Werewolves (RP19) "What the Moon Has to Say"
Quote from Indy on August 29, 2024, 5:17 amTheo had felt the discomfort of his day's errand weighing heavily on him, and just then was contemplating a strategic retreat. Finding Sabrina had been much like finding a ghost. Even when she wanted to be found, it was difficult to find her with the presence of the herb disturbing his senses. Much as he was contemplating if she was truly a creature of flesh and blood, she came behind him at once.
"Oo-oh!" he said abruptly, clutching the basket as though in instinct it would instantly be snatched away.
Now he had her attention. All of it. It had been just what he was seeking - and how terrifying it was.
"Y-yeah," he started hesitantly, glancing down at the basket, "But.. not just that. Prepared in a special way. My mom had taught me um..."
He brought his gaze up hesitantly. It was the polite thing to do when sharing something of conviction, "I just.. this pack is.. new. Sometimes there are those that struggle with control and I just--"
He brought his gaze down to the basket, "Wanted to help... but you're the healer. This preparation of the flower helps with that. U-usually it's better if taken a few days before the moon several times a day a-as a tea, but um, even now.. if you think, think there's anyone that could um - well. I'd like your help to make sure they get it..."
Theo had felt the discomfort of his day's errand weighing heavily on him, and just then was contemplating a strategic retreat. Finding Sabrina had been much like finding a ghost. Even when she wanted to be found, it was difficult to find her with the presence of the herb disturbing his senses. Much as he was contemplating if she was truly a creature of flesh and blood, she came behind him at once.
"Oo-oh!" he said abruptly, clutching the basket as though in instinct it would instantly be snatched away.
Now he had her attention. All of it. It had been just what he was seeking - and how terrifying it was.
"Y-yeah," he started hesitantly, glancing down at the basket, "But.. not just that. Prepared in a special way. My mom had taught me um..."
He brought his gaze up hesitantly. It was the polite thing to do when sharing something of conviction, "I just.. this pack is.. new. Sometimes there are those that struggle with control and I just--"
He brought his gaze down to the basket, "Wanted to help... but you're the healer. This preparation of the flower helps with that. U-usually it's better if taken a few days before the moon several times a day a-as a tea, but um, even now.. if you think, think there's anyone that could um - well. I'd like your help to make sure they get it..."
Quote from Mae on August 29, 2024, 6:02 amTimothy had kept his gaze even and made no response - no, not to Logan, nor to Liam, though both had asked a different question. He stayed on the ground, listening, and made no movement. He was like an animal in thought and expression... if not for that strange light in his eyes.
*****
"I didn't know where we were going, but Resme and Abravious did." Ulric continued. "There was this... large cave, I guess? Only it wasn't a cave. We went under roots, the trees were standing on the ground, but the ground opened up like a cave and we went into this sort of tunnel..."
It had to be admitted that as he talked, Ulric sort of lost his hold on the moment. His mind was replaying images in his eyes that he still couldn't fully understand. He had thought on the night of his first change many times, but so little of it could be remembered.
"On the other side, there was a big..." Ulric trailed off and turned his head to the side, wincing. "What would you call it? I don't even know... it was a big, big enclosure, I guess? It was underground, but we could see the moon. I could see it through the trees, on the rim, and everything was blue with light. There were buildings, I think. Stone, brick.. something like that. I saw a big pillar."
Ulric shook his head. What point was there to explain all this scenery?
"Anyway," he concluded, "I don't remember the change much. I don't remember killing anything... I saw Abravious' eyes. He had changed. I saw Resme, and then... I don't remember anything."
Timothy had kept his gaze even and made no response - no, not to Logan, nor to Liam, though both had asked a different question. He stayed on the ground, listening, and made no movement. He was like an animal in thought and expression... if not for that strange light in his eyes.
*****
"I didn't know where we were going, but Resme and Abravious did." Ulric continued. "There was this... large cave, I guess? Only it wasn't a cave. We went under roots, the trees were standing on the ground, but the ground opened up like a cave and we went into this sort of tunnel..."
It had to be admitted that as he talked, Ulric sort of lost his hold on the moment. His mind was replaying images in his eyes that he still couldn't fully understand. He had thought on the night of his first change many times, but so little of it could be remembered.
"On the other side, there was a big..." Ulric trailed off and turned his head to the side, wincing. "What would you call it? I don't even know... it was a big, big enclosure, I guess? It was underground, but we could see the moon. I could see it through the trees, on the rim, and everything was blue with light. There were buildings, I think. Stone, brick.. something like that. I saw a big pillar."
