fired his rifle into the sky

Eris Eternity · 12-01-2010, 09:46 PM

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Word Count:: 418

So she had her answer. She had her knowledge -- the forbidden thing her mother had held over her head for as long as she could remember, and Eris finally had it. Whatever ties she had to Inferni should have been cleanly severed, destroyed -- but where else could she go? Anathema was not yet a reality, and the sable-shaded woman did not know if she belonged with them. They were wolves, and she -- well, she wasn't a coyote, but she was not certain if she was a wolf, either. More than anything, Eris felt alone, and desperately so. Whatever friendships she had crafted in Inferni were little more than acquaintances, really. She did not know Snake very well, and she had seen him only once since their initial meeting. She liked Sepirah well enough, but she did not trust the girl -- it was plain to see the jackal was inundated with the Infernian lifestyle.

With the falling sun, the sable-shaded woman knew she ought to head home -- there were still belongings and possessions to fetch within the coyote territory. Itzcitla was still there, likely still sleeping in their shared room in the D'Neville Mansion. The coyote hybrid did not move, however -- she had not yet left Halcyon, excepting the brief venture southward when she had met Misery. Today was no exception; though she did not keep close to the bustling center of activity that was to become Anathema, she had not ventured beyond what might very well become their borderlands. Eris felt like something of a ghost -- she was not comfortable with them, but she was not wanted in Inferni, either. Her mother would never really love her -- there would always be that slight reservation, the distrust of the supposedly bad blood she had inherited from Salvaged.

Though she was not yet feeling the most draining effects of pregnancy, the chartreuse-eyed woman was tired too often to be of any patrolling use; today was no exception. She hardly moved from her spot on the rolling hills, not feeling quite terrible enough not to move, yet disinclined to so much as try. She wanted her cat back, she wanted everything in her room -- actually, if she could have had her room back without Inferni surrounding it, she certainly would have taken that. She had become accustomed to the space, and it made her feel quite safe. There was a feeling of loss without this space, and she could not shake it.

Larkspur D'Angelo · 12-01-2010, 10:30 PM

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There was a newfound purpose in his life—Misery had seen to that. Larkspur was a simple man, a man who was very much a boy, and he had sworn his life to her. She had asked him so little. Find his woman, keep her safe, swallow his pride and find that stupid kin-cousin of his and join her pack. Fair enough. He would do so, but he would not like having to submit to her and did not intend on making this happen. Still, Misery was crafty and wise and would guide him. It would not hurt his chances that he was still an incredibly strong wolf, and a remarkably capable hunter.

He took the horse to find her, traveling west. There was only a vague destination in mind. Misery had pointed him towards her, but the rest would be up to him. Larkspur exhaled into the cold air and watched as snowflakes fell from the sky. They would need a pack. Without it, both of them would perish. He knew this in his bones, and it frightened him.

The black figure stood out amongst the taller hills and the flurries like an out-of-place shadow. From below, Larkspur did not need to guess who it was. “Eris,” he barked up at her, his deep voice carrying itself over the wind.

Eris Eternity · 12-01-2010, 10:49 PM

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Maybe she would be able to find her space elsewhere, and maybe it would really be her own. These wolves were strangers and they had no expectations of her -- she was not to be a princess, she was not to be hated. There was nothing to live up to in this new place. Maybe it would be better for her there, maybe not -- all she knew was that it would be different.

The air was cold now, and the coyote woman lamented the coming of winter. The desert had been kind with regard to the temperature, and it had never dipped uncomfortably low for the sable-shaded woman. As the faint sounds of an approach caught her attention, she peered to the trees, scanning them for signs of movement. Some of the shadows shifted, and the hybrid watched as Larkspur approached, seated on his horse. He spoke her name.

She looked up toward him and smiled faintly, pulling herself to her feet. “Hello, Larkspur,” she said. Perhaps it was strange to greet the father of her children in such a manner, but she did not owe him anything more, really.

Larkspur D'Angelo · 12-01-2010, 11:05 PM

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She was just beginning to show her pregnancy. He worried for her, suddenly, but not for himself and not for her wellbeing. He worried for the children she carried, and what their purpose in the world would be. Misery had chosen him, and he would produce worthy children for her. This was what he believed. He realized, too, that neither of them would be able to survive without his cousin’s pack. Inferni was his enemy.

