The Long Way Home [Open]

[Deleted]

The winds were changing along with the seasons, and the early morning before sunrise had already grown bitterly cold in the desert. The fae could see her warm breath hanging in the air as it escaped her lungs like a ghost in the darkness before dawn. The low-lying clouds near eastern horizon were beginning to change hues with the rising sun. But Athena was not here to admire the view. Like a wolf possessed, she had a purpose in mind that, and her amber eyes were fixed on the path before her as she hurried along as quickly as her legs would allow. Solitude had become a close friend of the female, but there was a chance now that someone would notice her absence. The thought made her feel wanted. It also made her feel nervous. The volcano looming before her was not much help to her mounting anxious state.

Athena had regressed from wandering gypsy to helpless victim in the span of a few bloody moments. Months later, the wound was still healing. Each step took extra effort now, and she favored her left foreleg as she walked carefully though the fallen leaves. She had found a leader in Valeria and a new home with a growing pack, but Athena had strayed beyond the jungle’s border. Despite the serenity of the sunrise and golden leaves caught in the autumn wind, her jaw was clenched tightly and her tail wavered stiff in the air behind her silvery form.

The grains of sand beneath her paws felt strange, and she longed to be on solid ground. Her knowledge was only useful when she had the necessary herbs and roots – and, unfortunately for the healer, the plants she knew most intimately grew outside of the safety Kal’dyne provided. Athena had no choice but to strike out on her own to collect what she needed. With every limping step, her eyes and ears remained alert, swiveling in the direction of the small sounds surrounding her. Her heart raced in her ribcage like a trapped bird, but her visage remained calm, ever vigilant for any fellow lupine travelers. The volcano was said to be dormant, but Athena had her doubts – she thought she could detect the foul stench of sulfur in the air.

When I am by myself, I am someone else.

words: 412
tags: ---

[Deleted]

Were it still that other time
I'd make time itself somehow bend

The vibrant hues of autumn were rich and heavy around the lithe fae. Once emerald, the falling leaves hard brightened to a crisp orange-red, falling like premature snowflakes around her ghostly bodice. A soft smile had unknowingly spread across the youngling's slender muzzle, seafoam eyes glistening in the half light with half-forgotten memories. How fascinated she had been, at the first changing of the leaves! She had sat outside her den for hours upon hours, peering out into the wide world with wonder lapping delicately at her visage. It had been peaceful, with the quiet radiance of the full moon illuminating their path, turning the world around them to hushed silver.

Fawn comported herself with an almost eerie grace, svelte frame pale against the pre-dawn world. The sparrow picked her way carefully across the debris-strewn path, each movement somehow both deliberate, and immeasurably graceful. Soft exhales escaped as clouds of mist, swirling around her muzzle, before dissipating into the fresh breeze. Not for the first time, she tilted her slim muzzle up to the fading stars, giving thanks to her ancestors for providing her with a plush pelt suited for the colder moons.

The world around her, as always, was draped in an unearthly silence. Fawn noted her paws moving soundlessly upon the beaten path - yet, was she really? The fae could have been making an abnormal amount of noise, trampling through the words, for all the young one knew. That could never do! As such, she corrected herself, paws moving in stately movements, every step precisely taken, little paws pressed neatly against the ground. She flicked her ears, the twin peaks quivering at attention - mimicking the signals of a wolf listening intently to their surroundings.

The scents of the world were brisk and invigorating. As though compensating for her lack of hearing, the dove's sense of smell was abnormally keen. Cool air stung her nose and scoured her lungs - yet, she drank the scents in greedily, tasting them upon her palette. Fresh vegetation, decaying leaves, prey-scents, as well. Her stomach grumbled grouchily at that reminder, causing her pale ears to droop miserably.

This was what Fawn disliked the most about striking out on her own. Her... problem, had rather serious implications for her, in the area concerning sustenance. She was often able to pinpoint the exactly location of the prey, and yet, her paw steps would either be too loud, or falter. And then the prey would flee, leaving her staring after them forlornly with an empty belly.

