deercountry | (no subject)

[This was definitely a beast he determined as he quietly stalked after the furry creature, and it was one he had dealt with before. They weren't often in the city, but this one wasn't attacking anything so far. From what he knew about them, they were shy pack hunters who could and would bring down large game.

This one seemed alone, and he didn't smell, see or hear any other wolves. When a growl was sounded at him as he was detected, he simply growled right back. In a contest of strength and hunting, Savage knew he was better prepared. Perhaps he and his brother would eat well tonight....

Except, he sniffed the air to be certain this was a lone wolf and drew up short from pursuing a potential meal. The wolf smelled oddly familiar, though it took him a moment to discern why that would be. Then he decided this wolf smelled similar to Willow.

When he had the beast in his sights, he eased into a crouch to be more on eye level. It didn't look like Willow, but the similarities in scent were clearer now that he was focused on it. He pointed a finger at the wolf.]

If you ate Willow, her friends will tear your legs off.

[The answering growl encourages her to increase her pace as she retreats from Savage, and she growls again as she glances back at him, deeper, and this time she shows a flash of sharp fangs to try to warn him off. She does not want a fight, she simply wants to be left alone.

Navigating the alleyways is a far more difficult job without her previous memory of Trench, and she hasn't had much time to re-familiarize herself with the city yet, and she blunders right into a dead end.

"I learned you can turn into a wolf. So I waited until you went out one night, followed you until I had tracked you down, and broke your neck."

She can practically hear Maul's dispassionate explanation of how he killed her ringing in her ears as she turns to face Savage. She can feel her heart pounding in her chest. She does not want to die again.

Savage crouches, and mushrooms, in bright red that she shouldn't be able to perceive in this form, explode out of his face as her anxiety spikes. If not for the hallucination, she might realize it was Savage, and not his brother she was facing down. Maul said he had changed, that he planned to turn over a new leaf. No more killing Sleepers. He didn't even mean to kill her.

She knew she shouldn't have believed him.

The wolf lifts her lips and snarls, showing off her teeth, and she lunges towards him, snapping her jaws at the air with a sharp click in one last warning to back down as he points at her and issues his own warning that she only half hears.

No one is tearing off her legs tonight.]

[The details of Willow's death was not something that he had asked much in the way of details, not with the kid crying outside of the house, and it wasn't of interest enough to him to inquire with his brother. He might scent Willow on the wolf, but he didn't think she was the wolf either. It didn't particularly occur to him as she hadn't shown him that magic trick in the past.

He remained crouched at the wolf, now cornered and far more dangerous, but he did draw his hand away when teeth snapped at him. He growled back, still confident that he was in control of the situation. It was just a wolf, and he had tangled with his share of wild animals before.

Slowly, he rose up again to his feet, still blocking the way out. This wolf still smelled like Willow, but there was no blood on the fur or signs of hunting. It just looked like a shy wolf.]

You smell familiar...

[She stays tense and ready to spring, and snarls a second time as he growls at her again. She might not want to fight, but she isn't about to show any signs of being intimidated either. At least he withdraws his hand.

Her eyes lock on his as he rises to his feet. His movement may be slow, but he's still preventing her from leaving, and now he's towering above her, and that feels like even more of a threat.

She allows him only a brief moment to move aside to let her pass, and when he doesn't, she leaps for him, prepared to knock him over and close her jaws around whatever she can grab onto.]

[Savage held his ground, trying to figure out the source of the scent that clung to this beast's fur. He didn't have enough close encounters with wolves aside from the undead ones that he and Airy had fought and then seeing or hearing one when he was out hunting or tracking.

As the wolf lunged at him, he twisted aside to avoid the teeth. Yet, he didn't jerk had hand away enough, and he felt the close of teeth on his hand and wrist. He hissed in aggravation, and he clenched his fist as he whipped his clamped hand to try to dislodge the wolf.

His right hand went for his saberstaff, drawing it and lighting one end with full intention of cutting the wolf down if she didn't scamper away quickly enough.]

