06-24-2011, 10:12 PM
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HIDE YOUR INNOCENCE BEFORE THEY SEE RIGHT THROUGH
Jackson's coming-of-age, set June 24-25. Huge post is huge. wc:1300+
The time had arrived. The jitters that had plagued him when he awoke that morning inexplicitly seemed to vanish as he made his way across the hilly territory as the sun began its familiar sink toward the horizon. He would no longer be a child, and he embraced that knowledge with an eagerness that ignited a fire behind his eyes. Perhaps it was this that gave him the confidence to stroll into what was required of him without the jangling nerves that had haunted him the day before when the Angela had first spoken to him of Rast, his coming of age. It would begin with a hunt in solitude, which he headed for with a determined stride that the boy would rarely display.
He didn't have the skill to go about isolating even a small fawn from its mother and its herd, though he wished it otherwise. The youth stalked after a small herd for a short time, hoping to find an opening, before finally admitting to himself that he was only wasting his time. The dimming light of the evening through the treetop canopy warned him that time would be a precious commodity this night. While his cerulean eyes could adjust to the subtle evening light with ease, if he wished to seek out a kill of an appropriate size tonight, it would be best for him to do so before the darkness sent the creatures of the forest to sleep and safety out of his reach.
He stalked through the trees on four legs, returning to his lupus form for comfort and ease during his hunt. Four paws lent him a swiftness that two could not, a fact that comforted the Acidic male as he drifted alone in the Anatheman forest. The earthy musk of the dirt and the trees around him was a welcome change from the stuffy staleness of the winding caverns. Jackson embraced it, let it lead him on his way on the search for the proper prey. The forest almost felt eerily silent as he went forward, and if not for the occasional chirrup from the canopy above, he would have felt utterly alone amongst the flora.
The young hunter eventually stumbled across a fresh scent, one that gave him hope that he could avoid failure tonight. His nose dipped lower to the ground to track the scent, white paws carrying across the soil with careful steps. The scent trail brought him close to a small clearing within the forest. He lowered himself into a hunter’s crouch, stalking forward with slow, deliberate steps. Bright blue eyes borrowed the dim light drifting down from above to search through the clearing, taking only a moment to spot what he had been tracking. A solitary hare lingered at the opposite edge of the clearing.
Jackson knew how swift the creatures could be, but he had faith that his own speed would not fail him this night. He slinked around the edge of the clearing, being sure to keep a safe distance behind the tree line, in order to bridge the distance between the prey and himself without being seen. The hybrid was almost a comfortable distance from the hare when his heavy steps nearly gave him away. He sunk lower to the ground and froze as the hare stiffened, ears twitching. He had not been spotted, but the hare was wise to leave the area. It hopped out of the clearing and made its way further into the forest and Jackson gave pursuit, being sure to watch his footfalls.
There, it stopped. Now would be his only chance. He counted a beat, then another, then launched himself forward. The creature’s long ears did well in alerting it, as its head snapped up, spotted the hybrid hunter, and wasted no time in taking off on its own. Jackson knew that the longer the chase went on, the lower his chances of success were. With this in mind, he pressed ahead, willing his legs to take him after the hare as fast as they would allow. The gap was closing, but the smaller creature had the advantage of greater maneuverability. A sturdy old tree stood in their path, and the hare swept along its edge to the left. Jackson took a gamble and swung to the right, hind legs pushing him into a leap as he cleared it. It paid off, the canine greeting the hare on the other side with the weight of his front paws, his jaws following shortly after to close around its neck.
Instinct and adrenaline urged him to increase the pressure from his jaws, let fangs pierce the skin, and embrace the metallic tang of blood on his tongue. Customs required otherwise, and for the longest moment his thoughts warred between what he must to and what he wanted to do. The hare shook beneath him, desperate to flee and seconds away from trying to bolt. A savage shake of his head produced a solid snap! from the creatures neck, and it went limp in his jaws. With the hare’s life extinguished, the youth let it fall from his jaws and he stood over it, panting. Where adrenaline began to fade, pride swelled to replace it. The boy expressed his success with a short, barking howl.
