Arianna instead. Vida was already scrambling toward the fountain. But the screams of pain following Kurnin's attack caused her to stumble and drop to her knees. The feeling was agonizing... and she felt herself scream with the spirits that suffered and were forced back into action. "HANG ON!" Still... she pushed herself forward, crawling if she had to, until she came to the corpse. She started searching the area the body seemed to be reaching for, unsure of what she was looking for... but she was sure she or Annoth would know it if they saw it. But as the body was lit aflame, others maimed while being pried off of Arianna, she let out another shriek, the fur on her tail bristling as she writhed on the ground next to the corpse. "NO!" And in a way... it fed into her urge to find what they needed. So she forced her hands to scramble for something, anything, that seemed out of place. Her muscles tightened and released repeatedly, her own legs kicking as she tried to find any possible way to deal with whatever pain she felt as minion after minion was torn away from Arianna.

Ludo (silentassasin.fall) landed upon Kurnin like a hammer. Bringing the lich down to the ground and swinging his massive claws down striking the body over and over again.. the minion that Annoth had tossed hitting him.. and ignored as it tumbled down deathly close to the lich's face.. The snarling whirlwind of fists and claws was not deterred by this at all.. rather he was focused on destroying the vessel that housed the evil being. He would lunge down and wrap his massive jaws around the lich's skull in an attempt to shatter it with his powerful bite, his teeth digging into what little flesh remained and scraping loudly against the bone.

Kurnin the Destroyer watched as the white wolf disappeared under the darkness. She would perish if he had anything to say about it.. he lost all of his focus or care for the spirit walker that had tried to control his minions.. even more so when he was brought crashing down to the ground and brutalized by what was supposed to be his own creation...and was joined.. by Fozz who in turn held Kurnin's last arm back so that he could not fight. "HOW DARE YOU!" He screeched only to have his voice quieted as he focused his energy on keeping his skull from being crushed.. if his hand could get free.. he would turn the tables.. but how? Ludo should be dead.. why was he not dead? why was the brother fighting with him! SURELY THE BROTHER WAS DEAD!...how did he lose control? and it started just then.. to dawn on him.. he might lose. In Vida's struggle she would find something covered in cloth with a few dark feathers poking out from it.. it was a small size.. not every big.. but seemed to be blocking the hole that lead further down.. however.. Vida would recognize the black feathers.. and remember the talisman from the lycan that was near the thick forest. As she unwrapped it.. she would find the skull of a child lycan who had transformed.. tied together with strands of hair and bird bones and feathers. A symbol carved into the forehead of the skull.. and past that..a small glass vial with a shadowy finger bone inside.

Annoth Rugani turned his head to see Vida moving towards the fountain, and immediately began to follow. Arianna and Ludo would be able to deal with Kurnin for the moment, but Vida had found something and Annoth was running to join her with those dazzling white flames in his hand again. "Vida! Throw it here we have to destroy it!" this was their chance, perhaps the only one that would come and he was not going to waste it. The undead seemed to be still as statues, most of them anyway, and while he would have loved to go back and aid Arianna, or help Ludo in his frantic assault, this was the most important thing.

Vetis Bruun had heard Vida screaming out in pain.. turning from the pile of wolves to see.. nothing around her.. he turned back to Kurnin, afraid that he was using some sort of magic upon her and charged over to help Ludo and Fozz destroy his physical vessel. Torn between helping Arianna who he could hear whimper beneath the pile of snarling corpses, and helping Vida.. to keep the lich from casting whatever spell he was to cause her pain.. he continued to try and pull the wolves off Arianna.. continuing to crush and attempt to destroy their corpses so that they could no longer continue their attack on the white wolf. He heard Annoth's pleas for Vida to throw something to him.. but he couldn't stop.. Arianna was a strong lycan but she couldn't be this strong. there were hundreds of them!

Arianna felt the jaws bite into her lower back and legs.. her arms doing their best to protect her neck from being torn or crushed in the powerful jagged jaws.. she heard Annoth's muffled voice.. but not what he had said.. no.. she couldn't stop fighting...she would have to turn and start to fight the wolves.. for her mate for her baby and for her pack.. She twisted.. and started to fight through the pile.. breaking jaws tossing limbs.. and suddenly light would poke through..She would see a split second of Vetis as he turned back to the pile to continue to help her.. encouraged she continued.. 'I'm sorry Vida.. please hang in there.' she thought with each minion she damaged to get free.

Vida Lyre let out a heavy sigh as the items were retrieved. She recognized the talisman and held it protectively in her hands. Not doing anything with it just yet, Annoth's reaction told her what she needed to know: the vial was the item he needed. Breathless, she held onto the vial until he came close enough for her to safely throw it to him. And once the vial left her hands, she went to work. "Hold on..." Maybe she was saying it to herself as she was to anyone else - especially as the pain of each destroyed minion continued. Her eyes locked furiously on the talisman and she began to untie the binds. Unless something stopped her somehow - which everything was seemingly more focused on the rest of them - she would undo the bindings and watch the item come apart within her trembling hands.

