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 Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 4:17 am
Hale nodded, silent for the time being, save for the fact her jaws were chewing up pieces of rib bone. She spat out the bone fragments and swallowed the meat, then moved to her feet to tear more ribs off the kill.
"Those are indeed valuable ideals to hold," She said quietly. "Although I have never known kindness from a Normal Kitsusagi, nor an Angelic. I have only heard stories of the ways of the angelics, and I must admit, I fear them... I do not want to face their wrath and be told I am a scoundrel."
Crunch!! Powerful jaws snapped through flesh and bone, and Hale put her front paws down on the kill, yanking her head back in an attempt to tear the entire one side of the animal's ribcage off.
"I have no family either, now." She continued. "You are indeed a lucky soul. Though, I would like it if we could become friends. I am... flattered that you have been looking out for me." She sat down with the ribs and resumed her eating, deep in thought for now. Adjo was indeed vastly different from the other Nightmares she had met, but she certainly didn't find it unpleasant.
"Your ideals do not match those of the typical Nightmare..." She said slowly. "... has the curse been lifted for you. Can you... see?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 6:06 am
Adjo tore of a big hunk of meat, chewing it thoughtfully and then he swallowed, "No, I am still as blind as the day I hatched from my egg. But I do not mind, because it does nothing to dwell on what happened to our ancestors."
Then a smile went on his maw and his head turned in her direction, "Why don't you come with me and meet my family? The Angelics in my family, they would welcome you with open paws as would the Normals! I promise." his voice got low, as if saying something that....well, that came from the heart, "Just so you know....that no matter where you are....you always have a home to come to where you won't be turned away."
A blush went back on his face, but he wasn't embarrassed, not really. He really did want to prove her that Normals and Angelics could be accepting of Nitemares, if you knew who to meet.
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:14 am
"Ah, I see." Hale said slowly. "I suppose I do not want to see after being blind my entire life, also. It would be confusing, forgein even. We learn to get by on our other senses. I suppose I would like to be able to open my eyes just to see what the world around me is like, but I already know most of it. For all I need to do is raise my ears to the wind and let it tell me of everything around me." She smiled. "And you are right - it does not do to dwell on the past, for we cannot change it."
She seemed taken aback at Adjo's suggestion of meeting his family. For a moment or two she did nothing, not knowing what to say. After that, she rose to her feet and backed up a few steps, tails shrinking between her legs.
"Would they really welcome me with open paws..?" Hale said quietly, sounding very unsure, even afraid. "I.. I don't know what would happen. I..." She pinned her ears back and shook her head. "I am afraid that they will slay me for being what I am. Or scorn me, or..." She was silent again, and sighed. Adjo had made a promise. And he knew these other Kitusagi much better than she could imagine right now.
She finally nodded her head, sitting down again. "Alright, I'll go," She whispered. "I trust your judgement."
At Adjo's next statement, only a small hatchling-like squeak escaped her in reply. She had been a wandering nomad for most of her life so far, and it was truly humbling to be accepted somewhere.
"I..." She didn't know what to say at all. "Thank you..."
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:17 am
Adjo heard her get up and back away and he got up slowly and approached her, and then he did something he only did with his mother. He nuzzled his muzzle against hers, "They won't slaughter you, I promise. If they were that vicious, they would have killed my mother long ago, yet she lived to find a mate and have me and my sister. Come with me now Hale, I'll prove to you that they can be your family." he said, stepping back, anxious to take her back to his home and introduce her.
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:31 am
Hale jumped slightly as she felt Adjo nuzzle his muzzle against hers. She relaxed - the mere gesture was very soothing, and the anxieties that had been building up within her were beginning to be quelled again. She had never known such kindness in her entire life before. She was awed by it, and completely humbled. She wanted to thank him for it, so much.
After a moment, Hale gently nudged Adjo back with her own snout, and then made a soft rumbling content purr, flicking her forked tongue against his cheek, licking his fur.
