All the Time in the World

Jaden Ohanzee · 04-10-2012, 11:51 AM

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^.^! Exactly 500 words? Creepy. WotD Points +1 Caparison Words - 500

Jaden eyed the still fresh cuts on his palm. The blade wound on his right hand stung a little as he splayed his fingers to examine it. With a grunt of displeasure to dismiss the discomfort, he twisted the cap off of the flask in his gloved left hand. When it sat atop the metal bottle loosely, he took it between his teeth and tipped the container. The contents fell easily into his laceration. The man held his breath this time to avoid cursing or wincing and just flinched. It took a lot of control to resist his urge to close his fist and wring the hard liquor from his flesh.

After a few moments the pain subsided into a gentle burn. He took the metal cap from his lips and let his held breath go, glad to have the coppery taste fade as well. His eyes scanned his injury and watched a few drops of once clear vodka fall from him now bloodied onto the stump he sat on. It wasn’t the first time he had cleaned it but it wouldn’t stop burning just because he had done it before.

For most of the morning Jaden had been hiking along with no real direction in mind. He was coming near the end of the Sugar Woods now. It was easy to tell because the maple trees were becoming few and far between. Besides this loose bearing he had no real idea where he was and that was absolutely fine. He didn’t care. The life of a lone wolf didn’t need dictation. So long as he didn’t stray too close to his former home or too close to any of his seemingly numerous enemies things would stay absolutely peachy. The blackened metal gauntlets he wore would also discourage most passersby from trying to make pleasant conversation. All the time in the world and not a single soul to share it with today, things were perfect for the melancholy Alaskan.

Jaden took a short draw from his flask. It was enough to perk him up a bit. In the past few months he had realized what a comfort the drink could be. For someone who had no interest in it before, he would admit to having made a habit of carrying the stuff as of late. Not to say that he was drunk now, not after his interesting and dangerous encounter the night before. It wasn’t often that he indulged quite so harshly.

The sun reminded the Wanderer of his chore. It had long ago cleared the horizon and now floated toward midday. He wanted to get moving before the warmest part of the day arrived and his newfound caparison over heated him. He recapped the alcohol with his wounded hand gingerly and dropped it into his coat’s inside breast pocket where it originated. Then he popped his neck back and forth before glancing around lazily. It was difficult to decide which direction was most alluring to wander in now.

Jaden does. Jaden speaks. Jaden thinks.

X'yrin Exultare · 04-12-2012, 11:01 AM

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ooc: Dated for the 10th. At this point X'y has 'lost' Salvador in accordance with plot development currently in play. He will not be found

Among the rolling verdant fields and plethora of lush foliage roamed a lone autumn leaf with her muzzle to the ground. Her paw steps were frantic with defined nose quivering with fright in desperate attempt to catch the elusive scent of her dearest babe. Though it was not her child by blood, she still loved it at her own and wanted for that love to be reciprocated as familiarly as she had come to expect it.

She was a mess without the little dark pup within her shadow. Without his whines to caress her ears she felt the light within her heart slowly dim giving way for the darkness of fear to set it. The overabundant happiness lost its radiance as her world was dulled by the absence of her shimmering puppyish light. She felt lost without him… for days, she had felt lost. But still she tried to find that light again. With her whole heart she searched.

But what a foolish female she was, she scourer the lands alone even under the warm morning light without a careful eye to her surroundings. Her nose and ears were focused on finding the beloved pup, not attending to the shadows that stalked her mountainous form. The treacheries of nature were not lost upon her, but repurposed to the dangers that may have befallen the young boy wandering where his heart was contented. The state of her own well-being was irrelevant; a selfish fact that her Shepard would have looked down and scolded her for. A fact which came too late when the rumbling vocals of a vengeful beast sounded its predatory cry.

The collision of muscle and bone was sound, coupled with razors of desperate grips seeking to tear apart fur from flesh. The mind was of the she-wolf was terribly winded, numbed by the blow and the continued onslaught of gnashing teeth and swiping feline claws. But instinct prevailed, calling forth her stretch in this wrestle of limbs to push herself away from the savage creature and find her ground on trembling limbs. Her legs were shaking, russet mane in a haphazard mess strung along the earthen arena. Both contenders look to the other with a primal fire in their eyes; both in survival but for opposing means… to live, to eat. The stench of blood tainted the air calling attention to the torn flesh of her shoulder and the fine rivulets melding into the intact streams of autumn red. Already the tide had turned in favor of the hungry beast… but it would not be allowed as long as the wolf was willing. She needed to prevail… she needed to find her pup. And no disgusting feline would keep her from her task. The composed nature of the Shepard was dashed to the wind as she brayed her anger toward the obstacle and charged, teeth and claws unfurled, aimed to rip the life from this hellion.

