Private Back to Basics | Redd

[Barbatos]

H U N T​

Tag: Redd

Back to Basics.

In the modern Era, it was easy to be handed the means of survival. If one was hungry, they did not need to venture into the wilds to make their dinner. Nor did they need to toil in the fields to make their breakfast. For but a handful of metal, the labors of automatons accomplished these tasks for them. For but a handful of nothing, man could survive. And due to this, they were made weak. Hesitation seeped into their bones like a plague. Stagnation colored their every action, masquerading as progress. Thus, when calamity struck, they were overrun. Not so would it be for the hunters.

Like his father before, Barbatos knew the ways of the wild. Beyond the safety of walls, he was most at home. Predators became prey as he prowled. And his belly never lacked - for there was always a fresh kill in the pot. Some might have called the man a recluse. From the modern eye, a man who tarried within a humble cabin far from civilization certainly fit the description. Yet, Barbatos saw himself as something far greater - a survivor. When the Galaxy inevitably turns on its head once more, it would not be he who suffered. For there would always be prey.

And it would never be him.

As the sun rose to begin a new day, Barbatos left the small comforts of his dwelling to begin the ritual anew. The pot was running low, and it was time to refresh his stores. Garbed in earnest leathers, the man took a moment to check over his tools. The bow which rested over his shoulder was inspected - the string tugged inquisitively. The knives checked for sharpness. The bait checked for freshness. And he had arrows aplenty. He began only a small trek away from his home, setting snares along the way for smaller game.

But the prize was yet to come.

He lowered to a crouch shortly after laying the final snare and inspected the recently-disturbed earth. His hand brushed over the leaves, gently, revealing that which he sought. But...it was not alone. Beside the signs of a deer passing through were also the paws of a canine. This was...odd. Packs never wandered this far north. Was it lost? Or was this a sign of change? Caution seeped into Barbatos' bones as he advanced, and it was only a matter of time before his tracking brought him within view of the prize...and its predator. Silently, the arrow was readies and he let fly.

A satisfying thck! reached his ears as the buck was impaled at the neck and fell to the ground. Barbatos quickly looped the bow over his form and drew his knife - for now he had to convince the Wolf that this was his kill. Convince being the keyword. He raised his arms and yelled, attempting to make himself seem bigger than he was.

"Get outta here! That's mine!""​

 

[Redd]

REDD
Tags: Barbatos

Redd had hitched a ride, so to speak. A Knight’s Obsidian member was visiting a planet for three days and the wolf had needed a change of scenery. She was tired of The Citadel, not to mention that she was tired of the constant watching and prying eyes of those that wanted nothing more than to stick their noses where it didn’t belong. She was sure that she would hear about it from Gerwald later, but as she disembarked from the ship and watched the KO member walk away into the small settlement; she just couldn’t be bothered to care about the repercussions. The wolf had been feeling rather restless and although there was a garden full of rabbits at the Citadel, she was tired of hunting small prey. Golden green eyes watched the retreating form for a moment longer as she glanced upwards to note the time of day. It was a basic need for each lupine within her old pack to be able to determine the time of day just based upon the sun. A skill that she hadn’t had to use for quite some time, yet here she was dusting off skills learned from her pup days.

Two nights. She had two nights and by the end of the third day, before the sun would begin to set, she would have to be back here by then. Bare feet shifted upon the spot before moving towards the forested area. Upon reaching the tree line, she began to remove the simple clothes that she had worn and stuffed them under the root of a tree. A root that had lifted slightly, due to the fact that the tree was on a lean which could have been caused by many incidents. A common one, was simply mother nature doing its part. She placed a light hand against the rough bark before she pulled it away as she felt the shift overcome her. It was almost as natural as breathing now and no sooner had it begun, did she finally stand upon four paws. Shaking out her red coat, the wolf lowered her head for a moment as she stretched out her front legs. Slowly, she shifted forwards so then her weight rested upon those front paws and stretched out her lowered half. One by one she raised a back leg to stretch out, only to do the same to the other.

