princess of china [ember]

[Ray]

Ember image credit ma8201@da

Striding calmly along the tree line, Aria's surefooted steps carried her confidently into the valley, parallel to the lake's edge. She had spent very much of her earlier life in the White Forest with her parents but Akeli Lake had always been one of her favourite places to be, especially with spring coming up. The trees were a beautiful deep green, with their distinct piney scent wafting around her, and waxy pine needles rustling gently underfoot. The lake beside her was frozen over, a remnant of the winter that had just passed, though she could see water flowing underneath and knew that the area was warming up just a tad. Her white fur stood out in stark contrast against the dark trees, but it wasn't an issue at the moment, since she wasn't hungry and cared not for if any prey animals were to see her. Aria had made a couple of decent kills consisting of a fat family of hares a while ago, and was in no hurry to hunt again. The area was known to have several lumbering bears around, but that didn't worry her too much either - she was fast enough in a pinch, and there was an influx of new berries and roots that had sprung up in the undergrowth now that spring was upon them. If she was lucky, which she usually was, she would just have to keep her distance. The reason Aria was making her purposeful way along the valley was this: Closer to the base of the mountain range, there was a partial clearing of sorts in the forest where she had stayed with her parents during a period early in her life, maybe half a year after the birth of her and her littermates. It had been quite a task to herd three rambunctious pups all the way out of the White Forest and along the lakeside, but it had also been winter and the bears were all hibernating. They had made it to relative safety with little trouble, and they were content to remain for a pleasant season or two. This was the clearing Aria was looking for now. With the change of the seasons, Aria had decided on a change of scenery as well, and was hoping to make base camp in the little glade for a while. With the veritable wall of mountains at its back and the forest at its front, the lake gleaming a short distance away, it was a comfortable place to stay and she was feeling a little nostalgic for it. It had, however, been a few years since the little family had left, and there was always a chance it would already be inhabited. Still, it was worth the journey to come back and visit an old but familiar place. Reaching the curve of the valley where the lake ended and the forest continued around it like a lover's embrace, Aria paused to turn and look back over the lake, her head raised elegantly as if in a respectful salute for its beauty, icy blue eyes mirroring its smooth, frozen surface. Though several years had passed, the lake had stayed the same, a strangely comforting realization. And though Aria was quite content with the life of a wandering loner, visiting the lakeside felt like coming home.

[Ember]

SHAW GRAVES

Shaw wasn’t real big on traveling through the forest. At the moment, he was near Akeli Lake, in the woods around its northern border. And he wasn’t all that happy about it. But it was where he found hisself, because in these days he just felt like keeping hisself on the move was the best thing to be doing.

For about four years, he’d been growing mighty used to the view of the Gold Plains. They was open and barely wooded, he remembered with a smile. But here, where brambles, thorns, and any other kind of strange, budding undergrowth tugged at his legs, he couldn’t do nothing but purse his lips and press on in quiet determination. He did his best not to mind the way that the brush was leaving his legs dotted with angry red scrapes, or how the big branches up above was blocking out most of the sun he so loved.

When the trees was beginning to thin, maybe promising him a respite from the shadows, he quickened his step, even as the brush was trying harder than before to keep him from moving forward. It wasn’t no easy feat, finally breaking through that last line of trees, but he did it. And the sight that greeted him just beyond it all was enough to get him sighing with relief.

A mighty lake lay before him. Its surface was frozen smooth, but the waters below was stirring with life. A sign that spring would be melting all the ice soon. He smiled at that.

And he was about to be looking upwards, to get to watching the sky again after hours of walking through the tall trees, when he saw her.

Another wolf was standing but a few paces ahead of him.

She was silver, her fur all shimmery in that gleaming morning sun, just like the water was beneath the ice. He had never seen such a pale wolf before. And while she was looking away from him, gazing at the lake instead, as if she had been walking his way and then got to thinking she’d ponder the frozen water for a bit, Shaw was happy to consider that maybe the delicate, pointed ears atop her head hinted at what was surely as sharp and feminine a face. One as thin and sculpted as the pine needles around his paws, maybe.

