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Private for Pilot. Don't feel like you need to match the length of this post.
Run kid. Run! The little white wolf heard him, didn't she? He wasn't sure, she wasn't reacting, she saw them coming, but she didn't run. The first coyote ran at her, and he raced to stop him...was he moving through molasses? His feet wouldn't move quickly enough...he wasn't going to get there in time. The coyote reached her first, and his white fangs flashed red, in and out of the little pups skin again and again. Skoll looked down, maddened desperation crossing his face--why wouldn't his legs move any faster? Two coyotes had bitten down on his ankles, smaller, teenagers. He looked up again to see the little white wolf's body slammed against the ground, over and over...her assailant was rabid! He had to be; that or...A berserker.
Suddenly, he was out of body, seeing himself from some point just away from him. The dismay on his own face was devastating, complete anguish as the maddened canine tore the little girl to shreds, and his brother ran forward to join him. Suddenly, something changed in the bronze wolf's eyes. No! The intelligence left them, lips peeled back, jaws slowly parted as his ears fell back...Stop! Eyes wide open in a bestial rage, the big werewolf launched one of the children, and turned his fangs on the other, exactly as the first coyote was still doing to the wolf pup. Don't do it! You aren't like them! His cries went unheard by the bronze warrior, but the older brother heard him, the one called Gabriel.
"What do you mean? Look at what you're doing to MY SISTER! You're just like us. Maybe worse." A twisted smile appeared on his face, his laughing eyes focused on the disembodied spirit who even now looked at the horror of himself without his mind. Impossible! We're not the same! We can't be! The oldest brother had stopped listening to him as well, though, for his eyes had taken on the same animalistic stare as Skoll's own, his own lips had peeled back and he charged the big male, fangs flashing red. Blood began pouring from Skoll's belly, from the holes he and Molochai had left in the little ones, the ground ran red with it, as the child he'd launched came laughing back into the scene, rolling and playing in the sanguine sand.
The situation was out of control! He couldn't stop the coyotes, he couldn't stop himself, he couldn't stop the blood from gushing so copiously from everyone! Powerless! His disembodied form turned to see Gronnor, his teacher, staring forlorn at the carnage. No! Don't look! I'm a good person! I am! He turned back and saw three of the four coyotes dead; the other berserker, the other monster, was the only one still standing, blood spuming from a dozen wounds that matched a dozen more he'd left on Skoll's uncontrolled body. Intelligence re-entered the brother. He was breathing hard as the blood level started rising.
"You learned how to be the best fighter you could, received training from the best you could find, practice each morning, keep yourself in top physical condition...do your best to make yourself a class above everyone else, just so you can do this? Just so that when you lose control, no one can stop you?" He wanted to argue, he wanted to deny it, but words had left him as he watched the doggish hybrid talking to the looming monster wolf that was himself. Behind the coyote hybrid he saw the nameless wolf that had been supporting Inferni this whole time, telling Gibraltar he was dangerous, telling Phoenix that he'd be in trouble just for offering him his old place back. But it wasn't the Jaded Shadows alpha...it was Freyr! No! Father...how?!
"How can you blame them for banishing you? Look at what you became, who would have died if you would have stayed? Skoll was back in his body again, the pool of blood now up to his knees. You don't know anything about it! It wasn't like that! he roared. Gabriel's eyes widened. "Going to kill me, now, Skoll? You're so very responsible with what he taught you. The bronze wolf turned back, Gronnor was already gone...he had walked away in shame. This...this isn't right. This isn't how it happened, I didn't kill any of them! I didn't kill any of them! THEY'RE ALL ALIVE!
The bronze wolf woke with a start, his claws dug deep into the soil, eyes wide and then sorrowful, but relieved. It had just been a dream...just one of many that he had been suffering. It had gotten worse over the last year, each dream covering something different. He had dreamed about the Shadow Priests the last few nights. He wasn't sure whether or not he was happy that this one hadn't involved them, too.
