backdated 7th?
He'd travelled from one end of the lands to the other in the past night. He knew full well that his family was here by now yet he hadn't given up his freedom yet to show himself. The male still had a lot of restlessness to work from his mind before actually facing the family matriarch, or even his siblings. There were those siblings who's faces he couldn't recall, and there where three that had stayed with him that had been more than family, even when he'd tried to remove himself from their graps. Now though it just seemed he wanted to know where he truly was, or who he was anymore before giving into the emotional grasps of his family.
His long limbed body was no longer scrawny and awkward to him, though he hasn't exactly got use to what he was. On the sea no one had shunned him for his mixed heritage, in the old world they'd even embraced him. Mutts aplenty seemed to exist outside this dog eat dog world that he'd returned to and he almost wished he'd never returned to these lands. It was too late now to turn back, the ship had already left the harbor town down south and was off to the southern ports. He still found it strange how backwoods the lives of his family were to the crew's home on the Salty Dog.
Leaping into the streambed DaVinci walked slowly in the water, letting the stream cool his aching paws. He sighed to himself and pulled a crawfish out of the water, tossing it into the air and with a snap of his jaws he began to sort the savory flesh from the shell. Spatting pieces of the shell out he moved on down the stream overturning rocks in search of more of his little snacks. He had grown so use to the seafare that he wasn't reay to abandon it just yet.
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I’m assuming DaVinci is unshifted?
A hybrid? Adelaida knew when she first saw the male that he was not a full blooded wolf, and a sick feeling swelled in her stomach. The coyote she had fought with had been leader in a pack, that accepted both wolves and coyotes– that was bad enough– and now there was a child born of the two creatures? Of course, he wasn’t really a child but rather a grown adult. Still, the idea made her sick, sicker even still because Adelaida knew that most hybrids were a product of rape rather than consent. Which was worse, the fact a wolf was violated by a filthy coyote, or that a wolf would willingly lay down for a coyote? Both situations were disgusting as far as Adelaida was concerned, but if the male before her was a product of rape, than perhaps he didn’t really care too much for the other species he belonged to. In that case, she couldn’t direct any hostility towards him.
Whether her assumption was correct or not, Adelaida couldn’t be sure until she spoke with the creature, something she didn’t exactly want to do. Under ordinary circumstances she wouldn’t, but she was still feeling a bit off. The masked female was thrown even more off by the fact that her sister was angry with her and had stormed off at their last meeting. She had called Adelaida a monster, and perhaps she was, but Alexey was the one who had lied and abandoned her, not the other way around. Alexey couldn’t change that, but Adelaida could attempt to be a little more... outgoing, accepting, or whatever it was that she lacked that her sister hated about her. It was only the memory of her sister’s words that made the two year old Koios girl to call out, as friendly as she could muster. Hey, what are you doing?
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DaVinci had walked quite some distance in the creekbed, unknown that he was being watched as he forged for crawfish in the shallow waters. Salamanders and frogs alike showed their dislike for his tresspassings with sprays of water and slaps of limps as he ignored their stressings and pawed rocks aside for the tastier treats. His underbelly and chest soaked through from having to work for his food he almost wished that he could have ignored the voice that called out to him, but as strange as he was in these lands he wasn't about to give anyone a reason to dislike him just yet.
Lifting his head up from the waters, a soft jingle from the military tagging the humans had marked his ear with as a child was the only sound made as he examined the owner of the voice. A crayfish dangling from his jaws, trying to smart at his muzzle as he stood there before leaping out of the waters. He landed softly on the muddy bank and trotted a short distance towards her. Dropping the clawed meal to the ground he placed one paw on his dinner and raised his eyes up to see the woman again. "I was fishing.. sort of." So this was going to be the second time in as few days that someone had unknowingly made him feel rather foolish, but he didn't care, the meal on the crawdads was tender and delicious and if foraging for the critters made him a fool then so be it.
Bending his head down to peel the back off of the prey he spat the shell away and returned the question. "So.. what were you doing?" He knew obviously that she had been watching him, atleast for a moment or two. What she did was really no concern of his, as long as she didn't make it a concern. Dipping his head down he nipped at the fleshy insides of his meal before he was actually able to grasp the meat gingerly between his teeth and pull it away from the carcass. A quick flick of his head and a snap of his jaws and the morsel was gone.
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I’m assuming DaVinci is unshifted?
Nothing. She was doing nothing. Of course, in reality, she had been watching him. Absorbed in deciding whether to speak to the hybrid or not, weighing her prejudice against Alexey's words. How she should act. She however couldn't say that out loud. She couldn't admit that she was wondering if he was the product of rape, that if that was his unfortune it made his existence more tolerable in her eyes. That if he had to have learned to accept that half of him, so much the better. It would have gotten them off on the wrong foot.
