What's Left Of Me ~Maya~

[Sphuul]

Sphuul

One last chance for salvation, salvation..
See this empty hole inside?
Don't let It keep growing deeper..
I'm the one who runs away,
It's true I'm lost on the outside.

The path in the woods had not been trodden in weeks. It was devoid of sound, devoid of life. Utterly empty. The stillness stretched for miles, and there was no movement as the day began to fade. The sun had set about halfway when a set of paws shattered the silence of the wood, and, like the breaking of a dam, the woods became alive once more. The sigh of the leaves rustling in the gentle breeze, high above his head, gave Sphuul a little peace. He was not alone in the night, but he was safe. He was the largest thing around, and there was nothing that could harm him out here, in this great expanse of wilderness. His gait became slower, more relaxed, as he no longer felt the itching feeling that he was being followed. He was alone, and he reveled in the loneliness. A part of him longed for company, but that part was easily squelched. His entire being cringed away from being near another wolf. Not after what had happened. No, he would never trust anyone again, not after what he had gone through.

As the night deepened, Sphuul stopped, his silvery pelt gently tugged by the breeze that had somehow floated down from the treetops. His gaze moved to the sky, observing the coming darkness. This was his element. Even though his coat was lighter than most, he could easily conceal himself in the night. It had been his friend for many moons, keeping him safe and hidden from others, who might lure him in with deception and lies. He gave a gentle shudder, and shook his head. His amber eyes, ringed with ebony, glanced once more at the sky, before he turned his gaze back on the path, beginning to walk once more.

As he plodded on, the itching feeling came back, tugging at the back of his mind like a flea behind his ear. You're being followed.. With a jolt, he stopped, his head darting back to see the distance he had covered. The lonely path had turned slightly, and he could not see behind the leafy canopy. Ice flowed through his veins, and he felt frozen. Oh god.. It took Sphuul a minute to remember how to move, but once he did, he was at a steady lope, his eyes turning to glance back every few moments. Realizing that the path remained straight for a long time, and he would be seen in the moonlight, his eyes darted around him. He needed to escape. He couldn't be seen. He could not be around another wolf. They would hurt him, lie to him, break him again.. Without another thought, he hurled himself into the trees, stopping a few feet away. He lowered himself to the ground, waiting. Dark eyes wide in terror, his ears were pricked, straining to hear the tell tale sounds of pawsteps, nose twitching, earnestly searching for a scent. His muscles locked, and the only thing that moved was his silvery fur in the breeze that seemed to have followed him into his hideout.

[Maya]

Azaria

Now all I see is ruin and [ d e v a s t a t i o n ][/center]

The stark comparison to spring and winter was now made blatantly clear. The snow that once coated the land had now begun to trickle down to nearby streams, swelling the beds and causing the water’s edge to rise. The land was slowly being reborn and as their icy confines began to melt away, the greenery would sprout into fine shades of emerald; flowers boasting an array of colors would stem from the soil, unfurling their petals to welcome the rising warmth of the sun. She loved spring and adored how the world rose in symphony and rejoiced that winter was making an exit from the vicinity. She could practically smell the flirty fragrant of various plants that would tickle her nostrils and calm her bustling mind.

A sigh slid past the crevices of her teeth, passing through her lips and entering the air. A dreamy look was clearly visible on her face as she couldn’t wait for spring’s arrival but part of her grieved for winter. Her camouflage would depart, taking with it the bitter bite out of the air but the Arctic wolf used to this to her advantage. She may have scared the wits out of others because of how she exquisitely she melted into the scenery but winter was like an old friend, one she could rely on for years to come. Golden, metallic eyes pierced through the landscape, tracing over the wound that winter had still left behind. Small mounds of snow stubbornly remained but their fate would soon be realized.

The bare limbs of trees remained predominant but one could barely make out the buds of the future leaves arrival. The forest was still, yet another sign that winter was trying to drag out its reign, and for the most part, world laid dormant. It was almost tranquil and serene but this was the last thing Azaria wished for at this moment in time. The purely white female excavated her way through the forest, refusing to walk on the path for it made her the most vulnerable to attacks. The petite female was nothing of what her Arctic wolf ancestry demanded her to be. Where her ancestry willed her to be relatively tall and muscular, Azaria was no more than up to the shoulder of the majority of wolves. She was femininely constructed, as her mother told her, with a small muscle mass to top off the frailty she possessed. The only feature she possessed to offset the fragile air about her was those burning eyes of molten gold where a fire flickered behind them, wild and untamed. She was a fiery female but for good reason as dominors lecherously wished to claim her as though she was some sort of coveted item to obtain.

