Lance's head was low as he shuffled through the corpses. Blood was splattered on his dull grey pelt, and he did not attempt to get it off. He didn't want to. He liked it, in fact. His tongue lolled out of his gaping mouth as he examined the bodies of the other wolves. Lance deeply inhaled the stink of rotting flesh, feeling it travel down to his lungs, making his lips curl into a menacing grin. 

At one point, he stopped to gaze at a dying wolf. Did absolutely nothing to help. The wolf seemed to know it was over. Lance watched as the creature breathed its last. Its eyes closed slowly as pain engulfed and enveloped it, and then lay motionless. Lance watched for signs of life, but there was none. He hadn't hoped or expected for any, anyway.

Lance's claws dug into the soil. It was stained with blood. Felt good on his rough paws. He suddenly felt the pain return, but did not give the least regard to it. He slowly sat down, eyes on the now gone wolf. He knew that soon, he, too, would suffer the same fate as this poor soul. He didn't know how soon; maybe today, maybe tomorrow. He didn't know, and he didn't care.

~~~

Kaze sighed softly. The air was cool on her raven-dark pelt. She turned her face toward the Sun, feeling it caress her skin. Then shivered a little. Kaze had tried not to think about it, but she couldn't help it. It was terrible. She had just seen it all, and it was hard to get her mind off the picture of dying wolves from dancing in front of her eyes. The eerie sound of whimpers and whines was what she was hearing, not the wild, warm noise of the wind in the meadow. She could still see the poor creature fight for breath, its eyes pleading with her to help it. She knew she could not, even though she badly wanted to. Kaze had tried to whisper something comforting in its ear, but there was a lump in her throat. She couldn't stand it. With a single glanced in its direction, she darted away, to this place she visited so often when she was a cub.

Kaze shook her head, trying to let the picture slide to the back of her mind. I should have done something for the poor fella, she thought remorsefully. But what could she have possibly done? Kaze bit her lip tightly, feeling her eyes well up. It would be weak to cry at this - she saw this every day. And cried every time.

Rising from the little rock on which she was sitting, she loped swiftly to a warm patch of gras.s. With her paws, she pressed it down into a small nest and curled up in it, face buried in the foliage to hide the tears. She would sob to herself for some time from now before doing anything else. 

Inara was out again, searching for more wounded among the trees. Her usually cheerful aura was gone; her patient had turned and gone beserk, killing two more pack members before he could be put down. Inara had been unable to stay, requiring something that demanded her attention, which is what brought her here. She sniffed at the air, searching for the scent of blood, ironic. She winced as she caught a heavy aroma of blood and gore off to the west. Another ma.ssacre... Inara reasoned. There wouldn't be anyone alive there. she turned away from the carnage in the west, moving north towards the mountains instead. the was a faint howl on the wind, almost lost in the trees, but even that small sound carried a ton of malice in its notes. Inara shivered- no she went into a fit of convulsions as her mind rejected the sound. The young healer was utterly reduced to a quivering ball of fur as she desperately tried to calm down, if she didn't regain herself soon, something would find her off guard... and that would be the end of it.

*~~*

Bane stalked through the trees, his torn throat somehow still emitting a constant growl that seemed to vibrate through the air. The wolf stopped as a wolf reached his ears, the sound echoing every single thing he felt deep down somewhere where his heart used to be; now there was nothing. He threw his head back, letting loose an answer, though it was more of a roar than a howl, his vocal cords were no longer capable of producing the melodious sound of a howl.

((OMG well. Someone can randomly meet Tread ok. Cause i am like OMG WHAT do I seriously have to read all this? So I read some. I will just make my own random start.))

Tread paced among the trees.

Time was short. She knew that the evil that had spread itself through the forest and plains, the evil that had disfigured many, was on it's way.

She had to move. And fast.

But where to go? Tread continued to pace. A slient breeze wafted under her snout, bringing with it the stench of blood. Death. Pain.

Tread snapped out of her pacing, ears pricked. She could sense another being on the air. It had scented her, and was moving in. Tread spun around and set off at a fast trot, her paws flicking up little clouds of dust as she left pawprints in the soggy peat that surrounded her. This forest had been burned and destroyed by the sickness long ago.

Suddenly, Tread  stopped. She flicked her ears and listened intently for the sound of approach. 

A whisper of charred twigs bending.

A simple soft thud of a paw sinking heavily into peat.

Hackles rising, Tread bared her teeth at the newcomer, as they stepped out of the blackened tree-trunks and faced her with glowing eyes.

((btw whoever wants to be this wolf, they can feel free. i tried to make it like someone can randomly come and be whoever they want :D))

Bane's head snapped up as his nostrils caught the scent of on of 'them'. He bared his fangs in a soundless snarl even as his empowered muscles sprang into motion. Trees and other foliage whisked past the wolf in a blur, his red gaze set ahead. In his mind, the chant renwed its strength,

Never forgive. Never forget.

