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 Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 9:50 pm
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:01 pm
.Death of Phantom.Noyama 
The pack of wolves--no, the group, that was a better word as they certainly were no pack--stood in a row, some tense, some not, and one very impatient, who was at the same time the youngest.
Audi shifted from side to side, just to be moving, and her eyes uneasily followed suit. Why did...Why would he come here knowing? "Raja-" she began, but the beta grunted, and she fell silent.
Red ears twitched intently, and Raja felt something she couldn't quite place. Not something she felt often. She shook it off, though not literally, and was distressed when it came back. Worry, was it?
"Sister, are you sure you want to be here?" For some reason, she felt it would be best if her twin departed, but she was quickly dismissing this as an overprotective trait she had with her sibling.
"You're disgusting for doing this, you know," Sashta spat at Voodoo. Sure, she was here, but Voodoo was suppose to be on his side.
Thump, thump, thump.
The foosteps were coming there way, and Raja froze. In a very rare event, the beta was shocked into silence for many, agonozingly long seconds.
"He's... He's coming here alone?"Pukio "Oh, shut up, Sashta. Just because I had the brains to worm my way under Phantom's jugular before you could blunder your way their first doesn't give you the rights to b***h." Clearly, someone was nervous. Impatient and nervous and all manner of uncertain. After this - there was no Phantom, not after this. If the male somehow managed to escape, he wouldn't be back. Not any time soon, anyway - after this what did he have? A handful of female jaws, each with their own agenda against him and probably more than willing to tear his own throat out the moment they finished spilling Phantom's blood. After this... there wasn't a place to go; no place readily prepared for him. After this was a mystery. Voodoo didn't like mysteries.
But he didn't like being kicked around and treated like a fool, either; he'd take mystery over demeaning any day. So, what did that leave him? Not many god damn choices, that's what; and Voodoo had never been one for mercy. No, Phantom deserved to lose every ounce of blood he inevitably would this fine afternoon.
Solan made an impassive noise in the back of her throat, stationed at her sister's hip like the rear guard: watching the flank of the rag-tag retribution pack. Those eyes stared in an unnaturally flat manner - even the ones that weren't simply natural decoration of her coat. "Don't be silly, Raja," she said after a moment, bypassing her sibling's earlier comment with all the subtlety of a hunting owl - which was, to say, quite a bit - "I'm not sure even Phantom is that full of himself." Noyama Not even that full of himself... Raja had to agree. He wasn't, she was positive, but her hearing never failed. There were only four paws thudding on the ground.
Only four...
Sashta settled for a growl Voodoo's way for now. Maybe they could kill him after they were done with this... She seemed to eventually decide she had to say something after all, and opened her jaws.
However, they ended up hanging open, and instead of her eyes leering at Voodoo, they stared ahead of her.
Infront of them stopped and stood the pale, blue wolf with a single white leg, red eyes and an unreadable look on his face. His tail wasn't held high as an alpha's, but nor was it lowered as if he was afraid.
Whatever else he was, it was true: He was alone. Pukio Solan flicked both ears forward: a rare expression of surprise, or as much of one as the elder female wolf was concerned. Famous for her impassive facade, the fact that both her ears rather than simply one had swivelled forward toward the lone wolf was almost remarkable in its own right.
"Oh," she said, a little breathless - with that dark sort of desire that rarely touched the female's tone of voice. The killing moon was risen, and Phantom coming alone made it's dirty eyes point straight to the would-be alpha like a beam. "Oh, now this is a surprise."
Voodoo snorted, ears laying back. "Fool," he growled, dark little head tilting like a snake's, observing Phantom through one eye rather than both - as if the sideways look would make him less guilty; less respsonsible for the blood to be spilled. "You," he said. "Are stupider than I ever took you for." Noyama Phantom looked Voodoo's way, and shook his head. "The bigger fool is the one who followed the first. Even if you don't any longer, you'll regret this decision. You're the fool, Voodoo, the biggest of all."
They all were. They'd know it one day...
Since no one appeared to be making a move, he took the time to gaze over each of them. His eyes lingered longest on Sashta and Audi. The eldest was stunned, unable to say anything for that time. When he looked at her, Audi cringed, then slowly stepped backwards.
"Phantom... Why did you come alone?" Sashta managed.
She'd prepared herself for it. For a fight, for blood and for death.
But this? Not for this. How could he come here by himself?!
"Sashta..." the male spoke, and two minutes passed before he said anything else. "You have a sense of justice with this, don't you? It's not fair, but... I'm ready to die."
Silence casted over the grounds, and even Raja had nothing nasty to come back with.
"W-what?!" Audi startled, eyes wide. "You... You can't be!"
This was WRONG! It was veryveryvery wrong! Phantom couldn't say that! He couldn't think that?
"This isn't right," Raja mumbled, partially to herself and partially to Solan.
"I have something to tell you first, though," Phantom interupted, that unusual look still on his face, though, if another wolf had such an expression, it wouldn't have been near as odd. But on him it was.
It looked accepting. Pukio "Bullshit," Voodoo snarled, a half beat after the others had expressed their newly developed opinions on the matter. "Bull-goddamn-s**t. Say your words if you want to, Phantom, but I for one still fully intend to rip your damned throat out." An ally spurned...
Solan snapped sharply at the smaller male, ears pinning backward. "Voodoo," she said, smooth voice belying the sharp actions. "Keep your mouth shut long enough for Phantom to say something, please, or I will rip your intestines out myself."
The males' eyes narrowed, ears flicking and jaw working mutely before he swung his attention back to Phantom, expectant. Noyama
"You'll do nothing," Phantom said, and said in such a way that suggested everyone knew it as a fact. He felt he did. Perhaps Voodoo would gnaw on the leg of his corpse (though he'd always refused to eat wolves), but rip his throat out? Surely not. It would be one of the females.
Sashta snarled at Voodoo in unison with Solan's demand for him to quiet, then turned sharply back to the Ghost.
Rather suddenly, Raja felt more uneasy than she ever had in her life. Is this why she had felt like that earlier? Because this was going to happen? But what could he say to unnerve her?
Phantom closed his eyes. "I killed Tahara." Pukio It meant little to Voodoo. Perhaps in the grand scheme of things, if he'd been kind enough to care one way or the other about who Phantom slaughtered and what repercussions came of it, he might have. Now though... -- now it mattered little. The little things, insofar as others were concerned anyway, had stopped mattering a long time ago.
Maybe they'd never worried him in the first place; some days it was difficult to remember.
So Voodoo remained silent, peering as the larger male with a sort of impassive, disparing eye that said clearly through look alone that while he didn't care who the hell Phantom had chewed to bits, the admission certainly wasn't going to waver his determination in the matter.
Solan. Solan's ears twisted very, very slowly to the ghost. One pair, the only mobile one, followed the motion. The rippled of her muscles created some unnerving illusion in addition: a sort of uneasy way in which the eyes of the female's coat turned to peer in the same direction as the ones in her skull.
Another wolf might have repeated the information. Killed Tahara? Her ears were good, though; Solan knew it. She might be getting older, but that much at least was still good as it had ever been.
"Voodoo," she said carefully, not looking at the smaller wolf.
He growled, casting her a throw away glance in response.
"I'm sorry you can't finish this," she offered, a token apology considering a half moment later the white she-wolf had sprung forward, jaws gaping for Phantom's neck. Noyama "No!" Sashta blurted out. She'd heard her father tell a story once. When about where he'd saved a packmate.
'I couldn't control my body,' he'd told her in the tale. 'It just moved on it's own.'
'That's silly, Papa! That can't happen!' Until now, she'd thought that.
But her paws seemed to drag her forward against her own free will, and she rammed into Solan, pinning her down and turning quickly to Phantom. "THAT ISN'T TRUE! It couldn't be! Kaho-"
"Kaho is someone with a burden to bear," Phantom finished, gazing darkly down at Solan. It surprised him Raja hadn't mauled Sashta for that yet...
"He showed Ran how it happened!"
"He showed Ran a lie," Phanton informed her.
"But..." the female choked. "But why?"
"It's simple, really. Tahara had your best interest in mind more than you gave him credit for. He wasn't very keen on us being mates, me and you. In fact, he down right forbid me of it. So... I had to kill him for that. Kaho saw it. Even as loyal as he is to his friends, he threatened to tell you. I ripped his leg off pretty easily... And then he left."
"You b*****d!" Raja barked, and charged forward. Phantom turned quickly and dashed off, and the beta found herself surprised he did so. He agreed to die, but now he's running? This wasn't making any sense!
Sashta quickly side-stepped off the white female and hurried after her, Audi having already taken off. Pukio Solan was on her feet almost the moment Sashta had pulled off her, launching after the line of wolves chasing Phantom, and the fleeing Ghost. Voodoo, meanwhile, remained put for all of five seconds: ears flicked forward, head cocked to one said and brown-orange eyes narrowed slightly.
"He's going somewhere," Voodoo murmured, tone pitched low and easy. Like he was telling a story he'd seen told so many times before he was confident with his own handle on the otherwise foreign words. "Taking you all into a trap." But Voodoo followed anyway - slowly, carefully, sniffing his way in a manner he suspected none of the females were paying close mind to. If Phantom was going to damn the lot of them, Voodoo wanted to be far enough behind to either turn tail or slither beneath the pale wolf's belly when he wasn't looking.
A trap; this was all a trap. Noyama
A trap. A trap.
But it wasn't a trap.
Which Sashta had thought it would be as well. But then... How? Almost everyone had left him. Voodoo, Oki and even the Seer wasn't here, meaning she had probably left too, or been killed.
Phantom just seemed to be running. Running away. It seemed so out of character...
He skidded to a stop at the cliff edge, backing up. There was no river below this one as there had been in the past, merely a rocky side with a rocky bottom.
So, he took the alternative: He whipped around and mauled Raja, who bit his shoulder viciously. Sashta jumped and grabbed one of his legs, biting down hard, and Audi pounced his back, scrapping her claws across it.
Then suddenly the three were pulled off: Audi, by the green wolf, Raja by the blue and Sashta, surprisingly, by the grey.
"What...what the hell are YOU doing here?!" Phantom gurgled, blood dripping off his coat and from his mouth, staining the previously green grass. Although it hadn't been a trap, there was in fact a suprise waiting for them even Phantom hadn't expected.
And it came in the form of four wolves stepping infront of him, lowering their heads and growling at the other group.
Pukio Solan skid to a halt as the four wolves appeared between the attacking half of her own 'pack,' fighting her proverbial (at least, in two aspects) sisters from the prone frame of that b*****d ghost wolf. Hackles up, ears back, she took to pacing behind the shoulders of Audi, Sashta and Raja. Cool eyes focused primarily on Phantom. And she waited. Waited without looking to either of the four wolves between them except in passing when she couldn't help but let her eye slide over them as she paced back, forth, back, forth and leered in Phantom's direction.
"Kaho," she said, voice gutteral. "Get out of our way."
And Voodoo. Voodoo was gone. Noyama "No," the seer snapped literally, and Sashta was taken aback by the viciousness. She'd grown up with him, and spent time with him here. He'd never sounded that way before.
"Kaho, what are you doing?" she prodded, almost begging. The Seer's voice softened, as did his eyes, and he gave his puppyhood friend a look of sympathy.
"It was my fault. This is my fault... It has to stop, Sashta."
"But it's not your fault!" protested Sashta. "He's been playing mind games with you for years! You're a SEER! Can't you see that?!"
More shocking than Kaho, at least to Raja, was China Blue. This horrid creature had literally torn her throat out, and what was more, she was defying someone--her! The one who always listened. That was China Blue. Raja had liked her for that reason... "Move, China Blue."
Hayley was here for Kaho, they all knew that. Ran was here for him as well, but no one would know that who stood on the other side. Most likely, the assumpation would be another chance to attack Audi.
"I'm not moving," the blue female hissed. "I won't let you kill him. I won't let you kill my father."
Phantom's eyes widened and his head jerk up, the sudden motion worsening his injuries and causing another pool of blood to rise in his throat and spit out on the grass. Pukio "You're all fools," Solan growled, foot pads falling thud, thud, thud on the grass. "Fools. It could be ended here, Kaho. It could be over for you, and for Ran. Tahara wants his vengence; perhaps that's why he's driven this little one away." She didn't look at the shaman, but it was obvious who she was talking about.
"Step back Kaho; it's time for us to kill him - whether you like it or not, China Blue." Noyama Ran winced at the words, but Kaho snarled. "Shut up, Solan! You don't know anything about the situation and it's about damn time you and your sister got their noses out of it! Tahara's reasons for leaving ran were Audi, and that was it!"
The seer blinked and cranked his head back to Phantom. Everyone. Everyone looked at him. And how could you not? It was certainly the most innappropriate of all times to burst into a fit of laughter, but he had.
Stepped back and laughed.
"P-Phantom?" China Blue stuttered, unknowingly reverted back to calling him his name. Well... One of them, anyway.
"You morons," he hissed at them, his voice much clearer since his mouth had mostly been rid of the blood that filled it. "I said I was ready to die... I didn't say I would let you kill me..."
A look of confusion crossed the faces of the wolves.
"NO!" China Blue yelled upon the realization. She'd have moved to stop it, but it was a second to late that she had known what he was saying...
Phantom turned quickly and ran. His body fell from the edge and tumbled down the rock-covered side, landing on the bottom with a sickening crunch that was possibly every one of his bones breaking.
The only sound that followed was Kaho's scream. "SKY!" Pukio
If Solan had intended to say anything else - more biting words, more pointed, dark looks from the hollows of those cold eyes - the meaning died in the same way Phantom did, she supposed; it plummetted over the edge with him, curling in through the air like some macabre exposition before landing with a crackle of laughing bones and gurgling rock faces.
Solan quieted, the low growl humming at the back of her throat diminishing to silence. Over and done with.
And that's all that mattered. All that mattered for now, anyway. Crunching bones and twisted bodies; she couldn't make a difference anymore, so the backward curve of her ears and the raise of her hackles did no one any good. Solan shifted, shouldering slightly away from the collection of wolves. "Raja," she said, the statement unfinished but not necessarily needing it.
Her eyes flickered briefly, quickly, to Kaho and then the elder female slid from the cliff's edge and retreated into the barrier of the trees. Noyama "...Alright," Raja answered, turning from them and following her sibling with no other words. They were suppose to turn on Sashta when he was dead, she'd wanted to so badly. But there were others here now, and...
