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[Dawali Amara]

Right, so I'll be scarce until friday-ish, but at least it's up :) Word Count: 552 Dawali took a breather and supported himself against the tool in his hand, a long wood stick with a lot of twigs on the end. Amongst the twigs there were cloth pieces and larger animal hair, but mostly it was made from twigs. To make a broom from twigs was certainly the more economic and lazy way, and when it came to the lazy part Dawali fit it perfectly. The pieces of cloth and animal hair simply made the brush more dense, which he needed as this was his "indoors" broom. Dust had been gathering everywhere during the winter, and the darkness of the season had given him no energy to even start doing something about it. He was a single male anyways, and nobody came to see him, so he couldn't care less. His wooden door was ajar, letting fresh spring air seep in and take away some of that winter smell of confinement and boredom. It was time to let spring enter his home, and he'd made this day his cleaning day. Already the broken tools and food storage had been carried outside and sorted through - some of the tools needed repairs, and some of the food had gone bad. It was salted, most of it, and it didn't "go bad" in the sense of smell, but it was still nice to get it over with. Also much of it was unnecessary now that prey was beginning to emerge under every second rock, thus the old food could - and should - be disposed of somewhere. There was no need for it to take up place in his main room when there was no one to eat it. Looking around, and at the afternoon sun shining in through the doorway to play with his wooden floor, Dawali put the broom away, supporting it against a wall, and took three easy steps to the outside of his home. He wanted a break from staying inside and moving his stuff around to find more dirt, and had decided it was time to take the bad food and other litter somewhere else and dump it. He wasn't really certain where to put the stuff, and he definitely didn't want to dump it somewhere close to where anyone spent a lot of time. Sighing, and squinting towards the sun for a few moments Dawali took a few deep, wonderful breaths of fresh air and walked towards his leather bags of litter. Soon they were on his back and sides (there were only two bags, but they were quite broad, and easily wrapped themselves around him, supporting each other). They were heavy, but Dawali didn't mind. This was a good chore, even if it made him tired at the end of the day. Walking calmly through the packlands Dawali was headed towards the border, thinking to dump it somewhere he was certain no one lived permanently; unclaimed land. His pace wasn't very fast, mostly due to his heavy weight, but it suited his cheerful mood, as did the light whistle that every now and then escaped his lips. The rays of sun pleased his skin and lifted his mood just as the grayness of winter dulled his senses and his mind, and he welcomed every trace of life, every chirping bird, with open arms.

Awesome sexy table and avatar by Kat! :D

[Ember Phoenix]

I am HORRIBLE. :< I apologize for the wait! And this post is crappy :xxx

It seemed like Aniwaya was bursting into life. This was her first spring inside of these new lands, her first spring away from her father and Storm. They had come over to these new territories in April, from the burned lands across the mountain, but by the time she had actually gotten settled in her new pack Summer had taken a strong hold on Souls. She'd never gotten to see what the change from winter to spring was like.

The fires had changed her life completely. Ember wasn't sure if anyone else thought about them...but she definitely did. On a daily basis, even. Without the fires, she wouldn't be in Aniwaya, after all. She wouldn't have her good friend Tayui to visit and four small charges to watch over. If the natural disaster hadn't happened at all, Ember wasn't sure what she would have been doing. She had been heading out of the lands to look for her mother Iskata when she had seen the smoke in the distance behind her, and had turned back. So without the flames, she would probably still be out wandering.

She was on her way back from the city today, having visited the crafts shop for another armful of supplies. Now she had a few more balls of yarn, new needles, and a big pile of fabrics to work with. She was considering taking up stitching, to try and make some clothing for herself. Ryan had made her a beautiful cloak--she wanted to pick up a craft like that. Ember did a lot of training, running and strengthening her body, and this would bring a nice change to her schedule. She usually got bored during her down-time. She could only visit Utriu so many times.

The shifted wolf paused when she saw movement through the brush, emerald eyes focusing. Was someone there? She kept herself completely still, watching.

