Adam: >8| *tough face*
Kalama: ¬.¬ You're not fooling anyone...
Venda: > : [ *snarls at Kalama*
Adam: DDDDDD8< ‘Rawr.’
Kalama: A little better...barely
Venda: >.< Don't listen to her...
Adam: ‘But I can be meeeeeeeean. I just don't wanna be.’ 8<
Venda: And you don't have to be, you don't have to be anything you don't want to be!
Kalama: Fate has already carved his path, he has no choice but to follow it whatever it may be
Venda: *rounds on Kalama and bares her fangs* Would you like me to tell you YOUR fate?
Adam: ‘But Mama Kalama always makes fun of meeeeee. ;; Aaaaand Fate doesn't like telling me where to go, and it's cooooooooooold. Can we find someplace warm?’ *tries to inch his way between the ladies*
Kalama: *stands firm for a moment then growls and snorts stalking off*
Venda: *huffs and then touched her nose against Adams fur* Yes...warm...lets
Adam: ‘Okies! Mama Kalaaaama, wait up! It's this way to South!’ *bounds after the alpha to go turn her around*
Kalama: I'll...catch up...you go...
Adam: *blinks, but nudges her anyway to get her to turn around* ‘We don't mind walking slow for you if that's the problem.’ 83
Kalama: I just need some alone time Adam...GO!
Adam: *ears tilt back at the yell, wondering what the deal was. But he didn't like reading minds and just said* ‘Well okay, but we won't go fast so you can catch up faster, mkay?’ *trots back to Venda*
Venda: *ears flick* She's...changed...
Adam: 'Naaaaah.' *grins* 'She's always this grumpy, trust me. We'll go slow so she doesn't have to run to catch up.' *begins to lead them at a casual walk*
Venda: Mmm...if you say so...*walks beside him trying to orient herself and not trip*
Adam: 'Yeah, she doesn't really smile a lot either, but I'm used to that. Deep down methinks she's just afraid to since the whole pack thing and all.' *And who could blame her? He'd bothered her to lighten up a few times, but knowing the situation fully like that now . . . Well, he never poked her about it again*
Venda: It's hard for her to find a reason to be happy after that...*Venda could understand it well enough she had little cause to smile after her ordeal as well*
Adam: 'Yeah . . . So I try to make her smile when I can. ^^ I'm sure once we get someplace warmer she'll be less of a grumpy-toes. Maybe there'll be more colorful flowers to cheer her up too.'
Venda: *doubts that Kalama will be going that far with them*
Adam: *eventually does notice Kalama has yet to return to them and sighs good naturedly, stopping and turning to call out to her* 'Heeeeeey! You done doing what you're doing yet?'
Venda: Adam...I think she wants time alone...you'll just have to let her catch up...later...
Adam: 'But she might not be able to find us if we go too far.' *You know, bar regular tracking skills she was sure to have already mastered by now* 'And I don't just want to leave her behind like that . . .'
Venda: *sighs* Well...we can wait here if you want...
Adam: 'Great!' *plops his bum down where he was and turns to face Kalama's direction, tail wrapped about his paws tightly; the wind wasn't strong today, but even the breeze made him shudder* 'I wonder what she's thinking about. I hope it's still not about Lite-Brite, 'cause I think it's awesome he found himself a family.'
Venda: *frowns and sits down*
Adam: 'Besides, she's got a lot of other wolves she can look for, right?' *nods to answer his own question* 'So it's just gonna be us finding who else is in the South and seeing how they're doing. And that's not too bad right? I mean, if you want to help that is.' ^^;
Venda: Adam...I don't think...she's going to come with us...
Adam: 'Neh?' *tilts his head at her* 'Why say that?' *His voice was casual, but on the inside he was beginning to tense*
Venda: *frowns and lowers her head a bit* I...had a vision...Kalama was alone...
Adam: *just looks at her quietly for a moment, then stood up with a chuckle* 'Lemme see what's taking her so long. Be right back!' *heads over to Kalama once again, smiling and not wanting to believe - there was no way -*
Venda: *waits for Adam to realize that Kalama took off in the other direction*
Adam: *becomes confused when Kalama isn't where he left her* 'What?' *stretches out his mind to search for hers, his heart rate spiking upwards* 'Mama Kalama? Kalama! Where are you going?'
Kalama: *forces her thoughts blank and runs on*
Venda: 'Adam...adam come back...' *sighs*
Adam: 'No!' *he breaks into a brisk trot onward, still calling* 'Kalama!' *Why couldn't he find her? What, was his seer power suddenly turned off? Birds, insects, squirrels, other wolves - why not /her/?! He grew more and more desperate, tripping and sliding upon the cold ground but not able to stop* 'Mama!!' *None of this made sense!*
Venda: *stands and starts to try and follow Adam stumbling a bit on her way but slowly making a path towards him* 'Adam!'
