[html] http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j40/k ... efinal.png);background-repeat: no-repeat; padding-bottom:140px; background-position: bottom center;">A walk was just what Phoenix needed to get away. Storm was a coffin lately, a place of obligation and responsibly, not a home. The new Alpha felt smothered by the task he had been charged with, but was failing. While as Beta he had known it was inevitable that he would someday be crowned alpha, he hadn’t been ready when the day came much sooner than anticipated. Phoenix wondered if it had been some kind of a subtle nervous breakdown that drove Gibraltar from the lands. He felt on the verge on one himself when he wasn’t safely hiding from the world in his warm den, snuggled next to his mate and children, or out here, outside any claimed territories. Walking about in his halfling form, he doubted anyone would mess with a being as massive as he. The border of Clouded Tears was near, and he paused to look into the foggy lands. The sight stirred up memories, most of which not his own.
Phoenix knew all there was to know about Iskata—certainly more than the average wolf knew about their mate. He knew most of her family through her own eyes but he had yet to meet any but Laruku in person. It was odd, knowing people he never met, but that was not the most offbeat aspect of being a telepath. Still, Phoenix wanted to know more about the family he had mated himself into, even if most of them were gone now. Would they accept him? For all his special perceptiveness he couldn’t know. Nor was it all that important, really, since he loved Iskata and that was that. He had already sired two more Sadiras, so the opinions of the others were irrelevant at this point, really. Still, the massive male had always desired a large family and if he could get on good terms with his mate’s family… well, he wouldn’t pass that up. With a mental shrug, Phoenix began to creep a bit closer to the lands, if only to sample the scents and see if he recognized any of them. | [/html]
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indent Melisande was thinking, just sitting and thinking. She'd considered going out to hunt, and had gone off to do so, but she just kept ending up sitting down and thinking. There was just so much to think about. What happened to Laruku? She wanted nothing more than to make him smile, and he couldn't do it. He'd had kids, and obviously a lover of some sort, and yet, he was more depressed than anyone she'd ever seen. And what about her father? He was so distant, unstable. His mate seemed more likely to stick around than he did, and luckily they could hope that he wouldn't leave without Konane. Melisande shook her head at herself. She was lonely, and needed to stop worrying so much about everyone else, just people she couldn't fix.
indent She happened to be near the borders, so she wandered over to them, to see if any newcomers were there. It was doubtful, but still possible. Maybe she'd meet someone innocent of the harsh world, of all the things that had happened here. Or, at least, someone who could cheer her up, offer her something else to think about. She didn't find a newcomer, but she did find an alpha. She recognized him as being the alpha male of Storm, and wondered briefly when Gibraltar had left. She had known he was there, at one point, and then she had known he was gone, but when or why was a mystery. This male, she had never met, and couldn't even recall his name. Nonetheless, although he was about twice the size of the little female, he looked nice enough. She walked within hearing range, and gave a polite bow as a greeting. "Hello there. You are the alpha of Storm, aren't you? I'm Melisande Sadira." She introduced herself, trying to look friendly.
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[html] http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j40/k ... efinal.png);background-repeat: no-repeat; padding-bottom:140px; background-position: bottom center;">Phoenix could have used some cheering up right about then. He wasn’t sure if he could go on leading an entire pack. Not even his mate understood some of his decisions, and he was beginning to doubt them himself. He’d demoted her to Spaher recently in the hopes of finally getting her out of the den and giving her less time to brood. Plus with the ominous glares of Inerni looming over them (thanks in no small part to his own decisions) he wanted to beef up security in case of an attack, while at the same time keeping an eye on the borders in case their daughter ever returned. Still, it seemed a bit unfair to knock her down a few wrungs on the social ladder. She was upset with him and he knew it—but he was used to that by now.
What could he do though? Right now it seemed like his entire life revolved around making decisions. While most wolves preferred to have a sense of control over their lives, Phoenix seemed to have yet to develop the foresight to anticipate the ramifications of his actions. Control was just an illusion. He had just as much control over his life as he had when a measly loner youth who could barely eat and keep himself from being eaten. Anybody who craved the position of alpha was a fool who didn’t understand what true leadership was all about. As an alpha Phoenix was supposed to be a servant of his pack. But when was the last time someone had done something nice for him?
