[Demon] Uru'Baen, the Hellhound

[PhiferWolf]

Was he certain about this? No, he could not say he was entirely certain that this adventure was something he had prepared for. Physically, he was ready, but... mentally? Not so much. He was a lone wolf, paired to an extraordinary monster hound. He had no affiliation with any pack other than an outsider. That was how he felt since his second year of Amityville - an outsider. As much as he would be led to believe, he belonged nowhere else besides where he had established himself. With his sister the presumed leader of Cocytus and his boilfriend the next to take the role of alpha of his own, he stood to support them as a sibling and partner - respectively. Which led to this adventure to the Whispering Forests that neighbored the Cocytus territory - the territory of the Umbra pack. Elusive as they were secretive. He had only ever seen two of its members which were his father and uncle. He knew much of Cocytus - the pack he was born into, raised to inherit it, and then exiled from - yet knew nothing of the pack that had the closest ties to it. He had questions and no one outside the Forests knew the answer to them.

"We've been walking around for hours. I swear I've seen this tree three times now." Came a female's voice from out behind him, words between pants. The boil glanced over his shoulder to the younger ghoul. Young of only fifteen, eyes of sweet honey like her youthful appearance. Hair tied up neatly around her neck as she wore a more fitting attire for a trip such as this yet still fashionable and - Uru would imagine - expensive and brand named. The ghoul stopped, planting her hands on her hips as she glared at her brother. "Your sense of direction utterly bites."

He rolled his eyes. "I never said you had to come along. You could have stayed back on campus. But you insisted that as Alpha, you should meet this pack." A thinly layered justification to follow her brother on this adventure. The older brother was an alumni - a graduate of the Amityville academy and thus was not exactly tied to be on campus 24/7. He was out and grown, ready to explore the world and that beyond it to discover exactly who he was. And that required unanswered questions to be buried with the rest - to put the past behind him so he may move forward with his partner. To throw away thoughts, nightmares, and doubts. His exterior persona hid much of who he was that only two truly knew what hid behind the wall inside himself. "Stop dawdling, I would prefer not to camp in the Forests when night falls."

The ghoul scoffed as she hiked up her pack as she brushed past him.

The Whispering Forests was not one forest but multiple forests within one large one. One could follow a path and the trees, the fauna, the shrubbery would gradually become that of another. Landmarks differ from each forest and the only real way to navigate through it was to know which pocket of the Forests contained which specific forest one was looking for. It was a perfect place to hide a pack of hellhounds that lived in the shadows. They would not be bothered and they were definitely difficult to find. If they had knew one - aside their uncle - they might have been able to make some leeway. However, that was not the case. What Uru had knew of the forest was what he had read about in the books at the Cocytus estates and the very few resources at the school library about maps of the place. Based on that, the demon hounds had an idea to get through the woods. There were a handful of landmarked forests that they could adjust their paths. The issue was finding those forests...

"Seriously, looking at you is making me want to dissipate back to school." Brenna whined, walking backwards along the leaf strewn path. The boil raised a brow at the ghoul, questioning her. With a gesture of her arms, "You're bloody wearing your usual outfit! Jacket, pants, boots, and that is just.... are you not hot? You're a damned furnace to be next to, I pity Damien to have to sleep next to you at night. Poor bugger must be suffocating."

Uru pinched his brows as he stalked after his sister. He indeed wore the same outfit others are familiar with him wearing; the leather, ribbed jacket with the down collar, a basic Henley, and a pair of belted jeans. On his back was a minimalist camping pack, while he was comfortable roughing it wherever he was, it was wiser to come slightly more prepared for this. "He's never complained."  

[PhiferWolf]

The siblings entered the first of the pocket forests. What was once black trunks of decrepit trees typical of Halloween Town’s scenery have become a lit with an eerie blue. The perpetual night sky had opened to what he had witnessed once in the human world – light penetrated the clouds overhead. The dead ground around them have become flushed with reds and greens spilling down onto the beaten path. The trees reached high above, the top hidden beyond a veil of tangled limbs, yet the blue light still pierced through. Where the light was coming from was unknown to them. Perhaps it was unwise to throw caution to the wind as they pressed forward, but kept each other in touch. As hellhounds, they were particularly gifted with heightened sense of smell and hearing. They did not need to look at one another to know the other was close by and safe. Every so often, Brenna would stop to sketch their location onto parchment – a map - while Uru moved to nearby trees to mark the bark of evidence of their passing. Between the two methods, they would hope not to get lost or double back again.



"It is kinda creepy that there isn't any sound here..." Brenna whispered, her arm flesh against her brother's exposed forearm. She looked up at the trees to the leaves that would rustle against her boots as she walked. "Not even our footsteps..."



"Properties of this forest, I suppose." The alumni replied. He had already figured it out as soon as he stepped into the space. When the leaves changed from dull gray and dead to red, he felt like his sense of hearing muted. Something he had also noticed that there were no other living thing here. The absence of sound would drive most individuals into madness. No birds could call, prey would be easy pickings for stalking predators oblivious to any snapping twigs. The leaves made no snap as they fell from their timber holds or the soft rustle as they settled among their kin on the forest floor. Perhaps those individuals were still here and the two travelers were none the wiser. He had read that creatures who lived deep underground lost their eyes as they had become vestigial, preferring to adapt in other areas for survival. The evolutionary difference among the creatures that could potentially live here was an interesting thought.



"I guess I should be glad that we can still talk, then, huh?"



Uru nodded in agreement as he let a low rumble in his chest vibrate through his body to ebb the insanity of silence. Give himself some sort of 'sound' to focus on as they walked through this portion of the Forests, marking and mapping as they went. “They probably are aware that we are in their forest. Keep an ear- nose out for them.”



“Right, I am almost offended that we weren’t met with a grand welcome.”



Uru gave a silent scoff. “A warm welcome to intruders into their forest, not to mention the myriad of the other negatives that surround us. A grand welcome would end us dissipating.”



“If you are going to sass me all day, I could have just stayed home, y’know.” Uru raised his thick, expressive brows as if to say why-didn’t-you-because-you-were-not-exactly-obligated-or-were-invited-to-come. “Shut your eyebrows and your face!”



“Just be content we had a copy of the map sent from the manor.” The alumni stated as he walked down the beaten path, the leaves crunching soundlessly beneath his plated boots. The books at the academy’s library were scarce on the information about the Whispering Forests. Like all places in Halloween Town, regions manifest themselves through FEAR from the human world thus this plane was always expanding and developing. Therefore, there are a lot of new places to explore and a lot of places uncharted or documented. The Whispering Forests was as old as Cocytus, however, so he had expected that there would be some decent details. Though, he should be happy that he was able to get as much information that he did. The manor had a larger resource of information on the packs. Logical as the former alpha like keeping tabs on everyone and everything. “Be sure to thank that crush of yours. Almost a shame we didn’t send a letter for an escort.”



“H-he isn’t my crush! If anything he has a crush on me. H-hey! Don’t you walk away from this, I want this to be absolutely clear that I” she capped her hands together between words. “do. Not. Have. A. crush. On. Mladrick!”



Uru scoffed with a grin. “Mladrick is an interesting name, at least. I am sure he is happy when he scribbles your names on his notes.”



“HE DOES NOT!” She hissed, batting at the boil’s arm in frustration. He did not bat an eye, just howled in laughter.  

[PhiferWolf]

"This one's creepier than the last one! Couldn't we have just turned down the right path instead? We could just go back and-" The ghoul's reversal halted by the older boil's broad forearm wrangling her against his chest and pushed forward.

"We're not backtracking if we don't have to." Uru clarified as he pressed forward as the ghoul huffed behind him. She was right - this forest was particularly eerie. It was unsettling. While it was intriguing to locate the source of the blue light that radiated through the tree line, they came to a fork that presented itself. Uru chose the left path, unconsciously making the right not an option as it led in the direction of the Cocytus estate. He did not know if the right path would lead him there, but that was not their destination. Their destination was deeper within the Forests. Unlike the previous forest, this one had less trees and much more open space as well as a clear winding path. What made it even more eerie was that the blue light was gone and there was yet another light source of some kind with no origin. All color seemed to fade here, even their own. Granted, Uru normally wore grey scaled attire, Brenna did not. Her clothes lost their brown and cream dye, her complexion became uniform but the shadows gave her definition. Her honey gold eyes became grey but still held exuberant life behind them. With what little trees were present left a lot of empty space in their field of vision, allowing the hounds to see into the distance. What was in the distance was beyond them and something about that was unsettling. At least with the many trees of the previous forest, they were relatively shielded from what could be lurking. Shaking his head, Uru knew his thoughts were going wild and assuming the worst. Reaching out behind him, he took his sister's hand and marched forward, keeping the rumble in his chest to a dull roll. “The manor is to the east, logically we go west.”

“And how exactly are you getting your bearings? There is no light in the sky to even use.” She pointed out, snatching her hand back. Revealing the map, the forest was a large obtuse shape with smaller shapes inside which indicated the documented forests. At certain points, there were squares that indicated landmarks that were also documented. Then there was the mountain ridge that bordered the northern sides of the Umbra and Cocytus packs. Lastly, fresh marks of where they have been, a visible – traceable line of where they had been. Evidently, they have been moving away from the direction of the estate, opting to go “left”, but there have been gapes where they did not mark their passing either by negligence or because Brenna was rambling on about something. “Please tell me you’re not going left because you think going left means you’re going west.”