His tail got to swaying behind him. After a moment of him watching her, he finally said, “Mornin'.”

And in the space between his greeting and her looking over at him, or her greeting him herself, or her just doing whatever it was she was thinking of doing next, he found hisself feeling mighty excited. Company was always a good thing—even here in these woods, even by this unfamiliar lake.

Ray
Sorry for the wait! Also OKAY, A FEW THINGS.

ONE: I am trying something new, and I am so sorry if that was jarring. xD I wanted to "color" Shaw's prose a bit to make it more obvious that he is not the most literate, and to capture the sort of slow, lumbering rhythm of his speech. However, I still want the writing and action itself to make sense, as clarity is any author's highest priority. I have no clue if I'll experiment more with his writing style, so if this post was too difficult to read, please do not hesitate to let me know! I'd rather my posts be legible and understandable than innovative, and will most certainly edit this one if needed.

TWO: I wasn't sure about the time of day, or if you had one in mind. I just decided to make it morning since Shaw would likely greet others with the time of day, but if that doesn't jive with you, I can easily change it! xD

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[Ray]

Ember image credit ma8201@da

ooc: I couldn't wait til after I wrote Aria's bit to respond to this, but anyway: I really love how you've written Shaw!! I actually opened it to read on the bus while I was running errands today and it wasn't jarring at all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience and I love how you've kind of brought me into Shaw's mind through how you're writing him and it's really adorable and I love him even more now. <3 I've tried to do something similar to a lesser degree with Dimi and Hal's threads but it didn't turn out nearly as perfect as how you've got Shaw's prose down. Please continue with that because it's amazing <3 Also the time of day is perfectly fine, morning is lovely! :D ---- The lake was truly a beautiful sight. Even frozen over with ice, there were some patches where the ice was clear that showed the water flowing underneath, glittering in its movements as the lake slowly awoke from its wintery slumber. Maybe Aria might have paused to regard the view for a few beats longer than she had intended to. And maybe the lovely picture before her was reason enough for her to have become distracted. Regardless, whatever the reason, Aria had not noticed another wolf approaching her, and startled (just a little, she assured herself later) when a deep voice behind her rumbled out a greeting. "Mornin'." The fur on the back of her neck raised abruptly and she turned her head back around, neat ears flicking toward the direction from whence the voice came. There before her stood a formidable wolf, unquestionably male in build as well as, of course, scent. Though his amber eyes were pleasant and his stance amiable, Aria felt a frisson of caution prickle through her before she gathered herself and allowed her guard hairs to settle smoothly, her ears tilting away casually, then back. The other wolf was clearly friendly, or at least not intending her any harm that she could deduce yet. A soft smile came easily to her lips as she let her gaze rest upon his face, offhandedly considering the options at hand. "Same to you," she replied meanwhile, inclining her head at a gentle angle that seemed coolly nonchalant. In reality such an angle had been carefully determined long ago to ensure the perfect combination of appreciation and radiance was conveyed. Some might consider Aria vain to have spent time perfecting such a thing, but the silver female preferred to think of it as making sure she knew exactly how to use everything she was given. "My name is Aria. What brings you to this part of the North?" Her voice was pleasantly low and smoky, something Aria was genuinely proud of. She could put on all kinds of airs to serve all kinds of purposes, of course, but there was nothing like an admirable voice to be remembered by. If she was completely honest Aria wasn't so interested in exactly what had brought the other wolf here, but she did care a little more about the availability of that little fortified clearing she'd set her sights on. If he'd already claimed it she would have to consider charming him into letting it go, or sharing. Or she could always reconsider and go back the way she'd come, though the idea of having to do such a thing made her frown a little inside. The glen had been feeling more and more like hers with every step that drew her closer to it, and Aria wasn't keen on passing it up. Of course, no frown showed on her lovely features, only the same gentle if slightly teasing smile. One eyebrow arched elegantly in the wake of her question as Aria regarded the male with a dignified air. Thus far he seemed to be relatively harmless, though he stood much taller than her and his sheer bulk spoke of power that could render her useless immediately. It wouldn't do to rile him, but even though he had not spoken but a single word, Aria felt oddly assured it would take quite some work to get him riled at all.

