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 Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 1:54 am
AIM LOG: Lithia_Brandon & _ p a o cx Kizuka whined as she watched the sun slowly sinking under the horizon. Every evening she watched the steady decline of the burning ball of fire, and every day she imagined it took moments longer. Eternal moments, dragging inevitably toward the night she longed for. Darkness was her shelter, her haven: the only place she could truly be alive. The light was a plague, and trapped her for hours, wasting her life without pity. Her body had adjusted to her sleeping habits, shifting from diurnal to nocturnal over the length of her still relatively short, inexperienced life.
She had been living in the shadows since she was a child, when she had found herself alone in the morning twilight. The sun rose and she had just managed to open her eyes from a terrible injury, only to find the bright light scorching, painful, and unforgiving. She hid in the shadows, where she was calmed and soothed, until the night came and she was allowed to wander in search of her missing family. Since then she had been on her own, traveling only by night or in the shadows of sun sets and rises.
Stepping from her small den, she stretched and yawned, shaking her head and looking around. She needed to find something to eat, though she was not skilled in hunting. It would take her a while to catch even a small snack, and she sighed when she thought about it. Still, the quiet creature knew it had to be done, and she forced herself out into the open lands. Moving slowly, wary of the bright moon above, her footfalls were absolutely silent in the night, her ears perked forward and her keen nose sniffing constantly for any sign of company.
She wasn’t scared to be spotted, since she believed she was but an extension of the shadows and no one could see her, but she didn’t want to miss an encounter with one of those few chosen. Though she wouldn’t admit it to herself, she was lonely.Pale salmon eyes scanned the immediate area around him, stomach demanding he find himself a good snack or otherwise endure another sleepless night. If it hadn't been for his bad sleeping habits, though, it'd probably be a lot easier finding lunch at the proper time of day. Without another thought he followed his nose wherever it led him, his whole body alert and ready to bolt just in case he needed to. Another bad habit, but it worked most of the time so it wouldn't do him any good if he fixed it. Obi wasn't used to moving around at night though, and his eyes didn't adjust too well to it, so stalking (as he found out the night before) was next to impossible. It was no surprise that the large male had missed the dark figure that was moving about right in front of him, causing him to walk right into it but brushing it off as a boulder than snuck up on him. "Stupid rock..." he muttered, squinting a bit so he could see better before maneuvering around it.Kizuka was completely stunned when something ran into her. She was used to not being seen, but not to missing the approach of others. Usually they passed at a distance, and she was safe from interaction, but this? This was new to her, to say the least. Her heart leapt into her throat and she let out a loud yelp as she felt someone bump into her, skittering away as fast as her paws could carry her. She slid into a turn, looking back him with her large, yellow eyes, clearly visible under the night sky.
Panting, unable to hear much over the thunder of her heart beat in her ears, she shook her head and tried to say something. Anything. Had he called her a rock? She blinked and whimpered, crouching down.
“I’m sorry…” was all she could think to say. Was she at fault? She had been in his way, she supposed. She didn’t have too many words at her disposal, and she could only go with the ones that popped into her head. So she shut her mouth and watched him, finally recognizing him as another wild dog. It did little to calm her, however.The rock....yelped? Obi squinted his eyes a bit more in the general direction that the scurrying had went toward, and he noticed something he hadn't noticed earlier. A pair of pale yellow eyes staring right back at him, which was....unexpected. "Um...no, I'm sorry. I uh...didn't see you. At all." It was awkward, apologizing. He got little to no practice, and he didn't really like doing it even if he was at fault. But considering he had completely missed the other entirely, he figured this to be a sort of exception. It was a little frustrating, really, to be so handicapped in the middle of the night. He'd mistaken another creature for a rock - a rock, for crying out loud - and the frustration came through in his voice. He squinted again, just to see if he could identify what sort of creature she was (he noted a feminine sort of voice in her apology, so he assumed it was a female). Nothing, though, and he shrugged. "Right...so what are you, exactly?" he asked, not sure if he should really bother. Given that she said nothing more than 'sorry' and didn't even yell at him for running into her, though, he thought it'd at least seem polite?Kizuka nodded when he spoke, though she imagined he couldn’t see her. It was an almost imperceptible nod anyway, and not even the light of day would have done much to high light it. She blinked and nodded again, this time speaking with the action.
