The small pup approached the skull lined borders without a hint of hesitation within her step. She was remarkably smaller than her brothers who flanked her movements and prevented her from escaping. Her male siblings were at least twice her size if not bordering on thrice. She was clearly a runt among them but also the most determined. Her brothers remained a distance away while the small girl easily crossed the heavily scent laden border without concern. Her brothers hadn't thought that she would do it and she was determined to prove them wrong.
She glanced back at the quartet of boys that kept their distance before she stretched out her small body to stand up on her hind legs. Her forepaws became pressed against the stake in order to help her keep her balance as she stood up. One paw remained planted against the wooden surface, claws digging into the wood to help support her as the other paw reached up to bat at the skull in an attempt to knock it from its perch.
The lot of them were born of loners yet the clan that the girl trespassed upon was whispered about. It was the clan being known as war minded canines that had inspired the dare. If Symera wanted to join in her brothers's games then she had to successfully steal a skull. If she couldn't do it then she wasn't allowed to play with them. The boys had thought that she would chicken out because they had been told stories that the skulls came from those that had gotten caught trying to steal on previously. But Symera was proving them wrong. It was the largest of the seated boys that sent up a short call, intent on alerting the clan to there being an intruder and forcing Symera to try harder to get down the skull with which she was having difficulties. The skull would rock but refused to fall.
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Let me know if I should change the last part of my post :3
Scarlet eyes twinkled with hostility as the dangerous, two-legged creature moved along the line that proudly announced the coyote-clan’s claim to the nearby world. The ring of a child’s warning call echoed within her head, and pristine teeth glinted with discontentment between dark lips. Halo was not aware of any game youngster’s played; she only knew that unwanted presence lingered by the borders. This clan’s Second in Command would have none of that. Friend and foe could remain outside these skull’s watchful, yet cruelly empty eyes.
The Lykoi woman’s eyes lashed across the sparsely forested area until they found what they were looking for, and would not stray once they locked on her target. Distance did not betray her eyes, and it was indeed a child. It mattered little if the young voice had belonged to this one, for red eyes narrowed with disapproval all the same. A pale cream painted hand reached for her best friend, and the soft hum of metal graced her turned back coyote ears as the sharp, lonely twin sword was unsheathed.
Her stride was quiet, yet swift, though the optime’s presence would probably be discovered before she reached the insolent canine. She could only hope that the child’s eyes wouldn’t sway in her direction. Auburn locks danced with the quickened breeze known to wander through the nearby coast, adding a touch of extra character to Halo’s wild, hostile demeanour as she moved in on the young soul. After some moments, the blade in her hand took a vertical leap, aiming for the skull, rocked by the child’s touch.
Symera gave a glare in her brother's direction as she realized what he had done but it also served to have her working feverishly to get that skull that simply refused to fall. It was his siblings that spotted the approach of the clan member before she did. Actually she didn't notice until a bladed weapon landed where her paw had been just moments before. Her brothers fled the scene with whispers amongst themselves as to how Symera was dead now and coming up with an excuse to give their dad that wouldn't end up getting them in trouble.
"Cowards!" The sentiment was yelled towards the fleeing forms of her siblings before she placed all four paws on the ground so that she could turn and face the adult that had scared of her brothers. Symera turned and faced the woman without any sort of fear at all. Instead her countenance read more of boldness and determination. "You need to be careful. You could hurt someone like that." She made to correct the other even though Symera had been the one to be in the wrong to begin with.
But just like the dare that she had been issued Symera wasn't one to back down. But then again she didn't believe all of the stories that she was told either. At least not to the point that she thought she would be harmed. After all the clan was said to have a hatred of wolves and well, she wasn't a wolf. In her mind that marked her safe from all repercussions. Since she didn't contain even a single drop of wolf blood she imagined that she would face no sort of tribulations for her actions. And well, being the only girl among a family of boys she had to learn to grow a backbone and be able to stand up for herself against her larger brothers.
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Ikr! It was made by the wonderful Marit.
Her silent inhale filled fit lungs with lovely air, and blood eyes watched the girl shout after small, departing bodies of more puppies. Coyote ears brushed flat against dark locks. Children… But there was no anguished cry of fear as her sword had buried itself into the weather-worn skull where puppy paws recently had lingered, so inviting. Now, instead of following her brother’s example, the young girl turned to the Infernian, dull, moss meeting hot fire. Halo knew this face. Once, that had been her. Once, it could have been. But the world had not smiled at Halo, and she had let defeat befoul her spirit. Today, the acrid taste remained.
