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Post by Fierfly on Jun 29, 2018 12:14:24 GMT -5
Epsilon:
He tipped his head and studied the new prosthetic critically. He knew Amora liked to be in control of the finer details - she'd shaved it down from more than this the first time, but he was fulfilling a favor this time, he felt he ought to do more. He studied Amora's good foreleg in more detail, the muscles in the back and how it slimmed down to the "thumb" and ankle and widened out again to her paw - the soft shape, more like a pointed leaf - not as wide and snowshoed as his. The soft pads on the bottom, the claws and how they rested in the protective sheaths... He began trimming again, more carefully this time. First cutting a sharp gouge where the ankle would be and carefully forcing an icy blade up along a curve in the grain. Up, the leg grew thicker and sturdier here - once he cut it off he couldn't put it back on, easy...easy...
He whittled it closer to the desired shape on the front, then rolled it over with one paw and began doing the same on the back, smoothing it out, carving it to fit more exactly...it wasn't really polished smooth by his work - it was a bit beyond his abilities, but Amora could handle that part, he was just getting the basic shape - leaving it a little bigger so she could smooth it down more to suit her fancy. He set it upright and began working away at a hollow in the top for her stub to rest in more comfortably and turned it over again and flattened out the bottom and gave the vague likeness of toes on the paw. It wasn't until then that he realized he'd had an audience. Manaaki was looking with especial interest at the work and Amora was just shy of hovering nervously, but apparently he hadn't done anything yet that didn't suit her or that would force her to intervene - but he wasn't about to push his luck. "That look alright to you?" he asked, propping it upright between his paws.
Amora:
Epsilon worked away at it, patiently and steadily. She started to hover when he began shaving the trunk down more - she'd done that part last time, but he easily proved that his eye was right and his work was steady, so she joined Manaaki as a fascinated spectator. She'd almost forgotten with what finess he used his power - she remembered when he'd extended her the rank of beta - the ice floor he'd made, all the small details and designs in the crystals. Really, he could have been an artisan if he had nothing else to do with his time. He had a good eye for detail and she noticed she flexed his paws in between cuttings, gauging how it moved and studying how it was put together and how it should feel when it was finished. Overall, it was impressive.
He apparently finished with a half-sanding at the bottom to form the silhouettes of toes when he realized how intently they'd been watching. He propped it upright again and asked for her approval. She nodded, "Yes, thank you," whereupon he promptly rolled it over to her. She stood it up wedged between her body and the fallen trunk and tried it on over her stub. Rough inside, but she could sand it down more and add moss to cushion her scars. ...Maybe a little tall for her, but at least she'd have the slack she wanted and it would allow for her to wear it down more - which it invariably would once she began using it more. "One down, one to go," she smirked,
Epsilon:
Amora tried it on for size - he could have gloated, he'd cut it almost perfectly. It did prop her up a bit higher than was natural, but Amora was apparently satisfied with it. Maybe she preferred the extra whisker or two added to her height. She teased him that he still owed her a favor. He fought the urge to roll his eyes, "I'll keep that in mind." he stood and stretched, "Excuse me, I have places to be." to Manaaki, "See ya 'round Manaaki," and cantered off again. The day wasn't so dull really - and now he could enjoy it.
Amora:
Amora admired her new prosthetic - admittedly a bit vainly. It was in more detail than she'd thought to do last time - more realistic. It was still rough and unpolished, but it would suit her needs beautifully. She shuffled her new leg and turned around so Manaaki could see her better. "Whaddya think?". Wait - why was heat rising to her face? Why was his opinion suddenly so important to her?
Because he'd just seen how vulnerable she really was. She was technically crippled, by some freak of nature (Power forgive her, she wasn't ungrateful but it certainly wasn't by typical means that she had this gift) she could carve her own prosthetic - last time she'd stitched it on with needles and fine vines...this was who she really was - she hid her scars in a wooden cast and used it as her other leg because without it she was only at three-paw-drive and there she might have been helpless.
