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 Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:08 am
Tiah spoke out softly and stopped in place, lacing her front paws along one another as she sat down for a moment.
“But Tiah- why can’t I come with you? I know you will be alright- but…”
The slightly skittish female replied with a soft whimper and drawn back ears.
“Ausi, no. You have to stay. I will come back soon, I promise.”
She interrupted and frowned.
“Tiah... but what if he is out there? I can’t defend myself against him!”
Ausi winded softly and lowered her head some; her body quivering from her nervousness.
“Ausi, he will not attack you, I have told you this a million times before. He is a stalker, not a fighter. I do not think he would attack the one thing he is obsessing over, no- that would be silly- now off with you before I attack you myself.”
Tiah warned with a soft snarl, trying to get her point across. Though she wouldn’t really harm her friend… she would make sure that what she wanted was made clear, even if that meant taking a nibble at Ausi’s front paws.
“Mmmm. I will come looking for you if you do not return tonight.”
Ausi frowned in return before slowly backing herself away from Tiah, until she was fully turned and moving in the opposite direction, back to where they came from, back to the river.
“Alright.”
With that said the female slowly pulled herself back to her paws and with a dull sigh slowly started on her way again. She was moving in no real direction now, in fact she really didn’t know where she was going. She just wanted to be alone. As much as she enjoyed Ausi’s company... the other female was so clingy and Tiah just couldn’t take it some times, so she left for a night to herself, a night or relaxation and peace... away from her newest friend.
Her lean frame swayed from side to side as she stood still and gazed out at the woods around her, as if listening to the passing wind’s conversations she let her ears perk up in interest. They all sounded wonderful to her and made her fur bristle in delight- the sounds of the night siren’s songs as the dead leafs from under her paws stirred and danced around her with glee. Her muzzle wrinkled softly as the scars upon her fur itched, she despised this feeling so- This meant she would have to paw at them and she hated doing that. They would bleed when she did that.
Her wounds had yet to fully heal, but it had only been a hand full of weeks... that she had been free... she often forgot this. She wanted to forget this; she hated thinking about it, thinking about what happened back then. Her past was off limits, to her and anyone else she knew. She truly wished to forget it though she knew, inside she never would. She could cover up her scars... but they would never fade.
Her ample green orbs narrowed as she slowly brushed the thought aside and itched at her nose once, before wiggling her body from side to side. Maybe if she kept moving her feelings would change. Maybe.
Slowly the female walked, moving deeper and deeper into the woods, allowing herself to relax more and more with each step. This was a foolish thing to do... she knew, but right now she didn’t really seem to care. Right now she didn’t.
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Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 12:18 pm
His long fur almost covered his thin limbs as he found a relatively cosy spot in the lee of some large, wind scoured rock in a small break in this dense forest. He was built for colder climes - his fur thicker than usual, his frame smaller - and so he didn't mind the cool evening air. It smelled refreshing, cool, on the cusp of spring. Kalain loved the spring. To him it was a magic time of rebirth and renewal - the land, like all those who lived within it, must go through the cycle of birth, death, birth again. It was comforting to think that even the soil on which he walked was ruled by the same contants as he himself was.
His head rested forward on his paws, his eyes rolled up to look at the first few stars which peeked down on him from the heavens even thought the sky was still glowing red and yellow at the horizon. He often found himself trying to make sense of their dance across the sky but it was beyond him. His mother had once told him the stars were eyes of his ancestors - staring down over him to make sure he behaved himself. If that was true some were blind and some were many eyed monsters. He grinned to himself, wondering at the tales mothers made up to keep their pups in line.
Mothers had fascinated him too, for some time now. His intitiation into the beliefs, the ways of the world, had shown him the preciousness of these individuals. They had the power to grant new life - a male could not do that he could only share in it. His interest in it, his fascination, and his annoyingly androgenous looks had gotten him some nasty and misunderstanding comments at times.
It wasn't his fault he had a particularly feminine frame, nor that his scent was not particularly strongly masculine. He also couldn't help his light frame and thick fur which covered up all parts which might also otherwise give him away. When he spoke his warm, calm, melodious voice seemed to be ambiguous too. It could have been a warm, rich female voice or a soft male one. Kalain had not enjoyed the teasing this brought one bit. It was not until after he was trained, until after he learned, that he found that this look could be put to good use.
He found he was easier trusted by females, that males would sometimes tell him things they could not to most other males. He was something which seemed outwith the usual hierarchy of male and female. When he had taken a mate his pack had almost been scandalised at it. They had, it seemed, mostly thought his predelictions lay another way.
