old soul [channel crossing, open]

[Lexx]

Naiad had never known her father—only her mother, Illyra, a creature lovelier than moonlight, and just as fleeting. Illyra had been full of gorgeous stories, each as vibrant and as treasured as jewels; the memory of those tales had since become Naiad’s greatest possessions. Illyra had told Naiad of the ocean, and of the sea monster that lurked there—Undine, a god with jaws wider than any shark’s, a god with a temper as tumultuous and volatile as the sea he ruled. That was her father, Illyra whispered to her young daughter under the cover of night, her violet eyes sparkling in the gloom. That was the creature she’d come from. And Naiad had believed her. At least, until she’d grown older and understood that her mother must have had a good reason for not wanting to disclose her true father’s identity. Undine was no longer the looming father she’d never met, but a beloved remnant of her childhood bedtime stories. She’d long ago stopped pushing for details of her father, because it made a nice story to think she was the offspring of a powerful, oceanic god. It made Naiad feel bigger, stronger, more wanted within her universe. This was important, because Illyra seemed to stop wanting her own child after Naiad became an adult, and while her mother seemed content to wander around daydreaming, Naiad grew increasingly disillusioned with Illyra’s carefree lifestyle. She began to want a home that was truly hers. And so, one day, she vanished away into the star-scattered night, and she slipped into the cold embrace of the ocean. Father, she prayed quietly, because even though she knew Undine wasn’t real, and even though she knew it would not keep her safe, there was still a childish part of her that wanted to believe. The surf sighed in and out around her legs, sucking at the sand between her white toes. She fixed her eyes on the constellations above her, imagining her voice touching the consciousness of some great, otherworldly being, thousands of yards below her in the black unknown of the sea. Keep me alive. She let the sea swallow her. There was an island that she’d set out for, but it quickly became clear that it was not as close as Naiad had previously thought. The swim was a long and draining one; she fought to keep her head above water, fought to breathe through the ache in her chest. The horizon lightened; dawn broke, and as the sun climbed higher into the sky, Naiad finally drew close enough to the island that hope bloomed in her chest. Exhausted but relieved, her focus was entirely on the rocky beach, and so she was caught entirely off guard when a sharp pain roared through her hind leg. She gasped, inhaling water; for a dizzying moment, she was reeling, confused. And then she dragged herself onto land, and limped the rest of the way onto the beach, her right hind leg red with blood. She cursed softly under her breath, nursing the wound. “Why did the sea god fall in love with you?” Naiad had asked her mother once, when she was still small, and Illyra still had worlds of love to give her. “Was it because you’re pretty?” Her mother, so beautiful that she seemed as otherworldly as Naiad’s imagined father, smiled down at her single child. “It was because he knew my soul,” she murmured to Naiad. “I was a god like him, once.” Naiad, their perfectly mortal, perfectly fragile daughter, shivering and bleeding on a beach far away from home, closed her eyes. She was alive. "speaking" table by lexx

[Lirriel]

you're just a cannibal,

Perhaps it was simply a piece of Salome's bad luck, an ever-growing list of infractions to add to his troubled life. Perhaps if he had been sleeping as he was meant to - but no, it was difficult to sleep when the soft snores of your pack were drowned out by the cries of primates, frolicking in the trees. It was a misery to be alone, and while it was a misery he had gladly borne throughout his years, it became pressing sometimes in a way he could not begin to ignore. And so he had found himself leaving the camp before sunrise, made all the easier because he did not sleep amongst his pack, had never been allowed to. It was a silent rule, not upheld by the council, but he knew when he was not wanted, could feel their eyes pierce him as his fangs might sink deep into the flesh of a fish.

Nevertheless, his nightly sleep had been interrupted by an unshakable discomfort, and so dawn found him wandering the length of the island, arriving upon the island's southeastern curve of beach in time to see a flash of white within the ocean. At first the glimpse almost convinced him it was the underbelly of a marlin, driven too close to the shores, or perhaps even a dolphin, kind to his fishers whenever he encountered them in the shallows. But the white persisted, and a frown tugged at his lips even as worry drew his brows into a crease. He had not the eyes of a guard, but he knew well enough of the island to know when something did not belong. He knew it here, as the creature struggled to shore, and the sight of a distinctly wolven head made him hiss, dropping to a crouch and backing up into the ferns that clung to the edge of the forest.

