[ AW ] the universe survives on give and take,

light and dark will converge

the sky was kissed grey, heavy over the dark ocean. in the distance, the water had began to stir into feral, white-crested waves. on the shore, the wind was gentle, yet it whispered to him the coming storm, rainless and fierce. far from shore, the sky snarled.

the sun had risen and passed its peak, and now the clouds had began to encroach on it, dimming it to little more than a glow. he had been watching the storm move for some time, the water lapping at his paws, but as the wind began to turn from whisper to a growl, he had moved upland. he rested - waited, perhaps - beneath a rocky outcrop, protected from the wind but able to watch the darkening sky.

throughout the day, he had gathered what he could from the shore: tattered kelp, several small fry that had found themselves almost stranded, and half a dozen ornate, curved shells. the shells, at least, had been collected purely for his curiosity's sake. the kelp and fry, for his guests. or rather, the guests he hoped he might eventually find.

with the storm fast approaching land, he called out with a short howl that spoke of his offer: safety, a place to rest, and food if one desired. it was an offer he made often, but not one always taken up. and so, he did not fuss over whether or not any other might come seeking shelter and instead, took it upon himself to investigate the strange shells he had found. all the while, the thunder grew louder, the wind more fierce.

rain might not come, he thought, but perhaps something else might.

code by claerie

A R Y T H M E T I K

The wind stirred, carrying with it an ominous blend of warm and cool air. Aryth turned his eyes to the sky, squinting against the pale grey that darkened into the horizon. He was not accustomed to the beach, but he knew well enough that the weather spelt a storm. And here he was, wandering the remnants of the ghostly heat camps without a soul in sight. Completely unprotected from the elements. Audibly he sighed, his russet fur splaying in all directions as another gust of wind whipped. I’d hoped to be back by now. But his sense of duty turned him into a fool. He was the only Professor who seemed to care enough to check for stragglers and travelers still stricken with heat stroke. The autumn hadn’t brought any relief, and the King certainly hadn’t assuaged his worries. But he really shouldn’t have made this trip by himself on a day like this.


Suddenly, a savior’s call rang through the air. The scholar blinked in surprise, his ears swiveling forward in excitement. An invitation for company? The distant clouds told him he’d be an idiot to refuse. Aryth padded up the beach until he reached the source of the voice. It took him a minute to spot the other male: a large, dark shape hidden beneath a rocky ridge. Truthfully, he was just grateful to see someone else here. Maybe the trip hadn’t been worthless after all. As he neared, he noted his counterpart’s appearance; he couldn’t help but think the male looked like a gigantic, black fox. But the scholar wasn’t deterred. He’d always been friendly, but spending so much time with Grigori was making the Professor more and more confident. His tail waved pleasantly before he greeted, “Good afternoon, friend.” Aryth’s emerald eyes sparkled, and he stopped just short of joining the other wolf underneath the outcropping. He braced himself against the wind and added, “What are you doing out here? Do you live in the area?”

code by claerie

@Folke

Rain!

It suddenly starts raining, gently at first, and then harder. Sheets of it come down in a sudden squall. You are stuck until it ends.


No post in updates required

light and dark will converge

sometimes, he wasn't sure if the howl he had heard was a wolf or the wind itself. in any case, he listened closely. he had been watching the sky when something caught his attention elsewhere, and his eyes drifted down to meet the sandstone stranger. folke rose slightly, if only because he wished to greet the other with a shallow bow.

"greetings, friend," he called back, his grin broad and warm despite his sharp voice. "i am no kin to this area, but something comes. i take shelter from it here."

he poked his head out from beneath the rocky shelf, and the answer to a silent question came -- several small droplets, more like a mist really. how long had it been since the land had felt rain? it was if the landscape breathed a sigh of relief, and he sensed the smell of earth and leaves in the distance. the wind did not relent, and he shuffled back undercover. ordinarily, he might have basked in the shower, but instinct told him the storm would not be content with just a drizzle.

"you are welcome here, friend. there is little gained from fighting the wind," he said with a sheepish grin. the wind would pass faster than any fatigue earned from fighting it, after all. folke himself had retreated back to his shells, though he eyed the stranger with obvious interest.they were very much opposites, or close enough to such.

eyes of ember sought to meet eyes of spring green once more. folke's head was at a tilt, one ear turned to his companion and another to the wind. "i am folke, a traveler. is this your land, perhaps?" it had, after all, only just occurred to him that he might have been an intruder of sorts. or perhaps, he wondered idly, the other was a traveler like himself, checking his own status with his question of living in the area. in any case, folke had the impression that they might be in one another's company for longer than a passing moment, and he was very much doing his best to keep his excitement contained. it had been some time since he had encountered a true stranger, though he seldom let strangers remain as such for all too long.

code by claerie

@Arythmetik

A R Y T H M E T I K

Just as Aryth greeted his counterpart, the wind stirred fiercely. As if on cue, droplets of rain began to patter against the pebbled beach–and against the scholar’s russet fur. He lowered his head and tensed his shoulders against the cold drizzle, but thankfully, the other invited him into his hiding place just in time. Aryth flashed an honest smile and hurried awkwardly to seek shelter, bowing his head yet again in a gesture of gratitude. “Losh, thank you! Thank you. I don’t know what I would’ve done.” He shook himself briefly, although any residual raindrops had practically dried immediately. It didn’t start raining (not in earnest, anyway) until they were both safely beneath the rocky outcropping. As Aryth settled himself, he glanced around at the snack the stranger had seemed to prepare himself.


“Folke?” he parroted, a bit distracted by the fortuitous timing of it all. Aryth curled his tail around his limbs like a professor pulling tight a knit sweater. “No, actually, I’m quite far from home right now.” Aryth sighed and peered into the pale, grey light. The rain came down hard and fast from nowhere, essentially shielding the pair from any view of the horizon. “I’m a scholar from the College of Eolas. But I’ve been patrolling the area for stragglers seeking medical attention in the heat camps. They’re mostly empty, now.” Aryth nodded pointedly to the rain. Clearly, the deadly heat waves were almost at an end, and no one was dying from dehydration today. “My name’s Professor Arythmetik, but please, call me Aryth.”


It occurred to Aryth that Folke probably wasn’t out here for the heat camps. “If you don’t mind me asking, traveler, where do you hail from?”

code by claerie

@Folke ooc. Agh! I'm so sorry, I just saw this!