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 Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 12:03 pm
Here is where most, if not all, of Aleu's shaman quest will take place, over a span of time.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 12:33 pm
.Best Left Forgotten: Part 1.
"Aleu! Aleu! Hey, don't wander so far! Aleu! Aleu!"
It wasn't that she couldn't hear the voice calling her...
This was the first time. The first time outside of the village, in the wild. The first time she was allowed to assist in a hunt. Aside from the first sunrise a week ago, when her brother had been born, she was positive this was the best day that would ever grace her life. Everything was so perfect. The moon shined bright, but not too bright. A cool breeze ruffled her fur, but not too cool. The birds themselves seemed to sing just the right tune at just the right pitch, as if the music was composed for Aleu herself.
"ALEU! STOP!"
The canine didn't stop, but she did turn in a circle, dashing back to the man and jumping around him, licking his hand and yapping happily. One would think her hyper, but in truth, she was a very calm.
Calm in any situation but this one.
Her first hunt! Her first chance to be worth something to the village! The only regret she held was that Amareya wouldn't come. She loved the girl, as much as her own brother. After all, she'd raised Aleu from a puppy. But unfortunately, she had never been willing to accept the food chain. Killing, even if it was to prolong your own death, had never settled well with her. Instead of meat, she ate things that fell from the trees or grew from the ground.
It wasn't Aleu's way, but she never thought badly of her human for it.
Besides, Amareya's father was the next best thing, though he looked slightly embarassed now. "Aleu! Calm down! You're scaring everything away!"
"Your daughter did good training that dog," another man joked. The remaining two laughed in unison with him. Aleu wasn't completely sure what was going on, but judging by the crestfallen look on the father's face, it was nothing good.
A growl rose from her throat, directed toward the three men, and although many feet seperated her and them, she snapped in warning. The three fell silent, and Father patted her on the head thankfully. "Please focus, Aleu."
'Father' was what Amareya had told her to call him. Shortly after the birth of her brother, Aleu's mother had passed on. Amareya explained she was one with the Earth now, and that Aleu and her brother shouldn't be sad, because they still had family, even if they didn't share the same blood.
'I'm your sister, Aleu,' she offered with that bright, assuring smile of hers. 'My father is your father.' So Aleu called him Father.
Aleu barked. I will! I'll focus! Too bad the two-legs never could understand her.
A twig snapped, and a deer darted past them in the distance. One of the men cried out, "There's one!", and without waiting, Aleu dashed after it. Not only was she normally calm, she normally wasn't so hasty. She wasn't disobeying, because her focus was on the deer and no where else.
She had to catch it!
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 12:51 pm
.Best Left Forgotten: Part 2.
The distance between Aleu and her prey was fading fast. Her throat was dry, tounge hanging out to the left, and her lungs burned. Never before had she ran so fast, but never before did she have a reason to.
A loud snarl echoed through the forest, and the dog sprang forward. Her fangs dug into the shoulder of the doe, and they both toppled to the ground. Four hooved feet flailed wildly, and Aleu quickly released her hold and dodged their powerful kicks.
"Be one with the Earth and your spirit be free," she repeated. It was what Amareya had said each time she buried something, be it the bone remains of a hunt or a creature within the village that had died. After the short chant, she lunged forward and bit the neck, tightening her hold as much as possible. For a few seconds, the four legs kicked more wildly than ever. When that short span of time passed, they fell limp, and the light indicating life within the eyes of the deer dimmed before fading completely.
Blood ran down her mouth, staining her coat and spilling onto the ground as Aleu stepped away. It was a disgusting sight, really, but she had never...
Never felt more alive.
"Aleu!" the voice called, over and over. "Aleu! Aleu!"
Any other time, she'd have answered. Because any other time, she'd have heard. This time, there was nothing that could make it over the sound she was making without realizing it.
Head tilted toward the moon, Aleu howled like a full-blooded wolf.
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 1:28 pm
.Best Left Forgotten: Part 3.
"She's a wolf?!"
Word spread like fire, with Amareya ironicly the last to have heard. The men had saw her howling with their own eyes. Perhaps a dog would do such a thing, but not like that. She had been trained to hunt, very little, but when the time came she moved as a creature who was meant to kill. All signs pointed toward it...
"Half-wolf," Father corrected in a wary voice, running a hand through his black hair. "We know for a fact her mother is our old dog, may her spirit be at peace. I assumed her father was one of our dogs as well, she looks so much like quite a few of them, but I guess her father is a wolf."
Aleu's ears twitched intently. Were they talking about her? ...And her father? Amareya said Father was her father! What was wrong? What was happening? She'd killed the deer, hadn't she? Isn't that what they wanted? These and more questions raced through a mind, and she emitted a long and very distressed whine, causing the two sets of eyes in the room to turn her way.
Father had taken her and Amareya away from the company of anyone else. Tired, Aleu had lay down and just listened. She did notice the villagers had a particular interest in her when they came back, but she had thought it was because her first hunt was so successful.
"Aleu, it's okay," Amareya insisted. She knelt down beside the dog, who apparently was not a dog, and pat her head affectionately. "No one is mad at you." The words were assured, but the voice was questioning.
"That's right," Father confirmed. "We have nothing against any creature of the Earth, and that includes a wolf. We've raised Aleu since the time of her birth. She's a product of man, and she belongs here, reguardless."
"Wonderful! And she's such a good hunter!"
"A treasure to our home, indeed." Father waved his hand. "You should rest now. Both of you."
"I think so too," agreed Amareya. "Until tomorrow."
Father had left, and Amareya lay silently on the cot made of deer skin and cotton. Her hand was slung over the side, stroking Aleu's fur in a slow and soothing motion. The half-breed was dozing off when the girl spoke, "Aleu, you are truly something special."
