j ; thunder on the horizon ; [Leader, please]
#1
Diavo
April 7, 2009
Luperci
Canis Latrans
Female
N/A

--

It was a cruel joke she survived. Her fawn colored body was all skin and bones, her fur matted with dirt, debris, and blood. She looked as if she were a walking corpse. She hadn't seen water or a meal in days, and her young paws ached with travel. The reason? Fear. She was running from the pain, the death, and the torture. She was injured before fleeing, but something kept her going, and that something was akin to revenge. Now, though, the last few days were catching up to her. This wandering was taking its toll on her small body.

She had ran for days, slowing only now that she could not smell them anymore. The heat had been unbearable during the days, but the further she traveled the more tolerable it had become. As she traipsed now, she noticed the ground was softer, and cooler, as if it had rained recently. Perhaps that is why she hadn't been smelling anything but herself and the land? Now that she noticed it, the sky certainly was starting to look ominous. Dark clouds settled on the horizon, slowly creeping onward with deep, throaty rumbles announcing another shower.

She glanced about slightly, swinging her pointy ears around as she looked for some cover. There was brush here, and that would have to suffice for now if it were truly about to rain. Trotting over, she nestled underneath a shrub, enjoying the left over droplets from a previous rain as they brushed her dry coat. She laid down and rest her head on her paws, lifting it only for a moment to lick up a few drops off the leaves.
#2
The restlessness in the male had not diminished with the time he had spent scouting out the other congregations in the area, instead it just seemed to intensify. The rain that had been threatening to pour from the heavens above had not helped him either as the lighting flashed in the rolling clouds, the thunder growling a warning of what was to come. He had felt the first drops of rain as a streak of lightning cracked brilliantly across the sky. The hair along his spine stood on end as he tried to shrug off the sudden chill that seemed to sink into his bones. He knew that he would have to find shelter soon but just as he was about to move on towards the caves the scent of another caught his attention.

Growling to himself he wondered if this was another long lost relative coming to rejoin the clan. Not that he minded, but why in the world didn't they just call out for the Aquila themselves instead of slink around and wait to be found. He let a sigh escape his lips as with his nose to the ground he hurried along, scenting the beast's trail, within moments he was on his way along the path she had travel as suddenly the scent ended. Stopping dead in his tracks he turned around and nosed about the area til he caught the scent once more.

Pausing he realized as he peered under the shrubs that he had found this stranger that was lurking on the clan's lands and instead of snap at her he froze. She was only a puppy. He was silent a moment until the thunder overhead warned him of worse things than a child as he crouched down on all fours and called out to the small kid. "hey.. what you doing?" The answer was obvious if she had been trying to do as he should have been doing, but it didn't matter he just needed to try and get her talking and figure out what to do with her then.
#3
The approaching thunder was rolling slowly closer, growling lazily. She too had begun to feel a few stray drops as they fell through the haphazard shelter she had chosen. While getting wet was inevitable, so seemed to be the overbearing rush of exhaustion she suddenly felt. Her eyelids were heavy, as was her heart. She had been terribly lonely since she left.

Worrying about it only fueled her exhaustion, and soon she was on the edge of sleep. She drew in a deep breath from her tiny black lips and let it back out. Just as she adjusted her head for a more comfortable sleeping position, a male's voice made her nearly jump out of her skin.

Frightened, she sunk back, almost not understanding his words because of how startled she was. She blinked at him, mouth slightly parted and panting. Wait, think, he asked something, "What are you doing?" She closed her mouth and swallowed and tucked her tail slightly.

"Uhh.. it's gonna rain."
#4
He should have realized that the poor kid would have been frightened by anyone's sudden appearance. Hell, he'd been a horrible trembling powderpuff when he was her age. He frowned slightly when she tried to shrink back further into the bushes as he called softly. "Hey, I ain't gonna hurt you.." He frowned for a second as he continued, "You're on clan land.." he said with a slight smile. He could tell she wasn't of the clan, there was no clinging scent of Inferni and she was half starved. He cocked his head to the side as he laid down on the ground before her shelter and asked. "Where's your mommy?" a word he thought he'd never use and yet so quickly it came forth as he tried to figured out just where the little rain speckled one had come from.

