<h4>Out of Character</h4>Who: http://shadowlack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=373Stormwing</a> and http://shadowlack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=779Shriker</a>. What: Okkie and Kakos having a little fun in a jungle storm. Where: The Vivuli Jungle When: Afternoon, Mia, Day 25, Year 81378 (4). Rated: PG-13, just because. <h4>In Character</h4>Her nimble paws sank in the thick mud, as Okkie padded along the narrow jungle path. Earlier in the day, the ground had been dry as dust and bones, but now it was drenched with moisture — the mark of an afternoon rain shower. The young female didn’t mind how her paws got soiled as she traipsed, she didn’t care that flecks of sludge sprayed upwards to cake on the primaries of her milky white wings. All she cared about was slinking along the trail, and gradually reaching its end. Where she would find Kakosenas, eyes gleaming darkly, prepared for their dash beneath the leafy green canopy and the grumbling gray skies.</font>
"Chirrup!" Kakosenas chattered happily to herself as she practically skipped around. The rain and moisture in the air had put the normally brooding and dark female into an exceptionally good mood. Not only that, but she was meeting up with Okkie. Someone whom she was starting to consider as a rather good friend, or, something like that at least. Kakosenas' legs and sides were slicked with mud. Her muzzle was muddy, the feathers in her wings were muddy... why, it looked as if she'd been rolling in the stuff (probably had been). The rhythmic tell-tale suction sound of paws being pulled out of the mud eventually alerted Kakosenas to an approaching presence. Okkie! Kakosenas chirruped again, then fell into a bubbling giggle.
It was too bad that the rain shower had let up a short while ago — Okkie would have loved to feel the telltale sluicing of cold water over her body, cleansing away the sticky mud and grime, stirring up the scent of moist earth. She had to make do with the faded aroma of chilly water, and the sloughs of thick, pudding-like mud. Not that she minded too much; as was previously mentioned, the hybrid-eyed creature did not mind the specks of sludge which candidly painted her body, giving her toned frame a spackling of chocolate sprinkles. But never mind about the passé thundershower, or the viscous muck that dominated the ground beneath nimble feet. Okkie was not deeply concerned about such matters. Nay, instead, she was focused on movement, progression, along the trail. Leaping over damp logs, frisking through dewy grass. Wading through a few puddles, and arcing sharply around a bend in the path. And then… and then she was there, flanking Kakosenas suddenly, eyes glittering, shimmering. But not a word did she utter. She simply flicked an ear, grinned, and waited for the Evil One’s words and actions.
Kakosenas yipped loudly as she saw Okkie, did a quick three-sixty spin, leapt, then splashed into a muddy puddle. That action threw up dirty water over roughly a 4 meter radius. She grinned, not caring if her behaviour was immature or childish to say the least, then slipped out of her watery confines. The Evil One bounded over to Okkie's side and swatted her companion's muzzled playfully with a muddy paw. "It'll be back," she said cheerfully, referring to the rain with a quick upward nod of her head. "If not, I'll make it come. Shall we go then?" She quipped, perhaps a little too eagerly.
As Okkie pawed the soggy ground and stood nearby to her onyx companion, she could not help but take note of the other’s exceptionally blithe mood. Every other time the banded female had been with her newest comrade, Kakosenas has been in a darker mood, brooding over this or that, fighting with the entity inside her head. But it seemed that right here, right now, she with yellow eyes was brimming with no rotten thoughts or spirits, but instead with a cheerful nature. It seemed a little odd to Twelve, but nonetheless she grinned, enjoying Kakos’ lighter spirits, no matter how peculiar… When Kakosenas spoke up in reply to Okkie’s silent query, the latter felt her heart thump with anticipation. They hadn’t spoken of it, nor planned it, but they both knew that they were here to do some sky scraping. Right after they were finished trotting through various mud puddles, of course. Instead of replying audibly, afraid that it might break Kakosenas’ good mood, Okkie merely nodded and purled plaintively. She then bounced ahead a few steps, barely sidestepping the puddle, wanting so badly to get this show on the road. Only when they were running would she really get into the mud-slinging game.
