Cobolymancs

[Sablepaw]

<You're not so strange and aloof, after all. My mother would have done the same for us.>

*The pain her sharp claws are causing me just fuel my rage further... and now she's close enough. Willing to fight... willing to die. With a vicious blast I knock her down and snap at her, letting my powerful jaws trap her. I sink my fangs into her flesh, piercing through her thick pelt, crushing her bones. All my desperation, all my anger is now focused on this miserable critter. I shake her until her body goes limp and lifeless, letting her blood dapple my coat.
Heaving and panting but slowly calming down again, I turn to the Leader wolf and his Pack - if any of them still happen to be around. And I glance towards the kit as well... I should send her after her mother.*
_________________
- Cobolymancs (Sablepaw), Red Talon, Theurge, Lupus
- Setétholddal Osonó (Darkmoon Stalker), Bastet, Bubasti
- Bosszú Fagyos Karma (Frostiger Kralle der Rache), Fenrir - Schwerter von Heimdall, Modi, Ulfr

[Freiherr von Rosen]

*The mighty lynx stands up there on the thick branch while her canine opponent lunges at the roots, starting to dig out her cub. Her build is rather exceptional, she must have been a warrior of many battles, the killer of two wolves only tonight. Yet, this is an opponent she stands no chance against.
Instincts collide in the creature as she remains there, hesitating. The instinct of survival would tell her to exploit the moment and flee, live to see another day and raise other cubs in the coming years at the cost of this one's life. Yet, as the kitten utters his downright horrible, heartbreaking yelps of fear, desperately calling for help, the instinct of motherhood immediately prevails.
Sablepaw's merciless tactic proved utterly successful.
The hated foe jumps onto her back, clawing and tearing into her skin and biting her upper neck. Such an assault would destroy a wolf. Such an assault means pitiful flesh wounds for a Garou.*

[Sablepaw]

/Lup/ Not so vicious now, fleabag? You should have known better than kitting your litter on wolf-lands!

*Anyway, the small one is still here. I'll just try to rip the roots, tearing up large pieces of them and I'll try to dig the kit out of the safety of its den. Maybe its yelps of terror will lure the furious mother down.*

<Come on down... if you dare...!>
_________________
- Cobolymancs (Sablepaw), Red Talon, Theurge, Lupus
- Setétholddal Osonó (Darkmoon Stalker), Bastet, Bubasti
- Bosszú Fagyos Karma (Frostiger Kralle der Rache), Fenrir - Schwerter von Heimdall, Modi, Ulfr

[Freiherr von Rosen]

*The fury of a shifter-wolf knows no bounds, no obstacles, no enemies strong enough to stand up against them one on one, face to face, openly and honourably. They truly are the top of the food chain.
The lynx instinctively knows this.
When Sablepaw charges at her to wipe the rival of her kind out of existence, the feline has plenty of time to weigh her options. Just before the colossal monster reaches the Great Red Oak, she leaps upward, climbing the tree with agility and hissing down from a great branch out of reach. For now.
Her cub, however, is completely overcome by the presence of the great enemy, and positions himself as deep into his tree-root nest as possible.*

[Sablepaw]

*I have some ideas why the fleeing wolves became so terryfied. It must be me. The shape of the Great Wolves. I was stunned and horrified when I saw Thornclaw changing to this savage-looking bear-sized wolf resembling the Ancient ones who disappeared some time ago. But I have no time for the ones who managed to escape...*

<Cowards! How dare you disobey your Leader? Of course, Fear... but what can be so fearsome to drive you away from your duty to defend your family?>

*And here she is. A damned lynx. A really pissed off piece of a lynx. Defending her cub is natural. And it's just as natural for us to kill off rival preadators' offspring to preserve our lands. And that's exactly what I'm going to do... even though I seem to be late. Nevertheless, I charge at the she-cat with all my fury.*

Biting attempt: Dexterity (6) + Brawl (2), difficulty: 5

Dobás:

Eredeti dobás sorozat: 8d10 Rögzített 10-Sided Dice Results: 3, 7, 9, 5, 10, 2, 6, 4 (Total = 46)

_________________
- Cobolymancs (Sablepaw), Red Talon, Theurge, Lupus
- Setétholddal Osonó (Darkmoon Stalker), Bastet, Bubasti
- Bosszú Fagyos Karma (Frostiger Kralle der Rache), Fenrir - Schwerter von Heimdall, Modi, Ulfr

Legutóbb Sablepaw szerkesztette (Csüt. Dec. 22, 2011 2:42 am), összesen 1 alkalommal

[Freiherr von Rosen]

*There is no time to waste. Feast be damned, Sablepaw shifts, becoming a gigantic avenger of wolf-kind. She starts running as fast as her lungs and muscles enable her. If possible, the entire forest grows even more silent around her.*

-/Lup/ My ear! My nose! I don't want to die!

