[ AW ] Meet You at the Starting Line

SATHARIEL
THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

“Maybe you shouldn’t have eaten so much badger!” Laughter rang through the trees as the wolf cast the taunt over his shoulder. His voice was brilliant, burgeoning maturity adding depth to an otherwise charming tenor. And as he glanced back at his sister, his eyes were equally bright; they shimmered with his playful challenge, crackling like turquoise fires in his skull. But the young male, Sathariel, knew he was playing with fire. If anything in life were certain, it was this: teasing his sister was guaranteed to result in trouble. “You’ll never catch up to me now!” he added before pounding the earth with his paws, surging forward with all his might.

He was a golden comet, streaking through the oak trees and burning with joy. He lit up the landscape like the dawn itself.

It had been over a month since Sathariel and his littermate left home, trekking through hills, wetlands, and thick woods in search of a promise. Whether they found their parents in Èireland was immaterial to Seth; although it would be nice to see his mother one last time. And did he wonder every night if the rest of the siblings were on their trail, following them to untold adventure? Certainly. But with Helianthella at the dawn child’s side, all the sacrifices and risks were worth it. Because they were raised on tales of fae trickery and otherworldly power, and there was nothing Seth wanted more than to see it himself.

As the male sprinted, the trees began to thin, red maples popping up where oaks grew sparser. The earth here was so verdant, it was unlike anything Sathariel had ever seen. They had traveled west, south, and west again—as long as they followed their mother’s vague directions, they were going the right way. But Seth could never be certain until now. He saw something truly magnificent in the distance. His lips parted, eyes widening as stone towers and parapets rose skyward. Across a foliage-dotted plain, the ancient castle greeted them, and Seth actually started to slow down without realizing it. “What…is that…?”

Èireland could not be far off now.

code by claerie; art by seacca


Please allow Helianthella to post first! Thank you!

HELIANTHELLA THE PHANTOM QUEEN Oh, she was definitely going to kick his fluffy, golden behind. Maybe not at this exact second while her belly flopped uncomfortably with the weight of that rather delicious badger, but soon. Not that the hellion was going to give up, but she knew brotherly trickery when she saw it. He'd definitely been giving her a look while she devoured the meal like a starving madwoman, and certainly hadn't given her time to even wipe her bloodied lips before challenging her to a race. Hel was fairly certain the only reason they were making such good time was due to them solving all their arguments with a contest. Last she recalled, they were neck-and-neck, if Seth won this, Hel would never live it down. A snarl was all she could summon in response to his tease, followed by an uncomfortable hiccup, but still she pushed herself. Paws pounded the green earth, her tail a whiplash of force behind her but one could see the desperation on her face to catch (and clobber) the golden streak just ahead. It was just like Sethariel to push her past her limits, and just like Hel to not know when to stop. A wiser wolf would have seen the trickery for what it was, but Hel was no wisewoman, too vain, too prideful to let something as measly as a meal get between her and victory. Another belly flop came that she ignored, even as her lips flooded with saliva. His tail was just ahead, and all she could see was red. She didn't see the trees thinning, nor the rising image of a castle just ahead, but Hel did notice his pace slow and, of course, could do only one thing. Take advantage. With a righteous bark she pushed herself one last time to bound past him, hoping to whip him in the face with her tail as she passed. The hellion bounded a few more lengths before letting out a cheer that, unfortunately, turned sour. "Ha, I won, I won, I wo- hrrrrgg-" her bouncing glee stopped abruptly in a patch of wildflowers that she now covered in badger vomit. Beautiful. code by claerie; art by Rae

Everyone is welcome!

SATHARIEL
THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

A dappled tail smacked him in the face, temporarily distracting him from the wondrous sight in the distance. Sathariel snorted, furrowing his brow as his sister darted past him. Of course she would lord this “win” over his head for months to come…but he had a feeling she would regret it. The grin that spread across his lips was devious as Hel vomited all over the flowers. Immediately, the golden male burst into laughter. He fell onto his back, rolling around in the (clean) grass and kicking his paws in the air. “There’s your prize, Hel!” he exclaimed. Even the dawn child’s laughter was melodic, making it difficult to be angry.

