Layla padded through the night, silent except for the whispering of her cloak. She had the hood pulled up, but when she turned her face to the sky, the moon's light made her pale fur glow. Eyes closed, the cream-faced female basked in the silver light for a moment. She found peace here, with the mountains looming in the north. It reminded her of home. Half a world away, yet with her eyes closed she could imagine she was at the foot of another mountain range. A mountain range that was so much older than this one, where her black hind paws disappeared like drops of ink into the snow. Where she was considered cursed because of the half-blindness she was born with. Layla's eyes snapped open, revealing a glint of gold on one side and a glimpse of blank white on the other. She refused to miss the Himalayas. She refused to ache for home.
Layla scented the air as she walked, searching for the scent of wolves. She had heard tell of a pack that lived in these mountains, a pack of secrets and of shadows. Her journeys had led her to this place and she believed it was fate. She had been shunned at her home mountains, perhaps she would be welcomed here. The scent grew steadily stronger as she approached what she assumed must be the pack's boarder. Layla put a hand to the wakizashi sword that she kept sheathed at her side. It was comforting, knowing that it was there. That blade was her best – only – friend. Standing at the boarder, Layla Saker took a deep breath and then howled her greeting to the mountains.
Word Count → 367 :: hello welcome to souls, I hope you don't mind my big fat preggo Panda Behr.
BOOKAH-SHOOKAH BAM! BAM!
She was getting in her last days to get herbs that were still green and not dying. She needed these for her stash of plants for wounds, as well as the marijuana that she needed to finish harvesting. It was night now, and she had been searching for plants at this time of night because she was antsy this night. She couldn't figure out why she was so antsy, but her condition might have been the reason why. She was going on 4 weeks pregnant, and she had already begun to show in her belly, and her sluggish movements were also evident of something going on. She also had taken to using her human skull mounted staff to help her get around easier. The woman had her satchel on her side, full of herbs and roots and other stinky plants. She yawned lightly, almost ready to actually retire for the night, but the sound of a howl had deterred her choice and made her go towards the borders of Anathema instead. She was no leader, but she could always meet new people at the border, and maybe get them to go away instead of join this cursed pack that had no direction.
She hurried her steps towards the borders, not running because of her puppy filled belly, for she did not want to hurt them. She wasn't into running anyways, and if someone beat her there then it was not meant for her to get to this person in time. She yawned again and continued to walk to where the howl had come from. She stretched her arms over her head and her staff made a sound of beads touching the wooden base. She continued to walk until she had come upon a white wolf with black feet, a sword on her hips. Panda's brown eyes watched the woman warily, and the shaman had contained her aura as well as she could to hide her apprehensiveness of the armed woman. Panda wanted no trouble, this was for sure. Can I help ya, miss? the girl asked the other woman, wondering what she could possibly want, even though she had a feeling that she knew what the girl wanted.
A long wait ensued, the silence broken only by the gentle noise of the breeze and sounds of small prey animals roaming around. Layla stood still, ready for whatever her howl might have brought. Eventually a black and white wolf, obviously pregnant, approached her. This female had black and white dreadlocks, which reminded Layla of the way many wolves wore their hair in Barbados. The woman also had a satchel and a skull-capped staff. As she drew nearer, Layla noticed a scent of marijuana and a few other herbs. This woman was most likely a medicine-woman for the pack; she doubted an alpha would be wandering alone, pregnant, to gather herbs.
“ Can I help ya, miss?” the other wolf asked, seeming wary – understandably – of Layla. Layla met the other's brown eyes with her own one yellow one. ”Ah, yes you can, the pale female said, her voice soft and calming with barely the slightest touch of accent. ”I am seeking to join with the pack that lives in the mountain.” A slight tilt of her head towards the looming mountain range. Layla's stance was relaxed, to the untrained eye she might have seemed over-confidant or unprepared. But she was fully alert and ready – at any sign of a threat the cream female could fluidly move into one of a hundred fighting positions. She strived for control over her body at all time. More than two years had passed since she had completed her training, and in that time she had learned the most important lesson of all – the only thing you could rely on was yourself.
A faint memory wormed it's way through Layla's brain, dredged up from years ago and seen through the eyes of a seven-month old pup. It was the image of an old dusty scroll, covered with characters she couldn't read. The only thing that was interesting was the drawing of an animal. Black and white, much like a polar bear that had been dipped in ink. To her, it had seemed an amusing creature. She had asked her mentor what it was. That word came back to her now, it was what this female reminded her of. A small smile came to her lips as she whispered, ”Panda.”
