This is Where I Leave You [Open]

[Knight]

I hear the wind call your name
It calls me back home again
It sparks up the fire - a flame that still burns
Oh it's to you I'll always return

Fornae looked at the burnt out lands before him, giving a short nod. "This is where I leave you, little lady." He shot Ginger a look, but the young female was too busy hungrily drinking in her surroundings to pay much attention to him. This slightly irked the half-breed male, but he paid it no mind and merely yawned. "Unless you wish me to guide you to the place where your father lived when he lived here."

This got Ginger's attention, and she gazed at Fornae, "Could you really?" the excitement in her voice was controlled, but there. She wanted to learn everything about her father that she could. Even if he'd turned away from her when she'd most needed him, he was still her father, and she wanted to learn about his mysterious past.

"Of course I could." Fornae smiled lazily, the flirtatious edge to his voice going unnoticed by the excited female. It didn't particularly bother Fornae - he'd learned long ago that nothing distracted her from her missions. The excitement in Ginger's bulky form was hard to miss, anyways. It would be a final token from him if he led her to the old Cave Pack campsite before returning home. To Firepaw...

Ginger's mindset suddenly shifted from cautiously optimistic to blazingly excited. "Then what are we waiting for?" she howled, delight playing along her tone. Her howl was rough and gravelly, tempered just the slightest bit by a feminine note, more like her father's than any of her siblings. Anyone who had known Shadespeaker would know it. Her voice was joined as Fornae threw his head back, voice twining possessively with hers. There was a warning to his howl, silently telling everyone to stay away from the female. Ginger heard this and snarled, howl becoming more assertive. Her howl said she'd could take anyone who tried to hurt her. Fornae's howl softened, amusement breaking through his facade. It was clear now that he did not care for her in the way his first note had asserted.

The play of dominance was over as quickly as it had started and Fornae and Ginger stood side by side. "That was fun." Fornae commented lazily, beginning to plod down the hill, Ginger following him rapidly.

The ground beneath their feet rapidly became ashes, and Fornae began to speak. "This is called the 'Gray Wastelands' by the locals," he explained in a very bored tour guide's manner, "Our destination is the forest you see up ahead. The Cave Pack lived, loved, and died there, with the exception of Shade, obviously."

Ginger ate his words up with a silent attentiveness, only daring to ask a question several minutes after he was done speaking. "Do you think anyone will be here?"

"After that show we put on? Definitely. Did you miss the scent markers?" just a hint of disgust at her incompetence showed in his voice, and Fornae huffed, striding faster.

Ginger shrugged, "No, I did not. But they're so weak I assumed that they were not from this pack." her voice was defensive, and she glowered from the corner of one eye at Fornae.

Fornae chuckled, grinning at Ginger, "Little lady, the Cave Pack members will be all over mauling us. Good to know your father's from a pack that'll kill us as soon as see us, right?" no old bitterness was in his words, despite the injuries he had suffered at the paws - and fangs - of the Cave Pack.

Ginger actually laughed at this, gravelly tones spreading out over the nearby area. "Indeed it us." she grinned, striding faster to keep up with Fornae, "I can't wait until we see where he killed Tala!" delight danced through her voice and she spun in a tight little circle.

Fornae exhaled softly, flattening his ears against his skull. "This is where I leave you, m'lady." he said gruffly, barely disguised anger showing in every taut muscle and his narrowed eyes.

"C'mon, For!" Ginger said plaintively, "Don't be a spoil sport! Just show me where they lived, and I'll figure out the rest!" The sadness in her eyes, whether it was faked or not, sold Fornae. "Fine." he snapped, starting forward again, "Come on, then. And don't call me For, either." he commanded, eyes narrowed.

"Okay, okay." Ginger shrugged, padding after Fornae, not paying much attention to what he had to say. The moment he'd agreed to lead her to the old Cave Pack campsite, she'd stopped listening. Together, they began to walk forward, Fornae moving slowly, and Ginger bounding in circles around the older male. As they walked Fornae grew more on edge, ears swiveling from side to side as they walked. He didn't flirt for once as he plodded forward, worry clear on his features. On the contrary, Ginger looked excited, tail swishing exuberantly from side to side as she twirled in another circle. "I can't wait!" Ginger called out loudly.

