Lost in the forest (DM and Akela)

[darkmark67]

Mark, a normal human being with a mindset to write and find inspiration huddled in a dead tree. In the arctic cold he struggled to stay warm. The question is though, why is he even out there?

In the search for a guardian. They are myths to some, and true to others, however, many that apparently went in search of him never returned. Mark could see why, the wheather is so bloody terrible out here. "dammit...had to go on a hunch..." He cluched his arms tightly, his hands turning a shade of blue from the cold. His coat doing nothing, and his pants? soaked and frozen by snow. "going to die...out here...in search of something, that may not even exist...just my luck..." The wind whipped through the air, frost seemed to just accumulate on everything within a matter of seconds. "how can anything live out here?" He tucked his head in his chest to stay warm, even his breathe was turning a frigid coldness. "damn....stupid me, thinking a guardian existed out here..."

[Akela]

A bright white mist covered the land. It was no mere mist, it was the actual carpet of snow in the sky. Beneath the snow-covered trees, something moved. Something large, the size of a small elephant. The creature moved slowly, yet surely - as if looking for something. The forest stopped and the creature came onto a clearing. It was invisible inside the snowstorm except for it's two amber eyes. It was a wolf, a large one - larger than any wolf in the world. His name was Akela, and he was a Guardian.

Akela sighed. 'Bloody snow, it's impossible for me to guard an entire forest like this...' he sighed to himself as he made his way through the thick pack of virgin-snow.
He didn't smell anything due to the strong and arctic winds. The cold did not bother him, his fur took enough care of that. Yet he was bothered about something.

HThe only thing he could smell inbetween the vast icy waves of air was the smell of something else. Not an animal, something humanoid. It was the only reason why Akela would venture in this weather. He hated humans - they destroyed everything he stood for. He would deal with this interloper fast so he would return home to his warm cave.

[darkmark67]

Mark continued to huddle in his little fort, the wind blocked out any sound, but he felt uneasy, not only was he going to die from the cold...but something else. he was a special case some people said, he could sense things others could not. But he sensed a large animal. "what kind though...i cant tell what kind!!" He laughed to himself and grinned, alittle delierious from the cold and lack of water. "heh, maybe he will help me...maybe..." He shook his head and thought more logically, his mind returning to normal.

He thought about it for a second but decided to stay in the fort. "besides, something like that wouls only kill me anyway."

[Akela]

The wind was beginning to make His very fur freeze, but he could smell he was near.
he reached the other side of the clearing and stood still behind the border of trees, away from the vicious cold wind for a second.
He carefull gazed around, trying tolisten. It was no use, the air was just as vicious in here than it was beyond the trees. He started to sniff in all directions, holding his nose up high as he turned around again and again.

Until he froze to the spot and gazed up at a dead tree, covered in snow - but with an opening. Akela started to growl at the tree and calmly raised his voice to where he believed his interloper to be hiding.
'You there, human or whatnot, come out where I can see you.' he said in his low ans threatening voice.

[darkmark67]

Mark was huddled in the tree and was mumbling to himself, the presense was near. It wasn't until he heard a large booming voice he shot up and crawled out of the opening with his arms raised. As soon as he saw akela he fell to his knees. "oh...my...god..."

What else could he do? Thoughts filled his heads, this thing was massive, it could tear him apart easily! "stay...back...i dont want trouble...like i could really do anything anyway..." He said in a low voice. He fell to his ass in mortal fear actually and crawled back against his little refuge.

[Akela]

Akela kept growling in a low and menacing way. It was a human, as he had feared.
'You humans, all the same - all of you. No respect whatsoever for what nature made for you. Why should nature have any respect for you?' he said in the same low and threatening voice as he closely stepped closer to the human. 'What's your name? I prefer to kill things that actually have an identity.' he said with a mocking chuckle as he was getting ready to claw at the human.

[darkmark67]

Mark suddenly felt something at the back of his mind, it was a warm feeling, "wait...i know you..." He stood up, the fear gone, "respect? i am sorry to have not realized it before guardian akela...i apologize for my disrespect."

