|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 8:59 pm
His answer brought a smile to her face, how could it not? She laughed in amusement, looking up to him to give a soft nod as he bowed to her. "Well, in that case... This Lark thanks the Dawn for his company." Her attention was moved from him, as she situated a few large leaves to lie any caught fish upon rather than simply putting them on the ground once they'd been cleaned.
"Do you live close by?" Hitsu asked him, apparently testing to see just how mysterious he would like to remain. Not that it bothered her, but it seemed only right to try and continue some sort of conversation. As she spoke, she dipped her net into the water. The water was a bit deeper here, and in the growing light she could see a few fish lingering at the bottom.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 9:01 pm
The corners of his eyes creased, the only testament to the amusement he was beginning to feel and though the young woman’s laughter was infectious, he kept his emotions tightly reigned. Not much of a struggle, mind you. Yuval rose and tucked his arms against the small of his back, continuing his quiet observance of the feline with that unblinking persistence of his.
Had it not been for the blue shadow of early morning, the dimpling of those scarred cheeks would have been visible. He could have very well halted their short-lived game, but with the dawn upon them his mind ticked away, branched out in delightful, whimsical directions that were so unlike him. Unlike the him now. Yuval traced the seam of his new glove, harboring a brief wonderment at the unbroken leather. They’d loosen up soon enough; he’d break them in.
“I do…in a sense,” he said. Yuval tested the moist earth beneath the soles of his feet by tilting forward, a thoughtful smile quirking the edges of his mouth. “From where I stay I can see everything, everyone…all the time.” His fingers gave a small dance through the air as he waved a hand casually, almost dismissively. Falling quiet, he resumed his lethargic watch of the young feline before slowly walking down stream and nearer to the trees; despite his quiet, his voice still carried:
“Tell me, Lark, have you ever heard the story about Night’s jealousy?” His back was turned to her so he turned his face to stare over his shoulder, “I think you would like it very much.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 9:23 pm
The first of several unlucky fish found its way into her net, and she quickly scooped the creature up from the water and onto one of the larger leaves she'd set aside. It was thin, and nearly five inches; Far from worthy of being called a meal, but certainly better than nothing. Quick work with a couple of stones smashed life from the fish, though in her mind it was much more humane than letting the poor thing suffocate. She leaned down closer to the water, making use of a claw to open the belly and clean the insides away. She replaced it on the leaf; One down, many to go. If she got her way, that was.
Hitsu had listened to the canine's response as she worked, wondering just how it were possible for one to see everything all at once. She apparently decided not to question such an ability, and only smiled at the very idea. "That must be fascinating. I never really had much of a view, where I come from. It was always so dark in the forest, even in the daylight. You could hardly see the sky, aside from winter when the leaves all shed." She was turning into a bit of a chatterbox, but she fell quiet again before his question. To that, there was a moment's pause, in which she tried to remember. "My brother... He's told me a lot of stories, but I don't think I've heard that one."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 11:29 pm
It was probably best that he had his back turned when the young woman stoned the fish, or else he would have no doubt commented - with much laughter - at the brutality of the act and proffered a knife. That would have been no good either, for what reason had he to carry around stylized weaponry? It seemed as though Fate was playing his hand, thank goodness.
The home she illustrated for him resurfaced images of a small village nestled away from the world, hiding his quarry within the folds of its townsfolk. For him it was nameless, but the very image of the place made his nose curl as he recalled scents and details and pain. Yuval’s brow dimpled, his hand drifting upwards to his chest and touching – delicately – at the fastenings of his coat. Her words could have meant one of a million things, illuminated one of a million places, but the canine’s attentions did not waver from that single notion that this girl, this girl….
Has a brother? The thought came and went like the whispering wind and like a web caught in the corners, occupied each niche of his mind. Rumination on earlier acts forgotten, he tutted her brother for his failure to mention the Night’s jealousy. Of course, it was something he was weaving just now.
“Well, then, you shall hear it,” he responded. Yuval turned towards the stream and caught the sky through the trees.
“The Night slumbers as we do. When she lies down to sleep she throws the dark coverlet of the sky around her shoulders and presses her cool cheek to the earth. Dawn was her companion, freed when he feels Night stir, who releases him into the sky to call upon Day.
“Now Dawn, while loyal to Night, could only bear being kept caged so. He wanted freedom, if only for an instant. So one twilight while Night was still soundly sleeping, he crept from beneath her cover and down into the World. He traveled through the hills and climbed every mountain. He would peer out at Night from between the peaks to make sure all was well, and when he had had his fill, he would sneak back beneath her arms.
