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 Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 5:57 pm
 Delusion trotted through the forest, her paws placed with infinite care directly on the beaten trail - the better to keep from getting a plethora of dirt upon her royal hide. Sure some of her siblings enjoyed rolling about the forest refuse like a pack of common heathen wolves, and Delusion certainly knew the value of fitting in...but the purple wolfess drew the line at rolling in muck.
You could fit in AND stay clean - she was almost perfectly sure of it. Huffing out a slight breath she continued on her way, making a big loop out into the forest and then back to the pack lands and the dens, since none of her siblings seemed to care about searching for spies she'd have to take on the duty herself. Useless beasts the lot of them - why if she didn't know better she'd think they were happy to remain common beasts. Delusion wrinkled her nose at the very thought of this - of course they didn't they just didn't know any better, or didn't believe they stood a chance of reclaiming this kingdom. Delusion would show them differently! Why she'd recruit an entire army and slay the unmentionable evil herself if she had to.
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 2:41 pm
  "Chin up! Neck straight! Dammit, boy, stop slouching!"
"O-Ow! L-Lime, please!"
Bright green claws dug into his fur, intentionally piercing his fur. Today the lynx was not bubbly Lemon but critical Lime, she who did not care if a little pain (or a lot) was what it took to get her point across. Domovoi dreaded these days when she became so moody and wry because there was nothing he could do for her in this state beyond taking it in stride; a wolf might have been fed up by now with the tuft-earred nuisance and simply killed it for a meal, but poor Domo had been literally raised by the unpredictable lynx and simply could not kill his "mother", even if he knew and remembered what his true parents and family had been like.
Frankly, it wasn't much better than this. Sometimes he did miss them, though.
Lime looked down her nose at him, presumptuous and unimpressed. "How am I supposed to get a free ticket into safety with you being so damn useless? No pack'll want you in this state. LOOK AT ME WHEN I AM TALKING TO YOU, BOY!" she suddenly yelled, and frightened little Domovoi stood at attention, quivering with fear as the bright green claws struck him again - not enough to scar him, but certainly scare him. "You owe me too much to fail me now! We are nearby wolves, can you smell them? I swear if you don't impress them with your assets" - the word was spoken sarcastically - "then you won't eat for another few days while I re-teach you what you forgot. You understand me, boy?"
"Y-Yes, Mom . . ."
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 3:13 pm
Delusion wasn't expecting any run ins with strangers on her journey - true she was outside pack lands, and you never really knew what you could come across in this wild country, but she'd made this particular journey quite a few times and rarely come across anything more exciting then a rabbit or two. Today it seemed would be different, the voices filtering through the trees towards her hardly seemed to promise a nice interaction however.
One part of Delusion wanted to simply keep going - whatever was happening wasn't any of her business and she needn't make it her's, but she was a royal wolf she reminded herself and even when in hiding it was her duty to ensure the heathen commoners didn't...kill themselves off or whatever it was that such uncivilized beings did to one another without nobles breathing down their necks to keep them in line. Letting out a long suffering sigh Delusion glanced down to make sure thee wasn't any stray leaves sticking to her fur or dust littering her paws before puffing out her chest and heading towards the voice's.
Her eyes narrowed when she came upon the scuffling pair...a wildly patterned wolf seemed to be being bullied by..by a lynx?! Well she never! Lynx had no business bossing wolves about as far as Delusion was concerned and the poor wolf just didn't seem to know any better. Obviously he needed her help. Poor beast was shaking..shaking in fear. "Now see here!" Delusion barked at the pair "That is truly uncouth behavior" She scolded them both though her eyes seemed to be chastising the lynx the most, her purple body drawn up in a haughty posture as she strolled into the area like she owned it.
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 4:30 pm
With a drawn hiss the lynx whipped about at the sound of an intruder and, as was befitting her kind, at first stiffened at the sight of the wolf. To be honest she had never really gotten along with the predator, having the relationship a snake would with a mongoose, both hunters and both almost mortal enemies. Yet at the same time Lime's nicer half knew it was better to make amends (and or control, Lime would argue) with the beasts than fight, since it meant saving skin instead of losing it. Domovoi was just a lucky find really, and his family had been more than happy to be rid of him for some reason.
Lime noted that this particular young wolf had the same scent she had found earlier, around the pack she had scouted! But of course, being so narrow-minded, the lynx misinterpreted her words. "That's what I tell him all the time!" Lime agreed with a few hasty nods to placate her. Why, this one had to be of noble birth - look at the way she carried herself! Her tone and vernacular! This was truly a great find, and the lynx bowed her head with respect. "My lady, forgive him. He is a dullard and knows nothing of subtly or respect."