Kakosenas cackled, though it was a light and airy sound as opposed to her usual snide little snickerings. To her it seemed as if Okkie wasn't quite enjoying herself. Not yet anyway. Perhaps Kakos had put her off with her radical change in behaviour? Maybe, maybe. Or perhaps it was her drenched and muddy appearance? Kakosenas knew that she wasn't quite a sight for sore eyes, but still... A slight frown played at her muzzle as a dozen different thoughts fell into the tangled web-work of her mind. However, the majority of her thoughts revolved around a single irking emotion: suspicion. The violet tufted female gave her head a quick snap to the right. Her suspicion lingered for just a few more fleeting seconds before it pranced away into the darker recesses of her mind. A tentative smile relit her features. It was time to go, time to go, time to go. The words, 'time to go', echoed about inside of her head like some sort of sickeningly cheerful mantra. She hopped a few steps, deciding to splash into the puddle that Okkie had avoided. All this she executed rather dutifully. The puddle had called out to her, and she had done it's bidding. Splish-splash. Her smile widened into a toothy grin as she looked at Okkie who was already edging away with anticipation. "Time, to, go!" Kakosenas hollered, her words mingling with a wild sort of giggling that could only be associated with a mad thing. Before she had uttered her last word, Kakosenas was already off, choosing a twisted and mucky path to ravage with footfalls. Today seemed like it would be a good day.
The sky above was still murky and sinister, and every once in a while, a distant peal of thunder would echo. These sparse detonations teased Okkie’s ears, and whenever one happened to rumble, she peered up at the sky, hoping the clouds would yawn open and release the slew of rainwater. But nothing ever happened — the heavens would stop their grumbling, and then the hybrid-eyed youth would come back to earth, to stare around at the mud and puddles decorating the landscape around her. Though she wanted so badly to run beneath a sheet of rain, the pendragon supposed this wet world would suffice. And so she smiled despite her small disappointment, and tried to forget the teasing skies, as she peered candidly at her fellow, Kakosenas. The raven female bounded about, obviously enamored. Okkie grinned and watched as the Evil One behaved as a niotie, gamboling about like she hadn’t a care in the world. The banded youth’s smile soon grew until it was big enough to split her face… Then she parted her jaws and her cherry tongue lolled out, as her bottlebrush tail wavered in the air. Whereas she had been suspicious of her friend before, she now felt only elation that Kakos’ seemed to have shed her choker and chains, if only for the afternoon. But her splitting grin was not such a wise move. For just as Okkie exposed her tongue and maw to the wet air, Kakosenas sprang into the puddle her comrade had just avoided, and muddy water sprayed in every direction. It spurted over the already wet grass and mud, sluiced over some nearby shrubbery, and some of it even landed across the caramel pendragon’s lithe flanks. But a lot more of it shot directly into her mouth, causing Okkie to choke and sputter in distaste, in an attempt to divest the awful flavor and the dirty water from her system. She struggled for a good minute, her throat rippling as if she were really being strangled, before she was satisfied and mud-flavor free… And then her bout of garroting turned into laughter — robust, riotous laughter. The Evil One had infected her, in more ways than one, and now Okkie forgot her disenchantment over the parsimonious rain clouds. She felt bliss coursing through her veins like water sloshing through the tunnels of the sky, and this feeling only grew when mismatched eyes saw Kakos’ take off like a jet into the damp jungle. Not a heartbeat could mark the moment between the first and second pendragon’s launches, and then they were off! Okkie just behind Kakosenas for the moment, relishing the cool spray her comrade’s hind feet kicked up… It was like wake surfing.
