Paradise Lost [[Open]]

[Le Mad]

The day had promised to be a warm one. One filled with the glorious smells of springtime and sunned furs. You know, until the thunderstorm rolled in. Lightning ripped through the sky and claps of thunder left one's ears ringing. The worst part? Not expecting it.

Takoda hadn't expected it, not one bit. In fact, he had been sleeping peacefully on a rock somewhere in Giaku when the clouds started dumping rain all over everything. It had really set him the wrong way. The ohm now trudged through the desert-like area, spewing profanities as the wettening earth beneath him squelched between his paws. It wasn't like it ruined his fur, though. He was mostly brown to begin with.

His ears perked. He had seen the towers that began to rise in the distance. They looked all too inviting and the rain wasn't letting up at all, so Koda made one his goal. Another clap of thunder made the beast bare his teeth. He felt too vulnerable here, with all of the druins about. Hopefully the storm would cover him until he could take shelter in the towers. Even then he didn't know what would lurk there.

Lightning flashed once more as he entered the closest tower. It was relatively tall, the inside being a large winding staircase. He assumed it to be a watchtower, though he was unsure. He shook his fur, his wings extending as he did so. Water flew in every direction from the gigantic beast, leaving a puddle of water on the stone floor. And so, began the ascent from the bottom floor. He wanted to see what this tower held, and it would at least keep him entertained for a while.

[Sanka]

Sanka had been taking refuge for sometime now, they proved a great barrier against the elements and provided ample shade to keep his dark fur cool. When the large beast arrived there was no missing it. The thing was huge, reminding Sanka more of a gargoyle than an actual creature. Its massive wings spread as it showered the tower in water.

Sanka hid quietly behind a rock gathering what information he could from his opponent. It had to be at least six feet tall weighing in at over 500 pounds. It would be difficult to take down.
But not as difficult as a dakkan. he thought. He remebered the battle he had with Solace that never ended in a winner. One day he'd finish him off for sure. He focused again on the huge beast the stood before him[/size][/font][/b]

[Le Mad]

He felt it immediately as he started to scale the tower's staircase. His amber eyes narrowed and his hackles rose. He felt eyes on him. Ears swiveling, he ascended at a quick pace, beginning to run up the steps, sometimes leaping over three at a time. Once he had gone up a good distance, he slowed to a walk and eventually stopped. He looked down the center of the spiral staircase and was shocked to see that he was quite a ways up. Koda bared his teeth, growling softly. His tail twitched. This day couldn't get worse. He hated being watched, especially when he couldn't see his stalker.

"Come out come out wherever you are." He muttered, his eyes darting all around. The speckled creature lowered his hindquarters to the ground in a sitting position. He flared his nostrils, inhaling deeply. He caught the scent of a wolf, possibly another male. Koda snorted indignantly. Why the hell wasn't it showing itself. At least it wasn't a druin, well... He hoped it wasn't. That could end badly. Especially with the fact that the Ohm, though strong, hadn't eaten in a day and barely got to sleep when he was rained out.

He sighed. The male had hoped for some sort of shelter, even a place to nap. Now he was on the defensive because of something he couldn't even see.

"Alright, alright. Show yourself. I know you're down there." His voice boomed, not too deep, but not lacking irritation.

[Sanka]

He had been discovered. As the mammoth lugged himself up the steps Sanka managed to get around him with a surprising display of agility.

"Down there?" he taunted, "What makes you think I'm down there?"

Now that he had given away his position the true battle would begin. Standing side by side Sanka couldn't compare to the oversized wolf. Its strength was probably enormous, it could easily crush Sanka with one blow.

Sanka darted down from his perch above the beast landing in front of him a few yards off. "Will you pass peacefully?" he asked hackles raised.[/size][/font][/b]

[Le Mad]

His ears flattened. So the creature was above him! How he could have been so foolish was beyond him. Takoda began to back away, down the stairs. You know, until he looked at the smaller wolf. His jaws relaxed, and his ears began to rise. A smirk wove itself across his face, his fangs just barely peeking out from under his black lips, his brown fur catching what little light it could.

"Ha ha ha! Oh dear." He bellowed, erupting with laughter. The wolf was so small! He grinned widely.

