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 Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 9:24 am
Another day...
Just another day and Baku once again found himself with nothing better to do than lounge in a tree looking across the savanna. His extra appendages in plain sight for all to see, but there was absolutely no one around who could possibly even notice him within the canopy. It was a somewhat annoying to think that no mortals were around to bask in his presence. True, their pathetic existence just raked at every nerve that the God had, Baku quite enjoyed playing with the lives of his underlings. Afterall, that's what they were here for. What else could they -possiblly- be good for? Baku had not been able to come up with an alternative answer to this question since he was a mere cub, and by now he's learned to not even ponder it. The answer was simple.
Yawning, Baku looked across the yellowed land and watched as a rare breeze rustled the tall grasses. Nope, not a soul in sight. Not even a mangy mutt. Deciding the take advantage of this, Baku allowed himself to relax and close his eyes for a mid-day nap. Afterall, Baku wasn't immune to the heat of the sun. That was one of the few things that the God and the mortals had in common.
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Posted: Fri Aug 10, 2007 11:51 am
Audilifu swiftly reminded herself of just why she preferred the cooler mountain tops, where the snow lingered, instead of the savanna. It wasn't just that the snow and ice provided her with natural mirrors, nor was it the natural beauty the pure white land held either. It was without a doubt the fact that the high up mountain places were cold; Dili had always liked the cold. She could bare it better than the warmth of the sun that was currently beating down on her body as she flew on.
Finally having grown tired of it, she deemed it time to move and take cover under the shade of a tree. Thus was how the pink hued goddess found herself landing in the middle of the savanna; not even a breeze seemed to blow, and her naturally beautiful pelt was damp from sweat due to her long flight. She felt dirty, sticky, and not all too happy about it; if there was something Truth prided herself in, it was her image. Despite the fact her long, curly pink bangs were plastered across her forehead and horn, she was still a sight to be seen, standing out like a sore thumb in the middle of the orange hued grass.
Her wings were not withdrawn, but rather, as was usual in her, Audilifu padded along the mortal world displaying them with pride. Few mortals had really been acquaintance with her, really; and those few that were, either had thought her a mirage, a dream, or already knew about the gods and their ways. It didn't matter however, such thoughts were not within Truth's mind at the time; all she wanted was the shade of a tree, and possibly, a nice pool to cool down her body temperature. She hardly thought panting would be lady like.
A tree greeted her in the distance, and thus, with a grim expression, the goddess set course for it, her head held low, almost as if she were hunting, purple eyes narrowed. She was in a bad mood, and it showed in the way she was almost bristling, "Stupid heat," the words were murmured as she sat herself at the base of the tree; she was barely the picture of elegance, rather out of character for her. Rather, she practically dropped herself down on the ground without care, lifting a cloud of dust which she batted away with her wings mildly, and this done, she closed her eyes, her head resting on her paws.
It was then a breeze swept by her, and though she was grateful for the slight cooling sensation, her eyes shot open. Her head lifted slowly from it's perch on her paws and she turned to look up at the god perched above her form. No words were offered to him; just a heavy lidded gaze, her eyes traveling to take in his form, but never resting on his own dark gaze. Tilting her head slightly, she refrained from asking the obvious.
Who are you?
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Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2007 6:50 am
The proceedings of the Goddess went unnoitced by Baku as he lounged upon his branch of choice. It wasn't until he felt the stare of eyes upon him that he cracked and eye lazily. With a sigh he shifted his head upon his paws to look down and was greeted with a rather beautiful sight. Lifting his head, now fully awake and aware, Baku gazed down at the Goddess below. She was certainly not one he had met before as he was certain that he'd remember -her-. And her calculating gaze just confirmed his notions. It certainly wasn't everyday that he ran into another immortal and suck a looker as well.
Giving his maw a lick Baku dared to answer the unspoken question that shone in the Goddess's eyes. "Baku, God of Nightmares." He spoke with a slightly lazy tone. Rising from his perch Baku negotiated the branch for a moment before leaping down, using his wings to lighten the fall. Turning, he laid eyes on the female again and it was quite apparent that she had been laboring in the sun. Baku own mane was rather dry, but the God had learned what venturing out the sun did to one's image long ago. Apparently this Goddess had not. Despite her sweat soaked fur and 'man' Baku couldn't help but still feel the femme was still quite a sight to see. "And who might you be?" He spoke with interest as he lowered his backside to the ground, making sure he was fully within the shade of the lonely tree.