Uru did not reply.

“Oh Hecate, you are!” She screeched. “We have a map! We have directions! You can’t possibly think like that, you are a survivalist, you know nature, you know that line of thinking doesn’t work!”

Uru growled as he walked on through the open forest. “We do not know where we are going. We are just walking in the forest. All we can really do it hope we run into a landmark and orient ourselves. And I am well aware that left does not mean west. I am not an idiot. If you have a better plan, I am all ears.”

Brenna huffed, shoving the parchment away. “I say we keep doing what we have been, you mark the trees with frost or whatever, and I mark it on the map. Do it enough we can find our way back. It is so very simple.”

“As much confidence as I have in you, I am suspicious that you are drawing a random direction from the last marks we make.” He deadpanned.

“I-“ She pulled the map back out then turned back the way they came. “we came from that direction. Just like the map says!”

Uru stopped, turning his gaze to her. Rubbing his face, the rasp of his facial hair, he looked at her with a flat look. “Spin around and then tell me that again.”

The ghoul huffed again, “Fine!” She spun in place. “I’ll just point in the same direction again, the map isn’t wrong!” As she stopped, she gave her brother a glare before pointing directly opposite of him. “There.”

“Wrong.” She was taken back, looked at the direction of her pointing hand, then to the map, to the large boil, and then to the forest again. “I moved while you were spinning. If you intended to use me as a marker for the direction we were going, it wouldn’t work. Because you spun around, you lost your bearing. There is a path, but we have been off of it for a while now. “So-“he raised the question, pointing with a finger tucked over his bicep from his arms-crossed posture to the parchment in the ghoul’s hands. “Tell me again how exactly that map our best form of navigating is?”

He had his points. She did intend to use him as a reference point. She gipped the map tight, her eyes narrowing on the alumni. “Then we did we bother requesting this map to start with? Why all the trouble of marking it at all? How do we not get even more lost than we already are!?”

“Relax. The map was for the landmarks, the marks are for us to follow back as intended. We are hellhounds, we can follow our scent back. Having a relative distance from a landmark can be helpful. Now, stop pouting and let’s keep going.”  

[PhiferWolf]

Of course she whines about the cold. A cold-aligned demon who was a master at hell fire that chills and freezes whatever it touches was complaining about being cold. Granted, the ghoul was wearing a shirt, thigh length shorts, and boots. Fashionable and mildly practical. Shrugging off his jacket, the Uru handed the shivering ghoul the insulated jacket while he surveyed their surroundings. The previous forest's thick trees have become numerous and thin, leaf-stripped limbs reach outward as cold white, frozen filigree. A thick layer of snow blanket the path, reflecting a mysterious light. It was as if it was day in this forest where it was very much dusk. Snow flake drifted down at a lazy pace, lightly with plenty of visibility of what was in front of them. The light derive like the mysterious blue light from the first forest. He was more in his element now - out in nature and in the cold. However, Brenna was not. While the goal of this trip was to get answers, he also had his duties as a brother to make sure the little one was alright.

"We can't stay here too long." Uru announced as he held out his pack. "It'll only get colder."

"I figured that to be the case. Hey, don't give me that look, it wasn't as if I knew it was going to be snowing here." She huffed as she slipped the pack onto her front. Tightening her straps, she looked up to her brother. "Gonna run wild?"

"Gonna run wild." He echoed. His inner demon overtook him in a whoosh of darkness. His form emerging as a top heavy hound with a pair of horns that angled upwards behind his pointed ears. They moved in a practice motion as Uru fell to all fours, Brenna had rounded up over his shoulder to settle between his shoulder blades. The pair dashed through the snow, the beast light on its feet peculiar given the bulk and size. The female held on tight as the dark-furred hellhound bounded across the snow, clouds of flakes where he landed, settling only after he had moved on. He knew not where to go, he let his instincts guide him. Muzzle to the air, ears out to the winds, he was seeking any hint of life – trace of a scent. The air was cold, crisp to the lungs. The snow was ever falling as a slow drift.

“Do you know where you are going?” Brenna called out over the rushing wind of the beast’s constant movement, her fingers curling tight into his fur for a hold. If he was able, Uru would respond, but that was a skill he had not gotten to. He only knew of one other individual who was capable of speaking in their shapeshifted form and that was their mother. He only grumbled in their native tongue which not many could understand. Thus he remains silent. Also plays into his own penchant for being the silent type. The beast shook its big head as his bounds declined to a trot. He did not know just yet, he figured running far enough would get them to another forest. Not the case given that all he could see was snow in every direction. Brenna sat upright, her legs keeping her steady as she also gave a look around. “We need to get a better bearing. Your foot prints are getting covered up.” She was right. The drifting snow, however little, was constant enough to fill in the tracks he left behind. Backtracking would prove useless and it was becoming more likely that he’ll cross the same path again. He had a single idea – either good or bad – that he knew would work. Run straight. No left turns. No right turns. He was bound to enter a forest they’ve been to or manage to enter a new one.

It was thirty minutes later when Brenna felt the beast beneath her tense, his body continued momentum, but the muscles became solid. His ears shot up and forward, his head rising. She did not need to see his eyes to know he was scanning. Before long she felt it too – something was present out here. They were not alone. The rumbling from the beast’s chest crescendo when a shadowy figure stepped from behind a tree. A towering figure, taller than it was wide, eyes unfamiliar and suspicious. The next few moments was of motions that moved smoothly. Brenna leaned forward, grabbing onto the ends of the demon hound’s horns as he dug his paws deep, catapulting the ghoul airborne. Her hair flourished as she spun in air, her leg kicking straight out as she fell toward the figure. She had expected to make contact with something solid, yet she had phased directly through and into the snow, bounding a distance in a quick movement upon landing. With a flourish of a twist. She didn’t need time to register that she didn’t hit anything, her body moved on instinct that she wasn’t going to follow through with another attack. Uru had lunged at the shadowy figure simultaneously also passing through, shifting to his humanoid state. The siblings fell into stances, back to back, guarding each other’s sixes as if a practiced maneuver and formation. His senses were heightened beyond his humanoid form if he remain shapeshifted, but would be unable to communicate effectively with his sister. The pair let their growls be heard, their eyes scanning the white environment. No wind and drifting snow, not even the crunch of the white blanket could be heard. A trick of the eyes? To trick both of them? They were on edge, their fists raise in defense.

“Do you still have the packs?” Uru growled out just loud enough for the ghoul to hear. She offered an affirmative sound. “We are going to move slowly. Same direction. If you see the next forest, make a run for it.”

“But what of you?” She hissed as she edged forward with each step her brother took. “Not going to just leave you if it decides to come back.”

“I’m right behind you. Just keep moving.”  

[PhiferWolf]

They never made it out of the forest then. The hypervigilance exhausted them more quickly than they had anticipated. Managing to find a cove, they decided that bunkering down for the night may be in their better interest. The snow mound was just high enough against the tree to tunnel down into. With Brenna on surveillance, Uru dug out the snow quickly with paws and claws. Another lesson recalled from his father proving to be useful. The hellhounds settled inside, cuddling close for shared warmth. Still, the pair were at a level of alertness to look out toward the entrance with any sort of sound. Uru laid against the back wall, his arms crossed over his chest. The cold didn’t bother him all that much. Brenna was nestled into the crook of his side, draping the packs in front of her as if to form a sort of barrier from the cold draft. It was the best they could do given the situation.

“Do you think it’s still out there?” She whispered. “Whatever it was, we haven’t seen it. Maybe we shouldn’t have attacked it right away, could have gotten some information from it. Like where we are, which way should we go, or why are you following us.” Uru shifted his shoulders and answered with a growl. Thinking about what they could have done wouldn’t help them now. What was done was done. Whatever it was that was following them hasn’t shown itself again. However, that doesn’t mean it won’t. Since Brenna is here, his instincts to protect her told him that he needed to remain partially awake in case of intrusion. The ghoul yawning did not help his mental convictions. “Jeez you’re like a furnace, let me-“

“Can you not?” He growled, his arms flailing as the ghoul pushed out his legs and settled herself nestled against him.

“I can and I will. I am cold, you are really warm. Logically, it would make sense I would utilize that trait in my survival and comfort. If you got an issue with it, just recall that I am an alpha.” She quipped, looking up at him with a level of sternness but her young features make it look like a young child being defiant. The alumni rolled his eyes before wrapping her in his arms. Might as well. Brenna pressed a finger upon the leather band that now adorned the male’s left wrist, noting the silver, polished c-clip. The band was a gift, but the metallic pin was a personal touch on the demon’s behalf. She noticed how much he had changed since he had graduated. He didn’t always wear the same pants and jacket. He had expanded his clothing choices to other colors and types. Even some would make her give a double take. “The forest would be pretty if we weren’t lost.”