Even if there hadn't been, Raja didn't feel another death nesscary today after that.
"ARE YOU HAPPY?!" Kaho yelled after them, and the red wolf froze for only a second before continuing.
She wasn't. She wasn't happy, and she didn't know why...
"Kaho, you have to understand-" Sashta tried, and was quickly cut off.
"Go with them Sashta! I don't want to see you anymore!" the seer snarled.
Meanwhile, China Blue dared sliding down the step range. She tripped and she cut her paws, her legs, but she made it down and hurried over to the pale blue wolf, prodding him gentle with her nose. "Father?"
A single eye opened a bit wider, red both from it's natural color and the blood that ran over it. "They don't know... They don't know..." he grinned, many of his teeth broken and some even missing completely, but just the same, it was disturbing in all aspects, and the beta had to shudder.
"They'll know one day..." the Ghost assured himself quietly, and then the light faded from his eyes.
"NO! FATHER! GET UP!" China Blue yelled at him hopelessly, pushing and prodding.
From above, Kaho paced back and forth nervously. Even if he got down there, with three legs, he'd never get back up... "Ran? Can you... Can you heal him?" The shaman frowned.
"Ran's..." she began, then stopped. "Ran's so sorry..."
Sashta and Audi left, each of their heads hanging low for a reason they themselves didn't understand, and even as they got further and further away, the voice was still clear as a bell.
"GET UP! GET UP! FATHER! GET UP!"
And so, it seemed, the legacy had ended there. The wolves murdered by the Ghost could rest in peace now, and those who feared him could sleep at night.
Perhaps when his daughters sorrowful cries left the air, they'd all take comfort in that.
But for now, each wolf had changed, and it wasn't likely for the better...
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:03 pm
.Unexpected Offering.Noyama He's dead! He's dead!
Deaddeaddeaddeaddead!
Sosay had never been so happy in his entire life. Even the time when Audi had called him a genius didn't top this. At first, he was angered he'd played no part in it, but the reality sank deeper in, and he realized the only thing that mattered:
Phantom was dead. Deaddeaddead!
Raja had immediatly taken charge, stormed into the 'black forest' and announced she was the alpha now, daring anyone to try and stop her. It didn't surprise anyone no one took the challenge, and if anything, the remaining wolves, plus the new ones Raja had gathered, seemed all too happy to be following under a new leader.
Sosay was happy, too. So happy, nothing could ruin his mood.
Nothing except this...
"Raja..." he began, and the growl he got in reply silenced him.
The three wolves (himself, Raja, and some brown half-blood who's name he hadn't caught yet), wandered around the forest in searching. "Is he close to here?" the newly (self)appointed alpha asked.
The young male took a sniff of the air and nodded his head. "Yes, just over there..."
Make peace with Baldr? Psh... Beat Fu
A lone silver leg stretched into the water of the stream, the body attached to it looking incredibly bored.
Heimdal was used to being bored, it was a typical state to slip into when one forgot to entertain themselves with wanderings, or socializations, or annoying others, or his personal favorite, scheming.
Unfortunately, he was all schemed out. His earlier encounter pretty much ruined that mood. Ah well, perhaps it would be good to relax for a while.
Baldr was sniffing about the small area they currently resided in, Hati had made it clear prior to that time that he was not to go anywhere without a guardian, and recently it became evident that by guardian she meant her. And she was currently napping, so he was stuck there. Something grabbed his attention though.
“You smell something Heimdal?”
The older wolf turned his head to face the teen, nostrils flaring slightly.
“Ah, it smells like,” he froze, ear twitching once before he stood swiftly, splashing the edge of the creek with his speed.
“Perhaps we should go? Hati?”
His sister glanced up at him, groggy and annoyed, “I don’t think so, whatever it is can wait,” she answered, attempting to doze off again.
Heimdal did not fancy what was going to happen. Noyama So, this was it? A pack? Aleu didn't understand what had made that wolf Hayley so upset when she'd told her she didn't have one. So far, it didn't seem like anything special... But Amareya's brother had urged her to go and find one, as well. It would make her more like a full-blood.
She contently thought this over, but when a certain male came into sight, her blue eyes widened. "You?!" Oh, didn't that figure. No wonder that spotted male didn't like this group much... Argh.
"You know them?" Raja asked in amusement. Aleu quickly shook her head.
"N-not really." And the red wolf shrugged, continuing closer to the three.
"Hello," she greeted in a sly voice. An unintentionally sly one, though. She always sounded that way... "We're here to make peace. Which one of you is Bolden?"
"It's Baldr," Sosay corrected in a mumble.
"Right. Baldr. Whatever." Beat Fu “Ah, yes, me. Greetings m’dear,” Heimdal said, perfect mask slightly cracked and voice not quite as level as he would have liked. He recognized one of the other wolves with her, and suddenly he was aware this might be even less fun then he originally believed.
“Sosay,” the edges of the name roughened as the smaller black wolf barked angrily at his brother.
He wasn’t quite ready for another fight. Although technically their last encounter was not a real fight.
“What are you doing here,” he asked coldly.
Hati had opened her eyes groggily at the first sound of a strange voice, but had only just managed to scramble onto her paws. Still half asleep and feeling a bit left out she added, rather distractedly, “You’re that crazy wolf who was looking for China Blue,” turning her attention to the red Alpha.
She then snapped back into reality, adding coolly and with a hint of sarcasm, “Somehow peace doesn’t seem like it would suit your companion.” Noyama Oooh, this female was rather bitchy, wasn't she?
Raja didn't remember her, but she liked her just the same. "Crazy alpha," she corrected smoothly. Ahh, she loved her new rank. Not because of what rank it was, but because of who was destroyed to gain it.
Rot in hell, Ghost.
"And China Blue is following under me right now." Which was true. Although crushed by the loss of her father, with no where else to go and with a few other factors coming into play, the beta had agreed to follow Raja just as she'd done as a pup so long ago. "I can see where you'd think that," said the wolf in a reasoning tone of voice.
After all, Sosay had attacked him a few times. And, from what she'd been told, beat the hell out of him during most of them...
"I assure you that's why we're here, though. Audi is still a puppyhood friend of Baldr's, according to her. And Sosay wouldn't dare go against that girls wishes." Ever, ever. "In fact, I'm here with an offering to join us." Beat Fu Heimdal grew very silent, studying the situation from a bit of a distance. His face grew impassive as he waited, mind gone into full gear.
This was odd. He was under the impression that Baldr's brother was being led by someone not much prone to peace. However, it looked like there had been a wee bit of a power shift as well.
Interesting.
"I see."
Baldr was begining to feel entirely left out of this situation however. It was true that beyond Sosay he had little say in all this. Still.
"I hardly believe Audi is that good of a friend, considering Sosay has managed to attack me on more then one occasion."
"I agree with that point. And I would apreciate knowing who you are before any offers are made."
The silver female paused for a moment, straightening herself to face the red wolf, staring into the empty eyes with as little avoidance as was possible.
"I am Hati. This is Heimdal. And aparently you know Baldr." Noyama
"Audi's been gone!" Sosay snapped defensively. Really, he felt the need to both defend her, and at the same time he deeply wanted to agree. He didn't want her liking Baldr enough to protect him, or at all even. But... It was true, Audi hadn't been around for anyone. Not even him.
"Calm down," Raja said flatly, and with that command the youth shifted and fell silent. "He's telling the truth, though, Audi has been gone. She was fairly angry when she found out he'd attacked you."
Sosay cringed at the memory.
"Raja," the alpha introduced. "I believe you know Sosay, and apparently one of you is familiar with Aleu, as well. I offered as a sign of peace between our two young males. I'll admit to being part of wars, but I want the one between them to stop."
They don't know... Phantom's voice was still in her mind.
What didn't they know? she wondered. Whatever it was, he swore they'd find out, and she didn't want anything distraction them--espescially not pety little half-sibling wars--when that happened. Beat Fu Baldr tensed at the outburst, almost ready to yell back, but the Red female had an influence even on him.
"I don't really know her, but I'll take your word on it," Hati answered calmly, thinking to herself that if China Blue followed this wolf she had to be pretty honorable.
"I see. Well, Baldr will not be the start of any fight, I can promise you that."
Baldr opened his mouth stupidly, about to interject. He was silenced yet again, this time by a fierce glare from his guardian.
"I don't trust that one though," she added with a nod at Sosay, aparently forgeting that the other wolf could not see her, "and I see no reason to begin now. I will need to know that others will be preventing his actions besides a young, aparently unreliable, girl."
Heimdal lifted a brow calmly, unsure as to if his sister knew what kind of argument she might be blundering into. Well, if worse came to worse he was pretty sure things couldn't get any more dangerous for them then they already were. Noyama "If Sosay engages in a fight unprovoked with your little male here, it's been made clear there will be a very big price to pay." Quite literally. Raja had informed him of it earlier, simply told him something along the lines of: You mess with him again, I'll kill Audi, understand? We have bigger issues than your petty family problems...
Family problems which Sosay refused to speak of to her, but that was fine, because she really wasn't all that interested. She knew he was smart enough to realize if he was unable to take down Phantom by himself, no way in hell he'd manage her. Neither would he allow any harm to Audi.
"You have my word, Sosay won't attack any of you." Beat Fu "Understood."
There was a certain finality to that statement that was more then slightly relieving to her. Afterall, she was living with a constant feeling of uncertainty.
Baldr seemed a little less pleased. He was not a fighter by any means, and naturaly he avoided conflict, however Sosay had royaly managed to piss him off. He didn't want him around. It made him feel different. And not in a pleasant way.
"Well, that's all then?" Heimdal ventured as the silence stretched for longer then he felt nessessary. He was more then ready to end all this.
Although, it didn't seem like it was going to end there. An offer had been made, and it had yet to be dealt with. It was an interesting situation, but there were certain elements he was none to happy with. Noyama
"Correct," the new alpha confirmed. There was no such thing as awkward in the book of Raja, and she had been doing nothing more than patiently waiting for one of them to speak up.
They could think it over. Denied, accepted, it didn't really matter. Raja was just wanting more wolves to deal with the uneasy feeling Phantom had left her with.
"We'll see you, then," she said, stood, and turned away. Aleu gave Hemidal a strange look. For some reason that guy really bugged her. Before following Raja, she bid him farewell:
"Bye, then, Hemi." Then she followed Raja, and Sosay followed her. Beat Fu The three watched their new... allies? Not enemies at least, leave, silence following. For a moment at least. Then a loud question rang, blistering the ears of the recipient.
"Hemi?" The Hati and Baldr asked, a mixture of confused, disgusted, and incredibly, sickeningly amused.
Heimdal was going to have a very, very bad day.
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Posted: Mon Oct 02, 2006 10:08 pm
.One of Many Talks to Come.Kealdra Arrikanez Ran, Ran, Ran. That was all that was on her mind. Crap. Couldn’t she think of anything else? Kara shook her head, attempting to chase the pestering thoughts away. Yet they returned, hammering her head with gained veracity. In any greater numbers and they’d become too much of a headache even for the crazy b***h to handle. Not to mention she didn’t have much else to think about. Sure there was her pack, but that wasn’t important. She figured Jori and the brown were doing a mighty good job running it themselves. With the blue’s fierce temper, and of course the brown’s amazing way with words Kara felt she never even needed to be there. No one could find such a secluded spot anyway.
As usual Kara found herself pattering aimlessly, forever wandering, and searching for something. Perhaps she paced, the movement put a qualm on her soul, or perhaps it was something much deeper. Over the last few days she had become restless, leaving more and more, and it wasn’t because the thoughts of Ran plagued her soul, no it was something much more than that. A feeling one couldn’t quite place, and that knowledge that you may not want to find it.
Her footfalls landed quickly, but lightly, scent shrouded by ever flowing liquid, and thoughts covered, unsuccessfully, by the drumming roar of the river in her ears. On and on she ran, as she had done so often before. Escaping from a past as she had once done. Kaho had said she was beyond help, barely able to survive. Then again, when was Kaho right? Ran would come out of it, she told herself.
Wait. Why did she care again?
Who knew? The resultant of stopping to think caused her not to start again. The river raced by her still figure as she stared into its depths, caught by something glittering softly in the water. A bone. She eyed it more carefully, stooping lower to see just what it meant. Why had she stopped here and why had the stream not carried this prize far, far away? Noyama Why? Because Kaho had been extremely careful to jam it between two rocks on the bottom. He'd lug the thing around until the day he died, just as he'd promised forever ago, but he did need to wash it now and then.
The bone was small, which made sense as it came from the leg of a certain pink puppy after his death. It served as a constant reminder, and, if you will, was a type of self-punishment Kaho put himself through.
Normally when he returned to get the bone after it had been washed, there would be a small stab of guilt in his stomach. That was no longer true.
Now, it was a powerful, overwhelming guilt that made his head ache and his breathing shallow. How could he have let this happen again? Another friend died, and he'd done nothing to stop it.
His reasoning, currently, wouldn't allow him to realize going against Raja was definately 'something'. For the time being, and perhaps for a while longer, the seer would be depressed and self-hating, his paws dragging across the ground and his eyes downcast.
As he approached the spot of his 'reminder', he noticed Kara, and his ears lifted, as did his eyes, for the first time in a while.
Great... Kealdra Arrikanez Kara was so involved in the bone she hardly noticed Kaho walking up. There was something so familiar about this thing, as if she’d seen it before. Her nose came closer and closer to the object, dangerously changing her point of weight. As elegant as she may have been running Kara was no such thing while attempting to examine something right in front of her nose. The result was a cross eyed female who plunged headfirst into the flowing current.
She jerked her head up, coughing and sputtering, glaring at the bone as if it was something evil. It had done some good, however, for it was at that moment she caught a well known scent. Her ears flicked towards it, followed by the rest of her head, still dripping wet with water. Something in her brain clicked and her eyes shifted to the seer’s neck. Tahara’s piece was not there with him. Her focused turned back to the bone, and then once more to Kaho. She didn’t know why he had lost it, or how it had become so thouroughly lodged, but she figured she might have to take it back to him.
Wiggling her nose under the house the bone now occupied she grasped the sinew lightly, careful not to harm it. Her thoughts drifted again, and she paid little attention to what she was doing. Tahara, the one Ran was upset about, the one Kaho had failed to protect. Kaho who was linked to Ran, who had tried to help Ran.
Too much Ran.
Whoops.
