the fortunate
#1
[html]

Hope you don’t mind the set-up of this—I thought we could continue straight after Snake was accepted! Slight powerplay. 300+


After bidding Kaena a respectful farewell, Snake was led deeper into the lands of Inferni by Hezekiah. They left the warning line of wolf skulls behind and continued westward to where Hezekiah said that the Caves were—where most of the inhabiting coyotes made their dens. Snake wasn’t so sure if he would join them immediately there, if ever. Though he had lived within the crumbling buildings in New Haven for his first few months, he hadn’t enjoyed it. While it kept the rain out of your fur, it also creaked with every drop—Snake had often stared up at the ceiling, counting the cracks and wondering when it would collapse. Therefore he had taken to sleeping on the road, wherever they could find temporary shelter. Seeing as though his life was bifurcating into a stationary life rather than his nomadic history, though, maybe he’d have to make some adjustments.


As he followed, he glanced at the sky. He had arrived and been accepted in the morning, and that morning was progressing now. While the expanse above Inferni was, at the moment, blue, it was beginning to gray. He looked out to the west, to where the ocean was, and saw that there was a menacing thunderhead stalking across the horizon, coming straight towards them. Not only that, but to the south also were more gray-purple clouds that were chasing across as well. It didn’t take a rain-prophet to guess that there would be a storm later. Then again, maybe getting a den somewhere where I won’t get drenched and struck by lightning would be a good thing, he wondered blithely. From the looks of things, and his past memories of how long it took storms to break, he calculated that it’d probably be an hour or so before the storms came over Inferni. Hopefully some shelter would make itself available by then.


He looked over to Hezekiah, still leading the way, and asked, “So, do you have a den somewhere yet, or are you still lookin’?” Just simple conversation.
[/html]
#2
That's fine!
[html]
The fact that it was going to storm again came as no surprise to Hezekiah, who barely heeded the distant grumble of thunder to their far west. It had been raining off and on since he had turned up in Inferni and that particular element was no different to him than any other. Autumn, on the other hand, was a completely different season to him, so that change was beginning to get interesting. All in all though, Hezekiah was never really sure what sort of changes would be in store, from newcomers like Snake to the few left in Inferni who he had yet to meet. His true coyote nature came into play most of the time, which meant that he was left to his own devices until he either came across or was come across by someone else. Communication wasn’t overly important to him, but it was to the hybrids that mostly made up Inferni. Hybrids, that he had come to learn so far were distinctly related one way or another.

As the forest started to thin into the grassland that started to lead out towards the coast and the extensive caverns into the hillsides, Hezekiah turned to glance over his shoulder at the taller boy, turning one of his ears to hear him better over the pick up of the wind. “I’m still looking,” he replied with certainty, “but I’ve been staying in a small den close to Kaena’s for the time being. I’m not really there much, though.” He spent most of his time getting acquainted with the territory, taking his sweet time in finding every nook and cranny there was. “Most of those who live in Inferni stay in the caves, so it’s kind of their selective choice of housing,” he went on to explain. “There’s a few places in the forest that I’ve seen and I think I saw a weird structure of some sort in the south-west, but I haven’t gotten close enough to really look at it yet.” But he did think it looked like somewhere that someone could stay, if they so desired.

Of course, being laid up with an injury for a couple of weeks had really restricted how much energy and freedom to galavant around on, too. But those injuries were long gone and since then, he had been getting out much more, although he wasn’t esurient about how much he pushed himself. No matter how much ground Inferni had claimed, he had been told by more than one already that the wolves were a little less respectful and mindful of their borders, so the further out from the centre of the territory Hezekiah went, the more leery and alert he became, both consciously and instinctively. So it was for that reason that he said, “I’d personally stay in the caves until you’re more familiar with everything, especially since the wolves don’t pay attention to the borders. They don’t like us.”
[/html]
#3
It's been so long since I've used a table...

[html]
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj32 ... he/st2.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; padding-bottom: 160px; text-align: justify;">


It made sense—there was no reason that Snake could see for finding a permanent home so quickly. The main reason for his asking, though, was simply to see what he might do in his first days in Inferni. Being the passing inhabitant of one of the caverns appealed to him, though not forever—living underground gave him a churn in his stomach that he hadn’t felt since he lived in New Haven. While living in the chambers underneath the crumbling concrete pillars, he had developed something that was a little bit less than a phobia, but a great fear—the fear of living underground, and the fear of having things collapse on him. There were few deaths that he wouldn’t even wish upon his worst enemies, and those were death by drowning and being buried alive. Obviously, Snake was not in the market for an under-terrestrial home or for one on the beach. He’d just have to explore Inferni and see what he could find.


