Hindsight was an interesting perception. It often changed a person’s mind, making them realize an event was blown out of proportion, that anger and fear was unjustified. Other times, it dug into a person’s gut, making them realize their prior triumphs were really fatal mistakes. Good or bad, hindsight lent a new kind of understanding to the past.
Vesper frowned as she sat in the middle of the thin plains, nose lifted slightly to smell the salt from the coast south of here. In the east was the city of Halifax, a place she had yet to explore but had heard much about. She wasn’t sure when she would wander that way, but it wasn’t now. She was already missing the shelter of the forests and would probably retreat to the leaf-sheltered shadows.
Right now, however, she had promised herself some time to think. Her life was more physical than it was philosophical, but she understood that reflection on the past could prevent mistakes in the future—and she was quite future-oriented, always planning, always checking.
She had set aside time for thinking, but all she could conjure up right now, with the silence broken only by a few cricket chirps, was a vague feeling of disgust and apathy for the world.
Every day, Vesper found a new reason to be frustrated with the various canines of the world. Usually, it was evidence of their stupidity, but their cruelty and lack of sense had bothered her, too. Her father as well as Oliver had been drunk on power, and while she’d killed the latter, there was nothing she could do about Marcel. She had protected the band of coyotes from Oliver’s tyranny, and yet they’d been too scared and pathetic to recognize the killing for justice. Lately, she’d been called inferior for being single-formed, for not having been born with the “gift” that was the luperci gene.
Cool. Calm. Collected.
The hybrid reclaimed her mask of ice, the barrier of composure that kept inside vesuvian rages. She was not a madwoman or berserker, but she hated blind anger and the trip-ups that came with it.
She should not dwell on things she could not change.
[/html]It felt strange to be this close to the water. She knew that didn't make much sense; after all, she'd spent most of her life in the Maritimes. Nonetheless, she'd hidden herself away in the interior of Nova Scotia for so long that it almost felt like she'd forgotten what the water was like. She could smell the water from here so now she longed to venture farther east or south. Either would be acceptable, since either would bring her to the edges of the territory. The few human maps she'd found in her younger years showed a vast expanse of ocean to the east. Although she hadn't been able to find many books or paper anymore -- most of it had been destroyed by the elements now -- every so often she found a gem tucked away. More often than not, they were books she had no use for. So now, she had to make her own knowledge and could no longer rely on the ancient scriptures.
This suited her just fine. Making her own life and her own path had been her goal ever since Noir's murder. Although she admitted her current state of mind had very much been shaped by her daughter's death, she wanted to become someone new. And she knew exactly what she wanted to become. But that was an ideal and she struggled to achieve it. She was not yet a monster.
She trundled along at a slow pace, making her way through the sparsely-vegetated grasses and shrubbery that dotted the plains. Not too far away, she saw another canine sitting in the grass. Since her encounter with Zalen, she was less hesitant about approaching other characters. One could never know what they might find.
She trotted closer and let out a friendly bark to warn the other. When she was thee metres away from the hybrid, she spoke up.
"Good day, stranger," she shouted. The wind was not too strong today, but she couldn't be sure if it carried her voice all the way to the other. "Hunting some prey, then?" she teased. She raised her brow ridge and gestured at the hyrbid's very obvious static position. If this creature could catch anything just sitting down, Tayui would be impressed. [html]
A nonthreatening bark dragged Vesper out of her reverie, and her blue eyes drifted to a pale figure approaching. Her expression sharpened with interest, coyote-large ears tilted forward as she sized up the other female: quite larger than her, which was unsurprising considering the hybrid’s small size. She had interesting eyes, the dramatic difference in color just visible from the distance between them.
“Good day,” the loner returned, her voice not as loud as the other’s. She was sure the intentions of the words would come across even if the wind whisked the actual sound away.