"Very well," She said, speaking very quietly for her maw was near his sensitive ear. "I will follow you. It intruiges me - all I have ever felt from the Normals is their hostility, and their anger... They've... thrown rocks at me, yelled at me to get away from them..." She lowered her head, a slight whimper escaping her, and she squeezed her stitched-eyelids shut tightly. "Just once... I would like to find a Normal Kitsusagi that did not ridicule me for the mere fact of who I am..."
She stepped back from him and shook herself off, flicking her tongue out of her mouth again. Then she moved back towards him and began to groom the sticky blood off his face.
"You are indeed a truly lucky Kitsusagi to have experienced such a thing. If you had encountered a hostile Normal before a kind one, your ideas about them might be vastly different."
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:38 am
Adjo felt a purr come up from his belly when she started licking the blood off his maw and he stayed quiet. Then realizing how close they were and how warm he was feeling, he coughed a bit and padded a way a bit and then turned to her, "Then follow me, and I'll prove to you that you have nothing to be afraid of with my family." he said softly. Then he turned and started running off in the direction of his home was, hoping she would follow behind him.
He ran onward, not to fast, but he was anxious, anxious for her to meet his family and for her fears to be put away, at least for his family. He slowed down when the all too familiar scent of home reached his nostrils and soon he stopped in the large yard of a big house and even bigger barn to one side.
He flicked his tongue in and out and the familair scent of blood came to him and the sound of flapping wings and he smiled, knowing Morgana was coming down to greet him.
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:53 am
Hale was dissapointed as Adjo moved away from her. She shook her head and grinned - what was wrong in cleaning his maw? It was bloody afterall. She stepped over the remains of the boar they had killed, leaving it where it was for some other scavenger animals to eat later.
"I will follow you," Hale nodded again, sounding much more confident in saying so than she had a few moments ago. "Lead the way and I shall follow your scent."
Hale promptly followed his lead as he began to run away, ears raised as high as they would go, tongue flicking at the air once every few seconds. She did NOT want to lose track of him. When she realized he wasn't moving as fast as he could've done, she grinned, pleased, continuing to follow.
She slowed down as she smelled the foreign scents of unfamiliar territory, and other Kitsusagi in the air, the anxiety coming back to her. It was wrong to make assumptions based on past experiences and she knew it, yet she was doing exactly that right now. Was she going to be safe? Adjo seemed to know what he was doing, and she trusted his judgement, but still. She couldn't help but feel nervous.
She backed up again as she could taste and smell blood in the air, her ears pinning back at the sound of flapping wings.
Angelic Kitsusagi had wings...
Hale made a low uncertain rumbling noise, her tails low and unmoving. She felt very vulnerable and nervous right now, and could hear her own heart hammering away in her chest, faster than normal. The uncertainty of the situation was frightening, yet she stood there because she trusted Adjo's word. Besides, underneath all the fear and anxiety, she was curious to know if a Normal Kitsusagi really WAS capable of accepting of a Nightmare. If it were true, it would certainly change a lot of things...
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 8:05 am
Morgana flapped her wings as she made her descent and then went to nuzzle Adjo in greeting, "Hello Adjo, I was getting worried, no one had seen you for a while and your mother was getting worried." Her eyes went to the female Nitemare behind him and a smile went on her face again, "Well who is this beautiful creature you brought along with you! Is our Adjo finally settling down?" she said in a light, teasing manner.
Adjo sputtered and blushed, shaking his head, "Aunt Morgana!! D-d-d-don't say stuff like that, you'll embarrass her!!" he said, padding over to stand next to Hale, sensing her tenseness, "Aunt Morgana, this is my friend Hale'oki. Hale, this is my Aunt Morgana, she is one of the Angelics in my family." he said.
Morgana padded over to sit in front of the two and she frowned lightly at how tense the female was, but she smiled calmly and bowed her head, "It is an honor to meet you Hale'oki, we rarely ever get to meet any Nitemares outside of our family." she said. She turned her head and made an annoyed huffing noise to see Mami waddle her way over.
The pregnant, Normal female waddled her way over, her stomach quite big, but she was curious to see who this new comer was, a smile on her face, "Adjo, you brought a friend with you! It's so good to see you finally making a new friend outside of the family. My name is Mami, it's so good to meet you!" she greeted, sitting down heavily.
