-Hell's Gates-

Akiko face remained stoic even though she landed the hit. Dodging out of the way he was right on her and aiming for her chest. Lowering her head she engaged her jowls with his but continuously sidestepped never ceasing movement. Breaking the hold her mug was bleeding but it only made the deadly gleam in her eye sharper. If he wanted to dance than she would show him how to do it right. He would become slower eventually, she had all the stamina in the world, fueled by rage of Damean's death. Wolves clashed around the but the fighting seemed to have died down...Evander had fallen. She knew it and yet she was still unsatisfied. Deadly needed to die. "Come on pup, its time to go to hell." Curse's howl rang through the trees calling for a retreat. There would be no retreat for Deadly this day. Then she took her paw and quickly swiped it against the earth throwing some dirt at his face, cheap trick but she wasn't in this for the glory. Darting in she launched herself from her hind paw to wrap her forelegs around his neck, sure he could probably sink his teeth into her shoulder but she would make sure she took an ear off before she let go...

Eris had come in but everything was in an out too quickly, Jabbar wolves had come in so quickly there numbers overpowered the others easily. Evander had fallen...there were wounded. And Crow had fallen and his bird was injured. Glancing over at her own feathered companion she frowned. Another wolf carried Crow away and his bird stood on the ground unable to fly away. Making a small yipping noise her falcon flew from its perch and hovered above her. Approaching the crow she lowered her body and cocking her head to the side, birdlike almost she spoke softly to the creature. "I'm sorry to see you have fallen my winged friend. Would you like a lift for the time being?" She looked at the bird with eyes half shaded. Cadence, her falcon landed by her and she snuffled his chest for a second in a rare picture of affection and then looked back to the crow. If it continued to hop around on the ground no doubt it would earn the eye of some predator.

Bloodeye returned the flash of fangs from Gladiator, taking her attention from Kira again. He was much too talkative and belittling for her liking, and he had too much confidence for his weakened state. Bloodeye would not be foolish enough to fall into his fangs while he was in his current state. Nevertheless, she had no intention of fighting with the brute, no matter how annoying he seemed. He was a part of this pack too, and she was not going to sully her reputation by acting out on her first impulse. She was already viewed with suspicion as it was. "We all have more to learn, so don't count yourself out," was all she said, not wanting to drag out his arguement any longer. It wouldn't go anywhere anyways. Only time and actions would tell them who was loyal to whom. But he didn't need to act like he knew everything. If he dubbed her not worthy enough to speak Damean's name, then so be it, she couldn't really care less. And she also didn't care what he thought about her trying to claim these lands. She'd had every intention of running off anybody who wished to challenge her, but return these lands to their original state, the way it had been before Damean had been murdered. Which meant having the original pack on their own soil. So what if she wanted to lead them? She was not power-hungry and monstrous by nature; she was merely the type who liked to give direction rather than take it.

Snorting, she turned around just in time to see Kira give her final words and rush off after Gladiator. She felt completely blown off and dug her claws into the ground, lifting her lips and giving a very displeased growl to nobody in particular. She looked up, ears perked as Blade addressed her and she reclined upon her haunches, taking in a deep breath to keep her cool. "I know that already," she said briskly, eyes narrowed. She had a heart, too, and could be compassionate and merciful when needed, but she was not tolerant of youngsters like Kira who thought they already owned the world. Bloodeye had had plenty more life experiences than Kira - she had run two different packs, birthed whelps and fought many battles. She wasn't going to let a little know-it-all brat like her try to run the show. But she also had no way of proving her worth to these wolves through anything but her present actions - there was no point in arguing with any of them on things she couldn't show them. She nodded to Blade when he asked her if she was aligning herself with them. "I've always wanted to be a part of this pack," she told him, "Evander was an idiot, not cut out to be a leader. From what I'd seen, Damean had a much better head on his shoulders and was much more equipped to lead." She knew she had to get him to see from her point of view what she'd seen, though, the reason she hadn't been overly impressed by Damean.

