grasped so delicate by one's eye

Tayui Aston · 05-13-2012, 08:59 AM

Location: foot of Halcyon Mountain, a few kilometres west of Anathema
Time: late afternoon
Form: lupus

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[/html]They needed a home. Tayui was completely certain of this fact; so much so that she knew it rang deep in her bones. It wasn’t just a home for Tayui and Anu alone, either: Anu’s son, Oak, was one of the displaced members now in need of a home. Tayui didn’t know if he would cling to his mother like Claudius had, or, if like her son too, he would strike out on his own path. Either way, she knew that she and Anu needed somewhere and if she could help it, maybe she could find the right pack for Oak too, regardless of whether it was with them. She just wanted to help.

She’d set out to find her own path. She passed many known packs along the way: Cour des Miracles, where Anu’s other son lived; Cercatori d’Arte, a pack that was relatively new, but still somewhat unknown to Tayui; Casa di Cavalieri, where she had recovered from her wounds under Jazper and Regner’s care; Anathema, her old home and one to which she did not think she could return; and Inferni, the clan she could not join, but would—if she could. As she ventured farther north, skirting along the borders of The Dampwoods and Halcyon Mountain, she noticed that she scent of another pack had faded. Before, she’d caught traces of the scent around these parts: the scent of Ichika no Ho-en. She wondered if another pack had fallen.

That was certainly disappointing. There were no more that she knew of aside from Salsola, and she could never venture any farther west than here lest she be discovered. If Eris found her, Tayui suspected that she would kill her. Letting that disgusting pet cat eat Eris’ child hadn’t been enough: now she had gone and personally attacked the leader. Tayui knew there was a certain point when she could not go back.

She tried not to let this weigh too heavily on her mind. She knew her cause had been just, but her methods had been questionable at best. She had tasted her vengeance and was sated; but now she paid the price. She sighed when she realized she had been pacing back and forth in a loop, letting her anxieties take physical form. As always, for long journeys such as these, she was comfortable in her lupus form. But now, it seemed as though she would never shake this feeling of anxiety.[html]

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Jaden Ohanzee · 05-13-2012, 06:22 PM

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Words – 300+

Traveling wasn’t kind on the wounded male. His trot was only as fast as he dared for if his breath labored to roughly the cracked ribs under his thick Secui fur would protest painfully. They were in fact a lingering re-fracture of his wounds suffered during his fight against Salsola. He hadn’t been clear on Tayui’s vengeful reasoning, thinking instead that they had gone to free slaves. It mattered little though. Salsola deserved to be wiped away like the dirt they all were in his eyes. They were only a blight upon the land.

His constant discomfort wasn’t all that bothered him though. His soul reason for being this far from his new packland, an unmarked and unexplored land that needed to be discovered, was to locate an item for his dear friend. It wasn’t the chore either that had him off kilter. He would run to the ends of the world if his friend had a semi-good reason. It was the item; a gift from her mate. A man Jaden had watched leave the land twice, one during Ichika’s transition when it was in need of strong members the most and now again after he had returned and taken hold of his beloved friend’s heart. Why, after finding their new home and settling for a new future, did she want the gift of a cowardly deserter which could do nothing but incur painful memories from the past? He didn’t understand but it bothered him more than he let on. He wouldn’t show it either. If she wanted to cling to the past and a man such as that, he had no place to ask her to act otherwise…

So this was his position while trying to find the easiest place to cross the Halcyon and into the former lands of Ichika no-Hoen. He was simmering quietly, his dominant body language pulled into a tighter and less expressive form to unconsciously show this. It bettered slightly upon notice a scent on the breeze. A comrade he recognized easily. Only a little bit of a detour from his planned travels lead him to a pacing. The obsidian wolf approached to a respectful distance.Comrade, He greeted her warmly, how go your travels?

Jaden does. Jaden speaks. Jaden thinks.

