Valley of Dreams

DENY NOTHING BUT DOUBT EVERYTHING

Quietly the woman would depart from the halls of the college, her ears drawn back as she processed the news from which she just acquired from an old colleague, something she didn’t even ponder the idea of happening. A sigh escaped her as she realized that was part of why the winds pulled her back to her roots, the fae wanted her to know the truth but it didn’t do much for her perception than what already was there.

He was old, he was destined to die but she didn’t think in this way, to think her old professor was nothing more than dust now. She wished to harvest the body to give it the proper ritual but the chances were it was already disposed of in one way or another. Lip curling slightly but it simply took away one less thing to think about, one less soul to pass into the other realm. He couldn’t vouch for her anymore and her whereabouts but that didn’t mean there weren’t others that could get entangled in her web within the corridors.

She’d shake her fur free of dust as she entered the sun’s light before vanishing once more into the shadows of sparse tree cover further north for now. It was the perfect time to start to harvest herbs, harvest them as the season's change granted her plenty of new medicine to new toxins, should she need them. The blossoming belladonna would make her pause, her fangs parting to snag a few before continuing further till she’d meet a stream, her gaze burning with a desire to curse this land even more than the citizens had already caused. Purge it of every living wolf so nature may flourish once more and be free from the pathetic attempts at government.

However, she wasn’t so quick to flush away her mask, she’d return south shortly, play the doctor of heart and grace to acquire as much information as she could till the allowed time would shift to something darker. Tossing the herbs to the ground, she’d allow her paws to soak, pebbles to bend around her toes as she waited for prey to arrive, ever curious what the goddess would bring her way while she looked for precious healing stones within the river stones.

code by claerie
@Aisce

Most days, Aisce wouldn't dream of coming this close to a populated area. They preferred uninterrupted solitude, and in the six months since being relieved of so many body parts they'd come to realize that merely being perceived now had a tendency to draw unwanted attention. Still, they refused to let this push them out of all their old haunts, and the scent of the Melrose flower fields was still a pleasant memory. According to Sorin, it also held some potentially edible specimens, and Aisce was fucking hungry.

They began by lurking in what they knew to be a shaded area, attempting to not look out of place as they sniffed for any scent of others in the area. There was some, of course, but it had become stale. As far as they could tell, it was safe to continue without fear of being approached.

Nose to the ground, they began searching for the plants Sorin had commented on. Certain berries, some tuberous roots, anything substantial enough to silence the growls from their stomach would do. Aisce wasn't picky. In their desperation, the thought of checking for others entering the area every now and then hadn't even crossed their mind until they approached the river. The sound was unmistakable, and one sniff of the air confirmed their assumption.

There was a wolf in the water ahead of them.

DENY NOTHING BUT DOUBT EVERYTHING

The gentle sound of movement along the myriad of flora would draw her attention up from the many beautiful stones that lined the riverbed, ears perking before folding toward the noise as she turned her head toward the culprit. At first, the sight of the other felt like she was merely looking at a ghost along the shore, hardly canine in many ways yet the body unmistakably so. A banshee of lore thought there was no singing or screaming that would haunt her ears in the moment, leaving them to grin curiously at the cryptid as she quickly deduced it was likely nothing more than a mortal of which was brought to her. The question was, in what way? A sacrifice to turn the water red? Someone she was to receive and bless?

Slowly she escaped the water’s grasp, edging closer toward the large phantom, taking in every missing part of them with amazement and fascination as she watched to see if it could breathe. That bit of sniffing in the air had brought her a sense that this being was still of this world, needing the bare necessities of life to flourish and not break in time. The small flexes of the lungs and flare of the nose. Breathing in one of the many things the living needed to survive.

“My, my, aren’t you a stunning entity,” she nearly purred, moving into the others' space at a steady pace till she could see the back of the eye sockets that lacked the orbs normally embedded within. This was not how it would look if they had been born without eyes, so many scars rather than the smooth fill of skin and hair. “Are you a blessing or a curse?” she tilted her head, satiating her fixation on if they were in misery or fairing a life sustainable just enough to be content. That bit of growling within, however, told her they were at least malnourished and it brought a twinkle of mischief into the witch’s eyes.

code by claerie
@Aisce

The muscles that would've controlled Aisce's ears twitched as this stranger approached, nostrils flaring discreetly as they inspected their scent. They had become decently adept at filling in the gaps left by their lack of sight, and could reasonably suspect that the wolf before them was a small female. The sound of her voice came from below Aisce's not-ears, the sounds made by her movements were not that of a large, hulking figure. While not entirely thrilled at the prospect of small talk, the blind wolf at least detected no threat here.

Stunning was not a word they were used to being described by - entity, now that felt more on-point. Very few wolves found their garish, mauled appearance anything but disturbing, and they could recall multiple instances of being spotted in the woods only for their observer to become frightened and run away. Was she being sarcastic? Was this mockery?

Still, Aisce didn't want to start a fight, and maybe it was a genuine compliment. This was near where the college was located, and that guild seemed to contain quite a few wolves fascinated by oddities like themself. Just by the pattern of speech, this wolf sounded educated. Possibly noble, but a noblewolf probably wouldn't be so pleasant towards an entity.

"Both of those options would be giving myself too much credit," they replied, unsure of how to answer the question. They tried to assist others when possible, but certainly not to the extent of being a blessing, though they certainly didn't inflict enough harm to be a curse. Their voice was even and emotionless, almost disinterested as they spoke. "I'm merely passing by to forage."

