Torrin and Lyris - Asmundr game - Contest entry

In the late sun, two dogs trotted swiftly across the open plain. Tongues lulling out, a fleeting grin spread across the Wolf-grey agouti’s face. Glancing at her companion, she saw that he wore the same contented grin. She laughed. His grin spread wider, followed by a light chuckle of his own.
After a short while they each slowed down to a slow walk. The sun was now beginning to set over the grassy fields, it’s warm, rich light reflecting over the distant mountains. Birds twittered overhead, getting ready for the coming night.
“We should rest ‘till complete nightfall.” Suggested the larger, black agouti.
The slim female was about to nod her head in agreement when she heard something faint.
It didn’t feel right. She looked up, sniffing the air in hopes of picking up any hints as to what it was.
“What is it, Lyris?” Torrin asked as he started to sniff at the air too.
“I - I don’t know for sure…” She replied, uncertainly.
“I did hear something though, and it doesn’t feel right.” She added.
Torrin nodded. He knew exactly what she meant. The air had become stiff, a sense of fear and worry filled every surrounding thing that breathed air. It was as if the whole world had drawn in a breath and refused to let it out. Quiet.
Both Rifles stood still, not willing to be the one’s to dare and break this silence.
But they didn’t have to, for just then they each heard heavy, fast falling footsteps heading towards them. Lyris stiffened and Torrin moved protectively in front of her, just in case. Two Jaro’s became visible as they ran towards Torrin and Lyris. Both were king agouti in color, one quite lighter than the other with dark Leopard spots and the other - who was much darker than his companion - with white undersides and a tail with white only reaching halfway. White fallow spots were also freckled over his dark coat.
The panting dogs stopped a near ten feet away from where Torrin and Lyris were standing. Torring glanced at Lyris who was standing behind him with a concerned look spread across her face, then he cautiously took a few steps forward, not knowing what or why these dogs were in such a frantic state.
Now five feet away, he could clearly see the worried look shared by both of them. He cleared his throat and spoke,
“Hello! You must be from the pack of Jubar? I am Torrin and this is Lyris.” He motioned to Lyris, who was slowly coming closer.
“Please excuse us for trespassing on your territory, we are merely passing through,” He continued politely. The male Jaro nodded and replied “I am Tanir and this is Keeva.”  Cutting strait to the point, His companion Keeva continued, “We are wondering if you have seen a stray pup during your travels?” Worry filled her voice.  
“We have not, sorry.” Lyris answered, now standing besides Torrin.
“Is something wrong?” Torrin questioned.
Keeva and Tanir looked at each other, each becoming increasingly more worried and anxious.
“Lately there have been rumors and sightings of a large loner, wandering around this and other territories. Our pack has not payed much mind to this until just recently when we got word that the -“ Tanir paused, searching for the right word but Keeva beat him to it, “…this thing has been responsible for many fatal injuries and even a death in the pack of Nox’s territory.”
“From what we have heard, there has been no reason for these attacks.” Said Tanir.
Lyris and Torrin looked at each other.
“Our pack is on high alert, we do not want this thing threatening us, however….” Tanir paused, a sad look in his eye. “… However, one of our hunters has seen him wandering in these lands and not even a half-hour ago a pup has gone missing. We think she strayed off herself, she was quite rebellious, but with this threat not far off, we fear he might find her before we do.” Both of their faces showed complete distraught now, and Torrin and Lyris’s faces each wore utter concern. None of them spoke.

The sun was getting lower and lower in the sky, and the last bit of light glistened in their fur, and a light breeze was swaying the tall trees scattered on the hills.

“That’s awful!” Lyris was finally able to say. The others nodded gravely.
“Please, You’ll keep an eye out for her, won’t you?” Keeva asked, anxiously.
“Of course. We wish you luck in finding her,” said Torrin, with a slight bow of his head.
And with that, the two Jaro’s wen’t off in the direction from which they came, hoping to gather any news of the stray pup.
Stars were now begging to appear in the sky and it was darkening, the air becoming increasingly cooler. The faint moon’s light made Lyris’s uneasy eyes shine and dance brightly. Lost in her beautiful brown eyes, Torrin nearly forgot the new worries forming in both of them.


