What One Thinks is Only A Monster...

[Theory]

Name:Razgul

Age:20

Gender:Male

Species: Demonic Werewolf

Personality: Razgul is a very strong leader, but he's new at it. He recently took over his pack from his father and a new learner to all the ways of leadership.
He's been learning fast over the past month he's bee in control, and like his father before him he was a human killer. His father had been hunted throughout his life...but never caught...until a month ago. The male had mysteriously come back to his pack, a poison arrow stuck between his wings where the main bloodline of his body traveled.
The blood by the top of his and his son's back's are extremely narrow because they go to the wings and cannot carry a heavy amount of fluid.
The poison had spread through the pinioned appendages, destroying the tissues and infecting the one thing he can't manage himself.
If the wings of the demon wolves ever got injured, they couldn't shift back. That was their one weakness. Yes, flying was an advantage, but it was also the greatest disadvantage.

The pack was extremely well known around the area, even though most members had no wings and stayed far away from town.
Razgul and his father were gifted with the appendages, but they couldn't use them to fly. It was to obvious, to well known to look above as you walked the streets at night. Surprise was something the wolves no longer had while flying.
Now all Raz could use his wings for was to bound swiftly through the forest and leap extremely high.
Flying was suicide since guards were stationed everywhere to watch for him.

Tonight was a very calm one, only crickets were heard along the edge of the forest as the giant wolf stalked out in to the night air.
His pitch black wings reflected off moon's rays, shining with a warm gray, almost like a flashed-signal.
He kept them tightly folded against his back so they didn't signal any of the guards in the watch towers around town.

Tonight Razgul needed to hunt...to bring back at least one human for his hungry pack.
He was new, not but a month old in his position of leader. The second Raztul had died everyone turned their eyes to the last winged wolf, waiting for him to take over and not screw up...right off the bat.

Raz felt the pressure, badly, but he kept it inside and remained quiet and calm. Stressing out wouldn't help the male catch anything...he needed to focus.
The past month he'd caught about five humans and two deer. It wasn't a bad kill record for a new leader but he needed to make a kill tonight. During all those kills the boy had gotten lucky though...he hadn't found a single hunter during any of the chases. Lucky.
He just hoped his luck was just as good tonight.

With a quiet grunt Razgul ducked down in to the tall wheat field that connected the giant Baziell Forest to the great town of Sherwell. He ducked and dodged swiftly through the cornstalks, dodging around foot traps that he'd memorized and jumping over small pitfalls. He kept his wings against him and moved quickly, hoping to get to town without being spotted. If he was seen the alarm would be raised and all his work for a sneak attack would be ruined for the day.

 

[aiden1896]

Name: Eska (If you're ever lucky enough to learn it :P)
Alias/Job: Ranger, Hunter, Merc
Age: ??? appears to be in his early thirties

Eska is quiet, keeping to himself mostly with the occasional woman to warm his bed. He holds a twisted sense of honor, much akin to an thief. He will not tolerate abuse of women or children, but is often attempting to remove himself from a situation before a confrontation arises. He is highly skilled with double knives for close combat, however he prefers his bow. Consequently enough, he has honed his skill to the point of missing his mark maybe once in a thousand times. Eska has a pet hawk, Sé (Shay), though the hawk is more than it seems. The two have a special connection, some even speculate that the man can see through his hawk's eyes and communicate to it with only thoughts; of course, no one has been alive long enough after to prove it.


It was a clear night, and the Ranger had heard tales in these parts of a winged wolf. Until he saw such an oddity, he'd never believe it. However, he knew a man that would pay well for such a creature, and so it was worth checking into. Silently he had made his way through the woods, learning the landscape while it was still light until he was confident enough to run without looking at where his feet were placed. As night fell, the hunter took up a post crouched on a hill just outside the wood lining the borders of the city. Crouched there, he waited for signs of movement, especially those heading towards the wall. Without a word, Sé was off his shoulder, a soft cry echoing her understanding of the task. The hawk soared effortlessly through the foliage, eyes scanning the ground for the intended target while swooping past branches, around trunks and over boulders.

 

[Theory]

The young male wolf noticed the hawk but he hadn't heard of superstitions with the creatures.
He saw it and gave a slight bow of his head in understanding, whether it saw it or not wasn't important.
Switching his attention back to the walls he noticed that the guards were starting to change shifts.
Perfect.

