"But the dream, the echo, slips from him as quickly as he had found it and as consciousness comes to him (a slap and not the gentle waves of oceanic tides), it dissolves entirely. His muscles relax as the cold claims him again, as the numbness sets in, and when his grey eyes open, there’s nothing but the faint after burn of a dream often trod and never remembered." --Brigade, written by Laura
11-01-2018, 02:53 PM (This post was last modified: 11-12-2018, 02:43 PM by Sinner.)
The chaos and destruction had come without warning. But, he had known. He had known it would come with full fury, wiping across the lands of Beqanna like a wildfire. It would be unstoppable.
Some would die.
Some would live.
But he would be safe.
His own safety had been his only priority as he watched the chaos erupt slowly across Beqanna. Others would have called him selfish, but it simply was within his nature to be. An omen is what he had been brought to into this world, and a bringer of destruction is what he would be.
There was a handful of others that had played their part as well within bringing the plague into their homeland. Sinner would not be the only one to blame for what was created. But was it not needed for their homeland? To rule out the weak and let the strongest stand up and survive?
Their greed, their selfishness was not narrow-minded as many others would call it. It was a gift to humanity. In the depths of it all, there would be a reckoning.
Sinner has forgotten his duties within Sylva—perhaps for a time. The hound is uncertain which way he would go from here. With the plague came opportunities, and he was willing to hunt them out before returning to wherever Arthas has taken to. Surely, he would not be missed among the chaos, or perhaps his absence would be notice.
The dark hound shrugs it off though, yellow and red flicked eyes search across the horizon of the meadow. He inhales the scent of the destruction, the death that fills the air and grasps for the living. The hungry within him calls, and surely there would be something warm and hearty to devour here within the meadow as a chilly wind rolls through (welcoming winter and death).
11-01-2018, 09:35 PM (This post was last modified: 11-01-2018, 09:35 PM by Valdis.)
And in the darkened underpass I thought, "Oh Satan, my chance has come at last!"
Such a foolish girl Valdis is, and yet she doesn’t stop herself from roaming. I won’t become sick, she tells herself in that childish way they think. Nothing will ever happen to me – isn’t that what they all assume? That no harm will ever touch their delicate skin? Arrogance is her weakness as it guides her down dangerous corridors until she is standing in the face of a hellhound. Of course, she doesn’t quite understand. Her blue eyes trace the edges of his face then trail down his body where she takes careful note of their differences. There is a hollowness in his eyes that should deter her and frighten her back into shelter, but she remains unyielding to her better judgment.
Skepticism smears across her pretty face as she continues scrutinizing him before her voice finds enough strength to rise from her throat. ”You aren’t afraid of this plague?” Her chin tilts, indignant and proud. Underneath layers of pride and ignorant certainty rests a fear that she will never truly experience the life she wanted because she will fall victim to someone or something. That, however, remains suppressed deep enough that she can barely brush the fingers of her consciousness across it. Valdis is in the moment, embracing the thrill of this new Beqanna and the dangers that it births.
Sylva clings heavily to his skin, but alas, he is here in a public area. Valdis assumes that all the kingdoms suffer from the same ailment and so she doesn’t inquire of it – such a redundant and immature question to consider. Although only two, she desperately tries to hold herself as an adult and face obstacles (and nightmares) with vibrato. It will ultimately be her undoing one day. ”I’m immune,” she lies as though attempting to shield herself from any attempt of disruption. ”So, I refuse to run like a coward.”
Stupid, stupid girl.
VALDIS
But then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldn't ask.
Scattered bodies flee across the meadow. He can feel the hunger calling out, lashing out for him to hunt those that run from the disease that is spreading. Sinner doesn’t answer the call so easily as he has done before. There is little thrill in the chase as they are already running. Able bodies moving too far in the distance, but perhaps also he is more stubborn to make the choice this time.
Then again, it seems a ready meal has already been chosen for him.
Curiously he peers at the young girl. A wolfish grin spread across his mandibles, revealing his carnivorous teeth. The hound is rather applauded by the way the young girl comes forward towards him, especially in the way that others scatter across the land.
The girl finds her voice though. A strength within her words are obvious, and he steps forward towards her in a predatory amble. “My, my,” he says with a deep voice, filled with dark amusement, “You are quite the bold little girl are you not?” A soft laugh is released through his canine teeth.
“Why should I run?” He tilts his head slightly at her curiosity. The hound moves around the girl, circling her slowly. His hollowed gaze studies her small figure. The hunger within him begs for him to go just a little closer, just a bit for him to take a nip out of her fresh flesh that basically was handed to him on a platter. But he holds himself back again. “The plague is nothing to be scared about. Chaos and destruction brings glory within it. Should it not be celebrated?”
