The Sound of Silence
#1
ooc: This thread is set at night Smile

Edgar sat at the base of a tall tree with his hands folded neatly in his lap. The dog's eyes glistened as he looked up at the purple night sky that was dotted with big, bright stars and saw the full moon. He then recalled the time he saw his first full moon when he was a pup. The yearling was out hunting with his older sister, he of course not planning on helping her kill anything. She had looked back at him with a frown and began shouting at him about how stupid he was to not be able to take down a small hare. Edgar couldn't hear her though, but he knew she wasn't very happy with him by the way she looked. His sister had expected him to reply but he couldn't; this resulted in her pinning him down and biting into his neck. Then continuing to beat him by dragging him around and shook his small body until he could barely think straight. After attacking her little brother, she left him in the middle of the woods late at night; intending to let him die. The small pup was left to lie there and look at the moon. Edgar realized that he was crying after he had thought about that dark time during his time spent with his family. The reason he was crying was because he had never felt loved. He was so caught up in his emotions that he didn't notice the scent of a coyote lingering in the midnight air.
#2
The coyote was reveling in the taste of freedom. Not that it was much different from his normal life. He still remained attached to Aro's side, not going far from the wolf, and still had to deal with his inability to be able to speak. In fact, the only thing that had changed was the fact that he could tell himself he was free, and not feel like he had to attempt to escape. Not that his escape attempts had ever gone very far with the coyote turning right back around every time that it happened.

The scent of a dog caught the young male's attention. Growling with hate he slipped through the woods. Was it the merchant? No, this was different. A male, around the same age that he was. A little more hesitant now he stepped forwards, spotting tears rolling down the face of the dog. Great. He was upset. Not something he could deal with. It was a good thing that it was dark out, or he might have to deal with the awkward situation of actually having to face the dog. He was clearly weak, sitting out here in the open crying. Anyone could kill him.
#3
The luperci continued to cry, having nothing better to do. Wait. Maybe he did have something better to do, because he could sense someone was watching him nearby. Edgar felt a little embarassed that he had been crying, whoever it was nearby had probably seen him; as he thought of this he wiped the tears from his scarlet eyes. He sniffled a bit, trying to stop himself from crying any more as he looked around. Suddenly his pet fearfully fluttered toward him when she saw what was watching Edgar. The dog looked toward where his friend was and jumped a bit when his eyes met with what appeared to be a coyote's. This couldn't be any good. Edgar had never met a friendly coyote before, from what he knew they were all very sneaky and insensitive; the complete opposite of what the boy was. He then silently sniffed the air; this animal smelled like it lived with wolves. The lone canine hesitated for a moment: Should he approach the animal or should he stay where he was? After figuring that he was better off meeting face to face with the coyote, the spaniel began to cautiously walk toward it, expecting it to reveal itself.
#4
His attention had been noticed. Not good. Raoth's lips pulled back, watching as a goose came up to the dog's side. It didn't strike him as particularly odd. At least, no more odd than Aro keeping a pet deer. He was lucky Raoth had never decided he was hungry enough to eat the tame creature. The tears were brushed away at least. Maybe the dog did understand something about survival. Those who cried easily were easy bait, harmed and punished by the cruel world. Raoth didn't cry. He didn't get hurt. Well, he didn't get hurt as badly as he used to.

His features became calm again, stepping forwards to face the dog as he approached the coyote. Why anyone would just walk up to a stranger in the middle of the night was beyond him. Well, he'd done it. A few times. Mostly so he could pick a fight. And he'd come over to the dog, curious about who was over here. So maybe there was a fair number of reasons why. Shrugging he looked the dog over. A sharp red color, thin build, a goose that seemed rather attached to him. No pack smells, just that of a wanderer that hadn't had much food recently. Who was this? He gestured towards the dog, indicating for an introduction.
#5
Edgar wasn't a very practical kind of guy. It never actually came to his young mind that if you come up to somebody who is standing there watching you at night that you could get yourself killed; he just looked at it as a nice little opportunity to make a new friend. The male looked as if the dog should introduce himself. So, the boy gave a charming smile at the coyote as if there was no possible danger in doing so, then extended his hand to give him a friendly handshake. Edgar wondered what this man was up to at this time of night, he had smelled like he lived around wolves. That was what seemed a bit strange to the spaniel because he was sure that most coyotes preferred to be with their own kind. The loner then looked over his new acquaintance; two scars over his right eye, a bit of a darker coat than most of his species and seemed to have a very grumpy disposition. The luperci looked to his amber eyes as he waited for him to give him his hand, he was very curious to learn more about this mysterious man. His goose didn't appear to be too interested in what was going on, she stood a few feet behind Edgar; afraid of the coyote.
#6
He was an idiot. It was official. Whimsical, and childish, and completely unaware of how dangerous the world could be. Briefly Raoth considered teaching him a lesson in it, beating the dog until he was half dead and then leaving him. No, that wouldn't do him any good. As violent as Raoth was, he didn't feel right attacking anything that couldn't fight back. He'd grown tough to avoid being the victim, and he wasn't about to make more of them. Even if this guy was just screaming victim with that soft open smile and easy tears.

