IMAGINARY ENEMY , amori/invite only

[laura1]

It was the time of the year when the weather was getting cooler and cooler as the days progressed, and in the mountainous area, the snow was falling in thick drifts. It was a beautiful sight to behold, the lands covered in the peaceful white dust, the white tipped mountain tops looming against the backdrop of a blue-grey sky. It was peaceful, serene, and the perfect place to go when one had a desire to get away from the bustle of pack life. In the distance, a brown figure was making its way across the lands, disturbing the freshly fallen layer of snow in her wake. Jowels were parted as her pink tongue lolled from her mouth, clearly a sign that she was enjoying herself. It was very rare that the female felt carefree, without a single worry in the world, but here in this snow covered paradise, she found it difficult to allow the worries of life to weigh her down. Not that there was a tremendous amount for her to worry about, being only a year old, but the things that she did have to worry about were rather important. Living the life of a loner at such a young age was not particularly easy. Being blind in one eye only made things that much more difficult.

Ceasing her run, Cheza collapsed into the snow and rolled over onto her back, wiggling back and forth in the cold substance, tongue still lolling from her mouth. As a breeze rolled over her, the scent of a rabbit entered her nostrils and immediately she went into full alert, listening to the rumbling sign of hunger in her stomach. Rolling back over onto her paws, she inhaled deeply, locating the scent and following the trail until the form of the creature fell into view. Immediately, the female went into a crouch, grateful that the rabbit had its back to her. Silently, she crept forth until she was close enough to pounce. Springing into action, Cheza landed deftly on top of the smaller creature and quickly put it out of any misery it may have been feeling at that moment. Licking her maw hungrily, the she wolf dug in immediately, eating her fill of the rabbit until she felt as though her stomach was noticeably bloated. Though it was not big, it was big enough to satisfy her hunger, and that was all she truly needed.

With the need for a meal satisfied, the light brown she wolf turned her attention to the flakes of snow that had begun falling. Tilting her head this way and that, Cheza snapped at the minuscule flakes, shaking her head in surprise when they would land on her black nose. Snorting slightly, the she wolf watched the flakes fall for a few more moments before taking off, bounding through the snow, tail lifted over her back. There was entirely too much fun to be had in the mountainous area when alone. As she bounded through the snow, kicking up flakes with each leap, a strange and unfamiliar scent stopped the female in her tracks. Her body stiffened out of reflex, and she scanned the horizon as best she could, turning her body in a circle swiftly in the chance that someone was sneaking up on her. Oh, the disadvantages of being blind. There was no figure, no movement, no sign of someone approaching, so where was the scent of another wolf coming from?

Relaxing her body, Cheza returned to her romp through the snow, heading in the direction of the frozen river when the scent hit her again, stronger. Freezing again, the females hackles rose and a low growl rumbled within her chest, ears swiveling atop her head in search for any sounds, though any sound of someone sneaking up would undoubtedly be muffled by the powdery snow. Turning her head this way and that, she kept searching for any sign of movement. Nothing was catching her attention, but the scent was still lingering. Unsure of who the scent was coming from, much less the direction, Cheza kept her body tense as she attempted to locate the other wolf.

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[Amori]

Only once before had Amori ever vetured out into the unclaimed lands, and that little adventure had not ended very well. Him and his sister, Nemu; the very wolf whom had convinced him it would be fun in the first place, had happened across possibly the scariest wolf in all of Kongrai- maybe not including this 'Zentha' that everybody was suddenly so worked up about. Even so, to the young male, this Brute had been the devil himself, threatening to eat him and his sister. So Amori had done the only thing he seemed to know how; he had ran. It wasn't something the young male was particularly proud of, but their was little he could do about it now. What was done, was done.

