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 Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 7:41 pm
The fight was over, but scars remained. Scars and memories that would most likely never go away, even with the healing nature of time. That one moment when Jaxom went charging... it would leave an imprint in her mind, one named fear, for as long as she lived and as long as there seemed nothing else to occupy her mind.
Shivering slightly with the coming of night, the female trekked on, limping, with her injured mate at her side. Even with the coming of spring, it seemed that the cold winds would not release their grip for a while yet. But that was perfectly fine with her. The chilling winds actually felt soothing, and were a nice change from the hot feeling in her blood when she had been attacked.
Stopping suddenly as her sprained paw stiffened up, Tai whimpered and sat randomly, cradling and licking at her injury.
"Damu," she wheezed, her voice soft and slightly strained. Her lungs were still bruised, so breathing was still a minor problem. "We need to find somewhere to stay. I need rest." Yes, rest was exactly what she needed.
Or, rather, a mircale...
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Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:21 pm
An staggering limp still hindered each step causing the white and black swirled wolf to grit his teeth and grunt. The wound upon his shoulder was still fresh; gashed deep through his muscles while patches of fur had been torn away by the treacherous jaws of his own kin.
But, aside from the physical pain, Damu's mind was contorted in continious thoughts. Thoughts that never left him at peace, always lingering within the back of his mind or constantly dwindling upon.
Why- why had his own brother, his own flesh and blood, sought revenge upon him? Was it truly because of his horrific past? Perhaps.
Just like countless other wandering souls that he had crossed, it was one central aspect that had led them to discriminate against him. And that was his hide. Swirled with eerie black swirls, their presence was forever engraved upon his skin and fur by the fires that man had forged in order to slaughter his pack and pilage what they could. They were his sins, a transgression that condemned him and shunned him for his past.
Yet only one had seen past such markings as love had brought the two of them together.
She was Taima, and she was his.
Breaking from his seclusion of thoughts as his mates voice rang out from the silence, Damu perked his head upwards and nuzzled her affectionately with a soft rumble.
"Somewhere to stay...yes, of course," he replied with a low tone, avoiding to focus on the pain and rather upon the needs of his mate. They were both tired but moreso Taima then himself.
From what he could see, their surroundings seemed bleak. There were no rocky terrain nor outcropping of rocks to provide suitable shelter from late winters chill as all that was near were towering trees, sparse patches of snow and shrubs that littered the forest floors.
This was not good, not good at all.
Sighing as his emerald orbs drifted back towards his mate, his black ears fell flat. "There's nothing around...not even a living soul would drift around here." Yeilding in his steps, he tilted his head slightly as somewhat of an idea was forming.
"We could just lie down and rest for a bit..."
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Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:36 pm
The Wind brought him the scent of blood and sighing, he moved in the direction his old friend had indicated, wishing, not for the first time, for an age where his services would no longer be needed. He would rest, then. But such was not his destiny.
Moving fleetly for one so aged, he came across a pair of wolves who had seen better days. "If you lay to rest now, you will not get up. Come, I will find you shelter."
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Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:48 pm
Taima leaned into her mate, his warm fur comforting her troubled mind. Ever since that attack, never had there been a moment where she had been at ease, never a moment when she wasn't thinking that someone was right behind her, just waiting for the perfect moment to strike.
So when Sol-lun randomly came out of seemingly nowhere and told them that he would find them shelter, she jumped nearly a foot despite her obvious stress and lack of rest: her eyes were quite dull, bags forming under them from her weariness. Yet the newcomer seemed willing to help, and so her dulled senses allowed her to smile slightly and move in his direction.
"I thank you, kind stranger." And she was sure Damu did too, but Tai didn't say that. Let him speak for himself, lest she say something terribly wrong.
Head drooping slightly, she sighed once more then moved to follow in the stranger's wake, willing to go where ever he was planning to take her. She would, however, watch out for any 'mutiny' of sorts. She could and would not handle another attack. It was impossible.
"Come, Damu," she attempted to coax him, lest he find this stranger too strange and weird and not worth following. Taima needed her mate, now more than ever.
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Posted: Thu Mar 23, 2006 9:03 pm
When the soft padding of steps proceeded towards them and an unfamiliar voice spoke, Damu's eyes widened slightly as the jagged fur upon his back bristled slightly. He didn't know who had come towards them yet the fear of another ambush, another brawl of bloodshed, caused his muscles to tense with uncertainty.
