diminuendo

Caspa Al-Fateh · 11-04-2011, 04:18 PM

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A surreal feel had taken hold of Caspa's life. She was called a Duchess, but she'd really only been a soldier. She had returned home, only to travel back the same way on paws still aching from the arduous day of the attack. And now, well the night before to be precise, she had noticed the moon and realised it was almost time for her to make yet another journey. So this morning, she had woken with good intentions to do something useful, mundane and sedate, to make a change. She was going gardening.

The dog pushed open the door with a liveliness not felt for some time, emerging into a cool November landscape. The trees were turning russet, the herbaceous areas of the hotel grounds dying back and turning brown and shrivelled. Caspa knew better than to look at this with dismay or disappointment. The plants were mostly still ripe if you knew how to handle them. She hadn't planted much herself. Some of it must have been sprouted by other canines, some left over from the humans - the tougher perennials. The only thing she'd contributed were the poppies, around the edges of the pathways and the walls where there was less overgrowth. The flowers were long since withered, even the last few flagbearing blooms, but in their place were the round husks. Caspa snapped one off and shook it so the tiny black seeds rattled. It was surprising how many seeds they contained, and she'd learnt how nutritious they were, especially for livening up dried or lean fare. With imagination, food could be found in the strangest of places. Even if it didn't come to necessity, they added a good flavour; and any left over would be replanted to provide the pack with painkillers.

Liam Catori · 11-04-2011, 04:58 PM

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hehe woo!
410 words

Gardening had never really been a favorite hobby of Liam's. To be perfectly honest, the task had never once crossed his mind – he occasionally picked wild berries when he was away from the pack-lands and far from any meat source but other than that the idea of planting seeds or harvesting them was just... unappealing. I mean seriously! Give him a target to take down; he can do that with his eyes closed and an entertained grin on his face. An arrow wound to patch up? He could do that too and he could do it quite well for that matter. But going around looking for seeds and then planting them so that they could magically grow into something else? Yeah not really his cup of tea, thank you very much. It's safe to say you can only assume what his reaction would be at the prospect of gardening today.

Thankfully he was well unaware of what the near future had in store for him though – blissfully so. Waking up on that crisp yet sunny November morning with a slight grin on his face, the young Catori man had done a couple quick chores around the Catori-Haskel residence before heading off to the hotel, the sun just barely peaking from behind the horizon. Upon finding the lobby empty, he'd gone and caught himself a quick breakfast and then he'd returned back to Chien Hotel. Apparently they had everything under control and he could spend the day just relaxing – but Liam wasn't one to relax. He needed to be occupied with something or else he would surely go insane. That was how he found himself lazily walking about, his bi-colored eyes searching for something to do. Anything.

He kept walking for a few minutes before his eyes landed on a familiar figure with light fur and hair pulled back into cornrows. Liam liked Caspa a lot and a smirk suddenly spread across his face – maybe she'd need his help with something. Without even looking at what she was doing, he strolled towards her, tall and muscular frame looking quite imposing in comparison to the lean woman. “Morning, Caspa!” he said cheerfully, “I was kicked out of the hotel for the day... It seems people think I'm overworking myself... Do you need help with anything?” He hoped she'd say 'yes' and not side with the others that he needed to relax. Working for him was relaxing!

Table by Marie, edited by Kit. Lyrics go to Brad Paisley.

Caspa Al-Fateh · 11-04-2011, 06:35 PM

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+400 :o Edit: sorry for the wall-of-text this was originally! Edit 2: and the wall of italics it then became.

It was probably because she'd been spinning about the land like a restless gust of wind, but she hadn't seen much of her packmates since the fight with the Guardians. She especially wondered about the boy - man - whose battle had interlinked with hers on the day. At his age and from a fairly stable environment like this one, he couldn't have lived through many events of that calibre. Death changed everyone, even those who escaped it for the present. She could remember her first kill: and as someone who didn't do it very often, even with prey animals, it was a memory not likely to go away any time soon. She could do damage to plants, though, with impunity - they always came back, and they didn't feel a thing. She broke off another stalk and rattled the seeds into a cotton pillowcase she'd found in the hotel, then heard footsteps behind her. How strange - it was Liam's voice that hailed her. Perhaps her thoughts had turned to him, scenting his approach on a subconscious level, but whatever, it was a good voice to hear. She didn't turn to face him, though, just angling an unreadable look over one shoulder; but even that was enough to study that youthful face - young, but full of vitality and presence. Words were unspoken then, but they could have been. Something about how was he since the fight, or wasn't it nice that they had both made it and here they were. But there was no point saying any of that, because it was obvious.

