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 Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:49 pm
 The Killing Moon liked to be efficient. The large buck didn’t waste as ounce of energy as he moved smoothly through the swamp. Nothing seemed capable of impeding his progress; no log, bog or even inconveniently placed tree. Up ahead a mongoose looked back in uncertainty at his determined follower. But it did not show true alarm until the Kimeti suddenly sped up, and by then it was too late. With a bound to the small creature’s side, a quick swipe to immobilize it… and game over. He dispatched the mongoose with a quick flick of his hoof; a practiced move. It died instantly, blood leaking from its neck and staining the ground. The hunt was usually left to others, Cue Queue and Vexed being their prime suppliers, but on the odd occasion he liked to go out and get his own hooves dirty. Hunting kept you strong and spending a little bit of time away from his family, as much as he loved them, was always nice. The buck looked down at his catch with a hint of pride. He’d give this one to his brother, Left.
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:18 pm
 Smoldering Reverie wandered aimlessly, content to pick her way around trees and leap gracefully over logs while her mind strayed. Ember was thinking of the dream that had played itself over and over in her dreams last night.
There had been a beautiful doe running through the swamp patterned with what almost looked like scales in black that seemed to flint green and blue in moonlight. Suddenly, she had stopped and a caiman, the same dark color of the doe, rose from the swamp. The image that burned itself into Ember's mind was the final snatches of the dream when the doe and caiman touched, nose to nose, eyes closed. Originally the fear that had crashed through Ember had felt like breaking bones, but after the second, third, fourth, fifth time she saw it, she only felt the aching clarity of a trust so strong she couldn't fathom ever feeling it outside of her dreams. When she had finally woken this morning, Ember was left with a deep seated ache in her bones.
As Ember continued to wander along, the smell of blood drifted towards her and she stopped. Her head tilted to the side and Ember breathed deeply. The scent of blood was cold and metallic, a far cry from the burning that usually populated Ember's dreams of death that smelled of warmth and smoke. Following the smell of blood, Ember nimbly leaped over logs and tread carefully when confronted by bogs until she emerged from behind a tree to find herself confronted by a dreamlike buck of white and flames. The colors called to something deep within Ember, something that caused her heart to burn as it was want to do when confronted by flames.
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 11:35 pm
The buck’s head lifted, finished with his study of his prize, and blue eyes settled upon the female that had just stepped from the trees. He did not seem surprised by her appearance, and had in fact heard her approach long before she had reached him. The buck studied her quietly, before dipping his head politely. When he looked upon her again, his gaze was warm and welcoming. He was quite intrigued by the intricate patterns across her body and he made no effort to hide the fact.
The Killing Moon tossed his hair back across his shoulder to keep it out of the way and casually wiped the blood from his hoof off upon the ground. “A pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He said with a grin, voice deep and strong. The affection in his voice made it seem as if she was a long time friend and not just a random stranger.
Finally he looked away, glancing off towards the side and giving a piercing whistle. He waited a moment, listening.
“Now…” He cleared his throat, addressing her once more. “… how can I be of assistance?”
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Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2012 11:55 pm
Ember dipped her head, gaze falling to the ground, returning the greeting gesture. She watched unabashedly, not one to disguise herself or her actions, when he flipped his hair out of the way. When the light rippled over his hair, it flickered and shone like fire. He had not seemed surprised when he had looked up to see her, which, to her, was also not a surprise. To be a hunter was to be alert and she was well aware that she wasn't the most quiet of walkers, though she was never needlessly noisy.
Smoldering Reverie was slightly taken aback by how warm and affectionate he sounded even though they were only meeting for the first time, but only for a second and then it simply sank into her like the softest rays of sunshine. The doe dreamily turned slightly to side, head craning down and to the side.
"The pleasure is mine," She returned softly. Her voice was gentle and paced in a steady, pulsing cadence, like a slow distant heartbeat heard in a faraway, half-forgotten dream.
When he whistled, she barely blinked. Smoldering Reverie was hard to startle, everything seemingly gliding past her. She sniffed delicately at the mongoose before nodding at it slowly. "I followed the blood. It was cold and my bones ached."