[Ember]

SHAW GRAVES

Her reaction wasn’t quite what Shaw was expecting. Before she was ever facing him, the hackles along her nape got to standing up, straight as soldiers, and just as wary of a threat. Seemed he had startled her, and at that, his smile was fading a bit. He wasn’t never one to feel self-conscious, not really. But he got to thinking that maybe he was somehow coming across stronger than he was meaning to, and maybe that was why she was standing there all stiff, her fur all stuck up in fright.

But if her reaction wasn't what he was expecting, the sight of her face certainly was. Her features was all delicate and poised and fitting of such a lady. He knew that because she was turning 'round but a moment later, letting her fur settle like fresh snow along her back, lifting her head to peer at him like no wolf had before. He wasn’t real sure how that was making him feel, yet—the way she was gazing at him with her blue eyes without looking at him head-on—but he wasn’t about to let no expression slip across his face for her to know that.

He just stuck to holding her gaze with his own, letting his eyes meander a bit between that smudge up above her nose and her eyes and the rest of her face.

When she finally was speaking, her voice all low and sultry, he made sure to push his ears forward to catch every word. She said her name was Aria, and he was thinking that was fitting, too, and then it was time for him to be introducing hisself. He dipped his head, polite. “Shaw Graves.”

The next part was more harder to respond to, though. He had to tug his gaze away from her face to be thinking about what he was going to say. He got to studying the pine needles at his feet, and got to thinking how unusual a sight they was, and then he got to pondering how he had ever ended up so far from home. There really wasn’t no good answer, at least not one he was wanting to share at the time. And besides, he didn’t want to be leaving the lady waiting for a response, so he just settled on something vague for now.

“Ain’t sure. Just wandering, I guess,” he said and lifted his face. His lips was curling up more at that, making his eyes squinty, because he felt a bit sheepish for not being able to give her nothing better as for a reason. It was much easier to ask her the same, though, if she was caring to share why she was here. “And you, ma’am?”

Ray
Thank you so much for your feedback! It’s appreciated! And fun fact: I am completely aware of your approach to writing your characters’ posts/capturing their voice, and it’s actually one of the things that inspired me to experiment with my own characters, lol. xD So thanks for kinda lending me the idea, too, because you're doing a great job of it as well!

WOLF STOCK BY KATI OF DAWNTHIEVES • TABLE CODED BY EMBER

[Ray]

Ember image credit ma8201@da

ooc: Ahh I'm so pleased!! I was struggling a little with trying to get their internal monologues and things distinctly unique for each character, but I'm so happy you noticed <3 You're doing a fantastic job with Shaw's so I'm real glad you were inspired! :DD ---- Aria noted, with a hint of delight, that the male's gold-hued eyes were trained steadily on her. The corners of her own eyes creased in satisfaction at the attention, though she knew it would look as if she were simply glad to be in his company. For his benefit she shifted her feet a little, adjusting her stance so the angle at which she faced him was a little more pleasing. Of course, one wouldn't notice such a movement to be deliberate unless they knew what they were looking for. Aria liked being aware of such things, playing up some affectations and downplaying others to see how her companions reacted. There was a distinct sense of artful gratification to be had in seeing someone being led along so sweetly. There was never any real malice in her manipulations, of course, but it was a heady rush of power all the same when they did bend to her will. She had the looks, after all, might as well use them. He then introduced himself in that patient rumbly voice of his, and it turned out that his name was Shaw Graves. It seemed an apt name for someone who was turning out to appear rather mild-tempered and docile. A reply to her question came up presently, and she was pleased to hear that Shaw had in fact not been inhabiting the little clearing she so coveted. It didn't seem like there were any other wolves in the area, judging by the scents on the gentle breeze, so it stood to reason that the glade was most likely empty. “And you, ma’am?” Ah, the man has manners, Aria mused, regarding Shaw's awkward grin with a soft smile of amusement. His way of speech seemed simple and unaffected, though not unpleasant, and his honest way of approaching things seemed surprisingly well-matched with his deep voice. It was refreshing in an odd way to meet a wolf who seemed so straightforwardly untouched by the jaded fingers of time. She almost felt bad toying with him for how sincere he seemed. Maybe he would prove genuinely interesting and then she could feel less guilty engaging him. "Likewise, I am a wanderer," she offered with a note of pride in her voice, returning his previous polite nod with a regal lowering of her head. "I lived here once, in my youth. I thought it would be nice to return for a time." It didn't matter so much to her for him to know her intentions with the place, since he hadn't staked a claim on it or anything. In fact it was probably better for her to state her intentions earlier, and maybe her previous engagement with the location would sway ownership in her direction. Not that Aria was intent on claiming the area or anything - as far as she knew, these lands were unowned, and that was exactly how she liked them to stay. Really she just wanted to recline in some familiar grass and look around majestically for a while. But what was a queen without someone to behold her? "Speech"