“Yeah, I think I’ll have a good look around before I make my decision as well,” the sandy-furred coyote said, giving the lands another glance. The forest was left behind them, and Inferni tapered off into plains that eventually led to the shore and the ocean. Despite its macabre boundaries, it was a beautiful place. It was another reason why he’d rather find someplace where sleeping under the stars was a little easier to achieve. Snake had spent eighty percent of his life usually sleeping outside, and he found it comforting—he was not esurient to go and change that. Especially since they seemed to have an issue with wolves around these parts.


Which invariably led Snake to asking, “What’s the issue with the wolves around here?” He knew of the differences between coyotes and wolves, but hadn’t really faced issues such as these before. In New Haven, one didn’t really care what species you were. It was more who your parents were, how strong you were, and whether or not you were male. On the road, they met all types of canines, and didn’t really have too many issues with any since they kept out of the way of over-protective packs. What was it about Inferni and ‘Souls that created an issue?


[/html]
#4
I had a table but then after two posts I decided I didn't care for how it squished my text up so... you get a tableless post. And now I have something like 53 tables piled up in the corner that I'll rarely/never use. XD
[html]
“It’s political,” Hezekiah returned, using the word that Anselm had shared with him. “There’s a pack to our west called Dahlia de Mai and they’ve hated and fought with Inferni since the beginning. I don’t really know what happened, but I was told that one of their leaders kills children and their mothers.” Which given that they were in some ways still children themselves left Hezekiah with an uncomfortable feeling. As much as he wanted to conjure up images of demons and monsters and all things unholy and gruesome, he kept himself focused on the task at hand. “They have this whole cease-fire thing with us, so they won’t attack us or so they say, but they’re not to be trusted.” He didn’t question Anselm’s words in the slightest, but instead took them as his own beliefs. Kaena had warned him about the wolves and then Anselm had and everyone else in the clan went out of their way to make sure everyone else was safe. Clearly those words were worth their weight in gold.

Another rumble of thunder grumbled heavily and his time the woodsy boy’s attention turned towards the sea, eyeing the sky as they walked along as though he had been oblivious to the weather condition all along. With a few minutes left in their walk, he had decided to keep track of the impeding storm. “There’s other packs to the south and east too and all but Phoenix Valley are okay to be around. So I guess you could say that two of the packs don’t mind Inferni and two of them don’t like us. Either way, as long as they don’t bother us, we don’t bother them.” And for a moment, he wanted to grate his tongue against his teeth, using a phrase that his father had said so many times over and over again. They don’t bother us and we don’t bother them. But wolves were a far different story than bears, he supposed, and this was all important information they needed to know as the burgeoning youth of Inferni.
[/html]
#5
Yeah, usually I get the image done and get to coding and realize that I don't like it, and won't want to deal with it every time I post. I don't really mind at the moment, though! I rather like this table, and it feels like Snake needs one. -shrug- Table-less posts are always awesome. <3

[html]
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj32 ... he/st2.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; padding-bottom: 160px; text-align: justify;">


While the concept of “politics” was rather beyond Snake, he understood that it meant that it wasn’t an issue about beliefs or about resources. No, it was more about just people not getting along for all kinds of other reasons. When he thought about it, it was probably as simple as blood. Sentient beings naturally were distrustful of others that were not like them. Snake still felt strange around wolves—he didn’t feel he could trust them as he could a coyote. It was kind of like family. You could go somewhere with your family and feel safe. You couldn’t go somewhere with someone you knew (but not well) and feel that safe.


Regardless of reasons, Snake’s pragmatic mind was busy sketching a mental image. He wasn’t going to stay holed up in Inferni his entire stay here—especially since he knew that his parents had lived here at one point. He eventually wanted to find the camp that his mother said they’d left behind and, more importantly, see if her instrument was still there. Nikita had always told Snake of her love of playing music, and her instrument of choice had been the cello, a large string instrument. Incredibly rare (as most were destroyed by time), she had been blessed to find the one she had found in New Haven. She had left it in Esper Hollow before going to face Patriot again. Snake wondered if he could find it. Maybe if he met his mom again, he could give it to her as a gift.


