drifting and melting

Deuce Rhiannon · 01-19-2012, 02:32 AM

She was tired. The snow drifted down outside the communal den in large fluffy clumps.
The events of the last month caught up with her suddenly, like a large cat nabbing it's prey. Being asked to make a final decision regarding joining the pack, Tal's issues with his mate, actually moving, telling her story, fighting with Noah, visiting with Thoirni. All of it caught up to her, leaving her feeling every bit the eight years she was. Nine, come march.

Deuce yawned, her position in the pack's den perfect to watch the snow drifting down in the gloom of the night. She knew she wanted to move up in the pack, become her mate's equal again. She knew she just needed to prove herself, needed to prove her loyalty. And yet, she felt she needed to go and see Taliesin and Sky, see how her son and daughter-in-law were doing. She had this feeling she needed to, needed to see them, needed to be near them.

A noise in the opening of the den. She focused on the cardinal who had flown down to peck at something, a seed perhaps, or a rock. She watched the blood red bird impassively, her natural instinct to scare it away from the den. It was a pretty little thing, though, and the way it cocked its head as she lifted her head to look at it was adorable. Wolf and bird stared at each other, neither one moving. Finally, the cardinal chirruped, and took to wing. Deuce yawned again, laying her head on her paws. Her eyes drifted shut.

A small room, a cabin. A fireplace, a small fire going untended and ignored. Whimpers from a corner of the room. A white wolf laid on a bed, her sides heaving with labor. Outside, the snow drifted down, ignored. Inside, a black male in optime stroked the soon to be mother's head. One pup slid out. It was too dark to see the color of it. Another pup followed shortly after. A voice in the dark. "Two boys, Deuce. One black like me, one white like you."

The scene shifted. She was on the porch of her house now, watching the boys tussle. Her mate was off somewhere, hunting maybe. An acrid smell. She looked around. In the distance, spreading rapidly, was a wall of smoke. Her heart stopped. Explosions sounded off, each one moving rapidly closer and closer. Fear, terror. She grabbed each boy by the scruff. They were so little, but they seemed huge when she tried to carry both of them. And then there was her mate, grabbing little Noah while she adjusted her grip on Taliesin.

Days later, laying exhausted and burned. The boys were safe. Naniko brought Sirius and Apollo, asking her to nurse them. They were so tiny, and she didn't know if Deirdre had made it safely. What of the pack, of Fatin and Tayui, of anyone and everyone else? They formed a new pack. Twilight Vale.

Again, a small cabin. The light faded to darkness, shadows took on ominous shapes. Willow pressed against her mother. Noah and Tal were there, too, but the same size as Willow. And then, the giant black wolf barged in, blue eyes burning with hatred. Deuce screamed, her body trying to shield the little ones. The shadow passed through her. Blood pooled on the floor as the pups screamed their last screams, as the shadow began laughing-

She jerked awake, mismatched eyes blinking blearily in the predawn light. She stood, glancing around. The cardinal was back, cocking its head and chirruping at her again. She drew a shaky breath and walked slowly outside, watching as the blood red bird took off again. She stared off into the sky. She hated having nightmares. She hated how they left her feeling. She hated that she wanted to cry. Mostly, she hated nightmares because they always, without fail, awakened the longing for just one more drink to take the edge off.

((WC:667))

Augustus · 01-19-2012, 02:36 PM

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+686

Augustus

The nights were no longer so restless or marred by nightmares as they had been in the past for the black and white male. But that was not to say that he slept soundly. There were so many things to do, places to see, deer to track, food to eat, mountains to climb, borders to mark and monitor. It danced before him even as he slept, causing his paws to twitch every now and again as a particularly exciting vision floated before his minds eye. At times he would even growl, hoarsely and half muffled by his bushy tail. Nothing more than a slight gurgling in his throat as his paws swept the moss ridden floor. If his pack mates were to see him, perhaps it would afford a little chuckle. Such energy he seemed to possess even in the black of night. In these fits he would often wake up to the sounds of his own dreaming, and pass his clouded gaze over the others of his family, hoping that they had not been disturbed as well. There was no time to be embarrassed, as his head soon fell to the ground shortly afterwards and sleep took him in its muddling grasp. The nights came and went just as this, and morning always found him up and about earlier than most. Those were the times when he would crawl half sleep blind and drowsy to the yawning cavern mouth out a short distance to the stream. There he would splash the cold waters about them and drink in their life, starting another eventful day.

