Dead End (Open)

[raena]

Raena huffed, a white cloud of air escaping the end of her muzzle. It was freezing; her still thickening coat fluffed in attempt to ward off the worst of the chill. Lifting her nose into the air again, she inhaled deeply...and sneezed.
"Curses!" She lamented frustratedly. The scent was gone. It ended here. Why would Ra pick such a godforsaken cold and lonely place such as this to reside. Her feet were sore, her lungs ached from the intake of the outside temperature, and her stomach growled unhappily.
"Silence, you vexatious thing. Your endless needs are hindering me." The tired wolf hissed, and then sighed. Look at her; alone, starving, and far, far away from home. All for Ra.
"I must find him, I will find him." Rae repeated once again the mantra she had been chanting to herself since she started this search. Her stomach grumbled again, refusing to be ignored. With a flick of her tail, her rest was over and her next move to find nourishment, a place to sleep, and a lift to her dampened spirits.

[okamiimaru]

Familar with the surroundings, it had been a while since he was at the cliffs. Ever since his encounter with the Demon female a short time ago, Oki has been a little hesitant on returning. The area was enjoyable and was a great place to train himself further, but that thought lingered in the back of his mind. With the Peace Gathering, it furthered his time since venturing the icicle cliffs. His duties as Beta to the Galaxy also limited his leisure time, however today was a seemingly free day to do as he wished. Figuring it had been long enough, Oki took off into the air and made his way towards the dangerous, but fun icicle cliffs.

Moderately clear today, the warming climate kept the weather nicer and more acceptable. Nearing the mountainous landscape, the air became chilly. The mix of the warm sun on his coppery fur and cold air would sometimes send tingles down his spine with the conflicting sensations. For some odd reason, he liked that feeling and it made him jitter with appreciation. A big gust of wind whipped past him, going towards the opposite direction in which he was flying. Pulling him back some as it caught his wings, Oki's muffler flapped against his sides from the rush. A few powerful flaps of his wings, Okamiimaru had regained his speed and now was gliding just above the cliffs. Circling around the peaks of the landscape, he wondered where he was the last time. Knowing to never enter another cave, he remained outside and after much observation, something caught his eye. Something shiny. Intrigued, Oki descended some and found it was another wolf, though someone whom he had never met before, even at the Peace Gathering.

Deciding to spy a little, Oki quietly landed on a snowy cliff, many meters above the other. Folding in his wings, he lied on his belly and crept forward just so that his head would hang over the edge. Sliding forward just a little more, he realized the shiny thing he saw was her mane. Though not being able to analyze much more about the other, a crack came from beneath him. Heart stopping, another crack ripped from under him and he felt himself drop a little. "Uh oh...", he sighed. A piece of the shelf dropped from under him and Oki began falling with a yell. Tumbling, he didn't have much time really to catch himself so he ultimately fell into the snow a few meters from the other he found. Landing with a puff of snow all around him, Oki groaned as he stared at the sky for a moment, laying spread-eagle. Sure that he didn't scare the other now, they probably heard the cracking of the ice, which he initially thought was rock. Nonetheless, he had hoped this one didn't attack him like the Demon wolfess, though by now he couldn't control if it would repeat itself. Finally pulling himself up, Oki sat up and hunched over, wings limp to each of his sides. His sword didn't really help in breaking the fall and he fixed it's position on his back. Shaking his head, his back ached. Ears perking, he looked over at the other and smiled nervously, "Well, hello there. Fine day at the cliffs, eh?", he spoke casually, acting as if his falling from the sky didn't happen.

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[raena]

Raena was crouched, hidden mostly behind a small swell of snow. Her tail was tucked and her mane flattened as much as she could manage. Inheriting gold aspect to one's appearance had a downside, that being camouflage when hunting. The snow rabbit in front of her froze, its whiskers twitching suspiciously. The she-wolf lowered herself to the ground even further, ignoring the bite of the frozen ground against her belly. The muscles in her body were taunt, prepared to launch.

Suddenly, a crackle rippled through the silence from the ice above her. Rae's ears swiveled first, and then her eyes, glimpsing her prey vanishing from her peripherals. Instinct overrode the rushing emotion of anger, leaping off to the one side as the second crack issued its warning. The ice piece landed where she would've been moments before, followed by a shower of snow flakes from the other side of her.