"Shush." Fornae ordered. She shut her mouth. In silence, they continued to walk, waiting for something, anything to happen.

I still feel your breath on my skin
I hear your voice deep within
The sound of my lover - a feeling so strong
It's to you - I'll always belong

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[matsi]

''Shy, Did you hear that?'' The rusty colored female asked as she sat up, her white pupaled black eyes scanning the land. Her ears twisted and turned on her dainty skull as her nose twitched.

''Of course I did, Tip,'' The smaller, and younger, alpha male stood from his sunning spot on a rock. His black back glimmered slightly, and his brown rippled as he lept from his sunning spot onto the ground about two feet below him. He stood almost taller and longer than the female, though he was clearly leaner and sleeker than she was.

The Cave pack alpha threw back his head and let his own howl echo in the air. Soon, Tipony joined him, her own voice like music compared to his harsher voice.

It is a male, and a female... The air whispered to Tipony as she sang with Alpha Shy. Her head fell and her song silenced, as did Shy's.

Who are they? She asked the elements around her.

Peice of a broken heart...and creation of the spirit talkers. The plants spoke to her. She did not understand what they meant by that. She looked to Shy, wondering if he knew who was approching them, but judging by the look in his eyes, he knew just about as much as she did.

Shy's nose tried to take in the scents, but the wind was against them.
''Tip, try to get the wind to shift.'' He looked at her with a strong, but kind look.

''Shy, I am an Earth SPEAKER not a wind maker...'' she growled slightly as the elements laughed around her.
Shy snorted and looked back in the direction of the howl.

[Knight]

I am holding half an acre
Torn from the map of Michigan
And folded in this scrap of paper
Is the land I grew in

Two howls resounded in the air. If Fornae had to guess, he'd say that it was the howl of the Alphess and her Alpha. "Good job, Ginger." he commented sarcastically, "I told you that display would get their attention." The wind whispered as the howls dropped off. The howls weren't particularly threatening. That was good. "All the same, we might as well introduce ourselves. Otherwise, we are liable to get our ears shredded off." With that, Fornae began to pad forward again, without waiting for Ginger to try and catch up.

"Really? I get to meet the pack that my father lived with?" Delightedly, Ginger capered forward, eyes gleaming with excitement as she spun in a tight circle before padding forward at Fornae's side.

Fornae snorted to himself, resisting the urge to smile at her enthusiasm. "I wouldn't bet anything I couldn't stand to lose on it. Mika and Shawn died on the day of the human attacks, and that was pretty much the extent of the pack, other than their pups. Therefore, I am not sure who has claimed this land, and I doubt it was an original member of the Cave Pack." the scars on his side prickled as he moved briskly forward, towards the source of the howls. One of them had sounded familiar, but fiercely he ignored and kernels of recognition in his mind.

"Spoil sport." Ginger commented with a snort to match Fornae's. "It doesn't matter, as long as I get to see the old Cave Pack campsite, though." Her voice was so calm, so assured. She didn't doubt for one minute that Fornae would be able to find the Cave Pack's old home and show it to her. And perhaps her father would be there, and Leela as well. Perhaps they'd be waiting for her...

Fornae glanced at Ginger and smiled to himself, "C'mon, we're nearly there." There being where the howls had originated from, but Ginger interpreted that statement quite differently.

"Really?" she squealed, lunging forward, nose struggling to pick up any scent of her father.

Fornae gave a furious snarl and moved after Ginger, legs moving as fast as they could, reaching the spot where Tipony and Shy stood in the same moment. Ginger blinked. "I thought you said we were nearly there."

Fornae exhaled. Keep a grip on your annoyance, keep a grip on your annoyance. he chanted mentally before speaking, "Hush, Ginger." he growled, before glancing towards the others, lowering himself into a more submissive position. After a moment's thought, Ginger followed suit. "Greetings," Fornae began calmly, "I am Fornae, wanderer, and this is Ginger, also a wanderer. We have passed through your territory in hopes to find something that she was looking for and hope that you will not judge us too harshly for it." he inhaled deeply, trying to place where he knew that smell. Venom. But Mika was dead, which meant that this must be one of her pups. The scent of the venom covered almost everything else in the clearing, Fornae noted with an annoyed exhale. He couldn't smell a thing.