Dahlia de Mai, to the rest, pup- and mother-killers. Snake’s usually serious face grew even grimmer. Unjustified murder made him feel ill, but, directed towards children and mothers, it made him feel angry. He made a strong note to keep away from them… and to keep them away from here. Truce or not. The thunder rolled once more as Hezekiah continued on, outlining another pack—Phoenix Valley—that was not to be messed with. Snake nodded. He made a note just not to go mess with wolves, ever. They had their lands, and the coyotes had theirs. Trespassing only made matters so complicated.


“Okay,” the young coyote murmured. He wondered what to ask next. It wasn’t as though he felt the need to be conversational—Snake was anything but a socialite. But he was truly curious about this other kid his age, and he thought it would be good to get to know someone his own age around here. “Why are you in Inferni? Or this whole place, for that matter.” he asked after a moment, not really thinking if the question was prying or not. His justification was that he’d answer the question if it was posed to him, so why wouldn’t Hezekiah?


[/html]
#6
[html]
If only just ignoring each other solved the world's problems, things would have been much easier for both of them. Hezekiah knew that even if Inferni tried to ignore their canine cousins, they would come around. They were curious, nosy, and in some facts either arrogant or ignorant. Though he had no experience with wolves first hand, he trusted the word of his superiors; he didn't question it. They had been there longer than he had and for the time being, he was learning from them. But his own curiousity was mounting quite the attack — he was getting his own case of cabin fever. Exploring the lands of Inferni were one thing, but just like things had been at his previous home, he was getting the itch to see what was out there beyond that mysterious line. Just as Snake was curious of him, he was curious about where it was that the sandy-haired boy had come from.

“I'm here because it's the place to be,” he answered, albeit vaguely. “This is just where I ended up after I was dumped here. By who or what, I don't know.” And with the tone that he took on, he implied that he didn't care either. Things in Inferni were much better than they had ever been anywhere else. He was shedding the homesickness and embracing the warmth that ran fluidly through the clan's veins. Assimilation. “Why are you here?” he queried in return, peering over his shoulder to glance at the taller coyote curiously. Given that they were the same age, Hezekiah couldn't help but wonder why he was away from his parents. Granted, they could probably fend for themselves given that they were nearly grown, but in many ways they still had things to learn. They were still children, not quite over that yearling mark and however distantly, far from being true adults with children of their own.
[/html]
#7
[html]
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj32 ... he/st2.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; padding-bottom: 160px; text-align: justify;">


Snake, on the other hand, had plenty of experience with wolves. He had spent his first few months around them, as New Haven’s coyote population was pretty much limited to Nikita and her kids. To look back on the actions of Patriot, his companions, and his ilk was to say that Snake didn’t have a very good picture of wolves. Ruthless, arrogant, and ignorant were—the coyote would have to agree with Hezekiah—very good words to attribute to them. But he knew it wasn’t truthful for all of them; one couldn’t put such a broad label over such a large amount of creatures. He had met several wolves while traveling with his parents who were very nice and helpful… as long as you didn’t cross them first. Of course coyotes were like that as well, so perhaps they weren’t that different after all.


Hezekiah’s misty answer didn’t bother Snake much at all—he had a bad habit of answering in fashions like that as well, so they seemed to be kindred spirits in that regard. One of his large, coyote ears twitched slightly in curiosity, though—dumped here, and he didn’t know the circumstances? Did this other coyote not remember? Snake had heard about amnesiacs, sure, but he didn’t think that they really happened, or happened enough that he’d come in contact with one. It seems as though he was wrong there, though. Regardless, the newcomer didn’t ask because his friend didn’t seem interested himself. And Snake very well couldn’t get information from someone who didn’t know the answer.


The bandanna-wearing boy could anticipate the question coming, so he had an answer half-way prepared when Hezekiah reflected his own queries. It wasn’t one of Snake’s favorite subjects—family was something that did not seem to come naturally to him—but he felt obligated to be open to this perspective friend. “I was traveling with my parents before but… I didn’t feel like I belonged there. I ran away and didn’t know where I was running to, so I eventually started aiming to come here. They lived here once—they led a group called Esper Hollow.” That wasn’t the reason why he had come here, though—Snake himself didn’t know the reason. It was just a place to go. Perhaps it was the place to go where his parents could find him if they wanted, or where their paths would meet eventually anyway.


The reason for his divergence from his parents, however, was something he did understand a little better, but something he didn’t want to look into anyway. His mother had once looked at her twin sons and said to herself that one was full of fire and emotion, but the other had none. Foxhound indeed was full of fire—hate, desire, passion; they all drove him. But that wasn’t nearly as alarming as his younger twin brother, who seemed to feel nothing at all. It was very true. Snake felt emotion sometimes, but it was muted—like being able to barely make out sounds on the other side of a wall. He lived automatically, which did not seem to work well in his parents’ presence. So he had left.


