Strange Encounters {open}

[Angelus]

Angelus grunted at the wolfess' reply. She would not be lost so long as she had the tigress, and stayed on her good side. It seemed that the canine still would not trust her in this matter, but the crimson feline could understand why. Angelus was, essentially, her lifeline in this maze. She could just as easily turn back the way they came, if she could remember their footfalls. On second thought, it was not the mistrust of the wolfess that bothered Angelus, but the doubt she felt the canine had in her abilities to lead them around. Her methods had not failed her yet, but there was a first for everything, and she had not wandered off course in some time.

The feline stopped at another split, her head rising above her shoulders in pause. Auds flickered, picking up minute sounds that bounced off of the crystals. This is the adventure that the wolfess had wanted, and it had found them. Angelus' eyes flickered out, and she moved down the corridor to the right, placing her tail upon the floor to reduce the noise it generally created. She assumed that the wolfess had also heard, and so continued on without words as to not alert whatever it was that lie ahead. Friend or foe, Angelus could not tell, but she stretched her claws as she walked, her head lowered towards the ground.

She peek around a corner which revealed a large, oval-shaped room. The crystals within were bright and shining, even without a source of light to hit them. It was an amazing sight; nothing like this existed anywhere else in the Tundra but here, and the two of them had found it. Thoughts ran through Angelus' head about how she could make this her lair, who own private place of rest, when that screech she had caught earlier entered the air. Her orbs lifted upwards to a cliff made out of the shining jewels, only to take in one of the most strangest sights the feline had ever seen. This thing, whatever it was, was about as tall as the wolfess, give or take a few, and had the wings of a bird. It stood on two legs that were very akin the avians, but its torso was unusual. Its face was featherless, and it had hair further back on its head of a reddish hue. Its nose was small, triangular, and pointed, much unlike the snouts of either she or the wolfess. It was a mix of a bird and some other animal she had never seen before.

It screeched at them, much like a bird would, and Angelus stepped out from around the corner. It seemed hostile, and she showed no fear of the unknown thing. It studied them for a moment, calculating. Two versus one was certainly not within its favor, but they had just invaded, presumably, its home. What else could it do but defend it? Angelus had already decided; willing or not, this thing would fight them and die. A part of her wondered what it tasted like; another questioned if it had the same innards as the rest of the morsels she had devoured. A grin parted her maw, and her tailblade whipped up to the ready, challenging the bird-creature. It would only take one swipe and a few minutes, and it would be game over for this adventure.

[Annabelle]

A low growl escaped from deep within her chest when the sound touched her ears. They were not alone it would appear and immediately her interest in these caves was sparked again. At least for the time being, she told herself, keeping the possibility that this cave could be playing tricks in the back of her mind. Crouching a bit lower to the ground, ears alert, her stride shifted from one who was wandering to one who was stalking prey. All of the black wolf’s senses were on high alert, her demeanor changing almost completely; once filled with curiosity she was now extremely vigilant. Whatever had made that sound did not seem friendly to say the least. Annabelle made no sounds as she followed the tigress towards their new destination, almost lowering her guard at the sight of such a beautiful room.

Unfortunately a strange creature did not like the fact that its lair was being invaded by strangers, evident by the screech it made. The creature spread its wings, sharp eyes glaring intensely at the two as it made it known that this place belonged to the creature and it was ready to defend its lair until the bitter end. Annabelle has travelled around a lot but she has never come across a creature like this before. It was definitely mixed with something that much was certain but she could not place a paw on exactly what that might be though it was vaguely familiar. Probably something ancient, long forgotten, but she did not dwell on the thought for too long. Such things did not matter when something was ready for a fight. And since tigress has already accepted the invitation for a fight the black she-wolf smirked to herself and lowered her head, shifting her weight and stood in her own battle stance.

The bird-like creature was more than happy to accept the challenge the two beasts had provided and smiled her own devious smile. And then it took flight, diving from the cliff she was perched upon ready to strike.

