L O S T in the [darkness]...

[Cen]

Lost in the darkness, hoping for a sign
Instead there's only silence
Can't you hear my screams?
^{Somewhere by Within Temptation}

She was lost.

She was alone.

Aristocra, where have you gone?

The howl resounded from somewhere in the center of Demona, echoing off of volcanoes and sheer faces of rock. It came from a lost soul, one with nowhere to go and no one to turn to. Her normally volcanic red pelt had grown brown and sullied after days - or was it weeks? - of searching and not paying attention to anything else, much less her own pelt. After a while it had grown hopeless, but she was unwilling to face the possibility that she would never find her sister.... or the much worse possibility that her sister was done searching for her. If she did not have hope, she had nothing.

Ashada eventually cut off the howl and finally looked around. She needed water, or at least some form of shelter to escape the heat of midday. It was the first time in a while that she had bothered to take care of herself, and the thoughts seemed strange and self-centered to the mind which was so intent on searching only for her lost loved one. The only thing she could see for miles around was a volcano somewhere off in the distance. How on Earth does anything, much less wolves, live here? she wondered? The thought of cannibalism occured to her fleetingly, but she quickly dismissed it, perhaps out of fear.

Frusturated at the barren landscape, Ashada unfolded her wings and stretched them a moment before raising them for a powerful downstroke. The dust flew up where her wings had just barely brushed the earth, and she was pushed fifteen feet into the air. Quickly she was at an altitude of a thousand feet or so, and scanned the ground intently for any sign of life - or something that could sustain it.

[Yami]

{{OKay Yin is now full grown and has been living in the Demona for some time}}

Yin charged across the bare ground, his powerful legs kicking up dark clouds of dust. On his face he worn a snarl, a look of pure madness. He had found himself stranded in the Demona since he was a orphan pup. Over time one could say he'd gone insane. Howling with rage at no one in particular, he came to a stop. He smelt food! Somewhere up there.... was food! He licked his chops, it had been ages since he had had a decent meal. He howled, a low blood curling howl. Come down here and let me rip you into a million pieces! I will tear you apart and leave your bones to rot! He charged onward following the scent of flesh. Yin came to a halt when he could run no more. There he waited for lunch to come to him.

[T]

<<ooc: So he's not happy, bouncy, or small anymore? (your siggy)>>

[Yami]

no, I didn't have time to update that.

[Cen]

_{Finally got pics for this and the next post....}

I gotta fight another fight
I gotta fight with all my might

Having been without food and water for a while now, Ashada didn't have the strength to fly for very long. Within ten minutes her wings were growing tired, and within twenty they were screaming for her to land. She flapped wearily a few times, knowing that if she landed now she would have no hope of finding anything. Ashada pushed her wings just a little further... and then a little more... just a minute, she would land soon...

This method of tricking her neglected body didn't last long. She soon realized she really did have to land, if only to give her wings a short rest. She began descending slowly, navigating in wide spirals. Then she heard the howl.

Come down here and let me rip you into a million pieces! I will tear you apart and leave your bones to rot!

Oh, God, no.[/i] This couldn't be happening. Ashada had not come here just to die under the bloodthirsty jaws of a renegade cannibal. Looking around, she suddenly realized that this was what this place was for - the most evil wolves made their homes here, and she was in very real danger as long as she was confined in this firey hell.

Her resolve quickly came together, and her survival instincts and iron will to live surfaced from somewhere deep beneath her. With a hideous snarl on her face and adrenaline pumping through her veins, Ashada landed some hundred feet from where the offending wolf stood. Angling herself so that the psychic orb on her right flank showed and would perhaps intimidate him - she didn't realize that he had one as well - she spread her wings far apart to make her look larger and positioned herself in a defensive crouch.

You won't take me alive.[/color][/size]

[Yami]

Yin snorted, this fae thought she could take him on! Ha! Let her try! She hadn't survived the harsh climate for more than a year! He had grown strong and tireless over the past year, and wasn't about to let some fae challenge him.

