Trials and Tribulations {Private-Devi, Tarot}

[blackrage]

A light whimper sounded from her maw....."Devi, don't go. Please don't go....so cold......" Her voice came slow and smooth to his, a whisper that made one strain to hear it, and then, it held almost...what he could think of weakness. But, he should have expected that, from how demolished she looked. Even he took on the same, or similar appearance. Still, it struck him with worry beyond comprehension.

As he lay on top of her now, keeping her warm and safe, he protected her from anything on the outside. The elements, the danger, and anything that might want to take her away from him. But, it was taking it's effect on him as well. His strength was ebbing away, bit by bit, and suddenly, he gave a cry as the ground itself sprang out from under him.

He fell, down and into a darkness, before striking heavily upon his side. His eyes opened once again, wide in fright and confusion, misunderstanding. A think mist was laden on the cold earth, of which he felt so sharply under his feet, that it sent chills up his spine and bristled his fur. Darkness surrounded him, and he began to react.

Great head snapped down to look beneath him, but all he could see was the inky black depths of this indescribable place. There was no grass, no soft, gritty dirt...no Shanda. He remembered before, and he realized himself in the same dream as before, only this time, he was alone. As he called out into that abyss, his voice echoed, as if there were walls...

...and he ran as far as he could, as fast, but he seemed to be going nowhere, and there were no walls in a place so foul as this. There was no end to it's tricks that eluded him at every turn, every exhale of his breath, every time her name danced on the end of his tongue. Tears cascaded down his face and his body shook, both from fear, and the sobs that torn threw him at every gasp of his breath.

The darkness had it's grip on him, inescapable and impenetrable. It gripped his throat tight, threatening to suffocate him, to choke the very life out of him. He writhed hard, trying to dislodge those monsters of the dark and those shadows that held him, and he gave it his all, only to hear a voice fill his ears moments later. "Devi?" Recognition hit him like a wave. Shanda! But, the darkness...it was trying to close his ears, where he could not hear her words. He struggled, barley catching her last words. "Devi, we must get to shelter. If you can help me, we can go around the other side of this tree. My den is there, under the roots. It will be a tight fit, but we can both fit."

He wanted now to get free, and every muscle in his body was trying as hard as it possibly could. He had to get out....why was he here in the first place....he couldn't let it....no....nooo....No.....NO! Then it was all gone, it had fanished....and..he felt something else...another touch to him...softer this time, no longer prone to hurt, a soft nuzzle against his face. Bi-colored eyes opened to see, not the darkness that had once tried to kill him, but the very face that he had longed for so passionately, and now, he looked right into her face again, registering what he was to do.

He tried to ignore the wild beating of his heart, and the pounding of his head, the terror he had just endured at the hands of shadows and all things cruel. He helped her up, and they made their way to her den, crawled in it, and settled down together. But Divinations didn't feel himself, he wasn't even in his own body it seemed to him, but his form worked with all it had to get Shanda there and let her in first, and it made the same attempt to crawl back over her, to form that same protective shield...

....but what was this feeling he had? It buried itself deep inside him, curling around his heart, and resting there. It took away all pain, and he no longer felt the pounding in his head. Her name rung in his ears, and what he had last said to her came like a wave over his heart, crashing into him, threatening to barrel him over. But it couldn't, so strong was that feeling that was there.....that feeling he couldn't deny.....

[[*takes a deep breath* I just couldn't stop myself from typing....*breaths*.....He, he...-collapses-]]

[sarhea]

As Shanda lay there on the cold ground, the bulk of Devi's body covering her, shielding her from the elements, she had begun to sense his torment. She'd felt his warmth, it warmed her soul, giving her just a shred of strength, enough for her to raise her head. She had begun to feel his terror, only to be distracted from it by the onset of the coming ice storm. Thus she'd nuzzled his head, attempting to awaken him from his troubled slumber. She'd spoken to him, and slowly, he seemed to come to his senses, his head slowly turning, his gaze meeting hers. But it seemed so vacant, hollow. Something was not right. Even as he helped her up and supported her weight around to the opposite side of the tree to where her den lay under the root mass, she felt as if he wasn't even there. Worry for him began to consume her every thought, pushing aside all of her own problems.

