remember when it rained
#1
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Ethereal Eclipse. No more than two? :]


i welcome the sun, the clouds and rain


     
Above the thick covering of trees, a storm was raging. The sky grumbled and roared, making a general fuss, as it had been all day. Webs of lightning skittered across the clouds obscuring the sky, crawling across the dark mantle. Thickly the rain fell, corpulent drops cascading onto a myriad of leaves and adding to the cacophony of the storm. It was beautiful, the chaos. But, on the forest floor, it was a different story. The dense canopy prevented the rain from reaching the ground, instead catching and collecting it in it's tangled branches until the weight of the water grew too great for it to hold, so that vast amounts of rain came splashing down at odd intervals upon who or whatever was below. Other than the surprise showers, however, the dense forest proved a sufficient shelter from the storm.
     
It was midday, but almost dark as night under the trees. Warren paused as he ascended the steps to the little shack's porch, his azure gaze lifted to the dim canopy. For a moment he just stood and observed, appreciating the simple beauty of the lightning illuminating the dance of rain slipping through the branches and falling to the springy floor of the forest. A soft smile tweaked his lips, then he was soon seated in a rocking chair decaying in a corner of the porch all by itself. Its bright green paint was peeling so terribly that Warren suspected his fur would be littered with little green chips when he stood, if the chair did not break. He chuckled shortly at the thought, then let a rumble of thunder drown out the sound and dominate the air. The loneliness of the moment did not strike him, as it never did. He was always alone. It no longer bothered him now.





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#2
I hope you don't mind Hemming popping in. Big Grin Beautiful post!

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Hemming was starting to get used to being completely drenched. His legs picked up the extra weight with little trouble, and he had figured out at what intervals he should blink to keep the rain out of his eyes and running instead down the curve of his eyelids. The moisture was rather pleasant, more so than the oppressive heat of the last few weeks, and the gray wolf maintained a small smile on his lips. The rain didn't seem bother his Spirit Guide, Dagrun, either, and she chirped wildly each time a particularly impressive bolt of lightning freed itself from the sky. The little bird kept watch from her perch on the top of the wolf's head, huddled close to his fur to maintain a little pillow of warmth.

To say the clouds were ominous would be inaccurate; it was one single cloud, stretched across the great sky. With all the rumbling it was doing, Hemming felt a little as if he must be in a giant stomach, and in a moment like many he had experienced before he could imagine how all the ancient human myths had been inspired. He wondered what they might have said on a day like today. A god had swallowed Earth, and now all the creatures must traverse the digestive tract, in its perilous twists and turns..? Hemming twisted his mouth a little; that wasn't nearly as epic as he had hoped.

Though the lightning clearly didn't upset Dagrun at all, it stirred a little nervousness in Hemming. Taller than the wild grasses he was walking through, and taller than most everything around, he felt a little threatened by it. He was relieved when he reached the edge of a vast, thick forest, and stepped gratefully into the shelter it provided. As the rain tapped on the leaves far above, Hemming picked out rhythms to go along with it, humming them as he walked. The tiny amount of light that illuminated the gray sky barely penetrated to the forest floor, and the wolf wandered in near darkness, his hands resting momentarily on tree trunks as he meandered past them.

He wasn't sure how far he had travelled before he stumbled upon a little dwelling in the woods. The wolf slowed to a stop a good distance away, craning his head forward and squinting in an effort to make its form out more clearly. Movement on the porch caught his eye, and he watched for a moment before stepping a little closer so his presence was obvious. "Hello?" he called out gingerly, thinking only after the words had left his mouth that perhaps it would not be a good idea, and might even be dangerous, to intrude.


kat made this! Big Grin
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#3
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Yay Hemming! Thank you very much :]


i welcome the sun, the clouds and rain


     
As he sat there rocking placidly on the decaying porch, he began making plans to restore the old shack. It consisted of two rooms; one, it seemed, used to be a sitting room of sorts, while the other was a bedroom, complete with a rusty metal bed frame. Vines and moss covered most of the outside, while mold and cobwebs lingered in the corners of the rooms. Apart from the chair and the bed frame, the only other piece of furniture was a stained clawed-foot bathtub laying on its side in the sitting room. Warren thought that perhaps the shack used to be some sort of drug hideout back in its day. Other than the debris of time, the shack seemed to be in good shape. It's foundations were still standing strong. Perhaps the suffocating shelter of trees had kept most of nature's severity at bay.
     