Looking around to get his bearings, it came back to him that he was in the Tranquil Springs, far away from anyone outside of Storm. Since Phoenix had revoked his invitation as a matter of interpack policy, the old wolf hadn't seen much reason in sticking around the border. He understood why it had needed to be done...the Inferni coyotes had blood on their mind, and given their history, it was too much to hope that they wouldn't draw blood for harboring him. For some reason, Jaded Shadows had sided with them. Those kids are hybrids...they probably have a parent within Jaded Shadows. It had been on his mind a lot, but that hadn't occurred to him yet. Oh well, I doubt I'm getting back to sleep tonight.
~The lyrics are from the best song ever written.
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_____ Tranquil Springs wasn’t that far of a hike for Pilot, but it made it slower because of the night time. The moon was bright overhead, casting a ghostly sheen over the land and snow, but somethings just looked different at night. He wasn’t in a hurry either, and time was of no concern. He hadn’t been able to sleep, so he had decided to take a walk. Tranquil Springs had only become his destination when he found nothing around Yawrah to entertain him. Maybe a nice lap at the Springs would rejuvenate him and he would be able to finally fall asleep by Deirdre’s side.
_____ He crunched through the snow and looked overhead at the night sky. Some parts were cloud covered, but others were not – it was here where the stars peeked through. The moon itself had a ghostly skirt of thin clouds stretching across. He just hoped the clouds wouldn’t extinguish the light she was providing.
_____ He had been thinking a lot about him and Dierdre lately. He loved her so much and thoughts of pups kept creeping up from deep inside. He longed to have a family, but was it really the right time? Phoenix and Iskata already had theirs and Pilot knew they probably shouldn’t add to the numbers. After all, the Phoenix kids were already a handful. The thing that really kept bothering him was Firefly. Pilot didn’t want to have children with Dierdre only to have one disappear. He wouldn’t be able to deal with the heartbreak. It was a wonder that Phoenix could even continue on with leading Storm. Pilot knew he wouldn’t be able to remain that strong.
_____ The sound of running water brought Pilot back down to earth. He stared at the Springs, venturing closer to her waters. Lapping at her cool liquid, Pilot closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind of all things clouding it. When he opened them again, he saw something stir in the corner of his eye. He turned, raising his guard slightly, and noticed the form of another wolf. "Who’s there?", he asked in a hushed tone. Because it was night time, staying quiet seemed natural to him. He squinted his stone colored eyes and tried to see who it was. "Skolly?", he asked even quieter. When was the last time he had seen him?
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Amber eyes focused on the wolf before him, his solitary ear up and alert to catch even the slightest movement. He was on all fours, and holding himself low. He didn't know who this was, but in his sleep deprived state he had failed to detect them as they had come near, and this abrupt awakening followed by this realization had put him on his guard. His hackles rose and his muscles tensed just before a small and vaguely familiar voice fell softly through the night.
"Skolly?" How strange, to be called that. He was Skoll to those that knew him, Skoll Axehand to those that feared him, monster to those that reviled him, but only one person had called him by that name. How strange to be associated with such an uncharacteristically cute nickname. Strange as ever. "Yes, I guess that would be me," he said tiredly, letting his muscles relax and standing up a little straighter before sitting back on his haunches. It had been a long time since he had spoken to the wolf before him, and though he didn't know it, the other had grown a great deal.
"How have you been, Pilot? It's been a while." Indeed it had been. He hadn't seen the youth since his fight with Gibraltar, on that fateful day that the alpha had betrayed him. He didn't know what sort of pressure Inferni had put him under, but he knew that the alpha needed to be able to trust his pack, and no one had been there for as long or put as much on the line for Storm as he had. The short of it had been that Gibraltar had always been confused about alphaship, had always thought that the Storm members existed for him, not that he existed for them. Many had been banished during his reign, a testament to the shortsightedness of introducing an alpha who was completely alien to the pack they ruled.
