--> [Darkness]

[Kyozen]

"I'm a question to the world,
not an answer to be heard.
All a moment that's held in your arms.
And what do you think you'd ever say?
I won't listen anyway…
You don't know me,
And I’ll never be what you want me to be."

The broken street crunched loudly underneath the black hiking boots. The sound echoed off the crumbling walls, and disturbed the peaceful silence that frothed across the ruins. The air was thick with a seeping of darkness as the last tendrils of sunlight were dragged behind the horizon. Birds flitted around, dancing across the fallen walls and hunting mice that scurried beneath the rubble. Trees groaned in the light breeze, their roots were tangled spears thrusting into the ground between the stones. The overall layout of the dead monster was an astonishingly black scar on the green landscape. A couple round towers still half stood along with a few daring walls. The rest of it, sad to say, had succumbed to nature's anger long ago. The stones were strewn awkwardly around the place as if tossed by a fit of rage. Thrashed tables had become the life source for various types of moss. Cracks between the remains had become the home for many insects and plants, and were further pushed aside by the actions of the living. A well tanned hand dragged across one of the few remaining walls of the beast. Sensitive fingers trailed the crevasses as if they would simple whisper out their secrets at his touch. The sky had mostly faded to dark hues of purple and navy with just a touch of orange where the sun had descended. Soon it would be gone for the night completely.

A tall man walked among the despair. He stuck out like a sore thumb against the pale gray stones and the feeble plant life. All around him the hoarse caws of the local birds warned him out of their territory. He ignored them. A flexible breeze galloped through what was once a hallway, ruffling the man's vibrant orange hair before letting it fall back into his eyes. A smirk curled up his lips as he ran a hand through his hair. The place was... interesting to say the least. Something about the old castle felt odd though, and the man felt almost insignificant walking among its shadows. He weaved in and out through the darkness, trailing his fingers in it and watching how it clutched at him. Trying to swallow him. However, such a notion stirred nothing inside him. No fear. No worry. No despair. No terror. No emotion could grab him by the throat and squeeze the life out of him. He was past those feelings, had left them behind long ago, and they could bother him no longer. A raven landed on a craggy tree with harsh thwacks of its wings. Dark head tilted to the side to observe the man, and he flashed his white teeth at it in a smile. The raven shuffled on its branch and let out a strange croak of warning. The raven was telling him to go away. He could understand it perfectly, the body and verbal language were as familiar to him as any other. Innate intelligence.

The man walked under the tree and rested on a slab of stone that its roots curled under. His back leaned against the crumbling wall behind him, but the wall didn't feel like it was going to fall anytime soon. The raven watched him severely, and when he sat down it fluffed out its feather and waggled its wings to warn him away again. He ignored the creature, instead closing his eyes and listening for a moment. The raven cawed loudly, interrupting him, and he opened his eyes. Orange and blue eyes looked up at the bird with curiosity. "Go away." The bird language fell smoothly off his tongue, hardly accented at all. The raven croaked and shuffled again. "No. You go." His brow furrowed thoughtfully, and the man waited to see what else the bird would do. After a moment, the raven shook its head almost mournfully before lifting its wings and gliding away on an updraft. The man snorted softly, only just amused. Ravens were strange birds, different than the rest. He'd befriended a few of them when he'd been up in the mountains, and they'd often helped him to hunt. The man had even heard them tell some great stories, however they still managed to keep a strange and distant air. He leaned back and closed his eyes. Besides the scuffling of a few leaves, a serene silence descended upon the ruins. It wasn't long before he'd drifted into a peaceful sleep, time seemed to stretch itself around him, and eternally suspend him from reality.

[/blockquote]

"They can’t tell me who to be,
‘Cause I’m not what they see.
And the world is still sleepin’,
While I keep on dreamin’ for me.
And their words are just whispers
And lies that I’ll never believe."

OOC -- Hmm, trying out a new format for my posts here ^^ Open for anyone!
Word Count -- 927
Lyrics -- I'm Still Here by Johnny Rzeznik

[Halie Kendricks]

"'Cause when you're talking out loud and nobody's there,
you look like heck and you just don't care;
drinkin' more than you ever drank,
sinkin' down lower than you ever sank"

A dark road lied in front of two dark figures, one with their head down, the other prepared for danger. The sounds of their steps seemed to disrupt the silence that lingered in the air as the walked. One of the two, a large, black canine, padded next to his owner, his amber eyes alert for an attack. The other, a young girl, took her steps as if she were angry, scorch-marks were left where she walked. Her hands rested in the pockets of her black jacket. “Was it my fault my father died?” Halie’s thoughts wandered her off to her distant world. A few old, crumbling buildings passing them by faster, birds were perched up top watching her every movement. A raven left his spot, spreading his wings he soared down the thermals, passing over the dark canine. The large dog gave a growling bark as the bird came down, the noise snapped Halie out of her trance.

