The Wild Series: Reign of Ashes (Muckwaters)

Wildwing wrote:How does she know Najmah's name? O.O )


The She-Wolf had been in the middle of turning around. She had stopped the motion when Velyria entered. Corvan was held by the back of his neck in full view of the alpha, a small thing in the Northern she-wolf's jaws. And said She-Wolf... Her eyes were too wide as they locked on to the smaller wolf's form, and the look on her face was contorted into something scary.

She hadn't left quick enough. One of them had arrived, and we're blocking their only way out. It was the form of a wolf, but it was a being that looked to be woven from shadows. It's legs were spindly, and it's main body and neck too thin. It's elongated muzzle sprouted black jagged teeth from where the lips should have been. Empty sockets served as it's eyes, though it was hard to differentiate from the rest of the creature's darkness.
Kill it, her being screamed, Tear it apart before it tears her!
More were coming. She could hear them, surrounding them on the outside, snarling for blood. She could not let them have her daughter. She would not let them have her daughter. She would kill every last one of them, every last one of them. Starting with the one in front of her.


She was all set to attack. She had the desire, she had the opportunity. But she didn't act. She had no reason to wait, yet she did. Despite everything, there was a small part of her that was saying, 'There's more to this than what you believe.' And for once, she listened. And so nothing changed just yet. She continued to hold Corvan desperately in her jaws, and the look on her voice did not change.


(She hit the FIGHT button, but didn't press Z. She missed her chance to FIGHT this turn.)

(Velyria's just that good)

The alpha didn't budge, her gaze only narrowed. What if the same thing that effected Karver has gotten to her as well...


Velyria's ears flattened as she continued to stay in place... then she had an idea. Her posture straightened as she turned to the group that was forming behind her. "Stay back," she whispered softly to them as her gaze didn't leave the frantic Northern wolf. She knew the other wolf would rip her apart in a fight so she had to just stand tall by the exit and wait, trying so hard to resist the call to action brought about by the wailing of her grandson. "Hush my little Corvan, you'll be alright," she cooed softly.

The Northern wolf, poised to drop her pup and kill that thing, didn't move. The sounds of the others breaking into the den from the outside, Raiya's wailing, everything was filling her head, rocketing her anxiety levels even higher. And then-


For no apparent reason, the Northern wolf stopped her agressive behavior. Her eyes went from 'raging murderer' to 'shocked realization'. Slowly, she raised up out of her stance and fully faced Velyria. But she was looking passed the alpha. The expression on her face turned to something that could be described as 'disheartened'. And finally, she put Corvan down.
But she brought him to her chest with her forearms before he could escape, both hugging him and curling over him protectively.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice hoarse.

"Mommy, I'm scared," Raiya cried into her fur. Najmah held her close, curling even tighter around her as the shadow creatures broke through the walls.
"I'm so sorry," she choked out again, "Please...Please kill me first."
And she stayed still as the creatures descended on her.


But nothing happened.

Corvan wiggled in her grasp before finally breaking free and dashing in between Velyria's legs, hunkering down by her paws.

Velyria didn't move, instead she was watching to see what would happen next.

The she-wolf blinked her eyes open as the pup escaped her hold. But she didn't reach after him. Instead, with a dazed look about her, she looked around the den. After a moment, she shakily pushed herself to her haunches-hunching over so her head wouldn't hit the ceiling-and placed a forepaw to her temple.

"What... That...wasn't real? Nightmare? When did I fall asleep..." she breathed to herself, barely loud enough for the alpha to hear. Then, looking up she met eyes with her.

"...Velyria? What just... How did I get back here?"

Wildwing wrote:The she-wolf blinked her eyes open as the pup escaped her hold. But she didn't reach after him. Instead, with a dazed look about her, she looked around the den. After a moment, she shakily pushed herself to her haunches-hunching over so her head wouldn't hit the ceiling-and placed a forepaw to her temple.

