'cause i'm the big bad wolf

now let the games begin

The humidity clung to Dezba's fur like mud. She did not mind however, as her mind was elsewhere. Today, she was focused on magick. With Polaris ravaged by a mysterious storm, she had retreated to the tunnel for safety. It was not Polaris, but the air still felt charged by the Spire.

A flash of blue illumined the entrance, unveiling Dezba siting, hunched over like greedy black rat. She was staring at the ground. She had never noticed until now, but what her magick did was a curious thing. Whenever she seethed with anger, hurtful plants flourished under her paws, or on her skin. She had no control over this, no matter how hard she tried. Thunder rolled in the distant, but she paid it no heed.

So here she was, testing the boundaries of her element on the edge of Polaris. Although it had a mind of its own, Dezba found that she could coax it into sprouting plants on her own volition.

Her gem glowed faintly with magicka, as she felt the strange sensation travel down to her paws. Various flora would flash in her mind, even those she had not seen before, like a creation of her very own. It was hard to describe, but it felt like instinct.

Young, green sprouts broke through the dirt around her paws. Almost immediately, a stinging pain zapped her paw as the leaves brushed up a against it. Dezba yelped and ripped it away. She shot the patch of stinging leaves an angry glare and began to lick her hurting paw.

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: @Envy // OOC:

Envy had never felt so free.

Like a ghost they had slipped away from Orion and through Pisces, at first with purpose, but now with nothing guiding them but wanderlust. It felt like they'd walked miles - although they probably had - and they were eager to see what other massive wonders that the cave held for them to find and maybe even conquer.

There was a spring in the little weasel's step and they fizzled with confidence, pride and power, though that familiar bitterness festered on to this day. But that, Envy had learned, was the core of that strength. And so they stoked that fire, that envy, keeping it steadily aflame. They nursed the thought that nothing would fix what they'd already lost, but that that would be their key to greatness.

No pain, no gain, right?

Envy had never felt stronger, and the mask they wore had never felt more real. So when they came upon the figure, hunched over away from their pitiful attempt at magic, they didn't hide but rather, rose higher. They recognized this wolf, though they hated to remember the circumstances. They had changed since then. They felt all grown up, now! They didn't need their mamma anymore. Envy sat back on their haunches just far enough away to be safe, but close enough to not be called a coward, their lilac eyes narrowed. "Hey, scrap," they greeted playfully, intensely pleased with their own wit. Behind the mischievous tone of their voice, Envy burned with anger as they spat an insult that this stranger had once spat at them. They thought back to Imperia's words; how they'd caused their mother to bristle. Then Envy used them. "It's been a while."

---

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

tags: @Dezba
notes: here

'cause i'm the big bad wolf

now let the games begin

Dezba look up to see a familiar face. It was the weasel, the one who ate her mouse toy a cycle ago. She narrowed her eyes and gave them a throaty growl.

"What do you want mouse-squeak?"

Their scuffle had felt like ages ago, but Dezba still felt scornful over their deed. It was immature, but it set something uncomfortably crooked inside the hateful, black wolf, and she wanted knock it back into place. She remembered how this gembound made her feel, hurt and alone, and she could not forgive that.

And here they were again, interrupting her study of magicka like an obnoxious flea. Oh, how they would soon regret approaching her.

Yes, do come closer.

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: @Envy // OOC: Sorry about the shortness

"Mouse-squeak...!?" Envy felt their pride take the blow, but tried to brush it off as any good pretender should. The flick of their tail, the flash of teeth in a bitter smile, and the hurt was transformed into a disdainful snort. The small one's eyes were narrowed, bitter grin never leaving their face. "What do I want?" they paused. "I want to be great. I want to be powerful. I want all the things that I can't have." they spoke slowly and with careful calculation, making sure not to let their bitterness show. "But I'm going to get them."

Pretending was growing easier by the day.

"Practicing magic, huh?"

The weasel changed the subject, casting a drawn-out glance over the plants they'd made. Envy thought that compared with their power... and, although they hated to admit it, Imperia's, this wolf's plants were pretty lame. They soon brought their gaze back to the wolf. "You'll be pleased to know that I've gotten better at magic, too. Now I won't need anyone's help to survive. No food. No water." Envy's grin widened, just a little. They raised themselves a little higher, proudly showing off their lithe and emaciated body. The weasel thought back to their last meeting, the thrill of dancing out from under the wolf's claws, the fear. The satisfaction that another's anger brought. Seeing others in a situation almost akin to their own emotional struggles felt good; they enjoyed the sense of companionship that it brought. It did feel odd to be the one causing it.... But justified. "That'll make you happy, won't it? Since I ruined that mouse for you! What a shame, that you were born so big and strong and perfect. Boo-hoo, you're not always on the brink of death! Aren't you proud? You saved a life, scrap."

Envy's voice curled maliciously between bitter sarcasm and mocking whine.

