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 Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 10:33 pm
Nani sat next to a stream, sighing happily as a crisp breeze played with her fur. Now as an adolescent, her beauty had easily tripled. No awkward growths for Nani. Her fur had beome a little longer, and was like fine silk. Her paws were velvety as if they'd never touched the earth before, even though she traveled quite often. Her eyes glowed in a haunting, aluring manner. And she wasn't even finished growing yet.
The young helix stood and looked about behind her, tail swishing back and forth lesiurely, ears perking up with interest. She knew he was around here, probably causing trouble. Her Shadow. That's right. Hers. She had recently become aware of her growing affection towards him. She supposed she had liked him ever since they first met, but you could never be too sure as to when true love blooms.
"Shadow, are you there?" she called gently, quirking her head curiously. She didn't like being alone for too long.... It reminded her too much of that time... The time she never wanted to relive again.
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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 10:46 pm
"Name ain't Shad-ehw, s'what yer talkin' 'bout." His voice was slightly rough around the edges and his accent was thick, but he sounded friendly enough.
The owner of the voice, a tall and lanky helix that was practically an adult, slowly emerged from the bamboo thickets that he had been resting in. The pretty adolescent before him had wandered rather close to the territory that he now resided in, the territory that belonged to his alpha, Benita. His single, icy eye studied the female and a wave of familiarity washed over him, but he couldn't quite place a paw on who she was or why she meant something important to him.
He was a distinct creature, though the wooden leg was a new addition. He didn't lose his leg until after that one, fateful night.
"Y'ain't out 'ere alone, are yeh, sweet'eart? Some dan'grous packs about an' whatnot." His gold laden ears swiveled as he listened for sounds of another helix, but he didn't hear anything. "Mah alpha 'as terri'try not far from 'ere, if y'need safe rest 'n passage 'n whatnot."
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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 10:53 pm
 Shadow laughed as he bounded through the field, a flock of birds taking to tha air as he ran through them. He rounded, barking madly with delight to scare off the rest of them. His paws thumped on the earth as he reared and landed, and he gave a quick howl of victory, for he felt he had won a great battle as he watched his victims flap angrily into the trees, even though they were only birds. Giving a snort of satisfaction, he turned and headed for the stream.
He had grown into adolescence recently, and was obvious by his size and behavior. He acted like most males his age, playful, rude, and the like. But not around Nani. Most of the time, at least. He had a subconcious desire to impress her, and his ideas of impressing included bringing her large kills, which she did not enjoy. He had decided to chance his ways recently, bringing her flowers instead. She seemed to like those. Speaking (or more like, thinking) of flowers....
Leaning his paws on a nearby tree, he nosed at the low-hanging branches until some flowers fell, grabbing them with his teeth. He held his tail high, proud, as if what he had just done was some great achievement. Which it was, in his mind, as it pleased Nani. Being his age, he refused to admit he liked her. He thought love was a silly thing, but Nani liked it. She clung to the ideas, he thought, because she lost the love of her parents. His ears flickered sadly, and he felt sorry for her, which was one of the reasons why he had taken her here in the first place. He had been born in the East. It was his home, and she had stayed with him, which he was grateful for.
His train of thought was lost when he saw her through the bamboo trees, and he quickened his pace to meet up with her. "I'm back." he barked softly, managing to keep the flowers in his mouth. He left the trees, his movements like liquid shadow, for he had gotten used to his body (thankfully, as his growth spurt had him walking like a drunken fool), and dropped the flowers by her paws. "For you." he said fondly.
His ears perked and he turned quickly, his fur bristling with surprise. There was a brown helix there, with a branch for a leg and some cloth on its head. He was only able to see Nani through the small gap of the stalks, and had placed his full attention on her that he had missed the helix completely. "Who are you?" he asked quite rudely, still stung that he had been caught by surprise and too jealous to be willing to share Nani's attention.
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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 11:11 pm
Nani jumped and her head swiveled sharply as she stared at the helix that had appaeaed almost out of nowhere. The minute he began speaking, a blur of unwanted memories violently flooded her mind, and his voice was dulle out as she stared at him with wide, shocked eyes.