[Ember]

SHAW GRAVES

It was hard, for Shaw to be admitting that he was walking around without no direction. Was embarrassing, too, because he hadn’t never been on his own like this before. But Aria, she was just smiling a bit at it all, and lowering her head, and that made him feel real easy, specially when she said she was just wandering, too.

But she didn’t say it like he was saying it. There wasn’t no shame in her voice or her smile. There was just pride, like she was enjoying it. Shaw got to thinking about his brother, Buck, and how he so loved to be wandering, too. Some wolves was just made to be that way, he was figuring, but to him moving around without nobody else just got mighty lonesome.

Maybe he wasn’t able to understand why some wolves was wanting to be wandering, but he was able to understand what the lady was saying next.

"I lived here once, in my youth. I thought it
would be nice to return for a time.”

His smile was getting more wistful at that, and his tail was wagging slower. He was feeling those feelings. Was thinking those thoughts, too, that it would be nice to be going back home. Going back to where he was a pup. Maybe going back to a place and time where things was simpler and easier.

“Mm.” The grunt was low and gentle, just loud enough to be making clear that he got her reasons to be traveling. And then he was perking right back up again, and was flicking an ear while his tail got right back to swaying behind him, because he had got to thinking.

Aria didn’t look like no wolf that couldn’t handle herself. Seemed to him she was the type to get along just fine by her lonesome. So maybe it was just plain courtesy that was making him think about offering his company, or maybe it was just some need he was having not to be losing hers. He wasn’t really sure, but he wasn’t really caring to think about it that much, neither.

“Could walk with ya,” he said at last. But he said it so she knew it was all her choice to be making. Because at the end of the day, he was a wolf who could get along just fine by hisself, too, if he was having to. He just wasn't really wanting to have to, was all.

Ray

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[Ray]

