after supper walk a mile

Kaena Lykoi · 01-25-2010, 03:02 AM

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The hybrid woman was inside of her dwelling, seated on the raised part of stone that served as her sleeping area. Her crumpled and tattered blanket as well as the newer one she'd had Vieira fetch from the city lay beneath her, and in front of her she had both the pale purple dagger and the collar. She'd left the heavier chain where it was, and she remained motionless, her single eye focused on the items before her, her ears folded at half-mast. The hybrid woman was not thinking of Astaroth as she usually did when she was looking at the knife; her mind was focused on Haku, as it had been for the past three months. Now, there was something different beginning to arise within Kaena; it was frangible and just barely there at first, but in the past days it had grown stronger, a faint flame of anger beginning to burn in her chest for Haku. She wanted to stick his head in the collar and hold him there; she wanted to starve him and beat him and rape him for days, and when it was all over and done with she would plunge that dagger right into his heart and shatter it on the cold stone thing that was the monster's heart.

These thoughts ran through her head, perseverating through her mind again and again until she saw nothing but blood. She would have vengeance—someday. The fear was still there, far more powerful and apparent than whatever courage anger granted to her; it held her firmly where she was in Inferni. Alone, she did not know that she could best him—if she did, it might only be by the virtue of luck once more. The hybrid woman's head snapped to attention at the sound of a voice; she had missed Vieira's approach and entrance entirely. The silver-furred Lupus immediately started for the entrance of the cave; she did not think anything was wrong, otherwise Vieira would have been far more alarmed, but the tawny-furred woman appeared rather shaken, her large yellow eyes even larger than they usually were. The coyote woman did not respond to Vieira; she only trotted quickly from her cave, peering about for Gabriel until she spied him in the distance, standing next to what appeared to be a kill. Wonderful—the coyote woman broke into a trot, slowing as she approached her son. She didn't need to be told what to do—immediately she reached down to sink her teeth into the deer's hind leg, leaning her weight backwards to tug the carcass toward home.

Word Count: 434

Gabriel de le Poer · 01-25-2010, 03:21 AM

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Word Count: 502

In Character

The dead animal lay at his feet, staring up into the cloudy, graying sky with those brown, empty eyes. Gabriel, still panting, still unwilling to put weight on his arm, remained standing and staring down at the doe. An hour ago, she was alive, and whole. Now her body was all that was left, and they would consume it as biology demanded. Vaguely, he recalled the wound on his side, and let his right hand travel to inspect the fur over the wound. He was no longer bleeding, and the texture felt thick, sticky, and unwelcomed against his fingers. Irritated by the wound, more then he was by anything else that had happened this afternoon, he pulled the hand back and grunted with displeasure. They were in a war and he had managed to get himself hurt by chasing a deer—a limping deer at that.

His mouth opened, exhaling a breath of gray white steam as his tongue rolled up to touch the back of his teeth, traveling to their faces as he tasted iron and found this comforting. Blood was not something he had ever considered a desire, but he had begun to accept that such a thing was needed. He was certain that everything he had ever harmed had been out of a need, and not a want. The deer had died silently, but he had always needed that sound he had managed to hear so rarely. Conri had been the first, with that horrible, awful, incredibly ecstatic cry that had made his head spin and a dizzying rush of colors flood his vision. But now, though, there was no color. Only the gray tones of the Waste and the brown coat of the doe laying at his feet. Suddenly, Gabriel felt very hollow, and knew that one thing alone would cure this. Blood.

Kaena’s scent came rushing down from the caves, and he looked up from where he stood to spy his mother making her way towards him. She looked so small to him, so weak and tired, and he ached not only for himself but for her. It was pathetic that he had not been able to kill her assailant, and he would not rest so long as Haku Soul walked the earth. The devil wolf needed to fall, and once he did, Inferni would no longer need to ready itself for war daily. He considered this, and a thousand other things, right up until the doe’s dark brown eye pulled away from his own and began to follow the path his mother was carving in the thin snow and worn grass. Silently, Gabriel followed after her, grabbing the other leg of the deer with his right hand, unwilling to make her drag the carcass alone. It was not entirely because he doubted her strength, for he knew she was able to handle herself, but he refused to look like he was unable or unwilling to assist when it was his duty as Aquila to do so.

