[Rebel_the_Proud]

[ 1 || 1 ]
I am not these things you speak
I am not what you believe
I am everything you are, just REJECTED


The harsh desert was not one that many large animals called home. It was a harsh place to call home. With heated days and cold nights, it was enough to scare off the toughest travelers, much more so for those who had even the faintest idea of living here. But, to some, it was still home.

The mid-morning sun of the desert cast it's blistering rays over the shifting sands of the desert. The sands moved and shifted, flying across the ground as the wind carried them onward. The wind was not terribly strong, but strong enough to start moving the dunes, one grain of sand at a time. Moving on a windy day such as today was perfect - all tracks were covered quickly. Perfect for an apex hunter.

Slowly, the massive beast slid across the dunes, body low to the ground and legs moving swiftly. It was if the beast were gliding along the sand. Sightlessly, he moved, every step carefully placed, yet swift. Eitai was on the trail. He was hunting for breakfast...

[Rebel_the_Proud]

[ 1 || 2 ]


Without eyes, a spectator might wonder how he could find a meal, but Eitai was specially designed for hunting in the desert. With these dunes, it often hid things on the other side - potential meals. But, with the right natural equipment, Eitai was able to fend for himself out here quite well.

As Eitai advanced strategically through the dunes, he lowered his head close to the ground, allowing his jaw to skim along the sand before coming to a steady halt. Standing absolutely still, the beast waited, his jaw rested gently on the ground. If his legs were not in a position that appeared to be preparing for a leap, one might would think he'd fallen asleep on the ground, but Eitai was using one of his greatest weapons: patience. When it came to food, he could wait. And, his waiting almost always paid off.

Slight vibrations reverberated off the sand beneath his jaw, indicating something coming near. The beast lowered his jaw deeper into the sand, twisting his head gently to push it further in to catch the vibrations better. The vibrations were distinct: vibrate-pause-vibrate-pause-vibrate-long pause-silence. The short, quick vibrations with just as short vibrations in between indicated a rabbit of some sorts. The long pause and silence indicated an alert animal, or one that was looking for danger. Soon, the vibrations continued again, moving closer to the beast. From the vibrations, Eitai could tell that the rabbit was on the other side of the dune before him... Perfect for an ambush.

[Rebel_the_Proud]

[ 1 || 3 ]


Carefully and slowly, the beast pushed his sightless head through the sand, it splitting for him like water. His body came to follow, putting him partially buried in the sand, and his powerful legs began to work to push him through the abrasive material. There was reason that they were called Sandsharks. As he approached the dune in utter silence, his body disappeared underneath it, nothing left to be seen of the massive creature.

On the other side of the dune, a small, furry desert rabbit hopped without knowing how close it was to the possibility of death. It appeared weary, as if there was something to fear, but could not see a single danger in sight, nor could one be heard. All seemed clear. After a long moment of waiting, listening, and searching, the rabbit seemed to be satisfied that it was safe, and began to hop along the side of the dune, keeping a slow pace.
Just what Eitai needed.

[Rebel_the_Proud]

[ 1 || 4 ]


Beneath the dune, the beast waited, feeling every vibration as his prey moved. He waited, feeling for when his prey was in the perfect striking range, slowly pushing himself forward to get closer. He felt the vibrations so near, and he just needed it a little closer to strike. Eitai coiled his head back slightly, like a spring being wound back, ready to pop forward.

The rabbit hesitated, ears going forward as they listened. It was as if it felt the danger, but could not see it. It stood still, standing up on its hind legs to look around, but could still see nothing. Slowly, it dropped down to all fours, once more hesitating. A long moment went by, and nothing. Then, the rabbit made the decision to move forward, and made just one hop forward.
That was it! Lunging forward from within the dune, the beast thrust his head out of the side of the dune, jaws gaping as they snapped up the squealing creature, his massive body following behind. In one snap, the rabbit was dead, killed instantly. Eitai stood still for a moment, lifting his body higher above the pile of sand that had come with him in his attack. Now, he had the matter of eating this tasty snack, though Eitai could do without the fur. He never liked things with fur. But, he managed.

[Rebel_the_Proud]

[ 2 || 5 ]


Lifting his head slightly, the primal beast repositioned his prey to the the center of his mouth, snapping open his jaw quickly to 'throw' the rabbit to his tongue. In one swallow, he consumed his meal, his hungry stomach satisfied for the time being. Though it was a very small meal for a creature of his size, Eitai was well adapted to eating lightly. He would perhaps be a bit larger if he ate more meaty foods, but Eitai did not complain. He was still alive, and that's what mattered.

Licking his lips from the meal, Eitai listened to his surroundings. The wind had died down, leaving nothing but stillness. Today would be another hot day, as expected. After a moment of decision, Eitai began to move forward, walking steadily across the sand, each step silenced by the cushioning sands. Despite the fact that he did not have eyes, Eitai got around quite well, and he knew exactly where he was going now that he had had his meal.