She didn't like it, and often couldn't afford it.
She could here of course, she was safe at home, but she'd had some of these walls up for so long. ...She shouldn't have had an audience for all this, she should have dragged it away and done it in private like last time. She would have been exhausted by the end of the ordeal, but she could have maintained her defenses.
But wasn't she here to try and lower them and let something better in?
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Post by Meds on Jun 30, 2018 15:49:29 GMT -5
Manaaki;
As the carpenter busied himself with the task, and the botanist looked on in near-nervous approval, Manaaki watched with quiet interest. Epsilon certainly knew his way around the situation, and he could see that Amora knew that too. She just seemed slightly less at ease than Manaaki felt. That was fair though, as if there was a mistake, she may-well have to live with it until another tree could be found.
But it wouldn't be long, even in that case. Manaaki would rip up any tree she told him to.
Once it was fitted and Epsilon had taken his leave (with a nod from Manaaki), Amora looked it over. The sunlight filtered through the trees above them and illuminated her in a green-orange glow. It really ought not to be fair, looking the way she did in that moment. Manaaki blinked forcefully and managed an airy smile by the time Amora looked over once more.
"Whaddya think?"
"Beautiful..." Manaaki murmured in reply without a second's worth of hesitation, his voice cool like a breeze in the middle of the night. Pieces of silver flashed under his grey coat as he moved towards her slowly. When he was a few feet away he paused, bending slightly and looking her prosthetic up and down. Well, it would appear that that's what he was doing. His head was at the proper level, but his eyes were angled upward at Amora's own face. A playful, gentle, near-teasing but not quite, smile adorned his face as looked up at her. "Beautiful."
Slowly, his glance moved from her face back to her new leg. Manaaki straightened once more, ever slowly, and met her eyes with a more open smile, now. The valley was her oyster once more—four legs, and free to roam.
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Post by Fierfly on Jul 11, 2018 9:38:41 GMT -5
Amora:
Whether Manaaki approved of the craftsmanship or not, she got a little thrill from once again having the four limbs standard to her species. She was more mobile this way, more complete. Different to be sure, but more like how things ought to have been, closer to perfection, something she was always striving for. If not perfection, then at least for improvement - ever fighting to be better than she'd been, stronger and more resilient to fears and shortcomings, to have a thick armor and resolute determination - will was what really got you through things she knew, so as long as she was determined and worked hard enough, she'd get closer to that goal.
But the armor was proving something of a hindrance to get closer to the ultimatum of perfection - for did not perfection include sharing these hopes and dreams with someone? Fusing to become one in those lofty aspirations? Just as the sun and moon both governed the sky and the seasons all flowed together - especially now in Autumn, where life and death ruled in even hand - the exactness and the sense in the elements working together, as one force of the continuous cycle of time - yes, perfection included an equal.
"Beautiful..."
she looked up - Manaaki - oh! She'd asked him what he thought of her new prosthetic. He crouched down to eye it more closely, she had to agree with him, it was a nice hue of wood - he'd chosen well. The swing of autumn had brought out the milky ivory hue of the wood and it all contrasted nicely with her raven coat. It was splintery - she'd have to polish it down with moss and lambs ears on a rainy day sometime - with the crevices for claws she wondered if she might occupy them and attain an even finer control of her power, continue to practice and work for that perfection.
"Beautiful."
Her thoughts had wandered again! The dark amethyst eyes wandered back to Manaaki's face and she found - almost to her dismay that he was no longer examining the prosthetic, but her face. Heat flooded her skull and she felt the temperature of her ears and cheeks rise significantly - thank the Power she was dark-furred and not too bothered by the heat so her cheek fur didn't fluff and curl like some she-wolves' did! He innocently turned his gaze back to her prosthetic for a moment before straightening and catching and holding her gaze again, that soft, true smile playing about his lips - something a bit more intimate than a tease lurking in the silver eyes... oh no... "Manaaki, I-"
She choked. Choked! For once in her life she had nothing. Nada. Speechless - and as such, powerless.