The pure recklessness of the wolf almost made him get up in disgust and leave then and there. But Iiona's previous rebuke of doing nothing to help their newest guest, Halcyon, echoed relentlessly in his mind. Be silent, he spat back silently, I'll help this one so no need for your patronizing, leader. Even as he abused the absent alpha, his thoughts were already turning to the newcomer. Fool to wander into the waves upon a dark night, further fool to swim the channel without a guide. He had seen the marks a shark could leave, and he knew well his kind were not up to surviving such perils.

And yet as the brave, foolish wolf limped onto the sand, his heart unexpectedly jumped in his throat. For a moment his eyes were focused only upon her hind leg, the free-flowing blood that foamed from it, the debris that clung to it. He crouched frozen, watching her slowly crawl unto the sand. It was only when her eyes closed, the wearied silver slipping away beneath silver lashes, that he felt some of his strength return then. With it came a flood of heat, power that energized him, and he cast a look behind his shoulders. Knowing Iiona's nature, she would likely be along soon, but she would undoubtedly smell his scent and once more chew him out for not helping a wolf spat out by the ocean.

This was what he thought, as he padded confidently down the beach and toward the injured wolf. It was Iiona's predicted punishment that drove him on and not some concern for the oceanswept creature that trembled before him. As he drew closer, he spoke softly, "What a fool you were."

He knew she was too weak to truly pose any sort of threat to him, regardless of his own ineptitude in petty brawls. The poor fool could barely stand as she was, and he slowly circled her, dropping his head to scent at her injured leg, before casting his gaze back toward her face. "Regardless of your stupidity, you must allow me to clean this wound. Infection threatens, and it will set in all the quicker with you like this."

His voice bordered on scorn, but there was a gruff sympathy as well. He was close enough now to know it was no shark bite. Regardless, it probably ached something fierce. She also stank of salt. Though his nose wrinkled at the thought, Salome figured she would likely need grooming as well. A salt-laden pelt dried heavy and coarse, and it would add to her discomfort.

and I won't get out alive.

tag: Lexx

words: salome is being vaguely nice lmao

photo credit to sas r. at dawnthieves

[Lexx]

For a moment, she was still. She caught her breath, and ignored the pain that pulsed in her hind leg to the rhythm of her pulse. Somewhere in the haze of fear and hurt, she felt gloriously alive in a way she’d never felt before. It was exhilarating, much like her first kill had been, but so much more satisfying in knowing she had accomplished this on her own. Look at me, mother, she wanted to say right in Illyra’s beautiful face, the face that had made a god fall; while you were off chasing dreams and ocean gods, I went out and conquered the sea for myself. And then the breeze, heavily laden with the scent of brine, shifted abruptly. Naiad could smell a wolf, a foreign one, and fear jolted through her entire body, taking precedence where joy had previously glowed inside of her. She turned. There was a male loping toward her, lean and sinuous, his pelt a dark swath of browns and blacks. His eyes, green and bright, flashed at her as he murmured, “What a fool you were.” For a moment, Naiad thought he was calling her a fool for coming to this place at all, like a whispered threat. She inhaled quickly, softly, half-prepared to stumble away from any attack he might throw at her. Somehow, she had not quite considered that this island would be occupied by wolves—and yet she smelled them now upon this stranger’s pelt. Many of them. An entire pack. She put her wounded leg down cautiously, testing her weight, and hissed quietly in pain. “Regardless of your stupidity,” the stranger continued carelessly, circling her in order to get a better look at her injury, “you must allow me to clean your wound.” She flinched back slightly from him as his nose came close to her hurt leg, but she held herself as still as she could, the muscles of her chest and legs trembling delicately with indecision. “Infection threatens, and it will set in all the quicker with you like this." “I,” she began, intelligently. Her voice shook, enough to be noticeable. She stopped, swallowed hard, and then tried again. “I’m not sure what bit me. I’m...” I’ve never swum in the ocean before, she nearly added, but Naiad was positive it would only add to this stranger’s ire, and so she closed her jaws against the words before they could roll free. Water was still dripping heavily from her soaked fur, and her leg was aching badly. She felt hideous and humiliated the longer she was scrutinized by the lithe wolf at her side. “You…” She looked up at him, and then immediately looked away, too anxious to try and keep eye contact with him. “You don’t have to. I can clean it by myself. I think.” She kept her head high, as if daring him to disagree. "speaking" table by lexx