He shook his head slightly as the rain began to fall, the patter as it hit the ground and the bushes about them seemed to kill the chance of silence, but he didn't mind. He tried to smile a friendly smile again as he chuckled at the answer he'd given her. "Yeah.. it's raining.. but a little rain never hurt anyone..." It did tend to make them uncomfortable and a little soggy, but nothing a warm fire or snug den wouldn't cure.
#5
She studied him as he talked to her, his soft voice seeming more and more reassuring. She was from a clan, she had had family, she knew the protocols. However, all that she had known was gone, and the visions of how they were when she left left her un-trusting and nearly broken. She wanted to run up and find warmth next to this kind male's chest, but what made him different from the others? She certainly wasn't naive anymore. With her eyes on his, she relaxed slightly as she responded.

"My mommy is dead. My daddy is probably dead too, if you were going to ask that."

She watched his lips slide towards his ear in a smile, and for a moment she thought he'd bare his teeth and try to hurt her, but he stopped in a friendly grin. She relaxed a little more, sitting now and wrapping her skinny tail around her haunches. "No, the rain doesn't hurt me. I just wanted to get out of it, so that's what I'm doing."

As the words came, she couldn't help her natural curiosity. "Who are you, mister?"
#6
Enigma just lay there and watched those tiny orbs watching him, knowing that she must be trying to figure him out in some way. No one could help it, when they met another. It just came natural. Everyone was curious as to who they ran into and who they were friends with. It was just part of the everyday cycle of life. The dusty gold male didn't expect the answer she had to give him though, but in a way it made sense. Why else would the child be half starved and alone. He frowned slightly, his mind going back to his own mother who didn't even know if her children lived or died. He shook his head as he said softly. "I'm sorry kiddo.." and for once he was. He had no parents by choice now, he couldn't even stop to think what it must be like to have lost them with no way of getting them back if wanted. His eyes turned away from the little girl a moment as he wondered just how his mother was doing.

The brooding and tramping through faded memories ended quickly though when she moved slightly, wrapping her tail around her thin haunches as she tried to get comfortable. When she agreed that the rain wouldn't hurt her he smiled and chuckled slightly. "There's better places than under a shrub.." he said as he glanced about, wondering how far they were from the caves. Slowly rising to his feet he looked down at the girl as he asked, "How about we go look for a nice dry warm cave.." if she'd go with him looking for the caves then he could probably get Gabriel to come take a look at the poor soul and see what they could do.. if she wanted to stay that was.

When she asked who he was he smiled once more and gave his name. "I'm Enigma, and this is Inferni.." He paused a second before asking. "What.. happened to your parents?" Knowing he was probably brushing up against a sore subject, but needing to know just the same. He hesitated a moment before mentioning. "If you've got nowhere to go.. I bet Gabriel wouldn't mind if you wanted to stay here..." Of course they didn't have any pups her age.. but there was always Zana who was her size.. which was close enough. He didn't stop to think that that wasn't the smartest idea with how high strung the pygmy woman was.. but he'd probably realize soon enough.
#7
edit- nevermind. :3

--

The more this male spoke, the more genuine he seemed. She longed for comfort, being prematurely taken from a family life. He apologized at her answer, and she broke the gaze to look down, and absent mindlessly flicked around a small rock with her paw. "It s'okay. You don' gotta be sorry." Heart-break oozed into her core as she reminisced about the events leading up to her arrival here.

She looked back up at him when he mentioned following him. She still did not trust him, but he was becoming increasingly comforting. A nice dry cave did in fact sound nice, seeing as her adrenaline leveled off, her exhaustion was coming back. Oh how nice it would be to just nap for a little while, but the male had more questions, and so did she.