The child’s face showed nothing of what these red eyes sought, and while the adult did not openly reveal this, her strong heart beat with silent disappointment. Cheeky words caused hackles to rise, slightly. A sharp smile stretched at the corners of the clan leader’s lips, accompanied by teeth; dangerous. ”You speak the words as if it’s a bad thing,” she returned, her words hushed and dipped in sweet honey. She freed the glorious blade from the dead wolf’s bone head, thrusting it down into the soft earth beside her towering form as her back bended slightly, looming over the senseless child.
The hushed words had quieted the child. It hadn't struck fear into her heart but merely caused her to ponder them instead. Had she really meant it to sound like that? She didn't think that she had. No, she was certain that she meant that someone to refer to herself. Still she didn't speak up just yet but instead glanced down the row of skulls as far as she could see. From her angle she could notice a similarity amongst them. They were all large. And not just because her own was small. No, they were bigger than her dad's head as well.
Finally she focused her attention on the adult once more, having no idea of the power that she held. "It, yes." She paused to toss her head towards the skulls, the disgust apparent in her voice. "Me, no." She paused once again for thought. "Not my brothers either. They are mean sometimes but you can't hurt them either." She finally declared after a long moment. Sure, her brothers bothered her with their antics and not letting her join them but they were still her blood.
She looked to the blade that had been placed into the ground before tilting her head back to stare up into the face that loomed over hers. "If you did you couldn't put me up there with it. I am not the same as it." Even though she knew what the skulls she refused to acknowledge them for what they were. She refused to use a pronoun for the skulls because in her mind it made them more civilized, as if they were on the same level as her when they weren't. If she could have thought of a word worse than it then she would have used it but she simply couldn't come up with anything.
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Yet. >:]
Fine eyebrows rose in response to the child’s strange words. Its perspective of this scene was intriguing, though coyote blood alone did not protect her with certainty, as it seemed to believe. Although, it would be a shame to slay blood that was pure. The young girl’s appearance spoke for her, and there seemed to be no touch of wolf on her. How fortunate. A seed of mild jealousy was planted, though Halo was no longer as unforgiving to the blood itself anymore. Enough coyotes had betrayed the clan, yet she, a child of polluted blood, had never let her loyalty falter the slightest. Not visibly, at least.
She wanted to argue with the girl, but how could she when the words spoken were true? A smile appeared, then, though it did not soften her sharp glare. ”You may not be the same, but I’m certain your head would fit one of these stick just as well.” But the adult’s initial anger was fading. Perhaps it was the mere fact that the cheeky child had refused to flee and had attacked her with reason. Halo liked to see fear in her prey, yet there was none here. The adult’s knees buckled and she crouched down before the girl, taking a moment of silence to look the child over in more detail.
She was small and she knew it. Her brothers reminded her of it all of the time. It was because of them that she had learned not to cower under scrutiny. They had looked for any weakness in her to not allow her to join them. If she could stand up to her siblings then she could stand up to anyone. At least that is what she figured in her own head at least. She assumed that just because she couldn't see her brothers any longer didn't mean that they weren't hiding and watching her, wanting for her to falter. She refused to do that. Heck, she wouldn't put it past them to have put this whole ploy together as some sort of test. Well if they were testing her then she planned on excelling.
The words that came were unexpected. It made her wonder if she really wasn't as safe as she had originally figured herself to be. "You would really take my head to replace it?" She could hardly believe that. What sense did that make? The thought actually caused her to frown before glaring up at the older female. "Why do you like it so much that you would want to save it?" She might be young but the hatred burned with a passion in her soul. In her few months of living she had come to develop strong feelings about the other species. They had ruined things for her and that couldn't be forgiven ever.
"It stinks! Why save it!? It does not care about you! It will not save you! It will hurt you!" Her voice rose as she tried to get her point across, her small body bristling and trembling with rage. Tiny claws dug into the ground. She had no idea why this woman wanted to save those filthy things. What purpose did they serve? The whole population could be wiped out and everyone would be better off for it.
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--
The returning question was not one Halo was willing to lie through. She could, but there was no genuine wish to do so. Scarlet eyes examined the frown temporarily inhabiting the child’s face, though it was too short lived for her liking. But no fear. ”I could.” But the little thing didn’t understand; had gotten it all wrong. The skulls bordering the clan’s claimed soil were not there because they were adored. Or, well… The woman’s palm rose to stroke against the weatherworn skull, fondling at the horizontal crack born from her blade’s sharp bite. One of these belonged to her. Fingers moved to touch one of the bleached canines in her necklace; her kill. No, these were warnings, but they all served as memories.
”Their death strikes fear among others of their kind.” She plainly explained, watching the sun bleached skull with a trace of fondness swimming amongst fiery hues. But there was fire within the little girl. She was very young; too young to carry such passion. ”Don’t you like them?” Why would the child paw at a skull in such a way if she only carried hatred? Sharp, white teeth glared at the young girl as the adult’s impure smile seemed to widen, slightly.
