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His life seemed to have taken a turn for the better, diverging off the well-worn road of neutrality if only for awhile. With the impressive looking Axle and Grit to hold down the fort in his absence, he no longer had to worry about the security of his garage. Before going back to Inferni, he would gather the materials necessary for greenhouse construction--the facility promised to Gabriel took priority, though he had half a mind to enlist Cassius' help in the process. The coyote seemed like he'd be of value--just as the two thuggish dogs were in the city. Once he had both operational, he needn't wait to expand: he would grow medicinal plants in Inferni and he could get a head start on the marijuana crop for his trade. He could also get to work on those poppy seeds Rurik had traded him--he'd need more for any substantial yield.
For now the time he'd bought felt like new-found freedom; there was no reason not to take advantage of it. And so, he found his feet carrying him toward Crimson Dreams. He shifted down to his lupus form as he closed in on the territory--whether he was a friend of the Commander or not, he didn't want to start things off on the wrong foot. So far he'd appreciated the company of both Marino women, however, and it seemed as if he was slowly becoming a friend of the family. Savina had extended an invite to him not terribly long ago, and though he kept his tail respectfully low and his ears in a placated position, it was clear he was still fairly confident and deliberate in his steps. He was not somewhere where he didn't belong. He wove his way around the border, pausing for a moment as he let forth a brief call to alert any in the surrounding area of his presence. He did not make it so bold or explicit--it was more of a friendly heads-up than a request for any one wolf's attention.
I know you're busy, so I figured we could keep these short! And no rush, I just wanted to get this in so my time lines make sense.mall-caps;font-weight:bold;text-align:right; border-top:1px solid #555555">SoSuWriMo +343 [/html]
[html] wc: 352
ooc: Thanks for being patient with me! <3
The winter air was crisp and cool, her breath crystallizing in a soft cloud about her muzzle. The slender timber wolf was curled up on the frozen ground, nestled betwixt the exposed roots of a tree. Colibri was new to this pack and still dreadfully shy, feeling ashamed by her still-healing mutilation and her unorthodox reasons for joining. Would her new packmates think she got special privileges since she lived with the alphess? And what was she, a mistress, a lover, a mate? Anu had never really explained what she was looking for other than companionship. It didn't help that the couple had not spoken much since moving in with each other... Haku's attack seemed to have shaken Anu worse than Coli herself, since the light-furred werewolf had been distancing herself more and more. It made her very nervous, afraid that their short-lived happiness could have died along with the frost-strangled flowers. She had no idea how to rekindle their romance.
The wolf sighed, pulling her damp nose closer to the bandaged stub that had once been her tail. It still throbbed, although the bleeding had long ceased. She had actually been slinking out of the manor daily to practice regaining her balance... It was an awkward feeling for one who had been so graceful, to stumble when she ran or scrabble clumsily with every turn. She would grow accustomed to the missing appendage with time, but at the moment being a klutzy hunter just added to her feelings of inadequacy.
Her warm brown ears swiveled forward at the sound of a male's voice, a nonchalant announcement of his presence. The small lupus lifted her chin from the frost-rimed loam, silently peering to try and identify the jaunty stranger. She didn't know any of her packmates yet, and probably smelled of Dahlia herself, but it was a feeble effort to act like she belonged. Her sky-blue eyes caught movement some yards away, and she caught her breath with surprise. The lean build of a wolf with the golden pelt of a coyote, carrying that distinctive mountain scent that betrayed the clan... "...Jasper?"
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[html] http://i950.photobucket.com/albums/ad34 ... s/truc.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; padding-top:187px; background-position:top center; background-color:#F8BB4D; text-align:justify; font-family:georgia; font-size:11px; color:#AB360D; line-height:15px;padding-bottom:10px;"> No worries, dude! ^^
@&#&$A tentative female voice caught his attention and he paused where he was, black nose rising to gingerly scent the air. The results of this little investigation were somewhat confusing--the woman certainly wasn't either of his friends and he couldn't yet decide if something seemed out of place or not. Ultimately he guessed it didn't matter. Whoever she was, she was very nearby and presumably had more of a right to be here than he did--even with his presidential pardon. The dark tip of his tail swung twice from between his legs, betraying his friendly intent as he slunk (quite noisily) closer to her, limbs bent somewhat awkwardly such that his body was closer to the ground. "No; not Jasper," he called lightly, knowing damn well better than to ignore a pack wolf's question. "Anselm," he offered instead, pausing as he came within several metres of her.
