The giant beast tensed a little as he climbed onto her, the feeling of weight on her back an all around unusual and unfamiliar sensation, though she calmed significantly as the soothing sensation drifted over her entire body. It felt… nice. It was a good sensation, to be petted so affectionately—it made her feel, for once, that maybe it was okay to take even a short moment to enjoy a little thing like that. While her ears rolled back a little, it wasn’t in discomfort or agitation. It was because she was comfortable. Maybe… maybe this wouldn’t be so bad, after all. Maybe he wouldn’t turn out to be like everybody else.
Maybe he wouldn’t end up hating her.
“Don’t worry, I doubt you could hurt me like this if you tried,” Sieux explained in the same fashion as before, “Not to mention, I’ve been through much worse. I am no stranger to pain or discomfort.” She let out a deep sigh that kicked up dust around her front paws, shifting her weight a little to try and find a position of comfort for them both before she tensed, crouching down close to the ground. “Hold on tight, or you’ll be thrown off.” It was her only warning before she took a great leap forwards, lunging along as she quickly picked up speed. One of the many disadvantages of her current situation was her side—her strides were much shorter now that she was just the a pup. She’d have been able to get to her destination much more quickly if she was larger, though she was still making better time than any vehicle would.
Sieux ran with every muscle in her body, pushing and tightening underneath her layer of well-kept fur, and she could—and did—stop on a dime every time she had to pause to double check to make sure she was still on the scent trail. While she was a brilliantly effective hunter, this was proving to be more difficult than she had expected it to be. It had been a while since this person had been transported, and he’d been moved in a truck. The scent itself was weak, and it was masked with the scent of other people, vehicles, the wind… and anything else that came into contact with the trail between then and now. Sieux found herself relying just as much on that weak scent trail as she was the vague sense of direction where the scent got a little stronger when she faced a certain way. She could only hope it was the right way.
Between loosing the trail a few times and the distance, it took nearly an hour for Sieux to come to a stop, relief sweeping over her as her vision was blocked by a path of tall trees. They had made it in time, or so she assumed. She crouched down, letting Anden off her back before she shifted back into the form she preferred. An actual smile pulled at her lips, relief expressed visibly on her face, before she tensed and her ears whipped forwards, standing at total attention. There were voices coming from the other side of the trees that she hadn’t noticed before—the voices of men—and they were carrying much to well for the distance if there was a forest there. She ran forwards, stopping once her vision was cleared. A few hundred meters away she could see a small group of twenty or so men, in the process of cutting down a tall, large tree. Between her and them, the stumps of hundreds of trees that had already been killed. She lost her senses as rage swept over her.
Faster than any human could move, Sieux was next to them, a clawed hand protruding out of the back of the nearest human who dropped dead as soon as she pulled her hand back. They didn’t even have time to panic—it was utter slaughter, and soon the earth was stained red with blood. And she didn’t stop—not until every last one was utterly dead. She stood, drenched in blood, breathing heavily in the center of the area of slaughter. She glanced down at her hands, staring in dull shock at the blood that clung to her pale skin. It was because of this that she was exiled—the uncontrollable rage that would sweep over her at any moment for the smallest of things. The rage that had already led to the deaths of many before these people. “I…” she weakly stated in a small voice as tears began to well in her eyes. It was because of this that she could so easily hate herself. She hated needless bloodshed, yet she seemed to have no control over her own actions that often led to just that. “I didn’t… this…” she looked up towards Anden, her eyes wide with a mixture of horror and absolute misery. She looked terrified. “I didn’t mean to…” she fell silent, looking down at one of the corpses before suddenly stumbling backwards with a shriek, her back pressing against the tree they had been about to cut down—one of the only ones left standing. Her ears were pressed flat against her head as tears continued to build at the edges of her black eyes, blurring her gaze as she slowly slid down to the ground. “But I didn’t want to… hurt anybody… again…”
Speaking and thinking colour is #66817c
StellaLuna SkyWind
OOC↘↘ This took too long > < I am SO sorry! :c
Posted: Sun Jul 21, 2013 12:04 am
The sensation of riding upon Sieux was very, very odd to the elemental. Firstly, because she was his mistress, and he should be beneath her, carrying her form place to place, as was the common duty of the slave. Even if he was not a slave, it was awkward on a second count because she was a woman. Once more, Anden felt a moral responsibility to uphold all traditional values, which included treating women right. Even if it was not part of the culture of the woods to court women, with the time among humans he had spent, Anden knew that it was imperative to treat a woman correctly. And lastly, Anden had never ridden on anyone or anything except the human’s automobile. And that was not a living thing. It was all cold indifference. Metals and materials that had long lost their ability to feel and touch the earth’s life. They had been cut, beaten, and molded into the human’s vision of usefulness, and had lost their own touch and claim to natural life. Even when Sieux mentioned that Anden could not possibly hurt her, Anden still worried he would grip his mistress too hard, and hurt or hinder her in some way. It seemed like a fool’s thought, but it was just who he was. He didn’t care if his mistress was bigger or stronger then he was at the current moment, he didn’t think she was above being harmed by him if he gripped too hard, or moved at an awkward angle. Not to mention, there was a small fear of losing his grip and falling off as his Mistress ran off into the sunset, or woods, given as she had promised him that was where they would stop first. The only thing that had made him resolute to ride upon his mistress was the selfish desire to see and protect his woods once more.
When Sieux finally took off, bunching then launching herself into the woods, Anden measured the way his mistress moved sleekly across space as her bounds took her farther and farther away from the slave shop, and closer to the rural woods where he had once called his home. Beyond that, they would have to go to Sieux’s home, but that was a thought for another time. It was odd, how Sieux moved and launched, stopping quickly to scent the air when she was confused on direction. Anden wasn’t exactly sure what his mistress was looking for, but he knew with every leap and bound he was getting closer to his woods. He just couldn’t tell why they seemed so far away. His woods normally called and laid claim to him, asking for his attention, and basking in his presence with all their stories. They would chastise him for being away so long. He had no doubts about that, but he simply could not hear them and that bothered him a great deal. What if something had happened to them? What if the humans had gotten to them? He would be in a rage. He could not allow his precious woods to be maimed by humans. On and on Sieux ran, until he felt his trees, saddened. Their presence reached out for his, gently curling around his mind with their sorrow and grief. Anden knew something had become of his woods. Something to cause them grief. Trees would have been removed. He hoped the damage was not as severe as he thought it would be. The trees could not tell him numbers. Their language was difficult to understand. Difficult to translate and speak. He just knew that there had been a great loss of roots, and that the land felt cold and barren.
