the land of faerres { Sih likes shiny things }

[Azure23]

Thank you so much for Keego. ;u; This was such a nice surprise after my absence from CS. I'm so happy to have a Warrior~ <3

Good luck with Tserof. <3 His name is Forest backwards. xD

[mi ainsel]

Tsuyoshi Sakurose, Male, 19 years, Bakeneko (Monster cat that can shift into a human)
|| Humanoid form || Cheetah form ||

He hadn't actually intended to pass through this land, but the strange customs had drawn his attention and before he knew it he was being shown around on some kind of guided tour. The auburn-haired boy sighed in exasperation.
I never do take the easy way though anything, huh?
Now he was standing near this 'altar', stuck in the middle of a huge crowd of people in the boiling sun. The glare coming off of the sun was so bright he pulled his goggles down over his eyes, switching to infrared vision to spare his sight. He watched as a fox-like faerre, clearly a warrior if the sheathed sword he wore was any indication, left with a strange wolf-like creature. No other faerres were present at the altar, and the crowd began to stir restlessly. Tsuyoshi observed them in mild amusement. Were they all waiting to convince a faerre? Why were they expanding so much effort on this impossible venture?
Even as the thought left his mind, a female stepped onto the altar, and he found himself pushing through the crowd to get closer. His dubious thoughts had vanished as he had set eyes on the faerre. Something in her body language perhaps, something he was trained to see as a result of studying martial arts for a long time, inquisitive and intelligent, with calm brown eyes, drew him to take a chance, not that he understood it himself.

Suddenly, it was his turn. Nervously eyeing the altar as if it contained a threat, he bowed to the Faerre, as was customary for one of his clan. The way he stood was a little awkward, like he expected to have to leap into battle at a moment's notice. Bowing was a scary moment of vulnerability for a trained fighter, even though it was so ingrained into him to do so. The familiar weight of his sword, a pale blue katana by the name of Kumo no Kimi; 'Prince of the Clouds', across his back reassured him enough to return a slight smile (even if it seemed closer to a smirk) to his face. Tsuyoshi pushed his visor-like goggles back up over his hair as he prepared to speak.
"I suppose an introduction is in order. I am Tsuyoshi no Hokkyokukaze, of the Sakurose clan. I am the nephew of the clan head, and the leader of the team of Sakurose elite known as the Ibara trio. The clan heiress is my cousin. She's really sweet, and I imagine you would get on. The spirit of her sword is a young nine-tailed kitsune. There must be some overlap between your species and theirs, I guess. Lots of foxes going on. My best friend, Inurō, is from a clan of kitsune, though he's an Inu hanyō himself. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Tserof of the Faerre. In my language we would say Hajimeshite, Tserof-san." Kumo no Kimi clearly saw the importance, for the thunderbird sword spirit materialised to perch beside him, inclining its head gracefully and flaring its wings in a show of majesty that Tsuyoshi found slightly arrogant. He'd tried and failed to 'de-arrogantify' the stormy bird spirit many times, so he might as well let it be.
"I am the Prince of the Clouds — Kumo no Kimi, the sworn blade of this warrior. I too, am honoured to meet you."
Kumo no Kimi's little show over, Tsuyoshi knew it was time to try and 'convince' Tserof. Though... He kind of believed she should be free to choose her own path, and he shouldn't try to convince her anything was right if it wasn't what she truly wanted. Maybe the stress of his current situation was getting to him.
His best friend and mission partner, Inurō no Kokuyuki of the Kurai clan, was away on a solo mission, which left him to lead the other two members of his team alone. He was tired, not that he would ever let anyone in the clan know that. They'd suggest that he stepped down. A lot of them had been skeptical that such a young team could fulfil the important duties set for them, as the Sakurose clan's most elite warriors. The Ibara had so far disproved that, but if anyone thought he was cracking under the pressure, it could impact his teammates, Masumi and Jūyō no Hana, as well.
"What do I want?" He echoed the question, mulling it over for a second before smiling his usual sheepish smirk. "I guess... I want someone to not judge me so much. To actually care. And... I could really use a companion. My team and I do a lot of travelling solo between countries. It gets lonely." He quickly broke eye contact and bowed again. "Thank you for considering me, Tserof-san." Tsuyoshi almost didn't wait around, so hot was the sun that it was making him overtly nervous. Or maybe he was just going insane. The Sakurose smiled wryly at the thought. Instead of leaving he shifted to his erythristic cheetah form and stalked to sit in the only patch of shade he could; the crowd parting to let the muscular feline through. At least the cheetah didn't mind the heat.

Edited for slight coding problem.

[mint.]

