{{-- KEINA & D ++

[Rai;;+]

The sun shone softly on the gentle meadow grass, beaming down with luminescent rays of glowing majesty upon the sparkling waters below. The lake was always like this - serene, peaceful, glittering with the shine of a thousand diamonds littered on the surface. Since the humans had died, the world had been... silent. So silent. No more did the honk of cars and vehicles fill the air, the roar of engines or the clank of steel. All that had stopped now, and the abandoned ghost cities had been overgrown with grass and the beginnings of the new life that dared to take root there.

But back to the lakeside.

The beam of sunlight radiated down on the lush grass, swerving its light up and around the spring-filled clearing. It landed softly upon a figure that rested on the grass nearby the glassy lake and danced upon his inky black fur before moving on again like a fickle bird.

Not a moment passed after that before the figure stirred in its sleep, mismatched eyes suddenly snapping wide awake, bi-colored irises filled with a kind of fear. Suddenly he seemed to realize where he was, and let his eyes drift closed again as a sigh escaped his maw, a tear tracking its way slowly down the side of his face. That dream again... always the same...

Easing himself up into a seated position, the black-furred fox surveyed his surroundings and then began trying to clean the grass off his pelt, the glint of sadness never leaving his eyes.

When that was done, he stood and stretched out his legs, loving the feeling of the fine grass between his toes as he moved, all but gliding his way over to the water's edge. He directed his gaze to the clear waters of the lake, and gave his tail a solemn swish. Always the same... another species has disappeared...

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[&&!; SONiDY - - x]

Rays of late sunlight penetrated the thick cover of clouds that scurried across the glittering blue sky. Trickles of light filtered down through the rough canopy of sparse trees that surrounded a pond. The Srey Pond. Sunrays danced across its glimmering surface before wavering back into its greenish-blue depths.

A dragonfly lazily hummed over the small pond, or as some called it, a lake. It paused for a second at the rim of the pond, sipping up a few drops of water before darting off once more. Suddenly there was a snap of a twig, and jaws clamped shut upon the insect. A female African wild dog trotted forward, the dead dragonfly crunching between her strong teeth.

Her fur seemed to be made of the very sun itself. It was a mixture of black and brown, and splotched daintily with gold. The gold spots resembled golden autumn leaves fallen from the trees upon the soft ground. Her rounded ears were pricked and alert, as always. They detected the movements of life beneath her brown paws, from the tiniest squirm of an earth worm to the workings of a tunneling mole.

This female was Keina. Keina, the headstrong leader of the Pareil pack. She chuckled spitefully and swallowed the insect whole. Most canines would be disgusted to eat such a thing, but she tasted nothing as its body wormed down her throat. She sighed in satisfaction. Nothing like a good bug to keep the spirits up.

Today she was in a strangely good mood. Well, for now, of course. Panting slightly, Keina trotted forward to the pond, lapping up a few trickles of water in her maw. She knew there was someone on the other side of the lake, but she would play stupid for now. She flicked her bushy tail and sat, her circular ears revolving.

Two golden oculars shimmered as bright as the pond water as they pierced their way across the pond. They took on a modest look of surprise as they revealed the black fox, which she knew was a loner. In fact, she recognized him. It was Count D, or the Count, one of the sibyls who had created the Tsin during her father's reign.

Keina smiled charmingly. "Why hello there," she called kindly, tail wagging. "Why not come and sit by me? It's nice and shady over here." For today it was exceedingly hot. She scooted back into the dappled shade of the canopy to cool off, tail thumping upon the ground. For now she would pull a mask on. Her mask of lies; a masquerade so thick it could fool even the keenest-eyed warrior.

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[Rai;;+]

It was a lazy day, by all accounts. Of course, no day for the Count could be considered busy in regard to the others that lived around the area. He spent his time thinking, idling away the hours by hunting occasionally or just wandering about, happy to just dwell among the trees and rivers, and see the sights. Not like he hadn't seen them before...

Sometimes he wondered what it would be like to go back home. These thoughts crossed his mind at the same time as the whisper of a single name - Orcot... Gazing down at the pool, he was aware of a distinct dimming of his eyes, a downward curve of the maw. His cousin was one of the few he expressed any sort of open concern for. He was a special fox... one that had somehow manage to strike D in just the right way that he could manage to tolerate him.

No, not just tolerate. He liked him.

The sound of a rustle in the bushes behind him caught the Count's attention, and he swiveled his ears back just as the large figure emerged from the foliage. He heard her speak first - a female. He didn't recognize the voice, but the scent was faintly of Pareil. A flicker of a frown passed across his face and a dangerous flash lit his eyes, but it passed quickly, and he turned slowly, elegantly, as if purposely taking his time, to face the stranger.

