Wolves rarely smile (OPEN)

[Wild Dog]

Ryoushii ran through the forest. Stretching his body out, he could cover distances others though impossible. A light breeze blew in his face, either from the wind or his movement, he did not say. If he would look behind him, which he did not, he would have saw a forest of crystal. A late summer rain fall brought to trees to life. They groaned and creaked, talking to each other in a language only they knew. Dew formed on the canopy of leaves, giving the forest a glitter. Even the small blades of grass, barely being able to peek its head out, glistened in this garb. As it was morning, the wildlife were just waking up or falling asleep, depending on their manner. Birds twittered in the trees and went along on their business. Mice chattered to each other. Every now and then, deer would break into view, quickly dashing away when catching sight of Ryoushii. All of the noises melded into one harmony. The sights just emphasized the wonder of the forest. Ryoushii wondered if he should stop running and admire the view. To bad it didn't hold his interest. He had often wondered if humans are easily drawn to the beauty. He knew the elves were. Shades were definitely not interested in the ways of nature. Though, when he was a wolf, which he was now, that changed. The instincts forgotten by man and lost in translation from animals came to life in his soul. He found himself happy being here. He always felt an unease while visiting a city, but out here, he was free. The desire to romp around, without a care in the world.

These emotions scared Ryoushii. Well, what would account for fear in a shade. More of an acknowledgment that something was amiss. The spirit that held him with the wolf's soul was strong. Was. Now, it expended so much energy keeping the too together that it had time for little else. If there ever was a stupid spirit, he happened to get the worse. He even remembered himself as his own name. Halting to a stop, Ryoushii grew more incredulous by the second. His name. Something happened. he could no longer pull it out of his head. This scared the sane part of him. Somehow, the spirit was gaining power. He needed to find out why. Well, it can't be helped. He is what he is. Placing these thoughts away, Ryoushii continued on. If the spirit was somehow gaining more power, what about it? He would just grow in power.

While he pondered this, his thoughts eventually turned to why he was here. Along this river, lay a mystery. The Sleepy Snake was the empires prize ship. For years, it carried cargo from city to city. Weathering storms and pirates, eventually the ship became one of the best. Because of this, the king had it redesigned. Once grand, it now was a typical ship. Broken timbers, torn sails, everything was changed. The appearance, at least. Many a captain quit the ship because of that. But in doing so, the king ensured that the ship would not be targeted. Every pirate and cutthroat from coast to coast would try to capture the Great Sleepy Snake. But in the disguise, it was merely another broken down freighter. Nothing attacked it. A week ago, the ship sailed out to bring a shipload of artifacts and objects of questionable value and purpose. One thing was clear, that ship must have never be playing into the Varden's hands. To ensure this the king places a platoon of his finest soldiers on the vessel. Obviously, Ryoushii wasn't here because the ship had smooth sailing. The Sleepy Snake disappeared from the face of the earth.

Ryoushii was informed that he must find the ship and protect it before the empire could retrieve it. Speeding along the forest floor, Ryoushii had no idea where to begin. As a wolf, his senses were greatly increased. His golden eyes took in everything. The branch about ready to fall. One red stone with two ants on it. Unimportant. Nothing that helps him find that boat. Wolf ears are also finely tuned. A crunch of a leaf there. A snap of a twig here. The breathing of two mice down under the ground. Most of all, his sense of direction. Scientists studied for hours on what gives wolves such a fine sense of direction. Some believe that age old memories guide them. Others think that magnetic north pulls them. Still others believe that magic in playing a major part. Whatever the cause, Ryoushii knew where he was. A small glade of trees north of the Ramr River. The last known sighting of the ship was around here somewhere. A start. Not a big one, but a start nonetheless.

[Kite]

*Clarus was decidedly uncomfortable.

It was only natural that he should be. He was a Shade. However, this one was a little different. This was one of those other-worldly feelings, and the spirits inside him roared. Clarus himself was uncomfortable for that reason. This had only happened once before, in the presence of Durza, the King's most famous Shade agent.

