i had somethin' to say

[Nocht]

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out of character::black engulfs the dying light Sorry for teh short. sléibhte=mountains cnoic=hills Just so you know =) we launch ourselves into the bright::in character In Nocht's native tongue there was a word for hill and a word for mountain. Cnoc was hill and sliabh was mountain and she was pretty sure she could tell the difference. As she stood at the foot of Montagne Orientali she suddenly realised that all the sléibhte she had seen at home were in actual fact just cnoic. All the hills she had seen were probably just piles too, compared the awesome mound before her. It was awesome, as in awe inspiring. For a moment while her eyes roamed it's surface before her she forgot to breathe. She had seen the mountains in the distance of course. Acheron Peak lay beside the borders of Storm, deceptively quiet while it plotted to dump a load of snow on them all. (It hadn't been the most pleasant way to meet the rest of her pack.) But there was something about them, almost as if they lay on the edge of her consciousness until she looked right at them and only then realised the enormity of their... enormity. She cocked her head to the side, her eyes tracing a path up the side. It wasn't steep at first and the ground was clear for most of the way. Nocht had always been too curious for her own good, but had been quiet and shy so far since she had landed on 'Souls shores, cowed by her own unease in the unfamiliar surroundings. Out of sight of anyone else she found her courage bolstered as she began to ascend the foot of a mountain, she wasn't sure which one. She had some 'sploring to do.

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[Legacy Kali]

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The peaks weren't visible from inside the forest. Legacy couldn't remember when she'd first seen their assembled rocky faces, but it might have been the first time she ever left Jaded Shadows. As such, the impression she had was still one of unfamiliarity, adventure, and great mystery. How did rock get to be so big? What was up there? The red wolf was as inquisitive as anyone her age, and maybe more than most, and not even the cold air was a deterrent. Walking fast, she didn't pause until, walking with a sheer cliff on one side and the downhill slope on the other, realised the path was blocked by a newly-fallen rockslide. She stared up at the pile of earth and pebbles, biting a lip in annoyance. True, now seven months of age was approaching she was more independent than ever; but there was no scaling a wall of solid, sheer rock - even with hands. And no one would trust their weight to that sliding mass of instability.

So she turned around and went back, mumbling to herself darkly for a few moments but this soon gave way to a juxtaposition of cheerful humming. It was almost a relief to be moving away from that solid rock face, for it reminded her of a wall, and that was the last thing Legacy wanted to think of. There were probably myriads of other routes to ascend, but she'd lost interest in climbing now. The view (even here where it was mostly just the mountain itself) was a delight, spreading out like an unrolled map. Seeing a boulder, the were-girl perched herself upon its edge. Looking down and out, into the infinity of air and land she sighed, enraptured.

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[Nocht]

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we launch ourselves into the bright::in character She scrambled up rock and over loose soil, here, still low down, where the ground wasn't quite ground, just scree and rock and loose dirt. There was such a slight, but continuous incline that after no more than fifteen or twenty minutes she found she could turn and see the ground below spread out below her. Nocht grinned to herself and kept moving up, getting to where it became more uneven and rockier. Here there were suddenly larger rocks, which appeared to have come out of nowhere. Small plants and mosses were beginning to grow on them, taking hold in the nooks and crannies, but if she peered up Nocht could see where there had obviously been a rockslide recently enough; some of the cliff face had just crumbled right away. However, it was still quite far away and it posed no danger to her. On the contrary, she was enjoying scrambling over the rocks and small boulders, finding paths and jumping from one to the other. She wiped her hand on her thighs, brushing the dirt onto her grey coat and swiped a hand under her nose. She took a moment out to deal with a particularly annoying itch in her nostril, avoiding her septum piercing as much as possible, before setting off again. By now the incline had become sharper, but Nocht almost didn't notice, concentrating more on the childish pleasure from jumping from rock to rock than the landscape set out behind her. It caught her attention when she slipped on a loose pebble and looked backwards in irritation after she caught herself. She quickly forget her mishap when she noticed the patchwork map of land beneath her, space she had already crossed. She stood and turned to behold it in all its glory. It almost didn't look real, more like the maps she had seen in books than anything else. She took a deep breath and let it out, sighing and feeling a smile settle over her features. For just a moment Nocht felt at peace, but she quickly forgot this when she turned to continue ascending the side of the mountain. She idly wondered how far up she was already and how far she planned on going. Spying a ledge further up, she decided on pausing there and then re-assessing. Suddenly a russet furred pup appeared near her ledge, hopping onto a boulder and surveying the land below her. Without thinking Nocht yelled "Oi!" in a bid to get her fellow climbers attention, smiling friendly-like and waving slightly.

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[Legacy Kali]

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After the first impression the expanded vista didn't seem quite so incredible, but then the wolf is a creature designed to watch movement and focus on surroundings, not so much to gaze dreamily into space. And indeed there was something else to catch her eye, as she realised when a cheerful voice hailed her. Head snapping to fix her green eyes instantly on the other's face, Legacy assured herself at once that it was no one she knew, and also that they were waving and smiling and therefore unlikely to want to launch an attack. Being small and slight, her paranoia was well-warranted but short-lasting; she'd been out and about so much lately that she was confident in her running speed, besides there was the usual unshakeable optimism, even if it was lessened by the fact she was far from home on a remote mountain-side.

