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| Were-wolves or vampires? |
| Were-wolves |
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60% |
[ 6 ] |
| Vampires |
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40% |
[ 4 ] |
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| Total Votes : 10 |
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 Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 10:42 pm
Dara looked at him for a moment and then regained her feet. Only one person had played with her in such a fashion and she was now dead at the hands of the vampires. Ever since her friend's death, which was a year or so after Dara's parents had been murdered, she had no longer been able to let loose the aggravation of having to lead her last band of wolves every day. How she missed being able to play as she so often saw the rest of her pack do during the full moon.
Cocking her head at the growl from Matthias, she crouched low as if ready to pounce at him from the front, but instead, when she bounded forward to tackle him she leapt to the left and pounced on him from the side letting out a playful growl of her own.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 10:49 pm
Matthias had grinned inwardly when Dara responded aggressively. He had expected and hoped for just such a reaction. If she was to be their leader, she had to have some fight in her. When Dara leapt toward him, he readied himself, keeping his body facing toward her at all times. As she landed to his left, he pivoted to face her. And when she leapt on him, he rose up on his hind legs to confront her. Dara's momentum was more than enough to knock him over backwards, and they rolled a short distance once more. He nipped at the scruff of her neck before seperating himself from her. However, he lingered closely. He began circling her slowly with barely a yard's length as his average radius. It was almost the same as asking Dara to tackle him again.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 10:57 pm
Dara bent her head low, watching Matthias circle her. She was waiting for the right moment. She knew from experience that a good fighter was a patient one. Ever so slowly she began to tense her shoulders, never moving her eyes from him, and was ready to pounce at a moments notice.
A slow playful growl escaped her lips in anticipation as she waited for the right moment. Finally, when she found herself perfectly ready she once again pounced, nipping at his ears playfully.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 11:05 pm
Like Dara, Matthias had waited patiently. Several times during his encirclement, he had considered pre-emptively striking, but decided against it. He was more interested in finding out more about Dara now, as he continued to wrestle with her. When she attacked, he was almost too late. She still managed to get a hold of his ear, but he rolled sideways, and brought himself out on top, and leaned down to bit at her neck. If he had meant to kill, chances are that Matthias could have, but he was in no way desiring to usurp Dara, or even create such chaos among his brethren. He was merely wrestling, and hoping Dara would do her best to put up a good fight. So far it had just been a slow give and take, but Matthias was looking forward to a more frenzied match.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 11:16 pm
Dara growled again. She had not expected to get pinned this early on. Planning her next course of actions, she applied a great amount of force in rolling again. This time before he could roll on top of her and pin her again, she jumped back quickly, in an attempt to catch Matthias off guard, and within an instant pounced, again.
Dara had never used this move before, but instead it was the finnishing move her now dead friend had always used to end their sprawls, and back then it would always catch Dara off guard.
She growled lightly as she landed on Matthias and this time nipped at his neck. Her eyes shone with unreleased laughter and joy. She had not had this much fun in a long time.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 11:25 pm
Matthias went with the roll smoothly and was on his feet again in an instant. He was ready, well aware of what Dara had planned. He had seen the move before, and had performed it himself, but it was not one easily countered. He was tackled, and "pinned," just as Dara had been a few moments ago. He pushed her off and stood, his muzzle a few inches away from hers. He watched her quietly, allowing himself time to think and soak in their surroundings. Glancing past Dara, he noticed that a large portion of the pack was watching, some with less interest than others. Most seemed to understand that it was merely for sport, but some appeared genuinely worried. He refocused on Dara, ready to go another round. However, he was unsure how she felt. Slowly, he began circling her again, growling lowly. It was an empty threat executed merely to see if she was interested in continuing their little match. So far, it had been fairly balanced, but then again, neither one was truly trying very hard. If they did, chances stood that someone would be injured severely. So naturally, this sort of playing was a poor judgment of fighting skill, but it did provide Matthias the means of building an estimate.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 11:39 pm
Dara glanced at Matthias as he looked behind her. Turning her head she saw the pack was watching them. She knew immediatly then that she had never displayed a will to fight in front of her pack and was sorry for it. They had not once known she had been able to fight, her being taught mainly by her parents, let alone want to play with another wolf in the pack. Dara regretted not letting them know earlier that she had the spirit of any one of them to fight and play, and she was now set to wonder how many of them had doubted her ability to lead based on the fact that she had never even shown the will to play like this with other wolves.