Perhaps I'll catch a few hungry birds, Fawn nodded to herself, wandering, directionless. She allowed her paws to lead her, snowy pelt sparkling gently in the growing light. They can't all be hidden away in their nests. Just a tiny one, maybe - oh, there's somebody there!

Fawn froze, flowing motion coming to an abrupt halt. The lady in front of her was draped in cool silvers and greys - like the moonlight, a voice whispered softly in her head. Oh, she is beautiful! The gentle drove hesitated, just a few tail-lengths away. Ears drooped nervously, emerald eyes taking in her stiff posture and limping strides.

Is she hurt? At that, Fawn pushed away her insecurities, boldly stepping forward with all the confidence and grace she could muster. Tail waved gently behind her, body open and relaxed to show she meant the other no willful harm. Is everything alright? she wondered. Can I help you?


Fawn thinks.

But now I'm not that strong
And time keeps moving on

[Deleted]

And the lion followed the lamb...

The morning air was light and crisp, cooling his nostrils upon inhale and fogging with heat upon exhale; so very different from the arid air of the desert, Goliath vowed to never take for granted the freshness of air again. Not after being deprived of it for those days he spent in the southern barrenlands. With a flattening of his ears, he struck those sour thoughts from his mind immediately, his focus returning to the dainty white femme upwind from his position.

She walked peculiarly, he had noted from quite a distance away, though the manner of this peculiarity was not one he could discern at a glance. She seemed almost unreceptive to the happenings of the wild around her; a bird, roused by his daunting approach, fled from a tree, impishly flitting from its branches – and though his innate reaction was for his ears to perk in its direction, this femme made no apparent acknowledgement of the sound. A wolf could not supress its instinct so easily, and henceforth, he studied her for a while longer, his ungodly shape hidden in a dense scrub outcrop. 

So adjusted to the susurrus tune of nature, every change in his surroundings elicited a subtle shiver along his pelt – every sound prickled his hackles, and even the chorus of his own breathing heightened his awareness. Yet this female seemed… unresponsive, for lack of a better word. She crept as a hunter did, aye - but lacking in the silent finesse, and the rustling noises she was making seemed to go unnoticed as she strode on without so much of a flickering ear towards the noises and hums of the wilderness. Despite her feeble size, her obliviousness stood out like a blinding, white monolith – the single flower in a field that refused to bend with the breeze.
She was blind to the world, deaf to its darkness. How could she be so unaware that she was being stalked by a king, the very shadow of a god? He decided to follow her a while longer until he discovered why fate had crossed their paths.

Suddenly, her gait changed. Her steps softened, no longer announcing her movements so blatantly – she was suspicious. Goliath’s broad head lower, concealing himself as best as he could, his limbs flexing in anticipation. Was she going to run? Had she smelled him? A faint smirk marred his otherwise composed features. He was downwind, so whether or not she could divine his location was unlikely, but the presence of the second female in his field of view alerted him to the cause of her wariness.

Two females – one white, the other silver. Today was a blessed day.

Perverse curiosity overcame him. His chin lifted first, nostrils flaring as their vulnerable scents intermingled and arrived on the back of his nasals, followed by a slackening of his lips. His tongue emerged in hot anticipation; the pink, wet fiend slipping from the edge of his teeth to moisten the curve of his lips. Having his primal hunger whetted was all that it took to rouse the brute from his hunched position, now revealing his true stature with an upright posture that did his colossal size justice. He sat rigidly in plain sight, observing the encounter with an almost predatory interest. Distance was his only cover, now – although his sheer height would hardly remain a secret for long, and if the wind’s fleeting will decided to change, it would only take the pair a moment to realise that they were being watched by an eerie pair of eyes.

TAGGED: @athena @fawn

[Deleted]

But it’s always darkest before the dawn...