At the entrance to her den, he had paused, letting her crawl in first. Shanda was still very weak, but had gained an adrenaline boost through her concerns for her friend. She attempted to as quickly s she could crawl into the den, but ended up sliding in on her belly. Devi soon followed, and tried to crawl back over the top of her. But she wouldn't allow that. She wriggled out from under his massive form, and crawled up as tightly next to his side as she could, tucking all her paws up as close to herself as she could. She laid her head over his neck. Her friend was as troubled as she was, maybe even moreso. He seemed so distant, lifeless. She lifted her head and looked at him as he lay there. The self inflicted injuries on his head were healing, some quicker than others, some didn't look so good. She didn't resist the urge that came over her to cleanse his wounds; it was the least she could do, and began to gently lick the one that looked the worst.

"Devi? Devi, are you alright? You're really beginning to worry me." Her voice held a spark of strength, laced with worry. She drew her head back, and nuzzled her way under his foreleg and laid her head next to his. What was wrong? She almost drifted into sleep when all hell broke loose....

A nasty gust of icy wind rushed into the entrance, as thunder broke the eerie silence. The sound made her jump, her head snapping up, eyes wide with fear. She tried to scoot closer to the dark wolf. The roar of pounding rain as it moved over the trees grew louder, louder until it reached their location, echoing off the trunk of the old tree. It began to rain harder than she'd ever seen, and soon, it began to seep into her den. She jumped to her feet as the icy water began mixing with the dirt floor, turning to icy slush.

"Devi! Devi, get up!"

A gust of wind drove a torrent of the rain, now mixed with sleet, directly into the mouth of the den, driving it into her fur, down to the skin. She began to panic. They would not be able to stay here, as the water was steadily muddying the ground, even collecting in some spots in puddles. She was standing in mud...damn this storm, damn this mud...mud...Tarot! They could go to his big roomy, warm rock cave! Devi was still on the ground. She turned to him and forcefully shoved her head under his and lifted it.

"Devi! We have to go! We have to get to Tarot-He has a big den, and it is warm and dry. Come on, Devi. Get up!"

[blackrage]

His head pounded, and the frantic, almost erratic beating of his heart did nothing to calm him, or sooth his aches. He felt just about hollow, like everything had been ripped from him, and all of his form was numb. The great wolf couldn't even feel his feet as they contacted with the ground, mixing in with the ice and snow, cold and hard combining to shake his frame.

Even as he supported Shanda's weight to help her, his eyes were his only working sense, and breathing, even, was a difficulty and a burden to him. They made it around that old, slowing dying tree, and found themselves at the entrance to her den. He let her down, almost without knowing it, and watched with glazed eyes as she slid in.

He too came in, but without attempting again to crawl over her, to protect her from everything that surrounded her, and yet she resisted him, and instead curled up next to him. He bent his body, and curled it around her, putting an arm around her shoulder. That was only, before falling back to sleep.

Exhaustion hit him like a brick, and it tried to force his eyelids shut, and they sagged limply in return, and his whole body relaxed, fight himself between sleeping and staying awake. One side, was going to suffer loss. His great head fell to the floor of her den, and only moments later, he was almost within sleep until a weird sensation gripped his head. It felt almost like...Divinations opened up a single, glazed over ,crystalline blue eye at her as she licked at the wounds on his head.

In all respects, he really hadn't though about them that much, and soon after he ran off the first time, he had added more to his already and still bleeding collection. Scars riddled his shoulder too, were he had rammed himself into that rock earlier, and a long gash left his hind leg in rags of blood and shredded fur. A tooth was missed from his mouth, and the claws on a single front paw were almost gone, worn down by the force had put on them when he took them across that boulder, on which sparks flew, and when he didn't even see his brother.

"Devi? Devi, are you alright? You're really beginning to worry me." Her voice held a spark of strength, laced with worry, and yet he barely heard it. Silver tipped ears were pulled back, and the marking that criss-crossed his body looked as though they were dimming with every second that passed. As he looked up at her with his eye, it too dimmed, and his eyelid slowly seeped closed.....

....until he was awakened by deep thunder striking the bounds of the earth. Lightening flashed, and shock gave him strength as his body shot upward, till he was sitting, to stop only when Shanda had back up into his, trying to get closer, almost disappearing within his deep fur. He opened his maw to cry out in shock, but the only thing that came was a baritone, scraggly groan as he went over in the pain that stabbed at his chest from the loss of oxygen.

He folded up, paws snapping up to his chest, entire body curling up, immobile from the ache that spread across his broad body, across his side, playing and ripping at his ribs. His chest heaved, trying to reacquire the air he needed for life, but found pain more. Maybe it was just the exhaustion, but it felt real to him, and in more ways than one.

