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 Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 1:51 pm
Other Wolves: Ryukkii
"...THERE!" Spalsh!
Audi grinned around the fish in her mouth as she returned to shore. The river really wasn't so bad when you stayed near the swallow parts. The ones that wouldn't sweep you away, drag you under and kill you.
"See? I told you!" the puppy spat at Oki. The lynx didn't seem all that interested. Actually, her eyes hadn't even been open during the great catch. And even now, she only opened one halfway, gazing toward the fish with little interest.
"So you did..."
Sosay's tail was wagging fast enough to make a small breeze. With a happy yip, he ran over to Audi, smiling broadly. "Wow, that was GREAT! Did I ever tell you that fish came from the sky?"
"The sky...?" Audi echoed in confusion, recieving a nod in return.
"Yes, the sky!" Sosay repeated, plopping down. "You know how the water goes away after a while? Well, that's because it's going back into the sky, which is actually water too! But there are so many fish it can't fall down..."
Audi frowned. "That doesn't make any sense!"
"That's because he's lying," Oki cut in. This new puppy was more annoying than the first two. "Come back when you're done." It was at least some form of goodbye, if not simply a way of saying she was tired of being in their company and leaving.
When she was gone, Audi stuck her nose up and trotted back into the water. She really needed to stop believing all those stupid stories...
------
The pain had subsided somewhat since she had spoken to the combative female, largely due to a long nap which left her a bit disoriented as to what day it was. Days blurred together in the eyes of the female who fought so hard to have such a control over herself and body. They melded, and only in the corner of her mind did she feel the months and years go by. So easily would it have been for her to walk into the past and not even know it- a strange thing for one who relied so much on fact and reality. Perhaps it was just the slumbering that made her feel disoriented.
Slowly the small female moved, her mind on water. Complete objective- water, food, and then she would see what else her brain would allow. It was not like she was in a hurry to meet anyone, so her pace was sluggish at best, although it carried an unusual air of swaggering that might have been caused from arrogance or illness. Such things were hard to tell with the peculiarity that was Ryukkii, although she probably wouldn�t have cared either way.
It was the sound of splashing and random jibberish that folded a slight frown upon her face. She didn�t like children. Not because she was evil, or of some sort of villainous degeneration, she just didn�t like them. They were funny, and they had stubby feet and she didn�t like them running around under hers. They almost were unnatural- like midgets. Little midgets. Ryukkii was glad her own childhood was long passed.
But amiably- if one could call it that, she sauntered upon the scene, her eyes on the water but head vaguely cocked in the direction of the playing puppies. "But can you lie about something that isn�t known?" The female yawned as she approached, lowering her head towards the water and swallowing it greedily.
------
Because both sets of naive little eyes had been watching Oki leave, when another voice came, both of them jumped. Both turned in unison, but reacted quite differently.
Audi, not unexpectedly, growled and lowered a bit as if she was either to ready fight or run for her life. Much different from Sosay, who tilted his head and looked very interested in this new wolf. She looked so oddly!
"He's more telling stories than lying..." Audi mumbled. She relaxed when the stranger didn't immediatly attack her. That was always a good sign. As luck would have it, an apple from the tree beside her fell down and landed with a thud on her head, rolling to the ground. "And who're you, anyway? You look like you just ran out of a fire..."
"Did I ever tell you why wolves don't eat apples?" Sosay began. "It's because long ago there was a wolf who did, and the other apples found out. So everywhere the wolf went apples would fall from the tree and hit him in the head. They have evil spirits inside them, you know. That's why only things that can fly like birds eat those..."
Audi tilted her head. "Really...?"
------
Ryukkii paid only partial attention to the children as she satisfied her thirst, but the erratic story of the young male did prickle her interest somewhat. It was totally illogical bull s**t, but she liked it. Well, it wasn�t that she liked the story. But this pup at least was looking for answers, and that was something. She, who spent most of her life pondering totally irrational things, could take it for that. Another thick swallowing, and she rose her face. Small droplets of water were clinging to her jaw, and lazily she licked them off.
"Sometimes stories are closer to truths then we think they are. Saying nothing doesn�t do anything. Questioning things does do something. It isn�t true, it's illogical, but it doesn�t matter." Her low voice spoke, almost fluttering with it's easy smoothness. "And myself?" She chuckled, and lowered her head back towards the water. "You wouldn�t want to know."
"But I am Ryukkii, as it were to you." She continued, swallowing some more. Between mouthfuls she spoke a sentence at a time. "But no purpose with such small children. There really isn�t much you need know. Unnecessary, perhaps."
"And what if I ate the apple?" She remarked to the child with the stories quizzically. "If I ate it, what would happen? If I eat it and proove you wrong, what does the story say?" She had no intention to actually go through with that experiment, but she was interested in what the boy would say.
------
The two pups had listened so intently. While it wasn't the case with ANYTHING else, Sosay couldn't put into words how happy he felt someone was challenging him like she was.
Without missing a beat, he continued, "Well, you see, the apples weren't trying to kill the wolf, they were trying to hit him a bunch of times until he got all bruised and became ugly. If you ate one, they wouldn't bother you because you're already ug--" The sentence ended in a painful yip.
Audi had willingly let him go on all he wanted, until then. Would he seriously call someone ugly so openly?! He was going to get them killed! It wasn't like Oki was around to help them if they got attacked anymore. She wondered if Phantom would get angry with her if she came back and said his new sla--uh, follower--was already dead.
"Stop it!" she whispered fiercely. "You're going to get us in trouble! Or worse, you'll get ME in trouble!"
------
A low chuckle rumbled from within the female's throat. "Perhaps not then." She remarked and swayed her tail, and began walking across the side of the lake. She did it mostly out of the need to keep her body moving, or else her joints might start locking. When she drifted too far, she turned, and trotted back. "Ugly? I have seen better days, but it isn�t what matters." She had actually been rather lovely before everything went and got itself messed with. The fire, the burns- they were really only secondary conditions, but it certainly had ruined her appearance, and she had taken a big blow as far as her corruptibility went. So much easier when she had been lovely. But still, she was good with words, and supposed it was a sacrifice she did not mind.
For a wolf such as she, she did not have a temper. In fact, she was very much as she had described herself- a pleasant individual. But there were wrong undertones to that, and she corrupted even that phrase just with her looks and her walk. Her voice was soft and wretched face sometimes even kind- but there was little goodness to her. Maybe it was not so much a problem of good and evil. She was a force that simply did not care either way. But she benefited little from killing puppies, and it seemed like a lot of wasted effort and useless screaming.
"I'd doubt I'd be one to mingle in your troubles, so long as you stay from mine." She remarked, and it was a truthful statement.
------
After a squeaky voice had promised Audi it's speaker would behave, she'd stepped to the side and taken another look at the one who's name they didn't know. She didn't plan on asking for it, either, epesically after what she'd said just no--
"What's your name?" Sosay asked cheerfully, back on his feet and shaking the dirt off. It was such a pain being white. Or, mostly white. He wished he was reverse like Audi. "I'm Sosay, and this is Audi. We don't have any troubles, really. Except I get in trouble sometimes..."
The entire body of the female puppy beside him twitched in aggravation.
