The Face of Lost Pride

[shadow]

The morning was still dark, the sun having not yet risen from its sleeping position under the mountains. In the distance, the tops of Futago Pass could be seen, and a breeze carried the scent of the warriors of Ohu's past to the one lonely canine making his home in the lands of Kai. Over the years, Skahmikaze had defended this place with all his being and soul, but his pride in his home was beginning to diminish. It was hard to keep up the age old tradition of protecting the sacred Kai lands when there was no one here to protect. Oh how Skah longed for the company of a pack, or even just one friend, or better yet, a mate.

A sigh escaped the Dalmatian mix's maw as he stared up at the horizon expectantly. Once again, insomnia had struck him late in the night, and so Skah did what he did best, run. He ran around the length of his territory many times in the hopes that he could at least find something living, but not even prey was present that night, leaving him not only tired and lonely, but hungry. Thankfully, Skahmikaze had some leftovers from the boar he'd taken down a week ago, which was much too big for him to eat all in one day, or in this case, one week.

Another sigh and a few minutes later, and finally the sun rose over the mountains, sending warm rays of light to Skah's fur. He closed his eyes in bliss, wondering if anyone else would ever be able to feel this kind of peace with him ever in his life, or if he was doomed to die alone. Even his friend that stopped by occasionally, a purebred Kai-ken with many names, was too much of a wanderer to ever stay around long enough to watch a sunrise with him.

A strong wind picked up, sending Skah out of his trance and crashing back down into reality. There was a foreign scent in the wind; another canine. However, something told Skahmikaze that this wasn't the kind of dog he wanted around. For some reason, this breeze had scent unusual chills down his spine. Whatever was approaching his land did not have good intentions. None at all. It was with this thought in mind that Skahmikaze stretched out his legs, and took off towards the edge of his territory.

[jackie]

It had been a while since Nuke had been in the lands of Kai. His gaze paralyzed thousands in his presence. It seemed peaceful in the lands of Kai which he disliked. Suddenly, a strange smell filled the air, into his nose. "Whats this smell?" He said with drool overfilling his mouth. As he got closer, he realized this was the Dalmation that protected the lands of Kai, "Skah".

Nuke let out a huge laugh. "This shall be easy!" He began to rampage towards Skah. Showing his Sharp fangs and claws, drool ozzing from the sides. Right next to Skah, he jumped into the air and opened his jaw wide open, falling quickly towards Skah.

[shadow]

Skah ran into the clearing that marked the edge of his territory, and before he knew it, a dog was charging at him. So, he was right to assume that the canine invading his territory had ill intentions. Thinking quickly, Skahmikaze dashed to the side, barely avoiding Nuke's huge jaws. He skidded to a halt and turned around, taking in a glimpse of the dog... but he could only make out minor features before the dog rushed at him again. Skahmikaze once again rushed to the side, however, this time, Nuke did not let him off so easy. Just before Skah was out of the larger dog's reach, Nuke picked him up by the leg and threw him into a tree, hard.

Skah let out a yelp of pain as he felt some of his ribs crack and his lungs hack up a good helping of his internal life force. Crimson stained the edges of Skah's face as he struggled to get up and look at Nuke once again. The pain was unbearable, but he had to ignore it. This dog... this dog was threatening his territory. He would rather die then give up these sacred lands.

"Who are you!? Why do you disrupt the sacred lands of Kai!?" Skah roared. "I am Skahmikaze, guardian of these lands! I will throw my life away to protect this place! Be gone or suffer the consequence--" but Skahmikaze was cut off as he hacked up another helping of blood. This dog.... was powerful. One blow and Skah was almost rendered useless...

But he would not give up.

What kind of dog would he be if he couldn't even live up to his grandfather's name?

Hook, I will make you proud, he thought as he let out another defiant snarl towards Nuke. I have the heart of an Ohu warrior, even if I lack the strength.

[jackie]

Nuke let out a laugh. "Boy, you are ten years too young to be fighting me! These lands belong to me!" He said with another laugh. Nuke put his paw onto Skah's cheek. "Run while you still can, boy!" He whisperd into his ear. Nuke then lifted his paw from the cheek of Skah. "Run, boy run!" He shouted. Nuke then let out a huge laughter fest coming from his chops.

[shadow]

"I will not!" he snarled, crunching down on Nuke's paw. His strength was really only enough to make the huge dog's skin bleed, not nearly enough to do any heavy damage. Inwardly, Skahmikaze cursed for not getting any kind of training....