The fae turned so that he could her pretty little orb. Hahaha! Yin laughed aloud, you think some little skin mark is going to help you now! I've got one too! Hahahah!
Then she spoke, You won't take me alive
That's right He chuckled, I won't eat you alive, I'll kill you first!

[Cen]

((Actually, she was thinking that, not saying it. When roleplaying I'll always make thoughts italicized. But that's not terribly important, so we can just say she said it))

I'm getting out, I'm checking out
You're in my way and you better watch out

Oh, s***, this is bad,[/color] Ashada thought as her eyes fell upon the brute's psychic orb. If he had one too, depending on how strong his psychic abilities were, her own could be nullified in a battle. Still, the adrenaline pumping through her veins combined with a desire to see her sister at least one last time before she died made up and more for her exhaustion and she was determined to survive this encounter. Though she hadn't been in Demona specifically for any of her lifetime, her life had been rougher than that of most wolves, so she was tougher to make up for that, both physically and mentally. Whether she was tougher than him, though, she couldn't say - a flicker of dismay fluttered in the back of her mind as her eyes ran over his corded muscles.

For just a moment, the emotion was enough to break through her fighting mode, and she wondered briefly with pity, What happened to you that made you this bitter?

You idiot! He wants to KILL you right now! the more sensible part of her screamed. You can't let your concentration waver!

For the time Ashada let the emotional and empathetic part of her slip to the back of her being, and her raw instincts surfaced once again. She snarled to her opponent, "If one of us must live and the other must die, I intend to walk away fully intact! Spare yourself and leave now and I won't hold it against you!"[/color] She fully meant it. No matter what happened, Ashada would survive this encounter.

For you, Aristocra.[/color][/size]

[T]

<<ooc: Either of you mind if I stalk this? Nothing that much better to do...

Nice roleplaying, Cen. I really like your style of writing. (And I don't say that lightly, I don't think I've said that to any other member.)

(Yami, don't worry. You're still much better than some horrendous posts I've seen. Never in SotM, of course! Or at least I haven't seen any, so there aren't any recent ones.)>>

[Yami]

(lol thanks. I know I'm not the best..... at all. I o agree with you Teri, Cen you're really good.)

Yin was stunned for a second, no one had dare spoken up like that. They all ran away, hid or surrendered. But she had accepted his challenge, and challenged him in return. He sniffed, You're not from 'round here are you? when he spoke, his voice was deep and dark, but not as threatening as before. Idiot! Yin thought You're supposed to attack! Not sit and chat! Your life is at stake! But another part of his mind argued, a side that had had not come out for quite some time. It reasoned with the other, She is a fae, normally you don't dare harm one, unless in battle. You could just let her go. NO! The other side fought back This is survival! Not pretty little tribe laws! ATTACK! Attack now!
For someone watching this happen from the outside it would have been quite an experience. Yin pulled some weird faces, whimpered, growled, yelped, snapped, and some other strange noises. And all this was directed at himself. But inside Yin was trapped, a prisoner of his own mind.

[Oasis]

<lol, mind if I join in? >



Blood curdling yells and growls of anger drifted on the hot air of Demona, and curiosity and interest slowly crept into the mind of Necros. He squinte; the hot sun that crept over Demona, and the humidity that gently wafted over the air, only squinting would help you see in these harsh weather conditions. As his eyes formed slits, he peered across the endless dunes of sand. Two silhouettes casted dark shadows and shapes in front of the pink sky, and he knew what was about to occur. Necros took a large, deep breath and howled, running towards the screams of anger and pain. What the f**k am I getting myself into...

These thoughts of regret wafted through his head as he approached the two competitors.

[Cen]

((Thanks ^^ I have a few years of experience behind me, though. Don't be discouraged, Yami, your posts aren't half bad. Length doesn't necessarily precipitate quality.
Oh, gosh! I just got the craziest idea for the two of them...
Feel very welcome, iPodidious... did I get it right?))