Her voice came to his ears, loud and ringing within that dirt den, and he heard her words all too well. It was just that he couldn't, and even though the pain was disappearing, another shock was to come when the storm itself was blown directly into the cave. The cold elements washed over his body, causing him to contract again. The slush seeped into his fur and stole his breath, and so cold was it, that he needed no extra help but the fact of her lifting up his head as she did.

"Devi! We have to go! We have to get to Tarot-He has a big den, and it is warm and dry. Come on, Devi. Get up!" Divinations starred at her for a moment, but took to the realization that there was no time to lose. If they got stuck out here, well, they'd most likely freeze to death in this kind of weather. He lept out of the den, looking back to make sure she followed, and when she did, he went straight to her.

Energy seethed through his blood in these circumstances, and he was full of it now, ready to go, only sewn by survival and the will to live and to protect her, if not himself, from the elements that took out it's rage upon the two wolves. "Get on my back!", was all he said as he lowered to the ground, equal to where the weakened Shanda would be able to get on top of him. If only she would, and fast, he could get them both out of here. He knew she was still tired, and probably as much as he, but he would do it just for her.

[[This is offically the longest thing I have ever written at one time.....dang...but I shall not hold my brain back from doing what it wishes! -battlecryofalltimeforthesakeofrp-]]

[sarhea]

((don't worry about the length! beautiful post, BTW...))

Shanda hadn't even noticed that Devi had also been startled by the first roll of thunder, the fear had taken over her instantly upon hearing the sound. She only remembered seeing him still on the ground as she'd turned back around and lifted his head. A deep fear had wrapped it's icy fingers around her heart in a tight grip, causing a panic to rise in her that she'd only ever felt once before, that night she'd gotten lost out in that blizzard...

As the torrential rain outside raged on, the floor of her small den turning to icy mud, her fearful eyes locked with Devi's dazed eyes. She was grateful when a bit of recognition, a hint of the urgency of their situation began to overtake the dazed look, and the great beast rose from the muddy floor. Outside, Shanda began to hear more of the clicking of the ice on the old tree than the pounding of the rain; the storm was turning into purely ice instead of rain/ice mix. She threw a terrified glance to the ragged wolf, and stepped out of the way as he dashed to the entrance and out of the den. She clawed her way out of the entrance, wincing in pain as the sharp shards of ice pelted her in the face. Devi was instantly at her side, trying to shield her from the raging storm, seemingly unconcerned for himself.

"Get on my back!"

Her eyes opened wide in question as he lowered himself to the ground. She'd never done this before, and was unsure how they would get the distance to Tarot's end of the beach in this manner. Both of them were running on borrowed strength, wishing only to collapse and sleep until they could sleep no more. But they had to survive this storm.

"Tarot is down the beach, to the south...follow the shoreline..."she muttered. Shanda felt numb all over as she, as quickly as she could, climbed up over onto Devi's broad back, hoping that she'd be able to have the strength to hang on for the length of the journey. Her mind was reeling, and as she got settled and he arose once more, she felt her mind drifting into unconsciousness.

[[OOC: HOPE YOU DON'T MIND ME SKIPPING AHEAD A LITTLE...ADD WHATEVER THOUGHTS YOU MAY HAVE IN YOUR NEXT POST IF YOU WANT...JUST TRYING TO GET THERE....]]

Shanda barely noticed the changing scenery, only somewhat felt the rippling of Devi's strong but tired muscles beneath her. She felt numb, as if she were floating, her limbs were chilled to the bone, and she could no longer feel them. She didn't even know how she was staying put, or if she was just dreaming this whole event. She had no idea how long they were even traveling when a loud roll of thunder jolted her out of her dreamy state. She woke with a start and then felt a falling sensation...just before hitting the cold sand of the beach.

Shanda rolled onto her stomach, groaning in pain at the searing burning sensation in her paws. Her eyes opened heavily, her vision blurred, dazed and confused as to what happened. She could no longer feel the pelting of the ice against her face or fur or if it was even still storming. Her muzzle came to rest on the sand, it's familiar scent registering in her memory. Her eyes flew open, glancing around. There...right at the shoreline...the grouping of rocks where she'd first met Tarot in the first place. They were close to their destination! Devi! Where was Devi! Shanda tried to turn her head, raise to her feet, but nothing wanted to work.

