Shadowed panic(open)

[Argus]

Arold lay on his side with his eyes open, staring out at nothing. He was really just enjoying the sunshine, but his eyes were sore from keeping them open for so long. He had traveled a long distance before stopping here, and it was a new experience. Where he came from, no one would have lain on their sides unless they were suicidal. He liked the fact that that wasn't the case here, but he still didn't know exactly what the rules in this place were. He didn’t exactly know for sure where here was, but he did know that he was in some form of valley. It seemed a peaceful place, and Arold had to wonder if that was just a veneer, if there was more going on beneath the surface that he couldn’t see. There appeared to be an abundance of prey and a decent amount of water to be found around, and he could envision himself living here permanently.

He had a list of questions to ask and no one to answer them around. He was fine with being alone, accustomed to solitude and wolves that would betray another without a second thought. He may not have been the most clever wolf there, but he was smart enough to know that he was better off alone than with them. He blinked and noticed that the sun was waning in the sky and his sable eyes darkened even more if that was possible.

His jet-black coat blended in well with the shadow of the tree behind him, the sunlight not hitting him anymore and making him look sinister. He did not like the darkness, it reminded him too much of his previous life, where he had never seen much light. Sure, there might have been some days that would be lighter than others, and it was never dark enough that one couldn’t see, but for the most part, it was darkness all around. He looked around and saw that now the sun had disappeared completely, and his chest constricted, his breath came in short and fast gasps, and his eyes and face were panic-stricken. He didn’t know why he felt this way, had never felt like this before, only knew that he couldn’t think past the panic and anxiety.

[Emorli]

Arani;

Arani scoffs at the heat being produced by the sun preferring winter and the beginnings of spring to warmer seasons such as summer and autumn. The female wanders around aimlessly under the shade in an attempt to best hide from the warm sun.

As the sun had gone down all that was visible of her body were a darkened version of her strange markings, making it look like floating rocks in the air. A small smile graces the tall female's features as the air is much cooler than before, and the darkness provides a more isolated feel, which was something that had never bothered her much. She continues walking more briskly than before, gaining a new-found energy now that the sun, that had been annoying her, was gone until morning rolled around.

A bit of wandering brings the female closer to panicked gasps. The sound becoming louder as she continued forward. The abrupt intakes of breath cause a stress to arise throughout Arani's body and it was evident on her face. Her eyebrows were knit tightly together and she frantically turns her head looking for where the noise is coming from. It doesn't take her very long for her ears to pick up on where the origin of the noise is and she sees a black wolf. If he was completely silent, he most likely would have just confused a wolf that had picked up on his scent.

"Hey! Hey. Calm down. What's wrong?" She keeps her voice soft, as to not freak the male out any more than he already is. Her eyes are wide and she watches the male's muscles constrict awkwardly. She can't do anything other than look at him as she's still confused about what's going on and has never had to deal with something like this before.

[Argus]

Arold took one last gasping breath to calm himself down. It's all right. You're not alone anymore. Now that he had a handle on his irrational emotions, he could focus. The wolf in front of him was definitely female. She spoke softly, obviously in an attempt to prevent him for spooking, and he was grateful to her for the consideration. His eyes were well-adjusted to the darkness and he could see clearly in it, although not supernaturally so. The stranger was also darkly hued, but unlike him, she had rock-like markings on her legs and face. She had a comforting effect on him and he was soon as calm as he had been in the broad sunlight.

Thank you for snapping me out of that. I don't know what came over me." Then, noticing the worried and confused expression painted on her face, his face becomes apologetic. "I am sorry if I caused you any distress." With his breathing evened out he could spend the time trying to pick apart his mind's reaction to the darkness. It wasn't as though he hadn't been in the dark since leaving his home, he had experienced nightfall on his travels before he finally stopped in the valley. For some reason, this was different. He didn't think it was the surroundings, but anything was possible. He had been contemplating making this his home and maybe that's what had made all the difference.