Ulric shook his head. What point was there to explain all this scenery?
"Anyway," he concluded, "I don't remember the change much. I don't remember killing anything... I saw Abravious' eyes. He had changed. I saw Resme, and then... I don't remember anything."
Quote from Mae on August 29, 2024, 6:08 am"Then you will need to give me your hand." Kratos said straightly. His large black paw was extended toward Jackie and he gave no further explanation.
"Then you will need to give me your hand." Kratos said straightly. His large black paw was extended toward Jackie and he gave no further explanation.
Quote from Indy on August 29, 2024, 7:59 amJackie regarded the massive palm and then her own, taking the details of both in turn. She did not object to the request, although its curtness intrigued her. With what seemed to be a shrug she lay her left palm over his paw. The comedy of the size difference was even more impressive.
Jackie regarded the massive palm and then her own, taking the details of both in turn. She did not object to the request, although its curtness intrigued her. With what seemed to be a shrug she lay her left palm over his paw. The comedy of the size difference was even more impressive.
Quote from Mae on August 29, 2024, 2:45 pmKratos closed his right hand around Jackie's left, her hand as well as her wrist enclosed therein. Then he brought her hand to his left wrist and guided her two first fingers to press into his radial vein. The pounding of his heartbeat pulsed in her fingertips.
Kratos' features were solemn as his ears swiveled slightly.
"For a month, you have observed the outer world with all your senses. Now, focus all your senses on me and observe the inner world."
Kratos held Jackie's hand gently in place and waited.
Kratos closed his right hand around Jackie's left, her hand as well as her wrist enclosed therein. Then he brought her hand to his left wrist and guided her two first fingers to press into his radial vein. The pounding of his heartbeat pulsed in her fingertips.
Kratos' features were solemn as his ears swiveled slightly.
"For a month, you have observed the outer world with all your senses. Now, focus all your senses on me and observe the inner world."
Kratos held Jackie's hand gently in place and waited.
Quote from Adriana on August 29, 2024, 3:00 pmUlric’s manner of speech continued to grip Bianca, and between his descriptions and gestures, she was able to picture the image he painted vividly. Still there was no way to know if the image she had drawn up matched what Ulric had seen, but nonetheless, he was an effective storyteller. What else could he remember in such colorful detail?
Then he finished and she felt the world come back into focus. She blinked and inhaled, and even laughed a little, but couldn’t find it in her to focus back on his eyes now.
“You describe it so well,” she said, shaking her head, “I could swear I’ve seen it.” she moved her hands to hold her arms and shivered a little, but she wasn’t cold.
“Ulric, I-“ she started, and tried to find a way to put the sensations and emotions into words, but couldn’t summarize everything in a few words; and a few words was all she felt like she had. She sucked in the air between her teeth, exhaled, and shivered again.
“Uhm.. sorry. Have you seen anyone lose control?”
Ulric’s manner of speech continued to grip Bianca, and between his descriptions and gestures, she was able to picture the image he painted vividly. Still there was no way to know if the image she had drawn up matched what Ulric had seen, but nonetheless, he was an effective storyteller. What else could he remember in such colorful detail?
Then he finished and she felt the world come back into focus. She blinked and inhaled, and even laughed a little, but couldn’t find it in her to focus back on his eyes now.
“You describe it so well,” she said, shaking her head, “I could swear I’ve seen it.” she moved her hands to hold her arms and shivered a little, but she wasn’t cold.
“Ulric, I-“ she started, and tried to find a way to put the sensations and emotions into words, but couldn’t summarize everything in a few words; and a few words was all she felt like she had. She sucked in the air between her teeth, exhaled, and shivered again.
“Uhm.. sorry. Have you seen anyone lose control?”
Quote from Indy on August 30, 2024, 1:52 pmThere was no resistance as Kratos' large palm delicately led hers to his radial vein. She had beheld the heartbeat of her dying prey many times now. She knew well the thrum of the heart beneath her fingertips, though she had never sought to seek beyond it. It seemed to her there was a particular delicacy in touch amongst werewolves. She had never asked why.
So she observed the velvet fur beneath her touch, and the warmth of his skin. She could feel his heart as well as hear it, like the crack of thunder. At this distance she could smell his breath, as well as feel it - and how it coincided with the thrum of his heart. And in his breath, there were odors she knew as werewolf, others belonging to the forest, and still a few which belonged only to him.
