without ever letting go, i knew you'd gone astray.
#1
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All welcome, located at McNamara's Landing. WC:300+



It was cold, not that Ehno hadn’t gotten used to the cold by now. No, the Italian boy, after a few weeks of already enduring the snows and freezing temperatures, could say that he had adjusted almost fully to the colder climate of this land. But that didn’t mean he wouldn’t stop complaining about it when he found himself out and about, embracing the low temperatures.



Ehno had left the mansion earlier that day, before the snow began to fall from the sky. He knew that the snow would be coming down sooner or later from the sight of the plump grey clouds filling the sky, but he decided to go out anyway, thinking it irresponsible to shrug his duties simply because he wanted to avoid the inevitable snows.



He was out patrolling the packs northwestern border, making sure the markings were still strong, checking for any signs of intruders. Ehno had been spending too much time wandering around the city of Halifax and the surroundings territories lately. His love for adventure seemed to slowly be coming back and because of it, he felt like he had been abandoning and ignoring Crimson Dreams. To make up for it, the chocolate-hued male had picked up his old patrol habits once again. It was his favorite pack duty, satisfying both his need to explore and his need to protect his friends and family.



The snows had just begun to start falling when he was approaching the northwestern tip of the Crimson Dreams territory. Ehno was flicking the snow from his ears when he spotted something strange in the distance. As he approached, he slowly recognized the large metallic object in front of him. From what he had seen in a few old human books, this was a plane of some sort—'was' being the key word there. The front of the vehicle was smashed beyond repair. Boxes were scattered out around the plane, a fresh dusting of snow covering them. Curious, Ehno directed his course toward the smashed plane, stopping to inspect the torn metal hull.
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#2
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300+

Geneva didn't mind patrolling. Patrolling in the snow was another matter entirely. It wasn't the fact that she had to peruse the border - she did that anyway - it was all the damn snow making the sensitive pads of her paws chilled. At least it was softer than sharp rocks and gravel. The gray wolfess was very well insulated now. She was in the perfect health, even her cold gone. Her winter coat and grown in, caught up with the season, albeit a few weeks after everyone else's. Her thicker coat didn't do much for the pads of her paws, though. She wasn't quite sure if she could feel them anymore.

Her thoughts wondered today from face to face. She recalled Savina's stricken face, and hoped that her friend would be doing better. She made a note to check on her and see about her health later today. She thought of Anu and smiled. Things had gone well between them since the incident at the lighthouse. Her smile faded somewhat as she recalled the man she had met at the borderland of Phoenix Valley. It had been almost a week since she had last seen him, but her thoughts kept returning to their exchange. It had affected her greatly - both terrifying her and puzzling her.

Lime green eyes scanned the territory - it would have been pointless to try to catch any scents for her - and she smiled when she saw a familiar brown coat not far from her. She picked up her pace and her tail moved slowly side to side as her excitement increased. It was Ehno! Or at least she hoped it was. She hadn't seen the man since she had first arrived in Crimson Dreams. He had been very kind to her. And although she had only met him that one time, she most definitely remembered him.

"Hey there stranger!" she called out as she approached. Her voice was still soft as before, but since the last time he'd seen her, she'd grown into her own skin. She was far more confident in her abilities, and much less introspective. She paused at his side, turned toward him so her eyes could trace over him. It had been hard for her to remember his face, so she focused on that the most. She smiled at him before turning her eyes to what he was investigating. Ah yes, it was quite interesting. She had seen it in the distance several times before. "The humans called it an airplane," she said.
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#3
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300+



Ehno had never seen anything like this before. Seeing pictures in books and hearing stories is one thing, actually seeing it right there in front of him was another thing entirely. He peered into the side of the jet, leaning over one of the forgotten boxes to take a look inside. More broken boxes lay in front of him, spilled supplies mixing with scraps of metal and plastic. Darkness gripped the farther corners of the jet, beckoning the curious to venture inside.



He was torn from his inspection by a familiar voice, turning to see someone approach. He immediately smiled when he recognized Geneva, glad to see her after so long. She looked nice, perhaps a little healthier and happier than when they first met. “Hey, Geneva. Long time no see.” It had been quite some time since their initial meeting on the porch of Haven Mansion. And thanks to Ehno’s reawakened wanderlust, he hadn’t really had the chance to talk to her since. He inwardly berated himself for spending so much time away from his pack mates, but on the outside his smile remained.



He was glad that she chose to join him there, coming to a halt beside him. Now that she was right next to him, he was certain that she seemed to be in much better spirits than she was when they had first met. His amber gaze met her vibrant green as she looked toward him, before she smiled and turned toward the jet. His gaze lingered for a moment before her words pulled it to the plane as well.



