.:. Lacrimosa Lake

Corentine came to her side and together, they watched the fight commence. Mort continued to tease the wolf, then Vault and Solara jumped in; it appeared that the moose was lacking in the battle, not brought up to its full potential. A grim look crossed Evon's face, slightly annoyed that not one of them had been crushed. Though they were a part of her pack and she was interested in their strength, the sadistic witch nestled inside her was not satisfied. She had been hoping for a spot of blood that did not belong to the moose on them. If anything, she was disappointed. No matter... They were going to be disciplined either way, or at least one of them would.

"Come, Corentine," she said over her shoulder to the fem. She had heard her comment about not being able to test these wolves, but oh, the time was near. Down the moose went, its heavy breathing becoming shallow, and by the time Evanescence had come over to the trio, its breath was gone. She glanced at its massive, dead body, just lying there in the forest. The queen herself had already eaten. Corentine had said she wasn't hungry. And Nikolaos was already out on his mission. She turned her blue eyes directly to Mort, seeing that his personality was different, but the body he belonged in was still wholly responsible.

"Don't expect a reward," she said, her tone dark, her cerulean eyes swirling with an oncoming storm. "I hope you know that what you have done is entirely foolish. Was I impressed with this display of strength? Perhaps. So you have muscle. So does a bear, so does a wolverine, so does a fucking rat. Attack something enough and it will die." She was glaring at him now, her form rising in anger, but she was not the type to unleash her fury all at once like a blazing wildfire. No, no... Evanescence was sharp and quick, like lightning. "What I was not impressed by was the fact of how much danger you put yourself and your team in. Yes, you're a killer, congratulations. But if you could have some intelligence, it probably would have saved your energy. Employ strategy, not something a bloodthirsty monster could have done on a whim." Her gaze swiveled to Solara and Vault. She wasn't necessarily angry with them, so much as what had caused their actions. "There were elk in the area, were there not? What made you all decide that moose was best? Or was it just Mort here? Does he decide what you do from now on?"

She turned to the moose body, kicking it with her forepaw, snorting. "What the hell do you expect to do with all of this meat, anyways? Spring is here, and summer will be coming. Soon, it will be rotting. Bury it, and the earth will eat all of the flesh before you do." Her eyes raised to Mort again. The others were not to blame, she knew, for he was the one that made the initial attack, the one that had led them in. "Figure out something to do with it," she snapped, her words sharp. "Because the last thing I will have on my father's lands is the stench of carrion."

Her white tail was curved over her back, her shoulders square, and her head high. She was just waiting for some kind of retaliation, knowing that their blood would still be hot from the kill. But to retaliate would have been foolish as well... There was a reason they were here; they wanted to learn, did they not? No one had said that teaching would have come easy.

Her lips pursed, her eyes cold, and her anger cooling like that of fire in a frost, Evanescence considered their responses. Her eyes waited on Mort, mainly, for he had been the leader of them all. Aud twitched behind her at Corentine - A defect? Possibly. The moose was large and his rack was mighty, but there had been something lacking about him. Perhaps he had not been 'all there' in his head, like his killer. She caught Mort's undertone as he tried to slink off. "Almost," she echoed, a noticeable change in her voice. Just as Mort could switch personalities, so could she, her mind working faster than any action she could display. Already, she was coming up with what she would tell the wolf when it came for them to speak. "Perhaps next time you'll think with your brain instead of your brawn."

Eyes shifted back to Vault and Solara, nodding. "Good. I will speak with you both individually when the time comes. For now, help Mort." The two wolves were already up to the task, dragging the moose away from the site and probably burying it somewhere. It was a waste, but at least they were returning it to the forest whence it came. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Mort brood off. She sighed loudly, knowing that Corentine was still near. "Perhaps my sister Epica was right when she said I was too bossy, but I always thought the others needed direction," she said, not quite to Corentine or herself, just aloud. She looked over her shoulder at the muscular femora. "Now that we don't have to think about replacing one of them, we shall begin your testing. I'm not going to tell you your rank until the testing is completed, nor I am going to give you any specific instructions. This is a test of your skill, your instinct. Follow me."

The white witch turned westward, their path curving alongside the Lake, and giving birth to the rest of the dark forest. She sent up a brief howl, saying, "I am testing Corentine. Do not interfere. Attack any that do not know my name. Prepare for your own tests, if you can predict them." As she finished, she wondered if Corentine knew what was going to happen. The fae was a smart one, that was for sure, and could recognize a stable leader as herself. Evanescence wound her way through the forest, knowing every tree and every rock, though they all looked the same. Eventually, the forest began to wane into a grey flatland, a crevasse visible from where they were.

Evon stopped just at the edge of the gorge, looking down at the tiny river below. Sharp cliffs and jagged rocks jutted out, providing ledges to walk on, but also threatening certain death if they fell. She turned to Corentine. "Ready to begin?" she asked, a smile to her lips. This would be interesting.