A Stormy Afternoon
#1
It was pouring rain.

The clouds were so dark and dense they challenged Vlad's mane in color—the shade of the heavens was so close to black it was ridiculous. The large thunderhead had covered the Earth in a black blanket, and the dense forest was utterly dark. One could've easily mistaken the time of day as nighttime, but in reality, it was scarcely close to the setting of the sun. Not to mention the loud claps of thunder resounding in the thick woods, which caused Vladislava to flinch every time it happened. The cold rain, too, was also equally as troubling: even under her make-shift shelter of leafy and sturdy tree branches and limbs she was shivering from the precipitation. The only moments of light came every few seconds when the bright lightning danced across the sky, and lit up the forest for a brief millisecond. However, something was telling her this storm wasn't going to let up anytime soon.

"Ужас."

The Russian woman was miserable. Why she had to get caught up in this mess, she did not know, but she was not at all enjoying herself. She didn't want to leave her little shelter of tree limbs, though, in fear that she would only worsen the situation by walking even deeper into the heart of the storm rather than out of it. Rather, although begrudgingly, Vladislava sat uncomfortably under her branches, holding them over her head with both hands tiredly. Her arms were beginning to ache, she was soaking wet, she couldn't see, and worst of all, she was hungry. It was not a pleasant afternoon, not one bit.
#2
ooc: Edgar can write; he has a notepad in his bag so that is one way that they can communicate

The boy calmly walked through the muddy forest with a small smile on his face. He looked around with bright eyes and took in the dark atmosphere around him; he loved nature. The rumbling of the ground and the flashing skies made him happier than it made most; he would never want to hide out underneath a tree and wait for the storm to pass because he loved the feeling of the mud on his feet and the cold rain falling down on him. Behind the young luperci was a Canadian Goose. She didn't appear to be enjoying the weather that much; her head was hung low in discomfort as she followed her good friend. These woods he had been exploring lately were a lot more harsh than the ones he grew up around; there were far more predators and the weather wasn't as sunny as it was back where he once lived. He liked these woods better though; there was a lot more to experience and plenty to discover. The scent of a female wolf nearby caused him to pause for a moment. He hadn't come into contact with any luperci since he last saw his family who were all either dead or somewhere far-out right now. Should he go and meet this luperci? He could use another friend. But what if she was like one of his family members who had little sympathy for him? Not wanting to think of his family, he tried hard to forget about that last part and continued toward the source of the scent. And then he saw her. She was very pretty. Her coat was mainly a charcoal tone and her eyes were very captivating. She was something that the boy really wouldn't mind drawing. Curiously, he made his way toward her.
#3
That should work out fine! Vladie can write in English and Russian, so it shan't be a problem.
But argh, what is a problem is that I had the best post ready, and I accidentally pressed refresh. ;u;


Vladislava was considering to drop the limbs and branches and just curl underneath them, but then an unknown scent filled her nostrils. Her gray ears perked up as she glanced around, green eyes watchful and alert. Over the sound of the heavy rainfall she couldn't hear much, so she wasn't sure what was approaching her, but regardless she knew it would be wise to take great caution. The visitor could be a friend or an enemy, and the Russian was hoping it would be the former.

Before she could try and uncover who this other being was, however, thunder clashed with a bright flash of lightning, and by the sound of it, Vlad was absolutely certain a nearby tree was just struck. The pure loudness of the thunder startled her, and on instinct she threw her hands over her head protectively. Likewise, the branches she was holding over her fell on top of her, and she sighed deeply when seeing her ruined shelter, and dipped her head. She brushed the limbs off of herself and rubbed her more sore arm, feeling even worse than when the storm first ruined her afternoon.

She had almost forgotten about that scent from earlier, but upon smelling it again, her head jerked up. By the scarce light the lightning gave her, she made out a dark silhouette before her, and narrowed her eyes. She strained her eyes in the darkness to see who this unknown stranger happened to be, but only when the next lightning strike lit up the woods did she see him. A male Luperci, and what looked like some sort of bird behind him. He was still making his way toward her. Vladislava remained motionless as he drew near, and crossed her arms behind her back. Her tail flickered as she saw his features—cloudy scarlet eyes, a white and red coat, obvious dog traits—and she blinked at him.