Without warning, her solitude was interrupted. Her heart missed a beat and the air caught in her parched throat. Like a quiet spirit emerging from darkness, the other appeared, her snowy coat standing in stark contrast to the faint golden glow of dawn. The pale female observed Athena in complete and utter silence. Many wolves would be unnerved by the stillness that passed between the two, and Athena watched the stranger intently. Neither made an attempt to move. The silvery fae was still nervous – a newly acquired trait that had become a pervasive characteristic of her personality, something she had not possessed before her injury. But it was clear, even without words spoken, that the female before her had no intention of picking a fight. Intuitively, Athena could see – could feel – the other’s placid energy, not threatening or disturbing, so her expression was amiable as she regarded the other with a nod.

”Peace, friend,” she finally said in subdued tones, as gentle as the breeze that rustled through the tree tops. ”I am Athena of Valyn.” It still felt strange to say aloud that she was a part of a real pack, with a real home to return to. She had not yet considered the serious consequences of leaving Kal’dyne, even if it was only for a few hours and for a good reason. She hoped to return to the jungle soon, so that her late night departure and absence would not be noticed. Perhaps if she returned with a new pack mate for Valyn’s ranks, Valeria would be less angry. The stranger was a lone female, and all females were welcomed and empowered in the pack she had recently joined. Athena was certain their cause would appeal to other likeminded females – a land where male oppression was not the norm, where faes were honored and respected. Others would be called to follow Valeria, to prove that females were more than mere vessels for the seed of brutish males, and an object of their fury and lusts.

Her immediate ease with the seemingly friendly stranger vanished instantly as a strange feeling knotted within the silvery female, coiling like a viper – it was that uncomfortable sensation of being watched, and Athena shifted nervously on her paws. A strong gust from the north brought the putrid smell of sulfur once more, as foul as rotten eggs or a rotting carcass, along with the smell of something else. Dark nostrils flared despite her disgust as Athena tested the new breeze, and her nose confirmed it – they were no longer alone. Topaz eyes darted away from the unnamed stranger. The air suddenly felt electric, and the hair began to stand on end along the back of her neck. The elders told of demons that appeared to steal the life away from hapless mortals, accompanied by the telltale scent of sulfur. Her empty stomach churned angrily as the stench of the nearby volcano filled her senses, mingled with the strong masculine scent of a third wolf in the vicinity.

But perhaps it was only her overactive imagination, or simple paranoia. The volcano did make her uneasy, looming like a giant in the near distance. Even still, it was better to err on the side of caution. ”We should leave here. It is not a good place.” Wide ears began to scour the horizon in search of the newcomer. The rising sun cast strange shadows, long and lingering across the still-dark landscape. At first, she failed to see the spectator who watched so brazenly. A mammoth silhouette caught her attention after several seconds of searching, with a looming shadow trailing behind the sitting form, still as a statue and observing. Her eyes strained against the darkness, and her heart dropped. Two icy blue eyes seemed to stare right through her - and he was too close for comfort.  Mounting dread accompanied the heavy pounding within her ribs as a rush of fear gripped the fae.

words: 666 (bwahaha!)
tags: @fawn + @zenith

[Deleted]

Were it still that other time
I'd make time itself somehow bend

It had only just occurred to the young fae - was the other friendly? Malicious? Had she been startled by her approach? The gentle dove had certainly still retained her naivete from a lifetime of privilege. Her first time living alone, with none to watch over her, none to guide her. Useless skills, her parents had lectured, whenever Fawn had mustered the courage to ask. When was she ever going to need them? Her life was to revolve around her pack; she was their future, their light in the darkness that had been rapidly closing in upon them. Blotting out the faint light of the diamond stars, path branches gradually being enveloped by an ebony veil of mist.

It was easier to brush this faint, lingering guilt away. Her attention now returned to the silvery female merely a few steps away from her, lobes pricking forward in an instinctive show of curiosity. Her scent was feminine and sweet, decidedly non-aggressive in its flavour. It eased her wary thoughts of potential fights, settled the young femme's uncertainty. Glistening emerald pools watched intensely as her lips formed words. Presumably, the sound would slip into the lazy morning air, filling the woods with her sweet, gentle tones. Her voice seemed as though it would be good-natured and tender; from the warm glow within the moon-touched fae's eyes.