This was a form that she was completely used to and one that she had to hide from so many people, that it had become tiring to do. So, bearing in mind that she had three days to simply roam in wolf form was an appeal that she could not pass up, even if she got reprimanded by Gerwald for not wanting to fully embrace her human form. This was just something that was on her own idea, one that didn’t involve someone else’s will.

Paws padded forth into the forest and she lifted her nose to scent the air, however no tell tale signs would give anything away. So she simply continued on deeper into the wild where most humans would not think of going. It was almost like being home. Almost, except she no longer had a pack to hunt with, as her new pack was far from what she once knew. It was just a few moments later when she caught the scent of her prey and so the hunt began. With a sensitive nose and eyes that noted every detail, she stretched into a run, for the scent that she had caught on was only faint but it was there. It was the scent of a deer and she could only imagine just how much meat it would have on its bones. Enough to gorge herself on for days at least! Her tongue swiped at her nose as she continued to follow the scent; however golden eyes saw the twigs upon the ground that had been snapped by the weight of her prey and a damped growl of excitement pushed the wolf forwards.

Adrenaline pumped its ways through her veins as she made short work of the distance between her and her prey and as the scent began to get close, her paws began to slow until she stood frozen. Why? Well, just past the log was the buck that she had scented and her right front paw lifted in anticipation as she watched and waited. The beast was quietly grazing upon the grass in the small clearing. Golden eyes noted each step that the buck took. One step… Two steps… Redd thought to herself as she slowly lowered her form in preparation and just as it took that final step, the wolf leaped forwards only for the sound of thck! to take the killing blow. Paws dug into the ground to slide to a sudden stop before she padded up to the kill that had fallen to the ground dead, in quiet confusion. Sniffing the dead beast, she noted the wooden stick that protruded from the neck, a stick that she instantly recognized as an arrow.

Suddenly, she heard the yells of a human and she turned to note the male that was waving his arms. She lowered her form as growls arose from the female and she also paid attention to that knife that he held. Wait, why was she growling? She could reason with this man couldn’t she? Redd asked herself as she sat back upon her haunches and calmly looked at him. His appearance reminded her of the old days, days that she had more often than not longed on many occasions.

Angling her head to the right, the wolf felt the shift once more. Fur gave away to pale skin marked with many thin, silvery scars. Albeit, the scar that stood out the most, was the teeth marks that encompassed her left ankle. Finally, after the shift was complete, she stood from her crouched position; completely forgetting that her naked appearance may make the other rather uncomfortable, while golden green eyes peered at the man before her. ”You killed my hunt,” Were the words that she finally said to the man in an accusatory tone.

 

[Barbatos]

H U N T​

Tag: Redd

Barbatos had seen many things.

When the Galaxy was turned on its head by a literal god, he was but a child. Cast into a hellish realm of flesh-like earth and bloody rains. The Calamity, now known as the Netherworld Crisis, had seen trillions of souls trapped between life and death. Barbatos and his father were no exception. Within that Hell, they witnessed humanity at its worst. Chaos. Unruly. But moreover, each was out for their own survival. Were it not for his sire's quick actions, Barbatos would not be walking among the living today. In the midst of it all, he had seen so much. Killing. Brutality. And feats of the Force. But today?

The shift from canine to Human was a new one.

The Hunter was defensive - both over his kill and due to the sudden change undertaken by the wolf. In one moment, he was fully prepared for dealing with the threat to his prize. Wolves were rare in these parts, but he had felled his fair share over the years. Had plenty of scars to show for it as well. But a...Shapeshifter? This was entirely new territory. There was no telling what else she had hiding under the surface - and thus Barbatos was cautious. Bold, yet cautious. When the woman spoke, answering his claim, he set his gaze upon her. Unwavering.

Her nudity was not lost to him - but in the moment she was a threat. Not some lost farmgirl who needed a cloak and directions home. Thus, his answer was brief and measured.

