[Ori]

This is open to anyone and everyone, even those that may want to rough him up a bit.

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Somehow, it had found him again.


That unrelenting, unforgiving sadness had once again crept into the very depths of his being.  It wrapped itself around his bones, and burrowed itself deep into every crevice of the boys fragile heart, like a bacteria it had begun to spread.  It started as a nagging voice in the back of his head, nipping and stuttering, making its way into his thoughts.  At first he ignored it, he found it easy to brush aside, like a stray hair waving in your peripheral vision.  He distracted himself with the views and the fauna he interacted with.  It was easy when the sun awake, and high in the sky.  As the sun set, he found it more difficult to brush away that feeling, and it spread within him like a winter chill, settling to the bone, piercing even the most protected parts.  


Nights like tonight Ori found it difficult to sleep, his mind wrestling with so many thoughts, that creeping cold flooding into his head.  Heaving a heavy sigh, he re-positioned his head to lay on his crossed paws, staring out into the creek nearby, the moonlight reflecting off the rippling waters.  It reminded him of home, of the ocean and the way the waves crashed onto the beach.  A tired smile crossed the ghostly boys face, the corners of his lips tugged upwards, as he remembered frolicking with his family, happier times.  Better times.  Lips fell back down, as the sadness crept back over him.  Things would not be that happy again, not like they were when everyone was there.  Ori knew what happened to Tauro, but he did not know what happened to Kariya.  He had hoped he would find his brother out here, trying to find himself, but somehow, deep down, Ori knew he wasn’t going to find him, the sadness whispered it to him in the wind.  The wind whispered many things to him as of late, many good, others bad, he paid no mind most of the time, but tonight- the wind whispered something that he listened to- something he was ready to hear.


-It was time to go home.  


Lifting himself up, and shaking off the dirt and the grime, the ghostly white wolf went to get a drink from the creek, and when he finished, turned back to pick up the stone he’d found in the river bed days before.  He couldn’t bring Kariya home for Serrate, and he knew a stone would never replace her son, but perhaps it could try to bring her peace.  Except when he returned to his resting spot, the stone was gone.  His brow furrowed, and he looked around feverishly for it.  “Oh no-  oh no please, where did it go?”  He asked quietly to himself, his voice straining slightly.  “Oh no, oh dear… Oh goodness…”  Ori pleaded with himself, with the stone, with the universe in general, even perhaps with anyone nearby who might’ve taken it while he wasn’t looking.

[Witch.]

HURT MY SON AND PERISH

[Emily.]

incoming.... .

[Khensa]

Khensa laid idley against a smooth, angled boulder. Shaded by the canopy, hanging over the small creek. The trickling sound of water was therapeutic, and with the lack of responsibilities she had all of the time in the world for relaxing. Like silk, she draped over the stone; head tilted towards the water, occasionally glancing at her reflection. She smirked cooly. Oooh.

The days seemed to blur lately, with the weight of leisure on her shoulders, the most mundane sightings became the most invigorating. Stalking a passerby, tormenting rabbits, those had become her new pleasures in life.
So she'd been watching the young boy.

Carefully.

He was hard to ignore, a hard contrasting white against the lush greenery. He seemed troubled here, lost both figuratively and literally. She listened to his aimless whining, and her smirk grew in size. Time to play.

"Oh, love, what is it you're looking for?" She turned to stretch along the smooth rock, making her position known, "Maybe I can help."

▌note: >:)

[Knife]

The slender shadow watched too, though he didn’t mean to (would the pale boy be mad?) as his gazed turned dispassionately towards the dark swirling patterns of the creek. A girl with red fur the color of the edges of a sunset called down on the moon pale boy, her voice sweet and gentle, but she placed herself above them like a god. The knife lifted its pale face to glance at her before moving from the darkness he existed alongside of, letting himself be known here. His gait is gentle, even on the slick river stones, and he gracefully picks his way along like a long-legged bird; pink nose pointed down as he considered the water.

“I’ll help too,” he softly speaks to the pale boy, “I’ll try.”

He wasn’t sure what they were looking for though, but the boy would tell them, he assumed, or would he? The boy from the moon cast his eyes towards the ground, so it must be near their paws, but all Knife saw were glistening rocks and patches of ground blanketed with moss and rotting leaves. One of his weak ears twitched towards the girl but his nose stayed close to the earth as he padded along. He was trying to help.

[Khensa]

8-)

[Ori]

o r i  //

Like that unrelenting sadness that seemed to creep into the gentle ghost boys life all too often, the tears that many a time fell from his eyes could be felt, welling up behind those soft blue eyes.  He couldn't have lost this stone too, he'd been such a disappointment already- no Kariya, no Hyperion, and now no stone to bring home to Serrate, things just kept piling up on the poor boy.  

Trying his hardest though, he bit his lip to keep those damned tears from falling, from listing down his elongated nose, and onto the ground, where they so often fell.  Those blur eyes often shone more brightly when there was moisture behind them, and today was nothing different.  However, those tears flew out from behind his eyes, as he whipped himself around to address a voice that was unfamiliar.  He had found a lot of those voices out here in the world- strangers- all with stories.  Most of these strangers he had stumbled upon were friendly, or rather, became friendly after a while.  

Perhaps this one was no different?  Ori would always hold the highest hope for the good in people, even in the darkest of times.  

"Oh love, what is it you're looking for, maybe I can help?"

He swallowed the giant lump in his throat, "I- I've lost.." He had lost a rock, but that was going to sound so plain, maybe even daft to a stranger, ".. w-well, it's.. a lavender colored stone.. i-it's for my moth-  for a friend."  Even still, he couldn't bring himself to call Serrate his mother, especially after failing to find her real, legitimate sons for her.  

Ori did not deserve that title.  

"I'll help too, I'll try."

Blue eyes danced to the left as yet another stranger trickled from the shadows. This one seemed more friendly somehow, voice meek, and small, much like his own.  Ori smiled at him, "Thank you-" He glanced up to the larger red lady, "- both of you."  Blue eyes grew soft, the tears seemed to have trickled away with those feelings of unease form earlier, perhaps with both of them helping, he could find the stone and bring back at least something for Serrate.  Something besides disappointment.  

That ran rampant these days.

"I k-know it sounds silly but... It's important to me.  I don't w-want to waste your t-time."  He did not want to be an inconvenience to these helpful, incredibly nice strangers.