Like a wildfire it had spread. The pure and airy mood was catching. Creeping into their bones and lightening up their mental loads. "Skairk! Cheeryumdirrum!" Kakosenas called back to Okkie, babbling random nonsensical words that dated back to her early childhood. A childhood that was, for the most part, happy. Until it had come to an abrupt end. The sky crackled overhead then rolled into a low but loud rumbling purr of thunder. Although it had been doing this for a while, it seemed like the yellow-eyed, and rather demented at times, female had just noticed it. Kakosenas squealed at the sound of the thunder, nearly getting her head taken off as she almost forgot to duck a low hanging branch. That would have hurt. She threw a glance at Okkie, who now really wasn't all that far behind anymore. Actually, she wasn't behind at all. They were galloping practically shoulder to shoulder. It'd been quite some time since Kakosenas had run with a companion, let alone flown with one. And that was what they were going to be doing, right? Flying? That had been the unspoken message. That hidden clause that had been slipped to one another when they had hastily planned for this meeting in the jungle. That part had been clear at least. Kakosenas let her wings unfold partially and hopped softly into the air, letting her momentum carry her forward several metres before her feet first scraped then connected back with the earth. Her disfigured half-feathered and half leather wings were simply aching and calling out for the skies above. It was a good ache though. One that she knew would soon be put to rest.
They were running into the wind… it was a light breeze, cool and thick with the scent of storms. Also mingling with this tantalizing aroma was the pair of pendragons’ own bouquets. Kakosenas’ was a brisk, sour smell, laced with the sickly sweet tang of death. Okkie’s was the sense of spices and smokes, tinted with mud and water. As the latter ran behind the former, she closed her hybrid eyes and inhaled, clearly enjoying the miscellaneous medley on the winds, but it was not long before smells were forgotten. Oculars peeled back open, and suddenly it was all about the sights. They’d been running flank to flank, but now the Evil One pulled forward a bit. She then sprang into the ear, her wings flaring open a bit to catch the wind. A draft sailed beneath her, and Kakos glided over the damp earth for a few seconds. But then her spry paws met the earth again, and Okkie was at her side, quenching the urge to yip by nipping at her friend’s shoulder. Kakosenas’ stunt had excited the younger female, and the second her teeth clipped away from her companion’s limb, she turned away and did her own little bound — cinnamon mitts left the ground, and Okkie felt herself soar at a dangerously low altitude. She then banked and landed back on terra firma, her paws never missing a beat as they fell back into the thrumming motion of a healthy gallop. But she was not content to simply run. She’d been teased, and now it was time to do the real thing. Okkie spread her soft feathers of milk wide open, their current wingspan wide and breathless. For a good minute or two, she simply ran with the zephyrs whispering up the shafts of her aerial gear, and Twelve felt an inward sigh heave through her soul. This felt so good — and it felt even better when she finally coiled her muscles, sped up, and then flapped, her gear lifting her clear from the jungle floor, and guiding her in an upwards spiral…
Kakosenas giggled the sound rolling off of her tongue. This was a rather new experience, and granted, she was enjoying it. Immensely. As Okkie leapt into the air and glided along, Kakosenas’ heart seemed to take a bit of a leap too. Her paws were tingling, wanting to just shove off and forget about the charted ground below. Prolonging the inevitable was in fact next to agonizing. Fortunately enough, it was Okkie who broke rank. She took to the skies, letting her wings gratefully taste the air as she twirled upwards. A small whine escaped the Evil One’s muzzle as she watched Okkie gaining altitude. The cinnamon and white slashed female was a sight to behold. Mirrored up against the rumbling clouds… Now that her wings were spread and guiding her flight pattern, she was quite breathtaking. Those white, almost angelic appearing wings... They contrasted harshly against Kakosenas’ own which were a queer mixture in both colour and style. Kakos watched Okkie for several quick moments, captivated by the appearance of the other. When she herself just couldn’t take the wait any longer, she launched herself up into the snarling sky after her comrade. Her own wings – a bizarre combination of both draconic leather and plumage – caught and held the air efficiently as she propelled herself up toward the brooding clouds above. The scent of rain was growing heavier with each passing second. At any given moment the two most likely would find themselves amidst a growing storm.