But Seth was sure his sister would manage.

“Ugh,” he sighed, rolling upright and blinking the tears from the corners of his eyes. “Too perfect.” Seth’s tail wagged good-naturedly as he rose and stepped forward. “Now that you’ve, uh, ‘won’ the race, maybe you’ll notice our real prize?” He nodded to the castle in the distance. The light in his eyes shifted from brotherly mirth to crackling, electrified excitement. This was what they had traveled so far to find. A land where wolves lived in societies instead of packs or clans; and beyond, their homeland, brimming with fae magic. “Ready to check it out, or do you need a few minutes?” Seth smirked.

code by claerie; art by seacca

Having concluded his recent business in the capital, the Colonel was on his way back to Yorkshire. As always, he left the lively city reluctantly - the road back home was usually uneventful, and by now he was so used to living in society that the peaceful solitude of wilderness left him wanting more. Despite that, he often tried to travel off the beaten path and main roads. Ensuring his movements weren’t too easy follow was one thing, but the roads had regular patrols. If he wanted to have any chance of coming across something illicit for him to squash, it had to be away from them.

As such, the sound of voices and laughter drew him in.. only for his muzzle to wrinkle in disgust when the stench of bile joined them. Of course, just his luck... why must he always end up near wolves who can’t hold onto the contents of their stomachs? He could see the duo at a distance now, having an awfully good time... or one of them was, at least. But there wasn’t much of a reason to be suspicious of them, so Nicharion intended to pass them by... until one of them spoke, looking towards the castle that loomed over the city. Wonderful. If the fools get arrested for snooping around, it might very well end up on his desk as extra paperwork. Dissuading them might be less of a hassle, all things considered.

“Check what out?” he called out, adjusting his course to approach the strangers. He stopped a cautiously polite amount of distance away from them... concerned not for the danger they may or may not be capable of posing, but the woman and her puddle of vomit, which he eyed with disdain. “I hope you’re not thinking you’d be allowed to set paw anywhere near the royal castle.” It proved to be a challenge to stifle any hint of mockery in his voice, keeping the sentence as a strictly informational warning. But on the other hand... it might be best to add to the severity of it, lest they get the very stupid idea of disregarding it as soon as he leaves. “Unless you want to be touring the dungeons next.”

manip + code: clae

HELIANTHELLATHE PHANTOM QUEEN

Her ears went red with embarresment at Seth's peeling laughter, all the pride for her victory soured like the once-pretty flowers before her, but Hel wasn't one to languish in regret. The young woman shrugged the bad feelings off her shoulders with a simple roll of her eyes as she spit the last remnants of fur-covered bile from her mouth. "That just means I'm willing to risk it all to win," she shot back, trotting a few steps towards the castle as Seth pulled himself together. He said something else, but Helianthella's gaze was far to transfixed upon the grandiose image before her. Momma had spun tales of buildings, castles, such as this, and while such dwellings weren't completely foreign to the pair, they'd certainly never seen something so, well, big. And just like that, all care for the steaming pile of vomit, and the challenge that preceeded it disappeared.

This is exactly what they'd been looking for. Proof that Ruellia wasn't just their batty 'ol Mother, proof of the civilisation they'd been so keen on finding. If this existed, surely somewhere would lurk the fae magics that had enticed the intrepid pair to leave the comfort of ther hearth. Hel could feel the mark of the Morrígan tingle across her muzzle, like static electricity just below the skin, urging, willing, pushing the woman forward into her destiny. For a moment, nothing else mattered. Not finding their parents, not hunger nor thirst, and even the Dawn Child faded from her view as a shadow fell over the castle, as though Morrígan had cloaked the place in her deathly embrace. Hel took another step forward, jaw agape, about ready to fling herself forward to clamber inside when- "Check out what?"