[Dawali Amara]

It's ok! Not your fault, so :) Word Count: 343 The red wolf male and his load moved along slowly, but comfortably, heading for the borders. His eyes looked about him constantly, taking in the blooming life, as if the vegetation was a civilization of its own, now entering a golden age and expanding beyond comprehension, bursting in every direction. Every now and then he had to squint against a stray ray of sun that got through, although most of the time he was in comfortable, cool shadow. It wasn't as if it was warm enough to be called warmth yet, but the weather was definitely milder than just a month back. The blessed sun, how he'd missed it! How he'd missed having it around him, hell, even burning his skin beneath that red fur in the summer-time. And every summer he longed for the coolness of winter. He was a strange man, never satisfied, except in spring. It was in between the two poles, just right for him, and with such a lifting effect on everyone around him, too. What more could he ask for, truly. Well, except for someone's company, naturally, but he was getting old - he would enjoy life anyways. He'd grow old in style, he had always thought, but every spring he lived through would still have that rejuvenating effect on him. Whistling, sometimes imagining himself in a duet with the birds that sounded from here and there, although he could not see the little buggers, Dawali suddenly noticed something not green in the corner of his eye. Stopping, he turned - with great effort - his whole upper body in the direction of the black color (the weight prevented him from any more agile movement), and spotted a part of something that must be a wolf. And so far, only one person besides Ayegali in their tribe had that color, and the area did not smell of their leader. Speaking up to get the female's attention, Dawali simultaneously put his load down on the ground. It would do with a little break, yeah? Ember, is that you?

Awesome sexy table and avatar by Kat! :D

[Ember Phoenix]

She had been trying to visit the other packlands lately, to get a feel of how everybody else in the family was doing, and had discovered a short time earlier that Iskata was no longer a member of Phoenix Valley and that she had passed away. She had never been terribly close to Iskata, as the wolf had been absent for most of her puppyhood and then off-and-on during her early adulthood, but it was still a hit that she hadn't been expecting to take. It had been her adopted sibling Naniko that had told her, the quiet day that she had gone to Crimson Dreams. Ember was a natural busybody, though, and after the inital shock and sadness she had been able to work through her feelings by going through her normal schedule, just like always.

When she did move and come out of the brush, the first thing that she noticed wasn't Dawali himself but the leather bags that lay on the ground beside him. She was carrying a load too, but hers wasn't nearly as heavy as those bags looked. And they were in a backpack. "Hey, Dawali. Whatcha up to?" She looked up from the leather bags. "You need some help carrying stuff?"

[Dawali Amara]

Word Count: 373 Waiting, Dawali continued to whistle a little, a barely audible melody, as his eyes tried to penetrate those leaves and offer his ego the satisfaction of having been right. He wasn't an arrogant man, not even a little, but as most people he liked being right in his assumptions. It felt good when one's body and senses worked together, and could work well enough to foretell such things. It was as if everything was in tune, the season, his body, his mind, his senses. Everything felt good, and Ember couldn't possibly have run into him on a better day, garbage day or no garbage day. Before long, his yellow eyes could indeed grant him satisfaction, as moving out of the vegetation came Ember - as expected. Smiling, Dawali waved as she came towards him on his path, eying the leather bags. The wave became a throwing-like movement mid-action as he quickly threw her offer away. What, these? There's no need for that. They weren't really that heavy, just large and.. well in fact they were quite heavy, now that he thought about it. obviously thinking for a moment, as if interrupting himself, he changed his mind a quickly contradicted his previous statement. Well, they are kind of heavy. Smiling again, his hands moved towards them when he spoke, although he made no sign of intending to pick the bags up again right away. If Ember wanted to carry one he'd let her help, but if she didn't and simply asked out of politeness, he'd put her at a liberty to choose. If she would rather like to stand here and talk, they could do that - the bags of garbage weren't going anywhere anyways. Funny, I ran into your sister Naniko a moon or so ago, she said you were a very independent one, and right she was - I haven't seen you in ages!. It was true, and Dawali noticed how he was more relaxed, more himself, around Ember. At least compared to for example Firefly, or Catherine or Ayegali. Ember seemed more on his level, perhaps... he couldn't explain it. Leaning towards the tree he'd been standing by, the male crossed his arms, looking at his dark-pelted friend and smiling playfully.

