Much time had passed since she last laid eyes on him. It had been dark then, the stars providing only a little light, but being who they were, they hadn’t needed more. Last time she looked at him she had seen both confusion and hurt in his eyes, over her decision that she could not go against her mentor’s wishes. Not at that time, at least. He had been right, then. Her instincts had been overwhelming, and she hadn’t known what was happening to her. A talk with Timewalker had cleared a lot of those things up for her, but not all of them. In the end she just couldn’t brush off the attraction she had felt to John Dunbar as a mere hiccup from her instincts. There had been more.

With some luck, there would be more still. Friendship, at the very least. The Light knew they could both use all the friends they needed, being what they were. She could use a friend. She just hoped he wouldn’t reject her in turn, even though she probably deserved it. Then again, Anton had warned John as well. Maybe the Ranger should have known better. Shaking her head slightly, Sohvi tried to get rid of the thoughts that had occupied her for well over a week now. It had been long enough since she last saw John, and though she wasn’t a full wolfsister yet, she was convinced that she could handle being around him well enough.

Still, she was worried. She’d hidden downwind for a while, content with just watching him as he trained vigorously. He had changed since she last saw him. His smile was gone, and his body was leaner than it had been. While she could spend a long time watching him, she decided it was time to show herself. Silently, the way Susanne had taught her. She felt she could sneak up to him completely without him noticing. Not something she wished to do though. She stopped at the edge of the clearing, and placed the basket she had brought on the ground next to her. “Ehm… John?” she finally said when it turned out John hadn’t heard the sound of the basket hitting the ground. “It’s me, Sohvi.” She said, lacking anything better to say.

~Sohvi Darwin

Shimmer

As she rose from the chair behind her desk, none of the bones in Faerzyne’s body felt stiff. Her muscles didn’t ache, her joints didn’t creak. There was nothing in the motion that betrayed any sort of age. As she looked in the mirror she saw a woman whose hair was still full and shining. Her lips were still full and whatever lines existed around her eyes would fade when the last of the tension fled her body. Her skin was still subtle, seemingly eager to blush even though she hadn’t felt the urge to do so in such a long time. Such a long, long time and yet her face told no stories of those years.

Her body still looked like it had when she was no more than five and twenty, and it could still move in similar ways. Should she choose to do so, she could leap down the stairs, run through the halls and dance with a grace belonging to someone only a tenth of her age. Instead she walked slowly, serenely, at a pace belonging to someone of her age and stature. An age she felt, not in her body, but in her mind. In the very soul that she had pledged to the Great Lord almost two hundred years ago. Her soul made her steps heavy. Her soul was the thing that hushed the voices of novices as she passed, that urged younger Aes Sedai to bend their heads in deference. Not her treacherous body, that had allowed all those years to slip away without leaving a single trace.

Resisting the urge to sigh, for sighing was a wanton and pointless gesture, Faerzyne walked down the steps leading to the White Tower. She turned her back in the majestic building and allowed her feet to lead her forward. How long had it been since she had abandoned the safety of the White Tower? And how long since she had left the walls of Tar Valon behind? Too long, by far, if she had trouble remembering it. Perhaps it was time to leave again. Perhaps if she was immersed in the doings of the world, she wouldn’t feel as ancient as she did around her sisters of the White Tower.

“Youthful enthusiasm.” She mused as she followed a pair of children with her eyes. A boy and a girl, brother and sister no doubt, running hand in hand towards their favourite playing ground. On a whim she followed them, suddenly eager to watch their play. It didn’t take long for her to lose track of them, with their running and her serene gliding. She had a good idea of where they were heading though. The Grove seemed to hold a certain appeal to her now. A place more ancient than the White Tower itself, abandoned by the Ogier years ago. A great place for playing hide and seek. Smiling to herself, Faerzyne followed the trail into the Grove, intent on losing herself there for a couple of hours. If anyone desperately needed her, they would have to wait. They always did, for people like her.