[She makes contact with his hand and wrist, and bites down hard, sinking her teeth into his flesh as she shakes her head. She may not have wanted to start this fight, but she isn't going to back down easily either.

He shakes his fist to try to dislodge her, and she moves with him, holding on as though she's well aware she's just grabbed a tiger by the tail. She needs to be able to do enough damage to keep him from coming at her again, and she has few reservations about spilling his blood, given what he did to her.

The snap-hiss of the saberstaff igniting is all the warning she needs. She is familiar enough with lightsabers to know she doesn't have a defense against them, and she isn't sure she can outmaneuver him with his weapon. She releases his hand immediately, and turns and bolts into the night.]

[He cursed under his breath as he half-flung, half-propelled the wolf to let go of his skin where pain ignited from the punctures of teeth. He could have used the Force to pull the wolf back to quickly kill the beast, but he knew that it was just going to run away. He had corned it and paid a price, all for a reckless curiosity to the scent that clung to that fur.

He shook his arm, looking at the multiple punctures on his hand and wrist. Green smoky blood wafted from the wounds freely, and he growled in pain. It would heal, but it would be mildly annoying until that happened. He shut his saberstaff down, setting it back to his belt.

Well, he still had his book. He supposed he was trying to read before sleeping. He trekked his way back to his house, washed the bite wound, lightly bandaged it and carried on with his life. The bite was swollen and achy, but he didn't find it that bothersome compared to some of the wounds that he had suffered from.

He went through the next day without issue and expected to fall asleep as usual. Once he was asleep, he had no idea that his wolf bite would result in him actually becoming one.

So it was a bit of a surprise when his body slept on, but he was suddenly awake and standing up on four paws. And covered in fur. And he had a tail. And all of his senses were enhanced. He tottered on paws around the house then nosed open a window to clamber out; he was bigger than what might be considered a normal wolf with dark fur with lighter striping.

He hopped the fence around the yard and went sniffing around the neighbourhood.

[Willow had never bitten anyone before, not that she could recall anyway. She's certain she would have been careful - she wish her condition on anyone, not even her worst enemy.

She's still fairly sure that was Maul she bit the night before.

It's tempting to let it go - turning up would probably be a bad idea, it would likely lead to a fight, but at least she suspects he wouldn't be able to access blood magic or the Force when he turns. She can't use any of her powers, and even communication is more challenging. On the other hand... she had no idea what was happening to her at first, and it had been especially terrifying with no help or guidance along the way, and she does feel responsible. She is responsible for this.

She sought out safety at John's the night of the incident, and most of the day, she spends trying to figure out what to do next - does she reach out to him and apologize? Does she let it go, and hope for the best? He knows what she looks like as a wolf, he should know it was her. She glances at the Omni occasionally, waiting for a message, or a threat, but it never comes.

She doesn't make up her mind until she turns that night, and hits the streets to go find him. Maybe it will be a fight, or maybe she can help make the transition a little easier.

She finds the striped wolf outside, nosing around, and whines quietly. She's so sorry.]

[Savage was in mental flux with his new form, caught between wanting to explore and take advantage of this opportunity and feeling the need to return to where he sensed in an abstract way. The Force couldn't be wielded by him as a wolf, but he had senses far beyond because of it. He knew he was safe, sleeping, which meant... freedom?

So he sniffed and wandered, drinking in the world around him in such a primal manner. It wasn't anything like Dathomir, and he even bit some of the snow, snorting and shaking his head as he shifting his weight on his paws to feel the stone beneath them.

Yet, he whipped around at the sound of a whine, tail raising high in a show of dominance. He then paused, the gold of his stripes catching the light as he cautiously approached the other wolf. He knew her, knew her by sight and by scent. He lowered his head, given he easily towered over any other 'normal' wolves.

He gave a soft whine of both caution and curiosity.]

