I'm Just a Shadow

Zalen Damaichu · 07-09-2011, 12:16 AM

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Hello all. This is my third post. To get an idea of what Zalen has been going through the last couple days PLEASE check out my post log. I’m on the very last page at the very bottom so it’s easy to find me :-) Zalen is in musquodoboit valley near the lake. All are welcome to join. <3

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Finally dusk has descended into night and Zalen has dissolved into the darkness around him. This was when he felt the most safe, the most calm. It would be hard for anyone to spot him now, even others of his kind with their keen eyes. His fur was so matte black that it was looking into a black hole, complete devoid of light. And so he moved in between the trees and scrub like a living shadow.

God he was tired. He had been on the move for three days straight and was hitting a wall physically. He was dirty, he was hungry, and he was exhausted. But he was glad to be away from that terrible coyote territory. The scents around him now were distinctly wolf and that brought peace to his mind. Among his own kind again. He was also reassured that he sensed Theodore Stone here, the black male that he had met more than a day ago. Perhaps he was now in Anathema lands, which meant he was among friends. He hoped at least.

Suddenly the trees cleared and Zalen found himself in front of a small lake that glittered in the moonlight. Finally! He did not hesitate to bury his face in the cool water and drink until he was fit to burst. Quenched he sat down for a moment and then stretched his tired muscles. Perhaps here would be a good place to rest for the night. But first he must bathe, he could hardly stand the smell of himself.

Silently Zalen shifted to his optime form. In a few minutes the average timber wolf had grown and twisted into the lithe and humanesque form that characterized his race. He took a moment to let the pain of the change subside and then he stepped into the water, awkwardly and still on all fours. He submerged himself, letting the cool water drench deep into his thick fur, it was heaven. He ran his claws through his long mane, removing dirt and debris. Then he stood, still waste deep in the water, and shook, sending sparkling drops of water into the night air. He was revived!

Panda Behr · 07-10-2011, 11:15 PM

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OOC:

+5

She'd been feeling particularly strange lately. Very sick-ish and tired in the mornings, and she'd been more reclusive. She did not want to leave the caves for some time now. She'd felt weird since that day. She'd also had an increase in hunger recently, not because of her habitual pot smoking but also because of something else. Today, she had been able to get out after a week of just laying in bed pretty much and making Venom hunt for her. He had made sure to keep her happy, which was to Panda's pleasure. She liked being able to be lazy, and he allowed her to be since she had been with him the first time physically. Regardless, she was outside of the caves and she was out in the Valley, seeking some peace since she had been ill lately. She figured that if she was not in the place where her fornication was, she would be able to clear her mind, to be able to meditate easily.

She was perched in a tree, like most of the time she meditated (she felt most comfortable above ground often times) and she had her eyes closed; her breathing even. Her ears had moved back and forth, aware of the outside world, while her mind explored a world of it's own. She went deep within her mind, trying to find what was going to be happening to her sometime soon. The reason her body was changing was because her body knew that she was pregnant. The subconscious knew this as well,and this was where she was trying to tap into, to figure out why she was feeling the way she had been over this last long week and a half. She was hoping to not fall ill. She did not want to be bedridden to where she could not adventure when she wanted to.

The splashing of the water that had been in a distance had alerted her half-ears and made them turn in that direction. The scent was next to alert her, and she found the scent to be of a male loner. She snorted lightly and she was forced to pull herself out of her trance to deal with the intruder. She jumped down from her perch and she had moved towards the water. She would get to the shore and see a man bathing in the water. He shook his pelt out while he was in the water still and she found this curious. The clothed woman cocked her head and held her brown gaze on the male whom was intruding on her pack's lands. Hey, ya' know you are on Anathema lands right? Loners, uh, kinda don't belong here, handsome. the woman spoke and she held a smile on her maw. She didn't really feel bad about this male, so she could only hope that she would not need to call Venom to her side, and that he was not aggressive. If he was, then Panda would have to get hostile back, and she normally didn't like to be mean, not unless someone did something to deserve it.

Ya can continue your bath though, I just suggest that ya' get out of here as soon as possible, unless ya' were planning on joining here... the woman went on to comment to the green eyed, coal male, whom was not so bad looking in her opinion.

#564

Zalen Damaichu · 07-11-2011, 12:43 AM

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Nice. Pardon Zale, he's not used to human stuff, and he calls humans "humes" just in case you were wondering.

