CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT
& SATISFACTION BROUGHT HIM BACK
& SATISFACTION BROUGHT HIM BACK
Dewy strands of grass cling to Dahmer's dark legs in the early Tephra morning, though he pays them no mind as he and his winged champagne counterpart journey towards the southern border. He loathes to leave the volcanic island, the place that he has called his home for the duration of his time in Beqanna, and it's with a quick blue-eyed glance over his ebony shoulder that Dahmer regards the volcano in the distance, tucked into the center of vibrant tropical foliage and a gentle morning haze. He sighs quietly at the bittersweet sight before turning to face forward once more ('always forward, never backward', he can hear Desole berate), and it's with a gentle nudge to the taut muscle of Ellyse's neck that he is moving again, hooves falling rhythmically against the soft loam.
"Shall we, kitten?" he rumbles sensually in her pricked ear, the hint of a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth as the next chapter of their lives begins to unfold.
Dahmer is not a stranger to the throne. The Subway had been his own at the turn of his third birthday; his jolly band of misfits ─ some who had been loyal to his father, some that had signed on after he had taken the helm ─ had reigned in those underground tunnels and had controlled the Azza Elite Army until, just after his tenth birthday, the islands of Azza and Kusheth had been lost to the roiling sea. Few had survived the earthquake that claimed both islands.
Even fewer had survived the swim to the mainland.
He remembers the Subway with warm nostalgia as he and @[Ellyse] make the trek to Sylva. Only Tephra had ever rivaled his homeland in the amount of space it took up in his heart, but perhaps in time Sylva could claim its place there, too. With Tephra's sulfur-tinged humidity far behind them and the golden canopy of Sylva finally rounding the horizon in the distance, the black beast gives Ellyse one more gentle nudge at the spot where her feathered wing and shoulder connect before growing visibly more authoritative than she had ever witnessed him before.
Beqanna and Ellyse and Smoak have softened him, but the black beast has not forgotten his mother's teachings and as the pair moves across the invisible border between Taiga and Sylva and into the golden forest, the thoroughbred beast is born anew. His hooves fall with calculated precision against the dry pine needles of the forest floor and they crackle beneath the weight of him. His icy blue eyes rove the shadows of the autumn-colored forest, nostrils fluttering to inspect the scents of those who call this place home even after Gryffen's exodus. He glances to Ellyse every so often and, while his determined expression does not change, the blue-eyed beast can't help but feel a thrill as they move in tandem through their new home. Their new kingdom.
Desole had told him once that @[Scyla] was not his sister, that she was not to be treated as such. Though she shares your blood, she is not your sister. But for all the things that Dahmer had done for his mother without question, forsaking the invisible monster, his half-sister, was not one of them ─ and now, as a testament of his love for her, he has taken the throne of Sylva for his own and shoved her rapist out. He will not blame her, should Scyla decide not to live within the boundaries of the territory that holds nothing but negative memories for her, but at least now the black beast can live knowing that he had avenged her.
They move swiftly, determined, into the heart of the forest and Dahmer raises his dark head to whistle commandingly. The sound echoes through the yellowing leaves, calling for those who still remain to peel away from the shadows and reveal themselves to the new rulers of Sylva. With patience and a readiness to deal with whatever those who remain loyal to Gryffen will throw at him (he suspects they will not accept the news quietly, though this does not intimidate or deter him), the black beast waits with a glinting hardness in his eyes and a sturdy set to his jaw.
When finally they come (and they will come), drawn to the center of their home by an unknown usurper, Dahmer makes silent judgments of each of them. There is one in particular that he searches for, his glacial blue eyes scanning the faces of each until it comes to rest on the blue roan that he had heard so much about. @[Thana] ─ the blue wolf; the true muscle behind Gryffen's rise to greatness. Dahmer had heard stories of her ruthlessness, of her thirst for infamy. She is the epitome of mercilessness and he will not underestimate her, though the black beast hopes privately that there is a way to secure her skills for Sylva's use. She had proven herself unerringly loyal to Gryffen, but he wonders ─ loyal to a single being, or loyal to the idea and promise of greatness? He hopes for the latter.
"Your king has abandoned you!" Dahmer finally addresses them, his brusque tone commanding their attention. His blue eyes rove Sylva's collective, muscles taut and ready beneath his inky coat should their reactions indicate trouble. "And we, Dahmer and Ellyse, are here to take his place. As such, each of you has a very important decision to make." The black beast pauses for a brief moment to convey the gravity of his next statement ─ "Pledge your loyalty now, or join Gryffen in his banishment. For those who wish to follow Gryffen down his newfound path of inadequacy, you have two minutes to leave. We will ensure that you do so." He motions to Ellyse, to the feathered wings at her side, but does not mention yet his own ability to shift.
His gaze turns directly to the blue roan, then. "You, though," he addresses Thana directly, and Thana alone, "have made a name for yourself. All through Beqanna, horses whisper your name in fear and reverence. And I can recognize the true reason for someone's greatness when I see it. I implore you to remain within Sylva ─ I do not ask for you to pledge your loyalty to me, but to the greatness of this territory. And if you do, it's my promise to you that your name will never be forgotten."