488 words.

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Jaden Ohanzee · 04-12-2012, 04:05 PM

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Feel free to Power Play him throwing the cougar off once X'yrin intervenes. There is a LOT here but assume it's quick '-_- Words - 700+

The commotion of battle easily broke the still midmorning air. A cougar’s cry brought Jaden quickly off his feet. Large felines were not something to trifle with. Even with his size and current armament the man would have been leery of engaging one in battle singlehandedly. But the cry was too quiet to be a sound for an approaching attack on his being. He quickly realized this and, when a canine’s whine followed, he knew the cat had found someone much less fortunate than he to pounce on.

Jaden didn’t consider himself heroic but he began quickly toward the sound anyway. If he could help he would, but he didn’t plan on being torn limb from limb for a stranger. If he, or as the whines and growls suggested, she were up against a true monster then they could be truly out of luck this day.

When the scene came into view Jaden slide to a halt. He couldn’t believe his eyes. Standing before the bloody fangs of this cougar was none other than his most trusted friend. After all he had done to avoid being recognized by her or anyone else, changing his appearance, the black coat he wore, even the strong smell of ash hiding his scent, fate would make it useless now. He dashed it aside without another thought. Even before the decision to help cleared his shock his legs were carrying him forward at all the speed the limbs could muster. Long coat trailing and teeth bared, the wanderer no longer thought of whether he might help the unfortunate female but if he could throw himself into danger fast enough to keep the feline predator from doing any more damage.

The Alaskan approached from X’yrin’s left flank and the cougar’s right. He was able to watch in horror as the two parted and faced each other. The woman wore an expression of savagery he had rarely seen on her before and actually charged her attacker. Jaden had to admire her will to fight but would later recall feeling a little anger at her eagerness to jump strait into such an apparently dangerous confrontation.

The two only had a few seconds after her charge before the dark mass smashed shoulder first into the feline attacker. A fierce snarl tore past his gaping jaws as Jaden dug his teeth into fur and muscle on impact. The cougar screamed its primal call in surprise and began batting at the blur of dark fur and fabric now clinging to it. Canine and feline rolled and clawed, both fighting for dominance over the other. Jaden had an advantage in body size and defensive ability but the cat had agility and deadly, powerful claws. He was able to deflect its jaws well enough with his metal armor but the heavy paws repeatedly beat past his guard. One of the hits landed with an audible smack into the optime’s ribs. He couldn’t help but yelp when the paw withdrew, leaving behind three re-fractured ribs, neat lines of sliced fabric, and warm red on his otherwise black body.

The initial aim of his heroic dive into action had been to lock his arms around the cougar’s throat and squeeze the life from it. The action was proving much more difficult than Jaden had planned. The feline expected him to go for its throat just as it tried to tear out his. It easily evaded his grasp while he struggled to defend from its all-consuming assault.

In a moment of bad luck, Jaden’s forearm rotated slightly and left the flesh underneath his metal unguarded. His foe locked its jaws on and its lower set of long teeth pushed into his muscle. Pain forced a verbal curse of rage from the man as one of its back legs raked down his thigh. In that moment the tan body pinned him down and held its ground. He repeatedly struck at its legs and kicked at its belly but still it stood on him. He had the strength to toss it off of him but not with its teeth still set in his arm. He could see rage and crimson lust in this killer when their glares met past his own bloody metal.

Jaden does. Jaden speaks. Jaden thinks.

X'yrin Exultare · 04-13-2012, 08:25 AM

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ooc: Keeeeel hiiiiim!

Ravenous fangs tasted only air as the sought flesh of the beast was ripped from her grasp by a show of black. The scent of wolf and ash invaded her nostrils nearly taking her attention off their feline in curiosity as to what caused this meld of scents, but the savage cries of a beast enraged kept her focus to the scrap in play. Hurriedly she found her focus, the throbbing of the wound had long since subsided and all she felt was the collapse and expanse of her heavy chest and its labored breaths.