Perhaps they were off on the wrong foot already. Adelaida's brilliant blue eyes stared at the male as he gulped down his meal in front of her. She wasn't hungry or in want of food in anyway, but she never had watched someone dine in front of her so indiscriminately. Her family had always hunted together, ate together, and when they ate on their own it was never in front of someone else. It was no big deal, she knew. It was her family tradition and others did not follow that, but to her it felt rude. There was no reason for the feeling but it nagged at her. She didn't even know his name. I'm Adelaida, who are you?
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He watched her with a bit of amusement as she said she wasn't doing anything when they both knew she'd been up to something. Grinning as he dropped the empty shell of his meal and replied. "Must be pretty boring around here then.." His comment was slight, but he knew by now that there was no good way to deal with what the world saw when they gazed at him. Sometimes there was nothing but curiousity, sometimes there was disgust.. and even sometimes there was actually some sort of crude innocence where this whole nonsense of wolves, coyotes and hybrids hadn't come to a head yet. He liked those places best but they were far and few between.
He really didn't care what the lady though, he'd spent his life as a savage, a heathen, and a sailor. His manners probably needed some work, but he'd never hung around long enough to see how much of an impact his upsetting nature had on the trial subjects. When she finally had decided to grant him with a name he gave way and did the same. "DaVinci.." he was silent a moment before asking. "You didn't live across the mountain did you?" he was curious, but he knew in his short life lived in the old territories that he'd never met anyone who'd looked like her, though her obvious dislike, or perhaps it was just disgust for what she saw would have fit in perfectly in the old lands.
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Adelaida shrugged. These lands certainly weren’t boring, but if boring meant that the shifters and coyotes disappeared than she would certainly prefer boring to what they had now. It was a treat when she sincerely was doing nothing, which wasn’t now, because before her was a wolf-coyote hybrid and that wasn’t boring... but it wasn’t the type of person she would have chosen to run into if she had to. Ade ignored that fact though, she would try and focus on him as a person, as Alexey would do. Although why she was even trying to please Alexey when her sister and her weren’t speaking was beyond Adelaida.
DavVinci was the creature’s name and Adelaida nodded politely. Chances were she would never see this male again after they parted today, but one never knew. She would try and remember the name. You didn’t live across the mountain did you? Adelaida was surprised, as he was the first one to come to that conclusion on his own. Most others thought that she had come from there, and that assumption annoyed her. No, I was born and raised in these lands. I’ve never even been across the mountains. Do you come from there? He probably did. Most of them did.
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DaVinci studied the girl before him but didn't say anything, it wasn't his place to judge, she was probably perfectly normal while just by view alone he was a freak of nature. He'd long ago stopped trying to judge the world because he knew in the end it just didn't matter. Pawing at the shell of his dinner he waited for her answer and wondered who she was, though he wasn't pressed for answers to his strange little questions on strangers who didn't seem thrilled to know him. Why would he want to get to know someone who already had placed him in a need little box, her eyes alone had told him where he belonged.
When she'd confirmed what he'd thought he shook his head slightly to her own question before admitting. "I was born there... but I left long ago." He hadn't expected his old home to have disappeared into nothing and some part of him actually missed the fogs and swirling mists of his packlands.. but he couldn't have them back now, what was the point of crying over what couldn't be controlled.
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Adelaida doesn’t know what to do with DaVinci. You’re suppose to liven things up Shannon!
Adelaida listened as the male answered her question and waited for the following question, but no question came. Normally the meet and greet type of encounters were filled with questions and answers, coming from both sides, but no question came for Adelaida and she shifted uncomfortably. It wasn’t offensive that he didn’t have anything else to ask, but Adelaida couldn’t force herself to feign interest any longer. Any questions she could have asked would be rude, and information she wanted to offer up would be offensive to shifters and coyotes, and anything else would be irrelevant and useless. Uncomfortable silence blanketed the pair and Adelaida searched for something to say, but the only thing that came out was a pathetic “Oh...” and then she was out. Blue eyes turned to the water, as to avoid eye contact. In a moment, if she said nothing more, she would stand to leave, but she had to time it perfectly. Wait until her departure would no longer be rude but before she drove him from her with the awkwardness of their meeting. It was clear both parties had made up their minds about the other and the tension was palpable.
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I'm sick!.. and I'm stupid.. or DaVi is.. he doesn't know how to act around others!
