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Gotham was feeling empowered and bold, and he strutted down the rocky shoreline imagining - no, knowing - that he was a brave prince, or knight or something. He didn't have a sword yet, only because he didn't have a way of holding it, but that day was coming soon. The funny crab things that were walking around the beach with him bowed before him, and the ocean roared his name each time it came up to the shore trying to kiss his paws. He was the Cool Prince, just like his sister said! The boy grinned as he walked, humming a little tune as he stepped carefully.
He could see something in the distance, and it only took him a moment to figure out what it was. The strange shape was a castle! It was the perfect place for a young prince to stomp around in. Maybe he could find some really shiny swords he could come back and get when he could shift! Auntie Ember said he could have some of her weapons, but it would be cool if he could find his own, too. And maybe there were dragons in this castle, on top of a big pile of gold! Grinning at this thought, the boy set out even faster.
The boy reached the castle and had found something that looked sort of like an entrance, a soggy wooden door hanging off a hole on the exterior of the building. He was a little nervous to go in, because it seemed kind of dim inside, so for now he just peeped his head through the door and stared inside. It didn't look as shiny as the pup would have expected a castle to be, but maybe because he was only at the entrance. There was only one way to find out if the rest was shiny, right? Tentatively, he stuck a paw through the door and took a few steps around, bright blue eyes roving the hallway as he wandered.
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The Russian wolf was busy exploring the new surroundings. In many ways, this city was like any other of the myriad human wreckages he'd come across in his time. Some were in worse shape than others; thankfully most of the architecture was strong enough to withstand the test of time, even with no one was around to maintain it. It seemed the older the structure the more likely it was to survive; very ancient buildings almost fared better than very new ones. Such seemed to be the case with the black-stone castle, an instant draw for the sword-wielding wolf the moment his frigid gaze had fallen on it. Excitedly he made his way toward the building, humming rather merrily as he went. He was some minutes behind the younger canine, and the sable wolf had been obscured from Rurik's view for the whole time, but his scent did not.
The silver wolf was hardly bothered by this turn of events; he was looking forward to exploring the castle and company only made it better! So he plunged forward rather quickly, stomping up the ancient stone steps with the song still caught in his heart. His silvery tail flowed behind him, the coal-dusted appendage proving he was quite happy today. The weather was merry, an adventure was just around the corner, and there was a potential new friend for Rurik to meet! Excitement bubbled in his chest as he made his way up the long, broken steps. They were falling to pieces, but this building was well over five hundred years old, possibly more. The silvery canine certainly respected that kind of building, the kind that could withstand the severest test of time.
He found himself in a somewhat dim hallway; the windows were extremely narrow and they allowed only a small amount of sunlight to filter in, casting much of the insides of the castle in shadow. Still, Rurik did not sense any underlying danger here, and it was not at all unsettling to him. Some feet down the hall, there was a young man, almost completely sable and quite blended in with the shadows of the castle. A friendly smile immediately graced the sharp features of the loner's face, and he started off toward the dark-furred puppy, calling his greeting as he approached. "Hallo there," the wolf said, wagging his tail and speaking in his perpetual accent.
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[html] Yay Rurik! Sorry I am slow. b:
As he walked Gotham imagined he was walking back in time, the grunge on the stone walls disappearing to reveal rock chopped straight from the cliffs, the tarnished weapons on the wall becoming shiny again. He imagined that in the distance he could hear a bustle in the dining hall, and the clash of swords ringing out from the courtyard. A smile crossed his face and he hopped along happily, eager to see the feast or a young page sparring with his mentor for practice. One day when the pup was able to shift he would be able to handle a sword, as well, and maybe he could practice with Auntie Ember to get really good at it.
He was quite wrapped up in his little fantasy, and as the Cool Prince, heir to the throne, he strutted down the corridor. The voice of another was unexpected, and he skittered forward a few steps when the disturbance reached his ears, his hackles raising slightly. It was a friendly noise, though, and Gotham regained his composure, mentally scolding himself for behaviour that was utterly uncharacteristic of a Cool Prince. With a wide grin to make up for his initial impression, he nodded curtly and said, "Hi!" Of course, the boy couldn't help but notice that the other wore a sword, kept up much more nicely than the few he had seen within the castle, and he commented upon that immediately, "Nice sword!"
