There are 2 messages in this issue.
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1. (unknown)
From: "greywolfe@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"
<greywolfe@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
2. [WEB] Oops!
From: "greywolfe@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"
<greywolfe@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2004 10:18:00 +0950
From: "greywolfe@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
" <greywolfe@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: (unknown)
(Somewhere high in the Rocky Mountains)
Three shapes slipped silently through the underbrush, not
making a sound as they passed by, as if the branches
themselves moved to let them through. Down trails and paths
invisible to the ****d eye, three hunters stalked their
prey, not a paw out of place. Wolves are, if anything,
efficient hunters
The prey in question were a couple of fairly
innocent rabbits, whose only crime was to be in the wrong
place at the wrong time. They sat in the long grass, noses
twitching; unaware they were being studied from not twenty
feet away. The wind was against them, blowing from the east,
carrying the scent of their impending doom away from them.
The predators in question lay low to the ground
on top of a small rise, heads down below the grass level,
ears, eyes and noses keeping constant tabs on their targets.
The largest of the group was a silvery grey, with white
streaks down his legs and chest and bright blue eyes. The
wolf to his right was a dark brown, black slashes down his
sides, his eyes a smoky yellow. The third wolf, the one at
the front and sitting at the shoulder of the grey was a
rusty red, younger than the other two. She panted slightly,
****fting side to side ever so slightly, the eagerness
evident in her body.
The red angled her head towards the grey, who
nodded in return ever so slightly, eliciting what could be
called a grin from the female. She crouched down and began
to creep forwards towards the two rabbits, her eyes focused
and alert, paws placed carefully one after another. In
contrast, the grey and the brown held back, observing,
seemingly content to observe what was taking place.
The female crept closer, now not ten feet from
the unsuspecting animals. She lifted her paw, eyes solely
for her pray, then placed it back down gingerly.
The sharp crack of a branch snapping broke the
silence like the sound of shattered glass. Heads lifted
sharply, the rabbits sitting up straight in the grass, eyes
darting to and fro. In a second they spotted their
adversary, her eyes glowing and her jaw half open, as if she
could already taste them. Self-preservation kicked in and
the rabbits fled, eliciting a growl of frustration from the
wolf, who took off after them. The three of them played a
deadly game of tag, darting in and amongst the underbrush,
the light and quick rabbits seemingly having the upper hand
over the larger and strangely sloppy wolf, her footing
slipping several times from under her.
Up on the ridge, the other two wolves looked on,
observing the chase with interested eyes. After a while,
when it was evident that the female was not going to catch
her prey, the brown turned to his companion with a resigned
look, to which the grey replied with a slight shrug. He
stood up, shaking himself slightly, before trotting off in
the direction of the somewhat comical ruckus, the brown
following close by.
The red, totally consumed with her hunt, failed
to notice the object in her path until she was flung
suddenly off her feet. Leaping up with a snarl, she looked
to find the grey standing over her, his eyes stern.
Immediately she dropped to the ground, an apologetic whine
her only reply. The grey leaned down and nuzzled her neck
gently, before turning and loping off, the brown following
and the red yelping softly and scrambling to keep up with
the other two wolves, which were fast disappearing into the
distance.
Nestled into the side of the mountains was a
large house. It could have been mistaken for a chateau, or
perhaps a rich person's hunting lodge. But looking closer,
you could see that the house itself was very old but very
sturdy. It was definitely a home and had stood in that place
for many, many years.
Three wolves trotted out of the nearby trees,
the third reddish wolf lagging a little behind the others.
As if it were something they did every day, the wolves
entered the house through a door that had been deliberately
left open. Inside was a medium sized room with several robes
hanging from hooks on the walls.
The air blurred and once where there sat three
wolves, now three humans resided, pointedly ****d. The
female hurriedly grabbed a robe and pulled it around
herself, while the males did the same but in an unhurried
way, as if they were used to doing this. The female was a
girl of medium height, slender build and a shock of
strawberry red hair. She glanced back at the males
furtively, as if it were somehow wrong to do so, before
fleeing through an internal doorway, tying her robe around
her as she went. The men took little regard for her leaving,
apart from their sharp eyes noting the almost full body
flush she'd shown before leaving them.
The larger of the two males shook out his long,
silver hair and tied it into a rough ponytail. He cricked
his neck and stretched his arms above his head. The second
man, who had darkish bronze skin and black hair, snorted and
walked off in the direction that the female had taken.
"Don't follow her," the silver one called
out softly. "You know how she is."
"Oh, don't I ever," the other man replied
dourly, making it into the next room before collapsing onto
the black leather couch that decorated one wall. "She's
still moody as all hell. Nothing much has changed since you
brought her here." The silver smiled.
"She's improved a little. I think it's
mainly frustration. You saw how much she wanted that one
today. She just needs time and practice."
"And of course you'll want me to be the one
who gives her this time and practice?"
"Of course. Why else do you think I keep you
around?" The dark man snorted.
"Probably for your personal amusement." He
studied the man who now settled into the leather recliner
across the room, his silver hair pulled over one shoulder.