~Faerzyne Grigory

Gray and Black sister

It was a rare occasion on which Faerzyne Grigory chose to venture into the main halls of the White Tower for something as mundane as food. As it was, she was beginning to doubt her decision to come down. Oh, the company was pleasant enough, if you could ever consider the company of a Brown Sister as anything but dull, but there was something about being in places where many Aes Sedai gathered that irked her. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Something…

There it was. Faerzyne shook her head slightly when she noticed a brightly garbed young man enter the dining hall. Strange things always happened in places where many Aes Sedai gathered. That was why she avoided such places. She had no more love for ridicule than she had for dogs, or pickles for that matter. She closed her eyes for a moment and inhaled. A clever thing to do, much like counting to ten. Exhale. Calmed again. the urge to stop the young man’s heart in his chest had passed as swiftly as it arose in her. Not that she had expected any differently. One did not become as old as she by following every single impulse one felt, however tempting they might be.

Smiling kindly, she once again focussed on Arette Sedai. “No, I was not aware of any call for such ‘amusement’, or I would have stayed well away from it. Had I desired to see something that is apparently a cross between a minstrel, a jester and a… rainbow, I would have gone to Ebou Dar on a tinker wagon.” With a sigh she pressed the tips of her fingers together. “I suppose we have no choice but to witness whatever declaration this little jester wishes to bestow onto us.” Whatever it was, it had better be good. She hadn’t come all the way to the Dining Hall to see some fool make an even bigger fool out of himself for no reason.

~Faerzyne Grigory

After a few attempts at escape, Rosheen had given up, allowing her fellow Tower Guards to carry her around in her moment of embarrassment. She had her hands to cover her face with, which was good, because Vasya’s stare probably would have melted it straight off. Damn that runt. Damn him and damn that accursed Aes Sedai as well. She might as well have been a darkfriend, for all Rosheen cared. She lost her temper most spectacularly, meaning that Rosheen lost her bet. And she was doing so well too.

She groaned slightly when the group of Tower Guards finally put her down outside of the hall. Thinking she could finally escape people, she turned to walk away, only to be stopped by a hand on her arm. “You’re going to want to see this.” Marie said with an impish grin on her face. “See what? Vasya storming out of the Hall to beat me over the head with a mace?” Marie’s grin spread even wider. “No, I’m pretty sure Vasya’s preoccupied at the moment. Aran wants you to come.”

And that settled it, really, because she wanted to see Aran. See him right as she planted a knee firmly in his groin, that was. She followed the giggling pack of Tower Guards down a very familiar path towards the White Tower. Towards the Dining Hall. “Oh, that’s terrible.” Rosheen said, a grin slowly spreading on her face. “I know…” Marie said, grinning back at her. “But great, right?” Rosheen nodded. It was absolutely perfect, if you asked her. It was enough to forget all about Vasya for the time being, though that subject would no doubt jump her again soon enough. She could only hope the man himself wouldn’t literally jump on her. He was rather heavy.

“What the…” she said when she first laid eyes on Aran. “and they call me a peacock?!” Luckily Lyanna was nowhere in sight. Now that would have been embarrassing. Marie shrugged. “At least he’s wearing clothes. He could have been wearing that paint again. Or worse, he could be trying to rub said paint on every available Aes Sedai.” Rosheen grinned again. “I suppose you’re right.” After silently sneaking around for a few more moments, she found herself sitting close enough to hear everything, but far enough away to look as if she belonged there. “I wonder who the ‘lucky’ lady is…”

Rosheen Tahn Sakhr

Smirking.

Vasya was his usual, lovely, cheerful self. Great. Lovely. Terrific. He was going to kill her. Kill her, and then burry her body in the stables. Rosheen froze for a moment, thinking of the embarrassment she was about to go through. At least it would be over soon enough. She just had to do it. Which was kind of hard, with Vasya staring at her. He was going to kill her and it was going to be painful. With some luck it would be enough to make her forget all about this.

“Here goes nothing.” she muttered to herself as she stared down at Vasya. That wasn’t going to work. With a sigh she got down on one knee. With another sigh she grabbed Vasya’s hand, keeping it firmly in hers. If she was going to go through this, then he wasn’t going to get a chance to run either. She glanced sideways and noticed Aran was sitting less than a table away. She was going to kill him, that much was certain. A look of murderous glee passed over her face, apparently, because Vasya looked a little worried by her behaviour. It took Rosheen some effort to smooth out her features again.

