--// [I]ndustrial. [Calling The Lord]

[Vitenka]

Somehow, someway, Infrared knew he meant to be here. It was idle wandering which brought him upon these lands, his flawless white coat contrasting sharply to all that would remain black. It would vaugely remind him of the nocturnal instinct that all giant felines had to some point, the awesome adrenaline rush of the hunt. And though he had not previously been a tiger in his previous life he had gotten used to the urge of hunting solely during the nightly hours when the dew matted the fur between his paws making each footstep mesh with the natural surroundings. Then was the time when he stalked, when he crouched low in the bush to wait for the right time to strike his unknowing prey. A furious roar and release of those tensed muscles that drove him forward into a collision with the blind animal-turned-feast.

But who was he to simply dwell on these thoughts now? Infrared had more to worry about. Well, at least he assumed he did. This glade in itself, it seemed, posed no immediate danger. But the scent of death lingered in the air like a haze, his wolfish nose told him, the familiar and subtle rotting of all things. It would seem to the now-wolf that everything, including the black grass he now tread upon was rotting... A phantom decaying process that his eye ceased to look for. Even the stream in which he had discovered earlier could no longer stand out from his senses. No, his nose had picked up and would continue to find the rank scent.

He would eventually find the stream again with the hope he hadn't been going in circles. Infrared had walked for miles without no real rest, his once strong endurance weaning gradually from the blatant shaking of his thick limbs. The beast had no choice but to sit and continue to keep his wits about him. He couldn't be completely alone here, could he? No one was completely abandoned, it seemed. Where wolves were once so rare to find the gradual abundance of the creatures would come into play. Everywhere the white one would turn seemed to have a wolf waiting for him... A wolf not worthy of his presence. Why grant it to them? He would ignore them.

But the sense of complete lonliness here frightened the pride-crazed monstrosity. Why did it feel like someone was watching him? Even still every area he looked at seemed to aquire a sudden pair of eyes or even several, watching him, and yet there were none.

Were his eyes playing tricks on him in this darkness? He could only hope so.

"I'm going crazy," he murmured, his accent showing through these three words. The white animal knew nothing of song but began to hum anyway, albeit a terrible tune. It was something to, more or less, decrease the feeling of insuccnificance. Infrared had never as far as he knew knew this emotion from one other occaision, an occaision he rather forget. But the images he recieved, the graphic videos playing constantly in his deepest memory.

"I am going crazy," Infrared repeated to himself letting his front legs give out from under him. Great. He was laying down now, completely exposed to any wanderer who might think him a large and easy meal to grab. I mean, who couldn't be more obvious than a immense dire hybrid in the middle of a black glade?


OoC; Not my best post in the least. XD I hate starting posts.

[Memoru]

A soft wind rustled through the glade, making a black sea of the oily grass that stood jaggedly from the stinking dirt, carrying with it the sent of another. It was a strong and musky sent, of mingled species that sent confusion through The Lord's mind, if only for a moment. Shapeshifter, the scent sang to him, Stranger. There was new blood on his territory, reeking of strength in mind and body. A cunning viciousness that, if The Lord were not at such an advantage, he might considered a threat. Claws flexed against the dirt and a dark tongue lolled from his mouth, wetting thick chops.

"New blood,"the words fell thickly from his mouth, accompanied by a deep and growling rumble that escaped into the silence of the blackened night. The scent was not near to him, but far off against his murky glade. He would need speed.

The transformation was almost instantaneous. Fur lengthening, hardening into stiff stocks that billowed out tendrils of drab feather that clung like the stink of death to whitened skin. Joints cracked and morphed, shrinking grotesquely into a hideous half-wolfish form. His eyes grew smaller, sharper, turning a jet black color that shone like obsidian, perfectly round and unblinking. Powerful maw too would shrink and harden into a sharp and deadly beak, grey as the skies of this wretched land. Forlimbs curled into angled stumps, growing feathers rapidly against the bone and out, forming shapely, black wings.

A raven. Perhaps the most common animal in His lands, were it not for the steady flow of new wolves.

He stretched his wings, flapping them uselessly as seconds passed, then took the skies with a hollow shriek, gliding, black against black, toward that heavy scent. It was not long before his wings carried him to the giant form of a strange, white wolf.