Rather than dive back into the fray without a plan, she watched the tussle between the beast and wolf remaining light on the tops of her paws as she awaited an opening to recommence her attack. There was no thought other than to rip the life from this distraction from her mission. Make it pay for delaying her from finding her precious babe. As the brave wolf was thrown to his back with frenzied fangs and claws latched onto his writhing body, she acted then and leapt back into the scuffle. With the full force of her weight behind her, she tackled the beast by the shoulders, utilizing her built momentum to knock the feline off balance and onto its side. It was a brief moment of freedom for the wolf beneath, allowing him the advantage and force the creature with claws and fangs detached onto its side where it lay momentarily vulnerable to swifter forms of death sweeping in for the audible kill.

The golden reaper dove with a hunter’s accuracy for the base of the feline’s skull. And like a vice she squeezed, forcing darkness to shroud the beast’s vision and slow its erratic movements. She clamped down with furious claws baring down on its eyes til the air was no longer sound by the cries of battle, but of the wails of the dying.

322 words.

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Jaden Ohanzee · 04-13-2012, 05:15 PM

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X is so Vicious! O.o WotD Points+1 Approbate Words - 400+

The autumn hued woman he fought for came to his aid quickly once the opening was available. Jaden felt the beast bearing down on him loose its grip in his flesh and he tossed it away from them. But the Ichikan refused to let it breath, leaping over Jaden and latching onto it. New cries filled the air. These were not of triumph or rage as before but of fear. The feline knew was no longer winning and wanted to surrender the fight. It was trying to escape the savage jaws of death.

The wounded optime wanted to see his enemy’s end as badly as his companion. He pulled himself to his knees and could see and feel the tears in his flesh. The blood drawn now demanded compensation. With a quick lunge, he racked both claws across the cat’s belly and disemboweled it. Blood covered the ground beneath them and whatever life still held in the beast gave out. It ceased moving, stopped breathing. The monster was beaten.

Jaden withdrew from the now dead feline and stood. The difficulty he had in the simple movement worried him greatly. The long claw slash down his thigh wasn’t deep enough to rip the muscle from his bone but was painful enough when he stood on it. Breath refused to return to him. Each gasp brought the familiar ache of cracked ribs.

The wounded wolf pealed his gauntlets gingerly off one at a time and let them fall with dull metallic thuds onto the earth. He then slipped his coat over his shoulders slowly, hoping he hadn’t bled on it too badly and a little disappointed with the shredded parts. It fell to the ground in a dark heap and he did too.

Nothing hid the scars. Though it was not something he could approbate, his friend would likely recognize him. It mattered so much less to him now than it had before. She was safe and that was such a wonderful relief. Despite how he was cursed, how it seemed that everyone around him ended up worse off for knowing the Alaskan, he had been able to help a friend today. Without him, things might have turned out very differently. If it hadn’t been for the extreme discomfort of battle Jaden might have lain back in the grass and dirt and smiled to sky. All injuries withstanding, he was content to just breathe instead. He thought that maybe he should say something but nothing appropriate came to mind as he watched the peaceful morning clouds float by. He could hear X’yrin moving not far away and he could smell her on the air. That would be enough for the moment.

Jaden does. Jaden speaks. Jaden thinks.

X'yrin Exultare · 04-17-2012, 08:50 AM

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ooc:

Then there was stillness beneath her fangs. A kind that compelled her muscles to relax and ease her rampant breathing to its normal, measured rhythm. Each inhale was of the toxic stench of the voided bowels of the beast mixed with the putrid scent of its blood. Bitter to her flaring nostrils, but sweet just the same for it was the scent of victory; of an obstacle overcome.

And as the adrenaline wore away, she could feel the throbbing of her shoulder again coupled with the strain on her jaws from so long a bite on the predator. All her muscles pulsed in unison as her veins forced flexed down beneath her stained coat to normal width, forcing the drug of battle to ease away. But in its difficulties, its pain, she found relief in that her body was reclaiming is calmed composure and she would not be portrayed as primal a beast as the dead.