Something special, she thought as she drifted off to sleep.
Something special...
----------
When Aleu awoke, it was not in the past as her dream had been. At the moment her eyes opened, and there was no longer any hand petting her, she debated if she should ever sleep again if it meant risking dreams like that. Slowly, grudingly, she hauled herself up and walked from the den, outside. The air... Just like that night. Perhaps the moon was, too, but in this forest, it was impossible to see.
"But I want to see it," she said to no one. Her paws were carrying her before she remembered her mind telling them to. She smiled gently at the form of Kaho. The seer was sleeping rather comically outside another den Solan and their two new puppies resided in. He slept on his back with his three legs in the air, and if one listened, they could hear his obnoxious snoring.
Maybe he would change, if he was forced to. Just like her.
Soon enough, Aleu reached the end of the forest and sat down. Her eyes gazed at the moon and her first thought was it didn't look a thing like that night where it was full. Only half of it was visible now, the rest hidden by the black of the sky.
"Aleu? You're up late," a muffled voice commented. Sosay sat beside her and dropped the dead bird to the ground. Aleu's shoulders raised and fell.
"I suppose." Suddenly, she said, "Sosay, where did you come from? No stories."
"I'd rather not say. I'm not one for sharing."
"I see..."
"That's sort of an odd question coming from you," Sosay said, partially to himself. "Usually you don't concern yourself with the pasts of others."
A crow circled above them, and Aleu had to wonder if it had been related to the dead one at her packmate's feet. Perhaps the creature was mourning the death of it's friend. "I was thinking..."
"Thinking?"
"Yes, that I..." She drew in a deep, shuttering breath. "I'd really like to go back to my home."
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Posted: Thu Dec 28, 2006 9:07 pm
Noyama I want to go home.
The thought repeated itself in her mind by a voice she didn't seem to be in control of. It was all day, at least every five minutes.
When she woke up: I want to go home.
When she was hunting: I want to go home.
And now, when she was just sitting, gazing at a puddle the rain earlier had left behind, there it was again.
I want to go home.
She was just a ways outside of the Black Forest, far enough so that the trees were no longer blocking the moon.
The reflection frowned sadly. This was her home now, wasn't it? Amareya had said this had to be. "Do I really belong here? I feel like such a dog now. Like a pet..." Pukio  The howl lurched up from somewhere nearby, somewhat eerie in the dark as he reverberated off the trunks of trees, winding up through the underbrush and treetops and skittering out into the sky. It was long, followed by a short, quickl stifled yip and then silence that felt heavy in the wake of the call.
Syrus dropped his nose, pausing to reach around and scratch his shoulder with his teeth. "Good to see you wide-eyed," he noted briefly, glancing in the moon's direction as he rose to his feet and shook himself out. Good to see Her watching carefully again. It felt like it'd been a long time since the last time he'd felt She was paying so close attention.
Turning, the large male lumbered through the underbrush in the unnaturally warm night air. It smelled like the change of seasons and, not for the first time, he was glad for it. He liked the warmth of the summer, to lie in it and know She was watching. A man had told him once, a very very long time ago, that the heavens were closest in the time of growth and change. It made Syrus eager; eager for the world to live again instead of this hollow taste of winter that lived in his mouth and filled his nose.
Nose. He wrinkled it, gaze focusing on his immediate surroundings rather than up toward the sky and the goddess. He smelled something. Someone.Noyama Stranger.
Why did so many of them wonder here? It was so close to that dark forest where barely anything but those towering trees grew, and the majority were either dying or already dead. It surely wasn't the sight-seeing that drew them to this area, and given there was nothing to hunt unless you managed to pounce on birds like Sosay did, food wasn't a key factor in attraction either.
Oh well. Best shoo him off before Raja came storming over. The alpha hadn't been docile toward those outside their 'circle' before, but since Voodoo had left, she'd demanded new rules be set, and one of them was newcomers were a no no. Not that Aleu blamed her.
"You shouldn't wander around here," she said once the male was within sight. "I'd suggest heading back that way." Pukio Syrus stopped, ears pricking slowly in the female's direction. For a moment, he stood blank faced and stone still but neutral through his body; and then an absent smile filtered its way across his features and his body lapsed into an easy stance, the yellow and black male exuding the friendly sort of charisma that made anyone a touch dangerous - wolves listened to the things that was voiced with that kind of easy friendliness.
"I wander where She takes me," he intoned easily, shrugging with a roll of the shoulders as he moved forward a few more steps, clearly intending to meander straight up to this stranger without so much as an afterthought. "She tells me to go in this direction, and I go."
His smile broadened good naturedly. "It's difficult to argue with Her. She tends not to speak back when Her creatures give Her attitude." Noyama Ah, a crazy. That's why he was here. The Black Forest was like a magnet to those who were insane, or maybe it had just been cursed after Phantom settled there.
"Right," Aleu deadpanned. She wasn't all that inclined to start conflict with someone who wasn't all there. "Well, maybe She should take you the other way, because if She tells you to go much further this way, She is going to get you killed by my alpha."
Her eyes strained to see the other wolf better in the darkness. "Do I know you from somewhere?" Pukio He stopped, nearly beside Aleu with the clear intention of walking right past her and further into the dark of the forest. His deatures quirked curiously in her direction, ear cocked and flicking slightly back and forth. The male's eyes were wide and bright in the dark of the warm night, pointed and cleverly attentive.
Awfully coherent for a nutjob, but maybe Aleu was used to that sort of condradiction.