Then he looked suspiciously at the tree. He scoffed at himself for even entertaining the idea. There was absolutely no way possible that the tree behind him possessed any magical properties. Not once in his life had he ever been told stories of magic and fairytales, and happily ever afters were non-existent as well. The only stories he had ever heard had been ones of treachery and darkness. Some in his homeland were superstitious though, and he had picked up ideas about dark gods and goddesses and the even darker magic they gifted from them. He had dismissed all of their ides, believing them to be crazy, but now he wasn't so sure. After experiencing the miracle of light and sunshine, he supposed everything was conceivable.

His irrational thoughts squashed, for now, he once again turned his attention to the female who had so conveniently appeared in his time of panic. "Might I ask if you know where we are?"

[Emorli]

Arani;

Arani watches as the male calms himself down for a minute, looking around at the surroundings. She still holds a confused and stressed look on her face, but she nods at his apology.

"No problem and don't apologize. It's not your fault." Even though she actually has no idea about what had caused the sudden outbreak. Assuming it would be better to comfort the wolf at the moment, rather than question him, Arani takes a seat in front of the dark male and flashes a bright smile to him, trying to lighten the mood a bit. Even though her smile grows smaller, she keeps the corners of her mouth turned up as a small sign that there's a smile that remains on her face.

"Might I ask if you know where we are?" Arani tilts her head for a second and looks up as if the answer is written on the sky above her. It takes her a moment to figure out exactly what territory they're in at the moment since hse's been wandering aimlessly for the past few days, but the strangely carved tree gives it away. They currently sit in the forest territory that holds the mystical Adoette Tree. However, the confusion evident on the wolf's face, and sudden panic from earlier, Arani can't tell if he's asking for the territory or the whole valley.

"Well, the territory we're in at the moment is, what I believe, the largest forest territory and we seem to be right by the Adoette Tree." The look he gave the tree was slightly confusing. Arani has seen multiple unusual, and unexplained things in this valley, but this wolf doesn't seem to have seen any of them other than the only tree in the valley that has strange carvings in the bark. It wasn't unreasonable to be confused about this place since magic isn't something that can be easily explained, but since this has been a part of the female's life for a while, it's become normal to see strange things, like this particular tree, every day.

[Argus]

He grins back at her, trying to make her feel more comfortable with him. He could see that she was still concerned about how she had found him, but he hoped that in acting normal now he could reassure her that everything would be fine now.

"I won't apologize then." He smiles softly as he says this and his expression indicates that he's just kidding, but it's true that he doesn't plan on apologizing again. He appreciated her efforts to comfort him further, and in reality, just the presence of another being around him was enough to accomplish that goal. His eyes narrowed for a second, reminded of how the wolves in his homeland had acted and wondered what her intentions were. He refused to consider that she might have ulterior purposes in coming here since she had seemed perfectly surprised at finding him here, and he also thought that if she had been out to kill him or something similar, she would have done so when he was vulnerable.

He could see her wonderment at his question, although he couldn't really decipher what she was attempting to figure out about it. She glanced upwards, as though she was expecting to find the answer in the heavens, then she looked at the surroundings, focusing intently on the tree. He somehow doubted that her thoughts were the same as he had been and he wondered just what she was thinking.

She finally answered him after studying the odd carving on the tree for a beat. "The Adoette Tree? There's nothing magical about that piece of wood is there?" He had thought he had shaken off his crazy conceptions of the tree being supernatural, but apparently he hadn't since the words had slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them. His eyes closed in despair over his mind's overactive imagination and his lips pressed tightly together in his show of embarrassment. It made him appear like he was clueless about everything in this valley, and while it was true, it didn't necessarily want to make this wolf think he was completely ignorant. His eyes opened after a second, and he smiled again at the wolf, hoping she wouldn't think worse of him for his lack of knowledge about the valley.