It would have been alright to decide that someone as violent as himself wasn't safe to have around. He was used to being misunderstood. Nevertheless, there was no trust there, there was no credit extended. He had taken the word of a band of marauders and child murderers as fact before he even consulted the accused, a wolf to which he owed far more loyalty. Incompetence, prejudice, and fear.
The last time he had seen Pilot, he had been young and malnourished, having been raised on a vegetarian diet. Skoll thought he would look healthier now, he knew that he had least learned to eat fish; still, it was impossible to tell for sure in the dark. He wondered how this meeting would turn out, whether Pilot would be happy to see him, or be wary of him because of what he had heard. He didn't know how most of Storm had felt about his exile, save that Phoenix and Iskata had not agreed with it.
~The lyrics are from the best song ever written.
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Forgive me for taking so long with this.
_____ "Sure, it really has been awhile." He had not seen nor talked to Skoll in what seemed like ages. And despite being one of the more higher ranking wolves within Storm, Pilot didn’t know all of the details surrounding Skoll or his situation. Last he knew, Gibraltar had exiled him. He had heard word in passing that he had returned to Bleeding Souls, but barely knew anything of his attempt to rejoin Storm. Frankly, he was rather interested in seeing him again – nothing of the present had yet to taint his perception of Skoll.
_____ "I’ve been doing fairly well since that last time I saw you. Though, that was a pretty long while now. I’ve grown up a lot since then – I actually eat meat," he added with a chuckle. His promotion to Lead Hunter had prompted Pilot’s skills in hunting to improve. He went to Phoenix in order to become a Luperci, and after that, had worked hours long to improve his skill in order to wholly uphold his position. After hunting a while, he began eating his own kills. Things sort of fell into place after that. Definitely a grand change from the wolf that had first arrived at Storm.
_____ "Are you affiliated with no pack?" He couldn’t detect any particular smell from him. Also, the location offered a hint at his position. It was rare for wolves to be wandering neutral grounds such as this at such late a time of night. Unless, that was, they didn’t have pack lands to remain within. "I’m afraid I haven’t heard much of you since you left. What’s been going on with you?" Pilot moved from the waters, nearing Skoll, before dropping down to sit himself. The moon overhead lit the area so well as it reflected off the snow that Pilot felt almost as if it were early dawn. However, he knew that Dierdre was home in their den snuggled safely to sleep for the next couple of night hours left before sunrise.
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It's all good in the hood, yo
The older wolf gave a half-hearted laugh at the tidings from Pilot, to think that the kid he'd met before had grown up. Much like Phoenix, the awkwardness of youth seemed to have left the white wolf, and he stood before Skoll now as his own man, a respectable member of the pack of Storm. Eating meat, perhaps, would have to be the biggest step Pilot had taken to achieving his status as a true wolf. Skoll regretted somewhat having missed that.
"I'm glad to hear that you have flourished in Storm. It is a good home, and under Phoenix, I imagine it will be somewhat less tense than it was under Gibraltar. His reign was laced with tension, sadly enough." Right from the beginning, down to the end, he thought bitterly. Hearing the young Altester's questions, Skoll nodded. "I live alone for now, the politics of this place do not sit well with me, and I do not wish to involve myself with them again. I turned down Phoenix's offer to rejoin, though a few other alphas tried to confront him and bully him anyway, hearing that he had even tried. It is a corrupt and evil system of governance that allows the Inferni clan to do as it pleases and condemns every wolf that tries to work some good in this land, and while I am happy that he has come so far, I pity the strain that will be his to bear." Pilot's next question was difficult to answer succinctly.
"Heh...too much, Pilot, too much. Doing my best to feed myself, keeping my skills sharp, just came back from a quest to destroy a cult to the west of here with some allies I have outside of the packland...I've been having strange dreams, these eyes have seen too much, you see. Barely getting enough sleep to get by day by day." Explaining the root of his most terrible dreams would be long in its explanation, and probably of little interest to the spry young wolf who stood before him. "So...you say you're doing very well in Storm. I want to hear more about how you've grown from the youth I met before to who you are today!"