Zalen had just gathered the stray strands of his mane so as to braid them when the smell of the female reached his wet nose. It was a pleasant smell to receive especially after the stench of the coyote land that had seemed to linger on his skin. He looked up as she arrived, black and ivory fur lit by the moonlight, causing her form to appear to him for a moment as just a floating abdomen and eyeless head. This visage took him aback for a moment before he focused on her form. What in the hell was this? It was a wolf, he could tell by the smell, but it looked like a goddamn panda bear! The ears cropped, the markings, it all screamed bamboo eating, Asiatic bear. And on top of that she was clothed in hume clothing.

He couldn’t believe it. Zalen had heard of Luperci taking on human mannerisms, clothing, shelter, but he had never truly experienced it. Sure the pack he had run with to the south carried among them some hume supplies, one of them even wore a bandana, but that was the extent of their accoutrements. Little did he know that Theodore’s gloved hands would lead to what stood before him. But despite the shock value, the female was quite attractive and he then realized he must have been staring at her slack jawed for quite some time. He also realized that due to the fact she was clothed he probably appeared naked. A twinge of embarrassment came over him but was quickly suppressed. He lower his ears and under the water his tail pressed against his leg in a show of respect. He raised his padded hands

”Pardon my intrusion, I do know I am on Anathema lands. I’ve just arrived.” He moved towards the shore and stopped a few feet in front of her, “My name is Zalen, I met one of your pack mates a few days ago, Theodor Stone was his name. He was very kind to me. If there is an issue with my being here, I will continue on, however I was hoping that the pack would allow me to rest here for the night… I recently had a run in with a coyote in unfriendly lands and I’m exhausted.

Zalen remembered that encounter the other day, the crushing of the wolf skull, the run in with the ivory coywolf female that almost ended in blood shed. But he was out of there now, but based on the way this exotic female wolf had acknowledged him made him wonder if he was in just as much danger in this land as in the ‘yote land. Then he caught himself, where were his manners?

“Forgive me, I’ve just been rambling without asking for your name?” He gave an awkward smile. Once again his social skills seemed lacking.

Panda Behr · 07-14-2011, 03:34 PM

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OOC: no problem, it's actually pretty funny +5

The male had seemed to be taken back by the woman's appearance, and just the look of the male, slack-jawed and everything had made her giggle. Panda covered her mouth in a girlish manner, and she chuckled into her hand for a moment and then perked her ears at him. She listened to him speak when he was finally able to stop gawking at her appearance. He spoke of knowing where he was, and also that he knew the Rakeeb of Anathema. Her ears perked at the sound of Theodore's name, and figured that he would be welcome here for the night if the Rakeeb was friends with this man. She weighed her options, either to chase him out because he was not a member, or to let him stay because he met the Rakeeb. She didn't want to get on either of the male's bad sides, so she decided that it would probably be okay to let him stay outside of the caves.

He had asked her about what her name was. She smiled again at the male, her smile only fading because he had been thinking beforehand. My name is Panda. It's a pleasure t' meet ya, Zalen. the woman started off to speak, holding out her hand to shake hands with him. She then would open her mouth once again to speak to him. I'm sure that our Rakeeb and Angela would let you stay for the night here, since you have had some trouble in Inferni. Trus' me, I've been there and done that. she spoke, remembering the time where she and Venom had snuck into the lands to fish from their rivers and they had to give up some of their meal to get out of Inferni without the Infernians getting upset. Ya' probably won't be welcome in the main pack caves because you are not a member, but I'm sure that there are others on Anathema land that are not preoccupied by any of the Members. she spoke. Anathema did have a vast amount of land and only parts of it were actually used regularly. Most of the pack lived in the main caves rather than elsewhere, above ground so she was definitely sure there would be some other form of shelter. Though I do suggest leaving as quickly as possible, or actually seeking out our Angela's or Rakeeb's specific permission since I am only a lowly Dasa if you are searching for an extended time... she explained to the male.

If she had known him previously she would have invited him to come and sleep in her cave with herself and Venom, but she did not know the handsome man, and even though he did show her politeness, she had been slightly paranoid about outsiders that she was not used to. She would help him find somewhere safe within Anathema for him to stay, for she was not that unkind. So..Zalen...Where are you from? the woman asked. He was a loner, so he was a traveler. Travelers came from all over the world, and she was a curious one, there's not doubt about that.

#519

Zalen Damaichu · 07-14-2011, 04:33 PM

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Question, when you put +5 in your OOC does that have something to do with your word count? WC:364

Zalen blushed under dark fur as she giggled at him, but he knew he probably looked a site standing in front of her dripped wet and completely out of his element. But he continued to smile sheepishly. Panda? Figures. He chuckled at the sound of her name. What kind of crazy people lived around here? Two out of three had been kind to him so it was ok in his book.