His heart was light more often than not now, as his mourning over his brother proved entirely pointless. It was true the loss had hit him terribly hard, but he found it much harder to hold on to as he had found so many new brothers to focus his attention on. Zalen, Thoirni, Shandom, Mordecai. How could he forget about them to linger on those he would never see again?

Today was no different from the rest as he was soon up and about, stretching his forelimbs before him, then his back. As his eyes adjusted to the predawn light he turned his head to peer about at his pack mates, noting their shapes and colors, their scents as to who was who. Most if not all were sound asleep, except. His eyes fell to Deuce’s empty spot and he cocked his head to the side. Perhaps she had things she wanted to do today? But he thought it was not likely. He was not quite aware the Luperci tended to live much longer than a normal wolf, so by his reckoning Deuce was rather elderly, and her activity being so early was a bit concerning. His brows furrowed in the slightest and he inhaled a bit of her scent, following it out of the cave mouth. He felt a rather strong pull to check on the aged female.

When he saw her just beyond the den mouth he forced his steps to be a little louder than they would normally, intent on not startling her. He didn’t want to panic her. The stench of fear had faded a little, but it still lingered and he stepped into her view. Indeed, she did look troubled. He took a moment to find the words to speak as he was not the most sensitive in his new pack, and could easily cause harm where comfort was intended. “Deuce..?” He asked very carefully. This was the first time he’d spoken to her alone and he was intent to tread lightly. “Is everything alright?” Despite his caution he cared for her, as he cared for them all, but respected her possibly a little more than the rest, besides his superiors, that was. The fact that she had overcome so much strife and lived this long, he considered a feat. It almost reminded him of his mother. Both females were white furred individuals possessing some greater strength, one of the few things he'd ever admired of his own mother. Although, she'd been far more cold-hearted.

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Deuce Rhiannon · 01-20-2012, 12:39 AM

The footsteps came as little surprise. She drew in a soft but deep breath as the scent came to her, followed shortly by the soft voice. Augustus. She turned her head so she could see him. She swallowed before speaking. "I am fine. I just had a restless night." She gave him a smile that was meant to be reassuring. "What are you doing up so early, Augustus?" Of course, she knew of his early rising habits. Most of her preferred work couldn't be done without light and a clear dry day. There were few herbs one would want to gather to store when they were wet, so she stayed up late watching the skies, then slept in late.

Her mind drifted back to the dream, a sequence of memories, followed by a terrifying vision. The healer in her studied the nightmare form all angles, searching for a meaning to it. No matter how she looked at it, the meaning was pretty clear. 'Look at everything you had that was taken away from you by Lucifer. Beware that he doesn't take anything else from you from beyond the grave.' But why was Willow there? She had been lost in Michigan, lost to a rival pack. Not only that, but she was smaller than her brothers.

perhaps, despite the obvious meaning, it was just a dream, an unpleasant one that was best soon forgotten. She brought herself out of her reverie to look at Augustus. "I am glad you overcame your prejudice against Luperci like myself. This pack would be a poorer place without you in it." She offered him a smile again, hoping to turn the subject away from herself and her uneasy sleep.
((WC: 284))

Augustus · 01-23-2012, 02:26 PM

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+486

Augustus

The black and white male’s brows furrowed slightly on her, he was not so sure. He knew what it was like to have nightmares, although hers must have been much much worse. Her tale was horrible from what he’d heard at their meeting with Titania. She had a large family, and it had been made larger still, it was hard for him to keep track of all the comings and goings in her life. So he didn’t trouble himself. It wasn’t that he didn’t care, he just did not wish to get mixed up and ask the wrong questions. He didn’t wish to pain her more to relive the awful events over and over, but he was determined to be a shoulder, the best he could have, although there could have been better beings for her to confide in. “No offense, sister…but I could smell you…” He was referring to the scent of her fear. “But if you’d rather not talk about it, I won’t trouble you about it.” He didn’t press the matter. “I’m…here for you.” The words were awkward, even as he said them, but he was sincere. He nuzzled his muzzle into the thick fur of her neck momentarily, a gesture of reassurance no matter how jerkily it felt. He felt strange touching her, unsure whether she would welcome it or not. He’d try to listen as best he could if she was willing to open up after all, but it didn’t look as if that were going to happen as she quickly changed the subject.