About the time Sieux brought him into vision of his woods, a cry resounded through him. A tree in pain. It made Anden falter, as he gasped. They inched closer and he saw the humans, and heard the great cry of the eldest tree in his woods. It made him lose his grip and he fell harshly off of Sieux, crumpling to the ground in pain, but unable to move. His forest, his beautiful family and children were gone. Decimated by human hands. Destroyed and left only to be stumps, barely brushing the sky. He watched, despair crossing his features as he shook, trying to grip onto reality that was revealing itself to him. In the next moments, the large wolf that was his mistress was tearing down the men and causing a different kind of cry from the remaining trees. Blood started to seep into the roots. The trees felt contaminated by the strange substance that was too thick and foreign to change into food. They cringed, shutting down their roots so the substance would not be taken into them. Anden cried out, making his way towards his mistress. By the time he reached her, the carnage was over, and instead of looking please with herself, or even neutral, his mistress looked pale and distraught. She stared at trembling hands that were stained with the life of humans. Anden hesitated, not wanting to touch her yet. He looked closer and saw the tears welling in his mistress’ eyes; heard the squeak of sound as she spoke, and then t was if the damn that pieced Sieux’s very core burst. She seemed so far from what she had been moments ago when she had sprung him from the shop.
Her small mumbles were lost to him, as his eyes flashed green with the anguish of his tress. He took her hands carefully and started cleaning them with his shirt, tenderly handling her soft skin. She shrieked as she backed up into the elder tree, and Anden carefully righted her, reaching to one of the young branches growing from the tree’s trunk, and asking for water so he could completely clean his mistress’ hands. When it obeyed, sharing some of it’s water with its savior, Anden successfully finished cleaning Sieux’s hands, then looked at her carefully. ”Miss Sieux, you did not hurt unjustly. You saved the elder tree, and she gives her many thanks. She is distraught by the death of the saplings around her, and then men who caused her pain. But you stopped that. Please, do not cry, when you have done good. I know you would not have done it without reason Miss Sieux. Will you please let me take you home now? There is nothing you or I can do here any longer. The tress will have to fight to grow back on their own, but first they must heal.” He tenderly bent down to brush away her tears, looking at her gently before using strong arms to pick her up. It felt far too formal, and odd, but he would carry his mistress to her home. They would not dwell in this place that used to be his home any longer. From now on, they would strive forward, and Anden would make his Mistress happy. ”Miss Sieux, please tell me which way to go, and I will take us both there.”
She didn’t withdraw this time as Anden reached out to her, staring down at the clinging crimson fluid with an almost hypnotized gaze. It was because of things like this that she was stuck in this situation in the first place. It was because she couldn’t control her anger and her rage – because of that cursed, internal bloodlust that she had loathed since the day she became fully conscious of it – that she was in this situation in the first place. She was a little aware that he was suffering, too; though she was pretty certain it wasn’t for the same reason as her. And while Sieux was aware that he’d somehow brought water out of nothingness, she didn’t particularly care. In fact, it could have been acid he was washing her hands with and she would have eagerly obliged – anything to get rid of the blood on her hands; anything to wash away that filth.
It wasn’t until he picked her up that she seemed to respond to his actions. Even as he wiped away her tears she stared, wide-eyed, her ears flat against the top of her head. But when he reached underneath her and pulled her feet away from the ground, she tensed up – her head swiveling around before she stared suspiciously at him – and squirmed a little in an attempt to get comfortable in the unfamiliar position. When he prompted her for directions she glanced around, eventually settling on looking in one direction with a small nod of her head. It only took a few minutes for her to relax, after he’d started walking – her head settling against the crook between his arm and his chest as she listened to his heart soundly beating. Her own breathing leveled out considerably as she calmed her head, her black eyes staring as she peered soundlessly down at the hands that rested over her stomach.
Miss Sieux, you did not hurt unjustly. You saved the elder tree, and she gives her many thanks... Please, do not cry, when you have done good. I know you would not have done it without reason Miss Sieux. His words spiraled around her head, and her lips curved into a curious frown. Never before had she been told that it was ‘okay’ – that she had done ‘good’. In the past people just saw the blood and ran, calling her a monster and accusing her of murder. But this man… How wonderful it would be to see through his eyes. Sieux thought, her frown twisting into an almost mournful smile, To see such an ugly thing with so much confidence; so much faith. He really was something quite incredible – she hadn’t made the wrong choice in following her instinct to his room. If anything… it was probably the only ‘right’ thing she had ever done in her life.
“Anden,” she murmured, her voice soft but surprisingly at ease. “Thank you. I…” The wolf-girl paused, frowning – obviously at a loss for words. “Thank you.” That was what she finally settled on, content with her expression of appreciation. And she did appreciate his gestures – suddenly hyperaware that, despite how horrible his situation was, he had gone very far to take care of her the entire time. Back at the shop he’d been determined to make her feel better about who she was despite the fact that it obviously wouldn’t reflect well on him. He’d avoided touching her, until that moment, because he could tell that she was uncomfortable with it. Even in asking for such a simple thing as to be able to go and see his home before being forced to leave it forever had been obviously difficult for him, as he had clearly been extremely hesitant to impose on her like that. In fact, if it hadn’t had been to get them to his forest more quickly, Sieux would bet that Anden would have never ever even dreamt of riding upon her back. He hardly even knew her, yet it was as if he adored her as kin – it was an unfamiliar but not entirely unwelcomed feeling that confused Sieux. Most surprising was her instinctual urge to at least attempt to accept the warm feelings – something she never would have imagined herself doing.