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 1:08 am
“Ah.” The buck glanced down at the still, lifeless form of the mongoose. He sniffed too; to better take in that strong scent of blood. “I enjoyed the hunt. This one served me well today.” It was meant to go to his brother but… “Are you hungry?” He inquired. “Or is the cold deeper than that?” A mysterious smile flicked across his face. The Killing Moon’s head lifted and turned, ears flicking up. He watched a particular patch of brush until it rustled and moved. An Eaglehound appeared, padding slowly towards them. Having been called by its master’s whistle, the large creature moved silently towards Killing Moon and sat. It cast a disinterested look towards Ember. “Do not let Echo alarm you.” Killing Moon said, despite being fairly sure it wouldn’t bother her in the slightest. “I made her wait behind... and she hates that.” The last words were spoken mostly to himself and the Eaglehound. The beast made a huff sound in response.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2012 5:09 pm
Smoldering Reverie returned the smile with one of her own, a half-smile that softened her eyes. Her head lifted and cocked to the side as his lifted and his ears perked. Ember followed his gazes, staring unfocused at the same bush he did. Then it rustled and moved with an eaglehound finally emerging. Ember watched the eaglehound and accepted the dispassionate glance she received with a slow nod.
Ember listened calmly to the exchange between buck and familiar, letting the softly spoken words, not directed at her, settle around her and the huff of understanding brought the image of the oil-black caiman lifting out of the swamp to mind, the understanding that passes between kimeti and another swamp being, master and familiar. It was strange and foreign one as solitary as Ember.
Tilting her head down to gesture at mongoose. "Thank you, but you are right. The cold and the ache is not hunger, but blood and trust... I expect that you have different plans for your prize."
Echo. It was a strong, silent name for a creature equally strong and attached to its master, but its color was loud. Ember contemplated the buck in front of her, the flame like colors and wondered if his name burned. She spoke, giving her name as an offering with a dip of her head. “I haven’t introduced myself. My name is Smoldering Reverie.”
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 9:42 pm
“In truth, I did have something in mind…” The buck made the slightest notion towards the mongoose and the Eaglehound slipped forward, picking the dead creature up delicately in her mouth. A nod from Killing Moon and Echo padded away silently, disappearing from view. “I hope my brother will be pleased.”
Killing Moon casually moved, shifting his stance and flexing his muscles, as if he did not wish to remain still for too long. His gaze ran across her markings again, still warm and amused. “That is a suitable name.” He said with a smile and with a deep chuckle, he offered his own. “I am The Killing Moon.”
The buck tilted his head slightly, long hair slipping forward again, as he watched her for a reaction.
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Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 2:36 pm
Ember nodded as the eaglehound came forward, taking the mongoose, and loped away, off to deliver the kill to the brother of the buck before her. Ember had always assumed that a kill was for oneself, being as that was how she had always experienced the hunt. Ember could think of why- And then she remembered a long ago dream of a family brining their kills to each other, feeding each other always, and she couldn’t question how such a solitary pursuit could become affectionate. Perhaps the buck’s brother needed assistance or could not hunt by himself, or maybe it was a gift. “Do you often hunt for you brother?”
Ember stayed patiently still, as unmovable as the most solid rock and perfectly calm. When she was awake she saw the stillness and the tranquil aspects of the swamp. In her dreams she saw ice and fire coursing through the swamp in a frantic rush. She observed the buck before her as he shifted, watching the flames of his back flicker with the movement. Ember accepted his assertion that her name suited her coloring. It suited her beyond simple color, but she did see her colors saturating her first dream. Ember imagined that she would see those same colors in her last as well when she was finally consumed by flames.
The Killing Moon
The doe titled her head to the side. Sometimes it was easy to judge a name, a kin’s coloring generally seemed to give something away, like her own, and then sometimes, like the buck in front of her, the name seemed to come from something deeper. The buck’s name made her think of her nights spent sitting under the fat moon, caught up in the dark of the swamp. He was truly a creature of the swamp then. Perfect purity and splash of blood. The white snow paired with the hottest flame. Smoldering Reverie felt as if history, a bloody, beautiful, terrible history, could be read in his colors. And so came forth her judgment. “Beautiful.”
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Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 8:12 pm
Her question was the perfect segue into a topic he was usually quick to bring up when meeting anyone new, but this time he paused. Instead of turning into a living, breathing, handsome advertisement for his family’s shop, he chose to only answer the question without the unnecessary ad-on. “On the odd occasion, though usually only as a gift. What he does with it once he gets it is his decision.” Killing Moon smiled, looking back where Echo had disappeared into the undergrowth. “Echo was his gift to me, and I like to show my continued thanks by giving him things now and then.”
Of all his siblings, Left had always been Killing Moon’s favorite. Perhaps it was his awkward personality that nobody else could quite understand or the gentle, sweetness the younger buck hid behind a hard exterior.
As she uttered her response to his name, a brief look of surprise flickered across his futures before the buck lifted his head up and let out a deep rumbling laugh. It was not in the least condescending, instead being a joyous sound. To those who did not know him, his name could become almost ominous, though a mere minute in his presence could usually eradicate anyone’s fears. But never before had anyone described his name as ‘beautiful’, though to be fair his father had nearly had a heart attack from sheer joy when his eldest son had finally revealed it.
