oh, my name it means nothing, my age it means less [p] |
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Chena
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For Leviathan, Iluk, and later Allure.
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The floor had been so wet – what season was it now? Part of the mind detected a linear constancy: the days had been progressively becoming colder and filled with precipitation. But how can something be linear if someone rudely erased pieces of the line? Thanks to her ability to detect continuity, Chena had been able to fill in the gaps and assume day to day that winter was drawing near. But seasons meant so little to her in anymore, and she could hardly remember having lived through all of them. A smile broke onto her maw as she remember the snow – tackling her brothers in it, sniffing out new adventures and land marks. The tooth! She remembered the tooth – she remembered where they had hidden it, and the three points... But tomorrow she did not know if she would remember her brothers. She was only aware that for a long time, she had been spending half of her days in blackouts.
What was autumn? Her parents had described it to her, but she hadn't seen it. Where had she been? If it truly did proceed the winter, then where had she been? Frightened at this realization, the pup tore herself off the damp cave floor and began looking around frantically. Her legs, a thin stretch of fur and skin over bones, could not hold her up for long and she fell back down within moments. Her once bright eyes were now a pale, almost white color as they stared out into the grey, dismal morning. Was it morning? What was the definition of a day, anyway? Her day never ended, and it never began. What her conscious mind was not aware of were the spells she endured which caused her to have this broken perception of existence.
During these spells, it was not a blackout at all. She was very aware of her surroundings, her emotions, and desires. It was during these times that she managed to forage for mice or anything else edible, because the only thing she could remember was her hunger. During these spells, she could not remember her past or what she did thirty seconds before. She lived only for the moment, trying to stay alive. When the spells passed, she was consumed with the sweating and terror of the sickness which had driven her from her home on Nova Mountain. But lately something had been changing. Her time spent in the spells had dominated her months ago, leaving her heartsick and terrorized in the brief moments she was allowed to remember her family and friends. But now, the spells came less and less often, filling her with the memories of the past. The sickness had washed out of her body as surely as the rains refreshed the earth, and its residual effects were slowly sliding off her back.
Home. It echoed in her head not in her own voice, but in someone else's. She had heard nothing but her own voice for so long... Suddenly images flashed into her mind. Pathways, crossings, streams and most of all: mountains. She tried to take her footing again, and managed to remain standing. The muscle was deteriorated on nearly all of her body, but her strength was not gone yet. And now, at long last, she remembered. She remembered the way to get home. It had been coming back to her, day by day, and for the past few weeks she had been making her way in the direction she believed to be the Salvajes, making it only as far as she could before another spell hit her. She did not understand why her journey was so interrupted by these strange blackouts (as she perceived them), but she was not about to trust her mind. It had been playing tricks on her for a very long time now. Every time she managed to come out of a spell, she would have the feeling of revelation: "home is that way!" Her journey had not been a long one, it was new to her every time. And now, the revelation – as new to her as any experience – came again.
What was different about today was that for once, she was actually close to the Valley. If she could make it without another "blackout," she would be home. She would know where she was. She would go to the Mountain and find her family again. Her mother would smile at her with her bright blue eyes – her father would comfort her and fill her with pride. And her brothers – oh, her brothers! How joyous she would be to see them! For Chena, the days that she was aware of only amounted to about fourteen. But her intelligence was not hampered. She knew that her own mind was deceiving her; she knew that she had been away much longer. She knew that when she looked at her reflection in the gathering puddles that the grown wolf she saw there must be herself, even if she couldn't explain how she had grown up so fast.
And so, under this purpose, the Phase girl forced what sinews still had strength to move again and draw her through the passes of the Salvajes. The grey skies painted a blanket of murk over the entire land, with the rain pouring heavily through her fur and creating rivers in the canyons of her ribs. She truly was a pitiful sight to behold – sized down to a coyote by the sheer loss of muscle, fat, and fur. The skeleton child moved on despite all of this, imagining herself in health, frolicking with her brothers – and her friends! Oh, Taigi! Even Chogan was an angel to her now. Names flooded back to her with every step she took, bringing back slews of memories that she had not been able to touch for so long. It drew her onward, it pushed her through the darkness and it planted her by the side of a Creek.
