To Leave the Lands You Once Loved

Jaden Ohanzee · 01-06-2012, 01:06 AM

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Date: December 29th

Setting: The Halcyon Mountains

Time: Dusk

Character Form: Lupus

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Jaden's fur has faded back to white in the month or so he has been alone. No more red on him anywhere. Words – 700+

How long had it been now? Two weeks? Less? Time was no longer Jaden’s ally. Every second was agony. It didn’t matter how long it had been since his last and only act against Ichika. All that mattered was the end and this was it. Tonight he would leave Ichika. A murderer didn’t belong in these lands. The ex-assassin had been so close to feeling like he had truly changed too. He’d felt the lightest touches of budding love, found a pack of peace to serve and protect, he’d found a place to rebuild himself. Now the foundation, all of it, had fallen to pieces.

As far as the Shishen could tell, no one knew of his killing. If someone had, he would have been found in these mountains and visited by now. The wolf hadn’t moved from here much. The icy lake before him, the frosted trees around, Ichika just seemed to keep growing more beautiful before him just like he knew it would do so much better once he was gone. He was a blight, tainting this land with his evil. These people weren’t his anymore. They were better. Nayru, Jace, Wretch, Rendall… X’yrin. All of them knew right from wrong and carried themselves virtuously. Jaden had tried, oh how he had tried. He had changed so much since his time as an assassin, a merciless hunter for Uva Atka, but it wasn’t enough. All it had taken was a stranger’s sharp tongue and his dagger easily bled the life from another. The killer was beginning to think that murder wasn’t just a mistake but a bloody stain. Every canine he had ever raised a blade to or killed with an arrow was a horridly evil mark that shown on his very soul. These poisonous stains were apparently impossible to scrub away even though he had tried so hard.

Leaving was no longer a question. For him to think he could live in peace with any group of wolves was just ignoring his past. It was irresponsible for him to have ever lived here at all. What if he lost it again and actually hurt the pack? A mouthy coyote from Inferni wouldn’t be hard to silence. What if his latest victim hadn’t been a loner? This could have started a pack war. This could have caused the death of the only people in this world he truly cared about. What if he had to watch X’yrin die? What if he lost his temper again and hurt the woman himself? These thoughts made him feel sick.

Ichika and X’yrin deserved so much better than he could ever give. His friend was the only reason why he still lingered in this place. There was one thing he could give his only real friend, a chance to say goodbye. For a long time he had wondered what to say. He let his eyes rest on the frozen lake and thought with his head on his paws. His lupus fur was thick and kept him warm despite the temperature drop as the sun set. Beautiful colors flooded the sky and danced about between the trees. It was no use. There was nothing right he could say. All he could do is call her and see if she would still come despite his neglect. If she came, he would tell her he was leaving. If she cared, he would explain why. Beyond that, nothing else needed to be shared. It is what she deserved and much more than he did.

Stuffing his cold, stiff, and tired front legs under his chest, the Shishen pushed himself up shakily. He put his head back and howled as loud as he could for his friend company. Once the somber call drained his lungs of air he let his legs fold under him and lay back down. He ignored his empty belly as it protested his movements. Jaden had taken enough to keep him alive and that felt like too much. He didn’t want to move anyway. He just wanted to wait. If ‘X didn’t come he could just leave in a few hours. It might be easier that way. He didn’t call again so it would be easier to convince himself that she simply hadn’t heard him. But he would find out soon either way. Until then, he let his body relax and his eyes close. In the silent mountains it soundlessly began to snow.

Jaden does. "Jaden speaks." Jaden thinks.

X'yrin Exultare · 01-06-2012, 10:28 PM

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What had become of the relationship of the Kozan and Shishen was difficult to say. The bonds that brought them together, one would think, would withstand the test of time and if anything grow stronger as the season wore on. But it was of great dismay to the Envoy female that this was not that case. Many a night she had wondered what had become of her friend. Her time and again survey of his home always ended with gripping disappointment. Though her face lead none to be the wiser, always content with a soft smile played upon her lips, none knew of the inner turmoil she felt with the absence of her cherished friend. Not even her beloved mate.

She knew he still resided among them, always catching just the end of his scent trail before it faded away to obscurity. She could come to his home just to catch the remnants of his heat, to feel the warmth beneath her paws from where he stood before it became cold again with winter’s chill. It was a terrible game of ‘hide and seek’ which always left the woman seeking, never finding. In her heart, she had began to lose up… believing that her friend had lost his interest in the lands…in her… and sought a realm of seclusion from those that cared for him. It pained her to think about, but what other solution was there? She was being blatantly avoided… how else was she supposed to take this if not with a lack of faith?