[Emorli]

Arani;

The male becomes tense as Arani explains where they are, distress evident on his mug. The female sent a light smile over to the male, noticing his embarrassment. "Don't worry, I honestly can't say much about it myself. The carvings sure are mysterious, but I haven't met anyone who knows how they got there. I don't think either of us will ever find out the origin of this tree. By the way, don't worry about lightening up around me. I do my best not to judge. Arani sends a small laugh, her first laugh in a while, to the male for the purpose of lightening the mood.

The wind travels lightly through the trees, a slight whistling passes through the two's ears even though most of the wind is buffered from coming in due to the mass amounts of trees surrounding there they stand. Millions of stars paint the sky, illuminating the atmosphere along with the large moon. The temperature drops from the lack of sunlight for a period of time. The area around them doesn't seem as dark since the moon and stars have recently gotten higher in the sky as time passed.

"Anyways, may I ask your name?" Her eyes are nice and calm, a simple, friendly smile plastered across her lips.

[Argus]

He looks back to the tree as she smiles at him, an ambivalent look on his face. He was torn between admiration of the tree and wariness of what it could do. "I'm new to the valley and its surroundings. Forgive me if I'm ignorant about more than this tree. Are you a native to this place?" He was asking because he hoped that she might be ab;e to explain a few things, perhaps tell him about the residents of the valley and the different packs. He was glad that she didn't judge, but that wasn't what he was worried about. No, he was worried about her character. If she was a back-stabbing, lying, manipulative wolf he didn't want to be around her. She didn't give off that sort of vibe though, and when Arold's posture was relaxed and friendly when he looked back to her.

She asked him for his name and he shrugged at her. "My name isn't important to me. Not too many call me by it. It's D- I mean Arold." For a second there he had almost given her his birth name, but that was part of his past, and he was glad he had managed to stop himself before he had finished saying. It held bad memories, reminded him of his mother and how she had, like all others in his homeland, attempted to use her young pups for deceit and evil.

"Now would you mind telling me yours?" Some believed that if you knew someone's name you held power over them, but to Arold it was ridiculous.

(I apologize in advance for longer wait times/shorter replies. I have a myth I need to finish writing/typing. My activity should be back to normal by the 30th )

[Emorli]

((No problem at all!))

Arani;

She shakes her head at Arold's apology, maintaining a friendly smile. "You don't need to apologize. My brother isn't from around here either, but I am. I'm used to telling someone about this valley now." Arani can sense the slight worry in that resides in the back of this wolf's mind, even though he looks relaxed on the outside, the slight feeling of anxiety can be felt in the aura that surrounds him.

He stops himself when he's saying his name, almost as if he was just changing it on the spot. Arani's eyes narrow slightly at him for a second before realizing that he might react to her suspicion of him. What could that have been? Wolves surely know their names. They don't have to correct themselves as if they've forgotten what they're called. Right? She continues questioning herself in her mind as she tries to figure out of it was an honest mistake or stutter, or something else is going on. His question about her name was what brought her out of her though. She blinks her eyes a few times, processing the question that was just thrown at her, realizing that she paused for a second to file her thoughts into place.

"Oh! Sorry there! I just zoned out there a bit. My name is Arani. It's nice to meet you. She sends Arold another friendly smile as she continues attempting to make him more comfortable around her, or at least enough that he doesn't have the slight feel of suspicion surrounding him. Most would consider Arold lucky though. There are some exceptions, such as this one, but it's rare for Arani to give out smiles, but she realizes when a bit of friendly smiles are needed.

[Argus]

The female seemed to be good natured and she certainly had an easy smile. "So you're confident of your informing skills. Maybe you could answer some of my questions later on. Could you perhaps tell me about you and your brother for now?" He allowed his suspicions to evaporate and leaned against the tree. He wasn't trying to make it harder to see him, but that's exactly what he did. He was comfortable in the shadows, if not happy in them.