Her eyes were fluttering in astonishment. Her face twinged under reflexes she had not exercised in so long – excitement took her over. She knew this place. Waking up in a strange setting time after time was no longer going to plague her. Her voice, rough and crackling, broke out: "It's... it's Silver..." Chena's head began to spin. She closed her eyes – it must be the exhaustion from the journey. She had made it! She had made it to – she fell.
When her eyes were able to blink open again, she struggled to her feet once more for the day, once again cloaked in fear. But to her, it had been the very first time. She spun around as fast as her legs would let her, looking at the unfamiliar trees and the stream. She had... woken up? But this was not the cave she fell asleep in. How had she gotten here? "Where am I?!" She cried, terror shaking her voice and nerves. Her stomach reminded her that she was hungry. Her mind, however, could remind her of nothing.
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Leviathan
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Sorry about the delay, I've been caught up in other stuff. :\
He could smell Nova Mountain. It was kind of a smell that wouldn't wash away from his nose too quickly, because he was pretty distraught over what Arsenio had said to him. How childishly he had reacted. But they were still children, so in a way Leviathan had expected it, but the talk of the war made him sober up and try to think about things from a different angle. His thoughts had turned bitter like the bitter thoughts that had seeped from the Novian Mountain; he didn't care if Jack had attacked Allure.
She had probably had it coming.
Which was why the boy was on high alert when he had come across that scent, tracking down the female who had come waltzing around in what he called his home. He didn't appreciate it, because he had the patience to wait before then so should have they! And sure enough, he spied out the lighter-haired wolf through the brush and the slush that drew attention to proud little march. He didn't say anything until he was right there near her, close enough to pinch her sides had he really felt as violent as he looked. Just what do you think you're doing? the larger puppy hissed, bearing his teeth as though he was some arrogant adult. Leviathan wanted to seem that way, in reality, sans the arrogance.
This post has been edited by Leviathan on Dec. 11, 2006 - 4:51pm
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Iluk
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Leviathan’s voice punctured the cold quiet of winter’s lonely afternoons. Hostility seethed from his tone, causing Crow’s red hackles to rise in response. Was the pup in trouble? Iluk made a beeline for the mottled brute, a light growl slowly building in his chest. It cut short when his eyes fell upon the pair. The other Creeker had puffed himself up and was posing as an authoritative figure to… a Novian. That already meant trouble. She looked dazed and hurt. He wanted to rush for her and make sure she was all right, but what if it was an ambush? Crow could not endanger both of their lives because his instincts warned him of something that, while improbable, might have been a reality. He approached cautiously, sidling up to the pup and moving slightly ahead. He turned to Levi, green eyes clearly concerned. He was still in control though, and nothing terrible had happened – yet. “What’s going on here, Leviathan?” he questioned gently.
He couldn’t exactly go to this femme’s aid. Undoubtedly, he would have helped her had they been in another territory besides Silver Creek. He was itching to nudge her, to ask her name, but by the disconnected, glazed look plastered across her light tan features, it was likely he would not have received an answer. Also, he had a duty, which did not necessarily outweigh the importance of another’s well being, but she did seem to be alive. There was neither blood nor any other evidence of something that might have been fatal. His hackles rose, more of a speculative act than anything else. He had not felt the need to be hostile at that point. “Do you have a name, Novian?” His tone had been harsher than he had meant, though perhaps a little bit of fear would bring her to her senses; at times it had an uncanny ability to clear the haze that plagued the mind. |
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Chena
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thank you both for coming :) this is going to be a fun thread
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Chena's eyes nearly popped out of her head as the assertive wolf appeared out of no where beside her. Her perception of what others looked like was far skewed – it had been a very long time since she had been looking at the world with others in it – and for this reason, the sharp-toned wolf looked very big to her. He was, after all, bigger than herself and clearly quite big compared to the smaller pup she had been when she had left the Mountain. And so, when she placed him into her schema of company, the result was immediate fear which sent her body trembling and low to the ground. Her eyes, fixed on him, wished him away. They closed tightly, her shivering encasing her, until she opened them again quite forgetful of the past few seconds transactions.
