A summer storm had brewed in the early morning, and had been casting its dreary and wet effects over the lands. It was cooler than it had been, and almost enjoyable if one could tolerate the rain and the lightning flashing and the thunder booming above. The rain pelted down, ripping through the tree branches and assaulting the ground in torrents. Rough winds violently shook the trees, scattering leaves in its wake. Puddles formed along the ground, the water pooling at the ends of gentle slopes. Water soaked through her multi-colored fur, and the mud seeped between her claws, as she padded at a steady pace through the thick forest. Her head was down, and her ears would flick occasionally to cast the accumulating drops of water from them. Golden eyes, peered through the murky darkness that was often illuminated by a flash of lightning, as she worked her way through the forest, seeking shelter. She wasn?t a stranger to bad weather, through her travels she had been through her fair share of it. From blizzards to storms that were so violent, one would think that the earth was rebelling the life that was upon it; she?d been through both, and this storm would be no different. A loud clap of thunder vibrated through the forest, and she suppressed a shudder. The mud here was becoming increasingly thick, and she worked harder than ever to get through it with her small wiry frame. That?s it, she thought with an annoyed huff, I?ve seriously got to find shelter, now. Finally pulling her white paws through the last of the mud, she turned and headed between a thick bush and a tree, hoping to find less worn trails. The lightning illuminated her way again, and before her she saw a small clearing in the trees, and she paused at the edge of them. Looking around, she found a large oak tree with a whole in the bottom of it. Cautiously she picked her way towards it, scenting the air and cursing at the rain, which was making it more and more difficult. She didn?t scent anyone there, and cautiously ducked down to step inside of the tree. She was surprised with the room she seemed to have, as she paced in a circle before finally coming to rest on her haunches. She stretched out, her head facing outwards so she could see if anyone approached her. She laid there, her head resting on her outstretched paws for several moments before her eyes closed of their own volition. A gentle sigh escaped her maw, as she drifted off to sleep. She was thrown headfirst into a dream. She was in the old forest that she had resided in with Ezra; she loped forward at and easy pace through the forest, dodging trees here and there. She ran for a while, happy to back in her old home, until she rounded a corner to where she and Ezra had shared a den. A whine came from her mouth, at the sight of her old friend, and she ran towards her yipping in excitement. Ezra stood as Eris ran towards her, the old dames tail wagging happily, and as Eris neared her, Ezra stretched out her muzzle to touch noses with her. A loud clap of thunder and another illuminating flash of lightning ripped her out of her unconscious heaven, and she lifted her head with a frown on her face. It always seemed that she was ripped from her most pleasant dreams while being forced to continually relive her nightmares. She let out a sigh, and wrapped her tail around her small frame, then watched the rain fall with saddened eyes for a few moments before tipping back her head to let out a small mournful howl. Tears dripped from her golden eyes, as her heart broke for her long ago loss all over again. "There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love."-Washington Ivring Speech...

Her coat was ash, mixed shades of gray, black, and off white. A collar consisting of light gray fur would coil around her beck and dip between her ears. She was a beautiful, glorious thing that had been hated for her colors, beaten down and destroyed because she wasn't clean. Her coat was not a glistening ivory white and thus she had been made a mockery of. An example of sin, abused and tortured whenever such was seen fit. She had broken her shackles, released her bonds. Elphaba was free. Golden eyes flickered gazing about the thick foliage, this place held no meaning to her. Her gaze would remain detached, unmoving.

The summer rain beat down upon her, drenching her fur and the forest about her. Thunder rumbled, groaning its discomfort at the heavens, lightning cracked, smashing into the earth in thick bolts of fury and malice. The dame did not flinch. Her head remained level with the rest of her bodice and her tail swung absently behind her, stable, helping her balance. With each step she took paws would sink into the muck the forest floor had become and the thick grime would release her pads with a sickening squelch and the pattern would repeat.

The lightning did not phase her, the rolling thunder nor the murky ground would slow her gait, water dripped from her fur in long torrents and still she would move at the same headstrong gait. Golden eyes glared defiantly at the ever growing rain clouds, daring them to attack her, daring them to do their worst and do their worst they did, but such abuses Elphaba brushed off, she was accustomed to far worse, the rain would do little to her. Her thoughts drifted, vanishing back over the horizons to think of things long since vanquished from her mind.

