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Let's get this rolling!  Optime form, wearing velvet coat pictured in profile 300+
Why was she doing this anyway? The white female had no idea exactly what was up with her, anyway. All she seemed to want to do was run away from home, like a spoiled brat who could not seem to find her way in life. It was rather childish but with Salem gone and Haven as hard to find as a needle in a haystack, Brooklyn felt more and more like a prisoner in her own home. She had no reason to, of course, not after her talk to Naniko, although it all left her feeling so damn alone. So she'd taken to running away again, this time back north, to the coyote pack. She didn't know what she expected to find there, but it would be better than locking herself up in the Manor.
It stank. The whole place reeked and it frightened her somewhat. Not that she would readily admit to anything like that, of course. She was supposed to be brave, strong, everything that was good. She would never admit that the coyote pack scared her. She contemplated the row of skulls and a shiver ran down her spine. Such a barren place could only harbour hate, that much was clear. But would they really harm an innocent bystander? She'd thought of going to see the stretch of beach beyond the pack lands and initially, the only way there seemed to be through their lands. Brooklyn knew that it would be suicide. Instead, she followed the border to the mountain and laboriously clambered over the scree and rocks, fighting not to ruin her clothes. It was getting hot, maybe too hot for the coat, but she would be damned if she let it slip. Concentrating more on herself than her footing, the white female missed her step and tumbled down a hill, landing unceremoniously on her head by the beach. "Well, shit." Gathering herself and dusting the coat, Brooklyn turned to stare at the sea. It was beautiful here, for all the stench and dry look. Sitting down and drawing her knees to herself, the girl started making patterns in the sand with her finger.
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Though many moons had passed since he'd officially been allowed to call Inferni a "home", if it was at all possible of being such, Gaël still could find very little to take comfort in this new place that laid claim to him. Everything about Inferni frightened him: it was all skull and crossbones and a perpetual dark, intimidating aura that was carried in the wind and never died down. For heaven's sake, they'd staked wolf skulls around the borders, and unsurprisingly it didn't quite sit well with the half-wolf-but-in-slight-denial Gaël. His meetings with Halo, Ezekiel, and Gabriel had all been frustratingly brash as the newcomer's flesh resembled a wolf; he felt unwelcome and out of place, and such feelings drove him away from the territory to breathe. He could not leave Inferni, no; they were the perfect ones to teach him to fight. Something he'd seen in his clanmates' eyes demanded that he endure and make do. Gaël was hardening, slowly, but for now, he needed the space to get away.
Skipping rocks was hardly enough to break the inner tension, but it sufficed. The Waste was something he hadn't gotten to explore quite yet, as it laid on the opposite side of his clan where he had not approached from. The land between Inferni and Phoenix Valley was memorized in his mind; he could had traveled it backward and blind and still known the perfect and fastest routes to his raping, one-eyed father and susceptible little sister. Gaël had found the uneven and dangerous territory too much to bother with in his testy and impatient state of mind, thus he strolled along the coast, flinging small pebbles he came across over the ocean's cresting waves with a skilled flick of the wrist. Each pebble made a long, bumpy journey over the sea's face, not one falling prematurely to its watery grave. He was not plagued with thoughts: Gaël preoccupied himself with tossing stones and humming, maintaining the easygoing attitude he was known for but had stifling while within the venomous clanlands. Though his eyes were distant, some commotion caught his ears and alerted his sight to watch a white-hued something scatter ungracefully down a knoll in the distance and land face-first into the sand. Though tempted, he made no particular haste to aid her, instead shoving his hands into the pockets of his worn black jeans and strolling on as if nothing had happened.
Gaël had just assumed he'd walk on past her like two boats passing on the sea, unspeaking and unflinching, but she had regained herself by the time he was in her proximity and was now dancing her fingers through the grains of sand. The yearling stopped immediately behind her, peering over her shoulder with youthful, striking eyes, before remembering that he was supposed to be intimidating, bloodthirsty Inferni material, and thus kicked a mound of sand over her drawing and shrugged. Hands still in his pockets, he gaped at his destruction very indifferently, not even the slightest color of red in his nonchalant eyes. That was that, he guessed, and just as quietly spun on his heel and continued away.