“Upon the third visit to the World, however, Dawn heard the most beautiful song come from across the mountains, and so he traveled in search of it. Do you know what he found?”
Yuval did not raise his eyes from the stream, but his smile became more pronounced, “He found the Lark, my dear, and was enamored.
“’What a lovely song,’ Dawn told her, to which the Lark, after recovering from her start, replied, ‘Yes, but there is no one to dance to it.’ Dawn, more than willing to make Lark smile, proffered his hand, ‘Then let us both dance to your beautiful song.’ And so they danced, Lark and Dawn, and it was like this for several days.
“But Night was not stupid, nor was Dawn clever enough, perception dulled because of his rapture. He began to leave Lark later and later, would prolong their dance until Night began to stir, when he would hastily make his departure. Night began to notice Dawn’s absence, especially as she awoke and became more aware. Dawn, however, did not.
“So during the dark hours of the early morning, Night awoke and pretended to sleep. She felt Dawn slip from her grasp and creep back into the World. However, instead of calling him back, she decided to watch what he did.
“He danced, he danced with Lark and was happy. This put Night into a jealous fury and she leapt down from the sky, blazing with dark fire.
“’How dare you!’ she cried. ‘How dare you betray me!’ Dawn, upon seeing her arrive, hid Lark in the branches of a tall tree. ‘I’ve done nothing wrong!” he told her, but he knew it was in vain. He had betrayed Night and despite his love for Lark, felt guilty. That morning, Night only chased Dawn back into the sky.”
Yuval paused momentarily. Gauging the berth of the stream he hummed softly and splashed through the water; it wasn’t high and his boots protected his feet from the wet. Once upon the other side he turned again to peer at the stream.
“But Dawn was stubborn,” he continued. “And in love. So he stupidly descended into the World again to see Lark one last time. They danced, danced across the trees to her beautiful song, a song that woke up Night. She fell from the sky once more, more furious than the last. ‘You’ve left me no choice,’ she told him. All warning was gone. She grabbed one of Dawn’s wing and tore it off.
“Lark, seeing him thus, began to sing in fear. She sang and sang and sang, and her song, beautiful and powerful and sad, wove a ladder of rainbow into the sky. Dawn escaped up the ladder, but not before Night tore Dawn’s other wing off and threw it into the sea. ‘Now,’ she said. ‘if you return to earth, you shall never be able to return to the sky again!’ Dawn wailed miserably as he bled across the horizon.
“Lark was a clever girl, though, and Dawn could only remain bereft in the sky for so long. The lovers decided to go against Night in order to be with one another. So now, whenever Dawn descends into the World, he dances for Lark who sings and keeps watch, and when they both see Night stir, she sings again, loud and powerful, and builds her beloved a bridge into the sky.”
The edges of horizon were beginning to lighten, a thread of gold dyed with red. Yuval’s footsteps carried him quietly across the grass, and the predawn light caught against the shadows of his smile. The space between the feline and him diminished quickly, though he still stopped a meter or two from her and slowly unfolded a hand that stretched out to her. It beckoned, kindly, hopefully, eagerly for hers.
“Come, Lark,” he said, voice barely carrying now. There was a glint of mischief in those narrow eyes, “Let us dance before Night sees.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 1:04 pm
As Riyo sat up and stared off into the horizon, she let out an almost sad sigh. In a way, she really missed her little home in the thorns. It held little comfort, but there was security. And she was able to sleep fairly well there.
But... She had never known the feeling of company. And, even though she didn't sleep. Even if she had headaches all the time. Even if she didn't fully understand these people, it was a better feeling than she could've ever hoped for.
To know that these people at least cared for her. It was amazing.
With a little wobble, she stood to her feet and walked the short distance to the campfire. She glanced at Neko and stared for a second. Goodness, that was an uncomfortable position to sleep in. He'd be feeling that when he woke up. Though, she didn't wake anyone. If they were sleeping, then she wanted them to enjoy it. Since she couldn't seem to do so herself. The bags under her eyes made it obvious that sleep was now a stranger to her.
She sat down opposite from the cat man and stared at the small burning embers. "Nyuu..." She sighed out to herself, took a stick, and started poking at them. It reminded her of something. The little red dots slowly rising. Oh, there was a word for what she was thinking of... But it was so buried, she couldn't think of it.
