hold on to [hope], lex and aslym

[Adelaide]

She crept into the clearing, head held low as she made her way across the burnt landscape. She was afraid to make a sound, fearing what would happen if she broke the eerie silence that seemed to be closing in around her. Adelaide gave a quick glance over her shoulder, hoping that Lex wasn't too far behind. In truth, she was relieved that Tex had decided to send the both of them to complete this mission. She couldn't imagine coming here alone after actually experiencing what it was really like - even if Lex was only a few seconds away. She slowed some as she came to the center of the clearing; amber irises scanning the burnt scenery around her. She felt overcome with a sudden sadness just looking at the charred remains of what she knew would never grow back. It made her curious to know what had happened here so long ago, though she had some pretty good ideas...

She shifted her weight between her paws uncomfortably as she spared another glance over her shoulder, assuming Lex would be emerging at any moment now. She didn't want to call on Aslym without him here, and to be honest, she wasn't sure on how she should go about it. She assumed that the guardian wouldn't be too happy that they were there, and she knew it would be even worse when she found out why they were sent here in the first place. Addy shuddered at the thought, a sudden chill running down her spine. She could only hope that the Guardian of Darkness was in a "forgiving" mood.

[Lex]

Lex's feet made a heart-rending crunch as he padded carefully but boldly behind Adelaide. His steps lagged as he listened to the "crunch-crunch-crunch" of his ivory paws on the slippery, gray snow and whatever burnt remains filled the clearing. He felt nothing but sympathy for the dead landscape that surrounded them, his crisp blue orbs swiveling every few seconds to another soul-aching sight. He didn't stop for a moment though as he trudged along at his steady pace. He wouldn't pause, he wouldn't even blink, not even in the face of Aslym. He wasn't afraid of her - although he knew he should be.

Deep, deep down in his giving heart he knew he should. But he wasn't. He had faced some terrible things and this pollution act wasn't giving him the shivers. He kept his utter calm as he finally came to stand beside his companion of the day: Adelaide. As he gazed protectively at her he noticed how shaken she looked. He sighed and gave her a sympathetic look before glancing around the clearing once more. He puffed out his chest confidently before grinning uneasily.

"Well...here goes nothing," He joked before letting out the robust howl. He didn't wait another minute as he peeked at Addy again. He didn't actually expect anything good to come out of this meeting (based on what he had heard about her 'attitude') but he'd give it a shot. What the heck. Someone had to stand up to the guardian.

[Aslym]

Long ago, this place had been a home. Thickly forested, supposedly providing the best protection from the human kind that one could get around here. The wolves stayed away from what were the packlands now, fearing getting to close to the then booming wolfiends. Still, even here had wound up not being safe, as fate had come to show. She would not be on this earth still, if it wasn't for this hell. This hell that was forever scarred, a constant reminder of the pure evil that had brought about the demise of so many innocent lives. Well, not all had been innocent.


The call that split the silence, roused the spirit of the twisted guardian, gleaming yellow orbs peeling open as her wolven body formed around the shining beacons, seeming to form from the wisps of black smog that choked the atmosphere. She'd allowed herself to be summoned here, appearing but feet from the two wolves that stood in the clearing. Silently she strode forward, petite black paws leaving no print and making no sound as she seemed to glide toward them. Fangs were bared, the sickly yellow of them only emphasized by the radiating yellow of her chasms.

Gaze darted back and forth between the two of them, smelling the fear that radiated from the female - she basked in it, her snarl gaining audibility as she closed what little gap there was between the three of them. "Who dares be bold enough to summon Aslym?" she hissed, her fangs remaining clenched and bared as she seethed the words out. "Those who, must not value their lives..." she snarled this now, the toxic yellow of her chasms boring towards them, with a twisted gaze unlike any other.

[Adelaide]

She inhaled sharply, cautious eyes darting to where the charcoal femme had just emerged from the smog - appearing as if she were made of it herself. She could feel her heart thudding against her rib cage, a sure sign of the fear that was now washing over her. It was almost as if the appearance of Aslym had triggered something within her; the mere sight of the femme causing her stomach to churn. This wasn't what Adelaide had been expecting.

She watched as the guardian stalked towards them, her acid-yellow orbs darting this way and that as she analyzed the two of them. She knew that Aslym could smell the fear now radiating from her body, and just the thought of it disgusted her. She couldn't let fear control her now - not when this meeting was for something so important. Tex had sent her here to get some answers, and that's exactly what she was going to do.

Inhaling deeply, Adelaide made an effort to swallow the fear that had been building up within her. She straightened up some as Aslym approached, audits erect as she stared into the eyes of the other femme, cringing slightly as she did so. "We're here for some answers." She stated matter-of-factly. She felt it best to get straight to the point, rather than linger on meaningless conversation. "I'm Adelaide Raucshata, Adviser of Timber Woods. My partner and I have been sent here by our alphess in order to clarify a few things. We only wish to know what's going on, nothing more." Addy assumed that Aslym would know what she was referring to, seeing as it was the only real reason why anyone would even think to confront her in the first place.

[Lex]

Lex watched with radiating boldness as the guardian slinked out of the shadows. He wasn't impressed - he had seen scarier things before. He even let a small, confident smirk appear on his ivory maw. He knew deep down that he should be frightened of the fae but somehow he just couldn't be. Her demented gaze nearly made him laugh. He suppressed the urge as he began to listen to her greeting. She sounded like some over-blown windbag, he mused as he met her 'sickening' gaze head on. He was determined. No pompous guardian would stop them from getting what they wanted.