A voice penetrated through the ice of his brooding, and Phoenix realized there was a small female watching him. He didn’t really recognize this one, but she was without a doubt a Sadira. Putting on a charming smile, the male nodded. “M’name’s Phoenix,” he said. “You’re right, I am th’alpha a’Storm, but I’m somethin’ else that might be more interest to you, perhaps. I’m th’mate of Iskata Sadira, who I’m guessin’ is a relative a’yours?” It was unlikely that there would be two unrelated clans in with the same name in the same pack, after all. And she definitely had the features of a member of his mate’s family. | [/html]
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indent She cocked her head at Phoenix, he seemed nice enough, and obviously was on some sort of mission in coming here. When he mentioned his mate, Iskata, she lit up. She hadn't seen Iskata for a long time, but knew and loved her just as much as anyone else in her rather huge family. She gave a wag of the tail.
indent "Oh! Yes, she's my aunt. " She actually had to think about it for a moment. Iskata was so young and playful, but indeed she was Lisi's sister once she considered the matter. After comfirming this, she asked another question, curiously. "So, is there something you need here? Any freind of Iskata's is a friend of mine." She hoped she could be helpful.
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[html] http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j40/k ... efinal.png);background-repeat: no-repeat; padding-bottom:140px; background-position: bottom center;">Often Iskata told their children stories of her youth here in Clouded Tears, and he would occasionally listen in. As much as he hated the place himself, the way she described it almost made him change his mind. Fog made him nervous, and he couldn’t see living in a place shrouded in it. But the pups were eager to visit, and perhaps someday one or two of them would choose to live here, if they ever wanted to start lives for themselves outside Storm. Now that they were getting old enough, and had family here to keep them out of trouble, Phoenix would soon have to consider allowing them to come visit on their own. At least their cousin here seemed friendly enough.
Phoenix returned the friendly tail-wag. Even though he was an alpha, that meant little here on another pack’s lands—and next to nothing when dealing with family. He had no valid reason to be here but now he was glad that he had come. At least he knew that there was at least one other Sadira that welcomed him into that family. “Guess that means I’m your uncle now, right? Weird,” he observed. He wasn’t used to having such a large family, even though he’d wanted one his whole life. “I was jus’ walkin’ by, really. Stopped t’see who was still here in Clouded Tears an’ who wasn’t. Iskata talks ‘bout this place all th’time with our pups.” | [/html]
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indent Iskata's mate. She thought about what she knew of Iskata, and decided that it wasn't quite as much as she might have liked. But then, it was a bit more than what she knew of most of her family members. It seemed like everyone was going off and having pups, even her Dad. Even Laruku. It wasn't so shocking that Iskata would take a mate and, Melisande assumed, do the same. She was sweet and young, and this male seemed to be a freindly leader. Of course, his alphaship would have meant nothing if he'd harmed her, but as it was, he seemed genuine and nice, if not a little odd, in some way that she couldn't quite distinguish.
indent "I suppose it does." Melisande laughed. Her family was huge, what was one more? She remembered now, as he spoke, how she had felt when she remembered Clouded Tears before her return. It made her sad just to think about those times, when all she desired was to peer out over the fog on the lake, the ice in the winter, splashing around in the summer... "Its a great place to grow up... I'm surprised she left. You must be truly something for her to leave her home for you." She hoped he realized that the comment was meant in good humor. "But then, it is not so far away. You can bring the pups here anytime."
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[html] http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j40/k ... efinal.png);background-repeat: no-repeat; padding-bottom:140px; background-position: bottom center;">Oddly enough there seemed to be more Sadiras around now than there had been a couple months ago. Perhaps it was good they had been gone back when he had been trying to court Iskata, though. One of her reasons for staying in Storm had been the lack of family in her birth pack. Occasionally Phoenix wondered if his mate had “settled” for him because she had nowhere else to go, and no one else to turn to. Theirs wasn’t the typical romance, where two fell madly in love for one another and became mates because it was the next logical step. No, she had come to him after being kicked out of Clouded Tears, and he’d had to convince her to not be afraid of the way she felt for him. Phoenix didn’t know what he would have done if she had turned him down yet again.
