More of them! (Jormungander X Alti)

[JetAlmeara]

Jormungander was unimpressed. Not that this was anything new to be truthful but things of late had disturbed the beast even more then normal. First more of those runty Usidia had come along to further spoil the land and breed like rabbits, sure they had horns and butt wings and silly little abilities which made them differant but they were still runts and they were still weak.

Now there were rumors of more newcomers. Jormungander had not set eyes upon these rumored creatures quite yet but he didn't have to really - more invaders simply meant more weak blood diluting the land. Even if one of these so called new species supposedly looked like the fabled dragons of old. He doubted their mindset was any different from all the others. They'd want to be left alone, coddled, live in peace and procreate like no body's business.

Peace! It was absurd. Peace bred soft creatures, soft and foolish beasts who raped the land of resources that the strong should rightfully have. Unfortunately these useless vile creatures far outnumbered the strong and the pure. Jormungander blamed the differing mindsets, the peaceful were capable of living and working together...while his own comrades were often so entranced by their own personal glory that they were incapable of working together for any length of time. It was a mindset he desired to change but it would take time.

Snorting in disgust the stallion turned away from the cliffs edge to make his way back down the mountain, he'd filled his eyes with enough filth for the day.

 

[She-Ra of Etheria]

It was a disgusting sight. Everytwhere she looked there they were, weak blooded creatures that took up every inch of this land and continually bred to produce more and more weak blood. Probably the worst part of it all was seeing so many of her own kind breeding with them, creature half breed abominations that were no better than their non-Kalona parents. It was like a disease had run rampant through her kind, making them forget about their ways and settling for whatever walked in front of them to become their loving mate. Such vile thoughts that Alti couldn't help but let a shiver run down her spine. She would rather die than even consider breeding with such filth. Oh she had found a few of her kind that were what they should have been, strong, vicious, intent on keeping the bloodline pure, but they had their own agendas, and though Alti her words had gotten through to them, Kalona rarely worked together even if their paths were the same.

Breaking away from these thoughts Alti took another bite of flesh from the young deer that had fell victim to her sudden and violent attack. The young does neck was bend at an awkward angle indicating that it had been broken. The body was still warm and blood ran freely from the hole in it's side. With her muzzle stained red Alti fed to her hearts content, taking out some of her frustration on the poor deers twisted body.

A sound reached her ears and Alti's head snapped up. Growling deeply Alti stood over the deers carcass waiting to see just who and what disturbed her meal. Perhaps she would add another corpse to the pile if it was one of those weakling wandering about. Eyes narrowed as she scanned the area between trees, fresh blood dripping from her chin.  

[JetAlmeara]

Having worked his way down the mountainside Jormungander was finally nearing the bottom glad to be putting some distance between himself and the irritating sight he'd left behind. Oh he could hve flown her supposed and made the trip a good deal shorter...but he'd wanted time to think and furthermore he wasn't of the mind to let the weak ones know he was around. Not just yet anyways.

The scent of blood caught his notice however and while he had been intending to simply walk past the stallion veered off the trail to investigate, the growl emanating from within led him to believe that he had interrupted a predator at its meal. Perhaps it was a weaker beast that he could run off..if the kill was fresh enough then he would be saved the time of hunting a meal down himself. The sight that captured him however was not that of a lower weak predator such as a wolf or mountain lion...but another of his own, a Kalona mare. She looked light ticked off too, but that was nothing unusual when it came to their type. "Easy Comrade" He assured the mare, a deep baritone voice filtering to the trees towards her as he came out of the woods. Pausing a goodly distance away he sized the mare up for a few moments, an unnatural stillness falling over his form as he did so. "I have no interest in your deer" He told her - and now that he had seen whose deer it was he didn't. it would be simpler to catch his own then fight with one of his own over a half eaten one.  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

To lay eyes upon one of her own kind was a bit surprising, but she did not let that emotion cross her eyes. With her luck it would be one who had some silly little mare down in the meadow below, likely fat with his spawn too. At least that is what she thought until she spoke. Usually it was hard to judge one on words along, but it was how and what he said that make Alti rethink her instant evaluation of the stallion. Her eyes slipped over him for a moment, taking in his long curved horns, his coloration and his adornments. Oh he was a Kalona alright, nothing watered his blood down she could tell. A smile crossed her lips, not quite friendly but not quite hate filled either.