[Rebel_the_Proud]

[ 2 || 6 ]


There was no doubt that desert life was not just for anyone. It took grit. Willpower. Toughness. Patience. Patience, most of all. In the desert, everything had to wait. The cacti had to wait for water. Rain was few and far between. Predators had to wait on their next meal. There wasn't herds of animals roaming around to pick off of. Most animals were small, and also few and far between. It was a waiting game in the desert. Always waiting. Always.

Eitai stopped. Reflecting on the desert life always made things go by so much faster. He didn't know why, but it always helped to fill the void of space between traveling. After all, there wasn't much to look at in the desert. Just sand. Sand, everywhere. And, the occasional cacti. With a soft, satisfied snort, Eitai felt himself smiling. He knew exactly where he was. Slowly, Eitai lifted his foot up and stepped onto a large rock. The large rock was warm, so very warm. He could never resist it ever since he stumbled upon it. Literally. But, there was a certain danger to this rock. One Eitai was fully aware of...

[Rebel_the_Proud]

[ 2 || 7 ]


As Eitai stepped up onto the large rock, stuck out in the middle of the desert on a sand dune, he paused, listening intently to his surroundings. Once on the solid rock, Eitai could no longer "see" the world around him. The sand was his sight. Each particle of sand carried vibrations along, feeding information to him as needed, but on this solid rock, it separated him from his sight, and Eitai was left very vulnerable. But, he enjoyed it here. It was the warmth of the sun that made him feel so good, and the heated rock did his muscles well. To him, the risk was worth it.

When he was sure that there was no one around, Eitai made a tight circle on the rock, and lowered his body down on it, taking his time as he enjoyed the warmth that began to settle on his body. Unable to resist a yawn, Eitai shook his head, letting his tail relax, hanging over the edge of the rock. He allowed the end of his razor tail to settle on the sand. Though it wasn't as sensitive as his head, he could still pick up slight vibrations with it. Eitai couldn't be too careful, though no one had ever found him out here before. With a deep, satisfied sigh, the brute lowered his head onto his forelimbs, resting in the warmth of the sun.

[Rebel_the_Proud]

[ 2 || 8 ]


With the warm sun casting it's rays over the beast, and the warm rock beneath him, Eitai was quite comfortable. By noon, it would be too hot for him to stay out like this, but the desert sun in the morning was enough to get the beast feeling good, if nothing else. Despite being a Sandshark Paragon, Eitai didn't much enjoy being underground. He would do so when necessary, but he found himself being much happier out in the open, and not confined to such small spaces. Being able to dig as he could was certainly an advantage out here, but it wasn't his favorite thing to do. He just liked being out.

As the beast reflected quietly on these thoughts, sleep slowly began to seep in. He was unable to resist against the warmth of his rock. Slowly, his mind began to rest and the brute slipped into a silent slumber.

[Rebel_the_Proud]

[ 2 || 9 ]


As if the sun had been blotted out from the sky, the world was dark. Haunting images of ghostly figure tortured the beasts' mind; a young Sandshark paragon, left alone in the desert. The youngling cried out, hoarse from his tearful wails. The body of a fallen Sandshark lay before him, half-buried by the sand, mummified by time. The youngling shrieked once more, wailing over his fallen mother. "Momma!"

"Why did you leave me, Mother?" The older voice of the same youngling Paragon, though older now, spoke with such solemness. The corpse was buried beneath the ever shifting sands, likely never to be seen again, but the youngling still stood where the body once laid. Where he once found her. "Why, Mother!" The anger screamed across the desert with his rage, scaring off every living thing within wake of the roar.

=================

Eitai snapped his head up, sitting up tensely as he woke from his dream.  His chest heaved as he tried to gather himself from the horrific images that had played over in his head. The beast felt a feeling of vertigo, as if he were about to topple over. The dream was so intense. It brought back too many feelings. Too many bad feelings. Feelings that he did not want to feel again... Nothing he could ever see if he had sight, would take away the feeling of death. The sight of it was one thing. But, to feel it, was another.

[Rebel_the_Proud]

[ 1 || 1 ]
If it takes f o r e v e r
I will die t r y i n g


The desert was not his place.
Alone, the wockee staggered up the side of a dune, head low and tail dragging. This was not the life for him, but the question remained: where else could he go? Obito moaned softly, burned by the heat of the day. He did not want to be here. He had come from so far, but he couldn't go back. He could never go back.

The wockee staggered across the desert, his zigzagging trail showing where he had been left in the sand. So exhausted, he could not see things straight. His vision was blurry, and occasionally he saw double. Ahead of him, he could make out a dark shape, and that was the only goal he had. Obito didn't know where it would take him, or what was there, but it was something that he could see and that he could walk to. If nothing else, he could at least die there. Slowly, he staggered to it, his body threatening to give out.
"Just... a little... further..."

[Rebel_the_Proud]

[ 3 || 10 ]


The beast sat quietly on the rock, unsure of how long he'd been asleep. With the direction the heat of the sun was coming from compared to when he'd first got here, Eitai estimated that he'd been asleep for about two hours. But, his real concerns were not on that. His mind drifted to the dream he had just endured. It was a small reminder of what he had been through in his life, and how things just never seemed to work out well for him. The brute lowered his head back down on his front paws, trying to forget the images in his head, but they replayed over and over like a broken record. To Eitai, it was torture.

