In the Land of Red

Element · 07-12-2010, 10:45 AM

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Element walked along the edge of a bright and clear pool that collected water from a small stream. The water was clear and cool, and he bent his head low to drink from it. The stagnant scent of wolves lingered nearby; he knew he was in the heart of a pack's territory, but so far all he had seen was trees, bushes, and the clear pool he had come across by following the stream. Faint memories of his search for Flower reminded him that this particular area may be more hostile than the others, but he did know a few things; the Inferno, or something like that, were the more hostile group. He had even heard from a passing raven that they kept a hoard of skulls from other canines. He shuddered at the thought and concentrated on the pool instead, determined to catch something to fill his rumbling belly.

Looking down, he saw a silver flash. Perched on the edge of the pool so that his shadow didn't fall over the still and clear water, he waited for several minutes before seeing the flash again. In an instant, his paw darted out into the water and flicked out a bright silver fish, landing on the edge, where Element was. Satisfied with his catch, he quickly sank his teeth into the fish and began to eat his meal.

~Thanks to Daisuke for the absolutely beautiful table~

Nayru · 07-12-2010, 12:17 PM

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The creature Nayru found that day was strange, stranger than any she had encountered before. Its body was long and sleek and made up of midnight black, the eyes that were set in its head a dazzling emerald. It was not a Dahlian creature, because although Nayru did not know every deer, rabbit or bird that resided in the wolves’ territory she did know nothing like that lived here. Although she was yet a hunter, as she gazed at it from a distance, she vaguely wondered if it was good to eat. It was eating. It had taken fish from the stream that led into Oberon’s spring. Perhaps it was the fact that it was eating, or that she had the home field advantage, or even that her dainty delicate body made almost no noise… whatever the reason Nayru had yet to be noticed and the girl with eyes the color of blood, eyes that only grew deeper and more red the older she got, watched it.

The rabbits and birds could not communicate with her, or perhaps it was the other way around. Either way she had few hopes of this creature being intelligent enough to speak, but Nayru was loath to let it get away without learning something more. It was for that reason that long before the creature could finish its meal Nayru tiptoed closer, closer and closer yet until there she had to show herself and when that time came she became swift. Within seconds of revealing herself she was there, before him, red eyes meeting green. Nayru did not even try speech but reverted to one of her most primal means of communication, one that the prey animals even understood. She barked. It was an infrequent sound that came from her throat, and it sounded unused and uneasy, but all the same she barked. One short, sharp bark and then she stood there, staring, to see what this strange creature would do.

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Element · 07-12-2010, 12:27 PM

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Element licked the remains of the fish clean from his lips and stared down at the now empty skeleton, glad he had made such a meal of this stream. He dug swiftly in the soft dirt and buried his prey, patting the top of the now-covered hole he lay the skeleton in; after all, it was poor manners to leave fish skeletons laying around, and it might tip one of the wolves off that someone other than they had been in their territory.

He took a deep breath and froze. Was that...dog? Wolf. It was the scent of a wolf, one that was nearby. He stiffened, waiting for the scent to either pass or come across him. He always had the option of running, if it came to something of a fight, but he wasn't entirely sure of what this dog was. Would it be like Daisuke, friendly and almost childish? Or would it be like the ones that took his precious Flower, vicious and cold?

Element whirled around as he heard the crunching of a twig and relaxed visibly. It was a small wolf; namely, a puppy. The puppy, now identified as a she, walked closer to him and eventually came eye-to-eye. Her eyes were red, and contained a childish interest that Element found rather endearing. And then she let out a small bark.

Element wasn't sure if this puppy wasn't old enough to know speech yet, but the bark certainly wasn't unfriendly. He smiled at the young wolf; although he thought most wolf vicious, there was nothing wrong with a curious pup, barking at him in its interest. He dipped his head to the puppy and spoke; "Hello, puppy." Then a thought struck him; how often was it that a puppy like that would wander without its mother to protect it? He glanced around and scented the air again, but there was nothing on the breeze except for the puppy's scent and his own.

