|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Dec 06, 2008 1:48 am
Mmm...
The winds whipped furiously around a pivoting head, paws not giving in to the fire that burned just below wilted, auburn fur.
That sweet, sweet fragrance.
The haggard-ess cooed, lulling her thoughts off the persistent pain this caused. She wheezed breathlessly as the body she worked so hard to keep out-of-shape lurched her forward, headlong into the familiar forest where it became increasingly clear she intended to mingle among the familiar and--not quite familiar smells of her homeland.
Ancient limbs struggled to keep the earth beneath them, stumbling over thick patches of grass and stout shrubs that stood idly (and quite innocently) in her path. With the poor eyesight she bore, every tree became a quick enemy, her bloated form hardly able to bob-and-weave between narrow slits as it once could. Of course, she ignored the plea's her body wailed. She was used to tumbling after a quick sprint, or falling short and gasping for air after sixty-seconds of brief jogging. There had been many things that changed with age, many hardships that came with age, and to worry over her weight or height or mass for what...a Mate? Well, that was hardly a passing thought.
However, to handle her physical form came naturally. She had little care for her features as she did what others saw them as. She was small, with her thick fur matted and tailored to resemble a fox (of course with much less agility and grace as the foxes did uphold, so there stood no comparison, and oft times she did not take kindly to the relation.) Her neck fur had layered with the weight she’d gained, rolling up between both ears and the bulge around her pelvis did not cease to narrow as it lingered down her thighs. Nope, she had plenty to stress over, without adding on the obsession she could have over such trivial things as appearances. What really seemed to set her off, and not to anyone’s fault but her own, was an incapability to control her own sanity. This being said, she feared for any who dared tango with her, even if it be on the kindest of terms...
She hadn't forgotten why she was here, not yet anyways. In fact, it was quite easy to remember regardless of her fleeting memory; 'To wander, in and out of my own personal hell.' Nicely put. She was no longer wanted, or needed anywhere and thus she was a free spirit...to roam was her destiny, and fate lured her back to this forest for whatever purpose it held.
There were plenty of reasons to be weary of this place, plenty of intimate living or nonliving, at this point, things that she should have thought of and chose to avoid by not coming here. And yet, even with these reasons, as valid as they were, her form continued to tear a path right through the soil, her scent left on twigs and leaves that her body rubbed against, rolling down a slope at a quickened pace...much to her dismay.
~
Her haunches docked where her speed sagged to a casual trot, and finally fell to a halt. The surroundings she nestled herself in were hardly worth noting, everything the same (TreeTreePlantTreeShrubTreeLogTree) aside from the creek just below her feet that hummed its way through the woods. Rolling forward for a quick slurp, she could feel her entire mass swell in distress, this resulting in a quick withdrawl that only ended in more pain. What she wouldn’t do for a meal too, while she was here, but of course there wouldn’t be a rabbit or a crow lying dead just for her. That would go against the laws of the universe...luck was no--never on her side and she was well aware of it.
She quivered, the sting of pain now settling in, taking root and soaking her muscles in misery. It took no more than a second to calculate heat+ice water = happiness, resulting in one wet old wolf. It didn't feel all that bad, and the female groaned in pleasure, her bones complying to her actions. She breathed a heavy sigh as a low gurgle came from her stomach.
"What? Whose there?!"
You're stomach, ya goof.
"I know you're out theeere."
Ahh, Soul...
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 7:23 pm
 It seemed Amaury had lost her charge, or her charge had lost her, whichever was the case. Not that either belonged to each other, but she had taken to wandering with the brain-damaged Lite-Brite, and it still concerned her when he took off on his own.
Not enough for her to look for him--at least, not yet.
She continued on her way through the woods in the same direction they had been travelling, knowing that, if he could, he would find her that way. If he couldn't find her…
She would look eventually. She wasn't a babysitter.