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Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2007 7:46 am
Despite the softness of her movements and gaze, there was an underlying intelligence that shone within the goddess' eyes. Not only did she remain still as Baku shifted from his branch, to land on the ground, but she regarded him slowly before offering a smile of her own, "Audilifu; I am Truth," her eyes had drifted shut for just a moment before the reopened, hooded, penetrating, almost as if the female were trying to see beyond what was presented to her.
It wasn't till she'd spoken that she finally tore her gaze from him, a paw lifting to brush the annoyingly soaked mane out of her eyes, "For a nightmare, you're quite a sight to behold; I like your mane. I think white suits you," she was known for being blunt; that what travelled her mind was usually voiced without inhibition. Brutal honesty, Dili had no trouble in voicing what she thought; she'd only allowed those near her heart to remain untouched by her words. Despite this, she felt the male before her was quite a sight to behold, and unless he proved himself to be dimwitted, he'd have her respect.
Her realm had always been seen as 'good'. Dili would beg to differ; Truth could be brutal. She had lost count how many times blood had been shed in the name of 'Truth' and honor. Not that is particularly bothered her, really, for she was above it all; live to learn, and live to see. It was her curiosity, and her thirst for knowledge and truth that drove her. It was also this, no doubt, what kept the pink hued female resting calmly in her place, despite the fact this male could probably lead to trouble, some way or another.
A calculated pause followed before she spoke, her tongue passing over her paws as she groomed herself from her ventures in the heat, "I'm sorry," her eyes lifted from her work, fixed almost innocently upon him, "I didn't mean to bother you; I didn't catch your scent. Had I known you were resting here, I'd have left you to it. It was just too hot to go on," which was, of course, the truth, "I did not wish to intrude," another pause, her eyes opening fully slowly, instead of remaining hooded, "What is it that a nightmare most fears, these days?" the words were said cheerfully as her tail swished over the floor; she was bored, and this male, might just probe to be entertaining. Or fascinating. That was up to him and his choice of words, however.
His realm was interesting, at least... that was a start.
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Posted: Sat Aug 11, 2007 8:52 am
Blunt. Yep this Goddess said what she wanted when she wanted and that payed tribute to the realm she reigned. Now, Baku wasn't one for bluntness, no he much prefered to dance around the truth with his words. It worked oh-so-well when with mortals for they were naive enough to believe whatever a God said to them but with a Goddess who's reinging realm was truth, maybe a change in tactics was in store. Maybe this femme could be more of an equal. Baku had met few other immortals who had shared similar views as him, or views even remotely close. Maybe this Goddess would be one of those few. Baku certainly hoped so.
"I can assure you that I am put to shame when near you, Audilifu." He replied with a smirk as he rustled his bat-like wings causing the chains upon them to ring with a pleasant sound. He watched her calculating gaze. Those eyes shone with so much more intelligence than he'd seen in quite some time. Yes, maybe finally he had found someone he may be able to call an equal.
"No reason to be sorry. The tree is more than large enough for us to share and if I had not wanted company I could have easily moved higher into the boughs to slumber." The words rolled from his mouth easily. Speaking the plain truth was not something Baku was accustom to but required much less thought to produce. There was no disguising words or beating around the bush. Hopefully this Goddess would appreciate the fact of his no-facade speaking.
Her last question though caused Baku to chuckle. "The only thing I fear is being annoyed by the persistent naivety of the mortals." He shifted slightly as he curled his tail around his haunches. "Now I must ask why you were torturing yourself under the savanna sun. Very few move from the shade of the trees and foliage when the sun reaches it's peak." Emerald eyes gazed into purple as Baku's eyes met this femme's.
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Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2007 9:31 am
He was being honest.
A brow arched, hiding under the pink bangs that threatened to obscure her eyes from view. Brushing a paw across her forehead, she pushed them away, hoping they'd dry up soon enough; at least her heart rate and her sweating had lowered down to a normal level. However, she still felt that she needed a bath; particularly, she felt like finding a nice cool, crystalline spring to bathe in. This god's presence seemed to keep her rooted to spot though; he was interesting. She could take a swim later, after they'd parted ways, "Ah," she said softly, offering him a true smile; it held no malice, nor did it hold any hidden intentions, "You're being honest; this is amusing," she chuckled, her eyes closing briefly before they settled on his form again, "Please do not take offense in my words; you see, when I meet others, they are always careful with what they say. They tiptoe around the truth, and they lie to me. It is refreshing to see someone doing otherwise."