~Flashback (OF DOOM)~
A very young Nani flopped her way through the pile of puppies she called siblings, panting heavily as she romped towards her tall, proud father. The little helix nuzzled her father affectionately, seeing as he was going to go hunting. Her mother was out front, watching the cave like a guard. As her father left, she wished him good luck on his trip...
Twenty minutes later, there was a terrible noise, and Nani jumped back as her mother's body came flying through the cave, her body slumping to the ground in a bloody pile. Her head was missing. Nani screamed and ran for it, jumping into a tiny little crevice in the cave wall. She went to scream for her siblings, but whatever had just killed her mother was devouring her brothers, giving them no chance of escape. Nani cowered and screamed as her father came in, begging for him to run, but he had to protect his last pup....
Or attempt to.
His body slumped infront of the crack she hid in, and in a blur of sharp movements, the big thing had left the cave. Nani pulled herself out and sobbed as she leaned against her father, when the patting of paws caught her attention. And standing above her was a big helix, brown and deadly looking. Nani ran as hard as she could.
It was later after she had hid for sevearl days that she had burried her families' corpses.... And then met Shadow....
~End flashback~
Nani's mouth was dry, and her eyes were wide. Her fur was standing up on end. Not even Shadow's voice could pull her from her fearful trance. Suddenly a scream erupted from her throat, and her legs gave out on her. "Y-You.... Youre the one.... Killed.... them...." her voice was suddenly ragged and shaking something awful. She was so terrified, she couldn't move...
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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 11:20 pm
His demeanor went from open and friendly to tense in seconds, the moment he caught an odd look in her eye with his own. This throat went dry and his tail, which had been thumping the soft earth rhythmically, had gone still. His heavy, ring laden ears lay back as he studied the white and pink female more closely... She looked like them. She looked like the parents that had fought futilely against the bear he had led to that den. The slaughter had been horrid and stained the mind of the once young would have been thief.
Yes, he recognized her now.
"S'mighty 'igh charges yer accusin' on some'un y'dun just met, lass." He forced out, finally, once he could make his heavy tongue move once again. He stood, though his lithe frame was ready to charge off if need be. Would she, or he, try to fight him? It seemed things wouldn't be dissolved easily and his guilt ridden conscious gnawed at his heartstrings.
He turned his single eye from Nani, to Shadow, to Nani again.
"Th'name's Verdauga an' Ah ain't slayed nobeast. N'erer outright."
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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 11:32 pm
"Well?" Shadow growled, annoyed that the helix, a male by his scent, wasn't answering his question right away. He turned to Nani, to see if she would know, and was surprised by the expression on her face. "Nani?" he called worriedly, giving her a soft nudge. Worry, fear, and confusion filled his mind when he saw the emotions clear on Nani's face. He turned and growled at the newcomer, as it was obvious her fright was clearly a result of him. He was about to say something when Nani screamed, and his attention went back to her.
"Nani," he called again. "Nani, what's wrong?" He looked to her and the male repeatedly. He didn't like not knowing, especially if it caused such a reation from his childhood friend. This caused an anger to bubble inside of him, and he pressed closer to Nani's form. Bristling his fur, he raised his lips in a warning, wishing he was stronger like his father, and pressed his ears forward when the male spoke.
"How do we know you're telling the truth?" he said, stepping in front of Nani protectively. He wanted the brown helix, Verdauga, to do something provacative so that he would have a reason to attack. He knew Nani didn't like it when he attacked others without thinking, so he had to reign in short temper. From the state she was in, though, he doubted she would be displeased with agressive actions from him so he raised his tail in challenge to Verdauga.
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Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2009 11:48 pm
Nani simply sat there, trembling violently as she shook her head back and forth. No. She knew. He was the one, no mistake. She leaned against Shadow, breathing weakly. Nani never forgot a face, and even though it had changed since she'd last seen him, she could tell he was the one who'd killed her family so long ago.