------
Interesting, perhaps she had not said it loud enough. She hated to repeat herself, for even the breath wasted on her name once more was effort that was being drained from her life. She took everything into deep consideration in regards to her personal being. Life would be short for Ryukkii, and she knew this. A year or two, maybe more- and then there would be no more. She was an optimist, but even optimism did not allow for such a grave misread. Already she looked like death, half her body rotten and the other half slowly working it's way about her mind. Was it punishment? Am�lie seemed to think all of their troubles were punishment for Slyph. She found that foolish too- what had Slyph to do with it? She pretended to be her on occasion, but there was no connection other then motherhood.
"I am Ryukkii." She recanted, but in a voice that did little to hide her agitation over repeating. "As it were. I will not remember your names, so you need not remember mine." Bluntly honest, at least.
Her body flinched, and the resounding pain fluttered across her shoulder blades and the female had to look away in order to recompose herself. Miserable worm of a ********. "Troubles come in time. I doubt that will remain.
------
The most annoying thing about this situation for Audi was that she couldn't force herself to leave. She wanted to be like Phantom, and not care about what happened to anyone in the 'group'--except Phantom himself--but so far that hadn't been easy, or even possible.
If she left, he'd talk so much he'd get killed for sure. Audi was naive in the ways that led her to think this wolf would be the worst of those she'd meant because she looked so scary.
It was that thought that had made her move away from Sosay, shifting uneasily. While she wouldn't just flat out take off without him, if he got attacked, she'd be gone. Fast.
"That's kind of a depressing way to look at it," Sosay commented, and even saying that sounded happy. You'd have thought they were talking about why the sun was so bright today--which he'd no doubt have a story for. "There was a sad bug with your name once, you know. And it was so sad that it got lazy. And it got so lazy it didn't want to move at all! So one day it was squished by accident because it didn't fly out of the way."
------
"Oh?" She remarked, submitting to her aching shoulder and laying herself onto the grass. "My my-" She drawled, her voice hiking up with a certain sharpness. "So unlucky the bug. Maybe it decided that it was pointless to move, when it would get squished either way. So it enjoyed the last moments of it's life being lazy, rather then living in fear. Such things, worms do."
A time long ago Ryukkii might have posed a threat to the children. Even now, she could if there were others- but weakness physically debilitated her from being dangerous in herself. Her dangers were with the mind, and of anyone she got to believe her nonsense. She was a planner, and a plotter- but not a fighter, at least, no longer. They might have been sadness too that, at least on some level of sympathy, if she had not done so many cruelties in her life to let it be punishment for. "And what about the little bug named Sosay?" Her voice slid oily.
------
"He likes to fly around and eat lots of apples. Since he can move so fast they don't bother trying to fall on him," the puppy explained. His logic tended to make no sense, but Oki had said she was almost impressed he could make up a story for everything, it seemed. To an extent, Audi agreed.
"But he was sad when the other bug was squished. She wasn't very cheerful, but nobody deserves to be squished that way."
------
Although the stories were irrational, there was a certain amount of charisma to the pup that hinted he might be quite an interesting fellow when he was older. Her tail flicked, and in lazy pondering, she licked her muzzle. She had said she would not trouble them much- well, she had said at all, but maybe she would downgrade her promise to much. After all, things changed when they grew. She'd like to see what the young creature would turn out like. Would he grow more foolish? Or clever? She liked the idea of a clever wolf. She had little time for foolish wolves. But clever wolves were really the only ones who ever stood any threat to her, and her ideology. And she liked threats.
"But if the Sosay bug was so fast, why did he not warn the squished bug? Was it his sin then that she died?" The female drawled, and flicked her tail.
------
You would never get her to admit it, but Audi was becoming increasingly interested in this without even realizing it. When one would be speaking or asking a question, she'd watch them, then look to the opposite wolf and wait silently for their response. It was repeated, yet again, and she wondered what Sosay would tell her this time...
"He did warn her," explained Sosay in that same, happy voice. Perhaps from his eyes the world had no problems? Maybe he hadn't been with Phantom's group long enough yet. "But in the end, it was the other bugs choice to move or not. It couldn't have been his sin unless he was the one who squished her. He was sad that she was squished, though."
------
Ryukkii had to admit- that was clever. She hadn�t expected that sort of response from a child, even if it was the obvious remark to it. She found that even she could not back up any more reason for the fast bug to be to blame- for if it had been her conversation she would have placed the blame on the slow bug as well. But such a thing was not something puppies normally saw, or at least, not that fast. Not even big wolves could pick up on one of her games so quickly. How interesting!
"A clever remark." She conceded, but almost affectionately. If she could be that way. "It would be the other bugs fault. Even if she did not know what was happening, she put herself in the position to be hit." Ryukkii concluded, her tail slowly swaying. "Do you make the stories up, or does someone tell you them?" She questioned. Perhaps there was another figure in this. Phantom maybe? This boy didn�t smell of Phantom yet, however. Although the other one certainly did.
------
"Who said they were made up?" the puppy whined, falling dramatically to the ground and pawing at his face. How could someone say such a thing! There was something in the way he'd said it that made it very clear, somehow, these stories, which were obviously just stories, were from his own mind and not that of another.
He his front paw down and rolled onto his back, stretching his black-spotted legs up high as they'd go before falling limply to the side. Perhaps something would step on him by mistake if he lay here for too long.
It was very quick. Quick enough that, if one hadn't been staring at him, they wouldn't have noticed it at all. In just that second, the puppy held an expression, a look in his eyes, that made it seem he knew something the world didn't. Something dark.
But as mentioned, it was gone fast. "How come you're alone? You don't like other wolves at all?"
------
She watched the puppy writhe in silence, her pale blue eye slowly squinting in steady though. "Oh no, I adore others." Her smooth voice remarked. Truthful, perhaps, but the jury was still out as far as how the others enjoyed her. "But there are times when I cannot stand them either. I care not for company, although there is a foolish male that has been feeding me. One day I will make myself more apparent-" She yawned, and stretched somewhat. As she did, her left side shivered in the motion. "But as of now, I am in the cool down. A rise and fall- I had my rise, and I had my fall, and it's time to rise again, but this time no one is left here beside me. But that just gives me more reason to experiment."
------
Sosay nodded, tilted his head and smiled. It was the type of smile only those who knew nothing about the world would wear. It was innocent, in short. "I see..."
His voice trailed off as he felt a nose nudge into his side. Audi looked ready, if not anxious, to go. It was getting really hot out here. The same smile stayed when he fixed his gaze on Ryukki for the last time that day.
"You should remember about the bug," he said simply. Not lingering to hear anything she had to say in response, he smoothly turned and went off in the direction Oki had gone in, Audi following behind him.
She paused briefly to look at the strange, adult wolf, then at Sosay. With a quick shake of her head she started moving again, faster than before so she could catch up.
Freaks...
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Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 1:53 pm
Other Wolves: Phib/Amelie/Tahara/Ran/Sashta/Retsu
Part One
"MOVE FASTER!" the small voice boomed. A small voice from a small host, and no one could have imagined a puppy could sound like... that, for lack of a better word.
Sosay snarled at Retsu as he barely managed to claw his way up the pile of rocks. It wasn't even the climbing that made it difficult: It was the climbing and not dropping the pink, black, white and very much unconcious and bloody puppy held between his teeth.
