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Post by Volta on Aug 2, 2008 15:40:48 GMT -5
The dawn came silent and bright that morning, leaking golden and yellow through the rain-gray clouds beyond the Ruins. The remnants of last night’s shower adorned the grass with iridescent dew; little crystals that hung for only a moment before sliding down to nourish the thirsting earth. Higher up, beyond the sightline of the mice and rabbits, shadows clung to the edges of the Ivy Bartizan’s crumbling shape. Within its moldering stones, tiny flecks of quartz glimmered faintly, as though the building hungered to catch the attention of admirers long dead. Instead it captured the interest of yet another roving wolf. Davolta Marse, driven by his restless mind and untiring paws, had reached the citadel.
As he padded in ever-closing circles around the abandoned guard tower, his neck craned back so that he might take it in from every angle, the wind made shapes and spoke to him about its past. Its sibilant voices echoed inside his skull, whispering their many secrets. ”War and peace,” the wolf murmured, shaking his head to dispel the false tales. Today he felt more lucid than usual; he knew that none of these words had come from outside. It was the scar talking, making things up again, based on the old blood he thought he could smell beneath the ground. War and peace… he snickered softly. ”Pieces of warriors, more like. It’s better that things are quiet now, for once.”
His electric gaze fell over the stairs then. Shaded as they were, both from the rising sun and the eyes of passerby, they appealed to him as a fine place to think. Draping his gangly black-and-white body over the sixth stair (well, more like the sixth, seventh and eighth; they were skinny steps, made for tiny, furtive feet) he watched the butterflies alight on nearby wildflowers, but did not engage them in conversation. This morning he fought hard to still the babbling in his brain—there were other wolves around, and he could not afford to alienate them as he had before. He wanted a life here.
So he waited, wordless, and tried not to think of home.
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sasha
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Sasha;; Please just save me from this hell
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Post by sasha on Aug 5, 2008 20:12:21 GMT -5
Her paws were sore as she trotted into the Ivy's garden, taking in the many scents. She could smell many animals; Birds, foxes, rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels... and wolves. Sasha's chocolate eyes searched the area, and nothing was found. On this early morning, she could tell she wasn't going to be the only one around. So, she kept walking (as painful as it was). She looked down and kept her eyes on her paws. They weren't swollen, or bleeding, which made her grumble. "I swear, one of these days I'm going to die and there isn't going to be any evidence. Honestly," She sighed, but then smiled, and sat down in one quick motion. A soft breeze blew by, and it blew the other wolves's scents into her nose. She took them all in and sneezed, before showing her teeth. She was a nervous creature, and this gesture was just that, and nothing violent. She'd see who and what was here, and she may or may not run.
Now, in the distance (she probably walked another hundred yards, ugh) she spotted something. Shaking her gray, white, black, and brown pelt, she decided to get a better look at... whatever it was. She eventually got close enough to tell it was another wolf, but she wasn't so close that she could see his face clearly. With a grunt, she pressed her nose to the ground and inhaled, before doing the same to the sky and air around her. He didn't take the same path as her, that was for sure, and she could only smell him from the air itself. She took caution, maybe too much, and kept her distance. She walked around a little, not sure if the stranger was friendly or aggressive. And she didn't want to find that out the hard way. Not one bit. And he wasn't the only wolf in the area, either. Some were here and hiding, and some were coming. It made her even more nervous, but not so much as to stick her tail between her legs. She wouldn't be caught doing that unless something was serious.
Sasha did let out a small growl, which was inaudible unless you were close, and say back down. She watched him closely, and thought about turning back. But she didn't. He was resting on multiple steps, which led to a large, broken down building. Her gaze lifted from the other wolf to the large, crumbling figure. Her head cocked to the side and she watched a few birds fly out of the top, then back in. So someone or something did actually inhabit the building. Hopefully nothing too too big like a bear, or it might collapse on them. The thing looked centuries old. With a long sigh (and a small wish for somewhere to live) Sasha looked back to the male. Her looked tense, but relaxed.
In a way, she wanted to leave. But in another way, she wanted to stay. Or maybe she would leave.... Her head arched and she looked behind her, determining her next move.
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Post by Volta on Aug 5, 2008 21:18:10 GMT -5
Volta lifted his head from the cushion of his paws as a fresh scent drifted to him. He inhaled deeply, sifting, testing the aroma for information—it had been a long time since he’d seen more than one or two wolves in the space of a week, the novelty of speaking with this one intrigued him. A female… nervous, traveling alone… Had she seen him? Did she fear him already, before he’d even spoken a word to her? Shame shot through the piebald canine’s guts, and unconsciously his turned his head, hiding the pitted side of his skull from view. What have I become? he questioned, yellow eyes narrowed in silent anguish. But she’d given him little time to think: already this new arrival stood in his line of sight.
