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Post by Ceuseri on Aug 11, 2006 7:34:48 GMT -5
And a battered angel she was.
Standing alone in the valley, the sound of crystal water over a hundred eroded rocks, Faya stands, gazing into it as though mezmerised, which wasn't far from truth, for the blue waters reflecting the flawless blue sky reminded her of Traska's eyes.
She reached a paw down and touched her own reflection, a beautiful red wolf gazing at her from the water, and it broke, sending it's shards in every direction as rippled allowed it to fiz, only to shatter it once again.
Her amber eyes shone as she looked up again, the blood on her maw blending with her rusty pelt, the only signs of her previous meal except for the remains which she had buried a while back. Now, she stepped through the stream, the icy water biting her skin as though a thousand tiny wolves were attacking her ankles.
She stepped out at the other bank, looking down at the liquid, wondering about all that was hidden in there that she would never see nor understand. In the silence of passionate beauty, Faya failed to realise that whatever was in there was gazing up at her and wondering exactly the same thing.
She looked up and sighed at the exact same moment as the wind around her, a delicate sound that made her suddenly feel in tune with the world and not so alone, for she had not settled with a pack ever since...
Her mind went black and her expression closed.
She had rid herself of the past and would not allow it to return to haunt her, as she had seen many wolves driven to insanity by their pasts. But she couldn't help but miss Traska, Haze and Smoke. She remembered the night when Smoke finished his howling for Haze and accepted the pack's offers to care for him.
She had wandered to Haze's stiffened body, crying silently, and paid her own tribute to the wolf she had imagined Traska pairing up with, pressing a paw against his forehead and willing that, wherever his soul had gone, he would feel the pressure of her paw and he would be grateful.
She then turned her back and neer allowed her eyes to graze the body again.
Now she stood, a proud wolf for she had a good life, hunting, fighting, travelling ... and searching, though that was hidden beneath her daily requirements, never to be obvious, always subtle in the way she scanned the horizon, scented the ground, howled every night for hours on end, calling for him...
The only living wolf she would ever spare a piece of her heart to.
She trotted to the edge of the forest and looked up at the mountains flanking her all around, and she felt safe in their autumnal embrace. She felt like they were watching her, guarding her, protecting her and everything else dwelling in the valley of love, where roses clung to the trees and shed their petals to die among the already rotting leaves.
She lay down and lazily licked the blood from her paws, closing her eyes, enjoying the sound of her tongue rasping over her claws, which clinked together gently, as though she was bathing power and nature itself, cradling it in her mouth.
Her ears waggled, as has been her habit since she was very small, a habit she doubted she would ever shake. She curled her tail around her for warmth, for the lack of cloud cover made the air bitterly cold, and she lay her head between her paws, giving in to a peaceful sleep.
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Post by Magick on Aug 11, 2006 8:02:36 GMT -5
If I could hear your heart beat...
Why was /he/ here? He- a cold, malicious wolf. He- a wolf with a past most would tremble with pity for. He- Smoke, a three year old wolf with the weight of the world 'pon his shoulders. A sigh fell from his mouth, his dark paws carrying him forth, down the slope of the hill, tail flicking to keep his balance in check.
Just one more time...
But, 'twas not just his personality had changed. Although this cold, hateful wolf had once been naught but a playful, youthful pup, with dreams of the future, with hopes, with passions. But all that had been torn from him 'pon the death of his father- the one being in his life he could still trust. Although he did, in time, learn to trust his young friend, Faya, her foster mother, and the other wolf in the pack still alive, Massacre, the feelings he had for them didn't even compare to those he had for his dad.
Death might come easier.
He could still remember, as clearly as if it had happened just yesterday, coming across his father's limp body. He had rushed to the bank, leapt over the stream, and fallen to his father's side, only to hear his father utter his last word- the male wolf's name. Smoke. Haze had taken his final breath after speaking his son's name, and had rested his great head 'pon his paws, eyes sliding shut as though he was just dropping off to sleep. But if this was a sleep, then 'twas but an eternal sleep, one which no one could ever awaken Haze from.