"Come on!" Sosay demanded, sharply turning left and dashing through the trees. Quite a sight, the three of them.
Because he was such a good little story teller, Sosay could have easily said in a very believeable way he had a clue where he was going, he knew what to do, and he had a plan.
Fact of the matter, the paniced spotted puppy was just...running.
------------------------
She was dreaming- that she knew. Perhaps one of the better features to being a seer was that although her dreams got more vivid, she was more and more aware that she was not really awake. It was a hanging state. She felt, somewhere in her sleep she could stretch out much further then she did when she was awake. But that didn?t always mean she did. There were nights she dreamed crazy things of purple grasses and red skies, owls and other strange happenings of the day. It was numbing. She dreamed of the whales she'd spoken to with Rio, and their strange songs, and how they called for--
--Going faster? Blearily she shifted in her sleep and flinched, kicking the ends of her paws. No, that wasn't right. The whales hadn't said that. She remembered Rio and her bobbing in the surf, and then they were carrying? that hadn't happened either!
She heard from somewhere out at the sea. Odd- she hadn't remembered the whales sounding quite like that either.
"Wake up," The voice said again, and slowly, she opened her eyes and peered about. But for her vision, the process of waking up had not lift her from shadows.
"Mmph?" Amélie yawned, stretching out her legs. "What?"
"I'm going for a walk." She heard Phib say. She supposed the intention was to get her to come- he didn?t normally wake her up when he went on strolls anyway. Sleepily she shivered against the fading light and stretched, rising up onto the balls of her feet and quickly picking pace up with him before she lost her bearings.
"Where are we going?" She yawned again, her voice momentarily unobscured.
"No where. I just want to walk." He rumbled, and she didn?t ask more.
--------------------
It was hard to explain why or how, and in doing so those who knew both parties would've either laughed or called him crazy. It was true, though. Retsu was more intimidated by Sosay, despite him being a puppy, than by Phantom.
Sure, Phantom was off his rocker and larger than most. He knew how to throw his weight around for sure. But Sosay was... Something else. He told those simple little stories that amused so many. They didn't realize it went deeper than that.
"RETSU! HURRY UP!" the pup barked. The omega would've nodded, but doing so would jolt the puppy in his jaws, so he avoided it and continued going.
It was a minute more before they were within sight of the other two wolves. Sosay narrowed his eyes carefully, then rolled his head back over his shoulder toward the Heartless. "Who are they?"
Somehow, Retsu managed to muffle the words in an understandable way, "The grey ones name is Ryoku, I believe. I do not know the male."
"And?"
"And... She was nice when I spoke with her. Other than that..."
"You're so useless!" Sosay snapped. He jolted back toward the strangers, raising his voice. "Hey, you two!"
------------------
It was oddly quiet as she strolled beside him, and she found herself folding her ears and leaning her head downwards. Was something troubling him? She could find out, she supposed. She never used digression with him before. But her mind felt unwilling to prod around at him and instead she did her best following his footsteps. He worried too much, that was the problem. He focused too much on everything always being right. He hated mistakes.
But perhaps this was an issue left for another time. Amélie paused in midstep. Her body went somewhat loose and she leaned forward, one foot still up and the corner of her tail flicking once. "Oh, dear-!" She spoke, giving Phib just enough time to turn around when a child's voice broke from the forest ahead.
The sound and nature of the child's voice seemed to benign the fact that within another few intakes of breath the scent of blood was upon them. Instinctively Phib snorted the coppery scent out, his hackles fluffing and his face hardening.
"What's going on?" He spoke, his voice a bit haggard from lack of sleep, but otherwise still. It became apparent from the moving shadows that another male came in tow, and in his jaws a lumpy form.
"Retsu-" Amélie identified, and took a few cautious steps forward.
-------------------------
"Phib," Retsu said suddenly, almost appearing as if he hadn't heard who we'd known as Ryoku say his name.
"What?"
"Phib," the omega repeated a bit quieter. "I remember now. Phantom and him are on...very bad terms with each other."
Sosay smirked. He spoke in such a way it made it hard to tell if he was being sarcastic or truly meant it, "That's lovely. Come on." They advanced forward until they were directly infront of the duo.
"Sosay," the puppy introduced, trying not to sound rushed. It was clear he was, though, more so due to the fact his eyes kept darting back to Audi. "I have a favor to ask of you, Phib."
-----------------------------
Hearing his name almost the moment that Amélie had addressed what appeared to be the elder of the pair, Phib paused a moment to crane his neck and take a few steps to the left and cut her off. Behind him she heard him warble and move around him, but he didn?t mind her so much on the side of him so long as this other wolf was within heads distance of him. It wasn?t that Phib was not used to being known- but this was hardly a normal greeting.
The sharper voice of the child cut across his ears, and he flecked one of them back as he continued to stare at this other male. He'd never seen a creature fade into the dark quite as much as this one did. He wasn't even particularly black- he looked like the color of a shadow in the night. Somewhat hazy, and were it not for those yellow eyes he would have been a tad more concerned. From this angle now he caught a fleck of pink from the ebony creature in his mouth- and his brain filled in the rest before Retsu managed to make it clear.
Phantom? He had had a feeling too much quiet in that neck of the woods had been brewing up to no good. But he hadn't actually pegged the male for one to attack Audi. For a moment he felt a fleck of guilt. He could have taken her when he had offered her, hadn't he? But that was no matter now. The child wouldn't have left anyways. It was a false gift of freedom for the girl. But he still hadn't thought it to be the outcome of his animosity towards the girl- at least not now. She hadn't even got a set of fangs on her yet. He'd always figured she was too nice a bargaining chip with Sashta- or had she already given up hope with her once she had let her go? It was hard to say, but Phib wasn't happy with this turn of events.
"Phantom did this?" Phib spoke sternly and with a little more malice then before, but the other male continued. The introduction of Sosay seemed pointless- but Amelie seemed dedicated enough to keeping everyone sane enough to peep a soft hello to the child.
"A favor?" Phib questioned, his brow furrowing.
-------------------------------
Sosay nodded. "Yes, I'd like you to--" The youths words came to a dead hault, recovering with an unsure, "Wait, what did you say?" Not that either of them would know, but for Sosay to sound like that was a very, very strange thing. "Retsu, put her down and go back."
Without a word, the dark wolf obeyed. Before he turned to go, his eyes cast a look over the seer. Hm... Shaking his head, he headed back toward the pack.
"I'd like you to keep Audi with you," the male said seriously. Even being so small, when he was like this, one couldn't help but take him seriously. "As you can see, she's not safe with us, but..."
He shook his head. "You're wrong to assume Phantom. He didn't do anything. It was the shaman."
