No more Running (tagged)

[Fierfly]

((Rykett))

Sahandra:

The small, slim she-wolf ran. She ran and ran and ran. She ran from the demon, ran from the gruesome battle that had begun.

From it all she ran.

Finally she slid to a stop, her claws dragging in the rock as she came into a cave near the Mountain she'd just come down from. Pearly gray walls were strangely smooth and almost had an iridescent glow to them, but more importantly they were shelter, cover from whatever might have been tracking her.

As she disappeared into the tunnel, her protector entered with her, matching her ragged breathing as both fought for breath from the long, desperate run. She took the opportunity of trying to catch her breath to study him. He was tall, much taller than her, but at her stunted size, everyone appeared taller to her. His coat was not quite white, but not exactly gray, but more like a pale sheet-rock kind of color, not unlike the chalky white of the cave. Bright yellow-gold eyes were framed in dark stripes and he stared at the floor as he also panted, strong chest and shoulders heaving as he fought to get sufficient oxygen.

What had started out as an innocent ramble in the Barrens had turned into a dangerous game between life and death. A nightmarish killer had pursued her, and the young male she was studying now had been the first to answer her call for help. He kept himself between her and the demon, protecting her. He'd been prepared to fight the brute, but he wouldn't have stood a chance against the giant, and thankfully, a bigger, stronger veteran had fought  the brute instead, distracting him long enough for the younger male to herd her away. She almost couldn't leave the scene, the gruesome, horrible snarling, the spitting, the hateful, greedy, blood-thirsty looks in their eyes had been so hauntingly familiar that for a moment, she'd frozen again.

Thankfully the young male had more sense in him and had herded her away to safety, through an abandoned tunnel to the base of the mountain, and now the caves. She swallowed and panted some more, trying to get her radical heart-rate under control.

[Rykett]

Ruko:

The world was a blur as Ruko galloped. He kept pace with the she-wolf rather easily as they fled the scene together. Ruko had no idea where they were headed, but wherever it was, it would be safer than nearby that brute. As they reached a cavern, Ruko slowed his pace before he entered. He trotted to the winded female's side a couple rapid heartbeats after she'd rushed into the shelter. Looking behind them for any pursuit, his pink tongue lolled out as he panted for breath. He closed his maw and sniffed the slight breeze blowing into the cave. No sign of the two battling males from the Barrens.

"I... I think we... got away," Ruko said between renewed panting breaths, "Are you okay? Did... did he hurt you at all?" He looked at the petite female beside him. Her sandy colored fur melded into a cream underbelly as a succession of deep brown stripes ran down her back. Bright blue markings framed beautiful blue eyes that gave Ruko a lump in his throat. He'd seen blue eyes before. Dark and deep ones that wished him well. Her eyes shone in comparison, bright and cheerful despite the horror they'd just witnessed.

Swallowing what new nervousness arose in her presence, Ruko spoke, "My name's Ruko, what's yours?" It was a struggle not to stutter under that Mediterranean blue gaze.

[Fierfly]

Sahandra:

The small she-wolf nodded as the male got his breath and announced that they were safe. She was glad of that! She didn't think she'd ever been so frightened in her life and she wanted to be away from the horrible things that made her freeze and that let panic take over.

She got back to her feet to check herself over for injuries as he asked if she'd been hurt. No...no...yes. She winced as she put her right, front paw down and studied it more closely. She was a horrible runner and sometimes tripped over her own feet as she dashed - and she had again. Her wrist was dark with a bruise and a small red scrape rested in the middle, but it could have been much worse, so she shook her head. "I'm alright." she assured him.

Her heart-rate was now back under control and she had her wind back. As the young male introduced himself, she was able to concentrate and pay him due respect. Ruko. That was a nice name, short, smart, and easy to say. She smiled, "It's nice to meet you Ruko. My name is Sands-Sahandra-shi-Saoirse-yuh-Devil's-Legend-kha-Wandrering-Survivor."* as she gave her name, her voice dropped, became a bit more guttural and rasped a bit in the throat and she modestly bowed her head and held herself low - as was how she'd been taught.

She looked back up and studied him a bit more. Tall, strong, long legs, gray socks, pink nose, dark badger stripes leading to a trellis down his back. The feature she kept coming back to though were his eyes, his bright golden eyes. Bright, eager, concerned, gentle. Altogether he was quite handsome, but she especially appreciated his eyes.

