the latest in your art of war

@Anouke

She was feeling restless. Her sleep had been put off by the nervous feeling within her gut. It was tomorrow that she would separate permanently from these woods and seek a new home. Tomorrow she would be forced to intervene in other's affairs, to be judged. As the time drew closer, her feelings continued to mix, her true nature conflicting with the lofty ideals her mind concocted. She yearned for this, for pack life and community and of course, motherhood. Yet the notion was, as you might say, only skin deep. Truly she only enjoyed company when it benefited her. The perk might be as simple as staving off boredom or calming her nerves, but those occasions were not numerous enough to tolerate constant responsibility and idle conversations. Perhaps that was the true source of her anxiety; deep down she knew this would turn out wrong again, that it was only a waste of time. Eek stretched herself out, stout black limbs scraping through the fallen leaves. She had been trying to sleep, nestled down safe within cover. But these thoughts were persistent and she was unable to put them to rest. And so she pushed herself onto her paws, and took to exploring. As long as she'd lived here, she knew a good portion of the woods, but not everything was known to her. Another farewell ritual, perhaps; was she becoming superstitious? Eek delved into the heart of the woods, where the mist was thickest, hoping to find something that would numb her mind of it's nagging thoughts.

(This post was last modified: Sep 28, 2013, 09:33 PM by Eek.)

Extremely sorry for the long wait! :c
No muse, ya know?
@Eek

I do it because I can, I can because I want to,

Anouke Kasekhemre

I want to because you made me.

The silence that wrapped around the Young Hellion was deafening. It was like a hand that pressed down upon the woods; blocking out any sound from escaping, or entering. His first reaction was suspicion, but as time went on he became more relaxed. He was always aware of his surroundings, that skill was needed to be able to work his way through tricky situations. But from the silence he could tell that nothing would be able to sneak up on him. Any sound would immediately be heard from miles away, which would alert him to its presence, be it predator, prey, or wolf.

Bright, calculating amber eyes scanned the forest, searching for anything that may be unusual or suspicious-looking. Chatters from up above sounded almost distant, but they were audible. Chattering’s from chipmunks and other creatures, squawks from birds and many other sounds that his dark ears couldn’t quite decipher.

Under the canopy of leaves upon the branches it was cold, dark and damp. Slight amounts of light filtered through the leaves and beamed down upon the ground, where it would have to battle with the ghostly blue fog that swirled on the ground, carpeting it with a ghostly glow, to be seen. Large paws padded through the fog –which swirled around his legs and licked at the underside of his creamy brown belly- towards an unknown destination. The Young Hellion often wandered around, searching for new wolves to meet, to play his tricks on, and just to have fun. Plain and simple.

Anouke paused when he saw a small, dark shape; ears and nose twitching, eyes scanning and lips starting to curl, almost showing his pearly white canines. Being wary of creatures in the Spectral Woods was a very good idea, as he had no idea if they were friendly or not. It wasn’t that he was scared, he could look death in the eyes and not feel a trace of fear, but knowing what he would be up against was better than not knowing. After all, wasn't the saying ”Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer” said for a reason?

The creature seemed to be heading into what seemed the center of the woods, where the mist was thickest. His interest peaked as his large paws padded forwards –not ambling into the unknown, but after the dark shape, whatever it was. As time passed, the Young Hellion seemed to catch up with the small, dark creature. Now that he was up closer, Anouke could clearly see that the small, dark creature was a tiny wolf, (barely reaching up to his neck) a female.

The small female sported a thick, black pelt that looked as if it needed a good groom. White hairs could be seen singularly throughout her messy coat, and what seemed to be muscles gave her a cylindrical shape. As the fae walked, he could see murky silver eyes imbedded into a dark face. But the most extraordinary thing about the fae was her lack of tail.

He was intrigued yet repulsed at the same time. It could mean that she had either won a great battle, or had lost miserably against a larger wolf. But then again, he strived for perfection in a wolf, and having a tail was a must. Trying to ignore the fact that the fae had no tail he stopped and stood still, watching her as she slowly padded onwards at a leisurely pace, without a care in the world.