"Perhaps She wanted us to meet," he remarked. "Maybe that's why I'm here." He paused, glancing toward the treetops between himself and the goddess' single visible eye. He looked back to the younger female wolf. "Syrus," he introduced himself, inclining his head. "A disciple of our lady if there ever was one. And you...--" he hesitated, a moment of registration flicking across his features, eyes brightening with a dawning realization. "You are a halfbreed, little one." Noyama
Generally, yes, it wasn't anything new to have some nutcase come stumbling toward her. A lot of wolves she had contact with didn't seem right to her. Raja, even, struck her as a bit crazy, just in the violent I'll-rip-your-face-off-if-you-dare-go-against-me way.
Her blue eyes went in a circle. Even if it wasn't out of the oridnary, that didn't make it any less annoying. "Look, why don't you just--" Those eyes that had just been rolled now widened. "How did you--?!" The incomplete sentence turned into an annoyed growl.
Who the hell was this...?
"I think I remember," she said after a moment. "Weren't you with a man who came to my village once?"
--The village. The village. Pukio The male's head quirked further, ratchetting to one side. He blinked twice at her, eyes bright and clear. "I was with a man once," he said at last. His tone was dry and clean cut, as if recalling a story he had heard long ago and not talking of something that had happened to himself. "Once a long time ago."
Syrus paused and smiled shyly at Aleu. "They burned him up like a dead fish they had caught in a net."
He waited a moment, letting the silence between them stretch and curl in the air; it stagnated. "It smelled foul." Noyama At that point, the half-breed was terrified. Not of this other wolf. She could take him down if she had to, and her pack wasn't far off. What exactly she was afraid of she couldn't tell you, but her legs shook and her unblinking eyes quivered.
"W-What's wrong with you?!" she stumbled, wailing. How could he speak in that tone about something like...like that?! "How can you talk like it doesn't matter? Don't you miss him?! You don't belong out here!"
I don't belong out here, Aleu realized. That last line hadn't been directed toward anyone but herself. Finally, she admitted it.
"I don't. I don't belong here." She dashed forward, stopped and turned to him. "Don't go that way!" Then she was gone.
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Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 10:27 pm
.Best Left Forgotten: Part 4.
On most days, Aleu would be the first thing awake. On that day, she was the last, aside from the crow belonging to one of the elders.
And that was only because said crow would never wake up.
Aleu was in mid-yawn when she walked sluggishly into the open. Her jaw remained open for many seconds, then snapped shut in unison with her eyes widening. She gazed around at the sight: Amareya was directly in front of her, her father on the otherwise and the entire village behind him.
"--didn't do it!" Amareya defended. Immediatly, Aleu wondered who hadn't done what.
The scent of blood filled her nostrils, and she peered around her human at the group. In the front was the oldest human she knew, and in his youth, he had been the best hunter one would find. Two-leg wise, that is. Crow-wise, it was the one he called Koken.
The crow had always sort of annoyed Aleu, but she still felt her stomach turn when she saw the bird, bloody and dead, in the arms of the old man.
"Aleu!"
Amareya's cry turned her attention back to the girl, but she'd barely had time to look before she'd turned, fell to her knees and flung her arms around the half-breed.
"Aleu couldn't have done it," Father grunted. "Amareya was with her all night."
"And you don't think she's capable of leaving your sleeping daughters side?" one villager yelled.
"If he's such a good hunter he should've sensed something coming!" Amareya snapped. "It doesn't matter, Aleu didn't do it!"
Father placed a hand on her shoulder and silenced her. "Aleu has never shown any aggression before," he said. "Besides that, we are suppose to respect all nature, and that includes wolves, full blood or otherwise."
"We do," said one of the men who had been on the hunt yesterday. "But in the village... And you saw her yesterday. I think we unleashed something letting her hunt like that--"
"How can you say that?!" Amareya cut in, knocking her father's hand away. "Aleu has protected everyone here her entire life! There's no way she'd just suddenly do something like this!"
Ignoring the hysterical girl, the man quietly continued, "I think it's best Aleu goes and lives in the wild now."
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Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 10:28 pm
.Best Left Forgotten: Part 5.
After that day, Aleu did go to live life out in the wild, but not alone. Her precious brother was safe, and she wouldn't dare take him from that safety. She left him with a goodbye and a warning. 'Don't act anything like I did,' she'd told him. 'You're domesticated, act like it.' It was Amareya who walked beside her through the brush. She wouldn't leave Aleu out here alone. It had come down to either both she and Aleu stayed, or both she and Aleu left.
The decision hadn't taken long to decide.
Amareya was not a stupid girl. She had skills to survive, at least, that was what Aleu observed as she watched her construct a poor-looking, but stable shelter and build a fire immediatly afterward. Once the flame burst to life, that sat beside one another. Aleu was silent as Amareya hummed. It was no song she recognized. It just flowed. Random, soft, lulling the half-breed to sleep.
---
That night stretched into many months. The days were long, often either too hot and too cold, and after a while Aleu began wandering if Amareya really belonged out here with just her after all. The already petite human had lost weight, one of many wrongs. Her eyes still shone, Aleu noted, with that same determination and unwavering inner-strength as they had when they'd first struck out. Perhaps that was why she never urged her to return to the village. Perhaps it made it easier to be selfish.
It was Amareya who would eventually seperate the two of them, during the coldest night they'd seen so far. Aleu had stayed awake, cuddling close to her owner who shivered. The moon lingered high in the sky, and then she'd heard it. The howl. Before she realized it, she had moved away from Amareya, outside the shelter, mimicing the noise. The girl woke quickly as a result of her sudden chill, and peered out into the night to see her beloved companion.
At that moment, it became clear she truly had the untamable blood of a wolf. She awaited the following morning.
