Two sides of the coin.

Two sides of the coin.

Orin Takekuro

06-06-2011, 11:25 PM

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Orin Takekuro

:: 400+ ♥ Word Count ::
:: Forward-dated to Wednesday, June 8 ::

It was overwhelming. Everything was overwhelming, always, now. Ever since those few hours of horror that now all melded within Orin's memory and nestled in the darkness of her mind. It sheltered itself away at the edge of her consciousness, ever vigilant for a moment to leap to the fore, catching the vulnerable woman off guard and dropping her into the throes of madness. The only thing that kept her from succumbing to the horror, as she had for the many long weeks that all ran together, were the two little pups that so dearly depended on her for their survival.

Yet now things were overcoming her in a different way. Before, Orin was lost in a well of blackness. Her world consisted only of fear and terror. The only sane thoughts she clung to had been hopes of her childrens' survival. This time, these past few days, were not like the others. Somehow the children had found a snippet of what their mother once was, and were slowly, unknowingly, bringing her back. Orin had found the courage to come out of hiding – even if the process was slow – and had finally revealed herself to the one she loved most, her brother, Niro.

After that, things went so fast. She had met her nephew, her daughters now had playmates. All of Cour des Miracles would know she was there again, and she had to petition the King for permission to stay a few... what? Days? Weeks? She ran into her dear friend Alaine, the very woman who had delivered her children. Life was spiraling back... but it was still oh so alien.

Orin treasured every hour since she returned to Cour des Miracles and found her brother, yet she still felt so out of place in her own skin. She loved her brother, and her friend, and the company of a welcoming pack, but she needed her time to think as well. So, with the two pups fresh from a nap, Orin took her daughters for a long walk in the Court's forest. It was a path she was so used to, one lined with flowering vines. She remembered Alaine collecting herbs from here, and she knew it led out of the Court's borders. Still, after Monday's drizzle, this sunny walk through whispering trees was comforting, and the girls were enjoying it. It was not long before the mother and her children drifted from the boundaries of the Court...

...The girls began to complain about tired paws long before Orin worried about rest. Following the dust motes and ray of noonday sun, Orin took her daughters away from the beaten path and into a small clearing, about a dozen feet in diameter, and her daughters soon fell asleep on the loamy forest floor. Orin sat upon a stump and stared at her perfect daughters as they dozed away the afternoon.

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Sky Rhiannon

06-06-2011, 11:47 PM

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Sky sporting her new short hair! Big Grin

The pups' mother wasn't the only one who'd had a hard time these past few months. The other victim had been Sky, who had been left to search for her rival and her kids, coming home empty handed to discover her mate had left the area, possibly forever. Needless to say, she'd considered leaving herself, doubting the worth in staying with the pack that now haunted her at night. It had seemed like the easy way out, but after some time spent cooling down and settling back in, she'd decided to stick it out. Skye had named the hybrid Medic for the pack, meaning she had extra work to do, giving her less time to think about it.

Unfortunately, that also meant she had to work. Sky hated the extra tasks, such as searching for herbs and tending to annoying patients, especially those that complained of headaches that were easy enough to cure with sleep or a hot meal. Half the time, Sky found that her patients bore wounds hardly worth the second glance. So, taking a day off from her casual duties, Sky headed off towards Cour des Miracles territory, knowing that near the borders there were bound to be some good herbs growing.

She'd left Casper in the house, locking her doors and checking her skulls (now set up on her front railing to ward off annoyances mostly) and then heading off, wearing her now-usual white blouse and light blue denim shorts. It was all she needed, really, now that the weather had warmed up.

It hadn't taken her long this time. She'd learned of a few good patches of catmint growing near a clearing a little ways up, so she'd headed straight for it. Catmint, or more commonly known as Catnip, was great for colds and for releiving anxiety. It always worked great as an insect repellent, which Sky guessed her leader wouldn't mind for her garden. She'd brought her bag with her, in hopes of uprooting a few plants to grow back home.

It was to her surprise that she found the clearing occupied! A mother and her two children, both fast asleep, were already there when she came trekking into the clearing across from them. She paused, ears perking. I'm sure she shouldn't mind if I'm quiet... Still, the hybrid kept a low profile as she showed herself, cautiously staying to the edge of the clearing but not seeming unnerved at all. She hadn't picked up that familliar scent yet, being upwind and unused to it. She paused, smiling politely in greeting, the tip of her tail wagging slowly. Hopefully she doesn't chase me away... I could really use that catmint...

