Lore of the Lost Ones Pack
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Lore of the Lost Ones Pack
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Posted 2023-09-22 03:40:18
This is a thread dedicated to the lore I made for some of the members of my pack as well as the lore of some of my past leaders. It will also act as an archive for when I unfortunately have to delete lore wolves from my dynasty to make room for other deceased wolves. Be warned as some of these stories contain disturbing imagery and mature topics such as infidelity, murder, cults, discrimination, deliberate inbreeding, and body horror. Cave lore will also be included. |
 [FATAL_ERROR] #54485 |
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Posted 2023-09-22 04:21:24 (edited)
Cave LoreThe Healing Caverns:A place of healing. Here, the herbalist resides alongside its mate and its apprentice(s), foraging for herbs and mixing them together to create medicinal compounds. The herbalist is allowed to have a maximum of two apprentices at a time. Once the herbalist retires, one of its apprentices will take its place. Should one of the newly promoted apprentices be rendered unable to perform its duties due to being sick, injured, or pregnant, the second one will temporarily take their place. Outside of herbalism, one of the herbalists will take on a different role, such as being a pupsitter, until they are needed as a herbalist.The Nursery:Pupsitters and pregnant or nursing she-wolves reside here along with their pups. At 6 months of age, the pup must move out of the nursery and into the River Rock Shelter or Healing Caverns depending on its role. A nursing mother is not required to stay in the nursery if she prefers to remain in her own den, but most of them make the decision to temporarily reside in the nursery as it is located right beside the Healing Caverns; meaning if a pup were to become sick or injured, then it could quickly be attended to by the herbalist. This practice has the potential to reduce the mortality rate of many of the pups in a litter when combined with the protection of a proficient pupsitter.River Rock Shelter:This cave is home to both scouts and hunters alike. The role of scout is usually given to the two most powerful wolves in the pack and is generally seen as a great honor by those who are chosen to take on that role. Of course, sometimes the most powerful wolves in the pack will decide to take on a different role, such as that of a hunter, rather than accepting the role of a scout. This is often based on the skills that the wolf possesses.The Pit:Not so much a cave, but rather an odd crater said to have once been inhabited by a massive rock that fell from the sky. Though the rock has since degraded, the pit is not uninhabited by any means. Within this pit lies one of the pack's dirtiest secrets with a gene pool unlike any other. What they lack in intelligence they make up for is other things. The family of wolves that reside there appear to be a rather simple bunch despite declaring themselves to be of "noble blood", whatever that means. Their culture is… certainly unique. While in many cases wolves with mutations, such as melanism, intermingle with members of the pack that do not have any mutations, the family that lurks within the pit refuses to "contaminate" their bloodline with the genes of non-melanistic wolves. This weird preference has resulted in the family practicing the act of inbreeding and arranged marriages. The founders of this almost cult-like family were brother and sister… and they have produced offspring together. These inbred seeds of disgusting passion have taken on similar traditions and beliefs to their parents… then again the couple deliberately isolated them from the rest of the pack to ensure that they'd only be able to interact with one another. It's a rather disturbing tale to say the least.The Throne of the Grinning Demon:At the darkest edge of Lost Ones territory, located shortly before a region referred to as the Wastelands of Desolate Hopes, lies a mysterious cavern, most who enter never come out, for this is the demon's domain. Ichor, a terrifying demon, resides here with his most loyal followers and descendants. Most of his followers simply worship him for the sake of their own survival. Unfortunately for those who do not have some relationship with Ichor, he sees them as food. His hunting grounds are not just limited to the mysterious cavern, so it is important to always be aware of your surroundings, just in case he is hungry, which is pretty much all the time. The story of how Ichor came to be is mysterious, but not quite as mysterious as the question regarding who it was that first founded this unholy church and why they chose Ichor to be it's deity. The actual identity of the cult's founder remains unknown to this day.The Wastelands of the Exiled and Vilified:Upon arrival at these seemingly forsaken lands, the phrase "abandon all hope all ye who enter" might come to one's mind. The wastelands