I'm With You [KEZZ! <33]

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/33ufp07.jpg] It was cold, dark and dank down here, a nightmare place that the young she-wolf had never imagined in her worst dreams. Her mind, like her somewhat bloodied and battered young body, was a mess. How did I end up here? Why has no-one come looking for me? And what's going to happen to me now? She lay, body curled in the corner of a large pen. They'd moved her here after having their fun - somewhere where she could lie, forgotten, until they needed more amusement. Why did they find such things fun, though? What was good about causing another creature pain? She didn’t understand. All she knew was the name of the hated lioness – Kira – and that she and her accomplices had murdered Ralph. Ralph, her beloved guardian, her mother’s good friend. His bloody death remained etched into her young, naïve mind, constantly lurking there, waiting to haunt her should she think about it for even a moment. At least Adrian had gotten away safely; at least, that was what she told herself. A pang of hurt brought on more selfish thoughts – why hadn’t he stayed with her, rather than leaving her to face their parents’ old enemies alone? But no. It was better that he had escaped, after all, that was what older siblings were supposed to do, protect their younger siblings. She had failed in that duty when they had been caught, but at least it was hurt rather than guilt she was feeling. Two strange emotions that she had rarely felt before now. Tightly shut amber eyes opened slowly in the gloom; Valkyrie didn’t know whether it was day or night, down here, but from the lack of movement in the place, and the dim light coming from a tiny window on the other side of the vast room, she guessed that it was early evening. A gust of cold wind ruffled her fur, causing her to shiver, and bringing the scent of another creature towards her. Because she’d only been in this particular pen for an hour or so, and had spent most of that time sleeping, hoping that this was nothing more than a bad dream, she hadn’t explored her surroundings at all. Now the ball of fur, legs and tail that was her body uncurled slowly, ears twitching uneasily as eyes strained forward in the darkness, trying to see the creature she’d scented a moment before. A hoarse, half-whimper, half-whisper left her mouth, a foreign sound to the ears of the normally over-zealous half-grown cub. “H-hello?”

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[`K E Z Z I ♥♥]

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[atrb=background,http://i52.tinypic.com/sdemwh.png] Ares talks. Ares' thoughts. He had never felt pain like this, nothing had ever been this intense. Every muscle in his body screamed with agony whenever he moved, and his bones ached with an indefinite weariness. The cold seeped through his thick fur like an icy invisible flood, drowning him with it's entirety. No matter how tight he curled his battered body, Ares could not fight the glacial temperature. It seemed that now the weather had turned on him as well as Iris, shunning him from humane conditions. The underfed black male squeezed his closed eyes tighter, as though that might help his dire situation. Ares had slept for so long and now he was not sure he could do so any longer, his mind whirred with frustration despite his failing body. He longed to rise to his paws, stretch his once-powerful limbs and seek out that bloody lioness that had put him in this position in the first place. Kira, that was her name. How could he ever forget her? One day she would rue the day she ever crossed his path, Ares would make sure of that. How dare that little girl treat him in such a manner, coop him up in these pens like he was a lamb being sent off for slaughter! The ironic thing was that he did not even belong to Tempest, he had never even stepped across their land. Having seen the catastrophic destruction of war between rival packs in his past, Ares was extremely unwilling to join Tempest. It just wasn't his thing, not to mention up until now he'd had nothing against felines. Now however it was a whole different story, maybe everything about them was true after all. As the large emaciated male lay upon the hard stone floor, he thought back to his puphood. Being shut up in this horrible little pen made the canine feel suffocated and claustrophobic. Maybe it had something to do with the fact he had been born wild, in the midst of a Yellowstone winter. He had survived attack from the neighboring pack, but his sister had not been so lucky. Ares knew that his mother had killed herself, and his father well in truth nobody ever discovered the cause of his death. All this time on his paws now, thinking about how everything might have turned out differently, was doing his head in. His mother had betrayed her family by mating with the enemy and there could be no other outcome than full blown war. The ebony male sneered coldly in his mind at the weakness of his foolish parents, and his amber eyes hardened. Ares knew he should not pity them, he could not, they had made their mistakes and had brought it on themselves. In fact it was he everyone should be feeling sorry for. The wolf considered whether death was kinder than this torture. He thought he had been hungry before becoming a slave! How wrong he had been. There were always times of hardship but this was something else entirely. Suddenly a chilling breeze drifted through the tiny window across the pen, and Ares stiffened and slowly prized open his eyes. As the freezing air blew towards the black male, it brought with it something he had not been expecting. The scent of a young she-wolf in the same pen as him, surely not? How had he not noticed her when he had been lying here this whole time? And then the canine remembered how he had only just woken from a shallow, troubled sleep. Whoever it was might have been shoved in here during that time. Ares frowned a little, uncomfortably raising his pained head and neck from his fluffed up tail. The light was poor and though he squinted hard, the wolf could not distinguish a figure from the dull darkness. He was partly grateful for this, as he was not accustomed to looking so.. bloodied. Cuts and ugly slashes littered his muzzle, Kira had ensured his good looks were damaged. She had beaten him for fighting back, pinning him to the ground and ripping his flesh apart. His front paw had been twisted almost to breaking point, making it impossible to walk properly for the moment and his shoulder held a large unsightly gash that was covered in dark dried blood. The wolf was quite unsure how to react in all honesty. Though he could not have been locked up as a prisoner of the pride for longer than two weeks, he already felt wary of other beings. Ares had endured daily beatings for the first ten days and no matter how hard he fought back, they always seemed to get the upper hand. A few adolescents had also been unleashed on the male, only after he had been tired out by their mother of course. It had been the most humiliating ritual the wolf had ever been put through, and to this day his pride stung like hell. Suddenly he heard the soft, uncertain voice filter meekly into the pregnant silence. “H-hello?” A female, quite young too by the sounds of it and from her perfume that he now focused on Ares confirmed she was a wolf. The Gray Wolf remained quiet for a couple of seconds, somewhat surprised that he had proper company for the first time in fifteen testing days. Yes, he had been counting. The ebony male cleared his throat, for it was of course horribly unused and attempted to greet his fellow slave. "Hullo m'am." Ares paused, frowning at how hoarse and painful his throat was, "So you're stuck here too, huh?" For once he felt slightly uncomfortable, what was he supposed to say. ooc ; OMFG I'M SO EXCITED, AND I JUST CAN'T HIDE IT. :D words ; 949 tagged ; valkyrie by mactire