Hers was a multicolored pelt, splashed with every shade of brown and red that his own Arctic pelt could never replicate. He could smell the southern sands in her blood; he thought—was that the madness talking again? Regardless, he knew her for a Mexican wolf. The length of her body, the breadth of her shoulders provided him with proof. His body, meant for the unrelenting ice and biting winds, dwarfed hers; though he hoped that, lying down, he cut a less-than-threatening figure. In the moment their eyes met, shocking yellow on warm brown, he sensed vulnerability in her, a frailty he didn’t wish to expose. A cloud that scuds before the storm’s cold eye… His turned his head to study her, cautiously avoiding her eyes, and tried to think of what he could possibly say to bridge the distance between them. Surely she wanted to speak with him, to share a moment or two—a connection? Otherwise, she would have run at the first trace of his presence.
”One of us has to say hello first, yes?” he asked her, throwing his voice a bit so that her ears need not strain against the wind to hear him. His words crackled with disuse, but not unfriendly. To show his kind intent he let his tongue loll, his teeth kept well-hidden as he smiled at her. A moment later the expression vanished, though—Volta feared coming on too strong. But it had been so long since he’d known a friendly face! He wanted so badly to look after someone again, if he could. If they’d let him… At that thought, the stitches in his head began to itch. His tongue twisted in his mouth, curling around some mad statement he refused to unleash. After a silent, internal struggle, he dared to say, ”I wouldn’t hurt you, you know. I came here to enjoy the shade… Would you--" care to enjoy it with me? His nerve faltered. What if she grew close, and saw what they had done to him? His heart couldn’t bear the thought of her bolting from him in wide-eyed horror. To quell his imagination, he added shyly, ”Would you sit with me?” She didn’t have to. Not if she didn’t want to. But…
It’s lonely, just me and my mind. It really is.
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sasha
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Sasha;; Please just save me from this hell
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Post by sasha on Aug 5, 2008 21:39:48 GMT -5
Sasha's ears suddenly pricked, and her body inched upward as she stood. Her head turned to the side. He was moving. She crouched her body downward and kept an eye on him, until his movement eased, and he was nearly still. She sighed, and shook her head. 'I can't believe myself. I get nervous over the littlest damn things.' She toughened up and closed in a few yards, and could see him more clearly. She paused when he spoke, and froze up, barely able to meet his eyesight again. Once she did, she saw the scars on his face. She didn't mind one bit. She licked the side of her maw and giggled lightly as he smiled (and it looked like he was trying too hard, actually) but her laugh was too quiet for him to hear, but he might be able to tell she wasn't so... I wouldn't go as far as afraid. Sasha still didn't move any farther, though. She studied him as he had studied her, and noticed more scars. She didn't pay too much attention to it, and mainly focused on his bodies movements, and how tense he was. He actually seemed nervous, but not in the same way as her. He seemed nervous to make a mistake.
Sasha once again listened to his words, her ears never leaving their upward positions. She frowned and her ears slumped. He seemed so... sad. Now that was not something she could stand. Sasha closed in their distance, and she paused, now only a small ten feet away. "Actually, I wouldn't mind." She smiled (SLIGHTLY forced) and cut the distance in half. She sat at first, looking him over. Her tail twitched and she laid down, not taking her eyes away, still cautious. "Well, I guess one of us has to introduce ourselves first," She mocked, a slightly playful (and clearly still nervous) tone in her voice, "I'm Sasha." She looked up at the tower again, it's shade covering her entire body, with small spots of sun still blotched on her like polka dots. Her eyes were again locked on his piercing eyes, and she was almost shocked. Their color was amazing.
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Post by Volta on Aug 6, 2008 8:18:01 GMT -5
Her answer heartened him. Even as Volta watched her face, her paws, the way she held her body for any signs of outright fright or revulsion, it felt as though her words had taken a weight from his chest. The claws of uncertainty loosened their grip on his heart (but did not release it completely) as he took note of her smile. She’d come so close to him! Part of his being quailed against this nearness; it allowed her to see every scratch from his long travels, to see the burrs in his long-haired pelt, the mud that dirtied his paws. But she had spotted the zigzag cut that interrupted the right side of his head, and she had not run. Instead she had spoken—taken up his offer, even! The embers of his heart glowed at this show of kindness.