-/Lup/ You miserable pups! Come back here! We fight as one, we die as one!

*The last howl came from the alpha, desperately trying to coordinate his pack; and apparently failing to. When Sablepaw can already discern their scents, she can see two young adults bolting out of a clearing into the woods right towards her. They are still relatively far, but it's obvious they are wounded; one of them limps one of his legs. As soon as they notice the cattle-sized, charging Garou, they split in panic and change course, continuing their escape in two different directions.
Hardly worth the time. But what could scare them so?
Sablepaw reaches her destination at last.
The scene of the battle is a small clearing bathing in moonlight around a truly colossal tree, an oak in the middle of a pine forest. Indeed, its bole bears a slightly-reddish tone, and its tentacle-like roots stand out of the ground high and far at multiple spots. Yet, there seems to be nothing unnatural, or Tainted about it.
The remaining members of the pack congregate at the gigantic roots of this tree; the alpha, another strong male and an older female. Finally, Sablepaw gets to see what they are up against.
The enemy is a sizable female lynx, standing on top of a thick root, just slightly above ground level. Her tufted ears stand sharply upward, her spotted, greyish-white fur is partially painted red by the blood of wolves. Still unharmed, she hisses furiously in a feline frenzy, striking fear into the hearts of the remaining trio.*

-/Lup/ Attack! Now!

*Regardless, the stern alpha male gives the word, and all three launch themselves at the lynx. The creature swiftly moves higher on the root, eluding the alpha's initial attack, who only manages to bite Great Red Oak. At the same time, the large cat leans to the side, facing the leaping female wolf. Before she can land her bite, the ferocious feline claws upward, tearing her throat up at a critical spot.
The wolf is dead by the time she hits the snow in the shadow of the great tree. The third pack member is demoralized by her dying yelp, pausing his own attack. The alpha growls, practically roars in desperate anger.
But why does this cat make such an unusual stand?
The answer is found not far away, in the person of a pair of tiny, yellow eyes gazing out from among the inner roots of the Great Red Oak. Is that it? A young, helpless lynx cub, no older than a couple months, no larger than a hare. The prize of this winter night standoff.
In this battle of life and death, it is the kitten's mother who perceives Sablepaw's arrival first. Their eyes, their gazes lock for a moment. There is nothing of the usual mindless panic in those amber eyes, only hateful defiance.
The defiance of a mother defending her young.*

[Sablepaw]

*Watching the subtle pawprints left from the Other Side, I feel proud and content. For a brief moment, I feel being part of a Pack again as if all those awful things had never happened; as if I was just an ordinary wolf on her joyful way between puphood and adulthood.
After Old Wolf of the Woods finished, I paddle to the fresh-kill and gobble up as much meat as I can, fast and alert as ever. I feel happy for the unknown Pack's success; hearing their songs of victory makes me remember the times Thornclaw told me about. When Predators alone ruled the Land and every prey-animal knew its place. Before the most imperfect, clumsy prey-animals that ever set foot on the Land decided to break the sacred circle of Nature and started to hunt Predators themselves... I remember just as clear as if I lived during these thriving days. The scents... all the scents and all the sounds were different then. The Taint simply didn't exist."

And then... my meal seems to be ruined...

