a kiss for sleeping beauty

Krystalle Horzana · 03-05-2011, 09:59 PM

[html]

Date: 05MAR2011

Setting: Dans l'Obscurite→Beast's Grin Penninsula

Time: Late afternoon

Character Form: Optime

3+ Rank thread #1. Private for Faryn.

She'd found herself a comfortable place to relax and write, using the Beast's Grin Penninsula as her escape from Cercatori d'Arte in that moment. True, she didn't really need to escape; the pack had been nothing but kind to her, she simply liked to work without distraction. So she'd left, finding her place in the area southwest of her new home. Sharpened charcoal in hand, she opened the pages of her book, searching for where she'd left off. The story was one her father had told over and over in her youth, about a Luperci princess doomed to sleep until the day her true love found her. Fantasy had always left the Latina's mind in a whirl, with the giant lizards who had firey breath and large stone structures that touched the sky with flags.

The author knew that her story was one seen before; she'd found a copy of Sleeping Beauty in the ruins of a library near where Nakzhi had been formed, but it was more pleasing to write about a Luperci who underwent such adventures. After all, it was what she was, and what others around her were. If the humans wrote about humans, why shouldn't the Luperci write about Luperci? Krystalle smiled as she started on the next line of text. And the prince, upon finding the strange castle atop the highest mountain peak, donned his helmet and drew his sword.

She heaved a sigh, listening to the sounds of the charcoal against the paper. There wasn't much sunlight left for her to write by, but she would make due. She needed to, in order to offer something to the pack. Though she hadn't met children, she was sure someone would have their own eventually; even she wasn't lost to the allure of motherhood, though it was a fantasy unto itself. Mars Russo was the only option at that moment, and Mars...well, Mars wouldn't be interested, even if Bartholomew was. The Latin mutt shook her head, grimacing slightly. "What happens next?" she asked the air, tapping a finger against the binding of the book.

[/html]

Faryn Tahra · 03-05-2011, 11:40 PM

[html] Yay threads X3

Another day had nearly passed since her arrival in these lands, yet she had scarcely met anyone. Of course, she hadn't readily sought company, those she had met had found her. The emaciated female had yet to really build up the courage to risk calling at the borders of a pack to introduce herself. Her insecurities always overpowered her desires and she would just press on, wandering with naught but her little leather bag hanging on her shoulder. She'd managed to last the whole day on only one dose of the drug so far, though even she knew it could be only minutes before her body begged for another injection of the addicting substance. Oh how she wanted to just cast the bag into a pit, never to be found again, but...that would not be wise. As she trudged along, the memory of her cruel master's dead body flashed through her mind, leading her to flatten her ears and shake her head in attempt to shake the thoughts away. She still didn't know for sure how he had died, only that it had something to do with this substance in her bag. Had he gone too long without it? Had he injected himself with too much? She didn't know, and she was afraid of either situation happening to her.

Sapphire eyes flashed around, hoping to find something to divert her attention, something else to think about. Just at that moment, she broke out onto a peninsula and she saw something, or rather someone. A luperci female, of mixed descent according to her untrained eyes, holding what looked to be a book in her hand. Faryn had never been taught to read, but even as uneducated as she was she knew that books were good things, full of information just waiting to be discovered. Oh how she would love to read! Her brief day dream ended, and despite her reservations at social contact, Faryn managed to force herself to walk down the peninsula towards the woman. Her hair blew in the chilly breeze, sending her bangs in front of her right eye. She brushed her hair back into place with her hand and continued to walk forward, until she felt she was close enough to greet the stranger.

"H-Hello! Sorry to...interrupt you, but I saw you had a book in your hand. I'm curious....wh-what are you reading?" Her musical voice squeaked with her nervousness, which showed itself on her form like a blinking light. Her ears were flat, and her feathery tail was pressed against her locked legs. She was consciously trying to appear comfortable, but the delicate girl just couldn't calm her nerves. Faryn barely even realized she had yet to introduce herself, a very important thing when starting a conversation with a stranger. "O-Oh, my name's Faryn Tahra...by the way," the wolfdog stuttered, a nervous smile crawling across her lips.