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The silvery werewolf had seen castles in the old world. Some had fallen into disrepair, damaged by years of warfare. Others were still quite grand—if a bit drafty—and some canines chose to live in them. Rurik hadn't ever been inside one before, though—he had just viewed them from a distance. The closest he'd come were the ruins of an old church somewhere in Hungary, just old, falling stones and a catwalk, the only remnants of the second floor. That had hardly been as large as this place, though, and the blue-eyed wolf was rather impressed with the structure. Why hadn't someone staked claim to this place? It was rather magnificent, after all. Rurik winced at first, hesitating just a second as he saw the fright he'd caused in the younger canine. Though the Russian was just about to apologize, the youth brightened quickly and spoke his greeting.
Though the raven-colored pup had seemed frightened at first, he offered the Russian—or, more precisely, his sword—a compliment. The Russian grinned widely and tipped his head toward the younger canine. "Thanks much," he said. "Her name is Ilya," he explained happily, patting the end of the sword with his big silver hand. Liliya and Ilya were related, and Rurik had selected his daughter's name with that fact in mind. "And I am Rurik Russo," he said, his hand going to his chest. The Russian was rather given to gesturing with his hands, as he sometimes found it difficult to express himself without visual props.
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Angel made her way to the hallways of this interesting building. It seemed dark, cozy and yet eerie. It creeped her out some as she looked about its corridors and saw that it looked to be old. No matter in either case. Angel smiled as she traced her hand over the walls and her fur blended in with the darkness. The only smells in the hall were musty earth, thick wood smoke from her fires and her spicy scent. Her smile never faded as her violet eyes glowed in the dark it seemed. Her hawk feathers hung from her hair as the beads that were braided into it clinked together very silently and soon she heard voices.
Approaching more she saw two luperci it seemed; one young one from Crimson Dreams and the other an adult loner. She had to admit the loner was quite handsome and did he say the name to his sword? Interesting how males name such possessions like that. No matter. "Nice night ain't it to be hunting for ghosts? OoooOOoOoooOOOh!" Angel teased as she let out a little chuckle and came closer to the pair.
[html] Boo for not being able to be on Souls all day ): And hot table!
That seemed to be a pretty satisfactory recovery from being a not-so-cool Cool Prince. Anyway, any concerns he had about his first impression quickly dissipated when the big wolf introduced the sword by name. Gotham didn't even know that swords had names! He found this idea rather fascinating, and he wondered briefly if Ember and Jazper knew that their swords had them. The man with the accent was the only one that had actually used one when speaking about his weapon, but he seemed confident and Gotham didn't doubt his rightness - of opinion or of mind. Grinning widely as the male gave his own name, the boy wagged his tail and replied, "I'm Gotham, nice to meet you Ilya and Rurik!" After a moment he added conversationally, "I didn't know that sa-words had names!"
This castle wasn't a place that Gotham would have expected to be busy, but it certainly seemed fairly bustling. The boy had spotted the female as she was approaching, more by her bright eyes than her actual body. It was such a shame, and for a moment he felt for the other, that they both had such bright eyes. If not for them they would be excellent hiders and sneakers, their dark fur blending into any shady place they wished it to.
She spoke cheerfully, and the Crimson Dreams youngster furrowed his brow just a little. "There's ghosts? I was a-lookin' for dragons or a princess or somethin'." He had never learned a whole lot about ghosts, and didn't really want to meet one. If they were ghosts of dragons or princesses he might make an exception, but he didn't want to meet the ghost of anyone that didn't have an epic story to tell.
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[html] http://sleepyglow.net/rp/rurik/rurik_tide.jpg);"> <333 I was very upset and ;_____; last night when it was down. But then I went and played Halo and killed lots of dudes and felt a little better. Gah, I cannot remember the old reason Ilya has her name. D: This is what I get for not archiving Rurik threads. /fail
The Russian was impressed with structures that had survived the test of the human's time, even moreso with ones that had existed for hundreds of years before the last human had died. The silvery wolf had seen many modern buildings in Europe that had fallen to total disrepair, and many more intentionally destroyed by the Luperci, burned after being sacked of anything useful to allow the wilderness to take hold there once again. They were wolves, and they did not need nearly as many cities as the humans had. Small villages and cities galore made up much of the European population, but there were, naturally, large pockets of wilderness all throughout the old country, and in these there were many wolves that had retained their ancestors' ways of life, refusing to walk on two legs for any reason whatsoever.
