"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
There honestly isn’t time to be content; not in the current climate Loess had managed to stir up since his ascension. Looking back now, Wolfbane is hard-pressed to deny a sense of pride at the once quiet kingdom’s burst of activity and importance, but he’s not naive enough or narcissistic enough to forget that it wasn’t himself alone who’d pulled her up by her bootstraps.
There were plenty deserving of recognition and soon enough he’ll get to them all (He must find Titus after this, speak with the upcoming colt about his intentions) but firstly, he’s out looking for a name that had quickly become infamous in the surrounding parts.
Vulgaris: once Paladin now Champion, and long overdue for a proper thanks.
Because Bane is aware that not everyone in Beqanna can fly, he walks - really plods - along a few beaten paths he’s seen the scaled viper tread. His countless flights and border patrol had given the striped pegasus a somewhat concrete idea of just who came and went from their shared territory, so he’s acutely trying to avoid the mare Vulgaris had brought home some time ago.
Nothing was more awkward than a third wheel, and silently the Pirate Lord vows that if he catches wind of them together, he’ll just wait for a more opportune moment. Today though, he’s almost positive that he can find the second-in-command alone and rounding a somewhat obscured bend in the path, he nickers throatily; just a casual hello should anyone be lingering nearby.
He is a creature of habit, wearing in trails he’s walked a hundred times, but he has no desire to deviate from this path. It offers him time to reflect on his troubles and how best to solve them. Today, his mind orbits the topic of the stranger who had stood over Leliana before being plunged into the river. He replays the seconds over and over in his head until he hardly notices which way he’s going. But this is the same old route as before and he can drift through on autopilot without much worry as to where he’s going.
A low growl hums in his throat when he recalls the moment Dovev had meant to charge at him. It was stupid to rush in, he knows, but his body reacted before his mind could. He will not make the mistake again. Next time, he will be the perfect hunter that he knows himself to be.
But then someone is calling out and he snaps back to the present, serpent eyes searching his surroundings for whoever is near. He lowers his head and bares his teeth briefly before he spots the Loessian lord. He snorts at himself for being so on edge.
Vulgaris approaches his striped friend and tilts his head slightly to observe him for a moment. Should he mention the chaos he’s sewn in his free time? Perhaps not the day he spent with Kagerus, as that time has come and gone with no further consequences, but he cannot risk withholding the rest. A slow sigh breathes from him as he shifts his weight uneasily. Talking about emotions makes him restless but he has no other option.
“Wolfbane, I hope you’ve been well,” he says, getting the formalities out of the way. “I have a problem of my own that I hope you’ll keep in mind while you patrol as well.”
He pauses and considers how to best explain. Would Wolfbane view him with disfavor if he asked him to kill on sight? Maybe only maim.
“I had a.. run in with someone named Dovev. I hope you don’t mind, but if you see him, he owes me a great deal of blood.”
And then he says nothing, though he expects some request to be made of him as payment for his own. They are like minded creatures in that sense and Vulgaris is always happy to oblige the lord.
" ancient language, speak through fingers. the awful edges where you end and i begin. "
@[Wolfbane] he's terrible at bonding but he's trying i promise.
Bane can’t be sure if the tense shape of Vulgaris’s mouth is hiding animosity or embarrassment, the way his scaled counterpart is tilting his head obscures the truth. It’s a balmy sort of day, lucky enough that he hasn’t the need to search far in bad weather (storms out this way threatened every afternoon, bringing flash floods from the myriad rivers and pools). Luckier still to have found the viper alone, but thunderclouds loom all the same in the reflection of the gray’s eyes.
Bane gives a nod at the terse formalities, though together they share a likeness for those stiff necessities to be short and sweet. He hopes one day soon for them to be unnecessary altogether; Vulgaris was deserving of respect and the striped Lord holds him in high enough consideration that he’d give the Champion his undivided attention even when approached in anger or depression.
A mix of the two emotions colors their conversation when Vulgaris takes it for a twist, derailing Wolfbane’s reason for coming here though curiosity is plainly sparked in Bane’s gaze. “Describe him if you would, please.” The pegasus requests, a sour taste fresh in his mouth, “I’ll make it a priority of Loess to seek out that overdue payment.”