"You... You did it. I saw you... I saw you.... I.... remember..." she managed out, tears streaming down her face as she coughed out a little cry, "You have the same eye... You were there.... Over his corpse you....you were there...." she sobbed out, pressing harder against Shadow. She suddenly felt like her gut had been emptied out, organs and all. She suddenly felt.... Dead inside.
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Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 12:04 am
"Yeah s'Ah was there!" He replied cooly, though it was hard to hide the twinge of sadness that seeped through his gravelly voice. His tail lifted slightly in challenge and he had to focus hard to keep from falling to pieces under the guilt that gnawed at his frame. His long talons pierced the soil beneath his paws and his rings rattled against each other as he flattened his ears.
"Ah lost me leg t'the bear what slew yer family. Darn well nearly lost m'life ter fight'n that beast off o' yer lot, doncha know." He stated and struggled to reign over the emotions threatening to spill forth from his bosom.
"There ain't know way fer me t'prove th' truth, 'cept for this," he lifted the wooden leg, which thunked as it struck the earth, "an trust fer me word. Ah allus keep me word."
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Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2009 4:30 pm
Shadow looked back to Nani, licking her tears. He nuzzled her cheek, trying to tell her without words that he was still there for her. He looked back at Verdauga, hate flashing in his eyes at the helix for making Nani so fearful. "So you're the one." he hissed. He tensed, his fur bristling with anger, but he couldn't move. Nani was still leaning on him.
"And you admit it." he snarled, pressing his ears forward when Verdauga started speaking again. His paws started trembling, eager to tear into the male before him, but he was reulctant to leave Nani's side, unless she stopped leaning on him of her own free will. He didn't want her to feel like he was leaving her, even if it was to kill the helix that had murdered her parents. Her family.
"Leave this place." he demanded suddenly, "And take your lies with you." Having never met the helix before, his opinion was biased, and he placed his complete trust on Nani's memories, never once considering the male's words to be true.
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Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 12:07 pm
Nani thought hard. It couldn't have been a bear that attacked her family. She'd seen bears. They were fluffy and brown and were usually friendly if you didn't scare their babies or eat their food. The thing that had attacked them was black and big, much bigger than the bears she'd seen before. It had wild vicious eyes and foaming teeth, and....
And......
She stared down at the stump of a leg. Her heart throbbed painfully in her chest. Did he really save her from the bear? If so, why didn't he save her family? And how did he know that a bear would be attacking in the first place? Her eyes lifted back to Verdauga and stared hard into his own eyes, her ears folding back as she shakily attempted to regain her composure, "If.... If i-it was a bear, then w-why did it attack us? T-the bears wouldn't harm us unless there was a g-good reason, a-and my father was too smart to go into their te....territory. They would only attack if they thought we had d-done something to them...."
Nani was, of course, demanding a silent question, "Did they attack because of you?" was what her brain wanted to scream, but her trembling form and shaky gasps stopped her from speaking much further. She leaned on Shadow again, trembling violently still as dreadful memories filled her head. She had to control herself....
"Papa! Papa, look, I caught a mouse!"
"Very nice, Nani! Let's show your mother, shall we? She'll be ever so proud... I'm so proud, my little princess...."
Nani's eyes dropped from the peg-legged helix as she pressed her face into Shadow, muffling her cries of agony. It had been so long since she's cried for her parents...
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Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2009 5:22 pm
"Bears is right dang'rous things, lass. Y'gotta stay clear 'o 'em. Ah ain't e'er met a nice 'un an' ah c'n tell yew wi' great confidence that one 'o 'em 'ould make a snack out o' a pup wi'out 'esitation. Ah seen 'elixes eaten right down t'nothin' after a run in." He stated sourly and ignored Shadow's demands completely. The brown, three legged Helix wasn't looking for a fight, but he could defend himself well and would stand up to Shadow regardless if he wanted to or not. He had proven himself in the match between he and Kane. The wooden replacement for his long lost limb hindered him very little, now that he was used to having it in the first place.
Hopefully this wouldn't end in confrontation. He still needed to help Benita hunt prey for the evening and keep an eye out for new packmates. He doubted these two had little interest in joining.
