Count by zero's to ten - Printable Version +- 'Souls IPB Archive (November 2007–October 2012) (https://soulsrpg.com/ipb) +-- Forum: Dead IC (https://soulsrpg.com/ipb/forumdisplay.php?fid=110) +--- Forum: Dead Topics (https://soulsrpg.com/ipb/forumdisplay.php?fid=21) +--- Thread: Count by zero's to ten (/showthread.php?tid=2327) |
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- Ember Phoenix - 06-19-2008 [html]
- Laruku Tears - 06-20-2008 [html] He never really knew how he ended up in these sorts of places. Certainly, he never intended on it, what with his decided apathy towards exploration of the "new" territories. Nevertheless, there he was, rather deep in a wayward cavern that could only remind him of other places, other times. It was as if he had been everywhere and done everything already, and any new place could only make him think of the past. Thus, they weren't really new at all and only served to rustle around the memories in his head, reminding him of various things. It was okay though. It had become a predictable cycle perhaps, but he had once again found himself in that peaceful sort of nothingness where thinking about things didn't hurt so much anymore. Time's barrier between himself and history only grew thicker by the day, and the silence of the voice in his head was starting to feel more familiar than the voice itself. The scarred hybrid paused when he heard other footsteps in the distance, quietly splashing in the trickling water. As there was only dead air inside the cavern, he couldn't tell immediately who it was, but the lightness of the steps suggested someone younger, perhaps female. Vaguely, he hoped it wasn't anyone from Inferni, unless it was his daughter, which he considered unlikely. He waited for the owner of the footsteps to get to him though, not seeing the point in turning back or trying to avoid the inevitable. Besides, he was far enough in the cave now that turning back was probably a good idea. - Ember Phoenix - 06-20-2008 [html]
- Laruku Tears - 06-20-2008 [html] Laruku raised an eyebrow at the rather upset voice as it echoed through the cavern. His guess that the other was younger and female had indeed been correct, and he was still fairly certain that it wasn't anyone from Inferni because, well, there weren't really any packs in the area to antagonize. Quietly, he made his way through the darkness, surprising even himself by remember where all the twists and turns of the cavern were. Hello?he called out uncertainly. It seemed like it had been forever already since he'd spoken with a stranger; even in his isolation, chance meetings seemed to be rare and only those he already knew ever stumbled into him, whether intentional or not. He'd never been the most social of creatures, but still. - Ember Phoenix - 06-23-2008 [html]
- Laruku Tears - 06-23-2008 [html] As Laruku aged, he only seemed to look more and more like a coyote as the ever slight wolven features slipped away. It didn't seem to matter at all that his mother had been entirely wolf. His coat was a roasted tawny, his ears were exceptionally large, and his tail was more bottle brush-like; his muzzle was narrower as well, and his frame much smaller, less bulky. But he didn't smell a damned thing like Inferni; despite the fact that the forest he occupied ran right up to the edge of coyote territory, he had thus far completely avoided going anywhere near there. He remained ignorant of their wars and blissfully so. As far as he knew, he still had children there, but as long as he didn't know the details, he could convince himself that there was nothing to worry about. They'd always been more Inferni's children than his own anyway, though he was sure that that wasn't a very good excuse for his continued negligence. My name is Laruku,he told the girl as she came into view with glassy eyes reflecting the slight light. He was sure his own demon red eyes were bearing out of the darkness like something sinister. The ground sloped downward towards the young femme, and depth of the water was significantly different than from where he was standing. Still, if it kept raining like it was for much longer, then it was reasonable to conclude that the entire cavern would end up flooding. Here,he said, stepping cautiously forward. The ground right up against the walls had a slight upward incline, and the footing he found there seemed solid enough. Unshifted because of the rather small size of the cavern, Laruku was without hands. Still, he reached forward with one scarred up forepaw, trying to find exactly where the girl was stuck without getting stuck himself. - Ember Phoenix - 06-24-2008 [html]
