A figure in the surf

Zalen Damaichu · 07-04-2011, 04:35 PM

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Hi all, this is my introductory post with my new character, Zalen. He's been traveling alongside pictou river just so you have an idea of where he is. And he's in lupus form. All are welcome.

ZALEN

It had been a long while since he had sensed any other canines, but now he was surrounded by their scents. Though faint, the amount of them was somewhat over-whelming, obviously he had stumbled upon a great pack or cluster of packs. This bothered him only slightly, he had been alone for six months now and the idea of meeting another of his kind both exhilarated and worried him. The last time he had dealt with others ended in tragedy, and he would not soon forget it.

But he pressed forward, at a relaxed pace, but he was on guard. He had been following a river southward and sensed that it was near its end. Silently he moved between the trees rather than in the open. The sunlight cast dappled patterns on his ebony fur. It was hot, summer had surely arrived.

The trees thinned and the grass changed and soon he found himself next to the sea, the sun glittered off the rolling water like diamonds. With a quick glance about him, he headed for the shore, letting the warm sand press itself between the pads of his paws. It felt good, and soon he was in the foam of the surf and that felt even better. For a moment he stood there, looking out across the bay, and relaxed.

#001

Theodore Stone · 07-05-2011, 12:01 PM

you're going to have to excuse him... his mate miscarried the day before and his babies are dead :/

Anger and sorrow warred in the males chest and his natural instinct was to lash out. To hurt, to destroy, to tell the world just how pissed he was. And why shouldnt he? They'd taken his babies away, made his sweet goddess sick. They were dead and buried- there was nothing he could do. And the feeling of helplessness had slowly turned into pain and anger- an overwhelmingly blinding heat behind his eyes that he knew to be pure, unadulterated rage. He'd woken that morning with the still-sick Demi beside him, holding her so tight for just a moment before her snuffles and groans warned him that she was so fragile. He'd left her sleeping, a soft kiss to her brow to tell her he'd be back. But he needed to get out of the cave, out of the room that reeked of the death of his children. It wasnt her fault, it was nobodies fault but mother nature around him. He thought of the ceremony weeks ago, the charm was still around his neck- the one for good health and fertility. He almost laugh at it, almost ripped it from his chest as he set off in a thunderous run away from Anathema. He couldnt talk, couldnt speak, he could just throw himself forward in hopes that he would fall off the edge of the earth. Somewhere in the back of his mind, a small voice told him he was selfish to think that. Demi needed him more than he needed her and there was no way he could disappear. But a few hours away from Anathema and the dens that now stunk of dead wolf didnt seem so bad.

His black form was a blur as he headed south, he really had no idea where he was going. He didnt care, he didnt bother to look. What was the point in looking when nothing seemed to matter anymore? He didnt realise the tears streaming down his face until the cold wind slapped him straight across the mouth, the coldness making the watery tracks down his face cooler and thus alerting him to the fact that his eyes were watering. He paused, unsure of where he was when the sounds of the surf caught his black ears. He was running again, arms windmilling to keep him steady. The sands between his toes begged him to slow down, to stop this madness. But his blue eyes were set for the sea and he plowed on anyway. Perhaps if he'd seen the figure on the surf he would have stopped. But his careening run from Anathema wasnt stopping as as he crested a small sand dune, the male suddenly stopped. A heart beat later, the male opened his mouth, and roared at the sea, a raw, throbbing hurt deep in his gut turning his voice ragged and desperate.

Zalen Damaichu · 07-05-2011, 01:50 PM

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Lovely, and Ted’s profile does not bode well for Zalen either. BTW I’m assuming you’re in optime form (the windmilling arms would be difficult otherwise :-P)

ZALEN

Zalen didn’t know how long he had been standing there, the sun heating his coal fur, eyes closed, breathing in the salt smell. But when the guttural scream broke the calm about him he almost jumped from his skin. Frantically he looked around and saw the large black figure on a dune nearby. Then he smelled him and nearly gagged. He could smell blood and sweat and a distinct, sickly female scent on this monstrous male. What the hell had happened to this guy?

