another round, on the house
#1
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I need to up my post count... so anyone who wants to join in can. ^^ Carrion needs more friends.


Carrion sat atop the roof of the mansion, resting against the siding in a section where it was relatively intact. The moonlight shone down on him, the only light for miles. The northern lights were beautiful- serpentine, multicoloured and bright. He mused that the spirits that created them must be powerful indeed. The coyote picked up the bottle of rotgut whiskey he'd bought off of a trader, and sipped at it. Not nearly as good as the vodka he'd once had... but good enough anyway.

He thought of the first night he'd been here. The lights hadn't been in the sky when he traveled into the packlands- it was stormy that October night. He'd been heading north, travelling mostly on pack- neutral lands when he could. When he came to the scorched and burned earth of Bleeding Souls, he'd kept going. Kept going until he'd found the coastline. He half-knew why he'd been heading north so aggressively... but deep inside, he knew he'd never succeed. His family was long gone. He'd never kill Reaver. His father. The real demon in his story.

After that, he'd wandered around for a while, finally settling down in Inferni, which was the most suiting for someone of his temperament and... talents. He took another swig of the misty brown liquid and capped it, then tossed it onto his nearby satchel. Alcohol always made him think too much.

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#2
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Hope you don't mind me jumping in! c: James may post with Nathaniel too if he can! Big Grin Big Grin

Wraith had always been a curious one, but never abundantly so. Or, since she was still young she had always thought it was normal to ask so many questions. Certainly, her siblings did the same. She didn't think it was very much of an issue. Now that she was growing into her role as an adult, she still asked a great deal of questions but now they complemented what she already knew. When she saw a coyote sitting on top of the mansion, she quickly realized that the question she would pose would be one of youthful innocence, unlike her more mature ones.


"What are you doing, mister?" she called out. She stood below him, facing him, with her neck craned so she could see him. She could tell that he was in his two-legged optime form, but unlike him, she only knew how to operate on four. She felt a little put off that she hadn't learned how to shift yet and was very excited to learn. So, as she stared up at the coyote, who she recognized from a few meetings in Inferni, she wondered what he was doing (and how she could do it too). Whatever it was, it definitely looked like fun!


Table by Sunny

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#3
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Word Count → 605 :: omg tammi you so fast. imma join too. >:O hmm, do you think he'd be able to smell it? if not, i can change it. xD also sorry for the length...i'm behind in sosu, lmao. y


Aemon de le Poer had spent a long day around the borders of Inferni, keeping up on his duties as Vigiles. The day had not brought any new scents to the land, but still the silvery coyote had patrolled. Having risen with the sun, Aemon was getting tired as it was going down. As his rounds completed, the coyote decided to head in, thinking he might stop by the Mansion to rest for a while, knowing it's aging fancy couches to be quite soft and comfortable, in spite of the dust and grime covering them.


As darkness flooded the land, Aemon found his way to the vine-laden, once-beautiful crumbling facade of the Mansion. Always awed by it's mass, he often still stared gaping as he entered; the high ceilings and hand-carved architecture was inspiring. Smiling as he took in the musty, thick scent of the D'Neville Mansion, the Vigiles tread with heavy steps into the sitting room, where he quickly fell asleep, his weapon tucked neatly beside him.


Some time later, Aemon awoke to the moonlight peeking through a window. Stretching his limbs with a yawn, he decided to make his way back to his cave now, wishing to retire there for the full night in a few hours. Sitting up, he bent his head in a silent prayer. Aemon always felt more spiritual here; maybe it was the archaic charm of the place that filled him with the Spirit. He had so much to be thankful for, in spite of his plans gone awry. He was glad at the progress, and pleased to be surrounded by family, however distant.


At first, Aemon had been wary of these relatives. But they were his father's blood, too, and so he grew to embrace them. As he walked the land, though, Aemon found that he rarely bumped into any others. Maybe he walked all of the wrong paths, or maybe his timing was off. But the young de le Poer was nonetheless eager to meet more of his family; both kin and clan.


