the long and winding road
#1
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Word Count ( 0.613 ) Table by Noelle! Private for Swentzle. Optime form. Left shoulder and right hind leg are injured and bandaged.

Morning light poured in through the Mansion. He, however, had already been awake. Last night, he couldn’t seem to get a lot of sleep. He floated in and out, awaking with a start and then, slowly drifting back into sleep. The Vorrakess, of course, did not understand why this was caused. It was perhaps, due to being in a strange place… a place that was not yet familiar or noted as his home. He joined Inferni to repay them for their help, but also in hope that they could help him ease into life here. There was no going back to his Kindgom. It was a fruitless thought… a desire that could not be gained. Once more, he leaned up from his lain position and stood carefully up. Luckily, his leg injury was already healing. It would need a bit more time to heal completely, but not as much as the puncture on his left shoulder. Still, he wobbled as soon as he was on his feet.


Sniffling, he noted that the temperature was starting to become more-so chilly. The wind was howling through the building, whipping every which way… and he was quick to decide that, once more, he would wear his reindeer skinned cloak. He wrapped it awkwardly around him and then, exited the Mansion in the direction of the Dampwoods. There was a reason why he was going here. He wished to see the skulls lined along the border of Inferni and the neutral territory once more. None had told him thus yet why they were there and what purpose they served, but he had never asked. It was just something that ran through his head this morning… and the walk would do him well. He needed it to ease his mind of the temptation to crawl back to his homeland that would only scar him as traitor.


He limbed his way forth, eying the lines of skulls when he arrived. His cloak and rusted tawny fur blew in different direction with each change of the wind… and the crunching of undergrowth beneath his feet became silent as he halted. His ears flicked curiously. A strange scent was in the air and his eyes watched as a bush rustled. A dark, dusty brown mountain lion appeared through the brush with a rabbit between her jaws. Ultimately, Wolfgang tensed. The creature looked alike those that were told to him in stories. His blue eyes narrowed, watching the feline curiously as he backed to a tree in hope of keeping his presence a secret… even if she could perhaps smell his scent on the wind. The feline, however, bounded off in the direction of the strange smell he had earlier noticed. His eyes looked skyward, the smoke of a fire twisted along with the morning shades of light blue and yellow.


He was curious… curious and feeling the temptation to follow the feline or at least, go to where the fire was. He limbed forward as soon as the feline’s tail was the only thing in view. It was impossible to be quiet with his injuries. Yet, he had his pack on hand, and inside it was his dagger. Whenever the cat would pause, he would duck behind a tree until a small clearing appeared. There was a fire in the middle. He eyed it from behind another tree… and near the fire was a brindle man, sitting there as the feline approached and dropped the rabbit next to him. His eyes narrowed and he tilted his head in confusion until he approached, stepping into the clearing without much thought and stared at the man.


“The feline… it is friendly with canines?”

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#2
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Eeee threads as soon as my computer works again wut is this madness. Thanks for starting! <3

Word Count → 346


Swentzle's rituals had been performed long ago, before the sun had begun to rise. It had been a tribute to the fiery dawn, as the sky had been painted briefly with reds and pinks the likes of which he had not seen since he'd left his tribe. The fire still burned, though the scent of Chile roasting was long since fading from the air; wafting on the winds, perhaps, and carrying its scent to Fovea, so that she might know she'd missed the Birthing of the Sun. His Awk rested across his lap, and he traced his fingers over the turtle shell thoughtfully, staring into the flames as Hamza finally roused himself from sleep and plodded away into the trees to begin his morning meal. He left the wagon behind, of course, and Swentzle rolled his eyes to look at it every now and then.

It had been wonderful, to see Antiman again. The old Jackal had been delighted to find him safe, and they'd both been amazed at the stroke of luck--seeing each other there, in a place neither of them had ever been before and would probably never be again. Of course they'd swapped stories, and supplies, and Antiman had helped him trade for a wagon and agreed to deliver a message to Anzhela and Shevon when he returned to his own tribe. Swentzle ran his hands over his Awk again, and sighed heavily, his claws scratching delicately over the soft shell. He missed them, sometimes...so much...

He didn't have much time to think about that before Fovea returned, dropping a rabbit by his feet before she turned and circled the fire, flopping down on the other side. Her chocolate eyes stared into the darkness of the trees, and she might have growled, if her voice box worked that way. Swentzle tilted his head, his hair falling to the side and the feathers blowing over his shoulder, before a voice spoke, and he blinked in surprise. Friendly, perhaps not. But she poses no danger. Not unless commanded to do otherwise, at least.


Table by Aly, code by the Mentors!