For a moment Zalen didn’t move, just listened as the male screamed at the sea. He took this moment to size him up and assess the threat, if there was one. The unknown male was huge, larger than any wolf Zalen had ever seen before, and this magnified by him being in optime form. His coloring was also interesting to note; black with white stockings and gloves. Intriguing. What kind of land had Zalen stumbled upon?

Finding no reason in continuing to stand there slack jawed, Zalen decided to make his presence known to the beast. He began to shift, sinews broke and reconnected, bones lengthened and twisted, muscles stretched and grew and soon he was a bipedal beast, still hunched on all fours. Before standing Zalen gave a single bark in the black male's general direction and prepared himself.

#002

Theodore Stone · 07-05-2011, 02:13 PM

He wanted it to pour out of him. He wanted to sorrow and the gut-wrenching sickness to pour from his mouth and onto the sand, sucked away by the surf. But as he roared at the sea, his voice failed him and he crumbled. The sand rushed up to meet his collapsing form as he sat, legs tucked up under his chin, white gloved hands reaching around his large thighs to hold tightly to each other. He was a man lost, a man completely in over his head, so much so that he had no idea what to do. He'd never been so emotionally moved by something, but it was the death of his children afterall. Tears streaked down his face as he dropped his head down to the hollow between body and legs, blue eyes searching the sand for an answer. Anything, anything to tell him what to do, where to go, how to deal with this mess. A bark made him start, body jolting so his head snapped upwards. He could feel his heartbeat in his stomach.

And for once, the male had no desire to growl and snarl and snap. The anger in his body thrummed but he felt numb to it. The dark male in front of him looked similar to himself, smaller and no white on his body. But he was moving closer and it was clear Teddy had disturbed him with his wild screaming at the sea. Dark blue eyes looked towards him with a mixed amount of disinterest and curiosity, a warring battle within those eyes that made it hard for him to decide whether he wished to speak to this loner or not. And then he wondered why he was out here, speaking to strangers when he had a pack to lean on. He had the answer for that ready; he was an outcast in the pack that he helped to lead, an anti-social hermit who near on bit everyone's head off if they looked at him. With a feeling akin to shame, he dropped his head once more.

"I dont bite... hard."

He mumbled with a savage grin on his face. Perhaps this tragic turn of events had finally pushed him over the edge. Maybe he wasnt coming back from this. Either way, the male was out here, screaming his lungs up to the ocean in front of a complete stranger.

Zalen Damaichu · 07-05-2011, 02:34 PM

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OOCgoodness.

ZALEN

Zalen walked slowly towards the male and could tell he was in a considerable amount of emotional pain. He could tell he was crying, he looked defeated. Zalen immediately regretting making contact with this wolf, he obviously needed space, but what had been done was done and Zalen was not one to waffle on his decisions. So he upped his pace and stopped a few yards from the stranger.

He heard him speak, the sarcasm dripping from the strangers lips. Obviously this was a wolf not to be messed with, but Zalen had no intention of doing so.

Greetings, I apologize for interrupting. You startled me.

He took a deep breath. He hadn’t spoken to anyone in months and even the sound of his own voice was uncomfortable, as was this whole situation. But if he was to travel in a land which was inhabited by an innumerable amount of others of his kind he would have to relearn how to interact socially. And this was the first step.

My name is Zalen.

#003

Theodore Stone · 07-05-2011, 03:02 PM

He knew his tone was not the friendliest and as per usual, the male didnt care. He should care, he really should. But in his mind, nobody had gone through this before. Nobody had ever felt like he was feeling now, and that meant the male in front of him couldnt possibly know how he was feeling. Like a large bubble of sharp pain surronding him, Teddy didnt know how to interact with the world around him, with the people he met. Demi didnt take any of his crap and that was what made her perfect for him. Unfortunately, the dark male in front of him was not his mate. He came quicker however, stopping a few yards from Theo's sitting form. The male looked up then, finding it rude to continue staring at the sand when there was a perfectly good victim sitting right there to stare at. However, his words made Teddy pause.