Pushing open the door of the Mansion with a heavy hand, the silvery coyote stepped out into moonlit courtyard. Instantly his nose caught a distinct scent: alcohol. And two others. Both of these things excited him, and though Aemon didn't like to admit his secret weakness for the beverage, he would readily indulge if given the chance. It was a rare opportunity, and he hoped that whoever was carrying it would share. Monochrome tail rose and even swayed slightly as he followed his nose, charcoal ears erect. Recharged after his brief slumber, Aemon strode around the side of the Mansion, one ear twitching at the sound of the girl's voice. Then, he saw her from a slight distance. A tawny coyote, a young girl, staring up at something Aemon could not yet see. Backing up, he craned his neck upwards. Ah, there it was. His eyes now adjusted to the darkness, he saw the man sitting on the roof, bottle in hand.


As he stood grinning up at the man, he realized how rude he was being, just standing and staring. "Hey," he called to them both as he moved nearer to the girl, still staring up beside her. "Whatever you have smells wonderful," he commented with a chuckle. He hoped he wasn't being too forward; but he would be sure to return the favor when he got the chance. Aemon knew that there was a city nearby, and he needed to explore it. Surely there would be goodies like what he held in his hand still bottled and drinkable somewhere.



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#4
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Well that was fast. Big Grin


The scarred, bone laden coyote sat up, crawling to the edge of the roof and looking down. There stood a young coyote, too young to shift yet, and an approaching male in Optime form. After a futile attempt to recognise the two, he finally sighed. I'm just watching the skies. It's whiskey- You can have some if you come on up. I climbed out a window. He climbed back up to where he'd been sitting. If people wanted to relax with him, who was he to stop them? The coyote picked up his satchel, and then the bottle. He'd share- always did. Even with Helotes, when he'd been pinned by the brute. He smirked, pulled out the crude-cut cork and sniffed it. He guessed it did smell good... but the other coyote would probably be very disappointed when he tasted the swill. He capped it aghain and went to the window, where he lifted the glass so that the two could get in. Or out, rather.

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#5
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Wraith had not expected to see a coyote on top of the house and the last thing she'd expected was for someone else to show up. She thought she was the only one awake at this hour aside from roof-sitting-coyote, but colour her surprised, someone else was up and about and apparently just as curious as she. Wraith recognized the other coyote from the meeting, but couldn't remember his name. It didn't really matter, she supposed; after all, most of the coyotes here were related to her in one way or another. It would only be a matter of discovering if he was, and if not, bringing him into her ever-growing family. She collected aunts and uncles like some children collected sparkly things.


When the coyote mentioned the smell of something, Wraith wrinkled her nose. Only then did she realize that the weird smell was from the roof-coyote. The roof-coyote said it was whiskey (whatever that was) and then invited them up. Wraith glanced from one male to the other when she realized she neither knew what whiskey was nor could she climb up. Not wanting to pout and instead behave like the adult she really was, she tried a polite approach.


"I can't shift," she said to the roof-coyote. "Wanna come down here?" Otherwise, she supposed, she could just sit there while they had fun on the roof, eventually get bored, and go back to her cave with Val.


Table by Sunny

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#6
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Word Count → 516 :: derp!


Aemon stared up at the dark man on the roof, who offered his beverage and company so readily, and then back down at the young girl on four legs beside him. Frowning, for a moment he glanced between them, considering the possibilities. The girl thought it impossible, but if she were to crawl through the Mansion's doors and windows, he was certain she could get there, too. He edged closer to her, his own desire to join the man sparking him to lead her. "Hey, I bet we could both climb through from inside," he said, nodding his head towards the front of the Mansion as he began to head that way, expecting her to follow. If she couldn't get through alone, he could easily help her. She wasn't yet full-grown, and she carried small-boned coyote blood more than anything else. This, Aemon took quick notice of-- the pure-blooded ones were so rare, they must be treasured.


