Dododex
ARK: Survival Evolved & Ascended Companion
Tips & Strategies
The Blood War
Chapter eleven
“Did you SEE what I did?” Bone cried without looking over to that which he spoke to. He was dreamwalking, standing at the edge of the wolves’ camp and watching the young coywolf as she spoke to two, elegant white wolves. Their words, whatever they were discussing, were slurred and muddled, as they always were when he dreamwalked.
“I did,” came the reply, carried on a patient, soft voice with immense elegance. He sighed, turning his head to look at the white wolf, paws dusted by starlight and mist, that stood behind him, her olive-green eyes full of compassion. “And I know that it wasn’t you who did it. It never is, Bone. You’re a monster at heart, sure. Anyone who has to live forever is. But aren’t we all, truly monsters at heart?”
He looked away again, down at his paws as they scuffed the dirt. “You aren’t, Journey. You are not a monster at heart, because you’re still willing to talk to me after all that I do.”
A cold, wet nose laid over the back of his ear, and he twitched, swiveling his head around to look at her again. “I’ve seen you murder,” she said softly, her tail swishing against her hind legs. “I’ve watched you massacre innocent wolves simply for the temporary taste of blood. But I have also seen your compassion.”She padded over, brushing herself against his currently-intact fur. “Your heart, beneath those layers of pain, and suffering, and death, is active and alive.”
He looked back to the coywolf, shaking her head wearily as she tried to sit back on her haunches, halted by the pain which he had inflicted upon her.
“Do you remember when we met,” Journey said, sitting beside him and watching the pack with a warm glow to her eyes, “and you told me that the world works things out in funny ways? Your name was Bone, and look at you. My name was Journey, and look at the journey I had to take. Do you know the name of this coywolf?”
Bone took a deep, slow breath, breath rattling in is chest. “Her name is Outlander,” Journey went on, her voice gentle. “An outcast to her own pack. She can’t fit in anywhere; not in the coyote pack, and now, not in this wolf pack. Unsure of what to do, but she wants so desperately to find a place where she belongs.
“Like you.” Journey looked back to him, and he met her eyes this time, trying not to wince beneath her words. “You fit in nowhere,” she continued, shaking her head slowly. “But look back at generations of those with The Gift. Did they ever fit in, either? No; because nothing great ever comes from ordinary.”
She leaned forward and put her forehead against his. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, a clamor of thoughts filling his head. “So don’t be ordinary, Bone. Don’t even wish for it. For the longest time, you’ve been the trampled plant beneath the feet of others’ success, hoping that you’ll finally decay and leave the world. But perhaps this is a time for change; an opportunity for new buds to spread.”
Journey pulled away from him, turning and beginning to pad into the forest. She paused, glancing over her shoulder. “So don’t try and decay, Bone.” He blinked slowly, shifting his tail slowly over the dirt.
“Bloom.”
- President Loki
More Green Coloring Tips
Why the he'll is there an entire book written out in the tips???
Use this it’s the best color in the game. Armor,doors you name it
to the person who needed help: make sure you’re using the correct number of berries AND charcoal. put only 9 amar, 9 azul and 2 charcoal (or multiply everything by the amount you want) and this will yield x5 green dye. ☺️
This is the best coloring use it now
The Blood War
Chapter Two
Outlander chased an elk through an open plain, free and alone. Just as it reached a ridge that cut off its escape path, the hunted turned on its hunter suddenly. The flat teeth of a plant-eater grew sharp, the eyes peircingly blue and almost dead. The elk's skin began to sag and droop from its body, tearing away in places, revealing dry bones underneath. There was a cry somewhere in the distance, the cry of a coyote, but the elk was advancing too quickly for Outlander to take her attention off of it. Just as it loomed over her, lowering its head to gore her with its antlers, she was snatched awake by the burning sensation of fur being ripped from her neck.
"Up, Omega!" snarled a gruff voice. Outlander's eyes were hazed with the delusion of half-sleep. She blinked hard, trying to clear the image of the blurred figures in front of her. "Yes, yes," chimed an enthusiastic second voice, "Up, half-breed!" The second figure, a wolf the color of dry mud, was much scrawnier and less impressive than the first.
Rat, she thought. That's what she called the former omega, since he looked unatural, like a rat trapped in a wolf's body. The only reason Outlander was forced to take the foal-like wolf's position at the end of the pack was because he was all wolf. No disgraceful coyote blood to taint him.
"I said up!" he screamed. He lunged at her, gripping a large chunk of her honey-red pelt and ripping it from her body as he snatched his head away. Outlander's skin screamed at her silently and through the searing pain she could feel the immistakable tickling sensation of blood gliding through her fur, but she bit her tongue, not willing to give the sadistic wolf the satisfaction he so desired.
