Set in Drifter Bay.[html]
SOMEWHERE THERE'S A CRACK IN THE SIDEWALK
BIGGER THAN THE SHADOW OF DEATH IN THIS TOWN
She lay on her back, arms cross behind her head and eyes wide open. The sky above was painted a deep blue and charcoal, almost black. While the crickets chirped in a chorus surrounding her, Ryan drew images out of the twinkling stars overhead. She lifted an arm, pointing one slender finger as she connected the dots – creating invisible masterpieces in the sky.
Beneath was spread a knitted blanket made from black, red, and slate yarn. The grass peeked up from small loops in the blanket, tickling the backs of her legs and arms. There hadn’t been a beautiful night like this in a while since it always seemed to be raining. She took a deep breath, taking in the sweet smell of the night air. It was a bit chilly, but her plum colored dress offered some warmth for the moment. As the night grew deeper, though, she would have to wrap the blanket around her frame.
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'cause if you jump, i will jump too
we will fall together
Adonvdo had chosen — well, Dohi had left him there — to stay behind where grass was plentiful and still green while the traveller went ahead on foot. The sand was uncomfortable to walk on, and he found his balance compromised by a slow pace that he was none too fond of, but eventually he did reach the coast. The plains man couldn't say he would enjoy it at all if they made their home where the sand was all too welcome, and while there did seem to be shrubby grasses dotting the vicinity and sprawling further away from the coast, it was still an unpleasant kind of place.
The bay was silent as dusk reached fingers across it, and by the time the stars were out he'd made his way quite far inland along the coast. There, his first warning was the blanket on the sand; the second, a twirling finger. The scout stopped dead in his tracks, the beads woven on his tunic rattling his own arrival, momentarily to observe the figure. The darkness masked most of her, but he could tell her head was lighter than her neck, and her dress was some shade of purple that he found hard to pick out in the navy wash.
Enjoying the night? he said, timbre strong and yet soothing, as he sat down cross-legged on the sand next to her. The peace here, and the chaos to the south, were strongly clashing elements but he couldn't figure out what would cause such an environment. For the moment, he was met with a local and, with a pair of feathers tucked into his hair, he probably looked quite foreign.
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SOMEWHERE THERE'S A CRACK IN THE SIDEWALK
BIGGER THAN THE SHADOW OF DEATH IN THIS TOWN
She had no idea what the names of the constellations were, but she was doing just fine creating her own. She traced out a picture of her mother, using different stars to outline her ears, eyes, and nose. She smiled to herself, easily amused by the summer night’s tranquility. It was nearing fall and Ryan was well aware the cool weather was coming. Already the days were growing shorter, and soon enough, winter would be upon them.
When a voice sounded, Ryan made no movement, except she let her pointing arm fall across her torso. It was smooth though powerful, and she half expected to see DaVinci beside her when she turned her crimson gaze upon this stranger. Instead of discovering the steel coat of the hybrid she had met days prior, a dark tuxedo sat down beside her, half concealed in the navy wash of the nighttime.
"Mmhmm," she responded, turning her eyes back on the stars. If he had wanted to hurt her, he would have done so. Besides, she wasn’t too worried about that. She watched, catching the streak of a shooting star out of the corner of her eye. "It’s a nice change from all of the rain we’ve been having," she added, looking back towards this stranger. She could barely make something out adorning his hair. A feather, was it? "It’s such a calm night," her voice drifting off into the air to collect with the drone of the crashing waves.
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</style> he's everything you needhe's everything inside of you that you wish you could be
Thankfully, he agreed. Rain and sun had to be harmonious with one another; too many days of either was destructive and detrimental to Nature's equilibrium. He hadn't really experienced the rains that seemed to have, by her words, plagued the area, but he could agree that having them disappear for a bit was a refreshing change. It wasn't entirely what he'd agreed to, and his words had also included the lethargic night, but he didn't feel the need to clarify. Words were very unnecessary at the moment, and it would only last a short amount of time. He would let it stretch on as long as possible.
He tipped his head back to stare up at the stars above, wondering if his parents were there somewhere. He didn't entirely know what to believe; his parents would become Spirit Guides themselves, likely taking the form of the animal they most represented, to help some younger member of the tribe, or they would advance to the Realm where the Spirits went and would watch over the tribe from there, joined by the other passed members. It wasn't clear what happened when somebody died. His parents had died righteously, but he couldn't commend them on it, because they had not died peacefully. Their land had been torn apart by war.
It had been the worst time in the world to be an empath like Dohi was.
Do you live in this area? He knew that Ayegali was hoping to speak with the lycanthrope leaders around, and also he knew that Itsihnalv was not a fan of living in a place that already contained so many Luperci. Dohi wanted whatever worked out to the least troublesome outcome, hopefully reducing all stress and most inconvenience. He could agree with his younger brother that living in the vicinity of so many Luperci could end the same way it had the last time they'd been surrounded by other werewolves, but at the same time, he accepted that there was almost nowhere on their Earth where the Luperci didn't congregate. Ayegali was their chief; she would make a wise decision. His sister would not lead them wrong.
And he, in his exploration, would do his best to come across those who could help her reach the best decision possible through him.
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SOMEWHERE THERE'S A CRACK IN THE SIDEWALK
BIGGER THAN THE SHADOW OF DEATH IN THIS TOWN
She nodded, and then realized he would have trouble seeing in the dark that was quickly enveloping them. "Mhmm," she muttered, letting her eyes wander from star to star, wondering just what it was out there in that world so far away. She wished she could reach out and touch them, just like the clouds on the days when they grew thick and playful. "In an area not far from here. Inferni, it’s called. It’s a clan of coyotes," but she didn’t know much more. She hadn’t been a member for very long.
She turned her crimson gaze on him for a moment, not really able to see a whole lot, before returning it back to the sky. Her head was comfortably cradled in her arms. "What about you?" She asked, unaware that he was similar to her – entirely new to the area.
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Coyotes; now that was interesting. As far as Dohi knew about his canine cousins, they didn't typically work together in groups of more than three, let alone living in clans. He would have asked, but his fear of offending her was a little higher now that he knew she was a part of such a band. Nonetheless, he would have liked to ask someone about what motivated them to live together and, presumably, work in tandem with one another. A wolf was called to other wolves, but a coyote... He supposed only a coyote could understand a coyote.
My tribe recently moved in to the area. We're following our chief to find a new home. He didn't much want to tell of his connection to Ayegali, nor did he intend to reveal the circumstances of their move, unless it was the most peaceful way of doing things. In that case, he would have no qualms about either, but he was quite certain that she wasn't about to ask him whether the chief was his sister or whether they had left due to war. Specifics were mandatory; otherwise, the questions weren't very pertinent, nor relevant, to this meeting.
Is Inferni stable? He just had to know. [/html]
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