She was young, yes. But she wasn't without her own personal tragedies. Life was rarely ever kind to those that were smaller than the rest. Her birth could have been culled but instead she had been nurtured. Her mother had provided her with a loving embrace, a sense of security. But because of a wolf in the area such a thing had been ripped away from her. Why should she ever forgive such a disruption? Her rock had become battered and abused before finally being snuffed. She would rather see them all dead before she would ever forgive the entire species for what one had done.
She looked from the female to the line of skulls and then back again. She was still quite visibly upset. She couldn't understand the fondness being expressed towards those creatures. Didn't the other understand just how vile they were? How could she appreciate them? "What is scary about it sitting there?" She didn't exactly understand it was a prized possession because that kill had come at one of the clan member's own hand. She had simply thought it was liked because of the species that it was not because it had been stolen in the name of retribution.
She shook her head as she was questioned. "No. It stinks. It stole my home and my mom." In her mind that was justification enough to hate them as passionately as she did. Her mom had said no but he didn't listen. No, Symera could still remember it all in vivid detail. She could remember the screams. The stench of him on her mother. The sight of the mutilated body. If that wasn't a catalyst in which hatred could grow then what was? In her own mind she felt she had ever single right in the world to feel the way that she did.
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--
The skull itself was not particularly intimidating in the hybrid woman’s eyes, but she knew that softer souls looked at the clan’s borders with repulsion in their dumb eyes. But the dead heads on top of their pikes represented something greater, and the Centurion firmly believed that they did their part in keeping the majority of unintelligent wanderers away. It was almost a shame, for Halo dearly loved to parade her hostility and wave with her blade. While the clan was small compared to the packs around it and peace was important for their survival, it was not what she wished. She still wished to become the nightmare spreading fear through the wolven population. ”They warn other wolves to stay away,” she answered as a light frown tugged at the corners of her lips.
The child shook its head at her question, and served her reasons before Halo’s voice could rise to investigate. Ah, very well. There was no pity for the young child. Life was full of pain and suffering, and the Infernian knew this better than most. She had received her own share of tragedy, and she was certain there was much more where it came from. The weight remained heavy on her shoulders, but the woman no longer cared to look back at what had happened. No more self-pity. ”And what about you?” she asked; quietly wondering if a father was in the picture. ”Where they your brothers, the puppies that ran away?” The young yet pitiful creatures had fled the scene, but this one girl had remained—had even dared to lash out with a sharp tongue at one of the infamous clan’s most deadly members.
Ah yes, she did have a bit of a mouth on her. But that came from having to deal with her brothers. If she didn't stand up for herself against them then no one would. So if she wouldn't let her brothers push her around then why should she let someone else do that? No, she still believed that her brothers were watching her from their hidden spot and so she couldn't back down now. She refused to fail this test. She wouldn't give her brothers a reason to not let her play.
The small girl gave a nod of her head in response to the question. "Yes, they said I could not play with them unless I could get one of those skulls." Again she explained what was going on before a question could be asked. She had explained away why she had been after one of the skulls even if she hated the species that it came from. She had been determined to do whatever it took to allow her to join in the games that her brothers played.
"Why do you care what happens? Do you have to watch and make sure it stays there?" It was the only reason that the child could think of for the woman to not want anything to happen to the skulls. If it was her job to watch them and made sure that all of them remained just where they were then that made sense. But if tat wasn't the reason she didn't see what it mattered so much. Why not just get a new one in order to replace the old one? Wouldn't having a new one be scarier than just he old ones sitting there untouched? But of course it wasn't like she knew the exact details of this clan. She didn't know their policies or such. She only knew a few rumors that she had been told and who could tell if they were the truth or not.
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--
The adult rolled her eyes at the childish dare that the girl’s siblings had put her up to. Children and their inane games. Age would of course excuse this poor girl, but Halo was not necessarily much less strict about this matter, even if she could admire the young one’s courage. But few of Inferni’s members were as terrible as her. Morale demanded that a child should be spared a cruel faith, but the red eyed woman was a sinner by blood. Her father was the devil himself, and her half sibling’s name was beyond famous for his cruel acts. It was strange she hadn’t turned worse than this.
The woman rose again, caring little that the child would have to strain her neck if she wished to look up at her. Why did she care? An annoyed sound swivelled in her creamy throat at the question. ”I have to watch and make sure no foolishstranger brings trouble to my clan’s borders. That includes vandalism. This skull belongs to me, and if you want it you’ll have to bring me a new to take its place.” Her smile seemed long gone now, and the overall expression was again strict and unfeeling. Revenge was a sweet thing, and the warrior’s fire roared just a little brighter if she knew the wolf was every bit as malevolent as her racist stereotyping wanted it to be.