"Devi! Where are you! We are close! So close!" Her voice came out in more of a whine, hoarse and raspy. She became aware of the ice still fiercely falling, fear coming over her body as she realized that she was so close to her destination but completely unable to move. Her head lifted up to the sky, the ice stinging her eyes and nose as she opened her maw in a frantic howl, calling out with all that she had left, hoping her voice would find it's way to its destination.

"Tarot! TAROT!!!"

And with that, she fell limp to the ground, every bit of her strength spent. She didn't remember the way to Tarot's cave from here, didn't know where Devi was. She could only hope that someone would find them before the storm finally claimed her life like it should have done so long ago....

((ok, sorry bout the length, but i knew it would happen. Paradigh, feel free to jump in when ever you want...also, I'll say that there probably will not be no posting order, just post as it seems fit to make the story fall in line....))

[paradigh]

((Can't you leave the poor fella to sleep! LOL, I"ll be posting tomarrow))

[blackrage]

No matter how much he hated the feel of all that ice as it dug into his feet, fur, and blew into his face, he tried to hide his situation of discomfort and pain. Even as he knelt down, it blew at his face, lacing his eyes with frigid flakes, and seeming to aim straight at him in all it's fury. "Tarot is down the beach, to the south...follow the shoreline..." The male looked over at Shanda when she said these words, and a fresh bolt of worry trickled through him. She was still weak and tired. He was just the same, wanting nothing but to rest his aching body and heal the wounds; both physical and mental.

He lowered even more to the ground as she climbed onto his back, and he couldn't help but utter a slight whine as she did so. It was for the worry of her safety, and the harsh blow of the storm against his body. Once she was fully laying on his back, safe, and only then did he rise from his position. He only looked back one more time before he set off....

Paws carried him as fast and as hard as they could possibly could across the sheet of ice and snow that covered the ground. Nearly, it had all frozen, and when he crossed a small stream, he nearly slid off his feet for how slick it had become. It was now safe in this weather, and now was not the best time to be in it, but survival, love, and sheer will drove the male on.

Momentarily, every few minutes, he would look behind him as he ran along, checking that she was still there, so light she was, that he feared she might fall off his back and he would not notice. His body stuck out in the snow for his dark pelt, but at the same time he blended in with the now ebony forest. The sands could not be seen now, and he ran across the beach as if it was nothing. In fact, now it was no longer a beach of sand, but instead it was an entire beach of snow and ice, and the waters had frozen well past the point where you could stand on them normally.

Now, as he plodded along, straining every muscle he had, he was nearly being thrown to the point of exhaustion. Where his muscles had given way, endurance had taken over and soon came undone, and then, he was going on only by will itself. Just up ahead, he saw the entrance to Tarot's den, but his sudden, and fleeting scenes of hope wasn't to last. The snow was blowing fiercely now, and with a sudden burst of thunder and lightening, all hell came lose.

In his shock, he placed his foot wrong, and everything went to the ground floor. A yelp sprang from him on impact, and it was not pain; terror and shock gave way to that resounding noise. Snow and ice barreled at him, and it stuck to his face, blinded him so that he could not see.

He no longer felt that small weight upon his back, and even as he rolled along the ground in his fall, he knew she was gone from his grasp, and could be forever lost. The male struggled to his feet. A desperate, but failing attempt to combat the forces of this storm. He finally got his footing, but lost it again, thrown around by the storm as if he was nothing but a small piece of sheet metal caught in the winds.

Though Devi could not see her, Shanda's voice called out to him. It was weak, raspy, and yet he heard it so clearly, that it seemed that he could be right beside her, while he was several feet away. "Devi! Where are you! We are close! So close!" He tried to pin down her location, but in these winds, it was an impossible feat. No one could have done it.

"Shanda! Where are you?!", his own voice called out to her, but the storm seemed even more angry at him now, and so it did the best it could to keep him from any of his goals. He slipped again, this time as his back legs hit the frozen sea, and he went down hard; bruising his wounds afresh.

It was now that exhaustion hit him, and no longer could he tell anything. His entire body had become numb, and he could barley feel anything, save for the pounding of sharp shards of ice and snow on his face. He couldn't move, and all his energy had been used to where happiness had become a distant memory.

As the storm went on, and the snow covered his broken body, he could tell it, deep within him that Shanda had found shelter, and Tarot was with her. At least, she would be safe. With that last thought, it took only moments...