But if he had left this land alone, then Nuke or some other vile creature would have taken these lands... and then what would he have to protect? No. He was not going to give up. He would fight to the death if he had to....

((OOC: Jackie, feel free to beat up Skah in your next post. Make him hurt. LOL))

[jackie]

Nuke let out a huge laugh before running at Skah once again. He grabbed Skahs leg before he could escape. Nuke began to toss him into the air, only to grab him once again and to throw him onto the ground while still holding on to him. When he finnaly let go he threw Skah into the same tree once again, but this time harder. "Boy, you can't defeat me! Run now! Before I kill you!" Nuke told Skah with another laugh at the end.

[Kyouran]

((OOC: OK! Here she comes! Beware, Nuke! Skah, help has arrived... xD))

She was slow, tired, depressed, again… It has been a few weeks since she had met another canine, and the silence she usually preferred was starting to bother her. It gave her too much time to thing, and many memories found their way back, bringing tears and pain with them. More that anything, Tsume hated remembering, she did everything she could to avoid letting the images slip past her barrier.
She blinked a few times to clear out her vision a bit, but it didn’t really help since she hadn’t eaten in… How long? A week? Two? She had lost count of the days, and the dull pain in her stomach told her there were many. Her mind was screaming to her to move her ass and catch something, but she was stubborn. The nausea that came with every single meal really pissed her off, as well as the constant refusal of her body to keep down the smallest bits of unnecessary food, and she preferred the feeling of hunger to it. Though, she knew she’d have to eat something fairly soon, or not even her “improved” body would hold out much longer.
When her surroundings stopped being as blurry as before, maybe just a little, she came to appreciate the stillness of the early morning and the soft glow of new born sun fighting its way up the sky. It brought a soothing feeling to her, and just for a split second she allowed herself to enjoy it.
Than the metallic smell of red liquid reached her, and the magic was momentarily broken. The sun now just seemed to hurt her eyes, and Tsume cursed herself for allowing to get carried away. Ears perking up, she titled her head in the direction of the noise that was getting louder, and not quite aware of it, she moved her body, the reddish steel armor glistening in the morning light.
She wasn’t being particularly careful, and her unnaturally big steel claws made clicking sound as they came into contact with the rocks on the ground. Her slightly too large form was easy to notice, especially for the red armor that covered big part of her body. Her eyes were curious, which was rare for Tsume was usually just lost in her own little world, as she moved closer to see what caused so much noise so early in the morning. The sight of it, however, when she could make it out, darkened her features instantly. She was not the most compassionate canine in the world, and she usually minded her own busyness, but as the smaller oddly colored dog hit the tree with much more force than what would have left him undamaged, her hackles rose and a vicious snarl formed on her maw. The loud growl erupted deep within her chest, and her body moved on its own accord.Even not being surprisingly fast of a creature, she got between the two dogs fairly fast. The beaten up form of one of them was now behind her, and she prayed the injuries weren’t fatal. The one in front of her, though, a Great Dane she dared guess, was a different matter entirely. She bared her way too long fangs, hoping to at least put some fear in the fool, before she lost her grip on this little self control she had left and kill the poor bastard. She was truly a frightening sight to behold, even when she wasn’t ready to tear someone to shreds. The big body covered in blood red steel armor, parts of exposed and terribly scarred skin visible here and there, paws that lacked fur and even some skin… But most importantly, fangs and claws that were long time ago replace with unnaturally big steel ones.
She stepped forward, ready to attack. Tsume wasn’t kidding. If someone managed to get her in this state, to pull her away from her thoughts and make her fight, than they shall feel the consequences.

[shadow]

"Boy, you can't defeat me! Run now! Before I kill you!"

Skahmikaze struggled to push himself to his feet to no avail. His bones were crushed, and his lungs were filled with blood, making it hard to breathe. He spluttered a few words of defiance at Nuke, but nothing but the gurgling of his own life force could be heard. He coughed, crimson liquid splattering the grass and dirt around him. His eyes welled up with tears as the pain hit him head on. Agony, pure agony; that was the experience Skah was going through, and not just physically, but emotionally too. He knew he could not defeat Nuke, but he did not want to give in and run away. He would rather die then leave the lands he swore to protect.

Protect this place till your death. The sacred Kai brothers must live on within this territory, undisturbed by evil, his mentor, and grandfather, Hook's voice echoed in his head. Skah was lucky enough to have known his grandfather at all, and let alone be instructed by him before the noble warrior of Ohu passed on.