He nodded at her words, a little surprised to find that she knew what this strange human object was as well. Most Luperci, especially those around this region, didn’t seem too interested in human creations. Those that did usually only cared to scour the old cities for useful trinkets, not bothering to linger on the now-defunct inventions. “Yeah, I’ve seen a few of them in old human books. Amazing to think that they could actually get these huge things to soar in the skies, isn't it?” Though judging by the damage to this one, it was questionable whether they would actually stay up there very long.
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#4
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300+

Geneva's eyes moved over the still, ravaged form of the airplane's ruins. Parts were crumpled by paper from the crash. Parts rippled like water, creating jagged lines. Despite the stillness, the way the plane laid undisturbed, Geneva couldn't begin to think of this crash site as harmonious. She knew well that the materials the jet had been built from were strong and sturdy, stronger than the bones that held their bodies together. Whatever had happened to this aircraft had had lots of force behind it. She could only imagine the crash, this strangely haunting and majestic structure hurtling through the sky before ploughing into the earth like a lightning bolt or a felled tree.

She smiled Ehno's way, casting a brief glimpse in his direction before the destructive ruins recaptured her attention. She felt slightly spellbound by the sight and couldn't for the life of her explain why. She could faintly see her own reflection in the waste of the airplane and she felt small. "It really is amazing what humans accomplished. I can imagine this thing being in the air - I can even visualize its destruction. But I can't for the life of me figure out how the humans got it to stay up in the air!"

Geneva leaned forward, her small frame casting a shadow as she did. The gray pelted female looked once again at Ehno. She barely knew him, and she wanted to rectify that. She recalled the evening they had spent together on the porch of Haven Mansion, discussing his adventures. What better way to get to know this man than to go on an adventure with him? "Let's go in," she said brightly. Lime green eyes held the light of excitement. If she had seen this crash in the distance on her own, she probably would have investigated around the outside and just left it. But this was an experience she wanted to share with her packmate.

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#5
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Sorry, mate. Failed again. x.x Should be back on schedule now, though!

300+




“The humans sure managed to come up with some crazy and interesting things,” he commented. Ehno tried to picture the smashed jet whole and soaring through the skies. It was a peculiar image in his mind, partially because he based the image off the few pictures he had previously seen, and partially because he still wasn’t sure how these vehicles made their way through the air either. And just how high up did they go? This damage didn’t result from a fall from only a few feet in the air.



The gray-hued female’s suggestion pulled him from his thoughts and he smiled, a similar light of excitement entering his eyes. “That’s a great idea.” He peered around the interior of the jet, more curious now that he had someone to explore with. The darkness thickened the farther away from the door he looked, perforated only by small shafts of light scattered randomly about that poured in from holes of various sizes in the plane’s hull. Together with the light coming in from the gaping hole they entered from, the shafts of light gave the interior of the plane an overall dim lighting that almost seemed to call out to the adventurers. Ehno was intrigued by the atmosphere of the place, its mysterious ruin beckoning him to take a closer look. His amber gaze wandered back to Geneva, and he suddenly wondered if she felt the same pull.



The Italian boy eagerly stepped into the crashed jet, motioning excitedly for her to follow. It was another little adventure and he always felt that adventures were more fun with other people. He ventured a few steps farther into the old plane, pushing aside one of the broken cargo crates with his foot. Something rattled within the damaged crate as he pushed it. When it came to a halt, the offending object slipped through the large jagged hole in the side of the crate, rolling noisily into the dark corner of the jet. A ‘thunk’ signaled the object’s collision with something farther in. The silence that followed the echoed rolling of the object seemed almost palpable. “Whoops.” Ehno turned to Geneva, grinning slightly. Typical Ehno behavior.
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#6
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Geneva was so glad to see Ehno again. She was not an adventurer at heart. She was certainly more of a homebody. But she could feel the pull of adventure when she looked into his yellow eyes. There was something contagious about his light-hearted nature. She could feel herself brimming to the full with curiosity as she imagined the thoughts playing behind his eyes. An answering smile spread her face as she trailed after him. She stayed a few steps behind him, happy to let him lead in their exploration.

The ruins of the jet were punctuated by shafts of light. Geneva was reminded of windows, for some reason. She imagined the shafts of light as the smaller fingers of light that would creep into Haven Mansion from under the heavy curtains. Thinking of it that way, she found she was far more comfortable venturing closer in.

