09-07-2008, 04:44 PM
[html]mall-caps;color:#880000;font-family:verdana;font-size:10px;">seven for a secret, never to be told
According to Gabriel he wasn't supposed to be hanging around Esper Hollow, but Samael was never one to be a good little boy. Apparently, these creatures were infected with some sort of sickness, but there was an intriguing factor that led the coyote to wander toward a pack he'd otherwise hold no interest in. Supposedly, it was a clan composed of both wolves and coyotes, led by a pair of coyotes. Wolves willingly submitting themselves to the authority of their "lesser" brethren? And coyotes willing to live amongst these beasts? He had to see it for himself. It went against everything in his nature and everything he'd been conditioned for.
Dawn was breaking, daylight hidden by the clouds that threatened another downpour. Lightning flashed on the distant horizon, thunder rumbling softly in the distance. The forest was veiled in early morning mist—pale plumes spiraling around the coyote and masking him as he lurked, traveling silently through the darkness. His nose told him half of the story, smelling both species on the borders, but this was not quite enough to satisfy the prince. And so he moved with liquid, serpentine motions along the borders, eyes vivid and alive in the half-light.[/html]
According to Gabriel he wasn't supposed to be hanging around Esper Hollow, but Samael was never one to be a good little boy. Apparently, these creatures were infected with some sort of sickness, but there was an intriguing factor that led the coyote to wander toward a pack he'd otherwise hold no interest in. Supposedly, it was a clan composed of both wolves and coyotes, led by a pair of coyotes. Wolves willingly submitting themselves to the authority of their "lesser" brethren? And coyotes willing to live amongst these beasts? He had to see it for himself. It went against everything in his nature and everything he'd been conditioned for.
Dawn was breaking, daylight hidden by the clouds that threatened another downpour. Lightning flashed on the distant horizon, thunder rumbling softly in the distance. The forest was veiled in early morning mist—pale plumes spiraling around the coyote and masking him as he lurked, traveling silently through the darkness. His nose told him half of the story, smelling both species on the borders, but this was not quite enough to satisfy the prince. And so he moved with liquid, serpentine motions along the borders, eyes vivid and alive in the half-light.[/html]
09-08-2008, 12:21 AM
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_____It was exceeding strange for him to be awake before the sun, but given the things that had been going on, Laurel hadn't been able to sleep for a change. He had been keeping a close watch on Nikita and for the same reason, he had foregone a few nights of not drinking himself into a comatose state. Well, calling it a comatose state probably wasn't the right way to look at it, considering that he still managed to wake up and function like a normal soul should have. He still managed to get up, act normal, think normal, talk normal, so on and so forth, but when it was time to settle down and sleep like a normal person, well…
_____A log popped on the fire in front of him and rather dully, Laurel let out a sigh. He knew that the birds should have been singing their little hearts out, but it was the threat of the thunder and the rain overhead that had put a kink in the hosiery for the morning. Finally fed up with sitting there and partially convinced that his cohort would be sleeping in, he decided to rise up and break away from the humdrum quiet of the camp site. Away from the warmth of the fire, he became distinctly aware of how cool the morning was, how much thicker the fog became in the low lighting. It was like walking in a stupor; a dream, even.
_____But out by the borders, things were a different story. Traffic had slowed considerably since word that they had housing the ill and the only smells that he picked out from the damp air were the ones that came in and out constantly. Yet only a few minutes after, as he leaned against a tree to make a jagged silhouette, Laurel became equally aware that he wasn't alone. Somewhere out in the thick tangle of brush and forest someone else was coming through. Quiet steps, but not silent; the area was much too thick to travel without sound. He didn't know if it was someone nosing around the borders or just an animal carrying out it's normal ritual, but he didn't have anything better to do but stand there.
_____So… he waited.
_____It was exceeding strange for him to be awake before the sun, but given the things that had been going on, Laurel hadn't been able to sleep for a change. He had been keeping a close watch on Nikita and for the same reason, he had foregone a few nights of not drinking himself into a comatose state. Well, calling it a comatose state probably wasn't the right way to look at it, considering that he still managed to wake up and function like a normal soul should have. He still managed to get up, act normal, think normal, talk normal, so on and so forth, but when it was time to settle down and sleep like a normal person, well…
_____A log popped on the fire in front of him and rather dully, Laurel let out a sigh. He knew that the birds should have been singing their little hearts out, but it was the threat of the thunder and the rain overhead that had put a kink in the hosiery for the morning. Finally fed up with sitting there and partially convinced that his cohort would be sleeping in, he decided to rise up and break away from the humdrum quiet of the camp site. Away from the warmth of the fire, he became distinctly aware of how cool the morning was, how much thicker the fog became in the low lighting. It was like walking in a stupor; a dream, even.
_____But out by the borders, things were a different story. Traffic had slowed considerably since word that they had housing the ill and the only smells that he picked out from the damp air were the ones that came in and out constantly. Yet only a few minutes after, as he leaned against a tree to make a jagged silhouette, Laurel became equally aware that he wasn't alone. Somewhere out in the thick tangle of brush and forest someone else was coming through. Quiet steps, but not silent; the area was much too thick to travel without sound. He didn't know if it was someone nosing around the borders or just an animal carrying out it's normal ritual, but he didn't have anything better to do but stand there.