<What's happening?! Who is hurting them and why? It can't possibly be another lone traveller; no lone wolf would ever prowl so deep into a foreign Pack's Territory and even a rabid one can't be mad enough to attack a Pack while they're eating!>

*I leave the carcass - let the scavengers have a feast - and race straight towards the sounds of turmoil as swiftly as I can. My heart pounds fast and I feel my wrath, the ancient Rage of the shifter-ancestors pulsing in my veins, burning from the inside. Driven by my urge to get even faster, I take the form of the Great Wolves - I feel no need to hide, I only need longer and faster legs to get there before the intruder could make even more damage than she has done so far.*

Stamina (5) + Primal Urge (4), difficulty: 7

Dobás:

Eredeti dobás sorozat: 9d10 Rögzített 10-Sided Dice Results: 10, 1, 4, 3, 3, 9, 10, 3, 7 (Total = 50)

_________________
- Cobolymancs (Sablepaw), Red Talon, Theurge, Lupus
- Setétholddal Osonó (Darkmoon Stalker), Bastet, Bubasti
- Bosszú Fagyos Karma (Frostiger Kralle der Rache), Fenrir - Schwerter von Heimdall, Modi, Ulfr

[Freiherr von Rosen]

*The move is made. The leap is perfect. The kill is swift.
Another lifelong struggle for survival ends, another creature's run comes to a final halt, and the roe dies the way every living thing should: quickly and honourably.
The young female wolf hears no more words, yet, she is filled by a certain feeling of pride not exclusively her own. She knows that somebody else is also proud of her expertise.
It isn't long before light, barely-visible pawprints appear in the snow beside her, closer and closer to the fresh kill. Sablepaw knows and feels that Old Wolf of the Woods is here, and that he takes the offered first share on the Other Side the way spirits do. In less than a minute's time, all physical evidence of his presence is gone.
She may satisfy her hunger now, pushing away unpleasant memories of old.
Fate, however, likes to play fickle games.
As soon as she sinks her fangs into the most valuable parts of flesh, howling fills the night again.*

-/Lup/ Prey! I found it! I found it!

*Sablepaw's heart beats heavily at the initial thought that the locals would dispute her due, but upon the incoming replies, she quickly realizes this isn't about her and the roe.
The pack is nearby, but still a formidable distance away.*

-/Lup/ Come! Come to the Great Red Oak!

-/Lup/ We eat now, siblings!

*May Gaia bless this night. It seems her wolf-brothers and wolf-sisters also got fortunate. No one will have to starve to death any time soon. Sablepaw resumes feeding with a content heart as howls of hunt and battle fill the valley while the pack assembles.
Children of the night. What music they make.
But there's something wrong. After a long silence, wolf sounds can be heard, but not the sounds of victory and joy. Grunts, yelps, distant cries of pain, before finally, desperate howling breaks out.*

-/Lup/ It hurts! Help me!

-/Lup/ Surround her!

-/Lup/ She is too strong!

*The vocalization comes to an abrupt end by a deafening shriek that cannot be mistaken with anything else. The blood freezes in Sablepaw and she immediately lifts her head from the carcass as the sound is heard.
The sound of an adult, male wolf suffering a mortal wound.*

[Sablepaw]

*All my muscles tense and my mouth waters as I breath in the delicious, warm and musky scent of the roe-deer. As I hear the distant yet so close whisper of the Old Wolf of the Woods, I flatten myself to the ground and freeze; I trust the honorable Spirit with all my heart even more than I have ever trusted Thornclaw. When the prey bursts out, I hold on for a heartbeat and as soon as I feel it's right, I let myself to the instincts inherited from my ancestors and leap at her.*

Dexterity (6) + Athletics (2), Difficulty: 5

Dobás:

Eredeti dobás sorozat: 8d10 Rögzített 10-Sided Dice Results: 3, 7, 3, 10, 1, 8, 8, 8 (Total = 48)

*Quick and deadly like an adder, I pin her to the ground. I instantly sink my fangs deep into her neck, snapping it like it was a mere twig before she could let out a faint cry. When I feel the last drop of life pouring away, I stare into her glassy eyes and murmur the gratitude words of the Predators.*

/Lup/ "Thank you and all your ancestors for letting your flesh nourish me and my kin."

*I step back and wait a wolf-length away, gazing at the sparkling, reflective surface of the ice. *

/Spi/ "Old Wolf of the Woods, beloved guide and sentinel, mentor and Leader of mine, come and join me! As you deserve it, have the first share of the fresh-kill".

