Alpha Interviews - Jackie: Meeting in the Middle (SP-RP15/16)
Quote from Mae on August 4, 2023, 8:52 pm"Help you live." The Alpha replied to her first question quickly. "Help you find your footing."
"Jackie, you haven't even begun to live." Kratos stood up and faced the tree. "If 'all you can be' is surviving from one moment to the next, wondering who you are and where you'll fall... then... you're as good as an apple in a tree, waiting for someone to pluck you down."
"Am I supposed to be the one to pluck you down, Jackie?"
"Help you live." The Alpha replied to her first question quickly. "Help you find your footing."
"Jackie, you haven't even begun to live." Kratos stood up and faced the tree. "If 'all you can be' is surviving from one moment to the next, wondering who you are and where you'll fall... then... you're as good as an apple in a tree, waiting for someone to pluck you down."
"Am I supposed to be the one to pluck you down, Jackie?"
Quote from Indy on August 5, 2023, 12:58 am"Noo...." Jackie leaned more forward on the tree, her limbs dangling such it was on the border of precarious.
Stooped over on the branch as she was, she had the perfect view of the top of Kratos' head. Distantly she marveled at the sight... another part of her feebly recalled the course of the conversation.
"I'm just... stuck... I don't know where to go next. What to do next. What I'm supposed to learn. How I'm supposed to do anything but just... live in this apple tree".
A sigh. A consideration. Something considered that should have been obvious, but wasn't.
"I don't want to live here... but the place I used to live is gone. So I'm just an apple now, until I can figure out if I'm happier as an orange".
"Noo...." Jackie leaned more forward on the tree, her limbs dangling such it was on the border of precarious.
Stooped over on the branch as she was, she had the perfect view of the top of Kratos' head. Distantly she marveled at the sight... another part of her feebly recalled the course of the conversation.
"I'm just... stuck... I don't know where to go next. What to do next. What I'm supposed to learn. How I'm supposed to do anything but just... live in this apple tree".
A sigh. A consideration. Something considered that should have been obvious, but wasn't.
"I don't want to live here... but the place I used to live is gone. So I'm just an apple now, until I can figure out if I'm happier as an orange".
Quote from Mae on August 5, 2023, 1:30 am"What about here, Jackie?" Kratos lowered his gaze and extended a hamd out over Zeit's homestead.
"Do you want to live here?" He asked and looked at her again.
"What about here, Jackie?" Kratos lowered his gaze and extended a hamd out over Zeit's homestead.
"Do you want to live here?" He asked and looked at her again.
Quote from Indy on August 5, 2023, 10:57 amJackie gazed across the fields of Zeit's land. Cows grazed in the pasture over her left shoulder. The lake swept further east. The woods, in all their complexity of sound, color, and smell lay before her. And then the mountains she had spent the entire summer encroached in the not-so-distant horizon, enormous even amidst the approaching stormfront.
That was the difference, she realized, between her father and this alpha... her father had expected she would always return. But Kratos did not expect. He asked. And that difference, however subtle, was the important one.
"I don't know what it is to want something..." she said slowly, testing her words, "But I like the way the lighting smells in the air, the way the mountains always seem too close and too far... the smell of animals in the woods, the movement of the leaves... the feeling of bark under my hands...how the grass tickles when I run barefoot.. the pulse of a dying deer under my fingers".
She tilted her head downwards back to the top of Kratos' head, "Maybe that's too simple. I remember what I thought I wanted, once... I can't remember what I used to want...."
She closed her eyes, inhaling the storm. It approached, quickly. The temperature had dropped but the air became heavy all around her, "Maybe I just want to feel part of it. But I still feel... disconnected... from something I'm supposed to be a part of".
Jackie gazed across the fields of Zeit's land. Cows grazed in the pasture over her left shoulder. The lake swept further east. The woods, in all their complexity of sound, color, and smell lay before her. And then the mountains she had spent the entire summer encroached in the not-so-distant horizon, enormous even amidst the approaching stormfront.
That was the difference, she realized, between her father and this alpha... her father had expected she would always return. But Kratos did not expect. He asked. And that difference, however subtle, was the important one.
"I don't know what it is to want something..." she said slowly, testing her words, "But I like the way the lighting smells in the air, the way the mountains always seem too close and too far... the smell of animals in the woods, the movement of the leaves... the feeling of bark under my hands...how the grass tickles when I run barefoot.. the pulse of a dying deer under my fingers".
She tilted her head downwards back to the top of Kratos' head, "Maybe that's too simple. I remember what I thought I wanted, once... I can't remember what I used to want...."