....before the darkness once again had it's cruel clutches around him.

[sarhea]

((OOC: Oh dear....what a pair these two make...*pets poor Devi* I'll be glad once their finally safe. Reading this make me cold and shiver for them....I'm awating for Tarot to post...*poor Tarot* lol-and no, Paradigh, we can't leave him be! what fun wouldl that be? Hehe))

[tarot]

*What a strange, freaking night...*

*Never in a million years...no...TWO million years did Tarot ever think his brother of all people were to come and try to find him. As far as he remembered, his brother was cruel hearted, calous, and wanted him out of his life more than anything. He remembered when he left that he thought maybe now, with the 'special' child gone, Devinations would get the attention he long for so very much. But now, many months later, to find him roaming his kingdom..and with SHANDA no less!*

*The tiny male had encountered many females in his life. Some much livelier. SOme much prettier. SOme with much better personalities. But there was something about this Shanda. A mutt, first of all. For some reason, this made her all the more apealing. Her strong facade to hide her insecurities. Her hair! What an oddity that was! And Tarot loved it. If Tarot knew what love really was, he would have known this to be a crush. But for now, he considered himself scrambled by strange emotions.*

*The night he went out after seeing his brother in the pool was...well...surreal. The smart thing was done, and Tarot hid. When first discovered, the expected happened. Fury, rage, danger. He thanked his luckey star that his monsterous brother was blinded by these emotion, for if he hadn't been, the litle seer would have certainly been hurt. Then, attempting to save his attacker, the black rage turns around and showered (and squished) him with love?! Then it was ShAnda's turn to add a little spice of confusion to this perpetual soup of lunacy. She turned like a mad dog on his brother, who, uncharacteristicly, turned tail and ran like a puppy. And before the befuddled Tarot could say anymore, the female was on his brother's tracks!*

*He had no other option than to take him, and his spliting headache, back home.*

*Tarot was happy he got home when he did. Snow, and a lot of it, began to fall. With nails clicking, the monotone male crawled into this cathedral of a cave, and flopped down on a soft bed of sea moss. He thought plently of the night on his walk home. NO more troubling thoughts tonight. He was to sleep.*

*And sleep he did, deeply, so deeply that he didn't even remember the dreams of his puphood he was having before...*

-Tarot! TAROT!-

What?

*THe fluff rolled over in a jerking motion, and was now groggily on his feet. That was no dream...Shanda? What the hell now? His eye rolled to his window...it was still coming down. And he had to leave his nice warm cave...the bitter Tarot actualy considered leaving the madwoman out there, but something tugged at him, told him that he was needed. His head twiched, and he once again began laughing like a madman was he walked out of the door*

What now? OH, let me guess...knowing tonight...ALL my family is here...and...oh I know...they've all turned into possums...oh yes, that makes as much sense as the rest of the night. And there's a party, it wouldn't be the same without a party now would it...

*But before he could go on with his sarcastic and desperate monolouge, there. At the entrance of the boulder maze. Shanda...and Devi. Both out like lights in the snow. Tarot yowled in confused drama as he shoved his cheast through the piling snow. First, these two psycotic cainines turn his world upside down in one night. Then, the are laid on his welcome matt for him to take care of. Which brought about the question...how the hell WAS he supposed to take care of them? Plowing through the snow, he began to bark...loudly*

Get up! Get up, you two! Can't lay here in the snow, fools! Come on! I can't carry you...

*Then hesitantly, if not grudgingly, made an offer to the comatose bodies*

You can come to my place. It's warm, and very large, and protected. If you get up, I'll show you...

[sarhea]

Shanda felt nothing as she lay on the cold beach, the ice and snow beginning to pile around her, ice clinging to the fur around her eyes, her nose and mouth. She began to dream of all the things she wished she could have done, the things that she wished she could have changed. But she pushed aside the thoughts of her past, for if she was gonna die this night, she didn't want to die with that memory playing in her head. She wished her friends were here, Tarot and Devi, well, if she had not ruined her friendship with Tarot that night on the beach. She wished she could have the chance to see him one last time, to say how sorry she was for the way she'd acted. Devi, that strange creature who'd claimed to love her...she wished he was here by her side, that she could live to see another day, to find out what the heck he meant by that...But she didn't know where he was...before slipping into her dreamy state, she thought she'd heard a yelp...

