Shiki left the whispering caves in a sort of fright. The girl he had met there seemed very frightened, something called a 'lion' scaring her. He didn't quite know what a lion was, but he had eventually decided it would be safer to leave...reluctantly. He thought he had found a safe place to rest, but hadn't stayed there long and she seemed afraid to speak almost. Even though he had been exhausted from journeying across the lands, he had taken her advice...only after trying to persuade her. But to no avail. He felt sorry for her, why exactly he wasn't too sure. Maybe to save her from being afraid? Then again, what could he do? He was too small, to timid to do anything.

A little depressed, he left behind the caves. Thinking about maybe returning one day to see if she was still there. Still hiding...or waiting...or whatever she was doing. His thoughts left him as soon as scents hit him. Scents he had never smelled before. Looking around, he realized he had wandered into an area lush with vegetation, little snow sprinkled around here and although the sky was cloudy, the flowers and bright vegetation stood out against the landscape. He felt like a patch of dirt compared to the rest of it, and a sense of calm fell over him. He noticed a brightly colored blossom, a bright shade of red splashed against the deep greens. It drew him in, the scent that emanated from it a sickly sweet scent. Drawing closer, he reached out to get a better view. Stopping just a couple inches from the bright Amaryllis flower.

He thought about how his mother, Pamela, might like it as a gift. And so he'd close the gap and reach forward, grasping the stem just a few inches below the bloom to cut it from the rest of the bush. Although it was beautiful, he wanted his mother to look beautiful with this flower. He inhaled the scent, the deadly flower clamped in his jaws. His prize. His sweet, intoxicating prize.

There was a sense of disappointment in her chest. She had hoped that the former members of Secretua might follow her, but immediately both Alamea and Warja turned her down. In a way it hurt. It hurt her deeply. Did they not trust and respect her enough? Akemi would wander away from the little gathering of her former packmates, though her mind had not changed on the matter. The plan of making a stable pack, a home for herself and her children, had not faltered. She would breathe in, determination lingering in that single orb of hers. She would not give in just yet. No... she was going to keep trying. Akemi would look around and suddenly, as her red orb fell on the form of the youngster, she froze. Mind hadn't even registered just yet what he had in his mouth. No. Akemi recognized him even if he wouldn't recognize her. Mouth would fall agape and she would feel a trembling within her form. How could it be the young one was still alive? She had seen the fox carry him away! This... this was her baby! Her lost son! The woman would take a small step forward, trying to find the words to call out to him. How did you tell a child you were his mother when he had never known you? How did you tell a child you never met that you loved him? She would search for her voice, finding it only once she registered the plant that was in his mouth. "A-ack! You need to drop that plant immediately!" Alarm rose in her voice and she would charge forward, aiming to knock the poisonous plant from the boy's jaws. "Listen to me talk," 'or read my thoughts.'

Surprised shocked him. Shiki felt the weight of another crash into him, sending him rolling a few short feet and the flower flying from his grip. He remained still for a moment as he tried to figure out what just happened, and when he opened his eyes and spotted the tattered female, his fur bristled slightly. He had never been attacked like that, and although he was quite timid, he was a bit upset that this stranger would keep his beautiful prize from him. He quickly rose onto his feet, eyes burning with anger but at the same time holding apprehension, fear, uncertainty. "Who do you think you are?! I was gonna give that to my mother! You have no right attacking me like that!" He growled a bit, noting that the torn apart female was the same height as he. That was strange...he had never met another wolf the same height as him. His anger seeped, though it seemed to be fading in and out with his mixture of fear and uncertainty. Yes, he was angry. But could he attack this pitiful looking creature? Honeyed gaze noted her appearance. She had a missing eye, her ears were torn, her tail was missing, she had scores of battle wounds and scars all over her. Who the hell was she and what did she do to deserve that? Probably looking for fights like she just did with me...well, if that's the way she wants it.

Shiki didn't know how to fight, but he sure as hell would try. His ears pinned back, hackles rising, body stiff and his teeth bared. He would show this woman...or maybe she would show him. He was sure if she had been in fights, which was obvious, that he wouldn't have a chance. But maybe she wasn't that good a fighter? Otherwise, why would she let herself look the way she is now? It unnerved him, but he had already stepped across that boundary and there was no going back. He barked at her, trying to sound threatening but a hint of nervousness seemed to expose itself as well. Dammit...why couldn't he ever be more confident?! No matter. Ready or not, he charged at her. He ran towards her, teeth bared and little legs carrying him quickly. He aimed to charge into her, to knock her over like he had done to him. Maybe give her a nip or two for making him drop his flower. And if she bit back, then..he'd have to figure it out from there. But right now, he was quite upset...and frightened.

