This fire burns inside of me

Scorpius D'Angelo · 05-04-2012, 04:58 PM

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ooc I'm baaaack! 300+

In the light of the blooming morning a post man arrived in the form of a shadow. The fingertips that touched the loose satchel were gray with dust and smudged dark splotches on the faded brown leather. Deep crimson eyes scanned the landscape that he had not seen in several months, one eye gleaming in the light and taking on a haunting glow beneath the half-skull mask he wore.

“Anathema…” His voice was a low, velvety rumble, almost as if he was speaking to a fond lover. He had roamed, but nothing could compare to this place, his true home.

There had never been a doubt in his mind that he would return home, but the events that transpired over the last couple weeks were what drove him back to his home now. The thought still made his jaw clench and his eyes narrow, a grumble of irritation grinding in his throat. “No,” he told himself and shook his head, his fist tightening around the satchel.

Naniko’s son had traveled non-stop to get back to her, leaving from the north a half moon ago and never stopping save to take care of the necessities… eat, sleep, shit… With him he carried the package and a message; news of a death, or a rebirth, depending on who received it. Something had distorted the wolf while he was gone, a fact reflected in the very air around him and he glared through the morning and into Anathema. He wanted to walk right into the pack lands, to return to the cavernous maze that was the family’s home, but despite everything that had changed he knew one thing remained the same: Naniko doesn’t take shit from anybody.

Tipping his nose to the violet-sienna sky, he let out one long, solemn howl. For all that had changed inside of him, there was a note beneath it all that still called for mommy.

Naniko D'Angelo · 05-07-2012, 11:30 AM

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Sorry for the wait! <33 I got all moved and my place cleaned up > Now time for 'Souls!

It was not abnormal for the Angela to be awake at this time; months of puppies waking her up at dawn had forced a sleeping schedule on her, whether she liked it or not. The latest litter was grown up, now, but the schedule still stuck. She often would nap in the afternoon or evening, never truly getting the sleep that she needed due to insomnia. That had not changed, and she doubted that it ever would. She dealt with it the best way that she could, by sleeping whenever she finally felt tired, so long as she wasn't vulnerable, out trekking the border at that time.

Jade eyes washed calmly over the lands as she padded along, her lupus form being the choice for today. In the past, Naniko had preferred her optime form to all others, thinking it superior...but months with Shandom had taught her that the lupus form had many things to offer still, as well. And she didn't want to get rusty, just in case she ever got caught in a situation where she needed to shift down and be in this shorter form. Perhaps to get through a tight tunnel or something like that. Her paranoid mind always tried to think ahead and prepare.

For a moment, the voice that carried over the lands put her into shock - the tones were familiar, of course, but they had a new ring to them and it made her wonder. The voice sounded an awful lot like Salem, one of her oldest sons, but something in her heart dismissed that thought. He was long gone and, as far as she knew, would not return. It had to be someone else, another of her children. She began to run toward it, quickening her pace and taking long strides to reach the other canine.

From the moment that they came into sight and smell, she knew who the voice belonged to. She cursed herself for ever having thought that it could have been Salem, despite the tone that it had carried. She had not expected that beautiful call to have come from Scorpius. Naniko approached at a run, slowing down just before she might have hit the boy. His time away from the pack brought new appreciation to her eyes - had he come alone? Ravesque didn't seem to be anywhere in sight, so she took that as a yes.

"My son! I thought you'd left forever...taken off and left your poor old mother to wonder about whether you'd lived or died." She said, her reprimand given in a soft tone. She was quite obviously happy to see him, her tail waving and dancing behind her. "Where did you go? What did you do while you were there?" She had so many questions for him. "But perhaps the most important question. Have you come home for good, boy, or is this temporary?"

Table by Jenny!

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Scorpius D'Angelo · 05-07-2012, 05:19 PM

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ooc My Scorpi was always mopey, now he's straight up melodramatic! 500+

And suddenly, like an angel, there she was. At first all he could see was the cloudy white form as it galloped towards him; she had already seen him, but he knew there was no other who it could be. His heart skipped a beat and then made up for it double time as his tail began whipping the air. There had been a time when he thought he would never see this seraph again, but by the fires of hell, there she was! He suddenly felt like a puppy again, his soul singing as his mother hurried toward him. Protocol be damned, she saw him, she knew he was there. He surged forward, breeching the borders of Anathema to run like a manchild to his mother.

“Mother!” He cried, the word a breath of relief. She did not have arms in this body to throw around him, but he did for her, so he dropped to his knees before her and wrapped night-black arms around his mother’s light shoulders, the satchel dropping into the dust as he let go of it; its importance paled in comparison to this moment. “No, I could never leave you.” His words were a vow. “I needed to see what was out there for myself… what was outside of Anathema so I could know what it is we face. I never wanted to be gone for long. I’m sorry, I should have told you. Can you forgive me?” His words were half pleading, nothing would shred his soul more than her rejection.