Calmly, she withdrew her maw from the base of its skull and lapped the blood from her teeth. Her tired eyes wandered the length of the beast, from neck to torn belly until her sights parted from it all together in favor of the wolf whom had come to her aid. Blindly, she whined to him in thanks as he proceeded to tend to his own injuries. Her eyes still clouded and unseeing, she was guided closer by the waning ash scent and the growing familiarity of something long ago known. A chill of recognition coursed the length of her spine, rousing her hackles to fine bristled points and drawing her blind eyes wider in disbelief. Yet the longer she peered into the obsidian hide, the more clarity was received, and the more defined this ghost of the past became to her. So much that her parted maw could produce no words outright. In all the words her eloquent tongue could construe, she found silence to be the better retort and reveled in its secret language made just for moments such as these.

The pain of her shoulder ignored, she rushed into the wounded male, drawing her large crown into his chest with endearing kisses and fond whines. The battle fought not a moment before was a figment to her now, for all that mattered was the blessing the ancestors were kind to bequeath to her… this moment, this happiness in seeing her dearest friend again.

402 words.

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Jaden Ohanzee · 04-17-2012, 05:56 PM

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Awe <3 Words - 400+

An odd calm settled around the two victorious warriors. What had been gnashing of teeth, slicing of claws, and menacing growls was now air filled to the brim with sounds of spring. Birds flew and sang unaware of the struggle of life that had gone one just below them. The wind rattled newly budding limbs without a pause for the reality of the living. Thing fell back into the rhythm of what they should be and it didn’t stop with the morning itself.

A whine of gratitude brought the optime up from his laying position. He sat and returned her whine, for his friend had saved him from a mauling as well, but realized she hadn’t recognized him in that moment. Fear that she wouldn’t, that his disguise was so fully worn that she would dismiss him as a stranger, gripped him tightly. He had wanted to avoid Ichika because he believed the deserved better than what he could give. He wanted to avoid her because he knew she would have such a heavy effect on his lonesome heart. If she didn’t recognize him, his pride would keep him quiet. He wouldn’t do more to disrupt her life than had already been done.

But relief pulled his ears up from their fallen positions when she rushed to him. His dark tail that had fallen still in the past months sped to a quick and happy thrash mirroring the pleasure he hadn’t felt in so long returning. He locked his arms around her mane without thought of the black soot or his own bleeding crimson that might mar her otherwise perfect fur and squeezed affectionately. The embrace was a little strange with their different forms and a little uncomfortable with Jaden’s cracked ribs but it mattered little. Affectionate whines and kisses of his own found her neck and wounded shoulder before he buried his muzzle into her fur and just enjoyed having her so close.

But two friends couldn’t spend so long apart then so long this close in silence. My friend, He breathed and urged her affection to a farther distance so he could look into her eyes easily, Every day we were apart I thought of you. Are you alright? Worry crossed his expression when his eyes wondered to her still bleeding shoulder, dismissing his condition as not nearly as bad as hers. He winced with the discomfort of flexing his ribs and pushed forward into a crouch. Gentle, dark hands pushed the fur around her injury apart so he could examine it closely. Why stand and fight such a beast by yourself? He whined at seeing her torn flesh. Even he would have headed in the opposite direction of the cat, had he smelled it before it attacked.

Jaden does. Jaden speaks. Jaden thinks.

X'yrin Exultare · 04-18-2012, 04:39 PM

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ooc:

How to make him see the worries of a mother, surrogate though she was, was the furthest thought from her mind as she found herself further drawn into his familiar presence. Happiness. There was no other expression other than this as her hammering heart swelled and she reveled only in the boundless joy roused by this violently engaged reunion.

Yet she could not bring herself to explain her troubles in great detail she could at least let him know what caused this terrible, yet fortunate ordeal. Complying with his subtle urging she backed away from her friend to allow him to breathe. She greeted his scrutinizing observations with a lazily fanning paw to ease to worry and assure despite the wound that she was well. “It was my own fault for not paying attention,” she confessed in somber tones lavished in humiliation. “I was… so caught in following his scent that, I did not know I was followed. And my absence of thought could have very well put more distance between myself and the little one…”

She spoke in fragments, fabricating a story with the characters only she knew and ignorantly expected Jaden to understand. Her words were hastily construed until they resounded in her ears and was at last able to make sense of them. Roughly, she shook her feather and flora adorned head for clarity, sparing what she could muster of an embarrassed smile on her weathered maw. Yet it was a short-lived glimpse of an expression as the severity of her mistake settled upon her and the whole of her form sank into itself. “I apologize…” she began again, softer this time as the weight of sadness muted her voice. “I have lost my charge… I pup I was given in exchange. He is Nayru’s son… the one whom she thought had passed and now I fear that his curious nature will bring about that fate. Or perhaps… it was my negligence…”

325 words.