When Matthias growled it brought Dara back to her sences and she growled low back her eyes once again becoming fixed on him. If her pack wanted a show she didn't mind letting them watch. Crouching again she decided to try a different technique. She once again set herself up to pounce and launched herself. This time, though, instead of pouncing on him she jumped over Matthias and skidded to a halt on his other side. She repeated this action a couple of times before finnally hoping to catch him off gaurd again she pounced at him and tackled him.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2007 11:48 pm
Matthias waited patiently for Dara's response. It took some time, as she seemed momentarily preoccupied by the surrounding observers, but when she heard him growl, she brought her attention back to him. He watched cautiously for her move. When she leapt over him, he had indeed been surprised. Now he was filled with uncertainty as he watched her continue to bound back and forth over him. When she did finally pounce, though, the difference was obvious. He rolled onto his back, going with the blow, and craned his neck to bite at Dara's neck and jawline. When she was no longer hovering over him, Matthias climbed to his feet, but rather than put distance between them and wait to lunge, he began a much simpler form of assault. He began pawing and gnawing at Dara, hardly moving from his location. Occasionally, his head would shoot downward in an attempt to strike her neck, but more often that not it was deflected or avoided.
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Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 12:00 am
Dara growled, still playfully but slightly agravated. She had never been pinned in such a way in her life and was quickly planning a strategy on how to get out of the situation.
The one thing Dara had always been good at was strategy and she wasn't giving up on her strength now. Thinking calmly and level headedly, though she was trying not to be bitten through it all, she was slowly forming a strategy.
Dara brought her hind legs towards her body and with all the power she could muster, brought them forward, tossing Matthias off and away from her. Without loosing a moment she jumped back to her feet and pawed the ground in front of her for a second before laying down on the ground and waiting to see what Matthias would do next. Her unwavering blue eyes ever fixed on him as she watched him closely and scrutinized over his movements.
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Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 12:13 am
Matthias was roughly pushed aside, and quite unexpectedly. Still, he didn't mind, and he retained his fair mood. After shaking himself off, he stood and approached slowly, head low. He was done for the time being. He walked over to Dara and nudged her gently with his nose behind her ear. He had enjoyed their little sparring match, and it had done well to ease the tension he had been experiencing. He strode away from her, and stopped at the tree line. There, he rubbed his shoulder against a tree before settling himself on the ground, yawning. He was ready for the new day to arrive.
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Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 3:55 pm
Dara lay in the grass a few moments longer before she stood up. Already, the pack had dispersed and was beginning to lay down in groups together themselves. No one was being left truly alone as each wolf lay on top of one another, like young pups, to share warmth and comfort. No one bothered those that chose not to lay with the rest; nor did anyone bar another wolf from laying with them. They were a big family, even if they weren't all related by blood.
Heaving as best a sigh as her wolf body would allow, Dara stood up and walked towards Matthias and in turn nudged him with her muzzle as an invitation to lay with her and her companions as they waited for the coming morning when the pack would be allowed back into their human skins. It wasn't often that she invited anyone to lay with her and her few members of family that still remained, but she offered it to him as a thanks for allowing her to play for a while without treating her differently for being alpha.
It wasn't uncommon for a wolf to extend an invitation to any other wolf in such a fashion. It merely meant, among their kind, that the wolf extending the invitation enjoyed the other wolf's company and wanted to spend time till dawn with them. There was nothing more to it than that, as companionship between all the wolves was always valued highly.
Dara moved away from Matthias then and wove her way back into the pack to find her aunt and her cousins sleeping in a large pile in the center of the pack. Dara felt herself smile inside as she watched her little cousin twist and turn in her sleep. Nipping the little one gently, Dara joined the last remainder of her family and watched as the sky began to fade from dark blue, almost black, to lighter shades of blue, announcing the sunrise.
