and we dance while the sky crashes down || raymond

cw: insects & gore.

---

JUST BENEATH THE SKIN LIES PESTILENCE AND ROT.

His den within the scorched forest was getting cozier by the day, with corpses strewn about, their organs strung over brush and branch like grotesque curtains. One would wonder if this was intentional. Perhaps so. Dirt seemed fit to be making a throne of sorts, of discarded prey, and old dead animals, dragging corpses in as he found them, arranging them in an odd sort of fashion. He certainly thought it made the scorched jungle look more..... homey. Familar. The stench of rot and spoiled flesh filled this part of the woods, choking out the air and ash with something much more.... visceral.

Flies buzzed freely, centipedes feasted. And Dirt had never felt more at peace, with the maggots scrawling within the flesh beneath his paws, with the cockroaches and ants skittering with great scraps of flesh in their teeth. The crows that gathered, the vultures. In this forest, he sat on a rotting throne, giving way beneath him to thousands of scavengers. The more unsightly it all was, the better it felt.

And today, he had found a lovely addition. A young deer, its antlers long snared in jungle vines, head and spine picked clean, the rest of its flesh sunken deep into black, murky water, bloated and grey. A foolish thing, wandering this far. He'd gnawed at the vines that had wrenched themselves around the cleaned skull and antlers, woven into the spine, freeing the corpse. Dirt was not far from home, fortunately, exploring a new neck of the woods, following his nose for the scent of rot. He'd waded into the murky water, using his weight to shove at the corpse, eventually freeing the hooves from the mud below, tipping it over onto the ground. He'd stepped carefully over it, admiring the way the scavengers had only touched what was outside of the dark water. He was surprised how well preserved its lower body was, if bloated. He couldn't wait to spill those precious organs in time, get a good look at what they looked like. He was consumed by his own greed, his curiosity.

Dirt began to drag it through the scorched woods to his home, teeth hooked into the spinal column. Perhaps, he could dislocate the head and spine from the rest of it, dangle the foolish deer from a tree. It really did have lovely bone structure, it would be a shame to just leave it to the beetles.

His ears twitch, as he hears someone approach. He gives the deer one last firm tug, before turning to his visitor, a curious grin tugging at his lips, showing off yellowed teeth.

"To who do I owe this... pleasure?"

code by spacexual

[Star]

With Atticus' disappearance, the male traveled out to The Pitt. While he didn't care for the boy, he still chose to attend to the issue for his group's sake. The child was not his main priority though. Raymond was here to mainly address his last visit. After all, Kydobi was interested in his proposition. Their talk was short-lived, but informative as a whole, especially for the development of The Pitt's relationship with Tanglewood. If he could manage to mend their ways, then he would be praised as a manipulative genius. If not, then so be it. As long as he had Kydobi and the rest of The Pittians within his grasp, Raymond couldn't give a single damn.

The Pitt was an interesting clan. Their community seemed divided. There was one side fighting for righteous change, while others preferred the cruel ways of The Pitt. The Tanglewood panther questioned whether their fighting would come to an end or would justice be brought upon their unhindered ways.  Truth be told, Raymond didn't necessarily care. Whatever way they went was swell as long as he could use them for his own advantage. Nevertheless, their troubling split brought agony upon them and hindered their process greatly. Luckily, there were a select few that stood out in the crowd. One of them being Dirt.

Soon passing the desert border and into the scorched jungle, the panther grew content. The dark underbrush concealed him in the shadows as he walked along, green eyes scanning the area for any sign of life. Unfortunate for him, he found the exact opposite. As he traveled further, the grueling stench of rotting flesh slowly filled his nose. Raymond's weary eyes peeled open. The source didn't seem far. His heart told him to run from the burden, but the curiosity overwhelmed his mind and he continued forward.

The scuttle of a creature from afar caused his head to whip around, revealing the monstrous throne. Corpses hung ragged from the tree, their organs flailing across the branches. Thousands of small critters roamed the rotting flesh, accompanied by their fellow scavenger avians. They picked loosely at what remained, revealing the ivory bones underneath. Noticing their new arrival, some peeled away from their dinner and lurched towards Raymond. Their many small appendages reached out towards him, longingly searching for a taste. He reeled back quickly, swatting the bugs away with a swift paw. Even so, the hoard never stopped. The swarm persisted.

The buzzing in his ear caused him to groan, but his attention shifted when a low voice called out. "Oh?" he crooned, turning his head to face Dirt. Green eyes scanned the wolf warily. Nevertheless, he still chose to answer the Pittian's question. There was no need to be hostile... especially if he was aiming to get The Pitt on his side. "The name's Raymond, emissary of Tanglewood." A crooked smirk tugged at his maw. The panther's head craned to the side curiously and is paw raised, an unsheathed claw dramatically pointing at Dirt. "Though, I could the same for you, darling. Who do I have the pleasure of making acquaintance with?"

//apologies for taking so long, i was busy </3

cw: insects, parasites, & gore.

---

JUST BENEATH THE SKIN LIES PESTILENCE AND ROT.

Saliva dripped from his gore-smeared lips, as his orange eyes scanned over the panther before him. For a moment, he'd thought he had seen Kydobi, but no,this stranger smelled like bog and wet and rot, like that kitten who had torn into his little brother's face. Another from Tanglewood, in their home? Interesting, how Kydobi let their enemies run amok here.

But this was no enemy as of yet. The panther's face was brave, surrounded by Dirt's handiwork. Raymond, his name was. Emissary. A claw outstretched, a question, falling upon his ears. The panther calling him darling, how sweet. It stuck to his ears like honey, glistening and filled with wax and shed carapace.

Dirt leaves the corpse where it is for a moment. He'll strip it apart later, find out what remained within, what surprises those entrails held. He sits, his tongue slapping over his chops, savouring the taste of bone, snapping threads of saliva that had begun to drip down. Beetles skitter in his fur, and flies buzz over his head, his ears flicking as the stupid little things bump into him.

"Dirt. They call me Debutante." He knows what he is, a herald for the flies. A stain that they couldn't get off, a mold that wouldn't quit. He knew the larvae in his skin would one day release themselves, burrow into the soil. Pupate, and rise again, and the cycle would only continue.

He cared little for how The Pitt ended up, but was deeply interested in the politics at play here. He couldn't give a shit about former glory, he knew the insects would claim it all anyways. Thousands more would nestle in skin, and millions more would eat their corpses. If nothing truly mattered, if all of your legacy would simply crumble and become food for the insects, you may as well raise a little hell.

The stinking beast stands, stepping closer to Raymond, his head cocked, a wild look in his eye. "And what brings you here, Raymond?" Darling. Why the wolf's den, reeking of rot and filth? "There are much prettier sights."

Much prettier sights, with more Pittians. What was it, that drew his guest to his palace of rotting flesh and scorched trees? Of insects and crows and vultures, ever feeding? Of parasites and maggots in teeth, of carnivorous moths.

---

ooc: SORRY THAT TOOK FOREVER JKFDHGFJHDFG

code by spacexual