“So…” she started, looking up at Vasya for a moment before looking away. While he hadn’t spoken yet since she got down on her knee, it was obvious that she was getting an earful soon enough, from the way he was looking at her. “I… uh… just want you to know… that… ehm… you are the… sunshine of my life.” A hundred gasps filled the hall, and she could feel Vasya’s hand tighten on hers slightly. The captain had a distinct ‘what in the name of the Light do you think you’re doing’-look on his face, which prompted Rosheen to continue her declaration.

“I know you don’t think much of me, but you’re going to have to hear me out on this one.” The silence in the mess hall told her he wouldn’t be the only one listening. “I mean, what I’m trying to say here is that you are my hero. You are the perfect man. The way the sunlight reflects from your head is enough to make me quiver on my legs. When you look at me it’s like I’m flying to the moon and back. It’s like you’re under my skin, and it burns.” Oh, it burned alright. Rosheen could feel that her cheeks were aflame with embarrassment. She barely dared to look at Vasya, and she could just feel Aran’s amusement ooze away from him.

She couldn’t help but grin slightly when she looked up at Vasya again. “Baby, if you only knew about the dreams I’ve been having about us.” Well, she had had the occasional dream about Vasya. Completely harmless, of course… Feeling even more flustered, she prepared for her grand finale. “I guess I just want you to know that you are the only man for me. I love you with every hair on my head, few as they might be.”

A deep silence descended over the mess hall. At least, that was what it sounded like to Rosheen, especially with Vasya staring at her as if she’d just sprouted another head. ‘I’m Sorry.’ She carefully and silently formed those two words with her lips, before getting to her feet again. She let go of Vasya’s hand in favour of grabbing his head with both hands. He wasn’t going anywhere. The silence in the hall became deafening as she leaned forward and planted a firm kiss on Vasya’s lips. “There.” She said after releasing him. “Well… ehm… you know where to find me.” She muttered. Then she turned, and stalked out of the mess hall faster than a cat with its tail on fire.

~Rosheen Tahn Sakhr

Passionate about all things Vasya.

The second Rosheen stepped into the mess hall she froze. It was completely and utterly packed with people. People who all collectively looked up at her and grinned, as if they knew exactly what she was there for. Only one head, a bald and shiny one, stayed down. Vasya seemed to be in a mood, which was just… wonderful. Great. Terrific. He didn’t like people in general, so being in a crowded mess hall was no doubt working on his nerves. “Just what I need.” She muttered, placing one careful step forward into the hall. Into the lions den. Into the…

“Hey!” she exclaimed as she stumbled forward, after being shoved by Aran. “Damn it, give me a moment.” She said, glaring at him. He looked like the cat that didn’t just get the cream once, but lived in it instead. Goathead. If she didn’t know any better she’d have sworn he knew. He had known from the very first time she accidentally ended up in Vasya’s bed, and he’d been plotting on ways to make her embarrass herself about it in public ever since. She turned back to look at Vasya, only to find that people were still looking at it. She narrowed her eyes, which caused a few heads to lower. Not too many though. Apparently no one wanted to miss this. No one but her. And Vaysa, no doubt. She was quite sure that she had nothing to say that Vasya would want to hear about.

The spring wasn’t an option either, as much as she craved it now. It would blank out all the emotions on her face, and Aran wasn’t about to let something like that spoil his fun. No, she’d have to do this on her own, with a hundred Tower Guards staring at her and grinning their little heads off. Bastards. She’d have to give a lot of people some nice shiners. As she walked forward she glared at people, silently telling them that she’d remember their faces. She’d remember them, and they would be sorry for ever setting foot in the mess hall today.

Far sooner than she would have liked she found herself staring next to Vasya. His head was still bent as he focussed on his food, ignoring all that went on in the mess hall. She cleared her throat softly, hoping to catch his attention. The sooner he was listening, the sooner she could get this over with. The sooner it was over with, the sooner she could go hang herself from the White Tower. Of course Vasya was content with staring at his food, blissfully ignoring Rosheen’s pending declaration of love. “ehm… Vasya? There’s something I have to say to you…” she finally said. If he ignored her still she would shove his face in his food. Aran would have to settle for a declaration of frustration instead.