Ahhhis mind had wandered back there, to that painful place again. His mate, his old pack, his family. His violet eyes became mournful and he closed them with a brief, soft sigh. When eh opened them again the look had gone replaced by an almost desperate composure. He was trying to forget and yet he knew he must remember. If he did not remember he could not redeem himself.
It was at this point when he became aware that the quiet area in which he lay was quiet no longer. Someone was here. He could not tell male nor female from this distance, nor much else since this other was mostly blocked by the trees. The slight male got to his feet and padded forward. He was not always forward about meeting others he came across, often prefferring to slip by if they did not seem to need some help or company, but something tingled in him. Something odd about this one. Something different? He shrugged it off and approached slowly, putting himself in the most obvious spot he could.
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Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 1:15 pm
Slowly the orange and cream colored she wolf stopped again and let a soft yawn pass her now slightly parted muzzle. She was tired from the walking and the talking and the self-centered thoughts that ran across her mind, replaying over and over as she spent more time alone within this place, this wooded area of earth and stone, leaf and grass. This place, this sent... the scents of this wood, this forest... they all reminded her of the past, back when she was younger, smarter and happier.
Back then she was so free, back then she had a place to call home. She had a mate, a male that she trusted completely and often pondered starting a life with, back then she was so selfish and careless- maybe that’s why she was so trusting when they came... maybe that’s why, back when the humans came she followed- because she trusted them... because her mate trusted them and promised her that they would be alright. He promised her so much and in the end it all fell through and she was left alone, battered and deprived.
Because of this she didn’t trust herself or anything else around her. She often found herself eyeing the ground as she walked on, wondering if it too would let out from within under her and disappear... like everything else had. She had every right to be this way, she thought to herself as she padded onward again, aimlessly, desperately looking for a way out... an escape.
She wanted something to save her, to find her... keep her close and tell her she would be alright, though she already knew her fate... she knew what would become of her life, her being many years from now. Tiah knew very well what the future held, back then she didn’t know how to control her powers but now- after everything that had happened to her... she had mastered it... mastered the gift of foresight. She had become obsessed with this power she was given and for the longest time wanted nothing more then to have known it all. She lusted for information and knowledge, power within the mind, control over what she knew and how she used this information.
But, that time had passed and now she was nothing of the like- now she hide her gift from the world and walked a life of solitude and despair, never fully trusting anyone or thing, never fully trusting herself. Her tail tucked behind her back legs as she slowly drew herself to another stop, sniffing the air around her.
Her eyes narrowed softly as the scent of another passed her nose and caused it to wrinkle in wonder. She was so sure she knew this smell... from a dream perhaps- a vision... it seemed too familiar to her... but how? With a soft snort the female slowly crept her way out from behind a tree and gazed around the cluttered forest. At first she saw nothing, at first it all seemed the same, a dull repetition of color and shape but as she let her green eyes settle a soft hint of gray crossed her line of vision, mixed with darkness, a black tone.
She didn’t recognize this form, no... the colors were not the same but something kept her still, something kept her there and for the longest time she simply stood, dumb-struck and silent, gazing at the new form before her with bright green eyes, full of nothing but a bottomless pit of color and pigment.
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Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:20 pm
Kalain studied the form of the one who stood in front of hom, close enough now to see the details. He could tell now that it was a female. Her pelt was a rich, vibrant tone but not extraordinary - almost the tone of a fox, he thought. Cream patches here and there, scars all over. He wondered for a moment at those scars, at the pain she might have. He eyes, though. Those eyes... There was something familiar in them, but also something deeply disturbing which he could not put his finger on. He was not worried by this, more intrigued and continued to look at this strange female who sent odd shivers up his spine.
Kalain had come across other shamans. Well only one - his master - but he had not come across a seer before. Not in the flesh, anyway. He had been told of them, more than the fairy tales that mothers spun and old wolves whispered of, but a more detailed note from his master who said he had met with such wolves and amongst whom he had told Kalain he felt a kinship or brotherhood. He had told Kalain that he might not know them by sight as they often looked as any other wolf did, but that he might sense something different in them like that which he sensed in himself. It was this which gave Kalain an inkling of the kind of wolf he might be standing in front of.
Curiosity piqued, the pale wolf opened his dark muzzle, speaking quietly. "I am Kalain, a watcher of the great cycle" he said formally, wondering if she was one of the order and using the title just in case.His voice was soft, melodious almost, his intonation akin to that of a priest. His name, as he said it, sounded like "Kai-ann". His bright, purple eyes watched her closely trying to distinguish what it was which was niggling at him and making her seem out of the ordinary.
Perhaps they had known each other in another cycle? It certainly was not unknown for lives and meetings to repeat themselves over and again in the cycles if what he had been taught was to be believed. That was part of the more philisophical ponderings, though, which was not really his interest. He had studied them some, to be sure, but he was perhaps less interested in them than those wolves who had not the powers to go along with their devotions.
