•|•|•"There is a world out there pup, read to learn, wisdom is your greatest asset."•|•|•[Shade]Madam Catherine said nothing further, turning around robotically the same way she came and I watched her quizzically. My heart began that fearful beat within me, so many questions spurring in my mind, of why she would want me, or where she was taking me too.My gaze lingered to Barnabas whose eyes glinted in an unknown emotion but I quickly moved after Madam Catherine. My feet moved behind her trying to read her aura as I stared at her straightened back. She didn't seem particularly angry however there was a dread about her I failed to understand. I was supposed to be the one who was afraid, so why did I sense the fear on her?I moved into the kitchen the smell of roasted meat immediately tackling my sense, my eyes remaining low, knowing feasting on the sight of Luceferous well done meat would do nothing but pile hunger over my growing fear.Following after Madam Catherine, I was caug
•|•|•"Perhaps you do not understand your power my little night wolf. You will be feared always, that is your gift and your curse."•|•|•[Kayos]The question hang in the air like grapefruit as I studied the girl that knelt lowly at my feet. The air around us held mystery, a mystery that peaked my interest. Her scent seemed to hide a lulling effect, because for a moment all I could do was breathe and capture the moment as I had done for the last two hours since she was brought to the doors of my sanctuary.All I could do was study her as her eyes traveled round my sanctuary, walking between the shadows, stalking her like prey. It was easy, way too easy. Without a wolf the keffer was as I had already known, vulnerable and weak. Had I decided to kill her, she would not know of it till her head rolled to my feet. She had no wolf to warn her that she was in the presence of an Arc Alpha, no way to know who I was by a mere sniff.Master she called me. She thought of me as those beneath
|•|•"Do you think the Night Wolf has a heart little one? His part of the Prime wolf is dark, tis why the Moon hides his soul.|•|•[Shade]My breath paused low and shallow, and my fingers froze like icicles around my rag dress, staring straight ahead to the feet of the strange master that stood before me.Confusion flooded my body, one that had been previously relaxed, having succumbed to my fate already.I had simply made too many mistakes the past few days to deserve to take another breath. I had disobeyed Madam Catherine, let myself be seen by the dark shadow with amber eyes- whether that had been a trick of the light or not.I had made noise in the master's library, a sanctuary they sought solace. Lit it up like it was midday on the hottest day of summer.Then I had dared to look into the eyes of a master, not once but repeatedly and now- I had raised my voice, yelling at a ranked lord.The only penalty that awaited me was death. It was what had always awaited me as a Keffer. No m
|•|•"You will be silent to your omega's, you will bow to your beta, and kiss the feet of your Alpha. But to your King Keffer? You are not even worthy to pass a breath."•|•|• [Shade Shadows] "Oh Selene! You've returned!" Vale screeched, throwing her arms around me as soon as I walked through the doors of the slave quarters, sweaty, tired with dust littered against my brow. I could barely breathe in her tight squeeze, a small smile grazing my face, glancing over her shoulder as she spoke, "I was sure- so sure that you were in some sort of trouble. Thank Selene you're back, I worried for your return," she sniffed, her voice slipping, breathing deep and heavy against me. My eyes glazed over the slaves that looked our way, whispering slowly among themselves. I pulled away from her, calmly speaking lowly just for her to hear, "I suppose I thought so too, but this is not the place to discuss it." Her eyes were red and soggy, her eyebrows arching in confusion. She turned slightly, notic
|•|•"They Fear me, mother. I approach and they run for the hills. I speak and they remain silent. I am never denied, never refused. I am a child and a god." |•|• [Kayos] The moment passed between us as my eyes strained toward the window pane where the morning light shined through. There was a strange magic I sensed there but it was light enough to be ignored especially when more important things plagued my mind. The tingles that danced against my fingertips clasped behind my back were one of those things. It was the contact, the strange flow that had enraptured me at that moment, that still had a brazen effect I was not too keen on ever experiencing again. However, it was action needed. I was taken by surprise at her countered offer. She wished to be my friend. She was the only one who had ever asked, and it was a strange realization that she was probably the only one who ever could. From the moment I was little, I had desired a friend. I marveled at watching the young pups play
•|•|•The Land Beyond the sea is the land of men. Men have trained dogs to obey their will, and one day, they will want wolves.•|•|•[Kayos]I had no reason to be as angry as I was at this moment. Perhaps anger was not what it was, if it were I would have taken the sun out of the sky, released my wolf into the wild forest to hunt, or sent a shadow to harvest a soul.Frustration?No. That was not this feeling. Could it? That I had hoped, for one thing, to open her up so I could see the secrets Selene had hidden within her. To control her fear.I had even become a friend... a foreign word to me. A want I had let go of wishing for YEARS ago, now just offered to me so casually.Instead of clearing that fear, I chose to speak the truth without any true obligation. Just because I did not wish to lie, I told her the truth about the dark nature within me.Why was I picking what to give? What obligation did I have to tell the truth? A friend, she called me. I had already broken the rules. I w