The object she was supposed to be handling carefully had dropped, and the current was not nice, picking it up and carrying it downstream. A look of horror washed over her face, and for once she acted quickly, dashing after it, hoping she could retrieve it before Kaho noticed. There wasn’t much hope. Damn seers. Noyama Somehow, Kaho managed to look amused in such a depressing way the more gentle-hearted of wolves might have burst into tears as a result of the expression. Kara... She really was clumsy, annoying. He didn't know why he put up with her sometimes.
"Kara," he called, that same sad, but yet not, smile gracing his face. "It's alright, Kara, you can let it go."
He'd find it again later, and he had absolutely no doubt of it. There was once a time he'd tried to lose it. He'd thrown it in the river, off a cliff, and even tried to bury it. But each time when he'd fall asleep, he'd wake up, and it would be right beside him.
So, like those times, it would return to haunt him. Tahara wouldn't allow it not to. Kealdra Arrikanez Kara looked from him to the bone, and back again. For a time it seemed all she could do was watch it float slowly downstream. Still there was a pang of guilt as she watched it, as if she’d let Kaho down. If she let him down, what would stop her from letting someone else, like say Ran down? Shutup about her. Yes, she told herself, that’s better. Then the thoughts came whipping back again. So she couldn’t help herself as she took a diving leap at that white flash, and came up with a successful catch. She wouldn’t be defeated by the presence of the river. Not today, not ever.
She held it up high, out of the water’s reach, and stumbled her way over to Kaho, presenting it to him as some kind of token by placing it at his feet. The moment hadn’t seemed right for words, but now it was. For a brief moment she thought about inquiring as to Ran’s progress when she saw his eyes. Her own look met his, horror washed over her face. He never looked that way. Something must have been horribly, horribly wrong. She swallowed a lump that had begun to form in her throat, but still she didn’t know what to say.
Only one good thing came of this, all thoughts of anything and everything but here and now washed from her mind. Good riddance. “Kaho. . .” she managed to whisper, unknowing of what to say. She never had been the comforting type. Noyama "Please, don't act sad," he said in response, and with a minor struggle managed to loop the small, but strong bit of string (or whatever it was) that held the bone around his neck.
If there had been any question as to why he was upset, his words should have answered it. Certainly, if something had happened to Ran or another mutual friend, he wouldn't have said that.
Truthfully... The world was better of without Phantom in it. He didn't belong here. But then, Kaho didn't feel he did either. The Seer was in such a distressed state, even Hayley had backed off. (For now, anyway.)
"Thank you," said the seer, paying no mind to the fact it was Kara's fault his posession had nearly washed away to begin with. Kealdra Arrikanez Hell he thought she was acting? She wasn’t acting! She actually felt sad for him. Couldn’t his little seerly mind pick that up? A wash of anger crossed her face, but she forced it away. Kaho already brought to much anger out of her, and he did nothing for it. It was time to let up and at least try to accept him for once. Letting a sigh escape her lips she took her seat, apparently ready for whatever came next.
What did come next? The question raced around in her mind over and over again. Cleary there was nothing. Her mind had gone blank. Odd. She never recalled it had done such a thing before. Still his voice brought a question to her mind, a strange but still amazingly sick question. Did Ran like puppies? It hit like such a hard stone Kara had barely a time to react.
Certainly that would cheer Kaho up, if anything. The prospect of a female at all nearly always made him giddy, at least in her experience. Then again, she had made him growl, so perhaps it wasn’t such a wise idea as to offer Kaho the prospect, she wasn’t good enough for him anyway, probably.
She knew there was no need to repeat anything she had thought of, unless he had lost his powers, he had heard, and she did not felt like repeating it out loud. It still felt a bit awkward. She shifted lightly on her haunches, eyes scanning a pebble, unable to look at him for in some way she felt that guilt creep up on her.
“Do you want to tell me what’s bothering you?” Noyama Five birds. He'd wait until five birds flew past them before he'd walk away. Because, somehow, he'd come to know Kara a reasonable amount. Partially because of his 'powers', partially just because of time spent.
One bird.
Two bird.
Around the time the third bird, a hawk, soared past them, Kara had finally spoke, and Kara looked at her with surprise. "You honestly don't know?" How could she not have picked it up? Surely her reasoning was that advanced...
But it made sense now. How she could seem so sympathetic, and not be laughing like he would expect.
Kaho laughed for her. A dry, dark, saddened sort of laugh. And when it ended, he told her in a simple way:
"Phantom's dead, Kara." Kealdra Arrikanez There was a shock when he said it. It wasn’t a sad, or a depressed, or even an overjoyed impact, simply a sudden realization of what had occurred. It was one thing to think something, and quite another to tell you. It wasn’t as if the thought hadn’t crossed her mind, but she had needed finality. Kaho had given it to her.
For a long while she sat in silence, still unable to comprehend what he had said. No, unable to respond to it. She could see why he would be sad, based on what Kaho had showed Ran and she, but yet, wasn’t this for the better. Something in her heart told her not, that things were only to get worse. As if Phantom was the balancing act that kept them on the edge and all teetering together. When his large supporting edge fell, they’d all topple over the cliff after him, metaphorically speaking, of course.
“What does this mean?” It was a stupid, bitter question, and she knew better than to ask it. He wouldn’t know, know one would have any clue until it happened. That was if anything came from this at all. Which she found hard to believe wouldn’t. Another thought came to her, then another.
“Why is Tahara a ghost, and what has happened to Sky? You said they were two different wolfs, Sky and Phantom so whatever happened to Sky? What keeps Tahara here, certainly he can’t hold a grudge if he is still able to ‘live.’ Surely being a butterfly has its perks. Or does it go deeper?” Always asking questions, but never getting straight answers. Noyama Just as Kara predicted, Kaho's answer was an unsure, "I don't know." He didn't know completely. There some things he knew. He knew Raja had taken over now. He knew the remaining wolves in the pack would follow her. He knew Meskeet was out for revenge. He knew Sashta was hurting, even if she wouldn't admit it.
He knew other things, too, but he wouldn't dare say them...
"Does it matter, Kara?" asked the seer in a sad voice. "Can't you let him stay dead? Does it matter?"
Sky, Phantom. They were the same wolf. It was Kaho who seperated them, who fed into the act the blue male had put on display, even though he knew it wasn't real.
But it didn't matter now, reguardless of what Kara's answer was.
Phantom was dead.
Let a dead wolf stay dead. Kealdra Arrikanez “In case you haven’t noticed, I can’t raise the dead.” She watched him carefully, seeing his sorrow and anguish deepen. “Yet here you face me, sadness washed over, making you no more a purpose in life than the Ran you tried to save.” Kara had little to no idea as to what she was saying, it all came out like a rush of words. Granted it would all be the harshest thing she had ever said to Kaho, at least in terms of truth, but it needed to be heard.
“I think it is you who needs to accept that a dead wolf is dead, and not I. I think Tahara needs to accept it, too, so he will let a live wolf live.” She spoke as though the butterfly was here. “Lastly I know that this continuum of torture is only going to eat away at souls and make your eternity unbearable. For that I wish you never rest.” The red finished it off all with a sigh. She had enough thinking today.
“But if you ever need cheering up,” she said sulkily, as if half interested, which was almost true. “Look me up. I’m only a nap away.” Regardless of whether the last part was meant to be a joke or not seriousness still lay hardened on her face like a stone. Her eyes searched his face for anything, but she could find nothing. He had a life to live, no sense living it through others. Besides that it hurt, actually pained her to see him like that. Proof that there was heart in her for another wolf other than Ran, someone she hardly knew, but seemed to have dedicated her whole life too. Yet, despite her urge to, she did not leave, she stayed. He might need someone to lean on, the least she could do was be there, even if she couldn’t help him. Sometimes it was just the presence that helped. Noyama Tahara and Ran seemed to come up in this conversation a lot. Kaho thought she would've been more than happy to rant about how Phantom's death was all too deserved.
He peered into her mind and blinked at the results, then shook his head and stepped back a few paces. "You shouldn't, Kara," he told her, although left it to her to figure out what the meaning behind that was.
With no other words, the seer wobbled away from her. It was time to find China Blue, go to Raja together, and decide what they planned to do from this point on... Kealdra Arrikanez Kara watched him leave, having no knowledge as to what he truly meant. Sometimes she wished she could pry into the wolf's mind. She had been utterly useless to him, utterly useless to every damn person around. Just like she hadn't been there for Rechelle, and now she wanted murder for her own fault. Well so be it, if that was what they wanted for her, that was the end of it.
Kaho gave her little options. It wasn't like she could stop these thoughts, oh sure she knew they were wrong, but she didn't listen. A growl came to her throat, and she left, it was not a growl for Kaho, but for herself.
The sploosh of water echoed in her ears, somewhat surreal, as she waded into the river, the ever comforting river. And there she did something she hadn't done in years, she cried as a wolf does, in silence. Perhaps she would die in these torrents, perhaps not. Whatever her fate she would let the river decide. If she lived the next morning she didn't know what her path would be. Away from here, far away. If not, well, a dead wolf was a dead wolf. . .
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Posted: Tue Oct 03, 2006 10:07 pm
.Something Like It.Noyama 
It turned out Audi wasn't as hateful as she liked to think she was.
It also turned out this realization was driving her insane to the point she'd nearly throw herself off a cliff.
...Maybe not.
The female sighed deeply and batted at the river. She wanted to whine, cry, be upset, and it was very, very hard to resist not doing or being those things. Well... It was hard to not make it obvious to the world.
"This is stupid," she told herself stubbornly. He tried to kill me... More importantly, Meskeet definately wasn't acting like this. But then again, she stood on the opposing side. She'd probably be out for revenge...
Still, the point was, she didn't have any right to feel so torn about something she'd wanted to help, did she? Besides, she hadn't actually killed him. Biten and scratched, yes, but she hadn't pushed him. No one had.
"Then how come he's still everywhere?" she asked of the waters infront of her, batting her paw at them again. It was because there was just so much blue. In the water and in the sky.
How could someone forget with all the blue around here?!
"It's an ugly color, anyway..."Werewolf They had made up again, just as both of them had predicted, for the moment forgetting that although they were more similar then most people probably imagined- they had one bitter difference which caused such schisms between them. She was too extremist- that was the problem. She lived in this magical world where nothing wrong ever happened; or if it did, you looked away and looked back again and pretended it didn’t matter. He couldn’t accept a world like that- although he’d do what he had to to protect her foolish beliefs. Not because he ever thought that such a place should exist, or did exist- but it was nice to think that it could. Illogical, but in his agnostic method of believing things, he liked to think there were fractions of haven weaseled away in odd dusty places.
The old king shifted, his black pelt pulsing once over his shoulder blades in the movement. Autumn had practically taken over the woods overnight, and it had reminded him that he had been a bit too focused on his own lands as of late. Phib knew things had stirred- and not just because Amélie tossed around in her sleep, or that his wolves told him so. Things were quieter then a wood should have been, and the wind a bit too loud against his ears.
He stalked quietly and listened to it, keeping a steady eye trained as he moved. Scents here and there- but nothing of interest. He wasn’t sure if it was a relief to find boredom, or if it should have concerned him.
Luckily, as most things Phib often did- they ended up leading him towards the trouble he was looking for. The river caught his attention first because it was loud- but a strangled and frustrated voice cut out above it. At once his ears hiked, and he curved his large form around one of the trees- noticing the familiar, but absent form of Audi hunched over by the water.
She’d always been somewhat of a brooder- but he couldn’t recall a time when she’d been static. Either she was throwing herself off of trees and trying to fly, or she was running about with wild threats- but he’d never seen her still before, the only movement being the slow stirring of the water with her paw.
“Hello Audi.” Phib spoke amiably, although his voice came out somewhat more tired and old then he would have liked. Noyama
Audi had noticed it, too, and for some reason it amazed her. She had always felt Phantom was a problem to a small group, including herself and a few others. The rest, she figured, were allies to him or knew nothing of the Ghost.
But now that he was gone, how could she not notice? The forest did seem overall quiet, and a tension that had always been there--one she felt guilty for, in some way, missing--had vanished. The birds sang louder and she'd seen more wolves prowling about.
He was a bigger threat than she ever realized, it seemed. To humanity itself, and yet she couldn't shake the awful feeling every time the voice in her mind told her it: He's dead, you know.
The familiar voice came, and she tensed so noticeable one might have thought it was Phantom's ghost addressing her.
"Phib," she mumbled in greeting. Werewolf Phib quirked his brow in amusement, although he was not particularly sure why. She seemed somewhat- down? It wasn’t really that. But she hadn’t exactly hurled the enthusiastic death thread he’d always imagined would proceed their next meeting after she left. But he held back from speaking as he crossed the bank, ignoring the slight sting on his left paw as the cool stones crossed against the sore on it. It was still ripped from the jagged rocks on the beach- but by now, it was the only reminded of his scuff with Croaynl.
He sat himself down beside her, and glanced down at the water she had been looking at. He didn’t see anything interesting- although he had half expected something from the way she had been looking at it.
“You look taller.” He remarked with a slight pull in his lip. “Although somewhat apathetic. How are you?” Noyama It had surprised Audi herself she hadn't thought of a chain of insults and promises of death to throw at him the second he'd said her name. Raja had told her not to say she'd kill someone unless she was absolutely sure, and now that she'd actually seen someone die... Maybe she really wouldn't say things like that anymore.
It was true that the water had nothing for Phib to see, but Audi saw it. Or more correctly, them. Two hateful, dark, bright red eyes that leered back at her.
For a while after Phib spoke, she said nothing. Nor did she at all protest the closeness that would usually be unwelcomed by others, save for maybe Sosay, and now, Raja.
Though she didn't answer the question, what she did say was likely more important.
"He's dead..." Werewolf His ears tipped forward for a second in quiet registering, but his expression didn’t change much. He barely noticed that she hadn’t really answered his question- in a way, it was all he really needed. Reflectively, he turned his head towards the other side of the bank. He was no seer- so he couldn’t read Audi’s mind and figure out who she was talking about. But he knew that as fanatical as Audi had once been over Phantom- there was no doubt in his mind that he was who she was speaking of.
But Phantom being dead? It didn’t surprise him in the way that caused your body to flinch. It was sort of a flat feeling, as if he wasn’t exactly sure if he had heard it right, or if he had understood who she was talking about. Perhaps she had meant Sosay? But, no- he got the meaning. He couldn’t imagine anyone else she would be talking about without precontext.
