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 Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 5:52 pm
 Rayne was a quiet Wish; he didn't like bringing attention to himself. In fact, he abhorred it. His ability made it easy to blend into the backgrounds, but as much as he liked to remain a solitary creature, Rayne found himself craving some form of attention. It was the part of him that he hated, the need to be attended to, the need for cuddles and love and-- Stop. Stop. Rayne shook his head when he realized where this stream of thought was heading, and snorted quietly, looking around. His eyes narrowed as he peered through the dark haze; things had become colder, harsher. There were rumors of strange creatures now, monsters that were ripping Wishes to shreds.
As much as he might fear those creatures, Rayne needed to eat. He couldn't hide forever, not without starving himself. And so, he ventured out of the safety of his hole-in-the-ground den and started sniffing around, treading carefully from the safety of his home, but not too far. At least, not at first. But he came to realize rather quickly that if he wanted to eat, he'd have to go farther. So, swallowing his fear and keeping his ears perked up, he tried to blend into the grey dismal nature around him and went to find something to eat. And, hopefully, avoid anything that might want to eat him.
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 6:52 pm
Ah, poor Rayne; as he wasn't the only one who had to eat tonight. Tail curled around his legs in those same, dismal woods, Jaagor sat and listened to the sounds of the forest about him. His ears flicked and focused on the rustling of leaves and subtle crackling of wind over branches. For once, the sizable Were-Wish held still - he had to be, to wait for that single moment when the sounds would deepen, when some Prunny would startle from its warren or some sparrow would fly too low from its tree. Patience... He was so bad at it, and the scowl on his face let it show.
There! Jaag's ears flicked again. Heavy pawsteps in his wood, and as Jaag looked closer... A grin bared sharp fangs. That, oh, that was no Prunny. And patience had served him well. Lowering himself to the ground, Jaagor prowled after the soft grey shape of the Wish in front of him. His neon green eyes gleamed in the gloom.
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 7:07 pm
Rayne felt the fur on the back of his neck stand on end, but he paid it no mind, not at first. In these dark times, the fur on the back of his neck practically gravitated upwards as soon as he'd left the den. There was nothing safe about where he lived, but he doubted it was any safer anywhere else. Braver Wishes would've tried fighting, perhaps. Or at least wouldn't be so scared that they couldn't leave their homes for fear of what laid in wait in the darkness. But Rayne wasn't going to kid himself; he wasn't brave. He was a clingy little coward who hid behind others, and that's who he was. He was okay with that.
...Mostly.
He spotted something dashing out of the ground, and instinct spurned him into action, chasing after it. It might've been something edible; it was too small to be one of those monstrosities that littered the wood. He had little mind for anything else but the chase, his attention honed in on that, and as soon as he was close enough Rayne dove at the prunny.
And landed head-first against an old tree, while the lucky meal had gotten away. "Ow!" He whined as he slumped back, reaching up to rub the spot with a paw as he fell back onto his back. How hadn't he noticed the tree there? Damnable fog and gloom. He laid there, scowling a little and rubbing the spot between his eyes with both paws. That hurt!
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 7:31 pm
Ah-ha, so his quarry wasn't one for the hunt? Jaag smirked, a corner of his mouth lifting fearfully. It sure seemed that way, as the werewolf watched the other Wish recovering from his header with the tree. A rustling exploded to his right. Jaagor spun, widening his eyes as he slammed one heavy footpaw down on the intrusion. Purple fur matted with blood beneath his sharp claws.
Jaag looked at the dying Prunny for only a moment. So this was what the kid had been hunting, hm? It was a decent kill - but not something to allow to escape you. The monster plucked up the Prunny, as gently as ever he had held anything in his jaws, and stepped forward - emerging right beside the tree that had so offended the grey Wish. Much of his body was still hidden by fog and mire. His eyes, though, showed: he could not stop them from shining the way they did as he dropped the lifeless violet creature at Rayne's paws. And as hard as he tried, he could not keep the rolling, low growl out of his voice. "Did you lose this, friend?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 7:37 pm
Rayne felt something stirring near him, and frowned a little, moving his paws from his face and glanced towards the tree. The fog blurred much of his vision, but those eyes made him freeze up. Who was this?! Why was he watching him? Was he one of them? He scrambled off the ground and stumbled backwards a few feet, staring at him. The growl made him shudder. He wasn't normal, but he couldn't see him. Only those gleaming eyes.