~The lyrics are from the best song ever written.
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I suck, I know. xD
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He crossed his legs pretzel like, while his fingers absentmindedly went right away to the arrowhead necklace around his neck. He had found that it was a source of comfort in tense situations as well as a reminder of his love when she was not around. Right now it served as the latter. He took in everything that Skoll had to say, ears peaking forward on his head as he listened with interest. Pilot wasn’t a wolf of politics, but he got the gist of what Skoll was saying. Though it interested him to hear of Skoll life as of late, the political side to things, he had to admit, sort of escaped him.
Skoll’s own request of Pilot was equally as difficult to answer. Where was he to begin? The truth was, so much had happened over such a short amount of time that Pilot couldn’t very well remember it all. He needed reminders of some things, otherwise they escaped his memory. The most important thing that happened was his acquiring of a family. "Well, a lot’s happened." Obvious, but where was he even to begin? "I have a mate now – Dierdre Rhiannon. We’ve been together for a few months now. Phoenix has been good to me, as always. He’s offered a lot of advice to push me in the right direction. I owe a lot of my ability to grow up because of him. And, thanks to him, I’m also Luperci now. Haha, clearly."
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OOC: It's all good =p
IC:
Skoll tilted his head. Somehow it had escaped him that Pilot in werewolf form was an oddity. He had only met him once or twice, and those times had been on four legs, he had never wondered whether the boy was a shifter or not. Not that he could call him a boy any more, though he had a bad habit of saying that to those under three years of age. Still, hearing that Pilot had a mate was good news indeed. Eating meat was important, and a crucial step in the path to becoming a wolf no doubt, but taking a mate was a crucial step in becoming a man. One that he, sadly, had never succeeded in. Several females had expressed interest in small ways, one had even been his lover for a few weeks, but the relationships never lasted long enough to become anything more. His nomadic lifestyle, as well as the brutality of his work, was ever a deterrent to the fairer sex. In the case of Galdra, it had been far more tragic.
"Congratulations, Pilot. I don't remember Dierdre, but I'm sure she is an admirable wolfess for you to have taken her as your mate. I have spoken with Phoenix, so I know some of the goings on of late. So...catching up aside, what are you up to at this time of night, wandering around in this place?" It was a fair question, he felt. Many wolves wandered outside the packlands when they wanted to be alone. Skoll used to as well, though he had plenty of solitude at his post usually...when people always know where to find you if they need something, though, one must go elsewhere to guarantee some time to one's self.
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And I'm Not Afraid
Tranquil Springs was a place where Pilot had only gone to a few times. Though, each time he cherished the solitary beauty that it provided – not to mention the spectacular view of the stars that reflected on the pool’s water. The last time he had been here, it was so that he could ponder the next steps in his relationship with Dierdre. After that, they had furthered their advances and became mates. Now, he had come merely to be a part of its serenity.
"Couldn’t sleep, actually." He glanced up to the star scattered sky and a brief smile formed on his lips. Glancing back, Pilot looked back to the scar riddled face of his former pack mate. It was weird how times had changed so dramatically. He got so caught up in it sometimes that he rarely noticed how complex life really was. It was times like this when he got the chance to really reflect. Besides that, he was too busy to even stop and realize. "I like to come here when I get a chance by myself. It’s a good place to think, you know? Is that why you came here?" Maybe it was that, or the fact that he didn’t really have a pack to go back to.
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Skoll smiled to himself. Thinking was the one thing he wanted to stop doing. Hunting could be distracting, but it wasn't as immersive as falling into the motions that Gronnor had taught him. If he didn't need to eat or rest, he would go days without stopping those familiar maneuvers, just so that he could stop thinking about days gone by when he had used them. Battle had been his life, but for all of his calluses left on his spirit, he had never managed to stop caring, as many other professional fighters usually did.
