The Way the Wind Blows (open!)

[oatmeal]

In an open field like this, the wind blows fast when it does blow. Sermon was in the middle of the field. He woke up here since one of the others had taken him here. He guessed that it was Preacher since Preacher left him no hints as to what was going on. Then again, it could have been any combination of them, but Sermon decided that whoever brought him here, Preacher was the last one to be moving around, so if there were any hints around, Preacher had destroyed the evidence. He was still a bit confused, but it has been at least half an hour and he still needed to find a few landmarks. Sermon glanced up at the sun. Well, it didn't matter where he was going really, he could make a new direction, even though it did put a huge setback in his plan to join a pack. He tried to be calm about it and largely succeeded, but in the valley, he felt as if he was the only wolf in the entire territory to suffer like this. Who wakes up and asks the question: "Where the hell am I and who was I last night?"

The morning sun shimmered the dew underfoot as he trekked onward. He stopped when he saw mares, fat with foals. He refrained from killing the mares, since he knew that they could breed, make new mares, and keep on going, multiplying, and giving new bundles of meat. However, this herd with old and young mares had been in this area for awhile, frequenting it, and he wondered if the poison in the earth had changed and mutated the mares there. He looked at his own tail, a long, odd appendage, curled at the end, grasping… grasping!

He brought his tail to his face while turning toward it, curving his body into a C shape. Someone was here. Perhaps it wasn't Preacher who came before him. He uncurled his tail, which was comfortable to bend and twist and hold so much that he'd sometimes forget to check on it. He took the stick in his mouth and spit it out, staring at it on the ground.

Whoever was here could have followed him downwind or maybe they didn't notice him. Sermon went on edge. His heart beat faster. His nose tried to detect a scent, but whoever was around was downwind of him--where he was half an hour ago. The wolf cursed himself quietly, but regained his composure. If someone was here and after him or one of his personalities, they would have caught him by now, certainly. If someone was here and just in the general vicinity, perhaps they would still be strangers. Sermon nodded and then turned around, giving a short howl. "Anybody there?" he asked, sure of himself, though inside, he was in turmoil. Even though he thought he had everything under control, he still managed to drop the ball here and it reminded him, like so many things did, that his condition was a handicap.

[shadow]

As Asha glided on the soft breezes, she decided now was a good time to look down. The she wolf looked below her and made out what she was 90% sure was Snake Creek, and half of the Valley of the Horses. 'OK, so I ended up here this time. At least I'm not in anyone's territory.' Asha shivered, remembering the last time she happened to land in another pack's territory. As she looked down again, she spied a herd of horses grazing below, and decided that she was hungry. Then, slowly, she began to descend into the grass not too far from the herd.

Asha crept slowly on her stomach closer to the herd, folding her wings as she did so. As she scanned the herd to figure out which mare was old enough to pick off, she got the scent of something she wasn't expecting. Another wolf. Instantly she stiffened and tried to pick out where the scent was coming from, worried that she had intruded on another wolf's territory and just hadn't realized it. 'Crap, and I was all ready to eat too' she thought as she spied the other wolf on the other side of the herd and froze, praying that he hadn't seen her yet.

[oatmeal]

[style=font: 11px calibri; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: right; width: 412px; background-color: #282823; padding: 2px 10px;]sermon, don't be a stranger

Sermon paused and waited for a reply to his question. There was none, but the wolf wasn't nearby or anything. He believed that perhaps a wolf wasn't going to go after him at this moment; however, he couldn't shake off the feeling of high alert. The brown-backed wolf kept a steady lookout, but refrained from going into panic mode, which Church might have done. Even though it wasn't important who he was a little while ago, he wanted to guess that it was Church rather than Preacher. Somehow, being that nervous wreck of a wolf brought him comfort for the moment because Sermon knew that the shy, gay, anxiety-ridden wolf that sometimes took his body wouldn't dare do something dangerous or reckless. He kept himself steady and snorted when he saw a winged wolf light on the other side of the herd.

