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Post by Blackfeathr on Aug 8, 2008 16:04:12 GMT -5
As NightBlood attempted to get her bearings about the area, Armageddon turned in a circle, moving his gaze from the surrounding trees to the blackening clouds. The humidity in the air was thick and it sent a whisper of concern fraying his thoughts. He sniffed the air. Nothing but the muted scent of dead trees and ash. The air even seemed to be pulling his scent away from him, leaving him smelling like nothing but burnt wood and ash.
NightBlood's sound of uncertainty caught his attention and he turned back toward her. "Good question." came her dubious answer.
Armageddon frowned. He didn't even remember what direction he came from to get here. If they could just get back to the cliff, maybe they'd get some headway.
Turning around, he trotted back to the large boulder he'd laid beside. He sniffed at the indentation he'd made in the ash. The remaining scent that lingered there was fading to nothing. He could not scent the trail he made, nor see it. The ash had blown over it and settled, making any tracks of anyone, wolf or otherwise, impossible to distinguish from the terrain.
He walked in a slow lope back to NightBlood, shaking his head grimly. The sky was darkening still, the air wet with humidity. They were lost, and a storm was approaching.
Total mood killer.
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Post by nightblood on Aug 12, 2008 12:55:06 GMT -5
"Well, if we keep walking, we'll run into some place we know," NightBlood reasoned.
As the Beta took a step forward toward the darkest area in sight, one might have thought she was a bit crazy. However, some old memory was drawing her there. The humidity in the air was drowning out all scents, but something still drew her in.
Crimson eyes narrowed as she squinted against the wind. She tilted her head slightly as she walked toward the darkness, leaning her head out further and sniffing the air, trying to get some sense of what she was walking into. Turning her good eye back toward her mate, she gave a knowing smile as she took a guess at what she was walking toward.
"C'mon."
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Post by Blackfeathr on Aug 18, 2008 22:08:51 GMT -5
"Well, if we keep walking, we'll run into some place we know,"
Armageddon nodded in agreement, grinning. Now they were getting somewhere, literally. Padding up next to NightBlood he stood shoulder to shoulder with her, looking around. Wherever she led him, he would go.
Maybe he spoke too soon.
The grin was wiped off his face when she started walking toward a particularly dark and ominous area of the forest. The silent humidity just seemed to make it more threatening.
As if entranced, she leaned toward the darkness, sniffing at it.
Armageddon took in the scents as well, or lack thereof. There was nothing but musty, damp air.
NightBlood turned her good eye back to him and grinned knowingly. He cocked an eyebrow, eyeing her incredulously.
"C'mon."
He gave a very unnerved grunt as he stared at her. He stole a lingering glance back at the wall of impenetrable darkness, and looked dubiously back at NightBlood.
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Armageddon inquired slowly. He didn't doubt the Beta's navigational skills, but this, this wasn't striking the right chord with him. Something seemed off. He hoped he was wrong. By God, he hoped she knew where she was going.
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Post by nightblood on Aug 18, 2008 22:43:13 GMT -5
"Are you sure you know where you're going?"
Blood paused and looked back at her lover, giving a light-hearted smile.
"More sure than you are. At least I'm moving." she laughed.
Nipping at his ear, Blood gave a small dash forward, inviting chase. She was going to attempt to take his mind off of the darkness they were headed for. However, looking forward she found herself at the proverbial gates of hell. She looked up at the gloomy trees and gave a forced smile.
"Besides... Love Arnlan... Love it all..."
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Post by Blackfeathr on Aug 18, 2008 23:21:12 GMT -5
The laugh he made at her wry remark was stifled by the swelling humidity. She nipped his ear and dashed off into the darkness. His expression shifted to uncertainty, and he bit his lip. His protecting instincts switched on as his mate became less visible, and he dashed forward, wanting to keep her in sight. The dark was nearly absolute, but he could see the faint mass of NightBlood to his left. Giving a concerned sigh, he turned to her. From the look in her eyes, she was smiling half-heartedly, it seemed.
"Besides... Love Arnlan... Love it all..."
He smiled half-heartedly.