Rurik himself did not miss his two-legged form; he was rather comfortable with opposable thumbs and the ability to manipulate objects, though he did get the rare itch to run as a wolf. That was all it was, though—an exceedingly rare event. The Russian's coal-dipped ears flicked backwards, detecting the approach of another. He wondered if the stranger was heading for them or just passing by, and his attention returned to the younger canine as he spoke and introduced himself. Bowing his head, the Russian grinned a pleased smile. "And you, Gotham," the wolf said, reciprocating the feeling. He didn't often find it easy to relate to children, but this one was bright and cheery, and he was interested in Rurik's sword, a topic the Russian could quite easily relate to. "Aye! Some of them. Ilya is old Russian name, to help give her strength," the Russian explained, still smiling.
It seemed the passerby would join them, so the ash-furred male turned to greet their new companion, though he kept his body angled so he could easy turn his head to speak to either of his companions, wishing to alienate neither of them. "Ghosts, eh? Didn't know there was any of them here," he grinned, unafraid. The Russian had never seen a ghost, but he did believe in spirits—more powerful that ghosts and generally representative of something. He'd invited his Domovoi, the house-spirit, along with him to the boat and now to the motel, and hopefully that act of kindness would keep the Domovoi from being playful or malevolent, as they were jealous things which were easily offended by lack of an invitation. "Dragons usually live in caves, I think—but maybe we'll find a princess ghost here?" the Russian suggested. He was somewhat intrigued by the spiritual side but he preferred to tread lightly; no sense in angering things one didn't understand.
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Angel chuckled at the younger wolf and nodded. "We might find a ghostly princess as he said, or we might find some other spooky things to look at. I hadn't been down here yet so I am interested to see what this place is like! I am sure there are many a souls wandering about, we just have to call them out!" Angel spoke as she shifted to her main form where she stood on all four legs now. She began to look about and smiled. "Come come! This will be fun!"
Angel hoped that she wasn't interrupting anything on this night. She felt like a little exploring would be good for anyone on this night for the moon seemed to be full and activity had been on the rise. She had seen many an animal out in the wilderness so she wondered if perhaps she would be able to see a spirit or two. Walking into a room full of spiderwebs and dust, Angel looked around and tried to see what the room was. It looked like a massive office with books still in the shelves! "Ooh! Books! I love reading!" Angel spoke as she walked to the shelves and switched to her optime form to look at each book.
[html] Awh <3 Sorry for the delay, guys ;___;
Gotham wasn't quite sure what Russian meant, but he wondered briefly if Ember's sword had a Russian name, too. The boy reflected the older wolf's smile, glad that he had taken the time to explain the concept of swords having names. Since the names seemed to help the swords be strong, Gotham would name his future sword, as well. He wondered if it had to be an old Russian name (the boy still wasn't quite sure what this meant) to be effective in making the sword stronger, but he was sure he could figure this out later. He wasn't even old enough to shift and hold a sword yet, so he would worry about those things in the future, when they were more pertinent.
It really was a shame that he had come to the wrong place for dragon hunting, but the youngster supposed that he would be happy with a ghostly princess. Next time, though, he would make sure he would look in the right place to find a dragon. Preferably a fire-breathing one, sitting on a pile of gold. He still had a little bit of hope that these two were wrong, that, just maybe, a dragon had taken over the castle and eaten all the humans and settled in the dungeons. For now he would look for ghost princesses with his two new friends, and satisfy his desire for dragons later.
Grinning at the female's enthusiasm, the boy nodded his head. "Yeah, okay!" Looking up at Rurik as if to ensure he was coming, the boy bounded after the other dark colored wolf. The boy didn't think that her discovery was quite as wonderful as she seemed to think it was; though he did like books, there must be more interesting things in the castle! Lingering in the doorway, he watched her crack one open, his brows furrowed with a tinge of impatience. Feeling it was a subtle hint, he asked, "Do they say where to find a ghost princess?"
