Conclave of the Damned [Dag/13th]

[makolossus]

It seemed as though the flame came from the very bowels of the earth. Though innately, deep down he knew this was not the earth he was used to. It was not earth at all. There were memories deep down, ones that were important to knowing exactly what had happened to him, but they lay buried in a film of dust and fuzzy confusion. It would come to him eventually, it all would, as he willed it. But until then there was only the flame.

It had drawn him in like a moth, burning bright with otherworldly hope. It had taken Mikhail some time to come to terms with the reality of his death but it was there for him to face. He was here now, there was nothing that could be done about it. No walls to rake his claws against in protest - at least no visible ones - and no gods to plead his case with. He was here and that was it. And so slowly, but surely, he had come to terms with things. Though the details of his death itself remained a mystery, here alone in the great beyond of the afterlife.. of this clear and blatant hell, he had no more to do but wander.

And so he did.

Every footstep on the hardpan dessert seemed like ten footsteps. All land beyond looked as the same as that which he had passed before. Hell really did not have much in terms of tourist destinations did they? For days, beyond him had been a cruel, red-tinged dessert that seemed without any end in sight. But from the moment he had awoken and begun to wander he knew this was the direction he must travel. It was as if some other force was pushing him. It was a feeling that the massive Sabre Cat did not much like. And his journey had taken him to The Flame. It was like a volcano, pouring it's fiery force skyward until it caused the clouds themselves to ripple and part, swirling in an eternal vortex.

The moment he had come upon the flames he knew almost immediately that all over, hundreds, maybe thousands of other eyes watched it. And unnervingly enough, some of their eyes would never leave it. They would stand watching forever until they turned into stone. The ultimate captives to a power and artform gone wild.

Mikhail Morazov had been sitting on one of the outlying ridges of the eternal flame for three days now. There was no hunger in his gut, for that did not exist to him anymore, only a wonderment of the land that lay before him. Strong as he had been before his death, parts of him had been battered and weakened in his ascent to the netherworlds. Here now, without his Blackwater around him he was useless. So he contented to stay with the flame.. watch it.. Perhaps turn into stone himself...

[RainxDog]

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[atrb=background,http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x30/Silehnce/Valley%20Howls/thepandemonium002.png] Death came with so much more than Dagonet had ever expected. As a pup his elders wove wild, imaginative stories about gods, mortals, and monsters. Only time passed and the puppy grew into a warrior. Fairy tale and myth were slowly translated into hard reality. His culture had not been one of wonder, but harsh nature. Dagonet remembered legends of fierce warriors, how such individuals were reincarnated according to prowess: stallion, bear, tiger. Courage, intelligence, and prowess had comprised the throbbing heartbeat of his culture, values cherished by male and female, pup and gray mane alike. There was no death more honorable than for one’s homeland, for one’s family. To show cowardice was to shame one’s bloodline to the last wolf, to bring generations of ridicule on one’s descendants. Unlike warriors, cowards were condemned to an endless, ice bound expanse of illness and mist where dogs would forever hound their footsteps. Long before his death on earth such ideals had been abandoned; mother, father, siblings, mate and offspring…no matter how, death claimed each and everyone. He was a faithful companion, Death, always lingering. Even the most innocent of forays could end with a fierce reminder of his presence. Myths didn’t matter. No two cultures could agree on anything, Dagonet had come to discover; they all believed they were right and tilted their noses in disdain at one another. He’d always maintained that dying was the only way to know; and it had been. No matter how he searched for deeper meaning Dagonet always found himself confronted with familiarity. Even in death his life’s decisions pursued him. Perhaps letting Sorna depart alone was a mistake. Maybe his efforts to protect his offspring had only lead to detriment. Dagonet had turned such questions over in his mind since his arrival; but there was nothing to be done. His run in life was over. In that life, at any rate. The battle scarred soldier had to admit it had come as some shock to awaken in another realm; he’d always assumed the end would be the end. Nowadays he wasn’t quite sure if this was a blessing or a curse, but he reckoned it didn’t matter anymore than it had in his first run. He was here, and there was nothing to be done but live. Except this time the deck was stacked in his favor… His thoughts were interrupted by a flicker in the wind, bringing a fresh whiff of the bold scent he’d been tracking for some time now. Wary anticipation gathered as Dagonet neared the creature he’d been seeking, not quite like any he’d ever encountered before. A beast of such stature even Dagonet had been cautious in seeking him out. In his time he’d encountered his fair share of large felines, but nothing as immense as the beast ahead. The wolf approached carefully, ears pricked alert and smoldering amber gaze fixated on the colossal silhouette cast before soaring flames. All his life Dagonet had assumed the great sabre cats to be nothing more than legend, like the tiny man-creatures said to steal pups in the night, or the selkies of the deep lakes. But this was no mere myth, already towering head and chest above himself even at this distance. “Well, well, well,” Dagonet murmured as he approached, forsaking the cover of shadow to step into the firelight, “color me impressed. And here I didn’t believe creatures like you existed.” Word Count: 571 Notes: Nope Tune: Rainbow in the Dark - Dio Tag! Mik