He and Lyris were loners, both originally from two different packs. The two of them fell in love when they were apart of neighboring packs. The packs, Wan and Hagan, were allies and it was fairly easy for them to see each other, but one day a terrible accident happened, - the cause of it being Torrin - and he was exiled. Upon hearing this, Lyris (after very little consideration) decided to leave Hagan and join him as an exile. This was not a hard decision, as although Hagan was nice enough, it hadn’t felt like home to Lyris ever since her mother had been killed and her father exiled for reasons Lyris keeps to herself.
She and Torrin had since then been wandering from here to there, searching for a new pack to call home.

Torrin was a fair sized, well built Rifle dog. He was double-coated; a rich black agouti with minimal scaring on his face, back and leg. He was generally easy-going, kind and thoughtful, only when necessary would he become stern or cold. In his previous pack, he was often seen as “Uncle Torrin” by the pups, although not actually related to any of them. He’s the kind of dog that dogs would come to for advice or just someone to confide in.
Normally very quiet with company around, his true playful nature comes out only with Lyris. He’s extremely protective of those he cares about and generally won’t hesitate to lend help where needed. He can be quite prideful and he was well aware of how depended on and trusted he was within Wan. And so when he was responsible for the accident that caused his exile he took it as a big blow to his pride. He carries the guilt and feels fully responsible of the accident, although he never talks about it to anyone except Lyris.

Lyris was a tall, slenderly built Rifle with a smooth-coat. She was a wolf-grey agouti with a dark mask covering her face. She’s a talker. She loves to talk, she’s not at all an introvert and is usually the one to start a conversation. The problem is finding someone willing to listen. She’s extremely opinionated and will often act or speak without thinking. She can be occasionally bossy and is quite competitive at times. She always stands up for what she thinks is right and hates to see anyone mistreated. She’s always had a soft-spot for pups and can act like a pup herself at times, but becomes very mature and caring when she needs to. In her previous pack, Hagan, she would love to pup-sit and tell stories. She was also very emotional.


“What should we do now?” Lyris’s voice snapped Torrin back to the present.
Her voice was still filled with concern and steadying his own voice for comfort he replied, “We should take a quick brake, then continue westward. Not long, just incase.”
“Okay.” She let out a kept breath and started walking towards a lone tree that stood on top of a small hill. Torrin followed. Letting out a large sigh, Lyris spoke in a fast gush of words,
“Ohhh… I hope they’ll find her. I hope she’ll be okay. I hope he doesn’t find her first. I hope he won’t find us, either”
Chuckling, He he tried soothing her as best he could “Don’t worry, don’t worry. The pup will be okay, I know they’ll find her before he does and We’ll each keep our eyes wide open tonight, just in case.” Her expression was still one of doubt, and another small sigh escaped her lips.
“And.. And if he finds us I’ll protect you. I won’t let him hurt you. Ever.” He assured, giving her a smile, warm eyes meeting hers. She looked at him sadly, then turned her eyes downward once more. Finally she spoke,
“I- I know you won’t. But I - I’m not worried about him hurting me…” With a sigh and a pause, she continued “I’m worried that something will happen to you… I don’t want to loose you.” She said those last words under her breath, almost to herself.
His heart melted. He knew exactly how much she loved him, and he loved her just as much so. It made him sad seeing her sad. Wanting to put as much assurance and comfort into his words, he said,
“It’s okay. It will be okay. I won’t leave you. I will never, ever leave you.”
Now at the top of the hill both Rifles flopped down under the shelter of the large pine. It was now almost completely dark and all of the stars were now visible in the sky, the large, full moon watching over the lands and all in it.
Cuddling into each other, Torrin looked up into the sky. The stars and moon had always given him comfort, even in his most troubling times they had brought refuge and shelter. He felt as if the stars were a blanket, covering him from his troubles. But tonight they brought no such shelter or comfort. He felt oddly cold and uneasy, although it was a rather nice summers night. The feeling of awkward stillness and sorrow was still think in the air, and nothing, not even the crickets, made a sound. Looking at Lyris, cuddled into his warm fur, he smiled.

