Stalking the Wasteland (Open)

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[atrb=border,0,true][cs=7][bg=000000] _____________________ Isaac continued lying in the cool grass, his strong chest moving further in and out than usual as he inhaled and exhaled deeply. The distinct smell of the plains filled his nostrils as he recalled running across them years earlier. The feeling was something that he would not soon forget, though recently he hadn't had the time to spare. Isaac had loved the feeling of freedom offered, one of the only times he could completely release. He parted his lips slightly, beginning to whistle the melody of a lullaby his sister had sung to him as a child. The ability of music to shoot straight to the soul and bypass any apparent form of reason always amazed Isaac. No matter the circumstance, he couldn't resist the feeling that the sounds carried. The melodic escape only lasted so long as he abruptly stopped, counting the steps of his companion until she stood over him. When she at first spoke, he lazily opened one eye to see Emma glaring down at him. It would appear that she had taken his comments to heart and hadn't exactly appreciated them. "Listen here, I don't need a babysitter. I have been on my own for the past however many years and I have managed just fine. These wounds are minor flesh wounds. And as you can see, I bandaged them up without any assistance" He hadn't consciously heard the second half of her statement as he got hung up on the first half. Isaac had said the excat same thing to his sister that night so long ago, and it in fact was the reason they were in that park in the first place. "I don't need a babysitter, I'm not a child anymore!" Yet in a twist of irony, his childlike behavior caused everything. He ran off, sneaking away from his sister as he was beginning his rebellious teenage years. Isaac had only wanted to exert his newfound independance, and he would indeed need that independance. As his sister came to find him and convinced him to return home, they were ambushed by a group of boys in a park and his sister was taken from him. The vivid images of that night burned white hot in Isaac's mind and almost always snapped him back to that point in time as he had yet to let it lie in the past completely. As he snapped back to reality, a distance and pain could be seen in his eyes as he stared back at Emma. He continued watching her as she turned and began walking down the dirt road, albeit in the wrong direction. He shifted his weight in his makeshift bed of grass as he stood to his feet, slowly dragging through the dirt as he walked towards the lake. He removed his overcoat and dropped it at the edge of the dirt road, unbuttoning and removing in turn his white dress shirt as he reached the edge of the water. He dropped to his knees and plunged them into the cool liquid, cupping pools of it in his hands and splashing it across his face to clean the blood off his wound. After he had sufficiently cleaned the blood from his face he turned his attention to the bloody collar of his shirt. Gingerly he dipped the delicate fabric into the water, though the scrubbing of the collar was anything but. He stood to his feet, noticing that he no longer heard Emma's footsteps going down the road. He turned to see her fall to the ground and sit in the grass a ways down the dirt path. He turned and began walking down the road towards her, though quicker than before as his movement carried purpose. He wrapped his still damp shirt around his body as he moved, coming shortly to the spot where she lay. He looked down at Emma and extended his hand towards her. He opened his mouth to speak, although the tone of his words were a farcry from earlier. No longer would a snarky comment escape him, nor would his voice carry the stern and serious nature it held only minutes earlier. The look in his eyes would suggest that the feeling of joy had since left. "Come on Emma, we've got a long walk ahead of us." _____________________ 0:words.

