You know they will never leave... (Nymph)

[Audas]

The full moon shone as it usually did, held high in the sky, watching the surface of the world, yet seemingly unaware of the events that quickly came to pass, life and death, peace and war... friendship... and betrayal.

Tonight the moon lay above a dense forest in the mountains, huge rock features that dominated the landscape, even the old forest struggled to climb up the faces of the mountains, faltering halfway up the incline before finally stopping its expansion. The valley below looked far more inviting than one would normally expect.

But he didn't care about that.

A brown furred grey wolf charged through the forest, leaping over rotting logs and dodging trees both young and old alike, brown eyes skirting between the obstacles in front of him and the obvious trail that led to his target. This was not simply a hunt for survival, no... it was far darker than that.

The male was covered in dirt and blood, some which belonged to him, some which didn't, a snarl expressed almost permanently and the normally friendly eyes were now consumed with bloodlust. No... Audas was looking for revenge.

It didn't take long until he closed with his target, a similarly sized black and white furred male, a Timber wolf, possessing yellow eyes that scanned the area around with a sense of urgency. Those yellow eyes locked on to the incoming, snarling brown furred wolf, and the timber wolf with a look of shock and fear, attempted to scamper out of the way... then the two wolves slammed into each other, and after a brief struggle, filled with yelps, whines and snarling tones, the brown wolf planted both of his front paws on top of the timber wolf, holding him in place as the black and white wolf struggled to get free.

"DEX! YOU DAMNED TRAITOR!" screamed Audas, "ALIKA AND RELAND TRUSTED YOU! I TRUSTED YOU!", his near unlimited anger streaming out of him at the trapped wolf. "We were a family... looking out for each other..." explained the male, now broken down slightly, "And you gave that family up... FOR HIM!"

Dex looked horrified, shifting uncomfortably and desperately to get free, "Audas please... I didn't want them to die! Xavier did it on his own accord!"

"BULL!" snapped Audas, "You Dex... of all people... should have not had the stupidity to bargain with him!"

Dex was no longer the cunning, strong wolf he was, he was now on his side, beginning to sob, "I... I... believe me Audas if I knew what Xavier was upto... I would have tried to stop him! Gods I can't stop seeing Reland..." The timber wolf raised his head in Audas' direction, tear's streaming down his face, breathing broken by sobs. "I am begging you Audas! Forgive me! Let me redeem myself! I am a broken shell here! Please..." pleaded Dex, eye's begging for forgiveness.

But Audas was not himself, and replied with a gruesome snarl, "You aren't just beyond redemption... you don't deserve it."

Then Audas ripped open Dex's gut in a flash of snapping jaws, the latter letting out a gut wrenching scream that echoed across the mountains like a curse.

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"NO!"

Audas sprung up in a second, horror stitched onto his face, panting heavily and blinking rapidly as he emerged from the nightmarish scene and back into the real world.

'I am not in America... I am on Anikira... Snap out of it!'

The brown furred wolf unsteadily got himself into a sitting position, carefully scanning the area with refocused brown eyes, he had slept next to the tree where he met Huxleyi, the beta of Airilla, not long ago. The tree stood silent in the night, a small selection of stars lighting the night, and a crescent moon staring down upon him. The grey wolf was visibly shaking, not only just due to the seemingly unnatural cold, but also from being scarred by the nightmare, they had never been that vivid or horrifying before.

As the male got his breathing back under control, he looked upwards at the moon once more, throwing questions as he usually did at it, 'Why? Why did I fail? Why do I keep being haunted by my past? Can I redeem myself?'

The moon remained silent.

Audas groaned, "To hell with it, why I bother is beyond me.", the male lowered his head and closed his eyes, brooding about everything that had happened. He could do with someone to speak with... someone he could be comfortable with, that wolf was Nymph. However, he had no idea where she was. What the male would do to be in the little femme's company!

The brown furred male sighed, sometimes he thought if he should even be by her side like this, for her own safety... Audas felt many conflicts raging within in persuit of what the male should do with his life, with no clear victor in sight.

He wondered if things would ever change from the way they usually were, and the brown furred male known as Audas could not find any form of answer.

Word Count: 850
OOC: Really excited for this thread! We can finish the other thread off as this one begins.
Tag: Nymph

[Nymph]

Its been awhile since she dared to place paw in this particular part of her birth lands. She was, frankly, timid of the idea of meeting a certain male wolf whom she made acquaintance with the last time she traveled through here. Kaine.

He told her tragic and terrible things that made her second guess quite a bit of what she thought she knew. What would Philkin do? She thought to herself as the silence of her surroundings seemed to irk the little female's mind to no end at this time. She knew he wouldn't generally take things at face value, he wasn't the most trusting wolf around.....a lot like....Audas.

She wanted to know the truth but then again she was frightened of what she would hear. There were only two ways this would turn out: confirmation or denial. She had been unable to find her friend, then again she wasn't searching as ardently as may be expected.

With a sigh, she looked up to the silvery moon that was hung ever so beautifully among the myriads of stars. What do I do? The sentinel of the night didn't bother with answering her.

Looking back to the earth, she resumed her mental battle, ignoring the moon's silent comforting light that made her fur appear as if it was glowing. A white beacon for any who may search for her.

A tear caught a beam of light, capturing and dancing with it until they fell together onto the ground completely unnoticed by the delicate looking female.

