07-28-2009, 04:15 AM
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The proud canine flexed his fingers experimentally. No longer did the bruises swell his knuckles, making his solo hand stiff and painful to move. His hand had healed, including the scrapes that had marred his pristine white fur. A full moon ago, he had heard the tale of his Ruri meeting the would-be murderer from Dahlia de Mai at their borders. He had been upset enough to punch a hole through the cabin wall. His capricious mood had faded much faster than the fractured knuckles, though, and in a huff he had decided to spend some time abroad.
His sensitive nose quivered at the border, testing the scent markers that his followers had left. Something unsettled him, though. The dynamics of their collective scent had changed. New male musks were present, whereas the trusted females he had formed the pack with had all but vanished. Had his petite soleil Firefly left the coast without a word to her sailing buddy? "How crass," he thought aloud with a stormy frown, kicking a seashell violently against the rocky beach cliffs. The delicate construct shattered with a soft 'tinkle'. And Svara, who claimed to have fallen in love with him? Where had she vanished off to? Had Haku snuffed her life for good this time, or was she merely being as flighty as he was, and decided on a whim to leave their new homeland? Petulantly, the childish king planted his legs apart and sprayed his own scent atop the loosely-defined borders, emptying his full bladder to overpower the foreign trails.
With a contented grunt, the one-armed Optime shook the last few drops onto the sand and strode fearlessly into his territory. There were funny-looking tracks indenting the soft ground about him; like the swift footfalls of deer, only the hoofprints were not cloven. The collie-hybrid's obsidian eyes narrowed, glittering as he studied the deep scuffmarks. "I thought Monsieur Haven was the only one to have adopted one of these horse beasts," he remarked under his breath, tilting his head so that his fringed ears folded lopsidedly. Had the horseback riding trend caught on? Really, the hairy creatures looked like nothing more than rotund meals to the king, but he also had a habit of avoiding hunting, since it involved work. If his legions preferred to let shaggy deer carry them around rather than running, he could at least understand the sentiment.
The perplexed alpha continued padding along, moonlight shining upon his path. The sand gleamed white, the roiling waves of the ocean washed black by the night sky as the ghostly figure traipsed deeper into his kingdom, feeling out of place after his impromptu vacation. They had not been overrun in his absence, which was a good sign, but things had clearly taken an odd turn. A chill breeze chased down his lean spine, whirling the sparse dune grass before chiming a clear peal. Jacquez froze, listening to the sweet jumble of musical notes. There was a wind chime... it must be attached to the cabin where Ruri took residence. She could not have found such an artifact herself... she had received a gift. From an admirer, his suspicious mind assumed correctly. His thick glossy tail whipped back and forth in the night shadows, agitation curling his lip. Svara must have left after all. Otherwise, no male would be allowed that close to his blind companion. How much had changed after all?
The proud canine flexed his fingers experimentally. No longer did the bruises swell his knuckles, making his solo hand stiff and painful to move. His hand had healed, including the scrapes that had marred his pristine white fur. A full moon ago, he had heard the tale of his Ruri meeting the would-be murderer from Dahlia de Mai at their borders. He had been upset enough to punch a hole through the cabin wall. His capricious mood had faded much faster than the fractured knuckles, though, and in a huff he had decided to spend some time abroad.
His sensitive nose quivered at the border, testing the scent markers that his followers had left. Something unsettled him, though. The dynamics of their collective scent had changed. New male musks were present, whereas the trusted females he had formed the pack with had all but vanished. Had his petite soleil Firefly left the coast without a word to her sailing buddy? "How crass," he thought aloud with a stormy frown, kicking a seashell violently against the rocky beach cliffs. The delicate construct shattered with a soft 'tinkle'. And Svara, who claimed to have fallen in love with him? Where had she vanished off to? Had Haku snuffed her life for good this time, or was she merely being as flighty as he was, and decided on a whim to leave their new homeland? Petulantly, the childish king planted his legs apart and sprayed his own scent atop the loosely-defined borders, emptying his full bladder to overpower the foreign trails.
With a contented grunt, the one-armed Optime shook the last few drops onto the sand and strode fearlessly into his territory. There were funny-looking tracks indenting the soft ground about him; like the swift footfalls of deer, only the hoofprints were not cloven. The collie-hybrid's obsidian eyes narrowed, glittering as he studied the deep scuffmarks. "I thought Monsieur Haven was the only one to have adopted one of these horse beasts," he remarked under his breath, tilting his head so that his fringed ears folded lopsidedly. Had the horseback riding trend caught on? Really, the hairy creatures looked like nothing more than rotund meals to the king, but he also had a habit of avoiding hunting, since it involved work. If his legions preferred to let shaggy deer carry them around rather than running, he could at least understand the sentiment.
The perplexed alpha continued padding along, moonlight shining upon his path. The sand gleamed white, the roiling waves of the ocean washed black by the night sky as the ghostly figure traipsed deeper into his kingdom, feeling out of place after his impromptu vacation. They had not been overrun in his absence, which was a good sign, but things had clearly taken an odd turn. A chill breeze chased down his lean spine, whirling the sparse dune grass before chiming a clear peal. Jacquez froze, listening to the sweet jumble of musical notes. There was a wind chime... it must be attached to the cabin where Ruri took residence. She could not have found such an artifact herself... she had received a gift. From an admirer, his suspicious mind assumed correctly. His thick glossy tail whipped back and forth in the night shadows, agitation curling his lip. Svara must have left after all. Otherwise, no male would be allowed that close to his blind companion. How much had changed after all?