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Story I've started on.
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Howellfan
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 8:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

.

Last edited by Howellfan on Sun Jan 06, 2008 5:18 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Howellfan
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 9:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

..

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Howellfan
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 9:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

..

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Howellfan
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 9:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

.

Last edited by Howellfan on Sun Jan 06, 2008 5:20 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Howellfan
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 9:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, better a little late than never! Smile Next part o' the story you've no doubt awaited with baited breath-or not. Razz

Anyway, here ya go! Smile

Edit: Heh heh, just couldn't leave this scene as it was. Razz
______________________________________________________________

"Damnit Gray, you can't do that." Rebecca said as she closed the door behind her.

They were at the inn, just arrived at their room;spartan, bare unpainted wooden walls with a single small, dim wavy window set high in one and barely room enough for the bed and two of them.

Grey, first in, turned back to her and sat.

Good idea. She sat on the bed(Feathers now! Nice.), bent over pressing both hands to her forehead;sat up again.

"D'you have any idea how ugly people -my people- can get about a beast with a taste of human blood? Any beast? Your defense, mine; it wouldn't matter. You don't let a man-killer run free, and no promise it'd matter you're Wise, either -assumin' we were even allowed to demonstrate that minor detail." That some might think it all the more reaseon to kill him, she didn't say.

"Look, I know" 'I think' "you weren't gonna kill 'im;he'd've been dead when he hit the floor if you wanted that. But they damn well didn't! That kinda crap'll get us tossed out!"

Gods, maybe it wasn't worth the hassle. Could she deal with all the attention if....

"Look, you still wanna go with this? I mean, playin' that you're cousin, just some oversized mutt, all of it?"

Nod.

"Then damnedwell ACT LIKE IT!"

Whoah!...What???

Godsdamn, she thought she could hold her licquor, anyway....

And damnit;There was Gray being, well, Gray again! Bunch of armed soldiers on horseback? No problem! She loses her temper at him, you'd think the mother-of-all Alphas was pissed from his reaction! It was...well, pretty damned disconcerting.

Ahh, hells.

She knelt in front of him. "Hey..." reached out and turned his face back to look her in the eye. "Hey! I'm sorry. That was the drink. I guess I...look, if we wanna make this whole circus act work, we've gotta fool more than just townsfolk;we gotta fool other trappers, who know a Wise when they see one. Now, it helps a little that dogs come in lotsa shapes and sizes -you'd be suprised how many- and you're not so much bigger than your cousins as some of the Wise, but mostly, even more than th' collar it's how we act together that gives us a hells' chance o' hidin' you in plain sight. They jus' don't expect it, so they assume.

"And that means you gotta be in character when we're around other people;You can't let yourself get drawn into damn foolish acts like-like back there. Th'guy was half drunk and half-assed -trust me, Gray;I was fine."

She reached her hands up around the top of his neck, locking them behind. "Hey, you got the easy part! No responsibility, no pressure;just worry 'bout being a silly, carefree...mutt." She scratched. "So relax. Back on the trail you saved my ass;now, here I need you to trust me. Can ya do that, furface?"

"Just let it go, and trust me."

She heard a soft whine;he pushed forward, nose under her chin;she fealt a lick.

Her knee was getting tired. She brought the leg on which she was kneeling forward, to sit cross-legged, his head in her lap;began stroking, running her fingers and hands slowly down his neck, the length of his back "Ha! Some killer!" Gods, she'd come to love seeing him like this;limp beneath her hands, relaxed and vulnerable. "My precious;my brave Wolf." She lightly clenched the scruff of his neck;and fealt a shudder run through him when she fussed it....

The room was warm, the whiskey still ran in her veins and soon her eyes sagged close and she was asleep.


***

She woke with a moan.

The dreams again;of Jack. Not the final days -much worse;of good times, on the trail, talking, teaching, teasing, of sweet. sweet evenings, all somehow heightened by a small part of her mind that even in her sleep knew the truth and remembered the loss, giving the pleasure of those moments a fierce, desperate urgency...

...until it was suddenly, inevitably wrenched away, shades burned off in the morning light and he was lost to her again.

Knock at the door;once more.

'Horse must've gotten here.' She was still sitting. Gray stood facing her;it was his movement that actually brought her awake. "Coming!" She made to rise. Youch;Rot!, did she ache. How long had it been? Not long enough for the drink to wear off in any case.

She opened the door. A young boy, early adolescence, stood there. "Man 'ere with a horse he claims is yours?" He sounded slightly dubious. 'Boy, you'd never believe....'

A short time later, the rest of her belongings brought up and secured -well, as out of the way as possible in the confines of their room- she sat on the(literally!)feather-soft bed. She was sore, bleary-eyed -and quite happy to miss as much of when the licquor wore off as possible.