As his speech comes to an end, Dahmer allows his gaze to once more rove the group that has gathered before he and Ellyse. "Now, decide," he commands them all, save Thana, who he hopes silently will consider his proposition.
"Shall we, kitten?" he rumbles sensually in her pricked ear, the hint of a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth as the next chapter of their lives begins to unfold.
Dahmer is not a stranger to the throne. The Subway had been his own at the turn of his third birthday; his jolly band of misfits ─ some who had been loyal to his father, some that had signed on after he had taken the helm ─ had reigned in those underground tunnels and had controlled the Azza Elite Army until, just after his tenth birthday, the islands of Azza and Kusheth had been lost to the roiling sea. Few had survived the earthquake that claimed both islands.
Even fewer had survived the swim to the mainland.
He remembers the Subway with warm nostalgia as he and @[Ellyse] make the trek to Sylva. Only Tephra had ever rivaled his homeland in the amount of space it took up in his heart, but perhaps in time Sylva could claim its place there, too. With Tephra's sulfur-tinged humidity far behind them and the golden canopy of Sylva finally rounding the horizon in the distance, the black beast gives Ellyse one more gentle nudge at the spot where her feathered wing and shoulder connect before growing visibly more authoritative than she had ever witnessed him before.
Beqanna and Ellyse and Smoak have softened him, but the black beast has not forgotten his mother's teachings and as the pair moves across the invisible border between Taiga and Sylva and into the golden forest, the thoroughbred beast is born anew. His hooves fall with calculated precision against the dry pine needles of the forest floor and they crackle beneath the weight of him. His icy blue eyes rove the shadows of the autumn-colored forest, nostrils fluttering to inspect the scents of those who call this place home even after Gryffen's exodus. He glances to Ellyse every so often and, while his determined expression does not change, the blue-eyed beast can't help but feel a thrill as they move in tandem through their new home. Their new kingdom.
Desole had told him once that @[Scyla] was not his sister, that she was not to be treated as such. Though she shares your blood, she is not your sister. But for all the things that Dahmer had done for his mother without question, forsaking the invisible monster, his half-sister, was not one of them ─ and now, as a testament of his love for her, he has taken the throne of Sylva for his own and shoved her rapist out. He will not blame her, should Scyla decide not to live within the boundaries of the territory that holds nothing but negative memories for her, but at least now the black beast can live knowing that he had avenged her.
They move swiftly, determined, into the heart of the forest and Dahmer raises his dark head to whistle commandingly. The sound echoes through the yellowing leaves, calling for those who still remain to peel away from the shadows and reveal themselves to the new rulers of Sylva. With patience and a readiness to deal with whatever those who remain loyal to Gryffen will throw at him (he suspects they will not accept the news quietly, though this does not intimidate or deter him), the black beast waits with a glinting hardness in his eyes and a sturdy set to his jaw.
When finally they come (and they will come), drawn to the center of their home by an unknown usurper, Dahmer makes silent judgments of each of them. There is one in particular that he searches for, his glacial blue eyes scanning the faces of each until it comes to rest on the blue roan that he had heard so much about. @[Thana] ─ the blue wolf; the true muscle behind Gryffen's rise to greatness. Dahmer had heard stories of her ruthlessness, of her thirst for infamy. She is the epitome of mercilessness and he will not underestimate her, though the black beast hopes privately that there is a way to secure her skills for Sylva's use. She had proven herself unerringly loyal to Gryffen, but he wonders ─ loyal to a single being, or loyal to the idea and promise of greatness? He hopes for the latter.
"Your king has abandoned you!" Dahmer finally addresses them, his brusque tone commanding their attention. His blue eyes rove Sylva's collective, muscles taut and ready beneath his inky coat should their reactions indicate trouble. "And we, Dahmer and Ellyse, are here to take his place. As such, each of you has a very important decision to make." The black beast pauses for a brief moment to convey the gravity of his next statement ─ "Pledge your loyalty now, or join Gryffen in his banishment. For those who wish to follow Gryffen down his newfound path of inadequacy, you have two minutes to leave. We will ensure that you do so." He motions to Ellyse, to the feathered wings at her side, but does not mention yet his own ability to shift.
His gaze turns directly to the blue roan, then. "You, though," he addresses Thana directly, and Thana alone, "have made a name for yourself. All through Beqanna, horses whisper your name in fear and reverence. And I can recognize the true reason for someone's greatness when I see it. I implore you to remain within Sylva ─ I do not ask for you to pledge your loyalty to me, but to the greatness of this territory. And if you do, it's my promise to you that your name will never be forgotten."
As his speech comes to an end, Dahmer allows his gaze to once more rove the group that has gathered before he and Ellyse. "Now, decide," he commands them all, save Thana, who he hopes silently will consider his proposition.
Dahmer
TL;DR - Activity check! Please respond telling me if your character is staying or leaving. Sylva will become very army oriented in the near future, so keep that in mind!