Pity, more like, his conscience hissed. It warned him not to get too close these days. Not to expect help or guidance, when he had been hurt so badly in the past. She lay down in the shadow of the building, and the shift in position drew his thoughts away from shame. ”You are correct.” Volta acknowledged her quip with a slight nod, but before he could offer her the honor of admitting her name first, she’d let already said it. Sasha. He looked sideways at her for a moment, testing. Yes, she deserved a soft name, a name that quietly hissed by, like paws in the sand. He followed her gaze to the tower’s peak, then lay calmly as she took in the shade of his eyes. Many had been stopped dead in their tracks by them, but he had never suffered prejudice, like so many who had been born different. No; no one had ever mistreated him before the… the event, and the Arctic wolf had deserved every bit of that, for what he’d done.
”Yours are prettier in the sunlight,” he murmured suddenly, referring to her eyes. While his comment could not be misconstrued as flirting—it was more like he wanted to tell her something she might have already known, in case she had forgotten it—his voice lay open and light on the air. Now that the land between them had been crossed, something inside the piebald male relaxed. Soothed by proximity, he spoke without thinking. Then, worried that she might think him bold, or improper, he said, ”You may call me Volta.” Not his full name, to be sure, but a shorter tag the yellow-eyed hunter offered to those he hoped to one day look upon as friends.
Hoping to keep the flow of conversation from stilling, he twitched his nose and said, ”You don’t smell of others, but we both know they’re here. What keeps you away?” He paused—what if she didn’t want to say what prevented her from howling, from starting up a pack in these lush lands?—then lowered his head. He half-expected her to snap, or avoid the question. Why had he asked it, anyway? As if he could lead a group of his own through the wilderness! He had no more right to do so than a river did flowing backwards. Perhaps it was only because the loneliness in him was drawn to her solitude. He knew why he ought to live like a hermit on the borderlands… but he wondered what kept a dainty thing like Sasha from enjoying the protection and familiarity of pack life.
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sasha
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Sasha;; Please just save me from this hell
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Post by sasha on Aug 6, 2008 11:05:45 GMT -5
Sasha let out a small yawn. It wasn't of boredom, though, more like exhaustion from her long walk up here. She let her eyes rest a little, but didn't completely close them. Her eyelids hung limply, but not so much to interrupt her vision. When he started speaking again, her eyes began to gradually open. When he commented about her eyes, she almost smiled. Almost. Comparing her eyes to his was insane! The yellow color of his had some sort of enchantment to them, how could he even think hers were prettier, even if just in the sun? Crazy. She took in a deep breath, and the smile came; She then shook her head quickly, a small laugh forming in her chest, but not coming out her mouth, "Well, if you think so, that's very kind and I thank you. But, really, your eyes are much more stunning then mine, honestly!" She laughed a little. His presence wasn't as nerve racking as she thought. She was already starting to calm down, but it wouldn't last long, almost for certain.
Sasha took in the new information he provided her, and stored the name Volta in her head. She nodded once and laid her head on her paws. For a second she almost saw a familiar face in him, but when he spoke again, it cleared up, and Volta returned. 'What keeps you away?' ... She didn't know what to say. "Um..." Sasha sighed and closed her eyes briefly, looking away. She couldn't lock eyes with him right now. She wasn't angry... just... lost in herself. She brought the memories from the back of her head and remembered what happened when she left her mother, and the packs she was rejected, and even the one pack she was exiled from. And finally, the one pack she loved, and loved her. The way she had run... she was such a coward! Such a COWARD!. She whined and looked at his face, not his eyes, afraid he'd see the coward in her. But she did decide to answer him.
"It's... a long story." She promised, inhaling deeply. She thought about what to say that wouldn't give her away too much. "Well, I guess things just... turned for the worse after I left my mother. I just... well, things aren't... I'm just not very social, I guess." So that wasn't a hidden lie. She was telling the truth there; Her social life had decreased a lot. Trying to change the subject, she looked at his eyes again, "What about you? You aren't--" She paused, suddenly shocked in herself. "Oh, oh man, I'm s-sorry." BAM! Timidness was back, and now, she was guilty. Horribly, and terribly, guilty.
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Post by Volta on Aug 6, 2008 22:53:04 GMT -5
Far from offending him, the she-wolf’s yawn instead assured Volta that she had eased into his presence enough to let her guard down. His ears flickered back against his head for an instant as he wondered at her: where had she come from, that her walk had drained her so? Why had she left? Before he could think to ask again—questions were slippery things, that squirmed far beyond the handling of the un-cautious asker—her smile distracted him. It shone, and if it lacked the brightness of a star, well, the gesture offered him a light nevertheless. As she spoke to belay his words, he shook his head, cheerfully resigned. Sasha seemed determined to let him win this little game of compliments. ”If you like them so much, I’ll let you borrow them one day,” he grinned, switching the tip of his tail in jest. We can switch, and maybe I’ll see the world’s colors again, true and clear, like the old days. A child’s idea, certainly; but something in it warmed his imagination.