are a place that few wolves mention despite the fact that it's presence is unwavering. The ruins of what appears to be an old mining town are one of the first things a passerby may come across when traveling through the wastelands. Nobody knows what happened to the town's former residents, as many things that would have been considered too crucial to leave behind were left behind. The only indication of the ghost town's actual name is a broken down and decrepit sign: Welcome to Copper Hope. The main road that led to and from Copper Hope was barely more than a dirt path now and covered in shrubs and small bushes. Gardens are bustling with insect life who've made their home in the now tall grasses and overgrown hedges.Most doors were either completely gone or mere remnants of rotten wood and rusty metal. The open doorways looked eerie as only darkness showed within. Many buildings stood precariously upright despite looking like they had no means to do so. It'd take just a slight nudge of a strong wind to tipple them all over. Copper Hope, once a hub of modern housing and immense technological developments was now reduced to nothing more than a meager ghost of its former self. The ruins span the landscape like a massive metallic corpse, reeking of copper and oil. |
[FATAL_ERROR] #54485 |
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Posted 2023-09-28 07:20:02 (edited)
Story One: Fable of the Grinning DemonPart one: Faline's StoryTo betray one's own mate seems to be as unimaginable as it is despicable. Especially when you must bear the consequences of a forbidden affair, and raise it as your own pup. For Faline, this was the exact thing that happened when she gave into temptation while in heat, which is a natural thing for wolves, but generally it's with one's chosen pairbond. While an affair with a breeding male is rather normal, the affair that Faline had was not. Seduction is a powerful weapon, especially when it's used by a shadow demon. She had been lulled in by a male wolf who was handsome beyond belief, and she was unaware of what he truly was at the time. The two had a bit of a fling under the light of the moon at midnight, while her mate was away. However, once the deed was done, the handsome wolf transformed into something a bit more monstrous. A huge shadowy being with glowing eyes and dark tendrils which flailed wildly stood where her lover had once stood. This wasn't a wolf… it was a horrible demon. It grinned at her and went on its way while laughing at her. She tried to follow it in order to try to fight it, but it had disappeared into a heavy fog. No apparent trace of it remained, not even a scent. Faline was mortified, realizing what she had just done would probably ruin her life. She retreated back to her den and waited for her husband to return. At the time she didn't realize that she was pregnant as she had convinced herself that it was only a nightmare. She never told her husband about her demonic lover, and had convinced him that the pups she was carrying were his, not that he would've suspected otherwise anyway. The birth of these demonic seeds of passion was incredibly normal and in fact a vast majority of them were incredibly normal looking as well, resembling Faline and her mate, Bambi. A single melanistic pup was born, but this wasn't that unusual as both Faline and Bambi had the gene necessary to have a melanistic pup. However, something still seemed a bit off about it. It showed no issues when it came to nursing, yet it remained weak and scrawny looking, as if it were on the verge of starvation. None of its siblings seemed to have issues, and there was no reason why it would have issues either, supposedly. The miserable creature was eternally hungry, it seemed. Of course this was very concerning to Faline, obviously. More disturbing was the black discharge which came from its eyes and mouth. It had the consistency of ink and was unlike anything that anybody had ever seen. Faline began to remember her encounter with the shadow demon, and wondered if the peculiarities that this pup possessed were a result of this. She named it Ichor and attempted to provide any accommodations for it that she could. She referred to Ichor as "it" even though Ichor was male, as she struggled to recognize this inky creature as being a wolf. When an unfortunate squirrel scurried into Faline's den, she was horrified as she witnessed Ichor viciously attack it and swallow it whole like a snake. It was even more concerning when the fact that he shouldn't have even been weaned at the time was taken into consideration. A pup that young shouldn't have been able to eat meat as it was supposed to rely on its mother's milk to survive at that age. Part Two: Ichor's Story It takes a lot of guts to raise a pup, even more so when that pup has something a bit "off" about it. When Ichor was first born, supposedly, he seemed relatively normal, apart from being melanistic, but even that isn't too odd. Ichor's melanism wasn't the strangest aspect