Shiki vs Akemi for...unofficial spar

Akemi can just swat him aside or you can do whatever. pp if you wanna :)

The woman hadn’t meant to hit him so hard, to send him rolling, but at least the plant was out of his mouth. She would look at him, shock in her gaze as  he snapped at her. She wasn’t attack him! Akemi would try to find the words to speak, but something about his words stung her. He was going to give that plant to his mother... He must have thought it was a good present. But... It wasn’t. The fact that he didn’t know the truth also stung her. Could he not tell the similarities in their scents? Akemi would brace herself as the boy charged at her. She could tell he was angry yes, but there was a mix of fear too. The woman would wait until he was close enough and then counter him, pushing into him with her petite body and knocking him to the ground. This time Akemi managed to speak, her voice shaking. “That plant is poisonous.” She managed to say. “S... Sorry...” Even their coats were so similar.. Though he bore Hati’s eye color. She would look at him with sadness in her single gaze. "Listen to me talk," 'or read my thoughts.'

Again, he would go flying. The boy flustered and frightened, would listen to the female. He hadn't known the flower was poisonous...could he have accidentally killed Pamela with a mistake like that? Or maybe even himself? He lied there for a moment, not moving as her voice seemed to shake. He feared that if he spoke, his voice might shake. He was upset and frightened, he had never felt attacked nor had he ever attacked anyone before. Slowly, he'd pick himself up off the ground, shaking his pelt off and staring at the woman.

He looked at the mangled creature, not sure why she had the look of sadness in her face nor why her voice was shaking. She had apologized, but it was he who should be sorry. After all, she had saved him from making a potentially fatal error after all. "No...I should be sorry...I-I didn't know it was dangerous, you were just...trying to help..." He had to admit that if she hadn't gotten here when she did, he probably would have been dead halfway home, or worse, accidentally killed his mother. He sighed, ears splayed to the sides and his head and tail low in a show of apology. "I'm...sorry for attacking you..." He glanced at the woman, his fear ebbing but slowly. Misunderstandings aside, he was curious as to why she looked the way she did. And before he knew it, the question burst from his tongue. "What happened to you?" Almost immediately, he'd shut his mouth. Why did he just ask that?

"Speech"

Akemi would give a slow, shuddering nod as the boy spoke. It was alright.. No... It wasn’t. It wasn’t alright. She should have been there to teach him right and wrong from the beginning. She would feel her heart clench as he apologized, and she would shake her head. “It’s alright...” Akemi would say in a soft voice. She was still hurting, her breath catching in her throat as she tried to focus. She would let her single red gaze focus on the boy, the remains of her ears twitching. “What happened to me?” The female would ask. “I...” She was shaking again. “A male attacked me... Raped me... Left me in this state.” The female would give a heavy sigh, closing her eye. “W-what... What do you know of your parents?” She would ask gently. "Listen to me talk," 'or read my thoughts.'

His ears perked slightly as she returned the question he had asked. A slow nod was given, and then she dove into a short explanation. His eyes grew wide, his ears flattening to his head, tail beginning to tuck beneath him. "Th-that's horrible!" Was all he managed to say, however, his voice became more of a whisper then an exclamation.

He was puzzled when she asked him about his parents. Why did this woman care? He stared at her, unable to put two and two together with appearance, nor scent. He wasn't the brightest, but his belief that Kau and Pamela were his parents were strong in this one. "Um...K-Kau Kedieo is my Father...But, I don't know where he is right now..." He glanced around, as if his Father would step out of the bushes and greet him, as if to say "Here I am!" But...it was merely hope, that spurred the boy. "And my Mother is Pamela...wh-why do you ask?"

 "Speech"

It was with a great sense of pain that she listened to his answer. Yes, it was horrible. But not as horrible as what she had discovered. She would swallow hard, her gaze still upon him. Single eye would moisten with tears as he said that his mother was a wolfess by the name of Pamela. No... No that wasn’t true! Her mind screamed those words, but Akemi would speak much more calmly, explaining the situation to the young man best she could. No doubt it would be upsetting but... Perhaps he could understand. Maybe... Just maybe... She would be reunited officially with her lost child. “I ask befcause the man who raped me was Kau Kedieo. I lost a child the day he was born, a child by your coloration. He was stolen by a fox, and I was too weak, still in labor, to go after it. I thought him lost. I mourned for that child... And now... Now I feel that he stands before me.” Tears would roll down one side of her face. “Your scent and coloration... It’s so similar to my own...” Akemi would shake her head. “Your father lied... He must have taken you... He won’t be coming back. He was put to death for his crimes. He was nothing but a liar and a rapist. I... I’m sorry.” The truth was sure to hurt, but there was no other way to say it. He needed to know the truth. To hear it finally come out. ""