No matter how hard she tried not to believe the cruelty which Kaine accused Audas with, she couldn't ignore the sorrow she saw on his grey features. Besides, he had nothing really to gain by relating such a terrible tale. Did he?

The breeze blew a new scent to the female, but so deep was she in her thoughts, Nymph didn't register the smell. She just kept walking, head low and tail brushing the tips of the new grasses that wrestled their way up from the earth. The first of new life from the hard winter.

She edged towards the tree which she met Kaine, oblivious to anything and everything except the tiredness of her paws and the same questions that tormented her mind. She kept moving until she came under the tree's breadth, where she proceeded to lay down, curled into a little ball of snowy fur.

It was then she noted the scent that had actually been reaching out to her for quite awhile now. Curious, she lifted her head back up and scanned the night for signs for the origin of that scent which she knew so well. "Audas? Are you here?"

Word Count: 452

OOC: Here we go!!

[Audas]

Audas hung his head low, grief, regret and lack of will rife in his mind. Nightmares, no matter how simple or complex they were, had the effect of leaving the grey wolf completely depressed, as an ever constant burden he had to carry for his mistakes. Not only was this the case, but it also had the loner question his very existence, why did he survive when others did not? What role did he have left to play? Was he a monster? It was during these moments that the grey wolf got very... philosophical...

His troubled thoughts had gained that much of a foothold... an imprint... on his mind that he never saw, heard or even smelled the wolf approach from the other side of the tree that Audas had chose to settle for the night at. Instead, the male continue to contemplate his life and the world he lived.

Normally, such depression took a considerable length of time to be dispelled from the troubled wolf's thoughts, but this time, a new factor came into play, a voice...

"Audas? Are you here?"

Initially, Audas didn't register it, his own thoughts prevented him from doing that. However, a couple of heartbeats later, the words had finally left their mark, and the grey wolf's brown eyes flickered open. He would have recognised that quiet voice from anywhere.

"Nymph?" quietly called out the surprised wolf, his auds swivelling as he tried to pinpoint the source, raising his head to do so as he scanned the area for any sign of the little white furred female. Then, his nose finally took in the female's scent... she was very close.

The male turned his head towards the tree, quietly rose to his feet, and slowly crept round, and was soon greeted with the sight of a small arctic wolf, tucked into a ball of white fur, head raised curiously. Audas soon felt a light, but nevertheless prideful feeling of joy at the sight of his friend, a small smile spreading across his face as he registered the female. "Nymph!" quietly, but joyfully exclaimed the male, bringing more of his body round the tree as he greeted the female.

"How are you? It's good to see a friendly face, especially yours, again."

Audas tilted his head as he looked over the female, how they both managed to get this close without noticing each other, or hell, at the least him not noticing her, was beyond him, however, with all the dark memories now temporarily put aside, the grey wolf was grateful at the very least to see her!

Word Count: 432
OOC: Showtime! Will have a post for the Promise thread tomorrow.
Tag: Nymph

[Nymph]

At first, the little female thought she was speaking to the air when no reply came to her. Wishful thinking....She wanted to see him. Apparently so much that her mind conjured up his scent.

But only a moment later, someone uttered her name in return. Was this just her mind continuing it's game with her? Pretending to hear Audas speak her title? No! For she heard it a second time, this time with the support of seeing his face with her eyes as he came around from the other side of the tree.

She analyzed the familiar brown masked face. He looked happy, even smiling at her. How in the world could he kill someone? She knew he wasn't necessarily harmless, she would never disgrace him with that description, but he certainly did not have the face of a cold-blooded killer.

Her banner slipped out from around her small form and thumped the ground as she smiled back at him. "Audacity." She spoke the name quietly and with the tone only used for close friends.

Picking herself up from the ground, she stepped over to bring herself closer to him. He asked how she was, but she didn't quite know how to answer. She didn't want to crush the sweetness of seeing him again so suddenly by sharing the dark accusation that Kaine thrust into her mind. She still didn't want to believe it. Even more so now that she seen Audas, he was so kind to her.

"I suppose I've been alright. It's always better when you're around." She shined a grin at him, "And what about you? Keeping out of trouble?" She seated herself again, as her legs and paws still ached and standing wasn't the most comfortable position at this time.

The back of her mind raced as to whether or not she would speak to Audas of what happened to her last time she was at this tree. She knew he had been tormented by demons of the past, would I trigger an episode by talking about it? Her insatiable curiosity pushed her to speak and ask all the things she thought about in connection with the story.

She fought it, practically beating it down. She needed to analyze it just a bit more before blurting it out.

Word Count: 383

[Audas]

Audas felt comforted when the little female thumped her tail and quietly stated his formal name of Audacity. Deeper still the grey wolf was grateful for Nymph's presence, especially after that nightmare. As if the arctic wolf was the light guiding him out of a dark tunnel... did he have that analogy once already? He couldn't remember.

Audas watched as the female rose to her feet and came closer to the male as he asked how she was, "I suppose I've been alright. It's always better when you're around." explained the female, grinning at the male, who couldn't help but feel flattered at the comment, but nevertheless, he responded with a wider grin back. "And what about you? Keeping out of trouble?" asked the white furred wolf as she sat down rather quickly.

