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Post by Hunter on Apr 5, 2013 19:31:22 GMT
There had been no fun or glory in the fight against Lexis. No feeling of sweet revenge or great victory. It’d been nothing but a slaughter. What had the Lexis Tribe been thinking?! Attacking without prober soldiers! Fore sure they’d left their mark on the pack; slithered the throat of several canines posted at different places on the Tempest Pack’s territory before the real force of soldiers had been sent out to fight the enemy. But the cats and dogs of Lexis had still fought in vain, however great their intentions might have been to them. The sounds of their cries still echoed in his mind as they were pushed off Tooth Cliff only to be silenced by the waves eating them in the ocean beneath. Tempest had succeeded, but it was no great victory. At least not for Ryu. Surely it was good that some felines had been killed, but no matter how little he had come to care for felines, it was still the Iris Pride that was worst. It should have been them to fall off the cliff that night.
The young dog padded along the pier of the Waterfront Marina in the northern part of Hexasol. It was great being near the ocean in these months where it’d been terribly hot, and Ryu had come to like the Marina and still strolled there from time to time though the heat was slowly ceasing. The Marina was obviously near water and it was a fairly calm place – not many creatures ventured here, only the cries of seagulls at their nests broke the silence from the calm waves against the big, splendid boats. At least… once splendid. It’d been many years since the humans had fallen due to an unknown sickness and that was clearly to be seen on the humans’ creations that continued to grow only duller each year. Who knew if the humans even would recognize much if they somehow returned? It was as if nature was taking over their once tamed world. Not that Ryu knew much about humans – after all, he’d been born two years after they’d disappeared.
He lowered his front body to gaze at his own reflection, a rogue black and white patched dog looking back at him with bright eyes. Why should he be such a sad-face? Wasn’t it better that they’d fought back instead of just letting the Lexis Tribe eliminate them? What was done was done. Lexis had chosen their own fate as soon as they’d crossed the borders with evil intentions. He wagged his tail slightly as he stood straight again. The pack was safe once again, he was free and unharmed, and Iris was quiet lately. He didn’t know what they were planning, he only knew that the pack would be ready if the enemy should choose to move.
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Post by Picasso on Apr 6, 2013 12:49:26 GMT
A lone figure walked parallel to the ocean. The lion had grown accustomed to the intense heat of Summer. He was not born and bred in Africa, but his ancestors had been. Whilst his mane was sweltering, Denim's short fur made it easy to be out in the hot sun. Stopping for a moment, Denim looked out at the twinkling ocean. The sun made it almost blinding to look at, and he quickly averted his attention to the bobbing boats. They sometimes knocked against each other. Some had bells on their masts that still rang at any movement. Heaving a sigh, he continued his walk. It had been many months since Natiri had left him, and Denim was at a loss. Take was now an adult who didn't need a father. He was alone once more, and it was almost unbearable. He just couldn't understand why his best friend had disappeared in the dead of the night. Denim worried that the Iris had taken her, but there was no easy way to find that out. It was more likely she had left the city altogether, in search for something new. Denim clenched his jaw in sadness. He couldn't grieve for a friend who had not died. She may, one day, return. Denim wasn't sure how he'd react.
Stepping onto one of the boats, the lion sat down to admire the scenery. A few weeks ago, The Lexis Tribe had perished. They had been ruthlessly slaughtered by the Tempest and Iris. The thought sickened Denim. The Lexis had wanted nothing but peace. He remembered meeting the funny little cub, Course, who had shown such promise in the Lexis. Instead, he'd left, presumably figuring the Tribe was a lost cause. Denim had once wondered if he could take over the Tribe, but he had no wish to lead like his mother or brother. He wanted to live out his life as a nobody. He had had his little family; Natiri and Take, and they'd been happy. Until it had all fallen to pieces. Taking a deep breath, Denim shook the depressing thoughts away. Lexis was gone, and Tempest and Iris were thriving. This war would never end, and it sickened the tawny lion to the core.