Overworking himself - a young wolf with most of the energy and strength he might ever have? She doubted it, but it was good he was making himself so useful. She had an easier task for him. It was true that taking rests was part of getting stronger; that was a lesson he would surely learn soon if he hadn't already. "Ah, Liam. Just the wolf I need," she said with what was almost a sly smile, then paused for effect. "You should not be idle for too long. It is vital we gather these seed heads before they moulder." Languidly she waved a poppy husk at him so he would know what she meant. "The seeds are within. You mustn't break them... just hand them to me." She indicated with her eyes the patch of stalks she meant him to pick over, already skilfully tapping out the seeds into her pillowcase. It was good for a wolf to learn delicacy; not all battles were won with fists and teeth. Fighting hunger in the winter was not all physical, but it was just as urgent a mission as fighting an enemy.

Liam Catori · 11-04-2011, 07:12 PM

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*stabs Fred's coding errors*
425 words

Liam on the other hand had seen his pack-mates quite a lot, given he'd been healing most of them following the war. He couldn't remember much of the conversations he'd had with them though, or if he'd had conversations to begin with. It was all such a blur in his mind – then again, a blur could very much explain his life following the war. He was running on little sleep, adrenaline and a desire to keep himself busy and prove himself worthy to his pack-mates. He was scared that if he slowed down the nightmares would return. He was getting better and when he went to bed, he was so tired that he fell asleep right away and slept through the night.

With a tiny smile, Liam was grateful for her words. She needed him. He was going to be put to work, just what he needed. When she propositioned that he help her garden however his expression faltered for just a split-second, going from a smile to a bewildered look before going back to a grin. “That sounds like a pretty good plan.” he said to the white wolf as he stepped closer in order to get a better look at what she was doing. Carefully, as though afraid his brute strength would damage the fragile plants, Liam picked the poppy stem, looking at it for a moment as he tried to figure out how to extract the seeds. Finally he managed to uncover the secret of getting the seeds and placed them in Caspa's pillowcase – a few landed on the ground however and he bent down to pick them up. “I've been practicing stitches; I think I may be better at this delicacy thing than I appear.” he said with a chuckle.

The brown-pelted Catori placed the fallen seeds with the others in the pillowcase before he picked another stalk and did the same process, slowly extracting the poppy seeds. It wasn't an easy task, but he knew that with practice he'd be able to do it faster and with more gracefulness. Because right now he was quite clumsy and often managed to get one or two seeds on the ground. “What have you been doing lately?” he asked her. Most of the wolves were preparing for winter – Liam himself had gone hunting with Strel, his mother and siblings just the other day. He was curious to know what else was being done around the pack to prepare for the brutally cold months that were fast approaching.

Table by Marie, edited by Kit. Lyrics go to Brad Paisley.

Caspa Al-Fateh · 11-04-2011, 07:58 PM

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+400 What's a code and how do I get one?! No, really I'm awful at coding :/ AND POSTING IN THE RIGHT ACCOUNT. This is like my failthread.

As opposed to working with the wounded and so facing relentlessly the harder aspects of life, a little simple foraging work would certainly be a rest. There was no pressure, here, a few seeds lost would make absolutely no difference overall. There was something odd but appealing about the sight of a towering young man plucking dead flowerheads. She approved of his willingness and enthusiasm, in spite of everything he was such an upbeat person. Caspa wouldn't have known how to be upbeat to save her life.

Matter-of-factly she continued extracting seeds, also taking time to pull off a few vitamin-laden rosehips for a separate pillowcase, and scratch the taller weed varieties into the soil. Her satin-white legs and hands were coated in dirt after a short time, and she was glad of her tight plaits stopping her hair joining in the fun - it always took an age to get mud out of the long tresses. She was quiet as she listened to Liam, only acknowledging his presence when he asked a direct question. There was a pause as she ran her mind back over the last few days. "Scavenging, a little, at the reserve with the big fence: the prey love to trap themselves there. Also cleaning and hanging the carcasses." She was highly practiced at butchery. It was one of the first things she'd learned to do, and came in handy when it came to storing food for winter. "Apart from that, I patrol and practice throwing." You could call her various expeditions patrolling, right? She did make a point of detouring around the borders as much as possible. "How are the others healing?" She knew they were getting good care, but many wounds that needed stitching back together was always a nasty prospect and the risks of infection high.