Awesome sexy table and avatar by Kat! :D

[Ember Phoenix]

WC: 500+

It seemed that springtime really brought out the best in everyone. Maybe that was one of the reasons that she felt better today, because of the nice weather. Ember had experiened things like snow, hail, and the like when she'd lived in Storm, back in the old lands, but it had never been as cold or as snowy as Aniwaya had gotten this last winter. It was a welcomed change, and even just a few degrees made a world of difference. The lands felt more alive than ever, animals coming out of their holes and dens to greet the world around them, new plants coming up from the soil. Her sibling over in Crimson Dreams was probably having a hay day, what with all of the new herbs that would be springing up.

If there was one wolf that she had always been able to go to for help, it was Naniko. A few months ago she hadn't looked too kindly at the female, with her trusting ways and caring attitude, though. She'd thought her a fool more than anything else. But now she was realizing that sometimes a person's weakness could also be their strength. Naniko was kind hearted, and yes, it could get her hurt someday...but right now, it was what she had going for her. Ember wished to be like her, in that way. To be more open and trusting of others.

"Cool" She leaned over, picking one of the leather bags up. It didn't seem too heavy to her, just bulky. She wondered what area he'd been heading to before, when she had stopped him. "Where are you taking them to? I was just coming back from the city. I found a couple of books that belong to a series I'm already reading." She couldn't remember if he read or not, but it was something that she really enjoyed. The Tamora Pierce books were really interesting, even if there was only a mention or two of wolves in the entire series. Mostly the books were about humans.

Dawali was giving her a playful sort of smile, and she shook her head at him. He could be pretty silly sometimes, but most of the time she only saw his serious side. She would have to come by more often, to see other moods of his. She thought that he was really interesting in general, really. "I've been out and around a lot, meeting up with some family members and hanging around Crimson Dreams a bit. Now that Tay and her puppies are getting along better, I've been going to see my brother Kansas and his mate and their new litter." It was at least a part of an explanation. She had been around Aniwaya plenty, but she'd always been pretty busy. "I also found a weapon, in the big castle. A sword. So I've been working with it and learning more about it. But what about you? What have you been up to? It's cool that you got to meet Naniko--she's known me my whole life."

[Dawali Amara]

Uh, rambling.. :/ Word Count: 579 Any other female uttering those words and Dawali would have been ashamed. She did not feel that the bags were heavy, yet he had just said he did. In fact, they weren't heavy just hard to handle due to their size and shape. When it was Ember who spoke these words, however, he did not mind. It was strange, but the usual man-pride didn't roar and thrash as it would have under different circumstances. He actually didn't mind, and while that did cause some confusion in his mind for a split second, he threw it away and wouldn't let himself linger on it. The conversation the femme put forward didn't allow him to linger on it anyway. Nodding as he listened, Dawali was reminded of his intellectual inferiority - he could not read. He'd never read a book, but he'd always assumed it was similar to listening to a story. Still, he shook that feeling off, too, and smiled at her, genuinely interested. I was just heading to dump them at some random unclaimed place, really. So.. the city, huh? Where's that, then? Truth be told, he hadn't explored at all since the tribe had been founded - he'd had too much work on his hands! Building the town house, paving the ceremonial square - it took time and energy. Also, he worried for his daughters, a mandatory part of the day. And then there were his rituals.. oh, but he'd found such good excuses not to stray from the comfortable life in the village. He'd have to get better, probably. At least meet up with other pack representatives around this place. She quickly explained where she'd been, but of course he hadn't meant that she needed to make excuses. She took it with good spirits though, as it had been intended, and he was glad. Often he feared the rage of the offended woman, but Ember did not seem to be one easily offended. Not so moody as those Dawali had experienced many of in his past. The red wolf smiled as she mentioned that her brother had a litter recently - they were fortunate children. It is birthing season now, they will be strong, born in such a fortunate moon. His spiritual side never rested - he was a spiritual man, and really, could anyone not be, looking around them at the world? It existed in such perfect harmony, in fact the only thing that disrupted the balance was the strangeness of the canis mind - as the humans had done before them, apparently. Rarely did his spiritual side see the light in normal conversation, however, mostly because no opportunities showed themselves in one. As a result, many had no idea this other side of him existed. One eyebrow arched as she spoke of a sword, and as the male bent down to pick up the second bag, he had to show his surprise. A sword, huh? I've never seen a properly made one, to be frank. Our tribe had no impressive metalworker. How does fighting with a sword vary from fighting with the spear? Naniko was mentioned, but he didn't comment it - right now he was mostly interested in the sword. He wasn't a violent man, but it was always good to learn new techniques - knowledge was power. Also, if it was a good way of fighting, they should perhaps teach it to those that protected them, their warriors. It could be very useful.

