Inna was glad to have another playmate in Orren and she thought the game they were playing was a lot of fun. So much so she didn’t want it to end, she wanted to spend the whole day playing this game with him. Suddenly though he was on the ground and not moving, she didn’t understand what had happened. At first she thought that maybe he was sleeping but she didn’t know why he would be asleep in the middle of their game. Then she thought that perhaps something had happened and he had gotten hurt somehow. So she went to investigate to find out what was wrong with him. Letting her nose lead her she cautiously approached before climbing up and licking his face hoping that would make him better. She felt his body shake under her as he giggled and that made her happy. When his eyes met hers and she held his gaze for a moment before she was on the move again. Sure then that she had helped to make him better but to be sure she crawled around and nipped his ear. She hoped the action would help him to get up so they could play again. It most certainly did get him up as she rolled back on to his stomach. Inna didn’t let go though, she wanted to make sure that he was okay to play again. She liked Orren and didn’t want him to be hurt during their game so when he told her that he was alright she couldn’t help but be very glad that he was okay again. Still she didn’t let go of his ear but instead tugged on it a little more. However when he turned his head and rolled his shoulder Inna let go of his ear unable to keep her grip. She rolled down his side and to the ground landing on her back with her little legs kicking in the air. A giggle escaped her, “That fun Ori,” she said between giggles, “We do again?” She asked her puppy blues sparkling with happiness. She thought that Orren was the best brother to play with her like this. Finally she rolled back onto her stomach before rising up on her little legs and bounding to where Orren’s head was, “Please Ori, we do again?” she said as she placed her front paws on to his shoulder and giving him a slight shove to get him moving. “Inna have fun.” She very much didn’t want to go back to the den and any thoughts she might have had of sleep and food had been pushed from her mind a while ago in favor of spending the afternoon with her brother. Then Inna gave him another lick on the cheek since he had seemed to like that when she had done it before. Her little tail waving behind her as she waited for her brother to continue their game. |
His move worked, Inna lost balance on his wobbling shoulders and rolled down his flank, releasing her grip on his ear. Orren winced, twisting his neck to try and get a look of his wounded ear. All self pity was forgotten though, as he felt his sister squirm next to him and remembered that she had fallen. A stab of intense fear went through him as he quickly looked down at the swarthy pup, lying upside down against his side; I've hurt her! He thought panicky, eyes wide as he stared at the girls feet paddling wildly, not realizing that his was a clear sign that she was still alive and well. But then he heard her tiny laugh, and breathed I sigh of relief as she merrily declared her enjoyment. It was impossible to resist her high pitched giggles, and soon the bulky yearling was chuckling too, his flanks trembling as the laughter shook through his chest. Inna was perfectly fine, clearly. In fact she seemed to be having a blast, struggling back to her legs and begging for the game to continue. She quickly shuffled alongside him, stretching up towards his ear to plead again, and Orren could not deny her. With a broad grin, the tawny yearling looked down at his baby sister, eyes glowing warmly at her wide, puppy eyes and eagerly wagging tail; she reminded him s much of himself. "So that was fun ha? I'll show ya' fun!" He bellowed, quickly twisting around to grab her between his jaws. With a gentle but firm grip, he would lift her up, rising to his own feet and then swinging back his head to set her down between his shoulder blades; "Hold on to ma' scruff this time okay?" He asked, nudging her towards the thick skin covered by long, dark hairs, then he turned his head forwards again and started off, trotting swiftly around the clearing with Inna bouncing in his back. Word count: 327 Thoughts ”Speech” |
Her efforts to get him moving by tugging on his ear had worked however he moved his head. She tried to grip his ear with enough effort that she would not fall to the ground but when he moved his head she lost her grip and tumbled down his side. She found that the fall to the ground wasn’t so bad but the best part about it was sliding down his side, it was more fun then she thought it could be. When she hit the ground and rolled onto her back with her legs in the air she couldn’t help the giggles that escaped her. Orren was a very good playmate and he knew just the best ways to entertain her, she didn’t want their play date to end too soon. She was quickly back on her feet ready to have another go at sliding down his side. She nodded and yipped, “Lots fun,” she stated her tail continuing to wag happily behind her when Orren asked her if that was fun. Then next moment though he had picked her up in his jaws and though it was a firm grip it did not hurt her. It reminded her of how her mother would sometimes pick her up when she wanted to move her to a different place. She watched as the ground became further away as he rose to his feet with her in his mouth. The fun that she was having was intensified as he swung his head so that, as he requested, she could grab a hold of his scruff to hold on. She used her little paws to claw her way onto his back and then her tiny teeth to get a grip onto the hair of his scruff so that she wouldn’t fall off. Through her teeth she giggled as Orren trotted around the clearing with her on his back. She bounced to and fro but never once let go. |
