*See Karmic Undoing's Bio*
Ragged, heavy, uneven breaths filled the quiet, damp air under the eerie shine of the moon. Rin had just witnessed her entire pack get murdered, everyone she's ever loved is now gone. Slowing down to a stop, Rin allowed her racing heart to calm down, her adrenaline coursed through her body like the vicious rapids. Exhaling shaky breaths, her ankles seemed to shake with every exhale. Her legs were numb, her body ached, her lungs burned… Rin had run her body to the point of exhaustion.
She slowly looked up, her ears tilted to the side as she kept a note of her surroundings. She was surrounded by a dense forest and it just occurred to her that it was drizzling. Shaking out her coat she slowly looked around and sniffed the air.
"Hm. No one? In a dense forest that's striving? That's odd." She found she was finally able to move her legs again. She began to pad forward, her paws sinking ever so slightly into the damp dirt beneath her. Observing her surroundings she noticed many tracks of different animals, however she didn't see any wolf tracks. How odd, she thought. Sniffing the air once more she smelled the faintest scent of a carcass. Heading over in that direction, she arrived several minutes later. Rin happened upon a deceased elk bull who seemed to die of natural causes. Other than a couple scavengers, no one seemed to have touched the carcass. Padding over to a large fallen down tree she swiftly dug a hole that went under the log. Once it was to a size of her liking, she drug the carcass against the log and began to eat her full. Once finished, she crawled into the hole and curled up into a ball and fell asleep. For the very first time of her life, Rin was truly alone.
It had been a couple days since the… event. Rin had spent her days scouting and exploring the forest. Where she was located, was near a stream that led to a nearby freshwater lake. There was a lot of life, which meant plenty of food. There was also a lot of cover from the elements. Rin found a nearby mountain that had a cave with a bunch of tunnels that connected with dead ends. It was truly a perfect place to raise a pack. The thought saddened Rin however, it made her think about that day. She has been struggling with nightmares ever since then , she never got a decent night's sleep.
Foreign Wolf.
The scent pulled her from her memories and sent off all of her "alarms". Her head snapped up and her eyes immediately locked onto the direction that the scent came from. It was close, and from the scent she could tell it was a male. Great. Her hackles raised instinctively and she silently padded towards the scent. The large all black she-wolf appeared like she wouldn't excel in stealth.
However.
Rin seemed to defy odds, she made sure to avoid sticks and anything that would make a noise of her approach. Soon enough she was near the male and her blood red eyes glared daggers at him through the leaves of the bushes and shrubs that covered her body. Even though Rin knew she didn't mask her scent before heading over, there was still a danger in not being able to see your potential opponent. This male was large, and Rin was in no way small, so that made this male large. She pinned her ears further and let out a slow breath to calm her nerves. Closing her eyes, she took a moment before opening them once more.
The she-wolf walked out, confronting the strange male wolf. He didn't have the appearance of any wolf she has ever seen. He was a dusty light grey colour with green and blue? Yes, blue markings. And paws? Blue paws and markings?
Wow. Rin was breathless.
His eyes also made him appear as though he were blind. He was adorned with several bone piercings in his ears and along his muzzle. He also had fang bracelets, fang back adornments, and fang tail adornments. To top it all off, he also had a bear pelt cape on him and black wrappings around his legs. He was also covered in scars, this wolf was not one to be crossed.
The large male looked down at her and cocked his head slightly and narrowed his eyes. He didn't express any aggression and appeared more curious and intrigued than anything. He circled the on edge she-wolf, scanning her up and down. He did this for a minute or two before stopping in front of her again.
"You're not from here, are you?" Rin was quite taken aback from this question. He could tell instantly? Of course he could, that seemed like a dumb question. Her scent is unique to her wolf, no one else would have it. Of course he could tell she's new. She looked up at him warily and took a step back to create more distance.
"No I'm not. I'm from the swamp." She spoke slowly, carefully. She wasn't sure what this male wanted. He seemingly sought her out, he wasn't here when she arrived and it definitely didn't seem like he was here before. There was not only no trace of his scent, but there were no traces of any wolf scents. She made sure she wasn't trespassing when she was scouting out, there were no markers of any kind.
"Well, you definitely smell like you're from the swamp," the large male jokes. He even chuckled at his own joke. Rin was baffled, what the hell was going on? Was that supposed to be an insult?
"Ah, sorry. My name is Visente. I reside in this forest and I often pick up on new wolves. I don't have any malicious intentions, I just wish to know who you are and why you're coming into my forest." Rin nodded slowly and sighed softly. Sitting down she indicated for him to do the same, which he did.