DENY NOTHING BUT DOUBT EVERYTHING

A hum strummed from her throat, observing them further as they did nothing particularly impressive or curious, moving around for the most part completely normally as if this had been their life for far longer than those healed sockets would give credence to. Perhaps they had been blind before the loss of them but part of her had a feeling that wasn’t quite the case but she would get no answers off of speculation alone no matter how much the winds tried to draw her closer to the specimen, feeling it whip for a moment as if the goddess herself was growing impatient with her. Her lips parted slightly as a smile pulled along her muzzle, mentally telling the entities to be calm and patient as her head tilted just a touch in order to see if there were any remnants of something remaining in any of the visible mutilated locations.

“Tut tut, darling. So, you are an enigma. A leaf along the winds of time waiting to land onward to their next destination,” to be plucked she humored, slowly making her way closer, finding conversation with the lost ghost to be rather mundane. No creativity in such an answer, no riddles or curious phrases. Yet, such a small answer told plenty about them and it was a bit disappointing. It seemed their personality was drab at best, excruciatingly boring at worst. It would not deter her entirely, however, if only because of their appearance.

Circling the other, her tail gently brushing along their side as she did so should the beastie not draw away, taking in every imperfection with some wonderful detailing that made it perfect in a far more morbid sense. “Who patched you up, dear. I can’t say I recognize the handiwork of any of my colleagues. They did a marvelous job, absolutely beautiful. Most would have perished from such extensive wounds under the wrong paws,” she nearly purred like an intrigued cheshire cat.

code by claerie
@Aisce

This... certainly was small talk. How long had it been since they interacted with another? They were shaky and out of practice, never sure of how to respond. The portion of their life they could remember was spent avoiding others, lurking in the depths of the woods to prevent this exact awkwardness bubbling up inside them.

As the faint sensation of the stranger's tail brushed against their pelt, Aisce suppressed a violent flinch, muscles twitching with restraint as they steadied against the unexpected contact. Had their ears and tail been intact, both would've been pulled tight against their body, but the lack of these appendages left their body language strange and incomplete.

Of course, they wouldn't reveal Sorin's identity. While Aisce had cared little about his actions, they were well aware that others may frown on the surprise removal of body parts. But... certainly they could pass a little information along? "I do believe it was one of your peers who relieved me of my unnecessaries, " they responded, voice smooth and proud. They were fond of their little helper, and took some amount of pride in being such a canvas of his work. While the injuries that had taken them down in that forest were rough and jagged, all of Sorin's handiwork was careful and precise - many might not even notice that their lack of ears and tail was the result of injury rather than a simple congenital abnormality. "Though I do think they would appreciate my discretion as to their identity. Not many properly appreciate the delicate art of enucleation and amputation."

DENY NOTHING BUT DOUBT EVERYTHING

Wisteria would watch as the other tensed from her delicate touch, it having been some time since even a complete stranger would find it undesirable, too used to being the siren that stole from those that fell to primal urges far easier than they should. Not that she didn’t enjoy basking in cardinal sins herself, it was far more fun to draw others into it and break something in return. She would circle to the other side of the larger beast, testing the waters more as this time her nose would gently glide along the other’s neck, curious if they would remain still again or if it would make them snap from being so close to a vital point.

Her head would tilt as she got some answers, her tail swaying as something more malicious pulled along her muzzle, something the other wouldn’t be able to see but she still tried to keep it at bay to some extent in case they stopped being so alone. Melrose was a rather frequented land afterall, not only did it house the college but also was the prime intersection to many favorable locations.

What she didn’t expect was how the other worded things.

Unnecessaries?

Maybe they weren’t so boring after all. They seemed emboldened speaking of it, far opposite to that tension at touch and it drew her to want to poke and prod more. That careful choice would dampen her mood very faintly, not liking the little rabbit trying to hide its prized carrot from her reach. “I don’t think they’d mind, all healers have their secrets, but they can only excel with those that carry their same interests at heart. If not their name, then what of yours, dear?” she cooed, tucking a paw between the other’s front two legs, leaning her shoulder into their side wanting to see how much distortion of balance this critter had without a tail as something more morbid started to surge within their mind as her tongue ran along her fangs and slightly against their neck had they not withdrawn.

code by claerie
@Aisce

Somewhat more at ease now that there was more of a conversation to focus on, the featureless wolf reacted with visibly less stress to the sensation of a nose against their throat. They sensed no real, imminent intent to kill from this wolf, and if they were wrong, well... it wouldn't be their problem for long.

A simple question with a complicated answer, they wasted no time with mysterious replies. "Aisce." This wasn't their real name, of course - that was lost to time, forgotten with the rest of whatever happened before that day in the woods. This was Gaelic for 'empty' or 'for nothing,' an odd name for one to give their pup and a name in a language that did not match the slight but hard-to-place hint of an accent they spoke with. It wouldn't be difficult to notice the discrepancies.

As a paw made its way between their legs, Aisce's form held itself balanced with a deceptive grace and strength. They had clearly adapted to existing like this quite well. The fangs against their throat, likewise, had little impact. Instead of shying away, Aisce arced their neck back, exposing more of their vulnerabilities to the curious physician. "May I ask what you intend to do with those teeth of yours?" they asked, calmly, not seeming particularly concerned about the answer.