“I have an errand.” He announced, puffing up in the slightest; feeling rather important…even though it was self-appointed. “I wanted to scout the neighboring packs today, just for my own sake. I came directly here, and never got the chance. If anything were to happen…I want to know who we’re up against.” He spoke quickly here, wishing not to startle her. “Not that there’s anything to be worried about.” He stated hurriedly after. “Just a precaution…” His tail twitched and he turned his head away, letting an inaudible sigh fall from his lips, before returning his gaze back to her.

He was happy when the subject shifted again and he nodded his head a couple times in acknowledgement. “Thanks.” He mumbled, his cheeks heating up. “I’m glad…too.” Feeling rather off his lips twitched in a half smile. “I’m honored to be a part of a family. It feels like home…already” He recovered, “My parents were out of their minds to ever think so poorly of Luperci. We’re not so different.” A thought came to him then, unbidden, but there were questions that had been on his mind ever since he’d seen Terra walking towards him on two legs, and when he’d seen her body twist and contort before his eyes. “Does shifting…hurt?” He asked uneasily, unable to stem the flow of questions as they came tumbling out.

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Deuce Rhiannon · 01-26-2012, 11:54 PM

As he touched his muzzle to her fur, she nuzzled him in return, thankful for such a good friend. He was a wordy one, but she didn't mind so much. She watched him, and listened. "Keeping an eye on one's neighbors is a good idea, really. Especially with the coyotes just twenty miles south of us. I often walk that way myself while I'm watching for winter herbs. Just along our border, mind you. I don't think it hurts to know who is around us, who's been near our borders." She smiled at him. At his words, she laughed. "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. I read that somewhere once, and have yet to find it to prove falsely."

She nodded as he spoke about New Dawn feeling like family. And then he had a question for her. She would have been taken aback, but Budha had once asked her the same question, along with others. "Shifting doesn't hurt, per say. It's really just a strange feeling. And it looks so much worse than it feels. It took a while to get used to it, but I had Soran helping me adjust to shifting. The part that always weirds me out is when my bones start lengthening to adjust to a taller form. They make strange noises then, but it doesn't hurt."

She wondered if he was considering becoming a luperci himself, or if he was asking just to ask. "If you have more questions, Augustus, feel free to ask. I have no problem sharing my wisdom or personal experiences with anyone who asks me. I never have." Her tone was warm, gentle, and inviting. She genuinely meant her offer, too. Just as she had spoken at length about the luperci and debunked many of his untrue beliefs about them, she was more than willing to do the same for Augustus, her brother of the pack.

((WC:320))

Augustus · 01-31-2012, 11:55 AM

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OOC:: lol he's a dum dum xD +416

Augustus

He was relieved to feel her return his nuzzle, and felt a little more at ease. When she pulled away he reclined to his haunches to sit beside her for a time. Something she said snagged his interest. “You mean you pick flowers...?” He raised a brow. What an odd thing to do. He was oblivious to just how ridiculously ignorant he sounded. He didn’t know exactly what a healer was and how they practiced their craft. Neither did he understand just exactly how flower picking fit into it all. He felt odd having had 17 months of life already and still knowing so little of the world. In his home pack he would have been a wolf in his prime, experienced and gifted with the promise of youth. Nova Scotia varied so greatly from the Yukon, and he struggled with near everything. This was probably the reason he’d been hunting and patrolling so enthusiastically, because he’d had little else to contribute. His four-legged form constrained him in so many ways here, but he wouldn’t exchange it for anything in the world. Not hands or feet, nor even a woman’s love. Strategizing during a hunt was as far as his intelligence seemed to want to take him, and the complexities of learning a craft confounded him.

He listened to her, regardless, and this time he didn’t bother to ask about the practice or reading, whatever that was. He grinned despite himself, and agreed. “I suppose you’re right.” Luckily, she hadn’t even been remotely disturbed. The topic changed to the Luperci and he gave it his full attention. This was what he’d truly been interested in. “Oh.” He replied. “It- it looks like agony. If it hurt I guess fewer would do it then, huh?” This wasn’t indeed the last of his questions and he was glad to hear her invitation. He shifted restlessly, pondering what he should ask her next. He found it and sat up, tail twitching eagerly. “So…can…someone like me…can they become one of you?” It was a hard question for him to ask, and something he’d never considered himself. Some wolves here seemed as if they, themselves hadn’t always been Luperci. That was what he had gaged from their behavior at least. A Luperci’s scent wasn’t quite so different from a normal wolf’s and was usually caused by whatever they carried on their person, he was certain there was some way to change as they had, though he didn’t begin to know how.

