Word Count » 491
Location: On the edge of Sunflower Sunsets I haven't written with Slade for a long time so I apologize for the rambly post.
Slade Auctor
Slade Auctor knew nothing about plants, but he was fairly certain that a giant patch of sunflowers didn't just grow in a matter of months.
Having been away from his homeland of Nova Scotia for months, the weary coyote had been searching desperately for any sign of famliarity until he came across the Halcyon Mountains. From there he had tried to go around the bottom to avoid having to climb over them, but unfortunately his straightforward path was blocked by a river and he had no desire to jump or swim to get across it. This had extended the length of his journey by a day, as he had to walk upstream, up the mountains, and go around and down.
Things hadn't ended there, because rather than face the borders of a coyote pack which he had passed last winter when coming to the area, Slade found himself lost in a massive flower field after losing a mouse within its tangles. Once realizing that he had gotten ridiculously lost among the tall stalks he became aware of the constant cawwing of crows, ravens, or whatever birds had decided to peck among the seeds in the area.
He had arrived a little before dawn and now it was almost noon. Slade was surrounded by the sound of leaves rustling and birds screaming, which wasn't good for his somewhat fragile sanity; he hadn't come back a happier canine and had seen things which he could never imagine without having nightmares. Now he was finally back in a somewhat familiar area and he was lost in a maze of yellow and green.
Had his mind been clearer Slade might have realized that the scents of sunflowers were becoming mixed with other wild plants and that only a few paces would have led him to freedom, but instead he was pacing to and fro, limping slightly from a nearly-healed shoulder injury, thinking about the strangest of topics. Every so often his thoughts would be interrupted by the screeching of a crow, and he would jump but see nothing. I just want to be back home. I can't just go back to my pack, can I? No, I've got to be lost in a freaking--
“CAWWW!” Slade froze, looked up, and found himself meeting the eyes of a black bird of some sort, which was tentatively looking at the nearest sunflower, wondering if it was a safe place to land. Anger boiled over and the miserably lost coyote snapped. “Shut up you godforsaken animal!”
The wandering warrior was still just as clueless as to what to do with himself as he had been in days and weeks past. He knew he would need to stop eventually, find a place to stay and something to do with himself. Dresden had bypassed many packs, clans, and communities on his travels, but his stays never lasted more than a few days. Hell, there even seemed to be a fair number of packs around this area, but he had done his best to avoid them for the most part. Settling down somewhere made him feel like he was giving up and consigning himself to forgetting the family he had left behind. Damned if he was going to give up. It just seemed easiest for him to simply allow his feet to take him where they would, or to allow Stranger’s whims to drag him around for a day or two.
Giving in to the stallion’s whims was exactly what the warrior had done for the last few days, allowing the horse to take him back up north without much complaint. The male couldn’t say he had anything better to do than trace and retrace his route through this region. He discovered new things each time, and on a few instances, met new faces. He had a feeling that within another few days he would be turning back south again, seeing what new sights would greet him. It was better than facing the facts that he could not wander aimlessly forever.
His journey that day had been rather uneventful, aside from the detour he’d needed to take to circle around some claimed territory nearby. That soon would change, however, as a curious sight lay ahead in the distance, bright yellow flowers flourishing in the noontime sunlight. And a lot of them at that. Dresden nudged the dark stallion to shift his course over toward the grove of sunflowers. It was an interesting change of scenery, he had to admit.
As he neared the field of yellow flowers, he tugged gently on Stranger’s reigns to pull him to a stop. Icy blue eyes looked out across the field with subdued interest. His ears twitched at the various sounds from around him, a light breeze, the plaintive calls of birds, and… footsteps? His brow furrowed in confusion, unsure if he was correct. He scanned the flowery field once more with renewed interest, trying to seek out the source of the noise. Moments later there was a sudden outburst from what seemed like a short distance within the mass of green and yellow. Dresden dismounted from his horse, but kept a hold on his reigns to lead him along as he went to investigate. “Hello?” he called, treading carefully into the colorful mass of flowers.
OOC: If she gets annoying just grab her or somethin XD.