Lirriel !!!!!! <3333

[Lirriel]

you're just a cannibal,

Though he was used to interacting daily with a pack who held no true love for him, Salome struggled to process this bedraggled creature's words. The quiver beneath her words made him pause in his inspection of her, his eyes widening in surprise before he took one, two steps back. For the briefest of moments, something akin to hurt flashed across his face. What was there to him, that made others avoid him so? He had not deserved the distrust passed down to him from his parents, and yet the pack had overwhelmed him with it from puphood. Now a stranger stood before him, someone with no knowledge of his history, no idea of his personality, and yet he had ruined what could have been something different with a few caustic words.

He clenched his teeth at the thought. Swallowed. And then he breathed out, a deep, heavy sigh that seemed to expel his very soul with its length.


"I'm sorry," he began again, an awkward uncertainty to his words. His ears swept back to mirror his hesitant state, and his tail lowered, making himself smaller to the distressed female. Smaller, more vulnerable, less commanding. Fear bubbled within him, to have Iiona or one of the others see him as he was, but the morn was quiet, and the soft shh of the waves gently swept away his typical bitterness. A new dawn, a new day, and here was Salome begun something new of his own.

"I'm sorry, but I'd like to help, if you'd let me." It was the closest Salome had ever crept to a request. Attempting to further endear himself to her, or at least remove some distrust of him, he carefully lowered himself to the sandy ground, now forced to peer upward at her and giving her the advantage of height. It was an unfavorable position to be in, but the female was clearly in distress. He could almost place himself in her paws, and perhaps for the briefest of moments trembling purples eyes drained into a glimmering jade. Then he blinked again, and she was herself once more.

If he had ever learned of his own emotions, of the words to describe them and the depths of their feelings, then he might see his desire to help was partial jealousy towards Iiona's newest fawning fan and partial desperation to achieve at least one relationship that did paint him as a monster that skulked through the forest, with depths as treacherous as Purgatory Reef. But few friends had been afforded him as a youngster, much less those close enough to help him learn the inner workings of the heart. His soul had always acted in sync with his head, and if this were one of the few acts where he acted fully with his heart, well - it was certainly an uncommon act and all the more rare for the tumultuous state he found himself in.

It was with some trepidation that he offered his own name, knowing that should she respond negatively, his tentative grasp on kindness would once more be replaced by a biting bitterness, the wounding, fang-flashing kind he had made an art of. The kind that wounded without a single touch. "My name is Salome, and I am lead fisher of Sharktooth Island, this place you find yourself on." Such a polite introduction felt awkward on his tongue, and he swallowed once more.

and I won't get out alive.

tag: Lexx
words: omg he's trying so hard ;w;
photo credit to sas r. at dawnthieves

[Lexx]

The wolf watched her in silence as she stammered out a reply, and then—so quick she could have imagined it entirely—Naiad saw his face change. His green eyes, so intently focused on her wound just moments before, flicked up to her face, and then his entire expression seemed to stutter and fail. His jaw tightened. She watched his throat work silently. He exhaled a long, slow breath, and Naiad’s wiry muscles were no longer fluttering to take her away from him, but to bring her closer, as if she could somehow offer him comfort for the abrupt exhaustion in his countenance. He seemed to take a collective step back—not just physically, but mentally, as well—and then said, “I’m sorry.” She blinked at him. “I’m sorry,” he said again, and he seemed to deflate before her very eyes; his posture shifted into something nonthreatening. “But I’d like to help, if you’d let me.” And then he sank to the ground in a show of being harmless, and Naiad blinked at him again, wildly confused by this turn of events, but now suddenly, deeply endeared to him regardless. She met his green eyes, a bit shyly, and held them for a full heartbeat before anxiety whisked her gaze away once more. “My name is Salome,” he told her, “and I am lead fisher of Sharktooth Island, this place you find yourself on.” He looked very much like he’d leapt right out of his comfort zone and into the lap of some unknown predator, and yet, somehow, that didn’t deter the stranger from forcing himself through this show of harmlessness for the benefit of the ragged girl he’d found washed up on his beach. Naiad was deeply touched. Slowly, carefully, the young she-wolf lowered herself as well, wincing all the while, until she crouched upon the beach before Salome, her wounded leg stretching awkwardly to the side. “Salome,” she repeated, her voice soft. “My name is Naiad.” She didn’t trip over her words as much as before; she felt calmer now, knowing that she wasn’t about to be chased back into the surf, into the jaws of some waiting shark. Her skin flushed beneath her saltwater-laden fur with a crawling, embarrassed heat; she swallowed hard, fighting back the tremor in her voice. “I’d...I’d actually like a little help. If...if it’s really okay.” Naiad looked down at her paws, because it was easier than meeting Salome’s green gaze as she admitted, “I’m the one who’s sorry. I didn’t even stop to think that I would be trespassing here. You have every right to tell me to leave.” She closed her own milk-pale eyes in shame, still half-awaiting an unfavorable judgment from the wolf in front of her. "speaking" table by lexx