"Almost everybody was killed.. or hurt really bad. They just come up to us one night, an' I thought they were like us, but they weren'. Look like us, but biggern' uglier. I 'ono what really happened, just started hurtin' everyone. I wasso scared, I jus' run away.." Shame crept up her chest. She had run when everyone was being attacked, she hadn't tried to help, she was just scared. She sighed almost inaudibly as her head sunk a little lower. "Who's Gabriel?"
#8
Enigma wasn't exactly prone to show any form of emotion besides anger and those that dwelt alongside the rage. He wouldn't admit it to anyone but he had a soft spot for pups, probably because he was on the cusp of adulthood and there were still times he wished that he could roll back the clock and be young once more. When the girl broke her gaze with him and cast her eyes to the ground as she spoke of his apology he frowned slightly, realizing that she was trying to put a brave front. He wasn't going to deny her that and so he just nodded and let the words die there.

He'd asked her if she'd like to find a warmer spot but he could tell that something horrible must have happened for though she had no problem speaking to him she didn't seem to want to answer the question and pushed on to another. He didn't press her about it though, after all he was the one who'd spoken of how rain never really hurt anyone.. though the lightning that followed didn't seem to care who it chased after. He could feel the drops of rain slither into his coat as he waited to see what she would say, when it was apparent that she wanted nothing to do with moving just yet and pressed on to the next question he let her be. He probably wouldn't trust himself either.

The story she told made him frown, it sounded like wolves had attacked their camp, a sudden chill sliding down his back as he glanced down to the girl, the emotions as she spoke were heartwrenching. He lifted his head up and caught her eye as he tried to offer her some comfort. "You're alive though.. I'm sure your parents would have wanted you to run.. I'm sure they wouldn't have wanted the same fate for you." It wasn't the best but it was all he had to offer. She pressed onward though, which was a good sign and he couldn't help but chuckle as she asked who Gabriel was.

He tilted his head to the side as he grinned and answered, "Gabriel is my uncle, he leads our clan. He'll make certain you're protected from whoever did this to your family.." Gabriel protected the clan with his heart and soul, he was certain that he would do the same for the little girl. "That is, if you want to stay with us.." he added.. knowing that Gabriel probably wouldn't mind the girl staying the night if she didn't, but he wasn't certain if the clan would want to assist a child who didn't want to belong with them.
#9
Yes, the male was correct. She was infact alive, but the trauma had left her feeling only slightly so. She wished she could be with her family now. She had thought about returning home after a few hours of wandering, but storms had washed away her scent and tracks. Besides, what if the other creatures where still there? Her mind had briefly gone over the conjured images of her mother's throat in the jaws of one of the monsters, and her siblings being pinned to the ground under the heavy weight of the beasts. She shuddered, half out of fear, half out of rage.

With her ears flattened against her skull, she looked up at the male. He had mentioned this cave again, and the prospect of a nice dry ground became more enticing. This Gabriel fellow was their leader? Her past clan's leader was a gentle male, but who knew about this stranger's leader? While she was still apprehensive about joining him, she really had no choice at this point. He had not eaten her yet, and his intentions seemed good. Stay with them? She had not thought of the future. She really was alone now, and would not be able to fend for herself much longer. But, who were they? He had mentioned 'Inferni', but who or what were they? More of her kind, she hoped. Feeling on the brink of passing out, she heaved a great sigh and hung her head, glancing up at him as she rose off her haunches and stepped towards him out from under the brush. The rain was heavier now and bounced and splashed off her small head.

"I kinn'a wanna go to that cave now, if that's okay.."
#10
She was silent for so long he almost thought that she was about to break out into tears but it just seemed that she was lost in memories. He could see the sadness shining in her eyes but he didn't interfere, knowing that this was her time and hers alone. He couldn't make her parents return, nor her old world she knew. The scent that clung to her was like none of the packs that dwelt in these lands and the fact that she appeared to be pure coyote was probably a guaranteed turn off to the wolf packs that seemed to pop up everywhere in these good lands. He watched her patiently, waiting to see what she had to say or what the plan was going to be. The silence seemed to linger on, only ousted by the drip drop of the rain as it rat-a-tatted on their skulls.

