He Enters the Valley

[ryuukokoro]

Shiranui smiled as the little green female approached. He could speak to children after all, it seemed! "Pleasure to meet you," he said, "My name is Shiranui. To answer your question, I was just ready to begin the story of how I came to be here. If you'd like, you can stay and listen."

The kitsune Pykiin settled himself and was about to speak, when suddenly another Pykiin joined the party. This was a big adult male with brown fur and various pink markings. Feathered wings were folded against his side.

Shiranui paused, cautious. So far it had only been females and young ones to meet him. This was the first adult male he had seen, and he wasn't sure how he would be accepted. In his land, males could be very protective of their families.

"My name is Shiranui," he said softly, his tails curling around his body. He didn't want to appear threatening, but he wanted to be able to move quickly if the situation called for it. Also, he didn't know if this male was a stranger who would bother the females. He might have to defend them. "If you'd like to stay, I was just about to explain how and why I came here..."

I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, he thought to himself with some amusement. Maybe he would never begin his story if he had to keep telling others that he was about to tell it! Shiranui held in a chuckle, waiting to see what the male Pykiin would do.

Suddenly, before anyone else could respond, someone walked around the tree and Shiranui was bumped from behind. He stumbled forward, almost walking into the new Pykiin male.

Carefully Shiranui whirled around to face this stranger behind him. Much to his surprise, it was not a dangerous second male sneaking up behind him. It was another female, and . . . Shiranui could only stare. It was a beautiful female at that! She was dark brown like the rich soil, with pale mane and tail--make that tails!!

Shiranui sputtered and gasped for words. He had never seen a female with so many tails! Wait, as many tails as he himself had. It was a female of his kind!

"H-hello, m'lady!" he finally managed to gasp out.

[Ebony Adara]

Doveva looked at the many kiin and pykiin that have gathered and she looked at the sputtered male. "It's okay, It was mostly me." She said with a bow of her head. Auriel watched her master bow before the kitsune and she circled him. Auriel studied the figure.

"So did you have a harsh time, getting to this valley place. Doveva wanted to go through the woods and I said I wasn't going to get ticks and gnats on me." Auriel said and she stopped circling. "Yep, he is a kitsune."

Doveva looked at the handsome male, a smile peered on her face, Auriel hadn't seen that smile since they were excited to leave home to come some else.

"Is this place really nice. I mean because I have been trying to find this place for years maybe." Doveva said, her voice calm and sweet. She couldn't help the thought about the one word she had never heard of in her life. Love.

Auriel looked at Doveva and fluttered her wings, Doveva had a dreamy look on her face. "So, you were about to tell a story, eh?" Auriel said, and looking at the others, some were small, but still bigger then her and others were big, but not nearly as big as the two kitsune. She spoke to the pykiin. "Hello, I am Auriel the Remiel." She said as she fluttered the wings on her back.

"Auriel one day your going to fly away if you keep fluttering those wings." Doveva said with a small giggle. Auriel looked at her. "So, like there is anywhere I need to go, and anyways It will give better protection over you, but you won't know I'm there." She said giving an eye to the male. She intended that if they ever got together, she could keep great watch on Doveva. She was stubborn Remiel and she knew one day Doveva will find that emotion. Auriel wanted Doveva to have the right one. Someone who would really take care of Doveva.

Doveva looked sideways at Auriel. "What are you talking about. You really need to eat, I think your over reacting lately. This isn't you. Will you please eat."

"If it makes you be quiet, then I will." Auriel said taking off to find some berries.

"Whew, she and her stubborn self is gone now. " Doveva said with a smile. "So, can I listen in on the story too?"

[Farnley Kombu]

"Yes," Khairi said, his face hard as stone. "Do tell."

(I feel like such a n00b with my one sentence reply. Well at 9:30 AM I'm not usually in a great RP flow.)

[ryuukokoro]

Shiranui was a little disturbed by the small creature with fin-like wings. He'd never seen one before and.. well, he'd never been talked to in such a manner before, honestly. He wasn't sure what was going on, though he imagined the little creature was being protective of Doveva.

He sighed a little and watched the deep colored girl as she was watching her tiny friend eat berries. Doveva... it was such a lovely name...

The other male's voice brought Shiranui back to his senses. With a shake of his head he looked around at all the gathered faces, waiting solely for him. A faint blush crossed his cheeks as he realized he was leaving them all hanging.

"Ah, yes, thank you," he coughed awkwardly, glancing at the other male. "I shall begin now."

Shiranui sat down on one of the Dryad's many roots and arranged his tails around him. He was stalling to get his thoughts in order. Finally he was satisfied with how he was arranged and he took another look around at everyone. He gave a particular smile for the kiins that were in the group. Shiranui had always been nervous around children, but all of these ones seemed to like him okay. It gave him courage.

"All right, where to begin... Well. I come from a place that is very far from here. Across a wide ocean, actually. I found my way here, well, it is quite a story. It all began one day...."

((It's going to take me a while to type all of Shira's backstory so I wanted to post this teaser first. The rest of teh story coming soon! Just gotta type it all up.))

[Ebony Adara]

((Silly Ryuu xD))

Doveva watched the male sit down and prepared himself to tell his story. She looked around for insulting Remiel and laid down next to the male, looking at the others who were very unfamiliar to her.

