VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Main index ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: [1] ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 18:14:47 07/25/03 Fri
Author: Kaw || Atumi, Tew
Subject: Oh let's just mass-post this...
In reply to: Atumi and Tew 's message, "When I say boredom kills, I really do mean it! =O,O=" on 13:10:45 07/23/03 Wed

The dull sound of paws hitting moist dirt is steady, though slowing as the trees become closer together and larger and as the roots become gnarled above-ground. After a few moments' trotting, the red is forced to leap from root to huge root, a slightly difficult process due to a lack of sharp, unbroken claws. After skidding once or twice, Kaw curls his lip and forces his body to stretch in a larger leap, going up into the trees and from branch to branch. The scent of lightning, blood, scorched fur, and everything Korat hangs around the place in an almost visible fog; the five-foot red is slightly amused at how much damage was done by a piddling pair of young bucks. Inhaling deeply, he pinpoints Atumi's location and takes note of Tew's presence, unsurprised to find both fighters still on the site of the battle.

Atumi lifts his sleek muzzle, both furred brows rising as a strangely familiar scent tickles his nose. He rests his chin on the tree bark again, shutting down all senses except smell and using that to trace Kaw's progress through the territory. The red's identity is immediately confirmed, in this heightened state, as the leader of Atumi's birthpack. "Tew." The low tenor, slightly cracked with exhaustion, wakes the sleeping tan, and with a twist of his muzzle, baby-blue eyes open to face the prone black. "Rrrr?" Tew mumbles, blinking sleepily before his own sense of smell tracks on the approaching red. "Who--?" Atumi bares his teeth in a grin... or a grimace. "Shucho. My birthpack leader." A deep breath is inhaled, and Atumi struggles to rise. He'd used the last of his strength to heal his wounds, as had Tew, and they'd been sleeping it off. Tew suddenly cocks his head, flicking a narrow ear. "Shula wants me to watch him. Should I?" Atumi grins, amusement flickering through his teal eyes. "He would be aware of your presence... and he can hear us now. It doesn't matter."

Kaw shakes his head in amusement, listening to the hidden but present arrogance in Atumi's voice. With a lunge forward and a brief switch into 'fast-forward', the long-legged red becomes a blur that simply flows to the two pack seconds' location and then coalesces into a halt. Glossless black-red fur is ripped into large scars all across his muscular frame, but nothing mars neither head nor neck except for one lidless, milky eye. Atumi sucks in a surprised breath, shocked to his paws with eyes wide and ears back. "Shucho! What--?!" The splinters of a tailblade are presented as a sign to shut up, and the black wisely falls silent, sitting heavily as he realizes he's not quite as healed as he thought. Tew, sprawled on his back with long limbs askew, looks upside-down at the big red and grins shamelessly, but without mirth. He has an idea of what happened, despite never having met this red before.

"It's a long story, Atumi. One that you obviously have no idea about." The gravelly voice holds some vestiges of scorn, but no real anger as Kaw settles to his haunches, a faint grinding sound testifying to newly-healed joints. Atumi flinches, expression slowly falling to one of silent listening. Even nearly half a century later, the black still holds considerable respect for his old pack leader. "My name is Kaw, Atumi. You must be Tew," he adds carelessly to the tan. "Shula told you to watch me, so I couldn't care less whether you're here or farther away listening in." Bright blue eyes glint in amusement, and the tan nods his brilliant golden muzzle in agreement. He couldn't move if he wanted too, anyways.

"You and Wureshi have a bit of a feud going on, don't you?" Kaw's voice is emotionless and Atumi recognizes the rhetorical question and doesn't answer. "He tracked you, somehow, back to my pack."

A long moment of stunned silence. Atumi says nothing, only stares with a pained gaze at the scarred red... who slowly nods.

"It's exactly what you think. I was the only one who survived. The black must not have increased his endurance very much, for after four days' battle he fled via Portal. It was a month before I could heal enough to find you." Atumi's ears flatten, a quiver of emotion coursing through his glossy black fur. A fine dusting of ash drifts into the air and is whisked away on the warm breeze. "And... why..." The black swallows, bowing his muzzle. Shu-- Kaw... has always had such a fine, powerful pack... Wureshi has once again struck a terrible blow to the Koratian race as a whole.

Kaw is not one to comfort another's pain, however, and he simply waits until Atumi once again looks up. "Grieve for them on your own time. You know why I'm here." Sleek ears flatten again and teal eyes narrow. "I've tried to kill him, Sh... Kaw. My brother has tried; his entire family was slaughtered a year ago. We cannot. You cannot. Petition Redwood herself if you can find her, but I am here," the black rises, despite the weakness in his hind legs, "to train the future of our race. I will not leave the promising students of this pack for years to throw my life away hunting him. I cannot abandon the future warriors."

"And when he comes here to fight you? When he slaughters this pack and all your students, forcing you to oppose him? What will you have gained then, Atumi? You over-value your own life. Face him and take him down with you if you cannot win cleanly. My pack died in your name."

Atumi growls liquidly, forcing himself to take one step towards the tall red. Kaw's ears flatten and he delivers one powerful blow to the black's muzzle; Atumi doesn't even flinch, nor does he move one inch with the impact. One jungle-green eye widens slightly in surprise. Pearly fangs are bared in a mirthless grin and the 'second speaks. "I'll kill him once I know my students are in capable paws. If you can take over my teaching, which we both know you can't, then I'll gladly go off and die. Otherwise, I will continue training them until an opportunity to kill Wureshi arises. Beat me in battle if you want to change my mind, Kaw, but you know as well as I do that were you to challenge me right now, it would be a draw. Neither of us are recovered from our past battles."

Kaw snarls thickly, eye narrowing. "When we are healed, I will take you up on that challenge, black. Rest assured of that." With a step to the side and a lunge, the red's dark form blurs with speed as he tears away. Atumi lays down where he stood, feeling his bones ache and his muscles scream in protest. Tew rolls over, able to see the world right-side-up now, ears back. Now what? he 'paths to Atumi, eyes half-lidded.

I don't know.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]
Forum timezone: GMT-5
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.