This was further then he had ever ventured before, and the scenery had completely changed from when he had been in his home lands. The air had turned ridiculously cold, and snow fell heavily from the greying sky, leaving a heavy blanket of white on the ground. It was a wonderous sight, but made it tricky to see past the end of his shiny black nose. Amori's home territory was mostly made up of dense tree cover, with the exception of the Beach- and so he was not used to being in such open areas. The cool wind penetrated his thin fur easily, causing him to shiver uncontrollably. The young male did not mind, though. This place was magical, and right now, he did not want to be anywhere near his parents pack.

Shaking his body to wrid himself of any snowflaked that had caught in his fur, the Skyla Brute trotted forward across the Rocky Outback, leaving fresh paw impressions in the Snow behind him. He kept his nose low to the ground, in an attempt to remove his face from the blizzardous winds, but held his tail high and stiff, a habit he just couldn't seem to get out of, even now when he was no longer in safe territory. It was the way his father walked sometimes, and Amori, being the impressionable character that he is, had copied. Stopping suddenly, the young Brute placed a paw infront of himself, then lifted it off the ground, intrigued by his own paw impression in the snow, just as he had been on the Beach. Satisfied, he continued on in his aimless trot, only to stop once again a few metres away when a new scent caught his attention.

Swivelling his pillars in an attempt to catch any sounds, Amori surveyed the area, his eyesight focusing in finally on a figure not too far away frrom himself. Mo grinned, happy that he had finally found somebody to play with, his past experiences with strange wolves having no effect on his behaviour. Shaking the snow off of his dark pelt once again, the young male breathed in the scent, gathering information about his new company from that alone. It was something he'd been taught to do from a young age, his parents training him and his siblings for when it was their turn to take the role as pack leader, and so understood the little code that this scent put forward with ease. He was encountering a female, although that was nothing that put him at ease, considering the female whom he had just met.

Padding towards the sitting figure, slightly more cautiouly this time, but with his tail wagging all the same, Amori lowered his back end into the snow, sitting for a second, then dragging himself forward abit more, until he was at a comfortable distance away from her. Noting the growl that the femora had recently made, the young male shook his head one last time, before calling happily out towards the femme. "Hallo?"

[laura1]

The approach of the other was silenced by the dense white powder that covered the grounds surrounding the mountains. As a result of this, the she wolf did not hear the approach of the other, and as his voice echoed about her, Cheza leapt to her paws, whirling about in the direction of the voice, ears pinned back against her furred head. Skittering back several steps, the she wolf stared at the form of the other wolf for just a moment. Silence filled the space between them as she stared at him with her ice blue eyes, determining whether the brute was a threat or not. Taking in his demeanor, his stance, and the movement of his tail, Cheza decided that the brute meant her no harm. After the moments spent determining the motive of the male ceased, the brown and cream colored she wolf wagged her tail slowly, finally addressing the brute, Hello. You startled me. Tilting her head slightly, the she wolf inhaled softly, taking in his scent.

The smell of a pack lingered in with his personal scent, but the pack was unbeknownst to Cheza. Honestly, it was a relief to be near another wolf. Though she was used to spending much time on her own, it was not always ideal to wander through life with only the company she was able to provide herself. A wolfish grin spread across the female’s maw, her jowls parting as her pink tongue lolled out slightly, My name’s Cheza. What’s yours? As the seconds passed, the she wolf found herself beginning to enjoy the brute’s company, even though no more than a single word on his part had been passed. Perhaps he would join her in a romp through the snow. It would be rather enjoyable to have someone else, someone close to her age, to play with, even if only for a short while.

Sidling closer to the brute, Cheza waited for his response, her blue eyes trained on his though she was only able to see out of one. Inhaling again, she attempted to pull as much information from his scent as she could. It smelled as though he had just been in the presence of numerous wolves and his scent was also tainted with the smell of fear. Curiosity welled within the she wolf, but where he had previously been and what had previously happened was certainly none of her business. It mattered not anyways. He was in the presence of her, and she had no intentions of hurting him. As the snow fell around them, the she wolf found it hard to truly concentrate, but she certainly could not turn her eyes away from the male because then she would be truly blind. Snorting at the little flakes that landed on her black nose, an idea formed in her mind.

