Drifting through Memories {Tagged}

[Rykett]

(@shiver)

Ruko:

A light grey form slunk out of the forest and through the grass. Ruko raised his head as a creek came into view. A wind ripped through the trees, rustling the colorful, autumn leaves. It buffeted Ruko's fur as he paused and looked behind him. No doubt, Saphira was struggling to keep up with him, but the black she-wolf was nowhere to be seen. Ruko faced the creek again. He'd, once again, taken a wrong turn. Now the grasslands lay in front of him and a creek that Ruko wasn't sure whether he'd passed on his journey from the Sapling Grove territory.

That creek. It seemed awfully familiar. Had he been here before? Ruko trotted to the riverbank and looked at the slightly rippling surface of the water. The current seemed sluggish at this part of river as Ruko carefully waded in. He looked down at his shattered reflection staring back up at him. Those golden eyes flashed a memory that Ruko had almost forgotten. A memory of Amora and him playing here in this creek. There was pain woven deep into that memory. Ruko recalled that despair and fear of fear.

It was all his fault. Ruko turned away from his reflection angrily summoning a cyclone to rip apart the face gazing up at him from the water. He splashed out of the water as memories reminded him of pain. His father had always been at the back of Ruko's mind. Now all the anger and pain accompanying when Ruko had just learned of his father's betrayal resurfaced. The young wolf growled slightly as he summoned another whirlwind. It circled around him as he thought. His power wasn't strong enough to confront his father and neither was Ruko. He wasn't getting any closer to tracking the traitor down and enacting his revenge.

The cyclone collecting dust puffed out of existence and Ruko suddenly paused and lifted his head. He stretched to scent the wind. His dark thoughts of revenge retreated as Ruko inhaled the familiar scent. A grin spread across his face as his golden eyes scanned the grasslands for the black she-wolf. "Amora?"

[Deleted]

The forest was not dark and shaded as it had been in summer, in fact it was quite the opposite. Gleaming golden rats of sunlight filtered through the holes left in the canopy to dapple the vibrant forest floor. Amber, crimson, and yellow leaves created an almost leathery mat under Amora's paws. Her multicolored pelt blended in wonderfully. The ashy brown trunks if the surrounding woods were bare and cold, their gnarled fingers shooting into the pale blue sky above, no lush leaves to dress them. Amora stared up at the trees, scarlet leaves clung in bunches to the lower parts of the trees, a few stragglers clinging to the tops. The wind burst through the assembly, making the white barked aspens quake, their heart shaped yellow leaves clattering against eachother. Amora smiled softly, her lips slightly curled up. Her deep purple eyes glittered as the sunlight passed over her. She was a botanist now, the white wolf Sheba had granted her this gift. Amora knew that no matter how beautiful Autumn was, it was still the season of decay. Everything was dying, yet when they began to go, they burst out in color instead of death throws. Amora being of botany could make this place green eternally if she was of the highest order. But she was not. She needed practice.

The wind picked up exceedingly as she surpassed the treeline, amber grasses parting for her as she stepped through them. She blinked in awe as the wind whipped them into waves. Then Amora spotted an imperfection. Though the young shewolf could not spot the ground, nor the disruption, she could see that the grass stopped for about three wolf lengths and then began again. This scar in the field stretched into the forest on either side of the enormous glade.

Curious, Amora padded forward. Behind her the amber grass had changed color to a vibrant green, small flower buds began to slowly emerge. Amora winced and toned it down a bit. Didnt want to exhaust her power, she had better work her way up. Her powermark faded, and Amora stepped onto the river bank. So this was the meadow scar...the...the...the Amoux Creek. Amora had a hard time recalling the memory. She hadnt been here for at least a year. This was where she had had her first taste of meat. Amora withheld a chuckle at the thought of Foxtrot. He was afraid of water, who would've guessed?

Her thoughts her interupted by a scent blown in by the wind. And not just any scent. his scent. He should be back at home with Blaise and the rest!!