"No, though it is certainly good for that. I came here because I wanted a place to sleep, and it's far north, away from those who wish me harm." Though he was confident that Inferni had yet to produce his equal in combat, even a yearling could take his life if he woke up with their fangs in his throat. Still, the fact that he slept in wereform was a testament to his wariness. The truth was, no one had come for him, and that was a comforting fact. He had killed many people during his six and a half years, but there were few that he expected to seek vengeance for his way of life more than from the Lykoi clan. Perhaps not cut from the same cloth as people from his own world, but they were vicious enough to be threatening.
"So, what are your talents, Pilot? I didn't get to see you growing up, what role do you play in Storm today?" Just what sort of person had Pilot turned out to be?
~The lyrics are from the best song ever written.
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I swear I didn't forget this! :3[html]
"Well, I’m Altester now." It tasted weird on his tongue, and Pilot grimaced at the taste in his mouth. He found it fascinating at just how fast he had risen in the ranks. One question that plagued him often was, did he truly deserve it? Somehow it all seemed to come to him too easily, even though he cherished the trust put in him. It was strange, though.
"I do a lot to try and help out Phoenix, both as a pack mate and a friend. There’s lots of pups runnin’ around, so I try to keep an eye on them too. They’re pretty fascinating. I love to hear what’s on their minds." The metal piercing in his upper lip glinted as he turned his head towards the springs. The moon’s reflection glittered on the water’s surface and Pilot instantly thought of Dierdre. He missed being next to her warmth – maybe he’d go back to her soon. "I like to tell stories too, though I suppose that’s not really a way I help the pack", he added, with a small chuckle. The pups were always coming to him for stories about his family of squirrels.
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I'm glad you didn't, because I almost did >.< Gonna wrap it up, as it's getting outdated, and I'm backed up on the threads I owe people. It was fun, though.
"Wow," Skoll's brows rose in surprise. Altester was quite high in the rankings. Given his youth, Phoenix must have invested a lot of trust in the squirrely wolf to award him that position. It shouldn't have been too surprising, Pilot was--at this point--one of the wolves that had been in Storm the longest, he would guess. He hadn't smelled most of the wolves he'd known there in his visits, so he had to guess that some of them had either died, or moved. It was very odd in Bleeding Souls. Most places he'd gone to along the way held onto wolves for most of their lives. His own pack was still home to his brother and sister, provided that neither of them had died. It would be difficult to say that for a certainty, though. Life could be cruelly short, and one or both of them would have needed to look outside the pack if they wanted a mate.
"It sounds like you are highly valued by your leader, as you should be. A major asset to the pack, the Altester. You've gone a long way, my friend." He smiled tiredly before looking back to where he'd been laying in the snow. "I'm a story-teller myself, when I'm not fighting, or practicing," he gave a tired smile. "We'll have to trade a few, but on another day. If I lose sleep now, my hunt tomorrow may not be successful, and I've missed too many meals lately." With his belly wound, he didn't hunt as effectively, and it was impacting his health. He would need to find a way to remedy it before it got out of hand. He was just hungry for now, but the inability to successfully hunt became a very big problem very quickly.
~The lyrics are from the best song ever written.
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Pilot smiled at the simplistic words the two shared with one another and appreciated the input that Skoll had to offer. Even though their meeting now had been different from when the two had first met, he still felt the same sort of attraction to the wolf and figured he’d most likely always find a friend in him. At the mention of sleep, Pilot nodded himself. He was doing all he could to fight off his yawns.
"Good luck with your hunt tomorrow. If you ever need any help, or just want to chat some time, give me a howl. I’ll be there in a jiffy." Pilot stood up and, this time, couldn’t fight off the yawn that leaked from his mouth. With a nod at Skoll, the white male turned to head off towards home – to Dierdre. "Night, Skoll", the Altester said to his friend, leaving behind the silly nickname, as he climbed down away from the Springs and back towards Storm.
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