•|•|• "And who will I trust mother, since I have no friends?"•|•|•[Master Gregory]There was a strange ancient air that seemed to whistle through the trees of Valcane. One that brought in a scent of mystery and an echo of a warning I couldn't wrap my head around.I looked up from the paperwork as the pigeon landed on the window sill, the sun shining brightly through as it cooed softly. Getting out of my seat, I approached it, reaching for the bird. It remained cool and calm under my touch even as I untangled the note from its foot. My eyes glazed over the short words encoded, my fists tightening around the small parchment. Shutting my eyes at the news, I walked back to my desk, burning the paper into the singular candle fire, and then took a seat once more, and got back to work.-------------------It was nightfall when I walked out of the study, nodding to a pair of guards that bowed in respect when I walked past.The slight night breeze wheezed by as I turned the corner past t
•|•|• "What do you know about trust young wolf? You can only trust your soul for she can never betray you." •|•|•[Shade Shadows]"How did it go? W-What did he say? Don't tell me he-""Shhhh, " I hushed softly into the lingering darkness, stopping Vales' ramble.My eyes fluttered open, staring at the roof of the stoned castle in the Slave's Quarters. I turned from my back to my side, my eyes meeting that of Vale a few bodies away.Only a single streak of moonlight illuminated our bodies through the open window allowing us to see each other.A hand rested over my heart as I stared at her blankly, ignoring the anxious look in her eyes.I was way too gone in my thoughts. Moments I had lived throughout the day kept replaying on repeat."He-" I began, a breath escaping at the word.I thought back to what had occurred between the master and me. "He went along with it."Her eyes widened, blinking rapidly."He said yes?" She huffed in disbelief.I hummed a quiet yes. I was just as baffled
•|•|•"What worries you most when you look at him, Gregory? For me, it is that I can not remember the last time he smiled. —Oh, Selene, I can not remember the last time my son smiled."•|•|•[SHADE SHADOWS]I am quietly cleaning.I think my mind is simply vacant at my discovery. That he does not care as much as I do.Petty things, yes, but it is only because I have a glass heart that I behave this way.I have discovered that it easily cracks. You see it was born alone in a land where souls are birthed in pairs.Sighing, I look down at the books littered on the floor. My ears straining slightly for sounds. Part of me believes the master still lingers. At least I wish to believe so.I swear, I hear whispers sometimes but when I turn there is nothing but a stream of dust in the empty row.Not even Diane's flutters can be heard.I did not mean to scare her off too. But she would return I was sure- even though it feels like it has been nearly a half hour since the dust settled.Falling to
•|•|•"To be bonded to another is a gift, Pup. In truth, there is no greater gift for a wolf, and there never will be."•|•|•[SHADE SHADOWS]My hand tightens against the ladder as I lean out to slide a book into the slot. It takes a bit of stretch but it fits. My gaze runs through the spines of the neatly packed books on a now dust-free shelf.Dragging the ladder with me to the next empty shelf, I find the easiest way to pack books is to stack them up like a tower near the ladder for easier packing.I do all this whilst in deep thought.If only I could say I think of ways to escape. If Vale has managed to get the red yarn or find a solution to our Night Wolf problem.These thoughts are what should be on the mind of a slave who is planning an escape but no-I think of none of these things. Instead, I think of words, of stories that aren't mine but are painfully familiar. I think of death, of shadows, of colors painted on a canvas. I think of a pair of wolves, the sadness that has la
•|•|•Selfish Beings! All of them! Them and their goddess. May Chaos reign forever, in this life and the next. •|•|•[KAYOS ADREN PRIME]"Are you nervous?" I do not spare Vaeln a look at a remark so ridiculous. My gaze remains glued to the heavy oak double doors closed before us. "I only ask, because you pause..." Vaeln added, leaning toward me slightly, "Usually when one is before a door, they—open it..." he hints.Selene cannot be this cruel that I have to endure this torment, is she?I have no desire to explain to him that I take a moment, for I have to calm my wolf. The realization that the woman that we are to call mate is behind these doors distresses him, for he knows, whatever she is, she is anything but. I turn to him blankly, "This is none of your concern, Vaeln.""True," He grins, "It is more of an interest to be honest. I'm very interested."I stare at him. I do not speak again. He is much too aggravating and inconsequential for me to spare another second of my atten