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Jaden Ohanzee · 04-19-2012, 02:39 PM

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Words - 300+

It was an indescribable feeling to be so close to her after the months wandering about by himself. He felt it was incomprehensible to any who hadn’t felt this joy. He had begun to tend to her shoulder once again while she spoke.

The Ichikan female could have been saying anything and he would have liked it. She could have admitted to using the cougar to draw him out just then and he probably wouldn’t have hated the moment for it. Her voice was a song he longed for but while he listened intently, he drew no meaning from it. The man stopped delicately cleaning her wound and drew back to look at her, a look of confusion folding down his brow. The little one…? He groped for meaning, hoping sorely that he hadn’t missed some key to unlocking the mystery their newly formed conversation.

X’yrin flashed an embarrassed smile, one that bore too much strain and made him miss the beautiful expression that he remembered usually took its place, before elaborating on her former explanation. You were given a pup, one Nayru gave birth to and thought hadn’t lived and now he has wandered off? There was so much information here that he had trouble grappling with it. First, he hadn’t known Nayru to be pregnant so that she had a son was a pure shock. He hadn’t even known her to have a legitimate mate. Second, his friend was a mother? He knew a free spirit, a woman who had a kind heart no doubt capable of taking care of pups but that she would want to confused him greatly. And why did Nayru believe the pup to be missing? Jaden didn’t believe in the farthest reaches of his imagination that X’yrin was capable of kidnapping.

So much information and so much still missing. It was an easy enough decision to just ignore what he didn’t know and focus on what had his friend so distraught when he saw her pain. He could see the shame in his friend when she spoke of her own negligence and put a comforting hand under her sad maw. You are anything but negligent.

Jaden does. Jaden speaks. Jaden thinks.

X'yrin Exultare · 04-20-2012, 07:58 AM

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ooc: :c Depressed X'y...

Shame kept her crown deathly still as he affirmed what she had told him, inquiring if he had understood correctly. Those were the circumstances as they had been, and now she had lost that last connection she had had with Nayru… and again felt that widening chasm in her chest for the loss of a pup. What would Saluce say if he found out? Why was he not here to help her find the boy…?

Her muzzle shook frightfully within the gentle grasp and like a helpless pup, she leaned into his touch sapping what strength she could gather to calm her troubled state. “If I had paid more attention to the child,” she contested with trembling vocals, “we would be playing through the flowers chasing the small insects he likes… rather than fending off the fangs of an ill mannered beast…” Carefully, her sullen gaze lifted to meet the cold blue of her companion. “…or bring harm upon you, my friend.” Fondly, she placed a paw upon his cradling arm and forced what life she could muster into a soft smile.

“In truth, this was not how I hoped to see you again. I had always envisioned it would be in the midst of a hunt, or upon the borders of Ichika… following your way toward home.” And if it hadn’t been said to be upon her maw at all, the smile vanished and the compounding weight a failure fell upon her shoulders, lowering both paw and head under its pressure. “But I have learned time and again that what I see within my mind’s eye does not come to existence because I wish it to. If this were the case, there would be a child beside me and the friends that I have made would still be near. I can fault none for this disappointment but myself.”

309 words.

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Jaden Ohanzee · 04-20-2012, 10:00 PM

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Words - 300

His friend was so miserable. What pain it brought him to see her being so hard on herself depressed his happiness slightly. The man’s obsidian ears folded back in dismay as he listened. At the mention of him finding a way home, his gaze too fell shamefully from her. How the woman’s voice warmed upon recounting her picture of a less violent reunion brought back his tarnished love for this moment. The fond touch she offered put a warm smile on his muzzle. Don’t worry about me. I’m just so incredibly glad I was here to keep that cougar from tearing up your beautiful coat anymore.

The optime took his hand down from his friend’s jaw and settled for taking her paw and stroking it affectionately instead. Hearing her blame her self for being out alone dropped his mouth open pleadingly, waiting for the exact moment she would stop being so unfairly cruel to herself so he could cut in. It couldn’t be ture. You speak as though everyone in the world has left you. A pang of guilt stuck at him for being one of those deserters, even if it wasn’t completely by choice. He scooted forward and nuzzled her, trying to force the autumn hued woman to see herself as the perfect and beautiful spectacle he did. It can’t be so grim. What about Ichika? The pack surely loves you. How could they not?