And it was so damned hard for him to lie in a situation like this, where his heart threatened to tear right from his chest and he was washed completely over with guilt. Would he tell her the complete truth, or could he force out a lie that sounded more like truth? He might have to just leave details out entirely. But could he live with himself after the fact? Death had never been his intentions in the first place. He just had to steal that pretty trinket for his mum, to earn his rights within her pack as a true member. All thoughts of the hag and her followers were bitter, especially after death followed his trying to be a worthy son.
"Lissen, yer folks, they fought fang 'n claw t'keep ya'll safe. Wou'da been better t' take ya'll 'n run, b'they fought like righ' true warriors. Bear was followin' me an' I'da been 'is supper if it wasn't fer yer folks. Ah 'elped fight best ah could, b'it was like a worm fightin' a bird. By th'time th'bear fell, they was dead an ah was strugglin' t'live. Ah dinnae think anyone survived."
He explained the best he could and tears threatened to spill from his bleary blue eye; all the while he danced around her silent, yet understood question.
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Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2009 9:01 pm
Shadow let out a roar, saliva flinging from his fangs, and he slapped his tail threateningly on the ground. If there was one thing he hated, it was being ignored. He longed to step closer to the male, to tear his ears right off, since he didn't seem to be using them. His eyes glinted dangerously and he pressed his ears forward, trying to catch the male's attention, as if it were something of high value to himself. He was just about to throw himself at Verdauga's throat, too, when Nani started to press herself harder against him.
"Nani--" he started, trying to tell her he needed to go, to go and kill the other who, in his mind, had rightly deserved it, but was cut off when he saw her expression and heard her sobs. He whined, hating the feeling of uselessness he had. What could he do to make her feel better? To make it all right?
"Nani...." he murmured softly in her ear. He licked the tip of her ears, feeling them flick when he tounge brushed against them. When he had done it before on accident, she had laughed, saying it tickled, and he thought she had the sweetest smile. "Nani, I'm here for you."
Now, it was his turn to ignore Verdauga, as he turned his full attention upon the female he had grown up with.
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Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 7:39 pm
Nani shivered and leaned heavily on her protector, her shield. The b*****d hadn't answered her question. Not properly, anyways. She inhaled Shadow's scent, feeling as though she was taking in his strength, his courage. She had to ask the question properly, or she wouldn't be able to live with herself.
She shivered when he licked her ears, and swallowed numbly. Solong as Shadow was there, she could be brave, and she knew it. She turnd her head back, sniffling and trying hard to calm down again. Brave. Brave.... "You....You best answer me....." she swallowed dryly, sniffling a little, "Did the bear attack.... Because you did something? Did you s-set them off? I need to know. Please. Tell me...."
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Posted: Mon Apr 27, 2009 2:56 pm
He clenthed his maw tightly as he observed the male and female, who were not much younger than he, in all honesty. To see the devastation his thievery had caused, which seemed to have happened forever and a day ago, weighed heavily in his heart and anger boiled beneath his pelt, seething in his eyes and in his tense muscles.
This anger was not directed at the two adolescents before him, but at himself and the mother figure who had demanded and coerced for him to prove himself to her bloodthirsty bunch of rogues. Had he not tried to please the Helix he had grown to call "mum," none of this wo uld of ever happened, that much he was sure of. His heavy, pierced ears flattened tight against his skull as he summoned up the courage and strength to speak to the forlorn female before him. A hint of rage could be heard seeping through his voice, but it was obvious it was self loathing.
"It were me own damned fault, lass." He forced out gruffly. He couldn't blame it on any creature but himself and it was high time he faced that. Sure, his mother talked him into it, but it had been he that had lured the bear towards Nani's den, not the backstabbing helix that had given birth to him.
"Yon bear, 'e follered me t'yer den. Weren't much older 'n a pup at the time. 'Ardly an adolescent. Things got out'er 'and an ah did m'best t'elp yer lot fight 'im off. Rough ol' blighter, 'e was. Big ol' male."
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