he possessed, the strangest thing about him was how hungry he always seemed to be. Of course, a growing pup needs plenty of nutrients to survive, but Ichor seemed remain unsatisfied, he grew and all, but the insatiable hunger remained. "Perhaps it is an eating disorder?" Most of his pack members would say, as that seemed to be the most logical explanation in their eyes… however his mother knew that this likely wasn't the case. You see, Ichor was not a traditional wolf, black drool perpetually dripped from his mouth, and inky tears would occasionally stream from his eyes. This didn't seem to phase him much though, and his mother tried to ignore that aspect of her pup and treat him as if he weren't a demonic creature. Unfortunately, this earthborn demon couldn't just be sustained through milk, even before it was weaned. It needed fresh meat… and lots of it at that. Ichor's mother was afraid to leave this thing and it's "siblings" unattended for too long, which did interfere with her role in the pack sometimes. The being she raised as her own pup constantly needed attention. She tried her best to provide for Ichor, but it was no easy task. One day, Ichor's mom left him unattended for a bit too long, and the pup began to roam around like most other pups do. However, this exploration was interrupted by a sudden pang of hunger within Ichor's stomach, with no meat around, Ichor had no choice but to hunt. The hunger pains were so intense, that Ichor didn't even care what he ate, he just had to eat something. The hungrier he got, the more obscured his vision became. Everything had a sort of dark overlay to it, and he could no longer differentiate between prey, and things that weren't prey. Darkness had fully consumed his mind, and he needed to consume something himself just to make the pain go away. Within his mind, there were a few words seemingly repeating over and over again. One of those words was "Kill" and every time it repeated, his sight grew darker. Everything had an inky overlay to it, even the shapes of his own kin were obscured now. The young beast suddenly heard a yelp of pain close by, and he could sense the movement of something that had been injured. He could smell the blood, the fear that emanated from this injured creature, and the black drool from his mouth began to drip more intensely. Without thinking, he charged towards the direction in which the sound came from, his jaws opened wide, eager to feast. He pounced onto his prey and felt its last breath wither away beneath him after he delivered a death blow to its neck. Maddened by hunger, Ichor was oblivious to the fact that this "prey" was an injured wolf… but not just any wolf: It was one of his siblings. Ichor consumed most of his kill, but soon fell asleep. When he woke up, he was horrified to find himself by the partially eaten corpse of one of his siblings. More concerning was that he didn't feel hungry after waking up this time. He put two and two together and realized what he had done. He cried out for his mother, and after some time she appeared. A look of shock, and possibly disgust could be seen in her eyes. She then told Ichor to hide in the bushes while she alerted a pack member of the partially eaten corpse that was once one of his siblings. She made up a lie about coyotes being the ones behind such a travesty and surprisingly, the pack believed her. But Ichor knew the truth, and it horrified him. But… something was wrong, the guilt that should've lasted a lifetime seemed to fade rapidly. There was no sympathy, no warmth, only darkness. He felt a pain in his jaws as his teeth seemed to change and rearrange. While already quite strange, this was only the beginning of his demonic transformation. As time went own, these hunger pains seemed to become more frequent, which led Ichor to occasionally resort to autocannibalism, for the most part, these self inflicted wounds seemed to regenerate and heal rather quickly, however for the flesh around his mouth, this wasn't the case. This act of self defilement left many of Ichor's teeth exposed, giving him a rather grisly look. These teeth were of an uncanny sort, not resembling those of a wolf all that much. They were almost like those of a human, which was a two legged beast that was behind the deaths of many species, capable of leveling whole forests in a matter of weeks. Humans were almost like a folkloric monster to most wolves, as only a few who had encountered them made it out alive. However, while nobody had seen a human for quite some time, many wolves knew of the odd pup which bore teeth reminiscent of these creatures. On a cold winter's night, during a time where food was scarce and illness was abundant, a horrid hunger struck Ichor. He looked around the den he was in, searching for any small prey that had come in in hopes of finding food or warmth. He didn't see anything except for his siblings nestled by their mother's side. However, one of his siblings was very sick. It had a terribly infected wound which had