The tan-striped stranger asked if she was hunting prey, and the confusion on the coywolf’s face immediately transformed into amusement. The side of her mouth crooked back in a smirk, and she retorted, “I had hoped if I sat still for long enough, an unsuspecting bird might come to see me as a tree.” She quite appreciated sarcasm and teasing humor, and that immediately lifted her opinion of the older wolf. She rose languidly and stepped closer so they would not have to raise their voices as much to speak.
“What’s your name?” Vesper asked. The question was simple enough, but there was an expectant look in her eyes that asked more: What can I help with? She knew that some canines were simply very outgoing and liked to chat with strangers, but more often than not—at least, in her own experience as a loner—they wanted to know something. She personally had asked a lot of questions since entering Nova Scotia—though this female seemed too mature and smelled too much of the land to be clueless about territories.
“I’m Vesper,” she added politely, knowing that some canines were loath to give away that kind of information without a trade.
[/html] Tayui heard the hybrid return her greeting with one of her own and then trade a joke for a joke. Tayui flicked her right ear forward and then smirked wickedly. She chortled inelegantly when the girl finished the joke and let her expression relax into a wide grin. She was going to try and take something away from her meeting with Zalen and so, rather than being immediately defensive, she would try to recall some that good humour she'd had when she was younger. If she could coax herself into being a bit friendlier, then perhaps she could coax her conversation partner to be a little more open to a suggestion.
While she was glad her little remark had worked, she didn't see the need to continue it. So, when the wolf asked for her name, she didn't say anything, but waited to see if there was more. She raised her brow ridges in a decidedly human fashion and tilted her head, wondering if there was more to come. Indeed, the hybrid introduced herself as Vesper. Tayui inclined her head appreciatively and then spoke up.
"Noir Aston," she replied, feeling much calmer now that the other wolf had offered her name first. Though, she'd understood the tone of Vesper's question to be more than an introduction. Tayui felt like there had been a question of determining her intent in Vesper's greeting, so Tayui quickly added: "I'm just out for a stroll and thought I'd say hello. I do hope that's fine. I'm a loner like you judging by the scent, so I've found it helpful to trade information when we can to keep ourselves out of trouble." She offered the girl a wry smile, but no further explanation. She could surely come up with her own ideas of what sorts of trouble into which a loner might get themself.
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Vesper had been right in offering her name first, as she could see the suspension of the woman’s brows as well as sense the general ease of tension afterward. Trust was a tricky game among loners; while some wolves were young adults who’d dispersed from their birth clans, others had harsher reasons for wandering about on their own, and going to excessive lengths to prove you weren’t a threat wasn’t uncommon. Ves might not have shown the same respect and consideration to a younger wolf, but she could sense the experience this pale wolf carried. She jumped to conclusions about others’ stupidity a lot, but she wasn’t so arrogant as to assume she was better than someone who’d survived middle age.
The coywolf nodded as the woman introduced herself as Noir, filing the name away on the off chance she’d need it. She didn’t expect to meet most wolves a second time, but she’d carry a mental note around for a while just in case. Whatever transpired during a meeting, of course, affected how memorable another was, too.
She gave a quick smirk to show that she didn’t mind an out of the blue greeting—the hybrid wasn’t that stuck-up—and nodded in understanding when Noir mentioned trading information.
“I’m sure you have more to offer than I do,” Vesper said, flashing her teeth in amusement. “I’m new to the area, you see. Though I already learned there are a lot of you luperci around here. Not always friendly toward my kind.” Her smirk turned slightly bitter as she thought of the red-patched woman who’d turned her nose up at a non-luperci.
[/html] Although Tayui had been the one to initiate this conversation, she realized too late that her apprehension at offering her name without compensation was a bit odd. She should be willing to give such things out without charge, even if the name offered was false. She just hoped Noir would not think it strange for her to assume her name, in her honour.
So, Tayui tried to relax a bit. When the other canine give her a quick smile, Tayui felt her muscles loosen up a bit and she too quirked the side of her mouth in response. But still, no smile for the girl. Soon enough Tayui would manage one again.