[/html]

Krystalle Horzana · 03-06-2011, 11:43 AM

[html]

It seemed she wasn't as alone as she had first expected, and the sudden speech of a strange female nearly caused the mutt to drop the charcoal in her hand. Her pink eyes panned up, searching for a face to the voice that had interrupted her; there sat a golden fae, ears flat and tail pressed to her legs. Krystalle raised one expressive eyebrow. "I'm not reading, mija, I'm writing," she explained, offering a gentle smile that indicated she wasn't averse to the company. The introduction of the nervous girl left the Horzana woman scrambling for her own name for just a moment. Faryn Tahra stuttered out the words, and brought a laugh to the maw of the Latina. "Krystalle Horzana. Relax, chica! You seem all wound up!"

Carefully, she continued to add words to the piece, detailing how the Luperci prince started his ascent to the castle, only to be confronted by the giant dragon who guarded it. She didn't want to appear as though the stranger had caused any upset in her schedule, since she hadn't. Her sympathy for the anxious wolfdog left her wondering how to calm the poor girl. Making things seem normal appeared to be the best course of action. After all, she knew normal action left her in a more relaxed state of being; there was no reason to add more stress to the already stressed body of the young female.

[/html]

Faryn Tahra · 03-07-2011, 12:47 AM

[html]

The woman's pink hued eyes captivated Faryn's attention for a moment, such that she barely heard the clarification that the female was writing not reading. The blonde furred girl had never seen such a pretty eye color before, though she did look away for a moment to brake what she thought was an obvious stare. The woman's own name drifted to her ears and she made a point to remember it. Her tense posture also relaxed slightly at Krystalle's encouragement. It was never her intention to appear nervous and anxious, but lately it always seemed to be the result, no matter what she intended. "V-very nice to meet you, Krystalle. I'm sorry for the way I'm acting. I'm just not very good at meeting new people...I guess," she replied, hoping that admitting her problem, or at least part of it, would help her calm down. Getting things off of one's chest usually helped calm them, right?

Fortunately for Faryn she seemed to be right in that regard as her feathery furred tail resumed a more natural state behind her and her ears slowly perked up. Out of curiosity the younger girl slowly and carefully closed the distance between herself and the other woman who had resumed her writing. "Not to interrupt again, but...what are you writing about?" her timid voice sounded almost child-like in the innocent curiosity of its tone. The art of recording words on pages, or even the ability to read words fascinated the Tahra girl. Krystalle seemed to enjoy it as well, judging by her enthusiastic pursuit of her writing. It had been a long time since Faryn had bravely asked about something, for up until a short while ago the wrong question would have been answered by the back of a hand against her face or worse depending upon her master's mood. The fear of repercussion would linger for a long time in the fragile girl, but at this moment it had been pushed aside by her curiosity. Perhaps, the lack of opportunities to learn in her early childhood left the adolescent with a greater than average thirst for knowledge. She certainly had no idea, but it was doubtless a helpful thing for her. Her newfound freedom would give her the chance to live and grow into the person she was supposed to be, who she really was deep underneath the shattered fragments of her personality. Only time would begin to tell if she could repair herself on her own or if her drug dependent, abused soul would need the help of others.

[/html]

Krystalle Horzana · 03-07-2011, 10:17 PM

[html]

After a bout of staring, the blonde wolfdog seemed to relax physical, though she continued to stutter. The Latin mutt listened as she explained. She simply wasn't good at meeting new people. It was understandable; Krystalle had always been a social butterfly, but she knew others who couldn't interact with strangers. Her sister, Miela, was one of them. Instead of speaking to strangers, she would get sick. At least the younger Faryn hadn't fallen ill just yet. Of course, there was always time.

The Californian Sepherd-mix continued to jot down words about the slaying of the ferocious dragon and the Prince's ascent into the cursed castle as the young girl started to approach, closing the distance between them. A smile erupted over the creamy muzzle of the author as she asked what she was writing about. It was the perfect person to pitch the story to, being someone who seemed so close to puppyhood herself. She cleared her throat, blowing some remaining charcoal from the page as she geared up to explain.

"It's something my father used to tell us when me and my sisters were little. Miela loved it," she started, tucking her bangs back. "It's about this beautiful princess who's cursed at birth by a wicked fairy. The king and queen send her away to live with a trio of guardian fairies with the hopes that it will keep her safe. When she reaches adulthood, she returns to her home at the castle, only to fulfill the evil fairy's prophecy. She pricks her finger on a spindle, like to make fabric? The spindle makes her fall into a deep sleep until a prince comes to give her a kiss and wake her up." It was a long story, but she knew others might enjoy it. Her fingers, stained a grey from her writing utensil, twirled the length of charcoal about before settling down to write more.