He means it. Before the other horse can reply, however, he pipes up again with, “Was anyone hurt?” hoping to have this inquiry answered foremost and praying that it reflected the negative. God help this ‘Dovev’ if the opposite was true.
|| The Pirate Lord of Loess ||
@[vulgaris] this is the kind of bonding he prefers, anyway O.O
Maybe that’s why he gets along with Wolfbane so well. They each cut to the chase and lay their desires out on the table, then work together to achieve whatever goals they have. How terrible it would be for the rest of the world if they sought conquest. But for now their targets are much smaller, though of equal importance in their eyes. Vulgaris feels his lips twist into something like disgust bred with hatred when the Lord asks him to describe his adversary.
“He’s got bones sticking out of his skin. He looks weak and thin, thin enough to break in half if you wanted,” he says in a low snarl. He hesitates at answering the second part of his question. Vulgaris felt it a failure on his part not to protect Leliana from being so weak and hurt but he trusts Wolfbane enough to admit it. The words untangle themselves from his throat after he breathes a slow sigh.
“Leliana. She’s weak and tired. I don’t know what happened but she’s going to have to recover for some time.”
He avoids the king’s gaze when he explains his lover’s condition. Her cheeks are less full and her eyes aren’t as bright, but she tries to smile all the same whenever she sees him. She tries to pretend that everything is fine without confessing what took so much life out of her. Vulgaris clenches his jaw until it aches every time he thinks about it.
“I want to hunt down everyone he’s ever loved and make him watch while I devour them.”
Then his eyes return to Wolfbane and there’s a fire in his stare that refuses to be extinguished. The hunger hollows him out and makes room for nothing but itself within him. It burns every scrap of empathy it can find.
" ancient language, speak through fingers. the awful edges where you end and i begin. "
@[Wolfbane] they might as well get bff bracelets at this point then
Beqanna wasn’t built in a day, and neither will Loess blossom overnight. Perhaps bigger, more pressing issues might suit the raiders in history, but in the present Wolfbane seeks to make every issue paramount. One chink in the armor means death, and as Vulgaris describes this particularly ugly chink with a grating snarl Bane feels the urgency to fix it overwhelming his other thoughts. Especially as the topic twists from Dovev to Leliana, (this must be the mare he’s seen in association with the viper) confirming the bony character to be a dangerous priority.
It must be a pissant of a horse who believes themselves strong enough to attack a mare and expect no repercussion.
A twisted frown darkens Wolfbane’s usually cheery disposition, tugging the corners of his eyes into narrow resentment over his Champion’s boast. There’s reason enough for harboring that sort of animalistic hate (had he not threatened Kagerus in the same tone, when Lepis had been stolen away?) yet nothing can be solved by standing here, despising the creature. “If you can manage to part from Leliana I’d like for us to head north, to Nerine.” The pegasus recommends, understanding that though this might not be the best time for his counterpart to leave his mate, quick action was necessary if they wanted to hunt down Dovev. “I have a few loose ends to tie up there. Give your account of the attack to Breckin and I’m positive word will spread.”
The pale wings hoisted over Wolfbane’s spine shudder at the thought of travel and purpose, his own rage inflamed by the bitter look Vulgaris throws his way. “If we can’t draw him out by whispered threats, then I’ll draw him out in battle myself.” He mutters, a single forehoof rising only to strike the ground in emphasis. “I promise you’ll get redemption.”
In a matter of words peace is converted to chaos, an emotion Loess and Bane both thrive under. He came to thank Vulgaris for the actions accrued in Sylva but now he’s got more to thank the scaled inhabitant for, choosing to hold his peace on both matters until he could fulfill the pact made between them. Throwing a quick nod in the viper’s direction, Wolfbane wheels away to spread his wings and take to the sky.
His eyes often glance down in hopes of seeing a bone-covered, thin stallion.
|| The Pirate Lord of Loess ||
@[vulgaris] he'll craft one on the flight over, lol. I figure we can just continue this thread in Nerine? I'll throw a starter up there and tag ya
![[Image: Wolfbane2.png]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/601918740845559818/696502662816071770/Wolfbane2.png)
![[Image: 3bCHvj.png]](https://img.nickpic.host/3bCHvj.png)