He willed himself to shift back into his optime form, savoring the increasingly familiar feel of the shifting of bones and lengthening of his form. After several minutes, the process was complete. Jackson took a hold of his kill and made his way to a part of the forest where the trees thinned out, searching for the clearing that he had left his clothes and a small burlap sack. He grabbed the sack and carried it and the hare into the center of the clearing, where he lowered himself to his knees. He laid his kill out before him and placed the sack to his right before digging out the sacrificial blade from within it. One hand lifted the hare by its feet to hang in his grip while the other readied the blade. Blue eyes closed for a brief moment while the hybrid muttered his intent in offering the blood of this creature to the gods. Then, with one swift motion, he brought the blade across its neck and watched as its blood drained down into the earth.
---
When sunrise came, he prepared himself for the next step. Brightening tendrils of sunlight on the horizon declared to the boy that the day of his seventh month had arrived. He took a deep breath and readied himself for his day of fasting and crafting. Jackson had carried the corpse of the hare to the bank of a small stream within the forest and set about the gruesome work. Bones needed to be separated from flesh, cleaned in the cool, flowing waters, and carved down into a personal talisman. Progress was slow and clumsy at first, due to Jackson’s inexperience at working a blade. Twice he had to stop and distance himself from his work. But he worked to calm his mind and not focus on his hunger or his frustrations, and settled back in to the task at hand.
As the skies turned orange in indication of the approaching dusk, Jackson held up his completed work and smiled in relief, happy to be done with the tedious work. A necklace of twine and bone hung between sore fingers. In its center was the largest of the three bone fragments, carved into a wickedly curved hook. Flanking the hook on either side were two smaller pieces of bone, carved down into points to imitate the look of fangs. The twine wrapped around the base of the hook to hold it in position and weaved through holes in the tops of the fang-shaped talismans. Swirling, sharp-edged designs graced the surface of each bone.
Jackson tied it around his neck, stood, and made his way out of the forest, ready to face the pack now that all of his tasks were complete. He tried his best to prevent the prideful grin from spreading on his maw, but he had as much ability to do that as he had ability to will his own heart to stop beating.
The time had arrived. The jitters that had plagued him when he awoke that morning inexplicitly seemed to vanish as he made his way across the hilly territory as the sun began its familiar sink toward the horizon. He would no longer be a child, and he embraced that knowledge with an eagerness that ignited a fire behind his eyes. Perhaps it was this that gave him the confidence to stroll into what was required of him without the jangling nerves that had haunted him the day before when the Angela had first spoken to him of Rast, his coming of age. It would begin with a hunt in solitude, which he headed for with a determined stride that the boy would rarely display.
He didn't have the skill to go about isolating even a small fawn from its mother and its herd, though he wished it otherwise. The youth stalked after a small herd for a short time, hoping to find an opening, before finally admitting to himself that he was only wasting his time. The dimming light of the evening through the treetop canopy warned him that time would be a precious commodity this night. While his cerulean eyes could adjust to the subtle evening light with ease, if he wished to seek out a kill of an appropriate size tonight, it would be best for him to do so before the darkness sent the creatures of the forest to sleep and safety out of his reach.
He stalked through the trees on four legs, returning to his lupus form for comfort and ease during his hunt. Four paws lent him a swiftness that two could not, a fact that comforted the Acidic male as he drifted alone in the Anatheman forest. The earthy musk of the dirt and the trees around him was a welcome change from the stuffy staleness of the winding caverns. Jackson embraced it, let it lead him on his way on the search for the proper prey. The forest almost felt eerily silent as he went forward, and if not for the occasional chirrup from the canopy above, he would have felt utterly alone amongst the flora.
The young hunter eventually stumbled across a fresh scent, one that gave him hope that he could avoid failure tonight. His nose dipped lower to the ground to track the scent, white paws carrying across the soil with careful steps. The scent trail brought him close to a small clearing within the forest. He lowered himself into a hunter’s crouch, stalking forward with slow, deliberate steps. Bright blue eyes borrowed the dim light drifting down from above to search through the clearing, taking only a moment to spot what he had been tracking. A solitary hare lingered at the opposite edge of the clearing.