The tension in the atmosphere was not much, but it could easily be dispelled. Lowering onto her front legs, rump in the air, Cheza wagged her tail happily at the brute before her. The brown female was inviting him to play, to romp through the snow with her and forget all the worries of the world. They were in a world all their own now, one that was peaceful and untouched by evil. A world that was beautiful, sparkling, and fresh. It seemed light years away from the other territories, and perhaps it was both of them needed. There had seemed to be an air of hesitation and fear that lingered around the brute, and it was something the she wolf was attempting to eliminate. Wagging her tail behind her, Cheza let out a playful growl from within her chest, her lips pulled back in a wolfish grin, tongue once again lolling out of her mouth.

Keeping her head turned slightly to the right, the female kept her better eye focused more on the brute than her blind eye. Despite the fact that he seemed to pose no harm, Cheza still would not turn her blind eye to him. A stranger ultimately could not be trusted, and none knew that better than she. Until she truly knew Amori, she would not be allowing him to fall out of her sight.

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[Amori]

Amori hadn't quite expected to be 'greeted' with such a shocked reaction, and so stumbled a few steps back sub-consciously when the femora leapt up, and spun around to face him with ears pinned back against her head. His own over-sized ears flattened down slightly as he regarded the way she had reacted, unsure whether it was aggression, or merely fear. That was something he didn't under stand. He was hardly a threat to anybody, why would she fear him? Tilting his head to the side as he watched with interest, the biggest shock to him came when the fae looked at him, for she had the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen! Infact, she was generally like no other wolf he had ever seen, with her icy blue eyes and thick, multicoloured fur. In all honesty, the female intrigued him.

'Hello. You startled me.'

Well, that was an answer to his original silent question. It had been a mixture, maybe, of both fear and aggression. Creeping up on her like that probably hadn't been the cleverest of ideas, but what was done was done, their was nothing he could do to change that. Shifting his paws guiltily, Amori mumbled an apology, "Sorry, I didn't mean to." he said, like a pup being scorned by his older pack mates. His tail still wagged though, and the sight of hers joining wrid him of any guilt he had been feeling.

'My name's Cheza. What's yours?'

Cheza. He rolled the name around in his mind for several seconds, testing to see if it rang any bells. Of course, it didn't, meaning he had never before met this femme. Amori wondered how he should adress himself- whether he was supposed to say 'Amori, heir of the Skyla' or just plan 'Amori.' Deciding that he did not wish to ruin any chances of friendship by decaring that he was a member of the most feared and bloodthirsty pack on the Island, he opted for the second. "Cheza. Thats a nice name," the young male said politely, before proceeding to tell her his own title, "Mines Amori." A certain feel of pride welled up inside of his heart as he said those words, something he probably would not have felt if he had spoke of his pack. That group had bought him nothing but violence and trouble, something he really didn't want to go back to. What if- no. He must not thing those things, after all, he'd miss Nemu far too much.

The young male latched his attention back on his new companion as she moved closer to him, lifting his paw off of the ground in way of habit, and then replacing it down to the cold snow. Flakes had stuck in his fur, causing a chill to creep down to his bones, but Amori ignored it, an amused grin leaking onto his maw as he observed Cheza's face as snowflakes settled on her nose. He was not given the chance to make a comical comment, however, as the young femme suddenly stood, throwing her rump into the air and lowering her front half to the ground in a playful manner, her tail wagging furiously behind her. His grin enlarged, excited by what had just happened. She wanted to play. Not train him vigorously to fight, or teach him to kill properly, or any of the rubbish he was put through pack with his parents. She just wanted to start a simple, harmless game.

Emitting a loud playful howl of his own, Amori raised his rump into the air to join hers, also wagging his tail and grinning like a mad man. It had been so long since he had gotten to play a simple game, and how he had missed it! Now, however, he was stuck. The games he had mainly played with his siblings had been fighting- trying to gain skills in combat through moch-attacking eachother for when the time came to lead the pack. He couldn't imagine Cheza as a playfighter, for some reason, therefor was unsure what game it was she wished to play. Amori probably wouldn't be able to do much damage if they did playfight, as he lacked skills in that area, but he'd still worry about accidentally hurting her.