As she settled her head onto her paws, the harlequin wolf thought he saw something in her gaze. Had something changed in the way she viewed him? Perhaps he reminded her of someone from the suns before their meeting… Volta, though he stuck out like a lightning-scarred tree in the thickest of forests, had the sort of features that encouraged others to think of faces from days long gone. Part of him longed to question her. Whose memory had he brought to the forefront of her mind? But then Sasha cried out, against the ghost of some mistake he knew nothing of, and all his harmless musing were cast aside.
Shoulders cringing as if he’d been physically wounded by the sound of her pain, he remained silent and took in her fumbling, stuttered reply. So she’d left her family, too… and forgotten the path of a pack wolf, having run for too long on her own. An understandable fate, however sad it was to him; from what the Mexican wolf had told him, Volta heard nothing to be reluctant about. He sensed that she had shielded him from the truth; a low growl of sympathy escaped his lips. ”Don’t hurt yourself over words,” the black-and-white canine soothed her, ignoring the throb of remorse that passed through him as she started to question his own backstory.
”I was mistaken in asking what happened. I forget that many here are broken, crushed down by what drove them from their first homes. We sing sad songs, I fear, the lot of us…” His voice drifted away in silence for a moment, as he considered the results of sharing what had brought him to this place. Too soon… he decided—but he owed her some reply. What she chose to do with it lay beyond his control. ”I… The true story runs a crooked path. I can no longer follow its scent,” Volta admitted, his tone remote. He stood on the edge of a blade as he spoke, concerned that any moment a spare memory could trigger something within his altered conscience. Already the howls of imprisoned wolves, the footsteps of white-coated men, the smells of medication and blood-smeared glass returned to him, creeping amid the fog of his brain. No. He breathed deep, subsisting on the smell of pine needles, of stony decay. Sasha’s own scent hovered at the edge of his awareness.
”I was separated from those who knew me. I was hurt,” the lone wolf explained at last, inclining his head as if to state the obvious. ”I found that those I loved… they were lost to me. I searched a long time for them, but I’d forgotten my way back.” Shaking his skull to clear it, he finished swiftly, with the edge of a smile to reassure his companion that he would dwell on these dark things no longer. ”But they would want me to go on—to live as a wolf should. I’m here now.” So saying, he lifted his head to scan the nearby foliage. Perhaps something beyond the shadow of this moldering building could lift their spirits?
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sasha
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Sasha;; Please just save me from this hell
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Post by sasha on Aug 7, 2008 9:19:45 GMT -5
Sasha's thoughts began to swallow her, and her guilt was rising. A cloud of sadness now hung over them, a cloud caused by her. She didn't know she would open up a new lock, but... she did. Or maybe she was overreacting? Hardly. She sighed and shut her eyes, and turned her head away. She felt like running away. Oh, how she hoped she hadn't caused him any pain! That would hurt her badly; He was (perhaps) one of her new friends, and she didn't want him to go away from her, so maybe she should stick around. Just... just in case he could ever forgive her. And then he spoke, and the words made her smile once again. 'Let me borrow his eyes... I could only wish, ha-ha,' She thought, sitting up on her haunches. So, maybe, after all, he didn't honestly and completely hate her. Or maybe he even liked her. As a friend, anyway. Her grin got bigger eternally, and then externally, and then, he cringed, and she flinched, her smile fading... in only seconds.
"... Don't... don't let me upset you, please. Don't let my words affect you, and don't apologize for asking. I can't blame you from being curious." Ah, curiosity. It got so many so far in life, and for others, it dropped them, letting them fall to the blackest of the holes. They'd wander somewhere too far, or they'd be too nosy... and, well, the worse would happen, and they'd give up on everything. But it did let others go far. It did. Sasha sighed and shook her head at herself. In her mind she prayed as he talked again, begging he wouldn't tell her anything he shouldn't. Begging he wouldn't get upset. But that was out of her control, and he could very well attack her. And she would be unaware. She was starting to trust him. Just a little.
He was..hurt? Sasha frowned, a small whine coming from her clenched jaws. She met his eyes again and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She forced them away, and her voice was shaky, "I'm... sorry that... well, that I asked. If you didn't want to say anything.. you know, you.. you really didn't have to answer me. I really do apologize for that. Sometimes... I have this problem where I don't think before I say or do something.. and it's just... so... FRUSTRATING!" She winced at her sudden shout, "Sorry.. ugh!" She flopped down onto her belly again, before a sudden smile came to her lips. She had an idea to help them escape their sorrows.
