Once upon a night wandering....

• Just 1-2 others in this RP please, 3 max excluding Aurudon. I want to keep this small so things don't get confusing
  
• NKZ - just prey can be killed. Shinlai can be injured however.
  
• Don't be scared by my paragraphs. It's a habit.
  
[*} 3-5 Sentences at least please.

What awoke him in the night was a flower stirred by a wistful breeze. Whether it had brushed against him or that he had become suddenly aware of its motion the elder did not know, only that his surroundings were dark and things were quiet yet, if you excluded the slight whine of the wind through the ruins and the subtle flaps of the banners strewn all around. The room was little more then an earthen alcove under an overhang just large enough to suit him comfortably and more, a part of a building that had once stood proud as a temple but was now slowly being swallowed by the ever encroaching earth, inviting all manner of plant-life into its keep. He had been here before on many occasion and it served as a faint comfort to his aging memory and brought a frail smile to grace the shinlai's maw but only just for a moment. Thoughts drilled in his mind, not letting him be.


Had he slept or was he just dreaming while wake? Had his slumber been disturbed this night before or was he thinking of a matter that was not so? Did it matter? No, no it did not. Aurudon took a deep breath and released it slowly, noting the dust raise from the floor in its wake and settle again. Perhaps he had slept but had done so dreamlessly, and perhaps that was why time seemed hardly to pass. Aurudon sighed again, though this time it was quickly followed by a fit of low coughs which sounded as subtle as drums with the closeness of the walls. If any heard it was not a particularly alarming sound or one that denoted of ill-health but Aurudon knew better. Regardless of his skills and knowledge he was helpless against the turmoil within his own self, helpless against the destructive nature of his element of Balance. Few long survived it yet somehow Aurudon had weathered it for one-hundred-and-fifty-one long years, and now at the end it was reaping its just vengeance. Everyday there was a little less strength in his limbs to stand it seemed and his mind wavered just that much more....

Casting a glance outside Aurdon caught a glimpse of the moon. It was carved into a crescent in the black sky, surround by countless glittering stars. The sight stirred an urge the elder and his bones cracked in protest as he made to rise somewhat laboriously to his feet, shaking himself once afoot to rid his fur of the collected dust. Step by ponderous step Aurudon crossed into the threshold of the forest, cherishing the feel of fresh earth beneath his feet and breeze that brought the tell-tale scent of rain as he began off down the trail. He had no place in mind save that he would return to the alcove after his walk once his mind was cleared. It wasn't that long though till the Balance shinlai grew aware of the presence of another. The white lai paused for the breath of a moment as his senses alerted him through the disturbances in the air but continued on, leaving the other the choice to appear if they wished or not, all the while preparing his ability of invisibility if that proved unwise.

The zebra like shinlai padded quietly through the forest. The air shinlai, despite the shadows cast from the trees to shelter her from the dim shine of the crescent moon that was etched into the sky, was still fairly easy to see. Shinlai were not small creatures that could easily hide in the bushes like the squirrels or mice. They couldn't pull off hiding nearly as well as a person, either. Their sheer size made it nearly impossible for them to hide in a bush or behind a tree. Unless there were a multitude of bushes or the tree was so ancient that one could hide behind it's thick trunk. Even so, her white fur was fairly easy to spot among the vegetation. Esther often wondered why she did not spend most of her time in the colder regions of Elashia. She could easily blend in where there was snow and ice while darker furred animals found it difficult to do so. Perhaps if her rather short fur had been longer and would of kept her warm in cold climates, then the shinlai would have perhaps lived up in the mountains.

When the shinlai had been unable to fall asleep, she had decided to wander around a bit. The cloudless sky gave a nice view of the stars and moon, yet the trees often blocked off her view of the sky. So she wandered around, hoping to come across a clearing where she could hopefully get a good view of the stars. So far she had had little luck.

When the scent of another shinlai entered her nostrils, Esther stood still, not moving a muscle. There was little to no wind tonight, only an occasional breeze, so whoever was nearby had to be close. Really close. Her eyes flickered around yet she dared not move. Who else was wandering around in the night, and why?

(OOC: Just as a note, Aurudon would have just vanished once discovered, but for the sake of Rp I'm making him stay. He has a habit of "hit & run" encounters. There's your fun fact for the day.)

