Life or Death? (OPEN)

[Erida]

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[atrb=background,http://i45.tinypic.com/10n9miv.jpg] Life? She had survived? Confusion touched her feminine features, something that rarely, if ever, had before. The emotion frustrated the feline more than anything she could recall. One of such intelligence, the holder of such a keen mind, should not feel this way. Pale lips curled back against fangs in a sneer, wrinkles etching into the bridge of her nose. Icy blue optics searched the area, slowly touching upon each rock, every crevice, and each unfamiliar rise from the earth. This was like the place she had died, or rather thought she had. The canyon that she and her clan had called home was very similar, yet this one seemed so...empty. Did all others die and leave her as the last one standing? She always swore that she would out live the rest of the simple minded creatures that graced Diripio. A graceful frame danced to a slow rhythm across the barren rock she stood upon, long cheetah-like limbs cutting easily through the atmosphere. Her gaze locked upon the distance noting the difference from what she was use to. Where was the ocean? Where was the breeze that so freely would reach with outstretched fingers to brush through her thick white pelt? Slightly pointed auditories lowered themselves in thought before realizing letting her guard down in such a strange time would be dangerous. Quickly those ears stood upright, at full attention just waiting to pirouette to any sounds that may travel her way. There was nothing. Silence. Had everything died around her? Even the waves that so often crashed against the cliff side? The fae's pace slowed as she reached the edge, her leanly muscled haunches lowering to the ground below. A plume dressed in silken tresses wrapped elegantly around her sitting frame, the tip resting on dainty paws. There she sat quietly staring into the darkness, for once in her time not quite understanding what was happening around her, not knowing her next move. Actions! Speech! Thoughts!

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[bane]

He stood, watching the feline as she became simultaneously perturbed and in deep thought. It was evident that she didn't know where she was, or how she got there, but what was most saddening is that she experienced the same confusion that he did when he first arrived here. The sudden sting of losing someone close will creep up on this feline and she won't have the defensive mechanisms for it to combat the feeling of loneliness, longing, betrayal and loss of morality. He lost his morality a long time ago, and that meant that she would too, in time. For if you landed in Purgatory, your morality sits on a very fine line between Heaven and Hell, both which have supreme influence, but he knew something that no one else did when he landed here.

He perked his auditory sensors up and gazed up at her, and as the calming silence broke through his concentration vault, he decided that it's better if someone tells her than no one at all.

"You're dead."

He said, with the utmost clarity and boldness that he could muster without being cynical or rude.

He walked into clear view of her and stopped a few feet away, enough for both of them to get into striking distance of each other, for he is sure that she would not believe him.

He didn't believe anyone when he first got here.

"Everything around you that has once upon a time breathed life and exuberance, is now gone. Here, life doesn't exist; only you do, and both you and I are dead as a fish out of water. Look forward; there should be a body of water somewhere over there, right? Well there isn't. But there is one elsewhere in this region. You're in Purgatory, which obviously means that you're not a demon but you're far from a saint as well...", he scoffed, realizing the irony of the situation. "You must have pissed both of the team captains off really bad."

[Erida]

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[atrb=background,http://i45.tinypic.com/10n9miv.jpg] The presence of the male was unknown as the fae sat in silence, contemplating her surroundings and what she was to do with herself in this strange new era of life. Twin soldiers swung back around at the sound of his voice, masculine and certain. No other muscle seemed to shift under that thick pelt of hers. Rather she looked quite relaxed and unconcerned in the strangers presence. This was simply Erida, she was known to dance with the devil in life, and why would she change her ways now? Fear was for the weak. Though her ears were the only sign that she had acknowledged the brute at all his words did force optics to narrow into a deeper form of thought. "Dead". That would explain why she felt that this place was so different from her home, why the peculiar silence had taken over the land. Only has the soft sound of paws pressing into mother earth's hide began did her rounded skull twist to better view her company. Icy optics latched violently onto his own gaze searching their depths for something even unknown to the feline. The tip of the flowing tail flickered in agitation, like that of a meager house cat being taunted by the family's mutt. The truth was this male was not an annoyance, the situation at hand was. She could easily work her way through mortal life, manipulating all in her path to get what she wanted. She knew what she wanted then and how to get it. Was this new world much different from what she was use to? It felt completely different, and for the first time she felt completely, and utterly lost. As was typical of the cheetah hybrid her visitor was examined through peripheral vision, his size and demeanor noted, the distance between them calculated. For now he was safe from attack, though, nothing was ever certain with this once was queen. Her expression softened ever so slightly from the calculating opponent, to simply a stranger conversing as he began to explain the situation to her. Optics slid to the corner of almond shaped holders to view where he was speaking of before slowly returning back. A breath of air was forced from pale nares in the form of a sigh, head falling off kilter ever so slightly in a curious fashion. Lyrics rang out as sweet as ever to the ear as the concern and wonder that painted her canvas now was allowed into the open freely, "Death. That would explain a lot. I wondered how I would have survived and why things were as different as they were." Her voice paused, pale lips pulling back into an amused smirk as she was informed to exactly where she was and how she wasn't wanted by either side. A giggle chimed from it's ivory clad dungeon as a first response to the comment, "I must say I am not surprised at all by my location in comparison to where I could have ended up. Quite frankly they're both smart for not wanting me." Her rear rose to its full height, lengthy limbs drawing her closer to the stranger. She allowed her eyes to fall upon his frame to better examine him without a care of how rude it may seem. The only offering of peace, and assurance that she meant no harm was a soft, rhythmic purr that ping ponged within her chest. "If I am here, and you are here as well, that must mean you're part of this Purgatory? What is it that you have done to make neither side want you, my dear?" Actions! Speech! Thoughts!

