By The Ocean... [Arria]

[zadru]

The foam of the waves burst over the low cliffs, misting the rock's edge and silhouetting the long, elegant figure of the druid for a moment before joining the ocean once more. Zadru paused a moment to look over the waves- they didn't seem larger than normal. Just the right combination of coming in and going out merging had caused that large wall of water. A large, speckled rock resided in his maw, fangs wrapped gently around the thing hunted up from the shore. Trek continued as the waves bat their rhythm, the sea's breeze twisting cobalt hairs of his fur.

A small gathering of similar sized and colored rock was reached, and carefully Zan set the tenth stone into place. now, he could not count, and didn't much care for number, but this seemed to be rather right in number. The stones made a sizable pile, and had taken the morning to find. All were well smoothed, rinsed in the ocean, and about the size of a small rabbit. He looked over them, proud, and arranged them with a paw until they formed an awkward circle.

What a day- the water tossing about playfully, seeming to tease the earth, joust with it- the Gods must be in good spirits. Deep violet gaze pierced into the skies, the remarkable blue of the norm tinted by high-floating clouds. The sun sat at about mid-height, letting shadows fall beneath their bearers. There was no way to know if this would work or not, but for such a lovely day, he felt thankful. As enticed by water as the brujo was, you couldn't expect him to be anything but enamored with the great Arria, now could you? A deep breath was taken in, lungs filing as voice prepared.
Then, he sang.

The skies, so fine;
the water, so blue.
Today, sweet Arria,
these gifts for you.

The rock, so smooth;
dear Trigo, of earth,
please find my gifts
and myself of worth.

[/b]

A short little rhyme composed upon the spot for the deities, letting them know this 'shrine' was for them, small as it was. Whether they would appear or not was up to them- at the very least, Zan hoped, another Adair would hear his howl fading on the winds and fancy some company today.[/color]
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[Arria]

Arria blinked, not that that was necessarily unusual for her to do when she was in wolf form. But, in this case it was a blink she had taken notice of. Why? Because a wolf was calling her name. Again, not unusual. However, most of the time they were oaths, or swears in her name. Many of which she found amusing, and a few she praised for their creativity. This was different though, someone was calling her name in song. Or something close. Few had done that since the death of the Electins and Sequs.

Even the though of those devoted wolves made her cringe in sadness. Arria had always been close with the Sequs who followed her. They would see her many times in their life time as she visited them to offer guidance and support. The death of her last one had made her feel the loss that she imagined a mother would feel after the loss of her pup.

She sighed, and turned her focus on the one who'd chanted her (and Trigo's name). After such a display, is seem churlish to do nothing. And, after all she doubted Trigo would much care. Why not visit?

____________________________________________________

The water stirred restlessly as a pretty, but unremarkable light blue wolf walked along the shoreline. Above her in the sky, a few white clouds floated where there surely hadn't been any just a quarter an hour before. But, other than that they too were unremarkable, forgettable. Of the two, only her eyes, and their sudden appearance would give any rise of interest.

But, she was not interested in such things, instead she was interested in the wolf standing close by. He was next to a stone circle, a shrine of some kind? Perhaps to the gods. No, surely to the gods. Why else bother? It also helped that she'd heard his chant of course.

"Do you wish, for them to.. appear?" she asked, from a comfortable distance away, in an oddly disjointed voice, for all that in between the pauses it was smooth and soft. "The gods, I mean." she added, as if that was not obvious. "What would you do, if one appeared, anyway?" she continued, and then suddenly seemed to remember manners. "I am Leesha, by the way. Although, I know... who you are, Zadru." Not that that had in any way made up for her blunt questions and rather brisk manner. She seemed unaware of any mistake though, as she waited for his reply, eyes on a distant point in the ocean. Somewhere among the increasingly playful waves.

[zadru]

Form spun smoothly, with the grace of a stream's unbroken tread as the appearance of the maiden was quite sudden, though unheard. Perhaps this was for the waves beating the cliffs- they certainly made it harder to hear at all, but gulls and their ethereal cries still doted upon the winds. Luckily, they were off shore and a distance away, their shadows lost on the water.

