your true strength sleeps behind your eyes
#1
The waste.[html]

we prey as wolves among the sheep
and slit the necks of soldiers while they sleep


This beach was probably one of the ugliest, yet just down about twenty miles or so along the shore, Apollo wanted to create that outlaw hideaway that he and DaVinci had talked about only a few months ago. It was strange to be here, but he still didn’t necessarily consider it home. Instead, Apollo felt mostly like a nomadic rogue, wandering where ever he pleased, whenever he wanted. It would be nice, however, to see some old faces again. He knew Sirius wasn’t around, but he had already bumped into his old puppy-crush, Savina. The next person he hoped to find was DaVinci, eager that he would still be interested in the plan they had conspired.



He dropped his backpack onto the ground, swiping the jagged hair that hung in front of his eccentrically colored gaze. Eyeing the shoreline, Apollo watched as the waves lapped lazily onto the dirty sand. It was too cold to go swimming now, but he would be glad when the warmer months came around again so that he could go for a swim.

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#2
Iskata had been slowly moving across the lands to see just where the packs had settled and who had disappeared in the night. She'd come to one of the few places she'd rarely roamed, skirting the lands of Inferni as she stepped on silky silvery paws across the deserted sands. There was a harsh wind blowing across the bay as she could feel the freezing nip that was threatening to bring snow on the trail that howled. She flicked her ears back to keep the sands from finding their way along with the cold to the pink flesh within as she closed her eyes and waited for the winds to die off.

She sat down on the edge of a sanddune and watched the shore as the waters beat grey against the shore. The silvery woman hadn't seem the younger generation of her adopted family in a while, she actually hadn't seen quite a few of her family members in a bit and so, besides keeping tabs on the neighbors she'd decided to play seek and find with the Sadira clan.. before the long winter months came calling.
#3
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we prey as wolves among the sheep
and slit the necks of soldiers while they sleep


His lip turned up in a scowl as the bitter wind knocked into his frame. This would be his first winter and already it wasn’t getting off to a good start. It was lucky that much snow hadn’t come yet, but anyone could tell it was right on the horizon. When that time came, Apollo would be lost like a ghost in the white winter wonderland. For now, he still stuck out like a sore thumb against the dying, brown vegetation.



He turned away from the shore, letting the wind hit his back and sides, instead of his face. When he did, he saw Iskata not too far off in the distance. Many of the faces had begun to grow fuzzy from his childhood here and he couldn’t place a name. Did he even know who this was? He raised a hand, a few fingers wavering in the air in greeting.


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#4
The brilliant flash of white as something moved along the shoreline brought her head up from watching the waves as she narrowed her eyes, scanning and finding the owner of the ivory eyesore. The frame of a young wolf caught her eye as she noticed that he was giving a slight wave to her. She removed herself from the duneside and moved towards the male, soon enough realizing just who it was she was seeing. It had been way too long since she'd seen the ovory pelted boy but those eyes remained etched in her mind as she gave a soft wag of her tail, her pace quickening as she called in question, "Apollo?" just to make certain.

She knew that the Shaman of Phoenix Valley would be thrilled to know her grandson was still about the lands, they'd both come to think that the children had set off on their own and like most of their blood had set to roam the lands without heed to those they left behind. Her breath catching, the cold brisk air burning in her lungs as she tried to smile at the male as the distance deminished quickly between the two.
#5
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we prey as wolves among the sheep
and slit the necks of soldiers while they sleep


His features curled into a smirking frown as the wind caught the side of his face. If it would have decided to die down a bit, then the weather actually wouldn’t have been this horrible. Wind chills always made things so dismal. When the stranger said his name, he offered a smile, nodding, before calling, "Yes!" He still couldn’t place a name, and felt bad because of that, so he waited for Iskata to draw closer. Perhaps if he could see her face better, something would be triggered to send old memories cascading out of the back of his mind and in front of his eyes.

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#6
Iskata smiled as the male erased the doubts that had begun to plague her mind. She had found the lost boy who belonged to her extended family.. but she was beginning to think he had never been lost if he was standing right here before her. It took her too long to kill the distance between them, but as she came to a pause before him she grinned and asked as she flicked her bangs from her eyes. "Does anyone know you're home?" By home she meant back in the lands, but she figured he'd understand. She was glad to know the boy had made an appearance again, but she didn't even know for how long or if even a day. The Matriarch rubbed the cold from her arms as her eyes shown with excitement.

She had finally taken a moment to realize just how much Apollo looked like his father and suddenly she felt odd as old memories seemed to come crashing into the real world. Before she could even help herself she murmured. "You look more and more like your father everyday.." Her friendship with the boy's father had always been rocky and strange but somehow it had survived even beyond the pain she'd caused him so long ago. She flicked her eyes to the sea a moment as she knew if they could blush she'd be blushing right now.. she just hoped he could ignore her sudden blurt.
#7
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we prey as wolves among the sheep
and slit the necks of soldiers while they sleep


"Not really," he confessed, and he wasn’t really making it a point to go out and let everybody know. As far as he was concerned, he didn’t have many relations here. He had never really felt much connection with his father, brother, or anyone else. He had come back merely for the plan. And also, because he didn’t find what he wanted during his time away. "I saw Savina Marino, so she knows. But that’s all." He offered a thin smile, still trying to sort out her name. Why was he having such difficulty? He knew her face, he just couldn’t remember…



He offered a half laugh, feeling slightly embarrassed for the comparison. However, it was true. Aside from his eye color, Apollo’s build was fairly similar to Pilot’s. Even his face had begun to take on the same look. Perhaps the only big difference was that Apollo had built himself to have the frame of lithe fighter. Pilot wasn’t built for self defense at all. "I guess so," he offered, unsure of what else to reply with. "Has a lot changed since I’ve been gone?"