“Brisk, what’s up with you today?” Taking off her black hood, she revealed her short, spiky dark ginger hair. Halie looked at her companion with emerald-colored eyes. As the dog looked at his owner, he rasped his tongue along her face. Giving a slight laugh she said, “Brisk, buddy, you’ve been so good to me,” she wrapped her arms around his neck, her voice falling into sadness. “Don’t leave me, I couldn’t take it if you left me.” All she felt was soft fur stroke across her cheek, taking that as an “I wouldn’t leave you.”

The further the two walked, the darkness started to seep in. A few growls from Brisk made Halie a little more cautious. She could see the dark spots try to consume her body to where she couldn’t see. Suddenly, in a quick flash of being scared, her hands were consumed in bright, red flames, illuminating the darkness. A few noises came from ahead, as they neared; she saw the form of a tall man. From Halie’s view it looked as if the man was speaking to the raven. Just as soon as she saw the black bird, it flew away, as the man leaned against the wall. Halie knew she was lost, and this man was the only person she had seen since she went into the ruins. Coming out from around the corner, she spoke kindly, hoping he could help her out.

“Excuse me sir, but can you point me the way out of these ruins? My friend and I kind of got lost. We’re new around here; I didn’t mean to bother you.”

Halie hoped surely that the man wouldn’t be too angry that she had disrupted his sleep, but she waited quietly for an answer. Then she made up her mind that if he didn’t answer she would continue on her way out, her hands still brightening the dark.

"When you find yourself falling down upon your knees,
Prayin' to God, begging him please;
that's when he's
more than a memory"

OOC: Halie's lost, hoping this mysterious man could help her 8P
Word Count: 477
Lyrics: "More Than A Memory" --Garth Brooks

[Kyozen]

"I'm a question to the world,
not an answer to be heard.
All a moment that's held in your arms.
And what do you think you'd ever say?
I won't listen anyway…
You don't know me,
And I’ll never be what you want me to be."

A dog's warning bark caught in the man's excellent hearing. It took not a half second for him to wake up from his short slumber. He hadn't intended to fall asleep at all, and silently cursed himself for not sleeping very often. The orange haired man stayed completely still, regulating his breathing and appearing as if he was asleep. However, he was wide awake, and completely alert as the footsteps gradually grew closer. It took quite a bit off effort to keep the struggling memories at bay in his mind. There were so many of them of similar situations. Long ago he wouldn't have been able to control himself and remain so calm and still. Thoughts raced and screamed at him, telling him to investigate. His intelligence to him to lay still and stay calm. Obviously he listened to the second one. Fire tingled inside his limbs, pumping what energy he had left through his blood and into his limbs. It didn't sound like it'd be someone that he'd need to avoid, but he couldn't always be sure. Too many times had he been jumped from behind. Too many times had the footsteps lied to him. It was hard to keep the grimace off his face as the footsteps rounded the corner. They were soft and light, nervous, and there was also the clip of a dog's nails.

Orange and blue eyes cracked open ever so slightly, but his body language showed complete unconsciousness. The scuffling of footsteps stopped, and a feminine voice echoed among the stones. “Excuse me sir, but can you point me the way out of these ruins? My friend and I kind of got lost. We’re new around here; I didn’t mean to bother you.” Sir? Seriously? Was she blind or something? He lifted up his head, opening his eyes and squinting as if he was groggy from sleep. Nope. She didn't look blind. Huh. He flopped his head back for a moment before a heavy sigh climbed out of his chest. Okay then. Nap time over. The man sat up, leaning his tanned arms on his legs and blinking several times. "You don't remember the way you came in?" His voice was smooth and cool. Soothing, yet cold. The man had gotten good at manipulating his voice and his image in his younger years when fooling people had been necessary to survive. With a sigh, the man ran a hand through his floppy orange hair. It was getting in his eyes again, so he'd need to chop it off with his knife soon. The ---- stuff grew like weeds. He rose onto his feet, head twitching to the left at a distant raven caw. It wasn't anything urgent, so he turned back to the strangers before him and tried to pay attention.