Raena was crouched again, this time in a defensive pose. Her eyes were narrowed and her teeth showing. It wasn't like her to attack other wolf at first meeting, but they had caught her off guard. Her dinner was gone and she was covered in snow now, colder than she already was to begin with. The she wolf's stomach emitted another pitiful sound, which she in turn covered up with a warning growl. The last thing she wanted was pity for being alone and hungry. Lone life was something she was still getting use to.

She kept her position while the intruding wolf righted itself, taking advantage of the time to size the other up. He was a male wolf, with wings, a sword, and three tails? Her head tilted towards the side, perplexed. She wasn't exactly what was considered normal for a wolf either, but he was breaking all sorts of guidelines.

"Well, hello there. Fine day at the cliffs, eh?" The male addressed her. She remained still for another few seconds before fluidly breaking out of pose to a more comfortable standing position, sensing no threat in him. She shook herself off, settling her ruff. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself fully before answering. "It would have been a better day, had my dinner not been scared off as well as almost being crushed by an ice ledge." Her response holding a bit of snark to it.

The golden topped wolf begin to walk away and leave it at that, but a thought in the back of her mind stopped her short. This wolf was the first wolf she had seen in this area, it'd be wrong of her to turn away the only company she had had in awhile and he might know something of Ra. She sighed and lowered her head in slight shame of her rudeness. Stepping closer, but cautiously, she looked him over more closely for wounds. "Are you alright?"

[okamiimaru]

Raising his paw and flexing his claws, he gave a weak welcoming wave to the female as he addressed her. Fearing the worst, Oki smiled nervously and he could feel his gut starting to knot with anxiety. Meanwhile, he glanced over the other. A slender muzzle, smooth face and a thin frame, she must be a female, he thought to himself. Another one? Why are there so many females just wandering about by themselves, he wondered. Though he couldn't help to marvel at the gold color of her mane and tail and how she could maintain its illustriousness. He knew for himself that it was hard keeping up his coppery fur, though for sure he could never get it that shiny. He then remembered how his mate, Ryleigh loved shiny things and knew that she would be wondering the same things. It almost made him laugh, but he remained quiet.

Still sitting quite openly, his hind legs were flat against the snow as his fore paws kept him upright. Meanwhile, he tried to get this kink out of his back. Flexing his lower back muscles and bending himself in odd ways, it still didn't pop. Frustrated with his stubborn back, he looked up again to see how far he fell. Whistling at the height, he then looked at the ice ledge that dove to the ground with him. Oki didn't realize that the big chunk of ice had fallen within the vicinity that the female was as he was too busy tumbling through the air. She was covered in as much snow as he was. After he had shaken his off, she did so as well.

At the sight of his state, it had seemed to calm the female some as she relaxed herself and sat down before him. Not knowing what to expect, he surely didn't expect her answer, though it was understandable. "Heh, oh... uh, sorry about that...", his eyes looked away as he apologized, having no intention of causing her meal to scurry away nor the ice to fall so close to her. His face showed sincerity if his words weren't convincing enough. Just as she turned to leave, he looked up and was about to ask her to not leave, but then he hesitated. Why should she stay? Not like they were going to become instant friends and she had no reason to. In fact, she had more reasons to leave than to stay so he closed his mouth, not saying anything. Looking away with an exhale from his nose, he was about to get onto his feet and return to his explorations.

Though she stopped and turned around, Oki's deep blue eyes turned to look at her with question. Approaching him, she wondered of his physical state. Curious about her change of heart, he gestured to his back as an answer to her question. "I seem to have pulled something...in my..*pop!*...back! Man alive, that felt good", as he spoke, Oki twisted himself more in odd directions and gasped as he found the spot and a loud pop ensued along with a couple more after. Sighing with good and warm sensations ebbing in his back, he shivered, feeling as good as new. "I should be asking you the same...I'm just glad you evaded the ice. If you hadn't...I don't think I could live with that on my conscience."

