A Blind Heart (Open)

[Tumble]

Rumor trotted through the thick underbrush. He navigated through the forest perfectly, even though he was blind. The X shaped scar on his forehead ran down to his eyes, causing the blindness. His glossy white coat swayed as the soft fur bushed lightly against the bushes. He could use his earth magic to send vibrations through the ground, allowing Rumor to see any object on the ground. Suddenly a nut from the branch overhead fell onto his muzzle, causing a sharp pain. That was a problem; he couldn’t see things in the air. The white artic wolf turned his scarred face toward the sky, but could see nothing. He sighed and trudged on until he reached the place he had headed for. It was a large oak tree in the middle of an open area in the forest. This was his usual slack-off place and he walked over to the trunk of the tree. A patch of grass was flat from all the times he had lain there. Rumor never really liked doing much work and always escaped before he was told to do anything. The white wolf lay down in his usual spot and rested his head on his front paws. It was peaceful here, just as it had been when Cloud was with him. “Cloud would have liked it here.” Rumor said out loud as a nice breeze blew through the clearing.

[Oki]

Maw wide open, a yawn escaped while pearly whites shown as his lips curled up. Dry tongue met lips, desperately trying to moisten the both of them. Pushing his tongue past his lips a few times, another yawn forced its way out. The back of a paw wiped his eyes to rid of the sand. Inhaling deeply, his back arched and rear lifted as muscles and limbs stretched, grunting of relief as he did so. Claws scraped against a tree's branch, flicking bark. The limb bounced as the wolf moved, waking from his mid-afternoon nap; sleeping upon a branch much likeness of a leopard. Wings unfolded and moved up and down as they reached their full span. Muscles all warm and more awake now, deep blue eyes began to look around, seeing what has changed, if at all.

Finding himself lazy as most other days, eyes cast upwards, blinking at the sky as if longing for it to do something extraordinary. Every movement of his made the branch torque and without realizing it, a nut had fallen off his branch and onto another, passing by. Hearing a sigh and foot fall, head fell downwards to apologize to the victim of his doing. However, before words came out, he noticed something, stopping the words that were wanting to come out of his maw. The passer-by had clouded eyes. Knowing quickly from an old friend of his, he knew the one below was blind and couldn't see him. Watching the other, he saw it lie down, not far from him. Hesitating, he finally figured it would be best to apologize, knowing he should to a fellow pack-mate, as he could smell something familiar as all did in the Shinkou. "Oi, down there!", he called. Before he continued, paws landed on the Earth as wings buffeted the air to cushion his landing. Feathered wings folded upon his back as he approached the other, although keeping his distance. As he stood, the wolf wasn't tall, but average size of just a few inches over three foot at the withers. More on the heavier side for his build, he had to be to give him flying capabilities. The ends of his muffler dangled above the ground as it was loosely tied around his neck and the hilt of his sword jutted past his right shoulder, strapped over his chest and diagonal across his back. Apologetically smiling at the other wolf across from him, three tails curled and swayed behind him as he spoke, "Sorry about that, didn't mean to send that acorn your way", his Saxon accent more prominent as he continued to speak. His name is Okamiimaru Doashi; most call him Oki, preferring it. However, he didn't disclose his name to strangers until knowing he could get theirs as well.

[Tumble]

Rumor looked up as the other wolf called out. Not his smartest idea seeing as he couldn’t see things in the air. He laughed slightly at himself for the foolish action. Of course he couldn’t see things in the air and the other wolf seem to have wings. ‘Great’ He thought sitting up so that he was now in a sitting position under the tree. The wolf, then, landed on the ground. Rumor let out some vibrations through the ground, which then traveled up through the other wolf. Of course the vibrations where small enough so that no one could feel them. He could “see” the outline of the wolf. He was slightly larger than Rumor and he had large wings folded on his back. Rumor at first didn’t respond to the apology while he studied the other wolf. “It’s quite alright. It wasn’t intentional.” Rumor said in his usual laid back tone. Rumor could sense the scent of the Shinkou pack from the other wolf, which met he was a pack-mate. Rumor had never bothered to know the names of the others in the pack. He usually left camp before anyone could actually talk to him. “Your from the Shinkou Pack, aren’t you.” Rumor said.

