Between Breaths

Anu · 02-07-2010, 09:42 PM

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Word Count: 300+ — private

A light wind, meek compared to the gusts and bitter drives that winter normally played with, brought a scent to the woman’s black moisture dabbled nose. Thin neck arched, crown rising skyward to test the air. It was familiar, thick with the calling of coyotes and the lands from which they hailed. But it was the unique catch beyond that of the clan that brought Anu to find that she was moving forward into the wind. It drew her paws over the fresh snow, leaving an easily seen trail behind her. It was soft beneath her paw pads, just as it fluttered lightly from the dull blue-sky cast with a lazy thin of clouds. The Dreamer followed the whim of the faint scent, the idea of finding the maker out weighing the effort and the interruption of her current task. Blue eyes searching through the trees for the molted figure of the doggish male that called for her in a voiceless hope.

The day had broken long ago, peaking in hours past. It had begun its fall, and the Lt. General had found herself at the pack’s borders, just beyond the mansion and the lake’s coast. The times were troubled, and endeavors at the pack’s outskirts had increased and the second in command made the effort just as the rest of their members. Her thoughts ventured though their normal sequence, the young earth toned female sitting before her mind’s for prolonged moments. She thought of her always, just as she did the pups that were now grown and then the friends she held dear. It was he scent that made her think of him now, but Anu found his face and his memories on the surface of her recollections and found them fond and increased her hope to find him.

She neared, for the scent was no longer a wisp on the breeze but heavy in every breath she took. The silver and brown female turned her head from the right to left and slowed to search the ground for the tangible track. Anu should see him now, paws drawing her along the border of her home, but in the dusk’s light she saw nothing but shadows of the giants that guarded Crimson Dreams. “Gabriel.” She called, voice too soft to carry far but in a tone that wondered where he was hiding.

Gabriel de le Poer · 02-07-2010, 11:28 PM

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In Character

They had come, twice or more now, and blood had been shed. Gabriel had done everything he could to maintain the borders, and maintain diligence, but his shoulders were weary and his resolve weakening, however slightly. Things seemed like they were going nowhere—Haku was wearing them down slowly, even though Inferni had more then enough to rush in and destroy Dahlia in one fell swoop. Even though this thought had indeed crossed the Aquila’s mind, and crossed it more than once, he was unwilling to demand such a thing. Anselm and a large portion of his clan had made their point in not wishing to risk open combat. It sickened Gabriel, in his war eagle mentality, that such a thing belonged to his clan.

Each day he grew more frustrated, and there was no peace in Inferni. So he had gone, traveling without a destination in mind, following the old highway south. He swung wide of Dahlia de Mai and cut through the city, sleeping there overnight. While the city was cold, he dug himself out in an old army/navy surplus store, taking the morning to look for anything of use. He did manage to find a secondary grenade bag, and filled it with a few odds and ends (namely, small first aid kids and two knives). He managed to fix it to his back like a dog pack, a task that took an insane amount of time without thumbs, but once sorted out it was not entirely uncomfortable. That done, he continued on his way, skirting Cour Des Miracles with the same sort of doubt he carried to all unknown wolf packs. Even if they considered themselves mongrels, or dogs, to him they were wolves, and would be until proven otherwise.

By the time he reached Crimson Dreams, it was well past noon. He did not call for her, and opted instead to stalk the borders as he might were he unwelcomed. Certainly, a large part of him believed he was. It was only when her voice called, from beyond the border he would not cross, that he stopped and followed it. A few long moments passed before he let out a bark, announcing his presence, and then spotted her amongst the dappled light. His tail, held high, wagged in greeting as he approached, dressed like the military dog he was. “Anu,” he greeted, though slowed as the scented border (as strong and visible as a stone wall) crossed his path.

Anu · 02-08-2010, 12:47 AM

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He was here, but not as he had come the first time she had learned his name. Then the Inferni leader had only been passing through, but now he stood at her door and knowingly so. Cobalt eyes of her lupus form looked in the direction of the doggish call. His announcement brought her further towards the neutral lands, and away from the safety of the pack. There was no worry in the wolfess' steps, having no fear in the presence of the hybrid. The female noticed his garb first, but glanced over it to see the waving tail. Her own swayed lightly, held even in her calm and naturally neutral manner. It was the smile she wore that spoke of her glee to see him, and that he ventured this far west. The times did not leave many with an allowance to travel and she knew that if he had ventured from his borders that it was at price, what ever the size.

