The Great Search (OPEN)

[Xenoxice]

OOC: ((I more than welcome multiple people to join =) Would make things pretty interesting to make Al have conflicting interests or see if someone wants him more than another ;D))

For too long he had been roaming the world, exploring and adventuring. Discovering new places and things, observing the wonders and phenomena of the planet he lived on. The forest he now resided in was one of them. Tall trees and almost complete shade from the sun, running rivers, plants abundant and a soft mossy coat as if the ground itself wanted the forests inhabitants to feel welcome and comfortable. He enjoyed the feeling of the forest floor but even with how wonderful the environment was around him, over the days he had begun to slip into a state where he ignored the beauty around him.... or rather was too distracted to notice it.

He was trodding along the forest floor with his head somewhat down, from a distance it would be hard to tell if he was depressed or deep in thought, even though it was the latter. With somewhat of a deep sigh and in mid stride, Alastolan suddenly thrust his wings and bolted off the ground only to find himself landing on a rather thick tree branch probably a good 20 feet off the ground. Some may call his maneuver luck, others may call it skill. One thing is for certain though, he had done it enough times to the point it was second nature to him. Plopping down on the branch with his legs hanging off either side of it, he let out another sigh. Though far from being on guard even so openly exposed. He rarely, if ever felt fear for his safety as he knew how to take care of himself very effeciently.

Laying upon the branch, he thought to himself in silence. I've been all over the world.... And yet I cant find the one thing my heart desires. I've seen more things than most do in their entire lives and I like to think I'm very kind... and yet... what good does it all do me when I don't have anyone to share my experiences with? I pad through the world alone and have nobody to talk to... nobody to enjoy the company of... and above all, I have nobody to love. He sighed deeply once more and shook his head a little as his neck slumped down a bit into the branch. Maybe I'm just not meant to be with anyone... Maybe there's nobody out there for me... His head turned upward to the shaded sky above before whispering quietly to himself. "I hope I'm wrong..."

[Streak]

Yang was no where to be seen. Perhaps he was hunting but Yin was too distressed to care. She pushed off with her legs and spread her wings. The air pushed her higher and higher until she could see far and wide. The sight she saw was not quite what she expected. Instead of an empty forest, there was a wolf. It landed onto a tree with a skill that Yin could not compare to. Curiousity welled up in her until she gave in. Yin folded in her wings and dived. The wind rushed past her until she was one with the wimd. At the last moment, she spread her wings and shot up. Yin floated down slowly. When she landed, she shook her fur. Yin looked up and saw the wolf. The first thing she thought was that it was a strong male. Yin stepped forward hesitantly then stopped. She waited for a reaction from the male.

[Xenoxice]

The slight fluttering of wings... much bigger wings than any birds. It was a sound not often heard in this forest and Alastolan knew it. His head was already turned up to the sky, and sure enough down comes a winged wolf swooping from the sky to land on the branch before him. He could have sworn he saw some form of marking on the underside of the creature but only caught a glance of it. Quite a lovely wolf indeed as he got a closer look at her. The black highlights that seemed to darken the tips of all her being was quite attractive to him and he couldn't help but simply find a small smile coming across his muzzle.

Looking her over for a few seconds he watched curiously as she took but a single step then paused. He tilted his head curiously and his eyes were alight with wonder. "Well this is a pleasant surprise. Just goes to show you never know what life might drop in on you." His demeanor was calm and peaceful. He found no hositilty in this creature and felt no need to be on guard at all. "The name's Alastolan by the way. And who might I be in the graceful presence of?" His words were flattering and yet held truth to his own thoughts, simply stating what he felt and saw. The wolfess before him caught his attention and she held his attention quite firmly even if she didn't mean to.

[Streak]

Yin was not expecting this sort of reaction. When she heard the compliment, she blushed under her fur and gave an embarrassed smile. "My name is Yin..." She began to wonder what else to say. Talking about the weather wouldn't suffice. Yin glanced over Alastolan and noted his different eyes. Yin had never seen such unusual eyes but thought that they suited this handsome male. "Your eyes, they are... amazing." She could not help looking deep into Alastolan's eyes. "Some say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Do you believe this?"

[Xenoxice]

Awaiting the response from the wolfess, he simply looked into her eyes. But upon hearing her voice, he found it to be very soothing to him. It reminded him of his mother when he could remember those moments she spoke. First he heard her name... Yin. He found himself smiling even wider as he listened to her words. But it captivated him most when he stared into her eyes. Watching her intently as she spoke and capturing each and every word in his mind. When she had finished speaking, he decided he would reply to her very promptly and even seeming excited to be in her company.

