Statues and empires are all at your hands,
Water to wine and the finest of sands.
When all that you have's turning stale and it's cold,
Oh, you'll no longer feel when your heart's turned to gold.

      The dark-furred beast moved along the mountains of Gemini as the sun descended into the ocean. He moved through the treeline with a feline grace, like a ghost or a shadow. He only wore one necklace around his neck and the ornaments in his mane were sparse and spread out far enough as to not let them clink against each other. His forelimbs were bare of the usual jewelry he decorated his body with and he didn't have his usual satchel. A large magpie perched on his shoulders and a crow flew above him.

      Iorek hunted as the sky turning to dusk and darkness covering the trees. He would flourish in this environment with his dark coloration. Brynn flew ahead of him, the crow looking for prey that the cat could catch. He was a capable hunter with his stealthy ways and could easily stalk prey.

      'Prey!' the crow squawked.

      A white silhouette stuck out from the shadows that surrounded it and the brindled beast zeroed in on it. It was a mountain goat, a young one that had yet to learn what happened to those that wandered down from the mountainous peaks where predators roamed. He was ten or twenty paces away from the teeline and the wind blew the scent towards the trees.The dark-furred creature took advantage of this and the darkness hiding him.

      The hybrid beast crept across the field as the goat grazed on the grass. He crouched low to the ground, looking like a moving stone in the darkness. He didn't know how oblivious the goat could be. How close could he get to the goat without being noticed? Then he had an idea. He whispered to Hermes who still sat on his shoulders and the magpie seemed skeptical but agreed. The bird took off, joining the corvid in the sky.

      The birds descended from above, dive-bombing the goat with squawks and pecks. They aimed for his face, keeping clear of the horns as the goat tossed his head and bucked. The raucous squawking and the wingbeats served to cover the beast's approach. Suddenly the birds flew up and the goat had barely a moment to process the feeling of teeth in his neck before the crimson-eyed feline's jaws clamped down on his neck.

      The scarlet-eyed scavenger dropped his prey on the ground and the birds joined him on the carcass. The pelt would be useful for trading or bedding so the male took care to separate the pelt from the body with his sharp claws cutting through the fur with ease. However it would take time for him to cut the sections of the pelt off. Meanwhile, the birds began to feast on the uncovered sections.

      When the pelt was done, the red-eyed Recruit would also take the horns off the skull since they could be useful as well.

OOC:
Brynn and Hermes's speech is bird that Iorek can understand. For Auri El <3

In the garden of evil
I'm gonna be the greatest
In a golden cathedral
I'll be praying for the faithless
And if you lose, boo-hoo

---

      The dark-brindle cat padded through the field grass that became greener as he walked. He was still exploring the territory but now in the morning rays of the sun. He wasn't carrying as much as he usually would, his satchel not at its usual place on his shoulders and only one bird joining him on his back.

      Iorek left his satchel hidden in a tree hollow and Brynn stayed close to guard it. He hoped that the members of the pack knew the concept of personal belongings. But the crow was feisty enough to keep others away. He hoped that she wouldn't need to keep anyone away since she was only a little bird.

      Hermes must have read his mind when he piped up, 'You sure she be fine?' The old magpie croaked. He saw Brynn as something like a daughter and was as protective of her as any parent.

      "Yes," the brindled beast replied as he noticed a peculiar structure. "Remember what Echo said?" The feline padded closer to the tree, observing the marks on the trunk and the antlers.

      'No.'

"Here's a hint: I'm not telling you," the scarlet-eyed scavenger deadpanned as he stopped at the tree. He felt his blood start to turn cold as he remembered symbols written on pieces of tree; paper. He could smell something that made his stomach turn and he backed away from the tree.

      The magpie hopped on his back and over to his neck. 'What doesn't kill you will likely try again.' The bird really wasn't helping was he?

      The crimson-eyed cat tried to put as much distance between him and the tree.

OOC:
Please note that unless your character understands bird, Hermes's speech sounds like a bird. Takes place near the Hellion library set a day after his acceptance thread.

In the garden of evil
I'm gonna be the greatest
In a golden cathedral
I'll be praying for the faithless
And if you lose, boo-hoo

---

       After the wolf deemed him fit to join the pack, Iorek declined the tour offer. Not that he didn’t trust Echo, but he would rather show himself around than let someone else do so. He knew that being shown around had its benefits but he wanted to decide for himself what was worth being shown. Places always had their secrets and they were best found without the bias of someone else.
 
      The hybrid padded across the prairies, the short grass providing little cover. The birds perched on his back when he told them to stay close since there could be dangers in these lands -- predators, traps, anything; he felt safer when they were close. The crimson-eyed cat headed north towards the dilapidated wall that Hermes spoke of earlier, remembering that the magpie also mentioned a woodland.

      The scarlet-eyed scavenger knew that he couldn’t explore all of the lands before nightfall. He wanted to explore what he could and perhaps find a temporary spot for a den of sorts to store his belongings and perhaps return to sleep. The bag wasn’t heavy but the -- muffled -- clink of jewelry and other items was not something he wanted to have on him all of the time. The traveler was resourceful and knew how to cover his tracks so anywhere that could be a hiding space would be fine for now.

      The chocolate and cream beast wasn’t a fan of communal dens and liked his own space. He hoped that there was somewhere he could sleep tonight, no matter how temporary it would be. He was large enough to withstand the elements and he just liked a place to be out of sight. The feline didn’t think it would be too difficult to find.

      The brindled beast came across a river and stopped to drink from the water. As he did, he gaged the distance between the two banks and whether or not he could jump it. He wasn’t a fan of getting his paws wet when he didn’t have to. The dark beast also took a moment to scan the riverbed in case something shiny washed in.

OOC:
For Bellamy! Takes place about an hour after this thread. Iorek is around here (red dot).