Annabelle braced herself as the creature had chosen to strike her first. Since the tigress had potential to be intimidating, very intimidating, she figured that the creature had struck at the weaker-looking of the two to get her out of the way. Unfortunately the creature was going to be sorely mistaken, thinking the she-wolf was just going to stand there and take the attack. The moment the creature attacked, Annabelle quickly stepped out of the way and brought her fangs down upon its leg in one fluid motion. Surprised, a cry of pain left the creature as it used its free talons to swipe at the wolf’s side, in response the black she-wolf growled, flapping her wings to get away. Like hell she was going to let this thing off the hook just because she got in one strike. The wolf lunged for the creature carefully, barely managing to snap at its leg before it flew higher.

It looked down upon them for a moment again with an absent gaze; it was probably assessing the situation before it made its move again. Was the creature wondering if it had underestimated her opponents? Or was it simply admiring the way that Annabelle had moved, had it expected her to just run away from those talons of hers? Huffing softly, the black she-wolf bared her fangs, growling lowly, anticipating another strike.

[Angelus]

Angelus had stayed back from the fray, watching carefully. She expected the wolfess to be able to defend herself, and she did so very well. However, there was no time for commending her, as the creature lunged at them again, this time more unexpectedly. Its’ injured leg waved about almost uselessly, making for an easy target, but at the same time, an easy lure. Angelus was not new to the strategies of battle, and moved to the side opposite of the injured limb, allowing her tail to fall into the way of the bird-beast. The thing dodged clumsily at the last second, causing its good leg to lacerate itself on Angelus’ tailblade. The thing screeched angrily at Angelus’ reverse-trickery, and it flew up again, dragging its injured legs like sudden weight placed upon it. The leg that Angelus had injured was still functional, but soon her poison would work its way into her brain and begin to alter its’ reality. And with how active the thing was, its heart would likely pump the poison throughout its body at a faster pace.

Angelus stared at it menacingly, her eyes flaring like a newly lit inferno. She gained joy in the thoughts of how this thing would screech and howl at the visions her poison would give it, and a grin grew onto her face, canines threatening death. This thing would not be able to escape them, even if it could still fly. Getting past them would be near impossible, and then flying through the caves themselves would be difficult with two dead weights upon it. It could hide upon the cliffs if it so chose, and though the tigress did not know how full its’ belly was, but she was full from the ones she had devoured earlier. By the looks of things, either this creature was a picky eater, or it had not hunted in some time; most if not all of the skeletons within the cave were picked clean. One thing was certain, it would, at least, not outlast Angelus. Its’ blood would color the crystals a beautiful red.

[Annabelle]

When the creature screeched and retreated again after taking a beating from the tigress Annabelle chuckled in twisted amusement. The odds were in the favor of the tigress and the black she-wolf it would seem, much to the creature’s dismay. A dark smile appeared on her face, daring the creature to strike again, as images of how this creature would die flashed briefly though her mind. Though she was not normally a violent soul the thrill of a fight coursed through her veins and the expression of a fighter fell upon her. The scent of blood was strong in the air, triggering the wolfess’s more violent tendencies. But despite her bloodlust she remained relatively calm; she didn’t want to flaunt her strength without a reason and would only be completely aggressive once the bird thing decided it would come at them again.

For a moment there was a bit of silence. The bird creature seemed to like waiting games.

She assumed that from the amount of blood it was losing, the bird-like creature was beginning to slow down despite the amount of energy it still seemed to possess. It was able to keep itself in the air but its wing flaps became a bit slower as it hovered above them. When would it strike at them again, she wondered, keeping her gaze transfixed on the bird. Would it strike them at all? It has lashed out twice and was defeated both times so it was only natural to believe that it would admit defeat and back off but it was not. Apparently it still so badly wanted to defend this place even if that meant losing its life in the process. She was not sure whether to think it was foolish or not, but then again Annabelle would never truly understand the value of one’s home since she has never had a place to call home before.

The creature glared at them, snorted, and then came after both of them this time. Annabelle braced herself as she had before and let the beast come to her. Just as she expected the beast knew her strategy of waiting and tried to step up its game. When it flew, it tried to circle around, but the black wolf jumped right for it again, once more bringing her fangs down upon its leg.