"I've learned that not all is what it seems and sometimes folks can surprise you with what they know," she responded calmly. She spoke from experiences with Zalen and Eris, both of whom had surprised her in different ways. While she'd originally taken Zalen for a fool, he'd turned out to be quite reasonable. While she'd taken Eris for a slippery eel, she'd turned out to be far more dangerous.
"Your kind? You're a hybrid I can tell. There's nothing different about you at all. What are you, a hybrid rabbit?" She punctuated this with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. "You'll find most that will claim prejudice when they only wish to hate." With this, she shrugged. Some folks were just idiots through and through.[html]
The woman did not seem to be able to form a proper smile, but that didn’t put Vesper off at all. Smiles came with some difficulty to the young coywolf; a smirk was much simpler and could range anywhere from genuine to fake. Her smiles came only when she truly softened up to those she was talking to, which likely wouldn’t happen this meeting, as much of a decent opinion as she had of the female.
Noir mentioned that some canines could be surprising, and Vesper nodded after a moment’s thought. “You can only gather so much by just looking at someone,” she said, her voice low almost in acknowledgment that she wasn’t contributing much to the conversation. She’d been surprised by those she’d cared about, even, surprised how pathetic they could really be.
The woman seemed somewhat surprised that someone would discriminate against Vesper, who nodded in agreement with her words then clarified what she’d meant. “No one’s really cared that I’m half-and-half yet,” she muttered, knowing that it’d probably be a matter of time. She lifted a forepaw, smirking disdainfully. “No, it’s the thumb thing they can’t get over. I happened to be born non-luperci and don’t feel like changing that anytime soon, so everyone assumes I’m a waste of space.” She had nothing against the multi-formed creatures and could see some of the usefulness of hands and size, and she would probably be “normal” had she been born as one. However, she didn’t feel like sexing up some stranger or bleeding enough to cause the change.
“A lot of prejudice against certain species comes mainly from hurt in the past,” Vesper added, her voice softening slightly as she went back onto Noir’s topic. “But my power-lusting fool of a father was a wolf, and I don’t curl my lip at every wolf that walks by.” She frowned slightly, looking back out across the plains and tasting a small hint of salt as she licked her lips. “Some people just see ghosts.”
Sorry for the wait! Spent most of yesterday traveling.
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[/html] Tayui nodded when the girl echoed her own thoughts, but in different words. Tayui felt like it had been an appropriate thing to say since it would make even more sense later on if she decided this girl had some interesting qualities worth recruiting. Tayui was glad to hear Vesper agreed with her; it helped knowing that this girl might think in similar ways as her, but by no means identically.
Tayui was a little surprised to hear that it wasn't her hybrid blood that set her apart. What, then? She looked fairly normal aside from the splotches of blueish fur all over her body. Tayui wasn't sure if she'd had a dyeing accident like her son, or if that was natural, but that certainly wasn't strange or different enough for comment. Once Vesper revealed the real reason, Tayui let out a quiet, "ahh," in acknowledgement. Yes, that would make her a bit different front the luperci around here, wouldn't it?
"Huh," she said at last. "I never would've guessed, you know," she replied. She shrugged and then added: "I guess it's your choice; though being able to have thumbs is horribly convenient. But you're right about the prejudice stemming from hurt in the past. The coyote clan Inferni has caused its share of pain and has a number of critics. That's not to say that the wolf packs are any better -- it's all circular in the end. And besides, there've been packs around here who were definitely biased toward the two-legged sort. Everyone's got a bias I guess." Where was she even going with this? She didn't know, so she just shrugged.
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It seemed to take a while for Noir to realize that the hybrid she was talking to was not, in fact, a luperci. That amused Vesper, as it only proved the point that there was little difference between them—at least with the mental factor, in four-legged form. She smirked slightly when the pale-striped wolf mentioned she never would have guessed, but she didn’t make any comment.
