Word Count » 000
Set in borgata Colotl, late morning.
xochime kimaris
As much as remaining there made her unconfortable, the shy flower had to return to the place where her sister and her were obligated to see each other. That was part of the reason why the girl had been roaming away from her sister. She wanted some space, she wanted to get to know the pack by herself rather than by the other eternian's side.
Her orange colored hair flowed behind her as she made her way out of the ruins' mangled hallways. It was not usual for her towake up when the golden star was already bathing the earth with its warm rays, but lastly that had happened with more frequency. More than once she had woken up to find the other residents already awake or gone. Luckly she did not display an important role among the pack, for she would've already been punished for not fulfilling her duties. She didn't bother on putting her hair into her usual ponytail; instead, she allowed it to frame her delicate features. The golden ring, as always, outstanded on her face. She had already been confused with a slave, yet her naiveness led her to put said garment back on its place once the other canine left. As long as she knew who she was, what she was, she wouldn't remove the ring.
Sheltering herself between the folliage that covered the floor, she observed the space that surrounded her. An object caught her eye in that moment. Led by a natural curiosity, she crawled towards said object. Her padded hands collected it from the floor, and she was surprised to see that what she had in her hands was a rudimentary stone knife. The twilght of her eyes explored the weapon as she felt it with her other hand. the tool felt cold and rough, but the borders were still sharp. Maybe somebody threw this out here. she thought. Her senses told her that there were no other canines around, but she decided to wait on her spot. The sight of the knife gave her an idea, though. During her past life she had learned nothing but cleaning, cooking and obeying her masters' orders. In a few words, to be a slave. But what if she learned to defend herself? The idea was inviting. All she would need was a master who would teach her some skills about self defense.
The weeks past were a blur, filled with the smell of illness and burning flesh. The fever and shaking had taken Shibboleth, steadily sapping the life from her, and Eris had been too cowardly to end the girl's misery. Her other children were robust, healthy -- all of them girls, lovely girls. They had left the den, seeking the light and roaming the ruins, filling the territory with the sounds of yips and barks. Today, however, the sable woman had departed from her children, giving them over to the care of her slave. They were her life, but even she needed a moment to relax on occasion.
Her heart felt lighter, as did her body. There was no lurking ghost anymore, nothing to hold her and her beautiful girls back. She walked amongst the ruins slowly, absorbing the day's light into her coal fur. She paused, her chartreuse eye catching on a flash of yellow gold in between the ancient stones. Taking a step backward, the coyote stared toward the fire-hued woman appreciatively. She was similar in appearance to Tlantli, but Xochime seemed more womanly than her sharp-angled sister, and her coat was truly the color of flame. The ring glinting in her nose gave the sable woman more pause, but she disregarded it for the moment, striding around the stone confidently.
Xochime, she said, warmly. Her eyes fell to the item in The Family member's hands, and the sable woman's brows lifted in mild surprise, her smile growing broader. That might not cut well, she said, though there was no disapproval in her voice. It was a relic of another time, and decay was to be expected. It was still pretty, reminding her faintly of her own obsidian knife. It was blacker than her coat, seeming to swallow all light from its surroundings.
The silent peace of the atmosphere was broken by smooth steps. The twilight colored eyes observed as a familiar dark shadow approached her. It would be a sign of complete ignorance if she did not know who the imponent woman standing before her was. Eris, the queen of these lands, a figure as familiar to the salsolians as the mark that branded their bodies, attaching them to her domains. But there was something different about the female that The Family member had not noticed until her gaze lowered to recieve the dark lady. Her frame was slender again, with no more signs of pregnancy. "Greetings, Eris. Aye see dsat you have delivered yer pups already." She dared to say in a shy voice after her name left the queen's lips. Her ears were properly lowered and her fiery gaze properly withdrawn as she adressed her. Then she looked at the tool in her hand, noticing what Eris had pointed out. "Aye wouldn't be eible to use it as a wepon even if it was in good conditions." In fact, the hand-crafted weapon, in spite of feeling sharp under her sking, wasn't sharp enough to inflict serious damage, specially in such unexperienced hands as hers. Holding the knife with one hand, she rose on her feet to nuzzle the leader lightly, her tail ducking between her legs while doing so.
