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Thread Title: 「 I will always love you 」 

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A fluttering pair of lovebirds are following you, wherever it is you're going. Along the way they sing songs in harmony, gleefully gliding in stride with their partner through the sky. As you start to veer in a different direction, you hear frantic chirps. The lovebirds dive at you, playfully plucking loose clumps of fur to gain your attention. They clearly want you to follow them, but what was the destination?

Thread Participants

OOC partner: roselliiis
Character 1: Ashkii
Alignment: true neutral
Desired skills: strategist, diplomat, ranger
No triggers listed

OOC partner: Tasha
Character 2: Siobhan
Alignment: true neutral
Desired skills: N/A
No triggers listed

SKILL : SEER ( 1 / 5 )

Morning broke in pale tones above the slumbering woodland. Skeletal hands branched from crooked trunks, reaching for the ephemeral colors - far too soon, the slate shades of winter would overtake them and make the world dour and grey.

Siobhan lay beneath one of the hibernating trees, her muzzle tipped skyward as she studied the unveiling day. She was uncertain in her trajectory, tempted to return to the land Raum was attempting to settle with the others in his flock, but she hadn't quite moved forward with that plan just yet. There was a fragment of her soul that still sought some inner peace she was uncertain it would ever truly discover, but she still hoped she might find it in each new day and sign from the world.

It did not seem to lie within the sky's endless bounds.

Hazel eyes drifted as her muzzle lowered, resigning from whatever soul-searching she might have pursued. It was then that birdsong drifted through the air, lyrical and upbeat - and close. How odd, she thought to herself - surely the songbirds should be further south, where their soft and warmth-seeking bodies were better suited for waiting out winter. Nevertheless, she lifted to her paws to investigate.

She followed the insistent sound until she found their bright-colored forms pirouetting through the sky overhead - behind her previous position, seeming to almost wait for her. Had they been following her? Siobhan's ears pressed forward, made curious by that observation. Maybe she had been hasty in her assumptions - the sky may yet hold a sign of good tidings. Pale paws pushed on, her gait growing faster so that she wouldn't lose sight of her avian guides.

For several moments, she followed dutifully before her she wondered if she was a fool for thinking they had any intentions of leading her somewhere. It was a silly thought, wasn't it? Her steps slowed to a stalling walk before she turned, intending to go back the way she had come.

Her guides appeared to be unsettled by her decision, however, and converge to pluck at her fur, their desperate chirps enough to stop her in her tracks.

Hey- stop it! Siobhan huffed as she whirled around, teeth clicking closed near their forms before they retreated to a safer space. She was reminded of the dreaded cave, the sensation of hands ripping her body asunder as she fled. The bite held no actual threat, merely a message to give her space. The two lovebirds hovered, wings beating to keep them aloft as their insistence manifested in dual chirps. They remained in that configuration until the siren took a step toward them, their flight toward destination unknown resuming.

It seemed she had no choice, lest she wished for a hairless ass.

Siobhan pressed forward, following the two stubborn birds until they delivered her to the tunnel of blossoming trees, petals dripping to the ground with each... spring breeze? The birds were long gone as she stood enveloped just within the tapestry of spring, breathing in the heady and fragrant mixture of floral tidings.

Was this a dream, was she still sleeping?

Skill: Tunnel of love thread; Ranger

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Long legs moved with long strides, smoothly gliding over a ground of loose snow. There was a light crunch with each step he took which seemed to alert every pair of ears in the vicinity—that, or there was simply not a soul in sight nor earshot.

It appeared to be neither, for eventually, Ashkii could hear the sweet titters of a bird—no, two birds. His head swung upwards to see them both perched on a denuded branch, plumage stuck outwards and giving a rotund shape to them. The man huffed out a soft chuckle before he lowered his head back forward and padded forward to continue on his way. When suddenly—

Ouch! He barked. His head swiftly whipped back to see the birds hovering closer to his flank, pulling at the unkempt tresses on his back. They appeared adamant, for a low and angered growl of a wolf seemed not to perturb either, much to the sire's annoyance. Ashkii lurched forward and snapped at the air half-heartedly, watching the two avians evade his jaws with ease.

