((OoC: I've been out of the RP game for years. I kind of want to get back into it, not sure if this site is the best way to do this, but let's try anyways. Any and all are welcome. Just find a place to squeeze into if you're so inclined.))
Featuring: 
Things were changing within the world of Loria. A change that, at first, started out so small it went unnoticed. No one batted an eye when a few animals went missing here and there. No one seemed to realize when plants, ones that used to be thriving and green, were now wilted and blackened. Daily lives continued for most folks. How long did it take for the change to finally come into realization? Days, weeks, months... years? It was hard to tell. Hard to pinpoint when this change actually occurred due to so little documentation until it was too late. Soon, huge swathes of farmland and fields were charred black with decaying vegetation and once flourishing flora. Whole groups of animals seemed to vanish overnight. They were just gone. No signs or traces of a struggle. Herds of deer, rabbits, flocks of birds, even schools of fish all just gone. That was when panic set in. Wolves turned to their leaders asking for assistance, guidance, anything that could help ease their minds in these trying times. Sadly, the panic never faded. It only grew. Grew until packs that had once called each other allies were fighting for their very survival. The few animals left untouched by this change were so few that it was hard for most to see another way. It was fight, tooth and claw, or it was death. Wars were fought, blood was shed, and now the once booming diverse packs of Loria were a scattered dwindling few.
Unfortunately, this was not the wolves only worries. Eye witness accounts and rumors begun to spread that they had seen animals changing. A gruesome, horrible transformation. One account had even stated they had watched a deer drink from what could only be described as an inky black river. When the deer was done drinking its fill the thing staggered backwards, it's body set to spasms, as it fell to the ground. Its eyes rolled into the back of its head, goopy obsidian ichor and neon green froth foaming up around its mouth as it continued to convulse upon the forest floor. Its once auburn fur began to shift, almost as if being stained from the inside out, charcoal in color. As quickly as this transformation began the deer suddenly just stopped moving. The eye witness claimed they inched closer, thinking the deer was very much dead, to try and inspect what had happened to it. All movements had ceased, even breathing. Fearing to even touch the tormented beast the wolf continued to say that they grabbed a stick and poked at the fallen deer. A few pokes. That was it. Suddenly the deer's eyes shifted, rolling back down out of it's head, but the orbs that stared back at the wolf were no longer normal. They were glowing a sickly green hue. They say what happened next was stuff out of a nightmare. The deer sprang up from where it had fallen on the ground and snapped at the wolf. When the accountant stumbled backwards the deer got to its feet. A normal thing, sure, but the way it was described was anything but. They say that when it got up it was as if it were possessed. As if something else were pulling the strings. Its twitchy movements and otherworldly gait as it shuffled towards them made the wolf let out a scream before bolting deeper into the woods. The deer never lost momentum. They could feel its hot breath on them as it snorted and snapped behind them. The eye witness' saving grace, you may ask? Well, they stumbled down an embankment and into a thick tangle of briars. The deer, they said, did not stop and continued to try and get to them until it was shredded and unrecognizable by the brambles and much too exhausted to continue fell over onto the ground and finally... took its last breath. This was not the only rumor, however. After that horrific tale came to light many more began to surface as well. Depictions of animals, both large and small, companions, even other wolves being corrupted and turned just like this deer and becoming savage hungry monsters. Soon these beasts were known all across Loria as the Consumed.
The Consumed were not to be messed with. Avoided at all costs. This was advised for every wolf of Loria. Something that was easier said than done in a world that seemed to already be drowning in an all-consuming darkness...
~x~
This is where our story begins...
Today was like any other. Tasks were assigned and expected to be completed before night fell. Not that night brought out more Consumed. Oh no. If that were the case things wouldn't have become so dire. It was the simple fact that night was more dangerous. Rogue wolves and Consumed being far more of a threat in the dark than during the peek hours of the day. Dracul hated sending his children out, but they couldn't afford to just sit idly by. His pack needed food, fresh water, and like every wolf in Loria, they needed to simply survive. Today Sobena and Vlade's one and only task was to try and find food. A scarce commodity, but one that was desperately needed. Their Aunt Tearle was expecting. The Jocol was already growing more exhausted by the day, using what little strength she had left to try and contribute to the pack. But, she wouldn't last much longer. She would soon waste away, her pups with her, if they couldn't find something to eat soon. This left Sobena lost in thought. She had grown up loving all of her aunts. They were very much second mothers to her and her siblings. However, being lost in thought was not helping track or watch for danger.