[Angelus]

Crimson eyes watched carefully as the creature lunged at both of them. Angelus herself lowered her body into a crouching position, ready to pounce upon her prey. The wolfess caught it in the leg once more, attempting to make new wounds deeper. Angelus, however, sought to progress the battle towards the creature's defeat. She jumped at the foe, landing upon it and pinning it to the ground. The force of the tigress' heavy bodice and the wolf's jaws still holding on more than likely pulled muscle from bone, but the feline ignored that. She had sunk her fangs into the bicep of the creature, and squeeze tightly until sickening cracks filled the air. The bird-thing screamed like no tomorrow, flapping its other wing at her fervently to scare her off. The tigress simply brought her hind leg down upon the joint, quite possibly fracturing that as well.

Angels looked to the wolfess questioningly, as though asking how they should proceed from here. It was obvious the thing was not going to rise into the air again, and from the looks of its legs, it wasn't going to flee from them either. At the same time, they had not dealt a finishing blow, and so they could simply leave it they so wished. Angelus, for one, had no curiosity of how this thing tasted, but would have liked to see how it reacted to her poison.

Attention was turned back to the bird creature as her leg alerted her to a pricking sensation. The bird thing, in what seemed to be a last resort, was trying to sever the tendon at the back of her paw to make her limp. A loud roar exited the tigress, mere inches from the bird's face. It echoed fiercely within the room, and a few loose crystals succumbed to gravity and fell around them. A look of surprise was gained from the bird, as well as a good look at its eyes. They were beginning to glaze over; the first stage of Angelus' poison was setting in. Soon it would be blind to the world, and all it would see is its last moments before Angelus.

[Annabelle]

As the bird creature neared death the tigress seemed to leave another decision to Annabelle: to let this creature suffer or allow it to die a painless death. With a broken leg, wing nearly torn off, and crushed ribs it was not about to fly away or even attempt to flee anytime soon. One of the crystals that had fallen from the ceiling of the cave had fallen on the creature, possibly breaking a few of its ribs upon impact. She tilted her head at the creature as it continued to gaze at them, relaxing her posture and standing a bit straighter as she examined the winged creature. It was needless to say that she had finally gotten that curiosity of hers quenched. Part of her wondered if there were more creatures like this or if this really was the last of its kind. But did that really matter in this situation? It wasn’t like she regretted what they had done to it.

The creature was fading faster, faster, she could almost feel it, but the black wolf only looked on with a strangely unreadable expression on her face. Perhaps this simply amused her or perhaps she was indifferent to the thing’s obvious suffering. Sometimes she wondered herself what she was thinking when it came to such things; this seemed to be one of those times. However, just as she did when given the choice of which path to take she did not put too much thought of it. Perhaps her mind had been made up long before the creature began suffering from the wounds it received. Upon Annabelle’s expression a smirk was placed once again and a dark, bemused chuckle escaped her. The wolfess was not insane, however she was not exactly all there either, she knew she wanted to watch the thing suffer.

Why should she show mercy to something that tried to kill them? If she finished it off then it would be going against her beliefs that this was an unforgiving world. After her chuckling died down, she turned away from the creature as it could no longer put up a fight and prove to be entertaining, and began to walk away. “That was fun while it lasted,” she said as she passed by the tigress. “Looks like I got my wish and these caves proved to hold some sort of entertainment after all. We can leave now if you want.” She looked back at the crimson beast over her shoulder, head tilted a bit.

[Angelus]

The decision made, Angelus moved off of the creature allowing it to have unthreatened personal space once more. No glance back was given to it. It might survive its wounds, it might not. Angelus could not speak for its intelligence, but a wounded animal was an unpredictable one. Unpredictable indeed, as it attempted to rise again and swing a talon at the tigress in a desperate final attempt. The feline simply turned and gave a similarly disturbing roar as the first. "Persistent insect!"[/b] It froze, falling over onto its bottom and trembling. Whether its shakes came from the loss of blood or fear, it was difficult to tell. She approached the bird one last time, towering over it. Painfully slowly, she lowered her orbs to mere inches from its own, staring deeply into them. "Wise creatures choose death before war."[/b]

The tigress retreated, turning her back for the final time on the scene. Her tailblade whizzed around her backside in an annoyed fashion, threatening death should the creature attempt to move at either of them again. A glance was thrown momentarily at it, a secondary comment made. "Wiser fools choose not to be born." She knew not if the thing even understood what it was they were saying, but it mattered not to her. What was done was done, and they would now take their leave of this small cavern.

