The Scent of Morning.

[Gypsy]

The sun had yet to show it's face in the Tiaga. The sky was no longer dark, it was gradually lightening into blue-gray. Dew clung to pine needles, making the air smell fresh and crisp. A chilly breeze scattered some of the moisture drops to the dark forest floor.

Curled up tightly in a ball against one of the larger and more sheltering pines was a slender sennyo. Her nose was resting onto of her warm boa like tail. It twitched and moved as she was gradually waking up. A bit of dew clung to her blue morpho wings that were neatly folded together like a resting butterflies. The blue baubles on her antennae twitched and quivered as she took in the nature around her with out opening her eyes.

The scent of pine saturated the air, but hidden in it was the faint scent of the early rising deer and small prey. A rabbit was the closest thing to the sennyo, it was munching away on some tubers it overturned many yards away from the sleeping wolf. Velvety ears swiveled and twitched, taking in the morning birds that shouted their greetings to one another as well as acting as heralds for the absent sun.

Gypsy's mind was slowly waking up, processing everything around her before bothering to look at it. The faint scent of flowers soon came to her nostrils. That was her favorite part of morning during the flowering months. She could smell delicate flowers, her mind envisioned the beautiful white, simple flowers. It was their simplicity that brought her solace.

In her belly she only supposed that there was life. She had failed to find a decent supply of herb to take care of her problem. That, and she wanted so desperately to spite the father and make him suffer. What better way than to abandon the newborns in his new pack territory? He could find them cold and shriveled, loveless in the mountains. Provided they survived to the birthing....not like Gypsy was taking extra care to ensure their survival.

The flowers, the pine and now the animals stirring in the forest all sent their scents and sounds to the centurion wolf. This was what morning was supposed to be. A cacophony of scent , sound and activity. No matter where she was. In all her years this was always her favorite time of day. And she had been waking up like this for more years than she cared to count.

Slowly, peacefully, Gypsy opened her eyes. The blue jewels glimmered as the first ray of sun broke the horizon. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes and gazed toward the sunrise that was broken by trees and hills.

[shadowfax]

The sun had just begun to rise over the horizon. The wind was clean and crisp and full of dew that he knew clung to the branches he flew above. The sun lit the tops of the trees as if set in a raging flame, though he only knew it was only color. The mountains were illuminated quickly, allowing him to maneuver around dangerous peaks that stuck out in certain places.

The Myou was new to this terrain. He had never flown over something so beautiful and majestic. The way the glaciers had cut out the valley filled with trees was amazing, making a small little sanctuary for other animals beside himself. He knew this wasn’t the only part of the terra, he knew that it was vast and wide. The scent said it all.

His soaring body lowered, floating down towards a large pine tree. He caught the branch head on, lowering his massive ravenous wings to his side though they still hung and dragged across the tree’s needles. The small silver feather at the very tip of his wings gleamed in the rising sun, setting off a strange glare to any who may look up.

His gray and black body meshed in with the shadows around him though he was easily visible in the light as it hit him while he crawled down the branches of the tree. He stopped suddenly, his nostrils flaring as he caught scent of another. His golden eyes peering down on the forest floor beneath him, spotting the strange wolf just beneath the branches he was crawling upon. A smile graced his lips as he continued on down the tree. As he got to the final branch that lay just above the wolf, he sit down. His wings folded slightly he finally spoke,

“Good morning!” His voice was deep and smooth like the wind though he was not loud like a pup would be in the early morning.

He looked the wolf over, noting the strange tail. His head cocked to the side though he knew some would find him strange as well. He didn’t speak further, allowing the wolf to note his presence first.

[Gypsy]

Her soft ears flickered back as she heard something large above her. She remained still, scenting the air. Her blue butterfly wings fluttered casually. They were coming closer, lower in the tree. Her good mood seemed on the verge of fading, just because she was being talked to so early. She heard the deep, rumbling voice. A male. Of course.