"It is beautiful. As I had told you when I first joined... it reminds me of myself. Misunderstood. Mysterious. Powerful." He said the last word in a low growl, a strange feeling overtaking him. Perhaps it was the ominous atmosphere or change in humidity or air pressure, but he wasn't his usual shy, modest self. The rare lust was returning. He felt more, empowered. More dangerous. In this darkness, where no one could see him for what he truly was, he could be anything. This bravery thing was a piece of cake, as the adrenaline rose within him. It was danger, and he liked it.
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Post by nightblood on Aug 18, 2008 23:36:00 GMT -5
"It is beautiful. As I had told you when I first joined... it reminds me of myself. Misunderstood. Mysterious. Powerful."
NightBlood turned and growled. The emphasis he put on that last word made her cringe. She was reminded of the pair of wolves who stood against her when it was her time to become Alpha in Draviria. If he valued his time in Arnlan and being her mate, he would never talk like that again.
"I don't care for power," she said dryly, "All I care about is making sure the pack is protected and remains safe. Power is the obsession that drove NightShade to her cruel leadership. Nothing comes from that path to glory. Only death. Remember that."
Without another word, the Beta strode forward. Her movements were precise and deliberate. Like a train on it's tracks, nothing would stop her. Not even the cold death that gripped this area of Arnlan.
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Post by Blackfeathr on Aug 19, 2008 7:53:36 GMT -5
Armageddon whined as NightBlood growled harshly at him.
"I don't care for power, all I care about is making sure the pack is protected and remains safe. Power is the obsession that drove NightShade to her cruel leadership. Nothing comes from that path to glory. Only death. Remember that."
He remained rooted to the spot, hanging his head. He didn't mean that! But... what did he mean? He had never even wanted to say that. Perhaps the weather got the best of him... or perhaps, the demons in his soul. As NightBlood walked away from him, her gait stiff and unforgiving, he sighed, a high pitched whine escaping.
"I am sorry. I wasn't thinking." He said in a somber tone, thinking of all the whispers and talks of how heinous NightShades pack was. "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," He agreed.
"But being bestowed this power makes you do things you can't forgive yourself for," Armageddon muttered, as he watched his mate, soon to be pregnant with Anek's pups, walk rigidly away.
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Post by nightblood on Aug 20, 2008 23:34:54 GMT -5
"I am sorry. I wasn't thinking. Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
Blood let her tail sway behind her. Her now easy walk showing that his slip up had been forgotten. She had heard the story of Armageddon's past and was not about to let him start down the same road his father had taken.
"But being bestowed this power makes you do things you can't forgive yourself for."
Blood paused in her tracks. She knew what he meant. He was right, but what choice did she have? Arnlan needed its warriors. It needed them to be big, strong, and healthy, all three qualities that both she and Anek shared.
Turning toward the black male, she hung her head and looked to the ground.
"I obey the Alphas... Even before my heart..."
With that, Blood strode forward, lumbering as if she was some horribly depressed bear. In truth, she hadn't known how to react to the announcement of her 'engagement', much less the order to breed. She'd never even considered having a family, not to mention having the desire to love. Now that she had one and not the other in two cases, she was so... confused.
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Post by Blackfeathr on Aug 21, 2008 0:00:13 GMT -5
"I obey the Alphas... Even before my heart..." NightBlood said, hanging her head. This did not trigger sympathy from the languished male, but it opened fresh wounds and anger flashed like lightning through him, turning his aquamarine eyes a dangerous cold grey.
"And that is what makes you a dog for the authority," he spat, stopping in his tracks in the inky blackness. This wasn't like him to cause others pain, and his concious tried to surface with that reminder. But still. This hurt him so. And the thought of seeing her, for two agonizing months, pregnant with another males children...
The aquamarine surfaced again, yet dulled in the lingering grey.
"I'm sorry... its just... for me... its going to be so hard... I just don't know what happened to the NightBlood I once knew." he hung his head, ambling past her, walking aimlessly into the dark. She would probably snap at him now, but he was in no mood.
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Post by nightblood on Aug 21, 2008 19:35:32 GMT -5
"And that is what makes you a dog for the authority."
Pausing again, NightBlood bared her fangs and contemplated turning and ripping the face off of her mate, but stopped herself even before the growl began rising in her throat. Her face fell into that of a disappointed parent, the face of her father. Only he would have that look after his daughter had climbed a 20 foot cliff, wishing she could have done it faster. In the end, BrokeBone only wanted her to be better than he was. NightBlood thought Armageddon was better than this. Perhaps she was wrong.
