Cool Breeze And Autumn Leaves(Kai)

[Tourniquet]

The crimson sky above was of the twilight as fenris began to set, the leaves falling gently around him in a soft dance that they always performed in differant ways with each leaf that fell within any season. Navy hued ears perked forward as the medium sikla male lifted his head and golden brown optics glanced slowly around his place.


He was ever again alone as he kept a little ways off from the pack, though a sikla he still liked his alone time which was a little odd for one of his position. Usually from what he had always witnessed, sikla's practically licked the alpha's paws in hopes of gaining higher rank. The very idea made him sick, he was content with being sikla as long as he kept in line then he would not get in trouble ,right?


Giving a grunt the male stood and shook out his pelt, the navy hue down his spine and tail ruffling little with the effort of the male. His maw opened as he began to pant lightly to take in the crisp air of the forest around him. The evening was alway his favorite time of the day, before the cool of the night settled upon them all it gave him time to recollect or just to enjoy the crisp air and the smell of freshly fallen leaves.

But to him the best smell was that of the fallen atume leaves as they crunched under his paws, nothing could compare to that smell and nothing dared to compete with it. Sighing lightly he began a low trot past the dens; he never stayed in a den. He prefered to stay outside to stare up at Tor before he fell into slumber.


He kept moving until he came to rest at a lonely hill, sitting on his haunches he stared out to the horizen quietly as the wind fluttered past him and ruffled his fur in it's gentle caress.

[Kai]

((Very nice post, Tourn! Don't know how it's Autumn though, but I'll go with it XD))

The soft crunch and rustle of leaves could be heard from time to time as the paws of the ebon male trod over places where the spent leaves had fallen. With the setting sun came a pastel sky- a masterpiece painted in the heavens that offered a warm glow to the land below. Soon Fenris would be completely gone, leaving his mate Tor left to watch over the skies in his absence.

On one of his usual patrols was a single male. Though he held a considerable rank in the pack, one would hardly guess by observing his personality. Rather soft-spoken and perhaps even lacking a bit of self-esteem, Kai had been promoted much earlier than he would have ever anticipated. Still a bit of a pup at heart, it seemed he was growing up much too quickly. He seemed to be coping with it well, none the less, for he had earned the praise of both Koran's former and current Drappas.

His young form revealed him to be of about two and a half winters, if not a bit older, a mature Mann with the body of a warrior. Full grown, his sleek form was well muscled and covered with a smooth pelt consisting of only the darkest ebony. Long legs carried his lean body effortlessly over the still packed ground, for winter was not yet over and neither was the cold. Being a warrior, it was his job to ensure the safety of his pack. It was for this reason that he was always on his paws, always going somewhere just to get to somewhere else. From time to time he had even been known to leave the pack for days on end, taking after his late father figure, Zhentee, in that he would often go off wandering in search of answers and in search of himself. For right now though, he was content to stay with the pack, even if it didn't provide as much excitement as a warrior might crave.

The beauty of the twilight was enough for Kai, he thought, as his amber eyes took in the fading image of the sky. A single silhouette marred the elegance of the masterpiece, or did it add appeal? Atop a hill nearby was the dark form of another Varg, a fellow pack mate. Cocking his head slightly to the side, he contemplated going to see who it was. This is your chance... he thought. ...to get to know them. It was always occurring to Kai how little members of the Koran he had actually become acquainted with. What kind of Beta did that make him, after all? Quickening his pace, he soon found himself beside the figure, amber orbs settling on the navy-hued form of Tourniquet.

He had seen the male only once, maybe twice, before, though he couldn't recall having ever spoken to him. Smiling down benevolently, he parted his maw to speak. "Tourniquet, right? Lovely evening, isn't the sky just beautiful?" Reclining back on his own haunches, he sat beside the young male, gazing off into the fading colors. From what he had seen of Tourn, he was a shy Varg, perhaps unused to the ways of pack life. Hopefully this encounter would help to shape a relationship between the two of them.

[Tourniquet]

(thanks, your post was lovely too

The twitch of an ear was the only signal that the young varg of two and a half summers had heard hi beta at all. Turning his head only in a slight angel toward the other varg making his golden brown orbs flicker slightly in the light the way a dying coal flickers among the fading embers.

Slowly the varg of lean build, build not suited for a sikla but for that of a hunter instead, nodded his head in aslow manner as her turned his gaze back toward the horizen beyond the hill and the leaves that remained settled in their places among the earth and the grasses.

"Yes...It is...But the sky usually is beautiful in the twilight....we just never look long enough to notice it."


The young varg's words were wise in their ways of being said and his tone was that of a varg who had seen his shares of hardships and fights to last a lifetime, forever etched into their memories for all eternity of this world.

His rough pelt flickered softly around his lean frame as he slowly brought his slightly fluffy tail to wrap around his legs without a sound, he was indeed quiet but he was not to be mistaken for shy. He just kept more to himself then he let others believed he did.

[Kai]

It seemed the young male had wisdom beyond his years. Kai nodded in agreement. "Yes, and its a shame, too. You only live once and it is important to notice the beauty in life." The Sikla paid Kai little more than a side glance, and while Kai somehow felt that he should get up and leave, something told him to stay. He felt as though he were bothering the male in some way, but being of a higher rank, couldn't he do what he wanted? How he hated to think that way, but he was only being polite and Tourniquet had no reason to cast him away.

Perhaps he had no intention of being rude to Kai. This was simply the way he was, though he found it hard to understand how one could shut out the presence of another, especially when they were trying their best to sound confident and friendly. He decided to give it another shot, for if he had misinterpreted the Sikla's attitude, a bit of persistence was in order.