"Yin... that's a very elegant and passionate name with an even deeper meaning. Whoever your parents were, they were very wise to give you such a name. Yin.... the force of darkness that balances the light of Yang. The white spot on the dark side of Yin and the black spot on the light side of Yang, symbolizing how nothing in the world is every truly dark OR light, but a mixture of both, keeping each other in balance." He had found himself going off on a tangent and closed his eyes for a moment shaking his head with a small chuckle. "Forgive me. I seem to have started rambling. In response to your question however...." He looked into her eyes for a few moments in silence before nodding with that same smile on his face. "If the eyes are a window to the soul, then the voice is a conduit to the heart. Yes. I believe in that concept very firmly. And I inherited my eyes from my parents. Their eyes were exactly like mine. My mothers were the blue and my fathers green. When I was born, I inherited both."

With a slight tilt of his head he yawned before crossing his front paws over one another and laying his head down upon them, looking up at Yin. "As for you, when you swooped down, I could have sworn I saw some kind of marking on your underside. Am I correct in that?"

[Streak]

Yin smiled and nodded in response to Alastolan's question. "You see this chain." She looked down on it and back at Alastolan. "It is the same as the marking on my stomach. My parents told me it was the family symbol. I did not think it would be of great importance. Why do you ask?" Yin began to feel more comfortable around Alastolan and lay down, her wings not folded by her sides but spread out on the ground. Her feathers were spread like multiple fingers splayed. She looked at Alastolan curiously, wondering what other stories he may have to tell.

[Xenoxice]

With the wonder of a small child, he observed the female before him and smiled, speaking in a soft tone that one would usually use who has great knowledge. "That symbol is of very great importance. And you should feel honored to have that as a family symbol." His eyes stared at the necklace around the neck of the wolfess and he couldn't help but find his eyes once again drift to her own as he looked into them rather than at them. "It's a symbol that teaches us all the greatest of life's lessons. That nothing is pure good. But nor is anything pure evil. They are interchangeable and one cannot exist without the other. They keep each other in balanced and where you find good, you will always find some small spec of evil. Just as even in the greatest evil, you will find some small trace of good." His eyes never once stray from hers as he speaks and his words not directed at her as if he were educating her, but rather as if he was sharing a story with a friend.

"Such is the nature of all creatures." he continued, "It is what allows us all to change and see both sides of the world. It's what allows even the most evil of creatures to have the ability to redeem themselves. Or even the most good to fall to insanity." He shook his head again and smiled. "That is the symbology of the swirled pattern in it. To show that they can mix and change from one to another, blending into opposites." With a soft sigh he looks down a bit embarrassed. "You have to forgive me. Sometimes I have a tendency to blab on and on without noticing!" A small nervous laugh came from him as he turned his eyes back to hers once again. "So what about you? What all do you know of what that symbol represents or perhaps just tell a little about yourself?"

[Streak]

Alastolan was quite an interesting character. He was knowledgable and wise. Yin began to realise how important the symbol she boar on her flesh was. When Alastolan asked her to tell a bit more about herself, Yin felt no reason why not to. "I suppose my story starts when I was a young one. Me and my brother, Yang, were adventurous. We wanted to explore the world but our parents set up some magical barriers. Me and Yang went to talk to our parents. But when we found them, they weren't our parents. They were... possessed." Yin felt her eyes get wet. A single tear slid down her cheek. "Me and Yang fled. I one way, he the other. I finally explored the world, but it wasn't what I thought it would be. After several years, I came across some packlands. Maybe it was fate, maybe luck, but I found Yang again." Yin wiped her face with her paw and sniffed. "But look at me, crying about the past. What about you?"

[Xenoxice]

Alastolan listened with much interest to Yin's story, and smiled a bit when he heard her brothers name. I should have known... he thought to himself. But when he saw her cry, he couldn't help but stand up a bit and walk a bit closer to her with a look of deep concern and care in his eyes before laying back down. As she finished her story, he found himself smiling again and shaking his head. "My story isn't one of much interest really.... I was born an only child. The only one to survive during birth, which is why my parents have always called me their miracle child. I was supposed to have a brother and sister but they didn't survive when they were born. I grew up normally and eventually left my parents to explore the world and have been traveling since."

With a small sigh he shook his head as he looked down. "But even seeing all the wondrous things that I have in this world all the way to the top of the highest floating islands, none of it means anything without someone to share those experiences with." He looks up and gives her a gentle smile but some kind of deep hidden sadness could probably be seen in his eyes. "And I don't mean talking about them, but actually going there with someone, you know? Being able to talk about it as you both experience new things and sharing those moments, making memories and just enjoying each other. I guess I mean having a mate to share those times with and actually being happy." His eyes seem to have veered off a bit and his head turned to the skies as he listened to all the sounds and creatures of the forest. "This place has always been one of my favorites. So peaceful.... so calm.."