But at least the family was returning to the pack they had once dominated in numbers. Phoenix could only hope that one day Storm would be as saturated with his family as the Sadiras did in Clouded Tears. At least his children had a heritage and extended family through their mother. That was something he was unable to provide them, being an orphan. “Well, she act’ally left Clouded Tears b’fore we became mates,” he said, his voice warbling from a nervous laugh. “Circumstances, things got outta control. But… that’s a long story.” He didn’t think it was his place to share Iskata’s misfortunes with someone else, even if it was family. “You’re welcome t’come visit her an’ your cousins whenever you’d like. So… how well d’you know Iskata?” Even if he had witnessed major portions of her life through her own memories, he was always interested to know more about her through the eyes of those she had lived with in her youth. | [/html]
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indent Circumstances... yes, she was getting the feeling that a lot of circumstances and people had changed a lot since she'd been gone. She could certainly see why Iskata had left the pack, perhaps Storm was a more peaceful place. Either way, the alpha seemed a bit more... well, sane. She gave him a smile, glad to feel welcome on the other pack's lands. She hadn't made friends with a whole lot of other wolves on other packlands. She'd ventured everywhere as a pup, and had never been chased away, but wasn't invited one place or another either.
indent "Thanks for the invitation, I'll more than likely take you up on it." How well did she know Iskata... she wasn't sure how to explain that. She'd met the female a few times, and had grown up knowing that she was her aunt, one of the few stable figures who was always around, who didn't ever disappear or go crazy or anything. "Not an incredible amount... just that she is kind and... hmm, I remember her being creative. I always liked that."
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[html] http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j40/k ... efinal.png);background-repeat: no-repeat; padding-bottom:140px; background-position: bottom center;">What were circumstances? Really, when you thought about it, it was just a fancy word for Life. And life was in a constant state of flux, all about change. It was a system designed to weed out the weak and allow the strong to thrive. Phoenix did not consider himself strong, yet here he was, thus far surviving… and thriving, while many members of Storm who had come before him were gone. The brunneous male was barely three and now the longest-standing member of the pack. He did not rule the same Storm that he had joined. As much as he missed some of his old friends and pack-mates, circumstances, or Life, were/was out of his control.
If Melisande believed that Iskata had never been unstable or gone insane, then obviously she hadn’t been around a year ago nor had she ever talked to her other son DaVinci. Hard to believe a year had passed since Iskata had joined his pack under the name of Alyssa, an amnesiac female who had been run out of Clouded Tears for attacking her own children. That had definitely been the most emotionally intense year of Phoenix’s life, as he’d taken it upon himself to help her and ended up falling in love with Iskata (and she with him) despite their reservations. Now she was his mate and the mother of his children, even if she didn’t consider Storm her true home. “She hasn’t had many chances t’be creative lately, what with th’pups at home an’ all,” Phoenix observed idly.
“What ‘bout you? You’re family now. Is there anythin’ about my niece that I should know?” he asked after a moment’s silence, a charming smile growing on his face. Perhaps it was an odd way to go about asking, but they had spent all this time talking about him and their connecting family member. It would be rude not to learn something about the family member Iskata connected him to, and he truly was interested. The Sadiras were always an interesting, strong-willed bunch. | [/html]
(Gosh I'm slow. I has no time! Sorry for delays!)
Melisande cocked her head, almost sad to hear that the femme hadn't any time for doing the things that she had once loved so much, but then, when she thought about it, she was sure that motherhood and all that were probably just as fun, especially for Iskata.
Phoenix then directed the question back at Melisande. What should he know about her? She was taken aback by the question. Melisande was used to helping others, asking about others, always doing everything for everyone else. She did think about herself, but not like this. So, naturally, she had to think about it for a moment. "Well, I'm not that hard to understand. I love my family, blood-relations and otherwise, and... I guess I'm pretty easy to get along with. I try to understand all sides... I'm a peacemaker of sorts, see?" She wondered if others saw her that way, and breifly hoped so.