[/html]

Faryn Tahra · 03-08-2011, 10:03 PM

[html]

The smile on Krystalle's lips at her question made Faryn's tail swish back and forth for a moment, glad that she had asked a good question. Having had so much experience with her questions being met with anger, positive reactions were exceptionally exciting to the young girl. As the older female started explaining the story, Faryn absentmindedly crouched beside her, her imagination picturing the characters in the story, despite the fact that Krystalle was only giving a brief summary. Her youthful curiosity was absolutely absorbed in the story. Perhaps having been deprived of a real childhood made the discovery of such things as fairy tales more enjoyable for her. Krystalle was lucky to have had a parent that would tell her stories, not one who beat her and blamed her for her mother's death.

The memory of her father brought an air of sadness to her visage as Faryn went from crouching to completely sitting on the ground beside the Horzana woman, her ears drooping. "My dad wasn't one for storytelling. He didn't like me much," she replied, not really wanting to delve into the whole experience but at the same time thinking that talking about it might help. Her abusive, drunkard of a father had been a large factor influencing her present state of being, the other large factor being the cruel male who he sold her to. It was wonderful now that she had escaped, for now she would have the opportunity to heal and grow into the woman she was meant to be. Only time would tell. For now she was content to admire Krystalle's writing. Though she could not decipher the symbols, the whole process of writing the story fascinated her. "I'll have to learn to read so I can read your story when it's done.," she mused quietly so as to not interrupt Krystalle.

[/html]

Krystalle Horzana · 03-09-2011, 07:54 PM

[html]

The young female left Krystalle in a state of comfort as she settled down to listen. She seem so enamored by the brief explanation, and it warmed the heart of the Latin woman to think there were fairytale girls in her new home, just as there had been in Nakzhi. Anchjo had loved to tell stories to his Children; Krystalle remembered in great detail that he'd always started one of their sessions with words about some princess or another. He was the reason she loved the world of fantasy as much as she did, and the only reason she could write or read.

She could tell with Faryn turned to sorrow and it concerned her; the reason behind the sadness was made clear, and the Latina sympathized. Her own father hadn't been a real father, even if she saw him as a good one. Anchjo was more concerned with Nakzhi as a whole, rather than the individual children within it. Of course, she hadn't experienced what Faryn had. Her father had still been a father, had still told her stories and gave her gentle kisses. She could never have said he didn't like her much, he just didn't love her. A faint cloud of sorrow faded over her pink eyes, but disappeared as quickly as it occurred.

The musings of the golden girl lit up the mutt like Christmas morning. She wanted to learn how to read. "Oh, mija, I could teach you! I love to read, I read lots of things. Everything. All the time. Love to read. You should let me teach you, it'd be marvelous. I promise." Her excitement bubbled over in her words, each syllable taking on a richer Spanish tone. Her tongue rolled at the 'r's and tripped over the sentences in a rapid fire fashion. Once it was done, a tinge of embarrassment colored her face. It seemed a little ridiculous.

[/html]

Faryn Tahra · 03-10-2011, 12:00 AM

[html]

The memory of her father lingered in her mind even as she watched Krystalle write, though the blonde haired girl her best not to let it dampen her mood too much. She was enjoying this particular social experience. Krystalle was content to write, and she could sit and watch. They had exchanged words periodically, but for the most part the experience was educating Faryn in proper, pleasant social behavior at an easy pace.

When Faryn mentioned learning to read, she had not thought it would produce such an excited reaction from Krystalle. Frankly, the delicate girl was startled by the flood of enthusiasm pouring from the writer's mouth. She wanted to teach her? The Tahra girl was unsure of how to respond. No one had ever offered to teach her anything. "R-really? Y-you'd teach me?," she stammered in disbelief, still not sure if she had fully understood Krystalle's excited chatter. A few moments passed with Faryn sitting there, brow furrowed and her cautious brain running the scenario over and over in her mind. Reading could be a useful thing to learn. She would not only be able to read Krystalle's story, but other books too, in time. Books had all sorts of information in them, didn't they? That meant she'd be able to learn even more new things. The more and more the wolfdog thought about it, the more she liked the idea. Learning to read would be even better with such a nice person as Krystalle as her teacher. Of course, she barely knew the Horzana woman, but she seemed like a genuinely nice person. "Sure, Krystalle. I think I'd like that," it would take a long time, no doubt, but Faryn had lots of time. Of course, the excitement of the moment had left her forgetting part of the reason she had come to this area, and her drug addiction that held her captive. But fate seemed content to let Faryn be excited for a change, not anxious and fearful like she normally was.

