Newcomers, hear this howl.

Subject: Newcomers, hear this howl. Sun May 03, 2015 12:56 pm

Silver fog leads you into the darkened woodlands. Here, noise dampens into silence, and the forest speaks in whispers, and though you strain your ears to hear what they say, you catch none of it. What do these bodiless voices want? Why are they calling to you? They tug at something within you, something you have no words for, but are compelled to follow. You trek a pathless road through the woods, pulled by your own instincts.

You walk on sacred land. The trees here are young, but they bear the scars of the old. Deep scorches scorn the trunks of birch and aspen, and the barks of towering red and white pines are clenched with black. The forest smells of smoke, but you see no fire, only the remnants of it, and the fog that lingers tricks your senses into believing its real. Is this what the whispers are trying to tell you? Are they the screams and howls of those that were caught in the fire?

Are you walking upon their ashen skeletons?

Fear and something else creeps into your throat. You're not supposed to be here. You don't belong here, in this land filled with historic death. No wonder the forest is quiet. It is a wolf, like yourself, watching and waiting to lunge and swallow you whole.

You turn to run, but a silhouette in the fog stops you. A figure emerges, silver and silent like a ghost, her strange, lavender eyes piercing right through you, as if you were the ghost, not her. She stands there, saying naught a word, and before you have realized it, other wolves have appeared beside her. They follow her. They support her. They are the things you face, the monsters you fear, and yet you can’t turn away from their judgment.

Do you belong here?

The wolves of Sacrifice Forest are a lawful evil pack. Their Alpha is Echo, followed by their Beta, Akiko. If you would like to join this pack, seek out either of these wolves, but do not be surprised if a packmember guarding the borders approaches you first. It is customary to announce your presence by means of a howl when you enter the territory; if you do not, you will likely be first questioned, then attacked, but not without firm reason or suspicion. Sacrifice wolves are intricately tied to their lands, perhaps more than any of the other packs, given their willingness to return to it, even after persistent fire. This also gives them an understanding of growth, death, and regeneration unlike any other wolf's. Once you have been accepted, you must prove your worth within the ranks. Each member of Sacrifice plays a vital role to the motley family as a whole, and you must prove that you, too, are essential. Do so, and the reward reaped will extend not only for the rest of your life, but well into death and memory.