|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:18 pm
Azani's wounds had healed fairly well, leaving only faint scars as her fur grew back. She was stronger, more able to move about as she pleased, which she did with as much frequency as she could when Skor wasn't present. It exercised her muscles, made her ready to leave as soon as she was able. The only thing stopping her now was... Well.
Azani lowered her nose to the ground and sniffed, picking up only her own scent and the slightly fainter scent of her male protector. He wasn't too hard to figure out, and yet Azani felt that there was something about him she was missing. It confused her, when she was so sure she knew him well by this point, and yet... yet...
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2009 5:32 pm
 She was getting stronger with each passing day. Her wounds were fading into scars, the raised skin pale, fur growing up and over them in paler marks. But growing nonetheless. Her limp was gone, giving her the grace of a seasoned doe, and she even looked...happy. Sometimes.
Skor paced along the borders of Agua Azul, having picked up sentry duty. He saw Tada! and sometimes Cadbury, but they stuck close to home. At least Cadbury did. Tada! was a wolf of his own, always the wanderer. Not Skor; His home was here, in Agua. With family. His fur settled back against his skin, ears swiveling back and forth.
But the matter at hand was Azani. The rogue. A simple, soft-spoken rogue. But a rogue who had somehow stolen his heart. She held it in her paws, just by existing. And she also smashed it, quite often, by ignoring him on several occasions. Skor grumbled. Yes, she was rather adept at crushing him.
He shook his head. A rogue shouldn't matter. He pulled the thin sheet of ice over his heart and headed back to the den.
It was better this way. Really it was. Soon she would be out of his life and things would be normal again.
He just wasn't quite sure if he wanted it to be or not.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Nov 01, 2009 1:27 pm
The wind kicked into Azani's eyes and she squinted as it tried to tear the moisture away. She looked down, waiting for it to pass, then stood and briefly shook herself to resettle what fur had been mussed out of place. Brown pawpads brushed the leaves aside as she paced into the woods, ears taking in the sounds as her nose and eyes picked up their own versions of the forest around her. She wasn't looking for Skor, no, but she did want to get out of the den.
The only companionship she had was from the weather, and the sound of small animals-- squirrels, or possibly something larger such as raccoons-- moving around distantly on the ground, or close in the tree branches. She didn't bother searching for them. She wasn't hungry-- Skor still brought her meals, so she had no reason to worry about food-- and the little creatures offered little else, except perhaps gossip, which wouldn't be useful to Azani at this point. Agua Azul so far had been a quiet set of lands, although Azani expected that if she spent much more time here, that wouldn't be the case. There was only so long the son of an heir could keep his comings and goings hidden from his family, let alone the entirety of his pack.
She sniffed the ground before her, following the trail of scent away from the cave. It was a bit dangerous, yes, since she was doubtlessly leaving her own trail behind, but if Skor was as important as he thought, then she would be fine. The wind caught her fur again, and she stopped. She had no idea if this trail led right to Skor, or into the middle of his pack, who might be hostile. That gave her reason to hestitate, and for a brief moment uncertainty crossed her face. A call would be too noticable, and there was no other way to be sure things were safe.
Safe? When was being alone with Skor anything but convenient?
Her sigh was carried off by a violent gust and she sat down, looking this way and that. Skor would have to come back this way eventually, or a way close by here. If not, she always had the option of going back to the den to wait. Hopefully, he wouldn't arrive back before she did and be concerned enough to call for her. Still, the chances for that were slim. She would wait here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:09 am
Finding the den void of the she-wolf, he gave a soft huff and padded back out. He kept his head and his tail high -- he was son of the Heir to Agua Azul. The only time he showed submission was to his parents and to Twist -- when he saw her. If he saw her. He gave another huff. He didn't like Twist or her strange lynx.
Lowering his muzzle to the earth, he picked up her scent. It made his heart waver. He liked her -- alot. He didn't even know why. But he liked her. He padded along, finding her braving the wind of a possible coming storm. He lifted his head, peering at her through green eyes. "Mmmm... Having fun, Azani?" He used her name carefully, cautiously.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:15 am
Azani turned her head when he spoke, tensing every muscle and then releasing it. She had been too distracted and hadn't heard him come up besides her. He must have used a different route back. Her standard silent pause passed and she looked back up at the trees as the wind pulled at them again, creating a new swell of creaking.
"Are we on high ground?"
She was, in her own way, comfortable that he was there. Not glad. Glad implied liking. But comfortable, yes, she could accept comfortable, especially after she'd deemed him safe. She wouldn't doubt herself on that. Much.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:19 am
Skor lifted a brow at her. High ground? "What, you worried about flooding?" He chuckled, then quieted, so she wouldn't assume he was laughing at her. No, not at her. Never at her. Just...with her. She'd just forgotten how to laugh. But he would remind her... Someday, she'd laugh with him. He smiled instead. "We could get higher, if you wanted... There're cliffs." His brother liked the cliffs, but it would be rare if he'd stuck around. "I'd come with you...if you wanted to go?" His words lifted up into a question.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:24 am
She thought a moment then stood and turned in his direction. Storms were wonderful, so long as no one died in them. Cliffs would be the perfect viewing place, and once the rains had begun they could return to the den to get dry and rest. She wasn't hungry yet, but they could find food tomorrow if the opportunity presented itself.
She nodded slowly, waiting as if he would retract the offer now that she had agreed. A distant roll of thunder went by, the faint sound telling the pair that the lightning, at least, was a few miles off. How fast it got there wasn't certain, but hopefully not until after they had made it to the cliffs and Azani had gotten a good look. She thought there was waterside nearby; the cliffs might be overlooking that.
"Is it open sky by the cliffs?" If it hadn't seemed necessary to ask that, before they left, she wouldn't have at all.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:29 am
As she stood, he sat down, rump on the ground, tail wrapping around his paws. He sniffed the air -- yes, a storm was probably on the way but he was no weatherman -- and then looked at her, curious to why she'd ask such a question. Was she worried about being spotted? Assuming that was the truth, he nodded. "Yes but there's trees for safety too. The cliffs overlook the water, I'm pretty sure." He'd only been up there once, as a teen. Even though he was only just an adult, at a little over a year old, it seemed so far away.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:42 am
Azani looked down at him and blinked several times, blaming the more-than-once occurence on the wind going by. "Then I would like to go." Why would he sit after he offered to take her? Perhaps this was his way playing games with her. She eyed him cautiously. She didn't like that thought. It was a blessing to have good eyesight, as the forest fell a shade darker. She looked up again as black clouds rolled in and fidgeted slightly. If they didn't go soon, they would miss the beginning.
"Which way?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:46 am
Skor pulled himself to his paws, grinning over at her. "Follow me," he said softly, turning to stride through the forest. His paws carried him easily, though he was a little intimidated by the blackening clouds that were blowing their way. Why would Azani want to be up on a cliff in the middle of a storm? If they were lucky, that old den was still up there... They could take shelter if need be.
Finding the first ledge, he hopped up, then took that path, looking behind him to see if she was following even though he knew in his heart that she was. After the second ledge, the only way to go was up, so up he went around the twisting cliffs.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:53 am
She watched Skor's fur-- now indistinguishable shades of brown, as she was sure her pelt was-- as they moved off, and kept her eyes either on him or on the trees around them. If she looked up she'd trip or fall down a hill or be attacked. Something bad would happen. The cliffs, thankfully, weren't too far off, and Azani followed his leap to the ledge with one of her own, feeling the muscles in her back leg pull taut. She winced, but kept going, knowing the only way to get her body used to it again was to stretch them however she could.
During their winding journey Azani only glanced down the side of the cliff once, then focused on her footing so she wouldn't slip and end up at the bottom in a heap. The path up seemed to take longer than reaching the cliffs themselves, and Azani wondered why she hadn't smelled the ocean before now. Winds from the wrong directions, perhaps. She stopped when they reached the top and had a wider section to stand on, looking straight up for a moment before she trotted after Skor again and headed for a spot towards the edge that was free of cover.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 11:58 am
The cliff opened up to a clearing at the edge, where the black clouds were gathering. Skor looked up at them, then back at Azani, who didn't seem to be worried about them. Was she actually wanting to see the storm? A stormchaser? Quiet Azani? He almost smiled then as he sat down, easing his slightly tired muscles. A bolt of lightning flashed in the sky, perfect and arching and branching out. Skor jumped, just a bit, as thunder rolled overhead. He looked to Azani, to gauge her reaction. The rain would come soon... They would be soaked. What a bad idea on his part...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 12:11 pm
Something like reverence and excitement crossed her face as the lightning arced by, lighting her face bright flashes. Storms were beautiful. She'd loved them as a pup and she loved them now, though she'd rarely had such a perfect place to view it. It was dangerous, but this was a rare opportunity for her. Not even Skor sitting nearby could make her act entirely indifferent to it. The thought of the male, however, reminded her to reign back her openness a bit. She didn't look his way, her eyes glued to the clouds as some cloud lightning backlit the dark, puffy masses a few times.
Another bolt, sharp and straight, connected with something in the distance, blasting the wolves' ears with roaring thunder a few seconds later. Closer. It would get too dangerous soon, but the rain hadn't even begun. The climb up shouldn't be wasted.
She looked over at Skor, her face not open, but not harsh either. The wind buffeted the pair, unhindered by trees as it was, and knocked their fur every which way. Azani's body was pushed sideways slightly, but she simply sat firm against it, staring Skor down until the rain came.
There was no slow start; the clouds simply burst open and Azani jerked her head around to watch the curtain rush their way. She closed her eyes to protect them from the sting of the first deluge, light flashing past her lids before she opened them again.
She didn't smile, but there was joy in her eyes and she sat a little straighter despite the onslaught that was weighing her summer coat down.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