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Rurik wasn't particularly fond of reading; he found it difficult to read in English. He could read quite well in Russian, but the transition between the Cyrillic alphabet and the Latin alphabet was quite jarring, and Rurik simply could not handle it without struggling over each of the words, sounding them out. Books in Russian were rather hard to come by here, and so Rurik had to pass most of them by. It rarely bothered him, though. The wolf stuck his head inside of the room Angelique had entered. It did seem to be some kind of library. Turning back to Gotham, he shrugged one of his shoulders. "I think the best we'll find in here's ghost stories, s'all," the wolf said with a laugh to the younger canine. "Maybe they got a dungeon in this castle?" he suggested, speaking loud enough for Angelique to hear. She was inside the room; maybe they had a brochure or a map or something they could use to navigate the castle.
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((OOC - Sorry been sick and family emergencies and all.))
Angel chuckled at the both of them and nodded. "If there is a dungeon then we should go and check it out then! I feel like exploring the place!" Angel spoke as she looked about to see what the place looked like. "COme on! I bet we will find some interesting things in here!" Angel spoke as she soon pranced off down one of the hallways as her motion of fun began to go into play.
Angel rounded a cornered hallway and saw some candles that were not lit. Taking them out and her flint, she began to light them and held two of them out to the others to see if they would like some added light to the situation.
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The distraction bothered Gotham a little, and he flicked an ear as he waited for everyone to be ready to go again. It was hard to go on adventures in groups, because not everybody liked the same thing. He was starting to learn this himself, and was starting to go off on adventures on his own. It was good to have an adult to have around just to make sure the boy stayed safe, as he would admit that he wasn't completely sure where the line between exciting danger and actual dangerous danger fell. Also, sometimes even adults had good ideas. The raven furred boy grinned up at Rurik's suggestion, nodding. Oh, he hoped very much there was a dungeon! Surely that would be where all the exciting things would be. Maybe there were still humans down there all locked up! The actual role of a dungeon still remained fairly fuzzy in Gotham's mind, but it seemed like a place you put bad things like prisoners and dragons, and bad things were the most exciting of all.
After what seemed like way too long to the young boy, they were off down the hallway again. Gotham grinned and followed the female, trotting close beside her. As Angel paused once again to light some candles, the pup in his impatience almost groaned audibly. He held it in, though. Perhaps the candles would be useful later, when they got to the dark, dank dungeons! Alack, the boy had not even shifted once in his life and though he longed to hold the candle he merely peered at it hopelessly, watching the flame flicker back and forth. Surely, these candles had not been burning since the humans had snuffed them, and, in turn, had been snuffed themselves. The thought sent shivers up the boy's spine!
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The silver-furred werewolf had never seen the innards of a building quite this old, and he was eager to explore its every crevice, as were his companions, it seemed. The silver-furred werewolf nodded and grinned broadly, tramping off after his companions. The sable-furred wolf paused once more, and Rurik peered curiously at her, squinting at the mechanism she was using to light the candle. "Good idea, mademoiselle. Light will be useful," he said with a nod, though he dug in his pocket for his lighter. "This might be easier, though," he suggested gently, flaring up one a candle for himself and grabbing it from the holder. He held it at an angle to keep the wax from dripping over his hand, and held it out for Angelique to light her own so they could continue on into the deeper bowels of the castle.
Stepping forward, the Russian werewolf took the lead position, feeling the need to be somewhat protective of both the younger canine and the woman, if only for the fact that he was armed. Rurik was well aware that women could kick ass on their own and a hell of a lot of them didn't need defending, but old habits died hard, and Rurik felt responsible for making sure everybody was safe. He held out his candle into the dim shadows of the hallway, peering forward with his brilliant blue eyes. "Watch your steps," he called to his companions, taking his own rather gingerly, carefully, peering at the stairway in front of him with his elevated candle, held before him almost like a wand. He was glad the other werewolf had decided to light their way; without these they'd surely be almost blind.
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