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 Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 8:18 pm
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Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 8:22 pm
 Cerberus padded quietly through the woods, ears down and tail swishing anxiously behind him. He had been traveling for weeks now... and yet, he didn't know where he was going. All he knew was that there had been noting left for him in the cave. His children had grown and left, and for all he knew, Kumiho was plotting something. Even Cerberus knew that staying in their old lair was foolish and inviting confrontation. He had held it, held it long enough that his foals were old enough to fend for themselves. Proven his strength and slowly began to gain back something that resembled confidence.
Confidence, maybe, but not purpose.
He refused to believe that there was no reason for his release. And yet, it had been years. Kumiho had fooled him, and there had been no bolt of lightning or crack in the earth to swallow him back up for having done the "wrong" thing.
He just hoped that he'd know his purpose when he found it.
In the meantime, however, he was putting distance between himself and his old territory. Sometimes by air, sometimes on paw. He found himself avoiding most other soquili, but that didn't help his sense of purposelessness. Time just ran together.
Then, there. As he was padding, he caught a whiff of something that made his nose curl. Another stallion... musky... but there, underneath it was almost a hint of something infernal - that touch of sulfur that was so familiar to the hound. His ears lay back warily, and it didn't take long for him to ear a heavy, rhythmic stomping through the underbrush.
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Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 8:23 pm
Dyson made no secret of his presence in the forest. He didn't hide or slink or bother to step softly. There was very little that the massive kalona feared, and he had yet to see anything in these soft lands that even gave him pause for thought. Precisely how he liked it.
He was vaguely hungry, and had set out idly in search of something to eat. He loved the freedom here. Do whatever he damn well pleased. No one to answer to, no convoluted system of dealings and debts. A clean slate. Big fish in a little pond. Even many of the kalona here had grown soft. It would be laughable if it wasn't also kind of sad.
An ear swiveled back. Something was behind him. Moving quietly. Following him? He chuckled darkly. What micro-cephalic foal had the audacity to try to sneak up on him?
"If you think I can't hear you back there, then you're only deceiving yourself." He called out with a booming voice, not even bothering to look back.
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Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2014 8:30 pm
Hashashad was never a soquili that one could say was pleasant to be around. However, since his defeat by the group of lessers, Hashashad had been in a particularly bad mood. He had snapped out, lashing out wherever he could, not even bothering to take his time and really savor the fear he caused. He needed to reassert himself. He told himself, he had never confronted a group quite that large before. They were organized, and no strangers to conflict.
But still.
Justification had done little to improve the monster's mood. Snapping that foal's leg like a branch. That had helped a little.
He was still crouched over his kill, savoring its young flesh when he heard more movement .... upwind of him. The parents perhaps? Maybe the day would get better and he could visit upon them the realized fear of the loss of their child.
He stayed silent, listening when he heard a booming, fearless voice call out. To him? His myriad eyes narrowed.
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Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2014 8:28 pm
Cerberus found his hackles rising, and a snarl on his lips. In his ears, the pinions on his back snapped and snarled, raising the alarm. Still, he didn't realize that the snarling and baying came from his own throat.
There was no longer a gate he was guarding, not even a cave or pups or the b***h she-walker. Just a piece of her severed tail around his neck like a trophy. But still, it was almost a muscle memory of countless years of guard duty.
"Who goes there!?" He barked, "Show yourself!" He snapped.
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Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2014 8:46 pm
Dyson snorted derisively as the challenge was barked to him from the other side of the treeline. Some over-reaching wolf familiar, perhaps.
A part of him considered just rolling his eyes and continue walking. But his pride wouldn't let him. He couldn't let this wolf think he got the better of him.
"You may regret those words, mutt," He grumbled as he turned and plodded towards the source of the ruckus. In all honesty, Dyson was fond of canines. While his familiar, Habeveccio the traveller wandered widely, he was his eyes and ears sometimes in this land.
But when Dyson broke through the treeline that separated the two of them, the immensely confident stallion missed a step.
Of all the creatures he expected to see in this land, he would have never guessed to see this one.
But there was no mistaking it. The great black beast, Cerberus. Crouched and snarling, untethered.
The smug smile fell from Dyson's face as he surveyed the unmistakable "heads" in his wings, and the myriad, ever-watching eyes that covered him.
As much as Dyson was loathe to admit it, his first reaction was fear. Had he come for him? Come to drag him back kicking and bucking?
No. No, he was a lord there, and here, he was a self-proclaimed king of whatever he set his eyes upon. His head was crowned with mighty horns. He stood hands taller than Cerberus. If he was here to drag him back, he would not do so without a fight.
"What are you doing here, Hound?" Dyson glowered dangerously.
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Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2014 8:57 pm
Others.
Two others.
Hashashad crouched low, his tail ebbing and flowing behind him as he listened. A great, deep voice, but a whiff of fear, he could barely discern over the fresh kill beneath him.
Growing, barking.. A dog? A wolf? No... deeper...
He drew his wings in close to his body, taking another hurried, greedy glut of the foal.
He didn't want to lose this prey, especially not before he had had his fill. THese were not the foals' parents. These were something else.
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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 4:44 pm
Cerberus was very familiar with the creature that emerged through the trees, crashing and lumbering like a bull. Perhaps not him specifically, but his type. His kind. There were other kalona in this land. Plenty of them, but few of them smelled so strongly of the underworld, or had quite so imposing of a carriage as the massive stallion before him.
