Secluded Spring nominis umbra

death claims all things. it is law, not punishment, to die
OMNIA MORS POSCIT. LEX EST, NON PŒNA, PERIRE
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Mapplethorpe

December 30th; Late afternoon; Cloudy, chilly; -13ª F.

What compelled Mapplethorpe to journey to the east, to keep his path trained on reaching the mountain in the distance, could not thoroughly be accounted for. It might have been the way the masked woman had spoken with him or it might have been the curiosity that she rooted within the depths of his mind, the inquisitiveness she had cultivated when she entertained him with the idea that she could be a potential leader. It could have been the ache in his belly or even the innate desire to belong to someone or something bigger... even for just a little while. He was simply a wolf after all. It was merely his nature to crave such a thing though his personality and innermost impulses hungered for more selfish means. Either way, it had taken him the better part of three weeks to come this far.

Having waited out a brief snowstorm the day before, his excursion rewarded him handsomely with the sight of water, solid and all the more frustrating underneath a sheet of ice. A puff of cold air rose from his nose and mouth as he panted. A smart man might have slaked his thirst by eating mouthfuls of snow, but Mapplethorpe believed himself above the idea. Patience held a much greater reward if he only focused. Skirting along the frosted edges of the frozen body of water, he teetered about until he gathered enough grit to risk slipping on glassy surface. His eyes searched for a fracture in the ice as he continually to test his weight on various parts of the shallows until the sound of success creaked in his ears.

Much like an excited cub eager whines whistled and screeched from his muzzle. Where one paw had successfully cracked the ice, he placed the other alongside it, squaring his shoulders and leaning forward just slightly enough to watch as lines began to branch out from underneath him. Easy now, he calmed himself, anticipation building in a lump at his throat. He inched himself forward one paw at a time. Easy... Eas--SPLOSH!

The ice underneath him gave way, sending his elbows and torso first into the frigid water then, with his flailing about, his whole being. His muzzle and head surfaced with violent gasp and after several attempts to climb out of the water, he heaved himself up. Shaking and shivering, droplets of water fell from his scruffy winter coat. Any healthy wild canine should have been fine, despite being soaked in ice water, and well-minded to instinctively draw away from the rift; but, Mapplethorpe apparently was neither. He dared to shake out his coat, thin from his state of malnourishment, causing the ice beneath him to fracture. Fortunately, it held his weight, and he continued to test it by craning his neck towards the water's surface and finally lapping at it in haste to slake his thirst.

(This post was last modified: Dec 30, 2012, 10:04 AM by Mapplethorpe.)

(Mind if I throw in Damayanti? If not I will delete the post)

Damayanti wandered through wilderness after wilderness, but none as breathe taking to her as of yet. this one was by far the best place for a home. regardless of what had happened to her in the past. Her limp was near extinct and her eyes wavered from side to side in alert for intruders on her peace. If even one more disturbed her, she's have a problem. But she knew keeping calm was the rational thing to do. Her tail flickered side to side in an annoyed like fashion in the late afternoon. she wished there would be sun, but she couldn't complain, it was winter after all.

Her ear snapped up when she thought her nose deceived her... wolf. There was a wolf in the area that would have to put up with the constants of this life. She smelled no pack marks so she figured she was in the clear when it came to that. Her eyes narrowed as she crept forward. She reserved judgment if this wolf as of yet. Perhaps the loners life was worth her time, perhaps it was better to leave him and turn back. but she always reserved judgment until they proved what they were made of. Taken that good or bad she watched from the bushes.

It appeared that the loner was trying to break the ice, she watched intently to see if he was actually as smart as he seemed. The creaks then the sploosh told her it might be time to react. But she failed to do so. She hesitated in watch. He lugged himself out and shook out his coat. He went back to his vigilant work. what a brave soul. "Need some help?" She asked walking out from her hiding spot. "I'm Damayanti. Damayanti Abhilasha." She introduced herself, her eyes examining the, medium sized wolf. He seemed to be okay. Was he really though?

(This post was last modified: Jan 01, 2013, 01:56 PM by Damayanti.)

All Tangled In the Roots of my past

edit; please fix your table; it's breaking the board. :c

death claims all things. it is law, not punishment, to die
OMNIA MORS POSCIT. LEX EST, NON PŒNA, PERIRE
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Mapplethorpe

The sound of approaching footsteps ensnared his attention. Someone had been watching him; spying as he tested the strength of the ice underneath him, shivered, and quenched his need for hydration. She asked if he needed her help. It made a glare morph the features on his face. Did he look like he needed help? His citrine eyes lit up with a spark of anger and he rounded on her as she extended her name. His shaky limbs brought him to his full height and his tail rose in a tight arch. "Custos!" he spat at her, his lips parting to reveal his clenched teeth. "Pestis! Quid vis?" Much like his previous encounter with the upcoming leader of the Mountain wolves, he did not relish the fact that he had been disturbed.