"I thought you were a druin! Boy, I was wrong." He muttered, another giggle creeping out from his jaws. "Yeah, yeah, I'll pass peacefully." He said, sighing. The smile was still on his face, and he showed no hostility now.

The great beast pushed past Sanka, not paying attention to the littler wolf. He didn't care if the darker male was pushed to the side, and if he couldn't get around, he would merely step over. Regardless, he began to ascend the staircase further.

[Sanka]

Sanka was angered by the nonchalant way the massive beast spoke to him. How dare he belittle him?! His hackles raised as he let out a low growl. But there was no time to become angry, this new word, Druin, If this gigantic beast feared them then they must be quite the foe. Sanka hungered to know more.

"Hey Mammoth" he called after the large wolf. "Whats a druin?"[/size][/b]

[Le Mad]

The creature had barely begun to climb. He treaded three steps at the most before he heard the arrogant wolf behind him pipe up once more. His ears swiveled backward, and Koda stopped. He cocked his head slightly to the right, his right eye pinning itself on Sanka.

"Why, it'd be the most ferocious creature you've ever seen. They'll skin you alive and make helmets from your bones. Not to mention their thirst for blood. Drain you 'til you beg for mercy and leave you in the desert, they will." He snorted, nodding wisely. None of what he said was true, well, from what he'd seen. He was exaggerating quite a bit. But, maybe this wolf would believe him. Hell, if he went around spewing the shit Koda filled his mind with, he might even get some excitement started up.

Or he could get himself killed. That'd work too.

[Sanka]

Sanka laughed at the mammoths words. he sounded like an elder telling the pups a scary night time story to keep them from wandering out at night. He dismissed the story going after a more important subject at hand, what this thing in front of him was.

Sanka looked him up and down. He resembled nothing he had ever scene before, maybe a mix between a mammoth and a wolf. Not an easy foe to take down. He seemed to have no weaknesses other than his slow speed which was more than made up with strength and defense.

"So, what are you?" Sanka finally asked.[/size][/b][/font]

[Le Mad]

He snickered silently to himself as he continued the long, spiraling walk upward. He didn't bother to see if the smaller wolf was following; the acoustics in the tower would let his voice be heard even if he were fourty feet up the staircase. The muscles in his large bear-like legs rippled with movement as he climbed, and he listened to Sanka laugh. His left ear was cocked toward him as he walked. He wasn't convinced he could trust him yet.

He paused briefly when the wolf asked him what he was. Takoda continued climbing but he thought about his answer carefully. He could use an alias, or he could be honest. The wolf didn't know what a druin was, so maybe he wasn't that dangerous.

"I'm an Ohm, Darkthroat. We are a dwindling breed, unfortunately. Once upon a time, we used to come in great numbers.." He rambled for a moment, before he stopped himself.

"My name's Takoda. And what do you call yourself? Why're you in Giaku, hmm?" He questioned bluntly.

[Sanka]

An Ohm. The name sounded familiar, something the elders in his village would use to represent beings who controlled earth. They were described as large masses of muscle and flesh but Sanka never wondered whether they spoke of truth or fantasy. He imagined a pack of the beasts and laughed being reminded instead of a herd of woolly mammoths tearing through Shinkou.

Sanka was surprised at the Ohm's new behavior. After being dismissed so quickly, the ast thing Sanka expected was to be sharing his name with the beast. He pondered just how much he should allow Takoda to know.

"My name is Sanka." he said answering the next question as simply as he could "Just wandering about, going where ever my legs take me."

Sanka decided not to let him now about his search for Meridian, he could take it was a threat and destroy him now before Meridian caught his scent and joined him in a battle against the ohm. Sanka was sure that with the power and immortality of a dakkan by his side the ohm would quickly be overwhelmed. It was too bad that Meridian had disappeared quite sometime ago.

"And you? Looking for a suitable wolf to make yourself some new armour out of?" he asked making a joke at the Takoda's earlier words.[/font][/size][/b]

[Le Mad]

It seemed like a neverending climb to the beast. He would stop here and there and have a sniff at some odd object laying on the ground, but nothing really caught his attention. He listened to the black wolf, who apparently called himself Sanka, as he replied to his questions. Takoda nodded when he said he was just wandering. He knew the drill all too well. Silence began to ring in the Ohm's ears and he was about to say something when Sanka piped up again, making a crack about armour. A smirk ran across his earth-toned muzzle.

