Private The Lupines of The Past

[Redd]

MYRKR​

Tags: Larentia | Haastal Haran​

Redd had always felt connected to Myrkr, had always felt the need to go visit those that she had lost, but she hadn’t quite been able to bring herself to do so. There were many things that had stopped her from doing so, but one of the reasons had been that she just didn’t want to go back to relive the trauma; to relive the deaths of her pack as they were mercilessly slaughtered before her young eyes. The red wolf hadn’t been able to bring herself to tread the once familiar paths of her homeland, the one that she had been born upon, but she had heard news, news which had disturbed her greatly. It was news that had been given to her by someone of the Knight’s Obsidian that had been looking into a completely unrelated issue upon Myrkr and she knew that she had to return.

Her steps found their way onto the ground and she turned to nod her head to the Knight’s Obsidian member. One who turned to make his way into the town and she lifted her golden green eyes towards the sky for a moment as she slowly exhaled. The wolf had left her mate behind on his ship, with a brief note that skimmed over the real reason that she had left and left out the part why she had left him behind. Why had she left him behind? Well, ever since waking from her coma, she hadn’t wanted to worry her mate at all. Besides, she wasn’t even sure that there was any validity to the rumours that she had heard and until she knew anything for certain, she was not eager to involve Haastal in what would be a trek down memory lane and not a happy one. He had already been through enough with her recent coma. No need to add mental instabilities to the mix; because if there was something disturbing the pack’s rest, then Redd wasn’t sure as to what she would do.

Quietly, she slipped on her buy’ce and leaned forward as she felt the familiar shift set in. Her jaws elongated into a muzzle while her hands and feet changed into four paws. Fur sprouted from her skin as she grew a tail, while her Beskar’gam's segmented plates, dismantled and redistributed over her red furred form. So when it was all said and done, Redd stood as an armoured red wolf and she dropped her chest down low as she stretched out her front paws. Slowly, she rolled her weight forwards so then it rested upon her front paws while she stretched one back leg out at a time. Once she was finally ready, the wolf padded forwards and into the familiar green forest.

It had been so long, since she had even traversed these paths. Many years in fact, yet even as she ran through the familiar green, some things seemed to have changed. A tree had fallen across a path that had once been kept open for human traffic and she jumped over the fallen log to continue upon her path. It appeared as if some bushes had sprouted and the undergrowth had gotten a little thicker due to the lack of lupines that had once occupied the lands. Redd paused for a moment to scent the air and noticed that certain prey animals hadn’t been around in a while. An ear flickered backwards as she turned her head and noticed a faint trace of a different scent.

She turned to chase the scent, but as she ran through the forest, the wolf began to notice the lack of animals and more importantly, the lack of birds singing. Redd paused again as she scented the air and smelled the scent that she had followed. She soon quickly realized that the scent that had caught her attention belonged to more than just one, but as she moved to follow the scents, she heard a familiar howl joined by others. Both of her ears pricked forwards and she felt the pain of loss, but more importantly, she felt the feeling of kinship within the howl. Her own nose lifted to the sky and she howled with the ghosts. Howled to a pack long since dead.

Spoiler

Note to Haastal:
I had to go follow up a lead for the Knight’s Obsidian, as they felt that I was far more suited to track the familiar forests of Myrkr due to my past connection to the planet.

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[Larentia]

One week ago...​

The spirits were restless, muttering in the distance; speaking to unheard voices. Their communions awoke Larentia several nights in a row, yet silence followed as they stuttered into silence, leaving her to attempt sleep once more. They were debating, deliberating, deciding; the wolf came to understand yet she grew restless waiting. "Speak," she commanded. She was shaman now, she was their child in many ways spiritually. Silence followed her question. The demon's child became even more restless.​

Then it had come, one week ago. Spirits are restless, Doashim spoke up. Larentia had been engaged in training, sweating out her restlessness and inability to sleep because of them but when the demon spoke, she stopped, heavy breathing, sweat rolling down her cheeks. "Why?" She asked after a moment. The wolves, they are unable to find peace, Jart had continued. She froze, even her breathing stopped for a moment as she weighed was she was being told. Her first assumption had been Figaro Favoura VII, the resting place of many gone wolves of the past. Yet, after a good night's sleep, she would wake with a destination stored in her mind. Her eyes had opened, her body still as the image returned to her mind. "Myrkr," the Lupine recognized the world...

