09-18-2009, 07:35 PM
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Thanks to Akumu for the table!
AWESOME job on profile skin. 
The coyote woman stirred, the late afternoon sun falling on her body. She had been sleeping since earlier in the day, before the sun had reached its zenith and begun its descent. Kae was always one for the oddest of hours; she liked to remain awake and alert all night, sleep with the morning, and rise again in time for the sunset. Though that was her preferred schedule, she did not find it difficult to sleep with the twilight and rise with the morning sun, or whatever hours necessary, really—Kae was a versatile creature when it came to sleep, and she was finding as she aged she needed less and less of it.
Stirring, she peered over at Fatin, who was still half-dozed. The russet woman had taken to spending most of her time in the cave, drifting between conscious and unconscious. The hybrid woman rolled over to her size, that single, searing eye roving over the russet wolf's pretty face and her tapering, lovely features. As right and good as this felt, the hybrid woman could not quell the discomfort in her chest, and found after a few minutes she could no longer look at the auburn canine. Turning abruptly, the hybrid slipped from the bed, heading for the light-filled entrance of the cave.
Her steps were quick and light, though her head was down low. She did not pay attention to her direction, merely churned the thoughts over and over in her head. The silvery canine knew she ought to tell Fatin about Jacquez. It was her right to know. They were living together, they loved each other—mateship and eternal love were but a breath away, and here was the scarred Centurion with her skeletons and secrets again, that deep-seeded fear that had not surfaced since the opportunity to be with Zarah had presented itself.
As much as Kaena loved Fatin, as devoted as the ashen woman was—she was afraid. Kaena would never have admitted such a thing aloud, but she was truly and deeply frightened of entering a committed relationship with a woman. She did not know if she could exclusively convert to woman-only sex, she did not think she would be able to resist the wiles and charms of certain males—especially not Jacquez, not now that she'd had a taste of his flesh. He was a delight of another world entirely, the thrashing that the coyote woman had desperately needed.
Sable ears folded back against a scarred head, and for the first time in several minutes the canine looked up, her golden eye swerving about the forest surrounding her. She was somewhere just outside of Inferni now, having passed over the border without really noticing it. The silver canine was still quite close to her own territory, so she ignored this fact for the meantime, meandering parallel to the territory, figuring she could always chalk up her contemplative walk to a border patrol. That way, when she returned later she would have a good excuse for Fatin.
After a moment, an unfamiliar scent wafted to the woman's charcoal nose. Peering forward curiously, Kaena inhaled sharply, puzzling over the scent. She recognized the banner as the same Dawali had worn; this must mean it was an Aniwayan here. That was a relief; much better to find one of those wolves than a Dahlian or a Valley wolf. The silver coyote meandered forward, wondering what one of a clan so far away might seek here. Curiosity had taken its hold, and she approached the sable woman on the log after a few minutes of tracking the scent.
There was no aggression in the Optime's features, and it was unclear at first from her facial expression whether she was pleased or annoyed at this wolf's presence. Her raptor's eye wandered over the woman, noting the presence of scars. They were not her most defining feature, unlike Kaena's scars. Instead, it was the wolf's one eye that caught the coyote's attention. It was a strange, unearthly shade of deep lavender, at once ghostly and enthralling to the one-eyed canine. "Hey," she stated simply.
Her prior encounter with Dawali had given her a positive attitude toward anyone who wore his banner. They had discussed peace and something close to an alliance, though at the time Kaena had not been among Inferni's Legatus ranks and she could hardly agree to a formal alliance with any clan. Even now, she was the subleader, the whispering in the Aquila's ear. Just because she had good encounters with a particular bunch did not mean they would always be friendly to the coyotes. Her experience was hardly universal; the next wolf she encountered of Aniwaya might have a particular prejudice for coyotes or hybrids. One never knew.
"Looking for someone?" she asked the wolf, noting their proximity to the coyote borders. Usually when someone meandered this close to the gleaming bones of the Inferni borders, they had business... or a death wish. Either way, Kaena would be happy to oblige. As the subleader of the clan, it was her responsibility to accept such business if it came knocking on their door, and more importantly, she had every right to defend the clan to bloodshed and death, should ill-intent come barging across their threshold. Kaena was not afraid of dying to protect Inferni—rather, she likened it to dying in battle and heading to Valhalla as the Vikings would have. It was an honorable death, and one the silvery coyote would endure with pride.
There was something else about this wolf that the coyote woman had yet to identify. Kaena did not know it, but she had likely smelled this same wolf ten or twenty times. They had been within a breath of each other for many years, both of them members of that elite group that remembered the previous lands and the time before the fire had swallowed everything up. This familiarity had not surfaced to the coyote woman's conscious mind, but that strange tingle of recognition only grew stronger as she remained in the other woman's presence, her glittering golden eye studying the coal-furred wolf, trying to identify her or attach a characteristic that might spark her memory into recognition.
