Look Through My Eyes

Ralla · 04-03-2011, 07:07 PM

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I'm on a song title kick Tongue (Nootau: Visible)

Ralla was so overjoyed that she'd come home in time for the spring ceremony. Home had felt more than everything she had ever wanted; safe, comfortable, and happy. Ayasha had remained well and healthy, and Ralla had Kemo by her side. But he was understanding enough to realize that she could not always be there with him, nor him her, due to their duties to the pack. And so their time spent together was precious and all the more special.

It would not be long before Ayasha could shift and properly get up and down the ladder to the tree-house. Ralla would've felt safer if her adoptive daughter could do so already, but this was counteracted that the Town Hall was the most surrounded by the tribe and hence most easily accessible if the need should arise. Still, she saw her daughter out and about often enough to know she was perfectly fine and happy. Sifting through her piles of supplies in one corner of the house, Ralla wondered if she should perhaps resume the work on the observatory sooner than later, since summer would bring clear night skies. And J'adore has to teach me script! she exclaimed to herself. And she needed to resume the lessons by the fire, the caring of the tools... Well, at least I wont be lacking work, she said cheerily, climbing down the wooden-rung ladder to the ground. The embers of the fire from the night before were still burning, but she let it be in favor of seeing to the Great Fire first, as was her usual routine. She might not have known that she had a pattern of work, but it was evident that it had become a pleasant, repeated routine should nothing else arise. And she was quite content with it. Or perhaps it was the glow of a mother-to-be?

As she walked, Nootau swooped from out of nowhere, materializing as if from a burst of fire and light, to fly leisurely above Ralla's head. The white wolfess was far too used to Nootau's comings and goings, choosing to communicate with the barn owl only when she knew he would give her a more substantial answer other than a gesture or a nod. She came to the billowing smoke of the Great Fire and approached it with respect, letting her nose take in the heady scents of the woods feeding its hungry mouth. How she had missed its familiarity; it's allure. When she had arrived a few days back she had paid a visit to Chief Dawali to see how he was doing and found him better than how she had left him, although not yet completely healed. She had asked about the tribe and the events that had transpired, although the village had remained as peaceful as ever, save for the substitution of Jefferson Soul from Phoenix Valley as Kalona in Chief Dawali's stead. Ralla had personally never met any of the Valley, so she did not know what to expect at all, since she hadn't seen the man either. In the flames, Ralla watched as their tongues and smoke formed images--as they sometimes did for her, giving her small visions--and she watched attentively. Within the flames danced two birds, that of which were mostly unidentifiable, but one which remained golden, another swirled with red and green. She did not have much time to wonder on the vision before she heard footsteps coming closer to her.

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

Jefferson Soul · 04-07-2011, 07:44 PM

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They certainly were a cultural bunch, the AniWayans. He had always known this, of course — the brute called Dawali one of very few close friends — but living among them for an extended period of time only emphasized the concept further. As he had told Hemming and Ember so many moons past, the brute still hardly understood a sliver of their "guardian spirit" babble, and despite having seen what was said to be spirit animals firsthand, he still did not quite believe it. Jefferson stuck to his earthiness, his agnosticism and independence; even if a spirit happened upon him with the intent to protect and guide, they would be ignored. The cyclops knew what he was doing, of course. He'd led Phoenix Valley two years now, and they were a happy and safe bunch of idiots back home under his protection. That was enough proof he didn't need guiding from some talking rabbit or bird or whatever the hell they wanted them to be.

In his spare time he strolled the AniWayan territory, admiring the sights when his worrying thoughts allowed for it. Their landscape was striking, surely beautiful in spring and autumn; he was a lover of nature, though he would never admit to it. The tribe was no larger than Phoenix Valley, really, but unlike the Valley — which pressed up against the ocean, eliminating a border to check in his rounds — walking the tribe's full length took longer. If nothing else, he always ended where he started, but all the more exhausted by the end of it.

His walk finished at dusk, the scarred man silent like shadows, moving at an unhastened pace. Hand in his pocket, the light of the distant Great Fire attracted him — how did they keep that thing going all the time? — and, hoping for a little warmth in the cold spring night, the brute moved closer. In his approach he spied another, a white female, but his attention was pulled away from her as quickly as it came, watching in mild surprise as the fire swirled and crackled with multicolor, bird-like shapes. A convenience, surely, or perhaps a trick?

He stepped closer, tone quiet. "Did you do that?"

