04-19-2008, 05:33 PM
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THE THINGS THAT I'VE LOVED
______THE THINGS THAT I'VE LOST
THE THINGS I'VE HELD SACRED
______________THAT I'VE DROPPED
_____ In the past three years, Ahren had learned many things. He had survived by will alone, driven at many times by the will of the demon. It had influenced his choices and played a game as it saw fit. Whether or not they were one and the same was something that Ahren did not know because he had no idea that there was such an alter-ego. He was conscious of Laruku’s, and of his own blackouts, but he had not made the connection. After all, the blackouts had been with him for years. They only got worse the more he tried to drown himself in drugs or a bottle. Those things were behind him now, though, and he would do his best to never touch them again. Old habits die hard, though, so he knew it would be a battle upstream.
_____ The blonde had wandered south, following the road that had led his trio out of Bleeding Souls. They had all been traveling further into this strange new world over the past few weeks, but cautiously. There seemed to be, among the three men, an unwritten and unspoken idea that perhaps it was best if they remained alone. Ahren did not intend to keep his son from finding a new home and intended to speak to him about this soon. He needed to talk to Laruku as well and see where he wanted to go. All ready, he knew he could not leave the scarred hybrid alone. Laruku needed him, and he needed Laruku. Ahren was no longer fit to live on his own.
_____ A scream tore him from his thoughts. It was the scream of a woman. Instinct still drove him to act nobly, for even the time and his own perception on reality could not change that. He was driven to help the weaker because that had been his job, first as a father, then as an alpha. He was not far from the source and barely had time to make the connection between the girl and the cougar when his knife swung out towards the cat. The cougar was faster and the blade only caught fur, but it forced the animal away from the girl. Her scent filled his nose and he realized, suddenly, that the ragged heap of blood and clothing under him was Anya. It was if his face cracked—the snarl that twisted it was monstrous and his eyes darkened with rage. Under his hair, his face was hellish.
_____ “loskommen mein tochter,” he hissed. The cougar only hunched low, tail lashing. Ahren’s knife remained low, held loosely. As soon as he sidestepped, moving away from his daughter, the cougar came at him. It leapt and connected with Ahren’s frame, sending the two to the ground. The wolf kicked wildly, keeping his head low, and swung up with the knife. Blood poured over his face and the cougar yowled, flailing, realizing suddenly what had been done. Then all too quickly it went limp, full weight falling on the wounded man. Ahren coughed, and struggled out from under the tawny cat. He was covered in blood, and not aware of what was and was not his own. The cat had taken a notch from his ear and clawed up his chest.
_____ Still, his conscious belonged to the girl. Ahren made his way to her side and hunched down, eyes wide (though only one was seeing, the other’s pupil ghostly blue-white) and began speaking frantically. “Anya? Anya can you hear me? Anya?”
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need to forget
______THE THINGS THAT I'VE LOST
THE THINGS I'VE HELD SACRED
______________THAT I'VE DROPPED
_____ In the past three years, Ahren had learned many things. He had survived by will alone, driven at many times by the will of the demon. It had influenced his choices and played a game as it saw fit. Whether or not they were one and the same was something that Ahren did not know because he had no idea that there was such an alter-ego. He was conscious of Laruku’s, and of his own blackouts, but he had not made the connection. After all, the blackouts had been with him for years. They only got worse the more he tried to drown himself in drugs or a bottle. Those things were behind him now, though, and he would do his best to never touch them again. Old habits die hard, though, so he knew it would be a battle upstream.
_____ The blonde had wandered south, following the road that had led his trio out of Bleeding Souls. They had all been traveling further into this strange new world over the past few weeks, but cautiously. There seemed to be, among the three men, an unwritten and unspoken idea that perhaps it was best if they remained alone. Ahren did not intend to keep his son from finding a new home and intended to speak to him about this soon. He needed to talk to Laruku as well and see where he wanted to go. All ready, he knew he could not leave the scarred hybrid alone. Laruku needed him, and he needed Laruku. Ahren was no longer fit to live on his own.
_____ A scream tore him from his thoughts. It was the scream of a woman. Instinct still drove him to act nobly, for even the time and his own perception on reality could not change that. He was driven to help the weaker because that had been his job, first as a father, then as an alpha. He was not far from the source and barely had time to make the connection between the girl and the cougar when his knife swung out towards the cat. The cougar was faster and the blade only caught fur, but it forced the animal away from the girl. Her scent filled his nose and he realized, suddenly, that the ragged heap of blood and clothing under him was Anya. It was if his face cracked—the snarl that twisted it was monstrous and his eyes darkened with rage. Under his hair, his face was hellish.
_____ “loskommen mein tochter,” he hissed. The cougar only hunched low, tail lashing. Ahren’s knife remained low, held loosely. As soon as he sidestepped, moving away from his daughter, the cougar came at him. It leapt and connected with Ahren’s frame, sending the two to the ground. The wolf kicked wildly, keeping his head low, and swung up with the knife. Blood poured over his face and the cougar yowled, flailing, realizing suddenly what had been done. Then all too quickly it went limp, full weight falling on the wounded man. Ahren coughed, and struggled out from under the tawny cat. He was covered in blood, and not aware of what was and was not his own. The cat had taken a notch from his ear and clawed up his chest.
_____ Still, his conscious belonged to the girl. Ahren made his way to her side and hunched down, eyes wide (though only one was seeing, the other’s pupil ghostly blue-white) and began speaking frantically. “Anya? Anya can you hear me? Anya?”
I won't lie no more you can bet
I don't want to learn what I'll need to forget
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