[Streak]

When Yin looked up, she saw Alastolan much closer to her. She listened to his rather short story then stood up. When she heard what Alastolan was asking, her heart swelled. But she wasn't sure whether she was ready yet. What would Yang think of it. Yin looked as Alastolan's gaze shifted. She wasn't quite sure what to do next. Yin walked towards Alastolan and put her side against his. "I may not be the best explorer, but I guess I will do..." Her voice trailed off as she looked over in the direction Alastolan was looking. "It is very peaceful."

[Xenoxice]

His eyes were unmoving from the sky above but his ears while trained on the lovely sounds of the forest also quite clearly picked up what she had said. Feeling her place her side against his he looked back at her and smiled. And only then did it actually finally register in his mind what she had honestly said in response to his words. His eyes widened a bit and he simply stared at her, almost dumfounded even. "W... Wait. Do you mean you actually want to see how things go..? Between us?" His eyes were wide with wonder and he smiled brightly hoping he didn't misinterpret what she had meant by those words. Was it possible this wolfess he had just met actually liked him and wanted to see how things develop between them? Just when he was starting to feel down the most did the mate he had always been searching for fall right into his lap without him knowing? he had not the slightest clue what the answers were but they and so many other questions arose in his mind.

"Well..." he started to say with a sigh of joy. "If you're willing to, I would greatly enjoy your company and like to see how things work out." His words he tried to keep calm, but it was apparent he was nearly overjoyed at this moment and just wanted to spend every moment he could with her to see how well they can truly bond.

[Streak]

Yin was full of joy. Alastolan had accepted her offer to at least be around each other for time. Hopefully, they would become mates but Yin decided not to get that excited. Maybe Alastolan would find some other female and find her more interesting than her. Yin turned to face Alastolan and smiled. Then she realised; what were they going to do? After a bit of thought, Yin stepped away from Alastolan. She gave a mischievious grin. "Tag!" Yin cried as she nudged Alastolan. With impeccable speed, she whizzed off into the sky, looking behind to see if Alastolan was behind her.

[Xenoxice]

Alastolan was thrilled at the idea that there was another who actually liked him that he could be in the company of. Of course deep in his heart he wanted her to be more than a mere friend, but only time would tell. He wouldn't tell her, but he wasn't going to look at anyone else until he was absolutely sure that things would or would not work out between them. His daydreaming however was broken when he felt her nudge him and say the word "Tag!" He looked towards her direction right after he felt the gust of wind from her wings. His head darting towards the direction she flew, he smiled widely and shook his head. "Not for long!" he yelled back at her playfully. A mighty thrust of his wings that shook the entire branch of the tree and he bolted after her at an almost unreal speed. When he said 'Not for long' he intended to keep his word and catch her as quickly as he could. He could only hope she was as fast as he was to make the game last.

[Relairah]

OoC: I just can't resist

iC:

It had been some time since the battle had ended and her revenge had been carried out. But it was nothing like she had expected and she had almost lost her father in the process. She was confused and uncertain. Was there more to life than anger and vengeance? There had been nothing else since as long as she could remember. But now? She was flying low over the trees, having been wandering since shortly after the battle without any particular destination. She just had to figure out what she was supposed to do now. If there was anything. Everything seemed so purposeless.

She looked up suddenly, dark maroon colored ears perking atop her round head. She heard voices and laughter. Curious she flew closer and it wasn't long before she caught the two figures coming toward her. Hmm, what was this? She watched, that little flame of mischievousness rising in her chest. It was all she knew. Mischief. Anger. Causing trouble. Oh, it was almost too sweet. A young pair, all happy and giggles. She had never known that. It had been ripped away from her. Or perhaps she had never allowed it.

Deliberately putting herself in the way, she hovered there, her wings flapping lightly to keep her afloat. If one of them, or both, didn't collide with her but managed to stop, she would say, "Hmm, I noticed your happy little game and found that I had to inquire what exactly makes life so delightful for you?" In this case, she would have chosen her words very carefully, not typically talking in such an eloquent fashion.

If however, either did collide with her she would find herself tumbling about, in a daze for only a moment before shaking her head slightly as her vision would clear and would look to see which one had been the klutz. She would then proceed to say, "You should watch where you're going... unless you're too blinded by your blissful happiness." Her words would have frustration behind them. It all depended on if the others noticed her in teir path or not.

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[Streak]

Yin could see that Alastolan was gaining up on her. With a mighty push of her wings, she streaked ahead only to bump into a wolf. She fell a few metres then shook her head and looked at the wolf. Yin flew over to the wolf to apologise. She began to speak when the wolf spoke. Yin closed her mouth and frowned. Why was this wolf being so... negative? Yin proceeded to speak although she wasn't too happy to apologise. "I'm very sorry to have bumped into you but there's no need to be so negative." Yin spoke with a slight hardness to her voice.