[Cove.]

    He could have been a pack man, if it didn’t involve so much work. His ma had told him about packs, as she had apparently been apart of one. Oh, she sung praises! But you did work and you hunted for yourself. That was the same as being a loner, to him. And so, Cove was still wandering around the lands, not settling down because what could a pack offer him? (Plenty, he was just too stubborn to see it). Not too long ago, Cove had found another wolf, Kneejerk. He wouldn’t consider them friends, not really. They had a common goal and it was easier to have someone working with him. Together hunting would be easier, and with easier hunting, meant more food. There was some kind of math that had gone through Cove’s head, but he barely understood it. To him this just meant easier food, which was enough, seemingly for both of them.

    The pair had been rather quiet in their travels, going wherever they were going. Cove picked up a scent, something weird. Some kind of distant memory sparked in his mind (his family had stolen cooking meat from humans), and he instantly started to head towards it, assuming Kneejerk would be following, because what else was their to do? As they got closer, the young wolf took in the sight. It was some human structure, some kind of den, but a fire had overtaken it probably a day or so ago. Smoke still rose from the ashes, and while the fire no longer licked at the sky, Cove could see that plenty was still burning. Plenty of scents seeped from the structure, drawing the blue wolf closer. “We should look.” He said lowly to his companion.

    Assuming that Kneejerk was following, Cove would walk towards the house, sniffing heavily the closer he got. In all honesty, he only hoped for leftover food. While most of the structure was in ruins, he bet that there was something left over, something that could fill his belly. What he didn’t pay attention to nor notice was a man, not too far from the burned house, watching. Cove simply shifted rubble away that wasn’t too hot to touch, trying to find anything - if they found human trinkets, they could be traded for big foods, for feasts possibly. Either that, or the pair could decorate themselves. But food was Cove’s first thought, hunger already overtaking his mind while he searched.

[Nihilist]

precious and pure dream cast off
you’ve seen what’s beneath
NOW FAIL ME
forget closure.      
forget closure!      

Neoptolemus

The volcano by Muiri… That would be quite the journey. And, for that, he had to prepare. His supplies were running low, so he needed to restock. He couldn’t risk using up his black powder before he reached the volcano, so he was going to need oil to hold himself over. To get oil, he would need fat. And, the best, easiest source of fat he knew was…

Irrelevant to these two wolves sniffing around what had once been Rivian’s cottage. Carrying a scrawny, half-starved buck over his shoulders like a good shepherd might carry a lamb, Neoptolemus regarded the duo. He didn’t really have the strength to fight two wolves right now, considering he’d just wrestled this thing until it dropped to exhaustion and he could finish it. What he wanted to do was eat, turn the tines into the tools he needed to go after the cave dweller, and then rest come sun up. But, Rivian wasn’t exactly against keeping wolves, so they might be friends of hers coming to check up on her house.

Time to make a dramatic entrance, he supposed.

Grunting a little, Neoptolemus’s tail swished behind him to help keep balance as he heaved the deer off his shoulders, throwing it a few yards near the nosy duo.

“What--” the fairy bellowed “--exactly are you two doing here?”

Neoptolemus was wearing only his thin inner shirt, cape and vest left tied up in a tree to avoid getting them bloody with his hunt. He crossed his arms, looking between the two even as his prickly mane stuck to his shoulders and neck with a nasty mix of sweat and blood.

ooc: local disgusting fae yells

CREDITS
background pattern by patterncooler || sacred ash sprite from tpc
closure by chevelle || dante and virgil in hell by william-adolphe bouguereau

[Kneejerk]

Sure enough Kneejerk had followed Cove along, and got right to picking over the remains of this curious construct without too many questions. The wolf would raise a brow at a few oddities he had never seen before but only inspected things that smelled vaguely edible. He found one cracked pot, it smelled good, but whatever had been in it was now turned to black ash. There was a lot of that. 

A man approached but Kneejerk didn't immediately notice. The wolf had found an intact pot with a lid over it and was trying hard to puzzle out how it opened. Latches on the side, but Kneejerk didn't notice those before a voice boomed through his ears. He jumped a little and backed up, attention going straight to its source.

Kneejerk's ears went back but his head cocked, looking the tall pale creature up and down. He really didn't have the same experience with humans as Cove did. They looked stranger than described. 

The wolf wasn't quick to answer the question as he processed the biped in front of him. He cleared his throat with an "uhh," at first before slowly speaking, "scavenging? Don't think this place has an owner anymore, if you're looking for something too." 

Kneejerk sincerely hoped they weren't looking at the owner. He would bet his bones on not if the biggest worry this guy had was the wolves and not the fire. Owner or not Kneejerk wasn't greedy enough to lord over the burned remains and risk a fight with this tall horned  thing.