"Sobena!"
The Dire jumped, blinking rapidly as her vision singled in on the dark spotted Lupin before her. "Oh, sorry." she said sheepishly, "I was just... thinking."
"You're always thinking." Vlade reminded her, shaking his head. His nose drifted back to the ground as he tried to pick up any scent. It didn't have to be much. A rabbit. Heck, even a mouse would be something at this point.
"Aunt Tearle..." Sobena began, but paused as the thought continued to sink in, "We have to find food for her. She can't... She can't... right?"
Vlade stopped his sniffing and lifted his head to turn and look back at his much larger sister. He gave a small sigh. "We can't afford to think about things like that right now. We need to both be on our A game. We need to try and find food, yeah? Food is our first priority to help Aunt Tearle."
"Right!" Sobena stated, giving a sharp nod of her head. She had to push back all the anxiety, the fear, the sadness, and help her brother hunt. They had to find something. There was no other way around it. And so, the two did as they were tasked to do.
Hours of tracking, sniffing, following dead leads left the siblings feeling defeated. Small footprints here and there had led to nothing but long empty burrows. Vlade shook his head as their latest trail had gone cold. Sobena's ears began to droop as she watched her brother circle the small clearing they were standing in, trying to pick up any scent. This, like every other hunt lately, were nothing more than a waste of energy. Energy they couldn't replace. The Dire made to open her mouth but was quickly hushed by her brother. There! The sound of thundering hooves. The pair watched as a small herd of doe galloped between the trees just ahead. They seemed spooked, but otherwise healthy. No blackened fur. No glowing green eyes. They looked like normal deer. Deer that used to be plenty in this area of Darkspine. Vlade turned to look at his sister. For a moment, Sobena couldn't help but think that this was too good to be true, but she saw that twinkle in her brother's eye. This was what they had been searching all day to find. This would help their Aunt, even if just for a couple days, they needed this win.
Without so much as a word between the two, the siblings set chase. The deer didn't stop. They kept running, full speed, dodging trees and jumping over obstacles. Their fear did not wane. This should have been a clear indicator to the siblings that something wasn't right, but the thrill of the hunt and their drive to finally eat kept them close behind their frightened quarries. The deer continued and refused to slow driving the siblings deeper and deeper into the forest. The trees were thickening in size and their leafy canopies so wide that they seemed to block out every trace of sunlight. Darker and darker the forest became, yet, the deer did not slow. Soon, a thick fog began to snake its way between the trees, coils undulating within the murky gloom. The ground beneath their aching paws began to squish. The terrain was changing. Sobena began to slow her pace, ears perking, as she began to take in more of their surroundings, or as little as she could see. The fog was becoming so thick it was hard to even see her brother through it, but she had a distinct notion that they may be heading into Murkwood territory. "W-wait..." she panted, "Vlade! Wait!"
Quiet. Too quiet.
Sobena came to a slowed jog before stopping short. She stood alone. Her ears straining to hear even the slightest sound of thundering hooves or crackling leaves. Anything to pinpoint her brother's location. Her dark eyes shifted as she spun on the spot. The fog was beginning to play tricks on her mind. She thought she had seen something looming just out of her line of sight. Something big. Squinting through the fog Sobena tensed. "Vlade?" she called out. Nothing. "Vlade! Where'd you go?" Still no answer. That was when the silence was broken. A shrill bleating call ripped through the hush. A call that sent chills up Sobena's spine. It was so close, but sounded as if it were coming from all directions. Following the cry there came another sound. The sound of a pained yelp. She never knew her brother to cry, but that yelp was unmistakably. That sounded like Vlade. Without so much as a thought for her own safely Sobena wheeled around and sprinted as fast as her aching paws could take her in the direction she thought they had been chasing the deer in prior.