"Could it be that you are one of the few who actually hunt for themselves?" She asked in an overly raspy voice. Far too often she had seen Kalona hover around another kill, waiting for their chance to score an easy meal once the other was done. Licking the blood from her lips Alti remained standing over the deer, she was not worried about him stealing it but was not willing to abandon her kill just yet - even if she had already eaten her fill of it. Still even though she had rejudged him to be of the Kalona mindset she had to test him, to ensure that he was indeed a worthy beast to have in her presence. "And just what are you doing here then? Looking for your pretty little weakling mate?" The disgust that dripped from her voice was unmistakable. "If that is the case I shall do you both a favor and kill you now before you help to create more worthless half breeds." Spaded tail swished behind her, eager to hear the stallions answer.  

[JetAlmeara]

"You are certainly welcome to try..." The stallion responded in a calm voice, seemingly not at all perturbed at the thought of being attacked by the mare. Moving not an inch the stallion regarded the mare for several more moments, by her words it was clear to him that she was not one of the traitorous kind - that is not the type to dwell in the peaceful lands and produce the halfbloods that were nearly as much of curse as the lesser breeds. "But it would be a shame should I be forced to wound such a like minded creature" He continued allowing her to draw her own conclusion as to what he meant. The mere thought of seeking out a mate within the lesser species and then producing vile halfblooded offspring was repulsive...but he wasn't going to stand here and allow the mares comments to drive him into a rage induced reaction. that would be foolish..and likely the type of response she was trying to goad from him. Jormungander preferred to keep those around him off center and as such rarely gave them what they wanted in terms of reactions.

"I hunt" He told her "though had you been a wolf or lesser beast i likely would have taken the deer and predator both as an easy kill" There was no point in wasting a decent opportunity after all.  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

Alti let a sneer cross her lips and took a single step away from the deer, putting herself one step closer to him. "Consider yourself spared, but only because I would rather use my strength upon those of weaker blood and not a quarrel with my own kind." Not that she was opposed to fighting her own kind, as they often proved to be good sparing partners as they could actually hold up their end of the fight. But honestly why kill one of the few who were of true Kalona blood and mindset. "It had been far too long since I have encountered one of our kind that does not wish to water down the bloodlines." It certainly proved that while few and far between there were those out there that she could call her kind and truly mean it, and this stallion was among those few.

"I have no doubt you would have." She commented in regards to his words about chasing off lesser beasts to gain a kill. She herself had done that once or twice, but often still preferred to go and hunt herself. Watching the life slowly fade from a creature trapped within her jaws gave Alti an odd sensation, something akin to happiness. Now on to some pleasantries, in a matter of speaking. "I am known as Alti," her voice rasped out of her throat. "Perhaps you could share your name with me." If only so that she could log it away in her memory among the other few names of worthy Kalona she had met in her recent travels.  

[JetAlmeara]

"Lucky me" The stallion replied in a bland voice, he was rather used to the posturing his kind often partook in and while some could indeed hold up their end of the threats more often then not it was simply posturing - either way the stallion did not feel the need to do so himself, he was confident enough in his own abilities that he considered it an unnecessary task. Of course it was nice to find a mare with what seemed to be a level head on her shoulders and a bearing which seemed to indicate that she could indeed hold her own in a fight.

He snorted slightly at her mention of watering down the bloodlines "Dirty half breeds" He stated in disgust "Often they are worse then the pure blooded weak species...trapped between greatness and weakness they are never quite right in the head and never belong with either side...pointless prodigy who need to be put down." He stated with a savage firmness - he in fact made it a point to 'put down' as many of the halfbreeds as he could find. It was almost a hobby really - his duty to the world as it were.

"Jormungander" He told her as they reached the point in the conversation where sharing names were required, at least within good company which was a category he decided this mare fell into - even having only met her a few moments ago. Like the mare Jormungander rarely ran across another whose mind set closely matched his own.  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

A crooked smile crossed her lips. This stallion, he entertained her in a way no other had in a long time. He held himself like a warrior, even had some scars to prove it, but then when he spoke it was a mix of boredom and hatred depending on the subject. It was really a shame there weren't more Kalona out like him or herself. Then her cause would be more easily completed and she would not need to suffer through the knowledge that the lands were infected by weak blooded individuals. She would have her way of course and one day, even if it was many years from now, her cause would still run true and more and more non-Kalona would be put to the death leaving the lands to those who truly deserved it.

