the trial of man (j)
#1
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# Character Name: Gatsby
# Character Birthdate (including year): April 11, 2009
# Whether s/he is a regular wolf or a Luperci: Luperci
# Species: Coyote
# Gender: Male
# A secondary form of contact (AIM, MSN, Y!M): empty-mirrors@hotmail.com
# How you found 'Souls: Your affiliate banner on another site.


     Gatsby had been left behind. Family was supposed to want you when no one else did, and even they had chosen to discard him like a useless toy, at first exciting and useful, then old and no longer needed. Where his family had actually run off to, Gatsby did not know. Perhaps it was best that way, so he would not be tempted to follow. He had always thought of himself as more independent than his immature brothers, but still, to be completely alone in the world was a heavy burden to bear. Especially for a child of only five months.


     The sun's location clocked the afternoon hours' arrival, burning bright and fierce against the clear blue skies. Gatsby had not yet existed through all the seasons, but already summer was not a favorite. Its intense heat and dense insect population were now magnified by the fact that he was alone in the world, making Gatsby all the more irritated by the slightest disturbances. It was only the familiar scent of his own kind that kept his tiny feet moving forward, the knowledge that nearby he might find someone who was like his family, perhaps knew of where they had gone.



     As he ambled along, the young coyote imagined himself on a tiresome journey, trekking across dangerous wilderness on the hunt for a precious item that would save the world. His time was running out, but he was nearly there, the world was just moments away from being saved, he moments away from being a hero. But abruptly he halted, sensing the border as his instincts kicked in, alerting him to stand still and wait. And so he did.

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#2
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Hello there! Big Grin I love your characters' literary names. <3



    The hybrid woman had busied herself as always with border duty. There were many times per day she ought to loop the borders—though she was confident that others were also partaking in this job of the clan, there was always room for one more ring around the borders. It couldn't hurt anything, after all—if a coyote was constantly pacing their perimeter, outsiders could not get in, and potential new members would not be ignored. Even in the heat of middway, the hybrid woman kept a quick, blistering pace. Her trot was all coyote, her feet swinging quickly and her long stride covering much of the ground as she moved forward.



    Before long, there was a scent on the air. The coyote paused for a moment, altering her course after dissecting the scent to learn as much about its bearer as she could. Male, young, coyote? That was always a good sign, and silvery paws carried the Centurion quickly to the youth's location. He waited patiently there, standing and looking rather awkward and out-of-place. He was indeed young, and he had yet to grow into many of his features. The lankiness of adolescence permeated his features, though he did not appear exceptionally underfed or abused, as some of the recent additions to their ranks. "Afternoon," she drawled, seating herself abruptly.



    Though her silver head was held high, there were no other outward indications of the woman's dominance. Her single eye regarded the golden coyote for a moment before she spoke again. "Don't suppose you're hanging around here just for fun, hm?" she inquired, a hint of jest in her voice. There was monotony in this process of finding strange faces on the borders, and the hybrid liked to avoid the same old questions, repeated again and again to different individuals. Some were necessary, naturally—but it did not make them any less tedious to ask.

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#3
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Thank you. :] Kaena is scary looking! D: But I like her! Lol

     Gatsby's wait was not a long one, for soon a much larger figure came rolling in his direction on all fours, strangely enough. Gatsby had only very rarely witnessed his parents in their coyote forms, and it was strange to him to see an adult coyote not utilizing their two-legged form. But such was only the beginning of abnormalities that were to come with this particular canine for as she grew nearer, Gatsby couldn't help his widening eyes.

     It wasn't that she was scary, because despite her ragged appearance, Gatsby did not feel alarmed. She was merely different and for this reason was a sight to see. His tiny heart almost softened at her arrival, wondering how a female could endure as much pain as she clearly had. Where his mother's body had appeared almost untouched, this woman was badly scarred and in severe need of a right eye. Gatsby was in fact so taken by her appearance that he failed to notice her polite greeting and caught only the end of her next words.

     Now sheepish and confused, Gatsby could only nod hesitantly, and as he went to swallow he felt his saliva go down harder than usual. Willing himself to speak, Gatsby said the first thing that came to mind, "You have a pretty eye," he offered. Alright, so Gatsby had never claimed to be the most suave little boy. Still, it was honest, for he had never seen an eye colored in such close likeness to the sun.

     "I'm Gatsby," were the next words that found his lips, followed shortly by, "My mom and dad left me here, can you help?" Innocent words, from an innocent child.

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#4
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Aww, thanks! XD She's perfectly nice, sometimes anyway. ;D



    Fearsomeness of appearance came with its perks. Kaena had many scars, so generally, intelligent creatures who had never fought a battle in their life would leave her well enough alone, since it was fairly obvious from her marred visage that she had been on the surviving end of many battles and could best most by virtue of experience alone. Still, there was always a lack of intelligence to count on—Kaena had long learned that common sense was mislabeled, as it was not quite so prevalent. There would always be another idiot teenager to fling him or herself at Kaena's feet and lock fangs with her, of that she was certain. Soon enough, though, age would overtake experience, and when she lost her physical prowess and became old and decrepit, she would not be so cocky when it came to engaging others in battle. The hybrid looked him over, scrutinizing him carefully with her single searing eye. She had already learned a lot from his appearance alone; he was not skin and bones so he must be freshly abandoned (or very good at surviving) and either was a positive note. They would not have to nurse this one back to full health as they had with some of their other, more recent additions to Inferni.



    The younger coyote did not appear to know what to make of her; whether it was her four-legged stance, the myriad of scars cris-crossing her body, or something else, she did not know. But he didn't holler, and there was no disgust on his face as he looked over her. Kae didn't particularly appreciate pity, but it was better than being called ugly or worse, an ugly princess. For now, she really did fit that title—she was not attracted except to a scant few, and she was the "princess" of Inferni as its second-in-command. But only one canine had ever called her that, the mutt DaVinci, the hybrid who had abandoned his coyote heritage and went to live among the wolves. The tawny coyote spoke at long last, offering a compliment which caught the woman by surprise. It warmed her, though, and it showed in her smile, degraded and twisted as it was by the knotty scar tissue on her face. "Thank you," she responded. Normally, she would launch into a tirade about the wolf who'd stolen it from her, but there was business to attend to here, and anyway the younger coyote was introducing himself now.



    Gatsby. The name sounded vaguely familiar, though Kaena was not an educated creature and she certainly had not read any Fitzgerald, nor Hemingway, nor any of the greats. Her world was in the physical realm, pleasure and pain—and though she was not stupid, neither was she versed in literature. She was lucky she could even read at her slow, choppy pace, still sounding words out like a small child. She cocked her head to the side, wondering what would possess a parent to abandon their child. At least they had not dumped him completely alone, far away from his own kind—here he had a fighting chance. "I'm Kaena Lykoi, and this is Inferni. We are a clan of coyotes and hybrids," she said, introducing herself and the clan to the younger creature. "I have responsibilities here, so I can't help you find your parents... but if you would like, you may stay with us for a while and see if they come back," the coyote offered. It was the best she could do for him, and even if Inferni was not family, it could grow on him.

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