The coyote woman stirred, the late afternoon sun falling on her body. She had been sleeping since earlier in the day, before the sun had reached its zenith and begun its descent. Kae was always one for the oddest of hours; she liked to remain awake and alert all night, sleep with the morning, and rise again in time for the sunset. Though that was her preferred schedule, she did not find it difficult to sleep with the twilight and rise with the morning sun, or whatever hours necessary, really—Kae was a versatile creature when it came to sleep, and she was finding as she aged she needed less and less of it.
Stirring, she peered over at Fatin, who was still half-dozed. The russet woman had taken to spending most of her time in the cave, drifting between conscious and unconscious. The hybrid woman rolled over to her size, that single, searing eye roving over the russet wolf's pretty face and her tapering, lovely features. As right and good as this felt, the hybrid woman could not quell the discomfort in her chest, and found after a few minutes she could no longer look at the auburn canine. Turning abruptly, the hybrid slipped from the bed, heading for the light-filled entrance of the cave.
Her steps were quick and light, though her head was down low. She did not pay attention to her direction, merely churned the thoughts over and over in her head. The silvery canine knew she ought to tell Fatin about Jacquez. It was her right to know. They were living together, they loved each other—mateship and eternal love were but a breath away, and here was the scarred Centurion with her skeletons and secrets again, that deep-seeded fear that had not surfaced since the opportunity to be with Zarah had presented itself.
As much as Kaena loved Fatin, as devoted as the ashen woman was—she was afraid. Kaena would never have admitted such a thing aloud, but she was truly and deeply frightened of entering a committed relationship with a woman. She did not know if she could exclusively convert to woman-only sex, she did not think she would be able to resist the wiles and charms of certain males—especially not Jacquez, not now that she'd had a taste of his flesh. He was a delight of another world entirely, the thrashing that the coyote woman had desperately needed.
Sable ears folded back against a scarred head, and for the first time in several minutes the canine looked up, her golden eye swerving about the forest surrounding her. She was somewhere just outside of Inferni now, having passed over the border without really noticing it. The silver canine was still quite close to her own territory, so she ignored this fact for the meantime, meandering parallel to the territory, figuring she could always chalk up her contemplative walk to a border patrol. That way, when she returned later she would have a good excuse for Fatin.
After a moment, an unfamiliar scent wafted to the woman's charcoal nose. Peering forward curiously, Kaena inhaled sharply, puzzling over the scent. She recognized the banner as the same Dawali had worn; this must mean it was an Aniwayan here. That was a relief; much better to find one of those wolves than a Dahlian or a Valley wolf. The silver coyote meandered forward, wondering what one of a clan so far away might seek here. Curiosity had taken its hold, and she approached the sable woman on the log after a few minutes of tracking the scent.
There was no aggression in the Optime's features, and it was unclear at first from her facial expression whether she was pleased or annoyed at this wolf's presence. Her raptor's eye wandered over the woman, noting the presence of scars. They were not her most defining feature, unlike Kaena's scars. Instead, it was the wolf's one eye that caught the coyote's attention. It was a strange, unearthly shade of deep lavender, at once ghostly and enthralling to the one-eyed canine. "Hey," she stated simply.
Her prior encounter with Dawali had given her a positive attitude toward anyone who wore his banner. They had discussed peace and something close to an alliance, though at the time Kaena had not been among Inferni's Legatus ranks and she could hardly agree to a formal alliance with any clan. Even now, she was the subleader, the whispering in the Aquila's ear. Just because she had good encounters with a particular bunch did not mean they would always be friendly to the coyotes. Her experience was hardly universal; the next wolf she encountered of Aniwaya might have a particular prejudice for coyotes or hybrids. One never knew.
"Looking for someone?" she asked the wolf, noting their proximity to the coyote borders. Usually when someone meandered this close to the gleaming bones of the Inferni borders, they had business... or a death wish. Either way, Kaena would be happy to oblige. As the subleader of the clan, it was her responsibility to accept such business if it came knocking on their door, and more importantly, she had every right to defend the clan to bloodshed and death, should ill-intent come barging across their threshold. Kaena was not afraid of dying to protect Inferni—rather, she likened it to dying in battle and heading to Valhalla as the Vikings would have. It was an honorable death, and one the silvery coyote would endure with pride.
There was something else about this wolf that the coyote woman had yet to identify. Kaena did not know it, but she had likely smelled this same wolf ten or twenty times. They had been within a breath of each other for many years, both of them members of that elite group that remembered the previous lands and the time before the fire had swallowed everything up. This familiarity had not surfaced to the coyote woman's conscious mind, but that strange tingle of recognition only grew stronger as she remained in the other woman's presence, her glittering golden eye studying the coal-furred wolf, trying to identify her or attach a characteristic that might spark her memory into recognition.