Jackson knew how swift the creatures could be, but he had faith that his own speed would not fail him this night. He slinked around the edge of the clearing, being sure to keep a safe distance behind the tree line, in order to bridge the distance between the prey and himself without being seen. The hybrid was almost a comfortable distance from the hare when his heavy steps nearly gave him away. He sunk lower to the ground and froze as the hare stiffened, ears twitching. He had not been spotted, but the hare was wise to leave the area. It hopped out of the clearing and made its way further into the forest and Jackson gave pursuit, being sure to watch his footfalls.
There, it stopped. Now would be his only chance. He counted a beat, then another, then launched himself forward. The creature’s long ears did well in alerting it, as its head snapped up, spotted the hybrid hunter, and wasted no time in taking off on its own. Jackson knew that the longer the chase went on, the lower his chances of success were. With this in mind, he pressed ahead, willing his legs to take him after the hare as fast as they would allow. The gap was closing, but the smaller creature had the advantage of greater maneuverability. A sturdy old tree stood in their path, and the hare swept along its edge to the left. Jackson took a gamble and swung to the right, hind legs pushing him into a leap as he cleared it. It paid off, the canine greeting the hare on the other side with the weight of his front paws, his jaws following shortly after to close around its neck.
Instinct and adrenaline urged him to increase the pressure from his jaws, let fangs pierce the skin, and embrace the metallic tang of blood on his tongue. Customs required otherwise, and for the longest moment his thoughts warred between what he must to and what he wanted to do. The hare shook beneath him, desperate to flee and seconds away from trying to bolt. A savage shake of his head produced a solid snap! from the creatures neck, and it went limp in his jaws. With the hare’s life extinguished, the youth let it fall from his jaws and he stood over it, panting. Where adrenaline began to fade, pride swelled to replace it. The boy expressed his success with a short, barking howl.
He willed himself to shift back into his optime form, savoring the increasingly familiar feel of the shifting of bones and lengthening of his form. After several minutes, the process was complete. Jackson took a hold of his kill and made his way to a part of the forest where the trees thinned out, searching for the clearing that he had left his clothes and a small burlap sack. He grabbed the sack and carried it and the hare into the center of the clearing, where he lowered himself to his knees. He laid his kill out before him and placed the sack to his right before digging out the sacrificial blade from within it. One hand lifted the hare by its feet to hang in his grip while the other readied the blade. Blue eyes closed for a brief moment while the hybrid muttered his intent in offering the blood of this creature to the gods. Then, with one swift motion, he brought the blade across its neck and watched as its blood drained down into the earth.
---
When sunrise came, he prepared himself for the next step. Brightening tendrils of sunlight on the horizon declared to the boy that the day of his seventh month had arrived. He took a deep breath and readied himself for his day of fasting and crafting. Jackson had carried the corpse of the hare to the bank of a small stream within the forest and set about the gruesome work. Bones needed to be separated from flesh, cleaned in the cool, flowing waters, and carved down into a personal talisman. Progress was slow and clumsy at first, due to Jackson’s inexperience at working a blade. Twice he had to stop and distance himself from his work. But he worked to calm his mind and not focus on his hunger or his frustrations, and settled back in to the task at hand.
As the skies turned orange in indication of the approaching dusk, Jackson held up his completed work and smiled in relief, happy to be done with the tedious work. A necklace of twine and bone hung between sore fingers. In its center was the largest of the three bone fragments, carved into a wickedly curved hook. Flanking the hook on either side were two smaller pieces of bone, carved down into points to imitate the look of fangs. The twine wrapped around the base of the hook to hold it in position and weaved through holes in the tops of the fang-shaped talismans. Swirling, sharp-edged designs graced the surface of each bone.
Jackson tied it around his neck, stood, and made his way out of the forest, ready to face the pack now that all of his tasks were complete. He tried his best to prevent the prideful grin from spreading on his maw, but he had as much ability to do that as he had ability to will his own heart to stop beating.
YOU MUSTN'T DISAPPOINT THEM