- Laruku Tears - 06-24-2008 [html] Though the fog in his head seemed to be slowly clearing, the hybrid still had a hard time immediately remembering things that lay behind the short-term. Otherwise, he might have more quickly recognized the name offered by the girl, and he might have also been more able to recognize her by scent, considering she was yet another child of a cousin of his. Still, their present situation could very well be an excuse for his scattered mind. They needed to get out before the water rose anymore; he could figure out who she was later. For similar reasons, Laruku didn't really notice any reactions to his appearance; it was dark anyway, and most of the people he'd encountered in recent memory had no comments to make in that regard. He did notice that she was in pain though, and tried to navigate the muddy depths more carefully. From what he could tell, her paw had slipped into a narrow crack in the ground, guided in by the slipperiness of the mud and water. The only thing to do now was pretty much to force it out; it would be painful, but it was better than sticking around. The coyotewolf sighed and stepped back from Ember. The rain seemed to be coming down harder outside. He didn't want to have to shift and shift back, and even going halfling would take time. Though she was female and far younger, they were probably rather similar in weight, which was a huge disadvantage for what he wanted to try. But he still had momentum and it was the best alternative he could think of. He didn't feel like explaining that it would probably hurt really badly. Better to get it over with. Laruku took a few more steps back and then charged towards the femme, aiming to knock most of his weight upward against her upper arm and shoulder to pull the trapped paw from the mud. - Ember Phoenix - 06-24-2008 [html]
- Laruku Tears - 06-24-2008 [html] He shook the water away reflexively, but there was really no point, considering they were about to escape out to the rain. Maybe there were cliffs and caves on higher ground that they could hide around in until the downpour lessened, but as the rain had been falling nearly continuously for weeks, he doubted any glimpse of the sun would be long lived. The hybrid merely nodded at the girl's enthusiastic thanks, more surprised that she wasn't more vocal about the pain she was obviously in. He was grateful for it though; he wasn't a medic, and panic on her part would have likely been contagious. C'mon then,he said simply, as he started out of the wayward cave. The water level lessened a little as they went; the floor of the cavern had apparently been lowest at the point that Ember had been trapped, and so there was really no footing trouble on the way out. Thankfully, there was an overhang directly over the entrance and so they didn't need to immediately seek out further shelter. The entrance was also at a fairly high level, so all of the water inside must have trickled in from a different source. With more light now, Laruku could finally get a better look at the girl he'd rescued, and her name finally sparked. You said your name was Ember? - Ember Phoenix - 06-24-2008 [html]
- Laruku Tears - 06-25-2008 [html] Laruku,he corrected simply, looking down at where she'd fallen, sprawled across the ground. It had been a long time since he'd seen Ember, and it was more than likely that she was gone in one sense or another. Whether she'd been killed or simply abandoned the lands was a complete mystery to him, but as Storm no longer existed, he had no where to go to look for her, even if he could be bothered. But when he thought about it, he could mostly remember what she'd looked like: jet black, just like the girl before him, but there was no way it could be the same person. The Ember he'd known would be far older now, perhaps two or even three years old. It had been a long time ago. I knew a girl named Ember once,he told the new Ember, She looked just like you. It could hardly be a coincidence. One or both of her parents must have known the original, and as he thought about it, he sort of thought that this Ember did look familiar in a different way. But all he could smell was rock and rain, so any scent familiarity was utterly lost to him. Still, Who're your parents? - Ember Phoenix - 06-25-2008 [html]
- Laruku Tears - 06-25-2008 [html] Laruku had had a namesake too, an entire pack. An entire pack that he had let die in the fire because he was unwilling to bring himself to rebuild it. He wondered what his mother would think, or if she even knew, what he had done to the thing she had loved most. Did ghosts ever fade away completely? Were they bound to the place they were buried? And if they were, what was she thinking now, floating over nothing but dead trees and ashes? He had never really deserved the name he'd been given, and it had been a while since he'd even offered his surname when prompted for a general title. It was ironic too, that only one of his children carried the Tears name, and as far as he knew, she lived in Inferni. Irony always left a bitter taste in his mouth. Your mother's my cousin,he told the girl, taking a seat. The relation of "cousin" could hardly begin to describe their strange and strained relationship though, or whatever anyone wanted to call it. And he had only ever known Phoenix as the alpha of Storm or else Iskata's mate, but he supposed the much larger male had been a good enough guy. Laruku wondered what had happened to him, but wasn't sure it was entirely appropriate to ask. Social etiquette had escaped him too often in his youth, but though much older now, he still failed to grasp them. I didn't know Ember for all that long. By the sounds of it, if Phoenix didn't want to talk about it, then she's probably dead. It was a depressing conclusion, probably, but he couldn't really feel sad about it. It had been too long, and too many other people had died. I taught her to play piano was all.It had indeed been a lifetime ago. Laruku himself had not played in more than a year, most likely. - Ember Phoenix - 06-25-2008 [html]