If I could see your smile...
The black wolf known as Smoke let out a scream of despair, flinging himself 'pon the ground, howl after howl pouring from his mouth, his light-grey muzzle shaking from side to side, tears falling down his face, as he thought of the memory, over and over again. The blood-red star upon his left flank glimmered, as though the pain inside his chest was making his strange markings all the more apparant- markings which had appeared in the past three months, around the time that his light-grey fur had turned black, and his cream muzzle and paws had turned light-grey. The other marking he'd gained was 'pon his chest, above his heart- a droplet of blood.
I might just do the same...
Black eyes glittering, with an empty hatred, he rose from his crumpled position on the ground, lifting his muzzle skywards to release a long, powerful howl. The air around him quaked with fear at the hatred, the intensity, in his howl. That was when his raised muzzle caught a scent- a scent he had not had the pleasure of smelling for three full moons. Eyes widening, he sprung forth, lithe body winding around the trees, rushing through the undergrowth, towards one of the wolves he knew he could still trust, no matter what.
"Faya!"
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Post by Ceuseri on Aug 11, 2006 8:12:10 GMT -5
Faya twitched in her sleep.
In her dream, there was a wolf with no face, screaming in agony, howling, crying, twitching in pain as it rolled across the floor, and, dream-heavy, all she culd do was watch in horror, unable to speak or run.
Little did she know that she was hearing the faint, distant grief of a long lost friend, and that her dreams were turning it into a nightmare, for it brought back memories of the night she had lain and listened to his mounring howls, waiting for his father to wake up.
Smoke.
Then, a howl broke through her nightmare, and she nearly woke up, half coming out of her dreams, at the stage where you are conscious once again, but so sleep-weighted that to twitch one paw felt impossible.
And then, when the sound of the voice she had been looking for for all this time broke into her mind, she thought she was still sleeping, and told her memories to stop teasing her, for it was merciless and cruel.
But as her eyes opened a crack and the blurred sunlight brought her back to earth, she saw him, bounding towards her, yelling her name.
Faya's eyes widened in pure shock and she leapt to her feet with a cry, taking a couple of steps backwards.
This was so sudden she couldn't believe it was happening. One moment she was thinking about how she would spend the rest of her life searching and travelling, next moment the wolf she was dreaming of finding was hurtling towards her.
But his voice was attached to a wolf Faya no longer recognised.
The markings, the dark fur, it was all wrong. Where was the cream, the soft, fluffy fair fur she had seen when they rolled over and over in play, batting eachother with little paws.
Faya drew back her lips and snarled in confusion, for it hurt to see a stranger so simular to Smoke coming towards her now, somehow aware of her name, though her name had spread through the lone wolves quite quickly because of her story.
And then, she wished life would stop playing such merciless tricks on her, and she regretted ever opening her eyes from the sleep she had just left.
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Post by Magick on Aug 11, 2006 8:27:56 GMT -5
When Faya, his loved playmate, drew herself back away from him, her lips rising to show her glistening canines, a snarl exploding into life from her lips, Smoke slowed suddenly in his tracks, his tail twitching in confusion, his black eyes searching her expression for any sign of recognision.
He found none.
He wondered if this truly was Faya, his Faya. For he had not known her to have become such a beautiful adult- but then, he had not turned his gaze onto any of his pack members since that night, and he caught himself now realising that he had thought Faya would look the same.
This wasn't Faya- it might smell like her, and look like a grown-up version of her might look possibly, but there was no way this snarling, furious female was his Faya.
Fury and sadness clawed at him from the inside, shredding his last ounce of hope. A snarl lifted his lips, his jaws parting briefly, only to be snapped shut again, saliva flung to the ground with the movement. His tail increased in it's thickness, sweeping the ground in wide, agitated motions. His hackles bunched together, rising so much that they looked like an entity seperate from him. Black, hate-filled eyes 'pon the female, he gave another snarl, glittering canines exposed to all and sundry.
"Who are you?"