She turned her head to look up at him, eyes cold, yet sparkling in the warm sun. Like light hitting ice crystals. Her long, thin feathered boa like tail flicked idly. She looked him over. He was a pup, by her standards at least. Pups. The thought of them soured in her mind, yet she did not let it show on her velvety face.

"Morning indeed. Can I help you?" Her voice was like wind chimes, though there was an edge of ire in it. She had not even gotten out of her bedding before someone had to stumble upon her. Lucky for her she did not have any immediate bodily needs. She sniffed the air...he smelt like a bird...but also a wolf. Dammit, another myou.

[shadowfax]

He stayed in the branch just above the wolf. Female, that was good for a first time meeting definitely. He sat down silently, his wings hanging at his sides and down below the branch, his left leg hanging as well. He meant no harm, he hated fighting so early in the morning anyway, it just wasn’t something she enjoyed.

She was a curious creature. Tail of a snake, wings of a butterfly and body of a wolf. At least he figured she was accepted here, he wasn’t in many other places he had traveled to over time in his past. He had only been truly accepted in his father’s pack long ago since many were much like him. He smiled gently, standing from his laying position on the tree branch, figuring it would be much easier for her to speak when they were face to face.

He dropped to the ground with a loud thump. His wings folded as neatly as possible at his sides before he sat down yet again. His golden, ravenous like eyes shimmering in the soft light of morning.

“I apologize if I woke you.” He said, “I figured you were awake.” He added. His voice was gentle; he didn’t want to startle her any further if that is what he had done just because of how early it was.

“No help, just seemed to have stumbled upon you when I landed. I’m Shadowfax, Shadow for short.” He said, nodding lightly towards the female before him in greeting though he had yet to hear her name.

[Gypsy]

She stood up carefully, feeling a tad heavy in the belly, though nothing was showing her ailment. Dark, sleek wispy fur covered the entirety of her body, it seemed to dance in the breeze as she stood. Her tail, light as a feather seemed to float as she uncoiled the soft fluff from her body. She stood tall, her spindly legs were sleek and muscular, her paws seemed to be tipped in a light caking of mud.

She did not much like having her back to the tree, she felt confined by the much larger male. He was easily over twice her weight and over ten inches taller than her. Most wolves were larger than her though, at least the larger species. At least he was not as big as the last myou she encountered. She hoped he was suffering, where ever that wretch was.

The willowy female gave a slight smile to the apologies of the male. "No need to apologize, kid. You just happened to land in my tree." He did not seem to be a threat, so she pushed gently past him to be free of the trap she felt herself in. Her silky pelt brushed against his in the effort, she made a note to tickle under his nose with the soft white tip of her tail. The only contrast to the black pelt that covered her.

She folded her antennae down her small, pointed head to rest between her tall, proud ears. She had no use for the blue tipped appendages at the moment. She spoke over her shoulder at him, "Nice to meet you, Shadow. You should be careful where you stumble, you could get hurt." Once she was free of the tree and the other wolf she made sure to stretch her thin body. Her curves were accentuated, silhouetted in the golden morning sunlight. She was like a fairy in an enchanted forest. Until you looked at her eyes, cold and mysterious as if hiding a secret that she would never tell.

[shadowfax]

He watched her silently as she moved from her laying position. He noted the way she looked, her dark fur moving in the breeze that blew through the area they had both found themselves in. Her strange tail that whipped behind her, the butterfly wings upon her back. He didn’t feel so odd anymore. He took in her scent, allowing him to remember it if he were to ever cross her again in his wanderings of the future.

It was true that he was much taller than she, he was actually much larger than the average wolf and not just because of his bulk. He was muscular but that did not mean he was graceful. He was actually quite clumsy if his paws got in the way, which was pretty common. He enjoyed being in the skies most, or high up in trees. That is where he felt the most graceful and at ease.

His ears perked at the mention of ‘kid’. He was by far no kid that was definite. He was 4 years old already, his pup hood fully gone without a trace. His head cocked slightly, “Your tree eh?” He questioned with a laugh.