Auriel soon came and took her spot in between the two kitsune. She made it impossible to move closer, or if they did the poor remiel would be squished. Oh the glory of that day. Auriel laid her head against Doveva's side and listened calmly.

Doveva looked at the Remiel with a small giggle. Auriel seemed a little tired from the trip and fell asleep on Doveva's side. The kistune scooped Auriel in her arms and rested her in her paws. There was no Remiel in the middle of them now. Doveva rocked Auriel as she listened.

"Mind if I get a little surprised at parts. Suspenseful stories make me like that." Doveva said with a giggle.

[Raenia]

Marai looked intregued, and she sat down to watch and listen. She couldn't help but giggle as Shiranui interacted with other new pykiin, first Khairi and then Doveva and a remiel. She quieted when it became apparent that the pykiin was ready to begin his story, sitting in rapt attention and fascination.

[Cameron]

(( I do plan to reply, soon. ^^))

[ryuukokoro]

((Okay, trying to get caught up on my rp's! lol. Sure, you've said that before, Ryuu....

Anyway! I am moving Shiranui on to another rp thread. Now that he's has told his story, I consider this thread mostly closed. Anyone is more than welcome to post a reply if they want, though. ^^ I'm just trying to wrap this thread up after this and move on!))

Shiranui launched into his story.

“It all started very far from here. In a place unlike this one. The place I once called my own was a land of tall, tall trees that stretched up to the sky. Their branches spread wide, creating a canopy that protected us from the bright, bright sun. The air was full of the scent of flowers and plants, and usually heavy with moisture. Often it would thunder and rain, but those of us living on the forest floor were protected by the canopy high above. We did have water of course. Small streams and some few faster rivers ran through the forest, sometimes creating waterfalls.” Shiranui sighed softly and his warm brown eyes were very far away, remembering.

“Yes, this land was my home. And I wasn’t alone. I lived with bright colored animals, birds, and creatures that swam in the streams. No one like myself, but that didn’t matter to us. We were a large community and everyone helped one another when times were tough. We were all one big family.”

Shiranui swallowed dryly, and for several minutes could not continue. He was embarrassed, ducking his head to hide his gaze while he fought to control the lump in his throat.

“Well,” he coughed. “All things happen for a reason. I believe this. Even when it’s hard to remind myself. . . .”

Again the soft colored Pykiin fell silent. He was trying to figure out just how to come out and say it. Finally he just muttered quietly, “It started so slow, but at the same time it all went so fast. I’m not sure how it started . . . but I remember hearing the commotion. Some of my friends came to get me, and together we went to see what the gossip was about.

“There was so much smoke. That’s all it was at first, smoke. That area of the forest was vacated quickly, as the animals there couldn’t breathe. But it didn’t stay there . . . the smoke spread, and along with it came the bright flower.”

A shudder ran under Shiranui’s thick fur. “The bright flower is not a normal plant. It glows with an unholy light and everything it touches is killed or caused incredible pain, and it always comes with the thick black smoke that makes it so no living thing can breathe.

“At first we didn’t realize how the bright flower can spread. It feeds on both plants and animals, and the longer it lives, the faster it feeds. You can’t stop its appetite. Before we quite realized it, it was too big to stop, and it consumed our entire forest. . . .”

Every tail drooping, Shiranui shook his head sadly. “Few were able to escape. Some of us discovered that the flower can’t cross water, and we traveled by running down the streams. We traveled for days. Even when we couldn’t see or hear the flower any longer, the smoke hung in the air. We didn’t dare stop running.

“Eventually we found a place where the air had no hint of smoke, but by then we had left our home far behind. We were at the edge of the ocean that the stream spilled into. There was nothing but sand stretching in both directions. The sun was brutal; we were used to the canopy of our forest protecting us from the heat. And we couldn’t drink the ocean water without getting very sick.

“We spent so much time looking for food and water, but we were always exhausted and heartsick. Our home was gone, and all the friends I traveled with had lost family, and other friends. It was hard for us to keep going every day. . . .

“Then was the day of the storm. We had not left the shore, because sheer cliffs on both sides made it hard for us to get very far. We were exposed to the storm on the beach, but tried to find what shelter we could. The rain pelted us, and cracking yellow stripes split the sky with giant noises like the sky was breaking in half. The ocean waves became violent, bigger and harsher.

“We tried to dig a hole in the sand to protect ourselves, but the waves would wash them away. We tried to run, but the water pulled our legs out from under us. I couldn’t tell if it was all of us at once, or one by one. It was hard to see through the rain. But suddenly we were all in the water. The ocean waves pulled us in and . . . that was the last time I saw any of my friends.”

A small whimper escaped from Shira’s mouth, and he clamped it shut to keep from betraying his emotions. After a while he coughed and said in a small voice, “I’m sorry, it’s so very hard to talk about it all. . . . I had never had to swim so much in my life. I almost didn’t make it, the water turned me over and over and threw me every way. I believe I might have lost consciousness, but I eventually washed up on the shore with the sun warming my wet fur. The storm was over, and I was in a new place. This place, actually.” The many-tailed Pykiin picked up his head and looked around at his audience.

“My home and everyone I knew is gone. I only have this strange new land, and all of you.”

With a sigh, Shiranui finally fell silent. His voice felt sore from talking so much, and he slid down to lay his head on his front paws, emotionally tired.

[Ebony Adara]

((-wipes tear away- That was touching. <3))