Mark then stumbled alittle. "anyways...as for my name...i go by mark..." He laughed slightly as he fell to his knees, the coldness sinking in even more, but that weird happening, like he knew who the guardian was. "no need to kill me, i am already dead out here..." He fell facefirst into the snow and passed out.

[Akela]

Akela drew back his paw when the human was able to speak his name.
His thoughts raced at blinding speed as he tried to figure out how that was possible.
But before he could even say another word to the human, he had already said his name, plummeting his body in the thick layer of snow, not moving anymore.

Snow kept falling and the wind was still for a minute. Akela pondered.
He was torn between taking the human with him and ask him where he got his intelligence, or leaving him here for dead - took care of his problem.
Figuring he could do the latter anyway after he got the information he needed, he decided it was best to take the human with him. He sighed, he had never thought he would live to do this.

He opened his maw and scooped the motionless body of Mark into his maw. With Marks upper body and legs dangling out of his maw, Akela knew the human didn't have long to live unless he acted quickly. His body was as cold as ice from where he could taste it.

He concentrated hard and within the second he was standing in an entirely different place - the hotsprings beneath a mountain a couple of miles from the dead tree.
He released his grip on Mark, letting him slide into the hot and cool water, hoping his body would get back on temperature.

He lay down and watched the human with a glare. He was still about to kill him, no matter how mysterious the incident was. As he detected a first glimpse of Mark opening his eyes, he got back up and walked around the pool to meet him face to face.

[darkmark67]

Mark remembered nothing, "what the...how did I get here?" He sighed as he was now in a hotspring? but he was in a snow storm before! He had a massive headache as well. remembering barely anything except guardian, collapsing and akela. whos akela?"

Mark opened his eyes for a second before coming face to face with a giant wolf. His eyes in fear, once again, scared out of his mind. "erm...yes....?"

[Akela]

'Hmpf. I'll not waste words on this. Tell me - how did you know my name?'
he said in the same booming voice, though it was a tad calmer now. He started to walk circles around the pool. 'Noone of your worlds knows of my existance, let alone my name. Speak! How did you know my name?' he said with a menacing growl as he loomed over Mark who was still sitting in the pool.

While he was walking around his mind was still racing wheter or not he had to kill the human. Maybe he was being too agressive, but all the humans were the same! They hated nature and took it for granted. Unless this one turned out to be some kind of nature-loving human, he didn't stand much of a change at surviving. he decided that his next course of action would be to hear Mark out.

[darkmark67]

Mark looked at Akela "your name? umm...i am not sure...what it is..." He was frowning slightly, when did he reveal his name? "i dont know your name...i just woke up...with...words in my head, guardian? you have to be a guardian and akela...what is akela, who is akela?" He furrowed his brow alittle, the headache returning, "geez, my head is burning so much...i am sorry if i dont have what you want...i was near death in that tree...i remember a giant wolf, you, and then blacking out...i dont even remember talking to you...just a burning in my head then lights out"

He was unsure of what was happening, the wolf did not kill him, but spared him. was the wolfs name akela? how did he know that? he just remembered a burning in the back of his head before he blacked out.

[Akela]

'Yes - I am Akela. Guardian of this forest - what brought you up here?' he said as he sat down. He had made his mind up. It was one thing to kill a mere human that walked into his woods by accident, it was a complete other thing to kill one who didn't knew where he was or what for. He would spare Mark, but only for as long as he needed.

'You seem to be terribly confused - do you have ANY idea of what you were doing back up in that tree and why those words popped into your head? Hmmmmm?' he said as his muzzle was inches away from Mark's face, his eyes deeply gazing into his with a locking gaze.

[darkmark67]

Mark could only stare back. "uh...i am not sure...i am what people would call a crazy son of a bitch..." He gulped "i travel, to different areas of the world to try and find guardians...mainly for advice...talking to them...trying to find out anything that i can do to help out in the world really..." He brushed his hair out of the way for a second before continuing. "i was searching the arctic and i know...stupid idea...namely caus that storm came out of no where..."

Mark then grimaced again. "not sure, guardian akela...you see...i was a special case...in many ways...i could...get knowlege without reading...like a mild pychic thing...it sounds crazy but its true..."