"Of course, since the moment I arrived here," she continued, "He wasn't around much. Always off, never letting anyone know where he'd gone. Forgive me if I mistrust wolves of the sort, but I've been abandoned too many times, and had too many 'loyal' wolves at my throat. I just want to be with a pack whose loyalty never sways." She shrugged, glancing around. No one ever really seemed to take her seriously, so she would let him judge her as he would. No one could blame her for viewing Damean the way she had, and she couldn't blame anyone for judging her either. Perhaps her choices in the past hadn't been the best, and she hadn't shown herself as the most trusthworthy wolf, but she was determined now to change that around. She would do what she had to in order to take care of these wolves in whatever way she could, and show them what she was made of. Despite the frustrations of doubtful wolves, she would not give up on them.

Blade nodded at Bloodeye's words. "You did come during... trying times. The way I see it, true loyalty to a pack is loyalty to all members of the pack. Although Damean hadn't been around, we were. The actions and attitudes of wolves in a pack can vary by who leads. Sometimes you didn't make yourself readily available to talk with, just as sometimes, we might have been busy." He turned towards one of the plants, continuing, "Sneaking mean deceit, but there are few times you aren't told things for your own benefit, like a parent with a whelp."

He noticed Zaiaku's form approach, and said, "Think over it, even if you know. You might think of something new, or a way to show your true intentions to the pack." He nodded towards Bloodeye, then Zai before turning to leave the pair alone for now. He walked towards Balthier, and stood a short distance away, waiting.

Bloodeye nodded back when Blade spoke. She understood the things he said, and understood his point of view, the way he saw things. Everyone would see things differently, depending on their own values and what they'd seen and heard going on. She was tempted to argue with him, but again, she drew herself back to the thought that without proof, she could not justify her past actions. Thus, she kept her maw shut; besides, what good would it do to try and rile someone up who seemed to keep an open mind to her? "Thank you," she said as he gave his final words, a nod and was off to do his own thing. She appreciated his openess, even if he didn't trust her yet. That was something that she had to build on. Zaiaku had arrived at her side, and she had ignored him up until now, when she felt his breath tickle the fine fur lining her ears. She shivered, and turned to him with a cold, yet tantilizing glare. He had been out of the picture for quite some time, and she'd wondered about his whereabouts. Of course, she wasn't about to let him know that, now was she?

Instead, she let venomous words rush from her mouth, a greeting that would keep him on his toes. "It's about time you showed up, brute," she hissed, snapping her teeth just a whisker away from his maw before pressing her muzzle against his, "You've long missed out on all the fun stuff... although, I doubt the drama has ended here. Curse and her brother took off, and it's obvious they will be back." Though Akiko and Deadly could still be seen lashing at one another, and another male was being targeted by Rawbones, all of the real action had died down. If only he'd been there to see it. He had certainly missed out on a lot, but she hadn't gotten her claws dirty either. But no one had really needed her assistance, so she'd stayed where she was. Rising to her paws, she shifted past Zai, her orange-tipped tassel brushing him lightly as she did so. She was hungry, and she was sure that once these wolves were finished what they were doing, they would be hungry too. She still knew where the pack's winter storage was, and though most of it would be dried or rotting by now, there would still be some good morsels to keep their bellies full. The bodies of their prey had been drained of blood before being buried, and the soil would likely have soaked up a lot of the moisture. It was just the innards that would be unusable by this point, she hoped.

"Though I can tell you've just eaten," she commented, having noticed just the smallest of hints of prey blood on him, "I wonder if you might join me in uncovering the pack's winter stocks? These lot are sure to be hungry after all they've gone through." She looked at Zai, then padded back over to him and nudged him affectionately. She knew she could function without a male, but she rather enjoyed having this big, burly hessian by her side. Though they both tended to grow bored of pack business easily, they could quickly find amusement simply by being playfully sadistic with each other. She flicked her tail and moved past him again, this time heading over to the area where she remembered the food being buried. She let her nose touch the ground as she sought out the exact positioning of the bodies, and it wasn't long before the strong scent reached her nares. Some of it had definitely wasted, but she was sure not all was lost. With the recent cold, some of the dried meat was bound to have survived. Looking back, hoping that Zai would soon be beside her, she let her claws start raking the ground, and held back a grumble of annoyance when she found that the ground was quite cold and solid. Oh well, it was better to do a little digging than exert all that energy taking down enough prey for the whole pack, if they could avoid it.

