|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2007 4:12 pm
 It was a particularly blustery day today up in the mountain peaks with the wind howling its swan song to all who would listen, drawing them in with its gusting, icy breaths. She'd long since become accustomed to the cold, even when it yanked fiercely at the tattered fabric that covered her, mused with silvery tails and pulled at the sensitive feathers of her great wings. To her, the wind was simply playing its own game, even if it meant she'd be the one to suffer at its expense. The throbbing parasite that often relied on her for nourishment hated the cold with a passion, and had taken shelter beneath one of those enormous, grey wings, angrily snapping its tooth-lined maw whenever she happened to jostle him. Mr. Leechy was a grumpy sort, but alas--she loved him dearly and refused to be parted from the creature. A strange thing, when a creature was so seperated from others that she sought comfort in anything that would give her the time of day.
Metal-toed boots scuffed lightly against the wind-smoothed stone of the mountain face, a soft, but happy sigh lost in the roaring of the violent air around her. Tsu-Kitsu had nowhere to be for today, though the urge to stretch her wings and fly was nearly maddening. And there was something shifting in the back of her mind--that bad blank spot that sometimes made her forget where she was and what she'd been doing sometimes. Frosted hues hopefully flickered across the mountain trail she'd centered herself upon, the heavy helm on her head glinting faintly from the few, scraggled beams of sunlight that managed to protrude beneath the suffocating grey of the clouds.
"Maybe we'll find Xaldin today, Mr. Leechy!" The female chirped, obviously to the parasite that was still sucking mindlessly away at the delicate layer of skin that sheathed itself across her wings. Silver tails already twitched with glee at the thought--and, unknown to the silvery kitsu, something within her consciousness growled irritably at the thought of the big, cloaked male. Tsu-Kitsu found she was growing lonely again, and, with a little glance over one shoulder, as though to make sure no one was watching, she slowly began to trot down the mountain. Maybe she could meet someone new today! Maybe it wouldn't be so darn cold, either!
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 12:23 pm
 Situated firmly against a nook where the wind had trouble finding him, the creature's eyes were concealed by a delicate layer of near-transparent blue that kept the dust from collecting in the opaque cornea. Denied that irritation, the airborne dirt instead trickled demandingly between his protruding ribs and hips, licking bloodless muscle and gathering between the wicked gauntlets of his bone-colored claws. His tattered wings fluttered in the greater breezes, the only part of the kitsusagi that moved while his chest refused to rise and fall with even the most basic of life's animations. He looked unquestionably dead, his body weathered if not withered, limbs laid over one another as though someone had arranged them according to funeral rites. In reality, Raziel was simply exhausted and the insipid rays of light that managed to pierce the cloudy bank above were enough to render him almost useless. If Kain himself had stopped by to torment him, the wraith would have been forced to endure the vampire's presence until the sun set and the darkness granted him opportunity to accompany his wretched drive.
But Kain would not have come out in the hours of day, too ancient and settled in his bloody ways for the daystar to abide touching him without turning his decaying flesh to flames. It should have been the same for Raziel, the illumination reducing him to a pile of smoldering embers and hateful ash - but vengeance was stronger than sunlight, and so it passed over him like a parent that had turned a blind eye to glaring fault.
The Spectral Realm was whispering against his sagging ears, pulling him like a river's chilling current toward the ever-present opening reserved specifically for the Reaver of Souls. He ignored it, eyelids bunching for a moment as he exerted a physical force of will to keep from being taken against his wishes. He needed sustenance, but hunger had yet to topple resentment for fading away into a second plane of existence whenever he felt weak or defeated. Raziel had still not quite accepted the loss against his sire and the retreat that had been all but forced upon him. He could almost hear the Elder grumbling about his apparent ingratitude.
Another sound, this one more immediate, and Raziel realized that there was someone out on the trails talking to another potential individual. The twice-dead vampire kept still and silent, hoping to avoid confrontation when he could barely hold his head up and face the unknown threat.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 1:20 pm
The female scuttled eagerly down the rocky trail, unhampered by the sudden gusts of wind that threatened to rip her wings open and send her tumbling off the face of the Mountain, should she slip up. And even as she flashed by, a streak of tattered grey and creamy fur, something out of the ordinary caught her eye--something that very much looked like a someone. "Oh!" Skidding clumsily to a halt, Tsu-Kitsu sharply cocked her head to one side, ears tilting back with concern as she uncertainly trotted closer to the cranny, pausing when she'd come close enough. "...You okay, Mister? You don't look so good..." She was being polite about it, even as cool eyes slipped over the strange, blue-hue of his body, the ragged wings and the protruding bones that emerged from underneath a thin layer of skin.