Amora's paws were moving...swiftly. She sprinted down the side of the river, following his scent. There! A smudge of grey in the water. She ran faster. Now she splashed through water, he was less than a wolf length away now, she leaped.

She should've landed on top of him by now.

[Rykett]

Ruko:

The warning signs were obvious. There was the rustle of the autumn grass, her scent was on the wind, and the clear splashing as she barreled towards Ruko. Strangely, Ruko didn't react to them until his sister pounced on him. A flash of shock crossed his face as he desperately tried to dodge. He only succeeded in tumbling backwards into the water. The current flowed around him lazily as Ruko stumbled to his feet, choking back laughter. "Amora!" he sputtered and barked in delight. He met her deep purple eyes for a second before scanning her for any sign of injuries. As his eyes moved, his jaws worked frantically, "I came looking for you. I was worried because you weren't back for a while and Mom wasn't back from claiming the territory either, so I decided to search for you. Electro came, too, but I kinda left him in the dust a while ago. I also got a bit sidetracked in the forest. There was this pink place. It was weird. There was a wolf there, too. She seemed nice, and we were becoming friends then we both came looking for you, but I left her in the dust, too, I guess. I keep leaving wolves in the dust, lately. I don't mean, too. Guess I just kick up too much dust with my c..."

Ruko stopped as he noticed a new marking on Amora's chest. His jaw hung slack as he stared. "Is that..." No need to ask, it indeed a power mark. No wonder Amora ventured off! After a second of silence, he exploded, "You got a power! That's so awesome! Now we can practice together and be super awesome power wolves that destroy the evil haunting this world. Nothing will be able to stop us! A cyclone swirled around his paws as his excitement rose. He blinked realized that he hadn't exerted much effort to bring it into existence. Was his power anchored to his emotions? The thought had occurred to Ruko before, but now it struck a new cord. A dream nearly forgotten into the darkness of time surfaced. Now it seemed like he'd just awoken from seeing it. He'd known that it was important the moment he'd awoken from that dream. It whispered of power and control. Thoughts buzzed as Ruko realized the potential behind all these emotions that arose within him whenever he looked at his reflection or dreamed or thought of his purpose. His grin grew wider as Ruko locked these newest revelations in his mind to remind him of what he could be capable of. "Which one did you get?"

[Deleted]

Of course Amora was overjoyed to see her brother again, but something about him was different, his anger was now joined by cold purpose. He knew what he wanted and was prepared to go through anything and anyone to get to it. Dismissing her inner thoughts and suspicions she resigned herself to thoughts of play and practice, of training, getting smarter.

Amora's fluffy pup fur was gone, replaced by sleek smooth iridescent fur. Her black pelt was swirled by mesmerizing sunset swirls, pinks, oranges, golds and violets. Her deep purple eyes sparkling like umber amethyst deep in the ether. Her ears were long and sharp, the fur on her neck just a bit longer than that of the entirety of her coat. She peered now at Ruko, he was taller than her now, his muscles more compact than her lithe ones. She had grown more accustomed to running long distances.

A Cheshire grin snuck its way onto Amora's black lips, her white fangs gleaming. "Guess!" her power mark glowed a vibrant green, a sharp contrast to the rest of her color scheme. Amora focused on the algae flowing around Ruko's soaked paws. She willed the stuff to climb up his fur, and grow larger. Amora wasn't using too much energy on the algae, it was a weaker substance, and thus easier to manipulate. This also meant that it could be torn very easily. The algae sprung up to his face, Amora used it to cover his eyes, covering his sight in a film of green, hopefully contorting shapes and altering his depth perception.

Amora decided to set some rules. "Combat to be only powers, no physical touching. Otherwise, everything's free game." Amora grinned as her tongue lolled out, this power stuff was hard work, but that was good.