Sasha jumped up in a sudden mood swing and trotted up the stairs. "Wanna... go inside and... look around?" She swished her tail (with some force) and hesitantly looked back at him, her head tilted the slightest. She could already smell the many creatures hiding away from them, which mostly consisted of small, barely filling rodents. She took another few steps and she was above the stairs, staring into the mouth of the huge, three-story building. Suddenly, she wanted to see form the top. She wanted to know what she'd be able to see, and what hidden secrets were in this land. Sasha had a sudden urge to go in, but she didn't want to go without him, or if he didn't want to go, she wouldn't abandon him, she'd make sure he knew she wasn't afraid of him. She wanted him to know she didn't care about his past, and was focusing on how he came off in the present.
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Post by Volta on Aug 8, 2008 21:08:51 GMT -5
She seemed so worried, suddenly! They danced lightly around one another, retracing their steps, each fearful of tangling the other in his muddled thoughts, her awkward attempts to reconnect. An outsider might have laughed at their delicacy—the two wolves spoke as though a false move would send them crashing down like comets into an unwelcome Earth. But how could they help it? Volta moved to reassure his guest. ”Do not fear. You cause me no grief, sister,” he murmured, falling unconsciously into the vernacular of his home pack.
Before he’d run—before the fog took me, and the sea learned to roar in my ears—he had been part of a family, whose closeness had been reaffirmed by familiar titles like the one he’d used. Even those who shared no blood with his mother and siblings had been called “brother,” or “teacher,” or “muse.” Every wolf had a purpose and a connection within the mesh of creatures his mind no longer knew. Even as he thought of them, the pain of loss throbbing through his heart, the yellow-eyed hunter found that he was beginning to forget how they had smelled…
Her voice shook Volta from his fractured recollections. As her tongue began to stumble he moved to intercept, to soothe her desperate attempt at taking back her innocent mistake. But his own jaws faltered, and her voice grew loud—his ears switched back, as if he’d been rebuked. But the lone wolf did not judge her. Sasha tried so hard: to make herself heard, to stretch beyond the boundaries of her trepidation. The black-and-white loner admired her courage, though he sensed that she saw herself as something spineless and incomplete.
Caterpillars and butterflies, he thought disjointedly—the scar itched, and something inky and sinister stirred at the edge of his vision. It wasn’t real; Volta refused to acknowledge it. Sasha held ground here, she had come in clarity, in sight and sound and smell to him. She mattered now—not the illusions, nor the demons they concealed. They would be waiting for the wolf when he returned, and he could face them then. Not now.
”You are forgiven,” he said simply, as she apologized. He could taste the frustration in her voice, but her smile gave him hope. This sorrowful stage had passed them by; they could move on, into the ruins if they wished. Her tangible excitement settled within him, passed from one creature to the next, and built until he, too, wished to explore the forgotten building. Feeling amused—no, cheerful—he got swiftly to his paws and touched his black-splotched nose to her shoulder, withdrawing a moment later to survey her response. ”Would you care to lead the way?”
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sasha
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Sasha;; Please just save me from this hell
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Post by sasha on Aug 9, 2008 7:41:06 GMT -5
Sasha's tail twitched a few times as she watched him; He looked like he was thinking, and then he spoke simply, and what he said was not expected. It wasn't bad, though, either. When Volta called her 'sister' she felt her heart warm up. She smiled, thinking Thank you, brother, in her mind, and she didn't fear, but she felt better, and felt wanted (like she used to be, when she belonged to a pack). Her mind raced off, and she could remember her friends. And now he was in the picture, too. He was... her friend. They had... they had become friends! The female wolf's smile grew larger as she thought about it, and she almost yipped, but she had more self-control than that. Besides, she didn't want to scare him away, now, did she?
Sasha's head now pointed up at the sky. She stared lightly and watched for a while. She did that a lot. It made her feel free, and wild. It made her feel like she could do what she wanted, and no matter what, others would want her around. But she knew that wasn't true. In her mind she was the needle in the haystack, and not even she could find herself. She was like a lost soul, really. And then she returned to the real world, her smile gone, but her expression still happy. Her little thoughts wouldn't get in the way. Not today, hopefully. But that was kind of hard to count on, she always let herself down.
And then, she smiled once again. He forgave her, just like that. She took in a deep breath and didn't let it out for a long while. Instead she held it, taking in his kind words, and letting out her bad thoughts. She shut her eyes and concentrated on not letting herself take his words as pity, because she knew they weren't. She hoped they weren't. Something moist hit her shoulder and Sasha opened her eyes, only tilting her eyes slightly. Volta. Thank god. She was about to scream.
