Private Oath of The Moon: The Unfolding

[Aelin Erevos]

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Appearance | XoXo, XoXo
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Gerwald Lechner , Brynjar Threist , Declan Durinson

M U L T I T A S K I N G
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The hunt was on.

It was an unusual change of pace with her doing the chasing, twisting and turning through Coruscant's lower levels after a male Lupo. Considering the numbers of their species, it was usually the other way around... at least until they realized that wasn't such a good idea, if they hoped to keep all their body parts intact.

"I've lost Elias," Aelin growled into her comlink. The pursuit had taken them from the upper levels of the city planet to its seedy underbelly where Declan and the rest of the wolves she'd brought along with her laid in wait, ready to apprehend their informant. What hadn't been accounted for was the shockboxing event that had drawn in a large crowd to their hunting grounds, an oversight on her part. "He went into a crowd of shockboxing fans and his trail was overlaid. The crowds head out to the central core, so he should still be heading towards you guys." Without changing into a wolf, it was going to be impossible for her to intersect before they had the chance, not with the myriad of smells assaulting her nose. "Gerwald and I will go around and meet up with you and Bryn, we'll be on the look out in case he decides that he wants to try and make any pit stops along the way."

Waving a hand, she signaled for Gerwald to abandon his post and follow. "We'll take the shortcut," she instructed as he drew near, vanishing down a narrow alleyway that took them through to another packed promenade a little less than two blocks down.

The area was not unlike most of the places they'd seen in the lower levels, all of them being a far cry from the refined order and aesthetic of Coruscant's upper levels. Random groupings of run down residential buildings that were interspersed with small time business store fronts lined the streets, traffic rules weren't as strictly enforced, and factories abutted restaurants and clubs with no regard for the toxic clouds that hovered over its least wealthy citizens. Her pert nose scrunched some, tickled by the rank odors that she was still becoming accustomed to. Aelin readied to launch into another rant, until her keen eyes caught sight of frantic movement from across the road.

Elias, clearly being driven by adrenaline, was drawn in by one of the glowing restaurant signs, presumably hoping for a populated place to rest... until he noticed most of the seats inside were empty and veered into a holographic oases that was typical for these types of cities - a small chunk of land that developers carved out in an attempt to convince their workers that they could relax and take in the 'scenery' of Naboo or some other green world, all while listening to the peaceful sounds of squealing speeders, blaring horns, and other machinery at work.

"We're back on. Elias is going through the park, Gerwald and I will keep on him until you make it here to round him off."

After a few dozen paces of zigging and zagging to try and throw off any followers, the wolf grabbed the edge barrier of the wall and vaulted over its side in a mad dash to escape...

Aelin grinned, a slight twinkle sparking in her eyes before taking off after him.

 

[Brynjar Threist]

Wearing: Leather Armour
Tags: Aelin Erevos | Declan Durinson | Gerwald Lechner

Brynjar grumbled, the comlink was irritating and uncomfortable. The noise that came out of it was unnatural and Brynjar hated everything about this mission. They were on some metal world with no forests, it was wrong and the even the air tasted nasty. Nothing about this planet felt natural or normal and Brynjar hated it. But he swore to assist Aelin in locating her sister and he would do that, even if it meant coming here. Even if it meant that they had to not be wolves, he argued that being wolf forms would help but that decision was rejected. It made Brynjar antsy, it had been too long since he last transformed, he didn't want to be a wolf on a ship, it wasn't comfortable and ships were too small to run around in. He needed to run around and embrace the freedom and wildness that being a wolf brought. This meant his temper was shorter than normal, he was growling and pulled the comlink from his ear.

"Grrrr." He growled at the link before taking in a deep breath and placing it back in, since Aelin insisted that they use them. One thing he was thankful for was that Aelin didn't pair him with Gerwald. That Lupo was rubbing Brynjar the wrong way for awhile now, it seemed that he had the need and desire to put Brynjar down every chance he got. Declan was a Lupo that jumped at the chance to join Aelin without question, but Brynjar didn't know much else about him, it would be interesting to see how they got along. "We wouldn't have lost him if we were wolves. Humans wouldn't get in the way of a Lupo wolf..." Brynjar muttered to himself as he stared at the metal environment, trying to make understanding of how anyone could like living in this unnatural mess.