She didn't try too much, though. Thinking of the buried things only made her headache worse.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 3:03 pm
Deep in sleep for the first time in a week, Neko wasn’t roused by the sound of the stoked fire. Instead he continued to dream peacefully still in his upright position. Oddly enough his ears seemed a little longer than normal. They were usually short like a human’s with a minimal point at the tips. But now they were much longer almost like Mitsu’s. His concentration on keeping his true form hidden was failing in his sleep as his mind slipped further and further into his subconscious. It was more evidently so as his forked black tail came into sight, flicking absently as he dreamed. Normally he would be able to hide such an outstanding feature but his lack of sleep had caused him to drop his guard.
Visions of a fair golden haired lady haunted his dreams. They always started out peaceful but always ended much like a nightmare as he relived the moment he couldn’t save his mother. He didn’t make much of a noise but the expression on his face was enough to let someone know the dream he was having wasn’t pleasant.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 9:01 pm
[And here comes the itty bitty shitty post after the awesome novel. XD *bricked*]
Hitsu listened in silence to his story, choosing not to speak until he'd finished. She did continue to scoop up fish from the water, however, cleaning them and setting them all together. The net held up well enough for several catches, until the loosely weaved grasses began to undo themselves, allowing her last few fish an easy escape from becoming a meal. She tossed the tool aside, and looked over what she had. Not a lot, though that had been expected to begin with, but with the addition of some of the wild fruits it would be enough to satisfy hunger for at least a little while.
He approached, and she looked up to him with a smile. "Such a lovely story, but so very sad in the same breath." It was far from the tales that she'd heard when she was younger, of course with a brother such as Yuki, there would be a determination to avoid sharing the stories that could implant negative thoughts or morals. Not to say that he was innocent, but he had made certain that she would be. Probably not the best of choices, taking the current situation into account.
Upon the offer of his hand, she furrowed her brow and looked at him strangely. A smile still tugged at her lips, and she sounded curious in her questioning. "Dance? Here? N-now?" Fact aside that she knew little to nothing of dancing, the very thought of a waltz in the wilderness with this stranger made her want to laugh aloud. Luckily, she did not, but instead slowly reached out to him, expression reflecting her confusion.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 06, 2008 10:39 pm
(( I was definitely listening to Tchaikovsky's Waltz of the Flowers for this one. :'D And maybe a little Nutcracker, but, uh! *hides.* )) “To attain what you want most, you must always sacrifice something you hold dear.”
Yuval’s hand closed around the young woman’s before whispers of hesitance had chance to wrap around her mind. For the span of a breath he marveled at their size against his own, and though his fingers were slender and articulated, the way hers cupped so nondescriptly against his like little birds…. He pulled her to her feet. It was a subconscious act that made him take care not to touch her too readily, palm tucking against the curve of her waist, outlining it more than he did hold it. She was slight, oh so slight, a beam of sunlight cast through the clouds, nearly intangible in his grasp.
The confusion on her face was enough to drive him forward. Though she was close enough now to spy his disfigurement, it didn’t keep him from upturning the corners of his mouth. He wondered what it would be like to hold that heart-shaped face in his hands, look at her until he was blind; he was lost, lost completely in this world of whimsy. In the hazy light of Dawn’s ascension, he forgot his mission. He forgot himself.
“Of course here and now. If you worry for the fish, they can wait. Dawn lasts but a moment!”
A soft whisper of wind-like instruments, the murmur of a harp – he heard them tip-toeing on slippered feet, climbing higher and higher and higher until horns broached and the music swelled and crescendo’d, soft, fanciful and overpowering and that is when he began, sweeping his nymph across the grass. The song was quiet, but strong, and completely and utterly nonexistent to the young woman he held steadfastly in his arms and lead in dance. A musical hum was the only testament to its existence.
Dawn was creeping back into the sky, a line of gold arching into the distant horizon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:57 pm
Riyo kept poking at the fire until she seemed to notice something black slithering next to Neko out of the corner of her eye. "N-nyuu?" she questioned quietly and immediately looked up at him. He looked.... Different. And as for the black thing, well, she wasn't sure yet.
With what little stealthiness she could muster in her worn out state, she snuck over to him and examined. A tail? Wait.
She paused and thought for a moment. Neko =/= Tail... Right? She rubbed her chin. and glanced back at the tail. Maybe she was imagining it? Was she really getting that bad? She looked up at his face. What was wrong with him? He looked like someone had just peed in his drinking water!