Do you carry every sadness with you
Every hour your heart was broken
Every night the fear and darkness
Lay down with you

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[matsi]

Shy snarled slightly as his black hackles prickled and raised, making him seem that much taller and larger. His nose twitched as he took in their scent. He recognized one from the old Frost Pack, but he could tell which it was, so he looked over at Tipony. As he did so, his ears swivled to stay on the other two and his claws dug into the hardened, dry soil, moistening it with the venom that leaked from the talons.

Tipony looked at Shy, knowing what he wanted and she nodded. The scent was familiar, but then, so was the Male's name.
There is no way he lived...I thought he had died... She thought silently. She stepped forward, her head higher than the two wanderers, but still lower than Shy's.

''I am Tipony HeartChanger. MidRank of the Cave Pack. This is my Alpha, Shy PoisonClaw. What is it that you are searching for, wanderers?'' She asked in a calm and sweet voice, one that was very common for her. Her reverse eyes starred at Fornae, wondering if it was really him. She still had her doubts, and did not believe her senses.

Shy stood behind his mid-rank, a strong look still on his face. His dark eyes were deeply watching both of the loners. He could see the confusion on Tipony's face and too began to wonder about the two of them.

[Knight]

Signs of love life scattered...
And the walls break,
We go crashing within,
It's not as though--

Fornae's muscles tightened, and he prepared silently for a fight. "Get ready, Fang." he ordered softly. Ginger stiffened, ears swiveling towards Fornae. Fang. He only called her Fang when there would be fighting. Her hackles bristled silently as she began to prepare, eyes seeking any ghostly forms. None. No help from that department. She and Fornae would be on their own. Neither the female nor For looked to have much fighting blood in them. That leveled the playing field slightly, as did Fornae's gift. He could handle the female. She could handle the male, though it would be hard. If she wasn't mistaken, that was venom dripping from his claws, which meant that fighting him would be hard. She hadn't gotten this far in life by fighting clean.

While these thoughts spun through her mind, Fornae observed and things unfolded. Tipony. Tipony Heartchanger. Had Ginger been watching, she would have seen the change in his stance, the sudden wary gleam in his eyes. "Greetings, Tipony Heartchanger," with a slight emphasis on the final part of her name, Fornae paused, flattening his ears against his skull, the sudden itchiness in his paws another sign of his discomfort, though this was more inward than the others, "And Shy Poisonclaw." He certainly remembered ghosts from his past. The question was if he wanted to let them back into his life. He'd missed Tipony - and there surely couldn't be other Tipony Heartchangers in the world - but he was not ready to let anyone as close to his heart. He'd made that mistake with her once. Now he was older and wiser.

Ginger, though a little bit behind on the greetings spoke as well, voice smooth and holding none of the tenseness that her body did, "I, Gingerfang, daughter of Shadespeaker, greet you, Shy Poisonclaw and Tipony Heartchanger." she addressed them as befitting their rank, straightening and lifting her head. She was tired of acting submissive. If that meant someone went after her, so be it.

She was aware that Shy was observing her, and Fornae as well. Without fear, Ginger raised her gaze to meet his, ears pricked in his direction. He wasn't particularly interesting, but he was of a higher rank than her, and he'd just caught them trespassing on his territory. With that thought, Ginger lowered her gaze again, "I hate pack dynamics." she grunted. "Father didn't bother with them. Why should I?" She sounded distinctly annoyed as she glared at the ground, ears swiveling in Fornae's direction as he complained about Firepaw.

After a moment of looking admiringly at his younger friend, Fornae straightened as well. Now was not the time to act submissive and gentle. Tipony would remember him, which meant his cover was blown. "Firepaw won't be happy when I get back." Fornae groused to no one in particular, sighing to himself.

And through it all, they managed to totally avoid answering Tipony's question.