He listened to her intently, ears erect, at full attention. She called Theodore Rakeeb which Zalen supposed must have been some kind of rank in their pack. There was a lot he still had to learn about this place. He gave panda a knowing smirk when she mentioned Inferni (now he had a name for that wretched place). He couldn’t imagine how that place hadn’t been disbanded by the wolf population. He supposed that the coyotes were a well formed group and could hold their own against any attack. This worried him, but he would contemplate it later.

Zalen gave a small wag of his tail when she said that he could rest here for the night and wondered about the caves of which she spoke. Perhaps Anathema had a main cave structure in which all members lived. Not out of the ordinary in the least bit.“Thank you for your kindness in letting me stay. I will only be here for the night and then I will continue south.” He took her paw and grasped it gently in a sign of friendship, “And forgive my gawking, I’ve never seen someone with such a hume appearance before.” He let go of her hand and stepped out of the water and took a seat on a nearby bolder as she asked him where he hailed from, “I’ve come down from the mountains to the north and before that I lived in the south western woodlands, I don’t know if it has a name it was never told to me.” He grabbed his damp mane and rung it out, again giving her an awkward smile, “I must admit it is good to be around other wolves again, I’ve been travelling alone for quite some time now.”

Panda Behr · 07-20-2011, 09:57 PM

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ooc: yup, it means that i wrote a 500+ word post. it's the same concept with the +3 and +7 and +10 though those are for 300+,700+, and 1000+. All part of the anathema game +3

The male thanked her for her kindness in letting him stay. She hoped that it was not a mistake of her to trust the wolven male within family territory. It was only because he was friends with the Rakeeb. That's the only reason. She would report to her Angela and tell her tonight that she had let a wolven male on the lands for the night, hopefully she'd be able to at least, she felt sick this afternoon and might have just retired to her den when she got where she needed to go to. He also apologized for gawking at her. She shook her head. "It's okay, really where I come from it's rather normal. Here it seems to not be so normal." she spoke, nodding her head and smiling, also waving her hand in a matter of brushing off the apology. She did not care for it, for it was not necessary in her eyes, it was actually quite the compliment to get gawked at in her eyes. She also assumed by 'hume' the male meant 'human', since it was the only word she could think that sounded close to that. Her smile did not falter as she listened on to what the male had to say to her since she had asked where he had come from.

The woman moved towards the lake's side, and she put her feet in the water and then she sat down there. Listening to the male the whole time, and she patted the ground to invite him over."Ya can continue with your bath sir. I did not mean to interrupt. Maybe I could join you?" the woman asked, thinking that some innocent swimming with a new friend would do her some good, maybe a dip would make her feel less ill. "I don't mind the company of the coyotes, ya' just gotta find the right ones," she spoke to the male, telling him what she thought of the coyotes, and the extent when to many of the breeds of dogs that were out there. She tended to have a temper when it came to smaller dogs though, like that one male that had been on Anathema lands and smelling of another pack and of sex. That man's aura read trouble so she did not like him. She did feel somewhat safer around other wolves, yes, but she did enjoy coyotes and dogs the same as wolves as well. "It's nice to be around wolves sometimes too. I never had a preference between the canids though." the woman spoke, it was true, she truly did try to stay open-minded about things. Though her stars had her stuck in some ways.

"Were you looking for settle in a pack somewhere then, Zalen?" she asked,wondering what exactly he was traveling for.

"speech"

Image © Vaughan@Flickr[/html]

Zalen Damaichu · 07-22-2011, 12:16 AM

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Word Count 380:: Ah makes sense. Are Zalen and Panda gonna splish splash? X3

This woman was quite transfixing and a quirky smile came to his face as she brushed off his apology. He usually found himself quite wary around females but this one seemed to put him at ease. However, when she motioned for him to sit next to her he could feel his nerves act up. But the fact that he was on her pack lands and he didn’t want to offend made him put aside his usual mannerisms, so he obliged, plopping down next to her and quickly forming a puddle.

She smelled lovely, like herbs and soap and pot, something that Zalen had enjoyed a couple times in his younger years. He listened to her speak about coyotes and other canines and his eyes turned dark. He was fine with her being accepting of them but that would not chance his view of them. To him they were no good and better off eradicated. What kind of beasts would outright kill for no reason other than just the thrill of it? They were mad creatures and he wished they had never existed. He was angry at himself for not at least injuring the female coywolf he had encountered in Inferni territory. And that was another thing; coywolf? What kind of sick twisted wolf would mate with a coyote? But he supposed it could have been a product of rape, which wouldn’t surprise him in the least bit.