She approached him, sensing his lack of eagerness as he came close to the scented invisible line that claimed these lands to the Dreamers. It was when she came close that she saw the true change in him. Perhaps a scar that had not been present the day they had taken the buck, or a heavy line around weary eyes. Her water hued orbs glanced across the luggage, looking heavy and awkward. He had travel far, and the Lt General was not about to leave him in the snow along her boundaries. "Its good to see you." She spoke with much truth on her tongue. The female had worried for him, even traveling to Inferni in hopes of running across him as he had her. But her courage had been lost in meeting another, shyer, member. Initial fears had been eased with his presence, but Anu would not be satisfied in knowing he was merely alive. Standing beside him now Anu took a step back towards the border, her nose giving a small single gesture in hopes that he would follow.

Gabriel de le Poer · 02-08-2010, 02:54 PM

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In Character

There was no doubt that war had begun to show itself in his body. Healing cuts still marred his face, a gift courtesy of Haku Soul. Though the fur was starting to grow back, it still sickened him to think that the blue eyed devil had managed to cut him like that. By all accounts, perhaps he did look worn—sleeping as irregularly as he did, working to maintain the constant diligence that had kept the far too large clan alive. They had numbers, and they had strength, but Gabriel believed in his heart that these things would not last. More bodies did not mean more warriors. Most of the strangers who now inhabited his home were weak in body and spirit.

Most of them would die before the end of this. Even now, the doubt clung to him, and the man could not shake it from his brow. He focused on her voice, and on her water-colored eyes, and saw that she was not adverse to him entering his home. Thankful for that, the Aquila crossed the border without fear, coming to her side. “It’s good to see you too,” he responded, dimly aware of the faint mental ‘clink’ of his charms coming together. “A lot safer then having you near Inferni,” he added, eyes glinting mirthfully. While he had been glad she had come calling, it was unfair for her to be so close to the front lines when Crimson Dreams was not involved in the conflict at hand.

Anu · 02-09-2010, 09:36 PM

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They had met with the pack to tell of the news that she and Savina had gathered. Information and warnings were the best defense that the pack had. They were not warriors, and many among them were young or peaceful females. There were few that would fight and even fewer that could with major effect. Heart and passion were needed in times of battle but the will to fight alone would not help, strength and power were just as necessary. She prayed that none would die at the hands of this war, but the Dahlian puppet's master was far to brutal for such a peaceful ending. For all she knew there had been deaths already, and if she were wise she would do well to assume the worst to keep her guard up and the pack weary. Anu needed to push through her hopeful nature and think like the high General she had become, even if she had been granted the position from her kindness and loyalty.

His response brought another curve to her lips, and together the two canines walked beyond the border and into her homelands. No one would question him while he was beside her, if they cam across anyone at all. She had told Savina about their kinship, and Anu believed her friend would welcome the Inferni leader as she did. The female nodded with her smile faded, “The word has traveled far and fast.” Anu had known of Haku’s rise to power before full fledged war had been declared, but that news alone was enough to send her strait to her Commander in confession. Blue eyes drifted from the hybrid to the land before them, the sight of the frozen lake not far beyond their light steps. She was hesitant to tell him that she had traveled to his border in search of him, though she could not decide why she feared telling him.

“We’re all unnerved, to say the least.” She spoke with a serious tone. She held not fear of the clan, but the brown furred monster was another story.

Gabriel de le Poer · 03-07-2010, 11:52 PM

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Though they were, by and large, displaced and distanced from the war at hand, Gabriel did not doubt that Haku would cross far and wide to find blood. Firefly’s warning about the child lingered in his mind. So too did he recall his own sister’s face, and her wounds. If he had known that Haku’s own daughter had fled here to survive, he might have thought twice about lingering long in the area. Still, Anu’s presence calmed him in a way no other’s had been able to, and he welcomed it. At least for the time being Inferni’s Aquila managed a moment of peace amongst the frantic madness of war.