The attempt at nabbing one for lunch wasn't enough to deter the damn things—so what the hell could they possibly want?! Ashkii turned around; the birds fluttered forward, watching him with beady yet expectant eyes. Y'want me t'follow y'all? There was (obviously) no verbal answer, but their soft chirps and warbles were more placated by his assumption. His nostrils flared with a deep huff. With languid steps, he moved towards the couple. Ridiculous...

They weaved between trees, leaped over heaps of foliage, and pressed through dense thickets—then, the birds halted, seemingly satisfied with their work. Ashkii shot them both a short glare, though his eyes were drawn instead to the scenery before him.

He'd seen something like this before, only a few days ago—a tunnel made up of tall trees bedecked with flowers at full bloom. The smell of flowers was strong, permeating out from within the entrance... nothing averse happened the last encounter here—in fact, quite the opposite. Ashkii didn't put much thought into his next actions and slipped into the underpass.

It was just like the last, save for the lack of summer heat. This time, it was more tepid; the benevolent climate of early spring. What th' hell... Ashkii muttered, how many portals are there 'round here? The man stalked forward, deeper into the mystical scenery.

He halted at the sight of another wolf; this experience truly was all too familiar. Another woman of soft stature donning a pretty face brought straight to his presence... what the hell was the force behind these weird tunnels? Ashkii tried not to think about the implications of why these encounters were occurring, but he was always the superstitious type.

...and he was about the age that his parents were when he'd been conceived.

Skah, is this your doin'? He spoke to himself jestfully. He pressed past the lush foliage towards the woman before him, capturing her attention with a small whistle. Pardon me, ma'am, he began, any idea what the hell's goin' on here? A ghost of a smirk spread over his lips, and Ashkii sat down gracefully a comfortable distance away.

SKILL : SEER ( 2 / 5 )

She thought she would have this small glimmer of magicked spring bliss all to herself as she followed its winding trail, but a flicker of dark fur at her periphery told a difference tale.

A whistle split the air just a moment later and the siren swung her body in a circle, whirling to face her unbidden guest. Suspicion edged her features as hazel eyes narrowed, her ears reversed back sharply as she regarded the man. She had thought he was someone - something - else, but he wasn't her constant lurker and unwanted shadow, the cat sith.

Some of her caution faltered, but it was barely noticeable as she kept her slender chin raised and watched the other carefully. He had at least kept a respectful distance and was seated, and she was less afraid of men of the mortal persuasion. They were moldable and easily manipulated, they often relied on baser instincts that could give her a leg up on finessing her way out if she felt her control of the situation sliding.

She parted her lips to offer an explanation - or a demand of her own, she had not yet decided - when the distant cry of a gull reached her. Siobhan blinked, disarmed, as she tipped her muzzle to the side so she could peer behind her sidelong.

What had once been a winding forest path now led to a beach, painted in the pale colors of morning as they bled into a pastel sea and white, unbroken sands. It was as beautiful a place as she had ever seen and there was an untouched quality to its flawless presentation that suggested no one had ever set paw upon this pristine shore.

What the fuck, she said quietly, bearing no concern for impolite language in front of the stranger. Siobhan was no newcomer to a world full of magic, but she was quite certain she hadn't imagined the forest trail - the playful, balmy wind that curled around the two of them was impossible for her to ignore, however.

Was she losing her fucking mind?

Distantly, she recalled the plain-looking and seemingly harmless man had asked her a question and her eyes flicked back to him. She supposed it wouldn't hurt to at least acknowledge him.

Not a clue, she told him, tone bearing honesty. I don't suppose you do, either, else you wouldn't be asking me.

Skill: N/A

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A short guffaw. I ain't the type to ask things I already know the answer to, he remarked good-naturedly, his head rising towards the coast that now stretched before them. A soft 'hmph'. First this... 'Mythris' place, huh? Where's this now? He spoke—mostly to himself—with a tonality reduced to a low hum. He rose, meticulously striding over the greenery and halting where the turf met sand. How peculiar.

