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Sept 19, 2012 14:52:27 GMT -5
Post by ⋆Ravɛn on Sept 19, 2012 14:52:27 GMT -5
TORTUGA [/color][/font][/right] Burning in his nostrils, the thick smell of smoke. Flames everywhere, stinging, lapping at his skin. Yelps and howls filled the air, battling the crackling of limbs faling for his ear's attention. He was disoriented and light-headed, his throat scratchy and dry as he sprinted through the ocean of orange, calling desperately in a cracking voice. Where was his mate, his daughters and sons, his pack? He couldn't just leave them here, not like this, but he would surely pass out and be enveloped by the wild, hungry flames. With a mournful keen, he fled in a random direction, his senses failing him. He didn't know where to go, which way to run. His ears heard nothing but the sound of something heavy falling - a tree? -, his nose was filled with smoke, and his eyes were distracted by the neon swirls that screeched their hot, burning warning. It was a miracle that the smoke finally began to thin, and when he was on the distant horizon, Tortuga turned to glance over his shoulder. Irrsin was ablaze completely, and it was spreading fast. He gave another frustrated whimper and began to turn, his eyes watering still, when he saw movement. Someone was coming out of the flames, someone alive!
Jerking suddenly, Tortuga's body forced his mind from the vivid dream. Panting, he rolled to his feet, crouching and trembling lightly. Beside him, Dresna stirred, her eyes wide and startled as she stared at her father. Relieved that she was beside him, Tortuga straightened, his ears plastered against his skull. Stiffly, he prowled around the tangle of weeds and bushes that they had made their temporary nest, searching for anything out of the ordinary as his mind slowly sharpened. When he found that they were alone still, the white brute turned back to face his daughter, the only other wolf that he had seen emerge from the flames. Dresna stared back at him, distance prominant in her eyes. The fire had scared her just as much as it had him, he knew that much. She must have been worrying about her mother, her siblings, her friends...and oh, how Tortuga pined for them, as well. He felt as if he had let them down. In the beginning, when the flames first started, they had been strong and united. He had lead them with shouts and barks, directions and encouragements, urging them to safety. But the flames had been quicker, and cunning. They had seperated him from his pack, from everyone he loved. And now here he was, camped out in Scherein forest, hiding like a coward. It infuriated him.
"Father?" Dresna said, and in her voice he heard how she had matured, how she had grown. In a strange way, it made him miss Kasimira horribly. She should have been here with him...they all should have been.
"Come," he instructed. "Up. We're going back to Irrsin to see what remains. You'll travel as far as you can along the beach. See if anyone fled there. I'll travel inland. It will take you longer, but I have no doubt in your abilities."
Immediately, his daughter was on her feet, shaking dirt from her bright white coat. She nodded, once, and without a backwards glance, she was off. How difficult it must have been for her, to leave the only loved one she had left, but she did it without complaint and without hesitation. She would be a fine Alpha for Irrsin...if Irrsin still existed.
With that thought in mind, Tortuga whirled, sprinting off. He was gliding, flying over the earth, his paws never connecting with the ground long enough to stumble. He was determined.
*
He knew where he was. He could smell it, the crisp scent of burnt land, of desolate descrution. His nostrils flared as he slowed his gallop to a slow trot, millions of stars clustered above his head. The grass beneath his feet turned to dust and soot as he walked, each step calculated and careful. It looked nothing like his home, nothing like what he knew. It was an alien land, a strange place, and he did not like it. Wearily he came to a halt in the middle of the blackened field, his nose working for a long moment. Then, with as much energy as he could muster, he tossed his head back and howled to the skies.
Where are you?
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Sept 19, 2012 19:47:58 GMT -5
Post by »Image on Sept 19, 2012 19:47:58 GMT -5
KASIMIRA All she could see was smoke. Thick, heavy rolls of the ashen grey washed over her, ripping her sense of direction and smell away from her. Kasimira struggled through the growing darkness, inwardly cowering to the heat that blazed before her. Admist the shadows of fog and smoke flared bursts of red and orange, threatning to singe her fur as it drove her back. Painfully, she opened her eyes and gazed across the line of flames. Tortuga.
There he was, in all his pale glory, all his normalcy. The blue of his eyes seemed to glow luminously and he tilted his head back in a sad howl. It cried of remorse and of loss, of grief and deep sorrow. Kasimira's whole body tingled as he sang, watching numbly as his figure slowly melted away, into nothingness, into the growing, angry flames. No! He couldn't die. Not like this. Kasimira threw herself at the fire, willing her body to somehow becoming resitant to the heat and fiery grave.