Ralla · 04-07-2011, 11:20 PM

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Thank you for being busy and replying to this still <3 Sorry if I nagged; I've just been having a lot of black-outs lately where I've completely forgotten certain parts of what's happened o.0 It's a little disconcerting >.>

Although she had heard the footsteps coming, Ralla found herself staring openly at the stranger before she caught herself, realizing who he must be. Besides the scent of Chief Dawali's hut on him--and the general smell of AniWaya for that matter--he had an air of authority that her instincts naturally alerted her to, submitting her posture to its proper position as one of humility. She knew her place, even to a foreign alpha. But what she had been staring at were the two colors--well, the scars as well, that which made the crescent moon brand on her forehead ache in sympathy--and noticed how alike the green of the man's eye and the red of his scars were to the images in the fire. She shot a quick glance to Nootau, resting atop a totem pole as if he were the top animal instead, and the bird only shrugged. It took her a moment to realize that she was being spoken to.

"You must be Jefferson Soul," Ralla said on a guess; very well-founded, in her defense. She stood and turned to him out of politeness, the fire illuminating the village center and their meeting in a pale, orange glow; like a summer sunset or firefly. "Did what...?" It took her another moment yet to understand that he was inferring the fire. Did he see it, too? There had been cases of visions being shared when a shaman was around--such things called Dream Sharing--but it had never happened in her presence to her knowledge. With a giggle she turned her snowy head to the fire, a little envy tinging her voice as she thought aloud. "Oh. No; and actually...what did you see? Forgive my asking, but others usually don't...see what I see." She decided to leave it at that, since, if she tried to explain, she feared she would ramble and embarrass herself; especially since she had seen firsthand how some reacted strangely to her unusual forms of premonition. "My name's Ralla, by the way. I would like to thank you for helping our tribe in our Chief's stead."

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

Jefferson Soul · 04-12-2011, 01:17 PM

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No worries :3

She knew him by name, as many of the other AniWayans had, though like the others Jefferson could not return the favor. Dawali had mentioned numerous times a white female with some symbol on her forehead and spoke highly of her each time; Jefferson put two and two together rather easily, and as he drew closer, the male found it rather appropriate for the two to meet. "That's me," he said, listening to the off-tune ring of his name in the peaceful AniWayan name. It was far too rough, too bloody a title to be so openly admitted in such a place of tranquility, and yet there was nothing he could do.

She was rather unnaturally full of surprise — well, it was natural in a way, seeing how most typically reacted to the sight of the monster — but more questions abounded in her eyes than in most. Clearly he was not supposed to have seen what he did, which he naturally could not explain; the man was a very unsentimental, unromantic creature, and most of their AniWayan smoke-and-mirrors spirits and magic had no effect on him physically and mentally only because he did not will himself to follow or believe. He did not mind the existence of their "spirit animals," if that's what they insisted they were, but he refused to be caught up in it and blinded even barely from his natural, independent instincts and decisions that were all his own.

"Oh," he said, shrugging, ears flicking, "nothing. Probably my imagination." Not that he had much of one.

She introduced herself as Ralla and the cyclops nodded in acknowledgement. "Sure thing," he said, shrugging once more. "The big guy speaks pretty highly of you. I guess I can see why."

Ralla · 04-13-2011, 10:55 PM

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Sleepy-derp >.>

Ralla was unperturbed by the other male's approach becoming closer and closer, instead letting her body posture relax even as she remained submissive. Even if she was within her own territory, this was still a foreign chief she was dealing with; hence, respect was above all else. She let her attentions wander between watching the fire and watching Jefferson, her claws scratching a little at the stone beneath her feet, whereas they would've normally been sifting through the earth had there been some to do so with. Absentmindedly she twiddled with her necklaces, feeling the familiar smoothness of the polished beads and the curves of the small claws. She flicked one ear towards the man when he remarked that perhaps it was nothing, but she insisted on the issue.

"I've heard others call what they've seen their imagination. I like to think that they're seeing what they believe they saw, but because others deny they saw anything themselves, they explain it away as a trick of the mind." she said with a bit of a lilt and levity in her voice. How true that must be. How one must feel, to be pariah, if they began to see things and others ridiculed them for it? Granted that had never been Ralla's lot in life, but she could only imagine the embarrassment and shame should one be named crazy for things such as seeing fictitious specters. "The Great Spirits tend to come to us in different forms, and sometimes they're not even in the forms of the Great Spirits...if that makes any sense," she said with a shrug of apology to her companion. She was certainly no preacher, but the white wolfess had no problem speaking her mind. What she thought was what she thought, and what was the point in keeping something that was not harmful from being spoken if it was on the tip of the tongue anyway? "Do you believe in anything?" she asked with an inquisitive glance, hoping that it was not a touchy subject to touch on in the first place. The man seemed pretty standoffish, but that didn't dictate if he thought anything of any religion. She was not and would never be one to judge.

