The Margins

Marco listened intently as the newest water-like wolf told her tale. He was rather interested in the beginning, but when the fire became destructive, he automatically blocked her out. Marco didn't want anybody or anything to shift his views on the bright flames. As soon as the story was over, Aphrodite began to talk to the wise wolf and the golden fire fae walked away. He could've sworn she seemed uneasy, but Marco wasn't exactly sure about her in the first place.

Then it began to rain.

The young brute had never liked the rain. It was cold and wet and made his fur cling to his sides. He felt heavier and it made it harder to run. But most embarrasingly, it made him quake like a leaf.
Marco started to shiver like he was just thrown in a freezer. He glanced and Aphrodite momentarilly. Should I leave her? She seems fine with the other... he mused in his head. Making up his mind, he got to his paws. "I have to go for a second," he called over the splashes of rain to the white pup. By a second, he meant when the rain ended, but Marco wasn't about to admit that. Acting out of pure instinct Marco headed to where the bright wolf (Blaze) was sitting. He ran quickly over, but warily kept his distance between himself and the flaming fae. Marco wasn't sure how to act, but he sensed that she was one to be wary of; so instead of lingering there and waiting to see what she woulf do, Marco decided to take a chance and talk to her.

"H-hi. I'm Marco. What's your name?" he said with mild bravery. He had forgotten that he had already introduced himself to her. Marco tried too look up at her, but he was afriad she would get angry. Instead he concentrated on the flames licking at her feet.

Aphrodite felt a paw on her head. It was warm and had,wood on it? She looked at Audric's paws and was astounded to find a little forest of tree branches and leaves growing on his paws. She sniffed them and they smelled of the forest, but of course they would, they are touching the earth.

Rain started to pelt her coat.

Rodite looked up, but not for long as the rain blinded her. She closed her eyes and rubbed them with her paws in attempt to see again. Growling and rubbing her eyes profusely, she finally was able to see clearly. The fiery fae, probably and Ignis wolf, sat under a tree where the rain did not fall. Aphrodite smirked, but hid it in her eyes. Fire opposes water, earth opposes air. The rain picked up it was driving in the wolves faces now. Aphrodite sniffed at the air, but only got rain in her nose. She flicked her tail nervously, for the pup didn't like storms, or hail.

Dobharchu watched the two cubs go their ways. Her tale, she realized, may have been one the male wouldn't have liked the end to. His inattention seemed purposeful. No matter, the story was meant to reassure the female. The young male didn't seem to have the same fears she did. She intently watched the firey femme's reaction to his approach. From the positioning of the female, the water wolf guessed that she was as likely to chase the cub away as she was to speak to him cordially. Some wolves did poorly with younglings. She herself had little in the way of maternal nature, but she knew a lot of stories, which often seemed to fill that void, making her an affable, yet stern teacher.

She had a story for him too, of course. Perhaps he would like to hear about Lomari the fox. She was a cunning fire creature, even if she wasn't a wolf, and often gave the other beasts of the forest a run for their money. Or perhaps Ulfur Ra Dagoah, the first wolf, a a brave warrior who could summon volcanoes from the earth. These tales were often Dobharchu's only comfort as a cub, and the thought of passing them on to the next generation seemed proper, and gave her a sense of warmth.

However, the cub would be taught early to fear water, due to his fiery nature. Few ever learned the connectivity of the elements, how fire and water tempered one another, and had to work together to create all life. Strengths and weaknesses matter more in a competitive environment. However, she was beginning to realize that no element dominated another here, but instead stood as subservient to greater power, embodies in the three leads of these lands.

The rain did little to impact the she-wolf. While the algeous plantlife on her back absorbed some of the water, the rest ran off her coat and did not penetrate to the skin, as it did some of the others. Her eyes, used to the water, flicked closed a second eyelid when the water became too heavy, but otherwise her sight was not impacted.

Again her thoughts turned to the cubs. The alphas and the three higher wolves seemed ready to preoccupy themselves with this new threat to their way of life. Would they have time to teach the younglings? Perhaps that would be her service to offer them, she mused, her face set as to not reveal her thoughts. There were no water cubs, but what she could teach them about their elements made no matter. She herself had much to learn still. However, how to live and work in a pack, how to honor their elders, respect pack mothers, and in time, how to treat the next brood of younglings, were all needed skills. These lessons were intensive, immersive, and would require a full time teacher, for they had no parents to be seen to teach them. The question of how the alphas would determine the care of the cubs intrigued her still, for she could not begin to assume how this question would be handled yet.