What he said was a desperate attempt to make her feel better. The implications of her having a puppy without its mother’s knowledge, a stolen kin, and its mother still being the Alpha of Ichika no-Hoen in Jaden’s mind should have been enough to alert him that something drastic had changed while he had been away. But he didn’t catch it. His friend’s pain was all that filled his mind and wanting to comfort her took lead over all his thoughts.

Jaden does. Jaden speaks. Jaden thinks.

X'yrin Exultare · 04-23-2012, 10:59 AM

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ooc:

Time was an ever changing element of this living world, one that cared little for those that were not within the selective realm of events that transpired. His absence from the pack had left him on the wayside of the happenings within and while a thorough trace along the linear path was called for to clear the air, she could only offer the prominent stones that marked the changes regarding Ichika’s current standing.

“Perhaps it is better that I explain…” she began softly, her weathered lips offering a weary smile as her gaze again fell away from his. “In a way… the world has indeed left me. Many of those you knew within Ichika are gone… Razekiel and Nayru are no longer its leaders… Jace and Temo have gone with their family. Noah has gone to our neighboring pack New Dawn. Ookami has left. Even Saul who had only just returned has gone of his own volition. The pack that was once large and brimming with life has dwindled. And…” With each name the strength of her voice further waned til it was not but a whisper and even her own ears had to strain forward to capture her words. “The pack was raided by the Salsola. And what good that came of it, Nayru’s young boy, is now gone from me. May the ancestors forgive my conceited words… but I feel as though this is my punishment.” Further, the female sank into herself. “Punishment for leaving my family… for forsaking my birthright to become the Shepard of a pack that does not see me as such. For daring to believe I could fulfill my father’s role without his guidance…”

On quiet wings, her guide came down from the warm spring air, his great wings teasing the loose tendrils of her wild mane as he came to settle upon her shoulder. His absence had been noted before this time, but there was little concern for it. However like a comforting hand upon her shoulder, she reveled in the sharp claws seeping through her fur as though it were a kind lap to her wounded heart. Silently, the owl turned his head to the dark male regarding him with the steely gaze of a predator before his wide eyes peered upward at the second, smaller form descending from the sky as well. On an equally quiet wind, the young female came to rest on a distant looming branch of a neighboring tree, hooting her concern for the gathering but made no move to act upon it. Instead she observed.

X’yrin looked at the small female with sadness in her eyes, wondering why the owlet was not on the shoulder of her master and why she could not catch his approaching scent on the gentle wind. She dared not entertain the unthinkable though her mind recalled those she cared for that had left her. Would it have been strange if he had left as well? Was his distance some prelude to what the ancestors had in store? Was the coming of the owl their message that her heart would suffer more? Painfully she turned her eyes from the innocent owl and were fixed on the crumpled shoots stained red beneath her paws.

540 words.

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Jaden Ohanzee · 04-24-2012, 04:13 PM

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Words - 400+

The information hit him like a strike to the face. So much to think about and so many emotions flooded threw him that he was dazed as if the words had been a physical force. There was pride, pride in her for assuming control of Ichika, but there was also anger and fear. How dare Salsola attack his home! The bunch of slave owning immoral filth had such nerve attacking a land of peace. But above all of this anger and pride was a rough stab of guilt. He had left Ichika without a fight, without protest and now it was collapsing. It was mindboggling to believe that so many of pack had just left. Where had Nayru gone? She was so dedicated. And even the coyote who lead with her had been a decent spirit. Jace, Temo, Ookami, they were a part of every celebration, every happening. These wolves were the blood the flowed threw Ichika’s peaceful veins. Now they were all gone.

The wanderer quickly came to realize all that sat so heavily on the woman’s red-laced shoulders. But despite so many feelings and so many things that could be said, he couldn’t summon his voice. He withdrew himself from his friend unconsciously as his mind wrestled with what to say. How should he react? What could he possibly say that would comfort his dear friend when every scrap of evidence declared her failure and sadness all her own fault? It didn’t seem possible to make her believe in herself when he couldn’t deny all this undeniable bad she spoke.