Razgul crouched abruptly, digging his claws into the earth right before he bolted.
The wolf's wings splayed out in the encroaching darkness, making small circles close to the ground to push air past him faster, thus speeding up his sprint.
Tonight he wasn't going for stealth, he was going for speed and aggression.
When the pup broke free of the wheat field he only had half a mile's run to go before he could try a slant up the wall to grab a guard and then retreat.
It was a risky move but his pack needed food so that was that.

The steady whooping sound of his wings finally brought attention to him right as he turned abruptly up and splayed them out, shoving their full mass towards the ground and propelling himself upwards.
In the blink of an eye one of the archers was in the air, his right arm clamped between Razgul's jaws.
Arrows were flying rapidly as the young wolf tucked his wings, then splayed them out to push him downwards.
He just needed to get back to the cover of the wheat fields and then he could drag away his catch without having to dodge poisonous arrows.

 

[aiden1896]

Through Sé's eyes, Eska saw a wolf running, and as it appeared to look up and acknowledge the presence of the hawk over head, Well that's odd, let's watch you little wolf. And so the hawk kept an eye on the creature, following it silently over head. The wolf's wings expanded and the Ranger, miles away couldn't help but smile to himself "Got ya."

Within an instant he was off the rocks, bounding through the trees towards the field. It was unfortunate that he'd not explored that area, having expected a wolf in the woods, not the grains, but he had Sé to help guide him when he got close enough. Following the wall at first, the hunter closed the distance within minutes between where he'd staked out and where the winged wolf appeared, then he veered closer back into the field following the broken stalks as a soft path. While he ran, he pulled his bow from behind, knocking an arrow to the string and waited until the creature was in sight.

 

[Theory]

Surprisingly Raz had made it back into the woods with not even a nick from a poison arrow.
It had finally been a successful hunt and he had a stronger human to show for it.
There would be ample food tonight!
The pup's heart swelled with pride as he carefully made his way back towards his pack's den.
His wings had tucked against his back tightly but still ruffled on occasion for balance and excitement.

When he got close enough a few wolves curiously came over to greet him but not a single one had anything resembling wings.
However, they were all a good fifty or so pounds bigger.
Razgul needed to be lighter to fly but he was also one of the youngest of the pack and many wolves weren't too sure he could manage it at such an age.
Well, when his father was killed he hadn't really gotten a choice in the matter.

Once he was surrounded by family the pup let the human drop from his jowls and then stepped back a few paces, licking his lips as he laid down in the dried leaf litter.
He'd let them feed and find a small animal for himself later.

 

[aiden1896]

Sé had followed overhead the wolf dragging dinner off, right back to a decent sized pack. Suddenly the hunter stopped moving through the woods in pursuit. With the aid of his hawk, he watched the pack, counting their numbers and size. It was pointless to go after the winged one, which seemed to be the only one there, while it was surrounded by so many others. As Eska turned back for the wall, a soft grin painted his lips. It wasn't a total bust tonight, he'd confirmed the existence of this unique creature and knew where it's den was now. He had a decent idea of how many pack existed and that they seemed to hunt alone. Overall, the night was somewhat successful.

Once back in the walls to the city, he heard yelling from the city guard about being attacked, the men would be scared the rest of the night, but the lone ranger (haha!) would sleep peacefully knowing the single man was decently satisfying for the pack for one night. Sé kept herself over the winged wolf that night, following it if the creature left again, resting above it ready to alert her sleeping master should the opportunity arise to capture it.

 

[Theory]

The young pup did indeed leave only an hour or so after bringing in the kill.
He didn't usually stay with the pack, he stayed closer to the city in fear that if they came looking for a winged wolf he could lead them away from the den if need be.
His feet were silent in the darkness as he made his way closer to the small town, stopping after a few minutes when he noticed the same hawk overhead.
His dark red eye sparked a glow for a second before he crouched and then lept, right up onto the large branch where the bird rested.

Razgul's feathers rustled in a low hum as they folded back up and he bowed his head slightly.
Then his image seemed to blur and distort into a black smoke...a few moments later there was a young human boy sitting on the limb only a few feet away from the bird.
His hand was outstretched, a small smile gracing his lips as he tried to silently beckon the bird to him.
Raz was curious of the creature.
He hadn't seen many hawks like it this time of year and definitely not one so brazen.
When the hawk looked at him it would see a young male human that appeared to be anywhere from ninteen to twenty two, even if that was an adult in human years it wasn't anywhere close in wolf.
He'd probably be considered a teenager to his pack.

