The Water Was All Around Me (open)

[fang]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; height: 600px; background-image: url(http://i53.tinypic.com/313m7vr.jpg); -moz-border-radius: 250px; border-radius:100px 100px 100px 100px; border: 3px solid #000000;] It drove me like a madness The previous night’s full moon had ridden the Loup-Garoux hard. Agony ripped at the insides of the animal, and he had called out to that silver orb in the sky as if his miserable bay would some how echo up to reach the man in the moon; the one whose smirk taunted him so. And then he had taken to four paws and run. The creature had run until the misery in his soul was replaced by the pain in his joints, in the pads of his feet, and then he had kept running. The landscape changed around the wolf as he left behind one woodland and entered into another less forested area. Little did he know just how close to civilization his mechanical travels had taken him, when he had for years done everything he could to avoid it. After the run Fang had hunted. The doe had been great and beautiful. The chase it had given was one that the wolf would come to remember. She simply would not give up. The female deer ran until she was foaming at the mouth, and her large onyx eyes wide with panic. And once caught in the wolf’s massive maw, still she did not resign. She fought with an intensity that shocked the Loup-Garoux; struggling until the crimson fount sprung from the wound in her neck and pooled on the ground around her. Fang had to ignore the human thoughts constantly running through his mind even in -this- form…that this animal had reason to fight as she had. That she had a purpose to live…most likely young to get back to. She was fighting for them. Fang did not waste the gift nature had given him. He ate from her until he was lethargic; consuming the flesh as well as the creatures will and purpose. And then he slept. By human standards, the day would have been a bleak one. It was rainy and humid, the storms bringing with them a symphony of thunderous rumbling and flashes of lightening. But to a wolf, it was paradise… Fang had been romping in the woods nearly all afternoon. He loved the way the rain seemed to cleanse everything, making it seem fresh and new. Even the creatures of the woodlands seemed to enjoy the tempest, coming out of their hiding places to bask in the rain and feed off the insects that had come out as well. The massive silver wolf shook his damp coat, and then lay down on the cool grass to lick at his paw where a bit of mud clung to one of the claws. He yawned, and then rolled on his back, swatting playfully at dragonfly that had landed on an over hanging vine above him. Soon enough, the wolf closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. When the storm began to ebb and the rain was nothing more than a light sprinkle, Fang awoke, feeling rejuvenated. He leapt up from his verdant resting place and trotted down to the edge of a sparkling blue pool that fed from an enormous waterfall. Dipping his head down, he began to lap at the water, delighting in the divinely pure taste. It seemed wholly untainted by the human civilization that surrounded the place. Lifting his muzzle, he sniffed at the air, searching for any sign of humanity nearby. When he was convinced that he was alone, Fang stretched his lupine body towards the grey sky, transforming himself into the form of man. Stepping slowly into the pool, he let out a contented sigh. The water felt as good on his body as it had tasted, and so he dove under for a swim. soundtrack