@&#&$His gaze lifted briefly to catch a glimpse of his interceptor--boy, was he in for a surprise. He stood, jaw slightly agape and mind reeling before he remembered his manners. At once his crimson eyes dropped back to the earth at her feet and he clamped his mouth shut. The mental snapshot he'd taken was plenty sufficient; he didn't need to look directly at her now anyway. She could've been Haku in a woman's body--the same chocolate brown fur, those deep icy blue eyes! (More disturbing, perhaps, was the fact that she actually looked good.) She appeared much too young to be the demon's sibling, however, and he couldn't help but boggle over her identity. Now that they were in close range, he could detect the faint scent of Dahlia (and the monster itself), still holding onto her fur and as noxious as bleach. Bloody hell, what had he gone and gotten himself into now?
@&#&$Shit, shit--he should probably say something. The entire turn of events was so unexpected he'd hardly had time to put on a stony face and he lamented that there was really no way to smoothly play this blunder off. "I.. uh, sorry," he proposed, frowning inwardly as realised his tongue was failing him, too. Get it together, man. "You look a lot like someone I know," but wish I didn't. He cast her an apologetic look, feeling some relief as he felt his heart rate and thought processes return to normalcy. Anselm never did like surprises too much. Fortunately, she hardly seemed aggressive or mad.
mall-caps;font-weight:bold;text-align:right; border-top:1px solid #AB360D">SoSuWriMo +412 [/html]
[html] ^-^ // wc: 322
She was on the small side in this form, and the approaching male was taller than her, but he seemed friendly enough. She cringed inwardly as she realized she had called a complete stranger by another's name. Open mouth, insert foot. Before she could apologize, though, his blood-red eyes scanned over her and Colibri felt her heart sink. Her stomach turned queasy as the male reacted with such obvious shock (and was that disgust?). It had been a while since someone's jaw dropped at the sight of her, and she averted her gaze, wishing the earth would swallow her whole.
In Dahlia de Mai, her familial resemblance hadn't been a bad thing. If anything, they tried to be supportive, seeing how frail and different she was from the wolf who sired her. Haku had a handful of relatives who lived as his packmates, and they all tried to turn a blind eye towards his dark side, since he was also a loyal leader and protected their borders.
Now that she was outside that protection - in fact, she was surprised he hadn't hunted her down to kill her by now - the fact that they looked so alike was embarrassing and shameful. No one wanted to be associated with a rapist, a murderer, a depraved psychopath.
After what felt like an eternity, she forced her gaze up again, meeting his awkward apology with a tight-lipped smile. "...I guess you do too, Anselm and not Jasper." She rose slowly to her paws, flinching as her bandaged tail brushed the ground. It stung, but nothing would match the agony of having it ripped apart in the first place. She blinked, tilting her head in a silent question as she studied Anselm more closely. He knew Haku... How? Haku had a venomous hatred for coyotes and their clan. Had they met in the war she'd heard about? Was this one of her father's many enemies?
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@&#&$Family was a strange institution indeed, if only for the fact relationships built from its foundation were non-optional. Even those that "disowned" their family never did so completely--it was a conscious decision and they would face consequences on some level, be it inner turmoil or external drama. Sayings on the importance of family ran a dime a dozen: blood runs thicker than water, an ounce of blood is worth a pound of friendship, etcetera. That pittance of blood shared between himself and Gabriel--a whopping ten percent or less--was indisputably his sole tie to the Inferni clan. Here he could've just as easily integrated into one of the wolf packs; he'd even humoured the idea he'd feel quite at home in Cour des Miracles or Crimson Dreams on more than one occasion.
@&#&$For all of this, family still wasn't everything. It was not the end all, be all factor in identity. His own children wanted nothing to do with him; he'd grown much closer to his distant cousins here than he'd ever been to any of his relatives back in Vermont. He positively adored Razekiel while baulking at Samael. Hybrid was downright objectionable, but Valkyrie was sweet. He wasn't sure what made some genes so hit or miss--on occasion, they'd lie dormant for generations. Needless to say, the similarities between this woman and Haku were only skin deep. This much was obvious after two measly minutes of interaction. Her nature was scarcely overbearing or aggressive--if anything she was shy, timid.