The atmosphere suddenly changed, Shanda felt a strange presence. This is it, she thought, I'm finally leaving this world. The new atmosphere was charged with energy, but for some reason, she felt confused. The energy felt of tension, frustration, aggravation-much different than she figured it would be...A dull sound met her ears...again, but a little clearer...louder...closer....

A familiar scent, a familiar voice....Tarot? How was he in her death dream? And then, she was back to reality. She felt the sensation of the wind against her fur, smelled the strong presence of another....Tarot....just knowing that he was so near gave her another burst of borrowed strenght...she forced open her heavy eyes, slowly drug her heavy head across the ground to face the direction the voice had come from. There was a figure standing there in the snow, and through the mass of ice built up on her face, she could barely make out the form of Tarot.

"Tarot....you came...you heard my...so sorry...." her voice was raspy and hoarse, her words coming in a delirious jumble. He was so close...if she could just find the strength to stand... His voice rang out over the blowing storm. It sounded angry, aggrivated....

Get up! Get up, you two! Can't lay here in the snow, fools! Come on! I can't carry you...

Somewhere, she found the strength to lift her head, peering at him closer. He looked angry... if she were going to apologize to him, now was her chance... if she could only get to her feet...she turned her head back to try and concentrate on moving.

You can come to my place. It's warm, and very large, and protected. If you get up, I'll show you...

She couldn't feel any part of her body, but somehow, she moved her legs...felt the slightest of pressure in her limbs...a spark of hope...she was not dead yet! She managed to roll from her side onto her belly, her limbs tucked underneath her, and slowly but surely, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her head was spinning, her vision reeling, the burning sensation returning to her paws. Part of her screamed in pain, begging to stop; the other part demanding that she get to her feet, to get over her petty insecurity issues, that she had another chance at life if she wasn't too cowardly to take it. She closed her eyes...she was tired of being a coward...anger sprung up, anger at her stupidity, and it gave her the needed boost of strength to push herself to her feet. It was the oddest sensation, standing there on limbs that burned as if they were on fire. Her eyes were closed, trying to stop her world from spinning, but now she opened them, looking at Tarot.

She took a few shaky steps towards him, pushing through the building drifts of ice and snow. As she came to his side, she couldn't stop herself from leaning against him, her unsteady body demanding the support the small male provided, whether he was OK with it or not...he could be angry with her later.

"....so sorry...Tarot...i'm such a coward....didn't mean...." her speech was still garbled and confused, and she felt such shame for her actions. She leaned heavily against him, laying her head against his neck. She could feel his warmth spreading across her side....Devi....Her eyes flew open as her head groggily turned to look out across the snow and ice...there he was...laying sprawled on the beach, not far at all from where she had been....

"Devi....Devi get up..." she croaked, wanting to go over to him and nudge him, to tell him that Tarot was here and that they were almost safe. But she didn't have the strength to leave Tarot's side and make it across the ice he'd slipped on. She leaned her head back on Tarot's neck, trying to think...

(ok...sorry it's long...one of these days I'll learn to write shorter....yeah, right....*pets poor Tarot*))

[blackrage]

There was only one sound that greeted his senses, and it was the harsh, raspy sound of his breathing. He could see nothing beyond his eyelids, and the pain he felt was more than he imagined. His head felt as though it was splitting open, or that some beast had sunk it's teeth straight into his brain.

Darkness. It was everywhere, on everything. A think mist hug within the air, suffocating, taking the ground away from sight. A blue eye opened, then a red, as he looked around. He saw nothing but black and white, and hues of grey and silver; the colors that were the fog and that void, sea of black. Where was he? How did he get here? These questions came to his thoughts, but they seemed to leap out of his brain, echoing everywhere. Anyone is hearing distance would have located it within their rang of hearing.

But then something in his brain clicked, and it dawned on him exactly where he was. Back in the dream of shadows....and a yelp was issued from him just as he sprang to his feet, barely avoiding the demons that reached out at him. He couldn't fight for being to exhausted and how he even found the energy to run from them, he didn't know. Everything in his body ached, and he couldn't even hear the pounding of his feet against the unseen ground....

But a shadow came out of the ground, and right in front of him, and the it came for him with all it's teeth ready to rip into his flesh. He stumbled backward, and fell, and kept falling, deep into the inky darkness that swallowed him....

