Luthien returns

Along the southern shores of Anathema was a short trail of paw prints slowly being swept clean by the rising tide of the cool waters of the ocean. This disappearing trail led to a slender kougress pawing through the moist sand. The female’s pelt was primarily a soft blue, though her ears, around her eyes, legs, and tail were a pale yellow. A trail of five pointed stars varying in size ran from her forelegs, up to her shoulders, and down her spine. Her pelt was fine with the exception of the very thick fur of her tail, it made her body more accustomed to heated summer days of both the island, and her home within the Lost Desert, though she was never sure why her tail was so bushy. A metal coil was bound around her tail like a stretched out spring, it helped manage the fur there and keep that area cool. Her unique eyes of emerald scanned inward towards the palms, her spiraled pupils looking intently for any sign of movement. Was the island even inhabited anymore?

She had been to the island before, but a very long time ago. She had certainly changed since then; she became quite fluent in the common language, much more aware that she was a great looking kougra, and more subtle about her extra ability. Part of her couldn’t believe that she actually returned, knowing that it was very unlikely anyone would remember her, if anyone was left around. It was a necessary escape from the Lost Desert though, she repeated in her head again and again, the thoughts troubling her expression. The young adult of a female tried to push the many stressful and dramatic thoughts from her mind, to no avail.

But a familiar sight panned into her view then, and a grin lit up her features. It was the drink hut, the very place she had started drinking a few years back. Her pleased expression remained on her face as she moved towards the open doorway, her eyes fixed to the collection of liquor on the walls.

((OOC: A bit of a post-splosion. Most of my posts will be shorter than this. C=))

Beneath the thick canopy of the jungle, a dark grey feline padded leisurely down the familiar trail to the drink hut. His thick, tousled coat clung to his lithe frame, the dark fur dense with sweat. It was apparent his pelt had been meant for much colder climates and the cat did not relish the sweltering heat that had claimed the island for the past month.

He appeared to be in his mid twenties, yet the stress of events earlier in the year had taken a toll on his visage. Dark circles had formed beneath his piercing navy-blue eyes and lines now gathered at the corners of his ivory lips. The cat didn’t seem to notice… or if he did he simply did not care. He still carried himself with that very despotic air that had gotten him into trouble so often during his adolescence. At the moment though, he was more interested in cooling off in the drink hut than impressing anyone, (mainly because he was certain the island had been long deserted). With his head low and his long, thick tail carried just above the dirt behind him, Isaiah trailed through the undergrowth in pursuit of the promise of alcohol.

Upon reaching his destination, Isaiah inhaled the scents of the evening, reading what the light breeze had to offer. One fragrance in particular caught his attention and his black ears perked up and forward. A kougress had found her way into the drink hut, he realized as a wily smirk tugged at his lips. Perhaps his evening would turn out more interesting than he’d planned.

Inside the hut the strongest scent was the liquor on the walls, she could tell where a whole bottle of vodka was spilled, and the mixed smells of liquor off the bar. On the bottles she could smell the extra scents of kougra's who touched them. But most where very faint and unfamiliar, she could tell it had been a little while since anyone was here last. The inside of the hut looked completely vacant of anyone else, so she figured she'd help herself to a drink.

Luthien familiarized herself with the choices of liquor, noting which bottles were almost empty and which were full. She wasn't looking for a drink that tasted fantastic, just something that would help her dull the sting of her worries. Her paw grabbed the neck of an interesting bottle of tequila, gave it a little swish to check if the liquid didn't have something floating in it, then swallowed a mouthful. She thought she was alone, and allowed herself to make faces as the bittersweet taste of tequila ran down her throat. "Aaah," she opted to add in a few excited sound affects, "ooh, wonderful stuff!" Slowly she recovered herself and took another swig, again making the sour expression, and the pained sounds. The feeling she was looking for had arrived, and she closed the bottle to place on the floor near some cushions in case she wanted some later. Luthien wasn't full out drunk, but at least a little tipsy, probably due to the lack of food she ate that day. There wasn't much time to eat, she had spent most of the day traveling after all. A light gust of wind blew into the hut then, and Luthien inhaled its many scents. She could smell a strong scent of a male kougra from outside, an ear perked up as her eyes scanned the doorway for any movement. "I know someones out there," she called out in a lyrical fashion.

Isaiah could hear the strangers voice trailing faintly from beyond the grassy walls. He didn’t recognize the notes, but her musical identification of his presence gave him the impression of friendliness. Then again, he certainly was not the best at reading others and so he pushed past the palm frond entrance with caution, carefully placing his silent pawsteps so as not to come off as brazen to a possibly touchy female.