She had been wandering the fields for many hours collecting petals and seeds. Her nerves were shot from the sounds of the crows and the flowers towered over her like creatures. She wanted to escape but she felt she couldn’t they wanted her that day craved her to be with them. Her knitted pouch recently emptied was just starting to reach the halfway point. She felt a tickle of a leaf behind her and she let out a whimper. She hated this place greatly. She started to hear whispers among the flowers and her whimpers grew greater. Then she swore she heard voices so she started to panic and run.
She halted to a stop narrowly bumping into a male, his fur white and black with eyes even more pale than her own. She yelped and turned direction and ran with greater speed. She tripped over a fallen flower scraping her hands as she braced the fall. The contents of her bag fell into view. There was nothing but petals, stones and seeds that littered the ground next to her. She pushed herself up with a groan her heart beating with wild fear. Then she noticed she was not alone and yelped again. Another male stood nearby. She was surrounded, they were after her, it was them. Her mind ran rampant with outrageous assumptions when she grabbed a blunt rounded stone. In her mind she had a dagger and held it out in front of her as she stood. Stay back y’all! Or I swear I will stick ya, I ain’t goin no where today. The crows caws in the distance made her jumpy even more as she pointed the “dagger” from side to side.
Perhaps if he hadn't been so loud Slade would have been able to safely avoid what felt like utter chaos, which quickly followed his outburst. Things started slowly when another male called out, and the small coyote shrunk back into submission when he realized that someone was walking toward him. Then the chaos appeared in the form of a clothed dark brown Optime who burst into the scene in an absolute panic. Slade couldn't quite comprehend the action quickly enough, but next thing he knew he was cowering and facing a female who seemed to think that a stone was a weapon that could be used for more than throwing.
He stared blankly up at the coyote, who was obviously just as frantic as he was but was in more of a panic. Slade blinked, realizing that the worst she could do was throw the rock at his face—which he'd hopefully be able to dodge—and managed to sit up straight, even if he was still shaking slightly from the shock. “Well,” he muttered, “that was an entrance for the ages.”
Slade was still studying the female to make sure that there were no daggers or other weapons concealed underneath the strange off-white clothing she wore until he decided that he had been staring around, doing nothing, and that probably wasn't helping her pannicked state of mind. Shaking his head quickly and hoping that he could have a small chat and get this over with, Slade said, “I couldn't harm you even if I wanted to. You can drop the... rock....”
Oh, yes, this uneventful day was about to get interesting indeed. Without much warning the previously calm field of sunflowers erupted into a flurry of activity and confusion. Dresden was continuing to lead Stranger through the flowers at a slow pace when suddenly a dark-furred figure nearly collided with him. The male hardly had time to do more than blink at her before she yelled and skittered away. The stallion began to paw at the ground in agitation at the stranger’s sudden explosion onto the scene as Dresden watched in confusion. Had that been the person he’d heard call out before? No—he could have sworn it was a man’s voice, certainly not belonging to the skittish female.
The woman tripped, and the sight managed to drag the warrior from his confused state and back to his senses. He gave the nervous horse a reassuring pat and whispered for him to stay put before turning to follow to where the stranger had fled. As he moved forward he found himself facing an interesting scene: a shaking coyote staring up at the weary woman, who had managed to get a hold of a rock and was making frantic threats. Instinct drove Dresden’s hand down to the hilt of one of his daggers, but he hesitated as he assessed the situation. The woman was obviously freaked out, and it wasn’t likely she would be doing much damage with that rock of hers. Pulling out a weapon would only make things worse. Instead the male stepped slowly into view, lifting his hands in a placating gesture. “Hey now, miss. No one here’s out to get you. We’re all just passing through, like you. Why don’t you put down the rock like the nice guy here suggested, and we’ll have a little talk?” The warrior didn’t have much experience in handling things in a peaceful, diplomatic matter, but he was trying his best.
OOC: Sorry for the dramatics... what can I say she's crazy XD
What were they talking about? What rock? She looked down at her hand and the dagger she had perceived to see was no longer there just a smooth stone with no chance of penetrating anything. She dropped it and rummaged through the satchel frantically finding nothing else she could use as a weapon. So she dropped to her haunches and cowered grasping her head. No, please, please don’t take me. Take all I got just don’t hurt me, don’t take me away. She begged in a old western accent. She dumped the satchel further revealing nothing but junk, the only item that seemed of some use was a ball of wool speared by two knitting needles.