[html] http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j40/k ... efinal.png);background-repeat: no-repeat; padding-bottom:140px; background-position: bottom center;">Parenthood was anything but fun for Phoenix and his mate. They loved their children with all their hearts but to Phoenix it was a serious job and a major responsibility. His children brought him joy but paradoxically he felt just as much worry for their wellbeing, especially after losing one from the litter. Still, it was not a job he’d trade for anything. Alphaship he could leave at the drop of a hat, but fatherhood… his whole life revolved around his children. Without them and his mate he was just a lonely boy. They gave him a higher purpose in life.
Like Melisande, Phoenix preferred to spend his time helping others. Iskata said he needed to live for himself more, but he disagreed with her. Life was a maze of hardships, he believed, and they would never survive unless they stopped to help each other through it. He nodded his head in approval of her words. “I’m kinda th’same,” he said, though he felt uncomfortable describing himself positively. He didn’t want to sound like a braggart. “How ‘bout interests? You as ‘creative’ as Iskata?” | [/html]
Melisande shrugged, wondering why the fellow didn't want to talk about himself. She'd become suspicious and curious all at once recently about others and their lives. Everyone had changed so much since she'd been gone, but then, she didn't know why she hadn't expected that to begin with. Everything was always changing, after all, how could she expect to leave for months and then come back and have everything just be exactly the same as it had always been? No, people came and went, and they did good things and very bad things, and sometimes they just didn't want to talk about it.
She wagged her tail. "Iskata taught me how to make jewelry a long time ago. But my aunt Fatin taught me to paint and speak French and tatoo people, artsy stuff like that. I guess I'm kind of creative." Thinking about it now, she wasn't completely sure that Fatin was an actual blood relative, let alone an aunt. That was fine, but it was just funny how no one ever told her these things.
[html] http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j40/k ... efinal.png);background-repeat: no-repeat; padding-bottom:140px; background-position: bottom center;">So far their conversation seemed a bit one-sided, with Phoenix asking the questions but offering minimal information in return. He wasn’t doing this intentionally; he just wanted to learn as much as he could about his new niece. He’d never thought that he himself could be interesting, though quite the opposite was true. He knew he was by no means average, but being modest to a fault he felt nervous when other wolves showed interest in him. Melisande seemed like a decent wolf, someone he would be happy to have his children know… the exact opposite of their half-brother, the punk who had kidnapped his daughter.
Phoenix showed no outward sign of it, but when the name of Fatin was brought up he grew slightly uncomfortable. Was this the same Fatin who had caused him so much trouble, siding with a clan of murderers and thieves against his former pack mate Skoll? Most likely, since he doubted there could be more than one wolf with that name in the lands. He’d met the old female recently, not long ago enough for him. He’d gone to Jaded Shadows in the name of friendship and she’d attacked him for trying to help out his friend. Not expecting her to see reason, Phoenix had given up and walked away before things got too far out of hand. Needless to say, though, he had absolutely no respect for her.
Still, there was something that Melisande mentioned in passing that aroused his interest. “Tattooin’?” he repeated. “Y’know, I been thinkin’ ‘bout gettin’ a tattoo… d’you think you could make one on me?” Normally he was wary of human tools and the like, but when his own mate adorned herself with earrings and occasionally wore their clothes, he was beginning to soften up to it a bit. Besides, he wouldn’t be taking on something crafted by human hands, like a piercing… a tattoo was something that a wolf could make, with or without human tools. | [/html]
Melisande could see him grow uncomfortable, but she kept talking, pretending not to notice. She was aware of the many disputes in the packlands, and her relatives were not uninvolved in any of them. She suspected that Fatin had done something that he didn't like, but Melisande decided she wouldn't hold it against either of them. The little white wolfess was not the sort to take sides. Instead, she was glad to hear him reply with interest in a tatoo, and wagged her tail both excitedly and quite involuntarily.
"Oh, of course! I haven't done one for a while, but no worries, I think I still have it in me. What sort of thing would you like?" She knew the little cave where she had stashed her art things wasn't far from here. Memories flashed through her mind of being a tiny pup and hardly being able to drag the bag of odd things around. She wondered if she still had some paper somewhere, so she could at least do a rough draft of whatever he wanted.
