bird song

Sage River Lykoi · 12-08-2011, 09:26 PM

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on the western border, along the river. uhh, wow, this post didn't turn out like i planned. xD oh well, hope this works! oh, and she's drawing this bird, btw

Razekiel's hut was fine enough for one person, but for two it was a bit cramped. Sage had been used to having her own living space for over a year now, and it felt strange not to have it here. Despite the small quarters, though, she'd gotten to spend more time with her father. She hadn't known him until now, really; the idolized version of her father in her head, while not completely inaccurate, had been deceptive. The Razekiel she knew now was even better than her youngest memories, and she was thankful to have him back in her life. Often, she remembered her mother with sadness; she longed to see her, too. But who knew where the people of Juniper Peace were now...

The tawny coyote had fallen into a slight doze then, laying on her back in the mid-morning sun, with the East River babbling behind her. She had been gathering wood just beyond the border for the pack's bonfire before she'd fallen asleep, and several bundles of kindling already lay beside her, tied with strips of handsome leather saved from her fouled sewing attempts.

A shrill whistle had brought her back out of her daydreams, and Sage's golden gaze focused suddenly on the bird above. It was a brown and white thing, it's head-feathers fashioned into some sort of bird-style mohawk. It sang a high-pitched, pretty song as it's wings fluttered proudly, and the Dai-In stared at the thing with a smile, wondering if this one, too, knew her father. Sage thought it funny looking, and quickly reached for her sketchbook to doodle it's portrait into the pages. She managed almost half of a sketch before the creature took flight. Grabbing for her bag and retrieving a well-rolled cannabis cigarette, Sage found a match and struck it once. Inhaling the sweet smoke deeply for several moments, she exhaled, trying her best to remember just how the little bird had looked beside her. She hadn't even managed to speak with the pretty bird, she realized stupidly, laughing to herself at her own inaction. It'll come back, she told herself hopefully, sitting upright against the heavy bark of the leaf-bare tree above her with a sigh. The joint hung idly between her lips, thick tendrils of smoke wafting over her head, sweet and musky. Then, she set about finishing the sketch, golden gaze flickering over the tree line, just in case it decided to come back.

Swentzle Byström · 12-08-2011, 09:40 PM

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Hee I'm so excited for this thread! <3

Word Count → 316

Swentzle had gone off that morning on his own, for once; since his talk with Kiara, he'd been trying to harness his partial blindness the way he should have from the beginning, rather than simply accepting that it was a hindrance and nothing more. He moved now through the trees high in the mountains, using his old walking stick somewhat like a staff, but more like a cane, brushing it along the trail whenever it seemed there was something in the way that he couldn't see in its entirety. Though it was late afternoon, the canopy blocked the harsher rays of the sun, so he mostly had to rely on his other senses--and his staff--to make his way. That was alright; it was what he'd come out here to do, anyway.

He was passing quite close to the borders of the pack he'd almost decided to join--though he didn't want to rush into a commitment, yet, and so had not asked for a leader on his first visit--when the strangest smell drifted past his nose. He paused in his trek, turning toward the odd scent with a small, curious frown on his face, before he stepped off the game trail he'd been following, having to use his staff more regularly now as he made his way toward the scent.

Not long after, he stepped into a more open area, and had to blink at the sudden influx of light, though everything remained blurry--which would have been slightly worrying, had he not been more focused on other things. He noticed almost immediately the coyote sitting in the vicinity, and he came to a stop, tilting his head curiously. "Pardon my intrusion," He said, and then raised his head to make sure that he had indeed found the source of the odd smell, "But can you tell me what that peculiar incense is?"

Table by Aly, code by the Mentors!

Sage River Lykoi · 12-08-2011, 10:40 PM

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Big Grin

The coyote had been caught up in her work, studiously attempting to fully flesh out the portrait of the pretty songbird. Beige fingers ran across the wide page of the sketchbook quickly and deliberately, and when the voice reached her ears she started, gasping and looking around. Eyes of rich amber fell upon the kind stranger; a mottled, deep brown man whose bright blue eyes and floppy ears sang of a dog. In awe of his shape, his height no taller than she this man did not smell of Ichika, though; at least not in the way that the others had.

Sage smiled at his question, but she was polite enough not to laugh. "It's not incense, love; it's called cannabis. You smoke it," she said gently, inhaling a puff to show him and exhaling the smoke as she stood up, placing her sketchbook and pencil aside for the moment. "See?" The heavy smoke poured from her mouth as she spoke. "Some people call it marijuana," she added, shrugging. Whatever the name, she loved the plant. Thankfully, her father had an ample supply; her own was running low since she'd left Inferni. Sage hoped that someone would care for the plants she'd left in the greenhouse; they were quite lovely specimens, after all. She just couldn't see how she could go back to get them. Sighing, she took another lungful of smoke from the cigarette, holding it out to him. "Care to try it, friend?" she asked with a curved smile, unabashedly offering to share. It had always been her thought that everyone should try it once.