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[raena]

Rae accepted his apology with a slight dip of her head, and dismissed the issue with a flick of her tail. She could always find other prey, her power made it more manageable than most. And the snow shower, well, a bath never hurt anyone for the most part, spotting small glistening water droplets frozen here and there along the tips of her fur. ‘I must be an eye sore’ she figured silently. With the gold parts of her reflecting the sun as well as the beads of ice catching the light, she could picture herself looking like a mangy dog with an elaborate collar. With a snort of amusement, Raena turned her attention back to the other.

Slender eyebrows rose as she watched the male twist and contort himself into different positions, seeming to try to focus the pressure upon his back. She nodded in understanding as he voiced what was bothering him. It made sense, glancing upwards to the remaining jagged edge that just moments before consisted of a ledge. A noticeable *pop!* resounded from in front, causing her eyes to widen as more issued in echo soon afterwards. From the sound of relief in his voice, she deemed him recovered from his fall. A small smile began to flicker across her face, glad for some reason that he was okay.

"I should be asking you the same...I'm just glad you evaded the ice. If you hadn't...I don't think I could live with that on my conscience." The smile vanished as quickly as it had come. The latter part of his confused her. “But you don’t even know me, why would you care?” She wondered out loud, not realizing it until the words were already spoken. She continued on in explanation. “You smell of clan and leadership. You belong somewhere. I smell of many miles trekked and betrayal. I’ve no place here. My death would simply be an unfortunate accident. It would matter little to none.” The loner ultimately reasoned. Her family knew nothing of her whereabouts and to her assumption was already dead to them for running off and abandoning her duties. A repeat of her brother’s history. She shook her head and shrugged slightly. “That’s the way I see it. I’ve already accepted such fate."

[okamiimaru]

Finally with the kink out of his back, Oki sat up more straight and tucked in his hind legs. Folding his wings up and perched then upon his shoulders so they weren't lying on the ground, he regained his more normal appearance. Fixing his muffler, he loosened it and turned it a little and re-tightened it. Settling into his spot, he looked at the femme. At this time, he caught a smile that she had flatten and her expression become more somber. But what did he say or do for her to respond in such a way?

Of course he didn't know her and honestly never planned on even confronting her. If it had not been for that ice ledge breaking, he doubted he would have physically met this wolf. Nonetheless he was here and come to think of it, most of his friends he never really 'planned on meeting', both them and Oki would just meet and then become acquainted with each other. From that point on, if they enjoyed each other's company enough, then they would become friends. Friendships always seem to happen in odd situations, Oki mused to himself.

The golden female had then explained herself and Oki assumed as much, at least thinking she was a loner. She had raised a valid point and this mentality seemed common with most wanderers and loners. Humming knowingly to himself, he closed his eyes and nodded shortly as if he was still processing what she had said. A paw raised to his chin and he began to stroke at his goatee with his claws. Remaining in this state, he began to speak, "True, I do not know you. Despite your self-proclaimed history, I will not judge you. Aye, I do have a place I belong to but that doesn't mean I can treat anyone whom I know nothing of like rubbish. You are not within my lands therefore I have no reason to be confrontational with you...You ask why would I care", he cut himself off to look up at the she wolf and with honest eyes, he continued, "Because killing brethren is like killing family. I do not take death lightly, even with my prey. I thank them for providing me with a meal and honor their passing...", trailing off, he took in a slow deep breath and let it out through his nose with deliberation. Closing his eyes and returning to his contemplative state from before, he explained a little more after a moment of silence so the other could process what he said, "7 years ago I killed my home clan Alpha, only because he killed my parents and numerous others within the clan out of cold blood with no reasons at all, but perhaps maybe for just the reason for slightly disliking them. His psychotic and schizophrenic episodes got too much to handle to the point he would kill. The time I ended his life years ago, he came after me and at that time, I decided to avenge my family and stop the carnage...You see, I don't have to know you to care about you..., he finished.

Clearing his throat and after several beats of silence, Oki's eyes opened to glance at the wolfess.

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[raena]

((Oki, I can't apologize enough for leaving you hanging for so long. Just trying to get my ish straight. This post is sadly short and weak, but I'll be sure to make up for it later. ))

Raena listened passively, considering his words carefully. Clans seem to work differently, as if members acted off their own opinions. Back at home, emotions were tightly reined and rarely resorted to. The only history that matter was the continuation of survival for the clan. And it was only until now she realized that she barely had a personal life. No wonder everything seemed so strange and new.