"What a horrid storm."
#4
ooc: cool Smile that same thing happened to me this morning! that really sucks :'( Also Edgar's eyes are scarlet-colored, not gray. I know it's confusing how I worded it in my profile lol but I meant that the color is orange-red and it looks more murky and distant or "cloudy" and not piercing, if that makes any sense

As Edgar was watching her from a few yards away, he saw her suddenly drop the branches she was holding over herself in fright as lightning lit up the sky. He decided to go over there and see if she was alright. When he was only about a foot away from where she was sitting, he noticed her eyes meet his. Not long after their eyes met, he saw her mouth open to say something. Edgar had never been very good at reading lips, but he could tell by her expression that it was about the storm that was going on at the moment. He gave her a small smile and went over to her to sit down by her, his companion followed. Once he sat down, he quickly took out his notepad and pencil. He then wrote down on the notepad: I'm sorry I can't hear what you're saying because I was born deaf. Would you like to write it down? My name is Edgar by the way. It felt good to express himself with words, this was another thing that Edgar had not been able to do for a very long time too. He looked up at her with a smile as he waited for her reply. He hoped that she would write down what she had said, he longed for a decent conversation.
#5
Oh! I do apologize! I must've misread it. ^~^"

Vlad watched him carefully as he smiled and sat next to her, but made no move to shrink away from him. She could tell by his facial expressions his intentions were pure, and he wasn't going to harm her deliberately. She glanced over at the goose that, in suit, nestled by the two, and soon looked back at the male Luperci. She frowned slightly in confusion, however, when he flipped out a pencil and notepad. What was all this about? Was he going to draw her something?

The Russian girl felt her eyes begin to widen at the writing on the paper. Though the pencil led was becoming blurred from the rain, she could make out what he was trying to say. So he was deaf? That explained his silence at her words earlier. Her ears flattened to her skull as she slowly nodded in understanding, then gently took the notepad from the boy, whose name she soon read was Edgar. She met his warm grin with a blank stare, but soon gave him a vacant smile before turning back to the notepad. She held it close to her chest so the paper wouldn't get too terribly wet, and used the light of the lightning to check over her writing. Moments later, she presented the note back to Edgar: I apologize for my unknowingness. What I said earlier was regarding this horrid squall we are in. Vladislava looked at the note before quickly scribbling down a few more words. My name is Vladislava, but Vlad is fine. It is nice to meet you. She looked up at the male, water dripping off of her muzzle in a consistent rythem. Her eyes darted from his back to the note, but then locked onto his scarlet ones again.
#6
ooc: That's alright I'm just not the best writer lol

The goose ruffled her feathers and then tucked her head behind her wing to sleep. Edgar took note of this before looking back at the female luperci, who he was glad to see writing down her reply. The last time that the dog had used words was when he had come across a big, white male wolf luperci. He remembered that he had asked the wolf if he had a place to stay and if he did, if he could stay with him. The white wolf stared at him rudely with big, brown, intimidating eyes before slamming him against a tree and punching him into the ground. Edgar shuddered at the thought of the pain he had experienced that day and saw that she was looking into his eyes again. He glanced at his notepad and saw there were words on it she had written. He read them. The boy took the pencil from her and wrote back: It's nice to meet you too, no need to apologize. I guess to everyone else this is a "horrible squall" but to me it's very enjoyable and it makes me want to draw more. Would you like to see my drawings? He crossed his fingers that she'd say yes because he was very proud of his artwork and he loved to show it to other people.
#7
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(--) OOC here



Vladislava glanced over at the goose as it tucked her head beneath her wing, but soon looked back at Edgar as he cringed. Was he struck by the coldness of the rain, perhaps? From the corner of her eye she had seen him looking as though he were reminiscing on events from the past—she knew what that distant, absentminded, blank stare meant very well, as she had seen it not only in herself but her family as well. The male soon began to write on the notepad again, though, as he met her eyes. Upon reading his new note, the Russian girl blinked. He was a drawer? That seemed a bit odd. Vlad was under the impression good art was made perfect by a balanced amount of both the sights one could see and the sounds one could hear, but it wouldn't surprise her at all if she was wrong about that.

She gently took both the pencil and the paper once more and scribbled her response down. The thunder growling threw her off, however, causing her to visibly flinch and make a stray mark with the pencil. She quickly erased it away, and showed the note to the other Luperci. That sounds very nice, it read, but I do not believe said drawings would fare well in this downpour. Perhaps we should find a drier area first?


