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Post by havok on Sept 6, 2008 6:53:52 GMT -5
Toshiro woke late that day. His sister was still sleeping soundly beside him, but his muscles ached to be used. He got to his feet slowly and shook himself, bending over to stretch. The albino Koga was used to just appearing at night, but this day he could not sleep through. Something outside had disturbed him from his slumber. He knew of the Kogas around here, and that in truth he should be with them, but he could not leave his sister. Albino females were highly prized in the last Koga society they had encountered, and he knew the lusts of Koga males. He himself did not suffer from such lusts, but this he decided, was due to the fact that he had lived with a female all his life. The sunlight burned into their den and made Toshiro squint his eyes as he stepped out into it. It did not burn as it had done when he was a tiny pup, but it was still uncomfortably warm. His stunning eyes observed the scene below, a huge red Koga male towering over a smaller one, cursing threats and such to him. Toshiro slunk backwards into the cool of their den and lay down infront of his sister, watching her frail sides rise and fall gently. "You're starving, aren't you?" he whispered gently. "Time for me to take some responsibility." Although he felt scared to leave her with unfamiliar males just below their tree top den, he knew that if she was not fed today that she would not make it through the night. Re luctantly, he got to his feet and bounded outside, louder than he would have liked, and took off across the branches of the forest, a white bolt of lightning.
Shiro was startled into waking by the loud clatter her brother made as he took off through the trees, and her eyes stung instantly. She recoiled from the light back into the shade, finding the slight movement a mammoth task. She had no energy left. She knew deep down she was dying. Some strange disease that made her vomit her own blood. She looked around for the comforting figure of her brother, but could not find him. Her heart began to race, until she realised the noise must have been him leaving. She smiled. It would be better. She did not want him to be there when she took her last breath. She knew how it would effect him. She knew she was not allowed to die, for his benefit. "I'll try to hold on, dear brother," she sighed, voice raspy, and withering.
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Post by Raikou on Sept 6, 2008 16:41:07 GMT -5
Joumae was pacing. There was nothing else she could possibly do to relieve the tension building up in her muscular frame. Each step caused her sharp claws to rip up pieces of the earth. If Akane had tortured Kitanai, he'd be here by now, covered in blood and bruises, begging for Joumae to heal him in the way that only she could. It had been four hours since she fled the scene. The silence of the forest also bothered her; if Kita was being punished, he'd be screaming his head off about not being guilty. Yet...everything was peacefully still. This upset Joumae to the point of bursting. "That's it," she whispered to herself. "I'm...I'm gonna go look for him." Tentatively, she wandered into camp, her body low against the ground and ears pressed against her neck. The musky scent of the Koga base always knocked her off balance despite being a Koga herself and growing up amongst them. She ambled through the blurred faces, searching for a single, childish pair of jade green eyes that would put down all her fears in one swoop. Instead, she saw not hide nor hair of little Kitanai. Swallowing, Joumae padded up to the nearest Koga she could find. A group of them, all warriors judging by the scars on their flanks, sat near the lake, laughing about something. She picked out the smallest of them. "You," she growled. "Have you seen Kitanai or Akane?" Grinning, the other Kogas began to chuckle. The one she was interrogating gave the slightest of smirks. "Why, Joumae-san, haven't you heard the good news?" he chuckled. Joumae narrowed her eyes. "What good news?" "About the runt, of course," he replied. "Ol' Akane-san accepted him into his frontline." At that instant, Joumae's world flipped upside down. Her Kita, the Kita she raised from a puppy through thick and thin, had thrown himself in to the lion's den so willingly? Her limbs began to shake. "T-Thanks for the...information." With that, she took off, cantering in the direction of Akane's scent with pure malice in her stare. Upon reaching him, she held back a snarl and simply said, "Akane-san, are you brain dead?"
