[html] cake
'cause all i ever had,
cakeThe energy was returning to him, and the instinct was as strong as ever. Bane was patient. He didn't mind biding his time, for the results he was looking to get here. The cougar had been nothing but a minor setback. But a week of self-medicating under the pine needles had left him slightly restless, and he expended this energy by walking, a balancing-stick or cane of sorts in his hand, mindful of the healing leg.
cakeIt was high noon in the forest and the black wolf wore an empty canteen on his hip, the wrist-string wrapped around his belt. His quest was easy, his goal just as simple: find water. he could deal with eating nothing but rabbit for the next week, as he had for the past week as well, but water was a tougher issue. As the trees thinned out, Bane lifted his nose to the air and breathed in. He kept his eyes on the mountains, recognizing and remembering. His nose found something familiar as well, in the freshwater streams he didn't know were there.
cakeAs he neared the network of caves, the ground grew rocky and uneven. The grassy hills were left behind. The survival skills Bane had learned over the years could have provided for him. However, there was a deeper purpose to his quest, something he hadn't admitted to anyone he had yet met for a latent fear of thieves; his hiking pack was, assuming the best, still out there. Bane needed it. And so he continued, careful, leaning on his makeshift cane to relieve the pressure on broken bone.
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It was cold, but not any colder than she had remembered it being. Corona still didn't care much for being out in the cold weather, but mostly because her winter coat was more of a joke than totally useful for her. She really hadn't gone too far east of Inferni before the soles of her feet had gone numb and the tips of her fingers ached, but she persisted. Getting away, getting out, whatever it was that she was doing, it was a change of pace. Just like Ahren had said, Esper Hollow had turned to shambles, but she supposed that was to be expected. Travellers made poor leaders to begin with.
As for the peculiar place that she found herself in, save for the ferns that were randomly grouped and placed, it wasn't anything different than she had seen before. Foothills, trees, it was reminiscent of places she had seen a hundred times before. What was of course, the thing that grasped her attention as she meandered quietly down a snowy path towards the caverns was a dark-haired fellow with a cane. Nothing about him was familiar, at least from the backside.
There were plenty of ones like him, not in the injured sense, but ones that didn't have a pack to go home to and for the most part lived like hermits. Her father and Laruku were fine examples of that. Intrigued by him as he hobbled along, she slowed her approach as she neared him. “This is certainly a tricky place to be wandering around with a bad leg,” she commented, “unless this place is the reason why you need a crutch.”
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[html]  cake
i'm just a boat on the ocean
cakeTypical of himself, the black wolf felt her before he smelled her, smelled her before he heard her, and heard her before he saw her. The latter was namely because he didn't look; all senses were better than his eyesight, especially the sixth sense the mad prophet had identified. While clearer from a distance, it was still far from perfect. He needed his glasses; they served as a talisman for him, much like the butterfly knife he kept tucked away in the folds of the black band around his wrist, the one that blended with his dark fur. The man was glad he had held onto at least that, the night he had been attacked in the rain.
cakeThis place seemed more disorganized and casual than other places the doctor had been, and he was glad for it. There was no threat here. No potential assassin would smell like the halfling he had met the other day, unless it were a killer without a purpose. Bane had hidden himself well. Turning, he eyed the golden female placidly, smiling at her words. Another halfling. Three out of four he had met so far. He knew now his history was to remain buried, for the time being.
cakeAs he spoke he slowed down, but never fully stopped. Daylight this time of year didn't last forever. "I'm on a quest, my lady. An epic tale of danger and daring awaits me on the horizon." As the black wolf spoke the last words, he chuckled to himself. Ultimately, he knew he was an addict. Ultimately, it was what drove him. "Actually, I've left something back here, at the foot of a cliff. A cripple like me might take some time to reach it. Care to keep me company, if you've no other plans?"
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hurr durr durr i am usually not this slow. :| my apologies.
[html] let the dogs bite at your ankles
He was tall and rightfully so, given his pedigree. Wolves were larger than coyotes and as it were, Corona had inherited the short end of the stick out of her litter mates. It seemed a bit of a shame in her eyes that he was crippled, but it seemed like he managed well enough. They all managed well enough if they were given the right tools. “I never have plans,” she said, although it was untrue. She had plans, just not that day. Or the next. Perhaps never, who really knew. “So I don't see why not.”
