[. The sweet taste of revenge. .] [. -Closed- .]

[theeraven]

Early morning was just dawning over the region as Daetien slept peacefully beneath a rather large blackberry bush. The sky began to lighten subtly; giving way to a rainbow of brilliant streaks toned in crimson, azure, and apricot. Whistles and chirps of the many songbirds began to fill the air announcing the start to yet another day in the Lakes. It was precisely those birds rejoicing jubilantly in their melodic singsong way that caused a stir in the large furry shape that was Daetien. A twitch of a floppy left ear was the only stirring that followed for a moment. Well… That is, until a couple of noisy crows whisked by making the whole world frightfully aware of their obnoxious existence. It was only then that a muffled yawn came with a slight guttural whine from the breast of the large sleepy canine as he pulled himself to his paws a bit shakily. With force he shook the bits of clinging dirt and debris from his overly long pelt. A wonderful start to another day surely. Daetien huffed silently to himself in annoyance before pulling himself out from under the blackberry bush.

A few remaining leaves still clung between his feathers and he meticulously pulled them out carefully with sharpened incisors. Steely blue eyes blinked in the early morning brightness as the sun came over the top of the nearest ridge and a snort was issued through his pallid nostrils in slight irritation at the stinging brilliance. Once more, another yawn broke from his long muzzle shoving aside the last bits of sleep that still clung to the edges of his faraway thoughts. Shaking his head, Daetien brought himself back to reality. A gurgle commenced from deep in the pit of his stomach and he was suddenly violently aware of the fact that he had not eaten in near two days. A smirk crossed over his alabaster muzzle as his brows furrowed for a split second before he realized that the morning and the bright sunlight was inevitable… not to mention those damned birds. Yes, that’s what he’d eat, a bird.

And so he moved off, the soft rolling of his shoulder blades under his thick pelt coming easily after the well-earned sleep—even if it was cut short. “One more reason to rent the head from one of their feathery carcasses.” Daetien thought amusedly to himself, pink tongue sweeping over his muzzle. Ambition and will drove Daetien along the dusty trail he’d walked along not too many hours before looking for a quiet place to rest. Along the side of a lake he paused only a moment to lap at the cold water before carrying on in his search for a bird. Just ahead was a small flock of sparrows chirping noisily as they pecked along the ground. Sparrows were just too small. There wouldn’t even be anything to eat save for feathers and the seldom crunch of a tiny bone. No, he craved something larger, but just for good measure, Daetien trotted up to them and snarled just to scare them. That ought to teach them to run their mouths at the crack of dawn. Stupid featherbrains.

[lagore]

A small, sleek ball of fur, more commonly known as Nerius, scuttled along the ground, ears and whiskers taught for signs of..... well, anything. The way his morning had been going so far, nothing was too strange. Bitterly, the mornings events played out in his mind yet again.

"There I was, sleeping all wrapped up and comfy in my feathers, the most peaceful thing on earth!" He related to himself, as though repeating it would lessen the annoyance. "I was having the most peaceful dream..... When, suddenly, out of nowhere, this crazy cat comes and ruins it all!" Out of sheer chagrin, he violently shook his head and moved faster, being careful not to trip over his flowing feathers.

Nerius wasn't sure where he was going; he wasn't even sure his bustling had a destination. All that stood out in his mind was that the further he walked, the further away he was from that idiotic cat.

[ivchameleon]

Haret had no idea how the hell she ended up at Selkie Lakes. But there she was, alas, on the edge of one of the many lakes in the area. Staring down at her reflection in the water, she pathetically glared in her own general direction. Her life thus far was not one she could say had been good to her, considering her ailments. In fact she hated her life, and wanted nothing more to be bipedal, or even human. Perhaps then her curse would be broken, her bindings would be spared. Slightly irritated but feeling no different than usual, Haret grunted and rose to her four paws as best as she could.

Her posture was that of the hunchback of notre dame, and would never change. She had a feeling that even if she became a biped, that her back would always remain painfully bent. Long strands of dark violet hair were wrapped tightly around her forelegs, even after many attempts to try to cut it off and be free, it was still there. Even her ears were conceiled beneath the deathly locks, muffling her hearing and causing her often to miss out on important parts of conversation.

Today was no different.

As she stood there camel-backed beside the water, a creature that was also of canine descent approached the clear liquid to taste of it and then meander away. She had not heard a single peep come from this crit, and she didn't know if it had even noticed her. From the looks of it, it was a male. But she could not be certain. No, the only thing she was certain of was the fact that she would never be able to keep up with him if he decided to run. With a sigh she began to hobble toward the canine, her head moving in unison with each foot that moved forward. Her hair was so tight around her forelegs that it forced her head to move downward with every step, though by now she was old enough to have learned how to make it look at least halfway decent. That meaning, she didn't look like she was trying to walk on her own head anymore.

