Grizzly Hollow who'll stop the rain?

RE: Spring showers have come early, resulting in heavy downpours throughout parts of Relic Lore.
For @Pip -- midday, south side of the territory.

Felix, though not as loud as his younger sister, and not as bold as his older sister, still had no shortage of curiosity, nor did he suffer any great inhibition.  As days passed his parents allowed the pups more and more freedom to wander within the bounds of Grizzly Hollow.  Thankfully for the trio of adults, the young boy had yet to develop any interest in what lay beyond the cedarwood forest.  His curiosity was sated still by a shiny pebble, or a butterfly he hadn’t seen before.

Today was such a day, though it was a dragonfly he followed through the heart of the territory and then further south.  Thankfully, the tiny creature perched often, or Felix would not have been able to keep up.  As it were, he still tripped over his feet two sizes too large whenever he tried anything faster than a jog.

He had all but caught up to the graceful bug when something pattered overhead.  Squinting, the prince glanced up at the top of the trees – seeing nothing, he looked for his new friend, only to find the zippy little creature gone.  “Buggy?” he called, to no avail.  The pattering was growing louder.  Brows furrowed, Felix glanced up again – this time, he was greeted with a thunderous rain, clouds bursting overhead.  The boy yelped his dismay and pressed his body to the trunk of the tree; he should have followed Buggy when he had the chance!

@Felix

Pip had yet to interact with the newest members of the pack. While she had been present at their birth, the mute girl had been far too shy - and fearful of a protective mother - to even want to approach for several weeks. Even on the day Oula had first allowed the pups to venture out, Pip had continued to make herself scarce, too shy to join in with the rest of the pack then. Though she'd not admit it, part of it was her fear of seeing anyone treat the little ones as she had been treated as a small one. She feared she would be too meek to step in if she saw it happening as well and thought it best to simply steer clear. It was a silly excuse; the Grizzly Hollow wolves were not at all like the judgemental Bella Coola wolves had been. Well, not all of them had been like that, but enough to leave an impression.

The scent of rain was strong, sending the female back towards the den. She was waylaid in her journey, however, when she heard the voice of the young prince in accordance with the first drops of rain. Curious, Pip turned in his direction and peeked from behind a tree and spotted the boy looking overhead and cowering against his own tree. With a quick survey, Pip determined the young one to be alone and gave a chirp to announce her presence and not frighten him before approaching.

Even to the young one, Pip submitted. She crawled on her belly towards him, tail wagging in a friendly manner, before she flopped onto her side to prove she meant him no harm. A tan colored paw stretched out towards him gently in encouragement as rain fell across her pelt steadily. Did he need help getting back to the den? What was it he'd been calling for before she came? Buggy? Like...a bug? Oh, she did recall in her far-off observations that he seemed to enjoy chasing after beetles! Perhaps he'd found one, but it flew off. Pip made a mental note to try and show him beneath a rotten log; there were always lots and lots of buggies then.

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(This post was last modified: Jun 27, 2016, 03:03 PM by Pip.)

Remember when I was THE slowest EVER? I am so sorry friend. :<

The chirp caught the puppy off guard, not yet trained to use his ears and his nose to detect the presence of other wolves. So focused on the sky, the young Macieo gave a little jolt, his puppy blue eyes wide as he swung his head around to face the noise. He recognized the woman as @Pip almost immediately, however, having seen the woman near his father several times. They were friends, he knew, so clearly, this woman must be good.

Her show of submission meant nothing to Felix, who understood little of hierarchy except that he often ate last (if only to cease the squabbling between Joan and Ophelia). In his mind, Pip was simply getting on his level so he might reach her. Without hesitation, the young grey wolf peeled himself away from the tree trunk and pressed up against the woman instead, licking at her muzzle insistently.

“Hi,” he mumbled softly, trying to bury himself in her plush ruff on her chest. It was better than tree bark, certainly. A slow whine fell from his lips as he flattened his ears, clearly displeased with the rain pelting both wolves now. “Wet.” He squinted at the sky accusingly. “Stop? Make stop?”

As the young pup approached and began licking at her muzzle, Pip blinked in surprise and initially tried to escape his tongue's attentions. It felt...wrong to have another lick at her chin! But if the young prince wanted to, she wouldn't be the one to tell him no. After the moment of avoiding him, Pip allowed the sweet kisses. Puppy breath pulled a ready smile from her.

Little @Felix then pressed close against the thick fur at her chest, pulling a snort of amusement from her as well as a tug to her heart. What had she done to deserve such tender affection from the young one? The boy then lifted his tiny head to the sky and complained of the rain. The way he pleaded with the sky had Pip's chest shaking in silent laughter. He was adorable and already had her heart wrapped around his tiny tail.

In comfort, the older girl licked at his forehead before positioning herself to block him from most of the rain. The little prince would not land himself with a cold while she was on watch. Even if it was not something specifically assigned to her, Pip knew it was the duty of all to care for the pups. Maybe she should carry him back to the den? Uncertain, Pip dipped her head down to peer at the boy as if he may tell her.

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A young deer has been separated from the rest of its herd. Hunt Opportunity

Thankfully, Miss Pip seemed to understand the puppy’s plight despite his inability to explain it properly. With few gestures and fewer words, she understood his meaning, and graciously allowed him to burrow up against her soft fur, ears flat as he tried to hide himself from the foul weather. In fact, the young pack wolf even began to curl around him, further shielding him from the sky, and he glanced up with his puppy blues sparkling. He did not have a word to express his feelings, so he only crooned softly, his stubby tail wagging slowly. “Thank.”

