Stall Me ~Amulet~

[Sphuul]

Sphuul

She counts on stars, astrology
My moods are procurial
But I know mercury
Don't hold your breath
Baptized river of you
Hold on death, the moon,
the stars a sliver of you

Crystalline amber eyes glanced up at the sky, glittering orbs outlined with black, staring up at the black tapestry of night, watching the stars appear one by one. They shimmered in the ebony sky, glinting off the brutes eyes as he walked, his sight trained on the stars instead of the gentle wood path he followed. Sphuul had been walking a ways now, not quite knowing where he was going. This land was new to him, and he was set on exploring it. He needed a couple haunts to hang around, passing the warm days under cover and alone. Alone, always alone.. His mind gently crooned to him, and he tore his eyes off the sky, focusing in front of him. Yes, he had been alone for a long time now. He didn't plan on changing that. Wolves were untrustable, and he didn't want to run into a domineering, heavy brute or a deceptive female who cared for nothing but her desires.

In truth, Sphuul was a bit lonely, but he refused to admit it to anyone. Hell, there was no one to admit it to. He drove everyone away with his callousness, and avoided wolves along the way. He was refusing to admit it to himself. He tried to be gruff, reprimanding himself constantly. No one is to be trusted. I like being alone. Being alone is better than being deceived, and you know it.. But the thoughts faded away, and his maw turned into a grim frown. He was alone, and that would not change, whether or not he wanted company.

His ears pricked as the sound of running water intercepted his inner quarrel. As he continued to walk, the sound got louder. Much louder. His curiosity spiking, he picked up his pace, settling into a gentle lope that ate the distance quickly. There was a huge amount of water ahead of him, and he wanted to see. As he continued, the trees suddenly gave way, opening to a large pool of water, its stillness shattered by the tumult of the falls. His muzzle tipped up as he looked to see the great expanse of water falling before him. It was dazzling, beautiful, and utterly terrifying at the same time. He cringed away from it instinctively, moving back to the trees. But he did not leave. He simply turned and sat, his back shielded by the safe, familiar forest, and faced the water, watching it in fascination. What a sight this was. He gave another sigh, slightly shaky, and lowered himself to the earth floor, deeply inhaling the scent of dirt as he laid his head on his paws, his eyes never leaving the waterfall. Some things could never be understood, and he sure as hell did not want to comprehend this seemingly piacular act of nature. So, with a relaxing breath, his thoughts began to return to his lonliness. Wouldn't it be funny if someone showed up right now.. He mused silently. He hadn't spoken in weeks, and Sphuul didn't even know if his voice still worked. Rolling his eyes, he watched the falls, his thoughts finally settling into a peaceful nothingness.

[Amulet]

AMBER
i'm getting lost inside the crowd, it's getting loud.
i'm screaming for you to please, hear me..

Amber walked along the side of the river, her paws making soft footfalls on the ground. Her tail flicked from side to side as she walked on forward, looking for someone to talk to or something that would keep her busy. She sighed looked up at the sky when it began to drizzle.

She kept striding on, either unaware of the rain or uncaring. She stumbled upon, then, another wolf lying beside the river staring at the falls. She trotted up to him and said, gently as though not to startle him, "Hello there, I'm Amber."

With a smile she plopped down beside him and thought about her life. She had never known her mother, but her two caretakers, brothers Enar and Ivan, had told her that her mother's name was Amulet and her father was Jay. They also had told her that her mother had given her up. No one really knew why, or if they did they weren't going to tell Amber. She knew that she had a brother, Thunder, who had also been in the care of Enar and Ivan, but he had taken a different path then her. She was a hunter for the Durkell pack and Thunder, well Thunder was just Thunder, a Free-Roamer.

Sometimes she wished she could be that carefree, but she was a part of a pack and had to do her duty to it. Hunting was her duty and if she did say so herself, she was pretty good. No, really good. Her legs were long and lanky, great for swift and long runs. Her body wasn't skinny, but she wasn't overweight. She was just above the line to skinny, but that's just how Amber was. She would run so long and heard most of that food fat she'd eaten would burn away, but she would gain it back when she brought down an elk or large deer.