When Aurudon spied the other shinlai he was surprised by the closeness between them and cloaked himself out of reflex for being caught off guard. There was only a small rustle of the leaves above to denote his disappearance if the stranger had not been watching him, his white form melding into the darkness like a ghost in the blink of an eye. Under the guise of his air element the chance was given to the elder shinlai to observe the other in peace without fear of being detected, or at least not easily anyway. Besides invisibility Aurudon had also created a current of disturbance in the air around him to scatter his scent to the winds, never being where he was and always away from the unknown shinlai, thus making it seem as though he were nothing more then a phantom in the play of the moonlit woods. It was not for nothing he had earned the name of the Ghost Wanderer.

Standing still as stone Aurudon regarded the stranger cautiously, weaving his head this way and that to better peer between the trunks of the tree that stood between the two. They could not have been more then twenty feet between them yet the surroundings were dark and the light from the moon was weak. The form of the other lai was broken between the trees but at the glimpse of a white coat like his own crossed by either fading shadows or stripes and a dark mane his heart leapt. Could it be? At best all he had seen was a portion of a neck and perhaps a bit of a mask but it was enough to raise his hope. Ryule had similar markings to that and it had been quite some time since he last had news of his son. The thought brought back a number of memories, some kind and some not so welcomed. The scarf wrapped loosely about his throat seemed to gain a little more weight as if leaded by the recollection. Once more Aurudon gazed through the treeboles, straining for a better look. It appeared that the stranger had not moved at all and was alert, remaining still as the elder was.

He had to know. He must know.

Quietly Aurudon made his way toward the other shinlai, delicately placing his feet to avoid tinder and debree, his heart beating just that much more as the trees thinned out until suddenly his view was clear. It was not Ryule. Instead, before him appeared to be a youngblood, still young yet - very young at that and couldn't be that far beyond twenty with a pelt of white crossed with fading stripes. If there had been disappointment it soon was accepted and dealt with swiftly, yet some disbelief still remained and suspended the elder lai's thoughts. He didn't notice the frail nature of the small rise he had climbed nor the moisture in the dirt beneath and when a piece of earth gave way under the weight of his foot Aurudon gasped as he stumbled forward and caught himself, breaking the cloak around his body as he did so and appearing as a plain as a skeleton before the youngblood.

Knowing this Aurudon bowed his head and made amends quickly. He felt some shame for sneaking up on the youngblood but could he be blamed harshly for an honest mistake? " Forgive me, youngblood. I mistook you for another. Pray let pass this action....there is little these eyes can see right these days."

Esther nearly let out a strangled yelp as the old shinlai seemingly appeared out of nowhere. She bristled slightly, but what harm could this old and feeble shinlai pose to her? She pondered this cockily, her tail swishing back and forth momentarily before growing still again. Yet she remained some what tense, not fully relaxing even after he had explained himself. She watched him warily, but did not back up or flee into the woods.

" Forgive me, youngblood. I mistook you for another. Pray let pass this action....there is little these eyes can see right these days."

Esther stood silent for several moments, unsure of the elderly shinlai who stood before her. Then why sneak up on me? she thought to herself. If I was someone you knew, why not just walk up and say hey? Yet she almost immediately combated that theory with another question. Maybe it was someone he didn't like? She thought indesively for a few moments before the cocky side got the better of her. What's he going to do if he's lying? Attack me? Well I can take on anybody his age easily, she thought somewhat smugly while her expression remained blank.

"Don't worry about it," she said, looking over the air shinlai carefully as she spoke. "Who were you looking for at this hour?" she asked abruptly without really thinking about it. After a moment or two she realized what a rude question that was, especially to her elder. She bit her lip, hoping he wouldn't be offended by her inquiry about his reasons for wandering at night.