“It’s fine.” He replied, leaning his head back against the wall. They had a general idea of where they were going, they just needed to find another landmark to properly orient themselves. The shadowy figure appearing could mean that they were getting closer to the Umbra pack’s home territory.

“Could take pretty pictures here where the trees aren’t all – y’know – dead.” Uru huffed in amusement. The trees around campus were pretty gnarled and dead, gray and ashy. These were so much more different. Almost like the ones from the human world. The two remain quiet for a while, listening intently to the world outside, but it was the sounds inside that was keeping them calm. Their heartbeat, their easing breathe, their individual scent, the contact, all factors to calm the Hel’wurgens. It escaped him how species could go without the connections and bonds of family and friends. He may have been late to catch on, but he was glad he was able to. “You know, Umbra won’t be so nice to us…” Brenna murmured into his bicep, her hands tightening around them. Was she afraid? What was there to be afraid of?

“Children of Cocytus, children of the woman who took their alpha away, and his brother, kept all four from them, nearly brainwashed us to believe that Umbra was lesser than us for being monsters, and, supposedly, killed their alpha after using his FEAR to produce an heir that was tossed aside. I am sure they’ll welcome us with open arms.” Uru drawled dramatically squeezing the ghoul in his arms. They were not walking into this with the best of circumstances. Umbra was ruled cruelly over by Cocytus’ previous alpha. Their resources were taken more than deemed necessary. Their alpha was bargained away by a demon who used him for his FEAR to produce a scarling to be groomed for next heir. Only when he wasn’t able to be controlled because of the ‘meddling’ of said alpha, he was tossed aside and the demon had set her sights on another target. The bodyguard and brother of the alpha to produce another scarling. Then they were lied to all their lives until it was time to drop information that would mentally – and emotionally – affect them. That was the type of woman their mother was. That was the type of alpha that led Cocytus for the better part of the last couple of decades. “Umbra was the muscle for Cocytus while Maero cleaned up the mess. Naerina had wanted Umbra because of their inherent physical strength but also to cement their allegiance. Step out of line and she could have dissipated him – permanently, at any point. Maero knew this and fell in line, they didn’t have issues with her.”

“I noticed you don’t call him by his name.” Brenna pointed out. It had been a long standing tradition to formally call the alpha of a pack as “Alpha Umbra” or simply “Umbra” while their name was reserved for personal reasons or as a sign of disrespect. It was why Uru had always called their mother by her name.

Uru had always referred to his father as ‘dad’, not usually using the formal ‘Umbra’ or his name. To him, his dad was always dad because he was always raised and treated him like he would imagine a dad would. He was soft when necessary and stern when he was disciplined – only when it was needed. He wasn’t groomed to be an heir by his father like his mother had, he was the hellhound that snuck him out without the alpha’s permission to spend quality time. Quality time that taught him how to survive, to defend himself, to recognize and react to situations in the natural world. Unlike being coped up in a house with servants who wait on your hand and foot. His father was his father. He raised them both, he was a father figure to Brenna. As long as she was young, she saw their dad as dad and their uncle as uncle. Perhaps that one lie wasn’t entirely terrible. “Dad’s different. He was an alpha but he was our dad first.”

“I suppose I should ask as an alpha why you’re seeking Umbra…” Brenna raised the question tentatively. She had played off tagging along as being a concerned sibling. Beneath that, she was also doing it as an alpha interested in the pack that is in alliance with her. Or at least, she had thought so. No word has arrived from the elusive group about absolving their ties due to the transference of leadership. Going on this travel could get her that answer. But further than that, she felt like she could not let Uru go on it alone. “I have a feeling why you’re doing this.”

“I need answers.” He announced. “I’m not Cocytus, I’m not Umbra, and I’m not Maero. I’m not Gavenkrantz. I’m my own hellhound and I need to know where I stand.”

“Of course you’re a Cocytus, I accept you!”
“But I am an exile.” Uru pointed out, his fingers had idly pressed in a repetitive succession – a massage – on her shoulder at some point. His attention focused more on it than the topic. He was exiled by the former alpha, prohibited from ever being taken back even by the current alpha. Brenna had spent a good year of looking through documents and by laws for a way to loop hole the demon back in. Uru had given up some time ago after he had accepted that he was fated to be a lone hellhound. “I know where I stand with Cocytus, I have you and that’s enough. Maero has never interacted with me, and frankly, I am okay if I never meet them. But Umbra was dad’s pack. I feel more towards them than Cocytus. No offense.”

“Well, if we do manage to find them, what then?”

“I’ll know where dad came from and who they are. Then I can focus on myself, my home, and Damien. I just-“ he paused, pressing his nose against his sister, pulling her tight. “I just want to be able to focus on me and Damien.”  

[PhiferWolf]

Green was everywhere. All sort of vegetation and saplings all around them in a way that would make traveling to Christmas Town seem like another day. There was a faint light piercing the canopy above, even then the forest had a darkness to it that seemed natural. The snow drift forest fell away to the lush forest, the pathway clearly worn and void of debris. The pair could only guess that it was a very travelled forest if the path was already present. Still, they travelled with an alertness. Since the appearance of the shadow the day before, it was better to be safely aware of their surroundings. Unlike the snow drift forest, the lush forest was full of places that one may hide themselves. The smell of the leaves and the dirt was strong, possibly able to hide scents. This was the Umbra’s forest, they secluded themselves in the deepest recesses of the territory to be undisturbed. One could only imagine how man get lost and what their fates were. Uru had no intention of becoming one of them. They had systematically marked the trees and map accordingly as they moved throughout the woods. So far, they had not doubled back on themselves.

“So, how is Damien?” Brenna spoke up, folding the map after having marked it.

“He’s fine.”

“So, like, he’s okay with you running off on this trip?”

“He’s still got classes.” Uru bit. It wasn’t like Uru was the center of the boil’s world and was utterly hopeless without him. Or that the monster wasn’t constantly in his thoughts or that he was worried about him. No, they could take care of themselves… but they could definitely take care of one another. “Is there a logic behind this line of questions?”

Brenna shrugged as she followed behind him. “Kill the boredom, the silence.”

“You see me during the week. Damien is over on the weekends or whenever he wants. You know about my day to day as is because you are a very nosy demon.”

“Ah! But I am your sister, I am absolutely entitled to bother and annoy. Ask anyone with family, it is, like, a rule.” She giggled as she caught up to walk by his side. “Just noting all these changes in you. Anymore and you won’t be the Uru I grew up with. Oh, don’t give me those judgey eyebrows – OR that glare, it doesn’t work.” She huffed. Uru was used to using his thick eyebrows as intimidation, but they are quite expressive, but she was not intimidated. One by one she listed off her fingers. “Ever since you got with Damien, you’ve started to wear different clothes which I am eternally grateful for since you can retire your usual outfit from time to time, you’ve taken up cooking which is great since you are getting better at it even if you got me sick all those other times, you’ve started doing yoga thanks to my suggestion which you’ve been a bit more mellow and not a complete jack – again with the eyebrows, you can knock that off, and you’ve invested all your time into this new house of yours in town for him. Don’t even try to deny that you have not been scenting him all this time, I can totally smell him absolutely everywhere. You’re going domestic-“

“I am not!” Uru bristled, his words coming off as petulant. As much as he would deny that he had been scenting Damien more often, found happiness when the boil put one of his shirts on, and how he did put in a lot of time and effort into renovating the house to be comfortable for the both of them. In fact, it had been pointed out that things were slowly disappearing from Damien’s dorm and found its way into the house. He had chalked it up as borrowing kitchenware or the green-eyed monster had brought it over and just forgot. Attempting to pivot from the conversation, he moved to mark another tree which would cause the ghoul to remark the map. “I don’t have classes anymore, I needed a project to keep me busy. So I am renovating the house. It is a completely innocent endeavor and dating Damien has no bearing on it.”

Brenna gave the boil a flat look as she x’d the map. It totally does. “And when you complete that project, what then? Are you going to work on your mating ritual and make that into a new project?”

Uru shot the withered glare at the ghoul as she causally walked way. A growl emitted quietly as he stalked after her. “That is private and no, I will find something else to put my energy into.” The ghoul opened her mouth before shutting it with a smile when her brother glared at her. He had definitely walked into a perfectly positioned counter. “I already go to the gym, maybe I’ll pick up something like photography… or something.”

“Or something.” She echoed. They walked together side by side, through the lush forest. Occasionally Brenna would recall something about the boil and an agonized groan would echo.  

[PhiferWolf]

The two had traveled into the vibrant green forest. This one would look like it came directly from a reserve in the human world, a place preserved and limited the interaction of the humans and this beautiful place. It was almost serene. But this was Halloween Town, nothing was what it seemed. The pair stared at it for a while. The object laid there pristine and untouched with no evidence of the rest of it nearby. Uru had stopped short upon nearing it then Brenna bumped into him. Together they looked at it with uncertainty and a level of nerves. It was a skull but no ordinary one. At a glance, he had imagined it to be one of their own – a hellhound, but it wasn’t Umbra or Cocytus or Maero, it did not have the right teeth. The shape was wrong. The orbital socket was too wide, as was the zygomatic arch. The nasal bone was further up on the frontal bone. Uru swallowed as she stepped closer.