[/html]
#8
[html]
Snake’s story was much more interesting to Hezekiah, even though he could relate to some of the feelings that the taller canine spoke of. He knew all to well what it was like to feel like he didn’t belong and even though he had a smidgen or two of that in Inferni already, it was nothing to the way his father had taken the time to alienate him. That alienation branched out into everything, having seeped through some of the finer, more delicate parts of his psyche that Hezekiah purposely alienated himself from others, simply because he felt disapproval was eminent. In most cases it had been, but in no way entirely his fault; the disapproval and short-comings of his father had cast a shadow over him as well. Hezekiah had no idea how bleak his future really would have been and because of that, was probably better off.

“Why didn’t you feel like you belonged there?” Hezekiah asked, only to add, “if you don’t mind me asking, that is.” He couldn’t help but pry, almost lacking the control to stop the question from escaping. But he couldn’t quite imagine on his own what it was that may have made Snake feel the way that he did. From the way he spoke, it seemed like he had both of his parents, which internally put a stroke of envy in Hezekiah, who did not. Snake’s parents had apparently been leaders of their own group; Hezekiah’s father had been a literal bottom feeder. They had seemingly different backgrounds, although very few parts of the whole, but the feelings were all the same. Interesting.
[/html]
#9
[html]
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj32 ... he/st2.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; padding-bottom: 160px; text-align: justify;">


Hezekiah’s innocent question was just the kind of subject that made Snake squirm just a little. It wasn’t that he was self-conscious, or afraid. It wasn’t even that he worried about the truth about his character and how it would affect whatever friendship was possible between the two young coyotes. He didn’t fear isolation—solitude. He had lived that way long enough to understand it, and welcome it sometimes. No, Snake himself could barely grasp why it was such a complicated thing. He hated so much to think about it that he seemed to have forgotten the reason why it had disturbed him in the first place. Something told him there would be a bitter reminder sooner or later.


“Family—” the coyote began hesitantly, frowning viciously. His olive eyes seemed to disappear beneath his bandanna, that gift from his mother “I couldn’t understand it, and so I left.” And that was the short version, to say the least.


He didn’t want to start explaining about how he didn’t understand the concept of compassion, of any reason why someone would do something selflessly. Why his mother had risked her life for his, when he had been next to useless. What he thought about Patriot and Laurel, and the massive rift between them in those few months of his childhood. How he felt emotions in passing glances, and how the true things seemed to burn in his cold blood. He had been afraid, too. He had been afraid that one day his mother would realize that he was this strange, automatic creature, and would leave him. He was afraid that his father would realize this as well. So he had taken the pre-emptive step and escaped before they could truly find out the depth and truth of Snake’s character.


[/html]
#10
[html]
It was in that briefest glance backwards to Snake when the boy had spoken that Hezekiah caught a look that was redolent of the same grimace he had seen a few times before. But he refused to make the connect why though it flickered through the murk at the back of his head like a fish beneath the film. But aside from that brief acknowledgement, he knew better than to query any further about the matter; Snake had already said that he didn’t understand family. Hezekiah didn’t think he really did either, but only because he had never been apart of one really. Inferni, on the other hand, was very much a family. While they had been inducted into its ranks, sewn loosely into the fold that made up their handiwork quilt, they hadn’t solidified themselves well enough to feel entirely apart of it.

For Hezekiah, he felt that was certain to change; he had no intentions of leaving Inferni in the near future. He was far from nomadic and despite the atypical coyote nature to generally be a less than overly social creature, he felt like he belonged a little bit more to them than he did to anything else. Belonging mattered, regardless of the personality. Everyone wanted to belong. So for the next few minutes as the silence grew between them, the caves came closer and closer into view, speckled and dotted with a few scraggly trees that had seen better days. They needed no introduction and his pace came to a slow halt at their general location.

“Well,” he said, turning back to Snake, “this is it.” They had reached the caverns that he had promised to show him and he had done what he was say he would do, so that didn’t really leave too much else to do that Hezekiah could think of. “If you don’t want to pick one out for yourself, I can help you find one,” he offered, though he firmly believed that Snake was capable of doing the task himself. Since he had travelled to get there, chances were that he was already familiar with what it took to find a shelter, or so he assumed. Hezekiah on the other hand, had a rather poor choice of home.