"Tlantli wuldn't approv' me using it anyways." She admitted quite reluctantly after withdrawing from her physical greeting to her superior. She knew that her apathic sister would not give a damn about what she chose to do with her life, but part of her still feared what she would say about her choices. The Crone had neglected and mistreated her enough to help this fear rise inside the fire hued woman. However, when her gaze fell on Eris' pelt, she felt the need to know what would be her opinion about her intentions, which were made clear by the way she held the weapon, hard between her tanned fingers. After all, the ebony hued woman had been one of the few who showed sympathy towards the former slave.
(352) i apologize for being slow ;_; also eris is REALLY weird in this thread; she is oddly euphoric :c
The strange accent the fire-shaded woman carried was the very same as her sister's. Eris found it lovely coming from either of their muzzles. Accents and strange ways of speaking were of particular interest to the shade-hued canine, who found each of them fascinating, regarding each with a sense of envy and jealousy for her own plainly flavored voice. She did not realize that her own voice certainly had its own accent, tainted by her time in Eterne and her travels northward and through the world, but Eris herself did not hear this, and thus her own voice was considered plain and boring.
Xochime, on the other hand, sounded like honey and sunshine, and Eris could hardly help the smile from spreading across her muzzle at the sound of it. The words were acknowledged with a nod, but Eris did not speak of her children. Poor Shibboleth, poor little thing it was. Eris could hardly think of the child as its own gender; she could hardly remember it, until she recalled that her second litter had been all girls. Pandemic was her only boy in the world, her precious darling.
No? I don't know much about defense with a knife, but I know to hold it with the blade back against your wrist, she said, rolling her shoulders. That way, you can swipe in both directions -- when your arm goes this way, and then this way, she said, demonstrating with her imaginary knife. She did not often have to use her weaponry to defend herself -- most of those the hybrid used her knife on were already severely injured or otherwise near-death.
Does Tlantli own you? the hybrid asked, earnestly. She did not know just how it worked between Xochime and her sister, though it was clear the flame-colored Family member deferred to her sister. If she had miscalculated in Xochime's rank and duties, the sable-hued woman might reconsider; she was uncertain as to how the tawny coyote felt about her situation, in any case, and she looked upon the other canine with patient curiosity.
Word Count » 380(+3)
I think i overdid the drama a bit...hehe. Don't worry! I'm having a hard time trying to find some time to reply XD school is the guilty.
xochime kimaris
The Auxiliary's swift demonstration movements woke some admiration on the tanned coyote, and her eyes followed the black hand that held the invisible weapon with an inquisitive gaze. She would try to learn as much as she could, for it would be useful for the latter times. Every detail, anything, could be of any use.
tawny fingers stroke the stone between them as she looked at it. She positioned her arm the way Eris had done it, and she was about to let out a blow to the air when the pitch black woman spoke again. Had she already noticed how the words flowed with more joy than usual? her voice matched her aspect most of the time. Dark and misterious, that was how the flower labeled her leader's voice. Yet, while she stood there, teaching her how to use a weapon that she had never handled in her life, she sensed the unusual tone, and actually liked it. But the words...the words were a completely different matter.
"She...ermm..." She had a hard time trying to choose the right words. Did she really belong to Tlantli? deep inside she felt like she needed to get her sister's approval for her actions. That was she had been taught after all. Her work had to be judged by others before she could know whather it had been done right or not. And now that she had some freedom, she couldn't get rid of the old habits. What other option did she have but to deny it if she wanted to leave that episode of her life behind? "No, aye do not." The words had a sharper tone than she would've liked, but it relieved her somehow. Her ruby gaze revealed that relief as she looked up to the sable woman. "But aye still don't know what wuld she say." For a second, she felt as if she wasn't talking about the stone weapon anymore. "What would you say, Eris?" She did not use a noun to refer to her superior, but the respect imprinted in her voice and her bowed head made up for it. What opinion would she have for her, a coyote once slave, now a woman who had no idea about what to do with her freedom.