"I haven't been in any trouble, still just living on as normal." explained the male. He felt the dark corner of his mind still throbbing, itching to try something else, but he kept it in check. The male felt no need to trouble the female with his nightmares and brooding and the last thing he wanted to do now was to fall into another flashback that had been set up, like a snare that lay hidden, in wait for something to slip into.

He wondered how much the female really knew about him, at least in her eyes. That was an question, like so many, he couldn't answer.

"So, what brings you this deep into the Shydar? Hunting or headed somewhere else? I was actually just sleeping here myself." Audas couldn't help but chuckle, "Don't worry, you didn't wake me up. I have only been up for a few minutes, not long before you arrived."

The grey wolf's cheerful mood was unusual for a quiet, troubled wolf such as Audas, but Nymph always seemed to bring the good out of him. He trusted her, she trusted him, he simply knew it. They cared for each other, and promised to support each other when they needed it.

Now the almost dangerously joyful Audas pondered, 'What could possibly go wrong?'

Word Count: 351
OOC: Really sorry I didn't have this up sooner! Will be quicker next time!
Tag: Nymph

[Nymph]

 It pleased her greatly to know that he had been alright since the last time they had seen each other. "I haven't had anything dangerous happen  to me either." She smirked a little, thinking back to the run in with the huge female that they encountered on their first tour of the island with Kismet.

But when he asked why she was here, she struggled to answer him: "I don't know why. I'm not heading anywhere in particular." She knew she wanted answers but didn't know where to get them from. Deciding to be completely honest, she continued: "I wanted to know something. I thought I might figure it out here." She sounded rather distant to herself, like her mind was once again not in the present. She didn't want to upset Audas, but she needed to know if he either was the devil Kaine said he was or not.

"I'm glad I didn't wake you. Most likely I would have just waited until you woke up by yourself if I found you still sleeping." That is if I didn't fall asleep myself...She thought to herself with a silent chuckle, as that would have been the case most likely.

She did know that even with everything that happened since she laid eyes on Audas, she still felt that warm, comforting sensation now that she was with him. He promised to be her friend and she knew he would protect her if she needed it. Almost unknowingly, she seemed to resolve that even if Kaine was right, they would still be close....maybe that was stupid of her. Maybe he would turn on her. But she was to lost and confused to care about any of that right now.

"I met someone here, the last time I was in the area. They said they knew you in North America." She spoke slowly and deliberately, as if picking her way around a sleeping monster. Now or never..."I spoke to them only for a short time, but I do believe they really did know who you were. His name was Kaine."

Word Count: 350

OOC: Sorry, I had to scrape to put this together, very low muse. Hopefully, this will work, if not let me know and I'll rewrite.

[Audas]

The joyful grey wolf listened to the little femme intently as she replied to his questions, "I haven't had anything dangerous happen to me either.", stated the female, smirking a small amount as she did, quite possibly at some rogue thought, though it could have been anything as Audas listened to the female, watching her with his topaz eyes.

But as he asked why the female was around the area, he noticed a sudden change over me the arctic wolf. He couldn't tell what or why, but the wolf in front of him just... had that change. The female soon proceeded to explain that she wasn't headed anywhere, but then, out of the blue, came something unexpected. "I wanted to know something. I thought I might figure it out here." Nymph explained.

Audas was no longer filled with joy, for now confusion and curiosity took it's place, crossing his face as the two feelings came pouring in. What did the female want to know about? Dozens of thoughts flooded his mind as the same question repeated itself.

'What does she want to know about?'

"I'm glad I didn't wake you. Most likely I would have just waited until you woke up by yourself if I found you still sleeping.", were the next words spoken by the female, and now, the brown furred wolf was now deeply concerned, the way she was replying and choosing her words brought much confusion and worry to the males heart. Soon, everything was pushed aside as he diverted all his attention to the white furred wolf. "What happened Nymph? Something has gone wrong. Tell me.", the grey wolf spoke in a quiet, but caring tone to signify his concern. He was determined to find out what had upset her.

Nymph spoke with a horrifying slowness and with carefully chosen words, what was she worried about? "I met someone here, the last time I was in the area. They said they knew you in North America.I spoke to them only for a short time, but I do believe they really did know who you were.".

Audas felt a sudden rising feeling of fear and worry as the female spoke, clearly implied on his face, but that was before she gave the final blow.

"His name was Kaine."

Shock ripped across the male's face as he took in the Infomation. 'Kaine! Here? On Anikira?' were just a few of the many words and thoughts that ravaged his mind, how in damnation did Kaine get to Anikira? Conveniently the place that Audas himself had not so long ago arrived on. Kaine was the grey wolf's cousin, the son of the brutal Xavier, the being who had taken away almost everything Audas ever cared about away from him. The possibility that Kaine was walking amongst the population here was like seeing a ghost.

He didn't want to believe her, not even Nymph, but Kaine's name and the name of the continent of their origins was enough to confirm it, and out of all the wolves from his homeland, Kaine was the only one he could guarantee was still alive. Audas quickly shook his head, still reeling from the shock. What did his cousin say? He had to ask about the encounter.

"He didn't do anything didn't he? Did he hurt you? How... How did he get here?" were the words that were blindly blurted out, he needed to know what kind of damage Kaine might have done. Kaine was almost exactly like his father and could do some serious damage.