Awesome sexy table and avatar by Kat! :D

[Ember Phoenix]

Eh..Me too. you inspired me. Plus the fact that I had half the post saved from yesterday night and then wrote the other half today ^^ WC: 1000+ She was really glad that Savina's pups had all been born alive.. It was good news for a pack to have pups in it in general, because the pups would someday replace the adults as packmembers and leaders. Ember had heard that in most litters at least one or two of the pups died either while they were being born or soon afterwards. In Naniko's there had been two dead ones, she remembered. and Dierdre had told here that she'd also had two other siblings who had died, back when Dierdre had still been around before the fires. Ember had lost her sister, brother, and father all at the same time that day in the mountains between this new place and what used to be. A year had passed by, a whole entire year since then...it felt like a lifetime ago that she had been living in Storm, surrounded by all of their smiling faces. "We don't have a compost heap or anything here? I guess I didn't see one anywhere. In one of my old packs we had one...I don't remember which pack, though. Maybe Labrynth Glen. A place to dump all the old food and garbage. And I'd go through it and chop the stuff up, and we would put it on plants later in the year to help them grow." She looked at him, puzzled, when he asked about the city. Everyone had been there before! Or so she'd thought. "Halifax? It's to the Southeast of here. Maybe a day's walk or so? I'm not sure--I never really paid attention. But I go there a lot. Were there any cities where you came from? Back across the mountains there was also another city, Citta Umana." It hadn't been required that they learn how to read back in Storm, but she'd been young when she had been taught the art. She didn't remember if it had been a packmember or somebody else who had shown her to begin with. Maybe it had been her father Phoenix, or Lubomir. She didn't know if her knowledge of reading made her any smarter than someone else; to her it seemed more like something that you had to learn and practice to be good at, just like hunting or learning a weapon. Anyone could do it, if they wished to and if they put in the time and effort. But reading could be harder to learn; she didn't know how many others could actually read here...so it could be hard for a wolf to find a good teacher. Maybe she would teach her neices and nephew how to read, when they got old enough. "Yeah. I think we're pretty lucky. Nani had her pups right before winter started; I think that would have been harder. But they have a food thing in the basement, you know? Uh...I don't remember what she called it. But a hole in the ground where they put the food so it would stay frozen" She looked back at him evenly, swinging the bag back and forth a little in her arms. There were times when she wondered about the pack hierarchy here, whether she ought to be showing Dawali more respect and reverence than she did, but he'd never approached her about the way that she spoke to him or to anyone else so she assumed that what she was doing and saying was correct. She had spent most of early adult life alone, in one pack or another, until she had found her old leader Tayui again. Being in so many different places had most definitely had some sort of an effect on her--each pack'd had its own set of rules and the wolves were required to act a certain way toward the leadership in each place...so she was no longer sure if anything that she was saying was correct in both content and the way that she said it. Or who she said it to. To her, Aniwaya seemed to be slightly more relaxed in the packmember vs leadership aspect. Dawali probably knew how much she respected him without her having to say it. She looked up at the sky for a moment, then toward Dawali again. It was a really nice day outside for doing things outside. Not too hot, but not too chilly either. Even with her dark coat, today she hadn't felt overheated at all on her walk back from the city. Maybe winter was finally giving up and losing its grip on Aniwaya. It would be nice to have some warmer temperatures, and to see what sorts of weather these new lands brought them. Before, she hadn't taken much note of the weather but now that she was completely settled in Aniwaya she noticed it more often. He'd never been to the city, and she wondered about whether he'd been to Blackmoore Castle either. "Have you seen it? The castle? I was told about it by my sister-in-law. She said it was a good place to find weapons, and she was right. I think that this sword looks really good. There aren't any chips in it, and I've tried it on a few things and it's pretty sharp. The castle must have kept it safe from the elements; it was in an old storage room in the very back of the place." Ember put the bag back down on the ground, pulling her cloak open on the left side to show the belt that she wore around her waist. "I keep it here, so I can get at it whenever I need to. And the cloak helps hide it" She called the sword an "it" today, not a "she" like she normally did; she wasn't sure if Dawali might think that it was strange that she'd named the sword and given it a gender. She gripped the hilt, pulling it up and out of the long sheath, then flipping it around and extending it toward Dawali by the bottom of the hilt so that he might take hold of it. The bags of garbage could wait a little while--or maybe they could make the garbage into compost. Either way, the garbage would still be there after their conversation.

