abundance ─ oc one-shot collection

black rose

&&

focus: holly
setting: ghosting au
warnings: implied character death, gore & mild swearing

black rose
- vengeance.

&&

the living were fickle things.

from birth to growth, they were reckless and brash. quick to run, quick to flee, yet so quick to charge. not giving a damn if they ended up with a fractured leg in the process, so it seemed.

some merely killed for the rush of adrenaline. while holly couldn't blame these wolves, certain ones got on their nerves.

a certain gray wolf in front of them for example.

charged in head-first to a den of six pups with no help at their side, only to meet their demise in a matter of minutes.

how quaint.

crimson dripped against the blades of grass, blending with their fur in the dark. their claws gripped at the soil beneath them as they stared down at the remains of what they had done.

"barely an adult," said hail.

with a mere blink to acknowledge her headmate's words, holly's gaze flickered across the wolf's injured form.

fur torn around his neck, exposing shredded skin and leftover bite marks from where their teeth had sunken in, releasing fresh blood onto the grass.

"that's what he gets for touching the pups," muttered billy.

peering down at the invader's exposed teeth, holly could see remnants of blood from where he had attacked their pup, killing them in a swift blow.

but they weren't swift enough, it seems.

holly's gaze hardened as she let her eyes drift away from them.

it was only fair, was it not?

one life for another.

that's how it always played out.

letting out a breath, holly took a step forward and bit down into the scruff of the carcass. once she had a firm grip, she began walking back through the woods. not quite following their trail from before, however.

with each step they made through the muddied trail, holly could feel their pelt shifting. strands of dark fur became pitch black against the forest; wisps of shadows wrapping around her forelegs.

not quite a pleasant feeling, but one that came with the knowledge of confrontation.

couldn't intimidate wolves with their usual stature, now, could they?

extra scents reached their nose as they neared the woodline. bingo.

as they dragged the wolf out into the open fields, the two strangers in the distance gradually became clearer. hazy clouds hung in the sky above them, blocking the sunlight from filtering through.

at the center of the meadow stood two wolves, one with red-tinted fur and another with dark brown. the brown wolf seemed to call out to the other, prompting the other to perk up, only for their ears to flatten back.

"glad to know we've made an entrance."

"now's not the time!"

holly carefully set the wolf carcass back down in the grass before allowing her eyes to travel back up to the other wolves. she straightened up; ears pointed forward as her eyes locked with theirs; a silent challenge.

the red-furred wolf stood there, staring ahead at the carcass with wide yet blank eyes, her tail tucked between her legs as she neared her partner. said male was standing at her side, ears flattened, and teeth bared.

something told them that these two hadn't experienced many losses in their years of parenthood.

holly stood still for a moment, their ears flicking against the dry air. silence hung in the meadow, amplifying the faint whispers of the lingering wind. the morning had already been fairly quiet before their time at the den had been interrupted; perhaps nature had taken notice of the reaper's work.

giving a slow blink to the strangers, holly spoke, "let this be a warning." narrowing her eyes, she continued, "you should know better than to step on our land."

the brown wolf's gaze seemed to harden as he reeled back to take a step forward, lips curled back in a growing snarl, a faint hint at words forming in his throat only to die out as a howl sounded from within the forest.

with a twitch of their ear, holly turned to gaze back over their shoulder and past the woodline, the sound coming to register in the back of their mind. they could recognize that melodic howl anywhere.

without a word, holly turned and galloped back toward the forest.

the brown wolf bounded through the grass, letting out the snarl that had boiled in his throat. "get back here-"

but the only thing that remained in the wolf's previous spot was a faint dip in the tall grass where they once stood; wisps of smoke hanging in the air before dispersing along with what was once there.

and within seconds, the dread in his stomach only seemed to grow colder.