_____So… he waited.
09-08-2008, 10:46 AM
[html]mall-caps;color:#880000;font-family:verdana;font-size:10px;">seven for a secret, never to be told
There was something, or someone ahead in the shadows. Mingled in with the rainsoaked, morning air was a scent that smelled fresh and alive—and very close by. Movements slow and precise, stepping carefully to try and deaden the sound of his footfall, Samael slunk toward the creature he sensed. It was a coyote for sure—one of the beings that chose willingly live with wolves? Or perhaps even one of the strange leaders he'd heard about. He paused, eventually finding the male standing beside a tree. Gaze looked him up and down, taking in his bizarre appearance and peculiar choice of attire.
"Who are you?" he demanded quietly, tone neutral as it broke through the otherwise quiet morning. His own pose wasn't threatening, but rather laid back and apathetic as he regarded the stranger. Vaguely, he was trespassing by standing on the borders here, but his curiosity was yet to be sated, and he wanted to know what was going on here in this patch of forest. Wolves hated coyotes, and coyotes hated wolves. How could they live together peacefully? Most of Inferni's members were comprised of hybrids and such, but that didn't mean the two species intermingled willingly. They chose one path or the other: to be a wolf, or a coyote. They couldn't be both. Both worlds didn't coincide. It just didn't happen.[/html]
There was something, or someone ahead in the shadows. Mingled in with the rainsoaked, morning air was a scent that smelled fresh and alive—and very close by. Movements slow and precise, stepping carefully to try and deaden the sound of his footfall, Samael slunk toward the creature he sensed. It was a coyote for sure—one of the beings that chose willingly live with wolves? Or perhaps even one of the strange leaders he'd heard about. He paused, eventually finding the male standing beside a tree. Gaze looked him up and down, taking in his bizarre appearance and peculiar choice of attire.
"Who are you?" he demanded quietly, tone neutral as it broke through the otherwise quiet morning. His own pose wasn't threatening, but rather laid back and apathetic as he regarded the stranger. Vaguely, he was trespassing by standing on the borders here, but his curiosity was yet to be sated, and he wanted to know what was going on here in this patch of forest. Wolves hated coyotes, and coyotes hated wolves. How could they live together peacefully? Most of Inferni's members were comprised of hybrids and such, but that didn't mean the two species intermingled willingly. They chose one path or the other: to be a wolf, or a coyote. They couldn't be both. Both worlds didn't coincide. It just didn't happen.[/html]
09-08-2008, 01:11 PM
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_____Sure enough, out of the mist and the fog came the spindly figure of a coyote that Laurel didn't have to do any guesswork. He had familiarised himself with the smell of Inferni quickly and given that one of their own made up the two or three folks that were tending the ill, it wasn't a hard smell to remember. He had met Gabriel and Anselm and now it seemed like the general curiosity had trickled down the line to their members. “I'd have to ask the same of you,” Laurel returned first with the ghost of a smile. “I'm Laurel.” He didn't see any reason why not to give the coyote his name, anyway.
_____“What brings you out to this neck of the woods so early?” Other than the whole scepticism that no doubt surrounded what they were made up of, maybe the illness, or maybe it was just by chance that he had ended up there. Then again, he may not have known where he really was either, given how ill-kept their borders really were, but he doubted that just as easily as he considered it. With another grumble of thunder to shake the ground beneath their feet, he could hear the tall trees above them swing in the gale; little doubt that the weather was going to pick up and go south.
_____Sure enough, out of the mist and the fog came the spindly figure of a coyote that Laurel didn't have to do any guesswork. He had familiarised himself with the smell of Inferni quickly and given that one of their own made up the two or three folks that were tending the ill, it wasn't a hard smell to remember. He had met Gabriel and Anselm and now it seemed like the general curiosity had trickled down the line to their members. “I'd have to ask the same of you,” Laurel returned first with the ghost of a smile. “I'm Laurel.” He didn't see any reason why not to give the coyote his name, anyway.
_____“What brings you out to this neck of the woods so early?” Other than the whole scepticism that no doubt surrounded what they were made up of, maybe the illness, or maybe it was just by chance that he had ended up there. Then again, he may not have known where he really was either, given how ill-kept their borders really were, but he doubted that just as easily as he considered it. With another grumble of thunder to shake the ground beneath their feet, he could hear the tall trees above them swing in the gale; little doubt that the weather was going to pick up and go south.