~Rosheen Tahn Sakhr

Tower Guard on a mission.

“As my husband you should know that I’m never done with being clever.” Nyssa said, giving Michael another playful poke in the ribs. Truth was she would have enjoyed keeping the joyful news between the two of them just a little longer. Not that that was ever going to happen. She was surprised Mary hadn’t noticed already. The maid had always had a knack for seeing exactly when and how long Nyssa had been pregnant. She had known it with all three of her children, sharing secret smiles with Michael, who at that time often had no idea of what the smiles were about. Maybe Mary was getting old after all.

The longer she stalled, the more eager Mina and Leon seemed to get. Mina shifted forward to the edge of the couch, and Leon seemed to fidget a little. Nyssa gave her children a little smile, before turning to Michael. “You really think we should tell them already? After all, we only just found out today.” Getting a gleeful nod from him, she shrugged and turned to her children again. “Well, it’s really nothing special. After all, we’ve been through this sort of thing before, and it ended up fine so far.”

Leon seemed eager to speak, trying to draw the news out of his mother with a roll of his eyes and a frustrated sigh. “No patience… You will train him in that, I hope?” she said, smiling at Mina. Her daughter seemed to be just as annoyed as her son though. “A perfect match, apparently.” She said, smirking slightly. “Well, we’ve only just figured it out today, but… it looks like I’m expecting again.”

The news was met with a pair of blank stares. “Expecting. You know, pregnant. With child. I think I’m about three weeks along.” The looks on the faces of her children were priceless. She turned to Michael again. “See? They don’t believe a word of what I’m saying. They probably think I’m too old for children… and that after we went through all that trouble to prove them that age is just a very unimportant number…”

~Nyssa Deameau

Nyssa Deameau

Greater Dreadlady / Mae'shadar to Be`lal. Just need to get one final rp checked by you and then the rank should be official :p

Shiny ;)

Nyssa Deameau is here, Greater Dreadlady and Mae'shadar type person to Be`lal.

Silhouette needs Dreadlord access for Nyssa Deameau-Deschain

Faerzyne Grigory http://arie-designs.net/WTArchive/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=611 needs to go under the pc's of the Gray Ajah :)

thanks in advance :D

*takes a hearty swig*

ehm... what? this isn't all of the tequila...

Have fun  ;D

*snuggles*

have a good trip :D

There was very little Rosheen had to do to make people nervous. Those of the warders yards at Tar Valon were well aware of her posture, her demeanour and her wiles, but those who weren’t… They were easily intimidated by a stare from her stormy blue eyes, or a shake of her red Mohawk. If said simple physical attributes didn’t do the trick then others would. A slight tension in her wiry muscles, the slightest hint of movement towards her weaponry. But most of all, strangers seemed to be uncomfortable when she smiled. Not that it was particularly predatory, but Aran had often told her it brought a sense of impending doom with it, for those who didn’t know her well enough.

With this in mind, she figured the young man telling her of his ambitions probably felt as if the Dark One himself was waiting right outside of the door. She couldn’t help it though. Light, but she liked the boy already. He had a roguish quality to him that reminded her both of Aran, her near brother, and Ursana, her little brother. That, and the glimmer in his eyes when he mentioned his destination reminded her of herself. Destined for great things or not, there was an eagerness in his eyes that could not be denied. And who was she to even try it.

“Well, young one, I think we have gone long enough without proper introductions.” She offered him her hand, hoping he could restrain himself well enough not to kiss it. That would just make him look silly, after all. “My name is Rosheen Tahn Sakhr. I am a Grand Master of Balance, and a Tower Guard of the White Tower. It seems that today is your lucky day, for I can lead you back to the White Tower with ease, if you will but wait until my errand here is done.” She could hear a few of the girls giggle behind her. No doubt they’d keep him well occupied until she was ready to depart. “What do you say? Are you about ready to continue your adventure?”

~Rosheen Tahn Sakhr

Grandmaster.

Though the night was still young, Faerzyne could already feel the silence that accompanied it descend upon the White Tower. Many Aes Sedai did their work at night, but they chose to do it behind closed doors. Secret meeting rooms, studies in locked private quarters, meeting places in the dark splendour of Tar Valon. She had seen them all and been in most. When she was still Mistress of Novices she had taken her time walking through the dark halls of the White Tower, the bells in her hair softly tingling to announce her presence to Novices and Accepted that were out after curfew. She had been a gentle Mistress, according to some, always giving her charges the chance to at least appear to do the right thing.