She appeared to have not seen him yet, or at least he hoped so. The silver-gray wolf was still at a distance and Sermon couldn't distinguish the details of what she was doing. She was downwind and silent, so he had one choice to get the advantage in this situation. He had to approach her.

He tilted his rust-colored ears forward as he slunk through the mares. They whinnied as he approached and scattered. Their movements were guarded, getting up and moving long before they would if they were encumbered by their status as mothers or mothers-to-be. A few brave, old mares kept their post and watched the wolf pass them, as if they understood his intent was not to kill them. He moved with one purpose, his long tail twitching slightly in his deep focus on the task. He leaned forward, his prehensile appendage providing a good counterbalance to his slinking motion. He closed in on the winged wolf, silvery gray in color, with inky markings, and then noticed that she was in a frozen stance. So, she had seen him.

Immediately, Sermon relaxed a bit, taking the predatory movement down a notch until he seemed uptight, but not like he was going to pounce her. The wolf looked at her, trying an impossible task of finding her in the memory of the others, but he came up blank. It paid to play it safe, to treat this blue-eyed female as if he were a good wolf himself and wasn't going to hurt her in anyway. A proper friend. That seemed to be the action that had the least calculated risk and the best consequence in any case.

Worst case scenario, they'd become friends. The consolation was that perhaps they'd become enemies and he'd be able to have someone end his existence in a dash of glory. That would please Preacher, perhaps. So, he walked closer to her until his front paws were seven feet away from her. The mares regrouped behind him, going back to grazing.

"Have we met before?" he said in clean, precise speech, politely. It was an honest question, but he hoped that he phrased it in such a way that it sounded like perhaps, he had recognized her from some time before. He tilted his head. What he really meant was Have you met one of the others before?

I think they might get along... at least I hope that they do!

[shadow]

Unfortunately, not too soon after Asha had seen him did the brown wolf glance in her direction and then start slowly towards her. 'Damn, he did see me, what am I going to do?' Asha tried not to panic and attempted to go through her options in her head. If she ran, then he would think that she was a thief and might go after her, or if there was a pack nearby then he would alert them instead and then she would be in big trouble. She didn't see any wings on him, only a really long tail so maybe she could fly for it? No, like before, if there was a pack close the others would be on her faster than she could get away.

Her only choice was to stay. Maybe if she talked to the other wolf and explain why she was there he would let her go. She waited until he was only a few feet from her, then slid her ears back and tucked her tail under her, trying to at least seem submissive. then, she allowed him to speak first. "Have we met before?" He didn't seem angry, so Asha slowly uncurled a little before replying.

"I-I don't think so. My name is Asha, I'm a lone wolf. Listen, if I intruded on your territory, I'm really sorry, if you let me go I'll never trespass again I promise." Hopefully, he would let her go.

[oatmeal]

[style=font: 11px calibri; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: right; width: 412px; background-color: #282823; padding: 2px 10px; color: #8f9cab;]preaching a polite sermon isn't a hard thing to do

She seemed frightened of him. It had been a long time since Sermon felt that he was in control of a situation, but perhaps his luck was turning. So, her shyness was good. He could work with this and neither one of them would end up dead and the biggest worry was that they'd end up friends. The thing he was worried the most about was that she might take advantage of Pulpit or Church. Or that Preacher would do something reckless with her. He didn't worry about Advent. For some reason, Sermon always felt that he could trust that Addie would end up doing the right thing, even though she was a little more outspoken that he would like.

Sermon saw that Asha, as she introduced herself as, was a rather nervous wolf. He sought to quell her fears. "It's okay, I'm a lone wolf myself. And I've no intention of harming you. Name's Sermon." He wore a gentle expression, hoping to gain her trust. Although his initial intention was simply to get out of this situation and make sure that he and his other personalities were safe, he felt a bit drawn to Asha--thirsty for companionship and worried for her sake, wanting to bring her out of her shell. He knew that it would be a stupid thing to say, but he said it anyways since he didn't feel like he was going to shift anytime soon, lose himself to one of the other wolves that lived in his head. "Please, stay awhile. Let's keep company."