"Hello!" she called out to the large male, not paying attention to the ground where she tread. It was due to that fact, that she almost mistakenly loped right on top of the wee mouse that was making his way somewhere in a hurry. "Excuse me..." she said, indebting herself to the rodent at once. "Please excuse me, I am so sorry. Did I hurt you? Are you alright?"

If it had been possible for canines to cry, Haret would have already burst out into tears. Every little thing seemed to set her off, and this morning was just going quite perfectly for a good howl in the woods alone. Where no one cared. But now was not the time for sorrow, no it was not. "I am sorry, I am so clumsy... It's this blasted mane of mine, and I just wasn't looking and..." She stumbled over her words so much that she just stopped speaking and waited to be addressed. It never failed that she would make a ruckus somehow. Her quota this week had already been met and she was headed for an all-time record. Four times and counting.

[theeraven]

It was only just then that Daetien, nearly tripping over his obnoxiously long feathers and only just catching himself, noticed a much larger bird only just ahead. It looked to him to be some sort of the corvidae family. Either a crow, raven, rook, or even possibly a jackdaw. Whatever subspecies the melancholy creature was Daetien didn’t give one iota of a damn. All he knew was he wanted to eat it. Well, no, he didn’t just want to eat it. He wanted to rip it apart. Those damned dirty things. Birds… ick. Daetien snorted roughly through his colorless nostrils once more before taking a step forward. He paused a second, watching it preen quietly on the jutting branch of a dead tree. Muscles rippled beneath his shining coat as he inched his way forward. Just a few more steps and he’d be well fed… yes, just a few more steps. And in all his excitement, the blood pulsating within his veins, he could hardly contain himself.

Daetien crept closer to the larger black bird and paused only slightly when it looked directly toward him. And as it went back to ruffling its feathers with its pointed black beak he began, once more, stalking his potential victim. The corners of his muzzle pulled back in an unmistakable smile, if a canine could smile, more of a smirk really, and for all that it was worth, Daetien was beside himself with the pleasure of it all. He stalked behind a tall sycamore tree inhaling the scents of the forest around him, particularly that of the blackbird just ahead. As he pulled himself under the overgrowth, careful not to snag his flowing feathers on any of the overhanging branches and underlying roots he noticed another scent on the trail just ahead.

And then it happened, something much smaller than himself ran across his path only just ahead. Daetien stared in disbelief. The crow, startled by the brilliant white creature in a hurry quickly took flight in the opposite direction noisily announcing its irritation at being disturbed. The large white canine stopped, paw in the air. Lips pulled back revealing twin sets of serrated killers poised for action. Displeasure was displayed prominently all over his face and an echoing snarl rippled aggressively from deep in his chest. This was not happening! Not today. Damn it all to hell. Daetien padded forward out of the trees back on to the trail. It just wasn’t his day at all. Firstly being woken up at the crack of dawn had pissed him right off. And now… this damned… thing, whatever it was, had ruined his chances for a potential meal. Just great… Stupid thing. But what was it? Daetien, being the curious canine he was just had to know… because he wanted to kill it.

As he took the incentive to approach the small white object as it hurried on his way he could have sworn he heard minute words issuing from it. And as he got within distance he could see that it was a small rodent, a mouse by the looks of it. But there was something different about this snow-hued creature. It may have been small and rodent in nature and appearance but there were subtle and yet noticeable characteristic appearance differences that caused Daetien to quirk his head to the left in a questioning manner. And then it dawned on him. Since he’s only just arrived in the region he didn’t know any of the other creatures within the surrounds but since he’d been accepted he knew he’d come across one or another sooner or later… apparently sooner. Those characteristic feathers, the bluish swirls coving the fur, and most of all, the suit and number emblazoned across the chest of the small creature. This creature was one of his own. One of his region. Daetien grinned as much as he could with his canine features and walked up to the smaller form. “…What a lucky break for you.”

That was all he said because his next sentence was cut off by a large black form that nearly ran over the miniscule powderpuff in his path. Daetien blinked and stepped closer, almost inquisitively to see what the hell it was. Once more his large furry head quirked to the left in a curious manner as he watched. It was large, a little smaller than himself, and by scent female. Those hunched features could only be canine, but the violently hued mane reminded him of a horse. Odd indeed. And then it began to speak to the smaller creature apologizing for nearly stepping on it. Daetien’s muscles curled and flexed as he rocked back, seating himself casually on his haunches, watching it all go down with a bemused expression written all over his alabaster and azure features. If he could have chuckled he would have, but the only sound that came from his muzzle was an amused question. Daetien just couldn’t help himself. “And you, miss queen of the ballet. Just kill him why don't you.” Allowing his tail to rest over his feathered paws he awaited to see if the mouse would take the apologetic canine’s words to heart.

