the only down time is in death
#1
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Kinda boring bleh post, like Kesho's day! Lol. But I got it up! <3 SSWM: 560


Kesho was, for once, treading the length of the borders, if only for posterity's sake. It wasn't necessarily his job, but he felt compelled to do it, as one of the few that might care to do so, Kaena and Gabriel aside. The man was proud to be named one of the warriors who was capable of defending Inferni, even if his rank made him feel somewhat under-appreciated. He accepted it, though, knowing that it would take several more months of loyalty before he would prove himself worthy of any rank carrying more responsibility.


Dark red eyes scanned the tree line as he carefully surveyed the land on this sunny, cool, and breezy morning. It was a quiet day, and Kesho's nose greeted the scents of several small mammals, and the possibly old scent of a deer, but otherwise nothing interesting. Had he been hungry, he might have sought their presence and hunted them down, but as of now he was not.


The older man was a bit glad to have a somewhat slow day; nothing terribly interesting had happened, and it probably wouldn't. Though he did not crave either excitement or idleness, both were welcome occasionally.


The Hastati's right hind flank had been bothering him a bit today; the wound was still healing over where that bitch of a white wolf had managed to flay him with her knife. He wished he had been able to find the thing, steal her weapon and later use it against her. What cruel, delicious justice that would have been, but he had not had enough time.


Kesho exhaled heavily, his warm breath forming before him in a creepy mist, the light pouring through the sparse trees in handsome streaks around him. It was a nice day for a healthy walk, he thought, and continued along at a steady jaunt, hoping to exercise his aching limbs. It was the small things that kept his muscles in check; any activity was better than being stagnant. He simply hated laziness, inaction. It was almost as bad as ignorance.


He found himself beside a small stream, and took the opportunity to break for a quick drink. The water was near freezing, and some bits of frost were still formed around the plant life nearby, small droplets of water suspended in place from the night's cold. A bird soared overhead and Kesho's attention quickly turned; he would not be caught off guard, even by an avian. He smirked as the small beast flew away, off into the day, probably starting its own monotonous chore.


A breeze whistled through the trees and Kesho suddenly wished he'd chosen his Optime form today, if only for the ability to wear that tattered red scarf that Alyssum had given him, if only for that extra warmth it provided his aging--although not nearly frail-- body.


The man settled himself contentedly beside the stream now, simply waiting, hoping for someone to come by. Maybe even someone he didn't yet now. That might turn this strangely slow day around, even if it was a simple encounter. There were still a good number of coyotes--And filthy hybrids! snarled that other voice inside of his head-- he'd yet to meet, and the opportunity to do so would never be turned down.


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#2
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WC:603 (5pts)


OOC: Lol it's fine, an awesome post....oh and that's what she said your got it up comment Tongue WC:603


It had been several days since he had met Aly as he liked to call her, and yet he still felt somewhat the same as he had before he had met her. Aly had shown him a large part of Inferni the day he had met her, taken him all around and introducing him to the various landmarks that everyone had come to know to mark each area of Inferni, but of course there was no way he could have remembered everything she had showed and told him. It was that very thought that made up his mind for the fact that he was going to do a bit of exploring himself, though he was still in his shy hide from others phase.


That didn't stop his raging curiosity, however, and he decided to take the risk of running into somebody else. There were so many places in this pack's territory, places full of interest to the young jackal, and he hoped that he would have a chance to visit and learn about them all one day. It was that reason that he had left his family and his old territory behind, to satisfy his burning curiosity and need to explore that which he had no knowledge about, to learn as much as he could about them. It was this burning need, along with the possibility of the risk of getting found by somebody, that had pushed him from his car den this morning. The risk of getting found out was something he didn't really understand, but it made him excited. He wanted to see how long he could keep this "invisibility" up, how well he could slip in among the members of Inferni without anyone noticing he was even there. Who knows? Maybe he could find a job for the pack where he could do this as well, but for other packs, if there was any.


He would make a mental note to ask somebody about that the next time he saw them. Little did he know that his first opportunity to practice what he would come to know as Scouting would be presented to him so soon. His large ears picked up the sound of a stream and he was informed of how thirsty he was, heading straight for it. It was lucky, perhaps, that he had decided to stay in Lupus form today, as it would have made it nearly impossible for the stranger not to see him, but it looked like luck might be on his side today as his eyes fell upon the older looking coyote male, jumping back into the bushes with adrenaline heightened speed, though he wasn't sure if the older coyote saw him or not. He carefully crouched down low in the bushes, stealthing up to the coyote with the grace and skill at stealth of a pup, having had no real formal training in the art, besides his practice of hunting of course. Of course he didn't realize he was making too much noise in the bushes to be much of a stealthy jackal, and he didn't notice the roots spread out in front of him, just waiting for him to take a wrong step. It was with a groan of course that his paw stuck in a large root of a tree and he tripped, rolling to land right in front of the coyote with his hind legs ending up on his head.