Upon explaining her past, Visente seemed to gain a solemn look. His eyes however, never left Rin. She had his undivided attention throughout the entire explanation. Standing up the male looked down at her.
"I see, that is truly most unfortunate. Make a pack with me."
Rin was completely taken aback by Visente's words. Her eyes searched his face for any hidden motive, any malicious intentions, anything that seemed off.
There was nothing.
"I- That's a big decision and you don't even know me. I don't even know you!" Rin's eyes were wide as she stammered and exclaimed to Visente. The large male chuckled and shook his head.
"I'm also a lone wolf. I also am the Harbinger of Revenge. It's also extremely dangerous to be in these woods alone. Lone wolves often don't survive the threats that aren't immediately exposed. These woods aren't just perfect living conditions for wolves you know." He looked down at Rin, a knowing light shimmering in them.
"Besides, I think you could use the company." Rin huffed out and sheepishly looked away from Visente. Embarrassed only slightly.
"My name is Rin," she muttered out softly. She didn't want to swallow her pride and verbally admit he was right but… She knew she wouldn't survive too long on her own. Not with winter fast approaching. Hunting would become harder and more scarce. She would need to rely on Visente to help her. Plus he seemed to be capable enough, considering his attire and his scar littered body.
"Perfect, then it's settled, Queen Rin," he spoke authoritatively. She looked over at him in shock when he said her title, only to be further shocked. The large wolf was bowing before her, his muzzle touching the dirt. Rin was receiving the bow of utmost respect amongst wolves. A respect she's never received in her life. Rin was not only awestruck, but also speechless. Her tail fell between her legs as she stared at him in bewilderment.
"Come now, we have much to work on." With that, he began to pad deeper into the forest, presumably to hunt. However, something he had said was nagging on Rin. He didn't leave room in the conversation for her to ask it though.
What did he mean by, he's the Harbinger of Revenge?
*See Visente's Bio*
"I have only been in this lifetime for about two and a half years now. You're not the first wolf I've helped in my current lifetime, nor will you be my last. I have been doing this for several millennia and I'll continue to do so until I no longer exist." That was a lot for Rin to take in. Several millennia? She's not the first wolf to receive help, what does he even mean by help? This didn't make any sense to her.
"How old are you?" She supposed he said he was around for several millennia but never went into depth how old he actually is.
"That's your first question," he asked as he chuckled. He shook his head, as if to dismiss his laughter.
"I have been around for about 200,000 years," Visente responded very matter-of-factly. Rin blinked and just stared at him for a few moments. 200,000 years? He's been around for that long?
"200,000 years you've been reincarnating and dying," Rin asked in horror. That meant that Visente has seen everyone he's ever cared about die. Instead of Visente responding, he just let out a soft sigh and nodded.
"Are you the only Harbinger of Revenge?"
"What do you mean am I the only one? There is no other Harbinger of Revenge that exists at the same time as me, as I am the only one to exist." Rin let out a low rumble that expressed she was thinking. She supposed she hadn't worded her question properly.
"Well, I guess I meant to ask, did any Harbinger of Revenge exist before you? Or has it only ever been you?"
"Hm. I have vague memories of the prior Harbinger. They weren't able to speak, let alone make a physical form. They weren't nearly as powerful as I am, which explains why the link to my past self is so weak. But I do know that they existed at the beginning of wolf kind, which was about two million years ago. There's a good chance that they were around long before then as well. I am the first Harbinger of Revenge to maintain a physical form and be able to speak and make connections outside of my Summoner. The old me, per se, was born into a very peaceful era it seems, whereas I was born into an era of war and bloodlust. The difference in time periods explains the extreme power difference as well."
"Yeah, that would make sense if I'm being honest. Even being new to all of this, it's starting to make sense. When you said you're here to help me, what exactly does that entail?" Rin tilted her head slightly as she watched Visente's movements, a curious glint in her eyes.
"I'm glad you're able to follow along, I know that this is confusing and unnerving. Now like I said, I have a purpose in life to enact revenge. So in terms of helping you, I'm aiding in the growth of your pack along with eventually targeting the Dagger's Edge Pack. I don't have an ulterior motive, this is the reasoning behind my existence."
"Making a pack with me? That seems odd, almost? How does that come into play with my revenge? It doesn't make any sense." Rin's eyes were narrowed whilst she was talking. Her look of curiosity twisted into confusion.
"Well, you shouldn't have to ask me that, Rin. Why do you want revenge Rin? Why do you want Kurai to die so badly?" Visente's tone seemed to turn serious as his gaze bore into Rin's. A soft whine came from Rin before she shied away from his stare, sadness swallowing her once vibrant red eyes. She knew the answer, of course she knew the answer. He was right. She didn't have to ask him that. Kurai erased her pack from existence.