Liam Catori · 11-04-2011, 08:26 PM

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LOL @ the failing. I love Caspa though, she's awesome!
598 words

While Liam wouldn't have picked gardening as his first chore of choice, he had to admit it was indeed pretty relaxing. He didn't have to constantly think – only focus a little so as to not break the seeds. It was an easy way to be productive yet still get the chance to catch up with a pack-mate Liam happened to be growing fond of over time. They had fought together; that alone was reason enough for Liam to trust the white Duchess with his life. Picking yet another dead poppy, Liam picked at the flower head and pulled out the numerous seeds. This particular one had a lot of seeds and Liam was pleasantly surprised to find out just how many were falling into his open palm. He was dropping them into the pillowcase when Caspa spoke once more, replying to his question. So she'd been stalking up on food, too? Liam would have to go see how the food supply was coming along up in the cellars later on.

Since she had said what she'd been up to, Liam decided to do the same, even if she hadn't technically asked. “I went hunting a couple times this past week or so... Aside from that I've been at Chien Hotel most of the time; changed some bandages and I even cleaned and bandaged a wound all by myself for the first time the other day – I had to get an arrow head out, it was interesting.” he said, boasting just a little. He was proud of his work and of the fact that he finally had found his calling in the form of medicine. Soon he would be trained enough to officially take up the apothecary rank and people from all over the pack would be coming to him with their injuries. They would all have confidence in his ability and he wouldn't just be 'the king's son' anymore. He would be 'Liam, the Apothecary'. That thought was very satisfying.

Liam had adventured out of the pack-lands quite a bit too over the last couple weeks. He'd gone a few miles out west towards AniWaya and had met up with his Aniwayan friend Ayasha; that was perhaps his most recent of escapades. Back at the end of October he'd also gone to Crimson Dreams to see how the Court's allies during the war were doing. He'd met Soran, his best friend's great-grandmother, and had learned quite a lot about the neighboring pack. It was definitely interesting to know all of the different places all around him – Cour des Miracles was far from the only place in the world.

Liam shook his head lightly as he dropped a couple poppy seeds into the pillowcase. “Mostly everyone has been getting a lot better – some are still in rough shape though. My brother-in-law Niro was pretty banged up...” he said as he gingerly ripped another stem from the earthy ground and opened it to reveal the seeds. He let them fall into his hands before dropping the contents into the bag. “I'm really glad things are falling into place – all we really have to deal with now is the coming of winter.” he said with a sigh. It was going to be his first winter – hopefully the new season would be a clean slate and everything would go right for him. Before the war his life had been good – on the verge of perfect. Omitting Noah's sudden departure over the summer, his puppy days had been drama-free. He wanted that back.

Table by Marie, edited by Kit. Lyrics go to Brad Paisley.

Caspa Al-Fateh · 11-05-2011, 05:09 PM

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300+

Good to hear the slack was being picked up since the healer's disappearance. She wondered who was training Liam, or perhaps he had already finished his training. She couldn't get used to him having grown up. The months had flown by. He was probably a fast learner though. All it took was willingness, she reckoned, and the way the boy had taken to such a fiddly garden task without a word of complaint showed he was perfectly versatile. Of course, if he was learning healing he would want to know all about the properties of plants, if he didn't already. All she knew about plants was what you could extract from the poppies, and a few other basics. She did look on them as a food source though: in hard times, an edible berry or shoot had the advantage of not being able to run away, and containing varying amounts of fuel, some quite substantial.

She knew Niro, but only vaguely. She didn't see much of him, not to talk to anyway - perhaps he was mostly busy spending time with his little son. This led her thoughts to Magnolia. What on earth had happened to that girl, anyway? She'd seemed unhappy when Caspa met her, and not long after, she was gone from the lands. It couldn't be Niro's fault, though, he was her father but she had been pretty much grown up at the time. She creased her brow with concern at the mention of his injuries. "Nothing permanent I hope." What was permanent anyway? Nothing. Especially the seasons. Everyone's thoughts were on winter at the moment. All Caspa knew was that this one couldn't possibly be as severe or challenging as her last - and this would be her second, too, so she knew exactly what was coming, unlike her younger friend. "We will be prepared," she stated simply, picking the leaf of a plant that was still green. A mint maybe? It smelled strong, but lamentably she had no idea of its properties.