~Thanks to Daisuke for the absolutely beautiful table~

Nayru · 07-14-2010, 12:02 AM

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The animal spoke and Nayru leaped back in a rather clumsy fashion, tripping over her still too large puppy paws. She ended up landing in a half sitting-half standing position. Without replying the puppy cocked her head and waited, to see if the animal would say more, adrenaline pumping through her at the unexpected speech. When he did not speak again it occurred to Nayru she was being rude and she flattened her ears against her skull at the thought. The excitement of so strange a creature had distracted her, made her forget her manners. Her voice, soft and doe-like came then, though it felt strange to be directing words at anything other than a fellow canine. "My name is Nayru." The girl was almost shy, something that she had never been before, despite the animal being close to the same size as her. Once grown she’d be larger than he, perhaps not by much with her small frame and his rather large feline build, but they were equals now, at least physically.

Allowing the shock of the animal’s speech to dissolve Nayru righted herself, shaking herself out as if to move past the awkward and rather embarrassing (or so she thought) near tumble she had just performed. Daintily she moved closer, letting her manners breech again as she stuck her wet nose rather close to the stranger. He wasn’t a wolf, coyote or dog, Nayru could tell by scent this male was something else completely, uncanine, but why then did he speak? Could the deer and rabbits and birds speak too? Or other animals like him? "What are you?" And then it occurred to her, maybe other animals didn’t speak, maybe he was special. Maybe he was something else. "Are you a spirit?"

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Element · 07-15-2010, 03:19 PM

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Element smiled faintly as the puppy leapt back and her mouth opened slightly. In a moment, however, she seemed to remember herself and spoke. "My name is Nayru." Element nodded towards her, ears inclined. He knew this pup could talk, and perhaps she was just being silly, yapping at him for no reason. He accepted that theory with no comment, being quite bored of animals assuming he was an idiot and incapable of speech.

He found this puppy quite endearing, however, and quite cute at that. She wasn't too pompous; rather, she had a nice, fresh sense of curiosity as well as a puppy-like interest in Element that he found nice. She sniffed at him rather closely, and he smiled at her. He almost laughed at her next words;

"What are you? Are you a spirit?"

"No, little puppy," he said, still smiling. It was clear, then, that this small dog had never even seen a cat before. So much for prejudices - you can't be prejudiced against something you don't know existed! Her antics were simply puppy curiosity, and Element liked that. "I am a creature called a cat. They're like dogs and wolves, only smaller, and we can't walk on two legs at all."

Nayru · 07-17-2010, 11:18 AM

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Not a spirit then. Cat. Nayru’s eyes opened wide, even more amazed that this creature was made of flesh and bone rather than spectral energy. Nayru took in the creature’s explanation of a cat and shook her head. "You‘re not like a wolf or dog at all." Nayru had met a dog and they were indeed like wolves or coyotes. Large paws, bushy tails, long snouts. This creature was sleek and strange, not canine then. And unable to shift? Nayru had only shifted once before, returning to her four legged form not too long after, but she hadn’t ever thought of intelligent beings being unable to shift. How strange! Although Nayru preferred her lupus form she knew if ever need be she had the option and that knowledge provided her with comfort and a sense of freedom.

Sitting back on her haunches Nayru took in the cat, trying to answer questions herself so that she wouldn’t have to ask. Did the cat have family? Did he know he was trespassing? Well, he was and that gave Nayru the right to question him. Masking her childishness and excitement, Nayru sat very erect then and took a serious tone, as serious as her soft voice would allow. Suddenly she wasn’t just a curious puppy, she was a guardian of the pack and her mannerisms said so. "Do you have a name cat?" Did cats give each other names? She didn’t know. Despite her air of authority, her naive nature couldn’t help but shine through. "And what pack are you from? Did you know that you‘re in Dahlia de Mai?"