A scent made Denim look up in surprise. He hadn't heard any movement, but as he gazed out at the marina, Denim was startled at the black and white canine who was looking at his own reflection. He recognised that canine, but it took several moments for Denim to figure out where. The Iris Pride. This had been the canine Denim had aided in the rescue. That day had been chaos, and it had resulted in the death of the poor Akita. With a sinking heart, Denim stood from the boat. This dog, Ryu, was a Tempest. Nevertheless, Denim wanted to speak with him. They hadn't a chance in the Iris territory. Everything had happened so fast, and Denim had focused on returning the Akita's body to the Tempest Pack.
Hesitantly, Denim stepped off his boat and made his way over to Ryu. He was careful not the startle the dog. Clearing his throat, he kept his distance, and sat down a few metres away. He hoped Ryu wouldn't blindly hate all felines, especially one who had helped rescue him, but Denim couldn't be sure. "I hope you're well," Denim began neutrally, locking his gaze with Ryu's.
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Post by Hunter on Apr 6, 2013 18:06:08 GMT
The boats gently bobbed together from time to time as the waves moved them, but a sound louder than the normal made the Canaan dog look around. Someone was here, and it didn’t take him long to find the big, tawny creature that slowly approached him. At first he thought about running away – there was no way he could fight a full grown male lion all by himself, but the neutral scent on the feline made him hesitate. The features on the big cat’s face were calm and no tension was found in his strong muscles. There was no hostility, no signs of attack or provocation. But even though the lion looked friendly enough, his white and black patched fur still bristled as he held back his lips from curling up in a snarl. Lions always meant something bad. Capture, torture, death… and yet, something seemed to be so familiar about the big creature now sitting in front of him. The lion’s words made his ears perk up in surprise. They knew each other? And that was when it hit him. The brown eyes, the friendly face. He knew this lion, had seen him before. But who was it? His eyes narrowed as he thought back, looking into the lion’s eyes as if searching through his soul, trying to think back, trying to remember the light of hope in the painful darkness.
”Denim?” he asked, growing more sure as soon as the name left his lips. Yes, the lion in front of him right now was indeed the same that had come into his cell that day, helping in the rescue just on the same day as his pack had come after him. For a moment Ryu didn’t know what to say, his face flickering in different emotions of the memories and the strange encounter; disbelief, pain, confusion, anger… And a smile of wonder. ”I… Yes, I mean, thank you… I… hah,” he stopped once again, blinking a few times with his brown eyes as if to make sure the lion actually was standing there. ”I am... Thanks to you… you helped me, us, getting out of there. You brought back Nikita,” his words got caught in this throat by the thought of his best friend’s mother having left this world while trying to reunite herself with her daughter. Hueso hadn’t been seen much since - a pain in itself to see his great idol grief so much. But he didn’t blame the Tempest General. After all he had no idea how hard a time it was to lose your mate. ”What about you?” he asked, looking the lion up and down. He was glad that Denim was keeping his distance, though he wasn’t as suspicious as when they’d first met. Denim was a feline, but he’d left Iris long ago and helped with the rescue because he thought what Iris did was wrong. Even though Ryu didn’t feel completely safe in his presence, and had many mixed feelings about this encounter, he at least owed to show some kindness toward Denim and not just ungratefully turn his back on him just because of the fact that he wasn’t a dog.
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Post by Picasso on Apr 6, 2013 22:12:44 GMT
Denim was hesitant as he watched an array of emotions pass across Ryu's face. He was careful not to get too close and appear threatening. Denim was aware of his size and knew it could look intimidating. He often wondered whether he should have been born as a simple cat. Then he wouldn't be so feared. Size had been something his mother had adored. She enjoyed feeling superior and having felines and canines alike cower at her presence. Denim found his size to be limiting from the day he was born. Heaving a sigh, he listened to Ryu's awkward gratitude with a smile playing on his lips. He was glad Ryu wasn't afraid or threatened by him, and was willing to hold a conversation. The lion had noted the slight prickle in his fur, but that was understandable. After all, he was a lion.