(sorry about my inactivity. I had a little diversion. Anyway, let's just pretend Karatavuk arrived a long time ago with Aeria. Though at the moment I really don't have anything for Kar to do, so I will leave it at that.)

Audric was the first to comment that he could not hear the trees. She could empathise with him. Having a usually busy world become silent gave one a sombre feeling indeed. Kamea looked up as rain started to fall. Not long after, Quill arrived. His weather control did not seem to be as affected but then again his power was stronger. Seeing his look she had to concentrate to pick up his thoughts, even then they were distant. "Please just talk, it is difficult right now..." she told him.

Blaze had gone off to sit where the rain didn't fall, the young Ignis following her. Kamea could only watch the wolves in front of her, as she tried to make sense of it all. Erasmus too nodded his own agreement to her question. "What are we going to do...?" she whispered softly, feeling at a loss.

(lame...)

"I can't see the air. It's-it's like someone took them from me..." Karatavuk mumbled. Everyone's own abilities were deminishing. The rain hit his soft feathers, and he looked to the ground. He spread one large wing to cover the young Ales, Aeria, from the rain. He didn't say much after that. A nervous tick made his wings flick a few times, and his gaze had turned to fix on the sky, where his beloved air had turned its back on the species that depended on it.

Dobharchu's gaze set on Kamea, serious and stony. With the second lid over them, she looked almost blind. With the water dripping off her black and autotrophic pelt, she looked almost frightening. Her tone changed from the way she addressed cubs, as Dobharchu the storyteller changed into Dobharchu the Shaman, once revered by another pack in another place.

"Do?" She asked softy. There was no harshness to her tone, but there was a sense of urgency in it. "My lady, before I came to this place I dreamt of it. I cannot say it was a good dream, but I feel I must share it with you now." She moved toward the female and her companions slowly as she spoke, but focused solely on Kamea.

"In my dream the Deep waters told me to cross a great mountain and enter a valley where I would find something marvelous, but also a place of great danger. I was lifted up by the storms and flown over a mountain peak and into a valley, where I found a little orchard. The orchard was vibrant and its trees were full of fruit. However, as I watched, dark shadows came over the mountains and began to pluck the fruit and leaves and branches off of the trees, devouring them. I saw the trees shudder and cry out, for they would be left with nothing, and would soon be swallowed up themselves.

"I asked the Deep why the trees did not defend themselves, and it told me that they could not even see their attackers, much less protect themselves from them. An unknown enemy is much more dangerous than one who has already been faced."

Dobharchu shook her head, as though to apologize. "I then awoke, feeling very cold and very afraid, much like I did just a short time ago, when I met your pack in the plains." Careful to show proper deference, she sat lightly before the female, opening both sets of her eyelids to show her eyes, and her intent, more clearly.

"There is little that can be done against an unseen enemy. I dream, and I learn from it, but it is a sight that is unreliable. I will pray on this, however, and commune with the lakes and ponds, who are the eyes of the earth, but I can learn but little. Someone should go and learn more of this threat, and gather good evidence. A tree that knows the birds grows poisons to ward them from its fruit." After a pause, she added softly, "I do not mean to presume so much, my lady, but I promised to offer whatever aid I could. In a past life, my people looked to my sisters and I for guidance during war or strife, and for this reason called us the Dark Seers. We offered only what advice we could to counsel our alphas, and even that, I'm afraid, was not always enough."

The words of the female, Dobharchu as Aphrodite recalled, were courage building. She felt as though she was the one who was supposed to look for the birds, for she was a small target to spot in the forest. She knew how to defend herself. Rodite listened in more, but none came from the wise wolf. The large pup sat back on her haunches heavily, the rain taking full effect.

Her claws dug into the earth in anticipation of a plan. She was going to sneak off and impress the adults in finding the birds. The strange vultures that pluck the powers of my pack members and rid us of our pride. The knowledge flooded Rodite so quickly she brought a paw to her forehead in a weak attempt to calm her headache.

Growling and shaking her head she stood up and looked to the skies, unaffected by the water droplets now. The storm had begun to lessen, as it was running out of the great life source, water. The young, ambitious fae smiled wide knowing she was close to safety, yet so far from protection.

