Storms Rolling In (OPEN)

[Ärï]

The dark form of a large black brute could be seen padding through the open Xavrien Heights. His underbelly and limbs were sooty grey, eyes toned cold topaz and vacant. To many he was an ominous creature, large, muscular, mysterious and intimidating in many ways. There was only one other wolf that could really say they knew differently. Dark Storm however, was alone today or at least for now. He was tracking, eyes trained on the invisible trail he followed through the heights. Black auds pricked forward with interest as he came to the bloodied body of a wolf.

Topaz flames burned upon the wolf laying at Storm's paws. Blood was around the muzzle of the wolf, eyes cloudy. The strong stench that had led Dark Storm to this unfortunate beast told him all. It was the sickness again, another wolf stricken down by this maddening disease. It was a horrid fate to meet but Storm could think of worse. Without speaking, Dark Storm began to dig, even as the rain fell upon his back, icy shards of water cutting through his thick dark fur and pricking his skin uncomfortably. He didn't pay heed to it. Again, he'd known worse. Pushing his muzzle under the dead wolf's body, he pushed the wolf into the grave and covered it, sitting beside the newly dug resting place. Topaz eyes glazed with thought as he studied the fallen wolf's final resting place. It wasn't much but it brought up unpleasant memories that Dark Storm couldn't seem to pull himself from.

Lost in deep thoughts and memories, Dark Storm failed to notice the appraoching pad of paws. To him, the sound was lost in the patter of chilling rain though not the rain falling now, rain that had fallen on him seasons ago as he had sat beside the many graves of other wolves, wolves he had known better, grown up knowing and had watched die....

[Sheera]

The small form of a slim, brown femora was none other than one reconizable. Her blue gaze glittered with warmth. Her tail flicked invitingly. She was striding towards Dark Storm as if she knew him. She did. Ophelia's gaze saw his large form more clearer than before and she strained her muscles to quicken her stride towards him. She was soon at his side pressing her soaked body to his. She took in his sweet scent, not noting the blood scent and sighed in relief.

[Ärï]

Dark Storm's thoughts, cold and dark and lonely were interrupted by a familiar warmth at his side. Blinking several times, Storm watched the dark images of his puphood fade away back to the corners of his mind. Looking around, Dark Storm found the source of warmth and couldn't help but soften his gaze a little. Ophelia. It always was her, that insistant young she-wolf that trailed around behind him even though more then once he'd lashed at out at her.

Growing up, Dark Storm hadn't known much affection, nothing other then the brotherhood of wolves that all knew they'd day at the end of the day. That was all he had known for several years, all through his raising. Every wolf he had met or seen, in his mind had already been dead. Still for some reason he couldn't fathom, Ophelia trailed after him, insisting she wouldn't leave. He still didn't understand it but he knew better then to fight it now. He was too tired. Nights with endless nightmares tended to make him cranky and tired on a constant basis though when he was cranky he was usually the silent brooding type, worse then usual.

Sighing, Storm looked back at the grave. "Still following I see?" he state, deep tones soft and distant, the voice of a mourner.

[Sheera]

She smiled her warm smile her ears flicking casually. Her tail flicked gently onto his hind quarters affectionately. She of course was like a constant flea that won't go away on vacation. She was constantly at his side, following him and making note of what he does. She didn't go more than a quarter mile away from him in fear he would disapear forever. The time period she was away was to survive on the little supply of food she could catch. She really could not catch anything that could move so she was teaching herself to. She really had recently understood that common normal wolves don't survive on vegetation though she was quite sure before that she would like to take a snap at a rabbit. She looked to his eyes with hers and said, "Following.. no. Stalking is a better word." in her gentle, but high pitched voice. Her eyes glistened with amusement.

[Ärï]

A tired sigh escaped Dark Storm and his eyes closed in exasperation. She'd never go away. He knew she was constantly hovering about and he'd never be able to escape her. She was younger then him, not only physically but mentally. While Dark Storm was fully mature in his prime in body, he was a thousand years old in his mind, a battered warrrior beaten till all he wanted to do was lay down and die. Of course, Ophelia wouldn't have it. Nowhere near close. Storm's front paws slid forward, lowering his body to a sphinx pose. His head rested on his paws with a wary sigh, feeling old battle wound aching dully in protest as they often did when it rained. Oh he would be one interesting senior when he was older, too stiff to move a paw and all too willing to close his eyes and not wake up.

"I'm getting to old for this" Dark Storm mumbled, rolling his shoulders a bit, trying to relax the stiffening muscles. In his prime, yes. Feeling in his prime, haha no. Far from. "Care to remind me why you're stalking a mentally disturbed wolf?" Dark Storm asked dully, eyes closed.

[Sheera]

Ophelia chuckled darkly at his movements and words. She lie next to him but on her side, her paws facing away and her head on his paws. She lifted her head and licked under his chin. She sighed a humored sigh and closed her eyes lightly. She then opened them slowly and gently grabbed the skin on his chest to pull his down. Though she was not as strong as him she was hoping in a willing state he came down.