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/33ufp07.jpg] As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Valkyrie found she could just make out the figure of the other canine - another wolf! He was larger than her - a full grown male - and the reason he was so hard to see was that he was black. Her eyes flickered over his pelt, taking in the numerous, bloodied wounds he had sustained during his time here, blemishes on an otherwise handsome body. Even from here, she could see he was terribly thin. Everything her mother had told her about how the Iris pride treated prisoners was true, then. She'd used the pride as a threat to keep her cubs - Valkyrie in particular - from wandering too far on their own. The one time she'd forgotten her mother's warning had turned out to be an almost fatal mistake. At least she'd learned one thing: never forget what your mother says. She'd half thought them empty threats; now she knew better. The young she-wolf didn't know what she was supposed to do now. Maybe she shouldn't have spoken at all? What if he was hungry enough to have turned cannibal, and was waiting for the right moment to strike? In any case, she'd never met another adult wolf before, much less one not belonging to Tempest. It made her think for a moment of Lee, the young black wolf she'd met at the big gathering - but he hadn't really been an adult, either. All that was a blur now, something too cheerful for this dark place. Shivering in the cold, she remained pressed to the boundary, the fence of the pen she and the other wolf were trapped in. She wondered again what prisoners did to newcomers in their space? Rikki had never mentioned it - she'd been alone for most of her time, up high in the hospital, the same building that was now just a pile of rubble on the ground. Licking dry lips, the timber - cross - arctic wolf wished fervently for a drink, of all things, her dry throat barely cooperating when she had wished to speak. A few moments of silence passed, before a much deeper voice rang out. Pricking her ears up, she listened for a moment, trembling. She was normally quite a brave, reckless little she-wolf, but down here, and after the horrors she'd witnesses, she felt as terrified and as helpless as a tiny cub, taken away from her mother. She didn't know this canine, nor what a male scarred by torture would or could do. Her reply to his words was tentative and softly spoken. "Yes." A few more moments drifted by, before she burst out, "Th - they killed my old guardian and hurt my brother, that monster Kira and the others." She didn't know why she was telling a complete stranger this; for some reason she couldn't control herself. Her body shook as a single tear leaked from one amber eye, a barely audible sob, yet loud in the silence, ripping itself from her throat.