[lagore]

The moments following Nerius' short conversation to himself passed fairly quickly. He realized he had probably not been paying attention to exactly where he was walking when his thoughts were interrupted by cawing and flapping of wings. Looking up quite innocently and befuzzled, Nerius also saw that a large canine of Selkie Lake origin was fairly angry with him for scaring off what Nerius could only assume was his potential prey.

Cats, birds, dogs; was every breed in cahoots to make his day bad? The mouse half wondered when a reptile would show up.

His question was answered, or so he thought, as he was almost pulverized by a furry paw. Now, Nerius was smart enough to know that reptiles rarely had furry paws, but in the rush to get out of the path of this lumbering giant, his mind wasn't exactly on it's normal track. With a quick, agile leap-and-run out from under the black paw, Nerius let out a quite feminine, quite mouse-like squeak of terror. He was mostly embarrassed at this, what with him being of the male persuasion and the tiny, high-pitched squeal being a bruise to his ego. He always hated being a mouse; it was much too small for his pride.

After recovering from what was a near-death experience in his mind, Nerius had just begun to register the apologies issuing from the owner of the paw and the witty remark of his fellow Selkie-an. He ignored the former, shaking it off with a swish of feathery tail, but responded to the latter.

"Well, that's a fine show of brotherhood. I'm supposed to take guff from a dog who can't even catch a bird?" Nerius' voice betaryed his size, being relatively deep and smooth.

[ivchameleon]

Ignored in almost every way, Haret glanced down at the mouse pathetically almost as if she felt remorse for nearly taking the life of another. It was only her own that she wished to cease, and she'd be damned if anyone thought her a homocidal maniac. Now falling into the pits of depression, Haret slumped over beside the larger canine male and peered down at the rodent with a tearful expression. He cared not as to whether she had almost obliterated him with her giant paw, but instead to offer a sharp tongue to the canine that was from the same region as he.

Dazed and confused as they say, the femme tugged at the hair around her forelegs and heaved a sigh. Good for nothing and useless. Even when she didn't mean to kill someone she couldn't even do that right. Hell, she'd been trying for almost her whole life to extinguish her candle, but so far nothing had worked.

She glanced around hoping for something big to crawl under to hide her miserable existence from the sight of others while she brooded over the piss-poor quality of her day-to-day happenings. Woe is me, some would say. And yes, that accurately described the umbra of a being. Haret was nothing special at all, could not even muster up the strength to do away with herself.

Escape was her only option now, and she wished to disappear. If she had magical skills to disapparate at her will, it would have saved her a lot of embarrassment when she was younger. Now would be a good time to find one of those hidden abilities, but nothing came to her. There were some bushes nearby she noted that she could fit inside and hide herself away very well, but she was so big that she doubted she could sneak away without causing a scene. Or maybe she could, she really was a nobody. Maybe they wouldn't even care.

How emo.

[theeraven]

[. O.O.C. - Nice RP both of you. ^_^ .]

[. I.C. .]

The stark amusement that was clearly written all over Daetien’s face was utterly priceless and as he sat there, ears quirked off to the left, tongue hanging nonchalantly out the side of his muzzle it would have only looked like he was smiling. The large black dog and her extreme gracefulness as she had nearly ran over the tiny mouse was something in and of itself to chuckle at, but now he found himself face to face with the miniscule creature as his ears were stung by its harsh drawl. Daetien would have laughed high-spiritedly if only his mind wasn’t filled with wonder as to why the large black canine’s long mane bound it so tightly that it could not even take a proper step in any direction and left it hunched over like some sort of nightmarish hag. Thing is… Daetien didn’t find it something that bothered him; it was simply a curiosity that overcame him for a moment.

Daetien being a hundred or so pounds easy and standing thirty-three inches tall dwarfed the mouse and could have easily stepped on it with a single large front paw, but that simply wasn’t his style. He was made frightfully aware of his hunger again as the slow churning in his stomach commenced again as he peered down at the small white creature with arrogant eyes. It seemed to Daetian that the mouse was a bit full of himself, talking back to something two hundred times his size that could easily eat him. Daetien liked him already, not afraid to stand up for himself in the face of danger. It pleased him, and as his muzzle opened to speak the arrogance came once more, “big words for one so small.” Lips pulled back in an uncharacteristic smile. “I could eat you. After all, it was you that frightened away the crow.” Daetien smirked, not taking his eyes off of the mouse. It was quite clear that he wasn’t going to eat his regional brethren, but hey, what’s life without a little danger? Why not have a little fun with him…

Her black form was still in his sights as he shifted his gaze from the small mouse to the canine. His mind was stirring with questions, curiosities about this thing that had wandered into his midst. Where did she come from? What was her name? And most importantly, could she see through all that hair or did she frequently run into things. Daetien snorted softly in amusement. She seemed rather standoffish to him and he furrowed his brow at this. Would she say nothing until spoken to, or was she simply going to sit there and look like a fool? He realized that her suit didn’t read as a joker so why should she be acting like one? He supposed it didn't matter. "...Miss." That was all he said.