"It was no problem, what they were doing to you was disgraceful." Denim shook his head in disgust. Whilst Denim didn't agree with the Tempest's morals, he preferred their atmosphere. They weren't bloodthirsty, mindless monsters. They were a family w cared for each other. There was no torture or kidnapping. Why had Florence not built a community like that? Because she'd been utterly insane. He was still in shock that the Pride had lasted as long as it had done. How many insane cats are out there? He thought caused a shiver to ripple down his spine. There was no use thinking about that.
When Ryu mentioned Nikita, Denim bowed his head in agreement. She deserved to rest in peace in her home territory. It had been a spur of the moment decision, but Denim didn't regret carrying her body back to be laid at rest. He owed it to them, after the terrible things his family had done to them. The question was then directed at himself. Taken aback, Denim wasn't sure how to answer. Lonely? Depressed? At a loss at what to do with himself now? Ryu didn't want to hear such negativity, so he just forced a smile on his lips. "I have been as well as I'll ever be. I won't be stepping paw in any pack territory again, that's for sure." He joked with an empty laugh.
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Post by Hunter on Apr 12, 2013 13:40:11 GMT
”It was no problem, what they were doing to you was disgraceful.” Ryu nodded, looking slightly away at the memories. He had no words for an answer to this, but Denim was right. Ryu had never held any useful information to the Iris Pride. Keeping him alive hadn’t been of any real use for them, he could never have given them an advantage in the war. Sometimes Ryu wondered if they’d simply kept him for sport. Estelle had been another thing for that matter. She was the General’s daughter, surely they must have known that. Just like Ryu, she might not have known much which the Iris Pride could have used against the pack, but herself as a person had been important. He wouldn’t want to know what plans the Iris Pride could have had for her.
Denim fell silent at the mention of Nikita. Though the lion wasn’t taking part in the war, Ryu still wondered why Nikita’s death moved him like that. And why he’d put himself at risk by carrying her limp body all the way back to the Tempest border. ”I’m sorry Nikita.” The sentence clung to his mind. It was the last words he’d said to her. The only thing he’d said to her in a whole year. Sometimes he still felt sad that she hadn’t been able to help more in the moment. He hadn’t been able to fight, not even able to tell where Estelle was held hostage… the only thing he could have helped with at that time was getting out so the rescue wouldn’t be in vain. Luckily, that time was over now.
He was surprised to see Denim taken aback at his question, but a smile at last appeared on the lion’s lips. ”I understand,” he replied with a crooked smile at Denim’s jest. ”I guess pack life isn’t for everyone,” he mused. ”As you might know there have been quite the turmoil lately,” he continued nonchalantly. ”But nonetheless, I couldn’t see myself living out of it,” he said with a little smile a grin hidden in his voice. There might be war, losses and grief, but he couldn’t imagine himself turning his back on the Tempest Pack. He would never do that. They were his family, every single one of them worthy to protect. How had he ever been able to live without a pack? Maybe he hadn’t. The life he’d had with his parents and twin brother hadn’t been anywhere near pleasant. His mother had been loving and caring toward him, trying to shield him from his father’s distaste of his stuttering klutz of a son. But it’d only been harder when she’d fallen ill, and after the felines attacked her, he’d left to find Tempest. Though he’d been a scrawny kid when finally arriving at his heroes doors, they’d accepted him. It’d been the best to happen for him in his life. The right decision to take though he’d been scared as hell every day while living on his own as a young dog, always uncertain when he’d have his next meal and if he was even travelling in the right direction. Much had changed. Though he was sure he would do fine on his own by now, he couldn’t imagine himself leaving the pack which was now his family. He wondered how Denim could live on his own. But wait a minute…
”Weren’t you with Natiri?” he suddenly asked before thinking that it probably was inappropriate of him to ask of such personal things. Natiri wasn’t a part of the pack anymore after all. ”Ah, sorry. I guess it’s none of my business,” he tried, hoping to weight a bit up for his mistake however awkward he must have sounded. But hadn’t the lion spoken of her when trying to get him out of his cell? The two coloured male tried to think of something else to speak of, just to get their things on something else, but a rumble, as if thunder far away, told him there was no need. ”Be careful!” he exclaimed as the pier beneath their paws started to quiver as if made of nothing but wood and the waves in the haven started to rise as the earthquake intensified. Ryu turned to run away from the edge just as the earthquake began to split the cement surface of the pier and crack off the outer edges to be swallowed by the waves. Not quite fast enough, Ryu slipped as the surface disappeared under his hind paws. With an exclaim of surprise as he fell, he fought with his front body to keep himself from sliding down in the water, trying to get solid ground under his hind paws which dangled off the edge. Giving all he got, Ryu finally got up on his four again, thereby getting fairly solid ground under him, only to realize that they would better hurry further into land unless they wanted to end up in the ocean which waves started to rush up above the pier.
