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Post by Nathalia on Dec 25, 2007 23:43:23 GMT -5
"Nahaha!"The hearty laugh rang out amid the other sniggers and guffaws as two Bipedal goats were tossed out the back door of an inn onto their backsides. One kicking the other in the face twice in his haste to be on his hooves and away from the large King who had thrown him so unceremoniously into the street. "Oh, don't tell me you two are through playing so soon?"Cried the voice which had unleashed the chesty laugh. An enormously thick hand, soon followed by a similarly enormous Biped, emerged from the inn's back door and moved with a speed that was far more than should have been possible for such a large creature. While the first goat managed to get himself away, the second found his scruff nabbed by the gloved hand. Letting out a bleat of terror, he struggled nearly hard enough to strangle himself. "Still scared? You weren't when you were telling the poor old owner that she should follow you and your buddy upstairs...I realize you're fairly ugly...but come now, that's no way to get women. Nahaha...So what should I-"He let the sentence stop, watching over the other Bipeds' curled horns as a green striped Canine with something clinging to its back sped by the backs of some of the stores, passing them quickly a few yards over without seeming to notice. The King of hearts cocked an eyebrow, before witnessing two large, black and crimson forms hurrying as inconspicuously as possible after them. Gaston, for it was he, immediately lost all interest in the half-throttled goat. Dropping him in a heap.  "I think I've decided you should live after all, be a good chap and all that or I'll find you and shoot you. I am the best shot with a bow, you know."The last was thrown at the other Biped with a flick of the eyebrows and a hearty smile. Not looking back for the reaction, he took off after the runners. He overtook them in only a matter of minutes, passing the two chasers, two red patterned Corvistowneians, and hurrying up to the Canine. Keeping pace with her by the grace of his powers and long limbs, he grinned. "Quite a pace you've set, naha, if you slow down a bit you can watch me knock the two tailing you silly...I've...dealt with them before. Naha. Nahaha."
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Dec 26, 2007 0:08:51 GMT -5
Asha was beginning to be afraid.
She clung desperately to the canine's thick coat, pressing her nose in against her neck. She wanted to block out all of the unfamiliar smells that had surrounded her completely, and in her mind she was safe at home. They were moving at such a frightful pace, and she could only imagine what would happen if she were to slip from Ataxia's back! Whatever they were running so very quickly from would catch up to them in a heartbeat, she was sure.
"Okay." she whispered, still refusing to move or even twitch. That last thought had scared her so badly she wondered if she would ever let go of the Corvistownian. Her ears twitched. Was she hearing... Footsteps? They did not sound at all like the constant thudding of Ataxia's paws on the ground, the pattern was wrong. It sounded like there was a biped chasing them, and moving fast...
When Gaston caught up to them, Asha gave a quiet little yelp of shock. He had caught up?! He was laughing! Why was he laughing? There was so much going on that the colorful skunk pressed tightly into the rescuer's fur, hiding her face, blind eyes, and the marking that cursed her from the strange King. She just didn't know how to handle it. If he wanted to hurt them, they could never outrun him...
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Post by danishweasel on Dec 26, 2007 0:13:48 GMT -5
As with most things, Ataxia had a very one-track mind. Get to the city walls. Find an exit. Bolt before anyone could catch up. As for anyone else who might have been around, standing, chasing, they didn't matter. The goal was set and she was heading for it.
Of course, when someone bolted up next to her out of nowhere, Xia noticed him. The biped...Highlands from what she could tell out of her peripheral, super fast...as well as super loud and super cocky. But if he was willing to help them, she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
"Any help you'd be willing to give would be a blessing, sir. I'd love to see you knock those goons about."
She slowed down, keeping behind the biped. Let him distract any who were tailing them for a while. If the truth should slip out, she could slip too...out the nearest alleyway. She whispered up to Asha, trying her best to sound confident.
"It's okay...Just relax, stick close to me."
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Post by Nathalia on Dec 26, 2007 0:36:57 GMT -5
Gaston smiled as the two slowed down, he could now better see the form of a tiny, colorful child in Animal form, clinging to the Canine's back.
Gaston wouldn't be having any of this. These thugs would just have to learn that they couldn't steal from people...least of all kids and the ladies.
He whirled around very suddenly, holding out his arms at head height as the two chasers barreled into him, not expecting the stop. The one on the left, a stoat, rammed his nose directly into the King's unyielding palm, letting out a squeal as the fingers then wrapped around and twisted his injured nose.
The second, a very small and shaggy canine, was quite shorter than Gaston had expected, he crashed into the Kings leg with a gruff bark of surprise, stumbling backward and seeing the plight of his mate, rushing back forward.