The coyote woman considered. There had been a ring in her nose, once. She did not recall the circumstances that put it there nor the piercing and healing itself; when she had come north from Eterne, she had realized, one day, it was still embedded to her face. And so, she'd removed it. The hole had slowly healed, as Eris had never replaced the ring, but evidence of its existence was apparent enough with a tough strike to the nose. Eris did not connect her proclivity to bleed from the nose when struck there particularly hard with the ring, however. She did not recognize the right of many slaves to move up from their position, but she had -- even if it was not something she shared openly with anyone.
I say you are your own woman, and you'll do as you will, she said, both strength and approval apparent in her tone. On the practical aspect, Salsola had use of its deferent canines, but they also did not need those so weak they could not act and think for themselves. If Xochime had been freed, she must be free in all aspects, even if she never lost that submissiveness. Eris had lost hers -- or perhaps never had submission to begin with, even deposed in Eterne -- so it was possible for the fire-colored woman to blossom and grow. Salsola was just such fertile soil to cause such miracles, and the coyote smiled at her kin-sister, wondering. There is nothing wrong with respecting those ranked above you, of course, she added, continuing after a thoughtful pause. But you are of the Family. You are your own, she said, hoping this was sensible to the fire-gold woman.
The sable hybrid did not know this one as well as her sister, and even mysterious and unknown Tlantli had yet to reveal all her secrets to Eris. Even so, she hoped the same strength and intelligence she saw in Tlantli ran in this woman's blood. Their relation was apparent enough, physically, and the hybrid woman again marveled at the tableaux of colors coyotes produced: molten gold and liquid fire, shades of soil certain to produce bounty. Her own six children did not produce the same palette of colors as three Kimaris siblings, and she had heard Astaroth to be black as night.
336(+3) :: Nope. You awesome, me late T-T Sorry for the delay.
Scarlet gaze was hidden from her queen's gaze as she considered her words carefully, and then she thought about Bastion. He had not been kind to her in any way...she would've rather have him ignore her. What would Eris say if she knew that abuse had taken place between pack mates? She needn't have the Arbiter to be angry at her anymore, so she kept that from the queen, instead caressing the stone.
"Thanks for your kind words, Señora." She thanked, truly grateful for her view of her. Very few had actually shown her some sort of kindness. Sighing again, she dared lift her eyes and look at the elder with shyness, immediately casting her gaze downwards again. It seemed like it had become a habit of hers to remove the golden piece of jewelery when she spoke to other living thing, and her septum did not appreciate the constant manipulation very much, for it sometimes itched. But she removed the ring anyways, attaching it to the choker around her neck.
Eris had said that she was part of the family, but, where was her mark? most of the Salsolians wielded the mark of their clan on their flesh, displaying it with pride --or at least that was how it appeared like to the flower's eyes. She wanted that mark as well; the Hand of Eris by the Hand of Eris. Symbolic in many ways, it would make her belong to the pack completely. Not that she was attached to Salsola because she had desired to (she had not had much of a choice at first), but to belong somewhere made her feel...not so alone. "Eris..." She hesitated a bit, resolved to speak her petition. Her eyes did not met the Sable woman's but did rise to her body as she adressed her. "Aye wuld like a mark like the others'." Her hand rose to her shoulder, on the same spot where Tlantli had recieved hers. "Salsola's mark, can you do eet?" She was not a talkative person. This talk had been one of the longest that she could recall, but hoped that she had made herself clear to her leader.
Eris's duty was to act as mother to the pack -- she was, in a sense. While Sirius was the father of their Salsolian family, he did not act in the duties of a typical father -- there was no play and rough-housing with Sirius; he did not bring home nightly meals for the family. Eris, on the other hand, made her best efforts to show love and appreciation to those within her family and act as a mother did, protecting them from the outside world and each other. They were deserving of it, after all -- harshness was unecessary outside of punishment, which had not been inflicted to a ranked member thus far. Always, she responded, smiling in kind. There was an overpowering feeling of love in her for this place and all within it, all who stood for it. This was what she wanted for Salsola -- this feeling. They would be fearsome to outsiders, even gruesome at times, but they would love one another. Xochime had captured her favor, as the rest in the pack -- none among them soured in Eris's eyes. This was her paradise.