Truth was not naive; far from it. In fact, she was quite the opposite; there was no way a female that had seen the truths of the world could be anything but, and thus, she knew that deep down, he had his reasons for being honest to her. They didn't matter though, for the time being at least; he was interesting enough, and that was all what mattered.
Her tongue dipped out of her maw as she settled with grooming herself, an attempt to make her coat look presentable again as he spoke, "Mortals are essential; without them, we would not be gods," the words were soft, a soft ring to them as her eyes twinkled at him; almost as if a hidden message had just gone through. It was her way of speech however; she was not only blunt, but had demonstrated time and time again that she could dance around the truth like no other; so long a half truth was uttered, it was in fact, true, "If there were no mortals, we'd have no one to compare ourselves against, and thus by default, we would not be gods, but rather, the normal."
Audilifu had acted herself to be superior to others; it was not in her nature to do so, however... mortals were mortals to her, and could not compare. She was indeed, of a different breed, however, she was elegant about it and never bragged; she worried over her brother's decision to love a mortal, to say the least.
It presented problems, such as the fact... gods lived very long lives, while mortals died with ease. It would be soon that they would have to part; that mortal would die, and her brother would be left alone to mourn her death till the end of time. Truth had long ago promised herself to keep her heart to herself; that was why although she'd played with mortals, interacted with them, and allowed herself to watch them, she'd never truly gotten close to them. She was way out of their league. It was also this though that had always prevented her from falling in love; with mortal or otherwise, really.
A pause followed as Baku spoke, however, it was only minimal, and the goddess looked away for a moment, her smile shadowed over by sadness for a moment, "I was on my way to check on my brother," her eyes narrowed down a fraction, and though she looked back at him, her smile was nothing like the previous one; perhaps nostalgic, "I'm worried over him; he's made a mistake. A mistake I shall never make. Deception never was known for looking into the future," her eyes finally met his, something clouding them.
Her mistake had been that she had forgotten a golden rule of life; never say never.
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Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2007 5:28 pm
Score one for Baku. The young God couldn't help the thought as it crossed his mind. Why he was unsure, afterall, Baku had never been romantically attracted to anyone before. He had never come across a female that ever made his head turn or wish to change...some...of his ways for, but this female was already triggering something within his cold and blackened heart. It was somewhat frightening but even more exhilerating. The unknown has always been an attraction to the God of Nightmares and fear just made that unknown even tastier.
"Ther eyou may be right. That doesn't mean that I have to like the fact that mortals exist. So much that they do just seems like idiocy to me. Their short lives just don't seem worth living." Baku shrugged. "I am sure they think otherwise, but I am here only to judge, and maybe toy with them." Straight and blunt. If this lioness didn't like his take on things than she was not worth the time he spent to talk to her though her next set of sentences caught his interest.
"A mistake you say?" He laughed. "Let me guess. Such said mistake includes falling in love with one of the mortals. That, my dear, is the biggest mistake a God of Goddess could ever do. They are condeming themselves to love another who will not live even a quarter of their own life span. Sometimes I wonder if such immortals are as naive as the mortals." Yes, Baku had just insulted Audilifu's brother, and no he cared not for he spoke what he thought and what he thought was the truth in his own mind. And byu her own phrasing it seemed she thought the same though in not so many words. "I am glad to hear you shelter your own heart from such childish things. I just hope your brother will come to his senses before he's too far gone."
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Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 5:35 am
A sigh from the goddess as she pressed the palm of her right paw to her own face, looking almost dramatic for a moment, her gaze looking out towards the distance, "I hinted at them that it would not end well; gods and mortals are not meant to mate and fall in love. If not because the rules of the game forbid it... because of the simple fact that their love can not last long. Mortals have a tendency to die," she dropped her paw to the floor again, turning to gaze at the god of Nightmares. Slowly, she offered him another smile, almost playful in nature as she winked, "Well, Deception has never been known for thinking things through; he is as naive as he is persistent. That what he's wanted, he's gotten. It's both a good point and a bad point, I figure. I admire perseverance and persistence... that said, my brother is indeed innocent. I love him though; that's what love is about," winking again, Audilifu held up a finger, "Loving someone indicates you care about what happens to them, despite their many faults."
Tell truth, she didn't share his view on mortals; not completely anyhow. She agreed on some points, and wasn't all that sure about others, however, she seemed to accept his side of the story with a smile. Because that's what Truth did; she accepted the truth from others, "I do not group all mortals together; I find some of them to be..." a pause as she waved a paw slightly, trying to pin point the word that best described what she felt, "Rather interesting, really. It depends though; opinions are for each to express and accept," again she offered him a smile; if anything, it was clear she valued herself above mortals in a way that she was talking about them as one would talk about the weather, or a rock on the floor she could simply ignore if she wished.