Deciding he did not want to 'mock fight', Amori grinned at the fae with a challenging look on his features, before racing off as fast as he couold towards the heart of the outback, sending snow flying into the air around him as he did so.

[Finished!]

[laura1]

The snow collided with the female’s face. Shaking her head back and forth, Cheza rid herself of the moist obstruction to her vision before leaping to her paws and chasing after the male. Sending herself into full speed, tail streaming out behind her, the she-wolf quickly lessened the distance between them. She was swift, thanks to her long legs. Taking a wide berth left, Cheza picked up speed and soon was running alongside the unfamiliar brute, a look of joy upon her face. Snow flew up behind the two as they ran, side by side, until the she wolf pulled slightly out in front. Skidding to a stop, she kicked up snow, sending it flying in the male’s direction before giggling and running back in the direction they had just come. The wind flowed through her coat, providing the she wolf with a feeling of elation and energy. It was a welcome change, the play. She had been wandering about on her own for so long that the multicolored female had almost forgotten just how fun it was to simply run with another.

The female’s breath came out steady, coated in a fog from the chill air of the rockies. For the first time in quite some time, Cheza felt alive. Closing her ice blue eyes for a moment, the she wolf lost herself in the feel of the wind in her coat and the chilled air filling her lungs. Happiness spread like warmth through her bones, and she leapt into the air slightly as a result. Glancing over her shoulder, the golden brown female checked to see where the male was. Whipping around and stopping her quick pace, she crouched, rump high in the air as the brute drew nearer. Once he was close enough, Cheza leapt, soaring over him and landing, tumbling through the snow. Jumping to her paws quickly, she gazed at the male again, blue eyes sparkling with excitement. Her fur was a mess now, covered in patches of snow. Dancing on her paws, she called out to him, What’s the matter, slowpoke? Can’t keep up?!

Having a new friend was exhilarating. Even if Amori was not necessarily her friend, it was still exhilarating. Though Cheza did not completely know him, the fact that he was willing to play with a stranger was encouraging. Without another word, the she wolf leapt up in the air with a playful bark, spun in a circle, and took off again in another direction. After a few moments, the golden brown female ceased her running and flopped down into the snow, rolling over onto her back and wiggling back and forth in the cold, powdery substance. Blue eyes searched for the form of the male, and once she found him with her good eye, a wolfish grin crept across her face, So, Amori. What brings you out here to the mountains? The she wolf had been out this way many times an had never seen another soul out here when she was. It was peculiar to see another wolf out here in the snow covered lands.

It was not necessarily any of her business as to why the multi-hued brute was in the rocky mountain lands, but she was curious nonetheless. Watching from the brute from her upside down position, the she wolf had to admit that he was a rather handsome looking brute. That was another plus, on top of the fact that he was willing to frolic about with her. Gazing up at him from her upside down position, Cheza wondered what lands he was from. The scent of a pack lingered upon him the the form of different scents of other wolves and the solid scent of one territory, though she knew not which territory it was. He did not seem as though he could belong to the Skyla pack, the one she had heard was fraught with violence and anger, lead by an alphess prone to fits of rage. No, it seemed much more likely that this brute would come from a more stable pack. But then again, life was full of surprises.

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[Amori]

Snow flew up into the air as he ran, his paws collidin with ground at such a force that it created something similar to a snow blizzard itself, the flakes finding their way onto every part of his skin, settling beneath his fur and then quicky melting away. Amori hadn't realized Cheza had been running after him until he saw her coming up beside him, a wide- joyful grin plastered on her face. She quickly gathered enough speed to pull ahead of him, but just as sharply as she had appeared, the young fae stopped dead in her tracks. Amori attempted to skid to a hault, his paws sliding forward in the snow, thinking something was wrong, but strangely the look of pure joy was srtill showing on her face.