If he did do anything to Nymph, he couldn't let him get away with it.

Word Count: 607
OOC: Don't worry Nymph I don't mind. I will be replying to promise next, then I will be back to this one.
Tag: Nymph

[Nymph]

She disliked even uttering the name of the male she met here, under this very tree. As soon as the word left her throat, she felt like she should have bitten it back. The look on Audas' face confirmed they knew each other, that Kaine was right.

But instead of worrying what Kaine said about him, Audas' highest concern seemed to be that some injury came to her during their encounter. "He didn't touch me. I promise." She assured him, "He didn't even try." She considered if she should continue with her explanation, while Kaine didn't physically hurt her, his words still brought pain. "He was forced onto a boat that eventually sunk and he made it here alive and, strangely, uninjured."

She looked away for a moment, before deciding it would be best to just say everything right now. "He became very interested once he found out we were friends. I wouldn't know to describe it exactly, but he was in very good humor until I revealed your name, then he became serious and blunt...But with what he told me, having humor isn't really fitting." Her voice became a whisper at the very end, a faraway sound as her voice lost all desire to be heard. It broke her heart to replay the story in her mind, how much more so it would pierce her by actually uttering the words!

 Tears threatened to race down her snowy face as she looked to Audas, trying to picture him as the cruel murderer Kaine said he was. But the ideas hardly meshed in her mind to make the picture a clear one.

She managed to hold the salty waters back for a few seconds more until she spoke again, then her willpower completely shattered and was lost. "Tell me it isn't true...." She didn't care anymore about Audas seeing her cry, it wasn't the first time anyway.  This moment right now was testimony that Kaine did hurt her, not with teeth and claw but with words.

She wanted to crumble into a little ball far in a deep cavern somewhere and stay that way. But she possessed the strength perhaps surprising for a wolf her size to have in such a situation. She remained a seated ivory pillar despite every nerve of her being urging her to just go! Go somewhere, anywhere but here!

She regained a tiny portion of her composure, enough to slow her tears and begin breathing deeply to clear her head a little in order to continue facing the ordeal yet to come. She had the hardest part yet to face.

"When I met Kaine, he told me a story. A terrible tale from his past." She could recall every word he said that day, they blasted in her mind like banshee's. "About his father, Xavier." She paused as she gathered her strength to regale the story as best she could. "He at first asked me what I knew of your past. I honestly replied that I knew next to nothing. He continued to say that his father was a leader of many, but...you managed to gather some mutineer's from his own wolves and attack. That you pushed him off the edge of a cliff...." Her sight was once again clouded by tears but she shook her head, refusing to crumble again. "There was also someone called Dex. A friend of yours that you...destroyed as well?" She looked to him, begging him to deny the story.

"Tell me." She whispered as her voice once again failed and she could not go on any longer for now.

WORD COUNT: 602

Tag: Audas

[Audas]

Nymph's assurances about Kaine not causing any harm didn't give the concerned grey wolf much comfort, Audas' cousin was not the kind to miss an opportunity of his liking, so it was very likely he did do something. Perhaps it may have been his shock of his cousin's arrival combined with his own concern over the little femme's well being that gave Audas his current state of mind, you could never really know. "He was forced onto a boat that eventually sunk and he made it here alive and, strangely, uninjured.", explained the female. Audas wasn't surprised by such an event, Kaine must have been captured by humans, like himself, and must have been en-route to a new location when an accident happened. The only difference was that while Kaine came by ship, Audas came by aircraft.

He leaned slightly closer in worry as Nymph looked away for a moment before bringing her eyes back upon Audas again, "He became very interested once he found out we were friends. I wouldn't know to describe it exactly, but he was in very good humor until I revealed your name, then he became serious and blunt...But with what he told me, having humor isn't really fitting.", continued the arctic wolf, voice fading to a whisper, once more bringing anger to his conscious.

'Kaine... If you have said or have done anything...'

Nymph went to speak once more, then finally broke down, tears streaking down her face as she stuttered, "Tell me it isn't true....". Audas finally knew that Kaine did hurt her, and that he had very likely decided to use her to strike at one figure, using that figure's past as a weapon, the words as the teeth and claws... aimed at figure by the name of Audas. He leaned forward ever more slightly further, but not enough to close the gap, he could will himself to get close enough to comfort her.

Audas felt his own defences straining under the pressure, tendrils dove into his mind, trying to pry a foothold on to it. The male mentally fought it off, but it was increasingly becoming in vain.

Nymph remained an stationary figure, finally composing herself with deep breaths, slowing the rate of tears clearly sliding down her face. Audas knew that he was going to be hit hard now. All he could do now was hang on as concern gave way to sadness.

"When I met Kaine, he told me a story. A terrible tale from his past. About his father, Xavier.", Audas slowly began to shake his head, the pillar's holding him together bringing to break, "No..." he quietly uttered. Nymph continued on, "He at first asked me what I knew of your past. I honestly replied that I knew next to nothing. He continued to say that his father was a leader of many, but...you managed to gather some mutineer's from his own wolves and attack. That you pushed him off the edge of a cliff....", Audas shook his head quicker now, eye's closed tightly as he grasped on to his emotions. "Don't" came out of his mouth, with some more force now.

"There was also someone called Dex. A friend of yours that you...destroyed as well?"

Audas stilled his head and opened his eyes to look at Nymph once more, but much to his horror, Nymph was no longer there...

It was Alika... Her grey form and eyes looked at him with hatred, the gaping hole in her neck prominent, bleeding still. A wolf that looked dead, but still with a mind. "You loved me Audas!" Alika cursed, taking a step closer, a snarl engraved on her face, "But you let me die! You let Reland die! You let your family die! You gave Dex no second chance! You are beyond any redemption Audas!" Now, Alika stared directly into his eyes, his brown eyes meeting with her grey eyes. "You don't deserve it and nor doe's it even exist!"

"Tell me.", came a whisper.

"NO!"

Audas blinked once, and the ghost of Alika was gone, Nymph back in her place. It took only a second to realise what he had just done as he stated straight into the female's eyes. "I..." was all the male could get out, before he shook his head and quickly turned tail, quickly walking away. But he didn't get very far, just a handful of steps were taken before Audas stopped, eyes clenched shut as breaths came down his strained throat.

It was over, he just believed it was, Kaine had already hurt the female, all Audas felt that he could do was heal the damage, but how?

It was time to tell the truth.

With a shaky but deep breath in, Audas brought himself to bare, and began to explain.

"Kaine told the truth... But he also lied..." quietly stated the grey wolf, "To understand, I will have to start from the very beginning." Audas gave a mournful sniff, leaving a small pause as he kept his back to the white furred wolf, and continued. "I was born to Everest and Laya... along with five siblings... and for a while they were the happiest days of my life." Pain and grief gripped his heart with an iron fist, as he struggled to carry on, but he knew he had to finish it. "When I was away hunting, they all got attacked by a war pack... led by a wolf who represented absolute evil... he was Everest's brother... and his name was Xavier."

Audas wanted to lock himself away, but he pressed on, "He gave no parlay or offer... he just charged in... and he killed them..." sobbed the male, his barriers bringing to fall, "By the time I arrived, desperate to help... It was too late... only my brother, Reland, survived, covered and protected by our mother to the end."

"For a time, the two of us travelled alone, struggling to survive, until we met two fellow orphans... A female grey wolf and a male timber wolf... they were Dex... and Alika..."

Audas allowed tears to begin flowing down his own face, letting them drip to the ground, "Overtime, me and Alika... we got close..." explained the male, struggling to speak now as the past threatened to tear him apart. "We were thinking about mating soon... but Dex... he got jealous, he wanted Alika as much as I did... So when we were both hunting our in different areas... He found Xavier and his pack... and agreed to show him where we were, as long as we maimed... Reland... he found out... but he was captured... and instead of the maim that Dex wanted... Xavier killed him...".

Audas' tears began to flow more freely, his voice became strained and body beginning to rack with sobs. "When I was alone, I heard Alika screaming, I ran to defend her... only in time to see Xavier... rip her throat out... RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!" finally shouted Audas, anger coming loose. "I lost... lost control... I sent Xaiver plummeting down a cliff... Kaine helped... he wanted him dead for years... then he told me that Dex betrayed us... so... I hunted him down... and killed him... in a completely horrible way!", the male painfully choked with grief. "I didn't kill for power... I killed for revenge... I spent the next year wandering, carrying my grief, guilt... and my hate of myself... before I was captured... loaded on a plane that would crash... and you know the rest."

Audas was visibly shaking, breaths coming through inregular, tears pouring down his face and with a strained throat and tourtured mind. "I am a murderer and a failure... I LET THEM ALL DIE! I WAS TOO SLOW! I WASNT STRONG ENOUGH! AND THE REDEMPTION I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR DOESNT EXIST!" screamed Audas, head hung low once more, "I should have been the one to die... no one else..." whispered the tourtured male.

Finally, his defences collapased, the real, broken Audas was revealed, at least in his eyes. In a second, Audas had snapped his head upwards and let loose a tourtured howl across the region, disturbing the quiet of the night. There was nothing in the howl... just raw emotion, pain, grief, regret...

He no longer felt like he wanted to live, he wanted to die as his howl died down, and Audas broke down, unable to cope any longer.

Word Count: 1408
OOC: Longest post I have done, if you want me to change it if it doesn't seem good enough, let me know. Sorry if it is rather dramatic but I wanted to leave quiet the impact .
Tag: Nymph

[Nymph]

She grew afraid when he shouted. She believed he was yelling at her, denying her the benefit of knowing his side of the story. But then the clouded look left his eyes and he seemed to see her, realizing it was the little white wolfess he knew.

Then he turned away from her, like he was going to just turn away from his past once again. But when he stopped and she heard the mournful sound escape from his form, Nymph tried to prepare herself for whatever was in store for her. Little did she know what a ride it would be!

She listened in complete and utter silence as the story Audas wove bombarded her ears with a wicked frenzy. His own uncle destroying his family and having the love of his life literally ripped from him. Betrayed by friends and losing everyone dearest to him.

Nymph stepped one small stride closer to him. She was at a complete loss of what to say or do. She knew there was nothing she could have done to right any of the wrong in his past. She was in a way helpless for him.

Finally with what seemed the last remaining shred of strength in his body, Audas let out the most heart breaking sound to the moon that glowed over their heads.  Even its echoes resembled the sound of crushed hearts.

She stood there until the sounds died completely, waiting to see if Audas had any last words to say on the subject. But all that could be seen before her was the broken warrior who lived to carry the burden alone.

Carefully she stepped to bring herself closer to him. She wasn't afraid any more only sadness filled her heart. 

Upon coming into close proximity to him, she moved to gently place her head on his shoulder, a gentle and slow movement so she would be able to pull back in case he just wanted to be left alone. But he has been alone far too long....

"I have no words of wisdom. I can't even pretend to know your pain. I knew demons from the past tormented you, but I had no idea it was to this extent." This wasn't exactly how she wanted to start out, but her shattered companion needed to know he wasn't a solitary mortal any longer. "You are an avenger not a murderer. No amount of strength or speed would have been able to overcome the power of the betrayal you were caught in."

She spoke slowly and tried to be comforting to him, she knew it wasn't at all likely as he has felt this way for quite sometime. But she thought he needed to hear something that might lift a little of his burden. "If you had died that day, I wouldn't be here either. My life would have been snuffed out." As she spoke, she felt for any difference in his demeanor. "I don't believe redemption is beyond you. I don't believe you even need it. Taking the life of your loved one's murderer ensured that no one else would die by his evil." A few more tears edged out and down her cheeks. "If Alika loved you like you have shown you loved her, she would never have blamed you or wanted you to be like this."

Word Count 558

Tag: Audas

OOC: Excellent post, Sam! Certainly on the epic/drama list

[Audas]

The broken hunter suffered an onslaught of terrible thoughts of his own making, brought on by his grief, regret and hate for himself. All he wanted was to just die, so he no longer suffered from his own troubles, perhaps he did deserve to die, especially now he was believing that redemption didn't just exist, but even if it did, he wouldn't deserve it. The grey wolf could do nothing but keep his head bowed, eyes closed and sobbing with tears, he looked like an absolute wreck... a broken shell as Dex once said... maybe he was.

In his own despair, Audas paid no attention to his surroundings, so he didn't hear the female behind him approach at all. It was when he felt a heavy, but gentle feeling form on his shoulder gradually he started to pay attention, the feeling was on the same shoulder that was injured during the fight with the tundra wolf on Ina'mos. Audas tried to ignore the feeling, but was unable to do so and simply gave up. Nevertheless, he didn't react to it, and let the feeling remain, maybe the shoulder was flaring up... no, it had healed perfectly.

Ultimately, he heard the all too familiar voice that belonged to Nymph come forward, "I have no words of wisdom. I can't even pretend to know your pain. I knew demons from the past tormented you, but I had no idea it was to this extent. You are an avenger not a murderer. No amount of strength or speed would have been able to overcome the power of the betrayal you were caught in.". Audas once again did not react or respond, avenger or not, he still a killer.

The slow feminine voice continued, trying to carry a comforting tone, something that didn't work on the male, "If you had died that day, I wouldn't be here either. My life would have been snuffed out.". Whilst the brown furred wolf's body showed no sign of response, his mind took the info in, 'No, if I died, you might have never have met Kismet either, so you would have never encountered that tundra wolf.' thought the male, though he senses some slight truth in the arctic wolf's words.

What followed next however did catch him off guard though, "I don't believe redemption is beyond you. I don't believe you even need it.", at last, his body finally registered the words properly, 'I do need it, deserve it or not, why otherwise?'. Audas' teary eye's blinked open, and turned slowly towards the strange sense of feeling. Soon, his brown orbs located a small furry object next to him, with a... head placed against the shoulder, Nymph's head. "Taking the life of your loved one's murderer ensured that no one else would die by his evil.".

Audas watched as a few more droplets followed down the white furred femme's face, soon followed by a pair of Audas' own, as the female added the next part, "If Alika loved you like you have shown you loved her, she would never have blamed you or wanted you to be like this.".

The hunter couldn't help but slowly shake his head in disagreement, "Then why do I see her or somebody else, or everyone even, haunting me nearly every night? Calling me a failure, cursing me...", Audas clamped his eye's shut for a moment, as more tears flowed free. "Damn it, I already know the answer... I can't let go... I try so hard but I simply can't and it's consuming me... Where does that put me Nymph?"

Audas now focused his brown orbs into Nymph' green eyes, "Who else can say they lost everything? Who can blame themselves? Myself, and likely very few others."

Word Count: 625
OOC: Thanks Nymph!
Tag: Nymph

[Nymph]

Refusing to be pacified or let himself really listen to what she was saying, Audas remained in his dark cloud of guilt. He really believed Alika haunted him because she blamed him?

He answered his own query before she could even begin to speak. Frustrated beyond words, Nymph struggled to bring him around to the realization that he was her savior and in no need of redemption.

"You're right about letting go. And you're right about being one of few who lost everything. There's nothing I can say to change it and take all the pain away." Her own past came to mind, a very inconvenient event, to say the least. But no matter how she tried, the picture of her brother flooded every thought.   "I would be a hypocrite if I tried." Once again her complete loss and helplessness made itself known. All she wanted to do was heal him, make him whole again. The desire was there but the know-how was what was missing.

She lifted her head off of his shoulder and looked down at her paws. She wasn't in as bad of a state as Audas, but she knew about not letting go.

"To feel lost and not knowing where to go, where to turn...there's nothing to compare it to...." Her voice trailed off in silence, but her mind continued on. After a moment or two, she regained herself and once again looked to the earth toned male beside her. "You have a choice, Audas. The first: give up and commit the slowest form of suicide there is. Second: Give me a chance to show you life is still worth living. I'll devote my entirety to heal your wounds." That was all she could come up with at this time, a vow. However strange it may seem to him, there was no doubting her sincerity.

"Let me." A whisper among the breeze. A heart-wrenching plea. "I want to."

Word Count: 323

Tag: Audas

OOC: Sorry, super low muse. Better next time, promise.

[Audas]

Audas began to quietly regret his choice of words, he was very likely just making things progressively worse for both wolves by letting his guilt get in the line... again... But it was what he believed, he had failed to save their lives, he had every right to take the blame, nothing more, nothing less. Everytime he tried to climb out of the gaping mouth he had been falling into, he got pulled even deeper in... his guilt was gradually consuming him. "You're right about letting go. And you're right about being one of few who lost everything. There's nothing I can say to change it and take all the pain away." Nymph explained, "I would be a hypocrite if I tried.".

Audas once more pondered about what had happened to Nymph in her early life, he knew very little about that life or her family, much like he never told her much about his own family and early life. He watched as the little femme pulled her head away from his shoulder and gazing at her paws, as if pondering the situation.

"Audas, you are clinging on to the past too much, you need to let go..." echoed a familiar voice in his mind. 'Father?', Audas turned towards the source as Nymph's head remained lowered, and he soon found himself not staring at the haunting image of Alika, but this time a strangely reassuring image of Everest, his grey goat with brown sections easily highlighting him. All of a sudden, he tilted his head in seriousness, "You understand the problem, you just won't let go, accept it and move on."

One second, Everest was there, and the next he was gone, and all of a sudden he was looking at himself, and what looked like a larger version of Nymph, but upon closer inspection, the brown furred male had Nymph's green eyes, whilst the white furred male had Audas' brown eyes. 'I must be drunk, like I have heard some have gotten themselves into...'. The brown furred wolf with green eyes gave a small motion of his head back in Nymph's... the real Nymph's direction.

Audas turned back to the female, and the illusion was broken.

He listened carefully with renewed effort, as Nymph explained the feeling of not having anyone to turn too, a feeling understood very well. "You have a choice, Audas. The first: give up and commit the slowest form of suicide there is. Second: Give me a chance to show you life is still worth living. I'll devote my entirety to heal your wounds." explained and vowed the female. Could his wounds ever be healed? He had no answer.

"Let me.", whispered the female, "I want to."

Audas recovered the will to look into Nymph's eyes, not a general once over like he normally did, but a proper gaze into them even longer than he did when they first met, brown eyes monitoring green eyes intently, she meant every word.

With a deep, much more controlled breath, Audas replied, "If I chose the first option, I would be breaking my promise made back at the river and denying yours, to help each other when we needed it.", feeling the first anchor grip the top of the maw he was trapped in, "I don't intend to. How would I have lived this long otherwise?". Audas felt himself coming back together again, much to his relief. He reached forward, hesitated, bust soon, just like when he last saw her, he touched her nose with his own, "If you want to ask me about anything to do with my past, do so, and I will do my best to answer.", holding the position for a second longer, Audas pulled away. He was now much more composed, tears still flowed, but not anywhere near as much as before. It still pained him to think about it all, his past, but at least he could face it. Why would Everest be helping him? After everything? Maybe it was just his mind trying to get him to see straight again.

The question was, how could he heal? How did Nymph's philosophy on the matter differ from his? She treated his past like a wound that needed to be tended to, whilst he treated it like a stain to his own honour... his beliefs.

He looked over the whole body of the little arctic wolf, and looked into Nymph's eyes once more. He remembered the time she tended to his physical wound back in the caverns on Ina'mos, the joyous moments he had with her, the time he saved her... that quiet laugh..., the gratefulness that filled his heart... It felt much like a torn picture coming together, yet one could easily tell what the picture is of before even a small amount of it is even put back together.

He thought, no... hoped... he had reached the right conclusion.

The grey wolf finally began to speak, slowly and in as soft a tone he could manage. "When I first met you, you laughed at my own attempt of welcoming humour... you... reminded me of her... Alika.", the male blinked as he mentioned his old love's name, "After I got injured on Ina'mos, I guess deep down I knew you would never leave... just like you won't leave now.", immediately the male cursed himself, he was mucking it up! 'Your better than this...'.

With a brief shake of his head and another deep breath, he decided to get to the point, "The thing is... we have both said we have got closer to one another. But for me... I might have not realised until now but I feel like we are much closer than we originally thought... And I think you might feel the same way..." sincerely admitted the male, voice soothing and quiet.

Audas blinked and continued looking into the forest coloured eyes of Nymph, his brown eyes showing nothing but compassion... He wasn't be as blunt or as clear as he liked, but he hoped Nymph had got the message.

The brown furred hunter waited in anticipation.

Word Count: 1017
OOC: No problems Nymph.
Tag: Nymph

[Nymph]

She looked back at him with just as much intensity as he had as she waited to hear his choice. She knew about their promise to each other, but she needed to hear what he thought. If he no longer wanted her help, then there was no amount of effort that she could put forth to fulfill her side of the pact.

