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Post by Shehrazad on Mar 3, 2008 23:50:35 GMT 1
The last swan-maiden that had remained led Anna away from the glade at a brisk pace. If it weren't for Anna still walking in the Crinos form, she would of had to have jogged to keep up. The spirit spoke as they walked. "You will make your way to the forest near here. There can be found an old wolf spirit of Fenris, you must earn his blessing." The spirit said no more, giving no suggestion of how this could be achieved. The spirit's view of 'near' seemed similarly vague, as from what Anna could gather from the North-Westerly direction they were headed in the nearest forest would be at least sixty miles away.
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Anna
Garou
Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Br?cke
Posts: 672
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Post by Anna on Mar 6, 2008 10:10:19 GMT 1
Anna followed silently. She knew where the forest was, and she knew it was going to be a bit of a run, even in Lupus. But even the prospect of a sixty mile run didn't dampen her spirits. The hard part was over, she had been accepted into the tribe. She was no longer a lost Black Spiral's cub.
She shifted to Lupus and started to run, the excitement in her blood keeping her from getting tired for now, even though it had been a long night. It would be a long day too.
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Post by Shehrazad on Mar 6, 2008 13:37:12 GMT 1
The journey was tough for Anna and wasn't helped any by the night creeping in, but she could smell and hear the forest by the time she felt her endurance being stretched by the long-running. If the valkyrie noticed Anna's flagging endurance she didn't show it, but as they reach the edge of the forest the spirit slowed to a more comfortable pace and Anna was given a brief respite to catch her breath. Only a hint of moonlight gave Anna anything to see her way by, but it was enough to avoid walking into any trees.
Once they had made their way a few metres into the forest, the spirit stopped and turned around. "My guidance is done, you must seek the War Wolf of Fenris and earn his blessing on your own now."
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Anna
Garou
Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Br?cke
Posts: 672
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Post by Anna on Mar 6, 2008 14:24:11 GMT 1
Anna stopped, taking a moment to catch her breath. But she didn't stop for long. She looked up at the valkyrie and nodded grimly. She would continue without her from here.
But then Anna wasn't really on her own. She was guided not only by the voices of her ancestors, but by the wisdom and strength of Tapio the Bear King. Confident that the spirits would not leave her now, she pushed further into the forest, searching for the War Wolf.
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Post by Shehrazad on Mar 7, 2008 9:20:13 GMT 1
The swan-maiden fell in behind her and stayed silent as Anna made her way into through the freezing, moonlit forest. The going was slow for Anna had never spent much time in the wilds at all, let alone in the middle of the night and alone. She rapidly found herself lost and confused by all the smells and sights around her and could do little to make out any one sign amongst all the many.
Only when she stopped to think things through, to recall what she can of the wolves of Fenris, did any signs become apparent. A scent here, a pawprint there, Anna could not be sure they were signs of her target but they matched the profile of the monstrously large savage war wolf. With no other trail to follow, Anna took the only path available to her and followed the signs as best she could.
The signs were few and far between and Anna was so unfamiliar with the wolf senses that she often found herself turned around or crossing her own path, often confusing the matter further. She was again forced to rely on her human mind, planning out the locations of the signs and forming a mental map of where all the clues are in order to make an educated guess of which direction she should travel.
With no-one else nearby and the swan-maiden watching her silently from a distance, Anna had no-one else to rely on but herself. Swallowing her fear and self-doubt, Anna went with her guessed route and walked on. For a time, Anna was reassured by further signs of the passage of the large savage wolf she was tracking, but they ran out and she was left walking blindly into the wilderness.
Anna's fears were only too eager to rise again as she's now alone, cold and tired and doesn't know where to go next. The swan-maiden in the distance offers no comfort for she watches Anna without any sign of acknowledgement and Anna might as well not be standing there for all the valkyrie seems to care. For a moment, the idea of stopping to sleep and look at the situation on a clearer mind arose but there were other fears that demanded acknowledgement first. Maybe she isn't tracking a Fenrisian spirit, surely they could not be the only large savage wolves and the other ones would probably not be inclined to friendly contact.
Suddenly Anna heared up a crack in the undergrowth that forced her to jump and turn around, then there was another to the side. Anna couldn't be sure, but she got the impression there were shadowy figures moving in around her. Perhaps the large, fearsome wolves she might have been tracking, it seemed like there was a pack of them around her circling before the kill.
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Anna
Garou
Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Br?cke
Posts: 672
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Post by Anna on Mar 7, 2008 10:23:48 GMT 1
Anna was quickly getting frustrated. Her search was getting her nowhere. She had never actually learnt to track like Vasara or Micah, and now she was suddenly aware of the gaping hole in her education. However, frustration was quickly replaced by fear as she realised she was surrounded.
Whatever you do, don't panic.
"I am a cub of Fenris," she said, trying to hide her fear and exhaustion and sound somewhat confident. "I seek a great War Wolf of Fenris, for I must earn his blessing..."
Trying very hard not to panic and make a run for it, she stood her ground, waiting for the Spirits to show themselves.
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Post by Shehrazad on Mar 7, 2008 11:05:54 GMT 1
The shadows only seemed to grow more prominent as Anna talked to them, but they didn't make any move to get closer or communicate. They stayed where they were, surrounding Anna and only ever being seen in the edge of her vision.
