[ P ] Surprise!

How the dark behemoth had arrived in this place, only the silent gods knew. The passing months had been a blur, from the last battle waged between two idiot would-be kings, to being taken prisoner, to escaping the clutches of her captors. No one had healed her wounds, leaving the beast covered in hideous scars that made an ugly wolf all the less appealing to look at. Most wolves turned away when they saw her, but so few did because Rue avoided her own kind like the plague.

But loneliness can drive a mad wolf to desperation. And so, the lights of a strange place caught her attention, and Rue trudged closer to it. The smell of alcohol was heavy in the air. Normally, the black wolf would avoid this sort of activity, this sort of place, and these sort of wolves. It was better to stay away – she had too many enemies, and was too recognizable…

She didn’t have any sort of payment, but that was a problem easily solved. Rue hadn’t gotten this far in life without certain skills, and theft had been a means of survival for years now. She had attacked the first passerby, and it didn’t take much violence to convince the man to abandon his satchel of coins, which Rue now carried in her teeth.

As she drew nearer, the faint murmur of laughter and conversation grew louder. Rue hesitated at the entryway to the establishment. She wasn’t fearful, per se, but the beast was unsure of what to expect. But if so many wolves craved the poison of drinking, then there had to be something to it.

She was ready to drift away from the present to an altered state. To escape the past, present, and the future. And so, inhaling a sharp breath, Rue stepped inside, scarlet sights narrowing at the contrast between the night outside and the gaiety of the party within.



@Valerian @Sage

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

I

t was quite the lively evening and while there were no active shows, as per usual Valerian was providing entertainment to a gathered group by the bar. “The bastard had me cornered! I looked into those demon's eyes as he drew his weapon and I never, not once, tore my sights away!" The small, silver wolf pulled himself up onto the bar and leaned towards one of the patrons who seemed to be enthralled with his story. “And I said unto him...‘My, what a lovely sword you have! But, my good sir, you have yet to see the size of mine!'” He wriggled his haunches out behind him, as he landed what he thought was a decent enough punchline.

“Gah!! You're full'a shit, Valerian!" One of the ladies of the night barked, although he did earn some chuckles and one unnecessarily loud howl of laughter from a gentleman that was far more drunk than the rest of them. “Well, I certainly think we could do with a night of raunchy comedy one of these days!" Val retorted with a snort, turning his nose up at her. There was a prodding at his opposite flank side and he turned to find Carmichael gesturing for him to get off the bar. “C'mooon, it was funny! Where is your sense of humor?"


@Rue

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

Inside the building, the air was heavy with the scent of ale, musty wood, and of wolves – more than Rue had seen in a long while, since the battlefield that had left her bloody and disfigured. Her ear had been lost years before, but her visage had been a target for Royalist brutality. Torn flesh around an eye that she was lucky to still have. Scarred muzzle turned slowly to find many of the patrons had noticed her entrance: some stared openly, while others were quick to look away. Whispers uttered between nervous wolves caused a single ear to flick forward, a growl stirring in her throat. Did they recognize her?


But then she saw him, a familiar pelt of silver and white, and the rest of the place fell away. ”Vally?” An old nickname that had not been uttered in years. Her brain failed to form any words beyond that as she stared across the shadowy room to her long lost brother. No – she was the one who had been lost. She couldn’t remember when they had last encountered each other, but it had undoubtedly been a year – which had been partially intentional on her part. Sage and Valerian deserved a good sister, not the monster she had become.


Shame coursed through her veins, acutely aware of how different she looked now. Her instinct told her to flee, to avoid a reunion that felt too overwhelming to face. So she stood there awkwardly, tilting just slightly to the left, as her right shoulder had also been injured during the final battle.



@Valerian

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

S

age sat in a dark corner of the tavern, nursing a drink he had purchased over an hour ago. He really wasn't sure if he enjoyed the flavour of the beverage, but he was enjoying spending time watching his twin in his element. He had watched the elder brother jump onto the bar, delivering a sub-par sexual joke that had Sage chuckling quietly to himself. It wasn't often he spent his nights like this, but he figured he deserved a night of fun.

Whispers broke out among the patrons and Sage tore his eyes from his twin to see the figure of a large black wolf, marred by scars and all but unrecognisable. Sage grimaced, wondering what had happened to the femme that shadowed the doorway. The herbalist instinctively looked down at his left shoulder, only to remember he had left his satchel at home, assuming that his herbs would not be of use. With a wry smile he turned back to look at the stranger, noting how many of the other revelers had turned away from her visage, as if afraid. He saw her mouth move, as if speaking and he furrowed his brow, following her line of sight to see she was staring at Val. Rolling his eyes, Sage shrugged his shoulders and returned to staring into the deep amber liquid before him. Go figures someone would recognize the clown that was now being ushered off the bar with many protests.

@Rue @Valerian

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

V

al thought he'd caught a glimpse of Sage in a corner, shrouded in shadow, as usual rolling eyes at all of his twin brother's antics. He sidled over to his look-alike and bumped hips with him. “Have ya been mistaken for me yet this evening?" He teased and then tilted his head at his brother's grumpy demeanor. “Ooohhhh, Sagey, ya really need to smile more!" He attempted to press paws to the corners of the sullen brute's lips and pry them upwards. “Ya know, you need another drink! That's it!"

The bard trotted back towards the bar, ready to place an order when he came to an immediate halt at the sound of a nickname he hadn't heard in what felt like a lifetime. His heart raced and he turned slowly, afraid that perhaps it had been a trick of his imagination. To his utter surprise, he faced a massive black she-wolf covered in old wounds and fresh wounds, but it was her eyes that gave it away. Ruby with those eyes that sparkle~ That's what he used to sing to her when she was a babe. “R-Ruby?"

His entire outward demeanor changed as though he removed the mask that gave everyone the illusion of a confident, illustrious, performer. For his little sister, he was Vally. That was it. He hurried to her and looked her up and down like a worried mother. “Where have you been? Are you alright? What's...what's happened to you? Oh, Gods...do you need a medic?" His head lifted to frantically look for his twin and then he nudged the massive girl gently against her shoulder. “Come on, Sage is over here. We can get you cleaned up in a pinch, alright?"


@Rue @Sage

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck

Valerian was acting a fool with a captive audience as he called out to someone else unexpected: ”Sagey…” Below her ragged breath, she echoed the name she had called him years before, but she couldn’t bear to look at him, nor notice if he had seen her yet. Her stomach heaved. Both of her brothers. She had not expected to see even one, much less both of her look-alike siblings.

The urge to flee intensified but it was too late, Valerian had already seen her, and there was no time to escape before he was there. Her scarred visage held no warmth for the man she had once looked up to, and his affection caused the dark beast to recoil, avoiding his closeness with wild eyes as if she had been trapped by a hunter. If there was a guard watching, even though they were not in the Mainlands…

Couldn’t Valerian see how wretched his errant sister had become? Hell, the rest of the place could see it, and tongues began to wag about who this wreck of a wolf could be. She had left them only to find ruin and despair. She had earned her fate, and deserved no sympathy for what she had become.

She wasn’t Ruby anymore.

She wasn’t even Rue.

Only ruin remained.

Hoarse voice grumbled: ”I must leave at once. If I’m here, you won’t be safe. Either of you.” FInally she looked to Sage, apologies etched upon her hideous visage. He had always been the gentlest soul, patient and guiding… ”I have no place here, and to many enemies to name.” Dark words were followed by a gruff, ”Sorry.”




@Sage @Valerian

art and code by Yahtzee-Penguiduck