His eyes snapped open, and pain struck him like a bolt of lightning. He had actually gotten up in reality when he did in the dream, and so it came to be that he fell when he did. The ice under him stung with its icy grip, and a cracking noise came loud and clear to his ears. He struggled to get to his feet in time to avoid what could be a disaster, and yet, it came o be that he couldn't move for very long. He right leg stung with the pain that might have called it broken, although it was fully in one piece, only that would later limp on it....if he could survive what was to happen next.

The ice that his great body had once laid upon gave way to the stress of weight, and cracked out from underneath him, and he fell to disappear within those dark waters....

[paradigh]

*dies* Not that you want to make our lives easier or anything, Devi... *goes to type solution*

[blackrage]

[[*wimper* Paradigh.....]]

[tarot]

((Sorry guys, can't acess a comp in the hospitle. Alright, this will be crap, but here I go...))

*Tarot sighed. He knew he snapped, and that wasn't apropraite for the situation. Wad the curde ball of fur growing soft? If anything, it was for Shanda. The deceptively perky and confident female had opened up a portal of love, romantic or otherwise, he yet did not know, that hadn't been touched in years. The small wolf whimpered softly as he looked at the condition of..well...his friends? Hell, after tonight, ANYTHING was possible. It was as though an icicle has just impaled his long burried heart as he watched the unsteady mutt walk towards him. What was once the strong, confident cur he had lead to his most sacred and secret of places now barely had enough to strength to stand. Now flustered with himself, he was about to tell his lady not to speak, but before a word could come out...Shanda bore her whole wieght on his body. Shock was the first. THe dog may have been female, but without a doubt was bigger than his diminuative frame. A little choke fled his mouth as he braced his legs into the snow. It surprised him...how cold she was. This was indeed, an emergency. Shanda spoke again, her words now barely audible.*

Don't apologies, my Lady Shanda...it is by no means your fault...

*It wasn't until the hybrid called out to him did he remember his brother was there. It was all he could do not to spit. It was Devi's fault. This whole crazy night. If he hadn't had tried to find him, he never would have. If he didn't act like a bipolar spaz, then the rollercoaster would still be out of order. And if he hadn't run slower than Shanda, they wouldn't all be freezing in the snow. Tarot just wanted his brother to disapear!...*

*And he did...*

*It took the small male a moment to figure out that he wasn't imagining it. The splash of freezing sea water brought him to his senses...Devi had fallen! Without even thinking about the extra weight he was suporting, Tarot lept forward, screeching to a halt a the edge of the newly shaped hole. The black fur was just barely floating on the top now. He had to do what any other brother would do...his head darted like a viper's into the water, clenching down on the bulk that was his brothe. It was only when the jester had a grip did he realize what a stupid move it was. Devi was big, even for wolf standards, but compared to his twin, he was monsterous! The screeching of claws on ice gave a harmony to his cries. Tarot really had no choice now. Biting down hard would draw blood, but give him a good grip...and maybe wake up his brother.*

*The teeth bit, the blood flowed, and the prayers began*

[sarhea]

Don't apologies, my Lady Shanda...it is by no means your fault...

Shanda lifted her heavy head at his gentle voice, giving him a weak smile. She felt a tiny hint of strength returning from the bit of warmth that came from his body. She turned her gaze to Devi, who was now attempting to stand, but he seemed in a daze. Had he heard her call to him? Had he heard Tarot? She didn't know, but suddenly, awareness came into Devi's eyes, a look of terrible pain, and from what she could see, he was favoring his right leg. But before a sound could be emitted from the great dark brute, a new sound came to her ears...a loud crack. What the heck was that? Her eyes flew open wide, a look of horror that about matched Devi's as they realized that the ice beneith was breaking apart.

Before anyone could say anything, the ice gave away and Devi's form vanished before their eyes in a great splash. A few seconds of shock pasted before the realization of what had just happened hit her.

"Devi!" She screamed out, her voice coming forth coarse and raspy, muffled by the blowing snow and ice. And before she knew it, the warmth beside her dissappeared as Tarot lunged for his brother, leaving her standing there. Miraculously, she stood her ground, her weight no longer supported, the heaviness returning. But still she stood, spreading her legs to better brace herself against the wind. She stood helplessly as she watched the small male lunge to the gaping hole and grab what fur he could of his brother and begin to attempt to pull him from the icy waters. The small Tarot began to whine and whimper as his brother's weight was so much. High pitched whines began to sound from her maw also.