Black ears pinned back slightly as his back was turned away from the one who had approached them. He could only plead that no more violence would erupt nor a life would be lost.
Yet it was when he turned around that his maw seemed to drop slightly and his ears perked up in alarm.
It wasn't until he lifted up his own eyes towards the strange that a strange sense of peace suddenly doused upon him...soothing his fear and riled beast within by means of no explaination whatsoever. Damu felt that, like his mate, he too could trust the wolf before him.
There was a question that lingered about his mind, wondering if perhaps this wolf was...well, perhaps he would learn in time if he did bear the powers which many did fear and come to admonish.
"I am most greatful for your kindness," he responded with a respectful bow of his head.
Padding forward as his mate's gentle coaxing esteemed more faith into the one before them, Damu walked aside her once again as he kept himself close as a protector and a faithful companion.
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Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 5:10 am
The old wolf merely nodded, taking no heed in the fright he had caused them. They were not as near to death as he had made out, but they were not well off either and he had no time for arguments.
Following the path the Wind set out for him, Sol-Lun led the pair down a gently slope to rest in a rocky alcove surrounded by scrubby trees, shrubs and tall grasses. "Not perfect, but it will do. Please, lie down. I will need you to be still, if I am to help. How did you come to this state, cubs?"
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Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 6:27 am
Taima followed the shaman blindly, all of her concentration focused on her injuries. The bruises in her lungs were getting no better, and her paw was stiffening up with lack of treatment and lack of use. Both caused quite a bit of pain and uncomfortable feelings inside of the female. She didn't like them.
So when the stranger led them to an alcove and said that he needed them to lie down, she didn't argue. The rest would be welcome, as even her other, uninjured paws were growing sore from the travel. So with one glance at her mate, Tai slowly sank down to her belly, then rolled onto her side comfortably, her eyes slowly trailing up towards Sol-Lun.
Breathing hard, she listened to him talk, then to him question them. It was a simple question, but she wasn't sure whether she could answer it or not. Her lungs were rebelling.
"Fight," the female managed to murmur, closing her eyes as a wave of extreme pain passed over her. She hoped that Damu wasn't in as much pain as she was....
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Posted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 5:32 pm
Keeping his pace equal as he limped aside his mate, Damu winced slightly but diverted his thoughts elsewhere in an attempt to not concentrate on the pain. The laceration upon his back hd been dried with blood by now yet the fur upon his shoulders would take time to fully be restored. Several other gashes lined his legs as a crimson hue dribbled and created a tarnished hue that seeped from each wound. Every muscle and bone felt as if it was on its last length, making ready to suddenly collapse as the pain was bearing too great. But his pains were insignificant compared to those of his mates, Tai.
Winding and arching his back slightly as he trekked to where the white and red hued stranger led them towards, Damu could feel his whole body on the brink of exhaustion but he had to go on. He was so close.
Stepping inside the alcove, Damu yeilded in his steps as he allowed his mate to lie down first. Just as she sank to her belly, the white and black swirled male sat onto his haunches and delicately slid his forepaws outwards for his shoulders to not be jostled or surge with horrible pain.
As his stomach rested upon the stone ground, Damu drew his head upon his paws and slowly closed his eyes.
Rest. Yes, that was something he could embrace and willingly do.
Black ears perked upwards as he began to question their current state. An ill feeling knotted within his stomach as the sheer thought had its own affects against his mind. So much pain...so much bloodshed.
"My younger brother, Jaxom, condemned me as the reason to why our pack had perished by the hands of men and fire..." he rumbled low as his head lifted up slightly for his emerald orbs to look into those of the stranger. "He deemed me a sinner for what tragedy had occured and for the black swirls that engraved themselves upon my skin and fur."
Letting his head gently fall back onto his paws, he gritted his teeth as a sharp pain shot through his paw. "He attacked me and my mate..."
Emerald orbs peered over towards Taima as a small, sympathetic whine escaped from his maw. She was worse than he was and such a sight was not easy for him to look upon.
Drawing his muzzle upwards as he inched his body closer, the white and black swirled male nuzzled her tenderly for a brief moment until his body caused him to pull away by means of excruciating sensations that ran down his spine.
With his every ounce of strength fleeting, Damu laid there and closed his eyes once again as he bidded sleep to take him for what moments he could savor.