*(([sahns SAHN-dra shy SEAR-sha yuh DE-vil's Legen kah Wandr'ing Surviv-OAR]))
(([ah like in "father" for Sands Sahandra :: shy as it is :: Saorise is pronounced seer-shuh or seer-sha :: yuh is yup, with the p omitted :: the d is omitted from Legend :: Wandering is shortened to Wandr'ing :: Survivor is pronounced long and hard like an oar, a paddle for a small boat]))

[Rykett]

Ruko:

Swallowing again, Ruko blinked at the she-wolf as she finished stating her name. ’That is a very… long… name. How, by the power, am I ever going to say it without sounding like an idiot… would that be so bad, sounding like an… Of course, that would be absolutely horrible! It would completely ruin any chances I might ha… Wait, what? … I need to calm down. Do I even have to say her name? It would be rude not to. Guess I’ll just try my best and hope for the best, even though my best attempt at repeat… that… will send her running!’ Ruko fidgeted as the thoughts ran through his head. He took a deep breath in preparation of what was to be one of the embarrassing moments of his life.

”It’s very nice to meet you, Sands Sandra shy Series you Devil ha Wanderer Surviver,” Ruko winced. He'd massacred it, hadn’t he. Maybe there was a possible nickname? ”Um… could I just call you Sands?” Looking away from those beautiful, Ruko drew squiggly lines in the dirt. Sands Sandra shy Series you Devil ha Wanderer Surviver was probably very insulted that Ruko had both failed in pronouncing her name and suggested replacing it with a single syllable word.

His golden yellow eyes flicked up once before shifting back down, but in the movement, he noticed the she-wolf’s swollen ankle. Ruko spoke again with renewed concern, ”Are you sure you’re alright? That looks painful.”

[Fierfly]

Sahandra:

She waited a moment for the returned greeting, but was so surprised at how Ruko replied that for a moment she had to puzzle out what he'd been saying. Who was..."Sands Sandra shy Series you Devil ha Wanderer Surviver"? It took a minute for her to realize that he'd been trying to repeat her name! He'd tried to say all of it at once - oh she'd really done it this time. Ruko's down-cast expression and sheepish refusal to meet her gaze more than expressed his embarrassment over tripping over a name and it suddenly occurred to her that the custom she was used to might not be practiced in the Valley.

She felt terribly foolish and was about to assure him that a nick-name was more than welcome when he noticed her favored paw and pressed for assurance that she was not badly injured. Now that she was over her confusion she realized that it was beginning to throb and picked it up off the ground, holding it gently so not to jostle or injure it further. "I'm fine, it happens all the time." she maintained, tucking it close to her chest where it would be shielded and she could press it to still the throbbing a bit.

Now she was going to say something else...oh! "And yes; that was just my whole name, don't feel like you have to say the whole of it every time." she tucked her tail sheepishly in apology and she felt that infuriating blush of hers rise to her face and prick and curl the fur lining her cheeks and her ears collapsed in embarrassment at her foolishness and now her blush.

She blew out a breath in frustration with herself and felt her ears come to alert again. She shook herself over and ran her tongue over her injured paw to try and push the matter aside. Then it hit her - the brawl, the blood-thirsty look on the demon's face...she'd seen it before. It terrified her. "Thank-you," her tone was solemn and sincere now, "for saving my life."

[Rykett]

Ruko:

Hesitant to accept her injury as fine, Ruko doubled-checked, ”You’re sure? If it slows you down or something, we should check with White Magic.” ‘We,’ it slipped out so naturally. Too naturally for a wolf who’d been living mostly on his own for the last couple seasons. Besides, his rational side said, he couldn’t go off visiting White Magic when he’d promised to meet Snow in the next couple days. He was a quite far off from the Hidden Glade territory, their designated meeting location. It would take at least a day to travel there. Meanwhile, Ruko emotions were all over the place. Here he was fumbling over himself around Sands, unsure of exactly what he was feeling.

”Sands, it is then?” Ruko smiled as he spoke in response to her answer about the nickname. Relief washed over him. What a state he’d be in if he had to say that everytime he addressed her. How much would he be addressing her? Was this encounter just a fluk that would end then he’d never see her again? Or would they become close and she’d be as essential as Amora or Blaise had once seemed? Ruko didn’t like thinking too much about the future. There were too many uncertainities. The only future event that Ruko was happy to fixate on was his father’s demise.