His prehensile tail flicked up and pointed behind him, to the herd of horses. "Maybe share a bite. It's common courtesy, is it not?" He said this in a polite manner, though his words were clipped and sharp, almost surgical in the way he spoke them. Sermon didn't have the attractive charm of Preacher, with his drawl and his soft, deep words.

I love posting with you. Sorry for shortness. Usually in convos, my posts get naturally shorter, but I guess that makes sense!

[✗|T S U Z|✗]

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[atrb=background,http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff235/wolfqueen23/Tsuztable-5.png,true] "SPEECH" THOUGHTS "QUOTE" The solitary brute had made his way out from the old factory just to the north of this valley. He was out on a mission, he now had a new neighbor,a nd need to arm himself with spare teeth. He needed a pack now, and so with that in mind he went out wearing his best behavior on his sleeves, and was intent on bringing someone home to the old place even if it took maybe a day or two, but no longer than that. The great white brute flew like a phantom over the ground. Gracefully training his paws over the emeral grass. He quickly drew up the scent of a a wolf, but it wasn't in the usual spot. It was...in the air? How odd, he'd never seen one of his kind fly. Then again, he was no longer out in the real world. This place was a land of fantasy where anything was possible. If he could recruit the flying one it'd make a good spy for him. As Tsuz traveled further into the valley he realized that this flying wolf wasn't alone. Another scent blended with this one now, as did the scent of a horse herd now. Tsuz shook his head in determination, he needed to focus on his pack and less on his stomach. Tsuz followed the scents closely and soon came upon the herd he'd scented before. He really didn't want to, but insinct bid him- ATTACK! ATTACK!- and he did. Tsuz crept on soft paws, but claws reached out like daggers. Once close enough he broke into a sprint, The entire herd scattered baying wildly for their lives. Even the more experienced fled, the eldest led as the herd stampeeded off to the east. A foal hung from his jaw, forgotten in the mass confusion. It's mother would miss it, but he would miss it more had it not been caught. Once the dust had cleared from the horse's stomping hooves the brute could see the other two clearly. They were engaged in conversation. He saw his winged one, she seemed so overly scared and timid...deffinately not spy material, but perhaps could serve a better purpose. Then there was the other stange looking one, this ones tail was rather curious, none the less. Carrying his meal he regally made his was over. "Greetings." he woofed softly laying the foal at his paws. He exaimined the two further before continuing. "My name is Zsar Tsuz, but please only call me Tsuz. I am the leading male of the Ipswitch pack that occupies the old factoy to the north of here" he barked calmly. There was no point in beating around the bush, he was an alpha, hw would act like it even off his lands. "If I may, could I ask for your names? Perhaps a light conversation over a bite to eat?" he said nodding towards the still carcass at his paws. ~Notes: HERP. ~Status: COMPLETE ~Tags: Sermon and Asha ~Music: NONE ~Credits: table put together by TSUZ Lyrics- Red: Art Of Breaking

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[shadow]

'Sermon, so he's a loner too, huh? OK, I guess I can stop freaking out now' Asha thought, relaxing a bit now that she knew he was a loner too. Then, as he offered for her to stay and hunt, she felt a microscopic shiver run down her spine. There was something she liked about this wolf, he was so polite and kind. 'Maybe I should stay, he seems nice enough, and there is something I like about him'. Asha then nodded slowly.

"Well, I am rather hungry, that is, if you don't mind me staying." Asha thought that she still sounded rather nervous, and not at all like her normal self, but maybe if she stayed a while longer she could finally relax.

[oatmeal]

[style=font: 11px calibri; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: right; width: 412px; background-color: #282823; padding: 2px 10px; color: #8f9cab;]the unimpressive sermon

Sermon thought that he was winning Asha over. At least she seemed to relax a little after their little exchange. He offered a smile back at her and let his black-tipped tail wrap and play around his legs. It seemed to have a mind of its own. He liked to hunt quietly, cut off a single horse from the herd, preferably a bachelor stallion, but an older mare could do as well. Since Asha was a winged wolf, she could help with that. Sermon thought of the different strategies of how they'd bring down a horse in his head, afraid to share one until he had a good gameplan in mind. Perhaps she could fly high and flap her wings to spook a horse and he'd take the chase from there with her coming in for an assist. He turned his head.