The hybrid woman peered at Xochime in surprise at the words, the request. She might have expected Xo to request such a thing from Tlantli, but the sable woman did not dwell on this unexpected turn. She would be delighted to do such a thing, and her approving nod was enthusiastic. I would mark you as one of ours, of course, she said, some of the ecstatic happiness oozing into her tone like juice squeezed from a berry. Her dark tail swished back and forth a few times, and the smile that tugged at the corners of her coal lips exposed just the tips of teeth that were losing the pearly sheen of youth. Here? the woman said, gesturing to the same shoulder Xochime had touched so feather-lightly. Now? she asked, willing to oblige both requests. She was mother, after all.
Word Count » 392 (+3)
Oh, hehe, late Luna is late. Well...now, i was thinking that we could assume OOCly that the ritual was completed a few days later, so she could have some time to allow the wound to heal?
xochime kimaris
As one of us. The words made Xochime's chest grow bigger, her heart beating due to the expectance. The slightest hint of a smile danced in the corners of her lips, a gesture rarely seen on her, but which had been provoqued by her queen's own smile, which seemed to be charged with the affection of a mother for its family. Yes, the sensation of belonging felt really good.
The girl poked the same spot that she had pointed before, tracing with her claw the vague form of the ancient symbol that marked all the Salsolians as part of the pack. "Yes, aye wuld like eet there." She was about to stand up when the other asked if she wanted the marking ritual to take place there, but then she deemed the possibility. Eris' house would've been an ideal place to carry on the ritual, since almost anybody dared to disturb the sable woman, specially since her young spawn dozed off on it, vulnerable. Even if she had been allowed to enter the place, she would've felt the air too heavy, as if she did not belong there.
Taking a more confortable position among the weeds and the dirt, Xochime nodded at her leader. "Eet culd be done now, if you want to." But then, as she casted her gaze downwards -do not look in the eyes, stay low- her eyes fell on the outworn weapon. Then, she remembered that Tlantli's mark was actually a very big scar. How much damage had she recieved so the skin remained permanently and noticeably marked, the fur unable to grow there? The girl shivered as she thought about the pain. Sure, she had experienced pain before, but it had been by force. Right now, she was voluntarily putting herself in the range of an extremely sharp tool (if she was going to be scarred by a knife, that is). "Eet will hurt." Her accent-stained voice sounded a bit shaky, but the sentence was clearly a statement. She feared pain, true, but it did not matter much. Or at least that was what she told to herself to calm the anxiety. A light line was casted over her eyes when she looked up again, her eyes pleading the queen to carry on the ritual as soon as possible, before her survival instincts took over her resolve.
(302)
Shore. :3 If you wanted to end the thread here, or with your post, and we'll OOCly assume the rest, that's cool with me. I can keep going, but I wasn't certain if you're suggesting an OOC ending or what with your last OOC message. <3 I am le silly.
Salsola was as much her child as Pandemic, as much her child as Ataxia -- as much as all the rest. They were all her children, then, and she would stand by Sirius's side and proclaim to them all she was their mother. It was very fine, thinking of herself as such a revered figure to many, but in truth, Eris could not guess how many of the pack reciprocated her feelings and looked upon her as mother. Certainly, her own children, but she wondered about some of the others. None had ever given her reason to suspect they were disloyal to the Salsolian cause, but she pondered loyalty nonetheless. It was a good trait for a leader to have -- accepting every pledge of fealty without question was the mark of a gullible leader, to be sure.
