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Post by Wyndbain on Jul 13, 2011 17:15:24 GMT -6
As far as most wolves were concerned, the war had been settled. Each side had lost their share of friends and family, more so than they liked to think about. The devastation had been felt for both packs and most simply wanted to quietly contemplate what they could do now to contribute to the restoration of their homes. The few lingering wolves settling around the Shinkou dens were solemnly quiet, talking amongst themselves in the calm setting of the afternoon.
"Mother, please!" an echoing voice called out from one of the larger dens, it's opening set at an angle into the mountain side and sheltered by a gnarled tree. A white shape with wings spread, shot out of the opening and narrowly avoided colliding with the old tree before the alpha wolf landed on the ground with a thump.
"Giaku is not gone! They are still there! Breathing at our borders! This war may be done, but I will not stay here while their damned alpha still lives!!" She huffed, pawing at the dirt, daring her child to stop her, as he stood sorrowfully on the soil before the very den where he was raised. How could he stop her? All she had to do was fly away. Arashi had no wings.
"Then don't fight. Maybe you should listen to Akeru for once!" He pleaded, his voice sounding tired and desperate to get her to understand.
"Akeru can do as they please!" She turned around, but kept her gaze on him, a defiant look in her expression and stance. "But Giaku will leave...when the body of their alpha lies in the DIRT!"
With that she pumped her wings against the ground and made a strong leap into the air at the same time, momentum carrying her skyward once her wing had caught the currents. Arashi's further cries were lost to the wind as Wyndbain flew away into the distance, her white form a great contrast to the darkened skies of Keikoku Canyon.
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Post by Aveilthé on Jul 13, 2011 17:31:35 GMT -6
"Milady--intruder approaching borders--"
Lacrimosa sat bolt upright from her straw bedding, a surge of panic welling up inside of her. Soldiers never come to the Empress about an intruder unless it was of great, severe importance.
"What... who--?" she demanded, holding herself high.
"We suspect that it is the Alpha of Shinkou Ookami."
Lacrimosa's eyes widened. "The war is over. Has she come to make peace?" She noticed a flash of uncertainty in the soldier's eye.
"Not sure... she has come alone. I do not think she's brought peace with her, Empress. Shall we bring her down?"
Lacrimosa shook her head from left to right only once. "No. Tell the guards to secure the perimeter of Giaku in case she has brought reinforcements. I will deal with Wyndbain alone."
It took little time to reach the canyons. Lacrimosa waited on the dusty earth, sitting elegantly. It almost looked like she was meditating. Giaku's skies churned viciously, and Lacrimosa peered up at them warily. She was reminded of an angry beast with gaping jowls, preparing to unleash all his might.
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Post by Wyndbain on Jul 13, 2011 17:59:03 GMT -6
Wyndbain flew under the clouds, high enough in the air to barely notice the small specks of creatures moving below. No doubt some of them had spotted her, despite the great distance between herself and the members of Giaku, Wyndbain's shape did not mimic that of an ordinary bird. She circled over the border for some time, searching the cliffs below until she finally spotted something out of the ordinary. A lone figure stood below her, though small in the distance like the others she had seen earlier, it was easy to tell the great difference this one had in size. No matter how small they were, members of the Druin species always towered over the form of a wolf. Wyndbain folded her wings closer at her side, but still out enough to drop her altitude. With a whisk of her wings and a small flurry of wind, she halted in her decent and hovered there before Lacrimosa, quite a distance away yet close enough to converse.
On her trip over the territories, Wyndbain had had some time to think and an idea had bubbled up in her head of a memory from long ago. Before Lacrimosa could speak, Wyndbain instead, took initiative to speak.
"When I was still a pup, my father, Nightbane, approached Tartarus with a challenge. One on one, alpha to alpha. If he won, Giaku would leave the lands of Shinkou and no more blood would be shed between our packs." She momentarily paused, trying to push away the more depressing details flowing from the memory.
"My father, was killed, yet Tartarus did not win that bout, and Giaku withdrew to these lands. So here we are, still at each others throats. I issue you this: We will fight, alpha to alpha. If I win, Giaku will withdraw to the farthest continents and take the demons you brought with you back to hell." Wyndbain finished her sentence with a baring of her teeth, hardly able to control herself from simply attacking Lacrimosa on the spot.
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Post by Aveilthé on Jul 13, 2011 18:31:48 GMT -6
Lacrimosa's inner thoughts were interrupted, and there before her was Wyndbain. Uncertain of what was to come, the Empress inclined her muzzle an inch, unsure if issuing respect was right for this dire situation.
Shinkou's Alpha spoke. How wretched... it was like a wolf had come and tore her heart from Lacrimosa's chest. For a moment she wracked her mind, hesitating. "I do remember those stories," she said quietly, looking down at the ground. "I will not deny that my grandfather was foolish in his thinking. He had power, but it did not quench his thirst, and wanted more." That... was his ultimate downfall.
Swallowing hard, the Empress looked back up to the Alpha. Wyndbain was already attempting to strike some kind of dark deal with her.
What should she do?
She looked around her homeland, seeing all that they have worked so hard for. Was she prepared to lose all of this? Anger bubbled deep in her gut. No. She will kill Wyndbain before they lose their home again. With each word she spat out, it sounded louder and angrier.
"Fairness will not be a priority with me, Wyndbain. You came to our home on a warpath. What do you want from us? Do you want our home now because it has grown fairer and lusher, no longer a desolate wasteland we were cast into by your damned father? Both of you took our home once in Shinkou before, you witch. I will not let you take what we have worked so hard to keep." She paused, drawing herself up like a snake ready to strike. "I see who the real demons are, and it is not Giaku." She roared. "COME ON, THEN!"
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Post by Wyndbain on Jul 14, 2011 23:12:10 GMT -6
A rational wolf may have pondered over Lacrimosa's words, maybe even taken by surprise they would have re-thought their actions, tried to make a query as to what she had said and find a deeper meaning in the words. Wyndbain was far from rational. She had the misfortune of knowing the Druin as nothing but cruel demons that lured ghosts and devils to follow in their shadows. The words she heard spoken to her by one of these creatures only twisted her anger more.
Too furious to think of a response to the Giaku alpha, Wyndbain snarled and made a backwards loop in the air, turning 360 degrees to quickly comeback around and let loose a flurry of sharp, sickle looking blades from her wings as the feathers enclosed her body when they slapped the air before her. The shimmering blades flickered like delicate vapor yet glistened along the sharp looking edge when light hit its surface as they sliced through the wind like a hawk diving for it's prey.
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Post by Aveilthé on Aug 18, 2011 11:19:55 GMT -6
Readying herself, Lacrimosa emitted a fierce snarl and crouched low. She saw the glistening blade-feathers hurtling towards her, and attempted to leap out of the way, but the blades were too fast and one grazed her back, near her tail. She gave a yelp, indicating that she got hit, but that only sparked a new kind of fury. Howling with rage, the Empress's feet burst with blue fire, the source of her flight, and took to the air. She flew high and paused for a nanosecond in mid-air, before nose-diving straight toward Wyndbain, all teeth exposed.
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