Domovoi whimpered, glad for a few seconds not to suffer Lime's gaze - though then it was replaced by the stranger's, a girl of deep purple with strange and colorful markings. He too believed her to be royalty and thus tucked his tail in and avoided looking up instead watching her mismatched paws. Hey, she had some too . . . "F-Forgive me, ma'm," he mumbled, practically agreeing with the accusations. "I'm just n-nervous is all. There's a pack nearby we want to join and I don't know if I'm good enough."
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Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 6:46 am
Delusion regarded the lynx with raised brows for a few moments, was she going to attack? That made the purple pelted wolf hesitate a little - sure the cat was smaller then a full grown wolf, but Delu was yet a teen and lynx had those nasty claws on their feet, she couldn't go about getting scars and the like, royal beasts couldn't run about looking like they'd been chewed and clawed on after all - it simply didn't inspire confidence from the commoners.
Then again she had caught flickers of conversation that suggested scars on male's were considered quite attractive, something about it making them seem rugged and strong. Delusion shucked this off however - she was neither male nor a common beast ad she certainly didn't want any scars in order to appear strong or rugged. She could appear strong without such things - despite the fact that she'd had little training in the way of physical combat. That was the realm of Princes. It didn't appear as though her worries were going to go anywhere however as the Lynx quickly set about trying to placate her.
Well that was more like it Delu thought to herself, drawing herself up to her full height as Lynx spoke, she didn't seem to understand that Delusion had been chastising her - but the wolf decided not to correct her, it wouldn't do any good. Lynx were stupid creature's, they could talk sure - but they weren't wolves or canids and so not very smart. It wasn't their fault really. Nature just made them that way.
Her attention turned to the other wolf as he finally spoke up. He seemed to have sense enough to her - or at least he appeared to recognize her for what she was, unlike some of the other common deluded wolves around here. Hmmm...that could be dangerous, perhaps she ought to keep this one close. Can't have him wandering off and telling others where her family was hiding now could she?. She could decide on that later - she needed to get more information first.
"Yes well, never mind all that right now" she answered them both, not yet really to divulge any information on the pack or its locale. "What are your names and where are you from?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 2:01 pm
So brisk and to the point! It was admirable, a trait Lime wished her little pet would exhibit for once in his life. Maybe then their conversations might have actual substance. "You may call me Lemon Lime, my lady," the lynx introduced herself, intentionally going first to assert her dominance of the pair. She then went on in a less reverent voice, "And this whimpering hunk of color with me is called either servant or just 'boy'."
Domovoi did not raise his voice in protest since this was quite true. Lime never used his name unless she was really, really angry with him, so he didn't mind the whole "servant boy" business just as long as those claws didn't dig into him anymore. Basically being trained his whole life to serve the lynx gave him, of course, a very servile manner, but even Domo couldn't stop being curious about the femme. For instance, she smelled a lot like the pack Lime had scouted. So did this mean they were a pack of royals? Maybe slaves were in demand . . .
"So," Lime said, her impatience briefly showing, "may I know what the fair maiden's name is? We are but poor travellers trying to find a home at last."
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 7:40 am
Even though Delusion was aware the lynx seemed to be the boss of this unusual pairing, it was still surprising to hear the beast speak first. What a Topsy turvy world this was outside of their kingdom! No matter - she would make things right when her family was rightfully placed back on the throne. Her time among the commoners..while bothersome would certainly prove useful later on she told herself - she would remember all these little strange things and fix them.
"Lemon Lime..." she repeated the name off handedly as though considering it for later thought while her eyes sought the cowering wolf instead. Servant was he? The thought perked up Delusion just a little bit, she'd heard of servants of course but being born after her family's flight from the unmentionable horror had never had the pleasure of having one. She was pretty sure she'd like one however, and of course she couldn't leave the poor beast serving a lynx, that was just wrong.
"My name is Delusion" She stated, and she tried hard to keep the pointed edge out of her voice. She was royalty..they should know her name! Or at least they should have if things were the way they should have been, since they weren't Delusion was willing to forgive this trespass, although it was still frustrating.But it seemed she might have a bit of a bargaining chip here. "And what moon tell me are you willing to trade for a home? Very little in this world is simply given away for nothing you know - and those who are giving should get in return" The young wolf stated in an imperious fashion.
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 12:15 pm
Alright, now Lime was starting to wonder about this one. For royalty, she was rather snobbish! But then, the lynx supposed, maybe having class allowed you that privelage; after all, good meals, sturdy dens, safety in numbers, and the pride of being of noble blood would of course be very appeasing to the ego. But what sort of name was Delusion anyway? Maybe this wasn't the best wolf to turn to if it meant anything . . . but she didn't know if they would ever get another chance like this to be heard out. Thus, just as Delusion sought to manipulate the conversation in her favor, so too did Lime. "My lady Delusion, even mere peasentry such as ourselves know that each thing comes with a price," Lime replied with a nod, humbling herself and hating to do so just to make this accursed wolf happy.