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#8
His copper eyes quickly scanned the notepad. The boy hadn't thought about how the rain would ruin his artwork, he was glad that the woman had though of that. He knew where to go; there was a cave big enough to have two luperci sitting in it nearby, he had walked past it not that long ago. Edgar looked over at her and gave her a smile and a nod, figuring that would answer her question that she had written down for him. The young luperci sprung to his feet and, being the gentleman that he is, stuck out his hand to help her up off of the muddy ground. It was a wonder that he knew how to be so polite, since he had been brought up by such a churlish group of luperci. His sleeping pet quickly awoke, startled by the sound of the thunder that shook the ground and walked over toward the dog. Just as he was standing there with his hand held out he realized something, this luperci appeared to be his age. It was nice knowing that there was someone else like him in a similar situation; being without a pack or family and all alone in the woods.
#9
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(--) I hope you don't mind me PPing this a bit to get things moving. ^^;



The reddish Luperci gave her a nod before jumping to his feet, and he held a hand out to help her up. Such a gentleman, this one is, she thought, a smirk pulling at her lips. She took his hand into her own and rose to her feet, and with her other hand brushed off some of the mud from her backside. She soon let go of Edgar, however, as she began to look around, green eyes sharp. She could scarcely remember a small cave somewhere near here; she had seen it briefly before the storm had started. She shivered, the temperature of the rain getting to her, and thought about the leather messenger bag she had taken along with her. Though she had buried it under the ground a few miles away back where she had set up "camp," which consisted of a very tall tree and sitting on a higher branch very still to get some sleep in, it did in fact have her hooded cloak in it, and she wished she had brought it with her to these woods. She also grimly told herself the Russian leather the bag itself was made of was probably ruined now—that is, if it had rained in that forest also.

Nevertheless Vladislava set off for the cave, certain Edgar was following close behind. It took them a few moments to see it, what with the darkened skies and little light, but eventually the Russian saw the mouth of the cave in the distance when a flash of lightning brightened the woods. She looked over at Edgar and pointed at it, and soon she had already dove in and looked around. It was a small cave, not very large at all, but it could house the two and maybe a few more. It was even darker in the cave than outside, however, and Vlad couldn't fathom how the dog would show her his artwork in such poor lighting. Unless he had a lighter, of course.

Still soaking wet the she-wolf shook herself dry, and water droplets flew in every which way. She then sat on her knees, shivering and her teeth chattering, but she refrained from complaining. It was not in her makeup to be babied, let alone because she was freezing, but rather to serve, and instead provide others with warmth. Her green eyes looked up to Edgar's scarlet ones, full of expectation, though she couldn't hide the misery from them.


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#10
ooc: That's alright

When he was sitting there in the cave, he recalled how to start a fire with only a knife and flint. Edgar reached into his satchel and pulled out a stone and a tinder bed he had made earlier. The spaniel carefully placed the bed of tinder on the ground of the small cave and put the stone on it. Then he carefully struck the stone until a small fire started, luckilly there was a bundle of small sticks in the corner of the cave; he felt bad using them, whoever had put them there had probably planned on using them later. He gently placed the sticks over the fire and then he smiled at the female again, his drawings in hand. The dog opened up his notepad to show his first drawing, of many, to her. He had drawn this one a few weeks after he had been abandoned by his family. It was a drawing of his pet when she was just a little goosling, it wasn't as good as the other ones he had but it was still pretty exceptional. Edgar handed the notepad to her, figuring that she had places to go and that she could flip through the whole thing herself. He was curious if she had any talents, he figured she did because she appeared to be more athletic than him.
#11
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(--) OOC here



Edgar was quick to get a small fire going with some tinder and flint, and also a few sticks he savaged from the cave's interior. The Russian girl moved a bit closer to the fire for some heat, and rubbed her palms together to create friction. She looked from the fire to the man again, and glanced down at the drawings in his hand. He soon flipped the notepad open and presented his art to her, and Vladi felt her eyes widen at it. It truly was a piece of art, that was for sure—It was, what she thought to be, Edgar's goose companion at a younger age. She looked over the detail and fine strokes of the drawing, a warm smile forming on her muzzle. He was good at what he did, that spaniel, and the Kalashnikov heir was thoroughly impressed by just his first drawing. He soon handed over the whole book, and the Russian could tell she was going to enjoy viewing each and every drawing he drew.

Eventually she turned the page to see the next drawing, and her smile grew. This one was even better than the first, with more details and straighter lines, as well as smoother curves. It also had slightly better shadowing than the picture of the goose, and with every picture Vladislava looked at, her astonishment grew. She fell in love with his pictures, her hands softly trailing across the paper as if she could physically touch the drawings like real animate beings. She looked to Edgar again, her green orbs tender, and nodded with approval. By this bob of the head she knew he would understand what she felt toward his pictures, but before seeing his reaction she had already turned back to his artwork, flipping the page to see another beautiful drawing.


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#12
ooc: I powerplayed Vlad just a bit so that they can have more of a conversation, I hope that's alright.