[Sphuul]

Sphuul

She counts on stars, astrology
My moods are procurial
But I know mercury
Don't hold your breath
Baptized river of you
Hold on death, the moon,
the stars a sliver of you

The sound of footfalls had the brutes ears pricking as he lifted his head. Fear shot from his body, and he didn't move, afraid that he would draw attention to himself. The wolf approaching was approaching quickly, either unaware of him or uncaring. Sphuul vaguely felt the sky begin to drizzle a bit of rain, but his entire being was focused on the approaching wolf. What was going to happen here? He slowly lowered his head once more, his muscles freezing. He must not be found. He could not be found. He would be killed, he was sure of it. What else would they do to him? His frozen body shuddered in the rain, slicking his silver fur and weighing him down.

The wolf broke clear of the trees, and Sphuul watched it closely. It was a female. She was about his size, but he took the prize for longest legs. He would be able to escape her, if he chose. Her pelt was a pretty dust brown, and her eyes were the color of the sun as she trained them straight on him. His stomach dropped, and as she approached, he scrambled to his feet, taking a few steps back. When she plopped her butt on the wet earth, she greeted him softly, and that brought him to a standstill, his head cocked slightly. Why was she greeting him if she planned to kill him? The thought's didn't go together, and he sat down a little distance from her, scrutinizing her carefully. If she so much as made a hostile move to him, he would be gone.

His head lowered automatically, seeming submissive and unhostile. But what would she care? Reyna hadn't cared. Why would this stranger care if he were submissive? He gave a soft, shuddering sigh before he opened his maw. "My.. name is Sphuul." He went no further, did not greet her kindly or happily. The fae, Amber, would have to show her true intentions sometime or other.

[Amulet]

i'm getting lost inside the crowd, it's getting loud.
i'm screaming for you to please, hear me..

Amber tilted her head when the male hung his head, being almost submissive. She spoke, softly still, “Hey, I’m not going to hurt you,” she cursed herself, she sounded as though she were talking to a pup. She shook herself and recomposed, “Look, Sphuul. I don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, nor do I want to hurt you.” Her voice was a little stronger, but her eyes were soft, asking him to trust her.
She sighed and sat there, still a good distance from Sphuul. The rain was like a gentle stream of tears running down her muzzle and she shook her head, small water droplets spraying everywhere. She sighed again and turned her gaze to Sphuul again. “Trust me, Sphuul, please, I mean I have no intention of hurting you.”
She brushed her tail across the ground and moved a little closer to Sphuul, and gently licked his ear, “See, I don’t mean you any harm.” She sat back down and offered a smile, just a small curve of her mouth. Inside she was getting a little frustrated with this wolf, whom should know by now then that she meant him no harm. He should have known when she first approached with a smile on her face.
But instead he had shrunk back and seemed to shrink into himself as though he didn’t know how to great her. So Amber felt a little hurt even though she had just met this wolf, but then again she was determined to help him if she could. Amber sat down again, since she had been standing a few feet from Sphuul. She smiled, a full smile this time. She flicked her ear as a rain drop splashed onto it. She grinned she saw a fish leap up out of the water and grab a bug on the surface.

[Sphuul]

Sphuul

She counts on stars, astrology
My moods are procurial
But I know mercury
Don't hold your breath
Baptized river of you
Hold on death, the moon,
the stars a sliver of you

Sphuul watched the female tilt her head, and she began to murmur words of reassurance. He did not move then, because he knew how fae's use their deceptively sweet voice to tangle him into a web of lies, and trap him when he didn't see it coming. He was suspicious of this female, and his muscles tensed as he watched her, almost studying each movement she made. Sphuul knew she would make her move soon, whether just to attack him or to begin spinning the thread that would ultimately lead to his demise.

He didn't have to wait long. She said the two words that shattered any hope of being comfortable around this female. Trust me.. No, he would not, not ever. This Amber would not receive his trust. She had said those words so kindly, in her honey sweet voice, exactly as Reyna had. His eyes widened in shock and fear when she stood, walking towards him, getting close enough to press her muzzle against his ear and lick it softly. His ear twitched as she pulled away, pressing against the sopping fur of his skull as he tried to understand what was happening. So, she was not going to attack him, not outright, anyways. She chose the route that would try and shatter his soul along with his body. Well, no. He would not fall for the trick again.

