memories of the old (open)

[addykins]

Changes had swept through the land, time and time again, leaving Thanatos scrambling to adjust. This last time, however, the very world seemed to shift and turn everything upside down. No longer did Thanatos belong to the royal family of the Giaku pack, but in fact he belonged to the Noctre Imperii pack, a revered member for his efforts in the Demon War. He was born for war, even the magic that flowed through him was geared to tear others down, and his mind was quick enough to make vital decisions on the battlefield. Thanatos knew well that war was a continuous thing, never would it go away, and never would he allow himself to be unprepared for it. Too much had been lost in the last war, and the Druin was damned determined not to let anyone he cared for find themselves lost in the case of another war.

However, war was not here, nor did it seem to be in the near future, which left Thanatos quiet and thoughtful on the rolling hills that used to be his homeland. Change had come and Thanatos had found himself rather alone. His mother was dead, for all he knew, his father and brother missing. Hell, his entire family was missing. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of any of his family. Life had to move on, however, and Thanatos was keeping himself busy through his station in life and his guilty pleasure. He hadn't had the chance to truly grow up, and so he found himself rather good with pups, spending time with the young of the pack was common for him, though he tried to keep it discrete.

The large being found himself heaving a sigh, laying his lean body down upon the soft grass. Pupil-less black eyes closed briefly, allowing the sun to warm his dark backside. He resembled his father, with the half white half black, though he supposed his father held a more proportionate coloring, whereas Thanatos held more white than black. His eyes closed, leaving the dark line that lined his eyes and moved down his body until it melded in with the black on his hide the only black upon his face. He found himself reminiscing there, front paws curling into the ground as his ears flicked with the imaginary voices that rang out in play.

[Mokobo]

The hills that once bore the name Giaku were no stranger to winds. Rolling valleys and occasional ridges could funnel the airs, causing all sorts of odd sounds. Once where the hard ground had moaned in torment beneath the gusts, now grasses joined their soft whispers into a veritable symphony. Even the rocks were known to add their own deep voices. However one might notice that the deep notes that now floated across the rolls and rills of the land came from no stone. Although distant at first, the noise would begin to grow steadily. Each note held a certain tune, primal and yet harmonious. As the volume slowly increased, it would become a chant. Whatever language these words were from was long forgotten, and yet their meaning was not. Now the voice echoed off the ridge set atop a hill near Thanatos. If one cared to listen closely enough, the indecipherable words would seem encouraging, radiating a certain friendly warmth.
Soon the source of such a mysterious song would be revealed. A wolf would appear around the ridge in the nearby hill. His pelt was of a dark chocolate, and yet it only covered a portion of his frame. Nearly the entire underside of this curious traveler was covered in emerald green growths that glistened in the sunlight. Almost scale-like in appearance, these growths almost resembled the bark of some massive tree. However the sheen with which they glittered suggested they were made from a different material than simple tree-skin. As the canine continue his chant, he would pause in his march to shudder his entire body. It would be difficult to notice at a distance, but the growths on his chest would part. A variety of seeds spilled forth and were tossed into the wind as the creature rocked his frame.
It was after this curious action the the wolf suddenly stopped chanting. Deep green eyes had finally noticed he was not the only soul upon these hills. For a moment he seemed likely to turn and flee, a tail half covered with those same bark-like scales stood straight. However he seemed to think better upon the subject, and fell into a more relaxed mood. Indeed, the moment was brief, and paled in comparison to the joyful step with which he descended the slope. No longer did the creature chant, instead he raised his voice just as he reached the bottom of the hill that Thanatos sat upon.

"Hail friend! May I join you? It is a fine day and the land sings joyous songs."

As if to accentuate his statement, a gust of wind would blow between the hills. The ridge atop the nearby roll hummed softly as the grasses whispered to one another. A small smile found its way onto the lips of the wolf. Without waiting for a response, he began his ascent with the same merry disposition. He even paused for a moment near the summit to examine a clump of grass as one would a flower.