[/html]

Krystalle Horzana · 03-10-2011, 04:03 PM

[html]

Her outburst clearly startled the poor girl, and Krystalle felt bad for the briefest moment, until she stammered out a response. The Horzana woman gave several sharp nods, smiling brightly; if the girl wanted to learn, she was more than willing to help her. Reading was a gateway to the rest of the world, to new knowledge and to new capabilities. She was honored with the chance to help another with the process of learning.

Faryn agreed, and it brightened the already sky-high spirits of the Latin mutt. "Wonderful! Si, si, this is wonderful. Reading can start lots of things! It's how I learned to speak Spanish, reading," she explained. If she'd had a tail, it would have wagged around at a mile a minute. Her mind moved to what she'd need to help the girl learn, and her fingers shoved the ersatz book back into the makeshift bag she had slung over her shoulder. They brought out blank paper. "We should start right away, I can teach you letters and things!" Her charcoal scratched out capitalized letters from A to L, fingers staining a darker ash color.

"This is the alphabet. It makes up all of the words you'll need to learn; once you know this, everything is possible." She gave the younger female a friendly wink, finishing the letters. Her Z ended with a slight flourish, and she crossed the middle line with a horizontal cross-line. As soon as the omega of the American alphabet was placed on the paper, she started to pen down small words; Ant, Bear, Cat, Dog. Monosyllabic for teaching purposes.

[/html]

Faryn Tahra · 03-13-2011, 10:34 PM

[html]Sorry for the delay

Happiness had taken up very little of Faryn's life so far. In fact, it was likely the rarity of the emotion that made the blonde girl bubble over with it so easily. Reading, a common ability to some, made her want to jump for joy. She hadn't even started to learn it yet and the adolescent was already giddy. This was the real Faryn, what she was supposed to be like...what she was underneath the broken, drug addicted, abused girl. By offering to teach her to read, Krystalle had swept away that part of the Tahra girl for the time being. The anxiety and fear would no doubt return in the coming days, for her recovery and rehabilitation had yet to even really begin, but one might call this the real start for Faryn. From this point onward, her life would get better. The Horzana woman likely had no idea that she had started the ball rolling for the delicate wolfdog, simply by offering to teach her to read.

Her first lesson was about to start in only a moment, Faryn could hardly contain herself, her sapphire gaze fixed on the 26 symbols Krystalle had just written. She had called them the alphabet, the letters that made up all the words she would be learning to read. Right now, this alphabet was just a collection of symbols, but they would soon be much more. She would learn their sounds, and in no time, simple words would be easily recognizable. At least, Faryn hoped that what Krystalle was writing next were words. They were collections of letters, similar to those in the book Krystalle was writing. Yes, those had to be words. For the first time in a long while, a bright, gleeful smile formed on Faryn's face, where it would likely linger for quite some time as the Horzana woman tutored her newest pupil in the skill of reading.

[/html]

Krystalle Horzana · 03-15-2011, 08:46 PM

[html]

Sorry for the wait! We can wrap up soon if you want, and you can assume Krystalle's gone to teach her more in subsequent days.

She went over each letter carefully, allowing time to slip by as she focused on the knowledge of the golden creature beside her. The girl seemed to enjoy the prospect of learning; it was as if a whole new Faryn had taken over the body of the pup. Krystalle smiled, glad to see a change in what had not long before been a sad female. Her fingers pointed at each letter, speaking it and then speaking the word carefully. She tried to explain syllables and sounding things out, hoping to make sense to her pupil. Learning how to read was a complex and difficult process, especially the English language. She knew first hand the differences in learning English compared to another language; in Spanish, things were streamlined and easy to decipher. There was no rhyme or reason to what she taught at that moment.

As the sun started to dip down below the horizon, the Horzana woman realized that she'd lost track of the day itself. A small laugh filtered from her lips. "Well, mija, I think it's time to bring this lesson to a close. At least for today, ch'know?" Soon it would be too dark to see the paper, and reading was impossible without necessary light provided. She tucked things away in her makeshift bag, glancing about the region with thoughtful pink eyes. Suddenly, she wondered about the Tahra girl. Did she have a warm home to return to, like Krystalle did? The Latin glanced back at her younger pupil. "Do you have a place to be going?" she asked, her concern mirrored in her tone.

Login




Remember me Lost Password?