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 Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 7:47 pm
The night was young and a chill was in the air. Snow had fallen earlier and Verdauga cursed it silently... Or rather, now he did. When the weather first turned her cursed awful loudly to the point that if there were any Helixes in the area, they probably left. He could be a frightening sight when he wanted to be, especially what with missing an eye and a foreleg.
This particular evening he had caught himself a rather delicious and plump hare. It was colder than the South, yet prey was so bountiful that he couldn't complain all that much. He was safe, well fed, and thankful. He was growing more used to his artificial limb and his hunting was almost back to normal...
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 8:19 pm
Adrenaline is a powerful thing, it changed a creature both in appearance, behavior, and in abilities. Sorpresa looked positively feral as she ran faster than she ever thought she could in the darkness of night. Her fur was risen up all along her neck and neck, making her look bigger than she really was. Deep heavy pants sounded ragged in her desperate attempt to breathe while she ran. It all began with a story during the day. Packs gathering together during a simple meeting. She had been so delighted to go with her pack and listen to the news. Then that helix appeared and with him came rumors that made her blood turn cold. He told of a nasty creature accused of stealing many treasures and doing other horrible crimes. The helix accused only had one eye and a peg leg. She didn't believe him at first, she knew Verdauga, she had met him! He was friendly and helpful! But who else could it be? It explained his fear of her when he first saw her. It all made sense...she didn't want to believe it though. How could he deceive her? How could he do such a thing? She felt honestly betrayed that he didn't show his true nature, or did he? The male helix set up a hunting party of angry helixes that also knew of his crimes and wanted to put an end to it all...permanently. Sorpresa could do nothing as she had to follow her pack back home. Thankfully the party went south and west where they guess he'd escaped. Sorpresa owed Verdauga her life, he had saved her when she was lost. As subtly as she could, knowing others in her own pack also wanted to kill him she sneaked out of her home base alone by night fall. She looked past his crimes and found she still didn't hate him. She looked at her own feelings and decided she still cared about him, a lot. To be honest with herself she was scared for him! The more she thought about it the faster she ran. She wanted to get to him before they gained up on him like primitive animals and did him harm. With the adrenaline pumping through her system she became a frightening looking creature as she raced to where she knew he lived. When she made it she hid. She could not be seen by anyone but him, she wasn't supposed to be out of camp. She could get in trouble but didn't care. She smelled his scent and began tracking him down. She must warn him, it was urgent!
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 8:31 pm
The young male was nearly grown and most adept at caring for himself, especially with the rogue of a life he was living. He had always been a bit of a loner, save for his early days with his mother's pack. It was the band of thieves that had taught him their ways and skewed his mind between and wrong. He wasn't completely like them. He valued life just as much as they had taught him to value trinkets, which was why everything had been so horrible. He felt sorrow in every part of his being and the thought of those pups...
It ate him up inside.
He gnawed on the little bones that remained as he fell deep into thought and self loathing. His tail swished slowly and he laid his head on his paws. The bushes that surrounded his sleeping spot did well to shade him from the light of the moon and provide a false sense of security.
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Posted: Fri Nov 28, 2008 8:47 pm
The sounds that would meet his ears would be that of deep ragged panting and bushes shuffling. An exhausted Sorpresa found Verdauga with her eyes and walked over, collapsing on her side and panting hard to gain her breathe back so she could speak. Her eyes were different from before, not in color but in emotions. The eyes are the window to the soul, her soul was not happy go lucky right now, but tortured and scared and desperate. Like it wanted to jump out of it's body and relay the message since the body wasn't being fast enough for it. It also carried the painful knowledge that her friend was being hunted, she knew and was grateful she had a chance to warn him.
She started whining "Run...please hide...not west! Need to...they..." She couldn't form sentences just yet so she tried to make her words count. She panted trying to settle down, the adrenaline was leaving, making her bone tired from her long run here.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 1:19 pm
Verdauga’s pierced ears pricked as rather alarming sounds rushed towards him. For a moment his blood ran cold and it felt as though his heart had skipped a beat or two. His muscles tensed and his fur bristled. It was either fight or flight and he was ready to run, as he had been doing for seasons. He was almost an adult, now, and most of his life had been spent on the run.
It took him a moment to recognize the scent and the helix that came with it. His friend was breathing hard and her words made little sense. What was she babbling on about that was so important? Clearly there was some sort of danger, but was it danger to him or danger to her. She was such a sweet natured helix that he found himself missing her immensely and he even thought he might have feelings for her… Not that it would ever be possible, what with him being a monster. Did she know? If it was he who was in danger, why did she come back? That would involve knowing the truth, knowing him for what he really was, and why would anyone want to warn him?
“S-sorpresa? Are y’ awright, lass?” There was an earnest worry in his voice as he stood and peered down at her with his single, worried blue eye.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 1:52 pm
Sorpresa forced herself to stand up. The party had all day to check the west territory, north and neutral would be next. East last probably since the mountains made it difficult territory to travel in. She could hear distant howls far behind her translating that he hadn't been found in the West. Adrenaline shot through her again, what if neutral territory was next?
"You need...to go...to run...cannot...let..them...hurt you. ..Must hide....Run!..not west...go now...." She told him between pants."