Vieira Lykoi · 01-25-2010, 03:28 AM

121.

Her owner responded but paid no attention to her. She did not notice the look with her eyes elsewhere but she watched as she walked passed her and out the entrance of the cave. The slave lingered in the doorway for a moment before she moved to follow behind the woman, several yards back, to return to Gabriel and his kill. Kaena did not hesitate or say a word before she moved forward and started to move the kill. Her paws danced in the snow as she watched, unsure what to do with herself. She had already been useless once and managed to get the leader hurt, causing her to be afraid of doing anything else should she mess up again.

Kaena Lykoi · 01-25-2010, 03:58 AM

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Hunger was something that Kaena had grown accustomed to in her months spent traveling; it was good to be within the clan again. She remembered sharing a meal with Jezebel and learning a little more of Gabriel's past than he'd ever revealed. Mealtimes tended to bring canines together, and Kaena was not blind to the fact that Vieira was on the outskirts from the clan. This was not entirely accidental; Kaena was certain that Astaroth and Sivaro and Eris had made sure to keep her absolutely separate. As the Centurion had already learned, emotional attachment made things far more difficult. Now she felt pity for the Quintus and her perspective on the world; she wondered if things would ever be different for Vieira. Such programming was hardly frangible; it might take years of being treated like a normal coyote before Viei could even feel an inkling of normalcy within herself.

The deer might have had Kaena by ten or twenty pounds, but the hybrid woman did not find it difficult to drag the carcass, and when it became even lighter she was aware that Gabriel was beside her, taking up some of the deer's weight and making for easy work of bringing her toward the cave. Their progress was far quicker together, and before long the pair of hybrids were beside the cave entrance, dragging the deer inside. It was warmer in there than out in the open, though it made little difference to Kae. Her fur was just as thick as any wolf's, and it offered her the same protection from the elements. Once they were sufficiently inside, the coyote dropped the limb she'd been dragging, looking at Gabriel for a moment. She considered mentioning the war, she considered mentioning Haku, or speaking on tactics or news or something of the sort, but she decided against it, and instead tried a faint smile, tilting her head back toward Vieira. "Vieira can cook, if you like," the hybrid offered. Mealtime was intended for relaxation; if necessity required they discuss circumstances of war, they could do so afterward.

Word Count: 347

Gabriel de le Poer · 01-25-2010, 05:17 AM

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Word Count: 325

In Character

The idea of being well fed only came with the safety of a pack or clan behind oneself. Gabriel himself had been a skinny little thing between leaving Inferni and arriving in Scintilla, and his likewise arduous journey back home. Even when Inferni had lived on the coast he had been smaller, given that their resources had been limited due to the placement of the group. Now that they had forests and fields at their disposal, it was not uncommon to see coyotes push fifty pounds and above. Gabriel himself outweighed most wolves, though this was in large part due to his breeding and not his diet. Still, his wolfish instincts believed in sharing a meal because they strengthen the bonds between pack members. It was an alien concept that was not entirely unfamiliar to him.

Once they were inside, Gabriel release the dead animal and lowered his body so he could meet his mother at her level. The Optime form was one he was ill accustomed to, and preparing to abandon as soon as possible. Her offer surprised the Aquila, who hesitated in order to make the equally painful transformation back to his lupus form. This time, an audible grunt escaped him as his shoulder not only burned but popped loudly, angered over the recent transformation and abused. Once shifted, he began panting heavily, but paused this to speak. “Sure, if you want,” he said, not sure whom to address. Settling onto his stomach, the coy-wolf grunted and fanned his ears backwards for a moment (a child-like motion that he could not help but do around his mother) to indicate he was uncomfortable. Still, his wounds were minor at best, and the cut on his side did not compare to the aching, burning shoulder. His head turned to eye his side, but his facial expression was unreadable as long as his mouth remained open, tongue and off white teeth exposed to the cold air.