The pale woman whirled to face the stranger, half a snarl of surprise on her lips. The shadow seemed to fade as her attention turned elsewhere, and she could feel the thrum of fate dissapate. Of course. Nothing is ever easy. With civilisation comes people. They really shouldn't have expected to have the lands all to themselves. The hellion casually sidled closer to her brother, glancing his way to catch his mood before turning her persistant wry grin on the newcomer. "Royal, you say? Well, how's a couple of new folk to know that, hm? Surely you wouldn't begrudge a pair of weary travellers hope for lodging?"

code by claerie; art by Rae

SATHARIEL
THE DEVIL YOU KNOW

Seth quirked a brow at his sister’s response, but his grin did not falter. I’m counting on it, he thought. And yet, he could not deny a tinge of worry as her focus honed on the structure. There were times—much like with his own obsessions—where Helianthella was not…“herself,” in the typical sense of the word. His brilliant eyes burned as they scanned her face, but his gaze could not tear through the darkness that overshadowed her. Luckily, it was not the young man’s duty to rein in the shadows of her mind (or exacerbate them). At least, not right now.

The stranger’s scent hit him before the gigantic frame came into view. It could only be described as spicy. It was unlike anything Sathariel had ever smelled on a wolf. That alone, in addition to the brute’s size, would have been enough to be considered threatening—even though it was obvious from the wolf’s posture that he was trying to be civil. As the brute promised consequences for theoretical crimes, Seth’s turquoise eyes scanned him up and down. He met Hel’s glance, and instantly, they both knew they were going to approach this playfully. After all, it was far too early to get into a fight with one of the locals.

“Indeed,” Seth chimed, his voice as bright and shimmering as the sun. He stepped closer, lining himself up with Hel so they could face the huge male together. The stranger’s ember-singed fur gleamed in the noon light, a complement to his fiery eyes. Seth shone in his own way, and if the local male were a campfire, he would have been the spark that started it all. “If we’d known the castle belonged to royalty, we wouldn’t dream of exploring it.” His grin widened, showing a flash of his pearly fangs. “Not without an invitation, of course. Are you a sentry, then?”

code by claerie; art by seacca

The duo was quick to adjust to his presence, taking it head on with grins and quick responses. Not horrible, as far as excuses made up on the spot go, but not quite convincing enough to impress the colonel. “Right... the grandest structure of the realm being claimed? *Nobody* could have anticipated that.” Despite the substantial weight of dry sarcasm upon his words, his features remained as still and unpenetrable as a statue. And yet, Nicharion couldn’t deny that he was a little amused. These days, he usually had to disguise himself and hide his position in the army for anyone to address him so flippantly, but these two vagabonds did so without a care. Granted, they might not know much about the army.. but it still was refreshing.

“There’s, hmm.. ‘something’, on your chin.” he added, pointing to the woman with a quick tilt of his muzzle. A lie as effortless as it was believable, given the circumstances, and rather tricky to verify. He hoped she would be sufficiently distracted while he pushed himself into motion, circling around to her companion’s side while maintaining a steady distance, with measured, prowling steps. He’s noticed that, between the two of them, the male had examined him more carefully... and Nicharion wasn’t one to leave that kind of gesture unreciprocated. That it ensured both of them wouldn’t be able to reach him simultaneously in case anything went wrong was just an additional benefit. “Me, a mere sentry?” The red brute sighed heavily, as if some great injustice befell him. “You wound me. But, suffice to say, I’m the one to ask questions first.” His gaze slid across the golden wolf’s flank, before stopping at his eyes with steely intent. No matter how they might play about, this part was non-negotiable.

Rionnach has always had many outlanders. Nicharion himself was one, though after so many years, perhaps one could argue about that. The only thing that would concern him if they happened to hail from Ildhrune... then again, he suspected they wouldn’t admit to it so easily if that were the case. “Who are you and where are you from?”

manip + code: clae