Ludo (silentassasin.fall) continued his grip upon Kurnin's skull.. working his jaw back and forth attempting to saw his way threw the strangely tough bone with more intent to crush it than ever before. As Vida unraveled the Talisman..Fozz would fall..letting loose of Kurnin's hand...Ludo's eyes would turn to look at his brother's now completely still form..and his jaw would clench down harder.
Kurnin the Destroyer struggled.. he could not think with the increasing pressure.. escape.. yes.. he must..he must escape...MINIONS! he would have them attack Ludo.. YES!.. and he would...The talisman fell apart...and a magical pulse that only Annoth would feel would shake the air around them. His hand was free..if he could not use the pack.. he would use Ludo! His fingers stretched out and arm twisted aiming to stab Ludo in the temple.. and turn him like he did his brother... YES! HE WOULD ESCAPE! The rest of the minions would drop quietly for a moment.. and the pain.. the suffering that Vida felt.. would so suddenly stop.. that she might feel numb. Then a voice.. much again like Annoth's would speak beside her.. ~Well done spirit walker.~ She would turn to see an old wolf staring back at her..and his attention would turn to look at his son as he caught the vial. ~I could never be more proud than the day he and his brother left.~ the spirit said.

Annoth Rugani felt the air tremble, and his head briefly turned to Kurnin. Quickly he grabbed the talisman in his hand, and with a roar he would use all of his strength to burn it. The fazzling white flames burned ever brighter as he aimed to turn the remnants of the talisman into ash, and hopefully destroy what connected Kurnin to this plane of existence. in hs mind, victory would only come once Kurnin himself was destroyed, the purification of the land would come after. "Arianna!" he called. Was she all right? Was she harmed? Had they succeeded?

Vetis Bruun felt the pile of corpses go still.. he had just seen Arianna's hand..diving in he grabbed hold of her.. pulling with all his strength to free her from the morbid tomb. He was not sure if he was pulling her out as another corpse.. or alive.. the pile was so heavy and thick.. that it was hard to tell if she was moving.

Arianna had been struggling hard against the bites and claws of so many..that when they stopped.. it was a large amount of dead weight that fell upon her.. then she felt a hand grasp her wrist.. and at first she did not respond to its pulling.. then she took her first breath of fresh air and reached out with her other hand pulling herself up to whoever it was.. As she looked up.. there stood Vetis holding her hand and arm tightly. As he continued to pull her from the pile of dead, she would be revealed coated in blood and bite wounds..but her stomach would be the one thing unharmed. She would fall against Vetis a moment unable to stand right away, panting heavily as she then turned to look for Vida and Annoth.. her eyes locked with him.. and her hand rested softly on her belly.. a soft smile curled at her lips. We did it..right?

Vida Lyre indeed felt numb, even stunned, as she sat there, wide-eyed. The end of the spirits' suffering was so abrupt she had trouble processing it. Had they been freed? She couldn't hear them anymore... that had to mean something. She was trying to make sense of it and was unable to until she heard that voice again. She looked toward the source and blinked a few times, another heavy breath coming out. "So it really did work..." Her vision blurred as she remained on the ground. She didn't move - just stayed still, listening... and hoping it was really over.

Ludo (silentassasin.fall) closed his eyes seeing that bony finger coming at him. Suddenly.. his jaws clamped together..the skull turning to dust within his mouth..They won. The bony limb fell shy of its target and dropped to the ground.. slowly Ludo moved back away from what was left. Blinking in disbelief at first...then his eyes shifted to the lifeless body of his brother..and he stood staring for a long time.. not seeing what Vida would.. Fozz stood wagging his tail looking up at Ludo.. his spirit free...and turning to Vida. ~Thank you!~ overwhelming joy would start to be felt throughout the spirits.. more voices.. ~Thank you!~ would be repeated from one to the next. Annoth's father would turn back to Vida. ~Thank you.~ he added with the rest of them. and just like that.. the blue lights would start to appear and fade from Vida's vision. Annoth.. would feel something more.. the land coming back to life.. and his power grow stronger.

Annoth Rugani stood there for a time, as if trying to process what just happened. The dead were...properly dead, and already he could feel the land recovering. Strength flowed through him, and oddly he felt comforted. "Yes...the threat Kurnin posed is gone." he gazed at the dead bodies, then looked over the others. Slowly he shook his head, a soft sigh leaving him. "I should not have left, but the least I can do is hold rites for everyone here. Send them on to the next life properly., but first, all of you come here, let me tend to your wounds."

Vetis Bruun looked among what was left of his clan..his eyes shifted to Ludo who stood still over his brother. It saddened him.. but in a way.. he was glad at least Ludo survived.. When Annoth spoke he bowed his head, limping while at the same time aiding Arianna to her mate so that they could be healed. He looked over to Vida..unable to speak in this form..She seemed distracted by something, but he did not know what. He would set Arianna down near the fire pit.. and allow Annoth to heal her first while he attempted in his clumsy wolf form to start a fire in the pit so that they could rest in warmth for a bit before the rituals would start. He wanted to tell Annoth something.. but he would wait until later.