The first question- simple enough to answer. 'Ello, fair 'un. Ah, 'ow could I say no t' a chance t' meet the beaut Arria? It be no' my duty to summon the likes of them, though an honor 't would be. He had admired the gods since his mother first told him stories of their greatness, their power over life, death, and the elements. If they showed? What luck that would be! Methinks I'd bow, right off, miss. He chuckled heartily, joking at the knee-jerk reaction any wolf would have, surely.

An ear flicked cautiously as Leesha mentioned his name in its perfect pronunciation, but the grin never left his face. This sparked his mind into a train of thought- who was she really? That this fae was Arria was hardly a choice- she would surely be one of the Adair wolves, or even a loner. Perhaps she'd gathered his name from the pack, it wasn't unheard of. Tail waved happily as a thought struck him, and with pride he waltzed over to the rocks, putting a paw on the largest.

See 'ere, Miss Lees'a, these 'ere stones show perfect the balance o' earth and water. They been smoothed by the tides, bu' are o' stone's foundation. The... creat'un, result of the fair Arria an' 'er mate. He beamed, dark lips parted around fangs, stature drawn up to heights of pride at his choosing of such a symbol for the offering. Violet eyes flicked over Leesha, seeing what the dame might think about that.

[Arria]

Leesha listened carefully to Zadru, ears pricked and eyes now sweeping to focus on him, but still not meeting his eyes. His accent was rough, even if his voice was not, a strange thing considering how he'd sung the song. But, after spending a few extra moments making sure she'd understood his words, she smiled herself.

"Fair, you say?" she said more than questioned, her smile growing wider. "A charmer, are you." she continued, but in words spoken more to herself than him. Her eyes flicked to meet his for a moment, before hurriedly focusing somewhere else. "Who's duty then, would it be?" she asked, her tone easy going, a rather noticeable shift from her oddly abrupt manner. "I, at least, would like, to know who that... might be." her eyes wandered once more to the shrine, looking at the river stones. "I like it. They are pretty." the last was rather childish, but she hardly seemed to notice as she paced closer. "But, it lacks color." she said, examining it closely.

"It needs... something blue a-and green." There was a pause as she mulled this over, "Oh! I know, a forget-me-not, flower." she told him, nodding her head authoritatively. "I love those, they are so...precious."

She seemed lost in a daydream for several moments, and then seemed to snap back to reality, remembering what she'd meant to say before she'd... critiqued his offering. "Bow?" her tail flicked, "How, would you bow, then?" She inclined her head deeply, "Like that?" she looked up again as she said this, and then dipped it again as her front legs folded, bowing deeply to the other wolf, even as her tail flicked about playfully. "Or perhaps, like this?" She got back to her feet, tail still flicking about, but her smile had become less pronounced. "Could you show me." she said. It wasn't really a question, no matter how it was phrased, no matter what tone was used. No, it was more of an order. A compulsion. And for the first time, she tried to meet his eyes for more than a few moments.

It would be easy to see why she'd hide them. Navy, ocean, sky, sapphire, and every other shade of blue you could name, they all seemed to be present in her eyes. Making them positively unnerving and, so much more.

[zadru]

The likes o' me charmin the likes o' ye? Laugh rang out, crisp as the waves, violet eyes dancing with humor. I couln' charm a beetle off a flow'r. He stretched a little, spine popping some and releasing tension. Head tilted as the druid watched Leesha, her speech piquing his interest as unnatural, out of the ordinary, even for those who didn't speak as he did. Sure, he could speak in the 'norm' around here, but where was the fun in that? His serious side seemed to love it, but for now, it was much more fun to focus less on the words and more on the ideas conveyed.

Well no 'un should boss 'round the gods, lest they not be gods, yea? Again the male chuckled, but one could tell he was hard at work thinking, trying to stare without being rude and searching for clues to the lass' origin. her eyes met his for a moment, and the fur along his spine prickled. It wasn't defensive, or even aggressive, but more of a power he sensed coiling and rolling beneath the surface. The coloring, the eyes, it was coming together, but when she spoke of the flower inspecting his shrine, it popped on like a firefly. He nearly tripped over his feet moving out of the way so she could look over the shrine better, but easily passed it off as fumbling over the earth- he made a smooth recovery and halted, head still held high, tail at a not-so-lax angle.