 

[aiden1896]

Sé's eyes popped open the second her branch wiggled, her wings opening slightly to catch her balance. As the hand of this young man extended, she watched him curiously. The seeming intelligence of the hawk typically came from her master's watching and giving instructions, with him asleep at the moment, she was left to her own devices for the moment. The bird of prey didn't get closer to the man crouched near her, though she didn't move away either.

Miles away, in a small room at the Leaping Pony Inn, the ranger was fast asleep, unaware entirely of the possible danger his precious hawk friend was getting herself into.

 

[Theory]

The boy frowned as the bird didn't move at all.
He knew he couldn't pounce on it to catch it, the bird was too smart and fast.
Meh.
Guess he needed to find another food source for the night.
With a dissatisfied grunt he jumped down from the large limb and back into the damp grass.
As he landed his hands and feet shifted to paws and then he was back in his wolf form, stalking off a bit closer to the town to try and hunt.
The night ended up pretty badly. He'd managed to catch a mouse...
Yeah, not enough, but he didn't have a choice.
When night time vanished and the sun started to rise the young pup jumped up into a low-lying branch and got comfortable before closing his eyes to rest for the day.

 

[aiden1896]

Eska woke well before dawn, using the time to adjust to being awake, finding some food in the inn's kitchen (yes he just helped himself) and making his way up to the city wall to watch the sun rise. The guards didn't take well to a stranger walking up on them like he owned the place, especially one who's face and head were covered entirely by his cloak. Calmly the ranger responded to their malicious warnings about the dangers of the wall with an even tone, "I understand you lost one of your own last night to a winged beast so fast that even your best archers missed the creature. Allow me to join the watch tonight, and I will assure you, it will not happen again.

A stoutly looking man who seemed to be in charge walked right up to the mysterious man. He was taller, wider and looked like in a fight could pummel Eska without breaking a sweat. When he spoke, his voice was rough from years of drinking, "And what makes you think that after our best archers couldn't hit the hound that we'd believe you could?!" The Commander's hands were on his sides, waiting for an explanation they could all laugh about.

Slowly the hooded man turned a half step from the giant man before him, drawing his bow in the process. As he knocked an arrow, he responded with a question in the same tone as before, "Do you see that man across the wall eating an apple?" And there was one guard about a hundred yards away, just barely in sight to the average human eye, munching away at an apple. Without waiting for the response from the Commander, Eska aimed and let his arrow fly. The guards around him panicked, ready to grab the stranger just when the loosed arrow hit its mark perfectly, spearing the fruit straight to the wall the unknowing guard had been sitting next to.

The Commander watched in awe, then turned back to Eska, "Men, see to it that this man is our guest on the watch tonight, for however long he wishes. Stranger, you are indeed excellent with your bow, what shall we call you?" The stranger shook his head, "My name is not important." And so the man turned around after a polite bow of his head, to explore the vantage points the wall had to offer.

Meanwhile, Sé awoke, giving her master the vision once again. Already the hawk had forgotten the events of the previous night, and so Eska was left unaware of the curious ability of the prey he was hunting. With a piercing screech, the hawk returned to her owner, landing on his shoulder.

 

[Theory]

As night fell the wolves started to become active.
Razgul was a little slower to rise due to his meager meal last night.
The others had been up for well over an hour as the sun went down before the winged alpha blinked open dull red eyes.
He hadn't had the greatest sleep due to an odd feeling of being watched.
So, when the pup finally got up and stretched out on the branch, his wings spread to pinpoint on either side....he fell out of the tree.

There was a grunting 'thump' as he fell down into the dried leaf litter and overgrown grass.
His wings fluttered in panic a few seconds before he righted himself and sneezed out some dirt and dust before shaking his fur out.
Well, that hadn't been how he'd wanted to wake but oh well.
The male's stomach growled loudly, wanting food that was much bigger than a single mouse.
Hmmm...
He hadn't found anything the other night in terms of decent animals to catch so maybe...
The wolves usually only hunted humans once a week, if that, so they probably wouldn't be expecting another attack.
With that mentality he headed towards town and slipped into the large wheat field on the outskirts of the forest.
He'd made his way to the farther point, just about close enough to become visible, then stopped and waited.

There were several guards but they didn't seem to keen on paying a lot of attention.
He'd been right.
However, there was one cloaked figure he wasn't too sure about but he'd seen a few before.
They'd been hunters, hired by the town.
They never made a kill though and sometimes they even became food.
Perhaps...
Yes.
That would be the target...