How could the pack desert her? In his eyes she was so kind, so gentle. Each name she mentioned earned an instant mark of discontent within the man for hurting her so. If he saw any of them again he would demand to know why they had done it. But that didn’t help now. Blue eyes found the withdrawn form of his friend and he feathered companion sadly. You are a Shepard now, he said gently, like your father but nothing works perfectly. Not you nor I, not anything or anyone else. I know, from every moment we spent together, that if anything could have been done better, you would have done it. If anyone would have been the best leader to push Ichika threw it’s hard times, it’s you. He had been searching to see his friend’s eyes and hoping for the smile he loved, but he stopped then. Like her before, he found his eyes exploring the bloodied grass below them. Things are hard and I’m sorry. I feel like I deserted you right when you needed people not to. I’m so sorry my friend.

Jaden does. Jaden speaks. Jaden thinks.

X'yrin Exultare · 04-25-2012, 03:59 PM

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ooc:

She wished then for the voice of her father to guide her and lead her on the right path that need be taken. In her heart, she desired his guiding light and the wisdom she had come to enrich herself with during her time as his pupil and daughter within the Nomads. She wished for him to be there and comfort her, to tell her what she needed to do now… Though she knew it was foolish to try and wish this to be so, her heart pleaded none the less as her shoulders further sank and her eyes peered deeper into the stains of crimson.

Were it not for the talons of her guide tearing relentlessly into her shoulder she could have lost herself in the putrid red til it was all her eyes could behold even as she turned from it. But the sharp detouring guides led her gaze from the grass to her companion, his posture reflecting her own though poised just a little ways. She could not fathom what went on in his mind in their shared moment. Whether he saw these happenings to be her fault or not, she could not presume to know by his expression alone. But what she could see was of the concerned may she had come to call her friend… of the one she deeply cared for with his face now marred by the sadness she had brought upon him. Despite her own woes, it was not fair to burden his wounded form.

Gently she growled to encourage that their eyes meet and she could look beyond the azure veil. His words were kind to her ears, more so than the words of her peers, and so soothing. But it paled in comparison to simply having his presence near. And so she inched closer with a faint smile upon her lips and placed her muzzle lightly upon his shoulder.

“Should I ever admit defeat to these difficulties… the Exultare would never look at me as a warrior again. They would not deem me worth the title of Shepard.” Inhaling a soothing breath, she sighed. “You are right… things are hard. But what journey would this be if the path before me was paved with smooth stones? What Shepard would I be if this place was given rather than earned?” Though the words rang with truth, she could not rightly call herself glad for them. A taxed and weathered plant tended to bear better fruit in the end, but the course to such fruition, she feared, would tear her down by heart and body before she had the chance to see this through.

“…and my friend… you have not deserted me. If the ancestors believed this, they never would have made our paths cross again. The events of our lives transpire for a reason. And perhaps it was for the sake of this moment that the resolution manifested itself this way, regardless of the pain and longing it caused… This all happens for a reason.”

504 words.

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Jaden Ohanzee · 04-25-2012, 05:12 PM

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His eyes stayed low while a moment of silence passed between the two wounded warriors. Leaving Ichika had seemed right before. To be without family and people he could endanger seemed fair for a murderer. Now separating himself from his friend seemed somehow selfish. When it came down to what made Jaden ache most when alone on the cold nights of spring things were never easy to sort out. This was just another example. But these things were leaning one way in his mind. What good would he do if he returned? He held no respect from those who called Ichika home. Even the ones he had known had likely lost what little they held for him. He would just be making an example of not following the strict peace of Ichika. Relationships with Salsola would suffer further if they knew a wolf who had raided them now resided in Ichikan lands. It seemed only a little good would come from so much bad.

The only thing that made him question his dedication to living alone and away from it all was her. She was his truest friend. Leaving her to deal with her problems alone put just as much of a bad taste in his mouth as defying the rules of Ichika, the land he loved so much too. It hadn’t occurred to the former Ichikan that the rules could be manipulated by the land’s new leader. The woman in front of him held so much more authority now and he still didn’t comprehend that. He knew she would like to have him home. What he really needed was reassurance. If only she would ask him to return. He couldn’t say no to her. He would throw away all his pride and ditch his morals if it is what she wanted. But he wouldn’t ask a question he knew the answer to.

His heart warmed when she drew his attention with a growl. He knew his words wouldn’t bring back her lost pup or heal the wounds it would leave, but that she took comfort in his voice brought him great pleasure. He smiled nuzzled her neck and pressed his head against hers affectionately. With a whine of happiness he held her there and listened.