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[atrb=background,http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b9/AshleesAlterEgo/Emmamiddle.jpg] The woman was well aware of the fact that she had completely overreacted. She knew she had been giving Isaac a difficult time since they first came in contact with one another. The man probably thought she was either extremely temperamental, or simply didn’t care for him. In all actuality however, neither assumption was correct. She didn’t really dislike him, and she wasn’t a chronically moody woman. But the past several months had been a little bit stressful and things never seemed to go her way. Her life had never been particularly easy, but thus far she had dealt with every hardship as it came. But now, things were piling on quickly, and the woman didn’t know which issue she needed to contend with first. She had yet to interact with all of the packs residing in the area and she still needed to mark every inch of the territory she had claimed. It was a lot for one creature to shoulder and she often found herself wishing that her pack was a little larger. She didn’t feel that things were spiraling out of control, but she knew that it would be much easier to get her tasks completed if she wasn’t the only one doing them. She wanted to lure more members into her pack and give each of them a role that would be best suited for their and her needs. She needed a guard, someone to assist with the hunting, and someone who wouldn’t mind exploring and investigating when she just wasn’t up to the task. But acquiring pack members was rather tedious and Emma wasn’t willing to go out and recruit just anyone either. Though Havren was a peaceful and rather docile pack, she wanted her members to be strong, healthy, and intelligent. She didn’t anticipate future conflicts or battles, but she couldn’t rule them out either. She needed to keep herself and her pack prepared to defend themselves and their territory. Most importantly perhaps, she wanted a pack that could exist as a single unit, a family so to speak. The woman wasn’t known for putting much of her faith and trust in others, but the rest of her pack never needed to know that. Emma carried herself extremely well and rarely let on that she had any amount of turmoil beneath her serious exterior. Emma wasn't a basket case of course, but like everyone else, she had her issues and setbacks. Her life hadn't been perfect but then again, she didn't expect it to be. She did her best with what she had been given and tried to maintain a positive attitude. It wasn't always easy of course and once in a while she wished that she had someone in her life that would simply listen to what she had to say. She gave orders on a daily basis, and her pack did what they were told, but nobody ever really sat down and tried to listen or understand her. And Emma couldn't really blame them. She kept everyone at arm's length and almost never reveled any pertinent personal information about herself. Tonight the alpha was a little more distraught than usual, and was having a rough time concealing her agitation. She was growing tired of behaving as though everything was perfectly fine, and wanted nothing more than to cry out for a few moments and release some of her pent up tension. But she needed to keep herself composed, and she certainly didn't want Isaac to think she had fallen off of her rocker. For a few moments she sat in the cool grass and wound the long green strands around the tips of her fingers. She tried to concentrate on the smooth blades of grass as well as her breathing which had become a little bit labored when she scurried off. Aside from a few crickets and the sounds of moving water, the evening was quiet, and the young woman began to grow tired. Though she was sitting upright, her eyes began to close as she fell into a very light sleep. She woke with a start however, when she heard Isaac moving around near the water. She wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, but before she turned around to look, he was already heading in her direction. For a moment she thought he was going to pass her by completely, and was surprised when he stood beside her and kindly extended a hand for her to grasp. Before she even considered taking his hand, she eyed his upper body, which was now completely unclothed. She tried her best not to stare but she was a living, breathing female, and she couldn't help but take a peek. She shook her head from side to side after a few seconds and then eyed his hand which was only a few inches from where she sat. Emma didn't like physical contact. Or at least she thought she didn't. It made her uncomfortable and a large part of her feared it. She liked to keep a distance between herself and others, and physical contact tended to bridge that spacial gap completely. The woman hadn't grown up in an affectionate family and the only man she had ever really come in contact with had been anything but friendly. Her eyes swept over Isaac again, noting his physical stature, and his face. He looked kind. He seemed kind. So what was she afraid of. Gingerly, she placed her right hand in his and allowed him to pull her to a standing position. His hand was warm and easily and comfortably enveloped hers. But the moment she was on the soles of her feet, she released his hand and took a few steps forward. But she didn't let too much time pass before she began,"So what brought you out here anyway? Where is your pack?"