In the days that followed her fruitless search, she was beginning to give up, near severing the ties that had bound them together and left him as a lost soul to forever wander. Her days spent within Saluce’s captivity gave her amble time to ponder on her friend… and as well allowed her to hear his call. Despite the known protests of her mate she left the seclusion of the den with but a word claiming she was to see her friend… if a friend was what she could still call him. She relinquished her fourlegged form to take lengthened strides on two, crossing the mountain with dexterous ease following the flowing call of her companion on the frigid winds. She was near out of breath in her haste, wild auburn cords once bound had broken their confinements and flowed in a free mess of radiant hues, falling again in front of her eyes to bathe the wonderland in red. But she needn’t see. Her feet knew the mountains too well to be hindered by them. The only path she need know was the one constructed by sense and instinct.

And I had never failed her. The scent she’d trailed grew stronger, fresher and just at the tip of her nose. Elation drove her forward discarding all manner of prior anger she had for him. The thrill of reunion compelled her forward, her form dropped down to its knees skidding the woman forward as she wrapped her arms around the lupus body and held him tightly. Her muzzle sought the comfort of his neck, the warmth of his aura, his everything to make certain to her disbelieving senses that this was him… that this image was real. “Jaden you fool…” her vocals shook as she embraced him tighter. “How could you be so cruel to me like that…? Where have you been, my friend?”

ooc: 571 words.

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Jaden Ohanzee · 01-07-2012, 07:47 AM

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Words - 300+

Long minutes teetered by and snow began to collect lightly on Jaden’s shoulders. His mind let go of most things while listening for her. Waiting was all that kept unconsciousness at bay. Nature around him was perfectly peaceful and the snow absolutely silent. Hurried steps rushed against the night and nothing hid them. They weren’t meant to be hidden. He knew it was her before she was close enough to smell. He recognized her labored breathing and the beating of her heart.

The Shishen had been ready for anger if she even showed up. It is what he deserved. But her embrace and nuzzle she gave him was so welcomed that he pressed his jaw against her forehead affectionately. After hating himself and thinking of everything as negative the simple pressure and warmth of her body helped to melt away some of his heavy sadness. Her words expressed so much pain that it tightened Jaden’s throat with guilt. For a decent amount of time he tried to answer her without breaking their embrace but not even a squeak would push through his windpipe. He had to finally raise his head and swallow. With a deep breath, he tried again. I’ve been… here. Jaden’s voice wasn’t proud or kind as it had been on their trip or most other times he had spoken to his friend. A dull sadness and air of defeat weighed each word down. He cast his gaze about the lake that was to be his last home in Ichika and enjoyed X’yrin’s familiar scent for a moment. That you still call me your friend is generous. I have been cruel. I’ve done wrong. I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry about everything. The man’s voice was lost again and he put his head down on his paws. This was going to be even more difficult then he had thought. I don’t ask for your forgiveness. I don’t deserve it. I just needed to see you. The truth came out in his words simply because he couldn’t lie to her, not now and not about this.

Jaden does. "Jaden speaks." Jaden thinks.

X'yrin Exultare · 01-07-2012, 02:07 PM

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If this moment were nothing more than a dream, the woman still would have found happiness within it. To know he had returned if only for the brief instance filled her with a joy she had been void of since his absence. She felt her heart hammer excitedly against her chest; the passionate soft whines of content left her trembling voice. Undeniably she had found her peace again even if this was only to be had within a fabrication remnant of time. She was glad for this.

“I have missed you…”she whimpered, keeping her muzzle within his short mane. Why he would think calling him her friend was generous was beyond her realm of comprehension now. She did not want to ponder on it, she did not want the possibility that this moment would be shattered… and so she paid the comment no heed. But his apologies did not go unheard. With great reluctance she withdrew from his warmth to look him in the eyes, her brows furrowed with question for why he would think he needed to do this.

“You don’t need to apologize,” she smiled softly with a gentle exhale of relief. “You are here now and that’s all that matters. Much has happened since last we’ve seen each other.” The woman drew further back to rest on her folded limbs. “I have continued my training and have taken on two pupils as my own. I was made Kozan of our lands… its high protector… and,” before she could delve further into the recent happenings of her life, a bout of shyness overcame her smiling maw. Bashfully her ears fell back as her tail curled between her thighs. A small, almost childish smile touched her lips as she turned her eyes away from her friend. “…and I… I have taken a mate.” Carefully the lifted her gaze to meet his hues. “It seems… that I was not incapable of reclaiming the lost emotions of the Nomads. I just hadn’t dare try…” Bravely she raised her head with the smile on her lips gradually wavering as nervousness set in. “My friend, I want to hear what has happened to you in this past season, but… I would also like for-well… it would do me great honor if you would acknowledge my mate. You are back now…and I want you to be a part of this life again… of my life.”

ooc: 401 words.