He noticed as he said his name that she narrowed her eyes at him. It was obviously because he had stopped and changed what he was saying abruptly and he wondered what she thought his purpose was. "I'll be honest with you. I come from a place where not all said is the truth. I'm sure it's like that everywhere, but it was worse there. I changed my name when I left." He didn't see any reason to hide that from her, but it didn't mean he was going to tell her his birth name. She seemed to realize that she had never told him her name and quickly amended that. She was still smiling at him and he was happy to see one so friendly. "And now it seems that you're the one giving out apologies. How things have changed." His eyes made it clear that he was joking, but since she couldn't see his eyes, he made sure to infuse his voice with warmth and friendliness. He was doing a good job of socializing for one who had spent his entire life around cruelty, if he did say so himself.

"Only time will tell if it's really such a pleasure to meet me, but I am happy that you came along when you did. Perhaps I should be even more grateful that I have met someone so free with their smiles. Are you always that way, or is this an exception to the rule?" It was true that he was no longer suspicious of her, but it was odd for him to see a wolf that appeared to be so happy. Smiles were rare where he came from and when one did smile it didn't bode well. He liked smiling, was happy to smile, but there wasn't a permanent grin pasted on his face. In all honesty, he doubted the existence of anyone with such good cheer to always be smiling.

[Emorli]

Arani;

As the dark-coated male in front of Arani speaks she nods subtly, a sign that allows him to know that she's listening with intent. "I see. Well, that's no problem and usually, smiles are more of a rare occurrence. It's not like I never smile, however, I should be able to at least smile to others more often." Truth be told, more often than not, her smiles are fake and void of any actual happiness and most of them occur when she's in the presence of her brother, Baal. Arani happens to be extremely jealous of her adopted sibling. He was better at everything than her and she knew it. He was more agile, stronger, smarter. Even though he was taken in by her family a few seasons after she was born, it didn't take very long for her parents to almost prefer him over her. They've always told her that they loved the two equally, but when it comes down to it, her parents would ask something of Baal and rely more on his abilities over Arani, this caused her to become extremely bitter toward him.

Sometimes thinking about the things her brother outshone her in makes her blood boil. She's usually friendly, but with her brother, she can lose her temper very easily. Of course, that doesn't mean she doesn't love him.



Baal;

As if on cue, a male with a foggy grey pelt littered with multiple dark teal spots. He stands taller than Arani, who's already extremely tall, and he wears a serious look on his face. His eyes aren't dark, but they look like they could rip someone apart, finding everything wrong with someone, they're piercing and sharp but the longer you look into them, they seem warmer and friendlier.

"Ahh. Arani. I thought I'd lost you." Baal walks closer to his sister, his large paws leaving equally large indents in the damp forest floor with each step he takes. It takes him a moment to catch sight of the dark pelted wolf hidden within the shadows. He simply looks at the relaxed wolf, who since an unknown presence has shown up, has most likely tensed up. After a moment of looking, Baal sends a small nod toward the shadow-like male and turns back to his adoptive sibling.

"You're going to end up getting in trouble one day with all of this wandering off." Baal's tone was mature and serious, there was slight worry laced within as he cares deeply for his sister, even if she might not mirror the same feelings toward him. The stormy-grey male cared for Arani with all of his heart. It'd kill him if one day, she got hurt and he tries his best to prevent that from happening, even if it means he looks like he's smothering her with care and motherliness.

[Argus]

As Arani surprises him with the news that it is a rare occurrence for her to smile he murmurs an agreement. Sometimes it was better to sit and listen then to actually participate. Even in the dim light, he could see a resentment overtake her features and he wondered what thoughts brought about this change. Then he noticed the presence of another wolf and looked on as he walked closer to them. He was tall, taller than Arani, but Arold almost matched him in height. It didn't seem like it because of the way Arold postured himself, and he was content to let that stand. The wolf acted as though he knew Arani, and going off the little she had told him about herself, he drew the conclusion that this was her brother. He walked closer, berating Arani as he did and warning her of the dangers of wandering off. It was obvious that he cared about her, but in all honesty, there probably was a better way to approach this than just scolding her. The two looked nothing alike and he found himself wondering if maybe one of them had been adopted. Of course, it could have been something as simple as one taking after one parent and the other taking after another parent or ancestor.