Out of her comfort zone, and so vulnerable. This was not how she wanted wolves to see her. She fought the hypnotic benevolence in his eyes and ducked her head to hide her head for a moment - she just needed a fraction of a second to hide her curling cheek fur. Blast it all! She'd thought it didn't happen to her! Drat you sometimes Manaaki! Stop, breathe, it had only been a fraction of a second, look at your leg to make it look like you were contemplating his first comment -
She managed to look back up, she was smiling, but one might never have guessed how crazy she felt under the coy little smirk. "Why Manaaki, I didn't take you for a flatterer. Epsilon will swoon from such high praise of his work." She would apologize to Epsilon later! This was an emergency!
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Post by Meds on Jul 11, 2018 23:03:07 GMT -5
((But can we imagine little raven-coloured pups that flash silver when they move?))
Manaaki;
As ever, the moment she realized, nay, suspected that his words might have been directed at her rather than her leg, she panicked. Outwardly she was calm, but Manaaki felt the air around them tighten—as if she had breathed it all in at once. He didn't move, didn't shy away. His smile remained. Instead he stood still, calm, watching her do her very best to hold onto what was proper. She didn't have a very good grip on it.
Manaaki's smile widened.
As she floundered, however, suddenly their eyes met. While she may not have shown it outwardly, the smell of embarrassment suddenly became too strong to ignore. Manaaki didn't snicker or chuckle, he didn't dare, but nor did he look away. This was too good to miss. When she spoke again it was breathless—hesitant.
The amount of innocence and possibility in her voice in that moment as she uttered his name threatened to drive him crazy. A low growl built in his stomach, he could feel it, one not unlike that which he had uttered just as she howled. But this time he fought it down. Didn't make a peep. His smile had faded as he fought not to growl. Surely a sound such as that, in a time such as this, would betray all sorts of thoughts and feelings that at the moment were only being guessed and played at.
She brushed off his comments, saying that Epsilon would be proud of such high praise. Manaaki nodded slowly, shifting his lithe muscles and considerable weight closer slightly. Closing the gap between them almost far enough not to be casual anymore. A root underneath him moaned under his weight as he shifted. He was pretty sure that they both knew he hadn't been speaking of the leg... He chuckled lightly at her mention of Epsilon, for it was as close to a joke as the situation would allow. He was sure the big white beast wouldn't mind. Not in this situation, anyway.
"Amora..." Her name on his tongue, the scent of her with each breath... he had to be careful not to lose himself. The thought of what Kanga would do if such a thing were to happen was unthinkable. Manaaki would never live it down. So instead, he stood up. His shoulders bunched and flexed, and he moved forward—directly at her. Just as he was about to walk right into her, he shifted slightly and passed by, though allowed his neck, shoulder, ribs, then finally tail, to brush her as he went. He realized he had held his breath through the contact. He strode until he came to an overturned tree, the bottom stained in the ash of the forest floor. Manaaki had come to say what was on his mind and sort it out—but Amora was not the type of wolf that one sprung such things on. The initiation would have to be partly hers, or else this wouldn't work.
"You are beautiful." He glanced back at her, only a few feet off. He knew, and she knew that he knew, that they were on exactly the same page... whether they were both reading, or not.
