charm the wolves with the eyes of a gambler

[skorcha]

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[atrb=background,http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/Nefeldaiel/skorchaTABLE_02.png][atrb=width,500,true] Autumn was pleasant in the Dteria Plains, Skorcha realized. It was a dry heat, however, unlike her tropical home and was empty of the mosquitoes' endless prattling. Their drone was one of the most important things she would never miss about her past life, second only to the bias of the Elders - she flinched at the memory - and the wary looks her packmates gave her. Again, she flinched at the memory. Perhaps it was best if she didn't bother herself with such things, if she tried her best to forget them. But some things couldn't be forgotten, couldn't be erased. The scar on her hock, the metaphorical stitches on her heart, the bitterness she held deep inside - those things could never be completely healed or removed. They would always be there to remind her of the pain she had suffered at the hands of others and the reasons why she exacted such a lengthy revenge on the world around her. The flame-colored Lyxxus snorted her contempt, harsh spring green eyes boring into the landscape around her. It seemed her brows were perpetually furrowed, eternally focused on some irritation that could only be perceived by Skorcha herself. At length her tufted ears flicked daintily, alert to some minute noise, and she rose stiffly. She was young, even for species whose lives were shorter than that of Lyxxi's, yet a burden beyond her years seemed to suck away at her strength, weighing down her whole being. Slowly she began to stalk her way over to one of the numerous fruit trees. Her muscles visibly tensed, then she was airborn. Light as a feather, she clawed her way into the lowest crook in the branches. From her new vantage point, Skorcha could see for many more miles across the virtually flat plains. She would undoubtedly notice any other wolves before they came to her. Granted, she was unable to watch her rear without craning her head, but her ears could do that for her. As the sun reached its zenith around noon, the day grew even warmer and tempted Skorcha more and more to take a nap. Eventually she found herself nodding absently and laid her head down on her the cool tree bark. I'll just doze for a few minutes, she promised herself, then I'll get back up and begin traveling again. It'll be fine. Soon more than a few minutes had passed and she awoke with a start. The lithe wolf would've fallen out of the tree with her sudden awakening if her sharp claws hadn't dug into the wood. What had startled her? A half-remembered dream haunted her cold mind, perhaps a memory of movement or sound that had somehow filtered into her sleeping mind. She eyes slid around cautiously, ears pricking. Still, she sensed nothing and let her head back down with a sigh. Skorcha had heard rumors of a pack of Lyxxi who roamed the plains, but she had seen no sign of them since her arrival. Still, what if they had heard the story of her four murders from her home pack? What if they hunted her down? The thought left her sorrowful and bitter, wary and anxious.

[Tobias]

As the afternoon heat began to subside a maroon lyxxus wandered out of the caves his pack used for dens. He stretched lazily and made his way toward the orchard to try to hunt a small snack. But really food was secondary on his mind to the view. It was his first autumn in his new home and the change in the place from the hot summer was remarkable. There was a calmness here that he couldn’t remember every experiencing in his birth pack, although that may have had more to do with his six siblings than the actual landscape. He knew why his sister favored the orchard so much. The gently falling leaves in their wide spectrum of colors was relaxing and beautiful. His keen amethyst eyes took in everything they could.

His three brown tipped tails wagged gently behind his small maroon body as a soothing autumn breeze whisked its way through the trees liberating some of the leaves from their branches. The rustle of the branches was all around him and made the trees seem like a single living entity breathing and whispering secrets that he couldn’t quite make out. His chocolate brown ears listened intently, but if there was any hidden meaning he couldn’t make it out. He vaguely remembered an Elder once telling him that the Great Spirit found many ways to communicate with wolves if they would only learn how to listen. Although Tobias still didn’t hear anything he felt that he better understood what the Elder had meant.

Along his stroll he stepped on a twig which cracked loudly, startling him briefly. He chuckled and continued on his way. There were some unfamiliar smells about, but that wasn’t really surprising. Despite his few months in the pack he still hadn’t had time to spend time with many of the other members. He’d been happily busy helping Keely and Fyodor with the pups and he was still getting used to the new lands. If he ran into someone now it would be a good time to correct that oversight. And probably a good time to work on his slowly improving self confidence.

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OOC: If you had this post waiting for someone specific let me know and I'll get rid of it, but I think your character is awesome and I was excited to get a post up before someone else did. Sorry it is kinda sucky though. -_-;

[skorcha]

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[atrb=background,http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/Nefeldaiel/skorchaTABLE_02.png][atrb=width,500,true] Skorcha froze where she was perched. All her attention focused on the fact that there was suddenly, very suddenly, a three tailed, cat-like, dark burgundy Lyxxus right underneath her tree. Unconsciously her hackles bristled, tails fluffing out and arching up to make herself appear larger, more frightening. As far as she knew this Lyxxus was here to capture and/or kill her. Her heart raced, memories coming unbidden to her mind. She remembered the horror of finding poor little Farn being pecked and pecked by a mob of crows, the despair when the Elders and Malathyne accused her of killing the defenseless pup, the violent agner when they exiled her to wander and waste away at the whim of the elements. Somehow, despite all of this, she had survived thus far. She would not allow some arrogant, overfed Lyxxus get the better of her! Careful, she slipped her way to the other side of the tree. A jump was before her. Not a big one, but large enough that it could possibly cause some of the fruit on her refugee to fall. She hesitated for only a half second, then leapt as lightly and smoothly as she could. When she landed with barely a skitter, she didn't breathe until several seconds had passed and still no fruit had fallen. She waited until the other Lyxxus had his back turned, then leapt again to the ground, trying to land in time with the swishing of the trees and grass. She thought she was safe until several apples, dislodged by her secodn jump, clattered to the ground. One even had the gall to nail her in the head! Skorcha snarled briefly in pain, then clamped her mouth shut. He could've heard her cry out. He could've noticed the apples and wondered why they had fallen. She could have alerted him to her presence in any manner of ways! She crouched quickly into the tall grass, praying her red markings would be overshadowed by her predominantly orange and cream fur.