He leaned back, sitting level with her. “I went west, and south. Crossed the old country borders into the US, but I didn’t go far. I couldn’t get far… not with that bastard…” his voice became a low grumble and he turned away from her, teeth clenching and grinding with ire as his ruby eyes darkened.

“Ravesque followed me,” he muttered, refusing to call the beast ‘father,’ and not forthcoming with any information beyond that, though his story would likely be told soon enough.

His gaze dropped to the satchel in the dirt. What an apt place for such a thing… in the dirt… He couldn’t turn back to his mother, even though looking at her would soothe his soul. He didn’t want to be soothed in that moment. He didn’t feel remorseful for what he had done, and he didn’t want to.

“I’m back for good, if you will have me back, Mother, my Angela,” he softened just slightly. “I have forsaken my pack, I know that. But I would be remiss if I didn’t admit that I regretted it every day. I have something to make up to you. Please, let me have that chance.” She was the ever merciful Mother, he knew she would not reject him. Yet there was still some horrid terror tugging at the corner of his heart, telling him that she could easily send him away without even flinching. This fear held him steadfast, unable to look at her, unable to turn away from the bag of ashes.

Naniko D'Angelo · 05-09-2012, 10:39 AM

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You're free to post wherever - this thread is mainly a formality due to the fact that we only allow IC joiners

She could never be angry with a child that came back to her. She felt this way about most pack members as well - if they ever left, she could accept it...and she would welcome them back if they chose to grace Anathema with their presence again. It was understood that canines each had their own agenda and their own lives - it was foolish to expect them to always live in one place all the time and to keep them from leaving or tell them that they could not return should they go. How could one devote themselves to a pack and idea and be certain that they would never, ever leave it?

Many things had changed since Scorpius had left Anathema, but her love for him had not diminished. There had been times that she had been rough on the boy, so rough that she had questioned herself when he had disappeared...but here he was. Perhaps she had not done as bad a job as she thought, either, because he appeared to be breathing and in one piece. The red-eyed boy took her into a hug and she returned it just as eagerly, coming forward and resting her head over his shoulder. Her tail moved almost in circles now, it waved so vigorously.

He had word of Ravesque, and she listened carefully as she pulled back from the hug. He didn't seem pleased that his father had chosen to follow him, but Naniko had not asked him to. She wanted to make that clear. "I did not command Ravesque to tail you - that's something he must have done on his own. I'm assuming the two of you parted ways, though, as he's not here now..." Which was perfectly fine with her. The Angela had felt a bit betrayed when her lover and Scorpius' father had left the pack, and her, behind without a second thought. She had thought that of all wolves, Ravesque would have valued pack life and valued his relationship with her.

Scorpius' words sounded almost like begging, and she straightened up to look at him. "You know as well as anyone that you're welcomed back. Especially as family...my family. There have been many changes to the pack, some I'm not sure you'll really care for..but we are still Anathema. Your home, and mine. You need not prove anything to me now, son, but in the following weeks I hope that you'll do well here again and regain your place in the ranks. Make me proud, like you just have by returning. Was it a shock to have to do all of your own hunting and fishing?" She motioned for him to follow her into the packlands, turning to begin to pad back toward Howling Caverns.

Table by Jenny!

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Scorpius D'Angelo · 05-22-2012, 12:02 AM

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ooc 600+

When she returned his embrace it felt like she had lifted the weight of the world off his shoulders. He had left home, but she accepted him back into the pack without a moment's hesitation. Part of him already felt like a new wolf, being back in Anathema. As they talked about Ravesque he couldn't help but glance at the pack that he had dropped in the dirt, and for a half second a devious smile flittered onto his muzzle. Although one of them had departed, the father and son had yet to part ways. But that explanation could wait a moment, because now Mother was on to other things, and was motioning him into the pack's lands.

He stood up, grabbing the sack as he went, and followed alongside his mother, all the while gazing down at her in reverence. “I never really believed you sent him after me. If you wanted me dragged back you would have done it yourself. And if you wanted me watched well... you would have dragged me back yourself.” Naniko wouldn't take crap from anyone, but as it seemed she also knew how to let her people – and more importantly, her children – discover themselves. It was all a part of what made her such a strong leader.

“I'm not the child I was when I left,” he told her. It could have sounded whining, but his voice was steady, it was fact about how he saw himself that he tried to convey now. There was no self remorse in his words, the only thing that was there was a new semblance of pride. He nodded slowly, “And you will see. I know a few months alone in the wilderness won't make me the toughest wolf in the pack, though. I can still learn, too. Changes... what changes?” He muttered the last part, not really expecting Naniko to delve into the depths of all that could have changed while he was away.