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Jaden Ohanzee · 01-08-2012, 02:59 AM

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Words - 500+

With every passing moment the female spent speaking and breathing next to him Jaden felt their friendship warming back into the beautiful thing it had been before. Her presence made the world seem brighter even under these conditions. How cruel their feelings for each other seemed now. X’yrin forgave the Shishen almost instantly and launched into telling him of what he had missed. Here words continued to warm him and even provoked the hint of a proud smile but didn’t cause his resolve to waver. Tonight was the night he had to leave. His feelings for the woman compelled him more then they deterred his decision. Jaden was dangerous to be around or care about. He wouldn’t risk seeing anyone hurt because of him. He’d watched people he loved die to save his unworthy life and it would never happen again.

A ghostly pain nestled itself within the male lupus when his companion announced her mateship. It had been suspect when his and her scents became entangled on the land. Even now he could smell Saluce on her and it irritated the new found pain for reasons he couldn’t grapple with now. But the woman was happy and request that he acknowledge her mate was still a little flattering. The Kozan cared for him enough that she wanted to hear that he accepted her mate. Jaden completely believed his friend as incredibly better morally than he. When he realized why she asked this favor it almost made him scoff at her request. But he held his tongue for fear that she would miss interpret the action and kept his eyes that she still held friendly. Saluce? he breathed warmly, I know him already; he was the first wolf to greet me along the boarders of Dahlia de Mia when I first joined this pack, before it became Ichika no-Hoen. A fine warrior and an honorable man though a bit gruff if my memory serves,he said with what he could muster of a playful smile. Memory and analysis of the two male’s first and only meeting was all Jaden had to draw this information from, but he believed it to be creditable enough. He hid the dismay that held in him for Saluce since his desertion of the pack after their move to Ichikan land. Why did it matter anyway? He was planning on leaving too. He is very lucky to have you. I can offer that opinion and my congratulations. Ichika couldn’t ask for a more caring and compassionate protector. But that is all I can give you…

A silence fell and the sad warrior let his words settle on the other’s beautiful form. He tried to say what had to be said. After a moment of trying, he stood on four shaky legs and took a few steps away from her. The wolf’s form sagged and his tail hung low and motionless. It would be easier if he couldn’t feel her lovely warmth and he wasn’t sure he could handle seeing the woman’s expression when she realized why he had called her to this frozen lake. I can’t be a part of this life anymore… I can’t be a part of yours. The man took a breath and tried to remind himself of every reason why, I’m leaving Ichika.

Jaden does. "Jaden speaks."Jaden thinks.

X'yrin Exultare · 01-10-2012, 08:52 PM

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Her naiveté knew no bounds when it came to those she held dear. Outside of her small family of friends and loved ones, she believed herself to be fairly perceptive to the troubles and intentions they often kept hidden. It was a part of her training as an Exultare to acknowledge these things and make use of them in any given situation. But when it came to those that surrounded her, she was utterly blind to what ailed them unless she pried. And faced with her friend now, too impassioned by seeing him again and having him in her life, she was blind to what resided behind his eyes.

She smiled as he recognized her mate and her tail went into frenzied sweeps as she shifted in place, rising to free her tail and lean forward upon her knees, simply too excited at this connection between her mate and friend. Why he hadn’t mentioned knowing her Jaden before, she didn’t know and thought to question him when they returned. “He is still a bit gruff,” she giggled endearingly, bringing a shy claw to the bridge of her muzzle in embarrassment. “But he is loyal to me and to Ichika.” And in her mind that was worth whatever shortcomings her beloved may have had.

Yet her eagerly shuffling form gradually came to still as her friend spoke on, his voice growing softer that her ears needed to bend forward to capture his words. And then the silence stretched on… his words weighing upon her shoulders, bring both them and her read back down in the snow. She could not call herself offended, but perhaps saddened that he did not want to offer his acknowledgement. Perhaps it was something that required time, no doubt the two males hadn’t seen each other in a while and suddenly being thrust into this situation might have appeared abrupt… or even rude. But did it really call for such silence? The element unnerved her until she grew worried for her quiet friend. Softly she whined in the hopes of coaxing him to speak but the words that followed were nothing short of devastating to her ears.