"Aleu," the girl began gently, crushing some herbs. It was easier to divide your attention with things like this. "I think you can really understand me, Aleu." Aleu tilted her head. Why did her voice sound so shaky today? "Aleu, I think you should leave now." Oh... "Now. I think you should leave now." She laughed at the whine, but it was not a happy one. "It's alright, Aleu. You'll love being free. I promise. I'll stay here for six sunrises incase you don't. If not, just come back here, and we'll grow old together. At least try it for my sake."
It was the worst idea Aleu had ever heard, yet only two minutes later she found herself running away, running into the unknown. Running--
Crash!
The two forms toppled over. "Hey, watch it!" a foreign voice snapped, and the strangers jaws followed the example.
"I'm-I'm sorry," the half-breed stumbled back to her feet, backing up and observing the wolf. She was red. Red and black. And-- Aleu's eyes widened, ironicly prompted as the stranger had no eyes at all!
"Stop staring, will you?" Aleu squeaked at the words. "I know you are, everyone does. It's annoying."
"I'm sorry, I'm just--"
"You're a half-breed, that's what you are. I could smell a two-leg on you long before you ran into me."
"Sorry," Aleu apologized again. "I was just..." After three attempts to say something slightly intelligent, she gave up. "I'm Aleu. I'm suppose to be a wolf now." Oh, THAT sounded bright.
"Raja, pleasure," greeted the beta. "Is that right? Good luck with that." The other female turned to go, and Aleu watched anxiously. There were plenty of other wolves, she knew that, but--
"Wait!" the half-breed blurted. "Can you--will you help me?"
"You don't want me to help you, half-breed, the kinds of wolves I'm in daily contact with are trouble. You'd get your throat ripped out the first day!"
"No I wouldn't! Give me a chance, will you?!"
"Fine, fine, just come on. I have places I need to be." Grinning triumphantly, Aleu hurried after Raja. She knew this wasn't the place for her, but she might as well have fun playing the roll of a wolf for a few days, right?
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Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 10:29 pm
.Best Left Forgotten: Part 6.
The woods, and more, the wolves in the woods, were nothing as Aleu thought. Life being a wolf in the woods was nothing like Aleu thought.
Raja had accepted her quickly, despite her inexperience. This had led her to believe life out here was just that easy. Her mind had a fantasy world where wolves would eat, puppies would play, they would all sleep peacefully. The days would be slow, quiet. In reality, they were nothing like that. Raja told her there were probably still places, somewhere, where peace exsisted, but this wasn't one of them.
She did not tell Aleu any stories. Raja was a busy wolf, and didn't really like Aleu anyway (she'd bluntly told her so), or anyone for that matter, save for that sister of hers Aleu found mildly creepy. She didn't need stories, anyway, because Aleu witnessed first hand the sort of horrors that really lingered in these woods. There had been many fights, most prompted by Phantom, a pale alpha. Wolves had come, gone, been injured, been betrayed. There was so much going on, before Aleu knew it weeks had passed, and multiple times each day she would muse over Amareya. Amareya, who had definately returned to the village by now.
How wrong she was...
----
The trip to the river was suppose to be a quick one, just to gulp down some water and return to her new group of wolves. They weren't a pack, Raja had said. Not yet. Not until Phantom was dead, and she took his packlands to rein over. Aleu wasn't surprised by the plan, and knew the red wolf could do it. Even so, she had her work cut out for her...
"Well, well, it's the half-breed." The voice made her jump, step back and snarl without even a brief pause. Phantom smirked, heading falling to the side like a curious puppy. "Such hostility. You'd think your friends were plotting my death." They were, and both of them knew it. If it wasn't for the fact he was on the other side of the river, Aleu would've ran. "You think I can't get you, too, half-breed?"
Aleu stared at him, then at the water. He couldn't... No wolf could swim through that. Feeling a bit of anger and a surge of confidence, she lifted her head and grinned back, a challenging expression. "I don't, go ahead and try." She didn't show it, but the anger and confidence melted into a wave of confusion as he stalked off, laughing.
"Don't think I can't get to you, too, half-breed. You aren't safe either."
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Posted: Sat Dec 30, 2006 10:30 pm
Noyama There had only been a few times Aleu had run this fast, and this was the last time she'd be running toward home, because she'd never leave again.
The village wasn't a place she could go back to. Nor it was a place Amareya could go back to, thanks to her. But it didn't matter. She realized it now: Amareya was home.
And home, back to the human girl who raised her, was where she was going, merely a blur of brown and never slowing, let alone stopping, even when she stepped on rocks and knocked into others. No matter what, she kept going.
"Please still be there," she begged to nothing. The place where she'd told Aleu it was time for her to leave and go be a wolf... Beat Fu  Heimdal preferred not to run most of the time. It was one of those things he tried to avoid. Like responsibility. And moral values.
There were, however, circumstances that called for running. Usually hunting, sometimes avoiding the other things he preferred to avoid, other times because he had gotten himself in a lick of trouble with someone somewhere.
And then there were those odd instances he was not accustomed to. Having half-crazed females run off out of the edge of his eyesight was one of them. If he wasn't mistaken, and he was RARELY mistaken, that had been Aleu streaking through the forest at a breakneck pace. She seemed rational... most of the time, and for her to be running...
An eyebrow raised itself as an inner battle raged. She was infuriating, but most wolves didn't run like that unless something was wrong, and he didn't particularly adore the idea of something being amiss in her odd little world, because that meant that chances were it would be amiss in his too. Plus, chivalry dictated that he watch out for her. Sure, chivalry.
With many other thoughts he loped after her, not nearly at her speed but keeping on her trail, thanking again his slightly large size and the fact he wasn't as dense as his sister.
Noyama The thought of home may have clouded her judgement, but not her senses. Sure, she'd run off, back toward where Amareya had last been, without telling anyone where she was going and leaving her father and brother behind, not to mention her pack.