Swentzle Byström · 12-08-2011, 11:11 PM

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Poor Swentzle haha. xD

Word Count → 313

Swentzle's brows furrowed as she explained to him that it wasn't incense, but something called cannabis, which you smoked. "Like tobacco?" He asked curiously, stepping forward a bit more. His gaze was focused on the golden canine, but he couldn't actually make out much more than her vague outline; his eyes were tired this morning, from straining against the darkness under the canopy. Perhaps he should have tried to continue with them closed for a while...something to remember for next time. He could see the smoke billowing out of her mouth as she spoke, though, and he sniffed curiously, his ear flicking reflexively as he held in a sneeze. It was an odd scent; not one he was used to, that was for sure.

She gave it another name, and he thought he recalled that one a bit better--there had been a trader in Freetown selling marijuana, hadn't there?--but he wasn't entirely certain. She offered it for him to try, and he hesitated a moment before reaching out, groping for a moment before he managed to find her hand, and then the small joint she offered. He held it carefully between his thumb and forefinger, and neatly crossed his eyes to watch it approach the end of his nose. After a short inhale, he took it away, and tried to hold the breath in for a few short seconds before he broke into a small coughing fit, smoke billowing from his nose and mouth.

He held it back out to her, blinking rapidly and still half-coughing every now and then. "It is...very strange. But not...unwelcome." He said finally, and then had to bring the back of his hand to his mouth, as the odd smoke in his lungs was still making him cough. That was a first-time smoker for you, though; he'd calm down soon enough.

Table by Aly, code by the Mentors!

Sage River Lykoi · 12-09-2011, 09:57 PM

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Big Grin

Sage nodded, brightening when he recognized her meaning right away. "Yes! Like tobacco," she nodded in encouragement, exhaling another cloud. A creamy paw held out the almost-empty lighter to her new acquaintance, and she eyed him curiously as he struggled to accept her gifts. Eventually, though, he managed it, and she couldn't stifle her giggles at his coughing. It always did amuse her, even still. Accepting it back, she puffed on it for a moment as she evaluated her new company with a half-lidded goldenrod gaze, a sweetly curved smile stretching her black lips. She nodded at his response to the smoke, watching his movements for the tell-tale, curious actions of a new user. "Mm, isn't it lovely?" she cooed, smoke leaking from her throat as she spoke.

Hospitable as ever, Sage offered, "Care to join me?" as she motioned towards the small day-camp she'd set up. There sat a small stack of charred logs; the fire had gone out while she'd slept, and now it only sizzled here and there. Sadly, she had no food to offer; but she would share her fire, and her smoke. "You headed anywhere in particular love?" she asked after a moment as she fanned at the dying fire with a broad, thick leaf. With the lighter she lit another more flammable leaf and laid it beneath the kindling, waiting for the flames to catch. "My name is Sage RIver Lykoi, by the way," she introduced, using her full name proudly. She was Razekiel's daughter through and through, and glad for it. "From Ichika no Ho-en, just west of here," she elaborated with a pleasant smile, unable to keep herself from watching his unfocused, bright-blue eyes through the smoke now quickly rising through the dry wood. With a longer stick, she poked at the logs, rearranging them as the ends crumbled into ash.

Swentzle Byström · 12-09-2011, 10:32 PM

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occ here

Word Count → 227

The cannabis was like no tobacco he'd ever smelled, that was certain; but he found he quite liked the difference in scent and taste, and, as he was invited to join her beside the fire, he felt the smoke settle in his chest, giving him an odd, weightless feeling. "It's much different than I expected," He conceded as he folded his legs carefully on the other side of the fire and set his staff on the ground beside him. He watched the flames begin to stir to life, and seemed almost in a trance as he watched the process he'd become so familiar with happen with someone else.

She introduced herself, making him blink and lift his gaze. A smile drifted across his face, and he nodded a few times, making his head bob a bit before he stopped himself. "I am Swentzle Byström, of the Shikoban tribe, from the far south." He introduced, and added a moment later, "I am considering Ichika No Ho-En as a pack to join, but I do not wish to rush into things. Too many mistakes are made when people do not think." His gaze dropped back to the fire, and his thoughts lingered for an almost bitter moment on the incident that had blinded him, before it moved on to other things, and his sorrow was momentarily forgotten.

Table by Aly, code by the Mentors!

Sage River Lykoi · 12-11-2011, 08:55 PM

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yeah... sorry about my spree-fail. >< i've never been good at that. lol. and sorry this is short! :\

"Different..." her voice trailed off, nodding rhythmically as she stared into the flames. Then her eyes flew up to him. "In a good way?" she asked, smiling. The heat of the fire prickled the soft skin of her face as she leaned into it, and the logs crackled as the fire did it's work. Sage still recognized the sensation of the high, despite experiencing it with near constancy; it was a feeling she relished, and the fire only made it more enjoyable.