[Rykett]

Ruko:

The cyclone dissolved as Ruko leaned forward eagerly absorbing every detail of his sister. She was definitely different from the last time he saw her. Amora was more mature both in her form and the way she grinned at him. The bright green power mark contrasted against her fur as it glowed slightly. The shape of a flower shone evident as Ruko wracked his brain to remember which element the mark signified. Earth, duh! That narrowed things down to three powers; Botany, Soil, and Stone. Which would Amora choose? Which would appeal to her most? The practical beauty of Botany, the flexible freedom of Soil, or the hardened coldness of Stone. Ruko knew which he would chose, but he was sure Amora wouldn't share his view about Stone. Amora didn't rely of the same force that Ruko searched for. She was more subtle. She found peace in practicality. Ruko opened his mouth, but looked down at the algae slowly growing up his legs.

"Botany!" Ruko barked excitedly, "Who knows what you can do with that!" He watched its progress for a second before struggling against it to hop to shore. As it covered his eyes, Ruko broke free. He shook off the water that clung to his light grey fur. Then looked around at the tinted green landscape. "Hey, uh, what's on my face?" He swiped his grey paws over his eyes to clear his vision. His paw came away green. He focused back on Amora as she spoke. Combat! Oh I am gonna rule at this! "Okay, sounds good with me," he said absently trying to lick his paw clean, "Oh, bleh! Your plant is disgusting." As his tongue lolled out, he shook head vigorously.


The second he stopped Ruko summoned a cyclone. Now there was the question of how to attack. He focused on urging the whirlwind to grow bigger. The little dust devil spun furiously as it picked up the loose sand and pebbles that made up the riverbank.

[Deleted]

Amora frowned as the algae was flung easily away. She furrowed her brow and scoped the area. She could lengthen the grass, make the roots emerge above ground to trip him up...Amora found herself playing into his weaknesses. Once he was angry he lost control. So the trick was to save her energy, and use little amounts to annoy him and then when he lost it, she would strike.

The multicolored shewolf found herself grinning, sleek fur rippling slightly in the winds around Ruko. She took a step forward but then dashed to the side into the grass. She ran blindly, eyes closed to focus on the plants around her. It was like they were alive, but...not. She felt her blossom glow softly as the grass around her grew taller. To make sure she didnt leave a trail of tall grass she doubled back and made a huge area grow ever so slightly, but just enough. Enough to cover over the heads of the young wolves. Amora came to a stop and hunkered down, using the herbs around her to hide her scent, even using a small portion of her power to do so.

[Rykett]

Ruko:

Ruko's cyclone whipped more debris as it slowly grew. It was about the size of a wolf, though it wasn't powerful enough to pick up anything more than pebbles. The whirlwind chased Amora as she dodged into the grass. Ruko struggled to keep his golden eyes trained on Amora as she maneuvered out of his line of vision. Then she was nowhere. The yellowing grass around him had become a bright green in response to Amora's power. The cyclone swung over the grass as Ruko searched for his disappearing sister. He lifted his head, trying to get a whiff of her scent. Nothing but plants. The whirlwind parted the grass as Ruko pushed it through the plants. Maybe his whirlwind could fling away the grass that hid Amora. He struggled, trying to rip with his cyclone, but his winds weren't powerful enough. Ruko continued his search, padding into the tall grass. His frustration grew as Amora remained out of sight.

"Amora!" he called out a slight growl in his voice, "Come out! This isn't hide-and-seek. Come on, fight me! Don't just hide behind your plants. Make them fight me, instead. Just do something!" The growl in the back of his throat had become louder with each word. He gritted his teeth forcing the growl to stop. No need to give away his position more than needed. His cyclone swirled beside him as Ruko waited for a response. She would have to do something eventually. Maybe if Ruko was patient enough he could find her. Unfortunately, Ruko wasn't the patient type.

[Deleted]

Amora hunkered down in the grass, panting. All this power using was exhausting! She only had level one, not to mention had only got it a short time ago. Her black shoulders heaved with the enormity of her breath. The young shewolf devised a plan. She knew that smarts and cunning were more than enough to defeat him. Though a little more energy wouldn't hurt.