[ taiyo - when will customs open again? ]

[Taiyo]

There's no set date when customs will open. It opens whenever I have excess amount of free time. ^^

Tserof will be judged in 3 days!

and some shamless plugging: Aerowraith is looking for artists! :'D check it out!

[Horneddragon]

A woman sat alone in the crowed space of the alter. Her clothes seemed oddly heavy for the hot day yet to those around her she seemed unaffected by the arid weather. She moved not an inch while the Native faerres swept and cleaned the stage known as the Altar. Instead she just peered out from beneath her ordinate wide brimmed and feathered hat. Some who passed her by may have though she perished sitting there bundled up in a heavy gold trimmed and roped coat, but truth was she was merely waiting. She and her crew had been marooned on the shores of Vinara for quite some time. they had been surprised to find themselves on the shores of a land of beasts and not humans, yet Capitan Katia was intrigued enough by their kind to want to know them. And possibly to make one her companion. Five days now she had sat on this bench unmoving, just watching, waiting, to find a Faerre hearty enough to join her crew, and her Order. ....


TBC

[Umbrakinesis]

Ink
A quiet wanderer
who's looking for a friend

A small creature, looking somewhat like a faerre but clearly different, crouched in the shade of a small bush, watching everyone at the altar. He had expected a massive crowd, but Tserof seemed to have drawn less attention than the last faerre, whoever that had been. This was Ink. The gray-and-white hues of his thick fur dappled by the scorching sunlight that managed to battle its way through the leaves to his hiding spot. Keen eyes scanning the outside, he watched those who wished to be a friend of Tserof - owner, they might call themselves, being humans - come and go. When one left, another came. Warriors. They were all fighters, in different ways. None of them seemed to him at all like Tserof. Then he remembered he needed to be able to say her name, or else he would have to leave. "Ts- Tserof. Tserof. Tserof." Satisfied that he could say it, Ink returned to his thought. Seeing a break in the crowd, he took it, darting towards Tserof and going so far as to leap up onto the stage.
His paws ached to run away, and he was trembling horribly. Reminding himself that this was Tserof, he returned to the real world. "Hi, Tserof. My ap-ap- -- er, sorry for my lack of using big words. You see, I'm partly mute, so even a word like - like the ones I just tried to say might give me trouble." Ink paused. "Well, you get the idea. But I forgot to tell you about myself - I'm that rude. My name is Ink." He stood about a head taller than the faerre. "This sun - it's burning, so I can't stay long. Well, you asked what I'm looking for." Ink paused, fidgeting nervously under the gaze of the faerre. "I'm looking for someone who can see that speech is more than just words, and I can see that in you. I want someone who won't judge me on my silence, someone who will listen to my tail, because I talk with my tail if I can. In short, I want a friend who can understand what my silence means." Ink's voice had barely risen above a whisper for his whole speech - it couldn't rise above a whisper. "Thanks for your time, Tserof. I'm glad you listened. Many don't." Flicking his tail in farewell, Ink jumped down and trotted back to his bush. Thank you, Tserof. He thought silently, gazing at the faeree once more through the leaves.

[Taiyo]

Tserof will be judged tomorrow night! good luck everyone!

[Wolf Shadowstalker]

A few days after Keego's departure the Altar was swept clean and prepared for another Faerre. It was at the hottest hour of the day, where the sun scorched the lands below mercilessly that Tserof did decide to leave Vinara. A petite Faerre walked up stage, brown eyes sweeping across the sweating audience gathered below. It was just a little test of endurance and personality. She wondered how the creatures would fair in the interviews after baking under the unforgiving sun for so long. Would they act grumpy? Irritated? Impatient? Tserof was curious to know, after all, she was a creature who had always been a bit sensitive to body language.

With a gentle sigh, the Faerre cleared her throat and addressed the crowd. "Greetings, I'm known as Tserof and I'd really like to know the reason you're here listening to my words and approaching me today. What are you searching for? What do you really want?" Tserof tilted her head to the side curiously. It was a simple question but one that could be extremely hard to answer truthfully - especially when she can easily sense a lie through body language.

Character for woo: Borak, an aging wolf.

Panting in the heavy heat, Borak patiently waited in line with the rest of the creatures for his turn to speak with Tserof. He was more used to cool, dark forests; it had been a while since he had been in such an open area for so long.Thankfully, he had ended up just behind a rather large creature that blocked most of the sun's light from reaching him. Each bit of shade was a reprieve, his dark brown coat providing little protection from the sun's rays, and though it exhausted him, at least the heat baked away some of the small pains he had gained with aging.