“Feline.” He announced as he held it in his hand, not a first for him. A reminder of the first skull he had obtained while with his father. But what would this be doing here? He glanced around them for any signs of a sort of struggle. There was no blood – scent or sight. The rest of the body did not appear to be nearby. He had imagined that a creature such as this would have fur and there was no evidence of that either. “The mandible is missing… it’s just the skull.” He muttered as he placed it back.

“Should we consider it a warning?” Brenna inquired as she looked upon it. Bones were not exactly uncommon in Halloween Town. It was a common motif among certain clothing designers, especially those of the undead variety. But they were far from developed civilization. This could have been a kill that was picked clean or, like Uru, a possession that was simply lost. If it were a warning, there would be more – many more of all kinds littered all over. However, that did not seem like a very Umbra thing to do. “Do you think Maero had come through here?”

Uru shook his head. “Maero is very thorough with their clean up. If something happened that Naerina did not want anyone to know about, they made sure no one knew of it.”

“They dissipate people?”

“I wouldn’t put it past them, or her for that matter.” He pondered for a moment. “If I were her, I wouldn’t want anyone disobeying me, those who do would be punished. Take them to a place where it would be exceedingly difficult to find like the Whispering Woods. Use a pack of monster hellhounds who do whatever it was that I would strong arm them into doing. Once that was done, Maero would come, get rid of any evidence anything ever happened. If anyone else outside the pack knew of it, that would be …. Cleaned, too.”

“She… was pretty nasty, then.”

“That is putting it very mildly, Brenna. She liked you. Imagine if she didn’t like you. Imagine if she wasn’t able to control you to do what she had wanted, what she had planned. She exiled me, and a part of me thinks it was because she couldn’t dissipate me. Also, she had an alternative piece to play in her game. I was a pawn that was disposed of because she didn’t make it to the other side of the board. You were a pawn that she managed to make into a queen.” The metaphor seemed to sound a lot better in his head. But it worked. Everyone was a pawn to her, she was the king and the queen. Umbra her bishops. Maero her rooks. But even then, they were just pawns in her game.

“But if this is here, it would mean Maero didn’t do a good job of hiding their work.” Brenna mused, looking at the skull with mild interest.

“It’s because that it is here means Maero wasn’t. They’re good at their job and that’s just about as much as I am confident to say. So that means this belongs to Umbra.”

“Then that means-“

His eyes flaring a vibrant blue briefly. “No, it means we are getting closer.”  

[PhiferWolf]

[ img ]

“Are you absolutely sure you didn’t read about this one? This definitely looks like something very out of place to be overlooked by any traveler.” Brenna called as the brother stepped through the first of the standing, branched rings. He looked at them with interest, more so at their construction than their importance here. What, or who, would create a series of rings such as this? While he could assume someone of Umbra, but there is potential it could have been anyone. Uru had done his research on the Whispering Forest and the landmarks that are found within based on the accounts of travelers who had managed to find their way out. This was not one of the mentioned locales. “Maybe no one found it before so it was never documented.” She gasped. “That means we’re the first ones to find it!”

“No, you idiot, someone definitely made these. Just because no one else has found it doesn’t mean they never existed until now.” He planted his fists on his hips, scanning the area around them. “We’re in uncharted territory now.”


The map was useless now. Judging by the marks they had made through the various forests and with the handful of landmarks, the last one was it. Brenna had placed the mark on the map, they had passed through the rings and continued on. According to the map, they should be inside of a mountain range that curved southward toward the Cocytus territory. However, there is no mountain, just more forests and trees. Exasperated, Brenna had stuffed the navigations away and stuck close to her brother as he led them onward. They had climbed small inclines but hardly ones to be considered hills, let alone a mountain. They had travelled down toward small streams.

[ img ]

Out of the corner of their eye, a shadow brushes past. Instantly, the pair move into a 12-6 formation, eyes flaring to life and growls rumbling like rolling thunder.

[ img ]

The shadow leads them into the next forest before disappearing out of sight above the trees. The demons slow to a stop before the strange arrangement of trees. A landmark perhaps, but it was certainly a different forest they had been in. The arrangement stood tall and almost natural were it not for the symmetry to appear almost like a gate.

“The map would suggest we’re beyond the mountains and … well, whatever is on the other side.” The young ghoul pointed out, holding the map in front of her. She noted the Cocytus estate in a big circle and the Umbra in a square. Inside the square were small strikes to indicate their marks to backtrack their way out. Given their location, they were now far outside the box and there were very little strikes in comparison to the blank space that was the rest of the territory. “When we were told Umbra was a secluded pack, I didn’t think it meant they were this obnoxiously secluded. They’re worse than you before you met Damien.” Uru scoffed as he stepped forward toward the towering arbor gate. “H-hey! You don’t know if that’s even the right way!”

“The shadow went this way. Umbra is a pack of monsters who use shadows as a natural ability. Logically, I would suggest we keep going in this direction.”

He had a solid point there. “This would certainly explain why we had to send for them whenever mother wanted them… There would be no way for anyone else to come to them”

“It is why the summit of the packs were always at the mansion. Umbra sits in a middle of a forest and Maero rests in a middle of a bog. In a way, you could say Cocytus sitting against a mountain in a big, fancy mansion to show off how rich they are is the epitome of demon ideology.”

“Would you like me to demo half the mansion and tighten up the territory to seem smaller?” The alpha of said pack inquired rhetorically. Uru simply rolled his eyes as he inspected the gate further. Brenna found that she was rubbed the wrong way when others spoke ill of the pack now that she was the one responsible for it. It was her job to lead it but it isn’t her fault she was the one left to fix the mistake their mother made. All the connections and pacts, the deals and contracts, many of them were not made under voluntary means. Duress and blackmail were a specialty among higher demons. Their mother took that seriously.

“Stop daydreaming, think we’re almost there.”  

[PhiferWolf]

A dead end. Eye growled as he stared at the path before him, the trees and green continued beyond where they stood. He glared at the canopy above that let the light above shine down. There was more forest to travel, but no- they were at a dead end. Not in the sense that the forest ended, but that they could not progress any further. Uru reached up and placed a hand on a force, a wall, a barrier. Something he could not see but feel. His eyes told him that there was much more in front of him, his ears told him that the leaves still rustled beyond this, but he could not physically pass. An attempts to step off the path was met with another impassable front. Inspecting the leaves of the shrubs and trees, they pass through the barrier naturally as the breeze influenced their movements. The demon hound growled as he slammed his fist against the invisible impasse.

“I did not get this far for this!” he roared.

“Uru…” the ghoul murmured quiet concern as her brother pressed against the wall, his boots digging into the dirt in futile attempts to gain entry. She flinched when he roared again. “Uru, this just means that Umbra is much more protected than we had thought.” She suggested, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll write a summons and get an escort or something. I would like to see where Umbra stands with Cocytus, so we can come back then, okay?” Uru huffed out a sigh as he stepped away from the barrier before snapping his head in the direction of a scent – a new scent. He growled louder as now footsteps are heard but nothing is seen. It did not take long for Brenna to notice the new presence as well.

“Who is there?!” the alumni called out, his arm instinctively reaching out to block the younger demon behind him.

Their silence was met with a deep voice, deep and smooth of one older than either of them. “Umbra will not offer any escorts to the aid of Cocytus. It is best that you leave here, immediately.”

A voice. There was someone else present but unseen. A shadow? Or simply hiding behind the wall. The scent was there, it smelled like woodlands and musk, there was a saltiness that he could familiarize with sweat, but there a spicy texture that he knew to be tells of anger.

Brenna stepped forward and stood tall, “I am Audra Brennan, the alpha of Cocytus. I am here to speak to the alpha of Umbra on interpack matters an-“

“The alpha is dead.” The interjection had sent their hearts sinking to the pit of their stomach, their mood quickly following. They knew the fate of the late alpha – their father. They had moments where they believed it to be true, revealed by Naerina and by their uncle. There were inklings of denial, to never trust that woman as she lies through her teeth. Uru had hoped that their father was alive and simply back at Umbra. He had mentally justified that all of these fortifications were for his protection and for the pack. But the words hit him like a fist to the gut.

Uru growled out, tears threatening to fall, yet he willed them back. “Liar! We don’t even know if you’re an Umbra. What authority do you have to declare the fate of my dad!?”

He was met with silence aside the heavy breathing of his own, his vibrant blue eyes searching side to side to see this damned presence who was lying to him. This presence was playing them for fools.

“By the authority of Cocytus who sent word to the Umbra Council that the late Alpha Balazzar was executed for treason. By the authority of the Umbra Council, I am not obligated to indulge you or your ilk until your little alpha has completed her rites of succession and is recognized by the alphas. Now your little ghoul can step back with her high-and-mighty attempt to command me.” This time, the presence growled. If Uru was a rolling thunder, this male’s voice was a raging storm. Brenna stepped back subconsciously, either it be from fear or obedience. But Uru stood his ground.

“I came here for answers, I will not leave without them.”

“Then stay here and starve.”

“I will survive as my father has taught me.”

“He taught you to roll over and submit.” The unknown male scoffed. “Just like the brother who submitted to a female who stroked his ego as a game.”

