Information

.Dimitri
Legacy Name: .Dimitri

The Nightmare Telenine
Owner: Quagsire

Age: 11 years, 11 months, 4 days

Born: May 5th, 2014

Adopted: 11 years, 11 months, 4 days ago

Adopted: May 5th, 2014

Statistics

• Level: 1
   
• Strength: 10
   
• Defense: 10
   
• Speed: 10
   
• Health: 10
   
• HP: 10/10
   
• Intelligence: 0
   
• Books Read: 0
• Food Eaten: 0
• Job: Unemployed

much thanks to GALLIFREY for the arid elixir!a super big thank you to Mint for the Nightmare Potion!

There is no escaping what you are..a monster...a demon.

Even in the full light of the sun, the trees of the Carpathian Forest looked gloomy and void of life. Their black branches were said to rattle with the cackle of ghosts slain during the witching hour and if a human shadow touched the bark of even one cursed tree, its owner was sure to die of some painful malady.

The villagers had so many local legends that the most dedicated scholar could not hope to untangle the web of superstitions and beliefs weaved into the minds of the people. Most of these were nonsense concoctions born from the minds of fearful travelers making their way home very late at night but there is one that is true: The Legend of the Black Shuck.

They call him Demon Eye and while none are sure where he came from where in the forest he makes his home, they all agree that he takes the form of a massive black wolf with huge red eyes, To meet the gaze of the Black Shuck is to seal ones date of death to within a year of the dreadful encounter. The villagers hung bundles of wild laurel and wolf bane above their doors to warn off the evil spirit.

Dimitri could have told the fools they were wasting their time. Not only did their smelly herbs have no effect on him, but he had no desire to enter any human village. He made it his policy to avoid humans whenever possible.

He lay on the cool floor of his cave, cracking through the thighbone of an elk to get at the rich marrow within. He ate his kills where they dropped but preferred to work on the bones in the comfort of his home, away from the greedy eyes of scavengers.

It was bad enough that Nora kept eyeing him with a pleading look. A White Shuck, she was his opposite in every way. Her snowy coat and bright blue eyes offered her no protection in the dark forest. She was inquisitive and loved to explore every new sight that came before her. She found the habits of humans fascinating, always sitting on the edge of the village and observing them from afar. The humans would try to lure her closer with gifts of meat wrapped in rich fat and sometimes she would come. Her gazer was believed to ensure health for as long as the viewer lived, a fact she was proud of, but she would not go up to just any human. She shared her blessing only with those she deemed pure of heart.

Nora gave Dimitri a nudge with her nose. “Let’s take a walk to the stream. We can catch the sun setting behind the mountains.”

Dimitri gave her a look that clearly offered his opinion of pointless walks. He knew she would not allow him to eat in peace when she had an idea in her head. He made her wait as he scouted out a good place to bury his bone.

She knew better than to try to lead him in the direction of the human village. Three humans had died because of him. He had no desire to increase his total.

The first had been an old woman who had sought him out. She’d been in constant pain because there was no medicine strong enough to cure the ache in her joints. He had come upon her suddenly and she had died with a smile on her face. The second was an explorer he’d stumbled upon accidently. It was three days later, trying to conquer a mountain, that the man suffered his heart attack. Dimitri felt no remorse. Their own actions had brought death upon them as much as his presence.

Then he’d found the lost child who threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his fur. He led her to the edge of the forest where she could not fail to find her way home. She had kissed his nose and he had seen how the illness would grow in her body, slowly eating her strength until she wasted away. He could always sense how his victim would die.

He took the lead, forcing Nora to follow. He wanted to get tot eh southern edge of the forest as quickly as possible so they could return. Nora rambled on about the beauty of the trees and how the first hints of spring were in the air. She stopped talking only when she ate and she ate very fast.

There were days when he wanted to crush his ears beneath his paws. He would never drive her away, though. She was his closest friend, the one creature his gaze could not harm.

His nostrils flared at the scent of wood smoke. The small cluster of huts was new, those on the outer edge still showing gaps in their wooden walls. A new village. He curled his lip at the thought of more humans.

“Mighty Death comes to visit his lowly subjects. Tell me, O fanged one, do you spare the ones that bow before your bulky self or eat them first?”

Dimitri bared his teeth at the squirrel that had spoken. The rodent was perched tantalizingly on a branch just above the reach of his highest leap. “Why don’t you come down to my level and say that, you ugly tree rat?”

The squirrel flicked his tail, eyeing Dimitri’s muscular frame. “I’ll have to pass on that. I will do you a favor, though. Next time I’m in town I’ll tell your cur mother you’re only half as ugly as she is.”

Nora nudged Dimitri’s flank. “Ignore him, Dimitri. Let’s go.”

“Humans may be stupid but they’re very good at breaking Mother Nature’s laws. Pretty soon they’ll build a trap even you can’t avoid. I look forward to seeing your pelt on the body of a man.”

Dimitri could not resist growling a parting shot. “You won’t live long enough.”

He waited until he was alone with Nora to confront her. “You knew about this human place.”

“They’re not so bad, Dimitri. I thought if you could see how they live-"

“That what? That I could change my essence? I don’t like killing them, Nora. Killing to eat is one thing but I can’t even look at other creatures. That will never change.”

Her ears drooped. “I worry about you. What if something were to happen to me? You’d be all alone.”

The thought of any creature trying to harm Nora brought a growl to his throat. “Don’t say that, Nora. Don’t even think it.”

They both fell silent at the sound of a scream. Nora rushed forward, forcing Dimitri to follow. They peered out of the trees at a dirt road. Four young men surrounded a young woman, her long blonde hair hanging in a single braid down her back. One man made a grab for the braid as another ripped the basket from her arms. The men were clearly drunk. The girl screamed again when one tore her dress.

Nora charged forward with a growl, keeping her eyes fixed on the nearest man’s belt. It broke with a carefully aimed snap of her jaw, leaving him standing in his wool loincloth.

One of the men pulled out a knife. The sight of the blade enraged Dimitri, sending him forward to snap at any boy foolish enough to get in range of his jaws. He did not try for killing bites but he had no reservation about drawing blood. The girl was guarded by Nora as Dimitri chased away the last of the men with a final growl.

Dimitri stood panting, looking Nora over. She did not even have a scratch. He turned to lick his flank where the knife had scored a hit. The wound was not deep but it stung fiercely.

He froze as a soft hand rubbed the fur on his head. The girl knelt beside him, staring into his eyes, her face bright with gratitude. “My protector. I knew the legends of the demon wolf were never true. You are a force of good, and you have saved me from a fate worse than death.”

This one would live for six months until the man she thought to be her true live cut her throat in his desire to marry another. Dimitri wheeled away, plunging into the forest, leaving the stunned girl kneeling.

Nora found him sulking in their cave. She stood in the entry, hesitant to approach. “I looked into her eyes as well, Dimitri. I saw there the beautiful daughter she will bear a child that will enter this world without causing her mother pain. The girl will go on to do great things despite her father and that is because you saved her life by protecting the mother.”

Dimitri did not pull away when Nora settled beside him. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the gentle caress of her tongue, focusing on the beat of her heart to crowd out his dark thoughts.

Story by Pureflower

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