Tsu-Kitsu had never seen someone quite so bizarre as he, silvery tails twitching uncertaintly and a puzzled expression etched across her muzzle. And even as she watched him, she wondered with a sudden start if perhaps he wasn't alive--she'd never seen someone as strange as him. And that made her a little uneasy, friendly, of course, but uneasy. "I'm Tsu-Kitsu. And this is Mr. Leechy." One wing was spread to reveal the enormous parasite still attached to the underside of her appendage, and the leech only snarled upon being exposed to the cold once more. Stifling a small squeak when the creature bit her harder, the female quickly folded her wing once more, scooting slightly closer to this unknown stranger.
"You need anything, Mister?" He looked sick--really sick, and Tsu-Kitsu could feel her ears pinning a bit more. What would she do? She didn't know of anyone who could make him better, and the silvery female was fairly certain that Xaldin wouldn't care. But that was all right! Shifting a little on her paws, she waited for a response.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 2:41 pm
Raziel felt an internal twinge of dread when the exclamation reached his dark ears and funneled into his cobwebby consciousness, knowing without a doubt that he had been seen. He acknowledged that it was only to be expected considering how ill-suited his coloration and appearance were when it came to blending into mountainous trails, an aqueous frame of bone and eternally taut muscle that was particularly striking beneath the sunlight. Still, the wraith was not pleased when he heard his observer approach, a distinctly feminine voice questioning him on the hesitant notion that he was in need of assistance. He might have laughed, or alternatively snarled to ward her away, but both actions seemed to be a wasted effort when he considered them closely.
His eyes came free of their protective lids, white as virgin snow with wicked curls of pale steam trickling from the corners. She looked young and none too bright, her stare guileless and genuinely concerned with only the slightest daub of disquiet to assure him that she was not entirely brainless. Raziel's gaze narrowed when she introduced herself and her questionable companion, the second like some ironic reminder about his own predicament as he watched her draw closer without a flicker of expression. She didn't seem dangerous, and he had sincere doubts that Kain would send an assassin who looked or acted anything like she did. Regardless, he could feel temptation rising when she was near enough to touch, her soul so near and enthralling that his body ignited a temporary pulse of mindless need.
The wraith's sharp stare was sheathed again at her question, inciting a low and dry chuckle like the scrape of dead leaves against pavement. Did he need anything? Revenge, first and foremost. A body that was not in complete ruins would come in at a hot second. But for the moment, the only thing he needed was the raw light that burned like a beacon inside of her, brighter for the beating of her heart and the innocent way she fidgeted on her feet. Unfortunately, he wasn't even strong enough to take the tiniest sip from her hearty form, her state of health comfortably keeping her life force where it belonged.
"Death." He murmured, so quiet and muffled by the patterned material across his face that it was nearly lost. He needed death, either his own or another's, and then he would be secure until the night came again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2007 5:03 pm
Such eyes...They had almost a hypnotizing effect, rippling straight through muscles, through bone, and the silvery female found herself enthralled for a moment, only stirring when a rasp of a chuckle flittered through the howls of the wind to reach her. She found her wings beginning to rustle a little, some basic instinct inside her warning of danger that she was only beginning to understand. Danger here, danger to her...to them both. Seizing upon this thought, something within her consciousness rippled and took control, causing those bright eyes to suddenly cloud, those great wings sagging open like a puppet who's strings had been cut. Her head was slumped as well, blank eyes wide and staring, a doll's eyes. But without warning, the doll jerked and came back to life, an arrogant toss of her head ridding any shadow of doubt as to whether she was alive or not.
Lips curled quietly in a sneer, baring teeth in a grin that held no warmth while those once-innocent eyes narrowed amusedly, suddenly tainted, and frostily slipped across the wraith with idle disdain. "Death?" Even her tone had altered, husky and rough as she mocked him gently, seating herself without a word. Those wings flared for a moment, a rough snap of them dislodging the bloated parasite without a word, despite its gurgling shriek of protest. Landing with a wet splat, the leech oozed for a moment, then wriggled close, far too used to its mistress' strange alteration in moods.
"Now that, I could grant you." Tsunake mused, her tails whisking here and there, icy eyes pinned on the wraith with predatory interest. "If you can give me a reason why." This seemed to be little more than a game to her, though the other in front of her had obviously suffered to bring himself to this state. She knew little of how he worked or why--it didn't interest her. The female said nothing more, a smirk still pulling at her lips which now hid the threat of teeth, waiting idly for this stranger to reply. "You have a name?" How long had it been since she'd been out? This was far too malicious for her tastes, but Tsunake found she couldn't help herself. After all--the last time she'd been out, it'd only been so that b*****d could get in her way.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 5:32 pm
There was a subtle shift in the air, something that was not the wind stirring against his reanimated flesh in slow circles of thoughtful energy. Raziel watched with blank caution as the newest nuisance to enter into his life seemed to lose control of her body, her eyes wide and staring like wells filled with frozen water as she slouched and took on the appearance of something newly dead. Her heartbeat slowed down but refused to stop as it pumped relentlessly into his ears and made him think of the humans bound to vampiric contract, untouchable to all but their owners, and always made available to the last. The unnatural stillness continued only a moment longer before a sharp movement revived her, awareness and something new coiling over to heat the icy stare.