Don't judge a thing 'till you know what's inside it
Don't push me, I'll fight it
Never gonna give in, never gonna give it up, no

Ashada's tense frame and battle-ready fighting stance faltered, then dropped a bit as she detected a change in her opponent. He seemed to second-guess himself a bit, and his tone was not quite as threatening when he spoke. "You're not from 'round here are you?" he asked. His voice was still deep and dark, and she still detected some hostility behind it. It was, however, much less than she found from him before, and there was more behind the voice than before. Then he began barking, yowling, whimpering and basically making every noise that a wolf could possibly make. She jumped, believing these to be directed towards her at first, but then she realized that they were not. He was battling with himself.

As Ashada's stance faltered, so did her battle-ready mindframe focused solely on her survival. The empathy she felt for him earlier resurfaced, and she looked at him with new eyes. No longer was she angry. In fact, what was dawning in her eyes was more like pity and a strange kind of love.

Her voice was soft when she spoke. "You don't have to be like this,"[/color] Ashada said gently. "You've let the harsh landscape turn your heart to stone. Remember what you once were... You were once a loving wolf, were you not? You once had a family, perhaps, two loving parents?"[/color]

She was talking much more than she usually did with a stranger. Somehow, the stressful survival situation had brought out the best in her. As Ashada spoke, she grew more confident. Her voice grew stronger, though it remained gentle. "I am lost, and have been for a while. Come with me, and we can hunt together. We can find a way out of this-"[/color]

AAAAOOOOUUUUUUUUUU![/b]

Ashada jumped and whipped her head around, her fur standing on end. She paid no more attention to Yin, and would make an easy target were he to go with the less gentlemanly part of him and decide to use her as a meal. "What the hell?"[/color] she muttered, narrowing her eyes as she stared at the strange wolf headed towards them.

What have I gotten myself into?[/size]

[Oasis]

When I pretend,
Everything is what I want it to be,
I looked exactly like what you had always wanted to see,
When I pretend,
I can’t forget about the criminal I am...

Necros skidded to a stop, dust rising as a cloud, disguising him. He stopped, right there; almost nose to nose with a possibly-savage femme.

He stepped back, and shook the dust from his dark, black pelt. What the hell is going on? he growled, trying to sound cold hearted.
I'm trying to sleep, and I hear yipping, growling, and barking. Are you going to fight him? Or did I come over here to watch two wolves hug each other and apologize?

To make himself look slightly larger and more accustomed to his "brute" life, he split his three tails, and straightened his back.

Necros looked at the vixens serious eyes.
And he fell.
To the ground.

And he started having a fit of laughter, giggling and snorting and rolling around 'till tears of laughter streamed down his face.

I've been watching your world from afar,
I've been trying to be where you are,
And I've been secretly falling apart,
I'll see.
To me, you're strange and you're beautiful,
You'd be so perfect with me but you just can't see,
You turn every head but you don't see me.


Silly children

Her voice was like crystal;
That external gorgeousness
But internal pain and anguish

She was like no wolf anybody would have seen.

I haven't seen little puppies for such a long time...
She said it quietly; with meaning

As her pained eyes drifted to the sand below.

So long...

[/center]

[Yami]

Yin hung his head, tears slid down his face. mother! She wouldn't have wanted him to be like this, harsh and cruel. The fae was right, he had come here out of anger and fear, he had turned into what he used to hate most. Why had he done this? What had he become?
Yin nodded, Yes, I think I'll do that. I'm so so sorry, I don't know what I've become.
What the crap! A strange wolf came and started talking. Yin didn't really listen though. He was thinking about what the fae said. And like the stranger wasn't there he added What is your name Then turned to glare and the laughing brute. Why are you here! Who are you, and why are you laughing like some uncontrollable pup!

[Cen]

((lawl, mass confusion xD))

If you can't catch a wave then you're never gonna ride it
You can't come uninvited
Never gonna give in, never gonna give it up, no

Ashada registered the brute's tear-stricken face and whispered, ashamed words with momentary startlement. She never knew that she could affect anyone quite like that, and wasn't even certain if that was what she had had in mind. Did she truly want the brute to rethink his past and how he had become this, or was it merely a desperate attempt to keep herself alive? Sighing over her confused thoughts, her answer was brief and distracted, but still strangely heartfelt. "Forgiveness is granted, for the world has not been kind to you. You may call me Ashada."[/color] Hearing the new brute draw near, she turned to face the stranger.