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#3
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Word Count ( 0.385 ) Table by Noelle! No problem! :'D

The man answered rather quickly, saying that while the feline may not be friendly towards canines, she posed as no danger towards them. His light blue eyes turned from the brindle man to the feline who was plopped along the other side of the fire and then, back. The brindle stranger had long, black hair with feathers tied within, alike Wolfgang’s own hair when it came to length and color… with a strange object on his lap. All in all, the event of this was something the rusted tawny man had neither seen nor witnessed before. The companionship – as he assumed – between feline and canine, the strange scent in the air and the objects that surrounded the clearing. He drew in a deep breath, almost sounding like a soft sigh as he took an uneasy – wobbled – step back to keep at a comfortable distance between them.


“Is… ‘she’ a ‘companion’ then? Why does she bring food for you and not pose a threat?” He continued with his questions, his eyes glancing over each of them. “Pardon my many questions… it is something I have not witnessed before.” He wondered if it was worth explaining, once more, to this stranger why exactly he had asked them. Though, he was also reminded that the man was rather close to the borders of the clan he recently joined. Wolfgang wondered whether the clan would see it as threat that a man owning a large feline was living so close and was not a part of them. Surely, the Vorrakess Kingdom would shun and chase him away should it have been there.


“Are you of a pack?” He asked, his accent thick as always and without emotion, as he then sniffed the air for any sign of a familiar scent. There was some hope that the man was from Inferni… and that way, he wouldn’t have to report finding him or even bother explaining that there was a pack so close by to where he now was. “I am Wolfgang… a member of Inferni, a pack close to here. I had seen your feline companion near the borders and smelt smoke, which is why I have come to investigate. I apologize for disturbing you.” His words surely gave off mixed feelings and his emotionless tone probably did not help.

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#4
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occ here

Word Count → 398


The other male seemed curious about Fovea, and Swentzle watched his Mountain Lion companion warily for any signs of danger. Her tail flicked irritably, as it always did when someone spoke of her in a less-than-awe-inspired way, but nothing else seemed to be amiss. Swentzle felt safe answering the questions honestly. She is my hunting companion, yes. I raised her from a kitten, so she poses no threat to me, as I am her 'mother', of sorts. He left unspoken that, should the male pose a threat, Fovea would do more than that. Patting the ground next to him blindly until he could find the rabbit, he pulled the furry thing into his lap, and then began searching for his skinning knife, his eyes never leaving their focus on some point over the fire. His Awk lay discarded by his knee.

The male spoke again, and Swentzle rolled his shoulder easily in a shrug, brushing his hand through the dirt and finally finding the bone-handled stone knife by his foot. I suppose it is within your right to question the unknown. I, myself, am used to canines with many companions--it is common, where I come from. He said, and began the careful motions that would render the rabbit skinless, a practiced skill that nonetheless also ended up with the meat also being butchered. It was hard to do such a thing without sight.

His hands paused in their motions as the male, Wolfgang, explained why he was there, and Swentzle turned his gaze toward Fovea once more, though his eyes were unseeing this early in the morn. I apologize, He said, and then tossed a strip of skin that still had most of the meat on it over the fire to Fovea, who snatched and devoured it out of the air. I was aware, of course, of the pack nearby, but not of how close it was. Fovea has no respect for canine territorial boundaries, so I am afraid she may have chased her prey into your pack lands. Though the rabbit did not smell as the male did, nor did Fovea, not even faintly, which indicated she'd only passed close to them; but passing was often enough, when a pack was rumored hostile, and he'd heard enough rumors about Inferni to feel the need to placate. We will move further, of course.


Table by Aly, code by the Mentors!

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#5
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Word Count ( 0.343 ) Table by Noelle!

His lips were drawn back in a slight frown as the man went on to explain that the feline was his hunting companion and posed no threat to him as he was its mother figure. Of course, it was like a warning that should Wolfgang step out of his boundaries, the feline might just become a danger towards him. He, however, was injured as it was… and was practically harmless. The only danger Wolfgang might be able to inflict would be calling forth the Inferni clan. That, too, would not happen, as he was still under the suspicion that those that wounded him were still lurking somewhere in the shadows, waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. He thought briefly, that perhaps adventuring here had not been a wise choice, for had it not been this man and his feline companion, it could have been the enemy.


The hybrid watched as the man searched the ground with his hand as if he could not see and then, grabbed hold of the rabbit the feline had brought him. His eyes narrowed, almost curiously, as the man began searching the ground again. The stranger had his eyes on the fire, for some strange reason that Wolfgang couldn’t seem to comprehend. He could have easily looked down and then, gotten what he was searching for without trouble should he see… His thoughts faded. There were rumors that with age, sight was lost. It was a popular condition with the elderly within his former home. “Are you blind?” He blurted out before the man apologized and then, spoke on about the pack and that they would move.