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Post by Akane on Sept 6, 2008 18:44:49 GMT -5
They hadn't been within the Koga camp long before Akane could see Joumae approaching, and by her forceful pace knew that not all was well in the females mind. When she reached him and those words passed her lips, Akane's head reared and his body rose to tower over her, "Joumae," her name was half a bark, half a snarl through bared teeth, "you forget your place." He had taken Kitanai to show him the training area, where an audience was only allowed if he asked for one, "Before you shout your objections, Kitanai is above the training age - you should know that." Akane was aware of her attachment to him and feared she could hinder his progress. However, that was also interpreted into a challenge; fending off a motherly instinct isn't the easiest thing to accomplish.
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Post by Raikou on Sept 17, 2008 8:48:27 GMT -5
Sorry I haven't been on in a while! School+hurricane+laziness=me being a jerk and not posting ----------------- Joumae cringed under Akane's menacing stare. He was so close to her...his hot breah beating down on her face, fangs just inches from her throat. She panicked--a little. Before her random outburst, Joumae hadn't realized the true power of intense hatred that bubbled up inside her. Before she was staring death in the face, she felt ready to do almost anything, including insult the very dog who held her life in his jaws. A small whimper tried to fight its way up her throat, but she swallowed it down again as her ears pressed against her neck. "Joumae!" Craning her neck around Akane, she saw Kitanai standing there, looking dumbfounded. Soon, however, his shock melted to anger, and his face twisted in a frightening snarl. "Joumae, what the hell are you doing here?!" he shouted, inching his way closer, though he didn't know how far Akane would let him go. "I don't need you butting into my life anymore! Go away!" His words might as well have been blows. They nearly sent Joumae crashing to the ground. Her limbs started to shake. "Kita, I..." "I said leave me alone!" Kitanai repeated, all the hair on his haunches rising. "I'm a male now, Joumae, and I don't need a boring old babysitter following me around!" "But Kita--" "NO!" he shouted. He was so terrifying that some of the Kogas standing around them--Kogas nearly double his age--started to back away slowly. Even Akane's face fell just a bit. "Leave me alone, Joumae!" he snarled. "Get a life, get a mate, or for Pete's sake, do your job every once in a while because I never want to see your face ever again!" At first, Joumae didn't register the threat as being directed at her. She couldn't get over the hatred etched into his face. She couldn't get over the fact that he was angry at her, her! The one who raised him! The one who saved him from certain death! But there was no mistaking the glare in his eyes. She dipped her head to Akane and turned away. Some of the Kogas even caught her crying. "Dang kid," one of the older warriors chuckled as he made his way to Kitanai's side. "Was that really necesary?" Kitanai didn't actually know...but for the sake of argument, he nodded slowly.
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Post by Kamui on Sept 20, 2008 19:16:35 GMT -5
Kamui sat in the high branches of a tree, watching the events play out beneath him. In the shade of its leaves, he felt quite comfortable, although seeing the way Kitanai treated Joumae made his stomach twinge in pity. The Koga leader shot a glance at Akane; looks like there's some drama brewing in camp.
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Post by Akane on Sept 21, 2008 16:09:11 GMT -5
Akane couldn't believe the brattish insults spewing from Kitanai's mouth. He had heard quite enough by the time Joumae had turned tail to slink away again. "Silence!" The twittering between the other males ceased immediately, "Scatter, before I take an ear from each of you." He glared at the one closest to Kitanai who made a hasty retreat with the others. A rumbling could be heard like that of distant thunder; a storm was indeed brewing, but its source lay within the ruthless Commander who was threadbare in terms of his patience. He raised a muscle-enforced open paw towards Kitanai, ready to belt him across the training area... but he stopped, letting his arm fall, "It seems there is much work to be done here. Joumae-," he lifted his head and called her back, but in a less demanding tone than usual, "-come here. This first lesson only you can teach him." Akane waited until he could see her walking back towards them before making eye contact with Kitanai. "For every wound a male gets, it is a female who is the best medicine. For every howl a male howls, a female will harmonize and make greater. For every battle a male fights, it is a female who makes the greatest comrade." His eyes glazed over for a moment in this rare occasion where he was reminded of his passed mate, but his thoughts didn't linger there for long, "You have no respect for her," he barked sharply, "therefore you have no respect for every Koga standing around you." Akane broke away from Kitanai and began to walk a large ring around him, passing every dog that cared to witness one of Akane's legendary lessons. Gradually, they became surrounded - the final dogs closing the gap behind Joumae. "Joumae," he walked calmly over to one end of the fighting ring that had now been created. The spectators knew exactly what was coming, "show this boy what it is to be a Koga."