“Is that how you talk about my father” Uru growled, his fist connecting with the barrier. “Is that how you talk about your alpha!?”

Silence was met with silence. The presence remained but no words came from the other side. Uru stepped back, searching again to make sure that the male was there, that he hadn’t left them. He could not afford to let the male leave, not yet. He was so close to the Umbra pack. So close to getting anything.

“You are his offspring?” The voice came at last. Uru nodded, his arms crossing his chest. “You look of him when he was young. Figures that his physical appearance would pass onto his offspring but that accursed female’s FEAR is what you manifest. So be it, I will indulge you since you have made it this far.”

Uru contemplated for a moment, considering the questions he could ask. The answers he was really looking for and the best method of getting them. “Do you know who I am?” He inquired. This presence was aware that they were Cocytus and that they were the scarling of Umbra. They had to start somewhere.

There was a scoff. “Son of Umbra and a cold-hearted b***h demon, a sorry excuse of a hellhound. Brother to the current alpha, exiled by the previous leader of the pack, was a student, now you are on your own. You work part time in a place of tomes and a house of physical betterment. Judging by your scent, you are not entirely alone, are you?”

The last line made the demon’s jaw clench. That was not a matter of importance here. Opting to ignore the probing question, he continued. “For an elusive pack who hide in the Whispering Forest, you get your information from envoys and messengers from the other packs outside. Understandable that you know of my exile from Cocytus, the exaltation of Audra, and my lineage. Probably knew I was a student because I was still heir to the pack then. But how is it that you know of my place of work?”

The question was answered with a chuckle. “You think Umbra elusive monsters who hide from the light. Shadows are everywhere, pup. You ever question why our pack symbol is what it is?”

Uru growled at the nomenclature, but the words floated among his train of thoughts. Shadows are indeed everywhere as this is Halloween Town. No matter how far he travels on this plane, it is still Halloween Town. Everyone speaks. Everyone gossips. Everyone plots, they scheme, and they machinate. The shadows hear everything. That is how Umbra gets information. Cocytus pack symbol was a jagged, broken circle that one would considered an open jaw turned on its side. But it resembled a snowflake. Umbra was a mirrored object at its midpoint. A broken circle with lines that curve around the center, but point up pointing in the cardinal directions. As he mentally traced the image, he had come to realize that it resembled a swirling darkness into an eye. That is how this one knows much of his life. He had tabs kept on him even after his exile. Why would they consider keeping ears on someone who was no longer a piece in the game? Were they still?... “You are not just the muscle that Cocytus uses, but you also gather intel for their dealings – her dealings.” He questioned, biting off the question. “Why has Umbra kept tabs on me all this time? I am an exile, a lone hellhound with absolutely no pack affiliation. If my dad is as dead as you claim, and a new pact was not created between Audra and Umbra, then you have no stake or obligation in anything regarding us. So why is it that you are spying on me?”

A silent moment hung in the air. Then a sound of contemplation came from the other side. The fact he cannot see the monster on the other side unnerved him. For all he knew, he walk away or attack him. “I am not permitted to answer that question.”

“Permitted? By whom?”

“The council has their reason to keep tabs on the scarling of our alpha.” He replied, his tone flat and cold.

“Who is this council? If my dad is dead, who is the alpha?” The pack dynamics between packs varied individually. Cocytus ran a hierarchy like all packs traditionally do, but was led by a matriarch. Uniquely, Naerina held immediate relatives higher than the rest, and anyone below that was considered servants to her. Hellhound or not. He knew little to nothing about Umbra and even less about Maero.

“The council leads Umbra until a new alpha is found-“

“Found?” This time it was Brenna who spoke up, stepping beside her brother. “An alpha is not found, mysterious-monster-behind-the-invisible-wall. A alpha is succeeded by a predecessor, inherited, or won. Are you saying that our father never appointed an heir or…” She cut off, looking up at her brother with concern. An heir. Uru was the only offspring of the alpha. While his powers manifested to that of Cocytus, there was no denying among the packs that he was the scarling of Alpha Umbra. She was illegitimate due to her paternal FEAR, but she was an appointed alpha. Uru gave up that opportunity when he had defeated the previous Alpha Cocytus by appointing Brenna the new one. “Were you keeping tabs on Uru because he’s the heir?”

“I am not permitted to answer that question.”

“Fine, for intellectual knowledge and understanding of pack dynamics that vary from pack to pack, I am curious. How does Umbra typically appoint their alpha? How does Umbra recognize their alpha to lead their pack?” Brenna questioned, her arms mimicking Uru’s who was shooting her a rather withered look. The tone was not the usual casual and sassy Brenna but she spoke with an air of authority – she spoke as alpha.

“The alpha bears a special item that is recognized by the pack. The council acts as his or her advisors. Until this item is found, the alpha is not appointed and the leadership falls to the council.”

“The council act as advisors to the alpha. They must be important and wise. What makes up the council that the alpha would listen to their words?” The ghoul explored, dangling a hook for more information. Beside her, the boil was deep in thought, his chin in his hand, idly pacing. “Are they friends of the alpha? Elders who have lived so long that they know so much?”

“The council is made up of former alphas – hellhounds who had held the title, the responsibilities, and made the choices the alpha will make. Your grandfather among them.” Uru stopped his pacing, his head turning to the presence’s direction. Grandfather? Of course… his father was an alpha, he must have inherited it from someone. This council was made of former alphas, so it would be logical that his father’s father would be among them. But now Uru had begun to overthink as his train of thought has gone awry. He came to understand Umbra, the part of him that he had hoped he took after. He came to see for himself that his father was truly not dead but back safely in his pack. But the further he question, it settled more convincingly that the answers he was looking for were not what he had wanted to hear.

Brenna had begun her next question when Uru placed a hand on her shoulder. “This item that signifies the alpha. What is it? I’ve spent a lot of time with Alpha Umbra. I may know of it. If it will help stabilize Umbra.” He had hoped the determination and genuine desire to assist in the pack’s regaining a sense of normalcy that Cocytus had ruined came across to the stranger. Again they were met with silence.

“It is … complicated.” The answer came, the voice seemed deflated. “While the item is vastly important, it is the manner of obtaining it that is of equal importance. Even if we manage to find it, we have to verify that it is the real thing. But, the previous alpha must perform a ceremony in order to pass its properties to the next. And because he is no longer here, the council must make that decision and the pack must honor it.”

“That sounds hardly complicated.” Uru replied flatly. Find the item, give it to the council, they appoint the alpha. Done.

“It is complicated when the item in question appears very ordinary to any non-Umbra.” The stranger replied with equal flatness. “You asked why we watched you, pup. We had suspected that you had the item, but were not permitted to interact with you.”

“Then spill, what is the jacking item?” Uru growled, his eyes flaring its brilliant blue.

“Alpha Umbra wore a sash over his shoulder.” The siblings gave pause, glancing at one another as the image hit their memories. “A cloth so dark that it made the sky envious, so dark that it would lure you in – your sight, your senses, your breath, your thoughts, your FEAR. A cloth that flowed as if it were made of liquid but moved as it were weightless. Deep within the seamless stitches, a design that only an Umbra could see. That is the item of the alpha.” The stranger chuckled. “But in actuality, it is just a cloth that was made by the first alpha and passed down to the next alpha. Believe whatever it is that you want about it. The fact remains that the item belongs and is passed by the alphas of Umbra since its conception.”

“I have it.” Uru murmured, his hand reaching toward his hip where the cloth his father once wore tucked to his waist. Pulling it free, he ran his thumb over the fabric. It felt seamless, no embroidery or purl, and it wasn’t as dark as he remembered it was with his father. He did recall that he looked at it a lot when he was younger. Perhaps because it was something that stood out among his father’s appearance beyond his physical features. “It was torn by Naerina.” The boil pointed out as his fingers reached the frosted edge of the cloth where it was torn from his neck during his confrontation with his mother in a ritualistic bout. He had frosted both halves to prevent any further damage to come to the only object he had of his father he had left.

The siblings gave a start when the invisible wall shimmered briefly when a large, furred paw reached out towards them. Immediately, they noticed the dark fur and nails, few strands of white one may contribute to old age. The size made their own appear like infant – even smaller. The paw that reached out could easily grip their face with little effort. “Give it to me.”

Reactively, the demon pulled it away from the outstretched appendage. The fragile trust they had was quickly fleeing now that it came to one of the demon’s most prized possessions. “How do I know you won’t take it yourself and claim yourself to be the new alpha?”

“I take it back, you are not smart. You are an idiot.” The voice growled, his paw flexing. “You are not an alpha, you are not passing the cloth to me. It will not be recognized by the pack. I must deliver it to the council and they will determine what to do with it. With you. Now, be a good hellhound and give Umbra back what is theirs.”

Uru gave Brenna a look of concern. He was being asked to give up the only possession of his that was his father’s. An item that he held in high regard and one of fond memories. It was no artifact like his sword, it bore no special properties – outside of what was discussed here. Brenna could smell the scent of distress and fear roll off of her brother like waves lapping at a shoreline, doubt and confusion swirling. It smelled horrible. “If we were to give you the scarf – cloth, what promise do we have that you will take it to the council? I want confirmation that it was given to the leaders of Umbra. I want to know the outcome of their decision. You give me that and we may consider giving you this cloth that you’ve been eyeing on the other side of this barrier this entire time. Probably you are even indulging us with all these questions.”