"I think you'll find it was I who interupted you... So I apologise."

He shocked even himself as the words spewed from his mouth. Teddy had never apologised to anyone in his life so this was certainly a first. What on earth was wrong with him? He shuddered softly before the males voice came again. His name this time, a simple exchange of words that was commonplace around these parts. He nodded softly, the bright white stripe on his forehead sparkling softly. It was so thin that if he frowned it disappeared, but with the look of utter confusion and sorrow on his face, it was clearly visible. "I am Theodore Stone, of Anathema." He answered back a litle robotically. His mouth felt dry and heavy, his eyes stung and his nose was bunged up from his wilf crying. He wasnt exactly in the best state to be representing his pack, but thats just the way it went.

Zalen Damaichu · 07-05-2011, 04:31 PM

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OOCgoodness.

ZALEN

Zalen’s heart ached for this wolf, even though the tension of the meeting still hung in the air. It was a trait that he had inherited from his mother he supposed, since neither of the bachelor wolves he ran with months ago had an affinity for empathy. Something terrible had happened to this male, something that had brought him to his knees. Zalen was silent for a moment, and the breeze whipped about the pair. To any onlooker they would have appeared as midnight cutouts in an otherwise sunny day. Softly, Zalen spoke.

Anathema, the pack of these parts I suppose? I’ve been traveling alone for a while now and I am unfamiliar with this region or its inhabitants.

Slowly he knelt beside the seated male and dug his clawed hands into the sand. He looked briefly into the midnight blue eyes with his own. He then looked out to the sea. Zalen had never been one for many words but somehow felt that his presence might curb this male’s sorrow. This was most likely extremely misguided, his feeling was probably influenced by his months of traveling alone, it can play tricks on one’s senses. But for a moment he felt that there was an understanding of some kind between them.

#004

Theodore Stone · 07-06-2011, 07:33 AM

He could feel the awkwardness radiating off the dark male in front of him, Zalen. But the black male cared little at the moment for others feelings. If the dark male felt awkward, then he should walk away. But the black male couldnt admit to himself that the presence of the stranger was beginning to calm him, giving him something else to focus on aside from the inside turmoil. A distraction that he hadnt expected, hadnt even thought about. But just by being here, the loner was soothing away something deep inside. He spoke again and Teddy looked up. He hadnt travelled far. If he would, he would have known he was perhaps closest to Salsola instead of Anathema. And Inferni next. But as Teddy was here, mentioning Anathema, it would make sense for Zalen to assume that it was close. Teddy nodded softly.

"There are many packs in Nova Scotia. Anathema is just one of them. Salsola and Inferni are close as well, and I've heard rumours of a new pack formed across the Halycon Mountains... I should perhaps check that out soon."

He mused to himself for the moment. Scouts had reported the large band of travellers moving over the mountains, coming close to their borders on more than one occasion. But the black male had yet to invesitgate properly as to what was going on up there. He added it to a list in his mind all the things he had to do. He hadnt noticed that the male had sunkt o the ground also, claws deep in the sand, until the shifting grains hit his paws and he looked over. Well, now he had a friend in the sand. A long and piercing look followed, before Teddy asked another question.

"Do you have family Zalen?"

He asked, a hint of bitterness in his tone. Talking seemed to be helping, but this topic wasnt the best to get on at the moment. He was a sucker for self punishment it seemed, unblinking eyes waiting for the male to speak.

Zalen Damaichu · 07-06-2011, 12:58 PM

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ZALEN

Nova Scotia? So that’s where he had ended up. He must have been keeping a good pace in his travels because he was more than three hundred miles from his last known location. It was almost like he had been in a trance that whole time, becoming a hermit, reverting back to pre-virus instinct. At least he supposed that’s what it had been like he was much too young to remember that time. That time even preceded his mother, who was quite old when she was rearing him.