But she wasn't in such a hurry she didn't realize someone was running behind her. (Besides, she was going to go back for Taeb and Tyr later.)
Rephrase: She wasn't in such a hurry she didn't notice Heimdal's sorry a** following her.
That obnoxious deer a** brought out the worst in Aleu, in her opinion, things like impatience she didn't usually experience. The sight of him alone made her temper flare, not that she could really tell you why.
Her paws dug into the dirt as she stopped, nearly falling over as a result. Note to self: No sudden stops.
"What do you want?" Beat Fu Heimdal kept the female barely within his sight, frankly he wasn't sure he wanted to know what was wrong with her. He reaaaaly hoped it wasn't feminine issues. He'd heard of those.
As if Aleu needed feminine issues to rip him a new one. That was made even more evident by her sudden stop and angry questions.
And what a question too. He didn't really WANT anything. Alright, that was a lie, there was pleanty of things he wanted. One of them was to not be hassled anymore. He really wished he could leave this girl alone.
"Want? Nothing, not anything that you could help me with at least," he added with a typical smile, pretending, albeit a little less convincingly then usual, that he was completely in controll, "I was just wondering if something was wrong with you seeing as to how you've got the look of a crazed woman."
He flicked his ear and smilled again, "I mean, moreso then usual." Noyama "I'm sure multiple people have gone insane after being in your company, so I'll trust your judgement." The words were harsh, sure, but the tone was careless. If it had been a motion instead, most definately, it would have been a shrug.
Why was she even talking to him? Like he understood anything. Much less anything about anyone but him, the self-centered b*****d. "Since you're so concerned, for your information, I'm going home. My real home."
Even those not completely aware of the human-infested past of Aleu's may be able to guess what she was implying. A smart or observant wolf could tell: Half-breed. It was in the way she moved, she hunted, and even the way she howled.
Might as well have been a giant sign around her neck: RAISED BY HUMANS. Beat Fu "Trust is an important part of every relationship," Heimdal answered fluidly.
He quirked his eyebrow at the next part. It was pretty obvious that Aleu was at least half dog, if not more. He wasn't full-blooded himself, a bit of mixed ancestory infested his past, although it wasnt' nearly as evident in him as his sister. Reguardless, he wasn't exactly hot on humans.
"Real home? Realy? I am confused as to what is so unreal about this place," he said, a slight shrug, "then again, I'm not a big homebody myself."
He flicked his tail slightly, "What brought out this sudden urge? Most wolves leave somewhere for a reason." Noyama "I miss her," Aleu said softly, eyes faded. It was spoken to more than just Heimdal. To the grass, the sky, to herself. For so long she'd refused to mentally admitted it, and still she couldn't say it all that loud. "I miss Amareya, the one I was with for so long."
The one who raised her from a puppy.
Pearly white teeth flashed as Aleu grinned daringly. "I think you should come meet her. I think you don't like humans very much." Not that she cared what he thought about the situation.
Really. She didn't. Beat Fu Heimdal shifted his feet uncomfortably, noting the look in her eyes. He didn't really understand, and there was something wrong about seeing her feelings like that.
"Oh," he said, worried she might pull something, tears or whatnot that would set him more offbalance.
Luckily, she seemed quite herself again, "Taking me to meet your family? Forword, arent' we," he quirked a brow suggestively, "and for your information, I don't dislike, them, that'd be my sister. I just don't have any need of them, and they're... destructive. But if you insist m'lady," he finished, a grin following his momentary lapse in snarkiness.
"Lead on." Noyama "Oh, trust me, I'm keeping your sorry self far away from both my brother and my father," said Aleu sweetly. Not in the tone that was suppose to be kind, but the tone that was falsely so, and in reality, more threatening.
She wasn't about to tell him she just wanted him to come so she could act like she was happy and constantly in the company of other wolves. Amareya would want her to stay once she saw her again. Aleu knew it. If she missed her, the girl had to miss Aleu back.
Then she'd shoo Heimdal away and ponder things. Like when she was going back for her earlier mentioned parent and sibling.
Wordlessly, she led him toward the poor wooden shelter Amareya had crafted so many months ago. It was quite a distance. Through a field, over a hill and, of course, through many, many trees.
When it was in view and they were approaching, Aleu's ears flattened back.
No fire.
There should be a fire going by now.
"Something's wrong." Beat Fu "I'm not a fan of big family gatherings anyway," he responded sweetly back, following after her easily.
Relatively easily. That didn't mean he wasn’t' memorizing where he was going. Fields, hills, and trees, slight scents, rocks. You never knew when your ability to find something would come in handy; besides, Aleu might just run off and leave him. She seemed mean spirited enough.
Really, what the hell was he doing?
They neared a small shelter, reeking of human. Aleu was right however, it lacked certain necessities of a human dwelling, fire, to protect their hairless bodies through the frigid nights.
Humans never let their fires go out if they could help it, at least the ones he knew didn't.
"Perhaps she went to a village?" he tossed out eyeing the she-wolf carefully.
This could be bad. Noyama "Maybe," Aleu agreed, but didn't believe that for one second. Amareya wasn't allowed back in the village they used to live in, and she didn't see her going to live in one full of strangers. Nice enough girl, but too shy for something like that.
Low as they were already, Aleu's ears fell even more as she slunk forward toward the campsite, looking as though heavy weights were tied to each of her legs.
When close enough, she called gently, "Amareya?"
The girl was not magic and didn't speak wolf (or dog), but she still would've heard Aleu barking and would've recognized that. "Amareya?" repeated the half-breed, loudly. Something made an odd squishing noise under her front right paw and she stumbled, knocking into Heimdal.
A horrified expression cast across Aleu's face.