Edgar wasn't sure if she would like his drawings, she looked to be an accomplished young lady and difficult to impress. The luperci's lips curled up into a big grin as he saw how she looked at his first drawing of his goose, who at the moment was asleep again at his side. His hapiness grew as he took note of how which each turn of the page she saw how he had improved. He was glad she appreciated his artwork, for a while it seemed to Edgar as if nobody admired an artist; the only luperci he had met before Vladislava were very strong and serious, and treated him as if they were above him. At one point the green-eyed wolf touched the notepad as if what he drew was literally right in front of her. The male began to wonder what others would think of his talent, every day he began seeing more and more canines; Edgar knew he'd be approaching a pack territory soon. He hoped that one day he could join a pack where everyone would react to his drawings the way that Vlad had and that finally he could be loved. After she had looked over all of his drawings and paintings, she handed him back his notebook so that he could write to her. So you like them? I could draw you something if you'd like he scrawled onto the paper; his handwriting was surprisingly not as neat as his work.
#13
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(--) That's quite alright. :3 Also, Vladi is all blushie and stuffs -^~^-



Eventually she had reached the end of the notebook, and felt a bit disappointed. She would very much like to see more drawings by the red and white artist, but she still savored the images of the art he had to show her in her mind. They were amazing to her, and she was a tad bit jealous of Edgar's artistic abilities which she lacked.

Vladislava gave the notepad back to the male Luperci, her smile still in place, and watched as he scribbled down a few words. After reading them, she felt an odd feeling bubble up inside her—it was a mixture of gratitude and some form of surprise that he would actually draw something for her, and she quickly nodded her head. She took the pencil and wrote out some words underneath the boy's, and upon comparing the two, she could tell that even though she wasn't good at art, she certainly had better penmanship than he. Yes, they are beautiful. And that would be amazing, it read, I would greatly enjoy a drawing from you. Thank you for the offer. She then held out the note for Edgar, green eyes tender under her lashes. That weird feeling she had felt also brought a strange flush to her cheeks, perhaps out of embarrassment, but she couldn't explain why that was so.


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#14
ooc: awww c: I figured that I should probably wrap this up. These two have to meet again! Just PM me whenever (or if Smile ) you want to have another thread

The Russian had handed him back his notepad with what she had wrote. An idea came to his mind of what he would draw for her, he knew she would like it. Edgar first sketched out the shape of her, then drew in the small fire that he had made. The dog added details to her body, carefully creating the shadows and shading in the darker areas. His pencil moved quickly across the page to draw what else was around her at the moment; he was drawing what she looked like from his point of view. By the time he was finished, his hands had felt very sore; but he knew that it had been worth it. The boy held out the drawing a few feet in front of him, then erasing the tiny errors that he spotted on the page. Edgar had left a little note on the corner of the page that read: Thank you for being so kind. You are the nicest person I have come across in my lifetime. I hope that we can meet again some day, please travel safely. Proud of his work, he handed it back to her. The young canine quickly collected his things, leaving her with what he had drawn and the small burning fire, then touched the top of her hand with a gentle smile on his lips; as a way of saying goodbye. Just as he ran out of the small cave, his bird flew after him and the rain began to stop; the sun peeking behind the clouds.
#15
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(--)Oh, yeah, definitely! They will HAVE to meet again somewhere. Big Grin!



The girl watched him draw his picture carefully, paying close attention to the neat strokes he made with the pencil, but kept herself from looking at the piece of art directly. She wanted it to remain a surprise, after all, but she could watch Edgar draw for her all day if she had the chance. He was different, that male Luperci. There was something about him... that was very special. Vlad was happy that she could befriend him, and made a mental note to meet up with him again some day. He was a creative gentleman, something that one couldn't find easily, and she respected him. He had earned her respect the moment he sat down by her in the pouring rain.

She saw him scribble a few words on the corner of the page and, after ridding the masterpiece of stray marks, presented it to her. What the Russian saw made her sea green eyes widen fully. It was her, of all people. She smiled warmly as she took the drawing, her eyes looking over it. There she was, sitting on the cold floor near the fire, just like she was in reality. It was so finely detailed, so beautiful... It had been a while since she had seen a picture of herself. Her eyes darted over to the bang hanging between her eyes in the pictured and blinked, soon looking up to her mane. After this, however, she felt a tug at her free hand, and turned back to Edgar. He placed a kiss onto her hand, causing Vladi to blush again. And then he was gone, just like that. The Russian watched him disappear into the woods again, noticing that the rain had ceased to fall, and the setting sun's rays lit up the forest once again.

She sat there, flummoxed for a moment, before she remembered he had left her a note. She looked down at the drawing again and read it slowly, her eyes softening. Had she been that kind to him? Perhaps he had a troubled background, but if he did, he certainly didn't show it. She stared at his note for another minute before rising to her feet and setting out for her own woods. She would seek out her shoulder bag and safely tuck her portrait away, and protect it at all costs. It was all she had left physically of the Brittany Luperci, and she was not about to lose it.


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