Two for one

Keldava Wolfe-Denahlii · 08-07-2012, 04:49 PM

[html]

Word Count → 560 :: Keldava is in Lupus form Smile

Keldava could hardly believe it when she made it past the Arte borders without immediately turning around an bolting back in like a frightened rabbit. Finally healing enough to shift into her Lupus form had given Keldava some of her confidence back; the more natural form reminding her of happier times when she was still a small puppy, but she hadn’t expected to actually manage to leave the territory, at least not without constantly glancing in shadows and jumping at small sounds.

Wanting to move before her nerves got the best of her Keldava started running. Almost instantly she grimaces as pain and a wet feeling blossomed on her back; shifting into Lupus had been painful and one of her slowest shifts ever but it hadn’t broken the scabs that her running had finally cracked loose. After a minute or so Keldava skidded to a stop, the now familiar feeling of panic blossoming in her mind as she tried to figure out where the hell she was, already regretting her stupid idea to go running off into the wilderness.

All of a sudden her panic stilled as Keldava’s eyes fixed on an odd looking tree, blackened and split in half. A fraction calmer she forced herself to focus and look around, more features coming into view that she recognised, she knew this place! Keldava had roamed the territory just outside of Arte extensively and knew much of it off by heart. If she was where she thought she was then she knew half a dozen ways to get back to Arte quickly, several taking her through paths nobody much bigger than her would be able to follow.

Still, there was some doubt; it had been weeks since she was last here. Hesitantly Keldava orientated herself and then set off, following a small path hidden to the right of a large bush. Relief flooded through her when the small pond came into view – a small but deep pool of water barely wider then her Lupus form was long set into a depression in the heavily wooded land – there was no chance that both the tree and the pool could be reproduced somewhere else; she definitely knew where she was.

The knowledge of her location, and more importantly several escape routes nearby should she need them, calmed Keldava down and she finally stopped moving. Keldava tilted her head back over her shoulder, scowling as she looked at the mess she had made of her lower back. With the longer fur of her Lupus form the scabs were more hidden somewhat – faintly visible through the fur as opposed to appearing a large, red growth on her back – but the fur just above her tail was soaked a dark red from the broken open wounds underneath.

There was nothing that she could do about the wounds for now so Keldava started looking around. Her eyes caught the pool and for a moment she was tempted to wash herself off but decided against it. The pool was still water and would remain corrupted for a long time if she got blood in it and if she remembered it was a useful place to stop for a drink when running. That thought drew attention to Keldava’s own thirst, which she hadn’t even noticed, so she stepped forwards, dipping her muzzle into the cool water and drinking deep.

Heiro Catori · 08-09-2012, 01:21 PM

[html]

Sorry for making you wait and pardon the novel, I wasn’t sure how to make Buddy come about, but this works. ;P (His presence is what makes Heiro so enarmored, but eventually he won’t need Buddy’s help when it comes to Kel) :: 1000+

More headaches plagued the hybrid child. It was becoming clear that they weren’t simply growing pains, they were a regular nuisance. Hei was on an herbal regime of teas that were supposed to keep the migraines at bay, but nothing seemed to work. No matter, he was too excited to have shifted already to even whine about them. His night times were hard, but in the mornings, it was as if the entire ordeal had been imagined when he’d bound off to adventure on his own. Now that he could walk on two legs, his independence had grown tremendously and he was becoming a more familiar face around the kingdom. Making friends, getting in and out of trouble, and helping out where he could. All seemed normal on the surface, but peel back a layer and there was much to be found.

Heiro had been making a lot of progress lately with his word pronunciation and he was becoming more accustomed to his Optime form. Now and then it was fun to walk on all fours, especially when he was around his sister who couldn’t shift yet, but most of his free time was spent on two legs. The frustrations of not being able to talk like an adult were what truly bothered the youth. Tasha could speak just fine, so why couldn’t he? It was those damn “th” words that tripped him up every time. Even the L’s were hard to pronounce, but the Catori was determined to get it right by the end of summer. He hated how the adults would cock their heads in endearment and laugh at his follies. He wanted to be one one of them! Not cute and kiddish anymore, he was ready to have responsibility and step up as the man in the family while his father healed from the attack.

All these troubled thoughts swirled about in his head as he traipsed over the Cour des Miracles boundary line and continued into the dark Ethereal woodlands. He wasn’t walking anywhere in particular, just kind of chatting to himself and musing over ways he could improve his speech when he tripped over a rock jutting out behind a few ferns. Tumbling forward, the black and white Prince cried out in shock mixed with anger. What the hell! It was a curse he heard the adults say when they were surprised or dismayed, all the other ones he had heard were far too embarrassing to utter without fearing a mouthful of soap. He landed in a heap, clutching his hands to his snout where a branch had snagged his muzzle. A trickle of blood seeped through the pristine white fur on his maw and invaded his mouth. Bleck! He blanched, dashing his tongue out in attempt to dispel the taste of his own blood. Too late for that, his autonomic response washed over him like a creepy spider web. Down the puppy stayed as his world faded to black.

Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey! He must have been out cold for solid 10 minutes when the cheerful voice cut into his head. The child slowly opened his eyes before fully startling awake and scrambling away from the swimming green orbs. Who-who are you? Heiro asked timidly as he slowly got to his feet. His hands moved over the sticky river of blood that ran from the bridge of his nose and arched downward towards the corner of his mouth. I’m Buddy! The white creature jovially replied. Heiro blinked and rubbed at his eyes, reopening them on a white wolf pup. Are you a ghost? Hei asked, convinced this Buddy did not have a real form at first. The strange puppy burst into a fit of giggles rolling on the ground but not picking up any debris in his too clean coat. No silly! How could I be a ghost? It retorted, quickly rolling back to all fours and moving much too fast to Heiro’s side. I’m Buddy, remember? You made me...and now I’m here, he replied matter of factly. A look of confusion furrowed the black and white child’s brow, but Buddy quickly continued. It’s okay, you’ll understand in time. I’m a friend, I promise. Think of me like a guardian angel....or a spirit if you will. The confusion on Heiro’s face dropped away and was replaced with recognition. He knew all about spirits!

The two became quick friends, walking side by side two legged and four legged through the woods. Heiro peppered Buddy with many questions. What was it like to be a spirit? How did it feel? Did he belong to anyone? Which of course Buddy said he belonged to Hei. This pleased the little Prince and he told his new friend he couldn’t wait to tell his father that he could see, touch, and talk to his own spirit. Buddy immediately squelched that idea, claiming he’d fade away if his presence was made known, his existence must be kept a secret at all costs. If Heiro had taken a moment to process everything, he would’ve realized Ro had said the same thing about himself. At least about keeping him a secret. About to ask his green eyed friend another question, Heiro walked past a tree that had been hit by lightning some time ago when his sliced nose picked up a scent. I tink I smell someone Buddy. Kyit. He shushed his friend and crept forward where the smells of water and someone else grew strong. And then his sapphire eyes fell upon the most beautiful canine he’d ever seen. Wow...Buddy whispered into his black backed ears. You go say “hi”, I’ll wait here, the white wolf said, though Heiro needed no further convincing. His alabaster feet carried him to the water’s edge a few yards away from the girl. Um...hello, he called out softly when the metallic scent of blood entered his nares. His friendly face filled with concern, it wasn’t his blood he was smelling. Are you hurt Miss? He asked, secretly wishing he hadn’t shifted in the morning so he could join this stranger on four legs rather than two.

Keldava Wolfe-Denahlii · 08-09-2012, 06:34 PM

[html]

Word Count → 528 :: OOC

Keldava was a noisy drinker but her ears were sharp and all movement stilled in an instant when she heard something rustling in the bushes behind her. Her heart started to race and her head spun round, black lips sliding upwards to reveal sharp white teeth, bared threateningly at whatever was following in the bushes.

The figure that came out of the bushes certainly wasn't what Keldava has been expecting, no blonde berserker with knives ready to add to her earlier work. Instead out came a young boy - though Keldava was being somewhat hypocritical to use that term even internally, having shifted the boy couldn’t be more than a month or two younger than Keldava herself. Keldava didn't quite know what to make of him; he was obviously canine and his peaked ears and coloured eyes suggested wolf but no wolf she had even seen had such clear cut patterns of snow white and coal black, not that it looked, she thought hastily, just weird.

Keldava was taken up enough with the boy's weird appearance that she quite forgot to continue panicking at the sight of a stranger until he spoke, his words soft and concerned. Keldava was thrown out of her stupor by his question, hastily looking away and down when she realised she had been staring at the boy's face while her brain tried to figure out what to do. Keldava paused as she considered the question; she thought that her back wound was fairly obvious but she supposed her dark fur could hide the red stains and scabs still attached to it.

"No more-so than the past week, 'm healing slowly." she said dryly, half-turning and shaking her backside to show the blood on her lower back, tilting her nose over to point as an afterthought. She paused for a moment, feeling awkward; before she would have been glad to meet someone close to her own age and chatting away happily but the memory of her encounter with Amy left her cautious of strangers. Still, someone wasn't really a stranger if you knew their name right? And this boy seemed nice. But first, Keldava was tired of craning her head to look at him.

"Stay here" she said, adding a low warning growl to her words as she backed into a bush. Keldava wasn;t particularly modest, she didn't care for clothes much aside from her cloak and that was more for practicality and comfort than modesty, but she didn't like people watching her shift. Keldava had been practising and she shifted fairly quickly, stepping out of the bush back into the small clearing.