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Deuce Rhiannon · 01-31-2012, 11:49 PM

He asked a question of her, and she laughed. It wasn't a cruel laugh, it wasn't a laugh mocking his lack of knowledge, it was a laugh that recognized that not everyone understood the vagaries of herbalists. "Sort of. I mean I do, but for specific reasons. Many things in nature have a use. For example, the lavender I used to dry is a lovely scent, but it helps to relieve tension when you smell it as well. Willow bark can be chewed as a pain reliever. Ginger root relieves an upset stomach. Yarrow root is an astringent, a substance that help draw infection from a wound. Garlic keeps ticks and fleas away from us. Lemon grass is a sweet flavoring, but it also helps with coughing." She smiled, shrugging. "My adopted father, Taliesin, taught me some of that, and I learned the rest as I got older and read more."

As he asked if someone like him could become like her, her brow furrowed. The frown eased into a smile as she realized what he meant. "Can a non-shifter become a luperci, you mean? Yes. I used to not be luperci, until after Thanos and I were together. He made love to me, and it changed me to a luperci. And massive exchange of blood or bodily fluid would change a regular wolf into a luperci. And just because you become luperci doesn't mean you change who you are inside. You would still be the sweet and kind Augustus the pack knows." She paused, feeling flushed for a moment. "I mean, I assume that's why your asking, right? Forgive me if I'm presuming too much."

She watched him for a moment, hoping she hadn't upset him by assuming as she had. The last thing the older woman wanted was to offend a younger pack mate. She began talking again, almost rambling, but not quite. "The best thing I have found about having been turned to luperci is the extension of the natural life span. We luperci live longer lives that the normal wolf. I know eight seems old, but I'm only half done with my life, even though it seems like I should be at the end of my years." She paused for a moment, then spoke again. "And thumbs-" she held up a paw to demonstrate the lack thereof in the lupus form, "Are a wonderful and versatile thing for a healer like myself." Her tail wagged behind her as she lapsed into silence again.

((WC:417))

Augustus · 02-01-2012, 07:06 PM

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ooc Sorry it's so long! :/ KInd kept rambling +709

Augustus

His ears twitched to the sound of her laugh and he grinned sheepishly. How ridiculous he must have sounded, thinking of old Deuce skipping about a field collecting daisies and the like for no apparent reason. It was a silly thought, and he shook his head to clear it, his ego far too intact to permit him to laugh at himself. He listened to her curiously, the mirth seeping from his expression slowly as he listened with interest to her explanations. The one thing that especially intrigued him was the thing she called garlic. Fleas were pesky little bastards that could torment a wolf endlessly if they were allowed to roam free. Luckily it was winter, and far too cold for their plague to endure, but come spring he knew who to talk to if he found himself biting and scratching himself raw. He didn’t point it out to her though, what wolf would want to discuss fleas. As painful and annoying as they were it didn’t make for good subject matter. “Oh…that sounds useful.” He said instead. “It’s good we have you.”

There it was again, that word- ‘read.’ His brows furrowed, and this time he chose to ask her. She seemed inviting enough, and surely wouldn’t object to yet another question. Would she? “What is reading?” He was beginning to feel like a foolish pup. The only thing it seemed that he hadn’t asked was that time old question, ‘why is the sky blue?’ But that one was likely not to have an answer.

He seemed to be asking questions of anything and everything today, and peered at his elder pack sister cautiously, careful to note any annoyance in her countenance that would give the signal for him to stop. His questions were endless, and he couldn’t seem to stop once he found someone willing to answer them. She replied to his questions of becoming a Luperci after a pause. When she spoke of another and how they had made love Augustus began to shift with discomfort. His tail swayed and his paws moved about before him. He was happy that she did not elaborate on that particular subject, and listened to the rest that she had to say. It answered a lot of his questions all in one, and was spared the task of asking after it further.

He’d never thought about how the virus could change who you were within, and was happy to hear it was not possible, regardless. He was fully content with her answer when she continued on to call him sweet and kind. His eyes widened a moment in shock and he could feel his cheeks growing warm beneath his fur. He didn’t quite know how to respond, and kept silent, flushed and red beneath his pelt. It was the very first time he’d heard anyone call him that, not that he didn’t appreciate the compliment, but…Was she coming on to him? His masculine mind couldn’t come up with any other reason. It made him suddenly conscious. By his standards she could easily be his grandmother, until she clarified that point next.