"You're right, I understand," she continued. Though, she paused for a second, picking her head up. The sadness in her eyes seemed to vanish and was washed over by curiosity once again. Her ears perked forward and she looked at Visente.
"Have you ever made a pack with any other wolf or wolves?" Visente cocked his head, his eyes shifting to the right slightly. It looked as though he was trying to call distant memories.
"I suppose not. You are the first wolf I've asked to make a pack with."
"How come-" Rin started before Visente rolled his eyes and interrupted her.
"Not every wolf's revenge story is the same. It just so happens to be that you're the first wolf who's path to revenge includes me aiding in forming a pack with you. I wouldn't say it's peculiar or odd, if that's something you might be thinking. It's not a bad thing at all, it's quite refreshing really. But this does mean that enacting your revenge will take a bit more time. Your pack comes first, but I doubt I have to tell you that. I know you're going to be more loved by your pack than Nikushimi was before he turned to tyranny."
Rin looked away from Visente's last sentence. She knew the stories of King Nikushimi. He was heavily loved by his pack members and extremely well revered by other wolf packs that weren't of his nation. Even the lone wolves dared to not mess with Nikushimi, he was an honourable wolf and leader. The compliment Visente gave her was one of utmost respect. Shaking it off, she looked up at Visente sheepishly.
"Does this mean we'll have pups together?" This question made Visente make a noise similar to a snort, followed by a chuckle.
"No. I am a deity and it isn't recommended that deities mate with natural beings on this plane of reality. It puts an extreme toll on the female's body, often killing her. It's also never guaranteed that the pup would even survive to adulthood. That includes deities that mate with other deities. Deities can also only have one pup and if a pup does get conceived from deity and natural, it'll most likely be born with a mutation. Often lethal. However, we can have mates and pups if we desire to do so. There's just a lot of risks that come from mating, so we just stick to having mates and letting new deities be born from the belief system." Rin let out a breath of relief and her whole composure switched, almost immediately, from on edge to relaxed.
"Okay, I was worried for a second. I'm not ready for pups, not until I get my revenge, and even then I don't know if I even want a mate, let alone pups." She heard Visente chuckle as he looked at her as if she were a clown. She pinned her ears and shifted away from him, letting out a low growl. She looked away from his eyes in embarrassment.
"It's not funny you know," she muttered sheepishly.
"I wasn't laughing at you, Rin. I was laughing because I just got rejected by a natural without even asking for anything. I had no intention of asking you to have pups with me. After all, your health and desires come far before mine. I'm here to aid and serve you. Not control and demand things of you." Visente's eyes grew soft, as did his tone. His tone was also stern, it was as though he wanted to emphasize that he meant every word. Rin looked back at him with soft eyes, losing the low growl and slight snarl on her face.
"I apologize for upsetting you, Queen Rin." After he said that, Visente went to bow in front of Rin. Rin rolled her eyes before scoffing. She batted his muzzle, only slightly roughly, to make him stop where he was.
"No no. Stop that, it's embarrassing, you know." She rolled her eyes again and Visente seemed to raise an eyebrow.
"Where I'm from, Rin. Formalities are of utmost respect amongst us. I was under the assumption it was only proper to translate that to you. You are the leader of this pack after all." Visente cocked his head slightly, gaining a more confused look. Rin grinned a toothy grin at him and chuckled softly.
"I am not from where you are from, Visente. Formalities might mean a lot to you, but I just want a family to protect and call my own. I don't care for formalities, I apologize if this seems disrespectful." She was now standing, looking down at Visente who had sat down after getting his muzzle bapped. Visente straightened his head and stood up as well, now looking down on Rin.
"I understand now. If that is what you want, that is what I will do. However, I must admit it makes me uncomfortable and there's a good chance I will call you by your formal title." Rin chuckled again and shook her head, as if to say it were fine. Rin watched as Visente stiffened and shifted to walk outside. He walked into the sunlight and looked to his right and then looked to his left.
"Rin. There are two wolves here, coming from polar opposite directions. It appears that your pack is already going to grow. You go to the right, you should be able to pick up on the scent. I'll be following the one on the left." She watched as Visente jumped down the cliff edge and made his way into the forest. Before long he disappeared into the brush and was gone from her sight.
"Bastard leaves before I can say anything and has the audacity to call me Queen," she grumbled before pettily kicking a nearby stone off the edge of the cliff. Unlike Visente, Rin walked down the side of the save down a naturally made path on the side of the cave. She wouldn't survive the drop without spraining one of her ankles at the least. She regained her confident composure and walked in the direction Visente signaled. Before long, she too disappeared in the brush.
*See Kagome's Bio*/*See Visente's Bio*
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