The scarred man nodded and acknowledged her thanks for the tribe, and she felt that this man--although few in words thus far--was stable, at the very least, with a level-head on his shoulders. And this was not just from his own body posture or position, but just because she could feel it about him, like she had sensed the presence of the spirit guides her first day in AniWaya. She assumed it to be the pull of the moon, gravitating her towards others that it felt would benefit her, with her eyes opened by its power. But it was also a visceral feeling, deep in the pit of her stomach. Her cheeks turned pink at the mention of Chief Dawali's apparent 'high mention' of her, as well as Jefferson's support of it. She began to speak with modesty. "I don't see why. If you had to place me in usefulness, the warriors and craftsmen do much more than me. I tend to the fire and the wood stocks. But," she said, a smile beaming on her face as she gestured to the fire, "I can't complain. I love it, after all, and the stories and history are my own craft." The 'usefulness' she had mentioned had more to do with her own merit, however. Ralla was not strong; only fast and blessed with a good memory and tie to the spiritual world. She would not be able to defend her home with as much valiance as some of her tribe mates, and she could not match her mate's ferocity in battle for certain. The only thing she believed she could match was passion, although her heart was naturally kind and would only turn to conflict as a last resort.

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

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Jefferson Soul · 04-22-2011, 10:55 PM

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doop doop poop poop

Unsurprisingly, the bulk of what she had at first breezed wholly over his head and tattered ears; green eye thinned in clogged contemplation, the scarred man desperately trying to make sense of what he took as a labyrinth of words. Something about a trick of the mind or that it wasn't one, he concluded. Torn ear flicked a moment, considering the gentle sounds of her beads as they clicked about between her fingers, his eye subtly watching them, envying them. He was not one for adornments, for shiny things to distract eyes from his scars. He sought only some symbol of pride to boast at his collarbone... but he had nothing to feel pride for.

"Do I believe in anything?" he repeated, green eye gazing back to the fire. He considered the question a moment, knowing its answer immediately. "No," he said, doubt lingering in his tone. A pause. "Though I've started wanting to. Geneva's..." He trailed off. Ralla wouldn't know Geneva, and she didn't need to know the situation. He glanced away quickly, glaring at the fire as if its blaze burnt as viciously in his heart.

"You don't need to be a craftsmen to be useful. You know that," he said, eye flicking back to her moments later. "You're more AniWayan than anyone else I've seen. You're preserving the culture. Deal with it."

Ralla · 04-25-2011, 12:46 PM

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...What? @_@ Forgive this sappy post: my moods switch and dictate what I write without any sort of mental control that I have >.>

His answer was given with a moment of consideration, although Ralla had not expected the answer. Everyone believed in something, no matter how great or small the belief was; god or not taken into consideration. Oh, she had heard of the gods of other religions; why not? Although, with this in mind, perhaps belief was skimming more along the lines of faith. Jefferson continued the sentence, trailing off with a name. The name of a woman, by the sound of it. The scarred man broke eye contact, signaling it as a sore subject. Ralla smiled kindly, in understanding before continuing. "'Belief' doesn't mean you have to believe in a higher power," she said almost sagely, quietly. "If I didn't have the Great Spirits, I would no less believe that the sun rises and sets, or that the seasons change." This was true; belief did not change fact, or what one could accomplish by one's self."'Believing' in another being is just the same as believing in another power; we can accomplish much, although who to thank for our strength? Well, that just completes the circle of questions," she went on, taking a loose twig from the fire and gently throwing it further into the tongues of red. "Please forgive my rambling; I find it easier to sort my own thoughts if I speak them aloud sometimes."

His next words did nothing to alleviate the flush in her cheeks. To hear this from a non-AniWayan was very high in meaning as well as it would've been from a pack mate, but she could see that her attempts at modesty had failed. She giggled at his last words, as if she were a pup being told to weather medicine that was necessary. "Thank you," she said, turning to him with true gratitude in her eyes. "That really means a lot. When I first came here, I was nervous that I could never be AniWayan because I was not of their blood. But I knew differently later. I saw that being AniWayan was not only a title, but a family tie deeper than birth rite. I'm sure Chief Dawali thinks of you similarly." Standing, Ralla made check around the perimeter of the fire--looking for loose embers or logs--before she returned to face Jefferson. "He would not trust his tribe with just anyone lightly."

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

Jefferson Soul · 05-08-2011, 10:05 PM

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Doop doop, sorry for lateness!