“It’s… okay,” she said, thoughtfully. Her tone was impassive, despite the fact that she was still recovering from the shock. She thought the anger in his tone was directed at her, and she tucked her tail between her legs. Ears flat against her skull, she blinked at his question.
“I’m… like you…” she said, not knowing how else to put it. They were both wild dogs, though she doubted he was one with the shadows like she was. Which was good for him, because it was such a curse. She led a lonely life and even now, though she had only just met him in a rather unconventional way, she wanted to keep him around, just so she could stave off the inevitable return to being alone, “though… I walk at night… you can’t see very well now… in the dark… can you? No one sees me. But no one sees me… I am Kizuka…”
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Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 1:56 am
"Good to know," he started, happy to know that he hadn't offended her and that she was one of his kind, then sighed and dropped his head. "And no, I can't.." he finished, the gruffness in his voice fading. She'd noticed, though he figured anything with a fully functional brain would have, that he was having trouble seeing, and it was a little...embarrassing. He tilted his head a little, pale eyes slowly but surely adjusting so he could at least see what she looked like. As far as he could tell, though, her pelt was dark, and even if his eyes adjusted well enough he still wouldn't have been able to see her all that clearly. But at this point he saw that she looked a little...uncomfortable? Was that a good word for it? He sighed again and thought of something to say to ease her up a bit, maybe cheer her up. "Um...sorry," he said, groping around his mind for something better since he already apologized for what he'd done only moment earlier. "I..wasn't mad at you. I can't see well, so it's frustrating since I'm really hungry. And um...I'm Obi, nice to meet you.."
“Obi,” she repeated, as if testing the word out. She had never said anything like it before, and it was a strange sound to her. But she liked it, tail wagging carefully from side to side, though still low beneath her, she raised her body up a little so that she was no longer crouching in the grass. Tilting her head to one side, she moved only one step close to him, keen eyes glued on his.
“It’s okay…” she said, trying to sound pleasant and reassuring. She had heard others use the tone, though she was having a bit of trouble echoing it. She was not yet ready to smile, though, and her face remained rather stoic. She was, on the inside, very happy to be speaking with him, and it blinded her to any danger. Interaction was something she was starved for, and she wanted him to know that. And yet, she didn’t want to drive him away. Not too many people were fond of darkness and shadows.
“I’m sorry you’re hungry… I trapped something, earlier, but I didn’t eat it. It’s… not fresh, a couple hours, but… a rabbit?” She was not a hunter, and so she often designed traps to catch sleepy or blinded animals out of their dens in order to eat. And she was telling the truth, as far as catching one and not wanting it went. Though she wasn’t sure if it was still alive in the trap or not.
Not that he didn't appreciate the offer, but Obi was never one to take another's meal. Even if he was starving and they offered. He just preferred it if he at least helped catch the food before taking anything. So with a small smile he shook his head. "Thanks, but I'd rather not," was his answer. "It's your catch, even if you didn't eat it. I'd feel bad.." His eyes were slowly but surely adjusting, to the point where he could at least see her face well enough. Pretty...but she reminded him of someone, and it made him a little uncomfortable. He tried to hide that though, and he sighed. "And it isn't your fault that I'm hungry, so there's no need to apologize."
“Sorry…” she apologized. Then she frowned. He had just told her not to, though that was for a different matter. Sighing, she imagined she needed to interact with more creatures before she would be able to understand the nuances of conversation. As it was, she stayed thoughtfully quiet for a moment. He seemed resolute, so she didn’t push the matter of food. Her tail had risen a little bit, wagging, though still only slightly.
“Obi,” she said, finally smiling. She looked down at the ground. She didn’t know much about males, but in her mind he was a handsome one. The only one she had ever spoken to, in fact, but it probably didn’t matter. She knew other wild dogs, after all. They were the same species, so the rules were close. Though, she couldn’t explain why the skin under her fur felt hotter than normal. She realized she had said his name without anything else. Looking up at him, almost sheepishly, she smiled again.