Rawbones had fallen into a deep state of rage, teeth lashing out, he was always moving forward, trying to shear skin from bone on whomever stood in his way now. His only focus had been the Joker, but now, suddenly, he felt he was under attack from the side, a loud voice and a wolf's weight pushing at him. He did not hear the words, just the urgentness in someone's tone of voice, but it all meant nothing to him. Now his teeth slashed for this new opponent's soft flesh, snapping wildly, eyes wide; it was clear by looking into his silver pools that the old Rawbones was not in there - he was just a beast looking for a kill. Snarling savagely, he lunged forth, his neck jerking while his head swung down and up, jaws seeking out the tender flesh under Aladar's chin. Fangs clashed together and the rest of his body tensed. His toes were splayed out against the sod, claws digging into the frozen ground. Tail lashing, he waited for the alter's blood to fill his mouth, unaware of the damage he was causing..




Scarlett orbs narrowed as Zaiaku came near her, giving her a gentle but forceful push, insisting that a 'real wolf' do the job. Smirking, she nipped at his ear and gave it a little tug, before running her fangs down the fur of his neck teasingly. She loved this brute's attitude. He was not afraid of her, not afraid to be dominant and pushy towards her, yet at the same time he followed her around like a lost pup. She didn't mind the constant company, especially from a bru like him. She knew he had his darker, more sarcastic side, and likely a violent streak too, but he saved it for the times when it was needed, and wasn't a typical, haughty male. He knew what he was capable of, and didn't feel the need to prove it to anyone, even when provoked. He would show those who doubted him when they least expected it, and she knew it. Tassel waving into the air, Bloodeye came back to where she was, giving Zai a little bit of space to work, and began again, tearing at the icy ground. Perhaps underneath it would not be as frozen, but she didn't count on it, and kept on working.

She looked up suddenly when she heard a voice calling out, and glanced over to see Aladar rushing at Rawbones, who seemed to be attacking someone. Joker.. a wolf who'd done a little bit of dirty work for Evander. In her eyes, that brute was not with this pack, especially since he'd been over there bullying Serenity. Yet, Aladar was screaming at Rawbones to stop. He was Evander's relative, was he not? Whose side was he on? Then, Rawbones whirled around, turning on Aladar. A flash of surprise flashed through Bloodeye's pools. What was going on? Subconsciously, she took a step towards the battling wolves, unsure. Was there something she didn't know? She'd always seen Rawbones as a loyal pack wolf with a good head on his shoulders, surely he wasn't trying to cause trouble? Yet, Aladar had sworn loyalty to them too. Didn't the elder know that? Bloodeye glanced back to Zai, an ear flicking back. She turned back to what she was doing, trying to convince herself that these wolves knew what they were doing, and she needn't interfere.

Gladiator looked at the fea as she spoke to him. He said nothing just watched the water move. When she finished and the moment of silent grew long he let his words leave him. " You need to decide on what side you are on. I helped you yes but this land belongs to the wolves of jabbar and I will not have any disturb the peace that has finely come." He looked at her sky blue orbs watching her reactions. "You are new to this area I can tell and Evander might of seem good to you but he was not so to us... His death came because it had to. So now what will you do fea?" The older brute laid his massive crown on his mitts. He let the sound of the water sooth him. This was his spot. This was the spot he and his love use to come to all the time. The waters sent memories threw him that settled his enraged soul.

Serenity caught his eye, who was looking towards him with gratitude. He nodded in acknowledgement.

Aladar was screaming at Rawbones. His eyes wide, Blade yelled for a stop in movement, but this one was aimed for Aladar, "No! Don't get in his way, Aladar!" He yelled, but it was too late. He could have pushed him out of the way, but he'd be in the crossfire, too. Instead, he stayed back, already starting to send his respects, knowing what'd happen, and wished that Rawbones wouldn't think so bad of himself afterwards.