The tip of his brown tail twitched to the side as he lifted up his right leg –which was all white- and flexed it calmly. Whenever he met a new wolf, he always did that, but why, he didn’t know. “Look at us here, trying to find your lost tail?” His voice was deep and soft, yet also full of volume, like a bass guitar. He would see what her reaction was, before trying to either tempt her to do something drastic, or seduce her. The latter made him mentally shiver, he would like nothing to do with her. But the temptation to mess with her mind was just too great to overcome.

Oh, he would mess with her mind until she couldn’t think straight.

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(This post was last modified: Oct 05, 2013, 09:14 AM by Anouke.)

Eek was not one to be overly aware of her surroundings, as fear, suspicion, and worry were all rather foreign to her mind when without child. There was a significant stretch of time during which she was completely and utterly unaware of the man's presence. Had his malicious intentions been immediately physical, Eek might have found herself in a lethal predicament. If she had the knack for speculation, she would have a hard time reconciling why she could be so lucky in circumstances such as this but always faced devastating happenings when pursuing her mothering desires. The woman might even come to the sound conclusion that she was not meant to mother, that there must be something else for her and that fate was trying its damnedest to steer her in this other direction. As it was, not even the universe could tell her a thing. In time, she came to know that she was not alone. Still, concern did not rise within her mind, though she now put conscious effort into tracking this other soul's movements. Her intentions remained the same, a steady trek forward, a slow drown in the banking fog. If they wished for her company, she would reluctantly give them her attention for as long as they proved entertaining. If they wished to do her harm, she would prove herself to be an explosive opponent. Eek was persuaded toward neither possibility, and thus she remained equally braced for either one. Then the uncouth beast spoke. Her motions ceased immediately, muscles rigid. The trepan fog thickened around her, spying its opportunity to close in on her. Eyes that matched its deathly hue snared the stranger within their sight, approximating what level of violence would be necessary to cease his breathing forever. For he had brought up one of the quickest ways to trigger the girl; her lack of a tail. It had been a source of great dissonance since the occurrence. It was difficult to continue convincing yourself against all evidence that you father loved you after such a vicious punishment. She would attempt to ignore its absence as she grew older, and would slip into lengthy periods of being oblivious to the loss, even falling under a spell of perceiving herself as still being whole. Those who stole this fantasy from her were seen as vile enemies. "who the fuck do you think you are?" she hissed, slowly turning herself to face him. each step was rigid, forcibly controlled, as it took great self control not to immediately throw herself at his throat.

I do it because I can, I can because I want to,

Anouke Kasekhemre

I want to because you made me.

As the Young Hellion spoke his riddle of words the small, dark fae immediately froze and she turned around, staring at him with cold silver eyes. A smirk tugged at his lips but didn’t make an appearance. He was delighted that he received an interesting reaction with almost no work from his part. But, it had been very strong words that he had used, and it was apparent that he had struck a nerve.

At her words –which were spoken in a threatening, low hiss- the small, dark fae slowly turned around to face him, each step slow and forcibly moved, as if she was attempting to control herself from lashing out. He hadn’t moved from his position, but the hint of a smirk grew until the corners of his lips twitched up. Her choice of words were intriguing, and he had to give her credit for her bold actions.

Shifting his weight ever so slightly backwards on his hind legs, the Young Hellion stared at the small, dark fae with bright, calculating amber eyes for a few moments, before his head cocked to the side and he spoke. “Oh, very touchy, I see…” His voice was barely a whisper, but audible. “I am but a lone wolf looking for company among other wolves; to interact with. Have a bit of fun you’d say. But I have to ask, what are you seeking out?”

When he spoke the second time, his voice was still soft, but could be heard easily. It had a slight teasing tone, and he was sure that the small, dark fae could hear the interested and intrigued tone on his voice. He was always wondering what other wolves did in their pastimes, but usually it was never interesting enough for him to want to actually talk about it.

Though he detected that this wolf was different.

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His reaction stayed private for multiple heartbeats, resulting in a icy silence that seemed to still even the mist at their paws. Then the mirth began to sneak through, and Eek understood what kind of vile enemy she faced. Her father had been much the same, using any combination of words he could to get a rise out of others. She had once marveled at her father's ability to do this, admired the knowledge he had to posses to know just what to say and when. The recognition of it brought up tumultuous feelings within the charcoal lady, for could not help but simultaneously despise him for targeting her and liken him to a paragon such as her beloved patriarch. She wouldn't be such a malleable plaything, however. Retaining her aggressive posture and glacial stare, Eek met his would-be amiable words with nitrogen. "The proper step in that direction would have you being cordial," she informed him, refusing to allow him to slip beyond the insult so easily. "I could be fun. At the moment, I'd rather tear your tongue out through your throat." Her words were not said with any emphasis; she was not putting any effort into scaring or antagonizing. She was merely stating facts.

