This journal is now retired! The new one is at kusani.

"Everybody has 'n animal." He smiled, leaning back in his rocking chair and pulling his worn blanket around his knees. Something creaked when he moved - old wood or old bones - she couldn't tell. "Their animal shows isself in diff'rent ways. Maybe they're 'n artist or writer, an' 'at animal is their muse. Maybe they're a scientist, an' 'at animal pulls 'em t'learn about living things. Maybe they're 'n occultist, an' 'at animal is their spirit guide or their animal totem. Maybe they're a furry, an' they think they chose 'at animal t'express 'emselves. Maybe they're s' hollowed out by the world around them 'at th' animal is just a favorite, a passing name or image, an' nothing more. Maybe they're s' worn thin an' grey-eyed 'at their animal died right along with their heart, years 'go.

"Or, sometimes, 'at animal isn't separate from us. 'At animal is us." He lifted a wrinkled, spotty hand, tremors racing through his crooked fingers. His fingernails were yellow and cracked, but they were thick and heavy and unusually rounded. "Our bodies start forgetting 'at they have t'be human, 'specially if we change a lot. My nails're a dog's claws now. Sometimes, my eyes don't go back t'blue for days an' days." He smiled again, showing off worsening teeth. "We live a long time, us animal-people. And 'ere's never any telling when an animal-person will find 'emselves an' figure it all out for th' first time.

"We ain't werewolves like in th' movies." The smile faded from his lined face. "We ain't monsters, an' we ain't looking t'hurt nobody. We're just animal-folk, living our lives as best we can. Some take it 'pon 'emselves t'help others find their animals, howe'er their animals show 'emselves. Most of us, we just live quiet. It's getting harder, what with th' world changing 'round us, t'keep normal folks from finding out 'bout us. But we're doing alright. Just a li'l underground people, like th' old Christians or th' new pagans, like th' Irish back in th' railroad days - just living our lives, not wanting trouble." He peered at her with white-clouded eyes. "D'ya understand what I'm saying?"

She nodded with a little smile. "I do, sir."

He chuckled raspily. "Don't need t'call me sir. I ain't a stranger t'ya."

Her smile widened, showing teeth. "Alright. It's just very wordy to call you Great-Great-Great-Grandfather all the time."

His eyes crinkled as he chortled, slapping his knee. "Then just call me Great!"

The locals told tales of a white cat that prowled by day and a black wolf that hunted by night. Werebeasts were banned--exterminated--in Khere, so the locals swore up and down that it couldn't be one of the reviled shapeshifters. "It" had become a legend, and eventually a sort of god--a manifestation of the land’s own spirit. None knew the truth--except the injust were slaughtered, the hurt found healing herbs on their doorstep, and the brave were protected when they slept.

A god of balance, this manifestation, and none hunted the white cat and black wolf.

----------------------
On a less mythological note... being tired and uber-creative at once sucks. Because I want to write a thousand different things right now, and I actually have the muse to do them--but it's 4h11 AM and I'm exhausted, rain-soaked, and going to sleep. Sigh. Being mortal sucks. ~_^;;

Love you guys immensely.

Title-- Ringwalker
Rating and Warnings-- PG-13 for death.
Species and Characters-- Species = Denaith humans and animals. Char = unnamed human male and unnamed gossips.
Summary and Notes-- Entirely random and probably not canon.

( 'Sun rules the cats, moon rules the wolves, transition rules the dolphins...' )

Title-- Misperceptions
Rating and Warnings-- Heavy R for explicit sexual contact (but no actual sex). Femmeslash (ie lesbianism) and "bestiality," if you define bestiality as a sexual situation with one or more non-humans. Because werecats aren't human, duh. >D;;
Species and Characters-- Species = Denaith werecats & humans. [Werecats are rather cheetah-ish in build, female-dominant, and can only shapeshift in the day (as opposed to the werewolves at night) and are forced to shapeshift on the solstices and equinoxes (rather than the full moon).] Chars = Mandhatri, a Yumerantha gentleman who is lower-middle class but still carries himself nobly, and his good friend Ambika, a werecat huntress, as well as some other random werecats.
Summary and Notes-- Mandhatri and Ambika also starred in Honor in the Hunt. This shidbit originally started as Mandhatri just writing a journal entry (yes, he's one of the rare literate folks! hoorah for self-taught sk33lz!), and then it just... uh... ended up as... this. ^^;;

( The day was dry and hot, the burning sun veiled in grey by a swath of pale clouds that stretched from horizon to horizon... )

