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 Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 9:50 am
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 9:51 am
The Edge of Insanity
Intro to Sere, a silvery gray winged starfox
The edge of the desert taunted him with its heat and waves that shimmered before his eyes. It teased with madness and even uncontrollable insanity, and then it beckoned him with mirages of water and food, while the love of an owner drew him with grace and amusement on their lips. All of it was false and he knew that far too well. An annoyed snarl slipped free.
Alone. Abandoned.
Not just once but twice. He had been dumped off like a stray in the middle of nowhere and was quite unused to such treatment. He didn't need an owner. Did he? The thought slipped free, but there was hesitation in it and more than a little pain. More than he cared to admit at that moment.
A large part of him hurt and it was not entirely physical. But as the rumble in his stomach continued, it shoved his focus from his feelings and inner turmoil to his stomach and its blatant demand for attention. Physical pain at the very least showed he was still alive despite the treatment he'd received. Shaking himself as if to dislodge something sitting on his back, he growled that it was their loss. And food was his most immediate need he decided as his tail dragged slightly on the ground. Once he'd held it up proudly, admiring its silvery gray fluff.
His walk was stiff as he moved slowly forward, wings folded back though still at the ready to move if needed. His once sleek fur was ungroomed and matted, especially his tail. A slight limp was noticeable in his pace. The wound from a thorn he'd pulled still bothered him slightly. Twice he stopped before he reached the spot he'd focused on because the rocky ground made it ache.
He gnashed his teeth suddenly, pulling himself together. It started an inner struggle that only made him feel more weak. A sudden sharp sound in an otherwise silent atmosphere startled him and he cowered, crouching down as still as possible, wings slightly spread as if to rise. A slight scurry of tiny nails clicking on the rocky crust from the sparse grass directly in front of him. A mouse stepped into view cautiously at first, then bolder with each step it took. It seemed to be scurrying about its daily needs without true attention.
His eyes noted the tiny creature, merely watching it for several moments. The pain in his stomach increased. Hunger reared upwards claiming him and his eyes moved greedily over the smaller creature which seemingly had not noted his presence yet. It could be considered barely a morsel and he was not quite certain how it would taste. It would be better than nothing.
As it neared him, the rodent stopped to nibble on a stem. Muscles strained as he tensed slightly. A sudden pounce pinned it beneath his feet. His weight as slight as it was held the creature firmly as it was slowly crushed to prevent movement. The twitching soon stopped causing him to move one paw slightly. Sniffing it, he nudged it around for a moment. This really was not what he wanted. He wanted his bowl of food. He wanted his bowl of fresh clean water and his own soft mat to sleep on. He wanted to be held and brushed and pampered and played with. He wanted all those things and more. He wanted so much more and yet it was not forthcoming.
A shiver slid through him at the thought of eating the mouse even though he'd not hesitated to kill it. He now had a dead rodent and no water in sight. He shuddered again but leaned his nose down to sniff it. A feeling of disgust for himself as much as the tiny creature slid through him. It was all he had. He was hungry. Delicately he tried to take a small nibble, but the smell of something-anything- to eat made him suddenly crunch down on it. Then he couldn't stop as hunger fully took control.
It barely filled his stomach and the intense ache of emptiness there, but it was warm and a few moments later he was feeling a little better. His body needed the nourishment from something even as small as a mouse. Now he needed water and if he could find that, perhaps he'd find more food.
He glanced back at the burning sands and rocks nearby. The heat made him even more miserable than he already was. Moving quickly away and into the taller grass, he was still confused at what had happened to him. He knew, but it was hard to believe that it had happened a second time. Was he unworthy of being loved? The thought only made him more miserable and his pace quickened.
Several times he stopped to raise his nose to the air, trying to catch even the briefest scent of water. His nostrils twitched constantly. At times it was in irritation to the dryness and at other times it was because of a scent he did not entirely understand. This world was somewhat alien to him and it was frightening in its largeness.
Hurrying, he moved towards whatever it was that was pulling him. With little sense of direction, he wandered here and there trying to figure out exactly what he was supposed to be doing. Sometimes instinct took over and he'd stop, crouching down as if his very survival depended upon it. It never occurred to him to take to the air.
When he caught the first whiff of true moisture in the air, his nose began to twitch causing his entire body to quiver in anticipation and need. The sounds of insects increased and his pace quickened. A moment later he was fearfully peeking through the brush watching for the the least movement of anything else near him.
His eyes took in the calm water before him. Tall reeds grew to the side while insects flew around them. The water moved slightly, gently lapping at the bank as the faint breeze pushed against it. He blinked wearily, but moved furtively forward. Stopping poised at the very edge, he held his nose high to sniff the air before he allowed himself to drink.
The cool water slid down his throat too quickly causing him to choke. His throat was far too dry and though the liquid was refreshing, it was almost painful. Glancing nervously about, he scanned to see if anything had heard him. A bird chittered at him as if scolding him for making such sound. He merely watched it then the water called him once more. His belly was full by the time he finished and a tiredness slipped over him. Now a place to sleep was all he needed. He'd find it just as he had found food and water.
But as he curled up in the heavy brush nearby, a thought repeated itself to him. He didn't need an owner. Did he?