-------------------------------
Ran?" Phib balked, his ears straightening and neck somewhat stiffening. Was that true? "How?" He had thought it odd for Phantom, but he saw a personality type in Phantom he failed to see in Ran. Phantom could have gotten angry- a million of things could have made it more plausible in his mind. But Phib would later have to admit, the possibility of it being Ran had to be one of the more unexpected things he'd ever had to muse over. Jealousy maybe? She had never seemed jealous, the times he had seen her. Surely Amélie would have known-
I don't know. Amélie spoke, her eyes blinking. Too-- She shook her head somewhat, and attempted to concentrate a little better. But the idea of Ran having done this made her somewhat afraid to verify it. It couldn't possibly be true, could it? Not Ran-
Phib shot her a glance and furrowed his brow. That wasn't good, if she got emotional in times like that. He had gotten somewhat lazy with having some trust in her abilities, but at that moment he decided that it wasn't right for him to assume she'd know, nor was it right for him to not figure it out himself. "Unless we're talking about some other shaman." Phib spoke, his voice thick. "And if she's not safe- Ran is with Phantom now?" Or perhaps the real problem was this Tahara.
--------------------------------
All things considered, it still took Sosay a lot not to laugh. "The shaman? With Phantom? Oh, goodness no. She's not allowed near the seer, and we almost have two." His eyes shifted to Amélie's, and he examined her own with slight interest. "I heard from China Blue you were one, too."
Without waiting for her to say anything, he returned his attention to Phib. "I'll be honest with you. I have some wolves I need to deal with, and I can't focus on her fully, at the moment, like I wish I could. She'd be safe with you, I'm sure. I can just tell. And don't worry about Phantom," he added suddenly. "One of these days, I'm going to eat him alive. Quite a fitting death for a cannibal."
It was times like these one could understand why Retsu feared him more than 'the Ghost'.
A small growl drew the spotted pup's focus, and before one could blink he was next to Audi. His attempts to help her up were responded with a snap and a glare.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Audi snarled, wincing as she stood. "Where's that damn butterfly?! And where's that wolf?! I'll kill them both!"
---------------------------
It might have surprised him more to hear a child speaking like this, but after the rest of the information floating about, it was hard not to take anything by now. There was a familiar manner to the way the pup was speaking too- it was almost somewhat uncanny. But he kept his mind focused on what the problem was at hand, and settled it aside.
Amélie blinked somewhat at the comment, and simply shook her head towards Sosay. Two seer? She had not met either, but from what she remembered she didn't doubt that one might have been Kaho. He had been mentioned in length before- and if not him, she had a feeling he couldn't be long behind them. But by telling her this- what did he wish her to say? She kept her mouth closed. It was hard to tell if he was threatening her or warning her. Or what it really meant to her.
Phib adjusted his eyes downwards towards Sosay, and rolled the thoughts over his mind as well. "An interesting tally." Phib remarked somewhat haphazardly. There was a manipulation here. Although whether or not the child was attempting to manipulate him or Phantom was hard to tell.
Audi's voice broke his concentration, and he turned towards her flailing. At once Amélie moved cautiously over, keeping herself a few feet from the children. "Hush, hush. No need to be killing things."
A manipulation? Perhaps- he didnt like to see a child as another political mind, but for the moment resolved himself to thinking as such. "She has a place with us." He spoke. Whatever the matter was- he felt he owed Audi it.
-----------------------------
The bloodloss had made her light-headed as it was, and to suddenly wake up away from your pack would leave anyone confused. Understandablely, it took her a bit of time to register what was going on, and who had just said that.
"Oh, HELL no!" the tiny female snarled before she'd even realized it was Phib talking. Even after, the fact remained: She wasn't going with him. "I'm going back to MY pack."
If she didn't... That damn Meskeet and... Phantom. Together. Without her.
She just couldn't bare the thought of it!
Not because she liked Phantom. Actually, she rather hated him. But she hated Meskeet so much more, and having her gone would bring her a disgusting amount of happiness.
Her eyes caught sight of it. Pink really did stand out among all the dark green leaves on the branch. "WHAT DO YOU WANT?" she screeched at the butterfly.
Sosay turned towards it, drawing his eyes together. If such a thing were possible from him, the creature would've erupted into flames from a glare like that. "Tahara..." Just as quickly as he'd turned to the butterfly, he turned away from him.
His ears perked to listen to dark, deep growling sound, and his eyes watched clearly the small, grey shaman who was making such a horrible sound just a few feet away from them.
---------------------------
This was a paradox. He wasn't one to actually listen to children, but when it came down to it he had two children before him, one telling him to take the girl and the other demanding she be brought back. Something else oddly familiar about all of this. It wasn?t the first time he'd had to make that choice? "You don't need them." Phib spoke simply, turning towards Audi. "You don't need to stay with us. But you don't need Phantom either."
And this might have gone further, had it not been for the sudden flickering of a bright pink butterfly in the distance. He'd never seen it before, but the moment his eyes fell upon it he had the feeling that it was unearthly. Did he see it now only because he expected it to be there? God- how had he gotten to the point where he actually expected things of the supernatural to be about?
Then the low growl. It was feral, and too deep in the throat for him to have ever thought it could come from a small creature like Ran. Amélie was already moving forward, her mouth falling somewhat ahinge and breathing- "Ran!"
"Amélie-" Phib curtly spoke, his voice sharp enough to stop her in mid walk, and she crouched somewhat but did not move away. Slowly, he lumbered up past her, and towards where the pups were, crossing about the right side of Audi and hanging somewhat adjacent of the pair. From here- the form of the grey female was noticble against the dark.
"Ran." He spoke, and snorted. "Enough of this."
----------------------------
"It's not your business," the shaman hissed at him, teeth bared. In the darkness, they almost seemed to gleam, along with her eyes, and gave the usually care-free, helpless runt a look that would make even those like Phantom consider cowering.
I'm not here to involve either of you.
"I'm not here to involve either of you," Ran continued, snorting and shuffling her paws forward but not actually going anywhere. "She's not yours."
-----------------------------
"And not yours either." Phib spoke stiffly, and remained still. The voice did not scare him, although what had happened to make her this way perhaps did. Was she possibly being manipulated? He couldn?t imagine someone like Ran suddenly snapping? But, she had been the runt. That had to build up some animosity? it was hard to say what people were capable of. "I'm afraid my dear, I find myself often involved in things that I shouldnt be. That doesnt really sugar coat it much, saying I'm not involved."
Amélie lay crouching, listening to Phib's voice and almost missing the echoing of Ran's. Her body quivered somewhat, and her bright eyes flashed suddenly- perhaps the one spark they'd ever carried since she had been blinded. Awkwardly she rose to her feet and took a few slow steps forward, her ears flat against her head and her mind prodding openly.
"There's no reason for this Ran. You don't really want this, do you? She's just a child." Amélie projected, prodding cautiously. The first time, she left Phib out of it- although the others would have heard her speech regardless. Then, feeling somewhat guilty- she repeated it privately for Phib, giving him a somewhat delayed reaction.
--------------------------------
"She's not taking it away from me," Ran snarled, her claws extended and gripping into the dirt as if she might launch forward to bite one of them at any given second. Any other time, it would've been no concern to anyone larger than her (which was everyone her age or around it), but this time... "I won't let it happen again."
Ran didn't answer Amelie, and it was questionable if she'd even heard her. The voice that answered definately wasn't hers.
Get out off her head. She doesn't want you here.
"There's no use with that," a voice broke in. "She's not in her right mind... Well, not in what would be considered the right mind for her." From the shadows, stepped the white and black female known as Sashta.
She sat in the middle of the two sides, staring at up at the butterfly as it glowed faintly. "I see you," she said bitterly, then turned to look at Audi. "I was worried he'd change his mind when you were born."