She was short for one, but then again that wasn't anything new to him. By her side was a large, black dog who was intently giving him the "I'm watching you" glare. The dog must have been her "friend" which was an interesting choice of words since most people thought themselves superior to their pets. He relaxed his posture a bit, letting his hands fall to his sides and dropping any hostility from his expression. The last thing he wanted to do was get attacked by a black dog and end up killing some girl's "friend." Okay, maybe not the last thing, but it was definitely low on his list. "I guess if you don't remember I could show you the way? It's not that far." His voice was deep and reassuring, a smile warmed his face flashing his brilliantly white teeth. He moved to walk past her, giving the girl and the dog a five foot distance to make sure that nothing happened. The man's white overcoat flapped around his ankles as he shoved one hand in his pocket. He glanced back at her with his blue, right eye, a smile still curling at the edges of his lips. Right hand gave a little wave. "Comin'?" He turned around the corner, not bothering to look back and see if she was keeping up. "You can call me Kyo." He said, swirling a cloak of friendliness about himself and using it as a mask over anything he really felt. He really looked friendly, and happy to lead her out of the ruins. Really he just wanted to get rid of her.

[/blockquote]

"They can’t tell me who to be,
‘Cause I’m not what they see.
And the world is still sleepin’,
While I keep on dreamin’ for me.
And their words are just whispers
And lies that I’ll never believe."

OOC -- Uhh, next one will be better. Sorry Brisk, no dialog for you yet unless you talk first xD
Word Count -- 922
Lyrics -- I'm Still Here by Johnny Rzeznik

[Halie Kendricks]

“Come on somebody,
Why don’t you run;
Ol’ Red’s itchin’,
To have a little fun.”

The fire on her hands burned brighter as her thoughts shuffled around. As the flames brightened, the light became immense as all three figures could be clearly seen. Her canine friend stood at her side, she could feel the aggressive vibes come from the black dog. She saw the tall man on the other side of the stone clearing lift his head, then a sigh rose to her ears. In the glow of the fire, she could see him blink at her a few times before speaking. “You don’t remember the way you came in?” His voice sounded soothing and calm, making her feel like there was nothing to be afraid of, for she never liked the dark. Quickly she realized he spoke and replied in her usual tone.

“No, sorry, we don’t. We took to many turns to remember the way back. I also don’t want to stay to long, Brisk is getting edgy.” Halie took her gaze off the older man to look at her shepherd; she saw his eyes were intent on the man and a smile crossed his jaw. She turned back to the man just in time to see him mess with his hair and his head twitched about the time a raven sounded.

Halie felt the black dog relax his muscles just a bit just before the man spoke again in a reassuring voice as a smile appeared. “I guess if you don’t remember I could show you the way, it’s not that far.” As he moved, Halie could see that the man kept his distance. Maybe he thinks Brisk will attack. Soon she saw his right hand give a small wave before he spoke. “Comin’?” As he turned the corner, she heard the faint voice. “You can call me Kyo.”

Shifting her eyes for a slight look at her friend, seeing his amber eyes give the “Don’t do something stupid” look. Moving her feet into the form of a jog, she caught up to the man named Kyo. She wanted to at least say she was grateful, so she did. “Thank you Kyo, I honestly don’t mean to be a bother, I just don’t want to go around in circles for a long time. My name is Halie, and he is Brisk.” When she said his name she saw him flick his ears in irritation.

-----------------------------------------------------

The glow of a light warmed the fur on his body, his golden eyes intent on the man ahead. His aggression placed in his bared fangs, making sure that this stranger didn’t make any attempts to attack his girl. His ears lowered when he spoke, “You don’t remember the way you came in?” the black canine narrowed his eyes, his voice calmed his human, and he didn’t like it. The strangers voice sounded to calm, to smooth, it just didn’t seem right. Brisk gave a sigh when he herd his human speak. “No, sorry, we don’t. We took to many turns to remember the way back. I also don’t want to stay to long, Brisk is getting edgy.”

Brisk didn’t look at his girl; he just spoke back in his own way, knowing Halie wouldn’t hear him. “Yeah, and you were the one who wanted to explore the ruins, I just tagged along to make sure you don’t get hurt…and to make sure you don’t fall face first.” A smile swept his jaw, keeping his golden eyes on the stranger.

He missed more of the conversation; he started to listen again when the stranger stated his name and Halie to thank him. Brisk just rolled his eyes and flicked his ears before speaking to himself, “There is no need for introductions, we won’t see you again, thankfully,” his eyes narrowed again when he thought about it more.

“Get my lantern,
Get my gun;
Red’ll have you treed,
Before the morning comes.”

OOC: -says to Brisk- You don’t need to be so untrusting ^^
Word Count: 677
Lyrics: “Ol’ Red” –Blake Shelton

[Kyozen]

"I have walked all alone,
On these streets, I call home.
Streets of hope, streets of fear.
Through the sidewalk cracks,
Time disappears.
I was lost, on my knees,
On the eve of defeat,
As i choked back the tears,
There's a silent scream no-one could hear."