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[`K E Z Z I ♥♥]

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[atrb=background,http://i52.tinypic.com/sdemwh.png] Ares talks. Ares' thoughts. There was such a distinct scent of death in the awful place, it made Ares's skin crawl. The blood splattered on the walls from years back sickened him, yet stirred his hunger knowing that it had come from livestock. Food. Then there was of course evidence of dead canines, a small bone here and there, not to mention the stench of their rotting flesh from across the slaughterhouse. Could they not at least take the bodies out? No doubt they had died of their injuries or even starvation! Ares supposed that was what he was most concerned about, for he could take the pain and the blood but the idea of his death being long and drawn out; slowly wasting away with no energy or power to even shift, now that was what haunted his dreams. It would not surprise him if starving him was their plan, they must have realized by now that being beaten had little effect on his moral. Sure his body was going through the wars and the stiffness that wracked his bones was agonizing but he remained as determined as ever. He would get out of here, one way or another, there was no way he would die and rot in these pens. There's got to be some way out of here, I've heard rumors it's been done before He took an intake of breath as he uncurled himself more, turning his shoulders towards his company. Ares was unsure as to how he felt about sharing his pen with somebody else, for he had always been a solitary animal. The wolf did not enjoy the constant small talk nor the companionship of another being, just the wind on his back and the odd girl here and there was good enough fro him. Yet he was not insane, nor vicious when unprovoked and so the large male knew this young lady had nothing to fear from him. He imagined there would be little conversation, as honestly there was nothing to talk about here except dire, depressing topics such as when they were going to die. Ares didn't even know if he could trust her, not truly, anybody could be lurking in those shadows whilst putting on a higher, innocent voice. Still, the male knew he shouldn't think in such a paranoid and cynical manner. In fact once you went down that route it was very difficult to turn around and come back up. A few minutes passed since he spoke and Ares's eyes were beginning to adjust to the growing darkness. There in the far corner, pressed up against the white pen gates lay a smaller tawny she-wolf. He was struck by her slender muzzle and inquisitive yet anxious eyes that glistened in the shadows. The male flicked one torn ear, knowing he must look a little ominous due to the scar that stretched along one side of his muzzle. Not that he should particularly care what this girl thought, no doubt they would come for her soon and move her somewhere else. That or kill her. Though perhaps they would chose him instead, you just didn't know down here. Iris held all the cards and they played with life and death as if it was just one big hilarious game. They didn't care who they hurt or how, just so long as it made them scream. He sighed softly, observing her uncertainty from afar. Clearly she was having doubts about him but that was perfectly normal. If she did not want to converse then Ares would be quite happy to curl back up and pretend she did not exist. He did not care, and it was even more unlikely that she did either. They did not know each other, and he presumed it would be a bad idea to create friendships in such a hopeless situation. Sooner or later they would be ripped apart, maybe even by death and so it was important to keep his distance. Just as he was about to huddle backwards and close his eyes, Ares heard a voice once more. "Yes." She seemed troubled and upset as the wolf continued on. "Th - they killed my old guardian and hurt my brother, that monster Kira and the others." The Gray Wolf blinked and his gaze dropped to the ground at the news of the death. His fur bristled however in indignation as she spoke of Kira, the demonic lioness, well at least we've got something in common, he chuckled in his mind, though he knew he should not joke about. The female was tentative and Ares could have sworn he heard a muffled, choked sob as the silence engulfed the pen. He swallowed thickly, entirely unsure as to how to comfort the young girl. The black wolf was a seducer, a womanizer, a player, he did not know the first idea about comforting his ladies. Generally he never hung around long enough to get into that situation. He could hear her quivering from across the room and a burning sense of awkwardness pained him, what the hell was he supposed to do? Should he go over to her? Ares grunted in discomfort as he slowly, painfully lifted himself to his feet. It was a steady process, one that took great care and difficulty because of his twisted paw. The tall, underweight male heaved a deep sigh as he finally managed to stand. Then, cautiously he limped three steps closer before flopping down against the cold stone floor. He winced, gritting his teeth and pinning his ears back in silent agony as his stiff hips slammed against the ground. Ares panted twice before regaining his composure and gazing upwards at the youthful she-wolf. Now he was closer, he had a truly good view of her but still remained about three metres away. He cleared his throat, "I'm sorry for your loss, madam. Kira captured me too, she hurt me terribly but I did not let her break my spirit. Dry your tears, for I can tell you this is no place for weakness." ooc ; Poor Valk DX words ; 1005 - how the hell is this happening .. tagged ; valkyrie by mactire