A few inches in front of them was what was obviously a dark-skinned human hand, though some of what was left of the flesh was decayed, and the index finger was missing. Beat Fu Heimdal's nose twitched. It smelled like death. Not that uncommon, humans took their kills back to their homes, near there beds. Every human place he'd ever been to reeked of decay and feces. Disgusting creatures really.
He conintued to follow after Aleu, noting her expression and trying not to be disrespectful, but still more interested then anything else. He'd never seen a human living like a lone wolf. Impressive, he had to admit, although there wasn't much left here to indicate how well that went.
Until Aleu knocked into him and brought to his attention proof positive it didn't go well.
A human paw.
He flinched slightly, smart enough to assume that the worst possibility was usualy the true one.
Poor Aleu. What do you say to something like that? Noyama "AMAREYA!" In Aleu's case, that was what someone said.
She jumped over the rotting limb and hurried to the poor shelter. Blocks of wood intended to substitute for a door were in place, but she just barreled through them, knocking them over and causing quite a comotion. In her hurry she failed to notice a side on the left looked like it had been biten and clawed through already.
"Amareya?!" It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the lighting on the inside, but when they did, the horror from before doubled ten fold.
The girl was ripped apart quite literally, and it looked as if she'd been asleep when whatever it was mauled her.
Understandablely, Aleu wasn't quite accepting just yet, and stumbled toward the mangled corpse. Her eyes were nearly popping out of her head as it was, but if they could be wider, they would've been.
Fur. Blue fur.
'Don't think I can't get to you, too, half-breed. You aren't safe either.'
When Phantom had said that, she hadn't thought he meant this.
Aleu snarled viciously. "That b*****d!" The snarl became a pitiful whine and the whine a sorrowful howl.
Why had she ever let herself leave? Beat Fu Heimdal flinched.
Chances were she should NOT be seeing this. Any of this. She wasn't a child, but she was also aparently very, very attatched to this human.
Goddamnit, he shouldn't have come, he highly doubted that HE was the comfort she needed.
She plowed through the human's dwelling, and Heimdal followed to the entrance, peering after her with a disgusted look on his face. This was wolf work if he'd ever seen it. Bears and lynxes didn't make this kind of wasteful mess.
And it sounded like Aleu knew who did it too.
"Aleu... Come out of there," he said, attempting to sound kind but coming off as more worried then anything else. Noyama Half-breed.
It was a fact, but more often used as an insult.
Half-breed.
It was true, Aleu was one.
But when she finally was coaxed out of the structure, teeth bared and eyes quaking, snarling and hissing, she'd never looked more wolf. Let any full-blood dare and stand against her at that moment of pure rage.
Rage which would be undirected, she realized. What would she do? Phantom was dead. He was dead already.
No, no. This wasn't right. This was wrong!
Aleu shook her head and knocked into Heimdal as she ran past him. Getting there took much longer than leaving to...wherever Aleu was going. Certainly her body was tired, but it didn't appear she'd be stopping any time soon.
Back through the trees, down the hill and through the field, a mere blur of brown in the corner of the forest creatures eyes.
No, no, no.
Soon the gamma was back in the Black Forest, ignoring the twigs and tree trunks that scratched against her sides as she clumsily ran through them. A few of her packmates turned to look at her when she made it to the clearing, and there were multiple gasps when she mauled China Blue.
"IT'S YOUR FAULT!" Beat Fu Heimdal was not scared of Aleu.
Oh, perhaps if he respected his own life more, or if it werent' Aleu, he would have been. Hell, she was pretty scary, but this was not really directed at him anyway. Who it was directed at he didn't know. Whoever killed that human girl, damn, he would be sorry.
And then she ran off.
"Damn," he swore under his breath, knowing that he was in a bit too deep to let the obviously distraught wolf run off on her own to do who knew what.
He took off in the direction she had run, speeding up his pace and still barely keeping track of where she was heading, falling steadily more behind. By the time he ended up where she was she had already tackled the blue wolf.
Blue fur, but he was pretty sure this was... the Blue? Cheena? Something, his sister had mentioned her and he thought he might have seen her once on a good faith mission or some such. Certainly she wasn't a killer though, and the corpse smelled nothing like her either. And she was definitely a she.
"Aleu!" he barked scurrying the last bit to hover around her, wondering how to get her off the other wolf.
A tan wolf-dog pup watched all this with fear in his eyes. Tyr had never seen his sister angry like this, let alone hurting China Blue, who'd never done anything wrong. He whined, unsure of what to do, and watched it all in shock. Noyama Tyr was far from the only one afraid. Farfalla cowered behind Kaho, and Ran made sure all her puppies were in one place before moving to Tyr and snatching him by the scruff of the neck, stepping back from all the comotion.
If Raja had been able to see, she'd have perhaps ripped out Aleu's throat immediatly. Solan aside, China Blue was the one wolf who's loyalty was pure in her book, and if you messed with those select few, may some higher power help you because you were as good as dead.
As it was, all she heard was yelling from what she considered her best gamma (although the competition was wolves like Hayley), and then heard two thuds.
The first had been Aleu tackling China Blue. The second had been China Blue knocking her off and pinning her down.
Gentle though she may be, she was Phantom's daughter, and thus a bulky form that just might do some damage if prodded.
"What are you TALKING about?!" The beta was clearly distressed. It wasn't too often one of her own packmates attacked her. Her and Aleu had never been particularly close, but--
Out of the large group, Audi seemed to be the first to take notice of the outsider, and promptly made her way to him. "What's going on?" she demanded. Beat Fu Tyr squeaked, beyond words and hid behind the other puppies. He only poked in to yell out "Don't hurt her," when China Blue turned the tables.