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[bane]

This feline was perfectly rational; something his emerald hues haven't laid on in a long while. Still, she was sound of mind and as calming as her coat. She completely understood everything he communicated, yet she rebutted with sound judgment. Most of the people he encountered here were shocked that they were dead, or angry. This one was content, and ready for the next stage of action.
His ears perked to her voice as he locked eyes with her. Her hues fixated onto his and he could feel her analyzing him, just as he used to analyze others. She was tactical, rational, and with no doubt, prepared. She arose and a sound emitted from her that was almost soothing. He stepped closer and as he did, she asked him a question that not many have asked. This was intriguing, as he almost forgot why he was here.

Actaully...my sins do not venture far off from others. Once upon a time, I wanted power; I wanted clarity and absolute power in my pack. I murdered innocents, I've murdered murderers, and I've even taken apart allies, simply because I wanted power and I didn't like the direction my clan was going. He paused, just to reminisce about his war days; the bloodshed and carnage tainting his mind and heart. He was ruthless in his upcoming; cold, analytic, tactical, precise; he had it down to a small finite skill set, until his last kill.
My last mission indefinitely, was to annihilate a clan that was just across the mountain from us. The task was simple; Kill the leader. But the leader was a child...I could not contest in killing a child. His eyes looked past hers and into his own mind as he watched the eyes of the infant stare back at him.
All of my casualties resulted in my action to go rogue. So I killed my team. I suppose God smiled upon me for taking the lives of the evil and sparing the good, but he frowned upon me for eliciting in the early deaths of others.

He snapped back to reality; the reality that in the end, he was made to be alone. He looked at the earth in front of him and listened intently for the sound of life, hoping that hearing a blade of grass grow would be his saving grace to finally waking up from this dream.

There's hardly any good I've done. I don't know why I'm here...I should be in hell, but I suppose, they're both agreed on keeping me here. Maybe I'm supposed to be, I'm not sure. But, darling, why are you here? Does heaven have too many angels? Or does Hell not want a demon?

[Erida]

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[atrb=background,http://i45.tinypic.com/10n9miv.jpg] As she approached, his forward step did not surprise her. She was built perfectly for deception, for others to want to be close to her. Angelic in appearance and in voice it made her life mission all that much easier. She was built to be an actress, to lure unsuspecting victims in and tinker with their minds to make them believe just what she wanted. The fun of the game she so often played flooded her veins with a sense of joy, though, this emerald eyed brute was not one she had plans for. Truth was she had no plans at all any longer, not yet anyway. A soft smile played along pale tiers, it seemed so genuine, and for all anybody knew it truly was. After all, what did she have to hide now? The purr trailed off as her question was answered with more information that she had expected. Bright blues watched the male's features as he shifted between past and present. She remained silent as his story was concluded, that smile tightening into a smirk on the left side of her face. Oh how similar they were. Perhaps this is why she was stuck here in purgatory as well? Furry brows furrowed ever so slightly as she considered exactly why neither hell nor heaven would want her before she responded. "My dear, I am far from an angel. You and I seem to have similar back stories." She sat back upon her haunches getting comfortable. She considered continuing on with her own story or to leave it be, though she was feeling strangely open and as if she needed to share her thoughts with another. Only now did she realize how much she truly counted on having her second in command to bounce ideas and feelings and thoughts off of. Maybe she wasn't nearly as cold hearted as everybody, including herself, believed. No....she just liked others to listen and agree. Without anything to lose here she opened up offering her history,"I was a pet and had formed a rebellion against the humans. We had killed every last one upon our island. The power got to me, and much like you I would stop at nothing to gain more and more of it until I had the most powerful group upon the island. I can not say that I stopped at the young or the weak. My own offspring were murdered if they would not live up to my expectations." A flash of the demoness within painted her canvas, her eyes glistening at the thought of the bloodshed, oh how she loved it! Her opinion of why she was here instead of in hell could be completely wrong, but with such a big ego, which most likely will never leave her, it made perfect sense, Heaven surely would not want me for all of the blood that taints my claws, and fangs. Though they may have been proud of my freeing of the "pets". And with my hunger for power I am not sure that the devil would wish to have me within rank. I would be the one a constant eye would have to be on." Actions! Speech! Thoughts!