His voice was much the same as it had been three months ago- possibly the only thing to have not changed. Once-soft eyes now glared at Faya with such loathing, that it seemed impossible that this wolf had ever been a soft, playful pup. Black fur shone in the patches of sunlight which pierced through the trees overhead, and the light grey natural markings, though they had once been cream, seemed to spread to intertwine with the markings that had appeared 'pon his body- the blood-red markings upon his flank and chest.
"You aren't who I'm looking for."
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Post by Ceuseri on Aug 11, 2006 8:37:16 GMT -5
As Faya looked into those eyes brimming with sucb hate, she knew this could not be Smoke. For the eyes she had looked into were the eyes of the cub pinning her down before she could run into the fight, filled with concern and anxiety, and reason. These had none of that.
Faya turned tail to run, but stopp, her body half turned so her side was facing Smoke, a side littered with a few scars that life had blessed her with as she travelled, inevitable wounds long since healed over.
But a couple of them were from that night. Like her scruff. It was still a lump of mangled tissue from where she had been picked up so roughly. And she wouldn't goi near deep water. Not since she had almost been drowned there.
When he spoke, and that voice came, she turned back round again and sat down with a thump, confusion taking over, tilting her head comically. Smoke HAD to recognise that. She'd done that since she was a cub aswell.
"But I think you're the one I've been searching for."
Her voice had changed slightly. Experience of the real world with no Traska to protect her had roughened it's edges, but it was still soft with a touch of playfulness in there, for Faya had never really left cub-hood, and often played with the feet of rabbits she brought down.
"Smoke?"
The name came as a whisper, as Faya was trembling too much for her to speak properly.
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Post by Ceuseri on Aug 11, 2006 8:38:31 GMT -5
OoC : // Tis short .. again. Off day. X.X
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Post by Magick on Aug 11, 2006 8:56:04 GMT -5
As the female wolf before him turned, to run, he gave a low growl, fury building inside of him, until she flopped down into a seated position, head tilting to one side. Instantly, he felt his anger drain out of him, and he released his war-ready position, ears pinning back against his skull as the silky, though still slightly childish, voice of Faya, his Faya, rang out from this female's lips. At the utter of his name, his tail flicked between his legs, body suddenly looking limp, black eyes paling as he looked to Faya.
"H-how-"
He couldn't speak all the words he wished to, for his throat seemed to have constricted, and his voice seemed to not be working anymore- the sudden appearance of Faya, and he knew now that if this was not Faya, then he was not Smoke.
As much as it killed him to admit it, he hadn't felt any less like himself in a long time- even though his true self had been ripped away on the night of his father's death. Slowly, the tip of his tail began to quake, followed by his entire tail, and he leapt forwards, covering the distance with just a few words falling from his mouth at the same time-
"Yes, Faya! Its me!"
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Post by Ceuseri on Aug 11, 2006 9:02:26 GMT -5
Faya watched him closely, and he suddenly ran forwards with the words she had been longing to hear. She gave a yip of sheer delight and bounded forwards aswell, meeting him half way, rearing onto her hind legs and coming down on his neck, grabbing his scruff and shaking it gently, laughing all the time.
As she moved, she was playful, but she also had a slender delicacy to her, and she braced herself as though hunting, her muscles rippling beneath her pelt.
Her eyes flashed with a familiar stubborn defiance, and Faya felt all her sorrows of the past lift away from her, like a veil falling from her mind, and she'd never felt freer in her life.
"Smoke, where have you BEEN!" She cried, grabbing his ear and batting his muzzle gently, tail wagging furiously, jiggling her entire body as it did so.
Suddenly she drew back. She had to tell him first. She couldn't keep him wondering, she'd never do that to him.
She stepped backwards so she could see him better and her eyes shone sadly.
"Smoke? Smoke, I better tell you now and get it done with ... I ... well ... Smoke, Traska died. It was cancer. Just after you left."
She said the words quietly, waiting for them to sink in, for she knew it might be hard for Smoke as it was hard for her to hear when Traska told her of cancer and what it could do.