Liam Catori · 11-05-2011, 07:43 PM

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Woo, new template! ▬▬ 612 words

Liam didn't really like the idea that he had no formal trainer. His mother taught him a few tips and tricks and he had done most of his work by following her lead, but otherwise his knowledge was coming from the books stashed in the Catori residence. He wanted to go to Crimson Dreams one of those days and maybe try to find the healer there and ask for some help. He remembered Soran mentioning something on the subject when he'd been there last. He could use his connection to Robin as an advantage. Perhaps Soran herself knew a thing or two about healing. Liam decided he would go to Crimson Dreams, and before the first snowfall. The last thing he wanted was to walk a couple miles with strong winds whipping at his face and snow freezing his paws to the point where he couldn't feel them anymore.

Liam shook his head at her statement. Niro had been in pretty rough shape but he was hanging in there – he has his mate and son to look after him though and Liam visited once in a while, as did other wolves of the pack. Liam had been pretty busy these last couple days though and had neglected to visit but he knew his sister and her mate would understand. Besides, they probably didn't want him hovering anyway, especially not when they knew he could be doing things that actually helped the pack. He had done all he could for Niro the first couple days following the war and now time was truly the only remedy. “He'll be fine, it just may take a little while.” the Duke said as he picked at yet another poppy, the task seeming to come naturally now. He picked a stem, extracted the seeds inside, put the seeds in the pillowcase and then dropped the stem a few ways away. It was a little boring, but it needed to be done. Liam wasn't about to start complaining.

Liam smiled as Caspa spoke about being prepared for winter. He was about to open his mouth to reply when his momentarily lack of attention made all of the seeds in a particular dried poppy pod fall to the ground. He looked at Caspa a little sheepishly, bending down and picking them off the earthy ground. “Heh...” he breathed as he straightened up again, dropping his acquired seeds into the pillowcase. Thankfully none of them had been broken. “To be honest I'm already missing summer. I like the warmth more than I do the cold.” he said. He wasn't about to judge the new season before it even showed up at Cour des Miracles' doorstep though. He couldn't quite remember the snow and who knows, it could be something he loved!

As Liam worked on extracting seeds from yet another stem, his attention went back to gardening and so did his thoughts. After a few moments in silence he began thinking of medicine and how most remedies would be made with plants. It dawned on him that he'd have to start enjoying gardening because, as the Apothecary, he wouldn't just be fixing up wounds. He'd have to make remedies too – he'd have to know about plants. He glanced back at Caspa as he placed a dozen seeds into the pillowcase – the seeds were accumulating fast in there. “So what else do you know about plants?” Of course, being somewhat ashamed of his lack of knowledge, Liam decided it would be in his ego's best interest if he omitted the fact that all he knew (as of today) was how to extract poppy seeds.

Table by Kit, code by the Mentors!

Caspa Al-Fateh · 11-06-2011, 04:45 PM

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300+

Liam certainly sounded to Caspa like he'd acquired the necessary knowledge, though without going into detail there was no way to be sure - but she couldn't talk, she was no healer. She understood bodies and innards very well with her training as a butcher, but had never learned much in the field of putting them right. If she'd known exactly how much training the boy had so far, she might have been keener to start learning more to help fill the gap in the pack's skillset. As it was she was content to leave it up to him.

"I, also," she said darkly in reference to the summertime's superiority. The cold was a nightmare for Caspa, although she prided herself on enduring suffering without complaint she would certainly never survive a winter in these parts if it wasn't for her sheepskins and clothing. A large portion of her muddled ancestry was designed for desert heat, and neither hybrid vigour nor snow-wolf blood could dilute it well enough. Liam was more fortunate: his coat would withstand the freeze, most likely without need for protection. As she spoke, she was nimbly snapping off stalks and pouring the seedpod contents into the pillowcase - the patch was almost done. "However, I think the seasons changing is good. Without the cold, we might not appreciate the warm weather so much." An unusually silver lining on Caspa's cloud today.

What else did she know about plants? She broke the last poppy head off. "They're miraculous. Like us," she quipped in reference to the pack's name, but so straight-faced that it was not perhaps obvious as a joke. "They have no brain or muscles, but they live and grow as well as if they could think. Also, that one there is a sweet chestnut tree." She pointed to a tall specimen that was outside the garden boundaries on the outskirts of the forest that surrounded the hotel, a rare specimen of the broad-leaved plant. "There might be some nuts left under it. Do you want to help me look?" Often small animals got them all, but would they be daring enough to come that close to the canines' main residence?

