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you know..
It had been many weeks since she had ventured far from home with no purpose. It wasn’t like the wolf she had become to idly wander away. It was like the wolf she had once been, but she was different now. There was nothing more pleasant then home. There was nothing more she could ever want. Her heart was truly there, planted within the soil deeper then any place ever before. But still she wandered, only because she needed to stretch the bonds that held her down, and only because she had been the one to place them around her neck.
No one had tied her more closely to the pack then herself. They would all live without her. It was a though she dreaded, but recognized. It was the truth, even if it was an unnecessary one. She knew she was loved, there was no doubt of that, but there was still the smallest voice inside that spoke of her worthlessness. Strong enough to smother the voice ninety percent of her waking hours, she was left with only the few moments that it screamed in her ear.
It pushed her to run, far from the things she loved. Because in the end they really didn’t need her. Love wasn’t need. Want wasn’t need. That was what they clung too, while she needed all of it to keep breathing. Instead of leaning on the crutch it all had become she fled, maybe to show herself that she didn’t truly need everything she thought she did. Into the dark dusk, with nothing but her lean frame and thick pelt she wandered until the landscape was unrecognizable.
Walking over ground that was still undecided she looked at her feet in amusement. In a time before her own the ground had been claimed by the earth, only to succumb to the power of man. But now, after their demise she returned to break the hard concrete and turn in back to the soft soil that would cushion the paws of every beast that traveled over it. She would never become used to the hard lines and cold colors that the city offered, but she sought challenge, not comfort. A forest of trees would have been a place of refuge, what she needed was the dark spaces and the voids that the streets provided.
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Enter the sandman Onus! >D
Night. Blackness. This was his element. This is when he was most comfortable. The filth of this world didn't sleep. He made sure of that fact. Even if they could drift into that state he would haunt their dreams. Though the slime of this place had yet to learn to fear him. He wondered if this place were as corrupt as some of the others he had been to. Only one way to find out. Onus dropped his pack in an nondescript building. That was always best. Places where no one thought to look. The night was cold. He buttoned up his trench coat completely and pulled his brown hat down over his face. It was time to investigate.
The city appeared to be more or less abandoned. Maybe the wrongs in this society weren't as bad as some. Cities grew crime. It was allowed to grow and fester in its dark places. Without an inhabited city, morals were more likely to overthrow sin. This thought brought a sort of bitter sweetness to his heart. However, if such was the case, he had no place here. His job was to rid the earth of the guilty criminals the scourged it.
Large ears flicked through their holes in his hat. Someone was approaching. He had reached the outskirts of the concrete cemetery. Unseen black eyes peered out to find his unexpected companion. A female. Wolf. There was an air of uneasiness about her. He stepped out into the street so that she could clearly see him. "You find no comfort in calm night?" His voice was a steady monotone. It always was.
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The street was too hard for her soft paws, and the wind too sharp for her bare back. She was used to the comfort of the wood, where her trees would break the wall of wind and keep her hidden from prying eyes. Instead she had chosen this place, to save her from the familiar. Dawn wasn’t to far off, or at least she hoped it would come soon. With the bones of the human’s city standing in her view, it was hard to tell. Instead she merely walked on, hoping to find what she was searching for.
A figure came into view, just another shadow among the bones. Blue eyes took a second look, but not quickly enough. He began to speak, his even voice cutting the wind and cold like a knife. It stopped her in her tracks, and the mere sight of him beaconed her forward. Knowing better then to trust just any yote scuttling across the sidewalk she stopped herself. Not in this city. And not in this type of night. She eyed him, sure he was nothing more, nothing better then all the other coyotes that hailed from Inferni, ready to purge the earth of all it’s innocents.
I figure you do. If he was here to hassle her he would have to work for it. She was once the type to give it when they wanted it, but now she had nothing to loose. Her crutch was gone, and it only made her stronger.
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Hmmm. Interesting reaction. She seemed to think him hostile. Or at least think him capable of such. Truth was that he was capable of being hostile. Oh, so very hostile. But not towards an innocent. Did she have something to hide? Or perhaps she thought she had to protect herself. Maybe this place wasn't so innocent after all. "You fear city?" Maybe the city had been inhabited and the hate and sin had already torn it apart. It wouldn't surprise him. He'd seen such things before. Fear was a powerful agent. One he knew well.
