Posts by solas ...

//if you just want to know what to reply to, skip to the last paragraph c:

Solas was new to The District. In fact, he was new to civilization in general. Being four months old didn't really come with much experience, but he did hope to make some memories here. The young wolf had made himself scarce for much of the time since he'd been adopted, preferring to explore on his own. He could often be found staring out a window for hours, just watching the workings of nature. He sometimes even tried to imitate what he saw - which was part of why he preferred to be alone.

It wasn't so embarrassing to attempt to copy a bird's flight, if there was nobody around to watch him jumping off furniture and flailing his legs until he got tired enough to surrender to the laws of physics. He'd probably never let anyone in on the little adventures he invented as he traversed the school, learning through imitation and experimentation - and through a few 'mysteriously broken' decorations that just happened to be discovered in pieces at the end of the day.

Presently, Solas was between these self-guided excursions of his. The noise of his stomach had become too distracting for him to enjoy himself, and besides, it couldn't hurt to actually start learning the names of those who had generously taken him and his basket litter in. The student(?) followed his nose to the cafeteria, where a rather sad-looking pile of food awaited him. He wished there was something he could do about it, but he did not yet know how to hunt.

The wolf pup picked a rabbit for himself and dragged it toward one of the central tables in the cafeteria. It was only then that Solas realized his meal, nearly as big as he was, would be far too heavy to place on top of the table. He'd have to settle for eating on the ground. As others walked by, he would look up to acknowledge them. He was too shy to extend the invitation to eat with him, but his posture showed that he wouldn't be opposed if anyone tried.

INTO THE DARKNESS ➳

Solas would emerge form within the school, his curiosity piqued by the offer to 'make some paint.' He had read of a substance called 'paint', but never expected it could be made by anyone other than humans. The young arctic wolf would bound over to Rosethorn in order to walk right back into the school with her and anyone else who was interested. "I've never extracted dyes before," the student would eventually speak up in an attempt to fill the silence. "Is it dangerous?"

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Ever since he first learned how, Solas was fascinated with growing his own understanding of the world. Why did birds fly? Why did others fear the unknown? Why did nobody ever talk about the tingling? That tingling feeling in his brain, which he could isolate if he focused hard enough, and which often surfaced by itself if he thought about doing things he shouldn't be capable of doing - why did he feel that there was an easy way to chill the water when he was about to drink from it, or to light up the dark corners and tunnels he couldn't see well enough to explore safely? He had tried researching it, but he didn't know what he was looking for. It wasn't a known illness, or a symptom of any known poison. It didn't go away with a hot meal or a good night's sleep. What, then?

The young wolf would find his answer in the bleary brink of sleep. It was well into the night, or very early in the morning, depending on one's perspective. Solas had been dreaming of a strange land, nothing like the waking world at all. As his thoughts and intentions changed, so did the land around him. In reaction to his confusion, his path twisted and morphed in a mazelike fashion, making him feel even more lost. As he began to enjoy the view, pleasant images emerged, displaying familiar lands and presences that he could not describe. He took the opportunity to explore that which he could only imagine from his reading; sparkling rivers and breathtaking flower fields, energetic storms and lively jungles. He was looking over a majestic set of cliffs, forests, and mountains when he began to feel that tingling sensation again. Surely not in a dream? He was always aware of himself in his own dreams, but it was always different from the real world. It was a surprise to find a sensation permeating in to his dream.

This time, he was determined to find out what it was. He sat down atop the snowy mountain peak he'd happened to be near in his dream, and focused on this... mental itch. He found, to his surprise, that it was much easier to isolate in this dream-world of his. He took a while to study it, to understand its effects, when suddenly-- he woke up.

Did he? Solas opened his eyes to a dark and cloudy sky, surprised to find himself unprotected by the ceiling of the school. Immediately he noticed one sharp pain he hadn't imagined in his dream: cold. Sheer, bitter, absolute cold. He curled up as tightly as he could as an endless flurry of snow pelted his matching coat, shivering as he looked around. This was one of the destinations from his dream, but it was so real. He felt the burn of thirst as well as the bite of the weather. And this he could not control, the area no longer responding to his intentions to leave this place. Something else didn't feel quite right: the feeling he'd been studying during his dream, it was much weaker now. He felt just as weak, a fairly concerning thought considering he wasn't aware of the fact that he'd just spent all his magic on teleporting in his sleep.