Eyes ablaze with hungry fury, Bane slowed as he neared the position of his quarry. Like a shadow, with teeth and claws, Bane slipped through the branches of a shrub. He lingered there for a moment, gaze peering through the leaves. There. He had her.Abandoning stealth, Bane stepped forward, menace displayed in every aspect of his position. Hackles were raised, fangs bared, shoulders hunched. Bane was ready for another kill.

He recognized the femme, somewhere in the back of his mind, but such soft-hearted memories were long lost in The Betrayal. What did it matter, who this wolf was? She betrayed him just like the others; she was not 'sickened', he was.She had to die. A gluttural roar sprang from Bane's open maw as he threw his head back, voicing his fury to the sky. Those nearby would know not to approach, what if they were next afterall?

Lance looked around himself with little interest. His ears were drawn back low and blood trickled down his face. He licked his parched lips, getting the slight taste of his own blood. A sudden eagerness to kill seized him, and the next moment he was hurrying forward, to an unknown destination, having no control of himself. The taste of the liquid triggered an irrational desire to sink his teeth into flesh.

Lance caught the scent of other wolves, which strengthened his desire and increased his pace. There were many of them, he inferred. He couldn't hear much, just a bark, perhaps, and some other noises he could not place. Being partially deaf didn't slow the wolf down the least bit. He was like a monster, destroying anything in his path. Twigs cracked under his paws, little animals scurried away at the sound of the approaching creature, small plants got crushed under his weight. Lance didn't mind. He ambled blindly forward, with no regard to anything. He had to kill.

The wolf halted suddenly, his ears pricked, catching little. His nose told him there was a wolf right ahead, which was just what he wanted. Lance stole forward, his frame low to the undergrowth,  muzzle pointed straight ahead. He would pounce on it and tear it to pieces. He would relish hearing its painful cry for mercy and then... Lance lunged on the wolf, not knowing who it was or what he would do to it if it didn't escape his claws. Just for the mere sake of tasting its blood.

OoC: Anyone can be this wolf that Lance has pounced on. I'll bring Kaze in later.

(Inara will be the victim ^^ but she won't go down easy!!)

Inara had frozen stiff when she heard the snapping of twigs and the like comming from the tree line. her convulsions had ceased and she quickly came up to her pads again, staring wide eyed into the trees. Her ears were pushed completely forwards, straining to catch even the tiniest sound. The stench of blood was heavy in the air. 

The bushes exploded as a writhing m*censored* of fur lunged at her. Crying out in shock, the femme dance back, but not before she recieved a gash along her thigh. 

(bleh, kinda phail but I have a bit of writer's block on this one)

OoC: Alell shall be Bane's victim! But how does a wolf get the sickness? I really don't want her to get it, well, at least so fast.

BiC

Gnawing on an exceptional thigh bone, Alell hardly flicked an ear when some branches snapped and cracked behind her to the left side. Savoring her meal, eyes sleepily closed, the femme simply continued licking the tender marrow. It was only when her hackles raised instinctively did she pause, listen, and become alert. It was too late. It seemed to happen in slow motion to the pale, fiery wolf.

A sickened, deep throated war-cry came from a monstrous beast, which was flying straight for her. Frozen with fear, pale blue eyes wide, Alell heard her own keen of fright before her maw snapped shut. Everything was still moving slowly, but suddenly her body was in motion. As the horrid claws of the other reached for her, Alell collapsed to the ground, rolling away. The strange wolf's head had been thrust into the sky so her abrupt change in location made for little lacerations, but one of his, for he was a male she could tell, large paws slashed into her tender flesh. He easily cut through her protective fur coat and straight to her skin, muscle, and bone, that was lightly nicked.

Whimpering, Alell rolled until her paws were under her again, and she pushed to stand only to howl in pain as her injured leg gave out. Her fear-scent overpowered her sensitive nostrils, and she felt so much like the doe she had stalked just moments ago. This is no fun now, she thought bitterly. If she ever survived this, Alell would think twice before glorying in the powers of the chase, for she had a new respect for prey.

Trying to make sense of her disheveled thoughts, Alell took in her attacker. He was a brute of a wolf. Odd black stripes fell down his sides from his top-line, which was most bizarre with its raised skin like two-leg hunting spikes. Blood soaked his hide turning it an off shade of scarlet, making it impossible for Alell to know its true shade. She couldn't tell what was injured on him or if all the blood had come from another, no others because there was far too much of it.

Licking her lips, Alell's eyes were still wide, staring blue orbs as her maw hung open. Ears constantly flickering at her foe, Alell whispered from the ground, "Will you spare me?" For she knew his intent was to kill. "If you do, I will try to help suffuse the pain," Alell added with all intention of bribing. 

Lance dug his claws deep into the unsuspecting wolf. They were sharp, almost hook-shaped, which would make it easy for him to rip the poor femme apart, which was exactly what he planned to do. He knew she had realised she was being stalked, but she was in his claws now. He would make sure she wouldn't get away. Not alive, anyway. Within a minute of his capturing her, his mouth was on her neck, canines biting down hard. He could taste the wolf's blood, sweet and warm. It made him thirst for more. With a quick thrust of his feet, she was on the ground, with the big animal's tenacious fangs bored deep into her flesh.

