[Lady of the Night]

MONSTERS OF THE NIGHT
Chapter One
Morbus

Black blood lays splattered against the snow.

It is almost impossible not to notice. The smell that it emits is worse, driving away the prey from the heart of the pack. Weirdly enough, there are no footprints - but the falling snow has been heavy lately, perhaps the tracks have been covered up during the night?

Throughout the pack, some corpses of prey animals lay mutilated and dismembered. The weird coloured blood is found on them, though they show no signs of being eaten.

Is something leaving it as a warning, perhaps?

[Palace]

    When he awoke, something wasn’t right. From where Palace was, he could faintly smell...whatever it was. He wasn’t sure. The scent made his stomach drop, though, made some kind of fear run through him. It wasn’t right. It was rotting prey almost, but not. It was worse. Even though the creatures he imagined in his head scared him, made him want to curl up and hide, let whatever is going on pass without him, he couldn’t. The blacksmith got to his paws, leaving his den and walking in the snow, following the scent. Each step closer made him nervous, and he wasn’t sure if he was actually cold or just scared. Palace decided it was best not to wonder.

    Soon he was upon the torn flesh, and the scent hit him like a wall. Soon the man felt his meal from the previous night spill from his mouth, splattering the snow like the monstrous black that also splattered against the snow. How did something get into the pack lands without anyone noticing? How did something cause such chaos and not get noticed? He cautiously sniffed for anything else, any other scent that might be there, but it was covered by the dead animals covered up whatever might lay there. He looked at the horror before him, noticing nothing was eaten. Had something come into Bacchus just to fuck with them? Just to kill their prey and scare them? Anger and fear were over taking him, but he didn’t know what to do. Could they hunt down such a thing?

    Palace almost called out for Rainer, almost forgot that the former Prime Minister was gone. Instead he lifted his head, calling out for Basma, calling for the pack. Others had surely found it as well, but he seemed to be the first giving off a signal. Palace would back away from the murdered prey, circling it as if doing so would help him understand what was going on. The blacksmith would wait for others, wait for Basma to show up. Once the Prime Minister was there, Palace would move towards him, as if saying he was surely the one that called for everyone, the one that found...this. “I don’t know what happened.” He started, catching his words. What else was there to say. “Something happened last night.” That was all they knew.

[Frost]

gonna see if anyone else posts before proceeding with chapter 2

[Basma]

Basma

What, did you think he would have gone to Fable willingly? Basma arrives quickly, although in no rush, expecting Bitterkeit to meet him there. The time has come, then. He doesn't spare a glance to Palace, mercurial eyes fixed on the scene. Something has been happening for some time now, yes. It's a frightening admission-- that something has been living in their lands, unbeknownst, or maybe only unaddressed-- but his plain approach may soothe some. It's incredible what one can grow to find normal.

Ideally, they won't need to. We believe it to be some sort of feral predator-- from the mountains, more than likely. Nothing gets through those tunnels without them knowing it. Not since Rainer. His silvery stare sits on the mutilated remains, smirk twisted down between a grimace and indifference. Ensure the herders keep a closer watch on their stock; we can't afford to lose many more in the winter. He's speaking to Bits, but doesn't make the direction of his order obvious. I suggest you travel in pairs-- at the very least. I'll speak with the doctors about what sort of disease could cause aggression of this magnitude.

Ever rational, a perfect politician. He doesn't mention his intention to exhaust all possible explanations immediately-- including the metaphysical, if necessary.