Onus made no move to walk closer to her. His intimidation was only used with a purpose. Maybe he could get information from her. Find out why she felt in such a way. "Why say that? You don't know me. Have no reason to dislike me." His tail hung limply at his back, only swaying when the wind moved it. He was more than aware that in many place, the bad blood between his kind and wolves ran thick. Honestly, he didn't identify himself particularly as a coyote. He belonged to no group. He worked for himself and for his code.
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She was out of her element and out of her comfort zone, he must see that. But still, he didn’t seem to understand that there were beasts out there that might want to hurt a lone female sulking around free land. He didn’t seem to understand how it worked around here, though his confidence wasn’t lacking in the least.
Feeling a bit more on top of the game she turned to fully face him. His coat and hat made his shadow an odd one; unlike anything she had ever seen. He was a different creature for this half dead place. But it was still only half dead, the living portion was the one she wasn’t sure of and the possibility of it made the hair on the back of her neck stand on edge.
I’m not scared of old bones and dust. It’s the beasts that hide in the shadows. Didn’t he think that running around in that get-up might send a certain message to ladies passing by? Her arms crossed her chest, in criticism more then self-reassurance. Breathing deep she found that there was no resonance of Inferni on him, no other yotes under the spicy faded woodland scent she detected.
You mustn’t be from around here. Wolves and ‘yotes haven’t always gotten along in the past.
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Anu is like "Betch! Dun sass me!"
If only she knew what he had seen. Knew the pure corruption he had witnessed. Then perhaps she would understand that something like a lone female walking through a city at night didn't phase him. He knew that there were much more dangerous places than this in the world. Places where none went out alone, because it surely meant death. He may have only been here an amount of mere hours, but he could tell this place was nothing like that. "No one fears dust. Right to fear shadows though." His head turned off to the side, looking into the nearby alleyway. "What lurks in these shadows?" Every location had its own, unique skeletons.
Onus' ensemble, while he imagined might scare common folk, wasn't meant to. It was meant to strike fear into the black souls of the underworld. Simple, yet it had proved more or less effective thus far. His attention turned back to her. "No. Not from here. No surprise." The real question was why they didn't get along here. There was always a reason, whether good or bad. "Why tension here? Must have cause." Her unease was still easy for him to detect, but she was trying to show him resolve. Good. She wasn't just some whimpering whelp.
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the pink table just isn’t working for her mood!
Eyes followed his, the darkness that lingered in the alley. Her imagination was her worst enemy, conjuring the creatures that would have lingered with in the shadows ready to claw any innocent that happened to pass by into the dark. For a second she could have sworn that there were pairs of faint eyes staring back at her.
His were hidden behind the cloth across his face, making her wander if he could see at all. Inferni is the where they come from, the trouble makers. Of course her voice was even, more then she was used to. Her tone was like something her had never heard expelled from her mouth. Her demeanor was something else she wasn’t used too. But she credited it to the scenery, or lack there of. It was the city, the dark and need to prove her self-worth that made her cold and confident.
Of course any beast, wolf or coyote, around here could be trouble. She hadn’t heard much of the coyotes for sometime, but she was sure that they hadn’t changed their ways, so many couldn’t. You can’t just trust anyone around here. She could hardly trust herself, even she had become volatile in the current atmosphere. The cold wrapped around her, making her yearn for the warmth another body would provide.
Whats your name stranger? The words weren’t too inviting, he wouldn’t satisfy any of her cravings anyways. Of course she already had someone for that anyways.
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Inferni. Certainly sounded like a name meant to invoke fear in its enemies. So far nothing lead him to believe that she was lying. He had trained himself to pick up the subtle, almost imperceptible clues that someone wasn't being honest. The female exhibited no such signs. Hrm. Interesting. Should investigate. "Where is Inferni?" That would be his first stop. As of now it was the only lead he had to go on. Onus preferred action to waiting, but also realized the necessity of waiting. He wouldn't make any move until he was certain of the cold hard facts.
He thought that she was stating the obvious. The canine didn't trust anyone. But in his line of business, trust was a commodity that could cost him dearly. It was a luxury he couldn't afford. Not that it bothered him. He'd always worked alone. "Trust should never be given without reason. Too risky. Too much deceit." There was far too little honesty in this world. "All have potential for evil. Few rise above it." Behind the cloth his jet eyes flashed, focused solely on the tan wolfess.