He noticed Bloodeye step forward, and called over to her and Zai, "Don't. You can't reach him, and he'll only kill you, too, before he realizes what he's done. Don't add to any guilt he'll have for this accident. Don't look at Rawbones any differently. That's not him right there." He glanced back towards Balthier, who was waiting by Crow's side. He walked over to them, glancing down at the now flightless crow on his master's leg. He looked between all the wolves and looked at Balthier, who seemed to understand his presence.

"Fenris..." Balthier sighed. "Please tell me not all of you are like this," he commented to Blade. "Pull Crow out of that mess, and then I'll finish with Gladiator after." He walked forward a bit. Pulling others out of fights wasn't his style. There wasn't always a graceful way to do it, and he did not like getting his pelt dirty for no reason. "Morgan, could you help Blade if Crow won't listen? You two seem friendly enough that he might listen to two." He was really glad Vaarak didn't decide to sneak out and follow him. He'd never seen a fight like this before.




"Some of us are," Blade said. Nodding, he turned towards Crow, who seemed to be trying to pull Joker into little strings. Not a sight one saw everyday, and he was a bit surprised Balthier wasn't fazed by it. Perhaps he did travel as much as he claimed. Blade, on the other hand, was used to seeing such sights when he was younger... well... normally not that extreme, but bad enough that he wasn't bothered.

Walking over, he stood quite close to Crow, but was ready to avoid any attacks in blind rage. "Crow, if you keep tearing pieces off, it'll be quite difficult to remove... this from the senses of bears and other pests. Plus... I think you avenged your companion." He looked down at the remains of Crow's loyal bird. "Your friend deserves a proper funeral, which means you not being covered in any more of that fiend's filthy blood than you have to." He stepped back a little, to give him a bit of space to think. "He fought for you, despite his own injury. Try not to kill yourself mangling this filth anymore." He didn't mention Balthier still needing to heal him yet, figuring it was better to get crow to stop tearing at the carcass first.

Although Rawbones released Aladar as soon as Joker came over to join the fray, the damage had already been done, and the brute would not recover from it. Still, Rawbones had no clue what he was doing; all he knew was that Aladar had stopped moving, and there was only the Joker standing in front of him, moving, laughing and waiting to be mauled. But before he could make a move, another wolf lunged for Joker, shouldering him roughly, out of the range of Rawbones. The elder stared on furiously, his lips peeled back and jaws set apart, looking for another opportunity to strike. Yet his vision was so distorted, and his mind so unstable that he did not know which way to move. At this point, he could not tell who was a friend and who was a foe. He stood in place, blood and saliva beginning to leak from between his teeth, drizzling over his lips and falling to the ground. He was so tense he forgot to breathe, and was frozen to the spot.

When all was over and done with, Rawbones remained stiff as a rock, staring at all the blood and mess, watching as Crow tore furiously at what was left of the shreds of their enemy. More saliva poured from his jowls, and then he collapsed, the fall forcing the trapped air out from his lungs and causing him to breathe normally once more. In fact, he gasped, sucking in the atmoshpere greedily, coughing when the excess fluids from his mouth interfered. At last, he was returning from his deadly trance, his surroundings becoming more recognizable, though the stench that filled his nares told him that there was a blood-bath surrounding him. The thick, sticky liquid seeped through his coat where he lay, and he wished to move away to someplace more comfortable, but his legs, his body, was stiff and sore. Letting forth a growl of discontentment, he closed his eyes, letting himself fall into unconsciousness for the time being.



Bloodeye glanced up as Blade addressed her, explaining what was going on with the gorey battle between Rawbones, Joker and Aladar. Her eyes widened with surprise. Obviously a strong bloodthirst like that was necessary in the warriors of a pack, but if he was so dangerous to his own packmates, shouldn't he have been kept away from the battle? Curiousity kept her watching, and she scratched at the ground only slightly, more interested to see what was happening. As soon as Aladar was taken down, she saw Rawbones turn back towards his enemy, but then Crow suddenly jumped in, and her ears perked with interest. The brute was wounded already, but he obviously had more fight left in him. She was delighted to see Crow's success as he ended the Joker's life, but it was unfortunate that his feathered friend paid a price throughout the event. She didn't blame Crow when anger drove him mad and he dug furiously and needlessly at the already motionless corpse. Not knowing if Crow had some sort of problem like Rawbones, she didn't interfere, and allowed his closer packmates to handle him.