"I'm sorry, Smoke." She whispered, coming forwards again, but slowly, so she could nuzzle and comfort him if he needed it.
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Post by Magick on Aug 11, 2006 10:53:47 GMT -5
It wasn't just Faya who'd seemingly been returned to her puphood- Smoke was batting at her muzzle in an equally playful way, yips of joy floating free of all restraints, tail waving delightedly at his rear.
"Neither here, nor there, but everywhere."
Came his cryptic reply- for a quality that he had inherited from his mother, one which still burned brightly inside him like a candle-flame, was mystery; he knew how to be mysterious, definitely so.
When Faya drew back, her expression suddenly turning somber, her eyes gleaming with sadness. He listened to all she said with ears that didn't quite pick up the words, ears that didn't quite understand what he was hearing.
When it finally sunk in, a strangled-sounding yelp crept up his throat, echoing out across the clearing. His black eyes swam with tears, with sadness so real it was almost tangible.
"Tr-Traska....she's....dead?"
Another strangled yelp emerged from his throat, before he flopped down onto the ground, whimpers and whines falling free of his mouth, muffled by the paws which covered his face. Tears trickled down his muzzle, then down onto the ground, creating small damp patches on the earth.
He flung back his head, muzzle parting and a powerful howl rushing from his throat. But, not a howl as such in the sense of a wordless melody- there was one word amidst his howl, one name-
"Traska!"
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Post by constance on Aug 12, 2006 3:08:55 GMT -5
*apluads* bravo!
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Post by Ceuseri on Aug 12, 2006 5:39:32 GMT -5
As Faya watched Smoke's misery, she felt anguish swim into her heart and silent tears fell from her face. For the moment, she decided not to say a word, tolet Smoke release the misery before he could bottle it up, like Faya had for so long.
And it hurt, not being able to talk to anyone about it, to share good memories with, as it left only misery which Faya could not get rid of or let go of, and she was forced to let it slowly eat her up from the heart.
But now, hearing her beloved Traska's name sung with such love and loss, Faya drew herself up tall, lifted her magnificent slender muzzle to the skies, and sent out her own song.
Her howl had not changed.
It was still full of her fiery defiance, as though daring anyone to disagree with anything she says, but still soft and caring. Now, it was not only filled with the sadness she knew Smoke was feeling too, but it was pouring out the best memories of Traska she had, of the white fur, the loving, caring strength the wolf had held, how she had taken in all who needed her help and how she had protected Faya with such a fierce passion for the cub.
And how she had put every ounce of energy into fulfilling her promise to Haze, her last favour, for Traska had later admitted that she had felt the stirrings of love for the brave wolf who died that night.
Thinking about that, Faya wondered whether to tell Smoke or not, and decided she had better not, for she had long since guessed that the malice she had first seen in this new Smoke, and the change of feature, was grief for his father, and Faya was not one to add fuel to the fire.
When she lowered her muzzle again she lay down beside Smoke and nuzzled him gently, as though waking him from a sleep.
"Smoke, I give you my word she was happy when she died. And you know the last thing she did? She lifted her maw and she howled out the names of all the wolves she loved. There was me, you, Massacre and..."
She stopped.
She knew that Smoke would figure out exactly who the last name was, but she needed to wait and see if grief was still playing in him before she decided it safe to mention Haze's name. Her eyes suddenly fixed on Smoke, watching for a reaction, determined not to miss a single thing, whether it be expression in the eyes or how he held his body.
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Post by Magick on Aug 12, 2006 5:53:53 GMT -5
Faya's howl accompanying his own only made tears fall faster, harder, to the ground, slipping down his muzzle and softening the earth beneath the pitiful lump of fur which was his body. Grief coursed through him, sobs wracked his body, howls and whimpers escaped from his throat, flying out into the sky, spiralling up, and away, from the pair.
He heard the sigh of the earth as Faya lay down beside him, her muzzle touching him so softly, that it was like she was trying to stir him, trying to wake him from a nightmare. But, if this was a nightmare, it was a real one- no dream, nor nightmare, could ever be this vivid, and could ever stir up such sorrow in him.