What else might she find beneath these details? She could not say. If there was a werewolf which possessed the ability to read minds from touch, then she was not it - for she could no sooner guess Kratos' precise thoughts than she could any others. She saw his interest in her exploration, yet his visage presented no clues to what she was meant to find.
"You're healthy," she mused thoughtfully, "I can feel your heart, your breath, your skin... I can smell your breath, and all the things that make you, you... and what you've eaten recently. But your thoughts remain a mystery".
There was no resistance as Kratos' large palm delicately led hers to his radial vein. She had beheld the heartbeat of her dying prey many times now. She knew well the thrum of the heart beneath her fingertips, though she had never sought to seek beyond it. It seemed to her there was a particular delicacy in touch amongst werewolves. She had never asked why.
So she observed the velvet fur beneath her touch, and the warmth of his skin. She could feel his heart as well as hear it, like the crack of thunder. At this distance she could smell his breath, as well as feel it - and how it coincided with the thrum of his heart. And in his breath, there were odors she knew as werewolf, others belonging to the forest, and still a few which belonged only to him.
What else might she find beneath these details? She could not say. If there was a werewolf which possessed the ability to read minds from touch, then she was not it - for she could no sooner guess Kratos' precise thoughts than she could any others. She saw his interest in her exploration, yet his visage presented no clues to what she was meant to find.
"You're healthy," she mused thoughtfully, "I can feel your heart, your breath, your skin... I can smell your breath, and all the things that make you, you... and what you've eaten recently. But your thoughts remain a mystery".
Quote from Mae on August 30, 2024, 11:33 pmAs Ulric came back to the moment he found himself looking on Bianca and noticing her shivers, and the way her eyes moved. What was going on here?
"I ... don't think so." Ulric replied. Of course, that may have been the truth as he remembered it, but it may not have been the truth in reality. The night he came to the dens, he met Jackie and Timothy. Since then, he had seen them and other members of the pack fly off the rails. But was that truly losing control? He never considered Timothy to ever be in control, and yet he never performed without calculation.
"Bianca, what's wrong?"
******
After Jackie explained what she sensed, Kratos slowly moved her hand to rest adjacent his pulse. She would still be able to feel it, but not as strongly.
"Close your eyes, Jackie." Kratos instructed. He would wait until she complied, then... he would relinquish his secondary form. A burst of energy would be released beneath Jackie's fingertips when he commanded every fiber of his body to change. Change it would, and rapidly, from one form to another at a single command, - a will, the determination of faculty beyond tangibility - and the body complied every inch down to its smallest component.
Kratos' soft but firm palm bent around Jackie's wrist, adjusting his hold on her; in the which he, too, felt her heartbeat. From her heartbeat he could judge, as well as from the smell of her hair and skin, so much the more what was beneath the surface. Temperature of the skin, speed of the heart, tension of the sinew, scent of the flesh, and so much more was available to him in the proximity of touch; and what were they but signals and switches commanded by the mind and spirit? Coupled with knowledge they were more than the instruments of the body, for they revealed thoughts and feelings intangible.
Kratos sensed what he could of Jackie's mind and spirit under his hand. He knew where she had been and how high she had climbed, both in body and spirit. Nothing could be known beyond that which could be recognized by a discerning mind; that which could be translated from blood and bone. Nonetheless, with knowledge, it was a more than a touch.
"The body attests to its own history." Kratos said softly. "Exertion... pain... pleasure... All things which it experiences. The spirit, too, speaks of pleasure and pain... and it can be seen as well as felt. From such comes familiarity, and in its absence, dissonance."
Dissonance; the clash of elements associated in disharmonious union. Is not the absence of life the dissonance of the human experience? Kratos had seen its absence at a time in his life when all that he knew was in question. Upon the rails he saw a man lay, dead. That soul, that human soul with whom he had communed, which he knew in life was absent in the frail and broken instrument which it once inhabited. That moment changed the man who stood before Jackie forever, and he knew that either mother and father - though different in their teachings and guidance - had taught him falsely, or else all that they had taught him was true.
"Life is precious, Jackie." Kratos said, repeating words she had heard him say before. "All I mean to teach you is how to subject the will of the body to the will of the spirit. If I teach you nothing more than that, you will have everything you need to find out the rest. Your life means more than you know. But you will find out."
As Ulric came back to the moment he found himself looking on Bianca and noticing her shivers, and the way her eyes moved. What was going on here?
"I ... don't think so." Ulric replied. Of course, that may have been the truth as he remembered it, but it may not have been the truth in reality. The night he came to the dens, he met Jackie and Timothy. Since then, he had seen them and other members of the pack fly off the rails. But was that truly losing control? He never considered Timothy to ever be in control, and yet he never performed without calculation.