A genuine smile crossed his face, making it nearly boyish despite the graying muzzle. “I’m glad I found ya.” The wolf dismounted and took a few steps towards her. Only then did he see that she was distressed—had he been more perceptive, he might have realized sooner. “What’s wrong?”

Eris Eternity · 12-02-2010, 12:25 AM

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His words surprised her -- she did not consider that maybe he actually cared for her. Maybe he didn't; maybe he only cared for the life in her stomach. At the present moment, however, the shade-colored woman decided she did not care. If he only gave a shit about the children she carried, so be it -- she had time to relax, then, and capitalize on his attentions. “You, too,” she said, and maybe she meant it. It was not readily apparent on her face, but then again, she had never been one to gush emotions when she felt them.

“I found out who my daddy is,” she said. “It didn't change anything,” the woman added, disappointment clear on her face. Sable-shaded ears twisted backwards in anger, and something dark crossed her face. Things were supposed to be better now -- at least, she was supposed to feel better. No such change had occurred, not outside of her, not inside of her. Everything was as it always had been, and it had become too much.

Larkspur D'Angelo · 12-02-2010, 12:38 AM

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He did not know what romantic love was. The love he felt for Misery bordered on fanaticism. Larkspur had not been shown love by his family, who considered him a sin. Maybe he did not have it in him to love. Eris was special to him, but he did not know if he loved her because it was beyond his comprehension. Orange eyes focused on her face, studying the subtle way it changed with her words. His pupils widened as if they sought to swallow the pain.

“Ahm sorry,” he offered her, though it sounded strange with his gruff voice. He tilted his head doggishly, and a faint smile broke across his face. “Do y’think they’ll take care of ‘em?” The wolf asked, his eyes dropping to her belly.

Eris Eternity · 12-02-2010, 12:46 AM

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Now I'm wondering if Luperci have bellybuttons? :|

The woman lifted both shade-colored shoulders in a shrug. It was a girlish and silly hope to pin on knowledge -- what good was blood, anyway? Should she also revere her mother's blood, that which undoubtedly flowed in her veins? Should she seek its knowledge? There was legacy there, too, but Eris did not want that legacy. She rejected it with all of herself, just as it had spat her back out.

“Maybe. Then they'd hate me, too,” she said, lip twitching upward in a snarl she could not suppress. Whether she loved these children or not, they were hers. They belonged to her and Larkspur, and whether or not she valued them yet, she would not have them taken away; she would not have them turned against her. The look faded as soon as it appeared, and she ran her hands over her own stomach, lacing her fingers and holding them above her navel. “I won't let them do that,” she said. She knew the clan was not about to come and hunt her down -- good riddance, they would say when they learned.

Larkspur D'Angelo · 12-02-2010, 12:52 AM

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One hand reached out and touched her own, resting on the small rise of her belly. He did not need to feel the still-growing life to know what it was within her. Power. Legacy. The things that Misery needed him to provide, and the things that would ensure the D’Angelo line returned to power. He looked up to her face. Suddenly, and desperately, he knew what needed done.

“Would ya leave 'em?” He asked lowly. A cold wind rushed down the mountain, twisting his messy hair in the breeze.

Eris Eternity · 12-02-2010, 01:25 AM

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THIS JUST IN: Luperci do, in fact, have bellybuttons. :O Sort of.

He touched her, and she looked down toward the touch, toward her stomach. She had never been a mother before, though she had the opportunity -- she could have been, several times over. She had wanted such things at least once before, but they had never happened to her. It was just perfect timing that it should happen now, she supposed -- they had been the card to levy against her mother, after all. Without them, Eris might have had months and months locked into the coyote clan. Her yellow-green eyes lifted back toward his, away from their hands and her stomach. “Where would we -- I go?” she said, stumbling for an instant. She did not know if he would come with her -- she wanted him to, she realized, but she could not force him.

Larkspur D'Angelo · 12-02-2010, 01:31 AM

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It was as if everything was falling into place. Misery’s return coincided with the soon-to-be birth of his children, with the return of the false D’Angelo brood, and with a pack about to be formed. Fate was kind this time around. Larkspur would not scorn her. “There’s a pack formin’ soon,” he began. “, a pack with mah kin leadin’ it. Come with me and we’ll join ‘em. It’s gonna be the best place fer the kids,” he added, thinking of Misery’s words and her plans.

Like it or not, he would need both women to ensure himself a place in the pack.

