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 Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 2:50 pm
 Loki made his way down a long riverbank, following it home from the Elders meeting. It had been productive, mostly, and now he could at least return home to his tribe with news of alliances. In a time where the snow had driven so many away and taken away lifemates, it would at least be some small comfort.
He pushed away the thought of lifemates, having long since accepted the idea that Chau wouldn't be coming back. The snow wasn't where she was meant to be, and the snow was his home. It was inevitable they would part ways.
A low tree branch caught his piercing and made it jingle its usual little tune, causing Loki to look up from the path along the river. He easily shook his head ear loose and continued, but now he could see a small hill overlooking the land up ahead. It was at the edge of Lunarie territory, so he figured it wouldn't be a bad place to stop for the night. He'd be able to see if anything was coming anyways.
The black and teal Elder climbed up the hill and just stood there, looking around him. It was winter in these lands too, but it didn't feel the same. He had to admit, the scenery here was nice; for him, it was like seeing a tropical beach, almost. But vacation was over; he had a tribe to lead.
Ready for a night of decent rest (although he was still cautious enough, he didn't really count on sleep), Loki sat on the hilltop, mentally relaxing at least as he watched the sun sinking on the horizon.
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Posted: Fri Feb 12, 2010 11:14 pm
 It was waaaaay to early for a Lunarie tribe member to awake, much less roaming the outskirts of the tribe lands, but young Victoria inhearited more from her mother than just looks. She was sitting under a tree on the outskirts watching the sun set behind the trees. Tori had become quite accustomed to sneaking off before the rest of the tribe woke up to explore. Although it was getting dark, she still had plenty of time to get into some trouble. Not that she was looking for trouble, just something different. That was how her mother had met her father anyway so her parents really couldn't get mad at her.
Tori had to be extra careful tonight though. The young vixen had noticed her elder Ari going off to the edge of the lands on the opposite side of her and she had smelt a few new scents lingering on the boarder. Perhaps Ari was going to meet foxes and get the live with them? Or maybe he was chasing them away... Or maybe just meeting.
Speaking of new scents... Victoria lowered herself to the ground as she caught a whiff of a new fox upwind of her. Still lowered to the ground, she turned to see a big fluffy elder sit down on top of a hill not to far from where she was. She couldn't see the elder well but she could make out that he was a male elder and had some gold jewelry.
Curiosity go the best of her and Tori found herself creeping towards the elder with great interest. She wasn't sure exactly why she was creeping and not just walking up to him. He was an elder. You can't creep up on elders. They had this sort of sixth sense and could detect foxes nearby in a dead sleep. But Tori couldn't force herself out of hiding without being called out so she crept on until she reached the bottom of the hill where the elder rested.
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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 1:30 pm
Loki had indeed noticed Victoria awhile ago, but he didn't perceive her as a threat. The way she was moving, he had a feeling she was just sneaking around. Possibly just a young Lunarie member? He wasn't entirely sure.
Eventually she reached the bottom of the hill, and Loki couldn't help but be amused. "You can come up," he called to her, figuring she'd be bored just hunched over there all night. He still remembered being young and sneaking around, and how boring older foxes could get.
"You must be from Lunarie," he mused. "No one else would feel so cautious about being awake and moving while the sun is only just sinking." He chuckled and shook his head, knowing by now that he was probably right. He hadn't even seen Victoria yet.
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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 2:09 pm
Victoria popped her head above the bushes as the elder invited her to come up. It came as no surprise that he knew she was there. Although she knew she should probably be more cautious about walking up to unknown elders, the dark shaded vixen pranced up the hill, all to eager to meet someone from outside of her tribe. And really, how bad could this guy be? He had already kinda laughed at how she was sneaking around before dark.
Once she was closer, Tori examined the male's markings, tattoos, and pretty jewelry. She wasn't quite sure at the time which of his tattoos was the marking of his tribe but they both looked cool so it didn't matter. So, even elders outside her tribe were big and fluffy.
"You seem fluffier than Ari." Victoria said as she circled the elder. Then she realized that he was an Elder, not just another fox, and should be treated with respect. Her mother would skin her alive if she knew she had just walked up on an elder and began speaking as if their title meant nothing.