The monster scoffed. “Typical demon.” A sigh. “ I phrimosu si lronj shos clish si shu ciencol aunk sunk wirk. I promise to bring this cloth to the council and send word. Happy?” The monster spoke in a language unlike the wurgarian that Cocytus used. While wurgarian was harsher, the Umbra sounded more melodic. Typically, when a hel’wurgen spoke in its native tongue, they were utterly serious and driven emotionally. Could the same be said for Umbra hellhounds?...

Uru tentatively placed the half cloth into the large paw, noticing that the monster’s hand was twice the size of his own shapeshifted state. He knew monsters were much bigger than demons, Damien was definitely confirmation of that – he was rather biased with his father – but this just further proves that he was a demon and that this was a monster. “Send word on the outcome of Umbra’s decision. Even if it is the last communication it makes to the scarling of their alpha.” There was an affirmative sound from the stranger as his paw retreated beyond the barrier. Almost instantly, the presence of the other was gone – no scent, no sound.

The blue-eyed demon stood there as the situation settled in. He came searching for Umbra to understand the part of him that his father instilled. The monsters of the shadows. The monsters who survive in nature. The monsters who were strong and powerful. The monsters that his father once led. The monsters he had wished he had been rather than the demon he was made to be. To understand why these monsters never came for him when he was exiled. Why these monsters never came for their alpha. When their alpha had died. Was it because they were left leaderless? Was it because they mourned the loss of their alpha? Was the pack in chaos?

A voice behind him pulled him back, anchoring him to reality once again. Brenna stood there. Looking at her made him focus on the now. He had Brenna at the academy and her support. He had his boilfriend. He had his own place. He may be a lone hellhound, but he was making a future for himself with his own two hands. There will always be questions, but he will find those answers in time.

“Let’s head back.” He stated.

“Seems like we have much to talk about, huh?”

“Understatement.”

“Then figure out where we go from here?” She inquired.

Uru shrugged his pack off, holding it out to her. His expression focused. “We move forward.”  

[PhiferWolf]

The keys to the house sounded as they hit the kitchen as the boil rounded the smokey marble island. Upon it a parcel that he had been expecting, a favor from Brenna. The ghoul had pulled some strings back home to get the parcel sent. Since their travel to the Whispering Forests, he had grown more interested in the connections between the three packs. He recalled much of what he learned during his tutoring that was worth remembering. Rebelling against his mother did not exactly help him remember everything, or pay attention to the frightened tutors that she had hired. Out of the parcel came the ornate tome from the Cocytus manor, a book detailing the three packs. It was only the first volume but it was a start for a refresher. The demon moved to the couch, donned his glasses, and flipped to the first chapter.

COCYTUS

The Cocytus pack is the embodiment of the cold embrace one succumbs to moments prior to death. They are the individuals who walk with the souls as they pass offering company in a time they are most alone. They are the pack that demons who ran with the wind, their howls carry across them during a cold night, their eyes send chills down one’s spin, their very presence is brisk, the air in one’s lungs cold. The pack itself separates themselves from typical ‘hellhounds’ referring to themselves as Hel’wurgen, even having their own language ‘wurgarian’. The language uses harsh tones with undertones of growls and click of the jaw. Being demons, they are proficient on magics and spells – better than most hellhounds, but never to the extent of any species of witch. However, unique to the pack is their own brand of magic and spells known as Hel’fire – a vibrant blue fire that does not radiate heat but extreme cold. Manipulated to appear and behave like a flame, the properties of its effects of flash freeze. They are able to use rudimentary glamor.

The pack is led by a matriarch. The alpha’s direct line are innate elevated to higher ranks to even senior members of the pack due to inheritance. Due to the pack originally being of demon origin, it keeps its members to demon subspecies, opting to only allow others for direct betterment of the group itself. Those in the pack are only allowed in by the alpha and on her whim she may expel them.

As demons, the Cocytus pack abide by a compendium of rules, laws, contracts, and binding verbal agreements. As such, they are proficient at reading and critical thinking, especially for loop holes and backdoors. Among the most sacred and respected traditions is a law within the pack, a binding verbal agreement among participants, to the responsibility one an individual’s life – Nex Sacramentum. Upon the completion of the ritual, the winner may invoke the spell to dissipate the submitter back to the moment they had lost. There are records that an alpha invoked the spell before her mate was inflicted with insanity to the point of the ritual many years earlier, however at the cost of his memories of her. Other records show that alpha’s cores dissipate and the spell is never invoked.

Description
Cocytus hounds’ coat range degrees of white to browns and cream and occasional cases of black. The fur thick and bushy to insulate against the cold, but makes them susceptible to heat. It is because of this that more experienced individuals develop the ability to regulate the immediate ambient temperature around them to keep themselves comfortable in all environments.

Eyes range from light browns and blues. Varying shades of blue is very common among the members of the pack. In many reported cases, the sclera of the hellhound’s eyes darken to black during spellcasting or during extreme emotional situations.

Typically, the hellhounds of the pack are more lanky and lithe than others of the subspecies. Average height is between 5-6’ among females, 7-8’ among the males when standing. Females can weigh between 100 to 160 lb where males can weigh up to 200 lb.

A noteable feature of the Cocytus hellhounds are horns that protrude behind their ears.

Known Abilities
Hel’fire – a vibrant blue flame that behaves like traditional fire but have the effect of flash freeze. It’s effects range from a light frosting over a surface to the extreme and violent severe frostbite. In such cases, the cold of the flame is so intense, it begins the process of exploding the moisture at a molecular level to result in the appearance of burns. Experienced spellcasters of the pack can manipulate the flames in brilliant displays of offense and defense as well as mundane tasks such as lighting up a dark room.

Siphon – The Hel’wurgen’s duty are to guide those to the end of the line, to offer company in a time where one is most alone. In such times, souls go through many emotions that could cause them to stray from their course. This particular species developed a tactile ability that alleviated pain, fear, anxiety for however long the contact is made. These feelings – these emotions, are temporary displaced from the host until the connection is broken where they slowly return. To hellhounds, physical contact is a communial and healing process.

Shapeshifting – Hel’wurgen are shapeshifters capable of changing themselves from their beastly state to that of their humanoid appearance. In their hellhound state, many are not able to communicate effectively thus the need to develop their humanoid state was necessary to commute with others. While capable of basic glamor, they are generally for vain purposes.

As Uru read about his group – what he was, he couldn’t help but notice the small differences of what is written here and himself. He wasn’t lithe and lanky. He was handsome, that was true. He had a larger body than most of the pack and he was slightly above average in the rest of the field.

UMBRA

The Umbra pack is the embodiment of the darkness that one succumbs to the moment of death. They are the shadows the lurk in every corner, lurking and stalking the soul to ensure it goes where it needs to go. They are a pack of monsters who move through the shadows beneath the moonlit night, claws and grasps from the corner of one’s eyes with glinting orbs of gold and flashes of white. The pack takes immense pride in their prowess. They speak the common tongue. As monsters, strength, fitness, and survival are the corner stones of their culture.

The pack is often lead by a pair of alpha patriarchs – not often related. The alpha is not inherited in the traditional sense of being overthrown or inherited like other hellhound packs. The succession of an alpha is done through a ritual of passing on an object of sacred import to the next chosen heir. This heir may not be related to the alpha. Often, the heir is trained and taught by the alpha. They become their confidant and trusted companion. Aside from the co-alpha and their trained heirs, there is a council that consists of previous alphas who offer their guidance. Being in the roles of leadership, they have experienced similar situations and offer their views and guidance to the acting individual.

In a time where the alpha has not performed the traditional passing of their sacred object to the next heir, the pack resorts to the single alpha that remains and the council. If the pack loses both alphas, a council member returns to being an alpha until the objects are located and returned.

The Umbra pack operates from the shadows. As such, they had taken on the role of mercenaries but at a very high and demanding price. They are very powerful individuals, exceptionally skilled hunters and trackers, and when it came to protection, they were fierce. One could hire an individual for just about any purpose if the price was right, but their loyalties remained to the pack.

Due to their elusive nature, the Umbra hellhounds are difficult to track down, their history is spotty at best, and the last account of a Umbra hellhound outside of the packlands are diplomats and those who reside with the Cocytus pack.

Environment
Umbra packlands consist of micro pockets of woods and forests collected into one larger territory known as ‘The Whispering Forests. The territory sits north west of the Cocytus packlands and is enclosed along a mountain range. Within the Whispering Forests are smaller woods and forests that have their own ecosystem and properties separate from one another. One forest could render stillness, no sound due to vibrations becoming nullified. Another that emits an eerie light from an unknown source. A forest that perpetually snows. Due to the many forests within the territory, it is difficult to maneuver and find the actual pack itself. However, they probably knew you were coming before you even stepped foot into the forests.

Description
Umbra hellhounds coat consists of greys and black. The fur thick, but not bushy.