Everything she mumbled had no meaning to him; he did not understand another definition for "believe," nor the one she tried so hard to provide. He had put it bluntly that he did not believe in a higher power, but as for the sun setting and rising, there was no belief involved. She had asked if he believed in anything, and yet said believing did not necessarily mean a higher power — the brute's mind jumbled, weary of the AniWayan abstract thought. "I believe in nothing," he reiterated, his tone flat. He would not be misunderstood. "My strength comes from my own sweat and blood. I have no one to thank for the things I've done. I have no one to blame but myself."

He would never believe in a merciful higher power, guardian spirits or a friendly otherwordly ghost for the sins he had committed. In his own mind, the things he had done — the lives he had tarnished, uprooted and destroyed — proved no guardian could ever exist.

"Dawali's, well, ...Dawali," he mumbled, shrugging. He had nodded patiently when she spoke of AniWayan and the tribe rites; nothing of the sort existed in Phoenix Valley, really, though the pack did act as a sort of stand-in family to those yearning for one. "He saved the life of a loved one of mine. I owed him." A pause. "But I would trust him before any others as well to take over the Valley in a time of need. He knows that."

Ralla · 05-22-2011, 08:48 PM

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I seriously imagined Ralla having the anime face where they have the terrified eyes and puckered lips when Jefferson got all serious XD Forgive the lack of this posts's eloquencey >.> Wrap this up in 1-2 more posts? Tongue

When he repeated himself, Ralla then realized that she perhaps went overboard--he was a leader after all--and that she had probably just preached a little... And hadn't she just reminded herself not to do so? She put her hands in her lap, her claws once more sifting through the dirt at her feet. She nodded at his explanation, feeling slightly abashed, and let a moment of silence pass if not only to let her nerves calm from her faux pas. But she also saw that this was perhaps a wise move, since Jefferson seemed to need a moment of his own, too.

Jefferson's story struck a chord within the white wolfess. Dawali saved someone? Not that she highly doubted it, but the fact made her respect for her chief grow. She did not, however, dare question or push the issue any farther, for multiple and obvious reasons... Instead she tried to read his expression, but then opted to urn her face aside politely. Another moment passed as she, now, mulled it all over. "Well, I'm glad to hear that you have similar trust in us. Hmm... You know, I've never been to Phoenix Valley; what's it like?" She honest-to-goodness wanted to know; anyplace with such a name had to be beautiful. "I think I'd like to see it one day!" Perhaps then she looked more childish, face aglow with a simple yet strong wish. For all her proper behavior, the white wolfess could not shake that aspect of herself; a simple, blind happiness that refused to be dampened.

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

Jefferson Soul · 05-30-2011, 06:39 PM

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Sure, you can finish it up if you want.

He had faced that question countless times, a common query as if the world was simply too busy to come find out the truth for itself. The Valley had shaped itself up to be rather unique, yet laid-back in its ways; strangers would not know the truth of such a description unless they were members themselves, dwelling in the sea-side, brilliant scenery and among the dreamers that called themselves members. Jefferson knew himself to be a horrid example of the pack — perhaps he represented its spirit under rougher circumstances, but all in all he as the leader was even hardly a creature of the pack.

"Full of loonies and dreamers," he said, a small smirk twitching at his lips as hard shadows and light alike danced over his scars and features from the fire. That was always the answer he gave — it was always the most appropriate. "Less culture than here, but just as peaceful. Tightly-knit. We keep to ourselves."

"Come see for yourself sometime," he said, starting to turn away, readying himself to leave. "AniWayans are always welcome, especially one as dedicated as you."

Ralla · 06-11-2011, 11:42 PM

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CLOSING POST ZOMG IT'S DONE! >:O (Note: Bleh, not my best ending to a thread :<)

Ralla had to laugh a little at his description; it was an affectionate sentence, and she knew it only as such because Noss would sometimes express it in the same way, berating her for folly or such things. Plus, Jefferson was donning the same 'tough-guy' smirk that Noss normally had, which reminded her all the more of her stoic brother. "Nothing wrong with that. I can tell you love it, though." She was certainly being presumptuous tonight, but she was not, as she mentioned, one to hold back certain comments.

Ralla's ears perked high as Jefferson quite effectively extended an invitation, offering for her to visit the valley as she had wished, even as he turned to go. The offer startled her so that she almost didn't reply in time. "O-of course!" she stammered, a smile broad on her face, even as that blush returned from the praise. But she knew better now than to rebuke it for the sake of humility; he would probably only shoot it back at her again after. "Thank you, Jefferson!" she called as he disappeared back into the night, leaving her back alone with Nootau and the Great Fire. The entire foray had been pleasant and enlightening, and now she had the chance to go to the valley whenever she could and wished; how wonderful! "You know," Ralla said as she leaned forward a little, staring into Nootau's ink-black eyes, "he wasn't scary at all, was he?"

Moon walks. "Moon talks." Moon thinks.

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