Lyris herself was still feeling that chill and still in the air, but she ignored it. Torrin’s comforting words made her feel safe, and even a bit at peace. She looked at him and smiled.
“I love you” She said softly.
“I love you too.” He replied with very warm and caring eyes.
“I hope we can find a home soon. A proper one.” He added, hopefully.
“Wherever we go, I call anywhere home if it’s with you.” She said, but then with a chuckle she added, “But yes, a proper home would be nice, too.”
He chuckled, looking out over the hills and fields and then back at Lyris, he said,
“We should try to get a bit of rest, then we’ll continue onward.” He suggested, laying his head down and closing his eyes.
“Goodnight” he said.
“Goodnight, I love you” She replied, closing her own eyes.

The night wind blew lightly through the grass and trees as the Rifles doze under the solo pine that stop on top of the hill. Torrin opened his eyes and let out a small yawn. Turning his head around, he saw Lyris still asleep beside him. Standing up slowly, he stretched and the turned to wake Lyris up. In a soft voice he spoke,
“Hey, sleepyhead. Wake up,”
She groaned and stretched out ever-so slightly, her eyes still closed.
“We’ve got to keep moving.” He encouraged, waiting for a reply.
She opened her eyes and sat up, looking around with a slightly sleepy look on her face. After yawn several times, she spoke,
“I wonder if they found the pup yet. Oh gosh, I hope so.”
“One can only hope,” He sighed in reply. She got up and stretched, yawning again.

Now completely dark, with stars glittering above, they set off, back down the small hill. Continuing westward, with Torrin in the lead and Lyris just behind him, they walked on. The nightly sounds that should have been there normally, were not. The eery silence continued as they journeyed, like a blanket to their senses.
On and on they walked. Two hours had passed and they were now beginning to enter a thickly wooded area. Twigs cracked under their paws and branches swayed back and fourth, but the Rifles themselves made no sound.

Suddenly, Torrin stopped with Lyris bumping into him.
“What? Why did you stop?” Lyris hissed, taking a step backwards.
“It feels weird again!” He hissed back, keeping his voice down. And sure enough, they both felt the eery, dreadful presence of something awful. The wind seemed to stop and the air felt much colder than before. No one made a sound, each straining their ears to hear something.

Nothing.


They continued cautiously onward, Torrin protectively in front of Lyris. They made no noise, even the soft crunch of leaves beneath their paws was much quieter than normal. After a while they came to the edge of a clearing. But to their surprise, they were not alone. Torrin stopped, looking up. What he and Lyris saw made them gasp.
There, in the other side of the clearing - rump facing them - was a large bay-colored dog. It had thin strips of white across it’s croup, reaching down to the tip of it’s long tail.
It wasn’t alone. Peeking over Torrin, Lyris could see that it had something or someone cornered. Eyes wide, they could hear it laughing creepily. It shifted positions ever-so slightly and they caught a glimpse of what it had cornered. A pup.
Lyris gave a small gasp and exchanged looks with Torrin. Looks that clearly said that they both knew it to be the lost pup from the pack.