They traveled for many hours, mostly in silence on Sieux’s part. She’d considered asking to be set down a few times because she knew it would be more practical to lead that way, but eventually wound up remaining in place. There was something comforting about the strong arms that carried her small frame – it was almost humanizing, and it was a nice change to feel that sensation of vulnerability without being in actual danger. When they drew closer to the place that the elders had set Sieux’s prison, she could practically feel the barrier warp to allow them through – as if it were a tangible thing. Of course, were they to turn around and try to leave Anden would find out very quickly how real the seemingly nonexistent barrier was. Now that the condition for her punishment had been prepared there was no way the elders would allow either Sieux or Anden out – not even if the forest had somehow caught fire. Instead of being able to go anywhere, they would receive a very nasty shock before being literally thrown backwards. Sieux knew – when she’d first woken up there she’d made a very, very stubborn attempt to leave with no intention of following the order of the elders. She could practically feel the reminiscent sting from that stunt.
“Anden,” she called out, as the building itself came into view. “I am sorry. It is not fair that you are trapped in this place too, but… welcome to your new house.” she offered, as she’d often seen people do when inviting somebody into their place of dwelling. She gestured to be let down, standing on her own two feet with a small sigh. “I suppose I have to show you around, at least… it will not be good if you wind up somewhere you should not be.” She relented after a moment, her expression flashing back to the coolly distant one she’d been wearing before. In all truth, she was just tired. A hot bath and rest would do her very good, and it had gotten fairly late. After taking him through the whole of the house, only pointing out where her room and bathroom were rather than showing him inside, Sieux came to a stop next to a simple oak door. Pushing it open, she gestured inside. “This room is yours – the bathroom that is connected to it is for you, too. I do not really care what you do in here; just try not to make it a mess please. The smell would carry, and it would bother my nose.” She turned her eyes up towards his green gaze, staring for a moment before clearing her throat and looking away; her ears were pressed flat against her head and her tail was limp between her legs. “Try to get some sleep, if possible. You have had a long day.” With that as her final note, Sieux briskly turned away and strode up the hall towards her own room, slamming the door with unnecessary force behind her as she bee-lined it for the bathroom, running a bath as she settled silently into her thoughts. The next day would be… interesting, and she wasn’t sure if she was looking forward to it or not.
Speaking and thinking colour is #66817c
StellaLuna SkyWind
OOC↘↘ I am so sorry. This is ridiculous - I swear I'll be able to keep on top of posting now, because I don't have my parents on me now that I'm not at home. Still, I understand if you're fed up with me ; n; I really hope not, though!
Posted: Sat Nov 30, 2013 12:29 am
Truly, it was rather surprising that Sieux had allowed Anden to pick her up at all without much protest. Of course, at first she had jostled and tensed at his action, but her ears had laid back, and he had expected her flat out refusal, but it had never come. It was surprising of course, that she would allow him to just hold her, but she did, and Anden gave a small smile. His mistress was brimming with emotions. Everything she did seemed to have some sort of emotional pull to it. He could see it in her face, her body, her mannerism. If she thought she was hiding things, it was more than obvious that she was not. But Anden didn’t mind. He had been taught that emotions were reflects of self, and a necessary part of survival, although he didn’t have many, given he was tranquil as his trees, with the patience to match. Instead, he found it interesting that such a lady as his mistress had taken interest in him, and even gone as far as to purchase him. And she had not been like the men that had shackled him and cut him off from his family. No. She had gone out of her way to take him to see his family, and though it seemed in vain, as the destruction and obliteration of his trees was great, she had defended the last tree that was standing. It was commendable, but she had been upset about it. He had comforted her, but he had a feeling he would have to do much more of the same in the future if Sieux’s mentality was that all violence was wrong. So with a sigh, he had cleaned her hands and picked her up, holding her close so that she would not cave in on herself and pass the blame around her mind when he was more than grateful for her help.
When she finally settled in his arms, he realized how light her body was. She was not such a large thing. She was rather small, even though she had seemed so big when he had rode upon her back. She had even seemed big to him when she had strode into his room, claiming him for her own. But maybe that was because she held the power, and he knew it. Now, when she was doubting herself, she had put that power aside, and seemed smaller, because she was so confused. He wasn’t sure, but when she put him in the direction of her home, he went without faltering, making sure he kept a fair pace so that they would get there in time. He had no idea how long it would really take them to get to Sieux’s home, but he didn’t want to make her wait too long, especially because she seemed to recoil after killing the men like she had. He walked steadfast, and was surprised when he heard his name. He stopped for only a moment, looking down at Sieux and giving her his full attention. When she spoke, he looked at her, tilting his head to the side, not understanding why she was thanking him. He hand’t done anything great to deserve thanks for praise, but when she said it again, finalizing her tone that there would be no explanation, he simply smiled. ”You’re Welcome, Miss Sieux, for whatever it is that you think I am deserving of Thanks for.” And with that, he nodded his head and picked up the pace once more, heading steadfast in the direction she had pointed him out. It would only be better to get to their new home.
They walked on for hours, and Anden as surprised it was so far off form his tree, but then again, he hadn’t seen any other sort of settlement nearby his vast forest, or what had once been his forest. They had lived in peace and seculision, until he had been stolen away form it. So it made sense that they would walk for so long. Anden only stopped a few times to resituate his hold on his mistress, never letting her feet touch the ground below him. He kept her snug against his chest and powered on, smiling at the small sprouts that were growing up from the ground. At least little things were growing. That was all that he could hope for. He smiled gently and continued onward until a structure began to take shape in the distance. When they reach the place, near enough to see it as a house, Sieux spoke again. Anden listened, but didn’t slow his pace, heading straight for the house. His pulse picked up as he neared it, as if there were something around this house. He stopped about twenty feet away, frowning, before he continued, feeling as if something heavy passed over him. It was strange, given that he could barely hear the weeping of his trees, that he could feel this strange blanket of power fall over him and cloak them both. He looked at Sieux, hearing the word trapped, and gingerly set her down inside the home. He hadn’t taken more than a few steps in past the heavy sense of power, then he felt cut off from greenery. Everything within seemed to be barren and lifeless, and it made him quite uncomfortable.