”Idiots, the whole lot of them, with egos too large to even see over them,” she muttered to herself, rolling her expressive eyes with ease as she proceeded deeper into the shelter of the forest. Her coat absorbed the ethereal light of the moon which caused her to glow slightly, making her easily mistaken for a figment of one’s imagination or a restless spirit. With an inhale, she calmed herself and shoved away the thought of dominors and smiled contently to herself. It was a beautiful evening, which she was certain of. She gazed to the left of her, spotting another wolf beside her, traveling on the path. She had been lost in the beauty of the world that she forgot where she was. Confusion trickled in through face, ebbing up into her eyes as the male seemed to be put on high alert and sprang into action. Without being able to say hello, he loped off into the distance. Curiosity would eventually kill Azaria and she was of it but she couldn’t help but jog after the disappearing figure. She spotted him behind a bushel of trees, hunkered down and scared out of his mind. Azaria joined him without hesitation, trying her best to disguise herself which was easier said than done. ”Where’s the monster,” she inquired in a whisper, golden eyes darting about to wait for the being to materialize out of the trees and appear on the dirt path before them.

[/size][/blockquote][/color]

[Sphuul]

Sphuul

One last chance for salvation, salvation..
See this empty hole inside?
Don't let It keep growing deeper..
I'm the one who runs away,
It's true I'm lost on the outside.

Sphuul was so focused on what was in front of him, what would be following him on the path, that he didn't register the noise coming to him from the side. He barely batted an eye as the fae joined him, and his idiot brain classified her as safe. The one on the road, however, would not be, and he was on high alert. They were alone in the forest, and he was waiting for someone else to come. His silver body remained locked, ears pricked as high as they could go, waiting for foot falls that would never come. Because they had already come, and the bringer of them was crouching right next to him. But no, she was no danger.

It was only when she spoke that Sphuul truly registered that it was she who had followed him, the one he was waiting to hide from. And she had been sitting right next to him, thinking there was danger. She was the danger, nothing else. But his mind did not think things through. Shock flowed through his body, and he cringed away, yelping loudly as she spoke. "Holy fuck!" His maw had screamed without his mind telling him to do so, and he leapt out of the trees, back on the path.

Sphuul had managed to turn himself and was now crouching, teeth bared and eyes narrowed, at the expanse of trees he had just left. He had meant to utter a growl, but a soft, squeaky whine flew through his lips, shattering the whole dangerous facade thing he had been trying to impose. He was scared out of his mind, and his body shuddered at the thought of him being so careless. She had sat there, waiting for her own arrival, with him. Part of him wanted to laugh, wanted to shake off the fear and be a normal wolf. But that part of him had long ago been chained, tied to the floor, beaten and broken. No, he was no longer that wolf.

His lips dropped back over his teeth, the whine silenced by his teeth. He crouched lower, trying to sink into the path that he had stood on, and consequently stirred up a cloud of dust. Sphuul coughed, and stood up, out of the dirt, shaking his head with frustration. Of course this would happen to him, when he needed his nose and eyes more than anything. It had left him scenting nothing but earth, and his eyes watering to the point where everything was blurry. Lowering his head to his paws, he rubbed at his eyes until he could see, then lifted his head warily. The fae had not come out of the brush yet. Was she waiting to attack him now, that she realized this was her prey, the same wolf she had followed? Or had he scared her away with his whining and coughing? Sphuul couldn't help but roll his eyes at the last thought. The big bad wolf is a raging, coughing monster.

[Maya]

Azaria

Now all I see is ruin and [ d e v a s t a t i o n ][/center]

Azaria was silent, eyes wide with anticipating to catch a glimpse of the fearful monster that caused this male to cower and huddle up in the trees. Her imagination conjured up an image that made her shudder visibly. She pictured the raging monster to have salvia dripping from its canines, roaring with anger and just downright foul. Its coat was falling out in clumps and obtained a stench that could make ones lip curl back in disgust. It would be a massive beast that loomed up to half the height of a fully grown tree, bellowing with anger as it searched frantically for whatever it had set its beady eyes on. Come to think of it, this creature was looking for the male beside her. Well, what a predicament she caught herself in, and if this said beast found the male, he would get one for free. Azaria exhaled a sigh, knowing that her curiosity was going to bite her back one day; it might as well be today.