He met the girls gaze once he’d pulled his entire body into the drink hut, offering a small smile in greeting. His dark eyes raked over her frame, silently judging her appearance. She was cute, he finally decided with a brief nod of approval. Leaning back, he reclined on his haunches, his tail remaining stick-straight behind him.

“I haven’t seen you around before,” he said after a moment. “Enjoying my liquor?” His tone was dark, but an awkward smirk played across his expression to assure he was only teasing.

It didn't surprise her to have the male paw his way into the hut, her expression matched his as he smiled in greeting. Her gaze wandered over his feline body, feeling as though she had recognized something about him. Though her memory was a bit foggy on the matter, and no answer promptly came to her mind. She could decide that she had already met this kougra, but it would look bad if she couldn't get his name right. There was a broken memory of a violent kougress, but she couldn't make any connection as to why he'd remind her of that. Perhaps it would come to her later, she decided with a swish of her tail, her spiraled pupils returning to look into his dark eyes. She could tell by looking into his face that this kougra had troubles, he looked like he could use a good nights sleep, or maybe some cheerful company. She could understand that.

"You wouldn't have seen me," she finally replied, her expression matching her playful tone of voice, "I've been gone a long while." She allowed herself another glance of his frame before pawing rather gracefully to lie across a cushion, he looked fit, something she appreciated. Though she wasn't swayed by his dark tone of voice, understanding the teasing purpose behind his smirk. She was amused by the thought, and thought it would be fun to tease him right back. "I knew this had to belong to someone," she chuckled softly, lyrical even, "I hope you don't mind if I have some." Luthien reached out with a paw and grabbed the open bottle, shooting a smaller mouthful of tequila down her throat. It caused her to make a bit of a face, and a little sound, but not as badly as when she thought she was alone. She regained composure enough to smirk at the male, and hold out the bottle towards him, "or would you prefer sharing your tequila? I don't mind."

He leaned his head as the girl spoke, causing his angled bangs to fall across his face and obscure his line of vision. So she had been a native before? Isaiah studied her features but no memories of ever meeting her came to mind. She must have been around during his father's leadership, he decided with a mental shrug.

Returning his attention to the present, he felt his crooked smirk inching further across his features. "Normally I'd be upset," he replied, his tone obscurely playful, "but I'm in a good mood and you're cute, so I'll let it slide this time." Stretching out his forelegs, he fell into a hasty stretch before climbing to his paws. "No, keep it." He insisted in response to her offer, shaking his head. "I'll get my own." With a flick of his tail, he padded past his companion towards the shelves, scanning their contents before deciding on an unopened bottle of gin. He uncapped it between his jaws as he drifted back to the girl, seating himself only a few feet before her. Taking a mouthful of his drink, he closed his eyes, savouring the light burn as it slid down his throat. This was just what he needed to beat the heat of the day.

"By the way," he muttered once he'd recovered himself, "I didn't catch your name."

She looked down at the tequila bottle and rolled it from one paw to the other, not seeing any name marked on the murky glass besides the label. Her emerald gaze lifted to look at the walls, as if some clue would be there, but it didn't seem anything stood out. She could either assume that all the liquor belonged to him, or he was still teasing. "You're so generous," she commented sweetly as her gaze watched him move to retrieve his own bottle, "thank you for the complement as well. You look a bit tired though." Luthien watched him with an amused grin as he downed his alcohol and reacted. She followed suit and took another swig from her own bottle and watched him as she made a similar face to one earlier. Something about his pelt hue rang a bell in her mind, she had seen this kougra before, though she had never actually met him. There was also that faint memory of some other crazy kougress, though she felt silly for remembering that. This kougra before her was so very male, she couldn't help but stare at his frame for a moment and inhale his scent from his close proximity.

Her eyes focused back onto his when he spoke up, her tail gently swaying from one side to the other. "My name is Luthien," she replied with a soft laugh, "and I swear, you look so very familiar. But your name escapes me."

"Well, Luthien, it's nice to meet you." He tipped his glass as he spoke, his eerily dark gaze locked on hers. "I'm Isaiah," he added, bringing his drink to his lips and taking a generous swallow, again smiling at the burn. Setting the bottle beside him, he tossed a tendril of fur out of his face and examined the girls features once more... now that he thought about it, there was something familiar about her, but nothing prominent enough to bring anything to mind. "We might have met a long time ago, but I can't say I remember you... Were you a friend of Jeremiahs?" If she had been close to his father, that would explain why he had no memories of her -- he tried not to share friends with him, seeing as he always found himself growing jealous and possessive.