When Sieux began to show him around, Anden followed, not putting up any protest. The décor of the home was sparse and bare, even against the plain rooms of the slave market. Everything was white and devoid of color. All angles and modern technology with no homey touches at all. The tour was soon over and Sieux was leaving to go to her own room. Anden’s green eyes flashed around the home, and he went once more to the front door, pushing it open, and walking outside. He felt the power with more menace, but he would rather be out among the leaves that were within the barrier than stuck in a room that he had no use for. He wasn’t sure what would happen if he tried this barrier once more, so instead, he looked at the few forlorn trees that were in the barrier, close to the house and decided to take his chances speaking with them. He wasn’t sure if their voices would be cut off as well, given the barrier’s magic, or if he would be able to make contact, but he would try to make the best of his time here. Form his place outside he could see the illuminated bathroom that he assumed belonged to his mistress. He watched as shadows filled the room, most likely his mistress getting into that bath she had desired. He turned his gaze away, wanting to give her privacy. He was a gentleman, even if he had grown among the trees. With a smile, he turned back to his trees, waiting for some order from his mistress, or this elusive barrier. After all, it seemed he would have nothing but time.
Kathryn Anon
Sorry it took so damn long. I hope this is okay though :3
She could sense his anxiety. Amongst all things, it was most prominent. Maybe… maybe if she behaved well enough she could get some saplings from the Elders… maybe they would give her those, for the comfort of the creature they’d forced onto her, and into her abode. And as she left him alone to do with his evening as he liked she couldn’t help but feel a shred of confusion settle inside of her stomach. My instinct must be broken. she thought with mild disdain as her bare toes gripped the hallway floors — equally foreign to her as it likely was to him, despite the fact that she had already spent months trapped in that place. What she truthfully wanted was to be out and free. Free to roam the wintery north; to run about the snow-capped trees without much concern about irrelevant things like food because she also had the freedom to hunt. More than once it had dawned on her that if the Elders decided they were done, stopping the weekly appearance of food in the storage would be extremely easy. She’d die a slow and painful death by starvation, even with prey so near she could smell it — the damn barrier was the only thing stopping her from going out and getting it, or anything from wandering in to be caught.
Sieux didn’t even bother to close the door, modesty far from the list of mannerisms she’d been raised to abide by, filling the tub with hot water before she began to peel the clothes away from her tired body. With the fabric out of the way, pale lines that ran along her back, sides, and stomach became clear. Unlike the red birthmarks that spiralled around her shoulders, chest, and face these seemed out of place; well hidden, for the most part, and obviously the result of old wounds that hadn’t been allowed to heal properly. Sieux, mostly, appeared to ignore them — it was just something else she lived with; just another reminder of what happens to those who can’t do as the pack wants. With a small sigh, Sieux lifted a foot to step into the fairly deep tub but paused, wincing, as her pale skin reddened from the heat. “Too hot…” she complained softly, pausing before pushing onwards and stepping in altogether — a quiet gasp of pain flying through her lips as she tensed. With a fair amount of reasonable reluctance the demoness forced herself to sink into the steaming water, fidgeting until she grew accustomed to the heat. Soon she managed to relax against the strong wall of the tub, lifting her toes out to toy with the ripples on the surface of the water. It was relaxing, if not a little lonely in contrast to the comfort of company, and soon she found herself tipping off. With her hair floating about her, like clouds on the surface of the water, and her head resting back against the stone it gave her a surprisingly mature appearance; while she was certainly still small and fragile, like a child, there was something about the strain that sleep brought out in her face that made her seem much, much older than her appearance let on.
She jerked into consciousness nearly two hours later. The water had gone cold and she’d started to slip down into the tub — in fact, it was a lovely inhalation of water that had jolted her so violently back into consciousness. With a sigh, the comforting warmth of the bath ruined by her untimely nap, Sieux rose to her feet and grabbed the fluffy towel she’d laid out before getting into the tub; wrapping it around herself she haphazardly grabbed her clothing and stumbled, still dripping, towards her bed. She didn’t bother trying to dry or tame her hair with a brush, instead shedding the towel into a basket to crawl under the covers of the large bed without even bothering to close the door or draw the blinds. What difference did it make, anyways? It wasn’t like it mattered, or anything could happen to her there… Her eyes drooped shut as she curled up into a ball on her side, sleeping fitfully until very, very late the next morning.
Speaking and thinking colour is #66817c
StellaLuna SkyWind
OOC↘↘ It's late again, but not as bad! I also had exams in October; that's my excuse > < Sorry I didn't give you much to work with >_>;; I had no idea what to do for the next morning.
Posted: Sun Feb 16, 2014 12:01 am
He spent hours outside, watching as the sun dipped below the horizon, shed the last of its golden light on the trees just beyond his reach. Occasionally, if a ray of sun hit just right, he though he saw a shimmering glow that must have been the barrier that they had stepped through, sealing them inside. He wondered if it was elemental by nature, and he could break it. That would make his Mistress very happy, wouldn’t it? To be free from this isolation in the woods where they were trapped? And maybe he would be able to go back to his trees, although he wouldn’t mind if his Mistress chose to keep him around. She didn’t seem so bad. In fact, she seemed perfectly accommodating. Anden wondered just hat his Mistress had done to upset these “elders” she spoke of. Maybe she was just misunderstood and these strange figureheads were the ones with the problems. He wasn’t sure, but he didn’t think he would be bale to figure it out on his own. Not yet anyways. He remained outside until the sun fully set and the moon and began dusting away the ray with the shepherding of stars across the darkened sky. He smiled, looking at the grand face of the silvery white moon shining upon the leaves just beyond his reach. Maybe he would push on the barrier when he understood more about it, so that he could gain more space to be with the younger trees that were just beyond his reach. After all, they needed guidance on how they would grow. That was his job to provide. Of course, he would do just that when he was able. Instead, he was caught for now. He’d remedy that eventually, and he would help his mistress when he figured it out.