"Bianca, what's wrong?"
******
After Jackie explained what she sensed, Kratos slowly moved her hand to rest adjacent his pulse. She would still be able to feel it, but not as strongly.
"Close your eyes, Jackie." Kratos instructed. He would wait until she complied, then... he would relinquish his secondary form. A burst of energy would be released beneath Jackie's fingertips when he commanded every fiber of his body to change. Change it would, and rapidly, from one form to another at a single command, - a will, the determination of faculty beyond tangibility - and the body complied every inch down to its smallest component.
Kratos' soft but firm palm bent around Jackie's wrist, adjusting his hold on her; in the which he, too, felt her heartbeat. From her heartbeat he could judge, as well as from the smell of her hair and skin, so much the more what was beneath the surface. Temperature of the skin, speed of the heart, tension of the sinew, scent of the flesh, and so much more was available to him in the proximity of touch; and what were they but signals and switches commanded by the mind and spirit? Coupled with knowledge they were more than the instruments of the body, for they revealed thoughts and feelings intangible.
Kratos sensed what he could of Jackie's mind and spirit under his hand. He knew where she had been and how high she had climbed, both in body and spirit. Nothing could be known beyond that which could be recognized by a discerning mind; that which could be translated from blood and bone. Nonetheless, with knowledge, it was a more than a touch.
"The body attests to its own history." Kratos said softly. "Exertion... pain... pleasure... All things which it experiences. The spirit, too, speaks of pleasure and pain... and it can be seen as well as felt. From such comes familiarity, and in its absence, dissonance."
Dissonance; the clash of elements associated in disharmonious union. Is not the absence of life the dissonance of the human experience? Kratos had seen its absence at a time in his life when all that he knew was in question. Upon the rails he saw a man lay, dead. That soul, that human soul with whom he had communed, which he knew in life was absent in the frail and broken instrument which it once inhabited. That moment changed the man who stood before Jackie forever, and he knew that either mother and father - though different in their teachings and guidance - had taught him falsely, or else all that they had taught him was true.
"Life is precious, Jackie." Kratos said, repeating words she had heard him say before. "All I mean to teach you is how to subject the will of the body to the will of the spirit. If I teach you nothing more than that, you will have everything you need to find out the rest. Your life means more than you know. But you will find out."
Quote from Indy on August 31, 2024, 2:55 amShe closed her eyes. In depriving once sense, other sensory information came to the forefront. She knew he would change before he did. It was something in his posture, something in the slightest tension of his grip, in anticipation for it. Somehow, despite experiencing the same change many times herself, she had not expected it to feel so strangely as observed from an outside. It was electric. As every cell was commanded to change, she felt an impossible surge just beneath her touch. The exterior change was secondary to what she seemed to sense interior. His heartbeat did not falter but changed effortlessly to a new rhythm. The impossible shift of bones and muscles condensed, as though folding in on itself, yet the flesh of the man now under her fingertips did not seem in any way poorly formed.
Impossible. And yet she had done it at least every month that year, without thinking any further on it.
A small, electric shudder ran up her own spine. It wasn't fear or excitement. Was it... a kind of knowing? She couldn't explain it either.
She kept her eyes closed. It wasn't just because he had commanded her as such, but because focusing on his words was easier. He spoke of dissonance, but she thought that he spoke of something else... somewhere else, though she could not see his mind, she imagined the weight of the words that fell on him came from experience.
It was not the first he had spoken of this. The perception came to her from the same night they had emerged from the woods. And again, in naming her hunter and scout, he had claimed all lives upon the land - including her own. For a man to claim such a thing would have seemed absurd. But for Kratos, it seemed in line with what she knew of him. It was something that weighed heavily on him. His own body attested it, she thought, if only in the stillness of it beneath her fingertips. Even his heart seemed softer.
"I have felt that dissonance," she mused quietly, peeking open her eyes. It was difficult to speak if her senses lay inundated beneath the alpha's, "I had been taught to embrace it..."
I don't now, she seemed to say next. But she didn't speak it. Perhaps it was too obvious when every rhythm of her body spoke for her.
"Once, I could do almost anything without fear... now I'm afraid of many things. That makes control harder. I don't take the risks I once did because I'm afraid of the consequence. It feels... weaker. But I couldn't go back to what I once was, even if I tried..."