gone unnoticed, but was still alert enough to move around, albeit very slowly. Chances are the pup still wouldn't be able to survive the winter regardless of what happened. His sickly sibling wandered out of the den at night, presumably to search for any scraps of food it could find. The pain of hunger was so intense that it nearly cost Ichor to lose balance. Darkness enveloped him as his hunger grew and he followed his sibling out of the den into the night. "So cold…so hungry…" a voice in his head said to him. Ichor trudged out into the snowstorm, hunting his sibling, overwhelmed with hunger and an ever growing darkness within him. Mindlessly, he attacked them. They tried to fight back, but Ichor overpowered them with his seemingly supernatural strength and began his monstrous feast. However, he feared what the others might think if they were to catch him, so he drug the carcass towards a random bear's den, and continued to feed on it. He didn't feel as much guilt this time as he did the first time, as horrible as that was. Suddenly, Ichor felt another pain near his mouth. The corners of his mouth suddenly tore open, an inky black substance dripping from the newly formed wounds. Rather than reeling with pain, Ichor smiled. He made his way back towards the den, making sure to lick the blood from his face and paws to try and hide what he'd done. He then laid near his remaining siblings and mother, who were actually still asleep much to his surprise. The next morning one of the pack's scouts discovered the barely recognizable remains of Ichor's dead sibling next to the entrance of a bear's den. Obviously they blamed it on the bear who resided in that den, as the place reeked of it. However, it was odd because it was winter, and bears generally hibernated at that time. They just brushed it off though, as sometimes bears do wake up from hibernation if disturbed by humans… or pups that got a little too nosy for their own good. Despite his excessive eating, Ichor remained relatively gaunt compared to some of his other "siblings", despite this he was still slightly taller and longer than most of them. He always complained about how hungry he was, even after downing an entire elk carcass which led his mother to worry. She had since forgotten about the horrors that her "pup" was responsible for. She took him to Somnium, the pack's herbalist at the time, but he was unable to find the source of the problem despite being greatly gifted in herbalism. By some miracle, one of Ichor's siblings managed to avoid being consumed by her inky, demonic brother, and the two of them managed to survive into adulthood. Their mother let out a sigh of relief… thinking that Ichor had outgrown his demonic tendencies or had at least gotten them under control. However, unfortunately this was not the case. Though he no longer posed a threat to his sister, he still posed a threat to others. Of course, much to his mother's shock, Ichor managed to find a mate, a melanistic she-wolf named Eris. Faline, Ichor's mother, kept trying to warn her of her son's monstrous nature but she didn't seem to care. Ichor seemed quite happy with Eris by his side… then again his emotions were hard to read, on account of his seemingly eternal grin. Truthfully, Ichor liked to smile, and Faline was certain that he would kill anything that moves, given the opportunity to do so. She feared that those who were born of this demon would grow to be just like him. Unfortunately, she'd soon realize that the half-demon spawn were the least of her concerns. Much to Faline's horror, Ichor seemed to be going through more transformations. He had grown taller and more aggressive… and his appetite had increased as well. A new found, intense hunger plagued Ichor's mind; it seemed that pups were no longer enough to keep his demonic gluttony at bay. In an unfortunate turn of events, Ichor crossed paths with Seamair's grandson, the firstborn son of Magdalena, while his vision was obscured by an intense hunger. This would be the first time that Ichor had ever killed and consumed a wolf that was not a helpless, unprotected pup… it would be the first adolescent lost to his insatiable appetite. He didn't even stop at just consuming the flesh of the young wolf…he ate every last bit of this poor soul. He consumed everything except a few, now dry, bones, which he had somehow managed to break open and slurp the marrow out of. In a brief time of being seemingly satiated, Ichor decided to take a nap by the bones. When he woke up, Ichor discovered that he his claws seemed to have grown larger, and were shaped in such a way that grasping onto prey would take little effort. The newfound power which surged through Ichor's body was exhilarating… and yet he was still unsatisfied. He felt a familiar pang within his body… a pang of hunger. However these hunger pangs seemed different, as it was a hunger not just for more food, but for more power. One day, much to everyone's horror, Ichor claimed yet another sizable victim. This