He proceeded to watch in amazement, delight welling up slowly as she play-bowed, then deeper, enticing him, commanding him to do so. Tail waved slightly as he watched, still rather awe-struck, but unwilling to jump right to the conclusion, in case he was wrong. Better to be safe than sorry, though, and treat her right- he didn't just bow to any old wolf. It be something along the lines o' this 'ere maneuver... Zan pondered a moment, thought perceptible in his tone.

Cobalt figure twisted then, chest pressed out, forelegs converging to a point on the earth as he sucked in a breath, leaning far forward. When he was as all puffed up as could be, the jester leaned back, nose dipping down to earth, floating millimeters above it. gracefully curved yet short horns pointed toward the lady, he bowed so deep- snout was between his forelegs. The position was held a long moment before he straightened, rippling his hide to come down from the ridiculous flair. When gaze met the sheila's again, he knew his assumption must have been right- no other wolf could duplicate those eyes.

A forget-meh-not ye shall have, Lady Arria, iffen I need be travellin to the mountain prairies t' find 'un. He grinned softly, enthralled, head held below the dame's with an appeasing set of the ears.

[Arria]

She smiled, widely this time. It wasn't an act anymore, put on to fool or pacify. This, this was genuine. And when she tilted her head, the form of Leesha dropped. Her fur seemed to ripple, starting from her head and going to her tail, the base color turned to a dark, rich blue, touched with violet. Glittering, iridescent markings like fish scales appeared hear and there. But, through the rather unnerving transformation her smile never faded. Really though, the biggest change was her bearing. Now, she was a god. ____________________________________________________

"Ah, I must, work on my acting." she murmured, and here, too was another change. Her voice now sounded more akin to a river's rushing current than any normal voice. "It's the eyes, you know." she added, her tone rather cross. But not at him, more at the state of things. "Fur, build, so easy to change. But... I have never been, quite, able to change the eyes." she paused for several moments, looking out over the ocean waves.

"It makes it, rather easy to guess." she told him, those strange eyes twinkling with a bit of self deprecation, "But, usually, it takes a little longer." Again, her eyes wandered off into the distance, "You knew, almost, as quickly as... Abernos." she said, naming the most recent (and deceased) Water Sequs. This time, her tone held an edge of sorrow in it.

"Look up, dear Zadru." she added as she snapped back to reality, her smile fading. "Any Adair wolf, does not need, to act so." But she regained her good humor at his next words. "You are, very sweet. But, later please. After all, you've managed to call me. Have you anything, to ask of me? Guidance? Favor? Even power? Not," she added the last a little hurriedly, "that I would, necessarily, grant any, but the first. But still, please ask."

[zadru]

As the lady transformed back to her true self, Zan was caught in that ever-changing gaze, feeling strangely energized yet calm, locked in place. When she finished he shifted a bit, paws unmoving but the rest of his body somehow relaxing. He listened with interest as she spoke of her disguise and the old Sequs, Abernos- he had not known the fellow, but envied him and Arria's sympathy for him. It wasn't strong, but definitely present.

Stop holding himself in an inferior stance? Well, perhaps it went without saying that all but the other deities were inferior. It said something of her kindness to treat her subjects as equals, and he nearly told her so. however, some things were made to be spoken aloud, others less so- this might be one of those 'less so' moments. There was no telling how she'd take it. Then again, why bother hiding something from Arria? Zan seriously doubted anything could be concealed from the goddess.

And now here she forbade him from talking sweet? Very well, though it hadn't been unnatural. perhaps he was a little kinder toward her due to his idolizement.. he chuckled silently to himself. What power did he want? Eyes widened as he very nearly took insult. He needn't request anything, it was his upbringing to respect the four great ones, though one couldn't blame him for choosing to like Arria the best. After all, his coat's hues themselves were of water. But for her to offer him gifts? Favor? Surely she was only being kind again. tail waved as he relaxed some, shaking his head as he dropped it some in a short nod before remembering not to be so reverent.

Kind o' ye, Arria, but I be needin' nothin at this time. If I might be permitted 'un last sweetness, yer presence is quite reward 'nough. Anything I may do for ye? truly, he was humbled by her presence, and though he'd heard tales of her power had known nothing of her personality. more and more, he was finding it to his liking. Well, her method of speech was strange, but he could understand that, kind of.

[Arria]

Nothing? He wished nothing of her at all?