"Leggo of Barnabus, yew toffee head! He ain't done nuthin' to yew!"
Gaston grinned in response.
"Hmmm? Barnabus, is it?" He asked, twisting a little harder, watching as tears of pain started to slide down the Stoats' muzzle.
"Yez, zir! Pleaze, leb go ob by nose! We wuz jus tryin ta-"
"I know what you were trying to do, don't think I don't remember you two from that incident at the soup house."
The scruffy dog stiffened, glancing behind him and back to his mate quickly, as though deciding whether it was worth it to argue any longer.
"Please sir, I don't think yeh do, we were jus gonna buy it from 'er, we wasn't gonna steal it."
What they were referring to seemed to go straight over Gaston's head as he shook the Stoat's head from side to side none too gently.
"Nahaha...cute. If you were going to buy it then why were you chasing her?"
This brought the scruffy dog up short, throwing an apologetic look at Barnabus, he turned on his heel and fled.
"Wait! Garo, hey!" The Stoat shrieked, tugging at his nose violently until a second gloved hand clenched at the back of his neck.
"I'm going to throw you a few feet, then...if you can get up, I want you to go home, leave this Lady alone...understood?"
The Stoat nodded as much as the tight grip would allow then froze as dawning comprehension crept up his face, he then tried very hard to shake his head in the negative as the hands released their hold for a millisecond. They the gripped his shoulders, flipped him around, and hefted him by his long middle.
He let out a forlorn wail as he was thrown headfirst into the nearest wall. Making a dull thud he slid down the warm grey stone, clearly unconscious. Gaston then turned back to the green striped Canine.
"So, my dear..." He said, cracking his knuckles and winking. "Might I ask the names of the two lovelies I've rescued?"
((Oh god whomping "bad guys" is Gaston's favorite game...this is awesome!))
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Dec 26, 2007 0:52:27 GMT -5
Asha nodded in reply to Ataxia, continuing to cling as she had when they had been running. Her ears flattened slightly at the sounds of the fighting, but it quickly became apparent that this huge man (for he must be an absolute titan by the sound of his footsteps!) was helping them, and she felt her tension easing. If he was on their side, no one would be able to hurt them! Who wanted to fight a mountain with such a funny laugh!
Then she listened to what the men were saying, and she could feel her fur beginning to bristle slightly. What on earth were they saying?! "Xia, Xia..." Asha whispered, feeling the beginnings of tears stinging at her eyes as she snuggled into the canine's long mane again. It reminded her of her Daddy, and helped soothe her. "A-are they talking about me? Why would they want to buy me?! I'm not a thing, Xia..." her confusion was heartbreaking. She jumped slightly at the resounding thud made by the stoat's body smashing into the wall, then flattened again.
He was walking over to the two of them, and Asha sniffed at the air. He smelled very strongly of must and man, a combination of smells that she just wasn't used to. He had hurt those other men, but it had been for them, so she was grateful. She peeked up, turning her head so that her ears were pointed in his general direction, eyes staring as blankly as they ever did. "My name's Asha." she said softly. "It means "hope"." this was clearly a fact that she was very proud of.
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Post by danishweasel on Dec 26, 2007 1:11:43 GMT -5
This guy could not be for real. The way he took care of those two creeps, it was like nothing to him. Some talk, some pain administered before the two goons were thrown back into the wild. However, now instead of having two small problems, she had one very large one. From the looks of it, though, he had not noticed who she was carrying. If he did, he wouldn't be so pleased with her passenger.
"Sssh, Asha. No one's going to do anything to you."
As the biped walked over to greet them, Xia forced a tail wag and an appreciative grin. So long as he thought everything was okay, then maybe he'd have no reason to linger.
"And my name's Ataxia. Thanks so much for lending some muscle there. Glad to see there's still some gentlemen walking round. Might we know the name of our handsome hero? If that's all right with you."
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Post by Nathalia on Dec 26, 2007 22:37:43 GMT -5
"Asha and Ataxia, eh?" He asked, smiling hugely and...dare it be said...hands on hips in a pose, brows raised.
"Lovely and charming young ladies if ever I saw them, naha. So tell me, why was it that those two were chasing you? I can't really imagine a reason."
His eyes stayed on Asha...something previously said was gnawing contentedly on his brain but he couldn't quite bring it to cough up what it knew...
Her eyes...the little mix-Realm's eyes were disconcerting. As the Canine spoke, he watched the way the skunk looked about, head turning but eyes...unmoving.
Blind? That didn't happen often in normal...
