Hoarfrost was explosive. His paw steps shook the earth as he raced through the forest, away from everything that he knew, every possession he had accumulated. That little no good doer that had stolen his necklace would pay dearly for the transgression of stealing from him. Oh, somewhere in the back of the shifter's mind did he realize that the young fool was very well versed in his craftsmanship but that did not give anyone the right to steal from their paying customers. Emitting a fearsome roar Hoarfrost lumbered onwards. The bear's maw opening wide in a fearsome sight before it snapped shut. The poor beast that had just tried to flee now lay somewhere in the path of destruction he was leaving behind. For the only sin of being in the warpath did Hoarfrost spare no individual. He was out for vengeance. Those lesser animals, well, he was giving them too kind of a death on this day. Instead of playing with his food, he was simply delivering either a quick snap of his jaws or a hefty blow from his paws to bring about a sudden death. Hoarfrost though knew, without a shred of doubt, that the thief that stole his necklace would be made to pay.
The day became night and still Hoarfrost pushed on. The anger fuelling his mad capering pace only ratcheting higher and higher the longer it took to find his target. Night slowly turned into another day and only once did the shifter pause in the frenetic pace for no creature could survive without water.
At long last, after several days of the chase did Hoarfrost finally corner the thief. His tongue lolled out one side of his mouth and he panted with the effort to regain any sort of energy that he'd lost in his pursuit. A low growl, menacing in nature, had the thief cowering even as he held out Hoarfrost's precious necklace in surrender. The shifter was not even letting his target off that easily.
"Do you know just how much trouble I went in getting this necklace? I fought a goddamn abomination for it. It is not something I let out of my sight. And yet you," he he spat out the words roiling around in his mind in complete madness, "thought that I would just forgive your little transgression as soon as you offered it back to me. Oh no, you have the wrong shifter in mind my friend. For I'm not letting this slight to myself go that easily. You have to pay for your sin I'm afraid."
Even as Hoarfrost lunged forward with his jaws open did he feel that his prey would shift to one side or the other to avoid his initial strike and that proved to be the thief's undoing. The shifter quickly shifted his entire body in the direction that the thief dodged in before feeling the impact of his body against another's frail form, and the subsequent impact that the thief had with a tree. The thief was stunned. Perfect. At his mercy, even better.
Hoarfrost ambled around the downed creature before simply tsking for a moment before he rent his claws along his prey's flank. Blood welled up from the deep lacerations and Hoarfrost admired the way the thief's body twitched in agony even as a low groan of pain was torn from the throat of his victim. He needed to teach this one a lasting lesson but how would he be able to do that and not get too carried away.
"I think I'm being too lenient on you considering I'm thinking of letting you go, but first I should school you on why it is wise never to anger a shifter. Lesson one: we don't take kindly to being insulted: and you offered me the greatest insult masked in deception. You stole from me and now only that I've caught you do you decide my necklace is not worth the value. But that is where you are wrong, friend" here Hoarfrost broke of speaking to sit his heavy frame down on the thief's injured side, forcing the creature to give up the air that was currently in his body. A minute later the shifter removed his weighty bulk and watched as the thief laboured for the breath he'd stolen away from him.
"Lesson two: thieves that get caught, get punished. And since I've caught you, I need to inflict more punishment, but I'm saving that for the grand finale. Final lesson," and he roared the next phrase point blank into the thief's ear, "I DON'T TAKE KINDLY FROM BEING A VICTIM!!!!"
Seeing that his prey wasn't going anywhere temporary deafened as he was, and still trying to gain enough air back into lungs that had been oxygen-starved did Hoarfrost retreat to where his necklace had been dropped before slipping it over his head. He felt the familiar weight of it settle against his frame before turning to glower at the one that wasn't going to be able to see another day after he was done with him. Although even as he sauntered closer to deploy his final punishment did the shifter feel an ungodly warmth start from where the necklace rested against his form.
He snarled. What was this sorcery? Why didn't it stop? He groaned once before being engulfed in a bright, white light that burned him from the inside, from the outside, from nosetip to tail before he shuddered. The burning raged on but it had the unintended consequence of stoking his own rage further up a notch.
The thief smiled wanly as the light enveloped the shifter, perfect. The trap had been set, the bait the necklace and his target had walked right into everything with a blind eye to the danger his necklace now possessed deep inside. An Angeni's blessing on a charm had been reworked into the hidden void of the necklace and now had activated. He feared the anger but the land would be safer. It was a sacrifice he'd been willing to make.
Hoarfrost shuddered again. The light was fading and he almost felt like he was his normal self once more but there was something missing deep inside and he glared down to the necklace that had now fused with his skin. No. No. That wasn't a normal thing to happen. What had happened?
He roared - absolutely furious. With himself and with the thief. It'd been all a ruse. He'd been CHARMED. That just wouldn't do! He glanced down at the thief and with a quick motion lunged forward in the process of shifting his form to that of the bear before clamping his jaws around the thief's vulnerable throat and ripping it open. Even as the life drained from his victim did Hoarfrost stare at the grisly tableau before sinking down to stare into the thief's emptying eyes. "You might have won this round. This was not the end I had in mind for you! You forced my hand with your deception and I will never, ever forgive you. The last thing you'll see is my eyes, boring into yours. Your flesh will provide me with an ample meal. I'm the chilling breath of winter to come and now you know why I'm called Hoarfrost. I hope in death's cold embrace you'll perpetually be tormented by the thought that not even an Angeni charm will stop the threat that I pose."
He brought his mouth to the thief's ear and whispered softly, "You stole my necklace and I've stolen your life. I think we're even now."