@&#&$This only made him feel like more of an ass, though he stopped crouching so excessively. He was fairly certain his intentions were obvious--maybe his grovelling was just making it more awkward. She seemed of an extremely docile and passive persuasion herself. "Hey, it happens," he crooned reassuringly, hoping to put her more at ease. Only when she grimaced did he notice her freshly bandaged tail; his own flopped twice sympathetically. "That looks rough," he offered, suddenly feeling self-conscious about his being full length and not knowing where to put it. "I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time, er.. miss?" His head inclined just five degrees to the right, and his ears were still held back at half-mast. He hadn't caught her name yet, but he supposed it wasn't his place to be asking questions.
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[html] wc: 336 // I know, right? ;D and aww, Anselm is cute!
"It's Colibri. Colibri Haki." Named after a grandmother I never met, and a father I wish I hadn't, she added silently. She could have been Sadira or Soul, but none of the surnames offered much in the way of pride. Her late mother held the name of Jolie, but none of her pious Jolie relatives wanted anything to do with a pup born from infidelity. Perhaps it was more fitting to be the only "Haki" wolf in existence. If she was lucky enough to have a litter of her own, she doubted she'd feel the need to give them any family name at all.
She felt a little more at ease with this jaunty coywolf, a little more open than she usually was to strangers. He seemed to be tripping over himself in order to please her, and while a little awkward, the overall effect was disarming. She ducked her head, smiling shyly in the hopes of relaxing him as well. She had no idea his stance within the Crimson Dreams pack, but if he was a trespasser, he had to be the chattiest one she had ever seen.
"It's fine, I was just getting some fresh air... I... I'm new to this pack, so I don't really know my way around," she added abashedly. She glanced over her shoulder to the sorry state her once-beautiful tail had found itself, and grimaced. "Y-yeah... it... it wasn't very..." Her voice trailed off, and she averted her gaze. She couldn't exactly tell the story, without endangering her half-brothers. Haku had made that very clear. Unless... unless this man could do something about Haku and his stranglehold on Dahlia de Mai.
Her blue eyes strayed to the colorful tattoos on his foreleg and paw, symbols she did not recognize. "Um... m-may I ask... wh-what you came here for? Are you l-looking for someone else?" Her ears were tipped back submissively, deferring to his dominant size. She wasn't trying to interrogate him... she hoped she didn't come across as pushy.
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The bronze hybrid nodded as he filed her name away somewhere deep within the catacombs of his mind. The significance of "Colibri" was lost upon him--this girl's grandmother had been before his time in another place. Outside of Inferni's major bloodlines, Anselm was truthfully oblivious beyond the Marinos. He recognised her surname as a tribute to her sire, and he wondered briefly why the titles were not exactly the same. Was his assumption faulty? Perhaps she was only a cousin of the demon, not so direct a relative. Or perhaps she was that close in blood, but didn't wish to be in mind? He could only speculate and the subject was quickly dropped from his mind--it was irrelevant, anyway.
At the mention of her tail, the girl's slight stutter seemed to grow exacerbated. Anselm frowned inwardly as he contemplated all possible scenarios that might end with a partial loss of the appendage in question. A hunting accident seemed unlikely; it had to have been ripped off by some sort of predator. Still, he couldn't imagine what Colibri could have possibly done to anyone to tick them off so much that such a punishment was merited. It was impossible, he decided--such a thing could never be justified for such a passive and mild-mannered girl. Damn, you get in a fight with a bear or something? he wondered--that a wolf may have done it made no sense.
As for what he was doing he offered a slight shrug. He certainly didn't find the question unreasonable--it was just that he didn't have a very good answer for her. Just hangin' out. I've got a few friends around here and I was gonna see if I might run into them, but if Savina's busy with the pack or Ghita's busy with the kids I don't want to badger 'em, he explained, casually dropping in the two names to justify his presence (not that it seemed particularly necessary). Guess you could say I was looking for some good company, but I've already found some, yea? he added with a charming smile, though it was not particularly flirtatious as much as amiable and good-natured. He didn't think he was done with this young woman just yet and he didn't want to upset her or scare her off.
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"I suppose... I'm probably the lucky one," Coli added with a timid giggle. She was anything but good company; always extra awkward around men, backpedaling her words and stepping on eggshells. Sankor Koios and Henratha Gyrkin, those two both had the patience to deal with her, but they were long gone anyway. No one put up with her for too long. It was chance that she and Anselm had met at all, and it was unlikely that their paths would cross again.
"I... I could tell them you said hello, perhaps?" she offered, tilting her head with a touch of helplessness. She had not met either of those two, but everyone seemed sociable in these parts, so it was inevitable. "Do you know if Zana is doing well?" she asked in return, remembering the time she'd spent with the little 'yote pup. She had a few friends in Inferni as well, albeit the social outcasts of the clan.