Immediately Torrin jumped out into the clearing with Lyris following closely beside.
This alerted the dog. Turning and looking up at Torrin and Lyris, they now saw his long fangs and one eerily pink eye that was looking at them. Scars were scattered across his body and a rough patch of bare skin was visible on his upper shoulder, very old blood caked into it.
He had strange blue markings on his left forearm. Torrin gasped. Now he understood what this creature was. A Liulfr. Never in his life had he seen one, but he had heard terrible tales of the evil within them.
A smile spread wide across the Liulfr’s face. With eyes that looked and told pure evil, He turned to them. The pup whimpered behind him as he spoke,
“Ooohhh! I see we have some company.” High pitched and childish, he let out one of the strangest giggles ever. Torrin and Lyris stood there, trying to look as brave and unafraid as they could. It didn’t seem to make any impression on the large Liulfr, however.
Letting out another one of his evil giggles, he continued, “I knooww you’re scared. You don’t have to pretend, I can sense your fear.” Lyris gulped, from the start she could tell that this thing wasn’t one to mess with.
“But, ooh! I almost forgot to introduce myself.” He realized. His voice also had an air of childishness. As he spoke he would change the tone and pitch of his voice, giving him the air of someone who didn’t take anything seriously.
“My name is Jeager” He said with an over-dramatic bow. He started to turn but then stopped, remembering something.
“ Oh. It was nice meeting you, but now you are not worth my time.” With another giggle he turned his back on them. The young pup gave a loud yelp as Jeager reached down a roughly picked the pup up by her scruff, his long fangs obviously uncomfortable against her skin. He began to walk away, intending to find privacy.
Lyris began to leap forward but was held back by Torrin. He looked at her and his eyes clearly signaled to wait. He stepped forward, and his voice unwavering he said, “Put her down.”  
He stopped, turning an ear on them.
“I said, Put. Her. Down.” A growl escaped Torrin’s throat as he said it. He set her down but the pup was too scared to move and with his childish voice, Jeager turned his head to look at them and replied, “Mmm… Now why would I ever do that? I found her and dare I say I intend to keep her.” He paused. “Hmmhee hee! Finder’s keepers, looser’s weepers!” He concluded with his giggle.
Lyris growled. She stood just off to the side of Torrin with a intimidating glare on her face. She had never known herself to be brave or reckless but she was fully ready to lung and tear his face apart if he dared lay another claw on the pup. Torrin stood besides her and at Jeager’s last words, he too growled. Jeager turned once more to pick up the pup again as Torrin took a few steps to where Lyris stood and whispered, “I’m going to distract him. Be ready to grab the pup and run as soon as I say.” She nodded, signaling to him that she’d be ready. However, she had no intention of running from the fight.
Jeager bent down and grabbed the pup’s scruff carelessly, getting ready to pick her up.
But before he could do so, he heard a loud and harsh bark. He paused and looked up, but before he could focus on whoever made the sound something rammed into him, grabbing and nipping at his body.  Jeager gave a great leap away from whoever attacked him, yelping. Landing a few feet away, he quickly glanced up and saw Torrin now standing where he stood, getting ready to pounce again. Surprised, Jeager hissed, “Oohh. The worms have teeth.” This time Jeager lunged at Torrin. Teeth bared, his jaws closed down on Torrin’s forearm as he attempted to leap away.
Behind them, Lyris started walking slowly to where the pup stood frozen in fear.
Torrin let out a yelp as Jeager’s fangs sank deep into his arm. “Now!” He gasped, blood pouring down, being thrown to the side as Jeager rounded on him again. Lyris leaped, quickly striding to the pup. She halted, sliding to a stop with the pup at her paws. Reaching down, she picked the pup up gently and then gave a sharp turn, leaping away. She could feel the pup tremble and shake within her grasp as she ran, the hard earth beneath her paws tearing at them. Behind her she heard more yelping, this time coming from Jeager.
Now at the opposite edge of the clearing, she stopped and gently set the pup down.
“Stay here, quietly. You’ll be safe and he won’t hurt you.” She said to the frightened pup with the gentleness of a mother. She then lifted her head and looked around to where the pair was fighting, just in time to see Jeager lunge at the bleeding Torrin. Torrin jumped away to avoid him but he wasn’t quick enough, Jeager’s powerful jaws grabbed just beyond Torrin’s shoulders. Jeager, with as much force as he could bear, spun ferociously and sent Torrin flying five feet away, landing on the ground with a thud, where he lay without moving.
Gasping, Lyris’s heart sunk. Everything wen’t quiet. She couldn’t breath, All the air seemed to have left her lungs. She stared at the unconscious and bleeding form of her love on the ground.
Jeager stood there, laughing a maniacal laugh that Lyris had not ever heard before. He too was covered in blood, but Lyris could not tell how much of it was actually his. Long, deep-looking slashes were across the bare patch on his shoulder, as well as what looked like
bite-wounds on his forearm.
Jeager began walking towards the limp form of Torrin, with an insane grin spread across his face. Lyris ran, hackles raised, filled with rage and the fierce desire to protect. She lunged into Jeager’s side, biting deeply into the top of his neck. Jeager’s grin disappeared as he toppled to the grown, forgetting that there had been another possible threat in the clearing. Jeager didn’t stay grounded for long. Lyris leaped back, narrowly missing Jeager’s vengeful teeth as he attempted to reach for her neck. Hackles raised, they each lunged at each one another. Now on their hind legs, the wrestled. Shaking each other around, and touching ground just to be back on their hind legs again a moment later. Jeager’s mouth found Lyris’s head and he gripped it hard, shaking her ferociously and then sending her to the ground.
Laying on the ground with Jeager standing, laughing wickedly above her, she realized just how much her muscles ached. They were white hot and she already felt week and tired. Warm stuff poured down her face and muzzle, as well as from some minor scratches on her legs. She realized it to be blood. It felt good just to lay down, to rest. She groaned with pain and remembered the threat standing above her. It’s not over yet she thought.
“Poor little one.” He teased in a baby voice, convinced that she was down for good. “Tried so hard to beat big monster, but failed. Hahaha!” Laughing, he continued, “Just close your eyes. It will be over soon, anyway. Might as well make it easier for me. Heehe-!” He stopped in mid laugh as Lyris sat up and grabbed his neck so quickly that he had no time to prepare. She stood up quickly and pushed him to the ground. Standing over him, full of rage, with teeth bared, she growled. Startled at first, he lay there, with Lyris standing angrily over him, just laughing. “Worm has many teeth!” He cackled. “You could do it, you know. Kill me. Be done with me for good. It is easy, really.” He said with a shuddering inhale. She stood above him, breathing heavily and puzzled at why he wasn’t fighting her grip. Still filled with rage, she began to bite down on his neck. He gasped again.
“But careful, dearie. Taste the blood of a fallen and it’ll change you.” He smiled his wicked grin, then he began to chant, “Do it. Do it. Do it! Do it!” She felt her teeth sink deeper, rage in her eyes, and almost smiling herself at what she was about to do.
“Do it! Do it! Be a killer. Be the killer that’s inside of you. Kill.” He hissed. Her eyes widened with terror. Full fear and realization at what she was about to do hit her. Full realization at the cost of it became clear. She leaped back, releasing her grip on the Liulfr. Panting and close to tears, she stood back as Jeager stood up and shook the blood off of his coat. “
“I- I…”
“You’re week.” Jeager hissed. “You couldn’t do it.” He began to laugh once more, high and shrill.
“I- I’m not a killer.” Lyris said quietly, more to herself than anyone, but Jeager replied, regardless. “You could be. Anyone’s heart can be corrupted. Anyone can kill.” He gasped, clearly in pain. “Once you tast the blood of your fallen opponent there’s no going back. Your heart will turn black. You’ll become as dark as the one you killed.”
Lyris gasped and whimpered. She stood there for several moments, staring at the ground and trying to regather herself up.
“Go. Leave, now.” She was finally able to say. Fear was still etched in her voice and her throat was dry, her words came out strained.
“As you wish, killer.” He obliged. She won the fight, he knew that. He was in a sorry and painful state and he knew that it would be best to live and fight another day. He turned and limped away, cackling evilly as he did so.