Sphuul had a grim set to his mouth as he raised his head slightly, his eyes never leaving hers as his strong maw opened once more. "How? How can I trust you?" This was another test, and he waited carefully for the answer. The wrong answer would send him packing, and he cocked his head slightly, watching Amber, What was it she was after?

[Amulet]

AMBER
i'm getting lost inside the crowd, it's getting loud.
i'm screaming for you to please, hear me..

Amber looked at him and was genuinely confused. Why was he acting this way? Sometime must have happened to him in the past. She didn’t know much about him, but she knew he was troubled. She’d tried to be friendly; she’d tried to be nice, now she was just plan confused. So she said, “You have no reason to trust me, Sphuul. I would like it if you could, but I can see something troubles you. I wish I could help, truly I do. You have to let me inside your head if you want me to help, because I will do everything in my power that will help you.”

She sat down and looked carefully at him. Her tail twitched and she sighed once more. She didn’t think she’d sighed this much in a long time. To make him feel a little bit more open, or so she hoped, Amber said, “I never knew my father or my mother I was raised by the two brothers Enar and Ivan. They treated me with respect but I can’t help wondering about my parents. I wish I knew what was troubling you, Sphuul…”

The rain drizzled down on her and in a flashing memory she saw Thunder and her sitting here talking together as brother and sister for the last time. Thunder was telling her that he was leaving with Zae, his lover. She and Thunder had had a fight here, she had screamed at him to stay and he had shouted at her that he wouldn’t because he loved Zae.

Amber from that day on had vowed to herself that she would never go off with someone she loved and leave her family or pack. She looked at Sphuul and wondered what he had gone through that had made him like this. She almost felt sympathy for him, almost. The almost was because she was irritated that he refused to trust her when she being kind to him.

[Sphuul]

Sphuul

She counts on stars, astrology
My moods are procurial
But I know mercury
Don't hold your breath
Baptized river of you
Hold on death, the moon,
the stars a sliver of you

Ambers answer shocked Sphuul into stillness. She had not answered as he had expected her to. He had expected something along the lines of wanting trust because she was kind. No, that would not earn trust. But this? Sphuul was confused, both with her and himself. Would he trust her? Could he trust her? He was at a loss, and he wasn't sure of what to do. Sphuul mentally shook himself, preparing to open his maw and speak once more, but she had beat him to it. His ears pricked and he glanced at her, surprised. Amber didn't know him, blatantly knew he didn't trust her, yet she was telling him of her past. As she finished, her words trailing off in a clear question of what was wrong, he glanced away, watching the rippling water. "Some things are better left in the past. My... past isn't pretty." He turned to look at her then, his eyes slightly kinder. "I am sorry about your parents, Amber." He sighed softly. Sphuul had often wondered about his parents, as well. Sure, he had been with them until he grew up, but they had never spoken a word to him. He had never truly known them. "I.. grew up with my parents. They were mute. I.. didn't learn to speak until I left them." He gave her a slight crooked smile, while inside he was bewildered. This was not something to smile about. "That is not what is troubling me, however. But what is in my past cannot be changed by remembering or telling, and I'd prefer to forget it." The lie left his lips before he could stop it. Well, it wasn't an outright lie. He could never forget his past, it would haunt him forever. But the past could be changed, if you look at it differently. Echo had shown him that.. Shaking himself softly, Sphuul looked to the female in front of him, waiting for her reply.

[Amulet]

AMBER
i'm getting lost inside the crowd, it's getting loud.
i'm screaming for you to please, hear me..

"Sphuul, are any pasts of those like us pretty?" Her voice was almost a whisper, it held a gentle sorrow. She shook herself and looked at him with a gentle glaze of sadness covering her beautiful morning sun eyes. A sigh came from her as the rain drizzled down her fur.

She wanted to help him in some way, but she didn't quite know how. She laid down and put her head on her paws. She listened the the rushing of the water, the currents caressing the shore made her feel slightly better, but only just.

