War Forged 603: Path Untaken

    Rain. He decided he did not like the rain. It was cold, wet, and as the light was fading, it would grow colder still. Lips curled into a snarl, Sköll slunk among the trees, a medium sized light orb floating nearby his head. Something new had popped up in the forest, in HIS forest. He stalked the trees that bordered the road on which travelers passed, it was his domain, and so, he had to investigate any changes that arose in his home. Growling to himself, Sköll reached up with his teke, pulling the half wet bear pelt higher up his neck. The pelt was not yet entirely soaked, sparing most of his mane and backside from the dampness that threatened to pour through. If it rained any harder, however, it would be a very different story. Ugh. At least the trees offered him some cover as well, saving him from the front of the rain.

    Sighing, Sköll slunk forward, the only signs of his existence the floating light and his bright, pale colored legs and tail poking out from underneath the dark pelt. Shifting his spear, Lightpiercer, on his back, Sköll's sharp blue eyes scanned the trees for any other beings, potentially ones he could 'borrow' from. A part of him recoiled at the thought of him turning his existence into one that subsisted on simply stealing from others, but then another part told him that it was his right to do so, especially if it was 'borrowing' from anyone not a Kirin, or rarely a unicorn. 

    Ears flicking, Sköll's gaze moved away from a particular spot in the trees, then quickly back when he saw moving figures in the distance. Ah, now there was someone. Quickly putting out the light floating nearby his head, he began to move closer, carefully picking his way through the trees to remain as quiet as he could be. The rain helped mask his approach as well. He wanted to see what he was dealing with before he acted. There was no sense in taking on something he could not certainly win. Hiding within the forest, using the pelt to cover his gleaming bright scales and pelt (An utter pity that he was forced to cover them so because of the rain), Sköll looked over the small party. Warriors, judging by their armor and helmets... Hmph... Were he not put in such a sour mood by the rain, and half frozen with the chill it brought, he could take them on! But now, attacking was out of the question, due to the circumstances.

    Continuing to watch, Sköll's ears pricked at the sight of familiar scales and horns. Kirin. There was a Kirin amongst them. Remaining quiet for a few more moments, simply staring and watching, Sköll weighed the options he held at the current moment. He could go and approach, or he could go to his own devices, return to the task at hand of investigating this new, dense forest that had appeared... Drawing in a deep breath, he lifted his head, forcing his ears forward. Perhaps he could use them to his advantage... Wolves hunted in packs, perhaps he could... Tame these wolves and use them as his own attack dogs... Smiling to himself, Sköll brought the light orb back into existence, letting it float nearby his head once more, before striding forward, his head high and proud. Even with the weather, he would not dare to make a bad first impression. "What is a band of well armored, decent looking folk doing in a place like this?" He called out over the rain, putting on a hopeful, somewhat eager smile.

    “Making the rounds, as usual,”

Simply raising a brow, smile still adorning his face, Sköll looked to the one who first spoke. Making the rounds... Interesting. Indicated some sort of guard force, perhaps military? Interesting. Of course, the armor and weapons spoke of something to that effect. The other Kirin though, were they even possibly part of this... Military force? Made of women, judging from their appearances and voices. Why would one of his scaled brethren even think of associating with anything less than a Kirin, or even a unicorn, if their standards were low enough! His ears twitched, frosty gaze flicking to the kirin who stepped forward.

    "Comrade what are you doing out here?"

    "Heard rumors of some sort of... New forest in the area. I decided it was worth my time to look into, on the off chance it could be a threat." He replied calmly, more interested in the other Kirin than anyone else. He was worth his time. The unicorn, perhaps they could have his attention second, but anyone else was not worth his time. Gaze moving between the Kirin and the other equines, Sköll carefully evaluated their expressions, and physical stances to gauge their reactions.

    The first who had spoken had her ears back, had winced after she spoke, a glance to the unicorn. Was the unicorn a superior of sorts? Smart move, unicorns were obviously better than any other species, Kirins were above them still, but a unicorn was the second best.