[[sorry for my inactivity - I've been rather busy and unwell]]

The golden female sat in silence as she learnt of the water wolf's name, a smile taking place on her features as she watched over their quickly growing numbers. She was calm, her muscles relaxed as she allowed a contentedness to befall her. Kamea's words shattered this though, uneasiness quickly taking hold of the young Charmed One. Powers? Gone? She still was not sure of the extent of her own power, only that she could feel and influence other's emotions, and now that she thought about it, there was a sudden emptiness. A wave of panic overtook her as she tried to keep a straight face, her entire body tensing with the strain of reaching out her mind, only managing to brush faint smudges of emotion coming from those around her.

Wordlessly she slumped back against a tree, seeming to retreat into herself at the absence of her power. She had come so accustomed to feeling others that she now felt hollow without it, powerless against everything around her. It was like losing her sense of touch. She could still see and hear everyone around her, but it was dulled, blurred without that deeper connection there. To her, it was worse than being blind.

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she tried to tune back into the world around her physically, though she felt completely isolated without that sixth sense.

"There is little that can be done against an unseen enemy. I dream, and I learn from it, but it is a sight that is unreliable. I will pray on this, however, and commune with the lakes and ponds, who are the eyes of the earth, but I can learn but little. Someone should go and learn more of this threat, and gather good evidence. A tree that knows the birds grows poisons to ward them from its fruit."

The sapphire eyes of the female lowered - she wanted nothing to do with whatever dark force had stripped her of her connection with life. Then again, they brought a rare, brewing anger in her stomach that had not existed within her for many years and made her want to rip them apart with violent fervour. That such malicious thoughts had come to her mind startled the female, her feathers ruffling as she looked up.

"Maybe they need a diplomat to meet them," she found herself saying before she had truly thought it through, pausing for a moment before continuing in a softer voice. "I've had to deal with unpleasant foreigners before, maybe I should go." She still wasn't sure if she even wanted to see them, but she had to know what could so swiftly and aggressively make her feel utterly alone.

The female crouched silently beside the undergrowth, blending in partially without noticing. She scented the air. [i]Two!{/i] her mind shrieked. The femme rose, he pelt blending in with the changing scenery, and walked towards the pulsing in the earth. She halted a few paces away from the closest Charmed One [Kamea] and focused on un-blending herself. Once the female no longer had the sensation of being hidden she took another step, evening herself out.

"I'm Allaya. Terra Lupus. You're a Charmed One. I can tell." she blurted. The white female pointed her wide, cloudy eyes at Kamea. "What's your name?" she asked in a curious, but fairly exuberant manner.

Her ear flicked as Karatavuk told of his inability to see the air he could usually control. They were all finding tough going without the things they were so used to. Her attention turned to Dobharchu as the female water wolf spoke. The dream she spoke of did nothing to help quell Kamea's fears. However she got the point of her message. "You're help will be appreciated," she told her.

The grey Charmed one looked over at her sister of sorts. The bright yellow wolf was offering to face the unknown threat. Kamea though it was very brave of her, especially since in comparison all she wanted to do was fly away.

A short cry of alarm left her as a Terra came out of no where. Not having her sense of awareness was really getting to her, starting to make her jumpy when things came up. She was used to having so much more warning. Calming down she looked at the female. Her eyes were not right, causing her to come to the immediate conclusion that the white wolf was blind. "I'm Kamea."

Ally smiled. "Why'd you yelp? I'm not that scary am I?" she laughed. "It's nice to meet you Kamea, now. If you're a Charmed One, why didn't you notice me coming?" she asked the female in front of her. Allaya sat and began to scratch behind her ear. "It's not even itchy, I'm not sure why I scratch it." she said, forcing her paw down. The white wolf turned her cloudy eyes up. "The air feels thick to breath. Like it's gonna rain. Is it cloudy?" she asked, unaware of the rolling of the events.

Laya shook her head. "Never mind, I was really going to ask if you knew any other Terran. You see, I'm not even sure that I am of the Terra Clans, but I can see through the earth, so I'm assuming. So, do you know any?" her voice bright and innocent, completely oblivious to the strange feeling in the air she breathed now.

Kamea let a smile slide onto her lips, hiding how she truly felt about the female's first comment. Standing she walked around the larger white female, silent as she walked behind her before coming to stand by the other's face. "You are a Terra, Allaya and indeed there are some right here." She glanced at Audric and Aphrodite, out of habit, when talking about someone. Looking back to Allaya she said, "You can join their clan if you like Audric is the leader and just over there."

The female wondered why the white female could still use her powers, which was apprently being able to 'see through the earth' something that must be useful for one who is blind. Kamea figured it was because she had only just entered the area. "Don't be alarmed if your 'sight' diminishes. Something is blocking all our powers."