Lead the way, eh? "Sure, I'd love to." She looked back ahead of her and flicked her tail, before taking one long stride into direct sunlight. The warmth made her want to just stand there for the longest time, but her chocolate eyes disagreed, and she took one step forward, and then checked behind her to make sure her companion was still there. And then, she took off into the tower, looking into the darkness. She barked to make sure it was safe, and when nothing returned any noise (except for the pitter-patter of mice and rats, and the flapping of wings from birds and bats) she continued on, her entire body swallowed in the dark. Well, the sunlight still lit the area, just not as bright as outside. And so the mysterious tower would be explored, and hopefully it would be worth their while.
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Post by Volta on Aug 10, 2008 20:54:16 GMT -5
A connection, however tenuous, wove itself between them in a moment: almost unconsciously, they had transitioned from strangers to friends. This realization crept up on Volta, startling him; he became aware of it only as Sasha smiled at him. Her eyes seemed to shine with promise. Around her the wolf saw a halo of light—radiant pinpricks that danced and shimmered along her coat, an aura of gentle intentions—but it faded into nothingness as soon as he shook his head. This vision, similar to the one he had experienced in the cemetery, came to him often, changing with the circumstances that surrounded him. He chose not to question it. Much like the sinister presence that lurked just beyond his awareness, Volta left this concern for another, lonelier time.
When his attention returned to the Mexican wolf, she seemed to have entered a state of meditation. Sensing that their interaction still made her nervous, Volta did nothing to interrupt her concentration. If Sasha found it necessary to withdraw into herself for strength, he could not fault her. Everyone created their own sanctuaries and coping mechanisms, and however foreign they might seem to others, they often turned out successful. As he watched her, the piebald male wondered who had taught her to breathe in such a controlled way, or if she had developed the technique on her own. Would something similar work to settle his restless brain? He made a mental note to ask her at a more appropriate instant.
Sasha’s reaction to the touch of his nose reminded Volta that she still had a long way to go before she could unwind completely with him around. While he was a kinesthetic creature—he enjoyed touch and often utilized it when he felt words were too muddled to convey his feelings—the Arctic wolf decided that he would not invade her personal space unless she initiated first. Sasha stepped into the dappling sunlight, with the larger wolf obediently following; his yellow eyes silently regarded her when she paused to assure that he had not left her alone. When she entered the darkness Volta hackled suddenly (his eyes could not make her form out completely, and part of his mind still shuddered at the thought of the dark creature he had imagined) and rushed forward at the sound of her voice. But a moment later he had calmed: she stood safe and sound before him. Still, what if she had been hurt? And he had been helpless to aid her…?
Disturbed by the thought, Volta stepped further into the inky gloom, preferring that if something chose to attack them, it might come at him first. He was larger, stronger; he had fought more battles that the brown-eyed lady, he hoped. But several investigative sniffs brought only the scent of stony decay and small, harmless animals into his nose. Nothing here could hurt her, or him for that matter. They would have to make their own entertainment out of the abandoned tower. ”Did you know men used to live there? They walked on two legs up those stairs, and watched with eagles’ eyes from the top of the tower. They fought their wars here, too.” I can smell the blood, centuries-old. It nourished the grass… ”Why do you think they made this place?” He glanced over his shoulder at her, and tried to guess if she knew anything about men—the stone-cutters, the high-walkers, who came with their own smell of decay.
He certainly did.