He heard the direction that this Elias was rushing towards but was lost himself, Brynjar did not know the surrounding area and he had no idea what this park might be located. He looked to Declan and allowed the other to lead the way, he figured that Declan might have a better understanding of this ruined metropolis of a planet. Brynjar was trying to keep his wolf side in check and attempt to use his eyes more than his nose in locating. If he was a wolf, he might have had a better time in tracking but Brynjar had to adjust. "If we break his legs, should stop this man from fleeing us." Brynjar mentioned to Declan, curious to see if the other Lupo would agree with that tactic. The objective Aelin gave them was to stop Elias escaping, she didn't say that he had to be whole in their attempts to stop him and breaking his legs meant that he couldn't get away from them during the interrogation. At least in Brynjar's mind it seemed the most practical approach if they wanted to sort this out swiftly.

 

[Declan Durinson]

Declan lit a cigarette in an attempt to calm his nerves. He and the young wolf Brynjar were waiting at their chokepoint looking for any sign of the prey that Aelin and Gerwald were supposed to flush their way. It had been sometime since he had been on a hunt with a pack but the wolf in his heart paced and circled like the caged animal it was and it set Declan on edge. Bryn had suggested they should hunt as wolves, the sensible part of Declan sided with Aelin and Gerwald when they shot the idea down but the less sensible side of him agreed so wholeheartedly with Brynjar had he had to make an effort not to split his skin and make an end of this chase.

It did not help his nerves that Declan could feel the tsunami of discomfort that washed off of Bryn. He sympathized with the man, Coruscant was no place for their kind. It was dirty, loud, it stank but the thing above everything else was that there was just no room. Buildings stacked on top of buildings a thousand miles into the sky, people from all over the galaxy packed in together like herrings in a can, it was more than enough to make any wolf ready to literally snap.

“We wouldn't have lost him if we were wolves. Humans wouldn't get in the way of a Lupo wolf..." Brynjar muttered under his breath but of course Declan could hear him, that was one of the perks of advanced hearing.

“There is more than humans out here and for every fifty men that moved at least one would try and shoot us.” Declan reminded his partner casually. Declan was no friend to Brynjar or any of the wolves really except for Firenne and possibly Aelin but he did see the way Bryn was and he saw the way the others, especially Gerwald pushed back against him. Many times, maybe even most times Declan thought Brynjar had the right of most arguments and perhaps that is why the two of them were paired together for this hunt or maybe Aelin thought better of pairing him Ger or herself.

"He went into a crowd of shockboxing fans and his trail was overlaid. The crowds head out to the central core, so he should still be heading towards you guys." Aelin’s voice crackled over the comm.

So that’s what it was then. Even through the stink of sludge and the scream of speeders, Declan’s senses had picked up on the shockboxing fights without knowing exactly what it was, all he knew was the roar of a crowd and smell of blood, two more things that sent his nerves on fire. Two things he had spent a decade surrounded by and something he was fine-tuned to notice even through the much of Courscant’s lower levels.

"Gerwald and I will go around and meet up with you and Bryn, we'll be on the lookout in case he decides that he wants to try and make any pit stops along the way." She finished

“Roger roger.” Declan commed back.

"If we break his legs, should stop this man from fleeing us." Brynjar mentioned to Declan.
A bark of laughter flew from Declan’s mouth at his partner’s suggestion.

“That would do the trick alright. If we manage to catch him before they do, and of course we will, we will start with one leg. Gotta leave places to go in case interrogation is required.” He chuckled the whole time he said it but Declan was not joking. He had far more faith in himself and Brynjar to corner their prey and once they did, it would only be sensible to dissuade the man from running again.

