rain rain go away [zynex and raze]

[c a e c u s `]

Caecus's battered form seemed to suddenly sway a little. He had always been weak like this...he was born sickly, and was only allowed to have the blessing of eyesight for about a month after they opened. Now, as his powers were progressing even further, he was able to see a little more...but nothing that he could actually distinguish. He couldn't see colors -- really, he could only see things in the spirit world, the world parallel to this one. Even then, it was in practically black and white. He wished some days that he could see color, but he supposed it was good that he could see in general. Maybe it was better than not being able to hear, as this poor pup seemed to be cursed with.

The scoff from Zynex made Caecus' ear swivel slightly in a bit of agitation. Hm, a non-believer. Tytanus probably wouldn't -- they didn't rely on their minds as much as their brawn, and they wouldn't think outside of their instincts. All packs, it seemed, were closed minded. Hypocritical. That was why he would never join one. "You don't seem to think that I'm cursed with this," he mentioned, stating the obvious with the flick of his tail. He seemed to turn his gaze to Raze as he spoke, talking about his eye. "And how did that happen?" It wasn't meant to be intrusive, just...inquisitive. That was just his nature, it seemed.

Zyn's silently whispered question was received by swiveling ears. He nodded quietly, a bit somber. The pup tilted his head back to normal and began to circle around the three, his pawsteps echoing only in Caecus' mind. The ghost-seer blinked, his glowing eyes staring at the poor creature. The wolf gave a wag of his tail quickly before looking up at Zynex, seeming to have a certain amount of curiosity for her. Caecus smirked a little. "He seems to take a liking to you," he said.

He turned back to Raze. "There were bite marks on his neck...it had to be from sometime last spring, the last birthing season," he commented. He didn't need to reitorate that the pup was killed by its own mother...the Tytanus weren't known for brains, but they weren't stupid.

[-zynêx-]

Rather than be frightened, Zynex allowed the smallest of smiles to appear on her lips. It was not for the pup's misfortune...but rather Caecus' assumption that the unjustly treated creature had taken a shine to her. What she would have given to see it. Her skepticism of the winged-wolf's abilities vanished as her thoughts were consumed by the unseen pup. Call it her soft spot, but was always her desire to take a charge of her own under her care, whether it be genetically hers or not.

As a pup she had received little attention from her sire and mother, as it was all given to her brothers. The more 'prosperous' of the litter. She was named a hassle, a misfortune, all because she did not exhibit promise for greatness within the pack. Perhaps if she had received their love as she desired, she would have turned out differently. Her love for the little ones was the love she wished to experience...and to hear that this innocent was dead...a spirit to wander, conjured an ache in her heart.

A lazy ear perked as the ghost-seer spoke, her attention was now fully drawn to him. "Last spring..you say," her voice was soft, almost distant. She had not gained control of the territory then, since she was still a wanderer of the land. The pup had to belong to the pack that left this land...the remnants of the Tytanus's past. She was not unfamiliar with wolves killing their pups...but for what reason did this creature's life have to be stolen so soon? What she would give to nurture it. A soft, near silent whine followed the sigh from her throat. This was...just wrong. Despite the pup's unseen presence, Zyn could not bring herself to think of it further. She knew her longing would get the better of her...and not seeing the pup would help her in the least. If anything it would drive her to madness.

Slowly she lowered her head to the stone floor, her eyes clouded with sadness though her muzzle held a look of indifference. There was nothing she could do for the unfortunate soul. All that could be done was that when it was her time to care for pups, she would not allow them an untimely end...regardless of their disfigurements.

ooc: Zyn is sad now...

[Ɽazǿniel.]

R A Z O N I E L !!

Razoniel frowned briefly in concern when the ghost speaker began to sway, but decided it was just weakness. He needed to rest, really, having come all this way. He was a bit of an equal in the black wolf's eyes, a challenge with their earlier talk, now just intriquging. He shook his head at himself as he found himself wondering if Caecus would join the pack. He hated those groups, so why would he lower himself to crawl among the strength-oriented Tytantus wolves? It was no matter, anyway; he wouldn't be of much use to the pack, looking at it from a survival standpoint, but - he was likeable. And it would be a pity to see him go.

Caecus admonished Zynex for her disbelief then turned to him questioningly. The beta wolf hesitated at the question and closed his remaining amber eye, thinking. He did not want to wait too soon, to seem scarred by the incident. He felt the only scar was that rift in his face, nothing emotional and inward. "My father was a bit of a leader in our old band. I protected him from everything as he aged - and met my match against some hungry outsider." He chuckled and pretended to puff up with arrogance, though his voice was mostly laughing at himself. "I might look bad, but you should have seen the other guy." He didn't care how childish he sounded, but the somber atmosphere and the spirit-drenching rain forced him to smile and be cheery in the face of others.

The beta male watched silently as the loner's gaze trailed after some invisible form, and glanced at Zynex as she was told the pup had taken a liking to her. The alphess seemed to change right before his eyes, her features relaxing in a gentle smile. He knew she would reach out to nuzzle the pup had she been able to see it, and was witness to the emotions whirling in her beautiful eyes, something tender, almost motherly.

Razoniel choked up with feeling and tried to listen to Caecus's remark. Perhaps the pup was disfigured, then, if it was not a rogue attacker. How a mother could turn fangs on her own flesh and blood... Maybe they had lived in a rough time when the child would not be able to live. Maybe the parent had been doing it a favor in times of war. He knew that he must look sulky and depressed, so he soundlessly drew a sheet of shadow over himself, curling up on the cave floor, closing his eyes under his dark shroud. He didn't know what to think now, wasn't sure of anything, only that the emotional turmoil in him should not be seen. And so he hid, a coward, afraid of his leader and the motherly way she responded to a dead puppy's favor.