Though he still trembled every so often, the cold barely bothered him aside from the bits of him that nearly lacked fur. Hunger might have been the more prominent cause of his shivering. The mice he had plucked from underground burrows a few days ago had not been enough to sate his appetite. "QUID VISSS?!" he demanded again, the last word ending in a threatening hiss. "Abi." A growl sounded from deep within him, a clear indicator that he did not return her sentiment of exchanging names or personal information unless she had some other words of value to relay to him. Kindness, he had been led to believe, was either a sign of weakness or the possibility that this being had presented herself to him for some sort of drawback or advantage. Things happen, he reminded himself, for a reason.

He slowly parted his jowls again as he stared into her face, taking in her reaction while his tongue flicked against his upper canines. His deep voice rolled from his chest, fortified with a second growl, "I don't need your help. Why were you spying on me?!"

(This post was last modified: Jan 01, 2013, 07:34 AM by Mapplethorpe.)

Damayanti was not amused as he turned and hissed at her in another language. Her eyes darted from side to side as she glanced around to see if anyone else was here and understood him. When he spoke normal English she decided to mess with his brain again. "I saw someone spying on me earlier that resembled you." She said without hesitation, it wasn't true at all, but she said it in a neutral tone with a bit of accusation mixed it. "Perhaps some help breaking the ice, it would go faster if I helped." She said, only trying to be logical. Normally she would have just blown up in his face with her temper, but today was a rather good day for her so she remained calm and observant.

It seemed typical that no one in these realms seemed to respond back to a greeting with a name of they're own. If that was how they were, she'd need to adapt to it soon. She'd traveled up a far from the red flamed rise with the red flowers. She had the slightest tint of amusement in her eyes and her tail swayed gently across the ground. She had nothing else to say so she watched in vigilance Her fur ruffled slightly in the breeze but she held her position.

She thought about the words he'd said, what language were they? They sure weren't normal because that would imply that she didn't know them and that she was stupid. This was not the case however. Her thoughts lingered back to the looking of a strong pack that is in a need for good hunters. A pack she had yet to find. She was looking for a pack to punish those who deserved it and not chicken out. She had found no such pack because the punishments compared to the actions were weaker then a chicken could have given.

All Tangled In the Roots of my past

death claims all things. it is law, not punishment, to die
OMNIA MORS POSCIT. LEX EST, NON PŒNA, PERIRE
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Mapplethorpe

Mapplethorpe's brows drew together and he looked at her as if trying to determine something about the woman. Was she blind? She assumably had been watching him, so... Probably not. He snarled at her reply, ultimately unimpressed with her own brand of wit. Her claim of accusing him of spying on her did little in engaging him further in the conversation.

He stood still, eyeing her up and staring her down as she continued, offering her assistance in breaking up the ice even further. He did not need her help; the ice had already been broken and he had already fallen into the water as well as soothed his parched throat. He gave a scoff, observing as she patiently stood there, as if waiting for something more. If she was anticipating the opportunity to aid him, she was very sorely mistaken. Mapplethorpe shrugged, his lanky form fluidly unlocking from his rigid stance, drawing himself further away from her and the hole he had fallen through. No use in falling in again, and then actually really needing her help...

"Stulte," he grumbled under his breath, lifting a damp paw up off the ice before placing it back down. His ears, once turned forward in vexation, swiveled back to their normal positions but he did it dare to let her leave his sight. With a click of his tongue, he added gruffly, "You want to help me... then begone!"

He lurched forward, the telltale signs of aggression creeping up along his spiked figure. His ears swiveled forward to point at her again, his eyes lessened into slits, his muzzle wrinkled upward and back to reveal his fangs, and his jaws snapped together in a menacing click. The nearly vine-like tail behind him whipped at the wintry air, sending drops of water flying from its tip. "I am diseased, woman! Leave me be!" He stepped to one side, as if to offhandedly reveal the thinning places in his pelt at his elbows and shoulder blades. For some effect, he allowed saliva to dribble and freely drip from his lips in long, thin strings and he craned his head slightly downward, "You want this madness?!" He prowled forward with a maddened grin, his parted jaws and posture implying that he might randomly strike, "Then let me help you!"

Damayanti's offer to help with what had already been done quickly turned into a snarling rage as he suggested a fight on him. She took up a defensive stance. Her icy blue eyes gazing cautiously at the male. She'd fight if she had to, though now a days she'd preferred not to fight, but to work things out manually. These wolves were insane, they were madness. Was this Sparta? No, it wasn't but this was madness alright. "This isn't your territory." She responded, she was an impulsive liar by nature, however this was not the case this time. This time alone she was right. This wasn't his territory.

Her tail rose and curled, it was instinct for her. Her teeth shown through her pissed off expression. Her ears pricked and alert, and most of all, she stood as tall as she could. That was her key. She in truth, kind of wanted to make this wolf mad. She wasn't sure why, she just did. The one thing that brought to her mind when he said some off language was Nila Agni. Her mother's sayings. Her mother had grown up in a Indian like pack of wolves. They hadn't spoken all English, a majority was in Indian. Nila Agni was her mother's favorite saying. Dark Blue Fire.

Damayanti Abhilasha Nila Agni. She put the phrases together and she came up with subdued desires dark blue fire. It was something she considered to be tangled in the roots of her past. One thing she couldn't quite get rid of.She didn't quite understand what this had to do with her life, but she knew some day she would figure it out. Her eyes narrowed in frustration. She didn't want a fight, but her body screamed fight. Her mind screamed fight. Her conscience told her to hold back and walk away. She was tangled in the roots again.

All Tangled In the Roots of my past

death claims all things. it is law, not punishment, to die
OMNIA MORS POSCIT. LEX EST, NON PŒNA, PERIRE
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Mapplethorpe

She continued to stand there. It made the male's head tilt with a sort of exasperated snort. Now, what was she doing? A snicker fluttered from his vocal chords. This was ridiculous; even if his willowy frame was nothing to be intimidated by to begin with. She dared to put him in his place, "This isn't your territory." His brows rose and his lips sealed once more.

Fireworks started going off in his mind, the several lightbulbs in his brain flickering and turning on, Oh... Really? "Nor is it yours," he stated, confidence spewing from his mouth with every word. "What makes you think you can assume? Suppose the land is not mine, presume I'm a helpless soul, reckon that I will fight? You... You don't know." He cautiously placed one paw in front of the other, eventually making a wide, but uneven circle around the girl. "You don't know me," he taunted, coming to a standstill near the break in the ice, his original starting point. "You have nothing, nothing to threaten me with. Nothing to do with all your strength..."

An eerie cackle emitted from him as he lifted his muzzle skyward. "YOU!" he crowed. "You don't have the strength to even initiate this... dance. You. Lack. Conviction. Certitude. Gumption. So... Allow. Me..."

Discarding any discretion he held before about maneuvering about on the frozen spring, he lurched forward, gradually lumbering over towards the female at a terrifying pace. Before disappearing into the snowbanks and underbrush, he made an attempt to snap at the air beside one of her wrists - a warning to not trifle with him again.

(EXIGO.)

(This post was last modified: Jan 02, 2013, 06:12 AM by Mapplethorpe.)

Damay snarled a witty response, but it was drowned out by the weirdo's talking. He lunged at her and managed to graze her wrist as she attempted to turn. He he caught her lower back. "YOU NIRUPAMA SOUL! I will not back down." She snarled at him. Her eyes glancing dangerous looks and her breathing now at a slight pant. She'd not fought in some time. She felt an adrenaline rush in her. this would revive her a bit, perhaps she could go out hunting later. The clouds still had yet to let the sun through. The sun had yet to show.

Her joints ached slightly, her tail had eased little, and her fur ruffled in the breezes of the late afternoon, the chill not affecting her as to where she grew up. she was fast to adapt and faster to fight. She had the speed for it no doubt. It gave her a boost when it came to the lack of stamina and strength. She saw no bad ending on this for her. she could fight it out, but she could never flee. Her pride was at stake. If the other wolf wanted to leave, it was fine by her. She would not back down, there was too much at stake for that.

"So bite me, fight me. I could care less. I'll win." She challenged the male, she was playing a dangerous game. Her muscles tensed and her hackles rose. Her eyes narrowed further. Stealth, speed, strategy, safety, vitals. The five crucial things to battle. Remember them, remember them. She told herself. But then he made a flee and she nearly laughed. She turned and went to the spring to get a drink. She'd won in her opinion, her eyes lit up with pride. Her mother would be proud.

{end}

(This post was last modified: Jan 03, 2013, 04:49 PM by Damayanti.)

All Tangled In the Roots of my past