let the hurricane set in motion. [o]

[Aeolus]

[atrb=width,454,true][atrb=border,0,true][cs=3][bg=69b2c6] The sea was calm, only broken by the splash of the rain on it's surface. There was no wind, and no waves. The whole place was quiet. Keen ears could hear the drizzle smack the sand. The sun would begin to set soon, but for now, the sea was untainted by the bloody colors of the sunset. The whole view was very peaceful... at this end of the sound. It would have been quite a soothing place for any visitor, but on the opposite side of the crescent shape that was Cygnet Sound, things were not so serene. In one particular spot in the sea, very near the bank, the saltwater swirled, trying to take the shape of a funnel. Rainwater intermingled with the sea, sand from the shore was flying, and fierce winds drove it all into a dizzying, stinging mess. If you dared go close enough, you could make out a silvery-gray shape in it's midst. Blue eyes, the same color as the sky, glowed faintly with power. A wolf stood in the middle of the small, rebellious storm. It had been raining for hours, and the creature should have been soaked through. But this is no ordinary wolf. Aeolus Rex was practicing his skills. His fur was mostly dry because of the constant breeze that blew around his body, driving most of the rain away. He paused for a moment, letting the tiny storm calm. The sand fell back to the shore, or was carried away by the seawater that resumed its own place. He stood with two feet in the water, and two feet on the sand. Little waves rippled out from his legs, responding the ever-present breeze that engulfed him. The sand at his back feet did the same; spinning away in little spirals. "Can't even make a small one. That wouldn't have scared a minnow away," he grumbled to himself, in a husky voice as he turned and walked back on shore. His blue eyes had stopped glowing for the moment, and he looked down before huffing out an exasperated breath. That was a mistake. The sand at his feet exploded, leaving a small crater that quickly refilled with surrounding sand. Aeolus blinked once in annoyance at himself. His face was now coated in sand, and he really needed to sneeze. The wind around his muzzle cleared away the sand. He turned back to look at the water, "You are an idiot. Did you know that?" he asked his reflection. Just then he sneezed, the water copied the sand, and soaked his head. "Yeah, I know that," he answered himself. He shook his head, and willed the wind to blow his fur in the opposite direction that it lay. Soon his ruff and face were dry, but when the water calmed again, he reflection showed his fur sticking around at odd angles, making his look quite silly. A low rumble in his throat substituted for a sigh, and he flopped on his belly, put his head on his paws, and looked very annoyed. "speech" thought

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[HARPER]

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[atrb=background,http://i50.tinypic.com/2djdxxf.png] Harper did not have a propensity for wandering. It was a necessity, though. He attempted to let his diminutive weight drift placidly through the wind like a fallen leaf, for that was the only way to move on from the place of his despair. It was a shame that he still shook like the leaf he tried to mimic, no matter the improvements he'd made sense he first decided to turn away and not look back. He had to really force himself to to use his tiny instincts of wandering to ignore his larger instincts of returning home...confusing, too. Nevertheless, he had an urge to visit the seaside and he acted on it. The wolf had formerly made a tentative arrangement to bed down at the Sunstone Forest for the fall. After all, his golden pelt blended easily among the unusually colored pines - he was rarely disturbed for the few weeks he lived there and could ensnare tricky prey with ease, but the slightest pull on his heart telling him to travel to the Southeast and visit Cygnet Sound made him commence his journey. It took only a half-day's march to reach the sea, one filled with his sensitive pads being probed with the needles that littered the ground. That was one thing he wouldn't miss about living in the Sunstone Forest, though he was fond of creating an innovative new swearword whenever he happened to trod upon a pine cone. Now, he had finally reached the finish line. And of course, it was raining. He tucked his translucent wings back with distaste, every heavy drop like acid on his flimsy insect skin. His entire body folded in upon itself in his sordid state, bright green eyes narrowed in a way that flaunted his irascible temper for all the world to see. The Cygnet sound was a popular area, after all. He scanned the surrounding area, not for the beauty of the sea he'd formerly desired to look at, but for evidence of other wolves. Unfortunately, he did see someone else. He watched a fractious spiral out of the corner of his eye for a moment before determining that it was the byproduct of an Air Elemental's magic.Oh, fuck it. One of those airheaded morons again. Harper was teased to the ends of the Earth by his species, but it was infuriating when Air Elementals treated him like he was scum even though he was obviously severely handicapped. Suddenly, the mini funnel fell away from the other wolf. He took in his scent quickly - Young. Male. Strong.

[/color]

He hoped he'd fade into the colors of the sand so the other wolf wouldn't pester him, but he wasn't sure how that'd turn out due to the dull lighting. It's hard to hide in grey-tinted sand when you've got enough glimmer in your pelt to resist a lot of the typical effects of poor lighting. He peered out behind half-closed lids at the other male as he returned to the shore. He listened to his half hissy-fit, half good-natured spiel with slight amusement before approaching him. That's an Air Elemental all right.[/color] At this point, the other wolf was on the ground with his silver-grey head between his paws. "What are you, half a year old? Can't control those powers yet?" Harper's voice (and thoughts) were rather impertinent, a sneer crossing his face. When all you've got is the stinging sensation of raindrops on your wings to entertain you, you get a whim for a more satisfying adventure. It contradicted what he had been intending to do earlier - hide - but he didn't notice...or particularly care.