It seemed to him there must be something here, that there must be some reason for them to meet. It seemed doubly so, now that he considered it, that when the moon finally rose it would be a full moon. When the moon was round and full it was said to be an omen of strong fortunes - whether good or bad it left that judgement for those it affected to decide. Despite being rather practical in most instances, Kalain was not above a bit of good old fashioned superstition.
His ears pricked forward, eyes alert he was the very picture of curiosity.
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Posted: Tue Mar 13, 2007 7:01 pm
“Kalain, Kalain.”
The female repeated his name two times, as if to get the pronunciation of it down perfectly. He looked so strange to her, his coat and body structure… they were very different from her own. He was tiny in frame and his fur lay limply over his body, like an over-coat of sorts- and Tiah, well Tiah was also very tiny in frame but her fur was nothing like his. She had a very thin coat, covered in scars and scabs. She didn’t look graceful at all, but her movements were elegant and well thought out.
As he spoke her eyes softly settled upon his and for the longest time she simply looked at him with an emotionless gaze. She was studying him and his movements… tone and posture. Everything about him that she could judge… she would and was at this very moment. He was different some how and because she couldn’t quite figure out why she stood in slight anger, looking for the reason to his unnatural scent and unique appearance.
What was he?
“Tiah.”
She finally spoke out-slowly, her tone laced with an almost sad regret for the words she was speaking… for giving her name so willingly.
“I am Tiah, and I hold no title. I simply am.”
As she spoke she moved herself a bit closer to him, and though she understood the rules of distance and safety… she never followed them and within seconds was standing just a few feet away from him. Her green eyes shimmered as she gazed at him again, still looking for something within his gaze, some kind of answer to her many questions she held within her head.
“Do you hail from this forest- or are you just passing by?”
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Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:33 am
As the female watched him Kalain watched her in turn. Despite her scarred and slightly ragged appearance she walked with a calmness and surety he'd not seen in many others. Tiah of no title was she? So she was not a sister of his. Not now, anyway. Perhaps he'd have to introduce her to that... perhaps if he had time and she had the inclination. He would never have forced his views on anyone but he relished any oppertunity to pass them on to those who wished instruction.
As she moved closer he smiled. He was a reserved wolf but also found that often the rules of engagements, of distance, of normal behavior did not apply to him - especially when he was conducting himself with his powers. Helping the sick or weak, aiding a birth. He was allowed a closer view on many areas of a wolves life which they might not allow others close for.
He could see closer now those scars and tears to her flesh, great rips which seared through her fur. He wondered if, perhaps, her heart was as scarred as her pelt. He had often found that external injuries seemed to leave invisible scars on that large pumping organ and caused it to twinge painfully even after the wounds had healed.
"I come from the north" he said, thinking back on his journey. He had walked this way and that, moving back along his own trails at times, but his view of the stars and moon showed he had come south - he could see some which had lay too low on the horizon to see when he had left home. It had been a long journey indeed. "I am passing through these forest, though slowly." He was not the type to ask if he was allowed through someone else's territory. He had never been chased out of any and usually made his way at a comfortable pace - not worrying much about such things.
"Are these lands your home?" he asked in return, curious about this enigmatic she-wolf who stod before him.
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Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:13 pm
“I stay beside the river, with other wolves, a pack of wolves. The female alpha took me in not too long ago, so I stay close to her side, by the river.”
Tiah spoke out openly, seeing no real harm in explaining herself to the new male. Kalain seemed well enough and he wasn’t giving her any reason not to trust him- yet. She wouldn’t give him full trust; this was something she simply could not do. Even if they had known each other for many years Tiah wouldn’t fully trust him, she wouldn’t trust anyone. She didn’t have any reason to trust, not anymore.
“The north?”
She questioned him after he spoke about his travels. Something about this made her ears perk in wonder and delight. She had always wanted to travel but was far too skittish to do so.
“You must be tired, are you tired? - I would be tired.”
Tiah was trying not to seem too needy, but inside she was. She longed for a good conversation and vent. Kalain had come at a back time; Tiah was so fickle.
“Forgive me... I sometimes forget to hold my tongue; I never learned any manners... or so I have been told.”
She smirked as the scars upon her muzzle wrinkled.
“This place... I can call this place my home but in all reality it isn’t. This is a home to many but it isn’t my home. I have no home. I stay here simply for protection and company but the title of home will not be given to this wood and river. I do not feel comfortable here, so this can not be my home.”