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Post by Fierfly on Jul 12, 2018 9:42:04 GMT -5
((Heheheh, yeeesssssss silvery iridescent hummingbird babies))
Amora:
Poor Epsilon - first she put him to her beck and call as a carpenter, now she was slandering him behind his back and saying he was a silly, fragile beast who would swoon at high praise. Yes, she'd definitely have to apologize before word got back to him that he was a swooner - she made a mental note on that, but tried to smile off the sudden tension in the air. Manaaki's lip quirked obligingly at the jab, but he stayed so very still otherwise for so long that she felt her own pop-up grin begin to sag and wilt. Oh crud - oh Power - oh White Magic please have mercy! No! Maybe she wasn't ready. Maybe this was too fast-
He moved very suddenly, and she finally understood the sensation of freezing deer succumbed to when their killer made the leap that would end their life. He dipped his noble head a bit and brushed so very close to her - her white nose, muzzle and suddenly her cheek were tracing along his neck, shoulder and sides as he began walking past and around her. Now, Amora was not one to be seduced by mere flirting (even if this was very chivalrous flirting), but she suddenly wanted to pull a Ramone and do her best imitation of a canine purr. Hang all of this! She leaned into Manaaki - just a little as he walked past, bracing herself not in an unfriendly way as he turned and her side began brushing against his. Crap! What was she doing?! Oh but it felt good. She'd always been able to identify his scent, but she hadn't noticed before the intriguing balance of flavors and associations she made with it. Cool and dry, something like a riverbed under a willow, and then a strange sort of musty spice to it - she tried to think what would match - ginger? No, that was too bold and bitter. Mint? No, that didn't quite do it either...maybe...well - cinnamon didn't quite do it justice, but it was the closest she could get.
Their contact ended - her shoulders relaxed and drooped slightly. It wasn't that she was disappointed mind you! Just -
Oh Sheba.
What was she getting herself into?
Manaaki turned and his soft, sincere bass came back. "You are beautiful." he insisted. a deep, familiar growl hiding in the back of his throat.
Oh hang it all, of all the lovers she might have - wait, wait!!! Lovers?! She was getting ahead of herself. Get a grip Amora! How to handle this latest development? She didn't want to goad him on - she wasn't fishing for compliments - she didn't want to turn it into a jab that questioned his observational skill (she was sure he'd take it well, but she didn't want to keep evading it now, not if facing it meant she could be that close to him). Oh Madame Irony must have been laughing at her somewhere. The bold, bullheaded betess suddenly shirking the truth and skirting around this confrontation. It was such a soft, simple thing to confront too - it wasn't a matter of life or death as other encounters had been. The intruder in the grove last summer - though she easily could have handled that herself, Manaaki and Kanga had willingly come to her aid regardless - and yet, hadn't undermined her authority or fought the battle for her, it was still her call - Manaaki was careful to respect her position, as he was now. Now just what was her position? "You're awful at beating around the bush Manaaki, whatever you're trying to say - just say it."
Wow Amora, maybe you should practice what you preach.
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Post by Meds on Jul 12, 2018 13:19:41 GMT -5
Manaaki;
The subtle pressure of her against him as she pressed gently back, the quiet sound of her inhaling his scent as he passed—it was elation. He could have stayed there all day next to her, ahh but alas, he moved on. He said his piece, bringing one heavy paw onto the sturdy-yet-fallen log and holding it there. He kept his eyes trained on it in the silence that followed his words. Surprisingly, fortunetly, there were no butterflies in his stomach. No nervousness making his head feel heavy.
He glanced back at her once more, his brow slightly quirked, his lips parted at the edge in the subtlest of smiles that flashed only a few of his teeth. There was a lot going on in that mind of hers, that much was clear... but what was it? As he waited for her answer, the nervousness that he hadn’t yet felt began to try and make itself known. Fortunately, Manaaki was a master of calm. Like a sea just after a storm, how eerily silent and perfect it could be... that was him. It always had been him. Perhaps if he had had no siblings he would have strayed more to the wild side—indeed, he often toed the line with his brother—but as the older sibling, the loved son, the precious protector, being the calm and collected one had become second nature to him. It was comfortable, too. He liked to believe that he had always been meant to be such, and that Kanga’s needs had merely made it happen.
Amora spoke then, pulling Manaaki back to her like the moon pulls the tides. She asked him to spit it out. Ahh, his smile widened. Perhaps a less-confident wolf would have trouble in this situation. Perhaps if he wasn’t so sure of everything, he wouldn’t quite know what to say. Fortunately however, Manaaki was never one to shy away. He gave his mane a shake—considerably more tame than Kanga’s unruly one— and turned to face her fully.