“With any luck, he won’t be able to strike this far south. I intend to see him disposed of before spring,” the coy-wolf grunted, his face contorting with hatred. A breath was exhaled, taking with it the fury that clung to ever fiber of his being. Gabriel turned his ebony ears back, realizing he must have sounded like a brute, and focused his attention back onto Anu. “But I didn’t want to bring war with me, so we don’t need to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Anu · 03-08-2010, 01:06 PM

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The Dreaming borders always did seem beyond the plagues of these lands. Anu did not know a time when they had faced a force as great as another pack, their conflicts had sadly been internal. The blue-eyed female was not one to forget such things, though she could easily forgive those that sought it. What had happened had moved her pack into a new age, leadership that had yet to falter in its commitment and had carried them forward to face trying time such as these. Even if they were not facing the war themselves, each had not forgotten the friends they held that lived amongst the battle. Anu could not give Gabriel the sort of support that might seem most helpful, she could not risk her life and the life of her pack, but she would help in any way she could. Though the Inferni leader never asked anything of her, and gave her a simplistic and comforting friendship in return to her own efforts.

His features grew hard and distorted with the words he spoke, it pained her to see him with such anger and Anu looked away. Of course he was allowed, as she was certain her own face looked quite grim when she spoke of the Dahlian alpha. She thought no less of him as he exposed such a mortal side of him. Internally she wished he would hold true to his intention, as though the soft-spoken female was not one to hope for the death of any living creature, she felt Haku something else. Below them all. "I don't mind." She assured him, eyes moving back to rest on his calmed face. A soft smile moved to her lips and Anu looked with a concern in her eyes. "I was worried for you. I am, worried for you." She admitted, her voice soft. "To have you here is comforting, no matter what we speak of." Another might see his presence as a threat, but the silver toned woman had an innate feeling that she had never been more safe.

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Gabriel de le Poer · 03-20-2010, 11:26 AM

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Sorry for the delay! ;-;

In some way, he was reminded of Anu in his gentle sunflower eyed sister. Rikka and this woman both had a peculiar calm surrounding them, one that for whatever reason relaxed him. He considered, for a moment, introducing the two, but then thought of his broken and bruised sister and felt guilt sink deep in his gut. Of all the people to be hurt, it had to be the girl that had likely never harmed anyone. Even if Corona had been attacked, she likely would have fought like hell and fought hard—of all the children, it seemed one of every pair (for they had been paired off in their youth) had been the stronger. Though Gabriel did not doubt that his siblings could hold their own, they simply were not prepared.

Haku was a whole different kind of monster. Gabriel returned her smile as if he was incapable of doing so otherwise; she was his moon and like the ocean, he returned her light. “Well don’t worry,” he reassured her, chest sticking out just a little, tail rising to half mast. Of all Gabriel’s sins, it was pride still that sought to ruin him. “Inferni is strong, and between us, we’ll make things right again.” It felt peculiar, because Gabriel had barely considered Haku’s upset of the territory as a whole overall until then. Or, further, that the coyotes would be the ones to fix such a problem. “Those things aside, how has your pack been?” He asked, black streaked tail giving a wag as they continued on.

Anu · 03-21-2010, 10:52 AM

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Word Count: 300+ — no worries :]

Anu did not wish to wonder whom in Gabriel's life had fallen to the demon that was Haku. If she could Anu would just believe that no one had been hurt, and that Gabe did not suffer such sorrow. The woman knew that it would be foolish to imagine all had gone unscathed, but perhaps she was simply happier not knowing. But Anu didn’t find happiness there, she could dig deeper and deeper and look for the contentment but she wouldn’t find it. She would only be happy once it was finished, the moment the Inferni alpha could come to her and say it was done. She hoped that he would.

The air changed, and Anu watched as a smile blossomed upon his face. He seemed to grow larger in form as he spoke, and she saw what she took as fearlessness. Anu believed his words, and knew that if any one could take such a task and complete it, Gabe would be the one to do it. Her faith in him, and her trust in him were more then she held for anyone beyond her borders. The fey remained silent until his question came. She looked into the wilderness around them in thought, ”Good, I believe.” She spoke with a small smile, thinking of the changes that had been brought to her since the last time that the two friends had met. How her life had been changed and touch by the Dahlian leader they had just spoke about, how everything was different. Yet, Anu felt a strange sense of calm and consistency in his presence.