“Does that bother you?” He spoke simply, and looked towards her. “That he’s dead?” He didn't ask how. Did it really matter? Although if he had known- he probably would have disapporved of the situation. Noyama With Phantom's death, as odd as it sounded, Audi felt as though she'd lost a lot of herself. A large portion was that courage, or almost wreckless carelessness, maybe, that allowed her to look someone in the eye and tell them what she thought no matter what.
Because, now, she wasn't willing to look at Phib. Had it been Sashta, Kaho, Raja, Sosay... She wouldn't have wanted to look at them either. The reason, she guessed, was because of her answer.
"Yes," she whispered, and almost immediatly the guilt flooded into her stomach and cletched her heart as if someone was literally squeezing it.
He'd tried to kill her. He'd kidnapped Valen, the one brother she actually liked. He ripped out China Blue's throat literally. Raja didn't like him. Sosay didn't like him. Meskeet did like him.
There was no reason for it. It didn't make any sense at all.
But, yes, Audi was 'bothered'. Werewolf Phib had gotten the idea that it bothered her- but he had wanted to know if she knew it bothered her. Or hell- maybe he had no idea what was going on. But as things progressed, he seemed to feel he was on track, so he did not worry so much about misinterpretation. So Phantom was dead then. This time it did bring a slight flinch- but no so much for Phantom, but the fact that every enemy gone into death was bringing him one closer to his own.
The black wolf made a sound with his throat that seemed to either agree, or at least take into account Audi’s response. “I see.” He spoke, watching her expressions. Or lack thereof, as she seemed to stew over something. She looked faded and guilty.
“Well, I am sure it was no surprise to him.” Phib remarked. “I don’t think anyone takes power without realizing that it will kill them eventually. And it’s rarely because of old age.” His father had been an exception- but, Phib had never taken that as apart of Hrothmund’s great legacy. If anything, his father probably would have prayed for a fable’s death rather then a mortal’s slow rot.
“It’s not wrong to feel sorry someone is gone.” Noyama "You're such a liar," Audi laughed. She laughed like Kaho had been laughing since it happened. Nothing amused her, but the sound came anyway. Of course this was wrong.
It was wrong. Wrongwrongwrong.
Phantom... That wicked, cannibalistic b*****d. He deserved it--no, he deserved worse. He deserved to die slow and have every inch of fur ripped off him until he bled to death.
Instead, he'd died like some sort of hero to the more demented of wolves.
It was almost as disgusting as her being upset.
"Of course it's wrong, Phib. It's nothing but wrong." And then silence came again, and like before, Audi casted her paw across the water. Finally, she asked, almost to quietly to hear, "Aren't you mad at me?" Werewolf He smiled. It was true- he was a liar; [well, when he couldn’t make the truth sound good enough!]- But, that wasn’t the point. He wasn’t lying this time. And he didn’t usually lie about advice anyways.
Her laugh was hollow, and he squinted his brow. He didn’t like to hear that kind of laugh- particularly from such a young girl. But then, she’d always been a serious girl.
“No, I’m not mad.” He spoke. He wasn’t sure what she was implying he’d be mad about- but, he was sure there were plenty of reasons. “And it isn’t wrong. Oh sure- he had it coming. I have it coming- everyone eventually has it coming. I would have killed him if the time arose. It takes a lot to invest hate in people. It isn’t easy having it gone.”
"And- I've hated a lot of people." He remarked. Really- a lot of people. "It seems I've outlived most of them." He spoke somewhat apathetically, and he let it trail. There was something tragic in that. He was a man that liked his warring, although it was a corruptive kind of want. Noyama A sad smile crossed Audi's face, and for whatever reason she shook her head. Phib hating someone... It just didn't register, and she didn't know why. Except with Phantom, who almost everyone had some reason to hate. But hating anyone else? She couldn't picture it.
It may have been because a lot of memories of him she had, he was with Amelie, and there was no way she could hate anybody. So, could Phib really hate so many people and be with someone like that? Heh...
Before she could stop herself, she said it. "I told him I loved him, you know." The suddenly very small form cringed. To her distress, she kept going, "He attacked me for it. Almost killed me. I'm not even sure if I really meant it or not, but..."
Her next breath sounded like a struggle, as if she was barely resisting breaking down into tears. Which she'd never do, no matter what, in front of someone. Espescially not Phib.
"I'm going to follow Raja now... She's really strong. I know you said you don't think any female could beat you, or something like that, but I think she could. I think she could've killed Phantom by herself. It's going to be hard, because Ran is going to be there, but I don't..." A small choking noise came from her. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore." Werewolf It would have amused him greatly to think that Audi would be surprised at him being such a bitter old wolf. True- maybe hate was a harsh word. But after some thought, he decided that he really did hate quite a few people. He was perhaps more discriminating nowadays- but when he had been young, he’d hated a lot of people. They got less and less as people got more and more predictable and less and less alien. Phantom was not the first wolf he’d ever met that had been a phantom- these things liked to repeat themselves. But, he did argue with Amélie. She seemed to think he only hated people because he thought it was right to hate certain people. And he did- but, it was all terribly confusing anyways. Regardless, Phib certainly strongly disliked many people in his day.
Words started to gush out of Audi’s mouth, and it caused the black wolf’s expression to waiver from serious to somewhat pained. He felt too easily around women. And it also stirred up a bit of anger to think that Phantom had attacked her for such a thing. Well, at least he was dead. Privately, he did have to admit- there was a part of him that was going to miss pondering what the other wolf’s movements would be. Now he’d have to stumble onto more enemies to worry about. He could never be at peace unless his mind was in a million places.
He was usually pretty good with coming up with things to say. Lots of public speaking and a rather nicely tucked ego had always made him a good speaker- but, it was hard thinking of something to say to Audi’s ragged confession. They were words you could feel and understand- but not so easy to say something that made them less sharp.
“You were devoted to him, at least for a time.” He spoke. “It’s hard to throw that away.” He could only imagine her as a child, so eager to go back to Phantom, and then to have that great opinion of him torn down.
A crack appeared in his face as he smiled, and shook his head. “Ah- women. I’ll disagree with you on that point, but that’s for another time.” In his opinion- women were not the stronger ones in a fight. And nor should they be. Didn’t they realize they could control men so easily without ever needing to lift a paw? That was the joke of it all. “But; don’t follow someone just because they’re strong. People aren’t strong forever. But if you think she is worth your good opinion, then follow her. If you're willing to be around Ran for her, then let it be for something other then what Phantom was.” Noyama
"I don't know why females like you so much, you're really stupid and obnoxious about us." Honestly, Audi did feel that way. It annoyed her if he really felt he couldn't be beat by a female simply because it was a female.
At the same time, she liked Phib. She didn't feel she should, but had always felt that way about Phantom, too, and Phib was much more sane. Not the most sane, maybe, but steady in that area, at least.
"Raja's a good leader," she confirmed, half to herself. Raja was a great leader. Blind, female, it didn't matter. She was built like a tank and could destroy anyone similar to one who dared stand against her.
Suddenly, the youth stood and stepped away, then turned from the older wolf and laughed an honest laugh. "We're not friends, Phib, but we're something like it." Something she didn't understand, like many things lately, but unlike those things, something she didn't really feel the need to.
And those were the words she left him with, moving swiftly back to her pack.... To her home. Werewolf A pleasant chuckled pulled from his chest. He’d give her that at least. “I must be quite charming then.” He taking a moment to lick his nose in a coy manner. It really was a miracle that women liked him, honestly. Nadia had never figured it out. Khadda had said it was because she could never figure out if he was being noble or an a**. He’d always remembered that- mostly because it was the only time he had heard his once frail mate say such a “dirty” word.
His sister, of course- well, that was another story in it’s own.
“A good leader is someone to follow then.” He spoke. Raja- had he met that one before? It sounded almost familiar. He did hope that Audi would not tag along simply for the strength she held in such high regard... but, there was something about the older Audi that seemed a bit more steady footed then the other one. Perhaps she’d do better under a female, he noted. She hadn’t exactly had many of them growing up.
If her laugh was a truer laugh then the ones before- his smile matched it. It made him look older when he smiled like that, and he probably would have stopped doing it long ago if he knew about it. “Something like that.”
He liked it that way.
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Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 4:05 pm
.A Look to the Past. Noyama  The Ghost paced restlessly. For how long, he wasn't sure, but he'd pace back and forth on the same line long enough to kill what grass had been there.
A small part of him--a very small part--had known from the beginning this was eventually coming. But so soon? No, he hadn't expected that. But Kaho... Kaho wouldn't lie.
"They're going to attack you, you know," the seer said seriously, almost sympathetically, as well.
Phantom smirked and told him just what he'd do. He would die, but they wouldn't kill him.
Although he was wreckless, the alpha wasn't stupid. Between Raja, Solan, Voodoo, Sashta and whoever else was out to get him, he was well aware he had two options: Run away or die. Not even a powerful being such as himself could take on that many foes.
But like hell he'd run.
But just dying... That wouldn't do. Especially not when Voodoo was taking part in it. That backstabbing b*****d had to pay. But how?
The sun fell, and so did he, his large form thudding loudly against the cold ground. It wouldn't end like this. He wouldn't let it end this way.
It seemed his mind itself was unwilling to let things be as they would, also, because as if summoned by fate itself, the dream came. A memory that would have, any other time, been useless and best off forgotten to make space in his mind for more important details.
It was a time in puppyhood. Roaming with Kaho, Sashta and Tahara, he remembered it all too well. It was a rainy day that had caused them to rush into that cave for shelter until the skies stopped crying. It was lack of anything better to do that had prodded the conversation.
"Did you hear the beta are going to have puppies?" Tahara had mentioned in that care-free voice of his.
"The beta?" Sashta was surprised, a rare thing for her to outwardly display. "I thought the female hated puppies..."
"She does," Tahara confirmed. "But they said they need an heir."
"An heir?" Kaho echoed in confusion.
"Yeah, you know. A puppy, an offspring," Tahara rambled. "Heir's are more special than just normal puppies, because they're born to do something. Maybe something their parents didn't do, or to continue something their parents didn't do."
"I guess you're an heir, Tahara," Kaho had said. "Because your parents are the alpha... Doesn't that mean you'll be one, too?"
"No way!" the young Phantom, known at that time as Sky, and Sashta blurted in unison.
The rest of the conversation began to get quieter and quieter, and soon the red eyes opened with a new, dark glint in them.
An heir...
------------------------------
The question was: How to go about this heir business?
Phantom had considered Meskeet. She was a seer, which perhaps meant having potential seer as children. He wasn't very educated on the subject despite his closeness with those kind.
She would do it, he knew, but he was concerned. While Meskeet was his best 'follower', she was also his most.... Wreckless, violent, everything similar to that.
If she accidently got killed, or somehow got the heir killed, that would be it. Game over.
No, Meskeet was definately out...
So what to do?
Phantom shook his head and then lowered it, taking a few gulps of water from the river. His eyes lifted to stare at the moon thoughtfully.
What to do...Daimyn  The last several months in the 'Woods had been painfully long and boring. So-leks kept to herself, as per her normal routine. Any contact with other wolves was avoided like the plague, and she ran from any contact she happened to stumble upon or get trapped in.
She made her way slowly to the river, planning to quench her thirst and then possibly find something to eat.
As she reached the river's edge, though, another wolf's scent came to her nose. She held back, waiting for the other wolf to leave before she would come out of hiding to take her turn.Noyama Phantom hadn't ever told anyone, and never would. The fact that his senses were dim, and getting even more so, he would carry with him until the grave.
Indeed, the pictures his eyed saw were a bit darker than they should be. Things he heard were slightly muffled. And his nose, which should have been able to do much better, had a hard time lately picking things up.
Just as fate wanted the others to suffer by bringing him such a dream, it seemed it also, in the long run, wanted him to die.
Turning, he trudged from the river, and it was also a few paces until he saw her.
Purple and white. Scratched--no, scared. Afraid. Weak. Alone.
Alone.
The idea struct him immediatly. Usually, he'd take this sort of thing in stride. Develope some scheme, work out some plan, but not this time. There wasn't enough time for that anymore.
So the Ghost didn't resist grinning wickedly. "Well, hello there." Daimyn So-leks froze. She hadn't expected him to turn and approach her.
She wanted to run, but found herself rooted where she stood. Unconsciously tucking her tail between her legs and against her belly, she lowered her head, refusing to make eye contact and instead looking somewhere past the male.
She didn't reply; anything to draw attention away from her. Even though his attention had already been caught. Noyama "Oh, come now, don't look like that. It isn't all bad," Phantom cooed. In his twisted mind, it wasn't. This lovely female, weak as she may be, should have felt honored for the task he'd grant her.
"I bet you don't run very fast, do you?" He circled the female, stepping closer until his fur was brushing against hers. "If you ran, I bet I'd catch you." He would definately.
"So why don't you just come with me? Unless you're tired of living." Daimyn She still said nothing. Despite her fur coat and the comfortably warm weather, she went ice cold as his words sank in. No... not again.
And she bolted, clawing at the ground and trying to get herself as far away from the strange male as possible.
Had fear not been controlling her mind, she might have thought it through first. He'd been wanting that. But she was anything but reasoning. Noyama Phantom sighed heavily. Mostly annoyed, but in some way amused. How could he not be? This was great. The perfect plan. Oh, he'd get revenge on those bastards. Especially Voodoo...
"I told you this was a waste," he mumbled, then bounded forward. It didn't take long for him to catch up. His back feet planted on the ground before he sprang forward, tackling the female.
"I should kill you. You're not a good listener. But I have something more important for you to do." Daimyn So-leks hit the ground hard and wheezed as she felt the wind go out of her like a deflating balloon. She couldn't breathe for a moment, her lungs refusing to take in air.
The ghostly male stood above her, and she curled in on herself and started breathing again. Damn. Half of her had wanted to die. No doubt the strange male would offer no such relief.
"What... do you want," she wheezed. It was the closest thing to defiance she could muster. She had a fairly good idea she knew what he wanted. Noyama And there was that grin again. His ears lifted, and he listened as closely as he could. His eyes glanced around, and he looked around as keenly as he could. Dull senses, perhaps, but he was still positive the area was clear.
"I think you know," he whispered, the insanity almost dripping from his fangs as the slavia did. "I'll be back to get them," the Ghost continued. And if there was any question about the situation, the word 'them' should've cleared it. "You better not leave, and they better all be alive." Daimyn ----TIMESKIP----
Six girls.