Her way of talking and choosing words seemed to indicate that she could be cruel if the time come; elegantly so. The truth could hurt more than a lie could; it just depended on the time and space. This goddess, though she maintained a smile for the most part, could be extremely sly, cunning, and dangerous, given certain circumstances, "Ah, you've got me wrong however," finally turning to look away from him, she shook her head, happy to note that the bangs of pink hair were no longer plastered against her forehead; they danced about her long unicorn horn as she moved, "I do not shelter my heart from love; just from falling in love with the wrong individual... is all."
She knew that love was blind, however, she simply avoided personal contact with mortals, usually. Yes, she showed herself to them, and enjoyed the attention the showered her in (after all, Audilifu knew she was beautiful, and had no problem flaunting it at times, when she thought there was something to gain; the fact she remain 'innocent' around others did not mean she didn't know better), she avoided getting attached to them, "It's been quite long since I've spoken to another god, actually," a pause as she turned to smile at him, "The God of Pleasure was the last I spoke to, my siblings, Denial and Deception not withstanding; Pleasure was handsome, but you sport a unique trait he did not. You look like an intriguing mix of dangerous and gentlemanly, in your own way; you are interesting. More so than Pleasure was," then again, Pleasure had been weighted down by his own problems, concerning mortal women, when Truth had found him, not too long ago, "I am pleased to meet you, and feel free to call me Dili, if you so wish to," a second pause followed, the goddess' eyes opening fully, an innocent expression flashing through her features for a moment, childish even; it was not a facade however, that much was obvious as she tilted her head, "When you sleep, do you only have nightmares? Or do you have dreams too?" it was an honest question, curiosity twinkling around her words as she edged nearer to him, avoiding the sun as it shrunk the shade the tree offered.
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Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 7:17 am
Baku couldn't help but smirk at the lionesses overdramatic posture. She was certainly an entertaining Goddess and one that, for a change, didn't grind on Baku's nerves. Some were just so opionanted that they wished to quell whomever didn't agree with their point of view. To each their own. True, Baku thoght he himself was correct, but he wasn't g oing to try to squash anyone's elses thoughts on the matter. Yes, he'd attempt to convince but call it quits if it was obvious that such a thing wasn't going to work. It seemed this femme and he, though they had some similar views on various topics, had their own views on other matters. It didn't irk Baku at all. In fact it just pleased him to see this female wasn't going to overlord her thoughts towards him.
"From what I heard love is not all that logical. You may try to keep yourself falling from the wrong person but how can you tell who you should fall for and who you shouldn't? Do you break it down into two categories? Mortals are those you keep yourself from falling for and immortals are the ones you allow yourself to be completely open to? Or is there more to the equation?"
An ear twitched slightly at the mention of the God of Pleasure. Baku had not had the 'honor' of meeting said God but his reputation certainly proceeded him. The God of Nightmares was sure, at this point, that he truly did not want to meet said God. The God of Pleasure would surely fall into the category of annoying for Baku. The compliments and comparison to the God of Pleasure certainly filled and grew Baku's head. He was on a higher standard than Pleasure and that made Baku feel all the more superior.
Baku was certainly ready to hear a few more compliments so he was a bit taken back by Dili's question. He stared for a moment before composing himself and chuckling. "Even the God of Nightmares has dreams, as few as they are. I usually sleep without any interruption from nightmares or dreams. You could say that my sleep can be rather boring but I do not mind much. I'd rather sleep contently than be woken up or disturbed by my mind's unconcious stirrings. Now, I feel it's only fair if I ask you a similar question." He grinned. "When you experience nightmares, do you cower away from what they hold or do you embrace them in their full beauty? I feel that nightmares hold more truth than dreams. Afterall, what is there to fear in a dream that usually surpasses all logic of reality. I believe that being fear Nightmares because of the truth they hold. They are unable to accept what is the truth and so the shy away or cower from the beauty and truth that is nightmares, no matter how twisted the truth is or isn't."