Turning from the newcomer she went over to her brother, giving him a nudge on the shoulder. "Any more ideas you want to pitch in?" she asked.

Ally smiled, her 'vision' was indeed, getting less clear with every heartbeat. "Thanks uh.. Kamea," she remembered the fae's name after a moment of hesitation. She took a few steps and stumbled, random pulses coming from around the earth her paws were on. She bumped into a wolf and knew that is wa a Terra, "Audric?" she said the name of the wolf she had walked into.

The pale female widened her eyes, hoping to find some sight or sense of direction. "Ok. I can't see anything, huge pulses everywhere. I'm gonna freak out in a moment." she said, her tail down and fear plain on her face. The femme's ears were pinned back and she shook her head, looking at each of her paws in turn. "Ok. I don't know who you are, but seriously. Get me somewhere safe. 'Cause I'm about to freak out and attack myself. I can't see. Ohmygosh." the white wolf began to hyperventilate and walked in a crooked line, stumbling straight through a stream and walking into a tree.

Aphrodite saw the blind wolf and knew immediately the powers she had to see where gone. Diminished. The white female walked over and brushed up beside the Terra female reassuring her she wasn't alone. "Hi there, I'm Aphrodite. This is, as you say correctly, Audric. I can see that you cannot see. You must use vibrations, or your ears. Anyways it's alright, just don't move off to your right. There's a stream." Rodite, a growing young pup, smiled large. Audric, however, was just standing there. The laid-back fae pressed her paw on his, getting his attention.

"Audric is quiet. Very reserved I'd say. What's your name?"

(fail. She just had to do something "heroic" lol)

"Hi there, I'm Aphrodite. This is, as you say correctly, Audric. I can see that you cannot see. You must use vibrations, or your ears. Anyways it's alright, just don't move off to your right. There's a stream."

Ally slowed her breathing, though her heart was still beating wildly. "Hey Aphrodite. Yeah, I see through the vibes in the earth. I'm blind. I'm helpless right? I can hear the stream. I wasn't about to step in it." she spoke with a fair amount of pride. The female sighed, "Sorry. I don't take kindness." she turned and trotted towards the stream, stepping on a sharp rock and wincing.

"Audric is quiet. Very reserved I'd say. What's your name?"

Allaya nodded, "I noticed. My name's Allaya." the white femme lapped up some water from the icy stream. "Why are our powers diminishing?" she asked, her tone hardly friendly.

Dobharchu's eyes narrowed at the mention of a diplomat. She felt a twitch in the corner of her mouth, and an uneasy feeling in her belly at this suggestion. "If I may be so forward, wise one," she responded to Misae's suggestion. She lowered her voice in turn, "But we do not know if the shadow is something with which we can negotiate." When the light caught her grey eyes just so, the shone almost white. She offered a quick semblence of a smile, but then her face hardened once more. "Does the wolf negotiate with fire? I would perhaps suggest reconnaissance first, to see if we are meeting a foe or a force. One can offer kind words to a fox, but for a fire one needs a quenching storm."

She gave a swift glance to the newly arrived female, a terram wolf. She kept quiet and did not acknowledge her, focusing instead on the issue at hand. Turning her attention once more to the Kamea and Misae, she allowed a softening of her features momentarily. "Your guiding light is needed by these wolves, my lady." She said to Misae. "You must not risk yourself without our knowing of the chance of success."

She did her best to remain calm, even though she herself became anxious as well. She did her best to keep her voice down as she offered counsel, so that the other wolves would not hear an outsider so brazenly suggesting to the Charmed Ones.

"Your powers have failed you, but this is no cause for worry, as you are wolves yet. We all are. My nose, my teeth, and my spirit are as able as my mundane kin, and have not failed where my elemental strengths have. Call together your alphas, send them to the sky, to the rivers, to the forests, and tell them to learn all they can about what plagues these lands."

(I honestly don't know the details about the Ignisi. I heard their fire doesn't go out in water, so this post is based on that assumption. Correct me if I'm wrong, please.)

There was a strange, unsettling tension in the air. A shockingly cold rain drop landed on the dark Ignis' snout. Sear gazed skyward, observing the clouds. Something was wrong, but she couldn't quite recognize what. Frowning in contemplation, the loner paused at the mossy shore of a stream. Abruptly pulled into her mind, Sear became agonizingly aware of the fact that there was an unknown force suppressing her power.