Eyes range from golds, yellows, and orange. Heterochromia is a recessive trait among its members. There have been records that these hellhounds can have more than their set of eyes.

Females of the pack stand between 7-8’ whereas the males go as high as 11’. Males can weigh up to 300 lb and females up to 200 lb. Due to their survival nature, they have a hardy musculature and commonly have scars. They stand high, look intimidating, and bulky individuals.

A noteable feature of the Umbra hellhounds are that they all have a form of dark cloth on their attire as a symbol of reverence for the first of their subspecies. The original had been split and its current locations remain a secret with the council.

Known Abilities
Shadow Manipulation – The shadow hellhounds are capable of manipulating the shadows that they are in direct contact with. But the ability to do so, how it is done, is dependent on the individual. Some can travel through shadows, some can strike with them, some can become shadows, and manipulate the shape.

Shapeshifting – Umbra hellhounds are shapeshifters capable of changing themselves from their beastly state to that of their humanoid appearance. In their hellhound state, many are not able to communicate effectively thus the need to develop their humanoid state was necessary to commute with others. The dark cloth that they typically wear shifts with them and remains with them in some form.

There were more details here that he found interesting. Most of it collaborated with what he had witnessed at the Whispering Forests. Now knowing that the scarf he had been carrying aound for a good portion of his life was an Umbra cloth. But he did notice some of the text after a second read through that stood out to him. He was tutored by his dad, mostly going out into the mountains behind the estate to hunt and run around at night. He learned a little of self-defense. The way the mysterious Umbra hellhound reacted to the Umbra cloth… he could be viewed as an heir. He scoffed to himself for getting his thoughts and hopes to something that wasn’t possible. His father was his father just teaching his scarling how to survive under the dictatorship of Naerina. While he had the Cocytus horns, he had the Umbra heterochromia, though centralized around his pupil. He took some pride in that some aspects of his father came through for him.

MAERO

Maero is a pack of hellhounds that collect the bones of the forgotten. They hoard and collect into a mass grave, adorn them, embellish them. They hunt in the dead of night, drawn to the smell of death and rot, decay and blood. They communicate through manic laughter, sounding of bone against bone, but it is when they become silent that one must fear for what is to come next. The undead pack of hellhounds are scavengers, salvagers, and dealers.

The pack is led by a single individual who is given the title of ‘Maero’ just as Umbra and Cocytus. However, the alpha of the pack changes constantly dependent on gambling. The pack is notorious for their gambling practices in a game called ‘Roll the Bones’. If challenged, the alpha stakes his status to the challenger and the outcome is honored. However, the rules of the game is skewed and favored to those who work the hardest in the pack. For those who have collected the most bones have a higher outcome. That is to say, the pack keeps to their word when it comes to wagers and bets. Discretion is a must among their kind.

The Maero group are not above making dealings with demons if it can tip the scales of luck and favor onto their side. Since the creation of the pack, the alpha had made a deal with Cocytus to be at their beck and call. In return, they offer information on whoever and whomever they wanted. Their most recent contract has been – and is their favorite – discretionary cleanup. They hold up their end of the deal and they get some nice bones out of it.

The pack lives in a perpetual chaotic society. Any sort of reporting is moot because it could very well change at any point.

Environment
The Maero live in a mass grave to the far east of the Cocytus territory. The bones collected by the pack are scavenged from all over Halloween, salvaged to adornments, and dealt to anyone who is looking to buy. Their favorite, most expensive, and treasured bone is the septum xiphoid process. The graveyard territory is in a sunken quarry of fifty feet, pathways of bone and dirt can get one back up, but down is another story. Break a bone, replace it with whatever is nearby. The home of the hellhounds have a very distinct smell. If one were to seek out a Maero hellhound, one only need to follow the scent. They’d welcome any with open arms, a wide grin, and a manic laugh.

Description
Maero hellhounds’ coat range from greys, browns, blacks, and even the sickly green. They’re undead hellhounds and they look the part. Their fur typically are matted, patchy, but when they’re in good condition, they appear to be sleek and fine.

Their eye color ranges from greens to golds. However, due to the chaotic nature of the pack, one may encounter individuals with white eyes (blind) or without them (definitely blind).

Females of the subspecies stand around 5-6’ and males at 5-6.5’. While undead, they do not weigh much, both genders under 200. Their bodies can range from lanky to lithe to bulky to husky to a literal husk.

Noteable features of the Maero hellhounds are that they are usually adorned in bone; helm, gloves, ribbing on their clothing.

Known Abilities
Shapeshifting –Maero hellhounds are shapeshifters capable of changing themselves from their beastly state to that of their humanoid appearance. In their hellhound state, many are not able to communicate effectively thus the need to develop their humanoid state was necessary to commute with others. The bones that they typically wear shifts with them and remains with them in some form.

He knew some of this already. This volume just cemented what he had imagined was the collaboration of the three packs. Coctyus was the head of the group, working to get contracts an agreements. Those who didn’t or those who betrayed them was met with Umbra. Then it was left to Maero to clean it up. He knew of their relationship, but hadn’t been aware that it was so deeply rooted in their history…

Now he had to wonder; would Brenna take up that mantle? Would the new alpha of Umbra honor it? What happens when the agreements fall apart? A free for all among the three; two newly arisen alphas to the chaotic, eternal undead Maero… He need to look more into this.  

[PhiferWolf]

The house was in a state of repair as it had been for many moons. A tarp laid across the far wall where a first layer of paint had been dried that day, the paint can sat abandoned and paint brush clean of the off-white substance. A cabinet door was taken off the hinges and laid across the kitchen’s smoky marble counter. Unlike the rest, this still had the texture of wood – natural and pure. The decision to change it was heavy and reluctant. The moon hung high in starless night – even then the town was always active, there was always someone awake. But the house was still, quiet and empty. The smell of arbor from the cabinets, the stale smell of paint clung to the air in the house, but beneath it was the scent of a home lived in. The washed bowl that sat next to the sink was used hours ago for a soup – a comfort food. The sillage of fang snare’s crisp vanilla permeated into most of the home, difficult to escape but it was calming. The subtleness of roasted coffee beans layered beneath that of the incense-like aura of the fang snare. At the very bottom of the spectrum of scents was the smell of subtle sweat of a home worked hard in, a home that was put together through determination and perseverance. All together, the house smells like the house owner.

The only two rooms in the open plan living were the washroom and the master bedroom. Without a door, the bedroom laid open to the rest of the house but it was the most finished of the all the spaces. The drawer pressed up against the closest wall flanking the king sized bed. A trunk sat at the foot of the bed, a fur-brimmed jacket laid across it. A shirt, a pair of pants, a pair of socks had fallen haphazardly upon the floor at some point of undress. The demon laid still asleep under the covers, the room ambient to match his own core. The night's light spilling through the window across the floor and the bed, revealing the bare back of the house owner. His arms pinned beneath the pillow where he rest his head. Soft breathes puffing in a predictable pattern - in, out, in, out. The bed still lingered scents of those who laid within it; smoke, crisp sweetness, fang snare, them, him, her, himself. Some times it was easier to fall asleep when he buried himself in those scents, finding comfort in the familiarity.

The demon's thick brows scrunched together as a chill crept along his spine. His body tensed in response, the covers shifting slightly. As a Hel'eurgen, changes to the ambient temperature was easily noticeable. An older, experienced one could alter it to the natural body heat or to the deepest cold their hel'fire flames could produce. This was one of those times. His eyes cracked open, the brilliant gold that surrounded his pupils receded into the dark as the icy blue filled out his eyes. His head shifted on the pillow to eye at the doorway, his senses focused on hearing and scents. While soundproofed, any sounds within the house would be detectable. Carefully, the demon's barefoot touched against the floor followed by the other. The hellhound sat on the edge of his bed in just a pair of sweats, the vapor of his breath visible in the night chill. It was probably nothing, but he knew to not brush it off. Stepping out from the bedroom, he noted the closed, locked door, his boots sitting by the entry way. The windows were locked, the curtains parted to allow in the natural light. With the open floor plan of the house, he could see everything from the kitchen, to the living room, to the bathroom, and into his room. Nothing was out of place and the house was silent. The soundproof walls kept most of the outside noise out, the insulation would keep the house warm...

This wasn't his doing, was it? No, the skill was recently acquired... he couldn't dip the temperature this low let alone the whole house. It was still that time of month where X-mas' temperature lingered...

The boil gave a low grumble as he turned back to his room. Times like these he wished he had put a door to it. Sliding back under the covers, he stared up at the ceiling until his eyes slid closed for the second sleep.

------

His eyes shot open, throwing the covers off of him as he sat upright. A loud, rumbling growl filled the room, his eyes flaring at the door. But then it stopped - silent and still. Standing - no, leaning against the door was an individual he never expected to see again. Someone he had prayed was gone, dissipated back into the pool of FEAR. Someone he had wished that never returned to face him again. Yet here she was, leaning against his bedroom door, in his house.