"What... That...wasn't real? Nightmare? When did I fall asleep..." she breathed to herself, barely loud enough for the alpha to hear. Then, looking up she met eyes with her.

"...Velyria? What just... How did I get back here?"

((Took me forever to find the reply button, throwing some shade at @Jaystep ))

Velyria simply shook her head. "Kul'Hani brought you back here... you were in a daze. You were crying out for your pup and barged into my daughter's den." She leaned down and nuzzled the frighten pup between where forepaws. "Don't worry... no one was harmed."

Ruki wrote:

Wildwing wrote:The she-wolf blinked her eyes open as the pup escaped her hold. But she didn't reach after him. Instead, with a dazed look about her, she looked around the den. After a moment, she shakily pushed herself to her haunches-hunching over so her head wouldn't hit the ceiling-and placed a forepaw to her temple.

"What... That...wasn't real? Nightmare? When did I fall asleep..." she breathed to herself, barely loud enough for the alpha to hear. Then, looking up she met eyes with her.

"...Velyria? What just... How did I get back here?"

((Took me forever to find the reply button, throwing some shade at @Jaystep ))

Velyria simply shook her head. "Kul'Hani brought you back here... you were in a daze. You were crying out for your pup and barged into my daughter's den." She leaned down and nuzzled the frighten pup between where forepaws. "Don't worry... no one was harmed."

The she-wolf brought herself to her paws as she was told of some of her actions. "I... I saw my pup. These creatures were going to kill her. I found her-I held her. But that wasn't- I don't understand..."
She put a paw to her head as she worked to sort her mind out. Then she snapped her gaze to the Alpha.
"Velyria, there was a monster. It came after me and it-a fog. It shot me with a horrible fog that put me into a nightmare. It was so real-everthing wanted me to- The monster! That was real! Oh crap, where is it?"

"Korra and his guard are leading it to a giant tar trap in the middle of the marsh... he's going to need our aide." The alpha's gaze grew more serious. "They're going to need us."

"Then let's go." The Northern She-Wolf stepped forward, determination coursing through her veins.

With no time to waste, she moved to Velyria's side, automatically following her moves. She spared a glance to the alpha's grandson, but otherwise did not acknowledge him.

"Why the tar pit? What's Korra going to do?"

Velyria left her grandson in the care of the pack's wetnurse. 

"It's too big to kill without devastating casualties.... so we're going to let the swamp take it. Come now!" the alpha barked as she sprinted towards the sounds of her pack barking and jeering.

The She-Wolf spread the toes on her paws as she ran on the mossy floor. She was still slipping up at times, but she was starting to get the hang of it.

"How are we going to do that? It's too big to push in. Even all together, some of your wolves could-"

I'm going to have Najmah run into a tree once they arrive )

Once the pack of wolves had met up, they bolted full-force through the dense foliage of the land. The wolves jeered and howling, snapping and barking at each other in a foreign tongue. 

The snapping squishing sounds of the creature's mandibles grew louder as the pack broke through a dense shrub line and encountered the large arachnid-like creature, and the Panther prince.

Korra was in a tree high above the head of the beast swatting and snarling at him as massive pincers snipped at his face. 

It seems like the beast didn't notice the wolves arrive until....

((There you go Naji))
((Permission to #GodMode Spindle from Jay))

(Okay, so I'm gonna alter the meaning of what I meant when I said she was going to run into a tree)

There was more the Northern She-Wolf wanted to know, but she was cut off from asking Velyria anything else when the smaller Muckwaters wolves pulled in around and behind them. The She-Wolf ended up veering to the side as wolves pulled up to run alongside their alpha.

Before long, as the She-Wolf picked up the sounds of that monster, the pack merged into it's trail of destruction. Splinters scattered the swamp grounds from the downed trees, and the ground itself had torn up patches where the monster's armoured spider legs had gouged through during it's mad chase. And then there was the horrible beast itself, just up ahead.

