All Alone (o)

[Julieboo]

The emtiness was complete, the silence deafning. Only a soft, brisk wind wove through the shadows. The dark forest seemed otherwise dead. Every living creature, hidden in the blackness, sliding silently through the dark, afraid of being spotted by hungry eyes. The dark forest was a place of fear. A place of loneliness, where no creature was to be trusted. It was this such place that Charcoal called her home. The elderly wolf truly did belong in the shadows of the dark forest. Her heroic past was forgotten, as was she, left by her lonesome, with no family, no friends, only the occasional passerby. She had once been a great leader, an Alpha, a warrior. Many battles would not have been won, and many lives lost if not for her presence. But every story must wear out eventually, every legecy must die, every hero forgotten. Charcoal now lived as a healer, a helper of travelers, a mysterious old wolf who helped even the lowliest of creatures. She would say little, but accomplish much. She would give herbs to the sick, bind the wounds of the injured, offer rest to the tired. She gave so much, but only allowed a thank you in return. She resided in a small dark cave, at the very edge of the Dark Forest. The lighter side of the vast wood was only a few hours walk. She laid at the mouth of her cave, dozing. Her shaggy dark grey fur stuck out in matted tuffs and one of her eyes lay half open. The beginning fragments of a hazy dream drifted around her mind, but it never fully came. Coal simply lay there, halfway between sleep and awake, peaceful and relaxed in the cool shadows of midday.

(I know, it's a horribly short introduction, but I can't think of what else to say.)

[queenia]

((Okay, you're gonna love me. I resisted the urge to call my *NEW* and *UNPINK* wolf RP character Sheldon. Oh yes, I can feel the love right here.))

Mindifor's grey fur danced to the song of the wind as he skimmed through the trees of the forest. He evaded the tall bushes that towered over him maliciously and only focused on a way to escape.

He had much to fear. Something was trailing him, (or so he thought) and being the malingerer he was, skittish Mindifor fled. He fled with all the speed he possessed, with every breath he had. His every muscle carried him to the most fateful place he could go: the Dark Forest. And so, disgracing his family history of tokens of bravery, Mindifor dashed behind a large bush, his heart pumping louder than ever.

He felt his eyes dilate as the only source of light was the moon, and even it seemed to glare at Mindifor with hostility. And though he found no comfort with the leaves poking his rough skin, Mindifor simply laid down, always on the lookout for whatever was coming his way. Though he was slightly crestfallen for not facing his fear, he managed to calm down as the crickets began to chirp and the warmth of night slightly fell into the forest.

((Sorry about the uber short post.))

[Julieboo]

The day droned on, uneventfull. Charcoal was used to boredom. She often spent an entire day, lost in a reverie. Even as the sky darkened and the moon rose, Charcoal remained unmoved, consumed by her own thoughts. A soft chirping of a cricket began, and Coal began to slip into a deep sleep.

Coal was awakended in the dead of night by the sound of something crashing through the underbrush. She lept to her feet, more supprised than afraid. She scanned the forest, searching for the source of the racket. Finding nothing, she simply dismissed it as a dream. But something didn't seem quite right. She slowly padded into her cave, glancing backward, and settled down on the smooth stone floor. She tried to regain sleep, but it would not come. Restless and unsettled, she stared out into the darkness of the forest.

[queenia]

Mindifor's heart did a backflip as he heard a leaf crackle and knew something was out there. He peered over the leaves of the bush and saw a wolf. Almost fainting, he fell to the ground in shock. He had hoped the creature hadn't seen him, but continued to hide.

So much for a good night's rest. He knew that he wasn't safe anywhere and looked through an opening through the bush with his gleaming blue eye for any signs of the wolf coming towards him. Mindifor was perfectly still, despite his heavy breathing and pounding heart.

[Julieboo]

Charcoal saw the faint glimmer of eyes through the bushes. Her fine tuned ears caught the faint sound of panting, rasping breath. She sniffed the air, whatever was out there was downwind, and Coal could not pick up any scent. Coal slowly got to her feet. She knew that something was out there, watching her.
"Hiding will not help you any. Whoever you are, show yourself. I will not hurt you. But if you are here to harm me, then I advise that you find another to prey upon."
Charcoal called calmly into the night, her fear was not betrayed by her voice, but her paws trembled.