When he had finally had enough wishing and wanting, the elementalist stood up from his sitting position and stretched his limbs which had gone numb with disuse. His eyes went up to the lighted window on the second story once more and Anden made the decision to check on his mistress. It’d been quite a while since she had gone up into her chamber to seek a bath and solitude. Letting himself back into the house, he was careful to dust himself off so he would not track in any dirt. He didn’t wish to dirty is Mistress’s home, especially if there were people watching her. He would be very respectful of the prison they were both in. After all, he was not in charge, but he would make sure his Mistress was not blamed for his own transgressions. Making his way up to the second floor, he was careful to be extra quiet. When he reached the open door, letting it’s illumination flood into the hal, Andn saw his Mistress curled upon her bed, uncovered by the blankets. It was a bit drafty in the room, so he strode in carefully, making sure to be quiet. He smiled tenderly at the woman laying so tightly balled into the covers, and took in the sight of the faint marks along her back. A frown covered his face and he reached out as if to touch them, but instead hesitated. Instead, he tenderly brought the bed sheet as well as a thin blanket up over Sieux’s form, so she would not get cold while she slept. Removing the wet towel, he put it back on the tile in the bathroom, unsure where else he would put it at the time. He smiled at Sieux’s sleeping form once more before exiting the room for his own.
He found his own lodgings rather easily and went immediately for the shower. It took his a few moments to learn just how to use it, but once he had, he stripped from his clothing and got in under the steaming spray. Taking his time, he cleaned his body and washed his hair thoroughly. It was the one element of his appearance that he was rather vain about. His hair, green as the leaves upon his trees, was a mane of masterful work that he could not bear to part with or alter. And so he took great pride in its keeping, making sure that it was well managed. Cleaning it thoroughly as he was doing too work, but it was well worth it in the end. When his shower was finished and he’d run the water cold, he moved from the glass box that had encased him and worked at drying off. He braided a few segments of his hair and pulled the mass of it back and out of his face, grabbing a towel and hanging it around his waist. He wasn’t sure if there would be clothing waiting for him, so he went out into the room and searched half heartedly, coming up only with a pair of shorts that seemed to have been left behind by someone else. They appeared and smelled clean, so he put them on, appreciating the careful fit on his body and climbed into the rather large bed. It was so odd to sleep in a bed, especially after sleeping so many nights and days upon the forest floor, but Anden didn’t complain. He simply felt himself sink into the soft downy that filled both pillows and comforter and let himself drift off into the oblivion that was sleep.
When he rose the next morning, the sun was coming up over the horizon, sparkling into his line of vision. He was up with a start and went quickly to check on his Mistress. Seeing as though she hadn’t moved much, he went to shut her shades to allow her to sleep in before heading down stairs for the kitchen. He’d prepare something for his Mistress to eat, so when she awoke there would be something for her. He set to work, looking over the ingredients and picking some that he knew would go together from the brief time he had spent talking to the kind village women and children that had snuck out to meet and greet him. When he had finished, there were muffins and eggs scrambled upon the stovetop. He poured a glass of juice for his mistress, wondering if he should prepare a tray for her room, or if he should simply tell her where the food would be when she was ready for it. Opting for the second choice, he set out plates and silverware, alongside the juice cup, so that his mistress would have a clear indication of what was waiting for her. When he was finished, he smiled gently and went outside with two muffins and a small offering of eggs and placed them at the foot of the barrier, sending a plea to the mysterious elders that they widen the barrier so that his Mistress had more room to roam, and he, the ability to reach the younger trees so he could guide them into growth. He only hope that his offering would be enough to appease the mysterious keepers of the barrier.
Sieux woke up whens she heard rustling in her room. The door creaking, nearly silent footsteps across the floor, the soft sound of air passing through somebody’s lips; all these things were caught by her wolf-like, keen senses. But aside from the twitch of an ear and a deep sigh to try to determine by sound and smell who had invaded her quarters, which could have been interpreted as a regular sleeping occurrence, the girl did not stir. She listened closely as the blinds were drawn, becoming aware of an unfamiliar weight over her body, and listened as the intruder moved back towards the hallway, lightly shutting the door behind him. The second the door clicked shut Sieux’s eyes shot wide open, the black spheres quickly discerning shapes in the darkness. She sat up rapidly, ears standing straight up as she listened to him walk up the hallway, down the stairs, and deeper into the house. The wolf-woman didn’t move until she could no longer hear him, at which point she shot out of bed, scrambling around the room with paranoia the poor servant certainly didn’t deserve. “He didn’t leave anything dangerous,” she noted hesitantly after an extremely thorough search of the room, disbelief clear in her soft voice. “Huh…”
Her ears perked up as she heard a ruckus from the floor below, and after a moment she recognized the odd sound of clanging metal in the kitchen. It wasn’t a sharp enough sound to be the clashing of weapons and it wasn’t muted enough to be the rustle of any sort of armour, but it was certainly a familiar sound to her. Often it was something she could hear from inside houses in human settlements early in the morning, halfway through the day, and at the early evening. Usually, it was a sound that came with delicious smells — though little was more delicious than a fresh kill — and a curious eagerness began to shine in her eyes. After moving to pull on her clothes the demoness silently snuck out into the hallway, easily not making a sound as she slid across the smooth wood floors. When she had learned to remain utterly silent in even fall, with dead leaves littering the forest floor, or winter, with the white crystals of iced snow piled in a thick layer over the ground, inside a house with nothing to step on was easier than a walk in the park. Her ears remained stiff, listening carefully as she nudged closer to the kitchen. Just before entering, however, Sieux hesitated. Stopping and pressing her back against the wall she listened as he moved around in the room. Delicious scents mixed into the air and it took all of her self control to not slide into the room to grab whatever the heck he was doing right off the pan, and it wasn’t until he had finished cooking and actually left through the second door to move outside that she entered the kitchen. Inspecting the plate and the cup with an obviously confused expression, Sieux found herself not caring that she was in full view of the large windows. “What are these for?” Her confused tone was practically a complaint, with the way she said it, and without hesitating she followed her nose to the source of the smell and began picking at the food that had been left out.
Picking and choosing what she liked and didn’t like as she went, literally just picking around the latter so specific articles of food were left sporadically placed around the serving dish, Sieux ate her fill. As soon as she was finished she too moved towards the door, deciding she wanted to know just what he was doing. The barrier didn’t eat, after all. And, as she slid the door behind her, she made a point to make sure he was aware of that fact too. “You won’t make it like you that way,” she explained in a tone that made it seem as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, despite the fact that she was blatantly misinterpreting his actions. “The barrier doesn’t eat; it bites. It hurts, too.” The second part was added in a low grumble, making it clear the complaint originated in a lesson learned the hard way. There was a long pause which involved her standing there awkwardly, staring at him with a bluntness and straightforwardness that wasn’t welcomed in any modern culture. The kind of honest stare that was unrelenting, and tended to unintentionally make people uncomfortable. “Did you find your bed?” Sieux finally asked, after at least a full minute had passed, pushing off the wall she had been leaning against to stride towards him. She scooped up one of the muffins and took a bite once she had finally arrived at his side, wrinkling her nose and staring at it curiously before she took a second bite and decided it was something she liked. “I do hope it suited your tastes,” she added after finishing off the baked treat, “but if you don’t like it I can try asking the elders for something better… you’ll be useless if you wake up and are in pain because you slept badly.”