Tayui Aston · 05-22-2012, 12:23 PM

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[/html]Tayui certainly had not expected to see another face in these parts: not when she was so close to Anathema and Inferni’s borders; and she certainly had not expected to see a familiar face, either. She had met her fair share of new luperci (such as that bothersome wolf by the beach), but she was always pleasantly surprised to run into a friend from the past. She never had been sure from whence Jaden hailed; he had been aggressive and moody at first, but had simmered down into a somewhat respectable wolf. Her memories of him were coloured by their first interaction, which left little room for questioning; and their later encounters were dominated by their determination. Certainly, they had gotten off to a rocky start, but they’d mended that fence fairly quickly.

“Comrade--Jaden,” she replied. Warmth coated her voice like honey. Hearing her own voice pulled her from her musings and made her realize that he was really here. “Well enough,” she said in response to his question. “And where are you now? How did you fare after the attack? You look well,” she began, but paused as she took stock of his limp, “or, alive at least, which is a relief.” [html]

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Jaden Ohanzee · 05-29-2012, 05:04 PM

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It was true. Tayui and Jaden hadn’t gotten off on a necessarily warm foot. He remembered the day at that decaying human building well. Then again at the boarders of Salsola where she had chosen two coyotes as leaders over his own able bodied hide. This had been, in his eyes at the time, poor judgment. But he had been with the better of two useless bodies and though he still thought things would have run more smoothly if he had lead the assault, they were all alive. This was as far as he knew though. The only face he had meet from that endeavor was Terra and he had seen her escape. That was no surprise.

He could ask now. This wouldn’t determine how he viewed the woman, he let go of past soreness in favor of seeing her as the hero her actions portrayed. I won’t lie, it was tuff for a little while after the attack. I still have a lingering injury but it is nothing to worry over. But I have recently seen to claiming myself a fine piece of land to the west of here with a close friend of mine. We are starting a pack. The pride radiated from him in droves and acknowledging his own accomplishments distracted him momentatrily from the question he had planned on posing .

Jaden does. Jaden speaks. Jaden thinks.

Tayui Aston · 06-09-2012, 09:04 AM

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[/html]Tayui felt bad that injury had followed him from the battlefields. Although her own injuries had taken her down the waterway and likely nearly killed her, as the tides varied to an awe-inspiring degree, she had been allowed to eventually take her leave and return to consciousness with her body mostly in tact. The fact of the matter was that neither she nor Eris were accomplished fighters. She suspected that she had more skill than the venomous black wolf, but even then, Eris had bested her. It wounded her pride greatly. But her injuries lingered only in a superficial sense, and for this she was grateful. Thus, she not only felt guilty, but some form of survivor’s guilt knowing that Jaden, truly a warrior like Drizzt, had suffered because of her crusade.

When Jaden noted that he was claiming land for a new pack, she smiled almost imperceptivity. She was not one to express emotions without great cause, so although she was glad for him, her reaction likely seemed quite muted. Indeed, it was.

“I’m glad to hear you’ve found a new peace. It’s important to move on, even if—especially because—we did not succeed. I can only wish them the worst and you the best. If I were younger, perhaps I would continue, but I know a lost cause when I see one. They are strong and we were virtuous, filled with a sense of duty and morality, but that’s not enough to win a war. Creating a new home—and doing what we can if we ever can for the slaves—will have to suffice.” She still felt bad about that, too: Vesper’s intrusion in the pack led her to see the murder of a slave. Even though it had started as a personal attack and vengeance against Eris, somewhere along the line, she’d started to believe in her own lies. [html]

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Jaden Ohanzee · 06-13-2012, 09:19 PM

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Words – 200+

The question that went unasked ended up being answered anyway. Jaden had told himself repeatedly that he would not feel at loss if he learned that their crusade was a bust. That they had attacked a coyote dominant group as evil as Salsola sat perfectly with him. But he had always assumed the opposite. What was their endeavor if not a successful liberation? It was a useless shedding of blood. Disappointment showed on his strong features as his blue eyes fell and meandered across the forests floor in thought. Indeed, he agreed with her but it was a breath of defeat, the first and hopefully last he would utter about the raid.