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 6:10 am
((Fire?! You said the magic word!))
Sol-Lun let out a fierce snarl -- his first in more moons that he could remember. He had no ill-feelings toward the men-folk, but fire... that was another story. He panted heavily and paced the tiny alcove, taking no more that 4 steps in either direction before swishing to head the opposite way.
The thought of so many wolves killed by fire... and he hadn't known... couldn't save them... like his mother... Grief welled in the old male, grief he had never let himself feel, and with that grief came a wash of Power. It filled him to bursting, filled him like he had never felt before. He needed to release it, before it killed him.
It was approaching dusk, the time when the sun and moon meet. Sol-Lun's crimson and silver head shot back, the sun and moon that met in the sky echoed on his face. It was obvious then, why his mother had named him as she had. A howl -- long, loud and piercing -- poured from his gaping maw and his body spasmed, power streaming from him.
Birds took to flight to escape the frightening noise, rodents and other animals running to their dens for cover. Tai and Damu were caught in the backwash, lifted slightly from where they rested on the ground and floated on a cushion of Wind.
The ancient element had never seen its bond brother so; had never felt such a power. BROTHER! Calm yourself, brother. You can not hold so much power!
The howl seemed to go on for eons and when Sol-Lun finally fell to the ground, exhausted, it was in the company of a newly healed Tai and Damu -- the pair healed more completely that anything he had ever managed before. His tongue scraped the roof of his mouth, for he did not know how he had done it. "I am sorry," he gasped. "That is not ussually the way of it. I am --" His head fell to the ground, for he could no longer hold it up.
((Weeee! Plot!))
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 6:33 am
Taima lay with her eyes close, mostly motionless except for her heavy and hard breathing. Yet she wasn't asleep, for the pain that she felt was too great to allow any such thing overcome her. And so she heard every word that passed from male to male, she heard Damu's telling, in short, what had basically happened to them.
The tale hurt even her mind to so much as think about it, yet it had to be told. A story such as that created ill feelings, and such could not be held within for too long, lest it resort to destruction as a means of escape.
So when Damu's tale came forth from his mouth, she felt a sensation of both relief and fear. Relief that the story had been let free before it turned savage, yet fear that something of a similar sort might rise up again and lash out at them. Tai welcome the feeling, thinking that it was helping her to let it out.
But Sol-Lun's reaction.. that was something that she was not anticipating. A snarl... it sounded like he was ready to attack!
Eyes shot open as the female tried to glance at him, but all she caught was the light, mixed from the day and from the night, bouncing off of his face, which was quickly raised into the air. He looked like he was going to...
Howl.
The sound was the most eerie thing she had ever experienced. Something ran straight through her body as it rang out, echoing up into the heavens. Something lifted her off the ground, if only slightly. It was both frightful yet comforting, dangerous yet healing. It was such a thing that she had never felt before that she felt herself raising her own snout slightly and even closing her eyes and letting out a soft howl. It couldn't be heard by any of the others, what with the older wolf's ringing out like it was, and so she merely looked silly with her nose in the air.
And the next thing she knew, Taima was plopped down on the ground, all of the pain just vanished. Blinking, confused, she watched helplessly as her healer fell to the ground.
"Stranger!" she cried out in despair, thinking that his healing of her had caused this collapse. Suddenly she rushed to his side, running, she noted, on her formerly very injured paw. "Stranger! Stranger!" she cried out again, this time nosing his face and licking carefully. The female was relatively powerless, but that didn't stop her from worrying nor from trying to bring him around.
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Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 6:12 pm
The white and black swirled males emotions stirred within as the recollection of such events were hard. Yet as he glanced over towards the older male, there was a strange sense about him. His facial expressions conveyed pain and...heartache. Did the stranger also have an encounter much like his own?
Perhaps.
But it wasn't until a howl drew from his maw, one that was long and solacing as his emotions were, for a time, speaking for him and crying out to the looming moon above.
As the howl echoed within his ears, Damu felt somewhat of a likeness between them. They both had lost those dear to them, they both knew of sacrifice and the pains of grief that weighed down ones soul. He too unleashed a low howl, mourning to the skies above for repentance and forgiveness...for letting mankind ravage through his packlands.
A strange sensation seemed to overtake him as his cry ceased. He could no longer feel the cold, stone ground underneath as a feeling of slight weightlessness drew him upwards in means that were oblivious to him. Aside from the weightless experience, the pain that had bombarded his every muscle and tainted his fur slowly dissapated.