This was much better. The boy seemed to be naturally bigger than her judging by the size of his paws but Keldava had a lot more progress towards being full grown and at the moment stood slightly higher than him, by about a foot or so. "Who're you?" she asked, no less blunt than usual for her newfound caution. Her voice wasn't as friendly as it would have once been but it was less hostile now, the shift of forms putting her on more even ground with the stranger.

Heiro Catori · 08-13-2012, 12:53 PM

[html]

He’s a total dork.:: 4+

He had done it. Hei had walked to the edge of the water and forced himself to speak to the pretty girl, but what was this feeling? Why were his palms sweating? And why was his heart beating so adamantly in his chest? Heiro swallowed quite audibly, a little shaken that he had somehow mustered the courage to approach the girl. Never had his eyes fallen upon someone so lovely and even while her lips were peeled back to reveal sharp ivories underneath, his heart kept pounding. He couldn’t take his blue eyes off of her, feeling for once in his life at a loss for words as she stared so blatantly back at him. He could tell from her features that she was a hybrid like himself. Perhaps not the same dog breed as he, but from the folded ears and the patterns in her fur, he could tell she wasn’t a full wolf. This somehow made Heiro feel better as the seconds of silence stretched on.

Her voice broke the silence and Heiro almost fell forward. Ro had always warned him about women, how they were inferior and only good for one thing, but Heiro was beginning to think differently. He barely knew this creature, hell this was the first time she was speaking to him, but something about her was drawing the Catori boy closer. And closer he dared to inch as she explained her wounds were healing and she turned about to flash her back. His sapphire eyes roved over the blood soaked fur near her tail. A chiding noise came from his mouth before he was about to suggest she clean it off, but the girl ordered him to stay put. Alabaster maw snapped shut when her growl hit his perked ears, he nodded his head “okay” before she disappeared into the shadows.

Heiro was beginning to feel nervous, staring out across the small placid body of water when a rustle in the bushes behind him alerted him to the girl’s presence once more. He turned slowly and just managed to pick his jaw back up when her question floated between them. If she had meant to be intimidating, it was lost on the prince as his eyes swam with visions of her. Ay’m Heiro Catori, prince of Kor des Murcles and at your service....m’lady, he introduced himself, elaborately bowing down in front of the girl before straightening up. Who do ay have da playsure of speakin’ wit? He asked drunkenly as he stared up at her.

Keldava Wolfe-Denahlii · 08-13-2012, 04:16 PM

[html]

Word Count → 484 :: Keldava be naïve Big Grin

Whatever type of canine the boy was he seemed rather weird in his mannerisms, spending a lot of time staring at her for some reason. Though Keldava supposed that she couldn’t really talk; she had certainly stared at him long enough when he had first appeared and maybe her markings looked as strange to him as his did to her. Still while slightly weird he seemed harmless enough.

Keldava fidgeted awkwardly as she stepped out of the bushes. Ever since she had been attacked if she was in Optime form she tended to be armed to some degree – not that she was going out for strolls fully armoured but she normally had a knife strapped to her thigh and possibly her bow for hunting – and she felt weird being in the bipedal form without the comforting feel of the leather straps around her leg and the metal behind them. The long stare she received didn’t make her any more comfortable either, causing her fidgeting to intensify as she tried to figure out what the boy was looking at.

Heiro’s introduction put her more at ease and had her trying and failing to hide a giggle, one paw coming up to hide the grin twisting her lips. Even before the odd accent he spoke with, a product of youth she knew from listening to her siblings speak, the oddly formal tone was amusing to the rough and tumble girl. She smiled as she spoke now, her tone much happier and more inviting, ”I’m Keldava Wolfe-Denahlii-” she said in reply, for once managing to not trip her tongue up on her overly complicated last name, ”-an I guess I’m a-“ she trailed off here, trying to remember what exactly the rank path she had entered along with Mahnaya was called, ”Soldier, I think, of Cercatori D’Arte. Don’ feel much like a soldier recently though.” Keldava’s ear twitched and her tone dropped slightly at the last statement, though she showed no further signs of distress.

Keldava tilted her head, ears flopping to one side as she looked curiously at Heiro. From what she could remember from when she met Skoll Cour Des Miracles was a fair distance away from here, certainly farther than she would normally travel on a casual day trip. Curiosly she asked, ”Hey, Blue Eyes, what’re you doing out here today.” Keldava’s mouth snapped shut and her eyes widened in embarrassment when she realised what she had called him. She habitually nicknamed most people she met, to the point where it had become somewhat automatic and, unable to divine a good nickname from Heiro’s name – Hei didn’t sound right, Ro was too short and no other combinations were even close to valid – she had defaulted to physical appearance it seemed.

Automatically her head dropped down slightly, though her eyes rolled upwards to remain fixed on Heiro’s face, hoping she hadn’t offended the younger boy.

Login




Remember me Lost Password?