An almighty cheer erupted from the crowd as the afternoon game began. Akane however sat perfectly still with a watchful eye on his new recruit. The rules were simple: Akane dictated when the fight was to end, and it could only end one way - one laying flat on their stomach, bowing and submitting to the other. He had seen so many feeble attempts for the fighting to stop in the past; cries for mercy, begging at his feet, trying to jump out of the ring - only to be thrown back in by the audience of course - and even pretending to be dead. He hoped that Kitanai's brain was as quick as his mouth. Enjoy the show, Sir.
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Post by Raikou on Sept 21, 2008 17:06:37 GMT -5
Oooo, drama! XD this one's long O.o ---------------
"B-B-But..." Kitanai stammered, swinging his head back and forth from Akane to Joumae, flashing both the same exasperated expression. "I can't fight her! I'd--" Joumae cut him off with a hard tackle to his chest which sent him Kitanai flying onto his back. She seized his back limb and threw him into the air--rather harshly--and slammed him into the ground repeatedly as tears streamed down her cheeks. She was sure that this whole thing was just an outlet for Akane to beat some sense into Kitanai, but even so, it was pure torture making her not only watch but be the one to enforce his crackpot laws. She knew the rules well, however. Her main objective now--the only way she could help Kitanai--was to knock him out as quickly as possible. After ten intensive hits to the young male's head, Joumae released him, letting his limp body fall to the ground. She grunt and licked away the salty tears, leaving her expression angry. "Do I have to prop his unconscious body in a begging position?" she growled in a tone just below mocking. "Or is this good enough?" Before anyone could warn her or respond, Joumae felt something tugging at her back leg. A split second later, Kitanai, awake after all, dragged her into the dust. He gave her a meaner than the one he'd shot after her as she crept away. I'm not going to let you make a fool outta me in front of Akane, his expression read. There's no way in hell I'd let you win! He seized her scruff tightly in his jaws and leapt into the air before slamming her right back down head first. Dazed, Joumae hardly had time to register the fact that she was still conscious before Kitanai slashed through her chest, cheek, and back with his fangs. While she shook the blood away from her eyes, he came from behind, tackling her to the ground and pressing her face into the dust. His muzzle came up beside her ear. "I don't wanna hurt you anymore than what's needed," he growled. "So, why don't you just submit to me like a good little female, and I'll stop this senseless fighting. How about th--" Screaming in fury, Joumae thrust her head back, slammed it into Kitanai's, and sent the little Koga flying across the arena. Still shouting profusely, Joumae charged after him, taking him by the throat in the same manner he had. "I should be the one saying that!" she snapped. "This is all your fault anyway! All to please Akane, huh?!" She started to shake him violently, spilling his blood into the earth. "I hope I scar you," she snarled through his fur, quietly so that only the two of them could hear. "Then you'll never forget--" Joumae's words were cut off by a hard kick to the throat which finally dislodged Kitanai from her jaws. She tumbled away while he remained there, lying motionless on the ground, bleeding pretty heavily from his throat. A pang of regret spiked in Joumae; had the wound really killed him? Was he actually dead? She staggered to her feet and started to limp towards him, suddenly realizing the pain from her twisted forelimb that he'd broken while throwing her around. She rushed to his side and hovered over him, truly concerned for a split second. That is, until his eyes shot open, and he grinned deviously. "GOT YA!" In a flash, Kitanai completely reversed the situation, socking Joumae in the shoulder and flipping her onto her back, with him ontop, his paw pressed on her windpipe. The attack sent a wave of agony down Joumae's spine as a crack in her side warranted the snapping of a rib. She cowered underneath him, battered, bruised, and unable to hurt him despite the awful things he'd said to her. "Okay, okay!" she whimpered. "I give!" Kitanai let her up, and she bowed. "You win."