Blood stilled within her veins as her heart froze in place. She dare not breathe… she dared not look anywhere but to the face before her. With all her trying she could not let his words agree with her ears. They were wrong… they were hurtful; an outcome of speech she could not allow to be true. “What are you talking about?” her voice had risen beyond a reasonable octave, grating her own ears at its volume. “Why would you even say something like that, Jaden?”

ooc: 446 words.

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Jaden Ohanzee · 01-11-2012, 08:28 PM

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Words – 400+

There was so much pain. It seemed like the entire world had taken a break from regularity just to beat down on one man. He felt isolated. He was alone in this fight because no one else deserved to suffer but him. Even his friend’s happy justifications carried unintentional meaning. “Loyal to Ichika” Jaden was most certainly not. When his forced smile faltered do to this thought was the exact moment their whole conversation took a turn toward a much more somber, serious subject. Right where he had planned to put it.

He watched the slow but inevitable change in his favorite she-wolf’s happy nature. It seemed that what he had to say hit her in waves as he progressed. Her spirits feel slowly. Dissatisfaction ebbed into her features. But when he last spoke, Jaden had his back to her. He couldn’t see her or the way she froze. Only because of dreadful silence did he turn and analyze the true damage of what he had said.

His poor companion’s face spoke volumes even before her voice pierced painfully into the quickly approaching night. The shock was evident, her confusion was anticipated, but the pain she expressed was unbearable. Jaden’s ears fell back guiltily but he let his blue eyes stay with hers for a silent moment to reassure that he spoke sad truths. But he needed to giver her something more than just a look. So the lupus body changed from four legs into two, the whole time leaving her pain stricken question hanging on the cold air. When he had enough of his functions back from the grinding transformation, he approached his packmate and fell into the snow in front of her. On his knees now, the shishen’s somber blue eyes avoided her gold and he grasped one of her claws genuinely in his. It must be this way. I have failed as a mentor and I have broken pack law. Jaden let his gaze wonder up to meet hers. Verloren is gone and it seems like no one else has noticed but me. I’m all she had... and now she’s gone. As quickly as his gaze found the courage to meet hers it retreated back into the snow. The dark male released her and pulled himself up just far enough that he could sink into place next to his autumn colored friend. He drew his knees up and wrapped his arms around them. And I… His voice was sad and heavy with not only guilt but also shame. He was pretty sure X’yrin hadn’t any clue about his past and now had no idea how she would react to knowing her friend was a murderer. I killed someone, a lone wolf just outside the border. I lost our values because of his petty words and made him pay with his life. His voice was acidic with disgust at the weakness within himself. I have to leave. I can’t call myself Ichikan.

Jaden does. "Jaden speaks." Jaden thinks.

X'yrin Exultare · 01-26-2012, 09:10 AM

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ooc:

The well of emotion could not run dry even as the draws from its depths became more frequent. But she did not know what to do with it all, how to process it and understand why she felt like this in overwhelming washes of emotion. She was pained, frightened, angry, longing. No single sensation was fixed long enough for her to understand the reason for its emergence before she was overcome with another. He grasped her hand as his body transformed and a free umber glove lifted to clasp her overworking heart. Such pain… she had never felt before. There was nothing for her to compare this to, not even a physical wound could compare to the intensity, the raw sensation that burdened her. If this was the pain of losing someone, a friend, an ally, a brother… she did not want to feel like this.

X’yrin had only known Verleon by name, but never face. She knew the young female resided with Jaden similarly to how she had lived with her Shepard among the Nomads, but had hardly seen her wandering around the pack lands. Shameful as it was to admit, her absence barely made a stir within the pack. The woman turned her head from her cherished friend when this truth came to light, her ears drawn back shamefully and eyes averted in guilt. No apology she could utter would excuse her from her neglect. But if this bitter truth was the reason for his leaving, it would be fixed, she thought hopefully. If another apprentice was what he wanted, there were several pups running around he could take under his wing. He no doubt had the skill and experience to teach them what he knew and help them grow. He needn’t abandon those that cared for him. He needn’t leave her like this…

Carefully, he moved beside her and her ears raised noticeably. She watched as he gathered his knees to his chest holding onto something more than his tangible form. Another truth he had kept hidden. Despite her pain and her frustrations, she was quiet in waiting for him to collect his words. None but the sounds of their breathing stirred the air, even the avian fodder had fallen silent as if waiting with bated breath, same as she. However the breath to be exhaled was further drawn in with a sudden hitch. The alarming race or her heart was reflected upon her face as his words grated her ears but refused to settle. She was not hearing this, she could not be hearing this. The autumn mane shook wildly in protest, refuting the news her lengthy ears were forced to hear. He had not killed. It was but a metaphor for something else. He hadn’t really gone against the pack beliefs and taken another’s life. This was not true.

