Empty Forest Abyss (Voids Awakening)

It was the dead of night, there was a low wind howling through the trees rustling the leaves in a chorus of taps and scrapes. It was dark, much darker than it usually was even in the forests of East Eden yet right now all of this was working in a young roughed up boys favour. He had finally found what he had been looking for the past few months, or at least so he thought. For a long time now he had made the assumption that some sort of creature was ruining the wildlife in the area he lived, animals seemed to be killed but not eaten, berry bushed were wilting and dying when they should be in full bloom. Void had always guessed this was the creatures fault, he didn't know how or what this creature could possibly be to cause all this or why it would in the first place. Yet he had been determined for months to figure it all out.

Now, he had finally caught the thing... Or at least found signs of its attack that seemed extremely fresh. A family of deer were all clawed down with huge gashed through each and blood circling their corpses. The bodies were all left except one of the deer's heads were gone with a faint trail of blood drips leading off further into the thick woodland. No animal that Void knows of that lives in these forests could cause the tearing wounds that killed the deer, it just had to be that creature. It would probably kill him if it saw him, he knew this, but it hardly phased him from committing to his goal. After giving each of the deer a quick pat on the head accompanied by an apology for letting this go on this long, Void would set off to follow the trail of blood.

Anything could be at the end of this trail, anything could be lying in wait for him around any corner, anything that could cause damage such as this thing did he knew he'd be no match against physically. He'd have to be smart about it. Despite all the risks and dangers that hung on him, Void would keep a steady nerve. He knew he had to stay low to the ground, ensure he never lost track of the trail, look out for any signs of foot prints or anything that'd help him continue the search in case the blood stopped, keep his footsteps quiet, his breathing calm. The darkness of the night should help him, yet he would guess this creature could see just as well as he could if it hunted at night too... The rustling leaves would at least cover up any accidental missteps. Worst thing that could happen right now would be for that creature to hear him coming. Having no time to assess what it was he was up against before it was on top of him would not go down well at all.

Dipping his fingers in one of the blood pools, Void would sniff at his finger to be sure he was still following the trail of the deer's blood. The smell was clear, and the blood was still warm to the touch... He had to be close now... The boys eyes would dart from left to right trying to keep every little movement of the trees of bushes in his sight. Most of it was merely the wind but he had to be sure he didn't miss a thing. He'd be crouched even closer to the ground at this point, his steps slowed to keep himself even more quiet. He'd stop suddenly as a group of birds were sent up into the sky in a fluster of panic. His heart was ponding at this point, but he was so close now... He couldn't just give up and let this forest die.

Finally psyching himself up to keep moving forward, the boy would take increasing longer and longer breathes in and out to try to keep himself from completely panicking. Each new turn he'd inch his way around expecting the worst at each bend. The worst part was he wasn't even fully sure what it was he was searching for. He knew it had to be something horrible, yet he had never truly seen it with his own eyes... Just the mess it always left behind...

Note:

As the boy managed to keep walking through the forest. The wind would continue to howl, moving in a mix of soft and strong breezes. The night air would be rather quiet, save for the boy that was currently moving across the forest. He would perceive no noise as the young lad continued to follow the blood trail which was rather apparent. Would it not stand out to the boy that everything was rather eerily silent? No new sights would greet his eyes as they looked side to side.

However... As Void continued to traverse the forest, he would eventually hear a faint growling noise from upahead, and the sounds of something being shaken apart, being led up to by the blood trail which void was following. What would the boy do now? Would he face possibly that of which he was pursuing? Or would he turn around and attempt to flee from the clear danger signals?

It didn't seem to make any sense... It felt as if he had been following this trail forever now, surely he must be getting closer? The blood stains had been still wet the entire way... It just didn't seem to make any sense at all... Whatever this creature was it must be moving just as fast as the boy if not faster without stopping itself... If Void really wanted to catch up to this thing he'd have to up his pace a little. In doing so risked himself however, he'd notice this most prominently as he stepped on a fallen leaf that cracked underfoot. The sound wasn't very loud but still seemingly pierces the unsettling silence of the forest. Shaking his head, the roughed up boy would try to wrap his head around all this. He had been out and about most nights like this, and as much as there weren't the songs of birds any night there was still usually movement and life that could be heard if you paid enough attention. Nightlife in the forest was just as lively as during the day, you just had to know where to look and how to find it. Yet tonight... There just seemed to be nothing...