"We're back on. Elias is going through the park, Gerwald and I will keep on him until you make it here to round him off." Aelin came through on the comm again.

“Bliðr hunting” Declan commed back as he and Brynjar headed toward the park.

Declan and Brynjar reached the holopark. Of all the unnatural places on a world full of the unnatural, this was perhaps the most egregious. The eyes saw a patch of land lush, green, and inviting but no natural sound was heard, no birds chirping, no insects buzzing, no small mammals scurrying about looking for a meal or a mate. Worst of it all was the smell. The vision of it invited every instinct he had to take a big deep breath to suss out all the smells of a place so wild and green but if he had he would be assaulted by the stink of sewage, stale sweat, spice, and a chemical spray designed to hide it all but only did more to make the stench unbearable.

“Listen,” He started to say to Brynjar. “ Do you have eyes on our prey? Because I don’t.” Declan really really hoped Bryn had seen where the guy had gone.

“I hate to even say it but if you haven’t spotted him…” Declan sighed loudly. “We are gonna have use our noses. The man is lupo, like us and we have all spent enough time in that ship together to recognize one of our own, so all we would have to do is survive the stink of the place and search for the smell of the outsider. Thoughts?” He asked his partner.

Aelin Erevos Gerwald Lechner Brynjar Threist

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

U R G E N C Y​

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Declan Durinson | Brynjar Threist | Aelin Erevos

The wolf shrugged. Aelin lost their target because the man was elusive and she had not locked onto his pattern through the force. It was simple, if she was trained to do it, but it was clear her education in the force had not been a priority. That was a shame. It was a tool that made the Lupo stronger, better, and more dangerous, than the Fayth could ever know.

He followed Aelin toward the alley and let out a chuckle.

“A shortcut for you perhaps because you are small. If we get separated, keep going. I have memorized your scent.”

It was an odd thing to say as Gerwald listened to himself. He had been among the others just enough to find himself talking more like a wolf than a human. It was a good thing. Gerwald did not have to follow the old ways in order to acknowledge what and who he was. There was feeling of delight to finally be comfortable in his own skin, and among others that accepted him as he was.

Aelin made off for the Lupo in a mad dash the moment she spotted him again. Gerwald shouted after her. “Use the force to speed up your movements. He won’t expect it.” It wasn’t enough to pursue a target, one had to outthink them if they wished to capture their prey. This hunt was not like most, as they chased after one of their own kind. Tactics which would be unexpected had to be employed to catch him off guard.

Gerwald followed his own advice, the moment he was free. Leaping over the wall just in time to avoid colliding with it. A howl left his lips as he took to the air, landing on the other side of their obstacle. The chase was on and the wolf inside was stirring. Soon it would be fully awake and alive.​

 

[Aelin Erevos]

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Appearance | XoXo, XoXo
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Gerwald Lechner , Brynjar Threist , Declan Durinson

Elias gasped and veered again as Gerwald landed behind him, his boots smacking hard against duracreet.

Good.

She thought, realizing that he was finally moving in the direction that they'd intended to push him, nearly upon Declan and Brynjar - unwittingly running straight into their trap.

By the time the young Lupo realized what was happening, having undoubtedly caught a whiff of the other wolves scents, it was too late. Black boots skid to a sudden stop - his chest rising and falling in quick breaths, the realization dawning on him that he was entirely surrounded.

One of his large hands made a grab for the blaster at his hip, as if he'd only just remembered he was carrying a weapon, waving it frantically. "STAY BACK!" he half screamed, half whimpered, frantically looking from Gerwald to Brynjar, to Declan, before turning the blaster onto himself.

"Okay." Aelin conceded, her heart racing as her delicate hands lifted in surrender. "We won't come any closer. We just want to talk to you."

Slowly, he pivoted to face her.