She closed her eyes, inhaling the storm. It approached, quickly. The temperature had dropped but the air became heavy all around her, "Maybe I just want to feel part of it. But I still feel... disconnected... from something I'm supposed to be a part of".
Quote from Mae on August 7, 2023, 11:12 pmKratos followed Jackie's gaze and train of thought.
"It is not a sentiment you alone possess." He said softly. He looked down at Zeit's little cottage and let the sound of the wind in the trees drown out the noise for a moment, before a gentle reprieve brought a stiller breeze. "Everyone wants to belong, Jackie."
Kratos followed Jackie's gaze and train of thought.
"It is not a sentiment you alone possess." He said softly. He looked down at Zeit's little cottage and let the sound of the wind in the trees drown out the noise for a moment, before a gentle reprieve brought a stiller breeze. "Everyone wants to belong, Jackie."
Quote from Indy on August 8, 2023, 11:06 am"Then why are we all so bad at it?"
She'd meant it as a joke. Instead, it came out harsh on her lips - an anger, internal frustration, that she hadn't known was blossoming until it was there. She stared vacantly straight ahead, her forehead resting on her arms secured on the branch.
Oh to be part of the world she'd thrown herself in... it had sounded so easy when Kratos had welcomed her to it, and now it felt as impossible as a children's dream.
"I'm trying to trust in them... in myself... in you...it's just..." she shook her head, her short hair swishing easily and freely in the wind.
"You remember when you first brought me here... before that first moon and. Well.. I don't think I listened very well the first time. Could you tell me again?"
"Then why are we all so bad at it?"
She'd meant it as a joke. Instead, it came out harsh on her lips - an anger, internal frustration, that she hadn't known was blossoming until it was there. She stared vacantly straight ahead, her forehead resting on her arms secured on the branch.
Oh to be part of the world she'd thrown herself in... it had sounded so easy when Kratos had welcomed her to it, and now it felt as impossible as a children's dream.
"I'm trying to trust in them... in myself... in you...it's just..." she shook her head, her short hair swishing easily and freely in the wind.
"You remember when you first brought me here... before that first moon and. Well.. I don't think I listened very well the first time. Could you tell me again?"
Quote from Mae on August 8, 2023, 7:04 pm"Hm.." Kratos hummed thoughtfully. This was in fact the third time he and Jackie talked in the orchard. The second time and the first ran together in his memory. The particulars were now indistinct, but the emotions were still vibrantly remembered - for they would never grow old. It seemed to Kratos that each of these conversations, at different times, had a similar tone. Each time, Jackie seemed to be paying a little better attention. Perhaps, this time, she was ready to really understand.
"All that I've shared with you, Jackie, are lessons that my father taught me." Kratos said. "To teach you to understand yourself, the power that you have, and the responsibility you bear to yourself and others to keep it in check. You have a gift, and more power than you realize. But I cannot, no, I will not unfold these mysteries to you until I know I can trust you to be wise; to be careful, to be a guardian at the gate of the Threshold."
"In a moment, Jackie, you can do something that you'll regret. If I give you knowledge, and you have no control, than I have done poorly by you and by all who we protect." Kratos paused and allowed his words to penetrate Jackie's mind, if they would. Then he looked into the boughs and his yellow eyes somehow seemed bright despite the darkness of the storm. "Are you ready for what I want to give you?"
"Hm.." Kratos hummed thoughtfully. This was in fact the third time he and Jackie talked in the orchard. The second time and the first ran together in his memory. The particulars were now indistinct, but the emotions were still vibrantly remembered - for they would never grow old. It seemed to Kratos that each of these conversations, at different times, had a similar tone. Each time, Jackie seemed to be paying a little better attention. Perhaps, this time, she was ready to really understand.
"All that I've shared with you, Jackie, are lessons that my father taught me." Kratos said. "To teach you to understand yourself, the power that you have, and the responsibility you bear to yourself and others to keep it in check. You have a gift, and more power than you realize. But I cannot, no, I will not unfold these mysteries to you until I know I can trust you to be wise; to be careful, to be a guardian at the gate of the Threshold."
"In a moment, Jackie, you can do something that you'll regret. If I give you knowledge, and you have no control, than I have done poorly by you and by all who we protect." Kratos paused and allowed his words to penetrate Jackie's mind, if they would. Then he looked into the boughs and his yellow eyes somehow seemed bright despite the darkness of the storm. "Are you ready for what I want to give you?"
Quote from Indy on August 9, 2023, 6:52 pmJackie watched Kratos. Every quiver of his muscles was noted. The shift in his gaze. When he inhaled and exhaled. She watched only as a werewolf could, down to the almost-unheard thrum of his heart. It was a wonderful talent, to be sure, yet most of all she focused on the words themselves.