It was not the aspect of killing that made this action a severity to the Nomad, for death was a part of life be it naturally or by another’s will. But it was the disregard of the pack’s upstanding rule, to go against their belief to bring no harm to another that impressed upon her the reason for his leaving. It was not only by choice, but in punishment. With this crime on his head, he could not live among them anymore with another’s blood on his paws. The paws that had taken hers so tenderly.

She could think of nothing to say to him, or rather she did not want to. By his confession, this reunion had been marked as their last upon these lands and she desperately did not want it to end. Selfishly, she wanted to take this moment in time, the two of them here together, and keep it for herself. She did not want to imagine a life without her friend when his absence had already been a difficult obstacle to overcome. She wanted them to be as they were, take away the sin that kept this from being and live on as they were; together again. But it could not be so, despite her wanting, her hoping, and the prayers she sent to her ancestors to make the sins of her friend go away so that he could stay.

“You cannot call yourself Ichikan.”

Her heart stilled as the words spilled quietly from her maw and marred the silence. Her voice was so alien to her ears, unfriendly and cold. The voice of authority laden with pain. “You have taken another’s life,” she whispered, “…and have gone against our belief to do no harm to another. Where a wound can heal, a life cannot be resurrected… and is thusly precious regardless of how stained it is with malice. Even your life is precious, though stained with another’s blood…” X’yrin paused, though there was more to be said. Hearing herself talk like this was a discomfort to her ears as well as her inner self. She was conflicted, not wanting to punish her friend but knew it must be done for the sake of upholding the beliefs of the pack. It was the first time regret reared itself within her and dulled her radiant gaze. Reluctantly, she continued. “You are not to call yourself Ichikan… but Wanderer. You have lost your way, Jaden. You have strayed far away from home.”

Gently she reached out to take a hand wrapped around his limbs and slipped her fingers around his darkened own. She could think of no kind words to assure him with, or gesture but this. A touch to show that in her heart she did not shun him, that the bond between them would not be severed by distance or crime. She cared for him and loved him in a way she had never thought would be hers to understand. While there was no word to speak, she conveyed it all through her eyes as she could at last bring herself to look at him as always wearing a soft smile upon her lips. She recalled the words she had spoken to him on their first meeting which seems ages ago in comparison to this moment. “A Nomad never says ‘goodbye’…only that we will see each other again. Please Jaden… find your way back home.”

1044 words.

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Jaden Ohanzee · 02-04-2012, 08:26 PM

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Words - 500+

Silence became another enemy Jaden had to face after his confession. His strong arms locked around his knees felt heavy, strange, alien appendages frozen in fear of what the woman next to him might say. Jaden’s gaze also solidified on the cold snow in front of his paws and he waited through the excruciating silence. When a voice softly punctured it, the sound was strange. His companion’s tone was one he had never felt from her. It was cold, pain filled, horrible. The ashamed wolf’s eyes drooped as his friend reinforced all the hate and the pain he felt for himself. Dark arms weakened and their tight squeeze around entrapped knees fell. His muzzle hung in shame and his ears pinned themselves back. There were no words for the pain he felt then. Hating himself was one thing but having her, with the relationship they shared and the feelings he had, be so coldly disapproving was torturous.

The sudden caress of her touch as she found his hand with hers was surprising. He tipped his head toward her, unsure of what she meant by the gesture. What he found was that her grip was warm and friendly; a reassurance of some sort that she wasn’t as disgusted with him as her words expressed. It was more than he would have asked for but he did not squander the moment. He took her hand with both his and pressed it to his chin. He took a deep breath and let the warm air play across their entwined paws.

But the end had arrived. He had to leave now as a wanderer, exiled from Ichika by himself and his closest friend. Jaden had been ready to explain it to her, how he had been raised into the violent crime. How killing had been a part of his life as long as he remembered. But she understood without that. No more about it needed to be said. Without a word, the man stood from his sitting position. He had one more thing to give to Ichika, to his friend.