She found herself once again looking at a very frightening wolf, but she no longer had any recognition that he had spoke, making his demeanor seem all the more troublesome. Her eyes began flashing all around her. The creek, edges frozen, was still rushing violently – rain powering it to drive on and perhaps raise the waterline more than usual. Her instincts cried "flood!" but she had so many instincts to pay attention to at the moment; chief of these being the animal before her which she knew deserved some sort of interaction.
"I'm sorry sir, did I do something wrong?" she asked in a meek voice, but no sooner had she asked this question than another wolf arrived on the scene. My, wasn't she lucky! There was so much to interact with. And yet, the same unfriendly vibe seemed to emanate off of this creature and her frightened, confused expression only multiplied. She dared not turn her back on the first wolf, but she tried to direct her attention to the second as he approached. She was delighted to know that this one spoke. Leviathan – that must be the name of the first wolf. Novian... was that her? No, she was Chena. Her name was not Novian. But yet, it sounded so familiar, as if there were a chord in her that had been struck by her before...
"I'm sorry, who is Novian?" She asked. In her contemplation of the word's meaning, she had forgot that her name was also asked for. To build on this theme, she had also come to forget the other wolf's presence.
The second, larger wolf had now joined the first and with a gasp Chena lurched backward, lowering her body to the ground once again. Two wolves! Where had they come from? Her mind reeled, trying to remember where one became another and then became two. It was impossible. She adjusted quickly, understanding that the new scene included two wolves, both less than welcoming looking, and both engaged in her. "What do you want with me?" She barked defensively, thinking it the only appropriate way to begin this conversation.
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Leviathan
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Her reaction went from pretending not to know anything to acting as though she were scared of the situation. Leviathan's eyes had flickered back to Iluk momentarily, but he didn't think he needed to fill in the reddish wolf. It was apparent that she was trespassing. Don't play stupid, he said sternly, a rigid frown coming across his face. You know you're trespassing. You can't miss our borders so don't play stupid!
Down inside, he knew that this wasn't good. If she stood there and played the damsel in distress something was going to happen. He knew that something bad would happen because of all of that tension that was around and the fact that every straw that the camel carried meant that the next one may as well have been the straw to break the camel's back. Defensively, Leviathan bristled and growled, backing up a bit towards Iluk as though he sensed a trap. They're trying to start more trouble, he told the older male. They just can't leave us alone!
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Iluk
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All of this fretting and anxiety was straining his usually regal, composed features. He was so utterly torn between submitting to his instinct to help the poor girl, and being cautiously suspicious of her rather mysterious appearance and what tricks it could herald. Leviathan was in an upstart mood. He looked to the pup, staring into his honey-colored eyes as if to say, ‘Calm down.’ Whether it worked or not, he hadn’t had the time to tell.
For the most part, he ignored the agouti boy’s outburst and addressed the foreigner strictly, humoring her despite what Levi thought of that approach. He betrayed his nerves through the unusually monotone way his voice sounded, injecting it with a little too much placidity. It came out sounding slightly menacing. “A Novian is a wolf from Nova Mountain. Frankly, you shouldn’t be here. Now please, tell me your name before there is trouble.” Not rude, and not meant to be threatening, but Iluk realized it wouldn’t be long until others were attracted to the drama and the ruckus.