As though you really mattered,
But being close,
How could I let you go
Without some feeling?

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[matsi]

HeartCHANGER..[/b]

The stress in his speech made her realize that it really was him. It was her Fornae. Her reverse eyes softened and her ears fell to a very relaxed position.

''Fornae...Darling For....I...can't believe it is you,'' She spoke softly, her eyes glittering with lost emotions that has long been hidden behind a wall. Seasons of thinking that he had perished, Seasons of believing that he had fallen like so many others of the Pack. Now here he was, standing infront of her. She could not even speak of her joy and releif that beat in her chest. The wind sturred slightly, happily chanting the joy in her mind, chanting in a voice that only she could hear, but mny could feel.

She stepped forward one step, one step closer to Fornae, but stopped, not sure if he still had his heart where she did, not sure if he was as happy to see her as she was him.


Shy looked at Tipony, watching her for a moment, wondering what was going through her odd mind. He did not relax as much as she did but his hackles slowly started to lower and his talons stopped dripping quite as much.

He looked at Ginger again. She had an resembilance to someone he used to know, but he wasn't too sure of who.
Sitting back, he stayed silent, letting Tipony be the test subject of these two wanderers.

[Knight]

In a little bag she carried
All her past and history,
And her dreams for the future
In the land of liberty.

Was she an idiot? Didn't she know that just because it was him that he could still hurt her? Annoyance evident in his expression, Fornae flattened his ears against his skull. However, he was glad to see her. He'd missed her. Memories that he'd kept at bay for moons pressed against the barriers that kept them from swamping his mind. Forgotten conversations surged to the surface of her mind and he flicked his ear lazily, forcing himself to focus on the outside world. "You shouldn't let your guard down." He commented coolly in an effort to avoid the silence.

Ginger snorted, "No, you probably shouldn't. After all, an attack could come from anywhere." her voice was silky smooth as she circled around Tipony once, "Though with your battle ready stance, it wouldn't be very effective on your part to keep one. You need some serious work." she paused to turn a scathing eye upon Shy, "And you need to train your Alphess better." with a yawn, she turned and padded back to Fornae's side, eying both Tipony and Shy with a disappointed air.

Her joy and happiness hit him like a brick wall, and Fornae took deep, calming breaths, taking solace in the strength of Ginger at his side, who remained unmoved by this whole run in and merely waited impatiently for this to be over so that she could see the land her father had lived in.

"Well, it's a stretch for me to believe it's me." Fornae commented, the not very funny joke falling entirely flat. "So yeah." he shrugged, settling back on his haunches to sweep his gaze across Tipony and Shy, "You've hardly changed." he addressed Tipony, shooting Shy a venomous glare as he did so.

Shy looked at her. Ginger looked straight back, flexing her claws in the earth. She wanted to fight him, she wanted the challenge of it all. "I have a proposal." she commented gruffly, getting to her paws and stalking towards Shy, ears pricked back in Fornae's direction.

And courage is the passport
When your old world disappears
But there's no future in the past
When you're fifteen years

[/blockquote]

[matsi]

Tipony snapped her jaws angrly in Ginger's direction once.

''Watch yourself, pup. Alphess is no rank I want, and battles do not answer questions,'' She snarled as she adverted her eyes back to Fornae.
''They only make more,'' She muttered as she thought about the battle that had sepperated her from her companion so many seasons ago.

''Tip. Drop it,'' Shy snapped as her as a spitting snarl escaped his younger chest. Tipony flinched slightly and looked over her shoulder at the young Alpha.

''Yes, Shy,'' She sighed heavily as she sat back on her haunces.

''Better yet, go make yourself busy. You hover worse than the rotting scent of elk,'' He growled again, making Tipony sigh heavily and stand back up.

''Fine,'' She snapped as she eyed Shy with frustration. She then shot Fornae one last look before she padded back towards the old cave and vanished into its shadows.

Shy sighed and shook his head at her. He knew what was best for her, even if she didn't know it herself.

I have a Proposal the words grabbed his attention and he smirked in an amused manner.

''Go for it,'' He said in a monotoned voice.