Her traitorous mind reminded her of Glinda. Glinda, Glinda, Glinda. Quite possibly the only name to ever crack a smile across multi-hued dames maw. The ivory fae was, to put it simply, flawless. She had no marks of dishonor, no colors, eyes of crystalline blue and the fur of the utmost ivory. Loved and adored by everyone, hated by none. She had been beauty, Elphaba the beast and yet... somehow, the two became the best of friends, Elphie's only friend, Glinda's favorite. She regretted leaving her behind, she hadn't had the chance to say goodbye but Glinda knew just as Elphie did that her life could never be fulfilled their, she had released that one light of her past with great reluctance and immeasurable strength.

She had not regretted the decision, Seracia was good to her, treated her well. Her audits would flicker, whipping behind her and she would pause, a scent nearly taken by the rain reaching her nose. Her cranium would turn, golden gaze falling upon the tiny creature that had crammed herself inside the tree. She would blink, before her head lowered, not in submission or in greeting, the action seemed to be more intimidating than anything. Her tail would fall flaccid, dangling between her legs. "Why hide from the storm? Embrace it." Lyrics would fall from her larynx, thick and heavy. She had a resounding baritone for a voice, deep and meaningful. She did not speak to waste air.



Speech!

Inside of the oak tree, that had long been hollow it was spacious for the small dame. Her head, poked out of the whole, watching the storm. Occasionally a rain drop would drip onto her nose, and she?d shake it away. She had already drifted off to sleep, only to be wrenched from the heaven that was her dreams back into this hellish storm. So she forced herself away, after her maw had emitted lyrics that were so painful and grieve-stricken. She rested her head on her paws again, her golden oculars scanning the clearing around her and her mind wandered. She thought about Reven, the wolf that she had mated with and the pups they had created. Her eyes would glaze in sadness as she thought about burying those pups, and how she had lain next to them for days after mourning her loss. It seemed she?d never have what she yearned for, a family. Every time it had been in her grasps, some unknowable force ripped it from her paws. She was meant to be alone. In a way, that was okay with her, but part of her, a part she couldn?t compartmentalize yearned for that companionship that closeness with another. It yearned for that normalcy. The entrance of another wolf into the clearing broke her out of her mental revelry, and she tilted her head curiously as the figure danced further into the clearing. Had her earlier notes disrupted this stranger? Eris lifted her head, to watch this over wolf curiously, her golden eyes flickering with the wariness that she felt. When the other she-wolf addressed her, Eris nearly slammed back into the tree. She jerked her head back into the tree, and sat there for a few moments. Taking a deep breath she forced herself to stick it back out, and pulled the front half of her torso out to embrace the rain. Torn between running for her life and returning the addressing of the other wolf she stood there simply at loss for words for several moments. The rain still came down in torrents, and the lightning and thunder rumbled and crackled above. After a particularly violent eruption, she finally readied herself to speak. ?In a storm such as this, it hardly seems prudent to simply enjoy the rain, as one may find themselves electrified.? Her reply was polite cool as she warily watched this other female for signs of aggression. Her body was submissive, and relaxed, she hoped this stranger wouldn?t decide to eat her, after all she wasn?t very tasty. Speech,

Her eyes would turn to hollow orbs of petrified gold. Neither aggression nor piece taking root in her piercing gaze. Her odd coloring seemed to add to the sinister look she wore so well... but such things were not befitting of her gaze or her posture. Her muscles were relaxed, shoulder blades pressed up against her flesh and head lowered, eyes locked upon the hiding creature. her tail hung between her legs, motionless, unmoving, if anything she could be deemed as cautious, but afraid or aggressive could not paint upon her. She would not move, the earth seemingly willing to suck her paws into its moisture. Elphaba would remain impassive, unreadable, such was her nature. The startled jump the woman would give did not so much as phase her physically, her eyes did not so much as flicker, her mind wracked with possibilities. Perhaps this was no wolf? But a sheep dressed all in fur? She held no sympathy for the damned. She held no sympathy for this prattling creature. Elphaba believed in an internalized strength. You possessed it, or you didn't. It was one or the other. One had the will to survive or they didn't, Elphaba, was a survivor, a pillar of strength, she had been crafted not to fall and not to break and God damn it she had left her chains behind. had embraced the loneliness of her nature and she lived without regret, never would she return to that world of colorless white and setting Glinda aside, she would never regret it, nor would she ever bend to their beliefs. She was a hideous, ugly thing, but she belonged to herself, she was no one pet slave. Her outside appearence displayed nothing of her inner turmoil. She remained a seemingly motionless statue, save for the rise and fall of her chest. The timid thing would emerge, seemingly finding a backbone as she slithered out into the storm, Elphaba would life her head, aligning it with her torso as she watched. Silent and keen, as always. her words had obviously touched a nerve with the damsel, the ever so slightly hostile response surprised her. Her tail flickered. The only sign that she had even heard the woman. "The trees would take the shock long before the bolts would breech your body." Elphaba's tones were hollow, devoid of emotion but rung loud and clear, snapping through the rain like the crack of a whip. "Speech"

