Best Day Ever

[Aveilthé]

Stupid summer. Stupid heat. Stupid wolves. Stupid sky. Stupid gods. Stupid... stupid!

A burly black wolf took out his pent-up frustration on the trunk of a tree by swiping at it, taking a decent chunk on it's outer layer. He looked at it with noxious red eyes, satisfied at seeing the damage.

Easy there, Shishu. No need for your crap attitude today. Lordy, lordy... pickin' on a tree.

After his little episode, Shishu retired to the shelter of a different tree, this time a large oak. His black fur didn't do well in direct sunlight, thus why he hated summer so much. Yet the heat was so uncomfortable that he found no pleasure basking the shade of the tree. After many hours of tossing and turning in a bed of leaves, he stood up and shook himself out, subconsciously trying to flatten the cowlick on his head with a paw. When that was done, he marked the tree as his very own precious with a blatant "PISS OFF OR DIE" warning scent. Then he pawed the ground in a haughty manner, looking cheekily from left to right. His tree. No one else's. Smirking with renewed satisfaction, he moved to another tree, but it was too scrawny and young. Too bad. He marked his territory with the same warning scent. He knew he was being a complete ass by doing this, but he was bored. With added insult to his mark, his scent also reeked of "KUSU IS A BIG FAT LAZY FLEABAG."

"Okay, I feel so much better now because of that," he murmured, pleased at his work. Galaxia would so punish him for this. Perhaps she'd be amused, too. Boys will be boys, she might say.

So many ideas. So little time. Shishu went to another tree and marked it. The following scents now filled the place with the following messages:

"ARASHI SABAKU IS SUCH A MAMA'S BOY."

"SHRIDETH STILL WETS HER BEDLEAVES AT NIGHT."

"NANJA IS A DOO-DOO-HEAD."

"SHOUIN EATS COW POO FOR BREAKFAST."

"SANSAI IS A HOBAG."

"MAKAZE SMELLS LIKE TENRAI'S OVERLARGE BEHIND."

"SEIRAN HAS THE INTELLIGENCE OF A ROCK."

Shishu was positively giggling darkly in his own rich, masculine voice. Oh he was going to be in so much shit for this. He had marked almost every tree in the vicinity with these messages.

[neveah]

It was hot, so very hot in the forest. Neveah couldn't believe the heat. First she accidentally strayed from her Akeru home into Shinkou territory--and she had no idea how they would feel about that--and now it was scorching. Oh well. At least she didn't feel as hot as the black wolf under the oak seemed to be.

There was a black wolf under the oak! How had she not noticed?

Now Neveah came out into the sunlight, revealing herself to be a slender lupine creature with sky-blue fur and soft white patches. Everything about her, from head to tail, seemed dainty and fraglie, and her paws gave the impression that she was simply gliding over the leaves. Only a single, horrid scar across her muzzle marred the otherwise-beuatiful wolf as she gave her lavender rocklike wings an inquisitive flutter while she watched the black wolf get up...

...and spread the most potentially infuriating messages.

Nevi had no idea who these wolves were, but certainly they would not be happy when they found what their packmate (if he was their packmate, anyway) had done.

Neveah took a tenative step forward and looked at the burly black wolf, debating on whether or not she should speak. On one paw, he could have just been hurt by these wolves and angry enough to seek revenge. On the other, he could be a troublemaker who might look to do something to Neveah next. It seemed impossible to judge without knowing him, and she wished there were only someone she could ask.

In the end, Neveah decided to play it safe and back off, just in case he was hostile. She didn't make plans to be mauled today.

Keeping an eye on him in case he did something while her back was turned, the young wolf back away slowly, but unfortunately for her, she would have been safer if she had simply turned tail and ran. She had taken no more than two or three steps before her left rear foot snagged on a root and twisted. In a split second, it seemed as if all her legs had given out as well as the one, simply from sheer surprise and pain. She lie there, not far from the black wolf and entirely at his mercy.

[Aveilthé]

Aw yeah. These would certainly piss 'em off royally. Well maybe except Sansai. She was a bit... sensitive. Well, crap. Crappity crappity crap. Nobody's that heartless, you ass.

Shishu had a mind to re-scent his message into something a little kinder until he heard something that made him totally forget to. The scent belonged to a female, he realized. And judging by the sound she was making, it was a damsel in distress. Oh my god, she expected him to be a hero. The last time he helped somewolf, he tricked Shishu and made him look like the biggest fool in all of Shinkou.

His frustration returned, and he knew he'd be in more serious shit if he simply ignored the situation. It sucked being an Alpha's son for this reason. He didn't need to be kicked out of his birthplace again.