She muttered and whimpered quietly just glancing at the two strange males. Were they one of them? Were they there to take her for good this time? She saw the one almost as frightened as she was but it was a trick she was sure of it. Her feverish insanity growing ever more frantic with the seconds; she looked around for an escape. She felt completely surrounded for crows seemed to be everywhere. Oh lordy. There’s no way out. She cried out. It was clear she wasn’t an average coydog as she rocked slightly grasping her knees. Are… are you them? She asked slightly hopeful but would she believe them if they told her no? She felt she had been lied to, far too often.
Slade wasn't soothed much when another canine stepped into the scene, a black-and-white male who just so happened to be well-armed. The already scared coyote wasn't soothed by the stranger's voice; in fact, he couldn't take his eyes off the daggers. The memories of those slave traders were too fresh for him to not be unsettled by any wolf who carried a weapon. The entire time he thought about the situation, and even when he eventually spoke, his eys wouldn't leave the glinting weapons.
Even worse, the Optime male seemed to be the only one with a cool head, which really didn't help. It made him seem all the more suspicious. Sheer paranoia set in as Slade disregarded the female's whimperings and began to back up, hoping to slide into the tangles of green stalks without having to talk first. He forced himself to look calm and ceased his trembling, though his ears were still flattened and he wasn't meeting anyone's eyes. He just wanted to flee. I just can't have a normal day, can I? Why can't I just get out of here and never have to see this place again?
Having calmed his mind slightly, Slade cleared his throat and said “One of the-- I've got no idea what you're talking about”–which was a complete lie because he was wondering if this female had been enslaved as well–“but I'd be more than happy to leave if someone would kindly direct me to the exit of this stupid field maze.” His body was rigid with irritation and yet he was resisting the urge to pace. Much like his thoughts, it seemed as if he couldn't figure out a single emotion to focus on. For all you know you're acting as insane as this female....
Imagine Dresden’s surprise when his attempts at cooling the situation down did little to actually help. The attempt may as well have gone unnoticed. The frantic woman did drop the rock she had been clutching, there was that at least. Tensions remained high despite that, however. The shaky coyote had been eyeing him warily ever since he had stepped in to help, and it took Dresden a few moments to realize that he was staring at his daggers. It had definitely been a wise move to keep the weapons sheathed when he arrived. The tension was palpable enough as it was.
The woman collapsed into a whimpering pile, emptying her satchel out onto the ground and pleading with the two males present to leave her be. Confusion was beginning to give way to agitation, but Dresden remained still, continuing to hold his hands up to show he meant no harm. The other male was beginning to back himself up and keep himself from shaking, but he was still obviously far from comfortable here. The dark-furred woman’s whimpers continued and Dresden’s confusion only grew as she began questioning them. “…What? What do you mean by ‘them?’” he asked, trying to keep his voice as level and soothing as he could manage. Was she being followed? Icy blue eyes glanced around the field in search of any sign of others. No, it didn’t seem likely; with all the noise they were making, if she was being chased her persuers would have been quick to spot them.
What the hell had he wandered into? He was starting to regret coming out over here to investigate. The other male seemed just as clueless as to what was freaking out the woman, clearly on edge as he expressed his desire to get out of the crowded maze of sunflowers. “The field ends right over there,” he said, motioning over his shoulder with his thumb. “I say we get out there and give each other some space, alright?” The crowded confines of the flowery field weren’t likely helping this odd little situation. And hell, if either of them wanted to bolt, it would be easier for them to get away out in the clearing. No skin off his back if they chose to run off.
OOC: Ah this thread is refreshingly entertaining. ^_^
The fear was just too much to handle her heart beating wildly seemingly about ready to stop in her chest. She didn’t know what they wanted, what they were going to do or say. The weary male stared only at the other disregarding her, what was wrong here? Something was off. The black and white male acted clueless he even looked concerned for the frightened female. These questions in her mind set something in motion that she had come to recognize. No… no… not now. She whimpered with a lowered voice. She glanced behind her things were there that only she saw visible. They were inching closer her fear gripping hold of her, she wanted to warn the others to run but no words were coming out. She shut her eyes completely ready to scream as the things behind her approached ready to rip her from consciousness. Suddenly the girl’s eyes widened her body froze momentarily.