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/33ufp07.jpg] Wide amber eyes flickered in the darkness as the young she-wolf watched every movement of the other wolf warily. She wondered for a moment why she was so tense, so distrustful all of a sudden; before her capture, she’d always been a happy, cheeky cub, eager to make friends with everyone and anyone. Perhaps it was Ralph’s death. She hadn’t imagined that anyone would want to kill anyone close to her, even after everything her mother had told her and her brothers. But now the old Newfoundland was dead, his skull smashed, his. . . NO. Stop it. She swallowed hard, pulling her mind away from the painfully recent memory. Concentrate on the here and now instead, the voice in her head advised her sensibly. So she watched as the large black male uncurled himself, turning towards her. He didn’t move much more for several minutes; he must be just getting his eyes used to the dark, as she had. Leaning her head forward but keeping her seated body pressed against the solid fence-thing, she eyed the other canine, glistening and anxious eyes picking out the somehow rakish-looking scar running down one side of his snout. Valkyrie wasn’t old enough to understand much about loss and preventing oneself from becoming attached to someone to reduce the risk of psychological, emotional and mental pain. But just at that moment, she wasn’t thinking about how badly she needed comfort, either. All she knew was that everything hurt far more than she’d ever known it could hurt. Her body trembled slightly with tension and exhaustion, borne of grief and fear. She knew what was likely to happen to her in this place, but she did not know exactly what the felines of the Iris pride would do to her, or how it would affect her. All she had was her imaginings. Her muscles tensed slightly as the once-powerful male’s hackles raised at the mention of Kira. She ducked her head as her quiet sob seemed to echo around the huge room with its scent of death and fear. The youthful female watched uncertainly as the male rose, little by little, to his paws, his movements pained. She shifted slightly, not wanting to rise herself lest she collapse. She knew that in this place, it was essential to conserve energy: regular meals, from what Rikki had said, were not a regular occurrence here. The timber-arctic wolf cross counted every step the black male took, her pointed, sensitive ears detecting the click of his claws and the rasp of his pads on the rough concrete floor. Her tawny, multi-coloured head cocked slightly as he collapsed onto the ground in front of her, several metres away, his agony evident; she wondered how long he’d been here, briefly, her childish mind not straying from her own fear and pain for long. Her attention was distracted, though, as he spoke, enlightening her as to his situation. At his last few words, she shivered; words spilled from her mouth, despite the fact that she knew, vaguely, what the answer would be, her voice once again small and hesitant, a child’s. “What do you mean?” Truthfully, she could not imagine anything worse than what she’d already been through in the last day; the numbing horror of it all was too much for her not yet fully-grown body and mind.

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[`K E Z Z I ♥♥]

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[atrb=background,http://i52.tinypic.com/sdemwh.png] Ares talks. Ares' thoughts. Ares noticed that the younger wolf was consumed with distrust, he could tell by the way her amber eyes flared with anxiety and her body shifted uncomfortably as he moved closer. The male had wanted to 'comfort' her in a sense, but now he realised it had probably been the wrong move. Obviously she wasn't going to want to be approached by a huge, ravenous male that she had no idea about. The Gray wolf had heard tales of certain prisoners losing their minds and attacking other Iris Scum, no doubt the felines saw the entertainment value in this and probably pitted captive against captive. Though he was no stranger to fighting, even for amusement, even he knew what was crossing the line. He exhaled slowly, though as he did so he felt a drip of stale water splash onto the fur between his ears. Ares grumbled inaudibly and glared up at the leak in the roof, noticing suddenly the puddle between his paws. Great, now I'm going to be wet and cold. Winter would not be far off, from the outdoor scents that he caught every so often, and then the real hardship would begin. Iris would have trouble feeding themselves let alone their prisoners. Hesitantly the tawny she-wolf spoke, “What do you mean?”, and Ares frowned minutely. He did not imagine that he would have to explain himself on this one. Surely she knew what went on down here, what happened to those who broke down and lost their minds. Iris preyed on the weak and vulnerable, it was how they worked, they latched onto any sign of fear and contorted it into a weapon against you. He'd learnt that during the first week or so, for they had managed to rat out the fact that he did not have a single family member to his name. They were all dead. The black wolf had lived a long lonely life and they had taunted him for it, saying things that should never be said. Inwardly he snarled, but knew that his anger would only frighten the female further. Ares focused his cold eyes upon her own, feeling fur bristling slightly. Had he met her a few months earlier, the large wolf would have surely attempted to seduce the pretty little thing. She was his type, well perhaps a tad on the young side but beautiful all the same. Now however he was acting completely differently, there was no charm in his voice, no suggestions in his eyes and he was being honest for once. Ares wasn't sure he liked this new version of himself, he just wasn't sure. He thought for a moment as to how he should reply, there was no way he could go into the gory details without sending her into a tizz. "Iris may batter your body till it shatters, but you can ensure that they never get to you inside. As the old saying goes ' sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me' ." Ares shifted his paws in slight discomfort, this was highly uncharacteristic of him. What was he, a preacher? Yet it felt good to talk to somebody, yes she was youthful and seemingly naive but her innocent relieved him at least. There was no plan, no scheme, no betrayal coming his way from her and for that the wolf was grateful. Ares didn't think he had the energy for such drama, he could already feel himself tiring from talking alone. Hunger caused his stomach to growl and rumble from deep within and he rolled his eyes, gruffly he mumbled "I'm Ares by the way." His inner voice snapped at him, telling him that he should not be on a first name basis with any captive here. That was dangerous and foolish, Ares should stay away from her and everybody else. If the large skinny male allowed himself to befriend the girl, his captors would not doubt use it against them both. On the other hand, something inside told him that he should not worry. The black wolf was a distant creature, he had never allowed himself too close to anybody. ooc ; Meh, this is horrible sorry! words ; 692 tagged ; valkyrie by mactire