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Post by Akane on Sept 30, 2008 18:22:23 GMT -5
Akane watched the violence with an unwavering expression that was not of pleasure, but of scrutiny. Both of them were as bad as each other; their fighting just a mask over their squabbling. Joumae was an excellent fighter, but for some reason her immediate feelings got in the way of her guard. That little stunt of playing dead by Kitanai wouldn't have worked if he was anyone else - Joumae knew better than that. And Kitanai? Well, the success of his attacks were driven by the pleasure of simply taunting her, knowing which buttons to push. From where Akane was sitting, it was Joumae who seemed to take the fight more seriously - Kitanai was just being cocky and showing off.
The crowd seemed to be divided over the outcome. When Joumae bowed to signal her defeat, a cheer roared from pockets around the arena. Others didn't seem to warm to the rookie beating her so easily, and they hissed and barked at Joumae for more.
"It is done!" A shrill bark from Akane pierced the crowds ears, "I've seen all I need to see." He approached Kitanai and looked him up and down, "... Well?" he was, of course, waiting for Kitanai to acknowledge his opponent and accept his triumph as gracefully as Joumae accepted her defeat. If Kitanai didn't bow low to the ground at that instant, so help him, Akane would forcefully push his head into the dirt.
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Post by havok on Oct 4, 2008 17:32:24 GMT -5
Toshiro had gone much farther than he had hoped. He stood now, surveying the fight between male and female, the huge red Koga presiding over it. A rabbit hung from his jaws, ready for his sister, but his eyes could only stay at this fight. The red one's way of pitting them against one another made Toshiro shiver, but also evoked his dormant male want to fight and engage in combat, to prove he was worthy to someone. Someone like Akane. His piercing pink eyes watched the scene, led like a merry dance, and finally saw the crowned victory. The male. It had been a very hard fight, and the female intruiged him. He did not stay long, however, and soon took off in the direction of home. Arriving there very swiftly, he dropped the rabbit before his sleeping sister. He had taken only a few legs for himself, all the good meat he had left for her. Suddenly, he heard a loud thud outside of the little wooden hut. She spun around and was confronted by a large brown Koga, who had spotted him and followed undetected. "So? A pair of Albino siblings, eh? I'm sure Kamui and Akane would love to know about you." The Koga tilted his head and grinned openly. Toshiro had never fought in his entire life, at least he could not remember any such incident, but this dog's insolence and the definite threat to his sister made such a fire erupt in his gut that he could not contain it. "You will not touch my sister, and you certainly will not reveal our whereabouts, mongrel." The Koga stopped grinning, a disgusted, infuriated face replaced his previous cocky one. Toshiro needed no more prompting. He lunged forward, grabbing the Koga in his jaws and smashing him into the thick wooden wall of the hut. The dog gurgled, and Toshiro tossed him, gasping for breath. He had never felt such a way before. Never, ever had he been so angry. The dog got to his feet and faster than Toshiro could react, sliced the white dog's chest, landing on the other side of the small hut. "Only Kogas who have been taught to fight know how to move with such speed they vanish to the untrained eye. Prepare to die, white scum!" The dog lunged, pinning Toshiro to the ground and taking hold of his throat, gradually squeezing the life out of him. Toshiro grimaced, looking over the floor to his emaciated sister. Shiro, I've failed you. I'm so, so sorry. Please, please forgive me. I give you my soul sister... He closed his eyes and prepared to die. Just then, a divine wind swept over him and suddenly he could breathe. The pain around his neck was gone, and with a loud crash sunlight beamed down onto him. He opened his eyes and swung around to see a huge hole smashed in the wall of his hut. He looked back over his