Inna showed no hesitation in taking on this, their newest game. With the same vigor as shown previously, she scrambled onto her brother's back, tiny claws digging into his shoulder while she shuffled around. The prickling sensation was not really painful, only a bit uncomfortable, and a small price to pay , to get to hear that ecstatic giggle again. The dark pup finally found her balance, and as per instruction latched on to his black scruff to hold herself in place. Orren nodded in satisfaction, he could feel the tug on his hairs, but there was no pain, and began his prance around the clearing. His baby sister chuckled her irresistible little laugh through her clenched teeth as she bumped along on his back, the sound easily reaching his ears that were attentively folded back towards her. The yearling smiled widely, quickening his pace as he grew more certain on Inna's hold. Playing with Inna was sure to become a new favorite pass time in the older brother's life. It seemed like so long ago that he had had playtime of his own, wrestling with his litter mates or tugging at the other end of an old piece of fur held by an older pack mate. But this was somewhat different too; now he was the big one, the one responsible for the small life on his back, and all he wanted was to make her happy. With a hum of laughter deep in his chest, Orren continued his swift trot, turning in increasingly sharper corners as he went. He didn't dare go faster than this, afraid that Inna wouldn't be able to keep her grip if he moved into a lope, but he wanted to do something more, anything to elicit even more laughter from his miniature rider. Then his gaze fell on a large branch, stretching across the forest floor up ahead, forming a natural boundary for the den area. The idea struck instantly, and a mischievous glint sparkled in his eye as he slowed down a bit, circling to get into a better position. Then, he turned his head briefly to look at Inna over his shoulder, checking to see if she was still hanging on tightly. Satisfied, he swung his head back forwards, speeding up rapidly as he headed for the branch, eyes narrowing. Right before reaching the hurdle, the temporary steed tensed his muscles, pulling his hind legs as far in under his belly as he could. Then, with a quick jolt of force, he leaped, gliding over the fallen branch like a soaring eagle, smiling from ear to ear. He stretched out his front paws, preparing for the landing, focusing on the tiny burden on his back, he would do his best not to rattle her too much. A jerk rippled up through his body when his paws connected with the ground, twigs crunching underneath his weight. Despite his best efforts, some of the shock did travel through his shoulders and down his back, undoubtedly shaking Inna a bit, but he felt pretty confident in his success. That was until his hind legs came down, and one of the paws slipped, leg sliding out under him. A strangled sound of panic escaped the brash lad's throat as he lost his balance, tilting towards the ground. With a desperate twitch of his body, he managed to catch himself on bended legs, elbows resting against the ground, his hind legs spread out to either side, stretched to a rather painful extent. He released a small yip at the pain, but quickly forgot all about himself, head spinning around to search for Inna, eyes wide in fear at what might have happened to her when he fell. Word count: 621 Thoughts ”Speech” |
Inna liked the new game that Ori had come up with and she didn't want it to end. It was fun bobbing up and down on his back as he trotted around the clearing outside of the den. She held onto his scruff tight like he had told her not wanting to fall off and worry him any more than she already had. Inna could tell that he had been worried about her when she had fallen off his back before and she didn't want to ruin their fun by making him worry about her again. Inna even tried to use her little paws to help hold her on but her tiny toes were too fat to bend the way she needed them to in order to hold on to his fur well enough to keep from falling. She counted on the grip she had on the dark hairs of his scruff with her mouth to do the job. As he trotted around little giggles elicited from her between the bobbing that she was doing which increased the faster he went. When he went faster she could feel the wind going through the short hairs on her face and along her back ruffling them. She really liked the way it felt. As he turned the corners quickly she could feel her little body slide this way and that across his back but through it all she