Lime green eyes scanned the dark expanses of the jet before a sound startled her. Her fur rose up on the back of her neck and her eyes widened. Before she really knew what she was doing, she had almost jumped close to Ehno. She pressed the length of her body against the length of his as her eyes darted out, trying to locate the source of the sudden sound. Her look of surprise turned into a sheepish grin as she realized that the rolling sound was probably harmless. She backed away a few steps shyly. "Shall we investigate?"
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#7
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WC: 300+



The thought of exploring the wreckage now seemed all the more enticing now that it was right before them. The dim light continued to beckon them further inside, taunting them with the mysteries that lay within its darkest corners. But what made the thought of exploring the desolate wreckage most exciting to Ehno was not the mystery of the jet, but the comfort of having another soul there to explore with him. The Italian boy was glad that Geneva had happened to stumble upon him and the strange airplane that afternoon, and even more glad that she suggested that they should explore it together. To Ehno, having a little adventure was a great way to get to know someone. He had been curious about the woman after their first meeting weeks ago and he was quite delighted about the prospect of finding out more about her now.



He was surprised by her sudden close contact but made no move to pull away. Instead he just stood there a moment, glancing back at her and offering her a small, apologetic smile for startling her. Then she slowly moved away, suggesting they investigate further. At her words, his eyes took on an excited light and he nodded enthusiastically. “Sounds like a plan to me.”



He stepped farther into the dimly-lit wreckage, eyes glancing around at the strange boxes and crates scattered about. The Marino boy made sure to watch his step this time, not wanting to knock anything over or step on anything sharp. He first made his way to the corner where the strange object had rolled, curious to discover just what it had been. Passing through the last shaft of light near that corner, he pushed a bit further forward. Then, kneeling down with his hands outstretched, he fumbled around in the near-darkness of the corner until they came into contact with some cold, cylindrical object. He picked it up and stood, bringing it into the light so the two of them could inspect it. It was made of some sort of metal and had a faded paper label wrapped around it. He looked up at Geneva after a moment, holding the object out for her to see better. “Any idea what it is?”
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#8
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Geneva followed closely behind Ehno, content to be his shadow on this, their first adventure together. She let her eyes scan to the sides of him. In the dark, it was a comfort to see shafts of light falling over his shoulders. She found herself holding her breath, waiting for another sudden burst of noise to distract and astound her. Her ears stood erect, quivering to locate another source of sound.

She was glad when there weren't any sudden surprises. She noticed in the dark of the wreckage that wooden boxes had splintered upon impact. She took care to look at the ground, careful to direct her steps away from sharp shards of wood. A huge splinter in the delicate pads of her feet would not be the ideal souvenir to bring home.

When Ehno went to his knees, Geneva followed the movement. She found that this put him in a position to tower over her, so she adjusted her position to a loose squat instead. It was awkward, but at least now the small-boned wolfess was more on eye-level with her packmate. She leaned in to investigate the object he offered for her review.

It was cylindrical. She passed her fingers over the object. She found it cool to the touch. She turned it and her eyes traced over the label. "I think this is food. It says 'corn.'"
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#9
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“Corn?” he asked, leaning over to re-inspect the object. He figured that there must have been something in there but he had to admit that food was what he least expected. Now that he checked it over again, he could make out the faint letters labeling the can as ‘corn.’ Yet as he reexamined the item, he noticed something else as well; there didn’t appear to be any way to open it. The food that was in there was sealed in tight. As the thought about that, it brought another question into the Italian boy’s mind. “How did they get the corn in there?” He looked up at Geneva as he voiced his question aloud. Ehno had never seen anything really like this in all his travels, but maybe the grayscale lady knew about it.



His amber gaze trailed over the other boxes that littered the wreckage, some splintered and others relatively whole. He wondered for a moment if all of the boxes in her contained those peculiar containers of food. Ehno looked to the opposite side of the plane, to the left of the gaping hole they entered from. A stack of boxes had fallen during the collision, the top-most crate taking the worst damage. It had splintered quite badly, but he could still not make out its contents from where he was now. “You think all of those boxes have food too?”
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#10
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Geneva wrinkled her nose as she imagined how the humans had managed to cram an entire ear of corn into this little cylinder. She had never actually seen a physical specimen of corn, but had seen pictures in books. From what she understood, ears of corn were quite long and probably thick enough to pose a problem fitting into the can. Even if the humans had tried to cut the corn into sections or fold it into the can, it still didn't seem to the grayscale wolfess that an entire ear would fit. Geneva didn't realize that there were only kernels of corn inside the can. She thought of the vegetable as an entire unit.

After a moment of pondering, she gave an exasperated smile. "I have no idea. Humans were nuts," she said.