"Glad to see there's still some gentlemen walking round. Might we know the name of our handsome hero? If that's all right with you."
Oooh, flattery.
Distracted, Gaston let his eyes trail down to Ataxia's face. He grinned and flexed his biceps a little, arching his neck to show off his antlers.
"I am Gaston, King to his Majesty Serafino; The Queen of Hearts." He said with a slight smirk. Grinning delightedly, he flexed a little more...hadn't been with a Corvie in quite some time. He had almost forgotten about the small skunk on the other's back when the thought chewing at his mind managed to belch a small inquiry.
He stopped posing and the smile flickered for a second, barely noticeable.
"So little one," He said suddenly, hands moving almost fast enough to be a blur with his ability, he reached out to heft the tiny skunk into the air. "How do you like old Gaston, eh?"
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Post by carcinoGeneticist on Dec 26, 2007 22:51:58 GMT -5
With Gaston's quick disposal of the two goons, Asha felt her cheerful mood beginning to return. She could feel Ataxia's tail wagging, and she decided that they were safe again. This man was so strong, and he probably smelled like he did because of that strength! She knew that she smelled funny whenever she ran too quickly or played for too long, and this man had bolted after them at an astounding speed!
It only made sense, and Asha beamed at the mixed-breed.
She had a picture of him in her mind, one she had developed from a combination of his scent and the way his clothes rustled. She giggled to herself, snuggling up to Ataxia again. They were out of danger and all was well with the world again.
Then she was swooped up into his strong arms and she let out a delighted cry. He was! He was so strong, and had picked her up with such ease! She had no idea of the danger that she was in, wiggling with glee in his massive hands. "I like you a lot, Mr. Gaston! You're so very strong!" she giggled, completely unaware of the way that the black mark on her chest would peek out from between his fingers. Her smile was completely innocent and pure, her fear from before largely forgotten, repaced instead with her love of all who she encountered.
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Post by danishweasel on Dec 27, 2007 2:42:41 GMT -5
"I couldn't imagine why. I was simply walking with little Asha when I noticed they were following us. When I saw them, I didn't know what to do, so I just ran. That's when we were lucky enough to run into you."
She was shooting out more lies than a practiced politician, but whatever it took to get this guy to go back to whatever he was doing before. He was observing Asha far too closely for her tastes. Even he could probably tell that the girl was blind. Thankfully, as usual, flattery worked like a charm. He took his attention off Asha to say something that Xia probably didn't want to hear.
"I am Gaston, King to his Majesty Serafino; The Queen of Hearts."
She tensed at those words. A King of Hearts. Not in happy place anymore. Somehow, she was able to keep a smile on her face by clenching her teeth, though that wouldn't last long either. In the blink of an eye, she felt a weight being lifted off her shoulders. This didn't mean anything good, however, since that weight being lifted was Asha.
No...Asha...!
In a desperate attempt to keep him from noticing, Xia nuzzled up against Gaston to keep his attention away from Asha. Anything to keep him from looking at her. She looked up at Gaston with bright neon green eyes, the nervous shake in her voice easily mistakable for awed excitement.
"King to the Queen of Hearts? What an honor! No wonder those goons didn't stand a snowball's chance in a furnace against you!"
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Post by Nathalia on Dec 30, 2007 1:31:40 GMT -5
The flattery gained the puffed up Highland mix's attention once more, eyes drifting away from the skunk down to the...now that he thought about it...rather pretty Corvistowneian...
They weren't usually this polite, ladylike, or pretty...captivating. Yes. Scary. Often. Pretty?
Less likely.
And she was rubbing against his leg so nicely...
"Why, thank you, Ataxia. It is only natural that I be able to flatten them, what with both of them being fairly pathetic in their ranks and abilities to attract people..."
He wriggled his brows once more, tossing Asha playfully and then lowering her once more down to the other Canine's back.
"Drop by the palace sometime, my dear..." He said with a rather smarmy grin. "If you tell them I sent you, you won't have any trouble getting in."
He released the small skunk and saw again...this time with certainty...what he had seen before.
Ace
He was careful to focus on Ataxia's face, not only would that convince her he hadn't seen...but it would keep his face's attention long enough to not give the game away... It had a habit of ruining that sometimes...too hard to concentrate on so many things at once...
He watched as the two left him. In a few moments he would scale the nearest wall and follow them quickly and quietly along rooftops and walls, invoking the most agility his powers would allow...hmmph his Queen had best not complain if he wasn't quite as limber as usual in the bedroom tonight...this was taking the pull out of him rather quickly.
He moved after the odd pair.
He would find out where this little monster lived.
He would know who was keeping her...
And if there were...more...
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