Crimson gaze flickered behind him to be sure she was there as he wrenched open the front door of the Mansion with one hand, the other carrying his spear. He nodded her in, following after but taking the lead again shortly. In his short time here, he'd crawled through as many of Inferni's buildings as he could manage. This one was the largest, and it was still sometimes a maze to him. Aemon's navigation skills were adequate enough, though, and he eventually found the room that the darker coyote had come out of. It was a small, deserted and broken one-window room, but when Aemon entered the room the smell was strong of alcohol, and he followed it to the window and out. Grinning out of the shattered window, Aemon let half of his body hang out as he waved to their new friend. This window was not so high that he thought the girl wouldn't make it out, but just in case he shoved over a small, low table for leverage. "Here, this should be fine. Careful of the glass," he added as he himself climbed through the window, leaning his larger body at an awkward angle to avoid the sharp jagged panes of glass. Once he was out, though, the roof's angle was another challenge. It wasn't steep, but it took a moment of getting used to, and Aemon was sure he looked silly reaching out with his hands to steady himself. He almost wished he'd used four legs himself. Plopping himself down beside the stranger and leaning his weapon against the sturdy building, he called out to the girl. "Need some help?" he asked, scarlet gaze peering towards the window, waiting for her to emerge. She seemed agile enough; surely she could fit through as he had. Then, Aemon turned to the darker stranger, greyscale cords of hair flinging about his head. "Nice night for roof-gazing," he offered with a grin, gaze flicking to the bottle in his hand briefly, "I'm Aemon." He offered a silvery hand to the man in greeting, and a bow of his head to the girl.



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#7
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Sorry, I'm slow. Too much to do at home! >< I'll keep posting regular though!


Watching the two, the coyote swished the bottle back and forth, leaning up against the siding. Once Aemon got up, he passed the bottle to him with a nod. Help yourself. I need to cut back.He stepped over to help Wraith up if she was coming. He broke out some of the glass so she wouldn't cut herself. He seemed a nice sort, despite his scarred face and body, the bones that promised a morbid attitude that he wouldn't deliver. His actions were calm and quiet- though that might just have been the alcohol tempering him. Hard to tell either way. He thought of the last time he'd been in that form. It must have been years ago. He hadn't walked on four legs in a long time. He even slept as an Optime, though it would have been much more comfortable as Lupus or even Secui. He thought of this as he returned to the dreadlocked mixbreed. Yes, yes it is. The spirits truly do work great beauty. I'm Carrion. He watched the window sill. He had a soft spot for children- he didn't know any from the pack yet, though. He was glad he'd finally get the chance to meet one.

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#8
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Sorry for the delay! I was trying to think of a way that a coyote could get on a roof and just couldn't think of anything. Then I realized that Wraith is old enough to shift! :}

WC: 557


The other coyote (not the roof-coyote) seemed to think that she would be able to walk out onto the roof. Wraith knew that this was a ridiculous and silly idea, but she didn't think it would be very polite to say so out loud. She could see from where she was standing that the window went up and down bottom to top and the roof went diagonally side to side. There was no way she'd be able to walk across that thing! She was still young, so she had bounds of energy and quite the adventurous spirit, but her father had made certain that she wasn't stupid.


Nonetheless, she followed the other coyote into the house and through the labyrinthine structure. As she marched up the stairs, she realized she could slowly become more conciliate toward the creepy mansion. It was sturdier than it looked and although from the outside, it was creepy, Wraith realized that it wasn't so bad after all.


She trailed behind the coyote, watching him carefully as he climbed through the window. When he disappeared, he called out to ask if she needed any help. Quickly, she replied, "no, I'll figure out a way." She approached the table that he had pushed over and stuck her head out the window. No, she wouldn't want to scale the roof in her lupus form. She backed up and then began to formulate a plan. If only she had hands! She raised her one paw to examine it, considering how it would like if she did have hands. Her paw would be longer and thinner and the pads would be elongated and more broken up. Her claws would lengthen and her legs would shift into arms. As she considered this, she was surprised to see that her hands, claws, and forelegs began to do exactly that. Surprised, but refusing to panic, Wraith thought about how else she would look. She'd be tall -- but not too tall -- and very pretty. Since she was still young, she wouldn't be particularly large or impressive, but that was alright with her. She imagined herself standing on two legs instead of four, and soon, she found her back and shoulders begin to wiggle as they stretched. Her legs changed, too, growing longer and thicker. Once she was done, she found herself kneeling on her knees and hands. This didn't work very well as a two-legged luperci, she realized, so she quickly stood up.