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sasha
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Sasha;; Please just save me from this hell
Posts: 44
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Post by sasha on Aug 11, 2008 14:48:01 GMT -5
Sasha's nose pressed to the ground as soon as Volta headed in (and quite fast, she might add). She almost said something, but decided not to, and kept to her miniature studies. She could smell the animals, and something.... metallic, but took nothing to it. The scent was too faded, anyway, no need to worry. Something caught her attention from the corner of her eye, and she lifted her head immediately. "What... is..." She whispered, slowly walking over to the staircase. At the top of the stairs was some kind of... creature. It looked like a giant bird. She was about to say something, and it disappeared. No WAY he could have seen that... could he? And then he spoke. Maybe he was going to say something about the large bird? No. "Two-leggers did? No way." Maybe that was the metallic smell, then? The blood? No, impossible. She couldn't smell that, she must be crazy. So then... Maybe something else was recently killed. Hm. Sasha walked back over to him and thought real hard. "Maybe... maybe they were hiding from something?" She guessed, then thought about something else, "Or maybe they thought they'd have an advantage from their enemies if they were higher up. Who knows, humans are so... different." She shuddered. Memories of those damn hunters came into her mind. But she wouldn't say anything. all she did was continue her studies. She went as close as she could to a hole in the wall, and looked out. They still weren't very high up. There was still about two more stories they could go before reaching the very top, the place Sasha wanted to go to. But... for now, she was pretty content. She had a good friend with her, she had a nice view, and a place to explore. "Hey! Hey! Volta, look, look!" She shouted suddenly, high cheers in her voice. She jumped up once and moved to the side for him to see. Down below was a family of deer; looking so peaceful. They had a fawn next to them nibbling at a bush. It seemed only a few days old. Sasha smiled to herself and felt a sudden cringe of guilt. She would never kill a young deer again (unless it had no family of course) and she would never remove a family member. She knows how it felt. She sighed, but then smiled. She didn't know how Volta would react to the deer, but she wanted him to see how wonderful she thought it was. Man, did she miss her mother. She laughed to herself a little, remembering how silly their first fight was. 'No! I want to taste it now!' she thought to herself, thinking of the first time she had meat. Her mother was hesitant. Maybe she just didn't want her to grow up. With another sigh, a happy one, Sasha looked back to the deer. They were more alert after she'd called Volta over. Oopsies. Sasha walked away slowly, looking up at the next staircase. She didn't know if she wanted to move on just yet. Maybe she'd wait just a little bit longer. ((You're enjoying this Roleplay, right? Just wanna make sure. Also, am I doing okay? I haven't Roleplayed wolves in a while.))
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Post by Volta on Aug 12, 2008 20:32:29 GMT -5
{I think you’re doing a lovely job so far. A lot of your threads seem to be grounded in Sasha’s mentality, but you make up for it with her little responses and reactions. I like her personality; she and Volta give each other a lot to play off of with their shyness. I’m enjoying this thread quite a lot; I look forward to any chance to write, and it’s great to have someone whose thread lengths match my own.}
Her whisper transfixed him; Volta lifted his head to stare down the inky darkness. A prickling feeling made the hairs on his neck stand straight. Something watched them from just out of reach. Something— but it had gone. No lingering scent of it remained for them to puzzle over. Sasha’s disbelief over the humans, which quickly gave way to revulsion, prompted him not to continue the subject. ”Inscrutable beasts, they are,” was all he said, assenting to her last sentence. ”Their minds twist like smoke.” So saying, the wolf returned his attention to the darkness, as though through sheer power of will he could bend it; force it into giving away its secrets.
”Sasha?” The Mexican she-wolf had called his name—his heart leapt, pounding, into his throat, but he heard no trace of fear or pain in her voice. Instead, she seemed quite happy. Interested, he sidled over to her to focus on the window. Deer fed below them in the clearing, the sun dappling their smooth coats. Their ears and tail flickered at random; though they seemed unperturbed by the smell of wolves in the area, the family was very aware of their presence. ”A delicate picture they make,” the harlequin wolf commented, his eyes sparking with unspoken emotion.
Hunger did not coax him to growl; he merely accepted the creatures below as prey and admired the challenge they might have offered his hunting spirit. Lucky things, he thought to himself. But something about the fawn saddened him, in a way he could not quite understand. To grow up forever in fear, to run at every sound, to know that any flaw or error in judgment would lead to blood and painful death… But he could not pity it. The fawn and its family lived by the laws of nature, just as the pair of wolves did. It could not be swayed or altered. It simply was.
Following Sasha’s gaze upward, Volta readied himself for the climb. ”When we get to the top,” he asked quietly, ”what would you most like to lay eyes on?” It seemed like a pertinent question; some desire must have driven the Mexican wolf to seek the tower’s peak. The black-and-white hunter applied his wonderings to himself, digging for his own reason to scale the steps. To see the world spread like a blanket of snow before you, a voice within him hummed. To know all those nights you spent running mean nothing in the scope of this earth. To laugh at your flight and your fears. Uncertain as whether this answer rung with the truth, Volta nevertheless let it stand. It served him for the moment. When they got to the spire’s crown, he could know what it was he really wanted.
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sasha
Newcomer
Sasha;; Please just save me from this hell
Posts: 44
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Post by sasha on Aug 12, 2008 21:13:05 GMT -5
Sasha kind of... ignored everything after she walked away from the nice view down onto the deer. She instead focused on what she might see, and if that... huge... thing would be waiting for them. She whimpered to herself while smelling the cement floor, no trace of anything alive, or anything dead, even. The last time something hit here had to have been two weeks ago. Strange. Her mind again wandered, and she trotted- no, she sprinted to the stairs and glared up them, tilting her head to the side. She wanted to now what was going on, and she wanted to know soon... but, perhaps, it was her imagination. His voice rung in the air and she felt suddenly safer.