((We are the masters of short posts!))

[queenia]

((Totally, but I can't write a long paragraph about how Mindifor watches Charcoal. Boring.))
Mindifor hesitated and slowly showed himself to the wolf. He brushed off any leaves that were sticking to him and watched the creature nervously. He didn't say anything, and just stood there, staring.

((Well, what else can I add?))

[Julieboo]

(It's ok. Sometimes one and two liners are better than super long posts. Short and sweet and to the point. I like.)

Coal relaxed as she watched the terrified wolf emerge from the bushes. Cautious, but no longer afraid, she asked simply "Well? What exactly was it that compelled you to disturb my sleep?"
She padded up to the young wolf, her eyes fixed on him, serious, but not unkind. Her level gaze, urging him to speak.

[queenia]

Mindifor was alarmed. "Disturbed you?" He was slightly annoyed. Some nerve the wolf had! "It is you who have disturbed me, maybe not my sleep, but my calmness." He shook his head in disbelief. "What do you want from me, anyway? What do you care who I am?"

[Julieboo]

"I only wish to help," Coal replied " But since it appears you don't want it from me, then you may leave." Coal briefly pondered whether or not she really wanted to help such a headstrong young wolf, but then she remembered how willful she had been, and how far it had taken her. She dismissed the thought from her mind. Of course she wanted to help him. She would willingly help anyone who accepted her aid. Who was she to turn someone down simply because they were a bit rude?

[queenia]

"How do you know I need the help, anyway?" Even though he did in fact need help, Mindifor couldn't help but sound a bit haughty in his words. He could tell the wolf was also getting annoyed with him as well, but ignored that. Sighing, he asked her, "I am Mindifor." Bowing slightly, he waited for the wolf's name.

[Julieboo]

"If you are alone, at night in the Dark Forest, then it is quite apparent that you need help," Coal replied without waiting for Mindifor's response "My name is Charcoal." She returned the bow, then sat back on her haunches casually. "Like I said before. If you need my help, I'll give it, but if you don't want it, then you may leave."

[queenia]

"I don't have anywhere to go..." Mindifor responded, looking around nervously. "But I do need help. Someone..." He paused. "Something has been following me. I don't know what. But I can't go back home. It'll catch me." He laid down. "I know it will."

The words echoed throughout his mind. I know it will. But how did he know? He had a hunch that there was something...special about him that caused him getting followed.

The second he thought this, an image of his home appeared in his head. Only it was different. The trees were all burned down to the ground and his family seemed to have vanished. But vanished where?

Brushing the thoughts off his shoulders and dismissing the vision as nothing important, Mindifor faced the wolf again. "I need to hide. As much as I put my ancestors in shame by fleeing, I need to get out of here."

[Julieboo]

"You may hide with me if you must, but I cannot shelter you forever from whatever threat you say is chasing you." Coal said with a flick of her tail, "Come. You need some rest." She turned around and padded quietly into her cave.

(Ahk. Short post)

[queenia]

Mindifor wondered for a moment still whether he should trust the wolf. But then he realized the eeriness that surrounded him and quickly followed Charcoal. The cave looked much more homely than the bushes, and Mindifor gratefully entered.

(Wow. This RP is like, short post galore.))

[Julieboo]

(Well, what are we supposed to do? Write three paragraphs about how Mindifor walks inside? There isn't much of a plot here so... yeah I think I'll move things along a bit if you don't mind.)

Charcoal watched the young wolf pad warily into the cave. She smiled inwardly and curled up in her usual bed of leaves in a shallow dip in the floor. She tucked her tail around her nose and slowly drifted off to sleep.

Coal's unrestful sleep was plagued with eerie dreams. The forest loomed up above her, taller, and darker and somehow more foreboding. She could feel the menacing stare of eyes boring into her. Suddenly she was racing into the forest. Something... she was being chased by something... Then there was someone beside her, running. She was not being chased... he was. Mindifor. Charcoal came to a sudden and involuntary stop. She could only watch as the figure of the young wolf crashed by in the undergrowth. Coal tried to run after him... she had to tell him something... somehow, she had to find him... Her legs would not obey her and she only curled up on the ground. She began to slip out of the dream, she scrunched closed her eyes, desperately trying to regain the vision... but too late. She slowly opened her eyes to the light of morning streaming in through the cave entrance.