Xyza blinked for a few seconds her eyes hurting she felt she had just woken from a terrible nightmare but could not remember the plot. She looked around at her feet sure enough yet another pile and her knitting needles out of her bag. The routine of her “sleepwalking” was rather annoying the girl; it seemed to happen far more often since arriving. She sighed slightly and grabbed the wool ball placing it into her sack. Her hands hurt a little and wondered if she had tripped. Was that what woke me up? She thought.
Then she smelled something, she looked up startled by the two males standing before her she fell to her bottom. The one look terribly worried of the other who had been glancing between the pair. What’s going on here? What are you doing to this poor wolf? Her voice was different a polish accent now strongly in place as the western sounds were gone. She stood and crossed her arms giving the male a rather distasteful look waving her finger at him. Can’t you see how terrified he is? Are you alright sir? She looked to the brownish male with a concerned expression rounding the black and white dog to approach the wolf. What has he done to you? Her voice soothing and coddling.
WC: 390 OOC: Got that right. I love writing about chaos.... XD
It only took one sentence for Slade to nod in gratitude, and he would have bolted away to freedom immediately had the female not suddenly spoken with a much different tone and accent than she had before. The coyote could only shake his head in confusion as she stood and turned on the other male, apparently under the impression that he had caused Slade's fear of the situation. And then she dared to ask him if he was “all right” and what had been done to him! For a moment Slade could only glance back and forth between them, wondering if this was some sort of conspiracy. One of them is a wolf and they're both Optime... and her sudden identity crisis can't be real... this has got to be a trap!
Having convinced himself that the entire thing was a scheme, Slade glanced back and forth between the two. He opened his mouth to speak but not words came out, so he decided that the best choice of action was to run away. I'm getting out of this flowery hell! Without warning he turned and bolted... in the complete opposite direction that had been pointed out to him. They're probably out there waiting... an ambush prepared to sack a helpless coyote! What have I done to deserve this?
His paranoid mind was still in a frenzy as he hoped to vanish into the stalks and never be seen again by the two conspirators, but no sooner had he dashed into the green there was another sudden cry. Suddenly Slade was facing a crow, who had been minding its own business and picking seeds off the ground until the frantic coyote had burst onto the scene. Naturally frightened by the events the bird shrieked and flapped its wings in a wild craze, which sent Slade skittering away from the black feathers that were now clouding his vision. Now the only thing he could do was return to his captors and admit defeat.
Slade nearly collapsed back into the small area where he had started out, and instantly dropped to his paws and ducked his head. “Fine.” he panted. “If this is a trap just take me away now, or else leave me alone.” There was a crow's feather on his head but he didn't care to shake it off.
If Dresden had thought that the situation had taken an odd turn already, he was in for a bit of a surprise. It had seemed like everything was going to go well, the shaky coyote seeming grateful to be pointed in the direction of some flower-free land. And then the woman had a sudden breakdown right before their eyes that culminated in… a rather calm, if somewhat standoffish, demeanor. Now that she was seemingly fear-free, she was quick to accuse Dresden of doing something to the coyote.
To say the warrior was speechless would be an understatement.
Where did this sudden 180 in personality come from? And if that wasn’t enough, she even spoke in a different way. Dresden found the sudden identity crisis suspicious and he eyed the dark-furred woman warily. Things seemed to be getting a bit too interesting for the coyote male, who darted off without a word farther into the flower field. Dresden blinked at the shuffling waves of flowers he left in his wake, turning to the woman with a questioning look. The scuffling sounds of movement and the screeches of birds could be heard from the direction that he’d run in. “What the—” he began to ask when suddenly, lo and behold, their coyote friend was back. And he brought with him his own crazy outburst, who would have guessed it.
The husky was beginning to reach his limit here. “No, really. What the hell is going on here? I’m not out to get anyone!” His tone was becoming defensive. He took a step back from the strangers, shaking his head. Icy eyes turned from one crazy person to the other. “I heard yelling in here and came to see what was going on. That’s it.” He turned his focus to the woman, narrowing his eyes in agitation. “And I’m definitely not doing anything to anyone.” Talk about getting more than you bargained for. Things couldn’t get any weirder than this... He could only hope.
Xyza felt horribly confused when the male darted away. She glanced at the other male starting to believe that maybe there was more to this whole ordeal. No, he must have done something to spook him. Then the male busted back into the area they currently stood and that is when she seen just how confused everyone was. Trap? She wondered what he meant and looked to the other male. Finally it had obviously been too much for him to handle so he had an outburst of his own. Sadly Xyza knew nothing of just how much tension she had brought to the situation with her unknown condition.