--------------------------------
Let Ran tell me to go. I am nothing but passing. Who are you to be meddling? Amélie spoke, her voice noticeably a bit different from her speaking tone. For now- she kept herself hushed between herself, Ran, and whoever this other was.
Sashta's arrival seemed a bit too timely to truly be a dues ex machina, but Phib was glad she had showed up. If anything, it saved one very awkward series of news later on- although it already seemed that she knew a bit more about the status of Ran's mind then he did. She spaced the line between them, giving him leave to approach Ran a bit closer- but he did not go so close as the mother moved. There was a lot to a mother's power- although the two might not have always had the best outward relationship.
--------------------------------
I am in the right, Seer. It's your kind who needs to stay out of the minds of others.
"It never seemed right to me that Tahara had picked Ran to drag around," Sashta continued. The purple eyes of the former alpha had rested on the butterfly for quite a while, but when she spoke, it didn't seem to be toward him or anyone in particular. "It was only because she was the best suited out of the first four. Until something he felt more fitting came along. I had to get rid of it so this didn't happen. It all played out so well for a while..."
The female sighed so heavily her entire body quaked. Then, she turned her head awkwardly toward her oldest daughter. "You just don't want anyone else to abandon you, do you?"
The shaman growled again, bringing a frown from Sashta."I assumed this would happen."
And nothing more from the two of them could be said, as Ran moved forward, Sashta moved forward, and the battle no one else could ever even imagine happening began.
---------------------------------
Don't drag Ran down too! Amélie suddenly flinched, a series of quick thoughts rushing through her mind. You were her friend! Now you just betray her!
But the scene was already playing out like the flashes, and Amélie sat their flinching at the sight. It was too much to grab hold of a shaman and make Tahara dispel. Alter egos were one thing- this was a rival property that didn't mesh. Nothing could be done but watch. Which she couldn't even do through her deadened vision.
For a moment, Phib found himself a bit distracted by Sashta's exposé the situation for it to sink into him that she was preparing for a fight. He had assumed Ran would turn violent from the tone of her voice- but he had rather it been him then Sashta. It couldn't take that much to hold her down- but, he also recognized that might not have been what Ran needed. Sometimes a kid did need a slap around. But how much of this Ran was Ran, and some other entity?
But all of this moved a bit too fast. Ran already jerked forward and charged at Sashta, and the mother followed suit, leaving the small foursome standing on the sidelines. Amélie rushed up besides him, tripping somewhat over the earth and her own excitement. "Do something!"
"Wait it out." He responded, his pale eyes focusing steadily on the females. Out of their minds or not- bitches fought like hell. It wouldnt do not to watch it closely- but it would do better to wait.
-------------------------------
I never claimed to be her friend. Perhaps you should stop assuming things.
In all the chaos, Audi had managed to limp off toward the tree. Managed to claw herself half way up it. That butterfly... She hated it more than Meskeet at that very moment, and wanted nothing more than to kill it.
Of course, the little puppy wasn't aware killing something that was already dead meant nothing.
Despite what Audi thought, Sosay always knew where she was. But quite frankly, butterfly slaughter gave her something to do in the situation that was quickly become dangerous for more than just her.
"There's nothing to wait out..." the spotted puppy said in a toneless voice, watching the two.
It was a bit of a surprise Ran was doing so well. But Sashta would get ahold of her and toss her a bit farther away, or push her, pull her. The distance was becoming more and more rapidly.
"She's dragging her away from Audi," Sosay informed.
She's gonna kill her...
--------------------------------
Was all this necessary? Ran was putting up a hell of a fight, but it wouldn?t do if she died over it. It was a concern anytime females fought, not just over the possessions of their daughters. Females seemed to have a tendency to kill rather then prove a point. More alpha males survived pack take overs then alpha females. It was just the way life seemed to work. But, that didn?t mean watching it would do either. "There's time to wait and see what is intended." Phib spoke simply, before rising. "And, that's mostly ended now."
"Sashta-!" He called, and moved towards the combatants- although by now, it seemed Sashta was doing more dragging of Ran. "It isn?t worth killing her over."
So much anger! Amelie thought miserably, and perhaps instinctively moved over towards where Audi was climbing, unable to keep herself focused on the fight. The empathy was already hard enough to block off, and her limbs shook in a cold sweat.
Ran was faster, but when Sashta caught her, she was down for a seconds. Just long enough for her to call over to the alpha. "Relax, I'm not gonna kill her!"
Have to...kill it... Audi thought bitterly, the voice in her mind a bit crazed. If she killed it, it couldn't follow her anymore.
She was so close, her clawed paw only inches away from ripping the wings apart. Then, came the voice that silenced the entire area. Even the birds didn't dare make a sound, and the vicious battle between Sashta and Ran came to a dead stop.
"EVERYONE CALM THE HELL DOWN!" Kaho roared at them from atop the small cliff. His red eyes gazed over each of them, then he moved to decend downward--
--and forgot that leg he was trying to use wasn't there.
The seer tumbled down the miniature mountain, landing with a THUMP! flat on his butterfly-masked face.
"Well..." Kaho grumbled. "So much for my dramatic entrance..."
-------------------------------------
Things were starting to mesh together too quickly in her mind. She blinked slowly and faintly saw the form of a butterfly fluttering a few inches from a child's paw, but somewhere down the butterflies back Ran was being dragged away by Sashta, Phib was following after them, and the strange other child was standing still in the midst of it.
The sounds of Ran's gnashing almost hid Sashta's comment, but he was glad to hear there wasn�t murderous intention. Not that it really helped controlling Ran either. How far would Sashta have to drag Ran for her to be released from this fury? All of this seemed to imply this Tahara was behind it- and quite frankly, Phib was getting sick of this Tahara. He still didn�t understand the situation, and he doubted he ever would. Too much spirits getting involved, too many players.
Thing paused for a long moment- and Am�lie would have noted the corner of her mind twitched somewhat. A sudden, harsh voice yelled out amongst them, prompting Phib to crinkle his snout and turn around- just in time to watch the wolf tumble down the small mountain.
There was going to be a serious migraine from all of this, wasn�t there?
"Oh dear--" Am� squeaked, and found the coldness passing.
-----------------------------------
Regaining his oh-so-cool composure, Kaho had the urge to just leave and call it a day before he was further injured. Unfortunately, he had things to do. And, in some way, this was probably his fault.
But mostly not his fault. It was never his fault. ...Eheh.
"Right, well," the seer continued, eyes hovering around Amelie. Da-amn. Too bad he couldn't spew out those cheesy pick-up lines of his. There were (almost) equally important things to do.
"Alright, you and you," Kaho instructed demandingly. "You two come over here with me. I think we have some things to discuss." As he spoke, he made it clear through gesturing with his head he was speaking to Tahara and Sashta.
I think you can get her back to normal while I'm speaking with them, Kaho's mind told Amelie's. It's the butterflies fault. She doesn't even know what she's doing.
----------------------------
Phib squinted his brow, gazing at the other male for a moment in slow thought. Would Sashta let Ran go long enough to talk to this other? He wasn�t usually a trusting person- in fact, he still wasn�t a trusting person, but it seemed like anyone with a plan of what actually could be done with this mess sounded like a good plan to follow. Would Ran settle if Tahara moved to speak with the other male? At the midsection between the two groups, he walked towards the left, watching the two and moving over towards Audi and Sosay.