So-leks lay in the den she'd dug, licking the afterbirth off the last pup. She'd hoped she wouldn't become pregnant from her encounter with Phantom, but he'd seemed to know what he was talking about, because two months later she found herself packed inside the stuffy den surrounded by the six balls of fur.
Phantom would come looking for her.
She realized that, and yet there was nothing she could do about it. He'd find her, and he'd take her pups -- her children, the ones she spent the last two months carrying. Well, no, that wasn't quite right -- there was something she could do. But was she brave enough to do it?
So-leks acted, before what courage she did have failed her. She grabbed a pup in her jaws and left the other five where they were, walking out to the entrance of the den and glancing about, blinking in the sunlight, before hurrying outside. She took the pup far enough away that hopefully Phantom wouldn't smell her from the den, and set her down. Surely the pup would be okay until Phantom found her and took the other five.
As a second thought, she dug a small scrape in the ground beside a tree and set the pup in it, covering her with leaves and forest litter. Hopefully she would fall asleep or something, and remain there until So-leks returned for her.
By the time Phantom found her, she would be curled in her den with the other five pups. Noyama A week.
That's how long Kaho had said he'd have at the rate things were going.
"Sky, I'm begging you, just leave," the seer pleaded. "This has to stop."
But it wouldn't stop. It would never stop. Not until each and every one of that group who would dare to rise against him were dead and rotting.
The thought of it made the alpha grin as he approached the den, despite the fate he was well aware would overcome him in a short while. His footsteps slowed as he reached the group, and he seemed mildly surprised So-leks was still there.
His interest in her didn't last long, though, because there were more interesting beings present.
Five...
Five daughters.
He smirked. All girls, hm? Just like with Willow. Best of all, the thing that made him burst into laughter, was the small little clone, like him in every aspect except gender.
How fun.
"Very nice," he cackled. "Now leave before I kill you."
He'd be nice and let this one live. Daimyn As soon as Phantom appeared, So-leks started shaking. And when he told her to leave, she scrambled to her paws and ran. Not even an inquiry as to what would happen to her daughters.
They weren't her daughters. They were his.
She went back to where she'd hid the one pup, scooped her up, and continued running, finding another place to curl up with her only daughter until her trembling subsided.
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Posted: Sat Nov 04, 2006 9:34 pm
.Never Really Died.
Tekka, you need to learn how this world will work for you...
Her jaws clamped shut. There was a loud, pained yelp, and blood splattered onto her pale coat. She pulled back from the bleeding corpse of her sister, eyes widened. Had she... Had she really done that?
Even if you don't like the reason I created you, you have no choice. No other hope. You are my exact image. Do you understand? Even so young, you're already doomed. Unless...
A snarl hissed it's way between her closed but bared teeth. To any other wolf, it was little more than a pathetic squeak. But to her second born sister, backed into the corner of the den, it was the sound that meant certain death.
"Sister, please!" she begged. The blue puppy ignored her, lunging forward and digging her small fangs into the others throat.
The weak must die, Tekka. Your sisters... I've looked at them. The purple and the white... Their eyes gleam like mine. But the other two, the others who are blue... Weakness. They'll try and stop you. So before they can get stronger, stop THEM now.
"I've stopped them," she wheezed. Her tiny form shook, but even in such a state she pulled herself back to the Earth, back into the sunlight, and stumbled over to her father. "They're dead," she said flatly. Phantom didn't seem too effected by the tone. If anything, it was what he'd hoped for.
"Good, Tekka."
"And the other two?"
"Unless you want to hurt them, they're free to go. But don't harbor any loyalty to them, even if you have the same blood. Any bonds with anyone, even if there is little or no loyalty, will lead to your death. Be extremely wary of them."
"But, Father..." Tekka's voice caught in her throat. She knew very little about the world. Even so, killing her own sisters just hadn't settled right. But when Father had told her it was them or her, she knew he meant it. Young and inexperienced, she still knew: Father was something to be feared. "What will I do once you're gone? Won't those wolves hurt me?"
Already, Phantom had told her of them. Of Sashta and Audi, Raja and Solan, and especially Voodoo... Perhaps it was the dark, vengeful tint in her blood itself that had been somehow passed down, but she saw nothing wrong with ripping out the throat of someone like him. If anything, she sadistically looked forward to it.
"They might," Phantom admitted, lowering his head to her and smirking. "But don't worry, you have allies, too, even if they're in fewer numbers. You remember Meskeet?"
"The Seer?" she questioned almost cautiously. He mentioned his enemies far more than any 'allies', which she had assumed didn't exsist.
"That's right. If you find her, you can stay alive until you're old enough to take down those bastards. As long as you're smart about it. But never forget Meskeet is being used for your greater good. Kill her if you have to."
"Y-Yes, Father," she stuttered, thrown off that he would so easily tell her to cast aside who he himself claimed had been the best follower under him. The alpha chuckled, then nuzzled his offspring in a way that wasn't really affectionate.
"Good girl," he praised. "You remember all I've said?"
"Yes, Father..." Despite her words, Phantom gave her a stern, heartless glare.
"Remember, Tekka," he began. "One who looks like me has no choice in this world. You'll fight and kill them, or they'll kill you." How well this had worked out. Surely it was a miracle, if not an 'evil' one, that one of his daughters would mirror himself. There would be some difficulties because of it, but in the end, his soul would rest easy knowing they would see himself as they were being killed.
I want them to look at you while they're dying, Tekka, and see me.
In some way, it would be as though he never really died.
"They don't know," Phantom had spoken as he died that very day. "They'll know one day..."
And they would. Because Tekka had been manipulated from the day of her birth to be a potentially deadlier force than he himself had ever been. She had killed her own sisters to show she had no loyalties and no tolerance for weakness.
"They don't know..."
They don't know she'll come for them one day. That I'll come back for them. Tekka is me. She's a tool.
"They'll know one day..."
One day soon, the puppy decided, gazing down the rocky cliff at the corpse of her father long after those wolves had left. Her eyes flickered with the insanity, hatred and bitterness her fathers had.
She growled.
"All of them will pay for this, Father."
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Posted: Mon Nov 20, 2006 10:19 pm
.The Fated Encounter.Furekatsu Anjiru 
Deer scattered as they caught scent of the brown wolf. She appeared to them often these days, not bothering to hide herself. Though she was the only wolf of her 'pack' that didn't attack them they could never be sure there weren't other wolves lurking about. Those who had forgotten that never were around for very long.
Meskeet had no use for deer, as they well knew. Her dining habits differed from pretty much everyone these days. How she wished Phantom was still alive and leading her. He atleast knew where to find a meal.
Stomach rumbling quietly she wove carefully between trees. Night had fallen hours ago and tonight the moon itself wasn't that bright.
Dinner wasn't far off. She smelt something foreign and very much wolf. Noyama 
While she was the direct offspring of debateablely the craziest and definately one of the strongest wolves this forest had ever seen, that was only one of two facts about her, and the other, for the time being, was pushing the first back: She was only a puppy.
Meaning, she didn't run particularly fast, and if she caught something, more often than not it got away with only minor bite marks from her still underdeveloped teeth.
Phantom didn't know very much about puppies, even if he'd had foru other daughters prior to her in her sisters. He'd mentioned his 'eating habbits' to her once, and advised her not to pick them up. 'Not enough food for that sort of lifestyle for you,' he'd told her. 'Just catch rabbits or deer or something.'
But 'rabbits' and 'deers' and 'somethings weren't so easy to get a hold off. Three days of attempting to find food had left Tekka exhausted, and above all else very, very angry. Rage was something she tended to withdraw to in any frustrating situation, much like her father.
With an aggravated whine brought on purely by instinct, she stumbled forward only a few passes and collasped there. "I hate this," she growled to herself. "Why couldn't that female have stayed around?"
That female is what she had to call her, because Phantom had violently reminded her many times she didn't have a mother. Furekatsu Anjiru Feeding the pups of her pack was done easily. The omega had been ordered to hunt for herself and the pups. Everyone else was on their own. Once the pups themselves reached adolescence Meskeet planned to end their meal dependency. She wouldn't have weak individuals mixed among her lot. She had far too many things to do than to be held down by someone useless.
Taking spacious steps Meskeet was pleased with her long legs, ample for a long stride. While she was far from the size of the Ghost, she was atleast larger than average. And that suited her wonderfully. Stepping on top of a fallen tree with her head lowered in a less than friendly manner Meskeet gazed out at the world around her using tools of her mind rather than her own eyes.
It was considerably quiet on these lands. The creatures in the forest seemed to have picked up on the hostile feelings of the pack and become wary. Never the less the brown she-wolf knew what was around and definately was shouldn't be.
And within her forest was something that definately shouldn't have been there. Or so she believed. Detecting the tired body of a pup she followed her Sight with increasing delight. A pup wasn't much, but it would be a fine start.
It didn't take long at all for her to find herself climbing a cluster of rocks with Tekka in the forest on the other side. As she reached the top and dimly spotted a small form her eyes gleamed hungrily.
The only problem was that there was a slight familiarity in what she saw. Noyama Unlike Phantom's had been, Tekka's senses were above average, at least for her given age. Additonally, she was on the highest alert by default, because one mistake could mean the end of her.
Father had a lot of enemies, and since she looked exactly like him, there'd be no question who's she was, even if it was quite a surprise the Ghost would 'breed' again.
Jumping to all fours, Tekka's swung around toward Meskeet, lowering slightly and snarling in a way that was guranteed to be fierce when she was older, considering she made it that far.
The red eyes burned with warning and hate, and above all else, there was something very familiar about them... Furekatsu Anjiru And with those red eyes something clicked.
Obviously shaken from her initial reaction Meskeet stared in wonder at what stood before her. She just...couldn't believe it..
After a few moments of silence on her part she raised her head and attempted to gather her shock. It couldn't be. There was just no way.
"Phantom?"
It definately couldn't be him though. For obvious reasons. One, he fell off a friggin cliff. How many wolves survived that?! Two, this was a puppy, and he hated puppies. And three, perhaps the most important one, this was A GIRL. Noyama It wasn't as if she hadn't been trained to expect this. In fact, Phantom had told her, over and over, "A lot of wolves are going to know my name, Tekka." But even so, the puppy startled and stumbled back.
Since the other wolf had out-right attacked her yet, which she was told one's like Raja would definately do, she was left reason herself who this was. Figuring it out wasn't too difficult.
"You're Meskeet, aren't you?" she said in a low, hard voice. Meskeet wasn't a danger to her she'd been told, but in this case the words of her father weren't good enough to sooth her tension. "Father told me you would still be around here. You're not very good for a seer." Furekatsu Anjiru She wasn't entirely surprised.
How could she be? She should have known Phantom would leave an heir to finish his work. She'd hoped she would have sufficed, but then again that was a bit arrogant of her to believe.
But a puppy?
She obviously was in for more than she'd first thought. It wasn't like the Ghost would want his heir found by Phib or Raja. The fact that the little clone knew her name was enough to confirm all her thoughts.
"And you aren't a very good hunter for a daughter of your father." She hated pups. They assumed they knew everything. Even so it was beyond even Meskeet to put this one out. "Does Kaho know about you?"
It wouldn't do to have that three legged flirt find out and blab it.
Muscles pulled tight in uncertainty Meskeet ventured down towards the pup to better take her in. It was undeniable who she was.
It was understandable the pup wouldn't have large success hunting. But there were always fish or even berries if you were really desperate. The night held a risk of becoming very long. Noyama Tekka growled, but the noise died quickly.
At the mention of Kaho, her eyes narrowed. Already she harbored a very strong hate for the butterfly seer. Just like father said, he was very nosy and not very smart. If he was, he'd have sent someone to get her, and even her sisters.
"Of course," she confirmed seriously. "Father told me Kaho would sense us almost as soon as we were born. He's a very experienced seer, Father said, even though he acts like an idiot."
She sighed and gazed over her shoulder, as if expecting him to be there. "He's really bothersome. He's been in my head a lot." Her eyes shifted back to Meskeet. "You're a seer, too, can't you make him stop?" Furekatsu Anjiru Meskeet watched her intently. Of course. Kaho the idiot was already sticking his nose where it didn't belong. It annoyed Meskeet that her abilities were thought so lightly of, but in reality it wasn't like she was getting any advice or anything. She thought she was doing rather well with puppeting as it was.
"Yes. But it would be so much easier if you told him too first. He's defenseless and thinks he can save his world one wolf at a time. The sooner you make your impression on him the sooner he'll realize you won't melt into a goody two-shoes. Your father had no seer abilities but Kaho learned soon enough to stay out of his mind."
Kaho really was bothersome. One of the first things she'd practiced was blocking herself from other seers. If there was one thing she didn't need it was someone stepping in her way. Noyama You're wrong, Tekka thought. She was positive that during the time spent with Father that seer hadn't been leaving him alone anymore than her. There were many times when he would suddenly stop talking, or look as though he was focusing on something, such as a conversation no one else could hear.
The fondness of seers didn't pass down from father to daughter. Tekka didn't like them. Too much power.
"He's not defenseless," Tekka snapped. She felt as though she was being under-minded. Of COURSE she'd told him to leave her alone. "When Father died, Raja took over his pack," she explained, her small form shaking in rage. "Kaho is one of the wolves who's with her now, and along with that, she also has a shaman following her." Furekatsu Anjiru Phantom had been a wolf that would have caused Meskeet to chew off her own foot before she willingly upset him. A pup however was harder to be so devoted too.
She certainly didn't want to bend to this girl's every whim. Even the greatest of children needed discipline every so often. So where she stood, Meskeet wasn't sure.
"Kaho by himself is only saved by his seer abilities and females who love him. Of course he'd stay with Raja. Raja's the worst one to watch for, but that doesn't mean she can't be beat." Seer and shaman or not. And she almost grinned as another thought occured to her.
"You'll be killing Audi too I pressume?" If she didn't Meskeet might. While her hatred for the pink and black female was still as deep as when she was still in the same pack, Meskeet cared less about her these days. True she'd seek her revenge, but she preferred for the other one to be more crazed about killing her. Atleast Meskeet had other things to live to do. What would Audi have if she succeded? Noyama "You aren't as knowledgeable as I'd thought you were going to be about all this." Furry, light blue shoulders shrugged careless. She recited the list as if it was a natural occurence for someone so young, "Sashta, Voodoo, Raja, Audi, Solan. Those are who he told me to kill, because those are the ones who attacked him."
She winced. Tekka knew what they looked like, too, because Phantom had taken her to that place and set her beneath one of those bushes, near that cliff...