Why she truly did what she did was a mystery though, often even to herself. Did she walk the hall to stop her charges from doing the wrong things, or did she do so merely to observe just what these wrong things were? Did a novice caught stealing have a worse character than one merely caught wandering the hallways? It took a trained eye to judge a character from such little things. It was her trained eye that had made her a worthy asset to both the White Tower and the Great Lord of the Dark for all the many years she had aided both. In all these years she had learned one thing above all others.

You always had to keep an eye out for the quiet ones.

Those who always spoke first were easily dismissed. Those who thought before they spoke showed the potential of having a bright mind. Those who were silent in general were often hiding something. Sometimes it was a strong devotion to the light that no one could break. Sometimes there were dark secrets, hidden over the years and only whispered about in the deep of night. Sometimes it was pain. Simple, unadorned pain that kept a Novice quiet during her classes and quiet during her meals and chores. Secrets and pain she could work with.

It was pain that led the young novice she had been observing. It led her down and down, far away from her room and into a garden when the night’s sky was clear above her. A tinker, if Faerzyne remembered correctly. A quiet girl, filled with silent despair over being well and truly lost within the White Tower. Faerzyne smiled to herself as she stepped out of the shadows and onto the path. The girl was filled to the brim with emotions that she could use, twist and shape until the girl was so solidly on a certain path that she would never find her way back again. She would have to be patient though, and that happened to be her forte. You didn’t become as successful in the recruitment of dark souls if you weren’t patient.

The bells in her hair tingled softly as she moved to the novice. The girl didn’t seem to notice her, preferring to stay lost in her own contemplations at least. As Faerzyne closed in on her, she could hear the quiet, desperate whispers the girl uttered. She stopped right in front of the girl. “You came here because that is what the wheel wove for you.” She said, her voice gentle and soft. “And you are still here, because the Creator has a purpose for you, and you can’t wait to figure out what it is.” Only the creator had no purpose for anyone, and the girl would only get silence in return when she called to him. That was what Faerzyne had learned in her long years in the White Tower. “Now tell me, why is it that a young girl like yourself finds her in this starlit garden at night?” She took a seat next to the girl, waiting patiently for a response.

~Faerzyne Grigory

Gray Sister

Though it had hardly seemed possible, Nyssa felt herself glow even warmer when she saw her son and her daughter sitting on the couch together. Finally together. Leon looked well, if still a little on the skinny side, and Mina… Mina looked as if she had finally freed herself from her past. The ghosts that had been haunting her for all those years were finally gone. As so often before when she saw Mina make a significant step forward in her healing, Nyssa felt herself tear up. It was only Michael’s presence at her side that stopped her from turning into a bawling mess. Well, that and the fact that she rarely let go of herself that way to begin with.

“Mina…” she started, after looking at both her son and her daughter for a while. She could feel that they were both nervous, both eager to gain their acceptance. Michael had been clear enough about it, but she understood that especially Mina would need to hear it from her mouth as well. “Some parents are lucky.” She said, smiling at both her children. “They are lucky to discover that their children find love once they leave the comfort of the houses they grew up in. They are lucky to discover that their children are doing well, with their loves and their own lives, which they choose to live separately from their parents.”

“Some parents are even more fortunate, for their children choose lovers that are well suited for them. They choose to be with people who will care for them, and help them, and be there for them for as long as they live.” She paused a moment, giving Michael’s hand a little squeeze. No matter what their past was, she felt that both their parents could be proud of the life they were living now. “If a parent is particularly fortunate, they will find that they get along with their children’s spouses. In time, they may come to see these spouses as children of their own.”

“And then you have us, who have had the joy of raising three wonderful children, and getting a fourth in the process. We do not have to spend years and years getting to know you as the woman who loves our eldest son. You were our daughter then, and you are our daughter now. The only thing that changes is that you will smile more, and Leon will smile more. What more can a mother desire from her children, other than that they are happy?”

~Nyssa Deameau

a big old sappy dreadlady.