“No, sorry, we don’t. We took to many turns to remember the way back. I also don’t want to stay to long, Brisk is getting edgy.” Her voice echoed off the dark stones, rattling over the crumbling bricks and climbing over the small amounts of foliage. Kyo merely raised his eyebrows a bit, obviously not really wanting to hear her sob story. Multi-hued eyes glanced down at the black Shepard, whose name was apparently Brisk. Kyo could almost feel the wariness falling off the dog, but it still had enough gall to crack a joke. “Yeah, and you were the one who wanted to explore the ruins, I just tagged along to make sure you don’t get hurt…and to make sure you don’t fall face first.” The orange haired man bit back a smile and ignored the dog at first. His manipulated hearing was excellent, and he'd understood the dog's every word. However, that didn't mean that he wanted to comment. Then, of course, the girl would know that he wasn't just some random human stranger, and that would be a bad thing. He spoke a bit more, moving past the two strangers and disappearing around a corner. It was really disappointing that his nap had been so rudely interrupted when he'd just gotten the ravens to be quiet. Ahh well, such was life.

Her shoes hit the stones loudly, and the man bit the inside of his lip to keep from telling her that she was exceptionally obnoxious for someone her age. Best to keep his opinions to himself. He lengthened his stride as she spoke, keeping a good three feet ahead of her and not even bothering to look back. “Thank you Kyo, I honestly don’t mean to be a bother, I just don’t want to go around in circles for a long time. My name is Halie, and he is Brisk.” Kyo granted himself one second to roll his eyes, knowing full well that she couldn't see it. She was much too polite for his tastes, not that she'd probably ever notice it. Maybe it was just because he wasn't used to such politeness. "Ahh, don't worry about it. Not like I have anything better to do." Kyo spoke, his voice rolling fluently across the stone streets. “There is no need for introductions, we won’t see you again, thankfully,” Had Kyo been in a form with flexible ears, one of them would have twitched backward to catch the dog's speech. Instead he just strengthened his hearing slightly when he heard it start mumbling to itself. A smile curled up his lips at the paranoia. "Do you like talking aloud to yourself?" Kyo mumbled in dog speech, his voice hardly loud enough to be considered a whisper. If the creature had any hearing at all it'd pick up on it.

The man turned down onto a smaller street, and ran a hand for a few paces along the crumbling tower stones. The cracks were scratchy underneath his fingertips, and he pulled away thoughtfully. He wondered what made some walls and areas of stone stand longer than other ones. Casting the thought away, he turned around with a smile and walked backward. He shoved his other hand in his pocket as he flashed the girl a white toothed smile. His eyes watched her carefully, along with the fire tickling its way up her arms. Distantly he wanted to know what her power was, because it was more than visible that she had one. "So what brings you here? Visiting relatives or somethin'?" The man figured that there was no hurt in attempting to look friendly. If it came down to it, he was thirsty for a bit of drama to lighten his rather boring day. He spent most of his time away from others, as he really didn't have all that much money to play with in town, and what little he did have he didn't want to waste. "I'm here on a vacation of sorts. Just seein' the sights ya know. These old ruins are quite interesting." It was impossible to see the lies falling off his tongue, they spun smoothly out of his mouth and danced like music through the air. All the while, he turned backward around the corner, not so much as stumbling or slowing down in his quick pace. It took some effort to resist chuckling when he wondered if the girl and her dog could keep up.

[/blockquote]

"So far away from everything, you know it's true.
Something inside that makes you know what you've got to do..
So far away, so full of doubt, you needed proof
Just close your eyes, and hear the sound inside of you."

OOC -- Ahh Kyo, you never cease to amuse me.
Word Count -- 934
Lyrics -- Bells of Freedom by Bon Jovi

[Halie Kendricks]

“Come on somebody,
Why don’t you run;
Ol’ Red’s itchin’,
To have a little fun.”

Her boots fell to the stone floor quite loudly, she couldn’t help herself, and she loved her boots. After her thanks to Kyo, Halie kept quite, she didn’t want to bother anyone at the moment. She was starting to get tired, walking through stone ruins. The foliage that resided on the ground crumbled under her weight, giving loud cracks in the silence. Halie hoped she wasn’t being too polite, since she never really talked to anyone other than the black canine that walked next to her. She shot a quick glance to the dog, his eyes still watching the man in front of her.

“Ahh, don’t worry about it. Not like I have anything better to do.” His voice sounded so fluent, soft like he didn’t have a care in the world. Shockingly a few moments later, it sounded to Halie that the man she was following started mumbling like the trotting dog did on occasions she actually hears him. As Kyo led them down a smaller street, the fire incasing her hands started seeping up her arms. I really don’t like what these flames are doing, ever since the crash with mother all those years ago, it’s just… Halie started staring off into space, her feet following the sounds she heard of Kyo walking along. Soon she felt eyes watch her, all the thoughts about her mother vanished as she looked up to see Kyo walking backwards. “So what brings you here? Visiting relatives or somethin’?”