The rain was distasteful and uncomfortable, but Sear shrugged the feeling off her broad, smoky black shoulders. There was no way to avoid it. She understood that all elements -- even those that opposed fire -- had a purpose and were all interconnected. One could not survive without the other.

Shaking her head slightly and dismissing the apprehensive atmosphere, Sear stepped somewhat hesitantly into the water. She was not agile enough to maneuver on top of the boulders and stepping stones stuck in the bed of the stream. She would slip and fall into the water anyway. Best brave the discomfort and reach the opposite shore as quickly as possible. Sear could see the group of wolves -- most strange and unique in some aspect -- mingling on the other side.

Confidently lifting her muzzle and hissing ears to their full height, Sear submerged first her legs, then her shoulders, into the piercingly icy liquid. Thankfully the current was not particularly forceful. The chill was, though. Immediately the Ignis' teeth began to chatter, and her instincts told her to retreat. Her crown of flames spat in protest, but Sear thrust herself forward, blood red eyes squinting against the heavy rain.

There was no way to avoid the wet element. The wolf, earlier in her life, had learned it was better to embrace the unavoidable forces of nature than to try to avert them in vain. Sear willed herself through the deepest waters, welding her eyes shut from the bitingly freezing liquid. Finally, after what was a somewhat painful and certainly bitter trek, the Ignis' paws met the earth. With unusual exuberance Sear burst from the waters, sighing blissfully as her paws, the flames subdued but still burning, steamed and roared in newfound freedom.

But the glee of braving water did not last long. The very marrow of her bones could have turned to ice as the air met the frigid water in her coat. Shuddering from the arctic chill, Sear locked her eyes on her quarry: other wolves. Hopefully meeting these fellow wolves was worth the disconcerting price.

Wary of approaching complete strangers, but still having to fight the fiery impulse to run up to them joyfully, Sear lurked at the water's edge, eyeing the wolves expectantly.

(All of the information regarding the species can be found in The Handbook board^^ )

"My name is Blaze."
Marco noted that to himself, being sure to commit her face to memory. He was never good at reading emotions, But she seems to bo ok with me, he thought to himself hopefully. He was thinking of how to react when the golden fae bent down next to his head. His first thought was she was going to tell him a secret, but no words were exchanged.

That's when a warm pleasant feeling started to spread from his inner right ear to the rest of his ear. For a moment he thought she was breathing in his ear, so automatically he flinched away. But the sensation didn't stop. It just felt like something was warming deep within his ear. He lowered himself to the ground in confusion when B;aze spoke again.

"Welcome to the Incedu Clan, Marco,"

"The Incendu Clan..." he half repeated and half questioned. He squnited his eyes questioningly at her, giving his small glare once again, just to be sure she wasn't joking him. Whatever the Incendu clan was. But Blaze wasn't paying much attention, it seemed. She had her eyes trained on something further away. Marco tried to also look, but his gaze couldn't pass the hurdle in which the other older wolves' bodies presented. He was curious as to what the femme was looking at.

Sear trembled in the intense chill, grimacing against the rain. The flames enshrouding her paws and licking at her scarred ears hissed and flickered, detesting the droplets hailing down upon them. The Ignis' long, normally somewhat lively and bouncy coat was weighted down, dripping heavily and sticking shaggily to her bulky build. Even the mossy greens beneath her blocky paws were only steaming. It was a tremendously uncomfortable situation, what with the mysterious force dulling her power and the penetrating cold that bit into her bones.

Sear was about to present herself to a group of authoritative-looking wolves when she caught the eye of a figure who looked strangely familiar. Vibrantly colored and huddling against the rain with a pup was an Ignis.

Could it be?

Sear had to blink for a few seconds in utter disbelief before she could correctly process the information. A crown of flames crackled atop the wolf's head, and her paws charred the life beneath. Next to her was a male pup, one ear burning brightly. Her scarlet eyes lit up and she couldn't help but approach them. It wasn't every day that Sear encountered others like her. Lumbering forward, eyes trained on the Ignisi, Sear pushed -- somewhat rudely -- past the other wolves and came to stand a meter away from the fiery strangers.

After taking a tense, still moment to gaze curiously at the fire wolves, Sear spoke up, "I'm Sear." But her voice seemed to vanish after that. Despite the wetness of the atmosphere around them, the Ignis' mouth went dry. She wasn't sure what to do exactly. In most cases, the loner would act mostly indifferent and certainly prepared for anything the other wolves threw at her. But this was definitely something else.

(I had some trouble trying to decide how she would react. So yeah. I'll make her awkward. xD)