A small smile appeared on his lips as she finally spoke up, deciding that she did indeed want to find the caves. He gave her a nod and got to his paws, waiting for her to join him as he added. "I'll call for Gabriel when we get there, thatway he'll know you're here and come see you. If you want to stay you'll probably have to ask him." He knew he had no real say on if the child stayed or not but he didn't believe that Gabriel would throw her back to the wolves. He began to head towards the caves that weren't far away, listening for the tale-tale signs that the youngster was following.
#11
A small smile crept up on her fine lips as well, seeing the male jump up, eager to show her his world. She gingerly stepped further out from under the brush and closer to him. The rain fell harder on their bodies, and she grumbled slightly and trotted swiftly to keep up with his long legs. She limped slightly on her left hind leg, but she did not dare fall behind. She was so close to his legs, she probably would have tripped him if she were to take one sideways step. As they trotted, she became more soaked, and her sense of urgency and excitement rose.

She briefly glanced around as they moved, taking in the new territory for really the first time. It was similar to her old home, yet so very foreign. Her steps were double-time next to his long legs, and she briefly interrupted her pace to hop and catch up. Her lips parted and despite the cool rain, she began to pant, weary from lack of nourishment. She hoped she did not sound very pressing, but she could not help but ask.

"Are we nearly there?"
#12
He had kept them at a brisk pace, knowing that the girl would want to get out of the rain quickly and just about the time that impatience and the soaking rain got to her he slowed his trot and smiled back at her. "Right ahead... hey.. what is your name?" He asked, realizing that in the whole jumbled mess he had never asked the little girl just what her name was. he felt silly now asking but it was something that Gabriel would need to know and he would rather know it as well before he brought the leader down to meet her.

He came to a stop before one of the caves and smiled as he nudged the girl on ahead towards the gaping mouth of the cave. "Go on, it should be nice and warm.. don't forget to shake off before you go in though.." he warned her, just incase she forgot. He shook the rain from his coat and titled his head back, the song that escaped his maw was for their leader, wondering what the male would think of finding him once more lingering about the lands and talking up a storm with strangers. He didn't really stop to think too much on it though as he moved to the mouth of the cave and sat right inside the entrance to wait for Gabriel or Ryan to appear.
#13
As he said it, she looked up and sure enough, there was a rather large cave right before her eyes. Her steps lightened at the thought of warmth and settling down. She looked up at him, a small smile on her face. "Diavo, like, dee-ah-voe." As she got closer to the mouth, she stopped and shook her coat mightily, throwing her off balance and making her side step. After she regained her footing, she bounded into the cave and immediately settled on the dry floor.

She watched the male as he howled, and her ears perked up as he sang. She felt the urge to sing with him, but she did not want to be rude. She quelled her urges and lay with her head on her paws, her tail flopping from side to side as she laid there. She tried to remain patient as the male sat at the entrance, but the excitement of all this newness was getting to her.
#14
He watched her as she tried to do as he said, a soft chuckle rising in his throat as she shook herself so hard that she nearly fell over. She gave him a name within a few moments of settling herself in and he tried it on for size before the leader came. "Diavo.." he said, smiling at the girl as he pronounced it correcting, getting the feeling that she perhaps had heard it uttered incorrectly a few times the way she'd coaxed him on saying it. He shifted his gaze out towards the rain that poured right before his muzzle as he waited.