The wolf, presumably Baal, stopped and looked at Arold with an assessing gaze, then nodded toward him in acceptance. Arold wasn't really concerned with another's acceptance, but it was nice to know that this wolf was willing to be friendly. Who knew, if he was anything like his sister, he would probably be Arold's friend in no time. He nodded back and stood, observing the way he looked at his sister. "And I suppose that you are Baal? I'm sure Arani can take care of herself, and even if she couldn't I have no ill will towards her. I'm Arold." He introduced himself first to try and put Baal more at ease with his presence and to reassure him of Arold's peacefulness. Arold made sure to stay relaxed as Ball evaluated him and as he spoke to the wolf. That was all he said though before he settled in to watch the two siblings like the hawk his name proclaimed. He had chosen his new name because he thought it had suited his personality where the other had suited his looks. He may have been biased, knowing only what he thought of himself and not what others believed. He didn't let that fact faze him, acting exactly as he believed he should.

[Emorli]

Arani;

The female wastes no time to look toward where the oh-so-familiar words came from and there stands her brother. She can see the slightly worried look in his eye and she scoffs in his direction.

"Yeah, brother, I can take care of myself." She spat toward her brother, annoyed at him worrying about her. Did she cause him that much stress? She was an adult and perfectly capable of defending herself against an attacker.

Arani's eyes aren't as dark as they are annoyed, she looks toward Arold, wanting to avoid eye contact with Baal at all costs. She sits down in her spot with her nose turned slightly up with her ears back slightly trying her best to make it obvious that she is annoyed at the appearance of the foggy-grey male.

Baal;

Baal can see the annoyance instantly appear on his sister's expression as he shows his face. He smiles lightly trying to bring his mood up a bit. Yes, he's used to her pushing him away, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt his feelings to know that his sister, who he loves very much, dislikes him enough to prefer to know that he doesn't have her back.

"I am. I guess I should let her do things with confidence, but I suppose that I'm used to her having a fairly destructive personality. Nice to meet you, I'm Baal." He could tell that after that sentence, "but I suppose that I'm used to her having a fairly destructive personality." Arani's face contorted with eyebrows knit and muzzle scrunched up and the bear-like male sighs.

"Sorry, Arnai. I'm still not quite used to you being independent." Well, it's true. Arani as a pup would spend the whole of four seasons, at least, following Baal around, that's probably why she's adopted some of his habits and personality traits over the years, but she doesn't realize it.

Choosing to not worry so much about Arani being completely disgusted with his presence, he turns back to the practically invisible wolf within the shadows. Baal continues with the same light and friendly smile plastered on his maw "Thank you." It was an odd moment to thank someone, but he was truly thankful for the wolf not harming Arani.

[Argus]

He shifted as the mood in the clearing once again changed. He wished that it could be relaxed again but he just shrugged. He glanced towards Arani and tried to think of a way to defuse the situation. "Perchance you are both wrong. Neither of you seem so old and wise that you could possibly tell each other what is best. But let's speak no more of that subject now. And as I told your sister, only time will tell if it's truly such a pleasure to meet me." He flashed a quick smile in the dark and shook out his fur. Snippy snippy these two are. Arguing in front of a complete stranger, and showing weakness. Never a smart thing. It was a remnant from his past life, finding weakness wherever he went, and he blinked violently and erased the thought. "Thank me? No need. I would not have any honor had I harmed your sister when she was just concerned for my safety."

He moved closer to the other two, getting out from under the shadow of the tree and into the light from the weak moon. "Now would either of you mind telling me about this valley and its residents?" He still hadn't managed to get very much information out of Arani and he was still curious about it. He couldn't imagine that every wolf in the valley was like these, and he also imagined it would be difficult to gain the trust of anyone with real influence. Not that he was trying to make friends with high powered wolves but he would like to join a pack one day. At least then he would have a home and a family if not his birth one.

((I'm typing this in a moving vehicle so it's short but I'll make it up in the next post.))