As he turned, a smile settled on his lips - the same smile he constantly wore. It was almost oriental in nature - an expressionless smile. It clearly was not genuine, but it passed as welcoming and friendly enough that no one commented on it, even if it alluded only slightly to his otherwise mysterious air. The smile didn't reach his slitted, glittering eyes of royal purple and velvet gold, but he swished his tail in a gentle circle as he laid eyes on the large female.

Yes, she was definitely of Pareil. "My... thank you," he murmured softly, stepping forward lithely until he sat beside her, keeping a respectful and companionable distance in the shaded grass next to her. Instantly his heated ebony fur cooled, and he let out a sigh. "It is rather hot in the sun - how kind of you."

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[&&!; SONiDY - - x]

Yes. Keina was sure of it - it was him. She watched the way he smiled at her, listened to the way his voice sounded, and - yes, those eyes. Definitely him. She nodded kindly as he eloquently trotted to her side, sitting a respectable distance away. "It is no problem. I do enjoy helping others out." The words held a tint of dryness in them, but they were still enough to fool anyone.

Keina sat there, silent. Her tail twitched occasionally. Her head swiveled as it followed the path of a bee buzzing on the other side of the pond. To any average eye it would seem she was simply taking in the beauty of the moment, but inside her twisted and confusing mind she was truly planning. So much power he could bring . . . he, a sibyl, a founder of the Tsin . . .

Finally she spoke. Her voice was drawn out casually, but level enough to show a hint of curiosity. "So, what brings you here in the Pareil pack's lands, Count D?" She asked. She was sure he would be at least a little surprised that she knew his name - after all these years, she would certainly be unrecognizable to his eyes. She looked at him sideways, her dull golden eyes meeting his multi-colored versions.

Indeed, a mysterious mist seemed to swirl about the fox, but although she had been a pup, she knew enough about him to know everything. She, as a young one, had been careful to listen in on her father's conversations. She smiled at the memories. Ah, her father. The one she had loved and hated in a demented way; she had cared for him, she really had, but if he hadn't gone away then, when would he? Besides, he had been getting old . . . too old . . . he hadn't been fit for leader at such an age. He needed to be . . . "removed." Keina blinked and chased away these clouded thoughts. Can't blow my cover. That's important, very important.

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[Rai;;+]

As the comfortable silent drew on between them, the Count wiled away the seconds, his eyes focusing happily on a passing bird that winged about in the sky. It chirruped brightly, and then sailed off into the distant air, looking like it could touch the clouds. Its free flight was a wonder to behold, and knowing this, D once more remembered his dream and flicked his tail. This nature was beautiful, but things always had to end... no matter how long they were drawn out. All things must come to an end, and so it had been for the species that had been lost.

Sensing she was going to speak again, D turned his head to face the she wolf, the smile once more returning to his feminine features. Hearing her address him by his name though, his expression flickered with surprise, eyes widening just slightly, his smile tapering to a graceful quirk of the lips in an almost innocent manner. She knew him somehow... and how, he did not know. What a surprise... but I should have expected as much... I most likely simply do not recall her. He had spent his earlier years among the Pareil dogs, and likely she recalled him from there. But then his expression melted back into his typical elegant smile. Who was this wolf? He took a good look at her - sun-flecked pelt of brown and gold and black... the long, maned ruff, the long legs. But try as he might, he couldn't remember her, which disappointed him. He didn't like forgetting faces he felt he should be knowing.

"I am simply seeing the sights," he responded good-naturedly, keeping the emotion out of the serenity of his voice as flashes of his dream came back to him. "I was told as a loner, I was permitted to wander the pack lands without hindrance. A land where any and all could happen."

With that, he directed his mismatched eyes back to the lake, where a bird had landed deftly on the glittering surface, never once breaking the water's gentle ripple with its added weight. It delicately folded its wings to its sides, and then simply sat there, relaxing from the ceaseless flight as he was. "And, I am sorry, but I do not recall knowing you. If you would be so kind...?"

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[&&!; SONiDY - - x]

Keina's ears flicked as the bird hovered closer to the water. She resisted licking her lips. What a nice dinner that would make. But as she tilted her head toward D, she saw he was focused on its progress. She wouldn't disturb his thoughts; let them trail and run freely . . . for now. Perhaps there is a nest nearby where I can find its eggs. I'll search later.

Keina smiled blankly at him as the Count sent her a somewhat shocked stare, which he quickly hid behind a veil of indifference. So she had mystified the mystifier. This is good. Very good. "You mean my lands?" She spoke with a bit of aggression in her voice, but it was not too much. Her eyes narrowed and suddenly they glimmered with hostility.

Suddenly, as her hackles had begun to rise, she hesitated and burst out laughing. Her laughter resembled that of a hyena, but it was more of a chiming howl than an obnoxious ringing. "Well, if you were given permission, very well then!" She blinked and twitched her nose at his question.