How stupid did Delusion think she was? She had lived on her wits and tongue alone long before she had met her servant!
Lime gestured to Domovoi. "Meek as this boy is, his family has a most interesting trait you might wish to capatlize on. By saying a certain phrase, an inner demon can be triggered, creating before you a warrior that doesn't know pain and can act as the perfect guard. He is easily controllable with a few directions, and the beast can be stopped simply by simply commanding him to stop or just letting him run his anger out. I've watched him take down a bear once"
The description of his "trait" - it was more of a curse, he thought, but Domo knew that the word probably would have turned Delusion off to their offer, so he kept his mouth shut - made him antsy, and he shifted from paw to paw, looking at various pieces of apparantly interesting grass. He hated knowing what a terrible beast sat in his innards waiting to strike, and worse was being forced to show it off as an asset rather than the frightening thing it was. That bit about not feeling pain was a lie; once the rage was over, the wounds would suddenly pulsate painfully and incapacitate him depending on the severity. The beastly transformation alone was taxing enough and made him sick. The violence it wrought . . . Overall, Domovoi almost hated himself for it, as if the curse was his fault.
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 1:25 pm
"Really?"Delusion's tail twitched as the lynx described this so called gift of the servants. It sounded like something she could sorely use - why perhaps this wolf would be the one to kill the unmentionable evil! Although by looking at him Delusion had to wonder slightly about that, he didn't look so very scary to her. Probably not a wise choice to take the word of a Lynx about something this important, and how would she get the phrase, would the Lynx tell her? The teens ears flicked slightly as she thought about it.
After a few moments it did dawn on her that it was incredibly rude to be having this conversation in front of the other wolf like he couldn't understand what they were saying. Even if he was a so called servant - though Delu was still having trouble wrapping her mind around the idea of a wolf being the servant of a Lynx. In fact the more she looked at the other wolf the more uncomfortable she thought he looked, what with his shifting weight and grass staring. She tipped her head slightly and padded forward a little bit to lower her head and try to capture the servant wolfs eyes for a moment. "Is what she says true?" She finally asked him
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 1:59 pm
Oh look, how pretty green that patch was! It was just poking out of the snow like stiff fur, only it looked dead sorta, browny and green at the same time. Poor piece of grass. Oh look, more snow, but for some reason looking at it made him feel slightly warmer around his face, and his vision went purple oddly enough. For a fleeting moment Domovoi was sure he had hit some new form of beserking that messed with his vision, but then realized that he was still quite himself and that the warmth he was feeling was in fact someone else's breath: there stood the princess addressing him, and he was looking at the ground! Startled, Domo sat up, then realized that his head was now above hers (which was just rude), so he hunched his back quickly. "U-Unfortunately, my lady," he answered, staring between her eyes rather than at them. The omega was terrible with keeping eye contact, and it infuriated Lime to no end.
In fact, Lime had half a mind to claw him then and there for his abysmal performance in impressing the femme, but she restrained her itching claws knowing that such violence might provoke an immediate decline - or worse, have the princess attack her! Although the lynx quickly told herself that Delusion couldn't possibly be willing to lift a paw for any fight. She had observed how carefully the adolescent had walked over, the glances over her pelt, the absence of muck that usually clung to limbs and underbellies - this one didn't like getting dirty she was sure, metaphorically and literally. "I can control him easily for I know the phrase by heart," Lime put in confidently, "and thus he follows me. We trust each other implicitly on this strange bond of ours and, forgive me for saying this, I cannot hope to leave him alone knowing that should someone accidentally utter the trigger he would cause damage to an innocent wolf or two. It has been through the goodness of my heart and the collection of my knowledge and wisdom that he has lived to adulthood, my lady, and - well, it sounds strange - but I have attachments to the pitiful boy like a mother would her son. So I hope that you don't mind that I ask you also take me in as well to be his caretaker."
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 2:33 pm
Delusion took a step backwards as the other wolf suddenly sat straight up, he'd been so quiet this whole time that she hadn't really expected such sudden motion from him. She cleared her throat slightly as he hunched back down to cover up her startlement. "I see" She responded to the male. She hadn't missed his 'unfortunately' bit, it was obvious the wolf didn't like his gift...or maybe he just didn't like being differant and that was the case - why he'd fit right in back home.