*I know the Spirit won't devour earthly prey the exact way I do but as usual, I feel obliged to offer my dedication to him. I'll know it when he accepts the sacrifice and takes his share and I can have whatever remains after that.*

<Young and yet so ancient; lonely and forgotten yet full of commitment and responsibility to the wolf-kind, we're so much alike. I'm sure I'd be dead without his guidance. Dead... or even worse.>

*I try to banish the rising images along with the terrifying memories of the disease-ridden, tainted and deformed monster-wolves who had once been my family; the blood we used to share; the once sacred blood that turned foul and acrid; the blood I had to shed... *
_________________
- Cobolymancs (Sablepaw), Red Talon, Theurge, Lupus
- Setétholddal Osonó (Darkmoon Stalker), Bastet, Bubasti
- Bosszú Fagyos Karma (Frostiger Kralle der Rache), Fenrir - Schwerter von Heimdall, Modi, Ulfr

Legutóbb Sablepaw szerkesztette (Csüt. Dec. 22, 2011 4:41 pm), összesen 1 alkalommal

[Freiherr von Rosen]

*Setting out along the border of this pack's territory, Sablepaw soon begins to feel the cold bite of this valley herself. All this talk about hunger, hunting and food made her own stomach churn in a displeased fashion. But she honours the wish of the local pack.
Some time later, while silently crossing the snowy forest, her senses notice something. This strange, otherworldly intuition has helped her many a time already, and now, behind the persistent hissing of the cold wind, Sablepaw can discern something else.
The rhythmical beating of a roe's heart. The desperate gasping for air, as it rushes through the forest, scared to death by the howling of wolves all too close. For fleeting moments, Sablepaw can see through its eyes, or even take a glimpse into its instinctual fears.
But the roe knows not where the wolves are. It simply runs, commanded by countless years of primal tradition.*

<Stop...>

*That voice. That haunting, spiritual direction. It is unmistakable. Suddenly, at the edge of her spiritual senses, Old Wolf of the Woods is talking to Sablepaw from the Other Side. Barely louder than a whisper, his always-meaningful words command immediate attention.
A few moments later, he speaks again.*

<Wait...>

*And so she does. Moments of tension follow as Sablepaw attempts to discern the various scents, sounds and impressions. To put the pieces together. Her hunter instincts work at full capacity.
In the following moment, the roe bursts out of the woods to her right, running towards her. She's perfectly downwind, hidden by a large tree trunk; an ideal position for an ambush. No other scent is nearby, the pack's last howls came from far away, and she's just outside their territory.
Truly, Old Wolf''s sight never fails.*

[Sablepaw]

*My teeth bared and my hackles bristled, I let out a silent growl as I hear the rejection of the Pack. I know I am stronger and more powerful than their Leader.*

<The strongest one should lead. And I bet I'm the strongest of you all!>

*But again I have to fight my instincts for now. Even if they accepted my presence, I can't run with this Pack now. I must travel further to the place Spirits want me to be. I swallow my anger and pride and howl my reply*

/Lup/ "I, Sablepaw, am not here to take your prey. I hunt well. I can feed myself well. I could even feed you all by myself!"

<Well, that sounded a bit like a challenge but I can't help it. Shifter of not, I'm a wolf... a desperately lonely one.>

*The hunger of the Pack and the thought of prey reminds me on my own rumbling stomach.*

<I'll just get round their Territory and find something for myself . A deer, a boar, a roe or a couple of hares... I'll even devour a Nofur whelp if one dares to cross my path. The youngest ones are closer to pure prey animals so they're safe to eat I guess.>

/Lup/ "I'm travelling towards Sunset and away from Pole-Star. If you can't find a prey big and good enough to ease your hunger, you are welcome to follow my scent outside your Hunting Grounds and share my kill."

<But if you choose to follow me, I'll be the first to eat!>

/Lup/ "Anyway, have a good hunt Brothers and Sisters. Let all your pups survive Leaf-bare season and grow strong and healthy."

*I keep on prowling with a slight detour just to keep out of their borders, stopping only to taste the air for new scents - this time I'm hoping for prey-scent.*
_________________
- Cobolymancs (Sablepaw), Red Talon, Theurge, Lupus
- Setétholddal Osonó (Darkmoon Stalker), Bastet, Bubasti
- Bosszú Fagyos Karma (Frostiger Kralle der Rache), Fenrir - Schwerter von Heimdall, Modi, Ulfr

[Freiherr von Rosen]

*The howl flies faster than the freezing winds; majestic, powerful, hauntingly beautiful. The very Carpathians echo the introduction of Sablepaw. But there is an even greater force at work here.
Hunger.
All the joy, all the hope that filled her heart when she first heard the voices of her kind, is now shaken. The first few responses, from the ordinary pack members, are short and downright rude.*

-/Lup/ Intruder!