[Tobias]

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[atrb=background,http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/tt87/Tye-Lily/Comissions/tobiasbg2.png] Tobias stopped and looked behind him into the trees. His head craned to the side slightly as he listened. He had definitely heard something. It had sounded like fruit falling. But there had been something else… or at least he thought so. He wasn’t sure anymore if he was hearing the wind or if there had been a muffled hurt sound of someone else in the orchard. His ears twitched slightly in the breeze. It could have been some small animal, and if so calling out would certainly scare it off. However, the alternative was making a quiet approach, and if it was another wolf, especially one who was hurt or lost, he could potentially give them quite a fright. And that would certainly not do. He stood a little taller and called out, his calm voice carried by the wind. “Hello? Is someone there?” He took a few steps in the direction he thought the sound had come from, his tails still wagging gently. “Are you alright?” He wasn’t completely off his guard. The sound could have come from a predator or perhaps an enemy. Not that Tobias knew of his pack having any enemies, but he could not rule out nefarious intent. However, he believed it less likely and was able to maintain a relaxed posture.

[skorcha]

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[atrb=background,http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/Nefeldaiel/skorchaTABLE_02.png][atrb=width,500,true] Skorcha remained frozen, hearing the male take a few steps forward towards her hiding spot. He was calling out, asking if anyone was there, wondering if she were hurt, the usual things one might say if they suspected someone was nearby. She ground her teeth in frustration, ears flattening til they were pressed against her skull. He had indeed her her snarl of pain and now was looking for her. Wonderful. She glanced up, left, right, behind, being careful not to move to suddenly or too much, and noted the positions of all objects she might use for concealment. There was very little to be honest, but she could make it work if only he didn't look over. She waited until his back was turned, then dashed as swiftly as quietly as she could. Her lithe black paws carried her behind a small shrub and she hunkered down. Naturally, his gaze drifted a little closer to her position as the whisking of grass was caught by his dish-shaped ears. Again, she waited until his back was turned and then dashed... Right into his gaze as he abruptly twisted his head around. The slightly larger femme fatale halted, dirt and dust skidding out from underneath her paw pads, and bristled menacingly. She hissed loudly, eyes a glow with the light of someone coming face to face with their most hated enemy. "Did you come to kill me then, for 'murdering' Malathyne's pup? Have you come to finish breaking my weary heart?" she whispered mockingly, her eyes wide with false fear. They narrowed just as quickly, looking over the young male, and disliking what they found. He looked like none of the pups or members of her pack she had seen and, judging by his tails, he would've been one of the Lyxxi she had known. In fact, if he were three, he probably had witnessed her banishment. Her five tails swished decisively. If he attacked, she would fight to the death. Still, there was the possibility he actually wasn't a Lyxxus from her pack and didn't mean her harm. She would give him that much leeway, at least.

[Tobias]

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[atrb=background,http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/tt87/Tye-Lily/Comissions/tobiasbg2.png] No answer. He had almost talked himself out of the idea that he had heard anything at all when there was a sound of movement from behind him again. Twice now he had heard movement from the opposite direction he faced. It wasn’t quite enough to be called a pattern, but it certainly was suspicious. He looked over the area carefully, turned away and quickly looked back. Gothcha, he thought with slight satisfaction as the female skidded to a halt. So it was a wolf after all, and a Lyxxus at that. He noted with slight displeasure that she looked taller than him. He was already smaller than most males, so being smaller than females always served to make him feel inferior. He also noticed, in an almost detached way, that, although her coat seemed a bit worn and her frame was a bit thin, she was very pretty. His ears flattened a little in surprise at her tone. There was so much anger in her words, a deep seated bitterness. He wasn’t sure he’d ever heard such malice. But he supposed that wasn’t so surprising as he didn’t remember ever having spoken to someone accused of murder. He felt her eyes on him and suspected he was being judged. He strongly doubted that he would measure up. If there were to be a fight her size and greater experience would likely give her the upper paw. He hoped that this fact would help to quell her concerns of his intent toward her. He would be a lousy assassin. He maintained the distance between them, and made no aggressive actions. “I assure you Miss, I have not come here for you at all,” he said, his voice calm. “My name is Tobias. This Orchard is part of territory of the Romneya Republic, of which I am a member.” He had made no judgment yet about her. She could be guilty of the crime she had spoken of, or she could have been wrongfully accused. Both were serious matters. His eyes were gentle as he spoke and he looked to her with genuine reassurance. “If you’re in some kind of trouble, we may be able to assist you. We mean you no harm.”