[Dawali Amara]

You started it! :P Word Count: 1034 Ember pointed out the obvious as he shook his head - no, no compost heap. He'd intended to make one, but with the making of the council hall and the spiritual square and all of that, there just was no way. Of course, it wasn't that hard to just make a compost heap, you just had to dump your stuff. At least, in theory. It was better, though, to dig a hole in the ground, and let it rot in there, often supplying it with the horses' dung or something similar. But that meant that it had to be built near the horses (there was no way he'd be dragging the dung all over here!), and they were in the wrong direction now. Yes, I've been meaning to create a proper compost hole, although I've not found the time yet, sadly. So I figured I could sneak my stuff off just this once, he said, winking. Halifax. What a strange name. Then again the names for everything were strange to him, here. Things seemed to be named at random, with a word that sat well on the tongue, instead of something fitting. Again he felt that Ember knew more of the world than him, but again there was this feeling that he didn't mind. He would have normally, but he didn't. It was strange. Again the male shook his head - no, no other cities. The tribe had strayed as far as possible from the haunted properties of the humans, to lands similar to what they claimed now - old fields, nearly buildingless, and as free from signs of human activity as possible. The fences and such could stay, and there were the odd building, but it wasn't so bad. He disliked their tortured spirits' presences among their own. No, I've not been.. and there were no human cities where we lived before. Although, I have passed through a few, and seen a few. I don't like them that much, though. He smiled as she spoke of the fortunate puppies - children as fortunate as himself. He, too, was born in April, and look how far he'd come! Coming from a family with no links to the higher ranks, and now he was a sub-leader, doing chores that had been strange to him at first, but now came as naturally as anything. If his father could see him, he would have been proud, but likely he'd thrown in a joke about April kids as well. It was simply inevitable, in the AniWayan community. She spoke of the ice pits, to keep things frozen as ice until you wanted to eat them, a very good way of storing things when you grew tired of salts and the weather allowed it. Yes, uh, an unesdala, we call it. Sort of anyways, it means "ice". I've yet to make myself one of those as well - time seems to be running ahead of me! It was true, he still had a lot of improvements to add to the village before he would dare call it a proper one, and most of them were not really a one-man job. He might just ask Leland for help on the council hall, though, when the time came to do the actual building work. For the third time, Dawali shook his red-furred head, slightly disappointed in himself now. He hadn't been anywhere, it seemed. In fact, that last time he'd been exploring was when he'd met Ember with her saltwater friend, and the gap between then and now was quite large, and getting larger. Nope, never been there either, hehe. His disappointment was not obvious, and covered with a laugh it was hardly detectable. Truly - he had no time for such things. He had duties to attend. Red ears with white tips stood casually risen as he listened to her description of the castle. He'd seen one, long ago, and far from here. A huge building made from stones seemingly balancing on each other. The male knew he could never build such a thing. In reality, the "castle" he had seen was more of a fortress, and not even a big one, but everything seemed huge when you were used to living in advanced huts made from wood, rope and clay. A swish of a cloak, and Dawali's attention was fully on the dark femme before him as she showed him her sword. Indeed, he could see why the cloak was handy - he hadn't know she had the sword with her! How extraordinary. The handle was offered to him, and nervously he grabbed the hilt, first glancing up at her green gaze, then down again at the weapon, taking it from her hand. He was quickly surprised by the weight of it - it had looked so light in the hands of femme. Then again, he should have known it was heavy - it was metal after all. It had always amazed him, the art of shaping metal. Hell, even making metal was quite outstanding in his eyes. Carefully, he turned his back to Ember (so that he wouldn't accidentally hurt her, of course), took a few steps ahead, and tried some swings. Since it was so much heavier than the spear made from wood that he was "trained" in, he did not get the control he liked. The sword, with its weight, seemed to moved on its own accord, swinging with the power of gravity and circulation more than by his arm. Handling weapons designed to hurt other things than prey alone did not come natural to the man, and suddenly he wondered how many souls had died at its point, how many had been wounded by its violent force. Hastily, he turned back to his black-furred friend, and mumbled, ashamed at his own weakness. He should have felt it as an honor to be allowed to test it, hold it, wield it for a little while, but he would admit - the weapon scared him. It's very beautiful, I can see why you're fascinated, he said, as he handed it back to her, hilt first and pointing towards the ground between them. Weapons were dangerous things, when they were made to harm your fellows.

