A muted sun rising
#1
The town of Yarmouth was a stark, freezing place. The skies were covered in damp, gray cotton and the covered earth held the ice spit from above. Everything was white and cold and muted. The golden jackal had yet to get used to the cold, even through his cloak he was trembling. The trick was to keep moving, to always keep moving; walking warmed the bones, and death was not one to chase. Still, this was a far cry from the bleaching heat of the desert.

Ammet had heard of the place a few times on his way north. He didn’t allow his hopes up, this wasn’t the first time he had come to human ruins and found nothing. There was something more important however, held within the soft wind. It was the promise of a hostile earth, a promised to exploit his sparse fur and his lean frame until his very bones bore frost. Today, the Luperci was looking for shelter.

Even in high noon he was freezing. The sun could barely be seen overhead through the clouds, it was just a muffled blotch of light. He hugged his gray cloak closer, bracing as the wind struck from another angle. If he absolutely had to, he could exploit one of the many buildings around. Each had some minor flaw though, a window was broken, a door was off its hinges, or the place reeked of rats. The apocalypse had not been kind to the once sleepy little town.

From a glance the canine obviously didn’t belong. His clothes were obviously foreign and hung off of his frame like an emaciated scarecrow. His tawny fur stood in stark relief on the whitened asphalt. His left eye bore a strange mark, dyed black around the outline with two stems beneath ; it was an Egyptian mark. He never stopped shivering.
#2
Mabu glanced around the old town, her form warm under her long thick fur. Glancing at the rotting structures, Mabu made her way through the snow softly. She had thought she saw something in the distance, another creature in the area. Deciding to check it out, she entered the once town. As she was silently hoping it wasn't another bear, Mabu spied a decent looking enclosed shed. The door was half off and it looked dusty, unused...but it was sturdy enough, and large enough for six optime luperci. Perfect to get out of the cold and den down for a night or two. Noting she could use it for a shelter out of the snow and wind later, she continued her way through the town.

She had been meaning to explore this town for a while now, her natural curiousity had yet to take hold of her and bring her here. There was so much one could gain from human settlements. She had scavenged many in the Great Plains, usually uncovering something or another for a local tribe. Maybe when she explored the area more thoroughly she'd start looking in the houses.

It wasn't long until she spied a figure ahead of her, huddled beneath a cloak. Walking closer to the figure, her steps soft and sure, she noticed he was cold and obviously not wolf or coyote. Tilting her head, contemplating her best course of action, she decided she could make use of the shelter she had found. Maybe even trade stories with the strange luperci. Stopping a good few ways away from the luperci she cleared her throat. "You look cold stranger, I found a suitable shed to shelter in if your interested." Her voice was soft, trying not to startle him. She had no wish to scare him off when he was obvious cold.
#3
The jackal froze. He didn’t hear a thing, no footfall, no breath, and that scared the hell out of him. It hadn’t been the first time he had been ambushed, many times in Europe a cunning hunter or lucky punk would get the jump on him. Usually he got away, there were times that hurt though. Ammet could hold his own but he was no fighter. This though, was one of the first times he had been ambushed without an attack.

For a moment there was no movement, just the ever constant shudder, the slow snowfall, and the soft billow of his cloak. Time swelled. Ammet’s eyes darted around the landscape. He could run, there were plenty of places to hide and in any other circumstance he would be sure he could lose his pursuer. But he was freezing, his muscles felt raw and stiff, his joints cried every time he bent them. Along with that, this other canine would know the area, and she was offering hospitality.

The turn of his head was slow and deliberate, as though moved only by the bitter wind. His left eye, the marked one, took stalk of Mabu. His lungs filled with the bracing wind as he tried to catch her scent. A mote of snow came to rest on his trembling nose. She seemed alright, she was larger than him, that didn’t help, and she was no jackal. She had some gold fur on her though, and at least she was clothed. Even with women, clothed was always better. Clothed meant he wasn’t dealing with a savage.

“I guess we could” His voice betrayed his suspicion and timidity, though it carried on the wind well. “If it’s warm enough I mean.” His accent was an odd blend of his old haunts with the altered vowels of Europe and the strange pace of Africa. He turned and began to walk toward the Luperci. His pace didn’t shift; he had to keep moving to keep warm. Occasionally the wind would catch the opening of his cloak, showing the handmade European clothes beneath.
“So who are you anyway? It’s not often I meet a good Samaritan.”
#4
Mabu watched the smaller canine closely and smiled when he came to a decision. She was afraid for a second he'd run and in these temperatures, not to mention the wind and falling snow, it would use up the precious energy he needed to regulate his body temperature. In this land you needed that energy in this kind of weather. Well that or running from a huge brown terrifying creature that enjoyed torturing her at every nook and cranny.