    He thought he saw a tinge of a teke glow at a second's side. A weapon, most likely. Ah, why did they suspect him so, he had done nothing but show grace and nobility, approach with a smile on his face and kindness in his voice! That one had their guard up, he could see that much.

    The movement of a sword didn't go unnoticed by him, and his gaze sharply snapped to the sword that moved in the holster, his pupils expanding and then contracting sharply into sharp lines. A threat. How rude! He simply widened his smile, showing off his sharp teeth, meeting the gaze of the sword's owner in his own silent threat.

    The unicorn was next, and he studied her, as she would be the most useful one to him. The movements she made were perhaps orders. So she was the leader then. Her expression was neutral, he could not read anything off of her... Yet... Still, what she said was interesting. Band of Valkyries? It sounded official...So they were military. He had to hold back a bark of laughter. He hadn't expected a race of people so... Brutish and uneducated to have what seemed to be a proper military!

"Oh, is it that noticeable? My apologies, I haven't been in Onea very long. I've recently come to the region to find a place to call home, hence my reason for looking into the forest on the off chance it's a threat, or perhaps a place where I could live." Sköll calmly replied, brushing his hair back. "Granted, being so new to the area, I must admit I'm... A tad lost. I thought I knew the way, but with the light fading, it's been increasingly difficult to find my way."

    Mmm. There was skepticism. To be expected, unfortunately... Still, he was almost insulted by the fact they weren't accepting him immediately. Something at the back of his mind nagged, saying that it was his right to gain whatever he wished at the very first indication of wanting something. Where it came from, or why it declared such a thing, he was not entirely sure. Like much of... What nagged at him, it was just there. With no explanation of why or how, and it was infuriating. He was missing pieces. Too many pieces. Something was off, but he could not seem to find what.

“Just stay close while we do our job, and there shouldn’t be any problem…”

The pale kirin's ears pricked, hearing the unicorn urging the others to calm down, and then the acceptance. Oh? A soft smile graced his face, and he dipped his head, internally sneering at the action. Show humility, show them grace, gain their trust, despite how... Undeserving they may be of such an honor. "You have my thanks," Sköll replied, straightening up. "Here, as a token of good faith," he conjured another orb of light, sending it to follow the unicorn. "I would give one to everyone, but I'm afraid I wouldn't have the strength, and, I assume, we wouldn't want to be that brightly lit? But it is growing dark, and I would very much like to not have anyone trip and get hurt."

He had managed to slip into their group. He could perhaps work to gain their trust... Having warrior allies would be quite useful. Despite their... Breeds... And the fact most were mares. He could tolerate them, as long as they were useful. He chose to stay quiet... For now. Most of them seemed terribly dull and mildly suspicious. Still annoying, an inconvenience, but he would not draw attention to himself anymore for some time, simply walking with the group through the trees.

The stench of iron hit his nostrils, and Sköll's nose wrinkled, ears flattening against his head in distaste. Blood. The light from his orbs illuminated the trees around them, and his pupils expanded slightly to study them. Movement on one of the trees caught his gaze, and he watched the crimson liquid run down a trunk from a smear higher up. Ah. Ears swiveling hurriedly, faint voices, hoofbeats, came to his attention. Oh? Instincts told him they would not be friendly, although, few were in this frozen wasteland. He slid his spear from his back, holding it at the ready, lips curling to expose his teeth, long tail beginning to lash behind him. Something was not right, and he would not be caught unaware. The others, he did not care, but he himself, he would be ready.

It was only a few moments after Greer spoke that the hoofbeats grew louder. A blur erupted from the shelter of the trees, metal flashing in the light of the floating orbs. A bulky, rose grey hippocamus mare, wielding a great axe, lunged towards the group, a vicious, booming hiss of "For the glory of Digend!" escaping her mouth, sending a sonic wave as she did so, making the area ring with sudden silence.