Her next words only pull his wolfish grin even wider. “But being immune to the plague does not make you immune to me, little girl.” Sinner stops close to her right side, taking a step closer to get an inhale of her scent. “I could eat you alive right here and now.”
But a pity it would be to just simply kill her now when it is just getting started.
And in the darkened underpass I thought, "Oh Satan, my chance has come at last!"
There’s a coldness in his hollow stare that prickles down her neck. A sideways glance sees an exit, but her pride and arrogance roots her in place. It would be smarter to run, but Valdis is stubborn and thrives on the taste of thrill. She is already playing precariously in infected lands, but everything matters less than the creature standing in front of her. Even as she breathes the thick air of disease, Valdis’ attention remains tunneled on the monster with a thorny tongue. In its deadened eyes there is a hint of amusement upon seeing such a foolish girl step forward and risk her chances. With her skin untouched by man or evil and her eyes bright with innocence, she is practically a toy to him. Easy prey – easy to kill, or easy to manipulate.
The foreboding manner to which he inches closer is another indicator that she should flee, but Valdis is a fool and cannot resist the smug grin that plays across her lips. ”Bold,” she plays with the pseudo-compliment, mulling it over with a sweet shrug, ”Perhaps.” As much as her voice wants to waver, she somehow steadies it to maintain this bold and brave persona.
Hyaline is so light, so loving, so happy. That’s likely the reason why the fascination of him builds so dangerously high. He is everything she isn’t, everything opposite of her raising.
”What glory do you have in this?” The question spills and she doesn’t even attempt to stop it while she herself considers his reply. Is there something for her in this mayhem? Likely not. Although possessing the aptitude for it, Valdis remains unguided and lost in the ways of the world. She was raised as a princess with no responsibilities. Life was handed to her on a silver platter. ”Or is your joy scavenging the diseased corpses?” Her eyes narrow and her lip curls in disgust at the image of bodies littered across the forest, bloated and slowly decaying. It would be a feast for anyone, but she has no interest in feeding. Her interests lie beyond the immediate things – she wonders what prizes are scattered across this new Beqanna.
But while she contemplates the possibilities and maps out her next adventure, the creature is edging ever closer with a wolfish grin, starving and amused. Valdis takes a step back, but she hates herself for the instinctual retreat. Pinning her ears briefly, she curses herself silently before lifting her eyes to his. ”What fun would there be for you if you did that?” With an inquisitive tilt of her head, Valdis grins, suddenly enjoying this poking game, wondering if he would act on his words or find better amusement with her.
VALDIS
But then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldn't ask.
The innocents were always reckless. As if anything and everything around them could not touch them. The world has yet to spill and splatter the darkness onto their pure canvas. They do not know what devastation and disorder could do to them. He would be their artist, painting the blood on their blank canvas. He would be the one to break their innocence, tear it out of their bodies if he must.
She is exactly what the innocent are like. It is tempting now to tear her apart from limb to limb. Hunger begs for him to feel her flesh and bone crush between his teeth. To taste the life of a living was almost too danger sometimes, too intoxicating. He had always wanted more. More and more with every bite.
And more he would have.
The girl’s words are bold. Sinner would have called her brave, but he dares not compliment her. He was pushing her, testing his limits until she would crumble. Her mask of being bold and brave would fall away. It would reveal the truth behind what she really is. All of them wear masks—even the innocent will.
“Opportunity,” he says shortly. The hound was not just eager to spill his plans out. He kept his playing cards close at hand. When the timing was right he would use them. When he needed information, he would get it. With or without anyone’s help. “Is there not something you want also? Surely, there is something you have always wanted.”
He chuckles deeply at her next question and the disgust it brings on her face. “The dead are dead. There is no fun and games when it comes to feasting on a decaying body.” As much as he enjoyed devouring flesh and crushing bone between his teeth it would never compare itself to the hunt. The hunt was always the thrill. The thrill that he lived for.
She steps away with his words. The mask she holds close, concealing her fear, is starting to fall. His wolfish grin grows wider. It did not matter how she tried to retake her steps from where her persona fell, Sinner already saw it. There was fear there, and she would eventually hate herself for taking the wrong step in front of him.
The girl challenges him though. It only amuses him even more. He considers the options, weighing just how much more fun he could have with her or just killing her on the spot. “Well, well,” he replies, “I am rather hungry, but I always enjoy a good hunt.” He exposes his teeth, letting the saliva drip from the corners of his jaw. “I’m sure you’d enjoy the game too. Children love a good game of tag.”
And in the darkened underpass I thought, "Oh Satan, my chance has come at last!"
He saw. He damn well saw.