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Element · 07-21-2010, 05:56 PM

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((Sorry I took so long!))

"You‘re not like a wolf or dog at all." You're right, thought Element. I'm not like a wolf or dog at all. He meant this in ways of appearance as well as personality - while dogs were generally more large and compact, Element was sleek and graceful, even. And dogs and canines in general were usually quite unlike Element in the way that they were so vicious when protecting their territory, almost bloodthirsty as well as galumphing bafoons at the same time - and this little puppy demonstrated her territorial side quickly after.

She puffed out her small chest and sat straight, a sudden seriousness entering her gaze. Element gazed right back, and felt a little amused that this small pup was trying to be so authoritative and demeaning to him when she was no larger than he; he was a little bit larger than the small puppy, actually. But he didn't yell or shout at her; far from it. He looked calmly into her eyes, humoring her - after all, she was just a puppy. She must relish this chance to be able to be a superior to another adult, no matter what species; all young wanted to be big in their own regard.

"Do you have a name, cat? And what pack are you from? Did you know that you‘re in Dahlia de Mai?" Element almost smiled at this pup's attempts to remain serious and calm - it was clear that she was really excited and curious underneath. He remembered himself, however, and remained solemn for the sake of her facade;

"Yes, this cat does have a name," he said, licking a paw nonchalantly. "It's Element." He stopped licking his paw and looked at the puppy in the eyes. "I'm not from any packs - cats are independent. They don't have packs." But sometimes they travel in pairs, he said to himself, but didn't voice that aloud. "I did know I was in an area with a pack in it, but I didn't know the name. Dahlia de Mai...that's a pleasant name."

Nayru · 07-27-2010, 11:45 AM

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Sorry for the delay and shortness.

Nayru’s ears fell flat as the sensitive girl could tell the cat was trying to humoring her. She knew that being only half grown she was not as wise as those who had years behind them, but she was not so simple minded. So what if she had mistaken him for a spirit? It had been an honest mistake. Nayru was not playing now, nor did she take childish pleasure in bossing about adults, she was only doing as she should by Dahlia de Mai and she knew it. If this cat had intelligence enough to talk with the canines then shouldn’t he be expected to follow the social norms that they all did? The shock of discovering that this creature could speak and had the intelligence to match the canine species had worn off and now Nayru was most concerned with doing as she felt Conor or the others would wish her to do. Despite her distaste for the way Element seemed to talk down towards her, something she was unaccustomed to as the adults of Dahlia did not coddle her, she remained polite and soft spoken, the air about her remaining very serious and serene. "Well Element, it is a pleasure to meet you but we consider it rude to hunt on claimed lands without permission. " Nayru looked to where the cat’s previous meal was now buried. "Actually, you’re rather far past the borders of our pack and if someone else came across you they might be angry. " Of course, the others were adults, or even King who was the same age as she was larger and surpassed this cat in size, and they could easily have chased off the cat without striking up conversation.

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Element · 07-28-2010, 09:31 AM

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Element ignored this for a while, simply sitting down to begin to wash. He licked his paw, drawing it over his ear, then his other ear. Then he began to lick his chest, his belly, his back, the base of his tail and finally he swiped a paw across his cheek for good measure. He glanced at the puppy. Slight anger began to rise at her words, but he quickly suppressed the feeling, carefully masking his face in a facade of indifference. Inside, however, his mind was reeling. Yes, the dogs considered it rude to hunt on another's territory - but Element was not a dog. The majority of the land of Souls was being taken over by these wolves, and Element was beginning to find it only slightly difficult finding prey outside 'pack' borders. Packs meant little to nothing to Element; in fact, he didn't see why he, a feline, should abide to canine laws that should only apply to canines. Canines were not the higher beings of the world. Nothing was, anymore.

