Among the Leaves (Malevolent)

Grinding his incisors together with irritation, the satanic Alpha of Hell crossed he province briskly, his parched tongue wriggling uncomfortably in the enclosure of his jaws. Unhinging his jaws, he allowed the dull hued muscle to loll off to the side, dangling limply against the edge of his jawbone. His lands were currently going through a drought, leaving him and his pack unable to quench their thirst. Unless they travel to the rivers outside the boundaries of the pack, which made most of them uncomfortable. However Maow strode with confidence and ease. He was rarely unnerved, and usually remained relatively composed, besides the sinful glimmers that danced along his malicious irises. One of the many cliché saying is that the eyes are the windows to the heart. Well in that case, Malevolent’s are filled with death and decay. Destruction. Nothing more. Nothing less. Some say they can swear they can see their death replaying in his irises. Over and over. Although that’s just a rumor.

Snapping his powerful jaws close after he returned his dry tongue to it’s enclosure, which stuck to the roof of his mouth, he continued his trek towards the refreshing fluid. Taut muscles rolled rather smoothly beneath his dense pelt as he forced his compact appendages to accelerate, his tail streaming out behind him. The scent of blood hung over his pelt heavily, giving him a demonic disposition, and filling the atmosphere with the sickly scent. Snorting lightly, he ignored the aroma, actually having a liking to it’s coppery scent and the way the metallic tang tickled the back of his throat. Shifting his tongue along the inside of his mouth, he searched for a moist spot that he could moisten his tongue with. Of course, he was disappointed to feel the dry fleshy walls of his mouth. Snorting harshly he continued onward, placing each diminutive paw in front of the other, creating a steady path of imprints upon the soil. He wasn’t trying to be discreet or even ‘conceal’ his appearance, thus made no attempt to obscure himself and make sure to not leave behind evidence.

Shifting his gaze towards the route ahead, he grunted, pivoting his posterior as he swayed slightly. The sweltering sun ignited flames upon his somber pelt, scorching the tender flesh beneath and causing him to panty rather heavily. Dehydration and heat exhaustion was setting in for the Alpha due to his dark fur and the barren wasteland of his territory, however his weakened condition under the radar, and made sure to keep his movements fluid, no matter how much it tired him. The worst possible mistake was to show your weakness outside of your territory. It merely invited trouble. Snapping his jaws aggressively at nothing in particular, he forced his weary skull to rise so that he took on the appearance of a healthy dominate male. Ignoring the dull pain that knocked violently against his temples as well as his stomach that turned with nausea. He hadn’t had a drop of water since the day before do to the fact that he had to deal with more drama that erected in his pack.

Once he was completely out of the Hell territory, he was able to press his durable pads against the luscious jade grass, which felt like silk in compassion to the abrasive sand that littered his region. Enjoying the sensation he ruffled his pelt slightly, also taking pleasure in the perennial tree’s that offered some sort of shade. Upon reaching the lake, he descended his dome towards the translucent water that lapped hungrily at the loam by his paws. Parting his lips he slipped his parched tongue toward the water greedily, the tip of the muscle breaking the surface and plunging into the glacial fluid. As his tongued danced along the ripples, he swallow deep gulps of the refreshing fluid, instantly dulling the pain in his head and causing his stomach to end it’s tortuous churning. Taking short intervals between each ingest to inhale the oxygen, he was able to set aside the discomfort. Finally withdrawing from the water he offered a jaded glance towards the ocher female that resided a couple meters away. Droplets cascaded from his chin, swiveling in the atmosphere before plunging back into the cold residence. Stroking his damp muzzle with his fleshy tongue, he grunted, reclining back onto his haunches before sliding forward until his abdomen rested along the cushioned province.

Resting his exhausted build, he took calm pants, waiting for the water to run through his body and cool down his scorching figure. Flickering a single ear he observed the female from time to time, not in the mood for idle chit chat. Each gentle breeze that stirred his pelt also brought messages from the female. She was an Earth wolf, which immediately set a dislike for her in his mind. Ghost, which was Earth’s Alpha and himself didn’t exactly get along. In fact, as for as Malevolent knew, Ghost would like nothing more then to see him and his pack demise. Trailing his wispy tail along the terrain he allowed a subtle grimace to flicker upon his features for a heartbeat before dissipating once more. Now, reveling in the tranquil silence, he descended his chin to his forearms, watching his reflection upon the surface while keeping a single ear ingeniously pointed in the female’s direction.