Arianna was grateful for Vetis' help to get to her mate.. reaching out to him once she was there and rather than sitting she nuzzled up against him to show how proud she was of him. Her body ached.. but soon that would stop. When Annoth placed his hands upon her.. he would feel something new.. he would feel the heartbeat of the child within her.. that would be the first he would even know of it.

Vida Lyre had begun to process everything. It all began to sink in. She moved, but only enough to curl into a ball. The reaction that followed was the same one she'd had with Arianna - the moment the first spirit had been freed when they were still on their own. She wept, but quietly, and it was out of relief as much as it was anything else. She carried no truly physical wounds - only memories of pain. So while the others moved toward the fire pit (and Annoth), she lingered at the base of the fountain for just a little while longer to try and compose herself. It took her a few minutes... but she finally began to force herself to a stand. And with that, she started to shamble over to join them, keeping her head down. She paused by Ludo, speaking up quietly and reaching out to try to gently place a hand on part of his arm that was unmarked by injury, if there was one. "Fozz is no longer suffering... and he's here with you."  And as she passed by Annoth, she paused, watching his father standing nearby. If Annoth could hear her, she spoke up to him as well, careful to try not to disrupt the moment he and Arianna were having. "Your father... is proud of you. Very proud." And with that, she practically flopped down at the fire pit with a heavy sigh, dragging her hands over her face.

Ludo (silentassasin.fall) stared at his brother's corpse for a long while.. his nose slightly twitching as he was trying to make sense of how he lost not just his clan.. but his brother as well. When Vida placed her hand upon his shoulder.. her words didn't totally register with him at first.. his sad expression frozen. Her words just seeming like that.. comforting words put out to make him feel better about his brother's passing. Fozz would slowly lower his ears, a soft sadness rising within his spirit and he watched as Vida moved away.. he would follow her and look back at his brother. ~V-Vida?..Can you tell him.. I wont leave if he doesn't want me to.. I can stay if he wants that.~ he said in a shy manner.

Annoth Rugani gently ran his hands along Arianna's body, enjoying the feel of her, enjoying howshe was alive and well. He used the land's renewed strength to tend her injuries, and as he sensed the second heartbeat, the life within her belly he would grin at her knowingly. He was a father, and he only hoped that their child would grow to be as strong as his mate was strong. Vida's words puzzled him, and he stared at her for a time, wondering what had occurred, what growth she went through. A spirit walker perhaps? It would make sense. His eyes looked to Ludo, and after gently nuzzling against Aranna, he would walk over to Ludo and place a hand upon the bg lycan's shoulder. "Do not despair over what you have lost Ludo, think of what you have gained. Were it not for your strength, Arianna would have fallen and this battle would have been a defeat. When your sorrow passes, meet with me again so we may speak." he looked Vetis and Vida and would walk over to them. It would be best that he tend to their wounds, rest, then prepare to do the funeral for all of those who had fallen. Kurnin exempted of course

Vetis Bruun turned to see Vida and was happy to see there was not a scratch upon her.. probably the only one to not get injured.. at least physically.. but she seemed drained.. he heard what she had said to the others.. but not knowing anything about spirit walkers.. he would not understand. Annoth's father was dead..a long time ago..how could he say he was proud of his son? Slowly he started up the fire.. then helped it to grow by huffing on the spark till it soon became a warm embrace. He slumped down.. he would get everyone's clothes later.. but for now.. he was tired.. sore..and a bit hungry. He turned his head to look at Vida again..a soft expression.. which was hard to pull off in this form..formed on his face..He was glad she came.. and that they had survived.

Arianna nuzzled her mate again and then moved with him to Ludo.. unable to speak all she could do was look down upon him and his fallen brother in a sorrowful way.. she no longer had any doubt.. and she knew what her mate had in mind..she gave her mate a soft squeeze then moved to the fire as well. Happy to be embraced by its warmth and ready to relax for a moment before they had to deal with the sorrowful goodbye to the once prominent Shadow Clan.

Vida Lyre looked to where Fozz stood and nodded. Just looking at his spirit made her heart crack a little... but she did her best to hold it together. Her eyes welled as she looked in the right direction. "Ludo..." Her voice cracked; she had to clear her throat. Even then, a tremor worked its way through her words. "He says... he won't leave if you don't want him to. He'll stay with you as long as you want him to." Her gaze finally settled on Vetis after a few seconds. Her tail - splayed out next to her on the ground - even hinted at a weak attempt at wagging. Her expression mirrored his before she pushed herself enough to inch around until she was able to sit near him - or at least a little bit closer.

Ludo (silentassasin.fall) leaned down and lifted his brother up.. he heard Annoths words.. and clutched Fozz tight to his chest..then slowly he rose.. when Vida spoke... a soft whimper escaped his throat.. and slowly he shook his head...he attempted to speak as clearly as he possibly could. "No..I must.. let.him..go." he managed to slur. "To. the rest..of the pack..brother." He nuzzled his brother.. then moved to place him upon the mile of bodies and turned..tears seeping from his eyes into the fur on his cheeks.. he looked at each one of them.. and smiled..before he then joined them to bask in the warmth of the fire Vetis had created. Fozz would lift his head.. ears perked.. and his tail would wag slowly. then.. he would fade from Vida's sight.