This set Arria at somewhat of a loss. Mortals had always wished something of her, even if it was only an answer to a question. Never had she had one completely content with just seeing her. Oh, yes many would say that it would be a blessing to catch sight of her, but if met face to face, they would always have something to ask her. Not that she'd ever been annoyed with them for it, or begrudged them their opportunity to give voice to their wishes but still, "Surely..." she started to say, but then stopped. She inspected him more closely, was he... offended by what she had said? That couldn't- She burst into laughter, not one of malice or condescension, just laughter at her own folly.

"Oh my," she said to him breathlessly, eyes dancing when she'd finally finished laughing, "I hope, you do not take offense, when I say that, you are a quite, singular mortal, dear Zadru." She tried to meet his eyes, so that he might see the humor in them, and know she was not trying to hurt him. "After all, you are content, with just seeing, and speaking to me, and yet you've given me this," she motioned to the shrine once more, "And I haven't seen it's like since the war..." she tilted her head, tail flicking about, at a loss for what to say.



(Sorry, if this is not enough I shall add more, but really both she and myself are at a loss XD)

[zadru]

Ears cocked backwards with a confused expression as the damsel burst into laughter, yet the sound was pleasant and it didn't seem she was laughing at him... Tail began swaying and the uncertain half-frown turned to a smile once more, even a low amused chuckle escaping him.

Aye, no 'ffense taken Ar'ya. As she gestured to his small shrine, he shrugged, nearly embarrassed at her praise of sorts. he would add a flower later- hopefully the rocks would stay, and not be moved by some large prey tripping over them. Slowly, an idea formed in his mind, even as the druid listened to Arria reminisce.

I... don' know if ye could spare the time, bein' a goddess an' all, but per'aps ye'd like to hunt? He grinned a bit, eyes hopeful, though he wouldn't be upset if she turned down the offer. After all, he wasn't sure if she would spend time doing something so menial to a deity like herself. Perhaps for fun, but surely there were things to do. If she was busy, he could gladly set out to find others of Adair, but if not... well, it was perhaps too much to ask. Zan had just met her, and as 'mortal' as she acted, this might be too disgraceful to her rank, to hunt amongst an Adair wolf. It wasn't big prey he was after, maybe a large fish or a weasel, something to snack on until the next pack hunt.

She hadn't asked for anything in return apart from the flower, though he'd offered. Maybe 'hanging out' would be an appropriate gift, if she could waste the time. Would he brag of it to the others? no, it felt like something secret, something he would keep to himself to cherish. Some memories were better shared, but others are private, and if she agreed, this would be something only he would know of. With bated breath he waited, violet eyes meeting hers unwavering.

[Arria]

Hunting? It was almost enough to make Arria laugh again. Not at Zadru, no, it was just such a fantastical idea. That he'd ask such a thing. It was... quaint was not the word. Ah, it was adorable of all the things he could ask, many of which she would have granted. Since she was rather taken with this wolf, he asked for some of her time. And, what was a few hours to her, when she had till the death of the world to live? Still, it was awhile before she spoke, hesitant not about his request as admitting something to him. Finally, she spoke, "What a request, and one I am, happy to grant, except..." she paused, and had it been possible for wolves to blush she would have done so. So she had to settle for looking abashed, "I don't, know how to hunt." Another pause as she scrambled to defend herself, "Or at least, no without, using powers. Which, seems like cheating, to me. And I, don't like killing without, others to finish, the meal."

And she had made kills using her powers before. Long ago when the pack was still one and the winters harsh, she had left the carcasses where the hungry wolves to find them. But she hadn't done that for countless generations, not since the wolves had developed magic. "I have watched, Adair wolves hunt. But, while my Leesha... guise works to, let me follow, more closely... I cannot ask, to be taught."

[/b] she suddenly brightened, "Could you, teach me?"

Almost she felt even more embarrassed, after all, she was supposed to be a goddess. Goddesses didn't get lessons on hunting from mortals. But, perhaps she'd been around mortals too long, because she wanted to be a different kind of goddess than the one they expected. She wanted to walk among them, a friend to them. But no, she couldn't do that, she had to be someone above such things. She had to be what was expected...