The young male didn't realize what was happening until he saw Cheza go flying above him, her body soaring through the air. Amori clumsily tried to stop, swinging his body around just in time to see her roll onto the ground. Yelping in shock, but with the sound coming out as half a laugh too, Amori skidded across the snow, coming to a stop not far from his new company. Yet again, she flew off in the opposite direction, leaping into the air wth an excited bark before doing so. Goodness, this little femme was just full of energy! He wasn't going to complain, though. This sort of play was something he did not get back at home. Nemu prefered things rough, and the older pack members were always off doing 'important' things, like killing. Amori didn't understand why it was so important that they did this, but he had little say in the matter.

'What’s the matter, slowpoke? Can’t keep up?!'

Those words were said in his very favourite tone of voice; a challenge. The Brute narrowed his eyes, a grin spreading across his maw as he focused his attention on the distant female. Wagging his tail happily, Amori bounded out across the snow, a short burst of energy quickly catching him up with the golden coated female, who was now wiggling around on her back. It looked like fun, but the sheer coldness of the white snow did not appeal to him quite as much. Plonking himself down into a laying position on his belly, his tail creating patterns in the snow behind him as it wagged back and forth, the male listened to her next words curiously.

' So, Amori. What brings you out here to the mountains?'

He had to think about his answer to this, unsure himself why he had ended up here. Had he been heading this way in the first place, or just happened across it as he had ran? Amori couldn't remember for the life of him. Their had been a reason, but that knolwedge did not seem to want to bring itself forward. Another question was whether or not he should mention the fact that he was a pack member. That information seemed to be getting him in alot of trouble recently, and that was something he definitely did not want to get into again. Cheza did not look as though she wished to cause trouble, though. She seemed friendly, and Amori was drawn to think he could trust her. "I'm not sure. I think things in my parents territory got a bit tense, so I left for a bit. Then I found here." he purposely left out alot of the details, his pride not wanting his new found friend to think him a chicken for running the way he had done. What about you?- if you don't mind me asking,of course.

[laura1]

The odd-colored girl found herself nodding in understanding of his reasoning behind being in these chilly lands. It was certainly a rough thing to be caught in the midst of pack stressors. Perhaps this was part of the reasoning as to why Cheza had never sought out acceptance in such an environment. The structure was something that she was not incredibly fond of. Rules had never truly been a huge part of her life, and she preferred to keep living happily without them. Then, the question as to why she was here emerged, and a small smile crept across her maw. Glancing in the general vicinity of where she thought the beast was, focusing her good eye on the beast with a slight shift of her body, the doll bowed her head slightly, I come here quite often. It’s my favorite place to be, very secluded and quiet. Few bother me here. It was true. The maiden preferred to spend most of her time in seclusion than be surrounded by strange wolves that she could often hardly even properly see. It was difficult to determine who could be trusted without her all of her vision, but this paladin was different. There was a certain underlying tone to his voice that caused the girl to feel as though he was one of the few she could trust immediately upon meeting.

Though, her curiosity was peaked when he spoke of pack tensions. The lass was not too well versed in the ways of all the packs, but the one she heard the most of was the Skyla. They seemed to be the most ruthless and cut-throat pack about these lands. Tilting her head slightly, the multi-hued ess furrowed her brow a bit before speaking, If you do not mind me asking, what territory are you from? I don’t know much about the lands. I spend most of my time exploring on my own and have not yet become familiar with the territories. I really know nothing of them, except for the little information I’ve acquired through my wanderings. This led to another thought that formed swiftly in the female's mind, Are you an heir of sorts? You spoke of the territory belonging to your parents. What was it about this young man that was so intriguing to the ess?