"Angry they may be," he said, dropping the endearing attitude and coming across to the puppy as an equal talking to an equal, "I am still not a canine. I don't know a lot of your rules, nor do I see a reason to follow them. I understand canines follow other canine's rules, but I am not from this pack, or any other packs - why should I leave?" Element brought up what he thought was a rather fair point. "If I decided that I would take over a spot of your territory, I hardly think you'd feel obliged to leave just because I said it was a feline rule. You don't chase the hawks and various other non-canine animals from here; why me?"

Nayru · 07-28-2010, 12:14 PM

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Nayru soaked in the words in silence, trying to sort out what was logical and what was not, but everything he said seemed to be both at once. Her heart was no longer sore as seriousness took root in his tone. Even if he was not as indulging as he might be when engaging her as a silly child, Nayru much preferred their current way of communication. Honest and open, even if the two toned girl was at a loss to understand. Did cats not follow social rules then? Nayru had only assumed because he spoke their language he was obliged to follow their ways. No, that seemed not to be the case. If he were a wolf then all she had to do was make one call of distress and the pack would be upon him. And surely if he offered her harm the same would be true, but would anyone else try to chase off a cat just for being there?

Eyes the color of blood stared at him, trying to reason it all out and doing so out loud. "Well, they don’t talk. " It seemed a stupid reason, and so Nayru tried to come up with another. "And they don’t eat much either, and there are so many… it would be a bother to chase them all off. " She meant only the predators of course, for the Dahlians welcomed prey animals sharing their home. Predators, why, that was the real issue Nayru realized with a start. If they did pose a threat, bears and such, they were run off, and if food was scare then certainly Conor wouldn’t let the hawks feast while the wolves starved. Yet Element seemed neither a threat to Nayru herself or the food she would consume for years to come and all of a sudden she didn’t know what she was arguing about. "Don’t you… don’t you have a home? A place you protect against others? " She knew not everyone had a home, she had been born to wandering loners herself, but that did not diminish the fierce love for Dahlia that was growing within her. If only Element felt that way for a piece of land then he would understand, then she wouldn’t have to try to explain. Yet it seemed the cat and the puppy were from two different worlds and Nayru struggled to bridge the gap.

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Element · 08-01-2010, 11:32 AM

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"Well, they don’t talk. "

Element stared back at the puppy solidly; did she really think that was a reason? Why, if Element himself decided not to introduce himself to the puppy, would she have left him well enough alone? She seemed to realize this was a void point, however, and went on.

"And they don’t eat much either, and there are so many… it would be a bother to chase them all off. "

A bother? He glanced up through the number of trees that surrounded the crystal clear pool and saw that they were almost polluted with multiple birds of prey, of all sizes. Although it was true they'd be a bother to chase off for them only to come back, Element thought this was also a void point - he was sure they ate more than a single fish a day, as he had done. Although Element didn't think much of pack rules, he knew they'd be angry if they found multiple scraps of prey left by a single cat - he never ate more than one or two morsels of prey simply so the dogs wouldn't become angry and cause...complications.

Perhaps it was Element's way of living that he didn't understand the seemingly irrational and strange way this puppy presented her 'points'. He was a wanderer - occasionally he would dwell in a space for an amount of time, but overall, he never displayed the territorial tendencies that was so common among felines such as himself. He was quite content to be alone, a roamer, and he found it an interesting and unique lifestyle. He simply didn't understand why the dogs took it upon themselves to take over immensely large areas of land, sometimes miles square, and appeared so hostile to any and all that let themselves accidentally wander. It was like they declared themselves the supreme rulers of the universe, and that their laws had to be the ones that were followed at all times, by all other species.

It was absurd.

"Don’t you… don’t you have a home? A place you protect against others? "

Element shook his head. "I wander. I have no home," he said simply. He could feel the puppy's will to close the distance between her and himself, but found it rather one-sided. He closed his eyes and tried to find what she thought, and why. It was her home, of course, and she wanted to protect it from others. Others that could talk. Not ones that were too much of a bother to chase off, though. He supposed it seemed rational to her, at least, when he opened his eyes a moment or two later. But he felt saddened that this puppy didn't seem to be able to understand how he felt about this particular instance - the cat's point of view, which he supposed was rather different than the territorial canine's.