She paced ahead through the trees, her dark pelt perfect camouflage against woody bark, though the glint of gold at her ankle threatened to ruin her potential disguise. Swiveled forward, it wasn't hard for her ears to pick up the sound of another creature splashing in a nearby creek. Obviously a creature of the same status of wolf, or they wouldn't be quite so loud.
Then, through the trees: "What? Who's there?"
Amaury froze, then shook herself. It wasn't as though she were sneaking around, though she wasn't positive the strange voice was addressing her--she wasn't exactly announcing her presence.
She broke into the cleared area that surrounded the water and got her first look at the older wolf in the water. Her lips twitched into what may have, with nurturing, become a smile at the ridiculous sight. "Are you addressing me?" she asked.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 11:26 pm
(Wow! I'm really sorry this took so long. :[ My roleplaying hasn't gotten any better I'm afraid! *responds!*)
Gentle tempered Soul, always kind and forgiving; where have you gone?
Soul released a muffled grunt in response.
What years could do to one, aye? Turn something like a rose into the dead weed you’ve become.
Her mind raced as the seconds passed between the new scent and Amaury's official arrival, neither of which really capturing her attention. Within this time the fatty rolled relentlessly in the water, bathing in the suns rays while taking comfort in the sensation she engulfed in her entirety. As if it couldn't have gone assumed, the smell would have to not only waft, but smack her across the snout, and the proximity Amaury gained between Soul was easily enough the kick in the rump she needed. The aroma hit home, sent signals to the very top of her head and without much more hesitation her body jolted. Several staggered steps later Soul was on her feet and panting; of course.
"The water..." She heaved, lost in confusion and jostling her body to and fro trying to rid the weight. "So heavy." Just as all the water dropped back to the stream, those trusty knee’s buckled and as steadily as she could the female fell to her haunches, only to slip straight to her hind.
Her attention fell upon the opposing female once again, eyes their neutral almond shape though holding the same frenzy they always held. Addressing her? The elder thought, let the information soak and then retorted rudely, "Do I even know you?"
Her manners had left with her beauty, I am afraid.
"Shut up!" Croaking abruptly, the female launched up on her back paws again and snarled through bared teeth, heavy breaths rocketing mucus from her nostrils. Her ears pivoted instantly, head reeling to the left.
You'll scare her...
Though her hackles had risen, and the stature she held was no less than threatening, Soul could see the other female and knew those ebony lips she had did not utter a single word.
The skin underlying that fading pelt twitched with anxiety as she composed as much needed to appear civilize…as if now would make much of a difference.
"What do you need again, little girl?"
Age had left Soul scarce of memory and even less of sanity. It wasn't about keeping the company she came across, it was about keeping the thoughts and actions separate...and...this wolf must be her ticket to redemption! The reason her return to this forest, the place she must have dreaded more than a thousand times was to find this female and to rid the voices! An empty, heavy stomach snarled in the presence Soul held, but went neglected as the female began to utter feverishly, "What is your name? What is your name? What is your name?" followed hastily by, "Soul? Soul! Soul?"
This was what she was here for alright. To regulate the insanity.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 17, 2009 9:12 pm
Amaury's expression changed rapidly at the old female's changes of attitude. As she crawled from the water, Amaury pricked her ears in concern; the creature was elderly, bordering on decrepit. To be pitied, and probably helped. While Amaury did not like others of her kind in large groups, one on one they were fine, and while she herself strove for independence, she recognized the need for company in others. So at first, she set a foot forward, to offer assistance.
Then the old wolf snapped rudely. "Do I know you?"
Ears pricked forward, Amaury prepared to give a chilly response and turn her back. Help? Hah! Let the old wolf drown.
"Shut up!"
Head tilted to one side, having not uttered a word, Amaury knew the response was… unique, to say the least. As the old one lurched forward, she stepped quickly back, now alarmed. It was clear this wolf was not well in body or soul.
After that, the questions came quickly -- "What do you need…?" "What is your name?" Followed by her odd recitation.