As soon as her fur hit the flames, the she-wolf cried out, whimpering her apologies. Agony laced roughly over her, digging into her skin with a new sensation of searing pain, outdone only by the strong, distinctive scent of burning fur that hit her nose. She had never felt this weak, this alone. There was no one to save her. No one. Burning alive, with her energy and concious dwindling, Kasimira repeated Tortuga's name over and over in a half-remembered frenzy.
"Tortuga! Tortuga... Tortuga, please. Please, help me. Tortuga. Tortuga..."
- end dream -
Kasimira woke up in a jolt, her fur on end and her body shaking with the sudden memory of the nightmare. There was no smoke here. There was no fire here. It was dark--so dark that the she-wolf had trouble distinguishig Gabriel's frame from the furthest den wall--and without the heavy, acrid scent of her mental inferno, it seemed almost peaceful. Her breathing discordantly cut into the evening's sweet melody, growing rapid, anxious, and grating as the night grew older.
Ever since she'd come back to Irrsin, the nightmares had grown worse. It was never the same, yet always strikingly similar. Somehow, Tortuga, their pups, other assorted members of the pack, was always out of reach. They would be caught on the other side of the fire, staring at her with glowing eyes, silent and removed. She would leap in to play the part of the loyal Alpha, the part of the strong, courageous hero only to be burned alive, consumed by the flames. The pain would strike her like a snake, again and again and again until she woke up in hysterics. She was weak, she would realize. She was alone. Angry with herself and the position she was in, Kasimira would run to the falls and submerge herself in the water, if just to rid herself of the imaginary sensation of burning. The once proud queen of Irrsin was slowly losing it.
This morning, however, was different. Something had woken her prematurely. Kasimira perked her ears hesitantly, listening for the sound that had pulled her from the agony of the blaze. And then she heard it. It was a sweet and deep noise that met her ears, loud and boisterous. Every note demanded to be heard, every sound calling the she-wolf. Something inside her trembled, caught between recognition and a muted concious. Kasimira wearily pulled herself to her paws, moving gently as to not wake Gabriel. The black she-wolf crept to the den opening, cautiously and carefully turning to look outside.
Against the sea of burnt and blackened meadow grasses, there was a splotch of white. It was a vibrant, bold color amongst the ashen cinders. It was Tortuga. Kasimira's blue eyes widened as she watched the male, the shock of seeing her mate alive and so close halting all sense of direction. What should she do? Run and greet him or simply call back her response? Was it really him? How did he make it out alive?
Finally, after a few moments of gawking at the male, Kasimira's buried personality caught up to her. What was hell she waiting for? Of course that was him! She'd know his voice, his frame, his scent, his stance, his everything anywhere.
Kasimira, ignoring the voice inside her that said to check for anything out of the ordinary, howled her delight to the stars. Excitement rose from her, a happiness she'd never sung for, an emotion newly wed. She pumelled her paws into the ground in delight, a different wolf rising from within her. With that, the black she-wolf broke from her trance from inside the den, rushing hungrily down the hill to where Tortuga stood waiting.
"Tortuga! You're alive! Eperna kept you safe."
In between words, the she-wolf couldn't stop herself from howling and barking her delight, tail wagging and her body squirming as she weaved around and around Tortuga. His face was just as handsome as she remembered, with all his strong, defined features. Oh how she'd missed him! Kasimira was at a loss for words as she moved, her eyes running, racing over his frame. Memorizing every last detail, committing to herself every noticable attribute and characteristic she'd somehow forgotten.
It seemed they'd only been gone seconds now, whereas only minutes ago it had been years since she'd seen him. Time was a funny thing. Kasimira turned and moved back to look her mate in the face, placing a more mellow, soft lick on his cheek in the process. But as she glanced at Tortuga's eyes, she noticed something off. And then it clicked. Neither Dresna, Marzell or Adelina were with him. The she-wolf's world stopped spinning, halting abrumptly and pointedly.
"Where are the pups?"
Her voice had dropped low, and Kasimira narrowed her eyes in question at the white male. They had to be with him. In her sudden fever, she looked thoughtfully behind Tortuga, standing as tall as she could to see over his shoulder and into the small bushes behind him.
"Oh, they must be hiding incase you wandered upon someone other than Irrsin wolves!"
It was as if the light bulb had gone off inside her. Trotting over the the bushes, Kasimira tentatively browsed the area, whining for her pups to show themselves. Nothing moved. The black she-wolf began to look more persistantly, calling her pups names. Dresna. Marzell. Adelina. Pause. Dresna. Marzell. Adelina. After a few moments of nothing, the queen slowed her searching, casting a glance back at Tortuga. The blue eyes darkened, and inwardly the alpha female's stomach turned to single, sold ball of ice.