Nayru · 08-03-2010, 11:41 PM

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Nayru watched interestedly as the cat regarded her, ears perked and eyes wide to the cat’s relaxed appearance. His emerald eyes seemed unconcerned and unaffected by her words as he coolly regarded her spouting off her reasonings. Clearly he did not agree with her, and Nayru felt that they would have to just accept a stalemate. Perhaps they were too different to relate to one another: different ages, different genders and different species as well. Nayru saw his points, but never could she live by that reasoning. Good manners and social protocol demanded that the child recognize and respect the borders of wolf packs. If Element could get away with ignoring the way the wolves lived that was his fortune, it was not and never could be her’s.

Nayru was tempted to resort to her default question of Why? or Why Not? but she held back. Her parents had not a home and they had been happy. Her father loved freedom fiercely, second only to the love he had for her mother. Her mother had been less in love with the nomadic lifestyle, but had been more than pleased to go along for the ride with her father. Nayru imagined that when she went missing they would have mourned her and searched but moved on, as they were always doing. Moving on, that was their motto. Move On and Let Go. Nayru understood that some souls were apt to roam, but her parents had had each other, and their children. Nayru had all of Dahlia de Mai. Who or what did Element have?

"Don’t you get lonely?" Nayru loved the lands of Dahlia de Mai, yes. She could give-up the lands if she had to, there was something deeper that drove her to protect the pack. The two toned girl loved the pack members and the energy that everyone put into the pack. It was a life of its own, their collective energy and Nayru didn’t think she wanted to give that up. Yet how express that to Element? She could not. Could not explain how it was not the individual, but the whole that filled her. That kept any emptiness from eating away at her. It was the same how her father and mother provided that for each other, a connection of hearts. The best she could do was to compare that lack of feeling to loneliness.

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Element · 08-05-2010, 01:43 PM

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"Don’t you get lonely?"

Element pondered this question. The truth was, no, he didn't get lonely. Element enjoyed time alone, especially in a world where such time was limited. The only company he ever really desired had been Flower's; and since she had gone, he liked to spend time alone. Usually, however, he stumbled across canines; although most of them were friendly, they were everywhere in this 'Souls place.

"Not usually," he said, licking his chest swiftly. Although this pup was trying to bridge the gap between the two very different species, it would only be a matter of time before she tried to chase him out of the territory. He could tell this puppy cared fiercely for her pack and her home, and he knew all too well that that could quickly turn into aggression towards the ebony feline.

"If you want me to leave," he said, "I will." He may not think or dwell too much on the canine laws, but he still didn't want this puppy to call on her older - and larger - companions. He was no cheechako to the wolf ways - he knew when it was time to disappear.

Nayru · 08-05-2010, 04:44 PM

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He was not lonely then. Not lonely and had no home. Well, Nayru simply accepted these answers, once given. Had she not asked the ebony blotched puppy would of assumed Element was missing out, but it was clear he felt differently. So be it. Nayru was not one to argue, rather she accepted everything at face value, once it was presented before her. It was easier that way, to soak in details and facts rather than try to force her own thinking on others. His philosophies would not change her life anyway, and her’s would not change his either, aside from the fact that while in Dahlia de Mai she would be here, hounding him like the curious creature that she was.

If you want me to leave, I will. The offer surprised Nayru, not because it was out of line but simply because it seemed to come from nowhere. Nayru was more relaxed now that she had been moments before and the idea of telling the cat to leave was further from her mind at present that it had been when they first met. It was clear the cat was not a threat and he had already eaten his fill so he wouldn’t deplete their resources further. And already she had found him, and it was true that she was not going to leave him to wander their lands alone, but she was peaceful alwaysl and welcoming once one moved past formalities and social protocol—which at this point Nayru had.