It was a little puzzling - why had her attention had been sought? But then of course, in the grey wolf's place she would probably have done the same - it seemed only polite to announce your presence. Unless the stranger wanted something particular, or was looking for someone, or something. Pushing back a lock of unruly auburn mane, the child hollered back a "hey!" A faint, polite smile teetered at the edge of her mouth, but her eyes were a little suspicious - a deep, unrelated unease that had her almost wanting to turn and flee, run all the way home once more. Logic held her in place. She would not listen to the initial pang of fear. She'd survived so far, and that was enough, wasn't it? But maybe... better to reassure herself of the amiable conduct of the stranger, before she did anything else - before she let her out of her sight, while they were alone up here.

They were too far apart for any more in-depth conversation than had already been made, so she paused on the boulder edge for a moment, one leg swinging, then pushed off with her hands and dropped to the ground, padding forwards a little, tail held politely low and yet ears pricking forward curiously. Poised slightly above on the slope, Legacy was ready to dart away if any antagonistic movement was shown, but far too inquisitive to just sit and wait to see if the other came over to her or not.

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[Nocht]

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we launch ourselves into the bright::in character She felt a bit foolish when the red wolf didn't reply quite as enthusiastically as Nocht had greeted her, but pushed down the slow burn of embarrassment, forging onwards head first. She would take out the sheepishness and feelings of foolishness later, when she was alone and it was all quiet and turn it over and over again until it drove her mad and she grew bored and shoved it down again. Instead now she hopped from rock to rock until she was a bit nearer, the pup approaching her as well and then paused, allowing her to set the distance between them, conscious of the slight female's cautiousness. Nocht grinned widely at her and held her hands loose by her side, held her posture in a loose neutral stance. She felt in a silly, friendly mood, adventurous and unwilling to let herself second guess every move she made, as she often did around strangers, tripping over herself and tying herself up in knots and making herself self-conscious and abnormally shy. Still, she felt her head and ears dip slightly in an expression of sheepishness. A wolf in sheepishness clothing, she thought to herself and then gave a mental sigh of exasperation at her own odd patterns of thought. "Well, how're ya?" She said, the traditional greeting roundabouts where she was from. The words ran together into a mess that one could just about extract the meaning from. She pointed at herself slightly. "I'm Nocht. Uh, pleased to meet you." She took greater pains with her second sentence, in a bid to actually make herself understood. She was a fast talker usually, which wasn't a problem when she was at home, but she had learned around strangers quickly that if she didn't slow her words down as they scrambled over themselves to be heard that they found it difficult to understand her.

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[Legacy Kali]

Nocht makes me think of RL me!


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Well, this didn't seem awfully dangerous. Suddenly feeling silly, not that that was much out of the ordinary for anyone of a pre-teen mentality, Legacy shoved away all misgivings, leaving it to only her reflexes to protect her, and carried on down the slope, stopping pretty near to the other with a few small rocks between them. She stood and held her own elbows in a casual way, eyes now more open, more relaxed - and curious.

"I'm very well. Thank you, and you?" Her words were more elaborate for she had the thoughtful speech of a frequent reader, but they carried the same ease of familiarity. "My name is Legacy... Legacy Kali," maybe the surname would be known in some form or other to Nocht, she thought, watching her carefully. "Big mountain, huh? Do you live around here?" She smelled sort of similar to someone else Legacy had met. Now who was that? Must be one of the packs over the river; Nocht was no coyote.

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[Nocht]

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out of character::black engulfs the dying light Nocht is totally based on me, so looks like we're rather similar. -grin- Really sorry for the wait, life has been insanely busy lately. we launch ourselves into the bright::in character She was pleased to see the pup approach further, putting her at ease with her relaxed demeanour. Nocht smiled slightly, a touch of shyness to it, and shook her head. "Naw, I'm from over yonder." She said and pointed back the way she thought she'd come. "Storm." She clarified a moment later, just in case she hadn't pointed the right way. Her head tipped back a little, inspecting the mountain, unconsciously exposing her neck. A distracted smile graced her face, the bulk of the mountain once again catching her attention. It seemed impossible to take it all in at once. She eventually managed to drag her gaze away, turning back to Legacy. She shook her head a little again, eyes widening momentarily as she tried to shake away how imposing the mass of rock and stones was. "Aye, that it is. I don't think I've ever seen a bigger mountain actually." She smiled a little and a tiny carefree laugh slipped out, unbidden. "Completely dwarfs anything we've at home." She didn't clarify which at home she meant and then shoved thoughts of either to the side. "Are you from around here?" She asked politely then, peering interestedly at the slender pup. She had a pretty name, thought Nocht, much prettier than her own, with a surname and everything. She quickly let the thought go though. It never did her good to dwell on such things.