”Our numbers are steady, a new litter had been born.” She explained, her smile soft. With obvious hesitation Anu questioned, “How is your family?” she felt as if she stood on a limb asking him about his family, not knowing if it was a sore wound that she would be prodding.

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Gabriel de le Poer · 03-25-2010, 11:43 AM

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What had been done to Gabriel was far beyond Haku’s reach. From birth, there had been a curse laid over his families head. It did not belong to the Lykoi, but to his father, who had attempted to explain this to him once before. In his arrogance, Gabriel had ignored the warnings of the madman. Now, though, the curse had placed itself in a blue eyed wolf that was his shadow. They were destined to destroy one another, and this was something that Gabriel would come to believe in the months ahead. But for now, he managed to disregard the rattling of war—he was with her, and she alone managed to break down that wall formed by years of violence and doubt.

He was fearless only because she was the same. This was her home, and she had allowed him—a war general and a monster in his own right—into it without hesitation. She did not fear him, nor did she fear so long as she remained inside this forest. Of the pack she spoke little, offering him nothing sour nor anything too deep. He wondered, briefly, if this was in part to keep them safe. While Inferni would never take arms against her, he did not know what her co-leaders would think of his presence and his clan. Amber eyes darkened only momentarily at the mention of his own family, but outside of this, there was no obvious change. He could not afford to allow such things to spread beyond the war at hand. “They have suffered,” he admitted, voice dropping an octave. “But they’re strong, and they’ll survive.”

Anu · 03-25-2010, 02:54 PM

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Word Count: 300+ — Smile

The all had the shields that were planted securely around their heart and soul, used in the hopes that they would stop the pain. The female was not a strong builder, and though experience was not her weak point she had yet to gain the ability to construct any decent defense. Always she allowed things to be planted close to her heart, the roots intertwining with the vessels, touching the most sensitive and weakest part of her. What others saw of it, she did not know. Some had exploited her sensitivity, but then she could not blame them for doing it intentionally. It made the Dreamer naive, but it also made her who she was.

She felt the wall that she hit as he spoke. His low tone spoke of things that he would rather not speak of, and the distress that it might bring him. Anu looked away, "I sure they will." answering polity and wondering briefly if it was the war that drew the curtains around his heart once more or if she had imagined once that they had been closer then she felt this moment. Though, the words she had spoken were as cold and mechanical as his. Without looking at him, or taking a step closer to the male Anu drew him in, showing him a place inside her that she would not normally allow most. "Just before Haku took over Dahlia, I ventured there to visit a female that I had become close with." She looked back to the male as she told the story. "He was attacking her, and we fled here. I had wanted her to leave, far before that. To be here, and live with me." Anu spoke of the young female, the woman that owed her heart and whose Anu had claimed. A small smile had formed as she spoke the last few words, and then, "Her name is Colibri" Anu told in the off chance that they ever met. It was story that she did not share with many, one she had kept secret in the Dahlia male came after them.

She paused, the question lingering gin her mind and yet she knew not how to phrase it. She attempted, "Do you have someone? Someone close to you?" Anu would work to climb the walls, always feeling that he was worth it.

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Gabriel de le Poer · 03-25-2010, 03:24 PM

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He was glad she did not prod into that dark place. Haku had filled his world with a shadow, a shadow that in many ways was his own. Guilt was a large part of the Aquila’s psyche, and he sought to destroy it. In doing so, he would need to destroy the blue eyed devil. After that there would be no guilt, for Gabriel could not internalize the feeling and instead placed it onto a physical being he could eliminate. It made him uncomfortable to open himself up, for fear that his soul might be exposed and all the wicked things he had done turned on their head. The she-wolf was more grounded, and allowed him a glimpse of her own.

Something in her eyes changed, and he knew it was love. So he listened to her, and read her smile and her face, and understood why she had not shied from the war. Haku had attacked someone she had loved, and Anu had rescued her from the bastard. She had done what Gabriel could not. For a singular moment he hated her, but it was a jealous thought and one that was shoved aside. So he smiled, believing that her victory was one against the beast and one that told him he was not immortal. It gave him hope that one day soon he would see the same occur under his hands.