No time for a table!
Phoenix had never before considered the idea of having artwork permanently etched into his skin, though he had seen plenty of other wolves with them by now. He wondered if something like that would be painful, though he was not intimidated by any discomfort this might entail. Would that area of his skin be more vulnerable to the elements without fur to protect it? He hadn't really thought this through, but now that he had started the train running he wasn't about to turn back. This was not totally uncharacteristic of him--though he prefered to think things through most of the time, he was not immune from making spur of the moment impulsive decissions.
However, for all the questions he had, he knew exactly what he wanted. He was the alpha of a pack, and though that role did not stroke his ego, he did want something to make his connection to that pack visible for all to see. He loved his home, since it had taken him in and given him a life, and he wanted to display his pride. "I don't want anythin' too big. You ever see Storm's symbol?" he asked as he began following her towards her cave. "'S kindoffa lightning-bolt thing... I could try drawin' it for you in th' ground 'fore we start. 'S mostly yellow... " He certainly hoped she "still had it in her." Though he wasn't vain, nobody would be comfortable with the concept of having a milformed blotch on a prominent part of their body for the rest of their life.
A lightening bolt - it was simple, bright, and interesting. It couldn't be much easier than that, she thought to herself. The cave was within her sight now, and she gave a little nod. "I've never seen it, but a lightening bolt couldn't be too hard." She gave a little nod towards the entrance when they neared it, and dipped in quickly. When she came back out, she had a little satchel of paints and other artistic things. She took out a peice of parchment, and drew a lightening bolt on it, lightly.
"Like this?" It was very basic, and it looked a little thin. She wondered if it was what he wanted.
Hope you don’t mind the itsy-bitsy pp. Shall we fade to black soon after she gets started, say they chatted and got to know each other better?
Phoenix spied the satchel carefully, tried to see if he could catch a glimpse of any tool that might be used for carving deigns onto flesh. Being that this was an impulse decision, he wanted to get it over with before he thought it over any more and came to his senses. As he waited he began to shift , mentally ordering his muscles to grow and his bones to realign so that when he was done he was balancing on his two hind feet, the ideal form to describe what he wanted.
”Mm, not quite,” he said taking the paper and pencil so he could draw it himself. The tools felt clumsy in his inexperienced hands. Drawing was more his son’s forte, seeing as how the elder Phoenix had only tried it once or twice before. Nevertheless, it was a simple enough shape to accomplish, and pretty soon he had Storm’s symbol down on paper. “This part’s bright yellow…” Phoenix said, pointing at the top with the pencil, “An’ this part’s a bit darker. I’d like it… ‘bout this size, mebbe a tiny bit smaller? Think you can do it?”
Sounds good.
Melisande looked carefully at what he had drawn, and then repeated the action. This time she used a variety of colors, with chalky-looking things that might have been crayons at one time. She held it up to him, trying to size it up. It seemed to be about the size he had wanted, and she thought it had come out pretty good. It was almost 3-D, the way the yellows contrasted against each other. She cocked her head at him, and showed him the picture. "Like this?"
Phoenix looked down at the image on the paper and grinned. “Perfect,” he answered. It couldn’t have been better if she’s read his mind—which, in this family, was not outside the realm of possibility. He tapped the side of his left arm to show her where he wanted it—there was no space on his right arm, thanks to the large scar that ran across it. “You have done this b’fore, right?” he asked, just to make absolutely sure. In his experience the Sadiras could have a twisted sense of humor. But that was one of the things about Iskata that helped him learn to relax around her. They oftentimes fell into a verbal banter that always left him feeling more upbeat, even if their humor was sometimes degrading of each other. But then, Phoenix had always been able to laugh at himself if nothing else.
Melisande began to prepare her tool. The needle wasn't frightening or long like the syringes she always imagined when someone said the word "needle". Instead, it was much like a little sewing needle attached to a big handle. He asked her a nervous question, and she gave him a comforting smile. "Of course. Relax." She shook his left arm a little, until he relaxed the tense muscles, and then she began. She tried to make the process go by as quickly as possible, holding up the drawing occasionally just to make sure that everything was absolutely perfect. This wasn't eraseable, after all.
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