(OOC: If my ramblings of Ryule bother you, I'll smother them as best I can)

Aurudon thought it was kind for the younger lai to forgive him so quickly without so much as an outburst, though he could sense her wariness of him and by no means did it disturb him. For one it was expected considering the circumstances and second it proved she had sense enough to have caution, a necessary trait for those alone. This fact however, rose a curiosity in Aurudon when he noticed her gear. It was strange enough for one so young to be on their own and to his knowledge there was not a community or village near for some distance yet. But then again maybe it was just strange to him...he was one-hundred-and-fifty-one years old after all and in his time youngbloods didn't leave the community. They were kept close till they were a well-fledged young adult, if they ever chose to leave at all. Regardless of whatever the trend was these days it brought questions to the great lai's mind.

The elder turn his head to the right for the aid of his better eyes to observe the youngblood. Clearly engraved on her harness and drums was the emblem of a shinlai of Air. So, the little one was an Air? Aurudon himself was adorned with nothing save a ragged, red, age-worn scarf, an item that spoke nothing of his Balance affinity. It was something of a guarded secret, not that it was a taboo anymore for one to claim of it unlike his younger days. Simply, the elder did not carry the desire to decorate in such things out of preference or to boast of its rarity. Certainly others had thought it queer but, frankly, Aurudon was far too old to care anymore.

When the youngblood asked of him who he was searching for the elder just smiled briefly, solemnly yet amused at the same time as signaled by the twitch in his ears. " No one," he said, " Just peace of mind." His voice was somewhat distant and his blue eyes held a thoughtful yet sorrowful glint in them as he gazed off into the wood as though unable to look the other lai in the eye or simply forgot her presence. Some would say he was playing coy but it was the truth and Aurudon did not mean to come off as such. He was roaming to quell his restless thoughts, as was the origin of this venture and his reasons for approaching this lai was in the hope she may have been his son instead, putting to rest the uncertainties of his fate. At once Aurudon felt his heart clench, driven mad at having been denied the chance to be rid of those fears. The last time he had seen Ryule had been months ago, outside of Hollowsrun.....it seemed he would have to linger in darkness for a little while more on that matter. Absently, Aurudon cast a glance into the canopy and up into the blank sky.

Rain was coming. The great white lai could feel in the air, scent it in the wind, and even felt the weight of the clouds above upon his body. Being a Balance of Air and Water the white elder was especially sensitive to the weather as anyone could be and then some, always aware of its constant shifts throughout the light of the day and the shadows of night. The storm brewing in the dark sky was small, yet it was leadened to the bone with rain, enough to finish off the night with a through drenching. But it was a while off yet and would not fall upon the pair for sometime. Still, inwardly Aurudon grumbled to himself at the prospect and shivered at the nick of a cool breeze. His bones already gave him enough talk and did not need the aid of the cold and damp to worsen their chatter.

Slowly the elder sighed and returned his attention to the striped youngblood. Lost in his thoughts what seemed like minutes was only a brief silence. As fair trade went it was only proper for him to ask a question of the stranger now. " And what of you? " He began, tilting his head a little to the side. "What do you search for in this late hour?"

[[ First of all, I apologize for the late reply. I was without internet for awhile and was unable to reach the forum when I did. And secondly, I don't mind at all x3 ]]

Esther gazed at him for a few moments. "I was doing the same myself. Just wandering around a bit. It is a nice night," she murmured just loud enough to be audible. As she gave the elder shinlai a calculating stare, she narrowed her eyes slightly for a split second as she caught sight of the older shinlai's ears. However, she made no comment on her observation. Odd, she thought, wondering why he would still have his ears. She had occasionally heard of pups keeping their ears, yet only very rarely. Either they had been too frightened, or for other reasons. Perhaps he had hearing problems as a pup and had kept his ears so that he could hear the best he could. Who knew? Or perhaps he just couldn't bear to get them cut off. Esther, although she never would have admitted it, had been downright terrified. She had gone to get her ears severed with knees shaking and crying out of worry to her father. Yet he had adamantly insisted that she get them cut. And her uncle, when she had even mentioned that she was afraid to get her ears cut, sternly told her to toughen up. Her uncle was very... traditional, one might say. He was a Dalian. He never fully accepted Esther's father into the family because of correct suspicions that Esther's dad still supported the Darkbloods. When she had received her mask, it had at first been a nuisance to her, and despite her family's discouragement, she eventually took it off for a few minutes. Her uncle saw and got rather... mad about it. Esther never took her mask off again unless she was positive that nobody was around. Even still, she was rather hesitant about removing it.