They were feeling another spirit in the area. And if his three could sense the one spirit approaching, the other spirit will soon notice his.

This could be bad.

Clarus was out here searching for the treasure ship. The ship that brought all wondrous artifacts and treasure to Uru'Baen, and the ship that helped fund his ventures. Since it disappeared, Clarus had been putting his information feelers out. He had quite the network, he did. After hundreds of years getting it together, he had probably the most extensive network around. He doubted the King had such a network. Clarus had gotten the details and moved out.

He was now just outside the clearing. He had just reached it, and was now waiting for a darker time to look around. He thought it unlikely the ship was there, or the crew, as there was no smoke rising from the area, and not much out of the ordinary sound emanating through the forest. Still, he thought it best to wait. Especially if a Shade was coming. He could work with the Shade if he had to, as he worked with the King occasionally and the Shade was likely to be an Imperial one. If not... Well, there were always alternatives to fighting. Now, he just makes sure he is concealed and waits for a time where there is less light, and more Shade.

[Wild Dog]

Ryoushii paused in his trek northward. Something was amiss. The usual music had given away to complete silence. Birds who once abundant in their songs were now silent. Furry animals that were skittering about stopped in their tracks and sought out shelter. Even the trees themselves were subdued. No whipping limbs around. No creaking or squeaking. The forest was essentially dead. Ryoushii knew one thing, he wasn't alone.

The first clue was, of course, the sounds. But the smells also gave away clues. Usually, Ryoushii could determine the emotions that particular human was experiencing. Anger, hatred, lust, and happiness were all easy to pick out. This scent, however, was different. It seemed to be composed of many different individuals, combined. Typically, this meant a band of people. But, in the end, there was a separation at some end. This was a tangled mess. In a small part of his mind, Ryoushii wondered if the scent would be a shade. They................He dismissed that thought. Ryoushii mentally stumbled a little. He never referred to himself as us before. He figured that it was a mental hiccup because of the strenuous activity. Must be. Had to be.

Taking a moment, he set his mind straight. He had a job to do. Ryoushii would have ignored all of the warning signs, but one frightened him. The spirit seemed to be agitated. It only did that when he caught a glimpse of a shade. That put him on an edge. Because he was “a weak” shade. He wouldn’t be able to fight against one. No matter. Resuming his quest, Ryoushii ran along the edge of a forest. No sign of the Sleepy Snake. The other shade was out of his mind now. Nothing matters except for the ship. Though, occasionally, he would stray and glance around nervously. For a wolf, that meant a lot. A wolf always was cool and composed. In the distance, clouds gathered. The distant sound, almost like a memory of a sound, was heard across the forest. A storm was gathering. After the thunder subsided, Ryoushii paused yet again. The ground shook. Straight ahead, a glint appeared in the morning sun. Soldiers. Ryoushii cursed himself mentally. Not the greatest omen.

To further investigate, Ryoushii tired to change into a human. Well, he hoped that the spirit would want to change. Sometimes, the spirit grew bored and kept him as a wolf. He howled in rage. When the sound died off, the echo reverberated across the forest. He was louder then he thought. More voices joined his and created a chorus of wolf voices. He never associated with other canines before. He had no idea whether they would be any help. Cautiously, he let down his wall between his mind and the wolf’s.

The world exploded.

Senses and markings floated in his view. Little markings yet to be interrupted by humans sprung to life. Ryoushii knew that the Mountain pack held this part of the land. White fang and his mate icefall, led the pack here. They didn’t like the person in the woods and the horse and men out by the river. They were puzzled by the strange big wolf but weren’t afraid of him. Ryoushii quickly built that wall back up. Trembling all over, he tried to stand up, but for a wolf, couldn’t do it. When the contact vanished, he heard the name they had for him. Wild Dog. That shook him up. Not only that they named him, but because the spirit in him started to laugh. Riders in the east. A shade, maybe, somewhere. A storm approaching. And the wild world of the wolves. Ryoushii would have groaned if he were a human. Things couldn’t get worse.

They did.