Just a hand? No name? Raoth took the hand, soft and warm in his own. The coyote's own hand was rough, calloused. There were no scars there like there were on the rest of his body, but that was only because Amy had stopped forcing him to train with her when it became clear that he couldn't take the punishment any longer. In fact, this dog was very smooth coated. Releasing the hand Raoth indicated towards him again, pointing at the dog then himself, before frowning, realizing he couldn't say his name. How was he going to get his point across then? Tilting his head Raoth thought about it before shrugging. He'd just have to know the dog by scent.
#7
The young male felt very happy to see that this stranger he had come across was willing to accept his greeting. His hand had felt very rough and strong, Edgar then assumed that he must have had a troubled past, like he had. The luperci then noticed, since the stranger had come closer, that he had many scars on his body. After gathering all the evidence, the boy looked deeply into his eyes; understanding what it meant to have a difficult life. Suddenly the coyote looked to be growing impatient, it looked as if he was trying to get an idea across without using words, like Edgar did sometimes. Was he a mute? Maybe he should write something down for him. The spaniel wrote onto one of the many pages of his thick notebook: Hi my name's Edgar. I can't talk or hear anything so I have to write things down. What are you trying to say to me, sir? Edgar thought that this man probably wanted some respect, so he had made sure to address him properly. The canine then became very curious about this coyote, he seemed strangely similar to himself in certain ways but then at the same time so different.
#8
Raoth's lips pulled back, sharp teeth flashing as the dog stared into his eyes. What, did he think they were going to be best friends or something over this? His frame was stiff, glaring down at the dog. He wasn't some dumb canine that would befriend everyone he came across. He jerked back, shaking his head. The sympathy in the dog's eyes just made the coyote angry. He didn't need any sympathy. He didn't need anything at all. He just wanted to be left alone for the most part.

The writing did catch Raoth's attention. He stared curiously as the thick words scrawled out. Raoth accepted it with little resistance, studying it closely. It was a good idea, but Raoth had just started learning how to write himself. Short simple words was what his vocabulary was limited to. He didn't actually understand most of what the dog had written down, upping his frustration. He tossed it back stormily, shaking his head. He couldn't reply when he didn't know what had been written, and refused to look a fool by trying to.
#9
When the canine had seen the lips of the male pull back into a snarl, he had backed up a bit and looked away from his eyes, releasing an almost inaudible squeak. He decided to be more calm and patient with the coyote before handing him the notebook. Edgar went into panic mode, and so did his bird as she took off and landed behind the nearby tree, when the stranger tossed his precious notepad and quickly snatched it as it went flying in the air; almost landing on the muddy ground. The young spaniel wondered why this luperci was so frustrated, could he even read what he had written? He could possibly teach him if he didn't, Edgar's patience would aid him in doing so. Calmly, the dog took out his notepad and wrote: Can you read? I could teach you He hoped that the coyote could at least understand that if he couldn't, then they could get somewhere. Edgar made a mental list of what he knew about this man so far: 1.) He was very irritable 2.) He was a mute 3.) He couldn't read. Unfortunately none of those 3 things he had known about the coyote would help them communicate any better; but the boy was patient and he would do whatever he could to learn more about this guy.
#10
The slight fear and submission relaxed Raoth. He didn't have to panic about this guy. No need to act tough when it was clear that between the two Raoth had a much better chance for survival. Tongue or no tongue, he could hunt, and he could fight. What else was really needed in life? This dog seemed too soft to be capable of really surviving out here. Not that Raoth was about to show this guy back to his pack. Well, he could. They'd probably welcome him right in. Raoth had seen some of the useless members they had, including the one with Amy's marks on him.