victim was his fully grown sister, Seraek. Faline never saw it coming… why had Ichor waited so long? Why didn't he just kill her when they were pups!? It was horrific. After the premature death of his mate, Eris, Ichor was devastated. More devastating was the fact that her life had been taken by humans, creatures which were rarely seen but always known to be around. He was hungry for vengeance. So, one day, he strategically set up a sort of trap for the human which he knew was responsible for his wife's death. A heartless hunter, hellbent on taking the lives of the creatures which had thrived in this ecosystem for centuries, long before the likes of mankind had ever began to interfere with it. The hunter had a horrid hound, more vicious than any of the animals it had led its owner to, and this mangy mutt had to be dealt with before its master could, as its braying and barking would quickly alert the human of the presence of any creatures that walked into what it deemed to be its territory. Luckily, being a demonic beast, Ichor quickly managed to overpower the hound and deliver a crushing blow to its neck. He tore the hunting dog open from its throat all the way to the base of its tail, disemboweling it completely, and dragged the corpse from the human's porch to the entrance of his cave, making sure that the blood trail was prominent enough to draw the hunter's attention. Just as Ichor had expected, the dumb hairless ape followed the trail. He was exactly where Ichor wanted him to be, looking over his hunting dog's carcass in confusion and terror. Seeing as the hunter was distracted, Ichor leaped onto him and mauled him, enjoying the sounds of the human's dying cries. The human tried to use his fire stick to shoot Ichor, but the wounds he received would not deter the demonic beast in the slightest. As Ichor delivered the final blow to the hunter's skull, cracking it open like an egg, he took a sip of the human's blood. He felt more powerful than he ever had before and let out a howl of triumph as dark tendrils enveloped the human's corpse and pulled it into the darkness of the underworld, where the human's wretched soul would be tormented and provide Ichor with sustenance for all eternity. |
[FATAL_ERROR] #54485 |
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Posted 2023-09-28 12:35:29 (edited)
Story Two: The Ballad of Celeste and CherubimBeing a part of the same family as a wolf-eating demon is not easy. Especially when you're a herbalist who wishes to heal others rather than harm them. In the eyes of some, Celeste is something of an angel. She tries to ignore the fact that Ichor is related to her, and generally avoids him like the plague. Perhaps her angelic nature is what allowed her and Cherubim to get so close. A sorrowful expression and mangled wings tells a tale of loss and betrayal. By angel standards, Cherubim was incredibly weak for a cherub. This is why he never received a true name. He was often sent on earthly excursions in the form of a winged wolf by the highest ranking angels in the heavens. His mission was to scout out the locations of earthbound demons that way they could be dealt with accordingly. He one day found himself in a copse of trees in a mountain range that was allegedly cursed and believed to be infested by demons and other unsavory beasts. This was the territory of The Lost Ones. He saw a large rock before him that sprouted some peculiar looking flowers. They were eerily beautiful with their ghostly, ethereal glow. He heard rustling from the nearby underbrush and immediately stood to attention. From the underbrush emerged a pale blue she-wolf with icy glowing eyes, carrying a bundle of herbs in her mouth. She moved with an angelic grace, her frost-colored eyes looking at Cherubim warily. He attempted to use body language that would indicate that he was of no threat to her, but she let out an alerting bark. At first Cherubim thought the barking was directed towards him, that is until he felt a chill in his spine. Though an angel, even a weak one like Cherubim, was supposed to be something of a fearless hero to all creatures, Cherubim felt horrified. The she-wolf still stood before him, still frozen in fear with the fur on her hackles raised, she was breathing heavily. Finally she dropped the herbs and yelped, "It's behind you!" Cherubim turned around to see a massive black wolf. It stared at him with an eyeless face and grinned. He immediately recognized the creature as being demonic in nature. It was much bigger than him, but Cherubim believed that he could neutralize it and finally be considered a true angel. He launched himself at the monstrous beast, attempting to exorcise it from the earth, but the demon seemed immune to his angelic powers. Dreadfully, Cherubim came to realize that this THING was no ordinary demon. It had been born on earth, rather than hell. It was more powerful than anything he had ever faced before. Cherubim looked over where the she-wolf was once standing, and found that she