- Laruku Tears - 06-27-2008 [html] He offered a vague grin at the girl's assertion. He and Iskata had a rocky relationship at best, but any real resentment he had had for his cousin had long since been swept away by time and the rain. They had both gone through varying levels of hell, and it was simply too tiring to continuing harboring ill feelings for each other when there were so many other things more worthy of them. Iskata's a strange one. Incredibly frustrating to deal with, but she means well in the end, I suppose.The name Firefly sounded familiar, and he was half-sure that it was the name of one of the children that he had seen Iskata with one day by the Yawrah, or perhaps it was the name of the child that had run off. He remembered Phoenix coming by to ask, but the details didn't come back to him immediately. Either way, it seemed that Firefly was present and Phoenix was not. I guess I'm a loner. I'm not in a pack, anyway.He shrugged. He never really thought about his status until someone brought it up. Maybe it was just because he hadn't been homeless in so long that he'd forgotten what it was like. And maybe his previous packlife had been so similar anyway that it didn't matter at all. The hybrid had not seen neither Ahren nor Jasper in weeks now either, but part of him really felt that that was for the better. Things didn't need to be more complicated. Red eyes rested briefly on the injured paw, Sorry. I'm not much of a healer.He thought of offering to walk her back to her pack when the rain stopped, but it seemed like a good long while until that would happen (and as selfish as it was, he didn't like the idea of approaching any pack, even if it was Cercelee's). I haven't played in a long time. I might have forgotten how. Ember was nice.He looked up at her, She was actually a lot like you.Or you're like her. - Ember Phoenix - 06-30-2008 [html]
- Laruku Tears - 07-01-2008 [html] There was always something less secure about the unknown. Iskata had known where the rest of her family was and had invested faith in that was all. It was the same with all the others that had left their homes in search of family and friends, people they had believed to be lost. More often than not, these people became lost themselves, or else found somewhere better than the scarred valley that had burned down in the end. Laruku listened while the girl spoke, though he almost felt like she was giving more information than needed, or that he wasn't giving enough. Certainly Ember was more talkative than he had ever been; just as she said, she needed to fill the silence while he reveled in it. Most of the time. Loneliness wasn't something he fought hard against. It was like the rain. It would always come and he would just deal with it. Sleep it off. Company only contributed to social pressures, obligations, ties that would become tangled and messy in the end. He snorted softly at the mention of family, You'd have to wander pretty far to diminish your chances of meeting family. Just about every damn person here is related in one way or another, whether directly or through mateships.After all, Laruku was a stranger, but he was her mother's cousin. And his connection to her also opened up family tree lines to Inferni, where he had children, and his children had elder half-brothers, who had children. So she was related to Inferni. Iskata's adoption ties connected her with Naniko, Conri, and Twilight Vale. The hybrid did not know much about any other packs in the area, but he was sure she would be able to find at least one connection in each other pack as well. Hell, even if she wandered out of this area, with so many leaves off the tree scatterd to the wind, who knew how many others were out there? - Ember Phoenix - 07-01-2008 [html]
- Laruku Tears - 07-09-2008 [html] As far as Laruku knew, no one (still alive or around) aside from Ahren and those in Inferni knew of his misbegotten litter, and he preferred to keep it that way. All of them were more coyote than wolf and all of them had been more comfortable in Inferni than anywhere else; even Andrejez, who hated everything, had set his goal to taking it from the hands of his brother. Though Kaena had not stuck around long enough for them to be considered her children, they were all certainly children of Inferni, and he had no real place in their lives. And they were grown now anyway, approaching their first birthday as he approached his fourth. Their presence on the beach (or their assumed presence there) was one of the main reasons that he remained content to know nothing of Inferni's affairs. It was just easier not to think about how serious the war between two sides of his family was going. The hybrid lay down and curled into a ball against one side of the cave. There's no where to go that's worth getting wet for,he told her simply. It was true enough, but he also didn't like the idea of leaving the girl alone there, even if he didn't plan on walking her home, and even if he was just going to sleep, thus not really providing any entertaining company. |