Watching him turn her way, never stopping his walk, she nodded in the way the shed was. She noted his strange clothing, the marking along his left eye, and his accent. Was he a foreigner? "My names Mabu. I'm a loner new to this area. I happened to see a figure enter the town from the distance and decided to check it out. Found the shed first and then I found you." She shivered at as a vicious wind blew past her almost bare form. She really needed to procure a cloak. Even though she had long thick fur, the wind still was a bitter one. Looking at the smaller, less thick furred canine she noted he must really be cold. She had a cover she could loan him when she arrived at the shed.

Mabu glanced at the canine and smiled softly. "The shed's this way. I found it on my way into this old human town. It's small and a little dusty, but it's sturdy and sheltered from the cold. It'll get us out of the wind and snow." She paused in her speech to catch her long golden hair from whipping the other canine in the face. Once the wind died down, she continued. "I think it'd be best to shelter at least until the snow and wind calms down."

Thinking about his last comment her smile brightened. "Oh I enjoy helping others. It's practically what I do as I travel around." Mabu turned back in the direction of the shed and began to walk in the direction of it. Mabu usually was a very shy wolf, usually jittery and slow to approach...though if someone needed a hand she was always the first to help. She usually stayed had contact with others on a regular basis, helping with trivial (or not so trivial) tasks. However she really hadn't had much contact with anyone as of late. When she saw a figure in the distance, she had been excited to meet another. Glancing at the smaller canine out of the corner of her eye, she decided she would at least get to meet an interesting newcomer. She'd wait to ask him questions until they were sheltered in the shed. She wouldn't delay them in this freezing climate.
#5
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Sorry for taking so long >.<



Ammet followed diligently, his stride just as eager as it was necessary. The snow made a soft crunching noise beneath his feet as he closed the distance between the pair, the footsteps punctuated by the sound of claw on pavement. It was nice to have someone’s name; it was the sign of a sort of intimacy. Someone with a name could be a friend, foe, or even a lover. Someone with a name could be cared about and remembered.


The wind that struck Mabu gave little warning before following through to the jackal. His cloak was forced from his grip and ice embraced his frail form; without the cloak it was apparent exactly how frail that form was. His clothes were indeed sewn by hand, but not very well. Some of the stitching had frayed and opened a hole and the material hung off of him as though the outfit belonged to his father. The vest (if it could be called that) was the only thing to even remotely fit him, and even that was not adequate for the winters of Nova Scotia. The wind was keeping its promise, and Ammet was forced to shiver again as icy needles groped his innards.


If necessary he would hide from the abominable wind in the shed, but he was not fond of the idea. Sheds were cramped, sheds were dirty, and sheds were suited for far better things than resting in. A shed meant to cushions or mattress, no blanket, plenty of dust if Mabu was to be believed. Though that would be one benefit to resting in the shed, resting in it with Mabu; she seemed kind, caring, and trustworthy. Any girl willing to put Ammet up for a little while without trying to hurt him was always good. Quickly it dawned on Ammet to introduce himself to the female.


“My name is Ka Ammet.” His stilted language only augmented his accent. “I came here myself, from the ocean.” Talking did for the chest what walking did for the bones, and it was always nice to have someone’s name. “Where are you from?" Though the wise thing would be to wait for the shed, the jackal was not feeling very wise at the moment. He hoped they were close, however.




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#6
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It's ok life happens. ^^



Mabu smiled at him as he gave her his name. It was always good to be given one's name. Noticing how his frail body shivered from the icy blast of wind, she quickened her step. They didn't need to stay out in the cold much longer.

Her smile softened at the thought of her homeland. No there wasn't anything left for her there, but it did not mean that she did not miss it."I came from the Great Plains region to the south of us. I use to roam the area all the time when I was a bit younger...Wow so what was it like to cross the ocean? How long did it take to cross? What is it like over there?...sorry, I got a bit ahead of myself there." Mabu had always loved stories of other places ever since she was a pup. Which she usually ended up jumping ahead of herself and asking a million questions all at once. She hoped she had not offended him.