Her face changed into one of joyous awe, it all clicked into place as soon as he said his name. She had heard some of the other kougras make mention of Isaiah, and she had seen him, but never actually met him. And the memory of the violent kougra made sense too, she had fought her due to some language barrier. She had kept going on and on about how she wanted to kill him. Luthien let him finish, her head quirking to the side at the mention of a new name, "Jeremiah? Noooo," she dragged out the 'oo' sound, searching her memory to be sure. "Never heard of him, I've only heard about you. We never actually met before." A grin was set in her features, happy that she remembered, "I was usually off trying to learn this language," she laughed at the memory of herself a few years back, "no one could understand a word I said."

She had never heard of Jeremiah... But she'd heard of him. That confession alone was enough to spark a wide grin that lit up his dark expression. For as long as he had known the former alpha he had been competing with him for attention, and considering his father had quite a reputation with the ladies, Luthien was a breath of fresh air.

Mentally shaking off the creeping sensation of eminence and allowing the grin to fade into his former twisted smirk, Isaiah sipped on his beverage as she explained the situation. "Hm, well that explains why I don't remember you," he replied with a laugh, "but I'm glad you've got the hang of the english. What was your native language?"

"Oh yes," she grinned wide, enjoying how Isaiah's smile lit up his tired expression, "I'm quite confident in speaking English now. I don't even need my book to double check pronunciation." The book she spoke of was probably gathering dust wherever she had left it, she'd never find it again even if she tried. "Well we've met each other now anyways," Luthien said with a laugh, "and my native tongue is of a strange desert dialect known as Al Bhed." She waited a moment to gauge his reaction to this, most people hadn't heard of the language, and she didn't expect them to. She took a taste of her tequlia as she beamed at him, still very pleased that she figured her mental puzzle out.

"Are you still the Alpha of the island?" she asked, tilting her head to the other side, her tail keeping its swaying rhythm.

"Al Bhed?" He repeated as though testing the word out on his tongue. "Never heard of it." Mouthing the broken neck of his bottle, he tilted it back and finished off the last mouthful, licking his lips as he rolled the bottle to the back of the room. He watched it disappear into the unlit portion of the hut before looking back to Luthien, her warm expression bringing a smile to his face. Her cheerful mood seemed to be contagious.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that..." he answered, pausing to mull over the idea for a moment before adding, "There's not really a pride left to govern, though." It was a sad truth and Isaiah longed for the good old days of bonfires, parties, and alcohol. His expression mirrored his nostalgia, though he forced himself to resist drifting back into his memories. They were in the past... But who said he couldn't recreate them? A devious expression contorted his features and he faced his companion with a challenging simper. "What do you say we get drunk and go have fun?" He asked with arched brows, leaning his head as though trying to tempt her.

"Don't worry about it," Luthien mused after slugging another mouthful of alcohol back and down her throat, "not many have. Maybe I'll teach you a few words sometime," she added with a wink. Her jaw dropped slightly at the sight of his empty bottle, surprised that he had gotten through it so quickly. There was at least one gulp worth left in her own bottle, she'd catch up with him soon enough. Or maybe she already had, she was already beginning to feel a nice buzz numb about her frame. She was curious about what happened to the rest of the pride, deciding only on that they must have left to go elsewhere. It only made the island more attractive as a place for her to hide out in.

Luthien met his devious stare with a thoughtful amused expression as she stood up. There was a slight sway in her body, a sign that she was a little intoxicated already. "I'd like that," she breathed musically as she paced around the male kougra, her tail touching the side of his body before she came to a stop beside him. "It sounds like a great welcome back party to me," she said with a suggestive grin, reaching out to lift her bottle and finish it off.

"Wonderful," he purred, watching as she circled him and matching the light touch of her tail with a flick of his own against her hind paw. He could already smell the alcohol on her breath and the slight sway in her saunter, which promised she was well on her way to inebriation. He, on the other hand, was only slightly buzzed, despite having downed the entire bottle of gin. Isaiah certainly was not a lightweight. "I've got some partyfavors back at my place... Do you want to help me carry the booze?" He had already climbed to all fours as he spoke and fished a dirty pail from beside the counter. He snatched down a variety of beverages from the shelves, ranging from champagne to a half-downed bottle of vodka. "What's your preferred poison?" He asked, glancing back at the girl.

She dropped her body to stretch her paws outward, then pushed her weight forward to do the same with her hind legs. It not only felt wonderful to do, but let her know she had enough balance left to be useful to the cause. "Yeah, I could help you carry a few things back. Dare I ask what kind of partyfavors you have at your home?" Her ears perked up, an eyebrow also rising at she gave Isaiah an inquisitive stare. She happily swayed closer to the collection of liquor. "My favorite is any kind of fruity Bacardi," her spiraled pupils scanned the slightly blurry wall, "do you have anything like that here?" She moved passed the counter to see if she could find it for herself, though at this point anything sounded good. She paced slowly, her bushy tail trailing behind her like a feather duster, "or anything flavored maybe," she allowed reading the labels.