He stepped to the side, allowing her to pass by without his big burly self in the way of where she wanted to go. He did in fact consider himself a ladie’s man but many did not see him that way, “I may be clumsy but have yet to stumble anywhere!” He laughed, a sound coming from deep in his throat.

He turned again to meet the female’s gaze, noting the cold and mystery that played in them. That was definitely something he hadn’t expected from a she-wolf such as herself. He was almost mesmerized at how thin she was, not fully noticing until she stretched herself out. She was a strange being, yes indeed.

[Gypsy]

She raised a thin brow at his joke, allowing a dry chuckle to escape her small throat. She only assumed that he had never seen a sennyo before. Oddly enough, he was probably one of the more accepting species because of his own genetics. She held his gaze, daring him to do anything about it.

"So tell me, myou. What is your second soul that allows you to fly?" Years ago she did not give myou a second thought, but recently she had grown more familiar with them and on a whim, decided to learn more. It might be useful in her little spat with a certain deer-wolf. She offered a semi-sweet smile. She was getting back to her old self in the sense of doing what ever she wanted when she wanted.

She stood before him, her body angled slightly so he could oggle is he so chose. Her petite and lithe frame seemed fragile, which is was comparatively speaking. Though her dainty appearance would be strengthened by the intensity of her gaze and the wisdom of her years. She was not good at judging age, but she only gathered that she was easily over a century his senior.

[shadowfax]

He had indeed found her strange. Of course, strangeness was nothing new to him since he to had been looked at with such weird reactions as he was giving her. He automatically felt a little ashamed for studying her so closely. It hadn’t been polite, that was for certain and he was known for minding his manners quite closely.

“I apologize for studying you so closely. Your features are strange and alien to what I am used to. I hope you take no offense.” He lowered his gaze, peeking up with his left eye to watch her. Though as she spoke, his ears perked, his gaze returning to meet hers.

“My second soul is that of a Raven m’lady. I came from a pack of Myou like myself whom all had souls fused with Birds of Prey. My mother was fused with that of a Falcon, my father that of an American eagle. Some of the other packs members had the same second souls as others, but all had different attributes to show what they were fused with. I have inherited the wings and eyes of a Raven, if you had not noticed.” He blinked his bright gold eyes which were identical to what some raven’s had.

“I knew of one other who was fused with a Raven. He had wings but they were much smaller, he also had strange feathers growing from different parts of the body, which made him look like an experiment gone bad.” He chuckled. His friend had looked ridiculous with his strange features, that was definite.

His wings unfolded lightly, falling to the ground at his sides lazily. Sometimes his back hurt him from the heaviness of the feathers that he had to concentrate on keeping neatly tucked in.

“Tell me about yourself. I have yet to catch your name.” He said, yet again forgetting his manners even though he did introduce himself. They had been speaking this whole time and he had yet to catch her name.

[Gypsy]

She listened carefully. It seemed odd that there would be a pack of birds of prey myou. Her understanding of myou genetics was that the animal soul they were partnered with was random. She supposed there were always exceptions, so she did not pry further on that note. She herself barely remembered her original pack, or even her parents for that matter. Even her original name had been lost to the ages.

She studied his features, then smiled as if remembering that he had apologized for looking at her, "Don't worry about me. My species is rare enough that you can look all you want." Truth be told she always liked males looking at her, It gave her a sense of power. Deep down she was a fickle seductress, and vain to boot.

She was caught a little off guard about him wanting to know about her. She raises a brow, leery on the matter. "What about myself do you want to know?" Her ears backed a little when he brought up the name again, "I didn't throw it" There was a knife point in her words. She rarely gave out what she called herself. To her a wolf, especially a male, had to earn the right to know her name.

"I have spent most my life wandering around the lands, going where ever I feel like and leaving no remorse behind." She decided to speak a little about her self, to illustrate the point that she did not wish to give her name just yet.