With a frozen gait, the wanderer found a lump where his satchel sat under the light snow. He crouched and took it in his paws, shaking white powder from the tanned hide. The sheath was easy to find. With a tight pull and a snap of hide the dagger was ripped free. Taking a moment to arrange the rest of the satchel on his back, he returned to X’yrin.

Jaden bent down and pulled the woman to her feet lightly and was reminded of their dance at the Ichikan celebration. But this time he kept a distance between them. He trained his eyes on the sheathed blade he had clutched between them. “I want to give this to you,” he said. “It will be something to remember me by, not for how I used it or what I have done, but what I was for Ichika… what I was for you.” He watched her for a response and remembered that smile he loved. “It’s all I have to leave.” He knew she would use it as a tool, maybe something to protect her if her other wonderful skills failed her. He hoped she wanted something to remember him by but knew she might not take his blood stained weapon.

Jaden does. "Jaden speaks." Jaden thinks.

X'yrin Exultare · 02-06-2012, 07:46 PM

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ooc:

She had hoped with her whole heart that this was all some damned dream forced into existence for the sake of testing her. But what other than pain could she learn from this lesson? What other than abandonment was she supposed to feel from this and carry with her? Was it truly loss? Had her faith in her ancestors with their names so tarnished with time not been so strong, she would have damned them all for forcing this trial. For taking away her cherished friend even if it was by his own volition. She could only hope that with time this crime would be forgotten from her memory and that the fates would be kind to abolish this sin and spin the webs so that they could be together again without pain as the accompaniment.

She felt the touch of his hand and smoothly rose to her feet though the weight of her legs threatened to pull her back down. What strength could she possibly find in this moment? But for what it was worth, Jaden was still there. What she could not find for herself, she could find from him for he was endowed with great strength to come forth with this sin, to confess and take the consequences upon himself… to bare the pain of exile. Her throat clenched at the thought of his banishment and a sliver of a whine filtered through…

Her searching hands hoped to encompass his own again but was reminded of the possession between their joined hands when she felt its sheathed and not his calloused pads. Forcibly she tore her eyes from his to look down at the weapon clasped between them. She knew what it was meant to mean; a piece of himself left behind to carry his memory. But it was not the same, she knew this, and forced her impassioned grip tighter around both his hands and weapon. “This is not the same as having you here…” she protested its meaning in vain, knowing they were only words, childish words in a petty argument to have him stay. The pain in her throat grew to its unbearable limits and again she whined in resistance to convey the true depths of her agony. “But…” Her word was soft, yet forced, and mere whisper birthed by fleeting strength. “But it will do, Jaden. I will keep it and think of who you were for Ichika…and what you were to me.” And it was that much easier to smile to him at that thought alone even though it was likely that he would not be that way for her from quite some time.

442 words.

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Jaden Ohanzee · 02-10-2012, 04:19 PM

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Words~400

The weight that sounded to be crushing his friend’s heart was almost tangible while he pulled her up to face him. Her whines of agony nearly incurred a similar response within his tight throat. Feeling her pain was worse ten-fold than how sad this goodbye made him. What was even worse than that, he was the only one to blame for the pain they now shared in place of their wonderful relationship. It was all his fault. If he wanted to blame a god or ancestors of his own there may have been no reason to step forward with this. The hope his Nomad friend had that they would meet again he felt to be misplaced. There would never be a reason for him to think it was safe to be here. That is why he would not return. So long as he believed himself to be this way, immoral, prone to terrible sin, he would keep away from this wonderful place and his lovely friend.

The newly demoted wanderer knew that this, this last meeting, this friendship, this life he had here was forevermore over. But he needed to savor this moment. He pulled on its fleeting tail for moments more by closing the distance between them. Tilting his head down to her level, he affectionately rubbed his strong muzzle softly along her own. Every sensation he dedicated to memory. Her breath, her warm fur, her beautiful eyes, and her beautiful smile would only be ghosts within his mind from now on. In different circumstances he might have kissed her but it was not appropriate now. She belonged to another and he could smell the Ichikan on her even now. It being the only thing marring his perfect final moments with Xyrin.

But now it was time. He would drag this out no longer. More fluidly than it felt his heart was tearing, Jaden stepped away from the woman. He untangled their hands and left the dagger in place of his grip, torn leather bindings hanging from the sheath between her fingers. I am no nomad, his voice was sad and ashamed of the fact and his gaze fell. Goodbye my friend. His dark blue eyes graced hers one final time before he turned away. He wouldn't have the heart to look back again.

Jaden does. "Jaden speaks." Jaden thinks.

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