Smirking, he looked away from Luthien and back to the selection. "You'll see. I hope you're really a partier, though. I wouldn't want to scare you off," he responded, his tone vague, not hinting as to whether or not he was kidding.

"Well," he muttered, reading each faded lable before him with a frown, "I'm not sure. I'm sure we've got something along those lines, but I can barely read any of the names. If you find something like that, add it to the collection." Motioning to the pail of glasses at his side, he selected one more dusty bottle of vodka and turned to the kougress, flicking his tail patiently as he waited for her to make her decision.

OIC: I spy with my little eye an updated Avvi. I like it.

BIC:Luthien gave Isaiah a doubtful look, "I don't think you could scare me off even if you tried," she finished with another laugh. As for her decision she chose to pick out a bottle with a translucent red liquid inside. As she drew closer to it, she noticed that there was no label on the bottle, but the color looked like it should be something sweet tasting. She would let the flavor be a surprise for when they got to Isaiah's, and placed the bottle in his pale. "Well if you don't I'm sure I'll get by, I like to keep my mind open anyways. So new alcohol might be a fun little adventure for me," she beamed at the male.

"Who knows," she added sweetly, "maybe I'll find a new favorite and it'll be better than the last." She moved over to Isaiah's other side putting the bucket between them, signifying that she was ready to help him carry the booze to wherever he needed.

ooc. Ha, thanks! I was getting bored with the old one, so I was like, "UPDATE!" (=

Leaning forward, he clentched the pail's handle in his jaws and lifted it, finding it suprisingly lighter than he'd assumed. "Ne'er min'," he explained to Luthien (or tried to the best he could with his mouth full,) as he pulled the pail back to insure she would not grab the handle as well. With the cargo safely stored in the bucket, and the bucket between his teeth, Isaiah headed towards the door, holding the fronds back for the girl to exit first, following suit behind her.

The trail to his hut was quite a distance from the drink hut, but Isaiah deserted the path and cut through the underbrush, ignoring the thorny shrubs as they clung irritatingly to his shaggy, unkempt coat. He hoped Luthien wouldn't mind the shortcut through the wilderness, but he doubted she would have preferred the much longer - but tamer way.

Her brows rose at him, watching to make sure he could carry the load before moving from her spot to move her legs close behind him. At first she was a little paranoid that perhaps he'd lose his grip and the contents would smash. But that feeling soon subsided and Luthien relaxed. Besides, outside the hut most of the terrain was soft sand, the worst she'd have to do would be to pick up any bottles that Isaiah dropped, which would only pose a problem if the male dropped more than one bottle.

Her gait meandered along the cut path Isaiah created, her green eyes switching between Isaiah's backside, the trees around her, and the sand to better maintain her path. She didn't trip or stumble during the walk, just happily swayed along to the buzz numbing her mind and making her feel good. The silence of the trek is what bothered her a little bit, understanding Isaiah couldn't very well speak with a pale between his teeth. So she opted to purr a lullaby, something she had learned after she left Anathema the first time. It was a catchy tune at least.

The sand silenced their pawsteps, seemingly magnifying the evening choir of exotic birds and crickets. A soft purring from behind him alerted Isaiah and he glanced back to his companion, puzzled at first, though he quickly realized she was only humming to herself. His ears perked as he returned his attention to the course before them, content listening to her muffled tune.

Hardly five minutes had passed before the palms and ferns parted to reveal an open, sandy clearing. Huts were built in circular rows on the outskirts of the glade, spiraling in towards the center. Picking his way between the individual shacks, he spotted his own with ease. It stood out from the rest - his hut seemed nearly twice as large as the others, seeing as a second room had been built on to the side when he had been born, connected to the main room by a small hallway. The palm doorway was evident in the main hut, but Isaiah paid no mind to it. Instead, he circled the outside smaller room until he found what he was looking for: a shredded hole in the interwoven grass wall. Apparently he had dug his way out of his room at some point and he was now using this as an entrance. Without bothering to explain the need of two doorways, Isaiah first pushed the now-somewhat cumbersome pail in through the gap, then proceeded to pull his own frame inside.

"C'mon," he encouraged once inside, reclining on his cot to sort through the choices of alcohol.

(My computer keeps freezing up on me for some reason, so sorry for the ridiculously slow replies.)