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Orin Takekuro

06-07-2011, 12:09 AM

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ooc I didn't get to use my Desdemona tables much so don't mind me. They need some more love and we have appropriate dramatics going on.

There was no time to pause for protocol. The instant Orin noticed someone coming into the clearing she leaped from her perch and spanned the distance between herself and her cubs. She was above them, crouched protectively over them and, even for her small size, appeared quite monstrous for the moment. Jumping to the defensive so quickly was not always the best approach and sometimes spurred an attack, but Orin's maternal instincts weren't thinking that far ahead.

The mother was about to spat some kind of warning, a generic come no further statement, but her words caught in her throat as, a moment later, the intruder's image struck a familiar chord. Instantly the snarling, defensive mother melted from her features to be replaced by a startled, confused woman. Her body followed as she cautiously straightened her stance, but kept herself between the woman and the pups. The children stirred; the silvery one slipped back to sleep while the creamy-tan head of the other popped up and stared at the woman curiously. Yet since there was no outward threat, the pup's heavy lids soon began to win. Juliet stretched and settled back down, dreaming again the moment her chin touched her paws, her red ears flicking with the images that played in her sleep.

“What are you doing here?” Orin asked, her tone honestly puzzled. All anger had gone, though her voice trembled slightly with the adrenaline. Was this moment actually happening or was it another strange, sick waking-dream like she had been having ever since... ever since...

Her eyes were wandering, but snapped back to Sky the moment she noticed her folly. A melange of emotion assaulted her. This woman who stood here... Sky Katruk, the Medic of Cercatori d'Arte... She was a relief... an eyesore... a connection... a reminder...

Orin's eyes stayed trained on Sky now, not knowing how to react she waited for Sky's move. In that moment she had forgotten how much she changed. The brown splotches dyed into her fur, the combed, styled brown hair (though that was beginning to grow out now). Her demeanor, her stance; all was in some way affected by the past few months. Even her reaction to Sky's appearance.

The woman had once been her friend. Her rival. Her doctor. Her enemy. What was she today?

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Sky Rhiannon

06-07-2011, 12:24 AM

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Sky's all OMFG WTF xD

Sky was about to leave the moment she saw the woman crouch over her pups defensively, though when that hostility faded away, Sky became... confused. She scanned the girl first, though she didn't recognise her. Her eyes struck her as familliar, but she didn't think anything of it; golden eyes were common in a lot of families. Maybe this was a relative of a friend. But the pups caught her attention. Her blue eyes lingered on them, though that dark voice in her head refused to let her realize who they were. They're just stupid kids. The real threat is their mother. Pay attention!

Sky was just about to look up as it was when the woman spoke, confused and not at all angry. It was that voice that Sky snapped her head up to, sapphire eyes wide with shock. For a moment, she didn't answer, standing stone still with shock and confusion riddling her own features now. That sounded like... Orin. But.... Her brows scrunched together, one ear flicking back. ...but it can't be... could it? Those eyes...

Orin!? Sky finally yelped, a little too loudly as she forgot about the sleeping pups. Her voice was a mixture of shock, awe, delight and confusion... though none of it was angry or hurt like it would've been a week earlier if she'd found her then. Orin Takekuro, good lord, is that you? She glanced down at the pups then, eyes still wide but voice still completely estatic. Juliet and Titania, Shawchert and Orin's two daughters. For a moment, her mind wondered where their son had gone... but she quickly remembered and shoved the thought away. Orin had done well with the two girls, at least; they seemed happy and healthy and had grown leaps and bounds since last she'd seen them. ...they look like him.

She shook her head and looked back to Orin, tail taking on a mind of its own as it swung back and forth rather quickly. Good lord, girl, where on Earth have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere. She lowered her voice, in hopes that she hadn't woken the pups with her outburst. No spite, no hard feelings, just... utter relief. Sky had, afterall, spent weeks upon weeks looking for the girl infront of her. No wonder she'd had no luck; the difference! From pink to brown, and all of her hair styled instead of in dreads. She looked so different now!