“I have no doubt they’re convenient,” Vesper agreed. “And I would be taking full advantage of them if I had born that way. However, from what I hear, the process of becoming one is…less than savory.” She remembered what the collie mix had said about fighting luperci or sex with the males—neither of which she’d want to get into, though she might have less say in the former. And once she was turned, there was no turning back—though she could confine herself in a four-legged form, it would still be a change. She frowned as she realized she hadn’t really thought about it, but there would be time for that later.
She got back on topic afterward, interested in the idea of conflict though not wanting to ask the white loner for a detailed history. She noticed the shrug but nodded to show she didn’t mind this part of the conversation, even if it didn’t really have a point.
“No one’s perfect. As long as they leave me alone and don’t go killing innocents or something like that, I don’t really give a damn what others do.” Vesper preferred to be selfish, but she wasn’t heartless.
Tayui nodded slowly in understanding when the girl explained why she had not yet embraced the luperci possibility. Yes, the methods were indeed cruel; though, if she found herself a lover, the process could be more pleasurable than painful. Were Tayui more certain about her sexuality -- and indeed, she was not -- she might entertain such notions of linking pleasure to the transformative process. However, she couldn't think of an easy way to pass it on to another female, since the last one she'd turned by holding the wolf down and pouring her blood into an open wound. She didn't want to do that to someone she liked. Even with that in said and done, Tayui wasn't too sure where her loyalties in love lay.
At Vesper's other comment, Tayui frowned and then let the smile morph into an almost-smile. The edges of her lips twitched in anticipation of speaking up. She paused, wondering if she should say anything. Could she? Would Vesper care? She gave herself a mental push and then spoke up.
"That's sort of what I hope for, too. Though, there are a few nasty packs to watch out for. Salsola is just downright vicious and if you wander too close, they might try to capture you as a slave. Just... be careful. Anathema is darker and some of the members are a bit tricky, but the leader isn't too... well, I'm not sure. You can't really tell around these parts: they're full of madmen, madwomen, and tricksters. Sometimes we just want to be left alone, but that's not enough for them," she explained darkly. All she'd wanted was to be left alone when she'd joined Salsola, but apparently that had been too much to ask, too.
I said, I cannot follow the river
of her myth; but I can
follow her sweet desert song
like a stream through the fiery hills.
Word Count → 280
There was a slight movement of the woman’s lips; the coyote hybrid’s eyes had drifted to them as something to look at while the silence began. It was the merest indication that there was more to say, but Vesper hardly recognized it as significant. She did, however, instinctually raise her eyes to the pale wolf’s heterochromatic ones—not a direct enough stare to be challenging, but something that showed she had Noir’s complete attention. She noted the trace of an old scar before the older loner spoke.
Vesper immediately pricked her ears when Noir mentioned nasty packs. Any kind of information of who to avoid would be useful to the young loner; she had been keeping alert for the news of the Tribe as well as any other conflicting groups ever since setting foot here, not wanting to run into a hostile pack. Her eyes narrowed at mention of being captured as a slave, as if to express that the notion was ridiculous, but her thoughtful frown was enough to show she would be wary.
“Stay away from Salsola and Anathema,” the coywolf stated, mostly to commit the warning to memory. “A vicious pack with slaves… Salsola must keep itself well guarded, if the other packs haven’t already turned on them.” She shook her head. “Though some groups just want to keep to their families,” she allowed, nose wrinkling. It was still odd to see so many packs functioning and tolerant of each other’s strange cultures, but she would save her judgments for later.
Her eyes lowered, and she inclined her head with a rare gesture of respect. “Thank you for the information, Noir. Is there anything I can offer in return…?”