[Kite]

*Clarus moved closer to the clearing, and saw what he needed to. The ship was there, and it was bottomed out. There was no way that was going to float again. And the soldiers as well as sailors were pretty much just waiting. Waiting for the Imperial agent sure to be sent. Funny. He could pull that off. He had pulled jobs for the King before, and he didn't plan bad things on the soldiers as long as they didn't try to harm him. A silly side note is that he actually had been contacted about it, and said he would check it out.

He stands just out of their line of sight and adjusts his clothing a little bit before strolling out into the clearing with his hands up.

Instantly there were weapons pointed at him, and the captain of the guard was yelling at him to stop and declare himself. He cleared his throat and spoke quite calmly*

I am Clarus. I was sent by Galbatorix to find all of you.

*They look at him warily, and Clarus just smiles at them. Finally, one of them grows the balls to ask him for his proof, and Clarus reaches slowly into his jacket, pulling out a document proving him as an agent of the King. The captain grabs it quickly and examines it, staring at Clarus occasionally with hard eyes, then looking back at the document.

After a minute or two of Clarus sitting bored, thinking idly about the approaching shade, the man stands up straight and hands the documents back to Clarus, who slips them back into his jacket. The captain apologizes to him and explains himself softly.*

I'm sorry, sir, we've been attacked by stragglers and bandits once or twice, so we can not be very careful.

*Clarus nods and shrugs easily. He didn't mind because he had expected it, and he did not want to make an impression really. He just simply gestured towards the camp and started moving, the captain moving to follow with him. The sentries go back to their guard, relaxing a little bit.

They reach the tents for those unable to fit into the ship and Clarus speaks softly to the captain.*

I am glad to find you. You are surprisingly hard to find for someone following a prescribed route. I am to recover a single artifact and to return it to Galbatorix so he can send another ship to this place to carry the rest to Uru'baen. However, first, I must know. What caused the damage?

*As he waits for the answer from the nervous captain, he thinks on the shade and gently puts probes out with his mind. He feels an odd feeling, though. A wolf pack. A wolf pack and a shade, all moving with them. He returns his mind to his body quickly and thinks on this. There is the real operative, Clarus assumes, the one who had been sent as the primary agent, and who is touching the minds of a wolf pack, who are all converging here. Curiosity rises within him as matters seem to be coming quickly to a head, and he waits for the captain to answer*

[Wild Dog]

Well, there was the ship. Like a shepherd finally finding his lost sheep, Ryoushii finally found his ship. Instead of feeling relieved, he felt panic slowly rise. Not towards the ship, for it was fine, albeit, a bit wounded. It leaned quite heavily on its side. The sails were tied down, but to the wolf’s eyes, it seemed to be torn. The ship lay by the rivers edge. Fifty feet from the shore lay a small camp. Tents were scattered in different directions. Other then that, the ship appeared in working order, though Ryoushii doubted that it could even move down the river. No, that was not the reason for the shade’s uneasiness. The pounding on the ground grew worse. He felt it for days now, but it seemed louder this day. And much more closer. Howling in frustration, he leaped up and sped off. The wolf pack, following him at a polite distance, howled with him. The sound, carried by the wind, blew towards the ship. Then, they turned around and loped back into the forest.

As Ryoushii ran, his body rippled. First, his hair, once gray as a morning sky, shortened and turned paler. The hair on his head turned red. Then, the face flattened and the snout disappeared. The back legs turned straighter and Ryoushii had to stand up. His tail, once wagging, withered away. His front legs rearranged themselves and grew fingers. In a few moments, Ryoushii went from wolf to human. Well, to shade. His wolf teeth staid, along with his solid gold eyes. His hair, once flowing freely, now was tied in his back of his neck. He was wearing a black jumpsuit, with a cloak over it. A hood hid his red hair of a glance. Usually, that was all it took to stay anonymous, though the eyes caused trouble. Behind him, the begining of the storm rumbled. Ryoushii hated getting wet.

Cursing in a language only he knew, he sprinted closer to the camp. When he came into view, bells sounded. A detachment of soldiers ran towards him, lowered their weapons, and commanded him to halt.





Post: short. Like the other one in my diseased mind.