Liam Catori · 11-10-2011, 05:09 PM

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Woo, new template! ▬▬ 753 words

Liam hated to admit it, but he wasn't even close to qualified enough to become the pack's Apothecary. He had only just turned ten months old and still had quite some growing up to do before he could consider himself truly mature. Then there was the fact that he truly had no mentor to help him gain the necessary knowledge to be a great healer. While his mother was a great help and the books he was reading did indeed teach him a lot of valuable information, only an expert in the domain could really teach him the right techniques and actually show him how to do certain things like stitches or even identifying diseases that weren't necessarily visible like cuts and bruises were. He had never even touched diseases and sicknesses – he definitely had a long way to go before being knowledgeable enough to consider himself worthy of the title of Apothecary. He wasn't about to bring himself down because of the technicalities though. He was working hard to gain the knowledge and respect of his pack-mates and he knew that one day down the road he'd be capable of greatness. After all, everyone had to start off somewhere, right?

Just like winter had to begin with autumn, the warmth slowly giving its place to the cold. At the thought, Liam mentally shivered. He was glad that Caspa agreed with him though – she too, seemed to dislike winter in comparison to the warm summer months. It wasn't necessarily the cold that bothered him though – his fur had thickened over the last couple weeks and he knew that he wouldn't have a problem withstanding the weather conditions. It was the lack of food that scared him – that and the fact that everything around him would be dead. The trees would be completely bare, shivering in the northern winds. The frozen ground would be entirely covered by this powdery white thing called snow and most of the animals that Liam was used to seeing roaming around would either be hibernating or migrating somewhere warmer. But then the spring would come and things would become lively and filled with warmth. He was looking forward to that. While it didn't trump summer, spring was definitely an enjoyable season. The cold giving its place to the warm again... It made a bit of a circle, if you thought of it. Warm to cold, cold to warm...

Liam smiled as Caspa spoke his thoughts. “Yeah – I'll definitely appreciate the warm summer days... And to think it's only November. Although what really bothers me about winter isn't necessarily the cold. It's more the lack of food.” he said, voicing out his thoughts – albeit they were summarized quite a bit. He decided to keep his feelings on the dead world to himself, not wanting to sound or look too corny. “We're doing a good job though and I think we shouldn't worry too much. We're going to make it through without a problem.” he said, but of course that was the optimistic talking. He was still worried that his words would probe to be false. All of those 'what ifs' that plagued his mind... The only thing that truly reassured him was the thought that at least they weren't in the middle of a war. If the Aniwayan conflict hadn't been resolved, then there would have truly been cause to worry.

Dropping his last handful of seeds into the pillowcase, Liam simultaneously listened to what the older white Courtier had to say. She was speaking about plants as though they were living creatures – which they weren't. Or so Liam told himself. Sure they were born from seeds and died with the coming of winter, but he couldn't see them breathe and they sure didn't speak. Not being a very romantic soul, he didn't see the beauty in plants. They were useful as far as some remedies were concerned but other than that... they were just plants. “Chestnut.” he repeated under his breath, the sight of the tree and its original leaves sticking to his brain for future reference. He had seen the tree a million times during his ten months of life but had never questioned its origins or its name. “Of course, I'll help you.” he said with some enthusiasm. Gardening still wasn't his preferred job but Caspa had a way of making it pretty interesting. With that in mind, he waited for Caspa to lead the way.

Table by Kit, code by the Mentors!

Caspa Al-Fateh · 11-22-2011, 05:39 AM

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Word Count :: 400+

She took the linen sacks up, tying quick knots to stop the kernels escaping and then beckoned for Liam to follow her to the tree. It came to her then just how fortunate they were, with these large grounds fenced in so neatly that not even wandering animals could find it very easy to invade their space. And the hotel was just a microcosm compared to the expanse of packland they possessed. With their techniques of storing and drying and cooking as well as their numbers and their natural-born hunting capabilities - which Caspa denied herself, assured there were enough legitimate hunters in the vicinity - she saw no problems with living through the winter months. Especially for wolves, with such superior cold tolerance to she. Samira even prospered in the winter, when the were-dogs huddled around their stoves in hide tents, and there was always a stew bubbling, extracting every ounce of nutrition from even the oldest of the meat stores. Then there was any canine's ability to fast for long periods, then gorging when a kill was made. She did not fear the winter, but faced it with the same serenity she always showed. "The ice and snow is the real danger," she commented, "to sleep in the snow is death, and the ice can make the strongest warriors lose their footing." She twinkled an eye at Liam as if she meant him and her, although he was barely grown - strong and capable, yes but still so young - and she would never be more than a scarecrow compared to someone like Noss. She still thought darkly of that man - he had underestimated her so blatantly, and refused to acknowledge her in any way as a fighter, but where was he when the going got tough? Sometimes the hierarchy and function of this pack was beyond her understanding. "Look out for the prickly shells: if the squirrels have been kind, there will be nuts inside." Last year she had been at her home and the chestnut trees for half a mile around the encampment had been left alone by the pesky creatures, probably put off by the canine smell. If the hotel walls were too thick, the well-marked pathways should do the job here. She stepped carefully around the tree, brushing aside the thick carpet of leaves here and there to search for the shiny brown nuts inside their spiked green nests.