Halie thought it was a harmless question, so she stated in a low voice. “No, both my parents are dead. My cousin sent me to the school here, Spiral Hills, to see if it would help me with…” she paused, looking for the right words. “To see if it would help with all the weird things that have happened to me. My father tried to take me away on my way home from my old school; I hadn’t seen him in six years. I was angry when I saw him and when he grabbed me, he caught fire.” Halie decided to stop with that, she thought it explained what needed to be said. She heard Kyo say something about the ruins being interesting. He must have tried to change the subject, Halie just said, “Yeah, very interesting.”

She just wanted to get out of the ruins, so the flames will go back to be smothered in her heart. Halie just hated seeing the fire reside in her hands, because the more she thought about her father, the angrier she got. She didn’t want to do something stupid, again.

--------------------------------------------

Brisk padded next to his human, he flicked his ears as he stepped over the twigs that lied on the cold stone floor. His amber eyes widened as the man they were following starting speaking in his native tongue. “Do you like talking aloud to yourself?” Brisk knew it wasn’t meant for Halie to hear him mumble in a dog’s language, but the black canine heard it loud and clear.

“So, you can speak to the animals now can you? Is that how you got that raven to quite down back before Halie interrupted your little nap? So you can understand me, what are you, some sort of walking communicator?” He rasped his tongue around his jaw, before letting it hang; the flames on his girl’s hands were beating against his dark fur. His black nails clipped against the stone, running in sync with his girl’s boots.

As soon as he started talking, his ears perked to hear him start some lame conversation about relatives and wondering if she was visiting. After Halie replied about her father and the problems she had to deal with about him, he thought since Kyo could hear and understand him, he should say what Halie didn’t feel like talking about. “Please, don’t say anything about her parents. Her mother died in a plane crash when she was Halie was little, the plane caught on fire. And her father tried to take her the night before, he had a conversation with her cousin, and Halie overheard. So please, just don’t say anything about them, it gets Halie all depressed.”

He lifted his head, taking his eyes off Kyo to look at his girl; she looked distant until she replied to the last thing Kyo said. He ruffled his fur as he continued to walk next to her.

“Get my lantern,
Get my gun;
Red’ll have you treed,
Before the morning comes.”

OOC: I'm getting better, more and more words ^^
Word Count: 737
Lyrics: “Ol’ Red” –Blake Shelton

[Kyozen]

"I have walked all alone,
On these streets, I call home.
Streets of hope, streets of fear.
Through the sidewalk cracks,
Time disappears.
I was lost, on my knees,
On the eve of defeat,
As i choked back the tears,
There's a silent scream no-one could hear."

They really were a gloomy couple. It was hard to stop from doubling over with laughter at their expressions. It was no surprise at how well they got along with how similar they were. However, Brisk was just a bit more irritable. Ahh well, someone had to be, right? “So, you can speak to the animals now can you? Is that how you got that raven to quite down back before Halie interrupted your little nap? So you can understand me, what are you, some sort of walking communicator?” An unseen smile coiled up his face as he held the laughter silently inside. "Heh. Sure. You can call me whatever you want." His rough speech was even quieter than before, he'd have hardly been able to hear himself if he hadn't boosted his hearing with his power. He had to admit, the dog was amusing even if the girl wasn't all that great. Then again, most animals usually were which was why he talked to them more often. They always had an interesting viewpoint with commentary attached that they couldn't let go. He moved on with the conversation, trying to bring up more topics that seemed to die as soon as the girl or the dog spoke. She droned on about her parents, and the dog got all protective of her little history. As if Kyo could have sympathy for either of them. He didn't.

He walked along in silence for a few more turns, facing forward once again. The man's hands were shoved deep in his pockets, but his head was held high, watching the surrounding area. Night had practically engulfed them. In front of Kyo was the fading sun, a light orange scratching the sky. Behind him flickered the light of the fire that curled around the girl's arm like a snake. He thought about asking her to "shut it off," but wasn't sure if she even could. He didn't take the risk of asking. They were almost out, just a few more turns and he could throw on another smile and wave goodbye to them, telling them to be careful on their way back to wherever. The... school? What kind of school wanted someone who'd probably set it on fire while she was asleep? Or who would burn all their books as she tried to read them? Or who's overprotective, large, black dog would eat little children for breakfast? Heh. Their problem. Holding in a sigh, he turned and walked backward again. A bright smile clung to his face, and he spoke in warm tones. "The way out is just ahead. Told ya it wasn't that far." He chuckled softly and turned around again, waiting eagerly for the experience to be over.