"Naerina." He called, as if the name summoned her to saunter toward him. The natural light of the moon falling upon her form. While she was an older demon, she was still very beautiful. Her eyes a cold, soulless blue to juxtaposed to her long, silver hair. She wore an elegant, embellished gown that accent her bodily features. Her smile was soft and flirtatious but he knew that behind it was an intent the opposite. "Get out." He growled. It was a weak threat and she knew it instantly. No one could threaten her. Even he knew it. He could not move from the bed, the covers over his lower half felt like an iron weight. His hands felt cemented to where they laid. Was this an aura or an impression? So it was this hellhound who's freezing the house, but how did she get in? When? Still, he kept his surly and defiant face against her.

"Oh, sweetie, that sounded as cute as when I had walked in on you when you were a pup. Poor thing you couldn't look me in the face for so many moons." She cooed, her hands falling to her hips. Perfectly groomed brows lifting as she looked down at him. "Not that you ever dared to look at me. You knew your place then. Shame you became such a piece of trash."

"What are you doing here, then? I am nothing to you, said so yourself."

Naerina scoffed as she walked to the drawers against the wall. The top of her claw grazed the surface as a filigree of frost danced across the contact. "I have my motives-"

"You always have motives."

Her head swiveled and her eyes glared at him, as if offended that he had interrupted her. She turned entirely toward him, the room becoming even colder with just her presence. She was an exceptionally experienced Hel'wurgen and acquired many of the traits the species had. Her presence demanded attention, her voice demanded listeners, she was an authority one would not deny easily. Under her eyes, she could read one like a book and determine their thoughts at a glance. This female was dangerous.

"My sweet child, you must have fancied the thought that your life has been going so well. Graduated from Amityville, which isn't that much of an accomplishment. Even lowly ghosts and undead can graduate with any effort. You even have your own place which is tasteless and looks more like a servants quarter than one fit for someone of my progeny. However, I shouldn't expect much." The elder demon paced the bedroom her eyes on the objects that decorated the space. Her back toward Uru. "I see that you've tainted my beloved daughter to come to this cesspit, a sorry excuse for a place of education. How I had thought you could learn from this place is beyond me. A moment of weakness I suppose. But I assure you, whatever this place had got into your head, it will not do the same to her." Uru could not speak nor move, his face distorted to one of rational anger and a display of disgust and hate toward this female. But she paid him no attention as she continued to venture around his room. Even inspecting the duvet cover. "And, lastly, you found yourself a mate. As predictable as you are, a monster. Probably out of pity, that one. Hardly compares to the Umbra or the Cruor who I had betrothed you to. He was weak anyway."

Was? What did she mean by- he at last found the nerve to growl at the former alpha of Cocytus. "What did you do to Damien?!"

"Not that it concerns you at all, Idid nothing." Naerina replied, sitting down on the bed and ignoring his question. The mattress dipped under her weight as she placed her hands delicately on her crossed knee. Her silver locks cascaded over her shoulder as she glanced over at the boil. "It's a shame. Someone like that did not deserve someone like you. I'd even say you're much more attractive than your father and uncle. Though, I would take credit for that."

"What did you do to Damien?" He managed out once again, making no attempt to hide the desperation for an answer. He did not need the female to answer because the scent that hit next made his head jerk toward the door. His heart skipped as his eyes fell upon his boilfriend - out of breath and hand firmly on the door from. "Dami-" No, something was wrong. The scent was wrong. This feeling was wrong. His attention snapped to his mother as she made her way around the bed to join the boil at the door. Her finger grazing his cheek. This scent was familiar but it wasn't the scent he recognized as his. This feeling he got was ominous and heavy. But he knew it. It took a moment but it clicked. "Melas."

"Ding ding ding, the fool figured me out. I told you he would. This insufferable pup has been all over me for moons. He'd recognize I wasn't him." The voice was deeper, full of hate and disdain. This was the spiteful persona of The monster hellhound's core. Uru had learned to tolerate him, just deal with his tyraids and threatens until the rightful owner of the body returned to the forefront of the mind.

Uru looked at Melas and then to his mother. She had said 'was' in reference to Damien. This was Melas so that meant Damien was all right, right? "Melas," he started. "Where is Damien?"

"Melas~" he echoed in a mocking tone. "Where's Damien~ pfft, gone, thanks to her. I don't even hear Phos whimpering anymore. Oh, it feels great to have this mind and body all to myself." Uru moved to protest but was met with retaliation in a flash. The monster's hands pressed hard into his chest, grounding him to the bed. Uru's arm was twisted and pinned painfully against the headboard as the monster loomed over him.

"When I learned that your mate was to inherit his pack. I did some digging," Naerina started as she leaned down beside her son. Her claws grazing and frosting his muscled skin. "Learned about his multiple souls and bribed a little spellcrafter to allow Melas here to be free of his prison. In return, I get his pack. It sounded fair enough."

"Why are you doing this?!" The alumni hissed, struggling against the face and body of he one who he saw as his boilfriend, his mate. "You disappeared for four years and now you're back?!"

Naerina dug her claws into his meaty shoulder as her brows furrowed. The intensity of the chill growing. "I was biding my time! I was waiting for you to do exactly as I had intended. And you have. You built your life as an exile, a ah from Cocytus. I would have been completely content if you died as a lone hellhound. But you are far too blessed. Your life has been too good. And so I have come back to bring it back to the median again. To bring your life back to the miserable suffering you are meant to endure for defying me." She roared. "I will take Brenna back to Cocytus where I will reclaim my title as alpha. And any of whom who defies me there will be eliminated. With Melas as the alpha of his pack, I will use it to annihilate Umbra for what they did to me. I'll wage a full out war with this school of yours and take control of the portals. Then, when you've finally lost everything, I will come back to take my correct on the mistake I had made all those years ago."

Uru erupted in a furious roar, his arm swinging free to throw the green eyed imposter off the bed against the wall. He stood off against the elder demon who did not budge from the display. "I have your core! I will invoke the Nex Sacramentum as is my right as the victor! You lost to me then and I will dissipate you back! I own your life, Naerina!"

"Oh no!" She cried in a immature mocking ton, her body moving in dramatic fashion to her words. "You'd be doing me such a favor, resetting my time back to that point of my defeat. It's been such a terrible life since then. You would make me forget all those lonely, cold nights and having to scrounge for food. Oh please, mighty son of mine. Please invoke your right. Reset my time on this horrid plane of existence." Not falling for her games, he reached for his lower left rib where the pack triad mark burned into his flesh. As soon as his fingers touched his skin he knew something was wrong. His eyes fell to the bare skin, the spot left unmarred by the ritual's mark - Naerina's mark. "Looking for this, honey?" She cooed, holding up a parchment. Upon it was the three linked skulls of the three packs; Cocytus, Umbra, and Maero. Around it were odd symbols unfamiliar to him. "You didn't think I bribed that spell caster for just a spell to free Melas to obliterate your Matt, did you? No, I had him figure a way to take the mark from you." It was then that she revealed he second parchment. "I am sure your uncle's mark will prove to be a good bargaining chip with that deranged pack."

Uru was defeated. She took Damien from him. She took the trump card from him. She was going to take Brenna. She was going to wreck havoc on Amityville. With Melas and his pack's oversight of the portals, she could take her conquest to worlds beyond. He fell to his knees.

"Whatever Damien saw in you, it was out of pity. He saw a broken mutt and tried to fix you. He couldn't have what he wanted, so he settled for the next best thing. Someone who waited on him hand and foot because you were afraid to be alone again." Melas scoffed.

"Broken." Naerina echoed. "A sad excuse of a demon who can't even manage to use the most basic spells. Never forged a contract. Thought himself to be a monster. The tiniest monster. Weaker than even the most weakest species. He's not just broken, my dear. He's useless. The only time he was ever useful was when he was being used." The words rolled off her tongue with utter disdain, her eyes judging the male kneeling on the floor. "Knock him out, Melas. And make sure you leave this place uninhabitable before you're done." The elder demon turned and left without a second glance and never to repeat the request - the order.

Melas huffed in agreement as he knelt beside the defeated demon, his hand on his shoulder. "You know, I've been waiting a long to do this. I've hated you touching me, scenting me, holding me. Your scent was suffocating. You were obnoxious. Whatever he saw in you, I'll be sure no one else will." Slowly smoke rolled from the green eyed monster's body, billowing out on the floor. He felt it manipulate its way into his mouth and nose. His eyes would sting and his chest would tighten. But he didn't feel any of it. He didn't feel anything at all.

-----

Uru jerked upright in a night sweat. His bedding disheveled much like himself, damp from the saturation rolling off his body. His heart raced and his chest heaved with every accelerated breathe. His eyes wide and searching for any traces of the pair of them. He didn't smell. He didn't feel cold. A nightmare. A nightmare. It was just a nightmare. It wasn't real. He chanted to himself as he ran his hand through sweat slicked hair. He threw himself off his bed, barely landing on his feet as he scrambled to the eyePhone on the dresser. The device illuminated his face to show the time: "3:21". His fingers moved quickly the best they could with a trembling body as he navigated his contacts. The first two: Audra'bren and Damien. His fingers hovered over he screen as he panted. Uru dropped his phone as he slide down to the floor with a soft sob.

It was a nightmare.
It wasn't real.
They are safe.
It was a nightmare.
It wasn't real.
They are safe.
It was a nightmare.
It wasn't real.
They are safe.

But am I?