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Today... wearing this... Redd Haastal Haran ​

She crouched down and touched the soil beneath her, picking it up in her palm as she let it fall down from her palm before her head rose. There was deadness to the world, one she couldn't understand. She could almost smell the emptiness of the forest as she searched with her blue gaze. The spirits had said the wolves were unable to find peace. She wondered then why the destination had been Myrkr. In truth, she could understand, this planet was fitting for a home for wolves and it made her wonder just how many had been here. No active scents were telling her there were any nearby but she couldn't help still wonder what the past was hiding.​

"What happened to them?" She muttered to herself as she stood. Death. Suffering. The spirit answered plainly as she looked about. Her hood was raised, her mask was over her face. Larentia held a special role in the present time of her own wolf society, that of Warrior of Ulf; a role she respected. Today, she was a Warrior of Ulf, not an Agent of Chaos. Today, she would find the restless wolves, figure out what had happened to them.​

Larentia walked forward, trying to understand how many were there even here at the time of their height. Was it a tribe or was it a whole nation of wolves? The latter would be unlikely, knowing how their civilizations lived after the ancient times but one could never be sure. Stewjon discovered a family, and now this, here. Larentia wondered just how many more she would discover; and whether Katrine had ever learned of them. Clearly, Gerwald had found another, she recalled yet how many more had been scattered. With the destiny that lay ahead of her, Larentia wanted to know the answers to all these questions.​

They howled in the night...​

Her head snapped to the side as she reached out her senses towards them. The sounds, they sounded so real, so close. A tribe at least, she recognized the many in the united voices. Almost immediately, Larentia hurried towards the source, her steps moving faster until she had broken into a run as the howled voices continued. For a time, it seemed she was moving closer to the source but the closer she got, the more distant it had seemed. Until she heard a separate, individual howl responding to it. The Lupine stopped then and looked back. Someone else was here, responding. They are here, Doashim growled and roared through the spiritual realm, the wolves howling again as if they were responding to the roar itself. It was then that Larentia understood what she was hearing. "The wolves," she muttered. The spirits could reach out to them, it meant a single thing - they were long gone, echoes of themselves. Spirits. They were the ones that had reached out to the three spirits, to her. A girl out of time, a future ruler of a tribe; the wolf who had traveled through time to stop another culling of a dying bloodline.​

So, she reached out into the spirit realm through the ichor inside her blood, eyes closed for a moment as her own spirit howled through the realm, from within. Not the human form but her soul of a wolf howled inside her towards them. She called them to her. They sought her out through the three, she would call them now. Whatever injustice caused their unrest, Larentia wished to end them, help them.​

"Spirits! I am Larentia.
I am heir, and I am guard.
I am warrior and I am future of our breed.
You summoned me, I summon you now.
Come to me, Spirits. I am ready!"​

The girl without a known name chanted, feeling the ichor inside her grow stronger as the spirit realm beckoned near. The spirits chanted with her. Whatever spirits were near, they would be able to hear her through the realms. She was here to help. Her words were spoken though, so the howler responding to the spirits could hear her as well. Larentia meant no harm, she only wished to know; to help. All wolves deserved peace; all wolves deserved justice.​

 

[Redd]

LUPINE SPIRITS​

Tags: Larentia || Haastal Haran​

The howls stilled within the forests, but the echoes of the howls still haunted the forests. Soft whispers were carried along the wind as it rustled the leaves in the trees above them. Lupines long gone roamed in wolf form as their paws carried them through a once vibrant forest filled with life. Ghostly wolves glided along the forest floor with movements that might have made paw prints, except they left none. Their haunting presence only warded off life itself, which explained why the animals had abandoned the area and hadn’t been seen since their rising from beyond the grave. The alpha pair led the hunters through the trees with a knowledge that so few had of the area and when the stranger called out to them, it stirred the whispers amongst the pack once more.

Paws that would have softly thudded against the earth, made not a sound, but any who could feel them through the connection of the spirit realm, could feel their approach towards the one called Larentia. Twelve wolves including the alpha pair navigated their way through the forests, only to run in a circle around the woman who had called to them. ’Not our heir,’ They whispered as shades of blonde and brown fur circled the woman who was cloaked from view for a moment, only to run off into the greenery once more with a seeming destination in mind. Almost as if they were leading the woman somewhere.

Redd listened for the howls after they had died off and she turned towards the direction of where she had heard them. Had it been her imagination that it had sounded like a pack that had long since been dead? She was torn between seeking out the howls, or finding out why they had been disturbed by following the scents. Scents which did not belong here. Intruders. The thought made the wolf growl, growl at the idea that such intruders were invading territory that was now sacred and held the bones of many fallen lupines. It wasn’t something that the red wolf could ignore, for the scents that she had been tailing, was leading towards the small little village that she had once called home. She had to find out why the wolves were once again running through these forests.

Yet, as she turned to follow the scent, the red wolf felt the breeze pick up to ruffle her fur. Only, as she turned when she felt a pull, her golden eyes saw a flicker amongst the trees. At first she thought that maybe she had been imagining it, but still she watched for anymore signs to suggest that she hadn’t been hallucinating. Once more, as she moved to follow the scents, she felt the wind pick up once again, only this time when she turned to look, the sight made her ears prick forwards and her tail lift in excitement.