Not that there was a lot of man in him really. A great deal
of wolf, that was for sure.
"You know she has a crush on you Kayn," he
observed in a low voice. "It's definitely affecting her
judgment." The man in the chair sighed.
"Oh I know. I'd have to be blind in all my
senses not to know."
"Then why don't you just screw her and get
it over with?"
Kayn looked up at the other man, his blue eyes
growing dark and a ever so soft growl sounding from his
throat, causing the other man to sit up straight in the
couch, eyes wide and hands up in surrender.
"Ok, ok, you made your point. I'm just
saying it's a simple solution to a simple problem."
"It's far more complex a problem than you
think, Vashka," Kayn replied, settling back in his chair.
"She is no longer just human, even though a part of her
wishes that were so. She has to learn to control her wolf,
this new gift that has come to her. That's why I brought
her here." He looked sternly at the other man. "Just
because she has a childish crush on me doesn't mean I go
around mating with any young wolf in heat."
"You always take a wolf's point of view in
everything," Vashka observed. "It's not always that
side of us that needs helping. Have you ever thought that
perhaps it's simply a case of a young woman wanting to
scratch an itch?"
"Not for a second," Kayn replied calmly,
"because I know better." He raised an eyebrow. "And if
you think for a second that you're going to take advantage
of her."
"Don't worry," Vashka replied hastily,
"you've already outlined just what body parts you'd
remove and how if I touch her."
"Good," Kayn replied. He sighed. "Now if
only we could teach her to hunt properly." He looked down
at his desk, picking up a folded paper that lay there and
flipping it in his hand thoughtfully. "Actually," he
said with a sly smile, "I'm going to leave that wondrous
task up to you Vashka." The brown sat up straight in the
chair, a somewhat wild look on his face.
"What? What do you mean me?" His eyes
narrowed. "Wait a minute. you're leaving again
aren't you."
"Yes," Kayn replied with a nod. "I have
some business to attend to up in New York, so I'm leaving
tomorrow." He regarded the other man steadily. "And
I'm leaving Misha in your care. That does not mean 'try
and get her in bed' either by the way. It means you teach
her as I taught you. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"
"Oh yeah, perfectly," Vashka growled.
"Leave me with the girl. She doesn't listen to anyone
but you and she's practically on heat every other day.
Sure."
"Might teach you a little restraint then,"
Kayn murmured, his eyes flicking down to the paper in his
hand. "Would be a first, I must admit."
"And when are you going to tell her you're
leaving?"
"Tonight."
Later that night, two wolves ran effortlessly
under the moonlight, the silver fur of the male almost
luminescent under the lunar glow, his companion's red by
contrast dark against the cold ground. The female ran at the
male's shoulder; a sense of desperation in her gait
despite their pace being easy, as if she were attempting to
catch something that was just out of her reach and was
moving further way even as she ran after it.
****
('The Sanctuary', New York State, one day later)
"Will you need me again tonight, sir?"
"No Ed, not until tomorrow." The rear door
to the black saloon opened and a tallish man stepped out,
his long grey hair spilling down over his equally grey coat.
He took a pair of sunglasses out of his pocked and slipped
them on, covering the blue eyes that scanned the parking
lot. He closed the door behind them and lent down to the
driver's window, dropping a roll of bills into the lap of
the man who sat behind the wheel. "Come for me at dawn,
okay?"
"Of course sir."
As the car pulled away, Kayn linked his fingers
above his head and stretched, taking in a deep breath as he
did so. He smiled slightly, his eyes half closed, as if
savoring the scent of the place, before he turned and joined
the line of people who were entering the facility, passing
underneath the twin carved statues of wolves, their snouts
pointed high towards the moon.
"Sir? That will be. oh!" The lady at the
desk half stood from her chair, her eyes wide. Kayn smiled
and motioned her to sit back down.
"Hello Michelle, it's been a while, hasn't
it?"
"Yes sir, it has." The lady smiled happily,
as if she were genuinely happy to see him. "Are you here
to. ?"
"Yes, later. For now, I'm just taking a
walk," Kayn replied with a knowing wink, "so don't
trouble yourself. Would David be in?" She nodded.
"Yes, he's in his office. Shall I call
him?" Kayn shook his head.
"No, I'll catch up with him later."
Kayn wandered into the grounds, tailing around
after a tour group. His practiced eye took in everything,
noting changes and variations in the layout and landscape.
If he noticed the wolves on the other side of the fence, he
made no attempt to communicate with them. However, his face
wore a relaxed look, noticeable from his normally detached
demeanor, as if the very air of the place calmed him.
Later, when the light was dimming, Kayn knocked
once on a door marked 'Manager' and stepped in. The man
behind the desk stood in greeting, sharp green eyes meeting
his visitors, his fingers bru****ng a lock of brown hair out
of his eyes. The two of them stood there for a moment, eyes
locked and bodies motionless. Kayn's face was the picture
of serenity, calmly taking in the hard look of his
companion. Finally, the other man bowed his head slightly
and sat, Kayn nodding slightly before doing the same.
"Hello David, how are things?"