Vieira Lykoi · 01-25-2010, 11:23 AM

I attempted to hav eher go ahead and shift but it was awkward and I didn't. :| 268[html]
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When the larger canines moved passed her, Vieira followed behind them slowly until they were in the cave. She remained on her feet an ready to help should one of them call or need her because she knew she needed to be on hand immediately. She always had to be prepared for whatever they needed her to do. Even when they did not call her and the deer was on the cave floor, her owner suggesting she cook the deer. Her ears fell back upon her head and she stared at the cave floor, looking at her feet. She felt a wave of worry, despite her capability to cook just fine. Her feet danced on the cave floor and she angled herself away from them so her golden eyes could look for the things she needed. Both of them agreed to it, though no confirming answer, but she knew it was coming.

Instead of going ahead, she waited until Kaena spoke to her. If she chose her mind, she did not want to have shifted and in an awkward position of the Optime form while they remained in lupus. Her nose wrinkled slightly as her tail twitched, brushing against the wall of the den as her eyes turned to the deer. Astaroth had been the one to bring such a thing home, skinning and taking the meat away from the corpse. Vieira rarely did such a thing but she had watched enough that she might be able to do what he had, assuming she had a knife but she was unaware of how much strength it might take.

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Kaena Lykoi · 02-11-2010, 05:39 AM

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D:, powerplayed Viei walking out of cave, PM if not okay plz altaface <3 336

Being in four legs naturally had its advantages, but the silver-furred coyote figured that she ought to do something useful to the kill if she expected Vieira to cook. Gabriel's positive answer had set her into a shift, and even as her form doubled over and fingers sprouted from toes, her shape changing quickly, she spoke. “Start a fire, then?” she directed the tawny canine, noticing she was basically twiddling her thumbs. The hybrid knew the other canine was capable of that, and she leaned over her bed in four-legged form to grab matches. Her cave was not so roomy now with the three canines plus the deer, but it still afforded them each a foot or two of personal space. Were she not so comfortable around Gabriel and used to Vieira's presence, she might have felt suffocated or even claustrophobic; she was not used to being in such enclosed quarters with numerous canines.

As she took the matches she also took up her knife. The silver-furred canine turned back to Vieira, passing off the matches. “I'll cut it up for you,” she said, her golden eye flicking to Gabriel. She had not taken notice of the injury in his side until then, and it seemed they were causing him some discomfort, though the cut didn't appear too serious. The woman's coal ears folded, her gaze shifting to Vieira's retreating form before returning immediately to Gabriel, concern appearing on her scarred features. “Are you alright?” she said, speaking in lower tones than she had before. She took a few steps forward, leaning down to place the still-closed knife on the side of the deer. “Doesn't look bad,” she commented, placing her hand lightly on his side, drawing his fur away from the wound without actually touching it, lest she cause him more pain. If there was one thing she knew, it was that they could not afford to have Gabriel injured at this time—to do so was coquetry with potential disaster. Inferni needed its Aquila.

Gabriel de le Poer · 02-15-2010, 11:36 PM

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In the business of the meal, Gabriel had fallen back, he himself being generally useless when it come to any sort of domestic duty outside of making fires. After the smallest of the trio left their presence, his mother focused her attention back on him. Though he did not welcome her hand on his side, he did not flinch or draw away, remaining still with the trained discipline of a soldier. “Deer kicked me,” he explained, turning his head to look over his shoulder at the wound. “It spooked when I sprung out at it and turned back on her.” The incident played out in his mind’s eye, and finding the entire thing too ridiculous, he snorted air out of his nose.

“She froze up,” he added, amber eyes turning sharp. “No one ever taught her how to hunt.” It was as good as giving the girl a death sentence. Even scavenging was not enough to keep an adult alive. He drew in a breath, held it, and then exhaled a long sigh. For everything he had believed, he was wrong—this wasn’t a matter of master and slave. The girl wasn’t a slave; she was a child. “I’m sorry,” he said, focusing his eyes on Kaena’s face. “I didn’t know she was like that.”

Vieira Lykoi · 02-27-2010, 03:26 AM

I have no idea how to start a fire without gas and a lighter, lol.

