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Post by Apocalypse on Nov 9, 2010 18:24:42 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] | [atrb=background,http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq94/NuckyGirl/wolfeh-6.png] Late summer in the desert seemed no different than winter in the desert or early spring in the desert.....especially for a harbinger. Sure the cast of characters varied now and then, different minds for different duties at different seasons, yet it all held the same cycle of life and death. You didn't have to be tangible to see that.
A shadowy from floated through the dream realm, fiery eyes watching levrets learning how to dig for roots. Apocalypse currently was stationed in the mind of the mother hare, he viewed the world through her eyes. Dig dig. Pause, sniff, look at each baby, search the area...dig dig dig.
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[/b] She had a system going, it was not her first litter from what Apocalypse could gather. Though the mind of a lagomorph was drastically different than a wolf. It was easy enough for the harbinger to switch the minds he was visiting with this family. They had no barriers, no defenses, no entertainment really. He was just using them to view the world. Taking residence in a baby hare was actually giving him a headache with how sporadic the little fuzz ball's thought process was. "FOOD. Play! MOM! Food! BUG!He growled to himself and left the small family, it was not worth the time to stick with them for now. He knew that eventually one of them would wander away from mother and be eaten by a hidden predator. It's just how it was. Rarely did whole litters of prey survive. His goal now was to find the predator and perhaps lead them to the prey to give himself something to do. What will be will be. That's all the hope he had for the prey. If one wanted to call it hope. His control over the tangible realm was nothing at the moment. Sure he had a few wolves that welcomed him into his mind, but not like he did ages ago. He sighed, sparks flew from his maw, oh to be powerful once more.[/color][/size] [/blockquote][/td][/tr][tr][td] [/td][/tr][/table][/center]
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Post by maat on Nov 9, 2010 19:06:30 GMT -5
"One step forwards, two steps back. A shuffle to the left and the bone will crack." A harsh, raspy cackle caught on the wind as a rather strange sight made its way through desert. Worn pads ground against hot sands as if it were as cool as grass, unflinching with every sure step. Whatever this beast was, it certainly carried itself with pride. Its head was held high with two, well, mostly two ears standing tall. Every movement was strong, deep prints left within the soft earth from a heavy stride. The creature wasted no time and cared not about who knew of her presence. Of course, this wretched soul was the one called Ma'at and she rarely represented herself as anything less.
Wild red eyes smoldered with an intensity unfit for the living, taking in all they saw and classifying it justly before moving on to the next object. Every bit of sensory input was to be packaged away in a nice little box. Everything had a proper place, a proper order in her mind, and when something didn't fit, she made it.
As for the rhyme, it was merely a little something she'd made up to pass the time. It was a rare glimpse into her less than stable mind, a morbid reflection of her physical status. Being a Mortui, her appearance was a little less than pleasant. It'd been a while since she'd healed up some of the larger tears of her aging body. Brief glimpses of her innards were possible if you had the chance to stare long enough, especially when a heated breeze pushed back flaky skin.
Alas, her appearance was not what had brought her to the desert, at least not entirely. While it was true that the heat might slow the process of her decay, the female had much grander intentions in mind. Currently she was lacking a home. The last few weeks had been spent scouting, learning bits and pieces about the lands and the various packs without becoming invasive. Now that she'd had all she was certain she needed she had wandered back to the place she'd decided felt most like home. The desert was an odd choice, yes, but it held a certain allure that was forever pulling her in. For as long as it was unclaimed, the land would be hers. That was all there was to it. And if someone tried to question her... well, old Ma'at wasn't going down without a fight.
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Post by Apocalypse on Nov 9, 2010 19:31:35 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] | [atrb=background,http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq94/NuckyGirl/wolfeh-6.png] His smoldering eyes fell upon a strange mind. It seemed....off-putting, yet alive. Well...alive in the sense that it was active. A swirling aura around it usually denoted that it was dying....a raging storm of blackness what what usually accompanied dying minds, but not this one...
Curious and intrigued, the harbinger floated in for a closer inspection. The dark swirling mists around him gave way to his strong form. Well the form he chose most often. He lingered outside of the mind, there was a tingle in his soul, anticipation...excitement. When was the last time he felt like this before penetrating a mind? He could not think of it, he probed a little and carefully entered the mind.