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#8
Iskata nodded at his confirmation that atleast someone from the pack knew. She knew that Naniko's second in command would probably let her leader know before long. By then though if Apollo was just wandering through he'd probably be gone and on his way. It wasn't really Iskata's business but the thought that the boy was back atleast male a smile stick. "Well, you probably picked the worse timed to return.." she was of course refering to the oncoming season that was already starting to show by nipping their sensative noses. Shaking her head as the wind blew once more she gave a disapproving face at the weather.

She realized that she probably shouldn't have compared the boy to his mother, she had raised enough kids to realize that they hated to be in the shadow of another but what else was she expected to say. She shook her head at the question he'd asked. "There's been too much that's changed since you've been gone. Esper Hollow disappeared, your old pack and your father's merged together..." She turned her face towards Inferni for a moment as she continued. "Inferni has been quiet and Dahlia de Mai as well. We're surviving in Phoenix Valley..." She smiled to herself as she rambled on. "My son and his children joined our ranks as well as Lucifer and a few others." She really didn't know what he wanted to know.. so she just gave him a bit on them all.
#9
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we prey as wolves among the sheep
and slit the necks of soldiers while they sleep


He nodded, studying her features. Suddenly, her name came to him and he felt stupid for having forgotten. "I see," was all he offered at the moment in response to the news of the area. He supposed he didn’t really care too much what was going on with the various packs, but it was at least good to know something. He figured it would be considerate for him to stop by Crimson Dreams and see his father, but he wasn’t sure how realistic that was just yet. He would make his way around ‘Souls, gauge things, and go from there, he supposed. "Which way is my father’s pack?" He asked, unaware that Crimson Dreams had settled relatively close to where Twilight Vale had once been. To see the mansion again… how weird it would all seem.

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#10
Iskata smiled as the boy seemed to be taking his time to digest it all. She could understand that it was a lot to be taking into at once but he seemed so distant.. she should have stopped thinking right there, she was of course comparing him to a tiny pup sh'ed barely had the time to really get to know while her pack was slowly growing. Instead she just smiled foolishly and stared at the boy before her, wondering if one day she'd stare at her young babes in the same manner when she turned around and they were grown right before her eyes.

The woman would have been lost in her daydreams still if he hadn't suddenly asked her a question. She flicked her ears back as she tried to pinpoint exactly where the pack had settled. "Crimson Dreams is what they go by now.. they're around the old lake.." She figured he'd understand what she meant, but suddenly she paused. "Apollo, I haven't seen your father.. in a long while." She hasn't seen him about the lands or in Crimson Dreams, not since about the time that Phoenix Valley had settled and she'd received some unsettling news. Pilot had said he'd watch over them.. and yet he'd disappeared like a ghost soon after.
#11
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we prey as wolves among the sheep
and slit the necks of soldiers while they sleep


He nodded, easily remembering Rabbit Lake from his childhood. At that young age, he and Sirius had been warned not to wander too close to the water’s edge. His mind began to flicker images of Twilight Vale’s old territory as if someone was placing slides into his brain. He could see the mansion, the fence, the lake. It all seemed so real, yet he knew it would become surreal when he laid eyes on them again. He almost didn’t catch what Iskata said, and had to pause for a moment to absorb it.



"Oh?" He questioned, not particularly worried. He had never really been that close to his father. It had always seemed to Apollo that Pilot was more interested in Sirius. He had his hunches about his brother, whom he now recognized to be some sort of hybrid. During his time away, he had met countless strangers and come to find out that it wouldn’t be possible for Sirius to look that way had he come directly from Pilot and Dierdre as Apollo himself had. "I’ll tell him to stop by," he suggested, unsure of what kind of response Iskata was looking for.

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#12
She felt like the boy didn't want her there but she had been so surprised at finding someone so far out and all alone that she wasn't exactly ready to just turn around and disappear just yet. She lowered her head as Apollo spoke up, assuring her that he'd send his father her way if he appeared. Iskata smiled slightly as she said with a soft sigh. "You don't have to.. but it'd be nice.." She really just wanted to make certain the silvery male was still around, that he hadn't gone off on some mad crusaide like her ex-mate had went off on. She just shook her head again and flicked her eyes back to the male at hand.

