Devika 

He was glad to have Devika by his side. There was a great comfort to having her with him, and he felt no ill will towards the fact that she is a wordless one. He wished he could know more about her, of course, like how she got here and what her old home was like…but perhaps he can ask her another day and they can figure out a way to share it. He contemplated how to share such information, and as he did so at times of deep thought while they walked, he would hum deeply without even realizing it. The sound at times was like that of a river deep in a cave, a low sound that carried with a natural boom.

When he came up to the forest where he met Devika, he had come around a mountain and along a lake on the west side. Since he was trying his best to map out the area in his head, he decided to go along more on the east side to better understand the area. The only thing though…he remembered seeing the east from the distance and there was something being off about it.

Well, he was right about that. As the horizon changed before them, he noticed the trees seemed dead ahead of them. Sure, this was a colder area, but the forest they just left was not dead trees. He slowed for a moment, looking to Devika, and then pointing back towards the forest ahead. He had only planned to stay along the edge on the way back down to the meadow, so carefully moved forward.

It was becoming more and more apparent that something was different there. Molten eyes observed the trees and the ground. He had never seen anything like it before. He slows a bit, and turns to Devika now. ”The land before us lies as if dead… Has your gaze ever fallen upon such a thing?”

After so much time alone, it was an adjustment to travel side by side with Duskbreaker. Not a bad adjustment, far from it. She was grateful for his presence. But moving with him was different. Where she slipped quietly into the background, he commanded attention with his sheer size and steady presence.

She found him oddly amusing to watch as he traversed the world, his low humming a constant thread. Over time, she grew to appreciate the sound, it was grounding, a comfort against the silence that usually enveloped her.

Devika wasn’t entirely sure where they were headed, so she let him lead, taking in the passing scenery with a quiet and growing appreciation. But when the tainted forest came into view, a frown tugged at the corners of her mouth. Her gaze lingered on the trees, twisted and suffering. She listened, ears swiveling for life among the brush, but there was nothing. No birdsong. No scurry of small creatures. Just silence. Dead silence.

It was unnerving. Beyond eerie.

To answer her companion’s question, she gave a slow shake of her head. No. This was not normal. Something was terribly wrong.

Despite the weight of unease in her stomach, she found herself stepping toward the trees, almost as though the place itself beckoned her closer. Careful, deliberate steps carried her to the base of one. She lowered her head to sniff, and recoiled at the putrid stench clinging to its bark.

Somewhere nearby, a river whispered faintly, but its sound did nothing to ease the disturbance in her chest. She shook her head, disapproval clear, and a troubled expression darkening her painted features.

Glancing back over her shoulder, her icy eyes found Duskbreaker. Concern glimmered openly in them, worry she could not hide.

What did he make of this? What was wrong with these woods?

It was not too odd traveling with Devika, other than he was used to usually traveling in larger groups. His pack was a large one, and it was just typical to travel in assigned groups. He was not so used to the silence, but did not think much of his own humming. It was a thing he did since a pup, and he only stopped when scolded to do so. But…Devika has not scolded him yet, and he wondered if it bothered her or not.

His eyes lingered on Devika, blinking as he observed her reaction. He sees her ears moving attentively, and he too uses his to listen. He realizes then that it is too quiet, with no signs of life. He pulls his head back a bit, feeling completely unsure. Mapping out the local area was an important part of understanding and knowledge, but it felt…wrong to be here.

She did not find it normal as well, and there was comfort in knowing this. Devika steps forward and Duskbreaker flips his ears forward on alert. He lifts a large black paw, hesitation holding his large frame back. It was strangely peaceful. The sky was a bright blue with a few fluffy clouds. The wind was gentle, if there at all, and it was so quiet. But he did not want to move forward, not initially.

It takes a moment, but he steps forward with her. He is slow with his movements, and sees then Devika recoiling after sniffing a tree. She looked to him with concern, and he comes to her side a bit more quickly then. He sniffs the tree as well, and his nose wrinkles. ”Never has this one’s nose known such a foul scent. Do you know its source? Stay near, Devika, something feels amiss.” he said protectively, lifting his head to look at the tree branches, and how completely dead they are. He feels a pull though, like he needs to investigate more. His large head looks down to Devika, not knowing what the right move is.