“Don’t play coy with me, Aran.” Brand said, stretching his legs out in front of him. He might as well get comfortable, as it was this was starting to look like it would take some time. Either Aran wasn’t aware of his impending fatherhood, or he was willing to pretend that he was for Brands sake. Either way, it was going to take a while to get him to admit to anything. Brand sighed softly. He really didn’t get why men were so unwilling to accept that they were going to become fathers. He’d been more than willing to accept all five of his children, and he had more reason to doubt whether he was actually the father of them than Aran did in this case.

Or maybe Aran already had a brood somewhere. For all Brand knew the man could have a wife and twelve children hidden somewhere without him knowing about it. That would explain why he was so distracted all the time. But if that was the case, Brand was going to have to hurt him for putting his paws on Cairma in the first place. Some people… Shaking his head slightly, he decided to focus on reality, rather than what he was imagining.

“If you hadn’t noticed yet, I don’t make house calls all that often. In fact, you will have noticed that I avoid them all together. If this was something that’s public knowledge, Vasya would have been here to bruise you up a bit. If this had involved Braxton, Ginae would be here to stomp on you. What do you think my presence here means?” He got a very blank look from Aran at that question. “It means that you’re every bit as clueless as Braxton, apparently.”

Brand rubbed his forehead for a moment, trying to get rid of the slight headache that was starting. “Alright, let me put this differently. I will use only small words, because apparently the big words are too confusing. This will be a very simple question, to which there can only be very simple answers. Have you knocked someone up lately?” Brand waited a moment, and repeated the question in a different way to make sure Aran caught the drift of what he was asking. “Have you gotten anyone pregnant lately? Stuffed their belly full of child while they were preoccupied? Well?”

~Brand Ryota

Commander

With long strides Brand made his way from the Lay of the Land back to the yards. Even though Isabella had tried to persuade him otherwise, he had some confronting to do. He wasn’t quite sure about his current feelings, but he would describe them as somewhere between seething, concerned and amused. “That son of a goat.” He muttered to himself for the twentieth time.

It wasn’t that he particularly cared about what his Tower Guards did with each other while he wasn’t looking. Light, he didn’t even care what they were doing when he was looking. What he did care about was when one of them did something that would keep the other out of the running for a long time. His Tower Guards were lean, mean fighting machines, and he liked it that way. In fact, he insisted on it being that way. A pregnant Tower Guard was not a fighting machine. She was hindered by a need to be careful, and after that she would be hindered by the need to care for her child.

What bothered him even more was that the Tower Guard, or rather Warder in question was one of high quality. A master in the art of fighting, with a very peculiar fighting style. On top of that he rather liked her. Isabella rather liked her. She mattered something to him, and she mattered something to the love of his life. That made her family, almost. And by the Light, he wouldn’t let some half brigand, half goat get the best of her without paying his dues.

With this in mind, Brand stalked through the yards, his speed making sure that no one stopped him on the way to his destination. Into the barracks he went, and up to the floor where Aran would no doubt be loitering about. A few quick questions in the common room told him the brigand was in his room. Lazing about, no doubt. Brand tried to door first, hearing some faint sounds behind it. Locked. His eyes narrowed for a moment at the thought that he might find Aran there with another woman. If that was the case, there would be trouble.

He fished the master key out of his pocket and opened the door. He moved inside and closed the door behind him, giving his eyes very little time to adjust. He didn’t really need it, as he had already spotted Aran. At least, he assumed that the person-sized lump on the bed was the Tower Guard he was looking for. “So…” he started, pulling up a chair. “What do you have to say for yourself? And keep in mind that you’re going to have to make it good, if you want to get out of this one unharmed.”

~Brand Ryota

Commander.

“That’s rather ungrateful, considering the fact that they have been watching your back ever since you entered these woods.” Sohvi knew her voice would startle the young noblewoman, especially considering the fact that she herself remained unseen. She knew it, and relished in the fact. Dirty beasts? She would have them hunted down? There was no chance of that. No chance at all, if what she had seen in her dreams of late was true. With a sigh she decided to give up her game. A wanderer was a wanderer, and Sohvi was not equipped to deal with those. The sooner she convinced the woman to come with her and see Timewalker or Anton, the better it was.