Heimdal, however, was at a loss. His hackles went up momentarily as Aleu ended up being flipped over, but the other wolf, the blue one, didn't seem much in the mood to hurt her, so he forced himself to settle down.
s**t, this pack was bigger then he thought, noting the mass amount of puppies lingering in the shadows. To support that many, s**t, he needed to keep better track of these woods.
A black and pink wolf similar to Baldr in some ways approached him, the first to seem to notice that HEY, the crazy wolf was being followed.
"She went to see her human," he answered quickly and plainly, "and some wolf had killed her."
He looked about again, spotting a small brown pup that looked similar to Aleu. A brother? Perhaps, but with this many pups whe knew?
"She's very upset," he added lamely. Noyama Finally, Raja knew what was going on. The alpha sighed heavily and damned Phantom to rot at the bottom of that cliff he'd toppled over forever and ever, the b*****d. She was a harsh individual herself, yes, but not so much she didn't understand what Aleu was going crazy over.
Besides, China Blue clearly had the upperhand, so no cause for worry.
"Audi, please escort this wolf out of my packlands," she instructed in a grunt. The beta made a face, but obediently nodded and nudged Heimdal in the other direction.
"Let's go. You can see her when she calms down, whoever you are." Beat Fu Heimdal was a bit torn. Frankly he wasn't sure he trusted any of these wolves enough to leave them with a distraught she wolf who might flip out again. But then again he had no say in the matter, and the packleader seemed rather set in her ways.
He glanced once more at the still-topped Aleu before nodding.
"Alright. I'll be around," he added to no one in particular before heading off in the nudged direction.
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Posted: Fri Jan 05, 2007 11:42 pm
.Aftermath.
The second she was sure the stranger was far enough away, Audi hurried back to the others. There were still parts of her that most would consider childish, and one of them was urging her to not miss anymore than nesscary of the arguement, shouting match and physically brawl.
Her dissapointment hit her full-force when she returned and found nothing of the sort. No bloodshed caused by Raja, her silently appointed idol, and Aleu was far from begging for her life. Not that Audi really had anything against that half-breed, she just liked China Blue a lot more.
China Blue, who, looked very distressed by this situation. Not because she'd just been mauled and accused of murder, but because of said murder and the wolf, or whatever she was, that was was feeling the pain of it weighing down on her. There were few wolves Audi found herself more amazed by than China Blue.
The selfless wolf who had been sired by Phantom, birthed by who she'd always been told was a harsh mother, and raised by Raja who everyone here knew first hand wasn't the brightest ray of sunshine in the forest.
"I should rip your throat out for attacking one of your own like that. You're lucky you're here at all," Raja said bluntly. "You and your brother both slow us down as a pack, being raised by two-legs."
"Raja," China Blue cut in, in that China Blue voice. That was what Audi called it, because only China Blue used it. It was stern, but not demanding. Not loud, but somehow it was always heard. The alpha stopped her words and heavily breathed out her nose, as if ridding her mouth of the other things she'd wanted to say that lingered there.
"Aleu," the beta began, but was cut off herself.
"I'm sorry. I know it wasn't your fault. You aren't anything like him. It was just, I..." Aleu drew in a shuttering breath and tried to continue, but where was Raja was letting words go, she was trying to catch them. "I didn't know what to do," she quietly attempted, and only the ones closet to her heard.
"It's understandable, you've suffered a great loss." China Blue understood. She'd lost those three sisters of hers, eaten and killed by her own father who she'd loved anyway, even if she mourned her siblings deaths. Then, Phantom had died, too. So, China Blue understood, and sympathized, and knew exactly what was running through the other females mind. "It's not your fault."
"I know," answered Aleu automatically. She didn't believe those words or her own. It was her fault.
"You have a brother with us still," Raja reminded them all. "We're a pack, not babysitters. I let him stay because you said you'd take care of him."
"I will take care of him."
Starting now, she'd take care of him more than ever.
Starting now, she just wanted to protect them. Protect them no matter what. Her brother, her father, her pack, Hei--.
Well, the first three, anyhow.
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Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 4:14 pm
.Tahara's Return: Part 1.
It had been a long time since Aleu had 'went wild', as Sosay refered to it, and still she lacked many hunting skills. China Blue told her not to worry about it, some wolves who had been raised wolves hunted worse. That was a lie, in Aleu's opinion, and Audi's, too. The beta had loudly voiced her idea on the matter. Where did they even keep Aleu around? She couldn't hunt, she couldn't track. It was worrysome Raja was beginning to take words like that into consideration. Added onto the fact Aleu stood as a pretty useless pack member, she also had Tyr. And there were so many other puppies in the pack now...
A bright flash soared past her left. The semi-asleep female was suddenly wide awake, head jerking up and twisting to the left and right. Nothing. Was she seeing things? Her shoulders shrugged. Turning back, she caught sight of the pink butterfly and startled. There was a strong urge to back her, but she quickly told herself Tahara posed no threat. He was merely a spirit, a spirit who appeared as butterflies.
"What do you think you're doing here?! Ran's been worried about you! Did you go and see her?"
No... the mystical voice chimed softly. I can't see Ran.
"What?! Why not?!"
Aleu, this is not a matter of Ran. This is about you.
"Not interested," Aleu hissed. "I'm going to go tell Ran--"
You and Amareya. At that point, Aleu found herself very interested. At the same time, she was alarmed. How did he know that name? Had he been spying on her when she was with Heimdal? He had no reason to do such a thing.
"How do you know that name?"
I have been speaking with her. I'm... I'm very sorry for what happened. Don't blame China Blue, please. It's my fault. I fell for what Phantom said about Kaho, about my death being his fault. I was so full of rage, I just wanted him dead, too. I didn't think about who it was hurting--
"HURTING?!" the female screeched. "Hurting?! He ripped her APART! She isn't hurting, she's dead!"