[Oki]

The fellow stranger looked his way as Oki confronted him, sitting up. Catching a glimpse of the facial complexion of the fellow pack-mate, it further reminded him of his close friend from his previous home. He had a similar fate of a wound causing blindness and the more Oki thought about him, it saddened him more. Looking away, ears flattened for a few seconds before he forced himself to think about something else. Coming back to the one in front of him, Oki took a deep breath and lowered himself to his haunches, tails wrapping around his one side. Ears perking back up, a paw lifted to scratch at his goatee.

Sitting in silence for a short moment, he wondered if the other was also hearing impaired. Biting on the inside of his cheek, wondering what to do or say next, his thoughts were interrupted as the white wolf spoke. Surprised, although slightly, Oki focused on him and acknowledged what he said with a nod. Though remembering that he probably couldn't see him, he smiled at his absent-minded action. He didn't bother to say anything, noticing how accepting and relaxed the other was. Already starting to like him, his nose quirked as he asked if he was part of the Shinkou. Whiskers twitching once more, he smiled, "Aye, that I am. Still wandering around though and don't quite know everyone yet", he chuckled, "I'm sure you can tell", he said, referencing at the situation at hand. Blue and teal feathered wings rustled as he repositioned them on his back. "I take it you are too, mate?", Oki asked in return. Although, he knew the answer, he still asked. More questions sat on his tongue, but in due time, he would find time to ask them.

[Tumble]

Rumor could see the other wolf nod. Rumor shifted to a more comfortable position as the other wolf talked. The white wolf nodded, and then said, “That is correct. I haven’t been in the pack long though.” Rumor saw a squirrel through the vibrations not to far away digging up some food he had buried there earlier. “My name is Rumor. I don’t really talk to the other wolves.” The white male wolf said. A gust of wind blew through the clears causing Rumors fur to sway a lot. Rumor let out a small yawn. He hadn’t gotten little sleep the night before due to the nightmares he always had. It was almost always the same dream. Rumor directed his attention back to the other wolf.

[Oki]

Licking labrums, Oki took a second to moisten his mouth, the fall air dry today to him. Coarse whiskers flicked aside as his tongue passed over them, swallowing. Nasally inhaling, although dry, the air smelled of a wonderful fragrance of autumn leaves and the cold. Oddly enough, he could smell 'cold', the air having a crispness and sweet scent.

Nose twitching, he could figure the male hasn't been a part of the Shinkou for that long and was glad to hear that he had someone to relate to. Someone who was just as unfamiliar with the pack lands as he was, "Well, that makes the two of us, then. And I'm glad, at least we're not going it alone", he smiled, something he rarely stopped doing. Oki wasn't the best in getting to know others within his pack and always struggled with the process. Friends and being social wasn't his strong point. Hearing the males name, he knew that it was his turn, "Pleasure to meet you Rumor. The name's Okamiimaru Doashi, but you may call me Oki, if you'd like", he gave a dip of his head, "And may I ask why you don't talk to them much?". Maybe he could understand more and empathize with Rumor. Feeling the same breeze waft by as the other male did, copper fur waved and teal and blue feathers rustled. His muffler tugged lightly on his neck, the ends lifted by the passing wind. Watching him yawn, Oki stifled one of his own, seeing others yawn or even thinking about yawning when he was tired made him do so. Having just woken up from a nap, Oki was still slightly incoherent and warming up to reality.

[Tumble]

Rumor had never really “seen” a wolf with wings before. It was odd seeing it through the ground vibrations, but he didn’t say anything about it. ‘So his name is Oki’ He thought casually. When the question was asked, Rumor just let out a small sigh. “ Don’t know.” He answered with a shrug, “ I just don’t feel like bothering to talk to them. I’m more of a keep to myself kind of guy.” Now that he thought about it, why did he join the pack? He always seems to slack off on regular pack duties. Didn’t he just want to be alone? Then the image of Cloud came to mind. She always said she wanted the two of them to join a pack, but that was before she was killed. Maybe he joined just to fulfill a wish that never was a reality for her.

[Oki]

Oki caught a glimpse of a leaf fluttering to the ground like snow falling from the sky. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched it fall from the tree down to the ground to meet its brethren; it was a fiery orange color. The colors of autumn were like natures fireworks. His favorite part, however was when they crunched under his paws and when piles got big enough to jump in.