Gentle gusts tugged at his dense pelt, causing the ebony fibers to sway soothingly at the wind’s caress. Although Malevolent’s eyelids curtained his glacial irises, and his breathing had deepened considerable as if he had succumbed to fatigue. However he was indeed conscious and was well aware of the uncomfortable tingling sensation of the female’s gaze on him. It burned into his pelt and caused aggression to well up into his pelt. The warmth would subside for a few moments then reappear as if she kept looking at him. Allowing himself to act as if we wasn’t aware, he kept his eyelids concealing his irises, resting his body. At this point the refreshing H2O had dropped his temperature to an average amount and the shade offered his stomach to settle along with his fatigue. Remaining relatively motionless he allowed his thoughts to drift, keeping his attention partially on the female through the process. Angelo Della Morte penetrated his mind and a image of her scarred physique projected along the inside of his eyelids. Angel of Death, hm? He was slightly impressed that she could speak Italian fluently and it also intrigued him. He had meant to talk with her a little more even though his antisocial personality discouraged it.

An assassin was an obvious choice for her ranking when she joined his pack, considering her well built body and her demeanor, which gave off a lethal aura. In a way, he was attracted to her mutilated form and her malicious yet silken voice. However he didn’t have a single though of ‘befriending her’ or ‘bonding’ with her. That was beyond him. He preferred to have no attachments to anyone. Attachments meant weaknesses. Weaknesses meant death. Dying wasn’t on his list of things to do and he preferred to keep it that way. An image of Prophecy unintentionally appeared on his thought train, causing him to direct his thoughts towards the golden furred female, which had also been given the rank of an assassin. His first impression of her was decent, considering the fact that she held her ground and attacked him. Although her strategy was rather crazy and unorganized, she still seemed able to hold her own against a different opponent. So far, his two assassin’s were at the top of his list on those he actually found to be useful. Although Zecora was sufficient, her tongue got her into more trouble than anything.

Ending his thought process abruptly as he felt another burning gaze directed at him from that damned female. Snapping his eyelids upward he revealed his devilish chip of ice which locked onto the female’s underhanded gaze. At first he was confused because it appeared as if she wasn’t even gawking at him, but as he allowed his irises to burn into her, he realized she was cunningly gazing through her lashes. Not a single hint of his perplexity was detectable as he glared ruthlessly at her, his muzzle wrinkling in a threatening manner. Homicidal intent flickered off the surface of his pupils as he rose to his full height in a fluent motion, his taut muscles rocking prominently beneath his ebony pelt which swayed in a manner that caused it to have a life of its own. A monotone voice slithered from his parted lips as he kept his concentration plastered over her. “Can I help you? Or would you like me to offer you a pleasant greeting, Earth wolf.” The last part was saturated in disdain as it frosted over in ice.

Elevating a paw, he allowed his appendages to transport him nearer to her. Each footfall bringing him one step closer to her. One step closer to her flesh. Her death. Once he was mere feet from her, he rose his skull to full height and glowered down at her, his dome blocking out the sun at the perfect angle, shrouding his already ebony fur into more darkness. Shadows swirled along his swaying pelt as he flexed his taut muscles, debating whether to strike out or not. However he kept his composed posture, yet intimidating rolled from him in thick waves, crashing upon her slender physique in violent churns. Erecting the cartilage atop his cranium he snorted darkly, before speaking in a menacing manner. “I’d prefer it if you’d end you persistent glances. As you can see, I’m trying to enjoy a pleasurable nap. Is that too much to ask in a free land?”

With his ruthless irises scorching her ocher pelt, he narrowed his gaze, observing her movements. Keeping his attention on her, he lashed his densely packed tail across the space, causing dirt and debris to arise, then spiral erratically in the atmosphere before settling back upon the earth a few feet away. Revolving his erected ears in her general direction he listened to the annoyingly melodic tone of her voice, his eye twitching ever so slightly at the noise. "I expect nothing from you, least of all a pleasant greeting. Not only do you not look to be in the mood for one, but I do not believe that you are capable of anything pleasant. I have as much if not more right to be here as you do. If you don't like my being here, then you are welcome to leave. But should you stay, you should at least tell me who it is that is threatening me." How…amusing. Grinding his incisors together he allowed a satanic cackle to arise from his unhinged jaws and poison the region in a patronizing manner.

“Mm interesting. I suppose Ghost tells nursery tales of me? How amusing. Not only do I detest your mere presence and putrid odor but also the fact that you can’t seem to keep your pretty little eyes off of me. If I was going to attack you, believe me, I could have already done so. Does Ghost whisper in your ear all the dangers of letting your guard down? That’s cute. Like you said, we both have a right to be here. So keep to yourself over here and allow me some peace, m’kay? “ Chuckling lightly he continued, an air of entertainment radiated from his ebony pelt as he continued in a rather condescending voice, “It’s best to avoid ’playing dumb’, I’m well aware you know who I am and I’m not one for ’formal greetings’. Besides, whoever said I was threatening you?” Snorting scathingly he whipped around, his back fully exposed and his tail raised. He was obviously testing her out. Seeing if she’d go for the challenge. He was fairly sure she wouldn’t have the guts to do so judging from the pack she resided in, but it still brought him amusement seeing how little courage the Earth wolves had.