kept a firm grip on the hairs of his scruff never once scared that she might fall off. She trusted that Ori would take care of her no matter what. He was her big brother after all and that was what big brothers did. When he slowed down though Inna was a little disappointed but with her mouth full of Ori's hair she couldn't tell him to go faster but she did let out a little whine so that he would know of her disapproval that he had slowed down. It was only momentary that she was to be disappointed because he was soon going much faster. She couldn't help the happy sounds that left her as he picked up the pace. She wondered where they might be going since he hadn’t turned any corners in the clearing like he had been doing. Then suddenly she felt them jolt up and when that happened she made a very high pitched squeal of happiness, it was a lot of fun too. Inna thought that she could feel them floating through the air for a few seconds. It was sort of like when her mother carried her from one place to the next. Then when they landed she was also able to feel the shock of his landing when he hit the ground as it moved across his back. Inna still hadn’t let go and was having even more fun than before. However it all changed when suddenly Ori seemed to Inna to have fallen, his one hind leg seemed to have gone from beneath him. She knew that because she’d had that happen to her when she was first starting to walk. The sound that came from him worried her some, she was worried that maybe he had hurt himself. She still didn’t let go to ask him if he was okay. It wouldn’t be good for them both to get hurt. She was still too far from the ground and she didn’t want Ori to be sad if she fell and hurt herself. She did whine though to get his attention so that she could see for herself if he was okay and to help her down when he was able. |
Her nervous whine made his heart clench and his head swiveled to see what had happened to her. The small sounds she had made in her enjoyment had made warmth bloom in his chest, and he had gotten so caught up in their game that he had forgotten his caution. All he had wanted was to hear her giggling, but the jump had been reckless, dangerous; Idiotic! One thing was his own pain, which was easily pushed to the back of his mind while he worried for his sister, but he had put her in danger, risked her health while she was in his care; Stupid! What was he gonna tell his parents if she was hurt? Please don't be! Oh please, please, be okay! Wide, worried orange eyes connected with a pair of similarly round sky blues. Inna looked up at him anxiously, though her jaws were still firmly clenched around his scruff. The bulky yearling sighed heavily; "Sorry lass. I guess I managed to scare the both of us quite a bit, hu?" Orren shook his head, clenching his teeth as a sudden stab of pain shot up through his groin from the overstretched legs. His gaze travelled along the dark saddle of his back and to his rear, his teeth grinding against each other when saw the awkwardly perking rump over the unnaturally angled legs; No wonder it hurts! Returning his attention to Inna, the boy forced a smile, happy that at least she wasn't wounded; And I mostly on my pride I think. He glanced around, glad to find that they were alone in the forest, and no one else had seen his stumble. Then he looked down at his sister; "Good thing you held on so tightly. Now just keep that grip for a few more minutes 'kay?" Such assured that his little rider was safe, the copper tinted yearling focused on himself again, slowly beginning to wiggle, to try and get out of the uncomfortable splits. His ears folded flat back, teeth continuing to grind while he gradually worked his way out of the painful position, overstretched muscles aching as they were contracted to normal extend. Once again, the prideful youth was extremely happy that no one was around to see his inelegant struggle. Finally back on his feet, he tentatively stretched, first one leg, then the other backwards, wincing a little, but concluding that no permanent damage had been done. A breathy chuckle escaped him; "Sorry Inna, I wasn't... Prepared for that." He turned his head to smile down at the ebony girl once more, expression more at ease now; "Come on then," Pausing, he parted his jaws and bend down to grab the pup and lift her off his back, carrying her instead by her scruff, where he was in full control. Once she was secure, he began walking, slightly limpy, and wincing for the first couple of steps. He wisely chose to move around the branch this time, carefully checking the floor before putting down his feet, so as to not slip again. Once safe within the clearing, only a few steps away from the den, he lowered Inna down to the ground; "I think play time is over for today." The brother smiled sheepishly, looking with glowing eyes at his baby sister, wanting her to know that she had done nothing wrong, and that he would be happy to play with her again soon; "Perhaps you should go in and check on ma' and 'Kalta, make sure they're still all right. You've been out 'ere for a while now, won't want 'em to worry about ya' now." The spirited little pup showed no sign of fatigue, but Orren had asked and listened enough to know that the youngins would tire quickly, and needed rest and food often. That last thought gave him another idea of how to lure her back in the den, he cocked a brow and grinned at Inna, speaking in a low tone, like he was telling a big secret; "Ma' might have some food for ya' too." Word count: 681 Thoughts ”Speech” |