A whisper of wings broke into his thoughts, as his different colored eyes narrowed as the sound flung itself right over his head. "Go away! Go away!" The raven shrieked, cackling and clicking its dark bill. He grinned, realizing the game that the bird was playing. Stupid, bored thing. He glanced back at the girl over his left shoulder, his orange eye blazing. "Two more lefts and a right and you're outta here." He chuckled as the raven dive bombed him. He stopped and backed up in time, avoiding its talons as it swept passed him. The fire rippled in his veins, and he really wanted to just shapeshift right there and play games in the air with the bird. The sense of flying was one of his all time favorites. It was incredible, indescribable. Astonishing. What was better yet was the fact that the raven knew that he was a shapeshifter, and didn't care one way or the other. It was just bored and wanted to play. Kyo tugged a knife out of one of the pockets inside his jacket. The silver edge gleamed in the fading sunlight. When the raven swooped down again, he tossed the weapon, watching it spiral through the air. The bird cackled loudly, tipping upward and just narrowly avoiding loosing an appendage. "You'll have to do better than that!" It shrieked, the light thrust of its wings calling his off the ground. Kyo resisted though, pulling his knife from the crack in the wall. He turned around devilishly, smiling as the bird dive bombed him again. "Hungry?" He asked the girl and her dog, his voice pouring with enthusiasm.

[/blockquote]

"So far away from everything, you know it's true.
Something inside that makes you know what you've got to do..
So far away, so full of doubt, you needed proof
Just close your eyes, and hear the sound inside of you."

OOC -- lol, sorry, needed to make it interesting somehow.
Word Count -- 910
Lyrics -- Bells of Freedom by Bon Jovi

[Halie Kendricks]

”Got a picture of you, I carry in my heart,
Close my eyes to see it, when the world gets dark;
Got a memory of you, I carry in my soul,
I wrap it close around me, when the nights gets cold…”

Halie kept her head down, after the subject kind of turned to her parents and why she was here. The subjects really depressed her; she didn’t feel like herself away from her cousin. The new man she had met a little while back, he didn’t seem like he talked a lot, like all he wanted to do was get rid of them. Well he would get just that when the group got out of the ruins. Halie didn’t want to stay; she’d already been gone for to long, she still had to get to the school. The flames that swirled around her arms glowed brighter as the darkness fell in around the group. A long silence lingered around the three figures and Halie wondered what Brisk thought about following Kyo out of the ruins. Before she could send a look at Brisk, she heard Kyo turn around a break their silence.

“The way out is just ahead. Told ya it wasn’t that far,” Halie could hear the chuckle in his voice, as soon as she looked up he turned right back around to walk forward. Although she didn’t know if he could see, but she gave a curt nod, acknowledging that she understood, but kept her silence. She could see the sun fading on the horizon line just ahead. A smile warmed her face as she saw the large ball of fire, it made her feel ting of hope that things could get better. Halie knew she had an attitude that made people think she wanted to be alone, but really all she wants are some friends that wouldn’t judge her. She doesn’t want people to say that she isn’t happy; if she had a few friends she could show her true side.

“Two more lefts and a right and you’re outta’ here.” Kyo’s voice shook Halie out of her thoughts; the longing for friends has been on her mind for a while. Halie just nodded to Kyo and replied, the smile fading from her face. "Thanks Kyo, I honestly didn't mean to wake you just so you could show us the way out." She watched a raven dive down at Kyo, its talon’s rake the air near him. Halie realized that she never really liked ravens, for they just resembled her fears. She didn’t know if she could ever conquer the fact that she didn’t have Ashley, friends, or her mother. Brisk was the only thing she had left, and she never wanted him to leave. Just them she heard Kyo ask if they were hungry, but all she gave was a shrug, brushing a hand through her short and spiky dark ginger hair. Halie wondered if the fire bothered Kyo, so she decided to ask. "Are the flames bothering you? I can turn it down to a small trickle if it bothers you."

-----------------------------------

The large canine watched his girl, her head kept down, a frown on her face, and her eyes in a distant world. Brisk knew it was because she thought about her father. The black dog never liked that man even when we was around. Soon he heard Kyo talk again, to Brisk; it was just unusual for a human to speak with animals. “Heh. Sure. You can call me whatever you want.” The rough words slurred out of his mouth and into the hearing of the black wolf. Brisk just gave a nod; he really didn’t want to talk unless talked to. To him it just felt weird to be talking to someone who just heard him, but didn’t really know him. Halie knew exactly what he said, even if he didn’t have to say it. Brisk just kept his mouth shut unless Kyo spoke to him. After hearing the two humans speak to each other, him telling her that the exit was a few turns away.