Am�lie turned her head slowly, feeling the steady quiver against her mind. Oh Ran, She thought pitifully, and nodded her head. I will try. She echoed to Kaho, and turned her attention on Ran- but not so much at the moment that Tahara might have felt it.
--------------------------
Reluctantly, Sashta's hold on Ran lessened until it released completely. He could have just as easily stayed where he was, but the butterfly, a bit surprising to some (mostly Kaho, though he didn't show it) glided down and landed beside his sibling.
The one creature became two, then six, twelve, twenty. Eventually, it formed the pink wolf-shape most of them were all too familiar with. With that awkward walk of his, Kaho moved to them and led the two away.
Almost immediatly, Ran settled down. Her eyes dulled to that clueless glint she'd always had before, and she watched the three depart as if it was some amazing occurence. Blinking, looking confused, she tilted her head at the remaining wolves.
"Hmph," Sosay huffed, shaking his head. Wasn't going to kill her, hm? Fine. He'd take care of the shaman himself later on. Hell, he could probably kill her the size he was now.
-----------------------
It might have been rather disturbing for him to see a wolf suddenly formed out of butterflies materialize a couple of months ago. The fact that it seemed obvious totally burned at the corner of his mind. Too much in this game. Everyone dead in his life had better stay that way. He certainly wasn�t going to put up with their doppelgangers. The child behind him grunted in exasperation. Phib did not move his eyes towards him, but did think about it. Some things would only be found out with time.
Feeling the group depart, Am�lie rose and moved quickly over towards Phib and the pups, crossing alongside him and giving him a faint peerless glance before moving a bit closer to Ran.
Ran? She echoed, and took another step forward.
------------------------
For a time there was no answer, and then came the questioning voice. Which, was a voice, not a mental one. "Why are you in Ran's head?" the shaman asked, sounding a bit irratated. How many voices were in there?
"Audi, you'll have to go with them to keep him away from you," Sosay prodded the other pup in a dark tone of voice. "The grey one's a seer, and as long as there's one with you he'll stay away."
The female said nothing. She did, however, glare at him, then glance at Phib with a mixture of question and anger. "And why would you agree to that anyway? Don't you know I might backstab you later?"
Not an out-of-character thing to do for one who followed Phantom.
-------------------------
Am�lie switched softly back to speech, and tilted her head to the side. "I don't need to be. Are you alright Ran?" She questioned, her ears flattening. Did she know what had happened? For the moment, it seemed hard to say and respectfully she kept herself out of her head- or at least, enough so that she didn�t read thoughts, but kept a slight trace to feel if Tahara entered back in. "It's cold tonight." She spoke again calmly.
Phib had mostly resolved himself to the fact that now it was out of his hands, but kept his eyes trained on Ran. She seemed calmer now, or at least sedated. But he wasn�t about to miss if she went back to psychosis and the first creature in her path was Am�lie. He heard the children bickering, but only really paid attention to it when he realized he was being addressed.
Slowly, he turned his head and peered at Audi. Even as haggard as he was, he felt a slight chuckle fumble from his throat. "My family's rich hobby appears to be backstabbing. You wouldn�t be the first, my dear, to try to send me away. You may do what you wish. There's nothing to betray between us, although I would think better of you not to do it over Phantom. I have so many other better qualities to want to be backstabbed for."
------------------------
"Ran's head hurts," she said bluntly, pawing at her face and wrinkling her nose back. As if suddenly realizing something, she lifted her head and held her ears high, eyes frantically moving about. The three wolves that had left were at such a distance she could just barely make out the pink color. "Why is Tahara over there?" Her voice darkened a bit, her narrowed glare obviously focused on Kaho.
Audi stared up at him with a face of stone. It seemed wrong a little puppy could look that way. Her head sharply turned to the side and she snorted. "Whatever. I'll stay with you until I can get that thing away from me, but then I'm going back to Phantom."
"Don't worry, Audi," Sosay told her in a cheerful voice. Like the one he told stories in. "When I'm bigger I'm going to take care of him. And I'll probably have to kill Meskeet, too, because you know how she is when it comes to him... Doesn't that make you feel better?"
"..A little," the puppy admitted in a grumble.
--------------------
"I know," Am�lie spoke affectionately, and approached her closer until she was just a few feet from her smaller friend. "Tahara is speaking with your mother." Better to take emphasis off Kaho for the moment. But what now? She knew Ran felt strongly towards Tahara. How could she ever begin to explain all of this? "Ran, Tahara�" She spoke, and flattened her ears. "He's hurting you."
Phib perked his ears, and felt another tired rumble fall from his throat. "You may do what you wish." Vaguely, he peered at Sosay. So, a little usurper? Had he been like that as a child? He'd never spoken quite like that. There was a surprising amount of intelligence, but Phib hardly doubted Phantom would go down without a fight. Was it odd to almost take the spotted creature seriously? But little puppies grew up fast. If it was from the inside, Phantom might not see it coming. Unless of course, Meskeet predicted it.
"Meskeet is just a child." Phib remarked to Sosay. "And would make problems for your little usurper if she found out about it before you made your move. Better to run her off, or join you."
------------------------
So quickly no one could have caught the movement of her eyes, Ran glanced back to Amelie. If she'd been anyone else, she'd have growled. But she didn't, because that just wasn't something Ran did. "Amelie has no place telling Ran that," she said seriously. "Tahara likes Ran. Tahara's helped Ran for a long time. Tahara's helped Ran save a lot of others."
Which, to be fair, was true.
Sosay smiled cheerfully at Phib. "Do you know what Kaho told me? He's that seer over there, talking to Sashta and Tahara. He told me Meskeet will probably end up like him." His eyes darkened suddenly and the grin on his face was much the same. "I don't want anyone like that with me." Then, he returned to the happy puppy and wagged his tail.
The three who had left returned. Sashta looked annoyed and Kaho, for once, looked nothing but serious.
"Alright," began the seer. "All of this, for today, is going to stop. Everyone's going to leave each other alone and go about their business for now."
------------------------
He glanced towards Kaho, and furrowed his brow. A seer too? He had thought Am�lie and him had been glancing at one another for a moment. "Not a very wise move." Phib remarked. "If Meskeet is easy mislead by Phantom, she could be mislead by you just as fast." But perhaps for as smart as he was, Sosay didn�t quite see the benefit of having a seer on your left. It was addicting, but there was something to having a validator. The mind could only perceive so much- and there was nothing worse then thinking you had no equal. "You might be disturbed by them, but the benefits would outweigh the not. Either way, you don't want her on Phantom's side when you plan your little revolution. They can puppet work when they're strong enough." Am�lie never did such a thing- but Phib had heard of them doing it before. The idea of being controlled was something he'd rather not have happen- but hopefully, having Am�lie's thoughts around his mind would keep that at least at bay.