With her curiousity sated, Bloodeye turned back to the task she and Zai had set out to, and she looked up at him with a grin. HIs thoughts seemed to match hers at the moment as they continued to dig, making progress little by little. The bloodshed around here at this moment was incredible and showed the pack's strength and ferocity, something she enjoyed and was quite used to, but to her it seemed to lack any kind of order. Without a pack leader these wolves were merely acting on impulse and giving in to their deepest needs to fulfill bloodlust and revenge, not a healthy state of mind for any alliance of pack. As she kept digging, she moved closer to Zai again, helping to work on the bigger hole he'd managed to dig out. The faster they finished this, the better. She was determined to direct these wolves to their next activity, which would undoubtedly be rest and recovery. At last, the ground was giving way more easily, and the scent of old meat drifted up to her nares. "Almost there, don't stop now," she muttered, mostly to herself.

Her claws hit something other than dirt, and she was pleased to find that they'd reached the winter stores. She pulled more and more dirt away, opening the gap wider until the meat could be seen easily. She looked up from what she was doing, checking on the pack's progress. Akiko was still dueling with that big Midnight male, and she didn't seem to need nor want any help. But she knew they wouldn't let their Betess die if it came down to it - Deadly would be the one to get struck down in the end. He might as well lay on his back and face his fate right now than go on fighting a futile battle. Shrugging, she lifted her head and howled, letting the wolves know that food would soon be available, as soon as she and Zaiaku could pull it out of the ground.

Petra smiled to Despair as he reclined upon his haunches, stating that he would not come any further unless called to assist. Her tail wagged when he said this pack should do well. She was grateful that he believed in them. They were a strong-hearted bunch and would never be torn down by their enemies. "Thank you, Despair," she said, nodding to him. This was where she would take her leave and plunge into the familiar woods. She was so glad to be back home. It had felt like an eternity being in different lands, even though she had spent plenty of time in Midnight Meadows before. It still just wasn't home. However, Petra's optimism was replaced by a creeping feeling of dread as the smell of blood grew stronger and stronger. She hoped nobody had gotten seriously injured, or killed. The risk was always there, she knew it, but it was never something someone wished for.

As she came into the main area, her leafy green orbs darted around somewhat frantically, trying to take tabs on who was here, where the blood was coming from, and who needed her assistance. Selfishly, her eyes sought out Blade first, and she was relieved when she found him intact, trying to get Crow's attention. She briefly assessed the situation, but her attention drifted to Rawbones, lying on the ground in a pool of blood. Closeby was Aladar, motionless. Her eyes flew wide open, but she forced herself to keep looking around. Nothing else seemed of dire importance at the moment, but she spotted Balthier, and knew she could lend him a paw. She raced over to him, stopping a few feet from him. "Balthier," she said, greeting him with a brisk nod, "If you are low on supplies, my den is just on the far side of this clearing, under the big boulder. The pack and I collected plenty before the winter came." She motioned over to where a large, gray rock could be seen just through the trees, not far from where they stood.

Looking back to him, she parted her jaws to speak once again, "I'm going over to assess Blade, Crow, Rawbones and Aladar," she told him, and with another quick nod, she went running over to the bloodied group of warriors. It was instantly clear when she arrived that Aladar was beyond repair and had already passed, but she could see Rawbones breathing, and he didn't seem wounded. To her relief, she found that he was not lying in his own blood, though it occured to her that things here may not be what they seemed. Something was wrong, and she knew it was his mind; he had almost attacked her once in the past when she'd tried to help him after a fight, but he seemed unconscious at the moment. Now her attention turned to Blade and Crow. Her mate did not seem to harbor any deadly cuts or gashes, though the one on his face would certainly need attention. Crow was of greater concern now, though. He was in bad shape. She could see that her packmates were trying to reason with the bru, who seemed to be in just as mad a state as when Rawbones was in the heat of battle. She would not interfere yet, and would wait until he was more willing to be looked after.