Brisk watched a raven dive down at Kyo; a smile stretching across his face, the only thought of his was if the raven’s talons would scrape the man’s skin. The large dog just watched in amusement, his black fur ruffling because of the heat of the flames. But soon they died down as Kyo asked if they both were hungry, he looked at Halie shrug her shoulders and just let out a sigh. Brisk didn’t care; he would hunt later while Halie slept. He knew it was going to be different then living at her cousin’s house. Unlike most animals, Brisk taught himself to read, and while Halie was at school a few days prior to her father’s death, he read the letter she had gotten from the school: Spiral Hills High. This sounded like a great place for Halie to meet people who could relate to her. As long as she was happy, Brisk would be to. While she slept, he would go and hunt, like he used to at night.

Not a day goes by
That I don't think of you
After all this time
You're still with me it's true
Somehow you remain
Locked so deep inside
Baby, baby, oh, baby
Not a day goes by

OOC:: I couldn’t do much more with Brisk, but if Kyo talks first he will be more than happy to respond.
Word Count::]/b] 787
Lyrics:: “Not A Day Goes By” --Lonestar

[Kyozen]

"I have walked all alone,
On these streets, I call home.
Streets of hope, streets of fear.
Through the sidewalk cracks,
Time disappears.
I was lost, on my knees,
On the eve of defeat,
As i choked back the tears,
There's a silent scream no-one could hear."

The sky was ever darkening, and the first stars were peeking out around the silver moon. In the distance, the calls of different nocturnal animals could be heard, the nighttime chorus if you could be artist enough to think of it as such. The wind died down to barely a whisper that tickled the tops of the long blades of grass. A wolf call sounded in the distance, and to Kyo's ears he could hear the words behind the music. The calling for the family to gather for the hunt. The moon was full, and the deer fat. The night was gloriously ripe with sounds, but ever so silent at the same time. Something only nature could achieve. The sun's rays had all but faded behind the tree line. A few daringly tried to escape over the tops of the spruce, but failed at their valiant attempt. Instead they were doomed to the other side, forced to wait until the sun decided to show its pale face again. In the castle ruins, a raven called hoarsely, followed by different, softer words.

"Thanks Kyo, I honestly didn't mean to wake you just so you could show us the way out." Oh for all the silence in the world, must she continue to be so drab and irritating? If he hadn't had so much self control, he would have just abandoned them right there. "Heh. No problem, don't worry about it." He kept his tones cool, but playful, wanting her to get over the feeling that what she'd done was bad so she'd stop apologizing for it. Silently he reminded himself that he'd met quite a few people who were much more annoying, and not in a polite way, so he should be happy. After his battle with the raven had begun, he continued to maneuver around its sharp talons. The thing about playing with wild animals while still in human form was that if you were slow enough to get hit, you'd bleed. Not that bleeding was much of a problem because he could use his power to heal himself exceptionally fast, but he didn't want to freak anyone out. A moment later it took every ounce of his self control not to burst out laughing and double over on the street. They were so oblivious. He hadn't had any intentions of feeding them, he had been joking about the raven that was pretending it was a fighter jet and trying to kill him. Once they were out of his hair he was going to have to take a moment to himself and let all the laughter out before he exploded with it.

"Are the flames bothering you? I can turn it down to a small trickle if it bothers you." He spared a glance at her, the flames still trickling up her arms. That would irritate him to have fire around him all the time, he enjoyed the darkness that night brought. The raven dive bombed him again, its dark plumage blending it beautifully with the night backdrop. Getting sick of the whole ducking and avoiding thing, the shapeshifter reached up a hand at just the right moment and plucked the bird from the sky. It let out a startled shriek, gasping and flailing in Kyo's grasp. He held the wing gently but firmly so that it wouldn't break, and a devious smile broke out on his face. "Doesn't make a difference to me." He spoke absentmindedly while wrapping the raven up in its own wings. The thing squirmed and gave out many hoarse cries in its attempt to escape. Kyo knew that it could understand what they were saying, so he continued the joke about hunger. Holding out the raven toward the two and hoping for some reaction that'd end his day well, he slyly asked a very simple question. "Roast or broiled?" The raven flashed him one of those wide-eyed deer-in-the-headlights looks, and he smiled back.

[/blockquote]

"So far away from everything, you know it's true.
Something inside that makes you know what you've got to do..
So far away, so full of doubt, you needed proof
Just close your eyes, and hear the sound inside of you."