Jaden didn’t truly believe in a higher force. Since he realized his family had manipulated religion to serve their purposes it was hard to place trust in such a thing. He wasn’t sure of X’yrin’s ancestors watching over them but it did seem an odd thing that he happened to be so close in her time of need. Maybe it was just more proof that he should find his way back to be by her side. His disbelief wouldn’t allow such a coincidence to alter his judgments but he smiled at her words anyway. I think your right. You must have your ancestors favor. I should thank them for letting me see you again.

Jaden does. Jaden speaks. Jaden thinks.

X'yrin Exultare · 04-26-2012, 10:03 AM

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ooc: X'y misses her friend...

The young female continued to look upon the scene with curious eyes. Her head wavering to and fro as she met the red-orange glow of her greater companion. What was going on, her look conveyed. Was this show normal for the earthbound creatures? The Great male only hooted softly in response before relinquishing his hold from the scarred shoulder to return to the air and leave the young female alone. She remained on her perch, lost for direction with no concern for what her presence meant to the autumn wolf. Without her knowing, she had becoming the messenger of depressing news. And still she remained none the wiser.

With considerable reluctance the autumn female pulled her head from the comforting shoulder of her friend, muzzle adorned in a gentle smile as it was all her strength could muster. Still there marked the weight of loss on her taxed maw, the touch of pain both physical and emotional, but still there was a sliver of joyful light that parted the gloom. She could be happy in the moment and take what she could and make it last. What a pair they made, sat in a drying pool of an animal’s blood reflecting in only their happiness for the presence of the other as though their lives hadn’t just been in danger moments before. Her smile broadened at the thought, weak… but it was there. And from her chest bubbled the meekest laugh, beginning as a subtle tremble to her frame til her mind further entertained the idea and her maw split apart with boisterous tones.

A mess of bitter laughs laced with the trills of genuine mirth resonating within the field as they rebounded and strengthened. And when her mind became blank, she continued to laugh as though all was right with the world and fell into the shoulder of her friend, sharing in his pain, his presence, and overall his warmth never wanting to be rid of it again. And when her howls of laughter became sorrowful songs she fell deeper into him, wounded body to crippled frame unknowingly and at long last ridding herself of the helplessness that had taken her for so long.

“The cat…” despite her trembling voice, her words came with surprisingly clarity and calm as though she had not been in a mess of emotions at all. Without withdrawing her muzzle from his embrace, she gestured to the carcass with a drop of her tail. “Will you… take it back with me?” She sank deeper into his warmth. “You could rest as long as you need to… I could see to your wounds… an exchange,“ she rambled on, looking for whatever reason she could muster to have him with her for longer. “An exchange for your help… for saving my life.” For being there when the ground began to crumble beneath her paws.

478 words.

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Jaden Ohanzee · 04-27-2012, 02:24 PM

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The scene was a bit comical. If he hadn’t been so content with his friend so close he might have figured out why she began to laugh. Soon after the owl alighted from his friend’s shoulder she drew back from him with a light smile about her lips. What it was about that smile that was so endearing Jaden couldn’t rightfully say. It didn’t matter either. He overlooked the pain she wore attributing it to something they had already spoken about. That something new and possibly much more painful hovered there was unseen by his blue eyes.

Her laughing was an anomaly he didn’t understand. Still with a look of happiness, the wanderer tipped his head in question. What it was he had missed must have been entertaining for she didn’t quell her expression of joy but intensified it. He found himself laughing soon after, unable to keep the infectious tones from affecting him for long. His deeper tones didn’t find the same boisterous notes as hers because of the discomfort every lurch of his ribcage caused but they laughed together, absolutely happy for that moment.

His laughter ended quickly though when the woman pressed into him. He let her weight carry him onto his back so he could hug her quadruped form to his wounded chest. He did his best to ignore the discomfort it caused him. It was easy enough to do with her so close. And when her laughter fell to a more sorrow filled tone he hugged her closer.

When she asked if he could help her return the feline’s body to Ichika his heart nearly skipped a beat. There was nothing more he wanted in this world then to spend more time by her the disdain he had for returning didn’t leave his features though. Luckily she wouldn’t see the conflict on him either with her muzzle on his shoulder. She would only hear the joy in his voice when he answered, I wouldn’t be a gentleman if I let you carry your dead cougar alone. He chuckled painfully. An exchange, then.

Jaden does. Jaden speaks. Jaden thinks.

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