Lirriel everyone told me that i would either hate sal or adore him and that there was no in between, and they were RIGHT i am going to kiss him

[Lirriel]

you're just a cannibal,

The span of a lingering moment between his last words and her first seemed to last an eternity to him. In its length he found courage, felt it fail him, desperately fought off the icy grip that threatened to once crawl across his heart. And when her eyes met his, a delicate touch of milky-violet against chipped jadestone, he felt himself thaw out, a warmth that began deep in his chest and spread to the tips of his toes. It was summer sand, warm sand that he so often sunbathed upon, spread out alongside the softly-whispering sea. It was the shallows, at the peak of the sun's crest, when the water clung to him much as his mother had once cuddled him to her breast. Back when he had been coddled - that was the feeling of it, no responsibilities and no hatred weighing down upon his slender shoulders, hunching his back old and bowed before his time.

The simple kindness in her eyes crushed his heart.

And when she crouched as well, once more his equal, though he knew the pain it must cost her to do so - he felt his heart slowly rebuild itself. For the first time in such a long time, he felt his throat dry, and he swallowed even as she spoke, thirsting for her words as he might thirst after a heated day. Hearing her speak his name without any of its usual undertones - sneak, wretch, schemer, snake - was a blessing upon his ears, and he realized how long it had been since someone had simply said his name. Without judgement, without reservation, without the weight of his previous actions and rumors that clung to him as fleas might cling to an unwashed pelt."My name is Naiad." He smiled to hear her name, the smallest quirk of his lips, but the best he could do that was not a self-satisfying smirk or a shit-eating grin. Oh, to have Iiona see him like this! Some small part of his mind still worried, though another, more reasonable part argued she might be glad for the change. But even as these small voices spoke, Naiad's voice overwhelmed it all, the clear peal of a haunting song he had only ever heard come from the ocean on moonlit night, when the sky was blanketed by stars that loomed in close, peeking upon the land.

"I'd... I'd actually like a little help. If... if it's really okay." Frail, fragile little creature. Her bravery had been hard-won it seemed, and his gaze softened still more as he watched her fidget and fumble. He found it easier to believe now that it was not simply his brusque attitude that had so frightened her, but that she might even act so shy toward one of his kinder packmates. This small flash of hope kindled in his heart as she continued onward: “I’m the one who's sorry. I didn't even stop to think I would be trespassing here. You have every right to tell me to leave.”

It was difficult to keep reason alive when she spoke so pitifully. She had not the brash, emboldened attitude of Iiona nor the prickly, independence of Lira. She was of an entirely different breed to most of the females he knew, and the knowledge led him to silently sympathize, that she should be greeted by him rather than such such a gregarious soul as their alpha.

With such a thought in his head, he came to a decision quickly, and Salome slowly leaned forward, allowing her time to sense his presence and move away if she wished. But if not, he would lightly touch his muzzle to hers, a silent pledge of solidarity, for actions spoke far louder than words, and his tongue had yet to regain any of the fluency he typically displayed.

