At the Violet Hour

Skye Collins · 12-29-2010, 02:27 PM

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ooc: foredated december 30th? ^^

Skye had been exploring a new bit of territory with her horse, Jack. The Appaloosa came trailing behind her - she didn't quite trust him after that little mishap in Dahlia de Mai and Conor. But she wanted to get to know her stallion better, so she had brought him along, and now he followed her as she tugged on his mane gently.

Suddenly, the trees parted; that was strange, Ethereal Eclipse was the densest bit of forest she knew. But she forgot her misgivings as she moved forward and saw a sea of beautiful flowers stretched out into colorful and beautiful fields of red, yellow, and blue.

Skye wandered into it, leading Jack forward. She bent down to pick up a flower and sniffed it; it had a light but pretty fragrance that left an impression on Skye even after she dropped it. Sniffing into the air, she realized that the entire field, on the edge of Cercatori d'Arte territory but still inside it, smelled the same way. Grinning, she lay down and looked up at the sky, breathing in the delectable scent of flowers.

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Bindu Epals · 01-01-2011, 09:36 PM

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Thanks for starting <3

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She'd found the field the day before while carelessly chasing a swift-footed winter rabbit; the rabbit swerved, Bindu followed suit, and then before her there was a rainbow of color. She felt awe at such loveliness, pleasure at the contrast of color on winter's gray, but no remorse for the lost prey. The magnificence far overshadowed her hunger. It was a fast and easy decision to camp near the meadow, if not only for a few hours.

After sniffing around, Bindu discovered that she was trespassing on a strange pack's land, so she hastily scampered off of it, just outside of the borders- that she could at least see and smell the rolling flora fields was enough. That night, she curled up under the skeletal fingers of some tree and fell asleep to the heavenly scent of winter blooms.

Bindu was in lupus form now. She'd tried to adjust to her optime form -with many sobs and sniffles- but no matter how persistent she was, it was not enough to change her mind. The girl knew that she was ugly and stupid, but when she looked down and saw fingers and legs and toes, she was also a monster. And that was unbearable. Some 'two-legs' were glorious, but Bindu would never be anything but a terror.

On the other hand, the teen didn't mind her secui form. It was strong and fast, good for taking down big prey and running from danger. Experiments in it wrought pleasing results. Bindu often wondered why she didn't see more wolves in the halfling form than in optime form.

Bindu woke to a cold wintery wind and stiff joints. Deliberately, she stood and stretched her muscles, careful not to injure herself for fear of suffering alone. When she was sure that every joint was flexible, the young woman sat and enjoyed the perfume of the flower fields before her. Several minutes passed, then an hour, before a white wolf came out of a nearby wood and abruptly disappeared into the flowers.

The girl was surprised, then worried. Who was this stranger, and were they hurt? She hadn't seen much, but from what it looked like, this white wolf had collapsed in the pretty meadow and hadn't gotten back up. But Bindu wasn't intent on trespassing- she had done that before with very negative results. Instead, she called hello -no, too soft- "Hello?" Bindu took a step forward, then a step backward, thick with uncertainty.

Skye Collins · 01-02-2011, 10:37 AM

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yay! <3 wc: 343

Skye looked up at the fluffy clouds that scattered in the blue sky up above her. She was thinking about everything that had occurred in her past months at Souls - she loved the freedom, the greatness, the wonder of being in a pack. She wondered if her parents ever felt anything like it, being loners. Maybe not. But it was the sense that SKye really belonged, I mean really, really belonged somewhere with people like her that made her feel warm and fluffy inside as she did. And she was growing. An ivory figure lay sprawled across the gentle grass and flowers, thin but wiry limbs stretched out to feel the soft air. Curves adorned the woman's figure, and Skye realized for a moment that now, she was truly an adult. How weird.