Ember image credit ma8201@da

She could see him transporting back in time, almost. The look on his face turned softer, tipping on the edge of melancholy, as if her mentioning her past had brought up memories of his own. Aria rarely felt need to dwell on the days gone by, but when she had a notion it did tend to stick around - hence her little pilgrimage back to this home of yesteryear. Shaw acknowledged her musing with a pensive, thoughtful sound of his own, but that seemed to mark the end of his little nostalgic trip down memory lane. The way he lit up again at whatever idea had sparked in his mind was almost charming in its simplicity, his expressive tail returning to its steady, determined swinging. Aria studied the male with candid interest, her careful stance relaxing just a little into something more casual, comfortable. She was starting to get a sense of how Shaw's mind seemed to work, and it didn't seem like her usual approach was going to get the same kind of reaction out of him that other wolves would give. He looked at her with the genuine appreciation of a wolf who walked steadily through life without a drop of ill will and was perfectly happy for the company of others, an unexpected but not unwelcome change. Most wolves wanted something from her - not that it wasn't usually her fault they did. She'd get them to the point where they were falling at her feet before turning with a whisk of her tail and leaving with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, her head swelling with the sense of devious thrill. Yet somehow in his frank honesty and the way he wore his heart on his sleeve, his thoughts written on his face clear as a summer stream, he seemed oddly above something like that. Like a rough-cut diamond among smooth, shiny stones. "Could walk with ya," he finally suggested offhandedly, in a tone that left the decision in her paws. But the fact that he'd offered, at least, hinted that he wouldn't be adverse to spending a little more time in her presence, however long they ended up walking for. Aria tilted her head thoughtfully, her own tail swaying as if to betray her of a decision she had not yet even made. Shaw was a sweet wolf, unassuming and mild, yet perfectly willing to pay her attention despite having just met her. There was currently no reason why she should refuse, and it had been a while since she'd had any kind of companionship. At length she raised her head with a faint smile that made a valiant attempt at mirroring the male's sincerity, ears flicking towards him. She didn't know how she would feel about him in the long run, but there was nothing to lose having Shaw around right now, and maybe even something to gain in pleasant company. "Perhaps stick around a while then," she teased, unable to help herself at least with that. Old habits did die hard, after all. "Speech"

[Ember]

SHAW GRAVES

A man of few words, Shaw was good at making his intentions clear just by holding hisself a certain way. He was good at reading others when they was moving this way and that, too. So when Aria relaxed a bit, her posture was telling him a whole lot long before she ever got to speaking again.

Which was taking her a few moments, he noted, but he didn’t mind the wait none. Watching her in the meantime wasn’t no chore at all, ’specially because he was still so taken by her pale fur and blue eyes. It was only after her tail got to swaying behind her, and after her ears was turning in his direction, that his interest was taken over by something else. Something like relief, maybe, since those movements of hers was making him mighty hopeful and perhaps a bit confident of what he was thinking her answer was gonna be.

A moment later, she was agreeing to his offer. She was talking in a teasing sort of way, too, and he couldn’t do nothing to keep hisself from smiling at that. He was real fortunate—to be having such pleasant company, to be wandering on his own no more. And he was glad for it.

Shaw was thinking it was good to wait a few heartbeats, so he did, and then he was padding on over to her. He stopped once he was a polite distance aways, maybe the length of another wolf like hisself. And he turned his body a bit, too, so that he was pointing his muzzle at her shoulder. That way, once she got to walking, he’d be able to fall into line right besides her real easy.

“Suppose I will.” He bowed his head just a bit, thinking the action was doing a fine job of making the rest of his thoughts clear. Lead the way.

Ray
Think we should move forward to them nearing the clearing, or just continue with them walking together? :'D

WOLF STOCK BY KATI OF DAWNTHIEVES • TABLE CODED BY EMBER

[Ray]