had vanished. He had little time to react as the creature bit down on one of his wings. He clawed and bit at his attacker to try and get them unlatched, but it simply bit deeper into his wing. It seemed that part of his wing had been severed by this bite as he watched in horror as the creature tore a large portion of his wing off of him. He felt a sensation that he'd never felt before as he stared at the bloodied stub that was once a full-fledged wing. He was in pain. Unfortunately this wasn't the end of it, as he watched as the monster gulped down the wing, and licked his blood off its face. While Cherubim attempted to fly away, with the one wing he had left, he obviously couldn't. His attempt of escape caught this voracious monstrosity's attention and it pinned him and ensnared his other wing with its jaws. Cherubim had lost too much blood to fight back, and he felt his angelic powers slipping away. He cried out to the heavens, but received no answer. He tried to return to his true form, but found himself unable to. It was as if the heavens had abandoned him. The monster had gorged itself on his wings. Yet it still seemed hungry for more. Cherubim had lost the will to continue on after all he had lost. He no longer saw himself as an angel, only a mortal being. Disgraced by his own angelic kin, he prayed that the beast would just consume him already. He closed his eyes, letting a vast nothingness take over his mind as he waited for death. But death never came; instead he found himself in a strange blueish dwelling with the mysterious she-wolf which had warned him of the grinning demon's presence tending to his wounds with a poultice of herbs. Something about her was otherworldly… and she was quite beautiful. He felt calmed by her presence, despite what he had gone through. The heavens didn't accept him… but perhaps this mortal would. Her soul seemed pure and her kindness was genuine, and her name was Celeste. Banished by the heavens above and stripped of his angelic immortality, Cherubim found solace in Celeste's company. He would never fly again… but that didn't matter anymore. She didn't worship the ground he walked on, she just treated him as if he were one of her fellow pack mates. She did not fear him, nor did she shun him, she instead allowed him to stay with her. So that's what he did… he accepted that he now only had one life as a mortal and chose to live as a mortal would live. Up until the end of his mortal life, Cherubim still had nightmares of his past along with nightmares in which the demon who revoked his angel status returned to finish the job and consume what was left of him. Though it's only a nightmare… the threat felt all too real. Luckily, both he and Celeste died peacefully after many years spent together. |
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Posted 2023-09-29 01:01:17 (edited)
Story Three: An Endless Cycle of Violence and Revenge While Ichor doesn't tend to torment his victims, Cassidy does. This supernatural hivemind is even more fierce than your average shadow demon. She knows right from wrong, but morals are not important once she's got a goal in mind. Rumor has it that she might even be related to an immensely powerful demon of Goetia. Amon, the spirit (or demon) of vendetta and bloody revenge. Of course that is simply a rumor started up by those who fear her the most. Cassidy has never stopped looking like a puppy… an indication that she might have a multitude of pup souls making up her strange, ethereal form. If you get on Cassidy's bad side, she won't hesitate to ruin your life. You can beg for forgiveness all you want, but chances are she won't listen to your pleas. She never forgives; she never forgets. Cassidy can be both judge and executioner… and she neither extinguishes your life force quickly nor does she do it painlessly. She revels in the suffering of her foes. Of course, even Cassidy has a preferred soul to torment. She endlessly torments a wolf called Afton. Afton was a cruel and bloodthirsty wolf, truly a monster that would kill anyone who got in his way. This dark descent into insanity began with Afton witnessing the rather abrupt and sometimes tragic or brutal deaths of his friends and the disaster which wiped out his entire family. Afton began to tirelessly find a way to cheat death, the one thing he feared the most. He would be successful in this, but not exactly in the way he wanted to. He made a deal with an enigmatic entity, a fae-like trickster spirit. The trickster simply asked for one thing in return: the souls of pups. Afton was hesitant at first, but his immense desire to avoid the uncertainty of death overcame all the traces of reason he had once possessed. Thus, the contract was sealed by the malevolent trickster and Afton. In a span of as little as five nights, he managed to take a multitude of pups to the trickster in hopes of receiving his reward of eternal life. However, when Afton reached the end of his mortal life span, the trickster reappeared and told him that the amount of souls that he had given to it was "insufficient" and demanded that he try again in his next life, which was soon to begin. From this moment forward, Afton was stuck in an endless cycle of reincarnation and suffering. A few of the pup souls managed to escape from the trickster's clutches and manifested before Cassidy, begging for her help. She was going to deny the request, but then they told her everything that had happened to them. Cassidy was infuriated by the tale of Afton and the Trickster, and decided to do everything in her power to make sure that Afton's selfishness didn't go unpunished and vowed to make every incarnation of his life miserable. |