Suddenly, a scent caught the wind - foreign dog. Skye sat up abruptly, startling her Appaloosa horse into jumping back. He had been eating the flowers - of course. But she wasn't looking at her horse; rather, she was looking at the wolfdog that had appeared on the borders. She was red and gray and white, all mixed into a blend of a glorious pelt that shone in the sunlight. One ear was erect, the other flopped forward like a dog's. She seemed hesitant, taking one step forward and one backward. She then called a not-so-soft 'hello?'

Skye stood, waving at her. "Hello!" she called, then quickly closed the distance between the two, walking over to where this dog was. She wondered what she was here for; did she want to join the pack, or was she just a passerby? Either way, she figured it was better to introduce herself. "I'm Skye Collins of Cercatori d'Arte," she said, deciding to exclude her title for now. She gestured behind her. "Isn't this flower field beautiful? I can't believe I've never seen it before."

Behind her, her horse bucked and whinnied, apparently at unease. Skye turned and said, "Oh, hush, Jack." What a pain!

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Bindu Epals · 01-02-2011, 11:29 PM

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The young woman jumped like a singed cat when the white wolf popped up, its head swiveling to end on her hiding spot- not dead, not dead, not dead! The horse that was also in the field of flowers looked to have had the same reaction to the undead stranger as Bindu, jumping back in alarm. The horse's movement drew attention to it from her, but she had no time to reflect on its beautiful gray pelt. The stranger was upon her in seconds, moving with absurd speed and grace.

She introduced herself as Skye Collins, of Cercatori d'Arte. Both names were unfamiliar. Bindu worries resurfaced- was this a ruthless pack filled with bloodthirsty wolves, or maybe a kinder one like Phoenix Valley? Skye didn't look as if she were bloodthirsty or ruthless. Besides, surely no cruel wolf would lay in a meadow of flowers. Cercatori d'Arte must not be very threatening. The teen visibly relaxed, but she was careful not to let her full guard down. Friendly wolf or not, Skye Collins was a stranger.

"Isn't this flower field beautiful? I can't believe I've never seen it before." Bindu nodded -these flowers were some of the most beautiful she had ever seen- but she was a little puzzled. Had her nose been right? Was this meadow in Cercatori d'Arte territory? She didn't understand how Skye lived here and yet hadn't seen this beauty, lying right in her pack's land. Maybe the territory was really big, too big to explore thoroughly. If so, this pack must be large and powerful. Bindu took an unconscious step away from the land's border.

Behind Skye, the horse began to make strange noises. Bindu was a little afraid, so she took another step aft. Skye reprimanded the glorious beast, whose cries subsided. Were horses dangerous, the teen wondered, her eyes flicking between stranger and horse with unease. "My name is Bindu Ep-epals, from the desert," she peeped quietly, feeling dread when she caught sight of the horse's powerful hooves.

Skye Collins · 01-05-2011, 07:41 PM

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ooc: yay! how is everyone at VA? and how are you? it's great to see you again, psych :3

Judging from the wolfdog's cautious stance and the way she had tiptoed in and out of Cercatori d'Arte's borders cautiously said that she may have been victim of a hostile pack before. Surely not - Inferni?! Skye had remembered her encounter at the coyote clan, remember the horror of seeing those skulls spiked up on sticks around the border. She remembered takling with the jackal, Sepirah Lykoi, as if she was in a daze, still stunned by the so obvious show of violence. If this wolfdog, not knowing of the packs, as Skye hadn't, accidentally wandered too close to or even in Inferni, the results would have no doubt been bad. She wondered if she had; that would explain the skittishness. Skye tried to make her stance less threatening, if it had been threatening to begin with. She doubted it - Skye was a more relaxed leader than some.

So, the wolfdog's name was Bindu Epals! "Nice to meet you, Miss Epals," she said curteously; being a leader didn't give her the right to be rude, she thought. She then noticed the girl eying Jack half-curiously, half-scared, as if he was going to charge her down and run her over. Skye couldn't help but think back to when he had almost run down Conor Soul - the leader of Dahlia de Mai! She could have spanked the silly horse there and then, but she didn't think it would do much good.