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[atrb=border,0,true][cs=7][bg=000000] _____________________ Isaac pulled Emna to her feet as she took his hand, noting that her hand fit entirely within his own. The texture of her skin was unquestionably smoother than his own, though she quickly took it back as she stepped away. The feeling was something he hadn't experienced in some time because he had roamed alone for so many years. It wasn't uncommon for the only company to be that of his prey for the brief moments before they took their finals breaths on this world. While typically secluded from others, Isaac felt comfortable in the company of another. That was his greatest fear after all in joining a pack, the possibility that he wasn't capable of socializing with others. Perhaps now that he found out it was possible, Isaac would be able to become more involved with his pack. He wasn't one to place faith in others because of the weight of disappointment on his heart, but it would be unwise and unhealthy to continue living as he was. He thought about speaking but Emma beat him to it, asking his reasons for being out that far and where his pack was. He contemplated whether or not to tell her but figured there was no point in not doing so. "Curiosity I suppose, just ran on a whim." He paused before mentioning his pack, wondering why it really mattered where his pack was. He began speaking once more in a cautious manner, not knowing what pack Emma belonged to or where her allegiances lie. "I am of the Havren, though the title is a bit shallow as I haven't met many of them." It was true that he considered himself to be a Havren Wolf, but Isaac had only met with a couple of the others. He tended to keep to himself, and truth be told he didn't even know if he was considered by the majority to be Havren. Isaac placed his hands deep into his pockets and posed a question of his own back to Emma. "What about you? You don't seem to be in the best shape to be travelling, what brought you all the way out here. And I realize i'm prying but it's only fair since I told you, what pack are you from?" Isaac ended his question there, though his lack of human interaction for thr past ten years caused him to have a multitude floating around in his head. He stood silently and awaited her response, or decline of giving one. _____________________ 0:words.

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[atrb=background,http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b9/AshleesAlterEgo/Emmamiddle.jpg] Emma had been curious about Isaac’s origins for some time now but had refrained from posing questions until the right time came about. If he was going to spend any length of time with her, the alpha wanted to know who he was, where he had come from, and what he intended to do. She had every right to want to know these things. She had a pack to protect, and their safety was of utmost importance. It was one thing to put HER life on the line, but another thing entirely to jeopardize the life of another. Emma hadn’t anticipated Isaac’s interest in hovering around. She had fully expected him to grow bored with Emma’s whole charade and scurry off as soon as he got the opportunity. But time passed and the male was still around, making the alpha believe that he was going to continue walking alongside her until they reached civilization. At first she didn’t want the company. The fact that her weaknesses were exposed unnerved her and in the beginning she wanted Isaac to pass her by and go on his merry way. But either he was bored, lonely, curious, or was genuinely concerned about Emma’s well being. The girl didn’t for one second believe it was the latter, and more than anything else she believed he was simply bored. Fine. If he was bored, he could hang around as long as he didn’t get in her way. She was having enough trouble taking care of herself and the last thing she needed was a male who demanded attention that she wasn’t prepared to give. Normally she would have been more welcoming and hospitable, but she was tired and on edge and was pushing her body to its limit. She knew that it was unlikely that she could go much further, but she was going to go as far as she possibly could. She didn’t exactly want to spend the rest of the night sleeping outdoors, and she was very ill equipped to do so. She had no food, no extra clothing, and nothing that would keep her warm. And as unfortunate as it was, shifting was simply out of the question. She could scarcely move as it was, and a shift would likely wreak havoc on her already worn and torn body. Though the blood on her clothing and flesh was mostly dry, she felt filthy and grungy and longed to step in a shower and rinse and wash her body completely clean. But wishing