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/33ufp07.jpg] As she waited for a reply, the young she-wolf continued to watch the other canine's movements. Her ears pricked up as she noticed a drop of water splash down onto his head. Water! She resisted the urge to rise and barrel him out of the way in order to gain access to the precious liquid. Had they both not been prisoners in this place, she would have laughed at how disgruntled a drop of water on the large male's head made him. As it was, she supposed it was fai enough; winter would be here soon, and getting very wet in a place like this could result in death disease. Her tummy rumbled then, reminding her that it had been at least a day since she'd eaten: on the day of her capture, she and Adrian had left home in the early morning without having anything to eat. Occasionally, from what she could remember, her family had gone without food for a day or two, but not often enough that she was used to it. She doubted sizeable meals were a regular occurence here. Swallowing thickly, Valkyrie studied the male's face as he took in her words. She wondered if he thought her stupid, naïve. The latter was probably true, but the former. . . Would be an insult. She was certainly young, unsused to hardship, stunned by the tradgedy that had so recently befallen her. Her mother had given them a brief tale of what had happened to her during her time as an Iris slave, but now she thought their mother had skipped over the nitty-gritty of it to spare her children - so it was down to this stranger to tell her what life was like here. She shifted her weight slightly, wincing as her bloodied and batter body protested agaist the movement. A scent of anger caused her slightly relaxed body to tense again, her eyes meeting the cold gaze of the older male. She wondered what he was thinking, what he had gone through himself to end up here, and indeed how it had happed. That was more like the old Valkyrie - constantly questioning everything she didn't have an accurate answer before - but she was still far more subdued. Her old self would have burst into a frenzy of questioning as soon as the words came to her mind. Now, she kept those questions to herself, waiting for an answer to the one she'd previously asked. Soon enough, the black wolf spoke, his words blunt. The timber - arctic wolf cross lowered her gaze to her paws, questions filling her mind. So these felines enjoyed beating up their captives? Why? How was that fun? Had she been in mainstream Tempest society before her capture, she would have discovered that many of the adults liked to cause pain, too. But she had not, so the concept was practically foreign to her. The male obviously spoke from experience, though: his own battered body, marred far more than her own, spoke volumes. She supposed that Ralph's death and everything that had happened around it should have woken her to the sadistic nature of the pride as a whole - but she had hoped, perhaps naïvely, that somehow not all of Iris would be the same as Kira and her cronies. As she was digesting this information, the older wolf spoke, this time to give her his name. Ares. Short, but complicated to say; foreign sounding. She supposed that her name wasn't the simplest to say, either, remembering Lee's reaction when she had introduced herself. Nodding minutely in assent, she replied, "I'm Valkyrie." Hesitating for a moment, wondering if would be silly, she added, "But you can call me Valk if it's too hard to pronounce. My brothers all do. . . Did. . ." She trailed off, the last few words barely understandable as they were engulfed in a strangled half-sob. Would she ever see them again? Ashamed, but unable to stop being swamped by sadness for all that she had recently lost, with all the lack of control of a creature too young to know how to deal with such devastating emotions, she gave a shuddering sigh. Forcing herself to her paws, she stood there facing her fellow prisoner, weak and shaking slightly. Closing overly moist amber eyes for a moment, she opened them and asked thickly, "How did you end up here, Ares?" His name felt strange on her tongue, but she found she liked the sound of it. Her bushy tail between her legs, her whole body slumped except for her head, she attempted to keep her mind off her own problems - which was no easy task.