While Phib seemed to be disphoryically talking of revolution, Amelie found herself facing one. She lowered her ears and shook her head slowly. "I have no place. But you have a place to know Ran- I don't know what Tahara is doing." She said softly, and felt her heart sting somewhat with pity for the dead soul. "But Ran, Tahara isn�t from this place. He's dead- they don't think like we do. I think he's a good person somewhere. I don't want to think people could ever not be. He can help you help the world, but it's not helping you�" She whispered, and lowered her eyes. "He's gotten you in a mess Ran, friends don't do that. He doesn�t realize what he's weaving. Or if he does he doesnt care." Tahara, from this point, seemed to care about Tahara.
-----------------------
Sosay kept that happy look plastered on his face. However, he did take into account what Phib had said. At the same time, he felt the black male was underestimating him. Sosay's mind was so complex Kaho had said it gave him a headache to read it.
Meskeet... Psh. Her and Phantom both. They'd see.
Unlike Sosay, Ran didn't seem to, at all, consider what the older wolf was telling her. Partially because she was too busy leering at Kaho when he approached and spoke to all of them.
Let's go, the voice in the wind said to the shaman. Before the two left, Sashta rounded them and leered at the butterfly wolf. It seemed everyone could see him today.
"Remember, Brother, who it is you're mad at."
Ran gave her a look of dissaproval then walked around her, Tahara close behind.
It wasn't as if he hadn't been before, but Sosay had never looked or sounded near as serious as when he spoke to Phib again. "Take care of her. I'll come back and get her later."
-------------------------------
Am�lie paused as the other female's eyes became hardened and cold, and she felt the other seer moving closer from behind her. Ran, She spoke again softly before the butterflies were too near. I'll love you regardless of what happens. But don't let him change you. Change him.
Sheepishly she took a few steps back, and felt the butterflies cross past her and the voice directed to Ran. It would be impossible to break Ran of this without fiddling- and Am�lie would not do that. People had freewill to do what they felt was right. If Ran felt supporting Tahara was right, she had faith that she would manage. She had to manage. Thinking otherwise was too dark.
Phib watched as the group seemed to part, his face solidifying and his pale eyes squinting. Am�lie looked depressed, and that would take a while to shake. Sosay's voice broke him off again, and he turned back towards the child. Perhaps he did underestimate him- but already he gave him more credit then he would have given most children. In fact, in most situations he would have laughed. But there was a look to him- or maybe, it wasn�t a look at all. But he also saw a little arrogance in the child. It wouldn�t do if he put too much faith in his own mind that he overstepped something- corners couldn�t be cut in a usurper.
"She'll be safe." Phib rumbled, and flecked his eye towards Audi. "And you may come for her if she wishes to go." He had no intentions of keeping her locked up. But he'd certainly keep an eye on her.
"Talk to me again when you're bigger." Phib remarked sidelong as the other child moved. He couldn�t yet place if this Sosay was for the good or not. But, he would like the chance to know the movements being made to take Phantom down.
------------------------------
The area began to clear out. Sashta had left, as had Kaho.
"I planned on it," Sosay informed Phib, then left himself. Even after he was out of sight, Audi stared after where he'd been for quite a while. "Well, let's go to wherever it is you go, then."
----
Ran had ignored that voice in her head, staring down at the ground. Tahara had moved infront of her, walking there, and her eyes just barely allowed her to see the blotches of pink looking down at him like that.
As they went along, the butterflies began to dissapear and left only one, fluttering along. Suddenly, the single butterfly soared into the air, and Ran stopped.
She looked up, then down.
"Why is Ran here?" the shaman blurted out, staring down at the river below her. Why had he almost let her fall off the cliff like that? And more, why wasn't he answering her? Why--
Then, it clicked.
The shaman attempted to turn, and had half-way done so when a weight much larger than herself knocked into her and sent her tumbling downward.
Her tiny claws clung to the rocks and the dirt, her eyes burning up at Phantom hatefully. Then, her gaze became hurt when she looked to Tahara.
Why would you do this to Ran...?
Her pathetic claws lost their grip and the shaman fell down, down, down, ending in a sickening spalsh. The small patch of grey was quickly carried away by the rivers waters.
As they'd done before, the butterflies became many and took the shape of a wolf.
"I wanted to eat that, you know," Phantom complained, staring down at the water.
Quit whining. Seer will be better for you. And then each of the butterflies vanished, and Phantom headed back toward his one-less-puppy pack.
-----------------------------
Phib nodded as Sosay left, and turned his attention to Audi. A bitter look on such a young face. But her tone couldn�t keep a slight quirk off the corner of his muzzle. "Not far from here. Am�lie-" He called, turning around towards her. She was standing still in the place she had left Ran, her head hanging and looking most distraught. "Am�lie, now isn�t the time."
Could she hate? Sometimes there were times she got close to. She tried, time and again to love people without difference between sin and goodness. Everyone did bad things. Everyone had reasons for bad things. But it didn�t stop her from having a lump in her throat and finding herself unable to swallow. She didn�t hate Tahara. Nor did she hate Phantom, or Ryukkii, or anyone who had ever done something wicked to her. But sometimes the sorrow was too much. What would Ran do, if Tahara kept betraying her? Would all of this go down in fighting, like life always seemed to do? Would it have been better for her to force her will upon Ran, and make her believe? Couldn�t there be good uses for that kind of power?
"Am�lie." Phib spoke again, sharply this time, and she turned around and blearily peered at the direction he sounded in. People thought he was cruel to her, she knew. Did they know she needed him more then he needed her? That she needed someone to tell her what to do, or else she might be lost in trying so hard to do what was right?
The small grey rose to the balls of her feet and slowly moved forward, walking towards Phib but feeling somewhat shaky.
"We'll go now." Phib spoke flatly, and mindful of Audi, he turned around and moved back towards the path they were walking down. Bad things afoot, all of this. It was one thing for him to be involved, but he'd be damned if Am� got involved. Unfortunatly, it'd already seemed to have happened.
A short time passed, and the air had only just begun to smell of the salt when the small female froze and rose her head. A sickness was flooding across her chest. Something bad-- something bad had happened!
------------------------
Not that she'd say it, or allow herself to even think it without protest, but Audi didn't mind so much that she was following Phib for now. What bothered her mostly was that she was away from her enemies, and they said you were suppose to keep them close, right?
And then, Sosay... Not that she'd admit that either, but she'd miss those stupid stories of his. How long before he came back?
When Amelie stopped, so did the puppy, barking over at Phib. "Hey, somethings wrong with your seer."
----------------------------
Phib had to stop himself from muttering- 'something's always wrong with my seer.' At the moment, he believed she was just having another fit. She was easily hurt, and even more easily made depressed, despite how light hearted she appeared to be. He turned somewhat and glanced at her, his face falling somewhat to see her standing ridged. "Am�?" He questioned carefully.
Am�lie took a step back, and shook her head blearily. At first there were no thoughts to her feelings. She locked up and couldn�t allow her mind to move. But then, she felt it move about- and an overwhelming amount of flashes crossed through her mind. Ran-- she had not saved Ran at all! Her heart lurched. "Something bad!" Am�lie suddenly shouted.
He grunted, and shook his head. "Relax Am�. Too much for tonight."
Was she going to throw up? "No, no- you never understand me!" She shouted worriedly, and began to move. "I have to go!"
"Go?" He snapped. "Go where?"
"I don't know!" She said again, and quicker then he'd ever expected her to move, she turned and vanished out of the moon's light.