It made her happy when his gaze finally met hers, it eased her worry some about if he had been hurt. Though the sound that he had made when he had slipped had not left her mind she felt a little more at ease that he was able to look back at her. She did not understand all of the words that he said but his tone seemed sad to her, she whined to acknowledge that she had heard him. She was still careful not to lose her grip on his scruff until he told her that it was okay for her to do so. She knew that Ori would know the best time for her to let go after what had happened she thought it best to wait for him to be ready to let her down. So she waited her tiny ears perked and eyes watching what she could see of Orren’s face for any sign of what might be happening next. When he smiled her little tail wagged back and forth across his back. His smile was very reassuring to her that everything was alright. He wanted her to hold on for a little longer which she could do though she didn’t have much of a choice unless she wanted to slip to the ground. Her gaze did fall to the ground, what she could see of it anyway and it hadn’t gotten any closer. Orren had started moving again first wiggling which Inna supposed he was trying to get back on his feet like she had to whenever she had slipped. She watched as his ears went flat against his head then he attention was drawn to the fact that hi body had changed positions and she had to readjust herself on his back. He spoke to her again his tome a little lighter this time and he gave her a smile too which made her think that everything was okay. Next thing she knew though was that Ori had grabbed her around the scruff and was now carrying her in his mouth. Instinctively her body curled up as she swung in his mouth as he walked. First they went around the fallen stump and then across the clearing till they were in front of the den. There he set her down on the ground before stating that their play time was over, she understood that and it elicited a small whine from her but she did understand. Inna knew what it was like to fall and she didn’t always want to play afterward either so though she was a little disappointed was not mad at Ori for ending their play time. He said a lot of words which Inna didn’t understand all of them but she know q few of them the main ones being Ma and Kalta. Her gaze drifted toward the mouth of the den which was where she had last seen her mum and sister. Orren spoke again this time mentioning food which reminded Inna that she had not eaten in a while and now that all the excitement had stopped she was starting to feel sleepy too. “Inna hungry,” she said in response to his mention of food. She started to bounce into the den but stopped and looked back at her brother, “Ori come back,” she told him before she was bouncing off into the den on search of her mother and her dinner. |
Inna's spirit was a constant source of wonder and joy in the older brother. Even in his first few moments of panic, she remained focused, clinging on as instructed and seeming to be more concerned for him than herself. He couldn't help but grin, once he'd regained his composure and gotten through the first, painful steps, wondering if he had been the same at that age. At the same time she seemed eager to comply, holding on until he was ready to pick her up, and then obediently letting go, even drawing up her legs to make it easier for him to carry her; Now I know THAT is not like me! His rebelliousness seemed to have thrived within him from birth, not like this little lightning bug. The ebony pup was less agreeing when it came to ending their game, though her protests remained in the verbal, an insisting whine leaving her tiny mouth. It made the bulky yearling frown, ears falling back, and he instinctively wanted to give her anything she asked for, just to stop her crying and keep her happy. It took all his strength, to keep from falling to his knees before her and continue playing, but luckily, he refrained just long enough. His little enticement had worked. The girl's crystal blues turned away from him, glancing towards the den, and her ears perked at the mention of food. Her blunt statement brought the smile back to her big brother's face and he chuckled lightly as she started off towards the den, just the slightest extra wobble in her bouncy steps revealing her growing fatigue. The copper tinted lad remained seated, watching her as she started to disappear into the darkness of the den. just before her raven pelted melted with the shadows, she turned, bright eyes finding him as she called out. Orren's heart melted at her words, and he smiled softly at her, all speech momentarily futile to the otherwise so outspoken wolf. Inna had long vanished when he finally regained control of his tongue, answering in voice full of love, and just loud enough for her to hear; "'course Lightning bug, before you know it." Word count: 363 Thoughts ”Speech” |