Kalama: *stops as his voice grows frantic and frowns guilt slowly rising up*
Adam: '/Mama/!' *No sense, no sense at all! Venda's calls fell on deaf ears as he raced forward in spite of his half-blindness. His paws were numb from the cold air now, barely feeling his toes getting stubbed, or his paws brushing against angry nettles and fallen, pointed leaves. Eventually his momentum was his downfall as he turned a little too sharply, thinking for a moment he had sensed her mind - tumbling onto his side he slid to a halt on the ground, his legs protesting, his heart racing*
Kalama: *growls to herself and then turns and sighs walking towards him* Did you trip? *walks over and sits down nudging him up briskly* Let's see...you probably hurt yourself didn't you?
Adam: *The pain was coming to sensation now, but he didn't care. He flopped back onto his stomach in relief and buried himself at her paws, panting* 'Th-That's the worst game of hide and seek ever, Mama! Where were you going without telling me?'
Kalama: I...I told you I needed time to think...alone...*leans down and licks his cheek* Are you alright? Look now...you've gone and tired yourself out...and look at your paws, I think you cut them up...*frowns*
Venda: *stumbles and almost trips over Adam* Adam...*pants* Are you okay?
Adam: 'Umf! Squished . . . but cozy.' @@ *doesn't muster up the energy to roll Venda off him, more relieved than anything that Kalama had come back to him. When she drew near to lick his cheek, he bathed hers back (or so he attempted by craning his head up)* 'Mama, you should've told me you wanted to think somewhere else. I thought for a moment you were leaving or something . . .'
Venda: *stands and sits off to one side then holds back a growl* Yes Kalama...you weren't LEAVING were you?
Kalama: *glares at Venda* You shouldn't have let him run off pell mell like that, can't you see he got himself hurt?
Adam: *huff huff* 'I'm not that hurt, honest! I-I didn't mean to interrupt the whole thinking alone thing, but you scared me half to death.' @@
Kalama: Well...you shouldn't have been scared...sometimes...we have to be alone...
Venda: *snorts*
Adam: *bobs his head* 'Sorry.' ^^; 'Just tell me next time you're moving away, mkay? So can we go move south now? I'm kinda going back to not feeling my legs anymore.'
Kalama: *tenses a bit* Adam...I'm not going south with you...
Adam: 'Eh?' *looks up at her with a wide-eyed puppish look in his eyes* 'Why not? We could, um, we could move west if you want that. Or east. Or north? I didn't know you liked the cold.'
Kalama: No Adam...I'm...I'm moving on alone...you don't need me anymore, and you've done what I asked...you...you found lite brite...now I should...find the others on my own...
Adam: *When he'd thought she should that one dark night of doubt, it had made sense. Now it made nothing of it, filling him instead with some dread* 'Wha? But we could help you find everyone so much quicker, and then you'd just go straight to them and not worry about having to look everywhere.'
Kalama: Adam...stop, listen, your grown now you don't need me to take care of you! You...you can't come with me...look at what happened...lite brite betrayed our ways...and so I have I...in raising you...if I stay with you...I'll be punished further...I might never reunite my pack...
Adam: *stubbornly* 'So what if I'm grown, that doesn't mean I want to boot you out on your ow-' *And then the rest of Kalama's words hit him, and the rest of his disappeared. His mouth was still open a little as if anticipating something despite never having been in proper use for speech, but his mind remained blank. The young male simply stared up at her, not able to comprehend*
Kalama: *looks at him a long moment before giving a firm nod* You'll be fine...*says it more to convince herself then him* Goodbye Adam...*slowly stands*
Adam: *His mouth slowly clamped shut as she rose and the reality hit him that she was truly leaving on her own. And yet still no energy came for him to get up and physically stop her. No, he was rooted to the ground, still on his stomach, marveling at how the femme could fuss over his so-called injuries one minute and then tell him he was on his own the next* 'Is . . . is that all I am? Was that all I was to you? Your punishment?'
Kalama: *frowns and looks away* Adam, you don't understand...I...I wasn't supposed to take you in, I wasn't supposed to care for you to...*lowers her voice and looks down* love you. *her ears fall back* The spirits saw what I did...betraying my coat, protecting you despite your...I wasn't supposed to. *turns her back* If I hadn't...maybe Lite Brite would have come to his senses...maybe I would have found the others by now...