Warren was drawn out of his thoughts by a tentative voice through the trees. He was glad of the half light, for the suddenness of the sound made him jump; nevertheless, the old rocking chair gave a loud squeak of complain at the less-than-gentle handling of it. The gray wolf stood, feeling it was safer to stand than sit at the present moment, he peered in the general direction of the voice. "Hello!" he called, catching the other creature's silhouette in the corner of his blue eyes. "Care to get out of this rain?"





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#4
Big Grin

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Each time lightning flashed, its bright white light seemed to become trapped in the interior of the forest. The network of branches that criss-crossed above was illuminated, the hardy leaves frozen for an instant in the direction the wind had shoved them. Great drops of accumulated rainwater were visible for that split-second, too, some paused in their plummet to the ground, others just about to roll off the rim of a leaf. It was an absurd clarity compared the the dim light that usually possessed Ethereal Eclipse, but the forest did not loose its otherworldly atmosphere. Hemming continued to squint at the shack, unable to clearly make out the form of the creature on the porch despite the momentary lucidity the light lent.

There were a few moments of relative quiet between his call and the response, though the creak of the chair signalled to Hemming that there was some kind of movement. It wasn't much longer before another voice broke through the rain, and contrary to Hemming's nervousness it seemed friendly enough. A gentle smile pulled across his lips and he moved forward, closer to the shack. He stepped up the stairs carefully, watching his feet to avoid a misstep. Once he was on the main surface of the porch he looked up to the wolf that had invited him over. "Thank you," he said softly, and cast a glance out to the trees that surrounded them before adding, "It's quite nice in here."

Though Hemming was feeling quite comfortable, his ears were quick to move to face any incongruous sounds and he could feel that his heart was beating slightly more rapidly than usual. Hemming usually assumed everyone had the best of intentions, and it was probably the tempestuous weather that allowed the vestiges of nervousness to remain within him despite the other's friendly voice.


kat made this! Big Grin
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#5
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Haii!

Let me show you the wonders of life


She hated the rain, especially when it came down like this, in a heavy downpour, instead of just a drizzle. The lighter the rain, the better it clung to her fur and the easier it was to shake off. This deluge cut right through the protective guard hairs and drenched her soft underfur. She was shivering by this point, as was Tobias, perched as he was on her right shoulder. Gathering him onto her hand, she spoke softly to him. Toby, go find some sort of shelter. We can't stay out in this; we need to find a place to dry off.


He launched off her hand and flew off. Hanna picked up her pace, her satchels slapping against her thighs, her mismatched eyes raised to his feathered form. The lightning crackled across the sky, a leitmotif that just kept happening over and over. Each strike seemed nearer and nearer and the thunder boomed ominously. Finally the Hanna pulled up as a cabin loomed up, seeming for all the world to be like the one she'd been forced to leave in Dahlia territory.


Tobias was perched on the back of a rocking chair, which was creaking quietly under his clawed grip. Hanna's eyes cast about the porch, and while she thought she saw a wolf, she couldn't be sure. She raised her voice above the storm to call out to.. whoever might be there. Safety be damned, she needed out of the wet. Hello?!


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#6
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Big Grin


i welcome the sun, the clouds and rain


     
Though Warren was always extremely wary of everyone, as he knew best what kind of darkness lurked in people, he also knew he could take care of himself if the time came. The obsessed coyote had seen to that. For months he and his followers trained Warren to be a force of stealth and power, putting his body and mind to all manner of tests. They were never directly brutal to the lanky wolf; on the contrary, they treated him with unctuous patience and lavished encouragement upon him. Warren later came to realize that this was most likely due to the fact that he was much larger than the others. Had he not realized this, however, he still would have kept himself far removed from their society, for he harbored a terror of their madness and their blood-lust.
     
Nevertheless, the knowledge of his skill did not make him reckless. He never picked fights with anyone; he abhorred the idea of violence. He had seen too much of it in his early life, and therefore was disgusted and horrified by it. Warren was, to put it simply, a pacifist, though he would not openly acknowledge it.
     
The gray wolf was stirred from his dark memory when the strange wolf mounted the decrepit porch, and smiled at the thanks. He was a tall wolf, just about as tall as Warren himself was, and lanky too. Perhaps they looked like brothers, if one had the right eye to make such a comparison.
     