[Ärï]

Dark Storm opened one eye and looked at Ophelia. "What are you doing?" he asked, dull voice barely hinted with curiousity, just enough to be noticed if one knew his voice enough. Storm leaned away from the other wolf, laying his head on his right paw. Ophelia was a strange little wolf. There were other, more handsome and definately more welcoming wolves she could be chasing yet she chose to stalk the battered and beaten. At times Dark Storm felt that whoever was watching them was laughing at him, adding salt to his wounds by pleuging him with a constant headache caused by an overly willing she-wolf. Other times though...it wasn't so bad. She had a way of dragging him out of his thoughts of the past. Somtimes that was good, sometimes not. Sometimes he wanted to just be there, back when things were simple and his heart wasn't so dark. But...when things got messy or changed, like in his constant nightmares, she would usually be around to wake him up. That was a nice change though it didn't mean he was free of the horrid nightmares.

[Sheera]

She released his chest gently and chuckled. She then shifted her head lightly on his left paw and closed her eyes. She then shifted her body ever so slightly, so now her body was pressing against him and her head was lieing quite close to his. So close her nose was touching his cheek. She seemed comforted, she was. She some how found much comfort in his presense. Why? Who knows besides her?

[Ärï]

Dark Storm sighed, head resting on his right paw, angled carefully away from Ophelia. He always hoped that if he ignored her enough, she'd go away, give up on him like all the rest. That would be good, or so he thought. He could be alone again with his sins, memories and misery. Ophelia always just got closer. It drove him mad trying to figure out how the heck she could be so easily attracted to a dark soul like him. Storm could never figure out a reason. He finally decided the younger femme was just crazy. It seemed close to the truth. After all, she ate plants. True she was trying to hunt but, again, Dark Storm ignored her and didn't help. He always hoped he could slip away while she hunted. It never happened.

When he stopped and rested, he'd wake up from some nightmare or another and find the smaller wolf laying next to him or nearby, usually next to. There were times when Dark Storm thought she was just desperate. It always seemed true. She acted like if he left, she'd die. It may be true considering she had no other protection. Maybe that's why she stayed so close.

So many battles and this one will be the second one I've lost Dark Storm thought dully. Shifting slight, moving one of his hind legs, Storm winced. There was a particularly nasty scar on his right hunch, it hurt when the rain fell and Storm could guess why. He had gotten that scar when Thistle had died. It had rained. Storm sighed again, shifting restlessly to try and loosen the pain.

[Sheera]

Ophelia lifted her head and pressed her soaked body closer to his as he shifted. She laid her head back down gently. She thought for awhile and then spoke. "Why do you believe you have a dark soul?" she hadn't worded it correctly but that was the only way she thought she could ask directly. She waited for his answer patiently, relishing every moment with him.

[Ärï]

"The blood on my fangs and claws numbers in hundreds" Dark Storm murmured. "I've commited two sins that can never be forgiven and have shown the shame of a omega. My soul turned dark when I tasted blood. Now I'm getting the punishment I deserve." Dark Storm looked up at the rain falling upon them. Tears from angels. None of them cried for him, he knew that. They cried for those he had killed, for those he had betrayed, abandoned and broken promises to. No one would cry when he died. He wouldn't want them to for there was no one to cry for, just the shell of a wolf that didn't care if it was day or night, if he lived or died. That's what he'd become.

[Sheera]

"Am I really that bad of punishment?" she murmured with not the slightest flicker of humor. She raised her head and groomed the ear closest to her, though she had to reach up to even get close to his head. "Storm, if you deserved any punishment you would have killed any wolf that came near, unless of course you don't call me a wolf that is." she said with a small wolf smile.

[Ärï]

"I don't want to kill anymore." She didn't know. His pack...they had found him trying to run away. He had been shamed by his pack, left for dead. It was punishment enough that he'd survived. Dark Storm had closed himself off, trying to make amends by swearing not to kill a wolf again...to go through his life alone. The way he deserved. "Drawing breath alone is more then I deserve." Storm closed his eyes for a moment but that alone was enough to bring up flashes of his pack. His eyes snapped open. Nope, he didn't want to have nightmares just yet. Instead, his gaze wondered to his forlegs. They bore scars from him biting himself in his dreams or sometimes..just to escape the pain of his memories, his scars and all the bad things he'd done.

[Sheera]

She smiled pleasantly. She carefully backed away from him and opened her mouth. She was very good at tracking large prey from miles away. Catching them was the problem. "You hungry? There's a small herd of caribou about six miles away." she paused to smell. "There are three.." she paused again. "Sickly male, a female, and a middle aged male calf. The calf seems almost old enough to mate.. the male seems to sickly to live.. and the female is quite old, but will not die by natural causes anytime soon." she glanced at Dark Storm and then stared in the direction of the caribou. This was quite normal for her.. she never usually said the information aloud. She was a great tracker, with a very sensitive nose. She used her sensitive nose to track prey, but never actually caught any prey. She once caught a butterfly, and luckily she found a rotting rabbit one day.. but she hadn't caught anything considered prey.

[Ärï]

Rising to his paws, Dark Storm watched Ophelia leave before turning in the oppisate direction and walked toward a creek that was beginning to overflow from the rain. He waded through it fairly easily, after all he was a large wolf. It would take more then a swelling creek to drown him. Leaping onto the oppisate bank, Dark Storm didn't even pause to shake his fur dry. Instead, he just kept going. His mind had no particular path, his paws just chose their way and went. He was glad Ophelia had gone the other way though. Dark Storm could smell looming danger in this area and decided to deal with it. It was best not to have an all too attached she-wolf hanging around. Maybe this time he'd get lucky and get away from her, for her own good.