His name? Such information he did not give willingly. In fact, he never gave anyone any information about himself. However, perhaps the whispers could start with her. If he told her his name, then most likely she will tell others. Let the fear being to seep into the dark places of this land. Begin to turn their own weapons against them. "Hm. Onus." His tail flicked behind him absentmindedly.
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So what now? Was she going to give him the route that would lead right to where he would blossom into just another rogue? Looking him over again she found that he had already come to terms with his identity, and someone as set in his ways as this male seemed to be didn’t change. Not even the hand of the god would move him. The corner of her mouth rose at the thought.
Onus, right. Anu turned to give him her side, maybe that would calm his ranting. Arms still crossed she looked down the road she had been traveling. It looked different some how. His statement made her wonder, did she have potential for evil? Never in her life had she felt like she was drifting to a dark side. She didn’t even know where the dark side was. So, was this the beginning? First a stroll through a godless city, then falling off the edge.
Wheres your hope Onus? Didn’t anyone have any faith these days? |
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The man's ears flicked back, but quickly returned to their forward-facing position. It slightly irked him that she hadn't answered his question as to where this Inferni was. He didn't want to have to use intimidation to get this information, but if he had to he would. He would hold off for now though. He would continue to talk with her for now. Though he wasn't one for playing other people's games. If Onus at all felt she were toying with him, the fun would end rather quickly.
Hope? Did he have hope? He wasn't sure. He did what he did out of a sense of purpose. Whether or not hope was involved or not he couldn't say. Maybe he just didn't care. "Don't operate out of hope. Operate out of need to punish injustice." It was clear that he was not a conversationalist. Onus would talk if he found it necessary, or for a certain purpose. Otherwise he kept his mouth shut for the most part.
"You say trouble comes from Inferni. Tell me where it is." He hoped, for her sake, she wouldn't make him ask her a third time.
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She sensed a hint of annoyance in his body language, only, for his tone was forever even. It gave her nothing, unlike her own, which gave away so much of what was happening inside her head. Like her face, it was a map. Read so easily by even the less experienced eye. Only with her best efforts could she hide any of it.
Here, she didn’t want to. Any fear she thought she felt had only turned to indifference, which led to pure apathy. Anything that needed to be hidden wasn’t worth the effort it would take, let him have it and let him know there was nothing he could do to change it. If hope was lost, or if it had been nonexistent all along then why even bother to breath?
If she had no hope she could change, return to the wolf she had once been then there was no use taking her next breath. Such a lie. She was a soul of hope and of faith; however uncaring she attempted to be, there was no changing the foundation that had been built for her. But she could ignore it.
Onus had answered her question, he wasn’t something she could believe in but he did believe in something. And there was no hope to stop him anyhow.
North, strait north. He would find the decapitated souls lining their boarders, and he would know where injustice lived.
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Onus had always been reserved. However, he had trained himself to be it to the extent that he was now. He had found that, at least with some, criminals were greatly unnerved by his behavior. His constantly monotone voice, his limited shows of emotion. It was something they were not used to. They were used to being able to evoke huge responses from their victims. So coming across such a stoic personality bothered them. Just yet another one of his strategies to make the vicious characters of the world fear him.
He was relieved when she finally answered his question. He really didn't like to use force against civilians unless absolutely necessary. His goal had never been to scare them, so he tried to avoid situations that would cause that whenever he could. His body turned north, ready to make his way towards this Inferni place. He took a few steps away and then stopped for a moment. Onus wasn't the kind to exchange pleasantries. But she had pointed him in the right direction. Most likely he would have found it eventually, but less time would be wasted this way. "Thanks."
He continued to walk north.
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There he went, off to where the evil hid. Blue eye of the innocent watched the cloaked figure disappear, and a certain feeling clutched her heart. Suddenly she didn’t feel as safe, as confident as she did when in his presence. That was something, something she could trust. Maybe he would rid them of the evil that had for so long stirred only in her nightmares.
The wind kicked her bare shoulders, making her shudder. Out of the trance she had been in during their conversation, she looked back to the road she had been walking. It all looked different, the sun reaching its bright tendrils over the tall and dilapidated buildings. Still she turned, her back to the sunrise to walk from where she came.
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