"Tortuga..." [/size]
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Sept 20, 2012 17:37:09 GMT -5
Post by ⋆Ravɛn on Sept 20, 2012 17:37:09 GMT -5
TORTUGA [/color][/font][/right] Some lead, some follow Evil face, good game Devouring and being devoured We take little and give a lot He waited.
Long after his howl died off, he waited. His eyes desperately searched the horizon, watching carefully, his heart seizing in his chest. Someone had to come. Kasimira, or Adelina, or Marzell...even Kyren, or Calliope, or Zy. Anyone. He couldn't be here alone. After his long journey here, he would surely drop dead from hopelessness if no one came to his call. Soot that he had stirred up settled around him, and still, he waited. Just when he was beginning to grow desperate, he saw something on the horizon. Movement? It looked as if the soot had taken form, as if it were running towards him. But no, that wasn't soot...it was fur. Fur and blazing blue eyes.
It was her.
"Tortuga! You're alive! Eperna kept you safe."
All of a sudden she was there, circling him and squirming. Before he could respond she was licking his face, and oh, how he'd missed her...Almost instantly his tail began to wag backwards and forwards furiously, his muscles bunching as he reared back. When his front paws met the ground again, he began to lick her face in return, small whines of happiness escaping from his throat. This wasn't like him, but he couldn't control himself. Not now that he knew she was alive and safe before him.
"Where are the pups?"
Just like that, the illusion shattered. The pups. Dresna was accounted for, but Marzell and Adelina...she thought they were with him. Which meant they weren't with her. Slowly, the silly grin that had placed itself on his muzzle slipped away. His ears slid backwards, flattening as he watched her look behind him, so certain that they were in hiding. Then, slowly, it dawned on her. He watched it happen, watched her eyes narrow and her beautiful black face turn towards him. "Tortuga..." The words were uncertain, and he hated it. He hated seeing his wonderful Queen in doubt, and although he did not want to say the words that were forming, he knew that he had to.
"I kept them together, when the fire first started." His voice was soft, his eyes on the ground as guilt and self-blame twisted in his gut. "But the smoke became too thick, and the fire...I couldn't see them after a while. I called for them, I called for everyone, but no one responded."
He trailed off, his eyes finding nothing but bleak destruction in the form of dust. "When I was out of the fire, Dresna came bolting out. She'd been separated from everyone, too. We waited for a while, but we couldn't wait forever. The fire was still spreading towards us. We had to go. We fled through the forest for hours." He clenched his teeth together, his muscles stiff as the memories flashed through his head. The fire, his calls, the singed fur of Dresna's coat...He shook himself, realizing that he had been dragged down into his thoughts. Slowly, his eyes found Kasimira's. He was terrified of what he would find there as he finished speaking.
"She's taken the route along the shore, to see if anyone fled there, since it's the largest form of water...but I was hoping that Adelina and Marzell were with you. And everyone else, for that matter. Has anyone else showed up, or are they all...unaccounted for?"
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Sept 27, 2012 13:33:57 GMT -5
Post by »Image on Sept 27, 2012 13:33:57 GMT -5
KASIMIRA "I kept them together, when the fire first started. But the smoke became too thick, and the fire...I couldn't see them after a while. I called for them, I called for everyone, but no one responded."
Kasimira felt the ball of ice drop and shatter. The colors of the world drained, the noises and previous excitment of Irrsin falling away in sweeping, debilitating motions. The black she-wolf suddenly had trouble focusing on her mate, the blue eyes blinking uncomprehendingly. How many times had she attempted to prepare herself for this, this wretched ending? Countless. And still, the pain was just as sharp, just as agonizing as she had known it would be.
"When I was out of the fire, Dresna came bolting out. She'd been separated from everyone, too. We waited for a while, but we couldn't wait forever. The fire was still spreading towards us. We had to go. We fled through the forest for hours."
As Totuga spoke, Kasimira stood stone still, her heart racing as he lumbered through the story. So Dresna was safe? Or had something worse happened to explain why she wasn't with him? The she-wolf couldn't meet his eyes, couldn't bear to see him confirm the ending she deserpately wanted to eliminate from the situation.
"She's taken the route along the shore, to see if anyone fled there, since it's the largest form of water...but I was hoping that Adelina and Marzell were with you. And everyone else, for that matter. Has anyone else showed up, or are they all...unaccounted for?"
She didn't need to wait long for the answers to her questions. Kasimira raised her head to look Tortuga straight in the eyes, sizing up his words. He seemed almost ashamed about telling her, and the she-wolf quirked a brow in response. What was there to be uncertain of? He had done all he could. Right? Something inside Kasimira cringed at the thought of blaming Tortuga for the loss of their children. How could she? He had been faithful and supportive of all of her endeavors from the get-go. He deserved better than that. Brushing the thoughts away, Kasimira slowly leaned forward to lick her mate's cheek in reassurance.