-/Lup/ Why are you here?!

-/Lup/ We hunger!

*Then, finally, the alpha male responds with a longer, more elaborate howl.*

-/Lup/ Hail, newcomer! I welcome you to my land, but you must understand that we are starving in the winter cold! You may pass, but you may not hunt! We hunt now! After me, pack!

*The pack starts "singing" again, howls of agreement, appreciation, anticipation and eagerness can be heard. The wolves of this land set out to find prey, or die running after it.
The laws of nature are harsh.
And Sablepaw is alone again.*

[Sablepaw]

*I approach the shore treading carefully on the ice, probing it step by step until I reach the shiny surface of unfrozen water to lap some cold gulps before I'd carry on my prowl. After easing my thirst I gaze at the reflection of the silvery disk of the Moon with the shimmering stars accompanying her, stirred by the soft ripples my tongue has just aroused. When the surface becomes smooth again, the rich nocturnal skyscape floating on the water fills my heart with a little spark of hope even though the omens of my dreams forebode bitter and terrifying days to come.*

<This place is almost painfully beautiful... It would make a perfect home for a Pack. I wonder if...>

*As I hear the howling of the Leader assembling his Pack I rise my head and move away from the lake. Excited and alert, I approach their direction slowly, keeping downwind of them, checking the scents thoroughly. I'm looking for the scent-marks to find the border of their Territory. Although I know I'm somehow... more than a wolf, a destined protector of each and every pure member of the wolf kin, my instincts are hard to shake off. After all, I'm an intruder here and trespassing their Territory could easily lead to unnecessary bloodshed. With the shape of the Giant Wolf or the Twoleg Wolf I'd surely have no problem killing off a whole pack or driving them away but that's something I want to avoid at all costs. After all, I'm so desperate to find the company of kin at last...*

<Carrier of prophecies or not, no wolf should ever bear the cruel burden of roaming the Land alone.>

*As soon as I reach the border, I stop and rise my muzzle towards the Moon, greeting her and the unfamiliar Pack of this land with a long and powerful howl. It's very unusual for a Lone Wolf to howl but I want to let them know my arrival before I cross the border of their Hunting Grounds.*
_________________
- Cobolymancs (Sablepaw), Red Talon, Theurge, Lupus
- Setétholddal Osonó (Darkmoon Stalker), Bastet, Bubasti
- Bosszú Fagyos Karma (Frostiger Kralle der Rache), Fenrir - Schwerter von Heimdall, Modi, Ulfr

[Freiherr von Rosen]

"Lost are only those who abandon themselves."

- Hans-Ulrich Rudel


*****





*It has been a long, long time.
The night sky is bright with the light of the stars, the dark pine trees whisper their thoughts in the winter wind, and the face of that small, un-frozen lake gazes ever upwards like the dead eyes of a freshly-killed bear.
One year. One full year has passed since the First Change, as whispered by Old Wolf of the Woods the previous morning. She still could be snarled down upon as a mere cub, if judged by the sheer number of her days, but this young wolf has already lived through more than any of her wolf-brothers and wolf-sisters ever will.
Sablepaw sniffs into the air. This is a new kind of air, the scents here are different. It hasn't been long since she crossed the great mountains, finding a pass through the guidance of the spirits. She knew not where, or why she was heading, but in so many of her dreams in that last, eventful year, the ancestors showed her which way to run; to keep following the setting sun.
And so she did.
The further she reached, the more numerous the twolegs became. Their various packs, nests, caves, game-tracks kept showing up more and more; though they tended to do their best to avoid her, some reacted like cornered prey and tried to chase her away, or kill her. They couldn't know she was chosen. She is chosen.
Suddenly, from the exact direction she was heading, a loud, majestic howl can be heard; an adult male wolf signalling his presence and calling for his pack to assemble. Soon enough, from five different directions, five different howls respond, expressing their joy over the light of the full moon and their excitement over the upcoming hunt.
Such a wonderful song this lone wanderer has not heard in a very long time indeed.*

[Freiherr von Rosen]

The journey of a solitary cub chasing her prophetic dreams.