The wind was wild now, and she made the proper precautions. She summoned the roots from the scrub around her to loop over her paws and hold her in place while she focused. Around her she willed the grasses around her to weave into wolfish forms, concentrating the pigment to make the grasses black like her fur. Amora gritted her teeth as energy poured from her. But at last four Amora grass sculptures were spread about. Those would distract him while she decided an offense, and rested.

[Rykett]

Ruko:

The young male gritted his teeth as nothing happened. She was somewhere around here. Ruko just had to find her. There! A shadow in the grass. His cyclone sped towards the wolf-like form. It tore through the grass as Ruko's excitement rose. He was about to win! Once his cyclone hit Amora, she'd be pelted by the debris that his whirlwind held until she surrendered. The swirling winds hit the shadow. No yelp or sound or anything! Ruko galloped towards the form that his cyclone was ripping apart bit by bit. Shreds of black colored grass joined the stones and dirt spiraling in the dust devil. Ruko's ears pinned angrily. A trick! It was nothing but a trick. Amora was smart, but a trick wasn't going to keep him from defeating her. His whirlwind started clearing a path in the long grass as Ruko continued his search. His ears pricked to vigilance again though his scowl remained. He was going to win and nothing was going to stop him.

Another shadow caught Ruko's eye. He focused his golden gaze on the black form, nose twitching and ears alert. Ruko could smell nothing but grass. Maybe the grass was masking her scent. His ears perceived no sound of breathing or shifting of dirt. It was probably another plant sculpture, but it couldn't hurt to double-check. His cyclone spun towards the form and began tearing apart the black grass again. Ruko rolled his eyes and scanned the area again. No other shadows were visible. He called his cyclone back to his side. The amount of black grass whipping around the whirlwind's center had nearly doubled. The whirlwind started parting the plants to make a new path for Ruko as he search for where his sister was hiding. As he padded over the flattened grass, his legs began to ache. He was starting to wear himself out. He hadn't sustained a dust devil for this long before. His cyclones usually came and went quickly.

Ruko came upon another shadowy form a few minutes latter. He listened for signs that it was more than a statue. Nothing. His whirlwind started tearing it apart, immediately. How many of these things had Amora created? She was only level one so she couldn't possibly make hundreds of them or some crazy number like that. Not even more than ten at the most, but that was if she focused all her energy on making them. Since they couldn't do anything offense, Ruko supposed they were mostly to buy some time so Amore could whip up something to win. With that in mind Ruko figured that Amora couldn't have made more than five or six. If his estimations were correct, Ruko had already destroyed more than half of the sculptures. Since he'd flattened paths through most of their combat area, there couldn't be too many more area that Amora could be hiding.

His breath was starting to become slightly ragged as he panted. The cyclone was slowly sucking up his energy, but he still had plenty enough to defeat Amora when he tracked her down. Where was she? He'd wandered through the grass for several more minutes, but there were no signs of her or her grass statues. Then his ears detected a noise. He straightened, listening for anything. Ruko commanded his cyclone to spin more quietly with a quick thought. The whirlwind's winds slowed enough to allow Ruko to hear the noise better. The sound was nearly constant. It reminded Ruko of... breathing. Could it be Amora? Ruko swung his head as his searched the grass around him. At first there was nothing, then there was a shadow in the grass to his right. It seemed a distance away, but Ruko could make out that the form looked wolfish. Either it was another one of Amora's grass wolves or it was Amora. Ruko hesitated for a second before sending his cyclone to attack. He was slowly depleting his energy and causing the cyclone to spin furiously enough to destroy another might use up more than Ruko could spare. Though Ruko, could've swore he'd heard breathing. That was more noise than he'd picked up nearby any of the other statues. With a growl, Ruko's whirlwind spun to its full power and he sent it spiraling into the black form.

[Deleted]

Amora panted where she was, sides heaving, eyelids drooping. This was the first time she had used her power, and she knew it was draining her. She began to be lightheaded and so she had sat down. Who would've thought that using a power would be so draining?