OOC -- Wow, very little muse surprisingly. Yea, I know that first paragraph is just bull crap to get more words out, lol
Word Count -- 840
Lyrics -- Bells of Freedom by Bon Jovi

[Halie Kendricks]

”Got a picture of you, I carry in my heart,
Close my eyes to see it, when the world gets dark;
Got a memory of you, I carry in my soul,
I wrap it close around me, when the nights gets cold…”

A wolf’s call sounded a ways away, as Halie heard the sweet song behind it made the girl in a very good mood. Halie just felt like she wanted to go, shift into her wolf form, and just go run. Although her powers over fire are more—let’s just say she can control that more. Halie knows she has problems with her shape shifting powers, ever since she scared Ashley by turning into a tiger, Halie’s been scared to shift. The only form she isn’t afraid of is her dragon form. Although, her cousin did realized, that the color of her hair determines the scale or fur color of her forms. Since she had dyed her hair brown, her form just didn’t look right, even with her fire powers. So she decided on her natural hair color of dark red. Kyo had spoken so Halie just listened.

“Heh, no problem, don’t worry about it.” She could hear his tone as playful. Halie decided she had apologized enough now, since he said it was alright. As they walked, she watched as Kyo maneuvered around the talons of the raven. Halie didn’t want Kyo to know that she wasn’t even hungry, and she knew that the large black padding next to her would hunt while she slept. Halie just wanted to quickly get to the school she knows nothing about. She was starting to get tired now too, she just wanted to get to the school to get to sleep.

Halie soon saw that Kyo grabbed the raven out of the air in one fell swoop. She felt pained when the raven was letting screams out of his beak, trying to get out of Kyo’s grasp. Just after, he replied to her question about the flames on her arms. “Doesn’t make a difference to me.” That was all he said as he tangled the wings of the raven. Soon he asked the question; “Roast or broiled?” Halie just stared at him in shock; she couldn’t stand that fact that he was suggesting killing the raven in front of her. She just shook her head and said in a nice but cold tone, “Neither, I don’t normally, eat anything made of chicken or a bird. I only eat burgers or steak.” She shook her head again and walked forward, following his earlier directions. Two lefts and a right, as she turned left with Brisk at her side, she let the flames pick back up. She didn’t bother if to see if Kyo would follow, she got the feeling that he thought she was just a joke. Her boots echoed between the walls, as she placed her hands in her hood, bringing it back over her head. Its dark gray coloring blended in with the dark where the light of her flames didn’t touch it, while the golden designs glowed along with the fire that wrapped around her arms.

"Not a day goes by,
That I don't think of you;
After all this time,
You're still with me it's true;
Somehow you remain,
Locked so deep inside;
Baby, baby, oh, baby,
Not a day goes by..."

OOC: I didn't post with Brisk cause he wasn't going to talk anymore. Just wanting her to give a little of her natural side.
Word Count: 660
Lyrics: Not A Day Goes By --Lonestar

[Kyozen]

"Are you lost
In your lies?
Do you tell yourself I don't realize,
Your crusade's a disguise?
Replace freedom with fear,
You trade money for lives.
I'm aware of what you've done."

The look on her face was priceless, the pained, disgusted twist made the fire inside him ripple devilishly. “Neither, I don’t normally eat anything made of chicken or a bird. I only eat burgers or steak.” What? He held back his snicker. It was all meat wasn't it? Birds had the same amount of intelligence as cows, just less meat. They were all animals, all living, breathing creatures. What was the difference? Ahh well, let her live however she wanted. It was of no concern to Kyo. He chuckled softly as she walked by, and when she was gone he released the bird. The raven flew up and then landed smoothly on his shoulder, swearing at him. "Aw, come on. Ya know I was kidin'." The raven shook its head, and snapped at his ear. He shifted away just in time, his body flexing into that of a bird. As his wings flapped, dragging him into the air, his body finished its immense change. Sleek, black feathers coated his large form, a flop of orange hair dangling just into his beady eyes. The raven gathered itself up after its surprise, and flapped into the air. Kyo's wings cupped the air gently, curving under the updrafts, he flew up after the bird. Air rippled over his new form, and out of the corner of his eye he caught the fading light of the girl's fire. He'd shown her the way out, even if he'd left before she got there. Oh well, no one said that he was a gentleman.

Ducking and pulling up into himself, the shapeshifter lengthened his wings. Twisting away, he dodged another raven attack, it's hoarse call telling him that he looked weird as a mixture of about three different birds. He smiled, looping and flying upside down for a while. The stars reflected on his belly, the wind slowly encouraging him along. That was the life, the distant, cool freedom from everything. Flipping over, he shifted again into the form of a mighty wolf. Strong legs braced himself against the ten foot drop, and he landed smoothly and elegantly. Ears rotated back to catch a wolf pack's call before he moved on, steadily picking up into a lope. The ravens were left far behind at the ruins as he vanished into to horizon.

[/blockquote]

"No more sorrow,
I've paid for your mistakes.
Your time is borrowed.
Your time has come to be replaced."

OOC -- Short, but hey, it's the last post and there was really nothing else to say. Sheesh I love Kyo <3
Word Count -- 511
Lyrics -- No More Sorrow by Linkin Park