"Not to bad," David replied, as if the
incident had never taken place. "Yourself?"
"I'm getting along, although it's been an
effort with the young lady I took in last fall." David
chuckled.
"I did warn you she was a handful when you
found her, as I recall." Kayn smiled.
"Yes you did indeed, although I don't recall
myself disagreeing with your assessment of her." He
settled back in the chair and flicked his hair over his
shoulder. "Now, I gathered by your letter that the yearly
donations have come in."
"Yeah," the other man replied with a nod.
"We're doing well actually, even without you putting
your own money in. We have the regulars of course, a few new
ones, but nothing huge." His eyes grew thoughtful, before
reaching into a drawer and pulling out an envelope and
sliding it across the desk. "Except that one." Kayn
picked it up, noting the quality of the stationary by its
weight and the embossed logos on the corners. He looked at
the other man and raised an eyebrow.
"They've donated before," David explained,
"but under a different name and not as much. Perhaps a
change in their organization?"
"Perhaps," Kayn murmured, removing the
letter from the envelope and scanning the contents. Another
eyebrow shot up. "Generous, I must say."
"You're complaining?" Kayn shook his head
slightly.
"No, of course not." He was handling the
letter carefully in his fingers, as if he didn't want to
disturb it for some reason. Seemingly on a whim, he raised
the paper to his nose and drew in a long deep breath. His
eyes grew wide and he placed it down on the table carefully.
"Well, well," he said softly, "imagine
that."
"What are you talking about?" David was
looking at him strangely. Kayn simply slid the paper across
the desk as a reply. The other man gave him a look but took
up the paper and sniffed it carefully.
"Now just a. why didn't I get that
before?"
"Because you weren't paying attention,"
Kayn replied with a slight chuckle. "Power always leaves a
scent and whoever wrote us that generous check has both age
and power." He sat back in his chair, his eyes growing
distant for a moment. "Isis Cor****ation, now where have I
heard that name before." There was silence for a moment,
until Kayn sat back up. "Ah I remember now. It happens to
be one of the benefactors for one of the charities I'm on
the board for." He grinned knowingly. "And,
conveniently, the said charity sent me this lovely
invitation to a fundraising function they are having soon.
Do you think I should attend?" David snorted.
"Of course you will. Your sense of curiosity
sometimes rivals that of a newborn pup." He looked out the
window, the sun minutes away from disappearing below the
horizon, its last rays receding slowly across the landscape.
"Speaking of which, will you be. ?"
A short time later, when darkness had covered
the land, a silver wolf slipped through the shadows,
observing a group of wolves that huddled together for warmth
not far away. Emerging from the undergrowth, he stood still,
his outline clear against the night sky for all to see. The
group of wolves seemed to ignore him, while a few glanced
towards their alpha, seemingly for instructions.
After a while, a wolf emerged from the pack and
approached the silver. Her flanks were silvery blue and she
moved with a practiced grace, gliding across the ground.
Easing up to the silver, she rubbed her neck along his, a
gesture of greeting and familiarity. The silver returned the
gesture, a small whine coming from his throat as he did so.
The female suddenly turned and with a glance
back towards the silver, headed back down towards her
companions. Seemingly needing no more encouragement, the
silver followed her, soon disappearing among the shadowy
forms of the pack.
As the first rays of dawn peeked over the
horizon, a black saloon once again pulled up in the car
park. This time the lot was empty of cars and silence hung
over the area like a blanket. A side door opened in the
building and a grey figure emerged, making its way slowly
over to the car.
Kayn settled into the back seat, his hair unbound and
falling down his shoulders like a grey waterfall. He closed
his eyes and settled back, a look of serenity on his face.
"Busy last night sir?"
"No, not really," Kayn replied softly. He
took a handful of hair and brought it to his face, inhaling
through it deeply. Strands of blue could be seen in amongst
all the silver and the sweet scent of female musk filled his
head. Sighing, he let the hair trail down through his
fingers. "Just visiting some old friends."
"I reserved your usual suite at the Waldorf
sir. I hope that is satisfactory?"
"Thank you Ed, that's perfect."
As the car pulled out of the car park and eased
into the light traffic, Kayn could see the towers and
buildings of his destination in the distance, a dark shape
that seemed a blight against the brilliant. Truly, after all
this time, he couldn't understand why the humans lived in
cities.
'Sometimes,' he thought to himself, 'I
wonder if she knew what she was doing when she gave me this
task.'
The car drove on, the peace and serenity he'd
so recently felt now but a slowly fading memory.
****
NRPG: Well hi everyone :) Thanks to Chris for letting me
join and get away with a few things in my bio -grins- Sorry
this is a little long, but its all background. The bio for
Kayn is attached. Hope we all have fun writing together.
Submitted by
Kayn
aka
Michael Turek
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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 22 Jul 2004 10:20:14 +0950
From: "greywolfe@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
" <greywolfe@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
Subject: [WEB] Oops!
Since I was silly and didn't name my post, I'm slightly
embarrassed now :P It's title is 'A Change of Scenery'.
Apologies,
Michael Turek
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