“Do you live around here? I am following a pack… that moves at night, like me… but… I lost them… and I’m…” she found it difficult to speak suddenly, she her eyebrows furrowed, “alone. Lonely. A shadow.”
Another apology, and Obi smiled awkwardly. She was strange, out of the ordinary. If anything she intrigued him, but for the moment she said his name and he grinned. Seemed a bit like she was inexperienced with males, but he wasn't the type to take advantage of that. He figured he could play his charm card, but...nah. "No," he answered, not wanting the thoughts to linger in his mind. She definitely seemed vulnerable, and the thoughts that he thought he got rid of resurfaced, and he sighed. "I don't live around here. I...don't really live anywhere in particular. I'm a wanderer, of sorts, so I'm in the same boat. Alone, most of the time, but occasionally I run into others." He purposely didn't comment about the pack she'd mentioned, not wanting to get sucked into joining another one. The last one didn't exactly make him want to sit still in one place anymore. "There are a lot of others like you and me, so technically speaking you're not alone."
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Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 2:01 am
Kizuka watched him, wondering what was in his head. She knew what was in hers. Things she had heard about, or seen at a distance, as a shadow. Things no one seemed to talk about out loud, and she didn’t want to bring up lest she make him angry and drive him off. Still a pressing concern. Moreso than the strange new hunger that seemed to stir just a bit too low to be her stomach. Sighing, though quietly, she looked up at him with curiosity and interest on her now serene face.
“I was like that… always moving, I mean. But I never thought I wasn’t… alone,” she found her words coming a bit quicker now, though she couldn’t figure out why. She still had to stick to the easy words. They were just falling into place with a bit more ease, “the difference between day and night, and shadow and light… it’s quieter, I think, in the dark. Fewer creatures to run into… I guess.”
Obi seemed to follow in suit, standing on all fours once more as well. His eyes moved from hers to the area around them, no shelter in sight. Not that he was tired...just, wanted to keep warm. He enjoyed her company, and he wanted to stick around for a just bit longer, if she'd let him. She seemed a bit more relaxed now, and her words seemed to flow moreso than earlier - hopefully a good sign. After a moment of silence Obi glanced at the femme, a smile on his maw. "So...it's a little cold out. If you wanna keep talking, d'you mind if we move to someplace a little warmer?" The male felt a little embarassed to ask, but he couldn't freeze his butt out here all night just talking. Besides, it'd give them a bit of privacy, as well as make them less vulnerable. Overall, it was a win-win sort of thing if she agreed.
Kizuka smiled. It came easily, it didn’t feel awkward, and it was even visible in the night. She looked up at him, ears perked forward, bright yellow eyes searching his face for something she didn’t even know if she could recognize. She nodded gently, then with a bit more strength, moving closer to him with something close to confidence in her steps she motioned with her head.
“I know a place, where I stayed during the day. It should be empty. I’ll take you there… if you want. You do look cold. I’m sorry for keeping you…” she padded toward the den, which wasn’t too far off, but well hidden in the earth. It was more like a hole in the ground, but it was comfortable enough for two to fit, with some room between them. Or around them, depending on how they arranged themselves. She entered the den without any sign of hesitance, curling up and looking up at him patiently. Her eyes, which were usually so plain and impassive, were glistening with new life and anxiousness. She smiled at him again.
She didn’t know how to ask him to join her, or how to tell him what was in her head. Her words were not what limited her, however. She was feeling more shy than normal, despite the fire in her chest, and she couldn’t risk driving him away now. So she would let him come in at his own pace, and talk with him until he tired, or until they learned enough about each other to qualify as a conversation. She wouldn’t sleep. She didn’t want him to sleep. She found herself wanting him to lay down beside her, unaware of the cold but wanting his warmth. And she wanted him to stay with her. At least, she thought, for the night, like the creatures she had seen in the night, through her travels. Just a boy and a girl, and the shadows.
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