His words on the half-breeds of the land were like music to her ears. It was true, they were often worse than the weak blooded parents. Yes they would occasionally have violent moments thanks to their Kalona heritage but even with that rage they were still weak and often regretted their actions shortly after. A deep breath rasped out of the mares throat as she thought of all the half-breeds she had killed so far. "It is a shame they breed so quickly." It seemed those of weak blood bred like rabbits, but those who were strong and true struggled to produce, likely because they could not find suitable mates and were not willing to water down the bloodlines any more. "No matter, the more they breed, the more we get to kill." It was partially a losing battle on their, the Kalona's side, but Alti would never admit to that. They would win, someday, somehow.

Her head bobbed slightly as he revealed his name. It was a mouthful but a good name none the less. "Jormungander." She repeated in her deep and raspy voice. Had a nice ring to it now that she had said it herself. And now she would always remember it, for he was one of the few and she would never forget his name or face, only those who were not worthy in her eyes were forgotten.  

[JetAlmeara]

"I suppose there is an upside to their heathenish ways" Jormungander acknowledged as she spoke of the weak bloods penchant for fulfilling their kill quota with their reckless breeding "Though it is one I wish did not exist" He concluded lapsing into a simmering silence as he pondered the trespasses of his brethren. The stallion truly did not see what his kind saw in the weaker breeds, it was appalling..ah but he had already contemplated these thoughts at great lengths and simmering in anger over the situation would do little to change it.

"Since we so clearly same many of the same view points then it is likely we have both formulated plans on how best to deal with it yes? Killing the half bloods and those who perpetuate them only does so much after all...a better solution is needed if we are ever to squash this problem entirely" He stated, seeking to turn the conversation from complaining about the problem to seeking some way to solve it. Jormungander had his own views on this of course but he was always willing to listen to the idea's of others - well provided those others were worth listening to anyways .

 

[She-Ra of Etheria]

An upside yes, but not the best upside that there could be. The only true upside would be the day that all the half breeds and their weak blooded kin were permanently removed from these lands. That day would be glorious. Alti watched as the stallion stood silently for a few moments. She could see the hatred burning in his eyes. Much like many of their breed who were true to the Kalona way talking of such things got the blood boiling. Even though they knew what the problem was their numbers were often too few to truly accomplish what needed to be done.

When he finally spoke once more a crooked smile crossed her lips and a raspy laugh echoed from her throat. "Now you have my full attention." This change of topic, though not a great one, was exactly what she had hoped to hear from the stallion once she had confirmed him to be a true Kalona. So many were all too often simple yes men, they would agree to what one said of the half breeds and weak bloods but make no real effort to do anything or try to plan further than a few kills here and there. Jormungander was proving himself more and more with each word he said. After all these long month she had finally found the first, of many she hoped, that could not only take orders but give them as well for the benefit of all Kalona. "I can see it in your eyes. You have something in mind already. Let us see what you have locked behind that hatred and blood lust." Her tail lashed behind her. This would hopefully show just how committed he was to the cause of their blood.  

[JetAlmeara]

Ah so she wanted to hear his plans first - well he supposed there was no harm in it, surely nothing could be accomplished if they all stood about in suspicion and secrecy all the time which was a large fault with his kind s far as he was concerned. Did he care if the weak creatures learned of his plans to destroy them? Not really fore they truly were weak beasts that were not worth his worry.

"There are many stages to my plan, however the first is likely the most important...we must seek out and encourage those among our kind who are true to the ways to work together. It will be difficult because such creatures are often out for their own good and glory..but this can be done I think if we impress upon that that once the weak creatures are culled there will be land enough for all of us to rule. Once a few good generals are found then we can expand the pool to include the less smart but still well meaning of our kind"

Of course those dullards might not be worthy later on down the road..but once the war was won with the weaker creatures then they could deal with culling within their own. "Of course a base of operations must be gained first and foremost..so that we have an area from which to expand"  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

Alti's tail swished behind her as Jormungander began to lay out his multi-step plan. Seek out and encourage their own kind. That was what she had been doing these past few months, years if she was completely truthful. The results had been disappointing. "I have done exactly that for some time. Though I have encountered many of our kind only a few have proven themselves to be enough like you and I to help in a plan such as this." Snorting at the thought of those who had been less than encouraging Alti continued. "Too many are willing to listen, to say they wish for the same things, yet when it comes to taking action they do nothing!" She stamped her foot in frustration. Too much time she had wasted talking to those who took no action but spoke of big things. The mention of recruiting the less than intelligent as underlings made her nod. She knew of one or two that followed orders well but could not think for themselves. Those few would serve her well even if Jormungander's plan's never made it past the beginning stages.