”Who am I to you?” It was not aggressive nor demanding. A simple question, and one that he had been hungry to ask for some time. He smiled softly. ”Our last conversation left with a decision to be close friends. Good friends.” His eyes danced as he looked at her. “And I want to push the boundaries of that. I want you, Amora. In more ways than a close friendship could allow. I want you in all ways, and through all things.” He tilted his chin slightly. This would be a lot for her—but here he was. Whatever he had planned on saying before was gone from his mind. He needed her to know what his thoughts were. It would not be fast, it would not be sudden... but he needed her to know. Let her take it how she would. He would pursue her, as he had done already, until he was told otherwise.
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Post by Fierfly on Jul 16, 2018 10:05:32 GMT -5
Amora:
Why was his presence suddenly so hypnotic? He paced past her and stopped and turned his head back, tipping it inquisitively. Who was he to her? Ah, well that did bear reflection...
Who was he to her? He was a scout - part of her mother's pack, a friend, a companion, a potential lover...blast it all! Think straight about this or so help me-! She had to take a deep breath and count to five before she again began to contemplate the question. He was a friend, a good friend, and they had agreed that they wanted to be good friends. Well - what did that mean? How good of friends? Certainly closer than anyone else...not that that was saying much, she realized that she really didn't have many friends, anyone who was more casual than ranks required could potentially have been a "good" friend. She had such a habit of pushing people away...Manaaki she wanted to draw closer. He intrigued her, challenged her mentally, he was an equal to a degree, kept her on her toes, kept up with her banter and sarcasm and played it almost as well as she did. He asked questions and suddenly had an answer, he was an explorer, an intellectual, there was more to this giant than his size and brute force, he had a solid head on his shoulders and knew how to use it besides as a battering ram or shock absorber. He had plans and dreams and though he could wait to get to them - he was certainly determined to get to them.
Speaking of dreams...
"Our last conversation left with a decision to be close friends. Good friends. And I want to push the boundaries of that. I want you, Amora. In more ways than a close friendship could allow."
Oh, and he was terrifically and reliably honest, didn't leave her to second-guess for more than five seconds at a time.
Deep breath, count to five again, look up at him, don't be afraid of eye contact, he wasn't scary, just big and brutishly handsome - she could at least acknowledge that truth. "This isn't like you Manaaki," she observed, at last back in control of herself, "You've been thinking about this a long time, haven't you?" she almost forgot to answer his question. "You're always so deliberate, you're so careful and wise and...confident. I can always count on you, but...this..." how to explain herself? It wasn't that she objected to the idea, but before she lost her head again, she wanted to do some thinking of her own and have her own confidence in it. "I do see you as a very, very good friend - probably my best friend..." she admitted.
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Post by Meds on Jul 16, 2018 17:40:51 GMT -5
Manaaki;
Manaaki’s head dipped downward, a slightly rueful smile on his face. He kept her in his line of sight though, tilting his head just slightly. Yes, he had been confident she would say something like that. It just wasn’t her, to jump all-in on things. She claimed it wasn’t like him, but that wasn’t entirely true. He thought things through, didn’t rush them. This situation fit in perfectly to that box; however, when she replied that he was a good friend, it was as if he felt a weight drop into his stomach. He had been expecting something along these lines, or perhaps fearing it, but actually hearing it somehow made it worse. He gave a humourless chuckle and gave one gentle shake of his big head.
”Unlike me, you say,” He replied. He was still calm—he wasn’t angry at all. He was unsurprised. And if anything... that made it a little bit worse. ”What is like me, then?” He glanced to the trees above their head, carefully choosing his words so as not to hurt her. ”Am I to stand by Kanga’s side forever? Of course he would never leave Kanga, but the implications in this scenario were different. He shook his head once more, his smile small and somewhat thoughtful.
