Username: Griffin Torrens
Name: Satori
Name Meaning: The name is Japanese, meaning "awakening". He is named after Satori Mountain, a location in Breath of the Wild that's shrouded with mist, creepy music and spirits. When I think Halloween, you'd best believe I think of BotW, I'm in too deep, I always think of it-
Fanart -
CreditGender: Male
Prompt: (the below stuff is for my use, but I thought you might find it interesting?)
Time Taken & Progress <3
Planning: approx 2h ~~~ 100%✔️
Art: approx 15h ~~~ 100%✔️
Editing: approx 1h ~~~ 100%✔️
Writing: 1½h ~~~ 100%✔️
Prompt wrote:"This collie's eyes are bright and cool, while its coat is dark and dreary. Which better represents its soul?"
[2,000 words]
Not including *s and note in [ ]
With a pelt as pretty and dark as his, looking as if it's a storm cloud speckled in ash, Satori thinks it's easy to pull off the dark and mysterious personality he attributes to himself. He travelled the lands under the cover of night, hiding from prying eyes. Because Satori didn't have the capacity to care for another as well as himself. Living in the wilds, unsure where you next meal would come from and what - or even who - the next danger could be made you quickly learn that emotions were a weakness. To survive, you had to be strong, self reliant and secretive, never knowing who could be trusted.
He was content to live his life alone, a boring darkness others dared not approach, until he eyes lay on the silver fur of a
pet collie of all things. Like a moth to a flame, Satori was drawn towards her. He invited her into his shadow, to have a taste of the freedom that came with the darkness of his life. And when she asked him to try his paw at her life, the darkness followed, clinging to him like a burr.
Despite living in such a busy and active kennel where strong bonds are formed and friendship is expected, Satori kept to himself. During the day when the other collies would play, elaborate games that included all, he stuck to the sidelines, head resting on his paws. He wasn't interested in their trivial conversations, and the sun hurt his eyes, so he tended to sleep.
So what if this made him seem dull and boring? That was in his favour. Blending into the backgrounds meant no one ever had an issue with him. After some futile attempts at getting through the dark cloud he'd encased himself in the others gave up.
He was alone, just how he liked it. All except for Etheira. To his delight, the collie never grew bored of his dull, damped personality or the mysteries that swirled around his paws. And he liked that. Because every dark sky needs a few stars of light.
Satori has always been dark and elusive at soul, something to be pondered over before moving on, but nothing more.
Or so he thought...
* * * * *
It's a common misconception that you know yourself better than anyone else. Often times you may be blinded by your own opinion and desires, who you wish you are or feel you're stuck as. But sometimes, if you're lucky, you'll find someone that's so close to you, they know who you are, both heart and soul, from an untainted eye.
[This next section is told from the POV of
Etheira, his mate in current time]
* * * * *
It was a rare occurrence for Griffin to let us out at night. Our normal routine would have had us in our kennels by now, quietly talking or sleeping. Right now however, that was optional. Tonight seemed to be a special night to the humans. Halloween they'd called it. I personally didn't understand what all the fuss was about, but seeing others excited and enjoying themselves put me in a good mood regardless. A lot of collies had choses to head off to bed, tired from the days activities and wanting a head start for training tomorrow. Others were in the cottage with our owners or roaming the yard, greeting the kids who came in with excited barks or playful growls. The last of us stayed in the field, playing and chatting amongst ourselves.
I was hanging around Cherry and Tadpole, uncertain of how to spend the night. However I quickly grew bored and instead glanced around to the other end of the field. A shadow rested on the ground like a beacon, something that had never been there before. I had never been the reckless type, but I was certain of the saftey the fencing provided, so curiously made my way over.
Following the elongated shadow up the mass of forest, my eyes landed on the tip of the mountain. A head lay before the moon, eyes bright. My breath caught.
A wolf? No, you don't get them around here. I watched as the canine leapt down and into the shadows of forest, disapearring.
My paws felt frozen to the grass as my eyes scanned the hedgerow beyond the chain link fence. Nothing. A wild canine like that must not have intended to be seen, and ran when they realized they'd been spotted. But yet, my eyes kept searching the hedge.
They met blue. Any icy colour, like a pool of crystal water that would sting your throat. I could feel my heart racing in anticipation. Would they attack? The cool eyes faded.
A loud whistle split the night air. The collies were getting called to their kennels for the night, the last chance to have a warm and dry place to sleep. If I didn't go back now, she'd be stuck out here, alone. But those eyes were burnt into my head now, and curiousity always managed to kill this cat. I wouldn't sleep tonight even if I went back. So I stayed, rooted to the spot as the noise of the nighttime routine died away, ending with the click of the cottage door.
With a burst of leaves, a collie strode out into sight, head held high. His eyes shone with mischief and a smirk sat on his face. This collie seemed to be the pure imbodiment of
cool. "You should come with me. I can get you out of this place, show you what real living is like," he almost sang in a smooth whisper.