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[`K E Z Z I ♥♥]

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[atrb=background,http://i52.tinypic.com/sdemwh.png] Ares talks. Ares' thoughts. This was the most activity he'd had in many days, and the weakened male could feel his energy waning once more. Talking alone seemed to drain him, let alone having to pick himself and move closer. His once-bright eyes gazed at her curiously as she too seemed to observe him, watching as another drop of water rolled down his large head and splashed onto the murky concrete ground. Ares flicked his ears backwards and lifted his muzzle in a disapproving manner, casting a colder gaze over the young female. From the way her eyes wracked over his body it appeared as though she were trying to decipher what was going on in his head, the black wolf simply blinked, waiting for a reply. Yet there as a flicker in her eyes that caught the Gray Wolf's attention, as though there was a small light rekindling from deep within. Yes it was small, but apparent and existent all the same, Ares supposed it was better than the frightened and hopeless look she had given him earlier. As the female introduced herself as Valkyrie, the wolf smiled a weak crooked smile. It was an unusual calling, one he had never heard of before but as he rolled it over his tongue, Ares found that he very much liked the sound of it. It was these small strange things that the big malnourished canine found himself thriving on, without these little amusements then he would be greatly mentally weakened. It was the way she had shortened it as if to help him out, so it was this spark of kindness that showed there was good amongst the bad, there was hope midst the darkness. However, when she finished her sentence the sadness was evidently clear. He wondered whether any of her brother's had passed away, or she just meant the fact that she was stuck in here. Not one to prod too much into another's personal life, when he himself despised it when somebody did so to him, Ares decided to refrain from asking. Ares sighed softly as she almost began to sob once more, a rush of pity tingling from his chest. Poor girl, she is so very young. In an attempt to distract her, the ebony wolf spoke quietly;"Valkyrie, that is a nice name you got there. It's pretty enough without shortening it." He paused, gazing out over the tall white fencing and out of a window pane at the dreary sky. "I know how you feel when you talk about your brothers. I have not seen my sister for a very very long time, in fact I never will. She died when we were young." He shook his head in a solemn and distant manner, before turning to gaze blankly back at Valk. As she raised herself upwards, Ares cocked his head slightly before shuffling backwards a little and steadily moving his body into a sitting position. Her question caught him off guard slightly, he frowned and curled his lip at the thought of Kira, "I was foolish enough to near Iris' borders, and encountered upon Kira. We talked, and we fought but in the end she won and knocked me out. The next thing I knew I was locked away in this dreadful place of death." His voice was thick with hatred, and loathing but accompanied also by an ice cool undertone. He scoffed slightly at a new thought, "Well, at least nobody will miss me."

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[{Mactíre}]