[addykins]

He was used to the wind, though the changes from the barren wasteland to a lush plain changed the sounds that surrounded him. His ears flicked occasionally, one was drooped while the other stayed at attention. His nap wasn't really a nap, more something to pass the time while he awaited for something else to take his attention. Eyes remained closed, even when the sounds of the wind changed to something else. Something distant, foreign to Thanatos' ears though he found himself rather unconcerned. The warmth of the sun, despite the wind, was keeping his hindquarters toasty warm, lulling the creature into a soft, light slumber. It wasn't until the noise became something more intelligible that Thanatos found his head lifting, eyes blinking the grogginess away.

There in the distance was another creature, figure different than that of Than's, though very much a living, breathing creature like himself. He watched with mild curiosity as the creature kept coming, before stopping for a moment to do something that was too far for Than's black eyes to see. Regardless, he found himself rising into a seated position as the wolf drew nearer, finally seeming to see him. A clawed paw lifted to idly scratch at a few scales just beneath his throat, jaws parting in a yawn. For reasons beyond him he found himself silent as he listened to the creature, though the chanting ceased shortly after the wolf stopped walking. Thanatos' ears flicked forward to listen to the other wolf's words, not recognizing either the voice or the wolf it belonged too. Regardless, there were many wolves Thanatos had not met yet, given the fact that the pack had almost tripled when Shinkou, Akeru, and Giaku all joined together.

"It seems like you already are." The wolf replied, tone almost dead-pan as he watched the creature approach. There was something about the wolf that didn't allow Thanatos to relax, perhaps a mix of the fact that he was a stranger and his nature was rather care-free, perhaps even childish. Thanatos had lost that part of himself long ago, when he found himself growing up quickly. Faced with grown up decisions the pup within him had retreated so that responsibility could bloom. "I do not recognize you, friend. What is your name?" His words, faced with bluntness, perhaps could come across as rude, the word friend holding a slightly sarcastic tone to it. Thanatos had troubles, on occasion, allowing himself to see others as allies and friends when he had found himself growing up with such savage wolves surrounding him.

His mother's kindness was the only thing that allowed him to be less harsh, to have his words be soft and low, instead of brittle and demanding. He had the capability of being like that, though the mere thought of talking harshly to another brought an unpleasant thought of his mother's saddened expression. He wouldn't dare bring such a feature to his mother's face, regardless if she was missing or not.

[Mokobo]

After examining the grasses for a short time, the earthly colored canine would finish ascent to the top of the hill. As he sat himself at a casual distance from the other, he would appraise them with an almost wary eye. Those deep green eyes fell first and foremost to the paws of the other before darting up to match their gaze. It was about that time that Thanatos asked for a name. For a moment the wolf did not answer. His wandering gaze was instead drawn to a small wildflower, as if the little plant might offer up an answer to the question. When his voice rumbled out of his chest to answer, it was with a cautious pace. Some old habits were hard to die, and this wanderer had much cause to be prudent when meeting others.

"I am the Wandering Sage to some. To others I am known as the Agriculturist. You may call me Vita, I find it far less strenuous on the tongue. Yes, I am known by many uninteresting names. It's your name that might be interesting."

During his introductory speech, Vita raised his gaze to once more look upon the other being. Slowly his tail began to flick slowly behind him, as if he found something amusing for a moment. The underside of the appendage was covered in the same curious bark-like growths that covered much of his body. As those scales swept across the grasses, a soft rattling sounded out. Whether it was from the pods of the grass or his tail was hard to say. However that noise drew the wolf's attention and he would quickly stop the movement. Instead he would rise to his paws and began to slowly pace around the top of the hill, examining his new acquaintance thoughtfully. Vita would give the other a few moments to offer up their own name before voicing his reflections.

"You seem...smaller than the others of your kind I have seen before. I would not be wrong in saying you have some blood of those who once ruled here? Hmm- no, I think not. Perhaps you would be willing to aid me in my work?" Here he would pause, turning his gaze toward the east. "Not all the songs of the land are joyous this day. This one could use your help, if you are willing?"