"Uh...hi..I'm Revan. Sorry about that I was practicing trying to sneak..." He smiled embarrassedly. If he could blush, his fur would have turned bright red at that moment.




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#3
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SSWM: 553


Kesho was enjoying the silence, being alone, and this nice, quick drink he'd found. The water here was so clean, crisp, wonderful. He took long, thirsty gulps of it, large ears twitching in the breeze, keeping himself alert. Of course, it wasn't long before he heard something. At first, though, it was of little concern. Just some shuffling in the brush nearby; probably just a rabbit. Kesho had paused in drinking, but now returned to it, as heartily as ever, dark red eyes stared back at him in the water below him, his body frozen in place to refrain from making any other noise. He could not help but keep hearing that rustling...


Suddenly it was closer, and the old man whipped around, facing the bushes that had just been behind him moments ago. His hackles were barely raised, a simple alert. Crimson eyes stared unblinkingly around the landscape, unable to calm his mind until the source of the noise was discovered. Whoever it was was making quite the racket, seemingly attempting to sneak up on him. Hah. They'd need to try better than that. Though Kesho's ears were not anything special, he had managed to train his brain to attend to his surroundings even whilst focusing on other matters. A skill, indeed.


Before Kesho's eyes, just as suddenly and carelessly as every other movement had been, a dark jackal-looking beast tumbled headlong out of the bushes, coming to a skidding halt just before the old Hastati. The stranger's head was on the ground, his legs above it. Kesho's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance and confusion. I hope this isn't what our clan is becoming... he thought hopefully. The older man stepped back several feet to allow the man to gather his composure, if there was any left. The stranger's scent was vaguely Infernian, and so Kesho did not become immediately hostile, instead voicing a reply to the feeble explanation the jackal beast was trying to give.


"Uh...hi..I'm Revan. Sorry about that I was practicing trying to sneak..." the ebony jackal said, attempting to excuse himself for his embarrassing mistake.


Kesho nodded slowly, awkwardly, as he leaned his weight away from the man, sitting back on his haunches.


"I see." he said, and then paused, sizing up the man for a brief moment. "Well, I think you have some work to do, Revan." he stated simply, his voice gruff but not entirely unfriendly. "My name is Kesho. Hastati." he said, giving his name and rank, but nothing else. What else did he need, anyways?


Kesho could not help but notice that this guy looked quite a bit like Sepirah, that strange jackal-girl that was already established here. Perhaps they were related? But no, this guy looked nothing like the Lykoi; he did have red markings, but they were nothing like those simple marking that the Lykoi family possessed. His were more intricate, more complex. Kesho stared at the man's strange face for a moment, then glanced vaguely over Revan's young, malleable body. He could work, if he gets his act together, Kesho thought; Revan would be a good candidate for Inferni's army. The old man enjoyed the mingling of jackal blood with coyote; those canids were swift and fierce; just like he was. Or at least, like he had been, once.


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#4
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WC:395 (3pts)


OOC: Sorry it took so long Sad


Revan instantly noticed the look of disgust on the older one's face. He got back to his feet with surprising speed, smiling sheepishly and looking still very much embarrassed. When the older one, now known as Kesho, introduced himself, Revan tilted his head to the side as a puppy would do, betraying his still very youthful years, or year in his case. "Kesho Hastati? That's an interesting name. I've never heard of the Hastatis, but I have heard of the Lykois. I'm sure you've heard of them as well." He took this moment to look the older coyote over. He was older, that was for certain and easy to tell, but he seemed to have the look of a creature who has seen a lot in his long life. Revan could see scars littered all over the male's skin through his fur, with one particularly nasty one on his hind leg. This coyote was a warrior, there was no doubt about that, but of course he could also just be a very unlucky male, or someone who just picked fights all the time.


So far as Revan could tell though, he just seemed to have that aura about him that told Revan he was a warrior through and through, as if it was ingrained into the coyote's own scent, and for a moment he was struck with awe as he stared at the coyote. It was only when he caught the scent of Inferni on the older male that he realized his mistake and his eyes grew wide as he lowered himself into a bow, ears clamped against his head and tail laying slack, focusing his eyes on his own paws.