Corona could settle for an epic tale of danger, even if it involved retrieving something off of a cliff. There was no telling what could happen to them ten feet to the right or the left or half a mile down the road. It could very well turn into that epic tale of danger. “I'm Corona,” she offered after eyeing his bad leg for a moment, levelling out her gaze with his. Though she was half-tempted to jump into a questionnaire about how he had broken his leg, she saved it, feeling uneasy about how he could have busted it up.
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[html] cakeI WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU.
i'm just a boat on the ocean
cakeThe strangers here were so friendly! Back home, Bane had been treated with some reverence, after he had worked to earn it, of course. Upon his arrival, he had been largely ignored, and in fact looked down on for the reason he had been sent. Now, here, he was a complete stranger, and he was easily finding company among the drab trees of the Dampwoods. This was making it easier for the dark wolf to believe his father's stories of his mother's kindness and patience. The way cultures varied around the world was intriguing.
cakeIn the meantime, something itched inside Bane's head, and he had a feeling he knew why.
cakeThe halfling lady's reply was blunt and he liked it. He smiled at her as she caught up, becoming more blurred with each step. Corona of Inferni. He could smell it on her, an anchor that identified her and what she belonged to. "I'm Bane. A pleasure to meet you, Miss Corona." The formalities were entirely necessary. The upbringing he had been given in his later years of childhood had imprinted this on him. It was still strange to the dark wolf to refrain from giving out his surname, or to have a stranger know him, and vice-versa, on a first-name basis; it felt almost rude. But this wasn't the first time this had happened here, and he would have to adjust. Just do as the natives do, and everything else would come easy.
cake"A cougar," was his simple explanation to her brief glance at his leg, wrapped tightly in the splint. "I think I may have inadvertently invaded her territory. Needless to say, she didn't appreciate it." He continued to move as he spoke, and his tone was calm and genial. Inside his head, he could hear the silence, and he felt the instinct stirring.
cakeHe really was quite glad she had joined him.
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That's okay because I don't forgive myself either. So now I give you a late and a short post. I also desire to kill stress and my internet because neither one are cooperating. ._.
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“Cougar…” she repeated, recalling up the fleet-footed, strong felines that often prowled about in places she had been. “You don't see too many of those around, but then again I've never gone looking for them. Did it happen around here?” If it did, then perhaps a little hunting would be in order. It was still a kill or be killed world and just like an angry territorial cougar could take down a full grown man, it could take down a full grown werewolf in the same regard. Things hadn't changed that much anyway; bears, cougars, the same things that had more than likely plagued them decades and centuries ago were still a problem.
But perhaps that was the whole story behind the danger on the horizon, for all she knew.
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[html] http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/ ... blebg3.png);background-repeat:no-repeat;background-position:bottom">SWAYING TO THE RHYTHM
OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER
cake"Straight ahead," was the black wolf's oddly cheerful reply, and he pointed towards a rocky cliff in the near distance as he spoke. In his mind the fireworks had been set off; this he had expected, and he ignored it with ease. His walk, however, continued to carry him forward with less ease; despite the broken leg, he was eager to reach his bag and get his supplies, and the pills he needed to keep himself numb enough. At the same time, he wanted to continue speaking with this lady halfling. Corona the Golden with her rather striking blue eyes, brighter than his own. The instinct reared, a roaring dragon behind his eyes.
cake"She should still be there, in fact." Bane added in a mild tone, his mind flashing over the image of the impaled animal. He had been unlucky -- she had been even more so. The cliff was nearing; his hobble was almost as fast as his normal walk. Was he getting used to this? "You're from Inferni," the dark wolf stated rather suddenly, although his voice didn't come across as any less cheerful. "I met a member of Inferni the other day." Idle conversation, that perhaps meant more to him than it should have.
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*insert excuse again*
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So it had happened around there. That was enough to send a flicker of grim thoughts through her and if Bane said that she was still there, then chances were that she was no longer alive, but she had gathered that from his tone. But that was fine with her, dead, dying, or alive, as long as it didn't bother them. Just as she was about to open her mouth and ask him if the approaching cliff was indeed the one he spoke of, he pointed out that she was from Inferni. That he had met someone else from Inferni. So instead of the question leaping from her tongue, it was an affirmation instead.
“Yeah, I live there,” and it came out plainly, just to move things along. “Who did you meet? Some in Inferni aren't the meet-and-greet types.” Obviously whoever he met either didn't mind him, found him interesting enough, or wasn't anyone that would have liked to take advantage of his injured state and put him out of his misery. Lucky him. “And is this the spot up here?” she went on to ask, gesturing at the abrupt end their path was approaching.