Image courtesy of ®DS @ flickr; Table by the Mentors!

Liam Catori · 11-24-2011, 06:50 PM

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Excuse the shortness. =/ ▬▬ 326 words

Liam nodded. He felt confident that he wouldn't be getting in too much trouble with mother nature over the winter. He lived in a good home with a fire almost constantly burning within the stove. While falling on his ass might be a little more probable than freezing to death in the snow, Liam was positive he had little to no chance of actually dying from a wounded butt. Unless his fall resulted with him landing on his head. Then the trauma could be deadly. “I'm sure if everyone is careful things shouldn't turn fatal for any of us.” he said hopefully. “I mean we all have each other to reply on and most of us live in decent homes. I would be worried for the loners out there – all alone without protection from the elements.” he told her, feeling a little bit cocky at that point. He liked speaking to Caspa. She was making him think a lot and whenever he spoke to her he felt smart.

Once they reached the tree Liam only had to move a few leaves before he spotted a green shell that, he supposed, contains nuts inside. He made a move to grab it but Caspa warned him about its prickliness. “Alright.” he said and – with a little more caution – he reached out and picked the green thing from its hanging place within the tree. He couldn't smell any kind of indication that other animals aside than the many wolves had been here but that didn't mean squirrels hadn't already harvested the nuts. “Aha, I got one.” he said upon breaking the first shell and finding the food tucked inside. He found another one close by and did the same thing. Another score. “Do we put them in the same bag as the poppy seeds?” Liam inquired after glancing around and realizing he didn't have anywhere to put the newly acquired nuts.

Table by Kit, code by the Mentors!

Caspa Al-Fateh · 11-24-2011, 07:27 PM

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Word Count :: 3+Me too D: Wrap up soon? maybe they could do something more action-packed soon to make a bit of a change! Haha Smile

"Excellent, the squirrels haven't dared to come so close to the hotel. One moment," she said and funnelled the two pillowcases through her hands, then upended one so that the seeds poured from it into the other. She then tossed him the empty one and started poking about herself for chestnuts. Quite a few had fallen to the ground and the cases rotted away from them. They were pretty big, it was near the end of the season. The shiny brown showed up quite frequently and she flicked her plaits, pleased. "We'll have to invite all those poor loners to a big chestnut roast." She walked up to him with two handfuls, holding them out to empty into the bag. "That might be a way to entice them in. I would imagine though that many who choose to live that life are not the kind we could rely on, although some may just be the victims of misfortune," she pondered aloud. "There have been some extremely strange characters passing through here since I came. Highly unsavoury, even." She shuddered. The comment forming on her lips but far too insubordinate to say out loud was that there should be some way to better judge newcomers. She didn't want to reconstruct a version of her paranoia-laden birth pack but there were limits on hospitality towards sociopaths. The Cour was intentionally a home for misfits, she knew, but that didn't mean they had to take in everybody. Some misfits were outcast through no fault of their own, and some should never be allowed to cross a decent border. Of course, matters seemed to have improved lately, perhaps due to the new Dauphin's influence, or even just the winds of fortune.

Image courtesy of ®DS @ flickr; Table by the Mentors!

Liam Catori · 11-25-2011, 06:20 PM

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Maybe a couple more posts... We could try and finish by the end of November. ▬▬ 607 words

Liam smiled, catching the pillowcase she sent his way. “Thanks.” he said as he dumped his nuts inside. He silently worked on finding more green shells. Only once did he find one that was cracked and empty. Probably a squirrel that had dared come close and had been chased off. Or turned into stew. Probably the latter. By the time Caspa spoke again he had gathered a good dozen chestnuts and was quite confident he was doing a good job. “It would be a nice thing to do, I wonder if we could actually do it. We'd have to ask my dad or Strel or something.” he mused, adding Strelein's name into the mix because his father had recently taken up residence in AniWaya to help fix things due to the war. He wasn't around Cour des Miracles as often and when he was Liam only saw him briefly. Vigilante was a very busy man as of late. Good thing his pack was great and he had a son that was so keen on working and attempting to make up for the missing Haskel. Liam smiled a little proudly. If only he could make up for the way his family missed the leader. Ayita her mate – the pups their father. Liam also missed his dad terribly and was looking forward to the man coming home for good.