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[Aeolus]

[atrb=width,454,true][atrb=border,0,true][cs=3][bg=69b2c6] At the sight of the other wolf, Aeolus kept his position crouched on the ground, pretending not to notice the pale wolf, who was obviously deciding whether or not to try and hide. So Aeolus kept his head on his paws, his blue eyes glowing faintly, just in case this stranger, somehow, turned out to be dangerous. As the other wolf approached, he realized it was a very slim male, but through the sheet of rain, he couldn't tell what species. The only thing he knew for sure was that he wasn't an Elemental. His pale golden coat gave that much away. He thought he must be a Dream, since he wasn't big enough to be Dire, then he caught sight of the wings. He'd never seen such wings on a Winged, and he had seen plenty. They liked to insult from above, but by the time they realized what kind of Elemental he was, it was too late. He'd send them spiraling away on a nice northern wind. But Aeolus wasn't even sure this one could fly. He had dragonfly wings? Aeolus almost decided that a Winged who couldn't fly must not be all that bad. And then he spoke, in sneering, very insulting voice. There was nothing that got to Aeolus more than a jeering tone. "Excuse me?" he said, with a slightest rumble in his throat. His eyes glowed more brightly and the sand around his paws swirled faster. "And I suppose a Winged who probably can't even fly properly would understand how long it takes to master the elements, eh?" He was standing now, and the sand spun around him in a fierce whirlwind. "So tell me, oh mighty Winged one, can you do this?" He disappeared altogether. Reappearing a moment later right next to the other wolf, "Or... maybe you could show me a better technique for this?" The sand swirled up into a funnel of stinging wet sand. Then he calmed it. His eyes still glowed, but he had made his point. "Mastering the elements takes much more than you other species may think. For my age, I'm doing quite well." He sat down in front of the other wolf, "I lose my temper very easily, and my powers are much stronger when I'm angry, so I suggest you don't insult me again, especially since your defense is to fly away, and I'm an Air Elemental." "speech" thought

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[HARPER]

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[atrb=background,http://i50.tinypic.com/2djdxxf.png] Harper sat on his hindquarters comfortably, less than a foot away from the other wolf. He gazed at the other wolf with analytical eyes, wondering what his reaction would be with half his mind and formulating a plan for escape with the other half. He may be rash, but he wasn't completely senseless. Wow, he's taking to it more sourly than I figured. I pinched a nerve, then?

[/i] The next action the Air Elemental made answered his own question.

"Excuse me?" The words were definitely not the standard I-don't-understand sort. He was obviously insulted. "And I suppose a Winged who probably can't even fly properly would understand how long it takes to master the elements, eh?" He knows my weakness, and I know his. We're both easy to read.[/i] The handicapped Winged wolf knew it would happen like this, and the heart beating frantically in his small chest was evidence to show how worked up he was getting. He really wanted to hurt this wolf, make him really heat up. He knew he couldn't run, considering the other male had control over the air he propelled himself through; but, the fact remained that Harper was not the one to let logic rule his life. He decided to test him some more.

The other wolf disappeared and reappeared right beside him with sand kicking up furiously. It stung Harper's eyes. He muffled a cough, trying not to show his weakness. It angered him. He heard the other wolf become defensive and ask him if he could do something like that - of course not, dumbass - but he couldn't respond with the rough grains of sand scratching his throat. His little display of power hadn't meant to hurt Harper, and he knew it. Shame started to kindle in his mind along with the anger. Not a great concoction.

"I lose my temper very easily, and my powers are much stronger when I'm angry, so I suggest you don't insult me again, especially since your defense is to fly away, and I'm an Air Elemental." He was right, but he couldn't hold back the acrimonious words that were overflowing from his mouth. "An empty threat at best. Thanks for telling me about your temper, it makes me tremble in fear to think that an airheaded Air Elemental is temperamental. Who knows, you may hurt yourself! Wouldn't want to be in the line of fire!"[/b] Harper was asking for it.



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[Aeolus]

[atrb=width,454,true][atrb=border,0,true][cs=3][bg=69b2c6] "An empty threat at best. Thanks for telling me about your temper, it makes me tremble in fear to think that an airheaded Air Elemental is temperamental. Who knows, you may hurt yourself! Wouldn't want to be in the line of fire!" Rather than get angry with the skinny wolf standing before him, Aeolus's eyes remained the same cool blue, with just the barest hint of their natural glow. This wolf was obviously no threat to him. And he probably knew that. He gets points for bravery. The corner of his mouth moved upwards into a crooked smirk. He absently made a small tornado with the sand at his feet as he spoke, "Empty threat? Now you don't really believe that, do you," it wasn't a question, but a statement. He noted the age-old insult for him particular kind, "Airheaded? I'm insulted. Truly I am. Perhaps you are right, I might just explode I'm so offended," he drawled sarcastically. His little tornado spun and danced around his feet, caressing his legs as he spoke. He could have blasted him with another sandstorm, but his temper was controlled now, his brief temper-tantrum had been a rare occurrence for him, and he doubted it would happen again for at least a few months. "But no, I don't think I will. You're brave. I'll give you that. And because of that, I won't pull you down if you try to fly away." He stared at the wings on his company's back. Translucent, with veins running through them. Definately dragonfly. "Speaking of flying, can you even use those? I've never seen a Winged with anything but bird wings, and I'm disappointed that I can't use 'bird-brain' to retaliate for you calling me an airhead," he wasn't trying to be insulting, he was just one to be very blunt. He never thought about offending anyone until he's already said it, and by then it was too late. "speech" thought

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