Awesome sexy table and avatar by Kat! :D

[Ember Phoenix]

wc: 693 She chuckled, shaking her head at him. Of course he could sneak the stuff out just this once. He could sneak it out whenever he wanted, or just dump it anywhere if he pleased. They were his lands! Maybe he had caught the irony in it, too. Maybe that was what the wink had been about. She'd never been too good at reading body language or the emotions on someone's face, and this instance made her wonder. Dawali was a peculiar fellow to begin with, a change from the usual, but it was a nice and refreshing change. Normally, the warrior visited family members or adopted family members...or old friends that she had known for a while. So she was used to them. The Gola Watsi was different. He was, of course, a good friend of hers as well...but he had an assortment of small mannerisms that always kept her wondering. What was his life like before he had come to these lands? Back over the mountains, when she had lived in Storm, Ember had known almost every face. With the exception of Inferni members, maybe. But she didn't remember anyone from Dawali's original group living there, so they must have come from someplace completely different. It was luck that the dark wolf had become a member of Aniwaya to begin with--after Esper Hollow fell, she had become a loner for a short time and hadn't thought that she would be joining any other packs. But then, Aniwaya wasn't really a pack. Tayui had been the one to tell her about the group originally, and had said that she wanted to go there to live. Ember, devoted to her friend and past leader, had simply followed her there. She hadn't known too much about the group...just that Tayui was living there and that she wanted to be wherever Tayui was. Many things had changed since those days, though. She felt different, less dependent on the white wolf and much more independent. She did visit Tay and watch over the pups in case they got into any trouble (which they were bound to do sooner or later; she only hoped to catch them at it), but she also did many things on her own without anyone. Ah, so Dawali hadn't been to any cities. She nodded in understanding when he mentioned not liking them much. She went there for the books and to get different supplies, but other than that Ember tended to avoid them as well. Unless she was very, very bored. Normally there was always something new in the city, once you got past the smells and all the old scary human stuff. "I see. I go there for the books, and for other things that I like to dabble with in my spare time. It's not really fun if you're by yourself, but if you go with someone else it's not too bad. And I usually go in the daytime if I can; no telling what weird creatures hang around there at night. I can show you where this one is sometime. If you don't want to, though, that's cool too--I've got all the books I could want right now." There were many human inventions that were useful, and the wolves had taken several of them and made them their own. Houses, fishing rods and nets...Ember used plenty of human items. "Well, now that Tayui's pups are a little older and don't need as much looking after, I can help you dig something out if you want. Maybe a central sort of thing that members could get food out of if they were ever sick or injured...or couldn't hunt, for some reason." It seemed that she would have more than one thing to show Dawali about this new territory that they were living in, as well. He hadn't been to the city or the castle! She took back her sword carefully from him, putting it in its sheath then looking back up. "You didn't run across any of those kinds of things on your travels, you said. Where did you come from, exactly? If you don't mind my askin', anyway."