Zalen looked back to the ebony wolf next to him, Theodore Stone, as he told him about the various packs in the area. So many, it was astounding. Zalen had stumbled on a variable plethora of his own kind. He would now have to rethink his whole way of existing. But he was still young so this was manageable. A new adventure for him.

Zalen raised an eyebrow at Theodore’s next question, regarding family. That had come out of nowhere. Zalen grabbed a fist full of warm sand and chuckled mirthlessly before answering.

I have none. My mother was killed by ‘yotes when I was but nay a pup. She was the only blood relative I have ever known.

Zalen unclenched his fist and the let the sand fall from his palm in coarse streams. He hardly ever talked about his mother, even to the brothers who took in him after her death. Though it was so long ago, something still hurt inside him when he thought of her. He felt such a strong love for her that it could not be described. But now she was gone. He looked back up to Theodore, driving his mind away from such musings.

What about you? Surely you must be surrounded by many loved ones in your pack?

#005

Theodore Stone · 07-07-2011, 01:30 PM

no maiming or hurting, i promise <33

A calm disquiet had settled over the two men and Teddy felt some of the anger flooding away. It didnt make sense to him- that releasing his emotions through screaming at the sea hadnt helped one bit to ease his pain. But talking about not a lot with a complete stranger was helping him. Blue eyes darkened as he looked over the ebony male who had approached him, despite his obviously aggressive appearance and questionable sanity. A better man than he, was this Zalen. The male picked up some of the sand they were resting on, running it through his hands to drop back to the ground. He spoke then of his family and Teddy was surprised to find a small nugget of pity for the male. The male who didnt feel a whole lot for anyone but his mate had a semblance of normal emotions as he was forced to think about what it would have been like. A reversal of his own predicament- while Zalen's mother had died, Teddy's children had been miscarried. They were both hurting from lost loved ones, a hurt that was not quite so obvious in the lone male. Teddy gave a soft sigh before turning back to the dark stranger.

"I'm sorry to hear about your family. Perhaps one day you will find a different family... Maybe one day Anathema might be your home."

He said, wondering what exactly he'd meant by that. Had he extended an offer to the stranger? To join the dark ranks of Anathema, to help him? He didnt know. There was a short silence between them, before Zalen looked up and spoke the words that perhaps were not the best to vocalise. Teddy couldnt help the automatic laugh that escaped him. Loved ones? In Anathema? Despite it being over run by a high concentration of the same bloodline, there wasnt a very strong bond between the members. They were not the family Naniko had wanted, but perhaps it was because Anathema always appealed more to darker characters, not those readily willing to make a bond with their pack.

"I dont think so Zalen... I'm not exactly the nicest of persons and most people stay away from me. I don't seek their company as much as I should, despite joint leading them. I have no loved ones aside from my mate."

He offered with a bitter twist to his voice and a scowl to place deeply on his lips. He had estranged himself from the pack and he had no idea how to get himself back in again.

Zalen Damaichu · 07-07-2011, 02:20 PM

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ZALEN

Zalen listened intently to Theodore as he spoke and felt flattered by the thought of joining a pack. But he was not ready yet, the memory of what happened before was still fresh in his mind. It would be a long while yet before Zalen sought the confines of a social structure. But still, the fact that this male wolf who he had only just met moments before offered the chance to him warmed Zalen’s heart. But as Theodore continued to speak his heart sank. It seemed as if this wolf of Anathema did not have strong ties with the rest of his pack brethren, indicated that perhaps he was low on the social latter. And then he mentioned his mate, and Zalen could nearly feel the emotion radiate off him.

It made sense now, something had happened to his mate, that explained the smell. Perhaps they had gotten into a fight and Theodore had injured her, or perhaps something more sinister had happened. Whatever the case it was causing the ebony wolf a great pain.

Despite what you say about yourself you have shown me a great kindness here, especially since I am an invader in this land. I hold great respect for those who so willingly and graciously talk to a stranger.

Zalen stood and stretched in the midday sun and then lent a hand towards Theodore, a gesture of friendship.I have just met you, but I know one thing for certain; you are a good man Theodore Stone.

#006

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