[/html]Tayui noticed the other wolf raise her eyes to her own, and for a second, Tayui felt the fur on the back of her neck stand on end preparing herself for a confrontation. However, the girl’s glance wasn’t one of challenge: she looked too inquisitive and searching for that, so Tayui tried to relax. Tayui smirked as the girl parroted her words back to her, responding with an intelligent gleam in her eyes. Yes, very good: stay away from the big bad monsters. If she could do anything, it would be to destroy Salsola’s hopes of establishing a good reputation for themselves. Their secrets would be thrown to the wind so that all might know how much of a travesty of a pack they were.
“Hmm,” Tayui replied thoughtfully. She considered Vesper’s suggestion that Salsola was well-guarded. Since she’d been there, she didn’t recall seeing an active police force in the sense Vesper thought. “I’m not so sure. I think they rely on their distance and secrecy to hide themselves away. They weren’t as big as Anathema; though, Inferni has never been very big but it’s always been vicious. Their reputation precedes them, I suppose. But coyotes don’t do well in big groups like wolves do; it’s just not in their nature. Whatever the reasons, I don’t remember Salsola as ever being very big.”
With that said, she grinned wickedly when the girl asked if she could offer anything in return. Yes, she would gain something from this. She replied: “information. Like I said earlier, I try to keep out of trouble, so knowing who’s who really helps. If you find out anything interesting, let me know if we meet again. I’ll be around these parts for a few more days. You already know my scent, so you might find me later.” She did hope she'd find Vesper again; the girl wasn't arrogant or domineering and seemed to have her wits about her. Like Tayui, she'd be smarter to be in a pack, but Tayui couldn't fault her for being in the same position she was in. [html]
I said, I cannot follow the river
of her myth; but I can
follow her sweet desert song
like a stream through the fiery hills.
Word Count → 310 :: I think this is done? :3 You could post once more if you wanted, or we can archive it. ^^
The white-furred woman explained that Salsola simply kept themselves distant and secret, and Vesper nodded slightly, though there was the slightest furrowing of her brow. Then did Noir have this information because she had been part of the pack? She quickly pushed aside the suspicion, knowing that even if she had been a member at one time, no loyal member would be spilling secrets like this. Noir was likely genuine in warning Vesper about these wolves, and it was better to skirt around an imaginary threat than walk right into a real one.
The word choice Noir used did allude to her being with the pack, but Vesper only nodded again at what she said. If distance and secrecy were the only barriers, it would take only information to turn others against them. “I’ll warn others,” the coywolf stated, not sure that she cared about enough others at this point to go out of her way to do so. However, she wouldn’t let some innocent wolf become enslaved and would help if she could. “I won’t tell them where I heard it.” Her teeth flashed in a thin line, almost teasing, almost insolent, but hopefully the fact that she was respecting Noir’s potential wishes to be hidden away from the packs she was badmouthing would be enough to keep this woman’s good opinion. Her ears lowered on cue from her wolf blood.
A wicked grin flashed in response to Vesper’s question, and her ears stood to attention as Noir explained she would have information in return. She added that Ves could find her by scent, and the hybrid nodded. When she wasn’t focused on surviving, she’d come find her. “Hopefully I’ll have grown wiser before I find you,” Vesper said with good humor. “Though I’ve already grown wiser since meeting you. Thanks for the information.” Her tail as in salute.
[/html] Tayui nodded once when the girl said she'd warn others. Good. There was still some hope yet for this world. Hearing this, Tayui thought that Vesper had some sort of sense of good and wrong to want to help others she didn't even know. This put Tayui a bit at ease, so when the girl said she wouldn't reveal the source of her information -- and flashed her a sly grin -- Tayui found herself smirking in response. When Vesper mentioned growing wiser, Tayui found herself raising her brow a bit in surprise. Why ever would she need to do that? Perhaps if she assumed with age, one acquired wisdom, then linearly-speaking, she would logically acquire more wisdom, but that wasn't saying much. Tayui just shrugged, figuring by wisdom Vesper had meant information. To Tayui, they were two wholly different things, but she could see how one might find them synonymous.
"You're welcome. I'll see you again," she replied evenly. With that, she turned to head off. [html]