Maybe this creature really was that bad... He was following the path it took after all, maybe all the animals in the area could sense its presence and took off in a hurry. That'd explain a little why he couldn't hear anything. Yet if none of them had returned by now, that must mean he was close... Right? Freezing to the spot, Void would shiver from head to toe as another sound broke the foreboding silence of the wood. Growling... And a growl he couldn't recognize either... Each animal had its own traits and styles to the way they growled, Void had learned them all quite well in his time here. Yet whatever this was fit nothing he had ever heard before. Not to mention the sounds that followed... The boy didn't want to imagine what could be happened to make a noise like that, for all he knew this creature could be tearing another poor animal apart. By this point he'd be quivering quite badly, and for good reason. This wasn't the sort of thing any average twelve year old would be doing in the middle of the night, and he'd always been one to trust the instincts of animals... And if every animal of the forest feared this thing that much, it really put him on edge.

Yet he was here now... He had come this far, no matter the consequences he had to try and do something. If this beast was the reason food was so scarce around here, even if he left now to save his own life he'd just starve to death in the next few weeks or so anyway. No. He wouldn't let himself be beaten without a fight. As reckless as it may be, he had to be the one to protect this forest. He wouldn't stand for something tearing his home apart. Reaching into his back pocket, he'd pull out his makeshift slingshot. It wouldn't do much of anything, but he wouldn't know that and to him it was better than nothing. Taking a deep breath, somehow the courage to keep moving forward would flow through the boys veins. Sheer pride and determination pushing him through his fatal act. If anything at all... He had to at least see this beast with his own eyes...

As Void continued to move through the dark and very dreary forest the silence would ravage at his ears. No sounds would come beyond the growling and the shaking of something as the young boy continued to step forward and move on. He would find nothing yet, but the sound would continue to get closer and closer... What on earth was possibly making such a noise? It could have been any creature come to think of it...A wolf or a bear or a something alright that was prowling across these woods... Surely the Cadets would have attempted to contain such a creature and keep it from running amok at night no?

However, eventually in the distance Void would come across the sight of a strange four legged creature in the distance. It's fur was unlike any other, noticeably red. There wasn't just one of them, but rather two of them seemed to be growling and shaking something apart. The two creatures strangely also possessed two red fluffy tails that swirled around as they tore at their poor prey, which was barely recognizable from its previous living state. Reducing a poor carcass of meat and bone which was being torn up by the creatures. Chains were oddly at the two creatures necks alongside a metal collar with spikes... Yet nothing was holding them back or restraining them. They almost resembled some strange breed of wolf if Void was familiar with them.

What would the boy choose to do? It would seem as if the creatures were preoccupied with their meal.. That is. Until one appeared to raise its head upon the boys intrusion, and sniff around at that exact moment. Not noticing him just yet...

"W-wolves...?" The boys eyes would widen as he saw the unholy sight before him. They looked just like huge wolves... Yet their colour was wrong, and they were surly way too big to be natural... N-not to mention the weird senses they gave off. The boy would notice the chains shake on one of the wolves heads as it tore its prey to pieces before noticing the spiked collars they both wore. D-did someone own them? Who in their right mind would try and control these things... Even with his natural bond with most animals, Void very much feared that wouldn't work here. Not at all.

Unfortunately, this whole series of events had left the boy quite stunned and unaware. His whole attention was just spent on analyzing what in the hell these things were that he didn't even realize one look up and sniff around. There was no time to duck for cover now, instead the boy would stay motionless as he stared into the eyes of the beast. The boy almost felt his heart stopping on several occasions as he watched unblinkingly if he'd be noticed or not. It wasn't like the boy could mask his natural smell and with pretty much every other creature having run off or been eaten... Even if he did hide his smell would probably give him away...

As the first red wolf like creature would begin to sniff around, it would start to turn and move around. It's chains dangling around and shaking from its neck, just what was this peculiar smell that it had managed to pick up? However it's nose would cause it to turn around and look, eventually looking in the boys direction itself. Upon doing so, it would start to growl, and bark directly at him. Signalling the other strange red four legged creature to notice what it had picked up upon.

The second creature would stop violently ripping away at what remained of the cheap carcass it tore upon. Instead opting to release it's jaws vice grip upon the remaining flesh, and focus upon the new prey in front of it. The two bizarre creatures were now growling, and snarling directly at void, clearly ready to attack. Was this truly the end for a young child known as void?

Just as things seemed bleak however...Void could feel something rising from within himself, something primal like, and that could match the might of these strange creatures before him...It was just up to him to unleash it.

OOC:

Void would continue to stare directly into the eyes of the first of the creatures that noticed him, he'd jump slightly as it began barking but quickly tried to refocus himself as to what he knew he had to do. Predators were all the same, they'd growl to intimidate their prey, to scare them off, to reveal their weaknesses so they know that they have the upper hand in the fight. The best way to deal with a creature such as this wasn't to run, that would only give them confidence. Instead it was the act of showing confidence that made them doubt themselves... That's how it usually worked anyway.