Ugh, good NIGHT. She undressed and sat, ready to collapse into slumber. "G'night mutt." she said half-teasingly, reaching down with her right hand to fuss his neck.

And something inside her broke fully to the surface. She grasped his scruff, brought his face up toward hers with the other hand. Looked into his eyes with a new, fierce intensity, searching....

"You are mine, aren't you...pup?" Low. Commanding.

The look in his eyes was answer enough.

______________________________________________________________


Last edited by Howellfan on Wed Jan 09, 2008 2:13 am; edited 32 times in total
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Howellfan
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PostPosted: Sun Jan 06, 2008 5:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Um, sorry 'bout the multiple repost above, guys;don't know what happened. Confused

Could admin. perhaps delete the four above?(The empty ones, not the next section of the story!) Thanks in advance. Done what I can, but can't seem to delete(?).

Again, apologies.
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Onic
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 07, 2008 12:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Glad to see more story. By the next time I browse the forums I will have read the new material, so I'll comment then.
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Howellfan
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 6:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

WOW, huge expansion of the last scene posted above. Might as well call it an update. (That mean I can take another day or two to figure out just where the hell I want to go next with this? Razz Smile ).

This one was purely artistic judgment. The scene just ended way too quickly, and didn't seem to take the time to create the feeling I wanted to in it. additionally, however readily where I'm trying to take this story suggests itself to me from my inspirations. actually getting the characters there believably, with the relationship I want them to have and especially with one of them not speaking to-boot is beginning to feel like a real high-wire act for me;have to keep moving forward with it whenever opportunity presents so I don't fall off.

Anyway, if you already read the last update above, read again;I think you'll like the change. *crosses fingers*[/b]
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Howellfan
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 6:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

WOW, huge expansion of the last scene posted above. Might as well call it an update. (That mean I can take another day or two to figure out just where the hell I want to go next with this? Razz Smile ).

This one was purely artistic judgment. The scene just ended way too quickly, and didn't seem to take the time to create the feeling I wanted to in it. In addition, however readily where I'm trying to take this story suggests itself to me from my inspirations. actually getting the characters there believably, with the relationship I want them to have and especially with one of them not speaking to-boot is beginning to feel like a real high-wire act for me;have to keep moving forward with it whenever opportunity presents so I don't fall off.

Anyway, if you already read the last update above, read again;I think you'll like the change. *crosses fingers*
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Teric
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 8:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ah I see... making it much more clear now. It makes me wish I could really 'hear' what Grey was thinking/saying.
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Howellfan
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 10:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No kidding! Woulda made writing this a lot easier, wouldn't it! Laughing

It was a very conscious choice from the beginning to make the Wise 'non-verbal';has certain advantages for what I'm going for, 'ey? Smile I've thought in passing of writing from his perspective, but really don't feel like adding that element on top of everything else I've got going on in this story. Maybe I'm just lazy! Laughing

I really have done my best, though, to show Gray in as multifaceted a light as Rebecca;he can be savage in some contexts, yielding with Rebecca -clearly a choice on his part- and is explicitly not a wimp or cringing coward. I think I pulled it off pretty well;just wish I'd known quite what I was getting myself into!

P.S. Another damn repost! Starting to bug me. *Pulls hair*
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Howellfan
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PostPosted: Wed Jan 09, 2008 5:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hey, go back to page 1 and take a look at the second piece of story I posted, with the second part of their conversation and ending with "...it'll be interestin' when we reach town." Done a huge re-edit, including a complete rewrite of the last part. The scene finally reads something like what I had in mind in the first place!

Yeah, yeah, I know;I'm partly stalling on more new material. Got a few thoughts on where to go next, but still waiting for a scene or moment in one of them to pop out and make me say "I wanna see this!". Promise I'll probably have something in the next day or two, if not sooner, alright? Smile Cool


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Onic
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 2:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Still going strong there, Howellfan. You've definitely earned a commendation from me for sticking with this story and having a plot running. I can't seem to do that, even though my current project is not incredibly difficult.
The past few days have been full of school, so I'll check back periodically.

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Howellfan
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 4:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks! Smile

Don't beat yourself up over it. If you can only spare a few minutes online 'periodically' you must be getting absolutely crushed right now -so secondary priorities like, say, artistic pursuits getting put on the back-burner is understandable to say the least! Very Happy

And hey, I thought what I'm writing was going to be a nice, short, easy story;if your intent is to have characters with real depth and motivations, I'm starting to think there's no such thing!

One thing you could try is what I've done with my story;start general. Pick a scene or situation you'd be interested in seeing or reading about, figure out what characters are in that situation, then figure out how and why they got there, making up the story as you go along and using getting to that endpoint you want to see as motivation to keep going.