[lagore]

The chuckling, humored look gave Nerius an unsettling, uneasy feeling. What was this dog, his brother if only by their place of origin, planning? Did he have something up his proverbial sleeve?

The short, awkward but maybe only for Nerius, silence gave the vermin a chance to glance over at the beast that had almost crushed him. And he was astonished by what he saw; a large, black, nightmarish beast with a long tangled mane and hunched over like a ghoul. Green and blue feathers trembled as if to remind Nerius why he should be thankful to be born a Selkian.

Of course, it was not right to judge a being purely on their looks; Some of the ugliest beasts in the world have been the ones to benefit society the most, he remember his mother saying. A sweet girl, pity she had to die.

But the mouse was getting off-track. A habit.

However, despite the old proverb stating the contrary, the fact that he had almost suffered his fate at the hands of this woman gave justice to Nerius' judging. The thought process was interrupted, however, by the canine threatening to snack on him in return for scraing away the crow. As much as Nerius tried to hide it, this nearly empty threat did send a quick shiver down his spine; being breakfast was not high on his to-do list. He was able to run, though, and quite fast, so challenging the dog became his decision.

"I'd love to see you try." The drawl made it sound more powerful than it was, and Nerius prepared to run if he had to.

[ivchameleon]

Just as she went to walk away from the two squabbling Selkians, she was addressed by the larger of the two. With a squeak similar to what had come out of the mouse, she turned and looked at the canine and had a facial expression similar to a child that had been caught with it's hand in the cookie jar before dinnertime. She returned quickly to her seated position and hung her head, responding now to the canine.

"Yes?" she asked in a somber tone, wondering what the dog would want with her. She had been persuing him to begin with, but only before she had made an absolute fool of herself. She was looking for a possible companion, someone to walk with. Or, in her case, hobble. It was a lonely life to be so disabled as she, no one had wanted to be her friend growing up because she could never keep up and play the games. So an outcast she became, living like that up until this point in time.

Now she was seeking companionship again, trying again. To have some reason to keep going... This was why she was out of Torquehelm in the light of day, calling upon complete strangers and causing a ruckus.

To give herself one last chance.

Just one.

[theeraven]

Steely blue eyes peered down at the alabaster and sea foam colored rodent with a kind of curiosity that none had ever, he knew now, caused to stir within him. He felt as if he might have known the rodent from somewhere, as if they’d come in contact before but knew it wasn’t so, as this was the first time he’d recalled laying eyes on it. And yet, there was still that feeling of brotherhood between him and the rat that Daetien simply could not shake off. Perhaps he’d taken after this little fellow in a past life and had once again tried to eat him them. That was nonsense to Daetien but he couldn’t help pulling his lips back in a sort of canine smile. The thought of it all, him chasing the tiny creature through the brush simply to see how quick its reflexes were was an exhilarating and humorous though to Daetien. Yes, simple nonsense that must be put from mind, as Daetien being born a dog was all canine… and it should have been well known to the rest of them that nonsense was enough to drive a canine mad.

Daetien’s eyes only just caught the slight tremble that caressed the spine of the small rodent and his gaze softened a bit. He wasn’t going to eat the little fellow, he just had too much damn character. Besides that, Daetien wasn’t one to go off half-cocked and eat one of his own regional brethren, it just wasn’t something he could do, even if the creature before him was snack-sized and his stomach was constantly reminding him that he was completely ravenously hungry. He paused a second, looking down into the creature’s blue eyes, almost questioningly. Then the harsh words for one so small stung his ears once more. Daetien snorted in a silent fit of laughter. A challenge from a rodent that was one one-hundredth his size!? Jaws parted in an unmistakable grin. Daetien was more than fit for a chase but he didn’t want to step on the poor thing, it would have hurt his feelings. He liked the rodent, he had valor, something seriously lacking in the world. Instead Daetien stretched out his front paws and laid down quietly before speaking again. “Such valor. Shall we put it to the test?” A soft chuckle escaped his muzzle.

Before he gave the mouse a chance to respond, words caressed his ears once again. It was a simple one-worded answer from the black and violet colored canine next to them both and it caused Daetien’s unevenly set ears to perk to the edges of his skull. Daetien had known all along that she was lurking in his midst, following his paw trail, after all he could hear those crippled steps all around him and her steady breathing so loudly that he could have ran into her in the dark. And yet, he had not driven her off, simply wished she would have left him to his hunting. Still she persued him and now found herself next to him without so much as a word until he had addressed her for the second time. “I was waiting for you on the game trail. Watching you, watching me. And yet you refused to speak. Why so silent ma chère?” And he left it at that, curiously pondering the mystery of them both.