"You don’t have to leave," yet at the same time she couldn’t leave him to his own devices, Conor wouldn’t look too kindly on that, at least without being notified, "but it would be unwise for you to wander any further in without an escort." Although perhaps the cat did not enjoy her company, which Nayru took no offense to. The girl delighted in most anyone she met, including the strange cat before her, but she understood enough to know it did not work both ways always. Despite her earlier efforts to relate, she simply accepted that they could not or would not connect too deeply with one another. That was fine, it was just how life worked and Nayru accepted it. Accepted it and moved on. "I can show you around, or take you to the borders." It was a fair ultimatum as far as Nayru was concerned.

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Element · 08-06-2010, 03:23 PM

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"You don’t have to leave, but it would be unwise for you to wander any further in without an escort."

An escort? Element thought in his mind of an escort as someone who showed you around, showed you the ropes of the place. Although he was lingering in the Dahlia de Mai territory, he didn't want to wander, escort or no escort, deeper into any territory with canines. They may not be friendly, and Element was certainly no fool.

The small girl spoke again. ""I can show you around, or take you to the borders."" This was a fair question, and Element pondered it. He didn't stray into the wolf's territories any more than he had to, and he didn't see any reason to take a tour around town. He didn't want to seem like he was keeping a permanent residence, or like he was trying to spy, like some may assume.

"I don't need a tour," he said carefully, "And if you could perhaps show me to the edge of the territory, I would appreciate it." Element was not one for losing his touch of words, but right now, he did not know quite what to say; the puppy seemed excited enough to meet a new person, but still a bit torn between her loyalty to her pack and her friendly demeanor. He figured it would be best if he allowed her to lead him away from the pack, giving her an out in both ways.

Nayru · 08-10-2010, 03:21 AM

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Short. You can post once more or not, but yeah. ‘Twas fun RPing with you. 329 wc.

Nayru smiled, and as Element gave his reply Nayru realized that she had been expecting it. Element seemed to take no interest in knowing what lay further in, and to this Nayru took no offense. She gladly shared and showed off her home to anyone and everyone willing to see it, but it was never expected. Others could come and go as they pleased and Nayru’s life was rarely affected by such excursions, aside from some time lost, but it was always well spent, no matter what the reason or outcome for interacting with them. Element was no exception and the girl knew she had learned a lot, not only about cats, but about how to deal with different species in general. The cow patterned pup couldn’t treat them as canines, because they weren’t. It was as simple as that.

"This way then. " The child’s voice was still soft and pleasant, but it did not spring forth into mindless conversation as she led the quickest route out of Dahlia de Mai. Element hadn’t made it too far in so the walk out was not overly long, but her eyes and ears were perked, making sure the creature kept pace with her. Not that she expected Element to wander off, but it was just her way and Element seemed to come to understand that, as he granted her permission to lead him away. As they arrived at the border, Nayru slowed, bowing her head as a farewell. "Here we are, Element. It was indeed a pleasure to meet you." And her cherry eyes were sincere, waiting patiently to see the ebony cat off. After that, Nayru wasn’t sure what was to happen or what she’d do, but she had time to spare and there was no rush. Maybe she would just wait here, alongside the borders, and another creature would come along. It was a thought, but a silly one, and Nayru smiled to herself as Element took his leave.

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Element · 08-10-2010, 09:54 AM

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It was fun RPing with you, too!

"Here we are, Element. It was indeed a pleasure to meet you." Element smiled at the girl's words. It was true that he didn't want to wander further into Dahlia de Mai's territory, and he was impressed by this young wolf's use of good tact and lack of violence to make him get out of her home's territory. She had given him an out, and he took it; he stepped out from under the trees and into a small grassy field that he assumed was out of her territory. He looked back at her, now concealed by a large tree, and smiled.

"It was a pleasure to meet you as well," he said, and disappeared into the tall grasses.

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