She closed her eyes. In depriving once sense, other sensory information came to the forefront. She knew he would change before he did. It was something in his posture, something in the slightest tension of his grip, in anticipation for it. Somehow, despite experiencing the same change many times herself, she had not expected it to feel so strangely as observed from an outside. It was electric. As every cell was commanded to change, she felt an impossible surge just beneath her touch. The exterior change was secondary to what she seemed to sense interior. His heartbeat did not falter but changed effortlessly to a new rhythm. The impossible shift of bones and muscles condensed, as though folding in on itself, yet the flesh of the man now under her fingertips did not seem in any way poorly formed.
Impossible. And yet she had done it at least every month that year, without thinking any further on it.
A small, electric shudder ran up her own spine. It wasn't fear or excitement. Was it... a kind of knowing? She couldn't explain it either.
She kept her eyes closed. It wasn't just because he had commanded her as such, but because focusing on his words was easier. He spoke of dissonance, but she thought that he spoke of something else... somewhere else, though she could not see his mind, she imagined the weight of the words that fell on him came from experience.
It was not the first he had spoken of this. The perception came to her from the same night they had emerged from the woods. And again, in naming her hunter and scout, he had claimed all lives upon the land - including her own. For a man to claim such a thing would have seemed absurd. But for Kratos, it seemed in line with what she knew of him. It was something that weighed heavily on him. His own body attested it, she thought, if only in the stillness of it beneath her fingertips. Even his heart seemed softer.
"I have felt that dissonance," she mused quietly, peeking open her eyes. It was difficult to speak if her senses lay inundated beneath the alpha's, "I had been taught to embrace it..."
I don't now, she seemed to say next. But she didn't speak it. Perhaps it was too obvious when every rhythm of her body spoke for her.
"Once, I could do almost anything without fear... now I'm afraid of many things. That makes control harder. I don't take the risks I once did because I'm afraid of the consequence. It feels... weaker. But I couldn't go back to what I once was, even if I tried..."
Quote from Adriana on August 31, 2024, 9:13 amBianca’s eyes went up to Ulric’s when he asked his question. She kept getting asked that. Then her gaze fell again and she hunched up her shouders.
“Nothing? Everything? I just don’t..” don’t trust myself. Don’t trust my heart. Don’t trust my soul. Don’t know what’s wrong with me. Don’t know how to explain it to you.
She ran a hand through her short blonde hair and sighed.
“I don’t want to do this tonight,” Bianca admitted, but it brought no relief. Then, she tensed up and the hair on her neck stood on end.
“Ah, there you are.” Logan said, coming out through the trees behind Bianca. The blonde turned her eyes and head sharply back towards Logan and narrowed her brow.
“The moon will soon be over our heads. Come back to dens.” the defender said, with a jerk of her head over her shoulder.
“Did Kratos ask us to?” Bianca asked, coldly.
“No, only I am-“ Logan began,
“Then shove off Logan. You’re not our Alpha, or Beta.” The blonde retorted sharply before Logan could finish.
Logan’s ears went up and she moved slowly into a crouch. Her muave eyes moved to Ulric and back to Bianca. She saw the young woman’s trembling body, but did not detect fear. Again, Logan’s eyes went to Ulric.
Bianca noticed this and became more agitated. Logan, nonetheless, waited..
Bianca’s eyes went up to Ulric’s when he asked his question. She kept getting asked that. Then her gaze fell again and she hunched up her shouders.
“Nothing? Everything? I just don’t..” don’t trust myself. Don’t trust my heart. Don’t trust my soul. Don’t know what’s wrong with me. Don’t know how to explain it to you.
She ran a hand through her short blonde hair and sighed.
“I don’t want to do this tonight,” Bianca admitted, but it brought no relief. Then, she tensed up and the hair on her neck stood on end.
“Ah, there you are.” Logan said, coming out through the trees behind Bianca. The blonde turned her eyes and head sharply back towards Logan and narrowed her brow.
“The moon will soon be over our heads. Come back to dens.” the defender said, with a jerk of her head over her shoulder.
“Did Kratos ask us to?” Bianca asked, coldly.
“No, only I am-“ Logan began,
“Then shove off Logan. You’re not our Alpha, or Beta.” The blonde retorted sharply before Logan could finish.
Logan’s ears went up and she moved slowly into a crouch. Her muave eyes moved to Ulric and back to Bianca. She saw the young woman’s trembling body, but did not detect fear. Again, Logan’s eyes went to Ulric.
Bianca noticed this and became more agitated. Logan, nonetheless, waited..