@Eek <3

It seemed to not take much to get the desired reaction from the small, dark fae. Either she was easily ensnared by others' words and actions, or he had just said something that touched her nerves more deeply than anything else. The Young Hellion had to fight to keep the smirk off his face, though it most likely would not matter either way; she already seemed to know what she was up against. That just made it more fun, as it would be more of a challenge to get any further reactions from her.

As the small, dark fae recollected her aggressive stance and cold, silvery stare, as well as her own words which clearly portrayed her emotions at his first statement, his triangular ears swept forward as his neck and shoulders stretched upwards a few inches with practiced ease. His lips curled up slightly to reveal the very points of the silvery teeth that adorned the inside of his mouth, which wouldn’t mind clamping around her neck at her naïvetés. No one spoke to him like that without facing the proper consequences. But he had to keep reminding himself that picking a fight with every wolf was not a good idea, he had to only remember what happened when he scuffled with that boy, Rayne. Even so, she had a Yarborough, and he would play it to his advantage.

The hint of a growl appearing came in the soft rumbling starting deep in the back of his throat, but it went no further. The fae had nerve, speaking to him like that, and he felt the urge to push her to the ground and show her that she should respect those that were clearly above her, and not waste their time with petty words. The fur along his nape bristled, but did not stand to their full length. He was merely warning her to watch her actions, though he doubted she would get the message. For some wolves, it took time for them to realize their mistakes, and the punishment had to be repeatedly given. Not that he minded of course, but it was precious time wasted.

Tail quivering, the Young Hellion arched his raised neck to stare down at the small, dark fae with slightly narrowed eyes. “You would do well to watch your words around others, they may not react to how you would hope, and it would be such a shame to lose any of your other limbs in the process.” It was a warning that any wolf should understand, and if they didn’t, then they were a complete waste of his time, and he would have no further reason to exchange meaningless words. But, he still wasn’t finished with her. There were many secrets shrouding the small, dark fae, and he wished to uncover them, and learn more about the wolves that lived in the Lore. “Perhaps if I knew who I was speaking with, I just may be more open and….sociable.” Cocking his dark head to the right, the corners of his lips twitched up ever so slightly in a smirk. “A name for a name?”

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I do it because I can,
I can because I want to,
I want to because you made me.

Eek was more than pleased to see the cockiness upon his features displaced. The threat of violence that outlined this shift of appearance on his behalf did not concern her, nor cause any new inflections to pass over her face. He was a monster, that was certain, and she but a mouse in comparison to his size. However, the girl possessed plenty of experience in dealing with all types of confrontation, and had confidence in herself to handle whatever he might throw at her. If anything, she was an escape artist; and it would not affect her pride in the least bit to turn tail. So she stood, seemingly unaffected by his threats, continuing to stare at him with a gaze that was void of anything other than stern loathing. Still, there was a second emotion that his display caused to race through her, a thing she wished to fight but could not as it crawled just beneath her skin and over her spine. The temper assisted in the likeness to Zylinth, and Eek was beginning to resent the man not for his offensive speech, but for the memories he was dredging up within her head. Simultaneously, she was taking a liking to him. "Is this a hobby of yours, then? Pissing contests with strangers?" She was very much capable of continuing this stand off until he lost his patience and chased her off, and she had half a mind to do so. But those same similarities of his to her deceased father caused her to relent; she wanted this encounter to last. "My name is Eek," she said at last, and allowed herself a rapid transformation of attitude. She dipped her head for a moment while maintaining eye contact, and gave him a small, curled smile, before reclining. Her eyes as well softened, resuming their usual widened show of optimistic curiosity. At this point, however, she returned to holding her head high; the bow of greeting was the only physical recognition he would earn from her. She would conversate with him, but she would not be submissive. "Back the fuck off my tail and we can have any breed of conversation you want."