Elias was a Zorathi wolf who'd been on his own the last few years, barely eighteen, and only recently having immigrated to Coruscant. With broad shoulders, sun-streaked wavy hair and the remnants of a tan, he looked like the kind of kid who'd be leading tour groups for some obscure band no one had heard of, sporting a plethora of smiles and corny jokes. Only he wasn't smiling or laughing, his face was one of sheer desperation and terror.

"My name is Aelin-" she began.

"I know who you are." he cut off, "I didn't do anything to your sister!"

"I know."

He allowed himself a moment of surprise, and in those few seconds his face took on a mixture of expression that she'd been intimately familiar with. It was a look of loneliness, confusion, and the hope that perhaps someone was finally going to help. She knew that feeling all too well.

Elias' eyes hardened again, cocking the blaster. He may have been young, but it was clear that he was no longer optimistic, having been stripped of any naivete long ago. "If you know, then you know if I talk to you I'm a dead man."

She hurried on, "We can protect you," she said, pleading, daring to take a step forward.

They needed to get the blaster away from him. "Just hand over the blaster and I promise we'll do everything in our power to keep you safe."

 

[Brynjar Threist]

Wearing: Leather Armour
Tags: Aelin Erevos | Declan Durinson | Gerwald Lechner

Brynjar approached slowly, casually. The appearance of a weapon was brandished waved around, it didn't bother Brynjar too much. From the shaky movements and the swing around from target to target. If the Zorathi had strong intentions of harming anyone then his body would be less shaky and his focus would be more singular, this was erratic and panicked movements. Brynjar was tempted to charge and just knock the weapon out of hand, it was a human weapon, blasters were not Brynjar's style and he didn't think that Lupo should rely on them either. He was curious what a Zorathi was doing out here, it was far from Islimore, had his parent been of pure blood and did not have a mate to maintain the bloodline or was this one trying to escape the situation on Islimore.

Aelin as attempting to talk to the kid, Brynjar was slightly bored, he had wished things would be more eventful or leading to an actual fight. One where he could kill and be soaked in the blood of his opponents. That was what he needed to feel normal again on the metal world. However, this Zorathi decided he would prevent that, the blaster was pointed at his head but he as distracted, talking with Aelin. It was now or never if he was going to do something to take the weapon. He tilted his head, his idea was a simple one and he felt it would be the most effective since it would mean that he was complying and not moving towards the boy.

Raising a hand, using the Force, Brynjar pulled the blaster towards him. Out of Elias's hands and towards him. He wanted to disarm the boy and demonstrate that there was no upper hand that this Zorathi could play. They were here for information and Brynjar wanted to ensure they could get everything they wanted so they could leave as soon as possible. "Answer the questions. You don't talk and you are dead man. Talk and there is chance you live." Brynjar growled darkly, his temper was a short fuse and if this Zorathi thought he could keep Brynjar from his goals then he had another thing coming.

 

[Declan Durinson]

Hardly had he finished speaking to Brynjar, when the scent of a familiar stranger caught his attention. It must be Elias, their target, other lupo scent trailed behind, these were more familiar, Aelin and Gerwald. So flustered by those in pursuit, the target did not realize it was running right into the jaws of the trap. They converged on their prey, leaving him nowhere to run. almost as if they were a true pack.

Declan's whole body buzzed. The exhilaration of a successful hunt made his skin vibrate so loud he could hardly hear anything else. In able to stand still, Declan paced a tight circle once it was clear there would be no more running. more than once had to fight off the urge to howl in triumph.

The boy; for that is what he was, hardly more than a pup, stood frozen, panic rolled off of him in waves, mixing with Declan's exaltation and putting him even further on edge, he wished for nothing more than the man would run again, to chase and catch and kill. When Elias pulled out his blaster and began waving it around, Declan had to stop himself from lunging and ending this game for good and all, and when the boy stopped pointing the blaster at them and and instead turned it toward himself, Declan let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a cheer.