"Oh! I'm sorry! I don't seem to remember my manners before dark." She quickly bowed her head deeply. "I'm Victoria. And your are correct, I am a member of the Lunarie tribe."
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Posted: Sat Feb 13, 2010 3:40 pm
"Well, where I come from, everyone has to be fluffier," Loki laughed, not one for formalities when he didn't have to use them. He was really only ever formal with other Elders, because he didn't feel the need to be serious and grave around others.
He looked over the vixen, then bowed his head jsut as low, to say he respected her as well. He had grown up believing everyone to be equally deserving of respect. "Nice to meet you, Victoria. My name is Loki, and I'm one of the Elders of the Kousetsu Tribe."
Loki looked at the border of the Lunarie tribe, then back down at the dark vixen next to him. "Off trying to find trouble before you get caught?" he teased, chuckling. "I still do that sometimes." He grinned impishly, glad to be out of the stuffy environment that a Tribe Elders meeting called for.
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 9:46 am
She had to admit she was a little surprised when Loki bowed to her just as much as she did him. He was just being respectful, but it was weird having an elder bow to her. Oh well, she shrugged it off. It was cool that Loki was treating her as an equal and not like he was her superior. Were all foxes like that where he came from? Not that Lunarie treated her like she was below them. She just felt like she was a kit to them and they hadn't realized she had grown up. Victoria was about to ask Loki about his Kouse....whatever tribe when he asked her a question instead.
"More like just foxes outside of the tribe to talk with to broaden my horizons." Victoria said with a laugh. "Wait. You can't go trying to find trouble! You're an Elder. Elders don't sneak around and get into trouble.... Do they?" She cocked her head to the side and gave Loki a confused look. She was sure that Ari and Kazuki, although she had never met their other Lunari elder, didn't go around getting into trouble.... Or perhaps they did and were just good at not getting caught...Gah, that didn't matter.
"What kind of trouble do you get into?" Maybe Loki needed some fun trouble to cope with being an elder. Tori tried to picture herself running the Lunarie tribe and could definitely see herself sneaking off much more often just to get away from all the drama and responsibility.
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 2:55 pm
"Some Elders do," Loki laughed. "Each tribe gets runs a different way, Victoria. I wasn't very old when I became one, so I still have my immature moments." Granted, that could be because his tribe had its immature moments, even if they didn't have so many now. Chuckling at the thought, the Elder looked down at Tori again when she voiced another question.
Oh, he'd gotten into plenty of trouble. "Well, I fought a Modidaeva once, " he said with a matter-of-fact nod. "I don't remember if I won or not, but it happened. Another time one of the...less friendly....Elders and I got into it. He doesn't have a tribe, actually, he's just an Elder. Weird." Loki paused to think about Cygnus and how he even became an Elder, but then he shook the thought away. "Every once in awhile, it's just nice to be away from the snow," he concluded with a shrug. "I think everyone in the tribe has gone away for awhile once or twice. The other Elder in my tribe, Sahari, often roams for months on end."
It occurred to him that that was painting his tribe in a poor light, but he could make up for it at some later point. It was true, after all, that spending months and months in just the snow and dead trees could be maddening to anyone, even those who loyally called it home.
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Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 3:43 pm
All she could do was stare. Stare in wild amazement. Loki had to be the coolest elder ever. No one in her tribe ever fought Modidaeva's or other elders, or had adventures. Well, Kazuki might have adventures but only because the Moon Fox made him. Then again, her dad didn't always live with the Lunarie tribe.. Maybe he had gone on adventures and fought Modidaeva's like Loki but just wasn't telling her because he thought she was too young or something.
"No way! You actually fought a 'Daeva? That's so cool. Did you get hurt?" She asked Loki, eyes wide in amazement and curiousity. It took Tori a second to realize that she was acting rather childish and tried to play it off. "Get away from the snow? Does it always snow where you live? And one of our Elders, Kazuki, has been roaming I guess for a really long time now. I've never met him and I was born here." The dark shaded vixen tried to keep the sadness out of her voice.