"Don't worry," she assured the girl. "Jack is really a softie." She began to walk back into the flower field, the wonderfully soft flowers seeming to pillow her feet. Jack was munching them yet again. She looked back to the girl that had seemed so skittish and decided to soothe her nerves even more; "You can come in, if you'd like."

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Bindu Epals · 01-09-2011, 09:38 PM

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Chirp C:

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"Nice to meet you, Miss Epals," Skye said brightly. Bindu replied with a half-smile, but said nothing.

The white wolf tried to sooth Bindu's tense nerves, telling her not to worry about the horse. But as she peered around Skye's figure, the girl was not relieved. Jack was calming down, and was chewing a mouthful of flowers nonchalantly; his powerful hooves were hidden by a carpet of red, blue, yellow. Horses were not like wolves. They did not use the high speech, and they did not howl. Because she did not understand the way horses worked, she only saw Jack as a unpredictable monster with iron feet. Just because the beast was calm didn't mean that it wasn't dangerous.

Skye strolled back towards the flower field, casually inviting Bindu to come into the territory over her shoulder. There was nothing that she would have liked more than to walk among the blooms and take in the beauty, but the wolfdog was hesitant. Could this be a trap- were there wolves waiting in the bushes to rip her skull off and impale it on a stick? Her dark gaze fixed on Skye. The white wolf was standing in the meadow, and her fur was glowing in the strong sunlight. Bindu took a step into D'Arte territory, and out of the forest's shadows. Skye was not a bad wolf.

Her steps got brisker as she drew nearer the flowers, but right at the edge of the meadow she paused. Before her stretched a rainbow that swayed in the wind. A scent hit her speckled nose, so strong and beautiful that she opened her mouth and breathed it in, too. Overwhelmed, Bindu walked into the blooms. She was very careful not to let any of her four paws crush a stem or maul a single petal; this winter paradise was increasing in value with every breath taken, every color dotted on the face of the meadow that stretched and stretched.

Skye Collins · 01-16-2011, 08:01 PM

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sorry for the delay! D: -smacks self- wc: 305

Skye saw that Bindu Epals hesitated a bit, seemingly suspicious - she decided that she had come across a harsh pack. Perhaps Inferni. But then the girl forgot her doubts, it seemed, and stepped into the meadow. She was careful not to crush any of the stems, and Skye was grateful - she had been trying to do the same, but she thought the purpose was sort of defeated, what with Jack munching away on the beautiful flowers. She looked over at him and rolled her eyes. "Jack, don't be ridiculous - don't eat those beautiful things," she said. Jack looked up at her with large, mournful eyes, and she sighed. He looked over at Bindu and tossed his head a few times - it seemed to be a greeting.

With Jack, he either liked someone or didn't like someone. He was never, ever indifferent - he had disliked Conor, and initially Skye - he had liked Liliana and, it seemed, the wolfdog that was on the Cercatori d'Arte lands. She grinned at Bindu, but she knew that the girl was wary of Jack and perhaps a bit scared, so she didn't push the subject.

"So you come from the desert?" she asked, showing interest in the girl she'd never seen before. "That's interesting; I didn't know there were any deserts around here." From what she read, deserts were large and sandy areas that had lots of sun and not a lot of rain. They were filled with spiny plants called cacti, and had lots of lizards and snakes and things like that - Skye would have hated to live in one. No place to grow plants, no books, and hotness all the time! But perhaps Bindu had liked it - then again, maybe she hadn't, and that was why she left for Souls.

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Bindu Epals · 01-17-2011, 11:34 PM

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No smacking self! D< you are fine.

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She was lost in the loveliness of the meadow. The fragrance, the colors, the pretty wolfess standing somewhere nearby, the relaxation, the blue sky; it turned the teen's brain into a cluster of butterflies ... Scattered all over the place. Flowers were rare in the desert, but in the valley she'd seen a few before they died in the cold. Nothing like this. The shy girl had an urge to shift into her two-leg form and pick as many blooms as she could carry, like talismans against winter's cold and bleakness. As Bindu examined a bright yellow flower, an alarming thought crossed her mind. She'd forgotten what beauty was.