[Akela]

Akela pondered. 'Hmmmm...'
'Have you ever MET an actualy guardian? I would suppose not, they tend to rip humans apart. Just like I was going to do with you.' he said, looking at Mark again.

'However - ' he continued, 'I have decided to let you live for now, as your intentions don't seem threatening and you're obviously weakened by that storm.' he said as he gazed into the cave at the snowstorm outside.

'So what is it you want help or advise with then? Helping out in the world? No human could do that - they are only capable of destroying the world.' he paused for a minute and sighed.

'I once had help, from a fellow wolf. He was a guardian disciple - Dane. Only he - got killed by one of YOUR kind. Since then my hatred for them has only kept on blazing. Once Dane was someone like you - but he chose the path of a guardian.' he said.

'Make no mistake -' he said as he saw Mark's face. 'This privilege doesn't happen to anyone, it took Dane a great deal of respect and admiration for him to be accepted the gift.' he stopped talking for a second.

'You can stay here until the storm has subsided.' and he lay down.

[darkmark67]

Mark just looked at Akela with solemn eyes then they streightened up. He gave Akela a grin then climped out of the pool, alittle unsteady on his feet. "honestly guardian akela, i am alittle worried, not of what you could do...but of your hatred...i agree with you...i hate my own kind...you know how that feels? one that hurts others just because of race? of color? you dont know how much i wish there was a restart button, i would erase the world of such fools...but i cannot hold such power..." He sat down indian style and pondered for a second, still afriad...but still a sudden courage filled him.

"when you speak of Dane, you speak of someone i used to know...for i remember someone, just like me...he went out and never returned...he kept saying something about a guardian...but never the name...so thats what happened." He sat and grimaced, his head on his chest.

[Akela]

Akela's ears were perched as he listened to Mark. He tilted his head back and turned around. 'You - knew Dane?' he asked, suddenly his voice had changed from threatening growl into low and gentle. He got back up and walked over to Mark. 'Hmm - you two are different from the others - you care for nature. Maybe nature cares for you - that's not my desicion to make... however - ' he said as he walked back to his spot,
'Dane suffered the same fate as you, and I had to bring him to the exact same place - here. Hence you startled me such - I just had a majour deja-vu...' he said with a small 'heh'.

'You two were friends then? Dane used to talk about someone he knew, but also never the name - part of the process erases your memory, yet he remembered you. I wonder..' he said, his thoughts drifting off again.

[darkmark67]

Mark looked at Akela. "well...i dont think nature cares one way or the other. good or bad, wanting to save or hurt...it takes all within its grasp. I nearly died, if you did not come...well...there." Mark listened to akela with such interest and fascination. "one thinks we would wind up in the same area...same path...heh, its bound to happen..."

His eyes grew distant for a second before falling to his knees. He spoke in a lower but oddly warming voice "its difficult for you...you try and help...but you only receive pain and frusteration in its place...can you not ever be free of such? I hope for your sake, yes...i wont be around for too much longer akela...i cant live forever, which leads me...why a being such as yourself cannot simply die...because you must continue your fight, without you, things fall apart. I have felt something in you, like weariness and fatique in your voice..."

[Akela]

Akelas eyes stiffened as he heeded the words.
'That's not funny boy. the only one who talked to me like that was Dane. I am stil capable of doing my job. I...am a guardian - this is my fate... to wander and protect all those around me for centuries.' his breath went deep as he stepped over to Mark again.

'Tell me.' he said, 'just what are you doing?'

[darkmark67]

Mark continued in the same down, his eyes blank "you speak to me...ha...you should know Guardian Akela...haha...your pain...i wish i could mend it...i so wish i could...it hurts me to see such a creature as yourself in agony and frustration." He sat down down an laughed..."believe me...i wish i could..."

Mark shook his head alittle and noticed Akela moved closer, his voice returned to a slightly higher tone then the other. "hmmm? i am sitting here, kinda zoned out...i think the cold messed with me a bit."

[Akela]

Akela's face was emotionless.
'You...' he began, '...you should warm up some more...' he said as he trailed off.
He had no idea what jst happened, he had too many guesses.
'Mark...' he began, 'you're special - I haven't met a single human being who did what you just did yet.' he said to Mark.