Except, perhaps, just perhaps, she could be more how she wished around Zadru. She'd never met his like, perhaps she could trust him not to ever speak of the time they spent to others. She couldn't let him be disillusioning them after all.
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[zadru]

Tail swayed profoundly as Arria agreed, but stopped shortly afterward. Except...? Head tilted forward, listening closely, but the answer he heard nearly drew a laugh. Surely she was joking- his chest swelled with restrained air, but after a moment's pause he let it out as a sigh through a vast grin. Well, that made it all the more fun. While ruling alongside your element, perhaps the petty things like hunting, marking territory and such were of so little importance that they were useless. Vital skills for a pack wolf were below the deities, and brought down his opinion little to none.

Could he teach her? Maybe, maybe not. he'd never tried to teach the art of the hunt, anyway. I've an idea, Lady, that ye migh' like. He stepped back from the cliffs into the dirt that ran down to them, salty grasses springing to nearly two feet high. They were somewhat thin and dull, but perfect shelter for field mice, and stretched along the coast. When he stood among the grasses he turned back to wink cheerily.

'ere be a great stahtin place... mouse. Join in when ye wish. He turned toward the earth, large ears tilted toward the soil. He walked slowly around for a bit before freezing, nose following something along an underground tunnel, the sounds leading the way, telling how deep. Suddenly, he bounded into the air, forelegs tucked up to his body- in the height of his jump he stretched out his legs and came plummeting down, whole body thrown into the dive. He broke through the shallow dirt into a tunnel, pinning and catching a rodent between his teeth. He snapped it up quickly and grinned back to Arria, tail waving.

E'en 'f ya don' catch sommat 'ts still good fun.

[Arria]

She was touched by his lack of judgment. Most would have looked confused, disappointed, or shock at her admission. But he seemed to find it amusing, and somehow that didn't annoy her. Because she was rather sure that he understood why she'd never learned. Yes, she was sure she'd been right in revealing that little secret. More so when he showed her where to hunt. At first she was perplexed, "I thought we'd be, after something a bit... bigger" she said, and then shook her head at her own folly. Of course they'd have to start small, this time literally. True hunts took hours, days even. Surely only the most skilled went on them.

Not only that, but what Zadru did looked fun. Except for when he snapped up the mouse, she felt a little bad for the unlucky rodent. Even after asking him to teach her, she was still reluctant somehow to kill. At least, killing these hapless things. Perhaps she could just try the stomping part, but no. She would be destroying their homes, leaving them open for other predators. Better to give them quick deaths, as was meant for prey.

So, without another word she trotted over to Zadru, watching him with her head cocked to the side, and tried to mimic his technique. Her ears flicked about, and her head twitched as she tried to hear the rodents skittering about under the ground. It was hard, the hearing at least. After all, the gods had made their bodies, mimicking what nature had already created. Just because they were part of nature didn't mean that they new all of its secrets. Like how to hear with ears. It had come eventually, but the little things were sometimes hard to-

There. She heard it, the scratching of claws on dirt that weren't her own or Zadru's. She paused, and then bent her forelegs and twisted her head so she could place one ear to the ground, pinning back the other to try and close out all noise. She had to be sure... The need made her strain unconsciously, and the sounds around her became louder and louder, until she could hear the creature's heart hammering as loudly as thunder. The noise more than the confirmation of her guess was what made her leap into the air, casting off her over acute hearing as her concentration broke. Luckily, she'd jumped high enough that she got her bearings in time to slam her front legs into the dirt, sending up clouds of the stuff as she crashed through the rodent's home.

She saw a flash of fur and darted forward to catch the unveiled mouse. But she was still a little confused by the cacophony of sounds from earlier, and her teeth closed on only the tail. Which was sliced clean through by her razor sharp, seldom used teeth. The mouse disappeared, and she hurriedly spat out the tail, which had twitched most terrifyingly in her mouth, and did so even now on the ground for a few moments. She stared at it, as if waiting for it to move again. When it didn't she took stock of herself, covered now with dust, standing in a small depression in the ground, and looking foolishly at a mouse tail after failing to catch the mouse.

She glanced up at Zadru, just barely managing to turn her forlorn smile into a wry one, "I don't think... I'm very good, at hunting."