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[bane]

This new revelation was daunting. He perked his ears upon hearing the end of her tale and sighed softly as his eyelids closed slowly. The air circulated in and out, steadily easing his mind.

"Heaven and Hell suppose two distinct species of men; the good, and the bad. But the greater of the two float betwixt Vice and Virtue." He said, now opening the lids that stole away brilliant emerald hues. His orbs fixated onto the felines', and at that moment, he knew exactly why he was in Purgatory and not in either of the worlds he's heard fable of.

A moment later, the blood-lustful demon's voice resonated throughout Azrael's mind.
[glow=red,2,300]Don't think of yourself as a guide here, fool. You were never shown the ropes, and now you're going to explain things to every creature that foolishly ends up here? Every walk of life could literally crumble at your feet, and you choose to lead the way?[/glow]

[glow=red,2,300]The blind may not be able to lead the blind, but I can see more than anyone who hasn't been here. So yes.[/glow]

He stepped toward the feline, careful not to incite any threat. It didn't matter if this being was a feline here; either way, they're both already dead so it never mattered to him. Azrael's main concern at the moment, was the fact that much like his first time here, he knew nothing. Everything he learned was through experience, and being able to instruct someone on how not to make his same mistakes was better to him than inciting violence for no reason. Purgatory is an entirely different world. It didn't house the luxuries of Heaven, yet, it didn't have the Hell-ish qualities of....well....Hell. Purgatory was dead in itself as it's inhabitants were, and not much more forgiving than most.

"Wherever you end up, which won't be soon by the way, unless you've found the trick to sneaking into Heaven or out of Hell, you'll probably never be satisfied. This world has a unique order, and that order is about as random and unexpected as the minds of the rulers of Heaven and Hell. That being said, let me warn you; anything can happen."

He turned and paced backward and forward, nudging at the dead, cracked earth underneath his paws. "Yes, you're dead, but that doesn't mean you can't die again. Who knows with this place? Maybe you'll die somehow, then end up right back where you started; I'm not sure. But what I am sure about, is that you need to first, realize and understand the concept that you do not exist any longer, and that you will never exist beyond that. Once you wrap your mind around that, anything is possible, which brings me back to the phrase; "Anything can happen"

And true to form, anything could. Throughout his time here, he's seen love, hate, and confusion travel with the fog that clings low to the ground. He's encountered gypsies and heard rumors of territorial Titans lurking in the marsh lands in Purgatory. He himself has experienced small notions of affection in the afterlife, teaching him that anything is actually possible. He's seen to Hell, been through a one-way portal, and somehow returned to Purgatory, never to know if anyone he knew made it to Heaven or not. He's seen quite a bit in a short amount of time.

[glow=red,2,300]Time[/glow]

He turned his attention toward the sky and nodded upward for her to do the same. The gray haze filled the sky as an overwhelming stillness crept throughout the air. The stench of rotting decay formed in the sensory glands inside his nostrils, reminding him of his own state somewhere in the living plane. "Time does not exist here. Time is about as elusive as it's said to be. We're destined to make a choice somewhere though, and I believe that it is us who are the greater of the two beings, don't you think? After all, a human did say 'the greater of the two float betwixt Vice and Virtue'."

As much as he wanted to believe it, he still couldn't prove it to be true. Inside raged another being entirely; one that would either aide and abide, or eradicate and extirpate.