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/33ufp07.jpg] The cold glare the Grey wolf gave the young female didn't go unnoticed; steeling herself, she returned it, but soon it melted away and she bent her head to stare at her paws for a few long moments beore telling him her name. She observed his response - at least he didn't frown. She almost found his lopsided smile comforting, somehow, though she didn't know why. His black fur reminded her fleetingly of Orion, as it had reminded her of Lee - her brother who, desipite her best efforts, hadn't shown much affection through their cubhood. She felt a pang of sadness then - she hadn't wanted things to be like that. But he was stubborn, too. She supposed none of that mattered now. She was almost as good as dead, down here. Her weeping made her momentarily angry; how was moping for everything that had happened help her at all? As she tasted the salt from her tears on her tongue, looking anywhere but at Ares, his voice rang out; his soft tones broke through her misery and she looked up at him, blinking in surprise at his words. This stranger was being so kind, even after the few frosty glances they'd exchanged. Rikki had warned her of older males, not to trust them if they seemed too kind, but Ares, she felt, was genuinely kind - after all, what did he have to gain in here by being kind to her that would do him good in the long run, if he was only doing it for his benifet? Valkyrie decided, in that moment, to trust this much older male, even though he was all but a stranger. "Thank you, Ares, no-one's ever said that to me before," she said after a moment of silence, her mouth tugged into a smile that was too big and bright for a place like this, a true smile, one that reached her amber eyes and made them shine. The young timber wolf cross feel silent as the black canine stared out of a tiny window on the other side of the room. She didn't have to wonder about what he was thinking, for he soon spoke again. He talked of a sister, long dead and gone. "That's terrible," she murmured, the words woefully inadequate to express her sorrow at such a thing. "One of my brothers disappeared a while ago. . . Mama was distraught. I thought he'd come back; he never did. I suppose there is a chance he's alive somewhere, unlike your poor sister." Her words were spoken in hushed, despondent tones. She took a few tentative step forward and lay down, so that there was only a muzzle's length between their faces. "What. . . What happened to her?" The question burst out of her before she could stop it, or add something such as if it's not to painful to talk about afterward. She was still a child in many ways; she'd always been fairly blunt with her words, and somehow this was no exception. Ares answered her question concerning his capture, with a clear show of hatred towards his captor before speaking. She wondered, briefly, what he meant by "talked" - most likely the lioness taunted him into fighting. The hatred in his voice was clear, but it was not fiery and uncontrolled as hers had been. Cold, and calm. That seemed to be how the tawny black wolf was much of the time. Before she had time to speak again, he made an ironic remark, to which she was silent; Valkyrie knew that her mother, Kai, and Adrian would miss her. It was quite possible that Orion neither knew, or if he did, he wouldn't care much. She sighed, a strangled murmer leaving her mouth. "I just hope those who love me aren't worrying to much." That was a hollow hope, of course; if she knew Rikki at all, her mother would be an anxious wreck. And Kai? She tried to imagine what their positions would be like if Kai was the one here. She'd be lonely, wondering why she hadn't been there to defend her friend, and guilty, even though it wasn't her fault. She hoped that the older female didn't feel that way. And if any of them attempted to rescue her. . . She hoped they didn't get hurt, that they pulled out before they got captured or killed. Her mother was the most vunerable of all, she suddenly realised: she knew that she had only been hanging onto life because of cubs. Everyone had known that; it was blindingly obvious. Tearing her thoughts away from them, the young she-wolf gazed up into the male's amber eyes, a single thought successfully distracting her. "So. . . You don't have anyone who cares for you left in this world?" Her voice was filled with a mixture of amazement and sympathy, pity somehow absent. Her multi-colour-furred face was the picture of sorrow and concern.

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[`K E Z Z I ♥♥]

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[atrb=background,http://i52.tinypic.com/sdemwh.png] Ares talks. Ares' thoughts. He'd never thought of himself as the sentimental, pitying type. So the gentler feelings that stirred within the ebony wolf felt utterly foreign and he could not help but be somewhat startled by their spontaneous appearance. As a youngster Ares had been forced to adapt quickly, survive all situations, rely on himself alone. There had been times when death had all but suffocated him, creeping closer and closer to his jugular and yet he had stood strong. When everyone else had failed him, wounded him, the dark wolf knew he could trust in his ability to shut all else out and carry on alone. Ares did not attach himself to others, emotions and sensations were shut securely away in his inner chest; he had thrown the key away long ago. So was his mind playing cruel tricks on him? Fooling the weak male into believing that he could care for somebody again? Ares didn't think he could imagine a worse fate. Caring meant opening yourself up for pain, vulnerability and he knew he couldn't afford to hurt anymore. "Thank you, Ares, no-one's ever said that to me before," Her warm voice jolted him softly from his silent thoughts, bold amber eyes turning from the floor to her framed head once more. This time he did not smile, he offered no kindness; he had to keep her, like everyone else, at an arms length. There was no room for making friends in a place so brutal and unforgiving as this, there was a good chance that a cat would stroll in here tomorrow and rip the bloodied veins from Valkyrie's throat. Ares did not doubt that his days were numbered, he just wasn't sure he cared much anymore. No the more he thought about his seemingly long, weary, lonely life the less he seemed to feel about his death. Would it really be so bad? It wasn't like he had any family left, and he certainly did not have any friends but up till now the male had enjoyed this fact. It meant he could simply wander from place to place without any ties ... had something changed? Perhaps the Slaughter House was beginning to crack Ares. The younger she-wolf murmured quietly and he sighed, terrible yes indeed. His gaze flickered to the floor again, diverting any possible eye contact. The Grey Wolf didn't want Valkyrie to spy the sudden glimmer of sadness that shone distinctly in his hard eyes. He had been seven months old when Eostra, his psychopathic aunt had caused the destruction of his entire family and then kidnapped him. Ares remembered the many painful nights spent under her torture, and how she would whisper the stories of his family's demise into his young ears. Now however was not the time to be thinking of such dark memories of his hidden past. He flicked his thickly furred ears backward as his companion spoke about the disappearance of her own brother, and he shook his head slowly. The larger canine blinked a little at the sudden movement of the pretty girl as she stepped closer, before slumping to the ground. Ares certainly wasn't used to being this near another and his spinal fur rose a fraction. Her next question came like a bullet; unsuspected and fast. Ares drew back his big, scarred, muzzle and looked at her for a moment. The way in which he immediately replied was instinctive, yet the tone of his voice had dropped; it sounded colder, more distant, rough. "It's complicated," he licked his lips and swallowed, "our grandmother murdered her." Ares hated thinking about what had happened between the two wolf packs, though the fact that he was half-blood did not faze him much anymore. He just wished he hadn't gotten to know his mother, father and entire family more. Sometimes the black male found himself missing them, despite being snatched from their warm arms at such a young age, but he quickly dispelled such feeble wants. He had no time for weakness anymore; Eostra had at least ensured that. Large paws shuffled slightly as she spoke of her loved ones, Valkyrie was both lucky and unfortunate to have a family close by. Her final inquiry made Ares's jaws curl into a icy smile, "No. They all died a long time ago, but I don't really mind anymore because sometimes it takes getting everything you ever wanted, and then losing it again, to know what true freedom is."