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Posted: Thu Mar 15, 2007 11:22 pm
He smiled a little as her barrage of questions came at him. She seemed lively, willing to talk but he wondered if there was something behind it. Shrugging the feeling off he let her talk before trying to answer all of the questions and statements she had posed to him.
"The far north, yes. Several cycles of the moon I've been travelling, a little each day. Not fast, though. I am tired, but only the sort of tiredness brought on by a days walking." his eyes twinkled as he spoke with her, strangely glad of the company despite not imagining he could be. It ha been a while since a smile had found him and it caught him somewhat by surprise.
"Don't worry, I've been told I have few manners myself" he said, his smile turning into a grin. He had, when he was younger, been told such a thing. As he grew, though, others stopped saying things to him and started saying them behind his back, in whispers. It was all part of being what he was and he accepted it.
A home but not her home. She, like himself, must have moved away from that original home. No wonder he thought, his eyebrows creasing down a little, if she got those scars in that place. He wondered if a wolf so scarred by another at their home could ever find a place they felt safe in again. But that was him putting his own situation onto her somewhat and making assumptions.
"Home is where you make it, I have often been told. I have none of my own now though, either" his voice was measured, controlled, as if it needed to be restrained. "Why did you settle here, Tiah, if it is not comfortable for you?" he asked, hoping to stave back his own memories.
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 9:00 pm
“Because I am needed here and I need a place to stay.”
She spoke with a soft nod.
“Though I do not feel at one with this place, the pack that I am staying with- for the time being... needs me. So I stay by the river, with them, all of them.”
As she let her tone die her ears slowly pulled back in a slight hesitation. She was looking for the right words to say, searching for something to help her explain herself better to him but nothing seemed to come out. She couldn’t form the right words for this; she couldn’t find the right thing to say.
“I made a home a long time ago and that home is now gone, so until I find my place again, I am homeless and free.”
Her green orbs softly narrowed as she gazed upon him once more with interest. She was flirting with the idea of leaving this place to see the north now; travels seemed like so much fun. It was a pity fun never came to her.
“You should rest for a while here then, until your body is no longer tired. Walking can be stressful, if you stay I could keep you company.”
Tiah nodded as she spoke, rather delighted with the thought now. She baldy wanted someone to talk to- other then the crazy Ausi back at the river. She needed someone to be close to her, even if only for a short while. She felt safe telling a stranger about herself... because this stranger didn’t know her and when... if he judged her it wouldn’t hurt her any... because he wouldn’t know her well enough to judge her. Or at least... That was her logic behind it all.
Her tail slowly batted from side to side as she gazed at him with her dull green eyes. They were cold... but laced with an almost longing for something more. Cold flames danced within her gaze as she eyed him down.
“I mean, forgive me for being so forward. It’s a simple suggestion, though you know your own body better than I do, stay if you want to, go if you must... but if you decide to stay I’d be more then willing to stay too, for conversational purposes.”
She was feeling silly and rambling again.
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Posted: Fri Mar 16, 2007 11:46 pm
'A riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma'. That is what this wolf standing in front of him was. One the one hand there was her cool, staring, almost emotionless gaze and on the other were her friendly words asking for conversation, seemingly caring about his wellbeing. A strange she-wolf indeed. Again she posed so many questions all at once. Her body, so scarred and ripped as it was, seemed not to show her true feelings, he was coming to realise. It was as if she had wrapped an invisible fur, thick and blanketing, over that wrecked one. Like a protective cover to shield her from the world.
That she stayed only because she was needed stuck somewhat of a cord in him. Recently he had been staying only where he was needed and then leaving as soon as he was not. He knew that, to him, it made him feel a little on the outside of everything. He could not be a true part of the lives of those who had relied on his help as they often felt guilty or somesuch and thus distant from him because of it.
He, too, had been missing simple conversation and company. Someone to talk to who would not be fearful, awed or angry at his presence. And here, in front of him, was another with a similar need it seemed. And she was, like him, different. He could relax, he was with another of his own brethren, almost a form of kinship.
"I... I would be glad of your company while I rest, Tiah. I should probably do so. As you say, the body does get worn out and a good rest will liven it up so that I might find it easier to resume my journey."
He could do with resting up a few days, recuperating, letting his muscles ease out s that he could begin his journey afresh without a wearied mind and muscles. He smiled, his black tipped tail thumping onto the ground a few times as if to emphasise his decision.
It would be good to spend sometime with someone other than himself, the trees, animals and the sick or dying. With his latest escapade barely over he could do with some mental downtime. Perhaps he could tyr to solve this riddle of a wolf in front of him - he'd feel slightly less guilty about not moving on right aay if he could help her in some way. Even if it was just by conversing with her.
His smile widened a little. "Yes, I'd love to stay a while and talk with you."
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