He did not announce his presence, he wanted to explore a little first. The mind was very...open despite the essence of decay, it seemed livable. He looked for the forefront of the mind, to view as this creature viewed. A wolf? Interesting. He wanted to know more. Never before had he entered a mortui's mind. Perhaps he had not noticed them until now. Something pulled him here though and he wanted to know what it was.
He reached out to touch the consciousness, his voice was like a thought drifting into life: Hello...why are you in the desert...where are you going..." There was not much he could do but draw attention to himself. Make the creature start thinking so she would be more open to conversation and allowing him more access.
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Post by maat on Nov 9, 2010 22:21:45 GMT -5
Her steps never faltered as she walked, gross motor control unaffected by the hindrances of higher functioning. Thus, when a strange tickling sensation crawled much like a spider up the base of neck and settled above her brow her stride did not break. Instead her head shook roughly back and forth, trying to dislodge the sensation while only succeeding in sending a flap of skin flying. When that did not work she scrunched shut her eyes, trusting her legs to guide her while she wiggled about her facial tissue. The feeling was a nuisance more than anything else, one she could live with but would prefer to be rid of if possible.
A gruff snort cleared some sand from her nose and finally signaled her defeat. The itch or tickle or whatever it was would just have to stay there for now. She had more important things to do than sit down and scratch it. The sensation was insignificant. Or so she thought.
"Hello...why are you in the desert...where are you going..." The tickle was speaking to her, masculine voice bouncing around in the caverns of her mind.
"Ey now, your a new voice," she barked in response, raspy voice as damaged as her appearance. She continued along her steady trot, multitasking between categorizing her environment and conversing with what she assumed to be the newest voice within her head. Though it did not happen frequently, there were often times when her own thoughts were kept company by another's. She never really knew their source, be they real or imagined. So long as they didn't slow her down they were always welcomed. The life of a wanderer was lonely; it was always nice to have someone to talk to, even if they were just delusions. "Curious 'un too. Ain't goin' no where 'cause I'm already 'ere. What are you now?"
Ma'at rarely wasted time. She'd cut right to the chase, her answer straight forward. She'd reached her destination some time ago. Now it was just a matter of finding the spot within it that she liked best. Reasons for completed actions were insignificant and thus not given. She'd then plowed ahead with her own question, fishing for some information on the voice. All she knew was that it was male. She could not happily classify it until she had more to go on, and she would not be happy until she could classify it.
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Post by Apocalypse on Nov 11, 2010 7:20:20 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] | [atrb=background,http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq94/NuckyGirl/wolfeh-6.png] His form began to silhouette in the forefront of her mind, the shadowy outline was surprised how readily he was accepted into the new mind. He did not have to make her second guess herself, or force his presence. He liked the feeling. Made his job easier.
With out even answering his questions, she turned around and demanded to know what he was. A dark, rolling chuckle echoed like distant thunder in the open mind. He rarely, if ever, pigeon-holed himself for a definition. He would give his name, which, in a since was how he viewed himself rather than what others categorized him as, " I am, Apocalypse" His voice was more solid now.
He tried to do a diagnosis on the condition of his current host. From what he could tell...she was dying physically, but mentally alive and well. She was still able to move despite what he would consider mortal wounds. He scanned through his memories. Yes...as far as he could tell this was a diseased lupus, or perhaps genetically defective, a mortui.
" If you want shade and water to....refresh yourself...I know of an oasis I can lead you too." Sure she most likely did not need to quench thirst. However, keeping all her organs exposed to the heat and wind would no doubtingly dry her out. He would imagine it would be hard to walk around, dead or not, if mummified.
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Post by maat on Nov 11, 2010 17:57:31 GMT -5
"Apocalypse, eh?" she repeated, steps finally halting for a few brief moments. Her eyes blinked several times, head shaking again in an attempt to clear another unwanted feeling. Were her eyes playing tricks on her now? With only her own body to cast a shadow, the strange silhouette encroaching upon her vision was a slight cause for worry. Was the heat making her hallucinate? How far gone had her mind really become?
Maybe she was saner than she thought, for it was the shadow now that seemed to own that deep and strengthening voice. She gave a cackle of her own, head bobbing up and down in a jerky yes. She saw no harm in letting him lead her. "There's a weighty name for a shadow. S'pose there's no 'arm in bein' led ta paradise by mirage. Stranger things've happened."
