Heartleaf Creek Life's Chess Board

[<b>OOC Note:</b> I do hope I'm not bad at role playing. Decided to go with an extended metaphor. The poem in the beginning is something I have written. Please feel free to give feedback.]

<font style='margin-left:20px;'>Darkness and light class in every way. Forever stands the hate: one embracing creation, the other, destruction. Each in conflict in the name of what they think is right. The battle is eternal. For without one, the other cannot be. This was the law of how all things have come to pass and how things will be. Life is the eternal battle and each organism, a pawn upon a chess board to be eventually called 'check-mate' upon. Such is inevitable though how one plays determines the end of the match. For him and for every piece on the board, each move was critical. One wrong move and any other piece upon the board could bump him off the board of life. The ratio of survival was generally out of a lone individual's favor. Due to his age, a bit older than a year, he had narrowly survived the mortality rate that loomed against him still. However, with each passing move he had made, the percentage of death against him had gone down though what difference it would make depends on his decisions from here on. What queen, king, or another piece will cross his path today? Will he be taken out or will he be spared for another turn? That is what fate has to decide. For now, moving steadily, he would pace himself as he was moving in an unfamiliar territory. Markings, scent and physical, were abundant throughout the land but for who he was in the land of, he had not the slightest of clues. His pace slowed down as he began to study the board, his environment, more carefully as he moved forward in watch of the other pieces, the other players of this chess of life.</font>

<font style='margin-left:20px;'>What piece was he, though, on the giant game of life? Here, he was nothing, no one important. To him, though, he was what? Was he just a pawn or something more upon the board? What could describe him? A pawn: a front line piece moving straight forward and only diverting in order to reach an objective. Although moving forward in life seemed to be what he was doing right now, it really didn’t describe him. A knight: a piece that moves wildly, jumping from one square to the next in the limitations provided. Okay, this sounded more like him. To himself, he was a knight. Although he may seem to keep moving and going forward, what he was really doing was jumping around from one thing to the next letting the decisions he makes take him to each thing specifically as his main objective was just to survive. He was taking life as it was and really never giving it much more than he expected it to be: a harsh and unforgiving mistress. The bitter point of view he held was generated from the experiences he had as a young pup in an animal engineering and selective breeding facility. The disdain he held for the bipeds swelled within him at the thought of his lonely demeanor. Cruelty and slavery is what it was though does he have a better life now that he didn’t have to suffer the life of his parents? There was no telling though either way, it has been hard.</font>

<font style='margin-left:20px;'>Tarcisio continued his pace until reaching a stream. Slowing, paws would come to halt him. Upon his shoulders did his head swivel as he took a look about the encompassing environment. The air carried the chirps of happy birds as the sounds of amity reached his ear drums. However, he couldn’t help to be cautious while in the unknown territory since a peaceful landscape was often a shroud. A gentle breeze kneaded through his obsidian fur as he started forth once more towards the water’s edge. After making sure there wasn’t an immediate threat, he’d lower himself to hover slightly above the ground. Parting his maw and lowering his head to the waters, tongue would loll out and lap, taking in the cool and refreshing substance that sustains life. A much needed drink to continue on the chess board of life.</font>

(This post was last modified: Jun 24, 2011, 10:53 PM by Tarcisio.)

So sorry for the wait!

The day was average – as was every other day since the beginning of Ruiko’s life as a rogue. Kinis had accompanied him earlier on a hunt, but as a small group of two, their success had been limited. His stomach, in turn, gave a jolt at the memory, and the tawny regal’s lips curled in disdain at the thought. Had he not been stubborn, the Tainn male would have taken his brother back home to Swift River, where he would have claimed his position as second beneath his headstrong brother. But the idea was not satisfying enough, and with the dispersal of most of his siblings, home was no longer where the heart was, for his was still charred and black at the ruins in the Wildwood.

The creek was an area he frequented often; with Ranger’s abandonment, they two males had travelled a bit away from the thicket; the area only served as a reminder to the she-wolf who had left him, and her had found his mood consistently sour within the land’s confinements. What was once going to be a home had become nothing more than a bad memory, and upon Kinis’ encouragement, the two were seeking a new life once more. Soon, Ruiko would claim his land and a pack would grow; a pack of loyal wolves who did not suffer from wanderlust.. else they would then suffer the pain from his sharp and powerful ivories.

Sweeping his long limbs down the slopes of the creek bank, the cream fur of his paws became muddied with the water as it washed over his toes. This offered a cool escape to the humid heat of the day, and just as the golden wolf was about to sway his figure in further to the cool water, the dark figure of another wolf caught his eye. The stranger was male, his pelt an inky black. Ruiko had yet to see the wolf about, which led him to the only conclusion that he was new to Relic Lore. Whether the stranger planned on staying or not was of little concern to Ruiko, though the blatant thought of attempting to lure the stranger as recruitment was almost a tempting idea, though he did not fall to such notions so fast. For all he knew, the traveling stranger was a royal pain in the ass and within a week Ruiko would wish for nothing more than to rip his throat out. With that thought in mind, Ruiko instead turned his muzzle downward; his own tongue lapping at the refreshing thirst quencher, though his eyes flickered to the dark wolf every so often, making sure the stranger made no sudden movements of attack.

(This post was last modified: Aug 06, 2011, 02:27 PM by Ruiko.)