Soul? As in, did she have one? Amaury's ears pressed back onto her head, trying to make herself look insignificant so she did not incur another bout of wrath. The wolf was so fevered, though, that she dare not refuse to answer. She took on the only question she knew how to respond to. "My name is Amaury," she said quietly. "Who are you?" She looked around the area, trying to find something neutral to comment on, to engage the crazed wolf. "How did you come to this stream?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 19, 2009 12:11 am
"Ahh" The female cooed, looking at the frightened wolf in with sort of calm demeanor. "Amaury, Ama, Ury, Amury..." Her voice dimmed, toying with other names, figuring whether or not she'd heard the name before.
The face was surely not familiar, however what was these days? Licking her chops and breathing deeply in, then out Soul smirked. "Nice. To. Meet. You." Her body slumped slightly under the weight, letting her mass drop once again into the stream where the water soaked and settled into her coat. "Drat..." She groaned, but disregarded the access weight, her eyes watching Amaury's in a daze.
The voices seemed to have died off for now and like a refreshing breeze Soul felt the pressure of another slide off her shoulders. Now, she sat remarkably still and the language she spoke seemed coherent enough that the previous conversation could have been a dream. "This stream? I was actually running for quite some time prior to finding it and got really, really hot." Her nose dipped and sunk into the water tapping against the cobbled stones that bedded it, before drifting back up to peer at the other.
"How old are you?" Soul questioned hastily, "And, how long have you been around these parts?" followed by, "Do you by chance know who I am?"
She stood again, and sauntered over to the bank where she flopped her form against the dirt there, happy to be dry. "Ahh..." she groaned in satisfaction, before looking to the other she-wolf, patiently.
You can't get rid of me that easily...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2009 2:39 pm
Amaury watched the old wolf fall again and wondered, again, if she should help, but she stayed back. The wolf had risen under her own power once, and could surely do so again, especially if displeased by some slight, real or imagined. She seemed confused, repeating Amaury's name as she had before with the word 'Soul.' Finally, she seemed to remember something like manners.
Her answer was the most understandable thing Amaury had heard her say, and it was reasonable, too. Almost funny in its stark honesty. Then the questions began again.
The wolf finally dragged herself onto shore, where she seemed content to stay. Amaury, too, lay down, her head pressed into her front paws anxiously, ears erect and trembling slightly. How had she gotten into THIS mess?
"I'm… I'm nine seasons old," she said. Not old by any accounts, but well into adulthood. She'd seen enough seasons to no longer be surprised when they changed. "I've lived here… well, for my whole life. Not quite here. Often to the west, where there's less… water. And…" She looked carefully at the wolf. She knew she'd never seen nor smelled her in her whole life, but she feared giving a wrong answer. "…No, I don't know who you are."
Amaury hoped she did, or they were in for some problems. One crazy wolf following her was enough!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 30, 2009 4:33 am
Soul mimicked the youthful wolf, resting her head against her forepaws, though with much less grace. Her hind legs flipped to one side, creating a twist in her back as she sighed air as haggard and mustered as she could from the position.
So young!
Soul agreed.
So brown!
Soul too, agreed.
Kind of like...
No!
Too young, Soul thought frankly. Far too young to be her, just too young. And too quiet, she'd speak louder if she saw me again.
The voice fell quiet, and the emptiness allowed the female to retort sheepishly. "To the west? My, ways away aren't you." flitting her eyes to the ripples the stream caused, she smiled. "And so far away from water? Why ever would you want to do that?" Her head tilted, curiously.
From the looks, the younger female was still keeping her guard up, and for good reasons but Soul felt a bit inflicted by this. The feelings she had were damaged by the fear she instilled, and silently she cursed the voices that rang in her head from time to time.
You know, she is a lot like her though. Just as you did, she could have forgotten a face; a smell. A name, even. Look at you, you're as old as dirt. Can't remember a thing. She was getting older when you left...it is plausible.