A snort stuck in her throat, the sound morphing into a hacking cough. Ma'at lowered her head, nose almost kissing the sands as the spasm shook her, phlegm rising until it was spat out in a sticky glob. A few wheezing (but not all that necessary) breaths later and she settled back down, pink tongue parting her lips to remove any residual spit. The female really was falling apart, inside and out.
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Post by Apocalypse on Nov 16, 2010 7:12:12 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] | [atrb=background,http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq94/NuckyGirl/wolfeh-6.png] He was slightly offended by her accusation, however, he had been called worse. He gave a gruff clear of his throat. " Head west....for about two miles. I trust you can make it." There was a slight sneer that parted the blackness of the silhouette. It was like fire splitting the earth. He turned and probed in his host's head. Were there memories? Had the brain stayed alive in all of this...mess?
He had more depth now, more of a solid, the more she acknowledged him the more real he seemed, even if he was mostly a thought. "What brings you to the desert? You seem to have a purpose." Four streams came from his back, tails like rivers of blackness.
Yes, he did ask questions, it made people open up and talk. He liked being invited into the subconscious, forcing his way in was usually only for a temporary host which he had no need for at the moment. He wanted something more and was looking for ways to come by it.
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Post by maat on Nov 20, 2010 22:55:08 GMT -5
Ma'at gave a curt nod of her head, choosing to ignore the rather sinister appearance the Harbinger was slowly taking on. She'd seen worse things in life. Hell, her own image wasn't exactly inviting. The rough patch jobs she performed regularly did little to quell the aura of death that haunted her every step. Now that she thought about it, the fact that the walking dead was now hanging around with a possible ghost was enough to split her maw with a cackle. Lord help whoever crossed their path; the desert was now haunted.
"Everything 'as purpose," was her immediate response to the latest question. Her paws gradually carried her westward, body relying mostly on scent and sound to find its way to the oasis. The way her eyes payed little attention to her path, focused more on the conversation than the dangers of the land, gave the impression that she knew where she was going (even though she didn't). Her stride was one that owned the lands even when she did not. "Purposelessness is pointlessness. If I 'ad no reason, I'd cease t'exist."
The snort that caused her maw to twitch resulted in her licking her lips. Her eyes again sought out the morphing shade, brow rising with a sense of superiority. She'd skirted around the truth long enough. While it was fun to elaborate on such trivial matters (especially when her thinking so easily categorized everything), there was a certain degree of necessity for her true answer. it had been the second time he asked; it was only right to tell him. "I'm 'ere for a home. 'Ow 'bout you?"
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Post by Apocalypse on Nov 21, 2010 15:56:05 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] | [atrb=background,http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq94/NuckyGirl/wolfeh-6.png] Everything had a purpose? Yes. He supposed that was true to a degree. He felt his purpose was to rule the mortals for eternity. Sure it was a wide spread dream that some thought would never come to pass. But it had driven him for centuries.
"Adjust your trajectory a little north, you are going off course." Like a personal GPS he was slowly guiding her to the Oasis. It was not far, but getting off course would mean death for ...well anyone that wasn't her. His form was a solid black wolf now. Strong, barrel chested, cracks of molten lava seeming to appear now and then as if he were a golem. Red-hot eyes gleamed in the darkness of her mind, scanning it and venturing deeper for any stray thoughts..memories or desires.
"I'm here to observe and influence where I see fit." He was influencing right now, leading a straggler to water. He had watched many die in the desert....but she was the first he was willing to lead deeper in, to find life sustaining water....perhaps it was because she didn't need it.
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Post by maat on Dec 15, 2010 13:51:02 GMT -5
Ma'at lifted her brow slightly but said nothing as the vision guided her. The angle of her body shifted slightly and with it changed the path she walked. Direction fixed, she again stared at the strange sort of wolf that was slowly morphing before her. He looked more canine now, with the aura of a god.
His form elicited another chuckle from the deceased land walker. "If I was something else, I'd 'ave 'alf a mind to think you unreal. Of course, now I only 'ave 'alf a mind in general." Morbid humor? But of course! Ma'at wasn't one to beat around the bush when it came to her own appearance. She knew what she was and often used it to her advantage. Besides, why cry over death when she was still around to laugh about it?