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Chena
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All I Ever Meant To Do
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Was To Keep You
Chena's outburst of defense had faded quickly. Her mind, instinct driven alone at this point, told her weak body that it was in trouble. The two wolves in front of her were fit and strapping, obviously not friendly, and ready to see her off. Their words, explaining a breech of territory, flew in and out of her brain quickly but the message was aloud to stick. It was obvious that the two wolves were defending something, and each time a puzzled look crossed the sallow features of the young Phase girl, she was able to remember that this was their land, and she was a blatant trespasser. Astounding as this ability of recollection was, she was unaware of it. Shivering in terror and confusion, she focused her eyes on the smaller wolf.
It was more than clear that this wolf was angry with her. She began rehearsing his words over in her head, desperate to answer them. "I don't mean to sound stupid, sir, but I was humbly unaware that this was your property. Please," she began, her voice strong at first, "Do tell me where the border ends,.. I'll... kindly... take my leave." Her voice was now shaking much more terribly than her own ashen limbs.
She could not understand why she was such a threat. The sharp-tongued wolf had mentioned a 'they'... did they believe that she had come in a barrage of enemy wolves? She could not understand this. Her days were the most solitary in the world – she envied the squirrels traveling in pairs every time she woke up anew, with a fresh set of memories and a fresh set of loneliness. This must be a case of mistaken identity. She relied on her nose for a moment, taking in the scents of the two wolves and the surroundings. They matched – it all made sense. They were obviously defending their pack territory. Perhaps they were just more vicious than most wolves. The calmer, larger of the two let loose his own set of words, sounding a hint more dangerous than before. They were getting serious. Having already forgotten the words she had said minutes earlier, she answered his new questions. Better to clear things up – once they knew that she was a stranger, maybe they would let her flee in peace.
"I'm sorry sirs, I did not know that I had come to your borders. I have been... so many places lately." This was the only way she knew how to explain that she woke up in a different place every morning and didn't know how she got there without sounding insane. But maybe she was insane...? "I am... Ch-Ch-Ch-Chena. I came from... far away, I..."
She was now sinking into the ground as though it were quicksand, trying to disappear before their eyes. Maybe insanity came with superpowers. Wouldn't invisibility come in handy right about now?
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This post has been edited by Chena on Dec. 23, 2006 - 7:09pm
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Leviathan
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He sighed, unconvinced. How can't you tell? Can't you smell? he asked, the volume in his voice dropped but the tone remained sharp and distressed. Leviathan didn't appreciate this one bit, and he was making it perfectly clear. He felt like it was all just one sick game, and in reality it probably was. He really couldn't see a way that she couldn't have been able to tell, there just wasn't any way!
His head turned and he looked to Iluk while she sank down, pinning back his ears. What should we do? He wanted to run her out as soon as possible, but Iluk was the adult and therefore, Leviathan figured that he was probably more entitled to decide what they needed to do. Better safe than sorry, right?
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Iluk
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That was a damned good question. A low growl of consternation grumbled gruffly in his throat. Again, his instinct told him to help her, even escort her back to the mountain where she would be safe. Those gut feelings warred with duty, and duty quickly won; instinct had consequences too harsh to ignore if he were wrong, and duty was the safer route for both the Creek wolves and the strange Novian. With a pang of regret, he turned both neon peridots on Leviathan. The pup seemed ready for a fight, but hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that.
