Hassle in the Castle

Unatsikanogeni Adahy · 07-22-2012, 01:10 PM

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(540) Here, you can have a crappy post from Raze. ;__;

Slowly, Unatsikanogeni walked down the drawbridge, one hand resting on the handle of his scythe—although he knew he’d never be able to use it in battle. Still, it gave him a little bit of comfort that his murderer could at least land on the rusty point and get an infection. The thought brought a wavering smile to his lips before his twitch sent the smile scurrying away. It really was eerie here, even though he was more amazed by the great dark structure than anything. How many humans had it taken to construct such a thing? He could only assume the humans had built it. Were their ghosts trapped inside? Animal ghosts were fine, but—

An oddly accented, harsh voice cawed from the fog ahead, and the red wolf jerked backwards, nearly falling into his companion. The doe had grown still as well, her nose twitching and her ears turning as cautiously as a real deer’s might. She did not bolt, and he knew she’d signal if there was danger, so he hunched his shoulders and waited.

The haze covering the entrance to the castle swirled slightly, and at last Unatsi could make out the shape of a wolf and a bird. A new voice hailed him in a familiar stammer, and he decided that these two couldn’t be anything to worry about—although he glanced at Udanvti just to make sure. She only dipped her snout in a nod then began to fade from sight, lingering just on the edges of perception. Like any spirit guide from the Tribe, she could become fully solid, visible and audible, with a scent of her own; however, she could just as easily disappear without a trace. He hated it when she did that.

The stranger—a dark brownish-black wolf with light blue eyes—snuck forward and came closer than Una had anticipated. The farmer let out a quiet yelp when the dark muzzle thrust toward Udanvti, who disappeared completely for an instant. He bristled, wondering if he’d somehow hurt his companion, but the doe appeared again behind him, her expression unreadable.

The wolf was talking again, and Unatsi pricked his large ears forward to listen. He frowned slightly, glancing at the hawk with a twitch of his lips, then decided that these folk—though strange—seemed nice enough to talk to.

Or, at least, he didn’t think they’d eat him.

My name’s Unatsikanogeni, the AniWayan said, then frowned quickly. He gestured feebly for the other to wait a second before talking and added, It’s a real mouthful, I know, so um—you can call me Unatsi for short, or Una, or anything, really; I won’t be offended, unless it’s—it’s a mean name, y’know, not a stranger to those, either.

Silence passed, during which span of time he glanced down at his fingers, which linked together in front of him in an awkward gesture. Remembering that he was not alone in the world, he added, And the deer—that’s Udanvti, my spirit guide. He paused then grinned awkwardly at the younger male. Wait—you knew she was a spirit? And your hawk isn’t—oh, well, I guess guides speak more… well, not ‘better,’ but… better. Fluent, you know, like a wolf.

Lineart by ~Xinsha; colored by me!

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