The girl was giving her a wide-eyed stare, as if she couldn’t believe she found a woman in the woods, and even more so, that she found a woman in the woods who would speak at her in such a manner. Sohvi crossed her arms in front of her chest, letting the girl take her in. Much had changed since she first arrived at the stedding. She had been very shy back then. So shy that she had barely been willing to reveal herself to Anton when he found her. Now, a year later, she had been drawn out of her shell by the other wolfkin. She still didn’t like being around people as much as some, but she was no longer afraid of them either.

She gave the girl a small smile to indicate she was harmless. Compared to some of the other wolfkin she was. Her modest height, slender build and pale skin betrayed her as someone who would never be able to intimidate anyone physically. Not in an overpowering way, at least. She shyly tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear when she noticed the girl was taking all of her in. If only she’d decided to wear a dress today. She was still uncomfortable in the pants that came with her hunting outfit, even if she did like the added range of movement she got from them.

“Besides, the wolves won’t attack you unless you attack them. They don’t like to eat people.” She smiled again and  pinched her own arm softly. “We’re too tough. They prefer deer, and there are plenty of those out here.” She stepped out onto the path, allowing the girl to see her fully. Again there was something in her eyes that Sohvi couldn’t quite place. Perhaps the girl noticed her golden eyes, or the way she didn’t quite seem as if she belonged in the woods. If Anton was right about her heritage then that was no small surprise either. Mayene had very few woods, after all. “Are you lost?” she finally asked, hoping to get some sort of response from the girl.

~Sohvi Darwin

Shimmer

To say Sohvi was confused would be a grave understatement. To say she had no clue about why she felt the way she felt would be a better observation. Ever since she left John sitting by the fire near his hunting lodge, her heart had seemed to flutter around in her chest, and her instincts had been running wild. And what was even worse was that she had no one to talk to about it. She could hardly go and see John about it. She didn’t even know if he wanted to see her, after she ran off so suddenly, and on top of that… well, who knew what she would do when she saw him again?

She couldn’t go to Anton either. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t want to help her out or explain things to her, but… Sohvi sneezed as she remembered the scent of disappointment that had wafted her way when she ran into him on her way back to her home after running from John. It was as if he instantly realised where she’d been and what she had been up to, after explicitly promising him to give it some more time. It didn’t help that Timewalker had been upset with him at the time either. That was another understatement, almost as grave as the previous one. Sohvi had never seen something quite like it in her entire life.

Timewalker never seemed to have the wolf inside of her on as tight a leash as Anton for example. The wolf was always right around the corner, ready to pounce on things depending on Timewalker’s mood. While that had frightened Sohvi at first, she was now beginning to understand that her instincts were no different than those of the other woman. Timewalker had shared her hut for quite some time now, so Sohvi had had plenty of time to get used to the other woman’s wiles. That didn’t make things easier after the fight Anton and Timewalker had though.

They had both been on their toes after that. Sohvi was deathly afraid that Timewalker would think ill of her, and Timewalker seemed just as eager to avoid the subject all together. The irony of the situation was that Sohvi really didn’t know who else to turn to now that her instincts were starting to overwhelm her. Her heart seemed to beat in her throat when she finally gathered the courage to talk to the other woman about it. “Ehm… Timewalker? I was hoping we could talk about something… you know… girl things.” She hoped that that at least would keep the other woman for sending her off to talk to Anton instead.

~Sohvi Darwin

Shimmer

Sohvi blushed a little when she heard WolfLover’s explanation on why the wolves have her the name Shimmer. Anton had always said that he thought the name suited her very well. Especially when she had met him the first time, she had been so shy and so eager to avoid all contact that at times it seemed as if she was barely there. She found she liked WolfLover’s explanation a lot better.

Still feeling a little shy around the other wolfkin, Sohvi readily accepted the chance to get the woman’s attention on something other than herself. The hoe was easily found, and soon enough Sohvi found herself tilling the ground alongside WolfLover, paying attention to what the other woman did, and taking care to remove all the rocks from the ground. She got the impression that the other wolfkin knew what she was doing, which was a comforting thought. Her mother had always loved working in the garden, but she rarely let Sohvi assist for fear that her dress would get dirty.