The path they walked was familiar to him, and even if he were blindfolded he would know where they were headed; to the heart of their home. As his crimson eyes stared at the caverns in the distance he drew a mental map of each and every hallway. Once, young and frightened, Scorpius became little more than a morose shadow, a pup that just lurked in the dark shrinking away from the touch of light. The sun was too much like that which burned, the torch fires and kitchen bit a pure nightmare for the timid pup. That was long ago, now. He did not need to seclude himself within the caves, nor hide away from the licking flames.

As they neared the Howling Caverns his eyes flicked to his mother and he stopped just outside of one of the entrances. For a moment the look he gave almost seemed scared to enter, and those who knew him once might have thought it was the promise of fire inside that made him shy, but now they would be wrong. The look melted from his features, his maw parted, and for a moment he got caught up on the words he wanted to tell his mother. Then he looked inside, and when he turned back to her, all uncertainty was gone.

“Mother... there is something you're wrong about. Ravesque... he and I did not part ways. I brought him back to you.” Although he was unsure of what she would think, there was still a delightfully devious glint in his eyes as he held up the leather sack that he carried. “I'm pleased you didn't send him after me since that means he was not of Anathema at the time, so I have not harmed the pack...” He glanced at his hands, some of the soot and ash that had spilled from the pack blotted his hands and fingers. That was when he noticed that he had gotten a smear on Naniko's ivory coat when he hugged her, and felt a hot shock of anger at the thought that even in death the bastard could still defile his angelic mother.

Naniko D'Angelo · 05-22-2012, 12:20 PM

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The boy seemed to have a renewed sense of vigor - he looked lively and healthy, and was able to articulate his words better than ever. She was glad to hear that he did not believe she'd sent Ravesque after him. She was curious to as why the male would feel a need to follow his lookalike son and leave the pack behind, a safe haven for him and a place that Naniko had honestly thought suited him. It certainly suited her; she was very happy in Anathema and had no interest in leaving it any time soon. It seemed to need her as much as she needed it.

She believed that he was not the same child that had left the pack. He'd always be her child, she wanted to remind him, but kept her mouth shut on that issue for now. Her babies would always be her babies, and it was hard to look at them as adults at times. She could barely believe that her youngest three sons were full, functioning members of the pack now. It seemed surreal that she had come this far and done so much when time felt like it passed so slowly.

They walked together toward the caves until Scorpius spoke once more. Naniko halted in her tracks, turning back toward him with a look of puzzlement. "I don't understand" Something had happened between the two? "He was always hard on you...harder on you than I was. Did something happen?" She had not many any connections between Ravesque and the bag that he carried, and stood waiting in abject silence as scenarios rushed through her head. Was the red-eyed brute never coming back to the pack?

Table by Jenny!

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Scorpius D'Angelo · 05-22-2012, 02:47 PM

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ooc 500+

It was true, Ravesque had been harder on Scorpius than Naniko, and he also had not been there for the boy’s youth so he had no time to attach himself to the sperm donor. As a puppy he had been known to love his family even when they hated him, as was the case with his brother Harlowe who had grown so tired of him that he pushed him into the cook’s fire that permanently disfigured his face and burned off half of his ear. All the pup had ever wanted was to play with his brother, but Harlowe had seen him as a nuisance to be exterminated, and a threat to Naniko’s love. But Ravesque, he had not come until later, after Scorpius was traumatized and grew shy of the world, and there was no love between him and the father who had always scorned him.

“He wouldn’t leave me in peace,” he began. “He followed me to torment me, like a thorn in the paw. I tolerated him because I had to, because there was nothing else I could do. I still don’t know what his obsession was or why he needed to do it… perhaps only because I was such a disappointment that he wanted to see me suffer… When I tried to lose him he would find me, so eventually I gave up and we became ‘traveling companions.’” He snorted his disdain. “Like you said, hunting for myself was an adjustment… hunting for the both of us…” He grew silent for a beat as he shook his head.

“While we were gone I met someone and I was foolish enough to get close to her. I should have sent her away, it would have been better that way, but father was right when he said I was weak, and he had to prove his point… he had to prove his point… You should have seen her; eyes bright as summer grass and a coat like snow…” He described his own mother without even knowing it as he gazed upon her, so lost in agonizing memory. “I realized what would happen but it was too late. He took her…” His voice broke, scratchy and weak as emotion tightened his throat. He swallowed hard, and part of him was angry to show this weakness now even after he had thought he had beaten it. But this was Naniko, this was mother, she was a safe place.

“I don’t know if she went to him or if he stole her, but it doesn’t matter. She was tainted after that. That was when I realized there would be no ridding myself of this scourge unless Ravesque changed. Well the fire changed me,” half of his grin was visible beneath the half-skull mask. “And so I thought it would change him, too.” He dropped the bag, a small puff of gray dust wafting up from it as it landed with a plop. This time he would not be picking it back up, no longer would he carry the burden of his father. The bag could lay here in the entry way to be trampled and disgraced beneath the paws of the pack for all he cared.

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