He’d always wondered how she had remained so active in spite of her age. Now he knew, it all made sense to him. He wondered just how long they did live. Again, she sort of answered that questions as well. She spoke of thumbs then, and the word caught his interest. What a funny word it was, and as she displayed her paws he realized just what she meant. She was talking of those stubby digits on the side of their paws they had in what was known as Optime form. He could see the utility, but he couldn’t imagine doing anything that would require it, and thought how hard it would be for him to adjust to having another toe. But Luperci paws were unlike his own, and that made sense to.

The young man had received more than he expected from Deuce and could find no other questions in him for the time that followed. He rose to his feet then and turned to face Deuce directly. “I really can’t thank you enough, Deuce. When I woke up I never expected to learn all that I have.”

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Deuce Rhiannon · 02-27-2012, 09:19 PM

As he asked what reading was, she thought for a moment before explaining it. "Reading is kind of hard to explain. There are symbols, and each symbol has a certain meaning. And then the symbols are put together, they...

Okay. Here." She paused, using a paw to scratch out a few letters. "These letters form a word. A. U. G. U. S. T. U. S. Augustus." She gestured to each letter with a paw as she spoke. "I was taught from a young age to read, and my adopted father started my learning with my name. D.E.U.C.E." Again, she scratched out each letter to demonstrate.

"When you learn to read, whole worlds can open up to you. You can learn about the humans, or about how they perceived wolves. You can learn a new way to do something, like building better shelters. When I was the shaman of Phoenix Valley, we used our knowledge to repair our houses, our human dens, and to build boats incase the coyotes attacked us.

Or you can use reading for pleasure. There are volumes upon volumes of poetry, old human fables, romance stories, war stories, anything you can imagine they wrote something about."

She grinned at the male, her tail wagging. "It is my pleasure to teach. I am glad to find someone willing to listen to an old woman like me.' She winked at him, her tail wagging gently.

((WC:236))

Augustus · 02-29-2012, 12:23 PM

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ooc WC::536

Augustus

For a moment he felt ashamed of his question, it was a much more abstract concept and thus harder to explain. She, however, did not turn him down or seem to grow weary of him. He perked his ears in interest and watched as she scratched in the dirt. Where her claws lingered strange shapes began to take place. He’d seen these things before on his journey to Nova Scotia. They often marked areas that humans once dwelt in. So they served a purpose after all. He sat and watched intently, brows knitting. He rose and crouched over them, trying to get a better a look. She spoke the symbols aloud, giving them names saying them together as a word far too familiar to him. His own name. His eyes widened and he felt positively giddy. He never thought he could physically see his name, but now he did. The symbols were tall and slashed, proud and dignified. Still, it felt so strange to see it there in the dirt. It was long compared to Deuce, and looking at the two he noticed the similar U in hers. Their names shared a symbol. It meant nothing in truth to the true concept of reading, but he knew nothing of it before and marveled at it.

He poked his nose at the strange topless oval, straining for the word she’d called it. “U?” He questioned. His ears perked to her explanation, of human tales and stories. “I know how they perceived wolves, as beasts to be slaughtered.” It was a belief that had been carried down through generations of his pack, as they were traditional they never forgot man, revering him and fearing him as a destroyer. He nodded with certainty to his statements. He listened however as she told of building shelters and the like. “You lived in the human dens?” he snorted dismissively, but not disrespectfully. She’d given him so much to think on, and put up with him despite his ignorance and seemingly endless questions.

Her other offerings, of reading for pleasure. He could not see himself idling about, staring at symbols. He longed to feel the earth beneath his paws, thrived on the thrill of the hunt and that of the world around him. He was young and eager to prove himself, and would do whatever he could to achieve more. He knew he could do much and more for his pack. “Not for me.” He said shortly. “But I can see how it could prove useful,” he added soon after, not wanting to upset the woman. She was kind, motherly, more so than his own mother had been.

“I enjoy…talking to you.” He said then with a bit of difficulty. He was awful at expressing his emotions, but felt a great amount of gratitude for the woman. He laughed nervously when she called herself an old woman, knowing that she was elder, yes, but she had much life ahead of her still, feeling a bit sheepish that only minutes before he thought her like to fall over at any moment. When the moment passed he gained composure, thinking about how warm and nurturing she seemed. “Do you have other children, Deuce…besides Noah, I mean?”

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