[FATAL_ERROR] #54485 |
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Posted 2023-10-01 17:39:33 (edited)
Story Four: Lament of an Elite Scouting Drone Drone was adopted as a pup by a couple of pit dwellers who randomly discovered him during a hunt. They adopted him because their previous litters did not survive, likely a consequence of the disturbing inbreeding rituals they engaged in. Needless to say the couple still had not learned from their past mistakes as the moment they had a litter containing both a male and a female pup with melanism, Drone was no longer needed. This might have actually been a good thing considering the circumstances as well as the practice that the pit dwellers were involved with. The moment these two pups began thriving was the moment they banished their adopted son, Drone, from the pit. Drone was later rediscovered by Exsecratus who decided to take the young pup under his wing. Of course, as Exsecratus was the pack leader, and also getting a bit old, he could not keep pace with the pup, meaning Drone was once again alone. Oddly, this did not seem to bother him much. In fact, Drone was more focused on things such as training and self-improvement. He never performed with sadness or joy, he simply did whatever it took to get the job done, as though he were programmed to do a specific task and never strayed from his duties. Such dedication and dutifulness was not exactly typical of a pup his age. This immense work ethic even remained throughout his adolescence, as he tirelessly pursued a career as a scout, mentored by one of the many incarnations of a cursed, non repentant wolf known as Afton. When Drone finally reached adulthood, he became a true scout, he was excellent at this job… even after the accident. The accident was so severe that it is likely that no wolf could possibly survive it. Yet, somehow, Drone did not die from the various traumatic injuries he sustained that fateful night. While the accident didn't affect his dutiful nature, it left him horribly disfigured and ultimately revealed his true nature. The accident occurred while Drone was scouting a rather harsh and rugged region in the outskirts of the dwelling of the Lost Ones. It was the dead of night in the middle of a rather harsh winter; snow and ice overtook the landscape. There was more ice than snow and, worse yet, a snowstorm of great proportions had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Drone was already in unfamiliar territory and now his natural ability to see in the darkness of the night was now greatly impaired. The wind was blowing and it was quite strong. Chunks of snow and ice were being shaken from the trees and falling on top of Drone, pelting him like stones. He refused to give up on his scouting mission despite the situation becoming increasingly more dangerous, as he considered it his duty. Unfortunately, his dutiful demeanor would cost him his identity, or at least the one he believed to be true. Drone, despite his dutiful demeanor, had always believed himself to be a mostly normal wolf. Sure, he had a few "quirks" according to some of his pack mates, but otherwise he believed himself to be completely normal… that is until this accident changed his life forever. Visibility was greatly reduced by the massive storm, which unfortunately caused Drone to lose his footing and go careening off the side of a steep cliff. The way down was immensely dangerous and traumatic as Drone seemed to get snagged on just about every branch and sliced by every sharp rock. He hit the ground as hard as a fallen tree but didn't lose consciousness. He was in pain, but he still pressed forward to return to his pack's territory. He traveled for days, never stopping to take a nap despite his decrepit condition. He managed to make it to a small cliff at the edge of his territory before he collapsed, and was soon discovered by another scout, a wolf called Epsilon who was next in line to lead, and was immediately taken to the herbalist. Once all of the debris had been cleared from Drone's pelt, the herbalist suddenly backed away in disbelief and disgust, seemingly unprompted. When questioned about this by Epsilon, who had been waiting outside of the Healing Caverns, the herbalist told him to take a look for himself. When Epsilon saw Drone, he let out a loud gasp. Epsilon