Her expression of gratitude caught Ruko off-guard. He wasn’t sure exactly what to say. ‘You’re welcome?’ ‘Who wouldn’t save a she-wolf like you?’ ‘I think I love you?’ Ruko pushed half of them away immediately. Where’d they all come from? He’d just met Sands! ‘You’re welcome’ seemed like a good start though, ”You’re welcome, I guess. Though, I hardly think I could’ve fended off that monster if that other male hadn’t come along,” Ruko paused for a second, ”You, uh, reminded me of someone.” Why had he said that? Sands had reminded him of Amora when he’d first heard her howl, but now it was evident that the two were completely different. Maybe he was trying to justify his reasons for protecting her? Would he not have protected her if she hadn’t reminded him of Amora for that one second? Maybe not… he had wanted to be alone.

[Fierfly]

Sahandra:

"It's fine, really." she insisted graciously. Her wrist was throbbing a bit, but she'd been getting battered and scratched up from little incidents like this her entire life - this one was no different; she knew the pattern, she'd be as good as new in a few days.

Sands - she looked up (she was too short to see Ruko's eyes any other way), baby blue eyes wide with wonder and youthful innocence. Sands. That was a shortening of her name that she hadn't heard in a very long time - almost...yes two whole seasons now. A small sob welled up in her throat as she thought about it: only one wolf had ever called her Sands before - they'd not been so different from Ruko. Looking at him now she could see that they were very similar: the same gentle expression, the dark mask, the protectiveness and strength they both had. A kind turn after a life-time of hard ones was a welcome relief; A soothing touch that was usually out of her reach. He - he really wanted to call her Sands? He was willing to take her to White Magic? "I would like that very much," she nodded, her soft voice mellow and thoughtful, but encouraging and she offered him an assuring smile.

She cocked her head to her left - a habit she had whenever she was listening or thinking - as Ruko replied to her thanks. He was strong and formidable for a young wolf - but he was right to say that the real hero had been their surprise and most welcome visitor. Still, he had been the first and had seen to her personally. If not able, he'd at least been willing and for that she was grateful. "I thank you all the same," she insisted. "The other male would not have gotten to us in time if you had not intervened first, so I thank you."

Her head cocked again: she reminded him of someone? She wasn't sure just how to reply to that. Had she reminded him of a friend? A mate? Had it been a good reminder or one of the painful kinds like her own moments before that was so bitter-sweet? She was at a loss for words. Maybe it wasn't meant for a reply, so she minutely nodded to acknowledge his remark and dutifully tried to keep up the conversation. "So, where are you headed Ruko kha Saver?" perhaps not the most creative thing she could have said - but it would work.

[Rykett]

Ruko:

She was upset. Her baby blue eye shimmered and her expression was melancholy as she met his gaze. Had he upset her in some way? What if he’d not only upset her, but offended her as well? Would she decide to leave? Ruko didn’t want her go, not yet. When she spoke her voice seemed sad, but she said she’d like to be called Sands then she smiled at him. Ruko smiled back, cautiously. Girls could be so confusing. Maybe her sadness was not his doing? Maybe it still was, but perhaps it was a happy sort of sadness, like the type of melancholy Ruko felt when he thought of his childhood. There was no going back to that innocent time now.

The slight movement of a cocking head brought Ruko’s full attention back to Sands. She offer more gratitude to him. Gratitude that Ruko wasn’t sure he deserved, but he smiled again in response to the shower of thanks. ”Any other male would’ve done the same. I just was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time,” had he hinted too much about how beautiful he thought she was. By the Power, he could be such an idiot! He glanced away, embarrassed.

Sands changed the topic and he locked on it, gratefully at first. ”I’m actually on my way to meet a wolf, a teacher actually. He’s said can teach me how to be a better warrior.” ’So that I can kill my father.’ Ruko didn’t let himself say that last part. Sands didn’t seem like a vengeful wolf. She might distance herself from him if she thought he was… evil. Was killing his father evil? No, it was an act of justice! Savu’s crimes were worthy of death. Ruko would just be the one to carry out the consequence of his actions. Killing another was probably viewed as evil for most good and neutral wolves. Well, if Ruko had to join the darker side of the valley to complete his goals, so be it, but he couldn’t say that to Sands. She still saw him as a "Saver."