Once he saw the shifts start to change Razgul bolted out of the underbrush and dashed across the 1/4 mile to the city, his wings swirling to propel himself faster...then up the wall he went. Straight towards the cloaked figure.

 

[aiden1896]

The hawk was making wide circles around the city, especially around the field the wolf had come from the night previous. Sé's screech pierced the dark night, alerting Eska she'd seen something, and within a few seconds, their vision was locked together. There was the brazen wolf again, same path as before, but coming straight for him.

The hooded man took a few steps back to allow for space to shoot, his bow already in hand. As he knelt down, the wolf came into view over the top of the wall, just in time for the arrow to fly. Eska aimed to wound, not kill, and had instructed the other guards earlier that night only to fire if the wolf appeared to become too much a danger to himself, otherwise he assured them, he could handle the situation alone. Therefore, as Raz attacked the hunter, the guards backed up, ready to fire if needed.

 

[Theory]

The arrow had been expected...but it actually landing in his right wing?
Not expected.
There was a snarling yelp as the arrow struck straight through the fragile appendage.
Raz instantly dropped, his injured wing fluttering useless to try and regain his momentum...but it didn't work.
The wolf slammed against the wall before dropping like a wounded bird to the ground far below.

The fall had stunned the beast but he was trying to regain his stamina as quickly as possible to get away from the oncoming guards.
Before he was able to make a decent attempt at running there was a heavy net over his shoulders and guards jumping on his back.
Well, the net was a good idea, the jumping on his back?
Idiots.
The wolf turned and snapped his jaws down onto someone's arm, then thrashed, ripping the limb off easily before he lunged for another man.
Just because he was stuck under a net didn't mean he was going to just lay down.

 

[aiden1896]

His position on the wall no longer necessary, Eska quickly made his way back down the stairs and out the gates to see the guards struggling with the netted beast. He didn't much care for whether the men stupid enough to get close to the jaws were attacked through the netting, instead using the time the creature was distracted to prepare a few small darts with an anesthetic. The mixture he commonly used was enough for a decent sized man, so judging the wolf's size, he tripled the dose.

After about a minute of watching the struggling beast and screaming guards, he shot off the three darts, aiming right for the neck. If none missed, the wolf would be down in a minute give or take.

 

[Theory]

Unfortunately much faster than that.
Drugs are something the wolves have never had contact with, at least none that weren't poison.
So when the darts hit home the wolf shivered and started to drop within seconds.
The men all tackled him then, forcing the beast to the dirty ground without anymore resistance from the wolf.
His body was young and his pulse was extremely heavy at the moment so the anesthetic swam through his veins quickly and easily.
Within about thirty seconds he was out cold, his breathing dropping down to an extremely slow intake, then exhale.
His wings were splayed out slightly, the pierced one at an awkward angle slightly above the ground.

All of the soldiers cheers and started to kick at the black creature, laughing and pulling out feathers from the broken wing as souvenirs.
Yes, they intended to kill it in a moment but right now they were just enjoying the victory.

 

[aiden1896]

A brow perked seeing his estimation off at how quickly the drug took affect and filed that information away for later. He allowed the men some of the victory for the time it took for him to put away the blow darts and get his bow back out. It was close range, his daggers would have been a better choice, but these men knew what he could do with the bow, they wouldn't question him if he had that out, at least that was his thinking.

As Eska approached the group of cheering guards, "Enough, leave the creature be and go back to your business now." The men all stopped and stared at the hood man. One of them spoke up, "We're suppose to jus go back to the woll afer this thing is down cause you say so? Was it your bruthers the monster was eatin?" The crowd of men around rallied in support of their brethren's words just as the hunter knocked an arrow, not aiming just yet.

"The wolf is mine, now back to your city before more of you are injured than already have been tonight." The man that had spoken before spat on the ground in the hunter's direction, "Ow bout not. 'Ow bout we take you in with de wolf for tratening the 'onorable men of the this city's fine watch." The crowd cheered again, but almost instantly stopped. Eska had shot the mob's leader in the foot, calmly replying after, "Next time, I aim higher. Now leave the wolf to me and take of your wounded."

Many of the men gave heed then, helping the men that had lost limbs and been bit by the wolf back through the gates. Eska had turned to the side, kneeling by the creature's neck to remove the darts carefully, inspecting the hide when the man he'd shot in the foot rushed at him, thinking he'd have the advantage of surprise. In a flash, the cloaked hunter had his double blades unsheathed from his hips, stood and spun, slicing in an x pattern across the charging man's throat. Instantly the guard dropped to the ground, blood gurgling from the wound as the masked man stood over his body, "I told you to take care of your own and leave me be." His eyes flashed a dark glaze to the guards still watching, all of whom went back to what they were doing.