---

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

tags: @Dezba
notes: bleeeh I'm sorry if this post is a tad all over the place

'cause i'm the big bad wolf

now let the games begin

"Congratulations," The she-wolf replied flatly, clearly unamused with their dramatic monologue. "You avoided my question." Dezba put her paw down and loomed forward like a menacing dark cloud, her muzzle inches away from theirs. "What.. do you want... from me?" She practically growled it out, slowly, so they could understand.

Dezba flattened her ears and sat up. Her green eyes bore down on the squeaky weasel with burning contempt. "Have you come to gloat, little rodent?"She scoffed. Then a vile, toothy grin stretched across her face. "Or perhaps you would like another mouse to cannibalize? I have one here, under my tail." She flicked her tail as if to beckon Envy to come an take a peek.

"Come and see."

Dezba's patience with the weasel was dangerously thinning. They were here for a little more than a wolf's howl and somehow, they've managed to not only chat her ear of with their shrill voice spouting meager accomplishments, but unwittingly pushing Dezba to consider cold-blooded murder. Before, she just wanted to hurt them, maim them at most, but the way they talked on about surviving, it would seem fitting to watch them fail, preferably at her own paws.

Spire give me strength.

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: @Envy // OOC:

"Did I?" Envy tilted their head, as though oh-so-hurt, though the grin still adorning their face killed the illusion entirely. "I was only answering honestly. You should have been more specific!" the loquacious weasel cleared their throat melodramatically. "There's nothing worth taking from you. I was only passing through!"

They remained where they were despite the wolf advancing, sparky lilac eyes meeting the green ones that bored into them. Perhaps they should move? Envy remained where they were, knowing that intimidation was exactly what the wolf wanted. If they attacked, then Envy would scarper. "Me? Gloat? Now where did you get that idea?" Envy replied with cool sarcasm. "As if you don't."

The weasel held their stare, until they beckoned their gaze towards their rear, and sniffed in plain disgust. "Thanks for the offer, but I don't eat." They met the glistening grin with one that was equally wolfish. "If you'd listened you'd know that." Envy combed the claws of their forepaws through their chest fur, as though grooming. Their tail twitched steadily at their back. "Do you even know who I am?"

---

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

tags: @Dezba
notes:

'cause i'm the big bad wolf

now let the games begin

A violent snarl was beginning to form on the she-wolf's face. Her patience was drying up. "Then pass through already, you little shit! She suddenly bellowed.

Dezba glanced at the stinging nettles below her feet and commanded them to do something, but her magic faltered, and briefly, they only trembled. Infuriated, Dezba shot up, rage flooding the air around her like thick, toxic spores. She's going to have to do this the hard way. "I don't give a rat's ass if you're the damn Cave God!" Now her hackles were raised. Her eyes burned with malice as a loud snarl erupted from her. "If you don't get out of my face in two seconds, I'll tear in you in half!"

Her black fur bristled. With her tail raised high, she flashed her teeth, and licked her lips. All the warnings, handed to the weasel on a silver platter. Now, she wondered what they would do. Half of her wanted them to miss all of it.

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: @Envy // OOC:

Envy paused, the fur along their spine bristling visibly at the wolf's sudden bellow, but they managed to remain still, peeling back their lips to reveal teeth in a snarling grin of their own. "Temper, temper! What did I ever do to you?" the weasel whined, voice chidingly pathetic. "You've always had something against me, haven't you? Are you jealous? Is that it?" Envy grinned until their face hurt, loving the idea.

"Future Cave-God," they corrected pointedly, dropping down to all fours but making no move to pass by. The wolf continued to yell, causing to flatten their ears, and wince visibly as their eardrums rattled. "Fine, I'll go. Geez. I was only trying to tell you my name!" With a self-confident flair, the weasel turned their back on the wolf and pattered off the way they'd come.

In case the arrogant she-wolf tried to attack when their back was turned, Envy focused in on their magic, sending a familiar thrill through their fur as they simply seemed to disappear against the rocks and pebbles of the cave, before they'd even passed into shadow.

-exit Envy-

---

"Speech looks like this."
Thoughts look like this.

tags: @Dezba
notes:

'cause i'm the big bad wolf

now let the games begin

The weasel's biting remarks stung like bees. It was an offense Dezba could not let slide! As so as they turned their back, she let loose a vicious snarl and lunged forward, malice burning in her eyes, she intended to tear them into. However, her jaws clamped around nothing. She caught a glimpse of the weasel disappearing into the stones and rushed over sniffing the ground vigorously.

Dust shot up Dezba's nose and sent her into a sneezing fit. The foreign particles stung her nostrils and her eyes began to water, all the while, Dezba frantically scanned the tunnel, looking for that nuisance of a weasel. Unfortunately, they were nowhere to bee seen. "aaAHCHOO!! That's r-right!" She yelled defiantly into the darkness wince they disappeared, although it had be in-between sneezing fits. "Run away! ACHOO! aaACHOO! Run aw-way--AACHOO!! Like the little coward you ar-ar-AAACHOO!!!"

"COWARD!!!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, stamping her paw in the dust. She turned back towards her nettles, her sneezing fit subsiding, and sat down, shaking with anger.

Maybe she was jealous...

-Exit Dezba-

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: // OOC: