Spectral Woods in the quivering forest

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Datura caught sight of a strange wolf who seemingly does not want to be seen. (@Taima?)

there is no such thing as royal blood

• DATURA AQUILA •

I believe we are what we make ourselves

A sharp whine rose in the eerie silence, knife-like, as if such a plaintive sound might be able to hack and slash through the pregnant, impenetrable mists that rose from the ground. A child drifted among the clouds, carried onward by the imperceptible breeze that moved the cold, dank air with an unfathomable purpose. His coat was so sodden with mist that his gilded fur was no longer adorned with auric radiance, but flat browns and coppers. The golden eyes burned as he tossed his great head around, not quite sure where he was, no longer sure what he was supposed to do. The trees, sensing his insecurity, seemed to creep closer to him on their roots, pressing in against him and towering over him.

The subtle wind seemed to pick up, and with it's slender, ephemeral fingers it drew back a curtain of mist, inviting the boy into the distance. For just the briefest of moments, perhaps it was a trick of the eye, but the boy could have sworn he saw a flash of movement. "Hello?" he queried warily, taking a step towards the break in the clouds. And just like that, whatever held back the veil of fog relented. The distance was obscured once more in pearled air.

"HELLO?" he called, making up for what he lacked in confidence with volume. There was no courage left to the boy now, but Datura could never let the facade crumble. He would play the part. He had to play the part."I know you're out there. So... So you better just stop wasting your time and come out."

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i'll seek you out, flay you alive

TAIMA LYALL

one more word & you won't survive

The promises that had been made by the rogue woman were beginning to make Taima Lyall anxious. How long had it been now since she had left the sanctuary of the Thickets? Since she had seen her siblings, her parents? On and on and on this elder had led her, up the stony slopes and down the gravelly paths and into this hell of a place. This place… where it seemed like the sun barely shined through an endless curtain of clouds and mist. It had been a long while since Taima had seen her companion and she was starting to wonder if she ought to seek her out.

The words that guaranteed her swift return churned and ultimately crumbled at the forefront of the Hollow girl's mind. Hidden away in a small thicket against two sturdy saplings, she slicked her ears back then frowned. Now that she thought of it, how long ago had it been since her escort had left her here? Taima shook her head, becoming aware of the emptiness that was settling in the pit of her stomach, threatening to wrest all valid reasoning from her and thrust her instincts into overdrive.

This was ridiculous, and every bit of her instincts were screaming at her to take action. She could not, and would not, wait for the woman forever. Not even if she had spoken of giving her an empire and an army.

Gathering her feet beneath her and stretching her stocky limbs, she lifted her muzzle to where there should have been sprigs of greenery and an assortment of crooked boughs. The mist scented of everything that boasted the dying remains of winter but not even a trace the old leader's aroma could be picked up. Taima planted her nose to the ground, craning her neck here and there but found nothing that could clue her in to where she could have gone. She shuffled forward, standing out in the open. An unsettling chill combed its fingers through her coarse winter coat and it was enough to send her on an aimless path through the Woods.

It wasn't until a distant (or was it close?) salutation of "HELLO?" that she stopped in her tracks. She panted, willing herself to stay still until she could orient herself in the haze. Her ears drew forward again, her brows touching as she slowly came to realize that she knew this masculine voice. His tone, continuing to instruct that whoever was out there, hidden in the ground-bound fog, should show themselves.

She opened her mouth to speak but instead a gasp sought refuge in her lungs. Something or someone had blindly rushed past her, disturbing the mist with their hurried, silent strides. Her tail lifted curiously as she began to stroll haphazardly in his direction, unsure if she should make herself known now that someone other than her knight occupied the area. For the second time, she stopped, a most terrible thought accompanying the fear that had blossomed in the wake of both recognition and vigilance.

He had saved her once; but, would he save her again if the opportunity presented itself?

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there is no such thing as royal blood

• DATURA AQUILA •

I believe we are what we make ourselves

Whoever was lurking out there, appeared, did not want to respond. Instinctively, the boy pressed himself closer to the ground, his tail curling up as if to hug his body for reassurance. To pass the time, Datura considered the possible identities of the movement: it could be another zombie, or perhaps it was that dark, terrible stranger that had saved his life. Dread began to seep in through the cracks that his faltering confidence could not fill. It had been awhile since he had seen Slyscar, and he was unsure of whether or not this was a good thing. The thought of having been abandoned, on one hand, made him shudder... but on the other, he did not wish to have Slyscar looming over him, a constant reminder of his cowardice and the way he had pissed himself at the sight of the zombie,

It appeared that whatever Taima had seen had moved in his direction. Suddenly, the boy felt himself knocked slightly off balance as some form moved past him. A wail jumped out of his throat as he threw himself to the ground. He could see no sign of the creature that had bumped him, though... the churning mists had swallowed up any trace of whatever had been next to him only moments before. He fought back tears of frustration. "HELLO." This was more of a demand than an invitation to converse, a snarl distorting his call. "GOD DAMNIT. HELLO."

And just then a shape emerged from the mist, a leg... a hoof... Datura cried out again and flung himself to the right as the heavy stride of a massive buck came crashing to the ground right where one of his paws had been moments before. Thoughtlessly, as if he hadn't even seen the young boy, the buck snorted and continued onward, swimming deeper into the mists until he too was swallowed in the uncanny current of swirling air.

The world fell silent once more.

But only for a moment.

Though the fog seemed to consume all the sounds of the world around him, nothing could hide the movement, the anxious trembling of the earth below him. There was no time to react. His eyes could only widen as a wave of mist broke upon the shore and out from the sea-spray emerged a herd of beasts. They bellowed and brayed as if frightened, compelled leave the forest by some strange force of nature that Datura could sense but not quite see.

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i'll seek you out, flay you alive

TAIMA LYALL

one more word & you won't survive

"HELLO. GOD DAMNIT. HELLO." The call became more insistant and demanding and Taima, though fear had shaken her, boldly strode towards the youth's call. The world fell silence once more and she struggled to keep a hold of herself, to keep from calling out for Datura. Her tail curled beneath her, her shaky steps keeping her moving forward until she heard them... grunting and brayed.

Perhaps the old woman had led her into a pit of monsters... the ones her brother Ryvet near-constantly fretted about.

She swallowed a scream, but another managed to rip free when the rhythm of heavy footfall sounded off nearby, somewhere too close for comfort. Taima bolted in the opposite direction, stumbling blindly through the fog. Desperate to find her way through the Woods, she started off in one direction only to be "herded" by the sight of curiously swirling mist. Someone might have been there, watching her... She revised her path until she found herself surrounded by greenery and a forest of deer legs. Claustrophobia, which had never been experienced before, was starting to set in and she began to fear that she might suffocate and perish here, never to be found again.

Don't panic, she told herself. She slipped through the foliage, her presence undetected until she accidentally brushed up against an unsuspecting buck. It's loud, startled bleat sent her running. Twice she caught sight of restless limbs pacing beside her and twice she faltered. The first time she had to recover from dodging a low-hanging branch... The second, she ran nose first into Datura Aquila's side.

She immediately shuffled backwards, the sight of auburn fur alarming against the ghostly, gray backdrop. If she had not been looking properly, she might have gone as far as assuming his pelt was the color it was because he was bleeding. Her eyes widened, recognition and relief both dawning on her masked face as she plucked his name and scent from memory, "DATURA!"

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(This post was last modified: Mar 28, 2013, 03:53 AM by Taima.)

and who are you, the proud lord said

• DATURA AQUILA •

that i must bow so low?

Once more he felt himself torn from his feet and forced to the ground by some unseen power.

But this one called his name.

His face took most of the fall, skidding into the muddy ground, his rump still in the air. "DATURA!" Immediately he was back on his feet, whirling about to face whoever it was who had pushed him to the ground with a furious passion. His rage was fueled half by stress, half by outrage. They had gotten muck all over his splendid face! It wasn't the sludge that made him look ugly, though he wouldn't know it.

What he saw, though, made him rethink his ferocity. "TAIMA!" he shouted in response, his voice a bell ringing and echoing joyfully out into the mists. Reckless, he threw himself at her in a playful tackle, so glad to see a familiar face in these times of dark uncertainty. "Oh taima!" He still must have been flying on auto pilot, for the next thing he did was bury his dirty face into her fur.

"You don't smell bad anymore!" In the intensity of the moment he lost track of his manners. The comment, though maybe not so nice, was well-intentioned. When they had last — and first met — she had smelled like a pile of regurgitated feces, and nothing they did seemed to remedy it. Datura had pretty much decided she was just going to smell that way forever. But now she smelled... normal... maybe. He had no idea what normal was for her.

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i'll seek you out, flay you alive

TAIMA LYALL

one more word & you won't survive

The sight before her would have been absolutely hilarious if it weren't for the facts that: 1) she was not far away from home, given the current situation, 2) Datura appeared absolutely mad at first, and 3) she had been absolutely terrified before finding her heir of the crags and peaks. He returned her unconventional greeting with the same enthusiasm, calling out her name as soon as he, too, had recognized her. He even buried his muddied face into her, cried out that she didn't smell like skunk spray. Her own tail wagged, delighted in his presence, that he remembered her even after all that time.

"Why're you..." she started, staring at him with eyes as large as full moons. "How're you... What're you doing here?" She looked around only to realize that the fog was still closing in around them. "Is this... Is this where you live?" Her voice no longer had that squeaky, girlish quality to it anymore and, though it had mellowed out into a more mature tone, the curiosity and sensibility was still apparent.

She waited for his response, a worried expression marring her face. A part of her dreaded that this was where her hero, was destined to reign; if he said yes, she wasn't sure she could accept the idea that she did not want to consider him her prince anymore. As a girl who knew nothing but the familiarity of thickets and trees, she knew for certain that this forest would not and could never compare to the Cedarwood. She needed to see the sunlight, to catch glimpses of the sky above her, to be allowed the advantage to see her prey or other entities before they discovered her. If she stayed here, even with Datura at her side, she would surely drown. If he said no, on the other hand, she was more than prepared to fill him in about what had happened and how she had seemingly ended up in the middle of nowhere.

"I'm scared," she half-whimpered, her dark-rimmed ears folding back against her neck and her tail curling against her heels. L-lead me, her tone implored him again. Please?

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i was thirsty so i drank, and though it was salt water

• DATURA AQUILA •

there was something 'bout the way
it tasted so familiar

Oh it was so good to see her, someone he knew, out here in this unexplored, frightening sea, that he found his tail waving with such enthusiasm that his whole body moved with it in a sort of wiggling motion. He jumped up and down lightly in front of her, for all the world the young puppy he had often denied. At the very least she didn't seem to mind him getting her all dirty — that was nice. And she seemed happy to see him too.

What was he doing here indeed. He followed her gaze around, but there really wasn't much to see. They were surrounded by the ermine walls of fog on every side. They might as well have been floating on some small island out here in this mist, for it certainly seemed like this was all that remained of the world: this small stretch of muddy ground and two lost children.

"Heavens no!" he cried, outraged at by the suggestion that he would ever choose to live somewhere like this. Maybe Slyscar lived here, for sometimes he thought he could catch traces of his scent, but more often or not the dampness washed away any of the stale traces of his savior. "This is not where I live," he added emphatically, the disdain he felt ringing clearly in his voice. "I don't really know what I'm doing here... I was..." He fumbled with how to explain the whole zombie attack to her. How could he tell her that he had been a coward and he had pissed himself like a little cub? I'll just bend the truth a bit. "...Escorted here by some guy. I saved him from a monster, so he thought I could... help him out with something else." That wasn't so far from the truth, was it? Slyscar had said Datura could be of help to him... though he never quite said what.

"I'm scared."

His golden eyes leaped to her pale face, his expression austere. Inwardly, Datura screamed at her. He was scared too! How was he supposed to help her if he couldn't even help himself? He was too tired, too confused himself...But he could hear the request in her tone, and since she had asked he could not deny her. He had to be her hero. He had to. Sharply, he inhaled, "Then I'll protect you. It will be alright." Gently he leaned in to run his muzzle along her cheek in a comforting gesture he had seen grown-ups do. He didn't really want to touch her more than he had to, but if she was scared and he had to help her, then this was part of his duty.

"We should probably follow the deer..."

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(This post was last modified: Mar 29, 2013, 04:46 AM by Datura.)

i'll seek you out, flay you alive

TAIMA LYALL

one more word & you won't survive

Everything around her sent her into a swivet. The fog closing in, the herd of deer taking their leave, the fact that Datura was here beside her... willing to protect her. She was wholly glad that her prince was quick to deny that he lived in the area, but the story of his arrival here put her on tenterhooks. "Me too!" she nearly shrieked, her voice strained as she managed to hush her exclamation. "This lady found me and she brought me here."

Upon being told that he would keep her safe and that everything would be "alright," she beamed up at him, her expression still identical to the gaze she had given him when he had saved her from a skunk. The sensation of feeling his touch along her cheek coaxed from within the depths of her being the courage that had taken cover during the hours she had been left alone. The certainty in his voice was enough to make her recall who she was, who she was with... Any nobleman, she knew from her Uncle Angier's stories, took pride in protecting his lady; but, the way she saw it, it made more sense for her to at least attempt to rise to the occasion in turn. Two souls, emboldening one another, seemed like they would have a better chance of survival than just having him protect her...

"We should probably follow the deer," he suggested and she heartily nodded, finding enough solace to swallow the rest of her cries and whimpers and redeem her voice. "Probably." She cautiously lifted her head, to look to him fully before turning to look over both of her shoulders. Left, right, then left again and back to Datura as she took a step in a random direction, having been disoriented again as the mist engulfed all traces of the herd's departure. Her nose picked up the scent of the deer and she whirled about again, catching sight of a tawny, barrel-shaped ribcage through the trees.

Taima started after it, sending it leaping through the haze faster than it anticipated. The girl's ears perked up uncertainly before laying back down, her wide golden eyes seeking to hold Datura's. A hint of a smile played on her lips before disappearing completely. Never mind that he had outright told her that she didn't smell anymore or seemed outraged that she thought he was the heir to this ethereal perdition. Datura had had the mind to save someone other than her, a momentary damsel-in-distress at best, and he had the wits to think of following the deer in hopes of finding a way out. Also, not to mention, that he had also cultured the chivalry and gentlemanliness to physically comfort her with a fleeting touch.

Something beyond their midst caught her attention and she quickly set her eyes in the direction of rustling foliage and snapping twigs. She lifted a forepaw, an indication of her growing hesitation to venture further into the unknown, and she waited for him to lead. Following close at his flank, she worriedly whispered, "Have you seen that guy recently? Like, did he come back to check up on you? The lady that brought me here said she'd return soon but she hasn't."

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i'm glad this plot is at least progressing xD

you hit me once, i hit you back, you gave a kick, i gave a slap

• DATURA AQUILA •

you smashed a plate over my head
then i set fire to our bed

The thought that his being lost out here and Taima suddenly being here too would be connected in anyway hadn't occurred to the boy. At least, it hadn't occurred to him until suddenly she squealed, "Me too!" and explained that this time it had been a lady. A wave of fear crashed over him. Was this perhaps all connected? Was this lady working with this man who had brought him here? Were there more? What did they want with them? His dark golden ears twitched, swiveling backwards to hide against his head when suddenly he caught Taima's eyes. Such resolute trust, such benevolent faith shone from her pale face as she smiled at him that he found the strength to keep his ears up.

His companion agreed that they should follow the deer, and yet when Datura looked around again he realized he had no idea where they had gone. He wasn't bright enough to look at the tracks they had made in the mud, though there were so many that even an experienced tracker would have had a hard time making sense of the jumble of markings. Frustration began to well up inside of him as whirled around, trying to pinpoint any trace of their antlered guides. They couldn't very well go wandering about aimlessly in this fog, that would only get them more lost. But there weren't any deer, damnit. He didn't know which way to—

Just as he was reaching his breaking point, he noticed that Taima was looking at something. Then he heard it too, the faint rustling of the bushes. With a raised paw, she seemed to suggest that he go first. Steeling himself, the soggy, golden boy padded up to the bush. It wasn't moving anymore, so he pushed himself into it, feeling the leaves and branches dig into his fur as he struggled through. When suddenly he plopped out on the other side he noticed he was standing at the edge of a wellbeaten path in the forest.Well, maybe it wasn't deer exactly, and maybe the deer hadn't even left it... but perhaps it was better to follow this trail than nothing.

"Come on Taima, through here..." he breathed, for some reason afraid to speak above a whisper, as if anything louder would waken and anger whatever dark spirits churned the mist. While he waited for her to come through the bushes, he said "And... I haven't seen him either... It's like they all just disappeared..."

Hesitantly, he looked up and down the path, not quite sure which way to go but knowing he had to make some sort of decision. "Let's... let's go this way!" he said, tossing a smile of feigned confidence back at the Heiress of the Hollow before moving onward into the unknown...

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meeeeee too. <3

i'll seek you out, flay you alive

TAIMA LYALL

one more word & you won't survive

Wordlessly, Taima watched as Datura was practically swallowed whole by the dense foliage. She was just about ready to call out after him and verbally question his choice of direction when he called out to her from the other side, "Come on Taima, through here..." He must have found something noteworthy. Her head tilted as her hypersensitive eardrums picked up on his whisper and she clutched onto every single bit of courage she still had as she pushed her way into the hedge. One step, then another and another. She winced as the brambles got caught up against her shoulders and sides. Enveloped in the dead leaves and spiny branches, she tried hard to hold her breath and keep moving forward.

His voice lured her further, her nose twitching as it emerged and he told her that it seemed like the strange wolves had practically disappeared. Taima let loose the breath she had been holding, leaning forward as she struggled to finally pull her right forelimb from the thicket. It took a couple of tries but one good pull was all it took to wrench it free. The culprit, a thorny vine that had snagged itself into a loop, clung to her forepaw; as Datura studied their surroundings and debated about which path to take, she managed to kick the troublesome vine away. In a matter of moments he came to a decision and offered her another morsel of confidence. The certain smile on his face came through to her and it sent her tail into a series of gentle wags. As he stepped onto the chosen trail, she followed suit without question, knowing well enough that she would be safe as long as he was there beside her.

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