"Whoahhh," she gasped. The world shook and swam around her. She stood up too quickly and reached out for the wall to balance herself. She closed her eyes and then opened them again to see that the window was now at her thighs rather than eye level. She very slowly walked over to the window and stuck her head out.


"Hey guys," she said. She tried to sound casual, as if it weren't the first time she'd ever shifted. "I'll be out in a second." With that, she very gingerly stuck one leg over the window. Clutching the window frame, she inched her way over to the two coyotes. Once she had gone far enough to sit down, she plopped her bum on the roof and held on tightly to the side of the dormer. Only her wide grin betrayed her nonchalant venture over the roof.


Table by Sunny


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#9
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yay wraith!



Aemon gladly took the bottle from the pierced coyote, nodding thankfully as he took a hefty swig. It was cool on his tongue, but warmed quickly as he swallowed the dark amber liquid. He savored it in his mouth, the tartness of it making his lips pucker. He wasn't familiar with the different forms of alcohol, though he could recall other drinks in the past which had not tasted so sweetly.


Crimson eyes followed the coyote to the window, and they both waited for the girl to crawl through. When she emerged, she was taller, two-legged and wobbly on both. Aemon gaped for a moment, unused to seeing the unclothed forms of such young females. He averted his eyes when she came to sit, feeling heat rise in his cheeks, shamed at the mere thought of her in any other way than innocent. Or maybe that was just the drink warming him.


"Good to meet you, Carrion," he said abruptly, thankful for anything else to speak of. "I'm Aemon," he offered casually as he returned the bottle to its owner. The silver coywolf wasn't sure whether to offer it to the girl or not, his knotted brow hinting at some of his confusion. He didn't dare judge the girl, but he would leave it up to Carrion to share his liquor. The girl hadn't offered her name, and Aemon didn't yet ask.



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#10
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Internet has been extremely scarce... ;.;


Carrion's eyes switched over to her. He recognised the shaky steps she took while climbing across the roof- this must have been one of her first shifts. He didn't say anything, though. And your name? he looked her over as well, but didn't gape. She was beautiful indeed, he noted. The coyote wasn't all that interested in females, though. He leaned back against the wall and looked up at the sky again. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, but most of the stars were obscured by the huge streaks of light created by the northern lights. He shifted position so she could get a better seat, the bones linked in his fur rattling softly. He smiled at her and picked up his pack, rummaging through it for a moment. More bones clicked around in the bag- if one peered over his shoulder they'd see that the bottom had a large amount of broken bone shards and old metal tools used to shape them. He finally found what he was looking for- a wire, beaten and honed to a sharp point. He took out one of the flatter, wider bone pieces- perhaps part of a deer skull- and began to scratch it. After a moment of testing it he discarded it, tossing it off of the roof where it landed somewhere in the grass below. His paws returned to the bag, where he sifted around for another.

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#11
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[/html]Once she sat down, she realized she had interrupted an ongoing conversation. She heard the grey coyote say that it was nice to meet the other coyote, who he called Carrion. The grey wolf introduced himself as Aemon. Wraith tried to commit the names to memory since she knew it was important to know her clanmates. She didn't recognize either of them, which either meant that they didn't hang around the caves where she lived or they were new. Neither of them smelled too new, so she supposed they just never crossed paths yet.

The black wolf, Carrion, asked for her name. Her reply was quick and chipper: "Wraith Creed! It's nice to meet you, um, Carrion and -- Aemon," she replied, glancing from one coyote to the next. She noticed that as she was speaking, the black coyote began rifling through his bag. He found something, but then threw it over the side of the roof. She opened her mouth to shout at him and tell him he shouldn't throw things of rooves of buildings, but quickly closed her mouth. She wasn't sure what he had thrown anyways and now she wanted to know what he was doing.

"Whatcha got there?" she asked. She leaned over, still clutching the dormer of the house, but re-distributing her balance a bit so that she could examine his bag. [html]
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