shoulder, and the Koga and his sister were gone. He gasped, wide eyed and lunged onto the tree branch outside their home. His sister lay on the ground so far below, the larger Koga still in her jaws. Tears pricked his eyes and he leaped down to her, caring not a whim about his own safety. "I couldn't let him kill you, brother. I'm so sorry I didn't act earlier...I was saving my strength...for the last moment, like...like a coward." Toshiro let the tears flow down his face. "A coward would not have acted at all, Shiro." He could not process the situation, and as fury took hold, he grabbed the lifeless koga in his jaws and swung him around violently, shaking the koga in rage. He tossed the dog as far away as he could, and bounded up the tree, grabbing the rabbit. Only now was it sinking in fully that his sister might die before his eyes. He went back to her side as quickly as he could, cheeks wet from tears. She smiled at him, taking the rabbit in her jaws and chewing as best she could. It was pointless, but it would make him happier, so she did. He lay beside her, putting his head over her back in an attempt to keep her sheltered and warm from the long, cold night ahead. x
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Post by Raikou on Oct 12, 2008 12:08:00 GMT -5
Kitanai caught the sharp anger in Akane's eyes and lowered his head as far as it could go to, hopefully, appease his new master. Bitting her lip to keep from crying out in pain, Joumae slowly rose to a sitting position, feeling her shattered ribs groan in response. She could tell by the looks on the Kogas' faces, there wouldn't be much of a life for her around the Koga base any longer. If they all hated her and if Kitanai was in Akane's platoon now, she had no one.
Geta mate, get a life, or for Pete's sake do you job every once in a while because I never want to see your face ever again!
She couldn't count herself amongst the more beautiful of the Kogas, so a mate was out of the question. She had a life, a horrid one, and as for her job, with these injuries, she wouldn't be at it for a long while. Her last option seemed dire, desperate, but with Akane glaring at the two of them, it seemed more likely by the instant.
She had to run away. Fast.
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Post by Akane on Oct 12, 2008 18:13:12 GMT -5
Akane's face softened as Kitanai did as a Koga should, but this momentary calm disappeared when Joumae suddenly got up and did a runner. But instead of getting someone else to run after her and drag her back by the hind legs if need be, Akane did something quite peculiar and seldom seen. He went after her herself, but not before giving orders to escort Kitanai to the Koga house. Those who knew of the Iga treatments would provide him with medical aid; no mission to the Iga territory was ever completely fruitless.
"Joumae," Akane barked, less demanding than usual. He had caught up with her with ease - her injuries saw to that, "Joumae, stop." He took a running slide and put his whole body in front of her as a blockade, "You can't expect to run like this and see the light of another day... the medics will see to you, and you'll be taken off duty in the mean time." Akane moved one paw forward to emphasize his words - he wasn't letting her go anywhere.
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Post by Raikou on Oct 13, 2008 10:10:19 GMT -5
Most of Joumae wanted to crouch down as she always did, bowing before authority like a good Koga. Yet there still remained that slim 25% of her that was scalding hot with fury. It bubbled up her throat, teasing her to speak, and then--
"Don't try to feel sorry for me!" she snapped. "That's all a lie, a clever rouse. Because feeling sorry for me is like apologizing to the dirt after stepping on it!" She paused for a moment, shifting her weight off her throbbing shoulder and spat out a pretty good amount of blood onto the ground. "Tell me, Akane-san, what do you think I have left? I have no kin, I have so little loyalty towards the Kogas I'm surprised I'm still here! Kitanai was the only thing I had, and now he's your charge. Why would you deny me my one request to hobble off into the woods and die like so many of our Clan?"