That was the word his father had taught him, the one he was supposed to say if someone did something nice.

Felix hummed to himself, proud for remembering it when the rain began to grow louder overhead. Fatter drops fell past leaves and on to the pair of young wolves, and the boy’s pleased rumbling soon became pathetic whines as he flattened his ears further against his head. He glanced back at Pip, clearly expecting the adult to know what to do about this foul situation. “Wet,” he sighed unhappily, nudging at her jaw. “Dry? Go dry now?” What was that other word he was supposed to say? The one asking for things? “…please?”

Seeing those trusting eye turned on her unraveled Pip in a way she never would have expected. She wasn't the dependable one. Even when she subtly took care of her siblings by bringing by extra meals whenever she could, it wasn't something that was often noticed. The mute girl went about her life as quietly as she did her conversations so to have another being express such heartfelt gratitude struck her starkly.

As @Felix offered his thanks, the tawny girl bent to lick at his nose as her tail wagged happily. What a kind little prince he was. It left her wondering if the girls were just as sweet. Perhaps she should take the time to stop avoiding them in favor of making her presence more well known to them.

While her patience was infinite for the rain, the pup didn't seem to share her feelings. He complained gently, at least, endearing her further. She nodded sweetly and ever so carefully plucked him up around his middle. It was with the softest of mouths that Pip carried him back towards the dens. As the pair drew closer, she had a brief moment of concern for if either @Oula or @Veho should happen upon them. Though they were kind, understanding Alphas, it didn't necessarily mean they would be as forgiving as parents. While her intentions were clearly good, it could be a shock to see another wolf carrying your own child. Of course, as soon as the worry presented itself, Pip batted it away with a slight shake of her head. Her Alphas were not like that at all. They had long since proven their personalities to her and she had no reason to doubt that her loyalty would be questioned now after all this time.

Once the den was within sight, Pip bent to let the little prince walk on his own. Remembering his penchant for bugs, the mute girl did pause on her own walk back to dig a little at the wet ground. Mud gave way freely and exposed a pair of squirming, wiggly worms. With a chirp, she made to call attention to them with smile.

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Perhaps a pup being picked up would come as a shock to parents, but it certainly did not seem to faze the young boy as he was scooped up. To him, it seemed only natural for an adult to grab him by the scruff when there was a long way to go and so Felix allowed himself to relax, taking the natural, prone position of a hunk of dead weight as the female toted him back at his request. The very least he could do was not be difficult about it.

Once he was set down, the young Macieo shook out his damp coat, bumping into the girl once in another silent thanks. As she did not speak, he did not feel incredibly pressed to fill the air with his own noise – he had Joan and Ophelia to do such things for him.

He might have made his entire way to the den had Pip not called out to him with a small chirp. Curious at even the worst of times, Felix’s head swiveled as he glanced over, small ears pivoting forward as he changed his course towards the other wolf. It was to his great delight that he realized she’d revealed something small and wriggly and he bounced in place, bumping into her leg again. “Wormy!” he crowed, recognizing the crawlies from an earlier adventure. “Found wormy. Good. Very good.”

Yes, @Pip was very good indeed.

The mute girl lifted her leg a little as @Felix bumped into it and bent her head down to sniff carefully at his head as if to assess him for injury. He seemed no worse for the wear - were pups not as fragile as she remembered? - and continued on with admiring her creepy crawly find without a care in the world. Assured of his health, Pip smiled. She wagged her tail in encouragement as he called it 'wormy.' Almost there and closer than she could ever call it.

Nose dipping into the mud to sniff out more in the wet ground beneath them, Pip pawed at the topmost layer of soil to expose even more of the wriggling brown-pink bodies. She was reminded of injured snakes by the way they trashed angrily against the nippy air and direct rain. Only then did the female look down at her paws as well as the pup's to see how absolutely filthy they were. Uh oh. Hopefully @Oula and @Veho wouldn't be too upset with her for allowing him to get in such a state. Maybe she should clean him off before escorting him the rest of the way to the den?

Glancing skyward, she frowned. The clouds didn't look like they'd relent any time soon. He'd only get dirty all over again. New plan; take him to the den and clean him there. Then she could clean her own paws.

Satisfied with this idea, the smallest Mizuno wolf gave the prince a gentle nudge to urge him on his way and out of the rain. No one would be happy with her either if she let him catch a cold over worms.

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Felix had not done much digging for worms in his short life, but the delight was written across his face as he watched the woman’s gentle movements. Nothing she did actually hurt the worms, it seemed, though they were no happier to be revealed to the rain. He couldn’t exactly blame them, not caring much for the wet himself.

Still, curiosity was a strong driver, and the boy couldn’t help by try his own paw at the trick Pip had just shown him. She was such a nice wolf, Pip; there was nothing to gain for sharing knowledge with him, she’d simply done it out of the tzedakah of her own heart. The smile on the pup’s face grew as he mirrored her actions, revealing a few wriggly worms of his own beneath the surface. That they were wet and covered in mud meant little to him, and so he beamed up at his friend and caregiver, even as she nudged him towards the den.

Thankfully, it was Felix she’d stumbled upon in the storm, and neither of his sisters. Now that his urge to know had been satisfied, he did not mind being shuffled back towards the pack den. Here, it was warm. It only needed one thing! With his eyebrows raised, he glanced back at Pip, and motioned with his head.

“Stay?”

@Pip My slowness knows no ends. :x You can finish/archive in your next post?