It was her pack!

With a yip, she spun to face the twelve wolves as they poured into the opening that she had been standing in. Noses touched noses in their greeting and she heard the familiar barks as they all tried to greet the red wolf that they hadn’t seen since she was just a mere pup. One nipped at her ear and she gave a playful swipe with her paw at the hunter who dared to nip at her. Yet it was then that the wolves parted to make way for the alpha pair, that Redd could not believe that she was seeing her parents once again. She moved forwards to greet them as she touched her nose with theirs, only to rub her fur against the two with a more familiar greeting. ”Father, mother. Why have you all returned to haunt these lands? Why are you not at peace?” The wolf finally questioned once she had finally turned to face them once again.​

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[Larentia]

She felt them, their movement; their run. The wolves, they danced across the forests. Even the spirits long past, they could feel them running across the woods. These ghosts, these ancient spirits; they continued on. Recent and old, they were all running through, passing by. Larentia stood still, feeling them. Their spirits, their souls; her lupine side, and her connection to the spirits both allowed to feel beyond the veil; beyond the wall. Through them and her nature, she could feel them all. Not just their journey remnant of a present voyage, but an instant, the journey between the realms, among them due to their pain... there was so much of that keeping them near, close by... Larentia could feel them. Her speel had merely been a conduit to help them balance between the two realms; whether they saw it or not; this would not matter...​

"Not our heir," she had heard the words, though she had not cared for the meaning itself. Larentia knew where she belonged. Though they nod belonged, they drew on the same origins still. Just as she could hear them now, they could fee her presence. They were one, and they were the same. They were Lupine, despite all. No matter what their futures brought. The present and past mattered not; she would see the truth - they were Lupine, they were wolf. ​

Doashim saw this, called to her - the other spirts recognized this. Larentia belonged to the wolved; she always would. No matter what... "Not for you; but for us all," the Lupune Witch chanted tot he leaves, to the forests; to the spirits. "For us all, to the Lupines. United we stand, divided we fall." Long ago, Mother had taught her well. Divided, the Lupines would always fall. Whether blood or enemy; or both; those they fought against would truly be looked upon as their enemy so that they survive. Perhaps these spirits would remain just spirits, but Larentia would simply not walk away from them. "I am Larentia, I am heir to my people. I summon you because are the same; because we are equal. I honor you." Always and forever, she would never deny this; many would family to see the truth of their strength but she would not; she would see their future. They would remain and become strong in the future. Even the dead would help them in this...​

It was in the distance that she heard, felt it. "Spirits, warriors; come to me. Let us unite. We were once the same race, long ago. Let us meet again, Lupines united...," she approached them. Mother raised her to believe the unity of the wolves, no matter where they had come from, they were still one race; they had all still come from Figaro Favoura VII whether they knew or not... perhaps today, she would be able to reach them. Not because she was the last of the nobles left on the planet or because she was anything else but because she was one of them, more than anything else...​

 

[Redd]

REUNION​

Tags: Larentia || Haastal Haran​

It had been so long since she had run with those of her own kind, to hunt and play. To listen to those around her speak of times that had not been her own and to watch them as they tried to teach her their ways. Redd could remember when she had been able to laugh freely and live a carefree life; one which had been built upon isolation and secrecy so then they could thrive without interference from the outside world. For which they mostly had until they had to pull others in. Others that opened their pack up to people that were not lupine in order to save a dying pack. Yet even as the inbred genetics had begun to be diluted by outsider blood, it became a double edged sword. Their pack’s salvation had opened them up to outsiders and the trouble that came with them.

Their hidden pack; was no longer hidden to the outside world. The forests that had once kept their tribe secluded and alive, was now the burial site for them.

Ears of those she was once familiar with, twitched and her golden eyes watched as ghostly heads began to turn. Quietly, she lifted her nose slightly to scent the air and found the scent of one that she recognised but never in a million years expected that she would come across this other person here. Her gaze looked to the ghostly wolves and although she ached to run with them once again, she had to put aside her deep seated need to run as a pack of lupines; as wolves through the forests that were once her home. She had missed such a close bond and yet, this was no time to reminisce on days that were long gone; even though it pained her to know that it would never come to pass. At least not for her.