Angelus made her way, a bit grumpily, past Annabelle and back into the tunnel from which they had come from. Her tail clanked aggressively into the wall, finding the groove which it had created earlier, and she began walking. The tigress had no words then; what had just transpired was something unfamiliar and strange to her. She had fought alongside someone other than her kind for the same goal. That was something she had not done yet in her lifetime. She dare not say that she had made a friend in this ebony wolfess, but she had found someone she had a reason not to eat at a later date.

The feline was surprised, however, that the wolfess admitted her curiosity to be sated. They had only found one result that the caves had to offer, and yet this one surprise was enough for her? There was always another time in the same place, but whether or not her guide would be present would be something to consider. "What will you do after this?" Her tone was flat, and she still sounded rather displeased, but that was how she was after exerting such effort over such a trifle. A sour mood from her would be the yield from the recent events, but she found it hard to care.



[/size]

[Annabelle]

The black wolfess’s ear twitched when the tigress roared at the winged creature again. Indeed, the crimson beast was one intimidating creature. All the more reason to remain on her good side, or at least keep things neutral between them, she told herself. So even after the beating the creature took it still had a bit of fight left in it after all, did it? How amusing, Annabelle thought to herself with a huff. The wound she had suffered when the creature’s talons swiped at her ribs began to burn slightly but didn’t seem like anything worth drawing any further attention to other than being rather painful. Like all wounds, this would heal in time so long as she was careful not to further injure herself. Perhaps that was another reason she had left the creature to suffer rather than finish it off.

“Now that poses an interesting question,” she said in response to the tigress once she passed her. “What will I do once we leave here?” A wanderer like her hardly ever had any goal in mind and just stuck to what she knew best. Traveling. When she had first arrived she wanted to see the wonders of these caves, now she was left with the question of what to do. There seemed to be a lot of questions today. She could settle down and call this place her home, or at least find somewhere that suited her and claim it for her own at least. Something told her she was not about to leave any time soon but she really didn’t want to get comfortable either. It was something to consider yet something she didn’t want to think about much at the same time, it was very odd. She looked ahead of her for a moment as if deep in thought; it was rare for her to place even this much thought into something but that really had been an interesting question.

Considering the fact she was still an outsider here she could wander around more and get a better feel of the place, could she not? She was well aware that she would not have the tigress’s company forever but that was fine with her. The fact that she has met someone who was at least an ally was enough for her, allies were better than enemies. Maybe she would last out here after all.

Smirking, “I can’t say for sure what I’ll do once we leave here,” Annabelle continued, her tone much calmer and definitely less grouchy than her current companion. Adrenaline still ran through her but she was still fairly calm despite the small amount of excitement they had found. They could stay in these caves and venture deeper but she could always come back here some other time. The crystals were pretty, relaxing she could come here to rest again though she probably would not venture this far deep often. If she did come back here. Some other place could capture her attention and prove to be a lot more entertaining than these caves though there would be a lot of competition. ”What about you, hmm? What will you do once we leave?”

[Angelus]

The crimson beast shrugged as she walked in reply to the return of her own question. What else did Angelus do besides wander around, causing nonsensical pain to other creatures of greater or smaller mass than she? This expedition of theirs had been a strange, new flavor of joy she had not yet savored, but she did not expect to meet many others as competent, and yet at the same time as annoying, as this ebony wolfess. Angelus would not take a chance on socialization if it would just piss her off in the end.

Her grumpiness receded slightly as she pondered on it. There was one thing she knew, as her eyelights flickered out. Angelus needed some legitimate light; she tired of the false fluorescence of these crystals. "I will travel north. Within the mountains is a small sanctuary. It is a decent place to go if you wish not to be bothered... if you can find it." It was interesting how the Tundra held all of these little mysterious dotted about its landscape. These caves were not exactly hidden, but what laid within was a mystery to everyone except those who had the gall to enter and find out. Angelus had entered with the intent of finding snacks, but exited possessing new knowledge of the Tundra. Knowledge was power, as they say, but a little poison in a deadly blade certainly couldn't hurt the odds, either.