Besides, Eperna willing, her daughter would be returned and under her careful eyes by sunset at the latest...
Still. That left her other two pups unaccounted for. Marzell and Adelina were both stronger physically than Dresna (or maybe their personalities just pervated that image over their inheritantly impulsive behavior) and Kasimira could only hope and pray that the two were together rather than apart. Her heart yearned to run through the woods and find them sleeping comfortably in a make-shift hollow... Or maybe they were frolicking at the falls, having a bit of light-hearted fun before returning home. Quite possibly, the adventurous pair had simply run into another wolf and stopped to talk.
Wait, hold up, what the hell was she thinking? Stopping to talk? She was dreaming up figments of daisies and rainbows if she was honestly trying to convince herself that was what had become of Marzell and Adelina. Lord. She knew better than anyone the dangers of the days now, the posibilities that awaited her children if they were found by a particularly vulgar dominor. They could be sold as sklavin, seperated from each other, lost to the endless boundaries of Ravensbrück's reign. Or worse.
Kasimira shuddered to think of the possiblities. You've got to find them. It was an instinctive resolution that resounded within the female then. Not an option or want, but a driving, pounding need. Kasi turned her chiseled head towards her mate in contemplation of how to proceed. Where would they go from here?
"I just found my way back yesterday. Gabriel was already here--apparently he stayed through the whole thing."
There was a soft hinting of meek adoration and loyalty for the male. He'd risked his life for the pack, and in Kasimira's book, that had created the difference.
"Other than him, I haven't seen anyone. No Calliope, no Kyren, no Matrid. Not even a hint of Zy."
The last comment was meant as a joke at Zy's usual antics, but her voice was strained and the pun fell a little heavy on the conversation. Blue eyes searched the horizon with worry. Would Irrsin ever be the same if some of her pack never made it back? [/size]
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Sept 30, 2012 17:19:56 GMT -5
Post by ⋆Ravɛn on Sept 30, 2012 17:19:56 GMT -5
TORTUGA [/color][/font][/right] Centuries pass and still the same War in our blood, some things never change Fighting for land and personal gain Better your life, justify our pain The end is knocking, the end is knocking Her words were as heavy as boulders, and the silence that followed was just as hefty, if not more. Gabriel, Dresna, plus himself and his mate...Irrsin had once been thriving, bursting with life, and now it was nothing. Their numbers had dwindled to four, their home was dark and ugly, their prey either dead or malnourished. How long would it be before they were malnourished, as well? Or would Eperna take some mercy and send more prey their way? Or maybe, if any of the other pack members had lived, she would guide them home. Oh, please, Tortuga found himself praying. Rarely ever did the brute pray. In fact, he could probably could all the times he had on the toes of his front left paw. But now was as good a time as ever. If any of them are still alive, bring them home. Let them come with Dresna or let them come alone, but please. Bring them home.
After another long moment, he glanced to his mate with a heavy sigh. "I didn't see any signs of them in the forest. I can only hope that Dresna has more luck along the shore. And that she comes swiftly. She doesn't know you're here, and she misses you terribly."
The last of his words were said with a little smile. Despite her approaching adult status, Dresna was still very fond of her mother. She would never admit it, but when the little white she-wolf was near Kasimira, she was more talkative and less reserved. She seemed less eager to dart off into the world like her siblings, and more content with resting beside her parents, listening to the matters of the pack. It made Tortuga proud to see how Dresna was growing, and Marzell and Adelina, too...but they weren't here. Tortuga had to chase the thought from his head before it budded. He would lose himself completely if he began to mull over the disappearance of his pups.
"Is there any of the territory that hasn't been scorched?" He asked, forcing his thoughts to return to pack matters. "Any place at all where prey might still gather?"
He was considering, calculating. Together, he and Kasimira might be able to figure things out. They could rebuild what was lost, certainly...pick up new Sklavins, introduce new members, while perhaps continuing to idly search for the others. If they were lost, or in trouble somewhere, Tortuga could not simply leave them. But at the same time, he couldn't waste the rest of his life searching for them. He frowned, before quickly wiping the movement from his features. They could worry about that later. Right now, they had to get down to the basics: food, water, and shelter.
A soft breeze had picked up, sending soot scattering. Idly, Tortuga brushed his muzzle against Kasimira's, still lost in thought. The pack was vulnerable right now, and it bothered him. He knew it must have bothered Kasimira, as well. Thankfully, however, they had seen neither paw nor tail of any intruders. If they were lucky, it would stay that way. The last thing Tortuga needed now was to have to fight some cocky little challenger who thought he (or she) could easily take Irrsin. Ha. Just the thought made the brute snort.
Let them try.
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