Liam stayed put as Caspa dumped her handfuls into the bag and he glanced down into it. The bag was beginning to fill up with all of the nuts and Liam felt very accomplished. This morning he would have flinched at the thought of picking poppy seeds and chestnuts but the task was oddly relaxing. He had to admit, it wasn't bad at all. He could do this again and again in the future without hesitation. He dumped yet another chestnut into the bag before moving to a different part of the tree. “A lot of people probably like the traveling lifestyle. Not living in one place for too long – that kind of stuff.” he stated. His thoughts turned back to the conversation he'd had with a lovely sable woman from Crimson Dreams. She had mentioned how her family was adventurous and they loved to travel around. Liam himself had replied by saying his own family was a little like that too, although that was before they'd found a permanent home in the Court. “But if it could gain us a loyal member or two... I see nothing wrong with that idea. Strengthen our bonds with the outside world.” he said. He thought about how that could help prevent another war. Maybe they could also invite Crimson Dreams! Liam would use any excuse to see Soran again.

But then there was the idea that if they did this – some loners would take advantage and maybe it would do more harm than good. It was still an idea however, something to talk about with Caspa as they picked chestnuts. “You came to the pack around the time I was born – right?” Liam asked suddenly. Some fluffy memories of the past were coming around to the surface of his mind. Like that time they had met at Chien Hotel. He remembered her towering over him back then. But now he was the one that towered over her. He was actually somewhat larger than the average wolf and she was shorter. They were actually standing side by side now in their Optime forms and he was seeing the difference in height a whole lot better. “What was your old pack like?” he asked.

Table by Kit, code by the Mentors!

Caspa Al-Fateh · 11-27-2011, 06:04 PM

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Word Count :: 5+ It's all good, feel free to wrap up any time <3

Sure, there were some who just liked to wander, but in Caspa's experience those were outnumbered by those who didn't have a choice because of how simply unacceptable they were in a social situation. Perhaps she was too judgemental. It spoke highly of those who were loyal to the Court that she found everybody the kind she was proud to call packmates. Liam was straightforward and honest. She trusted him, and she had confidence that he would lead a productive and happy life. She wasn't sure if there was much of a place in it for her, aside from as a loyal friend and packmate, for they were very different personalities. But that was part of what made spending time with him so engaging. Her idea about the chestnut roast had been mostly poetic, imagining the peculiarly wintry scents drifting on the wind drawing interested passers-by in, but Liam took the idea at face-value. She was used to this, as no one could ever tell when she was joking or being serious. If he hadn't mentioned any names she might have played along a bit longer, but her lips tightened at the name of Strelein and would not part to many any kind of answer whatsoever.

Thankfully Liam was willing to take another tack, speaking of the gypsy attitude to nomadic existence. She wondered if she could hear the beginnings of the restlessness of youth in his voice when he spoke of travelling. The grass was so often greener at that age, but not everybody who felt the itch actually ended up following it. Liam was a great asset to them and she hoped he did not feel so. He was still thinking about the winter roast she had invented in an idle moment, but whether it would strengthen bonds or not, she didn't want anything more to do with the idea - not if he was going to discuss it with the Dauphin; not even if it might raise her estimation in his eyes as someone trying to contribute good ideas to their pack. If Liam wanted to go ahead with the idea, he had better be willing to take all the credit. Again she said nothing, until he asked a happily simple question. "A short time after you were born. You were very little, though." She gave him a rare smile at the memory, eyes languidly looking him up and down - he was certainly not so any more. The smile deteriorated as he went on to ask about her past life. She supposed it was just that he wanted to share - after all, she knew where his childhood had been spent, but nothing about hers. She wasn't thrilled by the idea of explaining the intricacies of Samira to her young friend, mostly as it was a complicated place and she didn't know where best to start: nor did she really want to relive the past on this beautiful November day, while engaged in such an innocent activity, as the dust of war still settled around the pair of battle-companions. "The clan of my parents is a prison with an open invitation to me," she answered cryptically, hoping that was enough to satisfy his curiosity.