He needed to get moving. He needed to find his clan. Through a heroic effort the pup slowly brought himself to a standing position, bracing himself for the cold as he reached out to take his first step in real, actual snow. All four paws shaking violently, burning with cold, providing progressively less and less pain as they turned to numbness.

He collapsed instantly.

Was he going to die here? Waking up in the middle of a perilous situation, not having the wit to get to shelter as soon as he recognized what was going on. He deserved to die, Solas told himself. It was no-one's fault but his own, that he'd failed to realize the urgency of his own safety.

"Help..," the student tried to call out, managing barely more than a hoarse whisper. It was stolen instantly by the harsh wind.

Solas curled himself up again, and prepared to die.

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The pup studied the unfamiliar face carefully as he approached. It was an unusual sight, to be sure, perhaps an unnatural one. Not that Solas minded; he might go so far as to be excited at the opportunity to learn about this strange creature. He nibbled politely at the rabbit as he awaited them to come to a comfortable speaking distance, but once the other spoke, he would sit straight up in an attempt to prove that they had his full attention.

Despairing that he couldn't lift the rabbit? He wasn't foolish enough to try, it had been enough of a struggle just to get the thing out of the pile. It didn't bother him too much, he was actually kind of excited to test the limits of his own hunger, but yeah, it was a little awkward to be eating on the floor right next to a table. "In a few minutes, it may just be half my size," he voiced the thought as he realized it himself. Smaller rabbits weighed less than larger ones, so if he made this one smaller by eating from it, it might be easier to lift. It was a simple solution to a simple problem, but it was a sign he was learning.

Here it was! Solas had been hoping to hold introductions somehow. "You need not apologuys. I am Solas," he would state confidently and seriously, which might unintentionally come off as cute. 'apologuys', he'd said. Never actually heard the word, but that was what it looked like when he encountered it in the library's simpler books, the ones he was able to read without too much trouble. "What may I call you?"

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This time, Solas had seated himself where adults could supervise him, enjoying the natural light of the sun. He'd been intent on completing an old workbook from one of the classrooms, carefully tracing an ink-dipped claw over the dotted lines of the alphanumerics, doing so for pages and pages and writing a little more smoothly with each iteration. Granted, when he tried it without the dotted lines, his writing was still barely recognizable.

Komaeda's voice alerted him to something happening outside his little world of lines and letters. The arctic wolf stood up, scanning the area until he spotted his clanmates, then picked up his book to join them in seeing what was so 'beautiful'. He was surprised to see Rosethorn standing in the water; was it not cold? Maybe there was something she was seeing that he wasn't. "May I join you?" Solas asked simply, standing by the stream's edge.

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Things were pretty quiet around the school, Solas had seen a total of two inhabitants in this place, excluding his adoptive parent. One might feel lonely with the lack of other pups, but he considered it peaceful. Perhaps he could try out a dual alliance to increase his social spheres. It was comfortable enough in The District, his studies coming along nicely - though, that was all he really had the option to do, study - and the young wolf was getting more familiar with the territory all the time. Recently, he'd come across one of the music rooms, where dusty, abandoned, antiquated instruments leaned against walls and stacks of instructional books in equal amounts of disrepair.

He was curious about the things. Some of the books for his age range, simplistic as they were, often mentioned characters with musical talents, illustrating with childish doodles different string, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Solas had been curious as to what they might really sound like, and as he approached the various instruments, he considered what to try first. The guitar seemed to be the among the most popular, which he recognized by its unique shape - and its large size. Being a pup had its problems, but perhaps he'd come back to the instrument later.

His attention was instead drawn to the much smaller lute behind it. Much less common, but he was sure he could find an instructional booklet somewhere. Solas picked up the thing and flipped through some of the nearby books, stopping on a page that explained this particular instrument. He held the thing as it was instructed, plucking at a few of the strings. The sound of isolated, discordant notes would echo through the halls, perhaps bothering those who heard them. In his concentration, the student was not aware of it, turning page after page as he learned about different chords.