There was no feeling in the world to match that of being… airborne. Okkie defied gravity itself as she arched ever higher against the backdrop of grisly clouds and slick, green treetops. The air was thick, like water, and it seemed to buoy her up as she carved an invisible ladder up into the sky. Yet it was also light, and airy, and as she finally reached the apex of her aerial climb, the female could feel a brusque breath of wind brush her ragged nape. She paused in midair and closed her mismatched oculars as it whistled by, her grandiose wings flapping in a gently ululating rhythm as she kept herself aloft. The breeze carried moisture with it, and when it grumbled down and tapered off, Okkie was left with little droplets of ice cold liquid clinging to her eyelashes. She briefly grinned, then gave her cranium a vigorous shake, sending the spray in the direction of her swift-approaching comrade. Then, spurred by this rapid encroachment of the Evil One, the banded pendragon yelled out an enraptured woof, and launched once again, this time in a screaming dive towards the wet earth. She was like a cinnamon-colored falcon, her snowy feathers slicked down across her back to make her figure more stream-lined. The cold winds that spoke of storms cried in her ears as she went down, down, down, and she responded with a round of bays that was drowned out by the roaring rush of air. The ground seemed to be approaching at lightning-quick speed, and when the youthful Stormwing was just a few meters above the terra firma, she banked swiftly, her wings stretching out to defy the velocity of her fall. She began to float just feet above the ground, flapping in circles around the small clearing in the jungle in which she found herself. A few times, her toes brushed the damp grass, but she never quite landed. After a few rotations around the miniature field, Okkie got tired of earth once more, and she sped off towards the trees, cutting upwards sharply, just in time to miss collision with the jungle growth. She had had her time… now it was time to find Kakosenas, and give chase. Or play some other game… something that would give them both the ride of their lives.
A fat raindrop landed upon the tip of Kakosenas' muzzle. It exploded there, sending frigid little droplets into her eyes. She blinked them away, grinning all the while. Okkie was... well, she was somewhere. Most likely enjoying her own aerial dance. Kakos took in a deep breath, the scent of wet vegetation was heavy in the air, but their was also a tinge. A faint smell of something else, so exciting and foreboding that it was akin to electricity. Which is was of course harbouring - the storm, their storm. The elder female cawed, the bird-like noise echoing very loudly in her ears. She pulled her wings in tight against her body, sending herself into a slow diagonal spiral before pulling out of it. Her eyes swept across the skies. Where had her accomplice gone? Her white feathered winger? Kakosenas' mood began to dampen, yet... suddenly she spotted movement down amongst the trees. There was Okkie, the silly bird! Teasing the earth with her toes and daring the trees to try and snatch her. Kakos' slate blue tongue lolled out of her mouth as she let out a small airy laugh. In good spirits once again, she dropped down to a lower altitude and began steering herself towards Twelve. All the while attempting to be inconspicuous with her intentions.
“Huzzah!” This exclamation came as a reaction to a rather loud peal of thunder, one which cracked like a whip just over the jungle. For a moment, the air vibrated, and Okkie could see the leaves of the trees stirring in an abrupt gust of wind. She counted, One, two, three… Then a fork of lightning came racing through the clouds, cutting through the grisly sky. Another bolt of electricity leapt up from the earth, and the airborne pendragon watched with astonished eyes as they met in the middle and popped with brilliant light. Then there was nothing, except more bays of thunder grumbling in the distance, and Okkie kept circling over the treetops, her excitement growing as the storm brewed overhead. Though her attention had been stolen by this mixing tempest, she had no forgotten her quest to find Kakosenas. Mismatched blue and green eyes raked the sky, searching for a blob of black against the gray. Moreso she tried to find a splotch of purple here or there… but she found nothing. That was, until she chanced to flash a quick glance to her left, and saw a winged figure barreling her way, intentions somewhat sketchy as her lemondrop eyes flashed in the gathering darkness. Okkie did not move when she saw her charger, but merely paused in midair and flapped her white feathers to keep aloft. She watched the Evil One race ever nearer, waiting to see what was going to happen… She would let it all unfold as her companion so desired.