"I-I won't give-" he started, but was promptly cut off by a huge figure jumping in front of him... and a terrifying one at that. Skah wasn't sure if this was a blessing or a curse. Was this creature saving him, only to eat him later? Well, at least if he was eaten, it would be a better death then at the paws of someone like Nuke. Skah stayed silent, his eyes blurry from the pain he was experiencing, but wide open as he waited for what was to unfold...

[jackie]

In only a matter of seconds, Nuke had Tsume underneath his paws."You shall never defeat me!" He laughed. His head turned towards Skah. "Run now! Before I kill you both!" Nuke said snarling at the two.

[Montgomery]

The Kai Brothers

From out of nowhere, the three brother's lunged forth in front of Skah snarling. "Guardian! We are here now! Let us take care of this intruder...These are OUR lands..." They said in unison. With a snarl Kiiroitora drew his katana and rushed at the big dane with a sick grin on his face. Buruutora thrust himself off the ground and into the air, reaching into his weapon pouches and pulling out a mouthful of kunai, throwing them at Nova. Shirotora frowned at the fighting and went to their guardian, beginning to lick at his wounds. "It'll be ok, Skah-sensei...big brothers gonna take him down..."

Battousai

He watched from the sidelines slowly, with a sick grin. When the Kai brothers stepped into the fray, he decided to make his appearance. Nonchalantly he padded, making odd metal sounds as he walked, to Nuke's side. "Kokuzoku said to come and assist you, until he arrives. He sent me to show that your partnership is valid..." With one quick lunge, his front paw, collided with the blade from the Kai down, with such force that it knocked the young warrior back.

"Tch...young warriors...gotta love 'em...Nuke...you can rest easy until my employer, your partner arrives..." His cold, heartless eyes fixed on the wounded Great Dane, the hellhound, and the three Kai dogs. "This is gonna be fun..."

(I know you don't know who Kokuzoku is, but he is being created and will be in my next post. I promise. I hope you don't mind me mentioning him before he is made. He was being fitted into this plan today and yeah. Talk to Kyu and Smiff about it Wb Jackie)

[shadow]

Everything turned from bad, to worse as blood filled Skah's mind. A mutant jumping to his defense, his three Kai Guardians-in-Training being taken on by another dog with a sword, and the mention of another, more sinister power at work. Shakily, Skamikaze got to his paws, blood dripping out of his mouth from his punctured organs.

"All of you, get out of here!" a voice shouted before Skah could say anything. The voice was distinct... and could only belong to one dog. Whatshername. Seemingly out of nowhere, the red Kai dog leapt in front of them, facing Nuke and Battosai with defiant eyes. "I was planning on never coming back here again, but my feelings got the better of me...." she stole a glance back at Skahmikaze, her eyes betraying nothing but truth. Skah was left speechless, partly because he was in shock, and partly because he could not even muster up the energy to speak.

"You three!" Whatshername snapped, turning to the Kai brothers, "If you know what's good for you, you'll get your tails out of here now. Take Skahmikaze with you." The order was clear; Whatshername wouldn't take no as an answer. She turned her focus back towards Tsume, her eyes betraying no fear or misunderstanding, "Whoever you are, I thank you for your assistance. It was not your place to have to. I ask you, even if you do not know me, protect those four idiots for me. It is my final wish."

And then Skah realized what was going on. He stumbled forward, choking on blood in his lungs and coughing instead of shouting protests. Whatshername ordered for the group to leave again, and then settled her heated gaze onto Battousai and Nuke.

"I dare you to try and lay one claw on me. It'll be your last move, because I am not going down to hell alone!" she snarled.

((OOC: Monty, Jackie, if you want to continue this thread with me with the fighting, go for it. As for everyone else, retreat so we can get this plot moving.))

[Montgomery]

The Kai brothers stared at What before sighing. Buruutora nodded to her before barking for the others to follow his example as they gently bit Skah and lifted him up, running off with him trying to carry him in the best way they could.

Battousai grinned and was just about to dash after them when he heard a long dark howl. His sick smile widened. "Heh-heh-heh...He's heeeere..."

Kokuzoku

He could smell the blood from Skah as he trotted to the site of the fight. He stared at his hired assassin then to Whatshername and the dogs running off. "I see that this land is already ours...Who's this pretty little bitch snarling at us?" He cocked his head to the side, grinning insanely as he got in a fighting pose. "Good Job, Nuke...Now let your leader finish this blood shed. KAI WILL BE MINE!" He lunged at the defiant Kai dog, laughing wildly. "And I will kill any who stand in my way!"[/color]