~blackout~

When Amora awoke the wind was still whipping through the tall grasses. She had only been out for a few minutes, but that had made all the difference. Despite still being tired, she was no longer in the dangerous brink of exhaustion. Amora's head was clearer, and she opened her eyes to review the situation. She spied only one of her four statuettes, and she smelled something. Him. Ruko was much closer than before. She'd better come up with a plan! And fast!

woosh! A wall of wind blew past her, exposing her and destroying her last statuette. There he was, a stony expression on his badger striped face, golden eyes blazing. Had he forgotten they were merely playing games? Amora looked at him and felt that he was dangerous, she had a feeling that this was life and death. But it wasn't. Right? He wasn't trying to kill her. Right? She wasn't the reason their father had left them. Right? The guilt rising through her made her think otherwise. She realized that all along she had thought, hidden deep in her heart, that it was her fault father had left.

But enough on that, she had to win!

Amora narrowed her purple eyes, lips curling back into a sort of smirking snarl. Ruko had stepped right into her trap! Sort of...he was a little off to the left but she could compensate! The young shewolf felt her powermark blaze as roots thrust themselves from the ground, she had been enlarging them into thick ropes under ground while she had rested, and now, they were ready. With a second wind blowing in her favor-((OOC: fugurative))
She lashed the great roots from the earth and had them twist around Ruko's legs. The remaining roots tossed over his back, and connecting to the ground. Amora gasped in pain, this was really stretching her limits. Nevertheless she tightened the ropes, this would cause him to be tied down against the earth, pressing his frame to the ground. She hoped she could win.

[Rykett]

Ruko:

The form was another grass statue, but as his whirlwind dissolved it uncovered Amora. A way of exhaustion flooded Ruko as the cyclone swirled into nonexistence. Relief of no longer spending the energy on maintaining a whirlwind followed the sensation. His gaze fixed on her. Amora’s deep purple eyes flashed a mix of emotions. First there was a tinge of fear as she met his golden eyes, then guilt, and finally resolve. Ruko fought down the fatigue and summoned a new cyclone. It was weaker than his previous one, but it energetically spun around the area collecting dirt, tiny pebbles, sand, and leaves. Though his whirlwind looped around in two wolves, Ruko’s eyes still watched Amora.

Her expression morphed into a smirk. For a second, Ruko puzzled over the snarl. Why did she look triumphant when he had the upper hand? The answer flashed in his mind a second before the rope erupted from the earth beneath his feet. It’s a trap! Ruko leaped to escaped the vines, but they’d already wrapped around his paws. His body slammed to the ground. The breath rushed from his lung in a growl. The surprise of the trap had nearly made Ruko loose control of his cyclone. The strength of its winds flickered and it seemed to spin erratically until Ruko focused enough to keep the winds from flying away. He struggled fiercely against the vines as they pulled him against the ground. A fierce snarl escaped him as he tore at the vines with his teeth. Angrily Ruko sent his cyclone spinning towards Amora. He strained against the tightening ropes while his whirlwind attacked Amora. Its debris spun as more furiously as Ruko’s own fury rose. No! He wouldn’t surrender! He wouldn’t let her win!

[Deleted]

Her plan had worked! Ruko was against the ground wriggling for freedom. Knowing her brother he wouldn't give up easily, it had been foolish of her to think that this was the end. The shewolf was shocked by the raw fury in her brothers golden eyes. Had that anger been always been there? What had changed Ruko in this way? Surely the story of their fathers betrayal couldn't have rocked his boat that hard?

Her vines held up against Ruko's strength, though their fresh flesh was tearing easily. Amora began repairing the gasped made in her roots when she realized she had another threat: the whirlwind. The devilish fiend of wind rose beside her ripping through her pelt. How were her plants supposed to overcome this?!

Amora began working, her tongue sliding in and out of her mouth in a ragged pant, her eyesight flickering, spots swimming in her vision. She had used too much of her power. Tough roots rose over her head to cage the wind. But the sprouts were torn before they could weave into a prison. Amora panted, panicking. She couldn't win...not with her current state of exhaustion. Then a plan flitted through her mind. She was sure that Ruko would call this cowardice, yet Amora knew this was the only way she could win.