Maybe it was that tail! Could it be causing this? Well, she wasn't sure... But she had to at least try to help him, right? Her nose gave a twitch as she looked down at the tail again. Well, she wasn't about to just go back to poking embers. "Wakie wakie nyu." She said and grabbed the tail.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 9:32 am
In the mist of his dream Neko was certain he had heard a familiar voice ring out. Riyo? That’s who it had sounded like but where was she? He looked around as the darkness swirled around him trying to find Riyo in the middle of his nightmare. He went to turn again but found he couldn’t move. Something had a hold of his tail. Looking back the first thing to catch Neko’s vision were a pair of tiny hands. Following the hands on up Neko found a tiny child had a hold of his tail. “Err..hello?” The child smiled up at Neko with icy blue eyes.
“Daddy!”
“Daddy?” Neko croaked trying to back away from the kid but she was stronger than she looked. Then out of the darkness a little boy stepped up beside her. Then another girl. Before his eyes child upon child crept out of the darkness until he was surrounded.
“Daddy!” They chimed all at once that sent chills up and down Neko’s spin. “Daddy!” They all said again before they started to advance.
“AHH!” Neko woke with a start his eyes wide with fear. Jumping to his feet as if his rear were on fire Neko looked around but found that there were no children in sight. It had all been a dream. It was then his eyes settled on Riyo and her firm hold on his split black tail. Reaching up in disbelief he ran his fingers across his elongated ears. “s**t.” He hissed to himself as he regained his concentration on his form to allow his ears to shrink back down to what he thought was normal. Looking to Riyo he knelt down toward her and reached for her hand to pry it gently from his tail. “Don’t tell anyone, alright?” He asked, his eyes looking directly into hers. Once his tail was free it quickly vanished from sight as if it were never there.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 2:01 pm
Riyo's eyes shot open when Neko screamed bloody murder as he woke up from his sleep. "NYU." She yelled back, her eye twitching at the sudden exertion of energy. Oh, if she was going to stay awake today, she was gonna need a miracle.
He seemed... More than a little upset when he looked at his tail. Riyo didn't hesitate to let go after she saw he was awake. But he sent her into a state of awe when he made it disappear. "N-Nyuu??" She questioned. Her eyes wide. HOW IN THE NAME OF EVERYTHING HAD HE DONE THAT? She looked up at him for a second, then back at where the tail had been. Her hand reached up and gave a pat to where his tail had been, possibly looking like she was feeling him up or something. Not that she knew what she was doing.
That's when he told her not to tell anyone. Waiiit. There was a word for that kind of thing. She paused and thought of the word. "S-secret, nyu?" That was the word, wasn't it? She frowned. Something about that word... Made her terribly sad. She couldn't put her finger on it, though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 5:20 pm
"I-I... I suppose..." Hitsu replied quietly, looking down to the fish as he pulled her to her feet. She turned her gaze to him, looking upon his face. She hadn't been able to get a good look at him until now, due to distance and darkness. Or smell, for that matter. He was quite certainly canine, but it didn't seem to frighten her. She'd been traveling with one for near a week now, after all. There was something vaguely familiar about his scent, but she brushed it off as merely the similarity between he and Mitsu.
Her attention on the scars along his cheeks was only brief, the only passing thought toward them was pity. Whatever had caused them, it must have hurt him so. For an instant her smile had barely faded, but just as quickly returned.
She looked up to him sheepishly, cheeks darkening lightly when she met his piercing gaze. He had such... Interesting eyes. "I'm afraid I don't know how to dance..." Though, whether she knew how or not, apparently she was going to do so.
Perhaps it was the oddity of dancing to nothing (as far as she could hear), or perhaps she was fully enjoying herself after the first few awkward seconds had passed. Either way, she laughed joyously through their dance, only occasionally cut off as she tried to keep from tripping over her own feet. Never had she danced, at least not like this, like one was meant to.
Suddenly, she looked to the sky, and abruptly halted herself with a gasp. How long as she been away? The sun was nearly up! "I'm sorry!" She exclaimed, moving quickly from the hound and to the bank. "I have to go, before I'm missed." She bent down, wrapping up the fish within the leaves they'd been lying on, save three she tucked into one leaf for the canine. Hitsu turned to face him again, an apologetic look on her face. "I'm sorry that there's not much, I didn't catch as many as I would have liked." Truth be told, she was being quite generous, and would seek out more for her friends back at camp.