Turning about as the Lynx started speaking again Delusion focused on her words- trusted her did he? And only she knew the phrase...Delu pondered that for a moment, it seemed the lynx probably wouldn't tell her - but perhaps the wolf would. If she gained his trust...She didn't really believe the Lynx cared for the wolf, she'd seen them scuffling hadn't she? Perhaps she'd just caught them at a bad moment - it was hard to tell with only a brief meeting by which to form an opinion. She supposed if she wanted this servant wolf and his spoken of talents she'd just have to put up with the dumb cat until she learned the phrase herself. Of course it wouldn't hurt to try wheedling it out of her right now either. "And suppose you are not around if someone says the phrase? Might it not be best to tell me as well...so that we both could stop him if he got out of control?" She asked the lynx in a thoughtful tone, as though truly thinking this was the best plan, and she made sure to include the word 'both' so the lynx would believe Delu truly wished for the wretched beast to stay.
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 3:16 pm
Before Lime could consider and respond, Domovoi mumbled without thinking, "P-Please don't say it." Almost instantly he wished he hadn't spoken at all.
Now this was a first! Speaking out of turn, hmm? Well, that wouldn't do at all, no sir. Half-impulsively, half-vindictively, Lime struck his cheek with a soft growl - Domo was relieved the claws were sheathed this time around, though the dull blow made him light-headed and he said no more, whimpering and lowering his head. "You haven't a say in the matter, boy, or did you forget your place so quickly?" It was one reason she had been hesitant on entering a pack at all: being around other filthy creatures of his kind made her servant more prone to being more likely to have a will, more likely to be stupid. Lime turned to the princess with a sigh. "Forgive him, my lady, for he was born with a tongue but not the brain to control it. And now forgive me, for I cannot plainly give you his trigger while he sits before us, for if he hears me, well . . . I might accidentally unleash the beast," she explained in a tone that sounded as though it would be the end of the world should this happen. "Though I am confident that the chances of the phrase being uttered are very slim, my lady; you need not fear."
Lime wasn't going to give up her advantage so easily, not even for royalty.
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 3:29 pm
Delusion's eyes flckered briefly as the Lynx struck the wolf and he allowed it without question. Yes this was certainly a very strange relationship the two had. a wrong one to her way of thinking..and should she had been in more comfortable and known surroundings Delu might have said something in defense of the wolf, she was hesitant to do so should the two-toned lynx whisk the male away suddenly. Delu didn't want to loose her chance to kill the unmentionable evil because of a stupid lynx.
Well Drat. It looked like she'd just have to take the blasted cat too. She couldn't let the act go completely uncommented upon however and after studying the wolf for a few moments she spoke up "Do you not fear making him angry with your blows and releasing his monster that way?" the young wolf asked finally - the tone by which the lynx spoke of this hidden monster made Delu think she wouldn't want it brought out accidentally, that would probably be a bad and frightening experience. Casting a considering look behind her towards the pack lands before turning back. "In any case I think Servants...gift..should be kept under wraps with the rest of the pack. Wouldn't want them to fret you see" or steal my weapon... was her unstated addition to that statement when she finally spoke in an airy tone, as though it was just a common sense sort of statement.
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 3:50 pm
Lime might have laughed. Oh, you naive little princess! she thought with an inner smirk. Violence doesn't bring out the beast, it only feeds it for when does come out. But really, why burden the poor girl with nice tidbits of knowledge like this? They had only just met after all, and Lime needed to know what this Delusion was like normally - her own motives, her family, about her role in the pack - before considering feeding her anything more about her special boy. "While an excellent point, mere hits do not bring out the beserker within," Lime explained patiently. Of course she would have found that out by now if it were so! Gods. "Why, I do not know. But I do not deliver blows so much as use corrective measures, my lady," she added, making it clear that the implications of abuse were not taken lightly.
Now why would the princess want to hide such a "gift" from the rest of her family? Surely she would want to enlist the brute as a family guardian? Unless . . . The corner of her mouth twitched upwards for a moment. My, my, are you greedy too, wolf? Why am I not surprised. But Lime merely bowed her head. "As you wish, my lady. Now, to get to business, what is this pack's name? Are there any rules we should take note of that are special to this one? Who are the alphas? We should present ourselves as soon as possible to them."
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 4:11 pm
"Of course" Delusion replied in an off hand matter to the Lynx's reference to 'corrective measures'. Her tone implied that the Lynx had peered far to closely into her remarks and it been her drawing the conclusions of abuse rather then Delusion who had only been making an observation. Silly cat. This of course was a lie...but Delusion had delivered her comment and was perfectly happy to let it infuriate the Lynx further while she pretended innocence and ignorance.
She was glad however that the cat agreed to keep Servants talents under wraps. She had her doubts that the common wolves would accept such a potential danger into their pack. But what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them and might very well tip the scales in her favor in her future bid to restore her family to the throne. Speaking of the pack...Delu didn't see any reason not to tell the Lynx what she asked. "It is called Agua Azul and the Alphas are Wazaam and Twist." She told the blue and green creature. "And as for the rules...none that you need concern yourself as long as your keep my favor" she concluded with a meaningful look.
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