"No, boy," He wasn't sure if he were going to call Sanka by his name yet, "I'm merely taking shelter from the storm. Once it lets up, I'll probably head up to the Northern Mountains around the Shinkou pack. Or maybe I'll warm my fur in the hot springs of the Akatsuki pack. Well.. Perhaps not. It tends to smell bad around those parts." He wrinkled his nose just thinking about it.

Thunder boomed in the sky and Koda raised his head, as if he could look through the stone tower and into the sky itself.

"Damned rain."

[Sanka]

For someone of his size he was quite peaceful. Although sarcastic, he had carried out an entire conversation with Sanka and even hadn't said anything about Sanka following him. Sanka himself wasn't sure why he was following the beast. I mean sure he enjoyed the company of another wolf the same as others, but why was he making an effort to befriend this wolf who had yet to show any interest in him at all.

Sanka couldn't think of a reason so he made up one himself. He was doing this all for information. He had never seen an Ohm before and that made all Ohms a threat. Although if they were all as large as this one they were already quite a threat.

"Are all Ohm's your size?" he said hoping to squeeze out a little more information before the ohm flung him back down the stairs with a flick of its wrist.

[Le Mad]

Takoda was quite surprised to find himself so close to a window. He could see the light filtering in and the slight wet spot on the floor where the miniscule droplets of splattering rain had landed. He could feel the damp, cool air drifting in and flowing through his long mane. He slowly sat down next to this window, looking out at the muddying land. Sanka started to speak once more, asking about his size.

"Hmm. No, I'm a runt, wolf. There are ohms that are eighteen and nineteen feet tall." He rumbled a laugh. Of course he was lying.

"I'm shorter than some, and larger than others. Yes, all Ohms are giants, but we don't come much larger than this." He glanced down the stairs, unable to see where the wolf was at this point.

[Sanka]

A runt?!?!?! If that's what they called a runt then their Alpha must have been huge!!! Assuming that their alpha was chosen based on his skill in battle. Sanka didn't bother to ask how long they lived. Any creature this size would out live Sanka by hundreds of years easily. And whether the Ohm was immortal or not didn't matter either.

Tired of asking questions Sanka bolted up the steps to attack the Ohm. He had strayed farther back hoping the Ohm would lose sight of him, and thanks to thee echo in the stairwell he could do so without sounding as though he was far away. He did his best to stop his paws from scraping on the stone surface but he couldn't silence himself completely. When he got to the Ohm he was surprised to see that it was looking directly at him. Damn! He heard me coming up! So much for a stealthy attack! he thought. Unable to harness the power of the surprise attack Sanka had no choice but to resort to pure strength, something the Ohm had far more of than him. Thinking last minute he jumped on the stairwells wall and jumped down landing behind the large Ohm. As his front paws touched the ground he spun around turning himself towards the Ohm's back. Then as his hind legs hit he propelled himself towards the Ohm. He flew through the air front paws outstretched ready to shove the Ohm back down the stairs.[/size][/font][/b]

[Le Mad]

He watched as the light reflected on the wolf's eyes. He had been coming up at quite the speed. He narrowed his eyes, ears flattening. Sanka leapt above him, using the wall to propel himself behind the great beast. A snarl ripped out of Takoda's throat, and he turned swiftly. He was met with Sanka's outstretched paws, which knocked into his shoulders and caused him to tumble backward a bit. His paws raked the stone floors with a loud screech.

Why was the littler wolf attacking him? He had honestly hoped to befriend this wolf. It looked like he was going to have a rough time with that. Sanka had blown it anyway. Takoda didn't feel like fighting. Today was a groggy, rainy day. But this wolf seemed intent. A bark, which was more like a scream, sounded from the Ohm's jaws. His wings flared out and his mane ruffled upward, making him look bigger. His lip curled backward and a deep growl rumbled in his throat.

"Why do you attack, wolf?" He growled. His large legs were tense, waiting for Sanka's move.