Image courtesy of ®DS @ flickr; Table by the Mentors!

Liam Catori · 11-27-2011, 08:07 PM

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One more maybe?▬▬ 611 words

Just one of many examples to show how different in personalities they were, Liam wasn't even thinking about where he belonged in Caspa's life. He didn't really have to, considering he liked her a lot and found that she was a good friend. He trusted her, especially since they had fought alongside each other in battle and she'd clearly had his back. She was willing to spend time with him and engage in conversation as they picked through seeds and nuts, so of course she must think something good of him. He did have a lot of moments in his day where he could be labeled as an over-analytical person but right now wasn't one of them. He was relaxed and didn't really feel like analyzing everything about the situation. What was the point, right?

As Liam pondered over the idea of a feast some more, he was weighing more and more the pros and cons. And cons seemed to be dominating. Sure, loners could find food whereas otherwise they may find themselves starving during the winter, but as selfless as Liam could sometimes be, he couldn't help but know that his pack had to come first. He needed to provide for himself and for the Court members. The last thing he wanted was to see his pack-mates stave and if they ran out of food by February or March, they would need that food. They couldn't just give it to random strangers now could they? But then... the Court was used to helping people in need and accepting new blood within their ranks. Caspa was one of those people who hadn't been born here and look at her now... Liam couldn't even remember a day where she hadn't been part of Cour des Miracles. She had a family here – friends; people who cared about her.

He hadn't meant to say something wrong, but at the mention of her birth pack, he did see the expression change on her face. She had smiled at him moments before, probably thinking about their first meeting, but now all of a sudden it was ripped off of her slim, white face. Liam felt horrible, wanting to take the words back. But he knew full well that he couldn't do that even if he tried. She did answer though but her words only raised more questions. Questions he knew better than to ask.

You see, Liam didn't know what to say – how atrocious would it be to live your life imprisoned! Considering Liam loved to explore and travel around the lands, it was a very sad thought to discover that Caspa came from a place where everyone couldn't do as they pleased. Of course, Caspa hadn't elaborated much on the matter so it could be a little better, but Liam decided she didn't want to talk about it. He wasn't going to force her. “Oh, well. That's... unfortunate.” he said awkwardly, his words chosen carefully to make sure he didn't offend her. The last thing he wanted to do was upset her, especially since they had done a lot of progress towards what appeared to be quite the friendship. Liam gave her what he hoped was a convincing grin as he dumped another small handful of nuts. He moved over a little to his left so as to find a new spot to gather nuts but came out empty. They had made a full circle during their conversation. “Oh, looks like we've got them all. Are you done your side?” Liam said as he glanced down into the pillow case. It was a lot heavier than it had been minutes ago.

Table by Kit, code by the Mentors!

Caspa Al-Fateh · 11-28-2011, 07:24 PM

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Word Count :: 3+ End here or another post, tis up to you!! Smile

Caspa knew she had made friends here, but she might not have put it that way, and she would certainly not have said family. To her, although she did know better now, family were those who had control over you. And friends? Well, she did have great trust and unspoken affection for many of the Cour. But her heart was so deeply shielded, and her spiritual wanderings caused her demeanour to be so aloof and detached, that she knew she had yet to open up to a single one of them. They were her comrades, but it was all business, even with those she had watched grow up. Only twice had she ever felt and acted really at ease with another person, and the disasters that had followed had taught her nothing but to avoid such mistakes again. She cared greatly for many here, though, not least Liam, which was why she wanted desperately to put him at his ease although she could never seem to do the same for herself. "Oh, no," she said awkwardly. "The past is over and done and I do not consider myself unfortunate. It is only from their failings that I come to be here now, and they gave me much that is good, even if it was presented in an atmosphere of oppression." She had circled the trunk again as she spoke, finishing by as she closed the distance between them, and rested a hand on his shoulder for a moment, very grateful that he had not pursued the line of questioning. Wary of turning the moment into a heavy one, Caspa added "of course, only an insane person would lock up their children to teach them about freedom!" She shook her head disbelievingly then again a little harder, as if blowing away the memories. Less ponderous in posture, Caspa then paced around the tree once more, before deciding it definitely fully depleted, nodding her assent towards him. "Thank you for your help, my friend," she said softly before collecting the pillowcases and padding away towards the storerooms.

Image courtesy of ®DS @ flickr; Table by the Mentors!

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