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 Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 11:23 pm
 Kai had failed. Wholly, completely, irrevocably.
It was funny, in a way. If he had never gone back to the pack, he never would have known what had happened. Never would have known his failure. Did that mean he had not failed?
No...even if his pack had not been destroyed, even if he had failed his father and mother and the entire world of Kapu'Moana, he had still failed. He had broken everything he had touched. Mon might never speak to him again, and he couldn't blame her -- he had ruined their friendship with his stupid, forward actions. He probably would never be able to show his face around the Incarnate territory again, if they were even still there when he returned. If he returned. Could he return?
He couldn't shake the terrible sinking feeling that he would come back to the territory to find it in ruins. That every time he came home, he would come home to a disaster. When prey goes to ground, be sure there is no ground to run to...
The blue wolf sighed, leaning as far over the edge of the small cliff as he dared. He had traveled most of the day to come back here, to the cliff edge. Kamiya was...gone, somewhere...sulking. He couldn't blame her. Somehow, the condition of her pups was his fault as well.
Kailani was not generally a wolf prone to feeling sorry for himself, but just now he could not avoid crawling into his misery. He couldn't speak with the others...although it had taken some effort to slip away, he did what he had to do. Even know, he wasn't sure that he hadn't been followed, so he must hurry.
In the world of Kapu'Moana, when fortune had turned sour, a wolf would be sacrificed to the goddess of the ocean. The sea goddess was an angry, volatile goddess, and she would bring terrible misfortune if her hunger was not appeased. There was only one solution to their awful fortune was to quench her rage...to make a sacrifice to the water.
It was for the best, wasn't it?
"Sacred water," he murmured, his words whipped away by the crashing waves of the rising tide. "Forgive me."
He thrust himself forward, free-falling into the sea.
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 5:00 am
 Alkos gnawed on an old bone, chewing at it insistently until a satisfying crack could be heard and the edible marrow revealed. Unfortunately, before the wolf could enjoy the exposed snack, paw steps could be heard, and he shrunk away from the sound, bone held jealously between his forelimbs. However, it didn't seem the sound of his meal was the cause of the noise, for the creature did not alter its path to approach. Rather, it seemed to be headed towards the cliff (one Alkos had made sure to take note of, for it hung low over the water and was a source of much fear for the blind wolf). After confirming it with a tilt of his ear, he thankfully returned to the bone's contents, and the day would have gone by as it so often did, with little event, had the wind not shifted and brought the creature's scent straight to him.
It was the odor of a wolf, no doubt, but it held a familiar twang. It belonged to Kai, Alkos' only friend since his banishment from his birth-pack, and therefore not a scent he would so easily forget. Time had changed it, but it did not render it unrecognizable, and in an instant, Alkos was on his feet, the meal forgotten.
He made his way over to the location he had last heard the wolf, sound, smell, and touch guiding his steps. As he neared, he grew wary. There seemed to be some tension in the air, and Kai's track did not deviate from its path towards the waters. Still, the promise of a a reunion, however short, urged the wolf onwards despite his caution. His steps quickened as the scent grew stronger, his usual trepidation cast aside. He was nearly there, close enough to know Kai had stopped, to taste the salt on his tongue, to hear the wolf's voice. And to hear him jump.
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 9:32 pm
 Lokelani's trail had led her on a long, winding path south from her homeland. Not that she felt any special affinity for the home. It's not like she was homesick or anything. Loke's home was out in the open, and she had a deepseated wanderlust that had come, undoubtedly, from her father.
But she'd never admit that. She had heard plenty of stories about her father and what bad news he was. As far as she was concerned, she was on this journey just to find him and bring him to justice, no matter what. The awesome adventure was just a side effect, really.
She hugged close to the seashore. She liked the sound of the ocean, the repetition of the waves. She also knew that, wherever her father had disappeared to, it was probably near the ocean. That much information had come from her mother, in and among the bitter discussion.
Up ahead, a series of craggy outcroppings hung out over the top of the ocean. There was no beach here, only the jagged rock formations. She could just make out a pair of silhouettes atop one; as she came closer, the colors and shapes became clearer.
Then the blue silhouette fell forward, leaping or falling into the sea.
Yelping in shock, the young wolf started forward at a run, not sure why she was heading there or what she planned to do when she arrived. If Kai was aware of the other wolves nearby, he gave no sign. He didn't even seem to notice about Alkos. He was too fully absorbed in his pain and the ritual of the sacrifice.
The fall seemed to take forever, although he had only jumped a few feet -- five, maybe, or seven. The water was shockingly cold, and it washed over him and enveloped him like the welcoming arms of an old friend.
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Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 2:16 am
For a moment, Alkos was left speechless. He was not just confused by what had just taken place -- he was dumbfounded. Kai may not have been the most chipper wolf he had ever met, but he was far from depressed. It was true that it had been some time since they had first (and last) met, but what could have happened to change him so? Or had he not changed at all? The splash suggested the fall was not so far down, not really suitable for a suicide, he hoped. But did that mean Kai had... fallen?
The possible revelation alarmed him. First, it meant something must have caused it -- the water was far from subtle as it crashed against the cliff-side, and any who tread close would be wary.
Second, it would mean he'd have to save Kai, and to do that, he'd have to go into the water.
There was no doubt in his mind that he'd have to be the one to save Kai -- the wolf was his one and only friend, after all. The wolf's life was more important than his own fear, surely. All he had to do was jump. And find Kai. And try to remain steady in the water. And maintain some footing in an ocean where the land would no doubt fall from his paws like petals from a flower. Yes, yes that's right. Just... jumping. He could do that.
He walked closer to the cliff's edge and frantically scrambled back multiple times as he thought, trying to convince himself to both stay and go. It would have gone on for much, much longer had he not heard a stranger's steps on the ground, rushing straight towards him.
Afraid, and truly convinced the steps belonged to some sort of monster that had pushed Kai off the cliff, he immediately backpedaled away from the cliff's edge, half-stumbling in his haste.
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Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 12:03 am
The water pulled him below, churning him with the tide.
That was when the survival instinct caught in.
He realized, in a dim, distant, faraway part of his mind how truly difficult it was to sacrifice oneself. Not because of the selflessness necessary for the job, but because of the body's desperate instinctual need for self-preservation.
Also, he knew how to swim.
Though he wanted to simply open his mouth and allow his lungs to fill with water, he found himself holding his breath, his muscles working his legs and pulling him toward the surface. The tide buffeted him, but he could see light overhead, and he was drawn to it despite himself.
Lokelani skidded to a halt beside the white wolf, staring down at the ocean below. There was no sign of the blue wolf who had jumped, and this white stranger was cowering and quivering completely uselessly. She glanced down, then over at the other wolf, brow furrowed. "What's going on here?"
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Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2012 5:08 pm
Alkos' hurried motions inevitably left him crashing against a nearby tree. Unable to discern which way he should run off to in time, he shriveled against the base of the trunk as the assailant ran right up to him, convinced he would be thrown off the cliff has Kai had been. But no such thing had come.
"H-he's gone!" he spluttered helpfully when it became apparent that the other would not harm him (at that moment, anyway).
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