No matter how cold the words seemed, the tone behind them was fairly warm — it was simply Sieux’ way. She’d never really learned how to express worry for another, and this awkward method had become the only way she felt she properly could. In truth, she felt bad for bringing him into this situation — his attempt at ‘befriending the barrier’ only proved that she was a useless companion to her, or that he was so desperate to get something from it that he was willing to try to make friends with something so dangerous — and she didn’t want to make it worse than it already was for him. Even if she would probably get scolded by the elders for complaining, it wasn’t as she hadn’t gone through worse before. “Actually,” she noted after a pause, turning her eyes towards the house for a moment, “if there’s anything you want I can try to ask for it, for you. I can’t guarantee that they will oblige, but this is my punishment… while they are not kind, the Elders are fair; they will probably reward you for being stuck in this place with me.”
Speaking and thinking colour is #66817c
StellaLuna SkyWind
OOC↘↘ Finally! Exams are done, session is through, and I have time to post for you again! I apologize for the delay, but look forwards to being able to get back into the flow of things! I hope that this post is okay c: I love how weird she is about food, but I decided she would probably be more accustomed to the hunt than the culinary arts lol
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2014 11:34 pm
Anden had hoped that his Mistress would come down sooner or later and enjoy her breakfast. He hadn’t planned on her coming out and seeing him make his offering however. He was surprised to hear her voice suddenly as though right behind him. He hadn’t heard or sensed her approach, and that was probably exactly what the female had wanted. He smiled gently, thinking it would be a grand challenge to sense his mistress in this strange place of sizzling, tampered magic. He was cut off from his trees but not the little shoots of grass that grew around the house. And surely not the old rots that branched beneath the ground. It was just much harder to hear their voices. He had been hoping to appease the elders, not the barier, but a smile worked its way on to Anden’s face with the comments of his Mistress. He was surprised when she scooped up a muffin and moved to stop her, but instead let his raised hand drift to his side with a small look of disappointment. He wouldn’t tell his Mistress what to do. After all, he owed her much for springing him from the house where he felt no magic and no green life. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest, trying to ignore the urge that told him his offering was now ruined. Perhaps these mysterious elders would still accept the offering as it was, seeing as he had made the effort to appease them? He wasn’t sure, but it seemed that his Mistress did not care for them at all. She didn’t’ seem afraid of them, just angered by them. And perhaps that was why she was still being punished? He had no clue but he would not speak a word against his Mistress or the decisions she made. Not yet. Not when he did not know her and could not truly decide whether her decisions were just or not.
Instead, Anden let his mind traverse over to the questions of his bed and if he was comfortable or not in his bed. His Mistress truly seemed to care about his opinion and his comfort. It was a kind gesture but Anden had no use for worldly comforts as humans did. He was not a human. He preferred a meadow of high grass that would shelter him from rain and offer him a soft bed to lay upon without harm. It would hide him from intruders and whisper sweet songs to him all night and day. Perhaps his Mistres needed to experience that? Instead, he bowed his head. ”It was quite nice, Miss Seiux. I have no need of anything else. I just thought that perhaps the elders might lie some breakfast. But I gather that they are more of a force that is felt and not quite seen. I would not have you ask them for anything on my behalf. I do not need anything. I think that everything here will be suitable for my needs.” He smiled softly and turned back for the house, holding the door open for her, assuming that she would follow.
A brief glance into the kitchen told him that his Mistress had indeed eaten breakfast. The food looked picked over, which made him smile. So his Mistress was a picky eater> that would be no problem. He would do his best to cook meals suited to her tastes. Letting the door close behind her, Anden began to clean up the dishes from breakfast. He was not unaccustomed to performing the task of cleaning up dishes. It was not a problem for him. He managed to scarf down a few bites of food and the rest was stored quickly. He made quick work of the dishes, washing and drying them by hand before turning from the sink to admire the rest of the house. Were there ore chores to be done? After all, he didn’t think that they would get terribly far with the barrier so close to the house line. A walk seemed out of the question. Instead, he thought to take the opportunity to learn more about his Mistress.
It took only a few moments to find her. With a gentle smile he sat near her, placing his hands on his knees, seeing them come up to his chest. ”Miss Sieux? Would you tell me more about yourself? So that… I may better serve you? You do not have to do so if you do not wish. I am just uncertain of things you like to do, and the full limitations placed upon us by these Elders of yours. I wish not to upset the balance of yours life. I am just uncertain the best way to progress for the rest of the day.” He smiled again, a nervous twitch in the right side of his mouth the only revealing point that he had any discomfort. And it was only from his inability to assess the full extent of the situation. He hoped dearly that his Mistress would be able to shed some light to a way he could make himself useful to her, instead of floundering through days without a true purpose.
Sieux stared at him as he both explained himself and answered her questions. The bed was comfortable? Good. She really had no idea what sort of thing other people would like, and had really had no choice in the furnishings of the place anyways. “That the Elders would like breakfast?” she reiterated curiously, looking down at the muffin in her hand curiously before simply taking another bite. “They wouldn’t eat something like this, anyways,” she noted dismissively — not in a way intended to make him feel bad, but rather a blunt statement of fact. “Besides, the Elders are good hunters. They can find their own food. They put this stuff here for you, not for them. They have no use of grains and… whatever you call these things,” she explained, pointing at the muffin before taking two more bites, effectively finishing it off. “Which is their loss, because these food things are surprisingly good.”