Perhaps he was from this Skyla pack that she had heard the most about. From the weight of his words, this seemed to be the most plausible explanation. It was often heard that the Alphess of that pack was cold and uncaring, stoic and unwavering, even towards her own children. That sounded like a rather unpleasant life, one that she would certainly desire to escape if it was hers. If that was the reason the paladin was here, in these snow-covered lands, then she could certainly understand such a reason. Slipping closer to the beast, ensuring that her good eye remained trained upon him, the ess reached out with her muzzle and nudged his cheek slightly with her nose in an attempt to urge him to confide in her. The lady was not here to harm him. In fact, such a thing was far beyond her at this point. Now, she was curious, intrigued and filled with a desire to know more and more about the handsome young man sitting before her.

As Cheza sat, patiently biding her time to see if the prince would tell her what territory he hailed from, tender flakes of snow began falling from the puffy grey clouds that obscured the blue-grey sky from view. The cold feeling of these tiny flakes landing on her nose caused the girl to snort in surprise, ice blue eyes wheeling upwards for a few moments to watch the crystals fall to the earth before focusing on the male canine once more. Would he reveal to her the lands he had traveled from, or would she be forever left to wonder.

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[Amori]

It was alot easier to confide in Cheza than the young male had imagined it would be. She simply sat, listening to his words, giving nothing but the occasional nod of understanding. Some wolves would have jumped straight to conclusions over his small exlanation, accusing him of running in fright, and being too afraid to stand up for himself, which wasn't exactly a lie in itself. Not Cheza, though. She showed no signs of judgement, and this was one of the many reasons Amori was becoming to like her so much. Perhaps he could have a real friend in the makings; one that wasn't Nemu. His mother probably would not care much for the idea- a friend that wasn't in the Skyla pack, but to Amori, it was a beautiful thought.

'I come here quite often. It’s my favorite place to be, very secluded and quiet. Few bother me here.'

Although he could understand completely what she was saying, her words still seemed like a puzzle to him. It was indeed a quiet place, what with the fae stood infront of him being the only wolf he had come across, and it wasn't particularly hard to guess why, either. Don't you get cold alot, coming here all the time? He asked, before realising how stupid and childish his question had sounded. He definitely did not wish for her to think of him as childish, even if he was still a pup at heart, albeit in a somewhat grown wolfs body. The male grinned at her with an embarassed look, shifting his paws in the snow sheepishly.

'If you do not mind me asking, what territory are you from? I don’t know much about the lands. I spend most of my time exploring on my own and have not yet become familiar with the territories. I really know nothing of them, except for the little information I’ve acquired through my wanderings.'

So it had come atlast, the very question he had been dreading to hear. What would his answer to this one be? Even Amori was not sure of that. She had said that she knew little of the different territories, but at the same time had learnt a few things about them. Just how much did she know? Was she aware of the reputation his parents had so unfortunately acquainted themselves with, or was her knowledge limited to just the pack names? Amori found himself hopeing for the latter, that way, she was sure not to get scared off, for to frighten her away was the last thing he was wanting to do right now. Then the young fae spoke again, her tone sounding genuinely curious.

'Are you an heir of sorts? You spoke of the territory belonging to your parents.'

Again, the young male shifted uneasily on his paws. The simple thing to do would just be to tell her the truth, and pray that she had no grudges against his parents pack. Yet, he found himself incapable of doing so. Their were so many reasons for one to hate the Skyla pack, and Amori was worried that his new friend held one of these reasons. Perhaps he could tell her that he belonged to the Xyla? Afterall, that was under the control of his fathers sister, so he had family there. But to lie to her would again risk severing the bond that was growing between them. It was when he felt the slight nudge of her nose against his cheek that he decided he was probably just over-thinking the situation, something he did a hell of alot these days. Uh, I guess you could say I'm an heir. My sister lives up to those words more than me, though. My parents are the Alphas of the Skyla territory- thats where i come from. He told her, gaze switching from Cheza's face, to sweep the area around them nervously every now and then.

Amori sat and watched her, awaiting for his friend to show some sort of reaction to his words, as the snow began to fall softly from the skies above. She had said that she traveled alone, something which Amori could not imagine doing, ever. He had grown up in the company of others, to live alone seemed like a difficult thing to do.