She hadn't felt this sad before, not even when she found her mother had left her to her closet friends. She came in close and carefully licked his muzzle, then drew back. She sighed once more and lay her head back down on her paws.

Again she concentrated on the sound of the water, flicking her ear back when her tail twitched. She sighed once more and thought about Thunder. She missed him. What had gone wrong? She never felt this way...Thunder. She missed hearing his laugh and missed seeing his smile. She wanted to meet her mother, her father if she could. She even missed Ivan and Enar, but that was out of the question she was of a pack now. She would have to be strong. She would have to forget them if she wanted to move on in her life.

She looked at Sphuul, she wanted to say something, but she didn't know what. She wanted to settle, to break, the silence around them, but didn't know how to.

[Sphuul]

Sphuul

The strange female had seemed saddened by his story. It was odd, the amount of compassion this girl had shown him without even knowing him. Her sunny eyes had clouded over, and she spoke quietly, as if her very voice would break if she talked loud. It was unsettling, how quickly the fae seemed to be disturbed by his words. Her words, however, pricked at his mind, raising his curiosity and perking his ears.

Sphuul looked at Amber, a kind smile pulling tentatively at his features. "You said us.. Do you place yourself in the category of the broken, the lost, the hopeless?" The brutes eyes closed as he spoke, images flashing behind his heavy lids. She had been so beautiful. Crystalline white fur, blue eyes to match.. And Reyna had destroyed him. He shook softly, opening his eyes to look at Amber once more. She was nothing like her. The only thing that resembled the female of his past had been her voice, silky and sweet, trusting and forgiveable. Could he ever forgive what had happened?

Sphuul's eyes widened as Amber licked his muzzle, as taken aback as he could possibly be. Why was this female so comfortable around him? Why were others comfortable around him, when he could barely be in anothers presence without quaking in fear? It didn't make sense to him, and he struggled to comprehend, his brows furrowing in intense confusion. His thoughts were broken as the fae next to him sighed once, then again, her eyes glazed, obviously living back in the past, in her mind. Something was troubling her, and it was not present at the moment. Something had happened to her, something else. What, though?

His head lowered automatically to gaze into Ambers eyes, holding steady although unease crept through Sphuul as he watched the fae. He had not looked in anothers eyes in so long. "What is troubling you, Amber? If I may ask." He was a lot of things, but he was not rude or demanding. He would not pry a story out of her if she did not wish to tell him. He would wait until she did, or she would not. That was that, and there was nothing else. So he sat, head down close to the girls, waiting. Just waiting.

[Amulet]

AMBER
i'm getting lost inside the crowd, it's getting loud.
i'm screaming for you to please, hear me..

Amber looked at him, "My family. I miss them. I have never felt this way before. I miss my brother, Thunder, I miss my mother whom I have never known and I miss my father who I do not even know either. I miss my guardians, Enar and Ivan." Amber sighed and the rain drizzled down her muzzle. She sighed and put her head down on her paws.

She thought, Thunder where are you? Mother, Father, Enar, Ivan do you still think of me? She sighed once more and her thoughts raced. She didn't know what to think she wanted to remember those times she had spent with Thunder. The last conversation the two had had flashed in her mind.

Thunder ran up to her and nuzzled her. He, his striking black pelt glittering in the sun, spoke first, "Amber, I am afraid that I am to leave soon...I want to find our mother, and our father. I will come looking for you when I have found them." He had said everything in his calm way and for a moment Amber had thought that he was pulling her leg. But when he continued to stare into her eyes with a sincere look in his own eyes, Amber knew that he had been telling her the truth.

Amber had said, her voice flat, "Thunder, if you want to go I will not stand in your way." She had wished, now that she had been kinder to her brother, but she was just realizing this compassion that she had. She had thought that she was a cold and emotionless creature.

Thunder had left without another word, looking hurt. Amber hadn't called after him, just stared at his figure that was quickly becoming small as he walked off into the distance. Amber looked back up at Sphuul and suddenly wished that she could talk to Thunder and tell him she was sorry.