Sieux did follow him as he moved back towards the house, not seeming to recognize that he’d held the door open for her as she simply walked through. Her mannerisms might have seemed rude, but she really didn’t mean any offence by them. She perched herself on one of the chairs on the other side of the sink in the island, obviously uncomfortable as she shifted around and fidgeted. Honestly, why did humans use these things? She finally gave up and literally fell off the tall stool, barely stopping herself from falling on her face with a hand before bristling a little. Agitation increased, she turned on her heel and marched towards the lounge where the furniture at least made more sense. She flopped onto the couch, a simple square cushion that was barely raised a foot off the ground, and rolled onto her stomach, kicking her fabric-covered feet up into the air before moving them back and forth in a motion that vaguely resembled the lazy wag of a dog’s tail. Her thoughts quickly were dragged back to the inconvenience of tall chairs as she stared boredly into the fireplace, which was presently a black square in the wall as no fire was actually lit. The only convenience in those chairs is that I can watch him while he cleans and makes that food stuff, if I want to… but if the fire burners and the washing hole was in the ground then we could just both sit on the ground and there would be no problem! That would be much more comfortable…
Her innovative thought process was broken by Anden, and she glanced up towards him with a visibly distracted gaze. “Huh?” Her eyes seemed somewhat wide and just the slightest bit cross-eyed as she stared up from her sprawling position, tilting her head to the side as she took a moment to register his words. “I mean, what do you want to know? I’m me,” Sieux finally responded after a moment in a clearly confused tone, the motion of her legs stopping as she flopped them flat onto the cushion. I wonder why I have ears and not a tail like this…“Hmm… well, you’re my ‘Guest’ so I guess that means you do whatever you want to,” she noted as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Balance? I just live,” she responded, this time traces of amusement entering her tone. “I eat, I sleep — I sleep a lot — I bathe when I feel like it… sometimes I go outside and I chase birds, if they fly overhead. Really I just… wait,” she closed her eyes, frowning. “There are no limitations, beyond the physical ones. You can’t leave the barrier, but you seem to have figured that out. Inside the barrier you could do whatever you wanted,” she explained with a yawn, rolling over and flopping onto the floor with a quiet ‘oof’ before she stared up at him. “You could even try to kill me, but I don’t think you’d succeed — they didn’t, after all,” she explained in a very serious tone. “So I wouldn’t recommend that. Especially because I would probably get in trouble for hurting my ‘Guest’.
“Really, I just suggest doing whatever makes you happy,” she continued after a moment, closing her eyes as her ears twitched lightly, listening to the sounds around the house for a moment before frowning again. “I should be asking you that,” she finally added softly. “What you want to be happy. I’m supposed to be taking care of you, after all.” Pushing herself up into a seated position Sieux stretched her arms forwards, grabbing onto her feet as she stared almost guiltily at the wall. “That’s the reason… why I brought you here. They wanted me to take care of something, and… I wanted to prove that I could.”
Speaking and thinking colour is #66817c
StellaLuna SkyWind
OOC↘↘ Oh gods, sorry this took so long! And that it's so short > <
Posted: Mon Feb 16, 2015 1:12 pm
It was a little surprising to Anden that his new mistress had so little disregard for these strange people that held power of her, and by extension, him too. He was more than happy that Sieux had freed him from the strange place he had been held. Inside all day was doing nothing for him with his communication with the trees. He needed to be outside and to breath fresh air that wasn't tainted with the scent of metal. Strangely, his mistress didn't seem to understand what she had done for him. All she cared about was defeating these strange elders at their own game with little regard to how she did it, as long as she had accomplished her goal. It was a bit distressing. All the times he had tried to get an elder on his side, he had offered them gifts and shown them that he was worthy of their blessings. His mistress didn't seem to have much esteem for her elders, but he would not question her. She seemed to know what she was doing, and how to accomplish her plans. After all, if he was to serve her, like he served the great trees, he would need to do it with respect and dignity. Instead, he watched as she devoured part of his offering, noting that he would set her more food in the future. She had told him that the barrier didn't eat, but it did bite. She had said the latter with a bit of irritation, more of a growl. A small smirk played on his face. She must have run into it.He didn't need to run into it to know that it would defend those inside. After all, if her elders had trapped them inside, how could she have thought that challenging the proximity given would be wise? He didn't comment on this and instead listened as she spoke about his bed, and asked if it was comfortable, noting that if it was not that he could ask the elders for something that better suited his tastes. In truth, he didn't care. He had spent much time sleeping in the gentle boughs of trees, relaxing against their sturdy frames. He much prefered the wild, but he was in this house with Sieux, and he would not contest such. There didn't seem to be any point in doing such. He would just grin and bear it, and hope that the barrier would open a little more each day so he could commune with the trees while serving his mistress.
Sieux once more assured him that the Elders did not need his offering, insisting that the were fine enough hunters on their own. That they didn't muffins, or as his mistress called them "food things". She even complimented him by saying that they were actually good. He smiled, noting that she appreciated them, and thought to make them again for her some time if she found she wanted more of them. As they made their way back into the house, Anden moved to start cleaning the mess. No point in leaving it for someone else to do. Or he might even have to come back later and clean then. No. He would clean now. He noted that his Mistress sat on a stool behind him, fidgeting animatedly. He took the dishes and began washing them, taking note of the components of the meal she had discarded, with the thought of not including them again. It wasn't until he heard a crash from behind him that he turned around. his mistress was on the floor, a toppled stool by her, though she quickly lifted herself up and flounced away, clearly agitated. It made him smile a bit. She was so much a child that it was amusing. her attention seemed to be sporadic, as if it couldn't focus on one thing for very long, aside from her plot of revenge of course, but that wasn't an ideal, that seemed to be her lifestyle. He smirked again, righting the stool and gently followed her into the living space where she seemed to have occupied herself for the time being. That was when he asked what made her happy, so he could best serve her. He didn't want to be lazy all of his days, but he was hoping he would be able to fit some time in for the trees. He missed them greatly, and he needed to check on their well-being. That was his purpose for existence, and he would not fail them. His green eyes found his Mistress and awaited her answer, hoping it would not be too vague or lost in revenge against these elders. He honestly did want to serve her in the best way possible. It would do them no good if they continued to dance around each other.