[zadru]

A soft chuckle ran through Zadru's chest as he sat, licking his lips after catching his second field mouse. He watched the goddess set herself in motion, then freeze, ticking after the sound of a mouse. Even in something she was -apparently- completely inexperienced in, her movements were graceful beyond mortal capacity. He at once envied and fell for her, but held both to himself.

The wriggling tail made his spine tingle, and he fell to the grass, paws tucked up to his belly in withheld laughter. After a few moments he rose to a sitting position again, head hanging, a smirk along his lips as he continued to shake with hearty, quiet laughter. S'rry, s'rry dear Arria... I mean' no disrespect. Ye've got.. quite a w'y with th' hunt. Still he chuckled softly, trying to hold back, managing to look up to the fantastic deity. His violet eyes gleamed with laughter, respect and adoration, and tail waved happily.

If ye'd like w' could search bigger prey, iffen ye've nothin' else to do, nowhere else t' be. Then again, if she had things to do- the day was dragging on, it had been far longer than he'd expected it to be. The goddess had been here for a wile.

[Arria]

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[bg=494941] He laughed, she knew he would. Perhaps she should have been hurt, however she had a judge of this wolf. He seemed to truly like her, adore her even. Any laughter she could give him would be a the least she could do for his devotion. And, anyways his laughter was one of pure enjoyment, not malice or scorn, or anything of the like. Light, happy. It was a nice sound, and the contortions of his body as he rolled on the ground were amusing, and fascinating, Arria would have to try it sometime. Away from prying eyes of course. "Yes, quite a way, I'm sure." she told him, her tone a little self deprecating, but still amused, "So singular, I am sure, that it's like, has never been seen." She leaped out of the hole, not that she needed to, but that was something she could at least do gracefully, and she wanted to regain some of her dignity back. She also shook herself, the dirt in her coat tossed out in little muddy droplets from the water that had seeped into them from her pelt. When she heard his next question, she was about to say excitedly that she'd love to, but realized that it was getting late for Zadru. That in itself was a small miracle, after all it could be hard to realize the passing of things like hours when you've lived for eons. Maybe it was because she was in this body... anyways, there was always tomorrow. "No, that is, I would like to, but not today. The day is late." she smiled at him walking closer to the mortal. "Thank you, for trying to, teach me to hunt." she said, very close now, "If you come, back here." she inclined her head to the little shrine, "With, a forget-me-not flower, I shall come, and see you again." she grimaced then before continuing, "Unless, I am otherwise, occupied by... battling. Then, we can try again, I hope." After saying this, she took one final step to Zadru, and pressed the top of her head against the side of his. Trying to convey her happiness at seeing him, and perhaps to show him that he had her favor. She stayed like that for a moment, then took a step back, grinning and looking at him with those strange eyes. "Good luck, flower hunting." she said, in way of good-bye. And then she was gone. No pop, no rustle of wind or water. Just gone, as if she'd never been there. The only change with her disappearance was the unnatural speed the clouds moved away, hurrying to try and find their mistress once more.

Forgive me for my exit, however I felt that they couldn't do anything else here. But, in another thread surely. Also, with your leave, I shall edit the post so that the area that she touched gets a Sequs marking. Just that part though. In whatever shade of blue you wish n-n

[zadru]

In awe violet eyes followed the goddess' movements for a good few seconds before he realized he was staring. When he did, glance fell to the loor, a smile on his lips in apology.

I do 'ndeed coun' meself lucky to witness such 'n event, then. He smirked, commenting on Arria's statement of her hunt: such a spectacle that it had never been seen. Tail waved feebly, but for no lack of joy.

As she approached and spoke of leaving, Zadru noticed what time it was, how the sun sank ever lower. He listened acutely to ther speech, dazzled by how close she approached now. I'll set out firs' thing in the mornin' for 't, yer Ladyship. He grinned, inspired to search for the flower as he risked a glance at those ever-swimming eyes.

As her forehead touched his cheek, every molecule of his body trembled, and where she touched seem to ice over in a lace-marking that swirled out. He hardly heard her, he was so frozen in shock and bliss, when she wished him luck flower hunting. Minutes after she vanished, the chill began to fade, and he finally moved, shaking his pelt a little. Gaze turned to the clouds in the sky, a smile making him seem rather goofy as he tried to look toward the sinking sun.

Thank'ee dear Arr'ya.

-Thread complete- =)