"Godfraggindamnit," said he, a growl borne in his words as he traipsed noisily toward where the female lay. He peered over a bush, and there she was, with big doe eyes that could melt the heart of any male wolf. But Shishu was not just any male wolf. His red eyes peered at her with a hard stare.

"Get up. You're fine."

[neveah]

"Get up. You're fine."

So this was it, eh? He wasn't hostile. He was just unsympathetic. That...that...that jerk. She was going to tell him what for. Oh, he would certainly get an earful, no doubt, just as soon as she got her bearings--

--and then she stopped.

She looked up to see his face, and his eyes...his eyes were like Midas' eyes, from back before she'd come to the realm of Shinkou. An ache formed in her heart for her lost mate, and an overwhelming sense of sadness flooded her eyes. But then she blinked and, for the most part, it was gone. Just like that, with hardly a trace.

Neveah knew what lingered in her countenance and turned her head so he wouldn't see. She wouldn't embarrass herself in front of this stranger. Again.

Which reminded her, she was still lying on the ground. Whoops.

She tried to stand, but when she placed weight on her injured foot, she yelped and collapsed again. Without giving him a chance to say anything, she growled a simple "I'm fine,"--more out of pain than hostility--and used her good foot to prop herself up on. She stood there, waiting for him to say something and wondering how in the world she would get home with her foot in the state it was.

[/blockquote]

[Aveilthé]

Shishu watched for a reaction, not expecting any flowery words in return. He was surprised by her seemingly mild response. Leaning his head a little, he tried to look at her face but she had turned from him. What the hell?

"You are fine. Nobody's gonna help you. You're an adult, not a newborn pup. You aren't seriously injured. Get up."

Eventually, she did. Slowly, but surely. Shishu narrowed his eyes. "Knew you could do it. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. So why the hell are you here, anyway? Didn't you scent my message?" God, what a silly little she-wolf. She was probably young and inexperienced. Even so, Shishu couldn't harbor any pity for her.

[neveah]

"My name is Neveah, and I'm from Akeru, but I'm so new that I was wandering and not paying attention to warnings, so I got lost," she narrowed her eyes at him, clearly disliking the way this wolf was treating her. "That's not some kind of crime here, is it? I didn't take your prey, and I don't plan to. As soon as I can put weight on my foot, I'm heading back to Akeru Packlands. And I watched you scent that message. I'd been here the whole time while you said all those horrible things about your packmates!"

Instantly, she felt bad for her hostility. Sure, he'd done it first, but that didn't make it right. This whole situation was just bad luck, bad timing. Part of her felt justified, like she was just defending wolves' honor who weren't there to do it themselves. It seemed like the right thing to do, but a nagging feeling on the inside told her she might have taken it just a touch too far. That may have been a mistake, but hopefully it was one that she would be able to smooth over by being more civil.

"So who are you," Neveah barked, pity starting to edge into her voice and her eyes growing larger with sympathy. "and what in the world happened to you to make you think such awful things about your packmates?"

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[Aveilthé]

This time, he had to tilt his head at her remarks. The she-wolf, bless her, was fighting to stay on his good side. He might be assuming wrong, of course... he wasn't perfect at reading wolves' expressions or anything like that. He got himself into trouble many times before for that very reason. Ohhh well...

A little furl curled over on his ebony lips. "Didn't know you had some balls to stand up to me. That's something. Keep that up and I might piss myself." Laughing, he thought. At the mention of his other rude and crude messages he left on the trees, Shishu parted his mouth and emitted a deep, throaty laugh.

"Yeah, I don't think they'll be too pleased once they catch wind of it. Nope, not at all. You should probably move soon then, in case they come over here, and I'll be long gone. They'll probably think it was you that did it." He sat back on his haunches, scratching at his ear with a hind leg. A low wolfish groan of pleasure was heard as he scratched that itch.

"Naw, just kidding, they'll know it was me. My brothers are dumber than a sea rock with barnacles, and my sisters worry more about beauty than their brains, so... whatever I said I pretty much speak the truth." He paused, sitting up and hunched, looking a little scary and ugly. He never bothered with his own appearance much. "Who I am is not that important. I don't even think we're going to become pal-ly pals any time soon."

[neveah]

Something in Neveah's heart fell when he said those words. Maybe because he reminded her so much of Midas. God, she missed him. She was starting to wonder what'd happened to him--whether he was even alive. No, she couldn't think of him now. Not in front of someone else. She felt pity for this wolf, the way he descirbed his family. She couldn't decide why she suddenly was having the feeling that he just deserved something better. Well, she thought to herself, don't all wolves? But that wasn't it. There was just something different about him, something that Neveah admired. His spirit! That was it. This wolf seemed unafraid to do what others condemned, even if what he did was just plain stupid instead. Neveah, in all her years (which, admittedly, weren't many) had never met a wolf quite like this. She couldn't help but smile at him and just simply say "You never know."