Anyhow, good luck with school! Smile Laughing
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Howellfan
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PostPosted: Thu Jan 10, 2008 9:49 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just to let y'all know I'm moving forward again. Not much happening in it, yet;will add more after work...hopefully. Smile

Edit: Ech;anachranism's galore. I was rushing, to get at least a little written and posted before work and glad to be pushing forward again. Fixed it, keeping the best lines of course! Now, on to the rest of it! Smile

Edit: Aaaand some more. Still not much happened yet- getting there, though! More on the way.

Edit: And even more. Rolling now, but we ain't done! Smile

Edit: Alright, let's call it a full scene here, though I plan on adding more that they do this day to the post.

Edit: Okay, here we go. this might be all I put in this update.
I'm just having too much fun with this to not include some character focus. Smile


________________________________________________________________


The blackness turned to gray;then to light:YEOWHEEEE

To black again: Thaaaaat hurt.

Hand over her eyes:one more time, now;SLOWLY.

Rebecca groaned as she pushed herself up in bed, palms over her eyes, rubbing;turned to sit on the edge. Slowly, and not a little painfully the room came into focus. She licked her lips -Ugh- wincing at the light coming through the window. It WOULD be East-facing! What'd happened last night?....'Gray Eyes...'. He was standing, watching her, tail slowly sweeping back and forth. Ah, sh*t...what'd....SHIIT.

"Gone out since yesterday?"

Nope

Of course;him going alone would be impractical to current circumstances. Damn. "Well, guess -uuh- guess I'd better get up, then." Brushing a hand through her hair;"Gimme...give me a few moments teget dressed."

She struggled into her leathers -a bit stiffly- and bound up her hair;she'd brush it out later. Hells, she thought as she strapped her knife, maybe jus' cut it short; Neat didn't matter on the trail.

He was waiting when she finished;he stood holding the leash in his mouth.

She took it from him;sat staring at it for several long seconds.

"You know, Gray Eyes...we still don't really HAVE to use this;unless you want to...."

Stare. Waiting.

She grinned, chuckling. Mussed his forehead;"That's what I thought you'd say, mutt. Sit your ass down."

It was late morning as they stepped out into the haze and dust of the street;Beautiful, early Autumn day, not yet late enough for the trees to turn(Forrest loomed to the West, plains and farmland stretched in the East and all around.). Invigorating;she began to feel almost human.

A few minutes later they entered the front door again, turned right, and about twenty paces on crossed into the dining-cum-common area, nd addition functioning both as lunch and common area for the inn's few residents and restaurant -at price- to the local community. Rebecca could almost feel her mouth watering at the smells as they passed the door and made for the counter. The place was open, airy, small wavy windows filling the ceiling and walls between and vapor-lamps ready for use at each table.

The few people within looked up as she entered with her 'pet'. A couple were trappers, and she waved to one she knew as she walked by.

They arrived at the counter. "What ya got today, girl?"

"Duck stew. Bread."

"Venison?"

"Had it earlier;out now. Course ma'am you could check the market if you gotta have some today."

"Huh;and pay extra?" Meals were included in the inn's price. Ohwell. "Eggs?"

The girl smiled;"That, we can do for you."

"Great. How 'bout some wake-me-up?

Smile;shrug again. "Sorry ma'am;next quarter."

DAMN!

"Hey, lady!" the 'keeper, who'd been helping with the cooking approached the counter;he was looking at Gray. "Heard there was trouble with that beast of yours. Heard he attacked someone yesterday."

Rebecca cursed under her breath;"No, sir, he didn't attack anyone. If he'd attacked 'im, he'd've been dead." Hmmm...that probably wasn't the reaction she was looking for. She spread her hands;"Drunken...idiot took a couple o' swings at me. Gray can be protective sometimes, and the guy got knocked over and scared silly;but he didn't take a scratch. I admit mister; it was still outta line, but he was dealt with and that was the end of it -look, go ask the tavern's owner if he's dangrous. 'E look dangrous to you?" She turned to the Wolf lying quietly on the ground to give a scratch between his ears and-. She had to bite back her laughter;he'd never even SEEN a dog -where'n hells he get that idea?

His tongue was hanging out. 'Oh, for godssake....'

The keeper still looked dubious;"He stays on lead outside your room;understood, lady?"

She rolled her eyes;"Understood."

She finished ordering -for the two of them.

"'Bekka!" The trapper she knew, a few years younger than her waved her over.

She approached, tied off Gray with a pat and pulled up a chair.

"'Ey Nate." He was a hand-n-half taller than her, with green eyes, sandpepper hair.

"Where'd you pick him up?" asked Nathan, looking at Gray.

Ohboy. "Long story;who's your friend?' she asked with a smile.