Eris Eternity · 12-02-2010, 01:48 AM

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derr

The sable-shaded woman knew of this pack, of course -- she had attended their first meeting, albeit as an outsider. She had not known for certain she would run with them -- she still did not truly know, not until Larkspur had spoken of it. She was surprised to find they were his family -- perhaps she had overlooked his surname. She did not recall anyone's introduction, and she did not think such a thing would pass her notice. “I didn't know that was your family. I was with them, before. It's where I've been staying, but I didn't know whether I wanted to stay forever,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “If you're going to be there, I will stay,” she said, making up her mind in an instant. There was nothing left for her in Inferni -- her mother did not want her, and the rest of them might as well not known her. One of her hands slid out from beneath his and grasped it immediately, clutching it tightly for a moment.

Larkspur D'Angelo · 12-02-2010, 01:53 AM

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She did not speak a promise, but he believed it was such. His large, rough hand held onto her own and he smiled with a shadow of the devotion he held for his aunt-mother. Perhaps in time, this woman too would become a god to him. “Forever’s a long time,” he replied wistfully, an oddly deep thought for such a simple soul. He considered the ini and the things that he could not speak of, and looked to the earth.

Something under his feet turned and he felt it, but did not comprehend what it meant. “D’ya need t’git anythin’?” He asked, looking back up to her.

Eris Eternity · 12-02-2010, 02:04 AM

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derp!

Forever was a long time, and Eris could not definitively say she would do anything forever. Anymore she felt as though she did not know herself -- she had been stripped of everything, shipped farther away from her desert home than she ever could have imagined, and shunned again once returning home. The sable-shaded female had made things more difficult on herself, of course, but she would never see it that way; such perspective was impossible for the arrogant hybrid. “Forever doesn't allow for change,” she replied, absently now -- her mind was busily contemplating the step she had just agreed to take.

At the question, however, it switched to another subject entirely -- her things. “Yes. My cat, some things -- all in Inferni, in the mansion,” the sable-shaded woman said. “It's not a lot. I came a long way here with nothing, and I haven't collected much since I got here,” she confessed. She had been to the city maybe four or five times -- the sable-shaded woman was not generally one for prospecting; she was far more used to purchasing through barter in a market. So, she was not very good at it, and it generally took her some time to find anything of use.

Larkspur D'Angelo · 12-02-2010, 02:12 AM

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Larkspur had nothing. He had gained everything with Misery—the horse, the few things he carried on his saddle. Nothing beyond that. There was no need for it. He had been exiled from one home and then another. What purpose did he have for things? Larkspur looked back towards the Waste, and felt his muzzle crinkle into a near-snarl. The scar on his face had come from those coyotes, and they had cost him his second home and the only man that had ever understood him.

“Git yer things. I’ll wait fer ya.” He did not release her hand, and looked at her firmly. They were in this together, come hell or high water. Larkspur did not doubt that both would be in their future. Hand in hand he walked with her to the borders of the coyote clan and stood by with the other hand holding the reigns of his horse. He waited.

Eris Eternity · 12-02-2010, 02:40 AM

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derp! - 320

As she stole away from him, the hybrid again contemplated what she was doing. She knew little about the Anathema wolves, but they had been good to her -- Naniko had offered food openly, and she had been invited to their midst as if it were nothing that she still smelled faintly of Inferni. The gleaming skulls greeted her, silently laughing in her face. The urge to strike one down and smash it was supressed; there was enough bad blood between her and her mother, and this would just provoke her.

The mansion was quiet, and the sable-colored woman was glad for this. She did not want to face Halo or even Cotl -- it was better for her to simply leave quietly. Her room was still, and for a moment the hybrid feared Itzcitla had taken leave to hunt. She called for him quietly, and he emerged from the piled blankets on the bed, appearing sleepy and annoyed. He mewled faint annoyance as she busied herself around the room, clearing it of anything that could be useful with mechanical ease. There was not a whole lot to take, and she had everything piled into one blanket in a moment, wrapping it in a tight bundle.

She turned on Itzcitla and wrapped him in the blanket as well, much to his annoyance. The cat struggled, but she quieted him with a harsh word, pointing to the window. “We're going outside, stupid. You'll be cold,” she hissed. He was still, then, and she picked him up, grunting with the effort. At thirty pounds, he wasn't light, and the sable-shaded woman shifted him, tucking him half under one arm. The cat's paws instinctively gripped at her shoulder, and she picked up the second bundle, tucking it under her arm and wrapping it near to Itzcitla. She left quickly, taking no time to so much as glance behind her, and returned to him.

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