The air quickly filled with cold stinging droplets. They made strange, albeit not unwelcome, sounds upon eel-eyed female as she was bombarded with them. Kakosenas pulled her wings in close to her body now. The roar of the storm now loud and clear in her ears. Lightning was dancing and snapping the sky with it's electric cracks. Kakosenas overshot Okkie's position by several meters, then glanced over her shoulder with an impish grin. They could play the age old game of tag, or maybe try to top each other by doing dangerous aerial tricks, or even make the sky rain blood if they chose to do some sparring. A game could easily start off as one and end up as another. Tag seemed the most natural and logical game to start with, as Kakos was beginning to feel the craving for some tight turning and speed. She tilted her right wing, making tight a U-turn to bring her back around to face Okkie. There would be no coin tossing up here. No rules either for that matter. Kakos flew towards her counterpart now, wondering if it would be either she or Okkie that made a break for it first, thus dubbing the other player "it".
The Evil One raced towards her, but Okkie made no attempt to remove herself from the path of destruction. For some reason, she felt the need to convey the fact that she trusted Kakosenas, trusted that her friend would not charge right into her and pummel her from the sky, until she dropped into a broken heap on the jungle floor. She demonstrated this will by remaining in position, watching Kakosenas coming, faster, faster, faster! But no impact came. The banded pendragon felt a soft whoosh of air, and the next thing she knew, Kakos was past and turning around again, coming back towards her. Slower this time, but her intent imprinted in her eyes. Tag? Tongue lolled from ring-clad muzzle, and Okkie nodded her cranium in approval. Then, she was diving, crashing towards the earth, a yip escaping her muzzle as she invited Kakosenas to give chase.
Kakosenas' heart skipped a beat in her enthusiasm. It'd been a very long time since she'd been able to find a playmate — and a willing one at that. Her bright yellow eyes watched Okkie as she yipped then dove down toward the ground. Kakos tufted tail wagged and whipped about as she dipped her hybrid wings, slowly though, as to give Okkie a several second getaway. When Kakosenas felt that she had given her an ample amount of time, she thrust her wings back and spiraled down Okkie's sky trail, chattering gleefully to herself the entire time.
The cold wind whistling past made Okkie feel a sense of elation she had not felt for a long while. It felt so good, shrieking past her body, snuggling close to her side with pressure and then swirling on by. It was scented, too, making it even more delicious to savor. As the femme wound down through the sky, she inhaled deeply, and her inner olfactory tissues burned with the aroma of cold rain. Fresh and clean, not unlike the jungle itself. She was so infatuated with the odor, she very nearly became drunk, almost forgot to bank and brake. She remembered at the last minute, though, and then Okkie found herself skimming along the clearing, the scent of wet grass now joining the bouquet. But she was lucid now, not allowing the myriad smells overtake her. She glanced behind her, and Okkie could see Kakosenas whirling behind her, could pick up the sound of her happy chirping when she pricked caramel ears. The Evil One was obviously following her, now gracefully arching out of her spiral and brimming the earth along with her banded friend, and Okkie knew it was time to pick up speed again. She made a lurching slope downwards, closing the five-foot gap betwixt her and terra firma. Her feet briefly traced the ground, and then she kicked upwards, the ground a springboard as she launched speedily into the air, gaining altitude quickly. Once more, sweetly-scented air rushed past, but she still remained awares. The angry one cast another glance over her shoulder, anticipating the sight of her faux-sister following. Satisfied that their game of chase was still on, Okkie then kicked into her highest gear. Whereas her flying had been mildly quick, it now became like lightning. Her milky wings stretched to their widest breadth, and she began to flap them wildly, soaring like a devil’s angel over the jungle, death itself, charcoal and bruised, hot on her heels.
