He's on the porch of Haven Manor. Mid-afternoon of September 7th. Word Count » +3
Twice now, he had failed. Others had done what he could not—others had saved lives and saved face and here he was, defeated. The broad-shouldered wolf lay on the porch of the Manor, his pelt blowing in the autumn breeze. Deep aches twisted in his chest and belly, but they were not physical. Anu remained in the savage’s camp. His mother was caught up in this war of attrition, and he had barely seen the rest of his family since he had begun lingering closer to the Manor. He considered taking up residence there, but not now, while he could not bear to face others. Not now, when he could be the eyes on the border.
Those blue eyes, the color of dark denim, stared ahead at the landscape. His fur gleamed reddish-brown in the sunlight, bleached brown from exposure. The undercoat was naturally closer to an earthen hue, hidden by the midnight black that he and his mother shared. Often, he felt very separated from the rest of his brood—they were all light colored things like his father (though Cabria and Silvano were warm, chocolate-colored wolves), a man that Gotham had disconnected from early on. He had disconnected from most people, even his own mother.
A satchel lay nearby, dropped there after he had taken to the four-legged form he now carried. The bag was small enough he could tote it in his mouth if he so desired, carried only for the potential discovery of any new insects. Most he now knew by heart, but it was habit, and habit was hard to break. Gotham, for this reason, napped in his lupus form. The Manor was hardly quiet, but it was warm, and like it or not these past few war-torn weeks had made him desperate for company.
I thought I was smarter as I flew into the sun,
but it turned out the way it does with everyone
Liliana Utina "Better days are expected for tomorrow, always tomorrow"
It seemed Gotham was going to get his company, in a left handed kind of way. The cause of his distress, and everyone else's was headed to the manor. Saqui and Kuruk wanted to “read” some more, though Liliana could not read, nor teach them, she enjoyed looking at pictures as much as the pups. Kuruk was trotting ahead with a stick in his mouth as usual, keeping an eye out just in case there were any enemies so he could protect his mommy and sister. Saqui happily trotted alongside her mother, who had taken up her own lupus form. A form so very rarely seen, but she felt more comfortable, more natural, even if she looked more doggish. She hated showing her dog heritage, it was a weakness to her, and she knew she might not have gotten as badly beaten if they thought her a full wolf. Liliana had spotted the black man first. He looked much like his mother, though Lili did not have the pleasure of meeting her quite yet. Kuruk spotted him next, but didn't have time to charge at the man, because Liliana picked the pup up before he could get near the darker male. The boy dropped the stick to complain.
“Aw mooom, what if he was an intruder! He could be a bad guy.”
The boy whined his frustration at his mother. Liliana put him down, sure that he wouldn't charge again and shook her head.
“Use your nose my little on, he's a part of the pack, we don't go charging those that guest us.”
She looked up at the man, and smiled kindly. She was thankful for every single Crimson Dreamer, not just the ones who protected her, but everyone. She was sure one of them would have eventually taken her and her pups right to Maska.... she knew that would mean certain death for the woman, and an unknown future for her pups.
”Hello, my name is Liliana, I was just going to bring my pups to look at the books.
Why she had to state what she was doing she didn't know, she felt like an intruder, and even more so when she saw the look on this man's face. Saqui stayed close to her mother's leg and Kuruk had picked up his stick again, staring at the dark man.
He spotted the approaching trio long before they neared. His body stiffened slightly, for they were strangers to him and the woman wore feathers. Yet they came without aggression and the woman even halted her boy, who whined loudly at the injustice. Gotham relaxed, lifting his head curiously. They were the ones that had begun this whole incident, the ones that Anu had sacrificed her own safety for. As much as he wanted to hate her for that, he couldn’t—not when she smiled at him and told him everything with her gaze.
“Nice to meet you,” he said pleasantly enough, his manners those as an alpha’s son should be. “I’m Gotham. You should be pleased, your son is very brave,” the dark male went on, turning his gaze to the boy. Gotham’s size alone was impressive, though he was neither trained nor aggressive like the warriors here. In fact, his knowledge of fighting was purely instinctive; he knew nothing more than how to wrestle and play as he had when he was a boy. “Do you know where you’re going?” Gotham asked, careful of his tone. He did not want the woman to be insulted by him thinking she might be lost.
I thought I was smarter as I flew into the sun,
but it turned out the way it does with everyone
WC:365 OOC: I get a thread with the mel! This time it'll be better, uh I have far more muse on her than the slave XD <3
Liliana was still apprehensive about meeting new Crimson Dreamers, she didn't know how some of them would react, and she knew there would be a few who would react in unsavory ways. The man, however seemed polite and kind, but only just and she was glad enough for that. She couldn't help but look away at his compliment to her son. She liked it, but as she had never been a social wolf, and the beating had taken much out of her will to socialize in general, she was at a loss of words other than...
“Thank you, Kuruk has a strong spirit like his father. Saqui, she's got a bravery all her own,...”
That was her way of introducing the pups, though she was correct, though Saqui was acting shyer than her mother she was able to confront someoen in a situation that Liliana now dared not get into again, lest her spirit would be broken. His question took her off guard, was there a reason for it? She didn't know where books could be found, she only knew of the ones in the commonroom of the Manor.
“Yes, I was actually coming her. Amata, she showed us where there are some books for the children, she started teaching them how to read. They really like looking at them.”
She hardly would mention herself not being able to read, though she had in possession two books, both were sentimental more than anything to her. She would never have left them behind. Lucia had been a good friend, though she met her once and only once. Kansas had given her the other one, which she knew was about horses, as a trade for the foal that was born over the snowstorm. The one she brought with her from the tribe to give Silvano so he could keep it safe.Kuruk stat in front of his mother, though not in the protective state he had once been in. If his mother was sharing pleasantries than it was sure enough she wasn't going to let him fight the guy if he was nice. He didn't want to fight nice people anyway.
They had unfamiliar names, but Gotham was a literary type and thus was able to categorize them as belonging to the unfamiliar language the Utina family spoke. He would remember them as he remembered most things; a bookworm’s memory was one that filled with long, trailing Latin names and proper terms for insects and plants and things.
She spoke of books for the children, and Gotham quickly recalled that several lay scattered about in the common area he had avoided since the return from AniWaya. Her explanation was taken at face value; they had only seen a few books, and certainly not the large collection beyond the great room that so many often shared. With one motion, Gotham rose to his feet. He was a tall wolf and long-legged, resembling his mother in many ways. Larger than her, however, he was a giant amongst most. “I could read to them,” he offered, suddenly desperate for the escape. “If you want, that is,” he added quickly, almost nervously. Unsure of himself yet, Gotham had not found a nitch within the pack he had lived in since birth.
I thought I was smarter as I flew into the sun,
but it turned out the way it does with everyone