“Your story is tragic and touching, but it was a little closer to home than a random meeting with a stranger. In the end, you could just not care to know me either.” She quipped, offering a joking half smile in attempt to lighten the mood.“It’s up to you.”

Shrugging, she began a light grooming, flicking her light pink tongue over a paw. Rae hadn’t intended to let a conversation develop this far if she so happened to run into someone, but she was finding this all interesting and a bit amusing. She wondered what his choice would be.

[okamiimaru]

((Nah, don't worry about it :3 We all know that IRL stuff is more important))

Exhaling through his nose, he had inhaled deeply out of habit whenever waiting for a response out of anticipation. Swallowing, he continued to pull at the thick strands of fur that comprised his goatee. Stoic, he was curious if it wasn't such a good idea to share this much info about his background with a stranger whom he doesn't even know the name of. No matter now, I told it and will just have to see what she says, Oki thought to himself.

"Tragic it may be, but it's not often I tell others of my past. I told you to so may have a better understanding of my empathy. However, you're right, it all comes down to if I will care to know you in the end...", he knowingly said, tugging more at his goatee in thought. His wings fluttered out of habit as he felt the need to move them and reposition them. Still contemplating something, a small smile slowly formed on his lips. Deep blue eyes glanced over at her, "Would you like to join my clan? We can get to know each other better there. And I'm sure that it would be better than wandering these snowy mountains for the rest of your days." He grinned happily and awaited her answer.

[raena]

She watched him from the corner of her eyes as she cleaned and smoothed her fur bit by bit, taking in each tug of hair protruding from his chin. Giving him time to contemplate, she acknowledged his words when they were finally spoken with a dip of her slender muzzle.
“Despite the risk I know you are taking, I thank you for confiding to me. It means as much to me as it does to you.” She managed a small, genuine smile as she bent forward into a slight bow, sealing her respect and trust in action. His next words, however, caught her off guard, causing her to rise a bit slower due to the surprise tensing through her body.
“What a generous offer..” Raena murmured, weighing the option in her mind momentarily. Her loyalties would always lie with the Sun Clan but this was her chance to get into clan land safely. Maybe they could come to a compromise. “My stay here isn’t meant to be long term. I’m here in search of someone..” She hesitated for a moment, debating on going on; the clan wolf’s story fresh in her mind. “My brother, to be exact. Perhaps a visit, consisting of a few moons, wouldn’t intrude too horribly upon your hospitality? I’ll pull whatever weight necessary to keep myself from becoming a burden.” The tip of her tail flicked anxiously as she presented her request.
“My name’s Raena, by the way, my apologies for the delay in introduction.” Never before had she been this open with a stranger, hoping she wasn’t making a mistake because of such.

[okamiimaru]

The coldness snow was beginning to seep through the fur on his rump and legs. Shifting in his seated position, his tails swept against the snow behind him, changing sides that they curled against. He could feel his sword scrape against the ground as the tip of the scabbard moved through the snow.

Well, he wouldn't say it was much of a risk as it was the trouble of having a loose tongue when explaining himself to others. Nonetheless, he gave a few short nods in acknowledgement to her statement. He wanted to say that she didn't need to thank him, but Oki kept his mouth closed for now and continued on in his thoughts then onward to make a statement of invitation. This seemed to surprise her, though something he expected out of her. They were still strangers to one another, in some respects, and such a question was out of the blue. He grinned at her murmur and thought that perhaps she would take it.

In search of someone? Well that's a good reason to be out here, Oki thought to himself. He had hoped that perhaps she could become a permanent member. Though, they would both have to wait and see what really happens. He cocked his head to the side a little when she paused. Ahh, a sibling. He knew how important his sister was to him so he could empathize with the female. His head bobbed in thought as she spoke, considering her request and his hopes. Looking up at her, he got up from his spot and padded over to her. Stopping directly in front of her, he moved his head forward to hers and slid his muzzle against the side hers; a gesture of acquainting themselves with one another. Smiling lightly, he responded, "No worries; I am Okamiimaru Doashi. You may call me Oki... And searching for your brother, you say?", he pondered shortly. "No need to worry about your dues towards my clan. I'll help you search for your brother, then we all can head home, as a family." His smile widened into a grin as he finished.

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