((you can skip if you like...he's likely gotten a cart to pull behind his horse and Raz is going to be tied and collared to it :P)

 

[Theory]

It was several hours later that the young wolf even started to come back to the present.
The darts had literally knocked him flat on his ass and now something felt extremely hot.
When the wolf's eyes opened it realized exactly why it was so hot.
The sun was starting to go down but it was still high enough to have baked him good all day.
Wait...

He tried to move and felt roughness around his paws and neck.
What the hell...?
Shit!
The large wolf suddenly thrashed widely, shaking the cart and snarling loudly, it's jaws gaping open, lips pulled back to reveal razor sharp teeth.
It's giant tail thumped rapidly from side to side, slamming into the wooden cart it was tied in.
Damnit it all where the humans taking him?!

 

[aiden1896]

As the thrashing started, the cloaked figure slowed his horse, turning in the saddle enough to look at the creature. "Welcome back to the waking world, I suggest you save your strength for healing that wing of yours." Nodding down to the injured one. Several feathers were missing, but the arrow wound had been cleaned and bandaged properly. Jumping from the saddle, the man came around the side of the cart to where the head of the wolf was, just out of reach of the snapping jaws however. Looking into the creature's eyes, Eska spoke as if he were talking to any other man. "Come now, calm down, I'm sure you're thirsty, and if you behave I might even give you something to eat before we reach our destination."

The hunter had always felt more at home talking with the animals than with humans. Animals were more predictable, and didn't play your friend only to stab you in the back later when circumstances changed.

(okay, really really have to do work now T.T I'd much rather just respond all day HAHA)

 

[Theory]

The wolf stilled mostly when a human came around the cart, just out of range from his ability to bite.
Smart man.
He did, however, try to take a snap, just in case the other wasn't far enough.
But his fangs snapped down on air.
Hmph. He was too far away then. Oh well...he would definitely kill him later.
He knew right away that this was the hunter from the wall.

With that thought Raz glanced towards his injured wing...
Eh?
It was bandaged?
His eyes quickly went back to the man, eyes narrowing and a low growl building in his chest.
The wolf wanted to tear the human apart but at the mention of food and water (yes, he knew a few small human words) he stilled.
The pup was extremely thirsty after being a black canine out in the sun all day and was definitely still hungry from lack of decent food for two weeks.
So, reluctantly, he stopped struggling and just rested his head down against the uncomfortable wood.

That human better not think he'd won because he definitely hadn't.
As soon as Razgul was untied he was going to tear that man to shreds.

(Ok xD)

 

[aiden1896]

A hawk screeched, circling above the man, who smiled a little as he whispered up to it, "Let's find some water shall we Sé?" Standing there in front of the wolf, the man's eyes closed and when they opened seemed to be clouded over. Eska was using his hawk's vision, making focusing on where he was currently much harder. After a couple minutes, the hunter blinked, his eyes returning to their normal olive green.

"Well the river is closer than I expected," speaking to the wolf, though he might as well just be talking to himself he figured, "We'll make our way over and follow that north." He mounted his horse again without another word, and within fifteen minutes the horse pulled the cart to a low bank of the river.

As he dismounted, the ranger let his hood fall back off his head, revealing his face fully now. His hair was shoulder length in some spots, an ash brown color and there were a few feathers hanging on the left side attached by some leather and beads. Over all the man's outfit was close fitting, mostly cloths and leather of deep reds and browns, with some minor spots of metal embellishments to act as guards to the more vital joints. His attire was obviously designed for travel and speed.

The cart was turned in such a way that the side faced the river, the wolf just might be able to see Eska taking care of himself first, filling his skin bota with the fresh water and splashing it on his own face first. Once refreshed, the hunter approached the cart again, a quizzical look on his partially bearded face, "Hmm...now how to allow you to stretch your legs and drink without riddling you with more wounds, or having to fight you off me." As he thought out this problem, the man moved to the side where he could assess the damaged wing, his fingers gently peeling back the bandage to look underneath. "Tsk, I really wish I didn't have to harm you like that, you really are a beautiful creature." As he said the second part, he attempted to run his fingers through the wolf's thick black fur. Instantly it felt over heated and he let out a sigh, "Guess we should travel at night instead, that sun is rough for you isn't it?" asking as if the wolf was going to answer him.