The petite mottled man responded with his own name, mentioning his own tribe as well. The Dai-in hadn't heard of it, but she liked the name. Her face visibly brightened, golden eyes widening with excitement as he continued, though; now, he was a potential member of the pack. Now, she was more curious. "Oh yes, you're quite right," she replied sadly, reflecting on her own recent experience with mistakes. With a sigh, she pulled her gaze from the fire. "Anything you'd like to know about Ichika? I've only recently moved here, myself, but I'm learning," she admitted, not wanting to say the name of her previous home, for fear that he would recognize it and withdraw from her. The image she had tried so hard to change had prevailed, she knew; but Sage was not like them, and she didn't think she ever could be.

Swentzle Byström · 12-11-2011, 09:48 PM

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No worries! I don't mind lolol. <3 And, I think it's really funny that Swentzle actually writes himself differently when he's high...LOL

Word Count → 364

She echoed him, and then asked a question he hadn't quite expected--but suspected he should have. Swentzle paused a moment to consider it, and scratched at his throat and chin as he thought, before he nodded, smiling in a somewhat dazed manner. "Yes, I suppose so. I like it more than I did tobacco, anyway." He'd always hated the ceremonial passing of the pipe during council meetings--their infrequency meaning he embarrassed himself with a coughing fit nearly every time--but this wasn't quite so awful. Perhaps because he wasn't helping to decide the fate of the tribe; it was merely...casual. Was that the word he was looking for? There was nothing important riding on this meeting, anyway, except perhaps his possible entrance into Ichika--someday--but she didn't seem to dislike him intensely, and Ichika didn't strike him as the sort of pack who would reject people on a whim, anyway.

They seemed to reflect together for a moment on the severity of mistakes, before she shook herself out of it and shot him and inquiry. He took another moment to think about it, lifting his head to stare up at the sky for a moment, before he said finally, "I learned, from a woman named Kiara Amarok, that Ichika No Ho-En is a spiritual and family-based pack..." He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, and to allow her a moment to confirm or deny that sentiment, before he continued, "My tribe was the same. But I am...not certain I will be of the same use to Ichika as I was to Shikoba." Scratching his cheek, just below the odd blossom-shaped scars over his eyes, he sighed and added, "This is mostly what makes me hesitate in joining. It is true I would like to visit the neighboring packs, but I feel I am simply...not as useful as I once was." He didn't know what had made him say all that, especially to a stranger, but now that it was out in the open he felt both heavier and...lighter, somehow. As though all he'd needed was to word his difficulties the right way.

Table by Aly, code by the Mentors!

Sage River Lykoi · 12-19-2011, 05:29 PM

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sorry for the horrific wait :S

It could have been said that Inferni was as much of a tightly-knit family pack as Ichika-- but the differences between their behavior was clear. Sage couldn't see Ichikans killing anyone; that was their law, after all, and something that she greatly appreciated about her new home. It set her mind at ease, and while she knew she could not account for unexpected things (like Chapel, the traitorous woman who had started it all), it at least helped her sleep more soundly.

Dark chocolate ears tuned into his speech intently as he explained a bit about himself. She found a frown pulling at the corners of her lips as he concluded. "What makes you say that?" she asked, genuinely curious and concerned. She inhaled from the quickly disappearing joint again, releasing the smoke slowly as she spoke. "Ichika is about unity, about family, you were right. And those wishing to join our family and lay their loyalties in this place of peace will not be turned away for any discriminatory reasons. Even if physicality is not your strength, my friend," she assured him, placing a fire-warmed creamy paw on his darker shoulder, "I'm sure that Ichika could find a place for you. Your mind seems strong, after all." Dragging the last of the smoke from the remains of the hand-rolled cigarette, she tossed it into the copper flame. "A family needs all sorts, doesn't it?" she added with a friendly grin, knowing that it was true. Ichika really did have a place for everyone, so long as their path did not lead them to unnecessary violence or hatred. Sage finally felt properly at home. She belonged here, with her father, and despite her sisters' choices to go elsewhere, she thought that Ichika was really where they all belonged.

Swentzle Byström · 12-21-2011, 06:56 PM

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occ here

Word Count → 171

Her words rang true to something inside him, and he paused to consider them, thinking not of the family of Ichika, but of his home. A family really did need all sorts, he mused; he might not be useful in the same way, but if he had stayed...surely they would have found something for him to do. He rubbed a hand over his arm thoughtfully as she spoke, his fingers pausing briefly on the tribal symbols carved into his arms. A part of the family...he already belonged to a family, already had a family within that family, and he'd left them for shame.

"I suppose you are right..." He murmured, his gaze far-off and pondering, and with quite suddenly a lot to think about, he rose, gathering his staff carefully. "I...need to think. It was a pleasure meeting you." He said, with a small smile in her direction, and then he wandered off, more lost in his own head than he'd been in quite a long time.

Table by Aly, code by the Mentors!

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