[She drops her head as she eyes him, poised and ready to run should he try to attack, but for now she holds her ground and lets him approach. Her tail stays low as well, wagging slowly in a sign of appeasement. She is not here to fight, she is here to help him adjust to the curse she inflicted on him. It is the very least she can do under the circumstances.

Red stripes, yellow stripes, they both look much the same in this form. She's figured that much out long ago, aside from the hallucinations that March has been inflicted on her. Her world in this shape mostly exists in blues, greys and yellows. He doesn't act much like she expected Maul would, though.]

[Uncertain how wolves were supposed to act and yet deciding to let instinct rule how he interacted with her. This was definitely the wolf that had put teeth on him, not that he could feel the wound much as a wolf. His left paw ached if he thought about it, but otherwise, he didn't suffer from the injury.

He lowered his head further, taking a tentative sniff as his own tail gave a little wag. Then he stepped closer, letting her see his side as he could see hers. He moved slowly and curiously, sniffing at her fur down her body. She smelled like Willow, but what did that mean to him as he was now?

His ears flicked back and forth, and a tip of his head kept her in his vision in case she decided to go for a hamstring.

[He doesn't attack or even try to intimidate her and that's enough to tell her this isn't Maul, and some of the tension bleeds away. If not Maul, though... then who?

Oh.

Oh no.

But they don't even look alike! Except apparently they look enough alike in a haze of panic and mushrooms, she made the mistake.

Willow turns and gives another quiet whine before nudging at his left paw with her nose. She really hadn't meant to hurt Savage.]

[She definitely smelled like Willow, but she was supposed to be hiding away and keeping safe. She couldn't possibly be out and about, and while maybe magic could let someone become a wolf, that seemed like a feat of fantasy.

Of course, he couldn't explain how he was a wolf. He'd say it was a strange dream that Trench had decided to send him on. It felt real.

He stepped aside when he felt a nudge at his left paw, hopping and lifting it as if expecting another bite. He whined at her, laying his ears flat and watching her closely to discern her intentions.]

[The wolf does not bite his paw, but she flinches back nervously as he hops. Communication isn't easy in this form, not beyond trying to get across the most basic of concepts, and while over time, she learned to read a little into Oz's body language back at home when he changed, it's hardly a substitute for the situation she's finding herself in now.

She's still determined to try. She ducks her head, and sets her ears back as she looks up at him with what she hopes is an apologetic gaze, hoping he'll understand.

She really did not mean for any of this to happen.]

[While Savage was used to non-verbal communication, it was still very different when both persons were trapped in the body of wolves. There was hair that messed up some of his perceptions, given he'd never had any before. Still, ears moving and the lowering of her head did communicate an apology to him.

So her bite had done this to him? Was it permanent? Maybe just ongoing? It was a shame that aside from a growling woof, he couldn't form words. Apparently, wolves didn't have the vocal cord range for that.

He instead moved over to her and then stretched out his front legs as he bowed his back and gave a wag of his tail. He nosed at her, ears finally coming forward again when he realized that she wasn't about to bite him again. A little playbow to encourage something other than apologies?]

[Willow perks up a little as he noses at her and follows up with a playbow. She's still finding her footing again in this form, or she might be able to be more helpful to him, but at least with the apologies aside, she has someone to explore the world with.

She lets her mouth hang open in the closest approximation to a grin she can manage in this form, and she wags her tail. She turns away and glances back at him as if to say, well? Are you coming?]

[It was a shame that answers were easy to come by, as he did want to know if he was going to be like this for a long time. It would worry his brother, who had a high chance of recognizing him through the Force. That was, of course, assuming that he felt the same with the Force, but how many giant striped wolves could their be in this place?

He rose when she turned away, leaning down to sniff at the ground as he watched her. The glance was enough indication, and he trotted along after her, coming up to walk beside her. He knew the city well by this point, but it was still different than when he walked on two legs. For one thing, the city reeked of blood and... well, other unfavourable scents."