As if he picked up where her thoughts were, he also spoke of that day along the river. He did intend to keep it.

A feeling of relief flowed through her and she let one small smile creep along her features. It was first one in some time.

He then touched her, a gentle, reassuring gesture that was quickly becoming a favorite of hers. This time was longer than before. What he said next surprised the little female. An open invitation to ask anything she wanted and for the first time in her life, a fountain of queries never came. Only one question, that was all she had, "Will Kaine try to hurt you now that he is here?"  It was all she cared about right now, Audas' well being. If Kaine meant ill will towards his cousin, she would try to deflect it as best she could.

It seemed to her it would only be fair to offer the same thing. She knew far more of him than he did of her past. They promised to help each other. If he wanted to know, he should. "It wouldn't be fair to keep my secrets from you any longer. My story isn't like yours but it still holds close to me." She kept her voice level, "Ask and I'll tell you all you want to know."

Audas once again seemed to be taken away from her by his mind, but he was still looking at her. Deeply. Where ever his thoughts were taking him, it seemed to be a comfortable journey.

Then his voice danced out to her in a lovely gentle tone.  It wove a picture of the times they shared together and at first she didn't know why he was going down memory lane in such a way. To reinforce that we trust each other?..An interesting choice of words, though.

But at the end of his second sentence, she felt he was getting to something else. He seemed to be getting frustrated with himself but that didn't stop him from trying again. She listened carefully, silently encouraging him to say what ever he wanted to say.

At the end of his short tale, Nymph smiled up at him. A small, even shy smile glowing under the moon's silver watch. She realized he was waiting for a reply, but how exactly to proceed was something of a mystery. But if he could try, she could try.

"That last time we saw each other, I wanted to tell you how I felt about you. But I faltered and let the moment pass by without fully explaining what I meant. Part of it was my own fear of how it would have been received." She took a quick breath to continue, this was it. She couldn't stop now. "The other part was sheer ignorance of how to say it." She looked down quickly and mustered all her willpower to, hopefully, say it right: "I've always admired you, even in little things. Things that some would say were silly. Like when we first met, I told you I was fascinated with your colors. But then we time together and I saw an inner strength that I have never seen before." She was rambling but she couldn't stop herself now. "Time went on and we got closer, like you said. In caring for you, I have actually gone beyond that." She looked up at the topaz eyes before concluding her speech. "Audacity, I have grown to love you immensely."

She let the words out and waited for what he would do next. She may have gone too far but he needed to know she saw him to be more than a friend, more than a companion.

Now all there was left to do was wait and see his reaction to what she said.

Word Count: 703

OOC: Hope this will work for ya.

Tag: Audas

[Audas]

Audas was grateful of the arctic wolf's reaction to his decision, enjoying the small smile that had formed on the females face. "Will Kaine try to hurt you now that he is here?" asked Nymph, moments after he put down his offer to tell her anything she needed to know, "I doubt it, Kaine may be a killer himself, but he doesn't to it mindlessly. He most likely told you to amuse himself." explained Audas, it was the most likely reason Kaine did it, besides, Kaine hated his father, and called even between the two cousins. Nymph soon made her own vow to tell anything Audas wanted to know, a notion the grey wolf understood.

But things got far more interesting as he finished explaining his own thoughts and feelings to the little femme next to him, focusing his brown eyes onto the bright, forest coloured eyes of Nymph, he felt an increasing temptation to move closer but he kept it in check, he instead waited to hear the words that open a new chapter. He watched as Nymph gave a shy smile that reflected the moonlight at him.

In that moment, she looked beautiful, with her white coat, green eyes and shining smile.

Nymph finally began to speak, "That last time we saw each other, I wanted to tell you how I felt about you. But I faltered and let the moment pass by without fully explaining what I meant. Part of it was my own fear of how it would have been received.", with a short breath, she continued, "The other part was sheer ignorance of how to say it.". As the female looked down to gather herself together, Audas shuffled closer, so the hairs of the coats touched lightly. "I've always admired you, even in little things. Things that some would say were silly. Like when we first met, I told you I was fascinated with your colors. But then we time together and I saw an inner strength that I have never seen before. Time went on and we got closer, like you said. In caring for you, I have actually gone beyond that.".

The female finally brought her green eyes to focus straight into Audas' own topaz eyes, who in turn focused his own on hers. The two staring into each other's eyes as if they were staring into their souls.

"Audacity, I have grown to love you immensely."

Audas allowed the sentence to hang for just a moment, eyes remained locked on hers. Then, Audas' allowed a small, joyous smile to form on his face, and felt a feeling rise up within him, a feeling that he initially did not recognise, but soon realised it was an old feeling he was familiar with. He wasn't alone, and he didn't have to be with someone to love close by his side. It was time to stop running, to make a stand and to face whatever came at him.

"Nymph, You have been a light guiding me out of the shadows, and I truly love you for that."

Finally, unable to contain himself, he reached down towards the female's head and softly licked the top of her ear, quietly whispering to her with his most sincere, caring tone, "I love you Nymph, and will stand with you right to the ends of the world.". Pulling himself away from the female's ear, Audas brought his forehead against hers, holding it in place as he looked into Nymph's green eyes with his topaz ones... the moment was perfect.

Word Count: 590
OOC: It worked great Nymph! Hope this works as well.
Tag: Nymph