Sermon turned around to face the herd, but looked back over his shoulder to talk to his new acquaintance. "Oh good! Then I have an idea for the hunt. You can--" He was cut short as the horses started to stampede away. His stoic face crinkled into a confused expression. Sermon snorted as a male wolf came with all the brouhaha that a brute could bring. His tail lashed in an almost feline gesture of unimpressed annoyance. The Alpha seemed to be lacking in the social department, and, due to Sermon's handicap, he could sympathize. Perhaps he could take this barbaric tribute for what it was worth: an act of goodwill. It seemed the safest option.

The brown wolf kept calm, more for Asha's sake than for him being honest to his feelings. He had to admit that the dark wolf who had dropped the foal at his feet was frightening in his appearance and the way he just had to stir up the horses and was able to carry a foal so easily while flying--a feat of strength for certain. Despite all of the drama that happened before, his introduction was surprisingly polite. It left Sermon to pause for a moment before he began his turn for introductions.

"My name is Sermon," he replied in his stiff manner of talking. He enunciated words carefully and spoke clearly without a hint of a mumble or a slur. "Perhaps a light conversation would be appropriate." The brown wolf sat down in a business-like manner, uncertain if he liked this Alpha or not. He got a Nietzschean vibe from the wolf.

Sermon looked to Asha and back to Tsuz. He felt closer to the soft female than the powerful brute and felt like perhaps he needed to make sure that the both of them came out of the meeting without being coerced into doing something they didn't want to do.

We are going to pretend that Shadows post came after my last post and before Tsuz's grand entrance.

[shadow]

Asha looked at the new wolf and immediately felt whatever confidence she had been building start to shrink again. She had just started to feel slightly comfortable with Sermon, and now this Tszu, the leader of another pack, comes in. 'Still, I have to polite, after all he is huge, and I don't want to upset him by refusing his invitation.' Asha sat next to Sermon, however didn't dig in. She remembered her mother saying something about how the Alpha always ate first, but she couldn't be sure. Instead, she decided to be polite and not take any chances with the large male.

"It's custom for the Alpha to eat first, is it not? I'm Asha by the way."she nodded at Tszu slightly, trying to be polite. 'OK, now for the conversation part' she thought to herself. "So, Tszu, where did you say your pack was again? I don't want to accidentally trespass, or maybe I've seen you before." Talking to the large wolf was hard, his size alone was more than unnerving. 'Just be nice and as soon as this is all over you can go.' Asha thought as she politely waited for the other's response.

[shadow]

Dec 24, 2011 10:34:03 GMT -5 @shadow said:

Sorry about the mix up and the short post, still waking up.

[✗|T S U Z|✗]

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[atrb=background,http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff235/wolfqueen23/Tsuztable-5.png,true] "SPEECH" THOUGHTS "QUOTE" "My name is Sermon, Perhaps a light conversation would be appropriate." The brute barked in a perhaps polite almost buisness like manner. He looked to the fae searching for her name, but it had not been given. Well why not? Had he not been polite enough? This was some hard shit he was pulling, he wouldn't just walk up to some complete strangers and offer them HIS meal. This was completely off character for him, and this bitch didn't have enough knowladge of manners to give a name when one was asked. Tsuz fought back a frustrated growl, he demmanded respect, but he would not force this one. She seemed terrified enough already. "Greetings to you Sermon." Tsuz nodded respectfully. Tsuz took a few steps back from the foal carcass. "Please do not be shy, eat as much as you like. If need be I shall hunt again." Tsuz said feeling rather generous today. "It's custom for the Alfa to eat first, is it not? I'm Asha by the way." The femme said. "No, no please I insist. You have your fill. I will hunt again once I return home. My lands are in plenty" Tsuz woofed calmly. He relaxed on his haunches and smiled pleasantly. "Dear femme, I do not believe I caught your name?" Tsuz said as calmly as his voice would allow. ~Notes: HERP. ~Status: COMPLETED ~Tags: Asha and Sermon ~Music: NONE ~Credits: table put together by TSUZ Lyrics- Red: Art Of Breaking