wasn’t going to get her any closer to where she wanted to go, so she pressed forward, knowing that the more she walked, the closer she would be to her home. As Isaac spoke she listened. Her gait was unsteady and her pace was still painfully slow, but she was moving. So he had come to the area out of curiosity. Fine, it was plausible, but what about his pack? When he mentioned Havren, she stopped dead in her tracks. He was a member of her pack? How could that be? She had never met him before and it was she and she alone who permitted others to join her pack. She didn’t know what happened or how such a mistake had been made, but she knew she needed to find out quickly. For now she ignored his questions and began bombarding him with her own. Her voice wasn’t frantic or angry as she spoke, but she was firm and a little disgruntled. "How can that be? I am the alpha of Havren. And I am the one who chooses to accept or decline members of the pack. Who gave you permission to join?” She wasn’t upset with Isaac, but she was furious with the member who took it upon her or himself to admit a member into her pack. Something would have to be done about that. There couldn’t be such leniencies in Havren, that wasn’t how her pack was going to be run. Shaking her head in dismay, she began moving forward. What in the hell was her pack coming to? For a while the petite alpha walked, dragging her feet along the dusty dirt road as she moved. She was drained and knew that the time had come for her to stop. She could feel blood from her shoulder soaking through her cloth bandages and dripping slowly down the front of her body. She knew she needed to cleanse the wound again and try to rewrap it as best as she could. Placing the palm of her hand over her forehead, she stared out into the distance. Her eyes shifted from the left to the right until she spotted several bright lights glowing in the near distance. The lights appeared organized which led the girl to believe that there was a very small town or village nearby. Though she was ready to collapse, she was determined to get to the village. Hoping Isaac would follow suit, she veered to the left and began heading in that direction. She moved over tall grass and thorny bushes, the sharp edges tearing at her jeans with every step she took. She lifted her legs high over logs and fallen trees and tried to avoid small holes and puddles that were nestled deep in the ground. It took her some time, but eventually she reached her destination and sighed in relief as she stepped out of the thicket and into the outskirts of the village. Despite the time of night, there were still a few night owls roaming about and Emma carefully stopped one of them and politely asked for directions. The shriveled old man eyed the girl’s white shirt that was saturated with blood. His hand quivered as he pointed to the largest building in the village and explained that it was the only motel in the area. It was a small stone building that was connected to a bar. Except for a few blinking fluorescent signs, the motel looked deserted. Emma hoped that the owner would accept two new patrons and made her way toward the microscopic lobby and tapped the rusted silver bell on the counter. The owner shuffled toward the desk and offered the girl one of the rooms. Em slid him a few silver coins and took the small golden key in her hand. The key had the number seven painted on the back and she logically assumed that it was the key to room number seven. After walking down the paved walkway she eventually located her room and slipped the key into the lock and turned it to the left. When the door opened and she stepped inside, she realized the room was much nicer than she had anticipated. In it were two full sized beds, one dresser, a small plush rocking chair, and a bathroom. Perfect. Turning back to face Isaac, she said flatly “I’m staying here for the night. You can do whatever you wish. There is room here for both of us, but you are free to go when you please.” Leaving it up to Isaac to close the door when he came in or left, she sank to the floor and leaned against the bed closest to the floor. She was down for the count. She wanted to shower and tend to her wounds, but didn’t have a single ounce of strength left in her body. Her shoulder throbbed as she tilted to the side, her body hanging as though it were about to collapse. If she fell, she fell. She couldn’t move a single inch.

