For Blue Skies

Orin Takekuro · 11-22-2010, 02:19 AM

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OOC No worries, your post is fabulous! OMG it just inspired me, this was a really fun post. And about the table… it’s the forum contest that’s making the picture not show up properly right now. One of the words in the code is getting changed by the filter, it happened to me too with one of my tables so I had to upload the picture to my own host. (10 points)

The weeks had been amazing since Orin came to live in Cercatori D’Arte with her new esteemed colleague Shawchert. Though small and budding, this place was a dream come true. The atmosphere alone was enough to rejuvenate the young woman, making her feel as if she had truly found her place in the world. It helped that everyone that she had met in the new pack so far had been kind to her, people she could truly take in as friends and love as brethren. Here she knew she could grow as an artist, thrive and learn from her pack, and give knowledge in return. Together the pack as a whole would do something new to Luperci kind (new as far as Orin was aware of, anyway), advancing as great artists and spreading their craft to all who came, and all who they could visit. It was all she ever wanted in life.

So far, most of her time had been spent wandering through the streets of Thornbury. She has passed days in the town learning it’s layout and becoming familiar with the buildings and where her pack mates called home, and had even gone as far as to draw a basic map of the town and chronicle the people of her pack in her journal. Now it was time to take in the rest of her packlands so she could truly know her home, so early in the day Orin set off from her little shop in Thornbury with her shoulder bag slung over one arm, journal and writing supplies within, to meander through D’Arte. Usually when she planned to travel any lengthy distance the girl chose to go on all fours, but today she was in no hurry, and set off in her preferred Optime form.

She had stopped to rest under the dilute shade of a shedding treee when she smelled the smoke. The girl was seated with her journal in her lap, casually skimming pages and jotting down notes when the wind brought the peculiar scent to her nose. Normally Orin’s nose wasn’t too sharp, but even the dullest olfactory could scent that smell. She sniffed a second time for confirmation, then leaped up to her feet. “Fire?!” It didn’t smell like any stove fire that she’d ever encountered, and a pang of fear struck her heart at the thought that some part of her new home could be in danger. She barely snatched her bag from the ground before she took off running, heading for the origin of the scent to see if there was anything she could do; even if it was just to sound the alarm.

But the large, lapping flames that she expected never appeared, and soon the pungent odor began to fade – not before she spotted the lone building though. The smoke was gone completely now, only burning in her memory, but still she thought she better check the building out to see if perhaps the fire was inside.

Orin stuffed her journal back into her pack as she crossed the threshold, slipping silently through the open door and peering around the main entrance. This place was quiet… uninhabited, she suspected. She breathed deep but her nose was handicapped by the musty scent of the dust that blanketed everything. Her ears twitched and swiveled, listening for sounds of another, though she didn’t detect anyone. No trace or orange glow of fire, either, and a wave of relief washed over her. Relaxing a bit, she took a moment to inspect the décor of the lodge, and grimaced at the grim images surrounding her. She knew the humans and many Luperci now took trophies, but she had never seen such a strange mass of them displayed in what appeared to be a common room. Still, the prizes were intriguing, and she wondered how someone went about keeping the heads from decaying.

“Huh…?” she made a small utterance to herself as she thought she heard a creak from above. She glanced at the boards over her head but was sure it was only her imagination. Still, her curiosity got the best of her, and with so many interesting things in this main room, maybe there were more treats to be found upstairs. Maybe some books, even!

It was easy for Orin to move her small, light body with silent grace, what was hard for her was to pay enough attention to maintain that stealth. This place had her eyes wandering, but the panic she felt over the possible fire before fueled her concentration, for now. Being so slow to heed her nose, she didn’t detect the scent of her pack mate at all, even as she followed the same path up the stairs that Bao had taken just a moment before.

At the top of the staircase, she heard a low muttering. But… it doesn’t make any sense… she pondered to herself, and suddenly her heart pounded in her chest as she recalled a story she once read. Ghost!! Her eyes went wide and she swallowed hard, her blood whooshing heavily in her ears. Part of her wanted to turn tail and flee this place – to run back to the town and find Shawchert and let him know there was a haunted house on D’Arte territory! But another part, a stronger part of her being, urged her forward, to follow this adventure.

Slowly, carefully, and with much restraint, she crept down the murky hallway, drawing nearer to the voice until she isolated the room where it came from. She stood outside the door for a moment, holding her breath until she thought she would pass out. I wish Niro was here... Her jaw was clenched tight as she willed her hand to move and gradually push the unhinged door. It swung freely, and there in the room she saw the outline of the dark figure as it muttered in some unearthly language.

“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” Unable to contain her fright any longer and hardly able to believe that she had actually found a ghost, she let the scream rip with wild abandon.

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