But he wasn’t there that much, anyway.
[/html]
#11
[html]
http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj32 ... he/st2.png); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom; padding-bottom: 160px; text-align: justify;">


Hezekiah answered him with a look, but at least it was not one that condemned. Snake felt his shoulders slack slightly as his tentative friend accepted his reason, and especially since he did not intend to go and press further into the subject. Though the sandy-furred coyote had run away from one family, he had run right into the open arms of another one. Inferni was not a pack—it was a clan. Clans usually had family connotations, and the fact that most of its members were related somehow was enough to alienate the youth slightly. He didn’t mind. Snake was, quintessentially, a coyote. He was used to solitude, and would welcome it. His involvement in Infenri was merely to improve his chances of survival, especially in a place so infested with wolves that would like nothing more to snub out one of those troublesome coyotes.


Silence entered the conversation, but Snake did not mind. He looked around himself, observing the general landscape of Inferni. It wasn’t particularly unique, from what he had seen—it was all decently redolent of what he had passed through between where he had separated from his parents and here. Regardless, it had its own charm. The plains were pleasant enough, and the sea rumbled like a dangerous beast in the distance. The forest disappeared behind them, though the grasses were broken by stunted trees and underbrush here and there. The newcomer observed quietly, his thoughts coming few and far between. Then, after several moments, Hezekiah announced that they had arrived at the Caves.


As Snake looked out, seeing the dark entrances to the catacombs below, he felt a dark fear gnawing at the edges of his metal heart. Though he would rather not openly discuss it, he was claustrophobic. It wasn’t something natural of him—it was something created by his living in New Haven. Because the Luperci there lived in the collapsing skyscrapers and buildings, there were always stories of those wolves being crushed by things falling and disintegrating. He had slept in those buildings in fear, waiting to something to fall on him. This fear was greatly alleviated later, when he slept out under the stars nearly every night. To return back underground was something that made the fur prickle on the back of his neck. He didn’t want to share this with Hezekiah, though. He thought it best to stay where most of the others were for a while, at least, to show that he was at least part of the pack. Then he would use this place as a jumping-off point to some other den, a more permanent one. And hopefully one that didn’t instill him with fears of being crushed, or buried alive.


Snake looked to Hezekiah after he offered to help. While he was not often one to accept such offers, he couldn’t help but seek someone who knew a little more about this area than he did. He did have a bit of a request. “Do you know of any caves that are… a little more open to the outside than the others?” If that made sense, that was. Snake could look out and find caves that had entrances the size of tires—that was something that made his skin crawl. If he could find a place that had a more yawning entrance, he thought he could sleep close to that entrance and not drive himself mad with fear before morning.


[/html]
#12
I apologise for the lateness and shortness, not that there's much here to describe. And I jammed my fingers into a doorjam earlier and all but one finger wants to bend, ugh.
[html]
There was just a moment where he thought maybe he caught sight of the other boy considering his offer, which sure enough he certainly did. But his request was one that sparked just a little confusion with Hezekiah, who’s expression changed to reflect such. “More… open?” While it did make some sense, he didn’t know in what way Snake meant by open, especially in regards to the seemingly limitless uniqueness of their billets. It was too broad; he needed clarification. “How so?”
[/html]
#13
[html]
http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x242 ... ntable.png); background-color:#ffffff; background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; text-align:justify;">


Inwardly cursing himself for not making much sense—communication had never, sadly, been Snake's forte—he glanced away momentarily before redirecting his olive gaze back to Hezekiah. “I'm claustrophobic,” he replied simply and earnestly. “So I'm not sure that I could live in the Caves, with everyone else.” That probably wasn't the only reason. This coyote was a reclusive one, much like the species was intended to be, and living in the epicenter of the pack was something that made him nervous. He looked onto the mass of tunnels and caves and imagined what others could lie quiescent beneath the surface of the soil. No, he'd rather live somewhere else, where distractions and curious neighbors would be few and far between—he would have to look for such a place on Inferni grounds later, of course.

table credit goes to jacoby
[/html]
#14
[html]
When he had asked for the clarification, he hadn’t expected to have his companion divulge such information. Claustrophobia had been something that Hezekiah had heard about, albeit in a joke between others much older than he. So it seemed almost ironic that he would actually meet someone who had a fear of enclosed spaces, though ultimately in a less educated way, Hezekiah also attributed claustrophobia to a fear of dark enclosed spaces. He nodded with acknowledgment to Snake’s words, however, not commenting one way or another about the subject. “Well, let’s look then.” With that, even with the incoming storm, he hesitated not in leading Snake around to what he thought would be much more tolerable and accommodating.
[/html]


Forum Jump: