Brave new world [OPEN]

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    Hot sun, warm sand, and the crashing sound of the sea. Yes, it was most clear that Summer was in full swing. The heat of the day bore down upon the light beach like fire, and the muggy air held the the bite of salt. Pale sand stretched along the coast, dotted here and there by shrubbery and boulders. It was your typical beach. Uninhabited, sandy, hot. But for one wolf, it had to be the most beautiful beach he'd ever seen.

    Just out of reach of the clutches of the lapping waves lay a mass of red fur. Well, it couldn't really be called a mass. Maybe a small lump. That was a better description of the scrappy form that lay sprawled out in the sand. A small pool of water had formed around it, though it was quickly fading away into the sand. Upon closer inspection, this form seemed to be a canine of sorts. A fox? No, while he may have looked like one, that was far from the truth. In fact, this canine was an Ethiopian wolf. A rather soaked one at that. The thin canine's already short fur clung close to his body, darkened to a near brown by salt water. And judging by how he heaved and shivered, a fair amount of that water had gone down his throat as well.

    Minutes passed, and finally it seemed as though the small wolf had managed to clear his throat. His eyes stung and his throat burned. His body felt as though he'd been tossed off a cliff. But that was what you got after swimming for stars knew how long through the ocean when your body hadn't even finished growing yet. But the sight before him made all of that pain worth it. He'd heard of this place on the mainland. Though not one who got a chance to interact with other wolves often, as his wandering had lead him to the coast he was bound to hear the whispers. Talk of a place with plenty of prey and dozens of wolves. A place without humans, and somewhere that wolves could build a safe life. A safe life wasn't something that this particular wolf had had thus-far. He was still only eleven months in age, but his existence hadn't been all that peaceful. But now.. he might finally have a chance to change all of that. Or at least to create something new.

    That's what his adoptive mother would have wanted for him. 'Eventide,' he could recall that she'd said during one of their conversations in her last days. 'No matter what happens to me, keep pushing forward. You're a strong pup. You survived for a reason. Don't let that go to waste.' with pain in his heart he'd nodded, promising her that he would keep on living. And he had plans to do just that.

    Swimming out here on the basis of a rumor had been dangerous. For all he'd known, this island could have not existed at all. But it did. And as yellow eyes dragged across the lands before him- the towering mountains, the lush forest, and the vast plains, Eventide knew that he had made the right choice. This was a beautiful land, and if the birdsong was anything to go by it was likely full of prey. Something about it brought back memories... perhaps it was the mountains in the distance. He didn't remember all that much from his pup-hood, but he could recall that his home had been in the mountains. Maybe.. once he got enough strength he would travel that way.

    The air was still and muggy, not carrying much scent other than that of the sea. Well, to him at least. The young wolf's senses were still all clogged up from the sea. His nose and throat still stung with seawater, bringing his ability to smell down to near zero. Still, despite his inability to perceive things fully, Eventide struggled to stand.

    To say that that was difficult was an understatement however. He'd never been the most graceful pup on his paws, even on the best of days. But with his limbs feeling like the sea out of which he'd just crawled, he must have looked quite silly as he wobbled up. Like a deer taking its first steps after birth. But perhaps that was exactly how he was, in a sense. Taking his first new steps into a brave new world, completely different from anything he'd ever experienced. Full of life, hope, and new experiences. From here on, everything would be different. Eventide had left his old life behind with the mainland. And now with this island, he was beginning anew.

    Finally struggling to his paws, a soft but bright smile grew on the wolf's face as he faced ahead. "Here we go." he murmured, eyes nearly sparkling with excitement as he took his first unsteady pawstep forward. And thus, the first seeds of what was to become his new life were sown. What they would grow into he knew not. But be they good or bad, Eventide looked to the future with bright eyes and hope in his heart.

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TAGGED @eventide

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Summer was in full swing and the weather on the beach definitely showed that fact. Without a cloud in sight, the sun had full reign over the light blue sky and with that came extreme heat. There was but little wind to help cool things down and thanks to the salt water, the air was both dry and humid at the same time. It was falling tide and the white caps rolled lazily onto the shore as the parched sand lapped up the water thirstily. Little about the beach interested Xion anymore. She grew up near the coast on her father's lands on the outer edge of the water and with the majority of the beach looking the same, there was barely anything about it that impressed her. She had followed the shore from her father's lands farther inland and now, it was just another day looking at the same old things, nothing more.

