And so it begins [ . again . ]

[Panda]

R A Y N E

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It feels as if there had been a century that passed when I left Farbe, as my wandering spirit had led me to do. I feared what lay ahead for me as I moved my feet carefully over the cliffs, all slick and covered with the packed snow that had been sitting up here during the cold months. Even with the change of weather, I still felt as if I knew these cliffs and they were fresh in my memory as when I first arrived in Dachau. When I was greeted by Citali and we commenced in secret meeting in these very mountains. My heart sunk suddenly at the memories that coursed through my brain, flashes of the summer day that I stepped foot into the bustling city and was sent on my way to the beautiful forests of Farbe. I lifted my muzzle to the air and breathed deeply. Even at this altitude, I could smell the decaying leaves of the forest below, the smell of home. Unfortunately, I am afraid that it had been too long to wander back into the terrain and be greeted with friendly faces. For all know, Amaya would have pups of her own by now and be raising a pack of wolves to be unmatched in their demeanor and poise. There is no doubt in my mind that Amaya is happily leading her pack, whether she is at the side of her alpha or not. I never felt Aurex as a reliable leader, but Amaya...She had such potential and held such a regal air. Her pups would inherit that quality, for sure. I wonder if there were any young wolves in Farbe at the moment. My heart then started to sink at the thought of another raising a family.

How I wished to have a family of my own. Unfortunately my habit of wandering kept me out of contact with the same wolves for very long. Maybe my restlessness is just the wanting of a home. Of a place to really belong. I felt that in Farbe, but as the days passed and the loneliness tore at my heart, the more I wished to wander. To see what there lay beyond the lands that I had stumbled upon. Perhaps it was fate that took me away then led me back to where I once started. The cliffs where Citali and I had watched the beautiful sunset. My muzzle dipped to the ground to take in the scents that may lay on the snow. They were faint, of wolves that had passed through long before me. My ebony pelt, flecked with the white snow swayed in the sudden gust of wind that sent a slight chill up my spine. There was no warmth of love and fondness that I felt. No, now I felt an emptiness. A want of something that I could not have, and that I gave up long ago. It had been a very long time since I had seen Citali. On the new moon's wax, I was unable to make our engagement as I had promised. The alphas of Farbe had placed a ban on my wandering for weeks on end, due to my unrest and disobedience. As a broken promise, it broke my heart to think of what the male wolf would have to say to her. Maybe he forgot her? Maybe he committed himself to another and pushed her to the back of his mind.

My stomach twisted in knots as I turned my gaze to the heavens. They were gray and dull, not as foreboding as a thunderstorm, but depressing nevertheless. Maybe it was just simple contact with another. I used to live for being social, but now it was as if I were the only wolf in the world. With no place and no purpose was I to wander the earth in search of what I did not know, but longed for so badly.

R A Y N E

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[Pocket Kitsune]

The elk calf's faltering flight, borne from the pain that assaulted it's frame and the instinctual fear of death that plagued the minds of prey beasts, had carried the deer-like beast further afield than Citlali had presumed. As he followed the madcap, twisting patterns of the dying elk, it's path never constant--doubling back on itself at times, and at others ending in unpredictable, sporadic loops, his heart was heavy. She knew the creature's suffering, a pain keenly felt as it echoed within the chambers of his own heart. He had meant for it's death to come to it swiftly and mercifully.

And he had been confident that his blessing of such would be a slight condolence for the blatant thievery of it's life. Distantly, he could hear the sound of foliage yielding to the panicked buck as it floundered further into the the thick of the underbrush. Periodically, to his utter frustration and mounting sense of regret, he would lose track of the beast entirely. His tail began to lash it's own rhythm of agitation, writhing behind him like a serpent, striking out against leaf and low-laying branch. His sole guidance in such moments were the bright beads of blood that adorned the pale jade of young leaves, as if forgotten relics of a once glorious strand of pearls on a necklace, the brilliance of the leaves beneath marred by the carnage that sang loudly of the eternal struggle of life.

But it was not long before once more he locked onto it's trail. Death had come to the calf at long last--it's long neck resting now in an almost elegant angle against it's shoulder, tongue protruding slightly from lips gone pale and slack in death. It was only then that Citlali became aware of where he was. He had been hunting along the borders of Farbe for much of the afternoon, for though meat was indeed provided for the Zielles within the capital, it was often sun-dryed and hardened, and far stringier than he himself preferred.

He had at least another two hours before he was due on assignment, and so he had taken advantage of those precious minutes to secure himself some fresher prey. He sighed as his eyes of ocher swept across the barren lands. This place was the holder of memories both sweet and bitter, for the image of Rayne still haunted the corridors of his memory. Though it had been many months since her disappearance, her absence was still somewhat of a fresh wound.

