Kiss of Death

Rolling hollow 1d10: 8
Seeming to rise from the earth tangled roots send you cascading into the muck. Bringing you face to face with the broken corpse of a wolf partially buried in the earth.

Rumors carried upon the breeze as easily as it stirred one’s coat yet when such fabled phrases fell from the lips of those close to him, well; then they held a bit more merit. They became something more than concocted whispers for now it involved part of this little family. Eyes never strayed from the youth before him as such tones filled his ears over distant shores. How he spoke of ever present tensions, of the peculiar ways they bartered for goods with glimmering coin, of kings and nobility, of lands scattered in structures all to similar to those at the harbor.

All matters the Luminary held little interest in dealing with. If it did not concern he or his own then it hardly mattered at all but much had been learned from simple observation, from the ‘stowaway’ who brought precious intel to help weigh future decisions over that great unknown. Lyrics had rumbled gently then, a paw tousling the lengthy fur and flopped ears of little Jackie as the boy’s nervous laughter filled the spaces between them. Stammered tones falling to admittance when questioned over another who set out with him.

Santiago had gotten apparently gotten a bit sidetracked. The boy hadn’t been able to find the wolf before keeping to scheduled return. Something over tavern tales spun the night before that the older man had found interest in. How the slippery coyote had slunk away, nowhere to be seen come morning light. He should have known better than to send Jackdaw off with the likes of him, the hound had always been a bit of a chicken. Never could with convincing the more stubborn to stay on track and with the absurdity that dripped over another’s proclamations… well there were no expectations for the boy to delve into that sort of mystery.

Expression hardened then, a slow breath escaping his lungs in visible displeasure though it was not held toward the boy. Instruction was given, a message to pass to Kit’s ears alone - that he would need to keep things managed for a bit. While at first Jesse held little interest in what lay across the sea, if one of his own could be trapped there then there was only one option left. To go and investigate for himself, nothing in this life was worth tearing their settlement apart. Yet this was no venture to be made alone; so it wouldn’t be.

The assurance that Boone would remain at his side was a notion he clung tightly to. Any worry absent in the way a lazy smile tossed the other man’s way aboard the ship, it did not reflect upon limbs as unshaken limbs stepped away from creaking floorboards. Nothing but the usual glint held in the outlaw’s gaze despite how paces tread toward land so foreboding. That creeping notion impossible to ignore as if unseen forces begged them to leave before ever setting foot within the crumbling abode which unfolded before them. One adorned in tendrils of decay, sign enough that all should take caution. Even if the whispered hauntings held no truth its decrepit state spoke volumes over more natural hazards.

No matter how it may unnerve, after coming this far, Jesse could hardly back down from attempting to secure one lost. Lyrics fell in steady rumble, addressing the only other man here, “Looks to be the place. Let’s find that son of a bitch and get outta here.” This place made him uneasy and it weren’t just the rumors which circulated over it. The entire island radiated in its unfamiliarity. There was no telling what manner of beasts lingered here nor how the locals themselves may react to unknown presences. None of that would stop his retrieval though. Even if the man was already long dead seeing a body would at least bring a sense of knowing. So without a second thought the outlaws stepped over the threshold, passing through the unwavering dusting of spores to behold all which may lay within.

If the request was not from the mouth of the Luminary himself, a Shadow would not linger by his side on a rickety ship as they sailed to the unknown. Wherever they were going, it was not home. Home did not require a mysterious ship to travel to. He didn't take well to strange things, or other folks, or even stranger places—he did not like change. But, he didn't have to like what he was doing. He just had to simply be there. If it were up to him, he'd make the decision to leave the runaway to the creatures of the new world, and continue living peacefully in his own. But alas, he isn't in charge, and the decision is in Jesse's paws—so, of course they're off to fetch the snake that strayed.

Undoubtedly, the giant is tense; tail flicking and ears twitching at every sound that does not come from him or his partner, or the boat they've landed ashore on. He wastes little time in trekking ahead, inland to the territory shrouded with an eery warning that both allured and cautioned those that acknowledge it.

Jesse is only a pace ahead, leading the duo, making a remark as if thebtask at hand will be as simple as snatching the wolf they're after and dragging him back. Navigating near foreign territory was complicated as is, adding a nearly haunted atmosphere was a challenge in and of itself. Already, it would pose to be a threat, dragging his partner down with to the ground before him, as if the land itself had gripped him by the ankles and sought to drag him through the spill earth to its core. Boone halted, nearly missing Jesse as he splays all four limbs and lifts a lip to reveal whitened daggers. A more notable warning is planted in front of them both, another wolf's skull lay half unburied, foreshadowing what was to come should they linger here any longer than they needed to. A sign that we should have stayed on the fucking boat. he mumbled through a lifted lip, attempting to tend to Jesse in whatever way he allows to help him up from the muck.