For the first several years of her life, Xion was forced to survive under her father's rule. Part of that meant doing whatever he told her to and while she could handle most things he would say, there were a few things that weren't so easy. The worst thing he ever had her do was kill her own kind. The thought alone was enough to make her sick on her stomach but she knew if she showed any kind of weakness that the wolf being killed would be her and she wasn't about to let that happen. So, she swallowed those feelings and did what she knew her father would want her to do. After the first couple kills, she started learning to like the feeling of control she got when her opponents begged for mercy, which she never gave. Out of all the kills she made, there was only one fight she lost but it was still a good and even fight. Another result from all the murders she committed was her eventual lust for blood. She would often go on hunts to help sustain her thirst but she knew the only thing that would actually quench it for a while was the taste of blood from another wolf.

The black she wolf crept through the marsh, the sand and mud aiding in making her steps silent and thanks to the fact there was no wind, she was unnoticeable unless seen straight on. She kept her eyes scanning the beach in front of her and for while she didn't see anything. Eventually though she spotted what looked from a distance and judging by the size and color, a fox. However, when she got closer, she realized that it was not a fox but a small wolf. Her stomach grumbled on instinct and she bared her teeth hungrily. Hoping to make it even harder to spot her, she crouched down in the marsh's tall grass and moved slowly and purposely, never taking her eyes off the animal.

As she moved closer, she thought about how she would go about killing the animal. Seeing how it looked weak and helpless, she could probably just lunge for it. However, if it was somehow stronger than it looked, it's long legs would help it out run her and she would lose her chance to quench her thirst. She finally decided that she would play it safe and would come across as innocent at first only to get it when it least expected it.

She continued to move slowly toward it, careful not to step on a stick or anything that would make noise. If she gave herself away now, it would be difficult to play off why she was hiding and stalking. Getting closer, she could see that the wolf was a male and that it looked young. She would guess he was no younger that 10 months and no older than maybe a little over a year. The outcome looked even more in her favor because of the fact that he was so young and wouldn't be as strong as a full grown, older wolf. She hopped he had swam to the island like it looked like he had because he would be even more tired and physically weaker. She could remember hearing stories of the land that many wolves on the island came from and how the swim here was long and how many didn't survive. She could only think that he had survived the swim but how much longer would he survive on land. If she had it her way, the answer would be no more than a few hours.

Keeping a close eye on the wolf, she could see that he was starting to come around and wake up. She continued to move closer to him although she moved slower now. She didn't want him to catch sight of her out the corner of his eye but by the looks of it, all of his attention was on coming back to reality. When he finally started struggling to stand, she froze. It was then, while all of his attention was on himself, that she moved out of the marsh and onto the sane so that if spotted, she would not look suspicious.

Seeing how much of a struggle it was for him to stand made the odds look even more in her favor. If it was this hard for the pup to stand, there was no way he could run easily and he definitely wouldn't be able to easily reach top speed. Meaning that if he did run, she would more likely than not be able to keep up with him. She had to force herself not to growl or snarl as her blood lust continued to grow even stronger. The moment she made any sign of aggression, all hopes of playing innocent would be lost and she would have no choice but to go all out which wasn't how she wanted to play this time.

She couldn't help but smirk inwardly when she saw the smile that grew on the pup's face. He was so innocent, so hopeful, so happy. He was the exact opposite of Xion and she almost felt bad for what awaited him. Almost. It wasn't until he took his first steps forward the she actually walked up to him with her head and tail in a relaxed position. "Hello there," She greeted him friendly with a slight bow and a smile, "I'm Xion." As she talked to him, she was already mentally looking him over though she kept up her innocent guise.

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    First thing was first, Eventide had to get a feel for the land. You couldn't just go romping about without knowing where you were romping. Well, not that he was in a state to be doing romping of any sort. No matter how his muscles complained though, he would have to take a look around before resting for the day. Despite his excitement the male was very tired. Swimming for hours on end would do that to you. In the back of his mind he hoped that he would be able to rest before having a run in with anything dangerous. Though he'd heard of this place as a sanctuary, there wasn't a doubt in his mind that there would be predators here just like there were back at the mainland. Crocodiles, snakes... had he the energy, Eventide just might have shivered. But he didn't have that right now, so instead he just prepared himself to begin his exploring.

    He hadn't gotten too far into his thoughts however when a dark form entered his peripheral vision, followed by a voice. Just as the pup turned to look, he found the speaker before him. Well no, rather above him. For when he turned to look, his eyes were met with all legs. Looking up he found their owner to be quite a large wolf. Larger than the ones he'd met thusfar in his life at least. His life hadn't been the longest, and he hadn't met many wolves in that life, but regardless she was certainly the largest. A female with thick fur, black as the swirling water on the night which he'd set out and as the sky on a new moon. Her eyes were a brilliant red orange, and about her was an air of relaxed friendliness. Though he hadn't met enough wolves to compare, she seemed rather nice at first meeting. If intimidating due to her size and stature.

    She'd greeted him with a hello, and told him her name. Xion.. He'd never heard a name quite like that. It was interesting though, nice. Eventide smiled up at her, before bowing low in a respectful greeting. She had to be much older than him, and he'd been taught to respect his elders. After a moment he rose, nodding warmly with a sparkle in his eye. "Hello, its very nice to meet you!" he smiled, wagging his tail slightly. The first wolf he'd met since coming to the island.. And she seemed friendly enough! Things were already seeming to be going well. "My name is Eventide. I just got here on this island, but you can probably already tell by how I look." he laughed a bit, flicking his ears back towards his still soaked coat. He couldn't see himself, but the young male knew that if he looked anything like he felt he must have been quite a sight.

    Suddenly a thought came to mind. Would it be rude of him to ask? Ah, it likely would if he'd just met this wolf. Why, they'd only just exchanged pleasantries, he couldn't just ask her to show him around like that! But he could ask if she knew anything about this area. "Excuse me, but do you live around here?" He asked, tilting his head slightly. It would be nice to know someone when he first arrived here, and perhaps she could point him around and introduce him to this place. No, he wouldn't go asking that. But any small information about this land or the wolves who lived here would be nice, especially from a native. Ah, perhaps they could even become friends? That was getting a bit ahead of himself, after all he hardly knew this wolf. But he hadn't had many friends in his life. Traveling alone with his foster mother and never truly living with a pack or settling hadn't given him much of an opportunity to really meet anyone he could call a friend. But a new life brought new beginnings, and new opportunities. He would just have to wait and see, he thought with an inward smile.

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TAGGED @xion

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Xion smirked inwardly as she could see the look of surprise on the pup's face when he realized how much taller she was than he was. She had half expected him to take a step back but was glad when he didn't, she didn't need something as simple as her size scaring him off before she even had some fun. She smiled at his bow, knowing someone had raised him to be respectful. Although, she figured he would learn soon enough that she wasn't the type he shouldn't be respectful to. But, Xion could still play that personality trait to her advantage.

The fact that he was obviously relaxed around her, his tail wagging happily, eased any worries the black she wolf had of him not warming up to her. He had already gone to trust her and she had only said her name. He had a lot to learn. "The pleasure is mine," she nodded again inwardly smirking. "It's nice to meet you Eventide, and yes I can tell," she added with a light chuckle. If only he knew the thoughts going through her head, he would know he should turn tail and run but Xion wasn't about to let him know what was really going on.

She perked her ears curiously when the male went quiet. It was clear he was thinking but she wandered what about. She was about to ask when he finally spoke up and what he asked her made a whole new idea pop into her head, one she somehow had never thought of. The pup was still young, new to the island which meant he had no family and knew no one, and he was trusting. Instead of attacking him, she could gain his trust, take him under her wing, and teach him her ways. Only, instead of the way her father taught her...or forced her, she would treat him more like her father treated her brothers. He could grow to be strong and his slim form would allow him to move quickly and swiftly. She could the future playing out nicely in front of her and she growled silently at the thoughts. "I was born on the island and know my way around fairly well, I can show you around if you'd like," she knew he wouldn't turn down her offer, he was too eager, but she had to ask anyway. She didn't want to demand anything and take a chance of alerting him to any of her intentions. It would be a bit before she said anything to him, she needed to make sure he would accept to learning. Even if he said no, she could still have fun and get rid of him but she really wanted to see how powerful he could become.

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    If he hadn't known better, Eventide could have assumed that the black wolf before him had read his mind. For the next time she spoke, Xion told him that she'd been born right here on this island and that she knew the lands well. On top of that, she'd even offered to show him around. Immediately the male's ears perked, another sparkle coming to his already bright eyes. "Really, you would be willing to do that?" he questioned, excitement stirring at his heart. Eventide was glad that she'd offered. He'd planned on just asking a few questions, but being shown around would be absolutely wonderful. He hadn't met many kind wolves in his time. It wasn't for a lack of trying- he just hadn't had the luck. But it seemed that his luck was all changing now. "I'd love to take you up on that offer, if its not any trouble!" Eventide smiled serenely, his tail wagging slowly once more.

    As he did so however, he was reminded of the fierce ache that pulled at his body. Upon meeting Xion his attention had been drawn away from it momentarily, but now the pain forced itself back up to front and center. Halting his wagging, the young male resisted a grimace. It felt as though each and every hair on his coat had turned heavy as stone, and truthfully even though he was excited, Eventide really just wanted to rest. But there was no time for that now. He'd just met someone new- someone who had offered to show him around even! There was no time to be sleeping. That would come later. "I might not be in top shape right now, but I'll be able to keep up." he smiled again, despite the pain. He hoped that that wouldn't be off putting, but he felt that he needed to warn her nonetheless. 

    Looking around the beach again, Eventide found himself wondering where they would even begin. Left and right, this beach seemed to stretch on for miles. Beyond the beach was a long stretch of lush grassland, and even farther beyond that lay rippling mountains, faded pale by distance. It was odd to have such a mixture of aching and happiness within him, but even so he couldn't wait to set off. Where would they go, he wondered? Looking up at the wolf before him, ginger ears perked and he made an effort to stand up a bit straighter. Even if he was tired, he had to make a good first impression, and he would prove that he could go exploring even after swimming such a distance.

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TAGGED @xion

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Xion smiled and chuckled lightly at the surprise the young wolf had when she offered to show him around. She was honestly surprised at how much she could feel opening up to him after thinking of her newest idea. She had expected herself to feel maybe more tolerant of him if he accepted but she was actually feeling protective over him. If he was going to learn her ways then she wouldn't let anyone deceive him or try to take him away. She felt motherly in the way that she knew she would have to look over him and teach him. On one side, she hated these new feelings. They were vastly different then when she first saw him. But, on the other side, it felt good to finally have some sort of emotions close to what she shared with her mother. "Of course I don't mind, I'd be glad to," She responded with an honest nod, "And no, it's no trouble at all," she added, nuzzling him gently. 

She shook her head at his next comment and his eagerness to get going. He had just had a long swim and she couldn't even guess how many nights without sleep. There was no way that she was going exploring with him in the state he was currently in. No, he would have to wait until the next morning to get going. "We can start exploring tomorrow morning but right now, we need to focus on getting you fed and back up to strength which means you need a day of rest as much as you may not like the sound of that. She paused and started looking around for somewhere for them to go get food. "Have you ever been fishing?" She asked him with a tilt of her head and a playful smirk. The idea of the pup trying to catch a fish struck her as humorous and she could see him getting a face full of water instead of a mouth full of fish. 

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    When the larger wolf responded to his question, another smile lit up Eventide's face. Yes, he was certain that he had found a new friend in her just by the look on her face. Though he'd not known many other wolves throughout his life, he could recognize that look. It reminded him of the one that Adonia had often had- a gentle warmth. Yes, he may have been easily trusting, but even if he hadn't been that look was the clear sign of someone with a good heart. "Then thank you very much!" he smiled, wagging his tail slowly once more.

    But even after having decided that she was a good-hearted wolf, Eventide was surprised as she leaned down and gave him a gentle nuzzle. So much surprised that he nearly pulled away. He managed to keep himself from doing so however- out of politeness. It was quite an affectionate gesture from a wolf he had just met, and the young male found himself looking away for a moment in embarrassment. It was probably well meaning, but it definitely shook the pup back to his senses. Even if he wanted to trust her, Xion was still a wolf whom he had just met, and he needed to treat her as such. Really, what would Adonia think of him if he just went around trusting others blindly? He felt that Xion was a good wolf, but he had ought to keep a slight distance until he could learn more about her. Taking a step back, Eventide bowed his head politely and in thanks. Both for her offer of help, and to move back in a way that wouldn't be taken as rude or impolite.