'I'll be back,' he assured her. 'With all the comotion none of them will notice you. I want you to watch very carefully what happens.'
So she did. Watched him dash there, laugh at them, and fall down, down, down. The reactions she paid closest attention to, and she decided who was going down first. Starting with--
"Voodoo," she said. "Voodoo will die first." Furekatsu Anjiru Meskeet didn't care much to be talked down to by someone so young, but she expected nothing less from this one. And really, if it had been any different she would have believed Phantom's memory would have been wronged.
"Alright Tekka. I'm getting tired of talking. What do you feel like doing now? Staying out here hungry and supreme, or coming with me to get you something to eat, and then back towards the dens?"
She didn't care much either way. The pup didn't look like she'd do too well out on her own for very much longer. Hunger had obviously set in, and Meskeet hadn't forgotten her own hunger either.
Tekka would have a field day when she met the others. A few crazy idiots and some actually worth while to keep around despite being to young to prove much. Noyama Tekka didn't answer. At least, not directly. Instead she had a question of her own. "If you're really loyal to Father like he said, you want to respect his wishes, don't you?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued, "He wanted me to stay with you until I was big enough to handle the other ones. I want his spirit to be happy and have his revenge, too, so I'll do what he said and follow you around for a while."
Her stance shifted, and for just a spilt second, she seemed uncertain. This want completely against what he'd taught her. Phantom had said to isolate herself from the sisters she'd left alive.
While she didn't have an actually affection or loyalty to them, she didn't like the idea of just being drug into a pack where she had no one on completely on her side. "You have to take my sisters, too." Furekatsu Anjiru Meskeet had listened o the pup begin her tactics with open ears, but at hearing the last bit she was taken aback.
She pondered it a moment deciding if that was really the best course of action. Taking her in would definately have been a must. Phantom would have been upset otherwise. And he was the only wolf she never wanted to upset. So taking Tekka in all by herself seemed like it would cause trouble enough. But her..sisters?
Meskeet had heard of her former leader's bad luck. Cursed with only daughters. This time she'd hoped there would only be one. But it didn't take much probing to see just how many sisters Tekka had, or atleast had had. And even a fool could see it was a bad idea.
"Is that so? And what did Phantom say about them?" Meskeet disliked siblings. They created ties that only served to ruin you, or atleast they tried too. Her own sister she would have to do away with soon.
She already knew how Phantom felt, based on the pup's actions and the way she was acting. It wouldn't help at all. Ties to family had to break early on. But Tekka would have to learn the hard way just how isolated you had to be to follow in the path of the Ghost.
"If they cause unwanted trouble expect to be the one who is punished. You're responsible for them." Great, more mouths to feed.
Turning gruffly but looking back at the pup Meskeet still couldn't quite get over how the girl looked exactly the same as her former idol. It was just plain weird. Even for someone who hung around crazies all day.
"Now what do you want to eat? And when would you like to get your sisters?" Noyama Tekka's eyes flashed dangerously. She felt angry about this subject and she didn't understand why. "The sisters of mine Father didn't like, he had me kill. The two that are left will be strong or he wouldn't have let them live." But not stronger than her, or she'd do away with them too.
At first her steps were slow, but she soon moved faster, following beside Meskeet. "Deer or rabbit," she answered. "Father told me that's what I was suppose to eat. Also, my sisters will be responsible for themselves. I want them near me, but besides that they're still on their own. I'll go and get them later."
She took a deep breath, feeling the least amount of tension she ever had.
I hope this was a good idea, Father.
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Posted: Mon Nov 20, 2006 10:25 pm
.So Many Sisters: The Nameless and the Unknown.
Noyama
Which left her with four sisters. Then, the two had been killed, by her no less, because Father said they were too weak. They might try to stop her, he'd claimed, or even try and destroy her.
The two that were left around, and also left nameless by Phantom, she'd immediatly dominated over---growling, snapping, and if need be physically hurting them.
They'd been seperated from each other by Phantom for reasons he didn't explain (and reasons Tekka didn't ask), and the first she decided to gather was the purple one. The one who'd been left in a cave.
It wouldn't have surprised her if either of them had run off. Hell, if they had, they'd be pretty smart, she thought as she approached the cave's opening, her red eyes peering around.
Red eyes... It was the one thing they all shared.
"Hey, are you still here?" called the monotone voice.Beat Fu
They say that many things stay in family lines, inbred, inescapable. For these puppies, the eyes were most evident. Red, bloody and sharp, showing cleverness, not dull or stupid, but somehow always malicious.
More then merely eyes haunted this bloodline though.
For the short time the still unnamed puppy had inhabited the world she had been tossed into situations that would be considered cruel, insane, and wrong. But when it is all you know how does it really seem? To this puppy it was not wrong. It just was. Her world was built on these experiences.
She had no mother. Virtually no father. She had only her sisters, at least the ones that were left. Most importantly the one. Tekka. She ruled them. She controlled their lives, and their deaths, and she had demonstrated it. No doubt that was part of Phantom's plan.
She was the center.
How could they leave her?
The slight form shifted in the cave, a muffled, hushed "Yes," answering the blue pup.
Noyama "I'm glad," she said without thinking. But Tekka's mind was sharp, and in a non-suspicious way, she added without a pause, "Because I wouldn't want either of you running off and ratting me out or anything. You know what would happen then."
The horrifying truth was she had been glad, and while, like many things, she didn't understand why, she did understand thinking that way was wrong. Father had forbid it, cursed it even.
There was a time, at one point in his company, she'd suggested maybe she could just have some loyalty to the remaining two sisters, instead of being all alone.
Wordlessly, Phantom had lifted one of his front paws and swiped it at her, hitting the puppy with such force she tumbled a good three feet. 'Do you want to die now, Tekka?' he'd hissed. 'Remember, you're only here to kill those wolves, but I can easily get one of your oh-so-loved sisters to do it.'
Tekka shuddered at the memory.
"Have you named yourself yet?" Beat Fu She didn't blink, flinch, or show any sign that the statement affected her. She had faced the fact that Tekka could and would kill her on a whim the first day Phantom came into their lives. She wasn't sure how she felt about it, but she also didn't see much need to be afraid. After all, she could only act as she knew she should and hope she didn't die.
It was almost relieving.
She also didn't show if she noticed the slight non-existent pause.
The puppy sat up, still in the shadows of the cave, and seemed to be choosing her words before answering.
"No. I don't really see a need to do so."
She really didn't. As far as she was concerned her sisters knew who she was, and no one else mattered. No one they had yet to meet. Certainly not the Phantom, not now, and not in the past.
She received none of his special attentions, and she gave him none of her's. His only significance was in his raising of Tekka. Noyama The blue female shifted where she stood, eyes piercing through her sister. Sometimes, she really despised them of her own accord. They were different... Purple and white, mostly, and they had no sign of Phantom in them aside from those eyes. And no one would make the connection there. Surely other wolves had the same color.
It was a short fuse that exploded her temper, and it burned out again. She dashed forward and pounced her sibling, knocking her to the ground and digging her tiny claws into her shoulders. "I TOLD YOU to THINK of one while I was gone, you idiot! Do you want me to kill you too?!"
Phantom's 'handling' of her may have been to blame. Or, maybe, it was just a temperment she'd inheirted. Whatever caused it, violently outbursts were becoming more common, which had pleased Father when he'd been around.
She did need to be vicious, after all.
Stepping to the side, she snorted. "You need to think of one. I found Meskeet and I'm taking you both with me to her pack. You'll need a name there." Beat Fu When she was first born, for the precious small time before their mother, for that's what the smell in her memory was, had left them and Phantom had come, before killing and hatred, the pup had played with her sisters. Not much, when you are that young play doesn't mean much. But shoving, pushing, gumming with toothless maws, she had done those things.
She didn't anymore.
When Tekka knocked her over, looming and hurting she didn't fight back.
That would be wrong. It was her own fault after all. She had been told.
She didn't answer as she lay there, and didn't get up until long after her sister had stepped aside.
"Okay, I will."
She didn't ask about Meskeet, or what her sister was doing out alone. Or why she had to go to. She did, however, think of a name.
She didn't look like Tekka, but she wanted to have others know that she was like her. In small ways. At least through blood.
Tekka. Akket? Keteka?
She was less though.
Ket?
"Ket?" Noyama "Fine. Ket is your name." It was a good one, too. Easy to remember, and she had little space in her head for things concerning these two.
Blue ears pricked. "There's someone outside. Go and see who it is," she commanded.
And there was someone outside.
The grey and blue female prodded at the ground with her nose, attempting to pick up the scent of any deer. In that forest where she lived now, there wasn't much of anything but birds. Mostly crows. Crows that couldn't be caught easily.
So she and Raja had taken to hunting and then bringing things back. Even though she was an alpha now, the red wolf hadn't lost her interest in the things she did before, including bringing food back to Solan--and now, others, too.
China Blue lifted her head and gazed warily around. "There's nothing out here, either..." Beat Fu Ket nodded silently, blinking at her sister before standing and heading outside of the cave.
She should probably have been wary, but it's hard to fear death from outside when it has been made so evident that the greatest danger you would face would be near you constantly.
That, and she hadn't had any experiences with other animals or wolves, dangerous or otherwise. For some reason this area seemed empty to her, except her sisters, of course.
Not long after heading outside of the protection of the shelter the purple wolf caught sight of the intruder. A wolf, by the looks of it, but different then any that Ket had seen before. Big, and with lots of grey and a smell like the mother one.
An adult female?
Blue though. Blue was a dangerous and fascinating color.
"Why are you here?" Noyama China Blue, also the daughter of Phantom. But she had been spared, if you will, of those hateful and dreaded eyes. Her were yellow, like her own mothers.
Yellow that focused on the speaker, and sparked with surprise. A puppy... "Well, hello there," she greeted gently. "I was just getting food, but what are you doing out here?" There wasn't a scent of any adults around aside from herself and Raja... Beat Fu Ket didnt' return the greeting. It wasn't a decision she made, she just didnt' think of it. She wasn't exactly well-versed in the ways of polite company.
"There isn't any food here."
Or, not that Ket knew of at least. It was actualy pretty obvious if you looked passed the fluffy fur of the puppy to see the over-thin look of silent starvation.
"I am out here because I was told to see who you were. Who are you?" she shifted slightly, sitting down. For some reason she couldnt' stand up for very long. Noyama It didn't take any more than common sense to see when something as expressive as a puppy (some more than others) was hungry. Tekka hadn't realized during her own starvation earlier her siblings were in fact also alive and needed to eat as well.
"Oh, you poor thing," she cooed. Usually, it wasn't like her to ignore a question, but she figured she could introduce herself and Raja at the same time when she made her way back over here. "Told by who? Are there more of you?" Beat Fu Poor thing?
She didnt' understand that, but she did know the rules. There were wolves who would want her dead. She hadn't been told this, per say, but she had picked it up.
Actualy, she doubted she was significant enough to be wanted in any way, let alone dead, but Tekka was. She was important.
And this wolf was breaking the rules. And so was Ket. That was bad.
"There is only one of me. Who are you?" Noyama "I see..." It was probably the hunger making her so...odd. The things she was saying weren't making much sense. But it never crossed China Blue's mind she was lying, because there was no reason to blind eyes like hers to lie about having another puppy close by. "I'm China Blue. Wait here, okay? I'll go and catch you something and come back."
Come back with food and Raja. It wasn't right for a puppy to be out here all alone. No way she had any parents to be so hungry. The beta shook her head, then turned away and bounded off.
Tekka hadn't seen or heard much of what had happened, but she had witnessed enough. She knew that wolf. Not personally, but she recognized her from that time when Father died. She had been one of the ones with Kaho who stopped Raja and the others.
Even so...
"Ket," Tekka called, but only once she was certain that stranger was out of earshot. "I don't want you talking to anyone unless I say it's alright anymore. That wolf is connected to us somehow. Now let's hurry and leave before she gets back. It's this way."
'This way' being west, the direction Tekka hurried in. Nice enough, sure, but that wolf made her uneasy for some reason... Beat Fu Ket was mildly annoyed. Odd for her, but the big blue wolf wasn't listening. She asked for her name.
Luckily, Tekka didn't seem too angry, "Okay," she answered before following after her, wondering what was bothering her, and how this wolf was connected.
Everyone was connected to Tekka it seemed.
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Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:43 am
.The Clueless Otherwise Known as Ran.Noyama 
Unlike that time, she deemed her suspicions as just being paranoid. Even though he'd been dead for a while, it wasn't all that strange she dreamed about Phantom. Evil 'overlords', if you will, weren't so easily forgotten.
But something had been so off about him...
It was during pondering for that Ran had seen it: The pink butterfly. Eyes wide, she called to it, "Tahara?", and then watched as it just flew away.
It was like old times, in that bittersweet way. Without thinking, she hurried to all fours and rushed after the fluttering creature. The chase lasted for some time, and ended when Ran was forced to stop.
The butterfly had led her to a cliff's edge, and she certainly couldn't continue the chase. Turning back, she shuddered, then walked. Her dissapointment was only over-ruled by the eerie feeling this area had.
This was so close to where the Ghost had died. Kealdrana Sasaiuni There was something stirring in her body. It had grown and grown until she had to leave the packlands, again. There was nothing she could do about it, surely the blue wolf would understand. There was a sudden need to go to this place, as frightful as it was, she needed it. Everything about the area she was in now seemed to have an aura of something mystical. As if an event had occurred here she needed to know about. Kara had found herself snooping, searching every nook and cranny of this area for things. She didn’t know what she wished to find, but everything in her body told her to keep looking. She needed to find whatever it was.
The yelp that interrupted her thoughts left her body quivering. She’d never been more afraid in her life. It told her something – there was another wolf here. She didn’t know who it was, or why it, too, came to this strange calling, perhaps it was only her that felt the need to venture here. Taking a deep breath she swallowed the thick lump in her throat, her tail held high, muscles tense.
She had little mind to go investigate the noise, but something stirred nearby. It wasn’t to far away, just to the other side. Something flickered, catching her eye. It looked distinctly pink. Kara would have waved it away as nothing, except for another movement caught her. There was no mistaking such a small body. Ran.
She jumped just then, she didn’t know why. It wasn’t out of fear, and she supposed it was shock, though she couldn’t see why Ran would seem so shocking. Nothing in the kind wolf had ever seemed menacing, certainly not now. She knew what the butterfly was now, Tahara. Something in her heart lurched, for it reminded her of Kaho. She wondered how he was now, he seemed so distraught, perhaps she’d ask Ran how he was, but when she tried to call no words came to her voice. She swallowed the grit in her throat and tried again.