Moments passed and she shifted in silence, eyes glued to the path and yet no gruesome monster made its entrance. There were no trees toppling over on themselves as the rage blinded the monster into shoving them over. She waited patiently for the sound of a loud cracking of trees being uprooted yet the only sound made was the bold call of a hawk. She wanted to see something happen but all that was heard was the wildlife around them. There was nothing scary lurking in these woods and Azaria was about to toss the male a glare as if to say without words that she was highly disappointed she didn’t even see a menacing beast that could rip them both to shreds. She was grateful for that and she could live to see another day but the reaction of this wolf caught her off guard. He sprung away from her, recoiling back as if she was the monster. He was kidding right? Azaria wasn’t even close to the scariest thing that roamed this earth! She was almost flattered that he thought so and an amused grin crossed her features as she mused over the fact that her petite self was what he had been running from.

She stifled her laughter, suppressing it down as the male crouched down before her. His lips rose to reveal his teeth and Azaria remained calm, gazing at him with curiosity gleaming in her eyes. Instead of a growl to leave his vocal cords, there was a drawn out whine that added to her curiosity. If that was how he would react to her, how would he react to a real monster? A laugh slid from her mouth and there was an embarrassed look on her face as she gave him an apologetic smile for having laughed at the fierce and scary appearance he was going for. In order to puff up his own ego, Azaria feigned a look of fear and moved away from him but it was too late. His lids slid back down over his teeth and his body convulsed with fear that ran through him. He was considerably larger than her in both aspects of muscle and height, and yet, he was quaking in her presence like a pup having faced a wild boar.

She watched as he moved closer to the ground, shifting the dirt beneath his paws and began his hacking attack. Azaria’s lips grew into a broad grin and her eyes were also grinning at him. This was a comical thing to watch from her point of view. Her gentle laughter flew from her mouth and sounded airy to ones ears. She was entirely amused but the fact of the matter is that she was what caused his fear in the first place. Perhaps she could be scary to other wolves, now that was worth laughing about. Her laughter faltered as his coughing continued and once he had rubbed his eyes, the look of amusement shifted into worry. Her mind immediately came up with a conclusion that was so far-fetched but she was frantic now. She pushed through the foliage and gazed at him wide-eyed, and ever so charmingly spoke, ”Oh please, don’t die! I didn’t mean it, honest! You’re not dying are you? Please stay alive!”

She’s a keeper alright.

[/size][/blockquote][/color]

[Sphuul]

Sphuul

Laughter floated from the trees that Sphuul had just leapt from, and he lifted his position, attempting to force himself into nonchalance, ignoring the terror that still coursed through his veins. The fae had emerged as he coughed, a frantic expression on her face as her voice broke the silence, freaked as she apparently thought he was dying. An irritated grunt broke through his facade, and he shot a small glare her way, though it was halfhearted. He couldn't get mad at this stranger.

"Ye need not be alarmed, lass. I'm not a dyin' today." His scottish accent rang clearly in the air around them, and he gave a small cough, attemping to hide his sheepish expression. The fae was not after his throat, not yet, and he watched her warily as Sphuul assessed the situation. He had hid from her, and she had hid with him, thinking a monster was after them. A forced chuckle blew through his teeth, eyes wide with leftover adrenaline and fear. The fae probably thought he was crazy. And he might very well be. Would he know if he was crazy, or would he just be crazy?

Refusing to allow his thoughts to spin aimlessly around in his cluttered mind, he cleared his throat softly, looking at the fae. She was quite pretty, a beautiful sight to behold, and it only made the experience more embarrassing. "Uh.. sorry about that." Sphuul shifted uncomfortably, his paws automatically backing himself away from her. He wouldn't leave, not yet, but the close proximity to the stranger had him nearly quaking. His head stayed low, showing the brutes submission. Right now she could order anything from him, and he would do it, whether it be jump through hoops or fly through the air like a bird to collect leaves with his tail.

Shaking his head softly to get rid of the stupid thoughts, his eyes shifted slowly to hers. "My name is Sphuul. Sorry if I.. scared you or something." Had he scared her? Or just amused her beyond compare? The sight of a full grown male crouching in fear of a female wasn't something you saw very often. It had already happened a few times already, and the brute gave another huff as he remembered. Things were different today. Sphuul lifted his head enough to watch her, tense and ready for anything.