Sieux seemed to truly think about his question when he asked. She seemed a bit confused at first, as if there was no point in him asking her, but when she began to explain, it began to make more and more sense. He was her guest, and all she did was bide her time. She even spoke of him attempting to kill her, but that it would be a poor option, given that her elders had attempted and had failed. She even tagged it on that she didn't want to be responsible for hurting her guest. From there, she went on to explain that she was supposed to be taking care of him. That was the point of this assignment, or her captivity. That she was supposed to be able to take care of something, and she was going to prove she could. His poor mistress. He was perfectly capable of caring for himself. Did she not realize that? He was terribly self sufficient. Maybe she would have been better suited with a child? She looked distraught. He trusted her to be competent, but she would have to learn what caring was first. It would take spending time together. He was more than willing to help her, and maybe if he did, her elders would see that she was capable of caring for another and they would give her the freedom she longed for. He smiled at her and moved to sit at her side, tentatively reaching out to touch her knee, not trusting to touch more than that. He didn't know how she would react to his touched at all. Instead, he offered her a gentle smile. "Miss Sieux, I will help you achieve your goals. Will that be acceptable? I can see that this is something that means a great deal to you. It will not be easy for you. I think it will challenge you, but I will help you. Will you trust me to do that?" He looked at her completely openly, with so much honesty and potential trust that he wasn't sure how he would react if his Mistress did not take his offer. Instead, he waited patiently to hear of her decision. She would make the right choice. She would need him, or so he hoped.
Sieux ears swivelled around, standing at attention as he reached out to touch her, finally voicing his opinions on the matter. She stared at him, her canine gaze both disarming and distinctly animal. She blinked. Her head tilted towards her right shoulder. Her tail swished against her legs. After a moment she seemed to calm, ears flicking back to a more natural position as the steady swooshing of her fluffy tail relaxed again. “I know it will challenge me,” she agreed with a sagely nod. “This is far from ‘new’ for me now.” She stifled a yawn, falling backwards (as she’d sat up) and rolling over onto her stomach again, resting her cheek against the cushion of the couch so that she could lazily stare at him.
Now that she was rested, and had come down from the bloodlust from the day before, she took the time to more carefully observe her ‘guest’. She thought back to the day before—his perceived pain at the forest that had almost been entirely cut down… she let out a long, lethargic sigh and closed her eyes. For a moment, she almost appeared asleep; she was thinking, hard, about what it was she should or could do. After a moment she nodded her head, eyes flickering open very quickly. “Yes,” she abruptly voiced. “I will do that.” She didn’t bother to explain what it was she’d do, but there was the fire in her eyes, like that of a hunting hound who had been baited by the sounds of a distant horn and was only further taunted by the rattling of the kennel’s key. She was eager, and she’d run herself ragged before losing the scent she’d apparently caught.
She was, very suddenly, up on her hands and knees. Her tail swept back and forth, back and forth in a rapid, excited motion as her ears swivelled around to perk up to attention again. She smiled a toothy grin at him, revealing rows of sharp canine teeth, and then proceeded to awkwardly attempt to headbuttnuzzle him in the arm. Should she succeed, she didn’t bother to right the thereby disheveled hair before practically throwing herself off the couch and stumbling towards the glass doors, coming to an immediate stop once she hit the grass. Her eyes swept over the grass, searching. There was always something; a rabbit, a deer, or some other pray animal who had wandered too close to the house, and had become trapped within the barrier. While most creatures that passed through the barrier could just as easily leave, by some merciful kindness or sick joke on Sieux, there was always at least one who — for reasons unknown — couldn’t pass back through the magical wall.
Her eyes finally streaked to a brown rabbit. It was, by all rabbit standards, really quite normal. A peppered coat, medium in size, a little fluffed up from the winter coat it was shedding… but, for all intents and purposes, just a rabbit. She crept across the lawn slowly, stalking the creature carefully, ears perked up and freezing at every twitch the rodent made. Finally when she had crept close enough she leapt up — making it a few feet up into the air before she arched down in a dive, hands first, to try to capture the woodland animal. She missed and the rabbit took off, zig-zagging across the grass and squealing in that way prey does as Sieux scrambled after it. She spent as much time on all fours, earth tearing up as claws and toes curled for better grip.
It seemed to Sieux to be both slow motion and hyper speed; her sharp eyes and ears caught every movement the rabbit made, watching for the tensing of muscles so that she could sharply turn to zig or zag after the doomed creature. Eventually, and not without some difficulty, she was finally able to outmaneuver the long-eared mammal; she pounced down on it, hard, getting her mouth around it’s neck before shaking her head hard until the animal’s struggle came to an end. She immediately made her way back towards the house, prize still trapped between sharp teeth, trotting along with a prideful sashay. She bypassed the kitchen, moving towards the door that lead down to the basement without a second thought or glance.
The underground den — for it could only be called that, by it’s appearance — was a stark contrast to the oddly modern dwelling that Sieux had been given. It appeared to have been dug out by a fairly large animal, hard dirt walls shaped by claws and pounding paws. The ground was also packed down, countless massive paw prints and dainty footprints merging into a smooth floor of solid earth. There were a few tunnels, high enough for a tall human to walk through with ample headspace and just as wide, that broke away from the walls; if one were to follow them they would find that one lead to a deeper hovel with a floor littered with the same tall grass, packed down as bedding, and the rest went out in various directions before abruptly stopping where their path collided with the borderline of the barrier. Towards the back of the main ‘cave’ a pile of long grass, dried and yellow but also stained deep maroon in some spaces, appeared to be the closest thing to ‘furniture’ that could be found.
Sioux trotted towards this smaller pile of grass, dropping the rabbit down onto it with a quiet gagging sound. She made a bit of a face, smacking her lips a few times in discomfort from the shed fur from the rabbit that clung to her tongue and teeth, before glaring down at the rabbit expectantly. Initially nothing happened. She crossed her arms, tail swishing with increasing agitation. Then, quite suddenly, the hare burst into unnatural flames. Finally her lips split into a satisfied smile and when the bright light and the smoke cleared a small sapling of a what could one day grow to be a great oak laid in the grass. Quite carelessly she took it in her hand, grasping the trunk (though it looked more like a leafy pencil with young roots) before turning to sniff out Anden. “You like leafy things,” she stated firmly when she finally found him, approaching with her offer outstretched. “I got you a leafy thing.”