Keina pondered for a moment. Should she tell him her name or not? Well, he would have to know sometime. Making him wait would only rouse suspicions and reservations. "My name is Keina. I suppose you could call me insane." At this, another bubble of laughter rippled and died in her throat. "I've heard of you, Count. They all speak of you . . . my father certainly did." She glanced around herself, as if examining for eavesdroppers. "When you were creating the Tsin with him, if you recall that correctly."

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[Rai;;+]

"Call it a kind of... payment, perhaps, for the work I did with your pack sometime ago," he replied with a smile, never betraying any hint of the bitterness that yet lingered in his heart from his memories. Countless lives... countless lives had been lost to make the Tsin. And all for nothing, because the Gods had condemned it and had thrown it into the far oceans, where it would never be retrieved. So many animals had died the night it had been finally created, so many years ago. Dogs, birds, cats... everything. And all to satisfy the greed and power of one canine.

He was pulled smoothly from his thoughts once more by the words of the she wolf beside him. So at least he knew her name. Mmm... perhaps he did recall her a little bit. When she spoke of her father, D remembered. Yes... Keina. His daughter. I do remember now... The bulky maned wolf had spoken once or twice of his daughter - at the time she had been little more than a pup, and D had not paid much attention to her. What coincidence, that they would meet down the road again some years later at a lake clearing. "I see," he replied, the smile remaining unbroken on his maw even as his bicolored eyes sparkled ever so slightly with a kind of venom that he keenly hid.

When she mentioned once more the creation of the Tsin, the Count rolled his shoulders casually, looking once more to the winds. He inhaled deeply, allowing the air to fill and expand his lungs broadly as he lingered for a moment before replying. "The creation of the Thrienne... yes, I do remember." He opened his eyes once more, and though his expression had not changed, there was a new hint of sinister mystery behind those flickering eyes and that superior smirk. "Quite a night that was... quite a night."

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[&&!; SONiDY - - x]

Keina smiled knowingly. Yes, quite a night that had been. Those words didn't seem enough to explain what had happened when the gods had hid the Tsin. She shook her head. "My father. What a foolish canine he was. The Pareil doesn't need a Thriene, we are all perfectly balanced," she lied, her eyes narrowed slyly. They held a hint of anger in them. "That is why I am here. My father was not . . . good enough."

Keina flicked her ears, trying to focus once more. "So, how long have you been staying in these lands, D? It has been quite awhile since I have seen you. You must be well-hidden, I presume." She once again faked an expression of mere curiosity. She needed to know more, to know everything before her plan could work . . . yes, yes, this was going fine right now, it would surely turn out well in the end . . . A bright light shone in her eyes, a mixture of intense wonder and cunning. Just image what he could do if he joined us! We could be the ultimate pack!

ooc. writer's block. >_<

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[Rai;;+]

D remained silent when she spoke of her father. The large, bulky Maned Wolf had not been the first leader of the Pareil Pack, but he had been the most famous. By the time the Pareil had been formed, the original leader had been quite old, and Keina's father had easily taken over. And now... his daughter ruled. And D had to wonder... would this pack become a monarchy? Gently he swished his tail, eyes glittering when she spoke, though he was gazing at the ground. "I see..." he murmured in typical vague response to her boasts of her Pack.

"I have been wandering, perhaps that is why you have not seen me," he responded simply, turning to her once again, any hint of malice gone from his expression now returned to what others would see as an open and friendly smile. What is she planning...? he wondered, looking at her and trying to find any hint of ulterior motive. If he knew the leaders of Pareil at all, he knew they did not ask needless questions. "I have visited the other Packs, and made my way back here. Life is easier, I have found, lived by oneself."

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[&&!; SONiDY - - x]

"I have visited the other Packs, and made my way back here. Life is easier, I have found, lived by oneself."

Those words triggered something in Keina. Her tail thumped upon the ground. Just the words she had been waiting for. "Oh, so you know of the other packs, then? And they know you?" She blinked. "Don't be alarmed by my questions. It simply intrigues me how one of the sibyls, one who created the Tsin, would not be chased from the other territories. That is, unless they do not know who you actually are . . . ?"

Keina could see he was slightly more hesitant than usual. Was he beginning to grow suspicions? She smiled. No, if she played her part correctly, her plan would work fluently. Not only could the Count bring power, he could bring information. Information of the three other packs, of the Tsin. Things that she or no other canine in her pack knew of.

But of course, there would be some . . . difficulties. She knew he would not submit to her that easily. He wouldn't want to stay in the pack permanently - D seemed more of a vagabond. Yet why should she care? Sometimes force was the only answer, and so be it. If he didn't obey, she would make him. All of her subordinates learned that lesson sometime in their lives.

In the Pareil, it was follow orders, or be forced to.