Table by:: Tealah

Shiki took a step toward her when he noticed she looked like she was about to cry. Stopping only when she began to speak. Her initial words froze him in place, and suddenly the world around him seemed as if it were standing still. All he could hear was the echo of her words, his vision filled only with her form while his world began to plummet in darkness. "The man who raped me was Kau Kedieo." No...his father wouldn't do that...he was too great to do something like that! He swallowed hard, that same line repeating itself in his head like a hated song stuck on repeat.

Tears rolled down her face as she continued. Slowly, he'd stare down at his paws and then back at her. His nostrils flaring just a tiny bit to see if this was true, but he was sure it wasn't true. It couldn't be! Was...was that why he didn't look like Pamela? And the reason he hadn't acquired his father's height? Instead, he had more resemblance to this woman...but he couldn't believe it. It couldn't be true!

And yet, as she spoke he remained quiet. His stance growing rigid with each passing second as his heart began to charge itself against his chest, and all the while it seemed as if he forgot how to breathe. And then it came. The part that would potentially destroy his hopes of his father coming back to him. "Your father lied... He must have taken you... He won’t be coming back. He was put to death for his crimes. He was nothing but a liar and a rapist. I... I’m sorry."

Before she could finish, he had already begun to shake his head. His eyes watering as he fought the onslaught of her words. She was crying, he was about to. His eyes stung as he tried to hold it down, but couldn't. Fire felt like it was in his tears, they were hot as they streamed down his face. His face in turn, contorted into pain, and fear, and doubt, and most of all...something else unnamed. Unexpressed. He couldn't believe it...she was lying! She didn't know him!

Suddenly, his head shot up, hot tears pouring down his face as he yelled. "You're lying! He would never do something like that!" His voice was shaking, cracking, filled with so many emotions it was hard to tell them apart. Fear, pain, anger, sadness, hate, and the strongest...denial. All his raging emotions were at their extremities. His world was shattering, but he'd keep himself afloat with denial.

"He's not dead! He'll come back! He's not a bad person! You're a liar! You're sick in the head to tell me those things! Who are you to tell me that!? My father was a great man! He'll come back for me! He always has before, and he will come back soon!" He tried to hold in the sobbing that threatened to overtake him, tried to force himself to swallow past the lump in his throat that threaten to choke him. He did choke back the tears a little, his teeth gritted as hardened golden gaze stared at Akemi. "You're a LIAR! LIAR! LIAR!!!"

He screamed at her, the seed of denial would begin to plant itself within his mind, to grow and sprout steadily until all would be clear. But however long that would take would be unknown. If he were anyone else, he probably would have attacked her, but instead he slowly backed away, gaze returning to the ground as his head shook side to side, fur bristling before turning and fleeing. He stomped over the death flower, and ran as fast and as hard as he could. He needed to get away from here, away from the truthful lies that were revealed today.

When he was far enough away, he stopped, the boy breathing heavily. His head turned to the heavens, a raw and emotion filled scream left his small body. Loud and long enough to leave his throat feeling raw and painful. Then finally, he'd collapse in a heap. Sobs wracking his body.

-Exit Shiki-

And I Know That I
I Sometimes Tend To Lose My Temper
And I Cross The Line

Liar. The words hit her life a knife to the chest, and Akemi would stagger. She would stagger back, her single orb searching the face of her son. He didn't believe her. Gods, he didn't believe her. The female would lower her ears, giving a heavy whine. She wanted to continue to dispute it, to shout the truth at him until he believed, but there was no point. There was no point in trying to convince the young man in this state, and Akemi would say nothing, letting the weight of her words fall upon the boy.

A heavy sigh would pass the lips of the female, watching as her last child would turn and run off. There was nothing else to be done. She would wait, watching him fade in the distance before she would turn tail. Her heart hurt. She would let her bottom half slide to the ground, closing her single orb as she let the feelings wash over her body.

All she wanted was to find her children and gather them up. Bring them home. But now it seemed... now it seemed there was little hope left for it. Her children were drifting away from her, going to live their own lives. The female would heave yet another heavy sigh. Nothing would ever be alright again. She was certain this was only the beginning of her heartache.

-End Thread.-

"Speech"

I Know It Gets Hard Sometimes
But I Could Never Leave Your Side
No Matter What I Say

Table by:: Tealah