Through his mind ran ideas of how best to keep their short conversation going. It was important to him that he learn at least something about his fellow pack member, since he currently knew so little. A light breeze picked up, stirring the clusters of dead leaves and ruffling the pelts of the two Varg. Kai's bright amber gaze dropped to the ground for a moment. No, he would not be defeated by this male's silence, but instead, push to rise above it. "So, what brought you to Koran?" he asked in a slightly cheery tone that contradicted his own dark past. He wondered if the silent male had a similar reason for seeking out another family, but the only way to know was to be patient and wait for Tourn to speak.

[Tourniquet]

The sikla seemed to become a little surprised at the fact the other had not left yet, usually anyone else was either intimidated by the other's silance or just figured him rude and left soon after he said anything. This time he turned his had to look at the beta of the pack, he kept silent a moment as he began to wonder on how to say this really as he had never been asked his reason for joining.


"It helps me to escape...certain memories." he replied as he kept his gaze to the beta, the shadow varg that haunted his mind forever lurking in the darkness was listening to his coversation but Tourn did not care for the otherworldly beast that tormented him.


His maw hung open slightly as his nos was a little stuffed for one reason or another but he was not becoming sick, that he was certain of but he still could not breathe through his nose for the eternal life of him.

[Kai]

The answer he received was not quite what he had expected, and it caused his ears to droop a bit before he pricked them back up again. Was there nothing more to say in his reply? No amount of detail to be added? Oh well... Kai thought sadly. Maybe he would open up in his own time, or perhaps he had truly made a mistake coming here.

Although the young Sikla said nothing else, he still focused his gaze on Kai's form. Was he still interested in having the 'conversation', or was he simply judging the other male? Shifting his weight uncomfortably, his own tail wrapped around his paws as he straightened his posture. "I know what you mean" he said solemnly. "I have my own reasons for joining, as I'm sure you do, too. You don't have to discuss them with me if you would rather not, but I would like you to know that as your Beta and fellow pack member, I am here for you to confide in." Flashing his friendly smile, he waited to see how he would reply, if at all.

[Tourniquet]

Tourn blinked at this and turned his gaze upward to the sky that danced with the hues of crimson to blue, a sigh escaping his muzzle as he mulled over his options. He could tell Kai about the certain beast haunting him but as he thought of that the said demon hissed at him from the darkness of his subconcious.


He turned his gaze back to Kai, his golden brown optics showing the wisdom he held as he spoke. The very beast that stayed with him was exactly what had burned wisdom into him and left no traces of a puphood behind to his fading memories.

"I think it's about time I told someone......That I was run out of my old pack, blamed for a crime I had not commited.....and since that day there is a varg....Long dead, that haunts my mind.....he often appears only to taunt me about that time."

He paused his speaking a moment as his eyes closed, trying to ignore the shadowy varg now was becoming a little difficult for him but he pressed on. "Often I have had to fight with him....but he always wins in the end."

[Kai]

The ebon warrior had not been expecting such a reply, but he silently thanked Fenris that the male had decided to share so much with him after all. Cocking his head slightly at the male's words, he tried hard to decipher just what he meant by the Varg that continued to torment him, even after death. "You mean...a ghost?" he asked with much uncertainty and a furrowed brow. The young Mann's eyes were burning bright and held something more to them than a first glance would allow one to notice. Striking though they were, Kai managed to pull his gaze away from them as he stared at his paws in thought.

How to fight an enemy you can't see? As a warrior, the mere concept was well beyond him, though he imagined it would take a great strength of heart rather than tooth or claw to vanquish the beast for good. "I'm not sure I believe in ghosts..." he began slowly, as to not make Tourniquet feel he was denying his troubles, "Unless they are ghosts of the past. Perhaps this phantom you speak of is one of your own creation, your way of beating yourself up over something that was never your fault in the first place?"

It was the closest to an explanation he could manage, though his words too held a wisdom beyond his years. Amber orbs shifted to stare off at some far away place as he contemplated the meaning of his own words. He knew what it was like to be helpless, to feel like there wasn't a thing in the world he could do to make things better for himself or those around him. It was that reason, more than any other, that he had become a warrior. To rise above his own weaknesses and provide the self-esteem he needed to make better decisions for the days to come. Turning back to Tourniquet, he spoke again in a lighter tone. "You say you never win against this Varg? If you're feeling helpless, perhaps you should try training, as you would for a real battle. Prepare your defenses and a good offense for the next time he comes around. Keep hitting him with the truth until he disappears." Giving him a playful nudge in the shoulder, Kai hoped to raise the youth's spirits at least a bit, even if his words didn't sink in right away.

[Tourniquet]

Tourn blinked slowly as his auditores remained perked to catch Kai's words easily and he gave a slight smile to the nudge in his shoulder. In all truth yes they were good suggestions but Tourn knew that it was not the matter of the battle that decided when the varg would leave. Wounds meant nothing but Will to fight and the Will to Win was the most improtant factors.


He had however not created the beast from his own mind, many a nights he would try to think of it as that but that never seemed to fit. The varg was far too familier to be a figment of his imagination and it knew more truth about the death then he did, he could easily tell that in the beasts eyes.

He looked back to Kai and shook his head slowly,

"A ghost is a being you cannot see....He is indeed a spirit but He is visible...But you can only tell his eye color as his pelt is covered by moving shadows." He paused as he tried to recount all of the things he needed to point out to Kai from what the other had spoken of.

Physical battle with him is not dependant about defense or offence....but more of the battle of wills....and though my own grows after each fight his only seems to be a step ahead..." He spoke as if he was also thinking on the matter and deciding a strategy on how to face him when the time came again. However he could feel the beast watching him now, though he was not visible....for now at least.