The young wolfdog heard Skye scold her horse, her voice a ringing bell over the meadow. Her head turned to watch the horse; the gray beast shook its head at her. Her form flinched away in response, a tiny brown dot among the flowers. The thought of beauty slipped away, replaced by fear of Jack. Deep pools of black turned to the cream-coated wolfess, who offered a grin. Wasn't she afraid, Bindu thought, of the powerful creature parked only a few meters away? Of the hooves that could crush and maim? Skye must be fearless to try and tame it- fearless, or insane.

"So you come from the desert?" the lady asked politely. It took Bindu a few seconds to realize that she was being addressed, not the horse. Her head nodded; the red bandana crinkled underneath her chin. "That's interesting; I didn't know there were any deserts around here." A firm shake of the head, eyes blinking in painful remembrance. "There aren't. I traveled here." The teen frowned, her eyes clouding over a little. "Took a while," she grunted. Yes, the journey had taken a while and cost a heavy price. Bindu did not go into further detail.

For a moment the girl felt silly, as if her head was split open and exposed to the world. She piped up, "Do you know what these flowers are called? I'm not very familiar with them ..." As in most cases, the wolfdog's curiosity grew the more she thought about the flowers, her mind seeking a diversion. Skye might not know the names of the blooms if she'd just found the meadow today, but maybe they were common in this area.

Skye Collins · 01-20-2011, 03:27 PM

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-does not smack self- Big Grin wc: 317

So Bindu had traveled here - all the way from a desert! The girl frowned a bit, and Skye deducted that maybe it had been hard for the girl to journey that far, and bringing it up brought bad memories. Skye wished a little bit that she hadn't said that, and watched as wide eyes turned back to Jack. She could tell why she was afraid of him - even if it weren't for his boisterous streak, he was a powerful creature, strong and capable of damage. He was beautiful, too, with his white and gray pelt adorned by many black spots on his body. If she hadn't seen a horse before, she'd be terrified - he had been well-trained by Liliana, though, and even though he let Skye fall sometimes and didn't slow down when he was supposed to, he never harmed her.

"I got him from Liliana of AniWaya," she explained, her hand on Jack's neck, "in exchange for reading lessons. She trained him well, and he doesn't hurt anyone. I'm trying to learn to ride him, though, so I can visit my parents in the Halcyon mountains of the north." It was too far to walk, in any case, and Skye would surely be gone for days if she tried to go the far distance on only her feet. Her attention was brought to the flowers, though, and Skye frowned as she looked at them, trying to remember.

"Uh... well... I'm think they're... maybe... um... let's see, they look like... uh... well, they're pretty," she said, shrugging and grinning at the girl once more. She'd find out what they were called later - maybe Sky would know, or perhaps Valinta. "I'll be see if the library has any books on them," she said, bending down to look at the flowers eye to eye. It was true - books had many illustrations, even if some grangerized them for it.

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Bindu Epals · 01-27-2011, 09:06 PM

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AniWaya? The young woman paused and stared up at Skye, remembering something that Jefferson told her; he'd said that the AniWaya was a peaceful pack, and was allied with Phoenix Valley. If there were any more doubts in her mind of d'Arte's benevolence, they vanished with Skye's words. If the cream wolfess was on good terms with a member from AniWaya, then she and her pack were not a threat at all.

At mention of the mountains, Bindu stiffened. During her journey, she had been forced to trek through the mountains to avoid the laughing skull-sticks of Inferni, and it had not been pleasant. The terrain was rough, unstable, and the sun was too bright, although the teen couldn't remember much more than that. She couldn't understand why Skye would want to go there, even for her parents. Regardless, Bindu's high opinion of the pretty lady didn't waver- she'd learned by now that some wolves' ideas were much different than her's.

Bindu couldn't help but smile as her new friend tried to identify the flowers; she was just about to tell her to forget about it when the lady mentioned books -and a library. Skye mentioned before that she could read, but the wolfdog was just starting to realize how impressive the skill was. Her big dark eyes remained on the cream wolf's form as she bent down to examine some flowers. Bindu had never been able to read. She was too stupid. One glance at the miniscule black squiggles made her squirm; that Skye could decipher the characters was amazing.