This was so bad. She had put both her friends in danger. She should have just stayed in her den. Yes the water had been coming in, but the rain didn't last long before the ice and snow hand come. But now they were here; so close to safety yet so far from it. Shanda helplessly watched Tarot put his own life in danger to save his brother, wishing that someone would just pinch her and wake her up from this nightmare....

[[Ok...this post was total crap....Paradigh-your's was great....]]

[blackrage]

Night was almost upon them.

The clouds had darkened, and became more dense, and spread out, so that they cloaked the whole of that already dark, dread- filled sky. Still, they circled the multiple figures upon the acropolis, that jagged peak that jutted out from it's stone base like a spire upon a church's rooftop. But in this land, nothing was holy. Nothing was of any joy. Any pleasure. Or any hope. Those things were nonexistent in this land, this land of rot, this land of blight. A grizzled wind blew, kicking up clouds of dust and debris from the compost -ridden soil, and carrying it, to only god knows where, until it stung one's eyes or battered the corpses of those they lay cold upon the frozen grounds.

....and corpses were no hard thing to find in this land. No....it was easy to find corruption and greed and the fallen in this place, and especially easy for one with the eyes to look for it. Darkness pervaded every corner of the surrounding land as if it was part of the very essence of life in this place. Seeping, lengthening and shortening, being sheltered from the sun by the limbs of trees too unstable to sustain much if any life from this lacking and murky soil.

Somewhere high in the trees, a limb snapped. From what was unknown, and would probably never be known, but as the broken, brittle thing made its way down from and canopy, clattering onto the compost-ridden soil, a single pair of intense eyes watched it.

....and the trees were restless, it seemed by looking out over the tops of the canopy, the wind rustling the leaves, making the tops of the great behemoth’s sway back and forth, creaking with the strain of making such solid trunks flex. They seemed to reach for the sky, stretching out blasted, blighted arms, begging to the unforgiving sky. The heavens was their master, and they were privy to it’s every whim and fickle notion; if a storm would come, it would come, and rain down upon them life and destruction in the same cracking note. If the sun were to burn them, it would do so, and some trees would die so that the others would live.

He almost seemed to enjoy it, the thoughts he got from the darkness that surrounded him now, and the deeds of destruction and choas...misery and sorrow. His dream had again come back to haunt him, the night time laughing at him with mocking scorn....the clouds of fog and mist that covered the ground, concealing it from veiw...and the shadows that lept out at him. But they weren't after him..not this time....they were after the other figures sitting beside him.

Shanda...and Tarot.

But he didn't seem to care, and only sat there while their screams and cries came out to him, but he felt no longing to help them...he was being pulled away by the shadows. His very soul was dissolving before his very eyes, and his fur became darker. His brother did indeed manage to escape, leaving Shanda behind though, but she fought for herself....but he came for Devi with a roar in his throat. From sorrow or anger, Divinations didn't know. He didn't seem to care.

His own laughter seeped out into the mist that surrounded them upon that cliff, mocking them, and uncaring notion that brought both their wills to their knees, and so doing brought them to their death as the forms fell off the cliff. But suddenly, his laughter stopped, and he felt caring again, and so sorrow at his brother's death. But Shanda...was nowhere in his mind.

Then it came to be anger, and the Bi-polar behemoth snarled deeply, and attacked the shadows, only to find himself overcome by them, and dragged into their dark depths that were even more deadly than any abyss. They were taking him away....no....No! He was not going to go like this...never..never would he be taken. The night made to consume him, but anger consumed him first, and a deep, deep and grueling rage.

Bi-colored eyes seemed to glow against the dark canvas he found himself on, just as pain seared through him him like knives piercing. Red and blue narrowing to glowing slits, he mind fogged over. The whole of the world became blurred. No longer could he see Shanda or Tarot, or anything around him. The world was his enemy now...and everything was out to get him. Jaws open opened in deadly rage as his claws found that cold ice above him, and he launched himself upward, fur standing in spikes of agony, sorrow, and fury as he came too, entire body rotating to come down on the ice, claws creating furrows as he landed, glowing orbs deviling hatred, and teeth bared back as far as they might go, and farther, snarling mixed with a hiss clawing it's way from his throat. He could see nothing...nothing but his target. The one who had caused him so much pain. The one he had always hated, and still did, and even more so now as he lunged, teeth parted to render flesh and bone unable, tear apart the first thing he got hold of, and break bone as soon as his teeth might close over it. Great body was in the air now, heading straight for the thing he was making an effort t destroy....and rid himself of forever....

.....Tarot.