Duskbreaker’s reaction sent Devika’s hackles bristling. Something was very wrong here, they both felt it. Yet even in that unease, she noticed his protectiveness and allowed herself a fleeting smile at his words.

But what now? Should they press deeper? Turn back? What if something truly evil waited in the shadows?

Her icy gaze narrowed as she peered into the trees. The lifeless flora stirred a creeping chill in her bones. She did not like this place. Still, despite hesitation, and her better judgment, her paws carried her forward, deeper into the woods.

The stench clung not only to the trees but to the very earth itself. Her tail lashed once, a low growl rumbling in her chest as she moved. Her steps were silent, careful, deliberate. She dared not touch what death had claimed.

Ears flicked and swiveled, straining for sound, but there was nothing. No birdsong. No rustle. Just the river’s whisper, growing louder the farther she went.

Yet something about it was wrong. How could the sound of water be wrong?

Dread coiled in her chest as she froze, fear prickling at what she might find when they reached the river. Corpses, perhaps. Animals. Wolves. Was that the source of the stench?

Her gaze slid over her shoulder, seeking out her gentle giant, needing the comfort of his presence before taking another step.

Rune Discovery : 「 Failure - Dre Klage present 」 

---

You approach the river's edge carefully, paws sinking into the damp earth as the air fills with the festering scent of rot. The water itself is dark, nearly impossible to see anything further than a snout's depth as it swirls in unnatural currents that seem to flow with an almost disturbing rhythm. The stench of death weighs heavily on you both - not from any nearby carcass you can spot, but from the very river itself, as if the water might turn to blood and viscera if you stare for too long.

As you linger at the shoreline, the surface of the water begins to change. The current slows for a moment in front of you - and only in front of you - the ripples becoming unnervingly still.

From the depths of the foul water, something begins to emerge.

It was not a natural face; its features twisted grotesquely, as if formed from the very sludge that churned below, and two hollow eyes suddenly appear with a sickly pale light illuminating from within.

Its mouth stretches into a horrific grin.

Plague Effect: 「 Poison water - Insatiable thirst 」

---

Deliciiaal, (Delicious) the hideous visage utters only one word, and you easily infer its meaning as the creature licks its lips.

It rises from the water in all of its monstrous terror, impossibly large, and impossibly hungry.

Lyl an ali mole. (Try not to move.)

Devika gave off uncomfortable vibes as he noticed the pricking of her fur. This place was not right, and Duskbreaker feared that there was something more sinister going on. It was an instinctual fear. There was also stories of ghosts and horrors written into the stars, but they were not his favorite stories. He tried not to think about them too much…but perhaps he should have paid more attention when he was younger to their warnings.

He followed Devika further in, hearing Devika’s low growl made his heart still. He stepped towards her, allowing the distance between them to close completely as they came upon the river. The ground does not feel right, it feels soft but not in a good way. The river itself was…unnatural. He had never seen anything like it. ”This river is no true river… it bears the touch of poison upon its flow,” he says with hesitance, lifting his head as the stench of the land stung his nostrils. It was time to leave.

As he nudges Devika to turn around, the gentle giant’s molten eyes fall on the water changing before them. It was ONLY in front of them. He keeps his side touched to Devika’s, and his own throat grumbled a growl. Something begins to emerge, and his own fur of browns, blacks, and white lifted on edge like little spikes. He pushed Devika back as the thing emerges, his own lips pulling back in a protective sneer.

The voice hits his ears, and his instinct told him everything. This was not a normal threat. It was a predatory feel, and THEY were the prey. “We are not prey for your maw. Leave us, or the stars that cast this one shall judge you beneath their light,” he commanded bravely, tail raised high, though there was touch of shake to his adrenaline laden muscles. He knew better than to try and take this…thing on, but he hoped to buy a moment for Devika and perhaps himself to escape.

“Devika, the stars command our flight. We must run. Now,” he states firmly, taking a few steps but keeping his eyes on the the horror in front of them. He did not want to run until Devika took first flight. If either of them were going to be caught by the monster, it was going to be him.

Silence was expected of Devika, but never inaction. Yet as the water shifted and the entity rose from its depths in a ghastly form, she found herself rooted to the spot. Her icy gaze locked with the monster’s, every nerve in her body alive with terror and the desperate urge to flee. But she couldn’t move.