His eyes did brighten again when he let it go as he had before. What was past was past. He gazed at the older woman with a respectful smile. As a leader, I can forbid such atrocities within my boarders and, I can also extend you my favor for organizing such a valiant effort against Salsola. Should you ever need a place to rest or a safe home, you will be welcome in Sangilak. His previous sour mood was nipping at his heels, threatening to return with a vengeance but it didn’t show in his voice. Nothing but sincerity and honesty spilled forth on the deep notes.

Jaden does. Jaden speaks. Jaden thinks.

Tayui Aston · 06-14-2012, 01:07 PM

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[/html]Jaden seemed quite sad to hear of the news of the raid. She could only assume that it had failed, since there was no evidence to the contrary. Vesper had quoted her encounter as being worse than failure and Tayui had been lost in the Bay of Fundy. When she returned, Salsola was still there and she had to spend days recovering from her wounds. She had fared better than Jaden, which struck her as a sort of cruel irony. He was the warrior and she was not. Why had he been the one to sustain worse injuries? Even Eris’ flailing ineptitude did some damage, but apparently it wasn’t enough to give her a lasting wound.

“Good,” she replied, glad to hear that he would not permit such disgusting actions. She felt a twinge of guilt knowing that she had once been a member of Salsola: a truly godless place, as the humans might say. “Thank you,” she added. “That’s very kind of you. I’m afraid I have nothing to offer in return, though. I don’t lead a pack anymore and I own few things. You’ll have to make do with my heartfelt thanks,” she added. She was quite certain that she might have even grinned. [html]

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Jaden Ohanzee · 06-23-2012, 07:39 PM

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Sorry about the wait. My muze is on the fritz Sad

Words – 200+

He needed to go. With every moment he stayed and spoke with Tayui he could feel his sour mood manipulating him. Even though they shared pleasant talk, aggravating thoughts were stuffed into every subject he could think of. How was it that she had escaped their failed battle so unscathed? And she would just call Salsola a “lost cause”? That was cowardly. He would continue to reject Salsola as a leader. And why where her eyes different shades? More natural coloring might have been easier to accept but blue and red? Really? With that thought he realized he was now looking for reasons to get angry and took a breath to calm himself. It didn’t show on him and that was good. This woman didn’t deserve his anger.

He did manage a smile with her words though. She had nothing and offered just her thanks but that was more than he had expected. He had fought with her because he believed in her cause. But he still appreciated her gratitude. Your very welcome. Glad to have been a part of it. He tipped his muzzle respectfully. And it was nice to see you again, but I’m afraid I must be going. There is still much travel I need to complete today. But You know where you can find me if there is ever a need right? He was trying to get away before he grew annoyed with something trifle but his words were genuine. The male waited for an answerer instead of turning to immediately leave.

Jaden does. Jaden speaks. Jaden thinks.

Tayui Aston · 06-29-2012, 07:26 PM

That's cool! Wanna end it here? (Also, laughing at Jaden getting riled up about her eye colours. XD )
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[/html]There was an awkward pause between them, and for a moment, Tayui wasn’t sure if Jaden was going to say anything in response. She felt bad that she had nothing to offer him, and for a moment, she was worried that he would throw it back in her face. They hadn’t started out on the best of terms, and although they’d come to accept one another’s presence, she didn’t think that meant that he had to like her. So she was preparing for the worst, but when he did speak up, it sounded as though she was worrying for nothing. He had such a good poker face that she had trouble figuring out what exactly he was thinking, so hearing his response was a welcome thing.

“I’m glad,” she replied. She was glad, mostly, that he didn’t resent her for it. She had been wracked with guilt when she caught up to Vesper and although she had made peace with herself and what she had done, she still had fleeting moments of guilt.

“Yes, I know where to find you. Leading a pack is not an easy task, so I will let you go. I’m sure your members will be glad to see you again,” she replied with an easy smile. This—this chit-chat about leadership—was something that she could relate to. So, she didn’t mind that he had to leave since she understood the desire to return to one’s home. [html]

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