Aelin and the boy spoke, about what Dec had no clue, he could not hear over the sound of rushing blood and hammering heart beats. There was movement. Declan was only slightly aware that next to him Bryn raised a hand, his focus was on Elias and the blaster which moved, fast. The blaster or the boy's arm holding the weapon were no longer pointed threateningly at his own head, a blur of movement spoke to that and the instinct Def had so loosely been holding back won out.

I'm hardly the time it took to blink Declan had shot forward, unaware and uncaring if the man still had the blaster. They collided with a deep bone shaking thud and were on the ground together, Declan on top of Elias one hand around his throat and the other striking the man hard in the face, once, twice, a third time. The blood was on him now, if something were not done, the boy and his information may be lost to them.

Aelin Erevos Brynjar Threist Gerwald Lechner

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

U R G E N C Y​

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Declan Durinson | Brynjar Threist | Aelin Erevos

They chased their target until suddenly a blaster had been pulled on them. Gerwald knew it was important for them to get the information the boy had, and so he froze. Aelin would do the talking. A conversation ensued, but was interrupted by the less than tactful duo of Bryn and Dec. Gerwald growled at each of them as his eyes rolled.

Declan seemed to have gone into a blood lust, one which there would be no way to stop save for stepping in. Without hesitation Gerwald pulled at his lightsaber hilts and ignited them. The black blade of wolfsbane lay millimeters from Bryn’s throat, while the yellow point of Ferrum Solus threatened to open Declan’s windpipe.

“Declan you swore an oath to the gods that you would follow Aelin’s lead, so heel.”

His eyes turned to the other wolf.

“Bryn, this is about her sister, not yours. She is the alpha of her clan. Would you have other wolves tell you how to go about finding your kin? You are out of place and out of line. Submit or leave.”

His eyes bounced over Aelin as Elias quickly scrambled to run from the four wolves which hunted him.

“Go and get him before you cannot get the information you seek. I will deal with these two if I must.”​

 

[Aelin Erevos]

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Appearance | XoXo
Location | Coruscant
Tag | Brynjar Threist , Gerwald Lechner , Declan Durinson

Her words seemingly worked, Elias visibly relaxing under the promise of safety and lowering both arms slowly, enough that should things turn sour quickly, he'd still hold some advantage. Though there was still fear in his dark brown orbs, Aelin noticed something else lingering there as well. Relief?

And maybe... just maybe... a small spark of trust.

Aelin nearly breathed a sigh of relief, until it all took a horrible turn.

Utilizing the Force, Brynjar pulled the blaster towards him and out of the boys hands. "Answer the questions," the wolf growled darkly, his temper flaring and filling the already charged atmosphere with more tension. "You don't talk and you are a dead man. Talk, and there is a chance you live."

With his only line of defense taken from him, Aelin could see from the look on his face that Elias was going to bolt again. The she wolf moved to intercede, but a blur of movement at her side stopped her in her tracks. In hardly the time it took to blink, Declan shot forward, colliding with Elias in a bone-shaking thud that saw them both stumble to the ground, Declan on top of Elias with one hand around his throat and striking repeatedly with the other.

Crimson blood sprayed everywhere, and had Gerwald not intervened...

With his lightsabers at both wolves throats, Elias took the opportunity to quickly scramble away.

"Go and get him before you cannot get the information you seek."

Aelin nodded curtly without saying another word, charging after the fleeing figure, sprinting across the street, and dodging between two tall buildings before their chase finally ended at the top of a flight of stairs that'd led her to a rooftop.

"There's no where left to run, Elias." Aelin shouted through clenched teeth, "It doesn't have to end this way."

Her voice carried surprisingly well above the din of traffic below, speeder horns blaring against the backdrop of city life.

"It has to. It's better I die on my own terms than let them get their hands on me." He stepped onto the ledge. "I have to do this."

In the breadth of half a second as his foot left its purchase, Aelin lunged forward, feeling her muscles tense beneath the strain of her sudden movements to try and reach him before he fell to his death. Elias, seemingly having felt her approach, whipped around and shifted sideways - the momentum sending both of them plummeting over the edge.