He gazed back at Chena, the femme who had only recently materialized and even more recently named herself. She had to leave, as soon as possible. He hoped they wouldn’t run her out just yet, as long as he could keep the mottled pup from getting too excited. “You’re not permitted here. For a Novian to cross Creek borders unescorted, without permission or at all is a dangerous offense.” He was meaning to sound frightening now, for two important reasons. One, he hoped to scare her away before anything bad could happen to her, and two he wanted to get her out of the lands as fast as possible to avoid putting any of the pack members in danger, had it turned out that this was all a trick. Iluk drew himself to his full height, a massive creature by any standards, and stared right into her cobalt pools. “Please leave. Now.” |
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Allure
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 It nagged her, that scent. It was familiar, yet unrecognizable, and while her initial intention had been to seek out game and see how much prey there was for winter, the day had taken a turn of events as she soon found herself nearing Silver Creek. Her paw lingered over the white snow, hesitating in taking a step further to the borders, yet her fine pelt bristled with anxiety, the scent drifting to her once again. It was faintly of Nova Mountain, yet couldn’t possibly be strong enough for a member. Giving her slender muzzle a light shake, the she-wolf began to turn and quickly disappear from the edge of the creek territory when the flash of the Phase family swept through her mind. The scent was one of theirs, barely distinguishable, yet pure. Her heart skipping a beat as the thought of a miracle crossed her mind, the female wasted no time in turning her body, her slender legs soaring to the horizon as she ran past the borders uninvited, only desperate now to find the missing link. Chena.
Snow slid in a small wave from her paws as they pounded the earth, her tail quickly tucking between her legs and her ears sliding back to her skull. Uninvited. This was sure grounds to have her removed from Nova Mountain when Sinistra found out, but she couldn’t care. She saw the small gathering, the frightened skeletal frame of the Phase daughter and two angry Creek wolves. Wait until they saw her.
She slowed, her muzzle bowing humbly, her form nothing of submission. Her eyes however were not upon Iluk or Leviathan, but of the sickly figure of Chena. “Chena!” She gasped the words out, hesitanting once more to take a step to the scared youth. "Chena.. You’re back! You’re home.." |
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Chena
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All I Ever Meant To Do
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Was To Keep You
It struck her. There was no way to define the feeling that set in other than being hit very swiftly with some sort of heavy stone. And having been dealt such a blow to the head, it was as though things were clicking. Chena, absorbed in a fit of amnesia, was suddenly able to tap into memories. They were not full – they were the waning moons of her mind, but she caught them and would not dare let them slip out of her clutches.
Things were looking very grim for her. The two wolves, more stern than ever, wanted her gone. She was backing away, looking around frantically – they had not identified a border for her. Her nose began twitching, hoping to detect the change in scent quickly. All she wanted to do was run away. However, her confusion only caused her to start backing further into Silver Creek, though not in the direction that Iluk and Leviathan were occupying. Surely, this only made her look more like she was testing her limits. Some riley youth playing the fool to try and tiptoe on the badlands like some sort of dare. But this was not for courage or prestige – this was for survival. And it was all that was consuming Chena's mind as she backed unknowingly further into Silver Creek territory, not moving her eyes from its inhabitants.
"Really sorry about this, I'll just... the mountains, over there... I think I'll just... move on, if you please..." Things were getting so very worse for the trembling adolescent as she felt her hunger and fatigue begin to order her to search for the nearest food. Oh, this was not the time! And then, that magical blow to her skull seemed to appear before her very eyes. But it was not a stone at all, and it had not come in contact with her. What it was, in fact, was another wolf. And terrified as her body reacted on impulse (ambush! I'm a gonner - ), she was flooded with emotion. She did not remember saying her name (even if she really had) and this stranger knew it. This stranger knew her – and was not bristling at her.
Not waiting to see if this was a trap, Chena ran toward the she-wolf and scuttled literally underneath her body, cowering there with eyes never even blinking to lose sight of Iluk and Leviathan. Her flattened ears pressed against the wolf's ribcage roof over her, her nose twitched. This wolf smelt like... herself. Could it really be? She was not a loner out in the world after all? Could it be she had come from somewhere? Could this wolf be Novian, who the others talked of? Words flying out of her at lightening speed, Chena squeeked, "Oh, please, I know not where home is but do take me there and get me out of this place!"
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Leviathan
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My bad, I didn't realise it was my turn.
Great, another Novian had entered the scene. Leviathan was oblivious to the fact that it was Allure, the wolf who had been attacked. He didn't really care though, because to him this was the trouble that he had been afraid of. Instead of shrinking away to leave Iluk to handle it, he held his ground defiantly with a growl. This irritated him, the fact that none of them understood what borders were. A simple howl could have fixed things but no, they just had to go careening over the borders as though they were unstoppable boulders.