Ember image credit ma8201@da

ooc: Sorry for the wait Ember <3 I took the liberty of moving them to the edge of the clearing! Hope you don't mind :3 (Also feel free to muck around with the clearing / environment in general, I don't really have too much of a set image in mind and I'm just making everything up xD) ------ Aria noted with approval that Shaw did have a rather pleasant smile, which creased up the corners of his warm, honey-coloured eyes. Of course, his sincerity was refreshing all on its own, but there was something to be said for a smile coloured by nothing but soft, genuine appreciation. It was like looking up at an overcast sky and knowing it would rain, or noticing the moss on a tree and knowing that side was north. Reading him felt instinctive and easy, and she found herself wondering with considerable interest if it was something he'd consciously worked on or if he was just naturally good at broadcasting himself. Presently the large male came up closer to her, though he came to a stop a respectful length or two from her side. He was turned attentively toward her, though, and Aria knew immediately he was waiting on her even as the rumble of his voice came like distant thunder on the mountain. "Suppose I will." His head lowered politely to indicate she should go on ahead, and Aria laughed with real pleasure for how gentlemanly he came off as, a low, gentle sound like the rippling of a stream around a bend. Oh, but she did appreciate a mannerly individual. And it was clear he was impressively aware of body language, both how to read it and how to use it. For someone so simple and frank, he did seem to have certain depths to his personality that continued to reveal themselves the longer he stuck around. "If you'll follow me then, Mr. Graves," she replied lightly, though the words were just a formality - she knew that he would follow, of course, and Aria merely spoke to keep up the pleasant conversation. Also, perhaps, to hear the voice she was so proud of - after all, she did so pride herself on it. She stepped forward with a confident flick of her ears, not looking back to see if he was coming along, because he'd already told her he would. --- They approached the edge of the clearing together, Aria humming softly to herself as they made their way through the shaded, gently lit undergrowth. Up ahead the sun began to pierce through the pine needle canopy, letting shafts of light down like slanted pillars as the trees began to thin. Soon the clearing became visible, as the forest opened up to a relatively circular glade lushly carpeted with soft green grass. Little white flower buds were strewn about as if the sky had cast its stars down in a little fit of pique. It was shaded on one side by a craggy overhang of the mountain that rose up into the sky not so far in the distance, and in the shade was a very large, very old tree stump. Hollowed out in the middle, perhaps from termites and from being used for shelter by creature after creature, the jagged surface where the trunk had split from it was worn smooth with age. The rest of the tree itself was, surprisingly, nowhere to be seen. Scattered about too were shrubs and also an assortment of smooth, angular stones. Aria advanced into the clearing, high-stepping through the grass, her tail waving in delight. "Everything's still here," she gasped, her voice full of uncharacteristic wonder. Not many things took her by such surprise. Yet it must have been the subconscious fear of not finding something she'd put so much anticipation into over the past few days that elicited in turn the rush of relief to find the childhood home of her past was still there. Casting her gaze about in an effort to take everything in all at once, Aria allowed herself to savor the singular feeling of nostalgia being fulfilled. If being on the lakeside already felt like coming home, coming back to the clearing was almost like going back in time. "Speech"

[Ember]

SHAW GRAVES

Aria, she just hummed most of the time they was walking through the forest, seeming like she got along just fine despite the thick brush. Shaw wasn’t no good at walking through it all like she was, though. Instead, he was tripping over this stick or that vine every so often, but he tried his best to keep quiet. He didn’t really want to disturb Aria's humming none, or let her know he wasn’t so used to trees and bushes and tight squeezes. Just in case she wasn’t aware of that much already.

Before long, the trees ahead was beginning to thin, letting down light from up above, looking something like they did around the lake. Shaw inched forward, moving hisself closer to Aria’s side since up till then, he was walking behind her mostly. If the sight was meaning there’d be open space ahead, he was eager to get there.

Aria, she must have been eager, too. When they arrived at the treeline, she was pressing forward much faster than before. Shaw’s amber eyes flicked to her wagging tail, and the way her paws was lifting much higher than before, almost how a pup's might when the grass was too tall for them to walk normal. Her excitement was so clear, so real, that his own tail, it got to swaying, too.

“Wouldn’t never have guessed,” Shaw breathed, more to hisself than anyone else, ’cause who would have thought such a nice little spot was back here?

For a few moments, he was glad to just stand on the edge of the glade, just to watch her, following her eyes with his own to take in all that was around them. But she seemed to pause, as if to let it all sink in, and it was then he got to meandering through the clearing. His own footfalls weren’t so delicate as hers—unfortunately, for them little white flowers below—but something had caught his attention.

The tree stump, all hollowed out and smoothed, was something he hadn’t never seen nowhere before. He got to circling it, letting his nose trace its top border as he took in its old, dusty scent. His eyes, they studied the inside, though he was sure it was foolish to try and count all the circles there. He remembered, faint, something about his father saying those circles told a tree’s age. How old this one must have been...

“How long's it been?” came the question, spoken before he was even sure he wanted to ask it. His eyes flashed to Aria, who was some paces away, just for a second. And then, with a breathy chuckle, he realized he maybe should make his meaning a bit more clearer. “Since you been here?”

Ray
So sorry for the delay! Not the best post, but I didn’t want to keep you waiting any longer. xD And I love how you’ve described the clearing!

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