[shadowfax]

He relaxed hearing her words. It was good to know that she hadn’t taken offense to the strange looks and hard studying he had given her. From what she said, those like her were rare which explains a lot of why he had never seen one with such strange features. He had known certain wolves with other strange features but none that matched the strange mix of a snake’s tail and butterfly wings upon a wolven body.

“I thank you for not taking offense.” He smiled, relaxing back on his haunches, his body at peace for once, “Like said, I haven’t seen one with strange attributes as yourself so sometimes it’s hard not to stare. Of course they do fit your body well!” He chuckled. He was a persistent flirt, at least that is what he had been told.

He smiled again, teeth showing beneath his lips at her remark of not throwing her name out there for him to actually hear it. Eyes closed once, taking in the joy of being able to laugh and be himself. He had missed it in passed times.

“Anything you wish to tell me m’lady. If there is nothing you want me to know because I am new, I completely understand. It might be weird telling a stranger your life story after just meeting them.” He said, sounding more at ease and calm then being giddy. He understood many did not like others barging in to their life stories.

“Wandering..many seem to do that.” He said simply, he knew it all to well. He could feel her holding back information from him, including her name but would allow her space if it came down to it.

[Gypsy]

((OOC: Point of explanation, she does not have a snake tail. Her tail is like a feather boa, like costume accessory. Not a boa constrictor. Sorry if I am being confusing. Here is a link here and here. I suppose her tail is really more cat like, like a Persian cat, those long haired ones, you know? And just to help clarify things further, for I feel I have done a poor job, here is the link to the sennyo on the species page: Here))


Gypsy raised her brow once again at this wolf. Her annoyance was slowly melting into amusement. He seemed like he wanted to flirt, but he was being so formal about it is verged on predictable if not dull. The female came back toward him, getting close this time and peering up at him over her pointed nose.

She was about a foot away from him, she raised her antennae off her neck and proceeded to bring them forward, tapping his nose with one of the blue baubles. "Stop being stuffy, everyone is a stranger, no matter how long you've known them. " She was starting to feel like flirting herself. Though her games were more malicious than sweet after a while. Her opinion of the male populous was low, but that didn't stop her from playing with them.


As for withholding information, well, the myou would be dead before he could find a situation to use anything he knew about her against her. She would not kill him, he would have died of old age. There, another reason for her being callous, everyone she met on her travels would die long before she would. She did not remember the last time she saw another sennyo, so her life was destined to be lonely, she was fine with that, at the moment at least.

"Wandering is the only thing that keeps my attention. Every place has a different cycle, the seasons...all are different when the place has changed. It snows year round in some places...others do not know what snow or ice is." By this point she had moved past him again and daintily leaped to a swollen root of the tree, giving her a little more height on the male, not enough to be taller though.

[shadowfax]

((OOC: Ah geez! Thanks definitely for clearing that up, I wasn’t exactly sure if it was an actual snake like tail or what. I just went with what I thought. Thanks ))



He stepped back slightly as she came forth. His eyes seemed to cross almost as he looked down at her. He was definitely taller though it may not have been by much. He was actually a lot taller than most, though a lot of it was just his bulkiness with his wings and crazy pelt.

He shook his head at the touch of one of her antennae as it touched his nose. That was definitely yet another thing that made her unique. He hadn’t noticed them until now which was strange because he had tried to study her so closely. He listened carefully, agreeing definitely of what she had said.

“That is very true m’dear. Trust is limited in a lot of us. Who knows, the one you love and trust the most could definitely still be a stranger.” He said. He hadn’t had that sort of thing happen to him, at least not yet. He did have a trust problem, mainly due to his past but he tried to look past it. After his uncle had come and slain most of his pack and family, casting him out as well, trust was something he was extremely careful about. He had a jealous family member that just couldn’t look past it.

He had never been evil hearted. He was probably one of the few you could trust with life. He took great care in watching over those he cared for most even though he had failed to do so when his mother was forced to side with his uncle. He had been young, almost to young, to have done anything.

