milliways_bar | (no subject)

Skwisgaar was more than a little surprised at this himself, blinking, still petting Pompeii's head, "...is fuG#sing metal is what."

Going by his tone, as well as his equally awestruck expression was a clue that 'fuG#sing metal' was the highest of praise.

"My Kindred art singers; music is part of the fibre of our beings, but I know of none who can do what thou just did. Not only could I see thine music, but felt as well." It was nearly incomprehensible, and a shade frightening. That was only with their tools.

What if they had sung?

But. Still. "Would thou play again?"

The singing wasn't done by either guitarist, though it was likely that both could sing. They just didn't.

Toki smiled and nodded, "Alright, we could plays another song. How~'s about Yardwolfves, Skwisgaar? Is a warm song." He turned to the large, bronze lizard and smiled, "Is abouts our fans. We don't usually likes dem at all, but... you's an exception."

He nodded at that, giving Pompeii's head a nudge to tuck the tiny dragon back down into his jacket, so that the critter wouldn't get in the way while he was playing.

"Ja, dat's is probably beings a goods kind of songs to plays on next." It would take a little while for the dragon's praise to sink in, Skwisgaar's ego tended to get in the way of that sort of thing.

"A warm song would be nice, yes," I agreed, tempering my Awe some. The chill from the previous song was fading, but still slightly present.

Toki started with the rhythm, his face gone blank as his hair fell across his shoulders. It already was a vicious sound, like the sound of a wolf pack's feet crunching in the leaves of a forest. On the hunt. On the trail of some scent, careful measures of music for the careful footfalls of canines.

That grim smile was back, head tilted forward just a little, nodding as he played. Where Toki got the footsteps and the movement of the pack, Skwisgaar got the howls and the teeth.

His smile just spread as they both got to give way to the chase, this was, by and large, his favorite part of the song.

Such a different way of hunting than I was used to. I felt myself becoming lost in the chase, the thrill of the hunt, the feel of others around me.

We Kantri tend to be solitary hunters. This sense of pack was strange and unnerving. The teeth and claws, however, less so. A small part of me was relieved that I had already eaten for the week.

The hunt was more for the kill, it seemed, not for the food, as was typical for wolves. These were spoiled, feral, fierce wolves which were on the grounds of the musician's mansion, there as the world's wildest guard dogs.

Had there been lyrics to accompany, the entire song would have tied in the wolves, the wind, the wild, and the human element. The lyrics were in second person, present tense, telling You that You were being chased.

But the guitars were the first and foremost part of the song. The song had been written around the two guitarists' playing.

The wolves struck! They struck down the helpless, puny prey, which was powerless against the pack. The shuffling of paws around the body, their excited jumping and riling over each other for the taste of blood was almost tangible.

Skwisgaar's grin was just a little more toothy than strictly necessary, tossing his head again to flick his hair out of the way, though it could very easily have been a moment of lock-jawed throat-ripping, if he'd been decidedly more canine.

It was still unnerving, however, just a little bit, mostly because of how feral he did look.

I wasn't certain I liked the violence of this song. It was so visceral, and I wondered if all wolves hunted this way. The ones I had seen before didn't seem to, but it is not as though I can speak with them. Perhaps Spoon would know and I could ask him the next time we spoke?

But that would not occur to me until later. Now it was blood and excitement, and I could feel my Fire growing, the urge to roar in triumph. A small part of me urged me to put myself once more through the Discipline of Calm, but I couldn't. Not yet.

The younger guitarist looked up at the dragon, his own eyes catching the light of the bar in an almost preternatural fashion, as they finished the song, both guitars howling, almost uncannily like the animals they portrayed.

They'd spent months perfecting that song, and Toki was proud of it. He took one more bow and turned off his amp, sitting down on it and smiling over to Skwisgaar. There was that unspoken language again, body language of 'we're DAMN good'.

Skwisgaar was still smiling, though it wasn't as sharp, not as knife-edged as it had been, perching himself on his own amp, turning it off as well and just picking away at something, as he was prone to doing.

"Dat songs is always giving me ons de goods kind of tired." He said with a nod, smiling as Pompeii peered up from under his collar, tiny copper head straining to turn over backwards and see what he was doing. And it was true, he always felt played out when the song was over, like he just wanted to go find someplace warm to curl up and sleep.

I was still for a moment after the song, standing slightly in Triumph, still feeling the urge to violence and roar as I had felt the cold from the other.

In truth, I preferred the cold.

Slowly, I loosed each limb and entered the Discipline of Calm, not speaking until I was more than halfway through.

"What is the meaning of such a song?"

Toki smiled, "We has wolfves in our yard. Dey is protects us from crazy fans who wants to sneaks in and parties or kills us or whatevers."

There was a shrug, "We writes it sort of half for de fans, halfs for de wolfves." The wolves didn't appreciate it, but the fans were literally maiming each other to get ahead in line as the CDs hit the music stores.

"We makes it up here in de bar, right Skwisgaar?"

He nodded, still playing quietly, smiling again when Pompeii hooted at a particular note or chord, "Ja, we's is was doing dat. We's is should be doings of it mores of de timings I think."

Because here was where they wrote the good songs.

The Discipline now complete, I sat with my tail curled about my forelegs.

"You allow them to hunt the people who come to listen to your music?" I asked cautiously. That seemed wrong somehow, though if it was in defence of their lives...

"De peoples are trespassing. You understands, is like someone comings in and invadings your privacy, and we is very private peoples. We gots secrets and lives dat we don't wants our fans to knows about!"

He shrugged. "De wolves is our friends. I won't tells 'em to stops."

Skwisgaar nodded at this as well, blinking up at the dragon, "Ja, dey's is liiike, our protectsions guys. And dey's is actuallies really pretty goods at it, dat's is why we also is havings de guy who's is a really good shots for picks off de runners who's is actually gets away from de wolfves."

I fell silent for a moment. "Yes, I can understand that, provided they have been warned that is what would happen if they crossed into your territory." We did much the same on the Isle of Exile.

Toki nodded, "Dey knows exactlies what awaits dem once dey scales de razorwire walls."

The blonde nodded as well, "Ja, dey's is even knowings befores dat, is signs alls over de wall outsides explains exactlies what's is inside and who's dey's is not good for, liiike de dudes with a plastics hip, or de pregnants ladies or de olds people and stuff, dat guy who is maybe a robot butler says we has to have 'em up becausings of a lee-gulls issue."

He shrugged, "But somes of de time peoples is climbs over anyway. Is dildos."

"Forgive me for saying so, but humans are strange," I answered with a faint hiss.

"But also talented in many surprising things. I thank you again for playing your music for me." I dipped my head and sent a wave down my neck.