[Annabelle]

A small sanctuary hidden in the mountains in the north was what the tigress had said and she contemplated whether or not such a place would be suitable for her. The mountains, at least in her opinion, were a rather relaxing place no matter where they were located though dangerous as well. It was always best to be aware of danger. She was use to the cold, has been in a few cold, odd, and broken places in her travels, but she was not sure if complete loneliness was suitable for her. If this was a subtle hint that the tigress wished not to be bothered by her, however, then Annabelle had gotten the message clearly and would go her separate way and that would be that. It would be the first time she had been told to get out of someone’s sight and certainly would not be the last.

Come to think of it if the tigress was bothered by her presence in some way then surely she would have made it clear from the beginning.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” the black wolfess said in response. It was meant to be a response to both keep the area in mind as well as acknowledge the possibility that the tigress wished for Annabelle to leave her alone after they were done here. The Tundra was a huge place; surely she would find somewhere that suited her, where she would be completely comfortable with the surroundings. Maybe, just maybe, she would even find a place amongst the different clans here. As much as she enjoyed being a loner a sense of belonging was always nice and helped avoid conflict later on. She knew that it would be difficult to fit in as a loner in a place that was claimed by many.

[Angelus]

The crimson beast shrugged, wanting to just relax more than anything, away from animals and other things. This little adventure with the wolfess had been enough interaction for her for an entire week. But, perhaps, it was something she could get used to. "If you are in need someone to lead the way, I would be your best choice." Angelus was aware the wolfess was new to these lands, and it was understandable that she would not want to waste her time getting lost in the mountains just to find one little rumored spot of tranquility. Or, maybe she would, just for the mysteriousness in it.

Either way, what was said was said, and the tigress would not rescind her offer. It quite possibly would save the lives of many smaller prey that she usually poisoned for fun. It was an unusual act of kindness coming from her. The feline felt that the canine had at the very least gained her camaraderie. Would she stick up for her in a fight? Well, that depended on what the wolfess did to get herself stuck in that spot in the first place. But, she was not opposed to assisting her in a reasonable time of need.

[Annabelle]

That was a good point, who would lead the way for her? Annabelle could very well just wander around the Tundra aimlessly until she found somewhere which would probably result in her stirring up some trouble with the locals. One of her many bad habits to say the least, blame her pride, but in her defense she does not always start the fights that come her way. She has learned over the years that she is someone that tends to be a bit of a magnet for trouble. Hopefully she would not find any trouble here, she thought to herself. Then again if the tigress was not going to mind her company then there was no reason for trouble. Perhaps they could even create another adventure together. Wouldn’t that be something? She was not ready to say that the tigress was a friend but she was at least the closest thing to one she has found in this place, again.

“Oh, you need not worry. I can usually find my own way around; call it instinct if you will,” the black wolfess chuckled softly, offering a half-hearted smile. “However, you do have a point and I’m not one to turn down kindness whenever I enter a new land. Kindness seems to be harder to come by, wouldn’t you agree?” Like anyone she has met quite a few who have been anything but kind. The way into the Tundra had not been the friendliest of places that much was certain, she really didn’t want to be forced out of these lands and be left with no choice but to pass through again, so in a way she was thanking the tigress for her offer.

“I never did catch your name by the way, mine is Annabelle. I feel there’s no need for us to remain complete strangers. Since I am a stranger here, I might as well get myself acquainted with the locals.” Just another step towards becoming an ally to the tigress, no? If her companion was going to stick around for awhile, might as well exchange names. Since they have established a small bond where there was no violence between them, no signs of becoming foes at least for the time being, then there was no reason to remain complete strangers.

[Angelus]

Instinct. Of course. The tigress almost had a chuckle herself at that one. However, it was not as if she could simply tell her what the place smelled like and then expect her to find it. Allowing her feet to feel the way was always the tigress' teaching method of choice... if she had ever taught anyone anything other than what a slow, fearful death felt like. She did not doubt anyone's instinct when it came to anything, for if you got someone in a tight enough spot, instinct was usually the thing that got them out of a pinch.