Scrabbling, her heart in her throat, Aelin snaked both arms around his waist, fingers digging hard into his skin to keep a firm hold. The younger wolf struggled wildly in midair, causing Aelin to hold him even more tightly. Using her limited abilities with the Force to try and control their descent, the two wolves slammed onto a second rooftop, Elias taking the brunt of the impact.

With a groan, Aelin rolled off of him, pulling herself into an upright position. Elias remained sprawled on the ground, his mouth wide in shock, chest rising and falling until he curled into a ball on his side.

"Are you finally going to listen?" she coughed, her ribs constricting painfully with each breath. "The people who have my sister? If I can't find her... they very well may kill her... and not just her, but others might be in danger as well. Look at me."

His head lolled over, looking directly at her, appraising her.

"Why?"

"Because you might be able to help save someone's life." Aelin snarled, feeling like she was going in circles and using every ounce of willpower she could muster to push past his stubbornness. Perhaps the others had had the right idea, earlier.

"And why should I believe that you're any better than them? Look what your pack did to me! Why shouldn't I just shoot myself in the face and make a clean escape? End all of this!?" He spat the last few words with such venom that Aelin was taken aback, the raw emotion that poured forth making her heart break in that moment. It was clear that he'd been hurt deeply, perhaps worse than she originally imagined. "Because they destroyed my life, too." she admitted quietly, allowing the pain of her own past to unfurl for him. "I want justice. I want revenge. I want to put the bastards who took everything from me six feet under, and I'm not going to stop until I do so."

Elias inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, nodding slowly in the face of her honesty, a solemn acceptance.

"I'll tell you what you want to know."

****

Aelin closed her eyes, inhaling deeply and rubbing her temples where she felt a migraine coming on, wondering how they were going to survive this trip.

It was a thought that had occurred to her before they left Bellassa, but the hope of finding her sister and her blind obsession with needing to kill those who'd betrayed her family had overwhelmed her common sense. Elias was being tended to in the infirmary from the injuries he'd sustained, injuries that could have been prevented had she taken better precautions.

Yes, they'd gotten the information... but at what cost? Elias nearly lost his life, after she'd promised to keep him safe. Perhaps it was her own fault for not being firm enough, perhaps she'd permitted the behavior. Had she been a man, a male Alpha, would they have dared? Or was she just that inept at command? With a tired sigh she flipped on the intercom.

"We land on Eliad in twenty. Strap in."

 

[Brynjar Threist]

Wearing: Leather Armour
Tags: Aelin Erevos | Declan Durinson | Gerwald Lechner

Aelin's words were seemingly working, he was hoping his threats would intimidate him into responding honestly. Make Aelin appear the approach, nice and polite type while Brynjar was the aggressive, angry one to strike some fear. However, before the boy had chance to run, Declan from nowhere decided to pounce and beat the hells outta the Zorathi. Brynjar never saw it coming and was surprised to see Declan be the one rushing to kill, letting loose his bloodlust. Once again, before he could jump in and pull Declan off the poor kid, Gerwald stepped in and brandished some kind of retractable blade of light. He attempted to rein Declan in like a misbehaving dog, hearing that made Brynjar's blood boil, they were dogs and talking at them like they were was levels of disrespect that Brynjar didn't have the words to speak. It was when Gerwald turned on Brynjar, the light blade at his throat and stating he wasn't complying with what Aelin wanted when approaching this.

"You are a moron aren't you." Brynjar growled loudly as Aelin chased after the escaped Zorathi. "I threatened his life to intimidate him, I disarmed him so that he couldn't harm Aelin as she tried moving towards him and appear the more reasonable option out of the two of us to talk to. Then you have him escaping and her on her own. What if he tries to kill her? We aren't there to work as a pack." Brynjar didn't know or want to understand the threat of the light blade, his fury at being on the metal world, of dealing with a Zorathi and being accused of overstepping was too much and he was going to take this out on Gerwald who deserved to hear what a dumb decision he had made.