I know. If the speaker had a flesh and blood form, he'd have winced. I'm ashamed. That's why I can't face Ran.
"You should be far beyond ashamed. --What do you mean you've been 'speaking with her'?"
I mean what I said. I have been speaking with Amareya. With her spirit. Like mine, it has not left this Earth. Also like mine, she has taken the form of another creature. A bird.
"A bird? But why?"
She has been watching over you since her death, Aleu. She's worried now. Worried that you are not doing well out here. Aleu didn't want to agree, incase a certain third party was listening, so she opted to stay silent. You aren't, are you? Raja is a harsh alpha. With so many new pups around, she's finding it hard to find someone she considers useless, both you and your brother.
"I didn't really need to hear that from anyone else."
My apologies. It's true, though, isn't it? Amareya is concerned. I'm concerned, too, for Ran. Ran again? Wasn't this not about Ran?
"I thought you said Ran had nothing to do with it?"
That's...partially true. There's actually more than one reason I can't see Ran again. Aleu curiously stared down at the creature.
"What do you mean...?"
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Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 4:28 pm
.Tahara's Return: Part 2.
"What?!"
Just as I said. I can't heal anymore.
"That doesn't make any sense!" When Aleu thought about it, it never really made sense he could make Ran a shaman to begin with to her. She had just accepted it, never daring to question that which was unknown. "Ran can't heal without you!"
That isn't completely true. Ran has learned to heal somewhat on her own. She's learned to use her own spirit as energy now.
"She's using her own soul? Is that safe for her?"
Being a shaman is what Ran considers her purpose, her way of being somebody and helping others. Being kind is her nature. Without me, I feel she would have still found a way to gain the rank. To answer your question... No, it's not safe for Ran to be doing what she's doing. Aleu was now standing, and very confused. She blinked a few times, feeling a strong headache coming on.
"I don't get it. Didn't you use your spirit to heal? I mean, that's what you are, isn't it? A spirit?"
That's right, but it's still different for me than for Ran. Ran uses her soul to heal, meaning she uses it up. Every time she does so a little bit of it seems to fade away, and she gets weaker. I, my spirit itself, is capable of healing.
"So, you can heal and nothing really happens?" Aleu asked.
Generally, that's right. It's a skill Ran does not posess, being able to manipulate my spirit and energy to heal others is what I do. Ran uses hers, as I said, removes it from her own body and puts it in theirs. The half-breed gave the response he expected, quickly turning as if to leave.
"Then we have to stop her! She could die!"
Ran is a selfless wolf. She won't stop just because we tell her to. She would rather die helping others than live doing nothing. You know that as well as I do. It was true. Aleu did know that. But she still wasn't willing to just let the poor thing waste away! There is something we can do. Something to solve everyones issue.
Slowly, Aleu spoke, "What do you mean?"
Although I do not give my energy or spirit to others as Ran does, I am getting weaker, too. That's why I can't heal anymore. I don't have the energy. There is a solution, one that can benefit us all. Amareya has a strong spirit, and I believe she can channel it through a living being just as I did. I believe she can channel it through you.
"So I would be a shaman?"
That's right. Raja would have a reason to keep you in the pack, then. Additionally, if someone Ran knew was helping others, Ran herself would be willing to calm step aside until I have enough energy to assist her again. It will be soon, I can feel it. There was a pregnant silence between the two. Crickets chirped in the background, and if one listened closely the rushing waters of the river were not too far off.
"I'll do it," Aleu said softly. "Amareya and I will be a shaman together."
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Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 4:41 pm
.Of Birds and Butterflies.
It was quite reunion. Tahara, Ran, Amareya and Aleu.
"I've missed you much, Aleu!" the voice squawked. Both females--no, both shaman took an interest in Amareya. The human, once flesh and bone, was now a crow. Brown like Aleu, with darker feathers here and there. As was Tahara, she was very much a mere spirit.
"Ama came back as a crow?" Ran gawked. 'Amareya' was a hard name for her to say. After a while she had given up and settled for 'Ama', which no one seemed to mind. "But why?"
I move much easier looking like a butterfly than I would as the ghost of a wolf. The same goes for Amareya. Being a bird gave her the ability to watch Aleu much easier. The runt shaman wrinkled her nose back. She was over-joyed to have Tahara back, but this was confusing!
"Ran thought only Tahara spirit could heal. Ama spirit can heal, too?"
That's right. Have you ever seen a wolf that's lost his will to live? If he gets sick, and a young wolf in love gets sick, the later is much more likely to recover. Do you know why that is? Because their soul, as well as their body, as the will to recover. It has the will to carry on, something it must accomplish. I have taught Amareya to focus the positive energy of her lingering spirit just as I do.
"It makes sense... sort of," Aleu mumbled. There was a reason she didn't question these things. Her headache had eased upon reuniting with her former and very much beloved owner, but now it was back, full force. "So that's it? I'm a shaman? How do I...?"
With myself and Ran, I would focus my energy on a wound. With Ran's added focus and energy given to me, I was able to heal. It will be the same with you and Amareya. However, she can not seperate her soul into many parts as I can. You will be using her feathers.
"Her feathers?" echoed Aleu.
"That's right!" the crow chirped. "I'll give you a lot of them at once, Aleu, and when you run out, I'll give you more! They're made of my spirit, just like the butterflies! If you focus, you can will them to help you, and heal!"
"Ran is happy, then," the smaller shaman sighed. She smiled sideward at the butterfly on her shoulder, then at the crow and wolf sitting side-by-side. "This is going to work."
"Yeah," Aleu agreed. "This is going to work fine."
The End.
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