Looking back at him, still walking in the direction she intended to go in. "So then it is alright that I call you Ka or do you prefer Ammet?" Mabu asked curiously. Some were rather picky about what the wished to be called. Even though she liked his name. it was rather unique in her mind.


Noticing the area she was in, she looked around and spotted the house the shed was near and knew that they were close. "We're close, just over this way." As she neared the house, she spotted the decent sized shed. It was sturdy, would easily fit the two of them, the roof was still in good condition, the door was falling off, but they could easily fix it to where it would stay and block the wind. Smiling back at Ammet, she looked slightly sheepish. "I'm sorry it's not much, but I don't want to explore any of the houses until the weather calms. When it does calm down though, we could always look into one of them if you wish."


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#7
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“Either name is good.” Ammet nodded, responding to the name question. He did attempt a smile at all of the other questions, but he couldn’t keep up well enough to answer. The smile wasn’t forced, but it certainly wasn’t right. It looked awkward and ill composed on his muzzle, it looked genuine though.


The shed was a nightmare, small and poorly insulated; he knew that any sort of rest was going to be forced at best. The door was another worry, its rhythmic thumping against the wall a testament to the wind and how little it could do to stop it. He was familiar enough with human buildings to at least attempt to get this thing back on, but it still worried him. He would have grimaced, if alone he would have probably went back into the cold. But Mabu was there, and he really did want a friend. “Oh, it should work well enough to last through the weather.” Ka gave a small chuckle, attempting to dispel the sheepishness from his partner. To punctuate, he lifted the door back to its former alignment. If he could force the thing into the frame, he hoped it would stay in place. If not, there had to be something in the shed that could be used as a brace.


“Boats are the most terrifying vehicles that I know of.” Ka said as he continued to manipulate the door, remembering some of the old questions. “A human once wrote ‘Water, water everywhere, and not a drop to drink,’ he was absolutely right too.” He managed a glimpse inside the shed, but could see very little from the outside. “Imagine water all around, deeper than lakes, rivers, and anything else. You can hardly swim, and you can’t stomach the stuff. Worst of all, the only thing separating you from it all is wood.” He shuddered again, this time there was no wind. “There are monsters out there too. Things that can swallow this shed whole.” His mind flashed back to the glistening black mass of the thing, basking in the sunlight. At first Ammet thought it was an island. Then, it opened a monstrous eye, blinked, and spread its maw wide. When he awoke from the inevitable faint, the thing was gone.


There was a loud hollow thump as the door found its old mark. Ka returned to himself with a more natural smile and opened a Mabu sized crack. “Shall we get inside then?”





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#8
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~w.c. 407~



Mabu listened intently as Ammet told of his voyage across the ocean while he manipulated the door back in place. She was rather fascinated with the whole idea. Water one could not drink? Water so deep that it’s actually deeper than the lakes nearby? Monsters that could eat this shed whole? And the only thing to separate you from all that is only wood?

“Wow, it not only sounds like it was an incredible adventure, but it also sounds like it was a terrifying one as well…” Mabu said softly, eyes slightly wide in wonder. Mabu was both fascinated and horrified. It would be an incredible journey, but she doubt she’d stay calm the whole voyage. She’d probably get nervous or seasick or something…and maybe end up being chased by a sea monster with her luck.

While Mabu’s imagination was running away from her, she almost didn’t notice Ammet fix the door. Smiling at her new friend and silently amazed at his knowledge of fixing human structures, she nodded and stepped inside the shed. It wasn’t as dusty as she had first expected, bigger than what she was use to bunking in, but it was out of the freezing wind. That was what was most important. This small space would be easy to warm up due to the heat their bodies naturally gave off and so she doubted they would have many problems. Besides she had a blanket to loan Ammet as she was use to the cold, but she had a gut feeling that Ammet wasn’t. She had long fur, he didn’t so she could go without the blanket.

Sitting in one of the far corners, Mabu made herself comfortable and began to rummage through her hip bag. It was fairly large, big enough to fit a blanket, two books, a flask of water, and a few other things if needed. She took out her two precious books and flask of water so she could reach the blanket. Pulling out her blanket, she handed it to Ammet. “Here’s a blanket to help keep you warm, Ammet. I don’t know if it’ll get any colder or how long the snow will blow, but it’s a good blanket and will help keep you warm.” Mabu finished with one of her bright smiles. Carefully placing her two precious books back into her bag, she kept the flask of water out just in case they needed it. One could never know.

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