"What fool thinks I was actually going to kill the lad? You must be special kind of idiot, I disarmed him and I stood here. If I really wanted to kill him then I would have done what Declan did. But Aelin wanted him alive and to question him, but he was more scared of some other entity than us, I was helpfully reminding him that we were presently the biggest threat to his life. What you have done, that could have cost us the information!" Brynjar growled loudly, baring his teeth like an angry wolf before storming off back to the ship. Refusing to hear what Gerwald had to say in response, he was fed up of this world and he was done playing nice with someone who had zero trust in his skills.

***

Aelin had finally returned, a little worse for wear but had recovered the information and got the Zorathi kid some treatment. It was good to hear, both things were necessary. She didn't look pleased at her ragtag teammates and he couldn't blame her all too much, Brynjar thought Gerwald and Declan definitely overstepped in ways that was not helpful. Their next destination was Eilad, though he had no information on what the world was or like but it couldn't be worse than the metal world that they were currently on. Brynjar tried catching Aelin on her own, he was concerned for her wellbeing, unsure how injured she actually was and if she might be downplaying her injuries.

"Aelin. Just wanted to check on you, see how you are coping and make sure your injuries weren't too bad. I got some basic medicine knowledge so if you need to be bandaged or be checked over for broken bones let me know." Brynjar's voice was a little softer, they were currently alone so he felt comfortable expressing his concern though he was keeping an ear out of the movements from the other two. "Also, good job on getting the information with everything that happened, takes someone skilled with talking to still be able to recover the information."

 

[Declan Durinson]

The heat of the blade at his neck kept Declan from dealing another blow on his prey. It also allowed their once captured target a chance to run again. The boy scrambled to his feet and ran on unsteady feet away from the pack. The wolf in him begged to give chase once more but he was aware of the promise made by the fire at his throat.

"Declan you swore an oath to the gods that you would follow Aelin's lead, so heel." Gerwald said to Declan whose eyes remained focused on the direction Elias and Aelin had just run until he was told to heel.

Still kneeling on the ground, his hand covered in blood from both the boy and himself, Declan turned his head away from the lightsaber's blade and regarded Gerwald with a low rumbling growl. It was a threat, meek and impotent in the face of this alpha that stood over him with Declan's death held in his hand.

Declan sank into a sitting position, seemingly shrinking to half his true size. His shoulders slumped and his head turned from Gerwald, if they were wolves his tail would've been between his legs.

"Kriff off then." Declan told Gerwald, the defeat and submission was clear in his tone.

Declan, you swore an oath

Blood for Blood

Declan pushed himself off the ground as Gerwald and Brynjar argued. He heard his name said once or twice but did not care nor did he care for Ger's weapons or the threat they posed. Dec walked off the opposite way that Aelin and the boy Elias had gone.

Throngs of shouting, cursing, drunken people enveloped him as Declan made his way through the crowd at the shockboxing fights. The smell of greasy meats and cheap beer combined with the scent of blood and piss to form some kind of dark super smell that assaulted him as he dropped into a seat on the bleachers. Buying a tray of cheap beers Declan was in no rush to return to the pack. He barked a laugh at the thought of them as a pack, for that truly was a joke. A wolf again for a day at most and then what?

Heel

He was a dog. He laughed again and poured a cup of sour flat beer into his mouth. It ran down soaking his beard and staining his shirt, while he grabbed another cup and emptied that one as well. Three more empty cups and he now had an empty tray.

It must have gotten late without him being aware. The artificial lights of the sub levels had grown dim. He was in no rush to find the others, even those that hadn't been present to see him shamed. His empty tray had become four and once he finished this cup four would be five.

"Hey! Hey you!" A voice called.

"What you want?" Declan asked a man in a sweat stained suit.

"We had a fighter back out." The man told.

"Kark does that mean to me?" Declan asks.

"Could really use a stand in and you seem like someone who knows their way around a fight." Sweaty suit said.