Athena. Valyn. Petal-brushed lips mouthed the unfamiliar names tentatively, mouth shaping, tracing the unfamiliar formations hesitantly. One of the many packs, here? During her travels, Fawn had caught whiffs of strange scents - a multitude of them mixed into a whole. Packs. She had deliberately avoided the paths leading towards those territories, preferring to remain on neutral ground. Safe, unseen, till she decided which paths her paws would tread.

Her delicate skull dipped in courteous response, lids sliding close in a polite gesture. Her lips remained sealed, yet the smile that grew upon them was no less genuine, no less bright. A pleasure to meet you. Fawn, at your service, the gentle sparrow replied within the comforts of her mind. Yet, this peace was not to last.

A drugging breeze swept playfully around the duo, tugging gently at Fawn's pristine pelt. She closed her eyes, tilting her head up, a gentle smile playing upon her features. The crisp breeze both chilled and refreshed the girl. She shifted, bowing her front down in a gentle stretch, before balancing her weight nimbly upon all four paws once more. But-strange. Athena's fur was prickling, topaz-gilded eyes fixed firmly upon a point beyond her. Was somebody else there?

Fawn's fur prickled in instinctive response, graceful neck twisting with an abrupt motion as she wrenched her head around. Pools of the deepest green glimmered in the warming sun, lending tiny flecks of reflective gold within the gentle pools. Her eyes darted around, confused; the stranger lingered in the shadows - she could smell him now. Masculine and heavy, edged with a dash of power and aggression. She stirred uneasily, lobes rolling back upon her features in uncertainty, taking a moment more before she could accurately pinpoint him.

Wreathed in shadows and draped in darkness, a pair of pale eyes seemed to meet her own. She looked back curiously, taking a few dainty steps to turn herself around, snowy tail waving gently behind her at each minute motion.

Are so many up so early today? she wondered. Why do you linger within the shadows? Step into the light - you are among friends here. A light glanced darted in Athena's direction, puzzlement entering those clear pools. Why was she so afraid?

Fawn thinks.

But now I'm not that strong
And time keeps moving on

@athena @zenith

[Deleted]

The silver one saw him first – her titian eyes finally landing upon him with the most inscrutable blend of discerning and dread. The fear was utterly apparent, striking her like a bolt from the heavens, or a tremor from hell. Even at the distance he was, fear was a thing he recognised intimately; an inherent stiffening of the stance and desolation in her flaming stare. 

The white femme was slow to react, although this was not the source of his surprise, considering how her mannerisms revolved around her own obliviousness of their surroundings. Finally, she, too, turned to meet his stare – and it was the prodigious lack of fear in her response that surprised him. Her frame was so small, but it was defied by her unflinching expression, which lacked both apprehension and hostility. She watched him, curiosity the only visible affliction held within her gaze. Her tail wagged invitingly, eyes gentle in their bid for him to approach, and after a moment of perplexity, a grisly smile broke his stoic countenance, shattering the morbid intentions that had been hidden below his chilling stare.

She was inviting him to come closer, and without hesitation, he stood, regaining his enormous height and stepping clear of the jagged brush that barely concealed him. This bitch must have had madness and fearlessness to a fine art, alluring him to advance upon them when the other femme so clearly understood the gravity of the situation. Could she be in heat? Her contentment with his proximity, coupled with her eagerness for him to join them, was the only explanation that came to mind – though it was unlikely, given the season. The females upon Ina’mos – Datura, Aaricia, and Kiva – had not begun their yearly gift, as far as he knew. And when that time came, he would not dare to leave the shores of Ina’mos for even a day, let alone the time he had been absent from his home. Inherent edginess gripped him at the mere thought of it.

His eyes roved between the two females as he strode closer, his pace unfaltering and his indifferent eyes foretelling very little of his deviant thoughts. This land was far from his home, and so the territorial instinct to stake his entitlement over them was not required. He could have his fun without resorting to such unsavoury methods.