Kazuki was her Elder yet she had only heard stories of him and only saw the pained look on Ari's face whenever he was mentioned. The same pain that flashed across her grandpa Nato's face whenever she asked about her mom's brother or mom. Victoria often wondered if Kazuki had left just like part of her family had. But now was not the time to be thinking of such things! She was in the presence of a bad-a** snow Elder!
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Posted: Mon Feb 15, 2010 11:46 pm
At first Tori's reaction took Loki by surprise, but after a moment, he realized that he had in fact done things that many other Elders had not. Most of the things he had done were mistakes made by a youthful mind in a more powerful body, but that didn't make them any less of an adventure.
"Well of course I got hurt," Loki laughed. "He burnt me in a couple of places. I think in the end, it ended up a tie, with both of us limping away." Chaussure had been there for him at the time, but he didn't need to concern this young vixen with stories of his past. Depresisng ones, at least.
Her attention turned to the snow, and Loi couldn't help but smile. "It snows every day of the year, where I come from," Loki nodded. "Well, mostly every day. Some days it doesn't actively fall, but the gorund is alllways covered in feet of snow. And winter for us is many times worse than it is out here, in normal climates. But we're a tough bunch, most of us make it through." Some just left for greener pastures before winter ended. The snow wasn't for everyone.
"Yes, I'd heard Kazuki had been sent on a mission by your Modeity," Loki nodded. "It is hard for any tribe not to feel the presence of one of its Elders, bI'm sure Kazuki is doing what is right. I knew him, you know. Not very well, I think we only met once, but I saw him. He has a good heart, and it will lead him where he should go. A cherry blossom my be blown far from its tree, but it will always be part of that tree. The tree will always be home. For now, Kazuki is that cherry blossom, and Lunarie will always call to him. One day, perhaps the winds will blow him back." He smiled reassuringly for her, showing her his first true bit of Elder wisdom. It was always there, even when Loki himself didn't realize it.
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 7:51 pm
And that was why Loki was an elder. For the first time, Tori felt like Kazuki hadn't abandoned their tribe and that Ari was just trying to cover it up with a fabricated story but that he really would come back to them one day. Maybe that went for her grandma and uncle too. Maybe they were just cherry blossoms blown from their tree and were just waiting for the winds of time to blow them back. Or perhaps not. The fleeting feeling of hope was crushed by years of hard feelings, memories of sad faces, and feelings of abandonment.
"There are some lands in which winds do not blow, thus a cherry blossom which gets sucked in to such lands will be unable to escape. A cherry blossom which strays to far from it's tree for to long will be forgotten and be replaced by a new blossom that will bloom in the seasons to come." It sounded rather sad but Victoria knew it was true. Life wouldn't wait for cherry blossoms to be blown back. Foxes would move on, find new loves, and find strength in their new families and tribe members. If Kazuki ever returned, it would not be the same tribe he left behind. Even if she respected him as her elder, Tori would never come to fully love him as she did her other tribe members because of the effect he had on the tribe. Same with her grandmother and uncle. Even if they came home, their family was broken.
Since Elders usually never missed a thing, Victoria wondered if Loki could see the feelings inside her heart. She wondered what feelings were inside his heart. He seemed so young and adventurous but at the same time so old and wise. Had Loki lost a cherry blossom in his lifetime? More than one? Cherry blossoms didn't live forever, they were rather fragile. Wait... Were they? Come to think of it....
"Hey Loki... What exactly is a Cherry blossom? I mean, I get its a flower and it comes from a tree, but what do they look like and stuff?" She almost couldn't contain her laughter. All this talk of Cherry blossoms and she didn't even know what sort of blossom they were talking about. Elders had a weird effect on her, that was for sure. Or maybe it was just Loki, because he was awesome.
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Posted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 10:56 pm
"No land is free of the wind," Loki countered gently. "But as the flower moves, it will change. The longer the tree is without that flower, the more flowers and branches it will grow. Does that mean they still aren't part of the same whole, because they look different?" He shook his head, already knowing the answer. "Things will change, but they will also be the same. That's just how time works on us."