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[Marie Morse]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=style, border-left: #3A4748 8px solid; border-right: #839175 2px dashed; background: #d8d8d8; padding-top: 16px; padding-right: 16px; padding-left: 16px; padding-bottom: 12px; -moz-border-radius: 10px; width: 368px;] ----- THE WATER WAS ALL AROUND ME ----- ----- So lets not talk of the sunshine when it's gone ----- ----- The natural silence of the woods following a storm was all about her. Beyond the crunch of foliage under foot, of birds calling to one another in the trees, of rabbits sprining playfully through bushes, all she could hear was gentle pitter patter of light rain on the spread fabric of a large parisol. The uneven rhythm soothed her, soft and almost melodic despite its random fall, and the calming effect was only added to by the scents of damp pine and cedar. She walked with no particular destination in mind, just aimlessly meandering through thickets and clearings, an excersize she found time for every week; a way to get lost in the wilderness, distanced from home, from buildings and, more importantly, from people. As much as she loved the city, the warmth and familiarity of civilazation, it did of course have its set-backs. She was, in ever sense of the word, solitary. She lived alone, spent all her time alone, and did everything she could to avoid unnecessary interaction with others. Obviously, in order to hold down a job, in order to live any sort of life, she would occasionally have to mingle, but she always kept encounters short, simple, and unintrusive. As much as her heart longed for company, and as much as she was lonesome, she knew that it would only lead to someone's hurt and or heartbreak. Almost invariably, it would not be her own. She would, at least, be blessed with the gift of forgetfulness. It was, infact, the loss of such memories that would hurt those about her, and she would have to watch as people she could not remember look confused, shouted or wept before her, thinking her blank expression was feigned, thinking that they meant next to nothing to her. It was, infact, all she could remember. Each life she lived, she knew but one thing; she would always hurt others, and thus others had to be distanced. And so she looked forward to her walks away from humanity, where even though she was distanced from the city she loved. It gave her space, room to breathe, time to think; it was a place where she didn't need to ignore people, where she didn't need to try and be someone she wasn't, where she could actually enjoy her self-imposed solitude. Out there, with just her, the trees and the rain, there was no one and nothing she could possibly hurt, and it made her feel safe. Or...at least safer. Like she didn't need to watch her every action, like she could belong. But all illusions could be broken, because they were just that; illusions. Imaginary and unreal. She shrugged her shoulders as she moved, her free hand gripping her cardigan tighter about her shoulders, long fingers wrapped around buttons and knitted, woven fabrics. Despite the humidity of the summer downpour, there was a chill in the air, a whispering breeze causing leaves to twitch, and her body to shudder. Not that it made her want to go home. The mild discomfort was nothing compared to the comfort the rest of the forest offered, the fact she could utterly lose herself within it. Indeed, so lost she was, in both her head and her surroundings, that she nearly missed the presence of another. So focused she was on the sound of running water, on the sights of differing greens contrasted with the dark greys of the sky, her eyes almost wandered over the bathing body of a male about her age, stood close to a small waterfall, diving and resurfacing above and below what must have been, at best, luke warm water. Almost. As fate would have it, she caught sight of him just as he surfaced for breath, and his appearance startled her to the point of freezing. In all her walks over the past year, Marie Morse had seen things that caught her off guard, stumbling on mating rabbits, watching a bird tear into freshly caught prey, but never had she found another human on her wanderings. She came to the forest to avoid them. And, to make matters worse, not only had she discovered a human, she had discovered a stark naked human, who was apparently bathing in a lake she often sat by. Unsure of what to do, unsure of what to say, she remained frozen on the spot, eyes wide, staring, all to aware of him, his lack of clothing, and the dry lump that was fast forming in her throat. In all her life, she had never forgotten how to gulp. ----- tag: Fang words: 764 template by eliza @ shadowplay

[fang]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; height: 600px; background-image: url(http://i53.tinypic.com/313m7vr.jpg); -moz-border-radius: 250px; border-radius:100px 100px 100px 100px; border: 3px solid #000000;] It drove me like a madness He had good reason to miss the scent and sound of the approaching female. As the wolf drifted in and out of the gently lapping waves, floating on his back so that the sun peeking through the clouds every now and them warmed the ripples of his tanned belly, and dank below the surface and immersed himself in the wintery, watery kiss of the pool his senses were on over load. The shifter felt each one of them more intensely at this moment, for it had been so long since he had worn this unfamiliar, awkward form. In all honesty the wolf had shunned this form long ago. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had walked on two limbs before this day; it had been all too easy to blame the mere form than him self, the wounds within him were still so raw and throbbing. But there were times when he could feel this part of him; the human part aching just as badly to be used. It needed to stretch and feel the breeze and the earth under foot, but the wolf had always denied it. If it hadn’t been for that weak part of him…the one that had fallen so desperately for a female of that unusual species, the fate of his kin would not have ended in blood and death. A miserable sound loosed from the shifter’s throat and he let his lower half sink under the flow; a watery embrace that as it caused him to gentle drift on the rise and fall of the slight swells helped his mind drift from those terrible memories. Numbness. That was the gift his animal form had given him. It was so much easier to wear the natural frame and live wild and free and absent those memories than to wear this one and feel the ghostly reverie of human lips pressed to human lips or hear the echo of bays of death in his ear. Bobbing in the water, Fang’s eyes shot open, and suddenly when the wind ruffled the measly hair on the top of his skull, it carried with it a smell wholly unfamiliar and completely mystifying. His mismatched and brilliant eyes met the wide pair of the creature and he was struck by a sense of mistrust. The wolf began to swim towards the shore, climbing out and moving slowly, cautiously toward the female with no pause or care about his lack of undress. He sniffed at the wind again and tilted his head in confusion; gaze narrowing as they traveled over the creature, who fairly glowed as the sun glanced from behind a cloud and shone from behind her. She looked human, but she was not human…nor any animal he had encountered before. A guttural growl echoed low in the shifter’s throat as he approached the phoenix; devoid of any ‘human’ manners when he invaded her personal space, shoving his nose into her hair. He was much too aggressive, but didn’t mean to be. Such was the nature of an untimed animal of the wild. His palm rose to the delicate bend of her shoulder, and he grasped it, pulling her closer to snuffle down her swan-like neck to the width of her anxiously rising and falling collar. soundtrack There can only be one Mikey!

