TP: The Blood Sings - Pt. 4 "The Message"

[Ishara]

Characters!
Larkspur- adolescent female wolf
Ash- male falcon
For one pose: Shoshuna- female wolf

Summery: Ash finds Larkspur, and proceeds to deliver the threatening message from Crimson.

Dense Undergrowth
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The dense undergrowth is smothering - almost impossible to navigate without some sense of where you want to go. Misshapen bushes surround the beaten path on all sides, overgrown, thick with ivy vines, thorns and a multitude of bitter white berries and stinging nettles.

In an area where the ground slopes slightly above the normal level, a partially-hidden hole can be seen, likely leading into a den.
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A little ways from the entrance to the den, the she-wolf rests on her belly and surveys her surroundings. There is a nervous intensity in her manner- her ears flick too quickly to normal sounds, her muscles tense at the slightest provocation. She's home now, she should feel safe. However, nightmares of the lynx attack have been plaguing her for the past few nights. The lack of sleep is enough to put her on edge, let alone the fact that she misses her cougaress friend terribly. Sure, she loves seeing the pack again and is no hurry to sneak out anytime soon, but that doesn't keep her from remembering her adventures away from home. Sighing, she settles her muzzle onto her forelegs, closing her eyes to block out the afternoon sun.

Kraaah! The falcon sweeps his way over the treetops, watching the ground below him with a careful eye. The Lazuli must be around here somewhere...he can feel it. And where the Lazuli was, so was that she-wolf, Larkspur. Ash veers to the side into a swift arc, spotting something in the trees below. Was it a wolf? The bird perches onto a nearby branch, peering down at the ground. He was sure he had seen /something/. Turning his head around, he gazes behind him. Ah ha! The pup! Ash flops slightly, fluttering the leaves on the branch roughly as he sweeps down underneath it to land on a branch closer to Larkspur. High in the tree, he stares down at her. Yes, that /must/ be her. But where are the others?

Shoshuna siddes through the bush and notices Lark. They found her! She then sees a hawk and growls, it might be up to no good who knows! She glances at Lark and dips her head before turning her attention back to the hawk.

Noises! Lark's head snaps up, looking around wildly. Not thinking to glance upward, she sees Shoshuna first. The girl follows her packmate's gaze and spots the falcon. Yelping, the wolf hops onto her paws. However, after the initial shock of seeing the bird, her mind is instantly curious. She's never really seen a bird of prey this close before. Fascinating. Ears pricked forward, she cranes her muzzle skyward to peer at the avian. "Hello?" she calls uncertainly.

The falcon turns, addressing Larkspur. "Greetings, ground dwellers. I have message for one called..." He pauses, tongue fingering around the sides of his beak as he ponders...or perhaps lets the tension arise. Finally he clacks his beak shut, and finishes, "One called, Larkspur?" He believes this is she, but decides to make sure. No sense in delivering random evil messages to those it wouldn't apply to. Though that would be awfully fun. Maybe he should try that sometime. Meanwhile, he shrugs, looking down at the wolf. If she wasn't Larkspur, at least she'd know where to find the she-wolf.

Clack. His muzzle goes clack! Lark finds this so delightful that she doesn't reply for a moment. After gleefully studying the bird, she pipes up, "I'm Larkspur." The thought strikes her that he might have a message from Maul, and suddenly the she-wolf is full of electric excitement. "What message? From who?" She doesn't dare say the cougaress' name aloud, just in case Daddy hears. The alpha didn't seem to like Maulisho last time they met- then again, the last time they met, Felstride assumed that the puma was a pup stealer. Her tail starts to whip happily from side to side. Maybe the message is from Haze! Ooh, that'd be exciting. As the possibilities start to pile up in her mind, her tail waves faster and faster.

The bird remains silent for a moment, gazing back at those innocent eyes. Oh...so innocent. And yet...so cursed. Ash shakes his head at Larkspur, an almost bemused expression in his eyes. "Good, you are the she-woof. I have message for you." Though...he must admit, he hadn't expected it give it to her with her looking so...so...excited? Heh, here's the good part. Mwah. "I have message from somebeast who says your blood sings to them." He pauses for a moment, letting it sink in. "It /sings/ to them." the falcon repeats. He seriously doubts saying this is ever going to be beat by anything he'll ever say. Ever. "The 'shadow' desires to slay you; he /will/ slay you." Period. So...good luck!

A she-what? Lark is about to press for clarification when the message is delivered. Immediately, her tail stops swaying and droops, her ears splaying. "/What/?" What? A shadow thinks her blood can sing and is going to kill her for it? Brow creasing with worry and confusion, she looks pleadingly up at the avian. Surely there's been a mistake? Is this bird crazy? "Why?" The wolf is starting to grow a little hysterical. Air, air, she can't breath, she's taking in big gulps of air, trying to be calm and figure this out but someone or some/thing/ is going to kill her. "Who? Who is it?" She inquires breathlessly, trying not to cry. She's a big girl now, big girls don't cry- big girls don't get threatening messages either, though, do they?

