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 Posted: Thu Jul 26, 2012 9:03 pm
 If the stars when any brighter, the acha staring up at them might go blind, but alas for star struck doe, the stars didn't shine any brighter tonight than they did any day. She had settled herself in a patch of moonlight and her head was tilted up to the sky, in a position that she seemed perpetually stuck in. She was a stargazer, a studier of the Motherfather's beyond, and thus her neck was craned at that awkward angle that allowed her to study the stars head on. When her eyes were filled with the stars that speckled her body, the world just seemed to fall away. And though it might not seem like it, she was actually carefully making observations, all of which she stored in her mind as she formulated her views on the world that kin could not reach. Unlike other acha who concerned themselves with singing and dancing, Tending to Darkness studied and thought, whispering with the swamp. She was not a creator, the Motherfather was, and so, she studied the beauty beyond their reach, the beauty that no acha, kimeti, kiokote or totoma, or even the mystical zikwa if they existed, could ever recreate.
With no warning and as sudden as a falling star, Dusk stood, eyes still turned towards the stars, and she trotted in quick steps to another spot for a different angle and a slightly different view with different stars and different formations. Again, she settled in the moonlight and it bathed her in an unnatural glow. Suddenly a wind picked up and clouds that had been far off moved a pace that was not often found of clouds. The moon was covered and so were many of the stars. The swamp was bathed in darkness, much darker than the night that the dusk of her dreams heralded. With her study covered by inconvenience, the doe sat perfectly still eyes sharp and head steady, waiting for the clouds to part to reveal her eternal subjects to her again.
There was no sound in the night except the chirping of crickets and the soft, near silent sound of the doe breathing in the crisp night air that cut into her lungs with their chill.
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Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 11:44 am
  A twig (or perhaps and old, dry bone) snapped. A brief, keening whistle came from somewhere to the west, and then the sounds of rapid movement from several different directions at once. If one had been looking, they might have seen shadows descend upon another, central figure. The largest seized this one, and with a jerking motion and a terrible sound, the caught thing went limp. The shadows relaxed, now, (amid the sounds of soft things tearing and wet gulps) save one. This last one looked directly at the acha doe. And soon, the largest one followed its gaze. "Den," it said in a low voice, "Take the swan back with you." Four of the six shapes departed, one with the caught thing- the swan -in its mouth. The one that had first seen the doe made no move to leave, which seemed to irritate the largest shadow. But both were now focused on the acha.
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Posted: Mon Jul 30, 2012 9:29 am
If Tending to Darkness were the type to jump at every sound at night, to be startled whenever she heard the sound of a hunt, to freeze when these sounds were near, she would never get anything down. Lest they approach her, she maintained a calm, collected demeanor and if the sounds threatened to rush at her, she was confident that her swift speed as an acha would allow her to get away. Thus, when the sounds of a hunt occurring came near, she had been ready to leap up and bound away, though she continued to watch the skies, waiting for the clouds to part. And then there was the sound of a hunt ending, so she settled back down and when the clouds parted once more, bathing her in moonlight and revealing the specific stars she meant to study. She didn’t even bother looking at the source of the disturbance was though the sound of multiple creatures coursing away into the night reached her ears, so absorbed was she in the stars that she had not heard the words that had sent the creatures running. She would remain a calm study as long as they didn’t approach her, but loathe as she was to admit it, the moment any creature, kin or not, approached, something lit up inside of her that reeked of fear.
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Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 7:50 pm
Deciding that the other acha wasn't going to do anything, Dead Dog was perfectly content to leave well enough alone. Unfortunately for him, Bites-Back had other ideas. The wolf boldly approached the stargazer, a paradoxical combination of disinterested curiosity pulled at the mental link between her and Dead Dog. The acha tried to snuff that out by projecting irritation. Failing, he stamped a hoof in a shockingly childish manner.
Bites-Back ignored him and, head bowed in a sort of resignation, Dead Dog followed his familiar. "...Good evening," he tried. His companion started closing in on the doe, sniffing. "You'll have to forgive Bites-Back; she's really quite impossible." A pause. "I'm Dead Dog."