He spoke at last, turning his eyes toward the sun that was slowly swelling above the sea, drawing the tides low and reminding him of his impending duties as lead fisher to the pack. "I understand, but please do not apologize. You are not the first to wash upon our shores, and I doubt you will be the last." And, though it was not truly his permission to give, he added, "I would not think of driving you back into the sea, Naiad. But I would wish to know your purpose for coming here." There was no command, just the gentle coaxing of a feather-soft voice, as warm as the sun-baked sand.

and I won't get out alive.

tag: Lexx
words: these precious babies!!! be still my heart!!
photo credit to sas r. at dawnthieves

[Lexx]

Naiad, of course, saw little of the way Salome struggled just to be in his own skin. She could hardly know what it would mean to him to accept him, simply and as he was. She merely saw the way he smiled at her name, and the way his eyes softened slightly when she asked for his aid, and thought, in that moment, Salome was the most welcome sight in the world. He was just as lovely and lithe and sea-carved as before, but there was a gentleness to him that he’d initially hid. That gentleness, she thought, was a language she spoke. When he leaned forward, she kept herself carefully still, because she had already decided in her heart that she trusted him. There was a thrill in such a decision, too, like there had been in walking away from home, and in swimming the length of the channel. Naiad had not even fully trusted her mother, despite how she’d loved her, because Illyra was ephemeral, and Naiad had always known that someday she would vanish altogether. Salome, however, was something new, something tangible, something honest. His muzzle gently touched hers, and she leaned softly back into his touch, as if thanking him. As if to say, Yes, I’m safe here; yes, I finally understand. I’m sorry for not understanding sooner. Their unspoken agreement soothed the last of her anxieties. His green eyes looked toward the sea, and he told her, “I understand, but please do not apologize. You are not the first to wash upon our shores, and I doubt you will be the last.” That, too, was a relief, to have some of the blame absolved from her actions. “I would not think of driving you back into the sea, Naiad. But I would wish to know your purpose for coming here.” She tilted her head, considering the question. “To prove that I could, I think,” she said finally, her voice soft with shame. She looked back over the expanse of ocean she’d swum in order to be here, trying not to shiver in front of Salome. Her leg, at least, throbbed less terribly now, given rest. “But that alone isn’t enough. It’s too long and dangerous a swim just for proving a point.” She smiled wryly, and looked back to Salome, her silver-violet eyes glittering. “I was looking for - I still am looking for - a place to belong. I think a part of me had hoped this would be it.” But to explain why would delve too deeply into her strange and mystical origin, involving an imaginary sea god, and the strange allure of the sea whispering gently against the earth, and the way the full moon above the tides was so unspeakably lovely that she couldn’t bear a life inland. She tried to veil the hope in her eyes, but it still shimmered in her voice when she said, “I don’t suppose your pack is in want of new wolves washed in from the sea?” "speaking" table by lexx

Lirriel TAG 100 YEARS LATER

[Lirriel]

[googlefont=Montserrat]

[attr="class","sin"]

[attr="class","sin2"]

[attr="class","sin3"]Beware, beware, be skeptical

[attr="class","sin4"]Of their smiles, their smiles of plated gold

[attr="class","sin5"]The gentle touch of his muzzle to hers was a silent communication, a promise woven in the warmth of a newly-dawning day. And perhaps he was a bit sun-touched, a tad moon-eyed, for the returned pressure he felt was but a mere feather-brush, and yet it caused his heart to further flutter. It was as if, with a single touch, she had parted his chest cavity, reached within the gaping cavern, and delicately caught his heart between her jaws.

He could feel it now, its frantic beats a sweet drumming – it reminded him of rain, a summertime shower that left the island glittering.

He found, with some sense of amusement, that he must be truly bewitched by this creature, spun of moonbeams and fallen from the sky and into the sea – but he was unexpectedly at ease with this newfound faith they shared; she was utterly alien to his world, and that was what made it so easy to allow her past his most stalwart defenses.

Perhaps that was why he only smiled at her admission. That she had crossed the channel in challenge against herself – it was a curious thought, one that he had never quite applied to himself. Too often his own objectives had been aligned to further establish his prowess to others, his worth, his meaning. Never had he thought to move in self-fulfillment, and he wondered if that was perhaps why she was so wondrous and he so…

But, no, for once he did not allow himself to sink into the blackness that always lapped at his paws. Naiad was a brilliant light, chasing away the shadows that trailed him like jackals after a shambling carcass.