The creature’s eyes sparkle a little more when Valdis eased herself back, putting space between them as he grinned wolfishly. She hates that he takes such pleasure in it, that she faltered in her bold demeanor. It crosses her mind whether she could defend herself from him, but if he was truly a danger, he would’ve hurt her already. He would have taken joy in harming her untouched skin, buckling her underneath his weight to assert that he is the powerful one, not her. Valdis should consider herself lucky, and yet she is more and more entranced by him and the ominous aura that engulfs him. It still keeps her rooted and her interest piqued. The wolf is speaking to her, playing along with her when he could’ve easily had her blood smeared across his lips already. A shudder of fascination passes through her, kindling a feeble flame around her before it’s immediately extinguished.
”Power,” she says suddenly with an upward tilt of her chin, arrogance bleeding from her posture and voice, ”and respect.” Because she was overlooked. She isn’t the love child of Hyaline. She isn’t an obscured creation borne of two women. Although she was raised well and grew up equally among her younger siblings, deep down, she knew how different she was – how much of a misfit she was and is.
And maybe, just maybe, he is too.
Bravely – stupidly – she snaps at the air between them, her face contorted agitatedly. ”I’m not a child,” she snarls to cover up the pseudo lie, ”and I don’t run away.” That’s why she is here, both in front of him and within easy reach of the plague that is infecting their home and world. It’s why she toys with her chances and faces the hellhound. Although she faltered slightly, she refuses to allow him more gain on her. Valdis shakes her head slowly, her golden locks sliding beautifully across her face. ”I’m not running from you.”
VALDIS
But then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldn't ask.
He rolls his eyes at her words. It was too easy of a predication. The earthly creatures have always wanted their chance at power. To make them feel something, to be able to have some sort of control of a life they could never have. He has seen what power can do to someone, the way it tears them apart and brings their downfall.
The hound’s own father was nothing but an example of what power could do. It corrupted his mind and drowned him into something that could have been marvelous. But he had forsaken it, he threw the darkness away, not knowing what sort of gift it really is. It was all for the sake of his damn humanity, some disgusting little thing these living creatures grabbed onto.
But he does not need it—this humanity.
“You want something that you have no idea what sort of pain it will bring you,” he says with warning, as if he cared for what sort of destruction it would bring her. It was a childish thing to want power. Only the strong and willed could handle it well. Sinner considered himself highly capable of handling it. The autumn crown was his fully, and he planned and using it well. He had the correct intentions for it after all—not like how his father had been.
She is stupid, he thinks, but he admires the way she pushes herself. Snapping and threatening him as if he would fear her. There is a strength within her, something he just might have to take for himself. It would be wrong not to, especially when she was so willing to get what she wanted. He does not miss the way her innocence dangles out before him, demands that it be taken. He cannot help but tempt her, to fill her head with ideas of the opportunities to have what she wanted. “Perhaps there is a way,” he offers with a tilt of his head.
“I am your opportunity,” he claims without hesitating. He would give her what she wanted, what her deepest desires might be. But it would be for a price. A price he was willing to play his chance at, to manipulate her for whatever use she would bring. “I can give you what you want.” But he does not tell her the price she must pay or the acts she must perform to get there.
Sinner
angels banished from heaven have no choice but to become devils
And in the darkened underpass I thought, "Oh Satan, my chance has come at last!"
It could very well have been a vague answer, but Valdis is an ignorant young girl. She knows not of what other possibilities lie in wait, what else can be made possible outside of Hyaline’s borders. It churns her stomach how his eyes roll in disappointment, almost seeming to have expected the response she offered. A lip curls distastefully. ”What are you wanting then? What opportunities will you seize?” She doesn’t ask what he will try to do, what stakes he will risk, because in her heart she knows that he will get exactly what he wants. There is no trying or attempting in his world – everything is for the taking. It’s the way he looks at her and the perilous shadows that darken his face that supports her thoughts and assumptions. He won’t be swayed from his desires and needs.
Even if she is, eventually, on that list.
Valdis looks away from him as he sets a platter in front of her, baiting her, luring her. The temptation sinks its nails into her flesh and hooks her, but she doesn’t immediately jump on it. He offers her a chance to grasp what she yearns, but he still has a wolfish grin and a hollow stare that says otherwise. With a sneer and a raised brow, she eventually turns her blue eyes to look at him again. ”Pain,” she scoffs at it without measuring the weight of his warning, ”I can adapt.” It also crosses her mind that she could visit the Mountain. Perhaps, if it were alluring enough, she would try to have her threshold for pain – both emotional and physical – removed. Like him, Valdis will stop at nothing for what she wants. Nothing will stand in her way.