With this in mind, the roughed up boy would slowly stand to his feet whilst still staring at the beasts in question. He'd make himself appear as tall as possible before taking a single step forward to show he wasn't about ready to run. "So you're the creatures who've been destroying this forest!?" He'd suddenly shout out, putting as much confidence as he could muster behind his words. "You've brought enough harm to the wildlife of this forest! It's one thing to hunt for food! Yet you don't even always eat what you kill!" The anger and hatred he had been building for these creatures over the past months began surging through the boys body as he spoke. "I wont let you destroy this place any longer! You may be stronger than me, and may have me out numbered, but I will out smart you!" As he shouted this last threat their way, he'd begin to reach for the sling he had in his back pocket and was about to follow through with his plan of attack when...

Anger and hatred overflew him. He knew the best plan of what to do but it wasn't what his body wanted to do. The boy would suddenly double over in pain as the feeling of sharp stabbing claws ripped at his mind and tore a hole for something new to fill. The void in his mind would change and manipulate him, he couldn't describe the feelings he was having but he almost completely forgot where he was or what he was even doing from how otherworldly the pain felt. His eyes changed first. They opened wide to stare into his hands that were holding his head, his pupils would all but vanish leaving a white blank stare as he watched his hands, then his arms and eventually his whole body grow a thick layer of fur. Eventually he'd raise his head at a weird angle to return his steal to the beasts with his now vacant eyes. He'd stand back up to his feet with a huge menacing grin on his face as his head seemingly twitched back and forth as he resisted the pain his head was still going through.



Void would suddenly crack his neck to one side, his grin growing larger as he licked his lips and stared. Oohhh this was what he'd been waiting for his whole life. This was just what he always wanted. To have the strength and instincts of one of the creatures of the forest... He never knew this day could come, but it had... And it was perfect. Who even needed his old plans now anyway when he could just fight fire with fire. He'd gently scratch one set of his new found claws down the side of his face to be satisfied with how sharp they'd become...

And so Void seemed to unleash his true self...Ready to tear apart the wolves in front of him, the enemy braced themselves, as they were reduced to utter feral snarling and stamping down violently. Clearly ready to attack the strange child who had just transmogrified into a creature on his own. What would he do? How would the child fair on his own? The creatures had clearly turned away from their meal to attempt to dispose of him.

Garm 1:

Garm 2:

The shadow child would say as his head would twitch back and forth erratically and his eyes would blink frantically as adrenaline and power he had never felt before rushed through his veins. It felt amazing. He'd rub the sides of his face with his paws as he thought what he should do first, there were so many options! So much he had not yet explored, he couldn't hold back any longer, he had to attack with full force right now!

Stats:

Damage/Healing:

Passives:

Action:

Garm 1:

Garm 2:

Garm 1s Bash does 8 damage. misses on a 1

Random number (1,10) :

6

crits on a 9

Random number (1,10) :

8

garm 2s bufu does 5 damage.
attack misses on a 1

Random number (1,10) :

5

Void would lick his bloodied paws after his strike, they tasted sweet... Moreish even. He wanted more, he'd twitch excitedly as the attacks from the creatures hit him and made him stumble pack a little. Yet even with the pain the attacks brought it only strengthened his grin. He knew now that he could take hits from them, he wasn't just some pathetic kid anymore, he was a predator just like they were... And he'd make them his prey...

Stats:

Damage/Healing:

Passives:

Action:

Garm 1:

Garm 2:

Garm 1s attack misses on a 1

Random number (1,10) :

4

garm 2s attack misses on a 1

Random number (1,10) :

5

crits on a 6

Random number (1,10) :

4

Void would twitch his head up as he finished licking the blood from his paws, he'd brace slightly for the attacks that were sent his way before opening his eyes wide at the pair of beasts. They wouldn't even let him enjoy his reward from a good attack in peace for even a little while? How rude these things are. He'd throw down his paws, claws outstretched and ready to strike. He'd best teach them who's top wolf here now.

Stats:

Damage/Healing:

Passives:

Action:

Garm 1:

Garm 2:

Garm 1s attack misses on a 8

Random number (1,10) :

1

Garm 2s attack misses on a 1

Random number (1,10) :

7

crits on a 10

Random number (1,10) :

7

The shadow wolf would fidget excitedly as it pulled back from its second attack with a new coat of blood to feast into. The beasts were still up too, he'd be able to get even more soon. Oh this he was pleased, he didn't want this to be over so fast. Void would all put ignore the attacks hitting into him as he licked his paws for the blood that stained them once again.

Stats:

Damage/Healing:

Passives:

Action: