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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 9:14 pm
Raven was running. She was running hard, and fast. She was running to escape her memories. Alone in the woods, she could hear his laughter, it echoed off the earth itself. Running was an escape. It opened her soul, it cleared her mind for a moment. For that moment she felt free. She felt sane.
Her wings were tucked against her coat, her ears pinned back. She darted between tree's, ducked under fallen branches, and leaped over rocks and brush.
Nothing could touch her. Not even him. Is this what everyone else felt like. The ones who didnt fight each day just to stop shaking? The ones who could laugh and smile. Who weren't afraid.
She shook her head. Clear thoughts. Positive thoughts. Good thoughts. She saw a fallen log, that created a perfect ramp, she aimed towards it, racing up the bark with ease, she pushed herself with all of her strength off the end, and soared through the air. She closed her eyes, feeling the wind flow through her hair. Her soul was free. She smiled.
And then she saw his face, it flashed through her mind. She cried out, her eyes popping open, she lost control, turning sideways mid-air. The tree's were too thick to open her wings, there wasnt enough time to correct her sideways descent. She landed hard on her side, and had enough sense in her to start rolling, fearing her wing catching and tearing on something. A tree stopped her with a dull thud. Her coat was torn, she had cuts and bruises, nothing was broken thankfully. She tried to stand, but wobbled and fell back to the earth.
Once again, Raven had fallen. She was glad her parents couldnt see her now.
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 9:46 pm
 The sound of a crash was unmistakable, really. Even the soft fleshy sort. Riddick pried an eye open, then the other, and made his way rather casually out of the tree he'd been napping in. He lifted his head to scent the air and sauntered his way toward where the sound had come from... as well as the scent of fear and pain. Yeah, he recognized those too. One ear went up when he exited the trees and saw Raven laying there. Something about her seemed vaguely familiar, though he couldn't quite put it together balled up on the ground as she was. "You know, if you can get up you probably should. Laying around smelling like terrified prey might give the local predators the wrong impression."
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 10:04 pm
Raven yelped in surprise and shot up into a sitting position, her heart racing once again. She winced at a tender rib, but never took her eyes off this new stranger. Normally gentle eyes flashed with an anger born of dormant genes, it passed quickly however.
"...always the p-prey..." She shook her head softly and flexed her paw. Her voice was soft, and melodic, with a bit of an edge to it. "is that why y-your here. Am i t-to be your prey too?" A stutter with an edge. Raven was so proud of herself.
She growled softly at herself. She wasnt normally like this. Whats happening to her now?
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 10:29 pm
Now that he got a good look at her he realized why she seemed familiar. "I try not to stir up trouble if it doesn't come looking for me," he drawled. Then he shrugged. "Besides, Alcyone would probably tear my head off if I tried it, hm?" If she really was one of the sisters she'd know what he was talking about.
He stepped right up to her, tilting his goggled head to peer eye to eye with her. Well, eye to goggle. "Sounds like you're getting tired of playing that part." He tilted his head and then sat down. "Are you gonna do anything about it?"
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 10:53 pm
Her brow furrowed in a brief moment of confusion. He knew her sister. She was pained at the statement. Her sisters were so good at taking care of themselves, they were so much stronger then she.
Raven leaned back as he intruded in her space, her coat moved in the process, her long scar that ran down her abdomen revealed. Shame moved across her face quickly, and she covered it back up. Her smaller scars were covered by her fur, but that one, refused to be easily masked. "Alcy...." Her voice was steady. She wasnt afraid of him anymore. To an extent. If he was a friend of her sister, she felt enough confidence in her shaky relationship with her siblings to not fear a friend to one of them. "I'm not as strong as Alcyone, or the others. I fell prey to the twisted desires of one stronger than i. And i dont know how to get past the fear. It still haunts me, and i feel him hunting me still" She shivered uncontrollably and looked over her shoulder, always expecting him to jump out and finish the job.
She turned back to Riddick with a shake of her head. "Do? I dont even know where to begin. All i can do, is use fear to run faster" She winced at her own words, she hated being the victim. But truly, she didnt know where to begin recovery. Or even how to learn to defend herself.
Raven growled at herself, her brow furrowing again, her claws digging into the earth.
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 11:27 pm
Riddick just watched her for a few moments before canting his head in the other direction. "So you'll just run? Forever? Doesn't sound like much of a life." He looked down at the claws she was digging ever so frustratedly into the ground. "I could be wrong but you seem kind of... angry, and not just afraid." He stood up and stretched. "I'll give you a suggestion, if you'd like."
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Posted: Tue Jan 26, 2010 11:49 pm
Raven's body shook again. She looked at Riddick with a curious expression. "Its not a life. I want to make my parents proud. I want to have a life..." Her eyes turned hard, and cold. "I want to make him pay. I want him to run from me I'm tired of being afraid.....of being scared. I'll take any advise you have to give...i'm sorry, i never asked your name...My names Raven Ashe Corvis. " She wanted a new life, a new start. One without fear, without all this pain.
She wanted to make her family proud. She didnt want to be the weak sister anymore, the one who always needed protection.
Raven wanted to stand on her own.
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 12:22 am
"Deciding not to be the victim... now there's a place to start." He eyed Raven critically for a few moments before grunting thoughtfully. "I could show you a few things. Basic sort of stuff. Can't help with showing you how to use the wings in a fight, but you could probably ask your mother about that one." He shrugged.
He sat back on his haunches and hooked the toes into his goggles to lift them up and place them on his forehead, blinking his mirror-like eyes a bit at even the dimmed light beneath the trees. "Well... since you asked." He held out a paw for a handshake in a rather bemused manner. "Richard B. Riddick. Riddick to... everyone." He grinned slightly. "And so you know, before I got here I wasn't the sort of person people wanted to run into. Well... the mercs thought they did. Never really turned out well for them."
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 7:53 pm
Raven nodded softly, and looked behind her at her wings. She decided if he couldnt teach her to fight with them, they'd just be in the way. Shrugging her shoulders, her coat slipped off, more scars surfaced, but she paid them no mind. Raven folded her wings tight against her body and put her coat back on. The hard bone around the base of her wings, acted as a sort of back plate.
She couldnt help but smile softly. She shook his paw "You sound like my father. In his Before, nobody wanted to run into him either. Its nice to meet you Riddick." She said with a light nod. She sat straight, her full attention on Riddick. Whatever he asked of her, she would do. And she would do and do and do until she got it right.
She was tired of the life she had ended up with. Always the victim. Always needing protection.
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 6:21 pm
Interesting kid, he decided. Had more potential than he'd originally surmised. She certainly seemed serious in her intent, as well. Guess he'd just have to see what happened.
"I can tell you a few things, but as for actually learning to fight... that'll take work. A lot of it. I won't be pretty, it won't be pleasant, and it'll probably hurt some. Not as much as those," he motioned at the scars, "but bruises don't tickle."
Riddick stood and surveyed his impromptu student. "First I guess we figure out what you've got to work with. Claws, teeth, wings, those are pretty obvious. And really, don't overlook the wings, sweetheart. They may or may not be as delicate as they look but I saw a vid of a swan breaking a grown man's leg with a solid strike from a wing. But let's see..."
He looked thoughtful for a moment and then suddenly lashed out with a paw toward her face, stopping short of hitting her. He wanted to see how she reacted and how quickly she did it.
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 7:51 pm
Raven nodded, she was prepared for it. "I'll do whatever it takes. Whatever you ask of me." Her golden eyes were hard, and determined. She had the genes of two stubborn parents running through her, she wouldn't give up, no matter how much it hurt.
She tried to do an inventory of what she could use to attack with, when she started to remember what he had attacked her with. How he bit her, and clawed at her, pushed her. She was getting lost in the past, when suddenly, Riddick lashed out at her. It was like part of the memory.
Raven inhaled sharply, and closed her eyes. Her body refused to go through this again, and her instincts took over. Riddick's paw flew at her, and her body went low and fast. She didnt move to strike, just dodge. Survive long enough to run. Had been her life strategy up until now. She went beneath his paw, and rolled over once. She cringed at herself. She'd avoided it yes, but it wasnt because she told her body too. Her body, had told her after the fact, what was needed to survive.
She had alot of work to do.
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:08 pm
"You sure as hell have some good reflexes there, sweetheart," he drawled. "Need to work on the fear. A little bit is healthy, a lot of it will get you killed." He put his paw down and peered at her. "Maybe you'll be able to control it after you start learning more." He put a paw under one of her shoulders and heaved her upright. "Only way to find out is to do."
Riddick tapped her nose then, gently, to get her full attention, and then tapped her collar bone before shifting his head back and tapping his own so she could see exactly where it was. "Collarbone. One of the easiest in the body to break, and if you do, your opponent is pretty much screwed. Can't move your shoulder, or your neck, or twist your back... pretty much can't even breath without excruciating pain. Won't kill 'em, but it's guaranteed to take 'em out." She didn't seem the killer type. Maybe she'd prove him wrong and he'd tell her some more... potent targets. Alcy didn't seem to keen on killing, so he wasn't going to push in that direction with one of her sisters unless asked. He respected Alcy too much to do otherwise. He also enjoyed not having his bones pulverized by her super-strength.
He sat back. "Getting a shot in on it is the hard part, it's generally pretty well protected. You want a shot at it, you distract 'em by going for the eyes first. It's instinct to block or shift back to avoid damage to the eyes, so odds are they'll give you an opening. And if you manage to get a hit in on or above the eye you've pretty much blinded them, at least temporarily. Head wounds bleed a lot, and blood is hard to see through."
He slipped his goggles back in front of his eyes. "Don't strike flat-footed though. Use the edge of your paw. More force, smaller area, more likely to snap it." He grinned. "There you go, you have weapons, and a good target. Focus on that next time your mind starts drifting."
He stood again and started walking, motioning with his head and shoulders for her to follow. "We're going to some more open ground. We'll practice a bit more dodging for you for a bit, without all those lovely branches and roots for you trip and break something over."
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:30 pm
Raven nodded "A little fear is...good. Alot...not so much" She repeated, to remind herself.
He heaved her up, and introduced her to the collarbone. She touched a paw to her own. She was taking mental notes of everything. Easy to break, tricky to expose. Eyes could lead to an exposure. She smirked and nodded her head "I remember lots of blood...." she mumbled under her breath. She shook her head clearing her thoughts.
She would not screw this up.
Raven lifted her paw, and looked at the edge Riddick had instructed to use, instead of the flat part. More surface seemed more likely to inflict more pain, but the way he explained it, made more sense. She nodded again, taking it all in.
She followed him "I am prone to breaking things...." she said with a light shake of her head.
"Can i ask you something....how do you control the fear? I want to forget what happened because it scares me, but when i remember..part of me feels stronger. Its hidden beneath layers of fear, that i cant see past. But i can...feel it there...somewhere" She forgot to wait for him to say yes or no to the question. And she mentally smacked herself for her lack of manners.
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 9:02 pm
Riddick walked on, heading for a particular grassy clearing he and Alcy had all but stomped flat with their sparring... however infrequent those matches had grown since she started seeming so distracted with whatever it was she was into now. She was a big girl though, she could take care of herself. She'd better, anyway.
"Anger helps overcome the fear sometimes. Too much anger makes you sloppy though, you don't think straight, you screw up, and you get yourself hurt." He paused at the edge of the clearing. "The best thing to do? Remember it. Just keep in mind that now, that's all it is. A memory. You study it, and you use the fear, the anger, the pain, and make it yours. Make it your tool to push yourself toward being stronger in the future, instead of letting it use you." He stepped out into the open then and stopped about ten feet out. "It'll take time, but you have to. You've already figured out you can't just escape it."
Riddick looked around and after a moment seemed satisfied and turned to her. "Forget about that for now, though. Working on that is... homework. Right now what I want you to do is attack me. Simple enough?"
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Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 9:29 pm
Raven nodded. Anger. And Control. She had alot of work to do later. "I...have to use it. Instead of it use me. I'll work on that" She looked around the clearing. It looked well used, at some point.
She shook her body out, and then looked at him. She resisted the urge to deny his request. She had no idea how to attack. Raven stood for a few minutes, just looking at Riddick. "I...how..." She shook her head. She'd figure this out.
She took a deep breath, and began circling Riddick, trying to find a place to start. Her coat bothered her, so she shed it. Just because he couldnt teach her how to use them, doesnt mean she might not stumble across a way to use them. She stretched out her wings, and then folded them against her back.
Having nothing left to lose, she darted at Riddick, she slid in towards him, going low, like a baseball player might, she went in back paws first. Sharp claws leading the way, her front paws poised over her stomach, in case of a counter attack.
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