Surely, the coyote said, nodding. There is nothing to fill my hours, she added, though in truth, she was eager to spend time with Xochime, even if it would be a bloody, painful time. She had noticed the little start Xochime made prior to speaking, however, and the hybrid might have agreed, had the golden-hued woman voiced her concerns about their exact location. As it was, though, she had to return home to fetch the cotona knife anyway, and so she stood, extending one hand to her companion. It will hurt, but pain is our pledge, she quipped, thinking herself clever. Come, dear girl, we'll go to my home. Surely, you'll find more comfort, and my tools are there, anyway, she said. Shibboleth would be quiet -- the girl hardly moved anymore. Eris doubted Xochime or anyone else who came into the frontal, above-ground part of her dwelling would ever guess at the illness just a few feet away from their toes.
Word Count » 253
Actually, what i meant was that the following sessions of the Cotona ritual, after this one, could be assumed OOCly. Since it takes several cuttings for the symbol to be marked on the skin...but no, i don't want to finish the thread yet XD
xochime kimaris
Surprisingly so, the tawny coyote was given green light to accompain her Queen to her residence. Endless times she had ran through that part of the ruins, not being able to see much save for the stone altar in the middle of the place, and now that she had a chance to peek at what it concealed behind those stone walls, she allowed her curiosity flow free. An orange-ish hand held Eris' charcoal one, and using it as an impulse point, she pulled herself to her feet, her clawed hand never letting go of the stone knife.
Once on her feet, she pondered about the other's words before thinking about something coherent to say, but nothing came to her mind. Pain. She had suffered that pledge several times before, firstly when she had been pulled away from her family, away from all she knew so far and of her parents. Memories oozed, but she did not allow any of those thoughts reflect on her features, instead choosing to follow her leader. She let several seconds slip before she decided to speak her thoughts, althought not as vehemently as these had presented themselves, but a dull synthesis of themselves. "Aye can bear a little pein" But, as much as she knew the sensetion well, she did not enjoy it the least. However, ears low and head bowed, she lined behind the green-eyed woman, feeling suddenly weak in her presence. The gods knew she was powerful, strong. She could even be compared to a goddess herself.
The dark coyote marveled at the lightness of the younger woman; she weighed practically nothing at all, and the darker hybrid exerted no energy in helping her to her feet. Eris did not think it worthy of comment, however, and only smiled at the golden-yellow woman, squeezing her hand gently in reassurance. I know. You have strength enough to bear it, my sister, she said, sweetly. That no shared blood ran between their veins mattered little. In Salsola, they were mother and child, sisters, cousins, and then some -- deeper family than blood could begin to portray.
Even before Salsola, however, the dark-hued hybrid had been connected with this Kimaris family. She had believed herself to be Astaroth's daughter, sharing his pelt coloration and at least some coyote heritage. Looking back, she seemed much the fool for believing it: wolfish Eris, barely a coyote in appearance. She had never found a place within Eterne for that reason, and it was almost embarrassing to know she had believed such obvious trickery from her supposed "father." Still, she had been young, and maybe part of her did realize it, too. Who would want to acknowledge such a lie? She had, in the end -- inadvertantly, but she had.
The dark woman led the way to her home. The walk was brief, and the sable-hued coyote picked her way through the stones, knowing she must walk in the ghostly remnants of some great hall. Her own living quarters were not so fancy -- she passed beneath the stick draped over her entryway, chartreuse eyes sparing the gleaming ram's skull a sparing glance. She paused a moment to offer a finger to Sandalio. The owl eyed the finger a moment, tilting his head to the left. Eris stroked at his chest; the bird tolerated this a moment, and then shuffled off, hunkering his head down beneath his shoulders to show his displeasure.
Silly bird. He's not so good a companion -- doesn't like to be touched much. He does wonderfully for keeping the pest populations down, though, The Auxiliary offered to her companion, shrugging an indifferent shoulder. She moved into her public receiving area, waving a hand at the stones around the firepit to indicate Xochime might choose her seat. The sable hybrid shuffled about with her preparations, deciding to start a fire first. She bent at the firepit a few long minutes, and then shuffled over to the wall with the little alcoves, pulling the obsidian knife and a few other minor supplies from their various cubbyholes. She laid these items out on the ground before the fire, surveying them a moment before seating herself next to the flame-colored woman.
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