Kneejerk's eyes darted down to the deer, then to the man again, and then to Cove. A moment of pondering before the wolf curled his chops back a little. He chuckled a little, somewhat nervous but his voice still lax as he remarked, "you never said a man could take a deer down bare-handed, Cove."

[Cove.]

    Kneejerk seemed to be having better finds than Cove, as the blue boy looked over. ”What--” Cove turned towards the voice, fur bristling some. “--exactly are you two doing here?” The pair looked at the pale man, with Cove’s eyes going over their features. The humans he had seen looked much different. They had lacked the horns and tails, and their skin had been darker, kissed by the sun. For some reason they had not caused him uncomfort, they had seemed normal, but this man, he was something else. Not exactly human. The thought made his fur stand on end, and it was obvious.

    Kneejerk spoke first. "Uhh, scavenging? Don't think this place has an owner anymore, if you're looking for something too." Cove nodded in agreement with the other wolf. Finders keeper, losers weepers. Quieter, to Cove, Kneejerk had spoken. "You never said a man could take a deer down bare-handed, Cove." He leaned into the other, whispering back. “Normally, they can’t. I don’t think it’s a man.” Cove would take the lead, though, at least for now. The blue wolf stepped away from the rubble, towards the man-creature.

    “What do you want? I didn’t see you around to claim this fire.” Couldn’t really call it a house, could he? And little did he know who had started the fire in the first place. He slightly hoped Kneejerk would be at is hip, as if to show they stood together. Not friends, more of comrades, but still, they were working together. Even if this man-creature had taken down a deer with bare human hands, they could probably take him. (He didn’t want to. This man scared him, for some reason.)

[Nihilist]

I WON’T LET IT GO I’LL STICK TO THE PLAN WE’RE DEEP IN THE THROWS

Looking too much. Bristled fur. Clumping together. Speaking. Though Neoptolemus still knew better than to risk his meager remaining strength on a fight not in his favor, it was satisfying for him to recognize that the duo were frightened of him. He much preferred being a figment of mistrust and ill ease to being some sort of creature comfort. Laying deeply into his birthright role of mystic thug got him much better results than this current attempt at ally, the current goings of which he was still sorely bitter over.


Which, naturally, brought things back to the matter of the burnt cottage. After a bit of whispering, one of the wolves approached closer. Neoptolemus whipped out his sole weapon (not that the wolves needed to know that) – the obsidian blade. ❝You are close enough.❞ He held it like one might hold a letter in greeting, but Neoptolemus was plenty dexterous enough to switch the grip if Cove didn’t respect the fae’s oh-so-polite warning.


If Cove respected this exceedingly kind and generous gesture, the pale, horned almost-human would put the blade away again, stepping towards the scrawny buck. ❝I was making sure the owner had not returned. Take what you want from it; if she returns, I want her to glean nothing for her trouble.❞ A pause, and a thought. They were already looking through…


Might as well make sure they did the job right.


His booted foot went upon the deer’s shoulder and he lifted its head by the ear. Neoptolemus bent over, cut away skin and cut himself a clean bit of meat. It was bloodless, already drained to the askance of his family’s religious convictions. Partially to actually attend to his growing hunger and partially to make it clear to the duo before him that the eating was good, the pale man ate. His bites were not the chewing sort of a true human’s, with molars doing the work. Like a dog or a cat, he ripped and swallowed and went on about that again. After his snack, he looked to the duo again.


❝Are you hungry?❞ If they at all agreed, he would continue as such: ❝If you sweep the ruins and make sure nothing is left, a third of the deer can be for each of you.❞


Somehow, it felt good to be returning to how he had once been. It had been like that with Muiri in the mountains. A bargain and then something in return. It had worked out very nicely for him, all together. New fur and meat, and then a bit of cheese as a reward. Here, he might get someone to do the hands on labor he so loathed. Marriage might have been a mistake, not that his pride as a fairy would let him as much as back down from a promise, but being a menace felt right.

credit.
“dante and virgil in hell” by bouguereau
“who will save you now?” by les friction
candle graphics by drawnbynic/nihilist

[Kneejerk]

Kneejerk's apprehension and nervousness for the strange man melted away fast at the mention of food. Flattened ears at the sight of his weapon quickly perked back up at his deal. While quiet, Kneejerk looked to Cove and gave a shrug of his withers before turning away from the man. The wolf meandered into the mess of rubble and scorched belongings. His answer not announced, but abundantly clear. 

"What do you got against this owner? She's not some grand huntress that'll come for all our skins, right?" Kneejerk piped up only after smashing through the pot he had difficulty with. Any clue to what the previous homeowner was like wasn't abundantly present.

He didn't look up, instead puzzling over the dark liquid that half-sloshed out of the smashed pot. He sniffed it before wrinkling his lips back and snorting. The wolf muttered "gross" under his breath before looking for anything else to take or destroy.