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[{Mactíre}]

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[atrb=background,http://i42.tinypic.com/33ufp07.jpg] The black wolf seemed to be lost in thought, but at her quiet words, he turned to look at her. He did not return her smile or warmth; this confused her. Why was he being so cold all of a sudden? Had she said or done something wrong? Even though she hadn't been here for long, she longed to feel the caress of her mother or the rough, wet nose of one of her brothers against her cheek or flanks. She wanted to feel alive and loved, not to be feeling that inevitable, ever nearing-death was hanging over her in this cold, dark, cruel place. A quiet whimper burst from her mouth, unbidden, her eyes downcast. She sighed, glancing up at the male before looking back down at her paws. Valkyrie noticed his wariness and surprise as she came closer before stopping, wondering when he'd last been in the company of anyone who wanted to talk to him or be near him. Throughout her short life, she'd always found someone who was willing to return her energetic gestures of kindness and friendship, someone who could appreciate her happy, boisterous nature. This male seemed to have little life, little fighting spirit left in him, and she couldn't understand why. She, for one, wasn't going to give up on life when it had only just begun. It wasn't impossible to make it out of here alive; it had been done before. Her own musings were broken into by the low voice of Ares as he answered her unexpected question. His tone made her flatten her ears to her head and wonder if she had offended him. His words took her aback completely, her amber eyes widening in horror. "Why?" She whispered, staring at the grey wolf. That would be akin to Ralph killing her. It was unthinkable, almost, and completely barbaric. It seemed as if the huge male had a a dark past she knew nothing about, one that he seldom revealed to anyone. The black male continued to keep up the barrier of coldness that prevented her from reaching out to him, his final words making her feel numb inside. Swallowing, she managed to answer, "Well, you'd know that a lot better than me; I had a little of what I wanted before it was gone. But I'm hoping to someday to regain what was lost, and fulfil my dreams."She was extremely aware as she finished peaking how idealistic and childish those words sounded in this situation. She could die down here, with no chance of ever becoming a Tempest Soldier, let alone leader of the pack. Taking a deep breath, the pretty young she wolf leant forward and nosed Ares gently on the cheek. "There's still hope yet," she told him, looking up at him. Her face what directly in front of his; there was nowhere else he could look but into her eyes. "You're not old or completely helpless. My mother was older than you when she was imprisoned by Iris, and several years older when she escaped. But she survived." Never mind the fact that she had never been the same since Gravity had disappeared and her cubs had been born, that she was always weak in body and longing for her mate. Valkyrie drew in a noseful of Ares' scent before she drew back; it was all she could smell for that moment. There was fear and weariness there, but determination, and a hint of loneliness too. He smelled musky, cold, and of dirt and concrete, but it was a comforting scent, somehow, and she wished she could stand there forever, but instead she sank back down onto her haunches, a few inches away from the male.

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[`K E Z Z I ♥♥]

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[atrb=background,http://i52.tinypic.com/sdemwh.png] Ares talks. Ares' thoughts. He wondered, oh how he wondered, what would he do, where would he go, if he did escape from this godless place. Would Ares aimlessly pace from one path to another like before? Would he return to his hopeless flings with girls that were after more than a fleeting kiss? Would he continue to travel alone for the rest of his days? The wolf did not know and truthfully knew he shouldn't think of such times when the possibility of leaving the Slaughterhouse was unbearably slim. For all knew, the iris cats were planning to slice his jugular in the coming hour. ( wip ) BRB SEARCHING FOR MUSE IT'S GONE AWOL.

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