Faya's soft voice sounded beside him and, as though he truly was in a nightmare, she sounded distant, and far away- the words hard to make out due to the sobbing he was indulging in, and the sounds of the world around them. His ears flicked back when she stopped, his mind focusing on the words she had spoken and, at length, he realised what she had stopped herself from saying- his father's name.
Had Faya been any other wolf, Smoke would have murdered her on the spot for not saying his dad's name, though he knew why she, of all wolves, didn't say it- she didn't know how Smoke would react. On the outside, nothing happened except a slight tensing across his back and shoulders, but on the inside, his emotions seemed to become real, living forces, attacking one another inside of him- grief, fury, loss, sorrow.
A few moments later, his tensed back and shoulders relaxed- this was Faya, for crying out loud; he wasn't going to abandon her. Since she had not mentioned Massacre much, Smoke guessed that the male had left the pack after he himself had- which meant that all they both had was each other.
Slowly, the black and grey wolf turned his head towards his beloved, his tongue escaping his mouth, flicking gently across her muzzle, black eyes swimming with grief.
"Y-you can say his name, Faya, I need to get through this all."
Broken-hearted, as was clear to see, Smoke shifted slightly closer to the female, pitiful whines flying up to the sky. His tongue emerged again, sliding across her muzzle, before the tip of his nose came into contact with her, more whines emerging from his throat, falling to the ground to be buried amongst the tears.
"We need to get through it, together..."
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Post by Ceuseri on Aug 12, 2006 6:13:37 GMT -5
Faya watched his every move, the tensing, closely followed by relaxing, and as she listened to his voice, she knew that she would not rest until she had helped bring him from the sea of sorrows he was slowly drowning in.
At his last words, she felt her heart swell with pride, both for what he had been through, and that they had actually found eachother.
She felt her thoughts flutter, her emotions waver, as Smoke began to lick her, and he pressed his nose into her fur. She hesitated for a moment, not knowing what to do or think, but suddenly, it really hit her, and it struck her like a stone.
They were together again!
She gave a whine that was nothing short of joy, and she nuzzled him under his chin, comforting him, growling quietly as though she was warding his sadness away.
"When you left, Massacre did aswell. He wanted to find a life of his own, and I'm sure he's alive and well." Faya unconsciously comfrimed Smoke's thoughts. "And the rest of the pack disbanded when Traska died. We didn't think that the pack could go on without her. And I came to find you. I've travelled to places I never even knew existed, Smoke, once I reached the peak of a mountain and it was just cracking dawn. It was beautiful, Smoke, you've never seen anything so lovely.
And when I came down again, I knew that my heart really lived in these sorts of things, the true beauty of the world, and I promised myself to always appreciate it, no matter what.
But it's hard not to hate life sometimes when you're on your own. At some points, I thought being a lone wolf would drive me mad. I wanted someone there with me, to comfort me when I was down or to share my happiness when I found some.
So I managed to keep my mind ... well ... from decaying simply by thinking of you and that I would find you and my dream would be real again."
Faya actually laughed while she said her next words.
"For some reason, Smoke, I always imagined me finding you as a cub again. I knew I'd grown up, but couldn't even begin to picture you as an adult male."
She looked him up and down.
"You've changed a lot, Smoke, life hasn't treated you well. But you're Smoke, still. The Smoke I once knew ... aren't you?"
There was just a hint of doubt at her last question, but all the way through her little speech, for she had been talking as she tried to cheer her friend up, was soft and tender. Her gaze was aswell, and it was triumphant. Her mission was completed, and her prize was one that could not be beat.
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Post by Magick on Aug 12, 2006 6:44:33 GMT -5
The joy that Faya was feeling and had long since ignited in Smoke's chest, and, when she showed the signs he had wanted to, he couldn't help but look down at his chest, in time to see the marking 'pon it slowly fade away into the same colour that he had once been there- light grey. His muzzle flicked towards his flank, where the marking there, too, faded into light grey. His muzzle began to lighten a little, then gain colour, changing from light grey to the cream it had once been.