rushed towards him and stared at him in disbelief. "What are you!?" Epsilon shouted at Drone in terror. This reaction was a bit confusing to Drone as he was unsure of why his pack mate would shout such a thing. Had he done something wrong? Had he failed to perform his duties properly? Drone turned away from Epsilon and was taken aback when he saw his own reflection. He froze up and was rendered speechless by his own appearance. His flesh was ripped open and his mechanical parts were on full display. He was not a real wolf… he was just a machine designed to emulate a wolf. The technology behind his existence was astounding in its mimicry. It was so complex that he had basically gone his entire life without ever realizing what he truly was. He stood still and blankly stared at his reflection for hours. He was in denial, that was until he looked down at his paws and saw that one of them was made of metal. He moved it around just to make sure that the metal paw was his own… and it was. As time marched on, Drone started seeing himself as an abomination. The weird looks that his flesh and blood pack mates would give him every time they saw him were starting to gnaw at his core… a feeling that he had never experienced before the accident changed his life forever. "Are these emotions real or are they just a part of my programming?" He would often think to himself. Aegis', the pack's herbalist's, attitude towards him did not help matters. Everyday Aegis would berate Drone for being a "deceitful" machine. The herbalist made his dislike towards robotic beings very clear, mostly Aegis despised robots for being inorganic and unnatural. "If Epsilon would allow it, I would have turned you into a heap of scrap metal by now… Your kind has no right being out here in the wild!" Aegis spat at the young robot. Drone tried not to think too much about it, but the herbalist's cruel words continued to haunt him. He felt as if he was being vilified by the very pack that he had once considered to be his family. The only one who seemed even the slightest bit accepting of him was Epsilon, who had since become the leader of the pack. Regardless of the fact that Drone was not exactly well-liked by the other members of the pack, he remained dutiful towards Epsilon. When a small disagreement occurred between Drone and Afton, Drone accidentally injured him quite severely, leaving the self-proclaimed undying scout scarred. Drone was mortified by the fact that he had wounded one of his fellow pack members in such a way and feared that Epsilon might not take too kindly to such an incident. The overwhelming sense of dread led Drone to "exile" himself to a place of utter dereliction that was referred to by many as the wastelands. He condemned himself to a life of solitude, and never expected to see any of his pack members again, until he was approached by Epsilon. Epsilon tried to persuade him to return to the main territory, but Drone was too afraid to do so, believing that he deserved to be banished from the pack after what he had done to Afton during the dispute. Epsilon reassured Drone that he had no plans of banishing him and how he considered him to be a valuable member of the pack who he was honored to have as a scout. Drone told Epsilon that while he would remain dutiful and loyal towards the pack, he would prefer to remain in the wasteland. Epsilon reluctantly agreed to the proposal but seemed a tad disheartened by Drone's decision to willingly live in the wastelands rather than among the other scouts and hunters. Even though Drone was rarely seen, Epsilon would always take the time to drop by to visit him, in hopes that he would one day return to the pack's main camp. |
[FATAL_ERROR] #54485 |
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Posted 2023-10-10 18:56:29 (edited)
Story Five: Stings Doesn't It? This unusual looking canine is the self-proclaimed leader of an entire squadron of vicious robotic canines that have made their home within the Wastelands of the Exiled and Vilified. She refers to herself and her underlings as autonomous robotic beings known as "Predatory Reconnaissance Drones." Underneath this creature's seemingly normal gas mask is a mouth full of sharp metal teeth. She's a robot, much like the pack's resident Elite Scouting Drone, but while the scouting drone is dutiful and eager to please, this drone in particular is anything but that. She's the epitome of a rogue AI. This robotic canid was given the nickname "Stinger" due to her tendency to viciously attack anyone who dared to get too close to her whenever she was feasting on prey, which was a rather unusual sight to see despite how frequently it would happen. Was it greed or gluttony? More importantly why does this machine feel the need to eat… and where does all that food even go? Does Stinger even have an actual digestive system? When asked about her peculiar appetite, Stinger will react with hostility toward whoever had the audacity to say such a thing. |
[FATAL_ERROR] #54485 |