"Are there really books on flowers?" she asked shyly. The humans destroyed themselves and their land, so it seemed unlikely that they would have written books about pretty things like flowers. As far as Bindu was concerned, the humans hadn't cared at all about the natural world.

Skye Collins · 01-30-2011, 10:01 AM

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wc: 419

The flowers smelled sweet, like honey. She breathed in the scent of the flowers deep, but grew slightly light-headed from the delectable scent. Standing up, she shook petals out of her hair and turned back to the wolf-dog girl, who was now asking if there were really books on flowers.

"Oh, yes!" she exclaimed. She was glad that the girl had brought up books - books were Skye's favorite thing to speak about, as they held immeasurable and massive amounts of knowledge in their relatively small sizes. "There are books on flowers, and on horses, and on wolves, too!" She had been to the Halifax library and stumbled upon a book on wolves - their eating habits, their tendency to live in packs or clans, their hierarchy. Most of it was very accurate, but Skye imagined that, having turned into Luperci and leaving generations to fill in the gaps of intelligence that they could more than fill, they had grown smarter than the book described them as being.

She wondered if this girl could read - if not, she could teach her, but only if she showed an interest in it. Skye was happy to teach any and all to read, but if they didn't want to, she had no business forcing them to. Being in Cercatori d'Arte had opened her eyes to the different types of art that were out there - crafting and singing and painting and dancing. So many different styles of doing them - immeasurable possibilities, all packed into a single place, a single family. Tearing her mind away from her pack, she took out from her backpack the handmade notebook that Bangle had given her. With it, tucked in the binding, was an old and stubby pencil Skye had created by finding a soft rock and encasing the lower half, the half Skye would hold, in a rolled-up leaf so that she didn't get her hands smudged by the rock.

She flipped open a page of the book and sketched the flower very lightly, adding underneath it "Mysterious Flower". She looked up to Bindu. "My friend, Bangle, gave me this book. He made it himself," she said, proud of her friend. "I like to write in it sometimes; it's very useful for when things like this come along, so I can remember things!" Not that Skye would be able to forget the flower fields if she tried, but she liked to write things down just so she could remember each detail.

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Bindu Epals · 01-30-2011, 05:22 PM

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Woop! I think this is my fastest reply in months, haha.

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Although she didn't mean to, the girl crept forward as Skye started to talk about books, as if the words were physically pulling her tiny form closer and closer. If the humans cared enough to write about wolves, what about dogs? Were there books about dogs, too? And forests, and deserts? Bindu's dark eyes shone, hungry with curiosity, though beneath it she was feeling a little confused. Human things were dangerous, her mother had always said, and yet the teen was deeply intrigued.

White paws parted the blooms gently, careful not to harm any of them; heaven forbid she leave any trace here, in this beautiful place, of her clumsiness and stupidity. About a foot away from the ginger-headed lady Bindu paused. She did not hide her gaze, which devoured Skye's every move; the white wolf drew a block of white paper and a strange black stick from her backpack. The calico teen was thoroughly perplexed. Books were supposed to have lines and lines of tiny black squiggles -this book was blank. I must be stupid, the teen thought in frustration, and squinted a little harder at the white paper over Skye's shoulder. She must not be looking carefully enough. All books had words in them.

Skye's fingers made swirling marks on the paper with the stick, thin charcoal lines that twirled like magic. Bindu gasped in awe as her friend finished her work. There, standing out against a white sky was a blooming flower. Some characters were scribbled near it, but they were unrecognizable. As she stared at the drawing, the girl listened to Skye talk and understood what the strange blank book was for; for writing in.

Bindu hated her optime body, the fingers and toes and bent limbs. But only a wolf with hands could write and draw, spinning a stick of charcoal across white pages like ivory. And though she hated it, daughter of the desert admitted to herself that two-legs alone could do something this beautiful.

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