His eyes gleamed with silent laughter as the dog panicked about the torn notebook. Another obvious weakness. Unfortunately Raoth could take no joy in tormenting the dog. He wasn't cruel. There was nothing between them that he should punish the dog for. Just sharp pride about the fact that he couldn't read, and keeping that hidden. He was learning. Raoth looked at the words, understanding the first part. Had he been too transparent? The coyote knew his emotions were written across his face, making it too easy for others to understand what he wanted. Still, being asked such a question by a stranger stung. The next part had larger words that he couldn't make out, just knowing that it had to do with the dog doing something to him. Nodding his head in response to the question he looked up, pride sparking. It was a lie, but a lie he clung to fiercely.
#11
He watched as he, the mysterious stranger, appeared to be grinning from ear to ear his submission. That was another thing to add to the list of things he knew about this guy; he was dominant. The male felt hurt when he saw a smile come to the coyote's face as he took his notebook back. Edgar was glad that his notebook hadn't gotten dirty. That book held all his conversations he's ever had, and, far more importantly, his art. The dog then gathered himself together to get more out of this man. He silently watched as the gruff male had given him a brief nod with a confident grin. Edgar's winged companion came back to his feet when things began to cool down a little bit. Well, maybe that was a sign. The boy crossed his fingers that the male wouldn't go throwing his most prized posession again. The dog gave him a brief nod a few moments after he had answered his question he had written. Then, the young luperci gave him his notepad and his pencil, expecting him to write something for him. The spaniel's copper eyes waited for him to write, he began to grow a little suspicious, he never usually did, was he lying?
#12
The dog passed him the notepad and pencil again, trust in his eyes. Why did this guy trust him? They didn't even know each other. He was way too vulnerable out here. It partly made Raoth want to protect him from getting harmed and experiencing what he had. On the other hand, doing such a thing would only make Raoth a target. He cared for himself, and only himself. He couldn't waste his time keeping the dog from getting beat up and following after him. That's what he did for Aro, and only because Aro was his master. There was no one else that he owed loyalty to.

Looking down at the paper he frowned. Raoth didn't have a clue what he was supposed to do with it. He glanced up to the red colored dog, finding expectant eyes staring at him. Clearly the coyote was supposed to do something with the paper. But what? Fidgeting he looked down at the paper, drawing a blank. A drawing? No, that wasn't right. Yes! He was supposed to write something! What was he going to write though? He only had a limited number of words that he could put down, almost none of them containing more than three letters. And he had to make a sentence out of it.

He couldn't look like a fool! Raoth was not going to give up and just give back a blank pad. Slow suspicion was forming in the dog's eyes, a sharp growl breaking from Raoth's lips as he tried to come up with the right words. Hello? No, they already said that, and he could only really write hi. His name? He didn't have a clue how it was spelled though. He had to come up with something! At last he scribbled down a short sentence. I can hunt. Perhaps not the most sensible sentence, but perhaps he would take it as an offer to get food or something, or saying that he was hungry.
#13
The reason for Edgar's submission hadn't been for his own safety, but rather in a way that meant that he didn't want to be an enemy of his. He hated the thought of being feared; he longed for the day that everyone would all treat eachother equally. The young man began to focus back on the coyote again as he watched him stare blankly at the paper. The smile that he had had earlier came back to his face as he saw him write something for him. The dog gently pulled the notebook and pencil out of the male's grasp and read the words that were printed rather sloppily on the paper. Edgar wrote back: That's not what I had expected you to write but he paused for a moment as he took note of his stomach growling maybe we can go for a hunt, if you'd like It wasn't often that the spaniel killed animals himself, he preferred to eat off of already dead carcasses since he didn't like it when animals died. Well, he didn't like it when anything died, but since he was so hungry and that it would be the only way for him and the coyote to really do something other then sit there and test eachother, he would hunt.
#14
The notepad was gently taken back, Raoth watching carefully to see what the dog's reaction would be. He had no idea what had been asked of him, just that he had been expected to write something. It had been the only sentence he'd been able to figure out to write. The dog studied it briefly before his own hand flowed over the pad, the words much neater and smoother than his own. The growl of the dog's stomach relieved some of his worry, pleased that the dog was hungry enough to perhaps make sense of what he'd written. Raoth accepted the pad back, scowling as he worked on solving what had been written.

He could make out that what had been written hadn't been what the dog had wanted, though the exact wording was missed out. Raoth had failed that. It did say that the dog was ready to hunt though. Tail wagging he pushed the pad back. Stepping back some he took his time, shifting down to his smaller hunting form. The fingers retracted, returning to his paw as his spine arched and twisted, bending him onto all fours. Looking up to the dog Raoth grinned, waiting for him to do the same.
#15
ooc: By the end of this thread would you like Raoth to be a friend, feared, or an acquaintance? I probably will leave the slightly feared thing because Edgar respects him though.