"Where have you been?" she asked suddenly, realizing that she'd asked him little or nothing as to why or how he'd disappeared.. instead had bombarded him with questions that had probably been uncomfortable to have pressed upon him. She raised her sun flecked blue orbs skyward as she realized that stormy looking winter clouds were beginning to move in upon them from across the mountains. Great, more snow, she thought before letting her eyes fall back to gazing at the male.
#13
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we prey as wolves among the sheep
and slit the necks of soldiers while they sleep


He nodded in response, unsure if he would come across Pilot at all. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go looking for his father – his mind was yo-yoing back and forth on that decision. Either way, he wasn’t going to let Iskata in on his thoughts. And so, with that nod, he made a silent promise that he wouldn’t feel bad about breaking. "Me?" He asked for a moment, almost surprised that she had directed their conversation in that direction. But, he supposed it was only natural considering he had run off without so much as a word. "Well, I didn’t go anywhere in particular. I’ve done a lot of traveling and training," he told her, hoping that was the kind of information she was looking for. "I wandered north for a while, but I decided I might as well come home." He used the term lightly.

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#14
She stood there watching the male as he spoke, she was of course interested in his travels, as she hadn't left in so long and there was still a wayward traveller trapped in her soul she'd had to quiet over the years. The flurries had begun to fall as she licked one that had stung her nose before something he said sparked as she shook her head to get the annoying flakes to disperse as she asked suddenly. "North? Wha'ts north?" She realized that sounded stupid as she suddenly went on. "Normally everyone travels from the South, or west.." she explained. She'd never heard of anyone having went northward and now he had her full attention, if he wanted it or not.

Iskata smiled at the male as she once more flicked snow flurries from her pelt. They weren't that big of a bother but she didn't want to return home with a damp coat and catch cold, or even bring anything of the likes into the cottage with her young pups. Her eyes turned off towards the grey bay as she moved on. "What sort of training?" The question was simple, but she wasn't certain if he'd actually give her much of an answer.. she was getting the hint more and more that the boy wanted left alone, like so many of their family seemed to want now.
#15
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we prey as wolves among the sheep
and slit the necks of soldiers while they sleep


"Nothing’s north," he told her with a light smirk. "I guess that’s why I came home," he added, knowing it was partially the reason. "Mostly just some other travelers, loners, what have you. I didn’t really come across any sort of packs," except for one, he reminded himself. "Uhh, mostly fighting skills, really. But also, I was taught how to wield knives." Had his backpack still been slung across his back, he would have removed his weapon to show her. Instead, he cast a glance towards the idle pack, able to picture the glistening blade in his mind. "And someone taught me how to play a piano." He wasn’t sure if Iskata was familiar with the instrument, but Apollo had been amazed the first time he came across one of those magnificent items.

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#16
She raised a brow at his answer to the northern region but she shouldn't have expected him to find much. She'd never heard of anyone leaving and seeking out anything north of their little secluded world here. The silver and gold woman nodded quietly as he continued on about his adventures, but while others had found reason to stay gone so long it seemed that Apollo hadn't found anything to keep him away from this strange world that was suppose to be home. "Atleast you're able to say you've been there and seen what there was to offer.." a slight smirk played on her lips as she continued. "Even if it was nothing at all." She shook her coat once more as she tried to rid the cold that kept on trying to get under her skin as she lifted her hindquarters from the ground and stretched out her long limbs.

She gazed back the way she'd come from as she admitted. "I've small ones to tend to and a pack to keep watch over.." she said as she sighed. There were other things she wished to do but she was a mother and leader first. Turning her head slightly as she began to move back towards the world she belonged to she said softly. "Perhaps oneday you can play for me Apollo.." She smiled as she nodded. "I'd like that.." It had been a long time since she'd heard anyone play, herself included, the violin left so far behind and gone in the fire.
#17
Close, yah?[html]

we prey as wolves among the sheep
and slit the necks of soldiers while they sleep


"Of course I will, if I can ever find one again," Apollo offered, smiling at the thought. Savina had spoken about an instrument that Jazper had, but he had yet to discover if it was a piano or not. If it was, he would undoubtedly try his hand at the songs he had been taught. "I’ll be sure to stop by Phoenix Valley sometime soon. I was offered a place to stay in Crimson Dreams until I settle down, but I’m thinking I might stay somewhere around here." Well, not so much the Waste, but he was thinking more of Drifter Bay. "Take care for now Iskata," moving to give her a departing hug. "I’m sure I’ll see you soon."

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#18
She smiled back as he promised to come if he could. She shook her head slightly as she laughed. "No silly, there's one at the farm house!" she exclaimed. Iskata hadn't been the one to find it but in the sittingroom of the old ranch home there had been under layers of dust and piles of books a piano. It still was there just sitting and waiting for someone to claim and make beautiful music upon it's ebony and ivory keys. Perhaps he would be the one to find the sweet music inside.

Iskata was more than surprised when the boy had hugged her, but she returned the gesture and sighed. "Take care too, Apollo. Just remember where you're family is if you need us.." she said with a smile. Turning to gaze towards Inferni for a moment she shook her head and stepped away out of the embrace. There was a brief pause as she wondered just where he was to stay out here but she didn't bother to ask, he'd done well enough alone this long and he'd fair the winds still. The cold wind didn't seem so blistering as she took the long route home, her mind thinking on the boy who'd left and returned. Like so many others before him and probably so many more to come.


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