The creature’s words left her reeling, uncertain. What was this thing? It bore the shape of a wolf, but in the most vile and twisted sense, distorted into a grotesque parody of what it once might have been. She barely registered Duskbreaker’s reaction: the way he thrust himself in front of her, the sharp command to run. Still, she remained frozen, staring up at the hulking mass of poison and death.

Part of her even longed to step forward, to draw closer, to study it. Only her paralysis kept her from making such a devastating mistake. What had summoned this nightmare? Was it the source of all the turmoil plaguing these lands? Why was it here? What did it want? Questions tore through her mind as she stared, wide-eyed, horror and fascination intertwining in equal measure.

If only she could speak—to ask, to wonder aloud! But silence was all she had. The growl once caught in her throat faded into nothing. She felt Duskbreaker pressing against her, urging her back, trying to retreat, yet some part of her resisted. What else was this thing capable of? If it could rise from water, what other horrors could it unleash? Did she truly want to leave without knowing?

A spark of reluctant admiration flickered in her fearful gaze. Curious, so very curious. Yet despite the strange allure of the beast, the warmth of her companion, his tense and trembling form, drew her back to reality. They were in danger. Not the kind one could ignore or brush aside. This was life or death.

Blinking hard, shaking the haze from her mind, she finally moved, stepping back, quickening her pace, and reaching to nip Duskbreaker’s tail with urgent insistence. She would not abandon him. If they ran, they ran together. And if they died… they would die together.

The weight of that thought pressed on her like a shadow, and she feared they would not escape.

Plague Effect: 「 Poison water - Insatiable thirst 」

---

Such noble speech.

Dre Klage lifted his head, observed the breaking dawn above them as it bathed the earth in radiant shades of gold, then returned his hollow gaze toward the tawny wolf who had uttered it. There was a moment of pause, and suddenly his grotesque features twisted into some hideous semblance of mock confusion.

Dre kers? (The stars?) he rumbled. I do not see any stars.

The beast threw back his head and let out a shattering laugh, quaking the leaves of every tree surrounding them with his mirth.

It might have flattered him, were such a being capable of such an emotion, the way the woman studied him with her own raw fascination. As it was, Dre Klage took the moment as an opportunity. Only just in time to avoid the wet snap of his immense jaws, Devika stepped back, his teeth meeting the air where once her leg had been; he had covered so much distance in a single stride... it almost wasn't even enjoyable, tormenting these vile little creatures.

Listen to your stars, he rattled in a voice that was at once thick and heavy and low, as if speaking from a corpse half-drowned.

And then gave chase.

He thought he could sense that sense of wonder coming from Devika. She didn’t seem completely frozen it fear- it seemed to be something else. But his mind was not able to process this completely in the moment. His own sense of fear was sharp, his own mind was telling him that they must leave or suffer great consequences.

The disgusting creature before them had a sense of mocking as it replied. Duskbreaker was trained on this. He knew he would encounter others that would not appreciate the stars and their messages, and who would even go actively against him. It will still unpleasant to see the beast laughing as Duskbreaker tried to stand tall, but still shaking as he stood tall waiting for Devika to run. Yet, he was compelled to speak.

“Blind are your eyes, beast. The stars watch even through the sun’s veil,” he managed to say through the creature’s laughter, his voice brave but wavering. Then the beast had reached out to snap at Devika, who finally moved and tugged at Duskbreaker’s tail. It was too late though. Duskbreaker was neck to neck with the creature, and the creature had tried to attack Devika. He felt he had to do the only thing he could in that moment- fight back. Maybe she could escape.

Duskbreaker’s large form, though it seemed small against the horror, jumped to the side to block it from getting to Devika. In his haste, the male falters. His paw slips, his jaws snapping towards the horror as he attempts to adjust back onto his feet. He did not want to fight. He did not want to harm, but he would do what he must to protect. The monster, however, was too formidable, and terror seeped into his very bones. Despite this, he was prepared to meet fang with fang.

”Take this one, not her. Let her light endure!” he begs, molten eyes never leaving the beast. To be star-cast to a new land only to die within a moon seemed a cruel fate. Yet, not all stories are predestined for the stars. Some, like his, simply fade into darkness.