Instead of leaving Vinara as soon as Anari had chosen like he had with Tenme, Borak had decided to stay to see the ceremonies of other leaving Faerres after Anari, in hopes of finding another who's wishes and desires coincided well with his own. He had seen the sad seperation of the twins Ewel and Lewe, but he was sure each knew of the growth that would occur and was proud of their choice. Retsae had found a companion who had given her best answer despite her origins, and was sure to be a true friend. Finally, the impressive Keego had lent his strength to the one with not the strongest power, but with the strongest heart. All were wonderful meetings, the Faerres and their chosen alike supporting each other's strengths and weaknesses. And now Tserof stood in their place, the one who searched for the hidden messages, the truth. Maybe, she would be the match for him.

Soon, the time came for the creature who had provided Borak shelter from the sun to take its turn one the stage, and he was left to stand under the sun's blistering wrath. He panted heavier than before, and as time passed, his gray-green eyes began to haze in exhaustion. Still he waited, and was glad when the creature quickly finished its speech.

Heading up the steps, Borak made no motion to pause at reaching the stage. He gave a slight nod and a small comment to Tserof as he passed.

"Excuse me for a moment."

He hurriedly headed for the recesses of the stage, where dark cool shade awaited him, another welcome shelter from the heat, though much more satisfying than the temporary shelter from before. He gave a small huff of relief from his graying muzzle and then not too gracefully plopped on the cool, polished wood floor. He brought his heavy panting down to a more reasonable level, which admittedly took some time, and then finally turned back to Tserof.

"Forgive me for my behavior; my coat does not help me well in heat like this, and exhaustion would have not helped my words."

Borak pushed himself up to a sitting position, and made a small attempt to scratch at the empty leather pouch around his neck that now irritatingly clung to him in the heat with a front paw.

"First I introduce myself; I am Borak, a traveler to many places who wishes for a companion to join him. I want to share the things I witness, the beautiful sceneries, the joyful people, all filled with vibrant life. But, I admit that my reasons are rather selfish. In my growing years I have come to see so much, and learn many lessons because of it. However, many of the people I have met are too young, too inattentive, too busy with trying to find answers, that they haven't yet seen and learnt what I have, and though I understand and am used to solitude, I still feel alone. With a companion alongside me, I hope they come to see what I see, and in turn, make me feel as if I finally I have a place. I still search for such a companion, and I hope I have found such with you, Tserof."

Giving a soft smile he continued on.

"Even if I am not your choice, I will still search. I know I will find him or her as long as I keep trying. Even with my selfishness, I have found that even the greatest kindnesses have the smallest bit of selfishness to be important to another."

Borak settled back down onto the cool wood, slightly mourning the return of the pains baked away earlier by the heat.

"Now, I hope you and the others won't mind if I rest here for a while before heading back out. Honestly, I don't want to leave this place until the last of the creatures who wish to speak with you are long gone."

And then he promptly curled around himself and began to doze, keeping himself aware enough to leave if asked.

*~*~*~*

I just realized the thread title for Tserof keeps reminding me of wild Pokemon from the Safari Zone. XD
Borak's back~! 8D

[Taiyo]

Tserof Has Chosen

July 6th couldn't come quickly enough - even Tserof was feeling the effects of the sun and gratefully welcomed the sound of gongs. A lot of visitors left with Keego's departure; not many interested in a common Faerre like herself. But Tserof met many with different opinions and languages and she was inwardly awed by the sincerity of the creatures' words. Light brown eyes blinked slowly as she scanned the thin crowd seeking the one who shifted. His name was quite a mouthful - Tserof wasn't sure if she could remember it word for word but his body language roared 'experience'. It was interesting watching him. Tensed as a coil even as he bowed down to her in a greeting, eyes darting around and muscles tensed to leap in action in a split second's notice. She was so absorbed in watching his every movement she neglected to listen to his speech.

When she finally spotted his shape resting under a shade, she quickly leaped off the Altar and approached him. While most would see a proud, experienced -and maybe paranoid- warrior. Tserof read deeper - his motions though reeked of strength also hinted at a hard life. One that had to learn to survive alone. "I'm afraid I won't be able to pronounce your full name." she chuckled softly. "But I'd love to accompany you on your travels sweet one."
Tserof has chosen you, Mello-chan

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[url=http://www.chickensmoothie.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=58&t=1081279][img]http://www.ephotobay.com/image/tserof.png[/img][/url]

Awawawa ;u; the three forms were amazing.. each had their good points and I swayed from one post to the other :'>

Congratulations to Mello-chan! Take good care of Tserof! :'D

I might be able to post one Faerre up before I leave on my trip! :'D so keep your eyes peeled and don't give up!

[mi ainsel]

Kyah, thank you so much for her! :3 Off to spoil her with art, I think!