Adjo went over to Mami to check her over, fussing over her, "Mami, you should know better, your father and mother are going to have a fit, especially in your condition!!" he fussed, his tongue flicking out. His ears flicked as he heard the sounds of more Kitsu's started coming their way.
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 8:21 am
Hale's inital reaction to Morgana's voice was to chatter her jaws and repeat the low rumbling noise - at least until she listened to what the Kitsusagi had to say to Adjo. He certainly wasn't lying about his family caring about him - not that she doubted it, though. It was just... strange. She stopped dead in her tracks and practically froze at being called 'beautiful'. She raised one ear high on her head, flicking the other back, utterly baffled with the idea.
All of it was so confusing right now...
A chuckle escaped her at Adjo's defensive reply, and she shook her head. The statement Morgana had made could not have come from anyone else but family. She curtly bowed her head to the Angelic, being careful not to make the gesture look like she was bearing the flats of her horns.
"Greetings, Morgana," She said finally. "Indeed, I am most interested in meeting you. And thankful that you are not currently chasing me with a sharp stick the moment you sighted me." She grinned.
She flicked her tongue out of her mouth in reaction to hearing another approach. A new smell, a new Kitsusagi. The thought made her nervous again, although this time she had a feeling that this one would be safe too. Her assumption was almost immediately verified as she heard the newcomer speak.
"Greetings, Mami." She said to her, lowering her head. She was about to say more until she heard Adjo speak to her, and then she tilted her head, curious. "Your condition? Are you ill, ma'am?" She flicked her tongue out of her mouth in an attempt to sniff her. The kitsusagi certainly didn't smell sick...
More noises, more Kitsu coming. Hale'oki grinned, amused this time. Adjo certainly had a lot of family.
"Again, I reiterate my statement," She said in Adjo's direction. "You are indeed a lucky Nightmare Kitsusagi, and not at all like the others."
She sat back and smiled. Kitsusagi of different species, even 'enemies' in old folklores and tales, getting along like a family. The concept was still odd to her, but nice.
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 8:29 am
Morgana tilted her head a bit when Hale said that, "Attack you? Why would I ever do such a foolhardy thing?" she asked in confusion. But soon enough, she was drowned out by all the Kitsus' there, Balen, Miki and Aegis fussing over Mami and scolding her for wandering around.
Nunzio, Helen, Lucia and Morty landed close by, curious and quite happy to see who the newcomer was. A squawking could be heard, followed by another and soon Gypsy and Hanzi landed nearby, and Pika ran up behind them, barreling past Hanzi and the two started getting into a playful wrestling match. Faye was arrived, her six wings flapping and she landed close to the female, making sure to give off a calming aura, "Another Nitemare, and a pretty female to boot!! Adjo, you made quite a nice choice!! My name is Faye, welcome to the family!" she said, laughing when Adjo started sputtering.
"Faye!!! Ugh, where is my mom, I want her to meet her too." he grumbled, his tails flicking about in irritation.
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 8:48 am
Hale pinned her ears back, low to the ground now. Talk about sensory overload! Both her ears and tongue told her all about the frenzy of Kitsusagi that had arrived. She pressed her ears right back against her skull as she heard the squawking noise. But all she could hear after that were friendly voices, playing, and Kitsusagi generally having fun.
Her ears rose again as the one who called herself 'Faye' arrived and called her pretty. She grinned and slowly got to her feet again, dusting off her front.
"Thank you, though I wish I could see you and return the compliment." She replied. She tilted her head in curiousity - Why did they keep complimenting Adjo on finding her? And why were they assuming that the two of them were a pair? She shook her head and chuckled at Adjo's protesting and awkwardness - it was indeed an embarrasing assumption.
"Your mother?" Hale asked suddenly, her ears raised high on her head. "I think I want to meet her too." She said quickly, suddenly immensely curious. She wanted to know what kind of Nightmare Adjo's mother was like. Perhaps she would be able to learn something, and be able to fix where Zephyrizon was going wrong.