They should have been frightened, or at least wary. Flying through the skies at fast speeds in the dead of night. Not to mention during a hovering storm. The weather alone would have deterred any sane individual from testing and taunting the looming black. And then to initiate play in this sort of ill atmosphere? It had to be a decision brought upon by madness. Mad or not, this was Kakosenas’ song, her joy. The sound of water thrummed inside of her head, seeping into her brain from all directions. The damp air pressed itself close, roaring through her fur and feathered tips. Her eyes took in the sights, or at least all that was not shrouded by dark and blurry murk. The lumped heaps of rocks upon the ground, the jagged shapes of leaves littering the tree tops. Each of these visual markers was growing more and more distinct as the two comrades barreled down toward the ground. Kakos watched as her companion touched down, only to vault back up into the sky with utmost precision and skill. Kakosenas mimicked this move, coiling her muscles and launching herself back up. For a split second, a sharp feeling of déjà vu gripped her stomach, but as she left the well watered earth, that feeling was left behind and quickly forgotten. Okkie had just poured on a lot of extra speed. Kakosenas fell behind several feet in a few seconds, having not realized what had happened. Finally clueing in, her own wings strained to pick up the heightened pace. The two of them now streaking across the starless, cloudy sky.
It seemed that time flew even faster than Okkie did. As she soared through the crackling, wicked sky, she abruptly noticed that a dreary night had fallen, and that the nighttime shadows were deepened tenfold by the presence of the grisly storm that was passing through. Despite this darkness, however, her vision was not hampered at all, and the femme found herself still ripping easily through the air. Though, she had to admit that the darkness seemed to ensnare her; it made her feel like there was a wall looming in every direction, just waiting for her to collide. It was because of this that Okkie began to slow, her falcon-like progress becoming less and less rapid. After a few brief moments, she had begun to brake to a complete stop, and she threw her head around, peering through the thick blackness, attempting to seek out Kakosenas amongst the frolicking shadows. But how was she supposed to find the Evil One, whom was herself black as night, against this backdrop of pitch? Thunder roared dully as Okkie hovered in the air, her silken wings flapping a tattoo against the air. She sensed that the worst of the storm was yet to arrive, and she also had a sudden yearning to be earthbound once again. Something about being up here seemed dangerous. Not just risky, and fun, but downright lethal and threatening. “Oi! Kakos, are you out there? I can’t see you, but I can hope you can hear me! I’m heading back towards the ground. This storm is only brewing, and I would much rather have a front row seat on the ground than be stuck under the fist of a raging thunderhead!"
“Oi! --- are you --- there? I can’t --- you, but I can hope you can hear me! I’m heading back --- ground. This storm is only brewing, and I would --- seat on the ground than be stuck under --- fist of a raging thunderhead!" Jolted out of her reverie by Okkie’s holler, Kakosenas glanced hard about herself. The thunder had muddled up most of the Angry One’s message, but Kakos at least understood the gist of it. The storm was indeed getting worse… had Kakos been alone, she would not have minded. She liked to tempt fate. She liked the thrill - the elated feeling - that she could die at any given moment if the lightening chose to strike her down. She wondered, what would it be like to be struck by such a force? It would be crippling no doubt. Death, most likely. It would send her crumpled body plummeting toward the ground… if the lightening didn’t kill her, the fall most certainly would. However, now that Okkatteiru was around, maybe she ought to be a little more cautious. It seemed as if Kakosenas’ entire reason for just being could be summed up somehow by Okkie’s presence. It was almost as if now she had a purpose. Mulling this over, Kakosenas circled downward toward the ground. She landed lightly, her eyes unusually bright in the murk of the jungle. “And you call yourself a Stormwing?" She chortled quietly, more so to herself than Okkie.