Thoughts and memories were triggered as Rumor stated his reason and how he always kept to himself. He was that way too for the majority of his life. For a quarter of a century, the only one he had to talk to was himself. However, several years passed since he had others to be with, Oki has learned that having friends is the definition of happiness. As Oki thought more into Rumor's response, he knew that deep down, the male wants to be around others, unless he wouldn't be a part of a pack. Even if he hasn't realized that, Oki was sure that must be the reason. Figuring Rumor lacks in interpersonal skills, like he did and still kinda does, Oki wanted to help. He hoped that Rumor would at least hear him out, "I was that way once too. I never really cared to speak to others; always kept to myself. Didn't want to bother with my time with others. One, I was so used to it, not being around anyone else besides me. And two, I was hated and despised by my own kind and those who I thought were friends...So I chose not to let myself be exposed to it again", he inhaled deeply and let out a sigh, "...However, I took a chance and found that having friends is the root of all happiness and not everyone hates me...just gotta find those who like you for who you are, not how you look and your past." Clearing his throat, eyes came to look at Rumor, looking to see what he thought by just his facial expressions. He didn't want to lecture Rumor, just wanted to pass his experience onto another. Oki could feel that Rumor was unhappy about something and that might be the root of his urge to be alone all the time. "Sorry, didn't mean to tell my life's story...just wanted to pass on some wisdom", he chuckled lightly.

[Tumble]

Rumor let out a cold chuckle. “Everyone hates me.” He let out a slow sigh. “I killed many wolves just to survive and made enemies of many other wolves. The only friend I had was killed because they wanted revenge and she had nothing to do with the killings. I guess that is what you get for befriending a murderer.” He said bitterly. It didn’t matter if Oki knew his dark past. Rumor didn’t care about anything at that point. “I only joined because Cloud had talked about it so happily. I figured I could at least do something about my pitiful existence.” There it was, his dark clamed up emotions spilling out in front of this complete stranger. Oh well, Rumor didn’t care what others thought of him anyway. Rumor always had hated himself ever since he was a pup. His father was a murderer too and had only kept Rumor alive to train. Then the old brute just left and Rumor was left alone to fend for himself. He didn’t even know why he bothered to survive all those years before meeting Cloud. Tired by all this ranting, the white wolf just lay back down uncaringly to what Oki thought of him.

[Oki]

Okamiimaru didn't think that Rumor would so quickly respond with his background story, although, he told his just within the past moment so he would be no different. Although shortly told, Rumor's past didn't sound so much dark as it did tradgic, hurtful and challenging...beyond challenging. Finding that he once had a friend, but got killed wrongfully, nothing but sadness came to Oki and it pinned his ears to his skull. After Rumor had finished and decided to lie down, he found himself chewing on the inside of his cheek in thought. Not much time passed though between Rumor and himself. "I don't hate you", Oki began, "I wouldn't say you're a murder, either Rumor. You did those things as a last resort to save your own life and thats how this world is. The one's who...killed your friend are the murderers, not you." He couldn't help but pause because he disliked using the word when talking to another about a loved one's death. Meanwhile, as he finished speaking for the moment, Oki hoped that Rumor understood what he was trying to say.

As the pause drew out a little, a small smile crept onto Oki's muzzle as he thought about something. Not sure how Rumor would take it, he took the risk, "So, if I befriend this, 'murderer', does this mean I have a death wish?" Oki lifted his head and looked at Rumor with a smile so wide, his eyes were forced shut. He hoped Rumor realized what he was getting at, playing upon what the male said just a few moments ago.

[Tumble]

Rumor was a bit shocked by the response he got. The white wolf, however, didn’t show it on his face. He looked up at the other wolf with a slight glare. It didn’t mean he didn’t like the comment; it was more that he was trying to understand it. Oki either didn’t understand what he had just said or he just didn’t care. The offer of friendship was very unexpected, especially when it was asked in a joking manner. Rumor just left out a long sigh and gave up trying to figure out Oki. “Do what ever you want.” He said. Rumor would never say it out loud, but he was grateful that some didn’t judge him on his past. He was relieved to have a friend that didn’t care about who he was in the past, just like Cloud. “Just don’t come crying to me when your dead.” He added sarcastically, with tiny smile on his lips.