"Hm?" She replayed his voice in her head and sat down with a sigh, "Oh, sorry, er... well, I... I have this feeling something great is at the top, or something wonderful will be in view. Like.. like... a pack, or... great lands of prey, or something like that. Maybe I'll see something so wonderful it will make me never want to leave..." She started to imagine a new life with pups by her side, and a nice pack. She smiled internally and looked over to him. Her tail began to swish back and forth happily, "How about you, eh? Are you looking forward to anything? The view? The... the... um, I've seem to run out of ideas." She laughed, playfully, and turned her head again to the stairs. If she could blush, this would be the time. She felt so stupid saying that. Socialization really needed to get back to her. Possibly soon.
Sasha backed up from the stairs a little, still not facing him, and she walked over to the wall with the hole in it once again. She peeked out (hoping to see a pack) and then looked back into his eyes. She studied them carefully, maybe trying to explore into his past and hopes for the future. But, of course, nothing came to her, and maybe that was best. It wasn't really her business, anyway, was it? Sasha sat and looked to her paws, her ears pointed forward. Something came into her mind, and she spoke it without thinking.
"Have you ever wondered if there was something in life for you? Something just waiting for you to get through hell?" She looked up at him, "You know what I mean? Just... life isn't the greatest, and sometimes I wonder if anything great is going to come my way." She sounded distant when she spoke, as if she was in another world and she was on auto-pilot. A sigh escaped her mouth and her eyes slowly locked off of his and drifted away, her mind following into the past.
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Post by Volta on Aug 16, 2008 16:25:09 GMT -5
{He's trying so hard to be brave, hehe.}
Sasha’s swift motion toward the stairs drew her companion’s gaze—but Volta made no move to accompany her just yet. The feeling of eyes on his back had softened. He stood without fear, awaiting her reply. When it came, the harlequin loner could not stop himself from smiling back at her. ”You are so hopeful,” he said, pleased with the light that seemed to fill her heart. The wistful tone of her voice thrilled his own imagination, until his mind glimmered with colors and the scents of friends he had yet to make. When presented with her wavering question, however, Volta cut off the daydreams and shrugged one black-splotched shoulder, ambivalent. ”I wish only for proof that my paws have carried me to the right place. I seek beauty—a distraction from…” But his voice trailed off instead of completing the answer; an acrid scent had filled his nostrils, directing his attention sharply toward the stairwell. When he spoke again, a low growl rumbled behind his words.
”Sasha, the…” the shadow ”There’s something at the top of the tower. It’s perched above the steps—I can see its eyes glinting…” Volta’s ears drew back as he positioned himself in front of the she-wolf. The fur along his ruff began to bristle. ”Can you see it, too?” he asked her, sounding almost fearful. A cold, shuddery feeling jolted down his spine at the notion that this being, too, could have come from the depths of his brain. He didn’t want to expose her to his madness, not if he could subdue it. Squinting up at the column the beast—or bird?—had lighted on, he shook his head violently. The stitches seemed to pull against his skin, tightening, making it hard to think…
He spoke suddenly, both to reassure the Mexican wolf and to keep his thoughts from unraveling. ”You know—if it’s real—it’s just as likely to be a bird as anything else… Wish it would make a sound. We’d know then what sort of animal it was. Might tell us if it wanted to hurt us or not, even. Maybe that’s too much to hope for, though… D’you want to try talking to it?” An absurd suggestion, certainly, but he didn’t want to deal with this intruder all by himself. Sasha deserved to have her say just as much as he did (maybe more so; she was one in possession of all her mental faculties). The silliness of being diplomatic in a potentially dangerous situation did not occur to Volta; he simply wanted his new friend involved in the process of their discovery, whatever it might turn out to be.
But then again, if it were a dangerous animal—or even a dangerous illusion—the black-and-white hunter wanted Sasha nowhere near it. Though his voice had grown calmer, no longer raging from between his teeth like a river, part of him still longed to channel his energy into some sort of defensive maneuver that could protect her from harm. ”You know,” he added, keeping close by her, ”You needn’t say anything to it if you’re afraid. I could just chase it off, or—” What if it tried to engage him? What if it’s just waiting for you to run up there so it can take you on alone? Volta clicked his teeth together, steeling himself. ”Well, I’ll just deal with it if you like. Whatever you’re comfortable with. I’m sure it’s nothing,” he promised her in a whisper that was more bluff than confidence.
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