Lime green eyes swept over the wreckage with new interest now. Before now, she had only been pondering the unknown. Now she had a mission, something more to discover besides shadows. Without waiting for Ehno to take up the lead, Geneva got up and walked over to the nearest box. She rummaged through it, pushing splintered bits of wood out of the way. She lifted another cylinder with a small crow of excitement. "It says..." she lowered her head to read the label. "...Campbell's..."

She walked back over to the Italian male, holding out the can for his inspection. The faded red label was cracked and torn, the paper from the bottom half of the can missing. Only the red and white label around the top gave any hint what might be inside of the cylinder. "I've never heard of food called Campbell's...maybe this stuff isn't food at all."
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#11
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Ehno couldn’t help but laugh at Geneva’s comment on the humans. “They sure are,” he agreed. Only those crazy humans could come up with machines that soared through the air, buildings that reached high in the sky, and mysteriously sealed cans of vegetables that couldn’t possibly fit in the cramped space. Though he had to give them credit; not all of their inventions were so absurd. There were books, weapons, tools, and plenty of other little trinkets of theirs that Ehno appreciated. He had actually gotten used to using a quite a few of them.



He watched silently for a moment as the grayscale lady made her way to one of the other boxes, pulling out another can to inspect. Campbell’s? How strange that sounded. His amber gaze inspected the can once she brought it over to him. The only clue to its contents was that odd word. Maybe she was right and it wasn’t food at all. “Let’s open it and find out,” he suggested. He examined the can of corn in his hand for a moment. He still couldn’t find any apparent way to break open the cylinder. It was going to take some effort, as it looked like they would have to puncture it somehow. But with what? Teeth were out of the question; he definitely didn’t want to put that thing in his mouth. Maybe there was something sharp nearby that they could use.
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#12
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Geneva nodded, turning her own can over in her hands. Humans were such strange creatures. Perhaps their brilliance had been their demise. She shook her head. Perhaps human kind had tried too hard to bend nature to its whim, to bottle its essence and cage it within technology. She looked around the ruins of the jet, and back at the Campbell's can. She could certainly see how that might have been their downfall. But, she supposed that she would never really know. And perhaps, she didn't want to.

She turned from Ehno, setting the can down on the floor in order to utilize the use of both hands. The gray wolfess squinted in the dark, moving from the Italian boy slowly. It was against her nature to venture off on her own, but she had a purpose to her searching. She moved from the middle of the craft toward the far wall, fingers tracing along the splintered edges that let the light in. She snaked around boxes, stumbling once or twice over larger bits of rubble.

Eventually, her eyes came to rest upon a particularly large piece of what appeared to be dark glass from the crash. She picked it up gingerly. One side was wickedly sharp and barbed. The end she held in her own hand was also sharp, but far more rounded. She could feel the sharpness of the edges as she gripped it lightly. Geneva made her way back to Ehno. "Perhaps this will be suitable," she said softly.
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#13
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This is late and crappy, sorry. T_T Almost turned out longer, but I thought it would be better to just cut it short. >.>



Ehno watched as Geneva made her way to the other side of the downed jet, determined to find any sort of sharp object or tool that could help them open those strange cans. The Italian boy took to digging around the area nearby to help in the search, but all he could spot was splintered boxes and scattered cans. He returned to the shaft of light they had preciously stood in, deciding to examine the can a bit more while Geneva finished her search. He tapped experimentally on different parts of the can, testing to see which part would be easiest to break open. The top seemed to be thinner than the rounded section of the can. If they were to break it open, that would be the way to do it.



He looked up in time to see the gray-scale lady returning from her short search, holding a rather sharp-looking object in her hand. Her search had apparently gone much better than his own. The Italian boy nodded at her words, scrutinizing the object with his amber gaze. "That should work wonderfully." The glass shard looked sharp enough to do the job, dangerously so. It would be a bit difficult to put it to use without getting hurt in the process. "Let me try using it first. It looks pretty dangerous." He wouldn't want the lady to get hurt trying to open the curious cans.



The chocolate-hued male knelt down on the ground. He placed the can of corn in front of him before he examined the sharp tool once again trying to determine how to safely grasp it. Finally holding it in a position that left his hands away from the sharp ends for the most part, he steadied the can on the ground with his free hand. He looked up at Geneva for a moment, giving her a 'here goes nothing' look before focusing his attention on the task at hand. Then he raised the makeshift knife up and forced it down upon the top of the can. The sound of tearing metal was heard for only a moment, accompanied by a strange sort of squish. He felt something wet splash onto his hand and he pulled back, alarmed that he might have cut himself. But he felt no pain and when he examined his palm, all he found was a slightly cloudy liquid. "Che...?" he muttered to himself. "Sure wasn't expecting that."
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