lilacs and ocean breeze

Valinta LeStrange · 07-06-2011, 10:07 PM

[html]

1,283 words!

Valinta trudged around the property of the mansion by the sea, idly wondering what she should call this place that she was going to disappear to and reside in. It would be her secret place, the manor. It would be her haven, perhaps. Her secret manor. She smiled as she stepped up onto the dilapidated porch and carefully navigated to the interior, a much better quality area. The stairs she began to climb were much safer, instead of being wood, they were marble in the opulent home.

Though she had once intended on settling down here before, it was with others, as a pack. But she and the other person who was to lead, Galileo, just… forgot about the pack. Neither of them wanted it anymore, and neither of them cared any longer. It was just as well – life was getting out of hand for the ebony-furred female, and she could feel the stress boiling beneath her skin.

Like the ocean she lived so close to now, Valinta was of constantly changing emotions. On her clear days, she was calm and peaceful and happy, but at any instant a storm could strike. And it would be a terrible one, as well. Shrugged, the woman grasped the railing alongside the stairs as she forced her legs to move faster, despite the dull ache that was growing increasingly sharp every step she took.

Running around her new property had been a good idea, she knew, so she would be able to observe every small detail she hadn’t noticed when her vision was fogged with the rose-colored glasses of excitement for a new pack, one that she would have created. The windows were all broken, except on the uppermost level, the porch was a broken leg waiting to happen, and the roof sagged in one corner, but it was habitable. It was perfect.
The manor reminded Valinta of herself; a dilapidated exterior hiding something opulent. Or was she an opulent exterior hiding something dilapidated? The female no longer knew, and felt that delving too deeply into her personality would be the start of her demise. Her personality had changed so abruptly that she herself didn’t even know what it was becoming, not that she really ever did anyway. To say that she, as a person, knew herself was a ludicrous idea; the female knew deep in her gut that she might become something terrible to herself, but that was all.

As she meandered through the hallway with its plush carpet, slowly making her way towards the second flight of stairs to end up in her bedroom at the uppermost floor, Valinta walked her fingers along the oddly upholstered wall. The fabric was molding in some places – mostly by the sagging roof and around windows, but it was spreading – and she took care to avoid those places. The padding in the walls was falling out in some places, with the rips and tears of some human frantic to hide themselves from an encroaching virus that would eventually destroy their entire species. Or maybe it was just rats. But who knew? Either way, the velvet was faded to the point of its color being unrecognizable and whoever or whatever tore it up was obviously long dead.

Grasping another railing and setting forth onto another set of stairs, the female wearily trudged, her feet leaving behind muddy tracks, trailing sand behind her. She would stay awake long enough to explore the bedroom she had selected (having chosen for no other reason than the open safe filled with bottles of booze); then she would succumb to the sweet nothingness that is sleep. Reaching her room, Valinta stopped, staring at the door.
Once the door was opened, she had an odd feeling that life would begin anew. It was stupid, she knew, but she couldn’t shake the sensation of something being different. Palming the door open, she stepped inside.

Everything was as she left it; nothing out of place or new. She ghosted inside and glanced around, gravitating towards her untouched stock of vodka and wines, wanting to touch them and make sure that they remained intact. They were, and she drifted silently to the closet, still closed and dusty.

But something made the female want to open the doors, just to see what was inside the closet. Putting her hand on the knob, she hesitated briefly before yanking open the door forcefully. The door, that she expected to have resistance to being opened after only God knew how many years, opened smoothly and slammed into the wall.

Cringing at the loud crashing sound, Valinta peeked into the large closet, seeing nothing but murk for a few minutes, until her eyes adjusted. Once they did, she looked past the cobwebs and dust floating in the air to see some tattered garments and a chest against the back wall. Quickly losing interest in the shreds of what were once clothes, the woman reached forward and grabbed the chest, dragging it out into the light.

The chest was locked, she soon found, and using the poker from the fireplace didn’t work as she intended, so instead of stabbing it as she had before, she used it for leverage and forced the lid open.

Once it was open and she rested her tired arms, Valinta rifled through the trunk, being careful with the lovingly folded garments inside. Pulling out a pair of white gloves, Valinta slipped them on and marveled at them. Their length, probably intended for the average human woman’s elbow, reached her arms at about midway the upper part. She smiled at the contrast between her new gloves and fur, the light against dark. It was wonderful.

Delving into the trunk again, she found a hat that was fairly ugly, all covered in fake flowers and a hideous orange color. It was also quite demolished, crushed under something heavy beneath the clothes. Promising herself she’d look at the mystery object after everything else, the woman got up and bored herself a glass of vodka, from a bottle she had checked beforehand if it was okay.

Once she had drunk as much as she dared, a pleasant buzz drifting through her limbs, she peered into the trunk and pulled out a pale green garment that looked soft and pretty. Realizing it was a dress, she put it on and smoothed it over herself. It hit her at her ankles, obviously a dress around knee-length for humans. Smiling, she reached into the trunk and pulled out all manner of fine clothing, all feminine and sleek and things she fell in love with.

Once all the clothes were out and scattered around her bed, Valinta’s fingertips touched something smooth and cold. Using both of her hands, she felt for the edges of the object, slowly, carefully, believing it to be delicate. When she made to pick it up, she grunted, having to heft the heavy object.

Dropping it on the bed, the woman stared at the mirror she had just unearthed from who ever knew how long it had been in that trunk, and then looked at the reflection she cast. Her hair tumbled around wildly and her pupils were widely dilated. The dress, unbuttoned partially, displayed her breasts almost provocatively and the gloves added a sophisticated touch to her normally sedate and behind-the-scenes appearance.
Valinta smiled at her reflection, and the beautiful creature in the mirror smiled back at her. This couldn’t be Valinta; it was too cold and formal of a name for this creature. This was something different. It was someone different. It was…
Nadja. It was Nadja, most definitely.

“Nadja,” she whispered to herself. “I am Nadja. That will do nicely.”

Login




Remember me Lost Password?