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Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2007 2:50 pm
There was a pause as the goddess looked away, towards the horizon, watching the wind play about with the distant bushes, "Nightmares..." her words halted for a bare second, during which she brought a paw to her maw and thought, plainly visible, of what he'd just asked her. When she finally turned to face him, her eyes were wide open, no longer sporting a sly expression, but rather, looking very much like a child; there was something about her temper and how it changed that could have reminded Baku of a child, had he spent time with them. At least an underlying hint of one anyhow, "I've only had one nightmare."
The words were breathed without shame, however, the whisper was almost barely heard, the lioness perking her ears slightly, then twitching them to make an act of listening to the distance, almost as if checking that no one else was listening in on what she was saying, "It's always the same; ever since I was small, very young," a pause and a chuckle, "I don't even remember much from that time when I was small, but that's a moot point; fact is... it's always the same. It frightens me, alas, only a fool would shove away their fears and not recognise they frighten you."
Again she lifted her paw to her maw, looking through him, instead of focusing on his form, almost as if using the time to look within her own mind to recollect her thoughts, "In it, I am alone, and there is darkness, and no matter how much I run, or in which direction I go, there is no end to it. No one else is there. It is lonely and cold; I've always been afraid of being alone. Not the darkness, but rather, the idea of being alone. My parents... I don't know them. My mind can only stretch back to where it was my brother and myself, and we had to part ways soon, because our realms clashed; Truth and Deception," a sad smile at this point, her eyes refocusing on him, "So then, it was just me, for the longest time. I've always been afraid of being eternally alone. I don't like solitude; it's not the darkness that frightens me. It's the fact no one else is there; it's cold and has no emotions. It's a blank landscape... kind of like a snow marred field, high up in the mountains, where the lakes are frosted over. It's cold, silent and lonely there," turning to offer him another smile, this one honest, she closed her eyes, "That's my nightmare; so far it's truthful in what it shows. I'm a peculiar being; I crave others, and yet I reject them, as soon as they get close to me; in a way, you can say I'm afraid of caring... of falling in love. I am afraid of falling in love with the wrong person, so I don't love anyone."
It was the truth, in all sense of the word; it must have been amusing, how this female was so readily... happy to reveal what her nightmares were, without fear they could be used against. It wasn't trust, but rather, merely the way Audilifu had always been. She seemed to lapse out of her previous nostalgic expression and offered a chuckle; it wasn't an annoying sound or rude, but rather, honestly amused, "By the way; you look quite adorable when you're surprised; almost boyishly cute," a pause, and she drew her paw to her maw, only just thinking of what she'd said and the fact it could be taken as an insult, and thus the childish innocence seemed to return for a moment, "I didn't mean that in a rude way, and nor am I trying to take a blow at your ego," her eyes narrowed, "I've had males think I was belittling them with such a comment before... tell truth, I think adorable is just fine, thank you," another smile as she lowered her paw, "What is your nightmare then? What is your dream? There is no need for me to voice my dream; you can probably deduce it from my nightmare, lord of the nightmares," she bowed her head slightly and winked at him at this point.
Suddenly, she was rather glad she'd gone out in such foul weather to check on Ushaufu.
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Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 10:02 am
Baku had seen cubs before, mortal cubs, but cubs none-the-less and Audilifu very much resembled a cub with her eyes so wide and bright. He listened intently to her story and lost himself in the beauty that was the nightmare she experienced. As she told the story Baku could see the nightmare unfolding before his 'eyes'. Not only could Baku see the fear reflecting in her dream-self's eyes but taste and smell it as well. It was like a drug to him, causing the male to lick his maw as the intoxicating scent filled his senses. He did not miss the words she said though. Opening his eyes which had closed involuntarily Baku looked at the femme with a smirk. "With every nightmare you have you must realize you're not alone. Every time you fall into sleep and slip into my domain you are connected, in some way, to me." He grinned. "So in a sense..." Baku whispered, "You've known me all your life."
His wings moved ever-so-slightly but the chains hanging from them ringed a melodic pitch. Her comment to him was enough to make Baku take a little offense but her quick apology and explanation eased his ruffled pride. Instead of commentiong on her supposed aompliment Baku ignored what she said completely instead, he happily stayed on the topic of his realm. "Nightmares, I have many but none take any predominance in my life. Some are about myself, most are dreams of mortals that I manage to connect with in some way or another. I don't particularly fear anything. Afterall, we are immortal, and the only thing I could possibly fear is death." He stopped for a moment and considered some more words before continueing. "I will admit that the idea of living my life alone is somewhat troubling, but I do not fear it. Let the fates and Mkodi decide what is to come to me. Afterall, we may be Gods but she is the Goddess of us all. She'll decide what is best for us."
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