The other wolf, Ashsky, the pack beta female, only stood and watched emotionlessly, her smoke gray pelt making her a shadow in the dim light of the den. Determined to prove his might to the respected wolf, Rat placed a paw on Outlander's head and shoved it into the ground mercilessly. The weakling was the same size as Outlander, and much less able-bodied, but she was an omega, and that meant she had to remain powerless, unless she wanted her throat torn out. In a coyote pack, power determined your rank; here, it was all about breeding and tradition.
Her throat was pressed against the ground hard enough that it became a struggle to breathe. Seeing the coywolf's frantic scrambling, Ashsky barked. "Enough," she said, calmly and evenly. Rat sneered and let Outlander up slowly. The coywolf gasped for air a moment and bristled, but kept her head low and her tail between her legs, as an omega was meant to.
Just try that again, she thought, when no one else is around, Rat.
"Come now," Ashsky said to Outlander. "We're going on a hunt, and I need you as a spook wolf to seperate the herd."
Outlander looked up, and whether it was exauhstion or pain, when she looked up at the beta, she saw blue, half-dead eyes staring at her from a body of bones, losely held together by skin. Her heart fluttered and she blinked hard again, seeing nothing but a confused gray wolf staring back at her.
"I'm coming," she muttered, padding out of the den in a dazed state.
~CL1
The Blood War
Chapter one
Sunlight laced itself through the wisps of white cloud in the sky, the broad blue expanse high above the treetops looming wide and welcoming. A cloud of dust whirled upward from Bone’s feet as he walked, sockets grinding together as he pressed weight onto his unprotected bones that he walked upon.
“Hungry again,” he rumbled to himself in a deep voice, no more worn than it had been six years ago. Or fifty. Or four hundred. “Nothing I can do about it. Unrepentant rats…” he spoke the last part in a menacing tone, swinging his head around to stare piercingly back the way he had come. Behind him, over the broad stretch of dusty, rocky desert which reminded him of his time with Journey, lay a low inward dip, trees and earth cascading into itself to form a protected valley, where a wolf pack had settled. Apparently ungrateful to have a connection with their ancestors, they had forced him to leave their territory.
He paused his walk as he reached the shade of a twisted, scraggly tree, inhaling sharply, causing air to whip into the hollow cavern of his skull and tasting the scents that danced upon his tongue. “Time to find a new forest,” he said in fake elatedness, jaw clicking and sending a tremor through his rib cage. “Or maybe…” As he turned to look back the way he came, he let out a gentle huff. “Flesh of my flesh, ripped from my bones,” he breathed to himself. An image of the small coyote he had found a long while ago wavered into his mind. “That was a… nice place. And not… too far from here.”
Bone spun in a slow circle, thinking. “There was a wolf pack nearby. Hm, hm, yes, a wolf pack nearby. And that coyote pack…” The involuntary motion of drawing his tongue across his upper lip escaped him at the thought. “Flesh and torn body. Hmm.”
With a swish of his battered tail, he turned and set off at a quick lope in the direction of the forest his mind had dare remind him of. In the direction of wolves who appreciated him; or, at least, pretended to. In the direction of a coyote pack he had stalked nearly two years prior.
In the direction of blood and flesh.
- President Loki
The Blood War
(A collaboration between President Loki and CL1)
Prologue
Two years ago…
Scavenger ducked beneath a trailing fern, giving a shake of her tail as it raked through her dust-brown pelt, parting the hairs and tickling her skin underneath. She could feel something odd in the air; something disturbed the forest around her, and she wanted to find out what.
The snap of a branch echoed through the surrounding trees and she froze, large ears rotating as she took in the sounds around her. Her sharp, dark eyes studied her surroundings, searching out what had broken the branch.
A chill entered the air, and she shivered, causing her shoulders to quake. Pivoting in a slow circle, she scanned the dark trees around her, praying all of this was in her head. Until she turned the last portion of her pivot and found herself staring into two eyes, hidden in the shadows.
Pale blue reflected her face, staring at the creature that watched her. As she stared, the thing stepped out; a wolf.
Her stomach twisted, first at the fact that a wolf was in her pack’s territory; they were hostile to coyotes, and everyone knew that. But the second twist came in pure fear, as she saw what this wolf looked like.
Dusky, gray-brown fur stretched over the front of his face, ending at his upper lip. Black pigment covered his nose, but his lower jaw was smooth and white; his skeleton somehow showing through. His ears, the tips tattered over time, angled backwards as he stared at her with menacing eyes. The backside of his neck was covered with fur and skin, whereas the front half was open to the air, curved white bone and vertebrae visible on the inside. His shoulders and chest were hidden by dark fur, extending down almost to his paws, where the skin faltered and gave way to washed-out bone. From what she could see, his tail and flanks were intact, while the rest of his hind legs were bone, except for his paws, and his stomach was open to the air in the same way of his throat.