He prayed that he hadn't insulted his fellow pack member and elder, mentally slapping himself for forgetting the values his father had taught him and his general naivete. As a punishment to himself, he decided to stay in this position until the elder allowed him to stand up normally. Being in lupus form, this wasn't necessarily uncomfortable, though it was degrading, he knew it was natural instinct for all creatures who lived in packs like he and his ancestors did. The coyote had been right. "I certainly do have a lot of work to do don't I?" He sighed embarrassingly, totally convinced that now this coyote would want nothing to do with him anymore.



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#5
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I like Revan. Big Grin He's funny. Sorry Kesho doesn't yet. Tongue WC: 347


The weirdo righted himself, flipping his body over with impressive speed. Kesho's brow quirked, minorly intrigued, as he studied the jackal from this upright position. Even still, he resembled Sepirah, and Kesho was slightly irked by that; that jackal-woman was not his favorite of people. Revan opened his mouth to speak again, blabbering a bit childishly at the Hastati.


"Kesho Hastati? That's an interesting name. I've never heard of the Hastatis, but I have heard of the Lykois. I'm sure you've heard of them as well." he said, his yellow eyes watching Kesho.


Unable to hide his exasperation, Kesho's eyes rolled and he gave a small sigh. Did he have to explain everything? "No, my family name is not Hastati; that is my rank. My last name is unimportant, you wouldn't know it." he glanced away for a moment before continuing. "And yes. Kaena and I are close." he said, and left it at that. He wouldn't include his personal history with Inferni and Kaena now. It was too soon for all that boring information.


The boy seemed to take notice that Kesho might be higher ranking than him, for he suddenly changed his body position. Now, he acted like a subordinate in a wolf pack might. Immediately, Kesho scoffed, and shook his head. The boy's ears had become suctioned to his head, and his posture was altogether pathetic.


"Stop that." he growled with annoyance. "Submission is weakness. We are not weak." he spoke pridefully, meaning the clan. If the clan were to survive, they needed useful warriors. And useful ones were not weak, in any way.


"I certainly do have a lot of work to do don't I?" said Revan, almost sheepishly.


Of course he had a lot of work to do. After all, he was young and clearly had only a very minimal knowledge of the world. He needed work. Kesho nodded curtly in response, his appearance unyielding, his posture clearly confident. This little jackal would need to prove himself to Inferni, and to Kesho.


"Yes." his tone was firm. He was more than willing to help this kid, but only if he wanted it. "Do you want to learn?" he asked vaguely, glancing briefly to the jackal boy before turning his attention away, to the forest, again.

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#6
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WC:348 (3pts)


OOC:Muse running away again >.> Thank you ^^ Also, this is only their first meeting Big Grin And Kesho is awesome! I can't wait to see where this thread goes :3


Revan could see that the older male looked annoyed, but was it him that caused it? He really wasn't sure what he could be doing to cause Kesho to become annoyed with him, but then he realized it must have been his mistake with Kesho's name. Hastati isn't his name...but his rank? So he was right to show respect, but that was short lived when Kesho's tone suddenly changed to that of aggressive, though it seemed to be more out of annoyance than actual anger.


Almost instantly he was up on his paws again, his ears back to where they were before though slightly slack because he was still convinced that the coyote was about to send him on his way. His eyes locked into the grizzled warrior's for only a moment, looking deep into the soul of the proud coyote who stood before him. "Yes Hastati, I apologize, I was just showing respect to a higher ranking member of my pack."


This coyote was certainly a proud warrior and Revan was glad to have met him. To be honest, he was really surprised that this coyote wasn't a member of the Lykoi family. He would have lived up to the image his father had painted in his mind, the proud warriors, the bloodthirsty killers, the legendary coyotes of Lykoi, all summed up in the image of a creature who wouldn't reveal his true last name to the younger hopeful.


His thoughts were suddenly interrupted at the older warrior's question. All thought stopped, even his heart seemed to stop for a moment, until suddenly it was as if a bomb went off behind Revan's eyes. His orange and yellow eyes lit up like christmas tree lights, his tail wagged so hard it was a blur smacking against each of his flanks, and he began to hop puppylike in excitement, even as he watched the veteran turn to look away from him. "YES! YES! I want to learn! I want to be a warrior like you Hastati!" His younger years showed through quite obviously to the older male.



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#7
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WC: 547


This boy was strange. Kesho thought he might be valuable, but was unsure of how able he was to learn. The only way to find out, though, was to try. And so he would, even if it ended in utter failure. The old coyote recalled trying to teach Izaak, and that had gone unfortunately badly. The kid was too dense to understand, and preferred to move through life doing just what his uncle had told him. With a sigh, Kesho shook these thoughts away; it wasn't good to think dishonorably of the dead.