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Anna
Garou
Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Br?cke
Posts: 672
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Post by Anna on Mar 7, 2008 19:40:09 GMT 1
Anna could feel her heart pounding in her throat. She was starting to wonder how much of these things were real, and how much was just in her head. Somehow, the idea that they were just in her head scared her even more.
Please, please help me.
Pulling herself together, Anna continued her search for any sign of... anything. Anything that might lead her to the War Wolf.
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Post by Shehrazad on Mar 7, 2008 21:39:10 GMT 1
Anna could almost believe they were an illusion, they never entered her vision fully and just made the dark darker and the shadows shadier. The knowledge that they were not real did little to drive away the effect that every noise and shadow turned into another monster ready to leap out and devour her flesh. With her attention constantly diverted, Anna couldn't focus her mind on regaining the path she needed to follow as every time she thought she had it some movement made her lose the sign she needed to follow.
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Anna
Garou
Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Br?cke
Posts: 672
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Post by Anna on Mar 8, 2008 10:32:48 GMT 1
After stumbling along blindly for a while, Anna gave up and stopped. She looked around, trying to get a better look at her shadowy companions. She was now almost completely convinced they were just figments of her imagination. Sometimes it was hard to tell which is the dream and which is real.
Are you giving up already?
Anna straightened up at the sound of Eagles' Eyes voice. I'm lost.
I know.
Can you help me find the trail again?
(Roll ancestors for survival, or tracking, or whatever it is that's relevant here.)
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Post by Shehrazad on Mar 8, 2008 11:00:48 GMT 1
As Anna tried to reach out and draw on Eagles-Eyes guidance, she found herself crossing old mental pathways that she'd tried to close off and her mind is invaded by the familiar voice of her eyeless friend. "You seek the guidance of your ancestors at the time when you are turning your back on them!" The voice paused for a few seconds, then continued on in a more even tone. "I am sorry, I said you were forgiven and so you are. Here is my guidance: Heed your visions, see that you have been brought to your death." Anna found herself being turned around to face the valkyrie watching over her and her body took to the war-form against her will. "Destroy it, girl! Return to your true heritage and cease these lies!"
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Anna
Garou
Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Br?cke
Posts: 672
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Post by Anna on Mar 8, 2008 14:03:45 GMT 1
"No, not you! I don't need your help."
But it was already too late. Anna approached the Valkyrie with an angry, violent snarl forming in her throat. They were right. She had sent her out here alone and with no real explanation, and sent these wolves to kill her. Now she was laughing at her.
Anna pushed her way towards the swanmaiden, her rage building up as she got closer. And then the singing started again.
Stars in the sky are already shining. And all the children are asleep. So you too, close your eyes...
The voice was faint and distant, but it stopped her in her tracks. Anna wasn't sure if it was in her head anymore, she wasn't really sure of anything anymore. But she knew she recognised the voice. Even though it only confused her further.
She stopped a few feet from the Valkyrie and slowly started shrinking back to her homid form. She didn't dare look up at the spirit. She didn't dare ask for help anymore. She knew that was what they were waiting for.
She turned around, and concentrated on finding the trail on her own.
(Willpower spent against insane ancestors, and another against my derangement.)
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Post by Shehrazad on Mar 8, 2008 14:42:46 GMT 1
The swan-maiden's gaze did not leave Anna for a moment and she knew that if she came a step closer, she would be struck down. There was no sympathy for Anna's troubles there. The spirit made no attempt at communication though as Anna forced herself under control, which was a difficult task but one she knew she could achieve now she knew the nature of the shadows around her. With those few seconds concentration, the shadows ceased to loom and though the forest was still far from welcoming for someone like Anna it didn't seem to be downright hostile anymore.
Anna moved on, doing her best to return to her previous path and find the elusive war-wolf. Despite being uninterrupted by the sounds and movements her mind were conjuring up before from te silence and dark of the unfamiliar forest, she made little progress in her tracking efforts. Without the night vision or sense of smell of a wolf she could not find her way again.
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Anna
Garou
Der Wahnsinn ist nur eine schmale Br?cke
Posts: 672
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Post by Anna on Mar 8, 2008 15:26:40 GMT 1
Anna shifted to Lupus wearily, still trying to avoid looking at the swanmaiden. She could almost feel her eyes staring at her.
Careful to avoid another episode, Anna kept her mind focused at the task at hand: Finding the war wolf.
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Post by Shehrazad on Mar 8, 2008 18:35:05 GMT 1
With the drastically enhanced senses provided, at least in these conditions, Anna found the trail she had estimated before though it took her almost half an hour of perseverance before she was sure she hadn't just taken a random direction and gotten even more lost. A few more indications of a large, savage wolf passing by bouy her sagging spirits and she pushes on.
After what felt like hours of searching, the fatigue and cold still tugging at her every step of the way, Anna finally came across something to make the struggle worthwhile. She didn't come across it though, it came across her. As she crept her way through a clearing with her nose to the ground, she heard a growl off to one side. A moment later, a huge white wolf large even than a tiger rises from the foliage concealing it. The growl continues as it pads forward to investigate the intruder, it's icy blue eyes boring into Anna's. It's jaw opens to release an icy breath and for a moment it looked like the spirit would attack Anna, but it stops when it saw the valkyrie standing a way behind Anna.
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