"Ah, apologies m'lady." He turned to the man beside him, who looked about ten years his senior. "This fine fellow 'ere is Jake Runner...crankiest ass this side of the Rivers." She and Jake chuckled "And Jake, this fine lady here is Rebecca..." he paused, grinning;she was trying to wave him off -no, no no- "...Sunshine." He finished. Ah, rot. "Which she doesn't like people knowing on account of it bein' such a misnomer and all." She flashed him something obscene. He laughed again.

"Looks like she's ready to prove it, too. Now that any kind of behavior for a refined lady like yourself?" said Jake, chuckling.

Rebecca snorted. Refined hells! Trappers were a different breed, especially in each other's company. "So what's the news?' she asked, trying to change topics.

They stopped. "How long you been out?" asked Nathan

"Too long;why?"

"Trouble.";leaning forward, completely serious now. "Rebellion in the Isles-"

"And?" That wasn't surprising;anyone, EVERYONE at all in the know saw it coming, except the despotic asshole himself...."

"And the Man-firsts-"

"Godsrotted bastards." she mumbled. Then her eyes snapped back to him. No....

"-are the main beneficiaries of this 'people's rebellion'." He confirmed.

'No one saw that coming' she thought, the implications sinking in. "They have a realm." Mothers;a godsdamned REALM!

Her meal arrived;duck stew in a simple clay bowl, boiled eggs in a similiar bowl and cooled water in a round, handleless cup of the same material.

"Already it's flashing over." He continued after the hostess left. "There's rioting in neighboring states on Mainland;they're the ones with strongest sympathies and same problems in the greatest degree-lotta people, too little land and everything else. There's tension all up and down the banks. It's turning paranoid;rumors flying like Autumn leaves. What other surprises they got? Who might be next? There's rumors they're already using their new position to strike out in secret, of attacks-"

"~SH*T!~" Her hand was clenched. "I've had a personal encounter with those 'rumours';four of 'em on horseback."

They looked at her.

"I came out've it the better, though...."

Stare.

She took a sip from her cup. "The mounts they rode were nice. Very nice...."

Silence. "Yeaaaaaah....";from Nathan.

"Hey! Would I lie?...'Ey! I'll take you out back and show you the damned horse if you won't take my word. 'Is tack as well." She'd just leave out a couple minor details....

They stared a few moments longer. "You're serious, aren't you?" said Jake."

Nathan gave a drawn-out whistle. "If you're being honest....;Girl, you are somethin' else."

"Damned lucky!" Jake again. They both looked suitably impressed.

She bent over to scratch between Gray's ears. "You can say that again."

"We should be so lucky" said Jake;"We're leaving first light tomorrow. Together."

"Which way?"

"West."

Ah. "Well then; I stand warned. Watch each other's backs, y'hear?"

Nate leaned forward, put a hand on her arm;"And you, watch your ass."

***
Some time later, they were standing outside her room.

Rebecca knelt down so she was face-to-face with Gray. "Well, I'll bet you're feelin' hungry." One thing or another, neither of them had eaten anything after their arrival in town yesterday. Gray still hadn't.

Yes. Emphatically.

"Probly wonderin' if I jus' forgot about you down there, weren't you? Tell me!"

Short nod. The Wolf looked at her sideways.

She removed the leash. "Sit!" She said, as she stood with a smile. "Stay."

She entered and closed the door behind. The room was fairly narrow, bed against one long wall on her left, window on the right. Against the wall opposite the bed there were two buckets, nearly identical;about three palm-widths wide and half as high, spreading upwards with wooden plankings for sides. One of them was covered with a fairly heavy board, sealing the top;removing this, she opened the door -"C'mon in"- and stepped back into the room.

The Wolf didn't need to look inside to know what was in one of the bowls. He smelled it as soon as she removed the cover;duck stew, still warm and filled near to the brim! The other of course held water.

"Suprise." she said, gesturing with a flourish. "Dig in!"

Sitting on the bed, she began taking off her boots to relax for a few minutes. "Plenty more where that came from if need be. Innkeeper didn't mind havin' food brought up for you if it meant gettin' my 'dangerour beast' in and outta there sooner." she chuckled "Though 'e did think the lid a bit odd. Done spoiled you I have," she smiled "and didn't wanna ruin the suprise did we?" Course Gray'd had to wait a little longer to eat. Pity, that.

She laughed as he suddenly jumped up to put his forepaws on her knees and started licking under her chin. "Hey, 'ay! Giddown and eat, now." She pushed him off.

She looked down at him. "How could I 'ave forgotten about you, huh? I told you to trust me, remember;I won't betray that trust. I won't forget your needs. I'm there for you."

"I promise."


Last edited by Howellfan on Mon Jan 14, 2008 12:33 am; edited 5 times in total
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