Word Count → 564 :: panda can be a spaz at times, sorry lol
I creep up from behind Touch your neck, move down to your spine
Panda noticed that the woman had mis-matched eyes, and wondered if the white one was blind. She weaved lightly, moving more towards the woman's other milky white eye, though slightly, just to get a small reaction of the woman turning her head to be able to see her. As an artist, and a medic, it was her job and her observational skills that were always needing to be alert. If someone whom did not know that she was an observer, they could have mistaken her slight movement to be a tic of of sorts or just simply a way of the woman getting comfortable where she stood. Either way she was looking for the natural reaction of the woman to turn her head to see her better. Panda's cropped ears pulled forward as the woman had stated her business at the borders of Anathema. Just what she had thought, the woman had been looking for a home out of Anathema. What a mistake that was. Panda was beginning and believing that the pack was cursed because of it's range of misfortunes. Panda nodded her head, but did not say anything yet. She was thinking of the words to say and if she should let the woman be accepted into the pack without knowing of the dangers that laid in wait.
When the woman had spoken the word that was her first name, Panda took an uneasy step back and her brown eyes widened at the girl. She opened her mouth and closed it a few times, stumbling to find words. Her ears fell back on her head and her knees felt slightly weak for a moment, which had caused her to lean more on her staff. Uh.....What? she asked, the only words that would be able to pass her lips before she blinked and tried to think of something to say that actually made sense.uhm, uh.....Yeah, uh...My name is Panda...but how did you know that? I am not familiar with you, m'lady. she spoke cocking her head, and being relatively awkward about the woman knowing her name before she introduced herself. Did the spirits send you to me? the woman asked, her brows furrowing. Are you a sister of The Craft she spoke as fast as her mind was now going because she was very excited and curious now that the woman knew her name. She didn't know that the woman was relating her to another animal because she had never heard of a panda in which her pelt mimicked.
She then leaned towards the woman again and she stuck her nose out to sniff the woman. She had no scent of another pack obviously. Uhm. I'm not the leader of Anathema, but I'm sure one will be coming soon. I'm the shaman -the medicine woman, of Anathema. It's a pleasure miss, uh- she didn't know the name, nor would she be able to guess the woman's name by looking at her. Her brown eyes were on the woman and her stubbed tail was wagging softly in the cool breeze. The coldness felt good to the woman, being from down south it was a relief for it to be this cold to where she wasn't always panting to keep cool. She then would raise her head to the sky to call for a leader, since she was not the one to accept this woman into Anathema.
Layla's golden eye followed the panda wolf's slight movement, it was a nearly unstoppable reaction, built into Layla since birth. She knew that the other female would most likely recognize her lack of vision in the white eye, but it was irrelevant. If anything, it was good. Most wolves would underestimate her in a fight when they knew she only had vision in one eye. Layla grinned, blinking both her eyes slowly.
When Panda, for apparently that was the pregnant girl's name, reacted so strongly to that word, Layla could barely hold in a laugh. She flicked her ears back in amusement. ” Did the spirits send you to me? Are you a sister of The Craft?” the woman asked, the look on her face one of priceless shock. ”If the spirits sent me, then I am quite unaware of it,” Layla said, brushing her hand again against the hilt of her sword in an unconscious motion, much as one would stroke an amulet for comfort or luck. ”And I do not know of which craft you speak. I do not practice witchcraft, if that is what you mean.” Layla paused for a moment, then spoke again, deciding to comfort the girl. ”I knew not your name. The word I spoke... panda... it's an animal. A type of... bear. It's pelt looks like yours. I saw a drawing of one a very long time ago. I've always wanted to see a real one.” A fond smile flitted across Layla's face for a split second, an expression of rare warmth as she remembered one of the few good days of her youth.
Her earlier guess had been right. Panda was medicine-woman of the pack. Already finding herself liking this wolf, Layla bowed her head deeply and introduced herself. ”My name is Layla Saker, born Indira. I come from the Himalayas, a beautiful mountain range a world away.”
WC:627+ / Don't mind Alaki, he's just having a really bad week xD And sorry for writing alot, he just got out of isolation the day this is set so post got abit.... long >.< I don't -normally- write this much ^^; Oh, and welcome to souls
“Foolish.” he smirked, twisting his head back so that he looked in the general direction towards the howling caverns. By letting him free of the caves it was only a matter of time before he'd leave to find them; it surprised him that she'd let him free from his isolation when surely she knew what he planned to do, what he would do and what he was heading out to do that instant. Straight away he had headed into his room only to find it deserted and memories of his lost mate lingering everywhere he looked, but thoughts of Teo didn't bother him any more now that he was free. Pulling a brush through his hair, he de-tangled the mess and tied it back up into it's usual ponytail, shrugging on a pair of jeans before moving to where he stored his weapons. Before him lay an array of blades, some more used than others; without hesitation he picked up his Katana and strapped it around his waist, aswell as picking up and attaching as many of the smaller blades he possessed. Beyaz poked his head into the room, staying silent and observing his owner from a safe distance before he lifted himself into the air and onto the grey male's shoulders. Then he left the caves, emerging above ground into the moon's light for the first time in what felt a long time. “Too long...” he mumbled to himselft.