He had just begun to lower his muzzle to the soft hide of the creature when a familiar, faint scent kissed his nostrils. He paused, certain that memory was playing tricks on him. He gave his head a clearing shake, and prepared once more to begin his well-earned meal. But again the scent came to him, hung about him as persistently as pups gather themselves tight about the heels.

Rayne? Surely not. But still...

He tipped back his muzzle, and called. If nothing else, then whoever else haunted these snow-silenced lands would be compelled to respond to his own song of inquiry.

[Panda]

R A Y N E

My golden orbs continued to drink in the scenery, my mind mesmerized by each and every dip and curve of the majesty of the lands of Dachau. It seems the more I thought about it, the more I longed to go home. To be in the forest, embraced by the sanctity of the thick foliage and calmed by the sweet scents of the decaying leaves that crunched between my toes. I also missed Amaya. I did feel bad for leaving, but I did not think that it would make to much of a difference for anyone. Other wolves were a scarcity in the woods when I arrived, and that remained the case when I left. I hoped that she would not be angry when I returned. I am sure that she would remember me. We were like twins, her coat as black as obsidian, though hers held more hints of lighter tones than did mine. A sigh erupted from my throat, originating from that large empty space in the middle of my chest. Might as well get on going. My eyes gave the landscape a parting glance before turning my backs to the cliffs and starting down towards the wood. My head was bowed toward the ground, my nose taking in the scents that were left over the snow. I had not been able to take more than a dozen steps before a familiar sound caught my short ears. They swiveled on top of my head, pinpointing the source of the inquiry as they rang off the nearby surfaces. The sound was melodious and my heart leaped up to my tongue. Citali? Before his call could end, my own soprano voice called out into the icy air.

I then started a brisk trot in the direction the howl came from. Luckily, it was in the direction that I was already headed, towards the edge of the forests of Farbe. My stride lengthened into a slow lope, my paws careful on the icy rocks. It would be easy to lose your footing in such a treacherous terrain. Sure it could not be the one I had so dreamed of for so long. Perhaps it was one that just sounded like him. As I started to get closer, the thick and metallic stench of a fresh kill filled my nose. My jowls watered at the thought of the twilight hunt that I had experienced the night before. A large jackrabbit had submitted to my powerful jaws and was quite delicious. This stench was much stronger, though, signifying a much larger pray. Probably a fawn or young buck. Mixed within the odor of the kill is also another. One of a male wolf. "Citali?" The name came as a whisper as I slowed for a moment, lowering my nose to the ground to be sure that it was not my weary mind that was playing tricks again. After sweeping the scene in front of me, I caught glimpse of a crimson trail. It had to have been from the slain beast!

At this point, I started to sprint in the direction my mind and heart racing with the uncertainty of what I may find at the end of this trail. All I knew is that I just needed to see him again. Hear his voice and not let it be a part of some fabled mirage.

R A Y N E

[Pocket Kitsune]

Citlali remained poised as the last notes of his tremulous chorus vanished into silence--as if frozen and absorbed by the very particles of ice that crowned the still breaths of wind. His ears remained erect, swiveling slowly outward in a gentle fan as he waited. Only the hushed sigh of wind as it blew across the fine powdered crystals of snow troubled his ears. He gave his muzzle a slight shake then, as if to banish ghosts of memories. A trick of the ridged back of the mountain range then--distorted acoustics, perhaps. An echo of his own voice, rendered melodic and feminine by wishful thinking.

But just as his muzzle lowered to render flesh, he caught the cry, and his head snapped up. This was no illusion--no, as surely as he drew breath, his cry was repeated back to him in clear and ringing answer. A shorter, lower howl escaped his throat, this one of coaxing directional intent only, baritone with both authority and self-assurance. If indeed the wolf who he thought called to him sought for him as feverishly as he had once combed these lands for her after her disappearance, then he would remain and she would find him.

Yet hunger gnawed at the lining of his stomach, and so, without further delay, a flash of his curved ivories slit the belly of the beast, peeling back with a subtle rush of vapor as the warmth from the creature locked with bitterly chill air. He began to feed, savoring the wash of blood that coated tongue and muzzle in a warm tide, and the sweetly tender flesh that he devoured as if little more than a deprived youth.

His snout, full of the sharp, metallic tinge of blood, did not detect Rayne's approach until longer after he sighed, expelling the blockage of scent from his coal nostrils. His head rose then, and his tail began to wag, in wide, sweeping sentiments of joy. He stepped quietly from around the side of the kill and started forward, descending down the slope somewhat so that he would be in her line of view, and vise-versa.


It wasn't long until he caught sight of her. That familiar raven flash of rich and darkly shaded pelt, and that sweet scent that he had memorized as if it were a road map though his own veins. A sudden, childish urge seized him up, and without further thought, he made his way towards her in a series of light springs.

"Rayne!" came the breathless call as he slowed at last, checking his stride as he neared. "Is it really you?"