Then she began thinking about how she had fallen below her father's expectations. He had wanted her to become a warrior leader and serve the pack, but was this what he had meant? Her face grew grim at the injustice of it all, but she knew she had no where else to turn. With her injuries, she would not last more than a month on her own.
"I'm sorry... its just... for me... its going to be so hard... I just don't know what happened to the NightBlood I once knew."
Tears welled in her eyes as she hung her head while he passed her. She had been a fighter before. Even with her bad leg and blind eye, she had been so much more than this. Why had she stooped so low? What was wrong with her? Where HAD the old NightBlood gone? Drawing a breath, she called up to him. Her paws were rooted to the spot.
"She's right here..." she said, her voice high with emotion, "She's just... trapped..."
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Post by Blackfeathr on Aug 27, 2008 0:14:48 GMT -5
It seemed like they were on a rollercoaster of emotions, as Armageddon was sorry for her once again, the conflict of emotions holding him hostage as he stood there, unsure of what to do. Sighing, he walked back to her, and rested his head on hers, breathing her scent and taking it deep within him.
"She's right here...She's just... trapped..."
Armageddon sighed, expelling all ill thoughts, leaving his mind with pretty much nothing.
"...and so am I." he said somberly.
"Most wolves wouldn't stand for this, but I guess you don't have a choice, if there was a chance for us to ever..." he gulped, suddenly scared of the subject. How would she feel about bearing his young? He wanted to start a family now. He wanted to be a father. And now... everything just seemed to blow up in his face.
"Well... not much we can do now." He said with resignation, "I'll stay by you through this, I promise."
It seemed harder than usual to move his paws and walk forward, but he found the strength to, hoping to follow NightBlood out of this darkness.
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Post by nightblood on Aug 27, 2008 0:33:40 GMT -5
"Most wolves wouldn't stand for this, but I guess you don't have a choice, if there was a chance for us to ever..."
Blood sat down, leaning her head into his chest fur and breathing in his scent. Time had to stop, let it be at this moment. She could stay like this forever. She knew he wanted to be a father, but fate would not let him have his desires. Not yet, anyway.
"It may hurt, but it wont kill you to wait. If I live through this, you will too," she said reassuringly.
"Well... not much we can do now." He said with resignation, "I'll stay by you through this, I promise."
Getting up to follow him, NightBlood rushed to his side, making his statement true. That was all she wanted to hear. As long as she had his support, she could do anything, include bare another male's pups. It would be better if he could have her first, but it didn't seem likely in this dark abyss.
Blood leaned into him and attempted to nuzzle his cheek, not really paying attention to where they were going. Moments later, when she opened her eyes, she was relieved to find that they were in a familiar area. Thunder rolled through the air as a flash of lighting went off in the distance. Now that she knew where she was, they would have no trouble getting to her den before the rain fell.
"Follow me!" she said, giving his nose a quick lick before dashing off. Even at her fastest pace, Armageddon was bound to outrun her.
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Post by Blackfeathr on Aug 31, 2008 20:02:20 GMT -5
"It may hurt, but it wont kill you to wait. If I live through this, you will too," NightBlood said, and Armageddon chuckled, amused by her old personality revealing itself again.
NightBlood followed him and joined him at his side when he got up to walk again.
He staggered slightly as she leaned into him, but regained his footing and his small bony frame supported the extra weight. He smiled as she nuzzled his cheek, laying his head over hers and just walking aimlessly forward. They'd get somewhere, sometime. It really didn't matter now, that they had each other.
Thunder chased the wind as Armageddon opened his eyes, not really seeing a familiar area, but looking to NightBlood, she seemed to recognize this place.
"Follow me!" she said, licking his nose quickly and dashing off.
Armageddon laughed happily, leaping and tearing off after NightBlood. It wasnt long before he broke even with her, bumping her side playfully with his shoulder, giving her a mischevious grin. While in those split seconds of not paying attention to where he was going, his foot hit a small fallen sapling and he fell, rolling forward several yards before he got back on his four feet again, and by that time, NightBlood probably made a lot of headway between them. At any rate, Armageddon wouldnt go down without a fight, he tore off once more after his mate as the rain began to pour down on the black forests of Arnlan.
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