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[Legacy Kali]

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Yes, she had met Storm-wolves before. The direction and scent were undeniable. The accent was not the same she'd heard from others, though. Aye. Naw. How're ya. It was almost like one transcribed from the page of a book - she kept wanting to visualise how it would look written down. The beginnings of a high-mountain breeze lifted her fur, gold-red locks of hair flapping in light ringlets, deceivingly airy around her intent gaze towards Nocht. The laugh made her want to laugh at something too - she'd been such a flighty, cheery pup, that the cares of adulthood did not come easy to her. Imperceptibly ankles and elbows relaxed a little, her posture easier and heels settling towards the stones, lowering out of the attack-or-run ready position that she hadn't been able to help. "It dwarfs my home as well." Her eyes turned upwards and outwards, towards the Ashened Mountain, "Even though its pretty high. It's called Jaded Shadows," she said and it was all but an introduction to a set piece in a theatrical performance: the affection she had for her splendid forest of a home was blatant. "But you can't have lived here always? Your voice..." She tailed off. Was that rude? She didn't think so. Being different to others was a benefit, not a curse. Depending on the difference.

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[Nocht]

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we launch ourselves into the bright::in character Another vaguely amused smile fleetingly touched her features as she noticed the pup relax a little. Some of the nervousness left her stomach and she felt her own posture loosen in sympathy as she began to lose her self-consciousness. "Jaded Shadows, eh?" Nocht echoed in a whisper, filing the name away for later. She'd probably forget, she knew, with her almost legendary powers, or lack thereof, of memory. She shook her head at Legacy's hesitant question. "Nah, I sailed in in a ship that went belly-up in the bay." She explained, trying and failing to suppress an embarrassed grin at the confession, the image of the carcass of the boat roiling in the sea while they looked on stupified on the beach rising to the forefront of her mind. "We weren't the best sailors I 'spose." She added, rolling her eyes. "I've no way home for the time being so Phoenix was good hearted enough to let me join Storm." Her brow furrowed as a thought occurred to her. "I'll probably be here for a fair while, t'be honest. Takes a while to build a boat and get a crew together, even one as inexperienced as we were." She snorted a little again, finding the humour easily in her predicament. They had been rather godawful, if she reflected upon it. It was a miracle they had managed to find dry land at all, but they avoided discussing how woefully under-prepared they had been on the boat, lest it invite misfortune. Like all superstitious sailors of yore, it was almost as if speaking something would make it real. "We parted company on the beach though. Haven't seen them since. An' you, Jaded Shadows born and raised I suppose?" Nocht asked, expecting her question to be answered in the affirmative. It made the most sense, pups shouldn't be running around trying to find a pack or look after themselves. There was more than enough time for that later on. She crossed her arms and tucked her hands into her armpits while waiting for a reply, head tipped to the side in interest.

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[Legacy Kali]

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From the word "sailed" to the word "suppose" Legacy didn't move or make a single sound. She had her eyes fixed on Nocht, mouth falling wider and wider open, listening in a daze of excitement and suspense. A sailor, a traveller of the open sea - what could be more precarious, more exhilarating? The lands she could have seen, far abroad; the freedom of weighing anchor and removing all earthly obstacles. The mystery of crossing the horizon, finding out what lay behind it. The trepidation of being at the mercy of the weather and the elements. Nocht had been lucky she'd landed where she had. Not that Legacy had anywhere to compare it to - she was immediately curious as to what the sailor made of these parts.

A question had been asked, but the small wolf was oblivious. She was usually a dynamic creature; sharp and sudden and lively in her movements and expressions, but now amazement had rendered her motionless in her rapt attention to the other wolf. A few moments teeming with ideas and imagined scenes of the watery life passed before she noticed Nocht was indeed no longer talking. She snapped out of the trance, stepping forwards with her hands clasping before her and eyes shining. Maybe some subconscious part of her had heard the question, for she answered it unaware that she was, preceded by a soft sigh in tribute to the delightingly piecemeal and evocative tale she'd just heard. "I was born here... I can't even imagine how it must be to be out there, going wherever you like, seeing the world - were you traders? Where did you sail from?"

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[Nocht]

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we launch ourselves into the bright::in character Nocht grinned at the child's obvious excitement and turned to point behind her, at the vast expanse of water spread right to the horizon. "See that?" She asked. "On the other side of that is an island. I know it's an island because I saw it on a map once. 'S where we sailed from. We weren't all from there, of course. Some of the others called it Eireanntalamh. The map said Éire." She shrugged. "We called it home. I think some of the others were traders. Maybe Luka or Aleks." She said the names reflectively, remembering the hulking Russian wolves, brothers or best friends and almost inseparable. Their sheer size had made them seem intolerably intimidating, but deep down they were actually softer than some of her other snakier, more weather-beaten ship mates. She shrugged and tossed the memory aside, turned back. "I just went for the trip really." She confided. "I felt like it was finally time for me to strike out on me own adventure. And what an adventure it's been so far." She said wryly, eyebrow quirked as she stared down to the beach once more. "Would you like to be a sailor?" She asked absently, without turning.

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