Hope dies last (Azula)

[silent]

Azula dipped her head, acknowledging the fact that the lycan they had been fleeing from that day had caught her, bit her, and turned her. Not much could be minded, however, since she had still gotten away from the beast with her life in tact. The wolf suddenly looked up her with an urgency, it's bright eyes silently beckoning her to follow. Zoey wasn't so keen of the idea of loosing her sister again, even if only for a moment, so, thoughts of returning to the inn to rest for the night abandoned, she followed her sister as fast as she could, running to keep sight of the dark blur heading toward the village edge, where the wild forest met the structured town, where the shadows were growing with the sun creeping it's way down.

By the time Zoey reached the wooded area, she had indeed lost sight of Azula, but the gripping heat left the young woman exhausted- and she knew her sister would be around shortly. She leaned back against a tree to catch her breath, regretting her attire, meant more for cooler temperatures, but perfect for hiding her scarred body. As soon as her breathing leveled, and she could function, she righted herself off the tree, it's sharp bark digging into her back, and looked around, "Azula? Where'd you go?" She called out, spooking an owl in the tree above her, the bird giving a scream and taking to the air. It made her jump, but she scoffed at the creature, spiting it for spooking her, staring to walk slowly forward, wondering where on earth her sister could have got to- praying it hadn't all been a ploy, that some strange dog hadn't somehow played her raw emotions and lured her into the forest. She mentally slapped herself- dogs didn't do that. She was just paranoid, after years of searching, thinking the worst, hoping the best.

[Deleted]

Blue ran into the dense trees and waited in the shadows while her sister followed. She had forgotten that Zoey never had been as fast as her, even as a human. When her sister did appear Blue stepped out, still in her wolf form for the lack of human clothing.

"It is so good to see you dear sister..." she whispered softly, allowing her to catch her breath. "I do apologize for not speaking to you as a human, as you can see I lack clothes..."

The black wolf sat down on her haunches and opened her mouth once more in a wide smile. After a moment the smile disappeared and ears lay back against her skull, "I buried our parents..." she spoke with sorrow, "They are in the human cemetery, in case you cared to know."

All the while, despite her sadness she could not help the sparkle in her eyes as she stared up at her beautiful young sister. How she was missed, Azula longed to be human and see her from human eyes, but alas her way was against walking around naked like a true animal.

Suddenly a thought occurred to her, why was Zoey a Lycan? Ears flew up, "Zoey? Who turned you? I killed the Lycan who did this too me, I killed him twenty years ago. Why are you...." she broke off confused.

[silent]

The black wolf that blended so well into the shadows brought herself forth, making herself known and speaking, apologizing for not changing into her human form, due to her lack of clothing. She chuckled slightly, "I believe I can help you with your clothing issue when we go back into the village." She motioned in the direction they had come from to emphasize what she said. A moment of silence passed, Azula sitting and shooting Zoey another joyous, fanged grin- it didn't last long, however, before the black wolf laid her ears back sorrow clouding her eyes, mentioning that she had buried their parents. Zoey's heart dropped, and she closed her eyes, lowering her head. She had known all along that they were dead- it was something she'd had to face since day one, but now, hearing that they had been buried as well- it broke her heart, because now, it just seemed so... final. They really were gone.

She took a moment to mourn, before looking up to see her sister staring at her, eyes glittering, holding a light of excitement in them. It caused her own emotions to once again rise, to help her over the second of grief for her lost parents. However, that sparkle was suddenly replaced with curiosity and shock, ears flying up and pricking toward Zoey. The question came forth, and once again, grief gripped her. She dropped her eyed and heaved a sigh. "I made friends with a young male lycan named Isaac. I spent a few months with him, recovering from the ordeal. He took care of me... I loved him." She heaved another sigh, closing her eyes. She tried to fully recall him, but could only do it so vaguely, time was fogging the memory of him- she wasn't sure if that was to heal her pain, or if it was only making it worse. "I decided to start looking for you... I knew I'd need to live longer, to run faster, to be stronger, so I asked him to change me- and he obliged." She bit her lip, opening her eyes and looking away from her sister. "He was slaughtered two days later- and so I ran."She just kept her voice from breaking, and after gathering herself for a second, she looked back to Azula, once again emotionally barred from the pain, stronger once again. "I've been lycan, looking for you, ever since."

[Deleted]

Azula's eyes slowly lowered as Zoey replied to the most important question, how she became Lycan. Though she couldn't help it, the black wolf pelt a pang of jealousy. She hid her eyes in her own shame. She'd never known love, she never had the chance.

Further still she was stuck with more emotion; regret, loss, pain. She knew these were her sister's. She always had a close link to her sister's emotions, now as Lycans, it was stronger. Blue could feel Zoey's own shame, for running, for not being able to help. She could almost see it, she did see it. The man Zoey loved fighting for his life, "Run Zoey! Run! Please!...

The vision shifted, it was her father fighting, her mother lying on the ground, bleeding to death and crying for help. Tears were streaming through her father's eyes. "Run Azula! Take your sister and run Blue!" Desperate to help she tried to push forward but the Lycan roared, her father screamed. No longer able to think she scooped up her younger sister and ran as fast as she could, struggling with her sister's weight. She remember her crying for Ma. She remembered everything, blurred by the tears in her own eyes. She'd been a strong child, but happy. And somehow she always kept looking to the bright side no matter the outcome....

"I'm sorry you lost him Zoey.

The black wolf stepped forward and pressed her head against her sister's thigh. "You won't loose me... Ever. I'm never letting you out of my site again. You got that? she said, trying to keep the playful laughter in her thick voice and she nudged Zoey, bumping her.

Pulling back, she sat back down and stared up at her sister, "And clothes... would be nice. I guess it's time to see how good my acting skills are. I don't need a leash do I?" Once more the smile spread across her jaws, she planned on keeping this one.

[silent]

She forced a smile at her sister, pain causing her throat to feel tight, cutting off her ability to speak when she apologized for her loss of Isaac. She drew in a shaky breath and closed her eyes, rubbing her palms on her jeans, anchoring herself out of her memories of the dear man with the rough sensation, slowly warming up with friction until it was nearly too hot against her palms. Another deep breath brought her fully back to her own world- as did a soft head pressed into her thigh, fingertips brushing luxurious fur as she pressed her palms down her legs. Zoey's storm coloured eyes opened, and she looked down at Azula, her smile growing genuine, the pain fading from her gaze. "Don't expect me to let you out of my sight again either, Sis." She teased, stroking the wolf's black head lovingly.

A true smile worked it's way onto Blue's face as she made her comments, and it even elicited a laugh from Zoey, who glanced around for a moment, thinking. "Well, I don't have a leash for you, sis. Nor do I think anyone would be so happy as to see a big wolf roaming the village." She glanced down and raised an eyebrow suggestively. "Oh, or a naked woman roaming the streets, I don't think... Wait, I take that back. I don't think the wives, women in general, would appreciate all the... attention, you'd draw." She waggled her brows now, chuckling and nudging her sister with her knee. Now the question was, what to do? It quickly clicked and she looked at her sister, feigning pure hurt. "Sorry, I lied. Might have to let you out of my sight once more- I'm going to go fetch you some clothing. Makes everything much easier." Not wanting to give Azula a chance to protest, she turned and broke into a run, heading back into the village. Soon, dirt and leaf mold beneath her feet turned into structured, cobblestone paths. Trees became nice village homes, and the tweet of birds turned into the murmur of men and women, the few still frequenting the streets despite the heat, and those who still had work to complete, even as night began to fall. She turned quickly into a cottage-home looking building, the inn, and, pausing only to wave a greeting to the friendly innkeeper, she darted upstairs to her room.

She hardly hesitated, crouching in front of the dresser she had unpacked her items into, and going through her clothing until she found some that she believed would fit Azula, a pair of jeans and a loose, airy shirt- at least something cool to counter act the heat of the jeans that Blue would be forced into. She grabbed her backpack from the corner of the room, shoving the clothes into the bag, not wanting to seem suspcious and knowing that a woman going into the forest with a handful of various articles of clothing screamed "hey, I'm suspicious! Watch me!" She calmly headed down the stairs and out into the streets again with the pack on her back, waiting until she got to a quiet portion of the village before taking off again at full speed, tearing into the woods and coming to an abrupt halt where Azula still waited. "I did what I could." She panted, once again out of breath, shrugging off the pack of clothes and flinging it to her sister's feet before allowing herself to sink to the ground, catching her breath.

[Deleted]

Blue's eyes lifted to her sister face as she spoke. And to be honest, even after all these years, her sister still knew her. Knew her well enough to know that she would very much have protested for the minute Zoey left Azula flung a string of yipped curses after her for leaving.

When Zoey was to return, she would find the black wolf pacing, waiting, having chosen not to follow her. As her sister came into the clearing the blue wolf looked up at her with a frustrated expression, "You made me lie too you know... and I don't lie..."

The bag thrown to her skidded to a halt just before her feet. As Blue studied it she began to shake with laughter, it looked very much like the bag she owned. Shaking her head, she picked the bag up gingerly with her teeth and walked off into tree cover, making sure she was out of sight and out of mind.

If Zoey was paying attention she would feel the air pressure thicken as Blue reared up and transformed slowly into her wolf form. I was still painful for her to transform sometimes, after all these years. In the eyes of a true werewolf however, she was young, very young.

Blue pulled out the clothes and slipped into them as quickly as possible, feeling odd as fabric touched her skin. Ever since she'd been bitten, she had quite been happy in her wolf form most of the time. She preferred it to her human.

Without a last thought Blue stepped into view, bag in her left hand, holding out her arms in a semi-pose, "How do I look?"

Before her sister could answer she let loose a great smile and dashed forward to scoop her sister up off the ground in a heart-warming hug. "God I've missed you..."