She highlighted that she saw him as, probably, he best friend. Manaaki didn’t scoff, for such things would have been petty, but he nodded slowly and then eventually sighed. This couldn’t continue on forever; however, as he had already considered, he wouldn’t push her. Then again... pursuing a wolf who was only interested in friendship didn’t seem like a very fulfilling idea, either. It wasn’t everyday that a wolf laid out his heart like that. Ah well. Perhaps he truly was meant to stay by Kanga’s side for the rest of his days.
He gave a slow nod to her, but didn’t say anything. He still wasn’t angry, no Manaaki was too calm a beast for that. He did however shift his eyes to the forest floor, then slowly began to back off the path. Eventually, he turned his back and strode away. There were other things he could be doing—things that made him feel far less let-down.
-Exit Manaaki-
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Post by Fierfly on Jul 18, 2018 12:25:57 GMT -5
Amora:
His shoulders dropped - this time it was in disappointment, but his face didn't change. His features were calm and still as ever - if not for the subtle cues of his body language she might have been entirely lost on how to proceed with this conversation. She'd hurt him. She couldn't see how, everything she'd said was true: To rush in, to be so decisive so quickly and to be so bold was unlike him. He was always so deliberately-minded, so careful not to burn a bridge behind him. He was practically the embodiment of neutrality. Nothing phased him, nothing changed his stance. So what had she said? It couldn't have been that, what else could have effected him?
"Unlike me, you say," It wasn't a question...why wasn't it a question? He wasn't questioning her and her word choice, that didn't bode well in her inner senses. "From what I know of you, yes," let it never be said she wasn't blunt. "What is like me, then? Am I to stand by Kanga's side forever?"
Her light brow furrowed and she considered that. To have a sibling you could trust and be a companion to. Was that such a terrible fate? Wait - why was he ruling it out to be one or the other? She hadn't rejected him! She just needed some time to think about it all first. "Manaaki - just - you are still my friend." she suddenly felt so small in comparison to the giant in front of her. He so big, her so small, suddenly she felt like she'd lost touch with him, she wasn't sure how to reach the calm, aloof shadow anymore. Something she'd said had hurt him and she wasn't sure what it was, why it had, or how exactly to fix it. She opened her mouth to say more when a quiet whoosh of air fled his lungs and he softly padded off.
Amora stood there, slack-jawed and speechless for the second time within ten minutes that day.
Idiot!
What was she doing standing around here like a nincompoop for? She wasn't done with him! She wasn't about to let this mystery persist, they could talk about this! Boldly she took a step after the retreating Scout.
Thump.
She went down, tripping over her own prosthetic as her weight fell out of it and it stayed still when the rest of her moved forward. She went heels over head down a small dip, bruising her head as she went down and the new leg kicking her in the ribs as it flew out from under her. She squinched her eyes shut and shook her head fiercely, lying their dumbly with three of her legs splayed out under her like a clumsy new fawn and one taunting her several strides away. What had just happened? How had such a pleasant day changed so quickly and drastically? Was this it? No! This wasn't the kind of conclusion she'd come here for! And yet..
And yet, if she pursued this, would she be able to change the outcome with another encounter? Maybe it was simply that she wasn't ready for it. The flowers only willingly gave their life in autumn, maybe she needed more time. Oh, she knew what Manaaki wanted, he'd made it clear enough, and it was plain to her now that she at least partially wanted the same. But she wasn't in under her head yet, not in with all her feet. It would take some time to get used to this, to find where exactly she did stand on the matter and to see when she would actually be ready to take that step.
She struggled back to her paws. In the meantime, she had a new leg to polish down, claws to fashion and a harness to design anew. She summoned a vine and carefully scooped up the prosthetic. It wasn't damaged from her fall, just a few pieces of loam sticking here and there. She crawled the vines up around her neck and shoulders like a carrying harness and set off for her den where she could sit with her plants and work out and sooth all the knotted, jumbled feelings and thoughts pounding through her being. Re-orienting herself, she marched off.
-Exit Amora-
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