“Divines bless this morning – the presence of not one, but two, beautiful women is an omen that my day will be most… pleasurable,” his uttered the final word with a vague smile, nodding to the smaller femme who had invited him to them. In doing this, he inspected her – frail, delicate, pale. Eyes of a lush, awing green. She embodied his mother, and in his eyes, these qualities foretold of her ripeness for him. An urbane curl at the corner of his lips was his greeting to this one, before his head turned to regard the other with an aloof stare.

Narrowing his gaze ever slightly, he observed the silver female whose eyes had been filled with silent terror from the moment she’d caught his smell. Her expression had been so different from the naïve reception he had received from the other, and his smile lifted knowingly. This one was smart – she knew him well without ever having met. 

“You – why do you stare with such grim distress. We are kin, are we not?” Inoffensive, safe, dull - his tone was filled with all of the appropriate components to constitute as friendly banter, yet searching beyond the surface of his lilting words, was a darkness most imperceptible, seemingly woven into the very reverberations of his voice. He wondered if her stare would reach deep enough to see it, or whether her heart was as pliant and trusting as the young femme at her side.

TAGGED: @athena @fawn

[Deleted]

It was a wonder that the young fae was already at ease, despite knowing little more than Athena’s name and the pack she belonged to. The silvery fae shifted with lingering anxiety on her three good legs, trying to ignore the slinking cold that rustled her pelt in fleeting gusts. She seemed so young, so innocent. Her crisp white fur, impeccable and lovely, seemed to shine in the pale sunlight as the sun continued along its path to meet the glowing firmament. Deep emerald eyes seemed to lack the common exhaustion and despair that Athena was accustomed to seeing, decorating the faces of so many loners that roamed the island. If the stranger had witnessed the horrors of Anikira first hand, the vicious tribes and ruthless vagabonds, her demeanor and attitude hid it well.

Athena did not have the luxury of a happy childhood looming in the back of her brain. Instead, her memories were a blur of the awful things she had seen, blended with the considerably more damaging recollections of how it all felt – to be nothing more than a parasite to her mother, to be left starving and filthy as if she were no more than a dead rat, always a waste of space and resources. A nuisance. A curse. Those days were gone, but some wounds never could heal properly.

The gentle fae paused to allow the other to introduce herself. No response was offered, only a polite nod. Now was not the time for formality, as Athena swiftly understood the severity of the situation they had unwittingly happened upon. It was as if he appeared out of darkness itself, his mixed pelt of salt and pepper etching designs along his muzzle and beneath his eyes like a mask. Darker fur stained his scalp, running along his back, and it made his enormity seem more pronounced in Athena’s terrified eyes. The brute watched shamelessly. Athena’s skin crawled. Peering frantically at the feminine stranger, she whispered, ”You must run, now!”

She was stunned to see that Fawn was not scared – on the contrary, her snowy tail wavered behind her like an invitation, and Athena’s jaws fell open in obvious surprise. ”What are you doing?!” Speaking through her teeth, each syllable tense as it left her tongue. Her words fell on deaf ears. Now it was too late to flee. The beast lumbered closer, his expression eerie and calm. With every slow step, he looked bigger – impossibly large, Athena thought. Her eyes narrowed at him, but she made no attempt to run away. An escape was virtually impossible, she knew, given her current condition.

He stopped before the females, looming nearly as large as the nearby volcano. His scent assaulted her senses, unwelcome and musky, and she silently longed for the foul stench of sulfur again. The male’s voice made her skin crawl as he acknowledge Fawn with a nod. Instinctively, Athena side-stepped closer to the other female. She had encountered brutes like this before, and could predict the filthy thoughts that occupied his mind as he looked between them. The memory of her former “mate,” a sadistic male who had tortured her, brought a wave of fury crashing down with Athena.

Immediately, her eyes narrowed as he addressed her. Still, she was terrified, but his brashness was outrageous. His comment made her huff in disdain for his implication. ”No. We are not.” Her tone lowered an octave as she spoke, and while her eyes were fixed on the male, she was still highly aware of the smaller fae at her side. How could she say nothing in the face of a monster?

words: 610
tags: @fawn + @zenith