[Deleted]

A dark shadow loomed over the earth and stones beneath it. As the wolf emerged from the briar thicket, the shadow grumbled a few curses in their native tongue before peering into the clearing before it. It shook it's black fur, marked with dark melancholy blue and bright icy blue. Her paws were stained brown from mud and her muzzle stained crimson from her earlier hunt. She hadn't bothered to clean off the blood, after all it wouldn't do much good. She saw what appeared to be three wolves. She rolled her eyes and stalked into the clearing. She looked for a good sunbathing spot before lying down on it. Not bothering to strike up any conversation or get involved in it whatsoever.

Being in her evil nature, she peered up at the three wolves with a glare. "I'm pretty sure the whole forest could hear you with your small bickering." She yawned in boredom. After coming to her birth land, she realized that she knew nothing of this place. She had been led here by her so-called emotions. The female wolf sat up. The sun hitting her fur in just the right light to show almost all of her scars on her back, throat and muzzle. "I apologize for my rudeness. I have a tendency to snap. I guess it's a habit." The female looked up at the sky, seeing it was filled with clouds and the bright sunlight. She casted her eyes back to the three wolves.

"Are any of you natives? I know nothing of this place and have only arrived just today. Ah, where are my manners?" Rigid Nexus let out a chilling chuckle. "My name's Rigid Nexus. You all are?" Nexus trailed off, hoping they would fill the awkward silence with their names, and maybe some information of this strange land.

[Emorli]

((That's no problem at all! Don't worry about it. By the way Rigidnexus, it's night time!))

Arani;
Arani wrong? Sure she often told her brother that he was wrong outright, but she's never been told 'You're wrong' by anyone. The thought allows a sigh to escape her lungs and she closes her eyes. She looks back at her brother who remains silent with a part amused, part interested look. She looks down at her paws and she tries gripping at the ground, suddenly she realizes how terribly jealous she is of her adopted brother, but, she still loved him as family, and as her only childhood friend.

'"Now would either of you mind telling me about this valley and its residents?"' The question snaps her thoughts back into place, and she thinks for a second. Arani has been away from most of the population, using her time to explore what little is left for her to explore. Baal had been making his rounds with the residents in the past season as he's thinking of creating his own group of good wolves to claim an area, so out of instinct, she looks to the stormy-pelted male. Oh, I'm not as familiar with the wolves here as Baal is. He's been talking with many others in the past season."


Baal;
Baal falls completely silent for a long moment, taking in what this wolf had said. A small, amused smile dances on the giant male's sharp features. The shadow that the male opposite from him stood in lessened at the moon and stars darkened more. Then, he was able to see the expression he wore but quickly blinked away. Baal narrows his eyes at the strange act, purely out of suspicion. Just what was he thinking?

' And as I told your sister, only time will tell if it's truly such a pleasure to meet me.' This little statement brings a sad smile to Baal’s face, "Please don't think that way. No one is perfect, such as Arani and me. You've seen first hand what trouble we could cause." It's true some wolves are legitimately bad, but Baal seems to see the good in everyone, it can be considered a weakness by some, but he would have to disagree.

For the majority of what is being said, Baal mostly listens with a small, almost unnoticeable smile. His eyes remain sharp and observant as he watches the two other wolves. The black-coated male asks about the valley and its residents. Baal looks toward Arani, who just looks back at him. Taking the hint, he answers it for her. "Well-" Before he's able to finish his answer, another wolf unexpectedly wonders into the area. She doesn't seem to hold as much of a friendly attitude as the three that have already been here, but if there isn't anything to directly provoke anyone, Baal is fine with the presence.

"Ahh. Hello. I'm Baal. I'm not from here but I've lived here for most of my life. However, my sister here is a native." He gestures toward his sister, she knows much more about the area, but he knows the wolves that lived in the area better, "Anyways, I was saying that the area is inhabited by multiple packs, only a single good pack but two of both neutral and evil. All you have to make sure is that you don't trespass in their territory and the pack most likely won't bother you much. Once you get a general feel for the area along with the large number of wolves in one area, it's fairly easy to stay a safe distance from the borders."