After that she was silent, her only sounds that of a steady trot kicking up sand. She didn't even need to breath as she mulled over his words, curious to know the hidden meaning of such a vague response. What was it he wanted to push others toward? With a name like Apocalypse he was sure to have some great truth waiting for its moment to be known.
Dying eyes held him pinned as she questioned him with only a look. Her expression was cunning and coy and demanding all at once. Ma'at wanted the shade to elaborate, wanted to know more of his grand plan. She herself had grand plans, after all. Maybe they could help each other out.
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Post by Apocalypse on Dec 15, 2010 18:50:35 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] | [atrb=background,http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq94/NuckyGirl/wolfeh-6.png] He could not help but chuckle at her blunt form of communication. Half a mind or not, she still acknowledged his presence. That's all her cared about at the moment. He kept the silence for a while, making mental notes of how far they were from water. He could vaguely sense the minds of a few birds en route a ways ahead. Closer. Soon they....she would be able to see the silhouettes of the few trees that crowded the pond.
He gave her a sideways glance when he felt her questioning him mentally. He felt the curiosity of her mind nibbling at him. It tickled. His dark maw split into a fiery grin, "You shouldn't ask questions you may not want the answer too, my dear." His chuckle rumbled like honey poured over thunder.
"But, I suppose I could elaborate. Here I am leading you to water. I usually just let them die, the others that wander in too far. You could call it intervention...or perhaps I am just giving a push to watch you go down another path..." He looked for the fowl minds again, still on the same track.
"Why are you looking for a home out here? He felt around her mind for the answer, but wanted her to speak it all the same. Made for better conversation that way, right?
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Post by maat on Dec 19, 2010 1:17:44 GMT -5
A coughing chuckle rasped from her throat as she smirked at the Harbinger. "Those er t'only questions worth askin'." Her tongue split chapped lips before she fell silent, one ear twisting in his direction. Her mind was focused mostly on him, following his directions while listening to his words. It was almost odd, not listening to herself for once. Then again, she so rarely acted with guidance that it was also a nice change. In a world where she forced everything into neat little boxes, this phantom voice had managed to find himself on the proper side of her divisions.
When he finished speaking, she couldn't help but raise a brow at his intimidating form. While she did not know what he was, she was very certain of what she herself was. Did he really expect her to believe such a load of crap? The snort that flared her nostrils shot a bit of snot into the sand. "Your presence makes no difference t'me, shade. Your 'elp can't save a life that don't exist." She paused for a moment in thought, steps halting as she shared at him before she picked up the pace again. "Ey now, maybe that's why yer 'ere. I s'pose we're cut from t'same cloth. Can't really say for sure if either of us iz real.
"That's why I'm 'ere, anyway. I've come t'exist where ot'ers fear. It takes somethin' special to build an empire in a land of death. But if there's 'un thin' I've learned, is that there is life in death. You live t'die an' die t'live. It's az simple az that." Her words were weighty as they hung on the desert air. Vaguely she wondered how far away they were from their destination, but as she'd stated it really didn't matter. While beneficial, the oasis did not hold the same level necessity for Ma'at as it did other creatures. The desert could not kill she which was already dead.
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Post by Apocalypse on Jan 3, 2011 10:25:16 GMT -5
[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,500,true] | [atrb=background,http://i437.photobucket.com/albums/qq94/NuckyGirl/wolfeh-6.png] Can't save a life that didn't exist, eh? Maybe that was the reason why he was doing it. Sure he talked big, but he could sense that she was not as gullible as some others he had encountered in the past.
His large ears twitched as she spoke what he was thinking, that was strange actually. Usually it was he that did that. His red eyes narrowed slightly, curious, "Hmm.....Maybe we are. However being real is all relative isn't it? We are speaking to one another, so therefore we must be real to some extent." Perhaps that was not a complete truth. However he knew she was real to him because she had a mind he could occupy, as foreign as it was.
"Building an empire where others fear...." He echoed her words. That didn't sound half bad to him. However, it seemed to be lacking something. "What is an empire with out subjects?" Her next statement also made him question her, " Only mortals live to die....I live to exsist." OR was it exsist to live? His four tails twitched as he went deeper into the thought.
He was brought out a few moments later, he looked to the horizon, " Look to the east...do you see the trees?" He had to get her to turn her head so he could view the world through her eyes. The minds of the birds were closer now, perhaps it was within sight.