<b>OOC:</b> Lol, I haven't RPed in a long time. xD I must be bad. x3 Sorry on lateness! ;o

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With a nice, cold drink of fresh waters settling and cooling him nicely, the young canine was content. Life often had been a roller coaster with ups, downs, and turns though none were as predictable. The stately piece upon the board of life sought no hostilities to anything that would come across him or he across them for it is he who had been traveling and had wandered upon the vast, beautiful lands of Relic Lore. The thought of opposition would only pass upon the immediate threat of attack though minding one’s own business was currently immediate. A wanderer, a guest, of a history’s unforgiving circumstances, he didn’t hold right nor paw nor claim to it all and only to himself. Scent particles from another, floating aloft on the gentle breezes of the land, had brushed against the fine hairs within his nostrils as he inhaled.

Cranium lifted from its downward press to the river as his own golden gaze would look about to the golden canine off in the short distance. Ah another upon the land though would this be a king to a throne or another pawn or piece upon the board? Interest went well with curiosity though caution went well with survival. All in all, his own body posture and scent marked him an individual. Tail would lower itself though curl a little outward before he’d lower his hind to the embankment. With his hind planted, surely he posed no immediate threat. Staying quiet for now, he’d only study and see what would come of this chance encounter.

As his eyes briefly flashed up to regard the other, Ruiko made no pause in his mission to satiate his thirst. The dark male had seen him, and the lowering of the stranger’s tail was enough to put the beast at ease for now. Finally drawing his muzzle up from the water, droplets spilled from Ruiko’s creamy chin as his gaze studied the other male with mild disinterest.

Ruiko was a wolf who could walk away from such an interlude without saying a word and feel no guilt from his lack of social ability, yet the situation he found himself in demanded diplomacy, and the regal male rocked himself back to his haunches, his muzzle giving a light dip in quiet greeting. “Another wolf passing through Relic Lore?” The Tainn wolf had found himself far more familiar with the land’s inhabitants since his life of a Lone Wolf; before, his days in Hidden Tree pack lands and Swift River had always demanded his presence to stay closer to home. Now it was rare for the male to be in one place for very long.

Ethology played a major part in the first impressions of which one could give one’s self to another during such random encounters. As to such, somatic movements and portrayal of various physical displays were crucial to communicating the thoughts and intentions of one’s own mind to another individual. From this, just as his own lowering of the tail took the other to ease, the rocking back onto one’s hind showed disinterest in physical confrontations. From this, he could possibly go another day to go unscathed through the lands of which he had been exploring.

The dipping of a muzzle was respectable and quiet. In a bit of reply, he’d dip his entire head a little. He was the stranger on the lands, why keep his head higher? There was likely a bit of difference in customs and mannerisms as well since each pack carried traditions. To such was the lowering of one’s self or one own head in bow as a respectful greeting in his own taught traditions he carried. However, he’d remain silent and silently study the other. Would this carry disrespect or a sign of disinterest? In all, it was just to see where the situation comes up.

As moments passed, Ruiko’s question went unanswered; the dark male took to simply studying him, his figure remaining to a neutral posture. There was a number of ways for the Tainn wolf to handle the other’s seeming disinterest in conversation. Ruiko was partly tempted to show the wolf manners with a flash of his teeth, but he refrained from such; he had never been talkative, and perhaps the wolf before him was rather simple-minded. Intelligence did not bless everyone, it seemed.

“No interest in talking, hm? Luckily for you I was never much of a conversationalist myself,” he offered, his own gaze turning disinterestedly from the ebony male to steal a glance to the gently moving waters. The rogue had no intention of leaving just yet, for while his thirst was satiated for this very minute, he knew that would change in a few passing moments. Only then would he continue on his way, for he had many things to do before the sun would settle against the lands of Relic Lore. For now, the silence between strangers was a refreshing change for him.

There was so much that a wolf cannot learn just by mere study alone. However, one could learn much from just watching another individual. They say one can learn habits just by watching bodily language and learn how to avoid making someone else’s mistakes by someone else making the mistakes. Both were true, least they were for him. Quiet attentiveness was a useful tool and sometimes, it was the quiet ones one had to look out for. However, all should come to pass since not all can be learned by it alone. <b>”A silent tongue gets into less trouble than a snaked tongue. However, to answer your previous question: yes’r, though I couldn’t just say I’m only passing through.”</b> he offered back without the intent for rudeness if any could be gathered. Tail would start to flicker up and down beside him, showing contentment in its slow motions. Slowly in the back of his mind, a little tune of slow beating drums came to mind. Ears would turn forward, perked attentively in case for any further reply were to come from the tawny wolf.

The dark male’s response wasn’t quite something the hefty tawny wolf agreed with; when a simple question was asked, to Ruiko it seemed less offensive to respond in turn, rather than ignore the one polite enough to attempt brief conversation. However, the rogue made no comment as such, and instead regarded the stranger with his quiet stoical mask. As the other male responded that he wasn’t sure if he was passing through or not, it only enticed a small nod from the Tainn male.

Once more shifting his gaze to glance down to the water, Ruiko bent his muzzle once more to take a quick drink. When finished, the tawny wolf finally lifted himself to his paws once more. “I see,” he mused dryly, hardly able to contain the uncaring notes of his voice from sounding too obvious. “Good luck with that,” he offered, holding back a light smirk as he realized how daunting those words sounded. Without another word, Ruiko made his way down the creek, leaving the ebony wolf behind to his quiet desires.