His own incisors peeked from the top of their hiding place, the gesture made more interesting by the fact that he had nothing in the way of flesh to draw over his mouth and keep them from presenting a threat. He guessed her problem was possession as he eyed her with stony dislike, his thoughts from before outweighed by some age old instinct of self-preservation. He knew of very few creatures that could dominate the rightful personality of a being and substitute their own, but his ignorance on the subject did not overrule it as a possibility.
The wraith said nothing in response to her taunting, suspicious of her intentions and suddenly arriving back at the thought of unlikely assassins. The one who had originally spoken to him might have been a pointless effort made in the spirit of forcing him to drop his guard, giving the second, more brutal thing a chance to destroy him.
But if that was the case, then why would she be asking him his name? His numerous assumptions were adding up to a towering pile of nothing, and he was hardly in any shape to interrogate the kitsusagi hovering over him with potentially deadly intent.
"Raziel," He decided at last to merely say it instead of delivering a series of heated barbs in the form of words, too tired to exercise his wit with a hired hitman. "And my reasons are my own to know."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jun 27, 2007 11:45 am
She eyed him cleverly for a moment more, relentless in her amusement with this new-found toy. His name was met with a slight sneer, but those heated eyes were content to bore holes in his skull. "Your own to know?" Tsunake scoffed, her tails snapping with an impatience that she did little to hide. Did this rotting fool think he could trick her? "You're as bad as any. You want my help? Then I'll get some answers." She mused, paws flexing some as though she wouldn't mind lashing out if he decided to be fresh--yet she'd still made no move as far as getting aggressive went. Silver tails mingled with the tattered strips of her dress, all whisking here and there within the unrelenting gales.
"You don't hardly look like you're too far from death yourself." Tsunake questioned idly, teeth flashing in an unkindly way as she took another moment to glance him up and down, noting the way he'd seemed to lag in his responses. His fangs too, caught her eye and held it, and that smirk grew wider when she realized there was no fleshy barrier to cover them. Curiouser and curiouser...For a moment more, she watched him, another question tactfully presenting itself. "So. What good will death do you? Be it your own or another's..." The last too, was a question, eyes narrowing slightly as she tilted her jaw to glance at him from an angle, lips still curling upward. He'd never specified who it was for, after all...
"Tsunake." The word seemed almost out of place, brought on by nothing at all except a torrent of her own thoughts. There was no description, no explanation afterwards--was there any reason to describe her name? Perhaps she had some manners. He'd given her his name, though she'd demanded it, and now she'd allow him to know hers. "At least you picked a lovely place to rot." The female noted, her eyes lowering slyly. "The wind helps hide the smell."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:13 pm
"I did not ask for your help," He snapped on the end of her statement, icy anger manifesting in the way his eyes brightened, twin orbs precursors to the unhurried moon as the sky melted in one corner of the horizon with dying colors. "And I owe you nothing; much less answers to questions you should not bother phrasing." Who did this woman think she was? He'd had many masters throughout the centuries, different natures and faces to govern his temperament and wield him to their advantage, but she held no such sway. She merely thought herself superior because he was unable to retaliate with the swiftness her insolence required.
His breathing, if he had needed to do something so mundane as breathe, would have been ragged, irritated by the pale kitsu who presumed to shake so many explanations from him and offered little but empty words laced with threat in return. He would make no request of her, would beg for nothing, much less a chance that would eventually come to him in due time with little action on his part. Her constant, cutting remarks did not wound him, his self-worth nearly as difficult to damage as the rest of his unusual body; but it played the proper role as his muscles stiffened and he could feel the hunger stabbing at him with new resolve. The night was his time, his leverage against all other weakness. When it came, she would realize her mistake in toying with a creature of darkness and insatiable thirst, a fiend that had long ago forgotten the purpose of humanity.
The suddenness of the name was a surprise, almost a white flag where everything else had been a declaration of war. For a rare moment, the hatred in him fizzled out, bewildered by the withdrawal. But then her comment about his choice of surroundings came, and a growl resounded low and menacing.
"Another's," He informed her with decided succinctness while the wind howled a warning overhead as the skies darkened further. "And I do not rot."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