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400+
The sand rushed up into her eyes and nostrils and Brooklyn found herself gagging and sneezing, her eyes watering. She'd seen a brief flash of movement but decided to ignore it, considering that she wasn't inside pack borders or spying. Indeed, she was only looking around, something she considered perfectly innocent. Until this thing had shown up and thrown sand in her eyes, making her feel like a little girl and a whiny one at that. She got up slowly, still rubbing her eyes, for all the good it did her, and looked around to see who it was. He was tall, for one thing, and he was also walking away. The girl felt in two minds about approaching him. He could well prove to be an okay wolf or coyote, sure, but what if he wasn't? Well, he'd still thrown sand in her eyes.
Furiously rubbing away, Brooklyn chased after him. He wasn't walking too quickly, so it didn't take her long to walk at his side and overtake him, choosing to stand in front of him and glare furiously. She only reached to about his shoulder, which meant that he would also be stronger than her. Well, so be it. She wasn't going to hurt him, no physically, anyway. "Why did you have to go and throw sand in my eyes? I wasn't in your pack territory! Can't I stare at the sea?" He smelled of Inferni and she knew that her own fur would be strange to him. She could not fight him, not if he proved to be violent. She recalled the last time she'd visited the coyote lands, the way the skulls had scared her. Even more was the fact that she would be in big trouble if anyone from home found out about her little escapades. Brooklyn didn't doubt that there were members in her pack who would have put two and two together and maybe even seen the Commander's daughter slinking away without a backward glance, but so far she was safe.
While she waited for his answer, the girl looked at the wolf with more open curiosity. He wasn't that bad looking, all things considered. His eyes especially were a colour she had never seen before. Although she knew that he could order her to be off whenever he pleased, Brooklyn hoped he wouldn't. She hoped he would stay and talk to her. She couldn't say why, but maybe she felt she needed someone to be friendly to her. "Sorry if I shouted at you. I just... that sand really hurt, you know."
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Typically speaking, Gaël was a cautious fellow. He didn't like provoke, he didn't like to get in the way, and he didn't like to be bothered for no apparent reason. It had been sheer impulse to do what he did, as foolish and childish as it was, and there was no self-satisfaction as a result; Gaël was just about the furthest thing possible from your average playground bully, and when he'd turned away and continued walking his lips had tightened into a perplexed frown and his brows furrowed disapprovingly. He had no idea why he'd done it. He wanted to kill his father, not torment some random stranger on the beach. As he'd moved on, the boy could only hope Inferni didn't want that out of him: didn't want him to turn into some sort of abusive monster, even if it did run in the family.
He didn't hear her get up, but she was in front of him so quickly that he almost ran her over. The stop was so sudden that he tipped up onto this toes and held back his arms, blinking down at the pure-white she-thing with wide, stupidly innocent eyes. She scolded him; he wondered if he should have been mad at that, pushed her around or something to show he was Inferni material, but he didn't. Gaël stood there like an idiot, towering over her, onyx ears pulled back and a long, surprised frown on his face. Not knowing what to answer, he remained silent. The girl withdrew seconds later after scanning him up and down (strange, why did everyone do that to him?) and muttered an apology, voice low and dreary as if he'd forced the end of the world on her.
When she finished, a smile broke the steady, contemplative face of the gentle giant and he couldn't stifle the light, young chuckle that surfaced. "You're right," he laughed, raising an arm to rub at the back of his neck uncomfortably. "I'm stupid. My bad." He smiled, embarrassed, before dropping his hands to his sides and sinking awkwardly into his shoulders. "Who are you? It's not safe dis close to Inferni for a wolf." Even though he looked like one himself.