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[atrb=border,0,true][cs=7][bg=000000] _____________________ Isaac's eyes narrowed as the tone in Emma's words became serious. His mouth instantly twisted into a frown as she seemed to snap in response to him. Although he was displeased with the way she came back at him, he understood why she would feel that way if she was indeed the Alpha. He instantly flashed back to his father, the images dancing vividly across his mind. He snapped to reality as Emma finished her statement, trying to pick up the conversation as if he had been actively participating in it all along. Without missing a beat, Isaac spoke in a calm and collected manner. "I suppose you are correct, and I apologize for my assumptions. I don't remember the man's name but it doesn't really matter now after the fact." He continued walking slowly behind Emma as she made her way down the road. After a short a time, she began walking through the underbrush towards the now visible lights of a small village. He followed suit, trying his best to avoid the thorned bushes and deep puddles as they reached the edge of the town. As they came to one of the few passerbys, he directed them towards the only motel in the area. He followed in his physical form but his mind and eyes wandered around the town as they went. Soon enough they came to the door of the room and Emma walked in before him, falling down to the foot of one of the beds. He took his coat off and threw it across the room before turning and closing the door behind him. He walked for a time before coming across a beggar sitting on the side of the street. Isaac noticed the man with a ratty old guitar case and he slowly turned and approached him. He asked the man about the guitar and he admitted that he hadn't played it in years. After some negotiation he took some of the money he had in his pocket and gave it to the man, picking up the old guitar case and walking down the street before sitting down to open it. The instrument inside was as beautiful as he'd ever seen, a stark contrast to the decaying exterior. He latched the case shut and slung it over his shoulder, and before he knew it he was back to the motel. He entered the room and sat the guitar on the bed, making a beeline for the shower as he threw his clothes randomly about the bathroom. The feeling of the hot water washing away the dirt and blood was very welcome. He twisted open the bottle of generic shampoo and cupped the liquid in his hands, violently scrubbing the filth out of his hair. The flow of water ceased as he turned the handle to off, stepping out of the shower as he wrapped one of the towels hanging on the rack around him. As he was standing there he instantly regretted not bringing a change of clothes with him. He dried off and then put on the tanktop and shorts he almost always wore under his clothes (Yes...I do this in real life too...even under church clothes haha) stepping out of the bathroom as portions of his hair were still damp. He took his new guitar in hand after laying his clothes across the bed. He sat in the corner of the room as he pulled a chair up to the window. Isaac stared out at the motherly moon staring back at him, propping his feet up on the ledge as he began to softly strum. The quality of sound that came from the guitar was amazing, and as fingers masterfully slid along the neck of the instrument he played a lullaby his sister used to sing for him as a child. He could not recall the words to the song, though the melody would suffice for now. He would likely fall asleep exactly where he sat, feet propped up in the corner of some cheap motel with someone he had met just earlier that day. Not how he pictured his trip to the wastelands at all. His peaceful mood was interrupted however as someone pounded on the door, a noise accompanied by an even more annoying voice. A man, apparently a very drunk man, began yelling very loudly at Isaac. "Hey, shut the hell up in there." Isaac was at the door in seconds as he twisted the handle and stared into the face of a rather large and wild looking man. The man put his finger centimeters from Isaac's face as he spoke again in a threatening, "Cut that noise out boy, other people are trying to sleep here. If I hear it again imma come back and whip you an..." His vocal chords ceased to emit a sound as Isaac's fingers gripped tightly around his throat. He lifted the man into the air as he turned and pointed to Emma who looked to be sleeping. Isaac spoke in almost a whisper, mocking the now choking man as he did, "Hey, keep the noise down out there, people are trying to sleep in here. I would really appreciate it." With that Isaac tossed the man backwards onto the concrete as he gasped for air, looking at him with a stare that would freeze the soul of most. He turned around and slammed the door behind him, cupping his face in his hand as he realized he had made a louder noise than the drunk had. He walked back over to his chair and kicked his feet up on the windowsill, hoping he hadn't accidentally woken Emma. _____________________ 0:words.