It took her a few moments, but the timid she-wolf slowly began to relax in the presence of the other lady. Rain cascaded down, soaking her thick coat, as she stood a short distance away from the new-comer. A small smile would flicker upon her maw at the she-wolfs response. Whether the response was witty or simply logical, Eris wasn?t sure, she did seem to realize that this strange wolf wasn?t trying to threaten her. Looking at the wolf before her, she found a certain kind of beauty to her. She wasn?t a typical beauty, who would don a glossy coat and shimmering doe eyes, but this lady before her showed a sense of grace that Eris had come to recognize in wolves who had, had to become strong before their time. The short female, dipped her head slightly to the lady before her, and spoke. ?My name is Eris. May I know yours?? She asked politely but in a slightly surer tone. Her dream had shaken her up, and could have possibly been blamed for her overly timid behavior moments before, but now something akin to confidence was blooming inside her as she looked at the other wolf, almost as if she was drawing her strength. Speech,

Elphaba would stare, golden eyes boring into the tiny wolf as she gingerly stepped from her place amongst the trees. She was exceptionally small, almost pixie-like. She had little to no muscles and her with the rain soaking though her pelt, she looked like a teen not yet grown into her body, but by her behavior and her words alone, she surmised that the woman was fully grown, simply...small. It mattered little to the gray and ebony witch. She had no desire to make an enemy of this creature and she wouldn't, providing the woman did the same. The rain had long since soaked her pelt, dripping from her maw, her belly her chest, it glided off her in torrents, her fur long since given up on trying to absorb it. her tail would flicker, her eyes would darken.

Before she realized what she was witnessing, she realized the dame before her was, in fact, sizing her up, analyzing her just as Elphaba was doing to her. There was a hidden air of tragedy that lingered about the tiny creature and Elphaba recognized it, only because that same air of neglect and of pain so often encased her. She would not ask, she would not push, such was not in Elphaba's nature. The woman would answer and Elphaba's ears would flicker forward, catching the odd name and the question. With a sigh the woman would recline back upon her haunches, maw tilting up towards the angry skies.

"Eris..." She would repeat first the womans name, tasting it, sampling it upon her tongue. It was different unique, she liked it. Her pseudo father, she could hear screaming in the background, to him uniqueness was a plague, Elphaba herself was a wretched, mistake. Her gaze would drop from the vengeful sky back to the woman. "Elphaba. My name is Elphaba."


Speech!

The late summer storm was complete with warm rains, but that didn?t stop the slight shiver that racked her small frame. The rain was slowing to an easier pace, though the winds still ripped through the forest violently. She studied the creature before her, taking in her name as she spoke. Elphaba, what a beautifully original name, quite like the uniquely beautiful wolf before her. She took in a deep breath, glancing away from Elphaba and around the clearing, as the lightning illuminated the area surrounding her. Golden eyes took in the trees and the sheer expanse of the clearing, before bringing themselves too look at the she-wolf before her. ?Elphaba, what a beautiful yet mysterious name. Does it hold special meaning?? She asked softly, with a warm smile on her lips. Something about this she-wolf, perhaps how she held herself made her feel comfortable, and relaxed. Speech...