Dropping all vines save for the ones ensnaring Ruko, she began to shovel at the ground with her plants as well as her paws. A pit quickly formed, deeper deeper. Then when she seemed it deep enough and Ruko was nearly free, she buried herself. A tight weave of plants over her, making a small pocket of air under the earth. The hole was about three feet deep, but with the woody roots now crisscrossing through the clay, there was no way Ruko could reach her. Amora would emerge when she was fully rested.....Amora had used way too much power for a level one wolf. She was stretching both her physical and mental limits.

[Rykett]

Ruko:

Ruko watched with eyes blazing as Amora retreated beneath the earth. He manage to break some of the vines holding him down. He pulled the cyclone to his side. The winds tearing at the ropes helped him destroy the last restraints binding him. The male sprung to his feet, snarling. He stalked to the area of turned-up earth that hid his sister. His whirlwind sucked up some of loose dirt while Ruko dug at the ground. His claws scraped into wood roots. He kept shoveling the clay from holes in the roots' weave. The more dirt he excavated, the angrier he became. Amora was a coward! Just like his father... The image of his father was cemented in the young wolf's head. The wolf once know as Scorpius was an evil traitor who inflicted life-long damage before fleeing like a coward. Amora was becoming just like him. Ruko had to do something. He had to make her fight him. He had to make her show him that she wasn't a coward.

A growling yelp of surprise escaped Ruko as his paw slipped into a small hole between two root. The hole was just big enough for his paw to fit into. Ruko tugged the paw out before looking in the hole. In the space beneath him, he could see Amora. Ruko gnashed his teeth as rage clouded his mind. "Coward!" he bellowed, his voice slightly deeper and gruffer than usual, "How dare you hide from a fight! Never hide! Your fear can make you stronger, yet you bend to its will. You're just like DAD!!! He never cared for us and he was a coward to run away. Even if he was evil, he should've stayed! If you hide, you're just like him! You shouldn't be hiding, you should be fighting me! You should be getting stronger. If we can get strong enough, we can destroy him! He'll never hurt anyone again and he'll learn the consequences of being a coward! Never hide! Never fear! Fight!" Ruko's feelings flooded out in angry, shouted sentences. His rambled words began to become crazed as his speech continued. The dust devil at his side spun faster with every words, responding to Ruko's fury.

[Deleted]

Nico flattened his ears as he approched. Can you tone down the shouting? he wondered. He padded up, the wind buffeting him. "Well, kid, you have anger issues." Nico said. His dark silver fur blew everywhere. But Nico just closed his eyes to keep them from getting iritated. Nico had nothing against the wind. He loved the wind, acctuly. He listed to the wolf's speech. He smiled, Non sono solo nella mia ricerca di vendetta, ma questo è diverso. Non molto, però. "Well, hello." he said. In the dust, it would be hard to see him. His fur could be mistaken for ashy from a distince. But closer it was hinted a lighter silver.

[Deleted]

Amora had only gotten half an hour of sleep before a noisy brother had woken her. She sighed and rolled over to face him. "Ruko, Ruko, Ruko....you never learn!" Instead of shouting back, she decided to match his argument with intelligent debate. "I am not a coward, I just have a strong sense of self deprivation! Our father ran not because his life was in the line, but because he was evil!" Amora's civil debate idea quickly washed away, she was still Amora after all, that firstly little ball of rebellion. Though now, she was more mature both physically and mentally. "oh, Ruko. I will fight you! And you'll lose!" Her power mark glowed blindingly green as the roots barring Ruko's way in erupted from the ground, lashing themselves over the ashy grey wolf and pulling him viciously down into the pit, while more vines shot Amora upwards. There she was surprised to see another wolf, her power faltered and the vines would drop Ruko in the pit. Down under the earth, he wouldn't be able to use cyclones, and maybe he would learn a bit. So Amora continued in her efforts to bury her brother alive. Oh, don't worry! He'll have air!! Well, that is, if her vines succeeded on retrieving Ruko. He was powerful after all.