But, he'd adventure with her for now, leaving his concerns aside as he couldn't even voice them anyway.]

[The company is surprisingly welcome as he pads along beside her down the street, and the nervousness that had been clearly present in her the night before drains away. She's not entirely sure where they ought to go since she's still re-familiarizing herself with the city; although she suspects they might want to avoid the more heavily populated areas, just in case the sight of a pair of wolves raises some alarm for the locals.]

[Like in his Zabrak form, Savage as a wolf dwarfed others in the same form. He trotted along beside Willow, though he was easily distracted by smells and tended to wander off to investigate before coming back or returning if she would wait for him.

He would prefer to leave the city and nudged at her with his nose to the direction that would let them have the forest beyond. Would other wolves know they were different? Probably. As long as they weren't attacked, he figured they would have plenty of opportunity to stretch these long legs.]

[It feels different, having company in this form versus traveling alone. She's far more at ease with Savage at her side, and she's content enough to wait or follow along when he gets distracted by a scent and feels the need to go investigate further.

As much as she regrets biting him, maybe it won't be so bad after all.

He tries to nudge her in the direction of the woods, and she hesitates. She's not sure why, but she feels reluctant to set foot in the forest. She supposes it might be okay if she's not alone, though, so cautiously, she sets off in that direction.]

[Savage had never been a true beast before. He had no idea that it could come about through a bite, though a part of him was curious on how it happened in the first place. Why hadn't Willow told him that she could make him a beast? Maybe she forgot after her death. Or it happened because of her death. Yes, that had to be it.

He followed alongside her towards the forest, expecting it a much safer place - relatively speaking - to stretch their legs. He thought that four legs would be interesting to let loose on and cover the ground, find all the game trails and maybe even hunt. He wasn't hungry, but it seemed pointless to not take up an opportunity.

At the edge of the forest, he slowed and stopped to lift his nose up and drink in deep breaths of air. So much information that it was practically overwhelming. His sense of smell was better than a human's, but it was nothing like this. His ears swiveled to take in sound too.]

[Willow stops at the edge of the forest, and her ears flatten against her head as she sniffs the air. She doesn't smell anything she would consider out of the ordinary, but she's still anxious for reasons she can't quite place.

She's never hunted herself in this form, or at all, really, but she's not about to begrudge Savage the opportunity. Especially under the circumstances. She steps into the forest cautiously, glancing around, and looks back at Savage to make sure he's still with her.]

[Savage also stopped at the edge of the forest, noting Willow's reactions to this place. He lifted his nose to sniff the air, drinking in the scents of the trees, the animals and the blood that infested everything too. He shifted his weight on his paws then gave a stretch as if to show his relaxation and confidence with the oddity that was this new form he found himself in.

When she took the first step, he did as well then moved to take the lead to find a nearby game trail. The forest and the creatures out here were something he was infinitely familiar with, so he trotted with confidence as his ear swiveled and his nose worked to draw in the scent of anything worth stopping for.

And yet, he would pause along the way and peer back at Willow to be certain she was still tagging along.]

[She lets him have the lead, alert and tense as she follows along behind him. Her ears twitch back and forth, assessing the slightest noise for potential danger and she pays close attention to the scents wafting through the air as well.

The mushrooms are everywhere, even here.

She pounces on them occasionally as they move through the woods, watching them explode under her paws, then continuing on her way. She does keep an eye, though, to make sure Savage doesn't get too far ahead of her.]

[Savage mostly ignored the mushrooms, stepping over any that crossed his path as he sniffed at the ground and even dug his head into the underbrush now and again, searching. He shook his big head when he managed to get cobwebs stuck to it, pawing at it a moment later then looking back at Willow.

She seemed to be high strung but having fun with mushrooms.

His ears twitched as he heard a small noise in the underbrush. Suddenly a rabbit hopped across the path a handful of feet ahead of him, and the pair of them froze for a second. Then with an excited hop on his paws, he gave chase as the rabbit shot off into the underbrush.]