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[oatmeal]

[style=font: 11px calibri; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: right; width: 412px; background-color: #282823; padding: 2px 10px; color: #8f9cab;]it takes a sermon to speak his mind

Sermon raised his brows. He was entertained. He debated whether he should remind Tsuz that he had already said his hello. The wolf twitched his long tail at the end as he considered that perhaps Tsuz was using the phrase to better remember his name. He said nothing. It was better to be polite in this situation, in any case. The wolf looked at the foal, suspicious of Tsuz's intentions. And perhaps estimating that the Alpha's intelligence was underwhelming.

However, when the brute addressed Asha, Sermon knew that he had to speak up because the wolf was cruelly bullying her. "She's said that her name was Asha, sir." His words were neat, just like the way he sat. His feet were close together and his eyes were trained on the Alpha, considering a few defensive maneuvers in case the wolf reacted to someone correcting him with violence.

Sermon cleared his throat. "In any case. I want to know if I'll owe you anything for eating this foal. I must admit that I suspect some sort of ulterior motive on your part. An Alpha usually doesn't leave his land, offer tribute to loners, and ask for conversation while advertising how plentiful his territory is." Sermon's tail raised up and down in a lashing motion to make a point, "Hence why I have my suspicions, sir."

The brown wolf looked to the two other wolves that he met today. So, whoever the other personality was that had marked the moment with a stick was correct. However, he felt like he wasn't in complete control of the situation anymore. He hated that feeling. But his entire life ran on chaos.

It is short. Ick. I edited it and fixed the mistake. Sorry 'bout that!

[shadow]

Asha knew the Alpha was bullying her, but she ignored him and took a small bit of the foal to appease him. In the middle of swallowing she heard Sermon stand up for her, and hid the shadow of a smile that was creeping to her face. However, as she looked at the brown wolf, she saw the look on his face and recognized it easily. 'He's thinking of ways to defend himself if this turns into a fight' she observed. Yet, even as she went through ways to get out alive in her head, she felt vaguely safe. She trusted Sermon and believed she could count on him to help if this escalated to battle. Although, there was part of her that wasn't sure.

Either way, she hoped that this would not come to that. She rather not have any more scars, but still, she was starting to think that this was just a little too odd, especially seeing what Sermon was saying. Now, seeing that Sermon was saying what she was already thinking, Asha grew slightly bolder. She took another mouthful of meat and swallowed before standing. She looked at Tsuz, and tried to look as polite as possible.

"Well, I apologise, but I must be going, can't stay in one place too long you know." Then she turned to Sermon. "Would you like to accompany me? I don't know where I'm going as of yet, but some company would be nice for a change." She only hoped that her tone didn't sound too much like she wanted to get out of here that badly. 'Well, that and I don't exactly trust Mr. Alpha.' she thought, hoping that she didn't make the alpha wolf too angry, and hoping that Sermon would come with her.

[✗|T S U Z|✗]