“I wouldn’t say it was foolish,” he said softly, somewhat haltingly. The admission that bubbled in his throat drew his lips closed, for he was still somewhat wary, to so purposely disclose weakness. But at last he allowed it to spill from his mouth, though he did not meet her gaze as he spoke. “The greatest risks often reward the greatest of treasures.”

He was almost taken aback when she spoke of joining the pack – surely the surprise of it showed in his eyes, polished jade that threatened to crack at the weight of the hope that fell upon him. It was strange, he thought wonderingly, that hope should feel so heavy.

But he could not quite stop the half-smile that rose onto his lips at his words, his body alight with an invisible anticipation – and it was as if he was a pup again, prancing in his mother’s shadow, as she led him to the water for the first time.

It was difficult to instill logic within an atmosphere that was almost dreamlike – it was as if the very air around him purposely attempted to smother all sense of reason. So he was not entirely certain, as he spoke, that what he was saying would be the truth of things once they had emerged from this land of endless possibilities. But, certainly, he had to try.

“We are not a large pack, and we are further isolated upon this island. I think—” and he paused, not wanting to instill too great a hope in her, but so desperate to believe himself, “—I think Iiona would welcome you. Our alpha. At the very least, I believe she would have you join us until your injury healed.”

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[attr="class","sinner"]Lexx	[attr="class","sinner"]stock by ria p.	568
its a lil garbage but that's fine

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[Lexx]

Again, he smiled, and Naiad was relieved to know Salome’s storm had well and truly broken. She had been nervous that he’d sneer, rightfully, at her swimming the channel just because she’d wanted to know that she could. “I wouldn’t,” he began, and Naiad pricked her ears forward in surprise, for he almost sounded as though he was faltering. “...Say it was foolish.” After a moment, he added, “The greatest risks often reward the greatest of treasures.” Behind Naiad, her white tail swept happily through the sand, her pale eyes dancing. His words had left her with a flush of pleasure to think he might admire, in a small way, what she had done. “I think you’re right,” she told him, shy once more, but this shyness was produced by a quiet, effervescent sort of feeling that trembled joyfully inside of her, rather than her earlier anxiety or fear. She had been hurt in the tumbling surf, but she had found a place more glorious than she had ever imagined, all rocky and warm and wild and bright, and she had found Salome, sharp-fanged but exceedingly kind. “I found you.” He was smiling that half-smile again. It was an expression that reached his eyes and made them sparkle, but hesitated around his mouth, as if he felt uncomfortable displaying it. It made him look young and handsome and unapproachable, all at once, and Naiad wondered what it would be like to hear him laugh someday. “We are not a large pack, and we are further isolated upon this island,” he began. “I think—” Here he hesitated again, which might seem like a bad omen, but the look in his eyes was too lovely to discourage Naiad. She held her breath. “—I think Iiona would welcome you. Our alpha. At the very least, I believe she would have you join us until your injury healed.” “Iiona,” she said, musingly, trying out the shape of the alpha’s name in her mouth. It was a firm, warm sound. She liked the way Salome said it the best, though, because it was a comfortable, familiar word in his voice. Naiad took in a deep breath, and then slowly, achingly, pushed herself back to her feet. Her fur was crisp with saltwater, and thoroughly gritty with sand; her back leg, no longer bleeding, still throbbed badly when she moved it. “Well,” she said, breathlessly, trying to sound efficient rather than unsure and in pain, “I had better present myself to her, before she finds me keeping her lead fisher from doing his job.” Then, she thought, Iiona would chase her back into the ocean for sure, and all of Salome’s kindness would have been for nothing. She looked toward along the stretch of beach, toward a copse of strange-leafed trees, all the way up to the edge of where the mountains began, and tried not to shake at the thought of going alone. Her silvery eyes flicked back to Salome, and then away, embarrassed to seem useless before him. “But,” she added, her voice soft, “if you weren’t busy, we could go together. And I—I’ll help you make up for the fish you’ve lost today, regardless of what Iiona says.” "speaking" table by lexx

Lirriel I think their thread can pretty much get wrapped up now or with your next post!!! I'm going to go ahead and start a new thread for Heika, and Salome can totally come or not come, your choice! I'll keep it vague so no pressure B)