Crimson eyes were fixed hard on Revan, although Kesho's body stayed in one place. His muscles were rigid, and his posture statuesque. The boy sputtered again.


"Yes Hastati, I apologize, I was just showing respect to a higher ranking member of my pack." Revan said, briefly locking his golden eyes onto Kesho's own red ones.


"You can respect me without grovelling like a pathetic dog." he growled, trying to maintain his composure. After all, he was supposed to help train these younger members, so he supposed he would have to tolerate them, too.


When Kesho asked the boy if he desired knowledge, Revan's demeanor instantly turned childlike once again, excitement clear and spilling from his face. It felt good, at least, to know that someone wanted to take lessons from the grizzled old veteran. Perhaps his eager mind would be worthwhile enough to overcome his age and immaturity. Kesho could only hope.


"YES! YES! I want to learn! I want to be a warrior like you Hastati!" Revan blurted out, unable to contain the rush of emotion he felt.


As crimson eyes watched the young jackal bounce with eager joy, his tail wagging with great fervor, drumming against the boy's flanks, Kesho couldn't help but shake his head. He managed the slightest smirk, little more than bemused at these actions. Once, though, he too had been that disgustingly excited child, waiting and hoping for someone, anyone to share their knowledge with him. At least he's eager, Kesho thought.


The Hastati stood now, turning and walking away from Revan easily.


"Follow." he ordered simply; his pace was not fast.


With a glance back, he waited for the boy to catch up, and lowered himself to the ground, hoping the boy would do the same. "Now, if you want to sneak, you need to be as close to the ground as you can." he said, his own body only inches from the ground. "But you must be able to move your legs." He took several slow, calculated steps forward, his paws making no noise on the frost-bitten ground. "You need to move with the earth," he said, glancing to Revan again, "not against it. If you try to move against it, you will falter." he added, lowering his head to make eye contact with the boy, hoping that he was understanding. "You need to feel the dirt, the snow, the sand between your fingers; you must use it to your advantage." He demonstrated, kneading the slight layer of snow underneath him and then pulling himself forward, once again in slow motion, so that the jackal might repeat him.


Kesho got several feet ahead, silent the whole way, and relaxed his body a bit, now in a more natural standing pose, though his head was still low. "Now, you try." he barked, hopeful to see what the boy was capable of.

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#8
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WC:501(5pts)


OOC: OMG this is so cool :3 Bobbi and Kesho = <3 ^^


Revan watched carefully as the older male's posture suddenly tensed up, hoping he hadn't offended the male again. It appeared he was right as Kesho suddenly growled at him, pointing out the obvious though not quite so for the younger jackal hybrid. "Yes of course, I apologize Hastati, it's just instinct to act this way as a form of respect. How should I show respect without groveling like a pathetic dog?" What was this groveling like a pathetic dog? His father had never told him about any of the dogs in the pack groveling, nor if any of them had acted pathetic, but he guessed it was something that was frowned upon. He did not want to displease the proud coyote before him, so he was eager to know how he could show respect without making himself look pathetic or groveling in his superiors' eyes.


Kesho did seem to lighten up in reaction to his eagerness to learn, which brightened the young one up considerably. Gone were his thoughts that the coyote was going to send him on his way or turn his back on him, particularly when the Hastati stood and ordered him to follow. He did so without hesitation, only taking a few seconds to catch up to the Hastati in his excitement and stopping only to watch carefully and listen to the veteran. He's teaching me how to sneak! Oh the excitement now coursed through Revan and he was unable to control his tail even as he lowered himself to the ground, following the directions he was being given very carefully.


Revan watched the Hastati very carefully, taking in each word as if his own father was teaching him how to survive on his own, eyes widened in his excitement. The entire time Kesho was performing his demonstration, Revan copied him the best he could, though he stayed in his spot, staying low to the ground like Kesho had done, kneading the ground with his paws like Kesho had done, and when Kesho had finished and told him to try, Revan smiled widely, tail smacking his sides again.


Carefully he kept himself low to the ground, watching each step carefully though he didn't realize the mistake he was making by keeping his entire attention focused on his paws. Each step was calculated carefully, Kesho's words repeating in his mind like a tape player stuck on repeat. He made sure to knead the ground before each step, made sure to keep his movements slow, making sure to try and remember each and every thing Kesho had done so he wouldn't screw up in front of the Hastati. His tail still smacked against his sides but that he couldn't help nor notice as he was too busy focusing on his paws and repeating over and over to himself, "Move with the earth, not against it...with the earth, not against it.." Suddenly he bumped into Kesho and backed up a bit, grinning sheepishly at Kesho. "Sorry Hastati, how was that?"



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