"Am�!" Phib yelled again and took a step forward, his head pulled back in surprise. Damn woman! "So damn impulsive!" he shot back at her. "Am�, stop it!"
------------------------------
"She's weird," Audi spat, wrinkling her tiny nose back. Ran did it a lot. So did Sashta. It was some family thing, maybe, that each of them did quite a bit without being aware the other two did as well. "She'll run into a tree or something, right?"
Then they could drag her back to... Wherever. Audi had had plenty enough excitement for today, thankyouverymuch.
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Posted: Fri Apr 27, 2007 2:33 pm
Part Two
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"One would hope." Phib muttered, but he knew better. If she really wanted to get somewhere, he doubted blindness would stop her. She could be clumsy, but if she traced someone she could make a pretty damn good mental map of the places she was around. Something about vibrations- where the hell was Rio when you needed him. She'd listen to him if it had something to do with these spirits.
But now Phib was a bit torn. It was either after Am�, and dragging Audi along with him, or taking her back and trying to find her after he'd taken her. It was too late for this. He felt a kind of fatigue burning at the corner of his brow. But with all of this, he doubted it was safe for her to be spazzing everywhere either.
He swallowed somewhat, feeling a bit sick to his stomach. But, Am�lie was still an adult and he had said he would take Audi back to where it was more safe. "We'll go back first." He said stoically, although it burned at him. "Then I'll go find her."
-------------------------------
"I think you should go get her now," Audi said in that almighty tone of hers. Everything she said was the best idea to follow. She was her after all. "I'm going to sleep here."
It was obvious the puppy wouldn't hear otherwise. She rested beneath the nearest tree and stubbornly shut her eyes. Her mind was still working quite clearly, however.
So that female really was a seer.
And they'd really pushed that shaman.
-------------------------------
Temptation, yes. He wanted to go after her. But as resolved as Audi was to sleeping, he hardly saw it a good idea. "No point in it." He remarked. "We're not far. If she's so damn seerful, she'll do her best not to get herself killed before I get there. And if she's listening, now she knows." He balked, and took a few steps forward. Now it was a bit of stubbornness.
"I have things to do that separate me from her, and they always have." Phib spoke flatly. "I'll go to her when I finish the job with you. You'll come with me." He remarked, and glanced towards the forest.
Meanwhile, Am�lie was doing a bit more flailing then she was actually searching. She was not good at keeping herself calm, and with her overreactions to all of this, she was quickly confusing herself. Vaguely she was aware of Phib making the decision to take Audi back and then go after her. She didn�t take mind of it. He wouldn�t have followed her anyways. He could just as easily grab her and pull her back as Sashta had been dragging Ran.
Ran-- She was getting the sickening feeling that even going fast, she wouldn�t be able to catch up. All she felt was water and sorrow. Was it already too late, and she too far?
It didnt seem fair, none of it.
--------------------------------
"I'm not moving," Audi told him stubbornly, keeping her eyes closed. It was only when she stopped moving she realized how much she really didn't want to move anymore. "Even if you think you are, you're not my alpha. You're not my father, either. I don't have to listen to you."
Ran was thrashing around in the water, barely managing to catch small gulps of air before being thrown under again. This wasn't the calm part of the river where wolves came to drank.
It was the part that meant certain death for any normal-sized wolf that fell into it, let alone a little runt like her.
The realization you're going to die isn't one you can compare anything to. Either is the feeling of something grabbing onto you and dragging you onto shore.
The shaman coughed heavily, emptying her lungs of most of the water that had gathered there. Sashta looked down at her with an odd expression.
Did you catch her?
"Yes," Sashta answered Kaho, unaware she'd said it out loud. When she realized it, she didn't bother mentally repeating it.
From a distance, the seer sighed heavily in relief and fell over. Having three legs could really prevent a guy from chasing something down a river.
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"All the more reason for you to backstab me later." He remarked, rather amiably for such an occasion, and quite simply grasped the pup by his jaws, and rose her up by the scruff of her neck. Whether he liked it or not, he knew the better option was to take her back. Against her will, for her will- it didn�t really matter. He couldn�t leave her with open wounds in the middle of the night in the middle of a forest. He had faith in Am�lie, although it hurt him to think it might come down to actually having faith in her. "She'll be back."
Am�lie wheezed, and a bit too distraught, found herself pulling to a stop just inches before ramming herself into a tree. Breathing she lifted her snout somewhat, feeling it's faint and dangerous presence inches from the sensitive whiskers on her jaw. She sniffed and took a slow step back, her limbs feeling weak and drained.
She was being too wild. She had to calm down a bit. Her mind was throbbing, and she was having a hard time even focusing which way she was going now. Weird thoughts were flooding into her mind- a lynx was having a stomach ache twenty feet away, and felt like throwing up. Bitterly she severed that connection, and attempted to grab a new one.
Faintly, she prodded about. The forest was rather quiet, but in her head it was roaring. And then, faintly- Did you catch her? The voice fluttered across her brow, and faded really before the entire message was completed.
Swallowing a lump, she stood back up, and peered about slowly. Perhaps all was not so dark yet. But even if it was not- how long until it would be?
---------------------------------
Audi yiped instinctively at the sudden motion, then proceeded to flail about wildly, kicking all four legs and shaking from side to side. Still, Phib didn't drop her. Deciding she didn't care enough at the moment to keep struggling, Audi hung limpy and complained loudly, "You are SO annoying."
What do you plan to do?
I guess I'll bring her back with to Devvyl for now, was Sashta's answer, then the connection broke.
Kaho took a deep breath and tried to focus on someone else. Panic, panic, panic. He didn't like it. You can settle down, his mind called out to who he assumed was that other seer he'd seen a short while ago. Too tired to confirm it himself, however. She's alright for now.
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"I've been told that." He replied in a muffle, although he was glad she had stopped writhing about so much. She was a bit like Maya. Maybe he had the propensity for always thinking about that with little girls... but, it was easy to see his daughter in them. But, Audi in particular. Just as damn headstrong.
If it was possible, he felt even more haggard by the time his paw stepped into the territory. It felt familiar and cool, and the salty wind was undistinguishable, mixed in with the scents of the rest of the numerous pack. They were not shy of secrets. He doubted he'd need to explain much for Audi's presence, particularly when three other pups had arrived into the pack seemingly overnight anyways.
She had claimed she wanted to sabotage him. He didn�t doubt that would just go away- she was actually rather large for a pup, and it couldn�t be long now until she began to grow again. But rather secretly, there was a part of Phib that enjoyed the trouble and strife. It was the only thing he worked well under. He'd do what he was asked, betrayal or not. Perhaps that was his own arrogance.
Am�lie paused to the voice- louder now, and noticeably directed to her. Even with him telling her to calm, she had a hard time doing so. Even if she was alright, she felt bad for the loss of Tahara. Why had he not been good? He could have helped Ran, he could have protected her. What thing in him had so condemned himself to being nothing but a spirit? Spite over death? You couldn�t read the thoughts of the dead, and Am�lie had no answer. She was sorrowful for lost goodness, had it ever existed. I am glad. She reflected back softly, but it didn�t stop her eyes from stinging.
Although still distraught, her heart did slow somewhat. At least Ran was safe for now.
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