At the question, which was peculiar, he cocked his head doggishly. “You mean a lover? No, no I don’t,” he answered quickly, eyes darkening momentarily at the thought of Faolin. “My former mate left me and her children for another man.” And Jezebel had vanished after a night together, causing Gabriel to consider that he had been responsible for such a thing. Amber eyes lightened, focusing on her face instead of the long gone ghosts of old.

Anu · 03-25-2010, 03:54 PM

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Her words lingered for a moment, the story floating between them before he answered her questions. None of it seemed to phase the male, and for that Anu was grateful. At times she wondered what another might think, when she spoke of her lover. It was different, and most times the world was frightened of those things that were different. Anu felt at ease with his lack of response, assuming (and happily so) that he put the pieces together. She would not have told him if she did not trust him, noting silently that perhaps the world was ready and whiling to accept every bit of her, even the different parts.

Yet, again she strolled right into a place that was dark for the male. She watched as he grew tense, thoughts of his past mate no doubt filtering into his thoughts. The good, making him wish for her again, and the bad that made him hope she was as unhappy as he looked at that second. Anu shot out into the dark once again and missed horridly, "Oh" was all she could manage. Again she felt as if her words were the wrong to say, and that he was brought into a more sorrowful place. Her mouth closed, eyes glancing out into the forest that surrounded them and that she called home. Her courage brought her nothing, fearing that she would upset him further.

Gabriel de le Poer · 03-25-2010, 04:08 PM

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The silvery woman seemed to falter, as if she had somehow upset him with her question. While he was upset, it was not at her, and his ears turned back slightly as if concerned he had done something wrong. Sucking in air through his nose, the charms around his neck rose and fell with the breath, granting him the courage to speak. “Are you okay?” He asked, unsure of how to approach her. This too was apparent in his body language, for while Gabriel did not lack confidence, he lacked finesse.

He felt like a child, suddenly uncertain of what had been said or done wrong. Anu was so clear to him, but she was still very much a moon, and her face changed as suddenly and as mysteriously as the sea. Around them the forest offered no answers, only the murmuring voices of wind through the bare boughs, echoed further by noisy birds.

Anu · 03-25-2010, 04:25 PM

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With her small and nondescript reply her unease did not go unnoticed by her friend. But, his question was something that she had hoped to ask him. Though now she wondered if she had simply imagined his unhappiness. Though, she could not understand if it was she who simply feared being upset for him. He was something to her, something that she could not describe or place. A friend, yes for certain. But, their bond sunk deeper. Despite the silence that lingered around them, and the insecurity that they each held for one another. Anu did not know what to say, and her natural calm and collected persona was beginning to crumble in front of him.

Honesty, the one thing that Anu would forever respect, preach and hold herself was needed now. Even if it was exposing and hard to find at times. "I don't mean to reopen every wound you once had." A pause came, and then she spoke with soft words, "I don't believe you are made of stone." He wasn't impenetrable, he could be hurt, had been and Anu did not wish to ever bring anything to light that might do so again.

Gabriel de le Poer · 03-25-2010, 05:23 PM

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The air around her felt peculiar, as if electricity had filled the air and made it heavy. Something was hanging above them, something radiating out of her body and clinging like static to his own. Gabriel remained silenced and still, as if his movement or voice might upset the delicate balance that had formed. He did not know what had caused it, nor why she was so perturbed, but it made him uncomfortable. Then her voice, as soft as her moonstone eyes, broke through the silence.

He considered her for a long moment, studying her narrow face and features. She seemed so fragile to him then, despite the fact she believed herself to be a dagger. “I’m not,” he said gently, something that seemed so uncommon for his gruff voice and appearance.“You won’t hurt me as much as you think,” Gabriel continued, off-white teeth sharp against his black muzzle. “Now what’s bothering you?” He pushed further, waiting for her reaction to see if he was going too far.

