39This chapter is dedicated to:
Moroni's Daughter,
Terachi Kaishaku
Nanners
Eagle Seance
Graffiti-skies
Winged Lyon, or FRED!
Note: this chapter is just like a prologue. This isn't exactly my writing style. Its just there to give you a feel for the scenery
Chapter One:
Moonlight leeched determinedly through the forest, erased from all human memory, or train of thought.
Curious sounds echoed continuously as though made by one of two. Intelligent life seemed to avoid the area, however inviting it may first appear to be.
Darkness framed the frozen clearing; it glared at the single tree, which bent low into the waterway, trailing leaves, and misshapen branches.
Mist hovered low, draping everything in a heavenly veil of smoken purity and half-light.
Shapes twisted in and out of the undergrowth, no set pattern of movement, only the flash of marble white teeth and vivid crimson fur.
Kayle's soft footed paws padded into the clearing. Her wolfen figure gazed up in determined awe at the steely coloured moon and the stars, which were framed brilliantly by the ebony darkness which cloaked that part of world.
Her fur, grey at most, but flecked with a dark brown glinted and shone in the soft light, showing also her dappled grey flanks and snow-tipped tail. Her intense emerald eyes flickered dangerously.
Pausing, she raised her elongated muzzle and dragged the forest air deep into black nostrils. She stood still, ears pricked forward and eyes searching with the up-most curiosity. Throwing the scenery a questioning tilt of the head, she flopped down, swiftly closed her eyes to embrace the un-shifting torment, sleep. She growled softly, before plummeting into a dark sense of security.
Silent eyes observed her sleeping figure, one blue, one green, but both, very much alert. He bayed softly, thrusting a smooth jawed head skyward. His throat grew taught as he bared his teeth. Shaggy white furbillowed outbehind him as he threw his magnificent tail out proudly.
The she-wolf down in the clearing wuffed in annoyance, decidingagainst the more active approach.
He stopped, glancing back down to Kayle. His eyes rested on her wolfen figure, her animal side of a life half lived.
Her long fur swirled with the wind, she raised a black spotted forepaw, and rested it on her head, in a half hearted chance at shielding her crescent eyes.
He lay down, flopping beneath a large, leafy green bush, making the leaves shift continuously as he settled into a more comfortable position.
He slept.
White grimly awoke, keeping eyes shut as he sniffed the air cautiously, opening his eyes halfway, he checked for any sign of the thing he was supposed to avoid. Common wolf sense, to evade humans, that is, unless one wanted to go about being shot in the rump by a steel capped pistol. Kayle's scent had vanished.
The white wolf arose, bounding up to the tree she had taken refuge under. He lowered his muzzle and taking sharp, quick sniffs before exhaling all at once. White growled to himself and fled through the undergrowth, shaking off the dampness from his fur.
She ran. Her breath solidified in a deep mist around her face as she searched each and every tree for her own belongings. Her bare feet slapped loudly against the narrow dirt path.
She hissed as she caught sight of the tree she believed was the site. Ever conscious of her nakedness, she sprinted to the spot, and darted beneath the young saplings.
Minutes later she emerged, a brown calf skin bag slung daintily over one shoulder, black rimmed green eyes blinking in the rapidly rising sun light.
She wore a shirt, which had presumably once been a delicate shade of green. Her cuffs had been rolled to her elbows to give her extra movement in those regions of her arms. Her trousers were a lighter shade of black, reaching to her ankles before ending suddenly at frayed edges. Her unruly hair reached down below the shoulders, fluttering furiously despite her attempt at tying it up into a brown coloured horsetail. The horizon was a deep scarlet colour with slight dashes of orange and deep purple. Her face sported a stubborn chin, crescent mouth and dainty nose. A sheathed sword hung limp from her waist.
The moon hovered aimlessly between day and night, lonely as a cloud, unsure of which it wanted to belong, but ever conscious of the fast growing sun that kept throwing it psychopathic looks.
A mix of heavy breathing and a dry throated cough filled the morning air. She turned, and caught sight of the snowy coloured wolf,
She jumped in surprise, startled by the animal's hungry eyes, both abnormal in the fact
that they were different colours. That she was yet to see in an animal.
She stood still, dropping her bag and throwing the wolf a look of sincere interest
His eyes showed a glint of intellect. It frightened her. There was a strong rustle of cloth as Kayle reverted back into her canine origin, she pricked her ears forward before thrusting her tail outwards and holding it rigid. She wuffed a warning before drawing her ears back. The hackles went up as she growled warily at her visitor. White exchanged looks with her, he lowered his head and growled at her in a show of ferocity. His ears took on a life of their own as he sent out a variety of signals before coming to rest pointing back. He growled apologetically as he made the first move towards her. She hissed and pounced at him, throwing her once elegant head at the strangers' chest, sounding out a variety of yips as he countered her attack. She slashed with a forepaw at his face, just missing as he lowered his head in a highly practised movement, down and out.
They circled each other, Kayle darted from tree to tree, using the darkness to conceal her. White stayed where he was. His hackles rose as he growled noisily. Kayle's paws zig-zagged over each other, making the variety of small pebbles zoom across the narrow dirt path.
Who are you? She asked the wolf,
There was no reply.
The forest fell silent.
He barked.
She lunged out as his throat pulled taught, she wrestled for a better hold and held it, furiously pulling her forelegs around his body and grappling to stay there. She was dragged along the floor as White threw his head in an effort to dislodge his opponent.
She was thrown off.
He circled her aggressively, determined to show her what he was made of. They held eye contact to show that they meant to do each other harm. Kayle bared her teeth, pawing the ground, eyes slit in deepest rage and anger, she rushed at him, into his ribs, and out of his circle.
His body flew onto its side, rolling in the dirt. He got up hesitantly. Kayle tensed her muscles, alive.
He stumbled into her, biting at her flank and scrabbling at her neck. She barked, closing her jaws around his left leg.
He turned and stumbled back toward the trees. Kayle threw her head up and howled her victory as she watched his half-hearted retreat.
Human shaped once again, she retrieved her belongings and proceeded down the path, and out of the forest.
An ever-so-slightly pleading authors note: Review it ("please" inserted at a later date when the author realises she needs reviews to survive such a cruel internet site.) Nb: Does anyone know why my monitor keeps flashing? It's actually quite unnerving…