Blade calmly tilted his head enough to avoid the blow, anticipating some sort of retaliation. "I don't do stupid things like sympathy and pity. I'm only stating facts. But if that's your desire, suit yourself. Don't blame any of us if Balthier or Petra try to heal you when you collapse." He turned and walked away, saying to the older healer, "Go and deal with Gladiator first. You or Petra can help Crow when he's finished sorting everything out and is ready to take care of himself." He walked towards the shadows of the trees, muttering something about pointless sacrifices if the recipient wasn't respecting them. He didn't blame Crow for his reaction, he just wasn't used to wolves not being able to think remotely clearly in distress. He was aware of this fact, just... annoyed at that fact. No matter his deepest worries for Petra, he still had some reason of logic in him. It was priceless for a few reasons, but it also made him easily annoyed, especially with the mood he was in ever since that fight with Evander.

Balthier had called after him, and he tilted his head in response, in a half shrug, and half brushing it off, knowing he wouldn't take this much the wrong way. He was walking towards the river, the cuts on his shoulder and face just barely remembered. He was aware Petra had shown up, but figured the others would probably be more of a priority, and didn't want to distract her. If she came to him, then that was her choice.



Balthier watched the exchange, cringing a little at Blade's choice of words. "I should have taught him more consideration with his words." He noticed Petra and nodded in greeting towards her. "Thank you, I will take a look if I have a need." When Blade walked past him, talking about Gladiator, he nodded, and said after him about his mutterings, "You could have told him about what you are muttering about first, and he might have taken it differently. Not everyone knows how to deal with feelings they feel for the first time, you know. However did you and Petra get together?" He walked in the direction he'd seen his patient go, his herbs in his grasp.

"Would I be interrupting if I check on how your injuries are doing?" He'd noticed Gladiator was conversing with the very young wolf that had stuck with Evander the whole time.

He saw the signs, so he darted forward, catching the large midnight as he collapsed. Balthier slowly slid away to lower Gladiator to the ground in a more gentler way than he would have. "At least this way he'll actually allow his body to heal a bit first..." For now, he ignored Kira, focused on his work. He could make the wound numb like earlier, but the best way to numb wounds is by ingestion, which he didn't have the luxury of preparing earlier, as he had to be on stand by. They way Balthier had prepared the poultice, he was sure Gladiator wouldn't have collapsed until later. Either wolves of his clan flushed out anything foreign quickly, or the wounds were more painful than they first looked... or a combination of both.

He had just enough material to work with. After this, he'd have to look at what Petra had. In the back of his mind, he was concerned about Crow's condition, but he had left the herb with Morgan, and had explained that Crow had to eat it. Hopefully he'd remain with the unconscious wolf for the time being. While thinking, Balthier had produced another poultice, one similar to the last one, but more effective and didn't numb. He carefully wiped off most of what had previously been there, and applied the fresh poultice. On a regular leaf, he placed a small variety of herbs. He remember a wolf telling him this plant numbed pain like poppy seeds did, but without the sleepiness with the drawback of not being as potent. The other herbs helped to replenish blood and lend energy. Or at least, he believed would supply energy. He rarely mixed the herbs with others to be certain; he just knew the mix wouldn't be harmful.

Sitting back with the tiny herb pile next to him, he prepared to wait. Turning his head to notice Kira again, he said, "I would have done the proper thing and introduced myself to you when I arrived, but I'm sure you understand. My name's Balthier. May I ask yours while we're both here?" He had no concerns with speaking to wolves who didn't fight for Jabbar as long as they weren't aggressive. This one didn't seem so, since she had looked like she was quite civil to Gladiator. He still had those darned stains he had yet to wash off, even if she was. He was glad his tiny stock of poisons were gone, for the sake of the pack and himself. They weren't anything he wanted to deal with unless an animal accidentally carries the seeds into the pack lands.