Well… what ever is going on here feels like just a huge misunderstanding. I just woke to find you two looking at me like I was some sort of crazy person. She chuckled like it was a completely ludicrous idea hoping to lighten the mood. It was her belief that she had merely slept walked into the males. I think its best if we get ourselves to a more friendly environment… cause to me this place feels a little cramped and the crows are starting to freak me out. Then we can get our stories straight? She could already feel her fear starting to rise as they cawed in the distance. It was never good for her to be frightened for she felt she was prone to fainting spells. She looked to the other males hoping someone would lead the way.
She walks. She talks.She thinks.The other is aware
Slade could only shake his head as the two Luperci discussed their own confusion. Apparently he wasn't the only one in the situation whose head was in a daze; rather than listen to them talking, which would only add to the insanity, he tried to calm his own mind. I think that everyone here has been affected by the crows. If we just get some fresh air without the smell of pollen littering it we might stand a chance at having intelligent conversation of some sort. That was it; pollen was a drug and causing him to look like a complete lummox. Escape the pollen, escape the madness.
The female's sudden personality switch meant nothing to him when she suggested leaving so they could get their stories straight. That's what I've been wanting all along! Slade nodded in agreement, and–hoping that his mind was calm enough for him to talk without a quiver to his voice–spoke up. “Right, I think we're all getting claustrophobic here.” He turned to the male, who seemed the least muddled of the three. Despite the weapons that were still putting the coyote on edge, he hadn't had any crazy outbursts or personality swaps. Good thing, too. He could definitely be more dangerous....
Shoving aside the paranoia that threatened to rise again, Slade cleared his throat in an attempt to speak clearly. “You said you know the way out, correct? If you'd be so kind as to lead us in the correct direction I think we can escape this damned maze without any more 'trouble'.” Satisfied with the fact that he now had a relatively clear head, Slade stopped talking and looked up at the male expectantly, directing his gaze over the daggers and up to his face. If my doubts are right and these two are only acting... well, at least I can go down without looking completely insane.
No prob. Some slight pp here with them getting out of the sunflower patch, hope that's alright.
He really didn’t get this girl. This had to be some sort of joke. She just “woke up” here? If the other male here wasn’t looking as confused as he was, he might have started to wonder if he was starting to imagine things. He eyed the woman a little warily, unsure what to think of her behavior. The brown-furred male may have apparently had a few strings loose, but at least Dresden could read him somewhat. The female’s behavior mystified him and put him on edge. He had no idea what sort of moves she’d be pulling next. The two strangers suggested relocating somewhere a little less crowded and the warrior showed his agreement with a silent nod.
The coyote asked him to lead the way out. Easy enough. Maybe everyone would quit their freaking out now. “Yeah, c’mon. This way.” He turned, waving to indicate that they should follow him. He kept a weary eye over his shoulder as he walked; he didn’t like the idea of keeping his back turned to either of these sporadic personalities. But it was a short and uneventful walk out of the flowers. Waiting for them at the edge of the field was Dresden’s stallion, who snorted in agitation and pawed at the ground as the three of them came into sight.
“Chill, Stranger,” he muttered to the horse, tugging lightly on his reigns to get his attention. Things were hectic enough without adding his tempermental stallion to the mix as well. He led the horse a short distance away from the edge of the flower field, then turned to face the two strangers once more. Icy blue eyes regarded each of them in silence as he waited for someone to start explaining themselves.
WC: 150 >.< Sorry short one. Wasn't sure what else to put.
The looks they had given her were all too familiar; it increased her discomfort somehow feeling like she was the bad guy in all of this. She had merely awoken abruptly to find herself in the middle of an odd situation. She followed the males out of the sunflower patch hugging her small form trying to ignore the crows. When they finally escaped the creepy forest of flowers she smiled slightly at the horse. Beautiful creature. She always liked horses, her father despised them but to her they seemed like such majestic creatures.
So… what happened in there? She was almost afraid to hear the truth, at times she knew her sleeping walking resulted in talking. She could never remember the “dreams” either. She looked back and forth at the males waiting for an answer and smacked her forehead lightly. Forgive me. My name is Xyza Glow. What’s your names?
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