[/size]

[Aveilthé]

How infuriating! Shishu did not like what the female said, especially the way she looked.

"No. You don't get it because you're getting the wrong idea. I hate everywolf. Except one wolf, but the gods knows it ain't you, and the rest is none of your damn business."

Shishu grunted throatily and turned sharply from the female. When he looked to the trees, he was grumpily attempting to remember what he was trying to do before he heard the female's pathetic crying.

[neveah]

"Listen to me," Neveah barked at him. "You have to give others a chance. You never know what they may hold. Everyone has good and bad about them, it's only about what you choose to see. Somewolf could hurt you every day of your life and still have good qualities, if you look for them. It's not fair judgment on your part to hate everywolf. I sure don't hate you. In all honesty, I love everywolf and I don't care if you hate me or not. I'm sorry you've been so wronged to feel this way, and my sympathies go out to you, but if you would pick your misanthropic ass up and pay attention to others, you might find that there are valuable friends among others who could help you through your troubles, whether you did something to cause them or not. You have to give wolves a chance," she finished--or so she thought--and then came back to correct herself. "Well, I suppose you don't have to. But your life would be a whole lot easier if you did."

Neveah padded closer to him and sat beside him, looking at him with insight and understanding. "Sir, I know what it's like to be hurt, and what it's like to be hurt by yourself, too. I'm not asking you to open up to me or acknowledge me as a friend, even. What I'm asking you to do is accept that I love everywolf, not matter what, and you could to the same thing if you tried. You don't even have to try, but at least understand you have that power within yourself."

[/size]

[Aveilthé]

Welp, thought Shishu, if he had to blow some steam now was the perfect time. He stretched back his lips and smiled wickedly at the female, only he wasn't smiling... just showing off rows of pointed, yellowing teeth.

"STOP TALKING ABOUT ME LIKE YOU KNOW ME! You don't know SHIT. I'm not the one wronged, I'm the one that's done wrong, and I don't feel one bit sorry for it. I LIKE being different, and only one wolf on this whole goddamned earth saw me and liked me for me. So screw you and your stupid virtues! And screw friends, I don't need 'em!"

He didn't know what he was saying. But it felt good to spew exactly what was on his mind. Why stop there? He continued.

"Power? I have no power within myself. It was stripped away from me a long time ago. God... ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? Keep smiling, you ridiculous wolf. Everyone else does. And you know what I do? I smile back. Just keep SMILING."

[neveah]

Neveah's ears flattened against her head as her spoke, appearing more annoyed than anything. "You're right," she said, "I don't know you. But I know wolves. I don't care if you've been wronged or done wrong--it doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is that you hate wolves who don't deserve it, wolves who WOULD love you if they could, but you treat them like they're mouse dung. THAT, sir, is what I'm concerned about, and if I can teach you about virtues in the process, then it's all for the better." She glared at him, warm chocolate eyes turning cold and hard as stone.

"Smile all you want. Call me ridiculous if you will, but just know I have no freaking idea how to get out of here and so I can't leave until you point me towards Akeru packlands." Her wings fluttered indignantly, shards of hurt being bit back from her countenance. Whatever had reminded her of Midas was gone, and Neveah wanted nothing more than to be out. Never in her life had she met somewolf so...impossible! She couldn't do good for those who didn't want good for themselves.

[/size]

[Aveilthé]

"Shut up," he growled in response, his hackles lifted and his muscles tense. "I don't know why I bother staying here listening to you preach about good in everyone. Stupid female. I hope you rot." Shishu turned away, positively salivating out of raw anger and hate. He was prepared to leave, except something in the air made him stop and growl even further. From the light of the distant thicket emerged a large, burly white and teal-colored male, shoulders bearing a pair of large eagle-like wings. His face bore incredible markings of teal over white fur. Indeed a handsome creature, but there was a kind of laziness seen in his blue eyes.

"'Sup, bro," said he, his words undoubtedly directed towards Shishu. "So I smelled something nasty from a mile away and knew it came from you. You're horrible." He started grinning like a mischievous pup. "I'll get you back, don't worry--oh..." He then noticed the female. "Oh dear. Are you alright?" He padded over to her, his tail wagging a little to show that he was friendly. "Err, I hope Shishu didn't give you a hard time. He uh... isn't the nicest guy around." His smile broadened apologetically. "He means well though, he wouldn't hurt a fly, honest. He just likes to hurt feelings."

Shishu hid away now, though his growls were still heard. There were a bunch of threats and insults buried beneath those throaty snarls.