[Dawali Amara]

Sorry for the wait, I'm freeish of exam clutches now, yay! Word Count: 825 The dark femme chuckled as he winked, his joke a success. He was glad to see that she was not tense in his company. Ayegali Kala was a powerful personality, and he had always felt as if she was the holder of some strange power, although now that he was a sub-leader himself, he knew that it was just a mask of formality and a posture of the body that had provoked the feelings in him. He knew that she could be very casual as well, although he never stopped treating her with a sense of awe, even after he'd become her companion in leadership. It seemed he did not have the same effect on others, and it pleased him. He wanted most people to be at ease with him around, and he had yet to act truly dominating in any situation, so the time would come when he found out whether they also obeyed his words when he was hidden behind the mask of authority. His yellow gaze was fixed on her face as she spoke of Halifax. True, there was no knowing what might lurk between all those constructions at night - he saw the sense in going in daylight. But it was such a long trip! And he couldn't read anyway, so there certainly wasn't a reason for him to go. However taking a day trip to check the place out wouldn't be the end of the world, especially not if Ember would go with him. He was by no means a coward or easily spooked, but neither him nor Gvihita appreciated the inaudible murmur of unsatisfied and strange spirits. Truly, he did not know what to do in such a place, and he was not afraid to admit it. Sure, we could go together if you want, I should be familiar with the lands around here anyways. It's just.. the atmosphere.. you know they're all dead, it's not a good thought. It lingers in my mind like a dark blanket. Suddenly shy, Dawali's gaze dropped to the ground now, feeling quite foolish for his own words. But it was true, his senses felt duller and at the same time he was more alert, as if expecting bad things to happen. It was creepy to think that there had lived thousands, maybe even more, of humans there, and now it was deserted and empty. It was as though he expected their ghosts to wander the streets, although he did not entirely believe in ghosts. As the femme offered to help him dig a hole, the red wolf chuckled mentally, thinking he needed much more help than digging a hole, if she was keen to aid him. There was the town hall to raise - to begin with - and its foundation wasn't even halfway done. Then the stables needed fixing, and he would also like to see a watchtower in not long. Directed north-east, preferably - he'd heard more than one nasty thing about those coyotes by now, and grew skeptical. Creating the freezing pit would be an addition to their packlands no matter which order everything was built in, and he nodded - accepting her offer. We should dig it close to the stables, I've already stored dried foods and medical supplies there. It would be logical to have everything at the same place.. As he nervously handed the sword back to her, hoping she would not notice the slight shake on his hand as she took the hilt, he was surprised by the random question she presented to him. How could he explain where they had come from? He wasn't entirely certain himself. That is, he knew of course, where they had come from, but it was so far away from here, and he doubted whether he could describe it in an understandable way. Uh, well it's far from here... We traveled for roughly five or six moons, and the rest of the tribe followed. We were just the scouting party. Pausing, he recalled how they lingered in these lands for moons and moons, and the Chief postponed the settling until the day she called them all to her and made it final. That day would have been nothing special, had it not been for the fact that it was that day he had first learnt of the misfortune of the rest of the tribesmembers. He spoke again, but this time his tone was darker and not so cheery. It was a subject he liked to avoid. Those who came after were trapped in a storm or bad weather of sorts. They are, as far as I know, heading this way, but a long time has passed and no messengers have come, so I have my doubts. Secretly, he hoped they had given up reaching this far, and had settled elsewhere, and the reason he hadn't heard anything was because they couldn't find him. It was unlikely, but a hope.

Awesome sexy table and avatar by Kat! :D

[Ember Phoenix]

short one for me :D I think we should end this pretty soon and have a new one! If you want a new one ^^ This one's from back in March XD

There wasn't much that made her tense any more. She felt like she'd seen everything now; she had fought and lost many battles, she'd been a member of more packs than she could count on one hand, a puppysitter, a warrior, and a loner. Each different thing had brought with it a new life lesson. Each thing had changed her a little bit, for good or for bad.