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Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 9:52 am
Trouble In Paradise
Sere, a silvery gray winged starfox
He opened his eyes startled by the sounds he heard. Where was he? Sudden confusion slipped over him as he did not dare to move. A shiver as he remembered. Then sharp pain followed fear and anger.
Shaking himself off, he got to his feet, moving towards the water nearby. His stomach was empty again and he filled it with the cool water after hesitating an instant to inspect the area.
A sense of loss filled him of both owner and safety. Ungroomed and unloved were what he had become.
Did he care?
A portion of him growled, snarling out of the ache of abandonment, denying that he needed more. A large part of him remained silently longing to be pampered, petted, and loved.
Both aspects struggled back and forth until he was quite unsure of either path.
Did it matter?
He didn't know and he was not quite sure that he cared either. But still he moved towards the safety he knew lay in the town nearby with the humans. They always had plenty and instinct told him that he'd find food there. Whether he found anything else, he would eat.
Sere avoided the people he could hear as he moved through the growth of the yards. Slipping into an alleyway, he caught the odor of something edible. The trashcan toppled over when he jumped into the side of it. A sudden movement and soft footsteps nearby caused him to dart for the bushes beside the house. Crouching down he frantically hid from sight. Her closeness had been unexpected.
A wisp of smoke suddenly moved across the garden in front of her.
Not smoke.
A stardust?
At least of some sort.
Startled, she stopped, gazing at the creature as it remained nearly hidden in the shadow of the plant. Only the motion had brought attention to it. The slightest motion, barely a wisp and yet it had drawn her.
At first she thought it was a dustling dragon. But the shape was not quite right for that. The ears and entire body shape were smaller. More delicate though it did have wings. A fox. Unusual for one to be lurking around.
She contemplated the creature for a moment as her eyes adjusted to the light in the area. It looked as if it were afraid, but not just that. The shivering slipped from it to the leaf barely touching its side. The tremor escalated slipping into the stem and then the stalk of the plant.
A shift in movement and its body moved slightly. The movement ceased in the plant though she was quite certain the creature was still trembling. How could it not be? It seemed frightened. Alone.
Abandoned? Perhaps. If so, scared and angry.
A minuscule part of her knew unconsciously, but it made sense that he was alone. Afraid. And even angry. His tail fur which was all she could really see was matted and dirty. He'd not been taken care of at all she suspected. Well, at least in awhile.
Her eyes continued taking in what she saw as much as her feelings took in what she was feeling as she gazed at him. Then she blinked, nonplussed.
He?
She was suddenly quite certain that it was a male. Certain he'd been drawn by the fact she had several dusts running rampant in and out of her home, she gazed at him another moment before moving away towards the house. She sighed slightly wondering if he'd eat anything she put out for him. She had to try.
Sere peeked from between the branches as the footsteps walked away. He simply watched still shaking slightly. The girl smelled like... dustlings? He hesitated.
Eftemie peeked out the doorway, Royal at her side. The dustling's hackles were raised slightly. He knew there was something else in the yard.
"It's alright, Royal. Leave him be." she said, patting the dust on the head. She filled a bowl with water and a second one with food. It was the same sort she gave to her dusts. Stepping out the door, she slowly walked back to the spot near the bushes.
Sere growled warningly when moved the bowls closer to him. But the food smelled so good he was almost drooling. The smell was much better than what he'd aimed for in the can.
Eftemie left the bowls where they were and slowly moved away. Heading back into the house, she shut the door so that noone would disturb him. It was his choice to eat it or not.
He didn't move at first, remaining suspicious. But understanding that she was not going to chase him away, Sere moved forward just a little. His eyes darted around at the least sound or movement near him. All were just insects or birds that went about their daily activities. Soothed slightly, he crouched, stepping outwards slowly, one paw at a time.
A moment more and he was gulping down the food as quickly as possible. It went down far too fast and he choked slightly, coughing and gasping before the last bite finally went down. He blinked hard, but finished off by licking the bowl clean. The water went much the same way, but somewhat slower.
She watched from the window, frowning slightly as he moved back under the bush. Her yard was fenced but the gate had been open because she had been taking the trash out for pickup. A few minutes later, she carried a larger pan out with water in it.
Her eyes took in his condition quickly. He was thin. His fur was extremely matted and dull. A healthy happy animal had a sheen to his fur and their eyes shined brightly. His didn't and she didn't like that. He wasn't hers, but she could tell he'd been mistreated in some way. He was such a beautiful color, all silvery gray.
She should help, shouldn't she?
Sere watched her closely for several moments before he moved back further beneath the bush into the corner. He felt safe enough that curled up, just watching the movement around him. Uneasiness slipped through him at the sounds coming from the alleyway from other people and he curled even more tightly.
Eftemie hesitated at the gate, glancing back at him. The man across the alleyway tossed a bag into the can causing it to clang loudly. The bush shook slightly where the fox was lying. She knew it was afraid. Closing the gate, she locked it. Noone ever used the back gate and with wings he could fly over it. Perhaps he'd feel a bit safer.
Heading back into the house after picking up the bowls he'd emptied, she filled a much larger one with food. Then she placed it beside the larger bowl of water.
"You are welcome here." she said softly, though she expected no response.
Time would tell if she could help him or not. At least he was safe in her yard and her dustlings could remain inside for a day or so.
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