Edgar watched as his brow seemed to furrow at the words. Luckily it seemed to begin to make some sense to him as he shifted into his lupus form, all fours touching the forest floor. He was surprised to see him smiling up at him, seeming to expect him do the same. The boy hadn't been in his lupus form in a while, so it took some time for him to shift. But when he finally was in that form, he looked back at the coyote, his tail slightly wagging, and gave him a sharp nod. He had finally found something that this guy wouldn't have a reason to be all grouchy about; he felt grateful that he had been patient. He was curious why he hadn't written his name down though, Edgar had thought that he was either really paranoid or didn't know how to spell it. Well, if he couldn't spell his name but he still knew it, then that must mean he wasn't deaf, right? He probably got in a fight somehow and lost his voice along with it. Edgar's goose curiously went toward the two, getting over her fear of the coyote. She'd fly over them as they hunted; the handle of the spaniel's blue satchel was in her mouth so that she was carrying it.
#16
OOC: don't know

The dog's shift was slower. He took his sweet time, frame contorting as he changed back into the smaller form. If he had tried to go for secui Raoth would have attacked, jealous that he had that option. Raoth had been told quite clearly to never shift into that stronger form unless he wanted to be killed. As such he had a deep hate for those who appeared in that form before him, wanting to attack them and prove that he was as strong as them even without entering the forbidden form.

Spotting the goose wandering closer he snapped at it playfully, a little too close for the goose to think of it as play. He was close enough that he could have torn off the goose's wings if he'd managed to get a grip on the bird. Turning he lifted his head, scenting for what prey could possibly be close by. Raoth was very lucky that the dog hadn't thought his writing was nonsense, or asked him what he'd meant. Raoth didn't know if he could have explained it, just coming up with a single sentence after much difficulty. Scenting a badger Raoth trotted forwards, tail wagging slightly as he traveled.
#17
ooc: Alright I guess we will see how things turn out!

The goose fluttered nervously up into the cool air as she was snapped at by the man, she trusted Edgar though and knew that the dog had her back if anything got out of control with her and the stranger. The spaniel watched as the the canine had made a failed attempt at playing with his little flying friend. He smiled a bit, knowing that this was just play, and let it slip from his mind a few moments later. Edgar never seemed to understand the secui form; he had never been in it and didn't know what it was, but still had seen his father in it all the time when he was younger. His father had looked like a monster to him, so much like one that he literally was in the boy's nightmares every night. There was something about this coyote that reminded him of his father. It was how he could be playful and all nice and then, all of the sudden, impatient and growly; the unpredictability. Edgar focused back on the shifted luperci again as he began to track the scent of an animal. The artist eagerly followed behind him, the memories of his father haunting him.
#18
The dog was so obedient. One would think that he was the slave, not Raoth. If Amy found this dog she would have him doing whatever she wanted, and probably wouldn't even scar the fellow to make him do it. Anger flooded through him at the thought. This mutt was free, he could do whatever he wished, yet he didn't do it! He just did whatever the others wanted without thought, not questioning. Raoth could probably turn around and attack the dog, and he wouldn't defend. Raoth craved his freedom, fought for it, yet couldn't gain it!

Restless he picked up his pace, moving faster. Why was he so obedient and calm! Why didn't he fight? Why was Raoth a slave? What had started out as a simple trot soon turned into a frenzied run, moving along the paths. The badger didn't know what was happening when the enraged coyote broke out from the bushes. He wasn't much bigger than it, badgers being how they are, but still attacked it. The badger twisted, striking back. It would take two to bring it down.
#19
Edgar had always obeyed others because of the rowdiness of his family, who also would boss him around at every chance they had to. His mother had been very artistic and obedient as well, she was similar to Edgar in many ways, it seemed as if the poor woman were abused by his father a lot. He felt sad for a moment recalling the day she was stabbed to death by his father, he had the knife that killed her. The dog watched as the lean coyote doubled his speed, they were getting closer. The boy and his mother would stick around eachother a lot, but Edgar's father would beat her if she tried to talk to her own son. That was alright though, Edgar of course couldn't hear anyway, all they needed to do to understand eachother was stare into eachother's eyes and share the pain they both had so much of. The spaniel watched as the badger was right in front of him. He hesitated for a short moment before leaping onto the badger and sinking his jaws deep into it's neck, blood beginning to seep out of the rodent. Edgar backed away as he got scratched by it's long claws, waiting for his hunting partner to strike again for him while he could make a quick recovery.
#20
The moment of hesitation was enough for the badger to manage to land a blow on Raoth's body. He growled in pain, loosening his grip on the creature. A small amount of blood seeped from his shoulder. Not a deadly wound by any means, but it would be a bother to deal with later. Growling he licked at his shoulder, turning to see the dog leap up and sink his teeth into the badger's neck. Blood flowed out, but the badger hit the dog as well.

Clearly he was a lousy hunter. The coyote wouldn't ever agree to go hunting on him again. Not only were they both injured within the first few seconds of starting the hunt, he was slow in his attack, and far too hesitant in his movement. Raoth leaped in again, tearing deeper into the neck wound created by the dog. The badger let out a sharp shout of rage, but this was quick now, Raoth darting away and leaping in to attack again, bringing it close to death.


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