"Of course," offered Warren in return, and then followed the other's gaze to the towers of bark and leaves around them. "It is, isn't it? It's prettiest when the morning sun is just beginning to filter through the trees." He paused, then added, "It is exceptionally gorgeous now, though. I guess it's beauty changes with the weather." The thought made him smile to himself, and for a moment he was quiet. Then, realizing he was probably coming off rather strange, he looked back at the other male and gestured to his rickety chair. "Would you like a-- oh, my," he stuttered, stopped short at the sight of the bird that was suddenly with them on the porch. That's odd, he thought, until a second voice cut through the thunder and rain, and it was feminine by the sound of it. Just how many others were wandering about in this storm?
     
"Is this your bird?" Warren called out, catching a glimpse of her by a brief flash of lightning.





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#7
yaaay Big Grin

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The steady plunk of water as it dripped through the trees was like a lullaby, and Hemming quickly found his unease slipping away. He smiled faintly at the other's words, nodding as he continued to watch the rain and light drip through the trees. The AniWayan would himself say that each thing had an inherent beauty that did not change depending on the conditions around it, but that the weather certainly did change the manner in which such beauty was expressed. These thoughts were not made into words, however, being instead little more than fleeting ideas and feelings that rested in the pit of his stomach. Even if he had intended to mention his thought out loud, his chance was cut off; while it would have survived his companion's kind offer, it certainly would not have survived the sudden presence of a large bird.

Dagrun crouched close to Hemming's head, tucking herself in the fur between his ears, as the strange bird flew by. Hemming himself did not notice it until the other wolf did, his brows lifting originally to accommodate the offer before it changed into an expression of shock. It seemed as if the bird had arrived in a bolt of lightning, and in the strange weather Hemming felt a little more spooked by it than he might have if the sky was clear. He didn't say anything and directed his wide amber eyes to where the feminine voice had come from and to where his acquaintance was directing his words now.

Thunderstorms did always seem to make situations feel rather surreal, but this was even odder than usual; first, finding a little house in the wood, nonetheless with someone already there, and second this lightning bird. Ears perked towards the forest, Hemming waited curiously to get a glimpse of this other and to understand her relationship with the bird. He found it not at all surprising that there were others out despite the tempestuous weather.


kat made this! Big Grin
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#8
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Apologies for the wait. I've been busy with WoW. It's been eating my Souls time. x.x;;

Let me show you the wonders of life


Hanna edged closer to the safety of the porch. She'd not been invited up; she didn't want to get much closer till she'd been given permission, but she was trying to make herself visible as well in the half-light. Tobias had clearly startled the pair, and Hanna could understand why. This was the type of weather for it. Leave it to the drama king to make a scene.


After closing in on the porch to the right side of the stairs, Hanna realized there were actually two figures there, not just the one who'd spoken. Both men were grey-furred, "Yes, he's mine. Well, sort of. His name's Tobias, and I'm Hanna." She shivered again and then shook her fur out as best she could, removing a fair amount of water from it. Her hands gathered her hair, which she wrung out as well.


The lee of the house afforded some protection from the rain, enough anyway for Hanna to observe that the structure was indeed much the same as her old cabin. How had she not found this one? Ah, well, of no consequence now. Hanna had a destination in mind, though she didn't know the name of it, the smell of it.. nothing.


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#9
[html]Sorry for the wait!!

i welcome the sun, the clouds and rain


     
Warren appraised the woman as she drew nearer to the porch. The hybrid appreciated the propriety in her approach, but wouldn't have welcomed her less if she had barged right up there and sat down without being invited. Blue eyes alighted momentarily upon each of her scars, finally resting upon the ones across her muzzle. Scars could indicate numerous things—belligerence, misfortune, weakness, endurance—but Warren held the opinion that no one should judge at first glance. This was a slightly hypocritical way of thinking, considering his phobia of his species smaller cousin.
     
Smiling, the gray gentleman extended his hand to her. "Pleased to meet you both," he said to the woman and the bird. "My name is Warren. Our other friend hasn't given us his name yet." At this he turned with a grin to the other gray man, who had remained silent for most of the exchange.


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#10
No problem! x)

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Hemming remained quiet as the other came closer to the porch, listening to her response. His eyes stayed on her for the most part, but flickered occasionally to Tobias. Hemming was impressed by a bird of this size, its bold head back-lit by lightning, but also made a little nervous. Dagrun seemed a bit uncertain, as well, and pressed herself to the crown of the wolf's head as if it was the safest place in the world.

Silence was not something that possessed Hemming all that often, but the strange weather and the presence of two other wolves pressed him to save his breath. Speaking was not something he would try to avoid, though, and he was pleased when introductions went around. He smiled and nodded gently at the other two before saying jovially, "Nice to meet you all, especially in such lovely weather." With a smile, he added, "I'm Hemming."


kat made this! Big Grin
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