”And your price?” She finally asks, her voice laced with poison and honey – the best of both worlds. They are already close and so there is nowhere for her to move unless she took the chance to touch him, to feel his coat tickle her lips and his voice reverberate through her core. Valdis is not a seductress; she doesn’t know the strengths of her sexuality or how she could ever use it to her advantage. While lacking in her sultry approach, she makes up for it in her ferocity and passion. ”How can you give me anything?” Her eyes narrow on him, curious but skeptical. She doesn’t admit her mistrust of him, not openly, because he’s not yet given a reason for her to doubt him.
Him. He. The creature.
She realizes quickly that she doesn’t even know him – not even in the slightest.
”Your name,” she coarsely adds with a thoughtless shuffle of her wings, ”What is it?”
VALDIS
But then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldn't ask.
Sinner was not a gambler. He would not throw the dice into the darkness, hoping the universe would roll something good for him. He would not play his cards without certainty, knowing he will get what he wants. He does not rely on the world to give him things, but he takes.
He is an achiever.
And he will achiever great things.
The dark hound’s face lights up with pride at her question. His eyes dance with humor at her question too. “I’ve already achieved what I have wanted. The rest will come soon enough.” But he does not go further on that. The next opportunities he would seize were not up for discussion. Sinner was careful with his words, and he was not likely to share what plans he had in the future with anyone—not even a child.
He finds it thrilling to lay the platter of bait out in front of others. The way others tossed and turned at the opportunity just within reach. He was also so curious to see if they would take it, seize the opportunity to make it theirs. Some did it eagerly while others second-guessed making the choice.
The girl is rather amusing to the dark beast even more now. He cannot help but find enjoyment in the way she twists and turns, deciding the course she will take. It could either be her downfall or triumph. Either way, he would take her as an opportunity. The hound was set on taking her with him, making her his.
“Adapting will be your weapon always,” he says honestly. Perhaps the only thing he may speak honestly to the girl here now. Sinner has learned to be adaptable with each occurrence within his life. Being adaptable, he learned, brought on more opportunities than he has never known. He could see that she would flourish if she lived her life being able to adapt, finding ways to achieve what she truly wanted.
His wolfish grin goes wider at her question. “Oh, you are quite impressive,” he finally says, no longer hiding his amusement of the girl. She was more than he had known. Quickly, adapting to use even him as an opportunity. She was pushing her limits, risking even her own life to take a bite from the apple of knowledge.
Sinner admires her passion. Her ferocity is something he can respect; even as young and naïve she might be. “I have power,” he says, mocking her previous tone laced with poison and honey. “I have the very thing you are wanting. Is that not enough?” He offers her with the slightest tilt of his dark canine head.
“Sinner,” he replies.
“King of Sylva.”
Sinner
angels banished from heaven have no choice but to become devils
And in the darkened underpass I thought, "Oh Satan, my chance has come at last!"
”Have you now?” He has achieved what he wanted, and yet there lies a hunger in his eyes that remains unsated. ”I know you want more,” her voice is low, thoughtful. A smirk crosses her lips as she glances away toward the groaning, naked trees nearby. If not for the contorted branches and peeling park, Valdis could have easily forgotten about the plague engulfing them. Although fearful initially, she finds herself fascinated with the hellhound, amused and piqued by the starved look in his eyes and the glint of power.
He is everything she isn’t.
It draws her closer.
Her heart races.
The air is dry when she inhales, but it’s also soaked with his scent. It already envelopes her. They haven’t even touched and yet she already feels like his own. Her eyes narrow. She doesn’t fight the idea, but in fact embraces the possibilities. They are fascinated with one another, a mutual observation as Sinner no longer masks his own intrigue. For some reason, it makes her smug. Now, she is drawing him in even if it’s only because of her youth and ignorance. Her tail sweeps mildly, her eyes dancing when she, finally, acquires his name. Lifting her chin, she offers her own name to him, sacrificing her mystique. ”Valdis. Princess of Hyaline.” It’s only half a lie, really. Although not a claimant of the throne – despite being mother’s first-born – she remains with a meager title because of her bloodline. It was something inherited while Sinner’s place was likely taken.
”So, Sinner, King of Sylva, what lies in wait?” No doubt his home, a place that he has already dangled in front of her nose. It’s unlikely she won’t follow him now when he lays out a platter so enticingly to her. And while he is aware that she is conflicted, Valdis still tries to hide it, working on her own steely expression as she takes a slow step sideways, away from him. ”You do, in fact, have the very thing I want,” power, she doesn’t say, and respect, ”but what if I get bored?” She blinks away then looks at him again, toying with the idea of being his victim, his new interest in Sylva, but she will never be a damsel in distress.
She wouldn’t always bend over so easily to his whims.
Her brows lift underneath her forelock, mirroring his amusement. ”You won’t let things get boring, will you?” His price remains unsaid, but it doesn’t stop her from silently acquiescing.
VALDIS
But then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldn't ask.