[Oki]

It was a little difficult for Oki to read what Rumor was thinking because of his eyes, however, his movements and body language and how he lit up gave him a good hint. He couldn't help but chuckle, almost gleefully, delighted to make a new friend, not only for himself, but for someone else. He didn't need to know about Rumor's past; its what Rumor was now that made him, him and who Oki would get to know.

Hopping up onto all fours, Oki trotted over to where Rumor was lying down, laughing at his comment about dying. "Oh, I'll be sure to come to you first hand." Wings stretched and folded back upon his shoulders as he sat down just a foot in front of Rumor. Itching to make something of the day, it was barely noon. Toes curling and uncurling in thought, his mind went blank on what to do, as always. Wanting to ask what he liked to do, what Rumor said earlier came to him and figured he would get a similar answer. Finding something neutral, Oki finally spoke up, "Have you been around all of the pack lands? Being a Reku, I have been around probably more than most who've been here for years." Chuckling, he finished, "I can take you around if you'd like."

[Tumble]

Rumor thought about the question for about a whole three seconds before replying, “No thanks. I can see using the ground so I already know the basic layout of the land.” He paused thinking this was Oki’s way of trying to get to know him better. “Besides, it’d take to much energy.” He added with a wide yawn. Oki would soon learn that Rumor wasn’t a very active wolf. He skipped out on work and took naps all the time. He rolled over so that his paws were in the air. Now the world was dark to him. The white wolf sometimes did this to remind himself he was blind. The darkness seem to welcome him and he welcomed it. For the last few years he had been looking at the world trough the ground and he never see the sky again. Due to his ability, Rumor sometimes forgot he was sight impaired and he would sometimes remind himself of his weakness. The male wolf then rolled back into a laying position and looked at Oki. “So what are you doing out here?” He asked.

[summerrain]

Asosa struggled out of the bushes. Thanks to that loner wolf, her wing was on the mend. The only problem was that she was unable to stay in the sky. Thoughts of her father and siblings occupied her mind. She winced as a branch brushed the small burned portion of her wing. It felt better since the salve had been applied, but she knew it would sting for a while. Then, she heard a quiet voice on the wind. "Cloud," was what it said. It sounded wistful, like a voice speaking of a memory. She followed the voice on the wind, singling it out from the others She heard another voice join the first one. She heard the first voice mention seeing with the ground. An Earth magics user maybe? She tripped and fell through a bush, into the clearing with the two pack wolves. She got slowly to her paws. Even after a full nights rest, she was exhausted. She shook her fur out, then lowered her head to the pack wolves as a sign of meaning no harm. She laid her wings out on the ground next to her, the spirals on the exposed sides a light grey. The lines that went down her back, then spiraled around each of her legs and her tail, were only a shade darker. She kept her eyes trailed on the ground, not wanting to get attacked. After all, her father had wanted her to come here. It was his last wish as the gatekeeper of the ancient Kishigai pack.

"I apologize for interrupting," she said quietly. "My father told me to find the alpha of the Shinkou pack." Her ears were rotating, listening to the sounds of the wind. She silently dismissed the voices, keeping her eyes on the ground. She knew that her rank in her old pack didn't matter. Her brother was due to be the next gatekeeper. Until the fire, that is. As it was, she was lower even than the lowest pack member because she wasn't part of the pack. And she knew that. She knew that they could do what they wished with a loner like herself. She was just hoping they wouldn't attack.

[Tumble]

‘Crap,’ Rumor thought as the new wolf tripped through the bushes. ‘I was careless.’ He looked at the she-wolf with blind eyes, yet he could still see the new comer. It was a she-wolf and she also had wings. “Great, anymore wolves I should know about who will fall from the sky?” he asked sarcastically. He glanced over at Oki wondering what he would do. He wasn’t sure if they were the same type of winged wolf or if they came from the same area. Rumor’s brain began to hurt from all this thinking he was doing. He looked back at the she-wolf. “I don’t think we are the right wolves to be asking, especially me. I don’t hang around the pack that much and haven’t been in it for very long.” He paused. “And quit looking at the ground, as long as you don’t attack me I won’t attack you. I cold care less about territory stuff.” His voice reflected some coldness, but he usually talked like that. ‘Great it’s one of those stiff formal wolves.’ He thought with a sigh. He hoped this wouldn’t turn into a fight.