Infrared. The name blared through his mind. The Lord had known of him, not as closely or as well as he'd known the original seven, but this wolf was one of the first few who entered during the true opening of Venial. Lucky, perhaps, that he had died not a moment sooner. Who knows where this mighty brute would have ended up if he had?

The Lord shook those thoughts from his mind and drifted back toward the grass. Wings turned to paws as he neared, and the first touch of ground was a kiss of claw to dirt. He shook himself, skin tingling a little as it molted the last of his 'feathers' to reveal charcoal black fur.

"Infrared,"again the words were deep and low, dripping with a snarl that dare not show against The Lord's maw. He did not show himself, did not quite desire to do so, so soon in meeting. He stepped back from the wolf, merely meters away, and shrouded himself in a thick, opaque darkness that let not scent nor sight through. Only his voice escaped the confines of his artificial shadow.

"Do you know who's lands these are?" The Lord snarled, his tail twitching against his legs, resisting the urge to raise. He did not need that yet, with this wolf unseeing of him. The Lord paced, a slow and hard beat around the larger wolf circling him like a predator would its prey.

This wolf looked as if he had some value, not like the scrawny fools Five and Redemption spoke of bringing him.

[Vitenka]

"You are the one which very seldom speak of, aren't you?" he would inquire, not expecting an entire answer in return. Infrared did not think, he did nothing that would hinder his mind in the thought riddled mind that was his own. He spoke vaguely, deep and resonant voice low in volume. Truth be told he knew little to none about this wolf, though he had certainly heard some few rouges speak seldom of him. Through his hopeless travels through these lands he had heard others speak of the Lord, a black and cunning beast who's abilities were seemingly limitless. Were these fairytales true? The white one could only assume, blatantly conspire against the advancing male, though he had little to no intention of attempting to strike the stalking creature.

For one, he was too dark. Both landscape and living being had molded perfectly into the landscape acting as one, each harmoniously working off another. Of course Infrared had been the polar opposite, a glaring imperfection in the darkness. This fact discouraged him for he now had someone on his tail, a someone who had no inkling of being either friend or foe. This bothered him. Neutrality had never been a part of his life.

As he drifted over to becoming even more uncomfortable Infrared's appearance had shifted back and forth from his wolf and tiger forms. It had not been instantaneous as his previous transformations had been practiced to be but instead hesitant, a pulsing reaction that indeed caused quite confusion to the albino's body. His ears, for example, would grow wider and reform back to their formerly sharp, wolfish appearance. Had it not been for the real eyes staring daggers into his body he would have either made the complete shift, leaving him somewhat more... Armed than before. In his experience, anyway, most were intimidated by the idea of a large feline that had the ability and strength to eliminate them. Could he expect the same from this assumtively black, powerful male?

Certainly not. What was he to think that he would be able to defeat this wolf that smelled of death? Hell, he didn't even smell real... Infrared would expect the scent to come more from a decomposing carcass than anything.

He lowered his head. A dumb move, certainly, as it left an opening for the opposing male to catch a hold of. Had he not been intelligent enough to actually keep guard of his neck area, well, that's probably what would've happened. Having dealt with other deadly wolves in his time as a living creature his technique was an impeccable one. At least that what he wanted to think, naturally.

"It is obvious that I have intruded on your territory," Infrared would be heard once again, voice stronger than his previous attempts to speak. "I will not apologize. It was an unintentional move I do tell you, Lord or beast. I have wandered for miles. Too long for any normal wolf to travel, most certainly. It is here where I decided to rest. Rest assured, Lord or Devil, I will be out of your lands swiftly. "

His bitterness was brought on by his very poor social skills of meeting other wolves. The albino's fur had been tarnished with dirt and mud and thus turning his attitude sour. Fighting the urge to drop down, surrendering to cleaning his once beautiful fur into it's former state. But what good was it to have it blood stained as well if this 'Lord' decided to deal out a swift punishment to him? He had never in his life recalled speaking to a godly figure much less an assumtive one.

Infrared would consider running then from this beast. He was frightened, the draft that had been brought by the vague whispers of his name chilling him considerably. He again would have no choice to persist through the pain. What would happen if this wolf who mysteriously knew his name did turn out to be this Lord person? Would he be granted with a wish or gift, killed even? He was willing to take the chance.