Adam: *And then he had nothing to say. Equal parts angry, hurt, despairing, and confused still, they each fought for say and negated one another, leaving nothing within him left to use. Though Kalama couldn't see, he shivered violently from the cold, and his jaw was clamped to stop his teeth from chattering. All he did was stare at her back, memorize that form he'd come to know so well - that he had /thought/ he knew.*
Kalama: If I want any chance of having my pack back...oh making the b*****d pay for what he did...then I can't continue to renounce the old ways. I can't keep making excuses just because I...*shakes her head and then huffs* Your fully grown now...you'll be fine, and with your new abilities you'll probably do better for yourself then you ever could with me helping you. Good luck Adam...*She wouldn't tell him that they might cross paths again...because she knew it couldn't be. Adam was tainted, his pelt darkened and she had loved him, raised him like her own, the spirits had punished her, but hopefully if she turned away now she could still save her pack. She felt her neck twitch, she wanted to look back but instead she started to walk.*
Adam: *And he didn't stop her. Wordlessly he let his head fall upon the ground, whereupon another great shudder shook him before he covered his face beneath his forelimbs. He felt sorrow, but deeper than that was the shame of knowing that for all their time together, she had always thought him as nothing but a burden. Even when he helped, even when he did nothing to incite her anger . . . He bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut as he felt tears forming*
Venda: *slowly shuffles over until she feels adam on the ground and slowly lays beside him* I'm sorry...
Adam: *He didn't know what to say to Venda either, though for some reason hearing her say those words opened the waterworks further. Sniffles turned to silent sobs punctuated by odd sharp intakes of air - like someone forgot to put the volume up on every setting for him. He was too ashamed to even bury his face in her fur like he wanted to, his doubt rising. Was Venda going to leave him too?*
Venda: *softly nuzzles his neck and murmurs against his ear* shh...it'll be alright...
Adam: *Another sob wracks his small body. He lost mother again . . . This time it really /was/ his fault. He was worthless, no, useless!*
Venda: Adam...*nudges him gently* Adam it'll be alright...it's not your fault...
Adam: '. . . Y-Yes it is . . . You heard her.'
Venda: You know Kalama and her pack believed a silly lot of superstition...it's not your fault *nuzzles him*
Adam: *It didn't matter. The fact that she'd still believe in it was painful alone, but . . . But he had started to really call her "Mother". Was it wrong to think of someone like that if they weren't related? He thought they had done enough together that she would have warranted the title . . .*
Venda: *frowns and nuzzles him* Adam...she really did love you...*then it came to her...one of those terrible thoughts that hatched from moments of desperation* I could bring her back...I could make her forget about this mad quest...about her pack...she'll never reunite them anyway...I've seen how it ends for her...but we could change that Adam...I could melt those memories away and leave only you...
Adam: *A strange look crosses his face as he sniffles, wiping at his face enough so that he didn't feel terrible when he looked up at her. There was no hesitation* 'That isn't right.'
Venda: *sighs and nods* No...I suppose it isnt....*feels guilty for having thought it* I wouldnt...*but she stopped because she knew she would have if he had asked*
Adam: 'If Ma- If Kalama wanted to leave, let's let her. She's right . . .' *He was supposed to be an adult, and here he was crying like a pup. Goes to continue wiping at his face*
Venda: *nods softly and licks his cheek, getting his eye in the process as well since she couldn't actually see* You won't be alone...
Adam: *Said eye blinks to protect it from the licking as he sighs softly. He was lightly shivering now from being stationary too long and took a few shaky breaths* 'You don't have to stay with me if you don't want to.' *He began to try and stand back up, though he felt lightheaded*
Venda: Don't be foolish, of course I want to...come...I...I'll need your help to hunt...*It was half true, she could hunt alone but her efforts often ended in failure or mild success, being blind had disabled her in many ways and enabled her in others. If she actually wanted to stand a chance at both of them eating though she would need Adam.*
Adam: *relieved to hear it; a gush of gratefulness courses through him, and he manages a weak smile even though Venda couldn't see it* 'Thanks . . . I'm glad you don't mind sticking around a runt.'
Venda: *snorts* Your not a runt... *softly noses his shoulders and then ribs* You're actually quite large all things considered...not a great brute of a male certainly, but not the smallest...*She broke off for a moment in memory, flare had been small, a real runt, with a runts cowardly heart...the wolf who had stolen her eyes and nearly killed her.*
Adam: 'Maybe not.' *Then he winced as well at his own memory, at Kalama's general insistence of calling him Runt instead of his name. How it struck him now that she had given him that courtesy before leaving . . .But the pain was still there, and he didn't dwell on it further right now. 'Still want to head to the South?'
Venda: Yes...south...*she nodded softly, that was where it had happened...south west of their current location if her visions were correct*
Adam: 'South it is.' *Pauses for a moment, then nuzzles her before beginning to walk in the appropriate direction, his head turned down - not so much in shame now as to make sure he cleared the path before them. The blind leading the blind on indeed . . .*
~Shaoilin Woods Guild Archive #2~