Soul was slow to catch the back peddle the voice made, the first 'young' comment, to the now 'aged' comment of the daughter Soul had, but relinquished it as her other, more preoccupying thoughts began to fill her head. She forgot why she had even started doubting, and instead listened to the voice intently, almost allowing it to convince her through her disagreement. Soul couldn't recognize any feature on this females head, and to boot the other wolf had given her a name; a name not of who Soul thought she could be. Nothing tied together and nothing made sense. Keeping her head on her paws, the female released a whimper, awaiting the reply of the other wolf.
She could have changed her name...not wanting you to ever know who she finally was...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 11:53 pm
Amaury thought back to her childhood home. She had traveled quite a distance since then, it was true, but it had been so circuitous that she couldn't say for sure how far her old pack was, as the crow flew. Yet it wasn't as though she'd chosen to live there; she didn't understand the second question.
"I... I suppose that's just where I ended up," she answered, bewildered. "Who are you?" she bluntly asked, finally. She hoped the other wolf would not be insulted, but she was tired of being on the receiving end of all the questions. She was certain there was something not right in this wolf's head, but that may merely have been a result of age, not insanity…or brain damage. Amaury kept her senses on the alert, but relaxed somewhat. Even if she would attack you, she's probably so arthritic it would be no contest.
As if to emphasize that thought, the older one whimpered. Perhaps she was in pain; Amaury knew many wolves gained persistent aches as they aged.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 16, 2009 6:32 am
The old wolf seemed content with Amaury's first response, tickled by the fact that, just like Soul had, she too wandered and ended up in a place she had not expected to. The comparison seemed to comfort her.
And as her second question came, and the countenance of the other seemed to contort with more curiosity than a wolf should have held, Soul lifted her head; eyes glazed and dark and as she spoke, it would be with the most eloquence she had ever mustered. "I am just another corpse walking, but I am the essence of this forest. I am the first generation of wolves to have wandered here; I am the old woman with the many memories and the many sicknesses. I've loss so much..." Her voice paused, and the realization that no chiming in, or interrupting would occur from neither Amaury or her head and thus, continued. "You see these stones? I walked them first, as a child I trekked here with my friends...my friends...And those deer you hunt; I was the one to tear off the shoulders and innards from their grandparents, and their great-grandparents. Amaury, is it? I don't know why I bother speaking with you, I've never before occurred another wolf and felt so inclined to sit, and stay..." Not that you'd have much of a choice, you overweight sack of meat. Soul continued, "I don't need your friendship, I don't need your guidance and I don't need your protection; what I do need is your company...for now, just for a few more hours. We wolves can be loners, or social bugs and I have always been that of the latter. For many years I have lost contact with them, and have lost how to act when I am around them. It makes me sad to watch as creatures flee from me; even prey, the objects of my life that should flee in terror only flee because I am not normal. I'm not happy, and for that I fear my life will cut short very soon."
To this, the old female lifted onto her rump, awkwardly and leaned forward slightly. Her neck craned as she sniffed the air diligently. "It's been so long since I've seen another wolfs face, so close, so willing to stay...please, Amaury. I don't even have time left to depend on; company is all I need."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun May 17, 2009 10:41 pm
Amaury sat quietly as Soul explained herself. Her voice had a rhythm to it that she could not escape as Soul told her story. She was an old wolf, and while Amaury did not hold to packs or their conventions, she could still respect age-bought wisdom. Soul must be wise, to have lived so long. Stupid wolves die quickly.
She seemed simultaneously off-putting and needy. She needed not friendship but company, apparently of any sort, but Amaury would have been willing to label her as friend. She would stay, even though a deep-seated instinct screamed at her to run. Soul spoke of her impending death--whether it would come within the hour or the year, Amaury couldn't say. The possibility of doom frightened her, as an animal, but she knew as a wolf of Telk she could be more than that, a little, anyway. She shifted her weight to a more comfortable position and lifted her head, her expression relaxed.