Putting away these dark thoughts he looked back at Panda and grinned again. The idea of her joining him in the bath was both nerve-wracking and playful, and Zalen had not gotten to play in a long time. He gently splashed her black feet with his own as she asked him about pack joining, he gave a small sight, “I don’t intend on joining a pack in the foreseeable future. I’ve been a loner for six months now and before that… well let’s just say my previous pack experience did not end well.” He left it at that, he really didn’t want to speak about the events of the past, because they were dark. He looked up at her again and smile, “You’re more than welcome to join me in the bath, perhaps you can assist me in removing burs. They’re killing me.

Panda Behr · 07-30-2011, 01:16 PM

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ooc: yusss splish splash! xD sorry for the wait. This month has been hell to me. +5

As a shaman, the woman did have quite the charming personality. She often was able to make others put down their guard without much of an issue. She liked to think it was her energy that people sensed and they were able to relax because she was relaxed. The only downfall about her energy being strong enough to sense by ones who didn't even mean to sense it was that it was easy to tell when something was wrong with her. It was almost like wearing her emotions on her sleeve, no matter how much her face and heart tried to deny the feelings. It was a good thing that she wasn't feeling too off today, for she was still able to hide it behind a smile for now. She continued to smile at the male before he had spoken to her again, and he splashed her a little bit with his feet. He spoke of how his pack life before did not end well and he had been a loner for some time now. The woman rose to her feet and started to take her clothing off, starting with her shirt. She lifted it over her head and threw it to the dry land. After that she would slip the skirt from her hips and toss that with the shirt. She fixed her necklace to where the triangle was centered on her chest and then she brushed her fur down on her stomach and shoulders.

"I'm sorry to hear that the pack before could not accommodate you." she spoke to him, respecting that he did not want to get into details even though she was quite curious as to what did happen. Was it his fault that he wasn't there anymore or was it the pack's fault? Panda knew that she had left her old pack with Venom willingly, for the weather in Florida was not for him and her. She was a northern wolf at heart, and it wasn't hard for her to leave her family behind. She did not favor them, and Venom was really the only person she needed in her life. She decided this a long time ago. He was her best friend, her soul mate, her ~~lover~~. She wasn't ready to admit that last part. They would have been mates by now if they were really lovers. They were everything that lovers were, and they did admit love to each other every so often but they were not official " Thank you. And I will help you with those burs. I know they are a pain in the ass sometimes. " she spoke to the male, smile still clear on her maw and she then would wade into the water with the male. The water was cold, but inviting (the woman always did like the cold over warm for some reason) and she shivered for a second before getting over it and plunging into the water some more. She did not have soap with her not, so she could not really bathe, but she guessed this would just be a nice swim as well as helping the male become clean.

She moved towards the man and reached out to a bur that she could see on his fur, and she picked it out, and threw it into the deeper parts of the water. Panda giggled and spoke: "One down, about a thousand more ta' go." what an exaggerator.

"speech"

Zalen Damaichu · 07-30-2011, 02:03 PM

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Word count 324 :: It's fine like wine.

Zalen watched with interest as Panda disrobed. It wasn't arousing to him in the least bit, if anything it made him more comfortable around her now that she had shed the hume cloth. He wondered once more why she would bother wearing such things, it was a warm night and there was no need for extra protection, if anything Zalen thought that less fur would be more comfortable. He did a slight shrug, to each his own he supposed.

He followed her back into the cool of the water and let it seep back deep into him again. He closed his eyes in pleasure; he loved swimming and taking baths especially in the summer time when the sun would bake his black fur. When she mentioned the pack, he remembered when he and Keylo and Cody would swim together, romping through the shallows of rivers or lakes, enjoying the carefree life with full bellies and laughter in their heads. His heart hurt, he missed them so much. He wished his adoptive brothers were with him now instead of corpses forgotten in the woods somewhere.

His attention was drawn back to the situation at hand when he felt Panda’s nimble claws pluck a bur from his back and whined at her statement, “Is it really that bad back there? Doesn’t surprise me the way I’ve been moving around through the woods lately.” He looked at her behind his shoulder and smiled. So Panda, are there many wolves here in Anathema? Are there healers, hunters? I like the area around here and I’m thinking about setting up a den outside its borders.” He had been thinking about it and now meeting her it made his idea concrete. What better then to continue his lone bachelor nature just outside a friendly pack with all the resources he could wish for. “I was hoping this would be alright as long I don’t trespass or hunt on your lands.”