His ears flicked back a second as he called out. "It should only be a little while. Gabriel is normally very good at coming quickly.. and Ryan as well, she's our second in command.." he explained as he turned to look at her a moment before giving another shake of his head, feeling another shower of rain wash over the ground around him as he settled back in, waiting to see just who would come to answer his call.
#15
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     The call that broke over the pouring rain drew Gabriel out into the cold. He left his own home and ran off into the water, intent on finding whatever it was his nephew wanted and take care of it quickly. Despite this, the amount of raining pouring from the cloudy skies was enough to soak his sable brushed fur and make him slightly more annoyed then he had been before. Luckily, Enimga was not that far away, and after less then five minutes he found the golden boy.
     What surprised him was the small child squirming nearby. Shaking the water from his coat, Gabriel barely spent any time observing the girl, and instead focused his attention on the Tirones. “You’re a lot like your cousin,” he said, slightly amused by the fact. “Ezekiel has a habit for bringing children home.” Only then did he advance and sniff the skinny puppy, taking in her scent amongst that of rain water. She still smelled like earth and blood. “What’s your name?” He asked her, surprisingly warm for the scarred Aquila.

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#16
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Sorry, this is kind of short.


It seemed like an eternity as the young pup laid there, her dark amber eyes flirting between the young male and the outside of the cave, waiting for one of the two that her new acquaintance had mentioned. She lifted her head and closed her eyes, a large yawn parting her thin black lips. She laid her head back down on her paws and let her eyelids settle.

Moments later, another large male was in the cave opening, and she peered at him as he shook off and approached her. She shrunk down and hugged all her extremities close as he sniffed her. She listened to his voice, which seemed more commanding than the young male’s before him. This must be Gabriel.

"My name is Diavo. Are you Gabriel?"

She let her tail sweep slowly on the cave floor, trying to appear that she meant respect, but she was also warming up to all these new people.




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#17
In response to the words he'd offered the young girl Gabriel appeared in almost no time at all. Enigma hadn't expected much of a conversation from the leader and was rather surprised when he spoke to him about how alike he was with Ezekiel. He held his tongue though on his thoughts of the other male, remembering how he'd coined him with the nickname and the ill feelings the other had granted him. He knew that he had partially deserved the way that his cousin had acted, he'd been a cocky little thing upon arrival but in time his mood was changing. Those dark orbs lifted to look to Gabriel as he stumbled over an explanation, not knowing if bringing the little girl in was a good thing or a bad thing in the leader's eyes. "Her family and clan were attacked..." He looked over to the girl as he added. "From what she said.. it sounds like wolves." His words were dripping in disgust at the thought that the larger beasts had the nerve to even want to kill a child for little more reason than the family they belonged to. His eyes turned back to Gabriel, not knowing his own uncle's views on war.

He was quiet a moment as he watched the young girl standing before Gabriel as she gave her name and had the courage to ask the leader if that was exactly who he was. Enigma couldn't hide the smile that appeared on his maw, a product of his amusement at how she seemed to stand brave enough in the face of the decision of if she would be able to stay or if she had to go. He chuckled and added for her reassurance, "He won't hurt you Diavo.." Atleast he didn't believe that the leader would, his eyes trailing to Gabriel as he said the words, hoping there was no lie in what he'd spoken to the girl.
#18
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     The girl made herself as small as possible, but her tail wagged behind her. To Gabriel, this was a telling sign—despite the fact she had been through something terrible, she was still able to show him this. So the Aquila smiled, and returned the sign with a singular wag. “I am. It’s nice to meet you, Diavo,” he said, and then turned his face to Enigma. The story was not uncommon; other coyotes had come to Inferni by wolves. Two of them had died less then a day after Gabriel had offered them protection.
     “It doesn’t surprise me,” Gabriel said darkly, and his upper lip twitched. “Clean her up and get her some food. I’ll see about finding her someone to stand as her guardian if you aren’t up to it.” There was a subtle challenge in his wording. Ezekiel had proven himself capable of taking care of a child, but his son had been peculiar since Siobhan’s disappearance. Ryan, likewise, was occupied with her own daughter and duties. It would be a test of sorts, one that Gabriel was very interested in seeing what his nephew would do.


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#19
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