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The more Brooklyn stared at this stranger, the more at ease she felt. It was a bit impossible to say why exactly, considering just how different they both were, but he didn't seem to mean her any harm. When he did apologise and even smile at her, she felt herself growing even more calm, despite the fact that she did not belong to Inferni and he could easily chase her off the beach. While he wasn't exactly stupid, it seemed like a mistake Haven would have made. The girl realised how much she missed her brother. How it ached that she hadn't seen him in so long. Really, where could he be? No matter how much she wanted to hate him for leaving like that, he was still her brother and she couldn't find it in her heart to do it.
"You're not stupid, I did overreact a bit. It's just something my brother would have done: foolish and unexpected." She gave him a warm smile in return. But when he expressed concern for her safety, she found herself transported back to the time of her first visit to Inferni. She had promised that coyote that she would never come here alone again, but obviously that was not the case. Here she stood, brave and innocent, thinking nothing could harm her. As she gazed into the male's eyes, Brooklyn realised that he truly was a good person. That he would not hurt her on purpose. His accent made her ears flicker for a second. "I've heard that line before. My name's Brooklyn D'Angelo. And yours? I know this place isn't really safe for wolves, but you don't look like a coyote so I assumed you wouldn't hurt me." It was a bold-faced lie, because she had expected to be alone on the beach, but really, the girl hoped she could get away with it. She wasn't here to spy or anything, so that made her safe, right? "If you want me to leave, I guess I could do so. It's just... I wanted to see something new, you know? Get away from home for a while."
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Brooklyn compared her to a sibling that Gaël assumed he knew nothing about, and thus his eyes filled quizzically, but the boy chose not to say a thing. She was gentle enough, a pleasurable change from the stone-faced Infernis with their distrusting and suspicious eyes; her fur was the brightest of whites, directly contrasting his darker features and the medley of colors in his coat (not to mention their unsurprising difference in height). She didn't pick up a harsh tone with him after his apology, and the fact that she relaxed quickly was a change of pace: getting the coyotes in Inferni to do the same upon seeing his wolfish genetics was a tiring challenge. "I have a brudder de same way," he smiled, grateful to make conversation on something other than his unwanted presence or his bloodline. Heath was definitely his brother's opposite. Miriette, well... the yearling thought of her as some sort of devil spawn, honestly. "I haven't seen him in weeks, though." He sunk a little in remembrance.
"Gaël," the boy smiled. Brooklyn -- what a strange name. It rolled off the tongue rather well. "I am part coyote... but I look like my fahder." He wasn't so pleasant in admitting it, however, and moved on from that concept quickly. "I'm not gonna chase you away. I guess... my clan has an 'image' to maintain."
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Delayed, sorry! 500+
So far, it seemed he did not want to chase her away. So either he was setting her up, or he genuinely enjoyed her company. Considering the way her first encounter with Inferni had gone, Brooklyn knew that she would have to be a lot more careful now. He mentioned a brother of his own and through his accent, which she still couldn't quite place, she realised that there must be some connection there. She herself could not exactly say that all of her siblings had been near and dear. Salem was a ghost to her and Mati a bone of contention. Only Haven, whom she'd had no luck in tracking yet, had been her pillar and her strength, until his mysterious disappearance. And now, with that torn away, she had fallen prey to the Darkness and the strange male who had possessed her. Her heart shuddered and she looked away for a moment, as the feeling of that night passed over her. How long ago it seemed, and yet she knew it wasn't anything like that. She quickly turned to him when he mentioned his brother missing, her ears flicking at the sound of those words. "Are you sure we're not related? My brother's been missing too and I can't seem to find him anywhere." The question had been asked half-jokingly. Her mothers would surely have mentioned any siblings other than those she knew.