"Kriff off or you'll find out." Declan said rising to his feet. He went to take a step down the bleachers and whether he had too much to drink, simply was unfortunate or had wronged The God's, his foot instead of finding safe purchase on the bleacher below landed directly on an empty tray that slide as fast as it could from underneath him.

Declan went crashing backwards, the back of his head burst open with blood as it slammed into the metal bleacher bench and he half slid and half bounced down nearly a dozen steps. Sweaty made the wise decision to leave, if he hadn't, well Gerwald wasn't here to save this man.

****

Declan sat on a bed in the infirmary. In truth it was an empty section of a cargo container that had been supplied with basic medical supplies and a couple of Zathori medics, one of whom was busy stitching the back of his head. Declan lit into a stick of spice and took a generous pull, inhaling the smoke from the leaves and savoring the numbness that came along with it.

He was not alone in the room however. I'm the bed next to him was the boy Elias who was staring hard at Declan.

"I hope you've sworn no oaths, boy." Declan said, holding the spice joint out to the pup. "I would hate for this trip to go bloodier than it needs to."

Elias said nothing but he took the spice and had a toke.

"I am sorry about your face." Declan told the boy. "It shouldn't have gone like that." He saw no point in defending his actions, not to Elias anyway.

"I presume you're going to leave once we land. Smart choice really, there is nothing but blood in our future. If you do decide to stay with us though or even if you don't and you decide later you miss howling." Declan trailed off for a moment, taking another pull of the spice unsure of how to continue.

"If you need a friend or whatever, another wolf to confide in, you have me." Elias shot Declan a puzzled look. Hardly surprising given the day's events.

"I understand you more than them. Born to serve while they were born to lead. Obey and follow, I get that. Just you know, something for you to think about."

Declan had one last puff and stamped out his spice before laying back in the bed and searching for what he hoped was dreamless sleep.

Brynjar Threist Aelin Erevos Gerwald Lechner

 

[Gerwald Lechner]

U R G E N C Y​

WEARING: xxx
TAG: Declan Durinson | Brynjar Threist | Aelin Erevos

Declan listened, begrudgingly. Gerwald had been harsh in his choice of words, more than he needed to be, but it was intentional. Declan and Brynjar did not know what it meant to be Lupo. They understood some form of it, but had not embraced their humanity. They were animals, and as long as they behaved as such, then Gerwald would treat them according to their actions.

When Elias escaped and Aelin was no longer in sight, Gerwald dropped his blades. His eyes flashed with the color of anger as he looked to Brynjar. He would choose to argue now rather than wait for the mission to be accomplished. There were only two things to say.

"We are not a pack, and everyone here acted on their own without consideration of the plan or the whole. Aelin is quite capable of taking care of herself. I have done battle with her before and she kills with a precision that cannot be taught. She will succeed, and do so better without us."

Gerwald refused to acknowledge the insults which were tossed his direction. Brynjar very well knew the answers to the questions he asked. All he had to do was think back to the violence he was prone to. Whatever his reasons to constantly berate the more seasoned leader, Brynjar had to at least admit his own propensity for bloodshed. His own behavior made Gerwald call any action of his into question.

Without another word, Gerwald walked off in the direction Aelin had gone, finding that she had accomplished what she had set out to do.

****

Gerwald found himself in the cockpit flying the ship. He was not the best of pilots but knew enough to get them all from point A to B without crashing or getting lost. It had been quiet between he and Aelin for most of the flight, neither wanting to talk about what happened on the planet. The wolf knew women well enough to know if she wanted to talk about it, she would bring it up.

The alarm went off to signal their descent.

"Be right back, gotta hit the head," Ger said before rushing off to the fresher.

When he returned Brynjar was there and the Lupo pushed right past the other male and took his seat back in the pilot chair.

"We're ten seconds from hitting the atmosphere. You're gonna want to strap in. It's gonna be a bumpy ride."

Gerwald did not wait for Bryn to acknowledge him. The descent was going to happen whether he liked it or not.
​