09-09-2008, 02:02 PM
[html]mall-caps;color:#880000;font-family:verdana;font-size:10px;">seven for a secret, never to be told
Laurel was the stranger's name. Samael remained quiet, giving no sign or recognition he'd even heard the other speak, but just watched him as though waiting for something to happen—regarding him with the note of vague curiosity that had drawn him all this way to the borders of this pack. "Curiosity," he said, giving the honest reason for his visit. "Is it true," he asked, voice flat and emotionless, "that this pack is made up of both coyotes and wolves?" A note of disgust had crept into his last word, crossing the prince's face for the briefest of moments. "That wolves actually bow their heads to coyotes?" A peculiar phenomenon and an unbelievable spectacle, Samael had to see it to believe it. It went against nature. Wolves killed coyotes for prey and amusement, and coyotes killed wolves in revenge for their fallen brethren. It was the cycle of life and the way things were meant to be.[/html]
Laurel was the stranger's name. Samael remained quiet, giving no sign or recognition he'd even heard the other speak, but just watched him as though waiting for something to happen—regarding him with the note of vague curiosity that had drawn him all this way to the borders of this pack. "Curiosity," he said, giving the honest reason for his visit. "Is it true," he asked, voice flat and emotionless, "that this pack is made up of both coyotes and wolves?" A note of disgust had crept into his last word, crossing the prince's face for the briefest of moments. "That wolves actually bow their heads to coyotes?" A peculiar phenomenon and an unbelievable spectacle, Samael had to see it to believe it. It went against nature. Wolves killed coyotes for prey and amusement, and coyotes killed wolves in revenge for their fallen brethren. It was the cycle of life and the way things were meant to be.[/html]
09-09-2008, 04:39 PM
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_____No return name, no surprise. At least Laurel knew where he was from and even if he hadn't, the way the coyote spoke told him volumes about why Inferni was better known for having a distaste of wolves. Bigotry was something that he had faced many times, but his lack thereof occasionally baffled those when he didn't fight back. Laurel simply had better things to place his stock into it, better ways to waste his breath and frankly, they all came from the same family tree somewhere anyway. Still, the younger man drew a smile to his face and he shook his head.
_____“Well, you have some of your facts right, I guess I can give you that much,” even though he wasn't technically giving him anything more or less than he had given to the last half dozen folks that had made racket over their differences. “I don't consider us a pack because we're a bunch of gypsies. We're equals here, wolf, coyote, dog, what you are don't matter.” Though when it boiled down to it, he knew that all of them either looked to him or Nikita as the leaders. They were the two who had come along and they were the two who had settled right where they were standing.
_____“So no one bows their head to anyone around here.”
_____No return name, no surprise. At least Laurel knew where he was from and even if he hadn't, the way the coyote spoke told him volumes about why Inferni was better known for having a distaste of wolves. Bigotry was something that he had faced many times, but his lack thereof occasionally baffled those when he didn't fight back. Laurel simply had better things to place his stock into it, better ways to waste his breath and frankly, they all came from the same family tree somewhere anyway. Still, the younger man drew a smile to his face and he shook his head.
_____“Well, you have some of your facts right, I guess I can give you that much,” even though he wasn't technically giving him anything more or less than he had given to the last half dozen folks that had made racket over their differences. “I don't consider us a pack because we're a bunch of gypsies. We're equals here, wolf, coyote, dog, what you are don't matter.” Though when it boiled down to it, he knew that all of them either looked to him or Nikita as the leaders. They were the two who had come along and they were the two who had settled right where they were standing.
_____“So no one bows their head to anyone around here.”
09-10-2008, 08:50 AM
[html]mall-caps;color:#880000;font-family:verdana;font-size:10px;">seven for a secret, never to be told
A pack without a hierarchy and a motley group of vagabonds believing themselves to all be equals—that's what it appeared Esper Hollow was, thus far. He'd never seen the likes of such in his life. "Strange," he said, voicing his opinion to the other coyote. "But to each his own, I guess." Samael would never live with wolves—he'd prefer to see them all destroyed like the savage, worthless scum they were. Wolves and coyotes were not equals, and could never be. This was how Samael saw it. He was a biased, prejudiced creature and could only blame it on his upbringing. He had been trained to be a wolf-killer, and that was who he was. Kaena had ensured her second-to-last litter was instilled with such a mindless hatred nothing could ever waver their beliefs.
Samael had found what he had come to see, and gave one last look to the bizarre coyote before turning his back and vanishing into the brush without another word. The only sign of his departure was the faint crackle of twigs and leaves beneath his paws as he loped away.[/html]
A pack without a hierarchy and a motley group of vagabonds believing themselves to all be equals—that's what it appeared Esper Hollow was, thus far. He'd never seen the likes of such in his life. "Strange," he said, voicing his opinion to the other coyote. "But to each his own, I guess." Samael would never live with wolves—he'd prefer to see them all destroyed like the savage, worthless scum they were. Wolves and coyotes were not equals, and could never be. This was how Samael saw it. He was a biased, prejudiced creature and could only blame it on his upbringing. He had been trained to be a wolf-killer, and that was who he was. Kaena had ensured her second-to-last litter was instilled with such a mindless hatred nothing could ever waver their beliefs.
Samael had found what he had come to see, and gave one last look to the bizarre coyote before turning his back and vanishing into the brush without another word. The only sign of his departure was the faint crackle of twigs and leaves beneath his paws as he loped away.[/html]