His eyes widened as he found himself upon the ground again, looking upon his body as the countless scars and gashes were nothing but faint scars that hid amongst his fur.
Althought the scars forged by his brothers own teeth and claws healed, the black upon his hide did not go away. Damu was somewhat dissapointed yet, truly, such a marking would never leave. The scars atoned for what he had done and it would be something he was to live with forever.
Rolling onto his feet, the white and black swirled male looked towards the Shaman only to find him collapsed upon the gound with Tai by his side worried and concerned for him. This didn't look good, not good at all.
"Shaman!" He yelped, following in his mates hurried footsteps as he rushed to his aid. Lowering his muzzle and nudging him gently, Damu wuffed softly. "No," he replied with a softened look upon the old wolf, "you healed us...my mate and I. But-" his words faultered slightly, feeling somewhat guilty," I can't help but feel my words had caused this."
Looking aside as he felt ashamed, Damu sighed as a strange sensation seemed to bear weight upon him. Had his tale provoked another? He knew not. But he hoped that this was not his doing, his words being the one to cause this...
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Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 7:11 am
The Wind cloaked the old wolf softly. It knew he was still alive, for the bond was still strong, but it could feel the weakness in him. Gently, the Wind stroked his fur. Brother, you must learn to control it. After all this time, I thought you knew...
Sol-Lun nuzzled Taima back, lifting his nose from the ground to smile up at her. "I am called Sol-Lun, cub. And I am not dead, only tired. It will take more than that to kill me." He turned his gaze then to Damu, "And it was not your words, youngling, only a grief I should have rid myself of long ago."
He paused, considering the pair. Never had he healed in this way and never two at once. He didn't think he could replicate it, even if he wanted to. "You are not afraid of me... strange..."
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Posted: Tue Mar 28, 2006 4:34 pm
Taima was relieved when the older wolf's muzzle brushed against her own. It was a startling sensation at first, but then she was merely glad that he was okay and able to talk and whatnot. "Sol-Lun, right," she nodded, sniffing at his head to try and find any source of sickness or whatever else. Finding none, really, she backed up a foot or so to look him over. Whatever caused him to collapse she did not know, and it was truly worrying her. What if it came and attacked him again?
But all thoughts were broken and disrupted when the shaman commented on them not being afraid of him. Slightly confused, the omega tilted her head to the side in a querying manner.
"Why would we fear you? You healed us, and for that we will always be thankful and be in your debt." A firm nod confirmed this. Sol-Lun was a good wolf, with wonderous powers... why would anyone fear him? Had there been a time when he used his powers for bad? No.. he just didn't seem like the character to have even been that way in the far past. There must be something else.
Sitting down comfortably, and without so much as a sharp pain or protest from her body, Tai looked over their healer once more. He looked tired, and as if he might want some food.
"We will take care of you until you get better," she randomly stated, her eyes blazing with determination. He had helped them and stole them away from death, the least they could do was stay with him until he found his paws again.
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Posted: Wed Mar 29, 2006 11:11 pm
"Sol-Lun," he repeated slowly to himself, admiring the ring to such a name. He rather liked it, truthfully. The white and black male quirked an eye brow at the Shaman as he was a bit confused.
The reasons and twisted logic to why many others would grow fearful of the unknown and unexplainable was forged by lies and fear. But how- how could anyone be afraid of one who bore the gift of healing? The wolf before then saved lives...he had saved his life and the life of his mate by means of these strange powers. It would be a debt that could never be fully paid; lives were precious, even so greater than anyone one could ever desire.
"Afraid? No. But perhaps if it was one who never had heard the tales of the Shaman or whose beliefs were twisted then that would be a different story," he smiled, chuckling low as he glimpsed towards his mate.
A rather surprised look briefly overcame his facial expression but quickly dissapated into one that was warm and compassionate. Tai was caring and always looked out for others...that's what he liked about her. Damu nodded his head in accord as her proposal was one that was well deserved by Sol-Lun. After all, it would be the first step in finding a way to repay the Shaman and be on equal terms- it was always how the young adult saw such acts as; to repay and stand even on equal terms.
As his emerald orbs were cast upon Sol-Lun, he smiled."Rest, Shaman. There is no need to bring haste to yourself and at least let us repay you for sparing us from death."
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