The ground became quite slick beneath her feet that the Dire lost her balance. She tripped sliding in the viscous mud and slammed into something solid. Looking up she couldn't help but be struck with fear. Looming over her was the head of a massive black stag. Its eyes glowing eerily green within the mist of the cloaking fog. It stamped one of its massive hoofed feet down where Sobena once lay, but with some quick thinking she rolled out of the way, springing to her feet. Mud and decayed vegetation now smeared into her fur, but that was the least of her worries right now, because as the stag lowered its head she noticed that crimson droplets fell down from its antlers, staining its shadowy pelt. There in its crown of prongs, pierced and bloody, was Vlade. The shock was enough to send her into a panic. "Vlade!" she screamed, watching as the bulky stag slung back its head and catapulted her sibling off of its antlers with one swift motion. Vlade struck a tree with a sickening crack. Sobena stood as if glued to the spot watching the lump that was... no, is her brother. He wasn't moving. Didn't even make a sound as he was threw into that tree. Was he... The thought couldn't even form fully in her mind as movement out of the corner of her eye caused her to focus on the Consumed buck before her. It lunged at her. Swinging its head in an arch-like motion as if trying to also impale her on its antlers. The Dire jumped out of the way of the incoming attack, but only just. She felt the air swoosh off of those mighty antlers brushing against her fur.
Dodging was all she could do. Any outright attack would most likely cause her to become just as sick and twisted as this once proud guardian of the forest. At least, this is what she had been told. She didn't know if there was truth in these rumors but she wasn't about to find out. All she could do was run or jump out of the corrupted creature's way as she tried to find something, anything, to aide her in getting this thing as far away from herself and her brother as possible. There was really no way of even figuring out which way she was going. The fog in this area was still so thick that it was hard to see, but she couldn't pause. She could hear the crashing of the deer's hooves behind her, its wheezing breathes, and the gnashing of its teeth as it tried desperately, hungrily, to get at the Dire in any way it could. Her paw caught on something. Maybe a branch or a stone. She didn't know what, but it was something. Something that caused her to fall forward and roll down what could only be an embankment. All the air was knocked out of her lungs as she slammed, hard, into a shallow puddle of muddy water. She barely had time to clamber out of the pool before the deer came careening down the hill as well and landed heavily right where she had been only moments ago. Scrambling to her feet Sobena tried to make another break for it, but she wasn't fast enough. Being a Dire she wasn't built for speed. Instead the deer's head slammed into her side and sent her flying into the air like she was nothing. She fell into a crumpled heap several feet away. Coughing and gasping was about all she could do. It felt like every ounce of air had been stripped from her lungs with those impacts.
The Consumed stag didn't stop. It was like a machine. Just like how the stories had described. Like it was being possessed. Sobena let out a whimper then. Was this the end? She closed her eyes as the deer reared back threatening to trample her with its hooves. An angry growl broke through the wheezing sounds of the deer's labored breathing. Her eyes popped open as she saw the dark form of Vlade break out of the fog and jump into the air. Maw agape, the Lupin gripped the deer's throat, and with the added force of gravity, felled the stag to the ground. There came a struggled sound, a bubbly gasp, before the deer finally ceased to be. Sobena pulled herself to her paws and hastily made her way over to Vlade's side. She looked him over. Worry tracing the contours of her face as she took in every wound that covered her brother's body. He was losing blood, but on top of that... She gulped back panic and fear. "Vlade, are you-" but before she could even finish her question her brother collapsed, "Vlade!" Once again anxiety was beginning to set in. Dark ichor from the deer oozed out of her brother's mouth. "Oh no..." she mumbled, as she watched Vlade carefully. He was already shaking, his body set with fever. Was he turning? Was he going to become one of these Consumed monsters like that deer? Tears flooded Sobena's vision as she hunkered down close to Vlade's side. "Help! Someone help us!" she called out, doubting anyone would hear, "Please..."