    As the dark female went on, Eventide found himself breathing an inward sigh of relief. Outwardly however, he only nodded. As much as he wanted to get right to exploring, Eventide knew that rest was something that he desperately needed. His firey fur, though drying, still clung to his thin frame in an uncomfortable yet heavy way. It accentuated his slimness, making it rather evident that he hadn't eaten well in some time. After his foster mother's death he'd done his best to hunt and had actually done well, but recently his efforts had been focused on learning about this island more than hunting. That hunger had been set aside as he'd swam and with the excitement of finally arriving on the island, but now it appeared once more with an embarrassing growl. The young male's ears fell back in embarrassment and he gave a small, sheepish laugh. "Even though I'm excited to look around, I think you're right." he nodded.

    He hadn't the slightest idea how to go about hunting in this new and unfamiliar territory however. Looking around, Eventide searched for familiar terrain. Though he was native to the mountains, most of his life had been spent in low dusty grasslands and barren stretches of rocky desert. The grasslands beyond the beach seemed familiar enough, and the beach itself held plenty of large boulders that he was sure could be hiding all sorts of little voles and mice. Or... well, whatever small prey there was here. But when Xion next spoke, she asked a question that Eventide hadn't even thought of. "...Fishing?" he echoed, tilting his head to the side in thought. No, he hadn't ever done anything of the sort. He'd seen birds doing it, but the thought of a wolf doing something like that seemed almost silly. Still, he'd wondered more than once what fish actually tasted like. If the birds ate them, they couldn't be too bad.

    "No, I've never been fishing before." he answered, but quickly followed it up with "I'd like to learn though!" A new land meant new experiences. And fishing was certainly something he'd be interested in trying. He was wondering how a wolf would actually go about doing such a thing. Birds like herons could just stand and catch them in the water, but he had a feeling that if a wolf were to try the same thing they would disturb the water so much. And other birds like gulls could just fly and swoop down. And of course, that was out of the question! Interest sparkled in the young male's eyes as he waited in anticipation. He might not be able to explore today, but if this new wolf was willing, he might just be able to learn a new thing or two.

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TAGGED @xion

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Xion was thankful for a few different reasons. She head expected the pup to argue about going to sleep first and exploring tomorrow. He seemed so excited, so curious, and so willing that she originally thought he would never go to sleep. However, to her surprise, the wolf agreed, with no arguing, to go to sleep and wait for the sun to rise. She almost had to ask him to repeat what he had said when she decided not to test her luck. She nodded, pleased, knowing he would feel much better and would be a lot stronger tomorrow. She was also thankful for his reaction to her nuzzle. The physical sign of affection was hard enough for her to make. Had the pup liked the feel of an older wolf's comforting touch, she would have to continue. However, to her surprise, he had actually seemingly grown more nervous at her touch. Instead of letting it get to her, she was thankful for his reaction because it meant she would not have to be affectionate for a while. She took a step back away from him to give him more room so he could relax again. She didn't want him to be nervous around her.

"Yes fishing," Xion chuckled at his reaction to her question. She was surprised at how little wolves fished. She found it fun, a good mental challenge, and a good way to release pent up stress or anger. "Come here, I'll teach you," She told him as she moved to the edge of the water. "Patience is the most important thing, if you move around a lot they will become afraid and swim away. If you stay still, they think you're nothing more than a stick and will swim around you," After explaining that, she walked as far as she could into the water while still being able to stand and somewhat see the bottom. The further into the water you could go, the more likely you were to catch something. "You can't rely completely off of sight because you can't always see under the water. You have to be able to focus on the different feelings. If there are no fish around you and you are standing still, the water will be still. If a fish swims by you, the water will move in its direction. Sometimes, if you're still enough, you'll feel them brush against you." She spoke loud enough so that he could hear her from the shore but not loud enough to scare anything away. She stood as still as a statue for about ten minutes before the water started to move. "Watch me now," She said as she waited for the water to move closer to her before going face down into the water, jaws open, and coming up with a flopping fish. Sense she couldn't talk with her mouth full, she threw the fish onto the shore far enough so it couldn't get back in the water and then walked out. "To kill it you can either let it suffocate or you can break it's neck," She picked the fish up by the head and shook her head, hearing it's bones snap as she shook it side to side. She quickly ate the fish before tossing the rest aside. "You try now, I'll walk in with you."