Half the size of an elephant, the Kahiir was reared on it's back set of legs, having attempted swiping the panther above him from his spot. Letting out a paralyzing shriek, it lowered itself to the ground and then sprang six feet up the side of the tree, breaking branches in it's path. Despite the tree being slightly thinner than it's main body, the Kahiir hung to it, his legs clamping onto either side of the trunk. In the moment that this tree was shaking violently, the monster struck with his mandible, now close enough grab Korra's midsection.

As this happened, the Northern She-Wolf ran into a tree. It happened that she got ahead of the pack, channeling her urges to flee into charging the monster. She navigated, aiming to charge in from the side. But she lost her concentration when the Kahiir leapt up the trunk. And with that she had a momentary lapse, forgetting how to turn on the mossy floor without slipping up. And directly in her path was a nine foot tall tree.

Now this tree, like many others in the area, had been affected by Spindle's chase. Half of it's roots were already pulled up, either from Spindle's tearing them up or just Spindle knocking past it in his rapid chase. The She-Wolf however didn't perceive that. She may or may not have noticed the state of the roots, but that didn't matter. What she did next was out of pure impulse rather than calculation. Because instead of slowing down as what any normal animal would do when running straight towards a tree, she put everything she had into a dead Sprint. With no time to think about her actions, she slammed into that tree shoulder first.

The tree vibrated while it tilted at the impact. And then gravity took over. As Spindle struck at Korra, the top of that tree fell upon the Kahiir.

The tree was enough to stun the Kahiir, splintering over his chitinous hide. It let out a terrible roar as it spun around to face the approaching wolf pack, pincers and mandibles snapping.

The wolves snarled and yipped as they charged forward, barreling down Death itself as the chorus of wolves was drowned out by the thunderous trumpeting of the elephant herd. The massive herd charged as one, flanking the massive creature. Their tusks pierced his hide as the Kahiir screamed out, viciously trying to stab at the elephants in his side. The herd used their embedded tusks to steer the creature closer and closer to the cliffside as the panther Prince lept out of the way and to safety. 

A female voice cried out from the herd a command in their tongue as the elephants surrounded it, jabbing their tusks at the Kahiir if it tried to swie at them. Another command came as in unison they shoved the scrambling creature off the cliffside and watched it plummet into the large tar pool below. 

Korra, Velyria, and the others only watched briefly before their attentions were turned to an oowl scout that fluttered in and rested on Kul'Hani's gore-soaked tusks. The owl brought news that the last of the water in the swamp had dried out... the land was dead. 

The rulers of the tribes of animals looked to eachother and then to their people. Velyria stepped forward. Her voice boomed with confidence that masked her fear. "I know what you're thinking. This is our home. We cannot leave. But if there's more of those... things... out there it is no longer safe here. In two days time we're meeting at the edge of the Muckwaters. Our alliances go back generations and they will continue to be unbreakable as we venture forth. We can forge alliances with new potential friends and when the time is right we can come home and save what is ours! We stand united! Tooth, claw, and tusk work as one! We are unbreakable!"

The animals once concerned and afraid erupted in support of the wolf matriarch. 

It was time to go North.

Pain flared in her shoulder, causing the Northern she-wolf to momentarily stop at the uprooted base of the tree. But it became apparent that she didn't even need to join the fight. It was amazing to watch the elephants shove the monster off the cliffside she hadn't realized was there. If the wolves had been left to face it alone, there would have been a full out massacre, she knew.

Apart from the crowd, the Northern she-wolf watched Velyria address the crowd like the natural leader she was. The Northern she-wolf remembered the river in Thornebrook, and how it had seemed low of water than it should've been. But she still didn't understand how the entire area could have lost all it's water. Something about that deeply concerned her.

Despite what she admitted was an inspiring speech, and despite the roaring cheers of support coming from the crowd, the Northern She-wolf stood behind them all in grim silence, her forepaw-unable to support her weight-lifted slightly above the ground.

Vashta, having watched the whole ordeal from afar, slunk away into the shadows. Someday, I will be seen again...