Anu · 03-25-2010, 09:53 PM

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She waited a baited breath for his answer, the moments of silence dragging for the Dreamer. He watched her face, no doubt wondering what it was that made her so doubtful. Anu wondered it as well. Where had her confidence gone, standing in her own homelands she felt as if every turn she made in front of him was the wrong one. Never had she felt such struggle, her wisdom never failing her in time of tragedy and trouble. Her calm faltered, but why? She could not think of a reason, though as he spoke her ears turned to listen and the reassurance lifted her. The words that she spoke would not touch him as deeply as she had thought, and in this instance she was grateful for it. Eyes like water turned to his face, her lips curving slightly into a smile that was as fragile as a newborn, yet its potential knew no bounds.

What was wrong with her? She couldn't give an answer that she knew to be clear. Anu could only guess herself, "I guess," she began, eyes looking forward as if her surroundings would give her inspiration. The pause was small, hardly a breath, "I worry for you more then I ever realized." She cared for him, feared for his life in the war ahead more then she had ever known. If her words pained him, or brought memories that made him suffer then she was simply weakening him before the battles truly begun. But in his words she didn't, and would gladly believe him.

Gabriel de le Poer · 04-05-2010, 05:26 PM

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He felt out of place in this forest. It was older then his own, deeper, and had a presence that had come with the wolves who called it home. Gabriel would never feel as if he belonged in any wolf pack, and this was no exception. The Waste and Inferni was his home; he belonged in open plains and war-torn fields, where his kind were tolerated. The scars on his body tingled, as if they too felt this. She was not part of his world, and yet she drew herself in and came to his side without hesitation.

The coy-wolf was silent, but his ears rose to a high perch on his head and formed a black crown. Unsure of what her words truly meant, he hesitated. “I have seen war before,” he began, his voice quiet. “And I have no intention of leaving this earth.” Slowly he approached her, pausing only for a moment before giving the silvery woman a nudge with his nose. It was a friendly, reassuring gesture. “Don’t be upset, you have nothing to worry about outside of these borders.” Haku would not come this far south without purpose—at least in this moment, Gabriel believed that.

Anu · 04-05-2010, 06:23 PM

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:]

This was her home, and each inch of the forest that walk upon was familiar to the Dreamer. Anu found that she looked upon these lands with more warmth then any other place she had lived. Outside from her blood-relative pack Anu had lived here the longest, and had made a life and even raised her own sort of family here. Her heart fluttered, the sense of comfort running deep in her veins and there was no where else that Anu would rather be and no other place that Anu would fight to the death to protect. But even though this was her home, and her heart normally felt light and secure, she was uneasy and filled with worry beside the Inferni male. At no true doing of his.

He spoke, and Anu did not meet his amber gaze. But, as he continued to speak and his words wrapped around her like a heavy blanket. Warm, though they were likely not intended to be so. Blue eyes lifted, watching him as Gabriel touched her with his black nose. Anu smiled. The small grin wrapping itself meekly around her maw, all that weighed her down lifting with the curve of her lips. Eyes like water washed over his face, taking in his features as if she had yet to see them before. The scar along his muzzle, the deep yellow and gold that lived in his own gaze and the dark brow that cast a shadow over them. "I'll trust you Gabriel." She said, her voice as light ass air and not meant to place any pressure of her friend. But she did trust his words, wanting always to trust the things he spoke. "Everything will go back to normal" She spoke as her normal hopeful attitude seeped back into her center, "everything will be right." They would be safe, happy once more and Gabriel would be given everything that he wished for just as Anu wanted for him. There was nothing in her eyes that the leader should go without, in her mind he deserved the world.

Gabriel de le Poer · 04-15-2010, 12:33 PM

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:[ I suck. New thread? SO OUR PLOT CAN BE AWESOME.

She was lifted, as if the weight he carried had been taken from her. Gabriel did not intend to share his burdens, and would not ask that of anyone. His clan had to suffer, but they were aware of this, and those who were too weak did not remain. The strongest survived within Inferni. Out here, the world was different. Then Anu spoke and he smiled broadly, tail wagging once behind him. “Yeah,” he agreed, chest sticking out just slightly. For whatever reason, pride was a part of his being around her. Something about her made him feel…different.

“Would you mind showing me around? I don’t want to keep you long, but I haven’t spent much time in this area.” South, that was. He had never traveled to AniWaya, and only passed through Crimson Dreams once. Now that he had the time, he intended to use it—not only to relax, but for tactical information.

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