She stood there for moments longer. Several quiet tears escaped her eyes, falling into the mix of wet and dry blood. “TORRIN!” With a gasp, she remembered that Torrin still lay behind her. She turned around quickly, rushing to his side. She could now see his wounds clearly. Puncture wounds were deep into his shoulders, several other slashes scattered across his neck and face, and two on his rump. She fell to his side, unsure of whether he was just unconscious or not, she whispering hurriedly for him.
“Torrin! Torrin, please get up!” Tears fell freely down her face now. She nudged him with her nose, urging him to get up. Everything was quiet now. The soft night breeze had returned and you could hear the branches sway back and fourth from above. It was no longer cold and the sense of dread and threat was now gone from the air.
“Come on, Torrin! Please.” She sobbed. Torrin slowly opened his eyes and groaned.
“Torrin!” Lyris shouted, happiness evident in her voice. “You’re okay! You’re okay! Thank goodness!”
Torrin smiled and sat up as best he could, wincing at the pain that filled his body. His eyes widened with horror as the full amount of blood that covered Lyris came into clearer focus.
“You’re hurt!” He exclaimed, his voice hoarse and dry. “I told you to run! Now you’re hurt!” He was visibly worried but Lyris just shrugged it off. “I know, I know! But you were hurt! He was going to kill you! I couldn’t leave!” She struggled to explain, ignoring the ever-present pain in her wounds. “I- I’m okay. Really!” She told him.
He let out a small sigh of relief, although not completely convinced. Just then, he remembered about Jeager. “WHERE IS HE?!” He shouted, quickly sitting up, intending to fight again if necessary. He let out a pained yelp as Lyris explained what happened.
She told him how she got the pup to safety and how after she saw him thrown to the ground she turned around to fight, how he beat her to the ground but she got up again. All of this was done in a long-winded, fully detailed explanation, of course.
“A- And, Torrin!” She finally came to the part where she had almost killed him. “I- I almost killed him. I was ready to, bu- but then I- I realized what was h-happening and I couldn’t do it!” She sobbed. Torrin listened with a sad expression on his face.
“He said that- that once someone kills than their heart turns black, an- and -“ She stuttered, wincing as if she expected Torrin to yell or be angry at her. “I didn’t mean to! I w-was just so angry!” She was now crying freely and loudly.
In the softest voice Torrin could manage, he spoke, “Hey, hey, hey! It’s okay! Lyris, it’s okay.” As she cried silently, Torrin sat up fully now and leaned into her, calming her down. She stopped crying at this, but her face was still wet with many fallen tears. “It’s okay.” Torrin whispered once more. “You’re not a killer, I know that.” He continued, and as if he knew the exact fear going through Lyris’s mind at that moment, he looked into her eyes and said “I know you would never hurt me intentionally. It’ll be okay. I promise.”

