A stroll
Creaks from a complaining bed rung through the house as Etheirgrum slowly opened his baggy, statley grey eyes, groaning to himself in the sorrow that the night was over. His long time rival, the sun shone jeeringly through his window, presenting itself like a looming threat. The pricks and hairs on his chin rustled from his deep sigh, tilting his head slowly to his wife sleeping still, in one of his arms. Blinking and rubbing his eyes to see if it was a dream or not, as on most occasions he was the last awake in all of Cliving. Though after titling his eyes over her raven black hair, sprawled in strands over the bed, along with her ruffled night-gown, Grull and grell curled up between them, he knew it was not. With a low snort he slipped out of bed, like a feather. If that feather so happened to be tied to a few leather-bound books. Not a soul was disturbed from his passing, and slinking to the stairs below, of which creaked from his feet, causing him a wince with every sound. Grull slowly lifted his ragged, messy grey head from his mistresses lap, ears perking at the sound of his master. The looming threat of one he might possibly not know urged him to leap from the welcoming covers to the wood floor below, rough paw padding scrapping the floor unforgivingly as he awkwardly limbered down the stairs. Upon seeing the shirtless and limbering mass of his master over the fire he simply plopped upon his year, letting for a mighty yawn, tail gingerly shaking side to side from the wafting aroma of bacon and eggs.
Grull sat there silently, his bushy hairs nearly covering his eyes, a mass of ragged hair and fangs. The large wolf-hound slowly scraped it's way over to his master, resting it's head on one of his legs. After snorting in familliarity Etheirgrum dropped him a few pieces of bacon, along with a sausage link or two. ''Magically'' they dissapeared just as they had come, along with his masters food to boot, once he had turnt his back to the fire of course. Crackling and cackling at the both, the fire stood in only a whisper compared to the night before, it's flames dieing out, begging to be tendered. Though of course Eth could not be bothered, and Grull, well, he was a hound. A silver plate bearing crispy bacon, greens, and eggs was left on the table for the houses care-taker and wife. A black cloak wrestled with the air, twirling as it's owner clasped it over his shoulders, the hood being pulled up over his dull expressions. Teeth shone in the houses dim candle-light as Eth grabbed his ''spiffy'' new jacket, pinning the wolf emblem to his chest and siuating the jacked proudly, he has to of course look his best, to make the rest of the town as jelous as possible.
Drool fell from Grulls tounge that flapped this way and that, eagerly following his master down the long steps to Cliving, listening intentivly to his masters complaints and curses.
'' These things are going to be the sodding death of me before i'm thirty-five! '' Snorted Etherigrum, murrmuring pathetically '' Could've gone to some farmstead, or a nice plains village but no, no of course not! We had to get the one with the most steps...an' kids...an'...pah... '' wafting his arms in the air Eth continued on, his old companion close on his feet. Grull kept close to his master, the chilling morning air causing his tounge to grow cold along with his wet nose and eyes. Shaking his head in annoyance, trying to squint into the light fog in the crisp morrning air, of which greeted them with a few howls and bats. As if batting off a foe Etheirgrum wafted his arms in the dog, murrmuring irratably, happy that atleast the sun had left him alone, thought only to be replaced by it's equally as hatefull cousin. The dreaded fog. water's passage and falling rung through the small woods they wandered through, pine snaping beneath their feet, leave crunching with their toes. Sniffing at the fresh smell of pine and leaves, Etheirgrum was distracted before he suddenly splashed into a small creek, causing his bones to creak from cold and his ruddy mood to be shot into utter obivion. After snorting agitatedly, and crawling out of the creek after a few slips and misshaps he ripped his boots off, letting them drain over the bank. Wriggling his toes in the cold mud as the air nipped at his chin from under his wears, breaths rising as a small smog, softly into the air to never be seen again.
Finally having shivered enough to be decently content, Eth tilted his eye sloftilly about, not seeing his hound. '' Oi', you worthless lout, get over here Grull ya' old man! '' shouted Eth, to no reply. Snorting to himself he wanderered deeper into the trees to no doubt find his companion knawing on a squirel or rabbit, terrorizing the local wildlife as he did best. Cracking pines doubled as Eth heard footsteps in the forests floor as his own, peering up to the nearly bare canopy he snorted, circling in a spot and peering into the dense mass of grey for the source. Eth let out a grunted sigh of annoyance as he saw a figure coming towards him in the fog, something being dragged behind it. Eth started towards it, murrmuring to the slim, tall figure '' Oi! Lad, ye' seen a hound about here? '' No awnser replied, only the sound of more crunching pines and rustling of leaves. Etheirgrum squinted more into the fog, trying to make out the figure though the man became visable shortly after, holding a spear in one of his broad, pale palms. The mans statly grey eyes starred to Eth in great annoyance, and disgust, strands of red trailing down his cheeks and shoulders mesilly, prominent and delicate features starring forward. Etheirgrum blinked, and then again, snorting lowly to himself as he inquired. '' Pa'? ''. The word rose from his mouth in a light fog, along with his breathes. The figure made no comment, only looking to his son with disgust, and a jeering nature, having found him. Silence rose through the trees, Ravens and a few songbirds flying through the cold, damp morning before a awnser rose. '' Son ''. Though silence was not followed by this, a rustle of leaves and puff of fur disturbed the silence as Durrand dropped the body of Grull infont of his feet, the hound silent, his tail no longer wagging, nor his eyes filled with a gleam.
Etheirgrum slowly eyed down to his hound, his companion, his only true friend, bliking again, slowly rubbing at his eyes as his throat started to feel soar, scoffing in dissbelief. Durrand kicked the hound onto it's back, as if to prove the fact. Growling furiously, in a justified rage Eth drew his sword from it's sheath, the fresh steel ringing through the echoing wood. A gleam of steel shone in the light as Eth stepped forward, the sound of steel hitting wood and iron ringing again and again, repeatedly, animals fleeing, birds flocking from the eery sound. The sounds rung for nearly an hour one would think, maybe less, maybe more. Then, finally a thump from knees falling to the ground rustled, then the drip of blood onto grass and dirt, the sound of a body falling to the side. The victor grabbed the other by the leg, pulling up the spear and sword, dragging them along with him as he dissapeared further into the wood, blood twinkling in the grass like morrning dew behind him.