His name only seemed to make her more interested. Gael. How it sounded, foreign, strange and so enticing. Like something learned a long time ago and forgotten, now made more alive with the passage of time. Brooklyn was sure that she had not met him, though. Like Dawali's name, it was something which she thought she would remember quite well. "You don't look like a coyote. I guess that's a bit of a good thing. Last time I was here I got in trouble with a coyote. I suppose they really hate wolves." She shuffled her foot in the sand a bit, aware that perhaps her last statement would upset him. "You know, I think that if you feel more coyote than wolf, you have the right to be coyote. You have the blood, who cares that you look like your dad? I..." she faltered, aware of what she would say next, "I never met my father. My mothers brought me and my siblings up. I don't even know his name." She'd never admitted it to anyone, not even to herself. But somehow, she felt that Gael would understand her.
"You guys sure love that image. I've never met a wolf pack who treated me viciously. You know why those guys hate wolves so much?" Brooklyn almost refused to consider him a coyote. Perhaps he thought of himself as such, but to her, coyote meant hate and spite and those skulls outside the pack lands. It meant she would have to leave and hate him. Somehow, she couldn't even fathom that; Gael was much too nice to hate.
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He could only grin stupidly at her comment on their brothers being one, but naturally the bright-eyed boy knew better. The only sibling from their litter that was missing was Gratien, and that was only because he'd died prenatally. Gaël and his siblings had been generally inseparable since birth... in a very loose sense, of course. "I doubt it," he snickered, flicking a few dark strands away from his radiant eyes. "My siblings and I have traveled a long way togedder. We split up to look for someone and found him, so now... I guess we are just trying to decide what to do from here."
Gaël only nodded and smiled when she continued to talk about the clan and their beliefs, but he frowned quickly when she mentioned his father and her own. "You are maybe better off," he said a bit bitterly. "I never met my fahder until we looked for him. I dink maybe we s'ould not have looked at all." Finding Maluki meant that in the end, he would have to be taken down one way or another. Although Gaël accepted the task of learning the ways of combat and the like, it was still just another complication he would have been happy with passing by. Sure, the vengeful feelings of hatred and such would be dispelled with the cyclops's death, but Gaël was a gentle giant. He didn't want to fight when he didn't have to.
He shrugged a little. He didn't know very much about Inferni. "I'm still new," he smiled stupidly. "Everyone dere is a little weird in the head. It's not easy to live dere when dey all dink dat I am wolf... I have been attacked a lot." His shoulders sagged. "I am not trusted eider... but nobody has said to me why dey don't. Nobody says anyding about it, dey just attack instead."
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Sorry again for the wait! 400+
Their lives were so similar, in small ways. She was looking for her brother, had had someone abandon her recently and her father was a largely dark figure, never mentioned and never cared about. He had been a little strange to understand, the way the pack didn't mention him, didn't even acknowledge the need for a father. Brooklyn smiled again, her eyes lighting up with amusement. She seemed to get along with him so easily, it took nothing at all to talk of such personal things. "Was it a good thing to find this person? You seem to have found your place here with the coyotes. What about your siblings?" He interested her, she found him so sweet, from his unusual height and markings to the accent that wound itself among his words.
So, her question had answered itself. Brooklyn thought she heard a note of sadness in his voice and she wondered once more if seeking Haven would make her happy or just destroy their relationship. Would she go home satisfied to know he was happy, or would she blame herself for not trying hard enough to keep him by her side? "I don't know if I miss my dad. I never met him, so I don't know if I should hate him for leaving or just pity him for missing out on my life. Do you hate your dad?" The white girl wanted to make things right for Gael too. She wasn't sure why exactly, other than her need to save others before herself.
"Come to Crimson Dreams with me." The words were out before she could properly think things through. Her hand reached up to touch his cheek, her fingers slowly stroking the soft fur. Why would he let himself be pushed around this way? Why accept things so serenely? He would be liked back home, they would like his demeanour and his strength could be a plus. "I... I never want to see someone get hurt. They don't like you because they think you're more wolf than coyote? Leave them! What do they offer you that others don't?" Brooklyn was being foolish, letting her feeling of pity and the way his smile made her stomach do somersaults overrule her rational views. But how couldn't she? How could she ignore his beautiful eyes and gentle words? "Whatever they offer you, I can double it." Bargaining. Like over meat or cloth, not someone's entire life.
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