"N-N-no--" He fumed a little when stammered, looking down at the creature this whatever-it-was had dropped. It was the very prunny that had made him run into the tree. "... Oh." He muttered, eying it before looking up. "I guess I did." He muttered, stepping towards it hesitantly. He wasn't trustworthy to begin with, and something about this Wish, if that's what he was, wasn't sitting right with him. He wasn't getting any closer then he had to.
"Thank you." He muttered, keeping his eyes on the dead creature instead of looking up. Those eyes were going to haunt him for a while, he could feel it.
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 8:59 pm
Jaagor's smile was smug. "No need to thank me, friend. Eat your fill, before it gets cold! You don't want cold kill." His eyes narrowed, so slightly, before widening to normal again. Was he haunting? Oh... so much the better. "Or, before the smell attracts some of the monsters of these woods..." His tone dropped at the sentence's end, purposely leaving it open to mystery. This one seemed like the sort of creature whose very imagination could create scarier scenes than any he could come up with.
Jaag sat back on his haunches, flicking his tail around his legs once again. This repose was blatant proof that he wasn't planning to leave this other Wish anytime soon. However, he didn't move any closer. Doing that might run the skittish other Wish off for good.
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 9:11 pm
He eyed him hesitantly, before lowering his gaze again to the prunny. That was the whole reason he'd left the safety of his den. Food. And as he eyed it, he could hear his stomach growling. He flinched a little, and moved closer, using his paw to nudge the carcass over instead of moving too close and risking being too near that... thing. He glanced up sharply when he mentionde the monsters, and swallowed, leaning down and biting into the carcass. All it took was one bite, and he all but forgot Jaagor was there, practically sucking the poor lifeless prunny down whole. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he had that first bite, but after he was done, there wasn't much left but bones.
He licked his maw, glancing up at him uneasily. Why wasn't he leaving? He'd helped him out, sure, and Rayne was grateful, but... But why was he still there? He swallowed anxiously, and started to back up. "I should go home." He said after a minute, watching him uneasily. Something wasn't right about this Wish.
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 10:10 pm
Monster or not, even Jaag frowned to see Rayne devour the prunny that way. It was as if he hadn't eaten in ages. But that couldn't be the case - right?
Nevertheless, he shifted on his paws and remained silent as the other Wish ate. He was content merely to watch, for the moment, and see if patience would serve him twice. Besides, his mere presence seemed to be unsettling enough, and this one's unease kept Jaagor amused. He had out and out chuckled, though only briefly, at Rayne's internal war over whether or not to take the prunny; and upon finally taking it, to do so in such a way as to stay as far, far away from his spot in the shade of the tree as possible. Oh yes, this one was priceless.
"Home bound, already?" Jaag rumbled. "But you're still hungry; I can hear your stomach snarling." Or maybe that was Jaag's own belly. It made no difference, really. "I could find food for you, friend, more than enough to sate your hunger.
"Tell me your name, that we might hunt together. I know all of the choicest places for prey."
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 10:16 pm
He flinched when he heard the rumble, looking up at him, and glanced at his stomach. Was it still growling? He couldn't hear it, but it wouldn't be the first time he ignored that sound. He rubbed at his paw distractedly, watching him. "I-I-I..." He licked his maw, taking a deep breath. "I don't know." He said after a minute, watching him. He could use more food, it was a good idea to gorge so he wouldn't have to leave the den sooner rather then later. But every instinct in his meek little body told him to bolt.
And yet, that tiny little part that liked attention was keen on pointing out that this was the first Wish he'd encountered for more then a minute in weeks. Since before the Darkness took over the wood. He wasn't sure if he liked the attention, but he had it, and... and it was kind of nice. He glanced down at his paws, but raised his head again, forcing himself to look into those gleaming green eyes.
"Rayne." He mumbled, watching him hesitantly. "My name is Rayne. Wh-what's yours?" He asked carefully, keeping his distance even as the conversation took a slightly... cordial turn.
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 10:46 pm
He tried to make his eyes seem inviting, without making them scream "dinner." It wasn't easy when he was so unused to it. Jaag flicked his tail away from his legs, feeling it lash with impatience at his indecision. The cautious ones were always so tricky, always thinking about how things might end. Rubbish. Come now, grey Wish, Jaagor willed - take the next step of the game!