Whoo, he sure does /love/ these moments. Makes him feel all warm and fuzzy inside, mhmm. At her first exclaimation, he blinks curiously. "You...want me to repeat?" Well..sure, he doesn't mind... "The 'shad...'" Suddenly she questions him again. Ash coughes softly and narrows an eye at her. These pups...so impertinant. "The 'shadow' wants to ki..." And there she pops another question. The falcon waits, an irritated expression on his face. Finally she appears finished. "I will tell you not its name." Ha! There.

Larkspur looks as helpless as ever and repeats, "Why not? I think I should know something like that- it's kind of important to know who's trying to /kill/ me!" Her voice is higher than normal, raised with fear. Why won't he tell her? Unless he's in the shadow's pack, working with the shadow to kill her? Panic floods the she-wolf anew and she's overwhelmed by the thought of running. Run as fast as she can, as far as she can from this confusing bird with its hooked muzzle and claws that look deadlier than Maul's. Her fur prickles at the thought of those claws, she feels herself shrinking, trying to make herself a smaller target. Eyes darting, the girl wonders if she could make it to the den before the bird had time to sink those claws into her. Why hasn't /he/ killed her yet? Mind a blur, she is rooted with fear.The adolescent simply stands there, shaking.

Ash is enjoying himself. Giving threatening messages to poor formerly unsuspecting wolves is actually quite enjoyable. He should try that more often. Maybe he could become a full-time messenger for Crimson...eh, maybe not. o.o The falcon peers at Larkspur curiously. "You do not need to know who will slay you. It is impossible to avoid it." Honestly, kid, why even /try/? Almost as though he could read her panicking thoughts, Ash shakes his head slowly at the she-wolf, as if in deep sympathy. "She-woof, you cannot hide, you cannot flee. There is nothing you can do to stop the Shadow. It will come and kill you, she-woof." The bird continues eyeing her solidly, and suddenly begins preening his feathers nonchalantly. Deed, done.

Impossible to avoid it? Nothing she can do? Lark exhales a shaky breath and asks, "When will the Shadow come?" Maybe she will have time to escape? The girl sniffs the air eagerly and checks over her shoulder, desperate for her parents to come rushing in to save the day, to come up with a plan and tell her everything will be ok. Nothing. Sigh. This is /too/ /much/. The wolf feels as if her brain is going to explode. Here she was, all excited to hear from her friends and suddenly-Wham!- she finds out that a Shadow wants her dead because her blood is singing too loud. Or something. It doesn't make any sense.

Well, it makes perfectly good sense to Ash. The wolf is the fox's enemy - the fox is too small to just /kill/ - the fox comes up with a way to scare the poor wolf out of her senses until the time the fox actually comes by. Maybe a little dramatic, but it works. Ash shrugs at the girl carelessly. "I know not. When the Shadow wants to slay you, the Shadow will slay you." Ah. Seeing that little she-wolf standing there, looking so very distraught...it brings tears of joy to Ash's eyes. *sigh* The bird thinks he could come to really like this Crimson dude. Although...he /does/ feel a /little/ anxious for her. After all...she's just an adolescent.

This is getting Lark no where. She doesn't know who this Shadow is, or when they're coming, or why they care about her blood, or how they're going to do it. All questions lead to dead ends with this bird. "Isn't there /anything/ else you can tell me?" she pleads, grasping at straws. Tears are welling up in her eyes, so she fails to notice the joyful tears in the avian's. All she feels is an overwhelming sense of /hopelessness/. Death is coming. And there is nothing she can do about it.

Yup. Pretty much. He looks down at her with a calm expression. "That is all I offer you, she-woof." That was all Crimson had described to him, even. Now that he's delivered the message, well, it's in the fox's capable paws now. When he is going to do the dirty deed is not Ash's concern, or even interest. Deciding that his time here had been fully dealt with, the falcon raises his wings slightly, preparing for launch. Tilting his head towards the girl, he winks. "Good luck, she-woof." He waits for a moment, then flaps his wings suddenly, shooting off into the sky with a screech.

He's gone. Lark is alone, now, left with only her thoughts. Her mind echoes with the falcon's scream, sounding as final as a death sentence. Hot tears roll down her muzzle as she hears 'Good luck' ringing in her ears. A death dealing shadow may be on its way to kill her this very minute and all she has to defend herself with is a 'Good luck'. Sighing heavily, the wolf makes her way back to the den, completely suspecting the shadows resting on the ground to grow fangs and attack her as she walks.