"I will stay with you," she said solemnly. "For as long as you care to look on a wolf. But please… tell me your name."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2009 6:21 pm
She was…pleased? Contented by the presence of this young, willing child who seemed to teeter between staying or going; at first, anyways. In her quiet stance, the old wolf basked in the sliver of trust she seemed to have gained.
And also from her seat she now quivered, a thankful motion that the other wolf opposite her might not understand. The quakes in her body were not fitful, like they might have been before but gentle in nature, the pulse of controlled sobs desperate to escape but reined in by the handler. Soul was beyond herself, beyond the situation and beyond her sanity; she felt so completely at ease here that it nearly pushed her off the edge into delirium once again. Thankfully, with the silence of her thoughts she was able to stay put, her head kept tight between two hiked shoulders.
“Thank you.” She began again, the golden eyes looking up in true appreciation. A grin formed, a kind one that depicted the normality she could muster. “There is a beautiful essence about you, a reason why I can’t keep from wanting your company, and yours alone. My name is Soul, and I’m thankful to have met you today.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2009 8:16 pm
Soul's constant shaking was a warning sign to Amaury, and she remained alert to changes in behavior, but at least the other wolf was speaking coherently now. Her previous outburst became clear--Soul was her name, not a theory on metaphysical state. Though she still spoke strangely, ethereally, as though her mind was on things beyond this plane (what in the world did she mean by essence?), she seemed much calmer.
Gold eyes met gold eyes, and Amaury saw no hostility in that pleased facial expression. "I am… also thankful, Soul," she said, "and hope I may be a boon to you." She glanced around the area where they sat, looking for inspiration to continue the conversation, Amaury, too, had kept herself out of wolfen society for some time, though she never objected to it when it found her, as long as the company came in small numbers. Packs she had distrusted from youth. Recalling an observation Soul had made just a few minutes before, she came up with a question that would hopefully keep the old wolf talking and distracted from her troubles. "Tell me, have you always called these lands your home?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2009 10:06 am
"Oh yes," she breathed, her voice tinged with brittle vibrations catching and cracking. She was an elder of these parts, born and raised, and seemed to enjoy them when in the right mind. Noting the clamor Amaury made to spark conversation, she relaxed into ideas of friendship.
It was nice knowing she could stay here and have someone to speak with, it was also nice knowing she could leave now and still have someone if fate allowed. Soul hoped that regardless of her previous antics, the trembles and fright she may have instilled in this brown female, that come another day, at another time, they'd still be able to settle down and have some sort of conversation.
Soul also hoped that the next they met, the effect Amaury had on her would be still in play. Canting her head, the old canine seemed to be counting, "One, two, seven...I think it's been about sixteen years now, maybe more, that I've been in these same woods. A constant sixteen years, no breaks and no travels elsewhere. I have a father who is by many standards ancient and mated, who also had a pack and I never went to visit him there. I met my first love in these woods, and had my first and only litter here...I also lost my first love to wolves of this wood and met to lose my second shortly after. You know, I recall the day I was abandoned by Isaac..." Her eyes rolled around slightly as she thought, and a pleasant grin formed across her lips. Trailing to meet Amaury's again, she paused.
"Oh, I don't want to bore you with old stories." Though, she really did wish to share them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2009 10:01 pm
Sixteen years was a... very, very long time, Amaury knew that much. Many wolves were lucky to spend a decade in the woods. Was being granted so much time a boon, or a torture? Perhaps some of both, if Soul's actions were anything to go by.
Amaury had also never left these woods; though she had run away from home, she hadn't run far enough to escape the comforting canopy of trees. She didn’t even know how far away the borders were.
She found herself very interested in the stories Soul told. It seemed as though the older wolf was telling Amaury's fortune. Would her life be like this old one's? She, too, never returned to her home pack, never left the forest, and had found here her first love. How would her and Lite-Brite's story end? In tragedy? If their paths ever split, would Amaury take another mate? Could she?
"Please," she prompted sincerely. "Keep speaking." She was fascinated. Soul's life seemed full of lessons.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