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Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:49 pm
The stamp of a hoof was not enough to get Dusk to look back, it was distant enough, but when she was approached, by something, she didn't need to know what it was, she scrambled up, ears pinned back against her head. Fear immediately blossomed in her chest and when she took in the ominous form of the wolf, all thoughts fled her mind, even of the stars. The wolf sniffed at her and if she were more bold, she might strike out or even back away, but with no teeth or growling to spur her on, all she could do was stare with wide eyes at the wolf. It wasn't until the buck, a fellow acha, so dark, that Dusk took a few bounding steps back, projecting fear and apprehension. His words were nearly lost in the swirl of fear that snuffed out her mind. But as the threat of attack dissipated, her mind caught back up and sharpened. Still, Dead Dog was not a name that did not seem to bode well. Stilling, Dusk stared for several long moments before speaking, her voice strangely sharp and strong in contrast to her meek body language, "Greetings, Dead Dog. I am Tending to Darkness."
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 8:34 pm
The sudden movement on the part of the other acha caught him off guard, and Dead Dog leaned his head back, keeping his face away from someone who may or may not be a threat. Bites-Back, for her part, looked back at him in a manner that suggested disgust. Abashed, Dead Dog forcibly relaxed a bit.
"Tending to Darkness..." he tried out, almost unconsciously. Realizing he had spoken aloud, he continued, "A nice name."
Oh, Motherfather. Now what was one supposed to say? It wouldn't do to just walk away like he and his dogs hadn't disturbed her night. But he's already apologized; you weren't supposed to apologize twice, were you? He tried to decide how many offenses he'd committed.
"Is," somehow, he managed to half-choke on a single syllable word, "This your territory? I had no intention of hunting another's prey, I assure you."
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Posted: Sun Sep 30, 2012 10:15 pm
The buck certainly looked dangerous but as he spoke, Dusk realized he was harmless and her mind reasserted itself over her body. No use falling to petty instinct over one such as the buck in front of her. The doe stood a little straighter, held her head higher than she normally would, all to cover up the shame of her fear. She was sure she reeked of it and though her limbs no longer trembled and her breath was even, she couldn't escape scent. She couldn't and it made her want to tilt her head up just a little higher, share her neck with sharp teeth and conquer her fear by living it on her terms. Instead, Dusk stared at the buck in front of her; Dead Dog, he was Dead Dog.
She barely blinked at the choked nature of his speaking, too unsure for his name, too placating for her fear. Her eyes narrowed and she considered retreating now. There were plenty more angles to look at the stars from. She needn't stay here with this buck and his too-sharp wolf. Dusk stood still. Her hooves made no move to leave. When she spoke, her voice was clear, but there was a distant quality to it, not mocking, but she was so sure where he was not. "No, this is not my territory."
She nearly added that she only watched the stars, but one must never volunteer information that was never asked for. That was a weakness of the mind; those where the little wisps that escaped the loose traps of other kin's minds. Breezily, she continued, eyes already slanting up and away towards the stars, "One cannot claim a swan for their own simply because it drifts onto ones territory for a few migratory moments anyways."
She did not add that she thought those who did petty and simple, base and proprietous for their assumption that any creature that happened to set foot on their "territory" was theirs, though perhaps her tone said so anyways.
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Posted: Fri May 10, 2013 5:22 am
A small breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding escaped him. Okay, then. He hadn't accidentally been poaching so-
His brow furrowed at Tending to Darkness's last statement. Dead Dog wasn't sure if he'd just been insulted or not. A small tug on his mind brought his attention to Bites-Back. The wolf was feeling a dark amusement; Dead Dog may have been too anxious and awkward to notice Tending to Darkness's fear, but Bites-Back hadn't. And Bites-Back liked to chase things that were afraid. A question hovered at the edge of her thoughts: another chase, now? Play?
Dead Dog's mental no was so forceful, his familiar's ears went back. Offended, she circled back behind her acha to lie down and sulk. Dead Dog rolled his eyes. Eyes that then settled on the doe. Without thinking, he asked, "What are you looking at?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 03, 2013 10:53 pm
She had already mostly forgotten the buck by the time he spoke up again. She slide her eyes away from the stars for a moment without turning or lowering head, giving her all the appearance of superiority before returning back to her observations. For a long moment she tried to regain the concentration she had slipped back into, but the expectation of an answer kept her from reaching that point once it had been lost. She finally turned to face him again and shrugged a shoulder nonchalantly, shifting her small stag beetle from his recently settled position on her shoulder blade.
She nodded up at the stars, "The sky, the stars, the constellations, the beauty, the knowledge, all so far away."Chimerical Beast I kept meaning to get to this! I'm so sorry it took so long!
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Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2013 8:13 am
((Don't worry about it! Unfortunately, my computer got a virus and crashed, and then I had to buy new software... and I've only very recently gotten it back. And between my dad and school, I've been busy. I'll edit this with an actual response ASAP!))
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