“I am very flattered.” Killing Moon truly was. Her one strong word of approval lit a fire in his heart.
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Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 9:21 pm
The gentle affection in Killing Moon's voice as he spoke of his brother dragged her away from the present and away from the faraway past to a not so distant history of her own. It came to Ember as clear as any dream she has ever had, perhaps only second to that feeling of being consumed by flames that had forever branded itself onto her: that very first moment when she had opened her eyes for the first time to find a nearly identical mirror image of herself reflected in the form of her twin brother. At that moment, he was nearly as much a part of her as her very own burning heart was a part of her. For all that had never been said between the two of them, Ember solitary from nearly the begin, the doe would never forget that moment of symmetry and in some distant way, she thought that she had a grazing understanding of the bond between the two brothers.
Smoldering Reverie was not taken aback when he laughed. The warm, joyous sound, shuddered through her the way the warmest breeze pressed through the branches of the trees before leaving the tree, ever steady, standing behind. But there was something in it that carried fire, something that made Ember feel as if she would willingly, happily, turn to ash at that very moment, burned down to white that traced itself along her body.
“There is no other way to describe it, you.” It was true. Smoldering Reverie saw truth all around her, especially in her dreams. The Killing Moon was an exquisite name, one that was bound to paint her dreams sharply red in the moonlight the coming night. Some small part of Ember wondered if it would bring her back to the time was the flames had danced around her until there was nothing left of her except memories and heat or if she would be caught up in the sometimes frigid, sometimes cool ice-shade of the moon. “A name is precious and it can be beautiful.”
Ember thought back to the way Killing Moon had studied her after saying his name and then that split moment of surprise when she had declared it beautiful. She wondered, “Do people not often react well to your name?”
Smoldering Reverie couldn't imagine it, couldn't see past the flame, the ice, the blood, and the moon, all things devastatingly beautiful to her. These were the things that danced before her eyes, weaving into her dreams and drawing her ever near the day she would breathe in and feel fire burning her lungs away. All these things, brought her peace and it left her content, maybe happy, to live life as it came to her.
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Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 3:41 pm
“Ah, it is not that they react badly. But it gives them pause…” The Killing Moon’s eyes glinted with amusement. “All know that you cannot judge someone entirely by their name, but many seem to suit their dubbing better than most… and on the odd occasion, when my name is given, some cannot help the thought of ‘in what way does he become his name?’ and ‘should they be afraid?’.” He shook his head, still smiling. “That being said, most kin do not react in such a manner… they have simply never called it ‘beautiful’. Beautiful is a strong word and I’m glad to touch your heart so that you would use it.”
He could see in her gaze, the dream. He felt like he could almost see the fire in her eyes as she imagined his name, as it consumed her attention and let her see something deep inside into a place nobody else would ever reach. The buck was infinitely pleased he could give her that.
“Come.” He announced suddenly, body going still and yet it spoke of movement. The Killing Moon stood in readiness, muscles tensed to leap forward. It was an unconscious thing, this preparation. The need to move had finally become too strong and he was ready to go, but he wished to share her presence for some time more. “Run with me for a time.”
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Posted: Fri Oct 19, 2012 11:25 pm
Ember could not help but smile when the buck in front of her smile, speaking of his name as he did. The kin in her dreams rarely had names, they were so often too familiar with those who knew them to offer a name, she rarely saw any interaction where names were used, never needed, sometimes freely offered in affection, but those times were rare. As for her own name, it spoke of flames and her dream urged her on, the smell of smoke drew her like nectar drew bees. She was smoke and dreams, things long past, buried and forgotten.
The Killing Moon suited his name in beauty; beauty in death, love in decay, dreams in the past, preciousness in blood, things so simple and innate to Ember that she could think of nothing else. When he looked at her, she knew he knew and that was a comfort to know that someone knew and though he may not understand, implicitly as she did, she found more solace in this waking moment than she had ever had in any dreams she had ever had.
Come. A command, yet not, a request, a spoken movement. Smoldering Reverie tilted her head to the side at the word, feeling his stillness, his preemptive motion infuse her bones. Her eyes flickered, like a quiet flame, and he saw his need to move, and still, there was an invitation. Run with me for a time.
And there was no other way to respond but to run, to let a soft whisper slip out, "Of course."
Of course. She would run with this buck with the beautiful name that spoke of terrifying, heart-frozen wonder. She would run with this buck with a name painted red, blood in her dreams and on the frost, painting her eyes in a most exquisite art. Her hooves seemed to fly over the swamp, certain in the companion that would run at her side.
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