Dara would not sleep as she waited for the sun to rise. Instead, she would watch over her pack, as she always did every month, till the sun had truly risen and they were allowed their human skin.
Laying there with her family, she wondered, would Matthias accept her invitation. She knew he wasn't social by nature but she had enjoyed being able to find a wolf that would play with her.
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Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 9:31 pm
Matthias had watched as Dara approached. When she touched him, he turned his head away, as he had when approached in the graveyard. Then he watched her go, contemplating the invitation for a few minutes. After awhile, he stood up and made his way slowly to Dara's family. As he walked among the other wolves, he got curious glances darting his direction. He ignored them, though. Of course it was unusual to see him so close to the main cluster of wolves, and so he didn't think anything unnatural in the few stares he received. When he was standing before Dara's family, he hesitated. It took a few seconds of mental reassurance before he finally lay himself down beside Dara, resting his head upon his paws. Though he appeared ready for sleep, Matthias was ready to lie there in the quiet, and remain awake until the sun had fully risen. He always did, and there was no reason for this full moon's eve to be any different.
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Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 9:54 pm
Dara smiled somewhat inwardly. She didn't think she actually expected him to come, for she had never really seen him lay this far within the pack, but she was glad he had. She had enjoyed playing with him and now really wanted to give him a proper thanks for helping her relieve all her pent up stress.
Dara nudged him lightly with her paw, when he seemingly reluctantly lay down, to show she knew he was there and was glad he had accepted her offer.
Dara stayed in the same unmoving position, listening to everyone else breath in a warm sort of silence, for hours. Finnally, the suns rays began to hit the horizon with amazing brightness and the whole silent world of her pack began to wake and welcome their other forms as they shifted restlessly on the ground or fully woke.
Dara sighed. She was going to miss her wolf skin but as the sun began to ride higher and higher till it was nearly above the horizon she knew she had to bid her wolf farewell and once again bare the skin of her most ancient of ancestors, the human. Standing up slowly with the rest of her family she stretched her limbs, preparing for the change.
Then, like water trickling dover her body, her skin rippled and seemingly came to life. It slowly began to flow as if buckets of unseen water were being poured over it. Slowly, her hair began to recede on her body as the hair on her head only grew. Her long wolf muzzle began to shrink to the easily recognisable human mouth. Her tail began to fold in apon itself and join the rest of her body, no longer an extention of herself.
Within a few very long moments, a woman with long black and white tipped hair stood where only a wolf had been a moment before. Now, being able to summon her magic in human form, she was able summon a skirt with golden lace and a more simple cotton shirt, before she could be revealed as a truely naked woman. Her expression as a human was more gaurded and protected then when she was a wolf and she seamed more closed to the world now.
"Dara! Dara!" she heard one of her wolves call.
Turning she saw a younger were-wolf running up to her in human form with a very worried expression.
"What is it?" Dara asked, concerned.
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Posted: Tue May 08, 2007 10:13 pm
Matthias glanced briefly at Dara when she touched him, nodded once, then settled again. As the sun came up, and others rose to their feet, he did so as well. Although he preferred to refrain from magic in any form, Matthias found it very practical to exercise the one their ancestors had taught them to summon clothing. It certainly wouldn't do him any good to stand about his kinsmen naked. Once human, Matthias stood upright and stretched out his arms. He was already yearning for his paws, thick hide, and corded wolven muscles to return. He always felt that way after a full moon, and knew it would subside. Yet, he couldn't help but feel neglected in a way, for living with such a curse.
He shook his head and let the thoughts pass. He stood now in his favorite pair of boots, dark brown shorts that fell to his knees, a thin belt, and an earthly green short-sleeved shirt. He had work to do back at his shop, and that meant getting hot and sweaty. He would much rather do so without long pants and sleeves to make it worse. Chances stood that he would end up shirtless after half an hour of work. It wasn't uncommon, especially since there was rarely anyone around to see him. Not that he was shy about his body, but he did find it somewhat awkward to stand shirtless around fully clothed people.
Again, his mind was wandering. He glanced at Dara, was considering saying something; perhaps a thanks for the wrestle and the invitation, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a young kinsman. He looked to the source and waited quietly, curious as to what might be going on.
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