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[atrb=background,http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b9/AshleesAlterEgo/Emmamiddle.jpg] As Emma sat slumped over on the thinly carpeted floor, she found herself wondering how or if she should broach the subject of Deacon’s acceptance into the pack. He seemed to think that the subject was closed, but Emma had different feelings about it. She wasn’t upset with Deacon of course; it wasn’t his fault that one of her pack members had taken it upon themselves to admit him into her pack without permission. He was merely a victim of circumstance and she was in no way at fault. But he did need to know that she was top dog in the pack and that she wouldn’t stand for any nonsense. So far she had yet to assert her authority partially because she hadn’t had the opportunity, and partially because she wasn’t feeling terribly energetic. During the course of their time together, Deacon’s behavior had been exemplary. He had been respectful in every way shape and form and she had no reason so suspect that his manners would change. He appeared to be a model pack member and she was pleased to know that she didn’t have to contend with a pompous ass or a complete fool. But of course Emma wasn’t naive or stupid enough to immediately trust the male. She had known him for only a few hours and there was still plenty of time for him to make mistakes. She had been keeping a watchful eye on him, knowing that she needed to be on guard at all times. But her energy was slowly beginning to drain and though she wanted to continue monitoring Deacon’s behavior, by the time they reached the motel, she was too exhausted to do so. Placing the palms of her hands atop the short gray carpet, she closed her eyes for a moment and listened as Deacon removed an article of clothing, tossed it somewhere nearby, and exited the room. She didn’t know where he was going or if he would return but she decided it would be senseless to fret over something she had little control over. If he chose to stay she would be perfectly fine with the idea, but if he chose to leave, she would allow that as well. Emma certainly didn’t want Deacon to remain in her pack if he did not want to be there. She liked to think of Havren as a bit of a haven where wolves could feel safe and wanted. It was a pack built on a foundation of strength, but also on a foundation of love and respect. If Deacon decided the pack didn’t suit his needs, she would respect his view and permit him to leave without question. But because he had left his coat behind, Emma suspected that he was just going out for a stroll or looking for something to eat. If he was going out temporarily, the girl wanted to at least mention something to Deacon who really should have let her know what he intended to do. She didn’t want to be a babysitter and didn’t want to appear overbearing but she was in an unfamiliar location and felt it necessary to know what was going on around her. Resting her right temple against the side of the mattress, the brunette fell into a light sleep, waking only when Deacon walked back into the room and headed directly for the shower. The alpha scowled, wondering if her assumptions about Deacon had been incorrect. It was very possible that he wasn’t nearly as kind and considerate as she had first believed. He had left her alone in a strange room without asking her if she was fine for him to leave and he hadn’t bothered to tell her where he was going or when he would be back. Though she didn’t feel like she needed him to be present, he displayed very little concern for her well-being. And to top all of that off, he barged back into the room and commenced to make an obnoxious racket. She permitted him to complete his shower in peace, but when he exited the bathroom and proceeded to sit down and strum on a guitar she hadn’t seen before, she was at the very end of her rope. As quickly as she could, she rose from her sitting position and turned to face Deacon. With a sour look on her face she began, “look, I don’t know what your background was like or where you came from, but I expect you to show good judgment while you are with me. Did you really think it was a good idea to just come in here and then leave without letting me know where you were going or how long you would be gone? I don’t want to sound lie your parent, and believe me, I don’t want to BE your parent. But you just left me here to wonder what was going on. If you are going to be a member of Havren, you have to be more considerate. And you know, I’ve had a long night, my shoulder hurts like hell and all I really want to do is go to sleep. So do me a favor and keep it quiet. That’s the least you can do.” Emma was indeed speaking sharply and she certainly wasn’t mincing words. She was pissed and annoyed and had every right to be. Though she could have approached it differently, she decided it would be in her and his best interest to get straight to the point. Before the girl could sit back down however, her night was once again disrupted by some kind of commotion at the door. A look of disgust and then worry crossed her face as she looked to the door and then to Deacon. What had he gotten himself into? Not surprisingly, a neighbor was perturbed by Deacon’s noise, and Emma merely shrugged her shoulders and decided to let Deacon contend with the mess he had made. She could tell that the man at the door was drunk. And though he had gone a little too far when he threatened Deacon with physical violence, the alpha couldn’t really blame the guy for being annoyed. Deacon should have apologized and saved his music practice for another night but instead he chose to act out aggressively. Em watched unhappily as Deacon threw the man onto the pavement and closed the door. Enough was enough. Moving around the bed to where Deacon sat perched on a chair, she attempted to shove him backwards and pin him against the wall. The movement was too much for her shoulder however, and she glanced down as blood once again began to seep from the wound. Though she wasn’t worried about it, she was extremely annoyed and said, “what the fuck Deacon? A simple “okay” would have sufficed. Why in the hell would you shove a guy around like that? I don’t blame him for being annoyed with the noise you’ve been making. I’M annoyed with the noise. You need to learn to cool your shit. I don’t have time for it.” Stepping back, she stood a few inches from where Deacon sat, and shook her head in dismay.

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