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[html] http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/ ... blebg3.png);background-repeat:no-repeat;background-position:bottom">SWAYING TO THE RHYTHM
OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER
cake"Gabriel." Again, cheerful, and he was smiling as he said it. "He was an interesting fellow. How do you like it there?" Thoughts of his story and of the instinct filtered through his mind as he carefully made his way over a cluster of rocks, and he only barely managed to conceal his interest. Some may have gotten frusturated at the broken leg for the lack of mobility; Bane tended to take things in stride. Fate had a plan for them all, and his job here was to learn what that plan was. He felt the glowing in his skull as he looked back at her, blurry as she was. She spoke, he listened. A lady deserved a man's ear when she cared to speak.
cake"It is," he agreed, and in the distance he saw the cliff, and amongst the rocks he saw what he was searching for. The instinct shrieked at him and his blood joined the fray. His pills would be in there, intact. If he were lucky, his glasses would be intact, as well. "Well, this is good news. I'm half-blind, you see, and my glasses are in that bag. It's been quite the hassle surviving without them, Miss Corona." The smile stayed on his face as he finished speaking, and the bag neared quickly enough with the effort he put into walking. Within moments it was at his feet, and he balanced precariously on some rocks. Reaching down, he moved it and unzipped the right pocket, and as usual, found that Lady Luck walked with him. Pulling the glasses from the case, Bane's smile widened faintly. "How lucky I am," he murmured quietly to himself, cleaning them on his cutoff jeans to prepare to put them on. It would be nice to have a face to remember alongside Corona's name, rather than just the pleasant golden yellow of her fur.
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“I like it well enough. It's a home, anyway,” she said, nice to know that he had found Gabriel charming enough. “Gabriel is my brother and most of our family live in Inferni. So I suppose you could even say that it's quite nice.” Or at least, it was as nice and comforting as their supposed clan of would-be wolf murderers were. Sometimes she wondered just what her mother would have thought if she could have been with them. Would she have been disgusted in them? Proud? Or maybe, she decided to go with, trying to think about it was pointless. She'd never know. Her steps slowed a bit as Bane's attention settled on his pack, though she lingered behind him as he rummaged around for what it was that he looked for.
Of course, it did come as a bit of an amusing note to know that he was half-blind — he really had been stumbling around at any rate. His murmur faintly caught her ears and she curtailed the distance that had turned up between them, peering curiously at him as he slipped them on. “I'd say you're quite lucky, especially if you need them that badly.” If they had been broken, who knew how long it would have taken him to find another pair that would have worked. Moreover, ones that could be settled right on his face without being too small or too awkward. Smiling thinly, she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Everything good and in focus?”
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[html] http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/ ... blebg3.png);background-repeat:no-repeat;background-position:bottom">SWAYING TO THE RHYTHM
OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER
cakeWith his ears alert, the dark wolf listened to her words about Inferni and home. A family clan; it sounded very traditional. He nodded in interest as he knelt down, feeling a short stab of pain in his leg as he pulled it the wrong way. Carefully, he adjusted, and unzipped the top part of his bag. He kept an eye on the golden lady as he did do. It was quite nice being able to see her as she spoke, and he felt glad for having found his glasses. He was quite lucky; she had no idea. They had been specially made for him in a place he wasn't exactly permitted to go any longer. If they broke, he would be at a great disadvantage for who knew how long.
cake"Yes," Bane replied to her query pleasantly, smiling as he fished around in his bag. Quickly his fingers found what he was looking for, and he pulled a nondescript bottle out, his satisfaction obviously great as he looked down at it. It had no labels, no name, nothing on it anywhere, yet it was filled halfway with pills. His mind suddenly felt more grounded than it had in the past week. Call him crazy, but he swore he could hear the instinct clearer, too, now that he had his glasses. Still holding the bottle, the blue-eyed wolf looked up at the halfling who stood with him. "Miss Corona," he mused calmly, a curious look in his eyes, "do you believe in Fate?"