She watched the adult rise but found herself unable to remain focused upon the taller form. No, she was back to staring at the skulls once again. They intrigued her and kept on calling her attention right back to them. She wasn't certain of how to obtain another one that was that large but she was definitely up to the challenge. It wasn't like she could back down. She had to have that skull in order to prove herself to her brothers. And it would seem that she would have to get another one to replace it with some way.
She forced herself to look away from the skulls in order to peer up at the adult once more. "I will do it." The words were spoken decisively. Maybe it didn't have to be exactly the same. After all it wasn't specified. It just needed a replacement was all. "Where do I get a new one from?" She figured that she better ask and see if there was a certain one the she needed to bring back in order to get the one from the post.
She didn't even considered that she could take the new one to her brothers instead. No, her mind was set on getting the damaged one. After all her brothers had witnessed it being damaged so there would be no questions asked if she brought that one. Or at least she didn't imagine that her brothers would question her. No, she thought that to do so then they would keep their word and let her join them on their adventures. Why shouldn't they let her tag along if she brought back what it was that they wanted? She would give a new skull for an old skull and then everyone would be satisfied and happy.
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Can wrap up very soon, aye
A toothed grin awarded the decisively spoken words of the child. But of course, this girl was too young to understand what she agreed to. Slender fingers rose to brush against the vibrant crimson chaos star above her heart, the move unconscious as she thought of this strange child. Heavy ignorance was revealed moments later. A feather light sigh whistled out between dark lips, and she shook her slender muzzle, apathetic. She should just smack the child with the flat side of her blade and chase her away. This Inferni member didn’t like children. Perhaps it was because their minds were so much more simple than that of an adult’s, and Halo found many adults in quite moronic.
But this was a chance to elevate her boredom. Scarlet hues stayed with the child. It was difficult to fall on a decision. Whatever. ”You need to kill a wolf,” she answered, thinking the child should have found the answer on her own. But she was much too young. Itachi had turned out cruelly, but she remembered him at this girl’s age, and children were not as complicated then. ”What is your name?” The Centurion’s sword was removed from the ground and returned to its sheath; it would not be used today.
She understood that she had to bring back a new skull but she didn't understand the exact details of it. She wasn't certain where exactly to find a skull but she was determined to do whatever it took. But that was just her, doing whatever it took in order to gain some sort of acceptance. So even if she didn't know right off then she was certain to figure it out at least. There was always that constant drive to prove herself. Of course her being a living runt out to be proof enough of her strong will. But then again she also had her mother to thank for that. The female had kept her safe and had made sure that she was fed. Although that could have solely been because Symmy was the only girl of her litter.
The girl shuddered as her mission was given. It wasn't what she had to do that bothered her but just that the species was given a name. To her just saying wolf was like cursing. She felt like just the word alone was enough to taint the tongue and ruin someone. She refused to give them a name. She refused to even think of them as being sentient beings. No, they were monsters. They were the things that nightmares were made up of. So she hadn't a problem with their death. It only bothered her to have them spoken of in such a way. It was much more respect than they deserved.
"Symera Villisca." She stated her name as she rose to her paws. The small girl turned her back to the older female in order to face the line of skulls. "Come on, let us go find it and bring it back." In her mind she simply assumed that the adult would come along, if only to make sure that the job was done. After all her brothers always followed her after giving her a dare in order to make sure that she completed it. She simply assumed that it would be the same way with this as well. And because she was so certain that she would be followed she made her way easily back through the pikes and out past Inferni's borders to go on a wolf hunt.
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Just assume ooc that after some failed wolf hunting, Halo took Symera home to the mansion to stay? :]
What had inspired a mother to grant such an exotic name to her child? It was something grander than Halo, that was absolutely certain. Lips were about to part to offer her own name, but no melody rose as she watched the cheeky little bitch turn her back to her. But no frown would stretch across the Centurion’s beautiful face this time. The adult disliked children in general, but some were less repulsing than others. Perhaps this was merely a temporary fluke that was to pass once her curiosity was fed. Fingers brushed away insistent motes of dry earth from the magnificent cloth wrapped around her sweetly curved waist, and she took a step in the girl’s direction, lovely shaded eyes moving to the skulls as well.
It was a shame that Symera seemed to think it was easy to find and kill a wolf. But the thought was intriguing nevertheless, and it almost made her feel like her wicked old self again. She had not taken a life in quite some time, though the wolves grew in number every day, and they seemed to have become bolder as of lately. Eyes narrowed with thought, and she made a decision, then. ”Sure,” Halo’s sugar coated voice agreed, though she doubted they would find anything today. No matter her dislike, Halo did not outright attack members of nearby wolf packs unless she had good reason to. If they followed Inferni’s borders though, it was always possible they would be in luck and find an insistent trespasser with a poor attitude.