He kept his position, crouched and snarling as his eyes strafed over the kalona. But at his question, his ears lay back. That was the question, wasn't it? What was he doing here.
"That is none of your business, Demon." He snarled defensively, hackles raised and claws digging into the earth. He had had just about enough of other ilk of the underworld, after Kumiho. He would not let himself be fooled again.
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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 6:22 pm
"Hm." Dyson said in a single-note chuckle. The beat may not have known it, but in his defensive snarling, he had revealed the answer Dyson wanted to know. His presence here at least had nothing to do with him.
"Close, but not quite. It's Dyson, not 'Demon'.... Cerberus." he rumbled. It felt surreal... seeing another hellbeast here... especially one as recognizable as Cerberus. And it was a reminder that Dyson wasn't particularly fond of...
An ear flicked back, but he wasn't about to turn his back on the hound, especially with him crouched like he was.
So, Dyson let a smirk cross his face and his posture relaxed, as if the monster before him was no threat. His tail flicked lazily behind him. "And come now, Cerberus. Scared I'll bite?" He rumbled a chuckle. The best way to diffuse the tension was act as if Cerberus was of no concern to him. He emanated confidence.
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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 6:36 pm
Hashashad took one gulp.... two... swallowing down greedy mouthflls of the colt's flesh. He rocked his head, tearing loose stubborn flesh clinging to bone, and gulped it down without hardly chewing. As he feasted, his eyes swiveled this way and that, but always kept several fixated on the direction of the talking. His ears pricked, and he struggled to make out snippets of conversation. As he filled his belly, he felt his confidence and ferocity returning.
And slowly, careful not to snap a twig or make a sound, he rose from his crouch over the body, smoky tail ebbing behind him. A foal was easy prey. He had hoped that whomever was there was the parents that he could lord his destruction over... but ... whoever it was would have to do.
He slowy picked up the corpse... what was left of it at least... and began to step lightly towards the two... hopefully they'd be distracted... yes... that would be exxcellent...
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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 7:58 pm
The snarl froze on his face for a moment. The only movement was his eyes narrowing suspiciously. The moment seemed to hang before, finally, with his ears still back and his eyes narrowed, he straightened, the snarl, begrudgingly, relaxing.
"Why are you here, Dem... Dyson?" He said, the growl still punctuating his words. "DId they kick you out?" He laughed, a harsh, barking laugh.
He didn't trust him. Not for a fleeting breath of a moment. But, then, a ghost of an idea occurred to the beast. Maybe he knew. Just. maybe. An ear flicked back in indecision. He wasn't a manipulator. That was.... that was her. But he still needed to be careful.
"How long have you been here?" Had he left after Cereberus did? If so... maybe he had heard something about his departure.
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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 8:37 pm
Good. It seemed to have worked. Cerberus relaxed, though stil seemed on his guard. Dyson could handle that. He was confident he could stand his own, even against the black beast.... but that didn't mean he particularly wanted to. He knew how formidible the hound was, and fighting him would mean injuries. Scars. Dyson could do without that.
Why fight when he could manipulate him... and let the dog think he was making the decisions.
Dyson was already feeling finished with this conversation. It was irksome enough that they had crossed paths at all... knowing the hound was here. Even if they weren't butting heads, Dyson much preferred being the only big fish in the area. Still... if it meant moving this along, he could tolerate ... a brief conversation.
"Long enough." He rumbled, head cocking to the side with a smirk, "Why, Cerberus? Looking for travel advice?" He snarked.
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Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 8:42 pm
More words. Voices. Hashashad was only half-paying attention to the prattling conversation that the lessers were having. The only thing it served to do was keep their noise going, distract them from his approach.
Silent as the shadow he was partially comprised of, he slid forward, watching his step, watching branches - watching everything.
And, as he slowly edged closer... he finally caught his first glimpse of just what was having a conversation.
These were no lessers.
They were monsters.
His grip on the remainds of the foal tightened. And this time, Hashashad paid attention to their dialog.
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 4:48 pm
Cerberus is maxed outThe snarl returned to Cerberus's face as the demon decided to make a joke of his predicament. "No!" He snapped, the gesture mirrored by the pinions on his back.
"What did they say. About my departure. Were stories told? Did HE say anything?" His tail swished anxiously behind him. Cerberus felt uncomfortable asking. Worried he was showing too much of his hand, but ... Cerberus was never the best with words, or plans. He had questions, he asked them.
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 5:00 pm
Dyson craned his large head. Interesting. Very interesting. He could detect doubt... confusion in this one great monster. The guardian of the underword, indeed. He seemed to be nothing but a confused, scared whelp without a master. And the questions he asked seemed to confirm it. This was not the fearsome beast of the tales that had fought free of his chains to wreak havoc amongst the mortals. This was a dog whose owner had left it by a road and was pitifully waiting for him to return.
The opportunity was too good to simply pass. Even if Cerberus was lost and confused, Dyson knew how strong he was when given a purpose.
Granted, Dyson was happy to just throw his weight around here. He had gotten out of the game, of the grand schemes. But something of the old manipulator and politician stirred in his blood. He chose his next words carefully.
"Of course, Cerberus. You think your absence went unnoticed by any? There is a purpose to any decision HE makes. If someone leaves, it is because he allowed them to."
He paused, letting those words sink in before continuing, "Now... you wish to know the answer to your question? To ... let me see... to why you are here? Perhaps I can help you. And in return, some day, you can help me out."
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