Loki thought of his own past relationships that had been lost. Chaussure, Sahari to a degree, so many of the tribe members. Sahari was blown back sometimes, but would the others be? Victoria was right in that things changed. But maybe that was the whole point. "Time is not always kind, Victoria. Sometimes things change more than we're willing to accept, but it's in those times when we prove ourselves the most capable. At times, it isn't the old flower we yearn for, but the new blossoms we come to see the beauty in."
At her question, Loki couldn't help but laugh some. "I don't really know how to describe them," he admitted. "I've only seen them once, a long time ago."
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Posted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 9:01 pm
Great. They were talking about flowers that she'd never seen and that he'd only seen once. How was she supposed to think of something to say back when she didn't know what kind of flowers they were talking about? Of course, they weren't actually talking about flowers, but she still wanted to know what they were. If she ever actually left the tribe lands, she would have to go find a cherry blossom so that she could say she'd seen one. And she would see one... Somehow.
Tori sat for a minute pondering what Loki had said. She knew quite well that many yearned for new blossoms. There were so many stories about kits and new members bringing hope and happiness to the tribe. So should she stop wishing for Kazuki to come back and just find a new blossom? A new elder? The thought made her blink a few times and take in the figure before her. Funny how she was having such a conversation with an Elder who seemed way cooler than Ari.
"Please, call me Tori." She finally managed to respond. "My full name just sounds so... Proper." She made a funny face at the last word. Perhaps proper wasn't the word she was looking for but she couldn't really find a different word that fit. When she thought about it, all of her siblings names were pretty proper too. What had her parents been thinking? Oh well, that's what nicknames were for.
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Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 2:16 pm
"I know, it was kind of a weak metaphor," Loki chuckled. "It was just the first one that popped into my head." Snow was hard to make a metaphor out of for anyone else, so he'd found. Oh well. Hopefully she'd gotten the point.
Well, she looked rather confused. Ooops? "My point is, you don't need to dwell so much," he chuckled. "Kazuki will come back some day, or he won't. Thinking about things that are so uncertain won't change his path, but it could stunt yours. "
He shook his head to adjust his hair, the earring making noise like always. "Tori, then," he smiled. "I guess you can't really shorten my name anymore, hm?" He knew plenty about things sounding too proper. Being called "Elder Loki" or even jsut "Elder" was still a bit strange to him, and it had been years.
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Posted: Sat Apr 03, 2010 8:22 pm
Victoria let out a little laugh. "Well you could. Lo or Ki would be considered shortened." The young vixen pointed out. "But you don't have a need for it like I do. Loki doesn't sound nearly as proper as Victoria."
She paused and though for a moment. "Unless you put Elder in front of it. But even then, it sounds more old instead of proper." At the last part she could help but snicker a bit at calling Loki old. Though, unless he was giving out elder wisdom, Loki didn't seem old at all. Maybe it was just because he was young at heart. Tori wondered if Loki's tribe acted the same way, young at heart with only a few serious moments. Speaking of Loki's tribe..
"So, you said the other Elder of your tribe often roams away. But is that elder there now while you're roaming? How much longer do you plan on being away from the snow?" She couldn't help but be curious, wondering if Loki's tribe felt for him like she did for Kazuki.
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Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2010 8:31 pm
"But being called Lo or Ki would be strange," Loki laughed. He'd never been called anything but loki or Elder; nicknames were a strange concept.
When she called him old, Loki couldn't help but pout cutely. "I'm not ollld," he chuffed. "Older than you, yes, but I can still run with you whippersnappers." He snickered and laid down, deciding itd be comfortable if he was going to be here awhile.
When Tori brought up Sahari, Loki sighed and looked up at the sky, thinking. "I don't know where she is," he admitted. "Sahari wanders...more than an Elder truly should. The only thing we have in common now is that we see the same sky when we look up. But I'm not sure she even bothers to look up now."
He looked back over at her and added: " I've only been gone for a few days. I was headed back to my tribe now, but perhaps I will take another couple of days. I haven't been on...vacation...in a long time. I'd rather not be tired when I get back."
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