Once he returned to his previous resting region, he slumped to the jade foliage, his muscles rippling thickly beneath his pelt as he did so. Offering the female once last indifferent glance he curtained his malicious irises with the slender eyelids, shutting off the world. He didn’t he bother direct his attention towards her anymore. What was the point? She was no threat and even if she choose to risk her life and attack him, she wouldn’t be that much of a challenge. Huffing subtly he drifted off towards a light slumber, his ribs enlarging as his lungs inflated with the precious oxygen. A gentle breeze picked up once more, ruffling his pelt and causing his ears to swivel in the opposing direction, shielding the sensitive hair fibers. Once the air current passed on, the velvety earlobes returned forward, twitching ever so often while he dozed. Each second of sleep replenished his fatigued body and each second filled him with more destructive power.

Although he had been able to recover from nearly all the damage the blistering sun dealt him, he was still exhausted. Yet that was being taken care of at the moment so their were no worries. Seconds passed, then seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours. The sun revolved around the atmosphere, until the fading light had bled across the heavens. Blinking slightly, Malevolent emerged from his slumber, feeling refreshed and well rested. It had been days since he was able to get more then a twenty minutes nap. Rising gracefully, he approached the edge of the lake then descended his muzzle upon the surface. Lapping at the crystalline waters he offered a curious glance towards the direction that the female had resided not to long ago, seeing if she had stayed or not.

She appeared to not have been in the same location, however he sensed another presence. Yet he didn’t whirl his skull around frantically or bristled his pelt in hostility. He merely waited. Sure enough a moment later the vibrations beneath his durable pads alerted him of another canine, which was approaching him from behind. Inhaling the scents that enveloped the region, he huffed, well aware that it was the same female from earlier. Had she watched him sleep? How…creepy. Warm carbons tickled the sensitive fibers within his velvety ears and grimaced at her words, completely unfazed and rather annoyed by her actions. Was it really necessary for her to whisper? Although a hint of humor sparked within him from her diminutive size, she barely spoke into his ear, most of the words tumbled long his neck and cheek. Observing her through half lidded eyes as he sauntered a decent distance in the opposing direction, creating an expanse between the two. As she lowered her posterior to the loam, the muscles above his left eye rose, as if he was elevating a non existent eyebrow.

Clicking his tongue along the roof of his mouth, which was his trademark action whenever he was either aggravated or unimpressed, Malevolent gazed at her evenly. Rolling his shoulders briefly, he stretched the taut muscles along his powerful neck, before shifting his weight and allowing much of his physique to recline. Once his feathery haunches touched the jaded earth, he grunted subtly, offering the female a halfhearted sneer. Allowing his skull to remain at a heightened, imperial altitude, the alpha remained in a rather unmoving for a few moments. Finally, he unhinged his lethal jaws to flicker his salmon tinted tongue along his crimson stained lips then spoke in a rather silken manner, “Considering you’ve stayed throughout this entire time period, you must either, A -- be bored and lack a life of your own, or B -- be interested in me.” Tilting his skull at in inquisitive manner he continued, his voice rather alluring, “I’m sure choice B sounded rather narcissistic of me, and I apologize for that. However I can’t help but wonder.”

In truth, his mood hadn’t changed in the slightest, however now he had exerted his malevolent behavior onto her, allowing her to know his capabilities. Now, he was rather unperturbed, although he still held a enigmatic distaste for the Earthian wolf. At this point in time, the blistering sun had faded away, leaving the heavens corrupted in an inky indigo hue. The mysterious shadows ate away at the region, spreading it’s ominous tendrils mercilessly. Malevolent’s own obscure pelt had began to sink into the gloominess, causing his form to distort in a monstrous manner. Despite the horrifying manifestation, the alpha remained undisturbed, his entrancing gaze on the female. Distant breezes unbalanced the leaves, which swayed lifelessly from the gnarled trees, which appeared to be sinister. Hours ago, everything had a magnificent life of it’s own, each blade of grass, flowing lusciously in the iridescence. However now, once the moon took it’s rightful place in the heavens, everything suddenly became sinister and daunting.

Very little light was able to penetrate the gloom, besides the eerie foreboding hue of Malvolent’s irises, which glistened a demoralizing crystalline tint. Fearsome whispers echoed in the night, due to the ghostly breezes, causing a sinful tension to envelope the province. The alpha seemed completely at home with the surrounding and parted his lips once more, his words shattering the morbid whispers for a moment, “So, tell me. Why is it that you’ve remained her all this time?”