His reaction to her tail invoked a bitter half-smile, her best attempt to humor him with a reply. "I was... made an example of," she said stiffly, trying to keep her tone indifferent, without the anger or the fear creeping into her shaky voice. He had every intention of killing her that day, had even wheedled her into letting her guard down before he made his move. It was only when Anu had swept in to rescue her that he had settled on a mere trophy - a severed piece of his daughter's hide. She had the sick feeling that her tail was not the only one Haku had claimed, that it was some sort of bizarre obsession he formed after whatever accident had shortened his own. She hadn't even paid it much attention as a pup, but now it seemed glaringly obvious why he had defaced her...
"I suppose it was a f-fair exchange... I get to live here now, after all." She darted a shy glance at Anselm, lingering on his blood-red eyes. How would he react? Would he immediately guess the full story? Would he press her for details, or immediately change the subject, like her relatives so often chose to do? She swallowed nervously, shuffling her paws as she began to regret breaching the topic. Haku was omnipotent. Somehow, somewhere, he would find out that she blabbed. If he punished Anu or Conor for it, she'd never forgive herself...
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WC: 346
Anselm bobbed his head merrily at her suggestion. That works for me! Don't really know any Zana, though, sorry, he said. Although he knew many of their pack members, he hadn't met or spoken to all personally. The girl had been a member upon his return, but she'd vanished before he'd had the opportunity to fully reintegrate into pack life. The only way he might have heard of her was through Ryan... but regrettably, his daughter hadn't been around much following his arrival either. When they had spoken, their conversations focused on Valkyrie more than anything.
He promptly forgot about it, however, more troubled by the implications of Colibri's words. What? It wasn't an accident? he babbled, eyes first widening in surprise then narrowing in suspicion. I can't imagine you doing anything to upset anyone to that calibre, he remarked, tone matter-of-fact and genuine. The scout figured you'd have to be some sort of psychopath to get so mad at this mild-mannered girl, much less to the extent that corporal punishment was in order... Oh! Well, at least anyone sane, he grumbled, the pieces already falling into place.
Anyway, don't you sell yourself short like that, he suggested sternly. I'm sure this place is a fine upgrade from Dahlia, but there's no reason it should have cost you. That vile man just seems to want everyone else to be as wretched as he is, but in no way is that your fault or responsibility, he concluded, the words a bit bold, but--as far as he was concerned--very necessary. He couldn't blame her for wanting to fly the coop and if Haku couldn't see that his madness was driving them away it was his own damn fault. That he'd turned on his own kin was sickening. Urf, he sighed under his breath, Is there anything you'd like me to do? he wondered. Now that he'd come here, stomped around her home, and dug up all this nastiness it seemed like he owed her something--even if it was just keeping his mouth shut until the time was right.
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[html] wc: 366
Anselm nodded exuberantly, and Coli smiled, filing a mental note to let her packmates know about their friend's visit. He didn't know Zana, though... That was a bit of a disappointment. Had the small girl kept to herself all this time, or did she actually leave the confines of her pack? Hopefully nothing ill had befallen her... There had been some sort of bad blood regarding her direct relatives, and Coli knew all too well how that could play out for the poor child. The thoughts left her mind as Anselm immediately spoke up, startled by her admission and then growing agitated with its implications.
Her ears perked forward curiously, surprised by the vehemence in his reaction. Righteous anger? That was the last thing she had expected. In fact, it was... touching. She blinked suddenly, feeling her throat choke up with emotion. It had been terrifying, and she hadn't dared to tell anyone. Hadn't dared to bring up the topic with Anu, because it was Coli's fault that they both had been in danger. Anselm, a stranger, sternly resolving her of the guilt that had plagued her for so long - even if he would never know all of the circumstances, it moved her that he spoke to her this way.
She smiled shakily, unable to muster more than a faint whine in response to his question. He had already done enough. She hadn't meant to blab about her latest misfortune to the first new face she encountered, but she had not been rebuked or met with disgust, and it relieved her anxious nature for now. The next step would be to talk it out with Anu. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she whispered, "It's okay... Just... you probably shouldn't tell anyone about this. He... his little sons, they still live there... He might punish th-them in place of me." They weren't so little anymore, Conor and Emwe, but they were still too weak to defend themselves against their mad father. He had thankfully ignored them for most of their lives. It seemed that was the best his children could hope for. Coli bit her lip, hoping Anselm would understand the sad state of affairs.
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