"I'm Alexander, Army Chief of Staff of the Timber Woods," He inserted tactfully as he glanced from Adelaide to Aslym. She was much more of the talker in this situation... He guessed that he was here for intimidation or something. Though he didn't think he could intimidate someone like Aslym. Like anyone could.

He was there for protection then. He stood a little taller as he tried to assume some sort of dominance in the situation. Maybe it would work.... Maybe not.

[Aslym]

Her snicker was chill-inspiring, her dead-black eyes boring down upon the two mortal wolves. A snick and twisted smirk or sorts twisted her muzzle, before a snarl interrupted it. Yellowed fangs were bared at the two, as a low growl vibrated from her narrow chest. The deranged laugh sounded again, her mug craning back in the air a moment before turning back. "The two of you are awfully brave." it sounded like a compliment, before her gaze turned deadly again. "Awfully stupid" The smug and twisted look returned to her muzzle, as she stared at them in silence now.

She would oblige though, but she would not make it a fun time for them. Oh if only her powers hadn't been taken as her siblings. "Tell your alphess that there is nothing that she.. nor even I can do." her grin was increasing now, hot lines of saliva shining as they leaked down her bared fangs. "This hell is for you to endure, there will be no salvation" the laugh now split the silence with knife-like sharpness, the true tune of her insanity showing.

[Adelaide]

Hackles rose at the other's comment, a low, irritated growl building up within her chest. What more could she add to that? Aslym had said that she, the one who had started all this, couldn't even do anything to stop it. If this was true, then the wolves definitely couldn't do anything either. That much was certain, but what about the other part? In the back of Addy's mind, the question still lingered: Why had Aslym done this in the first place? By the looks of her, the femme had some understanding as to why it happened. The guardian was obviously bridging insanity, if not already there. But hadn't she been like this before? This being the case, why now?

Addy's confused gaze fell to the dirt beneath her paws, a soft sigh escaping her maw. What to do now? She remained in her silent state for a moment, lifting her head only after she was sure on what to say. "Thanks for your time. We'll be taking our leave momentarily. I just have one more question for you." She paused, proceeding to choose her next words carefully. "Why did you do it? Why after remaining dormant for so long did you do such a thing? It's not like we did anything to you personally to deserve this, and now we're suffering for no given reason. Is this really just some sick joke to you?" Her voice was almost pleading as she locked gazes with the other femme, a look of urgency now replacing that of the fear she'd felt earlier before. She didn't know if she would get an answer to these questions she longed to know, but it was worth a try. Anything was better than nothing, really.

[Lex]

Lex's smirk faded for a moment as the guardian laughed, a sickening feeling rising up in him at the sound. Okay, so she was...creepy. And over confident. And just the least bit insane... Lex narrowed his eyes at her. At her first comment, he almost smiled again...but didn't get his hopes up. He knew that this meeting wasn't going to do any good. Aslym couldn't stop her own work (amazing) and neither could they (he already expected that). He bit his tongue as thoughts turned to the worse.

He let Adelaide speak on the pack's behalf, but when she was finished, Lex leaned closer to her to whisper in her ear. "What kind of answer to you expect? It's obvious she's spiteful at the world - do you really think she'll tell us the truth?" He knew what he said was a bit...rash, but it was the truth. He didn't see Aslym giving them any helpful information now...or later. No matter how hard they tried.

[Aslym]

A permanent, sick sneer seemed to have fixated itself across her snarled mug as she let another one of her trade-mark cackles fly free. Shaking her head quickly she rolled her ugly-yellow gaze first directly upon Adeladie, then unto Lex whom had leaned forward to consort with the former. Clicking her tongue much like humans could, she took a challenging step forward. "Secrets don't make friends dear Lex.." she cooed insanely, coming to stand within inches of him.

Turning her gaze to Addy now though, she didn't move an inch, she was deadly close to both of them.. her yellowed fangs bared in a twisted smile. "And darling, precious Adelaide.." she started, making no sense at all "because i fucking can" the words came out in a suddenly ferocious snarl. Her mood seemed to be tilting back and forth. Who knew how long the dangerous balancing game could last.

[Adelaide]

She cringed away from the other femme, the acidic words that leaked from her mouth catching her off guard. Silver audits folded as backed away ever so slightly, a low, defensive growl rolling from her maw. Aslym's tone had changed so quickly; Addy hadn't been expecting it. Her thoughts raced for the right words to say, something -- anything -- to counter. But there was nothing she could even think to say. It was ridiculous, really, seeing as Aslym was stripped of her powers and was still able to instill so much fear into another. It was truly unsettling to see someone so disturbed and so twisted to the point of abnormality. That's what frightened Addy the most.

Seeing as the conversation had taken a turn for the worst, she really didn't see any point in lingering here any longer. They had gotten what they had come for. Now it was time to leave. Addy looked from Lex to Aslym, her creamy features stripped of any emotion in an attempt to mask her fear as she gazed at the other femme for a silent moment before speaking again. "Very well. I see we won't be getting any further than we already have, so I thank you for your time. We'll be going now." She offered a curt nod, turning her back on the guardian with a small flick of her tail. The ending statement had been a little too polite for Addy's taste. Aslym really hadn't offered any information besides that fact that she'd caused the whole thing. But that fact was already established within the pack, and it really wasn't something that would help them further understand the situation they were in. Then again, they would now know the state in which the guardian was in, which would somewhat explain why everything had happened in the first place, but that really wasn't much of an accomplishment either.

With a quiet sigh of defeat, Addy spared a glance over her shoulder to where Lex sat. She was uncertain of whether or not he wanted to end things so quickly, but she figured that he, too, thought it best to end things now. After all, it was he who had said that it was pointless to ask anymore questions, for they wouldn't be given any answers.