She sniffed out places around his den and home where his scent was strongest and started rolling in the scent, trying to either cover it with her own scent or act as a decoy scent. She dug dirt over his sleeping place and covered it with a branch of strong smelling pine. She rubbed herself against trees, along the ground, getting herself dirty in her attempt to cover his scent with her own. Stomping around to make confusing footprints in all directions. Before they got here she would have several decoy trails. In every way she was making sure her scent was strongest in the area.
"Now...we're even." She said, locking eyes with him, thinking about the time he saved her. Her debt would be repaid. It wasn't the only reason she was saving him though, that much should be easy to realize. She could have been heartless and let them get him, as revenge for his crimes. He had never done her harm though and she wasn't that type of helix. She cared about Verdauga, wanted to save him just like she helped to save Narcissa, looking past her crimes too.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 1:58 pm
His ears pricked and he lifted his head in the direction of the howls in the West... So she had come to help him. His heart was sinking fast. She was upset, something he had hoped to avoid, and now he would have to leave his new and rather pleasant home.
His frame tensed again as he watched her muddle his scent with her own. Perhaps it would work, but perhaps it wouldn't. She was placing herself with him and surely this would do nothing but hurt herself. The anguish of the thought was overpowering and he felt he would weep, something unusual for a proud male. He was far from proud...
"Why... Why are you doin' this?" He couldn't just leave. He couldn't just leave without knowing what it was going through her mind. He didn't want to leave her in danger and one thought plowed through his mind: Everything he touched withered.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 2:15 pm
The answer should have been obvious to him, but then maybe the crimes quilted him into feelings of unworthiness? Or maybe he didn't care at all and wondered why she bothered? Whatever the reason she answered him.
"Your my friend, please listen and go! They come in numbers, I don't want you to die!" She growled in defiance of the very idea, eyes full of worry.
She made a whining sound again, Sorpresa nuzzled his shoulder in a kind farewell since she didn't know if she'd see him again after this then used her head to push him away, in the direction of the East.
Her panting was not completely stopping, fear for him kept her on edge. "Head for the bamboo forests and tall mountains. I doubt they'll want to track you in all that. Go Verdauga, now before they come! .....Be safe...." She whimpered the last part, ears flattened against her head, sad puppy-like golden eyes staring into his soul, licking her own nose out of nervousness.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 2:21 pm
"Ah... Ah will.. I'll go.." He couldn't suppress the small whimper that left his tightened throat and his gaze softened as he peered into her sad golden eyes with his single, distraught blue one.
"If they... If they find out y'elped me, y'll be in deep dung, lass... Sorpresa." He returned the farewell nuzzle and every fiber of his being wanted to stay with her, though he hardly knew anything about her. She probably had a mate already, and besides... All he would be doing was condemning her life, as well. He couldn't bring her down to his own level. He had been doing that too much already by merely thinking of himself as her friend.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 2:37 pm
"We've been in danger before together and survived, we can do it again." She nodded with determination. She knew the risks before she left the south in search for him. She knew the possible trouble, and remembered the threat of large groups of angry helixes.
The sad thing she knew was that Eastern territory was hard to navigate, even for her. That's why so many winged helixes lived there, it was easy for them. That meant finding her friend again would be a slow and very difficult process. If they met again at all, she wasn't sure. She just hoped for his safety above all else.
"I will search for you when I can scout in the East." She promised, sorrow in her heart. "Goodbye...Verdauga." Her voice broke a little, she frowned and redoubled her efforts to cover his scent around the den. The false trails and covered scents were vital right now in giving him time. He had to hurry, every minute counted.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 2:43 pm
"There's no... No excuse for what ah've done... But... Thankee." He gave a heavy, sad sigh and turned in the direction of the East. Hopefully things would work out there and he hoped that, more than ever, he would see this beautiful Gamma again and that he had not ruined her life in addition to his own. The mere thought crushed him like a bug under paw.
"We'll be awright... Goodbye... Ah hope t' see y'again." He forced the words out, though they threatened to catch in his throat. He could hardly make himself move as he watched her redouble her own efforts to help him... To help a murderer. He gulped quietly, then shot off into the darkness of the forest as fast as his three legs and his pegged one could possibly carry him.
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Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:11 pm
Sorpresa didn't stop her efforts even as the sun went down. She could hear the dangerous pack coming closer as each hour passed. She finished covering his tracks and making decoy trails, covering his scent. Except the den, that's where it was strongest. So she removed the branch and laid in it herself for a while.
Finally when she knew they were very close and was satisfied that his scent was covered she buried the den saturated in her scent to make it look like she had just moved out and it was now an unused den. Then she raced to the river nearby, jumping in she let the current take her. It went south right past the hunting pack and also washed Verdauga's scent from her. She had done all that she could.
She had plenty of worries but could do nothing about them now. She exited the river and walked tiredly back to her jungle. Hopefully the pack wouldn't ask too many questions. If worse came to worse she could tell them about the bear that chased her into Neutral territory so long ago, without telling them about her helpful friend who helped her get back.
She had to act like she didn't know him.
She can't know who he is.
She can't know what he looks like.
She must pretend to think he's a horrible person.
Just like everyone else did.
Even when her heart told her a different story about a kind and helpful friend.
She could not listen to her heart that cried.
If anyone knew that she knew Verdauga it would mean severe questioning and punishment.
With an empty expression she entered her pack's hide out...
End
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