“Ra. .. Ran!” It seemed so eerie in this place. As if she didn’t belong. Kaho said not to, so she wouldn’t, but she only wished she knew what not to do. . . Noyama Ran!
..Ran?
The shaman turned her head. Who was calling for her? More than that, why did they stutter? Uncertainty was something she knew well, but aimed towards her, it was different. There had never been anything about her to make someone stumble before.
She was unthreatening, open, easy to figure out. There were no secrets in the Butterfly Shaman's world.
Her tail wagged upon locating the female, and her voice called happily, "Kara!" How it'd been, Ran didn't know. Her sense of time was boarderline non-exsistant. All she knew was the sun went up, went down, and did it all over again.
Her pace increased until she was in front of her friend. "Kara, you're far away from your home," she observed. This was close to the Black Forest. Close to her home.
But, from what she knew, Kara's pack was far away... Kealdrana Sasaiuni Kara wagged her tail in joy as Ran came bounding towards her. It didn’t matter how eerie this place was, with Ran here, she could stay in a place like this forever. “Ran,” she repeated, more strongly now that the other had approached. It wasn’t so hard to talk now that the other was actually, physically standing in front of her. She felt blessed, truly endighted.
The others words made her flinch. Jori. She’d probably be worried, but she had to come. “Yeah,” she started. “But I’ve been worried.” She gave one of her strange, typical Kara grins. “There’s something about this place. . .” she stopped to turn her gaze to the surroundings. “It’s not right.”
She hoped she wouldn’t alarm Ran, perhaps she was just simply going mad and this was just like any other neck of the woods. She wasn’t sure where Ran lived, but she didn’t think they’d travel to far from their packs. Unless things had changed, which they often did. Noyama Alarmed? No. Ran didn't even look the slightly bit phased. Even she realized, in saying this place was creepy, Kara had done nothing more than point out the obvious, tell her something she already knew. Knew very, very well.
There had always been that wonder she had since Phantom had died. If Tahara came back, couldn't his spirit, too? But if he would've, he'd have done so by now. The fact he didn't unnerved her, but she wasn't about to complain they were lacking in the vengeful spirits department.
"It's darker here than most places, so it seems scarier than it is," Ran offered. It was no more dangerous here than anywhere. "Silly Kara is worried for no reason." Kealdrana Sasaiuni Kara shook her head at Ran. Normally the Shaman understood. “That’s not what I’m worried for.” Her body tensed as if some invisible object was threatening to eat away at her flesh.
“I’m worried about you and Kaho.” She sighed, collecting her thoughts. There were all these funny things that kept popping into her head she could say, but she wouldn’t. She’d promised Kaho. “I heard about Phantom’s death and Kaho didn’t seem well when I last talked to him. I hadn’t seen you in so long. . . I worried for your health.”
It was so true, everyday she was worried. It made her feel sick to know that the both of them were faring so badly, she only thought Ran must have been worse than Kaho – which was of course untrue.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is, if you ever need anyone to talk to, turn to, I’m here. Don’t fret to call. Even Shamans need help sometimes.” Kara regretted the words after she had spoken them, but there was nothing she could do to take them back now. Noyama It didn't surprise Ran. "Ran knew what you meant," the shaman told her. "And, Kara is still silly to worry about Ran. Raja is a good alpha and she takes care of everyone. Ran, too." It was only her second pack, but it was so much different than her first.
Reicher had paid her no mind, and Sashta had been nothing but annoyed with every fiber of her offsprings being. Of course, Mama had changed now, but even so, she accepted with only minor guilt she loved this pack a whole lot more.
Raja took it upon herself to make sure everyone was eating enough--save for Voodoo, who she said could 'go and die for all I care'.
At the mention of Kaho, she frowned slightly. "Kaho left yesterday. Kaho is upset, but Ran doesn't know why." Kealdrana Sasaiuni It was so like Ran, to look at the bright side of everything. She wondered if it hurt to be so happy all the time. “It’s good to hear you’re well.” Raja, the name wrung in her ears. She recognized it, but she couldn’t quite place it. That’s right! She’d met her one time, determined to sniff out Kaho for whatever reason. She smiled, remembering the moment. Raja definitely had her vote over Phantom anyday. Perhaps she just liked a woman’s touch.
At the mention of Kaho she gritted her teeth. Her worst suspicions were confirmed, he had turned crazier than she had. She wanted to go find him, not that moment, but she wanted to. However, she knew she shouldn’t, Kaho didn’t want to be found. She might run into him by chance someday, maybe he’d be normal by then and he’d crack some joke or pick up line as he always did.
“I’m afraid I can’t stay long.” Her tail drooped low, spirits dropping as she realized it was nearly time for her to go. It was such a long journey home. “Is there anything you want to tell me?” She didn’t know what she was hoping for, maybe that Ran would ask her to come live under Raja with her. She honestly wouldn’t mind. She’d tell Jori to take over the pack, she’d make a good alpha, then she could stay in these dark woods where her heart felt complete. Noyama "Tell you?" echoed the young female, even younger in mindset. If Kara was implying something, she hadn't caught on. She did, however, wrack her brain, trying to think of what she could be referring to.
Kaho had left. Phantom was dead, she already knew that. So..
"Not that Ran can remember," she answered in a way that seemed more like a question. There wasn't anything, was there? ...No. "Yes, Kara is busy with Kara's pack, right?" Her tail wagged again. Alpha was an interesting rank! Ran admired them, even ones like Mama who didn't hold the title anymore.
"Kara shouldn't worry," Ran repeated. "But if Kara wants to talk to Ran, Kara can just come and see her over there." She turned just slightly, nodding toward the packlands. "Ran's pack is over there. In the Black Forest. It's dark, but Ran likes it." Kealdrana Sasaiuni Kara held in her disappointment. Not in Ran, but of herself for getting her spirits up. “Very busy,” she answered, putting fake joy into her voice. She did love her pack, dearly, and her packlands, but she’d take up on Ran’s offer often and probably be constantly away.
“I’m afraid Kara is going to worry no matter what,” she said with a laugh – teasing on Ran’s third person speech a bit. It had been so long since she’d done that (the laughing), and if felt good. Perhaps she’d find time to do it again. “But I will definitely come visit you in your packlands, your Alpha permitting.” While she had no guilt tramping all over the place when Phantom was about, she’d rather respect the new leader’s wishes, as she seemed like she was good enough. For Ran at least. If she was good enough for Ran, she was good enough for Kara.
It was time for her to leave. “I have to go now Ran.” Her voice was heavy, but she did have responsibility. She turned to leave, then stopped. “Ran. . . I. . .” she stopped and decided not to say the words lingering on her tongue. Stupid idea.
“It was wonderful talking to you. I’m glad I have such a good friend.” Her tail wagged quite quickly now. “Take care of Kaho for me if you see him, and yourself, too. I’ll see you soon.” With that she turned and walked away, hoping she’d done the right thing. She knew in her heart she had, no matter how much her mind ached for her to stay forever.
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Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:48 am
.'Hello'.DragonsRage24 Crouched low, tail between her legs for the most part Ohka moved forward, slightly shaking, she felt cold though it was still daylight. Strange, but she was strange as well. Ah well. She kept padding along. He white pelt with it's red array of lines stood out from the greenery of the forest and the underbrush. Ohka was being cautious, her silver eyes falling on everything on her path.
Where was she?
Where to go now?
She wasn't particularly sure. She was very small for her age, though her mind set was still that of a pup sometimes. Wandering off, trying to find something interesting to do. But she had been on her own for a while now, yearned for the company of others, no matter how strange they were. She hated being alone, she just hated feeling alone and believing someone was watching her all the time.
She stopped by a stream, craned her neck over to lap at the cool water that tasted delicious in her dry mouth. Though she kept on the alert, ears twitching to the side, picking up on sounds to try and figure out what was real, adn what was imagination, if her mind was playing tricks. Noyama  Mama didn't like it when they wandered off, and Valen knew it.
He also knew he was unwilling to let his siblings--at least, the two young ones like him--wander away alone. Mama had told him what happened to one of his big sisters when she did that as a puppy.
Unfortunately, keeping track of a brother who ran faster than you had added difficulty when you couldn't hear a sound, and it was only (a very short) matter of time until Valen himself was lost.
Not worried, though. Soon enough, Mama would show up and come take him back. She'd be angry, but not for very long.
Silent except for his footsteps, he slinked to the closet stream and sniffed at the water with a wrinkled nose.
Cold...DragonsRage24 Ohka raised her eyes to look at a white form not too far away, it sniffed at the water's edge. Strange, for a moment she saw herself, almost like she was looking in the water, seeing herself as a pup again. But no, something was different, pink on that one. She had no pink upon her. They were small too.
She tilted her head to the side and scooched over a bit so she was closer to the little white form. Her tail was wagging in between her legs, she was trying to seem happy to see the pup, perhaps they would want to be her friend? She liked the ideas of friends, she didn't have many which made the white wolfess yearn for them constantly. But something came to mind;
What would a pup be doing all alone?
"H-hello little one..." she said speaking softly in a hushed tone, "What're you doing out h-here all alone?" Noyama Unless he was in the company of his family, Valen didn't welcome others to close to him. He'd noticed the stranger, but chose to let her be. When she moved closer, he edged away slightly. Another look of dissaproval at the water, but he finally surrendered and gulped some down.
His head turned toward the female, ears flicking absently. She was saying something.
'Hello'.
He knew that word. Mama said it, and the brothers said it. It was what you said when someone came.
But the rest... He didn't know them. Didn't know what she was saying.
His ears flattened. DragonsRage24 Ohka tilted her head at him. Perhaps he didn't understand? He did look rather young, but she still wasn't sure. She crouched lower, her belly almost touching the ground, she was trying to show him she would not harm him. She loved pups dearly in reality.
"It's alright..." she said soothingly, perhaps he wouldn't understand words, but perhaps tone of voice? Softer meant nicer to pups...wasn't it? She couldn't quite remember, how to tell him her name.
"Ohka, oh-ka," she said softly, slowly, bringing her right paw to her chest to tap lightly, trying to tell him her name. Perhaps this way she would figure out his name. Was he not supposed to be out here alone, perhaps she should try to find his family. Wait, no, bad idea, what if they thought she was trying to steal him away? Not good not good. Noyama What was she talking about? Not 'hello' anymore. Valen's head turned to the left and the right, his eyes searching for any indication of what she was speaking of. It seemed she was just speaking to him.
He made the noise that came naturally, a sort of squeaky bark, almost like a gurgle. It was hard to make sounds like his brothers did. You couldn't mimic what you couldn't hear.
The expression on his face was frustrated as he mimiced her motions and lowered to the ground. Is this what she wanted? DragonsRage24 She tilted her head to the side as he did. He was, playing a game with her? Wait, was he trying to say something, no, a gurgle, a gurgle? Why did he gurgle? Then he mimicked her behavior, this was strange, he could see her and she was speaking loud enough she thought. Perhaps he couldn't hear her from where she was?
Ohka made her way over to him careful, slowly, when she got a bit close she immediately rolled onto her back, legs up in the air, peering at him with silver eyes. Trying to show him she wouldn't hurt him, that it was alright, that she wouldn't hurt him.
Perhaps...perhaps he only knew one word?
"Hello," she said again, perhaps he would answer with more words, or not answer at all, or mimic her. She had heard of wolves that could only say what others did. Noyama While her movements weren't threatening, Valen still backed up again. He was too young to understand when a stranger meant no harm, and things Mama did indicated the majority of them did. Better safe than sorry, he knew that much.
'Hello.'
Hello? Why was she saying that?
The puppy looked confused. Hello was what they said when they came, wasn't it? But she wasn't gone, and wasn't leaving. So why hello?
Uncertainly, he yipped again, lowering back to the grass. DragonsRage24 Okay, so this wasn't working either. She rolled over onto her stomach and watched him, this wasn't working. He was confused, could he hear her? She watched him lower himself to the grass, she sighed and creeped closer. What was his name?
"Name?"
She asked tilting her head again, tail swaying back and forth. She reached her paw out towards his, trying to touch it but wasn't sure if she should be doing such a thing. Her tail flicked back and forth, her ears were pressed back against her skull. Did the pup not like her? Was she doing something wrong already?
This was harder then she thought. Noyama Luckily, Valen wasn't one to lash out at anyone, even if he felt threatened by them. Which, in this instance, he certainly did. Truthfully, he was a gentle pup by nature, but situations like this called for at least some hostility, and he supplied it.
Talking again, but only one word. Not 'hello'.
Still not understanding, all he could do was whine and stare at her paw, as if willing it away from him. Stranger, stranger, stranger. Had he been able to hear the voice, he would have never been happier to. But then, if he could hear, he wouldn't be in such a situation.
"VALEN!" the mother wolf yelled. It was pointless, she knew, but something she did by instinct.
Instinct is also what caused one to breathe, and when Valen did so, he could smell it. The scent. It was Mama's!
Still against the ground, he backed up. At a decent distance away, the pup shot to all fours, span around and darted toward his mother.
He really shouldn't let brother wander anymore. DragonsRage24 Ohka's expression faded to a saddened state when he whined again, was she being scary or something? She pulled her paw back and tilted her head at him, then when she heard another's voice she jumped up and whirled around and took a few steps back.
Valen? Was that his name?
She saw him run towards the form of another, his mother perhaps? Oh crap, she was in trouble. Not good not good. "I-I'm sorry...I found him here...I'm sorry..." her ears flattened against her skull even more.
"I-I didn't know what to do I'm sorry..." she crouched down low, tail between her legs, silver eyes watching the larger form. She was in trouble... Noyama Emerging from the forest, Sashta lowered her head and prodded the puppy. He seemed fine. Nothing looked or smelled out of the oridnary.
Hearing the unfamiliar voice, the mother wolf looked up. ...Alright. She offered an uncertain smile and shook her head. "No, it's fine," she insisted. "He shouldn't be wandering off for one thing, but really, it's alright. He's a bit hard to handle, being deaf and all. I'm going to take him home now."
True to her word, she grabbed the pup into her mouth, bowed her head as a substitute for a verbal goodbye, and was on her way.
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Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 3:15 am
That Little Thing Called...uh...Something.Noyama 
"Kaho, you're being stupid."