And then... Rayne looked up at him. And Jaag's tail relaxed at once, swaying with contentment. "Rayne. That is a wonderful name." He stood, with deliberate slowness. Just as deliberately, the werewolf pulled himself out of the shadow of the trees, making sure to try and hold Rayne's eyes with his all the while. Steadily, his full bulk became visible, from bushy brows to tipped claws. "My name is Jaagor. Shall we be off?" This was the Wish that Rayne had been speaking to all this time.
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 10:51 pm
Rayne watched him come out of the shadows, eyes still caught in Jaagor's, and started to nod. It was almost hypnotizing, that gaze. But when he bowed his head, he saw him. Really saw him for the first time. His eyes went wide, and he backed up. "A-actually I think I should go." He said, raising his eyes but not looking at Jaagor's. Not again. He stared at the spot just past his head so he could still look at him without actually looking at him. "It's late, a-a-and t-there are monsters out here." He said, taking a step back carefully.
"Th-thank you for your help, Jaagor." He said, lowering his gaze again quickly. He had to go. Jaagor was one of them, one of those creatures. He wasn't going to become someone's dinner! He started to turn around so he could run, turning slowly so he could still watch him through the corner of his eye.
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 11:07 pm
Jaagor smiled. And it was not the pleasant, let's-make-nice kind of smile. It was the kind of smile a werewolf in the midst of darkness should give, showing off all manner of very large teeth. He was fairly certain he could smell Rayne's fear by this point. As nonchalant as you please, he began to turn along with the smaller Wish, subtly but most assuredly trying to circle around to his other side and herd him deeper into the forest. Away from his home.
"I really don't think you want to leave, friend Rayne. Think about it." Jaagor stared at him, unblinking. "You said yourself, that there are monsters in the wood. Dark time for a Wish to be alone. While I... I can protect you, Rayne. There is no beast in the woods who would dare stand against me."
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 11:14 pm
He winced a little when he realized the werewolf was turning with him, backing away from him. This wasn't taking him back home, though, but farther from it. His tail tucked down between his legs, and he tried putting distance between himself and those very pointy teeth. He watched him, crouching down towards the ground uneasily.
"W-w-wh-why?" He managed to stammer out after a minute, crawling back another inch or so. He didn't believe him. Jaagor didn't want to protect him. He'd heard the stories. They ate Wishes like him, Wishes that were too damn stupid to stay safe and cozy in their dens and not wander so far from home. He deserved what he got, but that didn't mean he wanted to become this monster's meal. "Y-y-you're one of them. A monster. Wh-why would you want to protect me?" He stared at him, fur standing up in a futile attempt at looking bigger and more fierce. That'd probably work more if he wasn't practically on his belly, but he wasn't willing to try and be taller then Jaagor. He'd just look stupid standing on his tiptoes when the wolf decided to take a bite out of him.
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 11:27 pm
"Call me what you will." Jaag sniffed, wrinkling up his muzzle in mock insult. This, too was part of the fun. "But there is a simple truth that you are missing, Rayne. If I wanted to eat you, you see," he yawned, a false gesture that bared row upon row of fangs as casually as if he were checking the time, "then I would have done so. As soon as we met, in fact. You were in no position to fight me." That tail whisked again in a long, slow lash, betraying the confidence that was not in the wolf's face. Instead, those eyes of his were scolding, and maybe even a little hurt. Jaag could never be sure of the depth of his acting skills on any given night.
"Do we understand each other? It is my wish to protect you, surely you can understand that. I have done you no harm thus far, now have I?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 29, 2009 11:33 pm
Rayne watched him, swallowing hard, and looked away, letting out a shaky breath. He was speaking truth, at least when it came to his last question and his first statement. If he had wanted to attack him, at the time he'd announced himself, he could have ripped him to shreds before Rayne could even move. He'd been on his back for the love of the Gods, with his face covered, rubbing a bump from a tree. And he hadn't hurt him, or tried to. At least, not yet. Bitterly, he thought back to past 'I wouldn't hurt you' promises, and shook his head.
"You haven't yet." He said quietly, glancing towards him uneasily. "That doesn't mean you won't." He didn't look at his eyes, having already figured out that he would've been drawn in, just like before. Like a moth to a flame. He didn't want to be that helpless. "I-I just want to go home." And never come out again, at least not until the darkness past.
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