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 Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 5:43 pm
Crunch...crunch...
The soft crackling of leaves filled the air. The sound stopped for a moment, then continued more rapidly than before. A small bundle of orange fur bounded out from behind a log, tripping over a small rock before scrambling up and dashing off in the opposite direction.
She was being chased.
A large cackling noise tore through the air as a flash of gray and black could be seen for a split second. The small cub dashed towards a log, weaving into it and lying low to the ground. The laughing grew louder as the other large Tocous approached, odd words being exchanged between the few bullies. One of them strayed dangerously close to the cub's log as they searched.
"She's not here, let's check somewhere else." A low voice boomed.
Contessa waited fearfully for a long time as the voice faded, waiting an extra moment before squirming out of the log. She looked back and forth, her eyes full of fear. She had a series of small cuts on her small frame, and she had a look of sheer terror.
"H-Hello? Is anybody out there?" her voice was soft, scared, and slightly high, flowing in a mesmerizing tone.
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 6:56 pm
Another young cub was nearby, and hiding as well. He knew that those voices, whatever they were, didn't sound friendly. He wasn't keen on meeting them, so he promptly hid himself in a bush, but was surprised when another voice pierced the silence.
"I'm here." He said calmly, he had a feeling that he could trust this tocou, whoever she was, she was scared, and didn't mean him any harm. At least, not that he could tell. Moments later, his bright pelt could be seen between two nearby trees, sticking out like a sore thumb. Whats more, he had a faint glow about him, giving him an unnatural appearance, as if he was a ghost.
Mvushi's face saddened as he saw the orange tocou, "You're hurt." He said simply, walking over to her quickly. "Would you like me to help you?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 7:15 pm
Contessa defenitely didn't expect a voice to answer, and was thus quite startled by the voice. She was trembling slightly, but her eyes softened slightly. The cub stared in awe at the other Tocou for a moment, curious about the soft glow. Something about the other cub was different, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"H-Help me? How can you do that?" she squeaked, slowly ceasing to shiver, "Are you magical?" she added after a pause, referring to the glow.
She was obviously putting her trust into this Tocou, sitting down and staring at Mvushi oddly. Her interest was sparked, Contessa's curiousity peaked.
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Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 6:38 am
"I can." He replied softly, suddenly reaching out with his paw suddenly and touching one of her scratches. A deep look of concentration appeared on his face for a moment, and the cut glowed brightly. Seconds later, it was gone, as if it had never existed.
"Magical? I wouldn't say that." He shrugged, "I am a healer, though." He nodded, reaching out again to heal another cut of hers. A moment later, that one was gone too, and the glow around him had dimmed significantly. He panted heavily, and sat down. He was still extremely young, as she was, and even the smallest amount of healing drained his energy terribly.
"Whats your name?" He asked suddenly, looking into her eyes curiously while he took a break from using his powers.
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Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 1:23 pm
"I sure wish I could control my powers like that..." She sighed.
No sooner did she close her mouth than a nearby leaf sudden burst into flame. Something was odd about her eyes... the pupils constantly twisted in a variety of fiery colors, like she had a real flame inside her eyes. She turned to the small leaf and sighed half-heartedly while putting her paw down onto it, the flame hissing before dissappearing completely. Her expression softened into a grin as she turned back to Mvushi.
"My name is Contessa." The cub said simply, and with a flick of her tail asked, "And you are...?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 5:16 pm
Mvushi blushed at the compliment, smiling faintly. "It takes lots of practice, I want to be the best healer in the world some day." He said dreamily, gazing off into space for a second before he realized that the leaf was on fire. He would have put it out if Contessa hadn't gotten there first.
"I take it you're a fire elemental?" He giggled, smiling before continuing what he had been saying before. "I may be able to control it to a point, but I often times end up glowing by accident, and as you can probably tell, it saps my strength like mad. I'll be glad when I can finally heal minor things without having to rest!" He shook his head, "Control doesn't always mean power."
"You're name is very pretty." He said with a nod, "I'm Mvushi." he bowed his head slightly out of respect. "So, do you live around here?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 5:30 pm
"Yes, fire is in my skill element, always has been." Contessa replied with a smile, "I can imaginge you becoming a wonderful healer."