A white-tipped tail slithered over the ground to rest against his forelimbs. He could hear the water lapping against the shore, the soft cackles of gulls in the near distance. Ashkii had never visited the seaside—never even dreamed of it. Yet, here he was. Standing before the vast plane of deep sapphire waters, his body enwrapped in the embrace of the coastal breeze. Far more pleasant than he would initially assume.

Turning to the lady behind him, his brows rose in acknowledgment. Ain't it beautiful? he spoke up, tentatively. She didn't seem the talkative type, considering the swift disregard towards any decorum. Not that Ashkii cared—he wasn't particularly polite, either.

The last encounter with these strange tunnels was with a woman who'd returned—inexplicably—to her home. Perhaps she was the same. You recognize this place, by any chance? he drawled, shifting his gaze back towards the horizon, ain't gotta answer if y'aint wanna. Even if it may appear to be contrary to anyone save for himself, Ashkii had no interest in this woman's personal matters. That was not something he had the right to pry into. What he did have interest in, however, was what in the hell was going on with the sudden appearances of tunnels filled with the sweet smell of flowers and tepid climates that were a far cry from the frigidity just outside the entrance.

SKILL : SEER ( 3 / 5 )

Her attention was at war with the appearance of the stranger and the offering of sanctuary spread at her back in the form of white sands and a gentle sea. She could devote only a piece to each party, and it spurred the latent distrust she held for others into motion. There was no want to turn her back on him, though he seemed largely benign, and her hazel eyes retained a critical edge as she sized him up.

His manner was friendly, to her surprise, and he seemed just as mystified as she. It worked to settle some of her thrill of automatic fear that she often masked with a prickly exterior, though not by much. Carefully, she turned so her side was to him and she could easily glance at him from her periphery if he dared to try anything untoward.

I was in a forest, but a couple of birds wouldn't leave me alone until they led me here, Siobhan admitted, one ear flickering as she watched the sea crawl along the pristine shore. It had been so long since she'd been to a beach, but she thought fondly of the weightlessness that came with sharing the sea's berth. ... I do not know where this is, truthfully.

It felt like it should be an illusion by all rights, but considering the other wolf saw it, too... either she was hallucinating him or they were both being treated to some strange yet wonderful display of this realm's magic.

As much a woman of science as the supernatural, Siobhan turned her attention away from the waters and looked to the strange with a renewed sense of curiosity. The animosity had faded as the gears churned inside her mind. There were a few ways to prove he was real and, unfortunately, all of them relied upon her physically touching him.

It was not a prospect she looked forward to, but she needed to know for her own sanity. If her paw met nothing but open air, she would know she was within the grips of some sort of illusory magic or her mind was compromised by something.

She pressed forward, closer to Ashkii until she could lift one paw and place it directly on the middle his face if he didn't move away.

Skill: Tunnel of Love [3/5]

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Ashkii heeded her input with a quiet hum. Her unfamiliarity with the setting, the similar nature that her mishaps had to his own. He dipped his head, rubbing the back of his neck with a forepaw. Damn birds ain't leave me alone, either, he remarked, thought I'd gotten a bald spot on my head. His face twisted into half of a grimace, though he remained with an amused smile.

Last time he'd found himself in this strange... pocket dimension, perhaps, the woman who'd accompanied his presence was well familiar with the area. It was her home—seems that the same could not be said for her.

The sire was fixing to rise, saunter closer to the beach—but a few seconds of an abstracted reverie was blown off by the woman's sudden proximity. Perhaps a mere few inches away from his face, with an unchanging sternness on her face. Ashkiis raised his brows. Did he do something to piss her off? Pardon, he cleared his throat, I, uhh... have I got somethin' on my face? Did he actually get a bald spot?

He chuckled softly. He tilted his head over, one of his brows furrowing against his eye. Name's Ashkii, by the way. Ain't think I introduced myself yet. He patiently sat, awaiting an explanation for her sudden advancement towards him.