She hadn't been sure of what to make of Ayegali when she had first met the wolf, at the pack formation meeting. There had been something about the dark wolf that had practically breathed authority and leadership, and she'd felt respect for the wolf without even having known her. There were bits and pieces of that with Dawali, flashes of those same feelings at times, but it wasn't the same. She didn't mind it, though. He led a different way, but a way that was just as good as Ayegali.

"Is there some kind of...cleansing ritual or something that we could do when we got back? To get rid of the bad feeling?" She asked. As soon as it came out of her mouth she felt that it was the wrong thing to have said; she didn't know anything about the customs besides what Dawali had told him herself or what she had seen...what a silly thing to ask. She wasn't a part of the original tribe, and she didn't know all of the customs and rituals.

He spoke of his origins, of the rest of the tribe, and she nodded solemnly. She knew what that was life, waiting for someone to come back. "I know the feeling--my father and sister have been missing since the fires. I did get my mother back, who I didn't think I would see again...but I still miss both of them. Many wolves escaped, but I think that they would have come back by now if they were alive...I've lived in this area all my life, and I've never left it. They know where I am." She rubbed her hands together, thinking. Dawali didn't have any of his family around? She still knew of plenty of her relatives that lived in neighboring packs.

She decided to change the subject to something a little lighter, formulating another question. "Was everyone in the tribe related? Like a family? Or...was it a couple of bloodlines?" There were many bloodlines around Souls, some old, some newer. She was curious to learn more about the tribe, and where it had come from originally. "Maybe we can talk while we drop these off...and then go back to my den and eat something later? I have a few hares in the back that I caught earlier"

[Dawali Amara]

Sorry for the wait, but you know the story so :) And yah we could probably kill this one, maybe post one more time if you want or something? Word Count: 549 Dawali nodded as Ember suggesting a cleansing ritual. Unfortunately, he could do no such thing. He knew of the spirits that aided his people, but the humans were a wholly different people, although perhaps not so strange to themselves. The spirits that lingered in the old human cities were beyond his own help, although naturally he wished to help them free themselves of their burdens. They were pained and broken, and their presence made him feel bad, depressed and lonely, even if such feelings had not been present in him before he entered the place. We could.. but it wouldn't help them, the poor things. Though I will still go with you, if you want me to come along - I really should have mapped this place up already. He smiled at the femme, a gentle and small smile - not often did something aside from children or his daughters bring forward one of the properly great smiles. Then again, his small smile was still reserved for certain people, in most cases of politeness and such he would just use a silent nod. Her tale was a similar story as his own - not knowing where one's loved ones were, and whether they were alive. Now Asha too had left him - but in search of the others. He could not leave, and perhaps that was what she had seen - that she was the only one now that Ayegali wasn't around much, to go back and find the others. He sincerely hoped she would find something, and was secretly worried sick that she would hurt herself. What if something terrible and violent had happened to the others? If so she would be in great danger. He trusted Yaya, her spirit guide, to bring him the news should anything happen, though. The little annoying bird was useful sometimes. The male nodded to her last inquiry before he started to answer the prior, picking up one of the heavy bags of garbage on the ground before him. They had slipped out of his mind now that they had been standing there talking. The tribe consisted of several larger families and some smaller bloodlines. Then there were several other tribes - if one traveled for a bit - that had other bloodlines and families. Often we would try to meet at least every eight years, and then the young ones would perhaps find their future mates, if they had not done so within the tribe already. Any couple then decided which tribe to stay in and the like. So we generally kept to our families, and there were many links back and forth. We were all one big family, or at least that's what we liked to call ourselves. His voice was laden with nostalgia as the tale of his heritage (for in a way that was what it was) and family was put forward. He did miss them all, and he was not used to being alone like this. The tribe here had many members, but now he was the only one left who was profoundly AniWayan. His feet carried him forward as he continued to share his history with the dark female - he would speak to whoever was interested. It was important to know where one came from.

Awesome sexy table and avatar by Kat! :D