Panda Behr · 08-12-2011, 09:44 PM

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ooc: again sorry for being so slow. +5(663)

The man didn't seem to really get her sense of humor, nor that she was exaggerating to him. This was fine though, because she was used to people not getting her. She was so unique, as well as her sense of humor that it wasn't out of the norm for one to not get what she was talking about. Venom was one of the few that seemed to understand her completely, which was why he and she had gotten along so well, and it was the reason it was believed that the two were made for each other, weither they were to become mates in the future or just stay very close friends. Fate would be the speaker on that one, but Panda would always be anxious about the future of them. They both would be anxious about such a thing. "I was just kidding. Ya' do have quite a few back here though" the woman spoke as she continued to comb through his fur with her claws, and picking out the burs that she would come across. When the male asked her of the size of Anathema, she paused and thought about the pack and it's members. From what she gathered, the pack was a decent size since they were able to cover a good amount of land for themselves, but it was still small enough for there to not be an overflow within the higher ranks.

"Well, I'm a healer, though I like the title of Shaman better because I am much more than just a physical healer." she started to speak, a smile on her charming face as she continued to comb through his silky ebon fur. "But there is only one other Healer besides me. I believe she's only ranked higher than I because of her family ties to the Angela though, because she doesn't really do much.." she spoke, for she had never heard of the woman actually helping anyone besides herself. This showed the male how slightly bitter the woman could be in the face of competition. "There aren't a tremendous amount of wolves in the pack though, I've seen much larger clans than us, but I would not say that we are particularly all that small." she explained to the male, a small sigh falling from her lips for whatever reason. She was known for randomly sighing like this, for the woman had an active mind that often times would think about something completely different from what she was talking about or doing at the moment.

"Having a den close to the packlands is fine with me, though, yes, I do suggest that you hunt and travel elsewhere. I would also be careful of the outgoing pack members, sometimes Anathema is not known for it's hospitality. I'm probably the best thing that happened to you today, honestly." the woman spoke to him, chuckling softly as she took a few more burs from his back. "Even my best friend, Venom, would have been more than likely to attack you rather than just questioning your intentions on Anathema lands. Trespassers never are taken too lightly, but you have kind eyes and a kind aura, dear sir, so this is why I am not hostile towards you." the woman explained to him, another chuckle passing her lips.

She combed through his fur still, her claws searching for the burs that littered his fur. She had gotten most of them by now, and she was looking for any more that would be there. She finished though and she picked the last one from his back before smiling at him. "I think that's it, Zalen." she spoke to him, nodding her head gently to him before she had sat down in the water, and let her shoulders be submerged. She loved the water, and often times, she missed swimming for the hell of it. Normally she was there to take a bath, to keep her pelt clean and that was strictly business then.

"speech"

Zalen Damaichu · 08-16-2011, 12:20 AM

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Word count 385 :: I’m gonna close this thread out now, it’s been a long time coming. Sorry it’s somewhat abrupt, I tried to make it as smooth a transition as possible. Thanks for the awesome thread ^_^

His ears were twisted towards the sound of her voice as she spoke. He could feel his muscles relax as her claws combed through his hair. He always responded this way to physical touch and it was a sensation that he did not often get to enjoy. In fact the last time he had been groomed in anyway was when his adopted brothers had still been alive, and that seemed so long ago it was almost like a dream in his memory.

The lilt in Panda’s voice as she spoke about her pack caused him to flick his ear, it was strange to hear bitterness there especially in someone who seemed so confident. Reading between the lines Zalen could tell that Anathema was not perfect, there was conflict between its members even if this conflict was only passive-aggressive. This was to be expected, the pack he had run with in the winter had been the same way. It was like a family, members cared for each other but sometimes could not stand each other. A small smile came to his face and remained there until she started speaking about how he had been lucky to meet her rather then someone else. He took heed to these words, he must remain vigilant. Zalen couldn’t expect every wolf he met to be as kind to him as she or Theodore.

As she finished grooming he turned to her with a smile, “Thanks,” He said as he reached back and started to mechanically braid his hair. He could do this action now without much thought, it had become a habit to do this after a bath. His mane was long and braiding it was the only way to keep it from dreading, something that he knew he wouldn’t be able to maintain. But Panda had done an incredible job on her dreadlocks and he admired them. “Your hospitality has been legendary Panda, I appreciate it. I must be going now, I hope we can meet again soon. I would like to be able to call you my friend now.” He clasped her gently on the shoulder before turning and existing the lake, body dripping immensely. He shook, sending water in every direction, and gave her a silly smile before trotting off into the woods towards the southern border.

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