DaVinci stared at her even when she'd turned her gaze away, his stormy eyes narrowed slightly as he just gave up. It was written all over her face what she thought of him, but then again it had been written over the faces of each and every soul he'd come across. The male didn't know why they believed themselves better than he, or why they disliked him so without knowing him, but growing up he'd learned enough for what they thought were senseable reasons to just turn a deaf ear to it and grow numb to the pain.
He shook his head sadly at the thought before asking the plain and simple. "What is it you see that disturbs you so much?" his deep voice weary, because he'd been here so many times, yet normally he never bothered to ask them why they dispised him so, he just took the world with a grain of salt and walked on.. but today he hadn't. He'd returned to these lands, he might as well figure out just why this world hated him so if he was going to stick around.
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What is it you see that disturbs you so much? Adelaida tilted her head, with a scowl now. She hadn’t been displaying any signs of displeasure. Sure, their interactions were awkward, but she was trying to give him a chance. Why did he want to push her away? How presumptious of him to assume the very sight of his disturbed her. It was true, she found coyotes to be repulsive, but he was not a coyote through and through, so she could have given him a chance, but now... Now she could see that he was like the others. Coyotes always assumed they were superior in many ways, one of which was to assume what others were thinking. Adelaida shook her head, to indicate he was wrong. Yes, the idea that hybrids existed and the disgusting pairing that had to occur had crossed her mind, but unless DaVinci possessed telepathy he never would have known her inner most private thoughts. No, he was assuming, probably based on past experiences and Adelaida’s social awkwardness, but he wasn’t allowing Adelaida the chance she was trying to give him.
“How presumptions of you to assume that. Nothing before disturbed me, but now you do. Perhaps there is something that disturbs you about yourself that you come to expect others to?” Adelaida spit the words out. Perhaps DaVinci hated his dirty coyote blood, and while Adelaida had wanted to, she hadn’t. Not until this point. Perhaps he could be redeemed, perhaps he had spoken too quickly. Or perhaps he existed as all other coyotes did, a world of their own with their own rules.
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Somewhere deep inside he'd always seem the eyes of the world glaring at him, and even if they didn't he still couldn't believe or trust the words they spoke. Growing up the world had spoken outloud how they felt and now instead of trying to prove them wrong he just let them go with their judgements. His stormy eyes closed a moment as she shook her head, disagreeing with what he'd assumed. Flicking his ears back as her voice joined the action of disagreement he opened those orbs once more and just sighed.
She annoyed him in the way she spoke, but then again almost everyone did. It wasn't that he choose to not get along with the world, but when the world saw what they wanted and not what you were things normally didn't mesh well. Stepping forward his voice rang through as he answered cooly. "What disturbs me is when the world looks at you and either hates one half of you or the other.. and yet combined together they can't figure out what to do with you." He didn't hate himself, he'd long gone past that, perhaps as a child he had but now he just longed for someone to accept him as himself and not half of this and half of that. He had a name and a face, what or who he looked like had nothing to do with the truth.
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Adelaida heard his words, and while she was sympathetic, she was by no means empathetic. She couldn’t understand. Adelaida wouldn’t even admit that she was part of the problem. It was unfortunate DaVinci felt this way, that he had to live with such anguish. However, it was not the fault of her, or others like her, as far as Adelaida was concerned. Instead it was the coyote’s fault. As many things wrong in her world was. It coyotes were kept in line, or did not exist, than there would be no pairings of coyotes and wolves, whether consensual or forced. If no such pairings happened, no such half breed children, such a DaVinci, would exist, then they would never have to know the torment of being born of two very different cultures, two cultures that often found cause to clash. “I’m sorry.” Adelaida spoke sincerely, but whether she was sorry DaVinci had to live this way, or that he was born that way, she wasn’t sure. “What should we do with you? What do you do with yourself?”
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He just stared at her like she was stupid. She'd apologized but he wasn't certain if he wanted to accept it or not. He doubted she would ever understand where he came from, the only other who'd even come close had been another hybrid who was just coming into understanding the line he walked. He shook his head at the girl because he didn't know the answer to her own question either.
Flicking his ears back the male sighed and spoke softly, "Treat me like an equal.. treat me like you'd like to be treated.. I don't know.." he flicked the leftovers of his diner back into the streambed as he eyed her broodingly. "No matter where I go I can never belong.. I can be accepted into a pack or a clan but that doesn't mean I'll be accepted personally.." he turned his eyes off into the distance and spoke bitterly. "Perhaps I should have been merciously been put out of my misery before I even became aware of it..." his eyes flitted back to the masked lady as he asked cruelly. "Would you have?"