[Fierfly]

Sahandra:

Ruko persistently denied the significance in his part of the rescue. Stubborn...or maybe determined? Quite determined and perhaps a little shy with his hesitant but so endearingly friendly smile than often melted into a sheepish glance away. She found herself liking his smile and was even a little startled to catch herself studying it. A fun-loving dare-devil twinkle in the pale gold brought out by the charcoal black of his mask brought another familiar face to her memory and a slight crease in the corner of his mouth - not quite a dimple but nothing else would describe it except for a tad crooked. Maybe it was crooked - a slight crooked smile and a devil-may-care twinkle, an adventurer! Maybe in his younger days, now he appeared too shy to be an adventurer, no: she decided it was a dimple.

She had to catch herself in memorizing that smile again in order to pay him proper respect and listen to his reply. He was traveling to meet a teacher, he was learning to be a warrior. She was not terribly surprised. His light, strong build was perfect for it and some natural challenge in him fit him to the role like fins on a fish to water. The power he had would surely help - Cyclone if she remembered the stories correctly. "It suits you," she nodded decidedly, her own small smile gracing her features again.

The rest of his statement sunk in and she suddenly felt guilty. "Oh!" he'd been heading over to meet his teacher - he was still traveling - she'd detained him! "I'm so sorry for keeping you!" she peeked out of the cave herself - it looked peaceful enough. "I suppose you'll want to get going again." Part of her felt she was being good and dutiful and part felt like she didn't want to part ways from his company just yet. "D'you mind if I walk with you? I've nowhere I need to be at the moment and it's nicer traveling with a friend." she had little to no reservation of saying this for in her innocent mind they were indeed friends - however shortly they'd known each other, Ruko had suddenly become a dear, dear friend whom she'd keep close to her heart with all the others she knew and loved so well.

[Rykett]

Ruko:

Ruko’s smile reasserting itself as Sands said the role of warrior suited him. ”Thanks, there’s a lot I want to fight for.” The words slipped out almost without Ruko’s bidding. Were they really true? He wanted to fight his father, but what did he want to fight for. Justice? Revenge? Maybe both, but maybe there was more he wanted to fight for. Maybe he wanted to fight for Sands… and Amora… and Blaise. He’d been willing to fight for her, before, and something told him that he’d be willing to fight for her again.

At Sands’s next words, Ruko was suddenly filled with alarm. Why had he said his mission like that? Was she about to send him on his way, alone, because of it? ”No, no, don’t worry about it. I’d rather talk with you for a bit longer. I don’t mind, and I don’t think he’d mind at all. I-” Ruko rambled a bit. His words overlapping with hers a bit. He stopped himself before he could say something utterly stupid. Then she proposed that she walk there with him. ”That’d be amazing! I mean, I like that very much.” Ruko smiled. Then it registered in his mind that she’d called him a friend. His grin grew wider. A friend! Ruko’s couldn’t remember when he last called another wolf his friend. Ruko padded out of the cave. ”So, um, are you from around here?” he asked as he walked, grasping for a subject of conversion. He turned to meet Sandy’s baby blue eyes as he spoke. What beautiful eyes they were.

[Fierfly]

Sahandra:

Her thick, soft plumed tail wagged in pleasure as Ruko immediately agreed to her request to travel with him at least for a while. No, he didn't just agree, he beamed: her own deep, careful smile broadened at that and as they turned to go out she hurriedly licked her wrist one last time before trying her weight out on it. Not too bad, only minimally painful, but for now it would be easier to keep it up with the steep terrain they were going to be handling, employing a faulty paw here would not be a wise choice.

It might have been said that she easily fell into step beside her friend...if she were closer to his size, but her short legs encouraged her to trip along at her usual quicker pace to keep up with his longer strides: nothing wrong with a good, brisk pace - and besides, she was used to it, she'd been tripping and loping along like this to keep up practically since she'd been born, this was no different. As Ruko's gait became a rhythm, she set her own to match, step, trip-trip, step, trip-trip, step; a quick, mild, easy pace to keep.

Ruko took over the conversation (Thank Goodness! She never had been creative in conversation) and asked where she was from. She could have replied readily, but she actually took some serious thought about it - where was she actually from? It took a moment to reach that far back into her memory. "Mm...no. I was born a ways down South - a place called Sheltered Hillside." There were some good memories of those gentle, velvet hills. "Are you from the Valley?"