"You were hunting my prey. These lands are mine." He jutted his chin in her direction then. "There are none of your kind here." Wolves. Shifters. It made no difference really as the fact remained the same. She was a stranger to this land.

"Are you lost?"

The question was a loaded, if ever there was one. If she wasn't lost...if she was truly like a wolf...then there were bound to be others. A pack, no less. If they were here, that would mean trouble. For his pot, and for the few humans who called these lands home.​

 

[Redd]

REDD
Tags: Barbatos

Redd’s nostrils flared as she drew in the male’s scent and committed it to memory. Golden green eyes appraised his stance and while she would have crouched in wolf form in preparation to defend her own claim, she remained standing. If anything, she had learned that humans did things differently. In fact, she learned that a lot of humans didn’t like the whole dominance and submission stance that a lot of the animal kingdom depended on. It was confusing at times and she had to pause for a moment to think. If she had been in the arena, it would be kill or be killed. If you killed, you got fed. If you didn’t, you were likely dead. Her hands curled into fists as she drew in a sudden intake of breath, who was this male? No human dared to live in such wilderness unless they were a part of their own human pack. Her gaze slightly shifted to glance around their surroundings, suddenly aware that there may be more of his kind lurking in the shadows.

Lifting her chin, she scented the air. She kept an ear out for the human as she shifted her gaze from left to right, even dropping her gaze slightly so then she could see over her shoulder to make sure no one was creeping up behind her. Upon not scented anything a part from the dead buck and the male, she returned her gaze back to the man before her. Who was this man? She questioned as her gaze shifted to the knife that he held. Redd knew that in her wolf form, she would be far quicker. She would also have agility, stamina and brute strength on her side, after all, she had spent many years in an area training in wolf form. Albeit against dogs and the like, but it was no different really. Dogs had sharp claws and fangs, this man carried a bow and a knife.

Finally she settled upon reasoning with the male first; she was after all already in human form, if that didn’t work then she would have to resort to… Other measures. However, as he spoke, her lips twitched as she unfurled her left hand and held it out to the dead buck. ”Clearly, it is not your territory, for I don’t see any physical markings or scent traces that mark it so.” She said as her gaze shifted back to the male before her. Who was he and who did he think was telling a wolf that she was hunting his prey. If he had marked his territory properly, she probably wouldn’t have stepped foot into this land. Pack law meant respecting pack territory and territory was clearly laid out in scent and physical markings of the environment. It was how they warded off certain predators and other packs.

However, ever since meeting her current pack; she knew that humans did things differently which was simply a whole new bucket of strange. The woman refrained from bristling as her upper lip twitched ever so slightly before she took a step back towards the buck. Golden green eyes slowly shifted into pure gold then as she spoke, ”I am not lost, I am…” She was what? A lone wolf? A wolf that had a blended pack? A wolf that lost her full-blooded pack? How was she to even explain her current situation to this male who clearly knew that no wolves were present in this area? Redd knew that lupines were not common, some would go as far as rare, so for a lupine to be in these parts were rarer still. ”I… I...” The wolf stuttered as she tried to come up with a clear explanation as to why she was there in the first place. Clearly this man knew that wolves didn’t occupy these lands, even she knew as much, otherwise she wouldn’t have trespassed upon the land without an invitation.

Finally, she growled at the man. She didn’t know which laws she should be following. Those of her old or those of the new, it was confusing to say in the least. If she had been in wolf form, she would have simply attacked him, but in humans form, she was at the disadvantage. ”I’m not lost, just simply passing through really. I have three days before I am needed elsewhere by my pack.” Her pack… Her pack that mostly called upon her to kill their enemies but rather left her alone to her own devices when she wasn’t useful to them. By simply acknowledging the fact that she had a pack, she figured that it would be a bluff of some kind; one that would make him think twice. Her gaze shifted to the knife, could she disarm him? Finally she said something that she wondered if it would actually draw the response that she really wanted from him, ”I don’t see your name on this buck and it seems I’m the closest to this kill, therefore it is mine.”