Elphaba revealed nothing, no glittering hatred, no gleaming distrust, her mask was carefully blanket, her body poised, tense, ready, but nonthreatening. She trusted nothing, grew attached to nothing. She served Seracia because she had made a pact and she never went back on her word. She spoke rarely and offered few words when she did, but each was precise and to the point. She hated the water. hated it with a burning, fiery passion, but she had never let fear get in her way before and she would be damned if she started now. Her tail lashed behind her, angry, aggressive, but her facial expression never changed. The dames compliment would reach her audits and Elphaba would shiver, a chill racking her frame only once, before she lay still. For a long moment Elphaba remained silent, a statue amongst the heavy rainfall. She was unaccustomed to compliments, she didn't respond well to them, she didn't know how to respond. Her past was filled with so much hatred and cynicism... her brain locked up when something positive presented itself, instead of warm and welcoming, she became suspicious, leery. "Elphaba was a name chosen to represent one of the old Goddesses of rebirth, if you believe in such fantasies." Her voice came still and expressionless. It was clear she intended not to speak much on her past, they had been quite the religious people... Oz... the name still made her lips curl back in an ugly sneer. She studied the woman a touch closer, noticing things about the absolutely tiny creature. "Do you have a home? A pack?" "Speech"

She wasn?t well poised in a political mask, and her emotions were almost always betrayed in her eyes. It wasn?t something she particularly despised or something that she really liked about herself. She slowly sank back onto her haunches, assuming that if they were going to talk, she may as well be comfortable. Slowly but surely, it seemed that the rain was easing up- turning into a softer down-pour, rather than it?s horrible torrent. An easy smile, was on her jaws as the lady across from her spoke. Elphaba, was a gorgeous name. It was unique and powerful, and if it was named after a goddess of rebirth, then she supposed that- that was better than being named after a goddess of strife. Politely and attentively she listened, and waited a moment, after she spoke before speaking herself. A roll of thunder rumbled, just as she opened her mouth, and so she waited until the sound passed. ?Either way it?s a beautiful, and unique name. What brings you out in such a storm?? Her tones were soft and warm. Eris was already warming up to this beautiful soul, and before Elphaba knew it, she was likely to have a friend- even if she didn?t want one. Speech,

She watched the nervous lass slowly lose her tension, sinking down to her haunches once she realized Elphaba had no intention of harm. It was a heady thing to be witness too. Elphaba had her own reasons to be skittish and scarred but she fought against them, she fought against the very fabric of life, damned from the start her pack of liars and thieves who had deemed her a solitary outcast from the moment she escaped her mother's womb, her entire life she had fought tooth and nail for life. Rape and torture were not foreign to her, but she had abandoned that life, it no longer held her bound in chains. The thunder rumbled high above the earth, almost a warning, daring anyone brave enough to face mother nature's wrath, Elphaba was determined, not suicidal, she did not move, eyes trained upon Eris, watching, waiting, anticipating, curious. Her tail flickered violently behind her, sending water careening through the air. Her thick pelt absorbed the moisture like a sponge and the oddly shaded dame wanted to damn the liquid element to the bowels of hell. She hated the rain. "Beauty has never been a term associated with me or my name. Ballads are written for those of pelts to reflect the blinding brilliance of snow, not those that reflected the smoldering embers of ash." Her words were biting, mildly bitter, not at her, but at something unseen and unspoken. "The winds called to me and I answered, the trees and their inhabitants speak if only one chooses to listen." This was spoken much softer, almost a riddle in the way it was delivered. "Speech"

Cascading drops of water pelted her thick coat, her small frame, shiver under the cool affects. Wet, she appeared more of a black and dark brown. Golden eyes, broke the dull colors of her coat, and stared at the ash colored female before, taking in her words quietly. A few moments breaths would escape her chest, as she mulled over Elphaba?s words, and considered her own rebuttal. Her jaws would part, revealing her dainty teeth as she spoke again. Her voice warm, and a slight smile to her jaws. ?I fear, my friend, that beauty is a compliment far too deserved for you. There has always been beauty in ashes, if one had the open mind to see it. Ash covers new life, promoting its growth and allowing its own inner beauty to seep through. ? Like the riddling words of Elphaba, her own came across a riddle, and idly she wondered how her words would be received. Though, she did not dwell on it, it seemed strange to Eris that the consuming power of grief she had experienced just moments before Elphaba stepped into the clearing, and into her life- had all but dissipated from her heart, leaving a dull ache in its wake as she talked with the other lady. She tried to remind herself, that there was a beauty in grief, and that it strengthened people- rather than weakening them. Tears held a sacred power to a healer, a sign that there was still something left to lose. They were a reason to fight. A reason to hold on. Speech...