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 8:54 am
Adjo was about to question it when everyone went quiet and parted and slowly padding towards the two Nitemares was the daunting figure of Charna. Her steps were quiet as her tongue flicked in and out, taking in the scent of the newcomer. It had been so long since she met another Nitemare and she was curious to see who she was. Once she was in front of the two, she got a good scent of her and a smile went on her muzzle, "I feel no ill intent from you, even though you are like me and my son. You are most welcome here." she said softly.
Adjo let out a breath of relief, glad his mother approved. He then nudged Hale to follow him and he brought her around to introduce her to everyone individually. Everyone gave her a warm greeting, Mami having to explain she was pregnant with eggs, so that was her 'condition'. The only ruffle was Balen, Pika and Hanzi ganging up on Adjo and teasing him about his 'girlfriend' and soon he was chasing the three around, yelling at them to come back and take it like men.
Lucia wandered up to the female, letting out a sigh and rolling her eyes, "I swear, I wonder if they will ever grow up, they act like such kits sometimes!" she said, watching the group as they started rolling around in the grass.
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:42 pm
Hale raised her ears everyone went quiet, and tilted her head in curiousity. What was going on? Was she doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing? Her thoughts and concerns were quickly quelled as she heard Charna's voice. Charna's tone of voice was like Adjo's - entirely different to all the Nightmares she had encountered so far.
"Thank you for the welcome," She responded, grinning. "It is most pleasant. And quite different to what I am normally used to."
She was about to say more, until Adjo nudged her. She stayed close and followed, grinning at the others she was introduced to. She chuckled as Mami explained she was pregnant, and shook her head. She didn't know why she didn't guess that already. She sat on her hinds and smirked as she heard the sounds of Adjo's extended family bothering, and then him chasing them around.
"Indeed, it is nice here..." Hale thought to herself. "You've been living in entirely the wrong place, Hale'oki..."
She seemed genuinely surprised as she heard Lucia's voice, knocked out of her thoughtful daze again.
"Acting like a Kit is not necessarily a bad thing," She told the other, smirking. "It means they are safe, and have no outstanding problems to worry about. Besides, nonsensical harmless fun is good for the soul."
She continued to listen, amused. It had been such a long time since she herself acted like a kit. She was not prepared to join in on the cacophony of fun, but at least they were having a good time.
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 7:52 pm
Lucia smiled at the female Nitemare, liking her more and more. Then she turned her head and gestured for the shy, female Angelic to come over, "Come on Morty, if you are going to get over your shy stage, that means introducing yourself to newcomers!!" she said.
The female then turned back to the Nitemare when the teen was close enough, "Hale'oki, this is Morticia, Morgana's daughter! She is still a teen, but don't take offense if she gets nervous around you, she is still going through her phase." she whispered the last part to Hale.
Morticia nervously padded over and looked to the female Nitemare, shaking, but not in fear of her, because she didn't want to embarrass herself, "N-n-n-nice to meet you..." she stuttered out.
The group of males kept on rolling about until Charna and Helen yelled at them to knock it off or they would throw them into the lake to clean them off.
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Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2007 8:28 pm
Hale'oki continued to listen to the sounds of the other Kitusagi nearby playing and having fun, calm by the thought they weren't going to gang up and attack her or something... though why others did, it was utterly beyond her comprehension and reasoning.
She raised an ear as Lucia addressed somebody - another Kitsusagi? Hearing what Lucia had to say next, yes, it was true.
"Don't worry," Hale spoke to Lucia through her telepathic mind-power ability. "I won't mention it to the youth."
She made a soft chuckle as she listened to the youth. "It's nice to meet you as well, Morticia." She shook her head. "Relax. I'm not going to chew your head off." She flicked her tongue at the air, smelling her, then made a mental note to remember this scent like all the others she was cataloguing in her mind right now. "You sound friendly enough. It's nice to meet creatures like you. Outside of your family and your extended family, things aren't nearly as good as this."
Suddenly, she snapped her head in the direction of Charna and somebody else's voice. They were yelling. She squeezed her eyelids shut and made a loud roar of laughter at their threat, loudly snickering after the initial outburst. The edges of her maw were pulled back in the biggest amused grin she could manage.
"Ah, what fun..."
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