He then realised, astounded, what was happening- he was turning back to how he had been before the loneliness, the hardship, the heartbreak.
And it was because of the slender, beautiful female beside him.
A few moments later, a wolf whom looked totally different to how Smoke had a little while ago, lay beside Faya, cream muzzle still nuzzling her, his tongue still flicking out across her face, her muzzle. His body, now a light grey instead of black, shifted closer to her, cream paws twitching slightly. Though, his eyes hadn't changed- still, they were a deep, cold black.
He continued to nuzzle her, though this time with a sense of urgency, his tongue floating across her face, her neck. He whined softly, listening to all that she said, his tongue still travelling across her muzzle, cheeks, and neck, his own muzzle pressing softly against whatever fur he found of his beloved.
A strange fluttering in his chest, quite alien to him, made him pause in his actions, cream ears flicking back momentarily in confusion. It was then that Faya said her final words, and he smiled, for the first time since his father's death, licking her muzzle before replying-
"Seasons change, so do us wolves, but my feelings for you are as clear as ever. And I know, Faya, now what the feelings are. I might have changed on the inside as well as on the outside, but I'm still Smoke. I'm still the wolf that... that loves you."
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Post by Ceuseri on Aug 12, 2006 7:01:51 GMT -5
Faya enjoyed the feeling of Smoke's tongue rasping over her fur and her face, and she closed her eyes, tail wagging, licking him in return every moment he gave a gap in his own gestures. As he inched closer to her, she was able to feel his warmth on her own body, and she pressd herself against him to share her own, as it was a bitterly cold autumn day, despite the beauty of the silky, blue sky.
Faya felt a strange peace flow through her, and she wanted to say so, to describe it, the same flickers flashing through her own chest, but she could not find words that would do the feeling justice, and so let the silence talk for her, a thing rare for the she-wolf.
It's honestly strange to be typing Faya's appearance since she was a cub, as she has changed so very much, though not so much in feature. She still has the strength and sturdiness of when she was small, but now it has a slim beauty to it aswell. She was an adult now, and a lovely one at that, her legs long and slender, though her thighs strong and ready to spring all the time.
Her muzzle had lengthened also, though not too much. Her eyes were the same, amber, and her ears, cocked forward, quivering in her eagerness to catch every sound there was to hear. She was not a thin wolf, but she was slim enough for her to look like she could weave between sand like water, enough to look elegant and delicate, though her tail held high meant that she wasn't all that delicate at all, but that she'd rip out a wolf's throat if they threatened her.
She was scarred here and there, but for a lone wolf that was inevitable, and merely meant that she had been through some scratchy times and her strength of heart and mind had pulled her through.
Looking at Smoke now, it didn't matter. They'd found eachother and, for a long while to come, Faya was going to hold her head high with happiness, and the ruff of fur around her neck would only make her look all the prouder and all the more delighted to have love back in her life.
For though she had not yet plucked up the courage to tell him, Faya had always loved him, though she had hidden it, only pausing to marvel at it when she was allowed to look into his eyes.
Her own eyes widened and she leapt to her feet in the shock of what was happening.
His fur was changing, the blood red markings that had deceived Faya at first into thinking he was hurt were fading, and his fur was growing lighter, the beautiful cream colour returning.
Faya tilted her head again, wondering why it was all happening.
But Smoke's words made her heart stop, and realisation flared in her eyes. He loved her? All this time she had kept herself silent, wondering what his reaction would be...
All the time after he had left, hating herself for never letting him kmow and sure now she would never get the chance. And he loved her! He had beaten her to it, but she had never felt lighter of mind.
Lowering her head so that it was close to his ear, she lay down again, wondering how on earth to say it.
"I - I love you too Smoke. I think I always have... I just..."
She trailed off lamely and finished it by flahing him a smile, teeth glittering along with her eyes, sighing with pleasure. Oh yes, they were together again, and this time, Faya was sure it was forever.
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