The cub chuckled slightly, her expression now happy. She bowed back, showing her equal respect. She blushed quite deeply when he complimented her name, her small tail wagging like that of a dog.
"Ah, Mvushi. You have an exquisite name too." Contessa complimented.
She liked this Tocou so far, and hoped to become good friends. She never really had many friends, so this was her chance.
"I live in the savannah, but I occassionally wander out to have an adventure. Oh, the things I find out here in the wilderness really are worth the risk!" He eyes sparkled dreamily.
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Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 6:22 pm
"Why thank you, Contessa." He answered, "I'm sure you'll be very powerful one day too. Perhaps we could train together some time!" He said exitedly, the prospect of a training partner, no, training friend, was an amazing idea.
Mvushi's tail swished slightly, "Thanks, I think we both have great names." He nodded, "I wander mostly, but I'd love to visit your home. It does get rather lonely being well... Alone." He said, stating the obvious. "I've never been one for risks, but I'm sure they can be fun sometimes." He said with a nod, "By the way, who were those tocous chasing you earlier?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 1:45 pm
Contessa nodded intently, but her expression became clouded with hatred as Mvushi mentioned to Tocous giving chase.
"Oh...them... my brothers..." she hesitated, shifting nervously, "I was born with a gift...my eyes contain the flame. My parents always favored me despite my lack of control, and my siblings became jealous. They're trying to get rid of me... for good."
A few tears slid off her face, but she quickly wiped them away. Suddenly, her odd eyes flared, two beams of fire suddenly shooting out and bashing into a nearby tree, which burst into flame.
"Aah!"
Contessa immediately tried to blow it out, but to no avail. She only doused a bit of the fire, even when she stamped on it.
"Eeeeek!" she screeched as quietly as she could, desperately trying to put out the flame.
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Posted: Sun Feb 18, 2007 4:46 pm
"I'm sorry..." He said sadly, "I can't imagine my own family turning on me like that." He sighed. Some tocous were so selfish...
"Woah!" he cried, eyeing the flaming tree for a second before rushing Contessa's aid, he received some minor burns on his paws, but managed to help control the fire. Once he couldn't take the heat anymore, he stepped back, kicking dirt onto the fire with his front paws, putting out more of the fire, but it still burned.
"What're we going to do now?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 6:20 pm
Contessa eyes were wide with panic, and her expression was quite desperate. She stayed in even when Mvushi backed out, slightly more immune due to her element. Smoke began pouring from the tree, almost like a signal to the other Tocous. Her eyes water from the smoke, but she kept trying.
"I don't know!" She yelled back to Mvushi in between coughs.
The cubs was slowly beginning to get overpowered, and her sight clouded with smoke. The black fog filled her lungs and eyes, making her blind and forcing her into a coughing fit. All she could see was black, and a never-ending abyss.
She collapsed onto the ground with a thud, swallowed by the fire and smoke.
"Mvushi! Help me!" she managed to scream.
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Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 5:05 am
Mvushi watched in horror as Contessa was engulfed in the smoke, thinking furiously about what to do. An idea came to him, but first he needed to get her out of there. Without a second thought, he dove into the cloud of smoke, holding his breath, to find her. Moments later, he had managed to guide her out of the smoke, coughing furiously.
"Contessa, listen to me, you have to calm down." He said desperately. "Your powers are linked to your emotions, if you calm down, it should go out!" He said in a panic, "I mean, I can't heal when I'm not focused and calm, so I think the fire is getting as distressed as you are."
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Posted: Sat Jun 23, 2007 7:16 pm
Once Contessa had inhaled some clean air in short, weak gasps, she listened to Mvushi intently. She nodded weakly, closing her eyes and breathing in short, gentle, breaths. She felt herself slip into calmness, the flame in her pupils seeming to become less wild.
Sure enough, Mvushi was right.
The flames on the tree sputtered like they were dying, the fires very slowly going down untill all that was left was a scorched trunk reduced to ashes. Contessa's heart sank as she heard a distant, familiar voice.
"Hey! I saw some smoke! It might be her!" the distant call was that of her brother, and Contessa gasped.
She looked around frantically, her eyes wide with fear. She spotted a large bush, and pulled Mvushi over to it in a dash.
"Hide." she whispered urgently, ducking down and pulling him down with her.
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