[Rykett]

Ruko:

Was he from the valley? Of course. For some reason, Ruko has the urge to lie. He didn’t want to let Sands know about any of the things he’d done and would do. His connection with the valley might lead Sands to wonder at his past and discover his mission. He’d severed his ties with Secluded Sunrise. There was no going back. Ruko opened his maw to begin a tall tale about his past, but he couldn’t lie to those blue eyes. ”I… I was born east of here in the redwood forests. We traveled through most of my puphood though. My family ended up settling back in the forest, but I left around the time when I became a young adult.” Ruko hadn’t meant to share so much, but it just slipped out. Maybe he should try asking questions that he could answer comfortably if Sands tossed the question back at him.

”So, I guess this whole power thing must be a bit strange to you, huh?” Ruko watched his paw flex in front of him as he walked. A tiny cyclone spun to life under it, but was immediately squished into a puff of air as Ruko finished his step. As he used his power, Ruko’s creased as he felt something different about the power. It felt… restless as if Ruko hadn’t pushed its limits. Yet, Ruko knew with a certainty that he’d reached his power’s limits once or twice. Strange...

[Fierfly]

Sahandra:

Maybe she hadn't been so wrong after all. He had traveled and what were travels but adventures? And yet, he didn't have the enthusiasm of an adventurer. His voice was subdued and quiet, a little sorrowful even. Those travels had not been adventures to him, they had hurt him. She ducked her head as he spoke and nodded quietly in some degree of understanding, she knew what that felt like. Sometimes memories that ought to have been happy weren't and settled sad and lonesome in their hearts for a very long time to dull their eyes with the same sad dull that was now in Ruko's.

He gave his head a brief shake and moved on to a different topic. Powers. A baby cyclone puffed into existence under one paw as he took a step and snuffed out when it came back down. An interesting choice the wind, sometimes friend, sometimes foe always urging you on in some direction but where it led was forever a question. That easy, cheerful smile reclaimed her features, "Not really," she admitted, "I hadn't actually seen anybody use their power until today, but I've heard so many stories about the magic Valley that it all feels familiar...like home." so said she decided to give her own gift another try, the light sky-blue and white shone out of her own powermark as she cast a small rainbow over a bend in the trail they'd entered. She'd heard that rainbows were a promise, a chance to try again, and that was what she was here to do.

[Rykett]

Ruko:

Ruko met her gaze again as she spoke. Like home... It was strange to Ruko that someplace could feel like home to a wolf when the wolf hadn't spent long there. Perhaps Sands hadn't had much of a place to call home so she searched for a home in the numerous stories she'd been told, but then again Ruko had barely met the she-wolf, what did he know? He knew nothing of Sands's past. He knew his own though. Just as his family had finally settled, he'd set off on his quest. Had Ruko ever known a home?

The blue light of the water element sparkled from Sands as she summoned a rainbow above their path. Sands had a power, too! Rainbows had always been symbolic. To Ruko, they meant hope. They were something beautiful during a dark storm. Ruko smiled. There was hope in his future. The completion of his mission was in sight. His power seemed to be growing in strength. And Sands... Ruko would just have to see where that led. "Home is where the heart is, right?" Ruko wasn't sure if he ever truly had a home, but his heart seemed set on finding one, eventually. Meanwhile his legs carried him towards the future he dreamed of.
-Exit Ruko-

[Fierfly]

Sahandra:

Ruko's pale golden eyes widened slightly at the soft glow above her heart and he looked forward to where the rainbow hung suspended over their trail. Then he smiled. She loved his smile! It was soft and endearing and the little crooked corner had a strange bit of roguish charm left over from his pup-hood. Had he been mischievous and adventurous? Possibly. She really didn't know much about Ruko kha Saver - other than that he had a good heart (that was plain to her sight) and perhaps from the lonely dull that crossed his features from time to time, he needed a friend. She could be a friend.

"Home is where the heart is, right?"[/i] That made her smile even more broadly, soft and light and hopeful, like a cub - the cub she still was on the inside. "Yes, where the heart is." she quickened her pace cheerfully and skipped once or twice alongside Ruko's steady strides and long legs and pushed on beside him, hoping.

-Exit Sahandra-