~~~

Kaze heard the cry from far away. Her ears were sharp, alert for the slightest sound. As soon as the sound reached her ears, she clambered up onto a high ledge, one from which she would get a good view of the ground below.

The young she-wolf caught a vague figure down below. Its light pelt was stained with a slight colour of red. It was not standing either, giving the impression that it was hurt. Suddenly, she could spot another form, just a dark shade right in front of the injured. Kaze squinted as she tried to make out what they were. Wolves! someone half screamed in her head. She understood what had happened in a flash. Not waiting another moment, she leaped off the ledge, onto the rocks below, landing expertly on her forelegs. Like she had done it a hundred times, the wolf loped nimbly over the gr*censored* before breaking into a run. Her legs barely touched the ground after she took off. Branches brushed her skin roughly as she sped through the trees and bushes.

At last she was near them, her ears told her. Just a few more yards. She dug her back legs into the soil, coming to a skidding stop. It would be unwise to go further without waiting for the right time. But that could cost the victim its life. Kaze decided to risk it. Crawling forward on her belly, she could get the strong smell of blood in the air. The next moment, she launched herself out of the shrubs, lashing out at the attacker. Her claws struck his cheek, leaving three long but not quite deep scars. Kaze landed on her feet, hackles raised, ears flat over her skull, trying to appear big and aggressive. "Back off!" she barked fiercely at him, her eyes narrowed into tiny slits, fangs bared, ready for an attack.