A low, rasping rumble escaped his jaws, and they opened to reveal the inside was hollow, except for a tongue which was attached to nothing. Sharp teeth, curving partially outward and pointing towards her, lined his jaw.
Scavenger staggered backwards, heart pounding in her chest and rising into her throat. She wanted to scream for help, to howl for her pack-mates, but she couldn’t choke out a sound.
The skeleton-wolf advanced, jaws widening until she could see down into his open throat. He bore down on her, looming over her with jaws close to her face. And then his teeth closed around her and the world went dark.
Why is the boarder color literally N E O N
Good on ghilli armor
Looks awesome
The Blood War
Outlander's Epilogue
"Mother?"
Outlander's eyes fluttered open to the two large faces in front of her. Her daughter stepped forward, holding a small bird in her jaws. She set it down in front of Outlander. "Mother, please. Eat," she said quietly. Outlander let out a rasping sigh. "Robin, you and I both know I won't be able to keep that down," she grumbled. Age hadn't slowed the coywolf down, but the sickness that had been ravaging her body for the past week was making her frail. Still, she had made it past the bar her mother had set. Her children were almost young adults, and already fine hunters. She had watched them play, and fight, and hunt, and grow. They might have gone to find a pack if Outlander's condition hadn't kept them behind.
Robin looked at her brother, obviously hoping he could convince Outlander to eat. "Please," he sighed, "Just try, at least. You haven't eaten in days."
Outlander eyed her son for a moment. He had the same red coat as she and Robin had, but it was interrupted by breaks of grey, a gift from a wolf father.
The white spots resembled places where skeleton peeked through the fur. She had named him Bonepatch immediately as an homage to her greatest friend. His personality didn't fit with that of his namesake. He was timid and avoided conflict at any cost, but sitting here with sadness in his eyes, Outlander could see a resemblance.
She looked at the both of them and gave a smile. "Go. Find a home, a pack if you must. But promise me something."
Robin and Bonepatch exchanged a glance, understanding their mother was giving them her final wishes. "Stay together," she said, strugglung to hold on to the smile as she thought back to Scavenger. "Always be there for each other. Protect each other. Promise me?"
They nodded slowly, to which Outlander nodded in response before going into a coughing fit. She laid her head back on the ground and Robin padded over to lay at her side, setting her head on top of Outlander's. "We can't leave you here," Bonepatch murmered, staring at the ground. "We can't leave you alone."
An unexpected laugh broke from Outlander's lungs. "Look at me," she said. He raised his head, and she looked him directly in the eye, like she did when she wanted her children to remember something. "I won't be alone." Bonepatch nodded slowly. Outlander continued: "I've taught you both everything I can, but I haven't taught you everything there is. You will have to find your own way, and-"
"Bloom," Robin and Bonepatch finished in unison. Outlander smiled, "So you were listening to all my lectures?" There was another coughing fit, this one leading to blood. "Now," she said, "I have one more request. I will try to eat, but I want a rabbit." Robin looked to Bonepatch and he padded off with a nod. Outlander sighed again, looking at her daughter, "Both of you."
Robin's ears dropped.
"Please," Outlander continued, "I don't want you to see this." Robin stood slowly, touching her nose to her mother's. "Goodbye," she choked, backing away. "Not goodbye," Outlander corrected. "We'll see each other again. And then you'll see all those stories I told you and your brother about my monster guardian were true." She smiled as Robin turned and padded of with tears streaming down her face. "I love you both," she called after Robin, "And remember, you're never alone!"
Outlander's eyes flew open. The pain raging in her lungs had vanished, and body, young and undamaged once again, was covered in starlight. Her third and final trip to the Forever Grounds. Phantom wolves and coyotes appeared from the trees, grouping before her. "Outlander, of the coywolves," spoke one of the wolves in lead. "Welcome to the Forever Grounds." From behind him stepped two figures: Outlander's mother and Scavenger.
"Welcome, to your new pack," Scavenger said with a smile. "No omegas, no alphas. Just packmates. You belong here, and now its finally your turn to join us." Outlander recognized a few of the faces. There was Phantasm, and Winks, and even some of her old coyote packmates. The pack turned, making its way deeper into the forest. Scavenger dashed after them and Outlander's mother stood, motioning for her to follow them before disappearing through the trees. Outlander took one last look behind her, where the living world faded away. Though they would hurt, she had every confidence her chidren would thrive. As she turned back to the astral forest, a dark grey wolf appeared before her, his peircing blue eyes filled with both the sadness of seeing another dead friend and the relief that her suffering had finally come to an end. She gave him a smile, "Thank you for your guidance and protection, old friend."
He gave a smile back. "Welcome home."