Heading away from where the majority of the pack lay, he moved silently whilst keeping his head down to avoid detection. From memory he knew he'd be near the borders soon and then there would be the small matter of tracking down two particular white canines.... A howl reached his ears, summing himself or Naniko. “Chikusho” he cursed under his breath, knowing that if he didn't go to the joiner Naniko would; then things would get... complicated. Turning sharply he stormed off into the direction the call had come from, a scowl darkening his expression. Shifting around upon his shoulder he felt Beyaz move and then take to the air, flying out before his owner to scan the area and whatever lay ahead. Unsurprisingly, the pest only chose to do what it was trained to do when Alaki was in some form of bad mood. Shooting a dirty look at the albino crow he slowed his pace, padding along silently and taking his time to reach whoever was along the borders.
Eventually he made he way to where the call had some from, instantly noting panda and his frown deepening. Placing himself alongside the woman he looked at her, raising a questioning eyebrow. “Panda, you sure you should be walking out so close to the borders on your own?” he felt compelled to ask, despite knowing it was none of his business what the Frucas did, pregnant or not. Once satisfied that panda looked fine, he moved onto the unknown female. Glaring at her unconsciously, unable to reign in his bad mood and stop it from showing upon his face. “You are? And what do you want from us?” he asked to either the female or panda; he didn't care as to whom answered him, as long as somebody filled him in as to why he was called. Muscles tensed and ached, untreated scratches throbbing now that he'd stopped moving and he cursed himself for not attending to them before having left the caves. Either way now, his plans would have to wait since, whether he liked it or not, he was the Rakeeb and thus duty bound to his pack.
Revenge, murder and torture for the two traitors would have to wait for another day.
Word Count → 635 :: I should not find it funny that panda is talking about how someone killing her puppies would be doing her a favor.
You take a look and breathe so sharp Just a matter of time..
Her predictions were right about the woman, for the girl did move her head slightly to show that she could not see in her milky white eye. The Furcas noted this, just in case she needed to know it later on. Panda grew curious about if the woman was born blind or if she had a wound that had caused her to go blind. When the girl had answered her about the spirits and the witchcraft, Panda felt like an idiot. Of course she had not been lucky enough to run into another of the sisters of the craft, yet instead she would just make herself look like an idiot in front of one of the new members. Panda shrugged it off and smiled at her though, hoping she too would shrug it off. The girl explained that she was patterned like a bear, and that bear was called a Panda, like she was called. It made sense that her parents would name her that then. She finally got the stupid joke that her parents were having her live with. Now the girl wanted to change her name because she got the stupid joke. Panda snorted. My parents must think that they are fucking hilarious then. she spoke, rolling her eyes. Thanks for the information, I would have never guessed that they were trying to be funny she spoke, smiling at the woman before she caught the scent of Alaki.
It's a pleasure to meet you, Layla of Indria. she spoke, and nodded her head lightly to the woman. Our Rakeeb seems to be on his way. His smell is on the air, not far from here now. she spoke to her as she wagged her tail briefly. She had known of his containment and hoped that he was feeling better, but as soon as he came into view, Panda could feel his oppressive aura, and her two cropped ears fell back on her head. She shifted her weight on her feet nervously as she felt his aura and the hair on the back of her neck stood on edge. Her shortened tail pressed against her rump in a way that was submissive, for she would not want to anger the male more, and she had been pretty useless when fighting because of her condition. When he came close and came to her side, she leaned on her staff to the right, away from him, and he spoke to her, asking her if she should be out here alone in her present condition. She snorted at him and shook her head. She still had her pride, even if she was pregnant, she didn't like to think about it slowing her down even though it really did. I do what I want, Alaki. Venom knows where I am, and I'm sure I can take care of myself at the expense of a pup or two. Not like I want all the damn mongrels running all 'round me all the time anyways. More like doing me a favor rather than killin' mah progeny offensively. she spoke, reveiling the way she really felt about her being pregnant. Sure, she loved the fact that they were Venom's puppies, and sure she loved Venom enough to keep some of them, and sure, she was okay with having puppies at her age, but no, it wasn't like she wanted a whole litter of them annoying her all the time. She would be happy with just one or two. That was enough for her.
She's interested in joining Anathema, and her name is Layla Saker. Said something about living in the mountains before, right? Panda asked the girl, turning her head from Alaki to the half blind woman and nodding her head lightly, a smile forcing it's way on her lips again.