I felt my heart skip a beat, or possibly 5. It was hard to count. Love at first sight wasn't something I believed in, but this collie seemed to be challenging that ideal. It took a little while for my head to catch up with the situation. I glanced behind me. Was this not real living? My family and friends were here. My owner was kind and gave me all the love and attention I want. I loved it here.
Yet the darkness that seemed to follow this collie looked enticing. For my bright pelt to blend away as the shadows swalowed me.
"C'mon, what do you say? There's so much to do in the night, you're missing out."
I took a few steps closer, but the chain link fence stopped me getting any closer. Then the light seemed to vanish as a cloud covered the moon, hiding what was to come next.
"Jump it. I know you can."
And with those words in my ears, I did just that. It seemed all the agility training had a practical use too.
I was stood beside him now, darkness cloaking us. I glanced back at the kennels, and felt my heart sink. How could I do this to them?
No, I reasoned.
I'm just going out for one night. I'll be back before they even notice.As the moon came back to life, we dove through the hedge. I followed on the stranger's tail with a racing heart, mind screaming at me in question. This wasn't like me, to leave everything behind fo a stranger. But I'd always been the kind to trust my heart, and my heart was loving this.
"I'm Etheria by the way," I called as we ran through the forest. I kept my eyes fixed on the other collie, weaving between the trees and jumping roots almost second nature after all the agility training I'd done.
"That's a pretty name," he whispered back, the wind snatching the words away from me before I could hold onto them forever. "I don't have a name, but you can just call me Wolf."
Nodding, I keept my mouth clamped firmly shut to prevent any stuttering as I waited for the wind to cool my blush. We ran in silence until we cleared the forest. Now clear of the overgrowth, I could see my smile mirrored on Wolf's.
He may look mysterious, but Wolf seems to have a lot of personality.I opened my mouth to ask where we would go now, but he flicked his tail to silence me. He was staring at something, so I followed his bright gaze. A single tree sat a little way off, it's dead branches clovered in black splodges.
Crows, I realized. But what could Wolf want with crows?
As if sensing my question, he tipped his head close to mine and whispered in my ear. "Let's chase 'em."
A shiver ran through my pelt, but no breeze shook the trees. Seeing no harm in a little fun, I smiled back in confirmation and waited for Wolf's move.
The collie set off, body low and tail streaming behind him. I could tell he was an expert at stalking, and I suddenly felt a little out of place with my white fur and loud paws. But to my luck, the crows didn't stir. We made it to the base of the tree, and Wolf grinned at me. Before I could question him, he winked before leaping in the air with a loud bark. Heart racing and tail wagging, I let out my own bark. The crows stuttered to like, clumsy in their confusion and dark feathers raining around us. A let out a laugh as I watched them, feeling like a pup again.
I looked back at Wolf happily, unashamed of my childlike excitement. He however, seemed to be doing all he could to keep a blank face. It wasn't working, his sparkling eyes betraying him. "I never knew something so simple could be so fun! And best of all, nothing got hurt!"
Wolf let out a deep chuckle. "You wouldn't even hurt a crow? That's cute."
Fighting another blush, I stuck my tongue out at him. "What else have you got?"
The challenge seemed to light a fire within him, I could see it in his eyes. "Baby, you've got a storm coming your way."
That set my heart alight.
* * * * *
That's how it all started. Every couple of nights after that, I'd be back out in the adventure of wild life with Wolf. We chased animals, splashed in rivers, watched the stars or simply took in the views. Yet everymorining, before the sun rose, he'd walk me back to my home and leave. I could tell how hard he tried to hide it, shrugging nonchalantly, but he felt alone. Each goodbye seemed more challenging than anything he'd experienced living in the wild.
So one day, I asked to show him my world, the one under the sun. Griffin seemed to understand, letting him into the field with me without attempting to pet him (because that would have driven him away).
I had been so excited to show my friends and family the collie I hoped would be my mate. I'd told them so much about his bright and cool personality. The flirt who tries to act all mysterious, but can easily be read in his eyes. Yet they couldn't seem to see it.
"He's nothing but trouble."
"That collie is far too mysterious, he can't be trusted."
"I can't tell what he's thinking and it puts me on edge."
"It looks like the wild really closed him off."
I couldn't understand, but it didn't matter to me. He acted uninterested as I introduced him, but I could tell he was making a real effort to get to know my life. We watched some training (he seemed keen on learning agility), talked a while, then settled down.
Lo and behold, snoozing in the sun's rays beside me seemed to suit him. So he became Satori. And all dark mystery seemed to vanish. I'd seen Satori mountain when inside the cottage. The blue glow it gave off reminded me of his eyes. The ones that told me all I needed to know, and he could never express otherwise.
Because Satori isn't a collie of words, or even action. He's a bright collie at soul, if only you spend the time looking for it.
vv Click for PMV! vv
"Everything Black - Unlike Pluto" is his theme song!I wanted to do more as all the lyrics fit him, but knew a fully finished section was better than the whole thing sketched for this contest, but maybe give it a listen with the story in mind? :>