INTO THE DARKNESS ➳

//npnp that's what i was going for! didn't think to mention it, oops

Halla. Solas recognized them from his birthplace, the land he'd lived in until he was adopted in The District. He'd voluntarily chosen to leave in search of a fresh start and new opportunities, though that was one thing his clan would never know. He was never one for bald-faced lies, but through mere omission, they had come to see him as just another pup in a basket, lost and abandoned. The point is, the student never expected to see one of the staglike creatures again in his life.

Was he dead? Was he home? Clearly, he would find out soon, so the wolf saw no need to expend energy asking questions.

The halla seemed to lead him to what he could only assume was their leader. Solas noticed that the other seemed to be another of his own kind. Who was that? He listened intently to their odd language, nodding as his feelings were accurately described, but also feeling a bit more able to tackle his emotions now that they had been pointed out to him so simply.

He was in no position to be suspicious, but he was curious, and it did appear that now was a better time for questions. "My name is Solas if there are to be introductions. I wish to thank you, but I am not sure what for." He glanced around at the territory, noticing a distinctly foreign scent. "You knew my thoughts before I even spoke. What are you?" A magician? A god? The question might have sounded unintentionally rude, but the District member thought it was a valid question.

INTO THE DARKNESS ➳

//sorry for lateness, i spent the whole day mustering muse for a private thread lmao

Solas could not tell as long a story as Seracletona's, but he treasured the important memories he did have, locking them away for no one's eyes but his own. He was happy to share what little knowledge he had acquired, and continued to collect like an 80's dad keeping a box of baseball cards, but aside from that he would only speak of himself in response to others' questions. He could see the uninterested look in most creatures' eyes when they weren't talking about themselves, and besides, the young wolf was perfectly content to sit still and listen. Perhaps he'd come to hear of this woman's tale.

The student's white fur stuck out of the forest like a sore thumb as he walked closer, marveling at the sights of nature even as he walked. He only took his eyes off the horizon in the last few seconds of his approach, locking them instead on the joiner's. "Seracletona? I am Solas. Welcome to The District," he would woof(?) confidently.

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Solas could not understand his groupmates' fascination with carbohydrates. To him, breads were tasteless and far too soft, offering none of the savory taste or satisfying texture of meat. Still, there was something to be said about how neat their messes were; crumbs and icing could probably be cleaned more easily than a puddle of blood.

He turned his attention to the newer face, a fox who seemed rather popular with the ladies. The student may have been young, but he had the grace not to point out their slip of the tongue. "A pleasure to meet you, Whimsychatter." Solas offered a genuine, if weak, smile. This one's friendliness was to be admired. "The catch is not mine, unfortunately, but it is my meal. Would you care to join this... floor party?"

Just to accentuate the obvious, and because he was still hungry, he took another few bites from the rabbit, which was now sitting in a sad, mangled heap on the floor. He hadn't thought to check whether it was a fallen clanmate, but after sniffing discreetly at its fur, Solas judged that it was just from the wilds. Thank the heavens, he wasn't eating the corpse of someone anyone might recognize.

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Solas was familiar with the concept of spirits, and was too young to know that not everyone could see them, or that some were more visible than others. The arctic wolf pup happened to be out on a walk when he spotted the ghost nearby, coming to a sudden halt. "Are you alright?" He asked directly, ignoring the usual pleasantries of 'excuse me' or 'hello there'. Such things were better suited for happier conversations, and he could tell from this kitten's posture that they were anything but happy.

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"As you wish," he agreed with a slow nod. The shortened name was still unique enough on its own, he wondered if the other part was some sort of last name. Perhaps not. He was glad to never have to deal with that sort of thing himself, a whopping two syllables for a name made it simple enough to identify him, or so he believed. It did sound a bit like "soulless," which might be memorable enough, if a bit inaccurate.

At the other inquiry, he shrugged apologetically. "I was adopted only days ago," Solas would admit, "so I lack a larger perspective. Things are... slow, for the most part." He sort of wished there were more faces around, but the place wasn't entirely empty, and the lack of others his age didn't seem to faze him. It was just a little more tight-knit, perhaps.

//ooc though, you should know the deputy was banned till the 24th & the leader averages 1 post per 8 days, though they recently promised to change this c:

INTO THE DARKNESS ➳