Title-- Honor in the Hunt
Rating and Warnings-- PG for light violence.
Species and Characters-- Species = Denaith werecats & humans. Yes, I said werecats, not werewolves. Werecats are rather cheetah-ish in build, female-dominant, and can only shapeshift in the day (as opposed to the werewolves at night) and are forced to shapeshift on the solstices and equinoxes (rather than the full moon). Chars = Mandhatri, a Yumerantha gentleman who is lower-middle class but still carries himself nobly, and his good friend Ambika, a werecat huntress. (You can find info on the countries and cultures in the link to Denaith above.) Oh, and since Yumeranth is much like pre-colonial India, I tried to use Indian/Hindu names. Ambika means 'goddess of destruction' and Mandhatri means 'prince'.
Summary and Notes-- I randomly started writing this with the intent to put a ____ (you'll see in the end scene) in Denaith somewhere. I think it came out rather well. =^_______^=

Note to Amy--this comes chronologically after Nightless. Yes, these are the same two chars in that. =D

...you know, this is the first piece I've ever written in Denaith that doesn't involve werewolves. =O_O=

( 'There are beasts in Chui'techanth that fetch a pretty penny in certain Yumerantha circles, you know...' )

Title-- Primal
Rating and Warnings-- PG for light violence and nudity.
Species and Characters-- Species = Denaith werewolves & humans. Chars = Crafe Inno, an experienced wolf hunter, Jiya, a lone wolf, and Keghan, another lone wolf.
Summary and Notes-- I started writing this as a totally random, unplanned novel set in Denaith... it never went far, but I liked what I got out of it. This is just the short prologue and the first chapter.

( The sickening, twisting crunch of shattering bones... )

Yes! More Lone Wolves! XDDD~

Title-- Lone Wolves
Rating and Warnings-- PG for nongraphic demi-communal nudity.
Species and Characters-- Species = Denaith werewolves! =D The chars are a white female wolf, Fakhi, and a tan/brown male wolf, Sjarrin.
Summary and Notes-- This is the third installment of Lone Wolves, which is an enjoyable offshoot of the Denaith Series that I've been posting. I absolutely love writing this ongoing story, and I've heard good things from those who have read it. Info on Denaith as a world is here; and here are the first, second, and third bits of the Denaith Series (cowritten with gileonnen) that I've posted. The first installment of this plotline is here and the second is here. This mini-series is strikingly beautiful and highly emotional; at the risking of sounding way too Narcissistic, I think you guys should read it. =D

( Fakhi ran several silent circles about the little patch of land on which she’d found the shack some years ago... )

Title-- Ghost
Rating and Warnings-- PG-13 for violence and nongraphic nudity.
Species and Characters-- Species are the werewolves of Denaith; main character is Minara, Nicht Marrin's servant, omega albino female.
Summary and Notes-- This is totally random. Please read with no expectations and mebbe you'll enjoy it. ^^;;; (It also might be a little AU... dunno. Mebbe it just took place during the main plotline of The Denaith Series and not during Lone Wolves.)

( Nicht Marrin had warned her against going out so late at night... )

Title-- Rust and Steel
Rating and Warnings-- R; slash, sexual tension, nongraphic sexual contact, eating without manners (~_^), creepy as hell at points.
Species and Characters-- Species are the werewolves of Denaith; characters are Hashu (big male "hunter of hunters") and the now-famous red wolf from Replaced.
Summary and Notes-- This was requested by gileonnen as a Hashuxredwolf piece where the red wolf is "sincerely loved." Due to Hashu's, uhm, Hashu-ness, I tried to get as close as I could to that whole "sincere" bit without making him out of character. *G* This is the result.

( 'Hey, Red.' )

Title-- Lone Wolves
Rating and Warnings-- PG for nongraphic demi-communal nudity; warnings include said nudity, angst, and pain.
Species and Characters-- Species = werewolves! :D The chars are a white female wolf, Fakhi; a big male wolf who hunts those humans that hunt wolves ("hunter of hunters"), Hashu; and a tan/brown male wolf, Sjarrin. Also mentioned is a red-haired male whose shidbit is here. Hashu is a key player in the Denaith Series, and Seyah (a country alpha) is mentioned in here too.
Summary and Notes-- This is the second installment of Lone Wolves, which is an enjoyable offshoot of the Denaith Series that I've been posting. I absolutely love writing this ongoing story, and I've heard good things from those who have read it. Info on Denaith as a world is here; and here are the first, second, and third bits of the Denaith Series (cowritten with gileonnen) that I've posted. The first installment of this plotline is here. This mini-series is strikingly beautiful and highly emotional; at the risking of sounding way too Narcissistic, I think you guys should read it. =D

( Morning in the rain-washed city found the two lone wolves entwined and in their human bodies once more... )