"A base of operation is a worthy idea. It can act as our stronghold, a place no weak blooded would ever dare to enter without a death wish. Yet there is one major problem." A problem that she had already encountered many times speaking to other Kalona's. "Kalona work alone. It is a major fault of our kind. We are often too proud to work with others, even when it is for our own good. Getting others to join in the cause in one thing, getting them to work from a single location may prove difficult." But they had to, for the good of their species those Kalona would need to ignore their pride and work as a single unit for a short time. "If they truly wish to see our rise to power and the fall of the heathens then they shall do whatever is needed, even if it is a less than desires situation for us."  

[JetAlmeara]

"Such is the reason we have not managed to already defeat and over throw our enemies" Jormungander agreed "It is infuriating to consider that the only thing sitting in our way is ourselves is it not? No our kind must be conjoled into working together against this common enemy - it will be a hard line to walk but I believe it can be done with the right type of motivation - land grants, slaves..we must seek to find what it is that will bring a certain beast to our cause and offer it to keep them there"

It would not be terribly difficult he thought for those who wished only to spread chaos and malady there would be ample opportunity to provide such things, for those who wanted to rule choice lands would be simple and easy to find once the weak bloods were evicted and for those who wanted power...slaves would be of equal abundance once the war began. Jormungander was not against sparing some of the weaker creatures...as long as they stayed in their proper places in society. Under the hooves of their betters.

"It will require i think merely being able to read and figure out what will sway our brethren more then anything else...and would be best done not as a single unit but as a pair at the very least so that an example can be shown"  

[She-Ra of Etheria]

Alti nodded her head as she moved forward, closing the distance between herself and Jormungander. "Infuriating yes. Though I suppose even superior breeds such as ourselves are meant to have some form of weakness. I think I would rather be unwilling to work with my own kind than suffer any of the weaknesses that plague the heathen blood so heavily." Slowly she moved around him, circling him in thought. "Buying our own kinds cooperation may very well work. Some will be harder to bribe than others. Yet I think they will agree if the price is right." Licking her lips Alit continued around behind him before coming up his other side. "I know of a few who may be willing to put their pride aside for a short time to help us. They are strong, true Kalona who I have spoken to at great length already. One in particular is on a path similar to ours already, he is looking to recruit Kalona to his army. I think I could persuade him to join us."

She paused at his side for a moment, getting a real close view of him, sizing him up against her own muscled body. Lashing her tail Alti made her way to stand in front of him once more. "And there are others, who will come. Those who need one to command them, but are extremely efficient at what they do." She smiled as he mentioned recruiting the others as a pair, not as individuals. Much as she hated working with others, as per her blood, Alti was more than willing to do so for the greater good. Especially with one such as Jormungander. "We work together for our blood." And just to be certain hew knew she would not be his underling, ever, she added. "Neither of us lead, neither of us follow. We work as equals." For the glory of Kalona, they would be a team.  

[JetAlmeara]

Jormungander watched with emotionless eyes as the mare closed the distance between them, he let her circle, let her size him up as she do desired - and was more then sure he would more then pass whatever judgement she had yet to consider. Some might call it vanity but Jormungander simply called it wisdom, he knew his own weakness' and he knew his own strengths, being sure of yourself in the face of such knowledge was far from a fault as far as he could see.

The mare spoke of knowing others who would join them and it was at that point that Jormungander knew he had intrigued her enough to stick around, up until now heh ad been fairly certain but had not been completely sure. Now he knew..and the knowledge made him smile inwardly, though no such expression crossed forth as a visible emotion. "Of course" He assured the mare "it must be so - the two of us working together as a team will provide just the sort of example that our kind shall need to pull this off. To do anything else would merely undermine our message" He concluded.

They were of the nearly the same mindset and had the same goals - as such Jormungander was fairly certain that he could work well with Alti, the mare seemed to have a good head on her shoulders. "Do you know how to reach these others you speak of? Perhaps a meeting should be considered"