[c a e c u s `]

Caecus smirked at the sudden wistful sound of the femme's voice. It was amazing how quickly her skepticism could disappear at the mention of this small, unfortunate pup. Maybe that was more of a motherly instinct than anything. Caecus had never met a female once that didn't want anything to do with small pups. It was all based on the need to raise something, to reproduce. All wolves were driven so hard by instinct that Caecus tried his best to stay away from it all. That was another reason why he felt that packs were bound to fall. It was every man for himself in the wild, and joining together would work for only a limited time.

His ear flickered lazily when he heard the rustling of fur. Zynex had seemed to lower her head a little, and he could smell sorrow. He hated that smell. He coughed a little and ruffled his wings. Her voice sounded distant when she spoke again, and he merely nodded, not wanting to say much else..."The circle of life can be cruel in itself," he said despite himself. There was a part of him that wanted to console the female, just to get this horrid stench out of the air.

The rain continued to pelt down against the cave, and as Raze began to speak, Caecus turned his muzzle towards him. The wolf began to tell his story, and he could imagine every dodge, move, bite, and scrape of the fight in his mind's eye. He imagined Raze to be a big wolf, graying a little around the muzzle, but foreboding all the same. The other seemed to be even bigger, covered with scars and matted fur from other scrapes he had gotten into. The thought of such an exciting battle made his tail twitch a little. "Sounds like a long battle," he said.

He turned back to the pup, who blinked and wagged his tail a bit. "He's deaf," he said plainly. "This is the natural order." He looked back to his companions. "It's a wonder that I've survived for as long as I have, but I've been resourceful."

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[-zynêx-]

ooc: I know this is terrible, but I've lost inspiration for this thread =( But I'm trying to gain the mood.

It appeared that with the condition of the unseen pup stated, the mood within the den was dampened, much like the weather outside. As they conversed, the storm outside had subsided, the raging torrents now soft trickles on the ground. A flash of lightning lit the cave now and again, but it was nothing to attract too much attention. The storm was moving on.

But this was background in the female's mind as her attention was still drawn to the misfortune's of the pup. As grateful as she was by her Beta's intrusion into her thoughts, the story however was not one to lift the spirits. She silently agreed with Caecus. The tale sounded as though the battle was long and she was certain of it. Looking to the sturdy build of her Beta, there wasn't a doubt the male would have been able to hold his own. The other wolf must have gotten lucky somewhere in order to deliver a crippling blow. A cheat perhaps?

The elder wolf's words touched the femme's onyx tipped ears and she turned toward him. Her audits arched forward attentively. The pup was deaf, he had said. A chance defect. It was still unfair the child was killed so suddenly, but knowing the reason while, she sympathized a little in favor of the parents. Though she would never end a young life herself, he could understand their reasonings. Without an essential such as hearing, what good would come for the pup? He would be killed by a predator before his first year. It was a merciful act...but still it didn't sit will with the female. "I understand..." was all she could utter. Moonlit hues turned in favor of Razoniel, then widened seeing his hidden state.

His shadow cover would have worked well if it didn't look so odd to see a large shadow extending so far out from the wall and along the cave floor. He must have been tired, she reasoned. Remembering her own state of fatigue by an encroaching yawn, she glanced at the blind wolf and spoke softly whilst rising to her paws. "It's late. The storm has lessened enough for a peaceful rest. We should all take advantage of the calm." Her piece spoken she walked to the lonely shadow of Razoniel then lowered herself to her belly inching slowly to her companion. "Hey," she woofed quietly. "Are you sleeping yet?"

[Ɽazǿniel.]

R A Z O N I E L !!

“The circle of life can be cruel in itself,” the blind loner said, the words striking the beta male deep in the heart as he cast a sideways glance at the patch of air where the cub probably was. He was still internally burning with the memories of his fight as he gave a slight nod to Caecus’s remark about it. His claws grazed the cave floor slightly, but no hatred or fear lanced through him. He only felt excited by the memory now. He could not grieve at the loss of a single eye, when before him was a blind wolf. Not that he had ever really grieved. His duty came before all else; he would sacrifice anything if it meant helping those he was bound to, like his leader and his pack.

Hearing that the cub was deaf brought understanding as to why it had been killed. He attempted to weigh Caecus’s disability with that of the dead child. His brow furrowed as he thought that the pup could have learned to live as well, and his tail twitched as he thought of what simple signals and body language could show. But Razoniel knew that bringing up that the death could have been unnecessary in the right paws would only make the others upset. And the atmosphere was already weighed down by sorrow enough, especially as he dragged himself into shaded solitude.

He listened to Zynex’s words without a change of expression, though she would not have been able to see one. He gave a soft grunt of agreement and lifted the shadows away to offer her a slight, tired smile when she asked if he was sleeping. He scooted near her and yawned, resting his head on his paws. “I may go to sleep,” he mumbled, half seeking permission. Then, with a start, he lifted his head up and swung it around to look at the lavender wolf.

“Where will you go from here, Caecus?” he asked quietly.

[c a e c u s `]

The somber attitude was adopted from Caecus itself, it seemed, and spread throughout the other two wolves. For the blind wolf, the quiet, contemplative side of him was of the norm. However, it was clear that these other two wolves weren't used to hearing news like this. Maybe Raze was exposed, but nobody could ever truly get used to bad news...he knew nothing of the alpha female's past, so he couldn't really speak for her...

not done D<

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