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Adelaida smirked at the male. He merely wished to be accepted? That was not so hard. Even she was accepted, as biased and cruel as she could be. Being accepted only meant that one had to find their niche in this world. Perhaps others are only mirroring how you think they will react. You wish for others to treat you as they’d like to be treated? Do you do the same? Do you wish others to be presumptuous and accusing towards you? That’s how you’ve treated me. I think a lot of your misery is of your own making... I’m sure you have others out there who accept you, parents, siblings, a friend or two. Everyone does, most people are just too wrapped up in themselves to realize it. They like to be victims. Adelaida spoke but it was Alexey’s voice she was hearing in her own head. She knew that her sister would have similar words to say, that the lecture she was giving DaVinci could easily have been a lecture Alexey was giving her. Adelaida also knew that DaVinci would probably go on being a victim, whether truly or in his own head, as Adelaida would go on being biased against luperci and coyotes, despite if they deserved it or not. It was just their nature.
Would I have? Adelaida blinked at the question, it was so blunt. But she was honest, she couldn’t help it. Probably, if we lived in a perfect world such unions would never have occurred in the first place. But you’re here and alive and so you need to deal with it. Like they all had to deal with there own personal demons, as Adelaida was trying to now.
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He narrowed his eyes at the woman as she spoke, her words were simple and they could have been true for anyone who would have been happy following along with those who did accept you. His words were just as bitter as before as he stated. "My mother tried to kill me because I looked like my father, would you like a walking reminder of your past?" He padded towards the stream bank as he continued. "There's only two who accept me for me, and I won't tread on their lives just of a little of my own happiness." He watched as sunlight sparkled on the flowing waters as her last muddle of words hit his ears.
Raising his head up the hybrid smirked as those stormy orbs turned back to the woman. "So, in your perfect world it's to each their own? So there is something wrong with me in your eyes?" He knew he was putting words in her mouth but she'd stepped right into it. He flicked his eyes away from her face for a moment before he spoke on the motherly words she'd graced him with. "Deal with it? That's original.. " His eyes scanned back to her as he pushed away the whole of this original conversation. "So, what pack did you find acceptable in these lands?" he asked. All this on acceptance, perhaps he might be able to find someplace to belong.
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Adelaida was a little shocked to hear that this creature’s mother would have tried to kill him. Although, perhaps if she were raped, by a coyote no less, she would do the same. Yet the only mother Adelaida could picture in her head was Katanka, whom she loved dearly and who loved her. It was hard to imagine herself as a mother to creatures not yet in existence, or to imagine that anyone else had a mother but her and her siblings, at least in the sense that Adelaida thought of the word “mother”. For mother was synonymous to Katanka for the masked female, so wrapped up in her own world and that of her family she never gave any thought to anyone else’s family. Adelaida shrugged and let the thought flee from her, instead addressing DaVinci’s other concerns. I don’t think those who accept you would consider your presence ‘treading on their lives’. And I bet there are more who would accept you, if only you gave people half the chance, others don’t seem to have such an issue with half breeds like yourself. Just me and you do. It was true, sure there were others like Adelaida in her mind set, and DaVinci’s problems with himself were not the same as Adelaida’s problems with the hybrid, but their unhappiness was of their own making.
I did not say each to their own, how often you make words up for me! I only said act of rape between coyotes and wolves would not occur, or rather... coyotes would not mingle with wolves at all to cause all the problems that they do. And yes, you must deal with it. If you’ve heard that advice before, I marvel at how you haven’t seem to taken it. The male was frustrating. For every (what Adelaida believed to be) sensible piece of advice she spoke, DaVinci had an excuse and a mouth full of self pity. He was fighting hard to remain a victim. Adelaida sighed lightly, knowing that if the male continued in this fashion she would excuse herself out of sheer exhaustion of speaking with him. No pack, but then, I don’t prefer packs really. I’ve only ever lived with my family before, and if my brother comes back, I would wish to stay where he does, I guess. But not Alexey, not right now.
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He stared at her, disliking her more with everything she spoke she was beginning to sound like his mother, and his mother wasn't someone that DaVinci liked to think about too often. He shook his head as she spoke and just smirked, the asshole gave a rude huff of disbelief as he muttered. "Whatever.." He shook his head and lifted his body up off the ground, taking a few steps away from the woman as he gazed at her in disbelief. "Yeah, well, have fun with your new life.. " He flicked the rest of the scraps of shells into the stream and tossed his bangs from his eyes. She obviously didn't want his company and he was better off alone.
Walking past the strange lady he watched her for a moment before shaking his head in disbelief again and smirking. "And I'm off to find out if there's anything out there for me." He grinned once more before moving off, calling behind him with a bitter laughter as he left the rude yet correct stranger behind. "There is something out there.. even for the pathedic ones like me." He knew better than argue with every soul he came across, perhaps it was just returning to these lands that did it. He knew he never should have.. but he'd promised her.
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