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[Marie Morse]

[atrb=border, 0, true][atrb=style, border-left: #3A4748 8px solid; border-right: #839175 2px dashed; background: #d8d8d8; padding-top: 16px; padding-right: 16px; padding-left: 16px; padding-bottom: 12px; -moz-border-radius: 10px; width: 368px;] ----- THE WATER WAS ALL AROUND ME ----- ----- So lets not talk of the sunshine when it's gone ----- -----She was unsure how long she had remained stood, staring and unmoving, aware only of the man in the pool before her and the drizzle of rain that pattered against the black stretched fabric of her parasol overhead. Was it seconds? Minutes? Hours? Forever? In that small clearning, with nothing but the lapping of water on rock and man, where her breath come in short, shallow exhalations and her throat seemed bone dry, time was warped, and she could have believed it had stopped entirely. Marie's thoughts raced as she tried to decide on an action to take, but awkwardness and -fear- had rendered her mind fuzzy. Things seemed not to make sense, and while ideas would normally flicker right before her eyes, she seemed unable to concentrate on anything. She'd lost all control over her own body, her motor skills failing her entirely. As far as she could tell, the other hadn't noticed her. Rather, she just remained floating, turning his body in the cold water, sinking beneath the surface and rising again, bobbing as though he too had lost control of himself. Could she run? Surely that quick movement would draw his attention, and she didn't particularly want to be seen if she could avoid it. She certainly couldn't approach him; she knew of no one who wanted to be approached by strangers when they were naked and bathing, probably at their most vulnerable. If she remained frozen on her feet; even if she sat down and pretended to ignore him, it would only be a matter of time before he noticed her. And then he would most likely approach her. Would he think she'd been watching him? The thought caused her face to redded- she hadn't been watching him- or...she had...but not in- The moment he turned towards her, she knew he'd seen her. His stance change entirely, and rather than just floating, he began swimming with a purpose, his eyes locked on her. Had her mind been numb before, it was now empty; just a blank slate, wiped clean by a choking sense of foreboding. She wanted to back away, to turn and run, but she couldn't. She felt as though she hadn't blinked since she'd first layed eyes on him, and now that feeling became even more powerful. Her eyes watered, but she couldn't close them. She was staring as he stepped from the pool, large blue iris flicking over his body, noting the power in his build, the fact he was...completely...without clothing. Time once again shifted; although the man moved slowly, he was on her in seconds. Without any hint of her reservation, with an almost aggressive sureity, he leant forward, burying his nose in her hair. The action caught her so off guard that she dropped her parasol, the simple handle slipping from her long, delicate fingers to bounce and roll against the damp ground below her feet. He proceeded to sniff her, a rough hand rising to her shoulder, and his face continued on its path, down from her hair to her neck, from her neck to her collar bone. Marie had been breathing quickly already, but the feel of his skin on hers caused her chest to heave, and her teeth found her lip, biting hard as if a short, sharp jolt of pain would slow her racing inhalations. When that failed, she tried to talk, but all that escaped from her lips was a choked and shakey whimper. She realized that lump remained, and she had never quite been so terrified in her life. No person had ever quite approached her in this manner, especially not in his state of undress; she had heard stories about what it meant. “P-please don't hurt me” she finally managed, voice quiet, barely a whisper louder than the sounds of sniffing. That said, she turned her head a little, looking down, hoping that if he thought she hadn't seen his face, he'd leave her alone. Her arms folded protectively about her, one over her chest, the other around her midriff, as if to form a barrier between them. She gulped heavily, and her fingernails pressed hard into her palms. The slight pain did nothing to make her situation any more tolerable. ----- tag: Fang words: 708 template by eliza @ shadowplay