OOC:no worries. Though I might be going to bed soon. Just a heads up there.

BIC:Luthien stopped her humming purr when the huts came into view. It was something she never knew about the island, when she had slept here before, it was always on her own under some large leaf or palm. She hoped it was something new, otherwise she might feel a bit silly. Inwardly she decided she wouldn't admit anything on the subject, though the thought in her numbed mind made her giggle aloud. She followed Isaiah around the larger hut, her brows quirked wondering why they didn't use the obvious entrance round front.

It became all to obvious as the male wedged his way through the hole in the thatched wall. She sniffed the air, wondering if she could catch a glimpse of what it was like inside when she heard his voice call her in. "Alright," she agreed with a smirk before wriggling her body through the hole and into his home. She turned about to make sure her tail had made it through, and noted small pieces of wall stuck under the metal band on her tail. She couldn't feel them, and so she wouldn't bother to pull any of them out. Luthien turned her attention to the room around her.

"So this is your place eh?" she said, her tone dripping her sarcasm, her expression teasing, "I'm so scared."

"I wasn't worried about my room scaring you," he replied with a playful sneer. Glancing around the room, he sighed to himself, his brows coming together in a crease. The room had a musty, earthy smell, and it bore no extravagant decorations like what the city kougras chose to adorn their walls with. There was a cot, upon which Isaiah was seated, and there was a small, two-chested dresser. A frame sat on the chipped, water-damaged top, encasing a faded photo of a much-younger Isaiah grinning beside a beautiful lavender kougress. The two felines in the photo shared the same hue of piercing sky-blue eyes.

He avoided staring at the photo for too long and locked eyes with Luthien. "It's not much to look at, but it's home," he explained with a shrug. Setting the pail of drinks on the floor, Isaiah leaned over and selected one of the dusty, translucent bottles of vodka and scooted the bucket in her direction. "One more drink for now, just to loosen us up. Then I'll pull out the games."

ooc. Same here, I'm suprised my parents haven't already kicked me off. x)

Luthien laughed softly at the comment, allowing her eyes to wander about the room with interest. Her eyes found the frame holding the two kougras, she was sure one was Isaiah, though the other was someone else she had not met. It must've been an important kougra all the same, perhaps a relative? She noticed the striking similarity in their eyes, it must be. The desert kougress allowed her eyes to explore the rest of the room before staring into those saphire eyes of his. "I can appreciate simple," she replied seeing the charm of the place, keeping in mind the places she slept. Most of which were outside, not nearly as accommodating.

She pulled out her unlabeled bottle of a mystery drink and nodded back at him, her ears perking towards him in interest, "games? You have my full attention Isaiah," she giggled, slugging back a mouthful of the red liquid. It was very sweet tasting.

OOC: Okay, thats all from me tonight. Goodnight and talk to ya later!

Mimicking her motions, he uncapped his own drink and took a swig, sloshing the scorching liquid in his mouth a moment before swallowing. "Now," he began once he'd regained his compsure, "don't get too excited. I'm not talking about yahtzee or monopoly... not games like that." He shook his head to stress this fact, taking another generous drink before continuing. "I mean... well, I guess I just mean stuff that might prompt game-play." He was beating around the bush on purpous. If he said outright he was talking about drugs - it didn't matter that he was only in possession of some pretty tame stuff, he was afraid she'd run for the hills. He'd been with prudes before, and although Luthien had proved herself up to his standards so far, he could never tell for sure.

By now he had already injested a third of his liquor and the potency of the vodka was really starting to kick in. He could feel the full-body buzz settling over him and he was finding it harder and harder to focus. He absolutely loved the effect of this toxin.

ooc. G'night!

"Is it not worth getting excited over?" She fake pouted with bright eyes, leaving out the fact that she had never played any games like the ones he mentioned. Though when the word 'game' was mentioned she instantly thought of gambling. The atmosphere of a casino came forward in her mind with the flashing lights, the click of coins and the chatter of the many patrons. It wasn't something she wanted to think of, she ran away from that scene. Luthien swallowed another mouthful of the sweet tasting alcohol, she didn't have to make a face from this stuff, and it did a great job maintaining the buzz she looked for.

"What are you getting at Mr. Alpha?" She asked, her body leaning to one side as she gave him an intrigued grin. "Do mean stuff like alcohol?" Luthien laughed, resting her weight on her haunches before sitting down, her tail lightly flicking against the floor, "because we already have that!" She knew it had to be something else, though in her drunken state and Isaiah's way of skirting the word, she didn't know what he meant. "Oooh," she cooed in realization, "this is supposed to scare me off, right?"