“You would have liked my home. Place had different seasons all the time and very sparse winters. They were cold but never chilled you completely to the bone. The area was magnificent in the snow as it blanketed everything. While I myself hate the cold, I can appreciate beauty even if it’s harsh at times.” He explained, “The summers were warm but never scorching. Springs were always clean and crisp in the air, much like this morning has been.” He turned to watch her, laughing lightly as she tried to make herself bigger compared to him.

[Gypsy]

Her lip curled slightly in reaction to the word 'love'. How she loathed that word..that emotion. It had brought nothing but misfortune to he life. Lust she could get behind, passion she understood. But the sensual act of going all in and opening your heart with love was a death sentence in her eyes. Trust was another thing she was leery of.

She tilted her head slightly to the explanation of his home. "I've seen several places like that scattered over the lands. They are pleasant. Maybe that will be a visit in the next few years. Right now, for this year I am feeling for more extreme temperatures." She looked up, through the trees at the mountain range in the distance. She had plans for that area. Plans of spite and revenge. Her eyes glinted in the light. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned....

She turned back at the male and offered a smile. "Do you have any reason for being in this area? Or were you also wandering?" Unexpectedly, her stomach gave a lurching pain. She gave a surprised yelp, and sat on the root. Her eyes widened and she looked at her belly. Had the herb taken that long to act? Or was there still life in there...fighting back.

[shadowfax]

He stepped back lightly, noting the change of expression. The fur along his neck began to stand slightly, just in case he needed to defend himself. He did not think this female as a threat. Many females he had met hadn’t been any sort of threat to him, even his own mother though she held so much responsibility over him for simply being his mother. After his past, he rarely lost a fight, at least thus far.

He calmed though as she spoke, stepping forth again to where he once stood, “It would be nice to find a place like that again. I miss my home sometimes but would never return.” He didn’t want to explain fully why even though he thought himself a coward for such a reason.

Golden eyes followed her gaze towards the icy cold peaks above where they currently stood. He hated the cold and would much rather remain in a place such as this even though it was full of trees that would disallow direct take off into the skies where he enjoyed being most.

He turned back to look at her, addressing the question at hand.

“Wandering is a good way to put it. Trying to escape my past and start fresh.” He said.

He was surprised by the sudden yelp that came from the female. He ran forth, coming close enough to her that he could easily touch her. Ears were perked, his whole body was on alert. He had no idea what had caused the she-wolf such pain all of a sudden though he did watch when she looked down at her belly.

“Are you alright?” He asked, “Do I need to find help?”

His heart pounded hard in his chest, ready to take flight if it was extremely necessary to help the female.

[Gypsy]

She ignored him backing up at her lip curl. If he was that jumpy, things could end badly if she played with him too long. She was in no was strong enough to fight him, she could probably barely take on a fellow sennyo. She never wanted, or needed to fight. She would leave when conflict was arising, or...if violence did befall her, she would retaliate to the best of her ability. A slight kink in one of her wings showed that she may have been a victim of something violent recently.

Her mind tried to listen to his words, but the pain was a bit overwhelming. She gritted her teeth. If finally subsided and she looked at the worried male. Her look was of confusion, he was concerned for her? How odd. She could not remember the last time anyone showed concern for her. She was not the most likable of wolves by her own choice. Pushing others away had been her life's work. Accept of course when it came to casual interactions with males every so often.

She finally gathered words, "I'm fine. It was something I ate." Never a truer statement. She knew something would happen if she ate that herb this far along. She just expected it sooner, like in the night. She glared at her belly, the slight hump was there when she was sitting. How she hated that hump.

She glanced back at the mountain range, knowing that HE was there. She would have been perfectly willing to have her way with the other myou, but no...he had wanted it as soon as he could grab her. Males. Always thinking with their second head. She looked back at the mew myou, "Just out of curiosity, had I needed help, where would you have gone to get it?" Her floating tail settled down on the root and wrapped its way around her feet. The male was closer to her and she took in his scent again. Intoxicating almost, the scent of testosterone.