((OOC; There you go, earthquakeish thing, drama, wuhu!))
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Post by Picasso on Apr 12, 2013 15:29:32 GMT
No, Denim mused, pack life certainly wasn't for Denim. He had once considered joining the Lexis Tribe, but he was now thankful that he hadn't. It would've ended in disaster. Denim liked to think he would've noticed Celia was part of the Iris Pride, but in reality, he would've been as gullible as the rest of them. He lowered in head in sadness. Granted, there were gangs out there forming every few months. He wasn't sure about most of them, and the majority disbanded within a few weeks of being created. He vaguely wondered if some of the survivors of Lexis would create their own gang and plot their vengeance. The more Denim thought about it, the more he realised he couldn't sit around and do nothing. There was a war raging around him, and he was busy moping like a petulant cub. That will never get him anywhere, especially now that his best friend was gone. He just wanted a pack that he viewed as his family. The Iris Pride was the furthest from a family he'd ever seen. As Denim studied Ryu, he wondered what life would've been like if he'd been born a canine. He probably would never have left The Tempest Pack. They cared for every member as if they were kin. He heaved out a sigh. Such is life.
"You are lucky," Denim agreed with a short laugh, "Whilst your morals are completely wrong, at least you all love each other. That can't be said for my old Pride." He curled his snout in disgust. "You don't keep prisoners or torture the innocent. My mother was far more insane than Brooke or Gravity." He chuckled mirthlessly. He wished it wasn't true. He wished he could hate the Tempest Pack as he hated the Iris Pride, but he just couldn't. He had spoken with Brooke not long ago, and she'd thanked him for helping them. She hadn't shredded him to pieces like an Iris cat would. Whilst they would never be friends, they were tolerant of each other. Denim assumed it wouldn't be long before Brooke would retire from her position and a new canine would take up the role. It would be a new, fresh start. At least, Denim hoped.
Natiri's name startled Denim. He remembered confessing how he loved Natiri. Denim's heart sank. He didn't know how he felt about her now. Everything was a mess and Natiri had left him. Flattening his round, tawny ears, Denim shook his head regretfully, "Unfortunately not anymore. She left the city. I don't know why. I just hope she's okay." Denim explained mournfully, not meeting Ryu's gaze. He couldn't help but feel slightly bitter about Natiri's departure. She hadn't said a single word to him about it. She just upped and left. He wished she could've just told him, instead of suffering in silence. Had he done something wrong? Had he been suffocating her? Denim had no idea how he'd react if she ever came back. Would he be angry? Grateful? Just purely glad she wasn't dead? Denim didn't know, and he didn't want to think about it.
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. He dug his claws to the ground to stop him from falling over, but the tremors became more violent, and he was soon thrown to the floor. Landing with an "Oof!", he frantically looked over at Ryu, who had also realised the seriousness of the situation. They both began to run at the same time, desperately trying to claw at the ground that was collapsing beneath them. Denim fell once more, but managed to claw himself onto all fours. He quickly turned in horror to see Ryu struggling to find grip. "Run, Ryu!" He shouted over the chaos and noise of collapsing buildings. The waves were gradually getting higher and higher, and Denim stared in horror as the pier they had been standing on was torn to pieces. Without looking back, Denim just hoped Ryu could catch up with him as they sprinted for their lives.
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