The sound of something approaching, though, alerted him, and snapped him out of his torture. The beast lifted his head quickly, turning to the shuffling noise of sand. It was extremely faint, but Eitai could hear it. One might would even mistake it for just the sand moving along with just the wind. But, Eitai couldn't be too careful. He was sightless on this rock.
"Who goes there?"

[Rebel_the_Proud]

[ 1 || 2 ]


The wockee staggered closer to his target, running very low on energy, strength, or the willpower to go on. He was half tempted to just collapse and let his body lay there until his life decided to leave it. But, deep down, there was something calling him on. Something that he couldn't ignore. Obito, somehow, made himself keep going, his body a weary wreck.
"Who goes there?" Obito, at first, thought he was hearing things. He stopped his ceaseless trekking, his blurred vision trying to focus on what was around him. Looking ahead, he noticed that the object was only a few feet away from him. Obito hadn't thought he'd arrive so quickly, but here he was. But, as his spinning vision focused some, Obito began to make out the shape of the object, and he realized it wasn't just one large object. The young wockee could see the head of something... or was it two heads? His vision couldn't give him an accurate view. There was someone there, though, and it had spoken to him. Obito was hearing things, but it was real things. At least, he thought they were real...
After a few moments, Obito finally managed the strength to reply, stating, "Obito." With that said, Obito felt his body release. He had made it to his target and that was as far as he was to go. His legs grew weak, and Obito's body collapsed on the sand, the wockee passing out into darkness.

[Rebel_the_Proud]

[ 3 || 11 ]


In truth, Eitai had not been expecting a reply. He still lay on his rock, clawed hands pressed against the rock, ready to spring himself to life should there be any danger. But, the sound he had heard did not appear to last long after he spoke. It wasn't long enough for him to see what, or where, it was. Eitai, at first, tried to dismiss it, thinking that his dreams had just manifested itself into him hearing things. He dismissed it as being just a trick of his tortured mind. But, he was wrong.
"Obito." The beast snorted in surprise at hearing this response, bursting to standing on all fours. But, curiously, there was a soft thud followed after the voice, and then, silence. Eitai stopped, tilting his head as he listened. He could hear no further sound. Steadily and cautiously, the beast stepped his left front and back feet off the rock, touching the sand for his sight. Immediately, his senors fed off the sand, giving him the special sight to see where the creature was, just by the faintness of his heartbeat and breathing. Eitai could tell the stranger had fallen over, and he appeared to be passed out. The brute snorted as he stepped completely off his rock, slowly approaching the wockee. "Hmm..." The beast mused to himself, thinking on the situation. "Obito..." Eitai rolled the name off his tongue, trying to figure out its meaning. He could only assume it was the creatures' name. Eitai grunted, pulling his head away from the stranger and turned to leave. This was not his problem.

But, Eitai stopped. He could not help it. Eitai had to know what "Obito" meant. With an aggravated snort, Eitai climbed back onto his rock, curling up on it, and stood watch over the fallen wockee.
"You'd better wake soon."

[Rebel_the_Proud]

[ 1 || 3 ]


Obito succumbed to unconsciousness, unable to make himself go any further. Perhaps he would die. Perhaps the beast would kill him in his sleep. That would bring comfort. Or, at least, it would end all of his self torture.

In unconsciousness, there were no dreams. The sleep was too deep to bring forth the colors of the mind. Instead, it was only blackness. Darkness. Something Obito had come to be used to. The world was a dark place, and it had only become darker. Obito's body shuddered in his sleep. He felt as if his mind had separated from his body. Everything felt surreal, and uncertain. Softly, his voice just under a whisper, the wockee said, "Save me..."

[Rebel_the_Proud]

[ 3 || 12 ]


Slowly, like a cat preparing to pounce, Eitai's tail swayed up and down, patiently waiting for the creature to wake up soon. The idea of "watching" a creature sleep, however, wasn't something that Eitai was all too happy to think about. After all, he could do something better with his time.
"Save me..." Eitai's head perked up at the faint voice that he was only able to pick up on because of his keen hearing. "Save you from what?" The brute snorted. There was no answer. The creature wasn't awake, was it? Again, Eitai found himself having to move to "see" what was going on. With a groan, Eitai shifted his body to the edge of the rock, sliding his foreleg off the edge nearest to the fallen creature and placed his leg down. His mind painted the picture his sensors fed to him. The creature was still asleep. Eitai sneered. "I've got better things to do than wait here, Obito, if that's your name." There was no answer, again.
Eitai grunted, pulling himself completely off the rock. "You're comin' with me." The brute lowered his head, sliding it between the sand and the creature and slid his head and neck beneath the creature. Soon, the creature was sprawled along his back. "You'd better be grateful for this..." Eitai grumbled as he began to make his way across the desert dunes, traversing so easily against the grain of the sand.