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This post sucks majorly, I apologise. :\
[html] She watched his actions carefully, finding them focused and steady. Hands of someone who certainly had a trade, though she hadn't decided just what. Careful hands were only privy to a few things, some good, some bad. Deviating her eyes from his pill bottle to his face as he curiously mused aloud, his expression drew out her honesty. “I don't know. I'm not sure what I believe in. Why do you ask?” It was more like her father and her brother, she supposed, to have something to believe in. Voices, God, Fate, whatever. What she believed in was a lot like the schism internally: was she more of a wolf, or more of a coyote? [/html]
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cakeHer answer was uncertain but honest. Standing up, Bane leaned precariously on his good leg as he opened the bottle. Before he replied, he shook two pills out into his hand and swallowed them. He did this deftly and without hesitation, easily enough to show he had been doing it for some time. He was practiced. Some would say this was a bad thing.
cake"Curiosity," Bane replied idly, glancing back at his bag as he tossed the pill bottle back on top of it. Somewhere above them was a dead cougar and his swords, the weapons that had killed it. "I believe we were all meant to be a part of something, whether great or small. For instance, we were meant to meet, you and I. Whether or not it's relevant, however, isn't for us to know, at least not yet. Most seem to think I'm crazy for thinking such things," he added with a ghost of a smile, his eyes piercing as he looked at her. He felt it here too, with Corona, just like he had with Gabriel, no stronger, no weaker. Some big part of him still doubted what he'd been told, but he needed the truth. As time went on, he would believe it more and more. In the meantime, he would take his bag back to the woods and wait in patience until his leg healed.
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[html] She liked that way of thinking, to believe that they were apart of something great. Or even to be apart of something small that was apart of something much bigger left anyone with a sense of accomplishment. They played their parts, they acted a scene, they did what they had to do with the tools they were given to work with. “Well, for what it's worth, I've sure I've met crazier,” she mentioned with a laugh, “but I honestly don't think that's a crazy thought at all.” Maybe it was just from hearing Gabriel talk about what he believed in that made her feel that way, but she had often wanted something more to believe in.
“Prediction has never been our thing anyway, otherwise I think we would have broken the cycles that we seemingly live in.” She tilted her head a little to the side. “Though I wonder what Fate has in store for you next,” she mused, “because you've certainly been through a lot already.” They could never know how the world would end or how they would certainly end, but science had taught her that they would forever be a continuous cycle of matter. They'd never be gone physically because their bodies would become the matter of something else, from plant to food to whatever. The only thing that would technically be gone would be the life that they had lived, which to her always seemed so empty. So final. [/html]
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cakeMost who accepted his theories without question were lacking in intelligence, enough so to be unable to come up with a thoughtful response; Bane could tell this wasn't the case with the golden lady, and he found himself appreciating her open mind as she spoke, and he smiled genially in response. There were so few who believed what he did that he often felt like he was alone on the road he walked, but every so often he would look to the side and find a stranger there, walking as well. It was odd to think that she was a halfling. Thoughts of the Land of the Midnight Sun hadn't left him, and wouldn't for months, years, possibly never. There Bane would have killed first and asked questions later. Today the instinct, so very alive now, told him this would be wrong. What a strange world they lived in.
cake"The future isn't ours to know," he commented idly, in agreement with her words. These things that happened, these cycles, were kept from them for the very reason she said. "I wonder, Miss Corona, for you as well," and he was smiling as he said this. Reaching down, he zipped up the hiking bag and slung it over his shoulders. "I imagine you've also seen your fair share of what life has to offer. I do believe, however, that after today, we will see each other again. At least, I'd like to."
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*watches focus for the day go out the window* D:
[html] She had certainly seen plenty of what life had to offer. A considerable chunk of her life had been spent travelling and exploring the world that she had come to read of. She had seen the cities and their inhabitants, she had heard the languages that she both understood and did not. But wanderlust for the most part had gotten out of her system slowly but surely. She had given it up to be there for the family that still remained, even if in a matter of time yet another patriarch in that long line would be gone. “I certainly hope we do cross paths again,” she said, rather taken with how intriguing he was. Corona couldn't help but wonder what his story was, even though she did not realise or know how easily it interwove with many of the others that had come to live on one side of the mountains and the charred, fragmented other. [/html]
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cake -pets koof- lol 3 ½ month thread. XD
cakeBag heavy on his back, leg balanced delicately on the rocks, Bane smiled at the golden hybrid, as cheerful as he had been since the first moment she had awoken the instinct, before he had even seen her. "We will," he replied, as if he were commenting on the weather. He knew this, suddenly, he knew it had been foretold and he had somehow been deemed worthy enough to be blessed with this knowledge. And when it happened, he would maybe know more than just that. But for now, he would focus on finding a way to survive the long winter ahead. Content with this, he nodded a farewell to the lady and turned to find his way back to the place in the woods where he had set up camp.
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