"Ha!" This time, she literally did laugh, for a second, out loud. "I am hardly a local, at least when it comes to appearance." She, to this day, had yet to see anyone as strange looking as she. Though, she did not doubt that one day she would stumble upon something just as fierce and just as deadly; there was always someone created to one up you in the world, it was just a matter of when and where you'd find them.

The tigress glanced over to the wolfess, a glint of a fraction of a minute smile in her blooded eyes. "Angelus. My name is Angelus." It seemed perhaps this adventure was far from over, and she was alright with that. Annabelle was, at least, competent in battle if anything. That meant something to the tigress; she was a fighter, and not willing to hide behind the larger beast simply because she could handle it by herself. "Onward, shall we?"

[Annabelle]

A respectful bow of her head was given once it was mentioned that they should move onward. Journeying with Angelus was certainly going to be interesting, that was pretty needless to say. Usually she preferred to travel alone but since this was an unknown area to her and the tigress had offered then she would accept company. At least in a fight, the crimson beast would most certainly be helpful, and so far has also proven to be an interesting guide. Her appearance may be unusual but Annabelle hardly paid that any mind aside from the ever intimidating tail, much to her surprise. Usually she was a bit picky when it came to companions she traveled with but she supposed there was no need for that here.

Especially after that fight. If anything that moment where they had worked together had definitely sealed the tigress’s worthiness as an ally and vice versa. Looks like they were going to get along just fine. This was definitely going to be an interesting trip, oh yes, very interesting indeed.

“Why of course,” the black wolfess responded, picking up her stride once more. Normally someone would be excited about having a companion, and she was, but she was fairly calm. The caves seemed to have a calming effect on her still even though she had a feeling they had not been wandering around for very long. Sense of time hardly mattered to someone like her but it was always something to keep in mind even if it was subtle. For a moment she wondered how far these mountains were, or if these crystal caves had a passage way that led to them. For all she knew this place had many different passage ways and shortcuts assuming one could get past the obvious dangers that were hidden within.

She had no intentions of wandering around to find the way, but she left it as yet another mental note.

[Angelus]

The tigress acknowledged their new alliance of sorts, and continued them on their way out of the caves. It wouldn't be long before they'd see the sun, or the moon, again and breathe fresh air. Now that she thought about it, it was getting a little stale in the caves. This made the tigress stop for a moment. Normally, when the air became stale as it was, that meant something was blocking the normal air flow. Angelus flared her nostrils, taking in a good sample of said air, and then rumbled a quiet warning to Annabelle. She dropped down into a crawl, keeping her tailblade between her and Annabelle, not wanting the wolfess to charge ahead of her and blow their cover.

Mere yards from there was an ursine, feasting on some of the leftovers Angelus had left behind. She cursed quietly under her breath; the beast was a little smaller than she, but it probably weighed just as much, if not more. It would be no pushover like the bird-thing had been. The feline pulled her head back at it sniffed at the air like Angelus had previously done, and it did not seem pleased with the result. The bear itself growled a warning, and that was when Angelus took the opportunity to attack.

The bear had risen to two legs, its head barely touching the ceiling as it roared ferociously. Angelus had dealt with bears before, though that statistic mostly included mother bears who found her to be a threat and attempted to shoo her off. This one was just dumb enough to be at the wrong place at the wrong time eating the wrong person's leftovers. The tigress wasted no time in retort, and put all of her energy into action. She lunged at it, grabbing it around the neck and sinking her teeth into it, attempting to slice the jugular. The bear moved at the last second, bunching up its fur, protecting the sensitive vital vein and moving her aim down a few inches.

This point was critical; bears were much more used to being on their hind legs than tigers were. She could feel the bears' claws on her back, attempting to get her off, roaring in protest. In response, Angelus brought her tailblade around its' left leg and ran it violently against its heel. There was a terrible slicing sound of blade against bone, and the bear began to fall backwards; Angelus had cut its Achilles tendon. It was still a difficult situation with the tigress on top, but she struggled through, trying to bite at an artery somewhere on it to silence its' protest quickly, and, more importantly, so they could leave.