The more she followed the words, the less distinct they seemed to become - until she merely followed the course of the conversation like a steady river. Beneath those words, down to the muscle and tissue of the man that spoke them, she knew their warning came not from abstract theory.
Kratos had spoken of it once before. He did not just repeat back the lessons his father had once taught him but informed likewise from his own failings. She could not imagine Kratos to have lost control of himself; perhaps, it had come from another he had observed once and tried to guide now as he did this pack. Though she could not distinctly observe which sense it was that informed her of it, she thought there was a kind of melancholy in his countenance. Imagined, perhaps, but one that colored the weight of what he now asked her.
She could not bear it in herself to be the cause of another's harm again, even indirectly. To imagine what she had done without the full gifts of her other form painted in short order what she could do with it. Likewise, the one time she had managed to shift without the full moon's aid, she knew she had caused serious harm to one of her own pack.
What could she do with control and intent? The question was not what it seemed on the surface. It seemed to her all of her greatest failings had been due to a lack of control in her own course and a lack of foresight in the reactions of others. Her intentions had never been to cause harm. Then, what could she do if her actions aligned with her intentions?
She gazed back at Kratos as the conviction solidified.
"Yes".
Jackie watched Kratos. Every quiver of his muscles was noted. The shift in his gaze. When he inhaled and exhaled. She watched only as a werewolf could, down to the almost-unheard thrum of his heart. It was a wonderful talent, to be sure, yet most of all she focused on the words themselves.
The more she followed the words, the less distinct they seemed to become - until she merely followed the course of the conversation like a steady river. Beneath those words, down to the muscle and tissue of the man that spoke them, she knew their warning came not from abstract theory.
Kratos had spoken of it once before. He did not just repeat back the lessons his father had once taught him but informed likewise from his own failings. She could not imagine Kratos to have lost control of himself; perhaps, it had come from another he had observed once and tried to guide now as he did this pack. Though she could not distinctly observe which sense it was that informed her of it, she thought there was a kind of melancholy in his countenance. Imagined, perhaps, but one that colored the weight of what he now asked her.
She could not bear it in herself to be the cause of another's harm again, even indirectly. To imagine what she had done without the full gifts of her other form painted in short order what she could do with it. Likewise, the one time she had managed to shift without the full moon's aid, she knew she had caused serious harm to one of her own pack.
What could she do with control and intent? The question was not what it seemed on the surface. It seemed to her all of her greatest failings had been due to a lack of control in her own course and a lack of foresight in the reactions of others. Her intentions had never been to cause harm. Then, what could she do if her actions aligned with her intentions?
She gazed back at Kratos as the conviction solidified.
"Yes".
Quote from Mae on August 9, 2023, 7:15 pm"Then," said Kratos with a downward tilt of his chin. "Then I will teach you."
"You are a scout and a hunter." He said. "We will see what more you become."
With that, Kratos turned away and began descending the hill, leaving as if there was nothing more to say. Yet, he left behind him a keen sense that there was much more to come.
"Then," said Kratos with a downward tilt of his chin. "Then I will teach you."
"You are a scout and a hunter." He said. "We will see what more you become."
With that, Kratos turned away and began descending the hill, leaving as if there was nothing more to say. Yet, he left behind him a keen sense that there was much more to come.
Quote from Indy on August 9, 2023, 10:11 pmJackie watched Kratos turn and walk aside. To say she was confused was an understatement. Had lessons begun, or would begin? Was she to remain in the tree, return to the ranch, or follow?
The answer, as many things, was her choice. She watched him go, weighing each of the options, then settled on the most amusing one. Her gaze settled to the ground lazily, reached her hands in front of her to the top-most branch, then slid her lower body until she was hanging by her arms. She swung her body once, then released right at the top of the arc. It had to have been a twenty-foot drop... yet she landed effortlessly upon the balls of her feet, with no sign of unease.
She jogged to catch up with Kratos, following just behind him. She was curious to see where he went, which by all accounts, would be more interesting than either the ranch or the tree.
Jackie watched Kratos turn and walk aside. To say she was confused was an understatement. Had lessons begun, or would begin? Was she to remain in the tree, return to the ranch, or follow?
The answer, as many things, was her choice. She watched him go, weighing each of the options, then settled on the most amusing one. Her gaze settled to the ground lazily, reached her hands in front of her to the top-most branch, then slid her lower body until she was hanging by her arms. She swung her body once, then released right at the top of the arc. It had to have been a twenty-foot drop... yet she landed effortlessly upon the balls of her feet, with no sign of unease.
She jogged to catch up with Kratos, following just behind him. She was curious to see where he went, which by all accounts, would be more interesting than either the ranch or the tree.