“So…” she finally started, hoping to find out more about the mysterious wolfkin whom she hadn’t seen around before. “I… uh… I always thought this house was abandoned. I mean, I never saw anyone live here. Not that I really came here all that often, but… well… you know. Wolves gossip about things like that. I’ve never heard my companion mention anything about you or your children before.”

~Sohvi Darwin

Shimmer

Somewhere in the back of her mind a little warning bell sounded. It was easy to ignore, especially with John sitting right beside her. She welcomed his lips on her shoulder the way she had welcomed all of his attentions so far. It was right, in a way no other touch from any other boy or man had ever been right. She had never welcomed those, choosing to run from them instead. This was different. She felt that she would run with John this time, with John and quickening and Eyes High until her legs burned with the effort and she was as far away from everything that had ever bothered her as she could.

It would be easy to agree with John’s wish. The setting was beautiful, and she could feel a strong desire to hide away with him, right there. They could hunt when they needed food, and they could have all the peace and quiet they ever needed. Part of her realised that the wine she had had was urging her thoughts on this matter, but another part of her didn’t care. That part of her was the same part that had relished in the hunt, and had loved the thought of running into the night with John. Again little warning bells rang in her mind, and this time she could hear Anton’s voice.

They had argued long and hard about allowing Eyes High into Anton’s home. He had always said that it would bring out the wolf in her too much, and she had never believed him. Now, sitting at John’s side under the dark sky, she finally started to see a truth in it. It was the wolf in her that wanted to stay there with John, to have him by her side and touch her and hunt with her. The Sohvi she once was would have ran from his attentions. She had changed much over the past months. It would be easy to forget Anton’s words, to let herself get caught up in the moments. Both her instincts and the wine sang to her, calling out to her in a pleasant way.

It felt natural for her to turn her head and brush her lips against Johns. It felt right, as if it was something she had been aching to do since before she met him. It felt right, and yet even as he returned the gentle kiss, she couldn’t get rid of the warning bells in her head. Now more than ever they distracted her from the present, taking her back to Anton’s warnings about letting the wolf in too much, and further back even, to Ephrons eyes that followed her around all the time. With a gasp she pulled away from John, leaping to her feet and backing away from him slowly.

“I’m sorry… I… can’t.” she said, looking pained for a moment. “I just… I don’t know if this is what I want. I mean… if this is what I want.” The look on his face was even more confusing than her own feelings seemed to be. “I have to go.” She said, before turning and bolting in the direction she had come from. With some luck she would reach her hut before Anton figured out she was gone.

~Sohvi Darwin

Shimmer

Time passed and the stars changed many times overhead within Rumble’s mind when he listened to and accepted the name of Timewalker. It was a name that suited her well. Ages had passed since she last walked the earth, but now she was here again, sitting across the fire from him. He seemed to nod for a moment, an oddly human gesture coming from a wolf. He accepted her desire to stay as she was, not wolf, but not entirely human either. That was as it should be. He was a wolf, and she was human. It was only in the dream that they became as brother and sister in species. Only in the dream, and only in their minds.

Rumble allowed the image that represented his character to seep through to her mind. The earth rumbled and shook as he walked, and mountains moved when he stared at them. That was who he was, and who he had always been. A little too big for his own good, but smart enough to know how to handle himself well. He had always been bigger than his siblings, and bigger than those around him now. When he was younger that had upset him, but as it was with all things, eventually he grew into it. He was certain that Timewalker would do the same. She was strong, to have survived all those ages. She would find her way.

All this was conveyed in the exchange of thoughts between wolf and woman. Rumble could feel that she was both fearful and confused, which lead him to settle his head on his paws, making himself as small as he could. All is well he thought to her, hoping to see her relax a little. A relaxed human was easier to deal with, or so his fellow wolves had informed him. Up until this day he had never quite understood his own reasons for staying near the stedding with the humans, but that was something he hoped he could figure out in time. Perhaps this particular human could help him out with that. Why are you here? he asked, thinking that perhaps in her reasons, he could recognise his own.

Rumble

speaking of which, do you remember that one trainee? the one with the...

:D

Congrats :D

yeah, that really is all I'm going to say about it :p