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Orin Takekuro

06-07-2011, 07:08 PM

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It seemed things dawned on Sky a little slower than they had on Orin, thanks to the disguise she wore but now let fade. She flinched visibly when Sky yelped her name, the word still sounding strangely foreign to her. There was a time when she thought she would never hear that name again. The pups at her feet stirred again, this time slowly sitting up and blinking away their nap. Orin wasn't upset about their waking, though, they had been out for quite a while. She knelt down to the girls who were showing increasing interest in the woman in the grove, but Orin distracted them by pointing towards a system of knotted tree roots. “Just in time girls, I think there's a cat over there.” As though the very statement shook the last sleep from them, the two squealed in unison and bounded to the edge of the clearing in search.

Orin straightened and turned back to Sky, a half smile on her muzzle. Her old pack mate was happy to see her, and the feeling was infectious. Even the wary mother relaxed now, her brown-stained tail twitching ever so slightly in reflection. “Yes, Sky, it's me,” she said, although it was clear that there was no real need to verify the fact. Her old disguise was only good enough to fool people from a distance, or those who had not known her before. “And my little fairies, Juliet and Titania.”

She paused a moment, glancing at the girls, but before the silence stretched on for too long her eyes went back to Sky. Where on Earth have you been? What would she tell her? How could she explain? The truth... could she bare to recall it?

“Away,” was the curt, one-worded answer that she came up with. She chewed her lip and cast her gaze aside for a moment, then sighed in frustration, knowing how pathetic that sounded. “I didn't plan to come back. I didn't even get as far as I had hoped to. I just... left... ran... But Titania was sick and I couldn't make it very far and when I collapsed in Phoenix Valley they took me in. I tried to become part of their pack but I just... couldn't... and after we were all well again I left. I started to head north until I realized the pups were still too young to make it across the mountains, so I turned back.

“...well, it was more than just that.” She surprised herself. Was she really going to bare it all to Sky right now? It didn't matter, she couldn't stop herself now. “I was in disguise...” she motioned to herself, “So no one could find me. I took on another name, I made up a new life. A new past. But the questions... they asked so many questions.” Her eyes flicked back to her girls, who had now forgotten about the prospect of a cat and were in an endless mouth-to-tail tug-of-war loop. “It was good though. Their curiosity felt good, but I kept having to lie to them. And then one day I realized I just felt... unclean. Lying to their innocent faces made me feel dirtier than any man ever could.”

She stopped then, drawing up short as she was about to say something else. Her eyes returned to Sky's and now she searched for something there. Unspoken questions huddled behind Orin's golden gaze. How much did Sky know? How much did everyone know? Of course they would know of Demetrius's murder, and in some ways it was probably as much as a horror to the Medic as it was to herself. But what of the rest? Did they even need to know the rest? Orin shook her head in response to her own thoughts, thoughts, appearing torn between saying more and stopping her story cold.

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Sky Rhiannon

06-07-2011, 07:47 PM

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...

Sky took a few steps closer as the girls woke and ran off after their mother's pretend cat. A smile graced her face as she watched them for a moment before turning back to look at Orin as she explained. That smile faded, but her eyes were still gleaming with a renewed excitement, though mixed with worry and grave understanding. When she finished, Sky came forward and knelt down a few feet away. Sounds like you've been through a lot... I don't blame you for leaving. No one does. She looked up at her old rival, her... hopefully... friend. Someone from the Valley took out that bastard for good, from what I've gathered... though whoever it was gave Shawchert the glory for it.

It was surprising to hear Sky's voice tainted with scorn at the mention of their mutual one-time lover. After it was confirmed he was dead, I came looking for you. I didn't think you'd be in the Valley... not that I got that far anyway. Came home a while later after hearing about Shawchert leaving the province. She took a moment to scrunch up her nose and spit off to the side, hating the reminder. Skye's leader of D'Arte now... but the poor woman has three kids to look after on top of that. I'm only here to find herbs, not that my medic rank is official.

She glanced over at the kids, sighing. Everyone's been so worried about you and the girls, Orin. After we found... everything went to shit. Valinta lost an adopted son to that bastard, and he nearly killed her in the process. She'd been in a coma for almost a week. Played mind games with us until Shawchert finally found his scent. She bitterly recalled the bloodbath Argul had given her house after Orin had left. No matter. It's in the past.

Blue eyes moved to try and catch Orin's gold, mournful, serious and hopeful all at the same time. You should come back, Orin... It's safe now. Skye's changed around many of the rules and ranks to make sure of it. Thornbury's better protected, more so now then ever. ...and the girls need their pack.

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