Yeah, get her out of here. Leviathan said to the dark-haired Novian, showing his displeasure with a rigid frown. And you know, don't mind the borders or anything. I guess they don't mean anything to you guys, he said, cupping his ears sharply in some attempt to seem older than he was. He figured that Iluk would be after him for his behaviour later (consider that he had been a behaviourist teacher before, his Leviathan remembered!), but he wanted them gone now.
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Iluk
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“Please, both of you need to vacate Silver Creek lands immediately.” He was still being rather nice, though is voice remained stern and commanding. Now there were two Novians. Wouldn’t that look splendid if Sphinx were to talk in on the scene right then? The white lady would be less than pleased, of that he was sure. He was still ignoring Leviathan. To contradict him in his behavior now would look disorderly and allow them the false pretense that there was unrest and insubordination amongst the ranks.
Now wasn’t the time to address personal quibbles. The red mascu stood his ground, glaring ahead with his brilliant, yellow-green orbs. “Now is not the time or place for reunions. I’m not here to make trouble for you; I’m just doing my job and I hope you share my sentiment. I’ll chase you out if I have to, but I would like this encounter to end on as friendly of terms as possible. You’ve both arrived at a very inconvenient juncture, and neither of you seem to be aware.”
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Allure
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Her submissive frame was forced higher, the small body of the yearling scampering beneath her caused her heart to break in two as Chena revealed the fear she felt. Her eyes swept up to the two, bewildered almost that they had bullied her, feeling a fierce protection well inside her aching chest. She was ill, delirious, and one only had to look at her to see, yet these two bastards didn’t care. They couldn’t even show her the borders with a smallest hint of politeness. Closing her eyes momentarily, the Hunter bit her tongue, noting that the two males had every right to be upset – even fierce with both her and Chena. Swallowing, she gave a nod in response, her eyes only glancing up to them briefly. “I’m truly sorry.”
With that, she dipped her muzzle down, grazing the cheek of the scared youth ever so gently before whispering to her. “Let’s go home. Let’s go find your family, okay?” With that, the black and white she-wolf shifted her frame from Chena, though remaining a protective wall between Tobin and Siaqi’s pup and the Creekers. Nudging Chena towards the direction of the borders, she gave a nod, forcing a smile to her lips in reassurance. Chena was home where she belonged.
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Chena
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All I Ever Meant To Do
Thank you guys for the fun thread!
Was To Keep You
Chena's ever trembling body stumbled over itself as the dome above her shifted – that being Allure, who with a few words cast at the Silver Creek dwellers had begun to usher the youth in the direction opposite the confrontational wolves. For the moment, she was lucky. Finally so consumed and engaged in the conflict, each time her memory threatened to flicker onto a new subject it was easy for her body to readjust to the situation so that she almost looked like she was reacting normally. Due to the constant looking back and forth between her fellow Novian and her unknown enemies, what was really her constant attempts to grip her situation looked simply frightful. Which, also, it was.
Each time she did this, she was reassured by the scents and feelings of all three wolves present as if they were burning into her mind, a thing they clearly were incapable of doing. Yet somehow she knew that Allure meant safety and assurance, and the others meant hostility. She allowed her buckling knees to fight forth with strength, taking the black and grey wolf's subtle suggestions in direction. However still the youth's eyes lingered on Iluk and Leviathan, she would be only too glad to get out of their sight. "S-sorry," she mumbled underneath her breath, though her already walking steps and quiet voice probably resulted in her not being heard.
Her mind was focused on one thing only, rehearsing it over and over again so that it might not slip away never to return - "Let's go find your family". She had a family; she was not alone, she was – it was gone. Chena, confused, looked up once again at Allure, recognized friendship, and having forgotten her cause continued to take her lead back to Nova Mountain.
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