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Post by maat on Jan 7, 2011 15:00:04 GMT -5
That raspy chuckle left her throat again. It wasn't that she found everything utterly ridiculous and thus laughed. More so, there was this bitter air that seemed to linger around her decaying body. That dark, croaking cackle was her way of showing agreement. Her life had become so backwards thanks to death that she found a sort of sarcastic humor to it all. If she didn't laugh, well, Ma'at had never been the type to let herself break down and cry.
The laughter was her only acknowledgment to what Apocalypse had just said. Continuing the point of conversation would be moot. They were each as real as perception let them be. That was enough for her. So long as she could walk and live thrive and exercise her will as she pleased, the Mortui would be content. Being dead did not prevent her from living; it simply prevented her from being alive.
Her paws halted long enough to again adjust her course while her mind mullled over his question. Held held high, she turned it east and squinted into the distance. With one red eye extra gelatinous and devoid of most vision and the other beginning to fog up again, she realized she'd have to do a little more fixing than she'd originally anticipated. Her constant state of degeneration liked to work against her. Sometimes she wondered if that healing power that lingered within her bones only served to speed up her own decay. Every time she fixed a structure, it's next failure seemed to come just a little faster.
I'm 'fraid I don't see much uv anythin'. Me eyes 'er always t'first t'go. Though I s'pose ya mean that'd loomin' shadow in t'distance there?" Her tongue licked at dry lips as she started forward again, this time headed towards what she saw as a wall of darkness on the bright horizon. They were too far for her dead eyes to make much sense of it all, but the hint of water that carried on the wind and the cry of birds dancing in the sky, her mind filed it away as a shadow of life. Whatever was over there, even if it wasn't an oasis, was enough to catch the attention of a few parched souls. And now that she was walking again, she could address his more weighted question as well as ask one of her own.
Ma'at had never been one to look too closely at the shades of grey of many designs, especially when it came to most moral dilemmas. The question of subjects was easy enough to answer once she'd defined what a subject was. "Az fer subjects, they're easy enough to git. When they appear, ya simply don't let 'em leave. Evah. Unless, uv course, they want t'die. I don't like it when my possession wander free." A short snort and a malicious grin twisted her expression into one of intimidating intensity. She had learned a long time ago that if she wanted normal company she simply had to make it stay.
"Ey now, my question," for it seemed they had fallen into a bit of a pattern. He'd ask something of her, she'd answer, and then ask a question of her own. And thus the conversation flowed. "If yer not mortal, and yet ya seem t'exist... you're a god, no? A 'igher power 'ere to guide, for better 'er worse."
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Post by hladomor on Jan 7, 2011 20:59:11 GMT -5
The heat emitting from the sand under his paws and the sun beating down upon his delicate skin was almost too much to bear. To the wandering brute however, feeling his skin burn under his matted fur was almost welcomed, it showed him he was still alive. Blisters were already forming on his thin paws, the fur on his back no protection from the deadly sun rays. Gently, he licked his paws and nose, whimpering as his tongue raked against burnt skin. Crimson eyes had searched the arid land for some kind of shelter, some kind of escape, and it might have been his lucky day. Dehydration was making him mad, making him want to go back to his wonderful den where all he suffered was pain and torture. Mad indeed.
As he blinked, his mind seemed to return from somewhere else, and suddenly the gears were turning at full speed. His eyes darted about, taking note of everything around him. Animals in this area must have strayed from the fertile parts of this land, for there was not a hint of life sustaining vegetation or game in this place. But it was his home, and wouldn't have had it any other way.
With a whimper and a pained groan he stretched and continued, limping now as his paws were becoming raw and painful. The poor Beast never stopped thinking, too intelligent for his own good, always evaluating, always making notes, always identifying and defining everything around him. Such intelligence came with a high price: he was emotionally unstable and developed nervous habits. Today he was suicidal and unable to control himself. As he dragged along, silently categorizing and identifying everything around him, he chewed his lower lip, blood staining his fur. “Grass!” The beast whimpered at the thought of laying down in cool grass after a nice refreshing drink. He could see the grass in the distance, but he could smell it like it was right in front of him. Blood gushed from his lip as he bit down hard, ignoring the pain as he thought about resting. The Oasis was right there. [/blockquote]
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