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[atrb=background,http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff235/wolfqueen23/Tsuztable-5.png,true] "SPEECH" THOUGHTS "QUOTE" "She's said that her name was Asha, sir." Sermon replied for the femme. Finally the alphen had his answer, he never meant to seem rude, but he could not address someone properly without their name. "Thank you sermon. I merely had to ask again because while she may have told you, she never repeated it to me" Tsuz explained as calmly as possible. "In any case. I want to know if I'll owe you anything for eating this foal. I must admit that I suspect some sort of ulterior motive on your part. An Alpha usually doesn't leave his land, offer tribute to loners, and ask for conversation while advertising how plentiful his territory is." Sermon barked becoming rather suspicious of the alpha's good intentions. Tsuz loosed a soft chuckle before speaking "No, no, of course not. It is merely a gesture of good will, and innocent advertising. I do not expect anything of either of you" The brutte woofed lightheaertedly. "Well, I apologise, but I must be going, can't stay in one place too long you know." The femme barked turning from the foal and beginning to move out over the feild they sat in. "Leaving so soon? That's a shame. Well, I bid you good travels, I cannot force you to stay where you do not wish to occupy." The brute woofed in farewell. Some gained, Some lost. It was a cycle, he didn't wish to force them into his pack, about all the same he hoped to take the up before anyone else could. "Would you like to accompany me? I don't know where I'm going as of yet, but some company would be nice for a change." Asha said turning, and speaking to sermon. Right, it wasn't because she actually had somewhere to be, she was fed up with his company, and didn't want him around. Tsuz turned to sermon"I will not keep you if you do not wish to stay, but if you wish you may take the foal to offer you some nourishment on your journey." Tsuz barked calmly. The looked after asha "And to both of you I am in hopes that you will on day consider joining me, and my pack." Tsuz said drummming up a placid smile. "We are a close knit group, and we look after our own" He finished. ~Notes: HERP. Late. And Tsuz doesn't have wings XD ~Status: COMPLETED ~Tags: Sermon & Asha ~Music: NONE ~Credits: table put together by TSUZ Lyrics- Red: Art Of Breaking

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[oatmeal]

[style=font: 11px calibri; letter-spacing: 1px; text-align: right; width: 412px; background-color: #282823; padding: 2px 10px; color: #8f9cab;]a goodbye sermon

Sermon was a bit ticked off with Tsuz. Asha had shared her name with Tsuz and introduced herself in much the same fashion as he did. "I'm Asha by the way." Was that so hard to listen to? To understand? Especially to a female who, just a few short moments ago, had regained her composure. All in all, the Alpha had left an unfavorable impression on the male wolf, but Sermon lowered his defenses somewhat. Tsuz seemed not to be trying to coerce them into joining his pack, which was what the loner was afraid of. Perhaps it was a bad first impression, but the mishandling of Asha left a sour taste in Sermon's mouth and drove a wedge between him and this Alpha. Tsuz's pack was crossed off the list of potential packs for the long-tailed wolf. However, this rift seemed to push him closer to Asha than he would have normally been comfortable because when she voiced that she wanted to move on, it seemed that that was a good idea. But then, Tsuz invited Sermon directly into the pack. He hung back for a second to catch all the words. Give the Zsar a fair chance to repair his reputation in Sermon's eyes.

As Tsuz went on, Sermon felt a small sense of longing. The fact that the Zsar seemed interested in having him as a member of a pack intrigued Sermon. This wolf knew nothing of him. It was a leap of faith and something that Sermon did admire. Perhaps this wolf could sense that there was potential in the brown wolf after all. He felt a small swell of pride, but didn't know this Tsuz either and he didn't feel safe with giving himself completely to a pack that belonged to a wolf that he hardly knew and had a poor impression of. Being with a loner was safer. He could run away if she rejected him. Broken loyalties with a pack could mean a death sentence. And he couldn't bear putting that pressure on weak-hearted Church or poor little Pulpit. He couldn't trust Preacher. A pack could be safe and a wonderful haven and it was something that Sermon hoped for and wished for, but it was a huge risk. The choice had been simple despite the promise in Tsuz's words: He had to travel with Asha.

Ever polite, Sermon bowed his head. "I meant no disrespect, Zsar Tsuz, but I feel that I must accompany Asha. Perhaps next time we meet, it will be in better circumstances." He moved at a lope until he caught up with the female.

"Sorry I took so long. I just wanted to let him finish." He moved slightly behind her. It was a comfortable place, but he felt apprehensive. It probably was the wrong choice. What if Asha rejected him when she realized that he was a five-for-one deal? For Sermon, friendships usually ended in heartbreak.

Sooooo sorry Tsuz! I must have mixed the appearances of Tsuz and Hellfire up /fail I'll fix it after I do my other posts.