A growl rumbled from within as the woman approached and the armored wolf moved to shift, for she felt secure in the knowledge that they were all lupines here. Even though most of them were only a ghostly shell of what they once were. Once the shift was complete, her hands lifted to grasp her buy’ce and pulled it from her head to reveal wild locks of red that framed a pale face and refused to be tamed of the old ways. Golden eyes peered at the other woman as she moved to clip her helmet onto her belt. ”I remember you. An Agent of Chaos and one who fought at Rodia beside the one they call Scherazade.” Redd paused as she angled her head slightly and looked to the two alphas that stood on either side of her. It was almost as if she was listening to them, but instead they said nothing. Silent as the ghostly wind.

This woman had also been at Siskeen and although the red wolf did not know of the details, she wondered. ”Did you disturb my pack’s peaceful slumber?” She all but growled as she took a step towards her. ’No. Not her.’ Redd heard come from her father and the woman felt the familiar pain of loss all over again. Felt it wash over her as she turned to view her old pack with a sadness that threatened to overcome her once again. She should have died with them. Instead, she got to bear witness to their downfall and she did not wish for the other woman to see the tears that she would shed once again. It was almost as if it had happened just yesterday and she could even smell the smoke that had clouded her senses that day.

Her hands quivered as she felt the same post-traumatic stress that threatened to draw her into its grip once again. Felt the wolf close to the skin, almost as if it wanted out to run and snarl. To kill with a vengeance. The same vengeance that she had felt consume her so many years ago. Back then, her mind had wanted to snap and in a way, it had. Redd had known only blood and death afterwards and a burning desire for revenge that had been buried under the carnage. When Gerwald had found her, he had told her that CIS was her pack and that he was her brother, yet she had always felt adrift somehow.

Taking the steps towards becoming a Mandalorian had given her a purpose. Their code was so similar to her old pack that it had almost been kismet. Yet here she was, surrounded by the ghosts of her past and it was those ghosts that reminded her of her own ghostly revenge that had almost been forgotten due to a future that she could now see for herself with Haastal. Now someone stood before them telling them they should unite.

”My pack really isn’t one that concerns an outsider. Yet for some reason we prefer not to fight each other even when on the battlefield.” She said softly as she clenched her hands and willed them to stop shaking. To still a mind that could see the vivid image of her parents once dead bodies. ”While on sacred ground, there is no need for you and I to be either AoC or CIS. Just wolves of lupine blood.” Redd said as she turned to view the other woman for a moment and dropped her gaze to view the two alpha wolves who stepped forwards. ’Enough. Our killers have returned. Our bones are being disturbed to uncover the secrets of our species.’ At that, the woman felt a growl rumble from within. Perhaps she’d get a chance for revenge after all.​

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[Larentia]

"United we stand, divided we fall," she repeated her own chant, eyes forward to thr forest. The spirits reamined strong as she kept her gaze forward. They were there, she knew; even when the voice spoke in the distance; it was therel The spirits, the dead of the wolves. The voice that spoke, it belonged to the female that spoke to her during the invasion, the female that remained in her wolf form durig her combat form even when Larentia didn't. Larentia could feel her presence now, even when she felt the spirit tjere.


They were not not her spirits, there was no denying that; there was no denying the spirits that remained alive. Larentia could feel them living, feel them surving.


That voice. It was familiar, it was as Larentia had known it. She had heard it before, that voice. She listened, as it had spoken, word for word; the words had come to her. That voice had said that it had remembered her; called her an Agent and Agnet of Chaos and the one that had fought at Rodia beside the one calle Schereade. All this to, Larentia had listened to. as the whispers and roars continued, keeping her there.


THe spirits chose to keep her there while the voices of present chose to recognize her in the present, in the now. "I am here, I am now; I am present; as death tries to destroy you, I remain; I am your ally; I am warrior beside you." She would remain present, she would remain strong. No matter what, she would remain, protector of the Lupines.


She listened. The female, she spoke. The outsider did not concern an outside, the female spoke. She listened as the voice spoke. There had been no need for us to be eihter AoC or CIS, just wolves of Luipine blood. Her whole body shook to these words. Even in human body, her wolf spirit shook; her blood shook. Her blood shook, her body shaken. They were wolves, animals; even the spirts had gone; their spirits parted this world.


"My spirits had warned; the spirits of yout past have awoken. I have not done it; but I come to their summons," she spoke, the wolf swore with her words. The familiar spoke, her aligiance of no relevance now; the spirits, she heard them. They were, they were now. The wolf knew. "We are wolf, we are wise; we see present; we seek justice. I seek justice for my own kind. What occured here, I acquire to know, to discover; to avenge. Show me." The spirirs were curious but Larentia was hungry to know what had occured to them, to her species. She sought to know, and she was here because of this. The spirits, her spirits; they knew, she wanted to know, wanted to know what to know what had happened to know.


The old voice words of truth; while on secred ground their origins mattered not. Their truth did. "We are Lupine, we are Wolf. The truth of past matters, not our present." In the end, now; that was what mattered.​