-----
Okay, so there was something that could raise Yuki from his deep sleep. Neko's loud awakening also woke him with a jolt, eyes shot wide open and he jerked forward... And fell. Thank God for fast reflexes, for just as quickly as he had begun to lose his perch he grabbed hold of the branch with both arms and clung to it for dear life. "What!? What's wrong!?" He shouted, legs flailing as he blindly searched for footing. Finally, after kicking a lower branch, he found safety. With little trouble, he descended from the tree, and six feet from the ground hopped from a branch to land hard on his feet. In leaving the tree, he'd noticed no emergency. What was the screaming about? He stretched once on safe ground, and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "Who the hell is screaming down here?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 5:39 pm
“Hey,” Neko jolted when she started to pat him down to figure out where his tail had gone. This was a little unusual he hadn’t quite expected her to do that but he didn’t stop her. He allowed her to do as she pleased for the moment, figuring there was no harm in it. Not that she really understood right? But it wasn’t like it was a magic trick per say, more like shape shifting. When she drew back in contemplation of what he had said and spoke Neko nodded in response. “Yes, a secret. You can keep a secret right?”
It was then that his attention was turned toward Yuki as he safely exited the tree and set foot on the ground. “Uh, sorry.” Neko ran a hand through his ebony locks as he turned toward Yuki, an apologetic smile on his face. “Nodded off and got startled.” There was no way he was going to recount his dream, it was far too embarrassing.
Mitsu’s peaceful slumber had came to a violent end as the yelling began. Startled she arched up from her curled up position on the ground, much like a cat would, eyes wide as she looked around for the source of fright. That was when Yuki descended to the ground and scared her enough to let out a scream before scrambling to her feet and up the tree she had been sleeping under. Climbing wasn’t one of her main talents, safe to say it wasn’t really a talent at all, but somehow she made it a good ten feet off the ground before she realized how high she was and stopped, clinging to a nearby branch.
Breathing hard she looked down toward Yuki, the height she was at making her go rigid with fear. How did she get this high? Letting out a soft whine Mitsu hugged the tree for dear life. “Help.” Tears began to emerge in the corners of her eyes as she closed them tightly trying to avoid looking down. “I can’t get down!”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 6:53 pm
Riyo looked down at her lap for a moment. Secret... Secret... Secret...
I have a secret... That no one should know, that I shouldn't tell.
A voice hummed in the back of her mind. For a moment, Riyo's pupils slitted and her eyes took on a much more... Devious gaze. She looked up at Neko very slowly, with a grin that was unlike the innocent catgirl they all knew.
"I can keep a secret. Can you?" She whispered up to him with a slight tilt of her head. For a second, her image changed. Her body was covered in blood... And a man stood behind her. A man with cold, insensitive blue eyes with a grin that could make children of all ages cry.
But as soon as it appeared, it was gone. Riyo's eyes were normal. She was looking up at Neko with a smile. "Secret, nyu!" She said happily and gave a small purr.
That's when her ears perked up at Yuki. Her eyes widened. She looked over to where she'd seen him last. Luckily, he landed safely...
But when Mitsu started crying for help, Riyo didn't hesitate in getting up and rushing over. "Mitsu-nyu!" She shouted and stood at the bottom of the tree.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 7:08 pm
Yuval’s humming tapered off once her laughter filled the clearing, and though she stumbled, nothing could have pleased him more than the simple fact of her acquiescence. The majority of the waltz he had spent looking over her shoulder instead of at her. In retrospect, it cast him into remembrance of Hadil, when she had captured his hand and motioned his face close to hers. Blue eyes frightened her. They scared her, she had confided in him once. Because their eyes were like water, like the ocean, and you would drown.
He finally looked down.
The dance was all too short for his tastes, and just as she had come into his arms, she was gone again from them, sunlight filtering through his fingers where she had been. Yuval stood there, gazing at his empty hands with her apologies falling upon deaf ears. His eyes were colorless in the oncoming dawn as he tilted his head back to see the light spilling into the sky. Shafts of watery sunbeams pushed the night away, anxious for the day.
“The sun is stretching,” he said absent-mindedly. He dropped his attentions back to the girl who had captured them in the first place, hands automatically outstretching to receive her gift. He bowed his head graciously.
“It’s more than enough, thank you.” Yuval took a step back, face becoming guarded, but a smile lanced over his lips once again, “Now run along, Kitten. They’re waiting.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