After a few moments she started to feel better. She smiled slightly, but as Torrin inhaled sharply she remembered his wounds. Her own had started to burn and sting themselves, so she stood up and suggested, “We should get the pup home, I know that’s she’s probably very missed right now. We can hopeful get our wounds checked out too.”
Torrin nodded in reply, and stood up too.
Together they walked across the clearing to where the pup lay with eyes tightly shut and whimpering. “Hey, Hey. It’s okay little one.” Said Torrin gently. The pup looked up at the two wound Rifles with fear in her eyes. “I’m scared! He-He’s gunna get me!” She cried.
“It’s okay, He’s gone. He can’t hurt you anymore.” Lyris explained, with a soft and soothing voice. “He can’t?” She asked, unsure. “We promise. Come now, let’s get you home.” They said with a smile. The pup appeared to be unharmed for the most part, and she stood up. The pup stayed close to Lyris and together they started their journey back.
It was now near dawn and birds had started to twitter back and fourth as they gathered breakfast. Instead of the eery cold and dread that had been thick in the air just earlier that day, it was warm and a warm breeze ruffled up their fur. Everyone felt safe during their walk back and they all knew that it was going to be okay, even Lyris.
With the little pup’s spirits returned she now walked a little way ahead. Lyris inhaled sharply, the pain in her face and legs spiking slightly, “You okay?” Torrin asked, with concern in his face ad he looked at her. “Y-yes. I’ll be fine.” She smiled in reply. Convinced, Torrin smiled and said, “That was a Liulfr, A shield wolf. You beat him. That isn’t an easy thing to do, but you did. I’m so proud of you.” He told her with adoration. “T-thank you.” She said with a smile, and then added, “But if it weren’t for you distracting him I wouldn’t have been able to get her to safety.” She motioned to the happy pup infront of them.

They walked on. And although in pain, Lyris and Torrin felt strangely happy and satisfied the whole way. They soon came to where the pack was making camp. The pup’s father happened to be the Alpha and in gratitude for his daughter’s life he made sure that their wounds were properly tended to and even offered them a place in his pack. They excepted and quickly came to realize that this pack was kind and fair to them, and for once, they finally felt more at home than they had in a long time.

The end.