•|•|•How does one know this is their bonded, AMA? Is it only by scent? Am I therefore doomed to never find love?•|•|•[KAYOS ADREN PRIME]I stare at her as if a ghost. Curled beside me like a dream, the only word fit to describe this vision of her.Quiet as she sleeps, I am struck motionless, simply watching. Immobile at the weight of her presence. Her scent is sweeter than the flowers that the endless grows to calm me, so much so, even they seem to tilt in a feeble attempt to touch the light coils of her hair, despite the non-existent breeze. It knows. The endless knows. She is something altogether different.Hearing her voice was one thing, but seeing her in all her beauty, in these fields of peace is —ethereal. I can not blink for I fear that if I do, I risk losing a second of all that is her. I am breathless at the thought, breathless at the pure desperation in the notion. I have kept away from her for four days, told myself I must see her soon, but in truth, I have been h
•|•|•This bond we share, Adeline. No being can break. Neither men nor gods.•|•|•[SHADE SHADOWS]********In the market. *******Xirrian states.*******************My fingers shake even as I write this. I cannot contain the excitement coursing through me. It is relief and emotion much too intricate to simply describe.I found her. I found her—I found her.My beloved. All that I am, all that I wish to be. All that is. I have her in my court this very moment. My wolf, my being, aches to be with her, but I must account for the moment. If only so that it is raw and genuine, and if only to give her space.I confess I feel I have suffocated her already. It is as the Mage Wolf predicted. The market is where I found her. In the cold streets of Thal, in the region of the Ice Wolf. It has been 2 years since my encounter with the mage.It is hard to describe—the emotion...The bond is far stronger than I ever perceived. Ah, it flows through me like a river, laden with all the good thin
[SHADE SHADOWS]•|•|• Who else wields magic? Is it only witches?•|•|•A mage Wolf.I study the lines on my open palms, staring at my hands momentarily. My gaze shifts to the pages of the book, picking it up, tracing over Xirrians words, again and again as if they could eat me alive.The dead flower blooms in his hand. My head leans back against the shelf, taking deep breaths in until my heart steadies, and then my eyes lift to the open window watching the rain as the memories flood my mind. Her curse is worse than mine. I feel numb.I do not recollect the first time I found out what I could do. I've always had it. It isn't something that I just figured out. Even after I lost my memories, my power didn't feel abnormal.I thought everyone could do it.Though I don't remember how I discovered I had this power, my memories remind me of the first time AMA did. It was a discovery for her, but for me, although I held no recollection of who I was, or had been, the action was natural an
•|•|•She is not a mate, She is a witch.•|•|•[SHADE SHADOWS]Barnabas is right. The sun refuses to shine by the morrow, and the world is dark. And it stays for three days. At least, I think it has been three days. I can not tell. The hours seem endless.Perhaps I could count how many times Madam has awoken us but she has not been to our chambers. The last time I saw her, she had called AMA's true name. Now, guards bang at our doors when it is time to wake. If I am to count to that then it is four.Four days have passed. It feels like a fever. I pump on mindlessly. My thoughts are filled with pages and lonely words. I have not opened Xirrians journal since. It is far too emotional that reading those pages has wedged me into such despair that I can not bring myself to read another page.But even though I do not dare to read, his words have haunted me, night and day. I can not get it out of my head. Perhaps it's because there is nothing I can do to distract myself. I've been lone
•|•|•I have stared at stars, I have prayed to gods, near and far of all circles. But even they haveturned a deaf ear.•|•|•[SHADE SHADOWS]Liston, the guard keen on getting me into trouble, stands before me. Though his face is visiblycalm as one would expect of a guard, there is a warm glimmer in his eyes, and his lips tug upwards,dimming slightly when a set of Guards matches passed.I turn from him, taking sharp breath in before closing the crimson door behind me and I feel hiseyes follow my every movement.When I turn around, I catch his gaze resting on the red door before snapping back to me, and heopens his mouth to say something, but a voice interrupts his speech."I'll take her from here."My gaze lands on Madam Catherine as she walks firmly towards me.For a moment, Liston seems hesitant, but he steps aside, a short bow before the madam.His gaze strays to me one more time, a tightness in his jaw, before taking his leave.I watch his figure disappear in the hallways and
•|•|•A new age begins, and the cycle repeats.•|•|•[KAYOS]The Portal creaks with haunting whispers as I walk through. The shadows his my true name, enticing. Their voices are cold and wistful. They pull at my robe, and tug, grazing my feet, until I walk out and the whispers fade behind me, the portal closing.Only one shadow remains glued to my side. Alchest climbs up to my shoulder. I glance at him momentarily, my gaze shifting to our surroundings.It is as I thought. A blood bath.The narrow hallway lined only by torches spans a good length and in it lies the carnage left by the creature. There is no death, however. It seems this creature wasn't out to kill. Instead, there is an array of bodies writhing in pain. Slashes and marks. Aid has come to them, and healers are trying their best to do what they can. It is clear they were caught in prepared, however, it is a lesson well learned.Despite their pain, as soon as my presence is known, groans grow quiet, and shivers across th