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[Rai;;+]

With a casually disappointed air, D realized that this wolf had figured out that he was beginning to grow wary of her questions. The truth was that D would never trust a Pareil pack wolf. He had been through enough by their paws to understand that they were the worst of the plague that devoured caninekind - all of them. And he had no intention of ever helping them again. Whatever Keina was trying to do here, he would not allow it.

Though he most certainly understood that he would not be allowed to leave that easily. A brisk swish of his tail accompanied the smile that came over his expression. "I do not know if they know of me," he replied easily to her question, raising his head to look at her. "I have never divulged to them my work in the past, and I have taken care that I am not found when I wander their lands. Whether they learn of me after I am gone, I do not know."

And then he turned his eyes away from her again and continued to gaze at the rippling surface of the water. With a new smile that was far more innocent and almost child-like in its amicableness, he changed the topic. "But enough about me, my friend. How is the Pareil pack doing these days?"

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[&&!; SONiDY - - x]

"But enough about me, my friend. How is the Pareil pack doing these days?" Keina sensed he was just trying to muster up a conversation now. She flicked her tail. "The Pareil fares well. We are expecting new pups this season and our warriors are exceeding my expectations." She smirked. "We will be holding a little feast soon. Why not join us, and meet with your old friends or make new ones? There will be many other pack-less canines there as well, not just you. And there will be a lot of delicious foods - deer, birds, hares, and much more."

Keina blinked away the deceptiveness in her gaze. Her ears were pricked, eager for a reply. She had not even been planning a feast, but she knew it would be a nice excuse for him to come. I'll get my servants to work on it as soon as I - no, hopefully we - get back. Her voice and expression were light enough to consider that she was being honest. This was all too easy.

Keina loved holding people prisoner. But, who knew, perhaps Count D would actually want to stay with the Pareil pack? She highly doubted that, but she hoped; if he did, it would spare her the energy of having to order her damned warriors to attack him. Keina knew it would be pointless to create yet another Tsin, but the magic of a sibyl was practically limitless. They could cast spells and pierce fear into the hearts of their enemies. And perhaps D could offer them some clues as to the location of the Tsin . . . yes, that would be very helpful.

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[Rai;;+]

A glint flashed through D's eyes at the mention of a feast. Oh, he couldn't pass that up - a free meal was never something that D was willing to simply say no to, and even though this was the Pareil Pack he was talking about and he was more than positive Keina had an ulterior motive for inviting him to partake in the food (after all, one could never simply take Pareil canines at face value), he didn't mind.

And it showed in the way he smiled. The ambiguous smirk had given way to a cheery grin, and his tail swished delightedly.

"That would be lovely," he agreed with a briskness to his voice that had not been there before. At the very least, this way I will be able to gauge for myself how the Pareil Pack has fallen since the days of the Tsin. After this, the Count rose to his paws elegantly, the movement fluid and probably more elegant than a male should ever be able to move. He turned mismatched eyes to the she-wolf next to him. "Shall I help hunt? It won't do for me to simply walk in without contributing something."

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[&&!; SONiDY - - x]

Keina smiled one of the most charming smiles she had. She looked innocent, pretty, and kind then - oh, but she was just the opposite. Indeed, she could very well be a demon in a spotted pelt. She fluttered her eyelids. "Really? It'd be an honor to have you!"

Keina quickly continued. "There's hardly ever been sibyls within our pack. Everyone loves to have them, especially the pups. They're so fascinated by sibyls and their magic!" She sighed. "Well, I best not continue my endless blabber," she said with a small, chiming chuckle. "Oh, a hunt would be nice. Very nice. We could gather some food for the feast. It's tomorrow night, you know."

Well, it will be, Keina thought slyly, her smile twitching just the tiniest bit. "So then, shall we set off? We might as well hunt before the night is over with." She glanced upwards. The sky winked devilishly with bright, radiant stars, just mere white specks in the black canvas. The day has passed by so quickly.

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[Rai;;+]

"My pleasure, Keina," D said with a smile, though now it had turned back to its usual mysterious degree. "It has been too long since I have stepped paw on the grounds of the Pareil Pack... too long."

In the darkness of the moonlit night, he seemed even more a spell-caster than he was normally. Sorcerer, demon, savior -- he'd been called all sorts of things, and in the inky black of the darkness surrounding them, his fur blended in with the surroundings as he all but melted into the trees, his mismatched eyes of glittering gold and soul-spun purple remaining on the she wolf. "A hunt it is then - I will find my way to the pack grounds by the time the moon has reached its peak."

And with that, he turned and vanished into the woods, his tail flicking behind him as he took to the trees. He had not planned this little detour when the day had started out, but then he didn't mind. There was nothing else for a loner to do anyway, and besides... the Pareil would perhaps be more than delighted to see him again.

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