His fur was strange - mostly black, but with red streaks in it. If she thought his appearance was strange, however, it was nothing compared to his behavior. He asked in a snarl, "What the hell is going on? I'm trying to sleep, and I hear yipping, growling, and barking. Are you going to fight him? Or did I come over here to watch two wolves hug each other and apologize?" His tail split into three, much to Ashada's amazement, though she did not drop her fierce front.

When he collapsed to the ground in a fit of laughter, however, it was enough for her to let her guard down entirely. Her ears were skewed, and she blinked before her eyes took on a very baffled look. What on Earth?[/color] was the only thought she could make any sense of. And then another wolf entered the scene.

Her appearance was even more odd than the brute's - her pelt was stained as charcoal, but lines of every shade ran down her back and legs. Her form was rather like that of a greyhound, though she was far prettier than anything that humans could ever breed. When she spoke, her voice rang throughout their small congregation; flitting through Ashada's head like a butterfly that she could see clearly, but never catch. "Silly children..." she began. The butterfly stumbled, tears of the past catching on one dusty wing. "I haven't seen little puppies for such a long time..." It landed, tried to shake the tear off its wing.

Ashada blinked.

She blinked again.

Her muddled head looked around the clearing as though seeing everything again would help. No matter what she did, she could not make sense of her confused and muddled thoughts.

Well, let's try to make some sense of this,[/color] she finally decided, though she couldn't imagine the strange situation would ever make sense to her. The new brute was obviously laughing because he thought something was funny. Perhaps he saw something we were doing that he found amusing? Or perhaps it was something he was doing - maybe he's not used to being serious with other manens?[/color] It was the best conclusion she could reach, and it wasn't really a conclusion. It was two hypothesis melded into one, because she wasn't sure which one was more likely at the moment. Oh, well - it would have to do for the moment. If only Aristocra were here... she's the Empathetic, and would be able to tell what's going on,[/color] she found herself thinking wistfully.

For the time being, she ignored the brute - the grey manen from earlier had already addressed him - and turned to the multicolored one. She ran over a few phrases in her mind, and finally decided on one. "Is there something you would ask of us?"[/color] Ashada queried. Her tone was guarded, though not cruel. Perhaps she could finally make some sort of sense of the situtation when her answer came.[/size]

[Oasis]

I'll put a spell on you,

You'll fall asleep and I'll put a spell on you.
And when I wake you,
I'll be the first thing you see,
And you'll realize that you love me....

She looked to the laughing brute to the side. It brought her head up and made her look at this female and this sad and puzzled male.
And she smiled. Her glimmering white teeth looked almost fake; but the smile she wore was truly real. I wish to ask of no question from you, femme. The brute, however, seems needy of love...

And him...

She spoke wisely, and it sounded as though she put quick but intimate thought before speaking.

That is Necros. He, as well as myself... and them...

Several wolves, carrying the same body shape as the female, walked up the dune, panting and heaving. But one was not as the others, or like Kamikaze herself. It looked much more weary, and aggressive then the others. Her fangs were so large they had to sit outside her mouth.

I.. am Kamikaze..

And these are my traveling mates...

Let me introduce them to you both.



This is Secret. Please look past her look, it is simply due to her pregnancy.



And this... is Abyss. He is our most advanced fighter.



And here I introduce Ventrosii. Another pregnant female.

One last wolf stepped forward.



And this is Zora. She is very fond and advanced in the healing arts.

---- Physically and Mentally..

Kamikaze looked down.

I'm terribly sorry for introducing all these new wolves to you at once, but I felt it necessary for you to briefly meet them .. if you wish to help us.

The aged fae looked at the two young wolves.

We are not ... natural wolves...

We are escaped human creations. Simply for entertainment. With the help of Abyss, we safely made it out alive.. and found ourselves here. We are looking for shelter... for a land we can call our own. Would ...

Would you like to join us?

All the wolves looked at her with pleading eyes, even the most aggressive looking one --- Secret.

Please help us... she whispered.

< ooc: sorry about the sudden boom of wolves LOL >