Pre-dawn glow cast an eerie pallor over the thistle kingdom. Mist rolled in from the turbulent ocean, weaving bony fingers through knoll and hillock, through gnarled branch and spiny bracken. The King awoke with a start, venomous eyes staring out at the bruised light beyond his chamber door. Large ears were lifted high, seeking a sound that might have startled him, while mind searched for the remnants of a dream that lingered in the shadows of his sudden consciousness.
Uncertain as to why he had been pulled so suddenly from his slumber, the dark man rose from his piles of luxurious pelts - furs of mountain goat and soft dappled doe, silky fox hides and the infamous plushness of the bear, slain many moons ago now. He left the comfort of this silky, warm cocoon, instead breaching the crisp, frigid air with a wariness that shivered in his hackles and brought alive his cold blood.
He was four-legged, a form not often taken by the peacock monarch. The Revlis man had a preference for his more civilized, more genteel two-legged body; None who knew him were deceived, though, for Sirius was surely a predator and a monster at heart.
His lope was long and effortless, for the Hunter had been born with an endurance and a speed taken from both sides of his blue-blooded heritage. While tall, taller than most wolves, Sirius had the undoubted lankiness of a coyote, with long, lean-muscles limbs, and a ribcage that was never quite rounded no matter how much he feasted. It gave him a sharp, angular appearance, like a tall dark slash cut into the surrounding palette of blues, grays, greens and browns.
The air was still; No birds stirred, in spite of the growing light to the east. An instinctual wariness took over his form, and relying on the knowledge of ancestors long gone, Sirius followed it to his borders. Everything was still; Silent. A fake peace which quivered with its wrongness. His hackles rose, and the large, lanky brute took on a prowling form, slinking in the shadows and ever-watching with glowing eyes of pea-green and acid.
Enlightenment came when an unfamiliar scent wafted past his seeking nose. There, ahead, was a small group of invaders, infiltrating the depths of his beloved kingdom. A rage rose swiftly within the cold-blooded King, and from his writhing black lips came a sounds most terrible. The growl vibrated deep within his chest, which had begun to change; A new form took shape amongst the shadows, much larger and more deadly than the last. His Secui body was ghastly in appearance - A lanky form now became an exaggeratedly nightmarish one, with a huge shaggy mane and skeletal ribcage protrusions. His snaggle teeth seemed much larger, much more saber-like. From the darkness lunged this beast, with a blood-curdling howl that shattered the silence of Salsola. Intruders! Intruders! His leap took him directly into the path of the small group, huge claws digging into the soft soil to purchase a grip.
Only a moment was given to the fools who dared to enrage him so - A moment, so that they might see the wrath of the King approaching them, and perhaps know what kind of mistake they had made. Jaws opened wide, yellow teeth glinting in the half-light, as the wicked monarch lunged for the leader of their group, the small female in front.
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