They spoke as if she were not there but that did not phase her, Vieira was generally good at tuning them out because they were not speaking to her. Her ears were erect on her head to listen for certain words when they would speak to her; she was good at pointing them out. But instead, she turned to work on the meat after she shifted. She had the instructions to start a fire, something she did not like, but she did not question her owner. She rarely started the fire when with Astaroth but there were a number of times she had to. Her jaw tightened as she left the entrance of the den to work on it. Her knees were bent down as she fiddled with it, sparks started to crackle beneath her fingers and she withdrew, her golden eyes staring out at her work. A sigh escaped her lips and she turned to see Kaena working on the corpse and the two speaking.

Their words were about her, she could tell, and she caught the tail end of what Gabriel had to say. Her golden eyes looked away as she moved back into the cave to get a few items to cook with; the pan, hand towel, and utensils to help turn things over. She even moved to the shelf of sorts and a few spices were grabbed to add the flavor. Vieira parted her jaws to speak, for Kaena's attention, but she could not find it and instead waited until they were finished speaking and she could throw her voice into the open for them. Her tail flipped and her hands twisted into each other, the woman was calm and just ready to cook for her master and her master's leader.

Kaena Lykoi · 03-05-2010, 07:13 AM

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Ararararararar!? Uhhh, have her get twigs and crap and set them on fire. She can haz matches!?!? (397)

The silver-furred canine had not attempted hunting with Vieira aside from teaching her to fish when she had first arrived, and she refrained from commenting on the tawny-furred canine's meager provisional skills, instead pretending to know what the hell she was looking at or supposed to do. She was at a loss with medicinal things, the most she had done was to soak in salt water or apply the healing salve Naniko had provided her with. She drew back and looked to the jar on her shelf, seeing it was just smeared with a little bit of the junk, hardly even enough for the wound. Frowning, her golden-yellow eye flicked back toward Gabriel as he spoke once more, hesitating for a moment before she spoke. “Astaroth was not good to her. She has not known kindness before Inferni,” the hybrid admitted in a low voice, her ears folding back. She had not discussed the origins of the other canine with anyone in so blunt and truthful a manner, and the hybrid held her breath a moment. “I don't know how she made it all the way up here on her own,” the coyote woman added, glancing toward the other younger woman.

It felt like gossip to the iron-furred woman, and her sable ears were folded back, her golden eye slitted as she picked up the knife, hacking at the kill heartlessly. There was an overwhelming sense of guilt about what she herself had perpetrated against Vieira, but she would not speak of it again. The tawny-furred girl had been here many months, and beyond that one incidence of terrible violence and violation the cloud-furred canine had been good to her. Her one-eyed gaze drifted back toward the entrance of the cave, pulling the deer's leg straight out, descending on the shoulder with her teeth to cleanly cut through the tough muscle and snap through the bone. She stood up and pulled the leg clear of the corpse with a twisting, yanking motion. Using claws and hands she stripped the meat from it and set it back on top of the corpse of the deer until she had cleared all off the leg, heading out toward Vieira to get these first pieces started. Whatever they didn't prepare now could be shared or stored; it wasn't Kae's kill to decide what to do with what was not eaten today.

Gabriel de le Poer · 03-06-2010, 06:54 PM

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We can close this?

The three coyotes, one more wolf then the other two, did not talk much as the food was prepared. Gabriel licked his wound, and once satisfied it was clean he remained where he was, simply watching. Vieira, despite her inability to hunt, could cook well enough. Now and then, Kaena helped her with cutting the meat, but there was not much for the Aquila to do himself. So like a dog, he watched them. Dropping his head onto his paws, Gabriel fell into a hazy half-sleep.

Not long after this, a hot meal was presented to him. Gabriel ate, enjoying the taste of the meat, and made a point to comment on this as he did so. Each time, Vieira squirmed as if praise was unnatural to her. When he had eaten his fill, the Aquila rose to his feet and, after a short farewell, left the two women to their own devices. He made no claim to the rest of the deer, and expected that the two of them would have a greater need for it them he would.

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