Of all the wolves to go after the seer--and more, to track him down non-stop until he was found, Aleu wasn't the first that would come to mind for that task. Ran, maybe. Or Audi, although there'd have to be some interesting reasoning behind it. Perhaps China Blue, the voice of reason within the group.
But Aleu? It seemed off.
Honestly, the half-blood felt obligated to do so. She had to make sure all was well in her pack as best as she could, because if they disbanded like she'd heard so many did, she wasn't totally sure she'd be able to make it out here now that the two-legs were gone.
Usually, any female could persaude Kaho with ease, even if he'd been shot down by them before (or eight times before, in this case). Much to Aleu's surprise, he brushed off her allure to return to their home without any thought at all.
She'd found him fishing. And by fishing, she meant trying to. It was hard when you only had one back leg to balance on, and had to drag one of your front ones through the water.
"Fine," Aleu said. "Let's have a contest. Most fish caught until that cloud makes it to over there." She nodded toward mentioned cloud, and the spot it was set to move in within the next few minutes. "If I win, you come back."
"And if I win?" Kaho asked carelessly.
"Then I'll do whatever you say."
The seer's head shot up.
"Except that," Aleu warned. The seer agreed and the contest begin.
Minutes later, the brown female stood shocked. Had she... had she just lost?! "You b*****d!" the half-blood screeched. "You were faking, weren't you?"
"Of course," Kaho responded. "You think I never learned to fish? I'm not TOTALLY helpless. Now, I'm going to have some fun with this. Since you told me no way I'd 'pick up on anyone', I want you to try what I do on the next male that comes here. Even if it's Phantom's corpse dragging along."
Aleu cringed. Unfortunately, she was true to her word.
"Fine..."Beat Fu  Heimdal had settled in to a comforting routine lately. Some hunting, a lot of sleeping, and a healthy dose of mocking his companions. Really, he was basically a family man.
And that made him very, very uncomfortable. Oh, it wasn't like he was against he very idea, it was fine, in fact, suitable for most wolves, and perhaps someday in the future (the far, far, long distant future) it would be okay for him, a pleasant rest before a quiet death. However, this was not the kind of life he wished for himself at the moment. Or, to be accurate, this exact situation wasn't ideal ever. For one, he was with very few, somewhat boring companions. For two, he was not in the company of beautiful young females. Sure, Heimdal could be funny, brilliant, and could plot like a master, but he was in no way a saint, and his whole life was suddenly coming to a decidedly celibate style halt.
Well, okay, that wasn't the big problem, but it was a problem none the less. Mostly, it was an excuse to avoid said responsibilities and persons previously mentioned. It let him do things like decide to disappear for awhile, without notice, and wander, with the bluster of not returning bouncing about his own mind.
And it was going rather well. He had avoided returning to his haunt after even a whole day. Hadn’t watched out for one black wolf, or teased another grey one in going on 30 hours.
He shoulda seen it coming.
A nice stream was allowing him a pleasant path to follow, filled with happy little things and not-bad sounds. Yes, it was picturesque. He was humming a little tune he couldn’t place, bored out of his mind and unwilling to admit it when he scented company. Wolves in fact. The water was messing his mojo a little, but he was pretty sure there was more then one, but less then a mob. Not one to miss an opportunity to entertain himself he continued in that direction, cheerfully picking his way over the path, eyes actually open fully for once. By the time he recognized what exactly he was smelling, it was far too late to run.
It wasn’t, however, too late to stop dead and panic for a second.
Aleu.
Noyama Panic didn't even begin to describe it for Aleu, but she couldn't think of any other word herself.
It was total, complete, utter terror. Panic was too short a word to make her eyes get that wide, and her body get that stiff. Her immediate reaction even caused Kaho to give her a questioning glance, the seer who usually had everything figured out quickly.
Of course, it took only a few seconds before he knew, and was grinning broadly for the first time in a while. Ooh. Is that how it is?
Kaho, no. Not this one--the next one.
You swore, Kaho reminded.
But...
But nothing, sister. Of course, you can always back out. And I can always tell Raja about the other day when you thought she was getting fat. Or that China Blue reminds you of lap dogs back at your village. Or that Ran isn't really what you find a shaman should be. And Hayley--
"Okay!" shouted Aleu, snorting shortly after. Okay.
Every fiber of her being protested, her mind screamed at her, and she was suddenly very glad she hadn't eaten anything in a while because she'd have thrown it up.
Long story short, Aleu wanted to die.
Right now.
"Hello," she pressed casually. Beat Fu
Heimdal, being the magnificently terrified himself, completely missed the look that magiced itself onto the females face. It was a shame, if he'd been in his right mind it would have undoubtedly amused him to no end.
He did his best to compose himself in record time, thanking all the damndable situations he'd managed to get himself into in the past. Oh, the value of age and wisdom.
Because of this he did catch the tail end of the seeming silence between Aleu and the wolf he didn't know. And his instincts told him it wasn't just normal silence. This was backed up by Aleu's less then silent verbal ejaculation.
The three legged, butterfly adorned wolf was something, that was for sure.
"Ah," Heimdal said, lowering his lids slightly, trying to appear as calm as usual, ignoring his own slightly tucked tail, "hello m'dear. Lovely weather?"
Smoooooothe. Oh, he certainly spoke as a wolf with wisdom and wit Noyama In all seriousness, Kaho almost died.
His heart, literally, almost stopped from the... Well, the sheer lameness of that. Any outsider may have felt he was being a tad overdramatic, but no matter what anyone else said, he was amazed.
How did anything in this forest reproduce when the males were as smooth as the rocky side of a cliff? Honestly! Cringing, the seer resisted--and it took all he had--from reaching out mentally and yelling to Heimdal something along the lines of, "Not like that!"
Sure, he had three legs.
Sure, he had 'powers' some considered freaky.
But above all else, he had what humans called game, and the only thing the rest of these poors seemed to have was hope, with 'no' added after the 'was'. Poor sap...
"Uh, yes," Aleu agreed. Was she seriously going to do this? Maybe just telling Raja she was looking a bit on the chubby side was worth the risk...
Her mind pictured the alpha's reaction, and she decided it wasn't after all.
Come on, now, Kaho urged. This was, potentially, the most hilarious thing he'd experienced since China Blue fumed over Ahnius (poor, clueless Ahnius) hitting on Audi.
"Um, you're--Your fur looks nice?" Aleu tried. Beat Fu Kaho may have almost died. Heimdal, however, almost committed suicide. He literally considered gnawing his leg off as an attempt to distract them before RUNNING LIKE HELL, forgetting all of this ever happened and crafting some sort of war story to explain the wound.
Right now, it didn't even seem that much lamer then what he was currently doing. Seriously, what the hell, weather? He wasn’t that stupid when he was a kid.
Fortunately, Aleu apparently didn’t' know that he wasn’t' naturally that stupid. Or perhaps she wasn't as bright as he thought. Though there was really no need to take this out on her. She was just a helpless (yeah right) passerby, right?
Then things took a turn so fast it musta fish-tailed, swinging around right from the awkward to the weird. Heimdal's carefully crafted look dropped once again.
"What?" he blurted incredulously, expression no doubt similar from once he might bear if she suddenly started walking only on her front legs and singing about shrimp and sunshine flowers. Noyama 'Aleu, what do you want to do when you get older?'
'Hm. I don't know, Mother. I think... When I'm bigger, I'll help the humans hunt like you!'
Oh, Mother, please forgive me, Aleu was silently begging. Since Tahara had come back as a spirit, she feared her parent might be watching over her. If so, oh, the shame.
Totally, complete, utter shame that would rival that overload of panic from before.
A tree needed to fall on her, crack her head open, and kill her. Hell, she'd even take a dead bird falling from the sky. So long as it was a fatal blow. Maybe she should just drown herself now.
'So, Raja, Aleu says you've been putting on some weight.' That voice in her mind taunted.
So, so much hate.
"I said--" Aleu began, stopped, then attempted three other things. "I said it's too cold."
What? ...It WAS! Beat Fu Heimdal practiced calming himself, using the same techniques he used when feeling the intense urge to eviscerate some other wolf, or to yell at some no-doubt deserving fool.
Same expression, think of something calm.
It wasn't really working. His expression, while not quite as disturbed, still looked forced. It wasn't his fault. He coulda sworn she had just said something that was, despite her limited knowledge of her, no doubt completely un-like Aleu.
Too cold?
Okay, he was pretty sure that was a dirty, dirty lie. But he decided to go with it. At the moment, it was far less distressing.
"Really? It gets much colder where I'm from. Although I suppose it isn’t' late enough in winter to tell how much it'll snow here."
Fine. That was a perfectly normal thing to say. Ignore the dry, slightly panicked tone and he sounded just like he usually did. Taking advantage of the seconds while he spoke he studied the other wolf. A strange, dark creature with clever eyes and a wolves bone strapped to him. He seemed to know just a bit too much for Heimdal to be comfortable around him. He thought even in a less... freaky... situation he would still not feel okay in his presence.
Heimdal was used to knowing more then those around him. It was odd to have places switched like that. Noyama Slowly, Aleu nodded. "Oh, I see..."
Too much. It was too much! Kaho simply couldn't take this pathetic display anymore! Yes, he was still distressed Phantom had died. He was also so full of guilt for various reasons (mostly Tekka and wishing Solan dead) that it would've caused someone with a less sturdy mind to go insane.
Above all else, in the end, Kaho was Kaho.
And Kaho couldn't take this anymore.
"No!" he shouted. "NO! NO! NO! That's not how you do it at ALL!" Shaking his head, he hurried over to the two, knocking Heimdal out of the way and flashing that cheesy grin to Aleu. "It's a good thing your eyes are blue like the sky, because I don't think I can ever look away from them, and I'd hate to forget it's color."
After that, he span around to Heimdal, and in a poorly-executed, squeaky, supposedly female voice said, "O-oh, t-thank you." His normal voice returned, and he scolded, "Aleu, honestly. Shy is good. But there's a difference between that and stupid. What is WRONG with you two?!"
Beat Fu "Yeaaaah..."
Uncomfortable silence.
Crickets chirped. Birds sang. A bear s**t in the woods. Various other tasks were taken on by slightly less uncomfortable creatures all over the woods, and Heimdal felt like paying attention to them might make this all go away.
Oh, to have a reverie broken as such. The three legged wolf pushed him out of the way. Now, Heimdal was a rather large wolf. Not huge, but larger then most. And he had four working legs (which he would dearly like to employ to beat a hasty retreat at the moment), but he was not expecting yelling or pushing or anything like that. Hell, life was just FULL OF SURPRISES EY?
And now the perpatrator was flirting with Aleu? Okay weird and slightly infuriating. Which was even more annoying. Heimdal was just about working up the courage to squeak out something pathetic when the wolf spun to face him.
Was he-?
It clicked with Heimdal suddenly, a brilliant flash of inspiration. This wolf was messing with them. More accurately, chances were he started the weirdness and wanted it to go somewhere specific, and by the sounds of it, decidedly flirt-based.
"Excuse me," he attempted to sound himself, in this case vaguely sarcastic but cheerful, "may I ask who the puppet master of the day is?" Noyama "Ka--"
"Dead!" Aleu declared. "He's dead." Enough was enough! Forget what Raja said! She probably wouldn't care to much if they lost their seer, given he was Kaho. That in mind, she mauled the male, and was about to rip him to sherds.
"Go ahead and do it and see how long to Daddy dearest snaps totally," Kaho said, trying not to sound desperate. He was pretty much used to this. Unfortunately, some women had tempers. He knew that all to well.
--He'd hit on Raja once, if that said anything.
Immediatly, Aleu backed off, but growled a light warning. The seer regained himself which as much class as he could, which really wasn't that much, but more than most could pull off, if he said so himself.
What was another almost-death?
"It's Kaho," he introduced. "And you're Heimdal. It's nice to meet you. Aleu thinks about you on ocassion."
The female growled again, fur standing on end.
"Usually not fondly," he added. Beat Fu Heimdal decided, probably wisely, to take a step back. If he had been truly smart he probably would have run. However, the situation had gone from the worst thing ever to an interesting series of events.
He was really good at ignoring things when something important happened.
So, this wolf had control of Aleu's father, who was apparently on the verge of some sort of breakdown or something. That was interesting. However, what kind of wolf could control that? And how did these two know each other. Perhaps members of the red wolves pack?
Kaho.
Heimdal pretty much disregarded the next statements, except for the bits that were important at the moment. Thinking, knowing names, somehow causing Aleu’s… inconsistencies.
Perhaps? Couldn't hurt to make a guess.
"I see. Pleased to make your aquatints seer. Perhaps you should behave a little more delicately around the lady from now on?"
He smirked slightly, storing the rest of the information away for later, more personal bouts of freaking out, worrying, and perhaps a bit of daydreaming. Noyama "I can still kill you!" Aleu snapped. Whatever he was thinking--which, by the way, she didn't even want to know--she didn't want him thinking it. Aside from that, the only thought in her mind was: Diediediediediedie.
All males. Everywhere. Just drop dead.
Kaho wasn't too shabby in the art of ignoring himself. If he had been, all those, "Leave me alone!" from certain females would've been taken seriously. This time, he ignored Aleu's threat in favor for one of his own.
"Perhaps I could just tell her everything you think," Kaho said micheviously. "You're pretty open--" Also known as being a loud mouth. "--but there's always something. Especially with us."
'Us' most likely referring to males, who Kaho often forgot were not all like him (even though they should be).
"Anyway, I'll go back to Raja," he told Aleu. "Come back when you're done, but not with any puppies now." The seer sweeped off before it was decided Taeb wasn't worth it. Beat Fu Heimdal decided not to say anything.
He could ignore most of what was going on, but that dint' mean he was going to attempt to get his a** kicked.
Heimdal lifted a brow slightly. Really? He'd never considered himself open. In fact, he couldn't even see far enough into himself to see exactly what the seer was finding so deliscious. Selective memory. Once again though, what could you say to that?
Nothing much. He did know that at the moment he was torn between loathing and adoring the seer though. Afterall, not even he had been able to annoy Aleu that much. But he was also uncomfortably smug. Heimdal was not fond of his own medicine at all.
"Ah... well, how are you then Aleu?" Noyama There was an answer to such a simple question, but Aleu would not grace him with it. All she would say before storming off was, "Drop dead, Hemi." Damn seer and Heimdal and--Ugh! All of this world be damned!
Snorting angrily, she quickened her pace back to Raja. Maybe being around someone more angry than her would calm her down.
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