“Thank you.” He merely replied. Though it didn’t sound like much of a grateful one, it sounded like empty words as always. He turned, then and began to stalk back through the bushes in the direction of the coyote clan. The scent of the rabbit’s blood – due to him skinning the creature – however, made his stomach grumble with hunger. When was the last time he had gotten a meal?

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#6
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occ here

Word Count → 254


The male blurted a question about his eyes, and Fovea yowled and leapt to her feet, darting into the trees as if he'd greatly offended her, and not merely questioned the obvious. Swentzle tilted his head, his eyes glittering though no smile pulled at his maw. Yes, I am, unless the sun is very high in the sky and the terrain is open before me. Or he was sitting in front of a fire, in which case he could see directly within the flames' glow. He continued his search and then perked an ear for Fovea's return, but he suspected she would stay gone until the stranger--Wolfgang--had left. And when she returned, he would no doubt have to soothe her wounded ego...ah, well. He may as well eat before then.

The male across the fire spoke yet more empty words, and Swentzle paused in his skinning to lift his head and listen to him leave. He raised an eyebrow, however, when the sound of a stomach grumbling reached his keen ears, and he resumed his motions, pitching his voice to reach Wolfgang as he walked away. I've another rabbit in my wagon, caught last night. You're welcome to share the morning meal with me before we part ways. He paused and waited a moment to make sure he really did have that rabbit, and, since no sign was immediately forthcoming from the spirits that this was a bad idea, added, I have some cool river water as well, if you're interested.


Table by Aly, code by the Mentors!

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#7
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Word Count ( 0.300 ) Table by Noelle!

His ear twitched, watching as the feline practically screamed and the bolted from the scene as if he said something he shouldn’t have. With it, he had taken a step back and reached towards his bag as if waiting for the feline to target him. She went the opposite direction, to which he turned his head after until the man began to speak and explain that, yes, he was blind and could not see unless it was bright and in an open area. He was curious… curious to what had caused this man’s lack of sight, for surely he did not look old enough to have it taken from him. Though Wolfgang did not settle the uneasiness within him, his uninjured arm drew away from his bag and the grasp of his dagger.


Inhaling and exhaling a rather deep breath – that almost sounded alike a sigh – he turned and began to walk through the undergrowth towards his new home with an uneven beat. He still limped, though not as gravely as it once was. His left shoulder – and arm for that matter – remained useless. His stomach grumbling had alerted the man who sat before his fire, and he offered a rabbit that he had caught yesterday night. Of course, the offer was tempting. Wolfgang paused in step, and yet, did not turn around towards him. A debate ran through his head, and while he would like a meal – as he cannot catch his own, at the moment – he questioned the action. It was easy to poison prey. And he would be indebted to the brindle man should it not cause him harm.


“Thank you, but I do not have anything to offer you in return for the meal.” His voice rose just loud enough for the man to hopefully hear.

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#8
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occ here

Word Count → 225


The male startled at Fovea's reaction to his words, and Swentzle almost wanted to laugh, but the way he reached for his bag made the desire fade, his face settling into a cold, blank expression. He had no doubt that there was a knife in that bag, and if this man went after Fovea, Swentzle would kill him. Blind or not, he could still put up a good fight, and it might cost him his life, but he would avenge his companions. The man's actions seemed only reflexive, however, as the moment Fovea took off in the opposite direction he relaxed and moved his hand aside.

He listened to the words as they floated toward him, and then shrugged inelegantly at the refusal, returning to his skinning. "Very well. I will be gone by nightfall." He said, to assure Wolfgang he would have no trouble from the blind Shikoban. Hamza lifted his head curiously, as though just noticing that they'd had company momentarily, before he huffed and bellowed, long and low, and returned to his meal. Swentzle would have preferred if the male had stayed for a while longer, and perhaps told him a bit about the pack that had rumors of being so aggressive, but he was not one to beg; if Wolfgang did not wish to eat for free, he would not press.



Table by Aly, code by the Mentors!

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#9
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Word Count ( 0.095 ) Table by Noelle!

His lips parted, pausing as he listened to the brindle man’s response. He said that he would leave by nightfall, and that was by far, good enough for Wolfgang. The hybrid did not expect him to pick up his belongs immediately and move, no, he would allow the blind one to have time and eat his meal in peace. “Thank you,” he merely said. With it, Wolfgang gave a nod of his head and began back tracking towards his home. In the evening, he would return to make sure the man had followed his word.

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