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Post by Akane on Oct 13, 2008 19:07:25 GMT -5
The foul tempered Koga whipped his tongue around his menacing set of teeth, "What makes you any different from the rest of us?" He hissed distastefully. How dare she spout all that rubbish about having nothing - Kamui was all he had, and it disturbed him how this female had the gall to preach to him about having no kin, and no mate to keep her there. "If this hissy-fit is from the fight you lost, it is my doing; my mistake was thinking that you could beat Kitanai at the game he is playing with you." Akane moved forward and tilted his head to her eye level, "You must have done something right by that boy. Lazy as he was at his post, he still managed to pay enough attention to you in order to beat you." A stern glare passed between them momentarily before Akane moved past her and looked backwards over his shoulder, "You are valued for your recon missions, Joumae. You are the only female in your field - if your loyalty was ever false, you would not have done them... It doesn't take a genius to see why Kitanai wants to surpass you." Those were his last words before he moved off at a slow walking pace. If she followed, good - one less Koga to be killed by the border guard for treason. Half-hearted treason at that.
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Post by Raikou on Oct 13, 2008 20:27:37 GMT -5
Swallowing, Joumae looked down at her feet, trying to hold back a few stray tears. Why did everything Akane said have to be true? She thought back through the last few months...he lost his mate, his son, and now his only 'family' is Kamui, who she'd never in her life consider to be a real friend in any definition of the word. Compared to that, Joume had a soft existence. She watched him walk off and realized with a certain joyful smile that buried deep beneath all the horrifying anger that laced his words, he'd complemented her. For the first time in her life no less! Well, she though it was a complement...right? "Tch," one Koga scoffed behind her. "Seems like Akane-san has gotten soft lately. First the kid now her..." "Yeah," another growled. "Maybe he's loosing his touch." "HOW DARE YOU!" Joumae shouted suddenly, whipping her head about to glare at them with a vicious snarl she hoped masked her agony. "How dare you speak about Akane-san like that!" She tried to lunge towards them, but a sharp pain in her flank reminded her of her injuries. Instead of scaring them, she embarassed herself. But if felt good to leap to Akane's defense so willingly. Yet the Kogas only laughed. "Very funny, female," one of them chuckled. "What could you possibly do like that?" "Go lick your wounds," the other grunted as she began to pad away. Joumae snarled at them until she deemed it safe enough to limp after Akane as fast as she could go. Surprisingly, it didn't take her as long as she'd thought to catch up with him--this was mostly impart to the fact that, accidentally or not, Akane was walking rather slowly. Once they matched one another stride for stride--save for Joumae's limp--Joumae gave a slight smile. She wanted to say something like 'thank you' or 'I'm sorry' but she figured it would fall on deaf ears and kept to herself.
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Post by Akane on Oct 14, 2008 12:12:34 GMT -5
Akane took a moment to himself to hone in on the Koga's mocking behind his back. He may have had his back turned, but he wasn't deaf - not at that distance. The fact that Joumae came to his defense did please him, though he wouldn't admit it. After walking for a short while, Akane seemed to grunt inwardly, then suddenly snapped his head down as if in pain. "It's not far... go on ahead, they'll be waiting for you. I'm late for a Guard engagement." He didn't make eye-contact with her and turned tail, galloping away before Joumae could reply.
Akane knew those Koga's - not by name - but he knew them. Passing through where those words were exchanged, he picked them off as they were walking away. They saw him coming with that tell-tale Akane-expression of utter loathing on his face, and having no other option fell straight onto their stomachs. "Ungrateful swine," Akane growled tantalizingly close to their throats, so close as to make them shiver, "A-A-Akane-sama, we're-" "Sorry for the slip of the tongue? Your origins are nothing to boast about. Do you think I could forget such a sorry excuse for a litter?" Both males fell silent and looked at each other, but it was broken by a quick, intense bite to each of their necks. Not enough to draw blood, but enough for Akane to reestablish his dominance, "Your insolence has been noted." He reeled back in a gurgling snarl that seemed to be out of his control, "Now get out of my sight." A loud demanding bark escaped his chest that shot both males to their feet and on their way.
Slowing his heavy breathing, Akane closed his eyes to calm his anger and regain control of the storm raging in his skull. Only when the throbbing stopped did he return to his path back to camp.
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